Scotsman - United Kingdom
... one simple reason why the Group of Eight richest nations, which concluded its meeting on Saturday, has become an anachronistic talking shop: China, the world's ...
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If Ronald Reagan were President today, he would be puzzled over the entire debate on "illegal immigration." He would recognize that just like the Cold War, the liberals are arguing for appeasement and the conservatives for containment. He would be asking conservatives, "Don't you fellows realize that just playing defense doesn't work?"Of course, defense is critical. You've got to prevent the other team from scoring touchdowns. So you've got to build the fence authorized by the Sensenbrenner bill in the House. You've got to shut the border down regarding the illegal flood. You've got to disallow illegals (and, yes, their children) from access to government benefits.
There are many other things you can do to defend America from this invasion - but, the crucial but for Ronald Reagan, would be we can't just play defense. We've got to go on the offense.
Which means an offense against Mexico. Not with guns and soldiers, but with ideas and information. "To explain the truth and go on an ideological offensive against the Soviet Union," Reagan would say, "we had Radio Free Europe beamed to the Soviet colonies of Eastern Europe, and Radio Liberty beamed to people within the Soviet Union itself."
"So, obviously," Reagan would conclude, "now you need a Radio Free Mexico beamed to the people of Mexico for the purpose of liberating them from the socialism, poverty, and corruption in their country that drives them to leave it."
RFM - Radio Free Mexico - would have programs explaining why Mexico is so poor. It isn't because the US stole half of Mexico's land (and the half with all the paved roads, as the joke goes). It's because of a lack of economic freedom and rule of law.
RFM would explain the history of Mexico. That it was a creation of Imperial Spain, not the Aztecs. The Aztec Empire was very small, an area in central Mexico smaller than the US state of New Mexico. Not only was it small, it was short - initiated in the 1420s, expanding for about 90 years, then liberated by Cortez.
RFM would explain the monstrously murderous evil of the Aztec Empire, and how Cortez was a liberator, not a conqueror. The subsequent conquistadors from Spain were tyrannical, yet for all their oppression of native Mexican peoples, they never approached a fraction of bloody Aztec horror.
RFM would explain what it will take for the poverty-stricken masses of Mexico to become prosperous - what it will take to create the social, political, and economic conditions of wide-spread wealth-creation.
RFM would provide continuous examples of corruption, naming names of corrupt officials, politicians, and monopolistic businessmen.
The goal of RFM would be to change the culture of Mexico from one of corrupt poverty-creation to one of lawful wealth-creation. This is ultimately the only way to end the invasion of Mexican illegals into America: create a successful Mexico.
Who in their right mind would leave their own country to try and make a living on menial wages in a foreign land, when they can become prosperous in their own country?
If RFM does it right, we can even reverse the flood, with Mexican illegals streaming back to Mexico where they can make more money than in America.
To do it right, RFM cannot be a Gringo project. The key would be to create programming using Mexican free market intellectuals, to empower Mexico's anti-socialist intelligentsia (of whom there are plenty albeit unheard) talking to their fellow Mexicans in their own cultural vernacular.
Then you set up RFM as a surrogate Mexican FM station broadcasting in Mexico City, Monterrey, Vera Cruz, and other major population centers. That is, you purchase available bandwidth on existing FM stations in these cities, which become RFM re-broadcast affiliates.
The whole thing could be set up for a half-million dollars, which means with private money and no US government funding or involvement.
So Dr. Jack Wheeler, in cooperation with the Freedom Research Foundation (which he is president of) and some other of his friends in Washington will be raising the private capital to launch and operate a Radio Free Mexico.
Only by playing offense, not just defense, can we prevent the second civil war, keep America intact, and actually solve the now-enormous problem of illegal alien invasion into our country.
Winning the Cold War required liberating the Soviet Empire. Winning the war of illegal invasion requires liberating Mexico. That's the lesson Ronald Reagan would have us learn. That's the promise of a Radio Free Mexico.
So RFM is now in the process of forming a Board of Advisors, several of whom helped run Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in the Reagan years and were thus instrumental in collapsing the Soviet Empire.
Hopefully within a few days, they will have completed a proposal for a feasibility study, which will determine such things as the scope of the audience, the themes for programs, identifying Mexican free market intellectuals, what the technical requirements are, etc. They have already had offers for funding the study.
The study should take about 90-120 days to complete, so by September they should see a clear plan on launching RFM.
RFM will focus on Reconquista as a ridiculous pipe-dream fantasy. For Mexicans to create prosperity and opportunity for themselves, they have to abandon such fantasies, focusing instead on the corrupt reality of their country and how to change it for the better.
Thus a primary theme of RFM will be responsibility: Mexicans assuming responsibility for the future of their country - which means staying in or returning to Mexico and working to achieve economic freedom and success.
Jack Kelly writes:
Virtually all the complaining generals oppose Secretary Rumsfeld's plans for military reform, and are angered and offended by his management style. (The secretary is often brusque with subordinates he thinks reason or perform poorly.)
The generals speaking out may have reasons other than patriotism for doing so. Gen. Zinni is flogging a book. MajGen. John Riggs was busted a grade and forced to retire because of a procurement scandal. MajGen. Eaton oversaw the rebuilding of the Iraqi army in 2003-2004, when everyone now agrees this was a disaster.
"When Swannack, for example, blames Rumsfeld for Abu Ghraib, he gives up the game," wrote retired Army Col. Andrew Bacevich, now a professor at Boston University, in the Los Angeles Times. "By pointing fingers at Rumsfeld, the generals hope to deflect attention from the military's own egregious mistakes."
Retired Army Col. Douglas Macgregor, whose book "Breaking the Phalanx" is a rough blueprint for the organizational reforms the Army is making now, agrees military leaders deserve at least as much blame for mistakes in Iraq as do the Pentagon's civilian leaders.
Many generals, especially in the Army, are overly bureaucratic and risk averse, Col. Macgregor said. Excessive caution nearly denied the U.S. a quick victory in the march on Baghdad, and excessive use of force after the fall of Saddam by, among others, MajGen. Swannack, fueled the insurgency, he said.
The complaining generals said Mr. Rumsfeld doesn't listen to his subordinate commanders, a criticism rebutted by the retired generals who dealt with him most frequently, former CENTCOM commander Gen. Tommy Franks; his deputy, retired Marine LtGen. Michael Delong; and Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The real problem is Secretary Rumsfeld pays too much deference to generals who are demonstrably incompetent, Col. Macgregor said. The night Baghdad fell, Mr. Rumsfeld asked the Army ground forces commander how long it would take to get an armored brigade to Saddam's home town of Tikrit, Col. Macgregor recounted. The answer was 10 days.
Mr. Rumsfeld then asked the Marines, who got there in 12 hours.
The Grant of the Iraq war was then Marine MajGen. James Mattis, who thinks as well as he fights.
"Immediately advancing Mattis to three stars...would have sent a powerful signal that professional competence and character under fire trump all other considerations in wartime," Col. Macgregor said. "Unfortunately, the civilians in charge bowed to service parochialism and appointed an Army general, because Army troops constituted the majority of the ground force."
I should though let two friends have the last word on the Revolting Generals. Most revolting of all is General Hypocrite Tony Zinni, who was nailed by Brit Hume on Fox News:
Former Clinton CENTCOM commander, Anthony Zinni--the most prominent of the retired generals attacking Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld--now says that, in the run-up to the war in Iraq, "What bothered me ... [was that] I was hearing a depiction of the intelligence that didn't fit what I knew. There was no solid proof, that I ever saw, that Saddam had WMD."
But in early 2000, Zinni told Congress "Iraq remains the most significant near-term threat to U.S. interests in the Arabian Gulf region," adding, "Iraq probably is continuing clandestine nuclear research, [and] retains stocks of chemical and biological munitions ... Even if Baghdad reversed its course and surrendered all WMD capabilities, it retains scientific, technical, and industrial infrastructure to replace agents and munitions within weeks or months."
Then there is the question asked by Judith Klinghoffer:
To hear two and three star generals whine that Rumsfeld is too intimidating causes one to ask who else can so easily intimidate them? Are we talking perhaps of the insurgents, Ahmadinejad, Assad Fils, the North Korean or China? Imagine being a soldier who has served under the command of so easily intimidated a general. Their retired generals' contention that they are speaking for their active duty colleagues merely makes matters worse.
Jack Kelly is National Security Writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and a nationally syndicated columnist. A former Marine and Green Beret, he was a deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force during the Reagan administration.
Dr. Jack Wheeler writes, "The myth of Birthright Citizenship is one of the more extraordinary frauds committed in America today. Liberals insist that the "Citizenship Clause" of the 14th Amendment - which states "All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside" - means that children of illegal aliens born on US soil automatically are US citizens.
The 14th Amendment means no such thing. When it was ratified in 1868 to protect the rights of native-born Black Americans, whose rights were being denied as recently-freed slaves, the Citizenship Clause's author, Senator Jacob Howard, made it explicitly clear that the clause did not apply to "persons born in the United States who are foreigners, aliens, who belong to the families of ambassadors or foreign ministers accredited to the Government of the United States."
The key phrase of the clause is "subject to the jurisdiction thereof." The primary author of the entire 14th Amendment, Senator John Bingham, stated, "I find no fault with the introductory (Citizenship) Clause, which is simply declaratory of what is written in the Constitution, that every human being born within the jurisdiction of the United States of parents not owing allegiance to any foreign sovereignty is, in the language of your Constitution itself, a natural born citizen."
This meaning was affirmed by the Supreme Court in Elk v. Wilkins (1884), which determined that the phrase "subject to its jurisdiction" explicitly excluded "citizens of foreign states born within the United States."
In other words, an illegal alien mother is subject to the jurisdiction of her native country, as is her baby. Illegal aliens from Mexico do not owe allegiance to America. Their children, if born in the US, thus have no constitutional right to US citizenship."
He further informs us that, "To help stop this invasion, to stop this misinterpretation of the Constitution, Congressman Nathan Deal (R-GA), along with 84 co-sponsors, has introduced HR 698 into Congress: The Citizenship Reform Act. Its purpose is to "deny automatic citizenship at birth to children born in the United States to parents who are not citizens or permanent resident aliens."
The 85 Congressional sponsors of the Citizenship Reform Act, after thorough legal consultation, are convinced [the problem] can be solved legislatively, and does not require a constitutional amendment."
My gut feel is that this won't have enough support to make it all the way to Pres. G. W. Bush. Too many Democrats (most Democrats, I would hazard to guess) will oppose it because that would mean less welfare dependents, less government, and fewer voters. And as far as the Republicans go, well, just too many spineless ones to vote on the hard issues.
The new unnamed security agency was announced amid the Interior Ministry failure to halt the rising rate of shootings and abductions in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Many of those involved in the violence have been Fatah and related gunmen, Middle East Newsline reported. More...
"The request was for temporary access and connected to the crisis with Iran," a Turkish source said.
Venezuela's National Statistics Institute said a total of 542,468 jobs had been added to the economy since March 2005.
The institute said it expected the unemployment rate to fall below 7 percent by the end of the year.
Venezuela, the world's No.5 oil exporter, has benefited from windfall oil profits stemming from soaring crude prices. The South American nation's economy grew by 9.3 percent in 2005 over the previous year.
President Hugo Chavez, up for re-election in December, has stimulated the economy by boosting government spending and hiking salaries for government workers.
WTO General Director praises Viet Nam entry process
Viet Nam News Agency - Hanoi,Vietnam
Brussels (VNA) - Viet Nam has gained good results in its negotiations for the World Trade Organization's membership, praised WTO General Director Pascal Lamy ...
Waves of foreign investment come to Viet Nam's ICT sector
Viet Nam News Agency - Hanoi,Vietnam
Ha Noi (VNA) - There will be a new wave of foreign investment in Viet Nam's information and communication technology (ICT) sector following Intel's ...
EU wants to build comprehensive partnership with Viet Nam
Viet Nam News Agency - Hanoi,Vietnam
... Ferrero-Waldner has affirmed the political determination of the EC in particular and the European Union in general to work together with Viet Nam in building a ...
International media lauds Viet Nam's Party Congress
Viet Nam News - Hanoi,Vietnam
HA NOI - Major world newspapers have covered the ongoing 10th National Party Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) highlighting the country's ...
First oil rig overhauled in Viet Nam
Viet Nam News Agency - Hanoi,Vietnam
Khanh Hoa - (VNA) - An overhaul of a modern oil rig has been conducted for the first time in Viet Nam by the Hyundai-Vinasshin Co. ...
Viet Nam: key partner of the EU in Southeast Asia
Vietnam Economic Times - Hanoi,Vietnam
Viet Nam is considered a key partner of the European Union (EU) in Southeast Asia, affirmed EU High Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner ahead of his upcoming ...
German hospitality giant eyes Viet Nam
Viet Nam News Agency - Hanoi,Vietnam
Ha Noi (VNA) - Sustained economic growth makes Viet Nam an ideal place to set up business, according to Monika Gommolla, president of the major German hotel ...
This sure puts a new look on our governments disinterest in border control doesn't it?CFR's Plan to Integrate the U.S., Mexico and Canada
"Just what do we know about the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)? What is really behind our trade agreements and security partnerships with the other North American countries. The CFR has a 59-page CFR document that outlines, in detail, a five-year plan for the "establishment by 2010 of a North American economic and security community" with a common "outer security perimeter."
Phyllis Schafly has written a column about this topic and explains that "Community means integrating the United States with the corruption, socialism, poverty and population of Mexico and Canada. Common perimeter means wide-open U.S. borders between the U.S., Mexico and Canada."
He's So Generous, He Belongs in Prison
Paul Caron, who blogs about tax law, has an item about Vice President Cheney, and here's a selection of the reader comments about it:
What did Cheney do now? He donated 77% of his 2005 income to charity. In most years donations to charity are tax-deductible only up to 50% of income, but Congress lifted the cap last year as a response to Hurricane Katrina. So these moonbats are actually attacking Cheney for being too generous.
U.S. officials have repeatedly denied any military plans against Chavez, but also call him a threat to stability in the region.
In the same book, however, Risen makes an equally explosive claim about President Clinton's relationship with the CIA - which his editors at the Times have so far declined to cover.
Upon taking power in 1993, Risen reports, the Clinton administration "began slashing the intelligence budget in search of a peace dividend, and Bill Clinton showed almost no interest in intelligence matters."
The agency cutbacks combined with presidential disinterest took their toll almost immediately.
[snip]
Frustrated by restrictions that made dealing with the big challenges too difficult, the agency turned its energy to lesser problems. Reports Risen: "Thanks to Vice President Al Gore, for example, the CIA briefly made the global environment one of is priorities." More details.
Well, this was quite a week. Most notably, it was the week of the news media's newfound love for generals. Suddenly, the Washington press corps is lap-dancing for these warmongering men who command troops to go into battle and kill, destroy and annihilate.
And if you believe that, then you've been snookered by the left-wing press once again.
The mainstream news media have about as much love and admiration for our military's top commanders as they have for President George W. Bush and members of his administration. Unless, of course, the generals don't much care for Bush or his Defense Secretary. And what a bonanza! They've got six retired generals to blast away at Bush through his Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld.
Yes, folks -- count 'em -- six retired generals, some of whom led troops in Iraq, have spoken out against Rumsfeld in recent days, accusing him of arrogance, ignoring his field commanders, and micro-management. Usually the guy who's lower on the Totem poll perceives the folks above him or her as arrogant, so that's just an opinion voiced by most disgruntled employees. Ignoring his field commanders may be a good thing or a bad thing, so it depends on which side of the desk you're sitting. Micro-management? Have they forgotten the old adage? "War is too important to be left to the generals." Can you believe it? The left-wingers in the press actually want generals to have autonomy during a war.
Read on...Meat-Eaters Aiding Global Warming?
ABC News - USA
Some researchers say that what you eat has as much of an effect on global warming as what you drive....
Saudi Arabia doesn't want row with Iran
Hindu - Chennai,India
Saudi Arabia does not want a row with Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme and ruled out that Riyadh was seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. ...
Six-party talks end with no breakthrough over Iran nuke issue
Xinhua - China
MOSCOW (Xinhua) -- The six-party consultations over Iran's nuclear issue ended in Moscow late Tuesday without any substantial results, local media ...
Iran unlikely to meet UN nuclear demands - Straw
Reuters.uk - UK
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain does not expect Iran to comply with United Nations Security Council demands to halt uranium enrichment by the end of April, Foreign ...
Immigrants should come legally
TheReporter.com - Vacaville,CA,USA
We have to realize that the new laws on immigration are not about legal immigrants, but illegal immigrants. In the 1980s illegal ...
Three Cheers for NKU
"A professor who led students in destroying an anti-abortion display at Northern Kentucky University has been placed on leave for the remaining week and a half of classes," the Cincinnati Enquirer reports:Other faculty will step in to cover Sally Jacobsen's four courses in the literature and language department. At the end of the semester, she will retire--a step she had been planning to take months before last week's controversy, officials said.
We noted the case Friday. NKU's president, James Votruba, put out a strong statement:
Many presidents of more prestigious schools could learn a lot from Votruba.One of the important roles that a university must play is to be a forum for debate and analysis concerning the important issues of the day. Often these issues are surrounded by strident rhetoric and strong emotions, which makes it even more incumbent on the university to create and nurture an intellectual environment in which reason and evidence prevail and where all points of view can be heard.
Northern Kentucky University has a distinguished record of addressing important public issues in a balanced way. We are proud that, as a campus, we are not the captive of one ideology or point of view. At their best, universities are not places of comfortable conformity. They are places where ideas collide as students and faculty search for deeper understandings and perspectives.
While the University supports the right to free speech and vigorous debate on public issues, we cannot condone infringement of the rights of others to express themselves in an orderly manner.
"I do not underestimate the obstacles which the Congress will face in enacting such [tax cuts] legislation. No one will be satisfied. Everyone will have his own approach, his own bill, his own reductions. A high order of restraint and determination will be required if the possible is not to wait on the perfect.
"This nation can afford to reduce taxes... but we cannot afford to do nothing. For on the strength of our free economy rests the hope of all free nations."
---John F. Kennedy
Jerusalem – Under threat of United Nations Security Council sanctions for its own nuclear program, Iran has been elected to a vice-chair position on the U.N. Disarmament Commission, whose mission includes preventing the spread of nuclear weapons... More