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December
12, 2005
Libertarian
Commentary on the News, Week ending 10 DEC 2005
Let's
jump right in, remembering that these views (and the news selected from
various sources) are those of the writer, and don't necessarily reflect
the views or opinions or taste of anyone else associated with TPoL, FND,
RRND, CNS, or (especially) the FBI, CIA, BATFE, USDA, or NASLTPO, to name
a few.
Culture
Wars in the USA
Once
more, in December, we find the culture wars are whipped up to a fever
pitch, and it is stomach-churning to see both the battle and how people
respond to it. We start with the evils of Christmas and go from there.
Some
megachurches close for Christmas
Associated Press
This Christmas, no prayers will be said in several megachurches around
the country. Even though the holiday falls this year on a Sunday, when
churches normally host thousands for worship, pastors are canceling services,
anticipating low attendance on what they call a family day. Critics within
the evangelical community, more accustomed to doing battle with department
stores and public schools over keeping religion in Christmas, are stunned
by the shutdown. It is almost unheard of for a Christian church to cancel
services on a Sunday, and opponents of the closures are accusing these
congregations of bowing to secular culture.
If you
ever thought the world was getting really, REALLY strange, this news surely
proves it. Let me point out, I am a christian, and I do NOT celebrate
Christmas: it is NOT authorized nor required in the Bible - but worship
on Sunday IS both authorized and required. Thus, this is doubly bizarre
to me, and shows how twisted and warped religious "institutions"
have gotten today. These megachurches are the religious equivalent of
the Fedgov - they are huge, employing dozens or hundreds, put on what
is essentially entertainment which they call worship, and compete as much
with secular organizations (cinema, sporting events, etc.) as with "other
churches."
Mama's
Note: This is really strange, considering the offering basket "take"
they'll be giving up. Who knows? Just maybe, however, at least some of
the people who would have gone to these phony "churches" will
find somewhere else to go. Maybe they will hear the real message of the
gospel for the first time. God works in mysterious ways.
'Silent
Night' secularized: School changes beloved Christmas carol to 'Cold in
the Night' with all new lyrics
WorldNetDaily.com
For a performance in its "winter program," a Wisconsin elementary
school has changed the beloved Christmas carol "Silent Night,"
calling the song "Cold in the Night" and secularizing the lyrics.
According to Liberty Counsel, a religious-liberty law firm representing
a student's parent, kids who attend Ridgeway Elementary School in Dodgeville,
Wis., will sing the following lyrics to the tune of "Silent Night":
Cold in the night, no one in sight, winter winds whirl and bite, how I
wish I were happy and warm, safe with my family out of the storm. "Silent
Night" is the most recorded song in history. The carol was written
by Franz Gruber and Joseph Mohr. Gruber led the singing of his new song
for the first time during an 1818 Christmas Eve service in Oberndorf,
Austria, accompanying the choir on guitar.
Well, I
don't know what happened this year, but the entire nation seems to be
in a spasm over Christmas, with coast-to-coast nuttiness. "Holiday
trees" have suddenly taken over from "Christmas trees"
while schools are allowing nativity scenes without people figures (just
animal figures - go figure!), and stores are both attacking and getting
attacked over "Christmas greetings" versus "Season's greetings"
or "Holiday greetings." It is almost as if people are searching
for ways to be distracted or distract others from more serious business
and news.
Mama's
Note: The really sad thing is to see how many people allow themselves
to be pushed around by all this, even in the very small mid west town
where I live now. That people are even talking about this and wondering
what is "right" to say is pitiful. I'll continue to say the
same thing I have for many years: "Christmas blessings and joy to
you and your family."
Holland:
Xmas carols to keep gangs away
Ananova [UK]
"Dutch authorities are playing loud and annoying Christmas carols
in public areas to keep teenage gangs off the streets. Charlois Council
in Rotterdam have started blasting out the Dutch children's carols from
a barrel organ at the Zuidplein underground station. It follows complaints
from commuters about gangs hanging around at night. A council spokesman
said all the unruly teenagers had disappeared within a few minutes of
the carols blaring out." (12/06/05)
I've seen
these gangs of teenagers at Dutch train stations, and they are very much
an irritation to travelers (as well as being rather colorful in their
own way). See picture. However, the European Court of Human Rights has
already determined that use of loud and annoying music is a "inhumane
and degrading" method of warfare and for the treatment of prisoners,
so wouldn't it be illegal even to use it on subhuman groups like teenagers?
Right
to assisted suicide 'irresistible'
World Net Daily
During the next 35 years, the traditional view of the sanctity of human
life will collapse under pressure from scientific, technological, and
demographic developments, says controversial bio-ethics professor Peter
Singer. "By 2040, it may be that only a rump of hard-core, know-nothing
religious fundamentalists will defend the view that every human life,
from conception to death, is sacrosanct," says Princeton University's
defender of infanticide. "In retrospect, 2005 may be seen as the
year in which that position (of the sanctity of life) became untenable,"
he writes in the fall issue of Foreign Policy. Singer also is known for
launching the modern animal rights movement with his 1975 book "Animal
Liberation," which argues against "speciesism." He insists
animals should be accorded the same value as humans and should not be
discriminated against because they belong to a non-human species.
The number
of libertarians who support this man and his twisted ideas is scary, because
he is denying, literally, the entire concept of liberty and freedom, even
though he couches it in terms that too many pro-choice people see as supporting
their own position. Singer is in the tradition of Darwin and dozens of
other philosophers who offer a fast, easy track to totalitarianism. But
his ideas as are old (and discredited) as any in history: the idea that
people who are not of my (family/tribe/race/skin color/nationality/religion)
really aren't human, and so can be treated exactly like animals - which
Singer makes very clear. And if it is wrong ("speciesism") to
discriminate AGAINST animals, then it is just as wrong to discriminate
FOR humans - which leads ultimately to a situation where having the veal
in your veal parmesana from longpork becomes just a matter of poor taste
and nothing else.
Christians
battle over "Narnia"
Christian Science Monitor
"The legacy of one of the 20th century's most influential religious
figures is suddenly up for grabs, thanks to a new family film intended
to make millions at the box office. That's because Walt Disney's 'The
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,' set for release
nationwide Friday, has helped fuel fresh interest in the beliefs of its
late creator, C.S. Lewis. Though perhaps best known for his entertaining
children's books, Lewis has attained a following among millions of Christians
drawn to explore -- and debate -- what he believed to lie at the heart
of Christianity. In one camp are evangelicals, whose churches regularly
use Lewis's book 'Mere Christianity' to introduce newcomers to orthodox
understandings of Jesus Christ. ... Others, however, insist that Lewis
cared chiefly about bringing the worldwide Christian family together."
(12/08/05)
Welcome
to the next phase of the Culture Wars in the US. Of all things, CSM has
no idea of just what is going on in this debate: their mix of "New
Age" religion and typical Mainstream Media bias just leaves them
without a clue. At the same time, the foohoorah about the first Narnia
film has left me both puzzled and cold. First, that Disney, as a backsliden
"family" filmmaker which is in the forefront of the media-liberal
fight to completely degrade American society, should be the company making/releasing
this film. Second, that so-called religious activists like Focus on the
Family have jumped on board with Disney in this, after a decade or more
of decrying Disney's films, its corporate policies, and its political
positions. Then, there is the hyper-fawning tone of so many religious
commentators about the wondrous nature of the books themselves - nearly
giving it equal billing with the Bible. Clearly, Disney has spent its
money well in developing two completely separate marketing schemes: one
for "Christians" and one for "everyone else."
Hanging
of Santa has People Upset
IBC TV-6
INSERT PICTURE HERE
A large blindfolded Santa hanging from a noose from a high tree in
a man's yard has angered homeowners in a Florida neighborhood, according
to a Local 6 News report. The Santa doll, which neighborhood children
can easily see, was put up by homeowner Ron Stroia at his home located
on 555 West 50th Street in Miami Beach, the report said.
This quirky
tale is not much different than the usual witch and broom slammed into
a telephone pole or a billboard, or even the Santa and sleigh plastered
into the side of a building, or put up on a power line together with various
fried deer. But in today's cultural war climate, it seems to be generating
a lot of heat. And it is more realistic, perhaps, than most, at least
to people who haven't seen real hanged bodies after the life is choked
out of them.
Various
Freedoms under Attack
I've got several interesting stories this week about how various personal
freedoms (childhood, speech, travel, etc.) are being either attacked or
protected in various ways.
Police
warn author on remarks
The Daily Telegraph (UK)
Lynette Burrows, an author on children's rights and a family campaigner,
took part in a discussion on the Victoria Derbyshire show on Radio Five
Live about the new civil partnerships act. During the programme, she said
she did not believe that homosexuals should be allowed to adopt. She added
that placing boys with two homosexuals for adoption was as obvious a risk
as placing a girl with two heterosexual men who offered themselves as
parents. "It is a risk," she said. "You would not give
a small girl to two men." A member of the public complained to the
police and an officer contacted Mrs. Burrows the following day to say
a "homophobic incident" had been reported against her.
Freedom
of speech? Not in our nations, where it is a crime to say anything which
might be disparaging to a "minority." This reminds me of an
incident in a local paper in SW Colorado, where the daily newspaper publishes
the "student newspaper" which comes out a couple of times a
semester. The student paper featured an article about "diversity
training" conducted in the school, in which a "crime" was
investigated (role-playing) in which "cowboys" did their "usual
thing" in attacking homosexuals, Hispanics, and immigrants. When
asked if it wasn't wrong to portray cowboys in such a light (this is ranching
and farming country, after all), the response was to "get real."
Common sense, always at a premium, seems to be in very short supply nowadays.
UK:
Police stop toddler for driving toy car
Ananova [UK]
"A two-year-old boy has been pulled over by police while driving
his toy car. Oliver Smith was driving his toy car at 2mph on the pavement
[sidewalk] when he was pulled over by a policeman reports the Mirror.
Oliver's grandad Derek was warned by the policeman that the boy could
be charged for having no tax or MoT certificate. Oliver's father Richard
from Leyland Lancs said: 'My dad thought it a was joke at first -- he
was expecting Jeremy Beadle to turn up. The officer said the buggy could
damage a parked car. He gave a warning and drove off.' ... Lancashire
Police said: 'We cannot comment on the individual case but a child's toy
car that can only travel 2-3mph does not come under motor vehicle legislation.
Having said that, we would always advise children not to play near to
the highway.'" (12/04/05)
Somebody
trying to meet a quota? Or a bobby so scared of the real thugs and criminals
that he has to bully an infant? Sounds like someone needs to get a life.
Mama's
Note: A two year old playing in the street? This is criminal neglect at
best. A two year old can't be trusted to be alone anywhere except their
own bed, and that only with a parent nearby. The parents of this tot need
to spend some time with a grief encounter group of those who have lost
their children. This an "accident" looking for a place to happen.
Instead of gearing up to crucify the person who runs over the child, why
not keep him out of the street to start with?
MySpace
website stirs a warning
Boston Globe
"Principals of several Boston area middle and high schools are
warning parents to rein in teenagers who are posting intensely personal
information and, in some cases, provocative photos of themselves on a
free Internet site. The students, principals have said in letters and
even in calls to parents, could become victims of predators. One 17-year-old
from the area posted photos of herself in her underwear on the website
MySpace.com. Several high school students in Newton included poses of
themselves holding beer cans, while some Newton middle school students
lied about their age, principals said. The creation of MySpace.com in
2003 and other similar sites in recent years has added another challenge
for adults struggling to juggle safety concerns with teenagers' desire
to explore the Internet. Internet safety specialists emphasized that parents
should monitor teens' Internet use, but respect their space and warn them
before checking their postings." (12/08/05)
Privacy?
It appears that the schools are violating their students' privacy far
more than what the students are revealing about themselves. Still, for
once, a school has a valid concern - but it is up to PARENTS, and not
schools, to protect their children. See more in "GRTF-schools"
below! Again, common sense isn't here.
Massachusetts:
ACLU says t-shirt tied to speech
Boston Globe
"Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts
yesterday sent a letter to Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Boston Police Commissioner
Kathleen M. O'Toole urging them to abandon a plan to send employees into
shops to seize or 'strongly discourage' the sale of T-shirts that warn:
'Stop Snitching.' The lawyers said that while they share the concerns
about a surge in murders and other violent crimes this year, city officials
have no right to bar the sales of such shirts. That 'is a form of official
censorship which is fundamentally inconsistent with the constitutional
guarantees of freedom of expression,' John Reinstein, legal director for
the ACLU of Massachusetts, said in a statement. Seth Gitell, a spokesman
for Menino, said the mayor will not be deterred from stopping the sales
of such shirts." (12/03/05)
Forget
the ACLU garbage about "free speech" and concentrate on an equally
important (or even more important) item: government theft of private property.
If a city government and its blue-goons can march into a store and rip
things off under the cover of "befehl ist befehl" (orders are
orders, or "just following orders), then there is no freedom left
in the city where the American fight for freedom heated up. I suggest
more tee-shirts with the slogan, "Major Menino - stop stealing."
State
Department proposes "universal" ID card
USA Today
"A universal card under development by the State Department could
ease concerns about stricter passport rules set to take effect by 2008,
panelists at a Senate subcommittee hearing said Friday. But more Customs
and Border Patrol agents would be needed to reduce delays, and the card
should cost less than the nearly $100 for a passport, they said. 'Why
implement a new process at increased expense to people who may have difficulty
affording it, when we cannot currently staff and administer existing processes
and procedures?' said Guillermo Trevino, chairman of the Laredo Chamber
of Commerce. " (12/03/05)
Silliness
incarnate. Exactly what will this do, except create more profits for Beltway
bandits who produce the cards, the machines to make and read them, and
the training to get them working.
Mama's
Note: Even if these cards were a good idea - which they are not - I fail
to understand why it would cost $100. It can't cost any more to produce
or track these things than the average high tech credit card, and I keep
finding them in my mail without asking for them. As usual, this has nothing
to do with safety or what is good for people. It's job security and increased
control over everyone else for government employees and their bosses.
This is strictly a case of a man being compelled to buy the rope for his
own lynching.
Government-Ruined,
Theft-Funded Schools
In
addition to various cultural war battles, the schools are as usual bastions
of tyranny and sisters under the skin to those other "public"
institutions: prisons. But more and more people are waking up to this.
Supreme
Court considers recruitment case
USA Today
"The
Supreme Court appeared ready Tuesday to rule that Congress can withhold
money from colleges that protest the Pentagon's ban on gay men and lesbians
by denying military recruiters access to campuses. Most of the nine justices
seemed skeptical of claims by a group of 30 law schools that said their
First Amendment rights to speak out against discrimination are violated
by a law that could allow the U.S. government to withhold billions of
dollars from colleges that inhibit military recruiters." (12/06/05)
Nothing
like watching various governments here in the US fuss and feud with each
other. The only reason these universities can't decide for themselves
who to allow recruit and who not to is because they have prostituted themselves
to the Fed-gov. Of course, they were already prostitutes - the Fed-gov
is just another client to these schools who have used stolen money to
support themselves and their vaunted freedom for years.
Homeschooled
boy wins national science contest
CNN
"A 16-year-old, homeschooled California boy won a premier high
school science competition Monday for his innovative approach to an old
math problem that could help in the design of airplane wings. Michael
Viscardi, a senior from San Diego, won a $100,000 college scholarship,
the top individual prize in the Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math,
Science and Technology. Viscardi tackled a 19th century math problem and
his new method of solving it has potential applications in the fields
of engineering and physics." (12/05/05)
My personal
experiences with various types of schooling make it easy to understand
why this is so - and why more and more, homeschooled students will be
courted by good colleges and employers.
Mama's
Note: And I just wonder how soon it will be completely illegal to homeschool.
These tyrants do not tolerate any competition, especially successful competition.
I suspect that we will soon see jack-booted thugs raiding "illegal"
classrooms, complete with guns and tear gas - all to "protect the
children," of course. The media blitz will go out to paint all homeschooling
parents as drooling knuckledraggers and perverts. The truth won't matter,
and will be ruthlessly suppressed, as it always has been.
Home
Front
At
the same time as we are fighting the Culture Wars here in the US, we are
also one more front in the world war against tyrants and terrorists, and
trying to continue to deal with a number of manmade, natural, and man-enhanced
natural disasters.
Former
9/11 commissioners: US at risk
Las Vegas Review-Journal
"The U.S. is at great risk for more terrorist attacks because
Congress and the White House have failed to enact several strong security
measures, members of the former Sept. 11 commission said Sunday. 'It's
not a priority for the government right now,' said the former chairman,
Thomas Kean, ahead of the group's release of a report Monday assessing
how well its recommendations have been followed." (12/04/05)
They want
a police state 24-7 and nationwide, and the great "progress"
we've made towards one isn't enough for these people, clearly.
Bush
seeks boost from his shift on immigration
Houston Chronicle
"When George W. Bush ran for president in 2000, he called for
improving services to all new immigrants and spending more federal money
to speed the application process for citizenship. ... But last week, the
'compassionate conservatism' of the early Bush presidency was replaced
by a harder line. 'Our responsibility is clear: We are going to protect
the border,' Bush said in an Arizona speech that marked the start of a
concerted White House campaign against illegal immigration."
(12/04/05)
I've still
seen nothing but words - either past or present. I do not think that the
President has really changed his position in the least.
E-mail,
memos detail Katrina's political storm
MSNBC
"As Hurricane Katrina roared ashore and thousands of people waited
days amid the floodwater for rescue, a series of letters passed between
the governor and the White House that reveal delays, claims that requests
for federal help weren't received, and concerns on both sides about public
relations. Gov. Kathleen Blanco late Friday released 100,000 pages of
memos, handwritten notes, e-mails, phone logs and other documents requested
by congressional committees that are now investigating what happened behind
the scenes in the frantic days surrounding the deadly Aug. 29 storm."
(12/04/05)
This is
all normal for that kind of situation, and does nothing but provide fuel
for both sides to fuss about.
New
York: Judge upholds subway searches
Buffalo News
"Random police searches of subway riders' bags to deter terrorism
in the nation's largest subway system do not violate the Constitution
and are a minimal intrusion of privacy, a federal judge ruled Friday.
'The risk of a terrorist bombing of New York City's subway system is real
and substantial,' U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman said in a 41-page
ruling dismissing a lawsuit filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union.
Citing testimony that up to 50 percent of terrorist acts were directed
at transportation systems, he said the need for counterterrorism measures
was 'indisputable, pressing, ongoing and evolving.' He called the searches
effective. ... in its lawsuit, the NYCLU said sporadic police searches,
which began in July following deadly mass transit bombings in London,
subjected innocent riders in New York to pointless and unprecedented invasions
of privacy. 'We remain confident that this program is unconstitutional,
and we intend to appeal immediately,' said Christopher Dunn, NYCLU legal
director.'" [FND editor's note: This guy must be a true constitutional
scholar -- else how could he find the hidden, secret "indisputable,
pressing, ongoing and evolving need" exception clause that none of
us ever noticed before in the Fourth Amendment - TLK] (12/03/05)
The fix
is in, and the kangaroo is wearing the robe.
Air
travelers face return of random searches
Pioneer Press
"Just in time for the holiday rush, airline passengers will once
again be subject to random secondary security searches, including 'pat-downs,'
starting Dec. 22. That means some folks will be pulled aside for another
going-over after they already pass through a metal detector and their
carryon bags are inspected at airport security checkpoints. That going-over,
too, is being revamped. On the same day, the restrictions loosen for what
passengers can carry on the airplanes. Back in: scissors with blades less
than 4 inches and screwdrivers and other tools that are 7 inches or less.
The changes will enhance safety, security officials say, because they'll
take the predictability out of searches and reduce the time security workers
spend searching bags for small scissors so they can focus on more-dangerous
items." (12/03/05)
Ah, so
we can now carry scissors and screwdrivers - hijackers beware! Funny,
wonder what genius came up with the seven inch/four inch rule?
Florida:
Professor acquitted on some terror charges
Tampa Tribune
"In a stinging defeat for federal prosecutors, a former Florida
professor accused of helping lead a terrorist group that has carried out
suicide bombings against Israel was acquitted on nearly half the charges
against him Tuesday, and the jury deadlocked on the rest. The case against
Sami Al-Arian, 47, had been seen as one of the biggest courtroom tests
yet of the Patriot Act's expanded search-and-surveillance powers."
(12/06/05)
But now
they plan to deport him anyway, apparently under the "if there's
smoke, there's fire" rule. After all, he's had his day in court,
and somehow Congress has passed a (secret?) law that the Constitution
doesn't apply to foreigners anymore.
FEMA
official warned about unprepared teams
USA Today
"FEMA's top official was told more than a year before Hurricane Katrina
that the agency's emergency response teams were unprepared for a major
disaster and were operating under outdated plans, documents show. Additionally,
e-mails obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press indicate that Homeland
Security Secretary Michael Chertoff tried to call Louisiana Gov. Kathleen
Blanco the afternoon before Katrina hit. The e-mails indicate she could
not be immediately reached and may have been napping." (12/07/05)
FEMA is
NOT an emergency response agency - it is a coordinating agency. Emergency
response is the responsibility of local (and perhaps) state governments,
and most of all, individual citizens. Yet the media and government elected
officials cannot seem, on the whole, to understand this. And heaven forbid
that we should stop finding who and why to blame, instead of getting things
done right for the NEXT hurricane or attack.
Mama's
Note: Truth is the last thing anybody in government wants, no matter what
it's about. Government doesn't have any business in our disasters any
more than it has in any of our other business. The only possible and appropriate
"planning" for any disaster is in the hands of individuals and
their voluntary associations. When left alone and not guaranteed a subsidy
from someone else's money, they will have to assess the risks and buy
insurance to cover potential losses. If the potential is so high that
they can't or won't afford the insurance or the risk of loss without insurance,
they won't build there at all. Government can't properly plan for disaster
any more than they can plan effective healthcare or education. It's simply
not possible.
Firearm
seizures up at New Orleans airport
USA Today
"When an airport security officer saw an image of a gun on an x-ray
machine at a passenger concourse, he immediately hit the test button to
determine if the weapon was real or a fictional setup designed to keep
screeners on their toes. Unlike in most instances, the image didn't vanish
from the screen, indicating to officer Kevin Forest the threat was real.
The situation was one of 10 at Louis Armstrong International since October,
said Mike Robinson, the airport's security director. The airport has had
17 such seizures in the last year, so 10 in two months is significant,
he said." (12/08/05)
I would
guess that most of this is due to forgetfulness or carelessness, just
like cops who leave their guns on the back of the toilet - but we MUST
find sinister reasons for everything. Of course more people are going
to be carrying weapons in and around New Orleans, with the scaremongering,
and just for plain common sense. So naturally there is going to be an
increase. I'll bet there has also been an increase in knives and other
(formerly) forbidden tools, as well, and for the same reason: more carrying,
same amount of forgetfulness.
Mama's
Note: I'd like to know what harm was supposed to come from a gun in checked
baggage anyway. They must still have the idea the gun is going to break
out of the bag all by itself and run down the concourse shooting people
at random. It doesn't have to make any sense at all. If there's a "rule,"
then what difference does it make?
New
Orleans chief says 60 officers fired
Indianapolis Star
"The city has fired 60 police officers and suspended more than
25 others who didn't show up for duty in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina,
the city's police chief said Thursday as officials worked their way through
a long list of disciplinary hearings. Most of the fired officers, 51 of
them, were let go before the hearings began, Police Chief Warren Riley
said. The 228 officers now involved in the disciplinary hearings left
New Orleans without permission in the days after the hurricane hit, the
chief told The Associated Press in an interview." (12/08/05)
Good. Now,
let's get rid of the rest of them, starting with Riley. I suggest a public
safety roster, where private citizens volunteer to serve as police, say
one day out of 14 (24 or 25 times a year), after some basic training (2-3
weeks). People willing to volunteer in the first place will be less likely
to run out at the first sign of trouble, and won't go around beating up
on their fellow citizens to get them to give up their guns, or stealing
from Wal-Mart, either.
House,
Senate agree to extend Patriot Act
Cincinnati Enquirer
"Key Republicans from the House and Senate reached a White House-backed
compromise Thursday to renew the broad powers granted to law enforcement
agencies in the days after the 2001 terrorist attacks on American soil.
GOP leaders pledged to pass the Patriot Act extension for President Bush's
signature by the holidays, although bipartisan criticism flared. Sen.
Russell Feingold, D-Wis., threatened to filibuster a bill he said lacked
adequate safeguards to protect constitutional freedoms." (12/08/05)
It turns
my stomach - we don't NEED more power for government agencies, we need
LESS power and more personal responsibility and freedom to defend ourselves
against these threats.
Doors
close on bus case
Rocky Mountain News
"Federal prosecutors have dropped charges against Deborah Davis,
the 53-year-old Arvada woman who refused to show her identification to
federal police officers on an RTD bus traveling through the Federal Center
in Lakewood. Davis' supporters, at first jubilant to learn Wednesday morning
that she will not be prosecuted, were dismayed to learn hours later that
officers of the Federal Protective Service still will ask passengers on
the public bus to show their identification. The policy applies to all
passengers, including those, as in Davis' case, who are traveling through
the Federal Center and not getting off the bus there. Federal officials
said the Davis case was closed because of a technicality involving a problem
with a sign at the Federal Center at the time Davis was ticketed. The
sign was supposed to inform people that their IDs would be checked. ....
Bill Scannell, a spokesman for Davis and an activist who has helped publicize
other challenges to government identification requests, said a rally outside
the courthouse, at 19th and Champa streets, will occur at 8:30 a.m. Friday
as planned. He said Davis will speak during the rally and she and her
supporters will ride through the Federal Center on the Regional Transportation
District's Bus 100 - the one from which Davis was removed for not showing
her ID. Scannell called it "a victory ride," even after he learned
that the policy has not changed. "My anticipation is that the victory
riders will be fully exercising their constitutional rights to travel
freely in their own country on a public bus," he said. Asked if some
or all of the riders might refuse to show their IDs to Federal Center
police, he said, "I think that's a fair assumption.'" (12/08/05)
Good news
and bad news. The entire problem lies with government agencies to begin
with, and the fact that the Federal Center failed to check ID cards on
buses for decades without having been the target of an attack is good
reason to say, "leave well enough alone." If there is a serious
threat, have the other government agency (RTD - the bus agency) reroute
its buses. The only inconvenience will be to the government employees
who work on the Federal Center, and people like Ms. Davis can live in
peace.
Privacy
advocate asks court to expand case about showing ID
San Diego Union Tribune
"A wealthy Libertarian who is fighting a requirement that airline
passengers show identification before traveling asked a federal appeals
court Thursday to broaden the scope of his battle to cover other forms
of commercial transportation. The request to expand John Gilmore's case
was made during arguments before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals,
which is considering his argument that identification demands at airports
are illegal searches that violate his right to travel freely throughout
the United States. A lower court judge had earlier rejected Gilmore's
case and U.S. Government lawyers have refused to confirm or deny a federal
law or regulation requiring IDs at airports even exists. Government attorneys
say they are barred from disclosing the existence of security-related
regulations. Judge Richard Paez, one of the three appellate jurists hearing
the case, called the government's actions "odd" and fellow panelist
Judge Stephen Trott accused government lawyers of "playing cat-and-mouse"
with the purported identification requirement. " (12/08/05)
Far more
important than the Denver Federal Center ID business, this is being pretty
much ignored by the Media, so my kudos to the Union-Trib. Just what is
this "secret" law? Almost a decade ago, the airlines started
requiring ID cards, and at that time, there definitely was NO law - a
number of airline employees made it clear that the reason they were doing
that was to keep people from sharing tickets and avoid potential liability
if a plane went down with the wrong person on the manifest. But even then,
the excuse given was "hijacking" - for which a forged government
ID is perhaps the easiest part of preparations.
Gulf
Coast resurrection rests on who pays
Cincinnati Enquirer
"Three months after Hurricane Katrina, we know that damage is
enormous. We know that it will cost billions of dollars to rebuild New
Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast. What we don't know is where the
money will come from. Louisiana's congressional delegation introduced
legislation in September calling for a $212 billion federally funded rebuilding
effort; fiscal conservatives scotched the proposal." (12/04/05)
Obviously
the Press is upset about the refusal to create the biggest welfare state
ever recorded. We know who is going to pay, though, whatever the exact
mechanism is: the American taxpayer.
Our Imperial Courts
Closely related to the Home Front and the World War in general, as well
as the culture wars, the fight against judicial tyranny continues, as
stories show it must.
Insanity
defense goes to Supreme Court
Arizona Republic
"The Supreme Court, jumping into an issue it avoided for nearly
two decades under the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist, said Monday
that it would hear an appeal filed on behalf of a teenager who apparently
thought he was being pursued by aliens when he killed a Flagstaff police
officer. The justices will take up the case in the spring. The young man's
lawyer, David Goldberg, said in a filing that Arizona lawmakers made their
law too restrictive. It allows a defendant to be found 'guilty except
insane' and held for mental health treatment, but it restricts what evidence
can be used to prove insanity. It's the first time the court has dealt
with a direct constitutional challenge to insanity defense laws since
lawmakers around the country imposed new restrictions after John Hinckley's
acquittal by reason of insanity in the March 1981 shooting of then-President
Reagan." (12/06/05)
As usual,
the hue and cry is to react to one-of-a-kind situations. Much as I would
like to think that the Supreme Court under the new CJ will make a wise
ruling in this troublesome area, I realize that there is a greater chance
that the Titanic will dock in New York in the next couple of weeks.
Alito's
recusal policy questioned
Boston Globe
"In 1987, Samuel A. Alito Jr., then the US attorney for the district
of New Jersey, signed a bank fraud indictment of a New Jersey man named
Larry Kopp. Later, when Alito became a federal appeals judge, he put the
Kopp case on his 'standing recusal' list, seeking to uphold his promise
that he would disqualify himself from any case that he had supervised
as US attorney. But in 1992, Alito was noted as 'present' in the court's
final decision in the Kopp case, in which the vacating of Kopp's sentence
was upheld. If Alito did take part, it would appear to be a fourth instance
in which the Supreme Court pick was recorded as being in a case he had
promised to avoid. The chief judge of the appeals court, Anthony J. Scirica,
said in a telephone interview that the clerk should have kept Alito from
considering the case, and that there was no way to know from the record
whether he had participated." (12/06/05)
Hmmm. Does
"present" constitute "participation"? Hard to say.
In the current atmosphere of searching clear back to preschool for reasons
to reject him for the Supreme Court, both sides can use this ammo.
Mama's
Note: What they all seem incapable of accepting is the fact that absolutely
nobody and nothing will satisfy everyone, and anyone who even tries winds
up so insipid they are useless. If any of this circus has a legitimate
purpose at all, which I reject, only actual criminal or clearly unethical
behavior should be considered. But we all know that's not how politics
are conducted - and never have been.
Judge
loath to grant DeLay separate trial
Houston Chronicle
"The judge in U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay's criminal case said today he
is unlikely to allow Delay to be tried separately from his codefendants
or on only one of the two money laundering charges still pending against
him. 'It is unlikely that I will grant a severance of counts or even of
defendants in the absence of a compelling reason to do so,' Senior District
Judge Pat Priest said in letter to lawyers in the case." (12/08/05)
Notice
the fact that several of the charges were dropped is apparently not worth
mentioning in the headline or the first paragraphs. Political trials are
such "fun."
Mideast
Tarbabies
Iraq:
19 government troops killed in ambush
Melbourne Herald Sun [Australia]
"Insurgents killed 19 Iraqi soldiers and injured four more northeast
of Baghdad. The ambush came just two days after the deadliest attack against
US marines in four months. ... The bloodshed yesterday confirmed US and
Iraqi warnings of a surge in insurgent attacks ahead of national elections
set for December 15. The attack occurred as an Iraqi army unit patrolled
near Adhaim, about 100km north of Baghdad. Survivors said insurgents triggered
a roadside bomb and then showered the patrol with rocket-propelled grenades
and machinegun fire. ... The US command has released few details about
the bombing on Thursday that killed 10 marines near Fallujah. Al-Jazeera
broadcast a videotape at the weekend from the Islamic Army of Iraq showing
an explosion aimed at a US foot patrol near Fallujah." (12/05/05)
We are
now seeing the same surge in attacks that came before every other election
and significant event in Iraq in recent years - will this surge be the
one that succeeds in collapsing the process? There was worse to follow
this week, as the next story tells.
Suicide
bomber kills 32 on bus in Baghdad
Detroit Free Press
"A suicide bomber detonated explosives Thursday inside a packed
bus bound for a southern Shiite city, killing 32 people and wounding 44,
police said. The blast pushed the three-day death toll from suicide attacks
in the capital to at least 75. Meanwhile, a statement posted on the Internet
in the name of the Islamic Army in Iraq claimed to have killed an American
hostage." (12/08/05)
As the
election time draws near. Based on reports from Lebanon, Egypt, Indonesia,
and other Islamic countries, this kind of violence (although perhaps in
lesser quantity) is almost always a feature of elections. Even Iran has
seen it, despite its "perfect" democracy.
Israel:
At least five killed in mall attack
ABC News
"A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up Monday among shoppers
waiting to enter a mall in the central Israeli town of Netanya, killing
at least five people and wounding more than 30 others. The bombing escalated
already heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinians marked
by recent airstrikes and rocket attacks ahead of upcoming elections on
both sides. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was to discuss a response Tuesday
morning with his Security Cabinet. Security commanders decided to recommend
that Israel carry out targeted killings of militant leaders in the West
Bank and Gaza Strip, clamp down on the Tulkarem area where the bomber
originated and seal off the West Bank and Gaza, security officials said,
speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to
speak to the media." (12/05/05)
Things
have definitely returned to "Normal" for the long-running feud.
Too many innocent people are caught in the middle, of course.
Rice
to address "secret prisons" flap
USA Today
"During her trip to Europe this week, Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice will tell allies the U.S. does not transport suspected terrorists
around the globe to be tortured, the president's national security adviser
said Sunday. European governments have expressed outrage over reports
of secret CIA prisons where terrorism detainees may have been mistreated.
The Bush administration has refused to address the question of whether
it operated secret sites that may be illegal under European law."
(12/04/05)
Yep, that
is what she said. I realize that many people will claim she is lying,
but the burden of proof is STILL on those making the claims - and rightly
so: it is hard to prove a negative. "I do not beat my wife"
comes to mind.
US
missile, al Qaeda death may be linked
Indianapolis Star
"Shrapnel that appeared to be from an American-made missile was
found Sunday at the house where Pakistan said a top al-Qaida operative
was killed in an explosion, although President Bush's national security
adviser declined to confirm the death. U.S. and Pakistani officials would
not verify an NBC report, citing anonymous officials, that the attack
on the house where Hamza Rabia reportedly died was launched by a U.S.
drone." (12/04/05)
It could
just as easily been a dud or other piece of US ordinance purchased or
stolen and being converted into a bomb as a "mysterious drone attack."
Iraq:
Three police killed, suspect freed at hospital
ABC News
"Gunmen killed three police officers early Wednesday when they
burst into a hospital in the northern city of Kirkuk and freed a wounded
man who had been arrested for plotting to kill a judge in the Saddam Hussein
trial, police said. Police Brigadier Sarhat Qadir said the attack on Al-Jumhuriya
Hospital in Kurkuk, 180 miles north of Baghdad, also injured six police
officers. Police had wounded the suspect when he was arrested with seven
other Sunni Arabs on Nov. 26 for allegedly plotting to assassinate the
investigating judge, Raed Juhi. The men were carrying a document from
former top Saddam deputy Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri ordering them to kill
Juhi, police said. Al-Douri is the highest ranking member of the Saddam
regime still at large and is believed to be at least the symbolic leader
of Saddam loyalists still fighting U.S. forces and the new government
in Iraq." (12/07/05)
This kind
of fighting will continue for a long time, and withdrawing US troops will
probably just increase the frequency. But it is definitely tiresome to
see Coalition troops caught in the middle of this kind of thing. This
is due not just to the fact that we are there, but to the poor tactics
and methods being used. One question I'd like answered, is why the Iraqis
are not doing more to defend their hospitals against the criminal thugs
who attack like this.
Saddam's
comments highlight unruly court session
The Columbian
"Saddam Hussein railed at the judge Monday, and the former president's
lawyers briefly walked out of court before the first witness testified
that Saddam's agents carried out random arrests, torture and killings
in an Iraqi village. Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, who is
helping represent Saddam, told the judge he needed only two minutes to
present his argument. But Chief Judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin at first said
only Saddam's chief lawyer, Khalil al-Dulaimi, could speak. Amin said
the defense should submit its motion in writing and warned that if the
defense walked out then the court would appoint replacement lawyers. After
the defense lawyers left, Saddam, shaking his right hand, told the judge:
'You are imposing lawyers on us. They are imposed lawyers. The court is
imposed by itself. We reject that.' ... After the walkout and a 90-minute
recess to resolve the issue, the court reconvened and Amin allowed Clark
and ex-Qatari Justice Minister Najib al-Nueimi to speak on the questions
of the legitimacy of the tribunal and safety of the lawyers." (12/05/05)
Looks like
Saddam is in his usual form - but I still cannot see what jollies Clark
gets out of playing Saddam's game. He clearly isn't in it just to see
that justice is done, which I could respect. Apparently he really does
want to see a mass-murderer get off. This comic situation continued the
next day (see next story).
Iraq:
Saddam boycotts trial
Al Jazeera
"Saddam Hussein has boycotted his own trial in Baghdad, causing
hours of chaotic delay before the court resumed with the former Iraqi
president's chair empty. His lead counsel told the judge that Saddam,
who had ended Tuesday's fourth session by telling his judges to 'Go to
hell,' would be absent. The judge then called Wednesday's first witness.
... Saddam had said on Tuesday he would not attend an 'illegal' trial.
He has repeatedly said the trial is a US-staged sham and has berated the
presiding judge and chief prosecutor." (12/07/05)
Strange.
In the US, defendants have no choice - they are brought into the courtroom
in chains, if necessary. I am sure that would frost Saddam, but why should
anyone care? Especially if they don't even care enough to give him fresh
underwear?
Video:
Al Qaeda urges attacks on oil plants
Frankfort Times
"Al-Qaida's deputy leader called for attacks against Gulf oil
facilities and urged insurgent groups in Iraq to unite to drive out American
forces, according to a videotape posted on the Internet Wednesday. The
posting was a full version of a video by al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri
that was issued on Sept. 19, excerpts of which were broadcast by the Arab
television network Al-Jazeera at the time. The network aired more excerpts
Wednesday, originally presenting all of the footage as new. A newscaster
later told viewers some of the excerpts had previously been broadcast."
(12/07/05)
Actually,
the video (according to radio reports) said that "once American forces
depart" the insurgent groups should unite to wipe out the US-installed
government; as well as spending a great deal of venom on President Bush.
So much so that some people wonder if this isn't a disinformation attempt
by the US, to justify NOT withdrawing US troops.
Iraq:
Marines were killed at promotion ceremony
MSNBC
"Ten U.S. Marines killed near the Iraqi city of Fallujah last
week had been at a promotion ceremony and were not on foot patrol as initially
reported, the U.S. military said on Tuesday. The Marines were in an old
flour mill on the outskirts of the city to celebrate the promotion of
three soldiers, a military statement said. As the ceremony ended, the
Marines dispersed and one of them is believed to have stepped on a buried
pressure plate linked to explosives that caused the devastating blast."
(12/06/05)
A failure
in operational intelligence, apparently, and in operational security that
allowed the killers to know where the soldiers were going to be.
Troop
levels in Iraq may drop, Rumsfeld says
Las Vegas Review-Journal
"Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Thursday he expects
some 20,000 U.S. troops to return home from Iraq after next week's elections,
and he suggested that some of the remaining 137,000 forces could pull
out next year. 'If conditions permit, we could go below that,' he said
in the latest administration hint of at least a modest reduction next
year." (12/08/05)
Again,
although this is being touted as caving in to "public demand"
(read, loudmouth Democrats in Congress), it is exactly what the administration
said it would do. There is not the slightest real indication that the
anti-war protests are making any impact whatsoever, either on the Administration
or on the public in general, except to raise the ire of many.
U.S.
hostage killed, Iraq militant group says
MSNBC
"A statement signed by an Iraqi insurgent group said Thursday in
an Internet posting that it killed a kidnapped U.S. security consultant.
The White House said it could not confirm the death. The statement, posted
on an Islamic militant Web forum, did not name the hostage and provided
no pictures, video or other evidence he had been killed. It said pictures
of the slaying would be released later. The U.S. Embassy said it had no
information to confirm the claim." (12/08/05)
As of Saturday,
no picture has been released, which makes many people think it is a hoax.
At the same time, Americans (like these, who volunteered to go and work
there, and were being paid appropriately for the risk) have been getting
kidnapped and getting killed for a long time, and seldom has it caused
the government to change its policies - although they are frequently used
as an excuse to make changes that are wanted for other reasons. No payment
of ransom has been a basic policy since the Jefferson Administration,
although sometimes honored more in the breach than it should be.
More
News and Commentary on Page 2
Nathan Barton is a libertarian engineer and writer, enjoying the cooling
evenings in the Rockies and the Four Corners, where "monsoon"
rains cause some creeks to overflow their banks, but nothing like the
mess down in the South. His views are his own and do not necessarily represent
the views of anyone else, including the sources of his news and other
libertarians! Be sure to visit my blog,
Liberty's Outpost.
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