Spies

The Telegraph reports that British children as young as eight years old are being recruited as spies for local government councils. Their job is to report “environmental crimes” to the councils.

The youngsters are among almost 5,000 residents who in some cases are being offered £500 rewards if they provide evidence of minor infractions.

One in six councils contacted by the Telegraph said they had signed up teams of “environment volunteers” who are being encouraged to photograph or video neighbours guilty of dog fouling, littering or “bin crimes”.

The “covert human intelligence sources”, as some local authorities describe them, are also being asked to pass on the names of neighbours they believe to be responsible, or take down their number-plates.

Ealing Council in West London said: “There are hundreds of Junior Streetwatchers, aged 8-10 years old, who are trained to identify and report enviro-crime issues such as graffiti and fly-tipping.”

Harlow Council in Essex said: “We currently have 25 Street Scene Champions who work with the council. They are all aged between 11 to 14. They are encouraged to report the aftermath of enviro-crimes such as vandalism to bus shelters, graffiti, abandoned vehicles, fly-tipping etc. They do this via telephone or email direct to the council.”

Other local authorities recruit adult volunteers through advertisements in local newspapers, with at least 4,841 people already patrolling the streets in their spare time.

Some are assigned James Bond-style code numbers, which they use instead of their real names when they ring a special informer’s hotline.

James Bond? Hardly. More like someone else less fictional. Fidel Castro.

For decades, Peleaz and her mother before her have been keepers of Fidel Castro’s communist message, using their position as the head of the neighborhood’s Committee for the Defense of the Revolution, or CDR, as an ideological wedge into the minds of their neighbors. Now, in the twilight of Castro’s reign, the fate of the CDRs could provide a clue about Cuba’s future.

Once, in a bygone era when revolutionary fervor was at its apex, they were muscular entities, dominating street life and cementing Castro’s hold on power. But over the years they have atrophied, becoming more creaking relic than shining showpiece, victim of the waning enthusiasms of a population weary of economic deprivation.

As Castro’s brother, interim President Raul Castro, prepares to take full control after his brother’s death, party officials take visiting dignitaries on tours of the committees, and there are signs that the younger Castro is trying to inject new life into a system that could be crucial to solidifying his hold on power.

Police call block leaders more often, pressing aggressively for information, according to interviews with current and former CDR leaders. Earlier this year, Cuba’s state-run television network broadcast an exposé shaming several committees for failing to post obligatory round-the-clock sentries. (Emphasis added)

I just missed making a Godwin’s Law violation by finding that WaPo link via the internet.

I’m Allowed To Do It, You’re Not

In an absolutely classic case of do as I say and not as I do, Barack “thin skin” Obama today made a rather hot attack on Sarah Palin’s quip about community organizers. This is especially funny coming from the man who has made it a point to belittle Palin’s experience as a small town mayor while trying to completely avoid mentioning that she also happens to be governor of the state of Alaska.

Sen. Barack Obama ditched his normal languid cool today, punching back at Gov. Sarah Palin as he spoke with reporters in York, Pa, hotly defending his work as a community organizer. He said he assumes Palin “wants to be treated same way guys want to be treated, which means their records are under scrutinty(sic). I’ve been through this for 19 months. She’s been through it, what four days?”

Obama’s hackles were clearly raised by Palin’s dismissal of his community organizing –a response to his earlier dismissal of her record as a small-town mayor. “Why would that kind of work be ridiculed?” Obama said. “Who are they fighting for?” The idea that community organizing is not relevant to the presidency, he said, just shows why Republicans “are out of touch and don’t get it.”

He and his campaign belittle Palin then he whines when she returns the shot. How very hopey-changey that is. Gee, I wonder why more Americans view Palin favorably than Obama.

(Via Hot Air and Memeorandum.)

Fowl Crimes

Or tales of the feathered mafia. First up, the bird who called wolf: New Jersey police kicked the door in when they heard a woman’s voice repeatedly calling out, “Help me!”. Problem is, it wasn’t a woman.

But instead of a damsel in distress, officers found a caged cockatoo with a convincing call.

Next, the avian thugs trying to take over New Zealand:

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A gang of unruly teenage bush parrots have wrought havoc at a bird sanctuary in New Zealand by using their powerful beaks to destroy nesting boxes.

The native Kaka parrots — juvenile birds that haven’t reached sexual maturity — have torn off nesting box doors and vandalized the bird homes, sanctuary conservation officer Matt Robertson said Friday.

And finally, arsonist birds threaten North Dakota college:

WAHPETON, N.D. – A bird’s nest in a chimney is believed to have caused a fire that damaged the roof of Schuett Hall at the North Dakota State College of Science here Wednesday night, a spokeswoman said.

Obviously, we have a bird crime spree brewing.

That Thumping Sound You Hear……

Is the members of the Obama campaign hitting their heads against the walls. Why?

Oh, just that Governor Sarah Palin is now viewed more favorably than is Obama. For that matter, she’s actually ahead of John McCain.

A week ago, most Americans had never heard of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Now, following a Vice Presidential acceptance speech viewed live by more than 40 million people, Palin is viewed favorably by 58% of American voters. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 37% hold an unfavorable view of the self-described hockey mom.

The figures include 40% with a Very Favorable opinion of Palin and 18% with a Very Unfavorable view (full demographic crosstabs are available for Premium Members). Before her acceptance speech, Palin was viewed favorably by 52%. A week ago, 67% had never heard of her……

…..Perhaps most stunning is the fact that Palin’s favorable ratings are now a point higher than either man at the top of the Presidential tickets this year. As of Friday morning, Obama and McCain are each viewed favorably by 57% of voters. Biden is viewed favorably by 48%.

There is a strong partisan gap when it comes to perceptions of Palin. Eighty-nine percent (89%) of Republicans give her favorable reviews along with 33% of Democrats and 59% of voters not affiliated with either major party.

That last number is the one that should be causing the head banging. Actually, the last two numbers. If that many independents see Palin in a favorable light, then the backfire of the media’s vitriolic attacks - as well as those of the Obama campaign and their supporters - has well and truly happened.

That she is now leading Obama is just plain hysterically funny. Looks like people kind of like a hockey mom better than a globe-trotting “citizen of the world”.

40 Million Reasons For Worry

Very nearly 40 million people watched Governor Sarah Palin’s speech at the the Republican National Convention. That number is virtually identical to the number of people who watched Obama’s acceptance speech. more than half of viewers were women.

An audience of 37.2 million people watched Palin on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC, Nielsen Media Research said Thursday. PBS estimated its audience at 3.9 million, based on a less reliable sample of several big cities. Nielsen does not count the audience for C-SPAN, which also showed the speech.

Last week, Nielsen said 38.4 million people watched Obama speak at a Denver stadium on the six commercial networks, along with BET, TV One, Univision and Telemundo - four networks that didn’t cover Palin’s speech. PBS added an estimated 4 million to that total.

Nearly 2 million more women were watching Palin than men, Nielsen said.

This is giving the Obama campaign nightmares, I suspect. In fact, he has swallowed his pride and begged Hillary Clinton to campaign for him.