SAYING WHAT HAS TO BE SAID...IN TRUE LIBERTARIAN FASHION
A growing chorus of leftists and pro-terror groups have condemned Israel for its incursion into Gaza in pursuit of a kidnapped Israeli soldier. But can anyone blame Israel? Wouldn’t any other country do the same to protect its citizens?
Israel’s move into Gaza is entirely justified given the circumstances, especially when one considers the fact that those affiliated with the ruling party in the Palestinian territories were culpable in the kidnapping. One could argue that these actions by Hamas were tantamount to a declaration of war and Israel is therefore entirely within its right to escalate.
The Palestinians, who’ve nurtured a love of murder and violence, have only themselves to blame, they have embraced murder and terror as a matter of policy and must accept the consequences, perhaps if their leaders were truly committed to a Palestinian state rather than simply killing Israelis then perhaps they would have secured statehood by now…
Are the Israelis blameless in this conflict…certainly not, but you’ll excuse me for not feeling too sympathetic for the people who danced in the street and passed out candy on news of September 11th
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/b3335b6e-07d4-11db-9067-0000779e2340.html
Israel’s move into Gaza is entirely justified given the circumstances, especially when one considers the fact that those affiliated with the ruling party in the Palestinian territories were culpable in the kidnapping. One could argue that these actions by Hamas were tantamount to a declaration of war and Israel is therefore entirely within its right to escalate.
The Palestinians, who’ve nurtured a love of murder and violence, have only themselves to blame, they have embraced murder and terror as a matter of policy and must accept the consequences, perhaps if their leaders were truly committed to a Palestinian state rather than simply killing Israelis then perhaps they would have secured statehood by now…
Are the Israelis blameless in this conflict…certainly not, but you’ll excuse me for not feeling too sympathetic for the people who danced in the street and passed out candy on news of September 11th
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/b3335b6e-07d4-11db-9067-0000779e2340.html
The Supreme Court has ruled that on-demand redistricting is perfectly legitimate. The case centered on Texas’s redistricting efforts, in which the state legislature re-drew the state’s congressional districts to ensure a majority of Republicans won seats. This is a poor decision for what the court did not say, the courts have opened a political Pandora ’s Box. From this point on, states will constantly re-draw districts, each trying to out gerrymander the other with every change in political leadership. There can be no doubt that Democrats will re-draw GOP leaning districts in states where they command a majority and the GOP will do likewise.While there is nothing inherently un-constitutional about redrawing congressional districts more frequently than the regular ten year intervals which have become customary, there is something inherently unsavory about using factors beyond population for re-districting.
Across this country, hack politicians in corrupt state legislatures use age, race, religion, income, education, party affiliation, voting patterns and other demographics to gerrymander the most advantageous congressional maps. Such barometers should be soundly rejected by the courts in favor of one simple formula: population.
Congressional districts should be drawn based solely on population, efforts should also be made not to bifurcate communities, counties and cities for the purposes of political expedience, which is characteristic of Iowa’s re-districting policies. Under such a plan, politicians would be forced to compete in elections based upon the merits of their work and ideas, rather than the sheep like nature of an uninformed electorate.
Gerrymandering is a disservice to all who favor genuine representative government. As long as demographic studies can be used to shape congressional districts, the inevitable result is gerrymandering, especial when such decisions are rendered by partisan politicians. Such districts violate the equal protection clause within the 14th amendment as certain groups will inevitably be deprived of representation under gerrymandering.
In a non-descript, population centered scenario, the only certainty is chance, ensuring a fairer electoral process.
Unfortunately the Supreme Court has frequently upheld the constitutionality of gerrymandering in many respects, virtually guaranteeing that true electoral reform will remain elusive.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0629/p01s01-usju.html
Some things never get old, especially when it comes to reports of America’s continued economic success.
According to revised figures from the US Department of Commerce, an otherwise useless branch of the US government. The US economy grew at a rate of 5.6% during the first quarter, a phenomenal rate to be sure, exceeding most industrialized countries. In addition to the robust growth of the gross domestic product, other economic indicators continue to bode well for American economic progress, including continued high levels of employment, for those who want to work, and low levels of inflation in spite of increasingly high petroleum costs.
The fact of our healthy economy will quickly be lost amongst the leftists, who have berated this nation’s economic health since the moment Clinton left office. Facts have been there worst enemy in this regard, but the Bush administration has been an unlikely ally as the president continues to fail miserably when it comes to his responsibility to educate the public on the health and vitality of the economy, which lends credence to Democratic criticism that the economy is faltering.
The end result is a leftist changing of the guard this November, which spells certain doom for continued economic growth as the era of tax and spend will begin anew, not that the era of tax cut and spend is particularly sound from a fiscal point of view
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/31d6a016-0771-11db-9067-0000779e2340.html
According to revised figures from the US Department of Commerce, an otherwise useless branch of the US government. The US economy grew at a rate of 5.6% during the first quarter, a phenomenal rate to be sure, exceeding most industrialized countries. In addition to the robust growth of the gross domestic product, other economic indicators continue to bode well for American economic progress, including continued high levels of employment, for those who want to work, and low levels of inflation in spite of increasingly high petroleum costs.
The fact of our healthy economy will quickly be lost amongst the leftists, who have berated this nation’s economic health since the moment Clinton left office. Facts have been there worst enemy in this regard, but the Bush administration has been an unlikely ally as the president continues to fail miserably when it comes to his responsibility to educate the public on the health and vitality of the economy, which lends credence to Democratic criticism that the economy is faltering.
The end result is a leftist changing of the guard this November, which spells certain doom for continued economic growth as the era of tax and spend will begin anew, not that the era of tax cut and spend is particularly sound from a fiscal point of view
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/31d6a016-0771-11db-9067-0000779e2340.html
Never let it be said that Islamic terrorists are rational beings…Earlier this month, 4 Russian diplomats in Iraq were kidnapped and executed. Another Russian diplomat was killed separately. Russia has been a solid opponent of the US led war in Iraq and was even one of Saddam’s principle backers up until the moment the invasion commenced.
Regardless of this the Islamic terrorists that have made Iraq one of the most dangerous places on the face of the Earth, see no distinction between American, Russian or even Muslim, anyone opposed to their violent jihad is an enemy and subject to extermination, as is evident in both word and deed.
For his part, the authoritarian Putin has ordered his intelligence forces to hunt down and eliminate the killers of these diplomats. While Putin was releasing the dogs in Iraq to hunt down elusive killers, the Russian Rubber-Stamp Parliament made certain to lay blame for the deaths on the Americans, after all, all of Russia’s problems are American in origin, aren’t they?
Unfortunately, Putin and his Kremlin cronies have once again missed the bigger picture and continue to ignore the threat of Islamic fascist terrorists, whose violent rampages are not unknown in mother Russia. Regardless of this fact, Russia continues to support tacitly or implicitly rogue Islamic regimes like the Mullahs of Tehran, whose nuclear ambitions will pose as great a threat for Russia in the long term, as they will for the West.
http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=L28896719
Regardless of this the Islamic terrorists that have made Iraq one of the most dangerous places on the face of the Earth, see no distinction between American, Russian or even Muslim, anyone opposed to their violent jihad is an enemy and subject to extermination, as is evident in both word and deed.
For his part, the authoritarian Putin has ordered his intelligence forces to hunt down and eliminate the killers of these diplomats. While Putin was releasing the dogs in Iraq to hunt down elusive killers, the Russian Rubber-Stamp Parliament made certain to lay blame for the deaths on the Americans, after all, all of Russia’s problems are American in origin, aren’t they?
Unfortunately, Putin and his Kremlin cronies have once again missed the bigger picture and continue to ignore the threat of Islamic fascist terrorists, whose violent rampages are not unknown in mother Russia. Regardless of this fact, Russia continues to support tacitly or implicitly rogue Islamic regimes like the Mullahs of Tehran, whose nuclear ambitions will pose as great a threat for Russia in the long term, as they will for the West.
http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=L28896719
As if it weren’t bad enough that American children lag behind every major industrialized country in the world when it comes to math, science and literary skill, not seems they are being forced to embrace a sedentary lifestyle.Across the country, schools are banning sports and games in the name of “safety.” Contact sports like soccer and touch football are now being banned during recess (assuming the school hasn’t banned recess in its entirety), because children sometimes suffer injuries such as broken bones.
Some schools may allow such games in a more supervised and controlled environment, but gone are the days when children have any measure of freedom during recess, route robotic control is now the order of the day. Perhaps such control would not be so bad if schools actually produced results, but sadly the opposite is more often the case.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-06-26-recess-bans_x.htm
It is expected that the European Commission will soon impose 2m euros ($2.5m) a day fine on the world’s largest software company, ostensibly for failing to implement a recent antitrust ruling against that company. In 2004, the EU ordered Microsoft to supply its competitors with access to the Windows source code. Since the warning from the EU in December, Microsoft has haggled with the commission over various details of the plan…The ruling, however, flies in the face of the spirit of free enterprise and punishes Microsoft unfairly.
No other company in the world, with the possible exception of Wal-Mart, faces such attacks. European regulators have noted that they fear current and future Windows operating systems may inhibit the ability of consumers to use competing applications on their windows platforms. If Microsoft were foolish enough to prevent customers from choosing which applications they can and can’t use on windows that should be their right. The premise that a firm must work cooperatively with its competitors is nonsense.
Consumers in the computer market have a wide array of options when it comes to choosing applications and operating systems. There should be no obligation on Microsoft’s part to give a competitive advantage to its rivals or create new ones. Microsoft has every right to create a proprietary operating system compatible only with Microsoft software, if that is their choice.
Contrary to the media and popular opinion, Microsoft is not a monopoly, as there are numerous alternatives to Microsoft products in the market, including: the Mac OS, Solaris, Linux, as well as many lesser known competitors. Requiring Microsoft to open its source code, (i.e., corporate secrets and patents) to its competitors is tantamount to state sponsored theft. The European Commission wouldn’t dream of compelling BMW or Mercedes to give consumers similar choices when purchasing an automobile, even though they dominate the European luxury market. If a consumer is unhappy with the BMW powertrain or other amenities, they can’t opt for Cadillac components.
In a true free market system, which Europe clearly is not, businesses compete on the merits of their products. Microsoft commands a dominant market position because its competitors failed to innovate and market their products appropriately, where as Microsoft produced a product, which consumers were willing to purchase. Perhaps if folks like Gary Killdall and Dan Bricklin or the people at Xerox had greater marketing savvy they too could be among the wealthiest in the world.
The current case against Microsoft is nothing more than an excuse to punish success and is no more justified than it would be to compel, GE to use Maytag compressors in its refrigeration products.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5120536.stm
Other Important Links:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/29/AR2006032900417.html
http://www.thephalanx.com/2005/12/microsoft-in-hot-water-with-euagain.html
http://www.thephalanx.com/2006/03/stroll-down-lets-suppose-lane.html
No other company in the world, with the possible exception of Wal-Mart, faces such attacks. European regulators have noted that they fear current and future Windows operating systems may inhibit the ability of consumers to use competing applications on their windows platforms. If Microsoft were foolish enough to prevent customers from choosing which applications they can and can’t use on windows that should be their right. The premise that a firm must work cooperatively with its competitors is nonsense.
Consumers in the computer market have a wide array of options when it comes to choosing applications and operating systems. There should be no obligation on Microsoft’s part to give a competitive advantage to its rivals or create new ones. Microsoft has every right to create a proprietary operating system compatible only with Microsoft software, if that is their choice.
Contrary to the media and popular opinion, Microsoft is not a monopoly, as there are numerous alternatives to Microsoft products in the market, including: the Mac OS, Solaris, Linux, as well as many lesser known competitors. Requiring Microsoft to open its source code, (i.e., corporate secrets and patents) to its competitors is tantamount to state sponsored theft. The European Commission wouldn’t dream of compelling BMW or Mercedes to give consumers similar choices when purchasing an automobile, even though they dominate the European luxury market. If a consumer is unhappy with the BMW powertrain or other amenities, they can’t opt for Cadillac components.
In a true free market system, which Europe clearly is not, businesses compete on the merits of their products. Microsoft commands a dominant market position because its competitors failed to innovate and market their products appropriately, where as Microsoft produced a product, which consumers were willing to purchase. Perhaps if folks like Gary Killdall and Dan Bricklin or the people at Xerox had greater marketing savvy they too could be among the wealthiest in the world.
The current case against Microsoft is nothing more than an excuse to punish success and is no more justified than it would be to compel, GE to use Maytag compressors in its refrigeration products.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5120536.stm
Other Important Links:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/29/AR2006032900417.html
http://www.thephalanx.com/2005/12/microsoft-in-hot-water-with-euagain.html
http://www.thephalanx.com/2006/03/stroll-down-lets-suppose-lane.html
In 1967, the US population reached the 200 million mark according to US Census estimates. The bureau designated an Asian-American baby born at Atlanta’s Crawford Long Hospital as the 200 millionth American. In October, this country will reach another milestone as the US crosses the 300 million mark. This time, Life magazine won’t have a photo spread of the new American, largely because the Census bureau will not designate a particular individual (and because Life has ceased publication).America’s continued growth has been largely propelled by immigration. Though the US birth rate is higher than most other industrialized countries, immigration can and will continue to play a significant role in the growth of this country.
In 1790 the US population measured less than 4 million people, it took over 130 years before the US population reached 100 million and another 40 years to reach 200 million…40 years from today the US population will eclipse 400 million and by most estimates the demographic landscape of this country will have changed dramatically. By 2040 Hispanics will make up roughly ¼ of the US population with Whites barely a majority…so what does this mean for America?
To some it means a great deal, how else does one explain the push to catapult issues like immigration to the forefront of American politics, what else accounts for political efforts to designate English as the nation’s official language? In reality it makes little difference...the problems this country faces aren’t born of immigrants or minorities…the problems this country faces are born of culture and not an immigrant culture, but the culture of slothful America.
By 2040, this country will long since have abandoned any pretext of free enterprise, much less individual liberty. By 2040, this country will have wholly embraced socialized medicine, increased taxation (on par with Europe) an end to private property can also be foreseen. This future is all but a foregone conclusion because of the ever present, ever growing culture of entitlement. The prevalence of this culture was evident in the failed effort to privatize Social Security, many of the plan’s opponents freely admitted that they would prefer a government managed retirement program, rather than one they controlled themselves…why? Because our society, with increasing frequency, has adopted a culture that gives rise to paternalism.
Everyday in this country more and more Americans shirk individual responsibility and demand government act on their behalf. This coupled with an engrained belief that we aren’t responsible for our own failures (the Katrina Complex), ensures that Libertarianism is a lost cause. By 2040, this country will most surely have changed but the fact that there will be more minorities and fewer Whites is immaterial, the true change will be the fundamental change in this country’s founding ideals. The spirit of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution will be dead. Politicians, as they do now, will continue to avoid the real issues, promising their constituents the world (and handouts to spare) in exchange for their votes, we can take solace in the fact that most of the world will be right there along with us…
http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/45533.html
It is high time for a re-think in Iraq. As the Phalanx has said from the onset, President Bush’s invasion of Iraq was probably not the best course of action for dealing with Iraq. While there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein was a threat and most certainly did posses chemical and biological weapons. That did not necessarily warrant a massive US invasion. Nor is a re-think justified on the grounds that the war in Iraq is the cause of increased terrorism, as noted in earlier posts, the war on terror has been long a deadly, pre-dated both Bush, Saddam Hussein and Iraq. The US, however, could have saved a great deal of time and resources had it adopted a more clandestine approach, similar to Israel’s Operation Wrath of God.The die, however has long since been cast and the deed is now done. Iraq’s murderous terror supporting, WMD producing, tyrannical regime has been toppled and that nation is well on the road to “democracy” or so it would appear. Given this reality it is high time that the US relinquish control of that nation’s security to the Iraqis.
If ever there was proof that America has become over extended in Iraq, one needn’t look any further than Jo Anne Moeller. Moeller is a 57 year old widow and mother of two living in Atlanta, she is also a reservist. Recently she was informed that she was soon to be deployed to Iraq. No one is questioning Moeller’s abilities as a soldier and to be clear the Phalanx has nothing wrong with women, gays or anyone else serving in the military, but when the US government must rely on 57 year old reservists of any gender, its time for a re-think. One could understand if this were Russia in the midst of Operation Barbarossa where every able bodied person was needed on the front, but this isn’t Stalinist Russia and this isn’t WWII.
Its time the Iraqi government take responsibility for their security, and by the same token the same can be said for the ingrates in South Korea, the fat cats in Germany, the pacifists in Japan and countless other examples where Americans are the first line of defense in support of another nation’s security.
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/0623metdeploy.html
In the latest example of alarmist yellow journalism, ABC News has called on the public to send in their “global warming stories,” no we are not kidding. Anyone who submits a story citing how they have been directly impacted by global warming is a liar, pure and simple. No one on this planet (unless they are a research scientist) can legitimately claim that they have been directly impacted by a average 1 degree change in temperature over the past century.We want to hear and see your stories. Have you noticed changes in your own backyard or hometown? The differences can be large or small — altered blooming schedules, unusual animals that have arrived in your community, higher water levels encroaching on your property.
-ABC News
None of the examples ABC cites as global warming impact are actually examples of such, but merely examples of life on Earth since the dawn of time. Practically anyone from Ancient China to Medieval Europe to Modern America could make reference to such examples…nonetheless look for a great deal of alarmist muckraking when this Seinfeld-esque story (a story about nothing) airs later this year.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=2094224&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
Let’s assume for the sake of assumption that climatologist, geologist and other environmental scientist do have the ability to say with certainty that the Earth is the hottest it has been in 400 years. What can we surmise from such a conclusion? One thing is fairly obvious: the Earth has been as hot or hotter in the recent past (recent in relative terms, considering the overall age of the planet).This week, scientists with the National Academy of Sciences have made just such a conclusion, they went on to deduce that the bulk of this global climate change is manmade, a theory which while seemingly sound, is unproven. If indeed, Earth is the hottest it’s been in 400 years, then what exactly accounted for such high temperatures during the 17th century? Were those manmade as well?
Then there’s the science involved, which is questionable at best. In the first place how exactly were the esteemed researchers at the National Academy of Sciences able to calculate with absolute certainty the average temperature of the Earth over a 400 year time period? Paintings. That’s right, among other things, the scientists relied on such irrefutable evidence as paintings of glaciers in the Alps to reach a definitive conclusion on the Earth’s average temperature. Surely if any reasonable person presented such “evidence” to a dissertation committee they would be summarily dismissed and asked never to return. On the whole these “scientists” relied on “proxy” evidence to create a body of work, which would be flattering to call shoddy. Tree rings, sediment and cave deposits are not conclusive measures of climate or temperature, if so why bother with advanced weather instruments or satellite technology when we can just pay a visit to the Louvre to see what the weather is like.
Perhaps most disconcerting about such evidence and many other studies that evaluate climate change is the fact that in many cases they completely ignore one of the chief factors influencing global temperatures: the Sun. While it is certainly conceivable that carbon dioxide emissions have played a role in global temperature change, isn’t it also possible, indeed likely, that solar variations have contributed to global warming as well? To conclude that temperature change is primarily a manmade phenomenon without even examining the considerable evidence of increased solar activity is scientifically irresponsible, at best.
In the last 400 years solar activity has increased significantly, following a period known as the Maunder Minimum in the late 1600s when solar activity declined significantly (incidentally the period immediately preceding the Maunder Minimum, corresponds exactly with the last period of high global temperatures, as determined by the National Academy of Sciences). During the last 100 years in particular solar activity has reached a zenith, with solar variation the highest since solar observation began. Can any reasonable, objective scientist seriously ignore such evidence when assessing the cause of global climate change?
Who is so foolish as to ignore the Sun in any study of the weather. To do so instantaneously relegates any climate study to the fiction section of the local library.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/06/22/global.warming.ap/index.html
Other important links:
http://www.ucar.edu/research/sun/climate.shtml
http://www.agu.org/revgeophys/reid00/reid00.html
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/stp/CDROM/solar_variability.html
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/109062443/ABSTRACT
In an entirely sound decision by the US Court of Appeals, the court has rejected a supposed arousal test for sex offenders a sex offender. The arousal test is designed to monitor a sex offender's response to erotic images. The court ruled this week that such as test infringes on an individual’s personal liberties. People cannot and shouldn’t be deprived of life, liberty or property because of their thoughts, no matter how depraved those thoughts may be. The law is designed to punish the actions of men, not their personal thought processes, to do so represents a gross violation of privacy and reeks of authoritarianism.
This case is based on a 2001 ruling in which Matthew Weber (as a condition of his release from prison) was ordered to submit to arousal tests (penile plethysmograph) using a electronic device attached to the man’s penis, he would then be shown sexual images and the responses would be measured. Presumably, if he was aroused in any way, Webber would be returned to prison. Imagine if ordinary citizens were subjected to such an intrusion, few people in this country would remain free, if thoughts were indeed criminal.
Weber who had been charged with possession of child pornography naturally objected to the test, no doubt designed by a sick deviant in their own right, and argued it should be reserved for child molesters. Weber is half right; the test simply should not be used. Child molesters and other sex offenders should have no need for the test because they should never be released from prison.
Initially designed by Czech communist to ferret out homosexuals, this arousal test is little more than pseudo science and is virtually unproven.
Even if by some miracle of 21st century science the test were 100% accurate, to force individuals to submit to such an intrusion runs counter to the very fabric of our constitution. Those who feel there is a need for such a test, clearly believe that sex offenders are a danger to society and if that is indeed the case (which it is), why are such individuals being released from prison in the first place? Let them rot in prison for eternity as is entirely proper.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-porn21jun21,0,6179893.story?track=mostviewed-homepage
This case is based on a 2001 ruling in which Matthew Weber (as a condition of his release from prison) was ordered to submit to arousal tests (penile plethysmograph) using a electronic device attached to the man’s penis, he would then be shown sexual images and the responses would be measured. Presumably, if he was aroused in any way, Webber would be returned to prison. Imagine if ordinary citizens were subjected to such an intrusion, few people in this country would remain free, if thoughts were indeed criminal.
Weber who had been charged with possession of child pornography naturally objected to the test, no doubt designed by a sick deviant in their own right, and argued it should be reserved for child molesters. Weber is half right; the test simply should not be used. Child molesters and other sex offenders should have no need for the test because they should never be released from prison.
Initially designed by Czech communist to ferret out homosexuals, this arousal test is little more than pseudo science and is virtually unproven.
Even if by some miracle of 21st century science the test were 100% accurate, to force individuals to submit to such an intrusion runs counter to the very fabric of our constitution. Those who feel there is a need for such a test, clearly believe that sex offenders are a danger to society and if that is indeed the case (which it is), why are such individuals being released from prison in the first place? Let them rot in prison for eternity as is entirely proper.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-porn21jun21,0,6179893.story?track=mostviewed-homepage
Well that didn’t take long…From the onset; New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has made it clear that he wants all of his city’s former residents to return.He has crisscrossed the country calling on the city’s former residents to return, he has pushed the local housing authority to refurbish public housing and pressed the federal government for resources. Now it seems Nagin’s dreams have come true, as New Orleans is truly regaining its former glory (its former criminal glory that is). Crime levels have reached astronomical proportions in New Orleans as the city’s criminal element return en masse to stake their claims in the city’s most impoverished regions.
These are the same deadbeats who have been the source of lawlessness in Houston, Atlanta, St. Louis, Chicago and other cities that have opened their door’s to many of New Orleans’ most upstanding residents.
Crime has become such a problem in New Orleans that the state’s inept governor was forced to call in the National Guard. This is unlikely to have any long term affect on crime in New Orleans. So much for the idea of rebuilding a new and improved New Orleans. Recent reports from FEMA already indicate that billions of relief dollars have been wasted, one has to wonder about the $80 billion plus pledged by the president to re-build that cesspool on Lake Pontchartrain. This too will surely go down a bottomless pit of waste, fraud and violence.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0606210145jun21,1,7557291.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed
The Stalinist regime of Kim Jong Il indicated today that fears of an imminent missile launch could be averted if the US would agree to talks. Perhaps Kim feels slighted.
Since word came down that Iran was developing its own indigenous nuclear capability, North Korea has become of secondary importance. After all what’s the point, history shows few examples where dictatorial regimes voluntarily gave up their power, particular nuclear ones. Iran, however, has not reached that point and the US still harbors a belief that the Islamic Republic can be contained. T
o ensure that North Korea is not left out of the spoils, the Reds have embarked on their latest endeavor, a missile test, violating a self-imposed ban on such tests, in order to attract the attention of the West, and more importantly to encourage lucrative trade and technology transfers.
In North Korea’s case, however, the time for talk has passed, the nation has already demonstrated that negotiations are fruitless, any agreement is worth no more than the paper its printed on, as soon as the ink is dry, the Koreans will go right ahead doing what they have always done, thumbing their nose at their enemies.
From this point on, the US, Japan, South Korea and all interested parties should take a defensive posture, if the North becomes aggressive or launches an attack we should respond, but the days of incentive packages and appeasement should end now.
It should not be the responsibility of the US, however, to stand as the regional policeman for NE Asia, both Japan and South Korea are more than capable of shouldering a greater responsibility for their own defense. South Korea, especially has become so blind to the North’s intentions that many South Koreans would probably side with the North in the event of a conflict, so why is it that 30,000 US Servicemen and women stand ready to fight and die for such nonsense?
blog.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/2006/06/north_korea_to_washington_love.html
Since word came down that Iran was developing its own indigenous nuclear capability, North Korea has become of secondary importance. After all what’s the point, history shows few examples where dictatorial regimes voluntarily gave up their power, particular nuclear ones. Iran, however, has not reached that point and the US still harbors a belief that the Islamic Republic can be contained. T
o ensure that North Korea is not left out of the spoils, the Reds have embarked on their latest endeavor, a missile test, violating a self-imposed ban on such tests, in order to attract the attention of the West, and more importantly to encourage lucrative trade and technology transfers.
In North Korea’s case, however, the time for talk has passed, the nation has already demonstrated that negotiations are fruitless, any agreement is worth no more than the paper its printed on, as soon as the ink is dry, the Koreans will go right ahead doing what they have always done, thumbing their nose at their enemies.
From this point on, the US, Japan, South Korea and all interested parties should take a defensive posture, if the North becomes aggressive or launches an attack we should respond, but the days of incentive packages and appeasement should end now.
It should not be the responsibility of the US, however, to stand as the regional policeman for NE Asia, both Japan and South Korea are more than capable of shouldering a greater responsibility for their own defense. South Korea, especially has become so blind to the North’s intentions that many South Koreans would probably side with the North in the event of a conflict, so why is it that 30,000 US Servicemen and women stand ready to fight and die for such nonsense?
blog.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/2006/06/north_korea_to_washington_love.html
It takes a lot to take the focus off Iran in the realm of international politics but the murdering savages of Pyongyang have done just that. Satellite surveillance has revealed that North Korea is preparing to launch its latest long-range missile, the Taepodong-2, this ICBM has a 6000 mile range and is capable of reaching the United States. The US, however, is not the only country alarmed with recent developments on the Korean peninsula. In 1998, Japan was none to happy with the Stalinist regime when it launched a missile, which violated Japanese airspace. This incident may be credited with efforts by some Japanese politicians to renounce the pacifist clause in the Japanese constitution.In light of new concerns that Taepodong-2 may be ready for launch, Japan has made it clear that a similar incident like the 1998 mishap would be regarded as an attack. If there is any country in the world that knows the danger of inciting Japan into a military posture it should be the Koreans, a militaristic Japan makes Genghis Khan look like a boy scout.
The US, for its part, has contemplated shooting down a North Korean missile should it venture too close for comfort. To this end, unconfirmed reports indicate the US has stepped up efforts to activate its much ballyhooed anti-missile system to intercept the North Korean missile. It is unclear how Kim Jong Il would react to the downing of his pride and joy, should the US pursue such a course, but one thing is for certain, the North, like their Iranian counterparts in the regional destabilization game, must surely be relishing all the attention. Perhaps Kim is looking for a lucrative incentive package like the one being offered to the Mullahs of Tehran, who don’t even have a nuclear capability (yet).
It is doubtful, the North would be foolish enough to take any action which risks an armed confrontation with the US, much less prompts Japan to re-militarize, more likely they are maneuvering simply to bring about additional concessions from the 6 nations ostensibly negotiating with North Korea, though “negotiation” has a different meaning for nations like Russia and China. And then there’s the subject of South Korea, a nation increasingly blind to the grossly apparent threat posed by their northern neighbor. The South’s younger citizens are so eager for reunification they are willing to endure any slight and tolerate any measure of offense to placate the communists north of the 38th parallel. Given this changing reality, the South’s political leadership have been notably silent on the issue, perhaps they will awaken from their slumber when North Korean tanks start rolling, one thing is for certain, Americans should not be stationed along this border defending a nation that doesn’t even want to be defended.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/20/AR2006062001120.html
In a move that one could liken to having a German judge at the Nuremberg trials, there is a strong possibility that Venezuela may gain a seat on the UN Security Council. The reputation of the UN has been consistently tarnished by mismanagement, corruption and the coddling of tyrannical regimes like Iran, but if Venezuela gains a seat on this UN body, there can be no question that the UN system is a joke.
Under UN rules, the nations of Latin America are entitled to choose a nation to sit on the council. This nation would also hold the presidency of the council at some point during its 2 year term. If Hugo Chavez and company gain a seat on the council, there can be no doubt that Latin America’s answer to Mussolini will use the post as a soap box for anti-American rhetoric, making exchanges like the ones between Adlai Stevenson and V. A. Zorin seem like a lovers spat.
The US is quietly (and no so quietly) lobbying to get the nations of Latin America to nix Chavez’s bid to join the council. But this may backfire. The situation is also complicated by the fact that Venezuela has used its vast oil wealth to buy fast friends in the region, particularly in the Caribbean, selling petroleum at below market price has a way of garnering support during inflationary times.
If the nations of Latin America can’t decide, the matter will be decided by the General assembly, which will surely choose Venezuela, given the dominance of 3rd world hacks in that body. The crux of the issue could pivot on the decision by Chile, which has been lobbied heavily by the US. Chile is a leftist nation like Venezuela, but is also a strong US ally and trading partner. Chile has a penchant for plotting its own course, which makes the outcome of this decision unknown.
There is also the possibility of a third option, perhaps the nations of Latin America could agree on another country, a compromise candidate, one that would be acceptable to the US and its allies and Chavez and his. An excellent candidate would be Chile itself or Brazil, both countries are led by socialists, but both also have a strong support for the free market and have pragmatic leaders who are governed less by mindless ideology and more so by reason.
One thing is for certain, if the Venezuela gains the post, the United States should strongly re-evaluate its membership in the largely dysfunctional, left leaning, dictator coddling, organization that is the United Nations.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-venezuela19jun19,0,2794265.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Under UN rules, the nations of Latin America are entitled to choose a nation to sit on the council. This nation would also hold the presidency of the council at some point during its 2 year term. If Hugo Chavez and company gain a seat on the council, there can be no doubt that Latin America’s answer to Mussolini will use the post as a soap box for anti-American rhetoric, making exchanges like the ones between Adlai Stevenson and V. A. Zorin seem like a lovers spat.
The US is quietly (and no so quietly) lobbying to get the nations of Latin America to nix Chavez’s bid to join the council. But this may backfire. The situation is also complicated by the fact that Venezuela has used its vast oil wealth to buy fast friends in the region, particularly in the Caribbean, selling petroleum at below market price has a way of garnering support during inflationary times.
If the nations of Latin America can’t decide, the matter will be decided by the General assembly, which will surely choose Venezuela, given the dominance of 3rd world hacks in that body. The crux of the issue could pivot on the decision by Chile, which has been lobbied heavily by the US. Chile is a leftist nation like Venezuela, but is also a strong US ally and trading partner. Chile has a penchant for plotting its own course, which makes the outcome of this decision unknown.
There is also the possibility of a third option, perhaps the nations of Latin America could agree on another country, a compromise candidate, one that would be acceptable to the US and its allies and Chavez and his. An excellent candidate would be Chile itself or Brazil, both countries are led by socialists, but both also have a strong support for the free market and have pragmatic leaders who are governed less by mindless ideology and more so by reason.
One thing is for certain, if the Venezuela gains the post, the United States should strongly re-evaluate its membership in the largely dysfunctional, left leaning, dictator coddling, organization that is the United Nations.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-venezuela19jun19,0,2794265.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Like New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Antonio Villaraigosa, the leader of the nation’s second largest city, has decided that he and he alone can save the Los Angeles Unified School District from the mediocrity that is public school education in Southern California, keep in mind that this is the same school district where tens of thousands of high school seniors lacked the requisite 9th grade math proficiency to pass a high school exit exam. Villaraigosa, like Bloomberg in New York, is convinced that additional layers of bureaucracy are the best solution for LA’s educational woes.
Not everyone on the left coast shares Villaraigosa’s enthusiasm, he has faced powerful opposition from both the Democrats and the GOP, but this is insignificant compared with the vocal criticism he is now facing from the state’s teacher’s union, the same union that taught Schwarzenegger the true meaning of “girly man.”
Mayor Villaraigosa’s plan to reform public education in LA is long on rhetoric, but short on substance, the absence of clear direction has not been lost on Villaraigosa’s fellow leftists in the statehouse. The problem with Villaraigosa’s plan and Bloomberg’s and that of most politicians who support “school reform” is their plans call for greater government bureaucracy meaningless tests, while true accountability always seems to be absent. Nor are parents asked to assume a greater role in their child’s education.
As long as LA and public schools around the country, reward mediocrity and placate the lowest common denominators that make up a sizeable portion of LA area students, little will change. If Villaraigosa was truly serious about reform he’d announce the immediate closing of LA area schools and provide parents with vouchers for their children to attend the school of their choice, ensuring LA students receiving a meaningful, rather than a meaningless education.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-schools16jun16,0,5418816.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Not everyone on the left coast shares Villaraigosa’s enthusiasm, he has faced powerful opposition from both the Democrats and the GOP, but this is insignificant compared with the vocal criticism he is now facing from the state’s teacher’s union, the same union that taught Schwarzenegger the true meaning of “girly man.”
Mayor Villaraigosa’s plan to reform public education in LA is long on rhetoric, but short on substance, the absence of clear direction has not been lost on Villaraigosa’s fellow leftists in the statehouse. The problem with Villaraigosa’s plan and Bloomberg’s and that of most politicians who support “school reform” is their plans call for greater government bureaucracy meaningless tests, while true accountability always seems to be absent. Nor are parents asked to assume a greater role in their child’s education.
As long as LA and public schools around the country, reward mediocrity and placate the lowest common denominators that make up a sizeable portion of LA area students, little will change. If Villaraigosa was truly serious about reform he’d announce the immediate closing of LA area schools and provide parents with vouchers for their children to attend the school of their choice, ensuring LA students receiving a meaningful, rather than a meaningless education.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-schools16jun16,0,5418816.story?coll=la-home-headlines
The Tehran-Moscow-Beijing Axis has convened in Shanghai this week. Their, the leaders of China, Russia and Iran are meeting under the auspices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which is composed of several Asian nations, many of which are tyrannical regimes like Iran. Summit officials contend the gathering is designed to promote stability and economic cooperation in the region, but this is a pretense as evident by the presence of so many hard-line tyrants like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.While both Russia and China claim to support efforts to end Iran’s uranium enrichment activities, such claims are little more than pandering to the West, indeed the exact opposite is true. China and Russia would do nothing to restrict Iran’s nuclear ambitions, China cares only for oil and having Iran as a strategic partner ensures a steady supply of petroleum for the Middle Kingdom. Russia, on the other hand sees Iran as a valuable economic partner, who is quite interested and willing to purchase advanced weapons system. Both China and Russia have supplied Iran with valuable technological assets which have led to the current nuclear standoff with the Islamic Republic in the first place, to believe that Russia and China will now back peddle on this issue is foolhardy.
It is clear that China and Russia view the SCO as the 21st century’s answer to the Warsaw Pact with a coalition of Asian nations designed primarily to counteract the west, specifically the United States. China, however, not Russia, will clearly dominate this new Warsaw Pact. To this end, China has used dollar diplomacy with expert skill to win allies and gain access (perhaps exclusive access) to natural resources around the globe as China’s economy continues to expand, lending credence to fears that China is adopting a mercantilist foreign policy. Meanwhile the ineptitude of the Bush administration knows no bounds, as its foreign policy experts [sic] seem powerless to pose a serious challenge to this emerging Asian hegemon.
Clearly US policymakers are aware what’s going on, US officials have not hesitated to criticize the summit’s host for allowing Iran to participate. Unfortunately, US officials are in no position to criticize, given a foreign policy strategy run amok with the never ending war in Iraq, which should have long since been turned over to Iraqis, the ongoing dependence on foreign oil, and never ending trade imbalances and the complete failure of efforts to expand free trade in the Americas and Asia. The US is very much in need of a regime change, unfortunately the alternative is far worse, a leftist administration under Kerry or Hillary Clinton would leave the US in a dire position to be sure.
If America and its western allies aren’t careful, we may soon awaken to new era of mercantilism and authoritarian expansion under the guise of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,1798323,00.html
In a desperate effort to ensure the leftist constituency returns en masse to New Orleans, the city widely regarded for Jazz, Gumbo and Crime will reopen much of its public housing facilities throughout the Big Easy, or should we say, the Big Lazy.According to city officials, many units will be available for residents to move in to by this fall, enabling more of the city’s poor residents to return. Many of the New Orleans’ poor have complained about the slow pace of reconstruction and the lack of available housing for the poor. In response federal and local officials have pledged more assistance to ensure a ready supply of housing for the least productive in the city.
Soon, the drags on New Orleans society will be able to return to the Big Easy and do what they do best: nothing, while exhausting precious resources, that could be devoted to attracting private enterprise and creating economic opportunity for those residents not content to leach off the American taxpayer.
If these individuals want low cost housing, why not settle in a low cost community, other than New Orleans and perhaps consider finding gainful employment rather than continuing to feed at the public trough for an indefinite period of time. With this action it is clear the city of New Orleans and the administration of the hack mayor Ray Nagin, have no interest in boosting the city’s reputation, reducing crime or attracting new business, instead, they prefer to attract those with the least to offer the city, ensuring a power base for hack politicians who cater to their constituents with a philosophy akin to a slave master.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-06-14-new-orleans-housing_x.htm
No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.
So reads the 27th amendment to the United States Constitution, which was officially adopted in May 1992. The ratification of this amendment, though called in to question by some politicos, was accepted by Congress. In spite of this amendment, this week the Congress has once again violated the very Constitution its elected members are sworn to uphold. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives approved a $3,000 pay increase for its members. Currently members of Congress receive (not earn) over $168,000 per year.
How do members of Congress justify such a flagrant violation of the US Constitution? One word: semantics. They call it a “cost of living adjustment” rather than a pay raise and have been making such cost of living adjustments practically every year without so much as a whimper of opposition from anyone. In the past when there have been objections to Congressional pay increases, those who have objected have made no mention of their illegality, only noting that such increases aren’t deserved. While it’s quite obvious that such salaries aren’t deserved, merit is irrelevant in this matter. If Congressional salaries were based on merit, few members would receive (not earn) more than minimum wage, and even that would be too generous in many cases.
These cost of living adjustments have not gone without challenge in the federal courts, which have consistently ruled that a cost of living adjustment is not a pay raise and therefore not subject to the 27th amendment. How convenient. The legal basis for such a ruling is nonsensical to say the least. In the first place, a pay raise is just that, a raise in pay. A cost of living adjustment or COLA is a raise or increase in pay. Efforts to separate the two are little more than parlor games designed to usurp the Constitution. In the second place the 27th amendment makes no distinction based on the type of pay increase a member of Congress shall receive. The amendment clearly states that ANY variation in compensation is unlawful without an intervening election; this would include an increase or decrease in congressional salaries.
Once again our esteemed members of congress have demonstrated their long held belief in their own supremacy, a belief that they are immune from the law, whether its federal investigations of corrupt congressmen or extra-Constitutional pay raises. The founding fathers would be greatly disappointed to see what scoundrels are in charge of the nation’s affairs today.
Perhaps Congress is on to something…the next time those of us in the real world want a raise, we should simply ask for a cost of living adjustment, when our bosses scoff, simply remind them its not a raise and they should ignore the fact that our salaries actually INCREASE.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/06/13/congress.payraise.ap/index.html
So reads the 27th amendment to the United States Constitution, which was officially adopted in May 1992. The ratification of this amendment, though called in to question by some politicos, was accepted by Congress. In spite of this amendment, this week the Congress has once again violated the very Constitution its elected members are sworn to uphold. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives approved a $3,000 pay increase for its members. Currently members of Congress receive (not earn) over $168,000 per year.
How do members of Congress justify such a flagrant violation of the US Constitution? One word: semantics. They call it a “cost of living adjustment” rather than a pay raise and have been making such cost of living adjustments practically every year without so much as a whimper of opposition from anyone. In the past when there have been objections to Congressional pay increases, those who have objected have made no mention of their illegality, only noting that such increases aren’t deserved. While it’s quite obvious that such salaries aren’t deserved, merit is irrelevant in this matter. If Congressional salaries were based on merit, few members would receive (not earn) more than minimum wage, and even that would be too generous in many cases.
These cost of living adjustments have not gone without challenge in the federal courts, which have consistently ruled that a cost of living adjustment is not a pay raise and therefore not subject to the 27th amendment. How convenient. The legal basis for such a ruling is nonsensical to say the least. In the first place, a pay raise is just that, a raise in pay. A cost of living adjustment or COLA is a raise or increase in pay. Efforts to separate the two are little more than parlor games designed to usurp the Constitution. In the second place the 27th amendment makes no distinction based on the type of pay increase a member of Congress shall receive. The amendment clearly states that ANY variation in compensation is unlawful without an intervening election; this would include an increase or decrease in congressional salaries.
Once again our esteemed members of congress have demonstrated their long held belief in their own supremacy, a belief that they are immune from the law, whether its federal investigations of corrupt congressmen or extra-Constitutional pay raises. The founding fathers would be greatly disappointed to see what scoundrels are in charge of the nation’s affairs today.
Perhaps Congress is on to something…the next time those of us in the real world want a raise, we should simply ask for a cost of living adjustment, when our bosses scoff, simply remind them its not a raise and they should ignore the fact that our salaries actually INCREASE.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/06/13/congress.payraise.ap/index.html
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has promised that some principals in the nation’s largest school system will have greater authority over local school decisions, such as hiring and budgets. This endeavor reflects the latest move in Bloomberg’s on-going school reform efforts.
NYC is perhaps one of the few areas in the country where the schools are run by the mayor, rather than an independent school board. Bloomberg’s school reforms, if they can be seriously called that, have taken bureaucracy to new heights with layers of government overseeing additional layers of government. Ostensibly such reforms have been designed to ensure schools measure up, but rarely has bureaucracy succeeded in creating a better educational environment for children.
Now Bloomberg says some NYC schools can be freed from the yoke of bureaucracy if they agree to meet certain performance standards. It’s unclear exactly what these performance standards will entail, but most likely it will involve more testing and rote memorization for students, with few students developing a capacity for independent thought or analytical problem solving.
The mayor’s approach is a promising first step, but unfortunately such reforms don’t go nearly far enough. Yes principals and local officials should have greater autonomy but so too should parents. This reform effort speaks nothing of the need for greater parental involvement, an essential component in the success of any school.
Bloomberg contends, principals will be held accountable for their school’s performance and those principals who don’t make the grade will be forced out. In reality not only should the principal be forced to meet certain standards but so too should the teachers and the school as a whole. If schools were forced to compete, they would be more inclined to improve. The NYC public school system, like every other public school system in the country, operates in a vacuum with no real challenge to their hegemony; as a result many public schools throughout the country produce marginal results at best.
Word to the wise: if you are a NYC resident with children start shopping for a private school early, and be sure to choose one that places a high value on academics and parental responsibility.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/13/nyregion/13educ.html?hp&ex=1150257600&en=cefdda08fcfd0ea7&ei=5094&partner=homepage
NYC is perhaps one of the few areas in the country where the schools are run by the mayor, rather than an independent school board. Bloomberg’s school reforms, if they can be seriously called that, have taken bureaucracy to new heights with layers of government overseeing additional layers of government. Ostensibly such reforms have been designed to ensure schools measure up, but rarely has bureaucracy succeeded in creating a better educational environment for children.
Now Bloomberg says some NYC schools can be freed from the yoke of bureaucracy if they agree to meet certain performance standards. It’s unclear exactly what these performance standards will entail, but most likely it will involve more testing and rote memorization for students, with few students developing a capacity for independent thought or analytical problem solving.
The mayor’s approach is a promising first step, but unfortunately such reforms don’t go nearly far enough. Yes principals and local officials should have greater autonomy but so too should parents. This reform effort speaks nothing of the need for greater parental involvement, an essential component in the success of any school.
Bloomberg contends, principals will be held accountable for their school’s performance and those principals who don’t make the grade will be forced out. In reality not only should the principal be forced to meet certain standards but so too should the teachers and the school as a whole. If schools were forced to compete, they would be more inclined to improve. The NYC public school system, like every other public school system in the country, operates in a vacuum with no real challenge to their hegemony; as a result many public schools throughout the country produce marginal results at best.
Word to the wise: if you are a NYC resident with children start shopping for a private school early, and be sure to choose one that places a high value on academics and parental responsibility.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/13/nyregion/13educ.html?hp&ex=1150257600&en=cefdda08fcfd0ea7&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Yesterday, President Clinton, still basking in the glow of his status as elder statesman of the Democratic Party, warned that GOP polices were the cause of increased hurricane activity and that he and Al Gore were right about global warming. He was? Clinton’s Vice President, long known for his “environmentalism” has also claimed that global warming is the cause of increased hurricane activity, a premise not supported by science.Has there been a general rise in temperatures over the last few decades, probably, but are those temperature increases a result of “global warming” brought about by increased Carbon Dioxide emissions, or are they caused by a documented increased solar activity? If there is a general increase in the Earth’s average temperatures it would not be a new phenomenon, the Earth has gone through many cycles of uncharacteristically hot and cold cycles, throughout the eons. To contend now that this cycle is solely brought about by man is ludicrous. It’s even more ludicrous to argue that global warming is a result of George Bush, who has been in office only 5 years. Exactly who was it that was president for the previous eight years?
Assuming, just for the sake of assumption that CO2 emissions are the sole cause of global temperature increase, which is laughable, no one can seriously argue that such a phenomena only began in January of 2001 when Bush and company took power, nor can we argue that the US I solely responsible. Yes the US does account for a sizeable percentage (24%) of the so-called greenhouse emissions on this planet, but that share is directly proportional to America’s economic productivity and industrial output, which accounts for nearly 1/3rd of the world’s industrial capacity. By contrast, nations like China and India also contribute greatly to greenhouse emissions, at a rate disproportionate to their industrial productivity. China for example accounts for over 13% of global emissions, but its industrial output is equal to only 3% of global output. In other words, for every product (and/or service) produced in the United States, this country produces such goods and services far more efficiently and at lower costs to the environment than our many of our industrial rivals.
Should the US reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, yes, not so much to appease environmental concerns but to lessen our dependence on ruthless tyrannical regimes in the Middle East and Latin America. Are CO2 emissions harmful in some way to the environment? Probably on some scale, but in no way approaching the levels envisioned by the anti-capitalists. Leftists frequently criticize others for ignoring the scientific evidence they site in support of global warming, these same pro-science leftists, however, ignore data sets demonstrating global warming’s extra-terrestrial origins (ie, the Sun).
Environmentalists, leftists and pro-Kyoto advocates, cannot easily hide their contempt for economic progress and their disdain for capitalism, such sentiment was clearly evident in the lopsided Kyoto protocol, which few signatories have lived up to. The protocol could hardly be mistaken for an environmental treaty as it excused pollution, so long as it wasn’t from the United States and imposed unrealistic goals designed solely to hamper growth.
While Clinton and Gore may gain media attention by preaching pseudo-science, it is no substitute for the truth. Dire warnings of super hurricanes like Katrina are misleading considering the fact that Katrina ranks 27th in terms of the most deadly Atlantic hurricanes, but then again such a strategy is shrewd, after all scare tactics have long been a gold mine for the left, especially when playing to an uneducated electorate.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/06/12/D8I6VEOO4.html
Nearly 17,000 people were murdered last year in America. The murder rate in the US ranks 24th overall, just behind Bulgaria, but far ahead of any other industrialized country. South Korea and France are our closest competitors at 38th and 40th respectively.
While not the most crime infested nation on Earth, that honor belongs to Columbia, the sheer volume of murders and rapes (over 92,000) in this country is nothing to be proud of, and yet where is the outrage? Where are the protest, where are the calls for action? They are nowhere to be found.
Quite simply, our elected representatives lack the wherewithal to tackle such issues; they are more content to address the inane, the unimportant and the superficial, while the streets of America run red with blood.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/06/12/D8I6MG9G1.html
While not the most crime infested nation on Earth, that honor belongs to Columbia, the sheer volume of murders and rapes (over 92,000) in this country is nothing to be proud of, and yet where is the outrage? Where are the protest, where are the calls for action? They are nowhere to be found.
Quite simply, our elected representatives lack the wherewithal to tackle such issues; they are more content to address the inane, the unimportant and the superficial, while the streets of America run red with blood.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/06/12/D8I6MG9G1.html
Last year in a small NE Georgia Mountains community, the students, faculty and parents of White County High School were embroiled in a battle over homosexuality. A group of students at the club were interested in forming a Gay-Straight Alliance Club at the school.As one might expect, there was a considerable amount of vocal opposition from local community groups, who were opposed to the “gay lifestyle.” Many parents objected on religious grounds. Apparently, these parents forgot that they choose to send their children to a government run, not a religious based school, as they opted for the big SUV or the big house and had no money left to provide for their child’s education and now seek to impose their personal viewpoints in a public school setting.
The outcry even drew the attention of Fred Phelps and the Westboro Hatemongers Church. Phelps and company, who have gained a reputation for protesting at the funerals of US soldiers, drew national attention to White County, Georgia.
Eventually, students like Kerry Pacer, were allowed to form a club, only to be told by the school that such a club, PRIDE (Peers Rising in Diverse Education), could not meet on school grounds. Today, Kerry Pacer takes that fight to the federal courts in Atlanta, charging that White County High School violated the Federal Equal Access Act, which requires high schools to provide access for such non-curriculum based clubs.
Pacer, a recent graduate of WCHS is suing on behalf of the organization she helped to create in order to force school officials to provide equal access to the school facility. Pacer has a strong case and school officials in White County should carefully read the writing on the wall, stop wasting tax-payers money defending the indefensible and open the school to PRIDE or any other student organization.
Naturally some parents may object to the practice…the message to them is “deal with it.” These are the sacrifices one must make, when enrolling in a PUBLIC school. If these parents are so concerned about their child’s learning environment make the sacrifice and place your child in a private school of your choice.
http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/hall/newfullstory.asp?ID=104537
Anxious to vilify the president and even the war on terror at any cost, a growing number of leftists have gone out of their way to lessen the importance of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Some have painted Zarqawi as little more than a figurehead in the war against terror in Iraq, Such a comparison would be like dismissing Hitler as no more important than an SS Captain.
Contrary to such suggestions, al-Zarqawi played a critical role in the growth of violence in Iraq. Now the left and the media have jumped on a single isolated report that US troops beat Zarqawi after they arrived at the ruins of the safe house where Zarqawi and company were held up.
According to these reports, when US troops arrived, Zarqawi was injured but alive and these troops proceeded to beat and batter Zarqawi until he died of his injuries. There is no evidence or corroboration of this account, simply conjecture, which is as good as fact to the average leftist. Now the smear campaign will begin as the loyal opposition must insure that Bush’s pole numbers remain low. If the left was smart they would leave Bush’s sinking poll numbers up to him, he has managed to torpedo his reputation on his own.
These accounts of Zarqawi’s death come from an Iraqi man identified simply as Muhammad, a neighbor, which means he obviously has no axe to grind and is purely objective in his account of the events.
Even if, by some leap of the imagination, the accounts of Zarqawi’s death are accurate, a rational person would breathe a collective sigh and move on with life. A mass murderer and terrorist is dead…end of story.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/C76601D9-F56C-4732-8A86-FDE8D867C7CD.htm
Contrary to such suggestions, al-Zarqawi played a critical role in the growth of violence in Iraq. Now the left and the media have jumped on a single isolated report that US troops beat Zarqawi after they arrived at the ruins of the safe house where Zarqawi and company were held up.
According to these reports, when US troops arrived, Zarqawi was injured but alive and these troops proceeded to beat and batter Zarqawi until he died of his injuries. There is no evidence or corroboration of this account, simply conjecture, which is as good as fact to the average leftist. Now the smear campaign will begin as the loyal opposition must insure that Bush’s pole numbers remain low. If the left was smart they would leave Bush’s sinking poll numbers up to him, he has managed to torpedo his reputation on his own.
These accounts of Zarqawi’s death come from an Iraqi man identified simply as Muhammad, a neighbor, which means he obviously has no axe to grind and is purely objective in his account of the events.
Even if, by some leap of the imagination, the accounts of Zarqawi’s death are accurate, a rational person would breathe a collective sigh and move on with life. A mass murderer and terrorist is dead…end of story.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/C76601D9-F56C-4732-8A86-FDE8D867C7CD.htm
One of Philadelphia’s preeminent Cheesesteak destinations, Geno’s Steaks, adopted a new policy several months ago requiring patrons to place orders in English. A sign on the window reads: “This is America: When ordering speak English.”According to Geno’s owner the policy hasn’t roused too many feathers and staff help non-English speakers to order in English. Not everyone is happy with the policy, which some decry as racist. Recently some immigrant “activist” groups have vowed to fight the policy. Juntos, an Hispanic activist group, has vowed to send Spanish peaking patrons to the restaurant to place orders in Spanish, according to Juntos, they may resort to legal action against Geno’s. The litigious curse strikes again.
Frequent Phalanx readers are aware that earlier posts decried national efforts to institute English as the country’s official language. Such an effort, much like the federal marriage amendment, were and are gross usurpations of federal authority and have no place in America, nonetheless, a restaurant owner is under no legal authority to staff his restaurant with a bilingual wait staff. These activists who are threatening legal action against Geno’s Steaks, have no justification to pursue such a course.
Most likely the Juntos will sue on the grounds that Geno’s is violating their civil rights or some other such nonsense. Regardless of the grounds, the suit will be frivolous, which means they will probably win, given today’s culture. Geno’s will have to provide every Hispanic within a 100 mile radius a free Cheesesteak, then they will have to hire multilingual wait staff and the price of a Philly Cheesesteak will skyrocket to $25 each, plus tax.
Who knew there was a right to a Cheesesteak.
today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2006-06-08T232416Z_01_N08392339_RTRIDST_0_OUKOE-UK-LIFE-ENGLISH.XML
www.ajc.com/today/content/epaper/editions/today/news_4498a14aa623516a1020.html
Invariably , with the successful US military operation to take out Al-Zarqawi, many leftists have took it upon themselves to dismiss the operations as having no real significance, some calling the action little more than a stunt….
Representative Dennis Kucinich, noted that Zarqawi played only a minimal role in the Iraqi insurgency. For the Democrats, such a strategy is perfectly within reason, given their long held strategy of playing down or outright dismissing any news or information viewed as favorable to the president. It is therefore necessary to relegate the role of Al-Zarqawi to that of meaningless stooge, figure-head or underling.
In reality Zarqawi played a crucial role in the development and coordination of the Iraqi insurgency, and is responsible for the deaths of thousands or Iraqis and Americans alike. Does the death of this terror leader mean an end to the fight? No, after all this isn’t the ancient Inca Empire where capturing the leader insured the capitulation of the entire nation. This is Iraq were cellular based terrorists flourish, nonetheless, the death of Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi is indeed a victory for US and coalition forces in Iraq. Officially, most Democratic leaders embraced the news, but if the comments of Kucinich and others begin to gain traction look for it to creep into the party lexicon.
Kucinich and other leftist critics are right about one thing…the US should accelerate its efforts to leave Iraq. The President simply is not moving fast enough in ensuring that Iraqi forces can once again assume control over their country. The formation of a permanent government is a crucial first step, but greater steps must be taken, to ensure American forces don’t remain in Iraq like they have in Europe long after the Cold War.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20060608-041042-9038r.htm
Representative Dennis Kucinich, noted that Zarqawi played only a minimal role in the Iraqi insurgency. For the Democrats, such a strategy is perfectly within reason, given their long held strategy of playing down or outright dismissing any news or information viewed as favorable to the president. It is therefore necessary to relegate the role of Al-Zarqawi to that of meaningless stooge, figure-head or underling.
In reality Zarqawi played a crucial role in the development and coordination of the Iraqi insurgency, and is responsible for the deaths of thousands or Iraqis and Americans alike. Does the death of this terror leader mean an end to the fight? No, after all this isn’t the ancient Inca Empire where capturing the leader insured the capitulation of the entire nation. This is Iraq were cellular based terrorists flourish, nonetheless, the death of Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi is indeed a victory for US and coalition forces in Iraq. Officially, most Democratic leaders embraced the news, but if the comments of Kucinich and others begin to gain traction look for it to creep into the party lexicon.
Kucinich and other leftist critics are right about one thing…the US should accelerate its efforts to leave Iraq. The President simply is not moving fast enough in ensuring that Iraqi forces can once again assume control over their country. The formation of a permanent government is a crucial first step, but greater steps must be taken, to ensure American forces don’t remain in Iraq like they have in Europe long after the Cold War.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20060608-041042-9038r.htm
In this era of victimization and endless legal wrangling its hardly surprising when murderers, child molesters and other assorted criminals receive unjustifiably light sentences for otherwise heinous crimes, such has the recent case of a Nebraska sex offender who was judged to be too short for prison.In Britain this trend has now reached new lows, or perhaps they have been low for some time and only now is the public becoming aware of it. 40 year old pervert and rapist, Alan Webster, was initially sentenced to 6 years in prison for the rape of a 12 week old baby. Webster, who was already a convicted child sex offender, received an increased sentence of 8 years upon review by the British courts.
What exactly does this say about the British criminal justice system when a rapist, much less a baby rapist, can be sentenced to only 8 years in prison? Eight years is hardly sufficient time to atone for such a ghastly crime, life would be far more appropriate.
Perhaps more appalling was the 5 year sentence for Webster’s 19 year old accomplice, Tanya French. To make matters worse, French will be eligible for parole in less than 2 years time. According, to the courts, French’s age played a role in her light sentence, as if we are to believe that a 19 year old should be excused for their violent criminal actions. Life would be an appropriate sentence for a 16 year old girl, not to mention 19 year woman.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/beds/bucks/herts/5057164.stm
Today the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq finally met with justice, the blood of thousands are avenged.Perhaps Al-Zarqawi is a martyr but only to those who advocate mass murder on level not seen since the regime of Adolf Hitler. While Zarqawi’s death certainly won’t bring about an end to the slaughter and bloodshed in Iraq, the head of this ruthless murderous terrorist organization is at least temporarily severed, just as Zarqawi has done numerous times in his brutal life.
Al-Zarqawi typifies the Islamic radical, one who cares nothing for mass murder, one who abhors the concept of individual freedom and one who is willing to destroy anything in his path to achieve his goals: enforcement of the Islamic credo (submit, convert or die).
While his followers may glorify him as a martyr, he is only a martyr to all that which is wrong in humanity. His death at the hands of a US air assault was far too generous, far more so than the brutally inflicted on dozens of people whom Zarqawi personally decapitated on camera…good riddance. Hope you packed the ice water.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/06/08/iraq.al.zarqawi/index.html
What else could Iran be up to? The overly generous incentive package offered to Iran has met with some surprising results, Iran has welcomed the overture as a positive step and has given the indication that they are at least willing to discuss the matter, coming after months of saber rattling and vows never to give up enrichment activity, Iran may very well have another agenda…what if this was Iran’s objective from the start, to extort financial and technological booty in exchange for terminating its nuclear exploits?
The details of the incentive package are unknown, what is clear however, is the Western powers agreed to a host of lucrative trade deals and technology transfers (AT NO COST TO IRAN). Even the US, which doesn’t even recognize Iran, has offered to share nuclear technology with the Islamic Republic, not a bad haul for a few years of saber rattling.
Iran has known for some time that the West, especially the EU3 would do just about anything to stop Iran from developing an indigenous nuclear capability, from the onset of the EU-Iran negotiations the European powers used trade and technology transfers as an incentive to Iran. With each rejection, the offers from the EU became more lucrative, this point was certainly not lost with Iran.
One thing is for certain Iran has not and does not require a peaceful nuclear power capability to meet its growing energy needs. Iran holds vast stockpiles of oil and natural gas, which are more than sufficient to meet those energy needs, nor is it true that Iran has any interest in promoting greater economic progress for its citizens, in reality, Iran has done nothing to develop its economy and as a results poverty and unemployment remain astronomically high.
Given this reality Iran’s nuclear program could have only two purposes: to develop an indigenous nuclear weapons capability, and perhaps that was its initial purpose, or to use it as a bargaining chip to extract concessions from the West, just as North Korea has done. Even if Iran does agree to the incentive package recently offered, the world can have no guarantee of Iranian compliance and before long we may find ourselves in the same position we now find with North Korea, a nuclear powered rogue state with sinister intentions, except in Iran’s case the consequences could be far more dire.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/07/world/middleeast/07cnd-iran.html
Other possible Explanations:
http://www.thephalanx.com/2006/05/iran-saber-rattling-farce-perhaps.html
http://www.thephalanx.com/2006/04/irans-open-secret.html
http://www.thephalanx.com/2006/03/iran-conspires-with-russia-and-laughs.html
http://www.thephalanx.com/2006/03/iranians-admit-to-chicanery-in-nuclear.html
http://www.thephalanx.com/2006/02/what-do-saburo-kurusu-and-ali.html
The details of the incentive package are unknown, what is clear however, is the Western powers agreed to a host of lucrative trade deals and technology transfers (AT NO COST TO IRAN). Even the US, which doesn’t even recognize Iran, has offered to share nuclear technology with the Islamic Republic, not a bad haul for a few years of saber rattling.
Iran has known for some time that the West, especially the EU3 would do just about anything to stop Iran from developing an indigenous nuclear capability, from the onset of the EU-Iran negotiations the European powers used trade and technology transfers as an incentive to Iran. With each rejection, the offers from the EU became more lucrative, this point was certainly not lost with Iran.
One thing is for certain Iran has not and does not require a peaceful nuclear power capability to meet its growing energy needs. Iran holds vast stockpiles of oil and natural gas, which are more than sufficient to meet those energy needs, nor is it true that Iran has any interest in promoting greater economic progress for its citizens, in reality, Iran has done nothing to develop its economy and as a results poverty and unemployment remain astronomically high.
Given this reality Iran’s nuclear program could have only two purposes: to develop an indigenous nuclear weapons capability, and perhaps that was its initial purpose, or to use it as a bargaining chip to extract concessions from the West, just as North Korea has done. Even if Iran does agree to the incentive package recently offered, the world can have no guarantee of Iranian compliance and before long we may find ourselves in the same position we now find with North Korea, a nuclear powered rogue state with sinister intentions, except in Iran’s case the consequences could be far more dire.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/07/world/middleeast/07cnd-iran.html
Other possible Explanations:
http://www.thephalanx.com/2006/05/iran-saber-rattling-farce-perhaps.html
http://www.thephalanx.com/2006/04/irans-open-secret.html
http://www.thephalanx.com/2006/03/iran-conspires-with-russia-and-laughs.html
http://www.thephalanx.com/2006/03/iranians-admit-to-chicanery-in-nuclear.html
http://www.thephalanx.com/2006/02/what-do-saburo-kurusu-and-ali.html
In case anyone hasn’t seen and read the news in the last few days, Actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie recently had a daughter while staying in the African nation of Namibia.Since that time the media have become obsessed with this newborn and have clamored for imagines of the child. The Pitt-Jolie Family finally agreed to sell pictures of their child, reportedly purchased by Britain’s Hello! Magazine for the astounding sum of $7 million dollars, what does this say about society?
Hello Magazine would not pay such a ridiculous sum if it didn’t have a reasonable expectation that those costs would be easily recuperated given an expected increase magazine sales as a result of the exclusive photo spread.
We live in a “star” obsessed culture, totally ignorant of substantive issues and wholly distracted by the Bread and Circuses we are offered each and every day, it is for this reason that leftists can convince us that higher taxes and federal control over retirement savings is an excellent idea. It is for this reason, that hack politicians on the left and right can be consistently re-elected to Congress, it is for this reason that our leaders can ignore impending financial meltdowns involving Social Security and Medicare and it is for this reason that pork barrel spending continues unabated…why shouldn’t it, as long as we have our pictures of Shiloh Pitt, why concern ourselves with anything but the inane and the trivial.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5055240.stm
This week there is much sorrow in a suburban Atlanta neighborhood. There a young boy, only 9 years old, was playing with friends when I car passed by with a “wobbly wheel.” Jordin Paulder called out to the car’s occupants warning of the tire’s condition, for that bit a neighborly caution, Jordin paid with his life…the car stopped and one of the car’s occupants got out and hacked Jordan to death with an axe, that’s right an axe…
Police later shot a suspect, an immigrant from Honduras, who fought police in the aftermath of the tragic scene, though its unclear if this individual was the one responsible for the crime. If such examples aren’t evidence of the increasing denigration of society nothing is…no punishment is sufficient for the axe murderer who ended Jordin Paulder’s life.
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/northfulton/stories/0607metax.html
Police later shot a suspect, an immigrant from Honduras, who fought police in the aftermath of the tragic scene, though its unclear if this individual was the one responsible for the crime. If such examples aren’t evidence of the increasing denigration of society nothing is…no punishment is sufficient for the axe murderer who ended Jordin Paulder’s life.
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/northfulton/stories/0607metax.html
The world’s major powers [sic]: Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and the US have agreed to an extremely generous incentive package to be presented to Iran. The package includes a host of favorable trade concessions to the Islamic Republic and technology transfers in exchange for one thing: Iran must end uranium enrichment and terminate is nuclear program.The Iranians, who have rejected other such offers in the past, have reacted cautiously to the proposal. Regardless of whether Iran accepts or rejects this proposal it is a lose lose scenario for the West. If Iran accepts the offer, which they probably won’t, a dangerous precedent will be set, soon the developing world and tyrants-in-training will follow Iran’s lead in extorting financial concessions from the West under the threat of developing an indigenous nuclear program. Such appeasement cannot work. This proposal serves only to reward Iran for her renegade behavior and because of persistent inaction first by the EU3 and then by the UN, Iran has nothing to fear from non-compliance.
As we have seen in the distant and recent past, such efforts NEVER yield the desired results, lest we forget the example of North Korea, who agreed to a host of incentives provided by the US, yet they flagrantly violated the agreement and now possess a nuclear weapons capability. Iran is following the same example. If they agree to the West’s appeasement package, the West will be forced to offer a dozen more such packages to every rogue state with nuclear ambitions. If they do not accept this package, the world will teeter on nuclear extermination as Iran will most certainly proliferate once its nuclear weapons capability is established.
Link to New York Times article
New London is starting to feel a bit like Old London, or more accurately Old Berlin, where governments exert absolute control over their "subjects."
It was perhaps one of the most backward Supreme Court decisions since Plessy vs. Ferguson. Last year the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in Kelo v. City of New London that governments could in fact seize land for private development, directly contradicting the spirit and letter of the Constitution, which forbids the taking of private property for except public use.
The landmark, and oh so tragic, decision had a ripple affect around the country as outraged citizens demanded state legislatures reign in the practice of eminent domain. In the aftermath of the 5-4 decision, several states have passed legislation curtailing the power of local governments to use eminent domain for private land development, all this is of little consequence to the residents of New London, Connecticut, whose land is now being systematical stolen by a draconian, fascist local government.
Hitler and Mussolini would be proud of their protégés on the New London City Council, who yesterday in a 5-2 vote, authorized the city’s attorney take whatever action was necessary in order to evict the last families and steal the private property. Only two of the original seven families remain on the land in question and those families have vowed to fight on, but with little support from their state and local government and the tacit approval of the Supreme Court there is now little that can be done.
It can be argued that America, as we know it, ceased to exist when this decision was handed down on June 23, 2005, from that point forward this country ceased to be a constitutional republic and became a fascist dictatorship, where the rule of law is merely a suggestion to be brushed aside when it is convenient to do so.
Link to Boston Globe Article
It was perhaps one of the most backward Supreme Court decisions since Plessy vs. Ferguson. Last year the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in Kelo v. City of New London that governments could in fact seize land for private development, directly contradicting the spirit and letter of the Constitution, which forbids the taking of private property for except public use.
The landmark, and oh so tragic, decision had a ripple affect around the country as outraged citizens demanded state legislatures reign in the practice of eminent domain. In the aftermath of the 5-4 decision, several states have passed legislation curtailing the power of local governments to use eminent domain for private land development, all this is of little consequence to the residents of New London, Connecticut, whose land is now being systematical stolen by a draconian, fascist local government.
Hitler and Mussolini would be proud of their protégés on the New London City Council, who yesterday in a 5-2 vote, authorized the city’s attorney take whatever action was necessary in order to evict the last families and steal the private property. Only two of the original seven families remain on the land in question and those families have vowed to fight on, but with little support from their state and local government and the tacit approval of the Supreme Court there is now little that can be done.
It can be argued that America, as we know it, ceased to exist when this decision was handed down on June 23, 2005, from that point forward this country ceased to be a constitutional republic and became a fascist dictatorship, where the rule of law is merely a suggestion to be brushed aside when it is convenient to do so.
Link to Boston Globe Article
In the city of Atlanta the Fulton County jail was recently placed on “lockdown,” several hundred inmates were not allowed out of their cells during this weeklong period.
According to a spokesman with the Fulton county Sheriff’s office, which runs the facility, the lockdown was ordered on May 26 when inmates in two wings of the jail refused to follow orders from jail staff. Naturally, lawyers for several inmates have condemned the action and some are threatening legal action.
The poor inmates were denied recreation and weren’t allowed to make phone calls. The poor things, it’s always a shame when murderers and rapists have to go without a few creature comforts. Perhaps its time these people awaken to the reality that jail is not the Beverly Palms Hotel, these criminals have no right to recreation or phone calls and should be thankful the
According to a spokesman with the Fulton county Sheriff’s office, which runs the facility, the lockdown was ordered on May 26 when inmates in two wings of the jail refused to follow orders from jail staff. Naturally, lawyers for several inmates have condemned the action and some are threatening legal action.
The poor inmates were denied recreation and weren’t allowed to make phone calls. The poor things, it’s always a shame when murderers and rapists have to go without a few creature comforts. Perhaps its time these people awaken to the reality that jail is not the Beverly Palms Hotel, these criminals have no right to recreation or phone calls and should be thankful the