'Flying Imams' Sue Airline Passengers

Six Muslim men removed from a plane last fall after being accused of suspicious behavior are suing not only the airline but the passengers who complained - a move some fear could discourage travelers from speaking up when they see something unusual.

The civil rights lawsuit, filed earlier this month, has so alarmed some lawyers that they are offering to defend the unnamed 'John Doe' passengers free of charge. They say it is........

Global Warming Heresy

By Walter E. Williams

"Among the many findings that dispute environmentalists' claims are: Manmade carbon dioxide emissions are roughly 5 percent of the total; the rest are from natural sources such as volcanoes, dying vegetation and animals. Annually, volcanoes alone produce more carbon dioxide than all of mankind's activities. Oceans are responsible for most greenhouse gases. Contrary to environmentalists' claims, the higher the Earth's temperature, the higher the carbon dioxide levels. In other words, carbon dioxide levels are a product of climate change. Some of the documentary's scientists argue that the greatest influence on the Earth's temperature is our sun's sunspot activity. The bottom line is, the bulk of scientific evidence shows that what we've been told by environmentalists is pure bunk." READ ON.

Committing Suicide, One Step At A Time

By Ben Shapiro

How far will the West be pushed? For decades, Iran has embraced a strategy of carefully feeling its oats, prodding at the West, testing our mettle in inches. Now, like Germany in 1938, Iran is beginning to realize that the West will do nothing to stop it. Crippled by a pathological aversion to war, America and Britain sit by silently as Iran develops nuclear weapons, fosters terrorism in Iraq and targets Western interests for total annihilation.

Iran's latest test for the West is .............

EXPORTING JOBS & FACTORIES

“U.S. troops blew up a bomb factory in Iraq during a crackdown. There will never be a free government in Iraq as long as there are factories making bombs. Our work won’t be done until they’ve moved all their manufacturing to China.” —Argus Hamilton

IS OUR CONSTITUTION BECOMING IRRELEVANT?

Apparently so according to the hard Left in this country and the Democrats (but I repeat myself).

The 51st State?
By George Will

"Today's Democratic-controlled Congress wants to give D.C., by legislation, a full voting member in the House of Representatives. Having failed to achieve ratification of a constitutional amendment, sent to the states in 1978, which would have conferred statehood on D.C. (only 16 states ratified it, 22 short of the required number), Democrats now say an amendment is unnecessary, a statute will suffice to do essentially that." (Bold emphasis is mine -- HH)

Laws .... the judicial system .... the legal system .... is their panacea. It is their remedy to and for everything.

When will they pass legislation "banning the use of" the constitution?

A French oil giant's deals with a rogue regime--this time in Iran.

OpinionJournal

Don't stop us if you've heard this one: French oil giant Total SA is being investigated for illicit dealings with a rogue regime in the Middle East. This time it's Iran, but maybe you recall its experience with another dictator and something called Oil for Food.

A French judge is investigating bribes that Total executives allegedly paid Iranian officials to secure business in the Islamic Republic. Last week, the judge issued.....

Ethanol: Time to steer away

By Rebecca Hagelin

Good news: President Bush and Congress have found an energy policy they can agree on.

Bad news: They both want to expand the use of ethanol.

This week, in fact, President Bush has been .............

A Lot of Reasons I Won't Vote for Obama

By Burt Prelutsky

I have a friend who could very well be a speechwriter for Barack Obama. Although I consider her a liberal, I'm sure she regards herself as a moderate. To prove it, she makes a point of condemning politicians of both parties as partisan hacks. Actually, with precious few exceptions, I agree with her. However, she likes to say she wishes that those on the Left and those on the Right could put their differences aside and come together for the sake of the country. It sounds so nice and reasonable, just like the bilge coming out of one of Sen. Obama's love fests. The problem, of course, is that when it comes to the issues, there’s no way to work out a compromise.

Obama is currently in the business of trying to be all things to all people. He figures that so long as he avoids commenting on actual issues, Hillary Clinton will eventually remind the country why so many of us couldn't stand her when she was merely the most obnoxious First Lady we'd ever had. But the fact remains that.......

Intolerance in the Twin Cities

By Linda Chavez

Tolerance is a two-way street, as a group of Somali taxi drivers in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn., are about to find out. In May, the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) in the Twin Cities is set to adopt new rules that will punish cabbies who refuse to haul passengers carrying liquor, even though the drivers claim their Muslim faith forbids them to do so.

The issue has come to a head in the Twin Cities because a popular local imam issued a fatwa last June forbidding Muslim drivers from transporting liquor in their taxis. The prohibition is not widely shared among Muslims elsewhere in the United States, but it has caused quite a stir in Minneapolis and St. Paul, home to the nation's largest Somali community. More than 600 airport taxi drivers in the cities are Somali, most of them Muslim.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, about 100....

Tax and Spend Democrats
By Robert D. Novak
The new Democratic majority on Thursday begins the next phase of the tax-and-spend minuet in the House of Representatives. Following the example of their Senate brethren last Friday, House Democrats will adopt a budget resolution containing the largest tax increase in U.S. history amid massive national inattention…

Free Obama's White Grandmother

Andy Martin tells Barack to "Free Granny Madelyn Dunham."

According to Martin, Obama pretends he has no white relatives. "He has paraded his step-grandmother in Kenya, who never saw him until the 1980s, as his 'granny,' and locked the grandmother who actually raised him away in a closet," he writes.

Now, the Chicago Tribune reports "the Obama campaign declined to make [his white grandmother] available." READ MORE.

HOW MUCH IS THAT IN EARTH YEARS?

From James Taranto, Opinion Journal:

Gort! Klattu Barada Nikto!
At least two U.S. senators are space aliens, and this isn't one of those supermarket-tabloid gags. We are as serious as a heart attack.

On Dec. 20, 2002, Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska shared a byline on a Washington Post op-ed titled "Iraq: The Decade After." Biden and Hagel, both of whom had voted two months earlier to go to war with Saddam Hussein's regime, warned that it would not be an easy undertaking and that America had to be prepared for a long-term commitment:

Although no one doubts our forces will prevail over Saddam Hussein's, key regional leaders confirm what the Foreign Relations Committee emphasized in its Iraq hearings last summer: The most challenging phase will likely be the day after--or, more accurately, the decade after--Saddam Hussein.

Once he is gone, expectations are high that coalition forces will remain in large numbers to stabilize Iraq and support a civilian administration. That presence will be necessary for several years, given the vacuum there, which a divided Iraqi opposition will have trouble filling and which some new Iraqi military strongman must not fill. . . . Americans are largely unprepared for such an undertaking. President Bush must make clear to the American people the scale of the commitment.

Today President Bush remains committed, while Biden and Hagel are among the leaders of the effort to retreat. Their "decade" turned out to last barely four years. The only plausible explanation is that the planet Biden and Hagel are from revolves around its sun in the equivalent of about 150 Earth days.

"Let the American youth never forget, that they possess a noble inheritance, bought by the toils, and sufferings, and blood of their ancestors; and capacity, if wisely improved, and faithfully guarded, of transmitting to their latest posterity all the substantial blessings of life, the peaceful enjoyment of liberty, property, religion, and independence." -- Joseph Story

Navy crew 'concern' voiced by UN

BBC NEWS

"The UN Security Council has agreed a statement voicing 'grave concern' at Iran's capture of 15 British sailors.

It also calls on Tehran to allow the UK consular access to the personnel, but stops short of 'deploring' Iran's action, as requested by the UK.

Iran, which the UK later confirmed had sent it a note, said it was not helpful to try to engage third parties."

(Bold emphasis mine--HH)

Risks grow of terrorists getting nukes

There is a growing threat that terrorist groups such as Hizbullah will acquire nuclear or other WMD technology, a senior US State Department official told the .....

AMID COMPLAINTS OF LOW TEST SCORES AND LACK OF SCHOOL FUNDING.....

WE GET THIS:

Critics Blast California ‘Homosexuality Promotion’ Bill
California’s first openly lesbian state lawmaker has introduced a bill that her critics say would require K-12 public school textbooks, instructional materials and school activities to promote transsexual, bisexual and homosexual lifestyles...

How about using our limited resources and concentrate on things like readin', ritin', and 'rithmetic.

Talk of Peace Accompanied by Threats of Violence Toward Israel
Jerusalem – Palestinian terrorists launched at least 13 more rockets at Israel this week as Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas pressed Israel to accept a 2002 Arab initiative to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – or else. And Hamas, the terrorist group that dominates the new Palestinian “unity” government, said it would continue its attacks against Israel...

Middle East Pondering Possible US Attack on Iran -- 03/30/2007

By Julie Stahl
CNSNews.com Jerusalem Bureau Chief

Jerusalem -- "As U.S.-British tensions with Iran escalate, many in the Middle East are discussing the possibility -- some say probability -- of a U.S. attack on the Islamic Republic."

THE PHONY FIRING NON-SCANDAL

Jim Warner writes:

"The contrived controversy over the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys is largely an exercise in imaginary indignation.

Congressional Democrats suggest that some of the firings may have been improper and demand to know the reasons for each of them. By what authority they make such demand is not clear, since the Supreme Court has ruled that, with limited exceptions, Congress has no voice in the dismissal of federal officers.

Neither the statute providing for the appointment of U.S. attorneys nor the Supreme Court opinion makes any attempt to define what would constitute proper or improper reasons for dismissal. In fact, nowhere is there any suggestion that the president would need any reason to dismiss a federal officer who is not covered by the Civil Service Act. "

He then asks the question, "If Congress can have no voice in the removal of U.S. attorneys and no reason is required to dismiss them, then by what authority do members of Congress demand to know why the attorneys were fired?"

THE SIGNS OF A GOOD LIBERAL

How to tell if you are a good liberal:

You have to believe that businesses create oppression and governments create prosperity.

WHAT IS A LIBERAL?

“A liberal is a man who will give away everything he doesn’t own.” —Frank Dane

NOTABLE QUOTABLES

“The idea that an American defeat in Iraq—and like it or not, that is what the sort of a withdrawal [passed by] Congress will be considered in the Muslim world—would make it easier to prevail against Iran is ludicrous. Such an outcome would similarly embolden Iran’s Islamist allies elsewhere, such as Hamas and Hezbollah.” —Jonathan Tobin

“At once the most preposterous and the most dangerous of contemporary beliefs is ‘nothing was ever settled by violence.’ A cursory reading of history makes it clear that virtually every important development in the history of mankind has been, for good or ill, a product of violence.” —Jack Kelly

“There is a word for people who put children in a car to be blown up. The word is evil... It’s important that we say this out loud and that we render this moral judgment. Because if we fail to understand that our enemy is evil, we have failed to understand what we are fighting.” —Newt Gingrich

“When the GOP begins to apologize for routine, non-controversial uses of presidential authority to implement administration policies, no wonder the party is on the ropes.” —Brendan Miniter

“[Attorney General Alberto] Gonzales has allowed a scandal to be created where there was none. That is quite an achievement. He had a two-foot putt and he muffed it.” —Charles Krauthammer

“[Al Gore] is a man who makes no bones about wanting to limit population growth by forcing Africans to stop having children but escapes any criticism for what is undisguised racism. If a Republican engaged in such racist proposals he would be ridden out of town on a rail.” —Michael Reagan

“When people stop believing in God, they don’t believe in nothing—they believe in anything.” —G. K. Chesterton

“The moral underpinnings of our country must be able to bear the weight of today if we’re to pass on to the next generation an America worth having.” —Ronald Reagan

“The opposition is indispensable. A good statesmen, like any other sensible human being, always learns more from his opponents than from his fervent supporters.” —Walter Lippmann

WE MUST FIGHT AGAINST 'THE LULL'

From the 03.28.2007 STRATFOR TERRORISM INTELLIGENCE REPORT --

"Though al Qaeda and other jihadists have not carried out a spectacular attack inside the United States since 9/11, it is not for lack of trying. In fact, there have been far more thwarted attacks in the United States in the past five years than there were in the years between the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the 9/11 attacks. While many can and do debate the tactics used by the U.S. government in the war on terrorism, it is hard to argue that the U.S. government and its allies have done a poor job at disrupting terrorist plots and plans.

However................those disruptions do not impact the public as deeply as a successful attack, and are quickly forgotten. Because of this, they also have far less impact on Congress and the amount of money allocated for counterterrorism programs. Therefore, in spite of the many failed plots, the lull is beginning to set in and, as the memories of 9/11 fade, budgets will wane even if the threat does not.

Some of the cuts that might otherwise affect security and counterterrorism programs will be mitigated by other factors. For example, because of public opinion regarding the hot-button issues of illegal immigration and border security, increased funding to border security initiatives will help the overall nondefense Homeland Security budget reflect an increase in fiscal year 2008 as compared with 2007, in spite of cuts to other programs such as the State Homeland Security Grant Program.

The trail of disrupted plots has been steady in the wake of 9/11, and it speaks to the ongoing jihadist desire to strike at the United States. Though not all of the disrupted plots made public by the U.S. government necessarily should be viewed as ominous -- the Miami Seven case is one example -- there is a clear record of plans to strike on U.S. soil since 9/11. Ironically, the government's success in preventing a follow-on attack is helping the lull to set in, despite the many failed plots.

Eventually, the next attack will occur. The government quite simply cannot protect every potential target, no matter how much money is applied to the problem. It can, however, reduce the threat by taking a long-term view and focusing on developing successful programs, rather than basing decisions on the ebb and flow of public perception and popular opinion."

THEY REALLY ARE THE GOOD GUYS

From Opinion Journal's Best of the Web:

"Earlier this week came the unpleasant news that Tony Snow, the White House press secretary, has had a recurrence of cancer. Snow was treated for colon cancer two years ago, and the disease has now spread to his liver.

Over at the Angry Left site Daily Kos, a poster named WinSmith spends some 1,300 words explaining that he's really quite indifferent to Snow's condition:

Are we better than they are? Of course we are. Theirs' [sic] is a movement so morally bankrupt that they'll send more American troops to die in a civil war because they can't even admit to themselves they made a mistake.

On that most profound issue, life and death itself, they don't care. If you think we can somehow convince them that we're not who their propaganda empire tells them we are, you're wrong.

So again, let me be crystal clear about this. I am not happy Tony Snow has cancer. I'm just not praying for him.

He's not in my "thoughts." I have no empathy for him. He has been an accomplice and an apologist for a failed political movement that has unleashed tremendous pain and upheaval on this planet.

I will save my emotions for those who deserve it.

You can see why they're better, can't you? And just imagine how long the post would be if WinSmith gave a darn!"

The lovable left. They care so much.

Speaking of good guys. How 'bout them Clintons? They're always willing to give a hand out to those in need. Also from OJ's Best of the Web:

Great Moments in Political Honesty
From the Web site of KCCI-TV in Des Moines, Iowa:

Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack gave Sen. Hillary Clinton his endorsement for her presidential campaign.

The Clinton campaign has promised Vilsack to help pay off a $400,000 campaign debt he built up during his run for the White House. . . .

The campaign said there is no connection between Vilsack's endorsement and their commitment to help pay off his campaign debt.

"We're sure Mrs. Clinton would have been happy to pay off Vilsack's debts even if he'd endorsed Barack Obama."

I'm equally sure. (Bold emphasis mine -HH.)

Fred Singer on ‘The Great Global Warming Swindle’

Fred Singer is a climate scientist. More specifically, Mr. Singer is an an atmospheric physicist. "He is a professor emeritus of environmental sciences at the University of Virginia, adjunct scholar at the National Center for Policy Analysis, and former director of the U.S. Weather Satellite Service. He is also a research fellow at the Independent Institute." And it is for the Independent Institute that he writes a column about the UK documentary, ‘The Great Global Warming Swindle’ that I recommended in a previous post.

His commentary on global warming and on the hour long UK documentary can be read at the Independent Institute website.

THE SIGNS OF A GOOD LIBERAL

How to tell if you are a good liberal:

You have to be against capital punishment, but support abortion on demand.

At the Root of "Ugly Americanism"

"John McCain recently told a British newspaper he'd make it a "top priority" as president to change the image of the "ugly American" and rebuild the nation's international popularity. He proposed to win worldwide admiration by closing Guantanamo, moving terrorist detainees from Cuba to Kansas and showing more leadership on global warming.

But even with miraculously enhanced affection for the U.S.A., how would we benefit? Would other nations sell us even more stuff, and send us even more immigrants and foreign students?

In fact, anti-Americanism isn't a new phenomenon, and the very phrase "ugly American" goes back to a bestselling novel of 1958! The world inevitably envies American power and prosperity, and our suffering on September 11th created only a temporary interruption in this resentment. As long as we're determined to defend our own interests and ideals--and refuse to revel in victimhood--we'll always draw hostility from less fortunate nations, no matter who's elected president."

—Michael Medved
Townhall.com

Saudis tied to domineering Wahabi presence in Bosnia

ABU DHABI — Saudis are helping to finance a Muslim presence in Bosnia with mulitple links to Al Qaida ideology, a journalist told a seminar here.

Speaking at a seminar organized by the Rand Corp., he said Saudi Arabia has helped form a Wahabi-style Islamic community in Bosnia. The Saudi effort has combined massive funding with the infiltration of thousands of operatives, most of whom have married Bosnian women.

Iran ordered abductions to avenge defections

"LONDON — Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps launched a campaign against the U.S.-led coalition in response to the defection and detention of senior regime officials, according to a newspaper report.

Iranian sources said the IRGC abducted British sailors in Shatt Al Arab on March 23 to retaliate for the defection of senior Iranian officials and officers. They said IRGC has blamed Britain and the United States for the defections of senior members of the Quds Brigade."

Web censorship spreading globally

"Internet censorship is spreading rapidly, being practised by about two dozen countries and applied to a far wider range of online information and applications, according to research by a transatlantic group of academics.

The warning comes a week after a Turkish court ordered the blocking of YouTube to silence offensive comments about Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, marking the most visible attack yet on a website that has been widely adopted around the world."

Navy: nothing to substantiate Iran market rumor
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy on Tuesday said it had no information to substantiate a market rumor that Iran had fired at a U.S. naval vessel in the Gulf.

Blair warns Iran of "different phase"
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned Iran on Tuesday of a "different phase" if it does not free 15 British military personnel captured in the Gulf four days ago.

Iran says British sailors seized 0.5 km inside Iran
TEHRAN (Reuters) - The 15 British sailors and marines seized by Iran last week were 0.5 km inside Iranian waters at the time, Iran's embassy in London said in a statement on Wednesday, the official IRNA news agency reported.

UK says data shows sailors were in Iraqi waters
LONDON (Reuters) - Global positioning data shows that 15 British sailors and marines were well inside Iraqi waters when they were captured by Iran last week, Britain's Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday.

Britain turns up heat on Iran, jitters hit market
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain turned up the heat on Iran on Wednesday, releasing evidence it said showed 15 military personnel captured last week were operating in Iraqi waters and freezing bilateral contacts until the crisis

White House: No escalation of tensions with Iran

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Wednesday that the United States has not sought to escalate tensions with Iran, though it supports Britain as it seeks the release of 15 British sailors and Marines captured last week.

Britain freezing talks with Iran: Female sailor may be released

LONDON — Britain said it was freezing talks on all other issues with Iran until it freed 15 Royal Navy crew members seized last week, and the British military released what it said was proof its boats were within Iraqi territorial waters when they were seized. -- Houston Chronicle.

America's Left and it's love affair with Socialism

Bawbwa Walters, describing Hugo Chavez, after her interview with said communist socialist:
"... but, you know, when you meet him, when you see him in the navy blue suit and not the red shirt that he's in, um, he's passionate about his dislike for George Bush. He does like this country and he's passionate about his feelings about America. And he feels that with a new President, that we can be friends. He cares very much about poverty. He's a socialist. What he's trying to do for all of Latin America, you know, they've been trying to do it for years, is to eliminate poverty. But this is not the crazy man that we have heard."

FILE UNDER: DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO

“Remember the Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Gore global-warming pitch at the Academy Awards? Before they spoke, the screen at the back of the stage flashed not-so-subliminal messages about how to save the planet. My personal favorite was ‘Ride mass transit.’ This to a conclave of Hollywood plutocrats who have not seen the inside of a subway since the moon landing and for whom mass transit means a stretch limo seating no fewer than 10.” —Charles Krauthammer

2nd: And for a damn good reason

“[The Founders] made the Second Amendment second only to the First, which protects the freedoms of speech, press, assembly and worship. They did that because individual dignity and self-respect, which are essential to self-government, are related to a readiness for self-defense—the public’s involvement in public safety.” —George Will

“[A]side from Osama bin Laden and his crew of merciless killers, the people most dedicated to seeing the United States defeated in a battle for the future of the world are the liberal Democrats now feebly trying to run the Congress. You really have to hate America and its people to lust after the defeat of your own country.” —Michael Reagan

“When Democrats are criticized, they counter-attack. When Republicans are criticized, they apparently believe in ‘the soft answer which turneth away wrath.’ In politics, however, a soft answer is like blood in the water that provokes piranhas to more vicious attacks.”
—Thomas Sowell

“[P]eacefully and without much notice, Islamists are trying to use our laws of tolerance against us to carve out exceptions for themselves. The radical Islamist faction that has infiltrated and intimidated Europe has found a home in our polite denial. ”
—Kathleen Parker

“The Muslims bring fervor and conviction to the struggle; we don’t. The Muslims are self-assured in the rightness of their cause; we answer with self-denigration and self-debasement. Muslims prize loyalty and discipline; we prize politically correct multiculturalism.”
—Suzanne Fields

“The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are.” —C.S. Lewis

“All people are born alike—except Republicans and Democrats.” —Groucho Marx

Russia Eyes Stronger Partnership With China

"Russia has renewed its pledge to build its strategic partnership with China, in a thinly veiled attempt to oppose what Moscow views as American unilateralism."

Sunni militants take aim at 'soft' Lebanon

The Washington Times

"BEIRUT -- Sunni militants are moving into Lebanon from Iraq because they regard it as a soft target for terrorist attacks, a British government minister has warned.

Several cells, each with up to 12 members, are said to be operating out of the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon.

Kim Howells, senior foreign ministry official, spoke out about the danger posed by the emergence of new Sunni jihadists in Palestinian camps after a briefing by the commander of the 12,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force.

'Some very dangerous people have arrived here from Iraq and other countries who are seasoned jihadists and who sense that they might get an easier ride here -- and there might be softer targets for them in Lebanon,' Mr. Howells said.

Security has been stepped up outside the country's 12 Palestinian refugee camps, which are home to about 400,000 refugees -- mostly Sunnis."

Guilty plea from detainee Hicks

BBC NEWS

"Australian detainee David Hicks has pleaded guilty at a military court at Guantanamo Bay to a charge of providing material support for terrorism.

The 31-year-old Muslim convert was accused of attending al-Qaeda training camps and fighting with the Taleban.

The plea means that Hicks, who has been at the camp for five years, is likely to return home to serve his sentence.

Hicks is the first detainee at the detention camp to face terror charges under new US rules.

He was charged under the new Military Commissions Act, which human rights groups condemn."

Judge pulls gun in Florida court

"JACKSONVILLE, Fla., (UPI) -- A Jacksonville, Fla., judge drew his handgun when an accused child molester was attacked by an alleged victim's father in court."

Texas signs new self-defense by gun law

"DALLAS (Reuters) - Criminals in Texas beware: if you threaten someone in their car or office, the citizens of this state where guns are ubiquitous have the right to shoot you dead.

Governor Rick Perry's office said on Tuesday that he had signed a new law that expands Texans' existing right to use deadly force to defend themselves 'without retreat' in their homes, cars and workplaces.

'The right to defend oneself from an imminent act of harm should not only be clearly defined in Texas law, but is intuitive to human nature,' Perry said on his Web site."

Senator Clinton's Lawyers Seek to Halt Fraud Suit

"Attorneys for Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) are trying to keep her out of a lawsuit that may ultimately force her to testify under oath about an alleged violation of campaign finance laws."

“If you establish that the Earth is warming, it doesn’t necessarily follow that we have a moral duty to reduce emissions. What should follow is an informed debate about the costs and benefits of various policies to address that warming—reducing emissions is just one possible answer. Another debate should focus on those policies’ economic costs. Al Gore doesn’t want to have those debates, because the majority of evidence suggests that emissions reduction will be very costly and will have little effect... Meanwhile, 2 billion people around the world go without electricity. About 3 million die each year because of fumes given off by primitive stoves. The U.S. economy sneezes when gasoline hits $3 a gallon. If we have a moral duty, it’s to keep energy affordable here and to expand access to it overseas. That’s the real moral truth, however inconvenient for Al Gore.”

— Iain Murray

“Wisconsin’s governor wants to outlaw reality. And by golly, if reality doesn’t cooperate, he’s going to fine the oil companies! Maybe imprison some oil executives! That’s how determined Governor Jim Doyle is about this. Along with all the other new taxes he’s rooting for, Governor Doyle wants a fat new tax on oil companies. Well, that’s not original. But he not only wants that new tax, he wants to ban oil companies from ‘passing on’ the tax to consumers. Huh?... Prices don’t just show up on the ticker tape. Nor do companies determine prices unilaterally. Prices are determined by supply and demand, with costs of production as only one major factor... Firms do have to cover the cost of doing business, and in this sense costs are invariably ‘passed on’ to customers. The alternative is operating as a charity. Or, I guess, begging the government for a subsidy to cover taxes the business is not allowed to regard as a cost. Even though they are a cost. This reality stuff is hard.”

—Paul Jacob

“[I]t doesn’t require expropriation or confiscation of private property or business to impose socialism on a people. What does it mean whether you hold the deed or the title to your business or property if the government holds the power of life and death over that business or property? Such machinery already exists. The government can find some charge to bring against any concern it chooses to prosecute. Every businessman has his own tale of harassment. Somewhere a perversion has taken place. Our natural, inalienable rights are now considered to be a dispensation of government, and freedom has never been so fragile, so close to slipping from our grasp as it is at this moment.”

—Ronald Reagan

Judge: Rumsfeld Can't Be Tried on Torture Charges

"Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld cannot be tried on allegations of torture in overseas military prisons, a federal judge said Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan threw out a lawsuit brought on behalf of ....."

Harris Poll: 50% of Adults Won't Vote for Hillary

"Exactly half of voting-age Americans in a recent Harris Interactive poll indicate they would not vote for Hillary Clinton if she became the Democratic nominee for president in 2008.

The poll, which surveyed 2,223 potential voters, was released Tuesday. It revealed ......"

FBI's Mueller: Don't Revise USA Patriot Act

"FBI Director Robert Mueller labored Tuesday to persuade skeptical senators that the FBI can properly use its terrorism-era authority to gather telephone, e-mail and financial records of Americans and foreigners while pursuing terrorists.

He appeared before the ....."

Zogby Poll: Iran Poses Greatest Danger

"A majority of Americans (59 percent) view Iran as a threat to the United States, and 41 percent believe it is the nation that poses the single greatest danger, a new UPI/Zogby Interactive poll shows.

Many of the Americans polled identify Iran as the greatest threat to the U.S. compared with North Korea (14 percent), Iraq (4 percent) and Afghanistan (4 percent).

With the Iraq war beginning its fifth year this month, nearly three in four (73 percent) believe that Iran is providing military assistance to Iraqi insurgents, and more than half (56 percent) believe Iran is directly involved in attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq." More.

U.N. Chief's Snub of Hamas No Surprise

"UNITED NATIONS -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's decision not to meet leaders of Hamas during his current three-day tour of the region comes as no surprise.

Several factors have come into play for Ban."

Tony Snow's Cancer Returns, Spreads to Liver

"Presidential spokesman Tony Snow's surgery to remove a small growth showed that his cancer has returned and spread to his liver, the White House said Tuesday.

Snow, 51, had his entire colon removed in 2005 and underwent six months of chemotherapy after ..."

Waxman's ‘1984' Law Would Impede Citizen Lobbying

"Opponents of a new executive branch lobbying reform bill working its way through the U.S. House of Representatives warn that it will impede an ordinary citizen's absolute right to communicate with government officials.

Conservatives groups have expressed outrage over the proposed law — one that targets not just lobbyists but organizations trying to effect public policy.

When Rep. Henry A. Waxman, chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House, introduced H.R. 984, the Executive Branch Reform Act, last month, he promised it represented 'good government' reform.

Critics, however, think ...."

Gonzales Aide to Invoke Fifth Amendment

"WASHINGTON -- Monica Goodling, a Justice Department official involved in the firings of federal prosecutors, will refuse to answer questions at upcoming Senate hearings, citing Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination, her lawyer said Monday.

'The potential for legal jeopardy for Ms. Goodling from even her most truthful and accurate testimony under these circumstances is very real,' said the lawyer, John Dowd."

Little Sweaty Fist

Why is Putin now getting tough on Iran?
OpinionJournal

BY BRET STEPHENS

'This is very easy to understand,' said Russian President Vladimir Putin last year, explaining his idea of an energy policy. 'Just think back to childhood when you go into the street with a sweet in your hand and another kid says, Give it to me. And you clutch your little sweaty fist tight around it and say, What do I get then?'

So why, when it comes to the Iranian nuclear file, has Mr. Putin finally opened his little sweaty fist, signing on--with no apparent compensations--to additional U.N. sanctions on the Islamic Republic while calling a halt to Russia's construction of the nuclear reactor at Bushehr?

That's the $64,000 question to which nobody seems to have anything better than a partial answer. Nearly from day one of his presidency, Mr. Putin has ........"

Closing Guantanamo would hurt the war effort, and wouldn't appease the critics anyway.

BY DAVID B. RIVKIN JR. AND LEE A. CASEY
OpinionJournal

Winning a war is a difficult business under the best of circumstances. In democratic polities, the prospects for victory dim whenever there is strong domestic opposition, as there is today with respect to the handling of both Iraq and the broader war on terror. But far from merely challenging a particular military strategy or a discrete set of combat-related decisions, many critics deny that the United States is fighting a war at all. Terrorism, they say, is a manageable problem that modern American society must learn to accept as the price of its pluralistic institutions and role as a global super-power.

Nothing illustrates this better than.........."

Hatred, Born of Kindness

By Michael Medved

"Khalid Shaikh Mohammed shocked Americans with his boastful confession of planning some 31 terrorist assaults. The most alarming revelation, however involved the college education the terrorist mass murderer received in the United States, subsidized by the generosity of Christian donors and North Carolina taxpayers.

Born in oil-rich Kuwait to a family of Pakistani ancestry, Mohammed enrolled at Chowan College, a rural Baptist institution, before transferring to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University where he graduated in mechanical engineering. In other words, he came to hate our nation not because we harmed him, but because we helped him; not because he knew nothing of the nation's character, but because he benefited from its open-hearted hospitality.

Those who suggest we can appease Islamists by showing them more friendliness ought to consider Mohammed's sobering example, and remember that terrorist leaders almost always represent arrogant elites rather than the truly downtrodden."

COMPASSION

“Compassion in social policy almost always produces unfair results. Compassion for murderers allows them to keep their lives after taking the life of another. Compassion for minorities leads to affirmative action, which means that individuals who are not members of a designated minority will be treated unfairly. Compassion for immigrant children led to bilingual education, which subsequently prevented most of those children from advancing in American society. Compassion as the primary determinant of behavior is effective in personal life. In making public policy, it is a morally and socially destructive guideline. In fact, it is so bad that thinking people must conclude that its primary purpose is to enable policy makers who are guided by compassion to feel good about themselves.” —Dennis Prager

Read Dennis' column 'Compassion and the Decline of America' here.

'Indoctrinate U' Film Alleges Repressive Climate on Campuses

"Watch out, Michael Moore and Al Gore. A young filmmaker is preparing to release a full-length documentary that will 'tell the story of how, in the name of education, schools from coast to coast ruthlessly compel conformity of thought.'

'When we think of college, we think of intellectual freedom. We imagine four years of exploring ideas through vigorous debate and critical thinking,' filmmaker Evan Coyne Maloney told Cybercast News Service Friday regarding his upcoming movie, 'Indoctrinate U.'

'But the reality is very far from the ideal,' he said. 'What most of us don't know is that American college students surrender their rights to free thought and free speech the minute they set foot on campus.'

Maloney spent two and a half years investigating what he called 'jaw-dropping incidents of political persecution' directed at students and professors at more than 20 schools across the country, ranging from elite Ivy League campuses to the largest state universities and the smallest community colleges."

"Statesmen by dear Sir, may plan and speculate for Liberty, but it
is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles
upon which Freedom can securely stand....The only foundation
of a free Constitution, is pure Virtue, and if this cannot be
inspired into our People, in a great Measure, than they have it
now, They may change their Rulers, and the forms of Government,
but they will not obtain a lasting Liberty."

-- John Adams --

Tehran's Hostages

"Advocates of engagement with Tehran often claim that the Islamic Republic long ago shed its revolutionary pretensions in favor of becoming a 'status quo' power. They might want to share that soothing wisdom with the families of the 15 British sailors and marines kidnapped Friday in Iraqi territorial waters by the naval forces of the elite, and aptly named, Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

In an earlier day, what Iran has done would have been universally regarded as an act of war. It was a premeditated act, carried out only hours before ......."

Gore's Faith Is Bad Science

"Al Gore likes to present himself as a tribune of science, warning the world of imminent danger. But he is more like an Old Testament prophet, calling on us to bewail our wrongful conduct and to go and sin no more."

By Michael Barone

Moral Equivalence Revived

"Not so long ago, moral equivalence was the name of the favorite game in salons of the intellectual elites. They couldn't see the virtues of Western civilization. 'Western civ,' in fact, became a sneer. Ronald Reagan, who recognized an evil empire when he saw one, ended all that. He knew that men and women trapped behind the Iron Curtain wanted freedom just like us."

By Suzanne Fields

The Great Global Warming Swindle

There is a UK documentary, The Great Global Warming Swindle that I highly recommend. It is a bit long, lasting 1 hour and 13 minutes.

But I encourage you to view it. - HH