July 10, 2006

Libertarian Commentary on the News for the week, including the Forth of July (Day 1, 230th Anno Libertatus [Year of Liberty])

With 230 years of liberty behind us (although many will question just how much of that we've had the last several decades), you would think the news would be better. But sadly, it isn't. This week's column, due to other pressing issues, is very much shorter, but I hope you'll still find it worth reading!

Let's start with some news from the Culture War front:

NY: Top court rules against homo "marriage"
New York Sun
"New York's highest court ruled Thursday that gay marriage is not allowed under state law. The Court of Appeals, in a 4-2 decision, rejected arguments from gay and lesbian plaintiffs that their inability to get marriage licenses in New York violated their constitutional rights. 'It's a sad day for New York families,' said plaintiff Kathy Burke of Schenectady, who is raising an 11-year-old son with her partner, Tonja Alvis. 'My family deserves the same protections as my next door neighbors.'" (07/06/06)

No, all families deserve the same freedom - which does not include the "1984" style of redefining words based on court decisions or activist screams. The best solution? Get the state out of families and the marriage business entirely.

Rabbi Asks Pope to Help Thwart Jerusalem WorldPride Event
CNSNews.com
Israel's chief rabbi wants to see Pope Benedict XVI throw his support behind growing religious opposition to an international homosexual, bisexual and transgender event scheduled to take place in Jerusalem this summer...

A bizarre event which makes no sense except for causing as much mischief as possible - as well as being the targets of Arab attack - for Muslims consider this to be far more of an insult to God than the mainstream of either Christianity or Judaism. No doubt, the rabbi is as much concerned about the reaction of the Islamists as the insult it offers to his own or Christian religions.

Mama's Note: I, for one, would not attempt to stop someone who wished to enter the cage of a tiger and twist his tail... Unfortunately, a great many innocent people would also be at risk. I just wonder why the people of Jerusalem would allow this thing to happen. Unless, as many claim, they are eager for any excuse to escalate the "war," it doesn't make any sense.

Update: NEA Approves Pro-Homosexual Resolution
CNSNewss.com
The nation's largest teachers' union voted to amend its resolutions Wednesday to include support for homosexual "marriage." The amendment, which met with harsh criticism from conservative family groups, passed with little resistance from delegates...

No surprise that the NEA would vote to do so - which should make people wonder if the supporters of same-sex "marriage" really have freedom in mind, or just destruction of a society.

Mama's Note: Just one more good reason to remove your children from the influence of these sick people.

Moving on to the Economy:

Demand for organic food outstrips supply
Forbes
"America's appetite for organic food is so strong that supply just can't keep up with demand. Organic products still have only a tiny slice, about 2.5 percent, of the nation's food market. But the slice is expanding at a feverish pace. Growth in sales of organic food has been 15 percent to 21 percent each year, compared with 2 percent to 4 percent for total food sales. Organic means food is grown without bug killer, fertilizer, hormones, antibiotics or biotechnology." (07/06/06)

So where is the market? If the demand is really outstripping supplies, then prices would be rising far faster than inflation - which would encourage more farmers and ranchers to get into the business and supply what is demanded.

Mama's Note: There are many web sites showing the truth about this "organic" myth, but this article is written by a well respected University professor and is well worth reading. Here is another one: The Myth of Our Organic Past.

High gas prices hit retail sales
Bloomberg
"Retailers reported slower sales gains as a jump in gasoline prices curbed spending and flooding discouraged shoppers on the U.S. East Coast last month Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, said June sales at stores open at least a year rose 1.2 percent, its smallest gain in more than a year. Sales at Nordstrom Inc., Limited Brands Inc. and Federated Department Stores Inc. missed analysts' estimates. Gasoline prices, which are 32 percent higher than a year earlier, are constraining spending by customers of Wal-Mart and other discounters, said ING Investments LLC analyst Arun Daniel. Flooding in the middle Atlantic states curtailed spending at department stores and malls, said ThinkEquity Partners LLC analyst Ed Weller in San Francisco." (07/06/06)

I honestly believe that inflation is running closer to 15% than the number of 4-6% being bandied around, and fuel is clearly driving much of it. The secondary effects, like the one discussed in this article, will help slow inflation, but might drive us into a massive economic "downturn"

Kenneth Lay, 1942-2006
Wilmington Star
"Enron Corp. founder Kenneth Lay died of a heart attack on Wednesday, still believing he was innocent in the corporate scandal that cost thousands their jobs and pensions and led to billions of dollars of investor losses. Lay, 64, faced the prospect of the rest of his life in prison after his conviction May 25 of fraud and conspiracy in one of the biggest debacles in American corporate history. Dr. Robert Kurtzman, Mesa County coroner, said his autopsy showed Lay died of heart disease while on vacation in Aspen, Colo." (07/06/06)

Truly guilty or not, I am sure that the trial and the surrounding foofoorah was a major contributor to his death. But I find it ironic that a convicted (if not sentenced) felon could still somehow afford to vacation in Aspen, even during the off-season. Too many people who got sucked down by Enron can't afford to go to the lake for a weekend.

Mama's Note: The real bottom line here is that, even if guilty, Lay didn't do anything our "elected officials" don't commit each and every day. When are we going to hold government to account for their fraud, lies and extortion? We could all certainly go to the lake whenever we wanted if we had even a small part of what government steals from us every year.

Oil hits record high, stocks slide
ABC News
"Corporate profit warnings and record oil prices overshadowed a benign jobs creation report and sent stocks lower Friday as investors worried that the economy was cooling too quickly. ... A barrel of light crude set an intraday record of $75.78 before retreating to $75.45, up 31 cents, on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In midmorning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 87.10, or 0.78 percent, to 11,138.20. Broader stock indicators also lost ground." (07/07/06)

Although this story reports economic news as the reason, a number of other folks have speculated (correctly, I think) that once more, the financial geniuses have panicked over world news - specifically, the silly N. Korean missile tests on the 4th. Any excuse for a good panic, these days! (See the story about what Korea wants to do next, in World Wars!)

Lots of interesting things in Europe this week! Here are just a few:

Italy issues warrants for CIA agents, officer
United Press International
"Italy issued arrest warrants for three CIA agents and a U.S. military officer in the investigation of the abduction of a Muslim terror suspect. The warrants relate to the Feb. 17, 2003, abduction of Hassan Osama Nasr, a Muslim cleric known as Abu Omar in Milan. Sources told The Los Angeles Times one of the agents wanted was the former station chief at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, and the U.S. Military officer is U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Joseph Romano, a commander at the Aviano Air Base in northern Italy." (07/06/06)

This, especially the arrest warrant for the base commander, sounds like typical district attorney grandstanding. Of course, Italy doesn't want to join the UK and Spain as targets of Islamic hit men - which is apparently why they didn't honor extradition requests in the first place.

London Suicide Bomber: Attacks 'Only the Beginning'
CNSNews.com
On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the London suicide bombings, residents of the city were confronted with a posthumous warning that the attacks were "only the beginning"...

The killers are also posthumously made members of al Qaeda, which is really kind of strange, since it was pretty much assumed that either they were, or they were government shills.

Mama's Note: One quick cure... expel all Mid Eastern foreigners from Europe, period. Might not be a total prevention, but it would sure cut down on the odds. Or, they might just try freedom, have every person arm and prepare to defend themselves... Nah... never happen.

UK: MI5 probes al Qaeda "sympathisers"
Independent [UK]
"Up to 8,000 suspected al-Qa'ida sympathisers are being investigated by MI5 and the police in an operation to identify future terrorists, The Independent has learned. The huge covert inquiry, known as project Rich Picture, is aimed at finding people who are being groomed for terrorism, and at identifying the Islamist extremists carrying out the recruitment. The nationwide investigation follows intelligence suggesting there is a very small, but significant number of British-born and Britain-based Muslims, who are prepared to carry out bombings and other terrorist attacks in this country. Undercover officers are gathering information from all over the country, including at colleges, mosques and internet websites where extremists may try to 'groom' or radicalise those sympathetic to the aims of al-Qa'ida." (07/02/06)

Clearly there are a large number of "British" Muslims who are enemies of their own "adopted" nation (or even the land into which they were born) thanks in large part to a complete failure of the Brits to assimilate hundreds of thousands of immigrants - repeating a problem which has resulted in major impacts to the British Isles over millennia.

Mama's Note: Sounds like job security for "MI5," whatever that is. They are no more apt to be able to tell who is a threat now than they ever were, but it gives them something to show that they are "doing something."

As everyone knows, I love the kind of news we get from our "public" (Government- run, tax-funded) schools:

Churchill appeals pending dismissal
Rocky Mountain News
"University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill appealed his pending dismissal to a faculty committee Wednesday, ensuring that it will be three months or more before his future at the university is decided. In a letter to CU President Hank Brown, Churchill attorney David Lane said that an investigative committee report and interim Chancellor Phil DiStefano's recommendation that Churchill be fired 'were against the weight of the credible evidence presented and was in retaliation for his First Amendment protected free speech.'" (07/06/06)

Ward Churchill has been condemned for far more than his words about 9-11: he has (according to his own written words) lied - made claims that Lakota and others have demonstrated are not true; he is a pitiful example of a public school instructor who shouldn't be driving a taxi, much less teaching people.

DOE: Most states fall short on student testing
USA Today
"Most states are failing to pass muster with the government over student testing and may lose money unless they improve quickly. The Education Department says 34 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have major problems with the tests that were supposed to be in place in the just-ended school year. They will get federal approval only if they correct the problems in the coming year. In addition, Nebraska and Maine had their testing systems rejected outright." (07/06/06)

I would love to see at least one state flat out tell the feds, "take your money and your tests and shove it in sideways." It won't happen, of course - the "free" federal money is too tempting. It isn't about the kids, it is about the money.

The Home Front has a few items this week as well:

Budget woes force Army bases to cut services
MSNBC
"A diversion of dollars to help fight the war in Iraq has helped create a $530 million shortfall for Army posts at home and abroad, leaving some unable to pay utility bills or even cut the grass. In San Antonio, Fort Sam Houston hasn't been able to pay its $1.4 million monthly utility bill since March, prompting workers in many of the post's administrative buildings to get automated disconnection notices. Fort Bragg in North Carolina can't afford to buy pens, paper or other office supplies until the new fiscal year starts in October." (07/06/06)

Hmm. Wonder if this is showing up in the federal debt figures? Army (and other services) real property maintenance and repair has chronically been shorted in the budget - no one gets any votes for paying the utilities bills or maintaining roads. So this is just what would be expected. It will get worse.

FBI alleges, busts terror plot
Terre Haute Tribune Star
"Authorities have disrupted planning by foreign terrorists for an attack on New York City tunnels, two law enforcement officials said Friday. FBI agents monitoring Internet chat rooms used by extremists learned in recent months of the plot to strike a blow at the city's economy by destroying vital transportation networks, one official said. Lebanese authorities, acting on a U.S. request, have arrested one of the alleged plotters, identified as Amir Andalousli, the other official said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is still under way." (07/07/06)

Is this another one of those cases where a debating society has seemingly been infiltrated by an FBI plant who converts them to violence? Or is it really a serious plot to blow up some subway? Honestly, we may never know. The leak was apparently NOT planned (at least not by the administration) but was blurted out by someone. Are we (or rather, the subway-dwellers of New York) safer? Probably not.

Mama's Note: In many, if not most of these operations the "Feds" are the ONLY ones proposing or even discussing any violence at all. Do remember that a "discussion" of any kind is not the same thing as a "plot" or a plan to take any action. But it is a wonderful excuse to limit our freedom of speech even more.

Harboring illegals could cost cities, states
MSNBC
"Cities and states that aid illegal immigrants without reporting them to the authorities risk losing millions of dollars in homeland security and other federal money under two spending bills approved last month by the House. The bills, which fund the departments of Homeland Security, Commerce, State and Justice, were amended to refuse federal money to any city or state with policies that prohibit local government officials from alerting federal authorities about possible immigration law violators." (07/06/06)

So watch the "unofficial" policies spread - too many local governments are so deathly afraid of losing the Hispanic vote that they will fight any possibility that a voter's distant cousin might get deported. Again, it isn't about people, it is about money.

MA: Troopers had relied on illegal workers
Boston Globe
"Governor Mitt Romney is pushing to give state troopers the authority to enforce federal immigration laws so they can arrest those who are here illegally. But records indicate the State Police has relied for years on a company to clean its barracks and headquarters that has employed scores of undocumented immigrants. A Globe review of payroll data from National Facility Services of Boylston found that more than 80 percent of the 192 unionized maintenance workers employed there in 2004 had questionable or bogus Social Security numbers. The company has received more than $2.2 million in state contracts since 2000, and is under contract to clean State Police headquarters in Framingham and 18 barracks and other facilities around the state. National Facility Services said it has cleaned State Police facilities for at least a decade." (07/02/06)

Gasp! Employing illegals? So what is new? Most contracting procedures and laws do NOT specify that the contractor prove the origin and legal status of their employees. As soon condemn the state cops for having a contractor that has wanted felons on their payroll.

Mama's Note: This is simply more of the ploy of government to convince people they are "doing something." All it does, however, is fuel the fires of hate and distrust, the "them against us" tension that convinces even more people that they need government to "protect them."

WA: War resister charged
The Olympian
"A lieutenant who refused to deploy to Iraq faces three charges, including conduct unbecoming an officer, that could put him behind bars if convicted. In addition, the Army filed charges of missing movement and contempt toward officials against 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, 28, on Wednesday. Watada faces up to seven years in prison, forfeiture of all pay and a dishonorable discharge if convicted of all three charges. Watada's attorney, Eric Seitz, said he was not surprised by the missing movement charge. But he was 'amazed at the utter gall' of the charge of contempt toward officials, which raises some questions involving the First Amendment, he said." (07/06/06)

Watada better get another attorney, if he really is "amazed" because while it takes some doing to charge an officer with "contempt" - the prosecutors are sure that they have an airtight case. No, the First Amendment is waived, voluntarily, by someone accepting a commission - it is clearly stated that such is the case when it comes to making certain statements that would not, for a civilian, be chargeable, and for which the First Amendment would be adequate defense. But an officer (and this guy didn't get drafted!) has accepted an obligation to refrain from exercising some rights IN SOME WAYS. I respect and honor 1LT Watada for his courage in living to his convictions concerning the occupation of Iraq - but I look on him with contempt if he couldn't keep his mouth shut when he should have - for by doing so, he is betraying his own convictions and cause, insulting his fellow officers.

Mama's Note: It is easy to concentrate on just one aspect of this case, but vital to realize that without the integrity to follow through on our contracts and promises, we dishonor all of our rights. Unfortunately, our young men (and women) are not being raised in this absolute culture of integrity and honor anymore. What a shame.

Of course, our Home Front's freedom would be a lot more secure if we didn't have to put up with the Imperial Courts, of which I picked just two items this week:

Navy seeks to overturn sonar ban
Honolulu Advertiser
"The U.S. Navy yesterday filed an emergency motion with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco seeking to reinstate active sonar use during Rim of the Pacific naval exercises, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council said. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper issued a temporary restraining order out of Los Angeles barring the Navy from using the high-intensity, 'mid-frequency active sonar' allegedly harmful to marine mammals after the Natural Resources Defense Council and other groups filed a lawsuit. The use of active sonar in the Rimpac 2006 exercises off Hawai'i was set to start today. Twenty-one ships pulled out of Pearl Harbor yesterday for the exercise scheduled through July 28." (07/06/06)

One more example of how environists can use the flimsiest of excuses to stop anything and everything they want to - especially with the black robes' support.

TX: DeLay dispute moves to higher court
CBS News
"With state election deadlines closing in, the legal fight over whether to keep indicted former U.S. Rep. Tom Delay on the November ballot moves next to a higher court. The Texas Republican Party plans to appeal federal Judge Sam Sparks' ruling Thursday that Delay must remain on the ballot even though he resigned from office and isn't actively campaigning for reelection. ... Delay won his March primary and then announced a month later that he would be leaving office and moving to Virginia. Delay left Congress on June 9." (07/07/06)

In SD and a good many other states, this would not be a problem: a person can quit a race - and often up until sometime in August, be sure NOT to be on the ballot - and the party (even the LP!) is allowed to substitute someone. It doesn't take a judge - but not in Texas!

Mama's Note: The "People's Republic of Texas" needs to consider giving the Alamo to some other state. They don't deserve it anymore.

The Middle East continues to dominate the news, and this week I have items from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and Canaan:

Afghanistan: Occupation soldier, Afghans killed
Middle East Times [Egypt]
"A coalition soldier and eight rebels were killed in new clashes in Afghanistan as a crackdown continued against a stepped-up Taliban insurgency, security forces said on Thursday. The soldier, whose nationality was not released, was killed on Wednesday in southeastern Paktika province near the border with Pakistan when a patrol came under fire from 'extremists,' the US-led coalition said." (07/06/06)

Together with several other articles this week, this paints a clear picture of a mess, unlikely to be resolved by anything the West can do.

UK: Britain plans extra troops to fight Taliban
Guardian [UK]
"Hundreds of extra combat troops will be deployed to southern Afghanistan under plans being drawn up by the Ministry of Defence as part of a review of tactics by British and Nato commanders. The contingency proposals have become necessary because of the unexpected strength of Taliban fighters who have drawn British troops into a series of clashes. Over the weekend, two more British soldiers were killed in fierce fighting in the province of Helmand, and yesterday British commanders made it clear they want better equipment for their troops, including helicopters and armoured vehicles." (07/03/06)

As things heat up again in Afghanistan, a few people are saying that they warned this would happen. To the British, this is deja vue - The British Army spent a large chunk of the 19th Century fighting Afghani tribesmen in the region.

Mama's Note: Somebody please remind me what the point is supposed to be... I simply don't remember what all these people are supposed to be killing each other about.

Bin Laden tells Sunnis to fight Shiites in Iraq
CNN
"Osama bin Laden in a tape posted on the Web encourages Sunnis in Iraq to retaliate against Shiites, deviating from al Qaeda's stand of not promoting sectarian violence. The al Qaeda leader says that Sunnis in Iraq are experiencing annihilation. Bin Laden also says that the only way for them to win freedom is by 'holding on to their jihad' and ousting the occupying power from Iraq. The message came on a 19-minute audiotape posted late Friday." (07/02/06)

"Sunni annihilation?" Al Qaeda may claim to not promote sectarian violence, but that is exactly what they have been doing for years.

Mama's Note: As if they needed any encouragement from anyone.

Ex-soldier pleads not guilty in Iraq crimes
Naples Daily News
"A former Army private charged with raping an Iraqi woman and killing her and her family entered a plea of not guilty through his public defenders Thursday. Steven D. Green also waived a detention hearing and a preliminary hearing, and agreed that his case would be prosecuted in the Western District of Kentucky. U.S. Magistrate Judge James Moyer set an arraignment date of Aug. 8 in Paducah for Green, who was arrested Friday by FBI agents in Marion, N.C." (07/06/06)

I fail completely to understand why the military is not dealing with this case. IF this ex-soldier is guilty of this heinous crime, he deserved to be hung - and the Army would have to do that, while a federal court might not. Besides, he is the Army's shame and the honorable thing to do, IF HE DID IT (and that is for the Court Martial Board or Jury to decide), it is the Army's mess to clean up.

Mama's Note: The really sad thing is that we can have no confidence at all that justice will be served or that the truth of this terrible matter (and many more like it) will ever truly be known.

Iraq: At least 17 dead in latest fighting
First Coast News
"A suicide car bomb tore through buses carrying Iranian pilgrims Thursday near a Shiite shrine in the holy Iraqi city of Kufa, killing at least 10 people and wounding 40, authorities said. ... A suicide car bomb struck a joint Iraqi-U.S. Checkpoint near Ana town, about 150 miles northwest of Baghdad, wounding two Iraqi solders. ... A former judge during Saddam's regime was killed and his son was wounded in a drive-by shooting .... Police found the bodies of six people who had been handcuffed and shot in the head in three different locations in Baghdad." (07/06/06)

Once more, it is not soldiers or insurgents that are suffering the most - it is ordinary citizens who have to live in this mess.

Saddam's wife, daughter added to Iraq hit list
USA Today
"Saddam Hussein's wife and eldest daughter are among 41 people on the Iraqi government's most wanted list, along with the new leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, a top official announced Sunday. National security adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie also said the former al-Qaeda boss, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, had been buried secretly in Baghdad despite his family's demand that the body be returned to Jordan. Zarqawi died June 7 from a U.S. airstrike northeast of Baghdad." (07/02/06)

Family demand? Typical of Islamic "society" in which gunfire is apparently preferred to politeness - which shows that perhaps Heinlein's Law doesn't apply to all societies.

Iran "serious" about nuclear talks
CNN
"Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, said Thursday his country remains 'serious' about continuing negotiations to defuse the international standoff over Iran's nuclear program, which the West fears could be used to make weapons. Larijani made the comments at the start of an informal working dinner with European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana. 'We are serious about the continued negotiations,' Larijani told reporters, adding that formal talks would be held next week." (07/06/06)

Serious as a heart attack, no doubt. Unlike N Korea, which just wants attention and welfare from other nations, Iran is playing a more dangerous game.

Mama's Note: As long as the US makes unilateral demands without any possible negotiation, they will make such "talks" as useless and they have been before. That, of course, simply gives weight to the idea that the US has no other objective than to "justify" another insane "war" in the Mid East. There is little or no evidence to the contrary. Iran poses no threat to the US at present, or for a LONG time to come, but another such attack threatens the entire US economy, not to mention actual US interests all over the world. How soon before the rest of the world decides it's time for a "regime change" in the United States?

Gaza: Battles leave 22 dead
Elyria Chronicle-Telegram
"Palestinian militants armed with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades battled Israeli helicopters and tanks Thursday in the bloodiest day since Israel invaded Gaza over a soldier's capture. At least 21 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier died. Israeli troops retook three empty Jewish settlements nearly a year after abandoning them, seeking to carve out a temporary buffer zone in the northern Gaza Strip to prevent militants from firing more rockets into Israel." (07/07/06)

Is Israel justified in this invasion? Ignoring past tit-for-tat and Israel's disputed record vis-à-vis the Arabs, when unguided Qassam rockets (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qassam_rocket for more information) are dropping daily on Israel, despite its withdrawal from Gaza, this might entitle them to respond in kind. But does killing a bunch of people (including more children) end the threat? Hardly.

Like Predecessor, UN's New Rights Body Targets Israel
CNSNewss.com
Following a trend adopted by its discredited predecessor, the U.N.'s new Human Rights Council ended its first-ever "special session" Thursday with a resolution condemning Israel over the crisis in the Gaza Strip...

Gee what a surprise!

Mama's Note: What, no brilliant ideas from these cretins about how to end this mess? It's the "Hatfields and the McCoys" all over again, and I don't expect there to be peace in Israel until the last man falls on one side or the other. Of course, Israel is the only one who has nukes - thanks to the US - so you can guess the eventual outcome.

I'll be introducing a new section on the "North American Union" in the next few weeks, but here a few items that would fit into that section, dealing with the USA, Canada, and USM:

Mexico: Rivals declare victory in election
Orangeburg Times and Democrat
"Two bitter rivals declared themselves winners of Mexico's extraordinarily close presidential race even though election officials said official results wouldn't be ready for days -- sparking cries of fraud from supporters and fears of violence. The candidates -- a conservative bureaucrat and a leftist -- were separated by fewer than 300,000 votes with more than 30 million counted in a preliminary tally by electoral officials. The conservative, Felipe Calderon, had 36.9 percent to Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's 35.7 percent, according to results from 87 percent of polling places. But the Federal Electoral Institute stressed those results weren't final -- and said it wouldn't declare a victor until an official count due to start Wednesday." (07/03/06)

Two massas? Oy vey! The replacement of V. Fox is not yet known, and it may be days - a critical delay either in the USA or the USM. But as more than one commentator pointed out in the run up to the election, whichever wins (F. Calderon or A. Obrador), Mexico's foreign policy and domestic policy will change very little: Mexico's economy will continue to be a parasite on the Norte Americanos, it will continue to have people as its biggest export, it will continue its unstated long-term objective of ruling all of North America, and it will continue to be a poverty- and class-ridden pit of a place.

Mama's Note: See an excellent article from the Independent Institute on this subject, Will Mexico 'Jump to the Top'?

Why US ties with Mexico are tepid
Christian Science Monitor
"Though US-Mexico ties have been in the doldrums since 9/11, the election of a new Mexican president provides an opportunity to re-energize relations. But such reenergizing could only take place with concentrated attention from the US side, analysts say -- something that has been lacking for most of the Bush administration. 'If President Bush were to welcome the new Mexican president [Monday] or Tuesday with a call for 'new steps to promote North America's economic growth and integration,' it would be the jolt needed to demonstrate a willingness to start anew,' says Robert Pastor, director of the Center for North American Studies at American University in Washington. 'But so far, the White House has only shown an interest in keeping the relationship the way it is.' It wasn't supposed to be that way." (07/02/06)

This is, of course, exactly what many of my more excitable political friends in both the conservative and libertarian camps fear will happen: more integration and closer relations between the thugs in DC and those in DF (Districto Federale).

Mama's Note: A good, deep house cleaning on both sides of this border would go a long way toward establishing both peace and prosperity for all of us. Too bad it's going to take a total economic collapse and incredible suffering to even give us a chance at doing that.

More News and Commentary on Page 2 featuring Our Right to Defend Ourselves

Nathan Barton is writing this from a wonderful place in the West, which might be in the Black Hills of South Dakota or Wyoming, or might be in one of the Four Corners States. Exactly where it is, the breezes blow with the scent of liberty, and the sound of the pines or the pinions is the sound of freedom. For thousands of years, people have fought and died for the liberty that Americans in the great spaces of the West enjoy, and he writes these commentaries in the hopes that continued generations will be able to do so, until the end of Time.

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