Verdict Due in the Trial of a Khmer Rouge Figure - NYTimes.com

Verdict Due in the Trial of a Khmer Rouge Figure - NYTimes.com:

This verdict is late, coming 35 years after the atrocities by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, but good news. But one wonders if justice is ever served or ever can be served adequately when vicious dictators and their henchmen wantonly kill millions for any reason.. .ideology, a quest for power, etc.

In my view, the world never did seem to be fully outraged over this terrible tragedy. But justice of a sort will be meted out.

"The defendant, Kaing Guek Eav, commonly known as Duch, had admitted in an eight-month trial to many of the accusations against him. He oversaw a system that came to symbolize a regime responsible for the deaths of 1.7 million people from 1975 to 1979..."

“...For 30 years, the victims of the Khmer Rouge waited while a civil war raged, international actors bickered and the leaders of the Khmer Rouge walked free,” said Alex Hinton, director of the Center for the Study of Genocide, Conflict Resolution and Human Rights at Rutgers University in New Jersey. “Now, for the first time, one of them has been held accountable. The importance of this moment can’t be underestimated...” 

36 Arrested in Medicare Scams Totaling $251M - NYTimes.com

36 Arrested in Medicare Scams Totaling $251M - NYTimes.com

Let's hope this crackdown is the beginning of serious efforts to thwart Medicare and other criminal fraud that has allowed people to bilk the U.S. Government out of untold $billions over the years. What's needed is real-time processing of claims that can be bounced against a database of existing claims and payments so that patterns of suspicious activity can be revealed right away. Treasury or NSA has algorithms that would make this child's play. It seems  the Medicare folks have finally begun to use them.

More actions like this are required to restore confidence in Government. Now if the Feds would only get serious about illegal immigration...

"...Federal authorities launched a strike force in Miami in 2007 to target the problem. The program has since expanded to seven cities and is responsible for more than 720 indictments that collectively have billed the Medicare program for more than $1.6 billion.

Miami-Dade County received about $520 million from Medicare in home health care payments intended for the sickest patients in 2008, which is more than the rest of the country combined, according to a federal report. Only 2 percent of the patients live here.

It used to take 90 days before the government detected a scam. By then, the crooks were long gone, sometimes with millions of dollars. Now authorities get billing data as it's submitted, allowing them to catch suspects in real time, ''as opposed to the typical pay and chase model we've had for years,'' said Gerald Roy, assistant inspector general for investigations."

Carol Honored by United Way as HomeTown Hero (ine)

Today's breakfast organized by the United Way of Chittenden County to honor community volunteers was a grand success. The UW knows how to manage events, volunteers and recognition better than any organization I know. Kudos to the UW team and the event's corporate sponsors (Citizens Bank, Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Mutual of America, the Vermont Teddy Bear Company and the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center) for a wonderful morning!!

What made is very special for the Ushers was that Carol was selected winner in the Senior category for her work in restorative justice at the Burlington Community Justice Center during the past 10 years. She was surprised, as you can imagine, and her thank-you include powerful words about the need and the power of reconciliation among individuals, within the community and the world.

Congratulations to my wife for her steadfast commitment to restorative justice and the honor of the award!!

Vermont Court System Has $1Million Shortfall

As I'm writing this, I'm listening to Vermont Public Radio's Vermont Edition interviewing Chief Justice Paul Reiber and the Courts Administrator, Lee Susskind (sp?), about a $1million shortfall, about 3% of its annual expenditures. Lee Susskind says they need $1.6 million more in FY08.

As I listen to it, I hear mostly whining and prattle intended to appeal to the Legislature and the Governor for additional funding. To her credit, the interviewer is asking tough questions and getting somewhat pablum answers, but the whole interview seems designed as a lobbying effort by the courts. I wonder if VPR will offer the same opportunity to other agencies of state government?

It seems quite clear and simple to me. If the budget is not sufficient, then the court system must continue to tighten their belts like any other element of government. They have 16 vacant positions that need to be filled. If the Legislature determines that the courts need additional funding, they should find it within existing budget requests. We cannot simply add more funding for every agency and function of government beyond inlationary pressures.

Reiber is so circumspect about answering questions that he comes off as non-responsive. For example when asked if he has suggestions about how to streamline the Vermont system to perhaps save money, he says it's not his responsibility to do this. This is nonsense. He certainly has the prerogative to make recommendations for legislative action. Refusing to reveal them publicly gives the impression that he is evasive.

Yet, a call just now from the dean of the Vermont Law School, which almost seemed planted, about the notion of 'business courts' was answered by Chief Justice Reiber essentially saying he is making a recommendation to that effect and went on to describe it. I find the Chief Justice's performance inconsistent.

Vermont Court System Has $1Million Shortfall

As I'm writing this, I'm listening to Vermont Public Radio's Vermont Edition interviewing Chief Justice Paul Reiber and the Courts Administrator, Lee Susskin, about a $1million shortfall, about 3% of its annual expenditures. Susskin says they need $1.6 million more in FY08.

As I listen to it, I hear mostly whining and prattle intended to appeal to the Legislature and the Governor for additional funding. To her credit, Jane Lindholm, the interviewer is asking tough questions and getting somewhat pablum answers, but the whole interview seems designed as a lobbying effort by the courts. I wonder if VPR will offer the same opportunity to other agencies of state government?

It seems quite clear and simple to me. If the budget is not sufficient, then the court system must continue to tighten their belts like any other element of government. They have 16 vacant positions that need to be filled. If the Legislature determines that the courts need additional funding, they should find it within existing budget requests. We cannot simply add more funding for every agency and function of government beyond inflationary pressures.

Reiber is so circumspect about answering questions that he comes off as non-responsive. For example when asked if he has suggestions about how to streamline the Vermont system to perhaps save money, he says it's not his responsibility to do this. This is nonsense. He certainly has the prerogative to make recommendations for legislative action. Refusing to reveal them publicly gives the impression that he is evasive.

Yet, a call just now from the dean of the Vermont Law School, which almost seemed planted, about the notion of 'business courts' was answered by Chief Justice Reiber essentially saying he is making a recommendation to that effect and went on to describe it. I find the Chief Justice's performance inconsistent.