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August
10, 2006
Libertarian
Commentary on the News, 6-10 August, 2006
A short week due to the publisher needing to do something other than publish
and edit - so here is a short column of about 40 stories and comments,
starting with our economic woes.
OUR ECONOMY:
BP Alaska field
shutdown sends oil prices climbing
BBC News
Oil prices have risen above $77 a barrel after BP said it would have
to close one of the largest oilfields in the US because of a pipeline
leak. The indefinite shutdown of the Prudhoe Bay oil field, which produces
about 8% of US daily oil output, comes at a time when oil markets are
already jittery. The ongoing conflict in Lebanon has kept prices close
to record highs.
Panic once
more, with the peak of the summer driving season here in the US and everything
else going on - and my own first reaction was to fill up (at "only"
$2.94/gallon) and call family to advise them to do the same. Last Monday,
because of the air raid that supposedly killed all the civilians in Lebanon,
fuel prices in one of my hometowns jumped 21 cents in a single day; I
don't need that again. Nor do we in the US - it is time to get government
out of the way and let the market drive exploration AND development, including
new refineries and expansions of existing refineries. Wyoming has LOST
a half-dozen refineries in the past twenty years, even though oil production
has increased in the state. Other western states are very similar.
OUR ECONOMY:
Fed halts stretch of rate increases
Muncie Star Press
"With the economy losing momentum, the Federal Reserve halted
the longest unbroken stretch of interest rate increases in recent history
Tuesday - a reprieve for millions of borrowers after more than two years
of rate pain. Ben Bernanke, in the most important decision he has engineered
since taking the Fed helm in February, led his central bank colleagues
in holding a key interest rate steady at 5.25 percent." (08/08/06)
As expected
- and no doubt about six months later than they should have. But then,
despite right-wing (and too many libertarian) claims that the FR is a
"private company" it is a government agency, and reacts like
government: overreacting, and almost always, too late.
Mama's
Note: The "FR" has no legitimate function or authority, private
or otherwise. The major error the founders made was giving the coining
of money to the Federal government. Control of the money always means
control of the economy, and thus of everything else - which we have learned
to our sorrow. The only solution is to take back our lives, period.
EUROPE
FALLING: UK: News
of the World royal editor arrested over Clarence House phone tapping
Guardian [UK]
"Anti-terrorist police yesterday arrested three men, including
the News of the World's royal correspondent, for allegedly intercepting
phone calls at Clarence House, the official residence of the Prince of
Wales, The arrests were part of a wider inquiry which began in December
when three members of the royal household at Clarence House complained
to Scotland Yard's Royalty Protection unit. The investigation has been
extended because detectives believe that public figures beyond the royal
household - among them an MP - have also had their phones tapped."
(08/08/06)
Strange
use of the "anti-terrorist" police, I dare say. I wouldn't be
surprised to find out that one or more of these men are (a) actually working
for the coppers, and (b) put the others up to do the evil deed.
STUPID
GUVMINT TRICKS: Governors Nix Bush
National Guard Proposal
AOL News
The nation's governors are closing ranks in opposition to a proposal
in Congress that would let the president take control of the National
Guard in emergencies without consent of governors. "The idea of federalizing
yet another function of government in America is a, the wrong direction,
and b, counterproductive," [SC Gov (R)] Sanford said. "The system
has worked quite well, notwithstanding what went wrong with Katrina."
Apparently
at least 24 governors, meeting in the semiannual National Governors Association
meeting, sent a letter objecting. If we still had Senators directly elected
by the states they are supposed to represent, this would be dead in the
water: the state governors/legislators would tell their senators to vote
"no" and the president could go whistle up a rope. But no, we
have this bizarre belief in "democracy."
HOME FRONT:
Researcher: New passports vulnerable
CNN
"Electronic passports being introduced in the United States and
other countries have a major vulnerability that could allow criminals
to clone embedded secret code and enter countries illegally, an expert
warned. A demonstration late Friday by German computer security expert
Lukas Grunwald showed how personal information stored on the documents
could be copied and transferred to another device." (08/06/06)
Only one
vulnerability? They are hardly trying.
HOME FRONT:
DHS Delays
"Secure Flight" - keeps "No-Fly" Alive
Government Executive
The Transportation Security Administration next month is expected to
complete an overhaul of an airline passenger-screening system, according
to a Government Accountability Office inspector. "In early 2006,
TSA suspended development of Secure Flight and initiated a reassessment,"
Cathleen Berrick, director of GAO's homeland security and justice division,
told the House Homeland Security Intelligence Subcommittee in response
to written questions. She added that the agency expects to finish the
reassessment before the end of September. Secure Flight is expected to
replace the "no-fly list" currently used by airlines, which
has mistakenly ensnarled even some lawmakers.
Yeah, and
the new one will be MUCH better at capturing even more "enemies of
the state."
MIDEAST
TARBABIES: Contractor faces Afghan
beating trial
Jeffersonville News Tribune
"In the weeks after the Abu Ghraib prison scandal stunned Iraq,
a story emerged from Afghanistan about a CIA contractor accused of beating
a detainee so severely that he later died. More than three years later,
after several soldiers working at Abu Ghraib have been sentenced to military
prison, the contractor, David Passaro, will finally stand trial when jury
selection begins Monday -- in a civilian court in his home state of North
Carolina." (08/06/06)
See the
next story for more:
MORE MIDEAST
TARBABIES: Witness: CIA worker said
he hit inmate
Rocky Mountain News
"A former CIA contract worker charged with beating an Afghan detainee
who later died admitted he assaulted the prisoner during an interrogation,
a fellow agency employee testifying in disguise said Tuesday. David Passaro
is charged with beating Abdul Wali over two days in June 2003 while questioning
the man about rocket attacks on a remote base housing U.S. and Afghan
troops. He is the first American civilian charged with mistreating a detainee
during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan." (08/08/06)
I suppose
that civilians should be given the benefit of the doubt, compared to the
military, but this man still needs to be punished severely and made to
pay recompense in some way for this murderous act, that he has now confessed
to.
MIDEAST
TARBABIES: Iran to expand nuclear activities
Globe and Mail [Canada]
"Iran's top nuclear negotiator said Sunday that Iran will expand
uranium enrichment, in defiance of a UN Security Council resolution giving
the Islamic Republic until Aug. 31 to halt the activity or face the threat
of political and economic sanctions. Ali Larijani called the UN Security
Council resolution issued last week illegal and said Iran won't respect
the deadline. 'We reject this resolution,' he told reporters. 'We will
expand nuclear activities where required. It includes all nuclear technology
including the string of centrifuges,' Mr. Larijani said, referring to
the centrifuges Iran uses to enrich uranium." (08/06/06)
They don't
give up, do they?
Mama's
Note: Why should they? As much as I deplore their other motives and philosophy,
they certainly have every incentive to do their best to match the guns
of the bully on the block. They are not blind to the fact that non-nuclear
countries get bombed and invaded all the time, but those with nuclear
weapons do not. Seems simple enough to me, but I suspect they are not
going to have time to achieve their goals, no matter what anyone does.
MIDEAST
TARBABIES: Half of US still believes
Iraqi WMD "myth"
Louisville Courier-Journal
"Do you believe in Iraqi 'WMD?' Did Saddam Hussein's government
have weapons of mass destruction in 2003? Half of America apparently still
thinks so, a new poll finds, and experts see a raft of reasons why: a
drumbeat of voices from talk radio to die-hard bloggers to the Oval Office,
a surprise headline here or there, a rallying around a partisan flag,
and a growing need for people, in their own minds, to justify the war
in Iraq." (08/06/06)
Of course,
an unbiased press could just as easily have said just the opposite: that
only half of America has been duped into believing that Iraq had no WMD.
MIDEAST
TARBABIES: Troops
'took turns' to rape Iraqi
BBC News
A US military court has heard testimony of how three soldiers took
it in turns to hold down and try to rape an Iraqi girl aged 14 in Mahmudiya
in March. The girl and three family members were allegedly killed by four
US soldiers. Graphic details of the attack at the family's home came in
a sworn statement by one of the accused, James P. Barker.
If this
man's testimony is shown to be true, I will be blunt - all four of these
men, and a fifth one who tried to cover it up, should "be hanged
by the neck until dead, dead, dead." Nothing less will cleanse the
stain of dishonor on their unit and the Army, and nothing less will show
the Iraqi people that they, too, have the rights that belong to a free
people.
WAR IN
CANAAN: Lebanon
PM revises air raid toll
BBC News
Lebanon's prime minister has said only one person was killed in an
Israeli air strike that earlier he said had killed more than 40 civilians.
"They thought that the whole building smashed on the heads of 40
people," Fouad Siniora told reporters in Beirut. "Thank God
that they have been saved."
In other
words - he lied. The lie will get told over and over, and his retraction
(revision?) will be ignored.
Mama's
Note: Why assume he "lied?" The death toll is almost always
exaggerated or misreported by the first responders to any disaster, and
communication in a war situation like this would make it even harder to
know what was going on right away. Of course, they should simply wait
until they KNOW, but human nature doesn't usually work that way. It is
unfortunate that the revision won't get the press the original number
did, but that's not the fault of the PM. The press must take responsibility
for what they report.
WAR IN
CANAAN: Israel
intensifies strikes on Beirut
CBS News
"Israeli warplanes repeatedly bombed Beirut's southern suburbs
and pounded other areas of Lebanon on Monday, killing at least 15 people.
Fierce fighting between Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah guerrillas in south
Lebanon killed one soldier, the army said. The new strikes and ground
battles came hours before Arab League foreign ministers were to meet in
Beirut for a hastily convened session to show solidarity with Lebanon.
Both sides appeared to take advantage of the days before a cease-fire
resolution, formulated by the U.S. And France, is put to a vote in the
U.N. Security Council. Hezbollah rocket launched its deadliest rocket
barrage on Israel on Sunday, killing 12 Israeli soldiers and three civilians."
(08/07/06)
Does anyone
seriously believe that either Israel or Hezbollah will pay any attention?
Or that Lebanon itself will? Given the tactics of the two enemies, the
amazing thing is not that civilians are dying, but that more civilians
AREN'T dying. Both sides can still see victory - but only Hezbollah has
attained it so far.
WAR IN
CANAAN: South Lebanon closed; Strikes
kill 19
Jackson Sun
"Israel shut down south Lebanon with a threat to blast any moving
vehicles Tuesday as ground fighting intensified, airstrikes killed at
least 19 civilians and Arab governments called for a full Israeli withdrawal
as a condition of any cease-fire. With U.S., French and Arab negotiators
meeting into the evening at the United Nations, Israel voiced cautious
interest in a Lebanese proposal to deploy 15,000 soldiers to control the
ground in south Lebanon where Hezbollah has been firing missiles into
Israel. But the warring sides appeared to be some distance apart on the
text of a possible resolution, now not expected to come before the Security
Council before Thursday." (08/08/06)
Israel
is at least playing to the crown in showing "interest" - but
they also know that having UN troops in there before (or on other places
on their border) has done absolutely nothing to stop the attacks - while
their own actions have been encouraging more.
WAR IN
CANAAN: Israel: Cabinet approves wider
offensive
Middle East Times [Egypt]
"Israel's security cabinet Wednesday gave the green light for
troops to push further into south Lebanon to fight the Hezbollah militia
as the conflict entered its fifth week. 'Plans by defense minister Amir
Peretz and the chief of staff for expanding the operation have been approved
by the cabinet,' Deputy Prime Minister Eli Yishai told public radio after
a six-hour meeting. Army chief of staff Dan Halutz and Peretz had favored
widening the ground offensive although Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had
voiced reservations, arguing such a move risked incurring even higher
troop losses and complicating international diplomatic efforts to halt
the fighting." (08/09/06)
A number
of professional observers had accurately predicted this move, both based
on the fighting so far, the normal Israeli method of operating, and the
mechanics of Fourth Generation warfare. If victory from the air can ever
be achieved, it is not going to happen against a 4GW enemy or a non-state
entity like Hezbollah.
NORTH AMERICAN
UNION: CA: Migrants return as border
war shifts
San Francisco Chronicle
"The number of immigrants illegally jumping the California-Mexico
border appears to be increasing as enforcement gets tougher in Arizona,
Border Patrol arrest statistics suggest. It's known as the water-balloon
effect: Squeeze one spot and illegal immigration will bulge elsewhere
along the 1,952-mile frontier. While overall arrests have fallen a modest
3 percent since October, they are up sharply in some places, including
the San Diego area. Thanks to a surge in hiring new agents, the Border
Patrol says it's ready for a shift in traffic. Skeptics aren't so sure."
(08/06/06)
Gee - sounds
like the free market at work, huh? Too much pressure one place, shift
to another. Too much demand in Hawaii? Prices go up, people decide to
go to Padre Island instead. Next month, the reverse will happen. Too bad
people don't understand that universal laws are just that - universal,
and not subject to legislators or kings.
NORTH AMERICAN
UNION: Mexico: Protesters take over
tollbooths
Bloomberg
"Supporters of presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador
took over tollbooths on four Mexican federal highways, part of protests
to demand a full recount of last month's vote. Protesters occupied tollbooths
on roads that link Mexico City to Cuernavaca, Queretaro, Toluca and Pachuca,
according to images broadcast by Grupo Televisa SA. They let drivers pass
through free of charge and traffic was flowing normally. .... The tollbooth
takeover may foretell the kind of actions Lopez Obrador would seek to
carry out against Calderon's administration should the court uphold the
vote count, said Christopher Garman, director for Latin America at political
risk consultancy Eurasia Group in New York. "He'll try to use these
kind of methods to pressure the Calderon administration and make life
more difficult for his government," Garman said in a telephone interview.
"Things are going to get worse before they get better over the short
run.' " (08/08/06)
Why is
it that protesters like this, instead of simply practicing civil disobedience,
have to resort to actual active breaking of the law and stealing? Toll
booths on a highway have NOTHING whatsoever to do with the election, except
to show that Obrador, if he decides to "honor" Mexican history,
can begin an insurgency and tear down whatever progress the US of Mexico
has made since the 1920s.
CAMPAIGN
2006: Lieberman loses, vows independent
run
Brattleboro Reformer
"Three-term Sen. Joe Lieberman fell to antiwar challenger Ned
Lamont in Connecticut's Democratic primary Tuesday, a race seen as a harbinger
of sentiment over the conflict that has claimed the lives of more than
2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq. Unbowed, Lieberman immediately announced he
would enter the fall campaign as an independent. Only six years ago, Lieberman
was the Democrats' choice for vice president." (08/08/06)
Bad off
as the GOP is, this little act shows that the Democratic Party is coming
unraveled at the grassroots, big time. May both old-line parties implode,
quickly!
CAMPAIGN
2006: CT: Liberal bloggers come to
the fore
Boston Globe
"As Connecticut Democrats head to the polls today for a closely
contested Senate primary, many will be voting for a political novice,
a cable TV businessman who was an unfamiliar name just three months ago.
But Ned Lamont, a millionaire with little political experience, catapulted
from anonymity to become a front-running Senate candidate with the help
of a new political phenomenon: bloggers. Political analysts say that the
network of Internet commentators -- some from as far away as California
-- channeled voter anger against veteran incumbent Senator Joseph I. Lieberman
and his support for the Iraq war into a huge boost for Lamont, drawing
national attention to the race." (08/08/06)
Or so the
Boston Globe says. Much as I'd like to think that the Internet can play
a key role in elections, elections (especially PRIMARY elections) are
not the main area to which effort needs to be directed.
CAMPAIGN
2006: McKinney loses runoff for Georgia
congressional seat
York News-Times
"Cynthia McKinney, the fiery Georgia congresswoman known for her
conspiracy theories about the Sept. 11 attacks and the scuffle she had
earlier this year with a U.S. Capitol police officer, lost a runoff election
Tuesday for her district's Democratic nomination. Attorney Hank Johnson,
a former county commissioner, won the nomination with 59 percent of the
vote, surpassing McKinney by more than 11,000 votes. McKinney, her state's
first black congresswoman, has long been controversial." (08/08/06)
Good riddance!
She, of course, is already claiming vote fraud, even though it is a fellow
Democrat who defeated her. Of course, it is her own actions and those
of her sisters and brothers in the spirit in the Dumbacrats that have
created this mess.
OUR RIGHT
TO DEFEND OURSELVES: NINE STORIES
PA:
Gun-wielding senior foils carjacker
United Press International
"A 78-year-old Philadelphia man used a .38 caliber handgun to
thwart a carjacker. George Newton said that when William Edney approached
him, held a pistol to his head and said 'Don't do anything funny,' he
handed him the keys to his sport utility vehicle, the Philadelphia Inquirer
reported. But when he saw that Edney was trying to shift gears with his
gun hand Newton decided the time had come for action. He pulled out his
own weapon and shot Edney in the jaw, and then walked to the other side
of the car and shot him in the shoulder. 'Both windows were down so I
didn't mess up any of my glass,' Newton told the Inquirer. ... Newton,
a former military police officer and car mechanic, said he knows how to
take care of himself. But he said he would much rather be left alone to
sit in the park and feed the birds." [Editor's note: I like this
guy's attitude! - TLK] (08/05/06)
So do I,
Tom, so do I. Wish more folks were like him.
OR:
Attacker shot and killed
Klamath Falls Herald and News
"A Klamath Falls man was shot dead Saturday by one of three men
he reportedly attacked and stabbed. Edward Benny Valdez Jr., 36, died
at 5545 Summers Lane at around 11:30 a.m., said Klamath County District
Attorney Ed Caleb. Valdez reportedly stabbed Ricky Hargrove, 51, William
Hargrove, 80, and William Sorahan, age unknown, then was allegedly shot
twice in the chest with a shotgun by Ricky Hargrove. ... authorities believe
after a preliminary investigation that Valdez stabbed his uncle's father,
William Hargrove and Sorahan at the home. Sorahan was visiting his friend
at the time. Then, Valdez allegedly went next door and stabbed Ricky Hargrove.
Valdez was going back to the other home, but, authorities believe, Ricky
Hargrove had followed Valdez and shot him." (08/06/06)
You have
to wonder just what is on the mind (or imitation thereof) of a man like
this, who goes around stabbing people when he almost had to know that
his intended victim had a weapon.
DE:
Charges dropped in shooting of father
Delaware Online
"John Eugene Latimer's last measure of control over his terrorized
family ended this week. Prosecutors dropped first-degree murder charges
against Joseph Latimer, 28, who killed his father by shooting him in the
head on the front lawn of his mother's house last July. ... On this night,
the elder John Latimer was arguing with his wife 'about medication he
had not been taking,' according to a court transcript. At some point,
the confrontation became violent, Jennings said, and John Latimer repeatedly
threatened to kill Marie and Joseph. At one point, holding a rusty lawnmower
blade in one hand, he grabbed Marie with the other and looked like he
was going to strike her. So, Joseph then decided he had no choice, Jennings
said. He believed his father would kill his mother unless he acted, she
said. He grabbed a .22-caliber rifle that his father had left at the house
earlier. Marie Latimer told police she heard a 'pop' and then saw John
Latimer fall to the ground. Joseph fired a single shot, hitting his father
in the head." (08/06/06)
Why did
it take 13 months to decide this?
Australia:
"Killer" guard walks free
Sunday Telegraph [Australia]
"A jury has found security guard Karen Brown not guilty of murdering
the man who attacked and robbed her outside a Sydney hotel. Karen Alma
Brown shot William Frank Aquilina, 25, outside the Moorebank Hotel on
July 26, 2004, as he fled with $45,000. A NSW Supreme Court jury took
less than four hours to acquit Ms Brown, 43, of both murder and manslaughter.
... Her counsel also pleaded self-defence. It was not disputed that she
had been the victim of a vicious attack, Justice Bruce James told the
jury. 'This was a very brutal attack with a knuckle-duster on a slightly
built woman,' he said. Ms Brown sustained fractures to her eye socket,
wrist and nose, as well as multiple cuts and bruising." (08/05/06)
Why this
should have to have gone to a "supreme court", even in Australia,
is beyond me.
AZ:
10-year term in deadly confrontation on hiking trail
Arizona Republic
"A former Valley schoolteacher who claimed self-defense was sentenced
to the minimum 10 years in prison on Thursday for the shooting death of
another man on a forest trail north of Payson two years ago. But 59-year-old
Harold Fish could be granted a new trial by the end of the year depending
on whether the state Supreme Court decides that a new state law more sympathetic
to those who use deadly force would apply to his case. At issue is whether
the law, which shifts the burden to prosecutors to prove that using physical
force in self-defense is unjustified, should be retroactive to the May
afternoon in 2004 when Fish shot 43-year-old Grant Kuenzli three times
in the chest. Gov. Janet Napolitano signed the measure into law in April
during Fish's trial. " (08/03/06)
We haven't
heard the last of this, of course, as we discussed last week.
UK:
Big rise in knife crime despite tougher penalties
Independent [UK]
" Levels of knife crime have soared over the past year, figures
published today show, prompting claims that the Government has failed
to tackle the menace of violent crime. The number of muggers using knives
leapt from 24,290 to 42,020 in 2005-06, an increase of 73 per cent. And
the total of other robberies in which knives were brandished jumped by
59 per cent, from 25,500 to 40,430. .... A Home Office spokesman said:
"Tackling knife crime is a government priority. That's why we pursue
a coherent strategy with three strands: prevention, education and enforcement.
Carrying a knife is illegal and will not be tolerated. People may think
carrying a knife makes them feel safe, but in fact it increases the risk
of having it turned on them." The Government has said it will increase
the maximum penalty for carrying a knife in public without good reason
from two to four years. It is also increasing the minimum age at which
knives can be bought from 16 to 18, and is giving headteachers the power
to search pupils for dangerous weapons." [Editor's note: Here
we go again ... -MLS] (08/08/06)
You know,
it is almost as if a lot of these thugs didn't realize that knives were
dangerous until the govmint told them they were.
15
states expand right to shoot in self defense
NY Times
"In the last year, 15 states have enacted laws that expand the
right of self-defense, allowing crime victims to use deadly force in situations
that might formerly have subjected them to prosecution for murder. "Supporters
call them 'stand your ground' laws. Opponents call them 'shoot first'
laws. Thanks to this sort of law, a prostitute in Port Richey, Fla., who
killed her 72-year-old client with his own gun rather than flee was not
charged last month. Similarly, the police in Clearwater, Fla., did not
arrest [a retired Virginia police officer] who shot a neighbor in early
June after a shouting match over putting out garbage, though the authorities
say they are still reviewing the evidence." (08/07/06)
I've been
tracking this fad since the git-go, and now, the NYT is recognizing it?
Of course, we can depend on the NYT to either come up with all the situations
in which this fad "allowed" some kind of "evildoer"
to get away scot-free; OR make up stories that supposedly show that. I
wonder which it is, this time?
CA:
Council committee endorses tough rules for reporting lost guns
Daily News
"The City Council's Public Safety Committee gave its unanimous
endorsement Monday to a proposed law that would require gun owners whose
weapon is lost or stolen to report it to police within 48 hours. The proposed
law, which heads now to the City Council, is aimed at cracking down on
"straw buyers," who purchase weapons for criminals, juveniles
and others unable or unwilling to buy their own guns. " (08/08/06)
Gee, and
just what good will that do? If they are going to lie on a federal form,
why doesn't this "Public Safety Committee" (how French Revolutionary!)
think they just won't lie to the city cops, too?
Mama's
Note: Just how many guns have you ever "lost?" How do you "lose"
one? They can be stolen, of course, if you are careless, but you'd have
to be really stupid to simply lose one. This is just more victim disarming,
by another name.
TX:
Dallas may drop the hammer on toy guns
Dallas Morning News
"Dallas is a step closer to passing one of the nation's strictest
ordinances regulating the sale and possession of toy guns. The Dallas
City Council's public safety committee on Monday afternoon voted 7-1 to
direct City Attorney Tom Perkins to craft an ordinance that would ban
the sale and possession of toy guns unless painted in bright colors, such
as hot pink or neon green, that also reflected light. New York City's
anti-toy gun ordinance, regarded as one of the country's most stringent,
should serve as Dallas' model, the committee told Mr. Perkins." (08/07/06)
When you
stymie the hoploclasts in one way, they have to just keep on creating
"horrors" that require laws. Does anyone know what the psychological
disorder is called that makes people want to pass more and more laws?
(This applies to the last story, as well.) I'm sure it must be some sort
of compulsive behavior disorder.
STUPID
PEOPLE TRICKS: MD: Two arrested in
government laptop theft
Chicago Tribune
"Two teenagers were arrested Saturday in the theft of a laptop
and hard drive containing sensitive data on up to 26.5 million veterans
and military personnel, authorities said. ... Jesus Alex Pineda and Christian
Brian Montano, both 19 and of Rockville, Md., were arrested Saturday on
burglary and theft charges, according to police in Montgomery County,
Md." (08/06/06)
It probably
should scare us more to know it was a couple of teens that had this computer,
since younger people, even criminals, tend to have more high-tech IT skills
than their elders.
Mama's
Note: What is much more frightening is the stupidity and carelessness
of those "adults" who were presumably responsible for the security
of this stuff. They are the only ones I'm scared of.
STUPID
PEOPLE TRICKS: Army shoots down plan
for military theme park
USA Today
"The Army shot down a developer's proposal Tuesday to build a
military theme park on a Virginia Army base that would feature rides that
allow visitors to 'command the latest M-1 tank' and 'feel the rush of
a paratrooper freefall.' A Florida developer wanted to erect the theme
park at Fort Belvoir, a few miles from the nation's capital, in conjunction
with plans for a new National Museum of the United States Army scheduled
to be built at the base by 2011. 'That proposal ... was dead on arrival,
and will be dead on arrival if resubmitted,' said Keith Eastin, the Army's
assistant secretary for installations and environment." (08/08/06)
It was
a stupid proposal to begin with, but what can we expect in today's fad-
and profit-driven world. As a former denizen of Fort Belvoir, I'm just
as glad to see it has died.
Mama's
Note: Agreed, but I'm surprised the military didn't jump all over this
as a possible boost to their recruiting efforts. What a swell way to impress
kids and teens with all the neat hardware, etc. of military life. Maybe
they don't plan to bother recruiting much longer. I suspect a draft is
right around the corner.
STUPID
GOVERNMENT TRICK: Maine
attraction draws a favor from Congress
Christian Science Monitor
"'Qui perd sa langue,' goes a Franco-American saying, 'perd sa
foi.' Who loses his language, loses his faith. The Franco-American Heritage
Center here is determined not to lose either. The center is housed in
a defunct Roman Catholic church that was once the core of this French-speaking
mill town. But as its linguistic subculture dwindles, the community has
turned to the federal government for the kind of aid that's hard to translate
into the local tongue: Qu'est-ce que ça veut dire.
Put this
in the "PORK-PIE" collection and yet another example, together
with Lawrence Welk, Elvis Presley, Robert Byrd, and all the other earmarks
that corrupts not just government officials and employees, but entire
communities.
STUPID
GOVERNMENT TRICK: India:
State bans Pepsi, Coke
BBC News [UK]
"The Indian state of Kerala has banned the production and sale
of Coca Cola and Pepsi following a report that the drinks contain harmful
pesticides. It said it was taking the step because the drinks pose a health
risk. Both soft drinks manufacturers have said their products are safe.
Five other states have already announced partial bans on the drinks in
schools, colleges and hospitals. But Kerala is the first to completely
ban their production and sale." (08/09/06)
If this
reminds of the Alar scare, you're not alone - but this is even more stupid.
Like the many rumors that float around the world about the United States,
this has no basis in fact (except maybe for those silly grade school classroom
experiments where you grow maggots in meat by soaking the raw meat with
Coke or Pepsi). But considering how much Americans are willing to believe
evil about this country, we should not be surprised to find out that foreigners
are willing to believe even more - even while their friends and neighbors
smuggle themselves into the US or try to legally immigrate here. At least
this isn't the old standby that the sodas contain contraceptives (to commit
genocide) or are made from the ground-up bones of dead black babies. (Yeah,
I know that carbonated beverages with lots of sugar of whatever type is
bad for you - but that's NOT the same as claims of pesticides. And besides
the maggots didn't die!
STUPID
PEOPLE TRICK: Google
cuts deal to show MTV video
San Francisco Chronicle
"Google Inc. tiptoed into a huge new market Monday when it announced
a deal to distribute video clips from MTV Networks to Web sites intended
for teens and young adults. The deal calls for Google to splice ads into
these clips and share the revenue three ways, with most of the money going
to MTV's parent, Viacom Inc., and the rest being split between Google
and Web sites that publish the videos. Analysts say the Google-MTV deal
portends the beginnings of television busting out of the tube and finding
new distribution outlets via the Web." (08/08/06)
Oh, great.
Just what we needed; more MTV outlets. Excuse me, I've got to throw up.
STUPID
PEOPLE TRICK: AL:
Naked flag-waver protests Iraq War
Fox News
"A Hammondville man arrested for walking naked along a highway
while waving an American flag said he did so to protest the war in Iraq.
Gerald Lynn Kelley, 52, who was charged with public lewdness in the July
30 incident, said he and his friends were watching a news broadcast about
Iraq at his home and the conversation turned to the war, the Fort Payne
Times-Journal reported in a story for Tuesday. Kelley, who said he's a
Vietnam-era veteran, said that prompted a protest where he only wore a
cowboy hat, boots and waved the American flag, the newspaper reported."
(08/08/06)
Gee, what
a thrill. Instead of really doing something serious, he gets his jollies
doing something stupid like this.
Mama's
Note: I don't know what it is about nudity that appeals to people like
this, but it never seems to go out of fashion. Stupid indeed.
THEFT BY
GOVERNMENT: TN: Retailers reap profit
in tax-free weekend
Tennessean
"Crowds of shoppers during the state's initial tax-free holiday
weekend stuffed cash registers full, even more so than retailers had expected.
Computer sales generated long lines at area electronics stores Friday
through Sunday, while children's and teenagers' clothing flew off the
shelves at department stores and specialty retailers. Using words such
as 'fabulous' and 'phenomenal,' retailers said they raked in sales, giving
shoppers full advantage of the tax breaks, which amounted to 9.25 percent
off in Davidson County and as much as 9.75 percent off in other parts
of the state, depending on each area's local sales tax rate."
(08/08/06)
Now, imagine
if the tax-free holiday also included a rebate for property taxes, fuel
taxes, employee and employer FICA "contributions," and sales
taxes on items expended by the businesses. I suspect that the stores could
still make a profit at 50% off normal prices.
Mama's
Note: The problem is that this "tax savings" is all an illusion.
The state government will most likely rebate the "lost" revenue
to the cities and counties, and will find clever ways to get it back from
the people in the long run. This is a "dog and pony show" for
the gullible. The only real solution is to eliminate the black hole called
government.
STUPID
PEOPLE TRICK: Cycling head declares
"war" on doping
Toronto Star [Canada]
"World cycling's governing body has declared 'unconditional war'
on doping following Floyd Landis' positive tests during the Tour de France.
The entire sport might need to be overhauled to overcome the doping scandals
that have plagued cycling, UCI chief Pat McQuaid said in an interview
Wednesday with the Swiss weekly L'Illustre. ... Landis was fired by his
team Saturday after a backup doping sample confirmed the American's positive
test for illegal levels of testosterone." (08/09/06)
Does anyone
else have the same problem with this entire "scandal" that I
do - that it is a lot of noise and fireworks about an activity that is
so far down on the list of important things to worry about on this war-torn
planet of ours that it falls behind a teen's concern about acne ruining
their love life? It is not just the stupidity of the War on Some Drugs
that makes the entire silly testosterone/steroid vendetta sound bizarre,
it is also the idea that riding a bicycle in France, no matter how fast
or how far, should matter to anyone that isn't trying to pass you on those
narrow little winding roads.
WORLD WARS:
Analysis: 6 of 7 North Korean tests
successful
USA Today
"An analysis by Japan and the United States has concluded that
six of the seven missiles tested by North Korea last month fell within
their targets, a major Japanese newspaper reported Sunday. Only a newly
developed long-range missile, Taepodong-2, is believed to have failed,
the Yomiuri newspaper said, citing unidentified Japanese officials. Based
on initial data from U.S. military early warning satellites, Japan's Defense
Agency had doubted the targeting accuracy of the missiles, but later discovered
that the six medium-range missiles actually fell inside the sea zone North
Korea had marked beforehand, the newspaper said." (08/06/06)
Truth,
or just tactics to get more funding for their agency? I'll assume fact
for now - the North Koreans are weird and doubly dangerous because of
that. If we ignore them because they are certifiable, it would be like
refusing to see William Bonney ("Billy the Kid" ) as dangerous
just because he was insane.
WORLD WARS:
Hundreds
Die in Sri Lanka, as UN Focuses on Lebanon
CNSNews.com
While the world's attention in riveted on the Middle East, a raging
conflict in Sri Lanka is drawing relatively little attention from the
United Nations, despite the fact that almost 600 lives have been lost
over the same period as the Israeli-Hizballah fighting...
Obviously,
either side in this war is as "evil" and "threatening"
as (depending on which side you are on) Hezbollah or Israel. But the hypocrisy
of the Western media is clear, isn't it?
WORLD WARS:
Nepal:
Peace talks resume
International Herald Tribune [France]
"The government and the Communist rebels agreed Wednesday to restrict
their fighters, lock up their weapons and resume a peace process that
has been on the verge of collapse, officials on both sides said. The Maoist
rebels agreed to confine their fighters and weapons to their quarters,
while government troops would be restricted to barracks, settling a major
dispute between the two sides. The agreement was reached at a meeting
between Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and the rebel leader Prachanda
and his deputy, Baburam Bhattarai." (08/09/06)
The Indian
Subcontinent has been having its troubles doubled and redoubled for the
last year - and this is another example of something that is already boiling,
and could flare up more violently at any time.
Mama's
Note: I often wonder just what in the world all these people are fighting
about. All too often, that is not made clear -- if indeed any of them
really know. Mostly, I suspect, it's simply criminals fighting over who
will rape and pillage the poor citizens they've already managed to disarm.
Let that be a lesson to us!
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.
Be sure
to visit my blog, Liberty's
Outpost.
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