Charge of the Knights

MNF-Iraq – Operation Sawlat al-Fursan, or Charge of the Knights, entered a new phase of operations in Basrah. The operation, which began March 24, has now started the process of clearing strongholds previously dominated by criminal militias. A deliberate house-to-house clearance operation of the south-western Basrah district of al-Qiblah was conducted without major incident. It resulted in significant quantities of arms, ammunition and explosives being found.

What a dumbass!

FOX News – Federal authorities say a South Carolina teen accused of plotting to blow up his high school told police that he wanted to die, go to heaven and kill Jesus.

Hasn’t this fool read the Bible. Did he miss the part about Jesus sitting at the right hand of the father. Apart from that incident 2000 or so years ago, I really don’t think that the good Lord will tolerate any fast moves around the apple of his eye. Another thing, why blow up the school, alright you’ve got beef with the son of God, well fine then, why must the school go with you, why must everyone else be blown to pieces as well? Why can’t you just build your fancy bomb, take it to a field somewhere and blow yourself to pieces and try your thing at the pearly gates. Lunatics!

Hows it going Europe

IHT – Across Europe, people in the middle layer of the labor force – from office workers, civil servants and skilled laborers to low-level managers – are coping with a growing sense that they are being pushed to the margins like never before, as a combination of rising costs and stagnant wages erodes their purchasing power. Prices for basic goods from gas to milk are rising sharply, outpacing pay rises linked to official rates of inflation. More worrisome, a generation of European workers is grappling with a rising sense of injustice as they face the reality that they may be becoming worse, not better, off than their parents.

Much of the story of declining purchasing power can be traced to policy decisions and economic developments that have taken place within the last decade, when the forces of globalization began to reshape the European and global landscapes. Governments and employers, especially in industrial sectors, have kept pay rises modest, a trend that was manageable as long as inflation did not accelerate in a surprisingly sharp manner. In addition, more of each country’s income has gone to the wealthiest individuals, underpinning the acute feelings of inequality across the broad middle class.

Shock/Horror – Lefties telling lies

Daily Telegraph – PREMIER Morris Iemma’s office gave written assurances via email to unions three weeks before the 2007 election that it had no intention of privatising the power industry and that it would remain in public hands. The unions have now released the correspondence to accuse Mr Iemma of lying to workers – and voters – who had no idea the power sell-off was on the agenda ahead of polling day.

LiveNews – A key election promise to install high speed broadband across the country is about to come to a grinding halt. Labor needs more than $4 billion to fund its broadband agenda, but half the money has been locked away in a special communications fund. It means the government won’t have enough money to roll out its high speed internet plans, and could risk breaking a key election promise.

Really! I can’t believe this, telling lies and breaking promises, who would have thought that, no way, not lefties, say it ain’t so…

When you spare murderers

News.com.au – THE prime suspect in yesterday’s callous killing of a Frankston mother was sentenced to death in 1968 for the stabbing murder of a 17-year-old girl. Robinson’s death sentence for murdering the teenager was commuted in 1969, and he was released on parole in 1983. In 1991 he pleaded guilty to 14 charges of handling over $100,000 worth of stolen goods. He received a two-year sentence with a minimum of 18 months.

Actor Gil Tucker – who played a policeman in the popular TV drama Cop Shop – gave evidence on Robinson’s behalf, saying Robinson’s life had been ”a great tragedy” and that he had made a “made a great fist of having a go at it” after being released for the 1968 murder. Detectives are continuing to hunt for Robinson who they describe as “armed and dangerous” more than 30 hours after he blasted the mother of two to death with a shotgun yesterday.