WHAT WE NEED

Do we want to keep the U.S. economically competitive, militarily secure and politically dynamic? One would think so. We know that we have a long-term petroleum dependency problem and it's resultant problematic ramifications.

In order to keep America competitive and maintain our current standard of living, we need to have affordable energy. We will need to develop other avenues of energy production to reduce our dependence on oil from countries that are not all that politically stable or politically friendly.

But if we are "addicted" to oil, is it not in OPEC's best interest to keep oil prices low, to keep us coming back for more, rather than having us seriously look for alternatives? We must have the resolve to seriously pursue other energy resources, even if oil prices were to come down dramatically in the future in response to our efforts to develop energy alternatives.

Richard Nixon fretted over our oil supply and its' long term availability. Not much has changed in 3+ decades. Now is the time to aggressively forge ahead in working on resolving our energy problems for the long term, despite any future actions that might take place by OPEC to make oil cheaper and abundant.

In addition to our energy problem, we have the war on terror. This is a fight against those who are evil and want to do evil things to you and me, and to our children. This is a fight against people who will kill because they are offended over a cartoon. This is and will be, in reality, a never-ending war. But hopefully, over time, a smaller war; a war of containment, if you will. Total eradication is nonsensical and unrealistic.

Then we have the problems of North Korea and Iran, and their nuclear ambitions. These problems are serious, and while we want to work with the UN when practical, we cannot seriously expect much from the UN in terms of results. Bosnia, despite UN intervention, is still unresolved. In addition, we have the country of Israel that has been awarded official statehood by the UN, yet 6 decades later is still not recognized by some Middle Eastern countries and by a rather large number of Arabs and Muslims. The UN is ineffectual in these matters.

These are all matters of great consequences and we need to stay focused on all of them, and keenly so. Tackling these serious problems head-on is going to compel us to have a steely resolve from Washington. Hopefully, the Republicans are up to the task, willing to recognize the problems for what they are and the commitment needed to confront them. But the bigger question is, "Are the Democrats?"

At this point in time, sadly, it appears not. It has become a reactionary party, an obstructionist party, a party with no solutions. And what's worse, a party that seems to be unable to admit that these problems exist. There is no enemy. There is no war on terror. There is no social security problem. They are a party that openly cheered like elementary school children at the State of the Union address because they were successful in stopping an attempt to fix the Social Security problem that is clearly imminent.

The Democrats have spent the last 6 years trying to thwart Bush from any kind of success, all in the name of politics and party enhancement. With mid-term elections coming up, and faced with these extremely complex problems, and only 2 years left in the Bush presidency, now is not the time to turn over either branch of Congress to the wayward party.

IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP

AN EMERGENCY THAT DEMANDS ATTENTION

By Olivia Albrecht

WASHINGTON -- It's time we woke up: The entangled crises of homeland security and illegal immigration are real. The United States is vulnerable on every front of this national security emergency, and the bad guys know it. Yet, as Americans, we fight ourselves into a political paralysis attempting to uphold our historically pro-immigrant ideals while striving to protect our citizens' lives.

Recent news from our southern border underscores the mounting assault against our nation.

Which Branch Do You Trust Most?

According to Rasmussen:

Congress
26%

Supreme Court
25%

President
27%

Rumor has it that the remaining 22% elected not to answer the question because they did not understand "the concept of trust."

"Somehow the Democratic Party — for 180 years the most electorally successful political party on the planet — has now almost completely mutated into a party too loathsome to be seen in public, and too nihilistic to be trusted with control of even a single branch of government." --- Tony Blankley

"The question we need to ask Moslems is: Until you start showing respect and tolerance for our values, religion, and civilization, why should we show any respect and tolerance for yours?" --- Dr. Jack Wheeler

Democrats kill proposed gay 'marriage' ban

Maryland House Democrats yesterday killed a proposed ban on homosexual "marriage," likely preventing any such proposal from getting on the November ballot. Read on.

U.S. defends press in cartoons offense

The State Department yesterday condemned as "offensive" cartoons in a Danish newspaper depicting the prophet Muhammad but defended the paper's right to publish them as a fundamental principle of democracy. READ ON.

"Your love of liberty - your respect for the laws - your habits of industry - and your practice of the moral and religious obligations, are the strongest claims to national and individual happiness."

-- George Washington

UN warns Iranian nuclear stand-off 'at critical phase'

THE United Nation's chief nuclear watchdog yesterday warned that the dispute over Iran's alleged nuclear weapons programme was "reaching a critical phase", as it appeared almost certain that Tehran would be referred to the UN Security Council to face possible sanctions. Read on.

Sharply Divided Court Upholds City's Anti-Christian Ban of Nativity in New York City Public Schools

ANN ARBOR, MI — A sharply divided panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that it is constitutionally permissible for New York City public schools to ban the display of the Christian nativity during Christmas, while permitting the display of the Jewish menorah and the Islamic star and crescent during Hanukkah and Ramadan.

The legal challenge to this policy was brought by the Thomas More Law Center on behalf of Ms. Andrea Skoros and her two children, who attend public elementary schools in New York.

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, called the decision another outrageous example of federal courts discriminating against Christians. Said Thompson, “Many federal courts are using the contrived endorsement test to cleanse America of Christianity. This unprincipled test allows judges to impose their ideological views under the pretext of constitutional interpretation. Thus, the majority opinion says it is legitimate to discriminate against Christians in the largest public school system in the country, with over one million students enrolled in its 1200 public schools and programs. This should be a wake-up call for Christians across this nation.”

Judge Straub was equally critical in his dissenting opinion. In his separate and lengthy, 46-page dissent, Judge Straub stated, “It is my view that the policy of the New York City Department of Education to arrange for the children to celebrate the holiday season in schools through the use of displays and activities that include religious symbols of the Jewish holiday of Chanukah and the Muslim commemoration of Ramadan, but starkly exclude any religious symbols of the Christian holiday of Christmas, fails under the [Constitution], both on its face and as applied.”

Judge Straub concluded, “I find it clear that the current policy and displays violate the Establishment Clause insofar as a reasonable student observer would perceive a message of endorsement of Judaism and Islam and a reasonable parent observer would perceive a message that Judaism and Islam are favored and that Christianity is disfavored.”

The policy at issue expressly states that the display of “secular holiday symbol decorations is permitted,” and it lists as examples the menorah and the star and crescent. The policy specifically excludes the display of the Christian nativity scene. The City defended its policy by arguing that the menorah and star and crescent were permissible symbols because they were “secular,” whereas the nativity scene had to be excluded because it was “purely religious.” Even though the majority recognized that the City’s argument was fallacious, stating that the policy “mischaracterizes” these symbols, it still upheld the discriminatory ban on the Christian nativity.

Judge Straub strongly disagreed with the majority, arguing that this aspect of the policy was itself a violation of the Constitution. He noted that the nativity scene or crèche “depicts a historical event and thus, has some non-religious aspects to it.” He concluded that the City’s “action in defining a menorah and star and crescent as secular, and a crèche as ‘purely religious,’ is impermissible insofar as it takes positions on divisive religious issues.”

Robert Muise, the Law Center’s attorney handling the case, commented, “This is a shocking decision and Christians should be outraged by it. We strongly believe that the majority decision is fundamentally flawed, as pointed out by the dissent, and we intend to take this fight to the next level. This battle is far from over.”

A news release from the Thomas More Law Center.

NY, Nation Not Eager for Hillary Clinton Prez Bid

(CNSNews.com) – Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) has a 40-to-1 campaign cash advantage over the most significant challenger for her Senate seat, suggesting she’s a shoo-in for re-election. However, a new poll indicates that a majority of New Yorkers want her to remain where she is, rather than run for president in 2008... Read on.

Feinstein Fears Border is 'Gateway' to Terrorism

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., expressed concern Thursday that the southern border has become a "major gateway” for Middle Eastern terrorists in a hearing with National Intelligence Director John Negroponte and other top intelligence officials.

Feinstein noted that law enforcement officials captured 155,000 non-Mexican illegal aliens in 2005, more than three times as many as the 49,545 that were apprehended in 2003.

Negroponte told Feinstein that the intelligence community was "sensitive to” the issue she raised, but said that the Canadian border posed "a bit greater concern.” More.

Lebanese public getting fed up with Palestinian bases

For the first time, the Lebanese government has come under grass-roots pressure to dismantle Palestinian military bases. Article.

Israel building underwater wall

TEL AVIV — Israel has erected an undersea barrier to defend against Palestinian insurgency infiltration. Read on.

China radar at South Pole could sabotage U.S. spy satellites

Beijing announced plans last week to build a high-frequency radar on the South Pole. Analysts say the radar could be used to disrupt U.S. intelligence satellites. More.

Pentagon sees China as greatest potential rival

China has the “greatest potential to compete militarily” with America in the future, but the US is also increasingly worried about Russian arms sales, the Pentagon said in major review of military priorities. Read on.

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

COMMENTARY BY HEAVYHANDED

At the start, political correctness started out as pressure, externally applied and placed upon regular people by academic elites so as not to say certain things that were “judged improper.” But, there has been a remarkable development along the way; it has become insidious. It has run amok. Today, honest opinions not only are not tolerated, but they are not respected, nor are they viewed as a constitutional right.

Political correctness is not the same as criticism. One should be able to criticize without political correctness becoming an obstacle. What is deemed “politically correct” is as likely to make us prisoners of controlled speech as our prejudices are to blind us. We are not all alike, but we are no longer allowed to observe and revel in our social differences.

Political correctness aims to sentence us to a state of obmutescence. It obviates our right to ruminate on the issues we feel important to our lives, and to think for ourselves, void of collectivism. In a society, purportedly free, it has become society's censorial functionary.

Individualism and political correctness are mutually exclusive objectives. This is so, because a true individualist keeps an open mind when it comes to knowledge, and political correctness is nothing more than an attempt to supress reality.

As Gerry Spence, stated in his book Seven Simple Steps to Personal Freedom, "Political correctness is the hollow voice of power exhorting the slaves to let the master think for them. It is often no more than the dictates of a group of self-appointed censors foisting their doctrine on us."

Tolerance: A Matter of Closing Your Eyes, Shutting Your Mouth, and Plugging Your Ears?

Or, ........ wait. Or, did I just describe political correctness?

Most of us are aware by now ( I have not addressed the topic before) of the madness that has transpired over the cartoon of Mohammed wearing a turban-bomb on his head by a Danish cartoonist.

While I don't find it particularly humorous, and it certainly does not help ease tensions between many Mulims and the West, and in fact only serves perhaps to fan the flames of our current environment of uneasiness, the reaction - the anger displayed by those who oppose the cartoon has been over the top.

A rational, sane, well-adjusted, peaceful, loving person does not threaten death, commit acts of violence, nor kill, over a freeking cartoon. And anyone who does, is not a rational, sane, well-adjusted, peace-loving person. Sorry, there is no rational argument against this statement.

It is due to their ignorance that they don't know (or willful denial?) that attacks on Christianity right here in the United States has been going on for a very long time. Wow, man, it's soooo sixties. Secular Blasphemy has a post regarding an art show/exhibit that has been created that is anti-Christian, complete with one example. Don't go there if you are easily offended by the "f-word".

Many Muslims are indignant and ask how we would like these kinds of attacks and cartoons debasing our religion. Why.... they would never do that to us, right?

Stephen Pollard posts:

On further reflection, the Danes should surely apologise for the cartoons and for their media in general. The Islamic press would never, ever publish a cartoon which might conceivably offend another religion's believers. Never, ever.

This cartoon, for instance, would never, ever appear in Al-Quds: (Hat tip to Barcepundit)

Tom Gross has more examples of cartoons which would never, ever appear. (He has bandwith problems right now, so good luck in getting through.)

Barcepundit also notes:

"A JORDANIAN EDITOR decided to run the Mohammed cartoons, and bluntly defended his action:

The paper's editor, Jihad El Momeni, had something very interesting to say. "What insults Islam more?" he asked in his editorial. "a foreigner who drew the prophet or a Muslim who donned a bomb belt and committed suicide in the midst of a wedding party in Amman or anywhere else?"

"What forces the world more to blaspheme Islam, cartoon drawings or a real beheading scene of a hostage with the cry of "Allahu Akbar" being heard in the background?" El Momeni asked.

Today he has been fired."

Ah, yes, HeavyHanded loves to see tolerance and freedom of expression at work.

A ray of hope? Lost Budgie posts "Muslim Canadian Congress Re Cartoons: 'Proven: Muslims ARE A Violent People' " and links to a story "Cartoons offensive, but so is violence, Canadian Muslims say"


Photo: Nasser Ishtayeh/AP

out of Canada reported in the Globe and Mail by Colin Perkel. I wonder if he will get to keep his job.

DON'T LET FACTS GET IN THE WAY

A rare disease has been afflicting Democrats since the State of the Union address; one of its symptoms is the inability to use statistics. Still-Senator John Kerry, a victim of, shall we say, percentagitis, when asked about the President's education initiatives, told the Today Show that "53 percent of our children are not graduating from high school." The U.S Census Bureau begs to differ, however, listing 85.9 percent of Americans aged 20-24 as having graduated from high school. Katie Couric never challenged Kerry's fun fact.

We'll go out on a limb and say that 87 percent of liberals are totally nuts!

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has also come down with a bad case of the bug. In an interview with millionaire "journalist" Harry Smith, Nagin was asked about his reaction to the President's "scant attention" to New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast. Nagin was "disappointed" and went on to claim that "50 percent of all residents in the United States live along the Gulf Coast." Once again, Smith did not challenge Nagin. Indeed, while we're having fun, we'll go out on a limb and say that 87 percent of liberals are totally nuts!

MORONS!

From The Federalist

"WINDFALL" PROFITS TAX ON FRONT BURNER AGAIN

ExxonMobil's announcement of $10.71 billion in profit for the fourth quarter of 2005—the highest quarterly profits of any company in history—and over $36 billion for the year has Capitol Hill hopping. Calls are again being heard for a so-called "windfall" profits tax, as if taxes aren't already high enough. Indeed, with an estimated 38 percent effective tax, Exxon's fourth quarter profits didn't even cover the full 2005 tax bill. Combined for 2005, Exxon, ConocoPhillips and Chevron paid over $44 billion in corporate income taxes. The Senate has now passed provisions reducing tax-credit options for oil companies, including barring a credit for taxes paid in other countries. The measures are not certain in the House—here's hoping they fail.

Deregulation and lower taxes are perhaps counter-intuitive, but they are the answer. Exxon increased fourth-quarter capital and exploration by $5.3 billion from a year earlier, or about the same percentage as profits. Increased taxes would hinder capital expansion and exploration. Greater oil consumption in China and India, as well as political uncertainty in Iran and Iraq, are driving the price of oil higher. No tax will change that. Rather, it would be you, fellow Patriots, who end up paying the tax at the pump, if there's anything left to pump.

SOURCE: FEDPAT

SURELY, YOU JEST

Remember how Justice David Souter voted with the High Court majority in Kelo v. New London to allow governments to take property from one owner and give it to another who can put more cash into government tax coffers?

This induced me to, on July 8,2005, to post this story:

"Taking him at his word, a New Hampshire businessman named Logan Clements sent a written request last week to city officials of the town of Weare, seeking their approval to build a hotel at 34 Cilley Hill Road. Such approval would entail eminent domain condemnation proceedings authorizing the seizure of the private home currently at this address. The owner of the home is Supreme Court Justice David Souter."

We are due for an update. Here it is, from the FedPat.

"Souter may be getting a taste of his own poison pen. Logan Clements has collected the signatures necessary from Souter's hometown of Weare, New Hampshire, to allow voters to determine whether to take Souter's home and transfer it to Clements to build the "Lost Liberty Hotel," which would stand in mocking testament to all such Souteresque assaults on our Constitution."

HOMELAND SECURITY

Finally, some rational comments on the NSA's program of intercepting calls between people in the U.S. and al-Qa'ida members (aka The Enemy) located overseas. Deliberately mislabeled by the Leftmedia as "domestic spying," this program's sole purpose is "to detect and prevent attacks," according to General Michael Hayden, Deputy Director of National Intelligence. His remarks, delivered at the National Press Club last week, were a strong rebuttal of the program's critics. General Hayden also explained what the program is not, saying, "It is not a driftnet over Dearborn or Lackawanna or Fremont, grabbing conversations that we then sort out by these alleged keyword searches or data-mining tools... This is targeted and focused." General Hayden also pointed out that he, personally, had briefed Congress about the program over a dozen times.

From the FedPat

Gunmen in Gaza close EU office

Palestinian gunmen forced the closing of a European Union office in Gaza City and a German national was briefly abducted in the West Bank yesterday amid growing Muslim fury over caricatures in European newspapers poking fun at the prophet Muhammad. Full details.

Hobbling Our Intelligence

By Hugh Hewitt
Beyond the News

The president's decision to authorize electronic surveillance of terrorists communicating with their agents in the United States without getting a warrant continues to cause a great uproar on the left and among Democrats like John Kerry. The increasingly shrill tones and the wild charges that have been made would lead people to believe that the program is aimed at anti-war dissenters or is broad and ominous.

Apparently, the left believes that conversations or e-mails from terrorists like Zawahiri, Zarqawi or even Osama bin Laden with their agents in the United States require a warrant. That is constitutional nonsense, and of a high order. The courts have never held that such surveillance requires a warrant. In fact, the courts have carefully articulated that the president's Article 2 power in this area is broad.

When Americans vote in November, they should remember how the Democratic party is committed to hobbling the nation's intelligence gathering directed at terrorists at a time when the global threat from terrorism is arguably at its greatest.

Opec issues warning on Bush oil pledge

The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries on Wednesday warned that President George W. Bush’s proposal to reduce US dependence on Middle Eastern oil could badly jeopardise needed investment in Gulf oil production and refining capacity........................

..................."Opec delegates place responsibility for oil price volatility mainly on consuming countries that have failed adequately to invest in refineries and pipelines needed to get oil to their consumers.

........ shifting oil imports from the Middle East could be costly for America. “As long as America has a diversified range of oil suppliers it has a lot of security of supply. If you reduce this diversification it could be costly.” About 20 per cent of oil sold to the US comes from the Middle East, with Canada and Mexico supplying more than 30 per cent of imports.

Any decrease in the US dependence on oil from the Middle East could only really be achieved by a decrease in its dependence on all foreign oil – either by conservation, alternative energy or domestically produced oil and gas, analysts said."

Full article.

Health Savings Accounts: Opportunity for Consumer Control
The media are back on the fear and loathing trail, and this time it’s about health savings accounts. But unlike Social Security accounts, they can’t stop these from going into effect – they’re already available. The media are supporting many arguments against HSAs and leaving out key facts.

Iran faces nuclear showdown at United Nations
Independent - London,England,UK
... programme. Developing nations fear that referring Iran to the Security Council could cripple their own nuclear power options. The ...

EYE ON CHINA

US seeking to curb China's military might:Pentagon
Times of India - India
WASHINGTON: The Pentagon is seeking to dissuade China from building its military forces to a level not warranted by its security needs, and the issue is ...

India, China not a threat, clarifies US
Times of India - India
... US president Bush's competitiveness initiative outlined in his state of union address is not a response to any perceived threat from China and India but an ...

Toyota considers R&D center in China to meet local needs
MarketWatch - USA
TOKYO (MarketWatch) -- Toyota Motor Corp. (7203.TO) said Thursday it is weighing plans to establish a research and development center in China as part of a ...

Co-op with China remains Russia's priority: official
Xinhua - China
1 (Xinhuanet) -- Cooperation with China will remain one of the priorities of Russia in the near future, former Russian Ambassador to China and Federation

EX -CHINA BANK MANGERS CHARGED
Special Broadcasting Service - Australia
Two former Bank of China managers have been charged by US authorities over the theft of more than US$485 million (A$640 million) which they allegedly tried to ...

Gross Naïveté and a Poor Analogy to Boot

Let other nations lead negotiations with Iran declares the Roanoke Times.

"In the next place, the state governments are, by the very theory of the constitution, essential constituent parts of the general government. They can exist without the latter, but the latter cannot exist without them."

-- Joseph Story (Commentaries on the Constitution, 1833)

UN Rights Office Blames All Sides for Suffering in Nepal

According to a story in the Voice of America News, the Nepal populace is suffering at the hands of government troops, the politicians and the Maoist communist rebels.

They have elections scheduled for next week, but that is not seen as anything that will alleviate the problem.

"Ordinary people are vulnerable to the Maoists coming at one time, requiring them to feed them, tax them, extort money, perhaps accuse some of them of being collaborators with the government and the security forces. And then the security forces come and the people are equally vulnerable…to being accused of having supported the Maoists. So it's really been a terrible situation, I think, for ordinary villagers caught in the middle of that," said Ian Martin, who is the head of the U.N. human rights office in Nepal.

Article.

"Hindsight alone is not wisdom. And second-guessing is not a strategy."
---President George W. Bush, 1/31/2006

"It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." —Yogi Berra

"He who in his own house is virtuous will also be just in civic affairs." —Sophocles

"The punishment of wise men who refuse to take part in the government is to live under the government of worse men." —Plato

"If there is one thing upon this earth that mankind love and admire better than another, it is a brave man,—it is the man who dares to look the devil in the face and tell him he is a devil." —James Garfield

Thugocracies and the United Nations

Fort Wayne News Sentinel - Fort Wayne,IN,USA

United Nations Ambassador John Bolton is famously impatient about fixing the joint. He's got a list of proposals, about 750 of them. But right at the top is one that should be easy: Overhauling the U.N. Human Rights Commission. READ ON.

CUBA LAUDED FOR NOT STARVING THEIR CHILDREN

United Nations praises Cuba's anti-malnutrition efforts
Xinhua - China
... country in Latin America that has come close to eliminating severe child malnutrition, local media quoted a representative of the United Nations World Food ... READ MORE

QUALITY MATTERS

Learning From Alito
—Terry Eastland
Beyond the News

Judge Alito is now Justice Alito, and his appointment offers several important lessons. One is for President Bush, who, we have to admit, blundered in nominating Harriet Miers before he corrected course and chose Samuel Alito. The lesson is that quality matters. Like John Roberts, Sam Alito is a very experienced lawyer. He showed his command of legal issues before the Judiciary Committee, displaying an even temper throughout. Democrats argued that Alito shouldn't be confirmed because his appointment would shift the Court's so-called balance. But the sheer quality of the nominee trumped that argument.

We also learned that a quality nominee can make an appealing case for judicial conservatism. Again like Roberts, Alito stressed to the senators the vital difference between law and politics.

A final lesson is that elections do matter. The Republican majority in the Senate made Alito's confirmation possible. Remember that next fall, when another election season arrives.

Is More Money the Answer, or Not?

There are those who seem to believe that there can never be enough money spent on education. People complain about the schools underperforming, test scores not being good enough, and we're falling behind other countries, etc. You've heard it all before.

And the answer always is more money.

Recently, Governor Pawlenty floated his 70% idea. I have not put a lot of thought into, nor developed a position on Governor Pawlenty's idea of 70% of school funds to be spent on "direct classroom expenses."

But what I found interesting was an e-mail that was forwarded to me. The original email comes from the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP). It should be of surprise to no one that the email was critical of Pawlenty's 70% plan and attempted to debunk all the reasons that one might use to support it.

Here is an excerpt of the email. Chew on this for awhile.

Is there research showing that good schools are linked to a standard of 65% of revenue being spent in the classroom? There is no research to show this proposal will increase student performance. A recent analysis by Standard & Poor's found no connection between the percentage of funds spent on instruction, and the percentage of students who score at or above "proficient" levels on state reading and math test."

In their attempt to discredit the wisdom of spending an "arbitrary" percentage, whether it be 65% or 70%, on classroom expenditures, they have unwittingly shot themselves in the other foot, dismantling their always handy argument that they need more money to solve their problems; so they can pay higher salaries to teachers, and increase spending on other "necessary items" to improve the schools, the education environment, and ultimately raise test scores. Comments anyone?

NAVY SAILORS IN ACTION

This story comes via Camp Katrina.

Seven sailors training in Fallon, Nevada caught a robber while they were eating at a restaurant. It seems the bandit pushed an 81 year old woman down and stole $1000 that she was about to deposit in the bank. She cried for help and the seven sailors bolted into action. Read the story here.

IAEA is Infiltrated

THE IAEA is infiltrated with Iranian agents, the Daily Telegraph reports:

Iran has formed a top secret team of nuclear specialists to infiltrate the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, the UN-sponsored body that monitors its nuclear programme, The Daily Telegraph has been told.

Its target is the IAEA's safeguards division and its aim is to obtain information on the work of IAEA inspectors so that Iran can conceal the more sensitive areas of its nuclear research, according to information recently received by western intelligence.

From Barcepundit

Take Hamas at their word

By Ed Koch, ex-mayor of New York City

Abba Eban, once Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations — he with such an extraordinary voice that if you heard it only once, you would remember it for eternity — summed up the Palestinians better than anyone before or since. He said of them, “The Palestinians have never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” And Abba Eban was so right. Read more.

ABOUT IMMIGRATION

Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

--- Theodore Roosevelt, 1907

Are You Pro Government, Anti-Government, or for Small Government?

This post rolled up.
COMMENTARY BY HEAVYHANDED

I don't think any sane person can argue the fact that government, by definition, exists for one primary purpose and that purpose is to control the individual. Let's look at the definition of government.

Gov·ern·ment, noun:
1.) The act or process of governing, especially the control and administration of public policy in a political unit.
2.) The office, function, or authority of a governing individual or body.
3.) Exercise of authority in a political unit; rule.
4.) The agency or apparatus through which a governing individual or body functions and exercises authority.

The purpose of government is to govern. Govern is defined as to bring into conformity with rules or principles or usage, to impose regulations, to direct or strongly influence the behavior, or to exercise authority over.

With definition in mind, if you support liberty and freedom, then government, in the mind of any right thinking person, is evil, since government by definiton restricts these liberties by exercising authority through regulation and governance. Now realistically, it is in some cases a necessary evil, but it is still an evil concept. Is it not?

H. L Mencken, was a twentieth century journalist, satirist and social critic, a cynic and a freethinker, and he once said: "I believe that all government is evil, and that trying to improve it is largely a waste of time."

When illegal immigrants ( no, not "border crossers", "undocumented workers", or whatever the popular, politically correct euphemism of the day happens to be) break our laws and enter into the United States illegally, probably the foremost excuse/reason given is that they are willing to risk their lives and break our laws is because they are seeking freedom, both economic and civil liberty freedom. In other words, they are seeking freedom from government which limits both. Or to be more realistic and accurate, they are seeking a government that is less restrictive and less authortitarian than the government they are leaving.

As an individual, what rights and freedoms do we want and look for? Freedom of speech? Freedom of religion? Right to privacy? Freedom of thought? Freedom to express yourself in writing? We have all these things unless unless government limits them.

The Constitution of the United States was written for one reason. And that reason was to recognize government for what it is, and worse yet, what it can become; and thereby limit it’s evil-doing. (I'm starting to sound like President G.W. Bush here with the evil-doing thing.) Nonetheless, in a way, one can say our Constitution is anti-government.

If our rights were to come from man (government), then government can take them away. If our rights are inalienable, then our human rights are absolute, not awarded by human power, not transferable to another power, and incapable of repudiation. (Wikipedia). That's why this idea was included in the 1776 United States Declaration of Independence, and states:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men."

Quoting H. L Mencken again, “The ideal government of all reflective men, from Aristotle onward, is one which lets the individual alone - one which barely escapes being no government at all.”

Now so as not being at risk of sounding too much of a "Euphorian", I must say that people have warts, and are not perfect, and if left to their own inclinations, will inescapably seek power over others. Therefore, we need some form of governance to protect us from ourselves, so to speak. Obviously government is made up of people, those same people with warts and other imperfections as aforementioned. Which is perhaps why H.L. Mencken also said, "every decent man is ahamed of the government he lives under.

And that's the conundrum. Is there anything worse that a conniving, self-serving, power seeking individual. Yes. It is a conniving, self-serving, power seeking bunch of individuals that band together to form a government.

Yet they have no particular talent to govern. No more than you and me. They are nothing more than a bunch of people, not any more capable than the rest of us. But they stick together and think as as a group, mostly unattached to the rest of us. Being unattached to the majority of us, banding together, and thinking like a like-minded think tank or collective -- are they then not in opposition to the individual? Their real aim is to "stick together" and remain a permanent member of the collective. Thus, their goal becomes to stay in office.

And in a way, they become professional hustlers. Do they not? They will do anything, to stay in office. Power corrupts. When a person gains power over other persons it seems inevitable that a moral weakness develops in the person who exercises that power. The culture of corruption that you hear so much about today is the end result. It does not follow any one political party. It becomes an inherent part of the process, that only term limits, I submit, can ultimately solve.

These persons who are corrupted by the process of ruling over their fellow men are not innately evil. They may begin as honest men. Or not. Their motives for wanting to direct the actions of others may be purely patriotic, selfless, and noble. Or not. They may wish only to do good for the people. But, apparently, the only way they can think of to do this "good" is to impose more restrictive laws.

" Now, obviously, there is no point in passing a law which requires people to do something they would do anyhow; or which prevents them from doing what they are not going to do anyhow. Therefore, the possessor of the political power could very well decide to leave every person free to do as he pleases so long as he does not infringe upon the same right of every other person to do as he pleases. However, that concept appears to be utterly without reason to a person who wants to exercise political power over his fellow man, for he asks himself: "How can I 'do good' for the people if I just leave them alone?" Besides, he does not want to pass into history as a "do nothing" leader who ends up as a footnote somewhere. So he begins to pass laws that will force all other persons to conform to his ideas of what is good for them."

They can try reform, to correct their corruption, but whether it be campaign finance reform, or lobbying reform, by enacting new legislation; it will not work. Again, I suggest term limits. An obvious downfall to this is you may have a handful of hardworking, honest legislators who will have their fruitful careers cut short; but the upside is getting rid of the majority who are not. This would keep the government from growing progressively more collective.

Government ends up being an “us against them” cooperative and exists not for the individual but despite the individual. And as if by necessity, it grows worse, existing solely for its own satisfaction, opposing the ambitions of those (the taxpayer) who fund it.

Patriotism is believing in his country and what it stands for. Our founding fathers were patriots and stood for individual freedom and small government. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights is proof of this. And this is what I believe in. I hope this makes me a patriot. I think am.

CORRUPTION

This post rolled up.
It looks like Thomas Sowell and I are on the same page; not bad company to keep.

"At the heart of much government corruption is one simple thing: Re-election. It takes big bucks to run a political campaign and all that most politicians have to sell is the power of government that they control. That is what they do sell in various ways to various special interests. Term limits try to deal with the problem of re-election but the fatal weakness of term limits is the 's' at the end of the word 'limits.' So long as there are multiple terms, the first term is going to be spent trying to get re-elected to a second term—instead of devoting that time to serving the public interest. What really needs to be done is to put a limit of one term in one office and a waiting period of several years before being elected or appointed to another office in government. In other words, make political careers impossible. Can people who are not career politicians run the government? People who were not career politicians created the government and the Constitution of the United States of America. It was one of the most incredible achievements in history. Who among our career politicians today would be capable of such a feat?"

—Thomas Sowell

US: Push for Strong United Nations Force in Darfur
Reuters AlertNet - London,England,UK
... should use its Security Council presidency in February to urgently seek a transition of the African Union force in Darfur to a United Nations mission with a ... Read on.

alQaeda and Lebanon

Arrested al-Qaeda members in Lebanon admit plans for ...
Monsters and Critics.com - Glasgow,UK
... Lebanon has revealed that members of the cell had plans to establish a military infrastructure in Lebanon with direct links to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the head ... Read on.

EYE ON CHINA

Cool it on China, US warns Taiwan
Australian - Australia
THE US has warned Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian against fanning independence tensions with China. Washington has responded ...

China stands for security through co-op: senior diplomat
Xinhua - China
... The ambassador emphasized that China favors cultivating a new security concept with mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and cooperation as its core values. ...

Russia, China back Iran action
Australian - Australia
RUSSIA and China have bowed to pressure from the US and Europe to send Iran to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions over its nuclear program. ...

Korea Warned of Dwindling Know-How Lead Over China
Chosun Ilbo - Seoul,South Korea
... technologies faster. The biggest group or 34.6 percent singled out technology leakage by Korean firms doing business in China. In ...

Japanese govt. position paper says China not a threat
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
Japan does not recognize China as a threat, said a Japanese government position paper disclosed on Tuesday. The document, approved ...

Ohio sheriff bills U.S. government for jailed illegals

An Ohio sheriff has billed the Department of Homeland Security $125,000 for the cost of jailing illegal aliens arrested on criminal charges in his county, saying he's angry that the federal government has failed in its responsibility to keep them out of .... Read on.

Liberal activists promote a ruckus to silence Bush

Liberal activists -- among them graying leftovers from the Vietnam-era antiwar movement -- plan to gather near the Capitol tonight, banging pots and pans to drown out President Bush's State of the Union address. Read on.

Senate rejects filibuster of Alito

A broad, bipartisan majority in the Senate easily thwarted an effort yesterday by Democrats to lodge a filibuster against the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. Read on.

U.S., allies demand Hamas changes

The United States and its allies said yesterday that they would support the new Hamas-led Palestinian government only if it renounces violence, accepts Israel's existence and adopts the Palestinian Authority's commitments. Read on.

United Nations And Burden Of Reform

Even as the United Nations Organisation (UNO) warms up to effect the expansion of membership of the Security Council, Nigeria has intensified its bid to become one of the two African nations that will clinch the positions reserved for Africa. One of the criteria why most Nigerians believe that the country deserves one of the two seats reserved for the black continent in the Security Council of the United Nations is because of Nigeria’s outstanding performance and contributions to international peace-keeping and conflict resolutions. Right from the time Nigeria got her political independence in 1960 up until now, the country has distinguished herself as an acclaimed world champion in peace keeping. Read on.

U.S. to Speed Illegal Immigrants' Removal

By DEVLIN BARRETT

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON

Federal agents say they will speed up the removal of illegal immigrants caught near the northern U.S. border, extending a program already in effect along the Mexican border.

The practice called "expedited removal" speeds up the pace of deportations and makes it less likely that illegal immigrants will slip into the country because immigrant detention centers lack bunk space.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff called the program part of a nationwide effort to "implement new tactics throughout the U.S. in order to gain control of our borders." READ ON.

Tehran fast-tracking bomb with North Korea purchase?

Pyongyang's growing plutonium cache attracting Iranian interest, U.S. concern

While the U.S. and E.U. nations are scrambling to convince Iran to abandon its program of uranium enrichment and debating bringing the Islamic Republic before the U.N. Security Council, Tehran may be in the process of directly purchasing the plutonium it needs to make a bomb from North Korea, intelligence sources say. Read on.

BUSH APPROVAL RATING HITS 50%

President Bush's approval ratings have been on a steady upwards tick recently and has hit a 50% approval rating on Rasmussen's most recent polling figures.

In Minnesota, Rasmussen is reporting that the Senate race is a toss up.

January 28, 2006--In the scramble to take over the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Mark Dayton, likely Republican nominee Representative Mark Kennedy is neck-and-neck with DFL county attorney Amy Klobuchar. (The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party or DFL is the state's equivalent of the Democratic Party.)

The latest Rasmussen Reports election poll shows Klobuchar at 43% and Kennedy at 42%. Kennedy leads DFL philanthropist and veterinarian Ford Bell by 41% to 36% (see crosstabs)..

In our previous Minnesota survey, Klobuchar was ahead of Kennedy by 7 percentage points and Kennedy led Bell by 10.

THE NEW WORLD DISORDER

U.N. pushing to end nation-states .
This story was mentioned on Rush Limbaugh today. Plan drafted to end disease, poverty, war.

This kind of talk is assinine. I know there are those in the U.S that think a world without borders is their idea of Nirvana. But, come on. How stupid are you, really?

Illegal Iraqis nabbed trying to enter U.S.

Mexico arrests 4 aliens on bus in city south of Arizona border

Mexican officials say they've arrested four illegal-alien Iraqis trying to sneak across the border into the United States.

Acting on an anonymous tip, police found the four aliens on a bus in Navajoa, about 375 miles south of the Arizona border, Mexico's attorney general's office said.

Mexican immigration officials are investigating to try to determine how the Iraqis got into the country. Read more.

Super Bowl Sunday terror chatter high

Release of al-Qaida tapes seen as tip on timing of future attacks.

WASHINGTON – There is a high likelihood of a major terrorist attack next Sunday, say international terror analysts and intelligence sources. The warning is made on the basis of several factors, according to Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

Authorities in Detroit, where the Super Bowl will be played, are certainly taking the threat of terrorism seriously. According to the FBI and Detroit police, the game will be the focal point of one of the largest security operations in U.S. history, guarding against any threats to Super Bowl XL and aided by more than 50 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Read on.

Al-Qaida No. 2 terrorist: Next attack on U.S. soil

Al-Qaida's No. 2 man, Ayman al-Zawahiri, says on a new video played by Al-Jazeera satellite television today that the next terror attack will be on U.S. soil.

Al-Zawahiri confirms he survived the U.S. air strike targeting him in Pakistan earlier this month and calls President Bush "the butcher of Washington and a failure" with reference to the attack.

"The war will be transferred to Bush's soil," al-Zawahiri warns. Read on.

"Our government has no power except that granted it by the people... It is my intention to curb the size and influence of the federal establishment and to demand recognition of the distinction between the powers granted to the federal government and those reserved to the states or to the people. All of us need to be reminded that the federal government did not create the states; the states created the federal government."

—Ronald Reagan

"It could take a hundred years, or as little as a generation, to rediscover the freedom our Founders hammered into the U.S. Constitution. Much of our freedom has already been lost, but the rediscovery cannot even begin to emerge until the weight of government oppression grows too heavy to bear. Early Americans felt the weight of King George's oppression, until they could bear it no more. Then, they acted. Not all of the early Americans had reached the tipping point in 1776. In fact, many, if not most of the people, preferred to suffer oppression by the king, rather than to pay the cost of freedom. Many, if not most, of the people in America today, prefer to suffer governmental oppression, rather than to pay the cost of freedom. So far, governmental oppression is not too heavy; people can still do almost anything they wish—if they can get a permit."

—Henry Lamb

China vows to oppose Taiwan independence

Hindustan Times - India
China on Monday vowed to oppose "Taiwan independence", saying it posed the "biggest obstacle" to cross-Straits peace and national reunification. ...

"I will not believe our labors are lost. I shall not die without a hope that light and liberty are on a steady advance."

-- Thomas Jefferson

Election victors now must rule

The leadership of Hamas, the paramilitary organization that was unexpectedly swept to power in the Palestinian elections last week, appears to have modulated its rhetoric. But is it ready to rule? MORE...

WOW! THIS IS A SHOCKER

Hamas plan for an army draws fire

Hamas suggested yesterday that the Islamic group could create a Palestinian army that would include its militant wing -- responsible for scores of deadly attacks on Israelis -- in the aftermath of its crushing victory in parliamentary elections. DETAILS.

19 Cases of Al-Zarqawi Terrorist Suspects

SANA’A - Yemen has detained 19 people on suspicion of planning attacks against Westerners on the orders of the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, according to the official September 26 website. The website quoted government sources as saying those held would be questioned before possibly standing trial for planning “sabotage and terrorist attacks” in the port of Aden. READ ON.

Hamas Asks Nations Not to Cut Aid

Forbes - USA
... He spoke ahead of Monday's meeting of the so-called Quartet of Mideast mediators - the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia - to ... READ ON.

Entertaining Communism

Michael Medved
Beyond The News

"In a startling development on the American left, prominent activists suddenly associate themselves with the long-disgraced ideology of communism. Novelist Kurt Vonnegut told NPR that "Karl Marx gets a bad rap" because "he wanted to take care of a lot of people."

Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Communist Party in America proudly organizes a full-page ad demanding "Bush Step Down!" and secures signatures of Oscar-winners Sean Penn, Jessica Lange, Susan Sarandon and Jane Fonda--plus two members of Congress!

Stylish New Yorkers buy expensive fashion gear with images of Che Guevara, and Steven Spielberg says his time with Fidel Castro amounted to the "most important six hours of my life." It's hard to imagine such unapologetic association with Nazism--yet communism killed far more people. More than 100 million civilians died at the hands of Marxist butchers like Mao, Stalin, Ho Che Minh and Pol Pot--yet ignorant entertainers now want to rehabilitate history's most evil ideology."

Insurgent Infighting Aggravates Iraq Violence

SouthCoastToday.com - New Bedford,MA,USA
... Tit-for-tat killings between locals and followers of Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi have been reported across western Iraq in recent months, and some ...