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September
10, 2005 ---
written for September 08
What next?
With things starting to calm down in the South, events are proceeding
around the world - many not too good for lovers of freedom.
Business
and Our Freedoms
Firms
test web immigration check
Wired
"Many Americans focus on the border when they consider the fight
against illegal immigration. But some experts say the real battle should
be in the workplace to stop the hiring of people without work visas. Simple
enough in theory, but how can you tell who's an illegal immigrant? Many
companies now do little more than eyeball documents, saying they lack
the expertise and resources to go any further -- and they seldom face
federal sanctions. But across the country, a small group of businesses
is quietly testing a Department of Homeland Security program that can
check immigration status with a few clicks on the internet. The program
will likely be at the heart of any federal immigration reform, even as
critics say it needs improvement." (09/05/05)
Like the
War on Some Drugs, the upcoming War on "Illegal Immigration"
may have very far-reaching "unintended" consequences: one of
which is even more government control and meddling in private business,
being tested now.
Yahoo!
'gave e-mail details that helped jail Chinese writer'
Independent [UK]
"Information supplied by the internet giant Yahoo! to Chinese
intelligence has resulted in the conviction of a journalist for "divulging
state secrets abroad", a respected international press organisation
said. Shi Tao, who worked for the daily business publication Dangdai Shang
Bao (Contemporary Business News) until he was arrested in November 2004,
was sentenced to 10 years in prison last April, in a case underlining
the stringent censorship regime which controls the Chinese media. He was
convicted of sending foreign-based websites the text of a "top secret"
government message that had been sent to his newspaper. The text warned
Chinese journalists of the dangers of social destabilisation and risks
resulting from the return of certain dissidents on the 15th anniversary
of the Tiananmen Square massacre. .... The US multinational Yahoo! allows
the Chinese version of its search engine to be censored - it bars any
mention of the Free Tibet campaign, for example - and critics say it is
willing to stifle free speech in order to gain access to the lucrative
Chinese market." (09/07/05)
Are there
any large "high-technology" companies that are supporting liberty
anywhere? Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, and dozens of others seem to support
governments more than their other customers, as this nasty little story
shows.
UK:
Gov't to crack down on doctors
Guardian [UK]
"The government promised last night to crack down on GPs in England
who contrive to meet targets to reduce patient waiting times by refusing
to offer appointments more than a day or two in advance. The issue embarrassed
Tony Blair during the general election campaign when he was confronted
by a mother during a live broadcast on BBC Television's Question Time.
Diana Church said her GP recommended her son should come back a week later,
but the receptionist said no bookings could be made more than 48 hours
ahead. The prime minister had been advised that primary care trusts claimed
99% of patients could see a GP within two working days - the government's
target for speedy access. But a report today from the Healthcare Commission
showed this assurance was misleading. It found 12% of patients were unable
to see a GP within 48 hours and 30% said they could not book an appointment
three or more days in advance." (09/06/05)
Since these
doctors are, in effect, government employees, and since government regulations
and controls are what have caused this mess, I fail to see how more government
regulations and controls are going to solve it.
Mama's
Note: What a joke! The UK killed any trace of the free market in medicine,
which produced massive shortages since few have any incentive to even
practice medicine this way. So, they decide to reduce the shortages, reflected
in the fact that few can get an appointment, by passing a law! They might
as well pass a law that requires water to run uphill.
Our
Right to Defend Ourselves
Utah:
Gun-toting poster misfires in Kanab
Salt Lake Tribune
"A poster featuring members of the Kanab High School football
team decked out in camouflage bullet-resistant vests, military helmets,
khakis and holding a variety of automatic weapons and a high-powered rifle
is destined to become a collectors' item. On Friday the principal said
the posters will be pulled back from the businesses where they were distributed
this week and replaced with a toned-down version. "No more guns,"
declared Doug Jacobs of the poster featuring seven senior-class members
of the football team. The photo was meant to show determination and toughness.
.... The new poster, printed Friday, pictures members of the team dressed
in their red-and-white uniforms. Team members try to outdo the previous
year's poster in conveying a sense of toughness, said Jacobs. Last year's
poster featured team members dressed like Cowboys - the team's nickname.
They also wore guns, but it did not raise eyebrows." (09/03/05)
Even in
supposedly conservative Utah we find this hoploclastic attitude.
North
Carolina: Weapons counseling stays in bill
Charlotte Observer
"The House decided Wednesday to keep a new policy on advising
domestic violence victims about carrying a gun, rejecting Gov. Mike Easley's
request to nullify a law he signed a few days ago. The law requires court
clerks to give victims information on applying for a concealed weapon
permits. Advocates for domestic violence victims wanted something akin
to a repeal because they think it's a bad idea to encourage domestic violence
victims to get weapons. .... Victims advocates had hoped Easley would
veto the bill. Instead, he signed it and his office worked with House
leaders to change it. But a bill that would have repealed the section
of the new law pertaining to notifying victims about the weapon permit
was defeated, 49-57. .... Rep. Mark Hilton, the Conover Republican who
sponsored the law, objected to a last-minute change after the legislature
had already approved the idea overwhelmingly. "Simple educational
information is all we're asking for," Hilton said. "This bill
would gut what we're trying to do.' The gun-rights group Grass Roots North
Carolina pushed for the law." (09/01/05)
I will
be amazed if the weak-kneed governor and his flunkies don't find some
other way to weasel out of this.
South
Africa: Black gunowners suing for RKBA
News 24
"The South African Black Gunowners Association (Sabga) is suing
the government for billions of rands because of gun-licence applications
constantly being turned down. They claim 99.9% of all Sabga members' applications
for gun licences have been rejected. Sabga chairperson Amos Khoele said
on Friday the application had been submitted to Pretoria High Court. "More
than 10 000 of the 20 000 association members have been robbed in the
past year. "Many were wounded and some were even murdered. "They
are not allowed to use their weapons in self-defence as applications for
renewal of their licences are rejected en masse." (09/02/05)
It seems
like both blacks and whites need to join in a revolt this time to get
rid of this corrupt, tyrannical, and increasingly evil government.
Survey:
Only 1.7 million kids in properly armed homes
USA Today
"About 1.7 million U.S. children live in homes with loaded, unlocked
firearms, according to the largest survey ever done on home weapons storage,
out Tuesday in the Pediatrics online journal. James Mercy, researcher
with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and colleague Catherine
Okoro analyzed surveys of 224,000 adults done by health departments in
50 states and the District of Columbia during 2002." (09/06/05)
Can we
see a trend here? State by state, compared with "child" deaths
by gunfire, the numbers don't match up, because the premise that a loaded,
readily available firearm leads to increased deaths and injuries of children
is bogus.
Gulf War
Three
New
Orleans: Mayor orders residents kidnapped
Tampa Tribune
"As flood waters receded inch by inch Tuesday, New Orleans Mayor
C. Ray Nagin authorized law enforcement officers and the U.S. military
to force the evacuation of all residents who refuse to heed orders to
leave the dark, dangerous city. Nagin's emergency declaration released
late Tuesday targets those still in the city unless they have been designated
by government officials as helping with the relief effort." (09/06/05)
Although
FEMA is being blamed for everything going wrong, we once more see the
CIA-fearing, foul-mouthed, whining, incompetent mayor is not part of the
solution: as always, he is part of the problem.
New
Orleans Begins Confiscating Firearms as Water Recedes
New York Times
Waters were receding across this flood-beaten city today as police
officers began confiscating weapons, including
legally registered firearms, from civilians in preparation for a mass
forced evacuation of the residents still living here. No civilians in
New Orleans will be allowed to carry pistols, shotguns or other firearms,
said P. Edwin Compass III, the superintendent of police. "Only law
enforcement are allowed to have weapons," he said.
This belongs
both here and in the category above. How long will it take before they
come for all of our defensive weapons? Only time will tell, but the fight
to keep them better start pretty soon. MamaLiberty
Churches
take charge and care for survivors
Detroit Free Press
" They came to the steps of the altar, wearing dirty T-shirts
and muddy flip-flops. They cried and prayed and thanked God for being
alive. On the first Sunday after Hurricane Katrina, churches in Baton
Rouge were filled with relief workers, volunteer coordinators and survivors.
Many churches have found a niche, becoming mini-relief agencies, filling
in gaps where the government has failed." (09/05/05)
The mainstream
media has a vested interest in not admitting that, far from being a "niche,
. mini-relief agency" that private, voluntary efforts by churches
and others are the only truly effective and efficient ways of dealing
with disasters like this.
Need
is vast, but so is outpouring
Christian Science Monitor
"The Chatmans popped the trunk on their aging Oldsmobile and pulled
out garbage bags bursting with baby formula, clothes, shoes, sheets, and
food. The Baton Rouge family didn't know anyone affected by hurricane
Katrina. But when they heard a local television station was a designated
donation drop-off location, they gathered up all they could and headed
into town. The entire region - indeed, the nation - has responded in a
huge outpouring of support for those affected by Katrina." (09/05/05)
Thousands
of people doing little things like this are proving more effective than
the great lumbering dinosaurs of local, state, and federal agencies.
Samaritan
evacuates 82 to San Diego
Sign on San Diego
"A local businessman's concern for victims of Hurricane Katrina
compelled him to charter a passenger jet and bring to San Diego 82 people
who had lost everything in the disaster. David Perez, 42, said he was
so disturbed by images of ineffective disaster relief that he spent about
$250,000 to hire the Boeing 737 and fly the evacuees from Baton Rouge,
La., to Lindbergh Field yesterday." (09/05/05)
Meanwhile
it seems that government agencies weren't able to use enough common sense
to keep 100 school buses from being drowned in flood waters so that thousands
could have been evacuated BEFORE the water came.
Mama's
Note: This was a nice gesture, but unless he proposes to support these
82 people indefinitely he didn't help them much. The cost of living is
very high in San Diego and I'm sure the taxpayers there will not be thrilled
to have 82 more mouths to feed. He could have supported all of them for
quite a while on the money he spent for the airplane. Some people just
don't have good sense.
Katrina
medical help held up by red tape
CNN
"Volunteer physicians are pouring in to care for the sick, but
red tape is keeping hundreds of others from caring for Hurricane Katrina
survivors while health problems rise. Among the doctors stymied from helping
out are 100 surgeons and paramedics in a state-of-the-art mobile hospital,
developed with millions of tax dollars for just such emergencies, marooned
in rural Mississippi. "The bell was rung, the e-mails were sent off.
...We all got off work and deployed," said one of the frustrated
surgeons, Dr. Preston "Chip" Rich of the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. "We have tried so hard to do the right thing.
It took us 30 hours to get here," he said. That government officials
can't straighten out the mess and get them assigned to a relief effort
now that they're just a few miles away "is just mind-boggling,"
he said." [RRND Editor's note: Reminds me of another story that
I only saw on my local news, a team of medical personnel from the Medical
College of Georgia, waiting since LAST Tuesday to be 'deployed' to the
disaster area.-MLS] (09/05/05)
The problem
here is that too many folks, too many groups, are waiting for permission
from some jumped-up government agency, when (like the folks with the trunk
full of supplies) they need to just go ahead and move as close as possible
and set up and spread the word by CB, internet, and if necessary, runner,
that they are open for business.
Why
FEMA was missing in action
Los Angeles Times
"While the federal government has spent much of the last quarter-century
trimming the safety nets it provides Americans, it has dramatically expanded
its promise of protection in one area -- disaster. ... But the government's
stumbling response to the storm that devastated the nation's Gulf Coast
reveals that the federal agency singularly most responsible for making
good on Washington's expanded promise has been hobbled by cutbacks and
a bureaucratic downgrading. The Federal Emergency Management Agency once
speedily delivered food, water, shelter and medical care to disaster areas,
and paid to quickly rebuild damaged roads and schools and get businesses
and people back on their feet. ... But in the aftermath of the Sept. 11
attacks, FEMA lost its Cabinet-level status as it was folded into the
giant new Department of Homeland Security. And in recent years it has
suffered budget cuts, the elimination or reduction of key programs and
an exodus of experienced staffers." [RRND editor's note: Excuses
mostly, but also some explanation? - SAT] (09/05/05)
It has
taken days for this to sink in, and still far too many people think that
"first response" is the duty of a government agency and specifically
of FEMA; and that only guvmint is capable of doing anything. Many people
involved in emergency response and management have been beating this drum
(and being ignored) for several years.
Katrina
response raises questions about homeland security
WBIR-TV [Knoxville, TN]
"Hurricane Katrina has become the Homeland Security Department's
first big test. Since the department was created after the 9/11 attacks
to prevent and respond to catastrophes, it has spent tens of billions
of dollars, studied disaster scenarios of every imaginable kind and run
some of the nation's biggest emergency response drills. It should have
been ready for just about anything. But it wasn't ready for the power
of Katrina. Today, as workers struggle to provide better relief for survivors,
Congress will begin investigating why the government's response was so
slow. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., leaders
of the Senate Homeland Security committee, will discuss their committee's
plan for an inquiry into the response by the Federal Emergency Management
Agency. The agency is the disaster-response division of the Homeland Security
Department. 'We intend to demand answers as to how this immense failure
occurred,' the senators said in a statement." (09/06/05)
The first
and foremost investigation Congress should do is of itself: IT passed
the laws that created this situation. And the first question to be answered
is what authority the FedGov has to do any of this.
Bush
to seek $40 billion for next phase of Katrina debacle
Tampa Tribune
"President Bush intends to seek as much as $40 billion to cover
the next phase of relief and recovery from Hurricane Katrina, congressional
officials said Tuesday as leading lawmakers and the White House pledged
to investigate an initial federal response widely condemned as woefully
inadequate. One week after the hurricane inflicted devastation of biblical
proportions on the Gulf Coast, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.,
said the total tab for the federal government may top $150 billion. At
the same time, senators in both parties said they suspect price gouging
by oil companies in the storm's aftermath." (09/06/05)
Another
40 billion (about 136 dollars per man, woman and child in the nation -
what is YOUR family's share?) stolen and given as forced "donations"
- what about at least cutting 10 or 20 percent off the gargantuan porkfest
of the new transportation act and using that to pay for this?
How
to tame the fury of hurricanes
Christian Science Monitor
"Down in bayou country, the Mississippi River's spreading fingers
have spent the past 7,000 years building, then deserting, old riverbanks
as they course through the delta toward the Gulf of Mexico. Topped with
crushed clamshells, many of these old banks have become virtually the
only roads through the region. When New Orleans native Donald Boesch was
younger, he'd drive along some of these roads, pull over, and see marsh
grass stretching to the horizon. 'There would be little lakes in there,'
he recalls. 'But from that vantage point, it looked for all the world
like it was a huge sea of grass.'" (09/07/05)
See - if
it isn't Allah or God, then it must be because we didn't worship Mother
Earth properly! (Satire,folks)
Louisiana:
Some bayou veterans aren't leaving
Boston Globe
"Hurricane Katrina failed to scare them off. Neither did the flooding,
nor the official calls to evacuate, nor the looting, nor the street banditry.
'We old school. From the bayou,' said Ed Butler, 62, sitting on the steps
of his row house, his street submerged in several feet of water. 'This
ain't nothing.' This city has emptied out in the hurricane's wake. Almost
500,000 residents are suddenly gone, a once-vibrant town is silent, with
soldiers and police seemingly the only ones left. But in the nooks and
crannies of New Orleans, life goes on for several hundred people who,
for reasons practical and eccentric, have decided to stay home, Katrina
be damned. ''We are not going anywhere. I can stay here for months,"
Butler said. Across Marais Street, Kenneth Kinler, 50, also sitting on
his front steps, heard Butler's boast, and screamed over, 'They call us
the hardheaded, isn't that right?'" (09/06/05)
These people,
for whatever reason, seem to have been prepared and are prepared to live
without the "benefit" of a protective, "fatherly"
government. Good for them. I'll bet few of them found themselves trapped
in attics with the water rising to drown them, or left the bodies of their
loved ones rotting on a sidewalk.
More
Stupid Government Tricks
TennCare
patients skip some drugs
Tennessean
"Some TennCare enrollees and those being cut from the program
are finding they have no recourse but to skip some of the drugs they need
to keep them well, pharmacists say. Customers with multiple health problems
requiring perhaps a dozen or more drugs often are doing without some of
their medications because of the cost, pharmacists said. They predict
that these patients will end up in hospitals when their medical conditions
worsen as a result of going without necessary drugs. 'The state is saving
money, but it's at the expense of the health of patients,' said Phil Bradley,
owner of Bradley Drug Co. on Charlotte Pike." [FND editor's note:
Even if you object on the grounds that this is a tax-subsidized program,
the long-term expenses that will likely ensue from this "one size
fits none" measure could easily derail any short-term savings! -
SAT] (09/06/05)
It is truly
sad to see so many people seeking to justify the continuance or reestablishment
of socialist programs like this. And for people to take the word of those
who have profited for decades from these programs that the "people"
are suffering.
Republicans
halt death-tax discussion
Washington Times
"Senate Republicans agreed yesterday to postpone consideration
of the bill to fully and permanently repeal the death tax that had been
scheduled for this week. Majority Leader Bill Frist promised to return
to the bill as soon as possible but wanted to clear the legislative decks
this week -- lawmakers' first after a month's recess -- to consider what
could be done to help deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. 'The
Senate will move from its previously scheduled agenda for Tuesday, September
6, and instead consider a resolution expressing the sympathy of the Senate
for the victims of Hurricane Katrina,' he said yesterday. The decision
by Frist comes in response to requests by Minority Leader Harry Reid and
other Democrats who wanted the vote on the death-tax repeal to be delayed
in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. 'It doesn't look right,' Reid [D-Nevada]
said yesterday." (09/06/05)
Once more,
essential business is being shunted aside for things that are NOT the
Fed-Gov's responsibility, and for a false sense of compassion that looks
good to the voters back home; and once more the GOP wimps out in the face
of even the slightest opposition by its opponents.
Roberts
confirmation hearings to begin Monday
CNN
"The Senate will begin confirmation hearings next Monday for John
Roberts to be Supreme Court chief justice, one week after President Bush
selected him to replace the late William H. Rehnquist as the 17th leader
of the nation's highest court. Senate leaders made the announcement Tuesday
as Rehnquist's body lay in repose across the street at the Supreme Court.
Roberts, a former Rehnquist clerk, helped carry the flag-draped casket
into the building for public viewing." (09/06/05)
Clearly
Bush's strategy in a quick nomination of Roberts is doing what it intended
- getting this onto the Senate's plate rather more quickly than normal.
Bush:
List for second court vacancy "wide open"
Las Vegas Review-Journal
"President Bush said the list of possibilities for his second
Supreme Court nomination was 'wide open' Tuesday as Senate Republicans
urged him to consider a woman and Democrats pressed him to consult with
them before making his next pick. The president said the Senate should
concentrate on confirming U.S. Appeals Judge John Roberts to replace the
late Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist before worrying about any other
choices." (09/06/05)
If I weren't
so cynical towards the FedGov, I'd suggest that lady from California:
Mrs. Davis? Who appears to be a strict constructionist who happens to
be a woman and black. Again, the President seems to be approaching this
logically and staying away from anything to interfere with the current
process.
California
legislature OKs homosexual marriage bill
MSNBC
"The California Legislature on Tuesday became the first legislative
body in the country to approve same-sex marriages, as gay-rights advocates
overcame two earlier defeats in the Assembly. The 41-35 vote sends the
bill to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had no comment on the bill when
it cleared the Senate last week. His office did not immediately respond
late Tuesday to a call seeking comment." (09/06/05)
I do wonder
just who the California Legislature thinks it was elected to represent,
given that polls show 60% or more of California voters oppose this action?
Are they so afraid o the courts and of certain political pressure groups
that this is possible? I am reminded of the rubber-stamp of the Reichstag
to Hitler's actions in the early 1930s.
Michigan:
New proposal would limit eminent domain
Detroit Free Press
"State and local government would be barred from seizing private
property for anything other than clearly defined public use under legislation
and a proposed constitutional amendment slated for action Tuesday afternoon,
state Senate leaders announced. Calling property rights 'one of the fundamental
rights of a free society,' Senate Majority Leader Ken Sikkema said the
proposals were needed following a U.S. Supreme Court decision earlier
this year in which the court okayed the taking of private property in
Connecticut and turning it over to a developer in order to bolster the
local tax base." (09/06/05)
If it is
such a fundamental right, then why leave in the "except for public
use" clause? Colorado and other states already have such "explicit"
clauses in their constitutions, and they aren't stopping the theft. So
all Michigan's legis-gators are doing are playing word games.
Mideast
Tarbabies
Iraq:
Talabani says Saddam confessed to crimes
Las Vegas Review-Journal
"Iraq's president said Tuesday that Saddam Hussein had confessed
to killings and other 'crimes' committed during his regime, including
the massacre of thousands of Kurds in the late 1980s. President Jalal
Talabani told Iraqi television that he had been informed by an investigating
judge that 'he was able to extract confessions from Saddam's mouth' about
crimes 'such as executions' which the ousted leader had personally ordered."
(09/06/05)
Assuming
this is true (and certainly Saddam's always given me the impression he
is PROUD of these actions and considered himself fully legally and morally
in the right - sick monster that he is), this should lead to a speedy
trial. I would fully expect him to repeat this "confession"
(which he would probably view as "proudly stating the obvious")
in public court.
Iraq
oil-for-food report points fingers
Houston Chronicle
"A probe of the Iraq oil-for-food program faults U.N. Secretary-General
Kofi Annan, the Security Council and some United Nations member states
for 'egregious lapses' that allowed corruption and incompetence to cripple
the operation, according to a preface of the final conclusions. The Independent
Inquiry Committee's report, to be published Wednesday, criticizes Annan
and the U.N. Security Council for a failure of leadership in the overall
management of the program, according to the preface, released today on
the committee's Web site." (09/06/05)
News flash:
UN corrupt! Next: Water flows downhill.
Report:
Iran 5 years from nuke
CNN
"Iran, threatened with referral to the U.N. Security Council over
its atomic ambitions, is still five years away from developing a nuclear
weapons capability, a London-based think tank said on Tuesday. 'We estimate,
if everything goes right, if they throw all their effort into solving
their problems, they might be able to produce enough weapons-grade uranium
for a single nuclear weapon within five years,' Gary Samore, editor of
a new report, told BBC radio." (09/06/05)
Another
of the vast and growing pile of "expert" reports claiming day
is night, and night is day - and whom do you believe? Remembering Clarke's
law (if an eminent and respected scientist tells you something is flat
impossible, you know you are on the right track), I will take this report
with a very large grain of salt - it probably means that they already
have at least one warhead or bomb.
Nathan Barton, now hiding again in the vastness of the Black Hills, is
trying to be a christian, libertarian, engineer, rabblerouser, and family
man. The comments herein and choice of news stories to cover are his own,
and not necessarily those of FND, RRND, any other organization, or TPOL
or anyone else associated with them. News stories are taken from the FND/RRND
digest published by the International Society for Individual Liberty,
from leads provided by readers and friends, and from Nathan's own search
of the news feed sources available in hardcopy, by radio and on-line.
Grouchiness is par for the course. Be sure to visit my blog,
Liberty's Outpost.
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