United States Government Searches Muslim-owned Property for Nuclear Material Sans Warrant; Legal?

In search of a terrorist nuclear bomb, the federal government since 9/11 has run a far-reaching, top secret program to monitor radiation levels at over a hundred Muslim sites in the Washington, D.C., area, including mosques, homes, businesses, and warehouses, plus similar sites in at least five other cities, U.S. News has learned. In numerous cases, the monitoring required investigators to go on to the property under surveillance, although no search warrants or court orders were ever obtained, according to those with knowledge of the program. . . Officials . . . reject any notion that the program specifically has targeted Muslims. "We categorically do not target places of worship or entities solely based on ethnicity or religious affiliation," says one. "Our investigations are intelligence driven and based on a criminal predicate."

I am torn. On the one hand, I am opposed to government searches without a warrant. But my opposition comes mainly from the fact that the government has a nasty habit of making behaviors that do not harm others into crimes. In this case, the government is searching for an inherently hazardous material. Locating and controlling inherently hazardous materials or conditions is a fundamental function of government and the process of doing such is a legitimate exercise of the state's police power. That's what the government was doing here... looking for radioactive materials that could pose a danger to the public. I don't see a legal problem. Now, if the government were to use evidence discovered in such searches to arrest people for unrelated activity, then I would have a problem with it... especially if they were arrested for behavior that was not inherently hazardous. So long as the government only uses warrantless searches of this sort to locate materials or conditions that are on their face inherently hazardous, I do not think there is a problem. The Bill of Rights exists to protect us, not to facilitate other people in their efforts to harm us or to destroy the country, and the Constitution itself. That's just common sense (but if it was really common, you'd think more people would have it). That being said, this is a slippery slope and this sort of activity should be subject to strict scrutiny and should, again, only be allowed where the government is searching for a material or condition that is inherently hazardous on its face.

posted by The Sovereign Editor | 10:47 AM | 1 comments |

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Is the Japanese Depression Finally Ending?

Japan is the world's second largest advanced economy. This is still the case even though Japan has been in a depression for the last 15 years or so. But imagine what Japan could do for the world if that giant economy were growing instead of beign depressed? Rising waters lift all ships. Japan is a liberal republic and a capitalist nation. If Japan experienced an economic boom, the United States would benefit as well. As far as security concerns go, a healthy Japanese economy will make them more able to resist Chinese imperialism.

In short, I hope that the economic forecast made by Economics Minister Kaoru Yosano is correct.

Japan's economy is entering a period of self-sustained recovery and is close to escaping deflation thanks to increasing consumer demand, the country's top economics official said Thursday.

The comments by Economics Minister Kaoru Yosano come as Japan emerges from some 15 years of stagnant growth held back by deflation -- or continually falling prices -- weak consumption and declining corporate profits.

"The end of the long tunnel of deflation is coming into sight with the Japanese economy entering a self-sustained recovery based on private demand," Yosano said in a speech at the Keidanren, Japan's biggest business lobby.

As company earnings recover and prices start to stabilize, investors have lifted Tokyo stocks to five-year highs.

And with that bit of positive news, I bid you all a very merry Christmas.

Cheers.

posted by The Sovereign Editor | 1:00 AM | 0 comments |

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The War on Christmas

I am sick and tired of people telling me that telling someone 'Merry Christmas' somehow is an act of me imposing my religion on them. I am sick and tired of the ACLU telling me that public displays associated with Christmas somehow violate the rights of non-Christians. I am sick and tired of retailers, like Target, who depend on the Christmas dollar, bending over backwards not to make reference to Christmas, instead substituting the term 'holiday'. I do not shop at Target during the Christmas season. I do not give Target gift cards.

I think that judges who hand down rulings banning the spread of Christmas cheer should have to work on Christmas like the humbugs they are. The same goes for politicians who speak out against Christmas.

Unfortunately, beyond that little rant, I don't have that much time to say anything at all on this topic, so here is what some others have said:

---------The War on Christmas, the Prequel: When the holiday was banned.
---------The warrior-author on the assault on Christmas: Taking offense at references reveals hostility to Christians
---------Lines drawn in battle over Christmas
---------Falwell fighting for holy holiday
He'll sue, boycott groups he sees as muzzling Christmas
---------Fighting the War on Christmas
---------University Administrator Declares Christmas 'Forbidden'

posted by The Sovereign Editor | 8:09 PM | 1 comments |

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Bloggers Cause Headaches for the Tyrants of Beijing

If there's one thing that a tyrant cannot have, it is the free flow of information. All successful tyrannies need to control information flow. Nazi Germany was expert at this. Of course, they didn't have the internet to deal with.

China, after decades of near total control over communication is suddenly finding itself overwhelmed by the massive quantities of information exchange afforded by the internet. And this is a good thing.

Some years after their American counterpart Matt Drudge shook up the US media in the Monica Lewinsky affair, Chinese bloggers are starting to have an impact on their country's conventional print and broadcast media, all tightly controlled by the Communist Party's propaganda department.

Although the party and police this year tightened their licensing regime and keyword filtering mechanisms on internet services, particularly news websites and search engines, the free spirits of the largely amateur, non-commercial blogosphere are slipping around the so-called Great Firewall of China and setting the news agenda.

A harsher crackdown may be in the offing, but for now authorities seem caught between two policies: clamping down on political dissent, and hothousing the development of internet businesses and electronic commerce.

I for one hope that bloggers will continue to get true public-interest stories out and that the People will, in turn, cast off the chains of servitude so carefully forged all these years by the tyrants of Beijing.

posted by The Sovereign Editor | 7:55 PM | 0 comments |

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What if Christ had been born in 2005?

Infant Discovered in Barn, Child Protective Service Launch Probe

Of course, with God's protection, the attemts of Child Protective Services to kidnap the young saviour would fail.

Special thanks to David Schantz for drawing our attention to this little creation. It's healthy to look at our problems through humor from time to time.

posted by The Sovereign Editor | 7:23 PM | 0 comments |

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U.S. House Votes in Favor of Fencing Off the Mexican Border

The 260-159 voice vote on an amendment to a bill on illegal immigration "mandates the construction of specific security fencing, including lights and cameras, along the Southwest border for the purposes of gaining operational control of the border.

Notice the numbers. 101 more representatives are in favor than are opposed. This is very good news... it shows that on some level, Congress still pays attention to the People (unlike the President, the ACLU, and various other entities who think Mexico should write our immigration policy).

And of course, the Mexicans, the ACLU, La Raza, and other Latino-supremacist groups are going to complain. Our government, though, needs to remain strong and speak for we the People. This is our country, and WE are going to decide how people can cross our borders.

We, the natives, are restless -- it's time our government started listening to us. I just hope the Senate is as reasonable.

posted by The Sovereign Editor | 7:22 PM | 2 comments |

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No Clemency for Tookie

Tookie Williams, now 51, was sentenced to death in 1981 after he was found guilty of murdering four people during two separate robberies two years earlier.

Williams was convicted for the murders of Albert Owens, Tsai-Shai Yang, Yen-I Yang, and Yee Chen Lin, which took place in 1979 during two separate robberies. During the robberies Williams shot Owens twice in the back of the head, execution style, and shot the Yang family up close with a shotgun, at point-blank range.

So I have a question. Why is there a question as to whether or not this man should die? There are those who say he has reformed, and I am happy for him if that is the case, but it hardly excuses those bestial actions taken by him all those years ago. It would be different if there was some provocation, or a question of self defense. Those elements were not present. Tookie made a choice -- he aggressively took the lives of four people. When you make a choice, you have to face the consequences. I am extremely disappointed in Arnold Schwarzenegger. He should not even give the appearance of considering clemency. If I were the Governator, when the predators' advocates groups started calling for clemency, I would have immediately started work to expedite the execution. But that's just me. I don't think you should be able to aggressively take the life of another and get away with it.

posted by The Sovereign Editor | 4:55 PM | 2 comments |

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Aeons Old War Heats Up: Bacteria threat on the rise

A lethal bacteria which surfaces in people being treated with antibiotics is spreading in North America and has grown resistant to drugs, according to two studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

More than anything, I view this blog as a public service. I try to bring you information that is useful to you -- share with you things you need to know. This is pretty important. Ever since there have been humans, there have been bacteria that try to kill us. In this since, we are at war. Constantly. Against an enemy that we cannot see. Since we cannot see them and they do not communicate with us, we assume that this war does not exist. But it is being waged all the time. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Harmful bacteria are always trying to do us in. And they have the advantage. They can mutate and adapt to new environmental conditions at great speeds. Three years of natural selection among them can be like tens of thousands of years (or more) for humans. We are slow. Even our most advanced medicine is failing. Chemical warfare only works if your opponent cannot adapt to the new conditions created by the chemical. Bacteria can so adapt, and have.

So what can we do? Well, we do have allies in this war. Unfortunately, we have a tendency to kill off our allies with friendly fire. There are all sorts of beneficial bacteria that live on and in the human body. These fight with our immune system against the hostile bacteria -- think of your immune system as the Roman army and your symbiotic bacteria as auxiliaries (barbarian military units fighting with the legions against the hostile barbarians), and the malignant bacteria as the barbarian hordes. In this analogy, the legions and the auxiliaries are best suited to fight the battle, but we (the distant government) know better. We like to deploy chemical weapons that kill the enemy, the auxiliaries, and even soldiers of the legions. The trouble is, the enemy is always on the march and can reinfect a host before the auxiliaries and the legions have the opportunity to replenish their numbers after a chemical weapon (antibiotic) is deployed.

What is going on here is the more we rely on our technology, the more resistant hostile bacteria becomes to it. This is the epitome of natural selection. So not only are we depleted of friendly bacteria after using anti-bacterial products, but the new armies of hostile bacteria are more resistant to our chemical weapons. The body is left with no effective defense. That is why so many people are getting so sick.

The solution? Cut down on the anti-bacterial products you use. You are always touching new bacteria with your hands. Your symbiotic bacteria will fight and weaken a newly introduced hostile bacteria before your immune system ever has to deal with it. If you use anti-bacterial soap, the good bacteria is also killed. So what happens when a new hostile bacteria is introduced to your hand? It meets no resistance and your immune system has to fight it off at full strength.

My advice: Our chemical weapons (in the war against bacteria) are losing their effectiveness. So stop killing our allies. Avoid anti-bacterial handsoap. Let the friendly bacteria on your hands help you. Just wash your hands well; it's the bad bacteria that needs extra filth to propagate -- the friendly bacteria lives naturally off of your body. Clean, but not anti-bacterial hands give your bacteria the advantage. Also, consider increasing your garlic intake. Keeping garlic in your bloodstream will create a harmful environment for malignant bacteria.

This is all the advice I can offer. Please take it. Don't be part of the super-bug problem; be part of the solution.

posted by The Sovereign Editor | 11:51 AM | 3 comments |

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