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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 11, 2006

DENIAL

Denial is an often useful innate human trait. Few of us would be able to function in the present if we did not put out of mind many unpleasant realities — such as our inevitable death. The Woody Allen character in the movie Annie Hall stated the comic extreme version of not using the denial mechanism when, as a child, he refused to do his homework because in 5 billion years the sun would explode, "so, what's the use?"

But when a person, or a society, denies emerging or imminent dangers, the peace of mind it gains will be extremely short-term, while the harm may be sustained or fatal.

Most of the world today not only is in denial concerning the truly appalling likely consequences of the rise of radical Islam, but it often refuses to even accept unambiguous evidence of its existence. Read on.

According to journalist Jack Kelly:
Justice department lawyers think journalists who publish information which damages national security can be prosecuted under the Espionage Act. Case law supports them. In 1985, the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held unanimously the Espionage Act applies to "whoever" transmits national defense information "to a person not entitled to receive it."

Prosecutors will first use the Plame precedent to get journalists to disclose their sources. The NSA leak investigation is said to be moving rapidly, and to focus on two Democratic senators, Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Dick Durbin of Illinois.

DUDE, WHERE’S MY CIVIL WAR?

Written by Ralph Peters
Lt. Col Ralph Peters (US Army-ret.) wrote this at Forward Operating Base Loyalty in Iraq, where he's been riding with the 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.

Excerpts are presented here. The whole article is available by paid subscription.

BAGHDAD. I'm trying. I've been trying all week. The other day, I drove another 30 miles or so on the streets and alleys of Baghdad. I'm looking for the civil war that The New York Times declared. And I just can't find it.

Let me tell you what I saw anyway. Rolling with the "instant Infantry" gunners of the 1st Platoon of Bravo Battery, 4-320 Field Artillery, I saw children and teenagers in a Shia slum jumping up and down and cheering our troops as they drove by. Cheering our troops.

All day - and it was a long day - we drove through Shia and Sunni neighborhoods. Everywhere, the reception was warm. No violence. None. And no hostility toward our troops. Iraqis went out of their way to tell us we were welcome.

Instead of a civil war, something very different happened because of the bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra. The fanatic attempt to stir up Sunni-vs-Shia strife, and the subsequent spate of violent attacks, caused popular support for the U.S. presence to spike upward.

Think Abu Musab al-Zarqawi intended that? In place of the civil war that elements in our media declared, I saw full streets, open shops, traffic jams, donkey carts, Muslim holiday flags - and children everywhere, waving as our Humvees passed. Even the clouds of dust we stirred up didn't deter them. Remember that the presence of children in the streets is the best possible indicator of a low threat level.

Southeast Baghdad, at least, was happy to see our troops. And we didn't just drive past them. First Lt. Clenn Frost, the platoon leader, took every opportunity to dismount and mingle with the people. Women brought their children out of their compound gates to say hello. A local sheik spontaneously invited us into his garden for colas and sesame biscuits.

It wasn't the Age of Aquarius. The people had serious concerns. And security was No. 1. They wanted the Americans to crack down harder on the foreign terrorists and to disarm the local militias. Iraqis don't like and don't support the militias, Shia or Sunni, which are nothing more than armed gangs.

So what did I learn from a day in the dust and muck of Baghdad's less-desirable boroughs? As the long winter twilight faded into haze and the fires of the busy shawarma stands blazed in the fresh night, I felt that Iraq was headed, however awkwardly, in the right direction. The country may still see a civil war one day. But not just yet, thanks.

Violence continues. A roadside bomb was found in the next sector to the west. There will be more deaths, including some of our own troops. But Baghdad's vibrant life has not been killed. The people of Iraq just might surprise us all.

So why were we told that Iraq was irreversibly in the throes of civil war when it wasn't remotely true? I think the answers are straightforward. First, of course, some parties in the West are anxious to believe the worst about Iraq. They've staked their reputations on Iraq's failure.

They're safe in their enclaves, protected by hired guns, complaining that it's too dangerous out on the streets. They're only in Baghdad for the byline, and they might as well let their Iraqi employees phone it in to the States.

Whenever you see a column filed from Baghdad by a semi-celeb journalist with a "contribution" by a local Iraqi, it means this: The Iraqi went out and got the story, while the journalist stayed in his or her room.

Here's the key: the Iraqi stringers have cracked the code: The Americans don't pay for good news. So they exaggerate the bad.

If reporters really care, it's easy to get out on the streets of Baghdad. The 506th Infantry Regiment - and other great military units - will take journalists on their patrols virtually anywhere in the city. Our troops are great to work with. I'm just afraid that some of our journalists don't want to know the truth anymore. And there is the danger of becoming infected with patriotism . . .

China`s boom is killing life-giving sea

Monsters and Critics.com - Glasgow,UK
BEIJING, China (UPI) -- China`s spectacular economic boom will destroy the Bohai Sea, unless action is taken to stop industrial pollution of its waters ...

DNC Raises Funds for Target of Bribery Probe
A Louisiana Democrat who is said to be the target of a federal corruption probe was the beneficiary of a Democratic National Committee fund-raiser in Washington on Wednesday. A Republican Party spokesman said the event shows the hypocrisy behind Democrats’ cries of a “Republican culture of corruption” in the nation’s capital...

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

I thought communism was supposed to level the playing field - to spread misery equally, so to speak.
Gap between rich and poor widens in China
ABC Online - Australia
To China now and the growing official concern about wealth inequality in the country. ... Twenty-five years of reforms have transformed China. ...
What's up with this?

Annan opposes sanctions against Iran
Times of India - India
NEW YORK: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme are "far, far away", as the crisis shifted to the Security ...

China: 2,963 Jailed for Product Piracy
MSN Money - USA
BEIJING (AP) - Under pressure to stamp out rampant product piracy, China jailed 2,693 people last year for illegally copying copyrighted or trademarked material ...

On the frontiers of junk science...

Algore, take note! The sun can have an effect on the earth.

"Algore, take note! A new scientific study takes global-warming junk science to the mat, revealing what we've always thought—the sun can have an effect on the earth. The next 11-year solar cycle could involve cosmic storms that are 50 percent stronger than in the previous cycle, resulting in disruptions for power grids, satellites and the like. Work on early-warning systems has already begun, in hopes of reducing the negative effects of such solar storms. The next logical step is accepting that perhaps the sun might just have something to do with global warming."

--- Patriot Post

Lebanon nabs al-Qaida-affiliated cell
Jerusalem Post - Israel
... The statement by the group's leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was posted Monday in text and audio tape on an Islamic Web site known for publishing extremist ...

Google Alert for: al-Zarqawi Jordan hangs 2 for US diplomat's murder
Grand Forks Herald - Grand Forks,ND,USA
... Oct. 28, 2002. Jordanian authorities have blamed al Qaida in Iraq's top operative, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, for Foley's death. The ...

41 illegal immigrants with gang ties held
San Diego Union Tribune - United States
Police and federal agents have arrested 41 illegal immigrants, who officials say have ties to violent North County gangs, during a weeklong sweep that ended ...

Health service waiting times 'conning public'


Another example of failed socialized health care. Just think, you get a guarantee (although apparently it's meaningless) that if you need to see a doctor, you get to see one within 6 months. How nice.


"In the previous three months, 20,000 people with a six-month guarantee failed to be treated within this time."

TENS of thousands of Scots are waiting longer than six months to be treated but never show up on official waiting list target figures, it was revealed yesterday.

Opposition parties claimed the Scottish public was being "conned" by the Executive which earlier this year said just two people were waiting longer than six months for treatment.

But new information released by the Executive shows the figure disguised the fact that in the previous three months, 20,000 people with a six-month guarantee failed to be treated within this time.

The statistics were revealed in a series of written answers to the Scottish Conservative health spokesman, Dr Nanette Milne. Dr Milne said there had been "a gross misrepresentation of facts" to pretend the Executive's guarantee had been met.

Milosevic found dead in cell

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - Former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic, was found dead in his bed in his cell, apparently of natural causes. Milosevich was suffering from heart problems and high blood pressure.

Milosevic was being tried for war crimes after directing a decade of bloodshed during his country's breakup. He was 64.

Friday, March 10, 2006

China shifts focus to poor with 'New Deal'
China Daily - China
The blueprint unveiled at the meeting of China's parliament rivals US President Franklin D. Roosevelt's job-creating New Deal of the 1930s in scale, and is ...

Rice flags China as key issue for Australian talks
ABC Online - Australia
US Secretary of State Dr Condoleezza Rice has expressed concern about China's military build-up and says it will be a key issue during her visit to Australia ...


China to open anti-piracy court
BBC News - UK
China is to create a court to focus on enforcing intellectual property rights, as sales of pirated goods rocket. The Supreme Court ...

Sunni insurgents 'have al-Zarqawi running for cover'

Insurgent groups in one of Iraq's most violent provinces claim that they have purged the region of three quarters of al-Qa'eda's supporters after forming an alliance to force out the foreign fighters.

If true, it would mark a significant victory in the fight against Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the head of al-Qa'eda in Iraq, and could partly explain the considerable drop in suicide bombings in Iraq recently.

"We have killed a number of the Arabs, including Saudis, Egyptians, Syrians, Kuwaitis and Jordanians," said an insurgent representative in the western province of Anbar. Read on.

Left Behind

A column was written a little over a year ago in which the author describes his conversion - he left the Left Behind and starts out by saying:
Most of my adult life I've been on what is called, in our degraded political language, "the left." Now, I don't know what I am.

I always thought of myself as liberal, and I still do. But people I know have taken to whispering that I'm a conservative -- or worse.
At the end of his post, he writes: "In bidding farewell to the left, I find myself in interesting company. Among them is author and columnist Ron Rosenbaum"...... and then goes on to quote six paragraphs from Mr. Rosenbaum about his own conversion. It is an interesting take on the right-left dichotomy. Go read it.

Expert to Congress: Iran ‘Wants Us Dominated or Dead'

WASHINGTON -- Michael A. Ledeen, a former consultant to the National Security Council and to the U.S. State and Defense Departments delivered scathing testimony on Iran to the House Committee on International Relations this week, citing his fear "that the obsession with the nuclear question often obscures the central policy issue: That the Islamic Republic has waged war against us for many years and is killing Americans every week."

The author of the book, "The War Against the Terror Masters," held little back from the lawmakers with such polemics as, "They want us dominated or dead. There is no escape from their hatred, or from the war they have waged against us. We can either win or lose, but no combination of diplomatic demarches, economic sanctions, and earnest negotiations, can change that fatal equation. They will either defeat us, or perish."

The former commissioner of the U.S.-China Commission warned the lawmakers that in his opinion the terror war in Iraq is a replay of the strategy that the Iranians and the Syrians used in the 1980s to drive the United States and its French allies out of Lebanon: "Those Americans who believed it was possible to wage the war against terrorism one country at a time, and that we could therefore achieve a relatively peaceful transition from Saddam's dictatorship to an elected democracy, did not listen to the many public statements from Tehran and its sister city in jihad, Damascus, announcing in advance that Iraq was about to become the ‘new Lebanon.'"

The expert outlined a worst-case scenario that he suggested might unfold once Iran managed to put nuclear warheads on their intermediate range missiles: Read the rest here.

What If There Were an International IRS?

International redistribution of wealth, anyone? Here come the globotaxers!

While American leaders have been preoccupied with sectarian strife in Iraq, the rising threat from Iran, the controversy over having the United Arab Emirates run U.S. port facilities, and plummeting public confidence in both parties, another ominous danger has been gathering: international schemes for “innovative sources of financing” — a euphemism for global taxes.

Unless prompt action is taken by Washington, it is a safe bet that such initiatives will become a widely employed means of imposing burdensome levies on American citizens and businesses. “Globotaxes” will enable the United Nations to fund activities, operations, and priorities — including, in all likelihood, many our government and taxpayers would otherwise oppose.
Read more.

Nigerian MPs back third term
A key group of Nigerian MPs votes in favour of changing the constitution to let presidents seek a third term. Read on...

Democracy?

The CIA describes the Congo government as a dictatorship, presumably undergoing a transition to representative government.
Tear gas at DR Congo poll protest
Police in DR Congo use tear gas and batons to disperse opposition supporters who want to register for elections. Read on...
So much for democracy.It's not a smooth and easy transition, is it?

Hamas attacks Israel border plan
A senior Hamas leader describes Israeli plans to set new borders unilaterally as a declaration of war. Read on...

Dutch jail 'terror group' Muslims
A Dutch court convicts nine Muslims of belonging to a terrorist group, jailing them for up to 15 years. Read on...

Iran 'grave concern', says Bush
President George W Bush says the stand-off with Iran presents a "grave national security concern" for the US. Read on...

That Bad Economy

US Job Growth Slumps Jumps in February

The United States economy gained 243,000 new jobs in February, the 30th consecutive month of uninterrupted employment growth, a federal government report stated Friday. The new employment report issued by the U.S. Labor Department, which exceeded Wall Street analysts' expectations, showed that job gains were fairly broad-based and suggested the employment climate is gaining momentum. "Today's report confirms that 2006 has gotten off to a strong start for America's workers," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao. Full Story

OUT OF THE BLUE

Never seen this one coming. Straight out of left field.
Palestinian Press More Vocal in Anti-US, Israel Views
Jerusalem (CNSNews.com)
– Hatred against the U.S. and Israel in the Palestinian press has been on the rise since the Hamas won Palestinian parliamentary elections at the end of January, according to an independent media analyst...

**cough, cough** "COURAGE AWARD" **cough

Murtha to Receive JFK Profile in Courage Award
Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), the subject of a recent Cybercast News Service investigation of his military and political record, will receive the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for his stance against the Iraq war...

**cough, cough**

Security Council Divided Over Iran
As expected, splits have quickly emerged in the U.N. Security Council over how to deal with Iran’s nuclear activities. The situation recalls earlier, unsuccessful attempts by the U.S. to have the Security Council act against North Korea for its nuclear activities...

NAACP Opposes New Orleans Elections Process
The president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will make a “special trip” to New Orleans next week to express the NAACP’s opposition to the way the April 22 state and local election will be conducted...

PERPLEXING

How can this be? How can this escape the mainstream media? ABC-NBC-CBS does not appear to be reporting this story. They wouldn't be deciding which news we need to know and which news we need to be protected from ( afterall, they have our best interests in mind) would they?
‘Job Is Getting Done’ in Iraq, Despite US Press, Veterans Say
A group of veterans from Operation Iraqi Freedom say the U.S.-led coalition forces are getting the job done when it comes to defeating insurgents and helping Iraq establish a democratic government -- despite the U.S. news media’s negative portrayal of the conflict...

FAMILIAR REFRAIN

Sounds an awful lot like our liberal views right here in the USA. We just need to take the poor, lost, depraved souls who commit crimes, and coddle them, understand their pain, get to the "real root cause" of their problems; and explain to them, that in reality, they are the real victims of an unjust society and release them back into society where they most assuredly will leave productive lives.
'Reprogramming' Eyed As Option for Captured Terrorists
Australia is mulling the possibility of trying to “reprogram” captured terrorists by having clerics or other influential figures challenge their interpretations of Islamic teachings...

Chavez-controlled Citgo Gets Another Pass from Networks

The same broadcasters who went after oil company profits fail to seize on move by Citgo to avoid SEC oversight.

By Ken Shepherd
Free Market Project


On March 2 a major oil company operating within the United States announced it would take steps to avoid reporting to the U.S. government. But in the week since, none of the three broadcast networks has taken notice, even though a Free Market Project study found the same media outlets have consistently attacked American oil companies as deserving additional government scrutiny for their “windfall profits.” Broadcast media outlets also ignored ExxonMobil’s plans to pump more money into improving and increasing oil production. Read on.

Illegal immigrants in car that hit, killed Palm Beach principal
Bradenton Herald - FL, United States
- A car that hit and killed a middle school principal as she drove to school was carrying five illegal Mexican immigrants, authorities said. ...

Senate panel OKs new border fencing in Arizona
The Senate Judiciary Committee agreed yesterday to erect new fencing along parts of the Arizona-Mexico border but stopped far short of a House proposal to build more fences over a wider area.

Senator Byrd: Iraq not in a civil war!
RedState - Mclean,VA,USA
... It seems likely that the escalation of attacking mosques is a symptom of Al-Zarqawi's realizing his support within Iraq has not only been shrinking, but former ...

THE UNGODLY NATIONS


The Post Chronicle ran an article yesterday The United Nations; No Better Than the League of Nations. It wasn't a bad take on this sorry organization. Humorously, the U.N. saw it and responded to the article and The Chronicle, to their credit, posted the U.N.'s response.

If I did not know better, I might take it as satire written by someone other than the U.N. Here is their response. Read them both. You might get a chuckle or two as I did.

Japan wants minimum UN dues for Security Council nations

This idea has some merits.

Tokyo- Japan, the second largest contributor to the United Nations, called today for minimum dues for permanent members of the Security Council, forcing China and Russia to pay more or lose their seats.

Japan has threatened to slash its funding to the United Nations after failing last year to win one of the prestigious seats, in part due to strong opposition by China.

The proposal submitted to the world body would require each permanent member to pay at least three per cent or five per cent of the UN budget. Japan contributes 19.47 per cent, second only to the United States at 22.0 per cent. Read on.

Richest nations shun new UN fund for humanitarian emergencies
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
The United Nations Thursday formally launched a new emergency humanitarian relief fund, which so far has gained more than 215 million US dollars in pledged ...

TERRORISM: AL-QAEDA TAKES PROPAGANDA WAR TO SCHOOLS


Rome (AKI) - The most chilling footage in a new al-Qaeda video comes near the end of the hour-long extravaganza of bomb blasts, sheep-slaying, and maimed Americans. It shows hooded militants at work in a primary school class in the Iraqi city of Ramadi. Children are asked to sing jihadi songs, quizzed on what they think of America and rewarded with pens, rulers and erasers. The video, of which Adnkronos International (AKI) has obtained a copy, is the work of Ansar al-Sunna, part of the galaxy of Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and seeks to show the extent of militants' control in the restive al-Anbar province. Read more.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

The 12 Million Dollar Question

What Will Happen with Illegal Immigrants?
"The immigration debate is in the spotlight again this week as lawmakers are trying to carve out their own distinguishing brand of reform. Proposals range from nearly exclusive law enforcement (Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner) to guest workers with an added citizenship path (Sens. Ted Kennedy and John McCain).

But just as important as which bill will prevail in Congress is the question of what will happen with the roughly 12 million illegal immigrants already in this country. Most likely, they'll stay. The real question is how fast they'll be able to integrate and become Americans.

The status of currently illegal immigrants is a particularly contentious point. Everyone seems to agree that reforming the system is necessary, that a blind eye toward illegal residents erodes the rule of law and that increased border security is a matter of national interest."
Read it all.

Heavy says:
This is a legitimate question and there are many layers to this problem. However, it has been my humble opinion since day one (after 9-11) that we needed to tackle the border problem immediately. That was, in my estimation, the first step. It was not done obviously, and still has not been addressed.

I was able to ascertain (with half my brain tied behind my back) that with so many layers to this problem, you must priortize your actions. Treat it like a dike springing a leak. The first thing you do is plug the hole. You don't assemble commitees and spend the next 10 years having hearings and investigations to find why the dike sprung a leak and checking material requisitions to see if inferior materials were used or if there were bribes and payoffs without plugging the hole first.

What we have, is a bunch of people on capitol hill that have no real desire to tackle this problem. Anything said by them is hollow rhetoric. What's more, any talk of amnesty or potential clamping down on borders haggled over, kicked around like a political football and dragged out over a long period of time only causes a more fevered dash to the borders.

Our fearless leaders in D.C. take no responsibility in this fight and only want to point their fingers at their "enemies" across the aisle and to blame the administration, of course, because that is the patriotic duty of the day.

Term limits, anyone?

Some Sunnis Targeting al-Qaida in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Residents reported curious declarations hanging from mosque walls and market stalls recently in Ramadi, the Sunni Muslim insurgent stronghold west of Baghdad. The fliers said Iraqi militants had turned on and were killing foreign al-Qaida fighters, their one-time allies.

A local tribal leader and Iraq ‘s Defense Ministry have said followers of Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, have begun fleeing Anbar province and Ramadi, its capital, to cities and mountain ranges near the Iranian border.

"So far we have cleared 75 percent of the province and forced al-Qaida terrorists to flee to nearby areas," said Osama al-Jadaan, a leader of the Karabila tribe, which has thousands of members living along the border with Syria .

The rift became an outright split four months ago, with a wave of assassinations and bombings that killed scores of Anbar residents. The attacks were blamed on al-Qaida.

Army Maj. Gen. Anwar Mohammed Amin, in the nearby city of Kirkuk, said the military soon would launch a major attack, with help from the local tribesmen, to clear that region of al-Qaida as well.

"Under my leadership and that of our brothers in other tribes, we are getting close to the shelter of this terrorist," al-Jadaan said of al-Zarqawi. "We will capture him soon."

--- Pierceland Herald

Dubai deal is dead

Now that the Dubai terminal (no, not ports) deal is dead, I wonder if our grandstanding legislative leaders in Washington will seek to terminate all foreign ownership of any and all terminals in the United States. How far are they willing to take this, in the name of homeland security?

I am as concerned about our security as the next guy. But as I posted before, are we not overlooking the obvious? If something dangerous reaches our ports, it's too late. Shouldn't we be looking at strengthening security measures prior to these containers reaching our ports?

The obvious answer is yes. Our "heroes" in Washington have access to much information that we don't, and so, in theory, are in a better position to make informed decisions about matters such as this. Unfortunately, I have zero confidence that most (many?) (any?) have done their due diligence. Evidence of this is their initial immediate knee-jerk reaction to the deal, then the pushing for a 45 day review, and then a rush to judgment despite their wishes for this review period - not to mention the many misstatements of facts I heard coming from the mouths of our mighty white knights in shining armor.

THE GLOBAL WARMING BUGABOO

The environmental movement maintains that science and technology cannot be relied upon to build a safe atomic power plant, to produce a pesticide that is safe, or even to bake a loaf of bread that is safe, if that loaf of bread contains chemical preservatives. When it comes to global warming, however, it turns out that there is one area in which the environmental movement displays the most breathtaking confidence in the reliability of science and technology, an area in which, until recently, no one—not even the staunchest supporters of science and technology—had ever thought to assert very much confidence at all. The one thing, the environmental movement holds, that science and technology can do so well that we are entitled to have unlimited confidence in them is forecast the weather—for the next one hundred years! Read more.

"'Ethics' is suddenly the congressional mantra, though looking for an ethic in Congress is as foolish as looking for a virgin in a bordello... H.L. Mencken warned of expecting too much when three wolves and two sheep discuss what's for lunch." —Wes Pruden

Saudi meeting eyed for WTO violation
U.S. and Israeli officials are concerned that Saudi Arabia may be breaking the promise it made when it entered the World Trade Organization last year by hosting a meeting next week on the Arab economic boycott of Israel.

Keeping an Eye on the Illegal Immigrant Problem

Hillary has been trying to act strong recently on immigration and border problems, but then we get this:
Clinton Suggests Legalizing Some Immigrants
New York Times - United States
... Hillary Rodham Clinton waded into the contentious issue of immigration on Wednesday, opening the door to the idea of letting some illegal immigrants earn legal ...

The illegal alien "gold card"
Town Hall - Washington,DC,USA
... activists talk dreamily of bringing illegal aliens "out of the shadows" and into the American mainstream, while snubbing all the legal immigrants who have ...

Marine urges DeWine to reject immigration crackdown
Cleveland Plain Dealer - Cleveland,OH,USA
... lawmakers on Capitol Hill to think twice before supporting new immigration legislation that he believes would hurt other Hispanic immigrants with backgrounds ...

Guest worker bill draws mixed reactions from FilAms
Philippine News Online - Philippines
... Under the proposal illegal immigrants who have been in the country before Jan. 4, 2004 could stay indefinitely, but they have to ...

House strikes down trespassing bill aimed at illegal immigrants
WCAX - Burlington,VT,USA
CONCORD, NH The (New Hampshire) House has voted down bills that would have allowed police to charge illegal immigrants with trespassing, as well as form ...


Border fence, repatriations get panel's eye
Fort Worth Star Telegram - Fort Worth,TX,USA
... The central issue driving the debate is how to deal with as many as 12 million illegal immigrants in the country, more than half of whom are from Mexico. ...

US democrats warn against criminalising immigrants
Hindustan Times - India
... making it a crime, rather than a civil violation, to be in the country illegally and for churches to provide humanitarian assistance to illegal immigrants.

House next to take on immigration
Gwinnett Daily Post - Griffin,GA,USA
... The measure goes after the estimated 250,000 illegal immigrants living in Georgia by requiring people seeking social services to prove they are either US ...

Huckabee opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants, defends worker ...
Arkansas News - Little Rock,AR,USA
... Mike Huckabee on Wednesday questioned pending federal legislation that would grant amnesty to illegal immigrants and fended off criticism that a new state ...

Illegal immigrants
Spartanburg Herald Journal (subscription) - Spartanburg,SC,USA
... They're making a small fortune on them. Employers love to hire these illegal immigrants for compound motivations. They will do jobs ...


Feds nab 30 in illegal immigrants in North Shore sweep
The Daily Item of Lynn - Boston,MA,USA
REVERE -- Federal authorities arrested 30 illegal immigrants on Monday - 20 of whom were living in Revere - as part of an operation aimed at rounding up ...

Number of illegal immigrants in US reaches 12 million, 5 percent ...
Mainichi Daily News - Japan
WASHINGTON -- The number of illegal immigrants in the United States has grown to as many as 12 million, and they now account for about one in every 20 workers ...

DPS finds 61 illegal immigrants at Mesa apartment complex
KVOA.com - Tucson,AZ,USA
Officials arrested five suspected human smugglers and turned over 61 illegal immigrants to federal immigration officials Friday, according to the Arizona ...

Raid turns up 70 illegal immigrants in squalid Los Angeles house
North County Times - Escondido,CA,USA
LOS ANGELES -- Authorities raided a squalid house Friday, capturing 70 illegal immigrants and four suspected smugglers believed to have been holding migrants ...

U.S. ‘will always be by Israel’s side,’ Clinton says

The United States’ relationship with Israel will be “solid for a long time to come,” former U.S. President Bill Clinton told supporters of the Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies in Toronto on Sunday night.

“No matter what happens, we will always be there by Israel’s side,” the 42nd American president told some 1,800 people attending the sold-out Spirit of Hope Benefit at the Toronto Performing Arts Centre.

“We’re not about to allow Hamas or anyone else destroy Israel.” Read on.

Rebels 'on run' in Iraq
Australian - Australia
... effective". He told The Australian in Baghdad that the organisation led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was sustaining significant losses. ...

Shocker: Global Warming Bad For Skiing
Cascadia Scorecard Weblog - San Mateo,CA,USA
A new study from researchers at Oregon State University, showing that warming trends are likely to have significant effects on snowpack. ...

TURTLE BAY NEWS

UN: East Timor faces tough task of fighting poverty
Mail & Guardian Online - Johannesburg,South Africa
... faces a tough task lifting itself out of poverty despite social and political gains and rich unexploited oil and gas reserves, a United Nations report said on ...


EU's Solana - Sudan too restrictive on UN role
Reuters AlertNet - London,England,UK
BRUSSELS, March 9 (Reuters) - Sudan is setting too restrictive conditions for the UnitedNations to take over a peacekeeping mission in its troubled Darfur ...

Arab nations caught in showdown between Iran, the West
San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA
... The governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency met Wednesday to lay the groundwork for sending Iran's case to the United Nations Security Council ...

The United Nations; No Better Than the League of Nations
Post Chronicle - USA
... end of the second war to end all wars, the winners set about to establish a new and improved League of Nations; thus was created the United Nations Organization ...

China lauds Annan's efforts to end corruption in United Nations ...
NewKerala.com - Ernakulam,Kerala,India
... Annan's report, entitled "Investing in the United Nations: For a Stronger Organisation Worldwide," was called for by last September's world summit in New York ...

Women's Role in Decision-Making Central to Progress of Humankind
NewsBlaze - Folsom,CA,USA
... in the overwhelming success of women in presidential elections over the past year; the world is ready for a woman as Secretary-General of the United Nations". ...

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

"The Academy Awards aired live from the Kodak Theater in Hollywood Sunday. It was very festive. Outside, the red carpet was awash in glittering evening gowns and low-cut cocktail dresses, and those were just the guys who arrived on horseback."

—Argus Hamilton

"It is easier to find moderate Muslims who are willing to speak out than to find journalists who will pay much attention to what they have to say. Afghans, Iraqis and Lebanese struggling for liberty and democracy are given short shrift because to give them proper credit would be to give indirect credit to George W. Bush."
—Jack Kelly

"Given the rate at which it's abandoning the traditional role of organized labor in favor of political activism, the AFL-CIO might as well drop the pretense and merge with the Democrats to form an honest-to-goodness Labor Party. At least that would represent truth in advertising."
--- John Fund

"Anyone who's ever filed a tax return or visited the Department of Motor Vehicles understands that government does two things well: spend our money and waste our time." —Ed Fuelner

"We are...living in a free society without the faith that built that society—and without the conviction and dedication needed to sustain it... We still have the cathedral of freedom but how long will it last without the faith?"

—Thomas Sowell

"It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their selfish purposes." —Andrew Jackson

NEWS BRIEFS

Former CIA Officer: Dubai Ports Not So Secure
A former CIA officer believes he knows why liberal and conservative Republicans are united in their opposition to a White House proposal that would let a Dubai-owned company manage some terminals at major U.S. ports. "There is current intelligence that individuals with ties to jihadist terrorist groups have sought refuge in Dubai/U.A.E. within the last three months," he said...

US Allies Snipe Over Efforts to Fight Terror
A top U.S. general is on a mission to ease tensions between two key Asian allies, Afghanistan and Pakistan, which accuse each other of failing to make a serious effort to capture Taliban and al Qaeda terrorists...

GOP Plan to Balance Budget Called ‘Huge Step Forward’
A group of U.S. House Republicans will unveil a plan Wednesday that they say will balance the federal budget in the next five years. One conservative leader calls it “a huge step forward” -- a return to Republican roots of fiscal discipline and reform...

Hamas Website Encourages Kids to Become Martyrs
A new Hamas website for children encourages them to become suicide bombers. The homepage shows a cartoon of a girl using a slingshot to throw rocks, it also offers stories about “martyrs,” said Palestinian Media Watch, an independent Israeli media watchdog...

Thai Leader Under Growing Pressure
Thailand’s embattled prime minister is facing new difficulties now that labor unions have thrown their support behind a growing mass movement agitating for his resignation.The crisis roiling Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra risks the stability of a key U.S. ally in Southeast Asia...

EYE ON CHINA

US calls China serious rights abuser despite reforms
Reuters - USA
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China increased its censorship of the Internet and of media critics last year and harassment and detention of those challenging the ...

China aims to convert coal into ultra-clean energy resource
Xinhua - China
BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhuanet) -- China's central government, research institutions and enterprises are pitching in a joint effort to convert the country's rich ...

China shuts two popular blogs in latest crackdown
Reuters - USA
BEIJING (Reuters) - Two of China's most adventurous Web logs closed on Wednesday under government orders, the latest in a wave of shutdowns as Chinese censors ...

China economist says trade war can break Taiwan
Reuters - USA
BEIJING (Reuters) - Without firing a bullet, China can force Taiwan to its knees in a week with a massive trade war in the event the self-ruled island formally ...

China says it would weigh Hamas aid
Aljazeera.net - Qatar
By Benjamin Robertson in Beijing. China has said it would consider giving support to Palestinian resistance group and new political power Hamas. ...

China vows to cut trade surplus with US
CBC News - Canada
But Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said Washington had to play its part by relaxing export controls on high-tech and military goods sold to China. ...

Yahoo China offers direct link to music pirates
Reuters.uk - UK
TAIPEI (Billboard) - Yahoo China's music search engine has turned up bad news for the music industry and possible legal action against the global Web portal. ...

Writethru: China's defense budget much smaller than US
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
China's defense budget is much smaller than that of the United States despite the expected rise of 14.7 percent this year, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said ...

MORE DOUBLE STANDARDS

U.S. Supreme Court Allows Decision Approving Anti-Catholic Display to Stand

Ann Arbor, MI— This week the U. S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal involving a constitutional challenge to an anti-Catholic statue depicting a Roman Catholic bishop with a grotesque facial expression wearing a miter that resembles a phallus. The statue was entitled “Holier than Thou” and included a plaque with a denigrating and derisive statement about the sacrament of penance. It was placed at one of the busiest locations on the campus of Washburn University, a tax supported public university located in Kansas.

Robert Muise, the Thomas More Law Center attorney who handled this case, commented, “Incredibly, during the course of this litigation, university officials admitted that they would never permit an anti-Jewish, anti-black, or anti-gay/lesbian statue on campus. Discrimination against the Catholic faith apparently promotes the educational mission of Washburn University. And while the federal judiciary may have turned a blind eye to this outrage, many Catholics did not.”

Loose border saps county coffers

The United States' inability to slow illegal immigration from Mexico is fueling a financial crisis in the 24 counties along the 1,951-mile Southwest border, according to a new study. It says the counties are struggling to fund law enforcement, health programs and other necessities because they are spending millions of dollars a year to care for illegal immigrants. Read on.

A border agent searches suspected illegal immigrants who were stopped Monday in southwestern Cochise County, Ariz.
By Mark Levy for USA TODAY



DISTURBING

Canadianizing the Golden State: California marches backward on health care.

A plan to outlaw private health insurance in California has been proposed by state Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Los Angeles). Senator Kuehl's bill, SB840, proposes to create the California Health Insurance Agency, a state government run single payer system for financing the health care of all Californians. Her bill, if enacted, would abolish all private health insurance in the Golden State. Her legislation essentially aims to replicate the system of socialized medicine in Canada which, until a recent court ruling in Quebec, made all private health care illegal. Her health care proposal is more authoritarian than the health care systems in the United Kingdom or Germany in which citizens can buy private insurance if they so choose. Read more.

Fact or Fetish: Oil ‘Gouging’ Post-Katrina

Thomas Sowell nails it with his Oily Politics article in Townhall.com.
However much economists rely on supply and demand to explain price movements, politicians need villains, so that the pols can play hero. Big Oil is a favorite villain and has been for decades.

There is nothing like the political melodrama of summoning oil company executives to televised hearings before some Congressional committee, where politicians can wax indignant at Big Oil's profits.

It so happens that Big Government takes more money in taxes out of a gallon of gas than Big Oil takes out in profits. But apparently somehow taxes don't raise prices. They certainly don't raise indignation from the politicians who voted for those taxes.

Read on.

Avian Flu: A Media Pandemic

Doing what they do best, the media is overhyping the "bird flu." They got as much mileage as they could out of the SARS scare. You don't hear anything about that anymore, do you? That's so yesterday.

"Networks hype ‘deadly’ nature of disease; heightened fears hurt poultry industry, though flu hasn’t spread among humans.

Avian flu has taken millions of lives around the world – lives of birds. Human deaths have been extremely rare, and experts say it’s not time to panic, but network reporters continue to advertise the virus as “deadly” on repeated broadcasts."

Read the rest at Free Market Project.

SCOTLAND CHANGES THEIR IMMIGRATION LAWS

New migration rules will grant residency after just two years
IMMIGRANTS wishing to settle in Scotland will now have to live here for just two years before being granted residency.

Seems like a big mistake to me when considering the state of current affairs.

IRAN NEWS

Russia drops enrichment plan for Iran
Russia yesterday closed ranks with the United States and its European allies over Iran's suspect nuclear programs, abandoning a plan to allow Tehran to conduct some uranium-enrichment programs on its own soil.

France urges Iran to suspend nuclear research
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
France called on Iran to suspend its nuclear research activities, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. "We are asking for a return ...

"Homosexuals face persecution in Iran"
IranMania News - Iran
... A US-based human rights monitor on Wednesday urged the Netherlands to reconsider a threat to deport homosexual aslyum-seekers back to Iran where the group says ...

Annan urges Washington to cool rhetoric over Iran's nuclear ...
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
... Annan on Wednesday urged the US government to cool its rhetoric one day after Vice President Dick Cheney warned of "meaningful consequences" if Iran refused to ...

Iran still open to talks ahead of Security Council
Khaleej Times - Dubai,United Arab Emirates
VIENNA - Iran remains open to talks to resolve its nuclear standoff with the West despite pending UN Security Council action over its case, Teheran’s envoy ...

Iran Threatens US With 'Harm and Pain'
RedState - Mclean,VA,USA
Here we go, the war of the words heats up. This is the beginning of increased tension between Iran and the world as the realization of sanctions nears. ...

Referral of nuclear file would jeopardize JV talks - Iran
RIA Novosti - Moscow,Russia
TEHRAN, March 8 (RIA Novosti) - Talks on Russia's proposal to form a joint venture with Iran to enrich uranium on Russian territory will become meaningless if ...

Iran to review oil exports if pushed by UN
Reuters South Africa - Johannesburg,South Africa
VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran, faced with likely Security Council debate next week over its nuclear programme, said on Wednesday it would have to review its oil ...

IRAN'S FREEDOM FIGHTERS
MichNews.com - Troy,MI,USA
By J. Grant Swank, Jr. Since 1979, Iran has declared war on the USA. ... Iran's goal has always been Islam world rule, particularly overtaking the USA. ...

US Plans to Open Representative Office in Iran
Zaman Online - Istanbul,Turkey
The United States administration is likely to open a representative office in Iran in the near future, said Ross Wilson, the US Ambassador to Ankara. ...

Full text of NAM's statement on Iran's nuclear program
Islamic Republic News Agency - Tehran,Iran
... NAM) representatives at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors here on Wednesday issued a statement on Iran's nuclear program. ...

Rice Says US Supports Russian Proposal on Iran After Talks With ...
MOSNEWS - Russia
... Lavrov US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that the United States still supports Russian proposal that would establish a Russia-Iran joint venture on ...

PORT UPDATE

House GOP unites to kill ports deal
Republican House leaders last night split with President Bush and said they would derail a Dubai-owned company's bid to take control of operations at six major U.S. ports.

Lawmakers hit UAE ties to Saddam, al Qaeda
Lawmakers from both parties say the United Arab Emirates has helped shuttle weapons components around the Middle East, has ties to al Qaeda and shouldn't be trusted to operate terminals in U.S. ports.

Global Warming "Evidence" Questioned

The scientific argument that humans have caused global warming – a major underpinning of the “Kyoto Protocols” – suffered a major blow last week, with the publication of a new study. The implications have not yet spread very far beyond the rarified circles of specialists, but the gospel of “anthropogenic” – human-caused – global warming has lost one of its intellectual foundations. Read on.

The Secret of the Happiness Gap

By Michael Medved
Beyond the News

"A major study for Pew Research Center echoes results of 30 years of previous surveys, showing that conservatives are vastly more likely than liberals to describe themselves as "very happy." Now part of this "happiness gap" stems from personal and economic status--conservatives are more frequently prosperous, married and regular churchgoers--but even when controlling for these factors, a conservative outlook still contributes to personal happiness.

For instance, poor conservatives are happier than poor liberals, and single Republicans are happier than single Democrats. I would argue that this gap reflects the different way conservatives and liberals channel the fundamental instinct to alter reality.

All people feel the impulse to use their god-like power to change things, but conservatives emphasize changing themselves while liberals tend to focus on changing the world. Since it's far more possible to change your own world, than to change society at large, conservatives are more likely to feel a sense of happiness, satisfaction and optimism."

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

House Approves Patriot Act Reauthorization
Washington, D.C. (AHN) - The United States Congress approves a reauthorization of the U.S.A. Patriot Act, sending the bill to the White House for a final signature.

Last week, the Senate passed the Act by a strong 89-10 vote.

Cindy Sheehan Arrested At United Nations
All Headline News - USA
New York (AHN) - Anti-war mother, Cindy Sheehan, has been arrested along with three other women during a demonstration at the United Nations demanding the ...

Ray Nagin on the Campaign Trail

Ragin' at Nagin
Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans is campaigning for re-election--in Houston, the Houston Chronicle reports:

Nagin on Saturday asked black community leaders here in Houston to help evacuees vote absentee or in person in the city's April 22 primary election.

In a meeting organized by local chapters of the NAACP, Nagin received enthusiastic support from local leaders, but also some sharp rebukes from some evacuees. . . .

At the NAACP-organized gathering, evacuee Eugene Jefferson, 39, accused Nagin of not having had a legitimate plan in place for transporting those who were poor and relying on public transit.

"You waited until it was too late. The mandatory evacuation was too late and there were people who drowned," said an emotional and tearful Jefferson.

"Now you want us to vote for you?"

The mayor argued that he is qualified because of the color of his skin:

Nagin noted that 23 candidates entered the mayoral fray before the registration deadline last week.

"Very few of them look like us," he told the almost totally black crowd of about 200 persons who attended the meeting at the NAACP Family & Technology Center on Fannin.


From Opinion Journal

72 Virgins Short, but Lovely Nonetheless

From Opinion Journal

"The Associated Press has some transcripts from hearings on enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay:

Abdul Hakim Bukhary, from Saudi Arabia, denied joining al-Qaida but said he met bin Laden 14 or 15 years ago while fighting a jihad against Russian forces in Afghanistan. He traveled to Afghanistan to participate in jihad against the United States after Sept. 11, 2001, but was jailed by the Taliban before he could fight any Americans. The Taliban suspected him of being a spy after he said he liked Ahmed Shah Massood.

After the United States invaded, he was sent to Guantanamo, where he said conditions were much improved. "Prisoners here are in paradise. American people are very good. Really. They give us three meals. Fruit juice and everything!" Still, he said, he wanted to be freed and returned to his family.

Andrew Sullivan has characterized Guantanamo as "Camp Holiday Inn," but it sounds as though he was being too harsh."

"[L]iberals tend to blame outside forces for evil. This emanates from the secular humanistic view of people as basically good—and therefore human evil must come not from the bad choices and bad values of the evildoer, but from the unfortunate socioeconomic and other circumstances of the person's life... [A]s you go further left on the political spectrum, it becomes increasingly difficult to blame the 'weak' for any atrocities they commit. The Left does not divide the world between good and evil nearly as much as it does between rich and poor, and between strong and weak. Israel is stronger and richer, so Palestinian terror is excused. White America is stronger and richer than black America, so black violence is excused. The West is stronger and richer than the Muslim world, so Muslim violence is explained accordingly... We don't know who will be the next target of Islamic or other murderers from poor or non-Western or non-white groups. All we can know is that liberal and leftist thought will find reasons to hold the targeted group largely responsible." —Dennis Prager

"Without religious freedom, efforts to spread democracy are futile, because societies that don't respect the rights of religious minorities cannot be expected to respect any other human rights... [C]ontrary to the politically correct wisdom of our day, not all worldviews or religions are alike. And the differences really matter—just ask the Christians living in the Islamic world."
—Chuck Colson

"For too long, the world was paralyzed by the argument that terrorism could not be stopped until the grievances of terrorists were addressed. The complicated and heartrending issues that perplex mankind are no excuse for violent, inhumane attacks, nor do they excuse not taking aggressive action against those who deliberately slaughter innocent people."
—Ronald Reagan

A DANGEROUS ROAD TO GO DOWN

"Funny people, the Austrians. If you're Kurt Waldheim—a former Nazi military officer linked to a genocidal massacre during World War II—they elect you president. But if you're David Irving—a British author who claimed that there never was a Nazi genocide during World War II—they throw you in the slammer. On second thought, not funny at all. Austria disgraced itself when it elected Waldheim president in 1986, apparently unconcerned by the revelation that he had served in a German military unit responsible for mass murder in the Balkans and been listed after the war as a wanted criminal by the UN War Crimes Commission. In a very different way it disgraced itself again last week, when a Vienna court sentenced Irving, a racist and an anti-Semite, to three years in prison for denying that the Nazis annihilated 6 million European Jews... [A]s a matter of law and public policy, Irving's sentence is deplorable. The opinions he expressed are vile, and his arguments about the Holocaust—perhaps the most comprehensively researched and documented crime in history—are ludicrous. But governments have no business criminalizing opinions and arguments, not even those that are vile or ludicrous... [F]ree societies do not throw people in prison for giving offensive speeches or spouting historical lies."
—Jeff Jacoby

"Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
—Theodore Roosevelt

"[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

Keeping an Eye on the Illegal Immigrant Problem

Report: Number Of Illegal Immigrants In US Hits 12 Million ...
All Headline News - USA
Washington, DC (AHN) -- A new estimate reveals the number of illegal immigrants in the United States has grown to as many as 12 million, and they now account ...

The cost of illegal immigrants rising
Jackson Clarion Ledger - Jackson,MS,USA
Concerning the cost of illegal immigrants in Mississippi ("Illegal aliens cost state $25M," Feb. 25), I wish we could be so lucky in Texas. ...

Border Patrol vehicle strikes 2 illegal immigrants, killing one
Tucson Citizen - Tucson,AZ,USA
DATELAND, Ariz. - A Border Patrol agent searching for illegal immigrants in Yuma County during the weekend accidentally ran over two border crossers, killing ...

China Warns US on Taiwan
Washington Post - United States
BEIJING, March 7 -- China warned the United States Tuesday against sending "false signals" to Taiwan by playing down a recent decision to do away with the ...

GREEN NEWS

China-made nickel-hydrogen cells used on Toyota hybrid electric ...
Xinhua - China
CHANGSHA, March 7 (Xinhuanet) -- Nickel-hydrogen cells made in China have been installed on more than 2,300 hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) produced by Japan ...

IRAN NEWS

Iraq Sunni leader says Iran stokes sectarian war
Khaleej Times - Dubai,United Arab Emirates
AMMAN - One of Iraq's leading Sunni Arab politicians accused Iran on Monday of stoking sectarian tensions to foment a civil war that would break up Iraq and ...

Israel Conducts Activities Against Iran in N. Iraq
Zaman Online - Istanbul,Turkey
British newspaper, The Sunday Times wrote, special Israeli forces are operating inside Iran in an urgent mission to locate the country's secret uranium ...

Iran promises harsh response to any foreign attack
Khaleej Times - Dubai,United Arab Emirates
TEHERAN - Iran vowed on Monday to be a "killing field" for any attackers, responding to a US warning of "painful consequences" if it failed to curb its ...

Iran will never submit to pressure: Ahmadinejad
Xinhua - China
TEHRAN, March 6 (Xinhuanet) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday that Iran would never submit to outside pressure against its nuclear program ...

Ahmadinejad says Iran will not bow down to "bullying"
Iran Focus - Iran
Tehran, Iran, Mar. ... Ahmadinejad warned Western governments that if they put pressure on Iran, "we will rethink our [nuclear] decisions and cooperation". ...

Israeli agents spying on Iran from inside the occupied Iraqi ...
Aljazeera.com - London,UK
The US, backed by Israel and its European claim that Iran is a few steps away from producing a nuclear bomb, probably by 2010 or 2011. ...

US, Russia close ranks on Iran
Aljazeera.net - Qatar
The US has warned Iran of "meaningful consequences" if it continues to pursue its nuclear programme and Russia appears to have closed ranks behind the US on ...

Iran forces 'infiltrating Iraq'
BBC News - UK
"They [Iran] are currently putting people into Iraq to do things that are harmful to the future of Iraq," Mr Rumsfeld told a news conference. ...

Iran-UAE keen on expansion of bilateral ties
Tehran Times - Iran
... Emir and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohammad ben Rashid al-Maktoum stressed Monday expansion of relations between Iran and UAE in ...

US, Russia reject Iran compromise
BBC News - UK
Iran had suggested it might be allowed to enrich small quantities of uranium for research purposes while importing most of its nuclear fuel from Russia. ...

NEWS BRIEFS

Republicans Back Line-Item Veto for President
Fiscal conservatives are endorsing proposed legislation that would give President Bush the line-item veto, but one Democrat said the president should be more concerned about submitting a balanced budget...

No, No, Nancy: Republican Group Sees Ethics Violation
A Republican group that monitors Democrat “hypocrisy” says it appears that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has run afoul of House ethics rules...

Pro-Life Posters Defaced, Torn Down at Harvard
The abortion debate is unusually tense on the campus of Harvard University this semester with abortion rights advocates allegedly tearing down pro-life posters that show a baby through the several stages of development...

Battle of the Bests: Oscars Versus Box Office
(CNSNews.com)
- The top-grossing film of 2005 made more money in ticket sales than all five of the year’s Best Picture nominees combined, according to data provided by Box Office Mojo...

With Nuclear Deal Under Its Belt, India Seeks Uranium Supplies
(CNSNews.com)
– Fresh from signing a historic agreement on civilian nuclear energy cooperation with the United States, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked Australia to lift a ban on selling uranium to his country...

Taiwanese Poll Tells China, We’ll Decide Our Future
(CNSNews.com)
– In a striking indication of national feeling, Taiwanese respondents in a new opinion poll have overwhelmingly backed the right of Taiwan’s people to have the final say on the island’s future, while rejecting what they see as China’s military intimidation...

Iran opens 'embassy' in PA territories

Headquarters to promote Tehran's interests, apocalyptic world battle of 'good' vs. 'evil'

Iran has opened an "ideological embassy" in the Palestinian territories to espouse Shia Muslim beliefs – including Islam's waging of a final, apocalyptic battle against "evil" – and to help spread Iranian theocracy and rule throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip.......More

COMMENTARY

America Needs A Better Policy on Immigration
By Ed Feulner
We've always been willing to open our arms to immigrants and help them become Americans. But the unity we once valued is unraveling. We can't afford to tolerate an underground economy, populated by immigrants who are unwilling or unable to assimilate. By cracking down on illegal immigration in a smart way, we can continue our tradition of turning many into one…

NEWS HEADLINES

Democrats Struggle To Seize Opportunity
Amid GOP Troubles, No Unified Message
Vermonters cling to town meeting
Some fear tradition is fading as control gets 'further away from the people'

Giuliani Is 'Hot' Stuff In New Poll
Exclusive: Saudi Arabia will host Israel boycott event
China calls on Iran to co-operate

HILLARY ATTEMPTS TO RALLY THE WOMAN VOTE

True to form, Hillary Robb'em Clinton ties to play the sexist card:

Sen. Clinton Says GOP Attacks Gender-Based

By BETH FOUHY

ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK (AP) -

Responding to Republican claims that she may be too angry to win national office, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton told an audience Monday to wear such criticism as "a badge of honor" and suggested that gender played a role in the attacks.

Democrats, particularly Democratic woman, who run for public office are "going to draw some unfriendly fire," Clinton said at a breakfast fundraiser hosted by black and Hispanic women supporters. "People will be attacking you instead of your ideas, they may impugn your patriotism, they may even say you're angry." More.

MORE ON IRAN

Iran demands timeline for foreign troops to leave Iraq
Iran Focus - Iran
Tehran, Iran, Mar. 06 -- Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki called on Monday for a timeline to be drawn up for the withdrawal ...

HeavyHanded: Iran is asking for a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq! Get it? Iran! Maybe the Dems can throw together a delegation of fellow Dems and go over to Iran and see if that they can't come up with an acceptable and mutually agreeable timeline.

US Dismisses Talk of Compromise on Iran
Forbes - USA
The Bush administration dismissed reports Monday that an eleventh-hour compromise might be struck over Iran's nuclear program, saying the path was clear for a ...

India not for Iran regime change: Manmohan
Hindu - Chennai,India
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said India strongly favoured giving time to diplomacy to resolve the complex Iran nuclear issue and that it ...

EXCLUSIVE: Deadly Bombs Caught at Iran Border
ABC News - USA
Military and intelligence officials tell ABC News they have intercepted new, deadlier weapons at the Iran-Iraq border.

IAEA Chief Hopeful for Deal on Iran Nuclear Standoff
Voice of America - USA
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says he is hopeful that talks will result in a solution acceptable to Iran and the international community ...

IAEA chief sees Iran nuclear deal possible in week or so
People's Daily Online - Beijing,China
Mohamed ElBaradei, chief of the UN nuclear watchdog, said on Monday he was hopeful a deal over Iran's nuclear program could be reached in the next week or so. ...

Group claims Iran hiding long-range missiles
Jerusalem Post - Israel
The group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, claimed that an increase of production of the warhead-carrying missiles is "taking the international ...

ElBaradei hoping for Iran solution
MarketWatch - USA
... Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Monday that he was optimistic that the crisis over Iran's nuclear-research program ...