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January
16, 2006
Libertarian
Commentary on the News, 8-14 January 2006
My apologies to Mama Liberty and the readers and patrons of The Price
of Liberty this week; a family emergency completely disrupted my plans
and I have a much shorter weekly review than usual (as well as several
other articles in progress which I had hoped to submit this week). This
news is mostly from the beginning of the week, as I was without internet
access for more than 109 hours! However, I think that there are some critical
things to look at. Our "character for Libertarians" will resume
next week! I start with a commentary on a commentary this week.
The
Real Reason the West is in Danger of Extinction
The Wall Street Journal
Most people reading this have strong stomachs, so let me lay it out as
baldly as I can: Much of what we loosely call the Western world will not
survive this century, and much of it will effectively disappear within
our lifetimes, including many if not most Western European countries.
There'll probably still be a geographical area on the map marked as Italy
or the Netherlands--probably--just as in Istanbul there's still a building
called St. Sophia's Cathedral. But it's not a cathedral; it's merely a
designation for a piece of real estate. Likewise, Italy and the Netherlands
will merely be designations for real estate. The challenge for those who
reckon Western civilization is, on balance better than the alternatives,
is to figure out a way to save at least some parts of the West.
"It's
the demographics, stupid!" I seldom publish extracts of commentary,
and therefore, my commentary ON the commentary, but once in a while I
find something that I just have to share - and this is one of those times.
The author is a Canadian, and I found this through a link from another
excellent commentary "It's about sex, stupid!" This is a long
article, and unlike most of the tripe from WSJ and CSM and all the other
"name" publications, it makes sense. Very, very scary sense.
It should be a clarion call to action on the part of every lover of liberty:
no matter how bad this formerly constitutional government is and has become,
there is a LOT worse out there in the world waiting to take over IF WE
LET IT. And virtually everything we are doing today, at home and abroad,
as a nation is the WRONG thing to do, not just because it is destroying
our freedom here at home (and abroad) but because it will leave us in
even worse condition when the "post-season" play starts. Read
this, post this, share this with friends AND enemies, and don't forget
about it.
World
Wars
So what is the rest of the world up to? Seemingly,
selling their birthright for a mess of porridge. This week, I am combining
European news with other "world war" news. What we need isn't
a "global war on terrorism" but a "global war on stupidity."
"The
Crime of the Century"
The Scotsman
NEW technologies and political freedoms are intensifying trade in illegal
goods and people, THEIR trade may be the stuff of legend and Hollywood
glamour, but the smugglers, counterfeiters and traffickers who deal in
anything from crudely copied machine components to spare body parts and
Kalashnikovs have become part of a monstrous phenomenon that is threatening
the global economy and the lives of millions. Illicit trade has always
existed, right back to ancient times, but it is flourishing like never
before, aided by the technological revolution of the 1990s - electronic
money transfer, the internet and mobile phones - and globalisation, which
has opened up the market to stateless, and often anonymous, criminals
able to switch from product to product, sometimes using their dealings
to support terrorism, but most often simply to make money.
. The
pharmaceutical industry estimates that a quarter to a half of the African
market is counterfeit
. Albania and Romania made human trafficking illegal for the first time
in 2001
. Counterfeiting is equal to 5%- 10% of world trade, on a par with the
GDP of Australia
. Since the early 1990s trade in counterfeit goods has grown at eight
times the speed of legitimate trade
. The perpetrators of the 1993 Word Trade Centre bombing were part-funded
by selling counterfeit t-shirts from a Broadway store
. Militants suspected of the 2004 Madrid bombs operated a home-based business
in counterfeit CDs
. One money launderer moved $36m in US cocaine profits back to Colombia
by way of Europe using 100 accounts spread across 68 banks in nine countries
. Close to three-quarters of Indonesian logging is illegal
. In the EU, where hazardous waste exports are supposed to be banned close
to a quarter of waste exports were illegal
Yeah, you
read that right. Our "new political freedoms" are to blame for
international trafficking in slaves, counterfeit goods, dirty money, etc.
Yeah. Never mind that communism killed millions and millions - if Uncle
Joe and Uncle Mao were still in power, none of this would be happening,
according to the media types.
Force-fed
prisoners
Guardian [UK]
"New details have emerged of how the growing number of prisoners
on hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay are being tied down and force-fed through
tubes pushed down their nasal passages into their stomachs to keep them
alive. They routinely experience bleeding and nausea, according to a sworn
statement by the camp's chief doctor .... The London solicitors Allen
and Overy, who represent some of the hunger strikers, have lodged a court
action to be heard next week in California, where Edmondson is registered
to practise. They are asking for an order that the state medical ethics
board investigate him for 'unprofessional conduct' for agreeing to the
force-feeding. Edmonson's affidavit, in response to a lawsuit on behalf
of detainees on hunger strike since last August, was obtained last week
by The Observer, as a Guantanamo spokesman confirmed that the number of
hunger strikers has almost doubled since Christmas, to 81 of the 550 detainees.
Many have been held since the camp opened four years ago this month, although
they not been charged with any crime, nor been allowed to see any evidence
justifying their detention." (01/09/06)
It is very
hard for me to have any sympathy for these people - but I have less tolerance
for the government refusing to treat them as de-facto prisoners of war
instead of playing these legal games. It would be different if there was
some meaning to their hunger strike, but as far as I can tell, there is
not. I certainly do not understand how de-facto POWs are entitled to have
attorneys: none of the POWs imprisoned by the Allies in WW2 here in the
US or elsewhere ever got to have attorneys come and file charges for them
against the camp doctors or staff.
India:
10 million baby girls killed over 20 years
BBC News
More than 10m female births in India may have been lost to abortion
and sex selection in the past 20 years, according to medical research.
Researchers in India and Canada for the Lancet journal said prenatal selection
and selective abortion was causing the loss of 500,000 girls a year. In
most countries, women slightly outnumber men, but separate research for
the year 2001 showed that for every 1,000 male babies born in India, there
were just 933 girls.
This is
a significant abuse of technology, and something that is always a concern:
ultrasound is used to determine the sex of the babies and if the child
is a girl, whoosh! But more serious even than the abuse is the future
consequences: history shows that cultures/societies with a high percentage
of males (which therefore are often unable to obtain mates) are much more
aggressive and chaotic, and when that society represents 1/6 of the human
race in today's small world, there is cause for concern.
Mama's
Note: Something just doesn't add up here. While the murder of any child
is unthinkable, the numbers here don't automatically indicate the other
problems. If there are 933 females born for every 1,000 males, Most of
them should be able to find a mate. The male to female ratio of any population
is not going to be exactly even, so what's missing in this picture?
Report:
North Korean dictator visiting China
Detroit Free Press
"North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has traveled to China on a rare
trip outside his country, a South Korean military intelligence official
said Tuesday. The official told The Associated Press he received the information
from intelligence inside China. The official spoke on condition his name
not be used because of the sensitivity of the information." (01/09/06)
I am sure
his overseas visits are rare for fear that a short trip may turn into
a permanent change of address. If China didn't have such great advantages
to having a madman and mad-dog nation next to them, they'd be the ones
to make the change of address permanent and clean the pesthole, letting
the US know it is for "everyone's good" and thereby sidestepping
the US.
Africa:
To fight al Qaeda, US troops build schools
Christian Science Monitor
"Pointing to his computer screen, Maj. Gen. Timothy Ghormley sounds
more like a Peace Corps volunteer showing off holiday photos than the
shaven-headed US Marine entrusted with defeating Al Qaeda in East Africa.
'That's what it's about right there,' he says, stabbing his eyeglasses
at the pictures of African children celebrating as water gushes from a
new well. 'Look at those kids. They're gonna remember this. In 25 years
they'll say, 'I remember the West -- they were good!'' In 2002, more than
1,500 US troops were sent to this former French colony in East Africa
to hunt followers of Al Qaeda throughout the region. Now, under General
Ghormley, their mission has evolved to preempt the broader growth of Islamic
militancy among the area's largely Muslim population." (01/09/06)
In other
words, we are using the same playbook as the US used for 40 years in fighting
the last bogeyman, worldwide Communism. (Don't get me wrong: I think both
Communism and Al Qaeda are real threats to world freedom and peace, but
that doesn't mean that we should be fighting it in this way, or that this
is effective.) Of course, the jarhead brass-hat is probably wrong - when
you look at where so many third-world anti-Western leaders got their education,
most got it in Western-built schools and their attitude towards the West
can be summed up in one word: "Suckers!" Notice that France
helped create the mess in most of Africa.
UK:
Tony Banks, 1943-2005
Independent [UK]
"With an acerbic wit and a readiness to throw comic jibes at his
political opponents, Tony Banks was one of the most colourful figures
in British politics. Last night, Tony Blair led tributes to the former
sports minister, who died four days after suffering a massive stroke while
on holiday in the United States. ... During his long political career
as MP for West Ham, Mr. Banks became known as one of Parliament's greatest
wits. His quips, from branding William Hague a 'foetus' to describing
Margaret Thatcher has having 'the sensitivity of a sex-starved boa-constrictor'
were even immortalised in a book. He once said of John Major, 'He is so
unpopular, if he became a funeral director people would stop dying.' But
the left-winger will be best known for his pivotal role in forcing a ban
on fox-hunting into law." (01/08/06)
Although
I am sorry for his family, I am glad that this man is gone from British
politics, where he has done untold harm over the years. Of course, the
very idea of a government "minister of sports" is so ludicrous
that you might think it were a joke, as Mr. Banks often was.
UK:
ID enforcement program emerges
Telegraph [UK]
"Town hall bureaucrats are to be given sweeping new powers to
investigate homes for identity card evasion and to impose heavy fines
on occupants found without one. The revelation, in an obscure Whitehall
consultation paper, calls into serious doubt the Government's repeated
promises that planned ID cards, already hugely controversial, will be
voluntary and that no one will be forced to carry one. ... The small print
of a consultation paper published by Lord Falconer's Department for Constitutional
Affairs, released during the Christmas holiday, reveals that town hall
officials will be asked to police the scheme by using the Electoral Register
to identify homes and individuals without cards. The register will be
cross-checked against the proposed Identity Card Database in what the
Conservatives are calling 'Big Brother' tactics. Those who fail to register
for a card or to keep their details up to date when, for example, they
change address face fines of up to £2,500." (01/08/06)
More truth
comes out - I would suggest to the Telegraph and other lovers of liberty
in the UK that broadcasting various versions of "Brave New World,"
"Fahrenheit 451", "1984," and "Animal Farm"
with appropriate commentary about the evils of government and Big Brother
be done on a weekly basis. And as I have been suggesting to Californians,
it may be time for Brits to leave their country - if they cannot get the
resources to take it back from the tyrants.
Guvmint-Ruined,
Theft-Funded Schools
As
you can see, it is a bad week and I'm being nasty. But after the Christmas
Season culture wars, the schools and educational establishment once more
demonstrate they just don't get it.
CA:
Fail exam? You don't graduate
San Francisco Chronicle
"State Superintendent Jack O'Connell delivered a tough-love message
Friday to nearly 50,000 high school seniors still hoping to escape a new
requirement that they pass the state's exit exam to get a diploma in June:
The answer is 'no,' he said. There will be no way for this year's students
who fail the test to graduate with their classmates. His message was a
response to demands from critics of the exit exam that he find some alternative
to this high-stakes test. 'I have concluded that there is no practical
alternative available that would ensure that all students awarded a high
school diploma have mastered the subject areas tested by the exam and
needed to compete in today's global economy,' O'Connell said. The schools
chief said his unyielding stance is in the students' best interest."
(01/07/06)
Although
this mess is caused by GRTF schools, I see no reason why a high school
diploma could not and should not be linked to a final exam or series of
exams that demonstrate that the student has met certain established standards.
It is no different from a professional engineering examination or a commercial
drivers license exam - or for that matter, a regular license exam.
Mama's
Note: Most of these "exams" are a pitiful joke anyway. Many
years ago I enrolled in a community college. When I took their "entrance
exam" I was horrified to discover that it was written for 9th graders!
And that was 9th grade level in 1975! I believe that any 4th grader could
have passed it a hundred years ago. Unfortunately, the academic level
of the classes I took reflected the same lack of challenge or real college
content.
School
ban for sweets and fizzy drinks
The Scotsman
CHOCOLATE, crisps, sweets and fizzy drinks will be banned from sale on
school premises under radical new proposals aimed at cutting back Scotland's
spiralling rates of child obesity.
"Food
fascism" is perhaps a misnomer: total-nannyism is maybe a better
word. Either way, it is crazy, and won't help (assuming there really is
an "obesity crisis" as the Scottish Executive claims): the kids
will get their treats at home and at the corner store, just as US kids
do at Mini-Mart and Safeway. So they will start to crack down on that,
and then, yes then, the attorneys will go to town, suing the schools and
the vendors and the manufacturers for selling something that the government
said was bad for you.
Mama's
Note: Take a look at this website: The
Center For Consumer Freedom for a lot more information on this subject.
This site investigates the "food police" stories and explodes
the myths.
Home Front in the Wars
From
the VP to foreign spies to firing people who won't work, we have a mishmash
this week. Don't forget to visit "Imperial Courts" also!
Cheney
hospitalized, released
Wellington Daily News
"Vice President Dick Cheney was taken to George Washington Hospital
early Monday experiencing shortness of breath, a spokeswoman said. He
was released four and a half hours later. Cheney spokeswoman Lea Anne
McBride said Cheney was taken to the hospital at 3 a.m. He was released
about 7:30 a.m. Doctors found his EKG, or electrocardiogram, unchanged
and determined he was retaining fluid because of medication he was taking
for a foot problem. Cheney, who has a long history of heart problems and
has a pacemaker, was placed on a diuretic at the hospital." (01/09/06)
He was
found not to have any serious problems, but this does let us raise an
interesting question (first asked by Herbert Anderson in a LTE in the
Rocky Mountain (Denver) News this week: What are you people who are trying
to get Bush impeached and removed from office thinking of!?! Do you REALLY
want to have Dick Cheney in the Oval Office? Are you THAT crazy? And are
you really wanting to go into 2008 with an incumbent in the White House
who is eligible for another term? Really?
Mama's
Note: This is like being asked if you'd rather be hung, shot or drowned...
If all the problems in this country could be solved with an impeachment
of Bush, I'd be in the front row screaming my head off. The problem, however,
isn't one person or one thousand people - it's the entire system we have
saddled ourselves with over the last 200 years and it's going to take
more than one impeachment to get rid of it.
GOP
coalition launches drive to replace DeLay
Boston Globe
"A coalition of conservative and moderate Republicans launched
a formal bid yesterday to replace Representative Tom Delay of Texas as
House majority leader, as lawmakers scramble to cope with the fallout
of a widening ethics scandal on Capitol Hill. The group's leaders said
more than 15 House Republicans signed the petition within hours of its
circulation yesterday afternoon, and said they hoped to gather as many
as three dozen signatures by day's end. Organizers said they would continue
to gather signatures over the weekend, aiming for the 50 they need under
House Republican rules to force a closed-door discussion and call for
leadership elections." (01/07/06)
DeLay's
resignation was expected by many people but still is going to require
a lot of changes. Much of the later news and commentary in the rest of
the week dealt with the aftermath of this resignation. I foresee that
neither party nor the situation in DC is going to change much: the politicians
are pretty interchangeable and pretty much all crooked. Now if Ron Paul
were made Majority Leader, THAT would be news.
Rights
conference focuses on Katrina
Las Vegas Review-Journal
"New Orleans residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina must be
allowed to return and have the chance to profit from the rebuilding effort,
NAACP President Bruce Gordon said Sunday. Gordon was among civil rights
leaders, lawmakers and businessmen gathered at the Wall Street Project,
an annual conference in New York created to promote diversity and equity
in the financial sector. It coincides with the Rev. Martin Luther King
Jr.'s birthday." (01/08/06)
This kind
of posturing is both typical and sickening. The various companies (I can't
vouch for the governments, of course) that are working to rebuild New
Orleans (a stupid idea, in my opinion) won't care where the people they
hire are from, or what the color of their skin is, or anything except
"can they do the work?" This conference will just muddle the
situation and allow for more graft, fraud, and corruption - which is what
NAACP and these others apparently want - a cut of the action.
Mama's
Note: None of these people mention (or ever think of) the rights of all
those who will be robbed in order to pay for this, including the graft,
fraud and corruption. We need to remind people that this will be paid
for with stolen goods! Think of that on April 15.
FL:
Couple indicted as Cuban agents
Los Angeles Times
"U.S. officials on Monday accused a Florida university professor
and his wife of acting as Cuban spies for more than two decades -- sending
Fidel Castro's intelligence agency encrypted reports about American officials,
FBI agents and anti-Castro groups and attempting to recruit young Cuban
Americans as fellow agents. In an indictment unsealed in federal court,
Carlos Alvarez, 61, and Elsa Alvarez, 55, were charged with acting as
agents of a foreign power without registering with the U.S. government
.... U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrea M. Simonton ordered the couple, who
both work at Florida International University, held without bond. Prosecutors
warned that they might try to flee to Cuba, their birthplace, if released.
Neither defendant entered a plea. They were due back in court Jan. 19.
The Alvarezes were not charged with the more serious offense of espionage.
FBI agents said there was no evidence that the couple had provided classified
or defense-related information to Cuba." (01/10/06)
I don't
know why anyone should be surprised that Castroista spies have been coming
over and living in the US for decades. I am sure that they are just two
of several thousand.
Mama's
Note: If there was no classified or defense-related information, how can
they be "spies" at all. This is insane.
Army
begins action to discharge reservists
Cincinnati Enquirer
"The Army took initial steps Monday to expel dozens of reservists
who failed to report for active duty, in effect warning hundreds of others
that they too could be penalized if they don't heed orders to return to
active service. The proceedings mark a turning point in the Army's struggle
to deploy thousands of soldiers from the Individual Ready Reserve, a rarely
mobilized group of reservists, to war zones in which some have resisted
serving. These are soldiers who had previously served on active duty but
not completed their eight-year service obligation." (01/09/06)
The reason
these discharges are a warning is that the discharge threatens hundreds
of dollars a month in future retirements, based on anywhere from 10 to
30-plus years of part time duty. Obviously, the Army is reluctant to do
that and the outcry of foul is already being heard.
Our
Imperial Courts
Well, the most time consuming thing in this week's news was the Alito
hearings, but we still see things that show the courts just don't get
it, either. Oh, for a world without lawyers!
Lawmakers
prepare for Alito hearings
USA Today
"Senate Democrats on Sunday promised a drawn-out confirmation
and perhaps a filibuster for Samuel Alito if the Supreme Court nominee
evades or refuses to answer their questions on abortion, presidential
war powers and other issues at this week's confirmation hearings. ...
Democrats say they will not decide whether to filibuster or try to delay
a committee vote until after the committee's weeklong hearings that begin
Monday." (01/08/06)
After claiming
last week that there was no talk of a filibuster, now at some are coming
clean.
Alito
enters the lions' den
Indianapolis Star
"Judge Samuel Alito absorbed hours of criticism from Senate Democrats
at close quarters Monday, then pledged at his confirmation hearings to
do what the law requires 'in every single case' if approved for the Supreme
Court. 'A judge can't have any agenda, a judge can't have any preferred
outcome in any particular case, and a judge certainly doesn't have a client,'
said Alito, the 55-year-old appeals judge who is President Bush's choice
to succeed Sandra Day O'Connor for the swing seat on a divided high court."
(01/09/06)
Speaking
of hype and news-hogs: this is the biggest "non-"story of the
week, as the Senators get to bluster and boast and kick off their campaigns
for 2006, 2008, and 2010, and Bush appointees run around tweaking and
pushing and prodding. I missed it all, thankfully.
Court
denies DeLay's dismissal request
Houston Chronicle
"Texas' highest criminal court today rejected U.S. Rep. Tom Delay's
request to throw out criminal indictments against him or order an immediate
trial on a charge of money laundering. DeLay, R-Sugar Land, had filed
the request as part of an effort to get an immediate resolution to his
case so he could regain his position as U.S. House majority leader."
(01/09/06)
Delay is
being treated about like any other defendant on these issues - to his
chagrin, I'm sure.
Judges
belatedly briefed on domestic spying
MSNBC
"The federal judges who were bypassed when the Bush administration
ordered warrantless wiretaps in the United States received a secret briefing
Monday on details of the surveillance. Separately, a former FBI director
and other lawyers questioned whether the surveillance is legal. The classified
briefing at the Justice Department had been requested by U.S. District
Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, presiding judge on the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act court." (01/09/06)
Why on
earth did the Bush administration do this? These judges would have almost
certainly rolled over for everything, yet they were ignored then. Now,
they are being read into it? What a waste of time.
Mideast
Tarbabies
This week is the same-old, same-old once more. But we do have the annual
excuse for bloodletting and killing this week, too: the mandatory pilgrimage
to Mecca. I'm thinking of using the Mark Twain solution again!
Iraq:
Interior Ministry attacked; casualty update
ABC News
"Insurgents exploded a suicide car bomb and launched two mortar
shells at Iraq's Interior Ministry during National Police Day celebrations
Monday, killing 21 people and injuring 24, police said. ... Meanwhile,
the U.S. military said eight U.S. troops and four American civilians died
aboard a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter that crashed late Saturday in
northern Iraq. ... With the latest military deaths, at least 2,207 U.S.
service members have died since the war started in 2003, according to
an Associated Press count. ... In other violence Monday, gunmen assassinated
an investigative judge in Kirkuk, police Capt. Farhad Talabani said. In
Baghdad, gunmen fired on three people working on Iraq's de-Baathification
commission, killing one, police Capt. Qassim Hussein said. Gunmen also
killed an Iraqi intelligence officer and a doctor in separate attacks,
Hussein said. Five bodies bound and blindfolded were found shot to death
in Baghdad late Sunday, police said. ... Five people died in separate
attacks in Baghdad on Sunday, including a policeman killed by a suicide
car bomber targeting an Interior Ministry patrol. Seven others were wounded."
[Editor's note: This story omits mention of several US Marines killed
in action over the weekend according to other press accounts - TLK] (021/09/06)
This continued,
as usual, through the week - more dead, the count climbing on all sides,
and the politicians and terrorists posturing and boasting.
Afghanistan:
Karzai invites Taliban to talk
CNN
"President Hamid Karzai said Sunday that a few hundred Taliban
fighters have reconciled with the government and suggested militant leader
Mullah Omar should 'get in touch' if he wanted to talk peace. In the context
of escalating violence, including suicide attacks, the remarks by Karzai
in an interview with The Associated Press were seen as a significant softening
of the government's previous policy of not negotiating with top leaders
of the hard-line militia." (01/08/06)
Apparently
the Afghan government believes it is strong enough to have such talks,
which I guess is a good sign.
Two
million Muslim pilgrims to begin hajj
MSNBC
"More than 2 million Muslims raised their hands to heaven and
chanted in unison Sunday as they hiked through a desert valley to the
outskirts of Mecca in preparation for Islam's annual sacred pilgrimage.
The journey through the eight-mile-long valley puts the pilgrims from
around the globe in place for the start of hajj rituals on Monday. The
march takes Muslims along the steps of the prophet Muhammad, who gave
his last sermon on Mount Arafat in 632. The hajj rituals begin with the
circling of the Kaaba, the huge black cube in the center of Mecca's Grand
Mosque, which Muslims around the world face when they offer their prayers
five times daily." (01/08/06)
Here more
than any other time we can see the pagan origins of Islamic put on display
publicly for the world to see. While even most of Judaism has gone beyond
the need for "temples made with hands" and both Judaism and
Christianity generally reject worship of manmade things (or anything close
to worship), these people, nearly 1400 years later, still do not accept
that Muhammad was never able to depart from his pagan beginnings, and
instead of substance, has created a ritualistic system even more binding
and superficial than that developing under the Law of Moses.
By the
way, how come you never read about thousands of Christian or Jewish pilgrims
crushing each other to death or stealing airplanes or such?
Iran
breaks UN seals on nuke facility
Natchez Democrat
"Iran removed seals on its nuclear facilities Tuesday, ending
a two-year freeze on work there despite warnings from the United States
and other countries concerned about Tehran's nuclear ambitions. The United
States rebuked Iran for the move, calling it a step toward creating the
material for nuclear bombs. British Prime Minister Tony Blair's official
spokesman said the international community was 'running out of patience'
with Tehran. Both countries, along with France and Germany, have called
on Tehran to cease nuclear activities until an agreement has been reached
on the scope of its nuclear program." (01/10/06)
Oh, the
moaning and threats and dire warnings that have sounded. The rantings
of world leaders are particularly hypocritical, as they have refused to
do anything besides talk for months now, and Iran has manipulated them
constantly. At the same time, the "international community's"
refusal to recognize that for good or bad, Iran is sovereign, is stupid.
Study:
Iraq war could cost US $2 trillion
Forbes
"The Iraq war will cost the United States between 1 and 2 trln
USD, Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz said. The originally
projected figure of 200 bln usd was at the time dismissed as a gross overestimation.
However, a new study from Stiglitz and economy professor Linda Bilmes
suggests that the effects of the conflict will haunt the US budget in
unforeseen ways in years to come." (01/10/06)
They don't
know - no one can or does know, or even make a good estimate. It is a
lot of money, but anyone else can look at the data, make their own assumptions,
and come up with almost any number they wish, depending on what they count
and how they count it. "Figures don't lie, but liars figure."
Israel:
Sharon shows new signs of improvement
CBS News
"Prime Minister Ariel Sharon showed new signs of recovery Tuesday
from a massive stroke, moving part of his left side as doctors gradually
reduced the anesthesia keeping him in a coma, Israeli media said. The
reported improvement came a day after Sharon slightly moved his right
arm and leg in response to pain stimulation and started breathing on his
own. Sharon, 77, remained hooked up to a respirator and unconscious in
a guarded room where classical music, including Mozart, is being played.
Also, an Israeli newspaper reported that Sharon was suffering from a brain
disease that, in combination with the blood thinners he started taking
after an initial stroke Dec. 18, could have increased his risk for another
stroke. Doctors refused to comment." (01/10/06)
Apparently,
he will officially remain PM until the new election, with a caretaker
government and PM in place.
Iraq:
US troops kidnap, release journalist
Guardian [UK]
"American troops in Baghdad yesterday blasted their way into the
home of an Iraqi journalist working for the Guardian and Channel 4, firing
bullets into the bedroom where he was sleeping with his wife and children.
Ali Fadhil, who two months ago won the Foreign Press Association young
journalist of the year award, was hooded and taken for questioning. He
was released hours later. Dr. Fadhil is working with Guardian Films on
an investigation for Channel 4's Dispatches programme into claims that
tens of millions of dollars worth of Iraqi funds held by the Americans
and British have been misused or misappropriated." (01/09/06)
Well, I
am sure that they got some sick satisfaction out of it, and they play
"catch-and-release" a lot, just like cops do here in the States.
At least he survived.
Privacy
and related Rights Issues
Just
a few items this week, from various locations overseas. Big Brother is
alive and well!
India:
Using a computer? Papers, please
Newind Press
"Amidst the growing graph of cyber crimes and the mounting complaints
against the misuse of cyber cafes in the state, the State Government is
all set to introduce a law to regulate the internet cafes. ... According
to sources, the government is planning to bring in the regulations in
line with those introduced by the Karnataka Government. According to the
regulations existing in Karnataka, it is the responsibility of the cyber
cafe owner to ensure that computer and computer systems in the cyber cafe
are not used for any illegal or criminal activity. The law also restricts
the cafe owner or computer network service provider from allowing any
user who does not have an ID proof to use his computer or network. The
user will have to establish his identity by producing photo identity card
issued by any educational institution, photo credit card of any bank,
passport, voters identity card, PAN card, photo identity card issued by
an employer, driving license or a photo ID card issued by co-operative
societies." (01/09/06)
Another
aspect of how Big Brother deals with the computer age. Expect more and
more underground sites to rise up.
Backlash
over blog block
Australian IT News
"Microsoft is under fire for blocking a prominent Chinese blogger,
joining a growing list of US companies helping Beijing curtail free speech.
The MSN Spaces-hosted web log, or blog, belonging to Beijing-based media
researcher Zhao Jing was closed down after he posted articles critical
of a management purge at the Beijing News daily. 'I posted three posts
about the Beijing News and all posts and articles were deleted inside
China,' Mr. Zhao, who uses the pen name Michael Anti, told the XFN-Asia
news service this week. 'MSN Spaces (has) now deleted all of my articles
and I have no backup and I'm very angry.' Microsoft had already faced
intense criticism when it was revealed last year that its Chinese blogging
service restricted the entry of sensitive terms such as 'demonstration,'
'democratic movement' and 'Taiwan independence.'" (01/09/06)
Since most
"business" is in reality just a branch of government in China
(and they have the gall to condemn "fascism"!!!), the government
is moving to protect its branches. And Microsoft is once more shown to
be nothing but a large Beltway Bandit perfectly comfortable with ending
freedoms for everyone but itself - classic socialism and fascism.
Our
Right to Defend Ourselves
Got
a good selection again, of people defending themselves against attackers,
and of governments (and others) attacking people who just want to defend
themselves. Hmmm - and just how do we define "aggressors"?
Bosnians
remain armed as fears of further war endure
Yuba.net
"Fearing a new conflict, many Bosnians are doggedly holding on
to weapons left over from the country's 1992-1995 war, despite efforts
by foreign and local authorities to seize them. 'Yes, I have a Kalashnikov
and it's illegal, but every time they take one of them, I find another
one,' said Bosnian Serb Pajo, who has already had three of the assault
rifles confiscated on different occasions. 'In this region having a weapon
means having security, because this is a kind of place where you always
have to fear other people,' said sociologist Ivan Sijakovic, explaining
why Bosnians want to hang on to their weapons despite 10 years of internationally
monitored peace in the former Yugoslav republic. 'People's attachment
to their guns here comes from the belief that if they rid themselves of
their weapons, they will be attacked again and will not be able to defend
themselves,' he added." (01/07/06)
This guy
needs to figure out some better hiding places, for sure.
Virginia:
Guns in bars is back
Richmond Times-Dispatch
"The so-called 'guns in bars' issue will return this year, a perennial
topic that always generates heated debate. Gun-rights advocates want to
let people carry concealed handguns into a restaurant or club as long
as they don't consume alcohol. The hospitality and restaurant industry
has long opposed the measure, contending that guns and alcohol don't mix.
Second Amendment supporters counter that those who legally carry concealed
handguns are law-abiding citizens." (01/08/06)
I think
that it will take a while, but eventually the business owners will realize
(in part, encouraged by their employees) that this is good for them. As
open-carry becomes more common again, I foresee bars especially reestablishing
the old "hang your guns on the rack" if you are going to drink
at them.
Mama's
Note: With the cost of these things, and the extreme danger of theft,
I'd think they'd need some kind of a locked check in. I sure wouldn't
part with mine if I had to hang it on a "rack." But then, I
don't go into such places to start with.
South
Africa: Cops probe self-defence plea
News 24 [South Africa]
"An Mpumalanga farmer, accused of killing a suspected car thief,
may have acted in self-defence, according inspector Suzette Cason of the
provincial police. She said police were investigating if Jacobus Grindstad
had acted in self-defence when he shot and killed Samanga Hlamba on New
Year's Eve on Onderberg farm near Malelane. Hlamba, 22, is said to have
tried to steal a vehicle at the farm and also pulled a gun on the farmer.
'If the investigation proves that the farmer acted in self-defence, the
murder charge will be changed to an inquest,' said Cason." (01/05/06)
It seems
to me that the inquest should be the FIRST action - and only if there
are doubts should it go to charges. Of course, this is a problem in many
of the States, as well.
PA:
93-year-old scares off two robbers
Wilkes-Barre Times Leader
"Two would-be robbers figured 93-year-old Edward Cosgrove for
an easy mark, but they ended up making his day. The men fled after one
scuffled with Cosgrove in the parking lot of a Pantego store last week
and became convinced that Cosgrove was reaching for a gun. ... 'I looked
up and a guy charged me and knocked me down on my back, and he reached
around to grab my wallet,' said Cosgrove, who lives with his wife, Olga,
95, in Arlington, just outside Pantego. While struggling to keep his wallet
in his pocket, Cosgrove reached into his pickup and said he was going
for his gun. 'I said, 'If I can reach my pistol, I'm going to kill you,''
Cosgrove said. The man bolted for a nearby car, and the two fled. Cosgrove
didn't have a gun. 'I was scared,' he said. 'All I know is I had to do
something. So it came to my mind about a pistol.'" (01/06/06)
Frankly,
this man is far FAR luckier than he deserves to be - hopefully he (and
his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc.) will learn and
make sure he is able to defend himself against thugs in the future.
CA:
Intruder shot in bedroom
Los Angeles Times
"An Oxnard man who broke into the bedroom of a Rancho Cucamonga
apartment early Friday morning was shot and killed by one of the occupants
-- a prison counselor for the state Department of Corrections, authorities
said. The intruder, Hector Soto, 21, of Oxnard, died less than three hours
after being shot and undergoing surgery at Arrowhead Regional Medical
Center in Colton, the San Bernardino County coroner said. The San Bernardino
County Sheriff's Department did not release the prison counselor's name.
He will not be charged, a spokeswoman said. The break-in occurred about
2:50 a.m. Sheriff's homicide investigators said Soto opened a front window
to enter the apartment in the 8400 block of Fir Street, and walked to
a bedroom. The prison counselor fought with Soto and then pulled a pistol
from his nightstand, sheriff's investigators said. When Soto advanced,
the prison counselor shot Soto one time." (01/7/06)
Good to
see someone in California with some sense in law enforcement. That's a
rare commodity in a state that condemns children to die because they can't
be allowed to have weapons for their own defense, and their parents are
under bond to prevent anyone up to the age of 18 from getting to weapons.
AL:
Wheelchair-bound man shoots intruder
Huntsville Ledger
"A 22-year-old man confined to a wheelchair shot one of two teenagers
who broke into his Boxwood Court apartment Friday. A 16-year-old boy was
in surgery at Huntsville Hospital late Friday for multiple gunshot wounds
to the leg, said Sgt. Michael Walker of the west precinct. Investigators
say the teen will be charged with first-degree burglary upon his release
from the hospital. Walker said a 15-year-old boy also was charged with
first-degree burglary and taken to the Neaves Center, a juvenile detention
facility. Police did not release the name of the burglary victim. No charges
will be filed against him for shooting the intruder, Walker said. The
burglary victim told officers he had just returned home from work at the
University of Alabama in Huntsville about 5 p.m. The man said he was in
his bedroom when he heard a noise and looked outside the window to see
two people climbing through another bedroom window, Walker said. The man
called 911 just before the two teens kicked open the bedroom door, police
said. When the teens kicked open the door, the man opened fire with a
semiautomatic pistol, Walker said. The 16-year-old boy was hit and the
15-year-old boy ran out the front door, he said." (01/07/06)
Is there
a more excellent example to show that weapons are critical to self-defense?
A man confined to a wheelchair would be ripe pickings for two husky (or
even two scrawny) teenagers out for a little fun - but he was prepared.
Are you?
FL:
Tow truck driver fatally shot man during fight over car
WFTS News
"A 30-year-old Tampa man is dead after being shot by a tow truck
driver. The shooting happened early Sunday morning near the Sugar Shack
bar, located on Hillsborough Avenue and 56th Street. The tow truck driver,
41-year-old David Montanez, had just towed a vehicle from the area. According
to investigators, Montanez said that when the owner of that vehicle, 30-year-old
Glen Rich, got into an altercation with him, he feared for his safety
and fatally shot Rich in self-defense. As of Monday morning, no charges
had been filed." (01/09/06
I would
hardly have expected that the CUSTOMER of a tow trucker would be who they
had to defend themselves against, but it sounds like this guy was prepared.
TN:
Gun distributor named in frivolous lawsuit
Tennessean
"A Chattanooga company is among 41 gun distributors and manufacturers
being sued by New York City officials, who say some crimes in New York
involved guns from Tennessee. Chattanooga Shooting Supply, a wholesale
distributor, was named in the federal lawsuit that seeks tighter regulations
on how guns are sold. A federal judge ruled last month the lawsuit can
move forward even though President Bush signed a new law in October that
bars lawsuits against gun makers filed by cities and crime victims. U.S.
District Judge Jack B. Weinstein ruled New York's lawsuit falls within
an exception in the law that allows claims against gun suppliers for allegedly
violating public nuisance laws by recklessly selling weapons."
(01/09/06)
Part of
Bloomberg's foolishness, as he tried to export New York's problems and
failures. This should be in "Imperial Courts" as well - based
on how the judge ignored the intent of the law to get it through a loophole.
(Of course, you don't suppose that the congrus-critturs put that loophole
there on purpose, do you?)
Stupid
Government and People Tricks
Whew!
I know, most of what I select in the news could be put in this section,
but here are some juicy ones this week.
Tribe
wants Abramoff donations returned
Arizona Republic
"The Tigua tribe of El Paso wants campaign contributions it gave
while employing lobbyist Jack Abramoff returned to the tribe, not given
to charity. Arturo Senclair, governor of the tribe officially known as
the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo, said the tribe isn't demanding its donations
back but that anyone returning money should check with the Tigua first.
'It's up to them and their conscience. They've got to live with it,' Senclair
said. 'But if they are going to donate it back to a charity, I'm sure
the tribe would rather have it back than the charity, because we could
use the money now.' Arizona Republican Rep. J.D. Hayworth, co-chairman
of the congressional Native American Caucus, has letters from tribes saying
they did not want contributions returned. The Tigua did not send such
a letter to Hayworth, who has received $2,000 from the tribe. ... Lawmakers
have been shedding donations from Abramoff, his clients, former employers
and associates." (01/08/06)
All I can
say is that these people have a lot of nerve. They got cheated because
they were trying to cheat, and should be facing corruption charges themselves,
along with most of Congress on both sides of the aisle.
MA:
"Social host" law hard to enforce, DAs say
Boston Globe
"In the summer of 2003, tragedy struck twice on the South Shore.
Three teenage girls, two from Weymouth and one from Scituate, were killed
in two drunken-driving accidents in the span of two weeks after parties
where minors were drinking. Prosecutors brought charges against the party
hosts under the state's Social Host Responsibility Law, which makes it
a crime to allow minors to drink at your home. But, in a separate fatal
crash after another party this fall, Nathaniel Berberian, 20, will apparently
not face charges in the deaths of two sisters, Shauna and Meghan Murphy.
Last week, Worcester District Attorney John J. Conte said there was insufficient
evidence to bring a criminal charge against the host, despite a Northborough
police investigation that alleged the teens had been drinking at Berberian's
home before the fatal crash." (01/08/06)
It is a
stupid law - people, even MINORS, have to be held accountable for their
own actions. I agree, parents who hold keggers and worse for their underage
children and friends ARE stupid, but sometimes, we just have to let nature
take its course, and work to keep other people from getting killed when
these idiots go out and kill themselves.
Idaho
senator proposes sleep shifts for prisoners
Seattle Times
Faced with overcrowding in the state's prisons, Idaho Sen. Robert Geddes
has proposed that prisoners sleep in shifts and that those who volunteer
to sleep during the day would receive a greater chance for prison jobs.
According to the Seattle Times, the legislature is expected to consider
building more prisons or expanding current ones.
Give this
guy 10 points for smarts and -50 points for lack of ability to observe.
The idea of shifts for prisons is an EXCELLENT idea of saving money not
just in building prisons but in manning them as well. HOWEVER, this guy
needs to look at WHY these people are in prison: how many are in there
for things like drunken driving, theft, and other crimes for which they
should be working to make restitution; and how many are in there for crimes
which are, frankly, frivolous or their own punishment, like using drugs?
And finally, how many are in there for crimes that it is a certainty that
they will go out and do again, and for which they should be either executed
or have some (relatively simple) operation (like castration) done?
Ukraine:
Parliament fires government
Bloomberg
"Ukrainian lawmakers voted to fire Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov's
government after the cabinet agreed to pay a higher price for Russian
gas supplies. A total of 250 lawmakers in the 450-seat parliament backed
the dismissal of Yekhanurov, who was approved as premier by the parliament
on Sept. 22." (01/10/06)
No surprise,
seeing what impact this will have. It is, sadly, another artificial crisis
as the Russians start to flex the muscles they have built in recent years,
by becoming the major supplier of gas and many other things to their former
possessions and neighbors to the West.
Study
criticizes mass transit spending
Nashville City Paper
"Federal transportation subsidies encourage local governments
to squander money on underutilized transit projects, according to a new
study released last week by the Cato Institute. 'Total inflation-adjusted
subsidies to transit -- buses and trains -- have more than doubled since
1990, yet total ridership has increased by less than 10 percent,' argues
Randal O'Toole, an adjunct scholar of the Cato Institute, a libertarian
think tank. In his paper, O'Toole writes that, before 1964, public transit
was largely owned by private entities. Now it is largely funded with taxpayers'
money. 'Today more than three of every four dollars spent on transit come
from taxpayers, not transit riders,' he writes. 'The effectiveness of
local transit systems is undermined by federal subsidies, which encourage
the construction of highly visible and expensive services such as light-rail
trains to suburban areas despite the chronically low number of riders
on those routes.'" (01/09/06)
Yet another
welfare program and pork barrel fest revealed. This is nothing new, but
Cato is again raising the issue.
GOP
warms to curb on lobbying
Boston Globe
"Worried that the case of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff may
trigger a backlash at the polls this fall, Congress is showing new interest
in sweeping changes to rules on lobbying, with Republican leaders poised
to embrace major alterations they'd rejected when Democrats introduced
them last year. Yesterday, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert announced that
he would 'move forward aggressively and quickly to have the House of Representatives
address lobbying reform.' 'Now is the time for action,' said Hastert,
an Illinois Republican. He directed a top lieutenant, House Rules Committee
chairman David Dreier, to spearhead the effort. Senate majority leader
Bill Frist also publicly committed to changing laws and legislative rules
to 'improve transparency and accountability,' shortly after Abramoff pleaded
guilty last week in connection with a bribery scheme." (01/09/06)
Window
dressing and glycerin tears, as far as I can tell.
Mama's
Note: Absolutely useless. The only way to stop the corruption is to remove
the money and power from government altogether. When each person is free
to use their time and resources independently, there will be no incentive
for political corruption. Until then, it's as unavoidable as night following
the day.
Belafonte:
Bush "greatest terrorist"
Cincinnati Enquirer
"The American singer and activist Harry Belafonte called President
Bush 'the greatest terrorist in the world' on Sunday and said millions
of Americans support the socialist revolution of Venezuelan leader Hugo
Chavez. Belafonte led a delegation of Americans including the actor Danny
Glover and the Princeton University scholar Cornel West that met the Venezuelan
president for more than six hours late Saturday. Some in the group attended
Chavez's television and radio broadcast Sunday." (01/08/06)
Why is
it that American radicals have this constant urge to be seen in public
with people who posture themselves as enemies of their own nation? Calling
Bush names is par for the course for the liberals, but this sucking up
to Chavez by the Hollywood crowd makes as little sense as when they did
it with North Vietnamese, Cubans, or all the back to Hitler.
Australia:
Artist paints with her breasts
Ananova [UK]
"An Australian woman has become famous for her ability to paint
with her breasts. Di Peel's first canvas sold for £5, her second
for £10 and she's now busy with an order for 10 at £40 each.
The mother of two, from Tasmania, who is happy to describe herself as
a big woman, works at the kitchen table rather than at an easel, reports
the Mercury newspaper. She said: 'I either apply the paint to my breasts
and lean on to the canvas or apply the paint to the canvas and then lean
into it to spread the paint. I sign every picture with my nipple.' DI
says she has to take a shower ever time she changes colours ."
(01/05/06)
Is there
any reason for this civilization to continue to exist, with this sort
of stupidity being encouraged and promoted?
Mama's
Note: More power to her. If she can find morons willing to part with their
money for this, why should anyone else care unless she's getting tax dollars?
Opposition
builds to "black boxes" in cars
Stamford Advocate
"Data recorders similar to 'black boxes' installed in airplanes
are now in cars, providing information about vehicle crashes while also
leading to odd political alliances that oppose their presence. 'The vast
majority of people don't even realize there is such a device for your
car,' said Eric Skrum, spokesman for the National Motorists Association.
'If the American public knew about this device, they would protest it.'
... State troopers side with defense lawyers, the American Civil Liberties
Union and consumer watchdogs that say the black boxes infringe on motorists'
privacy rights." (01/08/06)
The UK
is already doing this, together with the satellite photo tracking of vehicles.
If you have such a box in your vehicle, get someone to fry it for you.
And try to buy a new car without one. If they won't tell you there is
not one, assume that there is.
Mama's
Note: As I understand it, this tracking stuff is part of a very expensive
package of services on some new cars, not something put into all cars
- at least not yet. Anybody know different for sure?
AZ:
Grand Canyon, "green" ranch
Arizona Republic
"Step through the doorway of the cramped line shack out on the
Two Mile Ranch grazing range and you might figure it's worth it to sit
a spell until the cowhand gets back. His hat's there, black and felt like
it ought to be, hanging from a nail in the cinderblock wall. He has stocked
the cupboard with cans of green beans and carrots. He hasn't cleaned in
a long time -- the floor crunches with each step, and mice have taken
over the lumpy mattress -- but you forgive him that because he's getting
paid to chase cattle, not dust bunnies. Still, for all the Hollywood details,
this is not a place stuck in an episode of Bonanza. Or even in the past.
The next time a cowhand shows up for work, he or she will find the beginnings
of a modern experiment in ranching, an operation steeped not in tradition
but in conservation. In one of the largest deals of its kind, Two Mile
Ranch and neighboring Kane Ranch were sold last year to Grand Canyon Trust
and the Conservation Fund, environmental groups trying to position themselves
on the leading edge of the so-called green ranch movement." (01/08/06)
I see this
as nothing more than the next step in the plan to eliminate ranching on
public AND private land in the West, to make us all absolutely dependent
on the factory-farms and to "reestablish" utopian ecologies
that never existed except in the fevered minds of environists. At least
these properties weren't transferred directly to the FedGov, although
they might as well be.
Texas:
Girl says mom coerced abuse claims
ABC News
"Sixteen-year-old Stephanie Arena longs for a normal girl's life,
but she is haunted by the fact that she sent her teenage cousins to prison
for a crime she now says they didn't commit. The sordid story began when
Stephanie, just 7 years old at the time, was caught in a bitter custody
battle between her parents, LaVonna and Stephan Arena. Worried that she'd
lose her daughter, LaVonna took Stephanie and her brother from their home
in Texas to a Florida homeless shelter. She then justified the abduction
by telling social workers her kids were being molested. Stephanie now
says her mother used her as a tool to pry her family apart and to get
her father to drop his custody claim. 'I am responsible for putting them
in prison, and now that I am older and I can understand the consequences
of my actions, I need to step up and do what I have to [to] make things
right,' she told '20/20' in an exclusive interview." [FND editor's
note: One more case where those who demand "absolute punishments
for sex offenders" are dead wrong! - SAT] (01/06/06)
Steve's
comment is right on the money. There is a tremendous difference between
someone caught raping a woman (or child) under obvious circumstances and
these sorts of myths - which are nothing more than a form of aggression
on the part of people like this woman. But even if the cousins are freed,
you can almost bet that LaVonna Arena will receive no punishment for it,
and will continue to be hailed as an example by the child-napping lobby.
Hurricane
fraud suspects held
Washington Times
"A federal task force has arrested 143 persons nationwide for
bribery, extortion and fraudulent claims on hurricane disaster funding,
and at least 1,000 investigations are ongoing in New Orleans. 'Unfortunately,
we see it with every disaster, but we're working very closely with the
inspector general and Homeland Security and U.S. attorneys to prosecute
every single case we come across,' said Nicol Andrews, Federal Emergency
Management Agency spokeswoman. Most of the cases involve false claims
to aid earmarked for victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, but several
extortion cases already are in the court system. In St. Tammany Parish
outside New Orleans, Councilman Joe Impastato was indicted last month
on charges of extortion and money laundering." (01/08/06)
There will
always be the con artists and the scammers, but if this were private money,
not "government" money (taxpayers), there would be a lot less
of it going on, because people who really cared would be handling it.
Mama's
Note: Read this:
"The Tragedy of American Compassion" to understand the difference
between real charity and government "aid."
CO:
Pot advocates push statewide legalization
Washington Times
"Stoked by their surprise victory in Denver, marijuana-legalization
advocates are hoping to ride the momentum with statewide ballot initiatives
this year in Colorado and Nevada. Colorado activists announced a drive
two weeks ago aimed at bringing a clone of Denver's Initiative 100 before
voters statewide in November. Initiative 100 allows adults in the city
to possess small amounts of marijuana. And activists in Nevada, who have
secured a place for a legalization measure on the state ballot in November,
are taking heart in the success of Initiative 100, which captured 54 percent
of the vote in the Nov. 1 election. 'What Denver shows is that this is
a mainstream issue,' said Neal Levine, campaign manager of Citizens to
Regulate and Control Marijuana in Las Vegas." (01/09/06)
Based on
how Colorado voters moved like sheep through the voting in 2005, I expect
this to be very difficult to pass. And the same with many other measures
proposed for the 2006 Colorado election.
Mama's
Note: Nobody has ever explained to me just why anyone would care if other
people used this herb. The hysteria and lies about this are exponentially
out of proportion to any potential harm. It is one of the great mysteries
of the last century.
Heat
gun wins wackiest label contest
Yahoo! News
"A warning that consumers shouldn't use a heat gun that produces
temperatures of 1,000 degrees as a hairdryer has won an anti-lawsuit group's
award for the wackiest label of the year. The Wacky Warning Label Contest,
in its ninth year, is conducted by Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch as part
of an effort to show the effects of lawsuits on warning labels. ... The
$500 first prize went to Tom Brunelle of Holland, who spotted the heat
gun warning. The $250 second prize award went to Jam Sardar of Grand Rapids
for a label on a kitchen knife that warns: 'Never try to catch a falling
knife.' Third prize of $100 went to Alice Morgan of La Junta, Colo. She
found a cocktail napkin with a map of the waterways around Hilton Head
Island, S.C., printed on it that cautioned: 'Not to be used for navigation.'"
(01/06/06)
Yeah, people
are nuts - especially risk managers. Yet I dare say that every one of
these came from either an actual lawsuit or threat, and the rest from
a fear of such action. The solution? "First we hang all the lawyers."
Domestic
Spying and other National Scandals and Embarrassments
Yeah, the whole place (DC) is an embarrassment to us all. Smoke and mirrors,
nothing more, for another week.
Specter
asks Gonzales to speak on domestic spying program
USA Today
"The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Sunday he
has asked Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to testify during open hearings
on the legality of the Bush administration's domestic spying program.
Hearings are planned for early February into the National Security Agency
program that President Bush approved in 2002, said Sen. Arlen Specter,
R-Pa. They will examine whether the congressional resolution authorizing
the president to use force against Iraq allowed eavesdropping without
a court order, as the administration contends, he said." (01/08/06)
I ask myself
why they bother - the Congress isn't going to do anything about it, and
Gonzales isn't likely to tell them anything anyway.
US
opens incoming mail on terror concerns
CNN
"U.S. officials are opening personal mail that arrives from abroad
when they deem it necessary to protect the country from terrorism, a Customs
and Border Protection spokeswoman said Monday. News of the little-known
practice follows revelations that the government approved eavesdropping
on U.S. citizens without judicial oversight after the terrorist attacks
of September 11, 2001, which sparked concern from civil liberties advocates
and some lawmakers, who called for congressional hearings." (01/09/06)
This is
the major new piece of news on this issue, in my opinion, and doesn't
seem to have created the furor I would have expected.
Mama's
Note: You can't wet a river... Personally, I've assumed that mail was
opened and read whenever they wanted to for a very long time. What's to
stop them? This isn't actually news as far as I'm concerned.
Tech
and Medical News
Just
a couple of items. If you have more that I am missing, please be sure
and send to me.
TN:
Bill would outlaw mercury-laced flu shots
Tennessean
"Legislation that would prevent Tennessee children from getting
flu shots that contain a controversial mercury preservative is pitting
parent groups against pediatricians. The parent camp contends that thimerosal,
a vaccine preservative that is 49.6% ethyl mercury, has caused an autism
epidemic among children. The doctors' side argues the flu shots are safe
and the way they're administered shouldn't be influenced by what they
consider to be junk science. Rep. Susan Lynn, R-Mt. Juliet, who is sponsoring
the bill, says regardless of whether thimerosal causes autism, it's unhealthy
and unnecessary for children to be exposed to it when there are flu vaccines
that don't contain the preservative. 'One thing we know for sure is that
mercury is the second-most poisonous substance on the planet,' said Lynn,
adding that she's sponsoring the bill because she's concerned about her
constituents. 'What we want to say in Tennessee is that under no circumstances
is it acceptable to give mercury to children.'" (01/08/06)
This is
probably a stupid people and government trick also. These folks are just
scratching at the edges of a problem, which is far bigger: the entire
issue of vaccines and preventative medicine, not just the contents or
preservatives of some vaccines, needs to be looked at: by parents and
patients, NOT JUST medical personnel.
As
bank jobs go abroad, are records at risk?
Christian Science Monitor
"First, US textile jobs were shipped to the Orient, then customer
service call centers for American companies cropped up in Manila. Now
the back office of the corner bank is being hauled to Bombay and Bangladore,
India. From SunTrust in Atlanta to Bank of America in Charlotte, N.C.,
banks are hiring overseas shops to stay competitive, be more efficient,
and have access to cheap labor. But as more accounting and investment
banking is being sent overseas, the result is that Americans' personal
bank accounts are increasingly susceptible to theft and fraud, some experts
say." (01/07/06)
It is perhaps
a legitimate question, but CSM as usual fails to look at the right things
and ask the right questions. Who is more likely to steal the data - some
nameless Bangladeshi or some inner-city rehab graduate? And who is more
likely to be able to use it to rob them blind and steal their identity?
Nathan
Barton has finished his Christmas and New Years' "vacation"
in Colorado with his family and has been on the road some this week, before
getting back to the Black Hills. His views and comments, however normal
they sound, are too weird to be anyone's but his own, and not necessarily
anyone else's. Caveat Lexor. Be sure to visit my blog,
Liberty's Outpost.
Special
Feature! Add your signature to the NEW
Declaration of Independence
By Robert Greenslade
Several
people have asked about buying Gadsden Flags (the rattlesnake "Don't
Tread on Me flags used by the June 23d Movement and other Property Rights
Organizations: you
can get them for $10.00 plus shipping here.
To Read
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are linked from the daily front pages.
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