The sky is the limit, especially for the statistician. A plethora a data was recently released by the Census Bureau on income, poverty and other related topics. Like most statistics the true meaning of this data is open to interpretation. Perhaps most disconcerting is the fact that, according to the Census, earnings for young college grads has declined to the lowest level since 1997, when adjusted for inflation. So what does this mean? To the outside observer, such figures are quite clear, the outlook is becoming more and more dim for up and coming generations as it becomes more and more difficult to eek out a living, much less surpassing mom and dad’s success, or is it?

In life our success or failure, especially in monetary terms, is largely a byproduct of our own decision making. What the Census figures don’t say and what the average citizen can’t possibly know is more and more college age students are choosing degrees with lower income potential in the long term. Fewer and fewer students are choosing degrees in engineering and the sciences. This is one reason why many American firms have turned to places like India to fill high tech (and high paying) jobs.

There is no shame in pursuing a career in the humanities or social science, but these graduates shouldn’t harbor any allusions of becoming instant millionaires, such a reality is far from the norm. The decisions we make will have a direct impact on our future and if more students opt for careers in fields with lower income potential we should not be surprised if median income continues to decline.

These facts, however, will most certainly go unnoticed, when used as a rallying cry for the left in their relentless campaign against personal responsibility and individual choice, but then again why burden oneself with facts, when fiction and half-truthes will do?
Link to Business Week article

The Koreans have a score to settle with the United states, and thus the North Korean government is entirely justified in its development of nuclear weapons if a certain Korean columnist (and North Korean scholar) with the Asia Times is to be believed. Kim Myong-chol in a recent column claimed the Koreans have a simmering score to settle with the US which dates back to the 19th century. Nuclear weapons are the only means by which the North can confront the United States, according to Kim, whose diminished understanding of history is no doubt attributed to the fact that he obtained his education in North Korea.

By Kim’s account this score began with an incident in 1866 when a ship known as the General Sherman supposedly shelled the city of Pyongyang. The ship, in question was not a US ship, however, but a private trader with a mostly Asian crew and a British owner. Perhaps Dr. Kim is confused, but it was not the US that demanded Korea pay tribute up until the end of the 19th century, it was China. It wasn’t the United States who occupied the whole of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945, it was Imperial Japan, nor was it the United States that started the Korean War with its invasion of the South.

While Kim feels the North is justified in its war of words and nuclear development the reality is, the North has invented a fiction to justify their militaristic ambitions. The North Koreans are the only players in the region who have shown a propensity for aggressive action it is they that should be feared, they promote conflict in the region. Kim asserts, like fellow tyrants in Venezuela and Iran, that a war with the US would lead to another loss for the US like their “defeats” in Afghanistan and in the Korean War.

Defeat in Afghanistan? Perhaps that is why Taleban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar lies in hiding somewhere in the mountains of Pakistan. Defeat in the Korean War? Perhaps that explains why the North Koreans remains starving north of the 38th parallel rather than in control of a prosperous and democratic south as was their ambition.

This level of ignorance highlights the dangers of the Korean situation. For years the North Korean regime has spewed such poison, effectively brainwashing their own citizens and now they are attempting to fool their southern counterparts. In reality, absent North Korean military ambition, there is no conflict. The North has repeatedly demonstrated their deception and willingness to deceive in order to foment conflict and extract concession, which is why appeasing the North in 1994 was exactly the wrong move.

Appeasement only encourages an aggressor and after the spectacle of the EU, US and UN offering one incentive package after another to Iran, it should come as no surprise that the North will continue to make aggressive posturing as it seeks similar concessions. By casting the US as an enemy and an aggressor and inventing a supposed conflict with the US, the North Koreans, like Hugo Chavez, argue their military expansion is justified to counter a pending invasion, this distractionary Mussolini-esque tactic also serves to distract their sheep like citizenry from the inescapable reality of North Korean authoritarianism and repression. Aside from the pawns in the North, no one has proven more susceptible to this propaganda than the youth of South Korea, who are both too young to remember the scourge of North Korean aggression and too ignorant to learn from history, they too look to the US as a rival, which begs the question: why is the US sacrificing men, money and time to defend a nation that is becoming increasingly hostile to our support and defense. It is long since time for the South to shoulder the responsibility for their own defense allowing US forces to leave the peninsula permanently.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/HH31Dg01.html

Since the 2000, the leftist have adopted a new strategy in their ongoing quest to regain power and influence in Washington. The leftist strategy is de-legitimization. The left tirelessly paints the success of others and their own electoral failures as the byproduct of chicanery.

Six years ago, Al Gore lost the electoral vote in Florida, by every measure Gore lost, yet Gore has preached from every corner of the globe how George Bush and the GOP “stole” the 2000 election. As a result, many Americans have come to view George Bush as illegitimate, lending credence to the Democratic cause, granted most of those who accept these views represent the lowest common denominator within American society.

Now John Kerry continues this de-legitimization strategy. Kerry claims the GOP stole the 2004 election in an effort to portray himself as the legitimate president, if this were indeed true, one has to wonder why Kerry was so quick to concede after his electoral defeat. Kerry and the Dems are now working hard to defeat the GOP candidate for governor, who was secretary of state during the 2004 election.

According to an email from John Kerry, “he used the power of his state office to try to intimidate Ohioans and suppress the Democratic vote.” Naturally, Kerry offers no proof or examples of how this incredible feat was achieved but then again given the target audience of Kerry’s latest diatribe, why bother with facts?

Kerry and his fellow leftists have worked feverishly to exploit the fundamental ignorance of their constituency, using their typical demagogue tactics. As sure as we live and breathe, this strategy will serve them well.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14573946/

Only in the nation’s public school systems can teachers in one of the worse school systems in the country go on strike. Short of being publicly flogged each day when they report for work there is no logical reason for Detroit teachers to strike and even then a strike would not be warranted given the Detroit schools

Detroit teachers, who are seeking a pay raise (naturally) walked off the “job” after rejecting a contract proposal offered by the school system. The school system, far from offering a pay increase, proposed at 5% pay cut along with increased health care premiums, all in an effort to balance a bloated budget. Considering the state of Detroit public schools and declining enrollment, this move by the school district should come as no surprise. This proposal, however, was soundly rejected by the teacher’s union, whose primary objection is not to advance education in Detroit but to advance the well being and continued mediocrity of Detroit area schools.

Detroit consistently ranks as one of the poorest performing school systems in the country, with many of its students failing to meet even the most basic of educational standards. Students who attend the city’s public school system are at a disadvantage to other children because of the marginal quality of a Detroit public school education.

These teachers, far from striking should be running to their respective classrooms, working longer hours and forgoing vacations in a bid to boost the quality of their schools rather than demanding raises. Given their performance, such demands are entirely unjustified and yet a further testament to the injustices bestowed upon all those students who suffer under the yoke of public education.
Link to Washington Post article

As the anniversary of Katrina approaches this week, more and more is being made of the premise that the hurricane exposed a great divide between the haves and the have nots. Much has been made of racism and culture and poverty. In reality, Katrina only exposed a well recognized rift between the Dos and Do nots.

To be certain there most certainly is a rift between rich and poor (especially in the cess pool that is and was new Orleans), but this is simply a by product of an entitlement mentality, this very same mentality was exposed for all the world to see during Katrina crisis when the lowest common denominators of Louisiana society where scattered to the wind and everywhere they landed they planted the seeds of their entitlement mentality, simply demanding handouts from the hardworking people of this country with not so much as a semblance of thanks.

Here now one year on and the demand for handouts continues.

And what of the hurricanes themselves. One year ago, we were warned that this was only the beginning we were warned that 2006 would be a year of one killer hurricane after another…well here we are approaching September and so far only a single category 1 hurricane, hardly the makings of an apocalypse.

Nonetheless, each and every hurricane that is formed hence forth has but one cause, George W. Bush and global warming, apparently before George Bush there were no hurricanes and before “global warming” there were no devastating storms to ravage America’s coasts, regardless of what our history books may tell us. If only George W. Bush could use his amazing ability to create tropical cyclones to wage the war on terror.
http://www.fayettevillenc.com/article?id=240550

With the anniversary of Katrina upon us, we have been treated to a plethora of anniversary studies, news features and so forth. Leftists, socialists, advocates for the poor, etc…would have us believe that Katrina exposed the inequities of the American system.

Race, class, money and power are inextricably linked in the US
-BBC

In reality what Katrina has revealed is the true character of those who are poor, those who fritter away every opportunity, those who squander resources and those who form the very core of the unproductive and the useless (i.e., the poor).

These Katrina refugees have succeeded only in exporting their entitlement mentality to Houston, Chicago, Atlanta, New York and other cities that opened their doors to the less fortunate only to discover that these people, after months of free room and board, showed no intentions of actually working for a living. These people after months of living off the charity of others have driven up crime rates in dozens of cities where they have congregated.

Race has nothing to do with poverty, just as poverty has nothing to do with crime. Across the globe there are countless communities, whose poverty far eclipses our own, yet the crime rate in this country far exceeds these nations. While it is true that many of New Orleans’ poor refugees were Black, their race hasn’t had nor does it have any correlation with their station in life. Their values, however, does.

In New Orleans and anywhere else in this country, those who remain mired in poverty or those who simply refuse to take advantage of the many opportunities this country offers. Refusing to work, having multiple children, none of which they can afford, taking education lightly, these are the traits of poor Whites, Blacks, Hispanics and others.

Much has been made of the fact that New Orleans has lost its pre-Katrina diversity. Too much is made of diversity. The Big Easy will soon return to its former crime ridden self, if the city government continues to focus on ensuring deadbeats return, rather than encourage innovation and progress. The people of New Orleans have a chance to begin anew, but most likely they will continue to invite the underclasses back, serving only to drag down a city of such great potential.

It is a wasted effort to shed even a tear for the poor of New Orleans for if they had the desire and the commitment they would no longer be the poor of New Orleans.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5283522.stm

Today astronomers from around the world are meeting to determine Pluto’s fate. The news has not been good for the solar system’s smallest planet. After being discovered in 1930, Pluto has been a source of controversy and now astronomers contend that Pluto is a “dwarf planet” as opposed to a full-fledged planet.

The question is how many Americans raised in the public schools could have even identified Pluto as the 9th Planet, or even name the third planet, much less the other seven planets in the Solar System?

It would come as no surprise that most Americans could not pass this simple test…but then again this is what we come to expect with a culture of mediocrity and a lack of competition.
Link to LA Times article

As expected the Russian and Chinese governments have stressed that ONLY talks can resolve the nuclear crisis with Iran.

The Moscow-Beijing Axis of Obstruction have made it clear that they will oppose any efforts to impose sanctions on Tehran for its nuclear ambitions (not that sanctions would resolve anything in any case).

The Russians and Chinese have been consistent in opposing resolute action against the Mullahs of Tehran, this in spite of the fact that they have both acknowledged Iran’s nuclear activity as suspect and recognized the fact that Iran has be using these negotiations as a delaying tactic to advance its nuclear program.

Nonetheless, the Russians and the Chinese have ulterior motives. The Chinese want nothing to interfere with the flow of oil to their booming economy and are even willing to risk a nuclear conflict, or so it would appear. The Russians have become lucrative trading partners with the Iranian regime, particularly in weapons technology and want nothing to interfere with their Islamic gravy train, as such the Moscow-Beijing Axis have and will continue to oppose any action which jeopardizes their economic interests, they will rue the day they gave in to their shortsightedness, for the West may be Iran’s principle target, but there can be no doubt that the global expansion of Islam is their ultimate goal, assuming President Ahmadinejad and Iran’s Supreme leader are to be taken at their word.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3362443.stm

Related Links:
http://www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=6056
http://memritv.org/Transcript.asp?P1=782

Is it just appearances or are Russian planes just falling out of the sky. Yesterday a Russian Tu-154 crashed in the Ukraine, killing all 170 passengers on board. This incident marks the 3rd major Russian aircraft disaster this year.

It is too early to tell what is the cause of this latest Russian air disaster, but one thing is clear, safety doesn’t appear high on the Russian government’s to do list, but then again the Russian authorities have always had a cavalier attitude with regard to human life.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2346021

The Iranian government, after weeks of delay and ambiguity, has finally responded to a UN Security Council proposal that offered a series of carrots (appeasement) and sticks (empty promises) designed to push Iran out of the uranium enrichment business. Iran, however, has already made it abundantly clear that they will not abandon their uranium enrichment activities, assuming Iran’s Supreme Leader is to be believed.

While the details of the Iranian response is unclear, it is a virtual guarantee that Iran has no intention of complying with western demands. Even if the Iranian leadership did wish to draw back from the brink, to do so would risk their influence and credibility within the Islamic world. And Iran certainly covets the position of leader of the Islamic world. For their part, the Iranians have indicated that they are ready for “serious” negotiations with regard to their nuclear program, which highlights the undeniable fact that their previous negotiations over the past 2 years were far from serious.

Indeed, Iranian officials have all but admitted that their efforts in these negotiations have been to delay action by the West, allowing the Mullahs of Tehran to gain a firm foothold in the development of their indigenous nuclear weapons program.

So if Iran has no intention of halting its uranium enrichment activities have we reached an impasse…certainly Not. As the Europeans have demonstrated throughout history, just because an aggressor makes unreasonable demands is no reason to draw a line in the sand, indeed, we can certainly expect the EU3 along with the consistently obstructive Chinese and Russians, to offer yet another appeasement package proving to Iran that they have nothing to fear from the west.

In the end their can be but one result: a nuclear armed Iran and the lessons learned during their proxy war with Israel will soon be visited upon the entire west with Atomic consequences, presumably at that point one could finally expect the west to stand up or perish, given their track record however, perish seems far more likely.
Link to Reuters article

Today a US district judge in Miami has dismissed one of three counts accounts Jose Padilla. The charge asserted that Padilla was involved in a plot to kidnap, murder and maim.

Since 2002, Jose Padilla (a US citizen) has been held after being picked up by law enforcement authorities in Chicago. Initially it was asserted that Padilla was suspected in a plot to unleash a radiological bomb in the United States. On these grounds the Bush Administration held Padilla as an enemy combatant in a military stockade. Padilla (a US citizen) was not only denied a trial but even access to legal counsel. The administration asserted the power to hold Padilla (without charge) for as long as they alone deemed necessary.

In 2005, the government finally brought charges against Padilla, who was then transferred to a civilian facility. When Padilla was charged it became apparent that the government’s assertions of a radiological (dirty) bomb plot where much ado about nothing. Padilla was subsequently charged with being part of a terrorist cell and raising money and recruiting new members as well as conspiring to “maim” people. Earlier this year the Supreme Court erred when it refused to hear the case, handing a victory to those who regard the constitution as little more than a convenient obstacle to be ignored.

The president is to be commended for standing firm in the face of Islamic terror, particularly in light of the appeasement minded mentality propagated by the left. Regardless of this the war on terror does not justify such extra-constitutional actions. This is a nation of laws not of men and that includes the president. A president cannot (and should not) on his own authority decide which citizens deserve to have their rights protected and which citizen’s rights can be ignored.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/08/21/padilla.charge/index.html


Recent Posts:

http://www.thephalanx.com/2006/04/court-sets-dangerous-precedent.html

http://www.thephalanx.com/2005/11/ordeal-of-jose-padilla.html

Two Canadian Parliamentarians refute the assertion that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. According to Boris Wrzesnewskyj and Peggy Nash, both leftist Canadian MPs, the Canadian government should remove Hezbollah from its list of terror organizations.

These two MPs recently toured southern Lebanon, where they observed first hand how integrated Hezbollah is in Lebanese society, not unlike how the Taleban was integrated into Afghan society. These politicians contend that Hezbollah is a political entity that participates in the Lebanese government, not unlike the Nazis prior to Hitler’s assumption of power in 1933.

While it could be argued that certain elements within Hezbollah perform some charity work, the reality is, Hezbollah’s ultimate objective is to cultivate a fertile following for its terror activities. Not only has Hezbollah waged unrestricted war against Israelis (civilian and military) for years, but these terrorists have used their own people as pawns, not to mention the mass murder of hundreds of foreigners. There is no question that they are terrorists.

How else would one describe the use of civilian homes and buildings as launching pads for missile attacks or the sponsoring of suicide bomb attacks or the kidnapping of soldiers and civilians with reckless abandon? Hezbollah most certainly is a terror organization, whose ultimate goal is to assume control of the Lebanese government, providing a base of operations for Iran and its efforts to obliterate the nation of Israel.

Indeed this proxy war currently being waged between Israel and Hezbollah is no different than the Spanish Civil War where the Germans and the Italians used the war as a staging ground for the subsequent blitzkrieg tactics of the Second World War. By the same token Iran is using this proxy war to test strategies and equipment in the coming war with the West, a war that will certainly come once Iran has completed the development of its indigenous nuclear weapons capability.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2006/08/21/hezbollah-mps.html

Long before Natalie Holloway, long before Lacy Peterson, there was JonBenet Ramsey. She was the first 6-year-old girl ever murdered in American history (or so it would seem), perhaps even the first child ever murdered in this country. Since that time the media has played center stage to a national frenzy over the unfortunate fate of the 6-year-old “beauty pageant” winner, which gives incredible insight into the mind and priorities of JonBenet’s parents.

Ten years after her murder, an apparent suspect in the killing has been apprehended in Thailand of all places, the suspect, John Mark Karr has even confessed before the international media that he is responsible for JonBenet Ramsey’s murder. Excellent, that’s all we need to hear, prosecute the murder and apply the appropriate punishment. Sadly it’s not all we will hear of this case.

Since this story broke, JonBenet has been the subject of a media circus with round table discussions, highlights on call-in shows, insights from the regular casts of talking heads and so on and so forth.

To be true, the death of a child, or anyone for that matter is tragic, but this murder took place over ten years ago, why is JonBenet deserving of so much attention, especially when one considers the fact that 3 out of every 4 children murdered in the industrialized world are American? Yet from the media standpoint there is only JonBenet Ramsey.

Are we to believe that this 6-year-old is more important than any other, what else explains this fixation bordering on obsession? With all do respect to the girl and her family, the universe no more revolves around JonBenet than it does the Earth and the same can be said of individuals like Natalie Holloway, who incidentally wasn’t the first naïve 19-year-old to run off with two strangers, never to be heard from again.
http://www.denverpost.com/jonbenet/ci_4199882
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/08/18/ramsey.arrest/index.html

For some time the left has targeted Wal-Mart as a rallying cry for their entitlement minded compatriots. Delaware Senator, Joseph Biden is the latest leftist to employ this strategy. Given Wal-Mart’s high profile and size, it comes as no surprise that Wal-Mart is a target, after all leftist strategy centers on targeting those who are visible and high profile regardless of the merits of the argument, such is the case with regard to leftist complaints against Wal-Mart.

“My problem with Wal-Mart is that I don’t see any indication that they care about the fate of middle-class people,” Mr. Biden said, standing on the sweltering rooftop of the State Historical Society building here. “They talk about paying them $10 an hour. That’s true. How can you live a middle-class life on that?”
-Joseph Biden

In this statement Biden reveals the fundamental flaw in leftist thinking and their inherent opposition to the spirit of free enterprise. It is not the responsibility of Wal-Mart, or any other firm, to “care” about the middle class. Wal-Mart is a business, its primary concern is its bottom line and its stock holders. If Wal-Mart does not provide the products and services its customers want, those customers will shop with their feet and Wal-Mart will fade into obscurity. Biden and other leftists complain that people can’t live a middle class life earning $10 an hour and that’s an excellent point nor should they be expected to.

Wal-Mart, like other firms should pay employees based on the value of the work they perform, there is no justifiable reason for Wal-Mart to pay more for cashiers and stock clerks. Such positions require no specialized skills or training and are easily replaceable. A well trained monkey could just as easily perform such tasks. Low skill employees, by virtue of their limited skills deserve low wages and should not expect a middle class life. Those who seek to raise a family on such meager earnings should not be surprised to find life more difficult, as such behavior is fundamentally irresponsible.

Those who live middle and upper class lifestyles are those who work hard and appreciate the value of an education, not those who squander opportunities and expect rewards regardless of merit.

Nonetheless, Biden’s approach is masterful from a political standpoint, as his targeted audience are the very squanderers who have wasted one opportunity after another. Biden’s message will resonate with these sloth minded, entitlement individuals who believe it is the height of responsibility to have children they can’t afford, such is the Democratic constituency.
Link to New York Times article

Yesterday on a busy downtown Atlanta street a collection of activists gathered together to protest conditions for the “poor.” According to these activists, fish were better off than the city’s poor because the fish have a “$200 million home and the poor have nothing. These activists (socialists) were referring to the Georgia Aquarium, which opened last fall. Home Depot Co-Founder Bernie Marcus used his own money to finance construction of what is now the world’s largest aquarium. Apparently, Marcus should have used this money to build homes for the “poor.” Apparently Marcus should have given these people yet another handout with which to squander.

What these advocates want is nothing more than wealth re-distribution (i.e., socialism). “From each according to his worth…to each according to his sloth and lack of motivation to take risks and achieve on his (or her) own volition.”

Since opening to great fanfare last fall, the Georgia Aquarium has become a lighting rod for socialists and others in pursuit of their various agendas. Even before the facility opened, advocates for the homeless, were demanding that Aquarium officials hire the homeless to work in the new tourist attraction. If the Aquarium refused, advocates threatened to shut the facility down with massive protests.

Marcus and his team were not intimidated and rightly so. The homeless, by and large, by virtue of their station in life, have demonstrated a lack of responsibility and commitment to hard-work which makes them poor candidates to be hired for even the most basic of tasks and the same can be said of the poor at large.

Rather than deriding others who have made the sacrifices and commitments in order to achieve, advocates for the poor should ask themselves why the individuals they champion continue to make decisions which ensure their continued poverty, why they continue to have children they can’t afford, why they reject education and refuse to teach their children the value of education and why they refuse certain jobs deemed beneath them. What the poor of Atlanta and every other city need is an awakening, not a handout.
http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/

The cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah is now entering its second day and already Hezbollah and the Islamic world are claiming victory. Syria in particular, one of Hezbollah’s chief backers claims the US vision for the Middle East is an illusion and Hezbollah is the true victor after over a month of fighting and in a larger sense they are correct.

Yes Hezbollah suffered major casualties and the loss of a great deal of equipment but on the whole Hezbollah remains intact. Its leadership escaped the fighting unscathed and its stature within the Islamic world has been magnified greatly. Israel for its part has simply bought itself time, time which the Islamic radicals will use to re-build and re-arm thanks to their deep pocketed backers in Iran and Syria.

The only true loser in this battle has been Lebanon, its infrastructure and society is in shambles leaving the already weak nation rife for a renewed push by Syria to impose its will on the tiny Middle Eastern nation.

To be true, Israel was entirely justified in acting against these extremist following almost non-stop provocations from across its northern border. Nonetheless, the manner in which Israel used to respond, and then failing to follow through when the political pressure became too great only ensures that Hezbollah will thrive and flourish. If the IDF was determined to use a heavy handed approach to deliver an all crushing blow to Hezbollah then the military should have followed through to fruition. The IDF, however, would have better used in more clandestine operations designed to cripple Hezbollah, while cutting off the flow of weapons from Iran and Syria. By relying on a more conventional military campaign, the Israeli government has accomplished none of those objectives.

If anything Hezbollah’s control over the south of Lebanon (and beyond) may be increased as ordinary Lebanese who previously rejected the militant Islamist organization may now turn to it, as the Lebanese government has only demonstrated its continued weakness.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4794363.stm

Today is a day dreaded by many children in many parts of the country…the first day of school. From now through Labor Day, one school district after another will open their doors across the country to another year of mediocrity and catering to the lowest common denominator. Once again students in the 12 grade will struggle with 8th grade math, students will devote untold sums in planning for prom but little in planning for exams and parents demand excellence in sports and make no demands in academics.

Today America is in peril and much of that can be attributed to declining standards. Yes schools do test more, but that has come at the expense of academic rigor. Parents, by and large, have relegated the responsibility of educating their children to local schools, who must also welcome all students and their personality dysfunctions.

This year, the US will again spend far more money to education our nation’s youth than most every other country on earth with little in the way of measurable results, while leftists scoff at alternatives such as school choice, vouchers and so forth.
Link to San Antonio Express-News Article

Due to events beyond our control....the phalanx will not be updated for the remainder of this week, we will return next week.

Every year, without exception, reporters the public and anyone in between expresses shock and amazement in this country when it snows during winter or when its hot during summer. This summer is no exception, yes its hot! Deal with it. From New York to DC to LA, people have had to contend with the upper 90s and even the 100s.

Naturally the global warming naysayers will contend that climate change is the cause of this heat, but such arguments lack supporting scientific evidence.

Indeed, this isn’t even the hottest summer on record, that distinction belongs to 1930 when the nations capital suffered 21 days of 100 degrees and above, that summer ushered in the longest drought in US history, Was global warming to blame no, hen as now it was apart of a normal climatological cycle just like the Atlantic hurricane season.
Link to CNS News article

An Ohio man is standing up for his civil rights…his right to bed down with young boys. In a move, that is likely to be endorsed by the likes of pop star, Michael Jackson, Phillip Distasio claims he has the right to have sex with boys and furthermore these boys can consent.

Distasio is challenging the premise that children cannot legally consent to sexual intercourse. Distasio is a self avowed pedophile and currently stands accused of molesting 9 disabled young boys in the Cleveland area. Distasio, who is also a Pagan Friar [sic] claims it as his mission in life to end the prosecution of men, such as himself, for the crime of pedophilia. All of Distasio’s identified victims have various mental impairments, including autism, which serves only to further refute his claim that his victims have the ability to consent to his advances. The truth be told most any study of the adolescent mind will show that children lack the mental maturity for reasoning, which is why they make poor drivers and why children can’t (and shouldn’t) be executed. To contend that a child, much less a mentally handicap child, is capable of making such decisions is pseudo science at best and devoid of any degree of factual support.

"Not all pedophilia is bad, and sex [with boys] can be healthy," Distasio is reported to have said during his court session. Distasio, who ran a tutoring operation from his Ohio apartment, used the ruse of academics to feed his insatiable desire for man-boy sexual escapades.

Once again we have another stain on the fabric of humanity, exploiting the weak for his own sadistic purposes. Distasio, like all rapists and pedophiliacs, deserves no sympathy or mercy. The professed child rapist should be incarcerated with the other dregs of Ohio society, never again to see the light of day. Perhaps there he will learn just what it means to consent.
http://www.nbc10.com/news/9621055/detail.html

By last year this time, there had been 8 named storms, including 3 hurricanes. Everyone from Al Gore to the British government contended that this increase in tropical storm activity had but one cause: global warming and thus George Bush and company were solely to blame, after all the CO2 emissions ever to be released in to the atmosphere occurred on Bush’s watch.

Those who disagreed with this position, including the National Hurricane Center, which argued such cyclonic developments occurred in cycles, were notoriously lampooned or derided as extremist, right wing wackos or hacks (in typical leftist name calling fashion).

We were warned that this year would be worse…we were warned that there would be a record number of hurricanes to form and strike the United States, we were warned the coastal areas would be in danger, we were warned that global warming would generate monster hurricanes devastating all in their path. We were warned and we are still waiting.

In this the 3rd month hurricane season there have been only 3 named tropical storms and no hurricanes thus far. The fact of the matter is hurricanes and tropical activity does occur in cycles, just as it has for millenia. Invariably there will be harsh storms like Katrina, these however aren’t new occurrences, nor was Katrina in any way the worse or most deadly storm in history, but then again when has an anti-capitalist leftists ever let the facts stand in the way of a good anti-capitalist/freemarket tirade?
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WEATHER/08/02/tropical.weather.ap/

"It does not matter who is in power. Unless Cuba meets requirements for a free and democratic Cuba—that includes, freedom of speech, the press, the people, a democratic elected president and democratic elections, the embargo will not be lifted."

-Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

By this measure the list of countries the United States would not be trading with would be long indeed and would exclude some of our largest trading partners including: China, Venezuela, Vietnam, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Jordan, Russia, etc…

My almost any measure, Japan is one of the most advanced countries on the planet. It has the 2nd largest economy in the world, its technological prowess is legendary, its commitment to representative government has been well documented since the fall of the militarists in the wake of the Second World War and by most accounts the Japanese are commitment to freedom and civil liberties. But then again, Japan has its draw backs. This is a society were women are sometimes treated as second class citizens though not in law, most assuredly in fact in many aspects of society. Japan is a society where no foreigner could immigrate with hopes of becoming a citizen a society which stubbornly clings to the fantasy that they were not the aggressors in the Pacific War.

Perhaps nothing is more symbolic of Japan’s backwardness than the monarchy itself. Japan, like that other island nation off the coast of Europe, is a constitutional monarchy and while the Emperor has no formal powers, he and is family are much revered by the Japanese public. For some time there has been concern in Japan over the order of imperial succession. After Crown Prince Naruhito, there are no male heirs in line for the thrown and Japanese law forbids a woman from assuming the imperial title. All hope now rests with Princess Kiko, who is married to the crown prince's younger brother. Kiko is pregnant and the Japanese public and thoroughly brainwashed Kiko herself are all praying for a boy.

In reality monarchy, whether it is an authoritarian regime like that in Nepal or a relatively benign regime like that in Great Britain, monarchy anywhere is an affront to liberty and tramples upon a person’s natural right to determine and shape their own destiny. The premise that another human being has a hereditary right to rule over his fellow human beings is in conflict with logic and common sense. While a nation like Nepal’s regime may manifest its tyranny in a more obvious manner, all monarchies are essentially tyrannical. As long as a state recognizes someone or something, other than its people as sovereign the people do not have actual freedom.
http://www.thephalanx.com/2006/04/monarchy-tyranny.html

While we could condemn Japan for its sexist imperial succession laws, the real injustice for Japan is the mere existence of a monarchy in the first place. The best hope for Japan would be for Princess Kiko to give birth to girl, perhaps a Black girl, that wouldn’t certainly shock the Japanese imperial system. If Princess Kiko gives birth to a son, the government will terminate efforts to allow women to ascend to the thrown. The Prime Minister was preparing such legislation when the pregnancy was announced. A fitting gift to the people of Japan would be the abolition of the monarchy.

But then again, perhaps the people of Japan are content as “commoners”…to a hereditary monarch, or perhaps they simply don’t know ant better. Regardless of which, any country with a monarch cannot seriously claim a true commitment to representative government, much less democracy, it is of no consequence what powers are formally invested with the sovereign, the presence of a “sovereign” implies that it is the crown, and not the people who are sovereign. The presence of a sovereign regulates citizens to the category of subjects.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5233928.stm

Much has been made of the fact that long time Cuban Strongman, Fidel Castro, has temporarily ceded power to his brother Raul. The streets of Miami have been quite festive on the news, but the news means little. In the first place the move is temporary and in the second place, even if Castro dies on the operating table, by all accounts his younger brother is even more ruthless. These turn of events are no cause for joy or celebration.

Castro’s power and the control of his Communist regime, lies as much in their ruthlessness as well as in their ability to manipulate the populace for their own ends. They, like Chavez in Venezuela, portray themselves as heroes to the people, arguing that they are protecting Cuban society from an inevitable onslaught, in this case from the United States. Such Mussolini-esque tactics are most successful when they are tinged with truth. While in Chavez’s case, his claims of imminent invasion are the stuff of fantasy, Castro, however, can point to an obvious sign of US hostility. That sign is the US embargo. And with this sign Castro can argue with some degree of truth that the US is bent of starving the Cuban people.

The US effort to isolate Cuba, accomplished two things: in the first place it drew Cuba closer to the Soviet sphere as Castro became increasingly dependent upon the USSR to purchase Cuban goods, and supply Cuba with various forms of assistance. In the second place, the embargo solidified Cuba's hold on power. Demagogues like Castro, love to portray themselves as champions of the people and saviors. In this case, the US played right into Castro's hands. Any poverty, sickness or economic decay in Cuba, Castro can easily blame the United States, not his own failed policies, thus Castro champions himself as someone standing up to aggression. In all the history of the world, no one can point to a single case where an embargo successfully brought down a tyrannical government. It failed in Iraq, it has failed in Iran, it failed with Libya and in countless other examples. The only people affected by these economic embargoes are ordinary citizens, in most cases, the power and influence of tyrants is only enhanced, like Saddam Hussein. In dealing with a nation like Cuba, there are only two viable options: Invasion or Engagement.

Clearly, in the present day, Cuba is isolated and poses no real danger to the United States, thus invasion is foolish. This leaves engagement. The US should actively seek to enhance ties with Cuba through trade and cultural exchange. Such efforts proved quite successful with the Eastern Block. Why is it that the US has chosen a similar path with hard-line China and even Vietnam, but maintains the farce of this blockade with Cuba? If any country was ever a greater threat to the United States, it is China, yet, China is one of our largest trading partners, meanwhile we insist on starving Cuba into submission. In realty the only people starving are the very people the US should be trying to win over; instead we drive them into the open arms of Fidel Castro.
http://www.thephalanx.com/2005/10/communism-would-have-fallen-years-ago.html

If Castro dies, as many hope and as some suspect has already happened, little will change and we can thank the embargo for much of that and Raul Castro for the rest.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-07-31-cuba-castro_x.htm