Boston Illegal: Uncle Omar Goes To Court

Onyango "Uncle Omar" Obama, that distant-but-not-distant-enough Kenyan relative of President Obama, appeared in Framingham Mass District Court today and filed a motion to suppress evidence from his drunk driving arrest last August. He's going to argue that his arrest was improper and therefore his subsequent search was unconstitutional. Meanwhile, he remains free and continues to be employed at a Framingham liquor store (photo above, courtesy of tmz.com).

The stakes are high. Since Uncle Omar is an illegal alien and federal fugitive with an outstanding deportation order hanging over his head, his conviction on a drunk driving charge could threaten, however implausibly, to end his long sojourn in America.

I've posted about Uncle Omar before, as well as about his charming sister "Aunt Zeituni," both of them long-time illegal residents of the Boston area. Zeituni's own deportation from the USA was finally avoided when she was granted political asylum on her third try. Hint-hint, nudge-nudge, wink-wink.

By coincidence, I just finished reading an excellent biography of President Obama's father (The Other Barack) written by Boston Globe reporter Sally Jacobs. She untangles the complicated family tree that connects the Onyango siblings to our chief executive, and also explains why they are so drawn to the Boston area. It turns out that both Massachusetts and alcohol abuse are reoccurring themes in the history of the elder Obama and his fragmented family.

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Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whatchagonna Do When The Kingdom Comes For You?

H/T to Crossroads Arabia for posting news of this development.

[T]he Saudi government is going to establish its own bureau of Diplomatic Security, Saudi Gazette reports. The move seems to be setting up an office somewhat similar in its mission to that of the US State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) in that it will protect missions and diplomats abroad as well as foreign missions within the Kingdom.

The Saudi Gazette story is linked in the Crossroads post, and it says:

The government is setting up a special security unit to protect Saudi ambassadors and diplomatic missions abroad. The unit will also be responsible for providing protection to foreign diplomatic missions in the Kingdom.

Teams of commandos, officers and non-commissioned officers will be trained specifically for the unit known as the “Special Forces for Diplomatic Security”.

It will fall under the Ministry of Interior, said Al-Hayat Arabic daily, quoting informed sources.

This new unit sounds similar to DSS in that it will protect Saudi Ambassadors and diplomatic missions abroad, however, I suspect its function might be limited to personal protection, i.e., bodyguard stuff, rather than encompassing the full range of security responsibilities. The fact that the unit will be located in the Ministry of Interior - the police and counterterrorism arm of the Kingdom - rather than in the Foreign Ministry, reinforces my assumption that this is more of a bodyguard and armed response force.

Of course, this being a Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia operation, the unit will lack for nothing in the way of hardware and resources:

Members of the unit will be armed with the latest sophisticated weapons.

They will be trained to protect diplomatic facilities and residences, and escort ambassadors on official business.

They will also have special training in anti-terrorism methods and air-borne exercises and drive special armored vehicles used to guard diplomats and missions.

With all that stuff, the Kingdom ought to field a totally kick-ass DSS equivalent unit. Not unlike the 2007 movie, only without a Jennifer Garner equivalent, I assume.

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All Aboard The Tequila Train!

I don't know what ad man came up with this pitch, but he must have juevos in both hands to even attempt to draw gringo tourists back to Mexico. And especially to Guadalajara, the lovely city that is likely to become the next hotspot in Mexico's drug wars.

The National Chamber of Commerce, Services and Tourism, Guadalajara cordially welcomes you to experience our legendary train ride that is our pride and joy: The Tequila Express.

Culture, diversion, entertainment and much more is in store on this magical journey. We invite you to discover it.

Come aboard and immerse yourself in Mexico’s past! Let’s begin!

Will the attractions of tequila and Mariachi music draw tourists back to a region where the Sinaloa cartel and Los Zetas are battling each other with drive-by shootings, kidnappings, and beheadings? Not to mention the Mexican government's response to the drug wars, which is credibly alleged to include systematic torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

I wish the Guadalajara boosters well, but, as much as I'd like to see the place again, I think I'll plan my next vacation for somewhere north of the border.

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No "Silly Shirt" Group Photo For APEC Honolulu

And so a grand tradition ends - poof - just like that. The leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum are off the hook this year, and will not have to do the customary, cringe-inducing, Native Costume group photo.

I think the "silly shirt" thing brought a welcome touch of the Monty Pythonesque to the last twenty APEC meetings, but apparently someone thinks otherwise.

Costume Shot Unnecessary, Obama Says:

To the chagrin of White House photographers but the relief of the 21 leaders at the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum that took place over the weekend, President Obama, as the host this year, may have packed away for good the two-decade tradition of having the group pose for a “family photo” in some garb representative of the host country.

-- snip --

It was hard to imagine that Mr. Obama — he of cool reserve, given to unflashy white shirts and plain ties — would ever submit to such apparel. And indeed, the president confirmed late Saturday at a luau for the leaders that he was giving them Hawaiian shirts, but that they could wear business suits for their photo.

Business suits? Wearing a business suit in Hawaii ought to be a crime. If ever there was a venue that cried out for the extremely casual, it is Hawaii.

Obama is such a drag. Nothing at all like Bill Clinton, who started the whole costume shot thing twenty years ago in Seattle. Now that was a President who was always the life of the party.

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DS Agent Arrested In Honolulu Shooting Incident

Photo: Honolulu Star-Advertiser











Truly, nothing good happens after 2AM.

Here's a local press report on the arrest of a DS Agent in Honolulu in the early hours of last Saturday, Federal agent from mainland arrested for killing man in Waikiki:

A U.S. State Department law enforcement agent from the mainland was arrested early Saturday on suspicion of fatally shooting a Windward Oahu man at the Kuhio Avenue McDonald's in Waikiki.

Honolulu police identified the alleged shooter as Christopher W. Deedy, 27, and sources who asked to remain anonymous confirmed that he is a federal agent who was off-duty at the time of the incident. The victim was identified by family and friends as Kailua resident Kollin K. Elderts, 23, a Kalaheo High School graduate.

State Department officials refused to confirm that Deedy was here in connection with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference that begins Tuesday.

-- snip --

Reached in Washington Saturday night, a State Department spokeswoman said only, "We are aware of the incident and we cannot comment on an ongoing investigation."

-- snip --

Police said four males got into a confrontation and the victim suffered a single gunshot wound. Paramedics took him to the Queen's Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Deedy had not been charged as of Saturday night and was at the main police cell block on South Beretania Street.

-- snip --

YELLOW CRIME TAPE blocked off the entrance to the normally crowded McDonald's, which is usually open 24 hours a day and is one of the few places late-night visitors to Waikiki can have a cheap bite before going home after a night of partying. Signs on the front doors said it would reopen for business today.

Keo Evans, a bartender at Lojax at Kuhio and Seaside, said he was just leaving work when he heard two or three shots, and then screaming, coming from the McDonald's.

A man wearing a collared shirt ran from the restaurant, heading in the Ewa direction, Evans said. Inside McDonald's, Evans said, a man was holding on to the victim, trying to keep him from collapsing.

"There was already a big crowd of people out there (in front of McDonald's)," Evans said, noting that was unusual. Usually the early-morning action in the neighborhood occurs one block Diamond Head in front of the Waikiki Trade Center, notorious for fights after bars and discos in the building close, he said.

A Honolulu television station had this bit of further information in a story Sunday morning:

Police say 23 year-old Kollin was with a group inside the McDonalds on Kuhio Avenue. Witnesses tell KHON2 Kollin appeared to have been drinking and calling people derogatory names. Police say he got into an altercation with Christopher Deedy, an off-duty U.S. State Department special agent, and was shot.

Bearing in mind that initial reports are usually wrong, or at least incomplete, it looks like we know this much about what happened: some drunken local yoots were trash-talking in the only fast food place that stays open after most of the Waikiki bars have closed, when a haole came in [check out the reader comments after the Honolulu TV story for local sentiments toward those Caucasian outsiders], leading to an "altercation" in which Deedy drew his duty weapon and fired a round into Elderts.

Was the shooting justified, i.e., was Deedy acting in self-defense? Possibly. Even if the victim and his posse were unarmed - and the news reports do not mention anyone other than Deddy being armed - there were at least three of them, and they could have given Deedy reason to believe he was in danger.

More to come.

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The Revolution Will Not Be Televised Taxed

Occupy Wall Street has reportedly received about $500,000 in donations so far, which is an interesting amount of capital for a bunch of anti-capitalism demonstrators to compile in about six weeks. And you know what that means. Inevitably, there has been fighting over the money that belongs to this avowedly leaderless movement:

Occupy Wall Street is awash with cash, some $500,000 by one estimate, thanks to generous donations. However, questions about spending that money have provoked controversy among the people who have gathered at Zuccotti Park to protest greed. Various groups of people are finding that the utopian society that they have created comes with bureaucratic red tape.

There is a Finance Committee that grabs as much of the money it can and is reluctant to dole it out. That sounds very much like the government outside Zuccotti Park. In effect, the Occupy Wall Street protestors are finding out that their taxes are too high.

Speaking of taxes, who does the IRS see about getting its slice of OWS's $500,000?

Nobody, that's who. OWS has hired a certified 501(c)3 non-profit entity to receive and disperse its money, which makes OWS's stash non-taxable to them and tax-deductible by the donors. Their 'fair share' of the nation's tax burden, then, is zero.

The tax haven for OWS is the Alliance for Global Justice, which explains the relationship this way:

What do OWS and our other fiscally sponsored projects get out of the relationship? They get additional accounting and administrative staff support and advice. They get to offer their donors tax-deductions for their donations. They get online donation capacity and staff to process and deposit donation checks as well as to send the IRS-required form for donations of $250 or more. They don’t have to worry about IRS forms and deadlines. They are covered by our liability insurance. If they have paid staff, which OWS does not, we handle their payroll and enroll them in our group health policy. For an organization like United Students Against Sweatshops, which rotates an entirely new staff in every couple of years, we provide continuity and organizational memory.

Many supporters ask if AFGJ takes a portion of the donations. We charge a relatively low rate for fiscal sponsorship, at a flat 7% of all money that passes through our channels for processing.

It's a good thing all these guys are part of the 99%, otherwise that could be called greed and corruption.

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Wartime Contracting Commission Records To Be Sealed

The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) blog noted yesterday that the records of the Wartime Contracting Commisssion, that watchdog on government fraud, waste, and mismanagement in Iraq and Afghanistan, will soon be sealed and put beyond access by the public.

Wartime Contracting Commission's Move to Seal Records for 20 Years: Just Plain Wrong:

The recently dissolved Commission on Wartime Contracting (CWC) did just about everything right. Created in the spirit of the Truman Commission, the CWC identified as much as $60 billion in contracting-related waste and fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the process, the CWC held 25 hearings, released 8 reports, and published detailed recommendations intended to prevent waste and fraud from occurring in future overseas contingencies. Perhaps most important, the bipartisan commission was unanimous in its findings and recommendations, notable in a city known for its partisan gridlock.

But the Commission’s decision to seal its internal records for 20 years is just plain wrong. The decision, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, blocks the public and watchdog groups from using the CWC’s source material to build upon the important work of the Commission and to help prevent waste and fraud in overseas contingency contracting in the near term.

Clark Irwin, the CWC’s spokesman, told the Wall Street Journal the seal was justified because “there is sensitive information in there.” He cited proprietary company information, attorney work products, and classified documents as examples of such records. Another source told the Journal that the expectation that the CWC’s records would be sealed was necessary to encourage sources to speak candidly.

But Irwin’s argument ignores the fact that documents are only released by the National Archives after first going through an extensive vetting process. So whether the seal is 20 years, 20 days, or even if there were no seal at all, the truly sensitive material would be redacted or withheld.

Sources close to the CWC have told POGO that the commissioners agreed to the 20-year seal after being informed that it was standard practice. But 20 years doesn’t appear to be anywhere near standard. Congress has created six investigative commissions in the last 20 years, the most well known being the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission).

The 9/11 Commission, which investigated issues of the most sensitive nature, sealed its records for just five years. And even that length of time seemed too long for Thomas Kean, the 9/11 Commission Chairman, who “said publicly that he was eager for most of the records to be released as quickly as possible.” He later told Reuters that there was “no justification for withholding most of the unreleased material.”

As was the case with the 9/11 Commission, the CWC’s records aren’t available under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) because the CWC is a congressional entity and Congress isn’t subject to FOIA. But the public should be able to request from agencies records that those agencies provided to the CWC.

A source told the Wall Street Journal that the “vast majority of the commission's records would put you to sleep.” And that may be true. But until the public has the opportunity to view the documents for ourselves, we can’t be certain of their actual value or use them to make wartime contractors more accountable. We hope Congress takes action to right this wrong by legislating a far shorter seal—or better yet, no seal at all.

There is no good reason to seal the records, and plenty of reasons why the public interest would benefit from making them accessible, especially as the USG ramps up to do even more contracting in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Congress can reverse this decision. Please write to your representatives.

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