Eideard

Bed & Breakfast hotel run by a convent in Rome

Over the years, the Italian government has quietly passed scores of laws that benefit the Roman Catholic Church, but it is rare for it to issue a public statement announcing it intends to strip the church of privileges. The government of Prime Minister Mario Monti took that step on Wednesday, telling the European Commission that it intends to change Italian law to ensure the church pays property tax on the parts of its buildings used for commercial ends.

The church owns vast amounts of property in Italy, and the move is aimed at making sure that convents that offer bed and breakfast or church buildings that rent space to shops pay their full share of taxes.

The change — once it is formally drafted and approved by Parliament — could result in revenues of $650 million to $2.6 billion annually, according to municipal government associations. It could also set an example for other debt-strapped European countries — most notably Greece and Spain — where there is growing popular resentment over tax breaks for the church.

It would set an example for the United States – not only for Old World religions but the all-American bible belt crowd.

Even in Catholic Italy, the proposal shows the churchgoing Mr. Monti’s ability to read the national mood. Faced with their own belt-tightening and tax increases, Italians are increasingly fed up with what they see as unfair privileges — be it of the political class or the church. After new austerity measures were passed in December, 130,000 people signed an online petition calling on the government to revoke the church’s tax-exempt status…

Today, many church buildings fall into a gray area, taking advantage of a tax exemption for religious organization’s buildings even if they are largely commercial in use…

Overdue? It’s all overdue.

Take the time to discuss this with most folks and even the most thoroughly brainwashed True Believer will generally understand the sense of fairness that should discipline the funding of necessary government. It’s an all-in proposition. Certain work – like charity – might be exempt. Not individuals or organizations just by definition of their belief system.

Cancer rates among police officers who responded to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York have tripled, according to new figures.

Of the 12,000 who attended the scene of the atrocity at the World Trade Center 10 years ago, 297 have been diagnosed with cancer, almost triple the incidence before the attack.

A report said that 56 who have been diagnosed had since died.

Residents of lower Manhattan have long claimed that the dust and ash clouds triggered by the long-burning fires at the site of the twin towers were toxic.

Figures released by the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association appear to bear out the theory, with cancer rates among NYPD officers who attended the disaster running at 16 a year compared to six before the attacks. The average age they were forced to leave the force due to their ill-health was 44.

Lung cancer was the most common form of the disease among officers, although there were more rare varieties including cancers of the bile duct, tongue and nasal passages…

Under the Zadroga Act, named for Detective James Zadroga who died of a respiratory disease after taking part in the recovery operation, sick 9/11 workers are entitled to health screening and financial benefits. New York’s City Hall has always refused to release cancer rates among the NYPD, saying that the information was private…

Frank Tramontao, research director at the PBA, said: “It is our sincere opinion that the City of New York has done nothing to facilitate any cancer study and has been actively working to prevent a comprehensive examination of the issue.”

What is it about American bureaucrats that requires they be blind and deaf to disease inflicted on men and women who have dedicated their energies to aiding this nation?

I know for a fact this nation isn’t exclusively populated by know-nothings who fear science. I’m not as certain about the fear of responsibility.

As much space as they deserve
Daylife/Getty Images used by permission

All of the post-mortems on the CNBC Republican debate focused on the sad, but hilarious, senior moment Gov. Rick Perry suffered when he couldn’t remember the third federal agency he wants to eliminate.

…But what also stood out as perplexing — and stunning — was how all of the candidates were unwilling to hold Wall Street accountable for the deplorable economic condition the nation continues to find itself in.

When the housing crisis was raised, Mitt Romney and most of the others chose to unleash their rage on the consumers and the financial reform bill that was passed after the crisis hit, instead of on the shady practices of Wall Street…

The favorite GOP bogeyman is Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-backed housing lenders. Yet anyone with half a brain knows that those institutions brought on Democrats and Republicans on their payroll in order to ensure that Congress would let them continue practices as usual.

During the debate, Newt Gingrich was asked about the $300,000 he was paid by Freddie Mac in 2006, which he said was for “advice.” He was quick to say he did no lobbying on behalf of Freddie Mac, but we all know that his presence, along with other former politicians and political strategists from both parties, greatly helped the company prevent congressional scrutiny…

What Gingrich and the other candidates absolutely refused to do was tell the public that one of the biggest proponents of an aggressive home ownership plan in America was President George W. Bush…

It is beyond clear that we got into this huge mess because we were too lax in holding banks accountable. Getting rid of the Glass-Steagall Act, thus allowing commercial banks and investment banks to merge, was a disaster.

Not a single GOP candidate said we should put the provision separating those activities back in place…

In no way can I remove the role the consumer played in the economic debacle, but for the GOP candidates to act like we had too many regulations, and that’s why Wall Street bankers lost their minds, is deplorable…

How in the world can we trust that any of these candidates will care about the Average Joe, Jane, Jose, Jimmy, Janice or Jamila if they are elected president, when they won’t even hold Wall Street accountable in a debate?

Roland Martin pretending that we’re just discovering that the Republican Party is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the US Chamber of Commerce is a bit disingenuous.

Anyone hear a moderator ask if anyone understands evolution, BTW?

Greece would be in much better shape now if it had never joined the euro zone, or if it had been kicked out in 2004 when it admitted that it had lied about its finances to join the club. So would the rest of Europe.

So why not get out now?

One answer is the same one that was given when Greece’s cheating was revealed: Legally, there is no way out. The euro was designed to be the Roach Motel of currencies. Once you enter, you can never leave. There is no provision for departure.

The sophistry in this article is that the lies, the cheating, was “revealed”. Hogwash. Everyone knew what was going on. Including the Greek politicians who stood in line to gobble up the Euro dole.

But, of course, there is a way out. It would be messy, and perhaps disastrous. But no one is going to send an army to Athens to force it to keep the euro.

If Greece were to follow the example set by Argentina nearly a decade ago, it would simply convert its debts from euros into its old currency, the drachma, at the old exchange rate of 340.75 drachmas to one euro. It could also convert euro currency in the country at the same rate. So if you owned one million euros in Greek bonds, they would be converted to bonds with a face value of 340.75 million drachmas.

With a printing press available, Greece could meet those obligations. Of course the drachma would soon be worth a lot less — perhaps 1,000 to the euro. So bondholders would have lost two-thirds of face value…Greece would suddenly be forced to run a balanced budget, or to borrow from its own citizens, whose savings would have lost much, if not most, of their value.

For Greece to pull that off, it would probably have to do it over a weekend, without leaks of what it was planning. If people got wind of what might be coming, there would be an immediate run on Greek banks…

Think there are any Euro politicians who could keep that kind of secret?

…Greece remains woefully uncompetitive in export markets, and there is no credible plan to get its economy growing. The rest of Europe uses the threat of cutting off funds to force more and more austerity on the Greek government.

The message from Greece now may be summarized as, “I’m small. I’ve suffered. You can afford to rescue me. If you don’t, I can create chaos for all of you.”

Part of the earlier spring agreement Greece agreed to included – eventually – a replacement rate of 1 for 10 as civil servants retired. Some of the hacks on board before the government began the hiring tsunami that followed EU membership. Well, 18-20,000 retired who should have been replaced by 2,000 tops. The government hired 24,000.

A couple prayed and rubbed olive oil on their sick infant rather than seek medical care for the dying boy, prosecutors argued in the latest criminal case against members of an Oregon church that believes in faith healing.

Dale and Shannon Hickman are accused of manslaughter in the death of their son David, who was born prematurely in 2009 with underdeveloped lungs. The boy developed a bacterial infection and lived for less than nine hours…

The Hickmans are members of the Followers of Christ church, a Clackamas County church that practices faith healing and rejects doctors. The trial is the fourth time in recent years that members have faced criminal accusations that they let their children get seriously ill or die.

When David’s skin turned ashen and he could barely breathe, the Hickmans did not call for help, prosecutor Mike Regan said during opening statements Wednesday. Instead, he said, Dale Hickman anointed the baby with olive oil, a common church ritual for treating the ill.

“They were never going to call — ever,” Regan said. “Failure to act is a crime…”

The Hickmans’ lawyers said witnesses to the boy’s birth will testify that the baby showed no sign of distress until minutes before his death. And even if the Hickmans had called 911, the infant would have died before help arrived, they said. The same defense used by church members in previous trials.

The couple was being tried for their faith, said lawyer Mark Cogan.

“You, ladies and gentlemen, are our protection against tyranny,” Cogan told jurors.

The tyranny of self-delusion, of religious ideology, letting superstition govern your behavior instead of ethics, reason, often leads to confrontation with common law. As the prosecutor, Mike Regan, said – Failure to act is a crime.

We have a responsibility to the society within which we live and function to act in the broadest sense. Letting a child die with no reasonable attempt to save that small life is not excused by ideology.

There’s no reason to believe we have any more interest than usual to delve into questions of philosophy, sociology, science and politics, this weekend. But, I have several articles we’ve found worth examining, reflecting upon in our family circle – that I thought I’d post on the blog.

The term “military covenant” was introduced in Britain in 2000 and is used by political leaders and the media in discussing the informal pact that exists between those who volunteered to serve in the British military and the nation. Its purpose is to ensure that those who served will be treated with respect and receive the benefits they’ve earned.

As defined by the Ministry of Defense: “Soldiers are bound by service. The nature of service is inherently unequal: soldiers may have to give more than they receive. Ultimately, they may be called upon to make personal sacrifices — including death — in the service of the nation.

“In putting the needs of the Nation, the Army and others before their own, they forgo some of the rights enjoyed by those outside the Armed Forces. So, at the very least, British soldiers should always expect the Nation and their commanders to treat them fairly, to value and respect them as individuals, and to sustain and reward them and their families…”

But what about a military covenant here in the United States? I think an argument can be made that one already exists, although in an unofficial capacity and without a title. Politicians speak at length about the need to take care of veterans, but that argument needs to be made and remade daily, and advocacy groups are forced to poke and prod in order to utilize benefits already earned and remind the public that we’re still fighting two (three?) wars. When British politicians speak about veterans’ issues, they invoke the military covenant, which conveys a stronger message than a lengthy argument as to why a specific veterans’ bill should be passed or an explanation of why it is good business to hire a veteran. The word “covenant” invokes images of a sacred trust, not just a simple contract. It also suggests that everyone is involved, since a covenant requires agreement between multiple parties. Members of the military are required to serve their nation honorably, and in return, the nation and public are required to ensure that those service members and veterans are treated fairly and with respect.

Taking a cue from the British, then, if we were to enact a military covenant, it should also be made into law…With this, if a veteran feels he or she is not receiving fair treatment, then the military covenant can be invoked as a reminder and to act as a benchmark. Initiatives would be examined to see if they are meeting the “spirit” of the military covenant.

Establishing a military covenant in the United States will not solve all problems faced by members of the military and veterans. Nor will it eliminate the civilian-military divide. But I think it would be a net plus in addressing both of these issues, and considering the scale, a serious look at enacting our own military covenant is worthwhile.

A great deal of my life’s involvement with the United States military has been in opposition to the wars they obediently marched off to. Because of one or another active involvement at the time, subsequent [ongoing] dialogue I enjoy with veterans of those and other anti-colonial, anti-imperial wars, I maintain a rapprochement with many who fought for our country. And, of course, being a geek of true geezer age, I’ve had many friends and family who fought in the war against fascism, World War 2 – the last just war in my lifetime.

It’s easy for me to support the covenant Don Gomez writes about – for professional soldiers as well as conscripts. My understanding of history and society recognizes a sense and purpose for the ethic and the law.

Sheikh Rachid Ghannouchi (C, with red scarf) welcomed at Tunis Airport
Daylife/Reuters Pictures used by permission

Thousands of Tunisians turned out on Sunday to welcome home an Islamist leader whose return from 22 years of exile indicated that his party would emerge as a major force in Tunisia after the ousting of its president.

The reception for Sheikh Rachid Ghannouchi, leader of the Ennahda party, at Tunis airport was the biggest showing by the Islamists in two decades, during which thousands of them were jailed or exiled by President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali…

Up to 10,000 young men and veiled women packed the arrival hall and car park. Some climbed trees and electricity pylons to catch a glimpse of the 69-year-old Ghannouchi, who says he has no ambition to run for state office…

Tunisia has imposed a secular order since independence from France in 1956. Habib Bourguiba, the independence leader and long-time president, considered Islam a threat to the state. Ben Ali eased restrictions on the Islamists when he seized power in 1987, before cracking down on them two years later.

The protests which dislodged Ben Ali and electrified the Arab world have largely dried up in the last few days following the announcement on Thursday of a new interim government purged of most of the remnants of Ben Ali’s regime. The security forces have tried to restore order to the capital, where confrontations between shopkeepers and protesters have indicated dwindling support for demonstrators on the part of Tunisians who want life to return to normal.

Ennahda activists wearing white baseball caps tried to marshal the crowds. Asked how they had managed to organize so quickly, one activist said: “Our activities were stopped, but you can’t disperse an ideology…”

“We don’t want an Islamic state, we want a democratic state,” said Mohammed Habasi, an Ennahda supporter who said he had been jailed four times since 1991 for “belonging to a banned group.”

“We suffered the most from a lack of democracy,” he said.

The Ugly American – well-known to most in the 3rd World and completely absent from the understanding of the American electorate – is distinguished by abdicating responsibility in the fight for democracy throughout the world. We prate about being the leaders of the Free World. We pat ourselves on the back for fighting for human rights. But, as much as commerce, quiet obedience is the quid pro quo for money and arms to maintain post-colonial liberation autocrats, kings and dictators. As we did in Iran, we are better known for suppressing democracy than supporting popular elections.

The role of Islamists in any of the lands filled with turmoil this month depends more than anything upon their history of resistance to colonial rule. Americans know nothing of these battles and rely on Talking Heads to mis-educate them. American politicians may know better – but, will not dispute populist tales of Islamist plots for that would require explanations of decades of opposition to freedom from colonial Europe.

CFO of Goldman Sachs on TV monitor on the floor of NY Stock Exchange during testimony

A divided U.S. investigative panel released on Thursday a wide-ranging assessment of what caused the financial crisis that rocked global markets from 2007-2009.

The 10-member Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission was created by Congress to deliver a bipartisan report on the origins of the crisis, but it failed to deliver a consensus view.

The main report was endorsed only by the commission’s six Democratic members, undermining its impact as the post-crisis Dodd-Frank banking reforms of 2010 are being implemented.

I hope no one out there in citizen-land actually expected Republicans to participate in naming their primary sources of income as bearing responsibility for the financial crisis and the Great Recession.

Below are the main points of the…majority report:

* We conclude this financial crisis was avoidable.

* We conclude widespread failures in financial regulation and supervision proved devastating to the stability of the nation’s financial markets.

* We conclude dramatic failures of corporate governance and risk management at many systemically important financial institutions were a key cause of this crisis.

* We conclude a combination of excessive borrowing, risky investments, and lack of transparency put the financial system on a collision course with crisis.

* We conclude the government was ill prepared for the crisis, and its inconsistent response added to the uncertainty and panic in the financial markets.

* We conclude there was a systemic breakdown in accountability and ethics.

* We conclude collapsing mortgage-lending standards and the mortgage securitization pipeline lit and spread the flame of contagion and crisis.

* We conclude over-the-counter derivatives contributed significantly to this crisis.

* We conclude the failures of credit rating agencies were essential cogs in the wheel of financial destruction.

If you’d like to peek at the beginnings of analysis, try this article over at Bloomberg.com.

A Kentucky man accused of strangling his wife is poised to claim excessive caffeine from sodas, energy drinks and diet pills left him so mentally unstable he couldn’t have knowingly killed her…

Woody Will Smith, 33, is scheduled for trial starting today on a murder charge in the May 2009 death of Amanda Hornsby-Smith, 28.

Defense attorney Shannon Sexton filed notice with the Newport court of plans to argue his client ingested so much caffeine in the days leading up to the killing that it rendered him temporarily insane — unable even to form the intent of committing a crime…

A legal strategy invoking caffeine intoxication is unusual but has succeeded at least once before, in a case involving a man cleared in 2009 of charges of running down and injuring two people with a car in Washington state…

I am never surprised over silly-ass defenses accepted as legit by a court. Responsibility for your own acts, decisions, means nothing.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, said their own expert may testify there was no evidence Smith had consumed diet pills or energy drinks as he claimed before his wife died.

Prosecutor Michelle Snodgrass said Smith tested negative for amphetamine-type substances shortly after the killing…

Reports and case records say during that time, he was drinking five or six soft drinks and energy drinks a day, along with taking diet pills; it all added up to more than 400 milligrams of caffeine a day.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders — published by the American Psychiatric Association showing standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders — defines overdose as more than 300 mg. That’s about three cups of coffee.

More than three cups of coffee classifies you as loony, overdosed on coffee?

Har! That explains the behavior of half the geeks in the world.

St. Joseph Medical Center has repeatedly said it wants to do right by its coronary stent patients.

After a complaint last year that star cardiologist Mark Midei was placing stents in the arteries of patients who didn’t need them, the Towson hospital removed him from duty, reviewed thousands of medical records and sent letters to nearly 600 people whose stents appeared unnecessary, telling them to go see a doctor.

When asked if the hospital bore any legal liability, CEO Jeffrey K. Norman replied: “I suppose we do.”

But now that the lawyers have arrived, bearing the threat of hundreds of lawsuits, some say the message has changed. Even as some St. Joseph employees continue to suggest wrongdoing — including its chief of cardiology, who has told at least two patients that his former colleague falsified their records — the hospital’s attorneys appear to be girding for a fight.

In its legal filings, the hospital said it “generally denies all allegations of liability.” And medical malpractice attorneys preparing cases against St. Joseph say hospital lawyers are gathering experts to argue that Midei did nothing improper, despite the hospital having revoked his practice privileges…

“If they’re going to [now] stand by [Midei's] care and say what he did is not negligent and what he did is justified,” Bedigian said in an interview, Midei should “be looking for an employment lawyer.”

RTFA for the thrilling details.

Should I ask whatever happened to nonmaleficence? First, do no harm?