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March
20, 2006
The character
trait for liberty lovers this week is skepticism: the idea that we don't
believe everything we hear or read - that we take everything with a grain
of salt and prove things for ourselves. Every week is filled with news
stories that show the importance of this trait, and this week is no different:
the mainstream media (MSM) is in its usual fine mettle.
This last
week was both the Ides of March and Saint Patrick's Day. Not being as
much as lover of the Roman Republic as either Cato or my younger son,
and not being (1) a beer drinker, (2) a MacDonalds fan, (3) an Irish Nationalist,
or (4) overly bright, I celebrate neither day: no "wearing of the
green" (of course, I spent most of Saint Patrick's Day on the Rosebud
Reservation), no green milkshakes, no green beer (and I don't think pistachio
pudding counts) - but I didn't need a bishop's dispensation to eat corned
beef on a Friday in Lent. (And I HATE cooked cabbage, a barbarism more
Germanic than Irish in my opinion.) But be warned! As a result of missing
those important holidays (well, it's an excuse!), I'm going out of my
way this week to insult lots of folks for various reasons. (By the way,
based on when many of my ancestors arrived in the US, I suspect that their
Orange leanings (i.e., Scots-Irish) did not extend to the Jacobite nor
the Orange nor the Hannover monarchies. Many of my ancestors were on the
gust front of Anglo-Celt expansion in the New World, where they met up
with, fought with, and eventually intermarried with some of my other ancestors,
and decided that until space is really open out There, the West is the
place to be. And, it was where kings and most government were NOT. Sadly,
as this week's stories once more point out, that is no longer the case.)
Our Right to Free Speech
Free speech is more than just what we say, but how we say it, and even,
frankly, WHEN we say it. But just because we all have the right to say
what we think, doesn't mean (1) that it is worth listening to, and (2)
that we have to BELIEVE what people say.
Cellphone
limit faces uncertain fate
Boston Globe
"A bill making it a crime to drive while using a cellphone without
a hands-free device moved from committee to the full House yesterday.
But the bill that would require many drivers to hang up and drive faces
an uncertain future before the Legislature, said some members of the Joint
Committee on Transportation. The committee vote was 7-2, with three members
reserving their vote and seven not voting. One section of the bill would
make it illegal for any driver under 18 to use a cellphone while driving,
whether using a hands-free device or not." (03/16/06)
As some
of us predicted several years ago, "hands-free" isn't good enough
for the highway and street nannies: now they want to ban ANY use, at least
for certain people.
FCC
proposes $3.6 mil fine for CBS orgy scene
MSNBC
"A government crackdown on indecent programming resulted in a
proposed fine of $3.6 million against dozens of CBS stations and affiliates
on Wednesday - a record penalty from the Federal Communications Commission.
The FCC said an episode of the CBS crime drama 'Without a Trace' that
aired in December 2004 was indecent. It cited the graphic depiction of
'teenage boys and girls participating in a sexual orgy.'" (03/15/06)
Sounds
like an MTV program - and I haven't the foggiest idea what this show is,
since I've pretty much given up on TV watching, especially of the networks.
Mama's
Note: It never ceases to amaze me how incredibly hypocritical and stupid
so many people are. Unlimited murder of unborn - even partly born - babies,
massive theft by government and their favored cronies, and lies that cost
thousands of lives each year are considered "normal" and good,
but those same people see no problem with dictating our personal lives,
down to the most personal, private - and all voluntary - actions. I don't
know anyone who is forced to watch orgies on TV.
Pa.
seizes paper's computer hard disks
Philadelphia Inquirer
"In an unusual and little-known case, the Pennsylvania Attorney
General's Office has seized four computer hard drives from a Lancaster
newspaper as part of a statewide grand-jury investigation into leaks to
reporters. The dispute pits the government's desire to solve an alleged
felony - computer hacking - against the news media's fear that taking
the computers circumvents the First Amendment and the state Shield Law.
The state Supreme Court declined last week to take the case, allowing
agents to begin analyzing the data. "This is horrifying, an editor's
worst nightmare," said Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters
Committee for Freedom of the Press in Washington. "For the government
to actually physically have those hard drives from a newsroom is amazing.
I'm just flabbergasted to hear of this." The grand jury is investigating
whether the Lancaster County coroner gave reporters for the Lancaster
Intelligencer Journal his password to a restricted law enforcement Web
site. The site contained nonpublic details of local crimes. The newspaper
allegedly used some of those details in articles. If the reporters used
the Web site without authorization, officials say, they may have committed
a crime." (03/13/06)
Free Speech?
Not in Pennsylvania - but then, most of the Bill of Rights is illegal
in the Keystone State. (See the article on gun registries in PA, in "Our
Right to Self-Defense" section.) Our own little Third Reich in America,
it seems.
Mama's
Note: Sounds to me like it's time for those people to start voting with
their feet. I wonder how long the "Reich" there would last if
all the productive, thinking people moved out. There is plenty of room
for all of you in Wyoming!
Professor
Fears Retribution Over Mohammed Cartoons
CNSNews.com
A part-time professor at Century College in Minnesota is under fire
from students and the school administration for posting copies of the
now-infamous Mohammed cartoons on a college bulletin board. Karen Murdock,
an adjunct professor of geography, first posted the cartoons on a community
board on Feb. 7, along with related newspaper articles about the controversy
and blank paper for students and faculty comments.
Considering
what I've seen posted on college bulletin boards over the years, this
staggers me.
Government
Ruined, Theft Funded Schools
After the mess government has made of the Post Office, the IRS, and Katrina,
can you believe that there are still people who believe that governments
should run the schools? Once more this week, another few reasons to get
your kids OUT! (And if you think GRTF schools are bad for goats, imagine
what they do to your children!)
AZ:
High schools restricting military recruiters
Arizona Republic
"High schools, long a key target for military recruiters, are
placing more limits on recruiters' access to students because of parents'
complaints. A growing number of schools throughout the country have set
limits over the past year, including two of Arizona's biggest school districts.
The changes come after parents complained that recruiters were overzealous
or were on campus too often. In Arizona, the Tucson and Sunnyside unified
school districts limited each military branch to one visit per month.
Paradise Valley Unified School District in the Valley is moving to confine
recruiters to the counseling office; they used to roam the campuses almost
freely, talking to students. The limits are spreading even as the military
tries to bounce back from a tough year of recruiting. ... It's not clear
whether many more high schools will adopt restrictions -- a few have loosened
them at the military's request -- but recruiters are concerned."
(03/15/06)
This will
come to exactly the same conclusion as has happened at the various institutions
of higher education - if they accept even one thin cent of Federal government
money, they will have to accept everything else with it, including recruiting
not just for military forces, but for ALL types of government jobs.
CA:
Court upholds student speech rights
San Francisco Chronicle
"A high school principal violated a student's constitutional rights
by suspending him for 10 days after the boy held up a banner reading 'Bong
Hits 4 Jesus' at a televised parade near campus, a federal appeals court
has ruled. The principal said the teenager's words -- which the boy later
called a meaningless phrase meant only to attract the cameras at the parade
in Juneau, Alaska -- were a pro-marijuana message that clashed with school
district policy. Regardless, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in
San Francisco said Friday, the student had a right to express himself
as long as he didn't disrupt the school or its educational mission. 'A
school cannot censor or punish students' speech merely because the students
advocate a position contrary to government policy,' Judge Andrew Kleinfeld
said in the 3-0 ruling." (03/13/06)
How often
does this happen every day? And why did it have to go to an appeals court
in the first place. In a private school setting, I would suggest that
the administrator's contract specifically state that anytime the administrator
takes action that violates free speech of a student or teacher, that administrator's
contract is automatically terminated with NO appeal. Such things are the
role of the parent, clearly. (Of course, you'll NEVER see that in a GRTF
school.)
IL:
Blind students required to pass driver ed
CBS 2 Chicago
"Most high school students eagerly await the day they pass driver's
education class. But Mayra Ramirez is indifferent about it. Ramirez is
blind, yet she and dozens of other visually impaired sophomores in Chicago's
public school system are required to pass a written rules-of-the-road
exam in order to graduate -- a rule they say takes time away from learning
material they might actually use." (03/12/06)
And you
wonder why I keep urging you to get your kids out of these places! (And
I bet you also used to wonder why the keypads on drive-up ATMs have Braille
markings on them! Now you know!)
Mama's
Note: Especially when you consider that using the drive up ATM isn't permitted
unless you ARE driving a vehicle. I was a few moments too late to get
into the bank one day, so I decided to walk around to the ATM. The pedestrian
machine was being used, so I walked a few feet down to the one near the
drive up window, which was still open. The lady inside got really excited
and yelled at me to get away from the machine! There were no cars present
and the disability was excellent, so I would have been in no danger. Nope,
them's the rules and there are no exceptions. I wonder how they police
that when the window is closed?
KY:
Teacher fired after allegedly biting pupil
San Francisco Chronicle
"School officials on Tuesday fired a middle school teacher charged
with biting a student who would not spit out a piece of candy. Caroline
Kolb has pleaded not guilty to an aggravated assault charge for allegedly
biting 14-year-old Garrick Hudson on the back during a classroom scuffle
Jan. 11. School officials conducted a probe and fired Kolb for insubordination
and conduct unbecoming a teacher, The Courier-Journal reported, citing
a copy of her termination letter. Administrators had previously warned
Kolb to avoid being physically confrontational with students, according
to the letter." (03/16/06)
Biting?
In a knife fight maybe, but over a piece of candy?
Teacher
who likened Bush to Hitler reinstated
MSNBC
"A teacher who was placed on leave after comparing President Bush's
State of the Union address to speeches by Adolf Hitler has been reinstated,
school officials said Friday. Social studies teacher Jay Bennish had been
on paid leave from Overland High School in suburban Aurora since March
1 while administrators determined whether he violated a district rule
that teachers must present balancing viewpoints in the classroom."
(03/10/06)
You want
this guy to teach your child? You might agree with him on Bush, but what
about when he gets into, say, gun control? Or stoplight cameras? Aurora's
school system has been bizarre for years, and this latest incident just
points out how bad it is (and has been for at least 30 years).
Home
Front in all the Wars
Ever wonder just which side all the different government agencies are
on? No, on second thought, don't answer that or you might be overheard
by one of them.
Airline
screeners fail bomb test
MSNBC
"Imagine an explosion strong enough to blow a car's trunk apart,
caused by a bomb inside a passenger plane. Government sources tell NBC
News that federal investigators recently were able to carry materials
needed to make a similar homemade bomb through security screening at 21
airports. In all 21 airports tested, no machine, no swab, no screener
anywhere stopped the bomb materials from getting through. Even when investigators
deliberately triggered extra screening of bags, no one discovered the
materials." [FND editor's note: Ah yes, but they confiscated
a lot of nail scissors and cigarette lighters - MLS] (03/16/06)
This should
be no surprise to anyone who has dealt with TSA. Anyone with half a brain
can come up with dozens of ways to smuggle all sorts of nasty things on-board.
GAO:
Millions wasted during Katrina relief
MSNBC
"The government wasted millions of dollars in its award of post-Katrina
contracts for disaster relief, including at least $3 million for 4,000
beds that were never used, federal auditors said Thursday. The Government
Accountability Office's review of 13 major contracts -- many of them awarded
with limited or no competition after the Aug. 29 storm -- offers the first
preliminary overview of their soundness." (03/16/06)
Another
"dog bites man" story - as if government never wasted money!
Lawmakers
"satisfied" by DP World plans
Cincinnati Enquirer
"A Dubai-owned company announced Wednesday it will sell all its
U.S. port operations within four to six months to an American buyer, providing
new details about its sales plans that were forced by congressional concerns
over terrorism security. Lawmakers who criticized the Bush administration
for approving DP World's earlier plans to operate in the United States
said they were satisfied. Still, the House voted 377-38 Wednesday to formally
express its opposition to DP World running any port terminals in America."
[RRND editor's note: Gee, it's nice to know that the congresscritters
are "satisfied" that they've managed to piss off the US's major
ally in the Middle East for no good reason, isn't it? Wouldn't want them
to go without "satisfaction," right? What a bunch of ******
- TLK] (03/15/06)
As I've
said just above, what about China? Panama? The facts? (See
my column two weeks ago for a detailed analysis.)
US
seeks reversal of Moussaoui ruling
Indianapolis Star
"Prosecutors asked a judge Wednesday to reconsider her decision
to toss out half of the government's case against confessed terrorist
Zacarias Moussaoui. They acknowledged that altering the judge's ruling
is their only hope of salvaging the death-penalty case. In a motion filed
with U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, prosecutors said the aviation
security evidence she barred because a government lawyer coached the witnesses
'goes to the very core of our theory of the case.'" (03/15/06)
She did,
of course, effectively giving them another chance.
Mama's
Note: Of course, since there is no hope of government being held to any
real standard or the rule of law. They get a "get out of jail free
card" whenever they want one. Rights? Due process? Ha! Criminals
like that don't have any rights, now do they? Then neither does anyone
else...
AL:
Marchers protest war, demand Katrina relief
Washington Post
"Hurricane victims and war veterans set out Tuesday on a march
[from Mobile, Alabama] to New Orleans to protest the war in Iraq and what
they view as a lack of relief aid for storm victims. Paul Robinson, the
local chapter president of Veterans for Peace, said the 140-mile 'Walkin'
to New Orleans' march is scheduled to end Saturday. He said marchers,
including several victims of Hurricane Katrina, are demanding not only
an end to the war but also a large increase in resources to help hurricane
victims rebuild their lives. He expected about 300 marchers to join in,
some walking the entire distance and other joining at the end."
(03/14/06)
One of
the big problems that I have with the so-called "Anti-War Movement"
in this nation is shown by this event: it is almost ALWAYS tied to a big-government,
socialist, welfare-state agenda. It is so often the case that people are
not against the occupation of Iraq because we attacked Iraq wrongly in
the first place, or because an interventionist foreign policy is just
plain wrong, or even because they are "pacifists" but because
they want even more money stolen from people to give to other people for
- something: education, disaster relief, self-esteem, whatever. I understand
as well as most, I think, the need for coalitions on common issues, but
an opposition to the US in Iraq is NOT enough - after all, even the Baathists
share that issue.
Anti-war
actions planned for anniversary
TruthOut
"Marking three years since the US-led bombing and invasion of
Iraq began, peace groups across the United States are holding antiwar
actions March 15-22. United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), the nation's
largest antiwar coalition, is coordinating the local events as part of
a nationwide week of action to end the Iraq war. With more than 500 events
planned in all 50 states, the antiwar movement will take to the streets
to send a clear message to Congress and the White House: After three years
of a failed policy, the Iraq war must end. It's time to bring all the
troops home." (03/15/06)
As several
commenters have pointed out, the "antiwar movement" has lost,
through internal squabbling, the greater opportunity to do a truly nationwide
series of actions, and this weekend is likely to show, once more, how
weak the opposition movement is - as well as how many people would substitute
the "street senate" for the one we have right now - when NEITHER
is acceptable to a free people.
CA:
Santa Cruz students nurture antiwar role
San Francisco Chronicle
"Turning up on a Pentagon surveillance list has become a badge
of honor for members of a student antiwar organization at UC Santa Cruz
-- and made them a national face of the peace movement. 'We're not paranoid
about it, and in a way, it's given us an opportunity to talk about the
war to different people, to tell people that it was not OK to invade Iraq,'
said Kai Sawyer, 23, a member of Students Against War and a teaching assistant
in the psychology department. 'Berkeley may have the reputation for having
a lot of antiwar activists, but I feel like Santa Cruz has had a lot more
going on.' Students Against War brought the attention of both the left
and the Pentagon to the hilly, redwood-studded campus through counter-recruiting
-- a tactic of directly taking on military recruiting that has become
the leading edge of the antiwar movement." (03/15/06)
It may
be the "leading edge" but it is a tactic that takes time to
work, and actually just reinforces the existing system - people in liberal
colleges and universities will continue to stay out of the military (as
the vast majority already do) and working-class students who either don't
go to college or go to trade schools and community colleges will be little
impacted, and continue to form the bulk of the military forces.
Mideast
Tarbabies
As I have the past few weeks, I've cut coverage of Iraq significantly,
not reprinting the daily blood listing, and trying to include significant
items only. This week we have Iraq, Iran, and Israel as story locations.
First
declassified Iraq documents released
Las Vegas Review-Journal
"The Bush administration Wednesday night released the first declassified
documents collected by U.S. intelligence during the Iraq war, showing
among other things that Saddam Hussein's regime was monitoring reports
that Iraqis and Saudis were heading to Afghanistan after the Sept. 11
attacks to fight U.S. troops. The documents, the first of thousands expected
to be declassified over the next several months, were released via a Pentagon
Web site at the direction of National Intelligence Director John Negroponte."
(03/15/06)
Although
I doubt that there will be any startling revelations from any of this
(or it wouldn't get released, if you have a cynical view), I am sure that
the mainstream media will salivate over every document and splash it across
the front page if it can be used to support Democratic positions and tar
GOP candidates.
Blair
on Iraq: "I'd do it all again"
Independent [UK]
"Unrepentant and unmoved in spite of the rising death toll, Tony
Blair has declared that if he was faced with the same circumstances, he
would support the invasion of Iraq all over again. As the Prime Minister
uttered his conviction that he would 'do it all again,' US war planes
were already on the move in what the Bush administration described as
the biggest onslaught that Iraq has witnessed since the war. ... The White
House is also completely unapologetic about the decision to use force
to tackle the supposed threat of Saddam Hussein's nonexistent weapons
of mass destruction, despite signs that Iraq is now headed for a full-scale
civil war." (03/16/06)
Notice
the tone of the Independent - like the mainstream media in general it
harps on the same things over and over again, and ineffectively tries
to paint Blair and Bush as evil and conniving - and bloodthirsty. I'm
not saying that they aren't - but if you had to depend on the MSM for
that, you'd be very skeptical.
Britain
to cut Iraq forces by 10 percent
USA Today
"Britain said Monday it will cut its forces in Iraq by 10% --
a reduction of about 800 troops -- by May because Iraqi security forces
are becoming more capable of handling security. Defense Secretary John
Reid said Britain's commitment to the Iraqi people 'remains total.' 'Our
commitment to the coalition remains certain,' Reid told the House of Commons.
'This is a significant reduction which is based largely on the ability
of the Iraqis themselves to participate and defend themselves against
terrorism, but there is a long, long way to go,' he said." (03/13/06)
This is
actually a change for the better (from the point of view of the Coalition)
- originally Reid and Blair hoped to spirit away a lot more troops, which
would have left US forces in the lurch. For Brits who are tired of this,
it is a disappointment.
Bush:
Iraq insurgency wants civil war
Indianapolis Star
"President Bush said Monday insurgents in Iraq were trying to
ignite a civil war by escalating violence and warned there will be more
'chaos and carnage in the days and months to come.' Even on a particularly
grim day, when four Iraqi bodies were found hanging from utility towers
and Iraqis coped with the deaths of at least 58 people the day before
when car bombings and mortar rounds plagued Baghdad's Sadr City slum,
the president said progress was being made and he laid out a timetable."
[FND editor's note: Why do the politicians keep pretending that civil
war in Iraq is a future possibility rather than -- for going on three
years now -- a current reality? - TLK] (03/13/06)
Sadly,
too many people (like Tom) don't understand what a "real" civil
war is like - if you look at Spain in the 1930s, the Balkans in the 1990s
(or the 1900s or the 1700s or.), or Germany in the Thirty Years War, or
the English Civil War or even the War Between the States in the US, you
see quickly that the bloodshed in Iraq today, horrible though it is, is
nothing like a real civil war, where the blood runs hot and in the streets,
and the carnage is horrific. Pray they do not get into the real thing.
Mama's
Note: The definition of a "civil war" is fighting between two
or more factions within a country. There is nothing in the definition
to indicate how much fighting is required to qualify, and I'm sure the
people of Iraq consider the current level bad enough. Since Iraq is not
really one country, but a mosaic of different people and loyalties put
together by the UN without their agreement, it's actually a good question
whether or not this conflict can really be called "civil war,"
no matter how it escalates. I suspect that war by any name is just as
terrible and destructive.
Demoted
brigadier cleared of some charges
Cincinnati Enquirer
"Army documents released Thursday substantiate assertions by Janis
Karpinski, the highest-ranking officer punished in the Abu Ghraib prisoner
abuse scandal, that she was innocent of two principal allegations lodged
against her by the officer who initially investigated the abuse matter.
Among the documents was a January 2005 report by the Army Inspector General's
office that found insufficient evidence to support allegations that Karpinski
had made a misleading statement to other Army investigators and that she
failed to obey an order in connection with disciplinary action against
soldiers under her command." (03/16/06)
She may
be cleared of some things, but she still stands guilty of allowing scum
under her command to act like scum.
Iraq:
At least 75 dead in "reprisal" killings
International Herald Tribune [France]
"The Iraqi police on Tuesday reported finding at least 75 bodies
of gunshot victims, most bound hand and foot, in a gruesome wave of apparent
sectarian reprisal killings over the past 24 hours. The police said 69
corpses were found in Baghdad and the rest in the northern city of Mosul."
(03/14/06)
Yes, a
lot of bloodletting, but not even comparable (statistically) to the bloodletting
in Missouri or Kansas just before the War Between the States, to say nothing
of what happened in Bosnia just a decade ago.
Officials:
Death squads operated from within Iraqi government
Knight Ridder
"Senior Iraqi officials Sunday confirmed for the first time that
death squads composed of government employees had operated illegally from
inside two government ministries. 'The death squads that we have captured
are in the defense and interior ministries,' Minister of Interior Bayan
Jabr said during a joint news conference with the Minister of Defense.
'There are people who have infiltrated the army and the interior.' ...
Interior Minister Jabr said that investigations into death squads were
still ongoing in the Defense Ministry. He said the Interior Ministry had
arrested 22 people, and subsequently released 18 as innocent after interrogation,
detaining four for further questioning." [hat tip -- AntiWar.Com]
(03/13/06)
Evidence
that Iraq is not anywhere close to being a free nation - like most of
Latin America. Of course, just because these people are accused of being
government employees does not mean that they represent the government
or any faction in the government. Loyalties in a sectarian and ethnic
mess like Iraq are very difficult to sort out.
Saddam
urges Iraqis to unite against GIs
Detroit Free Press
"Saddam Hussein, testifying Wednesday for the first time in his
trial, called on Iraqis to stop killing each other and instead fight U.S.
Troops The judge reprimanded him for making a rambling, political speech
and ordered the TV cameras switched off. Saddam began his speech by declaring
he was the elected president, touching off a shouting match with chief
judge Raouf Abdel-Rahman." (03/15/06)
Funny man!
TN
Gov. surprised by Iraqi troops
Nashville City Paper
"Iraqi forces are being trained to take full control of their
country far faster than Gov. Phil Bredesen originally thought, the Tennessee
leader said Tuesday during his trip to the Middle East. Prior to traveling
to Iraq, Bredesen said he was not aware of how far along the training
of the Iraqi troops had come in the postwar U.S. occupation. But after
visiting Iraq and being briefed by top U.S. commander Gen. George Casey,
Bredesen said he has come away 'with a much better appreciation' of the
situation. 'I know that's been talked about a lot in our country,' Bredesen
said in a conference call with reporters from Kuwait. 'I have to say having
been here, it does appear to be working. In each of the places that I
was, there was an active effort under way, active involvement of Iraqi
police forces, Iraqi troops and security.' Bredesen made his first trip
to Iraq, as part of a bipartisan delegation of governors, to express his
appreciation for the troops and their service. The other governors on
the Middle East trip are Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jim Douglas (R-VT) and Kenny
Guinn (R-NV)." (03/15/06)
An odd
contrast to what we usually hear and read. And a view touted by more than
just Bredesen, from this recent tour.
Iran:
Activists say US aid could backfire
MSNBC
"Prominent activists inside Iran say President Bush's plan to
spend tens of millions of dollars to promote democracy here is the kind
of help they don't need, warning that mere announcement of the U.S. program
endangers human rights advocates by tainting them as American agents.
In a case that advocates fear is directly linked to Bush's announcement,
the government has jailed two Iranians who traveled outside the country
to attend what was billed as a series of workshops on human rights. Two
others who attended were interrogated for three days." (03/13/06)
I am sure
that this won't stop the President's spendthrift ways.
Mama's
Note: It seems rather obvious that all these folks need to do is not accept
the money.
Israelis
in standoff at West Bank jail
ABC News
"Israeli soldiers with tanks and bulldozers raided a Palestinian
jail in the West Bank on Tuesday to seize militants who killed an Israeli
Cabinet minister, but the targets of the army action refused to come out.
During the operation, a Palestinian officer and a prisoner were killed
in a shoot-out between Palestinian police and Israeli forces, Palestinian
security officials said. The military said 170 Palestinian prisoners were
in custody. U.S. and British observers who had monitored the jail for
four years withdrew just before the raid, citing security concerns. The
Israeli government ordered the raid because the monitors were withdrawn,
the army said, blaming the Palestinians for violating the agreement regarding
the prisoners." (03/14/06)
This raises
an interesting situation regarding self-defense. Is this a preemptive
aggression or legitimate action to protect yourself? If I know that the
courts are planning to release a man from prison who nearly daily makes
threats about how he will kill my daughter when he is released, am I justified
to break in and deal with him myself (even if I don't kill him)? An interesting
question indeed, and I don't know the answer - but I do know that most
of those who either praise or condemn this action will ignore the moral
issue.
Bolton:
UN will send Iran strong signal
Indianapolis Star
"U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said Thursday the U.N. Security Council
appears determined to send a 'strong and clear signal' to Tehran about
its suspect nuclear program, after a meeting of the powerful U.N. body
that he described as the best so far. In an informal gathering of the
15 council members, diplomats agreed to hold the first formal Security
Council consultations on Friday -- a sign that a split between Britain,
France and the United States on the one hand, and China and Russia on
the other, may have closed somewhat." (03/16/06)
Bolton
is overly optimistic - the Security Council can't send a "strong
and clear signal" about what they want for lunch - much less in a
issue that seemingly would affront the ever stronger Islamic block in
the General Assembly.
Mama's
Note: This falls under the category of, "thank God you don't get
all the government you pay for..." If the UN ever gets to the point
where they can truly influence anything like this, we'll all be in real
danger.
The 2006
Political Campaigns
Of course, many things get dragged into the election campaign - people
reach and grab for whatever appears to be a weapon or mud to sling. But
here are a few items that seem to be almost wholly motivated by the elections,
but more direct election coverage. It is still six months out and I'm
sick of it.
Big
Easy has candidates, ballots ... but voters?
Christian Science Monitor
"The flooding after hurricane Katrina barely reached the wheels
of New Orleans' voting machines. So the machines are recertified and ready
to go when residents vote next month. But that's about the only bright
spot in what is turning out to be one of the most complicated city elections
in modern times. More than half the voters -- some 250,000 of them --
are scattered around the country. Elections officials are rushing to get
them absentee ballots but many remain hard to reach. Local candidates
are having to campaign as far away as Houston and Atlanta to get their
message out. If that weren't enough, civil-rights groups are suing to
delay the April 22 election, pointing out that it will probably trim minority
participation. Hurricane Katrina not only flooded this city, it swept
away the status quo. It's now possible that this mostly black city could
elect its first white mayor in nearly 30 years." (03/10/06)
Oh my,
oh my. Just as many of the 3,000 "missing" from Katrina-hit
Louisiana are not being found because, I suspect, they don't WANT to be
found, so many of these so-call "disenfranchised" voters are
refusing to sign up for absentee ballots and vote in NO because they don't
plan to return to NO. Of course, many never bothered to vote, anyway -
so why should Nagin's idiocy cause them to do so now? BTW, I wouldn't
believe the CSM on this article - after Katrina, it may well be that NO
is no longer "mostly black" - we'll see in the 2010 census.
CO:
Once-Republican Rockies now a battleground
Christian Science Monitor
"Streaks of blue are turning red-state Colorado as purple as its
mountain majesties. Liberal hues began to multiply in 2004, when Democrats
seized control of the general assembly for the first time in 30 years.
They intensified last fall, when voters loosened TABOR, a government-
spending chastity belt long extolled by fiscal conservatives. This year,
Colorado's color wheel is downright dizzying, as a bill to ban public
smoking heats up the legislature. This is Marlboro country? The state's
transformation from Rocky Mountain redoubt for conservative values to
a proving ground for progressive policies is yielding more competitive
elections here -- and offering Democrats across the country a model for
resurgence." (03/16/06)
What the
CSM (as usual) fails to point out, is that far too many so-called Conservatives
in public office SUPPORTED the gutting of TABOR, and the Republican Party
in Colorado (as elsewhere) has so badly betrayed its much-vaunted principles
that they are the reason for the changes. I doubt if it really offers
the hope to Demos that CSM hopes it does. Got that?
Dean
seen boosting DNC from bottom up
Boston Globe
"When Howard Dean took over as chairman of the Democratic National
Committee last February, the selection of the man known for 'the scream'
sent chills down the spines of many Democrats in Southern and Western
states, where a Dean-injected dose of East Coast liberalism carried the
risk of dooming the party for years. But a year after the crusading former
Vermont governor took over the DNC, the party has reacted in some surprising
ways. It's the East Coast liberals who are grumbling about Dean's talk-show
gaffes and staring at the DNC's near-empty coffers with dismay. Meanwhile,
many Dean skeptics in state Democratic parties -- especially in places
like New Mexico, a swing state that voted Republican in the last presidential
race -- have been won over. The reason is the millions of dollars Dean
has spent rebuilding Democratic organizations in places that haven't seen
a coordinated Democratic effort in a long time." (03/13/06)
The Globe
wants to put a better face on Dean than he deserves. No matter what help
he might have given Demos in NM or CO, it is clear he has badly damaged
the party at a time when the self-inflicted wounds on the GOP should be
putting their opponents in the cat seat.
Feingold
to call for rare presidential censure
CNN
"A top Democratic senator said Sunday he plans to introduce Monday
a resolution calling for President Bush to be censured for his domestic
wiretapping program. Sen. Russ Feingold, a potential presidential candidate,
told ABC's 'This Week' Sunday that the resolution would not preempt discussions
about changing a 1978 law governing a special court set up to approve
wiretaps." (03/12/06)
Apparently
another attempt by Feingold to position and sell himself as an advocate
of liberty - but given his voting record, that is a difficult if not impossible
task. He appears to be opportunistic, not idealistic.
How
the South was Won
Boston Globe
Conventional wisdom says the Republican Party won the South because the
Democrats embraced civil rights. Now a pair of political scientists argues
that the GOP takeover had more to do with economics than race. Thanks
to Matt for this article. This article is a strong one, but both Demo
and GOP have played the race card more than once in the past 40 years;
true, the Democrats have demonstrated a complete lack of true concern
for racial blindness in recent years.
Iraq
drives Bush's rating to new low
CNN
"Growing dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq has driven President
Bush's approval rating to a new low of 36 percent, according to a CNN/USA
Today/Gallup poll released Monday. Only 38 percent said they believe the
nearly 3-year-old war was going well for the United States, down from
46 percent in January, while 60 percent said they believed the war was
going poorly." (03/13/06)
So they
say - but then, other polls say differently. Look, a new poll says 75%
of Americans are less gullible than they were last year! (Of course, it
was sponsored by the NCCA - the National Coalition of Confidence Artists,
but hey, it was done by a REPUTABLE firm!)
MO:
Parties reject "White Patriot" candidate
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Glenn Miller can't find a Missouri political party willing to
accept his $100 filing fee -- or his anti-Semitic views -- so he can run
for Congress. The Missouri Libertarian Party on Monday became the third
to reject Miller's payment, thus keeping him off the party's ticket in
the August primary. ... All three state parties are rejecting Miller because
of his outspoken statements against Jews and his former [sic] involvement
in the White Patriot Party, a white supremacist group." (03/14/06)
As usual,
the nut cases come out of the woodwork in election years.
Paper
ballots move toward approval in Maryland
Washington Post
The Maryland House of Delegates voted unanimously Thursday to replace
the state's touch-screen voting machines with optical scan machines that
produce paper records of votes. According to the Washington Post, the
Senate has yet to vote on the proposal and asked the manufacturer of the
touch-screen machines, North Canton, Ohio-based Diebold Election Systems,
to demonstrate a newer version of the machine that provides a paper receipt.
State officials estimate that leasing new machines for this year's election
would cost at least $13 million.
See lobbyists'
fingers in this pie? So do I - they know the one is bad, but don't understand
that old-fashioned paper ballots really are best: machine-readable is
okay (and will work with paper ballots, if you train poll-workers right).
Tax
revolters demand end to spending madness
Fox News
"New post-recession revenues are pouring into state coffers across
the nation, but activists in several states are leading 'revolts' to make
sure their governments don't use this new wealth for tax and spend schemes
without taxpayers' approval. 'We are in a major revolt right now,' said
Mary Adams, head of the petition drive to get a Taxpayer Bill of Rights
(TABOR) on the November ballot in Maine. Last month, the office of the
secretary of state in Maine verified 50,519 citizen signatures in favor
of putting the measure on the ballot. Like in other states across the
nation, the Maine effort for a TABOR is aimed at setting spending limits
on the annual growth of government. It outlines the percentage of future
surpluses to be returned to taxpayers in the form of rebates and the rest
to be put in a reserve account. The TABOR also allows taxpayers to vote
on tax hikes." (03/12/06)
It would
be ironic that Colorado, who took the lead position on this type of action,
would have given up on it the year before so many other states' citizens
realize the crying need for it.
Mama's
Note: Unfortunately, those who want more and more state funded goodies
will always be around, and I suspect once these people see that tax cuts
result in fewer goodies, they won't stick with it either.
TX: Judge
tosses DeLay subpoenas
Houston Chronicle
"A state appeals court today threw out more than 30 subpoenas
requested by Travis County prosecutors building a criminal case against
U.S. Rep. Tom Delay, saying the investigation should have stopped in December
when a district judge halted proceedings in his court. District Attorney
Ronnie Earle has been issuing the subpoenas ever since Senior District
Judge Pat Priest dismissed all or part of three indictments against Delay,
R-Sugar Land. Earle appealed Priest's ruling, and the judge stayed the
case pending a ruling by the Third Court of Appeals." (03/13/06)
This lends
credence to the entire idea that the prosecution is actually persecution
and tied more to election politics than to any understandable breach of
the law.
Our Right
to Mind Our Own Business
Bad
as things are getting in the US, we are just a blip on the radar compared
to what is happening in the UK, or New Zealand, as some stories report.
But Americans and Canadians are trying to fight back! Once up on a time,
a common motto on US coins was "Mind Your Own Business." Of
course, Caesar could never allow that on his coins, and so we are left
with even more hypocritical messages like "Liberty" and "E
Pluribus Unum" and "In God We Trust."
UK:
Granny told hat a "security risk"
Ananova [UK]
"A granny has been told to take off her hat in a pub -- because
it posed a security risk. Staff insisted everyone in the pub is asked
to remove their hats so their faces are visible to CCTV cameras in the
event of trouble. Betty had popped in at lunchtime for a meal and half
a pint of Guinness. According to The Sun she said: 'I've never heard of
a hatless pub. How ridiculous. It's the first time I've ever been asked
to remove it -- and I've been in that pub several times before. I'm of
a generation who would always wear a hat for lunch.'" (03/11/06)
Like the
article in Stupid Government Tricks about the English farmer in trouble
because he didn't get his government order in writing, this woman is seeing
what a tyrannical police state the UK has become.
Mama's
Note: It's the same insanity that's going around the world, and the US
is not exempt. I just heard that umbrellas have been banned from an auto
race in Atlanta, GA. They didn't say why, but the newspeople repeated
the prohibition notice several times - while it was raining cats and dogs
there!
UK:
Police forces buy skycams
Telegraph [UK]
"High-powered cameras capable of reading number plates from several
thousand feet up have been bought by five police forces. Cambridgeshire,
Cheshire, South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and the Met are among forces
who have invested in the technology which is already used in America,
Canada, Norway and Luxembourg. The cameras can calculate whether a motorist
is breaking the speed limit, with the information being transmitted from
a helicopter to the police control centre on the ground. Any hope the
motorist might have of escaping the prying eye in the sky is slim, especially
with Wescam, the Canadian manufacturers, developing a device capable of
working at night. A number of forces have expressed interest in this technology.
The use of military hardware is the latest evidence of the importance
Government and police forces attach to monitoring motorists." (03/14/06)
Yet another
example of British government thuggishness and tyranny. Don't you think
the Canadian firm's name is appropriate? "Wescam = we scam"
- for government goons, of course. The police state garrote is tightening
around British necks, for certain.
New
Zealand: Info swap to track 'bad' families
New Zealand Herald
"Agencies from at least four government departments are swapping
information on 'bad families' and storing their details on a database.
The database also gives and receives details from volunteer groups including
Women's Refuge and Parentline. A more powerful prototype, proposed last
year, was shelved because it contravened privacy legislation. Police Minister
Annette King has endorsed the programme and wants it expanded to cover
the country. 'The families already have every which agency interacting
with them anyway so they're on everybody's list,' she said. 'What it really
does is bring all the info together to see how they can help the families.
It's not to punish the families. It's to try to stop things happening
before they have big problems.' " (03/12/06)
It may
not be "to punish the families" but it certainly could be easily
converted to that purpose. This is worse than the US spying scandal going
on, because it is seen as "helping" the subjects.
Canada:
Anti census website launched
Vive Le Canada
"A significant part of the upcoming May 2006 Canada Census has
been outsourced by Statistics Canada. That is bad. And because of the
Free Trade Agreement, the contract was awarded to a US subsidiary. ...
In response to the contracting out of the Census, a new website, CountMeOut.ca
has been launched. The website is filled with practical suggestions for
'minimum cooperation' with the Census. Suggestions range from not submitting
census information online over the internet as StatsCan urges, to opting
for individual census forms for each member of a household, to placing
stickers over the barcodes of census forms." (03/13/06)
Well, good
for them. But the NAFTA is not an adequate justification for refusing
to participate in the pry-fest that modern Census efforts have become:
don't boycott it because of who got the contract, but because it is just
plain wrong.
Canada:
US officials examining border ID cards
Canadian Press
"High-level officials in Washington are examining a U.S. security
law that will require some kind of official border ID card, U.S. Ambassador
David Wilkins said Wednesday. He didn't mention President George Bush
when commenting on the contentious security measure, but indicated the
issue was receiving high-profile attention. 'I promise you that issue
is being talked about at the highest levels in Washington,' said Wilkins
during a luncheon hosted by the Canadian Institute of International Affairs
attended by about 200 people. He didn't say outright there were moves
afoot to change the law, but indicated the United States is aware there
are concerns on both sides of the border about possible trade and tourism
impacts." (03/15/06)
Another
move to a more powerful police state on both sides of the border.
Change
Of address system enabling ID theft?
ABC 7 News
"Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the country and
it's hard to find someone who hasn't been a victim. But some accuse a
government agency of actually helping thieves gain access to personal
information. Even in this age of technology, we still rely on regular
mail to send and receive sensitive information. Yet some Bay Area consumers
say the post office isn't providing strict enough protection for their
mail. They say the current 'change of address' system itself needs changing.
Kathleen Shecter, Redwood Shores: 'We have really tiny mailboxes so the
junk mail fills them fast. When we didn't get any of that I thought hmm,
that's a little odd.' Kathleen Shecter's suspicions were confirmed when
she discovered someone had put in a change of address request without
her knowledge or consent. As a result, her mail was forwarded to an address
across the bay." (03/15/06)
ANY system
can be perverted, but a government system is generally much easier to
pervert, especially since they have little or no liability for the consequences
of their negligence.
Mama's
Note: As one who recently had to change addresses, and will have to do
so again, I was surprised and unhappy to learn that this is all done through
the mail now, instead of being directly handled by the local post office.
You have to mail in a change of address and THEY notify your local P.O.
of the change, removing the small safety margin you might have because
the local people know who you are and would suspect someone else coming
in to change your address. Now it's all done by total strangers. Wonderful.
Google
to face off with feds in court over data
MSNBC
"The Bush administration will renew its effort to find out what
people have been looking for on Google Inc.'s Internet-leading search
engine, continuing a legal showdown over how much of the Web's vast databases
should be shared with the government. Lawyers for the Justice Department
and Google are expected to elaborate on their opposing views in a San
Jose hearing scheduled Tuesday before U.S. District Court Judge James
Ware." (03/13/06)
Last word
is that they won. If it were a company other than Google, which brown-noses
so nicely for the Chinese government, I would be more pleased.
MA:
House passes driver privacy bill
Weymouth News
"The Massachusetts House of Representatives has unanimously passed
legislation to protect the privacy rights of drivers across the Commonwealth.
Representative James M. Murphy and Ronald Mariano made the announcement
this week. Car owners currently are not informed that cars are sold with
event data recorders, commonly referred to as 'black boxes.' These devices
regularly record information about vehicle speed, steering performance,
seat belt and air bag status, and brake deployment. Insurance companies,
auto manufacturers, and other interested third parties can access this
data after an accident. 'People should be informed about the presence
of these devices,' said Murphy. 'Drivers should know that their own cars
are recording data without their knowledge. This bill will require proper
disclosure as to the presence and capabilities of black boxes in automobiles.'"
(03/15/06)
A good
thing, but something that people should be able to (and want to) find
out on their own. And then, quickly find a good source of an EMP (electromagnetic
pulse) and fry the evil little thing.
Mama's
Note: I wonder what year they started putting them on new cars??? Someone
needs to invent a neat little "zapper" for these things. Something
small and light so we can carry it with our keys.
Documents
raise new questions about FBI's crimes
Knight Ridder
"An FBI counterterrorism unit monitored -- and apparently infiltrated
-- a peace group in Pittsburgh that opposed the invasion of Iraq, according
to internal agency documents released on Tuesday. The disclosure raised
new questions about the extent to which federal authorities have been
conducting surveillance operations against Americans since the Sept. 11,
2001, attacks. ... The documents released on Tuesday were obtained by
the American Civil Liberties Union under the Freedom of Information Act.
They showed that the Joint Terrorism Task Force of the FBI's Pittsburgh
office conducted a secret investigation into the activities of the Thomas
Merton Center beginning as early as Nov. 29, 2002, and continuing as late
as March 2005. ... The ACLU contended that the documents are the first
to 'show conclusively' that an antiwar group was targeted for 'its antiwar
views.' ... 'These documents show that Americans are not safe from secret
government surveillance, even when they are handing out fliers in the
town square, an activity clearly protected by the Constitution,' said
Marty Catherine Roper, an ACLU staff attorney." (03/15/06)
I think
the ACLU is overstating its case, but the documents can (and should) speak
for themselves. Government agencies abuse people - it is seemingly the
only thing that they are good at.
Pentagon
admits "errors" in spying on protesters
MSNBC
"The Department of Defense admitted in a letter obtained by NBC
News on Thursday that it had wrongly added peaceful demonstrators to a
database of possible domestic terrorist threats. The letter followed an
NBC report focusing on the Defense Department's Threat and Local Observation
Notice, or TALON, report. ... Rogalski said only 43 names were improperly
added to the database, and those were from protest-related reports such
as the Quaker meeting in Florida. 'All reports concerning protest activities
have been purged,' the letter said." (03/10/06)
One of
dozens of similar cases, apparently. NO government agency can be trusted
to spy on ANY American, no matter what kind of an enemy they have declared
themselves to be.
More
News and Commentary on Page 2
Nathan
Barton is writing from his secret bunker complex on the eastern slopes
of the Paha Sapa, swilling Doctor Pepper (and gallons of water each day,
milady) and plotting to re-elect Gaius Julius Caesar dictator of the Republic
- or was that Senator Palpatine? Granville James Corbin? W? Q?
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to visit my blog, Liberty's
Outpost.
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