A Dutch filmmaker is planning to commit suicide or so it would seem as Geert Wilders has announced plans to film a documentary that will be critical of the Koran. Given the fate of Theo van Gogh and the hullabaloo that was raised over cartoons appearing in European newspapers it is all but a forgone conclusion that Mr. Wilders will be dead in short order.

Perhaps now would be the time to lobby the dutch government to authorized concealed weapons permits in the Netherlands, unless he plans to go underground like Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie.
www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/28/europe/EU-GEN-Netherlands-Anti-Quran-Film.php

Across America states, under increasing pressure to confront the issue of child sex abuse, have passed laws severely restricting the behavior of convicted sex offenders. One of these restrictions includes requiring felons to register with local law enforcement so they can keep tabs with them. As stories of brutal attacks on children have become more frequent states have gone even further.

The State of Georgia passed a highly restrictive law dictated where sex offenders could work or reside. Essentially they could not live or work anywhere near a school, daycare center, etc or anywhere children are likely to be…This law also applied even if the convicted felon lived in a location where there were no children in close proximity but at some point in the future such a child oriented facility became located.

This stipulation was challenged and in a decision handed down today, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled this restriction was unconstitutional, essentially sex offenders would always be at risk and required to move anytime a new school, church, etc opens. The decision by Georgia’s high court was the right one and has implications for other states wrestling with this very same issue, but it begs the question.

If as many have deduced that sex offenders are forever dangerous with a propensity for recidivism then why are we releasing these individuals from prison in the first place. If society is at such risk by the presence of these felons then why not leave them in prison for life and if they are no threat to society them leave them alone, abolish sex offender registries and any other restrictions on their actions, lifestyles or behavior.
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2007/11/21/offenders_1122.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

Well if history is any guide, one must presume the “P” stands for “Prelude to disaster.” Day’s after Pakistani dictator/president, Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency…it seems more apparent than ever that the always unstable Pakistan is just steps away from complete and total disaster…can an Iraq-style insurgency be next? Here you have a nation torn apart by fundamentalism, radicalism and militarism. Here you have a nation in which rule of law has always come with an asterisk next to it, where civilian governments can be measured in months not years…perhaps what is most troubling is the fact that Pakistan is home to a sizeable number of Al Qaeda members, as well as a significant nuclear arsenal.

When Pakistan finally falls into the abyss how long can we realistically expect to wait before nuclear weapons are in the hands of agents of Al Qaeda? A week? A month? Surely not more than a year? The situation is far more grave than we can imagine.

One thing is for certain, Musharraf declared a state of emergency because he saw the writing on the wall, without imposing military rule his days as leader are numbered and the minute his iron hand is removed from the picture, the Islamists will have no obstacle in their quest for dominance in that country.

The situation in Pakistan puts the US (and the world) in a dangerous position. How can we support a hard-line dictator who suppresses basic civil liberties, the rule of law and seeks to severely restrict the principles of representative government?

Musharraf and his hard-line efforts will serve only to radicalize those who would have previously considered themselves moderates and centrists. The result another reactionary government in the mold of Hugo Chavez only this model will be infected with the virus that is radical Islam, for which there is no known cure…One thing is for certain if Pakistan goes over the brink the world is in for dark days indeed, unfortunately most people don’t even know it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7086272.stm

In yet another setback for the advocates of school choice, the people of Utah soundly rejected a ballot initiative authorizing school vouchers. The program would have given Utah citizens the opportunity to use vouchers to send their children to the schools of their choice, depriving the state of its monopoly in the field of public education.

Naturally news reports have slanted the issue, arguing that voters rejected the measure because it recognized no distinction among parent’s income or whether or not a child was enrolled in a “failing” school, essentially painting the voucher initiative as an effort to subsidize private school. This is a ludicrous argument but highly successful amongst the sheep like, demagogue susceptible, wealth envious electorate.

The fact remains that property owners, both upper and lower incomes, pay a sizeable share of taxes to finance public education for their children. Through vouchers these families would have a choice in how those tax dollars are spent vis-à-vis their child’s education. The fact that some parents who are more well to do may benefit is of no consequence and highlights the extent to which class warfare dominates the psyche of so many American voters today.

The fundamental issue here is choice and freedom for parents to determine how best to educate their children, if a parent feels the state supported school is in their child’s best interest then so be it, but if a private education suits the interests and goals of a parent they should not be penalized for that choice as they are under the current tax structure.

It comes as no surprise that groups like the NEA oppose voucher initiatives, after all this would strike at the heart of school monopolies and force teachers to compete with merit being a determining factor.


With this most recent rejection of vouchers one must ask the question if Americans truly value freedom, we have seen at every turn how quickly they embrace one government initiative after another that removes the burden of individual decision making and personal responsibility. We have seen how soundly average Americans reject social security reform when it entails having to make decisions of how best to save for your own retirement, perhaps Americans truly detest freedom preferring a paternalistic state in which decisions are made for them at every opportunity. What’s next in the onslaught?
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h3qRt_iAvMUQqQhogrxblTiSkrKwD8SONIQO0