Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Politics - Friends deserve respect
Not even basic common courtesy or respect.
Is it just me, or are politicians getting more childish by the minute?.
Here's a Canadian example...
Is it just me, or are politicians getting more childish by the minute?.
Here's a Canadian example...
At Canada's National Post, political behavior is discussed:
"There are certain basic courtesies that members of Parliament should extend to visiting world leaders: When the prime minister of one of Canada's closest allies addresses a joint sitting of the Houses of Parliament, it should be a no-brainer for Canadian MPs of all political stripes that attendance is in order."
"Yet when Mr. Howard spoke to Parliament -- the first time an Australian prime minister has done so since 1944 -- dozens of Opposition Liberal MPs did not trouble to show up. Even former prime minister Paul Martin, who used to pride himself on his diplomatic skills, gave the occasion a pass. The result was a disconcerting number of empty seats, leaving a distinct impression that Canada's Liberals were giving Mr. Howard the cold shoulder."
Law - Equal Time
Sounds like important stuff.
Read the article and decide for yourself...
Read the article and decide for yourself...
James J. Kilpatrick covers a court case:
"Put these hypotheticals all together, and you have American Civil Liberties Union v. Philip Bredesen, Governor . The case is now pending in the U.S. Supreme Court on a petition for appeal from the 6th Circuit. The high court probably will take the case for argument next year. Some important issues of free speech, states' rights and equal rights are at stake, and federal courts are sharply divided on the answers."
Law - Criminal Charges Levied Against Big Tort Law Firm
This will be interesting, to say the least...
In the New York Sun, Josh Gerstein reports:
"LOS ANGELES - The future of one of the country's leading class-action law firms, Milberg Weiss, is in grave doubt after a federal grand jury returned a criminal indictment yesterday accusing the firm of engaging in a secret, 25-year-long conspiracy to kick back attorneys fees to investors who served as named plaintiffs in more than 150 lawsuits brought against publicly-traded American companies."
"Two top Milberg Weiss Bershad & Schlman LLP partners, David Bershad and Steven Schulman, were charged personally with criminal racketeering conspiracy. In addition, prosecutors are demanding that the firm forfeit $216.1 million, the sum Milberg Weiss earned in cases allegedly tainted by illegal kickbacks."
"'This case is about protecting the integrity of the justice system in America,' the United States Attorney in Los Angeles, Debra Wong Yang, said at a press conference yesterday afternoon."
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Politics - Photo ID's
I just can't understand why this photo ID concept is such a problem. To me, it's a no brainer, for sure.
Let's do it!...
Let's do it!...
In the Wall Street Opinion Journal, John Fund discusses the need for Photo-ID's:
"The photo ID issue is being joined with the immigration debate because there is growing anecdotal evidence that voter registration by noncitizens is a problem. All that it takes to register is for someone to fill out a postcard, and I have interviewed people who were still allowed to register without checking the box that indicated they were a citizen. Several California counties report that an increasing number of registered voters called up for jury duty write back saying they are ineligible because they aren't citizens."
"The man who in 1994 assassinated Mexican presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio in Tijuana had registered to vote at least twice in the U.S. although he was not a citizen. An investigation by the Immigration and Naturalization Service into alleged fraud in a 1996 Orange County, Calif., congressional race revealed that '4,023 illegal voters possibly cast ballots in the disputed election between Republican Robert Dornan and Democrat Loretta Sanchez.'"
Commentary - Europe's Two Culture Wars
What's going on in Europe?...
This commentary, by George Weigel is long and well thought out. It includes many thought provoking ideas. Here are just a few of them:
"Earlier this year, five days short of the second anniversary of the Madrid bombings, the Zapatero government, which had already legalized marriage between and adoption by same-sex partners and sought to restrict religious education in Spanish schools, announced that the words “father” and “mother” would no longer appear on Spanish birth certificates."
"Last October, for example, the official custodians of Dutch orthographic probity decreed that, beginning in August 2006, “Christ” will henceforth be written with a lower-case “c,” while “Jews” (Joden) will be spelled with a capital “J” when denominating nationality and a lower-case “j” when indicating members of a religion."
"At the transnational level, pressure from the EU recently brought down the governing coalition in one of the EU’s new members, Slovakia. The issue was a concordat with the Vatican stipulating that Slovakia would respect the decision of doctors who, for reasons of moral conviction, chose not to perform abortions."
"At the beginning of the 21st century, the world is still chock-full of natural resources. Europe, however, is running out of the most crucial resource—people. The overall picture is sobering enough. Not a single EU member has a replacement-level fertility rate, i.e., the 2.1 children per woman needed to maintain a stable population."
"Over the next quarter-century, the number of workers in Europe will decline by 7 percent while the number of over-sixty-fives will increase by 50 percent, trends that will create intolerable fiscal difficulties for the welfare state across the continent."
"There are dozens of 'ungovernable' areas in France: Muslim-dominated suburbs, mainly, where the writ of French law does not run and into which the French police do not go."
"Sixty years after the end of World War II, the European instinct for appeasement is alive and well. French public swimming pools have been segregated by sex because of Muslim protests. 'Piglet' mugs have disappeared from certain British retailers after Muslim complaints that the A.A. Milne character was offensive to Islamic sensibilities. So have Burger King chocolate ice-cream swirls, which reminded some Muslims of Arabic script from the Qur’an. Bawer reports that the British Red Cross banished Christmas trees and nativity scenes from its charity stores for fear of offending Muslims. For similar reasons, the Dutch police in the wake of the van Gogh murder destroyed a piece of Amsterdam street art that proclaimed 'Thou shalt not kill'; schoolchildren were forbidden to display Dutch flags on their backpacks because immigrants might think them 'provocative.'"
"Pera is also blunt about Europe’s unwillingness to defend itself against radical Islam. Do Europeans understand, he asks, that their very existence is at stake, their civilization has been targeted, their culture is under attack? Do they understand that what they are being called on to defend is their own identity? Through culture, education, diplomatic negotiations, political relations, economic exchange, dialogue, preaching, but also, if necessary, through force?"
"Some would argue that it is already too late, that the demographic tipping point has been reached and that, as Mark Steyn puts it, with 'the successor population [i.e., Islam] already in place, . . . the only question is how bloody the transfer of real estate will be.'"
Monday, May 29, 2006
Politicians - Enron and the President
I saw this recently and copied it.
Unfortunately, I lost the link...
Unfortunately, I lost the link...
"Just a little walk down the Enron memory lane:
How Enron 'Worked' The President.
Here are some interesting bits of information that you don't hear much about.
A...Enron's chairman did meet with the president and the vice president in the Oval Office.
B...Enron gave $420,000 to the president's party over three years.
C...It donated $100,000 to the president's inauguration festivities.
D...The Enron chairman stayed at the White House 11 times.
E...The corporation had access to the administration at its highest level and even enlisted the Commerce and State Departments to grease deals for it.
F...The taxpayer-supported Export-Import Bank subsidized Enron for more than $600 million in just one transaction. Scandalous!!
G...BUT...the President under whom all this happened WASN'T George W. Bush.
SURPRISE! It was Bill Clinton!!"
Equal Opportunity - Apparently not for dissent
The equal opportunity issue is still around.
This column goes a long way toward explaining why...
This column goes a long way toward explaining why...
In the Wall Street Opinion Journal, Roger Clegg describes his recent experience:
"Last month, I received an invitation to testify before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission about affirmative action and diversity in U.S. companies. The testimony was scheduled for today, and I was asked to share my written statement to the commission beforehand, last Thursday, which I did. Late Friday afternoon I received a phone call from the commission, telling me that because of what I had to say, my invitation had been withdrawn by its chairman, Cari M. Dominguez."
"I urged the commission to reconsider this decision because it would put the commission in general and the chairman in particular in a bad light. Yesterday I was notified that the entire meeting--not just my panel, but two others--has been 'indefinitely postponed.'"
Down for the count?
If so, who will be the first media outlet to report this?...
Harold C. Hutchison summarizes:
"These three mistakes resulted in the defeat of al Qaeda in Iraq, a defeat has left that group largely discredited. Osama bin Laden is now reduced to making audio tapes with grand pronouncements which have little or no likelihood of ever becoming reality, since al Qaeda has no safe havens where they can train new recruits, nor countries willing to support them. In less than five years, al Qaeda has gone from being feared by the world, to little more than a sideshow in the long war that the United States is now fighting."
Fraud seems to be everywhere
Wanna buy a Medal of Honor (or two)?...
From an Associated Press story by Bill Poovey published at TwinCities.com:
"Cottone said he recovered two fake Medals of Honor at a New Jersey gun show. Both were made by HLI Lordship Industries Inc., a former government contractor for the Medal of Honor."
"The company, based in Hauppauge, N.Y., was fined $80,000 in 1996 and placed on probation after admitting 300 fakes were sold in the early 1990s for $75 each."
30,000 buckets?
Are government officials are the same everywhere?...
At Scotsman.com, I found this news "Prosecutor admits theft of 30,000 buckets":
"Kurmanbibi Atadzhanova was accused of taking bribes and stealing state property including 25 cars, 36 villas, 2,000 cattle and 30,000 buckets."
"'Great Leader, I admit everything, but I beg you to forgive me, don't jail me,' she said in a sobbing confession on television. 'I have three daughters.'"
Respectable?
I guess it depends on what the meaning of "respectable" is...
Alex Ginsberg, writing in the New York Post Online Edition:
"'I run a respectable business,' Rosemberg said."
Roswell alien autopsy? Not!
Believed that alien autopsy documentary, did you?...
Marc Horne in the U.K. Sunday Times, reports:
"John Humphreys, a sculptor and consultant on Alien Autopsy who has also worked on special effects for Doctor Who, said it was he who made the models for the alien dissected in the original fake footage."
Midnight in the garden of Moe and Curley
I know who Larry Fine and Vernon Dent are.
Do you?...
Do you?...
Writing in the Canada Free Press, John Burtis clearly doesn't think much of the Scooter Libby investigation. He mocks:
"It is rumored that Mr. Fitzgerald’s next subpoena in this weighty matter of state is going out to one Mr. Larry Fine, for a number of suspicious notes written to a Mr. Vernon Dent."
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Data Mining - Hot Topic
And here we go again...
The Wall Street Opinion Journal discusses the latest datamining issue:
"The Bush Administration's Big Brother operation is at it again--or so media reports and Democrats this week would have us believe. We suspect, however, that this political tempest will founder on the good sense of the American people much like the earlier one did."
Data Mining - Judith Miller interviewed
Shoulda, coulda, woulda.
Think you're in good hands?
This interview should give you a thought or two...
Think you're in good hands?
This interview should give you a thought or two...
At NavySEALs.com/MediaChannel.org, William Scott Malone and Rory O’Connor interviewed Judith Miller:
"'But I did manage to have a conversation with a source that weekend. The person told me that there was some concern about an intercept that had been picked up. The incident that had gotten everyone’s attention was a conversation between two members of Al Qaeda. And they had been talking to one another, supposedly expressing disappointment that the United States had not chosen to retaliate more seriously against what had happened to the Cole. And one Al Qaeda operative was overheard saying to the other, ‘Don’t worry; we’re planning something so big now that the US will have to respond.’"
“And I was obviously floored by that information. I thought it was a very good story: (1) the source was impeccable; (2) the information was specific, tying Al Qaeda operatives to, at least, knowledge of the attack of the Cole; and (3) they were warning that something big was coming, to which the United States would have to respond. This struck me as a major Page One-potential story."
Data Mining - You have to be able to see the dots
Mark Steyn usually gets it right...
In the Chicago Sun-Times, Mark Steyn discusses datamining:
"How do you connect the dots? To take one example of what we're up against, two days before 9/11, a very brave man, the anti-Taliban resistance leader Ahmed Shah Massoud, was assassinated in Afghanistan by killers posing as journalists. His murderers were Algerians traveling on Belgian passports who'd arrived in that part of the world on visas issued by the Pakistani High Commission in the United Kingdom. That's three more countries than many Americans have visited. The jihadists are not 'primitives'. They're part of a sophisticated network: They travel the world, see interesting places, meet interesting people -- and kill them. They're as globalized as McDonald's -- but, on the whole, they fill in less paperwork. They're very good at compartmentalizing operations: They don't leave footprints, just a toeprint in Country A in Time Zone B and another toe in Country E in Time Zone K. You have to sift through millions of dots to discern two that might be worth connecting."
Data Mining - Senator Leahy Aided NSA Phone Taps
Isn't the Internet just great for researching info?
Now, if only the media would use it...
Now, if only the media would use it...
According to NewsMax.com:
"In 1994 Sen. Pat 'Leaky' Leahy co-wrote a law that forced telecommunications carriers to build convenient wiretap features into their networks enabling the kind of telephone records collection now at the heart of the controversy over the National Security Agency's terrorist surveillance operation."
"In recent days Leahy has called the NSA's actions troubling and potentially illegal - saying they show that the Bush administration is treating Americans like terrorists.""
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Media - Brer Fox vs. Brer Rabbit?
"Offensensibility"
In a way, I think this article says quite a bit about our current society and it's obsession with political correctness...
In a way, I think this article says quite a bit about our current society and it's obsession with political correctness...
In the Carolina Journal, in an article titled "Tony Snow and the Tar Baby of "Offensensibility", Jon Sanders warns us:
"Beware the combination of cultural illiteracy with hair-trigger racial hypersensitivity"
Media - Undermining our security
No one wants to be restricted; however, some things MUST be...
In an LA Times column, Rep. Pete Hoekstra writes:
"But every time classified national security information is leaked, our ability to gather information on those who would do us harm is eroded."
"We suffered a setback Thursday when USA Today ran a front-page story alleging that the National Security Agency was collecting domestic phone records. This article hurt our efforts to protect Americans by giving the enemy valuable insights into the Terrorist Surveillance Program, which has been focused like a laser beam on Al Qaeda and its known associates."
Media - About our military
The American military reports on the British military complimenting the American military...
Our U.S. Defense Department reports:
"Two impressions Fry said strike him most overwhelmingly are the U.S. force's commitment and the 'clarity of vision' that's communicated from the top through the ranks. 'You should be extremely proud of the way in which your nation is represented in Iraq at the present time,' he told reporters."
"He praised the 'absolutely shining sense of purpose and commitment,' he's observed among the U.S. troops. 'They know precisely why they're here, and they're doing their job with the utmost determination,' he said."
Media - Another view
I'm just posting this to provide some balance...
DefenseLINK News provides news, too. Here, they report:
"NCOs Note Differences Between What They See and What They Hear"
"Some 4th Infantry Division noncommissioned officers were discussing the flood of e-mails they receive from family members and friends about the constant danger they are facing in Iraq. Though they asked not to be identified by name for this article, the NCOs said they believe the news media highlight explosions and murders over any sign of progress in Iraq."
Media - How The Times Destroyed An Innocent Man
This looks like it's going to get interesting; in court!...
At Accuracy In Media, Cliff Kincaid discusses that anthrax case that most of us have forgotten:
"As we noted in a 2002 column, 'New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof is one of those behind the FBI's campaign against Dr. Steven Hatfill in the anthrax case. Without contacting Hatfill or his representatives, Kristof wrote five columns and thousands of words urging more FBI scrutiny of the scientist. He portrayed Hatfill as a despicable character with an unsavory past. But Hatfill's attorney has been unable to get his side of the story in the paper. The Times now says it will run a Hatfill column on the matter, but only if it does not criticize Kristof by name. How's that for fairness?'"
Media - "shaped news"
I'm not sure about all of Dreyfuss's opinions; but, I do agree with this one...
Richard Dreyfuss talks to Astrid Zweynert from Reuters:
"'We don't build into our system of thoughts the need to explain, the media doesn't build that into its transmission of knowledge and information.'"
"That creates what Dreyfuss calls 'shaped news' -- a version of events according to how the mainstream media want audiences to see what happened, and a violation of journalism's core value of objectivity."
Friday, May 26, 2006
In Our Schools - Teaching Johnny About Islam
On this issue, I've sped right past "confused" to "disbelief"...
Investors Business Daily reports:
In a recent federal decision that got surprisingly little press, even from conservative talk radio, California's 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled it's OK to put public-school kids through Muslim role-playing exercises, including:
"Reciting aloud Muslim prayers that begin with 'In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful . . . .'"
"Memorizing the Muslim profession of faith: 'Allah is the only true God and Muhammad is his messenger.'"
"Chanting 'Praise be to Allah' in response to teacher prompts."
"Professing as "true" the Muslim belief that "The Holy Quran is God's word."
In Our Schools - A nickel is what it is
There seems to be no end to this kind of stuff.
If school administrators don't like what is printed on our money, perhaps they shouldn't get so much of it.
I hope this article is still available...
If school administrators don't like what is printed on our money, perhaps they shouldn't get so much of it.
I hope this article is still available...
The Dallas Morning News reports:
"The cover of the Keller ISD school's annual depicts the 2005 Liberty Nickel – complete with the face of Thomas Jefferson – but the words "In God We Trust" are missing."
Global Warming - Gore's Hot Air
This writer is certainly NOT going to be on Al Gore's Christmas card list...
In the New York Post Online, Kyle Smith writes about "Gore's Hot Air":
"Avoiding the usual vein-popping diatribes, he comes across as learned, calm and folksy. But much of what Gore says in this slide show he gives to people whose minds are not yet fully formed (undergraduates, actors) is absurd, and his assertions often contradict each other."
Global Warming - "Fire & Ice"
"Fire" is clearly the flavor of today.
But, really, which is it?...
But, really, which is it?...
At BusinessAndMedia.org, they say:
"Journalists have warned of climate change for 100 years, but can’t decide weather we face an ice age or warming"
Global Warming - Lots of stuff
If you want a plethora of info on Global Warming, try this website.
All currently published data, methods, and trends, seem to be worthy of dispute.
My summary conclusion is to enjoy your day, and not to worry...
All currently published data, methods, and trends, seem to be worthy of dispute.
My summary conclusion is to enjoy your day, and not to worry...
JunkScience.com prides themselves on debunking bad science. On the subject of global warming, here's their opening in it's entirety:
"Given the number of JunkScience.com readers expressing some confusion over the "greenhouse effect," carbon dioxide, global warming and climate change, we thought it might be a good idea to pull together a page of questions-and-answers, complete with a few nice little graphics explaining the facts."
"We thought that since there is long-standing, intense public interest in these topics and that vast sums of public and private monies are being thrown at the much-dreaded "problem" of "global warming," there should be a wealth of quality explanations and graphics to which we can point readers to alleviate their confusion."
"That was about the time that our quick project and quiet weekend went awry very quickly."
"Who would have thought so many "issue" sites, environment sites and, yes, government sites, could be hosting so much utter garbage on a topic subject to such intense scrutiny? Who could have imagined having to spend several hours wading through searches to find a few simple graphics correctly expressing the greenhouse effect? Who knew that so many blowhards are out there pontificating from complete ignorance?"
"Some of the bad descriptions appear to be poor efforts at simplifying the material to suit grade school course work and the like, but that does not make them any more acceptable. Obviously a slight rethink of this project was necessary. We will now try to deliver an extremely simplified version of how this greenhouse thing actually works and some indication of what might be expected from what is known about the Earth and what has been measured, rather than simply guessed about."
Global Warming - Voices of Reason
Apparently, there ARE other opinions, and they're being heard...
Kenneth Green writes about it at the National Review:
"Recently, however, there are signs that the lethal coalition may be in trouble. In a trend that should be worrisome to those who believe the value of science lies in its authority, alarmist climate scientists are increasingly the object of derision by people with enough power to reach even the general public. Michael Crichton’s State of Fear, for example, has educated millions of readers about climate science. Parody sites such as The Onion and ecoenquirer.com are heaping scorn on scientists who are increasingly sounding like angry authoritarian oracles."
"Some establishment scientists seem to be getting the message that they may have overplayed their hands and become more parody than prophet. In just the last few weeks, two studies in major journals (Nature and Geophysical Research Letters) dump cold water on the high-end horror-story estimates coming out from modelers seeking ever higher-end scenarios to publicize."
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Katie Couric interviews Shell Oil president
Perhaps this works for Katie's loyal viewers, but it doesn't work for me...
NewsBusters critiques Katie Couric. "Interviewing Shell Oil President John Hofmeister, Katie's opening salvo was":
"'I am just wondering, you and many other oil companies are posting record high profits, of course. And while the average consumer is hurting. I am wondering, Mr. Hofmeister, would it help the long term reputation and value of your company and shareholders if you could feel the pain that consumers were feeling and decrease the wholesale value of gasoline? Is that something you would ever consider?'?:
"In responding, Hofmeister made the obvious point that had somehow escaped Katie: 'Lowering the wholesale price would really put a run on our gas and we would run out. The market sets the prices. We follow the markets.'"
Oil & Gas - and Ethanol
One thing for sure: There's money to be made...
In Business Week, Alex Halperin tells us all about ethanol:
"With high gas prices making alternative fuels increasingly attractive, no alternative fuel has received as much attention as ethanol. Some hail the fuel, which can be derived from plants including corn, wheat, barley and sugarcane, as a savior of American energy policy, while others see it as a fad popularized by its heavily subsidized corporate backers."
"The reality is complex. Though still a tiny industry compared to gas, ethanol could become a more prominent part of the U.S. and world fuel supply in coming years."
"Still, as ethanol's public profile rises, there's plenty of misinformation swirling around and a host of questions. What exactly is ethanol? How is it made and used? And is it really a viable alternative to gas? Here's what you need to know now."
Reminder - Appreciate free speech
I have to wonder if CNN and FoxNews are blocked.
Or just one of them [smile] ...
Or just one of them [smile] ...
Meysam Salehian reports from Iran (at least for now):
"... by the end of the year some 50 to 70 jamming stations in Tehran and some other cities would prevent television sets in Iran to receive satellite-broadcast signals, primarily Persian language broadcasts. Under existing plans, the current 50 jamming stations would be increased to 300."
The space elevator - Uh! Oh!
Perhaps, "If it sounds too good to be true..."
We'll have to wait and see...
We'll have to wait and see...
At Nature.com, Jason Palmer reports:
"The space elevator: going down?"
"Study shows that proposed carbon nanotube cables won't hold up.'
"Is it possible to make a cable for a space elevator out of carbon nanotubes? Not anytime soon, if ever, says Nicola Pugno of the Polytechnic of Turin, Italy. Pugno's calculations show that inevitable defects in the nanotubes mean that such a cable simply wouldn't be strong enough."
Elevator 2010 Primer
Here's the website for space elevator information...
For everything you might want to know, click: Elevator 2010 Primer:
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
The Wisdom of Ronald Reagan
Sometimes, you don't have to say much to say a lot...
Every quote on this page is truly a "gem":
Iraq - Beer, bikinis, Baghdad?
And have you seen the buffett?...
I'm so glad that I can post links. This story by Iason Athanasiadis just seems to belong in the "impossible, but true" category:
"Hundreds of diplomats, military people and contractors crowd into the noisy, air-conditioned premises for dinner, while others take their food out into the garden."
"Outside, in the garden, the beat of heavy rock music rolls around the lawn, striking a discordant chord with the softly illuminated architecture of the palace reflected in the pool."
"Suited State Department diplomats sit at the tables dotting the lawn, eating out of plastic, one-use trays alongside groups of T-shirt-wearing contractors, their M-3 rifles propped up against the garden chairs."
Iraq - A heart-felt thank you
I'm sure our media gave this front page coverage.
I probably just missed it.
Anyway, in case you missed it also, here it is...
I probably just missed it.
Anyway, in case you missed it also, here it is...
In the Rocky Mountain News, David Montero reports that someone DOES appreciate what we're doing:
'COLORADO SPRINGS - An Iraqi mayor stood before troops lined up on the lawn at Fort Carson on Friday morning and said only two words in English."
"But those two words brought the crowd to its feet."
"'Thank you.'"
"It was a telling gesture from Tal Afar Mayor Najim Al Jibouri, who spoke for about 20 minutes in his native tongue praising the 3rd Armored Cavalry for saving his city from certain ruin."
"Semi-News"
Sadly, some of these "stories" mimic the reporting of our "real" media very well...
Probably, for his own sanity, John Semmens has fun with it. Here are some "semi-" headlines:
"Mexican Immigration Activists Denounce Bush Plan"
"U.N. Demands U.S Increase Foreign Aid"
"Group Demands Failing Students Be Allowed to Graduate"
Immigration - John O’Sullivan compares it to sausage
Here's quite a few points about the pending immigration legislation all in one article...
John O’Sullivan calls it a "Foul Law - A product worthy of the revolting way it was made":
“Laws are like sausages,” said Otto von Bismarck famously, “it’s better not to see them being made.” That’s probably true even for good laws and good sausages. But there are times when the law or the sausage seems to represent the dubious process of its manufacture all too faithfully. In a word: it smells. And the last week of law-making in the U.S. Senate, which is expected to produce “comprehensive immigration reform” by the end of today or tomorrow, has been especially odiferous."
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Immigration - John Kerry - So what's new?
John Kerry being himself.
Apparently, the Boston Herald thinks so, too...
Apparently, the Boston Herald thinks so, too...
The Boston Herald Editorial Staff reports:
"John Kerry on the fence"
Immigration - Senator Wayne Allard
Makes sense to me...
In the Rocky Mountain News, Senator Wayne Allard writes in an opinion column:
"While there is no easy answer to the problem of illegal immigration, one thing is for certain: the need to gain control of our borders. Securing the borders is the mandatory first step in comprehensive immigration reform. Without properly securing our borders, we remain vulnerable not only to illegal immigration, but also to others who wish harm to America, such as criminals, drug traffickers and terrorists."
Immigration - It's different in Mexico
Is the Mexican government hypocritical?
Oops, I forgot.
Am I allowed to use the "H" word these days...
Oops, I forgot.
Am I allowed to use the "H" word these days...
In the Associated Press via Yahoo!, Mark Stevenson makes comparisons:
"In the United States, only two posts — the presidency and vice presidency — are reserved for the native born."
"In Mexico, non-natives are banned from those and thousands of other jobs, even if they are legal, naturalized citizens."
"Foreign-born Mexicans can't hold seats in either house of the congress. They're also banned from state legislatures, the Supreme Court and all governorships. Many states ban foreign-born Mexicans from spots on town councils. And Mexico's Constitution reserves almost all federal posts, and any position in the military and merchant marine, for 'native-born Mexicans'."
"Recently the Mexican government has gone even further. Since at least 2003, it has encouraged cities to ban non-natives from such local jobs as firefighters, police and judges."
Immigration - Illegals granted Social Security
Yes, I can see both sides of this.
But don't we confiscate assets gained by illegal drug sales?
Would we not confiscate the assets of an illegal immigrant who profited from selling drugs?
What's the difference?...
Oops! I momentarily forgot. Politicians are involved...
But don't we confiscate assets gained by illegal drug sales?
Would we not confiscate the assets of an illegal immigrant who profited from selling drugs?
What's the difference?...
Oops! I momentarily forgot. Politicians are involved...
In the Washington Times, Charles Hurt discusses how illegals have been granted Social Security:
"The Senate voted yesterday to allow illegal aliens to collect Social Security benefits based on past illegal employment -- even if the job was obtained through forged or stolen documents."
"'There was a felony they were committing, and now they can't be prosecuted. That sounds like amnesty to me,' said Sen. John Ensign, the Nevada Republican who offered the amendment yesterday to strip out those provisions of the immigration reform bill. 'It just boggles the mind how people could be against this amendment.'"
"The Ensign amendment was defeated on a 50-49 vote."
Immigration - Some forward-looking truths
This columnist makes a good point...
In the Washington Post, Robert J. Samuelson looks to the future:
"President Bush's immigration speech mostly missed the true nature of the problem. We face two interconnected population issues. One is aging; the other is immigration. We aren't dealing sensibly with either, and as a result we face a future of unnecessarily heightened political and economic conflict. On the one side will be older baby boomers demanding all their federal retirement benefits. On the other will be an expanding population of younger and poorer Hispanics -- immigrants, their children and grandchildren -- increasingly resentful of their rising taxes that subsidize often-wealthier and unrelated baby boomers."
"Does this look like a harmonious future?"
Monday, May 22, 2006
Media - Trusting what you read?
And what about your local paper?...
At Editor and Publisher's website, Joe Strupp reports:
"A reporter for the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch was fired Friday for fabricating portions of a story about reaction to President Bush’s immigration speech earlier this month, as well as lifting part of a Washington Post story for the report."
Here's a speech you may actually like
I have mixed feelings about John McCain; but, President Bush should certainly consider hiring McCain's speechwriter.
And don't miss the point that most of the media failed to report on it...
And don't miss the point that most of the media failed to report on it...
Here is John McCain's commencement address at the New School in New York Friday, May 19, 2006:
Perpetuating dependency
This writer makes interesting points on several subjects...
At the Sierra Times, John Longenecker asks, "Would you trust someone who constantly told you that the sky was falling? How many times will you come when someone cries wolf?":
"Dependency policies are the 'S' word of modern times, in a time when the world continues to trade in humanity with little respect for the U.S. and how we have abolished trading in humanity. It proves that you cannot win on the world stage merely by setting the example: you have to actively resist. Democrats in America trade in human tragedy. For generations, hysteria had coerced and extorted from us all our goodness, our cooperation in pity, funding and social engineering –- all for nothing. No improvement for generations, only more generations of poor, destruction of families, discouragement of even forming intact families, and then when they have so little, even a confiscation now of private poverty."
Tax Cuts - Good or Bad?
I just love articles like this one...
In the Wall Street Opinion Journal, Lawrence J. McQuillan and Hovannes Abramyan report this:
"Voters will elect governors in 36 states this year. And as they decide who to send to the governor's mansion, they will also be shaping the economic future of their state. On taxes, the gubernatorial candidates fall into one of two camps. Either they believe that the best way to close a budget gap is to raise taxes. Or, like Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush have done from the Oval Office, they believe in raising revenue by growing the state's economy with tax cuts."
"Now new data is out and it shows that the states that embraced supply-side tax cuts are not only financially more sound and enjoy stronger economies, but they are draining residents away from the states that opted for high taxes. The Pacific Research Institute has crunched the tax numbers in all 50 states and published the "U.S. Economic Freedom Index" ranking all states according to how friendly or unfriendly their policies were toward free enterprise and consumer choice in 2004--the most recent year that comparative data is available for each state. It's clear that the economic policies of 2004 determined where each state fell in the rankings, and shaped 2005 economic performance."
Taxes - Do taxes matter?
Apparently they do.
From the governor's race in Massachusetts, comes this...
From the governor's race in Massachusetts, comes this...
Andrew Cline, writing for the American Spectator, mocks:
"In the past five years almost a quarter of a million people have fled Massachusetts for greener pastures. This week the candidates for governor offered their solutions for staunching the flow and, if possible, luring some ex-pats back. What does Democrat Chris Gabrieli propose? Why, invest $1 billion of taxpayer money in embryonic stem cell research, of course."
The Economy - An April Shower of Tax Revenue
Couldn't be an example of tax cuts working, could it?...
According to Business Week's Michael Englund:
"Soaring Treasury receipts signal a far smaller than expected U.S. budget deficit for fiscal year 2006"
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Islam - Jihad's Fellow-Travelers
This is a long well thought out article.
By the time you get to the quoted paragraph, your opinion may suffer from some enlightenment...
By the time you get to the quoted paragraph, your opinion may suffer from some enlightenment...
Serge Trifkovic writing at FrontPage magazine:
"Today their spiritual heirs in politics, the academy and the media establishment act as Islam’s apologists, character witnesses and fellow travelers. They explain away, with identical scholastic sophistry and moral depravity, the dark and violent implications of the source texts, the Koran and the Hadith, the deeply unnerving career of Muhammad, and 14 centuries of conquests, wars, slaughters, subjugation, decline without fall, spiritual and material misery, and murderous fanaticism."
Islam - Intimidating the world
Appeasement sounds very much like enabling to me...
Among other things, Clifford D. May says, "Radical Islamist bullies are intimidating world":
"Let's not delude ourselves about what is going on: In the Middle East, Europe, America and elsewhere, a campaign of violence and intimidation is being waged. We have not yet begun to fight back. Instead, we've dressed up our fears as sensitivity, attempted to appease those who threaten and kill, while allowing ourselves to be cowed into self-censorship. Surely, we know where this road leads."
Islam - "Islam Is As Islam Does"
Telling it like it is...
Somebody has to say it; and Barbara J. Stock does:
"Leftists don’t care what Germany does…sorry, what Iran does. They don’t seem to care that Islamics are slaughtering people all over the world. Leftists ignore that Islam proclaims that it will rule the world."
"Islam is killing people."
"Islam is killing non-Muslims and Muslims."
"Islam is killing old and young."
"Islam is killing Jews and Christians and Hindus."
"Islam is moving across the world like a dark, evil cloud."
"When will the free world realize that Islam is as Islam does?"
Islam - "A False Religion"
Before you lock in your opinion about Islam, you may want to read this...
Understanding this paragraph, in a column by Amil Imani may make everything clearer:
"The biggest scam in Islam, especially Shi'a Islam is perhaps the notion of "Taqqiyeh", an immoral tactic to lie for a good cause and later retract your words, (The belief that the end justifies the means). Islam is all about schemes, war and violence."
Islam - "What Islam Teaches about Christians" by Alamgir Hussain
This is long. but it may just say it all...
Alamgir Hussain tells us all about Islam:
"He now condemns the Christian to hell [Q 5:76], where, along with the polytheists, they will abide for ever [Q 98:5]. This time on, Muhammad’s hostility towards the Christians were to be continued well into his dead-bed which need special mention."
"The prophet was in severe pain and he was moaning aloud all night when Ayesha hoping to console the prophet told to Muhammad which he had used when others in pain, “O Prophet, if any of us had moaned like this, you would surely have reprimanded her”. ‘Yes,’ he replied, ‘but I burn with the fever-heat twice as strong’. Next morning the pain worsened and he almost became unconscious. Umm Salama, suggested giving him a concoction of Abyssinia recipe which she had learned while in exile there. Reviving from its effect, the Prophet became very suspicious of what he had been made to drink and forced all the women in the chamber to take the same medicine. In his presence, the medicine was poured in each woman’s mouth."
"This Abyssinia remedy lead conversation to Abyssinia itself. Two wives, Umm Salama and Umm Habiba – both having been exiles in that country – spoke of the beautiful cathedral of Maria there and the wonderful pictures on it walls. Overhearing this, an exasperated Muhammad cried out, “The Lord, destroy the Jews and Christians. Let the Lord’s anger be kindled against them. Let there remain throughout Arabia no faith except Islam.” This dying wish was to be carried out to conclusion by his immediate successors, notably Abu Bakr and Omar."
Saturday, May 20, 2006
"Chewing gum for the eyes"?
So said Frank Lloyd Wright more than a few years ago...
In an article about TV-Turnoff Week, the Duluth News Tribune reports:
"And get this, in a year, children are in school an average of 900 hours but in front of the television an average of 1,023 hours. Talk about disturbing statistics."
Random thoughts by Thomas Sowell
Writing columns must require tremendous time management skills.
Every day brings more material than is humanly possible to handle...
Every day brings more material than is humanly possible to handle...
Thomas Sowell handles it in a column titled "Random Thoughts". Here are just a few:
"Compromising by splitting the difference may solve many immediate problems by creating bigger long-run problems. Splitting the difference rewards the side with the most extreme and most intransigent position, guaranteeing continuing unreasonable demands and the continuing strife this generates."
"People who go ballistic over the high pay of some CEO of a multi-billion dollar corporation seldom bother to figure out whether, if that CEO agreed to work for nothing, that would be enough to bring the price of a one-dollar product down to 99 cents."
"Some people say it is "name-calling" if you refer to someone as a liberal. There is nothing inherently negative about the word "liberal." If it has acquired negative overtones, that is because of what liberals have done and the consequences that followed."
Mom's Grave Matter
I wonder why she leaves her so open to this criticism?...
This is so unbelievable that it got investigated by the folks at Urban Legends:
"After two years, and a DOD payment of $250,000 life insurance to the "Peace Mom", she has not had the time or bothered to have a headstone placed on this young hero's grave. And, she doesn't even have to pay for one, the DOD will provide one:"
At Rumsfeld's House
There's a war going on out there.
Strong opinions and a willingness to act upon them.
Here's how some people spent their Thursday afternoon.
This web site presents their point of view. I'm sure there's another...
Strong opinions and a willingness to act upon them.
Here's how some people spent their Thursday afternoon.
This web site presents their point of view. I'm sure there's another...
I found the following commentary the website named FreeRepublic.com. If you don't have time to read all the comments, just read the narrative of what went on:
"When Peaceniks Attack: D.C. Chapter vs. Code Pink and Cindy Sheehan at Rumsfeld's House"
Immigration - What the Border Patrol knows
Hello! Congress! Is anybody there? Is anybody listening?...
I found this in an article at NewsMax.com:
"More than a ten years ago, the federal government built a fence along the San Diego sector in California. Ed Henry, assistant chief of the Border Patrol for that region, says that the impact was immediate."
"'Apprehensions here are down a staggering 95 percent, from 100,000 a year to 5,000,' he told National Public Radio last month."
Friday, May 19, 2006
Clintons - Clinton Pushed RU-486 in First Official Act
Politics is a strange world; everyone has an agenda; and there are skeletons all over the place...
At CNSnews.com, Randy Hall discusses recently uncovered documents:
"Before being sworn in as president, Democrat Bill Clinton was told that he should 'start immediately to eliminate the barely educated, unhealthy and poor segment of the country.' Clinton received the advice in a letter from an advocate for the abortion drug regimen RU-486, which the president promoted during his first official act in the White House, according to a new report."
"Lannier Swann, director of government relations for the conservative organization Concerned Women for America (CWA), added that 'it is now the duty of Congress to conduct a thorough investigation to get to the bottom of the unethical actions performed under Clinton's watch,' she stated."
Clinton Legacy - Iran Went Nuclear Despite Secret Clinton Deal
A secret agreement !
Could this really be the root of the current problem?
And can you just imagine the uproar if this was a different president?...
Could this really be the root of the current problem?
And can you just imagine the uproar if this was a different president?...
The story is at NewsMax.com:
"A secret 1995 agreement between the Clinton administration and then-Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin was supposed to halt the transfer of nuclear technology and military equipment to Iran."
"But when the Russians continued to help build Iran's premier nuclear facility at Bushehr, the White House refused to impose sanctions."
"Under the accord hammered out by Chernomyrdin and then-Vice President Al Gore, Russia had agreed to end all weapons sales to Iran by Dec. 31, 1999."
'United 93' Defames Islam, Bill Clinton Equally
Tongue in cheek, sarcasm, truth; you make the call...
Ned Rice discusses "United 93":
"First of all, a plot of this scope would have required literally years of planning, which means that an attack occurring in September of 2001 would have to have been conceived, planned, and largely carried out (i.e., the financing, the placing of terrorist “moles” within the U.S., the hijackers’ flight training, etc.) while Bill Clinton was still President. This, in a word, is simply preposterous: as any schoolboy could tell you the whole world loved the United States and every American from the day Bill Clinton first brought his unique brand of dignity and respect to the Oval Office until the sad day he stepped down. Moreover, the planning for a coordinated series of terrorist attacks on such a scale would have quickly been detected—and just as quickly stopped—by our nation’s combined law enforcement and intelligence communities."
Post-Katrina Politics
In Louisiana, the Republicans may be coming...
According to Fred Barnes at the Weekly Standard:
"Now Vitter is leading the effort to transform Louisiana into a Republican state. He lined up 16 business leaders to donate $100,000 each for a war chest to promote a Republican takeover of the House and lured an experienced operative from Washington, John Diaz, to run the Committee to Elect a Republican Majority in Louisiana."
"The 2007 election, Jindal says, is "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" for Republicans. "If we do things half right, we have a real shot at a Republican majority in the House," adds Vitter. "We feel very good about our chances to take the majority," says House Republican leader Jim Tucker of New Orleans."
William Jud: Time to Reinstall Congress
I must admit that I agree wholeheartedly...
William Jud makes the following points:
"The first five years in office are likely to be the least corrupted. The first ten years begin to show signs of moral and constitutional fraying around the edges. The downhill slide begins in earnest at fifteen years and accelerates thereafter. That means a senator, serving a term of six years, is most likely to be fresh in outlook and responsive to what the folks back home want and need, for no more than two terms in office. A representative, serving a term of two years, will likely do a good job for five to six terms. Anyone who remains in office longer than that should be regarded as a growing liability and carefully considered for replacement at the next election. Voting records tell the story of continuing fitness to serve."
"There are some good elected officials who ought to remain in office for many years. But most elected officials and bureaucrats, like diapers, need to be changed regularly."
Thursday, May 18, 2006
"Columbine Video Game Draws Relatives' Ire"
Read this article and then try to tell me nothing is wrong here...
In an Associated Press story via the Washington Times:
"The site's creator, who identified himself in an e-mail interview only by the name 'Columbin', told the Rocky Mountain News he wanted to make something that would 'promote a real dialogue on the subject of school shootings.' He said he was inspired to make the game because he was in Colorado at the time of the attack."
"'I was a bullied kid. I didn't fit in, and I was surrounded by a culture of elitism as espoused by our school's athletes.' He added that he considered the killers, at times, 'very thoughtful, sensitive and intelligent young men."'
Our schools - The survey says... What?!!
American students perform poorly in science and math.
Enough said...
Enough said...
Tom Kertscher reports in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:
"Port Washington - Parents are angry and school leaders are promising action in response to a 'Heterosexual Questionnaire,' approved by two teachers, that asked students questions such as: 'If you have never slept with someone of your same gender, then how do you know you wouldn't prefer it?'
Hundreds of Port Washington High School students were told to submit written answers and discuss the survey.
The questionnaire was distributed by a student organization, which then led a full class-period discussion. Two teachers approved distribution of the survey. The principal did not."
Our schools - not pro-family
I guess this is some form of political correctness.
It's NOT exactly pro-family...
It's NOT exactly pro-family...
The Capitol Resource Institute discusses events in California:
"SB 1437 goes beyond dealing with 'violence prevention' and 'student safety.' It actively seeks to transform thoughts and attitudes of students to fully embrace transsexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality."
Our schools - Flagging controversy
Dear Mr. Matt Gotshall; If you're standing in America, you should be able to display the American Flag. Case closed!...
In Logansport, Indiana, Dave Kitchell reports on controversy over the American Flag:
"While some said the ban on the American flag at the school and asking students to turn patriotic apparel inside out was a “slap in the face” to veterans and American troops, Logansport High School Principal Dr. Terry Sargent defended administrative decisions he said were made in the best interest of the students for their own protection."
Our schools - Do vouchers work?
School vouchers always seem to be associated with improvement. Here's another example...
The Waterbury Connecticut Republican American Newspaper wonders:
"So whom would you believe -- the AFT, with its own ax to grind, or an administrator, researcher and a student who underwent the experience of both types of schools?"
Our schools - Coming to a school near you?
I hope not.
And this is in the "China Daily". What's that about?...
And this is in the "China Daily". What's that about?...
You might have a hard time believing this:
"The suit against Lexington, about 12 miles west of Boston, seeks unspecified damages after the book 'King & King' was read to a classroom of about 20 mostly 7 years olds. It is believed the first of its kind, the families' lawyers said.
The complaint said the school had 'begun a process of intentionally indoctrinating very young children to affirm the notion that homosexuality is right and normal in direct denigration of the plaintiffs' deeply held faith.'
It also charges that Lexington broke a 1996 Massachusetts law requiring that parents be notified of sex-education lessons. It names Lexington Superintendent of Schools Paul Ash and several other school and town officials.
Ash said the school was under no legal obligation to inform parents the book would be read. 'This school district is committed to a welcoming environment for all kids. We embrace the diverse nature of the community,' he told Reuters.
'King & King' tells the story of a crown prince who rejects a bevy of beautiful princesses, rebuffing each suitor until falling in love with a prince. The two marry, sealing the union with a kiss, and live happily ever after."
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Ready-Computer Stuff - McAfee Free Services
McAfee provides some free services.
For anyone who is interested, here's the web page...
For anyone who is interested, here's the web page...
McAfee - Free Services
"Disclaimer - Even though McAfee is reputable, as with all computer stuff, use at your own risk"
PA's Governor Rendell
The real news about Pennsylvania Governor Rendell also seems to come from Pittsburgh...
Eric Heyl writes in the Tribune-Review:
"Let's somehow link Gov. Ed Rendell, the Pirates, the Penguins, former President Bill Clinton, political grandstander Jesse Jackson, the Democratic National Committee, the nation's largest cable TV provider and speculation on why the governor is intervening in what should be a private business transaction."
Global Hawk operations reach new high
Looks like a good tool for border surveillance to me...
Reporting on the Air Force website is Staff Sgt. Melissa Koskovich:
"Reaching a breakthrough point in April, the Global Hawk team has maximized the aircraft’s sorties, collecting more than 96 percent of the target area -- nearly 5,000 images of enemy locations, resources and personnel."
Immigration - The President's Speech
I know who Larry Fine and Vernon Dent are.
Do you?...
Do you?...
In the Chicago Sun-Times, John O'Sullivan wonders, "Did these ploys sneak into Bush's speech?" He writes:
"For my next trick, ladies and gentlemen, I will perform a death-defying stunt -- no, not climbing a 300-foot ladder, diving through seven rings of fire and landing perfectly safely in a glass of water. That's easy once you know how to do it.
Instead, I shall advise you on how to interpret President Bush's speech on immigration that you heard last night but that was delivered several hours after this column was written. Very simply: Ask yourselves the following questions:
"Did the president use the phrase ''comprehensive immigration reform'' several times? That's revealing because this phrase is an example of smuggling. He hopes that by wrapping a ''temporary guest-worker program'' and the ''not an amnesty'' provision to legalize the 12 million illegals already here -- both of which are unpopular -- inside a tough-sounding popular promise to secure the border with the National Guard, he will persuade most Americans to accept the first two proposals."
Immigration - Newt Gingrich writes
The polls say "A";
and the politicians seem intent on doing "B".
What's going on here? They're elected to work FOR US...
and the politicians seem intent on doing "B".
What's going on here? They're elected to work FOR US...
Newt Gingrich may run for President. He always has something to say. Today's subject is immigration:
"Gingrich, who will appear on NBC's 'Meet the Press' tomorrow, cited a recent poll released by Zogby and the Center for Immigration Studies showing overwhelming support – 65% to 30% – for the House bill, a measure that emphasizes enforcement.
Eighty-four percent of the poll's respondents wanted the government to prosecute employers who hire illegals and 86% agreed that federal dollars should be cut off to cities and states that refuse to enforce immigration laws. Nine out of 10 respondents favored making English proficiency a requirement to earn citizenship and 85% endorsed a voter-identity card to guarantee that only American citizens were casting ballots.
Gingrich disputed the oft-cited figure of 11 million illegal aliens who would be affected by any immigration reform bill, saying he believes the actual count would be three times greater."
Immigration - Ted and Arlen's excellent adventure
I guess this is an example of a "rant"...
Writing in the Canada Free Press, John Burtis is astonished:
"Just as I could never have imagined, in my wildest nightmares, that our governmental leadership, sworn to uphold our Constitution and our way of life, would cower before a lawless band of bandicoots, out of raw political expediency, and then ask us to foot the bill for their easement and our destruction."
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Media - "Leakers" aren't being treated equally
If these facts ARE the facts, then our media is surely letting us down...
Mark Levin takes exception to the media's reaction to this "leaker":
"Now comes Mary McCarthy, who apparently leaked real classified national-security secrets and the media largely dismiss it or defend it. They have no curiosity about McCarthy, the extent of her leaks, to whom she leaked (beyond Priest, did she leak to other reporters, members of Congress, other governments?), how she secured top security posts, and her ties to the Clinton administration. Surely there is every reason the government should pursue this investigation at least as vigorously as the Plame matter has been pursued. Dana Priest, among others, should have her day before a grand jury."
Media - No Evidence for Prize-Winning Story
I think this article exposes the sad state of our media...
From an article by Cliff Kincaid published at the National Ledger:
"It looks like Priest took some elements of a classified program and transformed them, tabloid-style, into a story that was essentially not true. She made a controversial program into something that was, as former CIA officer Michael Scheuer put it, 'titillating to the world’s media and incentive to America’s European enemies…'"
Media - Dana Priest’s Troubling Connections
An unbiased reporter or not? You decide.
Perhaps we need full disclosure...
Perhaps we need full disclosure...
Writing for the National Ledger, Jennifer Verner has some legitimate questions:
"But recent developments in the story lead to more disturbing questions: Was political embarrassment for the Bush Administration her educated prediction or her deliberate intent? And were the allegations true? After months of investigation by European investigators, no evidence has yet surfaced to support her claims about “secret prisons.” Further, fired CIA officer Mary O. McCarthy, one of Priest’s reported “anonymous” sources, has been outed as a Democratic partisan who worked closely with members of the Clinton Administration and the John Kerry Campaign foreign policy team, including Sandy Burger, Richard Clarke, Rand Beers and Joe Wilson."
"As if that isn’t enough to raise eyebrows, Dana Priest’s matrimonial tie, not generally known to readers of the Washington Post, leaves a strong appearance of conflict of interest. As it happens, she is married to William Goodfellow, a far-left political activist and current executive director of the Center for International Policy (CIP), who has been at the vanguard of many of the most rabid attacks on Bush Administration policy."
Media - Misses 11th straight goal topping month
Maybe I just missed the reporting on this. Did you?...
Our U.S. Defense Department reports:
"During what has historically been a slow recruiting period, the active Army recruited almost 5,700 members, 105 percent of its goal, for April. The Air Force signed on almost 2,400 airmen, 101 percent of its goal, and the Navy and Marine Corps met 100 percent of their April goals, recruiting almost 2,600 and almost 1,500 members, respectively, Krenke reported.
Year-to-date recruiting numbers were equally impressive, she said. As of April, the Army had exceeded its goal by 4 percent, with more than 37,000 recruits. The Marine Corps and Air Force exceeded their goals by 1 percent, with almost 15,000 and almost 18,000 recruits, respectively. And the Navy met its goal, recruiting almost 18,000 sailors."
Media - Non-reporting the great economy
Read the statistics and you'll know the economy is smoking hot.
Look around at the new houses, home improvement additions, busy shopping centers, new cars, full restaurants, etc., and you know the economy is on a roll.
But, listen to the media and you'll think the sky is about to fall, and we are bordering on recession.
I strongly suspect the media's persistent bias will be viewed historically as one of the great injustices of our time...
Look around at the new houses, home improvement additions, busy shopping centers, new cars, full restaurants, etc., and you know the economy is on a roll.
But, listen to the media and you'll think the sky is about to fall, and we are bordering on recession.
I strongly suspect the media's persistent bias will be viewed historically as one of the great injustices of our time...
At Real Clear Politics, Noel Sheppard discusses the media coverage of the economy:
"The big economic news going into the weekend was the strongest quarterly gross domestic product growth since the summer of 2003. Spectacular news by any measure, but you wouldn't know it from the way the media reported it."
Monday, May 15, 2006
Immigration- The war zone in southern Arizona
I guess stories like this aren't worth reporting.
They might influence public opinion away from the "agenda"...
They might influence public opinion away from the "agenda"...
Here is just a part of what Leo W. Banks reports:
"For nine years, the family has been unable to leave home unless someone stays to guard against burglars. They celebrate Christmas in shifts. On Christmas Eve, Pat's son and daughter-in-law go to Tucson to visit family, and when they return John and Pat go on Christmas morning."
"Micaela can no longer do chores unless accompanied by her father or a brother, and taking her 4-year-old daughter out on horseback is forbidden. 'We can't go anywhere without an escort,' Micaela says."
Media - Snow Stirs It Up
Seems fair to me.
Just maybe, there will be more cause to verify (before publishing)...
Just maybe, there will be more cause to verify (before publishing)...
Investors Business Daily notes changes for the White House Press Corps:
"This past week Snow challenged the factual basis of five major media reports: The New York Times, The Associated Press, CBS News, The Washington Post and USA Today. Rather than take individual reporters aside and gently set them straight, he sent e-mails to the entire press corps."
"If that seems rude for the unfailingly polite Snow, it strikes us as the perfect first step toward stopping a contagion of misinformation."
Opinions from the NY Daily News
Here are two editorial opinions by the staff of the NY Daily News published April 30, 2006.
I wonder what the NY Times might say?...
I wonder what the NY Times might say?...
You can read them here:
1) "The entertainers who collaborated on a Spanish version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" are doing no favors for the cause of immigration reform. Their recording - titled, with all the subtlety of a thumb in the eye, "Our Anthem" - reinforces the damaging stereotype that America's newcomers see this not as a nation indivisible, but as two societies separated by language and culture."
2) "... Klein and Mayor Bloomberg argue that cell phone use is disruptive: Kids chat in class, use text-messaging for cheating and take photos in locker rooms. Officials also say some bad kids use cells in drug dealing and gang activity. True, true, true. But this is where adult control comes in. Adults still do have control in schools, do they not?"
And the alternative is not nice
Natan Sharansky admits to being a frequent critic of President Bush; however, unlike many, he knows when someone trying to do the right thing...
In the April 24, 2006 Wall Street Opinion Journal, Natan Sharansky writes:
"Critics rail against every step on the new and difficult road on which the United States has embarked. Yet in pointing out the many pitfalls which have not been avoided and those which still can be, those critics would be wise to remember that the alternative road leads to the continued oppression of hundreds of millions of people and the continued festering of the pathologies that led to 9/11."
"Now that President Bush is increasingly alone in pushing for freedom, I can only hope that his dissident spirit will continue to persevere. For should that spirit break, evil will indeed triumph, and the consequences for our world would be disastrous."
Do the "locals" have it right?
I saw this page of local news from Southeastern Pennsylvania a while ago.
I found some of the items to be quite interesting...
I found some of the items to be quite interesting...
In the "County Press", William W. Lawrence seems to notice more than the national media. For instance:
"The shads' return to the Schuylkill, after an absence of 100 years, represents enormous progress in the quality of the river."
"Fast Eddie Rendell vetoed both bills last month. He said (with a straight face), requiring identification could disenfranchise the homeless, nursing-home residents and the poor. He said (again with a straight face), there is no evidence that people routinely impersonate others to vote."
"Clinton awards Halliburton no-bid contract in Yugoslavia -- good . . ."
"Bush awards Halliburton no-bid contract in Iraq -- bad . . ."
The Dalai Lama at work
For me, this article was kind of fun to read.
Maybe his job isn't as easy as I thought...
Maybe his job isn't as easy as I thought...
In the U.K. Telegraph, Alice Thomson writes about the Dalai Lama:
"It is the peculiar fate of this Dalai Lama that he serves as a guru for overweight biscuit heiresses as well as a living god to 10 million Tibetan Buddhists."
"It is fascinating," he says, speaking in slightly stilted English. "In the West, you have bigger homes, yet smaller families; you have endless conveniences - yet you never seem to have any time. You can travel anywhere in the world, yet you don't bother to cross the road to meet your neighbours; you have more food than you could possibly eat, yet that makes women like Heidi miserable."
Hillary Clinton and Big Government
Larry Kudlow is NOT impressed with Hillary's economic prowess...
Here's some of what Larry Kudlow has to say:
"Hasn’t Mrs. Clinton noticed the worldwide spread of free-market capitalism that has become such an enormous wealth creator across the globe — including Eastern Europe, India, China, and the rest of Asia? The economic growth principles of higher after-tax returns for work and investment, deregulation to limit government’s reach, and the privatization of government-run companies have become almost commonplace following the Reagan-Thatcher revolution of twenty-five years ago. But Mrs. Clinton would have us turn the clock back in ways that even her husband didn’t support. She defines her goals in terms of “a middle class life, education, health care, transportation, and retirement.” But all this is nothing more than a massive dose of government spending and regulating — a sure prescription for humongous taxes and a declining economy."
"No wonder the Chicago ballroom started to snooze. Clinton’s ideas electrified the audience about as much as a broken plug attached to an old land-line phone."
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Today is Mother's Day
It seems like some would prefer it be "Government Childcare Day"...
At TownHall.com, Carrie Lukas thinks we should keep it the way it is:
"What’s the perfect Mother’s Day gift? A bouquet of tulips? Jewelry? Breakfast in bed? The National Organization for Women (NOW) has something a little more expensive in mind—universal childcare."
"NOW’s vision sounds simple: 'Excellent, affordable childcare and eldercare for everyone who wants and needs it with subsidies from government and employers.'"
Hillary Clinton: Bad news on Mother's Day
Even on Mothers Day, Hillary's politics are in the news...
In the Canada Free Press, John Burtis notices this change:
"This small addendum finally acknowledges Mr. Paul’s primary involvement in the LA soiree, termed Event 39 by Ms. Clinton’s campaign handlers, after years of dodging the bullet, spinning implausible tales, and generating voluminous amounts of cloying opaque smoke by her diehard loyalists in the liberal press, campaign lackeys at her office and overworked pettifogging barristers from high powered firms, adept at currying judicial favors."
"Shockingly enough, it should also be noted that so far none of the diverse other public watchdogs, who are supposed to keep an eagle eye on campaign donors and track every amount, large and small, they toss into their steaming cauldrons, have bothered to take note of Senator Clinton’s updated January FEC filing and post them, too, oh no. That would be unfair to Hillary."
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Ann Coulter being herself
Always fun to read...
Ann Coulter makes some comparisons in an article titled:
"Conservatives Need to Grow Some Spine"
Friday, May 12, 2006
Oil & Gas - And the Winner Is…
These awards seem very well thought out; and appropriate...
At the American Enterprise Institute, Dave Cloud gives recognition:
"The recent high gasoline prices have resulted in some stellar performances by a wide cast of characters. With the Academy Awards being so far away, it seems a shame not to recognize the truly outstanding performances right now. We will call our awards the Cravens."
Oil & Gas - Pandering is no solution
Some interesting (and obvious) points here...
From an opinion column by Stephen Chapman in the Jacksonville (North Carolina) Daily News:
"Critics always look for evidence of illegal manipulation, but they might be better off setting traps for the ivory-billed woodpecker. For one thing, executives who do it can be convicted of a felony. Those not deterred by prison face a practical obstacle: If one oil company tries to boost prices above what supply and demand warrant, it will lose sales to competitors who are willing to charge less."
"You could squeeze consumers if you got all the sellers to agree to reduce sales. But in a market with numerous producers, it’s devilishly hard to achieve the collusion needed to keep supplies artificially low and prices artificially high. If Big Oil knew how to do it, we’d have been paying $3 a gallon long before now."
"The biggest reason for the soaring cost of motor fuel is the soaring price of crude oil. Far from being under the control of Exxon Mobil, price increases are caused partly by growing worldwide demand, partly by supply disruptions in major producing countries like Nigeria and partly by OPEC’s design. Oil companies may benefit from such developments, just as American farmers may benefit from a drought in Argentina, but that doesn’t mean they cause them."
Oil & Gas - Biggest ever?
I wonder if this is true...
NewTechSpy.com is reporting:
"Scientists Discover (Biggest Ever) Oilfield off U.S. coast"
Oil & Gas - The price of oil, gas & ignorance
Putting the price of gas in proper perspective...
In the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Colin McNickle discusses the issue:
"So what? Indeed, as world demand for gasoline has soared so, quite naturally, have sales. Increased demand increases prices. It's elementary."
"And when you divide profits by sales, as the Cato Institute's Jerry Taylor and Pete Van Doren did for the last quarter of 2005 -- the profit margin hardly is excessive. 'The 20 largest investor-owned oil companies earned a collective 8.8 cents on every dollar of sales for that quarter,' they concluded."
Oil & Gas - Gouging in reverse?
Understanding the price of gas.
Maybe this will help...
Maybe this will help...
An article by Thomas Bray at RealClearPolitics.com, makes this argument:
"From 1986 to 2003, using 2004 dollars, the real national annual average price for gasoline, including taxes, generally has been below $2 per gallon," noted the Federal Trade Commission in a 2005 report absolving the industry of collusion. 'By contrast, between 1919 and 1985, real national annual average retail gasoline prices were above $2 per gallon more often than not.'"
"In other words, gasoline prices were lower than at any time since 1919 for much of recent history. Some conspiracy! Maybe somebody should have been investigating consumers for 'gouging' the oil companies."
Oil & Gas - Why are we over a barrel?
So, the most profitable oil company is 116th on the list of profitable companies.
Now, I wonder why the media doesn't holler about numbers 1 through 115?...
Now, I wonder why the media doesn't holler about numbers 1 through 115?...
From an article by Dan Gainor in the Washington Times:
"Why investigate the issue and find out the many major reasons gas prices are so high when I can blame the oil companies just like TV news does? That's the attitude the media have been driving home for more than a year now. They bemoan the 'record profits' of oil companies and don't bother to tell you they have no idea what that really means.
In the real world, that means merely the oil companies are big, and big companies, if well-run, inherently make big profits. The actual percentage profit, a number used by investors, not blowhards, illustrates this. ExxonMobil had more profit than any other company, but it also is 'gi-normous' as a friend of mine used to say. Still, its profit margin was 10.6 percent, placing it at No. 116 on Fortune's list of top 500 companies.
By contrast, Microsoft made almost 3 times as much -- 30.8 percent."
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Politicians - Democrat steps down from House ethics panel
Ethics? Another one reluctantly bites the dust...
Democrat steps down from House ethics panel via Yahoo! News. Meanwhile:
"Pelosi, in a brief statement, accepted Mollohan's decision and expressed confidence in the 12-term lawmaker up for re-election in November."
In France - Politicians being politicians
Politicians all over the world are apparently cut from the same cloth...
The Associated Press's Elaine Ganley writes in this article "French Political Scandal Threatens Chirac":
"In what is likely the final year of his political life, the 73-year-old president — who served as prime minister 30 years ago — could see his long climb to the summit of power wither to an ignoble end. Even members of his center-right party are getting impatient with his refusal to address the controversy publicly.
'The president of the Republic, where is he? What is he doing? Has he disappeared?' said lawmaker Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, of Chirac's Union for a Popular Movement party."
In France - Political scandal
Dirty politics is clearly NOT an oxymoron...
John Ward Anderson and Molly Moore write for the Washington Post Foreign Service:
"PARIS -- When French criminal investigators finish their probe of the smear, who was smeared and who did the smearing may be little more than a footnote.
A burgeoning political scandal of alleged dirty tricks involving the cabinet's two top ministers has tainted the entire French government, pushing it to the brink of paralysis and collapse in the final year of President Jacques Chirac's administration, according to government officials and political analysts.
Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin faces daily calls for his resignation. Flanked by somber-faced ministers, he told reporters at a packed news conference Thursday that the corruption investigation would "not deter me one second from my mission."
In the U.K. - Law enforcement?
This is the U.K., and it's very scary...
In the City Journal, Theodore Dalrymple writes:
"The newspapers confirmed what I had long perceived before I left Britain: that the zeitgeist of the country is now one of sentimental moralizing combined with the utmost cynicism, where the government’s pretended concern for the public welfare coexists with the most elementary dereliction of duty. There is an absence of any kind of idealism that is a necessary precondition of probity, so that bad faith prevails almost everywhere. The government sees itself as an engineer of souls (to use the phrase so eloquently coined by Stalin with regard to writers who, of course, were expected to mold Homo Sovieticus by the power of their words). Government thus concerns itself with what people think, feel, and say—as well as with trying to change their freely chosen habits—rather than with performing its one inescapable duty: that of preserving the peace and ensuring that citizens may go about their lawful business in confidence and safety. It is more concerned that young men should not smoke cigarettes in prison or make silly jokes to policemen than that they should not attack and permanently maim their elders and betters."
In the U.K. - Pubs scan fingerprints
You can be sure there are other uses for this...
From London, via Yahoo!:
"Biometric finger-scanning machines have been installed at six venues in Yeovil, southwest England. Clubbers will be asked to have their right index finger scanned and show picture identification to register on the system.
The data is then stored on a computer network which other pubs and clubs in the scheme can access so that information on louts can be passed on quickly."
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Sports - The Great Shambino
Sometimes, statistics can tell the whole story...
In the Washington Times, Dan Daly tells it (in my opinion) like it is:
"The magnitude of this fraud can be expressed in a few numbers. From 1986 to 1998, Barry averaged a homer every 16.1 at bats. Since then, in defiance of all anatomical logic, he has averaged a homer every 8.6 at bats. What exactly does this mean? It means that, thanks to the wonders of "flaxseed oil" and assorted other magic elixirs, he has hit 142 more homers than he would have (at his previous rate). It means that instead of closing in on Harmon Killebrew (573) right now -- with Frank Robinson (586) just ahead -- he's drawing a bead on the Sultan of Swat."
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Medicare Part D - An absolute success !!!
Go ahead. Click on the link.
You won't believe your eyes...
You won't believe your eyes...
The old media certainly isn't reporting this AARP Survey:
"AARP Survey Details Public Reaction to Prescription Drug Plans / News Release April 12, 2006"
Monday, May 08, 2006
Terrorist support from the U.S.
This is an interesting turn of events...
This case has certainly had it's ups and downs. Robert Spencer has the whole story at FrontPage Magazine. Here's his closing paragraph:
"Paul Perez, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, put it succinctly: 'Al-Arian has now confessed to helping terrorists do their work from his base here in the United States -- a base he is no longer able to maintain.' He is unable to maintain that base today no thanks to CAIR, Nicholas Kristof, Eric Boehlert, John Esposito, and numerous other pillars of today’s academic and journalistic elites – elites which Al-Arian’s guilty plea have been shown once again to be thoroughly, irredeemably corrupt."
Sunday, May 07, 2006
The Kennedys - Remembering Mary Jo
Lest we forget this little bit of history...
At the National Review, Myrna Blyth reminds us:
"What everyone testified at the time was that Kennedy and Mary Jo left the party before midnight. Kennedy said he was driving her back to the ferry to Edgartown, and took a wrong turn, though he was very familiar with the roads on the island. His car toppled off a narrow wooden-planked bridge, a bridge that is in the opposite direction to the road that led to the ferry but is on the way to the beach. The car landed upside-down in eight feet of water and, Kennedy claimed that after escaping, he tried unsuccessfully to rescue Mary Jo. He then staggered back to the party, called out his cousin Joe Gargan and his pal Paul Markham, to return to the scene. What he didn't do, inexplicably, was seek help in a lighted house only yards from the bridge or use the fire-alarm phone at a fire station he passed on the way back to the party.
Right from the start, the reporters who arrived at the scene were skeptical of his story, skeptical even of how he claimed he got back to Edgartown that night. Markham and Gargan said when they drove to the ferry landing — the ferry had stopped running by then — Kennedy took them by surprise by jumping in the water, and swimming across the channel towards Edgartown. They assumed, they said, he would report the accident that night to the police. Instead Kennedy went back to his hotel, ostensibly to change his clothes but instead, went downstairs to complain about a noisy party that was going on.
The next morning Markham and Gargan were waiting for Kennedy when he arrived at 9 A.M. on the first ferry. The ferry operator said Kennedy appeared to be in a jovial mood, but probably only until he was told that his car had been found. Only then did Kennedy return and report the accident."
The Kennedys - Situational journalism
After reading this comparison, try to say that the media is even-handed...
Jim Kouri explains in the National Ledger:
"Unless some people have been vacationing on another planet, just about everyone is aware of the latest Kennedy Clan scandal -- or what should be a scandal.
Media bias and the "double-standard"
Actually the story is scandalous because it illustrates how too many members of the elite news media are blatantly biased. Somehow the term "double-standard" seems to be an incredible understatement. The Kennedy story is a perfect example of the new trend in news coverage by the mainstream media -- situational journalism."
The Kennedys - Same old, same old
This was just last month.
And I'd wonder, if he kills somebody, if that won't matter much either...
And I'd wonder, if he kills somebody, if that won't matter much either...
Jonathan Saltzman writes in the Boston Globe:
"NEWPORT, R.I. -- A woman who witnessed a two-car collision involving Representative Patrick J. Kennedy outside a Portsmouth, R.I., drugstore last month said he had been weaving and driving aggressively beforehand and was impaired when she confronted him outside his car afterward."
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Global Warming - Scientists cool outlook
And still another opinion about global warming...
In the Jennifer Harper finds that:
"Using temperature readings from the past 100 years, 1,000 computer simulations and the evidence left in ancient tree rings, Duke University scientists announced yesterday that 'the magnitude of future global warming will likely fall well short of current highest predictions.'"
Global Warming - Error strikes 'BBC climate model'
I don't know the finer points about this, but I do know that's it's more difficult to undo wrong learning than it is to learn it right the first time.
The U.K., including Tony Blair, believes human caused global warming is real.
I would remind them that Mars (no humans; maybe Martians) is also warming...
The U.K., including Tony Blair, believes human caused global warming is real.
I would remind them that Mars (no humans; maybe Martians) is also warming...
From the BBC News:
"A 'major error' has been discovered in the world's biggest online climate prediction project, backed by the BBC."
Global Warming - A load of hot air?
I just wish more science would be devoted to determining whether humans are the cause of global warming...
From BBC News by Simon Cox and Richard Vadon:
"How much has the planet warmed up over the past century? Most people reckon between two and three degrees. They are not even close. The real figure, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is 0.6C."
Friday, May 05, 2006
Greenpeace takes Kennedy to task
Not in my backyard?.
I'm not seeing this in the national media; and I'm not surprised...
I'm not seeing this in the national media; and I'm not surprised...
In the Cape Cod Times, Kevin Dennehy reports, "Greenpeace takes Kennedy to task (April 24, 2006)":
"In the 30-second spot, a cartoon Kennedy looms over the water like a Japanese movie monster, pounding wind turbines as they sprout from the water, and barks, ''I might see them from my mansion on the Cape.''
(Interestingly, though, the voice actor doesn't seem to even try for Kennedy's distinct accent.)
The ads will run in the home states of several key lawmakers in the days leading up to the vote - an $8.7 billion Coast Guard bill that could make the Nantucket Sound wind farm vulnerable to state veto. Among those targeted so far are U.S. Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., and Norm Coleman, R-Minn.
The ad is not being shown in Massachusetts."
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Immigration - sound familiar?
Here's an immigration story from February 2003.
It was all about politics then, just as it is now...
It was all about politics then, just as it is now...
In the National Review, Mark Krikorian tells the story:
"This initiative, launched in late 1998, focused on all the meat-packing plants in Nebraska (instead of raiding one and letting the others benefit from the disruption of their competitor). Rather than breaking in the doors, the INS simply subpoenaed the companies' personnel records, which they took back to the office and verified. The INS then asked to interview those employees who appeared to be unauthorized — and the illegals ran off. The procedure was remarkably successful, and was meant to be repeated every two or three months until the plants were weaned from their dependence on illegal labor.
But it was never repeated. Gov. Mike Johanns organized a task force to oppose the operation; the meat packers and the ranchers hired former Gov. Ben Nelson to lobby on their behalf; and, in Washington, Sen. Chuck Hagel made it his mission in life to pressure the Justice Department to stop. They succeeded, the operation was ended, and the senior INS official who had thought it up in the first place was forced into early retirement."
Immigration - behind the scenes
This is right up there with "do anything to get elected"...
At HillNews.com, Byron York exposes the plan:
"And where will those unions, which represent mostly low-wage, unskilled workers, find new members? That’s right. In the large-and-growing-larger pool of illegal immigrants."
"The leadership of organized labor is one of the reasons these marches have been so big,” says Mark Krikorian, executive director of the pro-enforcement Center for Immigration Studies, “because there is [a union] infrastructure everywhere to get people mobilized, to rent the buses, to print the signs — all that stuff is important, and that’s the advantage that organized labor still has."
Immigration - Tony Blankley
This smells just like their previous refusal to use the word "terrorist"...
At RealClearPolitics.com, Tony Blankley writes about the media's refusal to use the word "illegal":
"I know America has not been a Garden of Eden, but for a temporal land, how wonderful it has been. And how casually we are casting off its manifold blessings. And for what future.
It is almost inconceivable that an argument is taken seriously that we don't have the right to secure our borders and determine who shall enter our country. Not only has such lunacy become respectable, but our mainstream media instantly, instinctively embraces such a position. Every radio headline newscast, almost every newspaper and television report willfully refuses to distinguish between illegal and legal immigrants. Each report stamps the mark of evil on the forehead of all who would guard our borders."
Immigration - This is nuts!
Couldn't they at least ask them to buy tickets to the Policeman's Ball?
Something is seriously wrong here...
Something is seriously wrong here...
In the Salt Lake Tribune, Nate Carlisle writes:
"When police set up roadblocks to catch drunken drivers, they'll sometimes find dozens of such vehicles.
Sgt. Cal Black, the only Spanish speaker on the five-person force, says they have seen the same vehicles multiple times.
Once, Black recalled, Blanding police stopped a van on a Tuesday carrying a load of undocumented immigrants. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took the immigrants and left the van with Blanding police. Police released the van to its owner on the following Monday. The next day, Black says, officers stopped the van again. It was carrying another load of undocumented immigrants. A passenger in the first load, Black says, had been freed from federal custody and was the driver of the second load."
Immigration - Hillary Clinton positioning herself
I agree that it's repositioning (read "say anything to get elected").
It's really sad that so many politicians seem to take a position AFTER taking a poll.
After all, a poll is just a small sample; and the questions can create desired results...
It's really sad that so many politicians seem to take a position AFTER taking a poll.
After all, a poll is just a small sample; and the questions can create desired results...
NewsMax.com follows Hillary Clinton's every move:
"Clinton's repositioning on border enforcement moves her significantly to the right of President Bush on the issue - and places her in agreement with conservative 2008 presidential hopeful, Sen. George Allen, who came out for a partial border fence two weeks ago."
Kofi, anyone?...
My guess is that he did?...
PrWeb asks:
"Did Kofi Annan Censor a Book That's Critical of His Administration?"
"Kofi Annan is likely to be cited as the worst United Nations Secretary General in the UN's 60-year history. The catalogue of his failures include scandalously poor oversight of UN “peacekeepers,” tolerance for genocidal acts on the part of UN member states, presiding over the oil-for-food debacle, coddling the Islamic block while displaying unlimited hostility to Israel, and blocking sensible American actions directed towards major threats to world security (Iran, Iraq and North Korea.)
While his ineptitude has not yet forced him to resign, the UN’s own administrators and functionaries put his administration to the test. The result? A stunning and unprecedented vote of “no confidence.”"
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Immigration - Sen. Jeff Sessions
I'm not confident that any immigration bill will serve anything but political interests...
At the National Review Online, Senator Sessions makes many points, of which this is only one:
" Categories of aliens that should be removed from the United States would be allowed to qualify for the compromise mass amnesty program, including:
— Aliens with certain felony convictions or three misdemeanors;
— Aliens previously barred from receiving immigration benefits for life, because they filed a frivolous asylum application;
— Aliens who are under final orders of removal, or who signed voluntary departure agreements but have never been deported."
Missing your mail?
Another way for us to be scammed...
In the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Jason Cato describes it:
"Last May, postal inspectors became aware of several change-of-address cards directing mail to Fred Hill's Kennedy Boulevard address. In January, a change-of-address form was filed for Wanda Hill to an Irwin Street home, also in Aliquippa. Another request was filed to divert "all Hill, Carter and King" mail to the new address, court papers state."
The Kennedys of Massachusetts
Apparently, much more than a "curse"...
The Kennedy Curse, by Edward Klein, is the latest book about the Kennedys. John J. Miller writes about it in the National Review:
"Every season seems to bring a new best-selling book full of sordid details about the Kennedys, from allegations that JFK was a pill-popping intern predator to Carolyn Bessette Kennedy having a fondness for cocaine."
An ugly reality by Thomas Sowell
Learning from the mistakes of others...
Thomas Sowell writes about immigration:
"Europe has already been through this 'guest worker' policy that we are being urged to follow. They have learned the hard way what it means to have a growing foreign population in their midst -- a population that insists on remaining foreign and hostile to the culture, values and people around them.
Some European countries have learned this lesson at the cost of riots and bloodshed in the streets and lives lost in terrorist attacks. Others have only had to contend with national polarization -- thus far -- but polarization is not a small thing.
In this country, however, there are still people who refuse to learn any lesson at all."
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
The Opinion Journal - on Rumsfeld
Here's a well-written article discussing Secretary of Defense Rumsfield, his critics, and some Iraq war history...
The Wall Street Opinion Journal summarizes:
"The anti-Rumsfeld generals have a right to their opinion. But there's a reason the Founders provided for civilian control of the military, and a danger in military men using their presumed authority to push elected Administrations around. As for Democrats and their media allies, we can only admire their sudden new deference to the senior U.S. officer corps, which follows their strange new respect for the "intelligence community" they also once despised. U.S. military recruiters might not be welcome on Ivy League campuses, but they're heroes when they trash the Bush Administration.
Mr. Rumsfeld's departure has been loudly demanded in various quarters for a couple of years now, without much success, and on Friday Mr. Bush said he still has his every confidence. We suspect the President understands that most of those calling for Mr. Rumsfeld's head are really longing for his."
Monday, May 01, 2006
Hippocratic Oath ?
There are a lot of forces at play in Iraq...
Michael Howard reporting from Kirkuk:
"'I made a mixture of drugs and injected them. They were dead in three hours'
Ten days later Dr Louay was instructed to do the same with a group of Iraqi army officers who had been wounded by a roadside bomb. "They had flesh wounds to different parts of their bodies. So I made a mixture of Valium, Voltaren and Decadron and injected them. They were dead in three hours. The medical department does not have the modern equipment to analyse their blood, so nobody knew why they died."
Russian ace wows Wanaka
Russian pilots aren't what they used to be...
Debbie Jamieson reports from New Zealand:
"She elegantly steps from her cockpit, unravels her long blonde hair and shakes it free before smiling shyly through pink painted lips to the gathered, awe-stuck crowd."
Bush lied - "Not so" - Christopher Hitchens explains
If the old media wasn't so biased, more articles like this would see the light of day...
"But Iraq did try to buy uranium in Niger" by Christopher Hitchens:
"West Africa is awash in petroleum, and Niger is poor in cash. Iraq in 2001 was cash-rich through the oil-for-food racket, but you may if you wish choose to believe that a near-bankrupt African delegation from a uranium-based country traveled across a continent and a half with nothing on its mind but shopping for oil."
