CALIFORNIA YANKEE

San Diego's Mayor Murphy Resigns

San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy announced he will resign July 15, just seven months into his second term. According to the Los Angeles Times, Mayor Murphy said:

"A good leader knows when it is time to move on," Murphy said at a press conference. "It is time to move, and time for a fresh start for the city."

Murphy was re-elected in November by 2,108 votes, narrowly overcoming a strong write-in campaign by Councilwoman Donna Frye.

The Associated Press reports that San Diego's pension system has a nearly $1.4 billion deficit and is at the heart of investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. attorney and FBI into city finances, possible public corruption and securities fraud:

The city's outside auditor, KPMG, has warned it cannot complete its audit of the city's 2003 books until an investigation is launched into whether city officials committed illegal acts. The lack of complete audits for 2003 and 2004, coupled with the ongoing investigations, has hobbled the city's ability to issue bonds, putting vital water and sewer projects on hold and threatening library and fire station construction. Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has suspended the city's credit rating.

According to the Associated Press, Murphy has clashed with the newly elected city attorney, Michael Aguirre, who has called for the mayor's resignation and issued a scathing report that found Murphy and the City Council violated federal securities laws by hiding key information about city finances.

Last week, Murphy was called one of the country's three-worst big-city mayors by Time magazine, which said the mayor was "discredited" by the city's pension fund crisis.

The San Diego Union Tribune reports that Deputy Mayor Michael Zucchet would serve as acting mayor until the vacancy is filled, but Zucchet goes on trial May 3 on federal corruption charges. The City Council can either appoint a replacement to serve out the remainder of Murphy's term through 2008 or call a special election. Frye said today she'll run again if a special election is held.

Can you say Mayor Frye?

UPDATE: At The Indepundent, Smash posts that if Deputy Mayor Zucchet's trial is not over by July 15, or if Zucchet is convicted, the City Council is likely select one of their own to fill the mayor's seat until the special election is held.

Thousands Protest Civil Unions

Thousands swarmed Connecticut's capitol in a culture clash over civil unions for same sex couples.

According to the Hartford Courant, Capitol police said about 3,000 people spread over the Capitol's north lawn in what sounded like a combination camp meeting and political rally. Those opposed to civil unions outnumbered the 80 or so supporters of same-sex marriages who gathered on the opposite side of the Capitol, staging symbolic marriages.

Opponents of the state's new civil unions law called for repeal of the law and defeat of the politicians who supported it. The law was called immoral and the first step down a slippery slope toward legalization of same-sex marriages:

This is but the first step," said Brian Brown, executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut, the group that organized the rally against the civil unions law. "The mask is off. Civil union and same-sex marriage differ in name only. Anyone who voted for this legislation voted for same-sex marriage. It is up to us to make sure that marriage remains the union of a man and a woman in our state.

At the gay rights rally the civil union law was criticized for not going far enough.

"Civil unions are a flawed step in the right direction," said Frank O'Gorman of West Hartford, a member of the People Of Faith For Gay Civil Rights. "We want to take our rightful place at the marriage table. We don't want leftovers and we don't want second-class citizenship."

Governor Rell was very politically savvy when she signed the civil union law within an hour of its passage.

Chrenkoff's Good news from Iraq, Part 26

Arthur Chrenkoff's latest bi-weekly round-up of good news from Iraq is up. Good news from Iraq" is truly worth reading. This edition contains over 130 links and is a wonderful counterpoint to the usual mainstream media stories dripping with negativity.

Here's a taste:

Recently the BBC decided to conduct an informal survey around Iraq: "Two years after the statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled in Baghdad, marking the fall of the city to US-led forces, BBC Arabic.com asked seven Iraqis for their thoughts on how life has changed for them since the conflict."

The results were surprising--at least for the BBC, whose attitude toward the liberation of Iraq has always been lukewarm at best. They were surprising for me too, not so much in what the seven Iraqis had to say, but that the BBC chose to run the story.

Here's Saad, 32, sound engineer from Basra: "Iraqis are feeling better. They are breathing the air of freedom. They read, watch and say what they want. They travel, work and receive a living wage. They use mobile phones, satellite dishes and the internet, which they did not even know before. . . . As for terrorism, we are now beginning to unite against it and to defeat it."

Noura, 32, a computer engineer from Baghdad and a Christian: "While we lost security after Saddam's fall, we gained our freedom and a chance to build a new society."

Nada, 32, a government worker from Mosul: "We never imagined that the Turkmen community would have a political party representing them in Iraq, but this is happening now."

Kaban, 31, electrical engineer from Baghdad: "There have been many changes since the fall of Saddam's regime, but the most important change was that we feel free. . . . However, those who say that security was better in the past are completely wrong. It is true we did not have suicide car bombings in Saddam's era, but our homes did not feel safe from the intrusion of Saddam's security men, who came in the middle of the night to kidnap, kill or rape."

Waala, 25, a schoolteacher from Baghdad: "The Sunnis in Iraq do not live in isolation from the political and social circles of life, as many people outside Iraq seem to believe. Nothing has affected our relationships with each other--we face the same problems. This applies to Sunnis or Shia, Christians or Muslims, Arabs or Kurds. Unfortunately, the refusal by some Sunnis to participate in the elections was the cause of some political isolation."

Imad Mohammed, 25, a university graduate from Baghdad: "I am no longer worried about losing my dignity or my life. And I am also getting a higher income, like most Iraqis."

Read the whole thing.

Kerry's Entitlement

John Kerry seems to think he is entitled to be the Democratic Party's nominee in 2008.

Two weeks ago Senator Hillary Clinton attended the DFL Humphrey Day Dinner in Minneapolis . Minnesota is a state both parties consider a key 2008 presidential swing state.

Minnesota's Democratic Senator Dayton introduced Clinton as "the next great president of the United States of America."

According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, two days later on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Kerry approached Dayton "with daggers in his eyes and said, 'What are you doing endorsing my 2008 presidential opponent?'"

Kerry spokesman, David Wade, tried to downplay Kerry's rebuke saying:

"There was nothing but joshing on the Senate floor" between Dayton and Kerry, who have been friends for 35 years.

"Respectfully, some lines must have gotten crossed in his retelling of this particular conversation," Wade said. "If Senator Kerry had anything in his eyes, it was hockey sticks. These two old friends and colleagues spent most of their time joking about pulling on their skates and hitting the rink in Minnesota later this year."

A Marist College Poll conducted in February found Clinton and Kerry to be the leaders for the 2008 Democratic nomination:

Hillary Clinton 39
John Kerry 21
John Edwards 15
Joe Biden 5
Wesley Clark 4
Russ Feingold 2
Bill Richardson 2
Evan Bayh 1
Mark Warner 1
Tom Vilsack -
Unsure 10

The Boston Herald reports that Dayton has made other unflattering comments about Kerry. Asked about his support for Kerry last year, Dayton replied:

As Winston Churchill once said, I'd rather be right than consistent.

Kerry shouldn't care about anything Dayton has to say. Last October Dayton demonstrated a colossal lack of judgement when he closed his Senate office on Capitol Hill in the weeks before the November election, citing a vague terrorist threat against Congress. That sad failure to stand up against even a vague terrorist threat may have helped Dayton decide not to seek re-election..

Even after his miserable campaign of flip flops, Kerry appears arrogant enough to believe he is entitled to another nomination.

Moussaoui's Family Doesn't Support Guilty Plea

On Friday Moussaoui pled guilty to six charges of conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism, commit aircraft piracy, destroy aircraft, use weapons of mass destruction, murder U.S. employees and destroy property. Four of the charges carry the death penalty.

Reuters reports that Moussaoui's family hopes to persuade him to retract his guilty plea:

"We do not support Zacarias Moussaoui's decision to plead guilty, as he did in the United States last week in the first phase of his trial," French lawyer Francois Roux told Reuters.

[. . .]

Roux said he would do all he could to get Moussaoui to change his mind about entering the guilty plea.

Happy Passover

"And you shall explain to your son on that day, 'It is because of what the Lord did for me when I went free from Egypt.'"  Exodus 13:8:

Passover, begins today at sundown. For eight days, Jews celebrate freedom.

In the Book of Exodus, a simple Jewish shepherd named Moses was instructed by God to go to Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II and demand the freedom of his people.

Moses' plea to the Pharaoh to "Let my people go," was ignored.

Moses warned the pharaoh that God would severely punish the people of Egypt if the Israelites were not freed, but still the Pharaoh failed to heed Moses' plea.

According to scripture, God unleashed a series of 10 terrible plagues on the people of Egypt: blood, frogs, vermin, flies, cattle disease, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and last but not least, the slaying of all first-born children.

Moses and his people were delivered from slavery in Egypt.

Passover is celebrated with family gatherings wonderful meals called seders, and the retelling of the story of the Israelites exodus from Egypt.

In our mixed-faith family we have developed a wonderful tradition of sharing our seder with as many of our friends, jews and gentiles alike, as our home can comfortably hold.

Whether you're Jewish or not, take a moment to contemplate the joys of your freedom, your responsibility to maintain it, and about those not fortunate enough to have freedom to enjoy.

North Korea Preparing Nuclear Arms Test

The Washington Times reports that U.S. intelligence agencies have detected activity at facilities in North Korea indicating the country may be preparing to conduct its first nuclear test:

The suspected test-related activity was detected by U.S. spy satellites in the past several days, said officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. It was reported by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which is in charge of analyzing satellite photographs.

This can't be good.

Moussaoui's Target Was The White House

When Zacarias Moussaoui pleaded guilty today to conspiracy charges linked to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks he said his mission included flying a commercial jetliner into the White House.

In its article on Moussaoui's guilty plea, Bloomberg reports on Moussaoui's admissions:

"I came to the U.S. and trained" on a 747 airplane simulator "to eventually use this plane to strike the White House," Moussaoui said. He denied that he was assigned any direct role in carrying out the Sept. 11 attacks that killed almost 3,000 people. "I'm guilty of a broad conspiracy," he said.

Moussaoui said that, in becoming a trained pilot, the plan for him was to help free blind sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, the Islamic Group's spiritual leader who was sentenced to life in prison for plotting to blow up several U.S. targets including the United Nations building in New York City.

He said his assignment was to fly a jet into the White House if the U.S. didn't cooperate in freeing Rahman.

A five-page Statement of Facts as to Zacarias Moussaoui, signed "seen and agreed"   by Moussaoui, and filed with the court listed a series of allegations that Moussaoui agreed the government could have proven at trial.

The document includes the following statements:

9.  Moussaoui knew of al Qaeda's plan to fly airplanes into prominent buildings in the United States and he agreed to travel to the United States to participate in the plan.
Bin Laden personally selected Moussaoui to participate in the operation to fly planes into American buildings and approved Moussaoui attacking the White House.'' Bin Laden told Moussaoui: "Sahrawi, remember your dream," [according to the document, one of Moussaoui's aliases was Abu Khaled al Sahrawi.]

10.  An al Qaeda associate provided with information about flight schools in the United States. In September 2000, Moussaoui, who was in Malaysia, contacted the Airman Flight School in Norman, Oklahoma, via email, seeking flight training. Moussaoui intended to use his training as a pilot in furtherance of al Qaeda's plan to use planes to kill Americans.

11.  Moussaoui trained in knife fighting in Afghanistan.

[. . .]

15.  In August 2001, Moussaoui traveled to Minnesota where he trained on a Boeing 747-400 simulator at the Pam Am International Flight Academy in Eagan Minnesota. Moussaoui told an al Qaeda associate that he would complete simulator training before September 2001.

16.  On August 16, 2001, Moussaoui was arrested in Minnesota by agents of the INS and the FBI. At the time of his arrest, Moussaoui possessed the following items:

-  two knives;
-  flight manuals for the Boeing 747 Model 400;
-  a flight simulator computer program;
-  fighting gloves and shin guards;
-  a piece of paper referring to a handheld Global Positioning System;
-  software that could be used to review pilot procedures for the Boeing 747 Model 400; and
-  a hand-held aviation radio.

The complete document can be accessed as a PDF file here.

Early reports about Moussaoui suggested he was to have been the pilot of one of the hijacked planes. Later, it was reported Moussaoui was to have been part of a later wave of attacks against the US.

According to The Independent, Moussaoui told the court:

"I was being trained on a 747 to eventually use this plane to strike the White House." Referring to the attacks of 11 September, he added: "That's not my conspiracy"

I am glad Moussaoui stands convicted, but I wonder how much more information would have been made available had Moussaoui forced the government to prove the charges against him.

Another GOP Senator Hesitates On Bolton

MSNBC reports that a fourth Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski expressed concern about Bolton:

A spokeswoman for Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said the senator felt the committee “did the right thing delaying the vote on Bolton in light of the recent information presented to the committee.”

Asked if Bolton had Murkowski’s support, spokeswoman Kristin Pugh said, “I can’t speculate on how she would vote.”

Murkowski joins Republican Senators George Voinovich of Ohio, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska in having second thoughts about Bolton's confirmation.

The committee today set May 12 for their vote on Bolton.

The Associated Press reports that Senators traditionally let presidents have their picks for the Cabinet and other senior executive branch jobs.

Sarah Binder, an associate professor of political science at George Washington University told the Associated Press that it is rare for the Senate to not give the president deference for appointments.

According to the Associated Press, since 1789, presidents have made hundreds of Cabinet appointments, and the Senate failed to confirm just 15 - nine rejections, four withdrawals, two died in committee, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Ross K. Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University, finds the Bolton nomination similar to the 1989 fight over former Texas Senator John G. Tower to be defense secretary. The allegations of Tower having a drinking problem and womanizing seem much different than the allegations that Bolton is disrespectful to subordinates.

We will see what happens on May 12. Three weeks is a long time in a political struggle like this.

Moussaoui Pleads Guilty

Zacarias Moussaoui pleaded guilty to helping al-Qaida carry out the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the plea:

"How do you plead?" she asked him for each of the six felony counts against him. Each time, Moussaoui answered, "Guilty."

"I expect no leniency," he said.

[. . .]

"The court is accepting today the defendant's six pleas of guilty to the six counts of the indictment," Brinkema said.

"You are found guilty at this time," she told Moussaoui.

It is good that Moussaoui stands convicted, but it is unfortunate that we will not get to see the government's evidence.

UPDATE: Moussaoui's target was the White House.