1) Florida Man Killed By Computerized Vehicle While Inspecting Tracks... Computer Controls/Death
2) Truck Bomb Kills at Least 63 in Northern Iraq... Iraq/Democrats/Media Bias
3) Sen. Boxer Offers No Apology for Rebuking Brigadier General Who Called Her 'Ma'am'... Democrat/Ego Trip
4) ASCAP Wants To Be Paid When Your Phone Rings... Music/Tax
5) Self-rule introduced in Greenland... Greenland/Independence
6) Giving Up Privacy For a Chance at a Paycheck, Companies wanting personal information... Employment/Privacy
7) Teacher fired for conservative website... Public Schools/Liberalism/Oppression
8) Former Gitmo detainee accused of killing 3 missionaries... Islamic Terrorist/Gitmo
9) Top Union Boss Investigated for Playing Politics with Pension Funds... Unions/Corruption



1) Florida Man Killed By Computerized Vehicle While Inspecting Tracks... Computer Controls/Death
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,527943,00.html

June 20, 2009
Police say a Metromover car rolled over and killed a station supervisor as he inspected the tracks.

The accident happened Saturday. The computerized vehicle, which is not driven by a conductor, was stopped, but moved forward for an unknown reason.

Police found the body about 100 feet from the platform; the identity of the supervisor wasn't released.

This is the second public transit worker death in the last week. On Sunday night, a 60-year-old Metrorail security officer was shot and killed by two men in a station garage.






2) Truck Bomb Kills at Least 63 in Northern Iraq... Iraq/Democrats/Media Bias
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,527864,00.html

June 20, 2009




BAGHDAD — A truck bomb exploded near a Shiite mosque in northern Iraq following prayers, killing at least 55 people and wounding nearly 200 others, police said.

The blast came hours after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called the withdrawal of U.S. troops from cities by the end of this month a "great victory" and promised it would go ahead as scheduled. Officials have warned that insurgents are likely to stage more attacks in the wake of the withdrawal to try to undermine confidence in the government's ability to protect its people.

Worshippers were leaving the mosque in Taza, 10 miles south of Kirkuk, following noon prayers when the truck exploded, according to police Brig. Gen. Sarhat Qader, who gave the casualty toll.

He said the mosque and at least eight nearby houses were demolished and residents were working with rescue teams to search for people buried under the rubble.

Women begged police to let them near the site so they could search for loved ones while ambulances rushed victims to the overwhelmed hospital in Kirkuk. Three babies cried as they were placed on a single hospital bed to be treated.

Yellman Zain-Abideen, who was wounded by shrapnel in his hand and face, cried for his missing son.

"He was only 10 feet away from me where we were leaving the mosque. I don't know what happened to him," the 43-year-old said, blaming local authorities for not providing sufficient security. "There should have been guards around the mosque, we are living in an area surrounded by enemies."

Tensions have risen in the oil-rich area of Kirkuk as Kurds seek to incorporate it into their semiautonomous region despite opposition from Arabs, Turkomen and other rival ethnic groups. That has raised concerns about an outbreak of ethnic violence in northern Iraq even as attacks elsewhere decline.

Taza is mostly Turkomen.

U.S. and Iraqi officials have warned they expect insurgents to stage attacks to try to provoke a new outbreak of sectarian violence.

A U.S.-Iraqi security pact requires the Americans to pull back combat troops from cities by the end of this month as a first step toward a full withdrawal by 2012. The deal includes a provision for the Iraqi government to ask for U.S. help if violence surges.

Al-Maliki insisted earlier Saturday that the withdrawal will take place on schedule. He acknowledged that more attacks were likely but said Iraqi security forces were prepared.

Any extension would show a lack of confidence and would be a "historic setback," he said during a speech to members of the Turkomen ethnic minority.

"We will not retreat no matter what happens and, God willing, nothing will happen because of the capabilities that our security forces have," he said.

The Interior Ministry, meanwhile, warned it has received intelligence that some militants will try to stage attacks after the June 30 deadline.

Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, however, said the U.S. withdrawal will give the Iraqis more power to deal with the violence because they won't be limited by the need to coordinate with the Americans.

"That will provide a more flexible opportunity for Iraqis to reach their targets quickly," he said.






3) Sen. Boxer Offers No Apology for Rebuking Brigadier General Who Called Her 'Ma'am'... Democrat/Ego Trip
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/06/19/sen-boxer-offers-apology-rebuking-brigadier-general-called-maam/


June 19, 2009
Aside from a briefly worded statement about a "friendly" conversation she had with an Army brigadier general after dressed him down a day earlier for calling her "ma'am," Sen. Barbara Boxer remained silent Friday in the face of growing criticism as to whether she owed an apology. She may be a lady and a senator, but don't expect an apology from Barbara Boxer for making the distinction to an Army brigadier general this week.

Aside from a briefly worded statement about a "friendly" conversation she had with Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh after dressing him down for calling her "ma'am," Boxer remained silent Friday in the face of growing calls for her to apologize.

"Senator Boxer spoke with General Walsh yesterday and he said he was fine with her comments at the hearing," Boxer spokesman Zachary Coile said in a statement sent Friday to FOXNews.com.

"It was a very friendly conversation and they reiterated their respect for each other and how much they look forward to working together," he said.

The controversy began when Walsh, with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, was testifying during a hearing before Boxer's Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and he summoned the audacity to call the California senator "ma'am."

Boxer immediately interrupted him before he could answer one of her questions.

"You know, do me a favor," a clearly agitated Boxer said. "Could you say 'senator' instead of 'ma'am?"

"Yes, ma'am," Walsh replied.

"It's just a thing, I worked so hard to get that title, so I'd appreciate it, yes, thank you," she said.

"Yes, senator," he answered.

But Walsh was following military protocol, which advises officers to use "sir" or "ma'am" when addressing anyone higher than them on the chain of command..

The Pentagon refused to jump into the fray Friday.

"The matter was between the two and we have nothing to add," Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said in a statement to FOXNews.com.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars supported both Boxer and Walsh and downplayed the exchange.

"The general is 100 percent correct in responding to members of Congress with 'Sir' or 'Ma'am.' The senator, on the other hand, is also correct, though probably everyone now agrees that this should have been handled differently, if at all," the group said in a statement.

"There are far more important issues facing America -- from national security to the proper care and treatment of veterans, military service member and their families -- and this difference of opinion in salutations is not one of them."

But the National Republican Senatorial Committee tried to take political advantage of the incident by collecting signatures on a petition reprimanding Boxer.

"All of our military men and women deserve more dignity than to be on the receiving end of condescension and disrespect, especially at the hands of our elected officials," the organization wrote in an e-mail.







4) ASCAP Wants To Be Paid When Your Phone Rings... Music/Tax
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/06/ascap-wants-be-paid-

June 19th, 2009
ASCAP (the same folks who went after Girl Scouts for singing around a campfire) appears to believe that every time your musical ringtone rings in public, you're violating copyright law by "publicly performing" it without a license. At least that's the import of a brief [2.5mb PDF] it filed in ASCAP's court battle with mobile phone giant AT&T.

This will doubtless come as a shock to the millions of Americans who have legitimately purchased musical ringtones, contributing millions to the music industry's bottom line. Are we each liable for statutory damages (say, $80,000) if we forget to silence our phones in a restaurant?

ASCAP's outlandish claim is part of its battle with major mobile carriers (including Verizon and AT&T) over whether ASCAP is owed any money for "public performances" of the musical ringtones sold by the carriers. The carriers point out that the owners of the musical compositions (i.e., songwriters and music publishers) are already paid for each ringtone download, but ASCAP claims that it's owed another royalty for the "public performances" (i.e., ringing in a restaurant) of those same ringtones.

Fortunately, ASCAP is wrong. Even if the incidental mobile phone playback of a short snippet in a public place were viewed as a "public performance" (something no court has ever held, and that would also put you in jeopardy for playing your car radio with the window down), the Copyright Act has a specific exception, 17 U.S.C. 110(4), that covers performances made "without any purpose of direct or indirect commercial advantage." That should take care of ringtones going off in the restaurant.

Confronted with Section 110(4), ASCAP makes an even more dangerous and wrongheaded argument -- that the carrier cannot "stand in the shoes of its customer" when asserting a copyright defense like Section 110(4). In other words, because AT&T is in the ringtone business for the money, it's on the hook even if the customer isn't.

To appreciate how anti-consumer this argument is, consider what it would mean in practice. Congress has decided that many activities should be beyond the reach of copyright law, including not only the performances covered by Section 110(4), but also fair use and first sale, among other things. It's thanks to these exceptions and limitations that libraries can lend books, you can use a TiVo, and Apple can sell iPods to help you get the most from your CD collection. ASCAP is arguing, however, that just because you can't be held liable for copyright infringement for these things, a copyright owner could still sue any technology company that helps you enjoy your rights under copyright law.

Fortunately for consumers, ASCAP's theory is foreclosed by the Sony Betamax ruling, where the Supreme Court held that because it's a fair use for you to time-shift TV, it's also perfectly legal for Sony to sell you a VCR to do it. Sony did not have to run a second fair use gauntlet for its commercial VCR-selling business.

In short, if there's no infringement liability for the customer, there can be no secondary liability for the carriers. (ASCAP also has a theory that the carriers are direct infringers because they set up the system that causes phones to ring in public, but that theory is pretty handily wiped out by the recent Cablevision ruling, where the court found that setting up a "remote DVR" service doesn't make you a direct infringer when your customers use it.)

Or, put another way, if it's noninfringing for you, it's also noninfringing for a technology company to provide you with the means to do it.







5) Self-rule introduced in Greenland... Greenland/Independence
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8111292.stm

21 June 2009


The Arctic island of Greenland is assuming self-rule, in the latest step towards independence from Denmark.

The move follows a referendum on greater autonomy in November. It will see Greenland take a greater share of revenues from its natural resources.

The local government is taking control of the police and the courts. Greenlandic - or Kalaallisut - becomes the official language.

Denmark has the final say in defence and foreign-policy matters.

Copenhagen has ruled Greenland for three centuries. It granted the territory limited sovereignty in 1979.

But the new self-rule system takes the Arctic island and its 57,000 inhabitants closer to independence.

Greenlanders - most of whom are native Inuit - will be treated as a separate people under international law. Much of the oil, gas, gold and diamonds the island holds has been inaccessible because of the Arctic ice covering most of the land mass.

But US experts believe it will become easier to exploit the island's mineral wealth as global warming melts the ice sheets.

Independence advocates hope the expected increase in revenues from minerals will help fund a final breakaway from Copenhagen.

But analysts say any push for independence is likely to be put on the backburner by Greenland's new leftist government.

Newly elected Prime Minister Kuupik Kleist has vowed to concentrate on tackling big social problems, such as alcoholism, domestic violence and a high suicide rate.

Greenland currently relies heavily on subsidies from the Danish government - which provide 30% of its GDP.






6) Giving Up Privacy For a Chance at a Paycheck, Companies wanting personal information... Empolyment/Privacy
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/the-inside-job/2009/06/19/in-bozeman-giving-up-privacy-for-a-paycheck.html

June 19, 2009


As if job seekers needed further proof that employers have the upper hand in this economy--city officials in Bozeman, Montana are asking applicants to list the various elements comprising their web presence (blogs, chat groups, Facebook or MySpace accounts, etc.) along with the passwords they use to access the sites.

The policy invites all sorts of privacy questions--the American Civil Liberties Union is no fan--but it also speaks to the challenges facing the unemployed in this market. A piece in the WSJ earlier this month--aptly titled "What Won't You Do For a Job?"--told how a Connecticut toymaker asks applicants to bring three years worth of W-2 forms to interviews, where they are put through a battery of simulated work tasks and surveys. The company describes its process as a bit "rough around the edges." This screening process seems pretty mild, however, compared with some of the other requests job seekers faced--such as supplying 12 references, or giving a business presentation half a dozen times in a day.

However painful for those looking to join a payroll, the fact is that employers can apparently afford to put these kinds of requirements on applicants when they're facing down piles of resumes for fewer openings--they're desperate for new methods to filter the potential hires. I recently wrote about the increased use of psychologists in job interviews--not just increased use of psychological tests but actual face time or telephone conversations with psychologists. It's not a new practice, but it's experiencing something of a revival.

/>Time will tell if the more extreme methods pan out for businesses in the recovery. In Bozeman, city officials insist that their controversial request is not a requirement, and keeping your passwords private won't get your application tossed out.





7) Teacher fired for conservative website... Public Schools/Liberalism/Oppression
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Education/Default.aspx?id=576612

6/24/2009
Original story:



KansasA Kansas teacher says he was wrongfully terminated for his conservative views.



Tim Latham has been teaching history and U.S. Government for over 19 years. But after teaching for just one year in the Lawrence School District in Lawrence, Kansas, Latham says his contract was not renewed because school officials did not like his conservative views -- particularly a teacher website that Latham hosted and paid for himself. A teacher coach confronted him on that issue.

"She had concerns about it. I've never had a complaint about it -- nothing but compliments. Parents love it because of their access to assignments, grades, etc. And she wanted a lot of the stuff that was on it removed. And when I asked why, I was told because it was too patriotic."

Latham had an introductory video on the site where he stated that he wanted students to truly love the American way of life, and he says he was told to remove that as well because not everybody loves the American way of life. According to Latham, other complaints included that he was picking on Obama too much. When he asked for an explanation as to why his contract was not renewed he was told, "You refuse to conform" and "you just don't fit in."
Tim Latham
"Those are word-for-word quotes given to me by the director of human resources, who says he is quoting what the administration told him -- I refuse to conform and I just don't fit in," Latham notes.

He has since filed a grievance and is considering litigation if he does not get a satisfactory response.





8) Former Gitmo detainee accused of killing 3 missionaries... Islamic Terrorist/Gitmo
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=576720

6/23/2009
A best-selling author and critic of Islam says he can't understand why U.S. President Barack Obama and the United Nations are not expressing more outrage over the execution-style murder of three Christian missionaries in Yemen, apparently by al Qaeda.



According to a spokesman from the Yemeni Embassy in Washington, nine foreign nationals -- four German adults, three small German children, a British man, and a South Korean woman -- were abducted on June 12 after they ventured outside the city of Saada without their required police escorts.

Days later the bodies of German nurses Rita Stumpp and Anita Gruenwald, and Eom Young-sun of South Korea were found shot execution style in an area known to be a hotbed of Al Qaeda activity. The fate of the remaining six abducted people remains a mystery.

Terrorism experts say the crimes bear the mark of Al Qaeda, and they fear they are the handiwork of the international terror organization's number two man in the Arabian Peninsula -- Said Ali al-Shihri, an Islamic terrorist who once was in American custody but who was released from the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Robert Spencer is, director of Jihad Watch, says this illustrates the folly of Obama's plan to close GITMO and release potentially dangerous prisoners.

Robert Spencer"Freeing some of them is unconscionable, and essentially criminal. Barack Obama had begun to pursue a course based on the assumption that all the conflicts between the West and Islamic world are all our fault. Well what happened in Yemen indicates that that's a bankrupt and inaccurate point of view," he contends. "The President of the United States and the United Nations, if they were really doing their jobs, would be protesting."

Spencer points out that Christians are not allowed to proselytize in the Muslim world, and he believes that is likely why the three were murdered.






9) Top Union Boss Investigated for Playing Politics with Pension Funds... Unions/Corruption
http://www.desertconservative.com/2009/06/22/unions-boss-using-union-funds-to-promote-liberalismillegally/

Jun 22nd, 2009
If you want a great new example of how corruption and self-dealing has become standard operating procedure for Big Labor’s massive political fundraising apparatus, look no further than recent developments in the economically devastated, forced-unionism state of California.

Sean Harrigan, former United Food and Commercial Workers (UFWC) union boss, is currently under investigation for abusing his position as trustee and president of California’s gigantic $176 billion public pension fund known as CalPERS. Apparently Harrigan steered pension funds to investment firms that agreed to contribute to Big Labor’s pet political causes.

Union officials and their allies reportedly went around asking for political contributions on Sean Harrigan’s explicit behalf.

“You don’t have to explain that (investment firms) are going to be at a competitive disadvantage if they don’t contribute,” said Allison Hayward, a campaign finance specialist at George Mason University School of Law. “The implication is, ‘Nice business you have here. Shame if something were to happen to it.’”

Read more about this bombshell case at the National Right to Work Foundation’s blog.

The National Right to Work Foundation provides free legal aid to employees so they can fight back against union coercion and abuse.

The Foundation must rely on the voluntary support of individual Americans who believe in our cause and wish to advance our strategic litigation program.