.comment-link {margin-left:.6em;}
Heavy-Handed Politics

"€œGod willing, with the force of God behind it, we shall soon experience a world
without the United States and Zionism."€ -- Iran President Ahmadi-Nejad

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Bin Laden: Where is he? Who's protecting him? Why can't we find ...

Independent - London,England,UK

"He wanted to show his followers he still calls the shots. What happened? He was front-page news. The US immediately replied to him, and the media around the US began reporting increased security as a result of his threats.

"The fact that he had been silent for a year increased the impact - if he spoke out too often, it would be less dramatic. Bin Laden is no longer in operational control of al-Qa'ida, but he doesn't want to be. He sees himself as a prophet, an ideological focus, not as a strategist or commander."
Read on.

Fugitive militant Zarqawi seeking new Iraq alliances
Reuters AlertNet - London,England,UK
LONDON, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian Islamist militant and most wanted man in Iraq, is alive, well and seeking new alliances among ...

Did They Get The Okay From Iran On This?

UN to Observe First Universal Commemoration in Memory of Holocaust ...
NewsBlaze - Folsom,CA,USA
The United Nations Department of Public Information will hold the first universal observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims ...

Academic prescribes turbines to cool global warming
Nut News
Nunatsiaq News - Iqaluit,Nunavut,Canada

A researcher at the University of Alberta has come up an odd scheme to reduce the effects of global warming - one that involves 8,100 barges equipped with wind ...

"I've often said that Democrats are the only reason to vote for Republicans."
--- Thomas Sowell

Friday, January 20, 2006

NOTHING SHOULD SURPRISE US ANYMORE

Global Warming Could Spell Disaster for Blacks

By Bruce Britt

If you thought Hurricane Katrina was a once-in-a-lifetime fluke, think again. Concerned environmentalists say that unless the United States gets real about the threat of global warming, African Americans and other people of color can expect a repeat of disasters like Katrina.

“When you look at the trends and put them all together, it’s undisputable that the sea levels are rising,” says Ansje Miller, director of the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative (EJCC). “Warmer seas mean more intense hurricanes…. You’re going to have intense flooding like we have never seen before. Katrina is really the hurricane of the future.”

You can read the rest of this pathetic piece here.

We're So Confused!

"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began a visit to Syria Thursday to consolidate an old alliance made increasingly crucial as both countries face mounting U.S. pressure and the threat of international sanctions," the Associated Press reports:

Syria is Iran's closest Arab ally. The two countries have had close relations since 1980 when Syria sided with Iran against Iraq at the start of the Iran-Iraq war.

How is this possible? Syria is a secular Baathist dictatorship, while Iran is ruled by Muslim fundamentalists. Everyone knows these groups are like oil and water; that's why Saddam Hussein's Iraq never had anything to do with al Qaeda! (Well, other than things like hosting terrorist training camps, sending officials to visit al Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan, sheltering Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, publishing magazines celebrating the Sept. 11 attacks, and a few other things like that. But c'mon, that's small beer!)

Anyway, this Syria-Iran thing really makes us question some of our long-held assumptions.

From Opinion Journal

Thoughts on the decline of the liberal media monopoly and the future of the GOP.
By Peggy Noonan

I don't think Democrats understand that the Alito hearings were, for them, not a defeat but an actual disaster. The snarly tone the senators took with a man most Americans could look at and think, "He's like me," and the charges they made--You oppose women and minorities, you only like corporations and not the little guy--went nowhere. Once those charges would have taken flight, would have launched, found their target and knocked down any incoming Republican. Not any more. It's over. Read on.

I Guess Anybody Can Run

Former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle is weighing the possibility of running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008.

"I have received a lot of encouragement," Daschle said in an email today to the Argus Leader.
Read on.

U.S. freezes assets of Syria's military intelligence chief

WORLD TRIBUNE.COM

The United States has frozen the assets of the top aide and brother in law of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The Bush administration termed Syrian military intelligence chief Assaf Shawkat a terrorist financier. Officials said the designation would lead to a U.S. and international effort to track and seize Shawkat's assets. Read on.

Al Qaeda's Mad Scientist
Yahoo! News - USA
... Iraq concocted suspect chemicals under the direction of senior al-Qaida associate Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi and tried to smuggle them into Russia, Western Europe ...

Bubba, say it ain't so.......................

Hey, hey, ho, ho, this investigation has got to go..........hey, hey, ho, ho.......

Clinton officials blocked probe, counsel says
A 10-year, $22 million investigation into former Housing Secretary Henry G. Cisneros says Clinton-administration officials blocked an independent counsel probe into his failure to pay income taxes on "hush money" payments he made to a mistress.

In search of rebuilding billions

The Washington Times
Finding out what happened to Iraq's $37 billion in oil-financed reconstruction funds -- its stacks of plastic-wrapped hundred-dollar bills popping up all over the country like play money -- has taken investigators down many paths, including one to the ....................

Rice plans to lobby in Europe for Iran United Nations referral
NewKerala.com - Ernakulam,Kerala,India
WASHINGTON, Jan 19: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice plans to visit Europe late this month to build a united front to refer Iran to the UN Security ...

Making Sense of Nonsense: Understanding what we're in.

The United States is engaged in the most radical and dangerous gambit in the Middle East since the end of the Ottoman Empire.

Established powers are not often inclined to tamper with the status quo abroad, and so do not support the weaker and disenfranchised. They usually prefer to prop up whoever ensures order and stability. But after September 11, the old safe way was seen as dangerous, and the new dangerous way as ultimately more safe.

[snip]

We were once slandered as hegemonic; but when we didn’t steal anything in Iraq, and instead spent billions in aid, suddenly we were called naive by the now realist Left.

[snip]

Despite the fact that al Qaedists were in Kurdistan, Al Zarqawi was in Saddam’s Baghdad, terrorists like Abu Abas and Abu Nidal were sheltered by Iraqis, and recent archives disclose that hundreds of Iraqi terrorists were annually housed and schooled by the Baathists, we are nevertheless assured that there was no tie between Saddam and terrorists. Those who suggest there were lines of support are caricatured as liars and Bush propagandists.

These are snippets from the most recent column of one of my favorite writers, Victor David Hanson. You can read it at NRO or at his own web site vdh Private Papers.

"The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life."

---Theodore Roosevelt

"I pronounce it as certain that there was never yet a truly great man that was not at the same time truly virtuous."

--- Benjamin Franklin

"Justice is a certain rectitude of mind whereby a man does what he ought to do in circumstances confronting him."

--- St. Thomas Aquinas

EYE ON CHINA

India, China take Visa on Asia drive
Financial Express - Bombay,India
NEW DELHI, JANUARY 20: With robust growth in consumer spending in India and China, Visa cardholders across the Asian region spent more than 19 billion dollars ...

Joint venture gives Melodeo market in China
Seattle Times - United States
Seattle-based Melodeo is eyeing China's 350 million mobile subscribers as a prime audience for buying songs delivered to mobile phones. ...

China arrests rise in restive Xinjiang
Reuters - USA
... Uighur activists, who Beijing says are terrorists trying to split China, have been struggling for decades for self-determination in remote Xinjiang, formally ...

China pays 40.7% more for crude imports in 2005
Xinhua - China
BEIJING, Jan. 20 -- China's crude oil imports bill surged 40.7 percent last year due to the hike in prices globally. China paid ...

China's BlueStar signs a deal to acquire French Adisseo Group
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
China National BlueStar (Group) Corporation acquired France-based Adisseo Group Tuesday in Brussels, Belgium, reports People's Daily on Thursday. ...

Libya denies Taiwan invite, backs ties with China
Reuters South Africa - Johannesburg,South Africa
... its leader Muammar Gaddafi had invited Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian to visit the country and reaffirmed its commitment to a pro-Beijing one China policy. ...

Arabic nations become China's 8th biggest trade partner
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
Arabic nations have become China's eighth biggest trade partner, the seventh biggest export market and import source last year, People's Daily reporter learned ...

MAKES SENSE TO ME.......

Judge Orders School to Reinstate Spanking Supporter
(CNSNews.com)
– A New York State appeals court on Wednesday ruled that Le Moyne College was wrong to dismiss a student who wrote a paper in support of corporal punishment in elementary school classrooms...

This is for You, Anotmo

This is quite relevant to your comment on my post about Marine Gunnery Sgt. Michael Burghardt in which you stated these are the true heroes but the left holds up the Cindy Sheehans of the world as "heroes."

Code Pink Praises Murtha, Picketed Military Hospital
(CNSNews.com)
The anti-war group "Code Pink: Women for Peace" is thanking Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) on its website for his "courageous stand on Iraq." The group recently presented Murtha its "pink badge of courage" for his anti-war activism...Read on.
(Emphasis mine - HH)

HeavyHanded: Now, just in case some lefty is waiting out there, lurking, and ready to pounce on me about Murtha...yes, I know he is a decorated Viet Nam veteran. This is not about that. This is about calling someone, anyone, courageous for moving their mouth. Pull...easeeeeeeeeeeeee..............!

Two other points: First, I have the utmost respect and gratitude to anyone who has spent time in the armed forces of the U.S. But, it does not give them a lifetime pass on being dumb or wrong. They are still capable of saying and doing dumb things.

You are quick to attack and denigrate the armed forces and show little respect, if not contempt for them, like picketing a military hospital, but then slander anyone who says anything negative about "your war heroes" like Murtha and John Kerry (who served in Viet Nam, ya' know).

Wrong is wrong and right is right, whether you are a war hero or not. Even though there is some speculation about Murtha and his medals, much like Kerry and his, I will not go there.

As I said, wrong is wrong, as in the case of Republican Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham who screwed up big time and was a hotshot Viet Nam war fighter pilot.

Wrong is wrong. No passes.

New Planned Parenthood Head Faces Home State Clinic Cuts
(CNSNews.com)
- The Planned Parenthood Federation of America is marking the 33rd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision with a new president. However, even as Cecile Richards takes the reins of the nation's largest abortion provider, the organization may be forced to curtail services and even shut down clinics -- in Richards' home state of Texas...

Kennedy Says Alito ‘Itching to Overturn Roe v. Wade’
(CNSNews.com)
– Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) said he plans to vote against Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito because the judge is “itching to overturn Roe v. Wade.”

Easter Eggs, With Politics on the Side…
(CNSNews.com)
– A coalition of homosexual advocacy groups is urging families headed by lesbians, bisexuals, gays and transgenders to show up in big numbers for the White House Easter Egg Roll on April 17. It’s not a protest, organizers say. Instead, it’s billed as a “celebration of LBGT families.”

Bin Laden Threat Points to Imminent Attack, Analyst Says
(CNSNews.com)
- An audio statement by Osama bin Laden broadcast on al-Jazeera television Thursday appears to be related to recent threats made by an al Qaeda front in Europe and points to an imminent attack, according to a Washington-based analyst...

Militants Threaten More Attacks on Nigeria’s Oil Wells
Nairobi, Kenya (CNSNews.com)
– The Nigerian government is under intense pressure to stop militant attacks against oil installations owned by western companies. Recent attacks have led to a 10 percent drop in Nigeria’s oil output and affected world oil prices. But militants on Friday warned of “more sustained attacks.”

Thursday, January 19, 2006

CAIR ON THE ATTACK --- AGAIN!

The Intelligence Summit Blog is reporting that "A source close to the Sun-Sentinel in Florida has informed us that a 'controversial' Islamic group -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) -- is trying to get one of the most pro-Israel columnists writing today, Cal Thomas, booted from the paper's editorial page.
At the very least -- and I'm NOT making this up! -- they want Cal moved to the religion page, we're told.

In other words, A BELIEVING CHRISTIAN WHO TAKES STRONG MORAL STANDS doesn't deserve to have a loud voice in South Florida's fastest-growing major daily newspaper.




WELL, DUHHH......

Ohio High School Cancels Internet Porn Assignment

From Pardon My English, "It took parent's complaints before these dimwit educators decided that it might not be a good idea to send 14-year-olds out surfing the Internet for porn.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME

I agree with Tiger Hawk; Bin Layin' Low Bin Laden is hurting and is reacting defensively from a position of weakness.

Make sure you visit my friends at Camp Katrina, FlexBlue, and Lost Budgie.

Friends are Angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble

Leading the fight is Gunnery Sgt Michael Burghardt, known as "Iron Mike" or just "Gunny". He is on his third tour in Iraq. He had become a legend in the bomb disposal world after winning the Bronze Star for disabling 64 IEDs and destroying 1,548 pieces of ordnance during his second tour. Then, on September 19, he got blown up. He had arrived at a chaotic scene after a bomb had killed four US soldiers. He chose not to wear the bulky bomb protection suit. "You can't react to any sniper fire and you get tunnel-vision," he explains. So, protected by just a helmet and standard-issue flak jacket, he began what bomb disposal officers term "the longest walk", stepping gingerly into a 5ft deep and 8ft wide crater. The earth shifted slightly and he saw a Senao base station with a wire leading from it. He cut the wire and used his 7in knife to probe the ground. "I found a piece of red detonating cord between my legs," he says. "That's when I knew I was screwed."

Realizing he had been sucked into a trap, Sgt Burghardt, 35, yelled at everyone to stay back. At that moment, an insurgent, probably watching through binoculars, pressed a button on his mobile phone to detonate the secondary device below the sergeant's feet. "A chill went up the back of my neck and then the bomb exploded," he recalls. "As I was in the air I remember thinking, 'I don't believe they got me.' I was just ticked off they were able to do it. Then
I was lying on the road, not able to feel anything from the waist down."

His colleagues cut off his trousers to see how badly he was hurt. None could believe his legs were still there. "My dad's a Vietnam vet who's paralyzed from the waist down," says Sgt Burghardt. "I was lying there thinking I didn't want to be in a wheelchair next to my dad and for him to see me like that. They started to cut away my pants and I felt a real sharp pain and blood trickling
down. Then I wiggled my toes and I thought, 'Good, I'm in business.' As a stretcher was brought over, adrenaline and anger kicked in. "I decided to walk to the helicopter. I wasn't going to let my team-mates see me being carried away on a stretcher." He stood and gave the insurgents who had blown him up a one-fingered salute. "I flipped them one. It was like, 'OK, I lost that round but I'll be back next week'."

Copies of a photograph depicting his defiance, taken by Jeff Bundy for the Omaha World-Herald, adorn the walls of homes across America and that of Col John Gronski, the brigade commander in Ramadi, who has hailed the image as an exemplar of the warrior spirit. Sgt Burghardt's injuries - burns and wounds to his legs and buttocks - kept him off duty for nearly a month and could have earned him a ticket home. But, like his father - who was awarded a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts for being wounded in action in Vietnam - he stayed in Ramadi to engage in the battle against insurgents who are forever coming up with more ingenious ways of killing Americans.



The Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant in the picture is Michael Burghard, part of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team that is supporting 2nd Brigade 28th Infantry Division (Pennsylvania Army National Guard).

Maybe China is not so Bad Afterall..........

SMC beer sales up in China
INQ7.net - Philippines
SMC said in a statement yesterday that revenue from its brewery operations in South China grew 21 percent last year to $21.4 million. ...

AND.........

Harley-Davidson Plans China Dealership,
Forbes - USA
... "So that we can just plan a weekend trip, three days and two nights in China. ... has pushed hard to find ways to sell its motorcycles in China. ...


Beer and Harleys. What's to complain about?

EYE ON CHINA

China now has 111 million people online
Sydney Morning Herald - Sydney,New South Wales,Australia
China's internet population, already the world's second largest after the United States, has risen to 111 million, state media reported. ...

Mass Disturbances Increasing in China
Voice of America - USA
By Luis Ramirez. China's national police say the number of mass disturbances in the country is growing. Analysts say the discontent ...

China to Use $1.5 Bln of Aid Finance for Nation's Northeast
Bloomberg - USA
China will use $1.5 billion in funding from international financing bodies and foreign countries during the next three years to build power ...

China continues efforts for resumption of six-party talks
China will try its best to propose every possible suggestion that could lead to an early resumption of the six-party talks, Chinese Foreign ...

China tapping Africa for energy
iAfrica.com - Cape Town,South Africa
China would continue to rely on Africa for its growing energy needs, its ambassador to South Africa Liu Guijin said on Thursday in response to criticism of his ...

China says rights criticisms come from 'thin air'
Reuters - USA
BEIJING (Reuters) - China lashed out at an international human rights group for its routinely dim assessments on Thursday, but also said it had room to improve ...

China hails US-North Korea talks
RIA Novosti - Moscow,Russia
BEIJING, January 19 (RIA Novosti, Alexei Yefimov) - The Foreign Ministry of China welcomes the results of a meeting held in Beijing between US and North Korean ...

Taiwan releases photos of China military bases; seeks approval of ...
Forbes - USA
... Another Taiwanese military officer said China's People Liberation Army has deployed fighters and bomber fleets at four air bases in Fujian province facing ...

Learning from China's Export Boom
BusinessWeek - USA
China has replaced the US as the world's top tech exporter. While no cause for panic, it's a wake-up call for the complacent. Way. ...

Don't Be Afraid of China
BusinessWeek - USA
... 11 when China reported that its 2005 global trade surplus had tripled to a record $102 billion. It seemed further evidence of the ...

Kim heads home after secretive trip to China
Mail & Guardian Online - Johannesburg,South Africa
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il was reportedly heading home on Wednesday on a special train, ending a secretive week-long visit to China that apparently ...

Don't blame China
Xinhua - China
BEIJING, Jan. 18 -- China is an easy target for our economic grumbling. It is ruled by a Communist Party. Its currency, the yuan, does not float freely. ...

"If we don't have a proper fundamental Moral background, we'll finally end up with a totalitarian government which does not believe in rights for anybody except the state."

--- Harry S. Truman

Senate Democrat Will Introduce Resolution on Iran
(CNSNews.com)
– To forestall a military strike on Iran, the United States needs to take tough action now, and that means economic and cultural sanctions, a Senate Democrat said on Thursday. He said he will introduce a resolution in the Senate on Friday...

Lawmaker hits incursions by Mexico military
An Arizona congressman yesterday demanded the State Department take "immediate diplomatic action" to stop Mexican military incursions into the United States, saying U.S. Border Patrol agents face a continuing threat of being killed by rogue soldiers protest........

Let Me Get this Right........

US Calls Iran 'Test' for Security Council; Russia, China Balk
Voice of America - USA
... another chance. China's UN Ambassador Wang Guangya said taking the issue to the Security Council might have negative consequences. "To ... read on

HeavyHanded: Taking Iran to the UN Security Council might have negative consequences? The U.N. is supposed to be the moral conscience of the global community? They are the ones that are supposed to role up their sleeves, dig right in, and be the ultimate trouble shooter? And keep ourselves safe from .... well .... ourselves?

But we cannot send the Iran nuclear problem to the U.N. Security Council because it might have negative consequences? What the hell?

I'm digressing a little here, but why is it that a rather significant portion of those who are left of center like to use the argument that we need to go through the UN for these kind of matters; and criticize the Bush administration for not giving the UN and nuclear weapons inspectors enough time to do their job in Iraq, but then take the contradictory position and say the Bush administration isn't doing enough on the Iran and North Korea nuclear problems? Why does the UN get a pass here?

Is it possible that they truly don't believe in what they are saying? Is it possible that it is just hollow rhetoric? Hmmmm? Anything to bash Bushitler, right? Facts and contradictions don't matter. Right?

How can the UN effectively operate if "we"are concerned that an action possibly to be taken might "have negative consequences"? It cannot. It does not. It (UN) is in fact ineffectual.

Allowing Iran to have nuclear weapons might have negative consequences, might it not? Allowing them the possibility to fulfill their dreams to wipe Israel off the map, could be considered a negative consequence, no?

Allowing Iran to obtain nuclear weapons so that they might get them into the hands of :

Abu Nidal organization (ANO)
Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade
Armed Islamic Group (GIA)
‘Asbat al-Ansar
Aum Supreme Truth (Aum) Aum Shinrikyo, Aleph
Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA)
Communist Party of Philippines/New People's Army (CPP/NPA)
Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group, IG)
HAMAS (Islamic Resistance Movement)
Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM)
Hizballah (Party of God)
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU)
Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM)
Jemaah Islamiya (JI)
Al-Jihad (Egyptian Islamic Jihad)
Kahane Chai (Kach)
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK, KADEK)
Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LT)
Lashkar I Jhangvi (LJ)
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK or MKO)
National Liberation Army (ELN)—Colombia
Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ)
Palestine Liberation Front (PLF)
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC)
Al-Qaida
Real IRA (RIRA)
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)
Revolutionary Nuclei
Revolutionary Organization 17 November (17 November)
Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C)
Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC)
Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path or SL)
United Self-Defense Forces/Group of Colombia (AUC)

so that anyone of these groups can launch a nuclear rocket into the US from a shipping vessel, well, might that be construed as a ..................... um ......... negative consequence ?

Ivory Coast on brink of a new war

UNITED Nations peacekeepers fought off armed attackers besieging their compound in Ivory Coast yesterday, as the country appeared to be heading for a fresh outbreak of civil war.

Plot to kidnap PM's son ends fathers group

A RADICAL fathers' rights group disbanded yesterday following allegations of a plot by renegade members to kidnap Tony Blair's five-year-old son Leo. Read on.

The original story posted here.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Terrorism Could Explode After Palestinian Elections, Expert Says

Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) – Israel may face a new Palestinian uprising in which the main weapons are rockets rather than suicide bombers following next week’s Palestinian Authority elections, an Israeli intelligence expert said...READ ON.

Mexican Illegals Urged to Help Stop Terrorist Infiltrators

(CNSNews.com) – The director of a website that describes its mission as “provoking liberals” and “confounding conservatives” believes U.S. officials should use illegal immigrants from Mexico to help track down potential Middle East terrorists trying to penetrate American borders...
READ ON.

Democrat Lawmaker Linked to Katrina Charity Controversy

(CNSNews.com) – The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, criticized on Dec. 22 for admitting that it had not distributed any of the estimated $400,000 it raised for Hurricane Katrina victims, now claims to have handed out most of the money on Dec. 9. But there's a possible conflict of interest between the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and the group that received a $290,000 grant...READ ON.

Economy

An analysis:

Heritage’s “2006 Index of Economic Freedom” is out. As in golf, “low scores are more desirable.” Hong Kong, Ireland, Britain, the United States, Estonia, Canada, and Switzerland were among the countries sinking holes-in-one while Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela mired their citizens in the sand trap. Read on.

COMMENTARY

Explaining why tax simplification is so elusive and so very difficult to procure, “simplicity has no political constituency. Given the choice between a concrete targeted tax credit vs. the abstract benefits of simplicity, taxpayers will prefer credits every time.”

---
Andrew Chamberlain of the Tax Foundation

Read the commentary here.

COMMENTARY

Heritage’s Policy Blog issues some devastating predictions about the impact of a new Maryland law that requires Wal-Mart to pay 8 percent of payroll expenses in health care.

See their predictions and what a mess it could turn out to be. Damn utopians.

Wal-Mart Analysis:

Writing on efforts to block Wal-Mart from establishing an industrial loan corporation (ILC) in Utah for the benefit of customers and employees, AEI’s Peter Wallison finds that the case against it “doesn’t hold water.” READ ON.

COMMENTARY

TechCentralStation.com’s Jim Glassman proclaims “Good Riddance to Traditional Pensions” in a Jan. 13 commentary celebrating the decision by International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) to replace its pension program with a 401(k). “IBM’s decision offers a good model for reforming Social Security… The U.S. government will have a sounder fiscal future when, like IBM, it stops treating adult American workers like children,” argues Glassman. READ ON.

Own Your Own Retirement

By Herman Cain

As demands on retirement plans increase, American workers will benefit from market-based accounts they control.
There are few guarantees in this life. The most widely recognized are death and taxes, but it’s also guaranteed that government isn’t as concerned about your well-being as you are. Liberals claim to support “guaranteed” retirement benefits, regardless of the cost or our ability to provide them. The reality is that guaranteed benefit plans – whether provided by government or private companies – will not be able to survive the coming generations.

Despite media skepticism, American workers are capable of handling their own retirements. They just need the tools available to save and to take their savings with them from job to job. The decline of the traditional pension only makes this need more evident. The problem is the same whether it’s Social Security or IBM’s pension fund – you can’t rely on someone else to take care of your future. The good news is, we’re up to the challenge. Read more at The Free Market Project.

'Plot uncovered to kidnap Tony Blair's son'

LEO Blair, the youngest son of the Prime Minister, was the target of a kidnap plot by elements on the extreme fringe of the campaign group Fathers 4 Justice, according to reports last night. Read on.

Dangerous Defeatism

Beyond the News
By Hugh Hewitt

Walter Cronkite has emerged from his retirement this week to demand that America leave Iraq. "It's my belief that we should get out now," Cronkite told reporters at a meeting of the Television Critics Association. He offered the need to focus on recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina as an excuse to cover our retreat.

This disastrous advice is an echo of Cronkite's famous declaration that Vietnam could not be won in 1968, though of course peace was secured in that country only to be forfeited later when Congress refused aid to our South Vietnamese ally, and millions died in the resulting carnage in Southeast Asia, and millions more fled or were imprisoned.

The same result would follow in Iraq and the Middle East generally if America were to follow Cronkite's advice to again cut and run.

The avuncular and familiar Cronkite should stick to sailing as he heads towards 90. His advice a generation ago was disastrous for the world. He should not be indulged a second time simply because we are obliged to treat our elders with respect.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Outside View: Merkel retains Russia links
Merkel's recent meeting with Putin looks to be a positive step in the continuation of strengthening Russo-German relations. Read on...

Israel: Won't put up with nuclear Iran
Israel's acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Tuesday indicated Israel would not let Iran have a nuclear weapon. In his first press conference since he ... Read on...

Analysis: China's Africa exansion
China is continuing to exert its influence as an emerging world power. Over the last several days, the Chinese government has publicly stepped up its ... Read on...

Analysis: Iran, Nigeria lead to oil spike
Oil prices are likely to continue to rise amid nuclear tensions with Iran and political instability in Nigeria, experts say. Crude prices increased ... Read on...

Mexico demands US probe of second migrant shooting
Mexican Ismael Segura, 23, was fatally shot in the chest by security agents in Texas on the weekend after he resisted arrest and tried to flee in his a car, the second killing of a Mexican migrant by U.S. security forces in recent days, the Mexican government said. Read on...

Senate Democrat backs Alito
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ben Nelson of Nebraska, a moderate voice in the U.S. Congress, on Tuesday became the first Senate Democrat to announce his support for conservative Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, who is expected to be confirmed later this month by the full Republican-led Senate. Read on...

Cheney has talks on Syria crisis in Saudi, Egypt
KUWAIT (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney on Tuesday held talks with Saudi, Egyptian and Lebanese leaders in a bid to resolve a stand-off between Syria and the United Nations over the assassination of a former Lebanese premier. Read on...

White House: Al Gore is a Hypocrite

McClellan said the Clinton-Gore administration had engaged in warrantless physical searches, and he cited an FBI search of the home of CIA turncoat Aldrich Ames without permission from a judge. He said Clinton's deputy attorney general, Jamie Gorelick, had testified before Congress that the president had the inherent authority to engage in physical searches without warrants.

"I think his hypocrisy knows no bounds," McClellan said of Gore. Read on.

New ID card for crossing borders in US
Xinhua
BEIJING, Jan. 18 -- Officials in the US have outlined steps to bolster US border security, with the introduction of a new travel card for land border crossings expected to be in place by the end of the year. ... Read on.

Walter Cronkite's new epiphany
Walter Cronkite thinks dealing with a war in Iraq and a hurricane in Louisiana and Mississippi will fatigue the world's only superpower. Call it the "one thing at a time" school of leadership. It's the latest cut-and-run argument from the left. Like its ......
Read on...

Iran on nuclear collision course
Jim Muir plots the collision course awaiting Iran as it may face sanctions over its nuclear policy. Read on...

Ivory party quits peace process
The ruling party in divided Ivory Coast says it is pulling out of peace efforts as anti-UN protests grow. Read on...

Powers split over Iran talks bid
The US and UK reject Iran's latest talks offer over its nuclear plans, while Russia and China seek compromise. Read on.

OUTSIDE THE BOX

By Pete Du Pont
Ben Franklin understood the need for secrecy in matters of national security.

EYE ON CHINA

Taiwan's PM resigns, signalling harder line against China
CBC News - Canada
... has resigned, paving the way for a long-awaited cabinet reshuffle weeks after the embattled party signalled it would take a tougher stand against rival China. ...

China's growing focus on Africa
BBC News - UK
... Africa on a concerted charm offensive - signing economic deals, raising Beijing's diplomatic profile and highlighting along the way China's newly trumpeted ...

CHINA AND IRAN

Iran crisis a dilemma for China
BBC News - UK
As Washington, now joined by the EU3, presses for punitive international action against Tehran, one of its most difficult tasks will be to win China's support. ...

Russia, China speak out against Iran sanctions
ABC Online - Australia
... China has also joined Russia in urging all countries involved in the dispute over Iran's nuclear program to resume talks rather than consider sanctions. ...

China's envoy to US urges more diplomacy on Iran
Reuters - USA
CHICAGO, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Diplomacy should be given another chance to resolve the Iran nuclear dispute, Zhou Wenzhong, China's ambassador to the United ...

Russia cautions on Iran sanctions, China urges 'diplomacy'
Monsters and Critics.com - Glasgow,UK
Russia on Tuesday warned against imposing international sanctions on Iran over its controversial nuclear research, while China said it still hoped to see a ...

China urges peaceful resolution of Iran nuclear case
China Daily - China
China urged Iran and the West on Tuesday to revive negotiations over Tehran's nuclear programme, but deflected questions about how Beijing will deal with moves ...

China, Russia take stance on Iran
Seattle Times - United States
LONDON -- China and Russia agreed with the United States, Britain, Germany and France on Monday that Iran must completely suspend its nuclear program, the ...

Democrats abort deal on Alito vote

THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Senate Democrats have scrapped a "good-faith" agreement they made two months ago to allow the Judiciary Committee to vote today on the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. READ ON.

RELATED: Democrats Delay Vote on Alito Nomination
(CNSNews.com)
As announced last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee was scheduled to meet today -- Tuesday -- to vote on the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court. But it didn't happen as planned... READ ON.

Mexican military incursions reported

THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The U.S. Border Patrol has warned agents in Arizona of incursions into the United States by Mexican soldiers "trained to escape, evade and counterambush" if detected -- a scenario Mexico denied yesterday. READ ON.

EU powers plan action on Iran

THE WASHINGTON TIMES
European powers yesterday began drafting a resolution to have Iran referred to the U.N. Security Council next month over its contentious nuclear work, after Russia and the West neared agreement on strategy. READ ON.

RELATED:Iran breakthrough may be in sight A POTENTIAL breakthrough in the nuclear stand-off with Iran came last night when the Iranian ambassador in Moscow praised a proposal to move Tehran's uranium enrichment programme to Russia. READ ON.

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS IS TO SUPPRESS REALITY.

Environmentalism

This previously posted opinion piece rolled up.

I am posting an opinion piece written by a guest contributor, Anotmo. Anotmo grew up in the midwest, works in the IT industry, and now lives in the beautiful eastern United States, in the heart of liberalism. Hopefully, Anotmo will continue as a guest contributor from time to time. My heartfelt thanks to him for his first contribution... may there be many more. Enjoy.

Environmentalism
By Anotmo

"It has always seemed curious to me that environmentalism is perceived to be so exclusively a concern of the left. After all, some significant portion of environmentalism is ‘conservation’ and one would think that would be of concern to ‘conservatives’. (By the way, why are leftist environmentalist never accused of wanting to ‘turn back the clock?) In fact, environmentalism is of concern to conservatives, but conservatives are not so vocal and obnoxiously self-aggrandizing about it. Also, as is so often the case, conservatives take a slightly different view on the matter that puts them at odds, not so much with the goals that the left presumes to champion, as they so habitually and self-righteously charge, but with the methods by which they propose to advance those goals.

The left, true to form, sees people as the villainous cause of the problem and the environment as the righteous victim. Therefore, to them, (1.) environmentalism means isolating the environment from any and all effects of mankind, (see “pristine” in the dictionary), and (2.) any action they may propose need not consider any ill effects on or cost to people. Indeed, any such ill effects and costs serves people right for being such malicious little despoilers of nature in the first place. Kind of a secular leftist version of ‘original sin’.

The right acknowledges that people can and do alter the environment but so do all species and so do naturally occurring events. More importantly, the right sees people as the victims of an unhealthy environment, not the other way around. Therefore, to them, (1.) environmentalism means maintaining a healthy environment for the benefit of people and so, (2.) any actions to improve or maintain the environment must be weighed against its effects on and costs to people.

These are very different mindsets. The left has been promoting theirs for years, so I will attempt to make the case for, at least this conservatives, a view from the right. Every species that ever was, is or ever will be has an effect on the environment. That is inescapable according to the lefts own otherwise sacred embrace of ‘Darwin’s Theory of Evolution’. ‘Survival of the fittest’ means best adapting to/exploiting the environment, whatever that environment is or may become. Nature does not distinguish between the effects of the Valdez oil spill and the existence of the California tar pits. That is a human esthetic distinction indiscernible to nature. Nature will deal with both in the same way. It will incorporate it, adapt to it and continue on.

The danger we face is not destroying all life on earth; the danger we face is destroying our own species. Leftist environmentalists are fond of characterizing the environment as being fragile. That is nonsense. The environment and the life within it are robust and virtually indestructible. The particular form the environment takes at any point in time may be fragile but this very fragility of form, this adaptability, is the environments strength, not its weakness. It is the beauty of nature that some forms of some species will survive no matter what changes transpire in the environment; currently perhaps short only of some cosmic catastrophe that literally destroys earth itself. Even then, the remaining debris may contain life forms that will eventually colonize elsewhere. In theory, that may be how life got to earth in the first place. Anyway, as we proceed toward populating other celestial bodies even this potential qualification will be overcome.

Contrary to the lefts view, I do not believe that humans could destroy all life on earth even if we set about specifically to do so. We could explode all of our weapons; nuclear and conventional alike, release all of our toxic agents, set fire to everything in sight and emit clouds of carbon dioxide and other forms of ‘pollution’ yet some forms of life will adapt and survive. Far greater calamities than we could impose have already occurred countless times in the history of the earth and still life goes on. We could, to be sure, destroy many species including our own, but not all life. In the first place, we would be extinct ourselves long before the job was done and the remains of the last human to die will still be consumed by the microorganisms within. In the second place, we could never complete the task anyway. Life is simply too adaptable.

Nature imposes a natural duty and compulsion on all living things to survive, both as individuals and as species. That is the key to the process. The only difference between us and any other life form on earth is that we alone now understand this and we alone now understand that our species cannot survive alone. It is, therefore, our responsibility to maintain an environment, complete with the other necessary life forms, that is viable for continued human existence, not one bereft of it. The tragedy of Easter Island is not that life on it was destroyed. It was not. The tragedy of Easter Island was that one species, humans, altered their environment so that their own life on it was rendered unviable.

Tree huggers may argue that the preceding destruction of the trees that led to the demise of human life was the real or at least equal tragedy of Easter Island. I would, perhaps, grant that point from the trees perspective, but I am a human. From my perspective it was the trees failure to adapt to this new environment, the one that included humans that precipitated the trees demise. In a do over perhaps some random genetic mutation would have led to trees that no longer served humans purposes and those trees would then have survived. If that notion strikes you as cold and heartless then you may be getting the point. The strength of nature is that it does not care which of its creatures survives, only that some do. Successful species often render other species extent. That is not tragedy, it is evolution. A species that does or at least can understand this but still renders itself extinct, that is tragedy.

The left’s view on the environment specifically, and I believe purposefully, isolates their proposals from consideration of its effects on and costs to people while the right’s view on the environment specifically demands it. That does not mean that the right would only include material values in such considerations. National parks are wonderful things and I am happy we have them. Eagles are lovely creatures and I am thrilled to see one in the wild, a prospect that is much more likely today than it was when I grew up. Spotted owls are another matter but different people have different tastes and values. I can live with that. Humans are an esthetically conscious species and I am quite happy to the extent that maintaining some portions of nature untouched by human hands and/or of no material value to humans satisfies those esthetics but only if it is without undue costs to humans. The point is that I am willing to argue as to what undue costs are. The left is not. The left seeks to avoid that argument altogether least they then need to define, qualify and quantify such things as the real potential impact on ANWR’s caribou heard of drilling for oil there versus the cost of Mideast oil.

In truth, the lefts environmentalism is not about the physical environment at all; it is about the cultural environment. Its’ movers and shakers, as opposed to its lay supporters, are more concerned with constraining the evil United State’s influence and power and advancing globalization than they are concerned with constraining the United States’ impact on the environment. The latter is just the current vehicle by which to advance the former. That is why they must avoid the environmental cost/benefit argument. Not so much because they would lose that argument, although they mostly would, but because it simply does not lead to where they really want to go. That whole topic is grist for another word mill that I may sometime get to.

In the meantime the above exculpated and naïve lay supporters of environmentalism would do well to carefully reconsider their position. The left seeks to save the environment from mankind while the right seeks to save the environment for mankind."

Monday, January 16, 2006

Just what is it that makes the left soft on terror?
By P. David Hornik

Barrett report set for release this week

Clinton reportedly tried to block, then limit probe into Cisneros, IRS
--New York Sun

COMMENTARY

Tax Cut Beneficiaries - Walter Williams, Washington Times

What The Democrats Fear - New York Sun

Girl's tip foils IED

BAGHDAD , Iraq – A young girl phoned in a tip of a possible roadside bomb to Coalition Forces Jan. 14, potentially saving innocent lives.

The girl reported seeing a white bag in a hole on a road in southeast Baghdad . When Coalition Forces investigated, they found a man hiding in the grass by the road, as well as four masked men in a car. A man carrying an AK-47 and talking on a cell phone was observed walking over to two suspected trigger men who were in the prone position. Attack aviation engaged the terrorists preventing them from carrying out the attack. Story. Hat tip to Camp Katrina.

Cancer Researcher Admits to Faking Data

Washington Post/AP

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- A Norwegian cancer researcher has admitted fabricating data published in a renowned international medical journal, officials in Norway said Saturday.

The researcher at Norway's Comprehensive Cancer Center, who was not identified, used faked patient data in an article on oral cancer published in the October 2005 issue of The Lancet, Britain's leading medical journal, said Stein Vaaler, strategy director for the cancer center.

The article claimed that a certain kind of drug decreased the risk of getting oral cancer and referred to results seen in patients in two national databases, Vaaler said in an interview.

A colleague raised questions about the article when it was published, and when the researcher was confronted this week about the data, he acknowledged the fabrication, Vaaler said.

"All of it was fabricated," Vaaler said. "It was not manipulation of real data _ it was just complete fabrication." More.

Mechanic sucked into jet engine

Fatal accident occurred as aircraft prepared to fly to Houston
CNN.com

A mechanic standing near a Boeing 737 at El Paso International Airport in Texas was sucked into one of the engines and killed Monday, officials said.

Continental Airlines Flight 1515 was preparing to take off for Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston when "a maintenance-related engine run-up of the right-hand engine" was carried out, said Roland Herwig, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration's southwest region in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

"Someone on the ground was sucked into the engine," he said.

Opinions

Conservatives now have a chance to take back the House.
By Stephen Moore

Hugo Chávez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are more than just pen pals.
By Mary Anastasia O'Grady

Today it's liberal Democrats who stand in the schoolhouse door.
By John Fund

Mayor Nagin: New Orleans Will Be 'Chocolate' Again

Mayor Ray Nagin told a crowd gathered at City Hall on Monday for a march honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that New Orleans will be "chocolate" again.

DETAILS

CULTURE AND MULTICULTURISM

"The progressive agenda—lavish social welfare, abortion, secularism, multiculturalism—is collectively the real suicide bomb. Take multiculturalism. The great thing about multiculturalism is that it doesn't involve knowing anything about other cultures—the capital of Bhutan, the principal exports of Malawi, who cares? All it requires is feeling good about other cultures. It's fundamentally a fraud, and I would argue was subliminally accepted on that basis. Most adherents to the idea that all cultures are equal don't want to live in anything but an advanced Western society. Multiculturalism means your kid has to learn some wretched native dirge for the school holiday concert instead of getting to sing 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' or that your holistic masseuse uses techniques developed from Native American spirituality, but not that you or anyone you care about should have to live in an African or Native American society. It's a quintessential piece of progressive humbug."

--- Mark Steyn

"One single object...[will merit] the endless gratitude of the society: that of restraining the judges from usurping legislation."

--- Thomas Jefferson

NEWS ALERT: United Nations Rescues Vietnam Christian Montagnards ...
BosNewsLife - Budapest,Hungary
... About 1,000 have reportedly been resettled in the United States, while an unknown number of others were sent back to Vietnam, where rights groups claim they ...
See all stories on this topic

Putin Urges Careful Steps as Nations Meet to Discuss Iran
New York Times - United States
... their counterparts from Russia and China, Mr. Putin appeared to be trying to slow down any movement to seek sanctions from the United Nations Security Council. ...

Harnessing China's new capitalism
The Age - Melbourne,Victoria,Australia
As the United States shows signs of weakness - budget and current account deficits and an extended military - China is growing stronger.

Key Democrat disavows block of Alito vote

A key Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee said yesterday that she will not support filibustering the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr., although she will oppose his confirmation.

"I do not see a likelihood of a filibuster," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat and often a swing vote on the Senate Judiciary Committee. "I don't see those kinds of egregious things emerging that would justify a filibuster."

Mrs. Feinstein said a filibuster against Judge Alito would be an abuse of the parliamentary tool. READ ON.

COMMENTARY

The Saddam-Al Qaeda Connection

The pre-war link between Saddam and Al Qaeda had to be addressed.
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.

The recent revelation by Stephen F. Hayes in The Weekly Standard that Iraq under Saddam Hussein had ties to – and was training thousands of – terrorists in the years prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, is actually no revelation at all. It is being treated as such by many Americans, cautiously praised by the White House, and dismissed as groundless by those opposed to the war. Read on.

Two dead in Iraq helicopter crash

SiberNews

A US military helicopter has crashed in Iraq, killing both pilots, apparently being hit by hostile fire.

The crash happened near Mosul, north of Baghdad. It was the second such incident in Iraq in less than a week.

Gen Vines said such violence was being conducted by insurgents other than Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al-Qaeda in Iraq, which he said was now "in disarray".

Gen Vines said many members of al-Qaeda in Iraq had been killed or captured in recent months during US offensives in the Euphrates valley and along Iraq's western border with Syria. Full article.

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Opinions

What Iran thinks of European diplomacy.

You'll never believe what left-wing law profs consider "mainstream."
By Heather Mac Donald

The real surveillance scandal.

Don’t Blame the Guns
By Gerard Valentino

Politicians, scientists and the American public have now accepted gun-control as a failed social experiment, resulting in the proliferation of concealed-carry laws nationwide. The medical profession, however, stands as one of the few remaining special interest groups that still believes in disarming law-abiding citizens without regard for the clear public health benefits of gun-ownership…

"It's very hard to fight a terrorist war without intelligence. By definition, you can only win battles against terrorists preemptively—that's to say, you find out what they're planning to do next Thursday and you stop it cold on Wednesday. Capturing them on Friday while you're still pulling your dead from the rubble is poor consolation."

--- Mark Steyn

"Conservatives who forget the primacy of the family and private sector are doomed to repeat the liberals' mistakes—and to replicate their political failures."

--- W. James Antle III

"Safe, Legal and What? 'Safe, legal, and rare.' That was Bill Clinton's mantra. Question: If abortion is a fundamental constitutional right, why should it be rare? Can you think of any other basic right that we would want to be rare?"

--- Tony Perkins

"There are two reasons that cutting taxes makes sense. The first reason is because you and I are over taxed... The second is that tax cuts help create jobs. Like Ronald Reagan, I believe the federal government's problem is not that it taxes too little, but that it spends too much."

--- Rep. Sam Graves

"The history of liberalism in...America has mostly been about giving people what they want and convincing them they are victims and that only government can help them, while the history of conservatism has mostly been about telling people what they need and giving them opportunities to better their lives."

--- Cal Thomas

CORPORATE TAXES

Commentary:

“With a combined federal and state tax rate of 39.3 percent, the U.S. taxes corporations at a rate that is 10 percentage points higher than the average of other nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development,” writes Kevin Hassett. Describing that 10-point deficit as a “humongous” in a competitive global economy, the AEI scholar concludes that “Congress should adopt legislation to lower the tax, and the president should push for the move in his State of the Union address later this month.” Read on.

The best and worst states for taxes

We all pay Uncle Sam the same no matter where we live, but property, gasoline, tobacco and sales taxes are all over the map.

Go here to see Rick VanderKnyff of MSN Money reporting on the best and worst states for taxes.

Economy News:

“Poverty now comes with a color TV,” reports Mark Trumbull of the Christian Science Monitor. Based on US Census data, “The computer has surpassed the dishwasher as a standard household appliance,” while even the “poorest Americans have posted a sharp rise in access to air conditioning.” Trumbull quotes bemused University of Dallas economist Michael Cosgrove: “it amazes me the number of people who are at or near the poverty line that have color TVs, cable, washer, dryer, microwave... the conveniences they have are in fact pretty good.”

Econ 101: How Do Tax Cuts Work?

Despite the media’s portrayal, tax cuts ‘for the rich’ aren’t bad – and they boost the economy.

By Gary Wolfram, Ph.D.
Free Market Project

The recent economic expansion in the United States – bolstered by news of 2 million jobs created in 2005 and an unemployment rate below 5 percent – is in large part due to the 2003 tax reduction. Tax cuts create economic growth. There is little doubt that this is the case, both at the national and local levels. Let’s look at how they’ve worked through history. Read on.

Sweet Dreams OBL ?

According to Iranians I trust, Osama bin Laden gave the world the most marvelous Christmas present he could possibly give by departing from it in mid-December. The Al Qaeda leader died of kidney failure and was buried in Iran, where he had spent most of his time since the destruction of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. The Iranians who reported this note that this year's message in conjunction with the Moslem Haj came from his number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri, for the first time.

--- Michael Ledeen

South America's Free Fall Into Fascism

The election of a Castro-Chavez Communist to the presidency of Bolivia last month, Evo Morales, has accelerated fears that South America is falling into a masochistic abyss of fascism and poverty.

Those fears are about to get much worse – because there is another Castro-Chavez Communist coming down the South American pike far more dangerous than “Coca Evo” (Morales is a coca leaf farmer and is legalizing coca production again).

We’re talking about Ollanta Humala, who seems poised to be elected president of Peru this coming April.

A straight-out Marxist, Ollanta has promised to nationalize much of Peru’s economy and abrogate the recently-signed Free Trade Agreement with the US. Yet the real threat is not economic. The real threat of Ollanta is real war with Peru’s neighbors.

--- Dr. Jack Wheeler

UN FAILING AGAIN

China, Russia delaying Sudan peacekeepers, United Nations says

Newkerala.com

UNITED NATIONS: Russia and China have delayed promised helicopters and medical units to a UN peacekeeping force in Sudan, thereby causing other countries to postpone sending troops, a UN official said.

The United Nations expects 10,000 troops in southern Sudan to monitor a peace agreement signed a year ago that ended nearly three decades of civil war between rebels and the Khartoum government. But only about 4,000 have arrived.

Jan Pronk, the special UN envoy to Sudan, told a news conference yesterday that Russian transport helicopters and a Chinese medical unit were considered vital before certain nations would send troops.

[SNIP]


Promised money to help development in the south and resettle refugees also has not been delivered, including from the UN budget itself, Pronk said.

EU targets asylum laws to stem flow of illegals

European ministers moved yesterday to harmonize asylum laws to reduce the number of refugees trying to enter the European Union and pledged to strengthen cooperation in deporting illegal aliens.

BUT.................Have they asked Vincente Fox if it's okay? We have to get his approval (and he has not been in the mood to do so) to crack down on illegal aliens crossing our borders; it only seems "fair" that the Europeans do the same.

CHINA NEWS

China's race for energy resources only just heating up
Mail & Guardian Online - Johannesburg,South Africa
China's $2.3-billion Nigerian oil venture is a major step forward for the energy ravenous country as it seeks to power its fast-growing economy but analysts ...


India, China to curb drug trafficking
NDTV.com - New Delhi,India
India and China have agreed to set up mechanisms for prompt exchange of information on drug trafficking. The two nations will also ...


China's interest in Africa no 'threat'
Houston Chronicle - United States
WASHINGTON - China's moves to secure crude oil supplies in Africa for its growing economy do not threaten US energy needs, a senior US State Department ...

Villagers clash with China police
BBC News - UK
A number of villagers in southern China have been injured after police used batons to break up a protest over a land dispute, according to reports. ...

`Tibetans won`t mind uniting with China`
Business Standard - India
"They do not mind uniting with China," he said. ... He said the world was fast changing and hoped for the day when Tibet and China worked together. ...

China`s Hu wants closer Taiwan links
Monsters and Critics.com - Glasgow,UK
XIAMEN, China (UPI) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao has called for more non-governmental organizations to become involved with increasing business activity in ...

US Seeks Copyright Protection in China
MSN Money - USA
HONG KONG (AP) - A US commerce official made fresh calls Sunday for China to further strengthen intellectual property protection ahead of the 2008 Olympics ...

Can our planet support the rise of China and India?
Taipei Times - Taiwan
Ten years ago, the world was worried that China would not be able to feed itself in the new millenium. Now that the growing giant ...

Mali seeks enhanced co-op with China
Xinhua - China
Mali hopes to enhance cooperation with China in agriculture, health, communications, resources development, infrastructure and other key areas ...

China's newly rich earn 200,000 yuan a year
Xinhua - China
In China, 20 percent of the newly rich people have annual incomes topping 200,000 yuan (24,700 US dollars), according to a survey by a market ...

Greece vows to enhance relations with China
Xinhua - China
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis asserted here on Saturday that his upcoming visit to China will promote and upgrade the relations ...