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Heavy-Handed Politics

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

Saturday, October 14, 2006

U.S. Vulnerability and Windows of Opportunity

"Iraq and Afghanistan have absorbed a large percentage of U.S. ground combat capability, limiting U.S. military options elsewhere. An internal political crisis has further limited the Bush administration's options. With the outcome of the November midterm elections uncertain, outside powers have a window of opportunity in which to take risks.

This week, the North Koreans took advantage of that window of opportunity. At this moment, it is not clear what Pyongyang actually has achieved: We do not know whether the apparent test of a nuclear device went as planned, was a fizzle or was a ruse carried out with conventional explosives. For the sake of this analysis, however, it does not matter. What matters is that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea decided this was the perfect time to jerk Washington's chain. In Pyongyang's view, the risks were small. The geography of the region precludes a U.S. nuclear strike, even if Washington were so inclined. A conventional airstrike potentially could prompt North Korea to open massive artillery fire on Seoul, just past the border -- and the United States has drawn down its ground forces in South Korea in order to reinforce troops in Iraq. Moreover, the administration has been too preoccupied with other regions and internal politics to frame an effective response.

We recently have seen a similar dynamic involving Russia and Georgia, a U.S. ally: A dustup over espionage allegations prompted Russia to blockade Georgia's air, rail, sea and postal services. How the affair started and who started it is less clear than the fact that the Russians have responded with a general disregard to American views on the subject. Quite the contrary: The fact that the Americans do have views on the subject has increased Russian intensity on the matter. The Russians do not fear U.S. responses. The United States needs the possibility of Russian backing on issues involving North Korea and Iran. If the Russians do lend assistance -- which is unlikely -- they certainly will not do so while the United States is intruding into what they regard as their sphere of influence. However slim the chance of real Russian collaboration might be, the United States can't afford to provoke Moscow. The Russians are not concerned about U.S. responses to their behavior; they see themselves as having a degree of freedom of action that they lacked when the United States was in a stronger position.

For the United States, the crucial problem is that this freedom of action -- for the Russians and others -- could be indefinitely extended. Assume, for instance, that the Democrats win both houses of Congress in November. Using budgetary powers, they could reshape U.S. policies and take them beyond the White House's control. And if the Democrats win only one chamber, they could block White House initiatives and throw the government into gridlock, leaving foreign powers with a two-year window of opportunity to press their own agendas.

While there is clearly a domestic political problem, the heart of the matter is military. Regardless of the political constellation in Washington, the military reality on the ground in Iraq severely constrains U.S. options around the world. That, in turn, constrains U.S. diplomacy. Diplomacy without even the distant possibility of military action is impotent. North Korea is a perfect example of what multilateral diplomacy without a unilateral military option looks like: The United States has recruited Russia, China, Japan and South Korea for diplomatic initiatives with North Korea as it partnered with Russia and European powers for dealings with Iran. Since the interests of these powers diverge, the possibility of concerted action, even on sanctions, simply does not exist. Since the possibility of unilateral action by the United States also does not exist, neither North Korea nor Iran need take the diplomatic initiatives seriously. And they don't."

--- Stratfor Intelligence

Why do Americans on the left thing only they have the right to dissent?

By Peggy Noonan

RECENT NORTH KOREA DEVELOPMENTS

U.S. intelligence test findings indicate that it was a nuclear test that took place last Monday as they detected radioactive particles in the air samples they took.

The U.N Security Council has just voted and passed the resolution on a 15-0 vote to enact sanctions against North Korea. The North Korean representative read a prepared statement, which in part said they considered this an act of war. He then once again showed their defiance and walked out of the session.


South Korea will be seeking a firm recommitment of nuclear protection from the U.S., to protect them from North Korea. Meanwhile, South Korea is quickly arranging military readiness to contend with any possible nuclear aggression by North Korea.

To no surprise, Russia and China were opposed to stronger measures. Ultimately, the Chinese hold the trump card, and I think the U. S. is left holding a pretty weak hand. All the while, Iran is taking this all in and watching a neutered U.S.

By HH

Breaking China

By Cliff May

"Sanctions against North Korea -- under the auspices of the United Nations -- is the route the Bush administration is now pursuing. To have teeth, they need to include a strict embargo on all military hardware and authorization both to search ships going to and from North Korea and to seize any illicit cargo discovered. That could prevent North Korea from exporting nuclear weapons to terrorists – a useful outcome. But it doesn't go far enough.

What else is necessary? For China to use its considerable leverage to thwart Kim's ambition to head a nuclear-armed state – something it should have done long ago. To persuade China to do the right thing now will require not just diplomatic efforts but diplomatic pressure.

For example, it should be made clear to China's leaders that if they won't stand in the way of a nuclear North Korea, we won't stand in the way of a nuclear Japan – on the contrary, we will strongly encourage such a development. And perhaps Taiwan, too, might be assisted along this path. Free and democratic countries, we should explain, have the right to deter and defend themselves from dictatorships with hostile intentions and escalating capabilities.

China's leaders also should be informed that Washington will consider what steps might be taken to push the North Korean regime closer to the collapse it so richly deserves. If that happens, Chinese officials will have a huge refugee crisis to cope with, as well as an opportunity to try their hands at “nation-building.” Read more.

Frivolous politics: Part I

By Thomas Sowell
With a war going on in Iraq and with Iran next door moving steadily toward a nuclear bomb that could change the course of world history in the hands of international terrorists, the question for this year's elections is not whether you or your candidate is a Democrat or a Republican but whether you are serious or frivolous. Read more.

"[T]he importance of piety and religion; of industry and frugality; of prudence, economy, regularity and an even government; all ... are essential to the well-being of a family."

-- Samuel Adams

Do-nothing allies or obstructionist enemies?
A Chinese-Russian alliance is forming. The Chinese client state is North Korea; the Russian and Chinese trading partner is Iran.

Frivolous politics: Part II

By Thomas Sowell
"Some people say that there is no point voting because there is no difference between the two major parties, and the other parties have no chance of winning. However, there is a difference: the Republicans are disappointing and the Democrats are dangerous." More.

Iraq

“Weak-kneed members of both parties have been calling for a timetable to be announced for withdrawal from Iraq. No other war in thousands of years of history has ever had such a timetable announced to their enemies. Even if we intended to get out by a given date, there is not the slightest reason to tell the terrorists that. It is frivolous politics at its worst.” Thomas Sowell

“For all of their promises to do a better job of fighting this war, Democrats have no plan, other than retreat. That is the plan the terrorists have for us.”
— Cal Thomas

Frivolous politics: Part III

By Thomas Sowell: "Republicans have been trying to win over the average black voter, something they are not likely to do for decades, if not generations, because political inertia is powerful." Read the complete article here.

Apocalypse soon: The clock is ticking - like mad
The world's powers great and small seem as paralyzed by events beyond their control as they were in 1914, or in the dithering 1930s. What was a distant cloud, the prospect of The Bomb in the hands of North Korea's Kim Jong-Il, is no longer distant. More.

Disarming North Korea
"Deterrence is what you do when there is no way to disarm your enemy. You cannot deprive him of his weapons, but you can keep him from using them. We long ago reached that stage with North Korea." Read more.

THE JUDICIARY

"The great object of my fear is the federal judiciary. That body, like gravity, ever acting, with noiseless foot, and unalarming advance, gaining ground step by step, and holding what it gains, is ingulfing insidiously the special governments into the jaws of that which feeds them."

-- Thomas Jefferson

Friday, October 13, 2006

About 2 weeks ago, I linked to this story and posted:

Got wine at the airport? It's harder to grab a cab
In a story appearing in our local liberal rag we find this: "When flight attendant Eva Buzek returned to Minneapolis from a trip to France, five taxi drivers refused to take her home from the airport. The reason? She had two bottles of wine in her suitcase -- and the drivers were Muslims, who don't drink and refuse to have alcohol in their taxis."

The story also caught the eye of the Patriot Post and they had this to say:
Recently, a new class has been asserting its “rights” under the law. To comply with Sharia law, Muslim cab drivers who work the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport are refusing to accommodate paying passengers who may have alcoholic beverages in their possession. In doing so, they are violating the spirit of the 1964 Act by denying a public accommodation. Additionally, taxi services and other commercial enterprises at the airport are regulated by the Metropolitan Airports Commission, a quasi-governmental organization. The approximately 675 Muslim cab drivers petitioned for a two-color beacon to indicate their (un)willingness to transport alcohol, but the commission wisely rejected the idea. We at The Patriot have a simpler solution: Arrest them for violating the law. If they don’t want to risk the eternal wrath of Allah for transporting a business executive with a bottle of champagne, perhaps they can pursue another line of work more suitable to their beliefs.

I could not agree more. We need to wise up and be careful how we handle this conflict of social and religious values. In our attempt to be socially accomodating, we are going to find ourselves, if we are not careful, falling off the cliff and at the feet of Sharia law.

My friend over at Some Things Just Need To Be Said, has a post and a link to an article that is pertinent to the subject at hand and is worthy of your time.

CANADA'S PUBLIC HEALTH INSURANCE IN SORRY STATE

The Fraser Institute came out with a report in September of 2006, "Paying More, Getting Less 2006: Measuring the Sustainability of Public Health Insurance in Canada.

It does not paint a very rosey picture of the sustainability of their present health care system. Here is the summary:
This study is The Fraser Institute’s third annual report on the financial sustainability of provincial public health insurance. Every year the data are updated and new projections generated. This year’s analysis again uses the most recent five-year trends in the annual growth rates for total provincial public expenditure on health care and total provincial government revenue from all sources to project future growth in these measures. The results confirm that health-care financing, as it is currently structured in Canada, is not financially sustainable. Health spending has been growing faster on average than revenue in all provinces for a long time and has also outpaced inflation and economic growth. This has resulted in health care taking up an increasing share of provincial revenue over time, despite higher tax burdens in each of the provinces as well as government policies that restrict access to medically necessary goods and services.

The analysis in this study show that, if provincial governments continue to pursue policies that lead to the same rates of growth in health spending and revenue that have been observed in the recent past, public health-care expenditures will soon exceed the capacity of governments to pay for them. Based on the most recent five-year trends, public health spending in six of 10 provinces is on pace to consume more than half of total revenue from all sources by the year 2020, two thirds by the year 2035, and all of provincial revenue by 2050. Last year, public spending on health care in seven of 10 provinces was on pace to consume more than half of total revenues by 2022, two thirds by the year 2032, and all of provincial revenue by 2050."

The full publication (in PDF format) can be seen here. (660KB)

Ban to be next UN Secretary General

The Patriot Post has some fairly strong reservations about the new secretary general appointee for the United Nations. And, they are valid concerns.
...... picking someone from South Korea, considering recent developments regarding North Korea'’s nuclear program, is unique. Irrespective of the fact that he hails from the Korean peninsula, Ban will need to put the North at the top of his agenda. The problem is that Ban'’s track record as President Roo Moo-Hyun's foreign minister is quite poor. Ban has been effective at pursuing Roo'’s uncomfortably accommodating stance with the North, buckling like a belt in the face of Kim Jong-Il'’s provocations. Ban went so far as to state prior to the 4 July test-firing of seven long-range missiles that North Korea was merely looking to launch a civilian satellite. Nothing in North Korea is ever done for its civilians. It is a Stalinist dictatorship through and through. Ban'’s failure to realize this as South Korea'’s foreign-policy chief does not bode well for his nation. If he takes this same mentality to Turtle Bay, the UN could become even more feckless and irrelevant than it has been under Annan."

FREEDOM

“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.”

—Thomas Paine

NAME CALLING

Astonishing isn't it ..... how the left can so easily and so quickly resort to name calling and abusive language.
DePaul Professor ‘Defames Catholic Education,’ Group Says
The head of a Catholic advocacy group has lashed out at a DePaul University professor for “defam[ing] Catholic education” by calling a supporter of Israel a “moral pervert” and comparing him to a Nazi..."

U.N. approves S. Korea's Ban as leader Sec. Gen.

The United Nation's, today, approved South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon to serve as the next U.N. secretary-general. The last Asian leader to serve in this post was U Thant, from Burma, serving from 1961 to 1971. He will be the eigth secretary-general to serve and he will assume the post on January 1, replacing the scandal plagued Kofi Annan, from Ghana, who has led the world body for the past 10 years. Scandals under Annan's leadership included, sexual harassment, oil-for-food program, and the world bank corruption along with others like the UN "agreeing to pay the legal fees of Benon Sevan, the disgraced head of the oil for food programme, out of the funds raised from the Iraqi oil sales"1, and "the destruction of thousands of critically important documents by the UN chief of staff"2 relative to the investigation of the oil for food scandal.

And we should not forget (although it may seem minor in comparison to all of the other scandals) the pilferage on a grand scale "when kitchen workers at United Nations headquarters walked off the job in a dispute over holiday pay, the cream of the world's diplomats knew just what to do; they thronged to the site's five unattended restaurants and stole everything that wasn't nailed down."3


On January 1st, 2007, a new incoming breath of fresh air:


On January 1st, 2007, "Ghana With The Wind":

And a good riddance, I might add.

Ban said to the asssembly, "I will work diligently to materialise our responsibility to protect the most vulnerable members of humanity and for the peaceful resolution of threats to international security and regional stability."

He also had this to say, "The true measure of success for the U.N. is not how much we promise, but how much we deliver for those who need us most."

Approving of Ban's appointment, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said, "'We believe he is the right person to lead the United Nations at this decisive moment in its history, particularly as the UN struggles to fulfill the terms of the reform agenda that world leaders agreed to last fall."

Here's to hoping that Ban will be able to accomplish what Annan could not. Well, I guess that's not setting the bar very high. Let's say I am hoping Mr. Ban will be able to accomplish meaningful reform.

Some Things Just Need To Be Said
posts on this topic as well.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Rep. Shays: Foley Scandal No Chappaquiddick

"Republican Rep. Christopher Shays defended the House speaker's handling of a congressional page scandal, saying no one died like at Chappaquiddick in 1969 when Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy was involved.

'I know the speaker didn't go over a bridge and leave a young person in the water, and then have a press conference the next day,' the embattled Connecticut congressman told The Hartford Courant in remarks published Wednesday.

'Dennis Hastert didn't kill anybody,' he added."

Democrat leader reaped $1.1 million from sale of land he didn't own


By John Solomon And Kathleen Hennessey, Associated Press
USATODAY.com

WASHINGTON —
"Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid collected a $1.1 million windfall on a Las Vegas land sale even though he hadn't personally owned the property for three years, property deeds show.

In the process, Reid did not disclose to Congress an earlier sale in which he transferred his land to a company created by a friend and took a financial stake in that company, according to records and interviews.

The Nevada Democrat's deal was engineered by Jay Brown, a longtime friend and former casino lawyer whose name surfaced in a major political bribery trial this summer and in other prior organized crime investigations. He's never been charged with wrongdoing — except for a 1981 federal securities complaint that was settled out of court."

Other Headline News

US Wants Deal on North Korea by Friday

On a Roll: Dow Hits Record High Again

"What if the Liberals Win in November?

"A conservative advocacy group is not only asking the “what if” question, it’s answering it – and then urging conservatives to get out and vote in November. “As bad as things are, they will be infinitely worse if the liberals win,” the group said..."

"Mea Culpa: Kerry ‘Regrets’ Voting for Iraq Resolution

"Sen. John F. Kerry, who may be running for president again, says that voting to authorize the war in Iraq is one of his biggest political mistakes. 'There’s nothing -- nothing -- in my life in public service I regret more, nothing even close. We should all be willing to say: I was wrong, I should not have voted for the Iraq War Resolution,” Kerry wrote..."

The GWOP is headed nowhere

The global war on poverty (GWOP) does not seem to be gaining any traction.
Poorest nations unlikely to reach poverty-reduction targets
Financial Express.bd - Bangladesh

UNITED NATIONS - "The United Nations has warned that despite increased official development aid and wider debt cancellation, the world's 50 poorest ..."

Mexico probes alleged Hezbollah financing, reports say

New Zealand Herald

MEXICO CITY - "Mexican and US agents are investigating a group in Mexico that they believe is funding Lebanese Hizbollah guerrillas, two newspapers reported on ..."

Yep. That's the answer. No religion. That will solve all our problems.

Let's look at some of the world's most murderous leaders in history and we will clearly see the religous connections .... like Stalin.. Lenin.. Hitler... Pol Pot.. oops.. I guess those were not such great examples. But....yet...we have 'stories' such as this:
The root of war
Belleville News-Democrat - Belleville,IL,USA
... religion. The Israel/Hezbollah conflict is just one of the latest reasons this earth would be so much better off without religion. ...

Lebanon Threatens To Wield Hezbollah Against Israel
All Headline News - USA
Jerusalem, Israel (AHN) - Lebanon's parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, insists that Hezbollah will remain fully armed despite international agreements and will ...

French police face Muslim 'intifada'
Radical Muslims in France's housing estates are waging an undeclared "intifada," or uprising, against the police, with violent clashes injuring about 14 officers each day.

Bush to follow through

"President Bush yesterday pledged to follow through on building 698 miles of wall along the U.S.-Mexico border but said that the Department of Homeland Security will decide where and that he wants sensors and cameras to watch the border." More.

Japan slaps Pyongyang with trade sanctions

Japan halted trade with North Korea yesterday, while the United States and other nations sought additional penalties against the communist state for reportedly conducting a nuclear test.

Intelligence failure cited in Korean crisis

"Recent U.S. intelligence analyses of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs were flawed and the lack of clarity on the issue hampered U.S. diplomatic efforts to avert the underground blast detected Sunday, according to Bush administration officials." More.

NOT TOO SMOOTH

Computer is working a little weird, kinda' slow. Not sure if it's my provider (Comcast) or some other problem. Hang with me folks, thanks.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

According To Some Federal Courts And Public Schools: Christianity Out, Islam In

ANN ARBOR, MI – "A three-week intensive indoctrination into the Islamic faith by a California public school district was allowed to stand by the U. S. Supreme Court last week. A California federal trial court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals had earlier ruled that such indoctrination was constitutional.

The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, outraged by the obvious double standard in the application of the Establishment Clause jurisprudence by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which has held “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional, but allows this kind of Islamic instruction in public schools, had requested that the Supreme Court review the case." Read on.

Federal Appellate Court: Law Center’s Legal Challenge to School District’s Ban on Christmas Music Can Proceed

ANN ARBOR, MI — "The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ruled today that the Thomas More Law Center’s constitutional challenge to a New Jersey school district’s policy that banned all religious music in the district’s public schools can proceed. The ruling reversed a lower court’s decision dismissing the complaint for failure to state a..." Read more.

Thomas More Law Center Confronts ACLU Over Berkley, Michigan Nativity Display

ANN ARBOR, MI – "The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, yesterday sent a letter to city officials in Berkley, Michigan, offering to defend the City at no charge should the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sue the City over the nativity scene the City has included in its holiday display each December for the past sixty-five years. The Thomas More Law Center encouraged the City to keep the nativity scene as part of its annual holiday display."

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Al-Qaida Leader: Attack the White House

"A man believed to be a top al Qaeda militant who escaped from a U.S. jail near Kabul was shown in a new videotape broadcast on Tuesday exhorting followers in Afghanistan to fight on until they attack the White House.

'Allah will not be pleased until we reach the rooftop of the White House,' Abu Yahya al-Libi was shown telling fighters in the tape aired by the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya television."

Didn't they get the Democrat memo? Damn it!! Don't they know we are not at war? Why in the hell do they want to bomb us? Note of reminder to the Dems: Put terrorists email address ( infidelsaresuckers@caliphate.com) in email address book, to ensure they get ALL the talking points.

GOP Will Win in November

"Now, there may be a small number of idiots who actually believe they will somehow best serve the conservative cause by putting into power, by their absence at the polls, an assemblage of loony leftists who will turn the Hill in the nation's largest nuthouse, raise their taxes, tie the hands of the president in the middle of a war where the West's very survival is at stake, and advance the cause of socialism that is so dear to their hearts.

At the most, that cadre of discontented conservatives will attract a lot of noise, but because they are the tiniest of minorities and obviously slightly deranged, their protests will fall on deaf ears." Read the rest of Phillip Brennan's piece.

Bush: 'Keep Your Tax Cuts; Vote GOP'

"President Bush said Tuesday a vote for Democrats in the Nov. 7 election is a vote for higher taxes.

Changing his election-year focus from national security to the economy, the president criticized Democrats at a fundraiser for former Republican Rep. Mac Collins. Collins is seeking a comeback by challenging Rep. Jim Marshall, D-Ga., in one of the few seats the GOP hopes to snatch.

'Next month, our nation has to make a choice: Do we keep taxes low so you can keep our economy growing? Or do we let the Democrats in Washington raise taxes and hurt the growth of the economy?' Bush asked. The White House distributed excerpts of his speech before the event." Read on.

Russia Blasts Planned U.S. Anti-Missile Shield in Poland

"Russia hit out on Tuesday at U.S. plans to deploy an anti-missile shield on Polish soil, saying the move was an attempt to destabilize the balance of power.

Washington is investing billions of dollars to develop a missile defense system which would use rockets to shoot down hostile missiles.

It is considering placing its biggest anti-missile site outside the United States and is talking to Poland and the Czech Republic about possible locations."

What clear thinking. The Russians, the Chinese, the Iranians, to name a few, all think alike. In their twisted minds, a defense shield is to be discouraged. Because why? It "destabilize(s) the balance of power. There are some here in the United States that share in this same twisted logic.

Iran's Khamenei: 'No Retreat' on Enrichment

"Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's highest authority, said on Tuesday the country would pursue its right to develop nuclear technology, and hinted it would not suspend uranium enrichment as the West demands.

'Our policy is clear, progress with clear logic and insisting on the nation's right without any retreat,' state television quoted him as saying, in reference to Tehran's nuclear programme."

Cold Alaskans Refuse Chavez's 'Free' Oil


"In Alaska's native villages, the punishing winter cold is already penetrating the walls of the lightly insulated plywood homes, many of the villagers are desperately poor, and heating-oil prices are among the highest in the nation.

And yet a few of the small communities want to refuse free heating oil from Venezuela, on the patriotic principle that no foreigner has the right to call their president 'the devil.'"

Sen. McCain Blasts Clinton 'Failure' on North Korea

"Republican Sen. John McCain on Tuesday accused former President Clinton, the husband of his potential 2008 White House rival, of failing to act in the 1990s to stop North Korea from developing nuclear weapons.

'I would remind Senator (Hillary) Clinton and other Democrats critical of the Bush administration's policies that the framework agreement her husband's administration negotiated was a failure,' McCain said at a news conference after a campaign appearance for Republican Senate candidate Mike Bouchard.

'The Koreans received millions and millions in energy assistance. They've diverted millions of dollars of food assistance to their military,' he said."

The Follies of Sensitivity

“It seems to me that one sign this war is over is when Muslims are grown-up enough not to go to full-blown baklava nuts over other folks touching their Qurans. Of course, for the likes of Sen. [Pat] Leahy, not only is the war far from over, it hasn’t even begun. Almost every argument in this area isn’t ‘about’ the war so much as whether there even is a war. As the Washington Post reported, ‘The Senate joined the House in embracing President Bush’s view that the battle against terrorism justifies the imposition of extraordinary limits on defendants’ traditional rights in the courtroom.’ Well, they’re only ‘extraordinary’ if you regard these men as traditional ‘defendants.’ If you regard them as traditional wartime detainees—rather than OJs in turbans—the only ‘extraordinary’ aspect of this is the kid gloves with which not just their Qurans but the jihadists themselves are handled. This is the only war in American history in which enemy detainees have been freed before the end of hostilities. Of those released, at least 22 are known to have returned to the battlefield in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere. The ones who remain are dangerous men, no matter how ‘sensitive’ you are. They unscrewed the foot pads from those Asian-style toilets and used them as bludgeons to attack the guards. After listening to Pat Leahy’s contribution to the debate, I wonder if the Gitmo medical facility’s lavish team of mental health experts might not be more usefully deployed to the U.S. Senate.”

—Mark Steyn

ANTI-BUSHISM

“We’re in a war with irrational people that would like to kill us. We have a choice between people that are largely rational in dealing with matters of life and death, and people that not only are not rational on policy, but they’re completely irrational when you ask them a question... We are living in very serious, very sober times. Why in the world would we want to turn over the world’s last remaining superpower to people that not only aren’t serious and sober, but have no understanding of what serious and sober even mean? Especially with [MSNBC’s Keith] Olbermann, who is by all accounts a well-educated man, how can you have a difference of opinion with a person who is so consumed by hatred at George Bush that he will reflexively see black if he hears Bush describe something as white. His Bush hatred has gone so far, it’s not that he will just take the opposite view that Bush has out of partisanship, he will believe the opposite has to be true, because he thinks Bush is the ultimate in evil. His worldview has evolved beyond liberalism. It’s now anti-Bushism. His moral compass has now been calibrated as to take exactly the opposite view as Bush. Can you imagine a co-Clinton White House, with a Keith Olbermann as the press secretary? Still thinking about not supporting the Republicans this Fall?”

—Duane Patterson

“In rejecting Social Security discussions [recently], the Democrats painted the conservatives’ petition as a Trojan horse designed to get personal accounts back onto the table. Even if that were true, since when was all mention of personal accounts taboo for Democrats? A decade ago, a majority of the appointees to Bill Clinton’s Social Security commission came out in favor of personal accounts. If today’s Democratic leaders were even a little bit awake, they would realize that the case for Social Security reform has grown stronger since the Clinton era. A new body of research shows how the lack of reform threatens core Democratic constituencies. Social Security benefits were designed in the 1930s to protect traditional couples. But married couples make up a declining fraction of the adult population, particularly among minorities... But instead [Democrats] get a childish gratification out of stamping their feet and refusing to discuss the subject.”

—Sebastian Mallaby

Lessons Taught by North Korea

By Charles R. Smith

"According to highly placed intelligence sources, Iran had an observer team present at the North Korean nuclear test."

[snip]

"U.S. officials are well aware that Iran has been funding North Korean weapons development."

[snip]

".... the unspoken link to both Iran and North Korea is China — the cross-roads between funding and technology. North Korea is taking payments for its weapons sales and development for Iran through Chinese banks. In turn, most of the technology being sold by North Korea to Iran was obtained from China." Read on.

IN MOURNING

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

1. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

2. Knowing when to come in out of the rain;

3. Why the early bird gets the worm;

4. Life isn't always fair; and

5. Maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.

Reports of a 6 year old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouth wash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or a band-aid to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 3 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

If you still remember him, say a prayer for him (just be careful not to get caught doing so). If not, join the majority and do nothing.

U.S. doubts Korean test was nuclear

"U.S. intelligence agencies say, based on preliminary indications, that North Korea did not produce its first nuclear blast yesterday.

U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that seismic readings show that the conventional high explosives used to create a chain reaction in a plutonium-based device went off, but that the blast's readings were shy of a typical nuclear detonation.

'We're still evaluating the data, and as more data comes in, we hope to develop a clearer picture,' said one official familiar with intelligence reports.

'There was a seismic event that registered about 4 on the Richter scale, but it still isn't clear if it was a nuclear test. You can get that kind of seismic reading from high explosives.'"

The Washington Times

“The dustbin of history is littered with remains of those countries that relied on diplomacy to secure their freedom. We must never forget... in the final analysis... that it is our military, industrial and economic strength that offers the best guarantee of peace for America in times of danger.”

—Ronald Reagan

“If America is ever to triumph in its war against Islamic terrorism, we must get past the idea that we are its root cause. Specifically, we must get past the idea that a suicide bomber is just a peace-loving Muslim who, if we hadn’t set him off, would be growing figs and building sandcastles. Strapping explosives to your torso, marching yourself into a crowded marketplace and blowing yourself up in order to slaughter as many civilians, including women and children, as you can is a profoundly demented act, an act which undoes a dozen or so millennia in the moral evolution of the human species. Such an act is not triggered by America’s sociopolitical landscape or by its foreign policy. Rather, it is nurtured by an intellectually degenerate culture, sponsored by sleazy kleptocratic regimes and authorized by a once-honorable religious tradition perverted to serve the pipedreams of an apocalyptic death cult. It’s Muslim civilization, not America, that must change in order for Islamic terrorism to cease.”

—Mark Goldblatt

Monday, October 09, 2006

Scientists Probe North Korea Nuke Test

Was it a dud? That seems to be the question now.

From Yahoo News:
"North Korea sets off an earthshaking explosion _ and claims it was nuclear. Was it? For scientists, that was not a quick and easy question to answer.

Like earthquakes, large explosions send out shockwaves that can be detected on seismographs. Big nuclear bombs make big waves, with clear signatures that make them fairly easy to detect, analyze and confirm that they were caused by splitting atoms. But smaller blasts _ as North Korea's appears to have been _ are trickier to break down.

The natural sound of the Earth, with its constant seismic activity of tectonic plates grinding together, complicates the task of trying to determine whether a smaller blast was caused by conventional explosives or a nuclear device, said Xavier Clement of France's Atomic Energy Commission.

His agency estimated the North Korean blast at around 1 kiloton or less _ equivalent to the explosive force of 1,000 tons of TNT. For a nuclear device, that would be so weak that the French defense minister suggested that 'there could have been a failure' with the North Korean reported test."

  1. CNS News Flashback: US Aid Helps N. Korea Build Nukes, Congress Told
  2. CNS News Flashback: Bush Urged to End Clinton Nuke Deal With N Korea

Abbas Says Hamas Doesn’t Need to Recognize Israel
Jerusalem
– P.A. Chairman Mahmoud Abbas says that neither Hamas nor his own Fatah faction needs to recognize Israel. Only individual ministers serving in the P.A. government should be required to do so, he said...

Appeals Court Blocks Arizona’s Voter ID Law
"Arizona voters have until midnight Monday to register to vote for the midterm elections – and following last week’s federal court ruling, they won’t need proof of citizenship to register and they won’t need to show photo IDs when they cast ballots on Nov. 7..."

Critics have been saying that Arizona's new voter ID represented nothing more than a poll tax, calling it a "21st century poll tax." This is just so idiotic and we should not be surprised to find that we have The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to thank for this moronic ruling.

Red Alert: North Korea -- Is There a Military Solution?

"Whatever the political realities may seem to dictate after a North Korean nuclear test, an overt military strike -- even one limited to cruise missiles -- is not in the cards. The consequences of even the most restrained attack could be devastating." Read more.

NORTH KOREA

This is what Stratfor intelligence has to say on North Korea's nuclear testing:
In any event, North Korea will view the test as a victory. It will mark the acceptance of the government as a nuclear state. Further negotiations will have to take place under this new reality. North Korea cannot be isolated forever. North Korea has bet that anything less than a complete military invasion is a capitulation. Pyongyang will press for acceptance, similar to Pakistan. China and South Korea will be key; both desperately want to avoid any military action. They will end up negotiating with North Korea, finding a way to make the North comply with international regulations.

Democratic power no answer to the Foley affair
There's a difference between a party with principles not doing a good job executing those principles and a party with no principles. Anyone who thinks that turning the reins of power over to Democrats will raise the country's moral bar should take a cold shower.

Cooperation sought to fight organised crimes

Gorkhapatra - Kathmandu,Nepal
... crime prevention and criminal justice and international drug control at the Third Committee of the sixty-first session of the United Nations General Assembly ...

Moderate Sunnis in Lebanon fear rise of extremist groups
San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA
... weak performance of Lebanon's Sunni-led government during this summer's 34-day conflict between Israel and the Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah, radical Sunnis ...

Blair Joins United Nations in Condemning North Korea Nuclear Test: Calls it “completely irresponsible act”

Christian Today

"The United Nations Security Council has condemned North Korea’s claim of a successful nuclear test on Monday. At an emergency meeting the council demanded that the communist nation immediately return to six-party talks regarding its weapons program, a UN ambassador has reported.

The United States has also said that it will seek UN sanctions to curb North Korea's import and export of material that could be used to make and deliver weapons of mass destruction, as well as its illicit financial activities.

In addition, a document later presented to the press confirmed that the US had proposed a trade ban on all military and luxury items travelling into the country, as well as the power to inspect all cargo entering or leaving the country, and to freeze assets connected to North Korea’s weapons programs.

Joining the US in the strict stance were Britain and France, who stated that they would jointly seek a resolution under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter to request sanctions." More.

Notice Russia and China are absent from the the "strict stance" the aforementioned three countries took (no surprise here) and France most likely has one hand behind their back(s) with fingers crossed.

Korea: Are the New North Korean Preparations Just for Show?

Shortly after reports of North Korea conducting a nuclear test, South Korea was reporting increased and unusual activity, leading to speculation of a 2nd nuclear test.

Their first test registered at 4.2 on the Richter scale. This is a relatively small disturbance as far as nuclear blasts are concerned. Did it not function properly? Or was there some other planned motivation for this "small blast"?

They probably have the ability to carry out another test. But is it necessary? They may be calculating they will be able to attain as much political mileage by "faking an end around" and posturing as if a second test is in the works.

If their intent is a strategy of delaying a solution to the crisis for as long as possible, they most likely can achieve this by keeping the United States, Japan, South Korea and China off balance and on edge over concerns of a second test, resulting in indecisiveness and a lack of unity. This would, at least in their calculations, give them more time and leverage.

Sadly, they are correct; as we all should know by now, the U.N., specifically the Security Council, will do nothing. Realistically, I don't know what can be done to change the mind of a dictator who cares not about his people, and cares only about power. This is the age old problem that is faced by man whenever some ruler wants to gain more power and starts to rattle his sabers. Responding with force seems to be the only answer despite it being a rather unpalatable choice.

Timeline of a Nuclear Bomb

The Clinton Legacy: North Korea's Bomb

"North Korea's first detonation of a nuclear weapon may have taken place during the watch of George W. Bush — but it was under the Clinton administration's watch that the communist regime began gathering necessary materials and constructing the bomb."

Go here to read more and see the timeline details.

Mass poisoning of Iraqi police

Iraq PM orders probe into mass poisoning of police
NUMANIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - At least seven policemen died and hundreds of others fell ill after suffering food poisoning on Sunday evening in the town of Numaniya, south of Baghdad, police...

NORTH KOREA NEWS

REUTERS
Defiant North Korea conducts nuclear test
North Korea said it conducted an underground nuclear test on Monday, defying a warning from the U.N. Security Council and opening its crippled economy to the risk of fresh sanctions.

BREITBART.COM
Japan deploys 4 jets to check radioactivity level of nuke test: "Japan's Defense Agency on Monday deployed three Air Self-Defense Force T-4 trainer jets to check levels of radioactivity over the Sea of Japan and other areas following North Korea's announcement about its nuclear test."

REUTERS
S. Korea fears N. Korea may conduct another nuclear test

Unusual signs detected at a North Korean town.

REUTERS
China denounces "brazen" North Korea nuclear test
BEIJING - China said on Monday it firmly opposed North Korea's nuclear test, denouncing it as "brazen" in unusually strong language, and demanded Pyongyang stop any action that could worsen the situation.

BREITBART
Japan calls it 'deplorable'

"We didn't think North Korea would do it, and we didn't want it to do it," Terumi Tanaka, chief of the confederation known as Hidankyo, said. "The nuclear non-proliferation treaty that permitted nuclear weapons' possession by five countries including the United States is an unfair framework, but we still cannot permit another country to possess nuclear arms."


BREITBART
NKorea nuclear test would be "provocative": WHouse
WASHINGTON - A North Korean nuclear test would constitute a "provocative act" and Washington expects the U.N. Security Council to take immediate action, the White House said early

Sunday, October 08, 2006

'The Enemy Within'

TimesDispatch.com
Are Terror Cells Operating Beneath the Dragnet?

JOHN HALL
Richmond Times-Dispatch


Washington - "In the five years since the 9/11 attacks, no plot has been uncovered inside U.S. borders that could be classified as a terrorist cell connected to the international al-Qaida network.

It could be that nothing sinister is going on inside American borders. It also could be that Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, are biding their time. Could they be waiting for a new American partner to evade wiretapping and stealthily emerge from the radical Muslim community before the FBI can find them and roll them up?"

North Korea claims nuclear test

BREAKING NEWS
MSNBC.com:

Official news agency says no radioactive leakage

SEOUL, South Korea - "North Korea said Monday it has performed its first-ever nuclear weapons test.

U.S. and South Korean officials could not immediately confirm the report.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said the underground test was performed successfully and there was no radioactive leakage from the site."

Iran arrests controversial cleric


BBC NEWS: "An Iranian cleric, Mohammed Kazemeini Boroujerdi, has been arrested amid clashes between his supporters and police outside his house in Teheran.

Police used tear gas to disperse hundreds of his followers, who had formed a cordon around his residence.

In his sermons Mr Boroujerdi advocated a traditional interpretation of Islam which separates religion from politics. He is accused of misinterpreting Islam.

However, his supporters see him as a religious leader with spiritual powers."

30 Iraq militants killed in street battle with US

Telegraph : "American and Iraqi troops have killed 30 Shia militiamen during fierce street battles in the southern city of Diwaniya, according to the US military.

Explosions and machinegun fire rocked the city overnight and people were ordered to stay indoors today. The curfew has now been lifted.

A US battle tank was severely damaged by rocket-propelled grenades during the fighting, which began when militants opened fire on troops trying to arrest a 'high-value' target."

Church sidelined 'by Government favouritism to Muslims'

The Church of England has accused the Government of deliberately favouring Muslims in a drive to encourage interfaith relations. In a confidential document the Church claims this has left Britain 'more separated than ever before'.. more

MORE PROOF

Here's more proof that socialized medicine is not the great program we hear it is, contrary to the propaganda doled out by the left.
Pensioner's 14-year wait for a hearing aid
A severely deaf pensioner who joined the waiting list for a hearing aid was stunned to discover it is 14 YEARS long. Frail June Hews couldn't believe her ears when hospital staff told her she was number 582 on the waiting list .. more

Major chains refuse to play Bush death film

Yahoo! News: "'We would not be inclined to program this film,' Regal Entertainment Group CEO Mike Campbell said. 'We feel it is inappropriate to portray the future assassination of a sitting president, regardless of political affiliation.'

Texas-based Cinemark USA also has declined to play the indie film, corporate spokesman Terrell Falk said. The circuit, which recently completed its acquisition of northern California-based Century Theatres, will not allow the regional player to book the film either. 'We're not playing it on any of our screens,' Falk said. 'It's a subject matter we don't wish to play. We decided to pass on the film.' "

Mass Venezuela opposition rally


BBC NEWS: "Tens of thousands of people have marched through the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, in support of the main opposition candidate, Manuel Rosales.

Mr Rosales will face President Hugo Chavez in December's presidential poll.

The march, which filled the main avenues of the city centre, was the biggest opposition rally Venezuela has seen since early 2004.

Then, protesters made an unsuccessful bid to oust Mr Chavez from power in a recall referendum."

Several hundred Iraqi police poisoned

Yahoo! News: "BAGHDAD, Iraq - Several hundred Iraqi police fell sick from poisoning during a meal breaking their daily Ramadan fast on Sunday, Iraqi officials said. The cause was under investigation."