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Internet News RecordLibertyNewsprint.com U.S. Edition19/10/09 - 20/10/09
Napolitano defends bringing Guantanamodetainees to U.S.
By Jeremy Pelofsky (Front Row Washington)
Submitted at 10/19/2009 6:30:10 PM
Department of HomelandSecurity Secretary JanetNapolitano defended the Obamaadministration's plans to bringterrorism suspects held atGuantanamo Bay, Cuba, to theUnited States -- countering criticswho questioned whether it wouldcreate security risks."There's no question in my mindthat those detainees who would bemoved to the United States wouldbe held in such a fashion that theywould not be any threat to publicsafety, and I say that as a formerprosecutor," Napolitano said in aninterview during the ReutersWashington Summit. She servedas a U.S. attorney in Arizonaduring the Clinton administration.President Barack Obama haspledged to close the controversialprison by Jan. 22, 2010, includingbringing some of the terrorismsuspects to U.S. soil for trial inmilitary commissions or U.S.criminal courts. There have beenquestions and doubts aboutwhether his goal can be achievedbecause of political, legal andlogistical complications.Napolitano held out hope thatthe administration could meet thefast-approaching deadline: "Iwould hope so." She declined tocomment on the likely location of where the detainees could be heldin the United States.But Republicans have criticizedthe idea of bringing the terrorismsuspects to U.S. soil, arguing thatthey are not entitled access to thecriminal court system and couldpose threats to the communitieswhere they may be imprisoned.Her remarks came as formerU.S. Attorney General MichaelMukasey issued a stingingcondemnation of the Obamaadministration plan, writing in aWall Street Journal opinion piecethat civilian courts were not theright place to try the terrorismsuspects and could makecommunities, jurors and courtstargets."Based on my experience tryingsuch cases, and what I saw asattorney general, they aren't. Thatis not to say that civilian courtscannot ever handle terroristprosecutions, but rather that theirrole in a war on terror—to use anunfashionably harshphrase—should be, as the term'war' would suggest, a supportingand not a principal role," he wrotein the Wall Street Journal.Mukasey served as a federalprosecutor in the 1970s and thenas a federal judge in New York from 1988 to 2006, presiding overterrorism cases that included thetrial of those who plotted to blowup the World Trade Center in1993. He was attorney generalunder former President GeorgeW. Bush.While Mukasey also argued inhis op-ed that imprisoningterrorism suspects in the UnitedStates could expose others in theprison to their beliefs, many of theindividuals convicted likeZacarias Moussaouiare kept inmaximum security facilitiesisolated from the generalpopulation.He also warned that U.S.criminal court procedures wouldrisk revealing too much sensitiveinformation and that the casesagainst Guantanamo detaineeswere not built for civilian courtproceedings. Many of thehearings in U.S. District Court forpetitions by prisoners seekingtheir release from Guantanamohave been held in closed sessionto protect classified information.So do you believe U.S. criminalcourts can handle the terrorismcases and would communitiesbecome targets or shouldterrorism suspects fromGuantanamo only be tried inmilitary commissions?For more news from the ReutersWashington Summit, click here.- Photo credit: Reuters/JonathanErnst (Napolitano speaks to theReuters Washington Summit)
Ideas for Tech-Themed HalloweenPumpkins [Halloween]
By Jesus Diaz (Gizmodo)
Submitted at 10/20/2009 8:30:00 AM
If you are looking for Halloweenpumpkin carving ideas, here aresome classic tech- and sci-fi-themes. I sure like R2-D2 morethan Darth Pumpkin and Yod-o'-lantern, but the most terrifying isthe red ring of death pumpkin.You got new ideas? Startcarving, because someone tellsme that next week there will be acontest coming up. Head toUnplggd for the complete gallery,including the best Mario of alltimes: Raccoon Mario. [ Unplggd]
 
2Internet News Record
Poll finds a majority for ‘publicoption’
By JoAnne Allen (Front Row Washington)
Submitted at 10/19/2009 6:53:03 PM
Americans are still sharplydivided over President Barack Obama’s vision of healthcareoverhaul, but they’re starting tocome around — again – on theso-called public option, so says anew Washington Post/ABC Newspoll published on Monday.Fifty-seven percent of allAmericans now favor agovernment-run insurance planthat would compete with privateinsurers while 40 percent areopposed, according to the poll.That’s up from 52 percentsupport in mid-August, but stilldown from 62 percent in June.What’s happened since thecongressional summer recesswhen anger over the prospect of apublic option heated town hallmeetings across the country?The public option (agovernment-run insurance plan tocompete with private insurers) isstill favored by Obama and liberalDemocrats as a way to increasecompetition and cut rising costs.There’s still plenty of opposition from Republicans andother critics who argue that apublic option would be agovernment takeover and coulddrive private insurance companiesout of business.In the Senate, lawmakers aretrying to craft a single healthcarebill out of two separate proposals— one with the public option andone without. All three pendingHouse bills include a publicoption.Some numbers from theWashington Post/ABC poll:- 57 percent of Americans nowfavor a public insurance option,40 percent are opposed- 56 percent favor a provisionmandating all Americans to buyinsurance- 45 percent favor the broadoutlines of the proposals nowmoving in Congress, 48 percentare opposed-seven in 10 Democrats back the plan, almost nine in 10Republicans oppose it- 52 percent of Independents areagainst proposed reforms, 42percent are in favorFor more Reuters politicalcoverage click here.Photo credit:Reuters/Hyungwon Kang;Reuters/Jonathan Ernst (Pharmacist Sonya Safaie at work in Great Falls, Virginia; /Copy of House healthcare bill HR 3200 )
Senator Levin:partisanship has no placeduring war
By Tabassum Zakaria (Front Row Washington)
Submitted at 10/19/2009 6:15:53 PM
A war of words over U.S. policyon Afghanistan is heating upbetween Democrats andRepublicans on Capitol Hill asthey await President Barack Obama's new strategy."This kind of partisanship in themiddle of a war I find to be reallyout of place," Senate ArmedServices Committee ChairmanCarl Levin, a Democrat, said.He was responding to House of Representatives Republican leaderJohn Boehner's statement that "thecurrent political uncertaintyshould not be used as a pretext forthe White House to back awayfrom the counter-insurgencystrategy the president announcedin March."Levin, at the ReutersWashington Summit, said formerRepublican President George W.Bush took three months to decideon the troop surge in Iraq --"Nobody was saying thatPresident Bush is jeopardizinganything by taking three monthsto deliberate on a new strategy."Levin said he agrees with muchof what General StanleyMcChrystal, the top U.S.commander in Afghanistan, says."One of the things he(McChrystal) says is thedeliberative process is useful andhealthy. So, I wish Boehnerwould listen to McChrystal,"Levin said.For more news from the ReutersWashington Summit, click here.Photo credit: Reuters/JonathanErnst (Senator Carl Levin atReuters Washington Summit)
Mac Mini Updates: Faster Processors, More Memory, and a Dual Hard Disk Server [Apple]
By Danny Allen (Gizmodo)
Submitted at 10/20/2009 9:12:00 AM
Confirming this morning'srumors, Apple's Mac mini serverditches an optical drive to makeroom for two hard disks. It usesSnow Leopard Server, and has thesame bumped-up 2.53GHz Core 2Duo processor as the updated320GB Mac mini.The $1000 server includes two500GB hard disks, 4GB of RAM,and GeForce 9400M graphics. Forit's part, the 320GB Mac ministays at $800, but has that newprocessor, and 4GB of memory(up from 2GB).It's the $600 entry-level Macmini that gets the most love. It'sgot a faster 2.26GHz processor(up from 2GHz), 2GB RAM (upfrom 1GB), and has 160GB of storage (up from 120GB). [AppleStore]
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3Internet News Record
Steven Chu: “I’m an energyefficiency nut”
By Deborah Zabarenko (Front Row Washington)
Submitted at 10/20/2009 9:28:12 AM
He unplugged the extrarefrigerator in the basement. Hegot a tankless water heater andreduced the heat setting. Heturned down the air conditioninglast summer and used fans to keepcool.Yes, Energy Secretary StevenChu acknowledged, "I'm anenergy efficiency nut."The Nobel physics laureate saidhe's slowly weatherizing his homein the Washington DC area, but"weatherizing" isn't a word helikes. "I'm decreasing its energyconsumption and making money,"was how he put it at a ReutersWashington Summit. Chu figureshis energy bills are about half what the home's previous ownerspaid.But he said that he, and mostpeople, could still do more."In terms of energy efficiency,it's what the economists wouldsay is a market failure ... Mostpeople don't have the knowledgeor inclination, there's inertia, they just can't be bothered, they letsome things slip," Chu said. Andhe himself is not immune: "We'vebeen living in the house for fivemonths and it's still a work inprogress -- and I'm an energyefficiency nut.""Going to the hardware store,getting the foam and putting itaround your hot water pipe, thatdoesn't take that long for ahomeowner to do it themselves,"he said. "It's a no-brainer, butpeople don't do it."Time for some stepped-uppublic education about energyefficiency? "We're trying, we'retrying!"Chu bikes around Washingtonwhen he can, but said that ismostly to keep fit rather than saveon fuel. Still, he's working onwhittling down the time it takes toride his bicycle from his home tothe city center.Click here for more ReutersWashington Summit news.Photo credit:REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (Chuat Reuters Washington Summit,October 20, 2009)
Hey Washington, it’s still theeconomy
By Steve Holland (Front Row Washington)
Submitted at 10/20/2009 9:21:22 AM
Politicians who have a red circlearound Election Day in November2010 would do well to have alook at a new poll by PublicStrategies Inc. and Politico.It says voters choose theeconomy by a two-to-one marginover other issues in determininghow they will vote in thatmidterm congressional election.The numbers:–45 percent consider theeconomy the most important issuein deciding their vote.–21 percent chose governmentspending.–20 percent picked a U.S.healthcare overhaul.–9 percent chose the wars in Iraqand Afghanistan as their bigissues.–4 percent picked climatechange.President Obama came out allright in the poll. His numbershave dropped from 66 percentback in March to 54 percent now,but it has stabilized at that level.See the whole poll here.Click here for more Reuterspolitical coveragePhoto credit: Reuters/MikeTheiler (shoppers at Virginia mallin September)
R2-D2 Hoodie: Look Like a Short, Stout Droid [Clothing]
By Adam Frucci (Gizmodo)
Submitted at 10/20/2009 8:59:00 AM
Pro tip: there's nothing that getsladies worked up like seeing aman in an outfit that combines sci-fi references with the laziestarticle of clothing possible. Foronly $92, how can you say no? [Etsy via Technabob]
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