statism watch

Andrew Jacobs, New York Times
February 4, 2009

BEIJING — It was meant to be a tongue-in-cheek alternative to the stultifying variety show beamed into hundreds of millions of living rooms on the eve of each Lunar New Year holiday. But the program, called “Shanzhai,” which roughly translates as “knockoff” or “underground” gala, was not to be.

After television stations withdrew their promised slots, the extravaganza’s producers turned to the Internet. Those who tried to download the three-hour program on Jan. 25, however, were disappointed. The show had been quashed by censors, presumably for its mockery of a hallowed state-molded institution.

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Jennifer Sullivan, Seattle Times
February 4, 2009

Suspects arrested for everything from shoplifting to violent felonies would be ordered to give a DNA sample before they are convicted if a controversial proposal is approved by the Legislature.

OLYMPIA — Suspects arrested in cases as minor as shoplifting would have to give a DNA sample before they are even charged with a crime if a controversial proposal is approved by the Legislature.

State criminal defense groups and the American Civil Liberties Union say the House bill is unconstitutional. It would mandate that police or jail staff collect DNA from all adults and juveniles arrested on suspicion of a felony or gross misdemeanor.

More than a dozen states already allow law enforcement to collect DNA from suspects before they are convicted. Three more states, including Washington, are considering such proposals this year.

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John Byrne, The Raw Story
February 4, 2009

‘Hope is flickering,’ ACLU declares

The American Civil Liberties Union, which has generally been harshly critical of President George W. Bush and praiseworthy of President Barack Obama, has fired a torpedo across the Obama bow.

After the British High Court ruled that evidence of a British resident’s rendition and harsh interrogation at the Pentagon’s Guantanamo Bay prison must remain secret because of threats made by the Bush administration to halt intelligence sharing, the Obama Administration offered a terse statement seemingly expressing support to the BBC.

“The United States thanks the UK government for its continued commitment to protect sensitive national security information and preserve the long-standing intelligence sharing relationship that enables both countries to protect their citizens,” a spokesman said.

In response, the ACLU’s executive director, Anthony Romero, shot off a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asking the Obama Administration to clarify their position. Romero also issued a sharply-worded three sentence statement to the press, saying Obama has now offered “more of the same.”

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Resurrecting the Clinton political machine will do that.

Suzanne Goldenberg, The Guardian
February 4, 2009

Barack Obama suffered the biggest blow to date over his promise to clean up politics in Washington yesterday, when a trusted mentor was forced to withdraw his nomination from a cabinet post because of unpaid taxes.

Tom Daschle, a former Democratic leader in the Senate who guided Obama on his arrival in Washington four years ago, withdrew from consideration for the post of health and human services secretary after newspapers called for him to step aside.

The controversy prompted a series of concessions from the US President in television interviews dissecting the situation.

“I screwed up,” he said in one interview with NBC. “It’s important for this administration to send a message that there aren’t two sets of rules you know, one for prominent people and one for ordinary folks who have to pay their taxes.

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It’s a crisis! Do what we say and we’ll save you… and don’t bother asking where the money is going. We just need another trillion. It will work this time, promise.

Andrew Taylor, The Associated Press
February 4, 2009

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Barack Obama says the recession will turn into a “catastrophe” if the economic stimulus is not passed quickly.

Mr. Obama began lobbying for the plan anew Wednesday amid gather criticism of the package as its price tag climbs above $900-billion (U.S.).

The President rejected several criticisms of the plan, saying that tax cuts alone will not revive the U.S. economy.

He also said that longer-term goals such as energy independence and health care reform can wait until later.

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The plot thickens.

Bob Mitchell, Toronto Star
February 4, 2009

A Peel Detective today denied framing a subordinate by stealing what he thought were bricks of cocaine and then placing them in the trunk of the subordinate’s cruiser.

Det. Marty Rykhoff, a 24-year-veteran officer, also denied telling Cst. Sheldon Cook to “secure” the box – and that he would return it to morality the following day.

“That didn’t happen,” Rykhoff, a federal Crown witness, insisted under defence cross-examination in a Brampton courtroom. “I know nothing of that.”

It’s the Crown’s case that Cook, one of Rykhoff’s officers, stole 15 of 102 bricks of the suspected cocaine seized hours earlier in a courier truck on Nov. 16, 2005. Cook, 40, has pleaded not guilty to seven criminal charges.

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CBC News
February 4, 2009

A Manitoba teenager is suing the RCMP over allegations she was shocked by a stun gun while in custody, her lawyer said Tuesday.

The girl, who cannot be identified because of provisions in the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was 16 when the alleged incident occurred in November 2007. She says four male officers held her down in a Selkirk jail cell and shot her with a stun gun three times.

Her lawyer, Catherine Dunn, said she doesn’t understand why there isn’t a ban on using stun guns on young people, a move Ontario’s child advocate called for on Tuesday.

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Given that Mr. Lazaridis is now one of the unelected advisors to Jim Flaherty, this story is fair game for this site. Which begs the question – if he stands accused of plundering shareholder value from RIM, why is he part of the economic crisis/bailout advisory council? Could it be because there’s a set of rules for these guys and a set of rules for the rest of us? Like, you pay a fine but don’t go to jail when you’re too big to fail? Perhaps there are other explanations… none spring to mind immediately. Incidentally, Jim Balsillie has made an appearance in this journal before as well.

Jacquie McNish and Paul Waldie, The Globe and Mail
February 4, 2009

The co-founders of Research In Motion [RIM-T] and a group of their closest friends and former directors have struck a preliminary settlement with the Ontario Securities Commission over allegations that they orchestrated an improper compensation scheme that cost the company more than $100-million.

The regulator’s allegations target the company’s co-chief executives Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis, as well as Douglas Fregin, who co-founded the communications powerhouse with Mr. Lazaridis in 1984. Also named are former RIM directors Douglas Wright, the president emeritus of the University of Waterloo; Kendall Cork, a Toronto business consultant and former Noranda Inc. executive; James Estill, who runs a computer company in Guelph, Ont., and company executives Dennis Kavelman and Angelo Loberto.

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