Since no one uses this version of ontd_p yet, can we make it an unofficial Jon Huntsman fan club? (ty for the icon schmiss)

Individuals banned from the UK for stirring-up hatred have been named and shamed for the first time, the Home Secretary announced today.

The list covers people excluded from the United Kingdom for fostering extremism or hatred between October 2008 and March 2009.

It follows the Home Secretary’s introduction of new measures against such individuals last year, including creating a presumption in favour of exclusion in respect of all those who have engaged in spreading hate.

The Home Secretary Jacqui Smith also announced today that the government is now able to ban European nationals and their family members if they constitute a threat to public policy or public security.

The article gives a few examples of the names on the list; there are 72 total. I thought it interesting because of this particular individual:

Michael Alan Weiner (also known as Michael Savage)

Controversial daily radio host. Considered to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour by seeking to provoke others to serious criminal acts and fostering hatred which might lead to inter-community violence.

The provisions for landing on this list are as follows:

Under the unacceptable behaviour policy, the Home Secretary may exclude from the UK any non-British citizen, whether in the UK or abroad, who uses any means or medium including:

* writing, producing, publishing or distributing material
* public speaking including preaching
* running a website or
* using a position of responsibility such as teacher, community or youth leader

To express views which:

* foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence in furtherance of particular beliefs
* seek to provoke others to terrorist acts
* foment other serious criminal activity or seek to provoke others to serious criminal acts or
* foster hatred which might lead to inter-community violence in the UK.

Source.

I'm torn on whether this policy will prove useful or as a political tool to shape national agendas, even if I agree with the Savage ban. Hell, can we ban Savage from the U.S.?

There has been a small outbreak of “zombism” in London due to mutation of the H1N1 virus into new strain: H1Z1.

Similar to a scare originally found in Cambodia back in 2005, victims of a new strain of the swine flu virus H1N1 have been reported in London.

After death, this virus is able to restart the heart of it’s victim for up to two hours after the initial demise of the person where the individual behaves in extremely violent ways from what is believe to be a combination of brain damage and a chemical released into blood during “resurrection.”

( I honestly cannot figure out if this is a satire or not. )

Source

Days after telling students at Stanford University that waterboarding was legal "by definition if it was authorized by the president," former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice was pressed again on the subject yesterday by a fourth-grader at a Washington school.

Rice, in her first appearance in Washington since leaving government, was at the Jewish Primary Day School of the Nation's Capital before giving an evening lecture at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. She held forth amiably before a few dozen students about her love of Israel, travel abroad and the importance of learning languages, then opened the floor to their questions.

The questions had been developed beforehand by students with their teachers and had not been screened by Rice. At first, they were innocuous: What was it like growing up in segregated Birmingham, Ala.? What skill did she want to be best known for?

Then Misha Lerner, a student from Bethesda, asked: What did Rice think about the things President Obama's administration was saying about the methods the Bush administration had used to get information from detainees?

Rice took the question in stride. saying that she was reluctant to criticize Obama, then getting to the heart of the matter.

More at the sauce.

OK I'm bored and nothing's happening on LJ and there are like, five of us here at least. Good enough for me.

Let's play

MARRY, FUCK, KILL

Today's contestants:

Gavin Newsom (D-CA) (okay he's just a candidate, but we're not playing with Arnie, SORRY)



Jon Goddamn Huntsman (R-UT)



Deval Patrick (D-MA)

I have no idea what to use this community for so far. I only made it to keep the name safe from any enterprising trolls. :P

So do we just cross-post here? Use it as a free for all community? idk. DO WHAT YOU WANT, at least until a smarter mod signs up.