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Heavy-Handed Politics

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

Saturday, March 04, 2006

ABOUT INDIA

"India is a liberal democracy and a responsible power; it is nonsensical to argue that the U.S. is guilty of "hypocrisy" by providing nuclear technology to India while denying it to rogue states such as Iran and North Korea. The deeper question, however, is whether the world is prepared to also allow democracies such as Indonesia, Argentina or Taiwan to acquire nuclear weapons. Color us skeptical."

--- Opinion Journal

MORE GLOBAL WARMING ?

Scotland seizes up as blizzards move south
RECORD-BREAKING snowfalls brought parts of Scotland to a standstill yesterday as the Arctic weather spread south across the country.

U.S.-India pact muddies effort to rein in Iran
The new U.S.-India nuclear cooperation pact is complicating the Bush administration's efforts to rally international pressure against Iran's suspected nuclear-weapons programs.

U.S. commander says Iraqi 'crisis has passed'
"The top U.S. commander in Iraq yesterday declared an end to a 10-day wave of sectarian violence that killed an estimated 350 civilians, asserting that many reports of violence were "exaggerated." (
HeavyHanded feigning disbelief.)

United Nations: Severe food shortage, famine possible in Gaza

International Middle East Media Center - Beit Sahour,West Bank,Israel
... After pleas from the United Nations for Israel to open the crossing to allow suicide bombers food to get to the desperate and hungry population, Israeli authorities had agreed ...

Hamas leaders reject Russian advice on Jewish state

'The question of recognition is a closed issue. We do not intend to recognize Israel'
In their highest-profile foreign visit since Palestinian elections swept them into power in January, leaders of the radical Islamic group Hamas met with top Russian diplomats here Friday but rebuffed Russian attempts to persuade the movement to soften its hostility toward Israel.

EYE ON CHINA

US-Indian nuclear deal designed as China hedge
Seattle Times - United States
... risk losing ground in the worldwide campaign to limit the spread of nuclear weapons for a deal with India that could help it counter the rising power of China. ...

China opposed to US-India nuke deal
Daily Times - Lahore,Pakistan
BEIJING: China has opposed the US-India nuclear deal, saying that it would weaken the existing international safeguards against proliferation. ...

China ups military budget another 14.7%
Bangkok Post - Thailand
Beijing (dpa) - China on Saturday said it had increased its military budget for this year by another 14.7 per cent, following similar large increases in recent
.....

Moon probe program to boost China's high-tech innovation
Xinhua - China
GUIYANG, March 4 (Xinhuanet) -- China's moon-probe program will pave the way for the country's high-tech breakthroughs and innovation and will help train a ...

Keeping an Eye on the Illegal Immigrant Problem

Officials explain why illegal immigrants were let go
KBSD - Dodge City,KS,USA
... Twelve illegal immigrants are in federal custody just a day after they were free to go in Wichita. ... Butler County Jail contracts to house illegal immigrants. ...

Bills target illegal immigrants
St. Louis Post-Dispatch - St. Louis,MO,USA
The recent arrests of illegal immigrants working at an O'Fallon construction site has led two state officials to propose legislation that would strengthen ...

Illegal immigrants at issue
Quad-Cities Online - Rock Island,IL,USA
ROCK ISLAND -- The fear of illegal immigrants working at a pork plant in East Moline resurfaced Friday during a meeting of the Illinois Minuteman Project ...

Weiss proposes fining employers who hire illegal immigrants
Douglas Daily Dispatch - Douglas,AZ,USA
Patty Weiss has proposed fining employers who illegally hire illegal immigrants then using those funds to help reimburse communities burdened by illegal ...

The Search for Illegal Immigrants Stops at the Workplace
New York Times - United States
... It seems designed for failure. Most experts agree that a vast majority of illegal immigrants who make it across the border every year are seeking work. But the workplace is the one spot that is virtually unpoliced.
...

Terrorist Abu Nasser says a third intifada to be launched against Israel

Terrorist and senior leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror organization says Israel behind world's violence.

Man, all this time I thought Israel was this tiny little country the size of New Jersey. I must have been wrong because surely a country this small could not manipulate the whole world could it? If they can, then their powers are quite inordinate and we all best leave them alone.

"The Israeli secret services are behind everything in the world, not only in Palestine or in Iraq," says Abu Nasser.

Earlier this week, he took responsibility for setting up several attacks on Israeli citizens in the West Bank area. More.

Iran stumbling as they are put on notice

While the Jerusalem Post says that The United States will present a 30-day ultimatum to the UN Security Council this week, the Washington Post reported Saturday, calling on Iran to cease with its nuclear program, the US would not request further economic sanctions on Iran.

At the same time, it is being reported by The New York Times that as the crisis brews, Iran has hit a bump in its' atomic program and continues to grapple with problems that have slowed them in their quest for nukes.

9 Injured by SUV at UNC-Chapel Hill

Muslim avenger injures 9 in North Carolina rampage
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- A recent University of North Carolina graduate faces attempted murder charges after a sport utility vehicle raced through a popular campus gathering spot Friday, hurting nine people and scattering startled bystanders.Angry Iranian charged with attempted murder after running down campus crowd with SUV.

Halliburton Eyed for Dubai Ports Deal

The Bush administration is working behind the scenes to defuse the Dubai Ports World controversy by having the UAE-based firm team up with an American company.

According to the New York Daily News, which first reported the new White House strategy on Saturday, "one snag may be that sources say the U.S. company best equipped to partner with DP World is Halliburton, once headed by Vice President Dick Cheney."

Clinton on Dubai Payroll

Former President Bill Clinton is up to his eyeballs in dealings with Dubai, his former top political adviser has revealed.

According to Dick Morris, author of the best-selling book, "Condi vs, Hillary," Clinton is a paid agent of the crown prince of Dubai, now involved in a firestorm over its deal to take over some of the operations at six major U.S. ports.

Dem's want to investigate McCain

The California Democratic Party is asking for an investigation of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sen. John McCain for alleged violations of campaign finance law.

Friday, March 03, 2006

News From the Political Front

John McCain, a big proponent of free trade, wants the free flow of political information in this country regulated, limited—even stopped. The infamous McCain-Feingold (read: Incumbent Protection) Act has already voided a large chunk of the First Amendment, infuriating Americans who take the Constitution seriously. Now McCain and a growing number of co-sponsors are pushing S2128 in response to the Abramoff scandal. Instead of promoting honest reform, McCain wants to widen Congress's control over political speech.

Among other things, the bill redefines the term "lobbyist" in the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to include grassroots activists, possibly even individuals working at home on their own dime. All "lobbyists" will be required to file quarterly financial reports, including lists of their subscribers and their donations. Clearly, this puts a huge burden on small operations (such as bloggers) and aims at silencing them. Unfortunately, Republican Christopher Shays has proposed S2128's twin in the House.

From the Patriot Post

"Say what you like about the Islamic world, but they show tremendous initiative and energy and inventiveness, at least when it comes to threatening death to the infidels every 48 hours for one perceived offense or another. If only it could be channeled into, say, a small software company, what an economy they'd have."

—Mark Steyn

Would that be Cracked Wheat?

"Surely even the Saudis see the true picture--that Al Gore is a bitter politician who, sadly, seems to be one slice short of a loaf these days."

—Kathleen Parker

"The media are so full of themselves—among other things that they are full of—that they act as if the government exists to provide them with something to publicize. The time is long overdue to put these people in their place."

—Thomas Sowell

"In the United States there is no phenomenon more threatening to popular government than the unwillingness of newspapers to give the facts to their readers." —Nelson Antrim Crawford

"A cynical, mercenary, demagogic press will produce in time a people as base as itself."

—Joseph Pulitzer

Deputies find, release van full of illegal immigrants

Kansas.com - KS,USA
WICHITA, Kan. - A moving van carrying 12 illegal immigrants was stopped for minor traffic violations in Wichita, but local authorities released the occupants ...

EYE ON CHINA

Taiwan is part of China: FO
Daily Times - Lahore,Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has said that Taiwan is a part of China and any change in this status will be detrimental to regional peace and stability. ...

Bush visit meant to raise India as superpower against China: Qazi
PakTribune.com - Pakistan
... of life in any country. He added America wanted to raise India as superpower in the region against China. MMA leader claimed Bush ...

Religious Double Standards

The University of Saskatchewan publication The Sheaf chose not to publish the famous Mohammed cartoons "out of respect for Islam," but has no problem publishing a vile cartoon of Jesus having oral sex.

Lost Budgie has the story.

Keeping an Eye on the Illegal Immigrant Problem

Raid turns up 70 illegal immigrants in South LA house
San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA
LOS ANGELES - Federal officials on Friday raided a squalid house and found 70 illegal immigrants and four suspected smugglers, authorities said. ...

Arizona: Illegal immigrants to be charged with conspiring with ...
Wicklow People - Wicklow,Ireland
Fifty-four immigrants discovered in two furniture trucks were being held by authorities in Phoenix, Arizona today for allegedly conspiring with their smugglers ...

Poll Finds Americans Opposed Benefits For Illegal Immigrants
NY1 - NY,USA
... this week in support of legal employment for immigrants, Americans are overwhelmingly are against giving government benefits to illegal immigrants according to ...

Completely Wacko, Man.....

The closing paragraph of an article by some "nutjob" from uruknet.info:
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi embodies the Big Lie and the Straussian neocons will continue to "stick to it" because "if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it." Millions of Americans now believe al-Zarqawi is a real person, although there is absolutely no evidence of this. As an invincible force, al-Zarqawi will be used to explain the Iraqi "civil war," now well underway, and the corporate media, ever the slavish lapdog of the government, will keep hammering the message that the ethereal al-Zarqawi is the "number One Enemy of the People," as Emmanuel Goldstein was in Orwell’s 1984.
Entire piece can be read here.

Arizona Governor: Place Troops on Border

Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano said Wednesday that she is prepared to use state money to send National Guard troops to the Arizona-Mexico border to crack down on illegal immigration if the Pentagon declines to pick up the bill. More details.

Democrats to push Steele-Katrina link
Maryland Democratic leaders are aiming to tie Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele to the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina to dampen his appeal among black voters in his U.S. Senate bid.

Abbas says al Qaeda in Gaza
Al Qaeda cells are operating in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview published yesterday.

Lawmaker vows to kill ports deal
The Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee yesterday said he'll push legislation that would not only kill a Dubai-owned company's bid to operate in U.S. ports, but would kick out any foreign-owned company that owns U.S. terminals or other....

Lautenberg's ‘Devil and Dubai’ Comments Prompt Outrage
(CNSNews.com)
– Sen. Frank Lautenberg, a New Jersey Democrat, has angered Arab-Americans with remarks comparing the Middle Eastern emirate of Dubai to the devil...

Non-Profits Tell Senate to ‘Keep Off the Grassroots’
(CNSNews.com)
– The U.S. Senate is moving to curtail the influence of non-profit interest groups that routinely contact citizens and urge them to petition their congressmen or senators on issues of concern. The so-called Lieberman-Levin Amendment would impose “unconstitutional and unfair” restraints on non-profit grassroots lobbying activity, the Family Research Council warned...

Media, Democrats Exaggerate Warning About Levee Breaches
Critics of the Bush administration are promoting video of an Aug. 28, 2005, teleconference between emergency management officials and the president as proof that the White House was warned that levees around New Orleans would likely fail against Hurricane Katrina. But a closer examination of the recording and transcript shows no mention that the levees would be breached...

Related:

--Video: Gov. Blanco Assured Levees Safe

--Reid, Pelosi Want Katrina Probe

CBS: Al-Qaeda Planning Big Attack in Iraq

From: Zaman Online - Istanbul,Turkey

Keeping an Eye on the Illegal Immigrant Problem

20 arrested in ongoing investigation targeting illegal immigrants
North County Times - Escondido,CA,USA
... COUNTY ---- Federal and local law enforcement officers have arrested more than 20 people in a continuing investigation targeting illegal immigrants who are ...

McCain goes to bat for illegal immigrants
The Villager - New York,NY,USA
... Employees International Union headquarters on a swing through New York seeking support for legislation he has sponsored to allow illegal immigrants to earn ...

Smuggled immigrants arrested as smuggling accomplices
KPHO Phoenix - Phoenix,AZ,USA
... Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas took the law a step farther when he issued an opinion declaring that illegal immigrants can be prosecuted as co ...

EYE ON CHINA

US official urges China to be "responsible stakeholder" in world ...
Xinhua - China
BEIJING, March 3 (Xinhuanet) -- A senior official with the US Trade Representative Office (USTR) said here on Friday that China should be a "responsible ...

China to split the Internet
PC Pro - UK
The People's Republic of China may be preparing to develop its own version of the Internet. The official Chinese People's Daily ...

Activists detained in China for protesting
Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA
BEIJING -- China's government is detaining people protesting problems ranging from poor health care to property seizures as its ceremonial parliament prepares ...

China, India threaten world Inc
Financial Express - Bombay,India
PARIS, MARCH 3: China and India may be great resource pools for some of the world's top technology companies now, but their rapid growth could spawn some ...

US official tells China to expect more WTO cases
Reuters - USA
BEIJING (Reuters) - China can expect its trading partners to lodge more complaints with the World Trade Organization aimed at getting Beijing to enforce global ...

Top China official reiterates Beijing will not tolerate Taiwan ...
Forbes - USA
BEIJING (AFX) - China will not tolerate independence for Taiwan, a senior official with the Chinese government said. 'We will not ...

China better than India to tackle corruption
Hindustan Times - India
India will lose out economically to China if it does not weed out widespread corruption and invest heavily in infrastructure, a top European analyst has warned ...

Not Just No, But HELL NO!

Egads, folks, these two are potential future U.S. presidents.
Say no to United Nations' taxation
Baxter Bulletin - Baxter,AR,USA
Powerful members of Congress, like John Kerry and Hillary Clinton, have already voiced support for the United Nations global taxation act of 2005. ...

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Faith, Blood & Bombs
theOneRepublic - CA,USA
... But it sure wasn't civil war. For now, at least, Abu Musad al-Zarqawi and his blood-cult terrorists haven't succeeded in pitting Sunni against Shia. ...

Blowing Up The Golden Mosque
Strategy Page - USA

More al Qaeda brass have been biting the dust in Iraq. Since February 24, one senior aide, Abu Asma, was killed during a raid while he was preparing to launch a murder-suicide attack in Iraq, and now, a senior aide to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, bin Laden's choice to lead al-Qaeda in Iraq, has been captured with five associates by Iraqi forces. This is a sign that the Iraqi terror groups are rapidly running out of any local acquiescence whatsoever (never mind support). Read on.

COMMENTARY

Port Controversy: Democrat Posturing and Real Concerns
By Christopher G. Adamo

In light of their past actions, it is apparent Democrats are no more sincere in regards to national security than were they worried about gun safety as they pilloried Dick Cheney, or sexual harassment back when they pursued their “high tech lynching” of Clarence Thomas. Nevertheless, the port situation is a legitimate cause for great concern. And no mere “cooling off period,” followed by the inevitable “rubber stamping” of the deal, should be acceptable to the American people as a proper fix…

NEWS HEADLINES

Denver Post:
Teacher's Anti-Bush, Anti-US Rant Caught on Tape

Las Vegas Sun/AP:
Catholic Leader: Government Can't Tell Church How to Deal With Illegals

Washington Post:
Immigration Bills May Split Republicans
Bipartisan Call for Guest Worker Program at Odds With Push to Secure Borders

USA Today:
Feds may soon check all workers' IDs
Goal: Stemming illegal immigration

Washington Times:
Violence on border at record high

Las Vegas Sun/AP:
U.N. Launches Anti-Semitism Investigation

Washington Post:
U.S. Reviewing 2nd Dubai Firm
Israeli Deal Also Faces Security Check

Washington Times:
U.S. urges UAE to end its boycott of Israel

Washington Times:
Kennedy tries to halt windmills in his 'backyard'

Boston Globe:
Democratic group targets Senate GOP
Daschle aiding project to gather, spread criticism

Boston Globe:
Bill to ban most abortions in Miss. advances
To save mother's life would be exception

Washington Times:
Black vote no longer a lock for Md. Democrats

Security Experts Counter Dem Attacks on Port Deal
An additional 45-day government review of a Dubai-owned company’s bid to operate some terminals at six U.S. ports will do nothing to change the minds of congressional Democrats like House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, she said...

I Feel I Must.....................

As much as it pains me to do so, I must give credit where credit is due.
Sheehan Says She’ll Avoid Protests at Hospitals
(CNSNews.com)
– Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan apparently has broken ranks with some of her fellow anti-war demonstrators by refusing to protest outside U.S. military hospitals. Although Sheehan last year participated in a protest outside the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, she now is urging her fellow activists to “leave our soldiers out of our protests.”
Ouch, that really hurt.

Gov’ts Urged to Remember Christians in Islamic States
(CNSNews.com)
– A Christian group has launched a campaign urging governments to protect Christian minorities in Islamic countries. The Barnabas Fund, a U.K.-based group, says hardships faced by those Christians are being overlooked at a time when the Mohammed cartoon controversy has led to an increasing emphasis on the protection of Islam...

Al Qaeda Comes to West Bank, Gaza Strip, PA Leader Says
Jerusalem (CNSNews.com)
– Rockets are falling on Israelis, attacks and terror warnings are increasing – and now this: al Qaeda operatives have arrived in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. “We have indications about the presence of al Qaeda in Gaza and the West Bank," Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas told a newspaper on Thursday...

EYE ON CHINA

Report: A democratic China could be 'great risk' to Asia
Christian Science Monitor - Boston,MA,USA
A democratic China may bring as much harm to Asia as it does good, according to a new report from an Australian defense think tank. ...

China takes Taiwan issue to United Nations - Xinhua
Forbes - USA
BEIJING (AFX) - China has expressed its concerns directly to United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan about Taiwan's scrapping of a unification council with ...



Thought Provoking

This was emailed to me. I do not know who authored it, but it is thought provoking. The person who shared it with me via email thought the "magnitude and the simplicity were awesome."

I agree.

WHY?

Cindy Sheehan asked President Bush, "Why did my son have to die in Iraq?"

Another mother asked President Kennedy, "Why did my son have to die in Viet Nam?"

Another mother asked President Truman, "Why did my son have to die in Korea?"

Another mother asked President F.D. Roosevelt, "Why did my son have to die at Iwo Jima?"

Another mother asked President W. Wilson, "Why did my son have to die on the battlefield of France?"

Yet another mother asked President Lincoln, "Why did my son have to die at Gettysburg?"

And yet another mother asked President G. Washington, "Why did my son have to die near Valley Forge?"

Then, long, long ago, a mother asked, "Heavenly Father, why did my Son have to die on a cross outside of Jerusalem?"

The answers to all these are similar -- "that others may have life and dwell in peace, happiness and freedom."

Keeping an Eye on the Illegal Immigrant Problem

Panel OKs bill on seizing illegal immigrants' property
AL.com - Montgomery,AL,USA
A bill allowing law enforcement officers to seize the personal property of illegal immigrants cleared its first hurdle Wednesday in the House Judiciary ...

Bill seeks to end sanctuary shielding illegal immigrants
Pueblo Chieftain - Pueblo,CO,USA
... Three from the House would ensure the state's documents laws are being followed, bail is denied to illegal immigrants arrested for serious crimes and state ...

Illegal immigrants in search of work find a nation at odds over ...
Charlotte Observer - Charlotte,NC,USA
... You can see it nationally, where nearly 11 million illegal immigrants live and work, including an estimated 390,000 in North Carolina. ...

EYE ON CHINA

China hopes international community regains trust in Iran: FM ...
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
As there is still room in resolving the Iran nuclear issue within the framework of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), China hopes the international ...

HeavyHanded: Regains trust? Does that not imply that at one time you trusted them? When the hell was that?

The China angle
Hindustan Times - India
... As of now, it looks as if the US wants to contain China's grip over the global scenario and it is for this reason that Uncle Sam is keen to engage India. ...

Drug cartels 'laundering cash in China'
Financial Times - London,England,UK
The US on Wednesday expressed concern that ever more sophisticated drug-trafficking cartels were using China's inadequately controlled financial system to ...

China a Key, Unmentioned Issue of Bush India Trip
Voice of America - USA
By Al Pessin. An almost unmentioned, but still important, issue in President Bush's trip to India is China. Both the United States ...

Bulgaria reaffirms "One China" policy
Xinhua - China
SOFIA, March 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Bulgaria reaffirms on Wednesday its constant and clear "One China" standpoint of principle, that Taiwan is an indivisible part of ...

Arms sales to China resume
Jerusalem Post - Israel
Israeli arms developers are once again marketing their wares in China despite the 2004 crisis that developed with the US over a sensitive arms deal, Defense ...

Religion still restricted in China: HRW
Taipei Times - Taiwan
Two Tibetan Buddhists jailed for "splittism" have had their sentences reduced, but a rights group said yesterday that one year after China introduced new ...

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Bush's Problems Start With 'PR'
By Paul M. Weyrich

What is happening in the Bush administration lately? It is difficult to understand how this administration has gone from being one of the smartest, most competent, most pro-active administrations to one that looks like it took public relations lesions from Jimmy Carter. Who is minding the store? Read on.

How to Create Conflict
By Walter E. Williams

High up on my list of annoyances are references to the United States as a democracy and the suggestion that Iraq should become a democracy. Our nation’s founders had disdain for democracy and majority rule. And I can’t think of a worse place than Iraq to have a democracy—majority rule. Iraq needs a decentralized republic with limited government power. The ideal political model for Iraq is Switzerland’s cantonal system… Read more.

Muslim Dissenters Make Public Stand Against Islamism
(CNSNews.com)
– Islamism is the new totalitarianism, said British author Salman Rushdie and a group of other writers and intellectuals, in a declaration published Wednesday. “Like all totalitarianisms, Islamism is nurtured by fears and frustrations,” the document says...

Civil Rights Pioneer Heads Pro-Wal-Mart Group
Andrew Young has been a prominent civil rights activist, a U.S. congressman, an ambassador, and the mayor of Atlanta. Now, as a declared “fan” of Wal-Mart, Young is heading a group trying to counter criticism of the world’s largest retailer...

Taylor plans to stop illegal immigrants
Cherokee Sentinel - Murphy,NC,USA
... the entire southern border would be offset by the $25 billion it is costing the United States in health care and prison costs for illegal immigrants and the ...

Securing U.S. ports at home should be our last line of defense. Not our first.”

"AEI fellow Veronique de Rugy sees misplaced priorities in the fears over the approval of UAE-based Dubai Ports World leasing seaport facilities in the United States. 'Our nation’s port security shouldn’t rely on who owns what in our ports. Effective port security should keep terrorists and their bombs as far as possible from U.S. shores… securing U.S. ports at home should be our last line of defense. Not our first.' ”

From Free Market Project.

Media Ignore Democratic Ties to Fannie Mae Scandal

The Free Market Project has tracked Fannie Mae’s accounting scandal for nearly a year, documenting how news coverage has downplayed the mortgage fiasco. The media tried tirelessly to link Enron with the Bush administration, but as new Fannie Mae reports come out, they continue to overlook high-ranking officials’ ties to the Clinton administration. Read more about the Fannie Mae scandal here.

NEWS HEADLINES

Reuters:
Bird Flu Could Hit US Soon, HHS Secretary Says

Las Vegas Sun/AP:
Senate Advances Patriot Act Renewal

The Hill:
Former Conyers aides press ethics complaints

WKMG-TV:
Serial Killer May Be Targeting Women In Daytona Beach

Breitbart/AP:
Transgender Person Arrested Over Restroom

USA Today:
Justices question Vermont campaign-finance limits

New York Post:
Bill Clinton Splits With Sen. Clinton on Dubai

USA Today:
Collecting Unpaid Taxes May Wipe Out Budget Deficit
IRS enforcement budget may rise

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:
Same-sex marriage goes to voters

BBC:
Pakistani troops in border attack

Washington Times:
Americans and Jews Targeted in Blockbuster 'Hate Film'

Las Vegas Sun/AP:
Missouri Court Upholds Abortion Waiting Period

Las Vegas Sun/AP:
Showing of Prophet Cartoons Riles College

Las Vegas Sun/AP:
Va. Schools Win Christian Poster Dispute

Las Vegas Sun/AP:
Study: One in 1,000 Know First Amendment

Las Vegas Sun/AP:
Conn. Approves Venezuelan Heating Oil

Security begins offshore

Robert Pfriender, president of Allied International Development says it doesn't matter much who gets the contract to operate the ports and says we are missing the point: security begins offshore. And he is a man with a lot of experience and expertise in this area.

He states that if a WMD were to reach one of our ports, it's much too late. His company estimates that 2 million people or more would be killed if a 12-kiloton nuke were detonated at the Brooklyn Redhook Terminal. And this is a small nuke by today's standard, but similar in size to the one used on Japan.

It is entirely plausible, according to him, and would have catastrophic effects on our freedom, and our economy, along with the human tragedies.

He and his company (Allied International Development) devised a plan in which they would build/develop three offshore cargo container security inspection ports to inspect each and every container prior to it being cleared for entry to the U.S. mainland. In order to lessen the devastating effects of a detonation and the resultant radioactive fallout, these ports would be located 25 miles offshore.

Doesn't this make sense? It makes sense to me. Not only does this make sense, but they offered to do it with private financing - and at no cost to the government. The ports would generate revenue by charging a small inspection fee, he says, and would be fully automated using robotics, causing only a slight delay in delivery time.

The results of this offer? Well, officials at Customs saw it as far back as August 2002. Also, nearly all, if not all, members of Congress received the proposal. Who else has seen it? The White House, the Department of Defense, the Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security.

And it has gone nowhere. Only Customs has responed via a letter. It seems they are fully committed to rely on the Container Security Initiative (CSI).
"Pfriender says Customs chooses to rely on the Container Security Initiative, which is a virtual (as opposed to a reliable physical) "inspection" of containers. In reality, less than 4 percent of containers are targeted for this "inspection" which is really only a screening, with less than 1 percent of the 4 percent of containers which are screened being actually inspected.

Further, these "inspections" are carried out by foreigners at foreign ports and Customs can only rely upon the honesty of the foreign inspectors. Worse, there are only a few dozen ports enrolled in this program out of thousands of ports worldwide. None of these ports are located in countries which are the most serious threats to U.S. national security.

Even the GAO has issued a report that essentially describes the CSI program as being worthless. Many more informed experts have concluded it is a complete farce. It offers something worse than poor security, namely a false sense of security which leaves us even more vulnerable to attack.”
In a nutshell, the biggest threat we face is from terrorists, or rogue nations, who could easily deliver one or more nuclear, biological or chemical weapons into the U.S., and no matter who runs the ports, if a nuclear weapon arrives, it is already too late to avoid the consequences of millions dying and the nation facing economic ruin and instability.

Understanding the costs we sufferred because of 9-11, some experts estimate an economic loss of $1 trillion from a nuclear attack involving cargo containers.
A single incident would result in the crippling of the international trade and shipping industries and could cause serious worldwide shortages of materials, supplies, resources, food, medicines and many other essential items shipped by container. One could only imagine the dire consequences if several weapons were delivered simultaneously. American society, as we know it, could easily be at tremendous, irreparable risk.”
Only about 2 % of our inbound containers are inspected and that is after the containers are in America's ports near major population centers.

These offshore ports would also mean approximately 2 million new jobs. The ports would be leased on a long term basis to the U.S. government, and remember this would be accomplished with private financing and no government spending.

What's not to like about this plan?

Is this another example of our politicians being asleep at the wheel?

It might cost us dearly.

This information based on a report in the G2 Bulletin.

Opinion

From the Claremont Institute: BY HARRY V. JAFFA
In Iraq as in America, there's more to democracy than majority rule.

EDITORIAL

We're winning in Iraq. Let's not lose at home.
BY VICTOR DAVIS HANSON

Envoy Says Sudan Doesn't Want UN Force in Darfur
New York Times - United States
UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 28 -- Sudan has withdrawn its support for a United Nations peacekeeping force to replace African Union troops ...

"Each individual of the society has a right to be protected by it in the enjoyment of his life, liberty, and property, according to standing laws. He is obliged, consequently, to contribute his share to the expense of this protection; and to give his personal service, or an equivalent, when necessary. But no part of the property of any individual can, with justice, be taken from him, or applied to public uses, without his own consent, or that of the representative body of the people. In fine, the people of this commonwealth are not controllable by any other laws than those to which their constitutional representative body have given their consent."

-- John Adams

Troops clash with Islamists in Jordan prison
Reuters AlertNet - London,England,UK
... Jweida and Qafqafa prisons where some of the country's most serious al-Qaeda's sympathisers and followers of its leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi are held. ...

No Tuition Break for Illegal Immigrants
Washington Post - United States
AHouse of Delegates subcommittee effectively killed for the year a bill that would have allowed some illegal immigrants access to in-state tuition rates at ...

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Illegal Immigrants in eastern NC
WNCT - Greenville,NC,USA
About 400,000 illegal immigrants live mostly in urban areas, but new arrivals are changing some rural cities. Duplin County has ...

EYE ON CHINA

China ratifies UN convention against terrorist financing
Daily Times - Lahore,Pakistan
BEIJING: Chinese lawmakers on Tuesday ratified an international convention to fight financing of terrorism, adding to the legal arsenal China may use to fight ...

China changes game in N. Korea
Christian Science Monitor - Boston,MA,USA
BEIJING -- With floods of cash and a new policy of patience and friendly support, China has quietly penetrated the thick wall surrounding North Korean leader ...

China 'could become banana republic'
The Age - Melbourne,Victoria,Australia
A democratic China could end up wracked by economic turmoil of the same kind which strangled Latin America for much of the modern era, a new report warns. ...


A must read commentary by Brendan Miniter in the Opinion Journal: The War on Wal-Mart is really about expanding government. Read it here.

China Warns Taiwan Against Independence
Houston Chronicle - United States
... In Washington, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli, speaking before China reacted to Chen's decision, appealed for calm and urged both sides to resume ... Read more.

Some News Briefs

Gun Ban Would Hurt Illinois Economy, Critics Say
Several Illinois-based gun manufacturers are mobilizing opposition to a bill dubbed the “Blagojevich Assault Weapons Ban.” Second Amendment supporters say the bill is designed to stop a major hunting/fishing retailer, Cabela’s, from opening a superstore in suburban Chicago...

Taiwanese Leader Scraps ‘China Unification’ Committee
Taiwan’s president has scrapped a committee set up 16 years ago to work towards the island nation’s eventual reunification with the communist mainland. Chinese media predicted the move would “fuel tensions” across the Taiwan Strait...

Utah Town’s Pro-Family Resolution Sparks Debate
The government council in the heavily Mormon town of Kanab, Utah, is under attack for a resolution it passed in January that defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman, “ordained of God.” A critic on the East Coast says the Utah resolution contains “religious language...that doesn’t belong in a government setting.”

Free Trade Deal With Colombia Viewed As Win for Both Countries
The United States has struck a major trade agreement with Colombia – part of a U.S. effort to engage economically with Latin America at a time when a growing number of Latin American countries are tilting to the political left...

Indian PM Takes Flak Over Nuclear Deal Ahead of Bush Visit
New Delhi
– As political temperatures rise here ahead of President Bush’s first visit to India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has tried to fend off domestic criticism by insisting that India’s nuclear weapons program would not be compromised by a proposed nuclear cooperation deal with the United States...

Democrats Use Port Deal to Strike Back at Republicans
In what's widely viewed as "payback time," Democrats are suggesting that the Bush administration is weak on national security for approving a deal that would allow a Dubai-owned company to manage some of the terminals at six major U.S. ports...

Report Offers Gloomy View of Insurgencies
Washington Post - United States
... In Iraq, Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has collaborated with "disparate Sunni extremist groups, formalizing ties with some," Maples said. ... Read more.

Blogging might be light; blogger is acting up.

Powerhouse China should not be a threat

David Hale: Opinion

March 01, 2006 THE rise of China as a great economic power and the new experiments with multilateralism in East Asia will pose a challenge for US policy. The US has to recognise that there are new forces at play in the region that will alter the traditional balance of power and that the East Asian financial crisis of 1997-98 profoundly altered Asian views of how the world works. There is now far more willingness to collaborate in the region than was the case before the 1997-98 crisis. Read the rest at The Australian.

Law Center Defends Michigan’s Ban on Partial Birth Abortions in the Federal Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals

ANN ARBOR, MI —The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, filed its opening brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in defense of Michigan’s ban on partial birth abortions. The Law Center is asking the court to overturn the lower court ruling, which struck down the ban and denied its prime sponsor, Standing Together To Oppose Partial-birth-abortion (“STTOP”), to intervene in the lawsuit.

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, commented, “The recent Ayotte decision by the United States Supreme Court and the Planned Parenthood v. Taft, decision by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals are clear evidence that the wall protecting abortions is beginning to crumble. If successful, our appeal will add a further crack to that wall. ”

Keeping an Eye on the Illegal Immigrant Problem

Illegal immigrants take advantage of our system
Barre Montpelier Times Argus - Barre,VT,USA
... All employers should hire only US citizens and legal immigrants. ... a necessary product so we may need to subsidize them----but not through illegal alien labor. ...

Cost Of Educating Illegal Immigrants In NC Jumps
WSOCtv.com - Charlotte,NC,USA
A new study finds North Carolina is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to education illegalimmigrants in the state. The study ...

Letters | IMMIGRANTS: DON'T FORGET THE WORD 'ILLEGAL'
Centre Daily Times - Centre County,PA,USA
... I have many co-workers who have emigrated legally from Sierra Leone, and they are offended that illegal immigrants abuse a lax system with impunity while they ...

MN Gov. Pawlenty says unauthorized immigration is eroding support for ...
West Central Tribune - Willmar,MN,USA
... Paul police from asking about immigration status; stiffen penalties for human trafficking; and fine employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. ...

Bill on illegal immigrants dies in Va. Senate panel
Daily Press - Newport News,VA,USA
RICHMOND -- A state Senate committee has killed a bill that would have levied $10,000 fines on employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. ...

NGOs face hostility abroad

In a growing number of countries around the world, promoting the popular will is becoming unpopular. Read on.

Days off for Muslims unlikely

The Baltimore County Board of Education is expected tonight to reject calls from a Muslim group to add two Islamic holidays to the proposed 2006-07 school calendar. More.

'Intelligence gaps' in ports deal

U.S. Coast Guard officials warned that "many intelligence gaps" prevented them from providing the Bush administration with an accurate assessment of the threat posed by the sale of operation rights at key U.S. ports to a company owned by the United Arab Em..... Read on.

China's Population

China's population continues to grow:
China's population surges to 7.68 millions
Hindu - Chennai,India
28 (PTI): China's birth rate dropped sharply to 12.40 per thousand last year though its population rose by 7.68 million last year to touch 1.30756 billion ...
Despite:
China's secret execution rate revealed
Globe and Mail - Canada
BEIJING -- China is executing about 8,000 people every year, almost 20 times as many as the rest of the world combined, a new academic estimate suggests. ...

Monday, February 27, 2006

Keeping an Eye on the Illegal Immigrant Problem

NC jobs a prime attraction for illegal immigrants from Mexico
Charlotte Observer - Charlotte,NC,USA
... But the influx of an estimated 390,000 of the nation's 11 million illegal immigrants into North Carolina has created tension, the paper reports. ...

Cost of educating children of illegal immigrants in NC rising
WWAY NewsChannel 3 - Wilmington,NC,USA
RALEIGH, NC The debate over immigration in North Carolina has come to schools and the cost of educating children of illegal immigrants. ...

What's the alternative to promoting freedom in the Middle East?

In the matter of Middle East elections, the results of which we don't always like: Anyone out there have a better idea?

We ask amid some recent wringing of hands following elections for the Palestinian legislature, in which the terrorist group Hamas won an outright majority; elections in Iraq, where voters cast their ballots along sectarian lines, and a strong showing by the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt's parliamentary elections late last year. Read on.

The Taliban's former spokesman is now a Yale student

Anyone see a problem with that?
By John Fund, Opinion Journal
Read it here.

Why are the Feds in the Education Business?

"[A] dangerous trend in American politics and public policy is an Orwellian move by the Republicans who talk about limited government but actually support more command and control by federally run bureaucratic programs. This is especially true in the arena of education, demonstrated by programs such as No Child Left Behind. What Americans need is not a new federal education program but the absence of all federal education programs... If Americans are to take our Constitution and the education of our children seriously, we need to wake up, reclaim our power, and 'Just Say No' to federal control of education."

—Michael Ostrolenk

About Culture and Assimilation

"A fascinating story in The Arizona Republic illustrates the growing gulf between assimilated Hispanics and unassimilated newcomers in a central Phoenix neighborhood. A community action officer with the Phoenix police says: '[Longtime Hispanic residents] feel like the neighborhood is being overrun by immigrants... A lot of them are not happy with the way their neighborhood has changed.' Meanwhile, the immigrants complain that assimilated Hispanics 'have betrayed their country by speaking English and not celebrating the Mexican holidays.' Said one: 'Our Mexican-Americans are even racist against our own people.' Doesn't that just about say it all?"

—Congressman J. D. Hayworth

The UN's Guantanamo Folly: Why the United Nations Report is Not ...
Heritage.org - Washington,DC,USA
... As the United Nations tries desperately to recover from waves of corruption scandals, it seeks to shift attention to its favorite target, Washington's ...

Philippines’ Political Crisis Deepens
The Philippines government said Monday it planned to extend a state of emergency while presidential advisors consider the security situation in the wake of an alleged plot to overthrow President Gloria Arroyo...

UN, US on Collision Course over New Human Rights Council
(CNSNews.com)
– Secretary-General Kofi Annan wants the United Nations this week to approve plans for a new U.N. human rights council, but critics, including the United States, say the reform proposal has been watered down to the point where it should be rejected...

Some students recieve in-state tuition despite being illegal ...
University Daily Kansan - Lawrence,KS,USA
... Given the public debate that surrounds illegal immigration in the United States ... in-state tuition bill was important not just to undocumented immigrants, but to ...

'Pizza pope' builds a Catholic heaven

The Sunday Times - World

A FORMER marine who was raised by nuns and made a fortune selling pizza has embarked on a £230m plan to build the first town in America to be run according to strict Catholic principles.

Abortions, pornography and contraceptives will be banned in the new Florida town of Ave Maria, which has begun to take shape on former vegetable farms 90 miles northwest of Miami.

Tom Monaghan, the founder of the Domino’s Pizza chain, has stirred protests from civil rights activists by declaring that Ave Maria’s pharmacies will not be allowed to sell condoms or birth control pills. The town’s cable television network will carry no X-rated channels.

The town will be centred around a 100ft tall oratory and the first Catholic university to be built in America for 40 years. The university’s president, Nicholas J Healy, has said future students should “help rebuild the city of God” in a country suffering from “catastrophic cultural collapse”. Full article.

Hat tip to Lost Budgie.

A VICIOUS CYCLE

HeavyHanded wants to know what's causing the volcanoes though - global warming? That would mean then that global warming causes volcanoes, which in turn heats the ocean waters, which then would mean more global warming which in turn would mean more hurricanes.

Damn that Bush guy!

Underwater volcanoes increasing global warming -- catastrophe in ...
India Daily - Whitehouse Station,NJ,USA
Global warming on massive rise due to an exponential rise in underwater volcanoes. The hot methane underwater can cause temperature ...

THE U.N. (AS IN USELESS NATIONS)

The United Nations is UNbelievable
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
Serial rapists envy United Nations peacekeepers. And who could blame them? ... Why does the United States remain in the United Nations? ...

Askari Mosque Bombing is Bigger Than You Think
Infoshop News - USA
... hardline cleric leaders blamed the US and Israel for the attacks, most of the speculation as to responsibility is focusing on Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Sunni ...

Iraqi forces capture Zarqawi aide - TV
Reuters.uk - UK
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Interior Ministry forces have captured a senior aide to al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Iraqi state television said on ...

Shrine crisis 'plays into' Zarqawi's hands
Independent Online - Cape Town,South Africa
Baghdad - Iraqi leaders are now saying exactly what their deadliest enemy, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, may want to hear - Iraq faces a real threat of civil war. ...

TERRORISM: AL-ZARQAWI SAID TO HAVE NEW COMMAND STRUCTURE
AKI - Rome,Italy
Baghdad, 27 Feb. (AKI) - The organisation of al-Qaeda in Iraq, led by Jordanian miltiant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has adopted a new command structure, according ...

A Conservative Climate Produces "Hot Cities"

By Michael Medved
Beyond The News

A business journal called "Expansion Management Magazine" just released its list of the top cities in the country for corporate growth. For the second year in a row, Nashville topped the annual ranking of "America's Hottest Cities," followed by Phoenix, Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Charlotte, Memphis, Jacksonville, Knoxville and Birmingham.

Amazingly, the list included none of the traditional bastions of culture and liberalism on the east or west coasts--no New York, Boston or San Francisco. All of the top cities, in fact, were located in red states--states that carried for President Bush in both the elections of 2000 and 2004.

It appears that one of the key elements in creating a positive environment for corporate growth is a conservative political climate, in which residents understand that a profitable company is a boon to the whole community, not a threat or embarrassment that needs to be punished with more regulation and taxes.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

US envoy hoping to rein in Taiwan's president on China ties

Monsters and Critics.com - Glasgow,UK
... Taiwan and China split following the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. China claims Taiwan is China's breakaway province but ... Read more.

HeavyHanded says:
Every time I see an article on the subject of Taiwan and the People's Republic of China, I harken back to my post of August 12, 2005, IS TAIWAN A POSSESSION OF THE UNITED STATES?

This is an aspect that I find so intriguing, but yet I never see anything mentioned about it.

Standoff continues following riot in Afghan prison

Hundreds of Afghan soldiers with tanks and grenade-launchers surrounded Kabul's main prison Sunday after rioting inmates seized ...Details.

Iran Reports Nuke Deal With Russia

Iran's nuclear chief says his country has agreed in principle to let Russia host Iran's uranium enrichment program. The details still need to be worked out, but the Russian plan is backed by the United States and European Union. Read more.

...[T]he government of the United States is a definite government, confined to specified objects. It is not like the state governments, whose powers are more general. Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government."

--James Madison

When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.

-- Benjamin Franklin

China willing to make efforts to narrow US-China trade deficit ...
Forbes - USA
BEIJING (AFX) - China is willing to make efforts to narrow the US-China trade deficit, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement posted on its website. ...

For Arab nations, ominous signs

CAIRO - Shortly before the American- led invasion of Iraq, Amr Moussa, head of the League of Arab States, warned the attack would "open the gates of hell." Now, more than three years later, there is a sense around the Middle East that what was once viewed as quintessential regional hyperbole may instead have been darkly prescient. Read more.

States Want Action on Illegal Immigrants

By ROBERT TANNER, AP National Writer
Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON -- A growing number of governors, along the border and beyond, are sharpening their complaints about the flood of immigrants pouring into their states, pushing the Bush administration and Congress for action.

Republicans and Democrats alike on Sunday said they planned to bring the concerns to President Bush and his Cabinet in private meetings this week, bringing a front-line security worry of a different order than the latest Washington obsessions on ports and eavesdropping.

"This is a national issue," said Democrat Janet Napolitano of Arizona, where 500,000 attempts to illegally cross the border were turned back last year -- and an untold number got through. Nationally there are an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants draining government resources. "We're absorbing through taxpayer dollars the incarceration costs, health care costs, education costs," Napolitano said. READ ON.

Pakistani and Indian intelligence operatives are very active in Afghanistan.

Nepal: A Death Spiral

The Maoists and political parties are both using strikes, and terrorism, to disrupt the economy.

Both groups hope to cause economic and social collapse, and convince the police and army to desert the king.

Increasingly, the Maoists are getting trucking companies to pay "revolutionary taxes" in order to drive unmolested through stretches of highway threatened by Maoist gunmen. The situation is becoming hopeless, with the Maoists, royalists and political parties united only in their willingness to destroy the economy in order to grab power.

While the Maoists attempt to draw their power from the rural (largely tribal) people, the Maoist movement is led by ethnic Indian urbanites. Many Nepalese are aware of the direction all this is going, but are unable to stop it.

The king called for peace talks with the political parties. But the parties don't want to negotiate, they want the king to give up power. But the parties have already shown that they cannot muster the unity necessary to deal with the Maoists. And the Maoists, of course, have not wavered from their goal of establishing a communist dictatorship, while eliminating the king and any form of democracy.

Excerpts from StrategyPage.

Al Qaeda Fact and Fiction
Strategy Page - USA
... In Iraq, many big fish have been captured or killed, including Nidal Arabiyat Agha Hamza, one of the top bomb-makers for Abu Musab al Zarqawi, and Abdul Hadi ...Read more.

China jails 10 for baby trafficking
The Age - Melbourne,Victoria, Australia
... China has a thriving black market in babies, often girls, abducted or bought from poor families or unwed mothers and sold to parents who want another child, a ... Read on.

Waiting for Democracy

Many analysts say China is disproving a long-standing assumption in the West that democracy follows economic liberalization. They say China’s rapid economic growth has helped its communist regime bolster its political legitimacy and stalled much-needed democratic reforms in China.

Ever since Deng Xiaoping launched major economic liberalization in the late 1970s, inaugurating an era of extraordinary economic growth in China, many Western observers argued that political reform would follow.

Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Chairman of the Department of Politics at New York University says the assumption that economic growth produces an educated, capitalist middle class that demands control over its own fate has not been the case in China. He points out, “When Deng announced his economic reforms, the standard view in the West was that China was quickly going to become a different, democratic kind of country. It’s now 27 years since those reforms were put into place. And there is no evidence of any meaningful change in the way governance is done in China.” Read more.

The 60/40 Nation

Much is made of the “partisan divide” that plagues our national life these days. The bitter presidential contests of 2000 and 2004, the vitriolic tone of public discourse about the Iraq War, Supreme Court nominees, and much else have led to alarmed commentary about an irreconcilably deadlocked America, a country split 50/50 between Republicans and Democrats, Conservatives and Liberals. That a sharp divide exists is beyond question, and astute observers agree that the nature of the divide is primarily ideological, perhaps more so than ever before. Read on.

Libby's Motion to Dismiss

Yesterday Scooter Libby’s Counsel filed a motion to dismiss. There has been a lot of bad reporting on what the motion argues. The New York Sun, however, does a good job explaining....
Read more.