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October
30, 2006
Libertarian
Commentary on the News, 22-27 October, 2006
Fortunately, election season is rapidly running its course, and I
for one am glad. Sadly, in our series of world-wide fronts, there is no
season for the ending of strife, either political or physical or cultural,
and I (again, speaking for myself) am tired of it. At the same time, some
things (such as the mess in Canaan) have almost dropped out of the news
this week - they all need a rest anyway, as do we. But for the first time
in a while, I have a number of free speech and school stories to bring
to your attention.
Free Speech
US, Russia slide in press freedom survey
Star [Malaysia]
"Restrictions on civil liberties due to the 'war on terrorism'
have undermined media freedom in the United States and Russia over the
past year, journalists' rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said.
RSF's 2006 Worldwide Press Freedom Index released on Tuesday, a survey
of censorship, intimidation and violence against journalists, found Finland,
Iceland, Ireland and the Netherlands the most media-friendly. North Korea
was last again."
I suppose
that there was some symbolism involved in RRND selecting a Malaysian paper
for this story, which appeared many places, but just wasn't considered
news by most. Malaysia, of course, is hardly a sterling example of a country
promoting freedom and liberty, of the press or anything else. And the
key here is "intimidation" - apparently a cop giving a baleful
look to a gossip reporter as she double-parks counts. Press mavens are
unlikely to "enjoy" the benefits of a habeas-corpus-free court
system but continue to exercise their freedom of speech in this country
to attack other freedoms, such as that of religion and of our right to
defend ourselves.
Free Speech
Total
Information Lives Again
SpaceWar.Com
The new U.S. intelligence czar is developing a computer system capable
of data-mining huge amounts of information about everyday events to discern
patterns that look like terrorist planning. The technology is reminiscent
of the axed Total Information Awareness program. Civil liberties and privacy
advocates criticized the effort, called Tangram, which is being developed
by contractors working for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
As a number
of us predicted, the end of TIA was really not the end: and here it is,
like a year-old reanimated corpse in time for All Hallows' Eve. Who has
the wooden stake?
Mama's
Note: Everyone who objects to this kind of snooping needs to get serious
about not putting personal information out where it can be easily snagged.
Encrypt ALL email, quit
supporting fractional reserve banking and use anonymous
payment systems where possible, or cash. There are thousands of things
you can do to preserve your privacy and increase your liberty. See "Backwoods
Home" for great ideas and entertaining articles.
Free Speech
FL: School newspaper censored
St. Petersburg Times
"There are few issues in American education as widely discussed
as the achievement gap, the racial divide that separates the academic
performance of white and minority students. But not at Hillsborough High
School, where the principal pulled an article detailing the school's achievement
gap from the student newspaper. ... 'If it's something that has a potential
to hurt students' self-esteem, then I have an obligation not to let that
happen,' he said. 'I don't think it's the job of the school newspaper
to embarrass the students.' Editor-in-chief Emily Matras wrote the article,
which included a chart breaking down Hillsborough High student test scores
as reported on the state Education Department's Web site. She wanted to
let classmates know what the school administration was doing to address
the divide, including a schoolwide reading push. Instead, she learned
this lesson: 'High school is not the real world,' said Matras, a junior."
"Self-esteem
outweighs freedom of speech and the press." (13th Article of the
Bill of Rights, apparently, at least the HSH-FL version.) But I have to
tell you, Emily, your GRTF-school IS the real world, where tyrants (principals
and superintendents and school boards in schools; a whole slew of thugs
outside) tell you that what is written on a 219-year-old piece of paper
means nothing.
Mama's
Note: Indeed! Sending children to government school and then protesting
what happens there is like tossing the kids into a shark tank, then being
angry when they are attacked by the sharks! It's a whole lot easier to
keep the kids out of the tank than to fight with the sharks.
Free Speech
US court takes up COPA dispute
eSchool News
"Eight years after Congress tried to criminalize the online posting
of material deemed 'harmful to children,' free-speech advocates and web
site publishers took their challenge of the law to trial Oct. 23. Salon.com,
Nerve.com, and other plaintiffs backed by the American Civil Liberties
Union (ACLU) are suing over the 1998 Child Online Protection Act (COPA).
They believe the law could restrict legitimate material they publish online
-- exposing them to fines or even jail time."
Of course,
if Congress follows Hillsborough's definition of "harmful to children"
we all should be in this suit.
Mama's
Note: Without a realistic definition of what is "harmful to children,"
(not to mention responsible parenting) we'll all be in jail under this
insanity.
GRTF (Government
Ruined, Theft Funded) Schools:
All homework and no play ...
Tennessean
"Imagine, after a full day's work, you come home and put in a
couple more hours' worth. Now translate that to school. It's what some
students face every day. 'I hate homework,' said Hillsboro High freshman
Meagan Beckham, who has several honors classes in her schedule and complains
that take-home assignments take away from her free time. 'I'd much rather
have less homework or no homework.' Of course, it's not called homework
for being quick and easy. 'Starting in middle school, homework was incredibly
discouraging for my children because they'd already gone to school for
a long day and they came home with huge amounts of homework that took
them into late at night,' said Wendy Kurland, mother of two college students
and director of the Homework Hotline, a nonprofit that serves 28 counties
in the area. 'As grownups, if we had jobs like that, we would quit.'"
Closely
tied to the last two articles, we see this little whiny piece of tripe:
sure to be taken seriously by the liberal segment of the population. And
sorry, Wendy, I've been working in the "grownup" world for 33
years now, and ALL my jobs seem to have been like that. The only "40-hour"
jobs around are menial ones (clerking at convenience stores, flipping
burgers, or similar things) or union-government jobs at the lower levels
and pay scale.
Mama's
Note: Of course, if all of the stupid crap was taken out of the average
"school" curriculum and homework, there wouldn't be much to
complain about - and children might actually learn something useful once
in a while. The answer isn't less homework, it's getting rid of the garbage
at every level in the education of our children. Get them OUT of the government
schools if you care about this at all.
GRTF Schools:
British pupils
"cannot locate UK"
BBC News [UK]
"One in five young British children cannot find the UK on a map
of the world, a magazine's research suggests. National Geographic Kids
said it also found fewer than two thirds of children were able to correctly
locate the US. The magazine, which questioned more than 1,000 six to 14-year-olds,
said it discovered several children in London did not to know it was the
UK capital. But the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women
Teachers branded the findings as 'nonsense.'"
Now, if
you want to really be scared, ask the "grownups" these questions.
Notice the immediate (and correct) reaction of the union. Of course, this
is nonsense - but what else can we expect from the pitiful excuse for
schools where self-esteem is more important than truth, and limited work-hours
more critical than actually learning anything good.
GRTF Schools:
GA: Chilly schools
won't turn on heat
WSBTV News
"Students and teachers at one DeKalb County school say the freezing
temperatures we saw overnight made it awful chilly inside their classrooms.
They can't understand why the school system wouldn't turn on the heat.
The school system says no matter [how] cold it gets, it's their practice
to turn the heat on in all schools on October 30. ... A DeKalb County
Schools spokesperson told Channel 2 that's not entirely true. We found
out the school district doesn't turn on the heat system-wide until October
30. And once the heat is on for all schools -- it stays on. ... The school
system did tell us that principals can petition to have their heat turned
on before October 30. But if it warms up, the heat won't be turned off
-- so many principals choose to wait." [Editor's note: Like the
fuel used on one unnecessary "over-warm" day wouldn't cost more
than installing some FRIGGIN' THERMOSTATS? - TLK]
Oh, dear.
My heart bleeds. If this is such a big deal, perhaps the students and
teachers should all go to the private sector, where the school owners
and customers can dictate when the heat is turned on and off.
Mama's
Note: Ah yes, the "one size" fits nobody of government operations.
It's been a LONG time since I went to school, of course, but one thing
I remember was how HOT it always was and how much I enjoyed recess or
a change of classes, simply because I could get out into the fresh air.
I remember school rooms always smelling bad in cold weather, full of sweaty
bodies, warm bologna sandwiches, chalk, and assorted other smells - many
of which I never identified.
GRTF Schools:
Money starts flowing in teacher bonus
program
Arizona Republic
"In the closing weeks of the fall campaign, the Bush administration
is handing out money for teachers who raise student test scores, the first
federal effort to reward classroom performance with bonuses. The 16 grants
total $42 million and cover many states. The government has announced
only the first grants, $5.5 million for Ohio, where Education Secretary
Margaret Spellings was to make the presentation today. The department
will release the remaining grants in the weeks leading up to the Nov.
7 election in which a reeling Republican Party is eager for good news.
In Ohio, the GOP can trumpet the news of money for the state education
department. The $5.5 million will go to schools in Cleveland, Cincinnati,
Columbus and Toledo."
More theft-by-government,
of course. Illegal federal expenditures to welfare schools, increasing
previous welfare payments in exchange for meeting really meaningless goals.
GRTF Schools:
Feds
ease limits on same sex schools
Breitbart
"For the first time in a generation, public schools have won broad
freedom to teach boys and girls separately, stirring a new debate about
equality in the classroom. The Education Department on Tuesday announced
rules that will make it easier to create single-sex classes or schools,
a plan that's been expected for almost three years. The move comes as
the value of same-sex education is in doubt. Research shows mixed results,
as even the department's own review says. Yet Education Secretary Margaret
Spellings said more parents deserve to have the option. The push began
not with the White House, but rather with female senators of both parties."
A "solution"
for a "problem" that should have never existed, if not for government
interference in education in the first place. And as you can see, it is
being challenged as well, but more on political grounds than anything
substantial. Parents, get your kids out of these schools!
GRTF Schools:
Texas District Disavows
Anti-Killer Training
Denver Post
A suburban Fort Worth school district that has been teaching students
to attack a gunman if he invades a classroom said Wednesday that it has
halted the program. The district will continue to train students in how
to respond to life-threatening situations but no longer will show them
how to take down an attacker, spokesman Richard Crummel said.
As the
trainer said, this completely invalidates the entire program: kids aren't
allowed to defend themselves and each other in this school, clearly, even
if it is only with pencils and schoolbooks. It is time to arm teachers
- except that few of them are willing to be armed. So it is past time
to GET YOUR KIDS OUT!!!! (Thanks to Tim for this article.)
Home Front:
Poll: Most Americans say no one winning
in Iraq
CNN
"One in five Americans believes the United States is winning the
war in Iraq, according to a poll. The number has dropped by half since
December. About the same number -- 18 percent -- believe insurgents are
winning. But the majority, 60 percent, say no one is winning in Iraq.
The poll of 1,013 adult Americans interviewed by telephone found two-thirds
-- 64 percent -- of those polled oppose the war in Iraq."
Like all
polls, this means little. Notice that seldom do we ever hear about polls
asking questions like "Is the earth round?" or "Which way
is west?" or "What is the square root of twenty-five?"
Why? Because we'd quickly find out that far too many people are exhibiting
all the signs of intelligence of an eggplant - a rotten eggplant, at that.
Compare this to the Brit poll this week that found that very few students
could even find the British Isles on a map of the world, and then ask
yourself, is "democracy" worth it?
Home Front:
NY: Activists take ferry in free speech
protest
Staten Island Advance
"A group of nearly 100 antiwar activists, most wearing black T-shirts
with the legend 'We Will Not Be Silent,' boarded two evening ferryboats
yesterday to exercise their right to free speech. The event, which brought
together several antiwar groups from around the city, was organized in
response to an Oct. 9 incident on the Staten Island Ferry. ... Stephanie
Schwartz, a Hunter College student from Manhattan, said she was warned
by Coast Guard security officers not to wear the shirt -- with Arabic
writing and the English translation -- on the boat anymore, due to security
concerns. ... Coast Guard spokesman Chief Tom Sperduto said he was aware
of Ms. Schwartz's claim, but said the Coast Guard personnel on the boat
that day denied telling Ms. Schwartz that she shouldn't wear the shirt."
A baffling
little protest, which makes no sense at all - both as to why the USCG
personnel would care what a tee-shirt said (in New York? Please!) and
as to why this would merit a protest - except that any press coverage
is worth whatever bizarre behavior people can come up with, apparently.
Mama's
Note: I don't know anything about New York, but even here in Wyoming a
government school child can be sent home or punished if they have a shirt
or anything showing a picture or any likeness of a gun! Nobody has ever
explained just how the picture of something can harm anyone, but that
certainly never stopped a "zero tolerance" witch hunt yet.
Home Front:
Radical
Islam finds US "sterile ground"
Christian Science Monitor
"The Islamist radicalism that inspired young Muslims to attack
their own countries -- in London, Madrid, and Bali -- has not yielded
similar incidents in the United States, at least so far. 'Home-grown'
terror cells remain a concern of US law officers, who cite several disrupted
plots since 9/11. But the suspects' unsophisticated planning and tiny
numbers have led some security analysts to conclude that America, for
all its imperfections, is not fertile ground for producing jihadist terrorists.
To understand why, experts point to people like Omar Jaber, an AmeriCorps
volunteer; Tarek Radwan, a human rights advocate; and Hala Kotb, a consultant
on Middle East affairs. They are the face of young Muslim-Americans today
-- educated, motivated, and integrated into society -- and their voices
help explain how the nation's history of inclusion has helped to defuse
sparks of Islamist extremism."
Steve Trinward
(RRND/FND) points out correctly that this weakens the basis of the nastiness
being promoted and performed by the Bush Administration. But the real
point here is to ask WHY the US is less fertile ground: inclusion may
be part of it, but France, the Netherlands, Britain have all demonstrated
this "inclusiveness" and yet they have problems. While I don't
know the answer, I can certain suggest one or more: first, despite significant
degradation of our freedoms, we ARE significantly more free across the
spectrum than old Europe or Africa or Asia. Second, we are more religious
than Europe, by a long shot - but mostly made up of religious groups that
DO encourage human dignity and freedom and peace, and to put it bluntly
and literally, the right of people to go to Hell in their own way if they
so choose.
Home Front:
Older recruits fill out military
Boston Globe
"Kevin Adams, 39, has a white-collar job, a girlfriend, a cat,
and a home in Marblehead. For exercise, he likes to sail. At 4 a.m. tomorrow
, he will leave all that behind and head off for basic training at Fort
Benning, Ga., where a drill sergeant will order him to do push-ups, sit-ups,
and run with recruits half his age. Adams has signed up for a six-year
stint in the Army Reserve. That commitment could mean deployment to Iraq,
where Reserve and National Guard soldiers are an integral part of the
occupying force, and where recent US fatalities have made October one
of the deadliest months of the war."
Problems
with recruiting and retention have, of course, led to a changed situation
that should have been adopted decades ago. While youth is critical in
many military jobs, there are still many more jobs where age is no barrier.
Fortunately, the National Guard and Reserve, unlike the Active Force,
are not so tied to the beloved concept of "up or out" and older
"junior" soldiers and officers are accepted.
Mama's
Note: No standing army is compatible with liberty and justice. The true
"militia" of able bodied men and women of every age need to
train together to defend their homes and families.
Home Front:
Whites
appealed Katrina insurance more
Associated Press
"Though poor and minority neighborhoods suffered the brunt of
Katrina's fury, residents living in white neighborhoods have been three
times as likely as homeowners in black neighborhoods to seek state help
in resolving insurance disputes, according to an Associated Press computer
analysis. The analysis of Louisiana's insurance complaints settled in
the first year after Katrina highlights a cold, hard truth exposed by
Katrina's winds and waters: People of color and modest means, who often
need the most help after a major disaster, are disconnected from the government
institutions that can provide it, or distrustful of those in power. The
Littles and the Kitchens watched helplessly as Hurricane Katrina battered
their homes. Both families waited patiently for an insurance adjuster
to settle their losses. And both were sorely disappointed with the outcome.
Then, their paths diverged."
Statistics
don't tell lies, but liars use statistics. All these conclusions are strictly
subjective - the same statistics could be used to demonstrate exactly
the opposite, but that wouldn't be acceptable to the AP's media outlets.
It also shows some preconceptions: that only the government can provide
help, that people have to go to the government, and that people even should
go to the government.
Mama's
Note: And none of this demonstrated in the least that anyone had LESS
OPPORTUNITY to appeal or beg for help, so what is the point anyway? More
race baiting to keep us fighting one another.
Home Front:
OH: Town
holds Halloween sex offender roundup
Fox News
"Officials in Lima want to make sure sex offenders have no contact
with children out trick-or-treating. During the two hours Saturday afternoon
when kids will be out collecting candy, people convicted of sex crimes
will be rounded up and kept under supervision. Project director Jim Wingate
with the Allen County Sex Offender Risk Reduction Court said children
going to strangers' houses might be vulnerable. He said sex offenders
who don't show up will be jailed. Bill Kluge, a Lima defense attorney
called the plan 'ludicrous,' noting that the sex offenders wear ankle
monitors, so authorities already know where they are. Approximately 40
sex offenders will be affected by the trick-or-treating roundup, according
to the Lima News."
Of course,
this is basically what the entire US Government did in the case of the
Iraqi invasion, isn't it? Where are the parents? (Probably getting ready
for their debauched "Halloween" parties, I guess, based on the
ads I keep seeing for "adult" costumes and decorations.) Of
course, this is Ohio, one of the more tyrannical states in this disunited
union.
Mama's
Note: This could be applied to a great many things, of course... How soon
before they begin to "round up" all gun owners after every school
shooting, or all smokers, or all homeschoolers... ??? Those can be, and
many times are, considered "crimes" too.
Home Front:
Drug raid yields Los Alamos documents
Kankakee Daily Journal
"A drug bust at a trailer park in New Mexico turned up what appeared
to be classified documents taken from the Los Alamos nuclear weapons laboratory,
authorities said Tuesday. Local police found the documents while arresting
a man suspected of domestic violence and dealing methamphetamine from
his mobile home, said Sgt. Chuck Ney of the Los Alamos, N.M., Municipal
Police Department."
Hmmm. Couldn't
make enough selling poor-quality meth and was expanding? Or does the guy
work at Los Alamos and need the meth himself to keep up with his work,
and found a market for his better-quality meth?
Home Front:
Some cities will vote on Iraq withdrawal
Rockford Register Star
"For a week and a half, 81-year-old Hamer Lacey hauled his broken
back and clipboard to a Gloucester grocery store parking lot, looking
for signatures of residents who shared his fervent opposition to the war
in Iraq. His work over the summer put Gloucester among 139 Massachusetts
communities where residents will vote next month on a nonbinding question
that calls for an immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. Voters in several
cities in Wisconsin and Illinois will consider a similar question."
A dedicated
man - although for the life of me I can not see why he (or the others
doing this) is wasting his time getting towns to vote on something like
this, when such things were abdicated to the feds centuries ago. (I suppose
it is a good sign that some people, even the elderly, are now fed up with
that fact, however.) Like the next group, I applaud his courage and work.
Home Front:
Troops petition for Iraq withdrawal
Washington Post
"More than 100 U.S. service members have signed a rare appeal
urging Congress to support the 'prompt withdrawal' of all American troops
and bases from Iraq, organizers said yesterday. 'Staying in Iraq will
not work and is not worth the price. It is time for U.S. troops to come
home,' reads the statement of a small grass-roots group of active-duty
military personnel and reservists that says it aims to give U.S. military
members a voice in Iraq war policy. ... The unusual appeal -- the first
of its kind in the Iraq war, organizers say -- makes use of a legal protection
afforded by the Military Whistle-Blower Protection Act, which provides
that members of the military, acting in their capacity as citizens, can
send a protected communication to Congress without reprisal."
100 out
of a million - I could probably get that many in Fort Riley alone, because
I know how soldiers like to gripe - and none of us really savor the idea
of getting killed in Iraq, or even having to spend 12 or 16 months in
120F heat and dust and danger. And it is essentially meaningless, when
you consider that just the Army generates at least a hundred "Congressionals"
every workday: a letter sent by a soldier to a Congressman complaining
about everything from lost pay to failed promotions to poor conditions
in the barracks to the way their wife (or husband) was snubbed in the
PX. But I do applaud their moral courage in doing this.
Iraqi Front
Iraq: 86 US dead in October
Washington Post
"At least 15 Iraqi police recruits were killed Sunday when two
buses taking them to Baghdad were ambushed by insurgents north of the
capital, a local police official said. Twenty-five recruits were injured
in the attack, and 20 others were kidnapped, he said. On Sunday and Monday,
the U.S. Military announced the deaths of seven soldiers and a Marine,
bringing the number of U.S. Troops killed in Iraq this month to 86 --
the fifth-highest total in any single month since the war began. The only
higher monthly tolls were 137 in November 2004, 135 in April 2004, 106
in January 2005, and 96 in October, 2005. Attacks against U.S. and Iraqi
forces in Baghdad have increased more than 40 percent since midsummer,
U.S. Military officials say."
Continued
US and Iraqi casualties have made this a very bloody month indeed.
Iraqi Front
US diplomat apologizes for
candor
MSNBC
"A senior U.S. diplomat apologized Sunday night for saying U.S.
policy in Iraq displayed 'arrogance' and 'stupidity.' A day after his
remarks in an interview were broadcast by the pan-Arab satellite channel
Al-Jazeera, Alberto Fernandez issued a written apology through the State
Department press office. 'Upon reading the transcript of my appearance
on Al-Jazeera, I realized that I seriously misspoke by using the phrase
'there has been arrogance and stupidity' by the U.S. in Iraq,' said Fernandez,
director of public diplomacy in State's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs."
Even though
he had to back water, at least, for once, a diplomat spoke the truth.
Iraqi Front
Corrupt arms deals cost Iraq $800
million
Stevens Point Journal
"Iraq's former finance minister alleged in a U.S. television report
aired Sunday that up to $800 million meant to equip the Iraqi army had
been stolen from the government by former officials through fraudulent
arms deals. The former minister Ali Allawi told CBS' '60 Minutes' that
$1.2 billion had been allocated from the Iraqi treasury to the defense
ministry to buy new weapons. About $400 million was spent on outdated
equipment, while the rest of the money was simply stolen, he said."
I don't
know whether to believe Allawi or not - he is as corrupt as anyone in
the Iraqi government and has always had his own agenda. But I have no
doubt that millions, or even billions, have been stolen, as can be expected
in any third-world (and most first-world) countries.
Iraqi Front
White House says Iraqis can be pushed
only so far
USA Today
"The White House said Monday that it is working with the Iraqi
leadership to end religious violence -- but it cautioned against pushing
too hard on the fragile government. White House spokesman Tony Snow said
it would be counterproductive to threaten to withdraw U.S. forces if goals
aren't reached. 'We're not in the business of issuing ultimatums,' Snow
said. Snow made the remarks amid growing concerns that Iraq's government
is not taking action to reach a political consensus that would disarm
private militias blamed for much of the violence."
No kidding?
Snow's remarks are as silly as those people who make stupid comments about
Iraqis reaching "political consensus" on anything at all.
Korean
Front
North Korea said to be willing to
talk
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"North Korea is amenable to returning to international nuclear
talks if the U.S. shows a willingness to resolve a dispute over the North's
alleged counterfeiting and money laundering, a South Korean lawmaker said
Monday. A Japanese legislator, meanwhile, said a top Chinese official
who recently visited Pyongyang indicated China was not optimistic that
North Korea will end its nuclear program or reenter disarmament talks
soon."
I understand
that the counterfeiting is hardly "alleged" - having been proven
in court multiple times and being an open secret on the peninsula. And
of course, all governments engage in some form of money laundering. And
it is hardly a surprise that NK is willing to talk - that is the only
way they will get more freebies from long-suffering western taxpayers,
of course.
North American
Union:
Mexico extradited 50 fugitives to US
Sheboygan Press
"Mexico has extradited a record 50 fugitives to the United States
this year, including several alleged drug traffickers, murders and rapists,
U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza announced Tuesday. Garza said the extraditions
showed that Mexico is no longer a haven for U.S. criminals. 'Fugitives
allegedly committed crimes in the United States and thought they would
enjoy free and unfettered lives south of the border,' Garza said in a
statement."
Fifty is
a record? A pretty poor one, then. I would expect the "routine"
extradition to be several thousand a year, given the number of expatriates
living in each country. Shucks, during the War Between the States there
were more "extraditions" between Mexico and Texas than fifty
a year.
North American
Union:
Poll: Americans for more border cops,
not a fence
CNN
"Although a majority of Americans support increasing the number
of Border Patrol agents along the U.S.-Mexico border, most do not support
building a 700-mile fence along the border, according to a CNN poll released
Wednesday. Seventy-four percent of 1,013 poll respondents said they would
be in favor of more U.S. agents along the border. But only 45 percent
said they wanted a border fence built, according to the survey conducted
by Opinion Research Corp. on behalf of CNN. And while 58 percent said
they would support large fines on employers who hire illegal immigrants,
54 percent said they would oppose jail terms for those employers."
About the
only thing this poll shows is that those groups and power brokers opposed
to limiting border crossings with a fence have done a very good job of
demonizing the idea - making the thing sound like a new Berlin Wall. As
I comment elsewhere, polls show the ignorance and inability of people
to reason - and the disparity in the questions on fines versus jail demonstrate
that.
Politics
2006 and Beyond:
AZ: High court allows new voter ID
law
Los Angeles Times
"The Supreme Court cleared the way Friday for Arizona to enforce
a new rule for next month's election that requires most voters to show
proof of identification before casting a ballot. In an unsigned and apparently
unanimous opinion, the justices reversed a ruling by the U.S. 9th Circuit
Court of Appeals in San Francisco that had blocked the Arizona law from
taking effect this year. The justices emphasized that they were not ruling
on the still-pending constitutional challenge to the law. They also noted
that the law included some exceptions for eligible voters without photo
identification. Nonetheless, Friday's order is likely to be seen as a
benefit for Republican candidates and a setback for Democrats."
The only
reason that this law could be viewed as "favoring" one political
party over another is if one political party has (or expects) to benefit
from people breaking the law and voting illegally: requiring an ID to
vote is far more justifiable than requiring an ID to buy cigarettes or
alcohol, yet one party consistently supports one but not the other - it
is, indeed, the hit dog that barks.
Politics
2006 and Beyond:
NY: Opponent lauds Clinton ... for
president
Gainesville Sun
"Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Spencer said Sunday that
his rival Hillary Rodham Clinton would make a 'tremendous' presidential
candidate if she chose to run in 2008 and criticized Americans who say
they hate her. ... 'From a Republican point of view, maybe she would be
an excellent candidate because we can beat her,' Spencer later told reporters.
Clinton's presumed national ambitions took center stage in the early moments
of the forum, but she refused to disclose her plans for 2008, saying she
had not made up her mind. Yet, she also refused to say whether she would
commit to serving another six-year term in the Senate."
Shades
of Lady Bird Johnson - she wanted to LBJ out from under foot, so she got
him to run for the legislature.
Mama's
Note: How cute and coy... as if she's not plotting day and night for the
chance to occupy the dictator's chair! Just imagine how much fun we'll
have if she's given the chance! She'd fill the cabinet with people like
Janet Reno in a heartbeat. She'd give or do ANYTHING for the chance to
be Empress of the world - dictator. Bet on it.
Politics
2006 and Beyond:
Electronic
voting machines could skew elections
ABC News
"Cheryl Kagan, a former Maryland Democratic legislator, was shocked
when she opened her mail Wednesday morning. Inside, she discovered three
computer discs. With them was an anonymous letter saying the discs contained
the secret source code for vote-counting that could be used to alter the
votes cast through Maryland's new electronic voting machines. 'My understanding
is that with these disks a malicious person could skew the outcome of
an election,' Kagan said. Diebold, the company that makes the voting machines,
told ABC News, 'These discs do not alter the security of the Diebold touch-screen
system in any way,' because election workers can set their own passwords.
But ABC News has obtained an independent report commissioned by the state
of Maryland and conducted by Science Applications International Corporation
revealing that the original Diebold factory passwords are still being
used on many voting machines."
We are
hearing more, earlier, about the potential problems with electronic voting
- my family and I are casting old-fashioned paper ballots, even if we
are mailing them in. But really, this just gives a different way to steal
elections, not (as some imply) that elections were once honest and now
are not.
Mama's
Note: A vote not cast can't be "stolen" or changed. I will never
again vote for any candidates for political office, only AGAINST the various
taxes and other freedom destroying "laws." If I ever get a chance
to vote FOR a repeal of anything, I'll be first in line... but I'm not
going to lend any legitimacy to the scam of electoral politics.
Politics
2006 and Beyond:
Chicago voter
database hacked
ABC News
"As if there weren't enough concerns about the integrity of the
vote, a nonpartisan civic organization today claimed it had hacked into
the voter database for the 1.35 million voters in the city of Chicago.
Bob Wilson, an official with the Illinois Ballot Integrity Project --
which bills itself as a not-for-profit civic organization dedicated to
the correction of election system deficiencies -- tells ABC News that
last week his organization hacked the database, which contains detailed
information about hundreds of thousands of Chicago voters, including their
Social Security numbers, and dates of birth. 'It was a serious identity
theft problem, but also a problem that could potentially create problems
with the election,' Wilson said. A nefarious hacker could have changed
every voter's status from active to inactive, which would have prevented
them from voting, he said."
Gee - wouldn't
that be kind of like going through the obituary columns? Chicago has always
been known as one of the cities with the most generous of franchise -
where you can keep voting for years and years after you're in the ground.
Sadly, until something like that nasty little scenario DOES happen, this
will be a continuing problem. (Of course, a truly "nefarious"
hacker would simply allow the people to vote, but record what HE wanted
them to vote regardless of what they did on the ballot, and would anyone
ever really notice the difference? Especially in Chicago?) (Several detailed
studies have concluded that the old Mayor Daley's political machine bought
the 1960 election for JFK by a very good turnout from what would today
be classified as a "disadvantaged minority" - the "life-challenged"
climbing from their 4x8 plots to cast their ballots.)
Politics
2006 and Beyond:
Fox
appears in campaign ads; Limbaugh mocks
People
"Michael J. Fox, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, appears
in a TV ad for a Senate candidate who supports stem-cell research, and
the severe shaking and stiffness associated with the disease are evident
in his movements. But conservative [sic] radio host Rush Limbaugh has
accused the actor of exaggerating his symptoms for the camera. Commenting
on Fox's commercial for Missouri Senate challenger Claire McCaskill, Limbaugh
said on his syndicated radio program Tuesday, 'He is moving around and
shaking, and it is purely an act.' ... Parkinson's is a chronic, progressive
disorder of the central nervous system that renders patients increasingly
unable to control their movements.
As I suspected,
as soon as I read and heard the stories about Fox's appearance and Limbaugh's
story, most places would not report what Fox later admitted (confirming
what Limbaugh had speculated about) - Fox either increases or goes off
his medication in order to let his symptoms reappear when going to testify
before legislative committees, and did so in order to make this advertisement.
Given that he has medication that does allow him to control his movements,
and voluntarily changed the dosage for the sole purpose of making a statement,
it was indeed "purely an act." If someone did something like
this before an interview to determine their eligibility for a disability
pension or some similar action, what they did would be rightly considered
fraud and deception. But since Michael J. Fox just wants to steal more
money from the taxpayer, I guess it isn't. And people have the gall to
blame Limbaugh? Please. Sadly, too many people would rather vent their
hatred of Rush Limbaugh than recognize that Fox is even more of an enemy
of liberty than Limbaugh is.
Mama's
Note: The pot calling the kettle black. A pox on both of them.
Politics
2006 and Beyond:
TN: GOP pulls anti-Ford ad
Tennessean
"A controversial ad by the Republican National Committee -- that
some said was tinged with racist overtones -- is no longer running, Ken
Mehlman, RNC chairman told CNN today. The campaigns of U.S. Senate candidate
Republican Bob Corker, which the commercial was seeking to help, and rival
Democrat Harold Ford Jr. had both called for the ad to be pulled. Corker's
camp called it 'tacky' and 'over the top.' The commercial, which began
airing last Friday, attacked Ford's liberal votes and his attendance at
a Playboy Super Bowl party last year. One character in the ad, a scantily
clad blonde woman, tells viewers she partied with Harold and later coos,
'Harold, call me.'" [FND editor's note: The mud is getting deeper
and thicker in this race, with still a couple weeks to go. Corker currently
leads by a point or two, but the aftereffects of this slimeball ad could
cost him dearly - SAT]
I've not
seen the ad, but I heard it several times, and while nasty, I'd hardly
call it slimeball - how can you insult a man like Harold Ford Jr.? And
wouldn't it be more racist if it were a black prostitute propositioning
him? Politics is already a dirty business, especially in Tennessee, and
the Ford family is the poster child for this - telling the truth in a
disgusting but attention-getting way is hardly making it dirtier.
Politics
2006 and Beyond:
PA: Santorum in fight for political
future
San Francisco Chronicle
"There is probably no one the left would rather see defeated this
November than Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. The two-term Republican
is a reliable ally of President Bush on matters from Iraq to confirming
judges. He is a religious conservative who has spoken out against abortions,
gay unions and contraception. He is a liaison to the business community
and a consistent vote against environmental regulation. He is No. 3 in
the GOP's Senate hierarchy. By most measures, he is the most vulnerable
incumbent in the Senate. With just more than two weeks remaining before
election day, Democrat Bob Casey Jr. leads Santorum in surveys by anywhere
from 5 to 13 percentage points. Democrats regard Santorum's seat as the
surest bet of the six GOP seats they need to win a Senate majority."
As with
the mainstream media's review of McCain below, this leaves a lot to be
desired as an accurate and unbiased report. Oh, for the chance to vote
for "none of the above!"
Politics
2006 and Beyond:
McCain hawkish, and lonely, on Iraq
Boston Globe
"As Senator John McCain travels the nation on behalf of Republican
candidates, his proposal to send tens of thousands of additional US troops
to Iraq is making things awkward for some of the congressional candidates
he's campaigning for. His stance is also shaping the early stages of the
2008 presidential campaign. As public support for the war dwindles, it
is hard to find any Republican candidates who publicly agree with McCain,
an Arizona Republican who is among the party's brightest hopes for the
presidency in 2008. While staunch military supporters such as Virginia's
Republican senators, John W. Warner and George Allen, have begun to suggest
a change of course in Iraq with fewer US troops, McCain's proposal to
add troops has distanced him from the mainstream of his party."
The Globe,
of course, is only reflecting the mainstream media in calling McCain one
of the GOP's "brightest hopes" - the man has long since left
the GOP's conservative and mainstream wings, and has more in common with
Chaffee and such ilk than with Goldwater's proto-libertarianism. His hawkishness
is carefully calculated to offset his liberalism.
Mama's
Note: Oh, what a campaign that would be. Queen Hillary on the left, and
Rambo McCain on the right... with all of us caught in the middle. Now,
if the Libertarians ran Ron Paul, things could get interesting... but
you know that's not going to happen, and I wouldn't wish that on Ron for
anything.
Politics
2006 and Beyond:
Rising star Obama weighs White House
run
Rocky Mountain News
"Sen. Barack Obama acknowledged Sunday he was considering a run
for president in 2008, backing off previous statements that he would not
do so. The Illinois Democrat said he could no longer stand by the statements
he made after his 2004 election and earlier this year that he would serve
a full six-year term in Congress. He said he would not make a decision
until after the Nov. 7 elections."
Of course
Obama is now "presidential timber" - he just announced that
he is breaking his pledge to serve. Just another thug.
Mama's
Note: Somehow, I just don't think this guy is a viable candidate, whatever
his integrity. Every time I hear or see that last name I have to think
hard about who he is... and it always sounds weird - like an African dictator
or something.
Politics
2006 and Beyond:
GOP losses could spark partisan warfare
Zanesville Times Recorder
"The White House is bracing for guerrilla warfare on the homefront
politically if Republicans lose control of the House, the Senate or both
-- and with it, the president's ability to shape and dominate the national
agenda. Republicans are battling to keep control of Congress. But polls
and analysts in both parties increasingly suggest Democrats will capture
the House and possibly the Senate on Election Day Nov. 7."
"Partisan
warfare" - does that mean Democratic suicide-bombers blowing themselves
up outside "conservative" churches or Young Republican assembly
places, while GOP death squads mow down rubber-chicken-eaters at Jefferson-Jackson
Day banquets? One can only hope.
Politics
2006 and Beyond: (and War on Some Drugs)
CO: Pot issue's
fate at polls hazy
Denver Post
"If Amendment 44 passes Nov. 7, Colorado could become the first
state where voters have approved marijuana for recreational use. Safer
Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation launched the campaign to legalize
pot after a successful initiative in Denver last year. 'Law enforcement
should not have to worry about a person smoking a joint in their own house,'
said Mason Tvert, SAFER's campaign director. But not everyone agrees with
Tvert and his group, who promote marijuana as a healthier and safer alternative
to alcohol use. ... Opponents and supporters point to a 9News-sponsored
poll from Sept. 28 that shows 29 percent of voters approve of the initiative
while 36 percent would vote no. Thirty-five percent indicated they were
undecided."
This is
clearly a much different issue than the medical marijuana issue on the
ballot elsewhere, and passed in many places. One might suspect that the
big splashy bust made in Northern Colorado this week (see "War on
Some Drugs" section below) might be part of an effort to influence
voters on this measure.
Politics
2006 and Beyond: (and War on Some Drugs)
SD: State will decide on medical marijuana
Sioux Falls Argus Leader
"About three times a day, Valerie Hannah uses the only drug she
says gives her relief from constant pain. But she can't go to the drugstore
to get it, because marijuana is illegal. That's why the Deerfield resident
is advocating the medical marijuana measure on the Nov. 7 ballot. 'I think
what this measure would do would protect people like me,' said Hannah,
42. If voters approve Initiated Measure 4, South Dakota would join 11
other states that allow some patients to grow and smoke marijuana to help
ease their medical problems. Residents of those states still can face
federal drug charges."
Meanwhile,
South Dakota is seeing a wave of vandalism as "pro-choice" supporters
deface election signs urging a "Yes" vote to sustain the new
law banning almost all abortions - vandalism that not one of the many
groups sponsoring an $8 million dollar effort (that's about 10 dollars
per resident of South Dakota) to keep the state from outlawing killing
children in the womb, have condemned or even deigned to notice.
Page
2 Click HERE Link checked!! Our
Right To Defend Ourselves and more!
Nathan
Barton is writing this from a wonderful place in the West, which might
be in the Black Hills of South Dakota or Wyoming, or might be in one of
the Four Corners States. Exactly where it is, the breezes blow with the
scent of liberty, and the sound of the pines or the pinions is the sound
of freedom. For thousands of years, people have fought and died for the
liberty that Americans in the great spaces of the West enjoy, and he writes
these commentaries in the hopes that continued generations will be able
to do so, until the end of Time.
Be sure
to visit my blog, Liberty's
Outpost.
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By Robert Greenslade
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Tread on Me flags used by the June 23d Movement and other Property Rights
Organizations: you
can get them for $10.00 plus shipping here.
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