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Libertarian
War on the News, 13 - 19 April, 2008
National politics here in the US dominated news at the first of the
week, but more in the nature of analysis instead of actual news: Obama
again stuck his foot in his mouth about all of us “bitter” Americans
clinging to our Bible and our guns, but little else happened. The end
of the week was dominated by the Pope’s visit to the US. In the rest
of the world, things continued as usual, but again, indications were that
something massive might be coming down in the Middle East which would
partially explain the speculators’ success at driving the price of
oil (and of gasoline and diesel) to new record highs: $114+ for crude
oil and $3.50+ for gasoline, $4.25 for diesel. So the economy (outside
the West) continues to totter, and much of the world is holding its breath.
Afghan
front:
Afghanistan: Suicide attack
kills 16
MSNBC
“A suicide attack in front of a mosque in southwestern Afghanistan
killed 16 people and wounded more than 30 others on Thursday, a provincial
governor said. The attack took place as men were getting ready for the
evening prayer at the central mosque in Zaranj, the capital of Nimroz
province, Gov. Ghulam Dastagir Azad said.” (04/17/08)
Killing
people for peacefully practicing their religion – even if it is an
evil religion – is still an example of just how bad these “insurgents”
and “suicide killers” are.
Afghan
front:
Afghan prison under
Red Cross scrutiny
MSNBC
"The Red Cross criticized the way the U.S. handles prisoners at
the highly secretive Bagram military base, urging reforms Monday that
would allow detainees to introduce testimony in their defense. The criticism
of the prison, which few outsiders have seen, goes to the heart of the
system the Bush administration uses to justify holding detainees outside
the U.S." (04/14/08)
Changes
that should NOT have to be made: prisoners should have always been allowed
to introduce such testimony. At the same time, why has it taken the Red
Cross so long to point this out? They reacted far more quickly to problems
in the US and in Germany during WW2 than this – but then, the Red
Cross isn’t the organization it was, once upon a time.
Mama's
Note: As one who once worked closely with the Red Cross, I can tell you
it is the same bureaucracy and politically correct disease that's affected
so much else in this world. Red Cross volunteers remain the salt of the
earth, but the paid staff and directors of this organization - like most
others - is larded with politicians and socialists who spend their time
working hard to get control, the money and lives of as many as possible.
This isn't new, of course. Talk to some WWII veterans about the Red Cross.
Afghan
front:
Pentagon records detail prisoner abuse
by US military
Casper Star-Tribune
“Military interrogators assaulted Afghan detainees in 2003, using
investigation methods they learned during self-defense training, Pentagon
documents released Wednesday show. Detainees at the Gardez Detention Facility
in southeastern Afghanistan reported being made to kneel outside in wet
clothing and being kicked and punched in the kidneys, nose and knees if
they moved, according to the documents.” (04/16/08)
As with
the previous story, I ask why it took so long for this information to
be released? Where WAS the Red Cross? Where WERE the people who have the
military duty to see that EPWs (Enemy Prisoners of War) are properly protected?
American
union – Our right to self-defense:
Canada:
Long-gun amnesty may be extended
Telegraph Journal [Canada]
"The federal Conservatives have served notice that they intend
to continue providing amnesty to long-gun owners whose rifles and shotguns
are not registered. The reprieve hinges on a review of the current amnesty
program, which expires May 16. Canadian firearm officers -- the administrators
responsible for licences and authorizations in the provinces -- and RCMP
are currently conducting the review. They are expected to report their
findings to the government prior to the end of the amnesty period. Public
Safety Minister Stockwell Day announced in 2006 that government would
waive application fees for licences until 2008 and provide amnesty for
one year to owners of unregistered long-guns." (04/11/08)
Hopefully,
this is one step preparatory to dropping the entire insane program –
the monkeywrenching is apparently working: the system is clogged up so
badly that the Federal government goons don’t know what they have
and what they don’t.
Mama's
Note: The whole idea is nuts, from any angle. I've talked to Canadians
who say their "feds" can just pound sand - or as one said...
go play naked in a blizzard.
American
union home front:
Charges dropped in alleged
Canada terror plot
MSNBC
“Prosecutors agreed Tuesday not to proceed with charges against
four men accused of involvement in a plot for terrorist attacks in Canada,
leaving 11 of the 18 originally arrested still facing charges. A judge
approved the decision to stay proceedings against Qayyum Abdul Jamal,
Ahmad Mustafa Ghany, Ibrahim Aboud and Yasim Mohamed.” (04/15/08)
The details
are not as clean as the result, but unfortunately, without a trial, there
is less hope than ever of finding out if this was real or made up by someone.
American
union:
Mexican cartel
recruiting hitmen
Macon Telegraph
"Hitmen tied to Mexico's Gulf cartel appear to be boldly seeking
recruits by posting help-wanted signs in the border city of Nuevo Laredo,
including a giant banner hung across a thoroughfare, a federal anti-drug
enforcement official said Monday. The banner appeared over the weekend
in Nuevo Laredo near the border with Texas: 'Operative group 'The Zetas'
wants you, soldier or ex-soldier. We offer a good salary, food and benefits
for your family.'" (04/14/08)
Guess things
are getting bad across the border, eh? How long before northern Mexico
is a stateless zone in which free enterprise simply ignores government
more and more?
Mama's
Note: The sooner, the better. Maybe it will spread.
American
union:
Mexicans rally to oppose privatization
of oil industry
Arizona Republic
"Shouting 'No to the robbery!' thousands of Mexicans vowed Sunday
to launch demonstrations nationwide against President Felipe Calderon's
effort to open the state oil monopoly to private investment. Organizers
said they were ready to seize oil wells in Mexico, the third-biggest supplier
of petroleum to the United States after Saudi Arabia and Canada, but were
only convening rallies for now. Opposition lawmakers were staging sit-in
protests in the Mexican Congress to prevent debate on Calderon's bill.
... Calderon's proposal, which was filed in the Mexican Senate on Wednesday,
would allow private companies to build refineries, transport oil and its
derivatives, and own pipeline networks." (04/13/08)
Well, the
Mexican government stole the oil fields in the first place. How is allowing
someone to build their own refineries a “robbery?” (Except to
the liberals?)
Mama's
Note: The big problem with it is that this would not probably be a true
"privatization," but another example of the government corruption
and cronyism that is the hallmark of Latin American politics.
American
union:
ME: US-Canada
turf war set to resume
Christian Science Monitor
"Aboard the 46-foot 'Rebbie's Mistress,' John Drouin of Cutler,
Maine, will steam southeast from the harbor in town to tend his lobster
traps in the cobalt seas near Machias Seal Island -- a 110-square-mile
patch of the Gulf of Maine known as the 'gray zone.' In spring, the fishing
is easy. From July to early November, Mr. Drouin and about 35 lobstermen
from Maine will crowd the waters beside a fleet of lobster fishermen from
Canada, with tensions high because both sides claim they're fishing their
own nation's waters. Because Canada and the United States have never settled
ownership of Machias Seal Island, a 19-acre rise of rock and pine, and
the maritime boundary south of the Bay of Fundy, the gray zone has become
for the past six summers the scene of tangled gear, allegations of vandalism,
and mutual concerns that such intense lobstering and differing management
regulations will eventually overwhelm the crustaceous population."
(04/14/08)
This is
an issue that could have been settled decades if not centuries ago if
the lobstermen themselves had been given the freedom (and the responsibility)
to resolve the issue. Instead, they left it up to two governments (4,
really, when you count the state and province) to solve a really minor
problem. Perhaps a new Sealand (see www.sealandgov.com ) is needed on
this side of the pond?
Asian front:
Some
US athletes say Beijing podium protests possible
Agence France-Presse
"US Olympians began speaking out Monday about China's recent crackdown
in Tibet and links to Darfur and other human rights issues, some predicting
possible podium protests at the Beijing Olympics. More than 125 US Olympians
gathered here to speak with reporters from around the world just days
after protests disrupted the global Olympic torch tour stops in London,
Paris and San Francisco. 'There will be protests but I don't think it
will brand the Games,' said 2004 bronze medal wrestler Patricia Miranda
said. 'I would have said no a month ago but the fact the protests started
so early caught me off guard. I would say the protests are going to be
smart, not just not showing up.'" (04/14/08)
Once more
I am amazed that this has become such a pop-culture cause, because the
occupation of Tibet is now almost 60 years old, and the Darfur “problem”
is a decade or more old as well. Will it do much good? It all depends,
I suspect, on China’s reaction. If they let their totalitarian instincts
and habits dictate their actions, and start clubbing and gassing Olympic
athletes and staff, well, all bets are off – the world might actually
wake up once more to the evil that is Communist China.
Asian front:
Nepal:
Maoists surge in vote count
Agence France-Presse
"Nepal's Maoists have extended their stunning surge to victory
in historic polls on the Himalayan nation's political future, election
officials said Monday as the count passed the one-third mark. Maoists
said the results had placed the impoverished country on track for sweeping
change, expected to include the sacking of unpopular King Gyanendra and
the abolition of a 240-year-old monarchy. Of the 601 seats in a new assembly
that will rewrite Nepal's constitution, 209 have been decided or were
close to being allocated -- with the ultra- republican Maoists taking
91 seats and leading in 20 others." (04/14/08)
“Ultra-republican
Maoists?” What do these writers smoke? Maoism has NOTHING to do with
republican government – instead, it is exchanging a “dictatorship
of the proletariat” for the “dictatorship of the monarch,”
and nothing more. It appears as yet another nation is voting itself into
worse slavery than it had been in.
Asian front:
CNN
apologizes to China over Cafferty comments
The Times [UK]
“CNN was forced to apologise today after a news commentator called
the Chinese as a ‘bunch of goons and thugs.’ Jack Cafferty made
the comments on April 9 on CNN’s political program, The Situation
Room, in which he also described Chinese products as ‘junk.’
In a statement, CNN said: ‘It was not Mr. Cafferty’s nor CNN’s
intent to cause offence to the Chinese people, and we would apologize
to anyone who has interpreted the comments in this way.’ Cafferty
was offering his ’strongly held’ opinion of the Chinese Government,
not China’s people, the company said.” (04/16/08)
Sounds
like the truth to me. – well, maybe not completely: some Chinese-made
stuff is pretty good. It was obvious that he was talking about the government,
at least to me.
Asian front:
Dalai
Lama prepares for US talks
Agence France-Presse
“The Dalai Lama wrapped up a five-day visit to Seattle here Tuesday
ahead of talks with a US envoy next week on the situation in the exiled
Tibetan spiritual leader’s homeland. … On Monday, officials
announced that the Dalai Lama would meet US President George W. Bush’s
special envoy on April 21, in the highest level meeting between the US
administration and the exiled leader since the crackdown. The move was
criticized by China, which suggested that Washington was meddling in the
internal affairs of the country.” (04/15/08)
China is,
of course, the pot calling the kettle black: it has been interfering in
US internal affairs since the Clinton-Bush election, if not well before.
Asian front:
South Korea
chief says threats from north don’t faze him
Olympia Olympian
“South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said he will not be fazed
by menacing comments from North Korea, according to a statement from his
office. Lee made the remark Tuesday in New York during a meeting with
Korean-Americans, his office said. Lee has faced a tide of rhetoric threatening
attacks on the South and insulting him personally.” (04/15/08)
Indeed,
Lee is treating the North more like a spoiled child having a temper tantrum,
which perhaps is better than the kid-gloves method that the West has used
for decades to reduce tensions in the Peninsula.
Asian front:
India: Tibetan protests banned in
Arunachal
Times of India
“The Congress government in Arunachal Pradesh has joined its Left
Front counterpart in West Bengal in imposing a ban on Tibetan protests
in Tawang, the border district which China has been claiming as its own.
Confirming the ban, Tawang Superintendent of Police S N Mosobi told TOI
that Section 144 was imposed to prevent rallies in the district. The restrictions
were imposed on the direction of the Centre, he added. The ban has come
even as the UPA government in New Delhi had earlier clarified that it
would impose no restriction on Tibetan protests across the country. The
ban indicates that the government has buckled under pressure of Chinese
authorities who had sought to send its personnel to be part of the security
cordon for the Olympic flame reaching New Delhi on Thursday.”
(04/15/08)
Admittedly,
India can and should fear Chinese reaction to this, but that is something
that they should meet by PROTECTING their citizens and not by taking away
their freedoms. Interesting that the US ALLOWED Chinese “security
personnel” to be in San Francisco but India refused to let Communist
Secret Police operate openly in their own country.
Canaanite
front:
Israel
snubs Carter, declines security help
Reuters
"Israel's secret service has declined to assist U.S. agents guarding
former U.S. President Jimmy Carter during a visit in which Israeli leaders
have shunned him, U.S. sources close to the matter said on Monday. Carter
angered the Israeli government with plans to meet Hamas's top leader,
Khaled Meshaal, in Syria, and for describing Israeli policy in the occupied
Palestinian territories as 'a system of apartheid' in a 2006 book."
(04/14/08)
Of course,
the question should be asked as to why the taxpayers of the US have to
put up with paying for security for this sick old man and his insane posturing.
I guess he is too old now to build houses for the homeless and can’t
keep from doing things to make the news.
Economic
front:
Brazil announces potentially massive
oil discovery
Houston Chronicle
"A deep-water exploration area off Brazil's coast could contain
as much as 33 billion barrels of oil, the head of Brazil's National Petroleum
Agency said today. That would make it the world's third- largest known
oil reserve. Haroldo Lima cautioned that his information on the field
off the coast of Rio de Janeiro is unofficial and needs to be confirmed."
(04/14/08)
Another
nail in the coffin of “Peak Oil” and associated efforts to destroy
modern civilization. And possibly a blow to the Islamic imperialists.
This, combined with an estimate 52 BILLION barrels of oil available from
North Dakota and Montana, and hundreds of billions of barrels from oil
shale in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, and tar sands in Alberta, provide
decades of crude oil to fuel our civilization IF we can overcome the socio-economic
problems we face today. Add all that to millions of tons of uranium to
provide electrical power and other energy that is currently being produced
by wasting coal and natural gas and even petroleum, and we do not face
the bleakness that the statists and evironists so desperately want us
to believe in.
Economic
news:
Consumer education isn't enough, say
privacy advocates
PC World
“The efforts of e-commerce sites and online advertisers to educate
U.S. consumers about privacy and targeted advertising aren’t enough
because many consumers won’t take the time to understand the issues,
privacy advocates said Thursday. Leaders of the Electronic Privacy Information
Center (EPIC) and the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) called for Congress
to pass online privacy regulations during a forum hosted by the Annenberg
School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and the University
of Southern California. And Susan Grant, director of consumer protection
at the Consumer Federation of America, suggested the U.S. government should
set up a ‘do-not-track’ list, prohibiting advertisers from tracking
online activities, modeled after the do-not-call list governing telemarketers.”
(04/17/08)
Well, in
that case, I think that the consumers deserve what they get. If people
can’t take care of themselves, it is NOT up to government to dictate
conditions for all of us to “protect us” when we all don’t
need to be protected.” More government intervention will actually
make people MORE likely to be scammed, since they will have no reason
to accept responsibility for their own information and actions.
Economic
news:
U.S.
Manufacturers Spend Billions Preventing Pollution
CNSNews.com
The U.S. manufacturing sector spent $5.9 billion dollars on capital
expenditures and $20.7 billion dollars on operating costs for pollution
prevention and treatment in 2005... more
Yes, this
is money that does get recirculated in the economy, but much of it is
really NOT productive money: it does not produce anything to feed people,
cloth people, give us a higher standard of living. Thanks to government
regulations and permitting, I dare say that a third of it actually REDUCES
or PREVENTS pollution (and therefore has a positive benefit) – most
goes to comply with the enormous administrative burdens that government
regulation impose on industry.
European
front:
Berlusconi
returns to power in Italy
Miami Herald
"Media billionaire Silvio Berlusconi won a decisive victory Monday
in Italy's parliamentary election, setting the colorful conservative and
staunch U.S. ally on course to his third stint as premier. The victory
in voting Sunday and Monday by parties supporting the 71-year-old Berlusconi
avenged his loss two years ago to a center-left coalition." (04/14/08)
Italy,
as usual, demonstrates that a modern nation-state doesn’t really
need to have a functioning government, no matter how much they enjoy pretending
to have one.
European
front:
Poland remembers
ghetto uprising
BBC News [UK]
“The Polish and Israeli presidents have led events to mark the
65th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The main ceremony was
held at a monument honouring hundreds of Jewish fighters who resisted
German attempts to eradicate the ghetto. … The uprising was the largest
act of Jewish resistance in the Holocaust.” (04/15/08)
We too
often forget that 19 APRIL is not just the anniversary of the Battles
of Lexington and Concord, the end of the American Revolution, the Waco,
Ruby Ridge, and Oklahoma City Massacres, but the anniversary of this brave
and doomed fight for freedom. It is followed in two days by the anniversary
of the Texan victory at San Jacinto, which won Texas’ freedom in
1836. Today, Poland may be the most free nation in Europe, overall.
European
front:
Serbia: Smile and dress modestly,
civil servants told
Yahoo! News
“Serbia’s civil servants must get over their grumpiness,
answer queries with a smile and stop wearing shorts to work, according
to a new code of conduct that came into force this month. The code says
civil servants ‘must act professionally and kindly,’ ‘provide
true and timely information’ and ‘respect citizens’ personality
and dignity.’ They must keep citizens’ business confidential
and behave with dignity in public. Although it does not set a dress code,
it rules out ‘disproportionately short skirts, tops with revealing
décolletage or narrow straps, short or see-through blouses and
short pants.’ … Despite the modest salary, they are coveted
posts because of the short hours, job security and lingering sense of
power. But for ordinary Serbs, the civil service represents a culture
of grumpy, unhelpful and long-winded bureaucracy.” (04/14/08)
Good luck!
A bureaucrat is a bureaucrat, especially in areas seeped with the traditions
of the Ottoman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Communism.
Government
run, theft funded schools:
UK: School’s
witch ban
Ananova [UK]
“A village school is to scrap its historic witch logo because
of fears that it drives away pupils and teachers. Warboys Community Primary
School has used the emblem of a witch riding a broomstick for more than
60 years. It marks the fact that the Cambridgeshire village was the last
place in England to hang witches, reports the Daily Telegraph. But governors
want to get rid of the logo as part of measures to give it a ‘fresh
start’ after poor inspection reports.” (04/16/08)
Another
item of history lost. As if symbols like this are the cause of the failure
of government schools.
Government
run, theft funded schools:
Report: “Moral panic,” “policy
hysteria” harming UK schools
Independent [UK]
“Primary school education has been damaged by ‘prescriptive
state nationalisation,’ which has taken all the fun out of children’s
learning, the biggest review of primary education in 40 years has concluded.
A mixture of ‘moral panic,’ ‘policy hysteria’ and
‘fad theory’ has had a devastating effect on primary schools
in England, according to the latest reports of the Cambridge University-led
Primary Review.” (04/17/08)
In other
words: too much government control. As the previous story illustrates,
government officials panic and go through fads to “fix” things
that they themselves broke. The solution: no government in schools. Solution
for much of society’s problems: no government. Period.
Government
run, theft funded schools:
CA: UC's research
"paradise" draws ire of lawmakers
Contra Costa Times
"The University of California has created a little-known South
Pacific station it calls a research 'paradise' on what some travelers
consider the most beautiful island in the world. Surrounded by clear waters
white-sand beaches and covered by forests topped by jagged peaks, it's
'UC Berkeley's best-kept secret,' declares the Berkeley Science Review.
Real estate agents call it 'Fantasy Island.' The problem is, critics say,
UC has developed Gump Station on Moorea Island near Tahiti as a sweet
deal for academic insiders while, at the same time, hiking already high
tuition due to state budget deficits." (04/13/08)
Of COURSE
the educrats should have their own private fantasy island – they
deserve so MUCH for teaching our children…
Government
run, theft funded schools:
MA: Many HS grads unprepared in college
Boston Globe
“Thousands of Massachusetts public high school graduates arrive
at college unprepared for even the most basic math and English classes,
forcing them to take remedial courses that discourage many from staying
in school, according to a statewide study released yesterday. The problem
is particularly acute in urban districts and vocational schools, according
to the first-of-its kind study. At three high schools in Boston and two
in Worcester, at least 70 percent of students were forced to take at least
one remedial class because they scored poorly on a college placement test.
The study raises concern that the state’s public schools are not
doing enough to prepare all of their students for college, despite years
of overhauls and large infusions of money.” (04/16/08)
A vocational
school, by definition, is NOT preparing students for college – so
why should this be a surprise? At the same time, the money wasted on government-ruined
schools is going to the teachers and other edu-crats, and NOT to the actual
teaching of the students. And of course, this article includes an appeal
for more money to be spent to “fix” the problem.
Government
run, theft funded schools:
NH: Homeschool parents speak out against
oversight bill
WMUR
“Parents of homeschooled children asked lawmakers Tuesday to reject
a proposal to increase state oversight of what they teach. A bill being
considered by a House committee would require parents to submit a one-page
plan for a home-school student’s first year of education. Supporters
said it’s intended to keep children from falling through the cracks.”
(04/15/08)
It doesn’t
seem to me as though all the Free-Staters in NH are making much of a difference
if garbage like this is even being proposed.
Home Front
– Texas War:
TX: Sect mothers separated from abducted
kids
Yahoo! News
"Texas officials who took 416 children from a polygamist retreat
into state custody sent many of their mothers away Monday, as a judge
and lawyers struggled with a legal and logistical morass in one of the
biggest child-custody cases in U.S. history. Of the 139 women who voluntarily
left the compound with their children since an April 3 raid, only those
with children 4 or younger were allowed to continue staying with them,
said Marissa Gonzales, spokewoman for the state Children's Protective
Services agency. She did not know how many women stayed. ... The women
were given a choice: Return to the Eldorado ranch of the Fundamentalist
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a renegade Mormon sect, or
go to another safe location. Some women chose the latter, Gonzales said.
... Over the weekend, some of the mothers went on the offensive, complaining
the children are falling ill and are frightened and traumatized from living
in cramped conditions at the fort, with cots, cribs and playpens lined
up side by side." (04/14/08)
No matter
how bad some of these mothers may have been, and how subjected to what
might be a form of slavery, there is no way that the State can do a better
job of caring for their children – the State’s track record
is FAR worse than any polygamists’. But the story is far from over.
Home front
– Texas War:
TX: Hearing will determine
fate of kidnapped children
Salt Lake Tribune
“Attorneys from every corner of Texas are [in San Angelo] to represent
the 416 children seized from a polygamous sect in a hearing to decide
their near-term fate. Today’s custody hearing — unprecedented
because of its size — is to begin at 10 a.m. (CDT) before 51st District
Court Judge Barbara Walther. … The judge must make a key decision
early on in the hearing: whether due process requires each child to have
a separate hearing. Child Protective Services attorneys have said they
intended to present a single case covering all of the children —
an approach that attorneys for the parents are likely to reject. Guy Choate,
a San Angelo attorney helping to coordinate volunteer attorneys, predicted
the cases will be handled en masse. ‘It’s clearly impossible
to have 416 hearings,’ he said. ‘These kids could turn 21 by
the time we finished.’” [Editor’s note: Since when
are due process rights subject to the state’s convenience? Hear the
cases, or dismiss them - TLK] (04/17/08)
Why is
it “impossible?” Only if you already have achieved your objective
of controlling (and destroying) lives. Would that more ordinary Texans
care about these children and women!
Home front
– the Texas War:
TX: Chaos at hearing on abducted children
Washington Times
“A court hearing to decide the fate of the 416 children swept
up in a raid on a West Texas polygamist sect descended into farce yesterday,
with hundreds of lawyers in two packed buildings shouting objections and
the judge struggling to maintain order. … At issue was an attempt
by the state of Texas to strip the parents of custody and place the children
in foster homes because of evidence [sic] they were being physically and
sexually abused by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints (FLDS), a Mormon splinter group suspected of forcing underage girls
into marriage with older men. By evening, only three witnesses had testified,
including state child welfare investigator Angie Voss, who said women
may have had children when they were minors, some as young as age 13.
At least five girls who are younger than 18 are now pregnant or have children,
Ms. Voss said. No decisions had been made on any of the youngsters, and
the hearing was to continue today.” (04/18/08)
Is there
any chance of justice being served? I seriously doubt it. See my comments
on previous stories on this travesty of liberty. The FLDS is evil, but
the state is again demonstrating that government can be equally evil,
and probably worse.
Home front
– the Texas war:
TX: Abducted
kids' mothers seek help; state seizes phones
Houston Chronicle
"The mothers of children removed from a West Texas polygamist
sect's ranch after an abuse allegation are appealing to Gov. Rick Perry
for help. In a letter sect members say was mailed to Perry on Saturday,
the mothers from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints claim some of their children have become sick and even required
hospitalization. They also say children have been questioned about things
they know nothing about since they were placed in the legal custody of
the state. ... On Sunday, state officials enforced a judge's order to
confiscate the cell phones of the women and children removed from the
polygamous sect's private ranch." (04/13/08)
Of course
– we can resolve the appeals made by the women by taking away their
ability to make the appeals. I suppose the goons will steal paper and
pencils next: many are already imprisoned and unable to talk to reporters
or any other outsider.
Home front:
LAX will use body imaging scanning
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
“Some travelers at Los Angeles International Airport will be searched
for weapons and explosives using a new scanner that peers through their
clothes and creates an image of the person’s body, federal officials
announced Thursday. The sophisticated technology, called millimeter wave
imaging, may prove to be a more effective way to check travelers for guns,
knives, bombs and other dangerous materials than pat-down searches.”
(04/17/08)
Speaking
of experimenting on people without their consent (see story in Stupid
government tricks about sludge research), this is another example, and
affects far more than nine families. It also completely removes privacy
from these travelers.
Home front:
CO: Denver won’t
“cage protesters” at DNC
Denver Post
“Protesters will not be confined to ‘cages’ during the
2008 Democratic National Convention, and the city wants to get away from
the long lines of shoulder-to-shoulder, riot-gear-clad police that typified
security at the national conventions in Boston and New York, Denver City
Councilman Charlie Brown said today. ‘We don’t want to provoke
violence,’ Brown said. He said he talked with Mayor John Hickenlooper
on Wednesday and that the two discussed ‘trying to get away from
having lines of police officers.’ Brown later asserted: ‘We
aren’t going to cage protesters.’ The councilman made his comments
before a group of about 50 students and others at the University of Denver
law school, where local law groups are sponsoring a four-day series of
workshops and discussions that offer training and tips for activists and
protesters planning to demonstrate in and around convention week.”
[Editor’s note: With the potential dogfight shaping up for another
party’s nominations in the same city a few months earlier, they may
change their minds … or not? - SAT] (04/17/08)
How generous
of them. Of course, at least two major suburbs (including Aurora) have
opted out of ANY security duties for the DNC, so Denver would have to
go hire temps to even get “shoulder-to-shoulder” cops. Frankly,
I don’t think Denver is even going to take official notice of us
being in town next month.
Home front:
CA: Devastating quake predicted within
30 years
San Francisco Chronicle
"A strong and potentially deadly earthquake is virtually certain
to strike on one of California's major seismic faults with a magnitude
of at least 6.7 within the next 30 years, scientists said Monday in releasing
the first official forecast of statewide earthquake probabilities. By
their calculations the probability of such a strong and damaging quake
hitting somewhere the Golden state is now more than 99 percent. A much
more damaging quake of magnitude of 7.5 or greater is at least 46 percent
likely to hit on one of California's restless web of active fault systems
within the same three decades, but probably in the southern part of the
state, the team of federal and state earthquake scientists warned."
(04/14/08)
Another
reason to leave the Communist State of California, or at least get out
of the urban areas completely. Imagine the opportunity for further totalitarian
enactments that a quake like this would offer California’s political
thugs.
Home front:
Pope likely to address abuse
Boston Globe
"Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley has urged Pope Benedict XVI to speak
out about the abuse crisis, and says he is confident the pontiff will
do so during his visit to the United States that begins tomorrow in Washington.
O'Malley, who will accompany the pope at many appearances during the six-day
trip, said that as the papal trip was being planned, he joined other bishops
in emphasizing the importance of the abuse issue in discussions with Archbishop
Pietro Sambi, who, as apostolic nuncio, is the pope's ambassador to the
United States. 'We certainly tried to make it very clear to the nuncio
that the bishops are expecting the Holy Father to address the abuse crisis,
and the nuncio assured us that he was confident that he would,' O'Malley
said." (04/14/08)
It does
appear that Benedict is making more of a point of tackling this situation,
in the first few days. But unless the “laity” of the RC Church
take action, nothing will happen to improve matters.
Mama's
Note: Yes, there was inappropriate behavior by some priests, deacons,
etc. Of course that is always wrong and should be punished when proven.
But there are problems that almost nobody ever mentions. I'd like to see
the absolute numbers of proven (not just accused) actual sexual abuse
(not just a casual touch) of each and every public and private organization
across the country. Accusations that are 20 and 30 years old, unproved
and unprovable, are not a just basis for any of this hysteria. It is well
known that many, if not most, reports of "abuse" are false in
whole or in part. It must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, and the
coerced or bribed "testimony" of children is not usually reliable.
The
bottom line with many of these cases is the deep pockets of the church.
When it became acceptable, the lawyers and gold diggers came out of the
woodwork like termites in a fire.
Home front:
AZ: Gordon wants FBI investigation
of Arpaio Arizona Republic
"In the wake of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office crackdowns
on illegal immigrants throughout the Valley, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon
is calling on the FBI to investigate whether Sheriff Joe Arpaio has violated
any civil-rights laws. In an April 4 letter to U.S. Attorney General Michael
Mukasey, Gordon asked the Justice Department's civil- rights division
and the FBI to probe what Gordon calls a 'pattern and practice of conduct
that includes discriminatory harassment, improper stops, searches and
arrests.' Justice Department officials promised to review Gordon's letter
but declined further comment. Arpaio said it was ironic that Gordon drafted
the letter on the same day that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials
from Washington observed his deputies arresting residents and illegal
immigrants in Guadalupe and approved of the sheriff's work."
(04/13/08)
Phoenix
is of course a “sanctuary city” so this is more about politics
and cowtowing to local financial interests (who want the cheap labor)
than it is about anyone’s civil rights. It seems to me that Gordon
ought to be appealing to the voters of Maricopa County rather than to
the Feb-goons.
Mama's
Note: Local businesses want the right to hire and fire workers to fit
their business needs, like anyone else. If they are forced to pay higher
wages than the work is worth, they go out of business. If people can't
offer their work for a mutually agreed on wage, they are slaves. It has
nothing to do with immigration, and everything to do with human rights
to life, liberty and property.
Home front:
ICE thugs
abduct hundreds in poultry plant raids
CNN
“Federal immigration agents fanned out across five states Wednesday,
detaining hundreds of employees of Pilgrim’s Pride, one of the nation’s
largest poultry companies. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
agents, along with the U.S. Department of Justice and an array of other
local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, raided chicken-processing
plants in Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas and West Virginia, authorities
said. The sweeps were carried out against ‘foreign nationals …
who are suspected of committing identity theft and other criminal violations
in order to obtain their jobs,’ according to ICE. Pilgrim’s
Pride said about 400 non-management employees were detained.” (04/17/08)
Speaking
of Fed-goons…This is a repeat of the raids last year in Colorado,
Nebraska, and elsewhere. While I believe that identity theft is an evil
AND a crime, I question if that is truly the motive for these raids.
Home front:
FL: Jury deadlocks in second “Liberty
City Seven” trial
New Orleans Times-Picayune
“The second trial of six men accused of plotting attacks on Chicago’s
Sears Tower and FBI offices ended with a second hung jury Wednesday, an
embarrassing blow to a case the Bush administration had cited as an example
of nipping a devastating terrorist attack in the bud. U.S. District Judge
Joan Lenard declared a mistrial when jurors reported they were deadlocked
after 13 days of deliberations in the case of the so-called ‘Liberty
City Seven.’ The first trial ended in December in a hung jury for
the same six defendants and the acquittal of a seventh. … The defendants
were arrested in a June 2006 operation hailed by the Bush administration
as a prime example of the post-Sept. 11 strategy of preventing terrorism
plots in the earliest possible stages. Yet there was no evidence the group
ever acquired explosives or took concrete steps toward staging the attacks;
they did have a handgun and a few machetes.” (04/16/08)
As in Canada
(see “American union – home front” story), the feds appear
to be mishandling this case OR simply have not made up a story good enough
to fool all twelve jurors.
Home front:
Pope
urges open arms for immigrants to US
Houston Chronicle
“Pope Benedict XVI urged the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops
and cardinals Wednesday to support new immigrants to the United States.
‘I want to encourage you and your communities to continue to welcome
the immigrants who join your ranks today, to share their joys and hopes,
to support them in their sorrows and trials and to help them flourish
in their new home,’ the pope said during a prayer service at the
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. … The
pope also commended Americans for their generosity following the terrorist
attacks of 2001, the 2004 tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.” (04/16/08)
Of course
people should welcome (not “support” as in “welfare-support)
new immigrants, but this is a far cry from an endorsement of “illegal
immigration” as so many have claimed he and the R.C. Church is doing.
His speech contained much in praise of the American political philosophy
and liberty in general, that was conveniently left off many news stories.
As Mama pointed out, he needs the courage to speak out about the damage
that the current Congress and Administration are doing to those freedoms.
Home front:
Pope “deeply ashamed” of
priest scandal
Newark Star-Ledger
“Greeted by the president and hundreds of cheering supporters,
Pope Benedict XVI arrived on American soil Tuesday for a six-day faith-building
mission, a journey that began hours earlier with a somber pronouncement
of regret over the clergy sex abuse scandal. Speaking to reporters during
the trans-Atlantic flight aboard his ‘Shepherd One’ plane, the
pope said he was ‘deeply ashamed’ by the crisis and vowed to
rid the priesthood of pedophiles.” (04/16/08)
This is
the kind of forthright speaking that a lot of people want and are welcoming
– but it will NOT resolve the “crisis” unless the Church
is willing to go back to biblical principles and among other things, “separate
yourselves from the one who walks in evil” instead of hiding them.
Mama's
Note: Once again, I'd like to see some actual numbers here. How often
did that happen? How often were they "hidden" for real? A deacon
in the church I attended in California was convicted of inappropriate
behavior with two children and was turned over to the police immediately.
As far as I know, he's been in prison ever since. Another young man was
accused years later, but acquitted. We all knew both the man and the accusers
very well. There was not much doubt in anyone's mind what really happened.
But they had their chance to prove it in court, and failed - in spite
of lies and an endless campaign to smear the other family in town. That
turned out to be a bigger mess than the first case in many ways.
Massa-wannabes:
McCain endorses federal shield law
for reporters
USA Today
"Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Monday he
would support a federal shield law for reporters, although with misgivings.
McCain told a meeting of the Associated Press that he is 'willing to invest
in the press a very solemn trust that in the use of confidential sources,
you will not do more harm than good, whether it comes to the security
of the nation or the reputation of good people.'" (04/14/08)
Frankly,
all that is needed is enforcement of the First Amendment.
Massa-wannabes:
Obama
fires back at Clinton, McCain on "bitter" criticism
CNN
"After two days of criticism over his remarks at a California
fundraiser, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama hit back Sunday
by mocking Clinton's professions of outrage over the comments. Speaking
at a raucous union rally in the Harrisburg suburb of Steelton, the Illinois
senator said Clinton 'knows better' than to attack him as elitist and
out of touch. ... The campaign of the presumptive Republican nominee,
Sen. John McCain, has chimed in with similar attacks -- which drew scorn
from Obama at the United Steelworkers rally, held before the forum. 'I
expected this out of John McCain,' Obama said. 'But I've got to say, I'm
a little disappointed when I start hearing the exact same talking points
coming out of my Democratic colleague Hillary Clinton. She knows better.'"
(04/14/08)
What? He
is attacking Hillary for speaking the truth? Obama IS an elitist –
his entire life demonstrates that, despite his claims otherwise.
Massa-wannabes:
IL: Wright still ranting
Fox News
"Rev. Jeremiah Wright was briefly back in the pulpit on Saturday
where he blasted America's founding fathers for slavery and white supremacy
and received standing ovations for attacking FOX News for covering his
anti-American sermons. Delivering a eulogy for a late congregant of Trinity
United Church of Christ -- former appellate judge R. Eugene Pincham --
Barack Obama's former pastor said America's mistreatment of blacks is
the result of the founding fathers, who 'planted slavery and white supremacy
in the DNA of this republic.' First reported by The Chicago Sun Times,
Wright said that Thomas Jefferson, who partook in 'pedophilia,' would
also be considered unpatriotic these days because he wrote, 'God would
punish America for the sin of slavery.' He also quoted Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice, who said that the U.S. has a 'congenital birth defect.'"
[Editor's note: OK, now he's slamming Tom Jefferson; this clearly means
war! - SAT] [Editor's note: Fox calling Wright's sermons "anti-American"
is definitely a pot-kettle phenomenon - TLK] (04/13/08)
Let the
man rave all he wants, as long as he isn’t advising presidents or
wanna-be presidents. Like many other stories he tells, his claim about
T.J. is pretty much garbage, but let him say what he wants…
Massa-wannabes:
Clinton,
Obama square off in final debate
Voice of America
“Democratic presidential contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton
were both on the defensive Wednesday night during a debate broadcast by
ABC News (from the Constitution Center) in Philadelphia, their last exchange
before next Tuesday’s Pennsylvania primary. … The tone of both
Democrats was generally polite, but there were plenty of jabs thrown during
the course of the debate about recent statements that have caused both
contenders problems.” (04/17/08)
Frankly,
they both really did poorly. I almost agree with Mr. Limbaugh: the Democrats
need to start over and find someone else.
Mama's
Note: I've got an idea... how about "Punch and Judy" puppets.
That would provide entertainment, but leave room for those who don't want
to watch to get on with their own lives.
Massa-wannabes:
McCain calls for tax cuts, corporate
responsibility
USA Today
“Republican presidential hopeful John McCain on Tuesday said he
will try to enact sweeping tax cuts for the middle class but end them
for corporate ’special pleaders’ if he wins the White House
in November. On a victory lap through this state while his Democratic
rivals continue to battle each other in advance of the April 22 primary,
McCain delivered what his campaign billed as a major speech on [the] economy
here, sandwiched between two fundraisers that netted the Arizona senator
$500,000, according to Pennsylvania Republican Party chairman Robert Gleason.”
(04/15/08)
Of course,
the more taxes are cut, the more we end up paying, as Kennedy, Reagan,
and Bush II have proved. As for corporate responsibility – that should
be up to the market, which is the only control that business should have
– or should have to understand. The more the government interferes
with the market (including interference by theft (taxes)), the less able
the market is to keep business and corporations honest.
Mama's
Note: From much I've read, it seems that government regulations and rules
cost us all more than taxes alone would in the long run. This cost is
not distributed evenly, naturally, with the big industries actually benefiting
from them because they drive the smaller, marginal players out of the
market. Then, of course, many get special "deals" and dispensations,
which further cloud the picture. Consumers lose many choices and fresh
ideas that might provide good things for all of us if not taxed and regulated
out of existence.
Mesopotamian
front:
Pentagon institute:
Iraq war “a major debacle”
Sacramento Bee
“The war in Iraq has become ‘a major debacle’ and the
outcome ‘is in doubt’ despite improvements in security from
the buildup in U.S. forces, according to a highly critical study published
Thursday by the Pentagon’s premier military educational institute.
The report released by the National Defense University raises fresh doubts
about President Bush’s projections of a U.S. victory in Iraq just
a week after Bush announced that he was suspending U.S. troop reductions.”
(04/18/08)
Of course,
it isn’t a war, it is an occupation but it seems that even the NDU
has to be politically correct. The problems are the same as pointed out
in 2003: regime change does no good if there is not a culture change:
getting rid of Tojo and company would have done no good if the entire
basis of Japanese imperialism (bushido and the god status of the emperor)
had not be abolished; getting rid of the National Socialists would not
have done any good if the entire German culture of the omnipotent state
and militarism had not been abolished. And even so it took a decade or
more; not the five years we’ve had so far. And it took realizing
that an occupation is not a war.
Mesopotamian
front:
US military
to free AP photographer
Miami Herald
"The U.S. military said Monday it will release Associated Press
photographer Bilal Hussein, more than two years after he was detained
by U.S. Marines on suspicions of links to insurgents. The military said
it has determined Hussein is not a threat and plans to free him Wednesday.
In the past week, Iraqi judicial committees dismissed all allegations
against Hussein and ordered his release." (04/14/08)
Oh? I thought
that the “Iraqis” were our puppets, not the other way around.
Mesopotamian
front:
Iraq's financial free ride may end
Coeur d'Alene Press
"Iraq's financial free ride may be over. After five years, Republicans
and Democrats seem to have found common ground on at least one aspect
of the war. From the fiercest foes of the war to the most steadfast Bush
supporters, they are looking at Iraq's surging oil income and saying Baghdad
should start picking up more of the tab, particularly for rebuilding hospitals,
roads, power lines and the rest of the shattered country." (04/14/08)
Makes sense
to me – so obviously, it won’t pass Congress.
Nazgul:
Supreme
Court upholds lethal injection
Christian Science Monitor
“Lethal-injection procedures in Kentucky do not violate the Eighth
Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. In
a 7-to-2 decision announced on Wednesday, the US Supreme Court upheld
the injection procedures used by Kentucky officials to execute condemned
prisoners. The majority justices ruled that the existing procedures do
not pose a ’substantial risk of serious harm.’ The action opens
the way for an end to a de facto national moratorium on lethal injection
executions that has been in place since the fall. In deciding the case,
Baze v. Rees, the high court established a new, more rigorous constitutional
test of execution methods under the Eighth Amendment. But the justices
declined to embrace a significantly stricter constitutional test that
lawyers for death-row inmate Ralph Baze had urged.” (04/17/08)
As Mama,
remarked, isn’t “serious harm” the object of execution?
Come’on guys, don’t be so brain-dead. This sort of backdoor
attempt to ban execution is insane, wasteful, and corrosive. If people
think that capital punishment ought to be outlawed, they have a perfectly
good way of doing it: a constitutional amendment.
Nazgul:
NY: Judge affirms “calorie counter”
requirement
New York Daily News
“A federal judge gave the city the green light on Wednesday to
force fast-food chains to list calorie counts for items on menu boards
— a change many New Yorkers welcomed. ‘The more information
the better,’ said Barbara Kadish, 60, a retired teacher from Tudor
City, Manhattan. Carol Dawson, 58, of Flushing, Queens called the plan
‘an excellent idea.’ Too often, she said, she orders by ‘the
picture and my appetite. But this will raise my awareness.’ Not everyone
was celebrating Judge Richard Holwell’s decision to allow the city
to require restaurants with at least 15 outlets to prominently post calories
on their menus. The restaurant industry, which sued to block the plan,
vowed to appeal. … ‘It doesn’t hurt anyone to add the calorie
information,’ said Joe Bermudez, 64, a retired economist who is borderline
diabetic. ‘I have to be careful about what I eat.’”
[Editor’s note: Surely an economist can figure out that there’s
a cost to forcing others to be careful about what he eats - TLK] (04/17/08)
In other
words, this woman (well, she is a retired teacher – an educrat) doesn’t
have enough self-discipline (at her age!) to refuse to eat what is bad
for her – or even to go over to the little menu handout that most
fast food places offer to look up calories and carbs – and this judge
of course agreed with her. It is in the best interests of statists to
make us ALL wards of the state. As for the retired economist – well,
I don’t know what kind he was, but clearly, he was not a FREE MARKET
economist and never worked in or for business – his comment is completely
divorced from reality: there is definitely a cost (a hurt) to the time
and effort to find out and post that information – and frankly, it
probably WILL cut into sales if people are baldly faced with “600-calorie,
200-gram carbohydrate” meal choices.
Nazgul:
Supreme Court to weigh death penalty
for child rapists
Associated Press
“The Supreme Court is considering whether someone may be executed
for raping a child, a case that balances concerns about the death penalty
with tougher sanctions for child sex crimes. Only two people, both in
Louisiana, are on death row in the United States for raping a child without
also killing their victim. The justices were to hear arguments Wednesday
about whether the Constitution allows executions for rapes that do not
also involve murder.” (04/16/08)
Can someone
explain to me how the Constitution can be claimed to distinguish between
capital crimes? This argument isn’t even based on reality. Personally,
I consider rape of a child to be far worse than “mere” killing
because of the long-term damage to the child who is otherwise “safe
in the arms of Jesus” as the old hymn goes. Of course, the best sentence
for a child-rapist is the one given to him as he starts to try and commit
the crime by the nearest good shot. Economical, too, as it saves the cost
of appeals like this.
Nazgul:
Supreme Court to rule on water cooling
Arizona Republic
“The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear an environmental case
in which utility companies want to revive an industry-friendly regulation
put in place by the Bush administration. The dispute with environmental
groups revolves around the harm companies cause when they draw water from
rivers and lakes to cool electric-generating equipment, then return it
to the waterway. The process kills aquatic life. The Environmental Protection
Agency allowed the industry to forgo the most expensive solution: installing
closed-cycle cooling systems, which would cost billions of dollars at
550 generating units around the country. The rule allowed the companies
to decide how to comply with the Clean Water Act by conducting cost-benefit
analyses of the available options.” (04/15/08)
First off,
there is no reason to make this bogus claim that drawing water from streams
kills aquatic life just because it is a power plant doing so: if it does,
then so does drawing water from streams to provide lawn-watering, drinking
water, and car-washing water: especially when you consider what that water
carries as it is discharged after use. Second, the BILLIONS this would
cost are NOT going to be paid by the “utilities” but by you
and me: people who use electricity!
Mama's
Note: Well, the harm is not from drawing the water, but by returning it
to the stream much warmer than it was. I can see that, but it would seem
there are much more cost friendly ways to deal with it. I've seen a number
of such inexpensive options in California - arguably for smaller operations
- but just pumping it a few feet and then letting it flow down a rocky
slope or spraying it into the air to fall back would cool it significantly,
I'd think. Again, only the free market will truly find the right answer
for everyone.
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