September 18, 2006

Libertarian Commentary on the News, 10 - 16 September 2006
I had intended, this week, to start out the column with an experiment, but the furor over the Pope's remarks are too interesting NOT to lead.

WORLD WARS: Muslim Anger Grows Against Pope
BBC News
A statement from the Vatican has failed to quell criticism of Pope Benedict XVI from Muslim leaders, after a speech touching on the concept of holy war. Speaking in Germany, the Pope quoted a 14th Century Christian emperor who said the Prophet Muhammad had brought the world only "evil and inhuman" things.

You can read the Pope's speech (be warned, some of the Greek words in the text (which are critical to understanding the speech, were converted by Adobe or whatever program was used, into seeming jibberis). Clearly this is NOT even so big a matter as the cartoons, some time ago, which were viewed as "disrespectful" to the Prophet (p.b.u.h.).

In fact, the quote from the Byzantine emperor Manuel II is in the context of the Pope's speech CRITICIZING modern "Christianity" for departing from its ancient roots and faith - a criticism which has much to justify it, even though I would disagree with much of what Benedict says. In any other people, any other culture, this quote would have passed unremarked - in a rational and gentle people, the fact that the leader of an opposing religion deemed it suitable to quote from their holy book and to cite it would have been considered a mark of honor and respect.

Unfortunately, we are not dealing with a rational or gentle religion, people, or culture when we are dealing with Islam - we are dealing with a "religion of peace" only when that peace is the "peace of the grave" - a religion that does believe, despite a few isolated and often oblique if often quoted passages in the Qu'ran, that it IS right to spread their faith by the sword, and that is, in virtually every sense of the word, an EVIL religion which creates an EVIL culture of tyranny and brutality and violence. Sadly, what is needed, even while criticizing (correctly) modern Western society and modern "Christianity" for its many faults, what is needed is for the Pope and other Western religious and political leaders to boldly and strongly, in the clearest terms, condemn a religion as evil as any worship of Ba'al or Moloch or anything practiced by Aztec emperors, and make it clear that a modern and free world of liberty cannot coexist for long with such evil.

Now, on to what I had planned! A READER'S SURVEY FOR THIS COLUMN:

Before continuing on with other news from the World Wars, I am doing a brief test, and asking readers for comments. The next dozen or so stories do NOT have even a digest of the news story: just the headline and citation, and then some comments. You can still read the entire story by using the URL to go to the original source. However, I'd like your feedback on this; let me know if you like this better than the usual format.

WORLD WARS: Official OK with Islamic law in Netherlands
WND
Dutch justice minister says Sharia acceptable if people vote for it

Not that we needed it, but this is just more proof that Western (both European and American) politicians and political leaders have no principles whatsoever, and no commitment to any kind of freedom or liberty except for whatever is necessary to gain and keep power. This kind of attitude would have meant the US would have entered the 20th Century with old-style slavery because a majority did not oppose it (just a very vocal and combative minority) and "the voice of the people is the voice of god" - mob rule without (necessarily) the clubs and torches.

WORLD WARS: Libya's Gadhafi claims Coca-Cola is African
ADNkronosinternational
Says Coke should pay percentage of every can sold to governments across continent

At least they THINK it was Gadhafi - it may have been Michael Jackson that said this. Khrushchev apparently didn't like Coke, so he never claimed the Russians invented Coke. And what about Pepsi? Did they buy off Gadhafi? Seriously, this guy is a real nutcase - and looking back in history, he is far from the only nutcase to be a ruler of an Islamic nation, recent or distant past. Western countries have had some kooks, as have Eastern lands, but for sheer bizarre behavior, Muslim rulers are the top prizewinners!

Culture Wars: Navy chaplain convicted of praying in Jesus' name
WND
Klingenschmitt jury to resume work in morning on punishment

This bizarre little court martial stems from a commanding officer ORDERING the chaplain not to have sectarian prayers in public unless in a chapel - sectarian being defined as using the name of Jesus. And a chaplain who doesn't know when to be silent and when not to.

Mama's Note: I just wonder why they bother with chaplains at all, in that case, and do the Muslim "chaplains" get orders not to mention "Allah?" I highly doubt it!! This is such BS.

Culture Wars: Rosie - Radical Christians pose Islamofascist threat
WND
O'Donnell maintains on 'The View': 'We are bombing innocent people in other countries'

I got to listen to her screams and tirade several times today, and I wonder if she had good psychiatric coverage in her medical insurance. And like a lot of others, I have to ask her - just where are all these "Christian fanatics" that are doing suicide bombings, killing other people over blasphemous cartoons, and such? The only "Christians" (at least by their own claim - but certainly NOT by their actions) to come close to that are the political rulers in the US and a few other nations - and their very actions show that they cannot be described as religious fanatics, except in the worship of power and money. Ignore the "Islamofascist" label, of course - today's Islamicists have less in common with Mussolini and Hitler than they do with many modern western governments. What they are is Islamic thugs, tyrants, and would-be conquerors.

Mama's Note: The really scary thing is that anyone with an IQ greater than a golf ball would listen to a word this woman has to say.

Culture Wars: Costner blasts 'Death of a President'
Contact Music
Actor says we shouldn't lose 'empathy for maybe the hardest job in the world'

Costner's reaction was really mild compared to some, but the point to keep in mind on this warped little business is that if you (or your child, if you are so foolish as to have them in a government-ruined, theft-funded (i.e., "public) school, would be paid a visit by the Secret Service and lots of other goons if we wrote a story about Bush being killed, much less made a movie of it.

Culture Wars: Man riding dog in commercial sparks anger
This is London.com
Canine lovers say behavior in Kellogg's spot is cruel, could be copied by children

A midget riding an Irish wolfhound - obviously, your normal, spoiled and ill-taught 10-year-old is immediately going to try and ride Muffy the toy poodle, right? Yet this seems to spark more outrage than a woman being brow-beaten on a CNN program and going out and blowing her brains out a few hours later.

Local Tyranny: 1st Amendment victory goes to Christians
WND
Parade rule had restricted assembly, free speech in city

Also covered in RRND this week (see below), this stupid little act of local tyranny justly ended in a big settlement against the city.

Mama's Note: Unfortunately, as always, such a "settlement" merely means that all the taxpayers of that city get to pay, not the tyrants themselves. They are perfectly free to plot their next insanity... and surely will because nobody much will notice what happened and they'll all be reelected. Somehow, people have got to start paying more attention to this kind of thing!

Middle East Tarbabies: Syria blames U.S. for embassy attack
WND
Claims Washington orchestrated it to get concessions from Damascus

Of course - who could doubt that the US used the CIA and the FBI to go out and persuade all those radical Islamists to fake an attack just to make it easier for the US to add Syria to Iraq and Afghanistan and Israel as shills for the evil Ami imperialists!

Middle East Tarbabies: Afghanistan - U.S. rules prevent strike on Taliban leaders
New York Post
Armed drone had terrorists in sight but hitting cemeteries [sic] not allowed

It is too bad that these people got away to continue their fight to restore a brutal ideological tyranny in Afghanistan, but I think the military was right in not attacking when they were in a cemetery - for one thing, it is against the Geneva Convention; but mostly because it is wrong to disturb such things, just as it would be to attack a church or a hospital or an art museum. This is the same thing as letting a criminal go free because their guilt could not be "proved beyond a reasonable doubt" - sad but necessary to protect all of us.

OUR RIGHT TO DEFEND OURSELVES: Gunmen shoot 20 at Montreal college
CTV, Canada
6 in critical condition, 2 suspects dead

I hope all of our readers understand that this is solely and completely the fault of the 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution, according to the Lord mayors of many big Canadian cities and the press. Just think - if just one-tenth of those other students had been carrying (concealed, I mean), these nutcases would have at best wounded 10, if that many, before someone dispatched them for that final interview with the Creator - instead of leaving incompetent cops to do it. Of course, who do YOU expect to put down your dog if it turns rabid?

Mama's Note: Why "concealed?" Isn't it far more likely the criminals would have gone elsewhere altogether if even a small number of students and faculty were openly carrying their weapons? At least, I'm sure far fewer would have been hurt. We not only have to shoot our own rabid dogs, we must make it very obvious that we are ready and willing to do so.

STOOPID PEEPUL TRICKS: Report: Air America to declare bankruptcy
WND
Significant personnel changes under way as liberal talk network tries to stay alive

In a world of truckers, bus drivers, and people driving out in the country to go hunt and fish, is it any wonder that a liberal talk network can't make enough money from advertising to stay in the black? I'm certainly no conservative, but I can gain a lot more entertainment from Limbaugh or Hannity or Beck or Ingram than I ever get from the whining of Gore and company - even Big Ed Schulz (a local Black Hills station's concession to the liberals in its audience). Conservatives and liberals can apparently be both entertaining enough and close enough in political views to be acceptable to a large majority of radio listeners - but liberals just can't seem to get beyond their PBS roots.

Mama's Note: Limbaugh or Hannity for "entertainment?" E-gads! I'd call listening to any of them pure torture, myself.

STOOPID PEEPUL TRICKS: Mother kills self after CNN grilling
Associated Press
Family blames media treatment after son's disappearance

This woman isn't the first to be driven to insanity and death by the mainstream media, of course, and she certainly won't be the last. As expected, CNN immediately claimed that there was no way they could have contributed in any way to this "tragic" event - it must have been that evil gun that made her do it (next story).

STOOPID PEEPUL TRICKS: CNN host says she didn't cause suicide
Orlando Sentinel
Nancy Grace: 'I do not feel our show is to blame'

Realistically, do we expect any admission of any responsibility? Although saving face would not require Grace to commit seppuku live on CNN, it would still make it hard for her to live with herself, and who wants an insecure, even psychotic newscaster or anchor?

STOOPID PEEPUL TRICKS: Barbara Walters - My dog talked to me
Associated Press
ABC host says Havanese dog Cha-Cha said 'I love you'

Speaking of bizarre mainstream media tricks - and viewers TRUST this woman? About anything? But my rhetorical question after the last story isn't so rhetorical, is it? How can anyone trust a network or an industry that doesn't find this nice woman some professional help?

Mama's Note: Heck, my dog talks to me all the time. The problem is that I don't speak much "Beagle." Body language is a lot more effective and I always manage to let him out in time when he runs to the door. :)

STOOPID PEEPUL TRICKS: Teacher charged after anti-Islam tirade
Washington Post
The religion 'doesn't mean peace, it means killing everyone for peace'

As the article explains, it was more HOW she did her tirade than exactly what she said that led to her arrest on charges of disorderly conduct, trespassing, etc. She apparently pretty much lost it upon hearing students on Monday reciting words in Arabic, and tried to shout them down. But her hysterical reaction is not that much different from what a lot of people do on hearing voice mail systems in Spanish and French, or trying to talk to a clerk or a maid only to find out that "No Habla English!"

Mama's Note: One of the minor blessings of moving out of California is not being required to "press one for English" when calling some utility or business. At least the option for Spanish is the one you have to press a key for here in Wyoming.

STOOPID PEEPUL TRICKS: Back-up punter accused of stabbing starter in leg
KMGH-TV, Denver
College sophomore allegedly wore hood in attack against 1st-string kicker

If the one CSU student had been armed, most likely this incident would have never happened. It isn't just Avis, cheerleaders, and Tonya Harding that tried harder to be #1.

High Tech and Medical Issues: Saudi exec - Only 18% of world oil tapped
Boston Herald
Challenges notion that fuel supplies petering out

Hmmm. If the evidence weren't very strong to support his claim, I'd believe that this was disinformation on the part of this Arab official. Why? So that we keep burning the stuff like it was salt water - and thus increase the value of Saudi oil. Think about it - if the Saudis have 50 billion barrels of oil in the ground, at $70/barrel, that is 3.5 TRILLION bucks - nice for a rainy day, eh? But if the price of oil went up to $100/bbl, then that same 50 billion would be valued at 5.0 TRILLION. However, I am more and more inclined to believe in the abiotic origin of oil - both that new oil is being formed deep inside the earth, and that there are vast amounts of untapped oil deep in the earth as well - to say nothing of oil shale and other exotic sources of hydrocarbon fuel.

That concludes the test of this column, and we shall continue with the regular format. Please let us at TPOL know if you like this above test format!

WORLD WARS: Al Qaeda joins Algerians against France
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
"Al-Qaida has for the first time announced a union with an Algerian insurgent group that has designated France as an enemy, saying they will act together against French and American interests. Current and former French officials specializing in terrorism said Thursday that an al-Qaida alliance with the Salafist Group for Call and Combat, known by its French initials GSPC, was cause for concern." (09/14/06)

Funny - here I thought Algeria had been independent from France for, oh, forty-five years or so. Silly me - I forgot that there are more Algerians in France than in Algeria these days, and the French threat to Algeria will be ended only when Tours is revenged and "French" deputies (representatives in the legislature) go to Algiers instead of Paris to run a government ruling the land and people from the English Channel to the Sahel.

WORLD WARS: Turkey - Ten killed in blast
Guardian [UK]
"The death toll from a bomb explosion in a predominantly Kurdish city in southeastern Turkey rose to 10 Wednesday after three victims died of their wounds. Authorities said the bomb exploded while being carried, suggested that the explosive was intended for another target and had detonated accidentally. It was the country's deadliest single bombing since an al-Qaida attack in 2003. ... Seven children were among the dead in Diyarbakir, the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey's southeast, the state-owned Anatolia news agency reported. Fourteen other people were wounded, the agency reported." (09/13/06)

This is the third or fourth week of this kind of bloodshed - no wonder the Pope did something to be able to keep from having to go to Turkey! Seriously, if the most secular of Islamic governments in the world is seeing this kind of mayhem, you start to understand that the quaint Islamic custom of calling the West the "House of War" is on a par with Eric the Red naming Greenland as he did - pure propaganda.

WORLD WARS: Al-Qaida lieutenant warns of new attacks
Palm Beach Post
"Al-Qaida's No. 2 condemned U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon as enemies of Islam and warned the terror group will strike the Persian Gulf and Israel, suggesting new fronts in its war against the West in a video Monday marking the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The video of Ayman al-Zawahri was one of three al-Qaida released for the anniversary, showing increasingly sophisticated techniques as the group tries to demonstrate that it remains a powerful, confident force five years into the U.S. war on terror." (09/11/06)

I guess even the Muslim troops in the UN force are "enemies of Islam?" I guess Al-Qaida takes the old saying "you are known by your enemies" to heart - and they sure don't seem to have many friends, except in the most extreme of radical Islamists, who like themselves, will kill and kill and kill in God's name.

WORLD WARS: Pakistan - Rape reform fails as Musharraf caves
Independent [UK]
"In a setback for women's rights in Pakistan, the ruling party in Islamabad has caved in to religious conservatives by dropping its plans to reform rape laws. Statutes known as the Hudood ordinances, based on sharia law, currently operate in Pakistan. They require a female rape victim to produce four male witnesses to corroborate her account, or she risks facing a new charge of adultery. The ruling party in Islamabad, made up of a coalition of groups allied to President Pervez Musharraf, had hoped the new Protection of Women Bill would place the crime of rape within the country's secular penal code, which works in tandem with sharia. But the government said rape would remain a crime punished by Islamic law yesterday after conservatives in an opposition group, Muttahida Majlis-I-Amal (MMA), threatened to walk out of parliament in protest if the government pushed ahead with reforms." (09/11/06)

Supposedly third only to Turkey and Indonesia as a secular Islamic state, it seems that Pakistan is rapidly moving to a truly sectarian state.

WORLD WARS: China under fire for civil liberties crackdown
Guardian [UK]
"The Chinese prime minister, Wen Jiabao, flew to London yesterday amid increasing international criticism of his government's crackdown on lawyers, journalists, NGOs and civil liberties activists. In the most repressive phase since Mr. Wen and president Hu Jintao came to power in 2003, human rights groups said yesterday that at least 100 dissidents had been jailed, beaten or placed under house arrest in Beijing alone since the middle of last month. Adding to the chill, China has announced new media restrictions and begun an investigation of charity organisations and environment campaigners who receive foreign funding." (09/13/06)

For years we have been taught that things like the Olympics build world peace and understanding and encourage freedom and liberty - and this shows how much garbage that is, as long as you are dealing with ideological tyrants like Communists and Islamics.

WORLD WARS: US Ambassador to Berlin Says Europeans are soft on terror
Deutsche Welle
"In marking the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, US Ambassador to Germany, William Timken, voiced an unpopular hardline view on Europe's battle against Islamic terrorist. In an interview with the local newspaper Hannoverschen Allgemeine Zeitung, US Ambassador to Germany William R. Timken warned Europeans not to underestimate the threat of terror. .... In fighting terror, Timken called on the need for Americans to give up "a small part of their civil liberties." 'We now live with the understanding that it will be a very, very long battle to resist the Islamists imposing their will on us. Saying such truths might be unpopular, but there is no other alternative," he said." (09/11/06)

It doesn't take a genius to figure this out, as you walk the streets and rails of Europe, where Muslim dress and attitudes stand out like sore thumbs. Of course, Timken ISN'T a genius, as his remarks about giving up liberties proves.

Culture Wars: Survey - Americans more charted than thought
Arizona Republic
"More Americans are active in religious groups than previously thought, and many others without ties to congregations still believe in God or a higher power, according to a broad survey of faith in America released Monday. The study also indicated that most traditional Christians do not use the label 'evangelical,' preferring to describe themselves as 'Bible-believing' or 'born again.' The survey was conducted by the Bailer University sociology department and the Bailer Institute for Studies of Religion as the first in a series on the spiritual life of Americans. Researchers said that only 10.8 percent of Americans have no ties to a congregation, denomination or faith group. Previous surveys had put that figure at 14 percent, overlooking about 10 million people involved in some form of organized religion, the Bailer report said." (09/12/06)

Of course, the broader you define something, the more people "fit" into that category. As with any survey or poll, the questions make all the difference, and let you prove pretty much whatever you want - especially when it supports your thesis and your grant request.

Economy: Gas prices fall nearly 11 cents a gallon in a week
MSNBC
"The average U.S. Retail price of gasoline fell by almost 11 cents last week to $2.62 a gallon - the lowest it has been in more than five months. The federal Energy Information Administration said Monday that U.S. Motorists paid $2.618 a gallon on average for regular grade last week, a decrease of 10.9 cents from the previous week." (09/11/06)

More good news, and I'm more hopeful than ever that we'll see prices at $2.00/gallon by Spring, at least in some parts of the country.

Mama's Note: The prices are certainly variable. Last week I had to fill the tank and paid $3.05. This week, the price where I live is $2.79, but a recent trip to a town 45 miles away showed prices at $2.47!! I think I'll wait until I go back there next weekend to fill up again! But I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for gas prices to fall to $2. - or to stay as low as they are now. The bully boys in government all over the world have a vested interest in keeping the price high, so you can expect more "terror" attacks and other ploys to keep us afraid and dependent.

Economy: California to boost minimum wage to $8
Miami Herald
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill Tuesday to give California one of the highest minimum wages in the nation. The law gives more than 1.4 million people an increase of 75 cents an hour in January and another 50 cents the following year, boosting the rate from $6.75 an hour to $8. Schwarzenegger and legislative Democrats have been at odds over the shape of a minimum wage increase in California for the past several years. Democrats sought annual automatic increases, which Schwarzenegger opposed." (09/12/06)

Frankly, I don't know many teenager, fast-food type jobs, worth $8 an hour, even in high-priced California. This will speed automation, even of fast-food and motel cleaning, increase the use of illegal immigrants, and add thousands of unemployed teens and young people to the Street Senate (the mob eager for trouble). What a wonderfully productive law!

The Coming Fall of Europe: Montenegro holds first vote since split
Macon Telegraph
"Montenegrins voted Sunday in the first parliamentary elections since the tiny state split from Serbia a ballot that could prove key to the new country's aspirations to become a member of NATO and the European Union. Official results were expected Monday. Independent election monitors, citing what they said was a near-complete vote count, said the prime minister's party won the most votes. The Center for Democratic Transition predicted the Coalition for European Montenegro, led by Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, would win 41 seats in Montenegro's 81-seat parliament." (09/11/06)

Hmmm. Maybe good news - but we have to remember that European or not, Montenegro is a predominantly Muslim country with a less than stellar history.

Mama's Note: And we all know that "voting" and "democracy" bring instant peace and prosperity to any country... sigh

The Coming Fall of Europe: UK- Shake-up for anti-terror policing
Guardian [UK]
"A national terrorism tsar overseeing up to 10 new regional squads is to be created under proposals being drawn up by the government's policing watchdog, the Guardian has learned. The new post is a principal recommendation of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), which is compiling a report on the country's counter-terrorist efforts. The reform, one of the biggest changes in counterterrorism policing in a generation, is likely to be adopted because of recognition in the government and police that the system is struggling to cope with the growing threat of jihad violence." (09/15/06)

Sounds to me like a good start to organizing a nice little core for a Geheim Staats Polizei. You know - a GESTAPO. Yes, Islamic threats ARE real in the UK - the result of an appeasement program far worse than anything Joseph Chamberlain did - but they are, in this case, an excuse for a police state, even while Blair refuses to fight the evil properly at home, or even admit that the evil is radical Islam.

The Coming Fall of Europe: UK- War protesters banned from Labour conference
Independent [UK]
"Labour chiefs have been accused of trying to stifle free speech after the grieving families of servicemen killed in Iraq were banned from demonstrating outside the party's annual conference in Manchester. The city's Labour-controlled council has denied them permission, on health and safety grounds, to set up a 'peace camp' to coincide with the start of the conference on 24 September." (09/15/06)

Well, what do we expect when the UK has never explicitly adopted a true bill of rights? Of course, the modern "declarations of rights" on the revolutionary French model or UN model would still allow local tyrannical thugs to deny free speech, as long as they cited "health and safety" excuses.

Guvmint-Ruined, Theft-Funded Schools: Detroit teachers defy judge's order
USA Today
"Thousands of striking Detroit teachers defied a judge's order to return to work Monday as school officials and the union resumed contract talks in the two-week dispute. Circuit Judge Susan Borman on Friday ordered the 7,000 teachers to go back to work Monday, but district spokesman Lekan Oguntoyinbo said the overwhelming majority remained off the job. He said attorneys would go back in court Tuesday to ask the judge to 'enforce our rights.'" (09/11/06)

You want these kinds of yahoos teaching your kids? Please, get them out, fast.

Guvmint-Ruined, Theft-Funded Schools: UK - Head teachers predict suits on obesity targets
Guardian [UK]
"Headteachers yesterday warned that litigious parents could soon sue schools for failing to prevent their children from drinking, smoking or taking drugs. They fear that government plans to set targets for improving young people's health and welfare in England could unleash attacks on their ability to control wider health and social trends. Families are already taking legal action over schools' alleged failure to tackle bullying and heads say they could soon be held responsible for obesity, pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, drug taking and drinking." (09/11/06)

Even if I were a supporter of GRTF schools, I'd say this was nuts - one of the big problems with GRTF schools is that they try to do too much - things (like this) that they have no business getting involved in. Of course, the teachers and administrators and support staff do such a WONDERFUL job of setting an example against bullying, eating, drinking, STD, and all the rest.

HOME FRONT: Bush- Set aside differences on terrorism
South Bend Tribune
"Five years after the worst attack on U.S. soil, President Bush said Monday night the war against terrorism is 'the calling of our generation' and urged Americans to put aside differences and fight to victory. 'America did not ask for this war, and every American wishes it were over,' Bush said in a prime-time address from the Oval Office. 'The war is not over - and it will not be over until either we or the extremists emerge victorious.'" (09/11/06)

Well, at the rate we're going, we are going to be the losers. Big time.

Mama's Note: As long as most of these "differences" are due to government lies and tyranny, nobody with any integrity is going to "set aside" their protests or stop working to find the truth. Not going to happen.

HOME FRONT: Could Ariz. agent's memo have stopped attacks?
Arizona Republic
"We will never know what Hani Hanjour thought about as he stormed into the cockpit of American Airlines Flight 77 five years ago today. Did he reflect on his friends in Arizona? Was he imagining himself an Islamic hero, a martyr for Allah? Did he comprehend the hell [sic] that he and 18 other al-Qaida hijackers were about to create? But we do know exactly what FBI Special Agent Ken Williams in Phoenix was thinking two months earlier, because he wrote it all in a five-page e-mail to headquarters. He was worried about Arab-Muslim aviation students in Arizona, men like Hani Hanjour. He was thinking some of them seemed dangerous with their Islamic fanaticism. He was afraid they could be preparing an attack from the sky." (09/11/06)

More share-the-blame game, distracting people from doing something common sense and productive today.

HOME FRONT: Air Force chief - Test weapons on testy US mobs
CNN
"Nonlethal weapons such as high-power microwave devices should be used on American citizens in crowd-control situations before being used on the battlefield, the Air Force secretary said Tuesday. The object is basically public relations. Domestic use would make it easier to avoid questions from others about possible safety considerations, said Secretary Michael Wynne." (09/12/06)

Well, it is thinking outside the box - if you don't mind using a once-free people as guinea pigs. As Mama Liberty pointed out, why bother with the warnings about microwaves in kitchens and cafes (for people with pacemakers) if they are going to get zapped on the streets? Of course, most crowds which end up getting weapons turned on them are made up of younger (and presumably less likely to have a pacemaker installed) people, but I have a feeling this guy really doesn't care. And sadly, I don't think Congress does either.

Mama's Note: It would depend on what the goons decided was a "crowd control situation." The taxpayer and veteran's marches on Washington DC and other such things would certainly qualify, and there are usually a large number of older folks involved in those. On the other hand, massive microwaves used like this could be very dangerous for all human beings. I just wonder how many deaths in a crowd would signal to the goons that their "test" had failed... or is that what they really want to happen? Many of their supposedly "non-lethal weapons" have proven to be deadly indeed.

HOME FRONT: NJ - Guns N Rollers airport terror t-shirt alert
Register [UK]
"Keen security personnel at Birmingham International Airport ordered a man to turn his T-shirt inside out because it bore a drawing of two crossed guns. Staffordshire design engineer Dave Osbourne was wearing a Guns N Rollers T-shirt Guns N Rollers are a team in 'an all-female roller derby league located in Portland Oregon,' according to their website. Their logo is a tribute to that of hard rocking, hard drinking, legendarily fractious LA band Guns N Roses. ... As he waited to board the flight to Newark, New Jersey, guards told Osbourne the graphic represented a security risk, and could upset other passengers. ... The 21-year-old said: 'I am all for extra security, but this was just plain stupid.' Bosses at the airport apologised, admitting guards over-reacted." (09/11/06)

So I suppose Infantrymen and Cavalrymen and Military Police traveling by air (at least through NJ) will have to take off their insignia (crossed rifles, crossed swords, and crossed pistols, respectively). And these thuggish guards are supposedly defending us from "terrorism." Right.

Mama's Note: The scary part is that this kid is "all for extra security," and only sees what he's deprived of as stupid.

HOME FRONT: Air cargo faces tighter screening
Norwalk Hour
"Packages taken to airline ticket counters for shipment on passenger planes will have to go through the same security screening as checked baggage, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced Thursday. Such packages brought to an airline's counter by individuals looking to get a package to another destination or by courier services already were being screened for the past several months at most airports around the country." (09/14/06)

Funny - I thought this had been going on for decades. Ah, we have such a wonderfully efficient government to protect us, don't we?

Mama's Note: I quit using UPS two years ago when they began to demand that packages be brought unsealed so they could "inspect" them before shipping. It's a private company, and they can do what they want, but I don't have to use their service. Of course, the USPS idiots can open your package any time they want, so there isn't much choice.

HOME FRONT: Justice official -Tap bill would have little impact
Raw Story
"According to an article in today's Congressional Quarterly, a Justice Department official implied that a bill intended to limit President's Bush's spying authority would have little impact were it to pass. Deputy Attorney General John A. Eisenberg, in testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, said that the Justice Department views the Electronic Surveillance Modernization bill as 'separate' from the program Bush already uses. One House Democrat on the committee said, 'There are a lot of nonspecific mumblings about what difference [the bill] would make anyway.'" (09/14/06)

In other words, since they are already doing this (though it is supposedly illegal), making it legal doesn't really change things.

Mama's Note: Besides, only Bush decides what is "legal" for him to do anyway. What a bunch of chumps if they think Fearless Fosdick is going to listen to them.

HOME FRONT: Patriot Act on steroids passes Senate committee
Wired News
"A bill radically redefining and expanding the government's ability to eavesdrop and search the houses of U.S. citizens without court approval passed a key Senate committee Wednesday, and may be voted on by the full Senate as early as next week. By a 10-8 vote, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved SB2453, the National Security Surveillance Act, which was co-written by committee's chairman Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania) in concert with the White House. ... Specter's bill concedes the government's right to wiretap Americans without warrants, and allows the U.S. Attorney General to authorize, on his own, dragnet surveillance of Americans so long as the stated purpose of the surveillance is to monitor suspected terrorists or spies." (09/13/06)

And so another attempt to gut the Constitution passes at least a small hurdle. Or should I say, "further gut" - as being more accurate.

Mama's Note: Of course, and watch the definition of "terrorist" expand constantly to include anyone who does not agree with the party line or protests the loss of their liberty and property in any way.

HOME FRONT: Senate panel defies Bush on detainee bill
New York Times
"President Bush went to Capitol Hill today to rally Republican support for his anti-terrorism policies, but a Senate committee dealt him a serious setback after a former member of his cabinet broke with him on a crucial issue. Hours after Mr. Bush huddled with House Republicans, he suffered a defeat on the other side of the Capitol, as the Senate Armed Services Committee endorsed legislation that would give suspected terrorists more legal protections than the president desires. Four of the panel's 13 Republicans joined all 11 Democrats in rejecting Mr. Bush's proposal to keep defendants from seeing classified evidence against them. The vote came a day after the House Armed Services Committee adopted a measure that more closely parallels what the president wants." (09/14/06)

As I mention in the article below, it is hard to tell who the "good guys" are by listening to the news and talk shows. My idea? Be honest - they are ALL bad guys, and the Republic doesn't need them.

HOME FRONT: Negotiations on terror legislation snag
Aberdeen American News
"The White House and three powerful GOP senators reached an impasse Wednesday over a Bush administration plan to allow tough CIA interrogations, underscoring election-season divisions among Republicans on the high profile issue of security. In a direct challenge to President Bush, Sen. John Warner, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said his panel would meet Thursday to finalize an alternative to the White House plan to prosecute terror suspects and redefine acts that constitute war crimes. Warner, R-Va., said the administration proposal would lower the standard for the treatment of prisoners, potentially putting U.S. troops at risk should other countries retaliate." (09/13/06)

To listen to the news and talk shows today, you would think that Warner was an "evil, liberal, democrat" and not a GOP type, for daring to object in any way to the Bush administration's rather bad proposals.

Mama's Note: I looked at the Constitution again, and it seems strange that I can't find a word in it that authorizes the president to make these kind of determinations anyway. Just who died and made him God? We'd better wake up while we still have a congress, however bad they are.

HOME FRONT: Local Tyranny - Mother sues police for excessive force
Nashville City Paper
"The mother of a Nashville teenager has sued three Metro Police officers, claiming they assaulted and used excessive force when they unjustly arrested her son - a 90-pound 14-year-old at the time the incident occurred a year ago. Last month, Carolyn Harris filed a civil action suit against Metro Police Officers Matthew Valiquette, Christopher Hendry and Lt. Leander Dupie, claiming the three physically assaulted, attempted to Taser, and handcuffed her son, only to let him off with a citation for 'resisting a stop' after learning he was a relative of another Metro Police officer. According to the lawsuit as well as the police report, on Aug. 3, 2005, the three Metro officers approached the boy who was sitting on his front porch with friends and announced they were investigating incidents of gambling." (09/11/06)

We seem to be seeing more and more of these kinds of incidents today. The cops are running scared, and over-react, which in turn causes more people to overreact when they have to deal with the cops. And over supposed claims of gambling, in his own house? And what kind of "resisting a stop" can you have when you are sitting on your own porch? I hope this mother cleans out Nashville's bank account.

Mama's Note: Once again, it will be the taxpayers of Nashville that will go to the cleaners, not the cops or their bosses. I just hope enough people there notice this injustice - both the attack and the tax bailout.

HOME FRONT: Local Tyranny - FL Seizure law riles Cooper City residents
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
"Under the city law, once the city declares a state of emergency, officials would be able to regulate fuel and alcohol sales, close any place of public assemblage and prohibit public possession or display of firearms. In addition, they would be able 'to confiscate merchandise, equipment, vehicles or property needed to alleviate any emergency condition.'" (09/09/06)

Doesn't this just sound grand? I hope that a lot of people tell this town the same thing that a few folks had to tell New Orleans: a thief is a thief, no matter what badge or ID card they try to flash around.

HOME FRONT: Local Tyranny - TN Proponents seek tax vote explanation
Nashville City Paper
"Proponents of a measure to see all tax increases in Metro put to a popular vote for approval are fighting to get a short explanation of the referendum printed on ballots this fall. Tennessee Tax Revolt leader Ben Cunningham appeared Monday before the Davidson County Election Commission urging the body to include a succinct summary of his proposed amendment to the Metro Charter which will be voted on by voters Nov. 3 on the ballot. He argued against using a longer, more technical summary the Metro Legal Department had drafted. The department, Cunningham noted in an interview, recently issued a memorandum stating the proposed charter amendment, if passed, would be contrary to the state constitution, showing, he said, some hostility to the concept. The Election Commission on Monday approved, however, the shorter summary, which reads: 'Davidson County real property tax rates cannot be increased without the approval of voters in a referendum election.'" [editor's note: And even that is deceptive, since they CAN even if this is passed. There will still be provisions for inflation and population increases; the measure merely means that "political playtoys" (stadiums, convention centers, etc.) will need voter approval to get funded by a tax increase - SAT] (09/12/06)

It is getting there - let's see how many more roadblocks the gov-goons can throw in their way.

HOME FRONT: Local Tyranny - SC City settles suit with antiabortion group
The State
"The city of Florence has decided to pay an anti-abortion group $51,000 to settle a lawsuit over whether the group needed a permit for a protest four years ago. 'We decided rather than go on and fight this thing in court to settle it since we weren't enforcing it anyway,' City Manager David Williams said. The 30-member group Columbia Christians for Life was in Florence in August 2002 to start a statewide tour protesting abortion. Five of its members were arrested. Before the protest, city officials told the group they had to apply for a parade permit. The group challenged the ruling, refusing to sign the permit, even after Florence Police Chief Anson Shells came to the protest with the permit application. 'We bent over backwards to get them to comply, but they weren't willing to do that,' Williams said. The city decided to pay the group $51,000 to settle the suit because similar ordinances had been ruled unconstitutional in Charleston and Travelers Rest, Williams said." [FND editor's note: I wish more groups stood up to these "permit requirement" schemes. Like Michael Badnarik says, "any place I'm standing is a free speech zone" - TLK] (09/12/06)

Of course, for the city to even have attempted such a thing was the height of stupidity. Williams and Shells just don't get it - no matter HOW easy it is to comply with illegal, immoral, and tyrannical laws, free people will ALWAYS refuse to bow down to them unless there is some overriding reason - such as a higher cause - to comply.

Middle East Tarbabies: Afghanistan - Bombers kill governor, attack funeral
CNN
"A bombing Monday targeted the funeral of an Afghan provincial governor who was assassinated a day earlier by a suicide bomber, the Afghan Interior Ministry told CNN. No details about the funeral attack were immediately available. No details about the funeral attack were immediately available. Police and witnesses told the Associated Press the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber and there were casualties. Abdul Hakim Taniwal governor of the eastern Paktia province was killed Sunday along with his bodyguard and nephew as they left his office in Paktia's provincial capital of Gardez." (09/11/06)

Sounds like they've got it down to a fine art: wound or kill some civilians, then kill the medics who respond, then kill the soldiers who respond, and right on up the chain to the governor trying to calm the bereaved, and start all over again at his funeral.

Middle East Tarbabies: Afghanistan - UK Soldiers reveal horror of Afghan campaign
Independent [UK]
"Soldiers deployed in Helmand province five years on from the US-led invasion, and six months after the deployment of a large British force, have told The Independent that the sheer ferocity of the fighting in the Sangin valley, and privations faced by the troops, are far worse than generally known. 'We are flattening places we have already flattened, but the attacks have kept coming. We have killed them by the dozens, but more keep coming, either locally or from across the border,' one said. 'We have used B1 bombers, Harriers, F16s and Mirage 2000s. We have dropped 500lb, 1,000lb and even 2,000lb bombs. At one point our Apaches [helicopter gunships] ran out of missiles they have fired so many. Almost any movement on the ground gets ambushed. We need an entire battle group to move things. Yet they will not give us the helicopters we have been asking for.'" (09/12/06)

As I discussed last week, this sounds very, very Kiplingesque. Afghanis are nothing if not tenacious, as people from Alexander of Macedon on to the present have learned. The rest of the world should probably be glad that they spend most of their time fighting each other and not getting together to take on the rest of the world on an offensive basis.

Middle East Tarbabies: Iran - Khatami urges US, Iran to use restraint
Boston Globe
"Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami urged the United States and Iran to step back from the brink of confrontation yesterday in an appearance at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government that had been both heralded and condemned. 'Today we are faced with an astounding situation that seriously threatens both the East and the West,' he warned a packed and mostly welcoming audience. 'One should not engage in violence in the name of any religion, just as one should not and ought not turn the world into one's military camp in the name of democracy.' Khatami, a reformist who failed to bring major changes to the fundamentalist Islamic Republic when he was president from 1997 to 2005, drew mixed reactions during his high-profile visit to Harvard." (09/11/06)

Funny, a few days later when the Pope said about the same thing, everyone boos - but this guy gets applauded. Of course, none of his fellow-religionists will listen to him.

Middle East Tarbabies: Iran - EU negotiators make progress in nuke talks
Washington Times
"Senior negotiators for Iran and the European Union reported progress yesterday at talks meant to find common ground for resolving Tehran's defiance of a U.N. demand that the Islamic republic freeze uranium enrichment or risk sanctions. In an encouraging sign, the two sides agreed to hold further discussions today. 'We had some good and constructive talks and we have made some progress in some areas, and we shall continue ... tomorrow,' chief Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said, speaking through an interpreter." (09/10/06)

Progress as defined by whom? They eliminated round tables and agreed to square ones, maybe? Perhaps they agreed on the order of translations? Or was it just that they agreed to more talking?

Middle East Tarbabies: Iraq - US excluded car, suicide bombs from Iraq murder toll
CNN
"The U.S. military did not count people killed by bombs, mortars, rockets or other mass attacks when it reported a dramatic drop in the number of murders in the Baghdad area last month, the U.S. command said Monday. The decision to include only victims of drive-by shootings and those killed by torture and execution, usually at the hands of death squads, allowed U.S. officials to argue that a security crackdown that began in the capital August 7 had more than halved the city's murder rate." (09/11/06)

This is an insane little trick by beancounters worthy of McNamara back in Vietnam days.

Middle East Tarbabies: Iraq - 29 Iraqis, one US soldier killed
Washington Post
"A mini bus carrying a bomb exploded outside an army recruiting center in Baghdad and killed 16 people Monday, the deadliest of a string of attacks that left 29 Iraqis dead. ...A botched car bombing against a U.S. Military convoy in eastern Baghdad killed four Iraqis and wounded three .... A U.S. soldier was killed by small arms fire Sunday .... Gunmen killed at least nine people in separate attacks overnight and Monday morning in northern Iraq and in the capital ...

The bloodletting continued - this report was the same old, same old, but the next one was quickly establishing a new kind of "normalcy."

Middle East Tarbabies: Iraq - Two US soldiers, dozens of Iraqis killed
Reuters
"Police recovered 60 bodies over the past day across Baghdad, most bound and tortured, officials said on Wednesday, highlighting how sectarian death squads are still plaguing the Iraqi capital despite a major security drive. Two car bombs targeting police killed 22 people during the morning and wounded another 76 people. ... The death of another U.S. Soldier was confirmed in Anbar province, where the commander denied suggestions his force had lost control to al Qaeda and other Sunni insurgents but said stabilizing the western desert region would be a job for Iraqi politicians and their U.S.-trained troops and police. A U.S. Soldier was also killed overnight near Baghdad." (09/13/06)

It appears that every day this week, the police or military have been recovering dozens of bodies which had been bound and tortured, unlike the "usual" bombings, drive-by shootings, and ambushes (all of which continued, clearly).

Mama's Note: It just occurred to me to wonder if any of these victims fight back, and if not - WHY NOT? How is it so easy for these "death squads" to round up such large numbers of people and kill them this way? Why don't they and their neighbors work together to defend themselves? We're told that most of the Iraqi families are armed. What's going on here?

Middle East Tarbabies: Iraq - Accused Marine won't face death penalty
Port Arthur News
"The government will not seek the death penalty for a Marine Corps corporal who is among eight troops charged with murder and other crimes in the shooting of a civilian Iraqi man, a military prosecutor told a hearing officer Tuesday. Lance Cpl. Jerry E. Shumate Jr., 21, is accused in the killing of 52-year-old Hashim Ibrahim Awad last April in Hamdania, west of Baghdad. Shumate is suspected of firing his M-16 at Awad, then lying to investigators about what had happened, according to charging documents." (09/12/06)

Fortunately, a court-martial board, unlike a civilian jury, can decide on its own what penalty to impose, if they find the soldier guilty.

Middle East Tarbabies: Canaan - Abbas agrees to share power with Hamas
Greensboro News-Record
"Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas struck a deal Monday to share power with the militant Islamic Hamas, an accord that could restore international aid and could lead to contacts with Israel. The breakthrough compromise falls short of international demands that Hamas fully renounce violence, but Israeli officials still voiced cautious support for the accord." (09/11/06)

Yes, apparently miracles do happen - IF we can believe this story and it is not just wishful thinking and spin doctoring.

Mama's Note: Oh goodie! Now we can all go back to supporting these tyrants with the stolen goods of "taxes."

Middle East Tarbabies: Canaan - Syria: 4th embassy attacker dies
Brocktown News
"The only Islamic militant arrested in the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Damascus has died from his wounds, and authorities were unable to question him, a Syrian official and the government media said Wednesday. The three other attackers were killed in Tuesday's brazen assault on the embassy. ... A Syrian guard was killed in the shooting, and 10 civilians and a Chinese diplomat were injured. No Americans were hurt." (09/13/06)

Nice, eh? As Syria blames the US for attacking its own embassy to make the Syrian government cave in, the various actual participants end up conveniently dead - and while in Syrian, NOT American hands.

Middle East Tarbabies: Canaan - Nasrallah, Prisoner swap talks to begin
MSNBC
"Hezbollah's leader said Tuesday that he accepts U.N. mediation with Israel on a possible prisoner swap and a special envoy will launch the talks next week. But in an interview with the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera channel, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah vowed not to approve any prisoner exchange deal unless it included the release of Samir Kantar, a Lebanese man held in the killing of three Israelis during an attack in 1979." (09/12/06)

Murder is murder, unless you are in the right uniform or have the right mentors or clout.

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.

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