April 24, 2006

Please Don’t Support My Troop
By Michael Gaddy

My son returned from Iraq last weekend after a year’s service. I confess to breathing much easier now that he is out of that quagmire.

I have a personal request for all of you George W. Bush supporters and Christian warhawks: please do not support my troop. I have visions and aspirations of having him around, seeing him settle down and start a family at some point, and being near as I grow older. Your support would mean that he would be sent back to this war, started and continued on lies, to become a target for those who would rather live their lives without the interference of a foreign, empire-seeking, new-world-order, invader. (Read the rest here)

Black and White Issues
By Lady Liberty

One of the biggest stories to come out of Washington in recent days involves one of DC's biggest mouths. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) has made some unflattering headlines before (she was roundly chastised after asserting that the Bush administration knew of the 9/11 attacks in advance but chose to do nothing). She lost her seat in Congress not long afterwards, but ran again and returned to Congress with what appeared to be slightly more dignity and circumspection. Apparently, her change of attitude was even less temporary than was her hiatus from the House.

McKinney's latest PR problem began when she tried to rush past security at the Longworth House Office Building. McKinney wasn't wearing the lapel pin that identifies members of Congress for security personnel, and the guard didn't recognize her. The guard asked her to stop, but McKinney kept going. After asking her to stop twice more and being rebuffed each time, the officer grabbed McKinney's arm. It was then, say witnesses, that McKinney turned and hit the guard in the chest. (Read the rest here)

Are the Constitutions of the Several States Unconstitutional?
By Robert Greenslade © Nitwit Press

We are constantly told by the liberal elite and their brethren in the mainstream media that the First Amendment to the Constitution for the United States established a separation of church and state. The Amendment states in part:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...”

Any one with a 5th grade education can see, the words “church and state” do not appear anywhere in the Amendment. The sole purpose of the First Amendment’s prohibitions concerning religion was to prevent Congress from establishing a national religion or enacting legislation that would prevent the American people from worshipping the religion of their choice. (Read the rest here)

ETA—The Beginning Of The End?
By Alvaro Vargas Llosa

A few weeks ago, ETA, Spain’s savage terrorist group, declared a “permanent ceasefire” and left 44 million Spaniards facing the dilemma other societies have faced: should one negotiate with terrorists?

ETA has killed more than 800 people in the last four decades in its quest for Basque independence, despite the fact that Spain’s post-Franco constitution gave it the largest amount of autonomy among the seventeen regions into which the country was divided.

Although a 1998 ceasefire was short-lived, this latest announcement—originally made by three masked figures with the usual theatrics—is more promising. The ETA weakened by the police in recent years, has not killed anyone since 2003. Meanwhile, the Spanish government of Mr. Rodríguez Zapatero has already undertaken negotiations with Catalonia that indicate a willingness on the part of Madrid to expand the considerable autonomy enjoyed by Spanish regions. (Read the rest here)

What Do You Mean "We"?
by Sheldon Richman

To say the least, there is tension between the ideas that we live in a free society and that government may determine whom we may sell to, rent to, and hire. This is the real heart of the immigration debate. Who should decide such things, free individuals or the state?

This question is obscured by the democratic myth. People often say, "We as a nation have the right to decide who comes here and who doesn't. So we must get control of our borders." The problem with this is that "we as a nation" don't do anything. Individuals act, sometimes in concert with other individuals, but collectives do nothing. When we say "the nation does such and such," we mean a group of politicians calling themselves "the government" and claiming to act for the nation do such and such. It's true that in a society such as ours people vote for officeholders. But the connection between punching out a chad in a polling station and politicians' making immigration policy is, shall we say, roundabout. It is so roundabout that it makes no sense at all to say that punching out a chad is the same as determining immigration policy. That's a fairy tale. It's time we became men and women and put away childish things. (Read the rest here)

From Bias To Bigotry: CBS News Goes Into Free-Fall
By Carey Roberts

What will Dan Rather be most remembered for - the forged memos from the ill-fated Texas Air National Guard story? Or will it be this candid admission, "Who among us have not lied about somebody? I think you can be an honest person and lie about any number of things"?

No matter, now we have a new contestant in the How-much-can-you-slant-the-news-and-keep-a-straight-face sweepstakes.

Her name is Katie Couric, and in a few short weeks she will sashay into the anchor seat at CBS News. You may remember, she was the first host of a morning talk show to ever broadcast her own colonoscopy. (Read the rest here)

Your Feedback and Comments
The Mailbag for This Week April 24, 06

Do you know a good liberty centered blogs?
Tell us about it!

Liberty Bloggers We Know