Once again the Russian government, which is so quick to condemn other governments for interfering in Russian affairs is interfering once again in the affairs of its neighbors, just as it has done in Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, etc… This time Russia is condemning a move by the government of Estonia to relocate a Soviet ear war memorial situated in the Estonia capital.

“This is blasphemous, and will have serious consequences for our relations with Estonia,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. What gall these Russian must have. The imperialistic ambitions of these totalitarian government are so brazen as they deem it entirely proper to dictate internal policy to a sovereign nation, particularly on a matter so trivial as the relocation of a statue. Imagine if Britain threatened to cut off relations with the United States because the Lincoln Memorial was moved to Arlington.

Only yesterday, the authoritarian Putin, criticized foreign interference in Soviet Russian affairs, apparently Russia is excused from such practices. These latest move should come as no surprise, Russia, tendency for meddlesomeness predates even the Communists.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/27/world/europe/27cnd-estonia.html?hp

Howard Dean, the shame of the Democratic party, or at least one of them, has done it again, this time blaming, of all people former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for the terror attacks of September 11th.

According to Dean, Giuliani, who was Mayor of New York at the time didn't do anything following the first attack on the World Trade Center to prevent the September 11th attacks...the fact that such utter nonsense can be reported without any objective reasoning highlights the blatant bias and hypocrisy of the news media...

Howard Dean has long demonstrated his withdrawal from realty so such drivel should come as no surprise. It should not shock anyone that Dean has ignored the real failings of the Clinton Administration who did nothing after repeated terror attacks on this country beginning with the bombing of the WTC in 1993, the attacks on our soldiers in Saudi Arabia in 1995 and 1996, the attacks on our embassies in Africa in 1998 and the attack on the USS Cole in 2001, but wait, as it turns out the president of the United States is not responsible for matters of national security its the Mayor of New York (has anyone informed Michael Bloomberg?)

Has anyone asked Howard Dean exactly what was Giuliani supposed to do to prevent two passenger airliners from colliding with America's tallest buildings? Perhaps the twin towers should have been equipped with anti-aircraft batteries, with orders to shoot down any planes that come near, perhaps Giuliani should have been at the controls of these weapons himself to ensure the job was done right. Only a complete lunatic could utter such nonsense and expect to be taken seriously...
Link to CNN web article

Nearly two years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf and there are still hundreds of thousands of career welfare addicts feeding at the public trough and have the audacity to demand more. Meanwhile, professional antagonizers like Jesse Jackson are marching on New Orleans, demanding yet more government assistance for those deadbeats who have yet to put their lives back together after 2 years.

Unfortunately, no politician on the right or the left has the courage to say what needs to be said and thus more and more billions in federal aid will be disseminated like so many dollars down a rat hole. If these people had any real desire to better themselves, they wouldn’t have needed any federal aid, there are a plethora of existing opportunities for Americans seeking to live out the true American dream, yet the likes of Rev Jackson and others would have us believe that the only way America’s poor can improve is through endless handouts.

Tomorrow, the US government will announce additional federal assistance for the leaches victims of Katrina. These Katrina “victims” have complained about the slow delivery of promised federal aide, which should never have been promised in the first place.
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070425/NEWS/70425050
http://www.bayoubuzz.com/News/NewOrleans/Jesse_Jackson_Leads_New_Orleans_Katrina_March__3529.asp

According to the FBI, firearms were used in approximately 26% of all violent crimes in the United States, meaning 74% of the time, violent criminals used other weapons or even their own hands in the commission of such heinous acts. These stats mirror the crime stats of high crime countries where firearms are difficult to come by, countries like Britain or France, where people are urged to accept death or other forms or physical harm rather than defend themselves.

Indeed as the anti-self-defense crowd gears up for another campaign to restrict, if not outright ban gun ownership, one must ask what will they do when crime is not curtailed. These anti-gun advocates are not unlike the politicians who tirelessly call for more and more money for the nation’s failing public schools…it is little more than window dressing. The US already spends far more on education than virtually every other country on the globe, yet are schools are marginal at best.

Increased calls for gun control are yet another form of window dressing giving politicians and other “advocates” an opportunity to say “look what I’ve done” while in realty such actions do little to solve the problem. For generations gun ownership came with practically no restrictions and crime rates were only a fraction of what they are today. Now we are to believe that guns are the cause for violent crime…if so then what accounts for the 74% of violent crimes committed without firearms?

Perhaps we should ban human hands, kitchen utensils, baseball bats, frying pans, rope, water, automobiles, rocks, plastic bags, pillows, heavy furniture, bricks and anything else that can cause physical harm…

Better still perhaps parents should start parenting and individuals should start taking responsibility for their own actions and perhaps people should not look upon it as the duty of the state to be anywhere and everywhere, protecting them from harm, while waiting silently to be slaughtered, in the hope that the cavalry will rush in to save them…

There can be no doubt that the murder of 32 people on the campus of Virginia Tech was a tragedy of unbelievable proportions. In the wake of this latest example of violence that recriminations will not be long in coming. This is particularly true with regard to the VT police and administration…but aside from the apparent failings of the school administration to cancel classes after the first round of shootings the inevitable question is when will the calls for increased gun control begin in earnest. In Europe, the quasi-totalitarian regimes blame the lack of gun control for the gun violence, but this flies in the face reality.

Far from increased restrictions on gun ownership, one must wonder if there were greater options for concealed carry weapons permits, perhaps the slaughter could have been avoided. In truth in many country where gun ownership have been curtailed (Australia, Britain, etc…) violent crime has steadily increased.

Blaming gun ownership or the availability of guns for violent crime is akin to blaming the availability of knives for stabbings. In truth it is a culture of permissiveness and the absence of parents with any compunction or ability to teach civil behavior that accounts for such violence. One need only look at the past, when availability of handguns and other weapons was much more pervasive, yet violent crime rates were far lower than today…

The fact remains that even with strict controls on gun ownership, in general, criminals do not acquire weapons through legal means, such methods only succeed in disarming law abiding citizens leaving them even more susceptible to violent crime…indeed in nations like Australia and Britain where gun control is particularly repressive, violent crime continues to increase. While in nations with liberal gun ownership, like Switzerland or Finland, violent crime remains low, further demonstrating that it is culture, not existence of weapons that leads to increased criminality.

There is yet another component to this debate, one must recognize that those who call for the disarming of law abiding citizens are also advocating further dependence upon the state, depriving people of their ability to protect themselves and their family, indeed this is the ultimate goal of socialist and fascist regimes, who’s war on the individual is unceasing…
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,477686,00.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6563565.stm
http://www.geoffmetcalf.com/guncontrol_20010302.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3419401.stm

One lesson learned from the recent Iranian hostage crisis is the in escapable fact that a nation will continue its tyrannical ways as long as there are no consequences. Just as there were no consequences for Iran following the hostage crisis of 1979, just as there were no consequences for Iran’s complicity in the numerous Lebanese hostage scenarios, so again Iran can expect no consequences for violating international law and kidnapping British sailors on the high seas.

Indeed, far from paying any price for its treachery, Iran has learned the perceived weakness of the west is far more than perception but reality… it is very likely that Iran’s overture was designed simply to test the reaction of the Royal Navy, a test which Tony Blair and company failed miserably.

Sadly the Europeans are so eager to maintain the spirit of diplomacy (ie, the spirit of Neville Chamberlain), even in the face of overt hostility, one has to wonder under what circumstances would these people stand up for themselves? It is conceivable that the west will stand for nothing and when they do decide the time is right to defend our interest we will be living under Sharia law.

Given this latest turn of events, there can be no doubt that Iran has been emboldened to continue its nuclear activities in earnest…the end result being a nuclear armed Iran and woe and destruction for all Muslims and non-Muslims alike to lay in their path.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6533987.stm