COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

F-UK-US

"We've a strong justice system in Scotland, and people can be assured that the justice secretary's decisions have been reached on the basis of clear evidence and on no other factors."
The Libyan convicted of killing 270 people in the Lockerbie bombing is expected to be freed from jail on compassionate grounds tomorrow because he is now thought to be close to death, with prostate cancer that is aggressive and advanced.

Kenny Macaskill, the justice secretary for Scotland, will defy intense pressure from Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, to keep Abdelbaset al-Megrahi in jail. Tonight the Scottish government confirmed that an announcement would be made in Edinburgh at 1pm tomorrow, coinciding with news bulletins on the eastern seaboard of the US, home to many of the disaster victims.

Relatives of the 270 victims on both sides of the Atlantic were told by officials this evening that the announcement would be made to avoid American relatives waking up to discover Megrahi had been freed.

Scottish officials again attempted to rebut allegations of a secret political deal tonight, supposedly to promote lucrative western oil interests in Libya and the rehabilitation on the world stage of the country's leader, Muammar Gaddafi.

A government spokesman said: "We've a strong justice system in Scotland, and people can be assured that the justice secretary's decisions have been reached on the basis of clear evidence and on no other factors."

11 comments:

  1. I really am trying to get us back into the libraries. damn

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  2. Scotland would never dream of executing a murderer to expedite justice. She will, however, murder justice in the execution of expediency.

    No questions, here...

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  3. There are Scots, Allen, and then there's the Scottish government.

    Smug bastards, those Highlanders...

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  4. Well thanks for clearing up Bobals whatever got cleared up. I now have a greased pole grip on his whatever the hell happened. It's always the ones you lose who you lose and then they're gone, lost in the line waiting for Michael Jackson to get buried, or is it waiting for Marion Barry to ...well it's just all too much....oh the humanity.

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  5. Man, that is some kinda ugly ass.

    Ain't enough Tequila in Memphis to get that image outta my brain.

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  6. Libya, Col Gaddafi and the convicted killer, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, all redeemed of their sins.
    Now they can stand tall amongst the civilized nations of the whirled.

    Times Online - ‎2 hours ago‎
    Colonel Muammar Gaddafi will send his private jet to collect the Lockerbie bomber and take him home to Libya if, as expected, he is released from jail today on compassionate grounds
    .

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  7. By JONATHAN WEISMAN and NAFTALI BENDAVID.

    The White House and Senate Democratic leaders, seeing little chance of bipartisan support for their health-care overhaul, are considering a strategy shift that would break the legislation into two parts and pass the most expensive provisions solely with Democratic votes.

    ...

    Democrats hope a split-the-bill plan would speed up a vote and help President Barack Obama meet his goal of getting a final measure by year's end.

    Most legislation in the Senate requires 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, but certain budget-related measures can pass with 51 votes through a piece of parliamentary sleight-of-hand called reconciliation.

    In recent days, Democratic leaders have concluded they can pack more of their health overhaul plans under this procedure, congressional aides said. They might even be able to include a public insurance plan to compete with private insurers, a key demand of the party's liberal wing, but that remains uncertain.

    Other parts of the Democratic plan would be put to a separate vote in the Senate, including the requirement that Americans have health insurance. It also would set new rules for insurers, such as requiring they accept anyone, regardless of pre-existing medical conditions. This portion of the health-care overhaul has already drawn some Republican support and wouldn't involve new spending, leading Democratic leaders to believe they could clear the 60-vote hurdle
    .

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  8. Oh, no. Please don't.

    Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease. Don't.

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