Kat's Catches

By John Ballard and Kat

I'm gonna try this and see what happens...
These are all out-links, btw: no back-button needed.

• US makes contact with Haqqani insurgents

• Exclusive: Afghan government also dealing with clan � which has close ties to al-Qaida Gunpoint diplomacy in lawless Taliban borderlands

• Key players in the Afghan peace process

• How to do business with the Taliban

• Easy... Sue 'em for defamation when they post outrageous personal attacks on the internet; and as for funerals and burials, make 'em protest in 'designated areas' - far enough away that the family can't hear or see them - like they do now at events like the Democratic National Convention, and G-20 and G-7 meetings. Justices appear set to limit funeral protests

In a case testing the boundaries of free speech, the Supreme Court hears arguments in the matter of a dead Marine's family that was targeted by protesters. Justice Breyer says the court's ruling will have an impact on the Internet, since it tests whether personal attacks can lead to lawsuits.

Washington � The Supreme Court justices, hearing arguments Wednesday in a funeral protest case, sounded as though they are inclined to set a limit to the free-speech rule to permit lawsuits against those who target ordinary citizens with especially personal and hurtful attacks.

The First Amendment says the government may not infringe the freedom of speech, but it is less clear whether it also shields speakers from private lawsuits.

At issue Wednesday was whether the Maryland father of a Marine killed in Iraq could sue a Kansas family which protested near his funeral. The Phelps family not only held signs that said "Thank God for IEDs," but they also put on their website a message that accused Albert Snyder of having raised his son "to defy the Creator" and "serve the devil."

A Maryland court awarded Snyder $5 million in damages, but the award was thrown out on free-speech grounds.

Justices Anthony M. Kennedy and Stephen G. Breyer, usual defenders of the First Amendment, said they thought people could be sued for outrageous personal attacks. ....

• Guant�mo detainee's trial halted   Judge prohibits prosecutors' star witness from giving evidence in trial of man accused over embassy blasts

• British officials survive Yemen attack  Al-Qaida attack on British diplomats raises concerns over country's slide into Islamist violence

• China cracks down on immigrants  Guangzhou has drawn hundreds of thousands of people from Africa. Now harassment and prejudice is widespread

• China and US clash at climate talks  US threatens to pursue alternative negotiations, in stance deemed 'totally unacceptable' by China

• Declining solar activity linked to recent warming

• Briton killed by US drone 'had wanted to attack UK'  A Briton killed in a US drone attack in Pakistan last month was targeted after he was overheard boasting about wanting to attack the UK, senior counter-terrorism officials said today.

• Medical device buying rules waste billions

• O'Donnell far behind in two new polls

• Newsweek: Gingrich urges GOP to attack food stamps

• Black judge rejects plea deal for 'white boy'

• US apologizes for attack on Pakistani soldiers

• EU to Hungary: Don't let sludge reach Danube

• New program will boost military base security

• Homeland Security touts record criminal removals

• Panel: Feds thwarted worst-case scenario on spill

• Arizona tornadoes derail train, smash homes

• Tough race to govern �ungovernable� California  Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman are waging a hard-fought race to be California's governor, despite the state's staggering financial problems. Msnbc.com's Tom Curry reports.

• Poll: Working-class whites shun Democrats

• Life Inc.: Four in 10 plan to delay retirement, keep working

• Midnight grocery runs part of the new reality

• Life Inc.: Nobel prize money hit by financial crisis

• Private hiring contracted unexpectedly in Sept.

• American Airlines recalling 800 employees

• The most expensive ZIP codes in the U.S.

• Minorities have more pain, get less treatment   It seems like pain would be the great equalizer: Whether you�re black or white, male or female, we all suffer physical pain in the same way. Except, it turns out, we don�t.

• FDA stresses need to modernize its science

• Noisy jobs may triple the risk of heart problems

• San Andreas Fault mapped in 3-D under the sea

• Onboard commerce ready for takeoff ...thanks to new technology, there may be nothing you can�t buy from the, ahem, comfort of your economy-class seat. The real question, however, will likely be whether travelers, already dealing with rising fares and fees gone wild, will consider buying while flying a convenient service or just another squeeze.

• Bountiful Harris Ranch markets farm-to-fork

• Glenn Beck under fire from Dana Milbank for gold-digging | World news | guardian.co.uk   [I almost put together a separate post about another Milbank essay at Huffpo. Over four thousand comments left at this writing.  If your time is limited, this is a good link not to skip. JB]

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Is that awesome or what?