Saturday, April 30, 2005
Venezuelan leader: U.S. citizens oppressed
Story dated 29 April 2005 Leftist "Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez promised Friday that he would not visit the United States again until Americans "liberate" their nation." The Venezuelan leader said "that Americans are "oppressed" by their government and U.S. media." You know what? He's right. We have so many Federal laws on the books that all of us, as Michael Savage said, are just one mistake away from being sent to prison. And out media makes no effort to report on our government when it attempts to oppress us. That's why I started this web log, so I could sort of chaperone the mainstream media and help it accomplish its civic duty. Hugo Chavez, even though he is right on this issue, is a rank hypocrite. Chavez considers Cuban President Fidel Castro a political ally and close personal friend, and he endorses closer ties between his country and China. For those of you who aren't paying attention, the people in charge of Cuba and China are tyrants. The murderer, Castro, has people shot who are trying to leave his communist island. The tyrants of Beijing think nothing of torturing and murdering citizens who have a different idea of how government should be run. The fact that he won't consort with the United States means that he just doesn't like the United States, it doesn't mean that he cares about our human rights. --------- Venezuela, China to build computer--------- Chavez courts Castro--------- Venezuela and China To Increase Cooperation in Health
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India, Japan Sign Agenda for Closer Ties
Story dated 29 April 2005 Japan and India concluded an agreement that "proposes a high-level strategic dialogue and suggests steps to boost sagging trade ties between the two nations." Could this also be an attempt to weaken China's influence? Given China's animalistic behavior toward Japan of late, the Japanese government would likely be thrilled to have new major trading partners.
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Creating babies to cure sick siblings OK: British court
Story dated 29 April 2005 "Using in vitro fertilization to create a baby that might cure sick siblings was ruled legally acceptable by Britain's highest appeal court on Thursday. The Law Lords upheld a Court of Appeal ruling in 2003 that said some couples using fertility treatment could get their embryos screened for tissue matches for gravely ill children." This makes me uncomfortable. Unfortunately, this story is not detailed enough for me to form an opinion on the matter. I think it is wrong to deliberately create human life and then destroy it, but I'm not sure that is what is going on in this ruling. I wanted you to be aware of this, though.
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Crude oil prices plunge, settle below $50 a barrel
Story dated 29 April 2005 "Oil prices fell below $50 a barrel for the first time in more than two months Friday, declining more than $5 a barrel in the past week on rising U.S. supplies and slower economic growth . . . the Energy Department said inventories of crude oil grew by 5.5 million barrels last week to 324.4 million barrels, or 9 per cent above year-ago levels -- tenth time supplies have risen in 11 weeks." Again, Apparently, supply is not the problem. Apparently it's lack of production capacity and the weak dollar that are causing high gas prices (which still aren't as high as they were in 1981 or so). This does not mean that we shouldn't look for alternative means of energy production. Petroleum combustion is still a dirty way to produce energy (though not as dirty as, say, a volcanic eruption). We need to look into Solar Energy Production Satellites (SEPS). That is an idea for clean and pretty much unlimited energy.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger Endorses Minutemen; LA Times biased
Story dated 29 April 2005 I am happy that Schwarzenegger has come out in support of the Minutemen. If the government won't enforce the law, the people should have that power. It is only vigilantism if the people are also meting out punishments. In this case, the Minutemen are observing illegal border crossers and reporting them to the Border Patrol which is charged with arresting them. This is more like a neighborhood watch group -- and I have never heard neighborhood watches called vigilantes. Schwarzeneggers' critics who say that this support goes against his oath of office (an oath to uphold the law) are insane. The government is not currently enforcing the law; the Minutemen are there to correct this oversight. What bothers me is that people take the critics of the Minutemen seriously. The things they say make no sense -- their criticism of Schwarzenegger and the Minutemen is not logically consistent with the lawlessness of government inaction that they support. The LA Times Reporting on the story was just plain irresponsible. They are deliberately trying to mislead people as to the nature of the Minutemen and they need to be called to account. The opening words of their story are: "Calling the nation's borders dangerously porous, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday praised the private "Minuteman" campaign that uses armed volunteers to stop illegal immigrants from crossing into the U.S." Armed volunteers? It is not the policy of the Minutemen to recruit armed volunteers. Volunteers may carry weapons for self-defense, but this has nothing to do with their mission, which is to observe and report illegal border crossings. They do not apprehend border crossers. One last question -- Why is it racism to demand that our immigration laws be enforced? This is our country; don't we have a right to demand that people coming here follow our rules to do so?
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Tyrants of North Korea use deadly nerve gas on own citizens, may operate experimental gas chambers
Story dated 27 April 2005 According to the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a human rights organization known for tracking down Nazi war criminals, is reporting of institutional human rights abuses by North Korea. They have been collecting testimony from escaped political prisoners and other defectors from North Korea. "One man, a 55-year-old chemist, claimed he was in charge of an experiment to test the effect of deadly nerve gas on political prisoners." That's just great -- and it's not isolated. "Other defectors told . . . of "mass starvations, gruesome experimentations, and yes, . . . gas chambers." Alright, North Korea, China, Zimbabwe . . . anyone want to add to this list? What irks me the most is that our own United States government, which is supposed to be a paragon of human rights awareness, still respects these regimes as at least semi-legitimate powers (China has full diplomatic recognition -- I still don't understand that.). I wonder if North Korea is going to get a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Commission, soon?
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Zimbabwe re-elected to the Alleged U.N. Human Rights Commission
Story dated 27 April 2005 This is just not a good news week for the U.N. Anyone with a brain can see that the organization is corrupt and, whatever it actually does care about, human rights don't figure into it. Heck, they thought that the Sudan should be on the so-called "Human Rights Commission" Zimbabwe is ruled by the tyrant, Robert Mugabe, who was just returned to power in an election that is generally recognized as having been fixed by Bob's thugs. Bob Mugabe stole all the land from Zimbabwe's most productive farms and gave it to party members. Zimbabwe used to be a food exporter. Now there is so little food available that they are on U.N. food aid and they have begun to kill elephants and other wildlife on the nature preserves for food. Elephant burger, anyone? Bob Mugabe is a racist tyrant and deserves no better than to spend the rest of his worthless life in prison -- at the very least. He imprisons people who say anything in opposition to him and he takes land from people based on the color of their skin. White people are not allowed to own a lot of land, you see. I don't understand why his government is recognized at all, much less what sociopath thought that his government might make a good member of a Human Rights commission. Sometimes I wake up and wonder who the man behind the curtain is and why we let him get away with his sick practical jokes.
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U.N. Commission on Human Rights doesn't want to hear about China's abuses
Story dated 27 April 2005 "Tens of millions of Chinese Christians practice their religion in secret. Members of churches that have refused to accept state control, they have gone underground and live in constant risk of detection. Tens of thousands of them have been arrested or worse -- tortured, sent to labor camps, even killed for their beliefs." When a delegation went before the alleged U.N. Commission on Human Rights to offer testimony on religious persecution and torture of prisoners in China, they were basically ignored. "One of the Chinese police's favorite torture devices . . . is a kind of electric baton. Bob Fu [the leader of this delegation] owns such a baton, smuggled out of a Chinese prison. He took it to Geneva after obtaining permission from the secretary of the UNCHR to conduct a demonstration of it during his testimony. This demonstration consisted of Fu's holding it in the air over his head and turning it on for six seconds. Predictably, the Chinese delegation went berserk, its members claiming that the demonstration made them feel threatened . . . They then demanded that Fu be booted from the proceedings. The commission's chairman, obliging chap that he is, agreed. Fu was escorted from the building and stripped of his U.N. badge. His baton was also seized, and has not been returned." Is it any wonder why I think that the U.N has no credibility? The U.N. will not criticize China. Ever. The only countries that it is appropriate to criticize in the U.N. are Israel, the Untied States, and Japan. China actually tortures people and imprisons them for their beliefs. No one does anything. Why do we continue to recognize the legitimacy of the People's Republic of China? A tyranny is not a legitimate government. It this prevailing attitude continues, Taiwan has no hope of long-term freedom.
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New Florida Law: You Are Not Required to Retreat if Attacked in a Public Place Before you Can Defend Yourself
Story dated 27 April 2005 Well, this is exceedingly good news. I have never liked the doctrine that you have a responsibility to retreat if you are attacked before you are allowed to defend yourself. Some states actually require you to retreat if your home is invaded. I guess the thinking is that if someone holds you up at knifepoint, you still can't be sure that they want to harm you, so to check, you should flee. If they chase you, you know that they really do mean to harm you and can then use self-defense. And if that's really how the idiots like Ted Kennedy and Sarah Brady think, I really don't understand why anyone listens to them at all. All of the opponents to this law claim that it will increase violence. Really? And the knowledge by criminals that law abiding citizens can't defend themselves in public right away won't increase violence? If you think that, you're not thinking logically. For opponents of this law, I have a question: If I am walking down a street, and I am attacked by someone, why should I have a responsibility to retreat from the situation? I am not the one engaged in malfeasance. I am sick and tired of these politicians trying to protect predators in this country. Sure they throw the book at people like Martha Stewart and non-violent drug users, but they go out of their way to protect actual predators who mean other people harm. Why is that? Do they ever stop to think that this law might actually deter predators from trying to prey upon the innocent?
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Insightful Commentary on the Taiwan-China Situation
Column dated 26 April 2005 This is an editorial I found in a Taiwanese newspaper. The writer points out basically the same thing I have been saying -- that despite all of the anti-Japanese rhetoric coming out of China, demanding that Japan be held accountable for WWII, that they educate their citizens fully regarding WWII atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese Army, and that they adopt the PRC's position that Taiwan is part of Chinese territory, it is China, not Japan, that is Asia's most likely source of militaristic aggression and expansionism. What follows is just an excerpt of the editorial, but I highly recommend you read the whole thing. "[W]e believe Hu and other PRC leaders should be told in no uncertain terms that the world will not accept a moral and political double standard. The Chinese Communist Party regime cannot be allowed to get away with just blaming the Japanese government and citizens of today for the wrongdoings of their predecessors without sincerely "facing" their own history of wrongdoing to their own people and to their neighbors, including its attempt to impose the CCP's version of "correct" history on the rest of the region and indeed on the world. Instead of demanding that Japan should accept all of Beijing's demands on issues ranging from the rewriting of textbooks to please the CCP or adopting Beijng's definition of a "correct" position on Taiwan, Hu and the rest of the his cohort should take the initiative to re-examine the June 1989 Tiananmen Incident and other repressive or dark pages in the PRC's history and abandon the ill-advised and expansionist "anti-secession law" and reopen cross-strait dialogue without preconditions. If Asia is to avoid another cycle of aggression and hatred, the PRC government and the people of China will have to join the rest of the world in learning to be both responsible and civilized if they hope to play a significant and positive role in the region." The United States is partly to blame for the situation in Asia. For some reason, our government has decided that it is okay to treat the tyrannical Beijing regime, that doesn't have an inkling of understanding about what basic human rights are, as a legitimate government.
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Alternative Medicine Physician and noted Microscopist, Rick Santee, Reported Seized by Regulatory Enforcers
Story dated 26 April 2005 Caveat Lector (reader beware). I tend to believe that this story is true, because it is nearly identical to many well documented instances that can be found in such sources as Randall Fitzgerald's Mugged by the State. That being said, I have yet to see this published in any major newspaper (not that that means anything, necessarily -- news papers have been known to skew stories, omit facts, or get facts completely wrong). "[Originally published at http://educate-yourself.org/cn/ricksanteearrested26apr05.shtml] Rick Santee is a very competent dark field microscopist. He often attended health expos and worked in the offices of many alternative physicians here in southern California. The work is called "live cell blood analysis". He would take a drop of your blood, place it on a microscope slide and tell you exactly what's going on in your body by examining your blood. He would then give you ideas on how to use food and supplements to improve the heath deteriorations revealed by your blood sample. He was very good at what he did. Apparently, his skill and reputation had spread too far and too wide and it appears that he's attracted the jackals of the California Medical Board who have a long and sordid reputation of using heavily armed thugs with the words "FBI" or "DEA" or "Police" stenciled across the back of their flak jackets to terrorize and arrest innocent people. They then set about ruining your life by arraying a laundry list of bogus and fabricated criminal charges against you in order to drain you of every penny you own and usually force you to plea bargain with them in order to avoid a long prison term (because you don't have the megabucks it takes to mount a serious defense against the unlimited resources of zealous government prosecutors). They also force you to sign an agreement to never again engage in the helpful and humane work that caused you to get arrested in the first place." I go to an alternative medicine physician. He was able to actually diagnose the source of my pain -- something that three years of seeing practitioners of conventional medicine had failed to do, although they were willing to prescribe me drugs to treat the symptoms. What is at stake here is not only Rick Santee's freedom, but also the freedom of you and me to choose where we will seek medical assistance. If Rick Santee were really a threat to public safety, I'm sure there would be records of medical malpractice suits -- you know, those lawsuits that are always being filed against licensed physicians -- against him. Malpractice seems to have nothing to do with why he was arrested, but my information on this matter is limited. According to the information I have, Rick Santee will be "arraigned in Van Nuys court 100 on May 19th," and the case is being handled by: Law Offices of Scott R. Spindel16255 Ventura Boulevard Suite 1018 Encino, California 91436 818-783-5200 (telephone) 818-783-5223 (facsimile) I would appreciate anyone letting me know any information they have about this case -- especially regarding the veracity of my information.
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France Supports Chinese Imperialism
Story dated 25 April 2005 In March 2005, so-called "parliament" of the People's Republic of China voted to pass an anti-secession law that would make it illegal for any territory claimed by Beijing to declare independence from China. The law authorized the PRC, under Chinese law, to use its military to invade any such territory if it should make a formal statement declaring that it is not part of China. The tyrants of Beijing claim Taiwan as part of their territory -- which is a ludicrous claim since the PRC has never had political control of Taiwan. Technically, Taiwan was not formally part of the Republic of China until the government fled there after the forces of the so-called "People's Army" conquered the mainland. The PRC, always looking for an opportunity to acquire more slaves (err, I mean "productive and responsible citizens"), has claimed that Taiwan is a rogue province for many years. And for some incomprehensible reason, no major power has overtly challenged them on this in the recent past -- although Japan and the United States are finally beginning to. The anti secession law may also affect Japan. The PRC also claims that the Senkaku Islands, Japanese territory since the 19th century, are actually a part of China, though, they did not make any such claims until the latter half of the last century. Some legal scholars believe that the law could be interpreted in such a way that would allow the Chinese Imperial Army (fallaciously referred to as the "People's Army") to attack Japan if that country doesn't surrender the Senkakus to Beijing. This brings me to France. You remember France, don't you? The alleged paragon of human rights, the epitome of what a modern civilized state should be (according to France, and socialists and other leftists in the United States, that is). You know, France -- that country that claims that the U.S. is an imperialist power because we wanted to attack a tyrant who did not respect the rights of the people. Well, it turns out that France is in favor of imperialism -- just so long as it isn't a perceived extension of U.S. hegemony. French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin made a public statement that China's "anti-secession law is completely compatible with the position of France." I really don't think I need to say anymore. That statement speaks for itself.
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Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Walter E. Williams: The productive vs. the unproductive
Column dated 27 April 2005 As always, Walter E. Williams writes a thought-provoking piece that we could all benefit from pondering. Here, he talks about two types of people: the productive and the unproductive. Productive people are people who think of things they need and want and set out to create opportunities for getting those things through hard work and innovation. Unproductive people are those people like personal injury tort lawyers (no, not all of these layers are bad. About 90% of them just give the rest a bad name). They sit around trying to figure out ways to get the stuff they want without actually having to work for it. These people are parasites on our society. Which one are you? Which one do you want to be?
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More thoughts on the China-Japan Feud
The People's Republic of China is upset at Japan for approving textbooks for use in their schools that "plays down Japan's wartime atrocities." The book does not deny that these things happened. And maybe the PRC has a point. Maybe Japanese students should take a closer look at the uglier aspects of their history. But is this the stuff that international incidents should be made of? I think not. Japan is a peaceful nation. The Japanese are a peaceful people. World War II was the final purge of the warrior class from the positions of power in Japanese society (by the end of the feudal era, something like 30% of the population belonged to the ruling warrior class; that's a huge amount and a recipe for an Imperialist foreign policy in a modernized nation). The modern Japan is a liberal Republic with a basic respect for human rights. The People's Republic of China is a tyranny that wouldn't know what a human right was if they had a dictionary definition right in front of them. Don't believe me? Ask Zhao Ziyang. Oh, wait. I forgot, he died recently after more than a decade and a half of being under house arrest. His crime? He thought that the tyrants of Beijing shouldn't use their tanks to roll over peaceful student protesters in Tiananmen Square. Remember, the Japan that the PRC is complaining about is the Empire of Japan of Emperor Showa and Prime Minister Tojo -- an entity that engaged in behavior that was not unlike the Behavior that the PRC currently wishes to engage in.
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Iranian Oil Minister Says Global Petroleum Markets Are Oversupplied
Story dated 26 April 2005 "Global petroleum markets aren't short of crude oil and may even be oversupplied, Iran's oil minister said Tuesday." I suspected as much. It appears that the rise in oil prices are for no reason at all -- except maybe Bush's abandonment of the strong dollar policy coupled with a general refusal in this country to build new oil refineries. And let me just say right now, if we aren't willing to develop the idea of a Solar Energy Production Satellite, or another viable alternative energy technology, we need new refineries. In fact, even if we do develop such new technologies, we are going to need new refineries in the short run, anyway. --------- Bush to Propose Oil Refineries at Ex-Military Bases--------- Oil prices were down slightly in Asian trade today as the market awaited the release of key US economic growth data and as positive sentiment on Saudi Arabia's supply capabilities eased
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Minuteman program cut illegal border crossings by 50 percent, Border Patrol says
Story dated 25 April 2005 Project Minuteman is actually having an effect, despite its critics saying that it would not have a positive impact. I wonder why this isn't a national front-page headline: "Private Citizens Make a Difference." I guess it isn't in the government's (and its supporter's) best interests for the word to get out that, if the government fails you, you can do it on your own. Imagine how dangerous that would be to the livelihood of all those parasites in government who depend on the perceived helplessness of the American people. Project Minuteman exposes this lie: here is a group of citizens who are fed up with government ineptitude and are doing something about it in a positive, non-violent way. I am encouraged. The Minutemen are now trying to turn their successes into political clout to push our government to act. Spokesmen state that the Minutemen will continue to do their "civic duty until relieved by the National Guard or the U.S. military." Another lie that this exercise has exposed is the lie that the Mexican government lacks the resources to control its side of the border. They clearly can, and have, in reaction to the Minutemen; "Mexican police, humanitarian workers and military personnel intercepted northbound migrants south of Minuteman observation posts, warning that "armed vigilantes" were waiting to hurt them. The Mexican government transported the would-be border crossers to Aqua Prieta, 25 miles east, and Nogales, 80 miles west, where illegal-alien totals later skyrocketed." --------- 'Minutemen' to push Congress
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Saturday, April 23, 2005
China Urges Japan to Reflect on Its World War II Aggression, Back Up Its Apologies With Action
Story dated 23 April 2005 Imagine that your grandfather was a schoolyard bully. Further imagine that he mercilessly tormented some small kid throughout elementary school and took his lunch money every day. Now fast-forward two generations. You are not your grandfather. You think bullying is wrong and that bullies should be punished. When you talk about and remember your grandfather, though, you only sometimes mention that he was a bully -- you never talk about what he did. Now imagine that the grandson of the kid your grandfather bullied is calling for you to apologize, and to make reparations for your family's "schoolyard atrocities", and saying in news conferences that your treatment of the history of your grandfather shows that you have no remorse for his actions. He is calling publicly for you to "seriously reflect on the concerns" of the people descended from the people your grandfather bullied. (Oh, I almost forgot, he is also saying that relations between you and he might be repaired if you refuse to stand up in defense of a guy that he, himself, wants to bully). Be honest -- you would dismiss such a person as a lunatic and a bully, and you would dismiss his pale attempts to distract attention from what he wants to get away with as mere nonsense. People are only responsible for their own actions. They cannot reasonably be held responsible for the actions of others. Organizations (and countries) are not people. To say otherwise would be to commit the reification fallacy. You cannot continue to punish them once the malefactors are no longer a part of the organization. To do so would be to punish the innocent. And when one "punishes" the innocent, one is actually committing an assault against that innocent person and needs to be brought to justice. What I have described above is exactly what the tyrannical People's Republic of China is trying to do to Japan. And don't think for a minute that this has nothing to do with Japan's support of Taiwan. ABC news barely gives this any notice in their article. At the very end of the first page, they mention that "[t]he Chinese president said relations between the two nations could improve if Tokyo refused to support any moves toward independence by Taiwan. Taiwan and China split amid civil war in 1949, but Beijing still claims the island as its territory." So, the Japanese are expected to take punishment for the actions of their parents and grandparents, but the tyrants of Beijing can make plans to conquer a sovereign and free nation in the here and now with impunity? There is something wrong with the state of international affairs if we aren't willing to call China on this, and there is something wrong with the news coverage if they aren't willing to give China the same scrutiny they give Japan. China also opposes the idea of giving Japan a permanent seat on the UN Security Council based on their WWII actions. Pay attention, people. Just ignore Beijing's concerns -- those tyrants have a seat on the Security Council and they are openly planning to conquer another nation. Better yet, take their seat away and give it to Japan. In my opinion, the UN stands for nothing so long as we allow tyrants to affect its policy decisions.
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Thursday, April 21, 2005
House Approves Drilling In Alaska
Story dated 21 April 2005 Finally, our Congress is showing some intelligence. We need to be energy independent. All you people who don't like us fighting in the Middle East? We probably wouldn't be there if the oil supply lines weren't so important. The solution is to simply drill in our own country. That way, no one gets hurt, and we can stop funding tyrannical regimes in the Middle East with oil revenues. And with no due respect, the opponents of this bill are idiots and should not be reelected. "Opponents say that oil wouldn't be available for a decade and even then at levels that would not significantly affect oil prices or imports." That's not an argument. It has no bearing on this issue. For one thing, we need to think further in the future. Half the trouble we are in is because the parasites in Congress can't see past the next election, much less six to ten years in the future. It's like saying you shouldn't waste your money on a gym membership because you wouldn't see real benefits for a year or so. And so what if it wouldn't significantly affect oil prices or imports. It would affect them. Any effect is felt by the consumer (you and me). That statements by opponents means that they don't care about you and you should let them know of your displeasure in the next election. Keep in mind, though, that additional oil exploration is not enough. Realm of Sovereigns has long been a proponent of the concept of a Solar Energy Production Satellite.
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Violent Anti-Japan Protests in China
In China, there has been a rash of violent protests against Japan. Interestingly the Chinese government isn't crushing this one with tanks. I guess it's okay to protest the Japanese, just not the Beijing regime. "China has been accused of tacitly encouraging the unrest, which started in Guangdong and Sichuan provinces early this month, spread to Beijing last week and, now, to Tianjin, Shanghai and Hangzhou on the east coast. Chinese are protesting against school textbooks they say whitewash Japan's wartime atrocities in China, against Tokyo's bid for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, and on other disputes." Guess what? Most of the Japanese alive today had nothing to do with World War II. Get over it. Guess what? Most of the Germans alive today weren't Nazis. And guess what? None of the French alive today had anything to do with the atrocities of the war criminal Napoleon Bonaparte. Grow up, and move on. This is the most unconstructive crap I've ever heard of. And don't believe for a minute that the tyrants of Beijing aren't thrilled at this 'spontaneous' outcry. These people are fed government propaganda, and they legally are only able to protest things going on outside of China. Since they are repressed, they have a lot of pent up frustration. George Orwell talked about something like this in 1984 -- the Party members weren't allowed to hate their own government, but they were allowed to participate in government-sanctioned hate against legitimate targets. Which they did with enthusiasm since they were so repressed. The freedom to vent your frustration against something, even if it is not the real cause of your trouble, is better than no freedom to do such a thing. If Beijing really wanted to stop a protest, they could. Remember Tiananmen Square. --------- In strongest appeal yet, China asks for public calm --------- Thousands Join Anti-Japan Protests in East China--------- China Rejects Japan's Demand for Apology
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PSA: Warning for all People Driving in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Story dated 20 April 2005 Attack of the stupid legislators: A poorly worded city ordinance bans all open containers, not just alcohol. The ordinance was only intended for alcohol. This is just more proof that people in government don't actually read the crap they vote on.
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U.S. Senate listens to American People for a Change, Votes 'No' on Amnesty for Illegal Amnesty
Story dated 20 April 2005 "The Senate yesterday turned back a proposed amnesty for up to 1 million illegal immigrant agricultural workers and their families, though it gained support of more than half the chamber." What's this? Senate Republicans actually acting like Republicans? Will miracles never cease? Now, if only Bush would get the memo. And lest anyone get the wrong idea from reading this site, it would be a very simple thing to make me pro-immigration. Compulsory English education. Make English language proficiency a requirement to work in the US, and to live here for prolonged periods. Oh, and continue to enforce the 'no felons or other violent criminals' rules. Do that, and you will never hear another peep out of me, unless those laws aren't enforced.
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Sunday, April 03, 2005
Federal Government Has History of Ignoring Acts of War by Mexico
Still no major action by the U.S. government on the issue of the Mexican army being deployed on the border presumably to protect illegal Mexican migrants seeking to enter these United States in violation of our laws. This is an act of war, but I doubt Bush will do anything about it until they start shooting. But even then, I'm not so sure. Back in 2002, a Border Patrol agent reported that he had been fired upon by the Mexican military when he went to investigate their presence on United States soil. That in itself, if it was indeed the Mexican military, was a clear act of war. Something worthy of investigation, wouldn't you say? Apparently, though, we are accepting Mexico's version of events that the incident was not "an official incursion, but rather a case of criminals using military uniforms." That all happened under the Bush presidency. I am fearful that, if the Mexican army fires upon the Minutemen, Bush will be similarly deferential to Mexico's explanation of what happened (and that such actions were perfectly justified). Bush will then demonstrate how much of a fiscal conservative he is by not further investigating the incident since the Mexicans will have already done such a thorough job. --------- U.S. demands probe of border 'act of war': Congressman leads crusade against latest Mexican military incursion deep in Arizona
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Friday, April 01, 2005
Mexico Prepares to Commit an Act of War Against the United States: What is Bush prepared to do about it?
Story dated 31 March 2005 "[NEWSMAX] Mexico's President Vicente Fox is preparing to respond militarily to a group of U.S volunteers who plan to patrol the U.S.-Mexican border starting tomorrow, positioning more than a thousand troops nearby, according to an Arizona TV station. 'The Mexican military is on standby,' reports NBC's Tucson affiliate KVOA. 'One unit has about a thousand soldiers. They're located just across the border.'" The Mexican Military is on standby. Standby for what, exactly? What is the Mexican army going to do if, say a brawl breaks out between the Minutemen and Mexican citizens illegally entering the United States? Are they going to provide cover fire for the illegal immigrants? Classify the Minutemen as a military target? The Minutemen are there to enforce our border because our delinquent government refuses to do so. What is the Mexican army doing there? They are not there to detain people illegally trying to cross into the United States (which is interesting because Fox claims that Mexico doesn't have the manpower to enforce their side of the border). Since Bush's ole pal Vicente Fox claims that the Minutemen are a criminal group, and since he "is preparing to respond militarily" to them, I can only assume that the Mexican army is there to facilitate illegal border-crossers. That, in itself, should be considered an act of war and the United States should respond by deploying the National Guard to the southern border (that is what a 'National Guard' is for, is it not?). If the Mexican army opens fire from across the border with intent to intimidate or target United States nationals on United States soil, that is an act of war on its face. The question is, what is your government prepared to do about it? How 'bout it, Mr. Bush. You're awfully keen about defending the Iraqi border with our troops and resources. Would you care to, oh. . . I don't know, perhaps DEFEND OUR BORDER FOR A CHANGE!!!??? If this situation doesn't bother you, don't do anything. Especially don't vote in the next election. However, if this situation does bother you, there is a link to the left that will send you to a web site that will tell you how to contact Congress or the President.
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Schiavo: Autopsy Scheduled to Confirm Cause of Death
I have an official policy. I do not discuss Terri Schiavo. It makes me angry and disgusted. I do not watch or listen to the news anymore because my home is a 'no Schiavo zone'. I saw a news blurb yesterday, though, that really pushed me over the edge. But before I get to that, let me mention a few things. Any testimony of Mr. Schiavo regarding statements made by Terri are hearsay and are generally inadmissible in court. Florida does not allow wills to be proven by hearsay evidence. Heck, Florida doesn't even recognize holographic wills (wills handwritten by the testator). In Florida, for a will to be valid, there must be witnesses and it must be properly executed. Why should this be different for living wills? Why is the fight between the Schindlers and Mr. Schiavo being treated differently than an ordinary will contest? Or, if this is truly the state of the law, why have we, the people allowed it to become so? Wills are documents that outline the wishes of people who can no longer speak for themselves. That's why we have the term 'living-will' to cover life-support situations. Shouldn't the sauce for the goose rule* apply? In fact, isn't it even more important that a living will be authenticated, since its purpose is to make a life or death decision? That's just something for you to chew on; I haven't researched the situation in depth. The news item that was the final straw for me was an announcement that there was to be an autopsy to confirm the cause of Terri Schiavo's death. So. . . what? If she didn't STARVE TO DEATH, but instead was given a lethal dose of morphine, what are you going to do? Find the responsible party and. . . CHARGE THEM WITH MURDER? So, giving her water was enough to get a person arrested, and killing her in a humane way would be homicide, but letting her starve to death, in a manner that would spawn thousands of lawsuits alleging 'cruel and unusual punishment' if MURDERERS and RAPISTS were executed in such a manner is FINE!!???? WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND TRUE IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!!!?? You (by you, I include Doctors and other so-called medical experts) only believe that she is unaware of what is going on. You do not know. Don't even try to contradict me on this. The verb 'to know' has a very narrow and specific definition, and by that definition, it is impossible for you to know. All you know is that she doesn't respond to you in the way that you normally classify as 'aware' behavior, so you assume that she is not. In my thinking, you have two, and only two, choices if you have her best interests in mind; and I only believe one of those is humane. If you truly believe that she will never recover, and you have made the choice to euthanize her, she ought to be given a lethal dose of morphine, or something else that will kill her painlessly. You do not know for sure that she is completely unaware, so why take the chance that she will experience suffering as she slowly STARVES TO DEATH!! Honestly, Timothy McVeigh received a more humane execution than this. The other is, if you believe that she won't recover, but do not know absolutely 100% for sure whether or not she could recover, it is best to err on the side of saving human life and keep the feeding tube in. The parents were willing to accept this responsibility. The so-called 'husband' didn't have to have anything to do with it. Do you think I'm over-reacting? If so, consider that animals in Terri Schiavo's circumstance would be treated much more humanely. In fact, had Schiavo been an animal, the doctors and other medical staff responsible for letting her starve to death would face lawsuits and jail time. Sauce for the goose, people; sauce for the goose -- perhaps the most important rule for maintaining a lawful society. We have a word for arbitrary applications of a principle: autocracy. Are we an autocracy? *Sauce for the Goose Rule: "If the sauce is good for the goose, then it's also good for the gander." In plain language, it means that if something applies one way in one situation, it ought to be applied the same way in like situations.
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Sham Election Returns Robert 'The Terrible' Mugabe to the Throne of Zimbabwe
Story dated 01 April 2005 "ZIMBABWE went to the polls yesterday in a sham election whose result is known before any vote is counted. Even if, despite the wholesale intimidation and misuse of the state-controlled media, some democratic miracle should occur, and the candidates of the ruling ZANU-PF party do not steal a majority, then 81-year-old President Robert Mugabe will not be out of a job. For under the carefully gerrymandered Zimbabwean constitution, 'Comrade Bob' can simply appoint another 30 MPs of his choice." Bob Mugabe is a racist tyrant who has stolen land from white farmers (simply because they are white) and has single-handedly turned Zimbabwe (formerly a world agricultural exporter, a breadbasket of Africa) into a desolate wasteland filled with starving people on U.N. food aid. But you people just keep recognizing Bob's tyranny as legitimate. If I were in charge, I would refuse to recognize his regime and recall our ambassador. I would do the same for most of the little tin dictators that make up the U.N. I would also sever diplomatic relations with China. Yes, that's antagonistic, but nothing good can come from us associating ourselves with tyrannical regimes. (Actually, all the free nations of the world need to stop recognizing tyrannies as legitimate, it's the only way that real progress on human rights will be made).
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I got gas for 82 cents a gallon yesterday
No, really, it's absolutely true. I got regular unleaded gasoline for 82 cents a gallon yesterday. No this is not an April Fool's joke. If the Blogger program that allows me to post had been working, yesterday, I would have posted then. Now, anyone who knows where I live would immediately say to this, "No you didn't. The lowest price I saw was $2.20 a gallon." To which I would respond, "You're not thinking fourth dimensionally." Allow me to explain. The price of the dollar is not constant. It has been falling for a hundred years (which makes sense -- more people working, creating new value, causing more dollars to be printed to represent the additional work/value, and slightly reducing the value of the existing dollars). Keeping this in mind, cast your mind back to 1979 (if you remember driving back then). Long lines at gas stations. Gas rationing. $1.12 per gallon gasoline. You thought that was a lot for gas back then. Well, guess what, it still is. You see someone printed a lot more Federal Reserve Notes between then and now, and someone else has decided to abandon the strong-dollar policy, which caused the value of the said Federal Reserve Notes to fall even more rapidly in the past few years. The result is that one 2005 dollar is worth about thirty-seven 1979 cents. Chew on that for a minute. The gas prices you are paying now are around 85 cents per gallon in 1979 dollars. And there are no lines at service stations or gasoline rationing. Life is good. Quit complaining.
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Sandy Berger Pleads Guilty to Taking Classified Material from the National Archives
Story dated 31 March 2005 This took way too long. They had the evidence to get a conviction a long time ago. Why didn't they just go to trial? Berger still claims that he accidentally stuffed documents into his socks and underwear. I really hope he gets jail time. I am sick of seeing government officials (and former officials) do things that would get me sent to prison and not get punished for it. All Martha Stewart did was lie to federal investigators. They didn't have any evidence of securities fraud, so they got her any way they could. Sandy Berger, Clinton's former national security advisor, actually took the documents. This fact is undisputed. It is the primary charge. If the Feds are willing to get Steward on a charge of lying because they have no primary case, they had better be willing to sent Berger to prison since they have succeeded in their primary case against him. If he doesn't go to prison, there is something seriously wrong with our country. For those of you who are unaware, the guidelines for what constitute "lying to a federal investigator" are very broad (broad enough to include Clinton's perjury in court and he did no prison time). Investigators are permitted to lie to you as much as they want in an investigation. If you lie to them, you will go to jail like Martha Stewart. If they have it in for you, they have the discretion to construe what someone else would consider an honest mistake as a lie. This is why I don't recommend ever saying anything to federal investigators unless you have certain knowledge that it is true. This is also why I get so worked up over Martha Stewart's conviction. I personally think it was a criminal act to send her to prison. The government could not produce an injured party, but they sent her to prison anyway. With our money. They used your money and my money to send her to prison. Does this bother you? The government could not produce an injured party, but they felt it was an appropriate expenditure of your money to go ahead with the prosecution. In the Berger case, there is an injured party -- the Government (the people). Government property was stolen. If he doesn't go to prison, it will prove that our government only exists to steal from us and to help itself.
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The FairTax: A Real Step Toward Getting the Money and Corruption Out of Washington
Column dated 31 March 2005 George Will has written a powerful column about the FairTax. It is definitely worth a read -- I would go so far to say it is a must-read for any unfamiliar with the FairTax. "Rep. John Linder, a Georgia Republican, has a 133-page bill [HR 25, the FairTax] to replace 55,000 pages of tax rules. His bill would abolish the IRS and the many billions of tax forms it sends out and receives. He would erase the federal income tax system -- personal and corporate income taxes, the regressive payroll tax and self-employment tax, capital gains, gift and estate taxes, the alternative minimum tax and the earned income tax credit -- and replace all that with a 23 percent national sales tax on personal consumption. That would not only sensitize consumers to the cost of government with every purchase, it would destroy K Street [shorthand for Washington's lawyer-lobbyist complex]." How's that for getting the money out of Washington politics? I'll bet most of the hypocrites who supported the unconstitutional McCain Feingold bill will not support this one.
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