December 31, 2004

Opinions and comments found herein, especially this close to the end of the year, are those of the writer and not necessarily those of TPoL, FND, RRND, or the Old Year. Neither are the spellings.

South Asia: Tsunami toll above 77,000 [Estimates over 120,000]
Las Vegas Review-Journal
"As the world scrambled to the rescue, survivors fought over packs of noodles in quake-stricken Indonesian streets Wednesday while relief supplies piled up at the airport for lack of cars, gas or passable roads to move them. The official death toll across 11 countries soared past 77,000 and the Red Cross predicted it could exceed 100,000. Bodies were piled into mass graves in the belief that burial would ward off disease. Paramedics in southern India began vaccinating thousands of survivors against cholera, typhoid, hepatitis A and dysentery, and authorities sprayed bleaching powder on beaches where bodies have been recovered. In Sri Lanka, reports of waterborne disease such as diarrhea caused fears of an epidemic." (12/29/04)

Now government will really start to kill people - not just through the inaction or incompetence of government officials (unable to find their way out of a wet paper bag), but through malicious actions: refusing assistance from private organizations or (as we have seen in Africa) refusing food because it is gene-modified or may not comply with all their citizens’ dietary customs. At the same time, this article and others once more points out that journalists, for the most part, are pig-ignorant of what they write about - notice the remark about “in the belief that burial would ward off disease” and “bleaching powder.” Proper disposal of dead bodies (both human AND animal) is a critical part of all efforts to prevent massive epidemics and poisoning of the air and water - belief has nothing to do with it: rotting corpses provide natural breeding grounds for infected insects and other disease vectors that can then sweep through an area, among other things. “Bleach” is both a noun and a verb - and chlorine bleach (liquid or solid) is a key disinfectant, as well as an environmental pollutant.

Mama's Note: Watching this disaster develop and spread is simply heartbreaking, especially when we know that much will not be done that could be and would happen in a free world. I am praying constantly for all of the people in the affected areas, and thankful for the comfort we have here. And just think how much we could help them if over half of our income was not stolen from us, or if our country was not spending all of the vast billions in military occupation and presence all over the globe... and so much more. God help us all.

Someone pointed out that the people of the region hit the worst by this disaster are mostly Muslim and that there has not been a penny promised or donated by any Muslin country for the relief effort. Not a penny from the Saudi jillionaires or any of the rest of them. Interesting, if true - and I didn't notice bin Laden putting out a call to the faithful asking for donations either.

Desperate search for 5000 Australians
Sydney Morning Herald [Australia]
"Australia is trying to locate 5000 of its citizens missing in the tsunami-hit ring of countries round the Indian Ocean, joining many nations around the world in an agonizing search. Amid fears that the death toll will pass 100,000, the Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, said: 'Many of those people will turn up. Some may not. And we just have to be patient. This is going to be an enormously difficult period for many Australians.' Several thousand foreigners, mostly holidaying Westerners, are still unaccounted for, adding to thousands missing from the region itself. Rescue authorities said they were trying to track 1500 Swedes, 800 Norwegians, 720 New Zealanders, 214 Danes, 200 Finns, 200 Czechs, 188 Israelis, 100 Germans and 100 Italians among others. Those numbers are expected to grow." (12/30/04)

It is up to 2500 Swedes, apparently, and the Swedish government may fall as a result, according to a few other rumors floating around. Indian Ocean tourism is big business during the winter months (I guess the Med is out-of-fashion, now) and so we have this huge number of Europeans.

Montana: Court gives election to Democrat
Washington Times
"The Montana Supreme Court has broken a tie in a state House race, giving the seat -- and control of the chamber -- to the Democrats. A 6-1 decision handed down Tuesday threw out 'one or more' of seven disputed ballots, allowing Jeanne Windham, D-Polson, to claim victory over Rick Jore, the Constitution Party candidate for the 12th District seat." (12/29/04)

Yes, there is a possibility that the Supreme Court allowed the Democrat to “steal” this election, but the issue of the disputed ballots should not be dismissed so cavalierly as theft - more information is needed, and the six-one vote is not the usual partisan divide. However, the people of Montana need to look seriously at their entire system - because it sure seems broken. The proposed Washington solution should be reconsidered.

Washington: Republican calls for gubernatorial re-vote
Seattle Times
"Republican Dino Rossi on Wednesday urged his Democratic rival in the closest governor's race in state history to join him in calling for a re-vote, the latest twist in the topsy-turvy contest. 'The uncertainty surrounding this election process isn't just bad for you and me -- it is bad for the entire state,' Rossi said, reading from a letter he said he sent to Democrat Christine Gregoire. 'People need to know for sure that the next governor actually won the election.'" (12/29/04)

Of course, we can be cynical and ask why Washington State needs to know, when Montana doesn’t, and some would say the entire nation doesn’t. Both the Montana mess and this recount debacle in Washington State are some of the (many) strong arguments for keeping the electoral college and voting by state system for presidential elections.

Poll: War bad for business
AntiWar.Com
"The Bush administration's foreign policy may be costing U.S. corporations business overseas, according to a new survey of 8,000 international consumers released this week by the Seattle-based Global Market Insite (GMI) Inc. ... Twenty percent of respondents in Europe and Canada said they consciously avoided buying U.S. products as a protest against those policies. That finding was consistent with a similar poll carried out by GMI three weeks after Bush's November election victory." (12/30/04)

If this were just the only way that war is bad for business, it might be bearable. But ANY war is bad for a lot of business, especially when the war is being fought using deficit spending and massive borrowing. As we see from the impact of yesterday’s Arabian attacks on the international oil market price, even businesses that never try to sell a dime overseas feel an immediate, direct impact. The same thing was true for WW2, and every other war in history. The question that no one asks is whether this is a reasonable “bad thing” to accept, because of the reason for the war.

[Saudi] Arabia: Ten dead as police, Islamists clash
Detroit Free Press
"Islamic extremists set off bombs and battled with police in the Saudi capital Wednesday night, leaving nine militants and one bystander dead and causing oil prices to jump as the insurgents signaled they will keep up attacks despite the kingdom's crackdown on al-Qaida. A car bomb was detonated by remote control near the Interior Ministry in central Riyadh -- killing a bystander, according to Saudi TV -- followed soon after by an explosion when two suicide attackers tried to bomb a troop recruitment center." (12/29/04)

The real news here is in the world oil markets - in panic, the price of oil jumped up two dollars a barrel, despite the fact that this is just one in a series of attacks that have been taking place for years in Arabia. There are, of course, still rumors going around that the Saudis themselves are simply waiting to be put in the toaster…

Ramsey Clark joins Saddam defense team
The Australian [Australia]
"Former US attorney general Ramsey Clark is to join the defense team of Saddam Hussein, a spokesman for the toppled Iraqi president's lawyers said today. Mr. Clark, who held the office of attorney general under US president Lyndon B. Johnson, 'is one of the members of the defense team of president Saddam Hussein,' Ziad Khassawneh said. 'This honours and inspires us.' The former top US justice official who arrived in Jordan where the defense team is based, has become known as a left-wing lawyer and firm critic of US foreign policy since leaving office." (12/30/04)

I would have thought that (1) there were lots of better qualified lawyers around the world to do this, and (2) that this verges on the brink of being treason - a concept that Mr. Clark should be more than familiar with.

Ban on Canadian cattle to be lifted
Denver Post
"Cattle exports from Canada to the United States -- banned in May 2003 because of mad cow disease -- will resume in early March under a rule unveiled Wednesday by the Department of Agriculture. The rule will allow Canada to export cattle under 30 months of age and will take effect March 7, the department said in an e-mailed statement. It also recognizes Canada as being a minimal-risk region for mad cow disease, the first country to be so designated." (12/30/04)

A good news for free trade and as a counter to fear-mongering; now if we could get the rest of the world to pay attention…

And they say government schools don't dumb kids down
Chicago Sun-Times
"Yet another familiar schooldays object may be going the way of the inkwell and the slide rule. Encouraged by a milk industry study that shows children drink more dairy when it comes in round plastic bottles, a growing number of schools are ditching those clumsy paper half-pint cartons many of us grew up with. ... 'Those ... square containers are awfully hard for kids,' says New Hampshire Agriculture Commissioner Steve Taylor, who has watched the trend spread to some 320 schools in New England. 'Teachers say you can spend the whole lunch period just walking around and opening those containers.'" (12/29/04)

Ah, the wonders of symbol over substance. Our environmental friends should be all over these schools - perhaps they could have remedial training for children on how to open the cartons, which are far more environmentally friendly than the silly plastic bottles. BTW: the plastic bottles, even in bulk “school” quantities cost 25-30% more than the old-style cartons. (And the milk doesn’t taste as good, IMHO.)

Mama's Note: Hmm, I don't think it's a matter of intelligence and can easily see how it would be difficult for little children to cope with the paper cartons. I won't buy milk in paper myself because I loath trying to open the stupid things AND the milk doesn't stay as fresh in them. I much prefer the plastic gallons myself and don't notice any problem with the taste.

When I was in kindergarten and first grade, the milk came in little glass bottles with paper stoppers, and if you were not careful you could push the dumb thing down into the milk. I don't know that there is a perfect answer to this, but I think homeschooling comes the closest. Then nobody has to worry about little milk containers at all!

Iraq: With vote in a month, every day crucial
USA Today
"The white bed sheet, punctured and strung between a tree and a utility pole, carries just a few words of hand-painted Arabic script. 'Every vote is more precious than gold,' it says -- common words in a normal election campaign. But White House political guru Karl Rove would abandon his TV ad budget for the power in this banner and thousands more like it. It's not just words but a fatwa, a decree, from Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, spiritual leader of Iraq's majority Shiite Muslims. Vote, it says, or you have shirked your religious duty." (12/29/04)

Fortunately, it appears that (based on this story, if we can believe it) the Muslim clergy is itself divided over the election, since many others (including Osama) have called for “all faithful Muslims” to abstain from voting. (I guess Lent starts earlier for Muslims than for other religions, or something.)

An emerging philanthropic trend: The "giving circle"
Christian Science Monitor
"From a modest suite in downtown Charlotte, N.C., Pat's Place operates with a noble mission: to give battered children a refuge. For director Anne Pfeiffer, who's planning to move the small nonprofit into a 2,400-square-foot house, asking for money has become second nature. But a few months ago, Pat's Place received one of its largest and least expected gifts: a $100,000 windfall, not from a corporate donor, but from a tightly knit group of no-name philanthropists from Charlotte's wine-and-cheese circuit. In a modern spin on centuries-old 'sewing circles,' the 157 members of the Women's Impact Fund 'giving circle' voted to spend their money protecting children from abuse." (12/30/04)

Although CSM is gushing over this, it sounds like nothing more than another take on those “most evil of election actions” - the political action committee, or for that matter, any modern foundation. Or, when you get right to it, any church or synagogue: a collective voluntary effort. Like any other invention of man, it can be used for good or evil - and we must decide for ourselves which is which.

Arkansas: Court overrules ban on gay foster parents
MSNBC
"A state court judge in Arkansas Wednesday struck down a state rule that barred gay people from becoming foster parents, NBC's Pete Williams reported. Ruling in a case brought by the Arkansas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Timothy Fox said the state Child Welfare Agency Review board had overstepped its authority by trying to regulate 'public morality,' and in doing so had excluded a pool of effective foster parents." (12/29/04)

I fully expect this to continue on up the chain of courts, as both sides pull out more and more experts - however, this is likely to be the “company line” all the way up the chain - regardless of what anyone says.

FBI investigates laser beam directed into airplane cockpit
Dodge City Daily Globe
"Authorities are investigating a mysterious laser beam that was directed into the cockpit of a commercial jet traveling at more than 8,500 feet. The beam appeared Monday when the plane was about 15 miles from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, the FBI said. 'It was in there for several seconds like (the plane) was being tracked,' FBI agent Robert Hawk said. The pilot was able to land the plane, and air traffic controllers used radar to determine the laser came from a residential area in suburban Warrensville Heights." (12/29/04)

Rumors are it was a teenager with a new Christmas-gift science kit; expect legislation to be introduced quickly to ban private ownership and to make it a crime “of terrorism” to do this.

Six SEALs sue AP, reporter
Washington Times
"Six Navy Seals filed a lawsuit against the Associated Press and one of its reporters yesterday, saying the news organization revealed their identities, compromised their security and invaded their privacy by publishing personal photographs in a Dec. 4 story. The complaint says AP reporter Seth Hettena used about 40 images from the personal photo-storage Web site of a Navy SEAL wife. The AP published nine of the photos, which show the SEAL team capturing members of Saddam Hussein's loyalist forces. An accompanying story implied the photos 'could be' the earliest evidence of abuse of Iraqi prisoners. The images were picked up by the Arab press, including Al Jazeera, and have made their way onto a billboard outside U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba ... The billboard design includes swastika symbols and accuses the Seals of 'being Nazis,' according to the suit." (12/29/04)

Hmmm. Are these troopers sufficiently “public figures” to allow AP and this guy to beat the rap? Of course, these soldiers could accuse this reporter of being a terrorist, using current definitions, couldn’t they? Apparently, we are already into the “babykiller” stage, and with modern technology, to boot.

Mama's Note: Stories like this point out that anything someone uploads to the internet can be used without permission very easily. Seems like they'd have been much smarter to keep those photos off the net and to themselves.

Massachusetts: Governor to propose death penalty bill
Fox News
"Hoping to bring capital punishment to Massachusetts, Gov. Mitt Romney is preparing to file a death penalty bill early next year that he says is so carefully written it will guarantee only the guilty are executed. Based in part on the findings of a death penalty panel he appointed, the bill would limit capital punishment to the 'worst of the worst' crimes including terrorism, the murder of police officers, murder involving torture and the killing of witnesses. It also would use evidence such as DNA testing to protect the innocent. Romney wants his death penalty bill to be a model for other states. 'The weakness in the death penalty statutes in other states, of course, is the fear that you may execute someone who is innocent. We remove that possibility,' Romney said." (12/29/04)

And if you believe him… He has some land a few miles east of Cape Code he wants to sell you. It isn’t just the arrogance that makes me want to throw up on this news item, it is the list of “worst of the worst crimes” - given today’s climate, our leftist Mass People’s Republic would execute more people than Texas.

California: Money-laundering rules "a lot of work"
Honolulu Advertiser
"Some people may be surprised to learn that one of the linchpins in this nation's war on terrorism is the Bin & Barrel Mini Mart in Fremont, CA. Manager Sonia Cheema certainly was after her dad bought the store in October. Under federal rules still being fine-tuned, she discovered, the Bin & Barrel -- like thousands of other small businesses -- must have a written plan for foiling money-laundering terrorists. It also must have a 'compliance officer' to ensure the plan is heeded, train its employees to spot shady transactions and regularly audit its own performance. That's not all. While not widely known, the Bin & Barrel and every other U.S. business must steer clear of people on the government's 192-page list of 'specially designated nationals,' which has more than 5,000 names and is updated frequently. Otherwise, business people could face huge fines and a long stay in prison." (12/29/04)

This is certainly news to me - and I’ll be looking into it seriously, to see just what is true and what isn’t in this newspaper article. Like so many environmental regulations, it subjects hundreds of thousands of businesses and people to severe penalties, but worse, it gives anyone mad at them (a disgruntled employee, an environist, someone who wants their property or their job) a hammer to get government to beat on them with.

Homeland Security: Conflicts impede visitor screening
Richmond Times-Dispatch
"More than three years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the Bush administration has failed to create a unified U.S. fingerprint database. The Justice Department's watchdog warned yesterday that agency infighting has meant that most visitors to the country still aren't fully screened for terrorist or criminal ties. Continued bureaucratic clashing the very behavior the Bush administration pledged to end after the attacks 'creates a risk that a terrorist could enter the country undetected,' said Inspector General Glenn A. Fine in his fourth report about the problem." (12/30/04)

Frankly, this is probably good news - except that when they finally do get it set up, it will be so bug-ridden that we will probably find the entire military fingerprint database added to the “no-fly list” and similar monkey business. Of course, maybe the monkey-wrenchers are already at work, which is why these problems are around.

Mama's Note: All of this is totally meaningless, of course, since anyone can come across the border without a hint of inspection, and Americans can go to jail if they even try to prevent it! Do they really think that "terrorists" are only going to come by boat or airplane? Idiots!

Tennessee: State to tax illegal drugs
Tennessean
"Come the new year, the tax man is coming after drug dealers in Tennessee. Drug peddlers will be required to pay state excise taxes on illegal substances -- from marijuana to moonshine, from cocaine to the often illegally obtained prescription painkiller OxyContin -- under a new law that goes into effect Saturday. A 10-person tax agency has been created at a one-time cost of $1.2 million to assess the taxes and collect them. The annual cost to enforce the drug tax will be $800,000, said Elizabeth Fitzgerald, spokeswoman for the state Revenue Department. The tax, however, is expected to more than cover the costs. One estimate by the law's sponsor, Sen. Randy McNally [R-Oak Ridge] projects collecting $3.6 million in one year." (12/29/04)

This old tax dodge has been used by states and the feds for decades, and hasn’t helped the “war on drugs” in the least bit - it is particularly ironic that moonshine is being taxed, since by definition, moonshine is untaxed liquor, and exists only because of excise taxes (state and federal) on alcohol: a tradition going back to before Tennessee was admitted to the Union. I doubt if the estimates have any foundation in reality. Apparently, a lot of folks in Tennessee think this is a stupid joke.

Maryland: Senate okays bill on taxing HMOs
Washington Times
"The state Senate yesterday approved a medical malpractice insurance reform bill that would end a tax exemption for health maintenance organizations (HMOs), a move Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. has promised to veto. Under the Senate plan, the HMO tax is expected to generate as much as $70 million that would pay for a 33 percent increase in doctors' malpractice insurance premiums. The House was expected to pass a bill with a similar measure. Both chambers of the General Assembly rejected the governor's bill, which called for covering doctors' higher insurance premiums with revenue from the state's general fund and placing strict limits on malpractice lawsuits." (12/29/04)

All this does is make the State of Maryland a not so silent partner in crime of the HMOs, since it will now be sharing the profits.

Mama's Note: All they have to do is eliminate the trivia lawsuits and excessive awards. Then the insurance rates would return to something reasonable and everybody would win. Well, everybody but the people who file trivia suits, of course. Can't have anything rational like that going on, now can we?

San Francisco: Family sues cops over shooting
San Francisco Chronicle
"The family of a disabled 29-year-old man fatally shot by San Francisco police after a car chase in May has sued the city, claiming officers violated his civil rights and accusing the Police Department of protecting bad cops. The suit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court by the mother and two young children of Cammerin Boyd, says the Oakland double-amputee was deprived of his civil rights by police in an 'unjustified shooting, which clearly constituted the use of unreasonable deadly force.' ... Boyd was shot to death May 5 in the Western Addition after he allegedly fired twice at officers and tried to flee while driving a rented Chevrolet Blazer. Police investigators said the officers fired in self defense, but some witnesses said Boyd was trying to surrender when he was killed." (12/29/04)

So this case will again return to court - and once more, there is a chance to find the truth: as I recall, it was white-washed in the “internal” investigation earlier this year. Of course, the guy’s kids will be in college before it works its way up the chain.

Mama's Note: The big problem here is that, assuming there was any wrongdoing by the cops, they won't be the ones paying the tab. As always, the taxpayers get stuck with both the bad cops AND the bill for their misdeeds. If he actually did shoot at the police, I don't see how he can be so simon pure anyway.

Court: Minnesota can't regulate Internet calls
ABC News
"A Minnesota agency may not regulate calls through cyberspace as it does calls through traditional phone lines, a federal appeals court ruled. The Dec. 22 order by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis upholds a lower-court ruling and is a win for fledgling companies like Vonage Holdings Corp. of Edison, NJ, which provides Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission had argued that VoIP companies were providing phone-like service and therefore should be regulated as phone companies are. But those businesses said they provide an information service rather than a telecommunications service." (12/29/04)

Hopefully, this will be maintained by further courts as it makes its way, too, up the chain. A lot of statists will view this as a threat, since it could lead, ultimately to the deregulation (and detaxification, if that is a word) of all phone services.

Worries over cross-border drug trade
CNews [Canada]
"Cross-border Internet pharmacies threaten to drain precious supplies needed to treat sick Canadians and could lead to a 'full-scale disaster' for the health system, a coalition of groups representing seniors, pharmacies and patients warned Monday. Groups claiming to represent 10 million Canadians called on Ottawa to ban the export of prescription drugs, arguing that Canada cannot afford to address U.S. drug shortages and soaring prescription costs with its own stock. ... Chuck Cruden of the Manitoba Society of Seniors said Canadian doctors should be treating Canadian patients instead of selling their signatures to 'cosign' American prescriptions. 'The United States is the richest country in the world,' Cruden said. 'They are more than capable of solving this problem on their own. Canada is too small and our drug supply is too small to solve America's problem.'" (12/29/04)

Interesting. I thought most observers (and even more users) already thought the Canadian health care system WAS a “full-scale disaster.” It seems that these people are being too shortsighted: this could become an important part of Canada’s economy, and provide jobs for all those blue-state types who want to leave the evil society of the US.

Mama's Note: This doesn't make any sense at all. The Canadian reaction would lead one to believe that there is a finite supply of these medications and no more could be obtained. That's hogwash. The drug companies are straining at their leashes to get this deal finalized because they know they will sell even more of their wares to both Canadians and Americans. There is something missing here if Canadians have any legitimate problem. Of course, the best idea is for everyone to find natural and nutritional answers to their health problems and leave drugs for a rare last resort, not pop them like they were M&Ms.

New York: Bodega hero foils gunman
New York Post
"A Queens bodega clerk wrested a gun from a robber yesterday and then fired at the fleeing crook, who had just shot a coworker, police said. The holdup man escaped with an accomplice, but dropped the $600 he had swiped from the cash register at the Nolasco Grocery on Guy Brewer Boulevard in South Jamaica." (12/28/04)

I presume that this clerk will be prosecuted for illegally obtaining a firearm, to let the City of New York remain consistent in its anti-gun stance.

Mama's Note: Is Jamaica in New York City now? I'm confused...

Nathan Barton is a libertarian writing from the Four Corners. Again, to everyone, a very Happy New Year. Drive safe and watch out for the nuts, if you have to go out on Friday night! We want you to keep reading The Price of Liberty, and doing your best for the cause of liberty in 2005. See Nathan's own blog, Liberty's Outpost.

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