Mayor Of Dadeville Chaged With Possessing Child Pornography:

The mayor of The Village of Dadeville has been charged in with possession of child pornography.

On Thursday April 29, 2010, officers with the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the St. Charles County Cyber Crime-Unit and deputies with the Dade County Sheriff's Office served a search warrant at the home of James "Jim" A. Toler, 63.of Greenfield.

According to the probable cause statement, officers seized Toler's computer that allegedly had at least seven images of underage children in various sexual poses and/or acts on it.

Toler's was released from the Dade County jail after posting $25,000 bond. A jailer says there is no mugshot is available for Toler "because we got busy and forgot to take one."

His next scheduled court appearance is May 18th.

UPDATED~~DEVELOPING~~Vance Charged With First-Degree Murder In Texas County:

Mistie Vance mug shot

A woman from Mountain View has been charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action for the shotgun slaying of a man near Clear Springs last night (04-29-10.)

Texas County Sheriff Carl Watson says it appears an alleged dispute over drugs led to the death of 56 year-old Monty Dale Beltz. The Sheriff says that the preliminary investigation shows that when Beltz arrived home around 6:30 p.m. two people were hiding in a building on his property and ambushed him.

In the probable cause statement, James Skelton, 22, told investigators that he and Mistie Dawn Vance, 32, walked to Beltz's house to retrieve her belongings and steal prescription medication from Beltz. Before leaving the shed where the two were hiding, Skelton says he saw Vance put two shotgun shells in her pocket.

Sheriff Carl Watson

Skelton says as Vance was attempting to pry open the front door of Bltz's home, he opened the door and the two went inside and argued for about an hour. When Vance exited the trailer she was allegedly holding a 12 guage shotgun. Skelton says that Beltz followed Vance outside and ordered him off of his property...and Vance walking backward with the gun in her hands telling Beltz "to not make her do it." He say he then witnessed Vance shoot Beltz in the abdomen.

Vance then backed up Beltz's truck to where he lay got out reloaded the gun and was going to shoot Beltz again before Beltz's brother disarmed her and called 9-1-1. Beltz was airlifted to a Springfield hospital where he died from his wounds several hours later.

Early reports indicated that a woman with long blonde hair fled into the woods surrounding the crime scene after the shooting and was apprehended in a farmhouse not far from the scene of the shooting.

Watson says at the time that a 22 year-old man turned himself into authorities in Mountain View.

Vance, pleaded guilty in 2005 to resisting arrest and in 2006 she pled out to a charge of unlawful use of drug paraphernalia. She received probation on each conviction.

Mistie Vance is considered a flight risk and is being held in the Texas County jail on 2 Million dollars bond.

The Howell County Sheriff's Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol are assisting in the investigation.

Canada Dominates while Washington Fiddles (or "Even More Proof that Canada Makes the US Look Like a Hoser")

It's looking more and more like my feared "bizarro competitive liberalization" is becoming reality in the United States.  First, it was the EU-South Korea FTA potentially pushing the US to ratify its FTA with Korea, and now the Canada-Colombia FTA might do the same for the US-Colombia agreement.  This is just great...  because, you know, nothing says "we support free trade" like being forced to ratify economically beneficial trade agreements with major diplomatic allies by threat of losing export market share.  Awful.

Here's Boomberg with the embarrassing details (with a nice little addendum at the end by the US Chamber of Commerce's John Murphy):

Colombian Trade Minister Luis Guillermo Plata said Canadian exporters may gain as U.S. lawmakers delay approval of a free-trade agreement with the Latin American country.

Plata was in Ottawa to court lawmakers from Canada’s main opposition Liberal Party in a bid to cement their support for a trade accord and assure its passage in Parliament. He testified at a committee hearing yesterday, met with Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff and dined twice with other Liberal lawmakers during his two-day visit.

“Many of the things that we buy from the U.S. we could buy from Canada and we could buy tariff-free,” Plata, 42, said, pointing to purchases of wheat, barley, corn, machinery and mining equipment.

“The U.S. has to think about it,” he said in an interview at the Colombian embassy in Ottawa. “If they come late to the party, and Canada has been able to move forward and been able to displace them from the market, it will be very hard to reclaim that market.”...

President Barack Obama has said he would press for passage of free-trade agreements with South Korea, Panama and Colombia, though he cautioned that “different glitches” must first be negotiated with each country.
The administration wants to balance its goal of doubling U.S. exports with concerns from Democratic lawmakers and labor unions that the trade agreements fail to align labor, tax and environmental policies.

Plata, who met with U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk last week in Washington, said U.S. officials initially signaled to him that lawmakers would make progress on trade accords after the U.S. Congress passed new health care legislation.

“To my surprise I find a very big disconnect between the speech and the reality,” he said. “The reality is that I don’t see the U.S. moving.”

Colombia was the U.S.’s eighth-largest market for corn last year, down from sixth place a year earlier, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Its ranking for wheat fell to 10th place from seventh place in 2008....

If Canada seals a trade deal with Colombia, it may spur U.S. lawmakers to expedite the delayed accord, said Walter Bastian, the U.S. Commerce Department’s top official on Latin America.

U.S. trade talks with Chile were expedited in similar fashion after Canada cemented a deal with the South American country, he added.

“When people started to realize the lost business opportunities, it spurred negotiators to get it done,” Bastian said in an interview in Nicaragua today. “The rest of the world isn’t standing still. We don’t want to be left out of the game.”...

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s governing Conservatives have made strengthening ties with Latin America a priority in an effort to broaden markets for Canadian commodities and reduce the country’s dependence on the U.S. economy.

Harper’s Conservatives lack a majority of seats in Parliament and need the support of opposition lawmakers to pass legislation. The Liberals have said they will back an amended version of the agreement that includes yearly assessments of human rights conditions....

The Chamber's Murphy adds via email: "In Washington last week, Minister Plata observed that the U.S. share of Colombia’s market for soybean meal, yellow corn, and wheat dropped by 67%, 53%, and 37%, respectively, in 2008-2009, following implementation of a new trade accord between Colombia and Mercosur.  That accord eliminated tariffs on those imports from Brazil and Argentina."

Me: I guess we're all mercantilists now.

Set Your TiVO (or Generic DVR)

Tonight John Stossel does a whole hour on free trade versus protectionism.  On the show tonight are, among others, GMU's Don Boudreaux, Cato's Tom Palmer, and CNN's Lou Dobbs.  Word on the street is that there are some serious fireworks.  Fun.

Stossel airs on the Fox Business Network on Thursdays at 8pm and 12 midnight ET, Saturdays at 7 PM and 11 PM, and Sundays at 10 PM.  Set your DVR.  The episode also will eventually be online here.

Suspected Serial Bank Robber Arrested In Phelps County:

John David Farnell mug shot

A Missouri Highway Patrol trooper arrested man suspected suspected of being a serial bank robber this morning (04-29-10) in Phelps County.

About 10:35 a.m. a man, who said he was armed, robbed National Bank in Cuba. The suspect got into a white Dodge Grand Caravan with Missouri plates and fled. The description of the suspect and the vehicle used match that of five previous bank heists in Moberly, Sedalia, Rolla, Chillicothe and El Dorado Springs.

At approximately 11:29 a.m. a trooper spotted a van matching the description on Missouri 8 and Missouri 68 in Phelps County, just south of St. James. When the trooper searched the vehicle she found a handgun and money believed to be stolen from the bank.

Arrested for the bank robbery of First Community National Bank in Cuba was John David Farnell, 58, of Fulton, Missouri

The highway patrol, the FBI, the Cuba Police Department, the Rolla Police Department, and the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department are continuing the investigation.

International Fugitive From Springfield Turned Over To U. S. Authorities:

An international fugitive wanted on sex crimes involving a child from Barry County has been turned over to authorities in the United States.

On September 30, 2008, Troy Robert Greenbank, 31, Springfield, fled to Canada before he was federally indicted on two charges related to sexual offenses involving a 10 year-old girl. Federal prosecutors allege that Greenbank conspired with the mother of the girl to use her daughter to make kiddie porn between Aug. 1, 2005, and Feb. 22, 2006.

Greenbank allegedly met the woman in an Internet chat room then met her at a motel for sex. It is alleged that Greenbank told the woman that he wanted to have a threesome with the woman and her daughter. The mother agreed to the proposal and allegedly sent photographs to Greenbank showing her and her daughter in sexual acts. Those same court documents say that Greenback bought a sex toy for the girl.

Greenbank admitted that he made the proposal to the girl's mother, but said he never actually had sex with the girl because she had to stay late at school the day of the arranged sexual assault.The girl’s father alerted authorities when he found the sex toy Greenbank allegedly bought his daughter.

U.S. authorities alerted Canadian authorities to Greenbank whereabouts in Winnipeg several days after the man was indicted. With the assistance of the Winnipeg Police Service he was arrested at a Winnipeg hotel on an immigration warrant. Greenback fought deportation and attempted to obtain refugee status and protection from the Canadian government. He claimed that he would likely be killed in prison if he was returned to the United States to face justice.

Greenback, who served in the U.S. military, is now working on his second Master's degree in criminal justice. He worked as a dispatcher for campus security at Missouri State University and was a volunteer member of the Civil Air Patrol.

“I would like to commend the CBSA officers involved in the removal of this individual from our country,” the Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety said in a news release. “This government will not tolerate the harbouring of fugitives from justice. We are committed to ensuring that the safety and security of Canadians are not compromised.”

The girl's mom is in state prison after being convicted in Barry County of sex crimes involving her child. Greenbank is looking at 15 to 30 years in federal prison on one charge and between 5 and 20 years on the other if he is convicted. He could also be fined up to $250,000 for each offense.

Two Year-Old Dies After Being Run Over By Father's Truck:

A two year-old boy from Nixa was killed yesterday (04-28-10) when he was run over by his father's pickup truck.

Ozark Police Chief Lyle Hodges says Daniel Goetz, 26, unbuckled his son, Jacobie, from his car seat when he got out of his vehicle at Riverside Heights to talk to a friend. Daniel Goetz told investigators that he heard the emergency brake pop, and saw the truck begin to roll. Goetz says when he opened the truck door to try and stop the vehicle, the little boy fell out and was run over.

A news release from Hodges says the "preliminary investigation" shows Jacobie knocked the vehicle out of gear. Goetz, however, says his son released the parking brake.

Hodges says, "It was a pretty bad deal. We are in the preliminary stages of the investigation...it's appears to be a tragic accident."

The "Father of Supply-Side Economics" on US-China Currency and the Economic Crisis

The Heritage Foundation recently hosted an interesting event on "The Dollar, The Euro, and the International Monetary Order" with, among others, Nobel Prize-winning economist Prof. Robert Mundell (described by Heritage as "the academic founder of supply side economics").  NRO's Sean Rushton gives a nice rundown of Mundell's quite impressive bio here:

For those not familiar with the Nobel Laureate, Mundell has been a guiding force behind major economic expansions since the early 1960s. His work as a young man likely influenced the Kennedy administration to ignore its Keynesian advisers in favor of tax cuts and sound money, leading to the robust expansion of 1961–68. Mundell correctly predicted the inflationary disease of the 1970s and advocated the supply-side policy mix that spurred two decades of non-inflationary expansion in the 1980s and ’90s. Mundell’s writing on optimum currency areas was the basis for the euro’s creation in 1999, erasing exchange-rate barriers across the world’s second largest economy. And Mundell has been an important adviser to China for two decades, guiding its economy out of Communist infancy to become the significant financial power it is today.

The full video of the event is below, and Mundell's remarks start at about 1:15.  For those of you who don't have the time to watch, Rushton also helpfully summarizes most of Mundell's comments (emphasis mine):

Mundell argues the recent crisis had three distinct parts.

Part One was the real-estate bubble and subsequent bank-solvency crisis, which began in 2006. He says the bubble was generated primarily by the dollar’s fall after 2001, as U.S. monetary authorities made clear they wanted a lower dollar to improve exports. As the greenback dropped on foreign exchanges and against gold and other commodities, investors pursued the classic inflation hedge: They borrowed and bought hard assets, expecting to repay the debt with cheaper future dollars. Real estate, already roaring due to 1997’s expanded housing tax deduction, went into overdrive, goosed by subprime lending and mortgage securitization.

Part Two of Mundell’s analysis is the most intriguing and least understood aspect. He argues that, as the real-estate bubble burst, large quantities of fresh liquidity were demanded by the public and banks. In summer 2007, the world’s central banks supplied it and no liquidity crunch developed. But by summer 2008, spooked by rising inflation, the U.S. Federal Reserve failed to provide adequate cash, leading to dollar scarcity. Four key symptoms of tight money appeared within months: the dollar rose 30 percent against the euro; gold fell 30 percent; oil fell 80 percent; and the inflation rate dropped from 5.5 percent to negative levels. As a result, Mundell believes, Lehman Brothers collapsed, the stock market went into free fall, and a near-panic ensued. This phase was entirely preventable and constitutes one of the worst mistakes in Fed history, Mundell says. The crisis eased in early 2009, as the Fed upped the money supply, but the damage was done.

Part Three of Mundell’s analysis is the recession of 2008–09, with bailouts, rising unemployment, and skyrocketing deficits. He predicts decent growth this year, but believes unemployment will remain high and the recovery will be weak.

He says the U.S. must extend the Bush tax cuts and should also cut the corporation tax rate from 35 percent to 15 percent, to spur investment and recapitalize banks. Importantly, he says the U.S. should fix the dollar’s value against the yuan and the euro, thus creating an enormous common-currency area free of exchange-rate turbulence, which will prevent future debacles. It should be clear that Mundell sees a low and unstable dollar as culprit Number One in the crisis, and as the Bush administration’s biggest mistake.

Rushton omits the beginning of Mundell's lecture, but there's also a lot of good stuff in there too.  For one, Mundell essentially lays out (from 1:32:50 to 1:37:00) some reasons why a country like China would pursue a fixed exchange rate policy and what that country does with the foreign currency reserves that it might accumulate as a result of the peg.  As to the latter question, Mundell explains that China purchases US assets and debt (bonds, treasuries, etc.) with its dollars - something most of us already knew.  But it's Mundell's answer to the former question that I found most interesting.  In Mundell's opinion, the primary benefit of China's fixed exchange rate was/is not, as American currency hawks would have you believe, some pernicious international trade advantage, but rather domestic price stability.  Indeed, Mundell states that "China has had a better record of price stability since 1997 than any G-7 country, and they've done it... through a fixed exchange rate."  Interesting, huh?

The statements excerpted by Rushton above are also important, as they demonstrate Mundell's firm beliefs that (i) one of, if not the, biggest cause of the financial crisis was the significant US dollar devaluation undertaken by the Bush administration to improve American exports' global competitiveness; and (ii) the surest course to preventing future global meltdowns is pegging the US dollar, the Euro and the Chinese yuan (or RMB) and maintaining a strong, stable dollar.

So to summarize, Nobel Laureate, "father of supply-side economics," and presidential/Chinese economic adviser Robert Mundell is of the strong belief that (a) domestic price stability, not international export advantage, is China's primary reason for its historic RMB peg to the US dollar; (b) pursuing an export-driven weak dollar policy was and will be disastrous for the US economy; and (c) a fixed USD-RMB-EUR system would improve global trade and is the best way to prevent another collapse.

Now, I'm certainly not qualified to agree or disagree with Mundell's currency theories, but that's (once again) not my point.  Instead, it's more important for me to just keep showing all of the serious and divergent ideas out there about global currency issues, particularly those from well-respected monetary gurus showing very sound and sensible reasons for China's currency policies - ones that have nothing to do with conspiratorial allegations of predatory Chinese trade policies or breathless (and dangerous) demands that China appreciate the RMB.  These "other" ideas deserve wide circulation because they are a vital counterweight to the current demagoguery out there in the US-China currency debate.  When guys like Mundell speak up, whether you agree with them or not, they further undermine the ridiculous certitude of American currency hawks like Paul Krugman and Sen. Chuck Schumer that China is intentionally manipulating its currency in order to prey on US industries and steal American jobs, and that some sort of dramatic RMB appreciation (and weaker US dollar) will magically solve the US and global economic crisis.

And the lesson, as always, is: when someone tells you with utter certainty that China is through its currency policies preying on the American worker, or that a stronger Chinese yuan and weaker US dollar will definitely improve the American economy, just stop listening.

The Daily Show on US-China Trade and Manufacturing

H/T IELP Blog:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Wham-O Moves to America
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

I know I'm a total killjoy loser for commenting on this very funny segment, but I can't help it.  There's actually a very good real-world lesson or two in there.  One is why Wham-O is "re-sourcing" its manufacturing from China back to the US and why the company just doesn't establish manufacturing operations in the lowest-cost world labor market - because, contrary to the "race to the bottom" folks, labor costs aren't the only factor that a business considers when deciding where to establish its operations.  They also care about quality, reliability, rule of law, logistics and other things, and thus often decide that it's better to build and invest in the United States than China (or Bangladesh or elsewhere).  This is something that Dan Ikenson and I discussed at length last year (see. p. 14).

Second, Wham-O's experience in China - with its rising labor costs and focus on higher-value manufacturing - is a great, concrete example of a very important dynamic over there and further proof that the whole "race to the bottom" is complete nonsense.

Most importantly, however, the sketch is flat-out hilarious.

BREAKING~~Peter "Pete" Newman Sentencing Postponed:

Peter "Pete" Newman

The sentencing for a former Christian camp counselor who pleaded guilty in February to multiple sex crimes involving children has been postponed.

Peter "Pete" Newman's attorney, Tom Carver says, "Some witnesses were not be able to attend the scheduled April 30th sentencing. Judge (Mark) Orr rescheduled it for June 9th."

Attorney Tom Carver

Newman was charged last September with seven felony sex crimes involving underage boys who were campers at Branson based Kanakuk Kamp, a Christian sports youth camp. In November, Taney County Prosecutor Jeff Merrell filed five additional felony sex crimes involving underage boys against Newman.

Taney County Prosecutor Jeff Merrell

Newman pleaded guilty February 18th to two counts of first-degree statutory sodomy, three counts of second-degree statutory sodomy, and three counts of enticement of a child.

Merrell says, "A witness for the defense could not make it on the 30th---everything is in place on our part. It is of no benefit to the victims to drag this case out, but we will play the cards that we've been dealt."

The maximum sentence that Newman could receive is 171 years prison--the minimum is 5 years.

The state of Colorado will likely extradite Newman to La Plata County after his sentencing. He is wanted there on a warrant for another alleged sex crime against an underage boy who was a camper at Kanakuk's Colorado (now named KIVU) location. That court record is sealed until Newman appears in court there.

Sources close to investigations into Newman tell The Sentinel that other states are looking at Newman and his alleged illegal activity with boys in addition to Colorado.

Newman is being held without bond in the Taney County jail while he awaits sentencing.

UPDATED: Nixa Woman Found Guilty Of Statutory Sodomy; Sentenced To Twelve Years:

Maya Zapata Gasa

A woman from Nixa accused of sexually abusing two foster children almost six years ago has been found guilty of statutory sodomy.

The jury trial for Maya Zapata Gasa, 34, was to have begun on Monday, however, she opted for a bench trial in front of Judge John Moody that lasted 2 1/2 days, according to Christian County Prosecutor Ron Cleek.

Christopher L. Gray

Cleek says evidence showed Gasa performed oral sex and touched the victim/s inappropriately.

Gasa, and her former live-in boyfriend, Christopher L. Gray, were both arrested in May of 2004 for illegal drug activity and charges that they sexually molested two girls, 11 and 6. In court documents Gasa told investigators that "he (Gray) became a foster parent so he could have the girls as sex slaves." After the couple's arrest, the children that Gray had adopted and was fostering, as well as Gasa's two son's, were placed in protective custody.

Gasa was found not guilty of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Christian County Prosecutor Ron Cleek


Gray was charged with six counts of statutory sodomy, two counts of statutory rape and one count of sexual exploitation.

Gray was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to 270 years in prison. However, eight of the nine convictions were overturned on appeal. He is serving 30 years (life) in prison for sexual exploitation of a minor. "I hope to get him retried as soon as possible," Cleek says.

Gasa, who remains free on bond while she awaits sentencing, is facing 10 to 30 (life is 30 years in MO) years in prison on the statutory sodomy conviction when she is sentenced on June 25th.


Cleek says, "She has never not appeared for a court hearing. If she fails to appear at sentencing she waives the right to appeal."

UPDATE:

Gasa was sentenced to 12 years in prison. She will have to serve at least 10.2 years in prison before she becomes eligible for parole.

US Proposes "Early Harvest" on Environmental Goods and Services: Good News, Bad News

Bloomberg reports that the United States is seeking an "early harvest" agreement on free trade in green goods and technologies (emphasis mine):

The U.S. is talking with Canada, the European Union and Australia about eliminating tariffs on solar, wind and related energy technologies to spur their use, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said today.

Kirk said the U.S. is seeking an “early harvest” for an agreement on so-called green technologies, which means an environmental deal wouldn’t have to wait for completion of the Doha Round of World Trade Organization talks. Negotiations on environmental goods have taken place since 2008.

“We think it only makes sense to make the trade of those goods more open,” Kirk said at a Washington event on patent protections. “We think it is important enough” that it could move ahead on its own, he said.

The U.S. and EU in 2007 jointly proposed eliminating trade barriers for 43 products ranging from thermostats to universal joints for wind turbines to parts for boilers. The proposal also called for easing investment rules for environmental services and a longer-term, broader round of tariff cuts for other environmental goods.

Total trade in such products topped $600 billion in 2006, according to U.S. statistics.

Kirk didn’t say when he hopes to wrap up a deal on environmental goods. President Barack Obama has made doubling U.S. exports a top economic goal, and spurring trade in green technologies could help accomplish that, according to Kirk.

The USTR announcement provides free traders with a dash of good news - it's one of the only instances in which the Obama administration has publicly advocated further opening the US market to imports and has proposed a specific plan to quickly accomplish such import liberalization.  Indeed, the only other "true free trade" (i.e., encouraging exports and imports) action that we've seen from the United States in the last 15 months is the negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, but even those talks aren't that big a deal because (a) we have no idea what a final agreement will look like, and (b) it's going to take years to complete.  So USTR's environmental goods plan is a small step forward for a US administration that since its inception has shunned FTAs, the WTO's Doha Round negotiations and every other import liberalization endeavor, and instead has pursued an insanely mercantilist trade policy.

Unfortunately, it's precisely that mercantilism which brings us to the bad things about the US announcement: it completely perverts the original purpose of the proposals on green goods and, in the process, undermines what should be an important public lesson about the benefits of imports (and harms of protectionism) in any market economy.  As the article above indicates, the original proposals on liberalization of "green trade" were part of the 2001 WTO Doha Round mandate, which made clear that these negotiations' primary objectives were to eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade in environmental goods and services in order to lower costs of, and improve access to, these important green technologies.  Lower costs and improved access, you see, mean more use of environmental products and services, and more use is obviously good for the environment.  (Cheap windmills and solar panels for everyone!  Woo hoo!)

Indeed, former WTO Appellate Body chairman James Bacchus has an op-ed in today's Forbes hitting on this issue while explaining how the WTO can dramatically improve the environment.  He states, in part:

Global implementation of climate-friendly technologies is a key to the success of global efforts to confront climate change. Access to green technologies by developing countries is central to this task. In particular, it is vital to increase energy efficiency in developing countries, which are only one-third as energy efficient as developed countries.

Trade negotiators have been trying to address this need for some time in the prolonged Doha Round of global trade negotiations. On the WTO agenda in the trade round are efforts to reduce or eliminate tariff and nontariff barriers to trade in dozens of environmental goods and services, including everything from wind turbines to solar water heaters to the thermostats and the generators needed to operate renewable energy plants.

Eliminating the barriers to trade in green goods and services would help diffuse them worldwide at the lowest possible cost by reducing their prices. In addition, it would provide incentives and expertise needed to enable developing countries to expand their production, use and export of climate-friendly technologies.

Indeed.  Meanwhile, it would provide consumers across the world with a valuable lesson about the benefits of imports and free trade - increasing use, access and variety, while dramatically decreasing costs.  And all to help improve the environment.  In sum: a very worthwhile endeavor.

So what's my problem?

Well, beyond the obvious fact that countries should recognize these import benefits and liberalize unilaterally instead of reciprocally, take a look at the passage that I bolded in the Bloomberg article above.  As you can see, USTR's sole justification for its green goods proposal is expanding US exports as part of the National Export Initiative (very similar to this new proposal from congressional Democrats).  There's no mention the cost/access/use reasoning of the original Doha Round mandate, and there's no discussion of the benefits of this green import liberalization for consumers in the US and abroad.  Instead, it's all about that same old mercantilist obsession with exports, and once again Americans are left to think that low-cost imports of these great, green products aren't actually good and desirable things.  Nope, we only care about exports in the United States, regardless of the fact that the, you know, environment could significantly improve through expanded American access to, and thus use of, imports of green goods and services.  Thus, USTR's public statements about this great import liberalization agreement actually end up reinforcing the misguided, economically-illiterate idea that import liberalization is bad - precisely the exact opposite point of the original environmental goods/services mandate!

How messed up is that?

So while the substance of the USTR announcement is generally good news, its delivery leaves a whole lot to be desired.  Baby steps, I guess.

Jonnathan Graven Sentenced To Twenty Years For Johnson's Murder:

Jonnathan Graven

A Howell County man was sentenced today to 20 in prison for the November 2008 death of 22 year-old Ricky Joe Johnson.

Jonnathan D. Graven, 33, had been charged with second-degree murder, but entered an Alford plea to voluntary manslaughter. An Alford plea is where a defendant does not admit guilt but agrees that there is sufficient evidence for a conviction if the case were to go to trial.

Investigators found Johnson's body in the back seat of his car inside a burning garage on the property of a rural West Plains farmhouse that was undergoing renovation after a passerby called in the fire.

Prosecutors say that a fight over methamphetamine led to Johnson's death. Court documents reveal that Johnson was at the home of Jared and Jonnathan Graven late in the evening of November 14th and the early morning hours of November 15th, 2008.

In the probable cause statement, investigators say that Johnson was under the influence of prescription medication when he went to lay down in the bedroom of Jared Graven. The document goes on to state that while Johnson was sleeping the Graven brothers stole meth out of the pockets of Johnson's pants and vehicle.

When Johnson awoke he confronted the Graven brothers about the missing drugs and a fight broke out in which Johnson was "hit and stomped" by the Graven brothers, causing his death.

Investigator Shannon Caldwell writes in his report that after placing Johnson's body in the young mans newly purchased car, Jared Graven drove Johnson's vehicle to a rural Howell County farmhouse. Once there authorities say the brothers parked the vehicle in the garage and torched it.

When officers served a search warrant on the residence of the Gravens at 3823 County Road 6340 near West Plains on November 18th, they noticed that there was no bed in Jared Gravens bedroom, there was fresh paint in different rooms in the house, as well as new linoleum and carpet in different parts of the house. During that search investigators seized several articles that appeared to have blood evidence on them.

Cops finally caught up with the brothers at the Tally Ho Motel in Thayer on November 19th. Court documents say that during a search of the room and a pick-up truck the Graven's were driving, "blood evidence was located and collected from the inside of the vehicle."

Jonnathan Graven, whose trial was moved to Butler County on a change of venue, was charged as a prior and persistent offender which changed the class of his felony conviction.

Jared Graven

Jared Graven, who was also charged with second-degree murder, pleaded guilty in last May to voluntary manslaughter, tampering with a motor vehicle and abandonment of a corpse.

He was sentenced to life in prison, which is 30 years in Missouri, on the manslaughter charge and seven years for tampering with a motor vehicle and abandonment of a corpse in Texas County where where his case was moved a change of venue from. Those sentences are to be served concurrently (at the same time.)

UPDATED: Stepfather Pleads Guilty To Voluntary Manslaughter:

Daniel Dale Lamborn

A Cabool man charged with killing his four year-old stepdaughter in 2008 has pleaded guilty.

Texas County prosecutors originally charged Daniel Dale Lamborn, 25, on December 30, 2008, with child abuse resulting in death for the November 2008 death of 4 year-old Camille Fayte Denis'. That charge was amended to voluntary manslaughter.

An investigation into the little girls death was launched on November 22, 2008, by the Missouri Department of Social Services and the Texas County Child Welfare Board.

Camille Fayte Denis

According to the probable cause statement, the coroner told investigators that he believed Camille could have died from asphyxiation. However, an autopsy revealed that the little girl died from a tear to the right atrium of her heart.

During an interview with Sgt. Travis Davis of the Texas County Sheriff's department, Lamborn told Davis he was home alone with his children when a large toy box fell on little Camille's chest. When confronted with the autopsy results, Davis said Lamborn changed his story offering multiple accounts of what happened, they include; tossing Camille in the air, and stepping on the little girls chest.

He later told detectives that the toy box story was a lie, that he fell on top of the toddler with his forearm. He then requested an attorney.

He admitted in court that he punched Camille in the chest twice because she wouldn't mind him.

Lamborn, who's trial was moved to Phelps County on a change of venue, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 8th.

Christian County Assessors Federal Trial Postponed:

Sandra Bryant-Littles

The federal trials for Christian County Assessor Sandra Bryant-Littles and her husband Lonnie Utah Littles that were scheduled to begin today have been postponed according to public affairs director for US Attorney for the Western District of Missouri. Don Ledford says the trials have been pushed back until at least June.

Bryant-Littles was indicted on four counts of mail fraud for allegedly not property assessing her own personal property and that of she and her husbands Poco Cala Ranch in Clever.

Lonnie Littles and a ranch hand of the couples, Jesse Rice were indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to commit bank fraud for an allegedly scheme to bilk the Little's insurance company for a bogus cattle theft in February of 2009.

The couples ranch hand, Jesse Rice, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud on February 11, 2010. He is currently awaiting sentencing.

Attorney General Chris Koster filed paperwork seeking the removal of Bryant-Littles from her elected office in February. Bryant-Littles is fighting that action. For now Bryant-Littles is “immediately enjoined from engaging in any activity, or exercising any authority, as the County Assessor.”

If Bryant-Littles resigns, or is permanetly removed from office, Gov. Jay Nixon will appoint a successor, who would serve out the rest of her term.

Bi-Partisan Opposition to US Cotton Subsidies

Easily the biggest roadblock to reforming America's bloated, irrational and (often) WTO-inconsistent farm subsidies is the overwhelming bi-partisan support for them.  Whether in Congress or the White House, Republican or Democrat, it doesn't matter - agribusiness gets some L-O-V-E from almost everyone in Washington.  For a simple example of this fact, one need only look to the awful legislation introduced this week by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Kent Conrad (D-ND) that would obtusely extend a bevvy of ridiculous ethanol subsidies and the 54-cent-per-gallon tariff on imported sugar ethanol.  Of course, these Senators aren't alone in their blind love for using Americans' tax dollars to line the pockets of US agribusiness; indeed, you can't fall down on the House or Senate floor without hitting at least two Congressmen/Senators who issue a near-Pavlovian "Aye" vote every time they hear the words "farm" and "support" used in the same sentence.

However, there have always been a few poor, ostracized souls in Congress who refuse to grab a ladle for the farm subsidy gravy train, but they're pretty darn rare, and they end up taking a lot of heat on Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.  (Indeed, when they run for President, they end up getting pummeled like longtime subsidy-hater John McCain did in the all-important Iowa caucus and elsewhere in the Midwest).   So when a group of Republicans and Democrats join together to scream a chorus of "STOP THE INSANITY" on US farm subsidies, they deserve kudos and support.  Thursday was one of those times, as Congressmen Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Ron Kind (D-WI), Paul Ryan (R-WI), and Barney Frank (D-MA) sent a letter to President Obama, asking him to finally resolve the US-Brazil dispute over WTO-illegal American cotton subsidies by reforming the offending farm programs (something I've been advocating for months now) rather than what the White House is currently doing - i.e., keeping the trade-distorting programs in tact, bribingsubsidizing Brazilian cotton farmers with about $150 million in hush money"technical assistance," and putting future reform in the hands of some of the biggest cotton-lovers in Congress.

The letter from the Congressmen - affectionately referred to by Cato's Sallie James as the "Four Congressmen of the Cotton Subsidy Apocalypse"- highlights the patent absurdity of the current US action in the cotton dispute.  Just how absurd you ask?  Well, absurd enough to get super-conservative Paul Ryan and ultra-liberal Barney Frank to team up to stop the policy.  The letter is available here in a PDF, and I've also pasted it below as an image because I think it deserves as much circulation as possible.  It also deserves ample public praise, so kudos, Congressmen.  Nice job.  And who knows, maybe the ridiculous US-Brazil dispute will end up being the breaking point for a few more your House and Senate colleagues, pushing them to finally wise up and call for a dramatic reform of America's truly stupid (and dirty!) agricultural policies.

(Although I'm not holding my breath.)

Newton County School Board Member Charged With Statutory Rape, Possession Of Child Porn:

Matthew A. Boyer

A member of a school board in Newton County has been charged with two counts of second-degree statutory rape and possession of child pornography.

Newton County Prosecutor Jake Skouby filed those charges against Matthew A. Boyer, 35, of Neosho, on Thursday April 22nd.

Boyer, had served on the school board of the Westview School Board of Education for eight years until his resignation on Friday April 23rd. Superintendent Mark Fitch says, "A family member brought in his letter of resignation and we voted to accept it the same day. The charges come as a shock to me and other members of the school board."

The probable cause statement used as the basis for charging Boyer says, the Newton County Sheriff’s Department began an investigation into Boyer after receiving information from a high school girl who alleges she had sexual intercourse with Boyer on at least two occasions in September of 2009 when she was 16 years-old.

When police served a search warrant at Boyer's residence they found pictures of another underage girl on his home computer.

Online court records show that Boyer entered an Alford Plead to misdemeanor child endangerment in February. He was ordered to serve 60-days in jail, however, that assessment was suspended and he was placed on two years unsupervised probation. Boyer also pleaded guilty to nonsupport in 2008 and was received five years probation.

Boyer is in being held in the Newton County jail on $125,000 bond.

The VATMan Cometh, Pt. 5

Look, it's not like anyone paying attention didn't see this coming from a mile away, but still... it's worth mentioning.  Despite all the firm statments from congressional Democrats that they would never consider a VAT, and that the whole idea is just some right-wing scare tactic, President Obama announced Wednesday that he's definitely leaving it on the table... you know, just in case he accidently expands government so much so fast that we have no choice but to tax the heck out of everything in order to prevent a national debt implosion.  (Shocking, I know.)

Take it away, Mr. President:



(h/t HotAir)

Prosecutors Drop Arson Charges Against Williams In Deadly House Fire:

David Williams

Charges have been dropped against the man accused of starting a house fire last month that killed his fiance's three children.

Dan Patterson, the chief assistant for the Greene County prosecutors office, says he was contacted after business hours Thursday April 21st by a fire investigator who told him that the evidence used to charge David Williams was questionable at best. "The cause and certainty of the origin of the fire could not be determined at this time," said Patterson.

Prosecutors charged Williams after an accelerant-sniffing dog, Ashes, "hit" on accelerant on Williams jeans and at several places within the house as well.

It was a sensational story....how could a man who acted as the father to three children set a fire that would kill them? Williams fiance,Violet Watson, steadfastly maintained his innocence, however the court of public opinion had already convicted Williams as a baby killer. The public outcry was deafening.

The Sentinel raised the question of the possibility of flashover to prosecutors last month after we learned that lab evidence showed no trace of accelerants in any of the evidence taken to the crime lab. Patterson now says, "There is insufficient evidence to proceed at this time." He also notes that the investigation is ongoing.

In December of 1991 a similar fire took place in Corsicana, Texas. Cameron Todd Willingham was convicted of starting a fire that killed his three children. Arson investigators testified that their were "char patterns" and accelerants used to start that fire and that Willingham was responsible for the fire that claimed his children's lives.

Prosecutors offered Willingham a plea deal, if he would plead guilty they would take the death penalty off the table and offer him a life sentence. Willingham, who maintained his innocence, rejected the state's offer and took his chances with the jury. It was a gamble that ultimately cost him his life.

In August of 1992, after deliberating less than an hour, the jury convicted Willingham of three counts of capital murder. In January of 2004, Willingham was scheduled to be put to death, Dr. Gerald Hurst, a scientist and fire investigator, who has been successful in helping overturn numerous arson convictions was contacted by friends and relatives of Willingham.

Hurst agreed to have a look at the case pro bono. Hurst concluded that the Willingham fire was accidental and that the burn patterns and accelerant found at the scene was the result of flashover.  Lawyers for Willingham filed Hurst's findings with the Texas Board of Pardon and Parole. Attorney's say the board received the findings, but never reviewed them before denying Willingham's plea for clemency. He was executed on February 17, 2004.
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Watson children killed in fire
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During his 37 day incarceration, Williams had asked to be allowed attend the funeral of Alexis, Devin and Kelsey. Judge Mark Powell granted that request, but Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott said he did not have enough manpower to transport Williams' to attend and make sure he had no physical contact with anyone at the service.




Sheriff Jim Arnott

Last month Williams attorney, Andy Hosmer said, "An innocent man in Texas was executed for a similar situation. We don't want to see an innocent man go to jail here for something he didn't do."

Hosmer says, "In a rush to judgement, prosecutors charged an innocent man. My client is relieved to be out of jail, and happy to be home with his family. We are weighing all of our options at this point. I'm not sure how we will proceed."
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Hosmer says a civil case is not out of the question.




****Dave Warren contributed to this story

Chart of the Day: US Exports to China, Then and Now

From the Council on Foreign Relations comes this eye-opener:

There are a lot of things that can be inferred from these charts, but for now, I'll just throw one thing out there: it's probably rather difficult for a country whose manufacturing sector specializes in capital-intensive, high-tech goods (like aircraft, satellites, supercomputers, etc.) to really penetrate a certain foreign market when that country prohibits (rightly or wrongly) its exporters from selling many such goods there.

Happy Earth Day

The inimitable George Carlin pretty much sums it all up.  (Language warning, as if you didn't know that already.)



The planet is fine. Humans, on the other hand.....

Trooper Injured In Near Head-On Crash:

A Highway Patrol trooper was injured last night (04-21-10) when his patrol car was struck nearly head-on on I-44 in Newton County.

Trooper T. R. Morris was responding to a report that John R.Bristow,43, Edmond,Oklahoma, had led law officers in Oklahoma and Kansas on a high speed chase and that the suspect was nearing the Missouri state line.

Bristow, who was going the wrong way on the freeway, slammed into the troopers patrol car just east of the Missouri 166 exit on Interstate 44.

Bristow (a.) has been charged with assault of a law enforcement officer, driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an accident, and a misdemeanor Clay County, Missouri warrant for fraud.
He is being held in the Newton County jail on a $10,000 cash only bond.

Trooper Morris suffered minor injuries and was treated and released at St. John’s Hospital, Joplin, Missouri.

Wednesday Quick Hits

There's been a flurry of noteworthy activity over the last couple days, so let's get right to it:

• Spreading your and my wealth to the world's cotton farmers.  As I noted a week ago, the United States avoided about $830 million in Brazilian trade sanctions by giving Brazil's cotton farmers about $150 million in annual hush money"technical assistance," instead of just eliminating the WTO-illegal US cotton subsidy programs that caused the whole mess in the first place.  Well, apparently USTR wasn't content with bribingsubsidizing only Brazilian farmers because it announced today that this slush fund can also provide US taxpayer money to farmers in Africa, Haiti, and, well, everywhere else.  So instead of reforming our own bloated ($2.8 billion/year), trade-distorting and WTO-inconsistent farm subsidies, we've decided to just subsidize everyone on the planet.  Problem solved!  Final note: Inside US Trade reports that Brazilian retaliation levels will balloon to more than $1 billion later this year, based on 2009 US subsidy amounts and the standard WTO calculation methodology.  Oh, goody.

• And speaking of Brazil and awful American subsidies....  BNA reports (subscription) today that Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Kent Conrad (D-ND) introduced new legislation (S. 3231) to extend through 2015 a whole host of ethanol subsidies (volumetric ethanol excise tax credit, or the blenders' credit; the small ethanol producers tax credit; the cellulosic producers tax credit) and the 54-cent-per-gallon tariff on imported ethanol.  NRO's Kevin Williamson sums up this awesome subsidy/tariff combo best: "Ethanol users are paying a tax penalty to provide a tax break to ethanol producers.  How does that make sense, if using ethanol is a good and worthwhile thing that we want to encourage?  It does not make sense.  Government logic: Ethanol is so important, so green, and so wonderfully job-creating, that we have to give it enormous tax subsidies to maximize the benefits of using it.  And it is so very important… that we have to use punitive import tariffs to keep Americans from maximizing the benefits of using it, if the profits are not captured by our political constituents."  Nice.  The only thing Kevin leaves out, however, is that Brazilian producers of low-cost, cleaner-burning sugar ethanol are howling mad at this development, and justifiably so.  First, as I mentioned a while ago, new US renewable energy standards had given sugar ethanol preferred status in the US biofuels market, something Brazilian producers were very excited about.  Second, Brazil earlier this month announced the elimination of its own tariff on imported ethanol as a good faith sign of support for free global trade in biofuels.  So in one fell swoop, the Grassley/Conrad tariff destroys the benefits of point 1 and spits in the face of point 2.  Classy.

• Senators Schumer and Graham were, unsurprisingly, unavailable for comment.  The US-China Business Council released today its annual report on US exports to China, broken down by state.  The USCBC press release notes that 19 states exported over a billion dollars in American products in 2009, and that "China is the third-largest US export market, after Canada and Mexico, with $69.6 billion in sales during 2009, down just 0.2 percent over 2008--by far the best record for a major US export market in 2009.  US exports to the rest of the world combined fell nearly 20 percent in 2009."  Cato's Dan Griswold adds, "The USCBC figures tend to undercut complaints that China’s currency policies have stymied U.S. exports to that country.  In fact... since 2005, U.S. exports to China have been growing three times faster than our exports to the rest of the world."  I'd only add that, according to the USCBC study, New York (home to Sen. Chuck Schumer) exported $2.44 billion to China in 2009, second highest ever, and South Carolina (home state of Sen. Lindsay Graham) exported $869 million in the same year, the most ever for that state.  No wonder these guys want to start a trade war with China!  Oh, wait....

• Great news!  US international labor negotiations will be run by long-time AFL-CIO director!  Wait, what?  The Hill reports (emphasis mine) that "Cathy Feingold has been named by the AFL-CIO as its new director of international affairs, beginning June 1.  She follows Barbara Shailor, who is headed to the State Department to serve as special representative for international labor affairs."  Some of Shailor's past work can be seen here and here.  As you can see, she'll be an unbiased American advocate for free trade, economic growth and global development.  Or not.  (More on the new American approach to trade and labor standards is available here.)

• And finally, a Cotton/Farm subsidy palette cleanser to make you feel a tiny bit better about America.   Just so you leave here tonight with the warm-fuzzy knowledge that not everyone on Capitol Hill is willing to disregard global trade rules because he/she's in the bag for American agribusiness, I give you this great video of Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) (h/t Andy Roth):
  
  
  
  See?  They're not all bad... and Jeff Flake's definitely one of the good ones.

That's all for tonight, folks.