Bush to speak at 5 pm EST

In little over half an hour President Bush is scheduled to address the nation concerning Hurricane Katrina.

New Orleans’ mayor stated that “thousands are presumed dead” and that there are “bodies in the water.” Officials also stated they are focusing on getting people rescued and are “ignoring floating bodies for the time being.”

Column will follow.

Researchers get perks,others little

A two-class society is being created at USF: One part of USF receives money, buildings and other perks because they are associated with prestigious research. The other, more “traditional” part of USF, is told that money is short, leading to a steady decline in USF’s general education quality.

USF already fell several ranks on U.S. News and World Report’s annual college rankings. It is now ranked 189, nine spots below last year’s result.
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Campus hit by avoidable growing pains

As the University of South Florida continues to grow, it is undergoing tremendous change. Students both new and old recognize these gradual changes every day, but the University’s administration will also have to take the growth into account when planning for the future. As it stands, it is apparent that past planning has not created the most desirable campus to study, work or even live on.
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California law enforcement changes policies on medical marijuana posession

Baby steps:

In a turnaround, one of the state’s biggest law enforcement agencies says it is taking a hands-off approach to the possession and use of marijuana for medical purposes.

The new policy, by the California Highway Patrol, states that an “individual is to be released and the marijuana is not to be seized” if the person qualifies under state law to possess marijuana for medicinal purposes. It also says that officers “shall not conduct traffic enforcement stops for the primary purpose of drug interdiction” involving the authorized use of medical marijuana.New York Times

Air Force Bans Leaders Promotion of Religion

The Air Force issued new religion guidelines to its commanders yesterday that caution against promoting any particular faith - or even “the idea of religion over nonreligion” - in official communications or functions like meetings, sports events and ceremonies.

The guidelines discourage public prayers at official Air Force events or meetings other than worship services, one of the most contentious issues for many commanders. But they allow for “a brief nonsectarian prayer” at special ceremonies like those honoring promotions, or in “extraordinary circumstances” like “mass casualties, preparation for imminent combat and natural disasters.”

The Air Force developed the guidelines after complaints from cadets at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs that evangelical Christians leaders were using their positions to promote their faith.

The guidelines apply not just to the academy, but also to the entire Air Force. They will be made final later this year after Air Force generals meet and consider recommendations from their commanders. New York Times

Iraq Worse Than Vietnam in Number of Journalists Killed

PARIS (Reuters) More journalists have been killed in Iraq since the war began in March 2003 than during the 20 years of conflict in Vietnam, media rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Sunday.

Since U.S. forces and its allies launched their campaign in Iraq on March 20, 2003, 66 journalists and their assistants have been killed, RSF said. Editor & Publishers

Bush refuses to rule out force against Iran

“The use of force is the last option for any president. You know we have used force in the recent past to secure our country,” (President Bush) said in a clear reference to Iraq, which the United States invaded in March 2003. AFP

Oh the irony… First we are told that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction because Bush wanted to settle a score with Saddam Hussein. But now that there actually is a country that fits all the claims the U.S. had made about Iraq, the U.S. is tied down in the country that didn’t even have any means to threaten the U.S.

Early Pullout Unlikely In Iraq

Iraq’s leaders and military will be unable to lead the fight against insurgents until next summer at the earliest, a top U.S. military official said Wednesday, trying to temper any hopes that a full-scale American troop withdrawal was imminent as Iraq moves toward elections scheduled for December. Washington Post

Flyers passing through U.S. have few rights, Arar judge told

Welcome to the Free World.™ Now please bend over.

A senior lawyer for the U.S. government has told a judge hearing a lawsuit over Maher Arar’s deportation to Syria that foreign citizens passing through American airports have almost no rights.

At most, Mary Mason told a hearing in Brooklyn, N.Y., passengers would have the right not to be subjected to “gross physical abuse.”

The policy has implications for Canadians who head for international destinations via big American airports in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and other major centres.

Mason said the U.S. government is interpreting its powers in such a way that passengers never intending to enter the U.S. connecting to international flights at U.S. airports must prove they are no threat and could be allowed to enter the country.

If passengers are deemed to be inadmissible, they have no constitutional rights even if later taken to an American prison. Mason told Judge David Trager that’s because they are deemed to be still outside the U.S., from a legal point of view.

“Someone who’s inadmissible is in the same category as the people that the CIA snatches and grabs from other countries,” said Barbara Olshansky, a lawyer for the U.S.-based Center for Constitutional Rights, which is suing a number of U.S. officials on Arar’s behalf.

“You are fair game for however executive branch wants to treat you.” CBC News

Former UK foreign minister Robin Cook dies

His ability to make a concise point while respecting the other side’s arguments will be dearly missed:

Former Cabinet minister Robin Cook, 59, has died after collapsing while hill walking in north-west Scotland.
It is believed he was taken ill while walking with his wife Gaynor near the summit of Ben Stack, at around 1420 BST, Northern Constabulary said.

Mr Cook was flown by coastguard helicopter to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, where he was pronounced dead, said an NHS Highland spokesman.

Mr Cook quit as Commons leader in March 2003, in protest over the war in Iraq. BBC

Cook resigned his post as foreign minister in protest over the UK’s involvement in the Iraq war. His resignation can be read here.