Who will be running for president in 2008?

It may seam a little weird my posing this question this much in
advance, but I do so with good reason.

Should we elect someone with a political history or should we
consider an unknown?

Looking on the past few years, there is not much to consider as to
where we will be heading if we get another Bush type in office.
Maybe it is time that we give strong thought to putting one of our
own in office! Our own being an everyday person who had to work for
what they got in life, knows what it is to be on our side of the
political food chain and wants what is best for the people, cause he
is “one of us”.

I have also been following groups like The World Can’t Wait (their
goal is to see Bush out of office), ad anti Hillary groups, etc.

Now I came across something a little different too. An everyday man
(one of us) who is willing to not only say why these people should
not be in office, he is willing to do something about it! He is
going to do everything he can to run in the 2008 elections.

He brought up a good point in an e-mail to me the other day, “Do you
see something really wrong going on in this country?” If you can’t
answer yes to this question, then please explain to me why we are
paying over $3.00 a gallon for gas when we have the means to produce
our own and don’t. Also explain to me why 9/11 took place if our
government knew about the plans before hand.

This man has his own view on things and I think his words say it
very well.
“I love this country; we have always tried to help those in need
from disasters, and to defend those from violence from others, and
we do not get any respect anymore.” (direct quote)

This man, this man, this man……. By now you must be saying, who the
heck is this man?

As owner of The Weekly News, I am very proud to be one of the first
to introduce to you Mr. Don Cordell.

We will be bringing you much more about him in the weeks to come,
including some details about his background as well as his views on
things. Most of which will be exclusive to The Weekly News, due to
the working relationship we will be having.

With that said, we are even more proud to let you know that our web
designing service (www.YourDesign2.com) will be working with Mr.
Cordell to design and promote his web site.

Watch The Weekly News for updates on Mr. Cordell and his efforts to
run in 2008.

Written by A. Wallace

Visit The Weekly News at http://TheWeeklyNews.info
or join our mailing list to get weekly updates
at http://yourdesign2.com/mailinglist.htm

JonBenet suspect heads to U.S. in style

John Mark Karr, the suspect in the death of 6-year-old JonBenet
Ramsey, sipped champagne and ate fried king prawns in business class
Sunday after being put aboard a flight to Los Angeles to face
charges in the United States.

As Karr wined and dined in style and chatted with the three U.S.
officials escorting him, another bombshell emerged: Reports that
Karr sought treatment at a Thai sex-change clinic.

His Thai Airways International flight took off about 8 p.m. (9 a.m.
EDT) for the 15-hour flight to Los Angeles. Karr's journey will
eventually end in Boulder, Colo., where he is expected to face
charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and child sexual assault
in connection with the young beauty queen's 1996 killing.

Karr, dressed neatly in a red, short-sleeve, button-down shirt and
black tie, was not handcuffed while being whisked through Don Muang
International Airport in Bangkok. At the departure gate, he talked
amiably with fellow passengers.

The 41-year-old teacher sat in a business class window seat next to
Mark Spray, an investigator with the Boulder County District
Attorney's office. A U.S. Embassy official and an agent
with "Homeland Security" on his T-shirt were also part of the escort
party.

Before takeoff, Karr took a glass of champagne from a flight
attendant and clinked glasses with Spray, who sipped orange juice.

Dinner on board, served on a starched white tablecloth with
silverware, was one many passengers would envy. Karr started with a
pate, then had a green salad with walnut dressing. The main course
was fried king prawn with steamed rice and broccoli, followed by
slice of Valrhona chocolate cake for desert. Karr drank a beer,
crushing the can with his hands when it was empty, then moved on to
a glass of French chardonnay with his main course.

"It seems odd to me. If there is an arrest warrant issued, he ought
to be under arrest," said former Adams County District Attorney Bob
Grant, who was involved in the Ramsey investigation. "It is very
strange. Whoever is in control of him ought to make sure he isn't
doing things like drinking champagne."

Other experts called the royal treatment a brilliant strategy.
If Karr says something incriminating that is challenged in court,
the investigator who was sitting next to him simply says he was
never in my custody, said Denver attorney Larry Pozner, past
president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

"There is always a reason when the unusual happens," Pozner said.

When Karr lands in Los Angeles late Sunday, he will be processed by
immigration officials and is expected to be arrested by local
authorities on an arrest warrant out of Colorado, said Carolyn
French, spokeswoman for the Boulder County district attorney's
office.

Karr will then have an extradition hearing in Los Angeles within the
next few days, French said. If he agrees to waive extradition, Karr
will then be taken to Boulder County.

"If he fights extradition that is a much more lengthy process,"
French said.

Karr was being brought back to the United States on a temporary
passport. French did not have information on who paid for the flight.
After dinner, he flipped through the movie channels and watched "The
Last Samurai" starring Tom Cruise. He also dozed on and off, and two
guards accompanied him on several trips to the bathroom, each time
leaving the door slightly ajar.

The suspect was relaxed, smiling and chatting nonstop with the U.S.
officials next to him — until the television news crews on the
flight turned their cameras on. Then he stopped smiling, clutched
the armrests of his seat and stared at his lap.

Karr did not speak to reporters, but at one point summoned an AP
reporter over to his seat. He mentioned an interview she had given,
recalling that someone asked her what he was like.

"You said I looked you straight in the eye when I talked to you and
I want to tell you I appreciate that, I thought it was nice," Karr
told the AP reporter.

Just hours before Karr's departure, a doctor at a seedy but popular
clinic in downtown Bangkok specializing in sex-change surgery said
Karr had come in for treatment.

"He was one of my patients," Dr. Thep Vechavisit of the Pratunam Polyclinic said. He refused to provide further details.

Another employee at the clinic, who spoke on condition of anonymity
because she was not authorized to speak to the media, said Karr had
talked with the doctor about a sex-change operation. This could not
be confirmed by other sources.

Bangkok, where Karr lived on and off for two years, is regarded as a
major global center for sex change operations. The Pratunam clinic
advertises sex-change surgery for $1,625 — a bargain compared to
U.S. prices, where male-to-female reassignment surgery can cost tens
of thousands of dollars.

Thep has received considerable publicity for his male-to-female operations and the clinic is one of the sponsors of an annual beauty
pageant for transsexuals in the seaside resort of Pattaya.

Karr appears to have been shadowed by gender issues since his early years, according to excerpts of e-mails published in the Rocky
Mountain News that Karr wrote to University of Colorado journalism
professor Michael Tracey.

Karr said his father was a "strong influence but rarely around," and
responded to Tracey's question about whether his "fascination with
little girls — which clearly has a strong erotic component — is a
way of going back."

"Maybe I am not going back but have simply stayed consistent," Karr
responded. "My peer group has not changed since I was a little boy,
and girls were the people I was with always. Referring to them as a peer group is somewhat incorrect, but might also be the very
definition of what they continue to be in my life."

Karr, once detained on charges of possessing child pornography, in
recent years apparently traveled to Europe, Central America and Asia
to search for teaching jobs. He taught in at least two Thai schools.

U.S. officials, the only ones to have actually interrogated Karr,
have been silent about what he told them, citing his right to
privacy and legal procedures. Secondhand accounts by Thai officials
have been vague and contradictory.

Karr told reporters Thursday that he was alone with JonBenet when
she died in the basement of her home on Dec. 26, 1996, but that her
death was an accident.

However, there is little public evidence linking him to the crime,
prompting some experts to speculate that he is either lying or
delusional.

"Many high-publicity crimes have these people coming out of the
woodwork," said Elizabeth Loftus, director of the Center for
Psychology and Law at the University of California-Irvine.

Lawyers for the Ramsey family say a number of people already have
confessed to the killing of JonBenet, but none had enough
credibility to attract the attention of law enforcement.

By JOCELYN GECKER, Associated Press Writer

Visit The Weekly News at http://TheWeeklyNews.info
or join our mailing list to get weekly updates
at http://yourdesign2.com/mailinglist.htm

Former sheriff's aide gets probation

Pleaded guilty in first-ever macing case

The first man to be charged in federal court in Western Pennsylvania
with macing was also the first one to receive probation for his
crime.

Former Allegheny County sheriff's lieutenant commander Richard A.
Stewart Jr., 58, of Penn Hills, will serve one year of probation and
pay a $250 fine for refusing to grant a deputy's vacation request
after that employee failed to donate to Sheriff Pete DeFazio's re
election campaign.

Macing is defined as denying a benefit to a government employee for
not contributing to a particular candidate or political party.

Mr. Stewart originally faced four felony counts for retaliation and
lying to a grand jury about whether he forced employees to
contribute to the campaigns.

However, he agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in the continuing
investigation into public corruption in the sheriff's office. In
return, the U.S. attorney allowed him to plead guilty to the
misdemeanor macing charge.

In the past, prosecutors said that Mr. Stewart's behavior did not
have a continuing negative impact on the investigation, and that a
reduced charge was appropriate.

During an emotion-choked speech, Mr. Stewart, who joined the
sheriff's office in 1978, thanked his family and friends for
standing by him during his prosecution.

"My family has continued to support me from day one, with
encouragement and prayers," he said. "They shouldered my weakness
and gave me strength. Any shame that I have caused you, I am sorry."

He paused several times, sighing heavily, before going on.

He noted his seven years of service in the Marine Corps, saying that
it taught him duty, honor, courage and loyalty.

"I was also taught to carry out orders, no question," Mr. Stewart
said. "I may have been blind to some of the things that went on
around me, and I am sorry."

Defense lawyer Joseph K. Williams III argued to the judge that
contributing to a row officers' campaign in Allegheny County was a
common occurrence.

"Anyone knows you rally around whoever's in the row office and build
the war chest to keep them in office," he said.

Three people testified on Mr. Stewart's behalf, including his
priest, a longtime friend and Allegheny County Councilman William R.
Robinson.

Mr. Robinson called his friend "a man of high standards, high
values," who accepts responsibility for his actions.

In hopes of receiving leniency, Mr. Stewart submitted to U.S.
District Judge Joy Flowers Conti two large binders containing all of
his law enforcement training records and commendations.

Mr. Stewart had hoped to go on in law enforcement and become a
police chief somewhere, Mr. Williams said, but he recently learned
that his conviction, even though it is only a misdemeanor, will keep
him from that.

He is the third sheriff's officer to be sentenced in federal court.
Former captain Frank Schiralli was indicted at the same time as Mr.
Stewart, charged with two counts of making false statements. He went
to trial and was convicted by a jury on one count. He was sentenced
in December to 26 months in prison.

Former Chief Deputy Sheriff Dennis Skosnik pleaded guilty in March
to five counts, including bribery, tampering with a witness, mail
and wire fraud, and money laundering. He was ordered to spend five
years and three months in prison.

The five-year investigation into wrongdoing at the sheriff's office
has not yet concluded, said U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan. But
that doesn't mean any new charges are imminent.

"At this point in our investigation, we have not concluded charges
could be brought against any additional defendants," she said. She
noted, though, that with those already charged, practices within the
sheriff's office have changed.

"We are hopeful that these prosecutions will deter other similar
conduct from occurring in the future."

By Paula Reed Ward, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Visit The Weekly News at http://TheWeeklyNews.info
or join our mailing list to get weekly updates
at http://yourdesign2.com/mailinglist.htm

Convicted ex-Bush official asks for new trial
Ex-GSA chief of staff Safavian claims that e-mails were wrongly
admitted

A former Bush administration official convicted of hiding details of
his relationship with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff has asked for
a new trial.

A lawyer for David Safavian, former chief of staff of the General
Services Administration, argued in court papers that e-mails between
Abramoff and Safavian were improperly admitted at trial.

In the e-mails, Abramoff and Safavian exchanged information about
two pieces of GSA-controlled property that Abramoff wanted for
himself or his lobbying clients. Many of the e-mails were written
around the time that Safavian accepted a weeklong trans-Atlantic
golfing trip from Abramoff.

Government lawyers countered that U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman
had already settled the issue of the e-mails during trial.

A federal jury found in June that Safavian had hidden details of his
relationship with Abramoff from a GSA ethics lawyer, the GSA’s
Inspector General’s office and the Senate Indian Affairs Committee,
and had obstructed the IG. Safavian’s lawyer, Barbara Van Gelder,
filed the request for a new trial last month.

Safavian could face up to five years in prison on each of the four
counts. He was acquitted of obstructing the Senate probe.

By The Associated Press

Visit The Weekly News at http://TheWeeklyNews.info
or join our mailing list to get weekly updates
at http://yourdesign2.com/mailinglist.htm

Social-networking sites a 'hotbed' for spyware

Youths on MySpace and similar sites aren't cautious about surfing
the Web

Spyware's threat is getting nastier. Infection rates are on the
rise, in part thanks to the surging popularity of social-networking
sites like MySpace.com.

That's the assessment of Webroot, a leading vendor of anti-spyware
software, which released the latest quarterly update of its State of
Spyware report. In order to keep its software up-to-date against the
latest threats, the Colorado-based company constantly tracks the
creation of new spyware—the programs that become embedded in
computers and track users' Web-surfing habits and generate annoying
pop-up ads (see BusinessWeek.com, 7/17/06, "The Plot to Hijack Your
Computer").

"We're finding that the social-networking sites like MySpace are
turning out to be hotbeds for spyware," CEO Dave Moll says. "People
are creating multiple profiles, and the links on their sites will
take you to sites that will either download or drive-by download
adware and spyware."

High infection rate
It doesn't help that many younger users aren't sufficiently cautious
about where and how they surf the Web, Moll says. "They're not
looking out for danger in quite the way that more skeptical adults
do," he says. "Kids on MySpace and sites like it act as though they
are in a safe youth-only environment, and as a result their behavior
is less cautious, and that is something that is being preyed upon by
all kinds of Internet villains. And we think spyware creators will
be the most aggressive in exploiting that."

To date, Webroot's researchers have identified some 527,000
malicious Web sites, an increase of 100,000 from a year earlier.

Overall, Molls says, 89 percent of consumer PCs are infected with
some kind of spyware, a rate not seen in a year. And, on average,
home computers contain 30 individual spyware programs.

A glimmer of good news : Businesses are cutting instances of
spyware. Webroot audited 19,480 businesses in 71 countries, most in
the U.S. Infected PCs in business environments had 19 pieces of
spyware on average, versus 21 a year ago.

Spyware creators are also employing a wider arsenal of weapons.
They're piggybacking on other, more malicious types of programs such
as rootkits, a type of program that conceals itself, and keyloggers,
which record a user's keystrokes on a PC.

Additionally, Spyware creators are exploiting the popularity of
Internet video clips to convey their nasty cargo. A Trojan program
called Zlob masquerades as a video-decoder program intended to be an
update for Microsoft's Windows Media Player. Users may come across a
video clip they'd like to see, and on clicking a link are given an
error message and a link to install a new version of the player
software. The user's browser is then redirected to a download site
that gives them a program that includes the Zlob Trojan, which in
turn downloads more spyware and other malicious software programs.

Webroot, which is privately held, has some 3 million business users
and 6 million home users, Moll says.

By Arik Hesseldahl BusinessWeek Online

Visit The Weekly News at http://TheWeeklyNews.info
or join our mailing list to get weekly updates
at http://yourdesign2.com/mailinglist.htm