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August
28, 2006
Libertarian
Commentary on the News, 20-27 August 2006
A long, hard week, with more to follow. Europe's woes continue, we
continue to have problems in the Middle East, on the Home Front, and around
the world, and the election is drawing closer - it is time to take a break,
but if we couldn't blow off steam, where would we be?
Remember:
use your liberty, or lose it!
The Coming
Fall of Europe: Dollar falls to two-month
low v. euro
Reuters
"The dollar weakened across the board on Monday, hitting a two-month
low against the euro, as investors shunned the currency amid mounting
evidence that the U.S. economy is slowing. The dollar's broad decline
comes after data on Friday showed a fall in U.S. consumer sentiment, boosting
the view the Federal Reserve might leave interest rates unchanged again
next month. One of the main beneficiaries of the dollar selling was the
euro, which also traded at a fresh record high against the yen on expectations
of a widening interest rate gap between the euro zone and Japan."
(08/21/06)
Looking
at the economic news, this is no surprise. Fuel costs are starting to
hit big time, and the US has the worst.
Mama's
Note: And then, I saw news today that said gas prices were down and supplies
were good. I don't think they can make up their mind for more than a few
minutes at a time. Gas price here in my little Wyoming town is still $3.05/gallon,
which is where it's been for quite a while. Oh well...
The Coming
Fall of Europe: UK:
Employers warn over falling literacy
Guardian [UK]
"GCSE exams in English and maths are to be made harder as part
of a major government crackdown on schools that are failing to teach basic
educational skills. ... Knight said the main change to exams would be
to build in 'the functional' skills in English and maths that employers
required. There would be more rigorous testing of grammar, for instance
in the context of writing a clear, coherently presented letter, and of
mathematical concepts like percentages in the context of real-life problems.
While the present system allows pupils to get a pass in English or maths
without mastering such skills as long as an overall points total is reached,
that will no longer be the case." (08/20/06)
Another
piece of news (the third or fourth in three weeks) about how the Brit
schools are failing more and more. Notice, this isn't high-level math
and writing, but the basic everyday stuff that a good 6th grader ought
to be able to do.
The Coming
Fall of Europe: UK:
Anger as "mob" forces Muslim men off aircraft
Independent [UK]
"Muslim leaders yesterday spoke of their dismay after a passenger
mutiny in which several British families refused to travel on a plane
with two Asian men. The men were forced to leave the flight after fellow
passengers wrongly suspected them of being terrorists. Several people
on board flight ZB 613 from Malaga to Manchester demanded their removal.
Cabin crew informed Spanish authorities and the men were ordered off the
Monarch Airlines flight and questioned by police for several hours. They
were eventually cleared and put on an alternative flight." (08/20/06)
The fear
is starting to result in more violence - can the first lynchings be far
behind?
The Coming
Fall of Europe: UK: Support for Labour
at 19-year low
Bloomberg
"U.K. voter support for Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour Party
fell to its lowest in 19 years, increasing the risk that no party will
win a majority in Parliament in the next election due by mid-2010, a poll
showed. Labour had the support of 31 percent of voters, down 4 points
from a month ago, according to a survey by ICM Ltd. for the Guardian newspaper.
The opposition Conservative Party gained 1 point to 40 percent while the
Liberal Democrats had 22 percent. ... The Liberal Democrats, who opposed
the war in Iraq and have criticized Blair's relationship with U.S. President
George W. Bush, have gained 5 points in the ICM poll since last month."
(08/22/06)
Blair is
definitely in trouble - if you believe the polls. It would do Labour a
world of good to be in the minor (third place) for a while, and Blair
may have to call elections sooner than later to avoid that ignominious
fate.
The Coming
Fall of Europe: 11 charged in British
airline bomb plot
Norwich Bulletin
"Police found martyrdom videos and bomb-making components during
the investigation of the alleged plot to blow up U.S.-bound jetliners,
prosecutors said Monday in announcing 11 people had been charged with
terrorism offenses. Officials confirmed for the first time that the plot
involved the manufacture of explosives, which were to be used to assemble
and detonate bombs inside as many as 10 airliners." (08/21/06)
Finally,
they charge some of these people. Even though there are still nine held
without charges, this is more tolerable than what the Blair government
had been doing.
Mama's
Note: Interesting to contemplate just what makes a "martyrdom video"
or "bomb-making" stuff. I wonder how long it will be before
Americans are arrested as "terrorists" for keeping videos like
"The Patriot," or "Unintended Consequences," and a
bag of fertilizer in the wood shed... When the government calls all the
shots, and can accuse anyone of anything without warrants, proof, or anything
else... nobody is safe. Even the slaves who lick the official boots can
be cast aside and destroyed at a whim. Slavery is NOT safety.
The Coming
Fall of Europe: UK:
Police hit out at FBI over leaks
Guardian [UK]
"Anti-terror police in Britain have made an angry request to their
US counterparts asking them to stop leaking details of this month's suspected
bomb plot over fears that it could jeopardize the chances of a successful
prosecution and hamper the gathering of evidence. The British security
services, MI5 and MI6, are understood to be dismayed that a number of
sensitive details surrounding the alleged plot -- including an FBI estimate
that as many as 50 people were involved -- were leaked to the media. ...
There are now fears among some Scotland Yard officers that they may have
acted too hastily when deciding to arrest the 24 suspects earlier this
month. Although martyrdom videos and the components of a bomb have been
recovered in the investigation, linking such evidence to all those arrested
could still prove difficult." (08/21/06)
British
security and intelligence has always seemed to be superior to the US versions,
going back to at least the beginning of the 20th Century. As usual, US
officials can't seem to understand how to shut up.
The Coming
Fall of Europe:
Lies, damned lies and immigration
Independent [UK]
"The debate over east European immigration is degenerating into
'hysteria,' leading think-tanks have warned. As Downing Street indicated
that Tony Blair has yet to decide on whether to allow Romanians and Bulgarians
free entry into the UK when their countries join the European Union next
year, experts warned yesterday that opponents were basing their arguments
on ignorance and prejudice. It follows weeks of furious newspaper headlines
and political sabre rattling denouncing the threat posed by new arrivals
from the former communist bloc. Stories have claimed they will overstretch
Britain's schools and hospitals, drive down wages on building sites, as
well as threatening a violent crime wave and even a new HIV epidemic."
(08/21/06)
The hysteria
should certainly be expected, considering what a hash the authorities
have made of things in the last month. And all of these things have been
pointed out for years as potential problems.
The Coming
Fall of Europe: UK:
Permanent ban on a state of matter
Independent [UK]
"The 200 million passengers who pass through British airports
each year will face high levels of security 'permanently,' senior government
officials say. Passengers will be banned from taking liquids bought outside
the security screening zone on an 'enduring basis,' security experts at
the Department for Transport (DfT) said. The officials indicated that
any relaxation of the rules would depend on the development of technology
able to detect all potentially explosive liquids, the perceived level
of threat and the experience gained from operating the procedures."
(08/25/06)
Gently,
slowly, carefully, the temperature is turned up on the stove, and the
water in the pot gets hotter and hotter.
The Coming
Fall of Europe: UK:
"Free fall" fears as pupils abandon languages
Guardian [UK]
"Teachers unions and business leaders yesterday expressed fears
about the 'free fall' in the number of pupils taking modern languages
at GCSE, claiming the situation was 'beyond the point of no return.' A
further sharp decline in entries for French and German prompted calls
for a review of government policy, which controversially made modern languages
optional in 2004. The number of students taking German this year fell
14.2% to 90,310 from last year, dropping below 100,000 for the first time
in many years. Entries in French fell by 13.2% to 236,189 -- a drop of
more than 80,000 since 2004, when the policy came into force. The figures
confirm warnings that entries in languages -- perceived as more difficult
than 'soft' subjects such as media studies -- would plummet once they
became optional." (08/25/06)
The fourth
article in the last few weeks showing how rapidly things are failing.
Mama's
Note: This language thing is only a symptom of the real problem. Government
school is incapable of teaching the real basics of integrity and independent
thought, so students are less and less able to cope with life at all if
their parents are not able to instill these things either. The only surprise
is how long it's taken for things to unravel.
HOME FRONT:
Once-public
weapons data now secret
Houston Chronicle
"The Bush administration has begun designating as secret information
the government long provided even to its enemy, the former Soviet Union:
the numbers of weapons in the U.S. nuclear arsenal during the Cold War.
The Pentagon and the Department of Energy have treated as national security
secrets the historical totals of Minuteman, Titan II and other missiles,
blacking out the information on previously public documents, according
to a new report by the National Security Archive." (08/21/06)
Of course,
this information already has been so widely disseminated (shucks - it
is the subject of papers at historical conferences) that this kind of
stupid trick is unlikely to get anywhere. As long as people are aware
of what is going on.
HOME FRONT:
Military
recruiters cited for misconduct
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"More than 100 young women who expressed interest in joining the
military in the past year were preyed upon sexually by their recruiters.
Women were raped on recruiting office couches, assaulted in government
cars and groped en route to entrance exams. A six-month Associated Press
investigation found that more than 80 military recruiters were disciplined
last year for sexual misconduct with potential enlistees. The cases occurred
across all branches of the military and in all regions of the country."
(08/21/06)
Bad news
indeed - and a mess that has to be cleaned up by the Services themselves.
HOME FRONT:
Disaster chief: Government, citizens
unprepared
USA Today
"It's a dangerous world. And even five years after 9/11, the nation
remains far from ready to respond in an effective way to a major disaster
such as a terror attack or a flu pandemic, says Irwin Redlener, director
of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University's
Mailman School of Public Health. In his new book, Americans at Risk (Knopf,
$24), Redlener urges the federal government to develop a cohesive, coordinated
approach to disaster planning -- and Americans to emerge from a state
of national denial." (08/22/06)
Here we
go again.
Mama's
Note: Forget government disaster preparedness. The government is most
apt to BE the disaster when the economy finally tanks. Just think what
will happen when the nice government checks stop coming, especially in
the big cities. Almost none of those people have so much as a can of soup
as a backup - especially at the end of the month - and they'll be looking
for people who DO have supplies, just as soon as the stores are all looted
bare. So, you not only have to prepare to survive with supplies, you have
to be able to defend them. Are you ready? Isn't it about time to move
out of the city? What are you waiting for?
HOME FRONT:
Uncle Sam wants details about
foreign travelers
MSNBC
"The Homeland Security Department wants to dig even further into
the backgrounds of the 20 million overseas travelers who fly here every
year -- not by asking for more information about them, but by doing more
with the data the U.S. already gets. 'This is an invaluable research tool
for us, to be able to see if there's links from individuals of concern
that we can find through these database systems,' says Jayson Ahern with
Customs and Border Protection." (08/22/06)
Can anyone
explain just what good this would do - since it appears that no action
seems to be taken to actually deport anyone who is "illegally"
traveling.
Mama's
Note: Information - and control- are the lifeblood of tyranny. They can't
get enough of either one, ever.
HOME FRONT:
Judge tosses charge in Padilla case
Zionsville Times Sentinel
"A federal judge on Monday threw out one count in the terror indictment
against alleged al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla and his codefendants,
concluding that it repeated other charges in the same indictment. The
ruling by U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke leaves intact two other terror-related
counts against Padilla and the others alleging a conspiracy to provide
material support to Islamic extremist causes worldwide." (08/21/06)
Just one
charge, of course - but still an indication that maybe this isn't going
to be a kangaroo court.
HOME FRONT:
Military calling out-of-uniform troops
Yahoo! News
"Spc. Chris Carlson had been out of the U.S. Army for two years
and was working at Costco in California when he received notice that he
was being called back into service. The 24-year-old is one of thousands
of soldiers and Marines who have been deployed to Iraq under a policy
that allows military leaders to recall troops who have left the service
but still have time left on their contract. ... Although troops are allowed
to leave active duty after a few years of service, they generally still
have time left on their contract with the military that is known as 'inactive
ready reserve' status, or IRR. During that time, they have to let their
service know their current address, but they don't train, draw a paycheck
or associate in any other way with the military. But with active duty
units already completing multiple tours in Iraq, the Pentagon has employed
the rarely used tactic of calling people back from IRR status, a policy
sometimes referred to as a 'backdoor draft.'" [editor's note:
It's the "Individual Ready Reserve," not the "Inactive
Ready Reserve." And it's not a "draft" backdoor or otherwise.
It's right there in the enlistment contract - TLK] (08/19/06)
Tom is
correct in both comments - we all know what we signed - and were given
copies to read and study before we ever signed. It is no more a "backdoor
draft" than it would be to refuse to let someone quit early or get
out of a lease-contract on a cellphone.
HOME FRONT:
LA: Explosions rock bomb recycling
plant
Shreveport Times
"Pamela Carden was thrown out of her bed early Thursday, surrounded
by shaking walls and box fans hitting the floor. Thunderous rumbles jarred
her from sleep about 8:30 a.m. when the first of dozens of blasts at a
business that recycles explosives in Camp Minden industrial park -- the
former Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant -- resulted in the evacuation of
hundreds of residents of the village of Doyline and unincorporated parts
of south Webster. ... Authorities reported only minor injuries. Numerous
roads, including Interstate 20, U.S. Highway 80 and state Highway 164,
were closed. And there were reports of shattered windows and trembles
felt miles away." (08/25/06)
Industrial
accident or sabotage? Further reports point to an accident.
Mama's
Note: "Bomb recycling?" How do they do that? Once a bomb goes
"boom," it would seem to me it was gone for good. How in the
world do you recycle them? Mama wants to know!
HOME FRONT:
Checked luggage strains security
USA Today
"Air travelers are checking an unprecedented amount of luggage
after the recent disclosure of an alleged terrorist plot, an onslaught
that threatens to overwhelm bomb detectors and create security gaps, the
nation's aviation-security chief said Wednesday. In an interview with
USA TODAY, Transportation Security Administration head Kip Hawley said
there has been a 20% surge in checked luggage at U.S. airports since liquids
were banned from carryon bags Aug. 10. Domestic passengers usually check
almost 1 billion bags each year, according to the Air Transport Association,
an airline trade group. The increase means that the nation's security
screeners are handling more than half a million additional checked bags
each day." (06/24/06)
The inevitable
result of looking at objects and not at people, and of panicked responses
to events that have little to do with actual threats. If government does
so poorly with its primary responsibility of protecting us from attack
- what does this say about the rest of its work?
Mama's
Note: Just how is government "responsible" for protecting us
from attack? We are ultimately each responsible for ourselves and our
families. Expecting government to take care of it is where we went wrong.
HOME FRONT:
Judge orders probe of leak in spy case
Jackson Clarion-Ledger
"A federal judge has ordered the Justice Department to investigate
how media organizations learned about a criminal probe involving the activities
of two pro-Israel lobbyists, who now face trial on charges that they illegally
disclosed national defense information. U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis
III ordered the investigation following complaints by defense lawyers
that the government failed to follow proper procedures in obtaining and
executing a secret warrant for surveillance of lobbyists Steven Rosen
and Keith Weissman." (08/23/06)
Not just
the Brits complain about our lack of security and the way government employees
blab.
HOME FRONT:
Reports document failures post-Katrina
Kokomo Tribune
"No less than a half-dozen reports on the Hurricane Katrina recovery
effort are being released to coincide with the one-year anniversary of
the storm -- and nearly all criticize the sluggish pace of the response.
The reports document a host of problems, from the still-unfinished levees
to the plight of small businesses and the city's continuing racial divide.
'It's a pretty bleak picture,' said Minor Sinclair, who heads the U.S.
regional office of Oxfam America, a charitable organization." (08/22/06)
With Ernesto
causing consternation, it is a good time to beat the drums on this - even
if it is a few months too late to help do anything. We all love anniversaries
- especially the media and politicians, but in this case, it doesn't really
mean a thing except that once again, we can remember how incompetent government
is.
Mama's
Note: And, once again, we need to remind everyone that we are all responsible
for ourselves - not government. We need to prepare to take charge of our
lives because it is the right thing to do, not just because government
is incompetent.
HOME FRONT:
Katrina cost continues to swell
USA Today
"The fiscal impact of Hurricane Katrina, the most costly natural
disaster in U.S. history, shows no sign of ending. Congress has already
approved $122 billion in spending, and is now paving the way for Gulf
Coast states to get billions more. As much as $20 billion for coastal
restoration could come from offshore-drilling royalties in the next few
decades. Louisiana has been seeking $14 billion for that purpose."
(08/21/06)
If Katrina
was nothing else, it was an excuse for porkbarreling on an unimaginable
scale.
Our Imperial
Courts: PA Court: Nader must
pay ballot blockers
MSNBC
"Former presidential candidate Ralph Nader and his running mate
must pay more than $80,000 in expenses for the lawsuit that challenged
their nominating papers and kept them off the 2004 ballot, the Pennsylvania
Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. There was an implication of 'fraud and
deception' in their petition drive, the court said in its ruling. A group
of Pennsylvania voters sued to block Nader and Peter Camejo, who were
running as independent candidates, from being placed on the ballot. As
a result of the lawsuit, the state Commonwealth Court found wide-ranging
improprieties among Nader and Camejo's petition signatures and disqualified
nearly two-thirds of the 51,000 signatures they submitted." [Editor's
note: So now they can not only keep alternative choices off the ballot,
but actually shift the costs of doing so to the victims. Wow -- what a
great scam! If "fraud and deception" in politics is actionable,
then the Republicans and Democrats should be broke by now, shouldn't they?
- TLK]
This is
a nasty bit of business that we can expect to see hinder efforts to promote
free elections for years to come.
Mideast
Tarbabies: Army reviewing casualty
reports
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
"The Army is reviewing casualty reports on American soldiers killed
in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere since 2001, a response to complaints
that it has not always given families accurate information. The review
covers hundreds of casualties in Operation Enduring Freedom, the campaign
in Afghanistan, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, two senior military officials
said. It also includes American soldiers killed in neighboring countries
in support of the two operations." (08/24/06)
This kind
of review shows that the Army does, if reluctantly and slowly, listen
to complaints from families and other service members - such reviews are
necessary and there will always be claims that too much is being hidden,
but so far, in this, the Army seems to be doing the right thing by its
dead.
Mideast
Tarbabies - Badbaby Iran: Iran tests
short-range missile
CNN
"Iran test-fired a surface-to-surface short-range missile, while
a military training plane crashed outside the capital Tehran after catching
fire, state-run television reported Sunday. The missile testing came a
day after Iran launched a series of large-scale military maneuvers geared
at introducing the country's new defensive doctrine." (08/20/06)
These exercises,
including the missile tests, seem to be timed perfectly to stick Iran's
defiance right in the face of the Western powers.
Mideast
Tarbabies - Badbaby Iran: Iran wants
to talk but keep nuke program
Ottawa Daily Times
"Iran said Tuesday it was ready for 'serious negotiations' on
its nuclear program, offering a new formula to resolve a crisis with the
West. A semiofficial news agency said the government was unwilling to
abandon uranium enrichment -- the key U.S. demand. Iran delivered its
written response to a package of incentives offered by the United States
and five other world powers to persuade Iran to roll back on its nuclear
program -- and punishments if it does not." (08/22/06)
At the
same time, Iran demonstrated that it is willing to use and take military
action - not just the exercises (above) but the brief "police"
occupation of a Romanian oil rig indicates that.
Mama's
Note: How strange... Israel has a "right" to self defense, even
to bombing civilians into the stone age, but Iran has no such right? I
suspect the west isn't going to be able to sell that one anytime soon.
Mideast
Tarbabies - Iraqi
Occupation: Benchmarks: Insurgents Keep Up Pressure
Space War Daily
U.S. casualty figures in Iraq so far this month offer a mixed picture:
The rate of fatalities rose but that of injuries sustained significantly
fell. The total number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq through Thursday,
Aug. 17, since the start of operations to topple Saddam Hussein on March
19, 2003, was 2,606, according to official figures issued by the U.S.
Department of Defense.
Things
HAVE slowed down for the US and other Coalition troops, even as casualties
continue to climb for Iraqi police and soldiers and for civilians.
Mideast
Tarbabies - Iraqi
Occupation: Iraq: Saddam won't enter plea
ABC News
"Saddam Hussein opened his second trial with a show of defiance
Monday, refusing to enter a plea on charges of genocide and war crimes
connected to his scorched-earth offensive against Kurds nearly two decades
ago. The trial opens a new legal chapter for the ousted Iraqi leader,
who once again faces a possible death penalty for the killings of tens
of thousands of Kurds during the Iraqi army's 'Operation Anfal' Arabic
for 'spoils of war.' The 1987-88 crackdown was aimed at crushing independence-minded
Kurdish militias and clearing all Kurds from the northern region along
the border with Iran. Saddam accused the Kurds of helping Iran in its
war with Iraq. Survivors say many villages were razed and countless young
men disappeared." (08/21/06)
He has
a clear grasp of the tactics that will work best, and isn't changing from
them, apparently.
Mideast
Tarbabies - Iraqi
Occupation: On Iraq, US public trusts neither party
Christian Science Monitor
"Pessimistic about prospects for peace, yet wary about walking
away from a war that has already cost many lives, the US public seems
conflicted and worried about the future of American involvement in Iraq.
Whether the war is 'straining the psyche of the country,' as President
Bush said on Monday, is open to debate. But if nothing else, voters overall
seem to reject the certainties offered by both political parties about
the proper course of action. They see Iraq as something steeped in shades
of gray. 'People don't think Bush has a clear plan for what to do about
Iraq. They don't think the Democrats do either,' writes American Enterprise
Institute polling expert Karlyn Bowman in a recent study of public opinion
and the war." (08/22/06)
If nothing
else, this clearly separates today's situation from the Vietnam era, where
everyone was fanatically sure that their position was right. Of course,
the nation is much different today - but the peace movement has so far
failed to motivate and mobilize any significant action to force an end
to the occupations, despite the Democratic Party's apparent willingness
to try and play political games with it.
Mama's
Note: Far too many people, including many "libertarians," are
still convinced that all of our problems will be solved if we just elect
the "right people." They simply refuse to look at the fact that
those "right people," even if they exist, can and do rapidly
change into politicians like all the rest.
Mideast
Tarbabies - Iraqi Occupation: Iraqis
launch Mahmoudiya killings probe
CNN
"Iraqi authorities have begun an independent investigation into
allegations that U.S. soldiers raped and killed a 14-year-old girl, and
killed her sister and parents, near Mahmoudiya in March, the city's mayor
said. The announcement comes as Iraqis are demanding that the soldiers
-- already facing military and civilian proceedings -- be tried in Iraqi
courts, a tricky demand considering the U.S. and Iraq have an agreement
under which U.S. Soldiers are exempt from Iraqi courts." (08/22/06)
I know
I shouldn't expect consistency, but it still really bothers me that the
same people that say a military tribunal is wrong for the prisoners at
Gitmo and demand that the foreigners have full constitutional rights are
all too often, on the blogs and interviews, the same ones who are saying
that American soldiers DON'T deserve the same rights and trials - but
instead have to take Shar'ia "justice."
Mideast
Tarbabies - Iraqi Occupation: Poll:
Iraq war opposition at all-time high
CNN
"Opposition among Americans to the war in Iraq has reached a new
high, with only about a third of respondents saying they favor it, according
to a poll released Monday. Just 35 percent of 1,033 adults polled say
they favor the war in Iraq; 61 percent say they oppose it -- the highest
opposition noted in any CNN poll since the conflict began more than three
years ago. Despite the rising opposition to the war, President Bush said
the U.S. will not withdraw from Iraq while he is president."
(08/21/06)
First,
of course, it is not a war but rather an occupation. Second, as always,
these polls are designed to produce the desired result, and so the very
questions are biased. A person can be very much against the Iraqi occupation
and still not demand immediate withdrawal, and no one that I've talked
to thinks that having Americans killed over there is a good thing.
Mideast
Tarbabies - Iraqi
Occupation: Iraq: GOP faces new Shays' Rebellion
Washington Times
"U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., who had supported U.S.
George President Bush on the Iraq war, reportedly wants a time frame for
a U.S. troop withdrawal. Facing a tough reelection campaign in Connecticut,
Shays, who just completed his 14th trip to Iraq, says the withdrawal could
take place next year .... Diane Farrell, Shays' Democratic challenger,
told the Post, 'I think it is unfortunate it took him 14 trips and three
years to recognize that Iraq has been in a constant state of turmoil since
the day that Baghdad fell.'" (08/25/06)
Shays,
like most politicians, will say whatever it takes to get reelected - this
is hardly a shattering defection, despite the glorious headline.
Mideast
Tarbabies - Canaan: Lebanon warns against
inciting Israel
Culpeper Star-Exponent
"Lebanon's defense minister said Sunday he is certain Hezbollah
will not break the cease-fire but warned all militant groups of harsh
measures and a traitor's fate if they incite Israeli retaliation by firing
rockets into the Jewish state. Defense Minister Elias Murr's strong remarks
indicated concern that Syrian-backed Palestinian militants might try to
restart the fighting by drawing retaliation from Israel." (08/20/06)
Too bad
that this is just words - the people of Lebanon have sold their future
to all these gangs of terrorists.
Mideast
Tarbabies - Canaan: Israel
objects to some peacekeepers in Lebanon
MSNBC
"Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday that countries
that don't have diplomatic relations with the Jewish state should not
participate in an international peacekeeping force and suggested Italy
take the lead in policing a truce along the Lebanese border, his office
said. The announcement complicated efforts by the United Nations to form
a 15,000-strong peacekeeping force, which along with an equally large
Lebanese army contingent will help enforce the truce that ended 34 days
of fighting between Israel and the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah."
(08/20/06)
It seems
to be a reasonable request - it would hardly be a neutral force if it
is made up of troops that deny the right of Israel to exist. Of course,
so far, a peacekeeping force is pretty much words.
Mideast
Tarbabies - Canaan:
Amnesty report accuses Israel of war crimes
Guardian [UK]
"Israel deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure and committed
war crimes during the month-long conflict in Lebanon, according to an
Amnesty International report. The report said strikes on civilian buildings
and structures went beyond 'collateral damage' and amounted to indiscriminate
and disproportionate attacks under the Geneva conventions on the laws
of war." (08/23/06)
That is
their position, and hardly a surprising one, given AI's close ties with
the Arab world - but I suspect that a war tribunal will not be convened
anytime soon.
Mideast
Tarbabies - Canaan: Israel: No plans
to end Lebanon blockade
Kansas City Star
"Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday that Israel has no plans
to lift its air and sea blockade of Lebanon until an international peacekeeping
force takes up positions along the Syrian border and at Beirut's airport.
Israeli officials said Olmert wasn't issuing an ultimatum. But the tough
stance appeared to be an attempt to put pressure on the international
community to send a powerful force willing to disarm Hezbollah, which
fired thousands of rockets into northern Israel during 34 days of fighting."
(08/22/06)
Olmert
is already seen as a loser, and doing anything about the blockade without
actually having UN troops on the ground would probably be an excuse for
either a coup or a vote-of-no-confidence that might as well be a coup.
Israel is dangerously unstable right now.
Mideast
Tarbabies - Canaan: France to send
2,000 troops to Mideast
Chico Enterprise Record
"President Jacques Chirac announced Thursday that France will
send 2,000 soldiers to southern Lebanon and hopes to retain command of
the U.N. peacekeeping force, as a top European Union official said international
troops could start deploying within days. The offer by France, Lebanon's
former colonial ruler and key architect of a U.N. Security Council resolution
to increase the force's size, was a major step toward expanding it more
than a week after a cease-fire took hold." (08/24/06)
This MIGHT
make the force into something worth shooting at, but after a week of trying
to get European countries to contribute, the UN is looking typically shabby
and incompetent. And if they keep on delaying, it may be a moot point
as the war resumes - either by Syria entering it or by a new Israeli government
deciding that the only way to avoid wasting the blood already shed is
to spill (or give) more. Syria has already made it clear that it won't
pay any attention to a real force, and Iran is certainly pleased with
matters.
NORTH AMERICAN
UNION: NJ: Demonstrators oppose, support
Know-Nothingism
Tyler Morning Telegraph
"Hundreds of protesters and counter-protesters assembled in [Riverside,
NJ] Sunday in response to the community's new attempt to crack down on
illegal immigration. About 200 protesters argued against a township ordinance
adopted last month that bans the hiring and housing of people who cannot
verify they are legal residents. A larger group massed across the street
to support the new law." (08/20/06)
As in Mexico
(see below), we are seeing a continuous, if slow, buildup of what will
turn into very violent passions unless the situation is resolved - and
immigration solutions are not popping up anyplace.
NORTH AMERICAN
UNION: Radio
stations seized in Mexico
BBC News [UK]
"Teachers striking in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca have
seized at least eight private radio stations. They acted after unidentified
gunmen opened fire on a government radio station already under their control,
injuring one of their colleagues. The strikers used the stations to tell
parents to ignore Monday's start of the school year and keep children
at home. Teachers have been striking since May to demand higher wages
and Governor Ulises Ruiz's resignation." (08/21/06)
The slow
heating up of the coming revolution in Mexico continues.
2006 Political
Campaign: TX:
Libertarian gets boost from DeLay absence
San Jose Mercury News
"By dropping off the ballot, Republican Tom Delay may have given
a boost to a Libertarian candidate in the race for the former majority
leader's House seat. Bob Smither said voters in the Houston-area district
have been pledging support in phone calls. He also said he has seen a
spike in contributions as the GOP wrangled over who to back as a write-in
candidate. Smither now thinks there's possibility in a once-near impossible
situation. ... Despite the burst of energy for his campaign, Smither recognizes
he still faces long odds. Republican precinct chairmen voted to back the
write-in candidacy of Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, a Houston city councilwoman.
David Wallace, mayor of DeLay's former hometown of Sugar Land, also is
running as a write-in, but won't have official party backing. The Democratic
nominee is Nick Lampson, a former congressman who has raised at least
$2 million." (08/19/06)
Enough
to win? Don't hold your breath - but it is clear that double digits is
a strong possibility.
2006 Political
Campaign: TX:
Sugar Land mayor drops campaign
Houston Chronicle
"Citing his desire to support the Republican Party in its difficult
write-in campaign to hold the congressional seat vacated by Tom Delay,
Sugar Land Mayor David Wallace withdrew from the race Monday. The move
leaves Houston Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs as the sole Republican
write-in candidate -- a condition, Wallace said, for $3 million in campaign
funding from the national GOP. ... The only candidates on the ballot in
November will be Democrat Nick Lampson and Libertarian Bob Smither. Smither
has encouraged Republicans to vote for him to keep the Republican-leaning
district in conservative hands." (08/22/06)
As soon
as it looked like the GOP vote might be split enough to let the Libertarian
come in second to the Democrat, the GOP apparently has gotten its ducks
in a row, and my previous hopes are now greatly dimmed.
2006 Political
Campaign: Dems alter '08 voting order
for "diversity"
CNN
"Nevada and South Carolina will join Iowa and New Hampshire as
the kickoff states for the 2008 Democratic presidential nominating contest,
under a plan approved Saturday by the Democratic National Committee. The
new calendar means Democrats will hold four nominating contests in January
2008, forcing the party's presidential hopefuls to expand their campaign
efforts beyond the traditional proving grounds of Iowa and New Hampshire."
(08/20/06)
They really
believe the stuff they spout, unfortunately, and will make more of a mess
in the 2008 election year than in the past. At the rate we are going,
the old parties will be nominating their next presidential candidates
before the current president is sworn in.
2006 Political
Campaign: MO:
Progressive Party makes ballot cut
Belleville News-Democrat
"Missouri voters will have a fourth choice this November when
casting their ballots for U.S. Senate and several other top offices. The
Progressive Party said Tuesday that it had received approval from the
secretary of state's office to field candidates in six races. To make
the ballot, party supporters had to turn in more than 10,000 valid petition
signatures. The Progressive Party said it is affiliated with the Green
Party of the United States." (08/23/06)
"Progressive"
is, of course, the preferred term for "liberal" by most liberals
- and has a historical use as a party in the upper Midwest that is indeed
liberal even by 2006 standards. I've seen it used as the "authoritarian"
example on the World's Smallest Political Quiz (Demos as "liberal",
GOP as "conservative" and of course LP as libertarian).
2006 Political
Campaign:
AK: Murkowski ousted in primary
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"Republican Gov. Frank Murkowski, whose missteps over the past four
years have turned him into one of the most unpopular governors in state
history, soundly lost his bid for reelection, finishing last in a three-way
race for the Republican nomination. With 70 percent of precincts reporting,
Sarah Palin, a former Wasilla mayor, won the GOP nod with 51 percent of
the vote. Former state legislator John Binkley came in second with 30
percent. Murkowski polled just 19 percent. Murkowski shook Palin's hand
in the middle of a crowd of her supporters. ... Palin will next face Tony
Knowles, a former two-term governor, who handily won the Democratic primary
with 73 percent of the vote, beating state Rep. Eric Croft."
So sometimes people DO get upset about blatant political corruption and
nepotism. And don't believe the media "missteps" - that implies
that his actions were accidental, and they were clearly not - any more
than the "missteps" of chief executives of a dozen other states
were.
2006 Political
Campaign: McCain faults administration
on Iraq
Muncie Star Press
"Republican Sen. John McCain, a staunch defender of the Iraq war,
on Tuesday faulted the Bush administration for misleading Americans into
believing the conflict would be 'some kind of day at the beach.' The potential
2008 presidential candidate, who a day earlier had rejected calls for
withdrawing U.S. forces, said the administration had failed to make clear
the challenges facing the military." (08/22/06)
Et tu,
Brutus? Of course, if McCain were honest, he'd join a new "Big Government
Middle-of-the-Road Party" with Lieberman and run for Pres or VP on
that ticket.
2006 Political
Campaign: New party holds online
convention
Boston Tea Party
"At what may have been the world's first online political convention,
members of America's new libertarian political party organized over the
weekend for the long haul. The event, which commenced immediately after
midnight on Saturday and adjourned early Monday morning, featured the
election of a permanent national committee for the Boston Tea Party, adoption
of a political program, and overwhelming rejection of a proposal that
the fledgling organization -- founded by disenchanted Libertarian Party
members after that party's national convention last month -- reenter the
LP as an internal caucus." (08/21/06)
Speaking
of new parties - this one strikes me as splitting the already fragmented
liberty movement even more. While it clearly has some fresh ideas, unless
it is willing to live up to its name and take effective action, it will
disappear more quickly than those crates of tea slipped beneath Boston
Harbor.
2006 Political
Campaign: Dems
ponder war in race for White House
Fox News
"After five years of war and two failed attempts at the White
House, Democrats appear no closer to consensus on the attributes of their
ideal presidential candidate in 2008. Will he or she have to be antiwar,
hawkish on defense or a little of both? The August upset in the Connecticut
Democratic primary, in which Sen. Joe Lieberman lost to a virtually unknown
antiwar challenger, businessman Ned Lamont, produced analyses at length
about how the Democratic Party might have to consider a left-of-center
antiwar candidate for its next presidential run." (08/24/06)
Whoever
runs might well run as an antiwar candidate, but it will be about as honest
as when Wilson ran as a peace candidate in 1916 - and turned right around
within a year and joined the Brits and French.
2006 Political
Campaign: Lieberman calls on Rumsfeld
to resign
Auburn Journal
"Sen. Joe Lieberman, attacked by fellow Democrats as being too
close to the White House on the Iraq War, on Sunday called on Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign but said the United States cannot
'walk away' from the Iraqis. Lieberman, the one-time Democratic vice presidential
candidate, is running as an independent in his bid for a fourth term since
losing the Democratic nomination to newcomer Ned Lamont, who harnessed
voters' anger against the war in Iraq." (08/20/06)
The guy
is skating a very thin ledge indeed, trying to maintain some Democratic
credentials even while jumping ship - fit company for McCain, indeed.
2006 Political
Campaign: CT: Lieberman certified to
appear on ballot
USA Today
"U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman has enough voter signatures to secure
a spot on the November ballot with a new party, the secretary of the state
said Tuesday. The certification means that Lieberman, who lost the Democratic
primary to a political newcomer, will run for reelection as the candidate
of the Connecticut for Lieberman party. Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz
said Lieberman exceeded the 7,500 signatures necessary to get on the ballot
as an independent." (08/23/06)
Not very
modest, is he? It is interesting how often the Democrats split and how
much trouble it makes for them: in the 1860 election, Abe Lincoln would
have been only a footnote in history (like Fremont - who remembers, really,
that he was the GOP candidate in 1856?) if the Dems hadn't feuded among
themselves. And remember Dixicrats? And the 1968 race? Of course the GOP
also has its past moments - Bull Moose Party, anyone? Or Ross Perot?
More
News and Commentary Page 2 -- Our right to defend ourselves
and other good stuff.
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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