Northwest Florida IMC: otherpress

To alleviate the problem of articles from other press sources being reposted on this IMC site, this section allows users to link to articles published elsewhere, and to contribute and read comments on those pieces. Have something interesting to post?

News: Peace
Iraq: Massacre Fears as Najaf Peace Talks Collapse
Submitted by: Scott Mylxine / 15 Aug 2004 Publisher: Sunday Herald (Scotland)
US warplanes yesterday bombed the Sunni stronghold of Samarra and the fragile ceasefire in Najaf abruptly ended amid fears of an impending "massacre" ... yet British Prime Minister Tony Blair signed up to an Olympic Truce in Athens. The truce, which called for a halt to conflict and for peace and reconciliation during the Games, was signed by 450 world leaders and international personalities. US President George Bush declined. As Blair added his signature, fears were growing that the failure of peace talks between the new interim government and fighters loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr would lead to more deaths (to read more, go the the link below)
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News: Peace
Was the Tragic Suicide of a TA Soldier His Final Protest Against an Unjust War?
Submitted by: sm / 13 Aug 2004 Publisher: Independent/UK
Peter Mahoney found it hard to settle into normal life after returning from the war in Iraq. Last week, he put on his Territorial Army uniform for one last time, his head freshly shaved, and returned to the home that he had, until five weeks earlier, shared with his wife and four children. Attaching a hosepipe to the exhaust of the family car, parked in the garage of their home in Botcherby, a small estate on the outskirts of Carlisle, he started the engine.
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News: Civil & Human Rights : Right Wing
Bush nominee would allow CIA to arrest US citizens
Submitted by: Brent / 13 Aug 2004 Publisher: Newsweek
Bush's nominee to head the CIA, Florida Representative Porter Goss, has introduced legislation that would allow the CIA to spy on and arrest US citizens.
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News: Civil & Human Rights
US Abuse Could Be War Crime says Red Cross
Submitted by: sm / 05 Aug 2004 Publisher: UK Guardian
Repeated abuses allegedly suffered by three British prisoners at the hands of US interrogators and guards in the Guant�namo Bay detention camp in Cuba could amount to war crimes, the Red Cross said yesterday. The organization, which maintains a rigidly neutral stance in public, took the unusual step of voicing its concerns in uncompromising language after the former detainees, known as the Tipton Three, revealed that they had been beaten, shackled, photographed naked and in one incident questioned at gunpoint while in US custody.
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News: Gender & Sexuality
Gay Teen's Brutal Slaying Nets Killers $65
Submitted by: Brent / 29 Jul 2004 Publisher: 365gay.com
Two men and a woman have been charged with the killing of an 18 year old Bay Minette, Alabama man who police say was beaten, cut, strangled, and then set on fire in what appears to be a hate crime.
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Commentary: Crime & Police
Who Is MSNBC Anchor Joe Scarborough?
Submitted by: Larry Flynt / 24 Jul 2004 Publisher: Larry Flynt Enterprises
While the media was obsessed with Chandra Levy, another congressional staffer was found dead in then-representative and current MSNBC talk-show host Joe Scarborough's office. Unlike Gary Condit, Scarborough got a free ride from the press. Report by Denis Wright In the morning of July 20, 2001, the body of Lori Klausutis, who had worked as an aide to Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough for approximately two years, was found in Scarborough's Fort Walton Beach, Florida, office. There were no witnesses to Klausutis's death. According to Anna Dobbins, a producer at WEAR-TV, Joe was on the phone with the local ABC affiliate in Pensacola within three hours of the discovery of the body, and before the family was notified, to say that "a young woman had died in his office and that she had a complicated medical history, specifically surrounding 'stroke and epilepsy.'" The congressman and his advisor, Mick Serrano, made similar calls to two other local media outlets within hours of the body's discovery. According to Dobbins and others, about a week later, after the Klausutis family wrote an excoriating letter to a local paper, Serrano called back to ask that they stop reporting the "complicated health history." Joe, they were now correctly told, had spoken in error. Klausutis-a marathon runner, 28 years old and happily married-had been in great shape. Her "complicated health" began only on the night that she died, and its "history" surfaced primarily because of Joe's misinformation. The nebulous circumstances surrounding Klausutis's death were further compounded during her body's postmortem exam. Michael Berkland, the medical examiner assigned to perform the autopsy, quickly released a statement to the press indicating that there were no signs of trauma to the body or any indication of foul play. Later, however, he admitted the body had "a scratch and a bruise." Berkland, it must be noted, has a less than professional record. He was fired from his position as medical examiner in Missouri for making false statements and eventually lost the right to practice medicine in that state (see sidebar). Still, Berkland concluded in the final autopsy report that Klausutis's heart had failed. Moreover, by failing to officially close the investigation, long after they had ceased to interview witnesses, the police prevented the public from learning any facts about Klausutis's death. Only when the autopsy report was released (and that occurred only because the editor in chief of the Northwest Florida Daily News Ralph Routon's editorial demanded its issuance) did those willing to exercise their rights under Florida's Sunshine Law learn the extent of Lori's injuries. The autopsy report revealed that Lori had suffered two skull fractures and an additional wound. A 71/4-inch crack all but spanned the top of her head, from right temple to left. As a likely consequence of that blow, blood poured in from a steadily pumping heart to form a fist-sized hematoma at the left temple. There were separate 11/2-inch eggshell fractures, essentially pulverizing the bone, deep inside the skull behind the right ear. The back of her head was bashed, and her lungs were filled with bloody foam, suggesting that she took a relatively long time to die. In the final autopsy report, Berkland wrote off all those devastating injuries to heart failure. According to Berkland, Klausutis had fainted from a weak heart and hit her head on the desk, an unlikely scenario considering the massive damage to the victim's skull. Showing an incredible lack of professionalism, the local press swallowed this story whole, even the seeming contradiction about a failing heart having been capable of pumping more than a half cup of blood to form the hematoma. Medical science suggests that, if Klausutis's heart was so weak that it failed to pump enough blood to her brain to maintain consciousness, that same heart would not pump enough blood to form the hematoma. With Berkland's confusing-and medically improbable-scenario securely within the official case file, the case was closed. No more questions. No more answers. Democratic Congressman Gary Condit wasn't so lucky. Chandra Levy was last seen April 30, 2001, less than three months before Klausutis's death. Thousands of stories appeared all over the world about Condit's missing intern. When facts were in short supply, the media unashamedly engaged in rampant speculation. For instance, constantly searching for a new angle to the story, Fox News even interviewed a psychic to learn what happened to Levy. Condit became the most sought-after interview subject since Monica Lewinsky. Connie Chung beat out Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer, Dan Rather and others for the much-coveted "get," and on August 23, 2001, a little more than a month after Klausutis's death, ABC's Prime Time Live aired the highly anticipated interview/event. Levy and Klausutis were both young females who worked for U.S. representatives. Scarborough's aide, while never missing, also died under mysterious circumstances. Both stories broke-or would have broken-within three months of each other and before the events of 9/11 finally forced the media to get over the Condit story (at least temporarily). Given these similarities, how was it that the media never even questioned why Scarborough was not a suspect in Klausutis's death? The mainstream press, by our count, published only a few dozen stories about the case of the dead staffer, almost all of which appeared in outlets in the northwest Florida area. Cable news completely ignored the story. The alternative press, too, has been all but silent on the Klausutis situation. The "liberal media" that spent the greater part of summer 2001 destroying the career and reputation of former Congressman Gary Condit (D-California) over his affair with his then-missing intern Chandra Levy had absolutely nothing to say about the young woman who worked for Scarborough and died in his office. While so-called journalists chased down every rumor about Condit, they would simply hang up on or dismiss any caller who dared to mention the death in Joe's office. Furthermore, instead of receiving the Condit treatment-nonstop Larry King specials with titles such as "Death in a Congressman's Office"-Joe was offered his own television show. Unexpectedly, Scarborough announced his retirement from representing Florida's First Congressional District in May 2001-just six months after his reelection-and signed a three-year contract with cable news channel MSNBC to host Scarborough Country, replacing their then-highest-rated prime-time show, Donahue. Not only did he escape media scrutiny altogether, but he was also given a slot in their ranks. Scarborough has since made a name for himself for his thoroughly brutal attacks on anyone who disagrees with him or George W. Bush. Danny Glover, Michael Moore, Susan Sarandon and Janeane Garofalo have all been the targets of Joe's ire. According to The New Yorker's TV reviewer Nancy Franklin, Scarborough "swings his little club with about as much discrimination as Bamm-Bamm, the diaper-clad pugilist on The Flintstones." But "Regular Joe"-as he likes to be called-has an uncommonly thin skin. Scarborough has frequently complained about his tarnished reputation and lambastes anyone who questions the disparity of coverage received by the Condit and Scarborough cases. "It's not really the media so much as it is sort of this political class of people who just go around causing trouble all the time," Joe said in an interview published in the Pensacola News Journal in September 2001, just days before he left office. "For instance, it is spread all over the Internet right now that my staff member [Lori Klausutis], who died tragically a month ago, was killed by me. I could list a thousand conspiracy theories against me: that I rig elections; that I have a drug-running outfit with the CIA; that I'm a murderer; that I have 15 illegitimate children." In reality, there's been scant coverage of even the most fundamental aspects of the Klausutis case. One is left to wonder why our media was so quick to jump on every single tid-bit of gossip and innuendo about Gary Condit but refused to report of Lori Klausutis's death, on the equally intriguing and tragic story. Surely if Gary Condit had called the media to issue false statements about Chandra Levy's nonexistent health problems, the public would have heard about it nonstop. In Joe's case, the revelation was never mentioned. Regardless, Regular Joe is now a regular TV star, living the high life in New York a thousand miles away from memories of a dead staffer. Joe himself wrote the following in one of the many self-serving columns for the Independent Florida Sun, his now-defunct newspaper: "There is an old saying that warns that if you allow people to assume the worst, they will. So be it." Indeed. On May 29, 2003, Scarborough appeared on Don Imus's radio show. While complimenting Scarborough on his sense of humor, Imus said, "Don't be afraid to be funny, because you are funny. I asked you why you aren't in Congress. You said that you had sex with the intern, and then you had to kill her." Scarborough laughed and replied, "Yeah, well, what are you gonna do?"
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News: Miscellaneous
A Death In The Congressmans Office
Submitted by: Denis Wright and Chris George / 24 Jul 2004 Publisher: AP Newswire
A Death in the Congressman's Office Does Anybody in the Press Care About Lori Klausutis? By Denis Wright and Chris George August 8, 2001 (APJP) Once upon a time, the phrase "investigative reporter" actually meant something. It usually involved hard work, possibly even mentation. Now, it seems, they just make stuff up. Especially on the Fox News Channel, where an uninitiated viewer could easily think she/he had tuned in Comedy Central. It's "Chandra-Chandra-Chandra" with the occasional "Condit is just like Clinton" thrown in. Given our media's 24/7 obsession with the Gary Condit "scandal", you might assume that there is a real dearth of hard news to pursue. In reality, there is indeed a news story percolating out there. The story bears remarkable and ironic similarities to the Condit/Levy story. Both involve Congressmen, rumors of infidelity, and the fate of a younger female subordinate. The details are so similar as to remind one of two alternate universes. The difference between the two stories? First, in the Klausutis case as not in the Levy case, there is a real body, very dead. Second, the Klausutis case involves a Republican. The story had a brief flutter in the Northwest Florida press, which ran a few very short stories on Lori's death. With the exception of the Northwest Florida Daily News, they were of the "Aw-what-a-shame/ nothing-to-see-here-move-along-now-folks" variety. But nationally, this mysterious death earned a mere one paragraph mention in The Washington Post's NATION IN BRIEF column: "FORT WALTON BEACH, FL. - Lori Klausutis, a 28-year-old office worker for Rep. Joe Scarborough (R-Fl), was found dead in the congressman's district office. Police said preliminary findings from the medical examiner's office showed no foul play or any outward indication of suicide." Unbelievably, that was it. The story was simply dropped. A young female employee of one of Florida's Congressmen had died unexpectedly in the Congressman's office. There were no witnesses to her death and the cause of death was not apparent. Klausutis' boss, Joe Scarborough had recently resigned from Congress prematurely and unexpectedly, amid rumors about his marital fidelity and soon after a divorce. He had also abruptly resigned as publisher of the Independent Florida Sun, claiming that resigning from Congress and as publisher was necessary to spend more time with his sons. Such circumstances make one pause. Sick to death of the clear bias of the corporate owned media, and suspicious of the odd nature of this death, we began to dig for answers. The more information we discovered, the more unlikely, and the more newsworthy the story became. Here are the facts. Lori Klausutis had a seemingly happy life. A devoted husband who listed on his online homepage "being married to Lori" as one of the honors he enjoyed, a new home in Niceville and a Catholic congregation where she was a cantor and in whose choir she sang, were some of the elements of the Good Life she enjoyed. Her husband, Dr. Timothy Klausutis, did research and development for the munitions group at nearby Eglin Air Force Base, where he presumably made a good livelihood. Although Lori hailed from the Atlanta, Georgia area where she had attended school, there were numerous family members in the area. According to her obituary in the Fort Walton Daily News, Lori had served as President and, later, Treasurer, for the Emerald Coast Young Republicans and as a aide to Congressman Scarborough, she was active during the Florida recounts. A former neighbor, Barbara Cromer, said "Every morning, I would see her run while I walked. We'd wave to each other as we passed. I loved Lori so much. She was wonderful. She was a kind, generous person, so sweet. Then, on Friday, July 20th, the body of Lori Klausutis, 28, was found slumped next to a desk on the floor of Florida Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough's Fort Walton Beach office where Lori had served as a constituent services coordinator since May, 1999. Her body was found around 8:00 a.m. on Friday morning by a couple arriving for an appointment. She had been dead for some time. A second employee, who would have normally arrived for work at around the same time, was away on vacation. Police cordoned off the area for investigation, later announcing that there was no reason to suspect foul play, nor were there signs of suicide. Scarborough's office released a statement several hours after the discovery: "My staff and family are greatly saddened by the loss of Lori Klausutis. I know Lori will be missed by the thousands of citizens who regularly contact my office to seek assistance with a variety of problems. May God grant Lori's family the grace, comfort and hope that will get them through this difficult time." The Congressman returned to Florida that same day, and his office was quick to point out that it was not unusual for him to fly home for the weekend. There was a great deal of ambiguity over whether Lori had suffered past medical problems. Scarborough's press secretary, Miguel Serrano, made mention of health problems in Lori's past, but could not be more specific. In response, Fort Walton Beach Police Chief Steve Hogue is quoted as saying "That's part of our investigation, checking into her medical history." Associate Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Berkland said "She had a past medical history that was significant, but it remains to be seen whether that played a role in her death". Soon after a member of the immediate family rejected out of hand that Lori had any significant medical problems. She was, in fact, quite an athlete, having recently run an 8K with a very respectable time and she belonged to the Northwest Florida Track Club. The results of the mandated autopsy, however, were deemed "inconclusive" by Dr. Berkland, who ordered more specific toxicology tests. These results were expected by the middle of the following week, around the first or second day of August. Dr. Berkland commented at the time "This turns over several puzzle pieces in the case of her death and reveals more of the picture". Welcome to the Wheel of Fortune. Michael Berkland, it turns out, has a very interesting background himself. Recently relocated to Florida, it is a matter of public record that Dr. Berkland's medical license in the state of Missouri was revoked in 1998 as a result of Berkland reporting false information regarding brain tissue samples in a 1996 autopsy report. Berkland does not deny the charges. It's also a matter of public record that he was suspended from his position as Medical Examiner in the State of Florida in July, 1999. Quincy, he's not. Repeated requests to Dr. Stephen Nelson, Chairman of the Medical Examiners Commission, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, have failed to verify that Dr. Berkland's suspension was lifted and that his licensure and disciplinary record are clear at the present time. Dr. Nelson was appointed Chairman of the Commission by Governor Jeb Bush. As for Lori Klausutis, rumors began to swirl as time passed with no resolution to the case, rumors that included whispers of suicide, some emanating from inside the Beltway. Family members, angered at what they considered unfair and exploitive coverage wrote the editor of the Northwest Florida Daily News, Ralph Routon, saying "For those who knew Lori, the thought of suicide, as your published reports suggested, is absolutely unthinkable. Suicide was contrary to her faith and being. She did not suffer from seizures, nor did she have a history of medical problems." Meanwhile, the final report has been issued that Lori died as a result of a blow to the head because an undiagnosed heart condition caused her to collapse and fall, hitting her head on the desk. The initial reports from the Medical Examiner's office denied any trauma to the body that would indicate cause of death. But Berkland acknowledged on Monday, August 6th, that Lori had sustained a "scratch and a bruise" on her head and that his original denials were to prevent undue speculation about the cause of death. "The last thing we wanted was 40 questions about a head injury", he said. And so, what we have here is the death of a healthy young woman who died of a blow to the head and a lie from the Medical Director's office about this blow which was quite obvious to the naked eye. They then had to go search for some reason why she might have "fallen" and hit her head. And they have found an "undiagnosed cardiac arrhythmia". But a number of questions remain to be answered, and we have requested opinions from Dr. Nelson, the Chairman of the Medical Examiners Commission. The questions are: - Were Lori's medical records thoroughly examined for any evidence of the pre-existing heart condition? It would seem that someone must have examined her heart if she ran 8Ks. - Did Dr. Berkland personally examine the site of death in undisturbed condition in order to support his later conclusion that the physical evidence was compatible with his later conclusions? Presumably the heart valve condition alluded to is Mitral Valve Prolapse. This may be associated with arrhythmias, but rarely with VTach (ventricular tachycardia) or VFib (ventricular fibrillation), the only arrhythmias which would stop the flow of blood to the brain. Generally, with syncope of whatever cause the "guarding reflex", wherein one raises a hand to protect the head, is preserved. There are several problems with the head injury. Generally, for a closed head injury to cause bleeding inside the skull, there is a much more severe injury on the outside of the skull. Do the autopsy notes, indeed, describe such a severe injury on the outside of the skull? In fact, the only closed head injury which usually may cause bleeding inside the skull involves a fracture of the temporal bone, with rupture of the underlying artery. The most important discrepancy that should be answered is how intracranial bleeding could continue if the cardiac arrhythmia had caused a cessation of blood flow to the brain! - Were the toxicology studies entirely negative? Was there evidence of any legal or illegal substance in the blood stream which could have caused her to lose consciousness? - Was she pregnant? If so, were fetal blood specimens obtained to determine paternity? These are the questions being asked by some in the medical community of Dr. Stephen Nelson and Dr. Michael Berkland, and they continue to go unanswered. Why is there a complete media blackout on this story? Why the complete preoccupation with the similar but largely speculative Condit/Levy story? What does this say about the state of our press? What does corporate ownership of the press do to what gets to be news? How much of what we think we know as fact is actually based on selective and distorted reporting? How does that "fair and balanced" cable network explain the complete hypocrisy and contempt for truth in their handling of these two similar tales? Will we ever know the truth of how Lori Klausutis died? A recent check of the Young Republican's web site found no mention of Lori or her contributions, nor any tribute to her memory nor comments about her passing. In fact, you will find no mention of her at all. If you go to The Pensacola News Journal's online pages, one of the few papers that actually covered the story, and search the site for "Klausutis" you will come up empty, even though the same search will pull up numerous stories matching "Scarborough". It seems as though someone wants to erase all traces of Lori Klausutis from the record and bury the story with her. It's an increasingly puzzling case. We are reminded of the famous Kitty Genovese case, in New York, in 1964, where a young woman pleaded for her life over the period of 30 minutes, while neighbors ignored her cries. The assailant returned three times to stab her. With Lori Klausutis, it seems possible that a corrupt North Florida establishment is determined to keep the lid on the case, even if that means silencing the news. And our esteemed news media, from the supposed mainstream liberal press stalwarts to the near delusional on air shouters of the channel that just reports so that you can decide, willingly turn the other way and ignore Lori Klausutis. But they continue to chatter endlessly in speculation over Chandra Levy. In so doing, they ignore the cries of truth, they deny their viewers access to the truth and they utterly, once and for all, betray our faith and trust in the media. ------------------------------------------------------------- This report was made possible by devoted citizens who are determined to bring Lori's story to the light of day. Their contributions in research and insight are more appreciated than we can say. Thank you from both of us to each and every one of you.
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News: Peace
Among Troops, Growing Doubts About Mission, Leaders Who Sent Them...
Submitted by: sm / 22 Jul 2004 Publisher: Common Dreams (Knight-Ridder)
An interesting article on the growing disillusionment on the war within the armed forces. Yesterday was the day the 900th troop was killed. Who knows how many Iraqis? Over ten thousand?
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