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December
25, 2006
Libertarian
Commentary on the News, 18 - 23 December, 2006
A happy
new year to you all. May 2007 be more of a year of liberty for us all.
Afghan
Front:
Air war
costs NATO Afghan supporters
Christian Science Monitor
"At a large gathering with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in this
southern city last Tuesday, Abdul Ghafar sat among hundreds in the audience,
clutching a piece of paper. On it were the names of 20 members of his
family killed two months ago in a NATO airstrike. 'This was my uncle's
family. Eleven children, six women, and three innocent men were killed.
He lost everyone but one small girl,' he said. Mr. Ghafar was hoping to
receive compensation from the Afghan government. 'We got nothing,' he
said. Ghafar's extended family in the southern Panjwai district are among
the nearly 4,000 people killed since the beginning of 2006 in a Taliban
resurgence that is using civilians as human shields against escalating
NATO air attacks. The US-based Human Rights Watch estimates that more
than 1,000 of those killed were civilians. A recent spate of suicide bombings
here has stoked public anger even further." (12/18/06)
This is
what comes of using Second Generation tactics to fight a Fourth-Generation
enemy – they win, first with the hearts and minds of the people,
and then overall.
African
Front:
Heavy fighting
breaks out in Somalia
Christian Science Monitor
"Heavy fighting has broken out in Somalia between government [sic]
troops and the forces of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), just hours
after the expiration of the UIC's deadline for Ethiopia to withdraw its
soldiers supporting the government. Agence France-Presse reports that
attacks have broken out on several fronts south and east of Baidoa, the
only city currently under the control of the internationally recognized
transitional government. ... Reuters reports that the fighting appears
to be between UIC forces and Ethiopian soldiers supporting the Somali
government." [FND editor's note: It's hard to tell the players
without a scorecard. The UIC is the only actual government with any real
power in Somalia. The "government" is a bunch of yahoos who
meet in Djibouti and Kenya and are backed by the UN. One gets the strong
feeling that both are equally despised by those whom they would subject
- TLK] (12/20/06)
As Tom
points out, the “government” is a sick joke – a quasi-colonial
administration with a bunch of rent-a-soldiers from the nearby countries
of Africa who need the hard currency to keep afloat, and run by a bunch
of corrupt UN thugocrats. There IS no Somali government, except perhaps
the Islamic imperialists who intend to re-conquer the land for Allah,
if they have to kill everyone there to do it.
Canaanite
Front:
Gaza
fighting kills three
ABC News Online [Australia]
"Authorities say raging gun battles between rival Palestinian
factions have killed three people and wounded 12 others. Fighting between
Hamas loyalists and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' forces is at
its worst in a decade, after the President called for early elections
in an attempt to break a political deadlock with the Hamas Government.
... Hospital officials say two security men from a force loyal to Fatah
have been killed in a running street battle with Hamas gunmen in Gaza
City. ... Earlier, a Hamas policeman was killed in a clash at the main
hospital in Gaza City." (12/19/06)
Now they
are calling this a civil war, and it really does better meet the standard
definition: two rival would-be governments fighting for control of a single
population and piece of land – a bit smaller than Boulder County,
Colorado, by the way.
Canaanite
Front:
Mediators:
Hamas, Fatah reach cease-fire
Roseburg News-Review
"The rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas reached a tentative
cease-fire Sunday to end days of bloody fighting that had raised tensions
in the Gaza Strip to their highest point in a decade, mediators said.
The agreement came after a daylong wave of factional violence that killed
three people. Armed militants continued to patrol the streets after the
truce was announced, making it uncertain whether it would hold."
(12/17/06)
This ceasefire,
of course, lasted about 24 hours, if that, before these followers of the
“religion of peace” went back to killing each other. The next
one lasted even less time.
Canaanite
Front:
Al Qaeda's No. 2 opposes Palestinian
elections
CNN
"Al Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri released a new
videotaped statement Wednesday in which he sided with Hamas' opposition
to early Palestinian elections. Al-Zawahiri also warned that al Qaeda
will retaliate against the United States for its military actions in Muslim
lands. 'The formula for your safety is, you shall never dream of security
until we live it as a reality in Palestine and all the lands of Islam,'
he said." (12/20/06)
“All
the lands of Islam.” According to the accepted interpretations of
the Quran and the Hadith, that is the entire planet, except maybe Antarctica,
which isn’t mentioned as habitable. Al-Zawahiri and Al-Qaeda’s
idea of “security” is a totalitarian caliphate imposing dhimmitude
and Shari’a law on every person on the planet.
Culture
Wars:
Virginia churches break from US Episcopal
church
Reuters
"Eight congregations in the Virginia Diocese of the Episcopal
Church voted overwhelming to break away, the Church announced on Sunday,
in the latest sign of a rift in the U.S. denomination over its ordination
of a gay bishop. Two of the larger parishes, The Falls Church and Truro
Church in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, voted to join the
conservative Convocation of Anglicans in North America organization, which
is linked to the Episcopal Church of Nigeria." (12/18/06)
As with
the slavery issue, this is dividing churches more and more – the
Episcopalians are just the latest. What is an odd twist is that it is
Nigerians and other African Episcopalians that are paying more attention
to basic teachings and coming to the US to evangelize in the nation that
once evangelized their continent.
Culture
Wars:
NJ to make "civil unions"
official
San Francisco Chronicle
"New Jersey's gay couples are gaining all the rights and responsibilities
of marriage under state law as New Jersey moves to become the third in
the nation to institute civil unions and the fifth to offer some version
of marriage. Gov. Jon S. Corzine planned to sign the civil unions bill
on Thursday. When the law takes effect Feb. 19, New Jersey will join Connecticut
and Vermont as states that allow civil unions for gay couples. Massachusetts
allows gay couples to marry, while California has domestic partnerships
that bring full marriage rights. Gay couples granted civil unions in New
Jersey will have adoption, inheritance, hospital visitation and medical
decision-making rights and the right not to testify against a partner
in state court." (12/21/06)
And so
the foolishness spreads. Instead of getting government out of the business,
government gets more control of more and more of life.
Economy:
Growing
income inequality troubles Japanese
Christian Science Monitor
"While Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was campaigning to succeed
Junichiro Koizumi earlier this year, much of the discussion focused on
foreign policy and whether a hawkish Mr. Abe would continue his predecessor's
'fighting diplomacy.' Yet the recent news that Japan's economy has unexpectedly
slowed is a reminder that it could ultimately be domestic concerns that
create the biggest challenge for Abe's new government. Last year, the
government announced that the population had started to contract, and
current projections suggest that unless Japan can raise its birthrate
above the its current 1.25 children for every Japanese woman, its population
will drop by half by the end of the century. On top of this, there is
evidence of growing income inequality and rising poverty. Indeed, it is
these last two points that many Japanese find most troubling." (12/20/06)
Japan,
like Europe, is seeing massive problems with their society and culture
as they become “postmodern.”
Mama's
Note: Yes, if by "post modern" you mean abandonment of their
traditional values of integrity and frugality. They are adopting the "modern"
life of debt and hedonism, a sure path to ruin. What a shame.
Economy:
Trade knots could snag US/China relations
San Francisco Chronicle
"By coming home nearly empty-handed from a two-day trip to Beijing
last week, a high-level U.S. delegation may have set the stage for a worsening
of relations between China and the United States, analysts say. The trip
led by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Treasury Secretary Henry
Paulson and four other members of the Bush Cabinet was a notable exercise
in U.S. finger-wagging, as the Americans gave their Chinese counterparts
what amounted to a nonstop series of lectures on economic policy changes
that Beijing should undertake. The Chinese made no significant concessions,
leading to increased threats in Washington that Congress, which for years
has been itching for a trade fight with China, will take off the gloves
soon after its new session begins in January." (12/18/06)
What this
article does not point out is that China’s booming economy is largely
built on billions of dollars of imports to the United States and Europe
– often of nothing more than junk: throwaway toys for “Happy
Meals,” cheap clothing, paper party favors and thousands of other
things. If the US economy tanks, it will suck China down with it, and
the Chinese communist government will find itself in a world of hurt.
But the US is certainly NOT the country to talk about economic policy
changes, as we seem to be figuring out every possible way we can cause
our own economy and society to go belly-up.
Economy:
Chinese airline
fined for selling cheap tickets
Fox News
"Chinese authorities have fined a low-cost airline almost $20,000
for selling tickets for 13 U.S. cents in a promotion, saying they broke
national pricing rules, a newspaper said on Monday. Spring Airlines, set
up last year by travel agent China Spring International, sold more than
400 tickets on a new route between Shanghai and the northern city of Jinan
for just 1 yuan ($0.13), the Beijing Times said. But that went against
a 2004 rule -- designed to help carriers' bottom lines after a vicious
price war -- that the maximum discount an airline can offer is 45 percent
off a government-set base price, the report added. A standard one-way
ticket between Shanghai and Jinan costs 760 yuan ($97.10), excluding tax
and fuel surcharge. The Jinan government said it would fine Spring Airlines'
local travel agent branch 150,000 yuan ($19,160) as a punishment, though
the company denies wrongdoing and will appeal, the newspaper said."
[Editor's note: Does it bother anyone that this story makes China's
regulators sound ... almost as bad as the US's? - TLK] (12/18/06)
Funny –
don’t we pretty much do the same thing? And in Europe, they are talking
about adding “carbon taxes” to all the other things that drive
up the price of flights.
Economy:
Oil steady after tumble from 3 month
high
Reuters
"Oil prices hovered below $63 a barrel on Friday after falling
from a three-month high in the previous session on unusually warm weather
in the United States Northeast. U.S. crude was up 15 cents at $62.81 a
barrel by 0916 GMT, pausing after a more than $1 tumble from Wednesday's
highest close for three months. London Brent crude rose 14 cents to $62.60
a barrel. The U.S. National Weather Service on Thursday joined a chorus
of private forecasters predicting that mild weather would persist into
January, extending a period of above average temperatures that has lowered
demand for heating fuels." (12/22/06)
Good! Good
weather is our friend, and the more we can fox the Saudis, the better
for us personally and for the economy.
Mama's
Note: I very much appreciate the fact that most of the nation is enjoying
mild weather, but I'm sure sad we're not going to get snow for Christmas.
I didn't expect to have a "brown" Christmas in Wyoming!!
Free Speech:
YouTube
world opens frontier for copyright law
Christian Science Monitor
"Larry Richard is one of the millions to have discovered the world
of YouTube, the free website that allows people to post, watch, and share
video clips. When he receives a link to the site, usually via e-mail,
he spends a few moments to click and watch a clip on his computer screen
-- sometimes a video of a friend's singing recital, other times a snippet
of a foreign commercial or a monologue from late-night TV. 'It's entertaining,
it's information, it's a community of people sharing things,' says Mr.
Richard, a marketing consultant in Santa Monica, Calif. But is it legal,
given that at least some of what he's watching is copyrighted material
being disseminated by individuals who clearly do not hold the copyright?
The law on this matter is murky, and likely to get murkier before it gets
clearer, say experts in intellectual property law." (12/18/06)
Another
area in which free speech will hopefully win out over the increasingly-insane
copyright laws. For a worthwhile discussion, visit http://www.baens-universe.com/articles/principle
to see some of the problems.
Free Speech:
FCC eases way for phone companies to
offer TV
USA Today
"The Federal Communications Commission approved a plan on Wednesday
to shorten the time it takes for companies such as AT&T (T) and Verizon
Communications (VZ) to get into the subscription television business.
The FCC approved by a 3-2 vote a plan that requires local authorities
to act within 90 days on applications by new television providers that
already have access to city land to run connections. Local franchise authorities
have 180 days to act on applications from new entrants without access
to city land." (12/20/06)
Notice
that this imposes new requirements on LOCAL government, instead of just
ending the silly requirement. The only reasons to require local authorization
for telephone companies to provide TV over their lines are (1) more money
to line local politicians pockets in the form of “user” fees
for “using” public rights-of-way, and (2) to prevent competition
with existing monopoly or duopoly providers.
Mama's
Note: Now, if there was only something on TV that was worth watching...
Free Speech:
Bloggers must disclose
sponsored posts
MSNBC
"A company that helps advertisers connect with bloggers willing
to write about their products for payment will now require disclosures
amid criticism and a regulatory threat. Before this week, advertisers
were barred by PayPerPost Inc. from telling bloggers they can't disclose
the sponsorship, but bloggers were able to decide on their own whether
or not to do so. Under the new policy, bloggers must disclose that they
are accepting payment, either in the write-up or in a general disclosure
policy on the blogger's Web journal." (12/20/06)
This is
a good move by a company trying, apparently, to keep their business clean
and upfront. While this may be prompted by fears of government regulation,
it is still voluntary and shows that people can and DO often police themselves.
Honest and moral people can learn what constitutes honesty in business.
Free Speech:
UK: Holocaust denier Irving returns
International Herald Tribune [France]
"British writer David Irving returned to England on Thursday,
a day after he was released early from an Austrian prison -- vowing to
repeat views denying the Holocaust that led to his conviction. Irving
said he felt 'no need any longer to show remorse' for his views on the
Holocaust, for which he was sentenced to three years in prison. ... Upon
arriving at London's Heathrow airport, he also called for a boycott of
all Austrian and German historians until laws which make Holocaust denial
illegal in those countries are overturned. ... Irving was convicted under
a 1992 law which applies to anyone in Austria who denies, plays down,
approves or tries to excuse the Nazi genocide or other Nazi crimes against
humanity." (12/21/06)
Yeah, the
guy’s almost as big a liar as your average small-state politician,
but putting him in jail for it is just plain silly.
Mama's
Note: Is it still "illegal" in Europe to believe the earth is
flat? They don't seem to have any better record repealing idiot "laws"
than we do in the US.
Freedom
Fighters:
ATLAS SHRUGGED ON THE SILVER SCREEN (no link available- see Mama's Note)
ChuckMuth.com
"It was published almost 50 years ago, and has sold millions of
copies. But only now is Ayn Rand's controversial individualist novel 'Atlas
Shrugged' about to become a movie starring Angelina Jolie. Ed Hudgins,
editor of the New Individualist, tells me that the screenplay adapting
the 1,100-page epic novel is only a couple weeks away from completion.
Production is set to begin next year with the release of the film in 2008.
Mr. Hudgins says fans of Atlas should be pleased that the adaptation is
being authored by Randall Wallace, the scriptwriter for 'Braveheart,'
Mel Gibson's epic tale of Scottish freedom fighters."
- John Fund, Political Diary, 12/18/06
Thanks
to Chuck for this. Although Jolie’s politics stink, she should make
a very good Ms. Taggart in this tale – and hopefully Wallace will
do it justice.
Mama's
Note: I couldn't find anything about this at the Chuck Muth site, but
this
article from Variety has the facts and some interesting speculation.
This
piece at the "Objective Standard" offers a unique look at
how this movie might advance liberty, regardless of how well or poorly
it is done. "John Fund, Political Diary" is subscription only
at the Wall Street Journal.
Good folks:
AZ: Secret Santa helps the Valley's
needy
Arizona Republic
"Mittie Trammel didn't have enough money to buy groceries, let
alone Christmas presents for her grandchildren. Then a stranger who said
she was with 'Santa' handed Trammel $200 in a Phoenix thrift store. Trammel,
70, burst into tears. 'This is the most wonderful thing that ever happened
to me,' she said. 'I sure needed it.' Trammel shook as she remembered
waking up on Christmas morning as a kid and rushing to see what Santa
had brought. 'I never stopped (believing),' she said. 'I always knew there
had to be something. There's a Santa Claus, and there's a God. ... I'm
just so grateful.' For four hours Wednesday, a mystery Santa and his elves
cruised through Phoenix, anonymously doling out crisp $100 bills to those
who needed a lift. Santa wanted to be known only as a 61-year-old businessman
from Kansas City, Mo., but his 'sleigh ride' is part of a tradition started
by another Secret Santa 27 years ago." (12/21/06)
But –
what if these “good folks” are actually evil stalkers, pedophiles,
or something even worse? Shouldn’t they have to reveal themselves
and pass background checks? Maybe the money is tainted, coming from drugs
or Wal-Mart?
Mama's
Note: This story simply proves that even private charity does not necessarily
help the recipients to come to grips with their own lives and the causes
of their poverty. It is often actually enabling them to continue in destructive
choices - exactly like giving money to an alcoholic, knowing he will buy
more booze and make his life worse than ever. See "The
Tragedy of American Compassion" for an excellent overview of
charity and what is needed to make charity truly doing good for others.
Of course, the best thing we could all do is get government out of the
"charity" business, and out of all the rest of our business.
Government-run,
Theft-funded Schools:
AZ: Schools aiming to end "senior
coasting"
Arizona Republic
"It's senior year and the hardest work is over. For many high
school students, that means it's time to coast. The usual way is to take
four hours of class in the morning -- including perhaps cooking, ceramics
or as a teacher's aide -- then at 11:30 or so, head to a job or home to
while away time on the computer. But educators have a new message: The
days when seniors can slide are coming to an end. State and district officials
are taking steps to ramp up the year's value and intensity, including
lengthening the school day. Within a decade, the beloved half-day option
will be extinct. School officials are asking themselves why they allow
so many students to ease off during their senior year when Arizona education
is under fire and the global marketplace demands higher skills."
[Editor's note: In other words, even though they've "learned
all they's a-gonna" in 11-1/2 years of formal edumacation, they aren't
allowed to apply it in the real world (helping to make money to pay for
college), or to learn on their own "whiling away time on the computer"
... - SAT] (12/18/06)
Another
reason, at least in Arizona, to get your kids out of these dumps.
Government-run,
Theft-funded Schools:
MD:
5-year-old cited for pinching buttocks
KUTV News
"Washington County school officials told Charles Vallance that
his son pinched a girl's buttocks earlier this month in a hallway at Lincolnshire
Elementary School. The school says that meets the state's definition of
sexual harassment. Vallance says his son was only playing around and had
no sexual intent. School officials say the incident will remain in the
boys file until he goes to middle school. Citing state data, the (Hagerstown)
Herald-Mail reports that 28 kindergarten students in Maryland were suspended
for sex offenses in the last school year -- 15 of those suspensions for
sexual harassment." (12/20/06)
As Mama
would say, another Columbine or Platte Canyon killer. I wonder how many
of these 28 had been held back in kindergarten for more than five or six
years.
Mama's
Note: It's been quite a while since I spent much time with 5 and 6 year
olds, but back then they didn't know sex from shinola. I sincerely hope
these tots are still playing the same silly games they did when my sons
were this small. Harassment of each other? You bet! Pinching, hitting,
biting and all the rest.
They
must be taught courtesy and non-aggression, of course, but to call it
sexual harassment is as sick as anything else going on in government indoctrination
camps. If you leave your youngsters exposed to this insanity, just don't
cry to me when they decide to dump society as a whole... or start shooting!
Home Front:
Cheney to be defense witness in CIA
case
Raleigh News & Observer
"Vice President Dick Cheney will be called to testify on behalf
of his former chief of staff in the CIA leak case, defense attorneys said
Tuesday, ending months of speculation over what would be historic testimony.
'We're calling the vice president,' attorney Ted Wells said in court.
Wells represents defendant I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, who is charged with
perjury and obstruction." (12/19/06)
Can he
be trusted to tell the truth? Can any politician?
Mama's
Note: Ha! They will cover their own asses, you can bet. It remains to
be seen, but I'm sure they'll use whatever of "the truth" they
need if they've decided to scuttle "Scooter." If he's to be
protected, then don't plan on any truth at all. In any case, this sounds
like a fight between criminals. I'm not sure the outcome will really matter
much to the rest of us.
Home Front:
ACLU
prevails in document secrecy fight
Houston Chronicle
"After demanding that the American Civil Liberties Union turn
over a classified document it had been given and prove it had destroyed
every copy of it, the government agreed Monday to make the document about
photographs of detainees public. The document -- marked 'secret' in bold
but small print on the top of its first page -- described when and how
the military Public Affairs Office permits the media to photograph enemy
prisoners of war and detainees in Iraq. It was dated more than a year
after the release of pictures of American soldiers tormenting Iraqi detainees
at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq." (12/18/06)
An example
of classic government stupidity – first that it was classified, and
second that they fought this battle on it.
Mama's
Note: And third, how do you suppose they can "prove" they destroyed
every copy of it?
Home Front:
Army threatens to draft Goodyear workers
MarketWatch
"The U.S. Army is considering taking measures to force striking
workers to return to work at a Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (GT) plant
in Kansas in order to prevent a shortage of tires for military vehicles,
the Financial Times reported on its Web site Friday. Rep. Duncan Hunter,
R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said the army
is looking at a possible injunction under the Taft-Hartley Act to force
the 200 Kansas workers to return to their jobs. He said the strike has
cut output of Humvee tires by about 35% and that the army has already
had to stop supplying tires to units not related to the Central Command,
which covers Iraq and Afghanistan, the FT reported. ... About 15,000 workers
have been on strike since Oct. 5, crippling 16 Goodyear plants in the
U.S. and Canada." (12/15/06)
I don’t
know if “draft” is the right word – these workers are striking
over some pretty silly things (although it is their right); and the Taft-Hartley
Act has been law for a long time, used by such presidents as Roosevelt,
Truman, and Eisenhower – and even by Reagan to end the air traffic
controllers strike. It is no surprise that the Army is getting in a panic
over the Humvee tires, of course; and once more we see the unintended
consequences of many actions.
Mama's
Note: Gee, whatever happened to all those people supposedly put out of
work by "illegal immigrants?" You'd think they'd jump at a job
making tires. Sure, they'd have to be trained, but that should be a lot
cheaper than paying the extortion to the union employees on strike. Oh,
I forgot... government is involved, so it's probably not allowed.
Home Front:
NY: Activists protest NYPD murder
of groom
Kansas City Star
"Thousands of protesters counted in unison to 50 to mark the number
of shots police fired in the wedding day death of a groom as they marched
Saturday along Fifth Avenue on one of the busiest shopping days of the
year. One of the survivors of the Nov. 25 shooting that killed Sean Bell
led marchers from his wheelchair through Manhattan's famous shopping district.
... Among the marchers were clergy, city leaders, politicians and entertainer
Harry Belafonte. Other demonstrators waved signs and chanted as they marched.
'Stop NYPD Racist Terror,' read one sign. 'Jail the Cops,' read another."
(12/16/06)
These people
seem to think that protests are enough, but this sort of thing happens
every two or three years, gets screamed about, the mayor and rest of the
kakocracy makes soothing noises in return, and life returns to “normal”
until the next time some cops panic or can’t resist the urge to be
jack-booted thugs, and the whole thing starts over again. Maybe “Lynch
the Cops” would be better than “Jail the Cops” – or
even better, “Get Rid of ALL the Cops.”
Home Front:
CA: High black arrest rate raises call
for inquiry
San Francisco Chronicle
"San Francisco police arrest African Americans for serious crime
at a much higher rate than officers in California's other biggest cities.
Black people in San Francisco are arrested for felonies at nearly twice
the rate they are in Sacramento. They are arrested at twice the rate of
black people in Fresno, three times the rate in San Jose, Los Angeles,
Long Beach and San Diego, and four times the rate in Oakland. The disparity
between San Francisco's black felony arrest rates and the seven other
largest cities' -- measured by the number of African Americans arrested
per 1,000 black residents -- is so large that many experts and civic leaders
who reviewed the numbers said they are 'disturbing' and require an investigation."
(12/17/06)
Speaking
of JBT – where else but on-so-liberal San Francisco? And they wonder
why fewer people are moving to or staying in California? (see story below.)
Home Front:
MA: Health plan draws interest as
US model
Boston Globe
"Universal healthcare, an issue the White House and Congress have
largely abandoned since the early 1990s, has reemerged as an issue on
Capitol Hill and around the country, with lawmakers looking to Massachusetts'
landmark plan as a political and structural model for the nation's 46
million uninsured. Healthcare specialists and government officials across
the political spectrum say the healthcare debate has reached a turning
point, with both liberals and conservatives ready to compromise. Liberals
are setting aside old demands for a single-payer system, while conservatives
are showing a willingness to consider more government involvement in the
provision of healthcare." (12/18/06)
In other
words, the “conservatives” are abandoning their principles.
Mama's
Note: To understand what's happening, and the consequences of this idiocy,
take a look at this article at von Mises: Socialized
Medicine in A Wealthy Country
Home Front:
Pentagon wants $99.7 billion more
for wars
Fremont News-Messenger
"The Pentagon wants the White House to seek an additional $99.7
billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to information
provided to The Associated Press. The military's request, if embraced
by President Bush and approved by Congress, would boost this year's budget
for those wars to about $170 billion. Military planners assembled the
proposal at a time when Bush is developing new strategies for Iraq ..."
(12/20/06)
Meanwhile,
the armed forces are cutting everything else to the bone – the USAF
may keep as many as 30,000 empty manpower slots to pay for aircraft maintenance
and fuel for things outside Iraq and Afghanistan, such as our missile
systems.
Mama's
Note: How long can you throw everything down a black hole? Everything
we own or ever hope to have is being destroyed by these mindless morons
who see only power and empire.
Home Front:
VA: Signs written
in Arabic raise eyebrows on buses
NBC 12 News
"Signs written in Arabic are showing up on GRTC buses around our
area. Some bus riders are wondering exactly what's behind the messages,
and who put them there. The signs first showed up in the past few weeks
on 170 GRTC buses covering routes all across the area. There is a meaning
behind them, but it's probably not what you would think. It's a short
Arabic phrase that has some people confused. 'We have had some people
concerned that there is Arabic on our buses, they're a little scared that
maybe there's a secret message or it's calling on a terrorist cell,' says
Rev. Douglas Smith of the Virginia Interfaith Center. So what does the
sign actually say? If you look close enough it's written right below:
'Rock, Paper, Scissors.' 'We react before we know and we need to take
time to just think for a second and not just fall prey to our emotional,
visceral reactions,' says Dr. Archana Bhatt of A More Perfect Union, a
nonprofit group that’s behind the awareness campaign. They want to
get riders rethinking their biases and maybe start a discussion during
their ride through downtown." (12/20/06)
Stupid
People Tricks – like this and trying to fire bus drivers with white
beards because they wear “Santa” hats and get kids who don’t
believe in Santa upset. But the nonprofit group should tread carefully
– they may get more backlash than they want.
Home Front:
VA: Artistic license isn't funny to
DMV
Richmond Times Dispatch
"Did you hear the one about the guy who paints the top of his
head black, sticks a row of fake teeth in his mouth, walks into the Richmond
DMV posing as a martial arts master and manages to obtain a driver's license?
What about the one where the guy's buddy paints his face as red as a firetruck,
walks into the same Department of Motor Vehicles office, tells employees
that the makeup is for a play he is in later that day, then gets his license,
too? The pranks, posted on video Web sites YouTube and Break.com, earned
the men some funny-looking -- and real -- Virginia driver's licenses.
All told, three men obtained six reissued licenses in different makeovers
and have compiled their wacky antics into a movie." (12/20/06)
And have
now been declared illegal, immoral, and probably in aid of terrorism by
the DMV-crats who have no sense of humor.
Home Front:
Agency to
test military draft machinery
Fox News
"The Selective Service System, which has remained in existence
despite the abandonment of conscription three decades ago, is making preparations
to tests its draft machinery in case Congress and President George W.
Bush need it, even though the White House says it does not want to bring
back the draft. The agency is planning a comprehensive test -- not run
since 1998 -- of its military draft systems, a Selective Service official
said. The test itself would not likely occur until 2009. Scott Campbell,
the service's director for operations and chief information officer, cautioned
that the 'readiness exercise' does not mean the agency is gearing up to
resume the draft." (12/22/06)
This sounds
routine, but it will no doubt fire off another round of rumor-mongering,
and will be seen as an opportunity by the likes of thug Charlie Rangel,
who seemingly wants a new slave army to prove that he is fully the equal
of any third-world pocket-state dictator.
Home Front:
Police chiefs ask feds for crime commission
USA Today
"The nation's largest police chiefs' organization is calling on
the federal government to reestablish a national law enforcement commission
to help restore confidence in local public safety operations. The International
Association of Chiefs of Police said Thursday that recent incidents involving
officers' questionable use of force and abrupt increases in murder and
robbery represent strong evidence for a panel, similar to President Lyndon
Johnson's Crime Commission, which would develop a national anti-criminal
justice strategy. The panel would address a wide range of topics from
police deployment to prison administration." (12/21/06)
These people
are desperate to pass the buck and the day of a “Federal Law Enforcement
Agency” or something similar is pushed that much closer. If these
people want to restore confidence in their departments, they can do it
the right way – on the sidewalks with shoe leather. Get rid of the
goons in uniform, get rid of the black masks and Fritz helmets, get rid
of the war on some drugs, and get rid of government Keystone Kops at all
levels. These may be big-time cops, but talk to rural sheriffs and small-town
marshals and constables, and you’ll find their opinion of federal
cops – DHS, DEA, FBI, whatever – is as low as the average libertarian’s
opinion.
Mama's
Note: One thing you can bet your boots on: none of these people or "commissions"
would even think to repeal all of the victim disarmament "laws"
now on the books, yet that would do more than anything else to reduce
crime of all kinds. Criminals require helpless victims, and government
at all levels works hard to provide more and more of them each day.
Home Front:
Bush pardons 16, commutes sentence
CNN
"President Bush issued 16 pardons Thursday and commuted the sentence
of an Iowa man convicted of drug charges. Six of the federal offenses
were drug crimes, while others included bank fraud, mail fraud, the acceptance
of a kickback, a false statement on a loan application and conspiracy
to defraud the government over taxes. Seven of the 16 received no prison
or jail time, instead getting probation or a reduction in their military
pensions." (12/21/06)
Well, Mr.
President, how about a grant of pardon for ANYONE in prison for a nonviolent
drug crime? I’d love to see a list of these pardons compared with
political donations.
Home Front:
Local Tyranny:
CT, MA may join NY in trans fat idiocy
Boston Globe
"Artery-clogging artificial trans fats could soon be banned in
Connecticut. Two weeks after the New York City Board of Health voted to
make the Big Apple the first city in the nation to ban artificial trans
fats in restaurant food, two Republican state senators in Connecticut
proposed similar legislation Wednesday. ... Connecticut politicians are
not the first to consider a trans fat ban in the wake of New York City's
action. A Massachusetts lawmaker proposed a similar bill this week. Bans
are being considered in Philadelphia and Cleveland as well."
(12/20/06)
And another
kind of lunacy also spreads.
Kakocrats
in Action:
Fliers can rescue prohibited carry-ons
Sun Sentinel
"MacKenzie Burnham felt the sting of the carry-on liquid ban at
Thanksgiving when she arrived at a security checkpoint in O'Hare International
Airport with more than $100 in beauty supplies that she couldn't take
on her flight. 'I got my face cream and perfume thrown away in front of
my face,' said the 18-year-old student at Lake Forest College. 'The guy
just chucked it.' O'Hare officials implemented a system this week that
gives passengers such as Burnham an alternative to losing expensive or
cherished items: kiosks just beyond security checkpoints where they can
mail or send to storage prohibited liquids and gels. Burnham said she
gladly would have forked over the $10 fee to safeguard the bottles until
she returned." (12/14/06)
Sounds
like nothing but another profit center for the airlines or the airports
or the “security” thugs.
Kakocrats
in Action:
Ex-Fannie execs face civil charges
USA Today
"Federal regulators Monday filed civil charges against former
Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines and two other former executives, accusing
them of manipulating Fannie Mae's earnings to jack up their bonuses. In
a complaint with an administrative law judge, the Office of Federal Housing
Enterprise Oversight detailed 101 charges from 1998 to 2004 against Raines,
former chief financial officer Timothy Howard and former controller Leanne
Spencer, who all resigned in 2003 as the Fannie Mae scandal worsened."
(12/18/06)
Gee, why
would these bureaucrats try to feather their nests like this?
Kakocrats:
Theft by Government:
AZ: Cash found for baseball training
sites
Arizona Republic
"Valley baseball fans could soon be breaking out their Dodger
Blue and Chief Wahoo shirts. The Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority
now says the agency has found enough money to fund both Goodyear's and
Glendale's requests for spring training facilities that would open in
2009. A recommendation is expected to go to the eight-member sports authority
board on Thursday that would give more than $50 million to Glendale to
build a two-team facility for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago
White Sox, who currently play spring ball in Tucson. The recommendation
would give Goodyear more than $30 million for a one-team facility for
the Cleveland Indians. 'We'll be able to achieve what's good for the Cactus
League: the Dodgers and the Indians coming to Arizona,' said Larry Landry,
chairman of the authority board. Both teams train in Florida."
(12/19/06)
One of
the major problems with our current government system is NOT the “Welfare
Queens” – it is the businesses and individuals who make millions
of dollars that still get welfare in the form of goodie packages like
this. How many thousands of poor Arizonans and Arizonans who HATE baseball
have their money vacuumed from their billfolds to gather together $80
million bucks to bribe these millionaires to move from Florida?
Mama's
Note: Too bad all those Arizona taxpayers don't wise up and get rid of
the whole mess. There have to be plenty of them who think it's a great
idea for government to be involved in baseball, etc. or it wouldn't happen.
Kakocrats:
Theft by Government:
CT:
Lauren Canario is free!
The Day
"Eminent domain protester Lauren Canario, imprisoned since Sept.
23, broke her silence today in New London Superior Court and was granted
an unconditional discharge. ... Canario had refused to speak to the prosecutor
and judge and was being held indefinitely at the Janet S. York Correctional
Institute. ... Canario finally spoke when Prosecutor Michael Kennedy offered
her the opportunity of release if she would plead guilty under the Alford
Doctrine. The Alford plea means that she does not agree with the charges
but does not want to take the case to trial. ... Canario went to a friend's
house on Evergreen Street after being freed. ... Canario said the protest
and imprisonment were worth it." [Editor's note: THANK YOU to
a brave woman for standing up for the rights of all of us, at great cost
to herself! - TLK]
Clearly,
we have the names of at least two lawyers (after all, the judge is almost
certainly a lawyer) who need to be among the first up against the wall,
come the revolution in Connecticut. The “Alford Doctrine” sounds
something like “nolo contender” – no contest. The mere
idea that this woman was imprisoned for 90 days on a technicality is evil
and should be a warning to all of us.
Medical
Matters:
Spray away
obesity? Company offers nasal spray
Fox News
"Dieters may find some welcome assistance from a new nasal spray
that could help resist the appetizing aromas of cinnamon bun stands, pizza
parlors or tempting bakeries. Compellis Pharmaceuticals of Cambridge,
Massachusetts said it will begin human trials next year of a nasal spray
designed to fight obesity by blocking the senses of smell and taste. It
won a patent for the product this month. "The pleasurable effect
of eating is all stimulated by smell and taste," Christopher Adams,
the company's founder and chief executive, told Reuters Tuesday. 'The
premise is that olfactory activity that controls both smell and taste
is a trigger and a feedback mechanism to eat. If you have some kind of
reduced sense of smell or taste, you tend to eat less,' he said. The product,
known as CP404, is among the latest devices and treatments under development
in the multibillion-dollar fight against obesity." (12/19/06)
This sort
of thing “allows” a lack of self-discipline to be replaced by
technology – and at the same time, sucker an awful lot of people
out of an awful lot of money.
Mama's
Note: How stupid. I can't imagine anyone but an anorexic who would use
such a thing anyway, at least not after the first few meals. The return
of taste and smell experienced by those who quit smoking is directly involved
in the fact that most of them gain some weight, but few of them would
trade that for a return to dead tastebuds and noses. There are far better
ways to gain control over one's diet and weight.
Mesopotamian
Front:
Iraqi [sic] govt [sic] executes 13
convicted criminals
St. Paul Pioneer Press
"Iraqi authorities executed 13 men by hanging Tuesday after they
were convicted of murder and kidnapping, lining them up in hoods and green
jumpsuits with their hands bound behind their backs. In a rare move that
came amid chaotic violence sweeping the capital, the Iraqi government
recorded and distributed graphic television footage of the convicts in
the moments before they were put to death. The footage was given to both
Iraqi and foreign media." (12/19/06)
Exactly
how is this different from the very murders and kidnapping done by the
Shi’a or Sunni “militia”? This so-called “Iraqi”
government shows it is nothing more than another power-hungry, bloodthirsty
gang. Clearly they are hoping for the public nature of the executions
to have a salutatory effect on others, and it will, but not necessarily
what they expect: hanging is not considered an unIslamic way to die, as
compared to, say, getting eaten by hogs or being shot with bullets dipped
in pig grease.
Mesopotamian
Front:
US not winning war in
Iraq [sic], Bush says
MSNBC
"President Bush acknowledged for the first time yesterday that
the United States is not winning the war in Iraq and said he plans to
expand the overall size of the 'stressed' U.S. armed forces to meet the
challenges of a long-term global struggle against terrorists. As he searches
for a new strategy for Iraq, Bush has adopted the formula advanced by
his top military adviser to describe the situation." (12/19/06)
So he is
apparently listening to his new Defense chief, and to his new buddies,
the Democratic Thugs-in-Congress.
Mama's
Note: I get this mental image of Bush (and the rest of the war mongers)
standing by a very large sewer drain, watching things get sucked down
into the pit. He sees a man go into the vortex, then pushes a few of the
bystanders in with him - all the while telling everyone how compassionate
and worried he is about their fate.
Mesopotamian
Front:
Iraq [sic] troop buildup idea worries
generals
Anderson Independent Mail
"A White House laboring to find a new approach in Iraq said Tuesday
it is considering sending more U.S. troops, an option that worries top
generals because of its questionable payoff and potential backlash. President
Bush said he is ready to boost the overall size of an American military
overstretched by its efforts against worldwide terrorism. The military's
caution on shipping thousands of additional troops temporarily to Iraq
is based on a fear that the move could be ineffective without bold new
political and economic steps." (12/19/06)
This is
interesting because at the same time as the generals are saying it won’t
work, there are a lot of their soldiers asking for more comrades to help
control the situation. I suspect that they are both right – because
without a change in direction (like recognizing and helping Mesopotamia
organize into a number of independent states which can then be individually
brought from the 7th Century into the 21st) more money, equipment, and
boots on the ground won’t help.
Mama's
Note: How are smaller groups of these people going to be "brought
into the 21st century" if the whole bunch can't? Then, here's the
killer: who is going to accomplish this feat? These people must first
WANT to solve their inter tribe issues and approach peace willingly. They
cannot be forced to do so, and nobody can do it for them.
Mesopotamian
Front:
Iraq [sic] attacks at
highest level in two years
MSNBC
"Attacks on U.S. And Iraqi troops and Iraqi civilians jumped sharply
in recent months to the highest level since Iraq regained its sovereignty
in June 2004, the Pentagon told Congress on Monday in the latest indication
of that country’s spiraling violence. In a report issued the same
day Robert Gates took over as defense secretary, the Pentagon said that
from mid-August to mid-November, the weekly average number of attacks
increased 22 percent from the previous three months." (12/18/06)
This should
indicate that the US and other Coalition actions are NOT driving the train
here – and neither is the US the cause of this bloodfest: it is butchers
in Mesopotamia that are doing this to their own people (or what the rest
of us would consider their own people – clearly these killers do
not consider people of different sects or religions as anything but subhuman).
Mesopotamian
Front:
Red Crescent workers taken in Baghdad
Long Beach Press-Telegram
"Gunmen in Iraqi army uniforms burst into Red Crescent offices
on Sunday and kidnapped more than two dozen people at the humanitarian
organization in the latest sign of the country's growing lawlessness.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in Iraq on his sixth visit since the
2003 invasion, appealed for international support for Iraq's fragile government,
saying the bloodshed was being carried out 'by the very forces worldwide
who are trying to prevent moderation.'" (12/17/06)
Blair,
like Bush, refuses to state the obvious truth – that Islam is at
its heart a murderous, extremist, totalitarian philosophy and religion
which will continue to treat its own moderates as heretics and seek world
domination. Stating this and changing the plan in Mesopotamia WILL result
in an even greater bloodbath in the short term, but might be the only
thing which can save the West and keep the same violence as now found
in Mesopotamia from engulfing the world. Attacks on the Muslim equivalent
of the Red Cross are NOT lawlessness – they are a direct attack on
the entire idea of civilized existence.
Mesopotamian
Front:
Gates: Failure in Iraq {sic] will
haunt US
Oklahoma City Oklahoman
"On his first day as defense secretary, Robert Gates warned Monday
that failure in Iraq would be a 'calamity' that would haunt the United
States for years. Underscoring eroding security there, a Pentagon report
said the number of insurgent and sectarian attacks had risen to the highest
level in years. Sworn into office as the Bush administration moves toward
revamping its strategy in Iraq, Gates sketched out an agenda of reversing
the downward spiral in Iraq, attending to resurgent violence in Afghanistan
and pushing for the military modernization that was a priority of his
predecessor, Donald H. Rumsfeld." (12/18/06)
Gates is
stating the obvious – and many would say this is already the case.
Having blundered into this by initiating a preventative war, the US has
continued to make more and more mistakes based on a failure to understand
just what is going down, and how people in the region live and respond.
The problem is, the situation is NOT a military one – and Gates cannot
deal with it – it requires the President and Congress and neither
are capable of doing so. And yes, we will suffer for years – even
decades – for what we have already done.
Mesopotamian
Front:
Bush warns of more US losses in Iraq
[sic]
Longview Daily News
"Acknowledging deepening frustration over Iraq, President Bush
said Wednesday he is considering an increase in American forces and warned
that next year will bring more painful U.S. losses. New Defense Secretary
Robert Gates said in Baghdad that a troop surge was an obvious option.
Bush was unusually candid at a year-end news conference about U.S. setbacks
and dashed hopes in the war, which has claimed the lives of more than
2,950 U.S. military members." (12/20/06)
Apparently,
a good many soldiers are telling the new SecDef that they need more troops
– and it is the senior officers that are saying no. But unless the
troops do more than try to keep the various factions apart and are not
able to tackle the real causes of the collapse of society, what good will
more troops do?
Mesopotamian
Front:
Marines charged in Iraqi civilian
deaths
Connecticut Post
"Eight Marines were charged Thursday in the killings of 24 Iraqi
civilians last year during a bloody, door-to-door sweep in the town of
Haditha that came after one of their comrades was killed by a roadside
bomb. In the biggest U.S. criminal case involving civilian deaths to come
out of the Iraq war, four of the Marines -- all enlisted men -- were charged
with unpremeditated murder." (12/21/06)
Finally
– the evidence that I (and others demanded) seems to be more than
enough to take this to a formal court martial. Although I wonder if “unpremeditated”
is really accurate.
North American
Union:
Professor, wife plead guilty to reduced
charges in Cuba spying case
USA Today
"A psychology professor and his wife pleaded guilty Tuesday to
reduced federal charges in a case involving allegations that both had
spied for the Cuban government for decades. Carlos Alvarez, 61, pleaded
guilty to conspiracy to become an unregistered foreign agent. His 56-year-old
wife, Elsa Alvarez, admitted knowing about her husband's illegal activities
but failing to report them to authorities. Carlos Alvarez faces up to
five years in prison and his wife up to three years on the revised charges.
Both were charged previously with the more serious charge of acting as
illegal Cuban agents, which carries a longer possible prison sentence."
(12/19/06)
This plea
bargain smells, to me, and again brings into question our mixed attitude
towards Cuba. It also bothers me that they are going to be supported at
taxpayer expense for several years, when their real punishment could be
far simpler – deportation to the Cuba that they love so much and
being forced to live (either the rest of their lives or until it falls
apart) in the “socialist paradise” they’ve been backing.
Mama's
Note: That last works for me. I'm still trying to figure out just what
purpose "spies" from Cuba would serve? They pose no military
threat, and we've already destroyed their economy, so I don't know what
these spies would accomplish for Castro. Maybe they identified those in
power who still smoke Havana cigars and were blackmailing them?
North American
Union:
US seeks pragmatic Venezuela approach
Kansas City Star
"Washington is seeking a pragmatic relationship with President
Hugo Chavez's government that will allow for cooperation on trade and
other issues despite deep political differences, the U.S. ambassador to
Venezuela said Tuesday. Ambassador William Brownfield, in comments published
by the Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional, cited communist China and Vietnam
as examples of countries where the U.S. has put aside ideological differences
to pursue commercial relations." (12/19/06)
Common
sense – but not likely to be acceptable to Chavez, who WANTS the
lack of cooperation for everything except Yankee dollars for Venezuelan
oil.
North American
Union:
VT border stops: No terrorists, lotsa
pot
Boston Globe
"Security stops of cars in rural New England near the US border
with Canada, which became more frequent after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist
attacks, have yet to snare a single terrorist -- but they have contributed
to a huge, unexpected increase in marijuana seizures, according to homeland
security authorities. The seizures, which soared from 419 pounds in 2000
to more than 3,000 pounds last year, have pleased the federal Department
of Homeland Security but have angered Vermonters and civil libertarians,
who say the more aggressive US Border Patrol checkpoints should not be
used for everyday law enforcement. Some Vermonters are complaining about
the patrol's more aggressive tactics, especially the use of highway checkpoints
as far as 100 miles from the border. They say the random checkpoints --
which stop all passing cars inside the state, even if they're not headed
to or from the border -- can make driving within their state feel like
being in Eastern Europe under communism." [Editor's note: And
now we see the real purpose behind the "HeimatlandSicherheitsamt"
jackbooters! - SAT] (12/19/06)
Perhaps
the REAL reason for implementing US-Canada cross-border travel controls
is revealed, once again, by this news story – it is NOT about terrorists
ultimately, or about illegal travelers – it is about enforcing the
War on Some Drugs and similar foolishness.
North American
Union:
Castro not dying, US delegation is
assured
Associated Press
"Cuban officials have told a group of visiting U.S. lawmakers
that Fidel Castro does not have cancer or a terminal illness, in the most
comprehensive denial yet of rampant rumors about the ailing leader's health,
members of a U.S. Delegation said Sunday. U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.,
said Cuban officials did not provide further details on the 80-year-old
leader's health but did say he will eventually return to public life.
'All the officials have told us that his illness is not cancer, nor is
it terminal, and he will be back,' Flake told the Associated Press in
a telephone interview. Castro's medical condition has been a state secret
since he underwent surgery for intestinal bleeding in late July and temporarily
ceded power to his younger brother, Raul Castro. He has not been seen
publicly since July 26." [Editor's note: A spin on "Generalissimo
Francisco Franco ...?" - SAT] (12/18/06)
It is interesting
but a very common, even unchangeable, trait of communist countries to
(1) have cults of personality, (2) be ruled by old, decrepit men, and
(3) refuse to admit that their rulers are human and will die. Their denial,
as in a dozen other communist countries, is almost certain proof that
he IS gonna die pretty quick.
North American
Union:
Cuba: Castro's brother hints at changes
Seattle Times
"Raul Castro has set a new tone for Cuban politics, telling university
students in Havana that they should debate 'fearlessly' and bring their
concerns directly to him. Castro's remarks, published Thursday by the
Communist Party newspaper, Granma, are the clearest indication yet of
how he might reshape Cuba after the death of his ailing brother, Fidel
Castro. ... Castro, who is Cuba's defense minister, tempered his remarks
by telling the students that a 'unified command' is a key military principle
but 'that doesn't mean that discussions can't happen.' The notion of freewheeling
political debate is almost unheard of in Cuba, where many residents fear
repercussions if they criticize the government. But it is not without
precedent." (12/22/06)
Don’t
believe a word he says – and expect all the liberal-authoritarians
to fawn over him even as they have done to his brother for 40 plus years.
Fidel didn’t make it to the opening of Congress today (Friday), which
is a good sign that the medical reports are a bunch of horse-puckey, and
a state funeral is being planned. But I have to admit that when I heard
that the Cuban Congress hadn’t met for more than six months, I was
envious. Imagine being able to not have to worry about OUR thugs cooking
up mischief for six months! (Actually, I like the Montana system even
better: the Legislature meets every other year for about two months. Double
the spacing and cut the length in half and you are starting to get there.
Our British
Cousins:
UK:
Reid to face legal fight over ID cards
Independent [UK]
"John Reid faces the threat of legal action over the introduction
of biometric ID cards after disclosing that foreigners living in Britain
would have to start registering within two years. Campaigners warned that
the proposals could be discriminatory and breach European human rights
law. The Home Secretary also provoked anger when he announced that the
identity register that will underpin ID cards would be held on three existing
Whitehall databases rather than built from scratch. Mr. Reid set out the
timetable for identity cards yesterday and insisted they would be an "essential
measure" in the fight against terrorism, organised crime and fraud."
(12/20/06)
For good
or bad the UK has sold its sovereignty to Brussels for considerably less
than a bowl of pottage, and so Reid gets this kind of slap in the face
– even the darkest storm cloud can have a silver lining, no? I wonder
just how many British subjects and alien residents are on these three
databases?
Our British
Cousins:
UK: Santas banned for elf, safety
Telegraph [UK]
"The way things are going Santa Claus might as well stay in Lapland
and Rudolf start looking for a rest home for retired reindeer. For the
spread of an obsessive, bureaucratic safety culture has led schools, charities
and churches to become so terrified of child protection laws that they
are banning Father Christmas altogether. One entertainment agency supplying
Santas to children's parties has seen bookings halve in five years, a
report revealed yesterday. Other organisations have imposed draconian
rules for fear of being sued. A shopping centre in Wales installed CCTV
in Santa's grotto and printed a notice saying windows had been left 'clear
of decoration so that parents can see clearly what is going on.' Even
Tim Loughton, the Conservative Party children's spokesman, was banned
from dressing up as an elf for charity because he had not been screened
by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), an agency of the Home Office."
(12/16/06)
We are
seeing here the vicious cycle of personal irresponsibility and even insanity
that infects both British society and our own – the idea that every
evil can either be made acceptable OR prohibited by government action,
and that all organizations in society can act like government and treat
people of ANY age like incompetent, evil, wards of the state. Here in
the US, we see this in the requirements that background criminal checks
be conducted on teenagers hired to wash dishes at children’s summer
camps and Sunday school teachers. It is getting worse and like so much
else driven by this idea that parents are not responsible or capable of
deciding who to entrust their children to for an hour on Sunday or a week
in summer, it ultimately leads to ending the various things – at
least by private organizations – leaving more and more in the hands
of government. And we know that government is the ultimate child abuser.
Our British
Cousins:
UK:
Panto bans sweet throwing
Ananova [UK]
"Panto dames have been banned from throwing sweets to the kids
in the audience - in case they make them sick. Bosses at a theatre in
Worthing, West Sussex, are no longer dishing out sweets "to avoid
reactions among children with food allergies." Children's presenter
Christopher Lillicrap, who is directing Sleeping Beauty at Worthing's
Connaught Theatre, said: "How daft can you get?I remember as a child
having sweets thrown into the audience - we all loved it and I don't remember
anyone being hurt. This is a nanny state gone mad." (12/18/06)
Another
example of how the Brits are destroying their own culture.
Our British
Cousins:
UK:
Millions 'cannot read well enough for karaoke'
Independent [UK]
"Millions of adults have such poor reading skills that they will
struggle to keep up with karaoke lyrics at Christmas parties this year,
government research has found. Research for the Department for Education's
Get On campaign found classic songs like Frank Sinatra's "New York,
New York" require the reading skills expected of an 11-year-old,
lacked by more than 5.2 million adults. Other karaoke hits, such as "Angels"
by Robbie Williams, pose a harder challenge, which nearly 18 million adults
will fail. " (12/17/06)
Ah, government-run,
theft-funded schools are so great!
Our Imperial
Courts:
Court: Political censorship went too
far
Bloomberg
"A U.S. court ruled that the 2002 federal campaign-finance law
went too far in barring corporations, labor unions and other interest
groups from directly funding broadcast ads that mention federal candidates.
A divided three-judge panel, ruling in a challenge by Wisconsin Right
to Life Inc., said the organizations have a free-speech right to directly
fund ads that name a candidate, as long as they don't endorse or oppose
the candidate. The 2002 law required groups to use money raised under
federal restrictions for such ads during the final weeks before an election.
" (12/21/06)
Well, gee,
ya think so, buster? I still don’t see how it ain’t free speech
if you stand up and announce that Congress-thug Joe Snuffy is a corrupted,
perverted, money-freezing, intern-licking, Bill-of-Rights-trampling thug
and deserves to be voted into Leavenworth as soon as he’s voted out
of DC. Any more than explain why it isn’t free speech to sell liquor
by advertising that it gets you drunker quicker.
Persian
Front:
US
plans military buildup to 'warn Iran'
CBS News
"The Pentagon is planning to bolster its presence in the Persian
Gulf as a warning to Iran's continuously defiant government, CBS News
reports. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin says the
U.S. Military buildup, which would include adding a second aircraft carrier
to the one already in the Gulf, is being proposed as a response to what
U.S. officials view as an increasingly provocative Iranian leadership.
Recent Iranian naval exercises, support for Shiite militias in Iraq, and
Tehran's allegedly peaceful nuclear enrichment program -- which U.S. intelligence
believes is designed to produce a bomb -- have all lead to the planned
changes, Martin reports. Military officers say the buildup would take
place after the first of the year, not with the aim of actually attacking
Iran, but strictly as a deterrent." (12/19/06)
Deterrents
sometimes work, but all too often, they end up triggering the very war
they are supposed to prevent. This increase in power doesn’t need
to lead to war to give Iran what it wants – more prestige within
Islam (the Ummah) for being “bullied” by the US. It will thus
enable and encourage Iran to do more things to tick off the US and the
West in general.
Page
2 Click HERE Link checked!
Our Right To Defend Ourselves and other good stuff on page 2!
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
Several
people have asked about buying Gadsden Flags (the rattlesnake "Don't
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.
To Read
previous Commentaries, go
to the archives page and click onto the link for the week. The commentaries
are linked from the weekly front pages.
Please
note: Information about readers is never given or sold to anyone
for any purpose. Remember, however, that many people can read and recover
anything posted to web sites or email unless it is carefully encrypted.
Please take personal responsibility for what you post anywhere. MamaLiberty)
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