Neighbors: Neo-Nazis Had No Right to March

By JOHN SEEWER, Associated Press Writer Sun Oct 16, 6:01 PM ET

TOLEDO, Ohio - In the days leading up to a white supremacist march, ministers pleaded with residents to stay calm and community leaders organized peace rallies. Authorities even delayed releasing the route so protesters wouldn't know where the group planned to march.

It wasn't enough to stop an angry mob that included gang members from looting and burning a neighborhood bar, smashing the windows of a gas station and hurling rocks and bottles at police on Saturday. Twelve officers were injured, one suffering a concussion when a brick flew through her cruiser window.

In all, 114 people were arrested on charges including assault, vandalism, failure to disperse and overnight curfew violations.

"We knew during the preparation that it was going to be a tremendous challenge," Police Chief Mike Navarre said Sunday. "Anyone who would accuse us of being underprepared I would take exception with that."

Much of the anger boiled over because people were upset that city leaders were willing to allow the supremacists to walk through the neighborhood and shout insults, residents and authorities said.

"You can't allow people to come challenge a whole city and not think they weren't going to strike back," said Kenneth Allen, 47, who watched the violence begin near his home.

Authorities said there was little they could do to stop the group, because they did not apply for a parade permit and instead planned to walk along sidewalks.

"They do have a right to walk on the Toledo sidewalks," said Mayor Jack Ford, who at one point confronted leaders of the mob and tried to settle them down.

A gang member in a mask threatened to shoot him, and others cursed him for allowing the march, the mayor said. He said he didn't know if the man who threatened him was actually armed, but he blamed gangs for much of the violence. The march had been called off because of the crowds, and the white supremacists had left.

If the Nazi group tries to come back, Ford said he would seek a court order to stop them.

Navarre said the riots escalated because members of the National Socialist Movement took their protest to the neighborhood, which is predominantly black, instead of a neutral place. "If this march had occurred in downtown Toledo, we wouldn't have had the unrest," he said.

The neo-Nazi group, known as "America's Nazi Party," said they came to the city because of a dispute between neighbors, one white and the other black.

Police began receiving word midweek from officers on the street that gangs were going to descend on the neighborhood in protest, the police chief said. The disturbances were confined to a 1-square-mile area, but the crowd swelled to about 600 people, overwhelming police.

The crowds were eventually dispersed by police in riot gear after about four hours, and the mayor declared a state of emergency that remained in effect through the weekend.

About 200 officers patrolled the neighborhood overnight after the riot, Navarre said. Police reported no problems Sunday, but an 8 p.m. curfew was in effect for a second night.

Neighbors were divided about the city allowing the march.

"They don't have the right to bring hate to my front yard," said Terrance Anderson, who lives near a bar that was destroyed.

Other neighbors said the group had a right to have their say. "Too bad the people couldn't ignore them," said Dee Huntley.

Republicans and Democrats both suck...

This two party thing blows. Why do I have to choose one or the other? Ill just take things that both have, and some that neither have and call them my own, thank you very much.

Bush is a freaking Nazi. Enough said. I dont know what hes got planned for the rest of his time in office, but its got me wishing I had a bomb shelter constructed. We are so overdue for another "terrorist attack" its not even funny.

The government should be seperate from the church.

Gay marriage, again... whatever. If they want to do it, go ahead, who are we to judge.

Marriage in this country is more legality and tax breaks anyway, we long ago abandoned the sanctity of it.

Gun control... stupid idea.

Drugs. Legalize em. who cares.

A nation of sheeple

Oct 19, 2005
by Walter E. Williams


President Bush informed the nation, during a press conference, that he might seek to use the U.S. military to quarantine parts of the nation should there be a serious outbreak of the deadly avian flu that has killed millions of chickens and 60-some people in Southeast Asia. That's the second time Bush has expressed a desire to use the military for local policing. The first was in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The Posse Comitatus Act (18 U.S.C. 1385) generally prohibits federal military personnel and units of the U.S. National Guard under federal authority from acting in a law enforcement capacity within the United States, except where expressly authorized by the U.S. Constitution or Congress.

Enacted during Reconstruction, the purpose of the Posse Comitatus Act was to severely limit the powers of the federal government to use the military for local law enforcement. Would Americans tolerate such a gigantic leap in the federalization of law enforcement? I'm guessing the answer is yes. In the name of safety, we've undergone decades of softening up to accept just about any government edict that our predecessors would have found offensive. Let's look at some of it.

The anti-smoking movement might be the beginning of the softening up process. They started out calling for reasonable actions like no-smoking sections on airplanes. Then it progressed to no smoking on airplanes altogether, then private establishments such as restaurants and businesses. Emboldened by the timidity of smokers, in some jurisdictions there are ordinances banning smoking in outdoor places such as beaches and parks. Then there are seatbelt and helmet laws that have sometimes been zealously enforced through the use of night vision goggles. On top of this, Americans accept government edicts on where your child may ride in your car. Americans sheepishly accepted all sorts of Transportation Security Administration nonsense. In the name of security, we've allowed fingernail clippers, eyeglass screwdrivers and toy soldiers to be taken from us prior to boarding a plane.

We've accepted federal intrusion in our financial privacy through the Bank Secrecy Act. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, says, "More than 99.999 percent of those [who] had their privacy invaded were law-abiding citizens going about their own personal financial business." Most recently there's the U.S. Supreme Court Kelo decision, where the court held that local governments can take a private person's house and turn it over to another private person. Politicians have learned and become comfortable with the fact that today's Americans will docilely accept just about any legalized restraint on their behavior.

You say, "Hey, Williams, but it's the law!" In the late-1700s, the British Parliament enacted the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts, and imposed other grievances that are enumerated in our Declaration of Independence. I'm happy that we didn't have today's Americans around at the time to bow before King George III and say, "It's the law." Respectful of the Posse Comitatus Act, President Bush has suggested that he'll ask Congress to amend the law to allow for the use of the U.S. military to enforce regional quarantines. Whether Congress amends the law or not, Bush has no constitutional authority to deploy military troops across the land. Why?

The U.S. Constitution's Article IV, Section 4 reads, "The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened), against domestic Violence." Coupled with the Tenth Amendment, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people," this means short of an insurrection, the U.S. military must be invited by a state legislature or executive. Any federal law that violates these constitutional provisions is null and void and can only be enforced through fear, intimidation and brute military force.

Online Too Long? XP minus 100... Equipped Items Suffer 10% Damage

If you plan to be game-addicted in the People's Republic of China, you're going to do so with a gimped character.

So say new regulations that went into effect this week. Xinhua is reporting that online gamers will be penalized for playing more than three hours at a stretch. A two-hour break is mandated between gaming sessions.

Designed to combat growing fears of online game addiction, the new law targets 11 of the most popular titles, including World of Warcraft and The Legend of Mir II, but is expected to encompass all online games in the near future.

Players that exceed the legal time limit will see their characters punished by loss of experience points (XP) and in-game weapons. Stay online for five hours, and your character is reset to starter level.

"This timing mechanism can prevent young people from becoming addicted to online games," said Kou Xiaowei, the deputy director of China's Audiovisual and Internet Publication Department.

Gamers, naturally, don't care for the new regulations.

"It's absolutely a foolish decision," said 23-year old gamer Yankee Song, a World of Warcraft fan. "In the game, even a simple mission would take players three to five hours to finish and complex ones may take a whole day. After the system's implemented, players can achieve nothing in the game, and we will have no reason to play it anymore."

Another Chinese WoW devotee expressed confidence that hacks would be developed to trick in-game timers into thinking that players had logged off.

UPDATE: GP reader LitaGemini weighs in with some clarity as to what this issue may be all about: "Heard about this law at Futureplay (conference at Michigan State)... Often times the Chinese youth gather in cybercafes to play these games, and, in addition to gameplay, they're having discussion about real world political matters. The Chinese government therefore wants to limit their gameplay, which limits their cybercafe hours, which limits their political freedom. Tricky and insidious.

Will full juice be back for all by . . . Easter?
DAVE BARRY

Q. When am I going to get my electricity back?

A. The latest statement from Florida Power & Light is that ``we expect to have all power in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties fully restored by, at the very latest, Easter.''

Q. Why is it taking so long to restore power?

A. Wilma's unexpectedly strong winds caused major damage to three of FP&L's five longest extension cords.

Q. Is my water safe to drink?

A. Your water is perfectly safe, although the South Florida Water Authority does recommend that before drinking any water or touching it with your bare hands, you should boil it ``until the worms stop moving.''

Q. How are the levees holding up?

A. We spoke to a spokesperson for the South Florida Levee Authority (SFLA), who assured us that South Florida does not have any levees, but if we did, they would definitely be in bad shape.

Q. I keep hearing that, since the traffic lights are out, I should treat a stoplight intersection as if it were a ''four-way stop.'' What does this mean?

A. It means that, when you reach the intersection, you should do what you normally do at a stop sign here in South Florida.

Q. You mean, ignore it?

A. That is the South Florida way.

Q. Where can I buy gasoline?

A. Vermont.

Q. How will the hurricanes affect the schools?

A. The school year started earlier than ever this year, smack dab in the middle of hurricane season. Incredibly, the school schedule has been severely disrupted by -- you are going to be very surprised -- hurricanes! Who could have predicted such a thing? In any event, our kids have missed a LOT of school. Many 10th-graders no longer remember the alphabet. This could really hurt our standardized-test scores. So the Broward and Miami-Dade school boards have decided to lengthen the school year by adding a new month, to be inserted between November and December. It will be called ``FCATember.''

Q. You're kidding, right?

A. I don't know any more.

Q. Why are we getting so many hurricanes lately?

A. Climate experts, after studying changes in ocean-water temperatures over the past 50 years, now believe that the recent increase in hurricane activity is being caused by a cracked mirror in the kitchen of my mother-in-law, Celia Kaufman. It cracked a few weeks ago, and since then not only have we been nailed by roughly a dozen hurricanes, but also Celia had a car accident, my brother in-law Steve hurt his back, the Dolphins offensive line has been penalized for 4,752 false starts, and President Bush, apparently without even realizing it, nominated a former Texas State Lotto executive to the U.S. Supreme Court. ''This can't all be coincidence,'' state the climate experts. ``Somebody needs to FIX THAT WOMAN'S MIRROR.''

Q. So is the mirror being fixed?

A. FEMA is working on it.

Q. So we are doomed.

A. Correct.

Seal bites off woman's nose
31/10/2005 08:10 - (SA)

Tisha Steyn

George - A woman from Herold's Bay who tried to help a female seal will have to get a new nose after the seal ripped the woman's nose from her face.

Winnie Swanepoel, head of the SPCA in George, picked Elsie van Tonder's nose up on the beach and rushed it to hospital, but it could not be surgically reattached to the 49-year-old's face.

Van Tonder was bitten in the face and on the leg at about 17:00 on Saturday when she and a few other people tried to roll the young seal onto a blanket to get it back into the water.

"The seal was lying among the rocks and hissed when my mother stroked its face and head," Louise Eliis, 25, Van Tonder's daughter, said from their flat in George on Sunday.

"We thought the seal was dying and my mother suggested that we should roll her onto my one-year-old baby, Elouise's blanket and try to get her back into the water.

"She rolled the seal over, but the seal rolled back onto her back immediately. When she tried to roll the seal over again, she was bitten in the face and on the thigh.

"She bled a lot. Johan (Viviers, her mother's friend) and I helped her into my car and rushed her to George Hospital.

"The nose could not be reattached," Ellis said. "My mother will be transferred to Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town on Monday. She will have to undergo extensive surgery.

"We believe that it was negligent of the SPCA and CapeNature to not put up boards warning that seals could be dangerous," Ellis said. "Who is going to pay for her pain suffering and plastic surgery?"

He said government would probably carry the bulk of the cost for the reconstructive surgery. Several operations might be necessary to recover from the injury, but the patient would not have to remain in hospital all the time.

Swanepoel said she was informed on Saturday morning that there was a seal in the parking area in Herold's Bay.

"The seal jumped down from the parking area and lay on the rocks. We asked people to leave it alone."

Dirk Wessels of Marine and Coastal Management said on Sunday that the seal was probably irritated by the people's repeated attempts to get her back into the water. There are many Cape furry seals along the Southern Cape coast, he said. They live in the sea for months, but do come out on the beach from time to time to rest until they go back into the water out of their own volition.

"They do not have to eat every day because they have a thick layer of fat that they can draw on," Wessels said.

"This was an unfortunate incident and we are sorry that it happened. People should realise that seals are wild animals and can be dangerous. They should be left alone. The law is very strict and anyone who bothers marine animals or birds could be sent to prison," he said.

Where's the FCC when you need em?