Welcome to the Dead Week - that week between Christmas and New Years when you never know who (or what) will answer the phone of a government agency, a military unit, or ... sometimes ... a business.  A week when Congress is busy giving itself gifts from back home in the form of more and more and more campaign contributions and getting pictures taken at all the pork projects they've brought home in the last year.  A week to reflect on the disaster we've made of the first fifty-one weeks of the year. And a week to plan for more freedom, more liberty, in the new year... Although lovers of liberty aren't the only ones planning things.
Hopefully, we will have a really, really quiet week. Freedom does well in quiet times, don't you think so?

Islamic war:
Al-Qaeda Determined to Succeed, Analyst Says
CNSNews.com
The failed attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day sends the “chilling message” that al-Qaeda has not given up on its desire to attack the United States, despite earlier failures – and that potential suicide bombers are getting through screening, a security analyst said Sunday.

The Northwest Flight 253 "knicker bomber" incident appears to have both a reasonably serious attempt to blow up a US aircraft in the US (yes, I know that Justin R. thinks it is a hoax), and to have allowed the DHS and other agencies to go absolutely bananas in turning the screws on air-travelers. As always, the timing is one of the arguments for a government-perpetrated hoax, BUT it is also advantageous from Al Qaeda's point-of-view to do it now. Clearly it is to the advantage of the Tranzi elite to have the population terrorized, and to have excuses for crackdowns, but it doesn't require that they go out and do it themselves or have a hireling do it: there are enough fanatics in all classes of society to do it with little or no encouragement.

Islamic war:
Bombing Attempt Puts Nigeria in Spotlight
CNSNews.com
The foiled attempt to bomb an American airliner is focusing fresh attention on the suspected bomber’s home country, Nigeria, which on Friday will take a seat on the U.N. Security Council for the next two years.

Nigeria, an artificial creation of the British Empire and the various European Congresses, has been in the forefront of the war by Islam on the rest of the world for half-a-century. The Biafran War of the 1960s saw the Islamic-dominated "central government" crush and butcher a minority tribe; and its internal Islamic bent is far from a secret. Today, thousands of incidents of anti-christian, anti-animist violence and intimidation occur each year. Nigerian scams are legendary, and still trap tens of thousands. It should come as no surprise that the thuggish ruling class of Nigeria should produce such toxic offspring as the Knicker Bomber.

Islamic war - Home front
Illinois Congressman Says Obama Official Agreed That Moving Terrorists to U.S. Prison Would Increase Risk
CNSNews.com
Rep. Don Manzullo (R-Ill.) said last week he was “shocked” to hear a senior Department of Defense official agree with him that the administration’s plan to move detainees of Guantanamo Bay to Thomson, Ill., would pose an increased security risk. Manzullo later told CNSNews.com he was confused about how the administration could manage a risk it could not quantify.

While I decry the idea of moving people who (according to the government itself) are a threat to Americans and to the nation to an internal location, I still do not see Mr. Manzullo's point: we have to manage risks every day that we cannot "quantify." We cannot predict when a tire will go flat, when an engine component will fail, when a burglar will attempt to break in - but we have to plan FOR and deal WITH those risks. It is reasonable to put people like those at Gitmo (assuming that the government is reporting the truth) in some place where they cannot readily escape and where supporters cannot readily gather - like Elba, St. Helena, Chateau d'If, or... Gitmo. It is NOT reasonable to put these sorts of villains in the middle of fairly densely populated farmland and almost within shooting distance of major urban areas, no matter HOW much pork you want to bring to your home town. Putting them in the middle of the Shirley Basin in Wyoming, or the west edge of the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah MIGHT make sense: northwestern Illinois does not.

Congress in action - Health Care Panic of 2009
Pro-Life Democrat Predicts Senate Health Care Bill Will ‘Go Down in Flames’ in House, Unless Changes Made
CNSNews.com
The Senate health care bill is dead on arrival in the House of Representatives unless major changes are made, including removal of special “carve outs” for Medicaid funding for certain states and inclusion of language barring taxpayer-funded health plans that cover abortions, Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) told CNSNews.com last Tuesday. "If they expect the House to accept the Senate bill, it’s going to go down in flames,” Stupak told CNSNews.com in an interview.

Sorry, but Mr. Stupak is blowing smoke - we all know how these conferences go, and that is on bills where the pork wasn't built in to buy off people so blatantly to begin with. What will come out and go back to both houses will be an even worse abortion than what we have now in the two separate bills.

New Religions - Environism
US: Activists decry wild horse roundups
USA Today
“Federal officials have begun rounding up at least 2,500 wild horses from Nevada rangeland, triggering protests from animal advocates who say the trapping endangers these symbols of the American West and condemns them to lives in captivity. The protesters are organizing demonstrations around the country Wednesday to pressure the Obama administration to impose a moratorium on roundups by the Bureau of Land Management. They want to halt the practice of sending captured horses to Midwestern pastures and holding pens, where some are adopted but most remain for the rest of their lives.” (12/28/09)

Mama's comments: You'd think they could at least be consistent. The horses destroy the range, especially in large numbers, and cattle are actually good for desert rangeland... but these morons will fight to remove cattle but leave vast herds of scrub and worthless horses... and won't let them be culled or slaughtered for any rational use. Typical insanity.

Nathan's thoughts: This is the same mental attitude (that of Tranzi green urban dwellers) that doesn't let the elk herd be thinned in Rocky Mountain National Park where it is overrunning the nearby towns; that treats "plains rats" (prairie dogs) as wonderful sweet beasties, and "forest rats" (deer) like Bambi, while we deal with deer-hits and deaths and vegetable gardens getting stripped.

Tuesday

Obama Describes Nigerian As ‘Isolated Extremist,' Despite Ties to Yemen
CNSNews.com
President Barack Obama, in his first public comments on the attempted bombing of a U.S. airliner traveling from Amsterdam to Detroit, described the Nigerian suspect as “an isolated extremist,” despite reports that the 23-year-old Nigerian was trained and supplied in Yemen, a country he visited twice for extended periods.

As far as the First Citizen goes, he HAS to make sure that he can always have the first word and the major coverage, even if what he is saying is (a) based on virtually nothing, and (b) immediately demonstrated to be wrong. Once more he has succeeded and given his enemies another quote to remember and throw into his face a couple of years from now (if even that long).

Stupid government tricks
Homeland Security Touts 2009 Accomplishments, Including ‘Secure Flight’ Program
CNSNews.com
Just days before a Nigerian man tried to blow up a U.S. airliner as it descended into Detroit, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released its “2009 Accomplishments & Reforms” fact sheet, touting its “Secure Flight” passenger vetting program.

Magnificent that our safety is so ably demonstrated. Even unarmed passengers are more capable of dealing with a threat than DHS's valuable and heroic TSA. And of course, we should never underestimate the ability of a sufficiently thick stack of government regulations to stop a 9-mm bullet or an underwear bomb. If this was a government-sponsored plot to terrorize Americans, well, maybe after we stop laughing at the Keystone Kop routine that let it happen.

Home front - Islamic war
Airline Bomb Plot Was Hatched Before U.S. Military Operations in Yemen
CNSNews.com
In claiming responsibility for the attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253, al-Qaeda listed grievances including recent military offensives in Yemen, but the bomb plot was unfolding before those incidents occurred.

Al Qaeda is organized well enough that I'm sure that they have a constantly-updated list (on some website, no doubt) of the most recent grievances, so that when one of the many, many plots in various stages of deployment does become public, they can make the most of it. Remember, for an act of terrorism to accomplish most of its objectives, it doesn't actually have to "succeed" - no one HAS to die; the attempted underwear bomb has caused panic and further eroded both the confidence and the freedoms of the West - it HAS done much of what it could do. So of course they want to further that work by claiming it and tying it to the most current abuses of the Western powers.

Health Care Panic
Poll: More Than Half of Americans Say Health Reform Is Not Worth Increasing the Deficit
CNSNews.com
A Quinnipiac University poll released last week found that fewer Americans approve of how the president is handling the health care issue; and fewer believe that health care reform is important enough to warrant increase the deficit.

I would like to think that this poll reflects a growing awareness of economics and finances by common people - but fear it is more a matter of panic and disgust at what Congress is doing - which has reminded even the most casual and inattentive observer of how bad Congress is.

Mama's Note: The "health care reform" fiasco really should prove to people that their elected "representatives" have no desire to even attempt doing what they - the voters - want, even if they all wanted the same thing!

Self Defense
New Mexico: Alleged intruder shot and killed at Las Cruces apartment complex
KVIA News
"Las Cruces police say they are investigating a fatal shooting. Just before 8 a.m. Sunday, police were called to the Telshor Manor Apartments where two suspects attempted to break into an apartment. Investigators say a resident of the apartment was apparently startled awake, grabbed a handgun and opened fire at the intruders. At least one of the bullets struck one of the intruders as he was located outside on the west side of the apartment complex. Police say that man was pronounced dead at the scene but his identity has yet to be determined." (12/27/09)

Las Cruces is not exactly a big city or known for its crime waves, but even in very small towns (especially along freeways), you HAVE to be prepared.

Mama's Note: Indeed! My little town is far from the nearest interstate, but we've had quite a crime wave here the last week. A break-in and theft at our nicest restaurant, two stolen cars (keys were left in them) and a possible gang of young men going around casing for potential places to rob... unsuccessfully trying to pass themselves off as door to door salesmen! I hope people here take the warning and begin to lock their doors and cars at the very least.

East Asian front
Missionary Who Carried Message of Forgiveness and Salvation for Kim Jong-il Is Arrested in North Korea
CNSNews.com
Four days after an American evangelical missionary crossed the border from China into North Korea in a bid to draw attention to human rights abuses, Pyongyang state media announced Tuesday that an American was being detained for illegal entry. Robert Park, a 28-year-old resident of Tucson, Ariz. and a U.S. citizen of Korean background, was carrying a Bible and a letter addressed to Kim Jong-il, appealing for the reclusive North Korean leader to open the impoverished country’s borders to aid, to free political prisoners and close prison camps.

If Mr. Park wants martyrdom, he's made an excellent start. His stunt does point out the vast difference between Christian extremists and those from Islam: he was smuggling a Bible and not explosives: he wanted to preach to Kim, not kill him.

Wednesday

Politics 2010
Republicans see political opportunity
Washington Post
Republicans are jumping on President Obama's response to the attempted Christmas Day bombing of a U.S. airliner as the latest evidence that Democrats do not aggressively fight terrorism to protect the country, returning to a campaign theme that the GOP has employed successfully over the past decade.

No surprise here - no doubt our Nigerian friend is a closet GOP type who volunteered to be the scapegoat, after secret meetings with Mr. Limbaugh and Mr. Hannity.

First Citizen - Islamic war
Obama points to 'failures' after Detroit incident
Washington Post
President Obama said Tuesday that a "mix of human and systemic failures" allowed a Nigerian student allegedly carrying explosives to board an airplane en route to Detroit on Christmas Day, and he vowed to quickly fix flaws that could have doomed a flight carrying nearly 300 passengers and crew me...

But of course, these are all "failures" that he "inherited," so of course they are wrong, but he is the modern Flash Gordon (see the song by Queen) so he will fix this, too.

Mama's Note: The actual "failures" will never be addressed by this or any other administration, of course. Only the end to Imperial US interventions and a return to ordinary armed people everywhere will be able to adequately address these or any other safety issues.

Islamic war (Persian front)
While protests roil Iran, U.S. prepares sanctions
Washington Post
The Obama administration is readying sanctions against discrete elements of the Iranian government, including those involved in the deadly crackdown on Iranian protesters, marking a shift to a more aggressive U.S. posture toward the Islamic republic, U.S. officials said.

Arrest of protesters intensifies in Iran
Detroit Free Press
"Iranian security forces intensified their crackdown on anti-government supporters Tuesday, arresting relatives of the country's Nobel laureate and the main opposition leader, and limiting the movement of another top opposition leader. Iran also accused the United States and Britain of fomenting the recent violence. Clashes on Sunday left at least eight people dead in a confrontation that has become increasingly bitter and violent." (12/30/09)

Two stories, pointing out different aspects of the growing problems in Persia. I find it bizarre, if amusing, that the First Citizen's ministers are only going to be mean to "discrete elements" of the Tehran government: like saying, we're going to beat up on the Interior Department, but USDA is going to be treated nicely. Right.

Stupid government tricks
Failed attack renews concerns over lack of TSA chief
Washington Post
The failed terrorist attack on a packed airliner on Christmas has renewed concerns about the lack of stable leadership at the Transportation Security Administration, the U.S. agency on the front lines in preventing exactly that kind of incident.

Stable leadership in this agency will not work - even if the person hired has all the horse sense in the world. The agency itself is wrongheaded and nasty and is the cause of incredible waste. This sort of incident is NORMAL for an agency like this.

Stupid government tricks
As defense agencies hire, others look to trim staff
Washington Post
Uncle Sam may be hiring, but he's also trimming staff in some corners of the government, as agencies suffer through a budget squeeze or shift their focus.

This reminds me of a parable: Since no one would ever close the gate in the town wall, the city fathers decided to hire a gatekeeper. This seemed to work for a while, but not perfectly, and problems arose. Soon, the town council decided that they

Home front
US court restricts Taser use by police
Los Angeles Times
"A federal appeals court this week ruled that a California police officer can be held liable for injuries suffered by an unarmed man he Tasered during a traffic stop. The decision, if allowed to stand, would set a rigorous legal precedent for when police are permitted to use the weapons and would force some law enforcement agencies throughout the state -- and presumably the nation -- to tighten their policies governing Taser use, experts said." [editor's note: About time! - TLK] (12/30/09)

I have run into jurisdictions where their sheriff's deputies carry DUMMY pistols and have ONLY the Tasers - and as a result, tend to use the Tasers at the slightest provocation. Clearly, the abuse potential is there, and requires a lot more clearly defined rules of engagement than most have now. Considering that if the Taser were used as a judicial punishment, it would be deemed "cruel and unusual," and immediately banned, our occupation army might have to go back to - gasp, nightsticks and billyclubs and pistols.

Home front - Culture wars (killing babies)
Pro-life Activists Claim Baltimore Law Aims to Discredit Charitable Work of Pregnancy Resource Centers
CNSNews.com
A new law in Baltimore requires pregnancy resource centers operating in the city to post signs stating what services they do not offer. Signs must be posted outside stating that the centers do not provide or give referrals for abortion or contraceptives. Pro-life activists say it is the first time in the United States that a nonprofit service provider has been required to post such signage, and they believe the law is intended to direct more women to abortion providers.

Of course, this is attempting to turn a trick called for by some pro-life activists (the more statist types) to mandate warning notices. The intent is clear, but I doubt if it will do what the pro-abortion types want it to, and what the pro-life types fear it will do. One more warning sign will be ignored, as usual.

Tranzi Tricks and Nukes
Putin Impedes Obama’s Plan for ‘World Without Nuclear Weapons’
CNSNews.com
Weeks after hinting that he may return to the Russian presidency, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, in a fresh muscle-flexing move Tuesday, threw into disarray one of President Obama’s key foreign policy priorities – talks aimed at reducing the two countries’ nuclear arsenals. Asked what was delaying agreement on a new arms-reduction treaty, Putin replied, “The problem is that our American partners are building an anti-missile shield and we are not building one.”

Apparently, all Mr. Putin wants to do is share technology - claiming that it is primarily defensive in nature and therefore sharing it does not present a threat to the US. Ironic that Mr. Putin agrees with the neocons and defense hawks in the US that the US and Russia should NOT reduce their arsenals. Of course, the First Citizen does not really expect a world without nuclear arms - just a world in which only the UN Peace Forces have legal nuclear weapons; a world safety for transnational progressives and socialists.

Thursday

Stupid government tricks
US to impose tariffs on Chinese pipe after ruling
Business Week
“The U.S. will impose duties on $2.8 billion in steel-pipe imports from China after saying subsidies on the products may harm American steelmakers, a move that threatens to escalate trade tensions between the two countries. The U.S. International Trade Commission voted 6-0 today in Washington. The Commerce Department set duties in November ranging from 10.4 percent to 15.8 percent, subject to the ITC’s ruling, on Chinese pipes used in oil wells.” (12/30/09)

Let me see if I get this right... NOT imposing a tax is now considered a subsidy? That would make sense in the same way that a tax cut somehow "costs" and has to be "paid for" by some other theft.

First Citizen
Obama to get report on intelligence breakdown
Washington Post
President Obama will receive a report Thursday detailing how some government agencies failed to share or highlight potentially relevant information about Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab before he allegedly tried to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day, while others were insufficiently...

Incredible! This is what he should have read BEFORE he started shooting his mouth off. What he should have said is "It appears that people who work for you, under my supervision, failed to do things that they should have done to have prevented this, and I will find out who and why, and punish those responsible in an appropriate manner. I am considering whether to accept Ms. Napolitano's offer to resign, since the failure was her responsibility as Secretary of Homeland Security." Well, I can dream, right? (Actually, the real dream would be for several of the key members of the Administration to apologize to their ancestors... on public television.)

Follow-up late Thursday: Listening to the president's speech after he "read the report" - it is obvious that he would make a good newsreader, if you are interested in hearing the news six days after it happens... But what happened to the Lincoln speeches?

Mama's Note: Indeed, if you mean they gut themselves as an apology to their ancestors. Televised would be nice. I might even buy a TV just to be able to watch.

Islamic war - Afghan front
8 Americans killed at Afghan CIA base
Washington Post
A suicide bomber infiltrated a CIA base in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing at least eight Americans in what is believed to be the deadliest single attack on U.S. intelligence personnel in the eight-year-long war and one of the deadliest in the agency's history, U.S. officials said.

As I understand, all of these were contractors - civilians - and not military or direct government employees: the site of the bombing was a dining facility or fitness center. The Fobbits don't seem to be able to understand that they are not necessarily safe in their snug little bases, and so everyone is panicking. It is being called a "serious blow" but is really nothing more than a golden bb and (hopefully) a wake-up call to these idiots.

Congress in action
Rep. Murtha's earmarks bring fewer jobs than promised
Washington Post
FORD CITY, PA. -- In 2005, Rep. John P. Murtha announced here that a technology firm was moving into an abandoned plate glass factory. Best of all, he promised, the new firm would generate 140 jobs. ... The firm peaked at 10 employees and then folded in early 2008. Once its Murtha-engineered Navy contracts ended, the company could not survive.

As failures go, this is pretty spectacular, no? Murtha was selected as one of the Top Ten Corrupt Politicians of 2009 - no surprise. (Judicial Watch) These ten jobs apparently were very, very nice jobs: the total cost to the taxpayer was $153 million!