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Politics : Proof that John Kerry is Unfit for Command -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lorne who wrote (20311)	10/19/2004 8:43:26 PM
From: lorne	Respond to of 27181

Europe is in trouble. Should have stopped North African immigration years ago. Europe may start digital fingerprinting. European ministers hope to start digital in five countries in 2006. abcnews.go.com FLORENCE, Italy Oct. 18, 2004 — In a bid to improve security, ministers from five European countries said Monday they hoped to start digital fingerprinting for passports in 2006, but they split over a German proposal to put illegal migrants in transit camps in North Africa. Interior ministers from Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Italy held two days of informal talks in a 19th-century villa in Florence to prepare initiatives they hope will eventually be adopted throughout the 25-member European Union. But they failed to overcome their own differences over Germany's proposal, backed by Italy, to set up camps in North Africa to process asylum seekers before they set out on perilous sea journeys to southern European shores. In a statement at the end of the talks Monday morning, the ministers said they were hoping to introduce the fingerprint measure for passports issued in their countries starting in 2006. Conservative Italian politicians hailed the fingerprinting measure as aiding the fight against terrorism and immigrant smuggling. The transit camp proposal, however, had been the focus of the meeting. Although Spain, like Italy, is flooded with immigrants making clandestine voyages across the Mediterranean from North Africa, it sided with France against the German idea. "For France, it's out of the question to accept transit camps or shelters of any kind," French Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin said at a closing news conference. Spain's interior minister, Jose Antonio Alonso, said such camps would not give humanitarian guarantees. Opponents of the transit camp proposal have expressed fears that bids for asylum might not be fairly handled. A summary of the discussions appeared to take into consideration apprehension by international organizations that transit camps in a country like Libya, with a dubious human rights record, would safeguard people's right to bid for asylum. Italy has been concentrating its efforts lately to keep thousands of illegal migrants from reaching its shores by working with Libya, a major trading partner, whose shores, officials say, are a launching point for many of the smuggler boat runs. German Interior Minister Otto Schily, who first made the transit camp proposal, said Monday that the initiative would deal with the problem "where it is born." His Italian counterpart, Giuseppe Pisanu, who has been trying to spur Europe to take more concerted action against immigrant smuggling, stressed that any camp plan should be part of a broader policy. Asserting a "pressing need" to deal with clandestine immigration, Britain has said it welcomes discussions on setting up camps in North Africa. While noting there is a "clear distinction between economic immigrants and asylum-seekers," the ministers' statement said efforts were needed to help develop "capacity building of asylum policy" in transit countries. Recently Italy was criticized for a new policy of quickly repatriating migrants who arrive from Libya a tactic human rights groups say denies people the chance to apply for asylum

To: lorne who wrote (20311)	10/19/2004 11:10:35 PM
From: Ann Corrigan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27181

POLICE(F.O.P.) Say They Support Bush NOT Kerry: Police Call on Kerry to Stop Misrepresenting Their Support October 19, 2004 Chicago (AP)--Today Chuck Canterbury, the President of the nation’s largest police labor organization, called on John Kerry to stop making misleading statements regarding his support from the law enforcement community. Both on the campaign trail and in Wednesday night’s debate in Tempe, AZ, Senator Kerry has stated that he has the support of the majority of these brave men and women. “As the elected leader of the largest organization representing America’s Federal, State and local law enforcement officers, I believe it’s important to point out yet again that we do not support his candidacy for President,” Canterbury said. “And to be perfectly frank, the groups which do support him actually share the same membership rolls and, taken together, probably comprise less than one-quarter of our nation’s police officers.” Canterbury further noted that unlike the organizations which Senator Kerry touts, F.O.P. members as a whole decided that the Fraternal Order of Police would endorse the reelection of President George W. Bush. They based their decision, he said, on the record of the Bush Administration in supporting America’s first responders including helping to secure passage earlier this year of H.R. 218, the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, the organization’s top legislative priority. Bush also successfully fought to greatly enhance the benefits for the families of officers killed in the line of duty. “While Kerry was flying around the country campaigning and leaving the actual work of the nation to his colleagues in the Senate, the President was out there working on our behalf,” Canterbury said. “Senators Kerry and Edwards have missed so many crucial votes this Congress that I was beginning to believe there were only 98 members of the U.S. Senate.” Canterbury also said it was the height of irony that Kerry would use his position on the reauthorization of the assault weapons ban as a reflection of his support from police. “First, if a police officer is killed by an AK-47, Kerry would oppose the death penalty for the killer,” Canterbury said. “In addition, where was he when this issue was being discussed in the 108th Congress? Where was he when we were working to pass H.R. 218? When it came time to help push for final passage of legislation important to law enforcement, Senator Kerry was regrettably A.W.O.L.” “Given the facts, I would greatly appreciate it if Senator Kerry would refrain from making similar whimsical assertions regarding his support from the law enforcement community,” Canterbury said. “The real majority of my fellow officers are standing behind President Bush, because he has been there for us.” The Fraternal Order of Police is the nation’s largest law enforcement labor organization, with more than 318,000 members.