'Where's the Border Fence?' Grassroots Group Asks

By Monisha Bansal
CNSNews.com Staff Writer

(CNSNews.com) - "A conservative grassroots group opposed to current immigration reform efforts in the Senate is to begin a national television ad campaign Wednesday calling attention to the 700-mile border fence approved by Congress last year but yet to be built.

Grassfire.org is asking Congress to 'abandon its reckless amnesty agenda' by opposing the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act. Grassfire.org identifies itself as a 'conservative, pro-family and pro-faith' organization comprising 'hundreds of thousands of citizens.'

Ron De Jong, communications director for Grassfire.org, told Cybercast News Service on Tuesday that before lawmakers 'march on' to the next bill, they need to address last year's bill authorizing a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border." Read on.

Carbon Tax Inevitable, Analysts Say

A tax-based approach to reducing carbon emissions "is going to happen," a panel of economists and tax analysts agreed Tuesday. The panelists differed only on whether a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade system would be the best approach…

Anthrax Mystery: Evidence Points to al-Qaida

Report: Giuliani Wants 'Individualized' Health Insurance

"Republican presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani is preparing to lay out a health-care plan that would mark a significant change in how health insurance is paid for in the United States, the Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition on Wednesday."

InfoUSA's Gupta Bows Out of Hillary Fundraiser

"Embattled businessman Vinod Gupta is bowing out of Thursday night’s fundraiser for Hillary Clinton – even though he is the vice chairman of the event.

Gupta is evidently seeking to keep a low profile following revelations about his financial links to Bill and Hillary Clinton.

But Gupta simply told the New York Post: 'I’ve got other things to do.' " Read on.

Edwards Rips Hillary's Terror Remarks

"Presidential contender John Edwards on Thursday disputed Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton's claim that the U.S. is safer since Sept. 11 and contended GOP candidate Rudy Giuliani will never win if he embraces President Bush's policies.

Speaking on the New Yorkers' home turf — and not far from Ground Zero ......."

McCain Backer Bails Over Immigration

"COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Republican White House hopeful John McCain's support for a bipartisan immigration bill has cost him the backing of a South Carolina county campaign chairman."

The Secrets of Countersurveillance

By Fred Burton
STRATFOR.COM
TERRORISM INTELLIGENCE REPORT

"Almost any criminal act, from a purse-snatching to a terrorist bombing, involves some degree of pre-operational surveillance. In fact, one common denominator of all the different potential threats -- whether from lone wolves, militant groups, common criminals or the mentally disturbed -- is that those planning an operation all monitor their target in advance. However, while pickpockets or purse-snatchers case their victims for perhaps only a few seconds or minutes, a militant organization might conduct detailed surveillance of a target for several weeks or even months.

Regardless of the length of time surveillance is performed, however, the criminal or militant conducting it is exposed, and therefore vulnerable to detection. Because of this, countersurveillance (CS) -- the process of detecting and mitigating hostile surveillance -- is an important, though often overlooked, element of counterterrorism and security operations. CS is especially important because it is one of the few security measures that allows for threats to be dealt with before they can develop into active attacks.

An effective CS program depends on knowing two "secrets": first, hostile surveillance is vulnerable to detection because those performing it are not always as sophisticated in their tradecraft as commonly perceived; and second, hostile surveillance can be manipulated and the operatives forced into making errors that will reveal their presence." READ ON.

Jailhouse Stripes for Thoughts?
By Ken Blackwell

'[T]he legitimate powers of government reach actions only and not opinions ....'
-Thomas Jefferson

"For those who commit physical crimes against others based on race, religion, or sexual orientation I have no sympathy. But the notion that government can punish thoughts and opinions, even offensive ones, is frightening.

A bill making it illegal for people of various faiths to freely hold and profess their respective religion's teaching on sexual morality is working its way through Congress. Regardless of your politics, every American who cares about free speech and religious liberty should ........."

America’s Insidious Descent Towards the Third World
By Christopher G. Adamo

Times have changed in the formerly tidy town of Lexington, Nebraska, in the prime of the nation’s heartland. Once a prim and quiet farm town, Lexington’s major industry was for many years a New Holland tractor factory, which offered hometown workers good jobs. But when the plant was converted to a meat packing facility, local workers were supplanted by a massive importation of illegals aliens. Much of the town now reflects a squalor not normally seen this side of the Mexican border. Many of the town’s businesses reflect the ethnic tidal wave that has overwhelmed it. Its fate should send shudders through the rest of the nation…

Lawmakers Target Cigarettes Designed to Attract Women
Three congressional Democrats have asked 11 major women’s magazines to reject advertisements for R.J. Reynolds’ Camel No. 9 cigarettes, which -- with their pink and black packaging -- are designed to appeal to women, critics say...

Most Americans Believe Media is Assaulting Morals, Study Shows
Sixty-eight percent of Americans say the media have damaged moral values in America, according to a report released Wednesday by the Culture and Media Institute. The report also concludes that the more a person watches television, the less likely he or she is to believe that the media are influencing the nation’s morals...

Bill Would Force Pharmacists to Offer Contraception
Congressional Democrats on Wednesday introduced a bill that would require pharmacies to offer emergency birth control, even if the pharmacists object to doing so on moral grounds...

“The crisis we are facing today [requires] our best effort, and our willingness to believe in ourselves, and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds; to believe that together, with God’s help, we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us. And after all, why shouldn’t we believe that? We are Americans.”—Ronald Reagan

PLAYING THE "FAITH CARD"

“I am very grateful that I had a grounding in faith that gave me the courage and the strength to do what I thought was right, regardless of what the world thought... I’m not sure I would have gotten through without my faith.” —Hillary Clinton

But is this not what makes Pres. Bush stubborn and unyielding and hated -- doing what he "thought was right, regardless of what the world thought"?

Oh, I guess this is not so unusual. Traits that make a Republican "bad" are on the other hand "good traits" to have if you are a Dem.

WAITING FOR A LEADER

“It’s like the American people are waiting for [the GOP]. They’re waiting for us to remember why we’re doing what we’re doing, about the ideas that inspired us, to remember who the leaders were that inspired us.” —Fred Thompson

“[P]references vividly demonstrate liberalism’s core conviction that government’s duty is not to allow social change but to drive change in the direction the government chooses. Conservatism argues that the essence of constitutional government involves constraining the state in order to allow society ample scope to spontaneously take unplanned paths.” —George Will

TAKING THE EASY WAY OUT

“How many of the 12-20 million illegal aliens will decide it’s better to keep the status quo than go through the hassles of getting a Z Visa? It will likely be millions.” —Bobby Eberle

WE MUST STAY VIGILANT

“Beware legislative behemoths. Beware ‘comprehensive immigration reform.’ Any bill that is 380 pages long is bound to have nooks and crannies reflecting private deals, quiet paybacks and ad hoc arrangements that you often don’t learn about until it’s too late.” —Charles Krauthammer

ON BRINGING THE TROOPS HOME

“When Democrats say they will bring the troops home, what they are really saying is that they will bring the war home.” —Alan Keyes

NO BIG DEAL

“You know that minor deal about catching those guys who wanted to blow up JFK Airport? The New York Times decided it was not worthy of front page coverage in its Sunday editions. Nor the second page, nor the third. The NY Times, in what can only be described as editorializing by placement, put it on page THIRTY, the page after the obituaries and the page before the chess column.” —Rich Galen

Judicial speech code: opposing a nominee for words he never said.

The Revenge of Conscience

By Albert Mohler
Townhall.com

Something noteworthy is happening in the mainstream media. First, The Los Angeles Times ran a story that, in all its horrible brutality, attempted to defend a couple's decision to kill selected fetuses in the woman's womb by means of what is euphemistically called "selective reduction." The article was chilling in its cold honesty and grotesque morality.

Then The New York Times runs a pair of articles that dealt honestly with the fact that 90 percent of fetuses with Down syndrome are being aborted.

Then The Washington Post Magazine published an extensive report on the practice of a doctor who specializes in targeting unborn babies in multiple pregnancies--killing them with a shot of potassium chloride to the heart. The article is one of the most chilling reports ever written on what really happens in these abortions.

This is evidence of the revenge of conscience. We can deny moral knowledge for only so long, and there is no denying the horror of what we now allow.

On a personal note, I have a younger brother who is Down Syndrom. He is a great person. A wonderful human being and my life is richer and fuller because of him. I cannot imagine my life without him being a part of it.

Castle Coalition: 50 State Report Card: Tracking Eminent Domain Reform Legislation since Kelo

"In the two years since the U.S. Supreme Court’s now-infamous decision in Kelo v. City of New London, 41 states have passed new laws aimed at curbing the abuse of eminent domain for private use."

My state, Minnesota, received a grade of B-. How did your state grade out? You can download just your state (PDF) or all 50.

Journalists Prefer Left-Wing WSJ Buyout over Murdoch

News media up in arms at prospect of media mogul owning Wall Street Journal and Fox News.
By Julia A. Seymour


On paper, it’s a match made in heaven. The proposed marriage of the business-savvy Wall Street Journal and the savvy businessman Rupert Murdoch was celebrated by investors and denounced by journalists.

“He’s a meddler on one hand and it may not be good for the workers,” CNN senior business correspondent Ali Velshi said of Murdoch during the May 6 “Reliable Sources.”

Read more at the Business & Media Institute.

ABC Attacks NASA Skeptic with 'Incensed' Scientists

But 'World News' segment left out liberal leanings of both scientists, and the reporter.

By Jeff Poor
Business & Media Institute

Read more.

Cuba: What a Great Place to Visit! Never Mind the Dictatorship

NBC's Matt Lauer points to tourism numbers as a sign that Cuba is flourishing under Fidel Castro's regime.

By Jeff Poor and Amy Menefee
Business & Media Institute


"Cuba’s a great place to live and visit – that’s the word in the media.

With Michael Moore’s “Sicko,” a film that glorifies the Cuban health care system, just three weeks from debuting in theaters, Matt Lauer hosted NBC’s “Today Show” from Havana and praised it as a “booming” economy." Read on.

COMMENTARY

Amy Menefee notes that every new 'right' the U.S. government has promised has turned into a massively expensive failure. Despite this, the old fossilized media continue to cheer supporters of such tax-funded programs. Read her commentary Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of 'Free' Health Care at the Business & Media Institute.

Compassion Versus Reality

By Walter E. Williams: "Dr. Thomas Sowell, a distinguished economist and longtime friend and colleague, recently wrote a series of columns under the title 'A War of Words.' He pointed out that liberals succeed in duping the public because they are so clever with words that they give the appearance of compassion. Liberals talk about the need for 'affordable' housing and health care. They tarnish their enemies with terms such as 'price-gouging' and 'corporate greed.' Uninformed and unthinking Americans fall easy prey to this demagoguery.

Politicians exploit public demands that government ought to do something about this or that problem by taking........"

John Edwards' Bumper-Sticker Liberalism

"Most of the Democratic base is simply unwilling to discuss policy with any sort of seriousness. Clinton's supporters are an agglomeration of political opportunists, Hillary-circa-1993 devotees, militant feminists and ardent Bill-lovers -- a more powerful version of the John Kerry coalition. Obama's fans are the racially focused and intellectually shallow, who shiver with secret excitement every time Obama utters the word 'understanding.' "
More by Ben Shapiro.

Yes, Immigration Is About Culture

By Terence Jeffrey

Why Is Profit a Dirty Word?

By John Stossel

Immigration Frustration

"One of the things that bothers me about the immigration bill is the view held in the White House and Congress that “something” must be done; the option of doing nothing is not an option. It is my experience that when this idea takes hold, it is almost inevitable that something bad will result.

In principle, I favor the free mobility of labor—just as I favor ....." More by Bruce Bartlett.

The Great Debate: Hillary vs. Hillary

"Contemporary candidates may draw scornful fire for their embarrassing public flip-flops but Hillary Clinton’s outright contradictions on the Iraq War represent a far more shameful and serious problem.

A so-called flip-flop reflects a change of mind and, if you’ve shifted position in a more liberal direction (like Al Gore and Dick Gephardt going from anti-abortion to pro-choice on abortion), then the mainstream press will even hail your switch as evidence of “growth.”

A contradiction, on the other hand, indicates confusion rather ......"

More by Michael Medved.

Ronald Reagan (February 6, 1911 — June 5, 2004)

“Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid. That’s why the Marxist vision of man without God must eventually be seen as an empty and a false faith—the second oldest in the world—first proclaimed in the Garden of Eden with whispered words of temptation: ‘Ye shall be as gods.’ The crisis of the Western world, Whittaker Chambers reminded us, exists to the degree in which it is indifferent to God... This is the real task before us: to reassert our commitment as a nation to a law higher than our own, to renew our spiritual strength. Only by building a wall of such spiritual resolve can we, as a free people, hope to protect our own heritage and make it someday the birthright of all men.”

— — Ronald Reagan

“The themes of a sound foreign policy should be no mystery, nor the result of endless agonizing reappraisals. They are rooted in our past—in our very beginning as a nation. ... To this day, America is still the abiding alternative to tyranny. That is our purpose in the world—nothing more and nothing less. To carry out that purpose, our fundamental aim in foreign policy must be to ensure our own survival and to protect those others who share our values. Under no circumstances should we have any illusions about the intentions of those who are enemies of freedom. Our... adversaries have little regard for human rights because they have little interest in human freedom... [I]f we are to preserve our own freedom—we must understand those who would dominate us and deal with them with determination. We must shoulder our burden with our eyes fixed on the future, but recognizing the realities of today, not counting on mere hope or wishes. We must be willing to carry out our responsibility as the custodian of individual freedom. Then we will achieve our destiny to be as a shining city on a hill for all mankind to see.”

— — Ronald Reagan

What does complexity have to do with freedom? Everything.

“Complexity is the enemy of freedom. Complexity is the friend of criminals who are not technically or legally criminals but who are morally criminals nonetheless... The immigration bill pending before Congress is a perfect example of how complexity is the enemy of freedom, the foe of democracy, the pal of cronies, the friend of power-mongers. The bill, which is one thousand pages of minutia, had not even been read by a single senator when it was introduced. Why, in the name of commonsense, do we need a one thousand page bill to solve the program of securing the borders of our nation? When, ever, has our nation needed a one thousand page bill in Congress? What is the purpose of a gigantic bill that no one will read and few will understand? The purpose is the same as Hillary’s health care schemes: to create so much complexity and confusion that no one can argue against anything except the idea or against the title of a particular bill... The boldness of the latest machinations shows just how far we have fallen. But the response of those yearning to be free and the fright of Congress means America is not dead yet.” — Bruce Walker

Killing the messenger

“Those pushing for price controls on gasoline are not likely to go into facts about the consequences of price controls, much less go into the economics that explains why such bad consequences have repeatedly followed price controls... When the conditions that determined the old prices change, the new prices are likely to be very different. That is not rocket science... In the United States, liberals have made it virtually impossible [to increase supply], by banning drilling in all sorts of places and preventing any new refinery from being built anywhere in the country in the last 30 years. Prices are like messengers carrying the news of supply and demand. Like other messengers carrying bad news, they face the danger that some people think the answer is to kill the messenger, rather than taking steps to change the news. The strongest proponents of price controls are the strongest opponents of producing more oil. They say the magic words ‘alternative energy sources’ and we are supposed to swoon—and certainly not ask any rude questions like ‘At what cost?”’ — Thomas Sowell

There's No Negotiating With Iran

"It's not 1979, and we're not watching it every night on television. But Iran has taken hostages again. Does anyone care? The sounds of near silence out of Washington suggest, 'not as much as we should.'

On May 8, the tyrannical regime in Tehran formally arrested a 67-year-old grandmother, Haleh Esfandiari. Not a sailor or marine -- like the 15 Brits Iran held hostage earlier this spring -- Esfandiari is a U.S.-Beltway-policy wonk: She is director of.........." More by Kathryn Jean Lopez.

Why diversity doesn't matter

"The current issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education has an article defending affirmative action by Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. The article is called 'Why Diversity Matters' and most of it consists of the usual platitutdes: diversity is good, we need diversity, America has become more diverse, diversity enhances education, blah, blah, blah.

At one time America looked to its Ivy League presidents to provide intellectual leadership on national issues. Now hardly anyone knows who these people are, and even fewer pay attention to what they say. This is generally a good thing."

More by Dinesh D'Souza.

In regards to "Adolescent Intellectuals"

"To a small child, the reason he cannot do many things that he would like to do is that his parents won't let him. Many years later, maturity brings an understanding that there are underlying reasons for doing or not doing many things, and that his parents were essentially conduits for those reasons.

The truly dangerous period in life is the time when the child has learned the limits of his parents' control, and how to circumvent their control, but has not yet understood or accepted the underlying reasons for doing and not doing things. This adolescent period is one that some people -- intellectuals especially -- never outgrow.

The widespread and fervent use of the word "liberation" in a wide variety of contexts is one of the signs of the adolescent belief that only arbitrary rules and conventions stand in the way of doing whatever we want to do." -- Thomas Sowell

Read more.

Headline of the Day

From the Las Vegas Sun:

Indicted Lawmaker Always Fond of Cash

"Jefferson's tangled legislative and business dealings dogged him from the beginning of his career. In the 1970s, a mayoral candidate dubbed the young politician 'Dollar Bill' Jefferson - a nickname inspired by stubborn questions about the future congressman's fondness for cash.

The nickname stuck as questions continued popping up about Jefferson's financial matters, including a loan default and a lawsuit for poor maintenance of his extensive real estate holdings. Jefferson also overdrew his congressional office's bank account. He was criticized when his law firm took lucrative contracts from his alma mater, Southern University, and the Louisiana attorney general's office while he served in the state Senate. No punitive action was taken." Read more.

Illegals bill stems traffic only 25%

"The Senate's immigration bill will cut annual illegal immigration by just 25 percent, and the bill's new guest-worker program could lead to at least 500,000 more illegal aliens within a decade, Congress' accounting arm said yesterday."

Student visitors find themselves reenacting a historic protest

"A university class from the Midwest passed through Philadelphia yesterday on a two-week tour of historic sites in the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender equal-rights movement.

When their red-and-white bus, adorned with the University of Wisconsin badger mascot, pulled up in front of Independence Hall...."

Obama Warns of 'Quiet Riot' Among Blacks

"HAMPTON, Va. (AP) - Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said Tuesday that the Bush administration has done nothing to defuse a 'quiet riot' among blacks that threatens to erupt just as riots in Los Angeles did 15 years ago.

The first-term Illinois senator said that ......"

Boy Scouts Threatened With Eviction From 'Cradle of Liberty'

"Seven years after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Boy Scouts of America to exclude homosexuals from its leadership ranks, the organization continues to face retaliation.

The latest action comes from the Philadelphia City Council, which last week passed a resolution to evict the Boy Scouts of America's Cradle of Liberty Council (COL) from the rent-free headquarters it has held for nearly 80 years, unless the COL backs away from its homosexual exclusion policy." Read more.

Border Agents Call Immigration Bill a 'Travesty'
By Nathan Burchfiel

(CNSNews.com) - A group of former Border Patrol agents opposed to comprehensive immigration reform on Monday called the proposal currently under consideration in the U.S. Senate a 'travesty,' a 'sellout' and a 'complete betrayal of the nation.' " Read on.

Terrorists Use Mexico to Enter U.S.

"Counterterrorism authorities have come to fear that the porous U.S.-Mexico border provides entry into the United States, not only for illegal aliens, but for Islamic terrorists as well.

And these same Islamic terrorists may also be using Mexico as the conduit to bring nuclear devices into the U.S. for a WMD attack.

Al-Qaida has already hatched plans to smuggle nuclear materials across the Mexican border and use them for a mammoth simultaneous attack on several large U.S. cities. Al-Qaida and other terrorist groups began infiltrating Mexico in the days after 9/11. By 2003, Canadian intelligence officials and Interpol told Mexican President Vincente Fox that al-Qaida had established several cells in Mexico to prepare for the next terrorist attacks.

Meanwhile hundreds of Tzozil Indians in southern Mexico converted to Islam and reportedly became involved in subversive activities. By 2004, al-Qaida cells were in place in northern Mexico and a large cell of Hezbollah was in Tijuana, on the U.S. border of California. The Muslim radicals enlisted the aid of Latino gangs, including Mara Salvatrucha, to help them slip across the border." More.

Immigration Bill Will Raid Pockets of U.S. Taxpayers

Phyllis Schlafly

As the details of the Senate immigration bill unfold, it is becoming apparent that the globalists' plan for the economic integration of North America is not just a figment of the imagination of conspiracy theorists, or an "urban legend" as one newspaper called it, or even a pipe dream of far-out world federalists...... More.

No More Trust on Immigration

By Cal Thomas

Former senator and probable Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson brought Virginia Republicans to their feet last Saturday night in Richmond when he said the public no longer believes in politicians who promise to secure the U.S. border as part of a bipartisan immigration bill..... More.

BIOLOGICAL WAR-FEAR

From WorldNetDaily
Seafood imports from China raised in untreated sewage
Fish products consumed by Americans doctored with dangerous drugs, chemicals

Virtual fence puts ranchers in 'war zone'

'It's like Big Brother is watching you'

Bill in Senate to cut illegals by only 25%

New guest-worker program could lead to 500,000 more aliens within decade

Senate aims to pass immigration bill

Despite claims by opponents it's tantamount to mass amnesty for illegals

Pelosi wage hike endangers workers' jobs

"A wage hike endorsed by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for tuna cannery workers in America Samoa probably will cost many of those workers their jobs, according to a company that makes its headquarters in Pelosi's California district.

The plan Pelosi moved through the House earlier this year was written to raise the lowest wage that is allowed from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour, over a period of several years

However, as WND reported, pundits caught her allowing an exemption for workers in American Samoa, where Del Monte Food Inc., which is run out of Pelosi's district that includes San Francisco, and the San Diego-based Chicken of the Sea International, employ an estimated 5,000 workers in their tuna works.

Faced with evidence supporting critical condemnations of 'double standards,' she relented and allowed the minimum wage bill for the rest of the United States and its other territories to include American Samoa." More.

History's worst mass killer gets Hollywood makeover

Man who slew 100 million people to have $60 million glam treatment.

"A man who is believed to have killed up to 100 million people in his life is to be the subject of a positive $60 million biographical film portrait, if a Hollywood producer gets his way.

'Challenging Heaven' by Steven North will tell the story of the founding of Communist China with Mao Zedong in the role of George Washington.

North is currently trying to romance Beijing into offering support for the project.

'This is a very positive portrayal of Mao, and we are hoping that once the script clears the approval process, China will come forward with services and support,' he said." More.

"Cold Cash" Jefferson Finally Indicted

I have been wondering what had happened to this case. On the surface it seemed like they had him cold -- or at least his money.

Rep. William Jefferson Indicted on 16 Counts:
"WASHINGTON -- Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., was indicted Monday on federal charges of racketeering, soliciting bribes and money-laundering in a long-running bribery investigation into business deals he tried to broker in Africa.

The indictment handed up in federal court in Alexandria., Va., Monday is 94 pages long and lists 16 alleged violations of federal law that could keep Jefferson in prison for up to 235 years, according to a Justice Department official who has seen the document." More.

Gupta's InfoUSA Pays Pelosi's Son

"A database company that has showered money on Bill and Hillary Clinton – and is alleged to have aided scam artists – now appears to have close links to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's family as well.

The firm InfoUSA, headed by major Clinton backer Vinod Gupta, has placed Pelosi's son, Paul Pelosi Jr., on its payroll – even though he has no experience in the company's main business activities ......."

Hijacking the Civil Rights Movement

By Harry Jackson
Townhall.com

"Patrick Henry said, 'Give me liberty or give me death.' As an African-American I can totally relate to this quote. About 50 years ago my father was threatened at gunpoint by a state trooper for civil rights activities.

Today we're engaged in another battle that threatens our liberties. A so-called civil rights bill is being proposed in the Senate. It attempts to hijack the momentum of the civil rights movement while actually infringing on all of our civil rights.

I encourage everyone to voice opposition to the Matthew Shepard bill. This bill could raise sexual orientation and gender identity to the same status as race. It could also seriously jeopardize our freedom of speech and freedom of religion."

On Iraq, Democratic presidential candidates should listen to the "experts" they so often cite.

BY DAN SENOR

Fitzgerald Doubles Down

Prosecutor asks for a sentence based on never-seen evidence.

Lewis "Scooter" Libby is due to be sentenced next week, and--just in time--Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has decided this was a leak case after all. Last week he filed a brief with the court arguing that Mr. Libby should receive a prison sentence in line with crimes that neither he nor anyone else was ever accused of committing. If the court accepts Mr. Fitzgerald's logic, the sentence meted out in this fantastic case would at least double, to a minimum of 30 months. So it goes in a case brought by an unaccountable prosecutor now requesting an unreasonable penalty based on evidence he never introduced at trial. This is America?

Throughout Mr. Libby's prosecution, Mr. Fitzgerald insisted it made no difference to the case whether CIA officer Valerie Plame Wilson was undercover. At one pre-trial hearing, he went so far as to argue it would make no difference to the case "if [Ms. Wilson] turned out to be a postal driver mistaken for a CIA employee." He also objected to defense requests for documents concerning her status, insisting this was a perjury trial, not a trial about leaking classified information. Read on.

Hillary Clinton Defends Use of Corporate Jet for Family Vacations

By Dick Morris and Eileen McGann

"On Wednesday, Hillary Clinton was challenged by the press about the Clinton family’s acceptance of more than $900,000 in free private travel from Infousa, a company linked to scamming the elderly.

Her reply? She said that she had complied with all Senate ethics rules and reimbursed the company for the amount of a first class air ticket — usually about 1 percent of the cost of the luxurious private jet travel. According to Hillary, “Those were the rules. You’ll have to ask someone else if it’s good policy.”

In other words, get lost.

And it’s not like the Clintons couldn’t afford to buy an air ticket — the family income since 2001 has been more than $63 million! So why do they have to freeload from rich friends?

Well, evidently Hillary doesn’t think that she should be the one to consider whether it makes ethical sense to have rich pals pay for a U.S. senator’s family vacations.

But, Hillary has decided it is up to her — and not someone else — to determine whether corporate policies that allow huge payments and perks to CEOs make good policy. And her answer is a resounding, "NO" … unless, it seems, if she’s benefiting from the perks." Read on.

Still Searching for Leaders in America

By Ken Connor

Many Americans—and especially those who see themselves as conservative—identify "rugged individualism" as a quintessential American characteristic. There is deep-seated admiration for those who make their own way in life, who set out to forge their individual path to success. However, the truth is that a nation cannot be truly successful if everyone is heading off in their own direction without regard to anyone else. At a certain point Americans need to come together as one nation and unite to address the many serious problems facing the country. After all, we live in community with one another, not in isolation. To succeed in the War on Terror, to solve the Social Security crisis, to finally address our failed immigration policies, Americans are going to have to work together f or the common good. Strong leadership will be required to create the unity and the consensus necessary to develop solutions to difficult problems.

So far there seems to be considerable doubt in the minds of the American people as to who among the current crop of presidential candidates has the requisite leadership abilities to solve our country's problems. After having had many months to think it over, many ......

Why Americans Don't Like Hillary Clinton

By Star Parker



"A wave of new books about Hillary Clinton casts tinder into the ongoing flames of discomfort with the New York Senator and Democratic presidential candidate.

You might suspect that damaging books about Hillary, right when the presidential campaign is getting underway, might be politically inspired. But Bay Buchanan's is the only one by a conservative author. Of the other two freshly out, one is by two New York Times reporters, and the other by Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame.

According to the reviews, we ........"

Read on....

Questions Before Going Into Darfur

"Joseph Biden wants the United States to intervene with military force to stop the genocide that he and George W. Bush say is going on in Darfur.

'We should enforce a no-fly zone, impose multilateral sanctions through the U.N., lead negotiations among all the parties for a lasting peace settlement, find the forces for a peacekeeping mission and, if necessary, commit U.S. troops on the ground,' he said in a statement.

Biden is chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and a candidate for president, and he deserves to be taken seriously. My questions for him: How many U.S. troops would you put "on the ground"? For how long? What is your strategy for winning? And do you have an exit strategy absent victory?

These are questions that many people, including Biden, have asked quite reasonably about Bush's decision to intervene with military force in Iraq." Read more of Michael Barone.

HillaryCare blooms: All the Democratic health plans spurn market-based reforms.

America beats Europe on assimilating Muslims.

By Irshad Manji

Fred Thompson excites the conservative base. But will his unorthodox campaign succeed?

By John Fund

China and Global Warming

BBC:
China Unveils Program on Global Warming

Las Vegas Sun/AP:
China Rejects Mandatory Measures to Cap Emissions

Gingrich bashes Bush

Dysfunctional and hazardous to the Republican Party

Gingrich said, "The government is not functioning. It's not getting the job done," He (Bush) "means very, very well" but..............

.......a "relentless, dramatic change" is needed...............

He also said there is a good chance he will get into the presidential race, but he is about four months away from making that decision.

Islamic Extremists Threaten Female Newscasters With Beheading

Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - Islamic extremists in the Gaza Strip have threatened to behead female news broadcasters if they don't adhere to the strict Islamic dress code and cover their faces. A group calling itself the "Righteous Swords of Islam," believed to have links to al Qaeda, accused the women of acting immorally. "It's indeed disgraceful that the women working for the official Palestinian media are competing with each other to display their charms," the group wrote in a leaflet. They threatened to kill the women for allegedly spreading corruption in Palestinian society. "If necessary, we will behead and slaughter to preserve the spirit and morals of our people," it said. The group has previously claimed responsibility for bombing various Internet cafes in the Gaza Strip. It also claims to have thrown acid in the faces of unveiled women in Gaza. But this is the first threat of its kind against employees of official Palestinian Authority television. Unnamed PA officials in Ramallah were quoted by the Jerusalem Post earlier as saying that presence of extremist groups in Gaza would "eventually lead to the transformation of the Palestinian territories into a Taliban-style entity." About 50 Palestinian female journalists and editors from Palestinian television are calling on P.A. Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to protect them.

Their trip went 'swimmingly' well....

Afghan Defense Ministry Says 60 Taliban Drowned
RADIO FREE EUROPE / RADIO LIBERTY:

June 3, 2007 -- "Afghanistan's Defense Ministry says some 60 Taliban fighters were drowned when their boat sank as they were attempting to cross the Helmand River...................."

MUSLIMS: 'BAN' NON-ISLAMIC SCHOOLS

DEMANDS for a ban on “un-Islamic” activities in schools will be set out by the Muslim Council of Britain today.

Targets include playground games, swimming lessons, school plays, parents’ evenings and even vaccinations. And the calls for all children to be taught in Taliban-style conditions will be launched with the help of a senior Government education adviser.

Professor Tim Brighouse, chief adviser to London schools, was due to attend the event at the capital’s biggest mosque. His presence there was seen as “deeply worrying”, and a sign that the report was backed by the Government.

Tory MP Greg Hands said: “The MCB needs to realise it has to move closer to the rest of the community, not away from it.......

Democrats Hide Pet Projects From Voters

Britain pulls plug on Al’s big climate change show

IT WAS intended to be the symbolic gesture at a global series of rock concerts next month to alert people to climate change. Al Gore, the former US presidential candidate turned climate doomsayer, had wanted a massive switch-off of lights by television audiences, but the National Grid has vetoed the idea.

The inconvenient truth, it says, is that the power surge when people switched their lights back on could cause disruptions in supply and even endanger hospital patients on life support machines.

Live Earth will be a series of concerts, modelled on Live Aid and and Live 8, aimed at raising awareness about the threat from global warming......

Thompson Edges Closer to White House Bid

Iran Leader: Israel's Destruction Soon

"Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday said the world would witness the destruction of Israel soon, the official Islamic ......"

Russia's Putin: 'I Am an Absolute, Pure Democrat'

"Russia's President Vladimir Putin has described himself as the world's only 'pure' democrat and attacked the United States and Europe, which have criticized him, for falling short of their own ideals.

In an interview with Western media released on Monday, he rejected ....."

Group Pushes Vermont to Secede From U.S.

"At Riverwalk Records, the all-vinyl record store just down the street from the Vermont state Capitol, the black 'U.S. Out of Vt.!' T-shirts are among the hottest sellers.

But to some people in Vermont, the idea is bigger than a $20 novelty. They want Vermont to secede from the United States - peacefully, of course.

Disillusioned by what they call an empire about to fall, a small cadre of writers and academics is ......"

Hustler Offers $1 Million for Sex Smut on Congress

"Hustler magazine is looking for some scandalous sex in Washington again -- and willing to pay for it.

'Have you had a sexual encounter with a current member of the United States Congress or a high-ranking government official?' read a full-page advertisement taken out by Larry Flynt's pornographic magazine in Sunday's Washington Post.

It offered $1 million for documented evidence of illicit intimate relations with a congressman, senator or other prominent officeholder. A toll-free number and e-mail address were provided.

The last time Flynt made such an offer was in October 1998 during the drive to impeach President Bill Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky scandal."