Stuck in HSA Denial

Consumer-driven health care is beginning to show real signs of progress. A recent survey by America's Health Insurance Plans found that the number of people with a health savings account (HSA) tripled, from 1 million to 3 million, in barely a year's time. Companies are finding that high-deductible plans coupled with an HSA cost less. Read on.

Bolton Blasts 'Sex and Corruption' at U.N.

NEW YORK - The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Saturday that the world body is hobbled "by bad management, by sex and corruption" and a lack of confidence in its ability to carry out missions.

John Bolton also criticized the U.N.'s budget, noting that two-thirds of members pay only 20 percent of the cost.

"We find an organization that is deeply troubled by bad management, by sex and corruption and by a growing lack of confidence in its ability to carry out missions that are given to them," Bolton told an audience at a Columbia Law School symposium held by the Federalist Society, a conservative law organization. Read on.

Abbas to quit if 'peace not pursued'

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, says he will resign if he feels he is no longer in a position to pursue his peacemaking agenda when the new Hamas government takes over. Read more.

The Dems Can Agree on One Thing - They Have No Message to Agree Upon

There is an unusually brutal assessment of the current state of the Democratic party in a BBC article (yes, I said BBC).

The article, Democrats fail to find a message, is written by Justin Webb, BBC News, Washington.

In it, he points out that the nation plainly re-elected Pres. Bush with over 50% of the vote; something Pres. Clinton never did, and then raises the question why can't the Dems move on.

He answers the question: "They don't know where to go."

"On the Iraq war, for instance. Are they for it or against it?

When it goes badly they are against it, but in the few months last year when elections were first held in Iraq they were rather for it."

And,

"Democrats do not have a message on the key issues of our time. Or, more precisely, they have several mutually exclusive messages."

Mr.Webb references the changes that have taken place in the recent past and argues that universities do not have the power they once did. Additionally, and more importantly in his opinion, the world of news and entertainment "have been blown to bits by technological changes which render them powerless," because of the competition (600 channels because of cable and satellite) and broadband internet.

His summation:

The Democrats need a message and a new way of communicating that message to a mass audience. They have neither.

And do not be fooled by those who say this malaise is structural, at this stage of the electoral cycle there isn't a presidential candidate etc.

No, it is more than that. The American left has faded away.

Only their bumper stickers remain, like cockroaches after a nuclear holocaust.

"Re-defeat George Bush," they whine. Not knowing, not caring that the world has changed.

How Nice......

United Nations Says Sex Abuse Scandals Within Its Ranks Too High ...
All Headline News - USA

(AHN) - According to the United Nations, sex abuse scandals charged against UN workers and soldiers are too high for them to track. Currently, the U.N. is conducting 18 peace missions globally, has over 85,000 staff members deployed in over 100 countries and operates on a budget of $5 billion annually. Details.

Keeping an Eye on the Illegal Immigrant Problem

Breaking News: More Than 200 Illegal Immigrants Found At Multiple ...
KFOXtv.com - El Paso,TX,USA
February 24, 2006 -- KFOX News has learned that authorities are processing the identities of at least 229 illegal immigrants they say were found early Friday ...

Bill would help working illegal immigrants
Boston Herald - United States
Government policies that treat illegal immigrants the same whether they're hard workers who want to become productive citizens or parasitic thugs are under ...

TODAY'S HUMOR

As President Bush gets off the helicopter in front of the White House, he is carrying a baby pig under each arm.

The squared away Marine guard snaps to attention, salutes, and says: "Nice pigs, sir."

The President replies: "These are not pigs, these are authentic Texan Razorback Hogs... I got one for Senator Ted Kennedy, and I got one for Senator John Kerry."

The squared away Marine again snaps to attention, salutes, and says, "Nice trade, sir."

Irresponsible Government

Do they have to fan the flames? And if that is not enough, must they light the flame too?

"It has been a truism for a century that press stereotypes set the tone of many public events. We used to call this the conventional wisdom; now it's a "narrative." By and large it's a neutral phenomenon. But in our jacked-up media age, first impressions--false or true--becomes powerful and hard to alter.........

Our political elites, rather than recognize they are playing with a new kind of fire, instead have become pyromaniacs, lighting the fires. New Orleans even now can't get out from under the initial crazy statements the pols were hurling over Katrina. Our politicians seem to have arrived at the conclusion that they somehow no longer bear responsibility for what they say, or that there is no consequence to what they say. But they do and there is. Yosemite Sam was a cartoon. The ability of government to function in a dangerous world is not."

Read on.

Daughter of Islam

An eloquent (and elegant) foe of Muslim fundamentalists.

WASHINGTON--Yenny Wahid has a smile that could melt a Hershey bar at 100 yards. Her sunny disposition is all the more remarkable because Ms. Wahid is on what may be the world's most difficult mission right now: She's a prominent Muslim (and a woman at that) who speaks out against terror and the hijacking of her religion by ideologues who twist it to their own political ends.

Ports of Gall

The new protectionists use national security as their cover.

"One can only hope others agree...that the reprehensible [Dick] Cheney will be hounded from public life the way [Ted] Kennedy was all those years ago. One would hate to think folks would just let it slide and three decades from now this Cheney guy will be sitting on some committee picking Supreme Court justices and whatnot."

—Mark Steyn

A View of Opposition to UAE Port Management

"Why must the United States let a state-owned firm from a hotbed of radicalism own the major ports of the Eastern seaboard? No one has answered this to our satisfaction. Both sides of the aisle are outraged... The deadlock cinch here is that Dubai Ports World doesn't even have to be a willing collaborator to be a danger to the United States. All other things being equal, an Arabic company is easier for terrorists to penetrate than a British or American firm. In the least nefarious of scenarios, Dubai Ports World might not even know what happened until after some future attack. That would be possible even if the dockworkers are the same and even if most of the local management is exactly the same. There are other frightening scenarios. What happens if the government of the United Arab Emirates backs away from the counterterrorism support President Bush currently lauds it for? The president and the treasury secretary should call this deal off on national security grounds. The United States gains nothing and risks everything by letting Dubai Ports World own these hubs of commerce. Discouragingly, it appears the White House doesn't see it that way."

—The Washington Times

"The 'minimum wage' is...a legal barrier to trade in labor. As economists have long argued, higher minimum wage laws lead to less employment."

—Paul Jacob

"To the extent that government is pursuing policies that restrict free people and erode free markets, the government is, indeed, headed in the wrong direction. The right direction for government is always in policies that advance the principles of freedom."

—Henry Lamb

Keeping an Eye on the Illegal Immigrant Problem

Pair charged with filing false claims for illegal immigrants
Salem News - MA, USA
Two Main Street business people ran a service that charged illegal immigrants $4,000 in exchange for filing false applications for amnesty in the United States ...

Plan would make illegal immigrants legal
Salt Lake Tribune - United States
The draft circulated by the lawmaker, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., would also authorize millions of illegal immigrants who arrived in this country before Jan. ...

Illegal immigrants crowding local jails
KESQ - Palm Desert,CA,USA
The Riverside County Sheriff says illegal immigrants are crowding local jails. ... The sheriffs say that dealing with illegal immigrants in jail clog the system. ...

Feds, locals arrest 200 illegal immigrants
Fort Worth Star Telegram - Fort Worth,TX,USA
EL PASO, Texas - El Paso County Sheriff's deputies and US Border Patrol agents arrested more than 200 illegal immigrants in an afternoon roundup that began ...

Standoff in Iraq

Victor Davis Hanson has just returned from Iraq and writes an article that can be found at National Review Online, or at his own website VDH Private Papers, on his experiences there.

Livingstone suspended for 'Nazi' jibe

KEN Livingstone was suspended on full salary as London mayor for a month yesterday for likening a Jewish newspaper reporter to a Nazi concentration camp guard. More...

The Dueling of Immigration Watchdogs

How is it that a group that supports illegal immigration can get public funding?

Immigrant group to picket watchdogs
A taxpayer-funded immigrant advocacy group says it will picket and keep a close watch on the homes and businesses of members of a local illegal-entry watchdog group that monitors day-laborer sites in Maryland.

Church politicking 'disturbing' to IRS
The Internal Revenue Service said yesterday it found a "disturbing" amount of illegal politicking in churches and charities after investigating complaints coming out of the 2004 election. More...

Hooray!!

My nephew is back in the states after spending one year in East Baghdad. He's back safe and sound. He is in Texas right now being checked out. He apparently hurt his shoulder and will be checked out to see if surgery is needed. Glad you're back, son.

Another View on the Port Mess

"There is no secret deal here. CFIUS, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, that vets these things, ran it through 12 agencies including Defense, Treasury, State, Homeland Security, and the White House National Security Council. Their approval was unanimous. Had just one objected, it would have been put on a 45-day investigative hold.

Bush was blindsided on this out of sheer naiveté. He still can't accept as real the bottomless mendacity of Democrats. For Barbara Boxer and Chuck Schumer to foment in protest over a deal with America's closest Arab ally, when they have gone far more ballistic at any suggestion that Arabs be profiled at US airports - well, I guess it's standard liberal chutzpah.

Outdoing Bush in naiveté are Republicans in Congress being led with rings in their noses by Boxer and Schumer into an orgy of Bush-bashing. It would be nice if they all took a deep breath, switched on their brains, and began thinking of how to take advantage of this fiasco.

Wouldn't it be great if Bill Frist stood up in the Senate Chamber and congratulated his Democrat colleagues for their concern over the safety of America's ports, and that he was sure they would now show their concern for the safety of America's airports by mandating Arab Moslem male passengers instead of grandmas and others at politically correct random?

Or if Denny Hastert stood up in the House Chamber to say he was sure his Democrat colleagues, so newly passionate about national security and concerned over our dependence on Arab oil, would now support drilling oil in Alaska's ANWR, offshore drilling in Florida and the East Coast, and eliminating government restrictions so that nuclear power plants and oil refineries can be built in three to four years." -- Dr. Jack Wheeler

United Nations Experts Agree: UN Resolution on Human Rights ...
Heritage.org - Washington,DC,USA

Yesterday's resolution on the proposed United Nations Human Rights Council is a bitter disappointment to friends of democracy and allies in the international protection of human rights. The United States would do the legacy of Eleanor Roosevelt, the first Chair of that commission, as well as countless oppressed and abused people around the world, an enormous disservice by agreeing to this proposal.

Bolivia's Morales criticizes US visa cancellation

LA PAZ, Bolivia (Reuters) - Bolivian President Evo Morales criticized the United States on Thursday for canceling the visa of one of his closest confidantes in the leftist leader's first run-in with Washington since taking power a month ago.

Sen. Leonilda Zurita, a leader of coca farmers whose battle cry was "Long live coca, Death to Yankees!", found out her multiple-entry U.S. visa, which was valid until 2008, had been canceled when she tried to travel to Miami to take part in a meeting organized by a Florida university.

U.S. consular officials said she was viewed as a terrorist, Zurita told reporters.

In Washington, State Department Deputy Spokesman Adam Ereli said Zurita's visa was revoked on May 7, 2004, after the U.S. government received "information" about her. He declined to say what that information was.

But he strongly denied the visa was revoked because of Zurita's ties to Morales, pointing out that her visa had been canceled nearly two years ago. Full article.

Rocket hell to rain on Israel

Terror leader also demands Jewish state be relocated to U.S.
WND has an exclusive interview with Abu Abir, spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees, an umbrella organization consisting of several Palestinian terror groups. The Committees is responsible for firing over 500 rockets at Jewish towns in and near the Gaza Strip the past five years.

The port of public opinion...

"Protests about the planned transfer of management for several U.S. seaports to a state-owned company in the United Arab Emirates are fraught with almost as much confusion as fervor—which explains why the current division within the political parties is almost as stark as the one between them. When Karl Rove, Jimmy Carter and The Los Angeles Times line up on one side of an issue, while Senators Bill Frist, Chuck Schumer and The New York Times line up on the other, something is seriously amiss." --- The Patriot Post

AMEN to that. I have to admit - I'm conflicted. I have thought about this inside and out, backwards and forwards to the point where I think my head is about to explode. Knowledgeable, trustworthy people, whom I respect, have made good arguments for and good arguments against.

I cannot believe that know matter which side I eventually come down on, I will be agreeing with either Chuck Scumer/Hillary "Robb-em" Clinton, or Jimmy Carter/Al Gore. What an odd situation to be in.

Kim Jong-Il has free market fever after seeing China's boomtowns

AP photo

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has ordered his Cabinet and the Workers' Party to appoint economic technocrats to major foreign missions in an effort to learn from outside economies, a government official in Seoul said.

The order came after Kim returned last month from a nine-day trip to China's southern booming commercial cities, including Guangzhou, Zhuhai and Shenzhen. Kim was evidently impressed by the thriving economy of his nation's red capitalist neighbor. READ ON.

Gen. Pace on UAE alliance: 'very, very solid partners'

WORLD TRIBUNE.COM

WASHINGTON — The United States military plans to widen its already extensive access to ports and military bases in the United Arab Emirates which it considers one of its most reliable military allies in the region.

"The military-to-military relationship with the United Arab Emirates is superb," Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said. "In everything that we have asked and work with them on, they have proven to be very, very solid partners." READ ON.

United Nations Must Reform Peacekeeping Operations, Bolton Says
United Nations - A new report criticizing the management of UN peacekeeping operations shows "the need for a fundamental shift" in the organization's operating ...

JOIN THE CLUB

China frets over pensions for greying population
Reuters - USA

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's rapidly growing elderly population could surge as high as 430 million by 2051, when almost one in three citizens will be 60 or over, posing a grave challenge for already strained state social welfare and pension systems, Xinhua news agency said on Friday.

The aging population was now growing by 3 million a year from the current 143 million, it said.

"China is facing surging demand from the elderly population in terms of social welfare and medical services," Li Bengong, an official with the China National Committee on Aging, was quoted as saying.

"Welfare services can not match the rise in demand."

People retiring in China today do not enjoy the cradle-to-grave welfare provided to previous generations which has been replaced with a mash-mash of government and corporate pension plans experts say are riddled with problems.

Al Qaeda Leader Killed
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Al Qaeda in Iraq's leader in northern Baghdad was killed in a raid Friday, the U.S. military said.

‘Shari’a Law Has No Place Here’
An Australian politician’s comments about Muslims wanting to live under Islamic (shari’a) law has focused attention on the push by Muslim minorities in some Western countries to establish enclaves where Islamic norms and laws hold sway...

‘Adopt Our Values or Go Home, Foreign-Born Muslims Told
Australian Muslims already unhappy with Prime Minister John Howard’s criticism about Islamic radicalism are bristling at even tougher comments from the man likely to succeed him, who says any Muslim immigrant who can’t accept Australian values should leave...

More ‘Big Spenders’ Than ‘Friends of Taxpayers’ in Congress
There was “lots of talk but little action” on tax and deficit relief last year among U.S. lawmakers, a taxpayer watchdog said, offering the scorecard to prove it...

Hamas VIPs May Be Targeted, Israeli Official Warns
Jerusalem - Even Hamas parliamentarians will not be immune to counter-terror operations if they persist in organizing terror attacks, an Israeli official warned on Friday. The remark came as Israeli troops rooted out “terror nests” in the West Bank city of Nablus...

Keeping an Eye on the Illegal Immigrant Problem

Tennessee announces end to driving certificates for illegal ...
WBIR-TV - Knoxville,TN,USA
Tennessee interim Safety Commissioner Gerald Nicely says the state has halted issuing driving certificates for illegal immigrants. ...

Raid nabs 56 illegal immigrants in Carthage
News-Leader.com - Springfield,MO,USA
A group of 56 illegal immigrants is being held in the Christian County jail after immigration officials raided a job site in Carthage on Wednesday. ...

Group urges county to provide dialysis to illegal immigrants
Houston Chronicle - United States
... But the group's representatives said the district should change a rule that bans illegal immigrants whose visas expired from treatment at clinics, but allows ...

Free speech really isn't free: OK to stifle dissent

Excerpt from Tapscott's Copy Desk.

Conservatives have got to understand this fact about contemporary liberals - they define much of what we conservatives have to say in public debate as hate speech and they are willing to use the force of government to silence us.

If you doubt me, look at McCain-Feingold. Then look at the liberals response to the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 and the attempt by President Bill Clinton and other liberals to pin responsibility for that terrible event on the "climate of hate" allegedly created by conservatives in Talk Radio and elsewhere.

Then go back to the Kennedy and Johnson administrations and the extensive use made by officials in both of the Fairness Doctrine to silence religious and political conservatives in the old media.

For our liberals, it's not a question of if freedom of speech should be stifled, but rather how. For conservatives, freedom of speech is a matter of our survival as full participants in the public policy debate.

COMMENTARY

THIS POST ROLLED UP

Who’s ‘Freedom of the Press’ is it?

Watching the MSM in general, the White House press corps in particular and, this time around, David Gregory specifically, as they obsess over the recent Vice President Cheney shooting incident I am obliged to weigh in on an aspect of their demeanor that has bothered me for some time. By their actions now and by their actions during any number of previous incidents, the media appear to believe that unique among our citizenry they, ‘as journalists’, have their very own right in ‘Freedom of the Press’. They do not. ‘Freedom of the Press’ does not belong to them anymore than ‘Freedom of Religion’ belongs to churches and clerics. Both belong to me as a citizen of this country. I am the one who has a right to a free press. What the media has is the consequential privilege and attendant responsibility to be the free press that I have a right to.

The significance of this may be too subtle or even, dare I say it, nuanced for the Liberal media to appreciate, despite their past claims to virtuosity in such matters, but let me see if I can explain it to them. It means that in addition to those directly involved, my fellow citizens and I are the important people in this and all other news stories. The least important, even inconsequential people as individuals are the media. Despite what the privileged too often presume, privilege does not impart importance nor warrant vanity. What it should impart is gratitude and what it should warrant is humility.

To complain that this story was released through an obscure local Texas newspaper and a ‘small time’ reporter is no more valid than it would be to complain that I seek my news from that newspaper rather than from them. As long as I get the news, they don’t matter. And they should not add pomposity to their sins by challenging the abilities of local reporters compared to that of ‘big time journalists’. Apart from the dubious merits of such a claim, this was not a story the appreciation of which depended on a vast world view of global politics. Local professionals are just as capable of handling it as they would be if the participants were unknown outside of Corpus Christi. That is so obvious it leads one to suspect that the real issue with the Media whiners is that they thereby missed an opportunity to spin this story toward their own world view and political bias in an attempt to maximize the damage to the Bush administration. So, they spin that lost opportunity toward their own world view and political bias in an attempt to maximize the damage to the Bush administration. Incorrigible.

What bias? The Left wing, Liberal political bias the MSM claims not to engage in, that’s what bias. Liberals have long wrung their hands trying to understand why a dufus like Rush Limbaugh could succeed so well in talk radio while their own handpicked intellectually superior competitors continually fail. It is a simple matter of market supply and demand. That, by itself, explains why the Left doesn’t get it. Here is how it works. There is no marginal propensity to consume Left wing political opinion. That market is adequately served by the MSM. Rush capitalizes on the marginal propensity to consume conservative political opinion. If the MSM had better served that segment of the market there would be less marginal propensity to consume conservative political opinion and Rush and other right wing talk radio hosts would not have succeeded as they did.

Like Occam’s razor, the simplest explanation is usually the best. So throw away all of the complex theories on personalities, voice quality, entertainment value, getting ‘the right’ spokesperson’ for the Left and conspiracy theories. It is just plain and simple free market dynamics. Rush’s success is not only best explained this way but that success is then proof of the Liberal media bias they continue to deny.

The longer they continue to not understand this, the longer they continue to abdicate their responsibilities as a free press to provide we citizens with the unencumbered facts that we have a right to, and upon which we are perfectly capable of then forming our own opinions, the longer they persist in misusing their position in order to advance their own political bias, the smaller their market share will become and the less privilege they will enjoy. And despite their continual denial, they do misuse their position to advance their own political bias. The market is telling them that.

That is why they are loosing market share. They appeal only to those of a particular political view. They had the others in their audience for a long time while there was no alternative available to them. Now, with talk radio, cable news and the Internet, alternatives are available to these others and they are partaking of those opportunities. ‘Journalists’ may, in the manner of Sam Donaldson, delude themselves into believing that they are far too professional to ever allow their personal political opinions to influence their working conduct but if that were really the case then how come I, who have never met any of them, never had a conversation with any of them and know them only through their working conduct, know so many of them to be flaming Liberals? (And no, I do not ‘know’ it to be true because I listen to Rush, I listen to Rush because I know it to be true.) For that matter, why do they now insist on being called journalists instead of reporters?

I am giving them the best possible advice they could ever receive. I am confident that they will not take it. They will not take it because the goal that advice is intended to achieve, that of halting their declining market share, is not the goal they seek. This is all happening at a time when the old guard talking heads are leaving the scene and their ambitious successors who have paid their dues and done all the necessary things lo’ these many years are now, finally, getting their chance at the kind of power, influence and privilege their predecessors enjoyed. That is why they so coveted the position in the first place. They are not about to accept that it is no longer available. They are in denial as to the extent and certainly the reasons for this turn of events and are determined to carryon as though nothing had changed, as though they really are as important as their vanity would have them be, as though ‘Freedom of the Press’ belonged to them and guaranteed it.

By Anotmo, guest contributor.

Kuwaitis Warn Iran; Hint at American Attack

While not mentioning the United States by name, the implication of this op-ed from Kuwait's Arab-language Alwatan newspaper is crystal clear: If Iran closes the vital Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf States will have Washington deal with Iran just as it dealt with Saddam, 'leaving nothing but a memory behind.'

By Mubarak bin Shafi. Read the rest at Watching America.

Israel Suffered 200 Rocket Attacks This Month

From Vital Perspective

Military sources said Israel has sustained more than 200 Palestinian missiles in February. They said this was a new record and more than double the number of Palestinian missiles fired into Israel in January. The lion's share of Palestinian missile strikes included the Kassam-2, with a range of nine kilometers. They said that over the last few months Hamas has produced more accurate and stable Kassam weapons, which have struck the Israeli city of Ashkelon. Ashkelon contains strategic infrastructure, including fuel depots, port and naval base.

This year will be characterized by instability," Maj. Gen. Yair Naveh, chief of the military's Central Command, said. "There is an acceleration factor of terrorism until the Israeli election on March 28."

On Port Security: Slower, Please

Neither Rubber Stamps of Approval Nor Hyperventilating Objection Serve Security
By Steve Schippert

After several days of battling both for and against the prospect of Dubai Ports World acquiring P&O Steam Navigation and, thus, operation of several of our largest maritime ports, I have consistently come to one daily conclusion: Breathe. More.

"For [Al] Gore to make his anti-American remarks in Saudi Arabia is at least as bad as what Nazi sympathizers said in this country and abroad leading up to and during World War II. One definition of 'treason' is: Violation of allegiance toward one's country or sovereign, especially the betrayal of one's country by waging war against it or by consciously and purposely acting to aid its enemies. By any objective standard, Al Gore's remarks in Saudi Arabia appear to fit the definition."

—Cal Thomas

Iran's Gift: New Unity In the West

By Jim Hoagland
Washington Post

The fog of negotiation is not for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He prefers to confront the United States and Europe directly over Iran's nuclear and political ambitions. The ex-mayor of Tehran thus sets history's tectonic plates moving faster toward a new era of global conflict.

Two visible changes suggest how far-reaching this conflict is becoming: First, Europeans, not Americans, are the primary immediate targets of Iran's recent gauntlet-hurling. Second, the Europeans are tossing the gauntlets back at Ahmadinejad. Read more.

FIGHT CRIME.

SHOOT BACK.

"Like the Nazis in the 1930s and the Soviet communists in the Cold War, the Islamofascists are emboldened by appeasement and submissiveness. Give the rampagers and book-burners a veto over artistic and editorial decisions, and you end up not with heightened sensitivity and cultural respect, but with more rampages and more books burned. You betray ideals that generations of Americans have died to defend." —Jeff Jacoby

Port politics

How to sound like a hawk without being one.

Investing/Retirement

Analysis: J. Mark Iwry of the Brookings Institution and David C. John of The Heritage Foundation find in the so-called automatic IRA “a new and… promising approach to expanding the benefits of automatic saving to a wider array of the population.” The best part of this plan, Iwry and John write, is the lack of red tape for employees, which would would lead to “the indirect intended effect… to draw small employers into the private pension system.” (PDF format)

ENVIRONMENT: ANALYSIS

“Slowly, most governments are coming around to what has been President George W. Bush's position on the matter since taking office in 2001: The Kyoto Protocol is a nonstarter,” AEI’s Steven Hayward writes in the February 27 Weekly Standard magazine. “With just a few years to go before the end of the initial target date of Kyoto, almost no nation is on course to meet its targets.” READ ON.

Global Warming Fever over Glacier Thaw
A new report about Greeland’s glaciers has the media awash in global warming stories. From ABC to CBS and in between, journalists produced one-sided tales of rising seas, ignoring the evidence that glacial melting is likely a function of a natural weather cycle.

Media Whine, Consumers Win

By Herman Cain
National Chairman, Free Market Project

It’s no secret that the unions are behind most of the attacks on Wal-Mart. But more people are starting to realize these attacks won’t stop with the retail leader. An attack on Wal-Mart is an attack on the free market and the institutions that allow it to work, providing jobs and low-cost goods for Americans.

Wal-Mart: Always under Attack. Always.

By Amy Menefee
Free Market Project

Whether it’s health care, a high-paid CEO, bicycles or banking, there’s no end to the media’s gripes about Wal-Mart. As critics complain about “the Wal-Mart effect” on business competitors, the Free Market Project takes a look at the effect on media coverage – slanting it against business.

"There is too much power in Washington and too much power in government, and not enough power at the grassroots and not enough power with the average American."

—Newt Gingrich

Oh, Oh. Strike Two.

The MSM is "0 for 2."

"The first duty of a newspaper is to be accurate. If it is accurate, it follows that it is fair."
—Herbert Swope

"When language in common use in any country becomes irregular and depraved, it is followed by their ruin and degradation." —John Milton

‘Cartoon’ Protests Seen As Pretext for Pushing Islam in Nigeria
Nigeria’s top churchman believes last weekend’s anti-Christian violence instigated by Muslims supposedly angry about cartoons satirizing Mohammed, is part of a drive to turn Africa’s most populous country into an Islamic state. “It is no longer a hidden fact that a long standing agenda to make this Nigeria an Islamic nation is being surreptitiously pursued,” he said...

Embarrassment: Dem Front-Runner Disqualified for Ohio Ballot
In what Republicans are calling a “high-profile gaffe,” a Democrat running for Congress in Ohio’s 6th District has been disqualified from running in the Democratic primary. His failure "represents a major setback for National Democrats in their efforts to hold on to one of the country’s most vulnerable open seats,” the National Republican Congressional Committee said...

Kosovo Bishop Warns Not to Hand Jihadists a Victory
A leading Serbian Orthodox bishop, visiting the U.S. on a mission of “peace and understanding,” has warned the international community against granting independence to Kosovo, saying such a move would hand a victory to radical Muslims and their jihadist supporters...

Current Events at Turtle Bay

The Useless Nations:

Swastikas Found at United Nations Cause Uproar Among Israelis
New York Sun - New York,NY,USA
UNITED NATIONS - United Nations officials are investigating a recent spate of anti-Semitic incidents against staff, including the scrawling of Nazi swastikas ...

Insanity Runs Rampant in the United Nations
The Conservative Voice - Kernersville,NC,USA
Staying true to form, the United Nations is once again condemning the nation of Israel over their refusal to subsidize a terrorist group that frequently ...

Indian tribe takes treaty case to United Nations
CNN - USA
RENO, Nevada (AP) -- An American Indian tribe is heading to Geneva, Switzerland, this month to renew its claims before a United Nations committee that the US ...

United Nations Must Reform Peacekeeping Operations, Bolton Says
Washington File - Washington,DC,USA
United Nations -- A new report criticizing the management of UN peacekeeping operations shows "the need for a fundamental shift" in the organization's ...

Race is on at the United Nations
The Japan Times - Japan
... thankless. For all its prestige, the United Nations is a dumping ground for many of the world's most intractable concerns. The secretary ...

United Nations Pushing Abortion Politics in Peru
Lifesite - Niagara Falls,NY,USA
LIMA, February 22, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- A United Nations representative in Peru is urging presidential candidates to include platforms to legalize the ...

Look at the airports

Why would terrorists bother with seaports?
By Peggy Noonan

The Anti-Kelo Case

Oregon offers the nation a model for reform.

Signs of the Times

By Albert Mohler
Beyond The News

Oxford University has decided to require new students to sign contracts obligating them to attend classes and lectures, and to fulfill course requirements. As "The Observer," a major London newspaper, explains, the university faculty is concerned about possible litigation from students who accuse the university of failing to educate them--when they failed to attend lectures or to complete assignments.

This is surely a sign of the times. The very fact that a university would have to require students to sign such a contract tells us a great deal about the students, the times and the culture of higher education today.

Some students now expect to get good grades and receive degrees, even if they do not bother to attend classes or do assignments. Our entitlement society has produced people who think they deserve a degree simply because they are smart. Who needs to study?

Beyond this, if they fail, it must be someone else's fault, and so they sue. Indeed, we are living in very strange times.

EYE ON CHINA

Germany Pledges to Further Ties with China
Deutsche Welle - Germany
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Thursday the new government of Chancellor Angela Merkel hoped to develop closer ties with China. ...

Behind the Tough Talk on China
MSNBC - USA
... Representative Rob Portman stepped to the microphone in Washington to report the results of a top-to-bottom review of America's trade relationship with China. ...

Chen repeats China council threat
BBC News - UK
Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian has repeated his suggestion that guidelines on unification with China be scrapped, despite Washington's reservations. ...

China warns Taiwan to stay course on unification
Christian Science Monitor - Boston,MA,USA
China issued a warning that Taiwan should stay the course on unification with the mainland Thursday, a day after Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian called for ...

Alcoa Expects China Sales to Surge 40%, Belda Says
Bloomberg - USA
Feb. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Alcoa Inc., the world's biggest aluminum producer, expects its sales in China to surge 40 percent this year as urban and industrial ...

China plays positive role in int'l community
China Daily - China
A big question is haunting top US decision-makers and their peers in some other countries: Will China's rapid development pose a challenge to the international ...

China's Water Shortage May Spur Rural Unrest, Threaten Growth
Bloomberg - USA
... Increasing water use by cities and factories upstream reduces the river to a trickle by the time it reaches his farm in northwestern China's Minqin County. ...

"[W]here there is no law, there is no liberty; and nothing deserves the name of law but that which is certain and universal in its operation upon all the members of the community."

-- Benjamin Rush, 1788

'Zarqawi trying to get better grip'

Jerusalem Post - Israel
... Naveh would not say for certain that the al-Qaeda camp in Jordan worked under the direction of the movement's Iraqi leader Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, but, he said ... READ MORE.

Keeping an Eye on the Illegal Immigrant Problem

Federal agents arrest 56 illegal immigrants
Fort Worth Star Telegram - Fort Worth,TX,USA
CARTHAGE, Mo. - Nearly 60 illegal immigrants were arrested Wednesday after officers with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided a construction site in ...

Senate approves denying licenses, benefits to illegal immigrants
Duluth News Tribune - Duluth,MN,USA
... Critics say the bill will make Wisconsin less safe because illegal immigrants will not be able to obtain car insurance without driver's licenses and police ...

Proposal Expected For Type Of Driver's License For Illegal ...
NBC 10.com - Philadelphia,PA,USA
The document is essentially a driver's license for illegal immigrants. The bill from the Perth Amboy Democrat is similar to laws in about a dozen other states. ...


Illegal immigrants escape from hospital
KBSD - Dodge City,KS,USA
Morton County officials say two illegal immigrants involved in a deadly accident Tuesday, are on the run. Eyewitness News Reporter ...

Tracking Illegal Immigrants
KAKE - Wichita,KS,USA
Tracking Illegal ImmigrantsA deadly crash highlights the problem of illegal immigrants crossing our state highways. A truck carrying ...

Border Troubles: Drugs, Immigrants Today; Terrorists, Bombs ...
FOX News - USA
Today, optimistic Mexican illegal immigrants traipse across the US border; last month, authorities discovered a 2,400 yard tunnel from Tijuana, Mexico into ...

Considered an ally now, UAE backed bin Laden

The United Arab Emirates has become what the Bush administration calls a reliable partner in the war against Islamic terrorists, but its rulers maintained close ties to Osama bin Laden before September 11, and the cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai have since.......

Is it a matter of security?

HeavyHanded does find it humorous that this story broke before the Dick Cheney shooting accident, but the media was so infatuiated with the Cheney non-story that this story about the ports flew under the radar; because the media was so intent on doing what they do best, which is to do as little as possible in terms of real reporting and focus on how to best attack this administration.

This is a much more important story and should have been the one being examined from day one, not the Cheney story. At least this story contains more legitimate substance in it in which one can find reasons to attack the administration.

On security issue, Bush is only one leaning left
President Bush is on the defensive on national security for the first time in his presidency over his administration's decision to approve a Middle Eastern company's bid to manage U.S. ports, leaving Democrats and Republicans all running to his right on.....

Bush learned of port deal from press

The White House yesterday said President Bush first learned that his agency heads and top advisers had approved a Dubai-owned company's bid to manage six U.S. ports from press reports after it happened.

The Next Conservatism and Race
By Paul M. Weyrich

America’s race problem affects all of us, and as conservatives, we cannot ignore it. The main problem facing blacks is not white racism or discrimination – it is a cultural breakdown within the urban black community. It is vital for blacks and whites alike that young people adopt sound, functional middle class values… Read more.

The Dems Are Profilers Now

By Michelle Malkin

For the past several years, I’ve been condemned as an “extremist” for advocating nationality profiling -- applying stricter scrutiny to terror-sponsoring and terror-sympathizing countries in our immigration and security policies. Now, some of the same Democrats who have routinely blasted such profiling are rushing to the TV cameras to espouse these very same policies. And while the tone-deafness of the White House is bad, the craven political opportunism of the Democrats is worse… Read on.

EXACTLY....

Port Insecurity
By Rich Galen

This port deal is not a national security issue. It is an issue of this administration having a continuing problem with understanding how these things will play in the public's mind and not taking steps to set the stage so these things don't come as a shock and are presented in their worst possible light. Want to know what's really behind all this? We are 253 days from the midterm election. It's not about port security; it's about incumbent security…

(Emphasis mine - HH)

A ‘Misguided Decision,’ Say NY and NJ Residents

At worst, it’s a security threat; at best, it’s a public relations nightmare. Bush administration officials plan to brief the Senate Armed Services Committee Wednesday on a deal that would give a company owned by the United Arab Emirates operational control of some terminals at six major U.S. ports. Many Republicans, Democrats, pundits and ordinary Americans are strongly opposed to the idea of letting an Arab nation operate terminals at ports where security concerns remain very high... read on.

Gaza’s Tiny Christian Community Threatened With Violence

Jerusalem – Extremists are threatening to blow up the Palestinian Bible Society in the Gaza Strip if the Palestinian people who work there do not close up shop and abandon their ministry by the end of February, a Christian source told Cybercast News Service. The threats apparently are coming from Islamic extremists who are determined to drive Christians out of the area... read more.

China's new campaign aims to make Marxism relevant
San Jose Mercury News, USA
By Tim Johnson. BEIJING - After three decades of free-market economic reforms, China's leaders are re-emphasizing the study of Marxism ...

Keeping an Eye on the Illegal Immigrant Problem

Md. Driver's License Bill Targets Illegal Immigrants
WJLA - Washington,DC,USA
... Immigrants Build This Country." Opponents testified that Maryland should wait for more details on the federal ID requirements before moving to ban illegal ...

Court Rules Illegal Immigrants Eligible for Lost Wages
New York Sun - New York,NY,USA
New York's top court ruled yesterday that illegal immigrants are eligible to recover lost wages that result from workplace injuries. ...

Border Debate Shifts to Employers
Kansas City infoZine - Kansas City,MO,USA
... In Arizona, Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) is backing a bill that would impose heavy fines on companies that employ illegal immigrants. ...

Political Error

If nothing else, this is, politically, a huge tactical error. The overwhelming population in the U.S., I'm sensing, is strongly against the ports being run by the UAE.

Dubai firm would be 3rd-largest ports operator The proposed acquisition of British company Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. by Dubai Ports World would turn the Middle Eastern company into the world's third-largest ports operator.

The public has security concerns about this arrangement, and rightly so, as do some in the Bush administration.

Security fears about infiltration by terrorists Several Bush-administration security officials expressed concerns yesterday that terrorists could infiltrate seaports through a United Arab Emirates company that is vying to manage six U.S. ports.

Bush is presumably sticking to his guns on this issue and I think is a big mistake to do so. This is where his stubborness may come up to bite him in the rear end. How ironic it would be if his first veto ever of a bill in 6+ years in ofice would be overridden by the legislative branch.

Bush vows ports deal will stand President Bush yesterday vowed to use his first-ever veto to strike any law that Congress passes to block a deal allowing an Arab state-owned company to operate six major U.S. seaports, amid growing bipartisan efforts to thwart the plan for security reasons....

Not Good

I don't see this as a positive development.

Al-Jaafari dismisses calls for inclusion
Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari yesterday angrily rejected U.S. warnings to the Shi'ite majority to embrace sectarian rivals in a new government.

IT'S NOT OUR FAULT

We, the United States of America and the Western world, have made the current struggle in which we are engaged into our problem. It is not our problem- the problem belongs to the Muslim world, as does the solution. What the world is currently seeing, and largely condemning us for, is our solution. What we, the Western world and any and all moderate Muslims, need to do is to make it painfully clear to the the rest of the Muslim world that a peaceful solution to the current state of affairs can only be found through dialogue.

I am not pleased to see U.S. troops fighting and dying in foreign lands, I am not gladdened by the site of destroyed villages and dead and wounded civilians. But neither am I happy with the idea that our leaders think we can talk to the Islamofacsists from a position of weakness and expect them to change their stripes.

Read more from Dr. Demarche.

Time for Washington to Show Its Appreciation to El Salvador

Washington must demonstrate to [El Salvador's] President Saca that the special relationship between the two countries is something more than rhetorical.

This week, President Elias Antonio Saca begins a trip to the United States from which he hopes to return with some guarantee of the entry into force of the Free Trade Accord (CAFTA) with this country, and with some sign of hope for the normalization of the migratory status of our countrymen. Read more at Watching America.

Report: Hospital Staff Executed Patients To Facilitate Hurricane Katrina Staff Evacuation

Lost Budgie posts:

From disability rights organization Not Dead Yet, a story of murder framed as "compassion". New Orleans Memorial Medical Center staff executed patients by lethal injection to facilitate staff evacuation prior to Hurricane Katrina...

Rumors of War.

Hat tip to Regime Change Iran:

The Jerusalem Post reported that American officials have been quietly probing whether Georgia, situated just northwest of Iran, will be willing to allow Washington to use its military bases and airfields in the event of a military conflict with Tehran.

Iran Talks with Russia and the EU - Fail Again.

Hat tip to Regime Change Iran.

• The Guardian reported that Iranian negotiators headed home after the first day of an expected two day negotiation session in Moscow.

Sins of Commission

Human rights lose at the U.N. again.
Opinion Journal

So the U.N.'s Human Rights Commission publishes a study denouncing U.S. detention practices at Guantanamo, and world opinion is supposed to be outraged. Well, count us in: Once again, the Commission has amply demonstrated why even Secretary General Kofi Annan wants to replace it with something better. This being the U.N., however, the reform effort is now being bungled. Read on.

A Pick-Up Truck Carrying 19 Illegal Immigrants Crashes

WTKR Your NewsChannel 3 - Norfolk,VA,USA
All 19 people who were in a pickup truck that crashed this morning on a Kansas highway are described as illegal immigrants from Mexico. ...

United Nations doublespeak for censorship

Appearing in the Canada Free Press, Feb. 21, 2006 edition, is an article by Joseph Klein and he rakes Kofi Annan over the coals for supporting the campaign against free speech.

The Islamic campaign against free speech continues to pick up steam. With the backing of the visiting High Representative of the European Union for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Mr. Javier Solana, and of a visiting Russian delegation, the Permanent Representatives of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Member States convened at the OIC Headquarters in Jeddah on February 14, 2006 to approve the following five points (emphasis added):

1. the adoption by the EU of necessary legislative measures through the European Parliament against Islamophobia;
2. making joint efforts by the EU and the OIC to adopt UN Resolution on the lines of existing UN Resolution 60/150 (Combating defamation of religions) which should prohibit defamation of all Prophets and faiths;
3. the adoption of a code of ethics for the European media;
4. the adoption of an International Communication Media Order by the United Nations which should cover a definition of freedom of speech in case of religious symbols;
5. the inclusion of an operative paragraph prohibiting blasphemy, defamation of religions and incitement to hatred in the text of Human Rights Council resolution presently being negotiated.

Kofi Annan is on board. Seeing no problem with using his own bully pulpit in matters such as the cartoon caricature controversy, he has endorsed the language prohibiting blasphemy or defamation of religions which the Organization of the Islamic Conference wants to add to the text of the new Human Rights Council resolution."

His last paragraph:

The United Nations is being pulled inexorably toward the Islamic worldview. They appear to have the votes in the General Assembly to push forward their agenda, where many member states who pay an infinitesimal fraction that the United States pays toward the UN’s annual budget regularly band together to oppose the United States at virtually every turn. And the Islamists also have the help of enablers inside the UN bureaucracy, within some European countries, and among the "politically correct" crowd --- all of whom are too craven, too cynical or too naive to resist. But resist we must in order to protect the freedoms that we have fought for, even if we have to declare our independence from the United Nations and its entangling web of ‘international laws.’

Complete article here.

Language Lunacies ~ Gov't 'Aids and Abets' Illegal Aliens (Part 3)

By Daneen G. Peterson, Ph.D.
February 21, 2006

As described in Insanity Reigns . . . (Part 1 - Overview), our sovereign nation is facing an overwhelming illegal alien invasion by an Hispanic 'migrant army' that has defied our immigration laws and sovereignty.(1) The invasion of America now totals 20 -23 million and rising. Of that number, 90% are Hispanics who balkanize our cities and towns, and arrogantly corrupt our unifying national language while actively disrespecting our culture, society and country! All this is being accomplished while our complicit government shamelessly stands by blatantly ignoring the anarchy, by allowing Mexico's human tsunami of illegal aliens to lawlessly overrun America.

The invading illegal alien horde is diminishing our quality-of-life, overloading our hospitals, schools and jails, and bankrupting our taxpayer treasury. It is a Mexican invasion, an act of war, that has reduced our country to nothing but a lawless territory with little or no sovereignty left! Mexico has been waging their one-sided war for decades by sending a migrant army of some 20 million of its citizens to colonize and reconquista America. It is a war they intend to win "without firing a shot!" It is a clear and evident de facto war, totally ignored by our government. It is a war that has been carefully planned, blatantly conducted and arrogantly executed without a single change or deviation from the original 1982 'Mexican Manifesto.'(1) Read more.

What Would We Do Without.......

....the geniusness of Cliff Clavin (of Cheers):

"Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first.

This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.

In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells.

But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine.

That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."

ATouch of Satire

Global Warming Dumps Record Snow In NYC
ChronWatch - Alamo,CA,USA
NEW YORK, New York --- New York City felt the horrifying impact of global warming over the weekend. The man-made phenomenon caused ...

"All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression."

-- Thomas Jefferson

United Nations' criticism of Gitmo is a joke

By Anthony Kovacevich
Retriever - Baltimore,MD,USA

For anyone who is unaware, the United Nations is a joke, and not even a "Ha ha, that's funny" joke. It is more of a pathetic joke. ... Read on.

Keeping an Eye on the Illegal Immigrant Problem

Immigrants share their stories in new report
Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA
... "I empathize with them. ... But you can't (accept illegal immigrants) without ultimately destroying the very way of life that made it attractive.".

Two more for the taboo lexicon: 'Americanization' and 'legal'
Town Hall - Washington,DC,USA
... Contrary to popular opinion, not all Hispanics support illegal immigration. Some are opposed to non-assimilating immigrants: Ironically ...

Why So Many Blacks Fear Illegal Immigrants - Part 3
BlackNews.com (press release) - Long Beach,CA,USA
... Though the Courier nailed employer's for exploiting illegal immigrants, it did not take the next logical step and urge black workers, labor groups, and civil ...

Democracies and Moderation

Hopefully most of my readers understand that the United States is not a democracy, but a democratic republic.

Additionally, it does seem, however, many people confuse a democracy with the mere act of voting.

The mere act of voting does not guarantee one is getting or participating in a democracy. The people of Iran had an election recently and elected a president. The problem is, the mullahs run the country, select the candidates, and thereby ensure all possible election winners share their views and ideologies. Are they a democracy? No.

This leads me to a question that I have been mulling over and have yet to answer. If the goal is to get as many countries to switch to a "true democracy" (not the farcical ones like Iran, and like those elections under Saddam in which he got 99% of the vote), which needs to happen first:

(A) that country's conversion to a "democracy", so they can vote, or
(B) that country's cultural conversion to a position of moderation?

Take Palenstine for example. They recently had elections? Does this make them a democracy? Without a cultural change to a position of moderation, it makes no difference which "party" wins - the party which is designated officially by many as a terrorist group - or the party which was in power and many would argue was a terrorist party. In either case, each party and the Palestinian people want to eradicate the "Joos". What needs to come first? "Democracy" or moderation?

If a cultural change does not take place that truly embraces democracy, their attempt of transition may likely be only a thin veiled attempt. Once a thuggish dictator is elected to the presidency, what are the chances that he will be voted out in future elections? Chavez in Venezuela comes to mind.

Brazil’s Nuclear Ambitions

Brazil is a continental country with a complicated “geostrategic depth.” Americans tend, at our peril, to pay insufficient attention to its politics and justifiably large ambitions. We may not have that luxury in the foreseeable future. Brazil appears to be taking steps in the next few weeks which could eventually enlarge the small but growing club of nuclear powers. The implications are profound. READ MORE.

Saddam and al-Qaeda

The proof has been right in front of you the entire time. Documents available on the internet, which pass the smell test and are probably genuine, show the link between Saddam and al Qaeda.

On October 11th, 2004 an online news service called CNSnews published 42 documents that they claimed came from the Iraq Survey Group. The documents supposedly came from an ISG official who claimed they were captured in Iraq. CNSnews provided this information along with testimony from experts who authenticated the documents to the best of their ability. READ ON.

Bolton chides Annan on UN planning for Darfur force

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said on Monday that Secretary-General Kofi Annan should be pushing U.N. officials harder in planning a force in Sudan's Darfur region rather than just lobbying the United States for contributions.

"It would be helpful, I think, if the secretary-general, in addition to prodding the U.S., could also be out there talking to the African Union and the Arab League, and in fact, even talking to his own peacekeepers about the importance of moving ahead here," Bolton told reporters.

When told of Bolton's remarks, Annan said, "I'm not going to answer that." But his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the U.N. "planning process was moving full speed ahead." READ ON.

Iran Toughens Stance in Russian Nuke Talks

Iran took a tough stance in high-profile talks Monday on the Kremlin's offer to enrich uranium in Russia, seen as a last chance for Tehran to stave off international sanctions. READ ON.

Islamic groups plan more protests

The leader of Pakistan's main Islamic alliance has said there will no let up in protests against cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad.

Qazi Hussain Ahmed, the leader of six-party MMA, made the comments after being released from house arrest.
READ MORE.

POETRY

To read a poem "I am a Liberal" go here.

YOUR GOVERNMENT AT WORK

Gas-price controls backfire in Hawaii
WorldNetDaily

Cost of fuel rises faster under new law, while drivers pay less in other 49 states. Read on.

"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."

~ Dave Barry

This is a Good Idea

States aim to limit genetic tests for potential insurance clients

States are moving to ban or limit insurance companies from requiring potential policyholders to undergo genetic tests.

To allow insurance companies to operate in this fashion undermines the whole concept of insurance; and that is to spread the risk so the unfortunate does not take on the entire burden of their misfortune.

Military plots a 'long war' on terror

Joint Chiefs of Staff planners have produced a 27-page briefing on the war on terror that seeks to explain how to win the "long war" and says Islamic extremists may be supported by 12 million Muslims worldwide.

Congressmen threaten probe of U.S. seaports deal

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle yesterday threatened a congressional investigation of a deal to give control of six U.S. seaports to an Arab company, while one key Republican said the Bush administration's security reassurances were not adequate.

United Nations Report: Making Abortion Illegal Doesn't Increase Women's Deaths

New York, NY (LifeNews.com) -- Abortion advocates made the argument to legalize abortion in the United States and they make the same one to topple pro-life laws in other nations: making abortion illegal will increase women's deaths. However, a new report from the United Nations indicates that's just not so.

According to new figures from the United Nations Populations Division, nations with laws legalizing abortion have not seen a corresponding drop in the rate of maternal deaths. Read on.

Keeping an Eye on the Illegal Immigrant Problem

Investigators seek more action against hiring of illegal ...
WREG - Memphis,TN,USA
... don't match government records. And Patrick O'Carroll is calling for tougher action against employers hiring illegal immigrants. ...

Bill to deny driver's licenses to illegal immigrants filed
Annapolis Capital - Annapolis,MD,USA
Maryland delegates are proposing legislation to stop the Motor Vehicle Administration from issuing new driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. ...

Investigators seek more action against hiring of illegal ...
San Diego Union Tribune - United States
... Social Security numbers don't match government records, leading investigators to call Thursday for more action against employers hiring illegal immigrants. ...

Authorities Search for Illegal Immigrants on I-70
WIBW - Topeka,KS,USA
26 illegal immingrants were attempting to get through the Kansas Turnpke, when authorities say 20 of them ran from their 15 passenger van. ...

Illegal immigrants not entitled to Utah education
Provo Daily Herald - Provo,UT,USA
... That's it. Nothing more. Honest! Where are you getting these ideas? They will find low-paying illegal jobs that may not sustain them and their future families. ...

Georgia Bill Targets Illegal Immigrants' Wire Transfers
NPR - USA
... February 19, 2006 · The Georgia state house has approved a bill that would levy a 5-percent surcharge on wire transfers by illegal immigrants to their native ...

Move it or go to jail?

The House of Representatives is to look at legislation that would severely restrict US firms' ability to operate in China

Nearly every US company with a Web site located in China will have to move it elsewhere or its executives would face prison terms of up to a year, according to proposed legislation expected to be introduced this week in the US Congress.

A draft version of the bill reviewed by ZDNet UK sister site CNET News.com represents the first serious attempt to rewrite the ground rules controlling how US Internet companies may interact with foreign governments. If enacted, it would dramatically change the business practices of corporations with operations in China, Iran, Vietnam and other nations deemed to be overly "Internet-restricting". Read on.

The Saddam tapes

Today the Intelligence Summit released transcripts from the Saddam tapes on the intelligencesummit.org website. There are some interesting revelations in the MS PowerPoint presentation they have posted.... Read on...

First things first

Media Channel taped the Able Danger hearings and documents how little coverage they got--a total of 25 minutes on all TV channels. If only it were about birdshot and a hunting... Read on...

Clinton wants to throw cartoonists in jail

Unbelieveable though it seems, according to the Times of Pakistan, Bill Clinton wants the Danish cartoonists thrown in jail.... Read on...