October 02, 2006

Libertarian Commentary on the News, 24-30 September 2006.
Welcome to Fall 2006! Let's start this week with some old controversies revived with fresh challenges! Hooray for rabble-rousers! (Even if I dinna necessarily agree wit' what they are fussin' about!)

Culture Wars: GA- '56 flag defenders out to oust Perdue
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"They helped rout former Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes in 2002, and now they're rallying their troops for a run at Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue. Supporters of the 1956 state flag with its dominant Confederate cross plan a final all-out charge to oust a Georgia governor who outflanked their no-retreat-no-surrender efforts to keep the controversial banner flying. 'We can't elect our own governor. We've tried, but we don't have enough votes. What we can do is make 'em one-termers,' said Elijah Coleman, a Mableton member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans." (09/24/06)

Spoiler tactics is sometimes the only weapon available, but in the right time and place, it can be enough to help a strong minority win - or at least, not lose.

Culture Wars: UT - Trio asks court to overturn polygamy ban
Fox News
"A Utah couple and a woman who wants to become the second wife in their family are asking a Denver-based federal appeals court to overturn Utah's ban on polygamy, saying it violates their rights to religion, association and privacy. A Salt Lake County clerk refused to issue a marriage license in December 2003 when G. Lee Cook and the second woman -- accompanied by Cook's wife -- applied. About a year later, a federal judge dismissed their lawsuit, saying the clerk properly followed state laws and rejecting arguments that those laws violate the rights of people who believe in plural marriage. On Monday, a three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals formally accepted written arguments submitted earlier this year. There was no indication when they might rule." (09/26/06)

It will be interesting to see just how far this gets - and what the men in black decide is suitable for our "evolving democracy" (yeah, that phrase makes me gag, too) at this time. Polygamists have been hoping for years that homosexual marriage would gain acceptance, even as they hate the idea themselves, knowing that it will make their own fight easier.

Mama's Note: Marriage, like anything else non-aggressive, is a personal thing between the people involved and has nothing to do with the state. Polygamy represents some real problems, of course, especially for children created, but it is still no business of the state. Just why these people even ask permission from the state is a real mystery, especially in light of the fact that so many people now are "living together" without concern for state sanction. What God thinks of the whole affair is quite another matter, but that's not mine to deal with...

Culture Wars: Judge suspends ban on funeral protests
Chickasha Express-Star
"Kentucky's law forbidding protests within 300 feet of military funerals and memorial services was suspended temporarily Tuesday after a federal judge ruled it was too broad. The law passed earlier this year was aimed at members of a Topeka, Kan., church who have toured the country protesting at military funerals. The Westboro Baptist Church claims the soldiers' deaths are a sign of God punishing America for tolerating homosexuality." (09/26/06)

I suspect that things like this will ultimately lead to some yahoo deciding that violence is the solution, and take to beating up on, or even shooting the protesters.

Mama's Note: Mega-sigh... and then people like this can't figure out why so many have turned their backs on organized religion.

Culture Wars: NYC mulls ban on trans fats in eateries
New York Post
"Three years after the city banned smoking in restaurants, health officials are talking about prohibiting something they say is almost as bad: artificial trans fatty acids. The city health department unveiled a proposal Tuesday that would bar cooks at any of the city's 24,600 food service establishments from using ingredients that contain the artery-clogging substance, commonly listed on food labels as partially hydrogenated oil." (09/26/06)

Just another item on the list of actions needed for a Brave New World. What is next? Oh, yeah, soft drinks and chocolate.

Mama's Note: The really funny thing is that the latest research strongly indicates that good old LARD is the safest and healthiest fat for frying... if one simply MUST fry anything. Most vegetable fats break down fast and form very dangerous chemical components when heated. But, of course, this must remain a personal decision, not a state mandate. I simply don't buy commercially fried foods, and do very little of it at home. What I do fry at home, is in butter (eggs) or lard!

The Economy: Oil drops below $60 a barrel in Asia
Winchester Herald Chronicle
"Oil prices dropped below $60 a barrel in Asian trading on Monday, and analysts attributed the bailout to high inventories and receding fears about supply threats. Victor Shum, an energy analyst with Purvin & Gertz in Singapore, said hedge funds and investors were reacting to a soft market but noted that $60 is still a very strong price and said the market was still vulnerable to price spikes." (09/24/06)

A continued decline, perhaps the largest drop of oil prices in history, and certainly in the last fifteen years. In my travels this week, I've noticed once more that long-term certainties in gasoline prices have been turned on end: for example, gasoline is more expensive in Wyoming than in western South Dakota - and twenty cents higher than in western Nebraska. This drop may help stabilize an otherwise faltering economy here in the US.

Mama's Note: Hmmm, well gas is still $2.39 here in Newcastle, but it was $2.47 in Spearfish yesterday, so I suspect the prices are more varied than that. It will be interesting to see if they go down any more. My tank is about as low as I ever let it get, so I'll have to buy some by Monday... and then the price will drop again Tuesday, no doubt. :(

The Economy: Consumers skeptical of dropping gas prices
Baylor Lariat
"There is no mystery or manipulation behind the recent fall in gasoline prices, analysts say. Try telling that to many U.S. motorists. Almost half of all Americans believe the November elections have more influence than market forces. For them, the plunge at the pump is about politics, not economics." (09/25/06)

People who believe that Bush is a stupid hick and completely incompetent (together with the rest of his administration) can apparently simultaneously hold the belief that he is so capable and astute as to be able to manipulate prices like this to help the GOP win reelection. Gee, I must have missed something.

Mama's Note: Thank God he's not able to manipulate things like this. He has far too much power already.

The Coming Fall of Europe: Spain - Eta to "keep taking up arms"
Independent [UK]
"The Basque separatist group ETA will 'keep taking up arms' until the region achieves independence, according to militants claiming to speak for the group. The warning came in a statement read on Saturday by a masked ETA militant at a pro-independence rally in Aritxulegi near San Sebastian, said the newspaper Gara, which often serves as a mouthpiece for ETA 'Until we achieve independence and socialism in the Basque country, we reaffirm our commitment to keep taking up arms firmly,' the statement said. 'The fight is not a thing of the past. It is the present and the future.'" (09/24/06)

Like the "flag-rebels" in American Georgia (story above), ETA is not giving up, no matter what the odds. However, their bizarre insistence on "socialism" in the increasingly socialist milieu of Spain is twisted, to say the least. Basque freedom will accomplish little if tied to socialist slavery.

Mama's Note: Yes, that was a bit of a shock to me as well. I have not followed Basque politics (so much to read - so little time), but never thought of them as wanting socialism. I won't waste any more sympathy on them, I guess.

The Coming Fall of Europe: UK - "Anti-junk mail" postman keeps job
Independent [UK]
"The rebel postman who became a populist hero when he championed the case against junk mail is to keep his job, it was announced yesterday. Roger Annies, 45, won praise from customers and environmental campaigners when he told householders on his route how to avoid some of the 21 billion pieces of junk mail which are put through Britain's letterboxes each year. Taking matters into his own hands the father-of-one, from Barry, south Wales, designed and circulated a leaflet highlighting Royal Mail's opt-out clause for unsolicited mail. ... Mr. Annies was suspended and faced a disciplinary hearing for his intervention. Yesterday, however, a company spokesman said he had been reinstated." (09/26/06)

Sometimes a good guy can win - but this may be because the Royal Mail is no longer a government agency as much as it is a private company - withOUT its traditional monopoly.

Mama's Note: Far as I know, there is NO "opt out" solution to our own junk mail scandal. I just leave it all in the post office lobby. Someone once told me that this junk mail actually subsidizes the other classes of mail, but I can't see it. Someone has to be paid to haul all of it away, for one thing.

The Coming Fall of Europe: Tests to reveal ASBO babies
The Scotsman
A TEN-minute test which identifies babies at risk of developing antisocial behaviour has been created by Scottish scientists.

Wow - what an amazing test. Now that we have the ability to detect future politicians, we can use infanticide to rid the world of their menace! ...Sarcasm alert..

FREEDOM FIGHTERS: Jeff Cooper, 1920-2006
Daily Courier
"World-renowned firearms expert Jeff Cooper, founder of the Gunsite firearms training center in Paulden, died Monday afternoon at his home near the training center. ... In the 1960s, he organized a group called the Bear Valley Gunslingers and the Southwest Combat League. During the organizations' shooting competitions at Big Bear, he formulated the Modern Technique of combat handgun shooting which incorporates a large-caliber semi-automatic pistol, a two handed Weaver stance, breath control and a surprise trigger break. In 1976, he founded the American Pistol Institute, or Gunsite, at Paulden to teach those pistol techniques and later added a full curriculum on pistols, rifles and shotguns. Since then, more than 18,000 students, including celebrities like Tom Selleck, law enforcement officers, military members from many nations and many civilians have graduated from courses there. ... He was editor at large of Guns & Ammo Magazine and a prolific writer on firearms. ... He also produced 'Cooper's Commentaries,' a series of monthly essays on the Internet. In his writings, Cooper coined the term 'hoplophobia' to denote the irrational fear of weapons." (09/26/06)

Even more than the other freedom-fighters we honor this week, he will be missed.

FREEDOM FIGHTERS: 'Tokyo Rose,' 90, pardoned for propaganda role, dies
Arizona Republic
"Iva Toguri D'Aquino, who was convicted and later pardoned of being World War II propagandist 'Tokyo Rose,' died Tuesday of natural causes, said her nephew, William Toguri. She was 90. Although nearly a dozen female broadcasters were given the moniker during World War II, D'Aquino became most tarred with the name, which came to personify Axis infamy in the Pacific. Her broadcasts were intended to demoralize soldiers fighting in the Pacific theater. Taunting millions of servicemen with stories of infidelity on the homefront, false reports of battle outcomes meant to demoralize them and frequent spins of pop songs to keep them listening, the broadcasts of Radio Tokyo were notorious instruments in the propaganda war. Many American sailors and soldiers found them cartoonishly unbelievable, exactly what D'Aquino said she intended." (09/28/06)

An examination of this woman's story reveals a whole host of abuses by both Japanese and American authorities, and serious attempts by her to make a horrific situation into something that did some good.

Mama's Note: "Tokyo Rose" never existed, and this woman was railroaded by the government and popular press. See The Myth of Tokyo Rose by Rick Shenkman.

FREEDOM FIGHTERS: VT - Secessionists to held conference
NY Sun
"Here come the new Green Mountain Boys. The Middlebury Institute, a think tank devoted to the study of separatism, secession, and self-determination, is planning the First North American Secessionist Convention in Burlington, Vt. More than a dozen secessionist organizations are likely to send representatives to the gathering on November 3 and 4, the director of the institute, Kirkpatrick Sale, said." (09/27/06)

One more small sign of a growing movement.

FREEDOM FIGHTERS: French Resistance Heroine Dies
New York Sun
Helene Deschamps Adams, 85, a hero of the French Resistance who saved American fliers from capture and Jews from execution by the Nazis, and played a role in secret preparations for Allied invasions of France, died in Manhattan Saturday of heart failure. [Among other things,] Using the code name Anick, Deschamps worked as a secretary at the Vichy headquarters of the Milice, the French equivalent of the Gestapo, and was able to steal the records of hundreds of people, including Jews, Resistance members and ordinary citizens who had been marked for death or deportation to concentration camps, her daughter said.

Thanks to Scott for this note - although people like to think of all WW2 veterans as heroes, some deserve the title of Hero(ine) of Liberty more than others.

GUVMINT-RUINED, THEFT-FUNDED SCHOOLS: STUPID VIRUS STRIKES IN TEXAS
Associated Press, 9/26/06
"Frisco (Texas) school trustees aren't renewing the contract of a veteran art teacher who was reprimanded because a student saw a nude sculpture during a museum visit. Sydney McGee has been on paid administrative leave from Fisher Elementary School since Friday. . . . (Her attorney) said McGee, a 28-year veteran teacher, was upset about the Monday decision. "...McGee has said her troubles started after taking 89 students on a school field trip to the Dallas Museum of Art in April. The principal at Fisher elementary, Nancy Lawson, later admonished McGee about the trip, telling her a parent complained about a student seeing nude art."

How far can this kind of nonsense go? I suspect we've not seen anything close to the extremes, yet. Recalling school days visits to the Denver Art Museum, this seems sort of tame. But with governments in charge, this kind of overreaction is normal.

The school is now claiming "continuing performance problems" but I think it is a fig-leaf for a stupid decision. Thanks to Chuck for this item! He also adds: "Now, you KNOW what's going to happen here. We've been down this road a hundred times. The school district is going to tell us the press didn't give the full story - even though the school board refused to return media calls. We're also going to hear that the decision to cut the teacher loose really wasn't about the art museum field trip; we'll be told there was other "stuff," like failure to fill out some form correctly, or lesson plans, or refusal to join the teachers union, or something like that.

Anyway, to voice your opinion on this matter, the phone number to the Frisco Independent School District is (469) 633-6000. The superintendent's name is Rick Reedy. His email address is: reedyr@friscoisd.org That being said, be prepared to either (a) have your call/email ignored, or (b) receive some canned response from a staffer. Indeed, the Frisco Independent School District actually has an officially adopted and publicized policy on dealing with complaints from the public: "The Board and Superintendent will see all communications and responses, but will not respond individually." How...typical. Anyway, have at 'em, gang. Just remember to use small words so as not to confuse the bureaucrats. And please, as always, keep the profanity to a minimum.

GUVMINT-RUINED, THEFT-FUNDED SCHOOLS: STUPID VIRUS STRIKES IN KANSAS
KFOXTV, 9/19/06
"A mother is angry that her first-grader was suspended from school over a plastic toy gun. 'I asked her, 'You're going to suspend my son for 10 days for this? He cannot harm a soul with this,' ' said Danielle Womack, whose son, Tawann Caskey, was suspended from Milton Moore Elementary School. "KMBC's Natalie Moultrie reported that Tawann was suspended over a 2-inch plastic squirt gun. 'She told me it's a weapon, a little girl saw it and reported to a teacher that he had a weapon,' Womack said. According to Kansas City, Mo., School District policy, the squirt gun is a simulated weapon and a class IV, which is the most serious school offense. Moultrie reported that principals have no discretion in cases like Tawaan's. It is an automatic 10-day suspension."

Another one from Chuck! Thanks. "Tawann's mother was to appeal the suspension at a school district meeting last week, but when I called to inquire about the status of the case, I was sent to voice-mail hell. When I called back, all I got was a recording. So I'm really not sure how this ended up...only that the initial decision was just...plain...stupid. The number for Superintendent Anthony Amato's office is (816) 418-7606. His email address is: aamato@kcmsd.net Maybe some of you will have better luck getting someone to update us on this ridiculous situation."

My own thought on this is that it is a waste of time to go to the Supt of the Board, but a great opportunity to encourage people in the area to get their kids out of the nuthouse and find an alternative (see The Alliance for the Separation of School and State).

GUVMINT-RUINED, THEFT-FUNDED SCHOOLS: TN: 5-year-old brought pot, gun to school
Nashville City Paper
"A Nashville mother whose 6-year-old child brought marijuana and a loaded stolen handgun to her kindergarten class agreed on Monday to have her criminal charges handed over to a grand jury. Tonya Logan, 25, was charged with reckless endangerment, possession of marijuana, theft of a weapon and contributing to the delinquency of a minor after her then-5-year-old daughter was found in school with marijuana and a loaded weapon in her backpack. Logan has not entered a formal plea to the charges, although she formally agreed there was enough evidence for her case to go forward. She must now wait for a grand jury to indict her or dismiss the charges. On May 11, a May Werthan Shayne Elementary School classmate of Logan's daughter noticed the gun inside the child's backpack and notified a teacher, according to police records." (09/26/06)

Speaking of overreaction.

Mama's Note: By the "state" and the "school," yes. However, if I was a member of this woman's family I'd be all over her like mold on cheese for such stupidity. Theft of the weapon, of course, is bad enough, but to leave such a thing where a 5 year old could get to it is insanity. This family needs to take serious steps to prevent such a thing from happening again. Either the gun or the drug could have killed this child, or several of them.

GUVMINT-RUINED, THEFT-FUNDED SCHOOLS: Argentina - Pupils to learn Britain "colonised" Falklands
Guardian [UK]
"A new history book describing how Britain illegally 'colonised' the Falkland Islands is to be distributed to every secondary school pupil in Argentina. The book accuses British forces of arriving secretly on the islands in the 18th century and taking it by force from the Spanish. Since then the British have refused offers to discuss the islands' sovereignty with Argentina, the book claims. ... According to the Argentinian version of events, the Falklands became part of Argentina after it declared independence from Spain in 1810. The new Argentinian government 'considered [the Falklands] an integral part of its territory, inherited from Spain by succession,' the book says. The British version of events reads differently. It maintains that an expeditionary force led by the Royal Navy reached West Falkland in 1765 and, on finding it unoccupied, took formal possession of the Falklands." (09/27/06)

When governments run the schools, they can pretty much dictate what is taught. 1984 lives on.

THE HOME FRONT: NE - Judge orders students deported
Duncan Banner
"Three Egyptian college students who sparked a nationwide search when they failed to show up for a college exchange program last month were ordered deported Monday. The students -- Mohamed Ibrahim El Sayed El Moghazy, 20; Ahmed Refaat Saad El Moghazi El Laket, 19; and Moustafa Wagdy Moustafa El Gafary, 18 -- had admitted they violated immigration laws and asked Judge James Fujimoto to allow them to return home voluntarily." (09/25/06)

No doubt so that they can sneak back in later?

Mama's Note: Far too much paranoia going around, I think. One does wonder what these folks were up to, but it would be silly for them to act this way if they were truly bent on doing harm. Seems the best way to carry off an attack is NOT to act in such a suspicious manner. Call me crazy... seems college kids are all a bit nuts, even those from Egypt.

THE HOME FRONT: States, counties cracking down on illegals
MSNBC
"Police here operated for years under what amounts to a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy toward illegal immigrants. As elsewhere in the United States, law enforcement officers did not check the immigration status of people they came into contact with, and in the vast majority of cases, a run-in with the law carried little threat of deportation. But that accommodation for the burgeoning illegal population ended abruptly in April, when the Mecklenburg County sheriff's office began to enforce immigration law, placing more than 100 people a month into deportation proceedings." (09/26/06)

Public awareness (and often, panic) is growing over the issue, leaking to these kinds of actions.

Mama's Note: Next come the screams for government to "do something" as prices rise and things don't get done. This is circular logic in graphic action. Welcome to the new race wars and other assorted insanity.

THE HOME FRONT: Peaceful Iraq war protests prompt 71 arrests
CNN
"Two Presbyterian ministers were among 71 people arrested during a series of peaceful protests against the Iraq war Tuesday, said a spokeswoman for a group participating in the protests. Demonstrators held sit-ins, prayer services and sing-alongs at four locations in the Capitol complex, including the central atrium of the Senate Hart Office Building. The demonstrations were reminiscent of the Vietnam era, with protesters strumming guitars, singing peace songs, holding flowers and wearing hats made of balloons." (09/26/06)

As several commentators pointed out, these were mostly the exact same people that were participating in the Vietnam era protests - very few young people.

Mama's Note: Which goes to prove that our government indoctrination camps have done their job quite well. How sad that those with principles couldn't see that, and sent their children to be brainwashed. Actually, I do know quite a few young people with principles. They've just pretty much realized that sit-ins and such protests are a waste of time and are finding other ways to work toward liberty.

THE HOME FRONT: House approves warrantless wiretap law
Indianapolis Star
"The House approved a bill Thursday that would grant legal status to President Bush's warrantless wiretapping program with new restrictions. Republicans called it a test before the election of whether Democrats want to fight or coddle terrorists. 'The Democrats' irrational opposition to strong national security policies that help keep our nation secure should be of great concern to the American people,' Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a statement after the bill passed 232-191." (09/28/06)

Several people have compared this to Lincoln' suspension of habeas corpus during the War Between the States, and I agree with them - both are evil actions and a theft of our liberties.

Imperial Courts: CA - State's execution method on trial
San Francisco Chronicle
"California's method of executing prisoners by lethal injection will come under scrutiny this week, point by technical point -- how the executioners are trained, how the toxic chemicals are mixed, even how much light there is in the mixing room. The stakes, though, are anything but technical: the immediate future of executions in California, and perhaps in the nation. Starting Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel in San Jose will hear arguments by lawyers both for the state and for a condemned murderer from Stockton about California's execution method." (09/25/06)

Considering all the various poisons which can kill people with a minimum amount of pain and fuss, this argument is wasteful and needless, and only an excuse to avoid facing the real issue of whether execution IS a suitable punishment for the various crimes it is used to attempt to punish.

Middle East Tarbabies: Iraq - Terrorist calls scientists to jihad
Rockford Register Star
"Al-Qaida in Iraq's leader, in a chilling audiotape released Thursday, called for nuclear scientists to join his group's holy war and urged insurgents to kidnap Westerners so they could be traded for a blind Egyptian sheik who is serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison. The fugitive terror chief said experts in the fields of 'chemistry, physics, electronics, media and all other sciences -- especially nuclear scientists and explosives experts' should join his group's jihad, or holy war, against the West." (09/28/06)

Not exactly sure how scientists can help an "internal spiritual struggle" (as jihad is claimed to be by "moderate" Muslims) but I suppose there is some logical explanation to followers of this "religion of peace."

MIDDLE EAST TARBABIES:Afghanistan - NATO bosses US troops for Afghan occupation
USA Today
"NATO decided Thursday to take control of military operations across all of Afghanistan -- a move that U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld hailed as a 'bold step forward' for the alliance. Under the new arrangements, as many as 12,000 additional American troops will be put under foreign battlefield command, a number that U.S. officials said could be the most since World War II. The move is expected to take place in the next few weeks, NATO spokesman James Appathurai said." (09/28/06)

NATO operational control is no big deal, but as things heat up in Afghanistan once more, it may be key in keeping everything from boiling over. However, it is only loosely connected to the reason NATO was created and has existed for more than a half-century.

MIDDLE EAST TARBABIES: Iraqis to consider autonomous regions
Greeley Tribune
"Iraq's feuding ethnic and sectarian groups agreed Sunday to consider amending the constitution and begin debating legislation to create a federated nation, while the Shiite prime minister appealed for an end to violence during Ramadan. Despite Nouri al-Maliki's plea for peace, violence killed at least 20 Iraqis and wounded 37 a day before the official start of the Muslim holy month. Two U.S. Marines died in combat in restive Anbar province west of Baghdad, the U.S. military said." (09/24/06)

This is nothing but de-jure recognition of a de-facto condition. As for the killing of 37 Shi'a by a Sunni Arab group avenging a Friday attack by a Shi'a "death squad" on Sunni homes, this is a blood feud - business as usual in the Arab world since the dawn of time. Mohammed (pbuh!) tried to end these blood feuds by directing Arabic violence outward, and by establishing codes of conduct - in the last 13 centuries, both methods have failed. I think that American and western efforts will fare no better.

Mama's Note: All of which makes hash out of any remaining reasons for US involvement in the Middle East at all. It was all a waste of blood, treasure and time to start with - but that's not going to stop government from continuing this insanity any time soon.

MIDDLE EAST TARBABIES: Iraq - British forces kill leading terrorist
Bridgerland Herald Journal
"British forces shot and killed a leading al-Qaida terrorist Monday more than a year after he embarrassed the U.S. Military by making an unprecedented escape from a maximum security military prison in Afghanistan, officials said. Omar al-Farouq was gunned down after he opened fire on British forces during a raid on his home in Basra, 340 miles southeast of Baghdad, British forces spokesman Maj. Charlie Burbridge said." (09/25/06)

Apparently the Brits had to clean up after the Amis.

Mama's Note: Right, and this "leader" was no doubt replaced before his body stopped twitching. There are plenty more where he came from, and more being created every day.

MIDDLE EAST TARBABIES: Iraq - US Army extends 4,000 tours of duty in Iraq
MSNBC
"In a new sign of mounting strain from the war in Iraq, the Army has extended the combat tours of about 4,000 soldiers who would otherwise be returning home, defense officials said Monday. The 1st Brigade of 1st Armored Division, which is operating in the vicinity of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, will be kept in place for several weeks beyond its scheduled departure, the officials said. The officials spoke only on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been formally announced by the Pentagon." (09/25/06)

This decision was well-known (and reported, among other places, in the Army Times) weeks ago, but it took our "up-to-the-minute" news channel this long?

MIDDLE EAST TARBABIES: Iraq - Three Marines to face courts-martial
Chippewa Herald
"Three Marines based at Camp Pendleton will face courts-martial on murder charges in the death of an Iraqi man in the town of Hamdania, the Marine Corps said Monday. Gen. James Mattis, the commanding general in the case, said he would not seek the death penalty. The three were among seven Marines and one Navy corpsman charged with kidnapping and murdering 52-year-old Hashim Ibrahim Awad on April 26." (09/25/06)

What does it take for the brass to put the death penalty on the table? IF these troops are indeed scumbags who would kidnap and murder a civilian, their abuse of their power is something which needs a harsh penalty that ensures that they cannot do it again.

Mama's Note: As a "Marine brat" and a Navy widow, my heart simply breaks to think of what the Corps and the Navy have become these days. Is all honor dead? God help us all.

MIDDLE EAST TARBABIES: Iraq is "cause celebre" for extremists
Tacoma News Tribune
"The war in Iraq has become a 'cause celebre' for Islamic extremists, breeding deep resentment of the U.S. that probably will get worse before it gets better, federal intelligence analysts conclude in a report at odds with President Bush's portrayal of a world growing safer. In the bleak report, declassified and released Tuesday on Bush's orders, the nation's most veteran analysts conclude that despite serious damage to the leadership of al-Qaida, the threat from Islamic extremists has spread both in numbers and in geographic reach. Bush and his top advisers have said the formerly classified assessment of global terrorism supported their arguments that the world is safer because of the war." (09/26/06)

Why? Because they are succeeding! While we fiddle around in Iraq and Afghanistan, more and more inroads are made by Islamists in the West, especially Europe. But even the US is failing to fight this threat properly - a threat that is far, far more than a military threat. We waste billions on the less dangerous fight, ignoring the fight for the hearts and minds of Americans, and in fact, seemingly doing everything we can to destroy our own freedoms and make us more like our supposed enemies.

Mama's Note: The Islamic extremists and their jihad would pose no real threat to truly free and self-responsible people. They would simply be eliminated as soon as they crossed the line of non-aggression. Delegating such self defense to government is always a mistake.

MIDDLE EAST TARBABIES: Rumsfeld - No one anticipated insurgency's strength
CNN
"Donald Rumsfeld's Iraqi war plan worked beautifully for three weeks. U.S. troops quickly deposed Saddam Hussein and captured Baghdad with a relatively small force and with lightning speed. But with Iraq on the verge of civil war three years later, the secretary of defense now admits that no one was well-prepared for what would happen after major combat ended. 'Well, I think that anyone who looks at it with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight has to say that there was not an anticipation that the level of insurgency would be anything approximating what it is,' Rumsfeld told CNN for the documentary, 'CNN Presents Rumsfeld -- Man of War,' which debuts Saturday at 8 p.m. ET." (09/28/06)

We didn't, and still don't understand or WANT to understand Arab culture and society - a mistake we share with the Brits, the French, and a lot more people. And we didn't and don't have the gumption to do what was really necessary. When coupled with an aggressive war in the first place, is it any wonder we are in a pickle now?

MIDDLE EAST TARBABIES: Israeli Arabs claim bias in postwar aid
Christian Science Monitor
"As war raged over the heads of residents of this Arab border village last month, resident Rayek Matar hoped that when the fighting stopped the country's Arab minority would be viewed as equals to Israeli Jews after absorbing the same rocket attacks. But when the building contractor and his lawyer realized that businessmen in neighboring Jewish towns near Lebanon were eligible for about 60 percent more government compensation, they decided to file a petition with Israel's Supreme Court charging anti-Arab bias. The court will hear the case of Fassuta and three other Arab border villages next month." (09/28/06)

Kind of foolish of them to think that nearly sixty years of bias could be so easily undone.

NORTH AMERICAN UNION: Canada- Guards walk off job at BC border crossings
CTV [Canada]
"Canadian border guards at four crossings in the Lower Mainland of B.C. have walked off the job in response to a security scare. ...The situation started in the afternoon when U.S. Homeland Security officials told the RCMP that a suspected killer from California, who should be considered armed and dangerous, might try to cross the Canadian border. ... The RCMP informed the border guards, who walked off first at Huntington at 2:15 p.m., then the other three crossings. About 60 guards are believed to be off the job. Canada's border guards are currently unarmed -- the Conservative government has promised a 10-year program to change that -- and have the right to walk off the job if conditions are dangerous. The guards exercised that right." [Editor's note: It takes TEN YEARS to issue GUNS to border guards???? - MLS] (09/24/06)

Yeah, Mary Lou, Canadian government is that bad - look at the gun registry list mess and how long it has taken to do anything about it. Despite many friends in Canada, I have to remember that Canada's cultural heritage (at least, English Canada's) is based on people who were so lickspittle to the British crown that they moved out of the Thirteen States north to stay British subjects. They couldn't tolerate freedom - and sadly, still can't.

NORTH AMERICAN UNION: Mexico opposed to US border fence
Columbia Daily Tribune
"Mexico warned Thursday that the U.S. proposal to build miles of border fence will damage relations between the two countries. The Foreign Relations Department said it was 'deeply worried' about the proposal, which is working its way through the Senate, adding it will 'increase tension in border communities.' 'These measures will harm the bilateral relationship. They are against the spirit of cooperation that is needed to guarantee security on the common border,' the department said in a statement." (09/28/06)

And this should surprise us? As Mexico nears civil war, it will have more to worry about (and so will we).

The 2006 Election Campaigns: Candidate - Dems must stop GOP on Social Security
CNN
"Republicans will revive their effort to overhaul Social Security after the November elections, a 'dangerous' plan that would cut benefits to older Americans, the Democratic candidate for a Denver-area House seat said Saturday. 'We can and must stop them -- right now, before it's too late,' Ed Perlmutter said in the Democrats' weekly radio address. 'Just last year, Democrats stood up to President Bush and the Republicans in Congress, and fought back against this dangerous proposal and defeated it.'" (09/24/06)

"If you tell a lie long enough, it starts to sound like the truth." Clearly this illustrates Democratic belief in this proverb. Of course, the GOP subscribes to the same thing.

The 2006 Election Campaigns: Parties trading blame on bin Laden
Boston Globe
"President Bill Clinton's angry defense of his administration's efforts to eliminate Osama bin Laden has set off a new round of charges about whether Democrats or Republicans are to blame for allowing the Al Qaeda leader to remain a national security threat for more than a decade. Just five weeks before congressional elections, Democrats have seized on the former president's angry retort, during a television interview Sunday, to accuse the Bush administration of dropping the ball that Clinton handed over , while the GOP insists Clinton's defensiveness on the air proves its contention that he was asleep at the switch." (09/26/06)

Heaven forbid that we wait until after the war is over to start fighting about who to blame. Frankly, I think that both sides are right - Bush and Clinton neither one know how to defend this nation against anything more serious than our citizens having too much of their own money in their own pockets.

Mama's Note: Gee, let them fight all they want... gives them just that much less time and energy to pick our pockets.

The 2006 Election Campaigns: Third party struggles in shadow of big guys
Minneapolis Star Tribune
"In 12 years as a major political party in Minnesota, the Independence Party has produced one larger-than-life governor, an appointed U.S. senator for 7½ weeks and a smattering of local officials. Now the party of Jesse Ventura is pinning its hopes on eight statewide and federal candidates, none of whom has ever stood for election before, plus a collection of 17 seekers of lesser offices." (09/28/06)

What difference has this "third party" made in Socialist Minnesota? Not much, as far as I can see from a neighboring state, except possibly to slow the growing behemoth of state and local government.

The 2006 Election Campaigns: Poll - Lieberman leads Lamont by 10 points
Fox News
"Democrat Ned Lamont continues to struggle to find support among Republican and unaffiliated voters in his attempt to defeat three-term incumbent Sen. Joe Lieberman in November's election, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday. Lieberman maintains a 10-point advantage among likely voters in the poll, leading Lamont 49 percent to 39 percent in a three-way race. Republican Alan Schlesinger trails with 5 percent. The race has tightened slightly since an Aug. 17 poll that showed Lieberman leading 53 percent to 41 percent. 'Ned Lamont has lost momentum. He's gained only two points in six weeks,' poll director Douglas Schwartz said. 'He's going to have to do something different in the next six weeks or Sen. Joseph Lieberman stays in for another six years.'" (09/28/06)

Too bad neither of them is the kind of person who belongs in office.

Mama's Note: Hmmm, just who DOES "belong in office?" Nobody has yet explained to me any legitimate reason for there to BE any "office" to start with. The only legitimate government is SELF government. Now, if any of YOU want to "elect" someone to carry out your responsibilities, I can't stop you - but why should I help pay for it?

The 2006 Election Campaigns: House leaders stall defense bill action
Waco Tribune-Herald
"House leaders are holding up action on a major defense bill, demanding that unrelated measures on immigration and court security be attached. The demand leaves uncertain whether Congress will pass the bill -- which authorizes military pay raises, weapons spending and research programs considered vital to national security -- before the budget year starts on Oct. 1. Lawmakers are in a last-minute crush to pass several top-priority bills before leaving at the end of the week to campaign for the Nov. 7 midterm elections." (09/25/06)

Like the next several articles, this is an example of pre-election madness on the part of desperate congrus-kritturs fearful of voters, scurrying like judges running from their courthouse door to their armored cars in the parking garage, before someone can take a shot at them.

The 2006 Election Campaigns: Senate OKs detainee interrogation bill
San Luis Obispo Telegraph Tribune
"The Senate on Thursday endorsed President Bush's plans to prosecute and interrogate terror suspects, all but sealing congressional approval for legislation that Republicans intend to use on the campaign trail to assert their toughness on terrorism. The 65-34 vote means the bill could reach the president's desk by week's end. The House passed nearly identical legislation on Wednesday and was expected to approve the Senate bill on Friday, sending it on to the White House." (09/28/06)

This was followed quickly by the House, sheeplike, and just in time for the elections. It just makes it worse than it would be.

The 2006 Election Campaigns: House approves bill on terror detainees
Idaho Statesman
"The House approved legislation Wednesday giving the Bush administration authority to interrogate and prosecute terrorism detainees, moving President Bush to the edge of a pre-election victory with a key piece of his anti-terror plan. The mostly party-line 253-168 vote in the Republican-run House prompted bitter charges afterward by House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., That opposition Democrats were coddling terrorists, perhaps foreshadowing campaign attack ads to come. Democrats responded that the GOP leader was trying to provoke fear." (09/27/06)

Even more than most legislation, this bill is pure electioneering but will have an impact long after the election is over.

The 2006 Election Campaigns: Retired officers criticize Rumsfeld
San Francisco Examiner
"Retired military officers on Monday bluntly accused Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld of bungling the war in Iraq, saying U.S. Troops were sent to fight without the best equipment and that critical facts were hidden from the public. 'I believe that Secretary Rumsfeld and others in the administration did not tell the American people the truth for fear of losing support for the war in Iraq,' retired Maj. Gen. John R. S. Batiste told a forum conducted by Senate Democrats." (09/25/06)

All of these things are business as usual for the military, and the "fresh outrage" is nothing more than political maneuvering - Democrats are as much to blame for these problems as the GOP administration is.

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.

Special Feature! Add your signature to the NEW Declaration of Independence
By Robert Greenslade

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