Father seeks clemency for U.S. Taliban Lindh

Father seeks clemencyfor U.S. Taliban Lindh
SAN FRANCISCO -- After years of silence, the father of American-born Taliban soldier John Walker Lindh said Thursday he has asked President Bush to grant his son clemency, adding that his son never raised arms against the United States. "In simple terms, this is the story of a decent and honorable young man embarked on a spiritual quest," said Frank Lindh, swallowing back tears at times during a speech at the Commonwealth Club, a nonprofit organization. John Walker Lindh, who turns 25 next month, was 20 when captured by American forces Nov. 21, 2001, alongside the Taliban. Frank Lindh said his son thought he had been rescued by U.S. soldiers until he was taken into custody and tortured. Charged with conspiring to kill Americans and supporting terrorists, the younger Lindh avoided a potential life sentence in 2002 by pleading guilty to lesser charges of supplying services to the Taliban in violation of U.S. economic sanctions and of carrying weapons against U.S. forces. Last year John Walker Lindh asked President Bush for a reduction in his 20-year sentence, repeating a September 2004 request the government rejected.
Run-up to Canadian vote
HAMILTON, Ontario -- The leader of Canada's front-running Conservative party said Thursday he would stand up to the White House on matters of national interest, but do so without insulting "our biggest customer." Stephen Harper, whose party is poised to end 13 years of Liberal Party rule when Canadians go to the polls in three days, said the Conservatives would strive to improve relations with Canada's "closest ally" if they win Monday's national vote. Prime Minister Paul Martin has warned traditionally liberal Canadians that Harper poses as a moderate but supports the U.S. effort in Iraq, opposes abortion and would overturn laws approving gay marriage. The U.S. and Canada comprise one of the world's largest economic blocs, with $1.5 billion in daily trade, but relations have grown frosty in the last year.
Post shuts down blog
WASHINGTON -- The Washington Post shut down one of its blogs Thursday after the newspaper's ombudsman raised the ire of readers by writing that lobbyist Jack Abramoff gave money to the Democrats as well as to Republicans. At the center of a congressional bribery investigation, Abramoff gave money to Republicans while he had his clients donate to both parties, though mostly to Republicans. In her Sunday column, ombudsman Deborah Howell wrote that Abramoff "had made substantial campaign contributions to both major parties," prompting a wave of nasty reader postings on post.blog. There were so many personal attacks that the newspaper's staff could not "keep the board clean, there was some pretty filthy stuff," and so the Post shut down comments on the blog, or Web log, said Jim Brady, executive editor of washingtonpost.com.
Brown takes some blame
MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. -- Former FEMA Director Michael Brown has blamed everyone from the New Orleans mayor to the Louisiana governor for the chaos after Hurricane Katrina. Now, he's including himself. Brown said Wednesday he fell short in conveying the magnitude of the disaster and was slow in calling for help. "I should have demanded the military sooner," Brown, former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told a gathering of broadcast and National Weather Service meteorologists at a ski resort in the Sierra Nevada. But Brown, who was relieved from his command in the hurricane region and stepped down from FEMA in September, said it was time to learn from Katrina's aftermath to make things better. "I think it's important to realize that all of us made mistakes. ... After a while you get a different perspective," Brown told The Associated Press after his speech. "I still do believe that things weren't working too well down there."
Associated Press