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December
26, 2005
Libertarian
Commentary on the News for the Week before Christmas
Well, the weather (at the beginning of the week) certainly made it feel
a bit more like Christmas, if nothing else does. Bitterly cold weather
across the nation reminded me more of January than December, in fact,
and is driving up fuel prices again, once they had started dropping. Sigh.
Then it turned warm: warm enough to go out and work in the yard, warm
enough to air out the house. Warm enough to coat the old automobile in
black, dried-on mud. And of course, other events are marching ahead, regardless
of what needs to be done to prepare for the "Holidays." Anyway,
Merry Christmas! No, I don't believe in Christmas (except as a secular
holiday), but I sure won't succumb to the weak pap that passes for public
conscience these days.
Culture
Wars
As we finish our dive to Christmas, I still have a lot of interesting
things in this category. As I have noted before, the battles over Christmas
seem sharper, harsher, and much more widespread than in past years. Much
of it has the tone of "majoring over minors" - which is often
an indication of severe and now unhealing rifts in society; and in this
case, we are talking about world society. For almost half a millennium,
Western Civilization has been a partnership between humanism and various
types of Christianity - but this partnership seems now to be irrevocably
broken, and this culture war is evidence of it. This week we have six
stories on this general issue!
Israel
Postal Authority Delivers 'God's Mail' Before Christmas
CNS News
Jerusalem They consider themselves to be 'God's Postmen' - men and
women of the Israel Postal Authority who sort the mail in the dead letter
department of Jerusalem's main post office, where letters addressed to
God end up. Israel's Postal Authority delivered several hundred of those
letters, written in many languages, to the Western Wall in Jerusalem last
week ahead of the upcoming Christmas and New Year's holidays...
Strangely,
this article does not point out that Hanukah starts at sunset on Sunday
the 25th. Foolish as it may be for people to write to "G*d, c/o General
Delivery, Jerusalem" these people are more willing to be patient
with people and kind than most people are, including far too many of the
population of the United States; and it sounds like the Postal Authority
is a bit more in the Christmas spirit than the USPS, who wear out their
"undeliverable-wrong address or addressee unknown" stamps every
holiday season.
Mama's
Note: Just another indication of how far this society has gone down the
drain. When I was a child, a letter addressed to Santa Claus was usually
delivered to some kindly person in town or the county who answered them
gently, never promising anything, but preserving the spirit of Christmas.
Now almost everyone is worried about their own desires and work overtime
to manufacture all kinds of "offence" and dissatisfaction with
things that have nothing to do with their own lives at all. The real meaning
and joy of Christmas is the last thing on their minds, including most
so-called "Christians."
Was
there a gift for Jesus under your Christmas tree? Was He invited to your
"celebration" at all?
Code
Pink Protests 'Pro-War Propaganda' Toys
CNSNews.com
Along with the many seasonal clashes over the display of Christmas
trees and religious items, there are disputes over the sale of toys like
the G.I. Joe action figure and squirt guns, which the antiwar group Code
Pink believes are inappropriate...
A "How
Liberals and Conservatives Celebrate Christmas Differently" list
touched on this: liberals don't give their boys toy guns as gifts, so
their boys use dolls (and anything else) as guns. And even girls play
with toy guns or turn things into toy guns. Funny: giving kids "super-hero"
dolls aren't claimed to contribute to the increase of child deaths from
falling (as they attempt to fly ala super-hero); and letting them play
firefighter isn't thought to turn them into pyromaniacs (at least, not
socially-unacceptable pyros). But apparently GI Joe and water pistols
are viewed as turning kids into adult warmongers?
CO:
School bans Xmas
Associated Press
Heritage Elementary School officials prohibited a student from bringing
a nativity scene to school and from sharing the Christmas story, banned
candy canes bearing a legendary story about their religious symbolism,
and outlawed cookies in the shape of traditional Christmas symbols. Teachers
and students are also not allowed to refer to school gatherings as "Christmas"
parties. According to reports ADF has received from parents, Heritage
Elementary School officials have warned students, parents, and teachers
that all forms of religious expression will not be tolerated.
Well, here
we go again. Get your kids out of these institutions - before they are
ruined.
Mama's
Note: "Heritage School?" What kind of "heritage" would
that be?
Judge
rules against Pa. biology curriculum
Detroit Free Press
"In one of the biggest courtroom clashes between faith and evolution
since the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, a federal judge barred a Pennsylvania
public school district Tuesday from teaching 'intelligent design' in biology
class, saying the concept is creationism in disguise. U.S. District Judge
John E. Jones delivered a stinging attack on the Dover Area School Board,
saying its first-in-the-nation decision in October 2004 to insert intelligent
design into the science curriculum violated the constitutional separation
of church and state." (12/20/05)
This could
fit into tech or GRTF schools as well - the judge here has clearly taken
the tact that ANYTHING that goes against the accepted scientific orthodoxy
is "religious" and therefore is forbidden. This is an indication
that he (like many) both misunderstand the constitution and misunderstand
science. Of course, the school board in this case did a very poor job
of what they did, and demonstrated their own complete lack of understanding
of both issues as well. So we have law being made by two (or three, if
we consider the people who brought the thing to trial) incompetent parties.
Wal-Mart
Supporters Form New Group to Counter Critics
CNSNews.com
A group of community and religious leaders Tuesday announced the formation
of Working Families for Wal-Mart, "an organization dedicated to talking
about Wal-Mart's positive contributions" and responding to union-sponsored
critics of the nation's largest retail chain...
And after
much too long, the pro-Wal-Mart forces got into gear, and started defending
their institution.
Blasphemy
Laws' Effect on Christians Under Spotlight in Pakistan
CNSNews.com
Christians in Islamic Pakistan held a day of prayer and fasting Tuesday
for the repeal of laws intended to punish "blasphemy" but which
critics say are widely abused and have created an atmosphere of insecurity
among Christians in particular...
If we need
to remember what TRUE religious freedom is - it is NOT about Nativity
scenes in front of City Hall or Christmas parties in GRTF schools - it
is about state-enforced religion and persecution.
The
Coming Fall of Europe
More news from the home and origin of Western Society. If the Culture
Wars indicate the failure of our civilization, these types of actions
show that they are not the only evidence. Today we have four stories about
Europe, plus a few more pertinent to other issues elsewhere
Call
to Condemn Communist Crimes Upsets Party Faithful
CNS News
A leading European human rights watchdog will next month consider a
proposal calling for the crimes of communism to be condemned internationally
and investigated more thoroughly. The proposal's supporters argue that
communism has never been internationally repudiated to the same degree
as Nazism was after World War II...
It would
indeed be ironic (and perhaps poetic if wrong-headed justice) if the Red
Star and Hammer and Sickle were to join the Swastika as verboten in Europe
and elsewhere. But I will be amazed if the leftists that call the shots
in Europe will be so eager to repudiate this virulent form of socialism
as quickly as they did that other nasty form of socialism.
Germany:
'No Prostitutes Here' signs
Ananova [UK]
"German towns may erect 'No Prostitutes Here' signs over fears
an army of call girls are coming for the 2006 World Cup. Prostitution
is legal in Germany but only in certain areas, and the street signs are
planned to stop football fans pestering women in other areas. They also
want to stop the thousands of call girls heading to the country from moving
out of the legal areas. The idea for the signs came after a German man,
named only as Michael G, was arrested for soliciting a prostitute in a
restricted area in Dusseldorf. In court he claimed he had no idea picking
up a prostitute in that area was illegal. Judge Dirk Kruse admitted that
he also didn't know which areas were legal and which were not and said:
"We need some kind of sign to make it clear.'" (12/19/05)
Stupid
people and government trick all rolled up into one. Why it should be restricted
is beyond me, and why a woman wrongly propositioned isn't allowed to just
slap the guy silly (he's already stupid) is also something I don't understand.
(By the way, if you don't want to be mistaken for a hooker, I have a very
simple suggestion, "ladies;" don't DRESS like one.) If people
would take responsibility for their own actions (like not dressing like
prostitutes when they aren't one), then there would be no excuse for do-gooders
to pass such stupid laws "in order to protect people," as I
am sure was the basis for this law.
This reminds
me of the story told of Poker Alice (as I recall) when she was a madam
in Deadwood and Sturgis back in the late 1800s. She went into the bank
to pay off a large loan she'd taken out, and the banker expressed surprise
that she was paying it off almost a year in advance of when it was due.
"Well," says she, "I knew the Shiners Convention was coming
to Lead this year, and I had planned for the return of all them sodjer
boys to Fort Meade from Pine Ridge, but I plumb fergot about the Methodist
District Convention being held in Deadwood this year."
School
Textbooks in France Display Anti-American Bias
Paris CNSNews.com
After reading textbooks used to teach contemporary history to high
school students in France, it can be hard to imagine that the French view
themselves as long-standing allies of the United States...
I'm sorry,
I thought they were sponging relatives. Like your cousin who once helped
you build your house and never lets you forget it as he sponges off of
you for the rest of his life.
UK:
Santa fights off yobs with tree
BBC News
"A town centre Santa has been hailed as a hero after fighting
off a gang of thugs with his Christmas tree. Santa, otherwise known as
Malky Watret, was handing out presents to children in Paisley's indoor
shopping centre when he was targeted by a small mob. He was set upon by
about seven youths who knocked him down with a shopping trolley in front
of horrified shoppers. But he jumped up and chased them off by wielding
an artificial 5ft tree before security guards intervened." (12/21/05)
"An
armed society is a polite society." Heinlein was talking about firearms
and (perhaps) swords and daggers, but clearly the UK has been disarmed
in more than one way: like Limbaugh is always saying, "with half
my brain tied behind my back" - except that clearly, Home Office
employees are like Pooh - a bear of very little brain - to begin with.
UK:
Britain will be first country to monitor every car journey
Independent [UK]
" Britain is to become the first country in the world where the
movements of all vehicles on the roads are recorded. A new national surveillance
system will hold the records for at least two years. Using a network of
cameras that can automatically read every passing number plate, the plan
is to build a huge database of vehicle movements so that the police and
security services can analyse any journey a driver has made over several
years. .... "Every time you make a car journey already, you'll be
on CCTV somewhere. The difference is that, in future, the car's index
plates will be read as well," said Frank Whiteley, Chief Constable
of Hertfordshire and chairman of the Acpo steering committee on automatic
number plate recognition (ANPR)." (12/22/05)
A sick,
sick society: as I said above.
UK:
Suspect arrested in July bomb attempt
The Sun [UK]
"A man has been arrested in connection with the attempted bomb
attacks on July 21. Anti-terror officers made the early morning swoop
as the man disembarked at Gatwick Airport from a flight from Ethiopia.
It is believed he had been out of the country since June. The 23-year-old
is being held on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation
of acts of terrorism under the Terrorism Act." (12/20/05)
He's been
out of country since more than three weeks BEFORE the attacks? I'd sure
like to see what the judge was given, who approved an arrest warrant.
(Assuming, of course, that there WAS an arrest warrant and not just carte
blanche.)
Scotland
Smoking in homes now to be forbidden
The Scotsman
THE public are to be told not to smoke in their own homes as part of
plans to protect public sector workers from the effect of passive smoking.
The move is the latest part of the Scottish Executive's ban on smoking
in public places, which will come into force on 26 March next year. Ministers
have told councils, health boards and social work departments that they
should compile a "smokers' map" of Scotland, focusing on those
who regularly receive visits from officials and carers. This would identify
individual households where a smoker is resident.
Gee - Big
Brother. And a map, no less.
Our
right to speak (and hear) freely
The right to free speech has long been considered sacrosanct by both the
right AND left in this country, as long as it didn't involve sex (the
right) or "commercial" speech (the left) - but that concept
has now once more failed. On the left, we have political correctness trumping
free speech, and on the right, we have "security" doing it.
That leaves libertarians as about the only game left in town to speak
up for people's right to say (and hear) anything. Today we have four stories.
North
Carolina: Protest outside free-speech zone lands students in trouble
First Amendment Center
"Two University of North Carolina at Greensboro students face
disciplinary hearings for staging a protest about the campus "free-speech
zones" outside the free-speech zones. The students, Allison Jaynes
and Robert Sinnott, helped organize the rally of about 40 people Nov.
16 on a lawn in front of the campus library, according to the Philadelphia-based
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, which has intervened on
the students' behalf. When a school official told Jaynes to move to a
free-speech zone, she refused and was later charged, along with Sinnott,
with a campus violation. Jaynes, a senior physics major, said the punishment
could range from a warning to probation with restrictions." (12/19/05)
Mike Adams,
one of the more caustic and nasty of the commentators I read regularly,
and more libertarian than conservative, has published an open letter to
this school's administration publicly challenging them to admit what pieces
of scum they are. The "ticket" they received is available to
read on-line, if you want to be morbid. Visit
Mike's article here, or see the document
directly here.
Baghdad
to Swarthmore
The New Yorker
"A group of enterprising students at Swarthmore College, in Pennsylvania,
has some advice for the politically disaffected: If you find the media's
Iraq coverage unsatisfactory, pick up the phone. Don't call the Times,
or CNN, or Rupert Murdoch; call Baghdad. There are a couple of Iraqi phone
books available on the Internet, and plenty of interesting people willing
to share their stories directly, from six thousand miles away, many of
them speaking decent English. When your phone bill starts to get out of
hand, try downloading Skype, software that allows two people to talk free,
from anywhere in the world, using computer microphones and a headset."
(12/19/05)
An excellent
idea. You can also do it via straight e-mail, either to Iraqis or to contractors
and even soldiers in Iraq (including "neutrals" in case you
don't trust someone working for the US government). We
welcome you to share what you learn with TPoL. Expect more efforts
to cut down on this activity though, as claims are made that it compromises
"security."
DC:
Tutoring program kicked off school site
Washington Times
"A nonprofit group that has tutored poor D.C. students for more
than 15 years has been kicked out of its only school site because the
school's new principal says no paperwork has been filed to allow the group
to use the facility. Project Northstar, a D.C. tutoring program founded
in 1989, has used the cafeteria of Lemon G. Hine Junior High School at
Seventh Street and Pennsylvania Avenue Southeast for one of its weekly
tutoring classes since 1994. But Willie Jackson, who became Hine's principal
late last month, asked Northstar to leave Dec. 5, saying the program did
not file a yearly building-use agreement, as required by the public school
system. 'It just doesn't make sense,' said Sylvia Davis, 52, whose three
foster children attend the weekly program. 'Why would a school want to
shut down a program that's helping children? It's really hard to find
tutoring, and if I had to pay for it, I wouldn't be able to afford it.
There's a lot of children in this community that need help.'"
(12/19/05)
It sounds
like they were just looking for an excuse, doesn't it? Remember, no matter
what they say, the children are NOT the first priority of the education
bureaucracy at ANY level: their own jobs and revenues are. Mrs. Davis,
as a foster mother and therefore under unbelievable state scrutiny, probably
has no choice about having the children in GRTF (Government-ruined, theft-funded)
schools - the rest of us do.
Pro-Union
Protesters Arrested at Florida Wal-Mart
CNS News
A group that wants to unionize Wal-Mart is accusing a Florida Wal-Mart
of "racial profiling." It happened after two protesters were
arrested at a store in North Lauderdale for allegedly shoving store managers...
At the
same time, it appears that the union may have intentionally set things
up to create a situation in which they could claim the profiling. It is
not a good week for Wal-Mart, apparently, with sales not as high as they'd
like in the last week of Christmas shopping, with a verdict against them
on a charge of not letting employees have lunch, and this effort by unions
to break in or just break the company. Although I am putting this in the
"free speech" section, please don't think that I believe that
the shoving of people is "free speech" or that I have any sympathy
at all for these union shoulder-strikers.
Home
Front
We are fighting several wars on the "Home Front" - there are
terrorists on the one hand, from Earth First arsonists and killers to
Islamist killers and bombers; but there are also the battles we are having
to fight against the government and those in government who claim to be
fighting these battles for us and are instead battling US for our freedoms.
This week we have eight items, plus a separate section on "spying
and the USA Patriot Act" with more stories.
New
York: NYCLU files appeal in subway bag search case
NewsDay
"A civil rights group on Monday appealed a judge's decision allowing
random police searches of riders' bags in subways to deter terrorism.
The notice of appeal by the New York Civil Liberties Union was filed with
the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, challenging Judge Richard M. Berman's
conclusion that the searches are constitutional. In a ruling earlier this
month, the judge said that the counterterrorism measures were "indisputable,
pressing, ongoing and evolving" and that evidence offered by the
city showed the searches were an effective tool against terrorists. The
NYCLU will ask the appeals court to hear the case quickly, legal director
Christopher Dunn said."This country has never before seen a program
like this, which subjects millions of innocent subway riders to potential
police search without any suspicion of wrongdoing whatsoever," Dunn
said." (12/19/05)
Actually,
we HAVE seen very similar measures, going back to WW2, WW1, and even the
War Between the States. But it doesn't make it right. And Judge Berman's
findings about the city's "evidence" smells to me, too.
New
Mexico: Explosives missing
USA Today
"Authorities asked the public for help Monday after 'several hundred
pounds' of high explosives turned up missing from a private storage site,
along with about 2,500 blasting caps and an undisclosed length of explosive
detonation cord. 'In the hands of the wrong person, this material can
be very, very destructive,' Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White said
during a news conference. Wayne Dixie, resident agent in charge of the
Albuquerque office of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms,
said the missing material could be used to level a building." (12/19/05)
Panic!
We've had tons of explosives dotting the West for well over a century,
and almost none has been used in crimes: for one thing, it is pretty easy
to fence it - why blow up something with it when you can make money off
it?
$50,000
reward offered for info on missing explosives
CNN
"Federal authorities on Tuesday boosted to $50,000 a reward for
information about 550 pounds of explosives missing from a business near
Albuquerque, New Mexico. About 400 pounds of high explosives and 150 pounds
of commercial plastic explosives were taken from the business, which is
licensed to store them, said Tom Mangan, spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives." (12/20/05)
A follow-up
to the previous story. Wow! That's a pretty good price for the stuff.
Septuagenarian
Canadian snowbirds can't evade vigilant U.S. border cops
Star Tribune
"Those leaky national borders so many people fret about? Not,
apparently, a Minnesota problem -- at least in International Falls, where
agents of the United States Customs and Border Protection are cracking
down on people who might seem like innocents to the untrained among us.
Take the case of Canadians Bob and Diana Hawley. On Nov. 2, they approached
the border as they have for the past 20 years. The Kenora, Ontario, couple
was headed to what they consider their winter home, an $850-a-month condo
in Panama City, Fla. .... The Hawleys were -- gasp! -- attempting to transport
a small yellow box of tools across the border. Agents spotted the toolbox
and told the couple they were not welcome to enter the United States.'
They said we must be going to Florida to do work,' Diana Hawley said.
'We tried to tell them that we always carry the toolbox in the car. If
there's a breakdown, we might need it...' For the first hour of the interrogation,
the Hawleys kept thinking this was just a misunderstanding. They have
a hard time seeing how they can be confused with construction workers.
He's 71, she's 70. He wears a knee brace and doesn't get around so easily."
(12/16/05)
Stupid
burro-rat trick. I assume that they did something to tick off someone
- this sounds like payback. I really hope that this becomes an international
incident. Now, on to this week's Katrina-related stories.
Bill
includes unprecedented flood aid
MSNBC
"Gulf Coast residents who did not purchase flood insurance because
they lived outside areas considered at high risk of flooding -- but whose
homes were nevertheless ravaged by Hurricane Katrina -- would be in line
for an unprecedented government bailout under a budget package approved
Monday by the House of Representatives. If the $29 billion earmarked for
Katrina relief in a defense appropriations bill that the House passed
Monday morning wins final congressional approval, up to $11.5 billion
will go toward those uninsured flood victims in Mississippi and Louisiana."
(12/19/05)
I get so
very tired of these constant bailouts. Meanwhile, heaven help someone
who might build a storage shed in a poorly-defined "100-year floodplain"
that probably wouldn't get wet if Noah came back.
Katrina
investigation focuses on more than one person
CNN
"More than one medical professional is under scrutiny as a possible
person of interest as Louisiana's attorney general investigates whether
hospital workers resorted to euthanasia in the chaotic days after Hurricane
Katrina shattered New Orleans, a source familiar with the investigation
has told CNN. CNN first reported in October that staff members at Memorial
Medical Center had discussions about euthanizing patients after the hurricane
flooded the city on Monday, August 29, cutting off power and stranding
hundreds of thousands of residents." (12/21/05)
One of
the more serious problems left after Katrina, to my way of thinking.
Mama's
Note: This whole story is so nauseating I can hardly believe it's possible,
yet I'm afraid it really could be. The "culture of death" has
taken a terrible hold on many people who otherwise would be dedicated
to preserving and honoring life. If there are some among us who can murder
unborn babies, why not the "useless" elderly too? And who'd
next on that list?
Two
New Orleans cops axed in taped assault
Cincinnati Enquirer
"Two officers were fired Wednesday for a beating in the French
Quarter shortly after Hurricane Katrina that was photographed and videotaped
by The Associated Press. A third officer was suspended. A union official
vowed to fight the firings of officers Robert Evangelist and Lance Schilling
for their role in the beating of 64-year-old Robert Davis. Officer Stuart
Smith was suspended for 120 days." (12/21/05)
What about
convictions and jail time? Firing is all they get? That is sick, and a
completely unjust act.
FEMA
changes could be radical
USA Today
"The government may have to radically change FEMA, the agency
that proved unprepared to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, Homeland
Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Tuesday. Hurricanes Katrina,
Rita and Wilma, which battered Gulf Coast states over an eight-week period,
stretched the agency 'beyond the breaking point,' Chertoff said in a public
review of his department's 2005 performance." (12/20/05)
What can
I say? I've been intimately familiar with FEMA for about 15 years, and
they are finally coming to this conclusion? Well, some people are slow.
My own ideas for FEMA (starting with "get rid of it") won't
be seriously considered by anyone anyway.
Our
Imperial Courts
The United States is not the only nation suffering from judicial tyranny,
as this single story points out. There are other court-related stories
in our news this week, under other headings.
Canadian
court lifts ban on 'swingers' clubs
MSNBC
"Group sex among consenting adults is neither prostitution nor
a threat to society, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on Wednesday as
it lifted a ban on so-called 'swingers' clubs. In a ruling that radically
changes the way courts determine what poses a threat to the population,
the top court threw out the conviction of a Montreal man who ran a club
where members could have group sex in a private room behind locked doors."
(12/21/05)
Gee- A
Canadian high court ruling that might make sense? No matter how much you
may hate something like this, you have to see how dangerous it is to let
government try (they won't succeed) to control it.
Mideast
Tarbabies
Following
last week's election, many news stories were follow-up on that, but meanwhile,
the killing in Iraq, Iran's taunting of the rest of the world, the mess
in Israeli politics, and all the usual things are still in the headlines.
Nine stories this week from the region of mayhem and madness. (Well, the
region outside the US: see "Stupid Government Tricks" for news
about DC.)
Will
The Real Al Qaeda No. 3 Please Stand Up?
CNS News
The reported killing of a senior al Qaeda operative in Pakistan on
Dec. 1 has sparked debate among terrorism experts over the true identity
of the target -- and the accuracy of numerical rankings that the Pentagon
and White House have attached to other captured or killed terrorists.
Some say the rankings represent public relations run amok, while others
say they prove that the U.S. continues to rely on faulty Pakistani intelligence...
Is it safe
to say whatever the rank of the person killed, that someone else now has
the job? Oh, I know that there hasn't been time for a job-search, or a
reasonable interview process, or whatever, but really people. On the other
hand, maybe there is no one to do any job interviews, as the next story
reports.
Rumsfeld
doubts bin Laden in full command
Indianapolis Star
"Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said he doubts that Osama
bin Laden is in position to assert full command over the al-Qaida terror
network. Rumsfeld, who arrived Wednesday morning local time for an unannounced
visit to Pakistan, said he found it interesting that bin Laden has not
been heard from publicly in nearly a year. 'I don't know what it means,'
Rumsfeld told a group of reporters traveling with him." (12/20/05)
Is anyone
in "full command?" There is no need for him to do so, any more
than an Inquisitor General was necessary to keep the torture racks going
in dozens of countries: al-Qaida is a loose network at best, and really
doesn't need a leader, or much in the way of spokesmen. At least Rumsfeld
is being honest on this when he says he doesn't know what it means.
Bush's
Efforts in Iraq Succeeding, Israeli Analysts Say
CNS News
Jerusalem Democracy is slowly taking hold in Iraq and the insurgency
is losing its Sunni support-base in Iraq, analysts here said on Friday.
They spoke after some 11 million of Iraq's 15 million registered voters
cast ballots on Thursday for a 275-seat parliament, the largest voter
turnout of the three elections held this year...
So if you
are pro-Israeli but anti-Bush, where does this leave you? Increasingly,
liberals have turned against Israel, but still.
US
Winning the War in Iraq, Bush Says
President Bush, in his prime-time speech to the nation Sunday night,
hailed last week's successful election in Iraq and said although it will
not end the violence, it marks "the beginning of something new constitutional
democracy at the heart of the Middle East." Bush said not only can
America win the war in Iraq" we are winning the war in Iraq."
Hmm. Bush
and the Israelis agree. But then, a lot of the soldiers on the ground
or just back from Iraq agree, also. I suppose it depends on your definition
of "win" what really ISN'T a war, just a very nasty occupation.
Russia
Blasts Iranian Remarks on Holocaust, Israel
CNS News
Moscow Russia spoke out Thursday against Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad's remarks denying the Holocaust, which came as an embarrassment
for Moscow given its deepening ties with Tehran...
This really
is quite amazing, considering that the old Soviet regime took such a different
view of this, and given signs of a resurgent anti-Semitism in Russia.
Iraq:
Former officials released
Johnstown Tribune-Democrat
"About 24 top former officials in Saddam Hussein's regime, including
a biological weapons expert known as 'Dr. Germ,' have been released from
jail, while a militant group released a video Monday of the purported
killing of an American hostage. The first results of Thursday's parliamentary
election were released, with officials saying the Shiite religious bloc,
the United Iraqi Alliance, got about 58 percent of the votes from 89 percent
of ballot boxes counted in Baghdad province. ... The video from the extremist
group The Islamic Army of Iraq was posted on a Web site and showed a man
purportedly being shot in the back of the head. Last week, the group had
claimed it had killed civilian contractor Ronald Allen Schulz, a native
of North Dakota. ... The military said a U.S. Marine was killed by small
arms fire Sunday in the town of Ramadi, in central Iraq. The death brought
to 2,156 the number of U.S. service members killed since the start of
the war in 2003 .... a suicide car bomb exploded outside a children's
hospital in western Baghdad, killing at least two people and wounding
11, including seven police, officials said. ... In western Baghdad, gunmen
attacked the convoy of Deputy Baghdad Gov. Ziad Tariq, killing three civilians
and wounding three of his bodyguards, police said. Tariq was not injured."
(12/19/05)
As with
everything else done after the end of the Saddam regime (except his trial),
this seems to be happening in too much haste. Too many people who are
deeply partisan supporters of the old regime are getting out, and it is
almost as if the US wants to provide recruits for the "insurgents."
Meanwhile, this week, the dying continued during the occupation.
Mama's
Note: Maybe they're like cops who "create" more crime, firemen
who set fires, and bureaucrats who create useless "work" for
each other. Job security is no less important to occupying armies.
Israel:
Sharon suffers mild stroke
Indianapolis Star
"Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a mild stroke Sunday,
but his condition quickly improved and his doctor said he was expected
to be released from the hospital after a few days. Sharon aides said he
was lucid and in control of the government. The prime minister never lost
consciousness and was talking and joking with his family hours after arriving
at Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital, doctors said. He was treated with blood
thinners and suffered no damage from the stroke, said his personal physician,
Boleslaw Goldman." (12/18/05)
Any time
we concentrate so much power into one person, we get this kind of panic
reaction; what if he/she is not in control? However well he weathered
the stroke (and I really don't believe the doctor when he says "no
damage"), the perception of him and his new party will suffer from
this, and I will bet that Israeli stock markets took a dip. Virtually
ALL government "leaders" have too much power today. And too
much responsibility, which is why they HAVE strokes like this.
Mama's
Note: Strokes are caused by many things, and seldom by any one thing.
He may very well have no damage from this particular episode, but he has
a very high potential for another one - or many - any one of which could
be fatal or cause massive damage. I suspect they are grooming his replacement
quickly.
Iraq:
Sunnis challenge election
Ely Times & County
"Sunni Arabs on Tuesday challenged partial returns from Iraq's
parliamentary elections, calling them a 'falsification of the will of
the people' and saying evidence of fraud was abundant. Sunni Arab officials
suggested Iraq's security and stability were at stake if their complaints
about the Dec. 15 vote were not addressed. Officials concentrated their
protests on results from Baghdad province, the biggest electoral district.
... Gunmen, meanwhile, killed two police officers in Baqouba, 35 miles
northeast of Baghdad, police said. ... Gunmen in the southern town of
Buhriz, a former Saddam stronghold about 35 miles north of Baghdad, opened
fire on a car late Monday, killing four women and wounding three women
and two children .... Gunmen in southern Baghdad killed a member of the
Badr organization .... A policeman was killed by gunmen in Baghdad ..."
(12/20/05)
When they
don't even wait for the results to be in, one thinks that maybe it is
the mere fact of the election, and not fraud, that bothers them.
Mama's
Note: The only thing that makes an election of any kind valid is the agreement
beforehand of those voting to abide by the decision of the majority. Since
the various factions in Iraq do not agree about much of anything to start
with, the idea of them agreeing to abide by the result of any election
is unbelievable. When you throw in all the years of oppression and violence
by one of the factions toward the others, it gets even more unbelievable.
It won't matter who votes, how they vote or how "honest" the
tabulation is. They do not have the basic agreement before the fact and
large groups will always refute the results, violently, no matter what
else happens.
Saddam
claims Americans beat, tortured him
Detroit Free Press
"Saddam Hussein again grabbed center stage at his mass murder
trial Wednesday with claims that Americans beat and 'tortured' him and
other defendants while in detention. The deposed leader's lengthy complaint
came after witnesses graphically described how their captors administered
electric shocks and used molten plastic to rip the skin off prisoners
in a crackdown following an assassination attempt against Saddam in 1982."
(12/21/05)
Once more,
the US demonstrates that it is apparently incapable of controlling this
trial, and once more, Saddam seems to be the anti-hero. Makes you wonder
just how lucky we were that Hitler chose NOT to surrender to be tried.
Mama's
Note: I can't figure out what the game is here. Just what is the US trying
to prove with all this nonsense? Can you imagine any defendant in the
US getting away with such antics? What a sham.
Our
Right to Defend Ourselves
In addition to the usual articles about people defending themselves,
their businesses, homes and families, we have some stories about ongoing
events in Canada, South Africa, and elsewhere.
Mississippi:
Suspected burglar fatally shot
WLBT News
"A man, who police say was attempting to rob a Jackson business,
was shot and killed Saturday night. Jackson police were called to Livingston
Towing and Recovery at 3228 Medger Evers Boulevard at 11:38 p.m. There
they found 35 year old Timothy Darby of Jackson fatally shot in the rear
of the business. J.P.D. spokesman Detective Brendan Bell said Darby allegedly
attempted to burglarize a vehicle on the company lot when the business
owners interrupted him. Bell said the owners struggled with the suspect
over the owner's gun. During the struggle Darby was shot once in the left
shoulder. " (12/18/05)
I usually
say that only a coroners report is needed, but this case seems complex
enough that a jury might be the best way to proceed, to determine if indeed
this man was attempting to rob the place.
Tennessee:
Police say homeowner shot one, others scattered
WAFF News
"Police in Collierville say a homeowner shot and killed one of
several people who broke into his house over the weekend. Police Lieutenant
Greg Flint says homeowner Brian Harper was awakened by his burglar alarm
early Saturday and fired at the intruders with a .45-caliber handgun,
striking one of them. Flint says the others scattered and Harper doesn't
know if the several other shots he fired hit anyone else." (12/19/05)
These kinds
of home invasions demand that people be able to defend themselves, just
as this man did.
Mama's
Note: Once again it seems clear that the homeowner needs a lot more training
with his weapon and the art of self-defense. If he didn't have a definite
target, he shouldn't have been shooting at "anyone else."
UK:
Householder fires gun in burglary
BBC News [UK]
"A 50-year-old man opened fire with a gun after disturbing two
intruders at his west Norfolk home. It happened as an outbuilding was
being broken into at the house in Walpole St Andrew early on Friday morning.
The men escaped in a white van. The events were a few miles from the house
where Tony Martin shot dead a burglar and wounded another in 1999. Teams
of police are searching the Fens looking for the burglars who may have
shotgun wounds." (12/16/05)
In modern
Britain this poor man is, of course, in far worse trouble than the people
who broke into his house..
Arizona:
Homeowner shoots, wounds would-be intruder
Arizona Republic
"A man who tried to break into a Chandler house near Dobson and
Pecos roads Thursday was shot by the homeowner, police said. Sagio Maurice
Henry, 35, of Chandler rang the doorbell around 1 p.m. Thursday, then
went to the back door where homeowner Cary Dennis saw him. Dennis returned
with a weapon and found Henry prying open a window, police said. After
startling Henry, Dennis chased him outside and ordered him to stop. When
Henry brandished a pickax handle, Dennis shot him once in the chest, according
to authorities." (12/16/05)
Don't take
a pickax handle to an armed household. That is fine for strikebreakers
working against unarmed union types, but it won't work if someone has
six (or nine) in their pocket.
Arkansas:
Shoot-out injures two policemen; resident kills intruder
Log Cabin Democrat
"Michael Tindoll, 27, of Conway, allegedly broke into 16 Havens
Lane, the home of his ex-girlfriend ... [and] allegedly started a fist
fight with Weber's new boyfriend, John Sides Jr., Pike said. Sgt. Jason
Bell and Deputy Wesley Martin responded to a 911 call about 1:24 a.m.
Tindoll left and drove to a house on Sunny Gap Road where he retrieved
his shotgun, Pike said. The sheriff's office did not know who the residents
of the home were or the nature of their relationship with Tindoll, however,
Pike said the residents called Weber and warned her Tindoll was on his
way back with a gun. Weber called the sheriff's office, and Bell and Martin
responded .... About 1:55 a.m., the officers spotted Tindoll and followed
him to the home. They followed him into the home and commanded him several
times to put down his weapon, but he did not comply, Pike said. The deputies
fired two less-lethal rounds that hit Tindoll in the torso, but he still
did not drop the shotgun, Pike said. Instead, he allegedly fired one shotgun
blast, hitting both deputies with pellets. Bell returned fire, hitting
Tindoll in the side. Tindoll turned and started down the hall toward Weber's
bedroom. Sides, who was in the bedroom, fired one shot from his own gun,
hitting Tindoll in the chest, Pike said." (12/17/05)
Now you
know why cops hate domestic disputes. These "non-lethal" rounds
(fortunately, Sides didn't have them) sound pretty useless - but then,
we've all known (or read reports of) people who could take 3 or 4 .45-cal
rounds to the torso and still keep coming.
Mama's
Note: What a joke on the police! If the homeowner hadn't been armed, the
cops would probably have been killed! Oh yes, drag that by again how we're
supposed to call the police if we're in danger...
Mississippi:
Teen shot in home invasion
WLBT News
"A Jackson teen has been hospitalized after being shot during
an apparent break-in attempt at a neighbor's house. The teen was with
three other juveniles at the time, and was shot by the homeowner. ....
During any other week, they'd probably be inside a classroom, but because
there's no school, and they got into some trouble, two teens stand handcuffed,
outside a crime scene. Precint [sic] Three Commander Ron Sampson says,
"About 10:45 we received a call of a house burglary in progress.
The homeowner happened to be at home, two subjects made entry into the
home, the homeowner fired a shot and hit the suspect in the right leg.'"
(12/20/05)
A good
lesson learned - pay attention to changes in routine that make the threat
of home invasion more likely than other times - not just major disruptions
like hurricanes. (Hmm- you know, I don't think there is a rise in crime
after a massive blizzard the way there is after a massive hurricane or
earthquake. Wonder why?)
Mama's
Note: Crooks like easy victims and are not usually willing to work that
hard to steal things. Going out in or right after a blizzard would be
cold, hard, dangerous work. That's why you make it as difficult as possible
for anyone to break into your home. The crooks will go look for easier
pickings.
South
Africa: Gun owners welcome respite
All Africa
"Firearm owners' associations and opposition parties have welcomed
the extension granted for relicensing legal firearms, but have warned
that the three months merely delays the crisis created by the new Firearms
Control Act. Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula announced last
Thursday that the December 31 deadline for renewals for gun owners whose
birthdays fall between January and March would be extended to March next
year. Crucially, he also announced that all licences would be valid until
June 30 2009. This means there will be no prospect of legal action against
gun owners who do not reapply until that date. There were mounting fears,
based on threats by some police officers, that people who did not meet
the December 31 deadline would face prosecution in the new year."
(12/19/05)
Good news,
but far from the end of the story. Stay tuned, folks.
UK:
Support grows for farmer
EDP 24 News [UK]
"Support was mounting yesterday for a Norfolk farmer who fired
a shotgun at burglars on his land. Michael Human was questioned by police
over the incident on Friday but released without charge. The 58-year-old
had let off a single cartridge at two hooded intruders who had been breaking
into one of his outbuildings. Northwest Norfolk MP Henry Bellingham said
Mr. Human was "quite entitled" to use the gun and backed calls
to give greater power to homeowners. "It is a fact of life that many
burglars do come out armed and high on drugs and could be very, very dangerous
indeed," he said. "If he hadn't taken a gun and had been killed,
everyone would have said he was mad not to have it with him. I think Mr.
Human was quite entitled to do what he did and I am pleased he hasn't
been charged by the police and hope he won't be.'" (12/19/05)
Will the
MP's remarks be paid the slightest bit of attention by either the police
or the Home Office? I will be surprised if they do.
North
Carolina: Two men wounded in home invasion
Herald Sun
"Two men were hospitalized -- one with critical injuries, the
other with a serious wound -- after a home invasion led to a double shooting
late Monday night. A woman, her two young children, her boyfriend and
her boyfriend's brother were in the apartment when two men entered the
residence, according to Carrboro Police Capt. Joel Booker. Both someone
in the apartment and one of the intruders fired shots, Booker said. One
of the intruders was shot in the head while the boyfriend's brother was
shot in the abdomen. .... Police were called to the scene after the gunfire
was reported, and they found the apartment residents in a car leaving
the complex, apparently on their way to seek medical attention for the
boyfriend's brother. The man was bleeding from gunshot wounds to the abdomen
and lying in the back of the car while the children, the mother and the
boyfriend were in the front seat, Booker said. At the apartment, police
found one of the intruders lying on the floor with a gunshot wound to
the head. He was taken to the hospital and was in critical condition Tuesday,
according to police. " (12/20/05)
Looks like
they had their priorities straight, doesn't it?
Mama's
Note: Perhaps their priorities, but I strongly suspect they have no training
in self defense, and far too few weapons. With two men and a woman, the
situation should have been under control within seconds and only the criminal,
if anyone, injured. Weapons alone are not the answer. Too many untrained
people running around with guns will be certain to make headlines that
will support the gun haters. We must reach out to people and help them
get the education and training they need to be effective and safe.
California:
Would be robber shot and killed
CBS 2 News
"Police say a man who was shot fatally in Paramount Monday evening
was a would-be robber. The would-be robber entered a mini-mart on the
7000 block of Somerset Boulevard around 5:30 last night armed with a handgun
and confronted the employee behind the cash register, said Los Angles
County sheriff's Sgt. Don Manumaleuna. After demanding money, the man
slowly backed away toward the door when another employee came from the
back of the store, Manumaleuna said. As the man turned to look at the
other employee, the one behind the register grabbed a gun and shot the
intruder, who stumbled out into the parking lot before collapsing, Manumaleuna
said." (12/20/05)
Sometimes
you only get one, brief chance.
Canada:
Liberal gun ban fuels buying binge
24 Hours Vancouver
" Paul Martin's plan to ban handguns may have backfired. As soon
as the Liberals unveiled their promise to ban the weapons earlier this
month, Vancouver gun shop owners saw a jump in handgun sales."Some
customer came in that day and said Paul Martin told him to buy a handgun,"
Lever Arms owner Kin Chung told 24 hours yesterday."It was meant
as a joke but ... the day after he announced it, handgun sales tripled.
Normally we sell about two a day. That day we sold eight." And while
he says sales have leveled off since, the store is still selling above
average numbers of handguns daily. " (12/21/05)
Not everyone
is as stupid as you are, Mr. Prime Minister. Forget buying the handguns,
guys - form cooperatives to buy the machine tools and such you're going
to need to make and repair the things.
Mama's
Note: Also stock up on ammunition and reloading gear. The next step is
to make ammunition difficult and dangerous to obtain. Without ammunition,
a gun is just a badly shaped club.
Indiana:
Trooper's shooting of burglary suspect spotlights self defense law
Indy Channel
" Laws allowing people to use deadly force to stop someone from
unlawfully entering their dwellings are being highlighted by this week's
fatal shooting of a burglary suspect by an off-duty state police trooper.
Police said Trooper Joel D. Wilson, 39, was alone inside his east-side
Indianapolis home Monday when he fired two shots through the front door,
striking Theodore E. Hixenbaugh at least once. Wilson told authorities
that Hixenbaugh had first knocked on the door and, when Wilson didn't
answer, Hixenbaugh tried to kick the door down. .... Information on whether
Hixenbaugh was armed wasn't available. Indiana University law professor
Henry Karlson said state law says citizens can use deadly force to stop
even an unarmed person's unlawful entry into their dwellings. "If
there are people in the residence, (burglars) are putting them at risk,
and that's why Indiana law allows a reasonable person to use deadly force
to prevent that," Karlson said. Karlson said the law allows people
to defend themselves from burglars without first exposing themselves."
(12/21/05)
Yet how
many people want only cops to be able to defend their (and your) home?
Mama's
Note: Years ago some friends of mine had a great idea. They printed up
yard signs that said something like: There are no guns or other dangerous
weapons kept in this house. These signs were offered to people who profess
to trust the police to protect them and think everyone should be disarmed.
As far as I can remember, they never did find anyone willing to post that
sign in their own front yards. Wonder why...
Colorado:
A case of life or self-defense
Colorado Springs Gazette
"When Gary Lee Hill stood on the porch with a loaded rifle, he
was afraid the people outside his home would attack him again, the jury
in his murder trial was told. That left them no choice, the jury foreman
said in an e-mail defending last week's harshly criticized verdict, but
to find Hill not guilty of murder under Colorado's Make My Day law. "The
fact that the group was not leaving and continued to engage Mr. Hill,"
the foreman wrote in an e-mail to The Gazette, "led us to determine
that it was reasonable for Mr. Hill to believe that the group of assailants
might use physical force against him." Hill, 24, was found not guilty
in a Colorado Springs courtroom Dec. 14 of first-degree murder in the
shooting death of John David Knott, 19. Knott was shot in the back while
sitting in a car outside Hill's home. The foreman, who asked not to be
identified because he feared for his family's safety, said the way the
Make My Day law is written made a guilty verdict impossible. "All
four criteria for the use of deadly force against an intruder were met,"
he wrote. " (12/21/05)
Good. The
circumstances (being shot from behind while in a car) demanded that a
trial be held, but it certainly appears as if the jury made the right
decision. I think it unlikely that this verdict will lead to any changes
in the Colorado law, despite all the protests.
GOA:
Gun registration provisions fail again
Gun Owners of America
"Twice, the leadership in the U.S. Senate has tried to run H.R.
3199 up "the hill." Twice it has failed. On Friday, supporters
of the bill failed to garner the 60 votes needed to stop the filibuster
of the PATRIOT conference report. The final vote was 52-47. At issue for
gun owners is a provision that would allow the FBI to obtain "firearms
sales records." The bill extends Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act and
allows agents of the federal government to get "firearms sales records"
which, in their opinion, are relevant to investigating terrorism. These
records would be obtained from gun dealers, who are required by law to
keep the gun purchase records (4473 forms). Thus, an antigun administration
could then easily compile gun owner registration lists -- an enterprise
which has often been a prelude to gun confiscation. Congressmen on both
sides of the fence made reference to GOA's concerns last week when the
House considered the latest version of H.R. 3199. .... The status of H.R.
3199 is unclear at this time. But it is more than likely that the Senate
will hold another vote later this week." (12/20/05)
This is
of course the hideous USA PATRIOT Act, and this issue is not often identified
as being one of the many dangers in that law. At the same time, I fear
that it is a moot point - this law will only legitimize what is already
the case, for I sincerely do not believe that the FBI or BATFE has destroyed
any of the records since the Brady Act went into effect.
Virginia:
August fatal-shooting case closed
Suffolk News Herald
"Charges will not be filed against a Jackson Road man in an August
fatal shooting at the 7-Eleven on Carolina Road, officials at the Commonwealth's
Attorney's office announced Tuesday. .... According to the office, an
investigation revealed that on the evening of Aug. 10, Eric Ralph, 28,
asked Thomas Cross, a customer at the store, for assistance with his vehicle.
Cross assisted, but was unable to fix the problem and returned to his
own vehicle to leave the premises. According to Ferguson, this caused
Ralph, who had a significant amount of alcohol in his system, to become
agitated, and he pulled a firearm, placed it to Cross's head, and threatened
to kill him. Cross then got his own gun, which he possessed legally, and
shot Ralph in self-defense .... 'Based on the fact that Mr. Ralph was
holding a gun to (Cross's) head and actually making threats that he was
going to kill him . there was no question that (Cross's) life was in danger,'
Ferguson said. (12/20/05)
And it
took them five months to decide this? I am glad that they found Cross
was justified, but it seems that it should not have taken this much time.
Mama's
Note: Ah, it's called "job security." They'll make everything
take as long as possible, with as many people involved as possible, no
matter how obvious it is. They do it because they can... and the people
around them let them get away with it.
Romania:
Stations fined for gun-toting Santa
Radio Free Europe
"Two Romanian television stations have been fined for showing
a man dressed as a gun-toting Santa Claus. The stations (Antena 1 and
National) were fined $1,700 for airing a publicity stunt by a local gun
maker that showed 'Santa' giving journalists submachine guns to test fire.
Ralu Filip, who heads the broadcast regulatory authority,said 'children
could understand from this that Santa is legitimizing the use of guns.'"
[FND editor's note: The fate of one Nicolai Ceausescu fully "legitimized
the use of guns" in Romania -- but perhaps the country could use
a recap of the lesson, with a censor or three like Mr. Filip as the example
- TLK] (12/22/05)
Hopefully,
Santa Claus, as a person who truly has the best interests of children
at heart, DOES legitimize the owning and proper use of firearms, to defend
those children, among other things.
Oregon:
Man shoots car prowl suspect
KPTV News
"A 27-year-old soldier just back from Iraq shot a man he said
came at him with a screwdriver, after he allegedly tried to steal a car
outside the soldier's Beaverton apartment. Jose Ruiz Gomez of Gresham
-- the suspected car prowler -- will be charged with second-degree theft
and unlawful entry of a vehicle. He was hospitalized with a gunshot wound
to his leg." (12/22/05)
As after
WW2, the use of firearms to defend homes, property, family, and neighbors
is receiving a serious boost from the new infusion of combat veterans.
Alabama:
Estranged husband shot by father-in-law
Hunstville Times
"The estranged husband of a northeast Morgan County woman was
shot before dawn Wednesday by his father-in-law, Sheriff Greg Bartlett
said. ... Griffin, who lives near his daughter, went to her house before
5 a.m. when he was told Calvin Hann was there. He carried a shotgun. Bartlett
said Calvin Hann, 30, fired a shotgun but didn't hit anyone. Griffin then
fired his shotgun, striking Calvin Hann in the stomach." (12/22/05)
A sad situation,
but at least the father was armed - or we might be reading another case
of multiple murder and suicide.
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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