November 13, 2006

Libertarian Commentary on the News, 12-18 November, 2006
I have decided, based on recent events in the Middle East and my further study of the history of the region and of Islam, that I shall no more use the term “Iraq” or “Iraqi Front” and shall instead refer to it by its traditional name “Mesopotamia.”

Iraq has only existed for about 80 years, being a forced amalgam of pieces of three Ottoman Imperial provinces (velayet) in 1923 by the British and an Arab would-be emperor (Faisal, son of Hussein ibn Ali of the Hashemite family, Sharif of Mecca; who had tried to establish a “Kingdom of Syria in 1920 and been chased out by the French). Since then, under “kings” and “presidents,” this failed excuse for a nation has been torn constantly by political, ethnic, cultural, and religious strife.

It is time to recognize that “Iraq” is a foolish mistake – as dangerously stupid as other failed empires of history, such as the Soviet Union, Grossdeutschland (the Third Reich), and Yugoslavia. And I, for one, will not bother to play their silly little game anymore. The only reason that everyone hasn’t gone their own way is that all the various groups want their “share” of the oil under the ground – in other words, they are squabbling over loot – a typical Arab and Middle Eastern preoccupation for millennia.

It is time for the Kurds, the Armenians, the Marsh Arabs, the Shi’a, the Sunni, the Bedouin and whatever else to set up their own little states on the order of the CIS or the Balkans or the American Indian tribes. Let Fallujah and Anbar Province go off on their own, and if they want to kill each other in their own squalid cities or villages or camps, then so be it. Provide freewill assistance to those who want to defend themselves, stop wasting money supporting a new bunch of thugs who only want to reestablish THEIR version of the caliphate and cleanse the world of unbelievers, and offer freedom and liberty only to those who want it.

There are examples right to hand, there in the Middle East. There are a bundle of “pocket states” that used to be “republics” in the USSR, just to the north. There is Kuwait, Oman, and all the various “United” Arab Emirates” along the Gulf of Arabia (or Persian Gulf, if you prefer). Mesopotamia as twenty different free cities, emirates, sultanates, and such (maybe even a republic, Islamic or not, or two) will do much better – just as the Balkans are doing, and just as, 150 years ago, the various republics of Central America did.

Enough is enough.

Freedom Fighters: Free Market Economist Dies
Al Jazeera (English)
Milton Friedman, an economist and Nobel laureate, has died at the age of 94. The former University of Chicago professor, an advocate of individual freedoms in economics and politics, died in San Francisco on Thursday morning, a spokeswoman for his family said. Friedman was awarded a Nobel prize for his work in 1976. Widely regarded as the architect of monetary economics, which places importance on the quantity of money as a tool of government policy to fight inflation, Friedman was an influence on several postwar leaders including Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.

I may be in trouble, because Mr. Friedman was far from an anarcho-capitalist, but he was certainly at least an 80-80 libertarian (using the Nolan chart – www.advocates.org) and far more on the side of liberty and free markets than not. For those interested, I suggest the Wikipedia article about his primary work . In particular, I admire his stand and argument against state licensing of professionals (like engineers and doctors), but he promoted many more now-standard libertarian and anarcho-capitalist solutions. His life and (most of) his works should be honored by lovers of liberty.

Mama's Note: I've read and admired much of Friedman's work for many years, yet never could understand how anyone who understood so much about the free market and liberty could advocate central banking and government money policy as he did. We'll never know now... RIP Milton.

2006 Elections: E-voting glitch turns up in Texas
News.com
"As elections officials continue their postmortems on last Tuesday's race, another irregularity in electronic voting machine tallies has surfaced. In Williamson County, Texas, located just north of Austin, elections officials are blaming a software glitch in the region's touch-screen machines for counting each electronically-cast vote not just once, but three times, the Austin American-Statesman (registration required) reported in its Wednesday edition. " (11/16/06)

I suspect, (1) that we are going to hear more things like this, and (2) it will be buried by the mainstream media: as long as Democrats didn’t lose, they don’t care.

Afghani Front: Insurgent activity rising in Afghanistan
CNN
"Insurgent activity in Afghanistan has risen fourfold this year, and militants now launch more than 600 attacks a month, a rising wave of violence that has resulted in 3,700 deaths in 2006, a bleak new report released Sunday found. In the volatile border area near Pakistan, more than 20 Taliban militants -- and possibly as many as 60 -- were killed during several days of clashes, officials said Sunday." (11/12/06)

This just summarizes what we already knew – the Taliban and others are pushing very very hard to reestablish their Islamic theocratic dictatorship. As one columnist put it “we love ice cream, they love death.”

Canaanite Front: Hamas accepts peace conference proposal
Springfield State Journal-Register
"The Hamas-led Palestinian government agreed Sunday to an international peace conference with Israel after the Arab League -- angered by Israel's military offensive in Gaza -- voted to end a financial blockade on the Palestinians. Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar of Hamas endorsed a statement by Arab foreign ministers calling for the peace conference during a meeting in Cairo to respond to a U.S. veto of a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning the Gaza offensive." (11/12/06)

This seems to have a certain taste of reverse psychology, no? But will anything come out of yet another “peace conference?”

Culture Wars: Elton John Says Religion Encourages Hatred
Reuters
Elton John has said organized religion should be banned because it promotes homophobia and turns some people into "hateful lemmings."

The aging, homosexual rock star is well known for his tirades, and shows that his “liberalism” is nothing but a façade for deep-seated tyrannical beliefs. Sadly, too many liberals are just like him – appropriate opponents for conservatives and neo-conservatives who have the same sort of evil longings.

Culture Wars: Christians, Muslims: Leave Christmas Alone
Reuters
Christian and Muslim Britons joined forces on Monday to tell city officials to stop taking the Christianity out of Christmas, warning them that this fueled right-wing extremism. They attacked local authorities which used titles like "Winterval" for their Christmas celebrations and avoided using Christian symbols in case they offended minority groups, especially Muslims and Hindus.

As with Elton John’s attack (above), it has always been (in the last three or four decades, at least) the radical, chip-on-the-shoulder atheists and their liberal “christian” allies who have attacked Christmas both in the UK and the US. So this is a welcome action – no one should be forced to give up cherished traditions because of “offense” and frankly, I cannot see that giving someone a “Merry Christmas” (“Happy Christmas” in the UK) is an act of aggression against them.

Mama's Note: Indeed, and most welcome that it is coming from more than just the UK Christians. But I grow very weary of this discussion as it turns on the moans and gripes of those who demand that all things Christian must be imposed on the "public," especially in government buildings and so forth.

I am regarded with total disbelief when I mention the fact that it would be far better for all of us if there were NO "public" or government facilities, but that as long as all the people are robbed to pay for them, no one group of people should be able to impose anything on all the rest of those who use them. Religious celebrations, decorations and displays belong on private property, period. Of course, the mere expression of a holiday greeting should not be an attack by anyone, but I'm sure that sometimes that's exactly what it is - an "in your face" declaration with little or no goodwill intended. How sad.

Culture Wars: Wal-Mart puts "Christmas" back into sales season
Tennessean
"Christmas is coming early to Wal-Mart this year in more ways than one. Beyond the continued push to start the holiday shopping season just as Halloween displays are being taken down, Wal-Mart is rolling out a marketing campaign that more fully embraces the religious themes of Christmas. 'This year, more than ever, Christmas will dominate our programming,' Wal-Mart spokeswoman Marisa Bluestone said. Starting next week, the company will unveil its 'Be Bright' series of TV commercials featuring conspicuous shots of Christmas trees and nativity scenes. Already in many stores, a special shopping area that last year was called 'Holiday Shop' has been renamed the 'Christmas Shop.' And Christmas carols will be played all season long." [FND editor's note: Must have Bill Oh-Really rejoicing, even as his Fox News cohorts are preparing for their "Holiday Party" next month! - SAT] (11/11/06)

I think that Wal-Mart might just be a bit leery of the can of worms they’ve opened in their customer base with the overt support to the homosexual lobby (there are people calling for a million families to boycott Wal-Mart on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving) and are trying to show how family-oriented and responsive they are.

Mama's Note: I love Christmas music, and play plenty of it at home, but I grow very weary of hearing it for months on end in the stores. Thankfully, I don't have to go out often these days, and probably won't go to WalMart - or much of anywhere else - from Thanksgiving until after Christmas. Just how many times do YOU want to hear "White Christmas?" Isn't anyone ever going to write something new?

Culture Wars: CA: Couple split up, drop names from gay marriage case
San Francisco Chronicle
"The couple whose names top all the arguments in California's same-sex marriage court case -- expected to head back to court today -- have separated. Lancy Woo and Cristy Chung, who have been together 18 years and have a young daughter, announced that they are no longer part of the lawsuit challenging California's marriage statutes. Attorneys arguing for same-sex marriage are expected to file a request today asking the state Supreme Court to hear the case. They said the breakup should not affect the case. Woo and Chung's breakup comes just months after two other high-profile same-sex couples -- the lead plaintiffs in the case that legalized same-sex marriage in Massachusetts and a Vermont couple who were the first in the nation to enter a civil union -- also ended their relationships." (11/13/06)

Those who claim to “respect” and “honor” and who claim to want to “preserve” marriage have ruined their chance to use these uncouplings as arguments in their fight to limit marriage to a man and a woman – easy divorce (essentially creating “serial polygamy”) was the beginning of the “slippery slope” that has led to so-called homosexual marriage and will undoubtedly within years lead to governmentally-accepted polygamy, polymory, and group marriages, if not human-animal “marriage.”

Culture Wars: NV- town to fine for foreign flags
USA Today
The Nevada town of Pahrump is taking a stand not just against illegal immigrants but flags they may bring with them. The elected town board in the remote Mojave Desert community voted 3-2 on Tuesday to enact an ordinance making it illegal to fly a foreign nation's flag by itself. Flying another country's flag, whether it is a British Union Jack or the flag of Mexico, is punishable by a $50 fine and 30 hours' community service, unless it is flown below an American flag.“Old Glory is sovereign,” says Paul Willis, a retired carpenter and board member. “You can't fly any other nation's flag higher than the American flag.”The law passed as part of a package of measures that also declared English the official language of Pahrump and denies town benefits to illegal immigrants.

A stupid government trick by a lot of people who should know better. I’d be tempted, if Pahrump were just a bit closer, to show up with a Texian flag (the Bonny Blue), a Scots (the Saint Andrews), and a Comanche (Numu) flag to see if I could force a prosecution.

Mama's Note: Hmmmm... I know a dear lady of liberty who lives in that town. Wonder what she's up to? I'll bet she'd love to have a piece of this action. She's a lawyer!

Culture Wars: South Africa approves same-sex marriage
Chicago Tribune
"South African lawmakers on Tuesday passed legislation recognizing gay marriages despite criticism from traditionalists and gay activists. The bill, unprecedented on a continent where homosexuality is taboo, was decried by gay activists for not going far enough and by opponents who warned it 'was provoking God's anger.' ... the bill would allow both religious and civil officers to refuse to marry same-sex couples on moral grounds. Gay-rights groups criticized that 'opt-out' clause, saying they should be treated the same as heterosexual couples, but in general they praised the new measure." (11/15/06)

Even the most pro-homosexual of libertarians should be content with this law, since it does allow some freedom of choice on the part of those who are supposed to perform the “marriages.” Even civil servants have liberties. This does remind us, once more, that Sud Afrika’s Huguenot roots have completely withered.

Economics: CA: Bad economics reaches LA voters
Christian Science Monitor
"Hotel worker Ana Mendez says her years of marching in the streets for the cause of living wages are about to pay off. After five years as a banquet server at the Hilton hotel near Los Angeles International Airport -- and watching the lion's share of her tips siphoned off by management -- she is poised to make more money, along with thousands of other workers. In a move that labor experts say is likely to harbinger a trend in other large cities, the Los Angeles City Council is expected to approve Wednesday a 'living wage' ordinance for workers at hotels within city limits. ... Local businesses plan to challenge the ordinance in court, arguing that its unfair to target some industries and not others. For now, the political momentum lies with the legislation's backers." (11/14/06)

I predict that the LA Council’s “living wage” attempt will simply make it harder for most lower-paid workers to make a living wage. Yeah, there will be a few impressive successes that will be touted by the pols as proof that they “done good,” but there will be thousand of people in hotels that will suddenly find themselves without work, and more with no real gain. One more example of a stupid government trick.

Mama's Note: It's hard to imagine how the hotel can steal the tips. Isn't that given to the person in cash, on the spot? I've not stayed in but one hotel, and I wasn't the one paying for it, so I don't know. I saw tips given, however, and they were always cash as far as I know. Unfortunately, when the government decided to tax the tips, it left the door open for other abuses. Guess this is just one I didn't know about. Sad - and yes, bad economics on the 'living wage' nonsense.

Economics: AZ- Maverick dairyman fights lobbyists, lawmakers
Arizona Republic
"Long before he discovered a way to sell milk for far less than his competitors, before he enraged the multibillon-dollar dairy industry so much that Congress passed a law to stop him, Hein Hettinga clipped cow hooves for a living. It was menial work. But it put him on a career path that, in time, would lead him to found Yuma-based Sarah Farms, one of the largest and most innovative private dairy operations in the country. Now, 12 years after building his dairy business into a proverbial cash cow, Hettinga finds himself waging war against big-dairy lobbyists, high-profile lawmakers and the federal government." (11/14/06)

Hettinga is no innocent, and has accepted nearly a million dollars in government subsidies, like every other (or virtually every other) dairy farmer in the nation, in this most-regulated (and most-corrupt ag sector), but this still is a royal mistreatment of the man and his enterprise: don’t believe it when you read that “special” laws targeting (or rewarding) a specific enterprise or person isn’t possible. Congressional thugs are doing business as usual.

European Front: Spain - Town gives women equal footing on road signs
Reuters
"A Spanish town council has vowed to banish sexism from street signage by demanding half of all road signs and traffic lights show female figures with skirts and ponytails. Fuenlabrada, which lies south of the capital Madrid, will replace old and damaged road signs and traffic lights with new stock within a year. 'In this way the sexism which until now has seen only masculine figures appear in traffic signals will be brought to an end,' the town council said in a statement." (11/11/06)

Oh, brother! What a waste of money and time.

Free Speech: CA - Students ban Pledge
AOL News
"Student leaders at a California college have touched off a furor by banning the Pledge of Allegiance at their meetings, saying they see no reason to publicly swear loyalty to God and the U.S. government. ... The move was led by three recently elected student trustees, who ran for office wearing revolutionary-style berets and said they do not believe in publicly swearing an oath to the American flag and government at their school." (11/11/06)

If these kids want to NOT say the Pledge, that is fine – even great. But for them to deny their classmates and others the right to say the Pledge is misguided and wrong – this sort of “revolutionary” fervor is just as evil as mandating such things. Sadly, too many “libertarians” are willing to FORCE people to “do the right thing” – not recognizing their hypocrisy in doing so.

Mama's Note: I have no desire to force anyone to do or not to do anything, beyond defending myself from physical attack, but I do grow weary of the strange or angry looks I get when I do not participate in this adulation to the flag. I will stand with them, as a measure of respect for THEM, but I will not have anything to do with it otherwise. My loyalty to God is proven elsewhere, and I have NO "allegiance" to any but self-government. ...but then, I'm NOT a "libertarian" either.

Free Speech: Nations that censor the Net
Business Week
"As effective as the Internet may be in spreading dissent, the methods used to suppress opposition on the Web are no less pervasive. Reporters Without Borders, a Paris group that does advocacy work for press freedom, has compiled a list of the countries that it says go the furthest to censor the Internet." (11/10/06)

Sadly, this doesn’t bother most of the mainstream media, who wish the internet media weren’t around to bother them (and ultimately, to sink them, I’m sure). Notice this appeared in Business Week, and not in a regular newspaper. Here is the list: Myanmar (Burma), Belarus, Iran, Tunisia, Cuba, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, North Korea, Syria, and Uzbekistan. Sadly, the article explains that at least some of these countries use American-made software to block websites and spy on users.

Mama's Note: Interesting, isn't it, that China is not on that list...

Free Speech: Wikipedia unblocked in China after yearlong ban
Yahoo! News
"Online encyclopedia Wikipedia was accessible again in China on Thursday after being blocked for more than a year, a move hailed by free media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders. The main page of the Chinese-language version of Wikipedia (zh.wikipedia.org) could be displayed and searches for apolitical terms turned up results, but searches for subjects taboo to China's Communist leadership, such as "June 4," remained blocked. June 4, 1989, was the date that China's military crushed a student-led movement for political change centered on Beijing's Tiananmen Square, killing hundreds and possibly thousands." (11/16/06)

Good news, but not nearly good enough. China must fall.

Home Front: MA - 2 local imams arrested in alleged visa scheme, 33 suspects in all held nationwide
Boston Globe
Federal immigration agents arrested imams from two Boston-area mosques yesterday on charges they were involved in a scheme that provided religious worker visas to immigrants who used them to enter the United States and work instead as gas station attendants, truck drivers, and factory laborers. "This was a nationwide religious worker visa fraud scheme designed to help illegal aliens," said Grenier. "These people had to be solely engaged in religious employment, and in many cases were not."

Factory workers or sleeper cells for Al Qeuda? Regardless of whether one favors immigration requirements or not, this is clearly fraud.

Home Front: CA- Student tasered for not showing ID at school library
FOX
"A UCLA police officer shocked a student with a stun gun at a campus library after he refused repeated requests to show student identification and wouldn't leave, police said. The student, Mostafa Tabatabainejad, was shocked Tuesday at about 11 p.m. as police did a routine check of student IDs at the University of California, Los Angeles Powell Library computer lab."This is a long-standing library policy to ensure the safety of students during the late-night hours," said UCLA Police Department spokeswoman Nancy Greenstein. She said police tried to escort Tabatabainejad, 23, out of the library after he refused to provide identification. Tabatabainejad instead encouraged others at the library to join his resistance, and when a crowd began to gather, police used the stun gun on him, Greenstein said. Tabatabainejad was arrested for resisting and obstructing a police officer and later released on his own recognizance. " (11/16/06)

The discussion and taping of this shows that, as far as I’m concerned the cops were in the wrong. It may not be “racial profiling” but it is still abuse of power.

Mama's Note: What I saw showed the man hit by the taser repeatedly as these goons made totally impossible demands on him to stand up after the first jolt. They need to experience this taser charge themselves so they won't be so stupid in the future. This late night "papers please" exercise is also stupid, of course. Anyone with true intent to commit terrorist acts would HAVE all the "proper" ID he needed. The only honest way to safeguard those students is to make sure that at least SOME of them - any who wish to be - are armed and trained to defend themselves and others.

Home Front: HI: Man indicted for selling secrets to China
Hawaii Reporter
"A Hawaii man of Indian descent was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges he sold missile-related national defense secrets to the People's Republic of China. A federal grand jury in Honolulu returned an 18-count indictment against Noshir S. Gowadia, age 62, of Maui, charging him with performing defense related services for the People's Republic of China by agreeing to design -- and then later designing -- a low observable cruise missile exhaust system nozzle capable of evading detection and interception by the US missile defense systems currently in place." (11/10/06)

Even while fighting the war against Islamist imperialists, we need to remember that we still have other enemies – China chief among them.

Mama's Note: Unless this guy was using US government facilities to design this stuff, how is it anybody else's business? I would think he'd have wanted to go to China for this, actually, especially given the fact that his activity wouldn't be too popular, but the sale of private property to anyone shouldn't be a problem here. Or are we going to let the government tell us which of our products or ideas we are "forbidden" to sell to others?

Home Front: Bush- Foreigners have no rights
Akron Beacon Journal
"Immigrants arrested in the United States may be held indefinitely on suspicion of terrorism and may not challenge their imprisonment in civilian courts, the Bush administration said Monday, opening a new legal front in the fight over the rights of detainees. In court documents filed with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., the Justice Department said a new anti-terrorism law being used to hold detainees in Guantanamo Bay also applies to foreigners captured and held in the United States." (11/13/06)

Another attack on basic human liberty – I can find nowhere in the Constitution that it protects ONLY the rights of “citizens” nor anywhere in the Declaration of Independence where a dual-system is set up. This is nothing but a throwback to tribal ideas: the bizarre concept that everyone NOT in your tribe or nation is not really “human.” Kinda like Islam, in fact.

Home Front: TX - Town pols unanimous
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
"Leaders of this Dallas suburb [Farmers Branch] unanimously approved tough new anti-immigration measures Monday evening, including one that makes English the official language. In a series of 6-0 votes, the city council without discussion approved fines for landlords that deal with illegal immigrants, and decided to allow local authorities to screen suspects in police custody to see whether they are in the country illegally." (11/13/06)

In Texas? Some of these measures make sense, from their point of view – but this kind of omnibus legislation is as wrong at the local level as it is at the state or federal level.

Home Front: AP-Ipsos Poll - Majority doubts Dem war plan
Amarillo Globe News
"More Americans rank Iraq [sic: Mesopotamia] as the top priority of the new Democratic-controlled Congress, but nearly three out of five say the party does not have a plan to deal with the war. In the aftermath of an anti-Republican wave, the latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll showed lingering uncertainty about the country's direction and the ability of Democrats and President Bush to work together. Underscoring the country's political divisions, Democrats expressed more confidence and optimism than Republicans." (11/14/06)

Skeptical? Yeah, no kidding. Remember that most of the races which gave the Dems control were relatively close (in some cases, as few as a few hundred votes made the decision, especially in Montana and Virginia; at least in Montana, the Libertarian definitely was the deciding factor with 4% of the vote). And I certainly have seen nothing from the Dems to indicate that there is any plan seriously proposed except for a few rabid types (like Murtha) who want to simply cut and run.

Mama's Note: I suspect there are a lot of us who would be perfectly happy with at total and immediate withdrawal of all American military personnel from every place on the globe. The complete disbanding of the standing "army," all branches and at all levels, would be the next important step to world peace and prosperity. It isn't going to happen, of course. Murtha couldn't do it, even if he wanted.

Mesopotamia: Iraq [sic -Mesopotamia] leader vows shakeup amid carnage
Porterville Recorder
"The Shiite prime minister promised Sunday to reshuffle his Cabinet after calling lawmakers disloyal and blaming Sunni Muslims for raging sectarian violence that claimed at least 159 more lives, including 35 men blown apart while waiting to join Iraq [sic -Mesopotamia]'s police force. Among the unusually high number of dead were 50 bodies found behind a regional electrical company in Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, and 25 others found scattered throughout the capital. Three U.S. troops were reported killed, as were four British service members." (11/13/06)

Is this anything more than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic?

Mesopotamia: Bush's advisers adopt new tone on Iraq [sic -Mesopotamia]
Quincy Patriot Ledger
"Responding to a humbling election, White House aides said Sunday that President Bush would welcome new ideas about the unpopular war in Iraq [sic -Mesopotamia], even from Democrats he had branded as soft on terrorism. As Bush planned to meet Monday with a key advisory group on the war, his advisers adopted a new tone, days after a dissatisfied public handed the White House a divided government." (11/12/06)

Showing that not just Democrats are insincere and unable to stick to their guns – Bush seems to be turning into a Democrat in front of our very eyes.

Mama's Note: And this surprises you how????

Mesopotamia: Iraq [sic -Mesopotamia]: Up to 150 abducted in Baghdad raid
Sioux City Journal
"Gunmen dressed as police commandos kidnapped up to 150 staff and visitors in a lightning raid on a Baghdad research institute Tuesday, the largest mass abduction since the start of the U.S. occupation. Three of those taken were later released. Iraq 's higher education minister immediately ordered all universities closed until security improvements are made, saying he was 'not ready to see more professors get killed. ...' The abductions came just hours after a U.S. assault on the northwest Baghdad Shiite district of Shula that drew strong condemnation from al-Adib and other Shiite members of parliament. Shula is a stronghold of radical anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, sponsor of one of Iraq [sic -Mesopotamia]'s most powerful and feared militias, the Mahdi Army." (11/14/06)

This very bizarre incident is still ongoing, but is a massive increase in the threat environment which will (and probably has) led to more killing and other violence. This is one of the reasons for my opening remarks: Iraq needs to be broken up. Imagine what it would be like if Texas were amalgamated into a total integrated union with some place like New Jersey: ugh. Or Colorado and Utah. Double ugh.

Mama's Note: I seem to see a pattern growing in all this... Is it possible that they will eventually kill each other all off? Can they reproduce fast enough, and raise enough children to replace all these people who are being murdered? I suspect that if we just left them alone they'd take care of the whole problem all by themselves eventually.

Mesopotamia: Soldier gets 90 years in Iraq rape case
Shreveport Times
"A soldier was sentenced Thursday to 90 years in prison with the possibility of parole for conspiring to rape a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and kill her and her family. Spc. James P. Barker, one of four Fort Campbell soldiers accused in the March 12 rape and killings, pleaded guilty Wednesday and agreed to testify against the others to avoid the death penalty." (11/16/06)

I am glad, very very glad, to see this scumbag punished, but I’d much rather see him sentenced to even ¼ that 90 years, not to prison, but to some third-world pit where he would have to spend every waking hour taking care of victims of rape and theft and murder – not getting a free house and board for the rest of his natural life. And for rape and murder like this dancing the Danny Deever (i.e., getting hung by the neck until dead) would not be unreasonable. This man is a menace to us all.

Mama's Note: Indeed, and I will never understand how giving evidence against the others can mitigate the sentence like this. It says WITH the possibility of parole - so he could actually be turned loose again. Shameful.

North American Union: Boy in deportation flap heads to Mexico
Philadelphia Inquirer
"The 7-year-old son of an immigration activist who has taken refuge in a church to avoid deportation left for Mexico on Sunday in search of support for his mother from legislators and President Vincente Fox. Saul Arellano, who is an American citizen, will meet with members of the Mexican House of Representatives and Senate on Tuesday in an effort to get a resolution supporting Elvira Arellano's bid to stay in the United States." (11/12/06)

Oh, what a loving mother. At least Cindy Sheehan waited until her son was dead to start abusing him for political purposes. Now we have the US supposedly represented before foreign legislatures by seven-year-olds. And if the US Congress ever even considered the sort of resolution that the Mexican Congress passed, we’d be condemned even more as the evil Colossus.

Not Really News: Ford becomes longest-living US president
Calgary Sun [Canada]
"Gerald Ford has surpassed Ronald Reagan to become the longest-living of U.S. presidents Ford, who turned 93 on July 14, became the oldest former president yesterday by living to 93 years and 121 days." (11/13/06)

And this is important news how? I suppose the longer he gets to wait to answer to his Maker the better for him, but still…

Mama's Note: Well, they were all prepared to write his obit and he fooled them by living, so I guess they couldn't say anything less than this. I have a funny feeling it simply doesn't matter to Ford anymore.

Our British Cousins: UK - Brown backs expanded "terror" powers
Guardian [UK]
"The government is ready to support calls by the police for tougher anti-terror laws, including an extension of the 28-day limit for holding terrorist suspects without charge. Gordon Brown yesterday threw his weight behind a call by the Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, for sweeping changes, including new rules allowing suspects to be interviewed after charge and the use of security service phonetap evidence in court." (11/13/06)

Well, Brown certainly has the weight to throw around – and of course, he has to maintain his tyrant’s credentials by things like this.

Our British Cousins: Outrage at London sting by US spies
London Daily Mail
"Undercover American agents are staging secret 'sting' operations in Britain against criminal and terrorist suspects they want to extradite to the US. In a recent operation, agents from America's Department of Homeland Security set up a suspect by posing as dealers wanting to illegally sell night-vision goggles for export to Iran. The spies arranged a series of clandestine meetings in London hotels, which they secretly filmed as evidence. It is thought to be the first time American agents have been caught using such sting tactics in Britain." (11/12/06)

Sounds like a neat idea to me – given the fact that I consider “sting operations” of any sort to be nothing but immoral entrapments and something which I might actually believe merits the death penalty to protect us from them.

Our Imperial Courts: Alito - Courts Not ‘Center of the Universe’ in Legal Matters
CNSNews.com
It’s not just judges who must play a role in shaping the law, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said in a Thursday night speech. He said legislators must think about the constitutionality of bills they may draft or introduce; and likewise, those in the executive branch must consider whether legislation is constitutional before signing it...

This, of course, is the man that the Democrats have sworn an oath to never appoint someone of similar mien. Hmm…

Mama's Note: This sounds pretty good, if he means the REAL Constitution of limited government, not the "living document" or the endless self-serving interpretations. But I don't suppose he does.

Our Imperial Courts: Court to hear millennium plot appeal
Fort Wayne News-Sentinel
"Prosecutors and defense attorneys are challenging aspects of the 22-year sentence imposed on Ahmed Ressam for plotting to bomb Los Angeles International Airport on the eve of the new millennium. The U.S. attorney's office has suggested that U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour's decision to sentence Ressam to less than the 35 years it requested may have been colored by a distaste for the Bush administration's treatment of 'enemy combatants.' And Ressam's lawyers, Thomas Hillier and Michael Filipovic, believe one of the nine counts he was convicted of should be thrown out, which would reduce the sentence by 10 years." (11/12/06)

Obviously, the two sets of attorneys are working at cross-purposes. As I understand it, the jury found that he DID attempt to bomb the airport – but knowing how the guvmint loves to pile on garbage, and seeing how we treat people who actually DO kill people, it seems like he ought to be out on parole by now!

Our Imperial Courts: Anti-illegal immigrant law put on hold
Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel
"A federal judge temporarily blocked the city of Escondido on Thursday from enforcing a law that punishes landlords for renting to illegal immigrants. U.S. District Judge John Houston said that he had serious questions about whether the law would survive legal scrutiny and that it may inflict 'irreparable harm' on tenants and landlords. The law had been scheduled to take effect Friday in the suburb 30 miles north of San Diego, where Hispanics make up 42 percent of the 142,000 residents." (11/16/06)

Is there ANY lawbreaking that makes it possible for landlords to refuse to rent to a tenant? If a tenant sets up a meth lab in their rented apartment and contaminates it, it is the landlord that has to pay for the clean up (or the demolition), but apparently it is wrong for landlords to run background checks and determine if possible tenants have a criminal background, in California?

World Wars: Georgia - No recognition for South Ossetia's vote
Christian Science Monitor
"As South Ossetians prepare for this Sunday's presidential elections, there's just one problem: They're the only ones who will recognize the results. The Nov. 12 vote will also feature a referendum calling for landlocked, breakaway South Ossetia -- a tiny scruff of land joining Georgia to Russia's unstable North Caucasus -- to reassert its desire for independence. Spitting distance from Chechnya and linked via a 2-1/2-mile tunnel to North Ossetia -- home to Beslan, the site of the 2004 school massacre -- this Rhode Island-sized region held a similar referendum in 1992 after violent clashes with Georgia. But the vote, which passed with 99 percent in favor, went unrecognized by the international community." (11/11/06)

“If voting really made a difference, it would be illegal.” That surely seems to be true in South Ossetia – just as the same election in South Carolina would be ignored.

World Wars: Debts force Zimbabwe to cancel flights to London
Independent [UK]
"Zimbabwe's state-run airline has canceled all flights to London, fearing the aircraft would be impounded to cover unpaid debts. The decision to ground flights will come as a fresh blow to Zimbabwe's collapsing economy. The country relies on Air Zimbabwe, and the tourists it brings, for much of its foreign currency. Air Zimbabwe announced the decision to stop the thrice-weekly flights after a European air safety agency won a court order allowing it to seize planes to cover a $2.8m (£1.5m) debt." (11/12/06)

More trouble for what was once a prosperous country with a bright future: the only difference between the kakocracy of Zimbabwe and that we endure in the US is that our kakocrats have not (yet) killed the goose: Mugabi and his thugs are killing more and more.

World Wars: Near-silent start in US for Al-Jazeera
Vallejo Times Herald
"Al-Jazeera's English-language network is set to begin operation on Wednesday without any distribution by a major cable or satellite system in the United States. The all-news network, based in Doha, Qatar, said it would be available to computer users via a broadband Internet connection. But despite months of trying and delays in its launch date, it named only four companies available in the United States that would offer it." (11/14/06)

Strangely enough, one of my stories this week was taken from the AL-Jazeera site. I think most people welcome the chance to see for themselves what propaganda is being touted by the Islamists, at least for those of us who don’t read Arabic.

World Wars: Detainee lawyers set sights on Rumsfeld
San Francisco Chronicle
"Lawyers representing prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib will renew their efforts today to get a foreign prosecutor to charge Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld with war crimes and torture. The Center for Constitutional Rights plans to file a criminal complaint with a prosecutor in Germany against Rumsfeld, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, former CIA Director George Tenet and others under a German law allowing state authorities to bring charges for violations of international law, regardless of who committed them or where. The legal organization, acting on behalf of 11 former Iraqi [sic: Mesopotamian] prisoners at Abu Ghraib and one current Guantanamo inmate, accuses Rumsfeld of complicity in interrogation methods such as beatings, the use of extreme temperatures and loud noise, threats with dogs, sleep deprivation, forcible stripping and sexual humiliation." (11/14/06)

There is a term for this kind of legal maneuver: court-shopping. In the past, this was mainly engaged in by that particularly slimy breed of lawyer that specializes in class-action liability suits, but it is perfectly understandable that the Administration’s own slimy tactics would result in this kind of attempt.

Page 2 Click HERE Link checked!! - and checked again!! ML 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.

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

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