Salon.com > Robin Hindery

Smiling soldier to plead guilty in Afghan murders

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:45:00 +0000

A 22-year-old soldier accused of carrying out a brutal plot to murder Afghan civilians faces a court-martial Wednesday in a case that involves some of the most serious criminal allegations to arise from the U.S. war in Afghanistan.

Spc. Jeremy Morlock, of Wasilla, Alaska, has agreed to plead guilty to three counts of murder, one count of conspiracy to commit assault and battery, and one count of illegal drug use in exchange for a maximum sentence of 24 years, said Geoffrey Nathan, one of his lawyers.

His client is one of five soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord's 5th Stryker Brigade charged in the killings of three unarmed Afghan men in Kandahar province in January, February and May 2010. Morlock is the first of the five men to be court-martialed -- which Nathan characterized as an advantage.

"The first up gets the best deal," he said by phone Tuesday, noting that even under the maximum sentence, Morlock would serve no more than eight years before becoming eligible for parole.

According to a copy of the plea agreement, which was obtained by The Associated Press, Morlock has agreed to testify against his co-defendants. In his plea deal, Morlock said he and others slaughtered the three civilians knowing that they were unarmed and posed no legitimate threat.

San Francisco appoints first Asian-American mayor

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 00:47:00 +0000

San Francisco lawmakers have unanimously voted to appoint a veteran city government official as the city's first Asian-American mayor.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday named 58-year-old City Administrator Edwin Lee to fill the remainder of Gavin Newsom's term. Newsom was elected California's lieutenant governor in November and took office on Monday.

Lee was sworn in immediately following the board's vote. He will serve as interim mayor until next January, when the winner of this November's mayoral election will take over. Lee says he doesn't plan to run.

San Francisco's population of 815,000 is roughly one-third Asian. With Lee's appointment, the city is now the largest in the country with an Asian-American leader.

California group airs anti-tea party ad in Times Square

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:09:00 +0000

A California consumer-advocacy group has launched an ad on a Times Square video screen aimed at rallying the left before the November elections and labeling the tea party movement as "insane."

The 30-second spot by Consumer Watchdog flashes phrases such as "home foreclosures" and "Wall Street greed" across a 520-square-foot screen as flames burn in the background.

It asks viewers, "Are you mad as hell but think the tea party is insane?"

Jamie Court, president of the Santa Monica-based group, says the nonprofit wants to provide voters with an alternative to the tea party and help channel their frustration in productive ways.

Calls and e-mails to a leading national tea party figure in California were not immediately returned.

Consumer Watchdog is best known for its lawsuits against the insurance industry.

Discarded Palin contract sparks investigation

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:06:00 +0000

A document fished out of a California state university trash bin last week has prompted a state investigation into the university's foundation arm and its refusal to disclose details related to Sarah Palin's upcoming speech at the school.

On Tuesday, California Attorney General Jerry Brown said his office would look into the finances of the California State University, Stanislaus Foundation, as well as allegations that the nonprofit organization violated public disclosure laws by keeping details of Palin's contract secret.

Palin is scheduled to speak at a June 25 gala hosted by the foundation to mark the university's 50th anniversary.

Brown's investigation was prompted, in part, by a group of CSU Stanislaus students who retrieved five pages of the contract from a campus trash bin last Friday after hearing administrators were engaged in shredding documents.

The contract detailed the former Alaska governor's requirements for her visit, including first-class flights from Anchorage to California -- if she flies commercial. If not, "the private aircraft MUST BE a Lear 60 or larger ...," the contract specifies.

Students find Sarah Palin’s contract in trash

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:05:00 +0000

The flare-up over Sarah Palin's scheduled speech on a California State University campus has taken a twist after students discovered a portion of her confidential contract.

The document found in a campus Dumpster does not include her compensation for the June 25 speech to the CSU Stanislaus Foundation.

It does specify other requirements to be provided by the foundation, including round-trip, first-class airfare for two, a suite and two rooms at a deluxe hotel and transportation via SUVs or black town cars.

It also requires that Palin's lectern be stocked with water bottles and bendable straws.

The students say they acted on a tip that documents were being shredded inside the main administration building last Friday, a day that campus staff was supposed to be on furlough.

Calif. lawmaker seeks amount paid for Palin speech

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 23:10:00 +0000

A state lawmaker is asking a California State University foundation how much it will pay Sarah Palin to appear at a black-tie event in June.

Sen. Leland Yee requested details of the contract Monday between the nonprofit California State University Stanislaus Foundation and the former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential candidate. Palin will be the guest of honor at the CSU Stanislaus 50th anniversary gala on June 25.

Palin has charged some groups $100,000 for speaking fees.

Foundation board president Matt Swanson says Palin's contract prevents him from disclosing the details of her compensation.

Yee, a Democrat from San Francisco, says such a stipulation might violate the California Public Records Act.

Budget deficit delays Calif. no-swearing proposal

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:18:00 +0000

Consider it yet another victim of California's ongoing fiscal mess: The state Senate has indefinitely postponed action on a do-gooder resolution that would encourage Californians to give up swearing temporarily.

The resolution, which establishes an annual statewide "Cuss Free Week," passed the Assembly on Thursday. If the Senate had approved it, the measure would have taken effect this week.

Instead, the Senate rerouted the resolution to the Senate Rules Committee until lawmakers address the state's $20 billion budget deficit.

"We have some pressing fiscal concerns to address," said Kathryn Dresslar, chief of staff to Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg. "There's absolutely nothing personal about this."

Some of the bill's chief supporters aren't so sure.

"This is basically saying to people, especially kids, 'We don't care what you do,'" said South Pasadena resident Brent Hatch, whose 16-year-old son McKay inspired the bill through his international campaign against profanity.

U.C. students protest budget cuts, fee hikes

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:56:00 +0000

University of California students from around the state have traveled to the state capital to protest steep fee hikes and cuts to higher education funding.

More than 150 students gathered Monday outside the Capitol in Sacramento, waving signs and urging lawmakers to take action against rising fees.

The demonstration comes three days before a planned "National Day of Action for Public Education." Students from the UC, California State University and community college systems will hold rallies, marches, teach-ins and class walkouts throughout the state on Thursday.

Similar protests are planned around the country.