Politics & Government - 20 September 2007

In the article below, it only hints that there is a divide between democrats. Can anyone tell me what the factions are in the democrat party that vote for war, and against war?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070920/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq

2007-09-20 13:23:15 · 3 answers · asked by Yahoo Answer Angel 6 in Other - Politics & Government

or for that matter any kind of lawsuit..can u accept the settlement amount without going to court...or can my lawyer pursue it further?...does a the settlement amount necasarilly mean its the final amount in the case? regardign a car accident case.

2007-09-20 13:22:25 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Law & Ethics

2007-09-20 13:22:23 · 5 answers · asked by John 2 in Politics

Woman sacked for revealing UN links with sex trade
By Daniel McGrory
How a tribunal vindicated an investigator who blew whistle on workers in Bosnia



A DAMNING dossier sent by Kathryn Bolkovac to her employers, detailing UN workers’ involvement in the sex trade in Bosnia, cost the American her job with the international police force.
She was sacked after disclosing that UN peacekeepers went to nightclubs where girls as young as 15 were forced to dance naked and have sex with customers, and that UN personnel and international aid workers were linked to prostitution rings in the Balkans.

After a two-year battle, an employment tribunal ruled yesterday that Ms Bolkovac was unfairly dismissed by DynCorp, an American company whose branch in Salisbury, Wiltshire, dealt with the contracts of the American officers working for the international police force in Bosnia. There will be a further hearing at Southampton to decide the amount of compensation DynCorp must pay Ms Bolkovac.

During her time in Bosnia as an investigator, Ms Bolkovac, 41, uncovered evidence of girls who refused to have sex being beaten and raped in bars by their pimps while peacekeepers stood and watched. She discovered that one UN policeman who was supposed to be investigating the sex trade paid £700 to a bar owner for an underage girl who he kept captive in his apartment to use in his own prostitution racket.

She detailed her findings in a series of explicit e-mails to DynCorp, but after first being demoted and transferred from the investigation she was sacked for allegedly falsifying her timekeeping records.

Charles Twiss, the tribunal chairman, said: “We have considered DynCorp’s explanation of why they dismissed her and find it completely unbelievable. There is no doubt whatever that the reason for her dismissal was that she made a protected disclosure and was unfairly dismissed.”

There are powerful voices in support of her claims, including that of Madeleine Rees, the head of the UN Human Rights Commission office in Sarajevo, who is in no doubt that trafficking in women started with the arrival of the international peacekeepers in 1992.

As well as 21,000 Nato peacekeepers and aid workers, there were police from 40 countries trying to keep Bosnia’s warring factions apart.

“When the civil war ended in 1992 there were curfews and ordinary people didn’t have cars or money,” Ms Rees said. “Only the international community would have been able to get to the flats and bars being made available with foreign women.” She estimates that there are more than 900 premises in Bosnia where sex can be bought.

Richard Monk, a former senior British policeman who ran the UN police operation in Bosnia until 1999, said: “There were truly dreadful things going on by UN police officers from a number of countries. I found it incredible that I had to set up an internal affairs department to investigate complaints that officers were having sex with minors and prostitutes.

“The British officers were on the whole extremely good and very professional, setting a great example. But there were policemen from other countries who should not have been in uniform.”

The tribunal was told that a senior UN official, Dennis Laducer, was caught in one of the most notorious brothels. Mr Laducer, Deputy Commissioner of the International Police Task Force, was investigated by UN human rights officers and is no longer with the mission.

The ruling yesterday will cause further embarrassment to the UN over the behaviour of its peacekeepers. In March investigators disclosed that British aid workers and the UN contingent in Sierra Leone were demanding sex from teenage refugees in exchange for food and money. The UN’s refugee agency, which carried out the inquiry, told of “a shameful catalogue of sexual abuse”.

Ms Bolkovac, a mother of three who now lives in The Netherlands, said that she was elated by the tribunal’s ruling. “Now I hope to gain more international exposure for this problem,” she said.

She was posted to Sarajevo in 1999 to investigate the traffic in young women from Eastern Europe. “When I started collecting evidence from the victims of sex-trafficking, it was clear that a number of UN officers were involved from several countries, including quite a few from Britain,” she said. “I was shocked, appalled and disgusted. They were supposed to be over there to help, but they were committing crimes themselves. But when I told the supervisors they didn’t want to know”. Two Britons, a UN peacekeeper and a policeman, have been sent home after allegations involving the sex trade. Both are being investigated.

Ms Bolkovac said that she witnessed frightened young women given exotic dance costumes by club owners, who told them they had to perform sex acts on customers, including UN personnel, to pay for the outfits.

“The women who refused were locked in rooms and food and outside contact was withheld for days or weeks. After this time they were told to dance naked on table tops and sit with clients, recommending the person buy a bottle of champagne for DM200, which includes a room and ‘escort’.

“If the women still refuse to perform sex acts with the customers, they are beaten and raped in the rooms by the bar owners and their associates. They are told if they go to the police they will be arrested for prostitution and being an illegal immigrant.”

Within days of reporting her findings in October 2000 she was demoted and six months later was sacked. She claimed that DynCorp wanted her removed because her work was threatening its “lucrative contract” to supply officers to the UN mission. DynCorp said that she was dismissed for gross misconduct. During the hearing DynCorp admitted that it had dismissed three officers for using prostitutes. Since 1998, eight DynCorp employees have been sent home from Bosnia; none has been prosecuted.

2007-09-20 13:20:26 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics

He doesn't want to pay support anymore and I don't want him to have custody or visitation, so we are both in agreement to terminate his rights. Where can I get the forms for him to do this? He lives in CA, where the custody and support orders are, but my daughter and I have lived in AZ the past 7 mos.

2007-09-20 13:19:43 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Law & Ethics

Then that way there would be no more drafts or terminations towards deathrow inmates. And if they survive and come back they can earn there freedom again. Wouldn't that be a good idea? Maybe somehow have the deathrow inmates get some kind of training or something. If they serve they're years in war then they get to be a free man once again, & have another chance at life. Is that a great idea? Whats your guys opinion?

2007-09-20 13:19:15 · 16 answers · asked by Yay Area 5 in Other - Politics & Government

syria does not attck back. why is this. is this wmds from iraq. seems like syria has not made much of a stink about this. any thoughts why. neither has iran.

2007-09-20 13:18:01 · 7 answers · asked by tentieooo 3 in Other - Politics & Government

2007-09-20 13:14:34 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Law & Ethics

for 5 years (illegally). Hillary speaks stopping health insurance companies from raising premiums on those who are sick. But she does not mention the flip side — it will raise premiums on those who are well. On the one hand, she would cover all those with chronic conditions with low cost health insurance and, at the expense of the healthy. The net effect would be a major increase in health insurance premiums for the vast majority of Americans. Do you really believe in coercing American's who do NOT WANT health insurance to pay for it so the illegals who flaunt our laws can get free health care?

2007-09-20 13:14:03 · 21 answers · asked by Cherie 6 in Politics

Those who voted to support MoveOn's smear:

NAYs ---25

Akaka (D-HI)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Byrd (D-WV)
Clinton (D-NY)
Dodd (D-CT)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Levin (D-MI)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Murray (D-WA)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

Romney said it best:
"Hillary Clinton had a choice. She could stand with our troop commander in Iraq, or she could stand with the libelous left wing of her party. She chose the latter. The idea that she would be a credible commander-in-chief of our armed forces requires the willing suspension of disbelief."

2007-09-20 13:10:38 · 31 answers · asked by charbatch 3 in Politics

Is it true no matter what that you have to still pay for a mobile phone that you havent got as it was stolen & because you signed a 18 month contract. I purchased a mobile phone on contract about 2 yrs ago with 3. I had it for about 5 months & it got stolen, I reported it to the police & got a Crime reference number. I rang 3, explained what had happend & gave them the crime reference number & told them to cancel the mobile phone. 3 months later I received letters from 3 saying that I owed a large amount of money & if I didnt pay It would be sent to a debt collecting company. I rang then to ask what the large amount of money they said I owed was for & they told me for calls & line rental upto the remainder of the contract. I told them I was not going to pay for something that got stolen & that had been cancelled. Im still receiving threating letter saying they are going to take me to court if I dont pay the rest of the remainder of the contract.

2007-09-20 13:09:11 · 12 answers · asked by tracey474328 2 in Law & Ethics

2007-09-20 13:07:24 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics

I am just asking because I am infuriated at a letter I received via usps stating that I had won a certain amount of money with a fraudulent check enclosed. I just happen to work for a bank so I know the routing number and account number was invalid, but I feel horrible for the people that have fallen victim for these type of scams. I want to do something about it.

Anyone want to offer some advice?

2007-09-20 13:05:12 · 2 answers · asked by Brenda 2 in Law & Ethics

Has our Government become dysfunctional because of SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS to the detriment of the AMERICAN PEOPLE?

2007-09-20 13:03:12 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Immigration

lous Christian nonsense? (P.S. I hope Christians take the time to understand the last statement before they respond with a crackpot answer!)

2007-09-20 13:01:12 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Other - Politics & Government

Alright long story short Tomorrow in government class we are having a debate about the second amendment of the constitution.I have to argue anti-guns which means I must have some good reasons why guns should be done away with but I really need to know why shouldnt they so that I know how to back my answers up and my opponents questions or statements up...

2007-09-20 12:59:12 · 4 answers · asked by Chelsea 2 in Law & Ethics

This is hypothetical.

2007-09-20 12:58:24 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics

2007-09-20 12:57:13 · 11 answers · asked by Brain 2 in Government

2007-09-20 12:56:18 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Other - Politics & Government

2007-09-20 12:54:08 · 10 answers · asked by chris 1 in Law & Ethics

does it matter if you sign for 2 or 4 years? or do you have choices?

2007-09-20 12:53:37 · 13 answers · asked by X 3 in Military

2007-09-20 12:53:24 · 2 answers · asked by missusa2003 2 in Law & Ethics

...and you actually like some of the other people that are on here all day everyday, even though you fuss and fight, does this mean that you have always enjoyed being part of a dysfunctional family?

2007-09-20 12:53:23 · 16 answers · asked by Granny Gruntz 3 in Politics

All of their items were owned jointly.

2007-09-20 12:52:08 · 3 answers · asked by avonbycherylann 1 in Law & Ethics

OK, so this may be a technicality, but the cop only wrote half my tag number down as he was writing the ticket (I was talking to him at the time).

I parked somewhere that was not right for one minute to drop a kid off with his parents, so he ticketed me.

He got my DL# and my name and address from my licence, but is there a technicality I can get off on? I believe I have mitigating circumstances but rather than argue this to the judge, I would rather get off on a technicality. :)

2007-09-20 12:50:47 · 11 answers · asked by struds2671 3 in Law Enforcement & Police

do you think it is fair?

2007-09-20 12:50:35 · 6 answers · asked by ? 6 in Law Enforcement & Police

2007-09-20 12:47:48 · 14 answers · asked by Reflected Life 5 in Law Enforcement & Police

2007-09-20 12:46:50 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics

'The charities were part of an extraordinary $70 billion Saudi campaign to spread their fundamentalist Wahhabi sect worldwide. The money helped lay the foundation for hundreds of radical mosques, schools, and Islamic centers that have acted as support networks for the jihad movement, officials say.

U.S. intelligence officials knew about Saudi Arabia's role in funding terrorism by 1996, yet for years Washington did almost nothing to stop it. Examining the Saudi role in terrorism, a senior intelligence analyst says, was "virtually taboo." Even after the embassy bombings in Africa, moves by counterterrorism officials to act against the Saudis were repeatedly rebuffed by senior staff at the State Department and elsewhere who felt that other foreign policy interests outweighed fighting terrorism.' (US News and World Report)

2007-09-20 12:45:52 · 1 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics

my a$$
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=997_1190327916

2007-09-20 12:45:23 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Military