Fake Plastic News

Former prisoner becomes a suicide bomber in Iraq:

A former Kuwaiti detainee at the US camp at Guantanamo Bay carried out a recent suicide bombing in northern Iraq, the US military has said.

A spokesman for US Central Command told the Associated Press that Abdullah al-Ajmi took part in an attack in Mosul on 29 April that killed several people.

Ajmi and two other Kuwaitis blew up two explosive-packed vehicles next to Iraqi security forces, media reports say.

The US transferred Ajmi to Kuwaiti custody from Guantanamo Bay in 2005.

He was later acquitted by a Kuwaiti court of terrorism charges.

According to Kuwaiti and pan-Arab media reports, Ajmi and his two alleged accomplices, Nasir al-Dawsari and Badr al-Harbi, were able to leave Kuwait a month ago without alerting the attention of the authorities because they had wrongly been issued new passports.

They then travelled to Syria, where Ajmi is reported to have told his family of his intentions, before heading onto Iraq.

The families of Ajmi and Harbi reportedly later received anonymous calls informing them that the men had died in Iraq.

Was he one of the detainees who was picked up/given to the US erroneously by Afghan/Pakistanis or was he really in Afghanistan for terror reasons? I don't think too highly of Kuwait's justice system, but then again, I don't know much about their justice system. That said, if he couldn't be convicted in Kuwait, was this a case of being imprisoned in Gitmo, for 3 years, making Ajmi into a terrorist?

With the Democratic Primary even more locked up, talk will begin on who Obama will select as VP. I do not believe in the Obama-Clinton "dream ticket", but I think it would be important for Obama to select a "Clintonite" to help mend fences (if they really need mending). My choice would not be Evan Bayh, as I've heard elsewhere, but the same guy I suggested Senator Kerry should've selected in 04- Wesley Clark. Here's what I said then:

It is often overestimated about how important the Vice Presidential nominee is to the Presidential candidate. In my opinion, as long as the VP choice has some personal appeal, little or no baggage that would embarrass the Presidential candidate, and perhaps, comes from a State that can be put into play, he/she is a good choice. There are a lot of great people for Kerry to pick, Sen. John Edwards, Gov. Bill Richardson, Gov. Ed Rendell, Tom Brokaw, Sen. Evan Byah, etc., but nobody would be as good of a fit as General Wesley Clark. This is not the time to pick a VP surprise, like Mondale and Gore did. Yes, Clark ran for President and failed. However, he won a state (Oklahoma), he built a national organization in little time, and has a personal appeal that connected with people (more specifically vets). With Clark on the ticket, Arkansas, which is a conservative Democratic State, should be attainable as a Democratic pickup. He also should help a little in the more military friendly South.

Bush has been hammering Kerry on Kerry’s Defense and Intelligence voting record. Those of us who follow politics know that for the most part, Bush’s claims are a fraud However, many “average” Americans do not, and b/c of Kerry being a “Massachusetts Liberal”, they might believe them. With General Clark on the ticket, he adds the national security factor that cannot be argued. This ticket would be national security experience to the max and would make it nearly impossible for Republicans to say Democrats are weak on defense. Clark has more then his share of diplomacy experience, he knows foreign leaders, foreign policy, foreign cultures and our culture. He is a very intelligent man, with a Masters in politics, economics, and philosophy while he was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford.

During the Vice Presidential debate, while Cheney rambles on about the WMD’s that he thinks will still be found in Iraq, Clark can say, “You’ve had your try, now it’s time to let the professionals take over.” The ability of Clark to be the bulldog on national security issues frees Kerry up to keep hitting Bush on jobs, education, etc.

Some may argue that General Clark wouldn’t be able to handle being the VP and in Kerry’s shadow. Yes, he was a high ranking General who’s used to giving the orders; however, he was also brought up through the military ranks, where he was taught to take the orders, as well. A good soldier knows his role...

The above is pretty much how I feel now. Of course, Obama doesn't have the Military/National Security experience that Kerry had/s, so adding someone who does, like Clark, is important. Moreover, unlike other Clinton surrogates, Clark hasn't been attacking Obama. That tells me something about his character. Of course, he was probably also thinking he'd want a job in an Obama Administration, but so what? Give him one, Obama: VP.

Philly's great new Mayor takes on the NRA:

Mayor Nutter this morning said the National Rifle Association owed an apology to the family of slain police officer Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski.

Nutter recently signed five local gun bills into law, including one that would outlaw the possession and sale of certain assault weapons. The NRA immediately sued the city on the grounds that the city does not have the authority to enact local gun control. They obtained a temporary restraining order to keep the city from enforcing the new laws.

Liczbinski was killed with a Chinese-made assault weapon.

"I think it's insane," Nutter said. "The fact that we put forward a piece of legislation to prevent the sale and use and transfer of assault weapons and have a Philadelphia police officer assaulted on the streets with one, I think makes it pretty clear to anyone who is confused about this issue that there's no reason for any citizen, any person other than in law enforcement or in the military to have such a weapon."

He added: "There's no legitimate argument by the NRA, they need to get in the real world where the rest of us live and come to grips with these kinds of issues. They owe an apology to the family for their staunch opposition over many, many years blocking legislative support for these kinds of matters."

We called the NRA for response and will update when we hear back.

Good for him. Philadelphia is a great city, and getting even better, but it really is suffering from major gun problems.

Another recent, high profile gun story involving Philadelphia, here.

Why do I see guys on the subway wearing sneakers with a suit? Women wear sneakers to work so they don't have to walk far in heels.