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ARCHIVES: September
2005 Media
tries to cheer up Germans September 30, 2005 According to
recent media reports the mood in Germany is at a low point. Television
stations across the fatherland are airing celebrity spots praising all things
German. Slogan’s like “You are Germany” have cropped up in all corners of the
Reich. Germans have every reason to feel gloom, their economy is in a
shambles, the government is torn as to how it will continue to fund the
growing number of petioners, unemployment has been in double digits for some
time now and the German leadership can’t even decide on a new prime minister
(chancellor). Germany is a perfect example of how a prosperous country lost
its way so quickly. Indeed, Germany has followed down the trail blazed by the
French who suffer from similar problems. France, however is no stranger to
such a phenomena and its people have long grown accustomed to stagnation and
mediocrity. Naturally, the campaign has been met with skepticism, and with
good reason. Catchy slogans and nationalistic diatribes don’t yield tangible
results. Germany’s leaders and electorate are unwilling to embrace change,
this was witnessed by the rather poor showing for the conservatives during
this months elections. Even though Schroeder and the Social Democrats had
repeatedly failed to improve the state of the German economy, the electorate
grew weary of the CDU’s promised reforms, thus preventing the conservatives
from securing a mandate and ensuring that any efforts at reform will all but
come to nothing. The German ad campaign urges Germans to be more self-reliant
and not expect things from politicians. This is a peculiar message for a
country that has wholeheartedly embraced the welfare concept. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-09-29-german-pride_x.htm It’s been
a few days…Chavez must be in the news again September
30, 2005 Hugo Chavez,
the Venezuelan dictator and firebrand, has got a new idea. Instead of
claiming the US is planning an imminent invasion, he now promises to build an
alliance in Latin America. Chavez seeks to unite South America against the
US, as if the US is the enemy of South America (it is in Chavez’s mind).
Chavez plans to create an alliance based on Venezuelan oil. According to
Chavez, his country will use its vast oil reserves to supply the energy needs
of his South American neighbors for the next 200 years, assuming Chavez isn’t
dreaming in his belief that Venezuela’s oil wealth will last that long, lets
hope the world is not relying on oil 200 years in the future. Chavez has made
no secret of the fact that his energy initiative is designed to undermine US
economic domination of the region, including the much talked about Free Trade
Agreement of the Americas. Venezuela’s Chavez, is keen to realize the value
of oil as a tool in building alliances. One must also realize, that Chavez
has grown accustomed to creating imaginary scenarios in which the US is
threatening him or the region and only Chavez has the force of will to save
the day. Chavez, is like all dictators, hungry for power and attention and
this is yet another scheme to achieve that goal. One must give Chavez credit,
though, selling oil at a discount, during a period of high oil prices is a
stroke of genius even for a demagogue. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-09-29-chavez-oil_x.htm
Nordic
welfare states defy conventional wisdom http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/2005-09-28-competitive-usat_x.htm Finally they admit it…. September 28, 2005 We now have official word, corroborating yet another
Phalanx opinion, NASA’s development of the Space Shuttle program was a colossal
waste of time. These words were echoed Tuesday by NASA Administrator, Michael Griffin. Griffin noted that the development of the
Shuttle and the much ballyhooed International Space Station were mistakes.
NASA began development of these projects in the 1970s as they abandoned the
Moon. We at the Phalanx noted this foolish policy decision some time ago, now
we have officials in Washington admitting the foolhardiness of the Shuttle.
As we noted, the Shuttle NEVER lived up to its promise. The shuttle was
supposed to be re-usable, in realty, the shuttle is virtually re-fit after
every launch. The shuttle was to earn revenue through commercial satellite
launches, with the shuttle’s reliability track record that hope was abandoned
nearly 20 years ago. The shuttle was also supposed to make dozens of flights
a year, this too has never happened. Indeed, NASA’s track record was far
better when using old retrofitted ICBMs and computers with less capacity than
a modern calculator. The only success in the modern US space program have
been in the field of robotic space flight, the manned program has languished
for over 30 years and serves as a national embarrassment. Griffin admitted as
much in his speech, noting that the space program has lost direction and only
now is it back on track, somewhat. This is only partially correct. It will be
back on track when the shuttle is scrapped for good, perhaps sold to a
museum. NASA should pool its resources with private industry and allow
competition to develop and cheap and reliable manned space program, while
continuing the spirit of exploration, which began in the 1960s. Only then can
NASA claim true progress. http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20050928/1a_bottomstrip28.art.htm Europe loosing its edge…what edge? September 28, 2005 Four of Europe’s major economies (Britain, France, Spain
and Germany) all declined in terms of competitiveness according to a report
issued by the World Economic Forum.
The US, several Scandinavian countries and Taiwan dominated the survey. The
report examines a number of factors in determining the competitive atmosphere
of a nation’s economy, such factors include: economic stability,
technological development, and the quality of public institutions. While
Britain and Germany at least ranked in the top-20, nations like France, Spain
and Italy languished far behind. This survey is telling and highlights the
continued difficulties many European countries have with managing their
economies. With the exception of Great Britain, many western countries have
double –digit unemployment and economic growth is virtually non-existent. To
make matters worse, many of these countries (France and Germany, in particular)
are crippled by bureaucratic inertia and government inaction. The leaders of
these nations continue to cling to policies that punish innovation and
discourage economic growth. France and Germany have high levels of taxation
and numerous restrictions on business development. This has led economic
stagnation. It is simply not practical (or feasible) for companies to expand,
given the business climate. This fact is made all the worse by an electorate,
that has grown accustomed to milling at the public trough. Any suggestion of
economic reform incites a blistering attack from all sides in the public
spectrum. The reason nations like Taiwan and the US are competitive is
because the government (generally) seeks to encourage development and
innovation, as it serves the public good. Left leaning countries, however,
may have ulterior motives, which cloud their judgment and thereby make sound
decision making filleting. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4290332.stm Charles Rangel off deep end…again September 28, 2005 Representative Charles Rangel of New York, the same man who thought Nazis were Christians, now
has a new kick. Rangel likens President Bush to hard line segregationist and Birmingham Police Chief Bull Connor. Connor
was noted for turning dogs and fire hoses on peaceful marchers during the
height of the civil rights movement. The response from the audience indicates
that Rangel’s fellow legislators in the Black Caucus agreed with his remarks,
but his remarks highlight the latent hypocrisy in his actions. Rangel
criticized Bush for the war in Iraq (naturally) and argued that he should be
doing more to aid the victims of Katrina, many of whom were Black. Exactly
how much more does he want, Bush has already foolishly committed to hundreds
of billions of dollars? Rangel and his compatriots are so blind, perhaps from
residing within the Democratic house as house servants to the elites of the
Democratic party, that they don’t even realize that it is their policies and
those that they advocate that have done more to undermine the poor and
minorities in this country than president Bush could ever imagine. Rangel and
his friends must wonder why they lack any positions of leadership in the
Democratic Party, why last year’s presidential nominee and the current part
chairman don’t even employee blacks on their staff. Perhaps they wonder why
with all the opportunities available in this country, why poverty is a
problem. It’s a problem because people like Rangel, want to restore the
institution of slavery. Replacing the 19th century slave master
with the state. Rangel and his cronies have worked tirelessly to destroy any
sense of self worth and individual initiative among the poor, seeking rather
to create a subject race of slaves, dependent upon the state for meager
handouts. Why not seek to encourage personal responsibility, such as not
having children they can’t afford? Why not encourage people to better
themselves through education, rather than expanding the welfare roles? Why?
Because what they want is not enhancement of life, but a class of people that
will return them to power, on the promise that these Tom politicians will
provide more handouts and slave wages. If anyone can be likened to Bull
Connor, its Rangel and his compatriots, a legion of do-nothings, more
accustomed to making inflammatory speeches than contributing to a betterment
of society. Indeed, these Black leaders in the Democratic Party are Black
America’s biggest enemy, tantamount to foremen on a plantation. The foremen,
just like all the others, were slaves, but because they played a small role
in running the plantation, they harbored the belief that they had real
influence and power. When one looks at the Democratic Party, we see where the
true influence lies, the Kerrys, the Kennedys and the Clintons of the world,
not the Obamas or the Rangels. Perhaps, like some of those slaves from years
ago, they prefer servitude, to taking risks on their own. http://www.nysun.com/article/20495 India
sides with Europe and US on Iran September 27, 2005 India voiced
its support for referring Iran to the UN Security Council for its continued
nuclear standoff with Europe and the US. The move came as a surprise to
political leaders in Tehran. For some time India and Iran have had relatively
close relations, even working on the development of a natural gas pipeline.
India, like any rational nation, has come to the realization that Iran’s
nuclear program could hardly be miscued as peaceful in nature. Given India’s
decision, Iran has threatened to “review” its economic ties with India. This
is little more than a veiled threat, which will come to nothing. Iran has few
deep-pocketed allies and can’t afford to risk such profitable ventures as
this energy initiative with India. They will take no action to jeopardize it.
India on the other hand must think to its own interests and with nations like
China, growing by leaps and bounds, India can ill afford to isolate itself by
making foolhardy decisions, that will only anger its western allies. In any
case, Iran’s claims that its energy program is peaceful, which is sheer
nonsense. The reality is, Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program. Why
would a nation like Iran invest billions in developing a nuclear power
infrastructure, when they have vast reserves of oil and natural gas? Why
would Iran spend billions to develop a cheap energy source, when they have an
abundance of cheap energy available? The answer is simple: they wouldn’t. It
is without question that Iran is a rogue, nation with its eyes on nuclear
proliferation, even India can now see it, and the last thing India needs is
another nuclear powered Islamic state on its border. http://us.rediff.com/news/2005/sep/27iaea.htm?q=np&file=.htm Hurricanes
do more damage because there are more of us… September 26, 2005 Recently, in
the wake of two violent hurricanes that struck in the Gulf of Mexico, we have
heard much from many Monday morning meteorologists, claiming to have all the
answers as to why hurricanes are so violent these days. At the Phalanx, we
have already documented the inexorable reality that demonstrates that
hurricanes today aren’t any more violent than they were 50 years ago. Indeed,
there were more violent hurricanes in the mid-20th century than
there are today. Leftists, seizing on any opportunity to blame America, and George
Bush, in particular, have tried to claim that global warming is the cause of
the destruction but this is a fallacy. As any true meteorologist or
climatologist can attest, hurricanes occur in natural cycle that ebb and flow
over the decades. It just so happens that this is a period of increased
hurricane activity, where as the 70s and 80s was a period of diminished
hurricane activity. The period before that, however, was also particularly
violent for hurricanes. During a 15-year period in the late 1940s to early
1960s there were twice as many category 5 Atlantic hurricanes as there have
been in the last 15 years. In any case, there still exists the perception
that hurricanes today are more violent than in yesteryear. USA Today took a
relatively objective viewpoint, when exploring this proposition and their
conclusions were spot on. Indeed, as we have noted previously, hurricanes are
no more violent than they were yesterday, but coastal areas, particularly in
the south, are far more populated than they were a few generations ago,
advances in technology, the growth of the Sun Belt and federal incentives to
build in flood prone areas, have significantly increased the southern coastal
population. In the past decade alone, states like Florida have grown by almost
50%. As USA Today noted, 50% of the countries GDP is produced in southern
coastal states, far more than in generations past. Thus, when hurricanes
strike they will inevitably cause more damage. It is unlikely that such
weather phenomena will force people to move, just as blizzards haven’t driven
people from the Northeast and earthquakes haven’t prevented California from
maintaining its position as the country’s largest state. If people are going
to continue to live and build along the coast, they must be mindful of the
risks and prepare for the worst, rather than pulling a Mussolini and blaming
others for their poor decision making. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2005-09-25-hurricane-science_x.htm Guess
who’s claiming the US is planning to invade… September
26, 2005 If you
guessed Venezuelan strong man Hugo Chavez, then you would be 100% correct.
Chavez, the self-avowed socialist, took time from his busy schedule to sit
down with Newsweek. During the interview, Chavez wasted no time in bashing
the United States, and rehashing his tired claim that a US invasion of
Venezuela is eminent. To be true, the hard-line buffoons that governed
Venezuela for decades before Chavez, have themselves to blame for his
emergence. Venezuela, like many Latin American countries was noted for its
corrupt bureaucrats, politicians and business leaders. This corruption led to
significant exploitation and unlike in America where most anyone, with
initiative, as the opportunity to emerge from poverty, many of the poor in
Venezuela have had no such opportunity as a result the ground was fertile for
a charismatic young demagogue by the name of Hugo Chavez. Chavez, declared
war on capitalism and made no secret of his preference for socialism. But
like every socialist in history who has preceded him. Chavez supports the
imposition of socialism for everyone else, but not on the elites of
Venezuelan politics, such as himself. Chavez, using class warfare as a tool
has divided the population further and creates imagined enemies from thin
air, for which only he is the savior, thus he is able to maintain his
stranglehold on power. And if there is a sense that the people’s resolve for
socialism a la Chavez is waning he just claims that the US is beginning to
invade, scaring the people into supporting their savior and hero once again.
Its typical Mussolini-esque behavior. Chavez, will also exploit anything that
enhances his own position. Take the ridiculous “reverend” Pat Robertson who
called for Chavez’s assassination. Naturally, Chavez seized on this and tied
Robertson’s comments with the US government. During his interview with
Newsweek, Chavez claimed to hold secret intelligence clearly proving the US is
planning to invade. Why not take it to the UN and expose the US before the
Security Council? I’m sure one of those America haters on the council, like
France, would love to participate in such a farce (and opportunity to
embarrass America). The reason he doesn’t present such evidence is because
there is none, only his own imagination, but let Chavez’s reign serve as an
example for others, corrupt bureaucrats and an out of control government will
only lead to greater extremes. http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9466942/site/newsweek/ So what is
pulling a Mussolini? September 23, 2005 It occurred
to us here at The Phalanx, that some of you may not be familiar with the term
“…pulling a Mussolini.” So we will educate you. Benito Mussolini was an
Italian dictator and founder of the fascist movement that later inspired
Adolf Hitler. Mussolini ruled Italy with an Iron First from 1922 to 1943. His
rule Its
official, every hurricane is because of global warming. September 23, 2005 It didn’t take
long but the leftists Kyoto proponents are working tirelessly, to advance the
idea that Hurricane Rita, like Hurricane Katrina before it, was caused by
Global Warming. These radicals have borrowed a page from one of history’s
perennial radicals, Dr. Joseph Goebbles. Goebbles believed that a lie would
be accepted as truth if repeated often enough, so enter the leftists. Today,
its Britain’s Environment Minister, who argues that Rita was caused by global
warming. No longer should we accept the premise that weather and
climatological events occur in cycles at regular intervals, now we must
believe that anything negative that happens must be caused by man. Since the
1900 Galveston Hurricane, still the most deadly natural disaster in American
history, over 300 hurricanes have struck the United States, not to mention
the countless thousands of hurricanes (and typhoons) that have been spawned
over the many centuries previous. Are we now to believe that these too were
caused by global warming? Where will it all end, are we to believe that
volcanic events and earthquakes are also caused by man. These pseudo
scientist advance theories that have not been embraced by the scientific
community for one very obvious reason: this isn’t science, it is fantasy. The
events occurring today in the Gulf and Mid-Atlantic, have occurred in this
fashion on a regular basis for millennia. The reality is, these leftists have
an agenda to advance, and they seek to capitalize on the fact that so many
average Joes are sufficiently ignorant about science that they can be
convinced that anything is possible, including the premise that man can
create hurricanes. "Increasingly it looks like a smoking gun…It's a fair
conclusion to draw that global warming, caused to a substantial extent by people,
is driving increased sea surface temperatures and increasing the violence of
hurricanes,” noted Britain’s John Lawton. This statement is fundamentally
untrue. There has been no discernable increase in the violence of tropical
cyclones in the Atlantic or Pacific. Indeed, some of the most violent
Atlantic storms, struck long before the present era. In the past 80 years
there have been 27 category 5 tropical cyclones (ie, hurricanes), of these
only 6 have been spawned in the last 15 years. By contrast during a similar
period from 1947 to 1962 there were 9 category 5 hurricanes. The reality is
these events are cyclical, just like the storms themselves. These leftist
advocates must be viewed like history’s past radicals. They act in the heat
of the moment and will exploit any event to advance their own cause, much in
the spirit of Mussolini himself. http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article314510.ece http://www.weathermatrix.net/tropical/cat5storms.htm Climate
change on Mars...Bush to blame? September
22, 2005 For centuries man has been obsessed with the planet
Mars, since the dawn of the space age in the 1950s man has been able to
explore and understand mars (and the other planets) in ways never before
imaged. With this newfound capability we have discovered that Mars is in the
midst of a period of climate change. For several years now, scientists with NASA
have observed that icecaps on Mars have been decreasing in size for the third
straight year in a row. So its seems Earth isn’t the only planet in the solar
system experiencing climate change. Now all this begs the question, will the
left attempt to blame Martian climate change on George Bush, as they have
done here on Earth? Any knowledge of Earth history will tell us that Earth
has experienced far more significant changes in temperature over the
millennia. Indeed, Earth has experienced ice ages and uncharacteristically
warm periods as well, many of which occurred long before man came to dominate
the planet. Yet, the left tirelessly persist in blaming George Bush and the
United States. Even if, man-made gases are to blame for changes in
temperature, why is it that only the US and George Bush shoulder any fault.
Wasn’t Bill Clinton President for 8 years prior to Bush, and why only the
United States? There in lies the ultimate fault of the Kyoto Treaty (a treaty
leftist insist America must endorse). A treaty which would lead any rational
person to question its framers motives. Why would nations like China and
India be excluded from pollution restriction, when both countries are major
polluters. The US is criticized for producing 24% of the world’s CO2 emissions,
yet the US accounts for over 25% of the world’s industrial output, China by
contrast, accounts for only 3% of the world’s industrial output, yet produces
14% of the world’s CO2 emissions. India is also a top 5 polluter, yet both
countries aren’t bound to any of the provisions of the Kyoto treaty. If our
concern is protecting the environment, then why such a glaring oversight? http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/newsroom/20050920a.html 100-minute
bible for 100-minute Christians September
22, 2005 An
official with the Anglican Church has come up with a way for people to read
the bible in only 100 minutes. This 100-minute bible summarizes the various
messages within the bible. Unlike various translations, which attempt to make
the bible understandable in contemporary language, this bible shortens the
messages into a compact, quick read, not unlike a dime store novel or cliff
notes. The creators of the hundred minute bible, claim it will aid those time
starved Christians. In reality, it only demonstrates the encroachment of
sloth and laziness into every single aspect of society. We have already
witnessed how sloth has led to the dumbing down of schools and a lack of work
ethic among the nation’s poor, now we see, that the 100 minute Christians now
have their holy book as well. These are the people who claim to be people of
faith, yet can only spare 100 minutes to devote to it. How can one claim to
believe in and follow the teachings of Christ yet only relegate him to 100
minutes out of their lives? These time-starved Christians seem to have plenty
of time for every John Grisham novel that leaves the presses. There is plenty
of time for every football game and music video the dredges of society can put
together. Why bother to claim you are a Christian if it is of such miniscule
importance has not even to be worth 2 hours of your time? This 100-minute
bible does only a disservice to those who truly seek a better understanding
of God’s message. Isn’t the whole point of the bible to read and reread in
order to understand the deeper meaning of each text, isn’t this supposed to
be a growing and learning process. Teachers have witnessed for years how
students continue to seek the easy way out, looking for the path of least
resistance and now we see that such negative behavior is being reinforced
everywhere we turn. North
Korea up to its old tricks…. September 21, 2005 For those of
you who held out hopes that North Korea was serious about nuclear
disarmament, you can put away the part favors. The North has flip-flopped
more on this issue that John Kerry during the 2004 campaign. Earlier this
week they announced they [North Korea] would give up their nuclear weapons
program, then they demanded technology transfers in the form of a nuclear
reactor, given by the United States. Now the North claims the US is using the
talks as a pre-text for an imminent invasion. What is it with people like
Hugo Chavez and Kim Jong Il? They are both obsessed with the delusion that the
US is preparing to invade their countries. Conventional Wisdom would hold
that these people make such claims to draw domestic attention away from the
tyranny of their rule, while focusing their energies on an external threat,
in the spirit of Mussolini, but considering the fact that both leaders have
been making such claims for years, one has to ask if these leaders are truly
that paranoid and delusional, or perhaps they continue to make such
statements because their populations are so gullible that they will believe
anything they are told. In any case, North Korea, vowed that it would not
give up its nuclear weapons program without further concessions. The Bush
administration might as well go ahead and conceder appeasement after all,
they have humored the North for so long and have already offered as much to
the Iranians and thus have backed themselves into a corner. Make no mistake
about it, the minute the US and its allies agree to the North’s demands, the
North will attempt to alter the deal even further, that is if they don’t back
out of the talks claiming the US is preparing to attack, or some other such
nonsense. One has to give the North credit, they are excellent negotiators,
they have brought some of the world’s most powerful countries: US, Russia,
China and Japan knocking on their door, begging to have talks and all they
have to do is beat their chests and walk out every few months, it must be a
rush for the power made North Korean dictator. Government
can’t win “war on poverty” September
21, 2005 For years
politicians have talked about efforts to fight the war on poverty. Perhaps no
politician was more vocal about such efforts than Lyndon Johnson. In
Johnson’s time, unlike today, there were very real obstacles to certain
groups of people emerging from poverty. In parts of the country, defacto and
dejure racial prejudice, made it impossible for some to get loans, start
business, go to certain schools, etc…Indeed, it was the governments responsibility
to ensure that all people are treated equally before the law and in the eyes
of the state. It was necessary, therefore to dismantle the legacy of
segregation in America, since then, however, the war on poverty has taken a
very different shape. Not all who were (or are) in poverty were minorities.
And since the era of the civil rights movement, the government has taken the
position that fighting poverty means giving out money and other entitlements
to the poorest amongst us. As USA Today reported, Hurricane Katrina has
brought the plight of the poor to the forefront in America once again.
According to a poll, USA Today conducted, 2/3 of the US population argue the
US is spending enough to fight poverty. What does this tell you? It tells you
that years of leftist indoctrination has been working. People no longer see
success as a by-product of hard work and self-determination, but luck. They
see the cause of poverty as a lack of government spending. The fact of the
matter is government has done just about all it can (and far more) to fight
poverty. There is nothing else that can be done, which won’t bring about the
ruination of the country. Today the question of poverty is a question of
personal decisions made by those within its grasp. The government has created
an atmosphere of opportunity, which is more than sufficient to lift anyone
from poverty, who has the desire. Today, all citizens have access to a free
public education, today; anyone can receive a student loan to attend a
college, or trade school. Indeed, some junior colleges don’t even have an SAT
(or ACT) requirement. There simply is no excuse for people who claim to be
stuck in poverty. These people who are stuck are stuck for the same reason
some 3rd world countries are. They make poor decisions. Perhaps
the most devastating decision is to have children that they can’t afford.
This is not only selfish, but cruel. Jobs are available for those who want to
work, perhaps the job isn’t glamorous, perhaps, they consider it beneath
them, but if illegal immigrants can find jobs with no difficulty, why can’t
Americans? The answer is they don’t want these jobs, they would prefer to sit
idle while the government feeds and clothes them. What a fine example this
sets for the next generation. These young children soon emulate their
parents, having more children and refusing to put forth any effort to
alleviate their situation. And who is to blame, according to the leftist
elite, most of whom are millionaires in their own right, it’s the “rich,”
because they are successful. The leftist leaders say it to win votes, of
course they can’t believe it, but a politician will say and do anything to
get votes. The poor, however, do believe it and with each successive
generation, they come to expect more from their government, which comes to
expect even less of them. Poverty will never die as long as there is an
attitude of entitlement and this attitude shows no signs of dissipating
anytime soon. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-09-21-war-on-poverty_x.htm
N. Korea
and the bomb…what else is there to say? September
20, 2005 As anyone who
has any semblance of intelligence can attest, North Korea has been
threatening its neighbors and the west with annihilation since the 1950s. In
1994, it was revealed that North Korea was seeking to develop nuclear
weapons. At the time, President Clinton sought to negotiate a solution to the
crisis. North Korea agreed to drop its nuclear program in exchange for
assistance in developing peaceful nuclear reactors. Fast forward a few years
and it became clear that North Korea never lived up to their end of the
bargain. Indeed, the North simply moved its weapons development program
underground and out of site, only to later reveal that they not only had a
WMD program but actually had the nuclear bombs themselves. According to the
North and its reclusively tyrannical leaders, the weapons were needed to fend
off an eminent (and imagined) US invasion. In much the same spirit as Hugo
Chavez claims the US is preparing to invade, as an excuse to justify his
tyranny and rally people to his cause. In any case, North Korea rebuffed
attempts at negotiations and when negotiations finally did take place, the
North continued to make wild accusations about the US and its democratic
neighbors. Earlier this week, however, there was rejoicing, as North Korea
announced that it would abandon its nuclear weapons program. Now we have word
from the Stalinist regime that the agreement comes with strings attached. The
North wants a nuclear reactor from the US, that’s the concession
(appeasement) that must be made. What the Koreans are really doing is trying
to blackmail the west, under threat of nuclear war to win technology transfers,
which in the end, will only enhance their weapons program, which will put us
right back at square one and in more immediate danger. We can thank Clinton
for appeasing these dictators in the first place (and Bush for continuing the
practice) and we can also thank the EU for appeasing Iran in a similar way,
setting further dangerous precedents. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4261284.stm What else could you expect…from Germany? September 19, 2005 Germany concluded yet another lackluster election
yesterday. Indeed, this election may prove to have created more harm than
good. The leftist Social Democrats, who only a few weeks ago were written off
for certain doom, managed to tie with the conservative Christian Democrats.
Now there is a question of who will be Germany’s next Chancellor. Right now
no one really knows. The two sides will have to seek to form a collation with
one of the many smaller parties in the hopes of gaining a majority in the
German Bundestag (parliament). If this fails the President will have the
option of choosing a new prime minister, though its doubtful that would last
with only a minority stake. This election fiasco teaches us two things. First
it tells us the weakness and instability of parliamentary democracy, but
above all this election fiasco tells us of the mindset of the German
electorate. Here you have a Chancellor who has failed to deliver on every
promise he has ever made since becoming leader. Unemployment is at the
highest levels since WWII, economic growth is virtually nonexistent and
promised social reforms have failed to materialize. Yet for some mysterious
reason a large proportion of the German electorate can’t seem to tear
themselves away from this colossal failure of a person, as far as politicians
go. To Schroeder’s credit, and as we predicted, he wasn’t going to let this
election be fought exclusively on his record. He was going to play to his
strengths, his strengths at wielding propaganda with the expert precision of
an ax. He sought to draw attention away from his own failures and focus on
America and George Bush, essentially his campaign went something like this:
“Hello fellow Germans. Are you upset that our country has been stagnant and
unemployment has been high for so many years? Are you upset that our global
influence has declined? Do you hate the fact that we can’t afford to pay
government pensions? Well let’s blame America, after all they are successful
and influential.” Then for good measure Schroeder would throw in a little of,
“Do you hate George Bush…well so do I so vote for me.” In a nutshell that was
the SDP’s campaign and it proves the inherent blindness of the German
electorate. If these people can be fooled twice by this man, then they surely
deserve him. Good luck, Deutschland, you’re going to need it. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000100&sid=aAZ3rq2VSlQk&refer=germany Inventor of
Internet turns to meteorology September 19,
2005 Remember former Vice President and
Democratic Candidate for President Al Gore. You may remember that he single
handedly invented the Internet. You may also remember that Gore also tried to
become the first person to steal a presidential election. What Gore steal an
election? Yes that’s right, the left may have you believe that Bush was
handed the election by the Supreme Court, but as is generally the case, the
left ignores incontrovertible facts. In the first place Gore only wanted a
manual recount in those counties with clear Democratic majorities. Why not
the whole state if he was so concerned about counting every vote. And why no
objective standard for counting these votes, as the Supreme Court argued?
Secondly, several private firms and left leaning newspapers conducted their
own recount by hand of all the ballots in question and what did they
discover? Yep, Bush
still won the election, but these facts are ignored. But enough about the
past, what is the esteemed Internet pioneer doing today? Well he’s giving
speeches what else. This time Gore is hanging up is silicon chips and
microscopes for a barometer and Doppler radar. Gore has taken up meteorology
in a big way. According to Gore, Hurricane Katrina is a direct result of
global warming. According to Gore, global warming has led to an increase in
water temperatures in the equatorial region, where hurricanes are spawned, causing
them to have greater ferocity and devastation. Gore took the time during his
speech and a forum that also involved UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and
former president Clinton, to call for US ratification of the Kyoto Treaty. Is
that the same treaty that even Clinton refused to submit to congress for
ratification? Is that the same “environmental” treaty that excuses extreme
pollution in India and China, two of the world’s largest polluters, while
imposing harsh penalties on the US? Is that the same treaty that would
cripple America’s economy and drive millions to the brad lines? Why yes it
is. Isn’t it also interesting that Gore came to this conclusion about global
warming and hurricanes after he was safely out of office? Gore speaks about
the intensity of today’s hurricances, while ignoring the fact that there were
far more dangerous storms during eth mid-20th century. There were
quite a number of devastating storms that struck the US and its neighbors
during the Clinton/Gore years as well, including the devastating Hurricane
Mitch, a category 5 hurricane with winds over 180 mph which struck in the
Gulf of Mexico in 1998, killing 10,000 people. Where was Gore then? Are we to
believe that global warming began after Clinton left office? Are we to believe
that in 4 years in office, Bush has single-handedly created this problem,
just as Gore single-handedly invented the Internet? This is just another
opportunity to bash the president and this administration, what is sad is
that so many people will accept Gore’s words as gospel. For these people
reason and logical arguments are the stuff of fantasy. http://news.ft.com/cms/s/7c972c82-27b2-11da-ac98-00000e2511c8.html Woman and family
sue ABC because she’s…ugly? September 19,
2005 In yet another wacky example of
our increasingly litigious society, a woman is suing ABC because of her
looks. Apparently this woman,
Deleese Williams, was
promised an extreme makeover on the aptly named show” “Extreme Makeover.”
This would involve significant amounts of plastic surgery as well as a new
wardrobe and other changes to alter William’s appearance. In preparation for
the show and subsequent surgery, families talked about Williams looks on video
and presumably talked about the need for the surgery to improve her
appearance. One such person who criticized Williams’ looks on video was her
sister Kellie McGee.
At the last minute ABC executives informed Williams that she would not be
going through with her surgery and would have to return home. Williams’
response was typical of someone obsessed with outward appearance: “How can I
go back as ugly as I left? I was supposed to come home pretty?” Now ABC is a
business and we would find it hard to believe that they would enter into a
contract that would require them to put something on the air if they no
longer had that desire, if so ABC would have a lot of programs on the air,
with no viewer appeal whatsoever, we’d still be watching episodes of the crass
Roseanne or Benson. In any case Williams is suing because 4 months after her
surgery was cancelled Williams’ sister committed suicide. Apparently she
couldn’t live with the fact that she had trashed her sister on video. Then
maybe she shouldn’t have in the first place. Now Williams is suing for breach
of contract, she blames ABC for her sister’s death. According to the suit, ABC forced family members to say nasty
things about Williams and now her family life is ruined because her family’s
true feelings are known. Is this woman so insecure, that she would long to
associate with people who would say such things about her in the first place?
Is she so vain as to care only for her physical appearance? People such as
this are the product of a bankrupt culture, care only for the carnal, the
physical and material success. This is no different than if she was
befriended because she was wealthy, such people aren’t really her friends,
but that apparently is insignificant. This is just another attempt to squeeze
a corporation for money. She deserves
nothing and should receive nothing. If you hate your looks that much, do
something about it on your own. http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/347520p-296543c.html Racist
senior preparing for the path of least resistance September 16, 2005 It has been
well documented throughout history: those who have accomplished the least, those
who have no work ethic and no drive to create, those who are content to live
a life with the least possible obstacles are the same people who seek nothing
more than to blame others for their problems. It is much easier for them to
blame others than to blame themselves. Society is filled with such examples.
The Nazis and today’s Islamic Radicals are some of the world’s most deadly
examples, but we needn’t look back in time or across the ocean, there are
plenty right here at home who fit the mold. Take the case of those dredges of
society in New Orleans, who saw human tragedy as an opportunity to rape, loot
and murder. An 18-year-old Fleming High School student is another example.
The unnamed student wore a T-Shirt to school depicting Klansmen outside a church
and two Blacks being lynched. The future ditch digger and high school senior
was leaving his algebra class when classmates confronted him about his shirt.
Now what was interesting (and telling) about that last sentence? Well
hopefully it was obvious: high school senior was leaving his algebra
class. In this sentence we have all the information we need to know to
realize that this kid isn’t exactly a rising star at Fleming High School.
Algebra is something that kids today begin taking in the 6th and 7th
grade, yet this deadbeat is taking algebra in the 12th grade. It
doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the root of the problem right there.
From this we can extrapolate that his parents are on equal mental footing and
choose not to further or challenge themselves in school, probably eking out a
meager existence and naturally blame others (presumably minorities) for their
plight. The Fleming Klansman noted: “I'm not racist or
anything…It's just, some people I hate, some people I don't get along with.
And black people just happen to be the ones because they think they're better
than everyone else.” Well Mr. Fleming
Klansman, we know just about anyone is better than you. I’m not racist, I
just hate black people. What a wonderful lesson in abstract stupidity. Well
at least none of this Nightrider’s classmates will ever have to worry about
having this guy as a boss. http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/091505/met_19772830.shtml We told
you so… September
16, 2005 A few months
ago, German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder was written off as a lame duck
leader. According to all of the polls, Schroeder’s Social Democratic Party
was flagging, thanks to years of economic decline and skyrocketing
unemployment. This position isn’t new for Germany’s left leaning Chancellor.
Three years ago, Schroeder was falling behind in the polls, and the right
leaning CDU was set to grasp victory, until Schroeder turned the election
around and made it a referendum on who hates America. Suddenly, the sheep
like German electorate forgot all about unemployment and stagnant economic
growth as they became obsessed with their petty jealousness of America’s
success. Schroeder won that election by the tightest of margins but it served
as a lesson for leftists everywhere. If you can distract people long enough
then you can convince them to do anything. It is only fitting that this
lesson would be learned from the country that brought us the master of
propaganda, Joseph Goebbles. This time around the game is the same. Schroeder
is up for election again and while some may have written him off, he stands
poised for another come from behind victory. Increasingly, the polls show
growing support for the left of center Social Democrats and we shouldn’t be
surprised, Schroeder has already endured a trial by fire and he realizes that
the German electorate can be easily swayed by emotion, regardless of the cold
hard truth that is Germany’s double-digit unemployment rate. Perhaps the
Germans are hesitant to see a woman as chancellor which may also work to
Schroeder’s benefit, but one thing is certain, leftists around the world are
driven by the same political playbook, and that book has one page and on that
page one word: distraction. Distraction from facts, distraction from reality,
even distraction from common sense and commonly held beliefs. In so doing, no
victory is unattainable. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1131707 Bush
promises aid… September
16, 2005 In a
televised address to the nation last night from New Orleans, President Bush
promised a massive rebuilding effort. Again, perhaps kowtowing to leftist
critics, the President again assumed responsibility for the disaster, as
Governor Blanco has now done. We are still waiting for Mayor Nagin to step up
to the plate and admit his many many failures in this area, I suppose if you
sound angry enough on the radio, curse a lot and act as if you did nothing
wrong then you don’t have to admit any failings. (Remember the leftist
mantra: distraction). Bush’s plan will be expensive to say the least, but
could prove invigorating, not only for the Gulf economy but for the entire
nation. The president called for the creation of a "Gulf Opportunity
Zone," which would provide incentives for businesses including special
grants, tax breaks and loan guarantees. He also called for federal support
for displaced children to seek education in private schools. Bush also called
for the passage of a Homestead law, similar legislation in 1862 led to the
development of the western states. This homestead law would give federal land
to displaced persons in the form of a lottery, on the commitment that these
people would build a home on the land. He also called for a 5000.00 grant for
evacuees to pursue job training, education or childcare. The president’s plan
will drastically alter the Gulf region if enacted and will mean a significant
increase in federal spending. But it will also be a test for all those people
who complain about lack of opportunity and the cycle of poverty, which is a
lie in and of itself. But in any case we’ll see how many of the poor of New
Orleans seek job training, we’ll see how many pursue loans to start
businesses, we’ll see who look to further their education so they can escape
poverty and we’ll also see how many seek to sit around collecting government
benefits, too lazy to lift a finger for their own benefit. We shall indeed
see. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/15/AR2005091502417_pf.html Iran talks proliferation September 15, 2005 It was bound to happen. The peaceful state of Iran has
indicated that it is willing to share “peaceful” nuclear technology with
other Islamic states. Iran again vowed that it had no plans to produce
nuclear weaponry and that its nuclear program is purely for peaceful
purposes. Iran has one of the largest gas and oil reserves in the world, why
would they embark on an extremely costly nuclear program, when energy costs
are so low as it is? Is this the action of a rational nation? Either Iran is
economically foolhardy or they are attempting to pull the wool over the eyes
of a nervous western world. For some time now Europe’s principle powers:
Britain, Germany and France have been negotiating with Iran to abandon its nuclear
program. The EU 3 have been negotiating from a weak vantage point, however.
They have constantly backed down from one demand after another and have
offered Iran concession after concession. For the EU, appeasement seems to be
the order of the day. What this tells the people of Iran is that the EU is
afraid of Iran and is unwilling to stand firm on its demands, vis-à-vis the
Iranian nuclear program. We should not be surprised; therefore, that Iran is
becoming increasingly bold. This latest overture by Iran spells certain
trouble for the US and freedom loving people everywhere. The last thing the
world needs is Iran leading a nuclear pack of tyrants advocating the 3 newest
pillars of Islam: Convert, Submit or Die. Perhaps we can hope that the EU 3
will develop a backbone, but this is unlikely, and unfortunately, the
leadership in the US is so determined not to develop direct contact with Iran
that there is little short of armed force that America can do. http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/09/15/iran.nuclear/ What are they fighting for? September 15, 2005 It is clear what Al Qaeda in Iraq and other insurgent
terror groups are fighting for. They are fighting for destruction.
Destruction of democratic values and the rule of law, destruction for equal
rights and individual liberties, destruction for economic opportunity,
destruction of enlightened thought, destruction for civil discourse,
destruction of the west, destruction of the east, destruction of America and
even destruction of fellow Muslims. No matter how you slice it, the Sunni
terror thugs in Iraq, collectively known as Al Qaeda in Iraq are under the
leadership of butcher in chief, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who has made it clear in his own words and
in statements released on the internet and to the news media that he has
every intention of destroying Iraq’s fertile democracy and the freedom so
many cherish. And now it seems that he is not even fighting for Islam. In a
recently released audio message, he announced that Al Qaeda was “declaring
all-out war” on Shias in Iraq. The Sunnis, having dominated Iraq for decades
under Saddam Hussein and persecuting all who defied him, now seek to foment
civil war in Iraq, to bring about this wave of destruction. So who among
Iraq’s millions are taking to the cause, pretty much the same type of people
who fall sway to any demagogue: the weak of mind, the unproductive, those
with petty jealousies, and those with numerous life failures. These are always
the types of people who embrace the premise that others are to blame for
their problems. Rather than focusing their efforts on something protective,
rather than seeking to make a better life for their families or even
fulfilling life’s goals, according to Islam, they seek as many ways to kill
as is humanly possible. This is all these murdering savages are capable of.
Above all we shouldn’t be surprised by this turn of events, they have made it
clear that all those who don’t think as they do are expendable. The question
remains whether US or Iraqi authorities can do anything to stop this wave of
slaughter. Most likely they can’t, only the Iraqi people can do anything, and
unfortunately those that are active are the terrorists and the others seem
content to turn the other way and simply shrug their shoulders, but they
should be forewarned, for just as the Nazis once did, they will return for
those they left behind, no one is immune. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1781036,00.html The caged
children… September 14, 2005 By now many
of you have probably heard the story of the caged children in Ohio. Eleven
children ranging in age from 1 to 14 were found by authorities locked in
homemade cages in their parent’s Ohio home. The parents, Michael and Sharen
Gravelle are expected to be charged with abuse and neglect and rightly so.
According to the parents, they were advised by a psychiatrist to have the
children sleep in cages. Now what psychiatrist would order the caging of
children? Perhaps his degree came from one of those fine institutions in the
Caribbean. The parents argued this measure helped to keep the children safe
as the children had developmental disabilities and could harm each other. The
cages were even rigged with alarms to alert the parents if the children left
their confinement. Authorities discovered the gruesome sight upon following
up on a complaint by a social worker. Upon entering the home, authorities
noticed that the house reeked of urine smell. Neighbors and adoption
authorities in various counties raved about the couple and what great parents
they were. Regardless of what the parents may argue in court, no person who
argues that keeping their child in a cage is ok can possibly be considered a
loving parent. The sheer trauma and cruelty inflicted upon a young child by
confining them in spaces, that even slaves were restricted to shows a level
of hatred and hostility unrivaled. It doesn’t matter how well the children
were dressed or the fact that they played frequently in the yard. This does
not take away from the fact that the children were confined like barnyard
animals. This isn’t the act of a parent, it’s the act of a keeper or jailer. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-09-12-caged-kids_x.htm Apres moi…le deluge (After me…the
deluge – Louis XV) September 13, 2005 Beware the inevitable fall, as
socialists chalk up another victory…this time in Norway. For some time
Norway’s economy has performed fairly well. Its oil wealth helps to generate
a fairly high standard of living for the nation’s 4.5 million people. Because
of Norway’s vast wealth, relative to its small population, succeeding
Norwegian governments have created an immense welfare state, which rivals all
challengers. The economy grew by over 3%, which is outstanding for a European
country, but like the rest of Europe, population growth has stagnated for
years. In any case, by all measures the people of Norway enjoy a good life.
Given such realities, one would expect the government of Norway to be fairly
popular with the general populace, but that would be an error. The
center-right government of Kjell Magne Bondevik was defeated in this week’s parliamentary
elections by the Labor party. The Labor party pulled what has become a tried
and true tool for leftists around the world. They promised more handouts for
the unproductive and sought to drive a wedge between the middle class and the
so-called rich. The Labor party argued that their government would broaden
the welfare state and contended that tax cuts would only benefit the rich.
Sound familiar? Just as this strategy works so well for Democrats in America,
the strategy proved a success with Norwegian voters, who have long since
become dependent on government and would be like dear in the headlights if
circumstances were to change. But why worry, their economy is doing well
right? Yes and no. Even Norway acknowledges that within the next 20 years,
the country’s vast oil and natural gas reserves will begin to dwindle, this
combined with a shrinking (and aging) population could pose serious troubles
for tiny Norway. As fewer and fewer Norwegians are born, the country will
soon face a severe labor shortage, just as more retirees come to depend on
the welfare state (lacking much in the way of personal savings). Thus, Louis
XV was right a deluge is coming (but not just in France) and with it comes
the decline of the European welfare state. As we are now witnessing in France
and Germany, countries with declining populations can’t long sustain a
welfare state. It poses major economic hurdles and because the population has
grown dependent on this free money, it will prove difficult, if not
impossible to engender a stronger work ethic or make structural changes. Black lawmakers angry about
federal response to Katrina September 13,
2005 Four major hurricanes struck
Florida last year and not a peep from this bunch, but now the leaders of the
Congressional Black Caucus and other groups are up in arms. They saw an
opportunity to garner media headlines and dove in headfirst. These
congressmen contend that poverty was a factor in the federal response to
Hurricane Katrina. Though it wasn’t mentioned directly it was clearly alluded
to that race was also a factor. Race is the archetypical and quintessential
example of pulling a Mussolini. Any logical review of the facts clearly
demonstrates that the government’s response was significant and comparable to
previous disasters. Further reports also indicate that the federal response to
Katrina was faster than with Andrew or Hugo. The reality is we have a federal
system for a reason. State and local governments are closer to the people and
are expected to address local issues more promptly. The federal government is
more massive and distant and is expected to take longer to act, which is why
so many duties fall on state and local governments during emergencies, which
was the case in Louisiana. The fact of the matter is, some politicians will
do anything to get their names in the news. By dividing the nation along
racial and class lines, these leftist use petty jealousies to win votes. This
is nothing more than a game of politics, with the electorate as the pawns.
The fact is if you are in a disaster, you can’t get help fast enough, rarely
do you find people who are grateful for the help they receive, more often the
response is “what took you so long.” In realty, rescuers were on the seen
fishing people out of the water as soon as the hurricane passed. Exactly who
was it flying those rescue helicopters and sending in rescue boats? These
groups contend that too much attention was focused on the looters. This is a
misstatement. What they should have said was not enough of their attention
was focused on the looters. If these people are so concerned about helping
the poor, why is it they were eerily silent when people in New Orleans were
preying on each other like vultures. Committing heinously violent acts, with
not so much as a word from local law enforcement or state and local
officials. The mere fact that they exclusively blame the federal government
speaks to their leftist mentality. They don’t want local government involved,
they see all government as federal and want federal control of every aspect
of our daily lives. Gone is rational independent decision making hello to
government from on high. Low poll
numbers reflect skill of left September 12, 2005 As the media
is so found of pointing out, President Bush has the lowest poll numbers of
his presidency. The latest poll by the Associated Press, shows Bush’s
approval rating at 39%, which is the lowest of his presidency. Generally when
presidents have numbers this low, they deserve them, but does President Bush
or is something else a foot here? According to a giddy CNN report, the poll
reflects widespread concerns regarding Hurricane Katrina and the high price
of gasoline. You will note that the two biggest concerns in this country are
completely beyond the president’s control. Why are oil, and subsequently gas,
prices so high? Because demand is high. Why is demand high? Because the
nations like China are growing at a rapid rate. Last year China grew at a
rate exceeding 9%. That’s very significant. Given that growth (and growth in
other parts of the world, including our own country), it only stands to
reason that demand would be high and thus prices would increase, but sadly
few Americans have a grasp of the basic concepts of supply and demand and
many expect the government to supply their every need. Given such a
mentality, its no wonder they blame the president. CNN also sighted Katrina
as a factor, nothing more reflects the inherent ignorance of a large portion
of our population than the belief that anything Bush did created Hurricane
Katrina, what next? Is Bush responsible for the fall of Rome? According to
the survey 2/3 of the nation say the country is hading down the “wrong
track.” America’s economy is growing significantly (4%) and unemployment is
below 5% is that the wrong track? If so then, Europe must be considered a
wasteland, considering growth there is non-existent and unemployment hovers
in the double digits in many countries. What then can explain the perception
by so many that our country has gone to hell in a hand basket? Perhaps the
lawlessness of the deadbeats who prey on victims at the New Orleans
Superdome? No, the cause for this gloomy perception is skilled propaganda.
The Democrats have been trying since 2001, to portray Bush and his policies
as being the underling cause for all problems, real and imagined. During last
year’s election, John Kerry and his handlers portrayed Bush as evil incarnate
and they continue to this day, now it appears they are beginning to have
success. The Democrats have tried to convince us that the economy is in
tatters and that unemployment is astronomical, while this may be false, many
are easily swayed by the Democratic message, especially when it comes with
offers of handouts. Most people are naturally envious of those who are
successful and the Democrats are skilled at using this human emotion to draw
people to their cause. They portray issues as us versus them. It’s the evil
rich versus the noble middle and lower classes. The Democrats can be proud,
their efforts to create a subject class of citizens dependent on government
is well on track, it won’t be long before any independent spirit is quashed
as America descends to the abyss with nations like France, who’s ability to
innovate and inspire have long disappeared. http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/10/bush.poll.ap/index.html Japanese
leader cruises to victory September 12, 2005 Though few
Americans, sadly, may know his name, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi is one of the most important allies America has in the Far East, if
not the world, with the possible exception of Tony Blair. Like the United
Kingdom, Japan has been a staunch ally of the United States in the war on
terror. The Japanese have sent troops to Iraq and have contributed vast sums
toward that nation’s reconstruction. This past weekend, Japan had a
parliamentary election. That election centered on internal economic and
government reforms, something the popular Prime Minister has been trying to
institute for some time, with limited success, thanks to entrenched
opposition from Japanese bureaucrats. Koizumi called for an election to win a
fresh mandate for these reforms. As it became clear that Koizumi and his LDP
would secure an electoral victory, the opposition brought out their trump
card: the hate America card. The opposition tried to rally the Japanese
against the Iraq war and the war on terror. The Japanese opposition tried to
play the same card Germany’s Gerhard Schroeder played 4 years ago and the
same card he is attempting to play today. As sometimes happens with a more
educated electorate, the Japanese public wasn’t fooled by these Mussolini
like parlor tricks. The key issue in Japan was not Iraq and while some
Japanese may have no love for the United States, they weren’t going to be
swayed by leftist political games on matters of crucial importance. Lets hope
the people in Germany can say the same thing this time around as their
election rolls around next week. http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/stories/0905/12natjapan.html Solar
flares acting up again…is Bush to blame? September 12, 2005 Scientists
have noted that the Sun is becoming increasingly active with a number of
solar flares. This will be the 7th major solar flare up for the
sun. Solar flares can be extremely dangerous and technically devastating.
Flares can cause harm to astronauts in earth’s atmosphere. These flares can
also cause harm to orbiting satellites. If these satellites are damaged it
could be devastating for communications, and other industries and services
dependent upon space technology. Such
flares can also prove dangerous to terrestrial equipment, including power
grids. These flares are difficult to predict and can send high doses of
radiation in Earth’s direction in a matter of minutes. The National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is monitoring the situation, but there
is little that can be done other than to warn. Regardless of this it would
not be surprising if leftist will try to blame the president if these flares
cause any serious damage. One must keep in mind that leftists have no
propensity for science. How else do you explain the belief, held by many
liberals, that Bush’s policies created Hurricane Katrina? Keep in mind that
if certain people believe the president can control the weather, it would be
no great trick to convince them that he controls the Sun as well. Such
blatant ignorance demonstrates the lack of knowledge and understanding that
is dominant in the party that capitalizes on poverty and ignorance. http://space.com/scienceastronomy/050909_solar_flares.html Governor
Blanco defends state September
12, 2005 Louisiana
Governor Kathleen Blanco defended her state’s Katrina response in the wake of
increasing criticism. According to the governor, everyone was working
diligently to save lives and had they not done so, more people would have
been lost, or so the governor would have us believe. To her credit, Blanco
did not blame the president for Katrina related failures, but other
Democrats, haven’t wasted any time in doing so. Many leftists have criticized
the federal government for its slow response and with dealing with
evacuations. The reality is, however, such evacuations are the domain of
local and state officials, who failed to follow their own evacuation plan.
Governor Blanco contends that her state’s evacuation plan was top notch, but
this is a fallacy. Essentially they told people to get out and did nothing to
facilitate that process. The evacuation plan called for the use of school
buses and public transit to help the poor and infirm, this was not done,
indeed they were left to their own devices or told to go to the Superdome,
where no help (or security) would be available. State officials didn’t ask
for federal evacuation assistance, which is required by law, and yet
activists and leftist blowhards blame the feds or charge that it is Bush who
doesn’t care, while the evidence suggest that it was local ineptitude that
showed a lack of caring. Indeed state officials even blocked relief packages
from reaching those trapped in the city, yet these facts are ignored in a
rush to blame Bush. We must remember
that this is a nation of laws, the federal government can’t just act with
impunity, it’s this lack of respect for such concepts that make leftists so
dangerous. http://www.breitbart.com/news/na/D8CIE1T80.html Lies Lies
Lies… Sept 9, 2005 Just a quick
note before we bid adieu for the weekend. USA Today has printed a story
contrasting the US response to Katrina and the response to the Sept 11th
attacks. They note that after 9/11 people rallied around the flag and the
president, but after Katrina a “majority” of Americans blame Bush. Do they
really? Not according to what we have seen. But then again the media will
keep scanning the polls until they find one to their liking. Watch for the
blame game to continue over the weekend. One thing is for sure, this event
highlights the leftist credo: never let science and reason stand in the way
of a good argument. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-09-09-katrina-unity_x.htm Who’s not
tired of this… September 9, 2005 Louisiana
Senator, Mary Landrieu defended local officials and, like so many other
Democrats, placed blame squarely on Washington. We have already acknowledged
that mistakes were made on the federal level, but to discount the obvious
complicity of local officials clearly demonstrates a political motive. Again,
Landrieu placed the blame for the flooding and the failure of the levees on
Washington (i.e., Bush) and lack of funding for sea walls in and around New
Orleans. To hear Landrieu speak, one would imagine Bush has been president
for 50 years or more, because all of New Orlean’s problems began under Bush
right? New Orleans was 20 ft above sea level before Bush took office right?
Landrieu, like so many critics, have proven immune to the facts. The senator
made no mention of the fact that Louisiana officials disallowed the Red
Cross’ repeated requests to send food and supplies to the Superdome, arguing
it would encourage more people to take refuge their. Have they forgotten that
it was Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco who called on New Orleans residents to
take shelter in the dome? Landrieu has also ignored the fact that local
officials ignored their own evacuation policy or the fact that the levees
that broke weren’t slated for repair or upgrade. Should we be surprised by
these actions? No…of course not, as we have documented since this tragedy
began. The left will stop at nothing and the media will gladly walk in tandem
with the left to achieve that goal. They will continue to take polls until
they get the numbers they want and ask lading questions until the stats match
their political philosophy. Indeed Democratic efforts to criticize Bush and
the Hurricane response have been coupled with Democratic fundraising efforts.
Make no mistake about it, when it comes to propaganda…nobody does it better. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-09-08-landrieu_x.htm Chirac
won’t attend UN Summit September
9, 2005 Make no
mistake about it, if there is one country in the world that truly loves the
United Nations it is the Republic [sic] of France. Though France hasn’t
wielded much political swing since the fall of Napoleon in the 19th
century, France has desperately sought to exert influence on a global scale
and spread their brand of global socialism. To achieve this end, France has
adopted a foreign policy that is consistently diametrically opposed to the
prevalent US policy, regardless of what that may be. Whether it is Iraq,
trade, aid packages, etc... the French position, invariably will be opposite
that of the US. The underlining cause of this is to present France to the
world as an alternative to the United States. The UN, figures prominently in
that policy. Given the fact that France has veto power in the UN Security
Council, France exerts influence in the UN disproportionate to its actual
global involvement. Thus France cherishes the UN as it gives the socialist
nation a voice in international affairs that it would not normally have.
Therefore, it must be serious if French President Chirac is unable to attend
the UN world summit. President Chirac has been hospitalized recently in
France and his doctors have ordered him not to travel. In the past French
leaders have used such occasions like a UN World Summit, as opportunities to
blast the US as a “hyperpower” in front of a large global audience.
Naturally, those states, which share France socialist designs or petty
jealousies, will subsequently rally to the French cause. Fear not, French
lovers, Chirac’s medical condition is only temporary, soon the 72 year old
curmudgeon will be back and as anti-American as ever. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4228666.stm They will
not stop…ever September 8, 2005 As we noted
yesterday, the left is trying desperately to paint Bush as the villain in the
Hurricane Katrina disaster. They have gone from blaming him for the hurricane
itself to the emergency relief that followed. Today, these leftists,
organized by Moveon.org, who else, have organized a march on Washington of
sorts. Too bad Moveon isn’t using that money for aid relief. In any case they
argue that criticism of the local response is unfounded and the blame lies
squarely at George Bush’s doorstep (but of course). Well naturally, after all
Bush is a mean old Republican and the local and state governments are led by
all knowing-never wrong Democrats. They argue Bush diverted money from levee
upgrades, which later failed - Not True. But then again when has the truth
mattered? Move on protestors plan to deliver a petition demanding help for
victims, as if they aren’t receiving help now. This protest cannot be
disguised as anything but a blatant attempt to politicize the disaster as it
is founded on lies and half-truths. The fact of the matter is, local and
state officials did not follow their own evacuation plan. Local officials
were supposed to use local transit and school buses to ensure that all
citizens were evacuated. This was not done, they were told to go to the
superdome, where no security was provided. Local officials also failed to
provide adequate police protection during and immediately after the storm. I
suppose Bush is to blame for the looting, raping and murder as well? Local officials
also failed to request federal assist with the evacuation, even Mayor Nagin
admits this, yet the left tirelessly persists in trying to fault Bush for all
that has gone wrong in the Gulf. Albeit true, there have been missteps, but
in federal system local and state governments have various powers, not
entrusted to the federal government, to the statists, which all leftist are,
this isn’t understandable and if anything goes wrong, it is a federal
problem. How else can the left exert total control over our lives? http://www.drudgereport.com/flash9.htm http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/08/093857.php UN calls on
world leaders to do more for poor…why? September 7, 2005 The UN, the
ever-present advocate for wealth re-distribution, has issued a report calling
on world leaders to do more for the world’s poor. According to the report,
some of the world’s poorest nations are doing worse off today than they were
15 years ago. The report calls for significant changes in trade, aid and
security policies. This report, however, is a smokescreen, the supposition
being that the causes for third world poverty are actions committed by the
west. This proposal does not address the underling root cause of poverty in
regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, portions of the Middle East or Southeast
Asia. The UN report paints a desperate picture and indeed the prospects are
grim. The UN concludes that the international community must step in to stop
the continued slide into poverty. While reducing poverty is a lofty and noble
goal, one has to doubt the motivations of the UN, they continue to brow beat
the western powers into making changes in trade policy or aid, arguing this
will help the poor. In reality, these proposals serve as a means of allowing
poor nations to leach off successful ones. At one time or another every
nation in the world was in the same boat, those that became successful did
not do so by leaching off of others or demanding cash re-distribution. With
relatively few exceptions, most of those nations gripped by poverty have two
things in common: Corrupt (or tyrannical) governments and extremely high
birth rates and quite a few are also gripped by senselessly violent civil
wars. The UN would have us believe that US, EU and Japanese trade policies
have caused poverty in the developing world, but this is a misnomer. Can
anyone logically say that the reason some countries have birth rates 3x the
developed world (or more) is because of trade policy? One has to doubt that
some poor woman living in a shantytown is having more children she can’t
afford because of US trade policy. Can anyone logically say that trade policy
caused these nations to embrace dictatorship rather than democracy? No of
course not. These countries are poor because corrupt dictatorial governments
make poor investments. They make poor investments in themselves and poor
investments for foreigners. No business will set up shop in places racked by
corruption, where private property isn’t secure, where bureaucrats demand
bribes to do their jobs and where violence threatens employees. Even without
corruption, no country can prosper if the vast majority of its population is
under 13 years of age. Children can’t work the farms, children can’t work in
the factories and children can’t build infrastructure. Every nation has
resources, whether its people, land or mineral wealth. No change in trade
policy can force a poor nation to adopt a rule of law. No amount of handouts
can compel a woman to stop having countless children and until these internal
factors are changed the 3rd world will remain just that. These
poor nations and their socialist advocates should stop placing demands on the
west and start placing demands on themselves. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4222034.stm If at
first you don’t succeed…. September 7, 2005 They have been trying since the second Hurricane Katrina came ashore. It began with the leftist bloggers, who we pointed out last week. They blamed Bush for the very formation of Katrina. According to these extremists, Bush’s policies led to global warming (as if global warming began on the day Bush took office, and not a second earlier) and global warming caused the formation of the hurricane (as if hurricanes never struck the US before and as if the deadliest hurricanes in recorded history did not emerge during the mid-20th century). Indeed, of the four most deadly hurricanes to strike the US in the last century, Katrina ranks third, with the most deadly striking Florida 70 years ago. Regardless of the | |||||
