Tell the GOP What You Think

Give the GOP your take on Social Security.

Middle East - Current Affairs

Jackson Diehl has a good break down of current affairs in the Middle East in the Washington Post today. Some highlights:

As thousands of Arabs demonstrated for freedom and democracy in Beirut and Cairo last week, and the desperate dictators of Syria and Egypt squirmed under domestic and international pressure, it was hard not to wonder whether the regional transformation that the Bush administration hoped would be touched off by its invasion of Iraq is, however tentatively, beginning to happen.

Those who have declared the war an irretrievable catastrophe have been gloating for at least a year over the supposed puncturing of what they portray as President Bush's fanciful illusion that democracy would take root in Iraq and spread through the region. They may yet be proved right. But how, then, to explain the tens of thousands who marched through Beirut last Monday carrying red and white roses and scarves -- the colors of what they call the "independence intifada" -- and calling for "freedom, independence and sovereignty" from neighboring Syria? Or the hundreds of Egyptian protesters who gathered that same day at Cairo University, in defiance of thousands of police officers, to chant the slogan of "kifaya," or "enough," at 76-year-old President Hosni Mubarak? [Read more here]

Peers Do Not Like Rather

Interesting!

Some of Dan Rather's best-known CBS colleagues say they don't watch the embattled anchor's "CBS Nightly News."

"He's not as easy to watch as [Peter] Jennings or [Tom] Brokaw," said "60 Minutes" correspondent Mike Wallace in this week's The New Yorker magazine.

"He's uptight and occasionally contrived. ... It's his style, and it's been a very effective style. God knows, I believe him. But I don't find him as satisfying to watch," Wallace said.

Legendary anchor Walter Cronkite, who recommended Rather for a job years ago, told the magazine he preferred watching Brokaw - who retired last year - because Rather looked like he was "showboating" - playing the part of a reporter on TV. [Story here]

Just Dumb

Thomas Freidman on Meet the Press yesterday stated what many on the right and me have said for sometime...

The idea that the Democrats would just sulk on the side and basically put them in a situation where they only succeed if the country fails--that, to me, is as dumb as the day is long.

Glad to see a man that only months ago was saying that victory in Iraq was impossible is now echoing some of the same opinions conservatives have.

More of Insurgents Killing Muslims

Well we have more violence against Muslims by Muslims -- in the deadliest insurgent attack to date. Fear did not stop the elections, fear has not stopped Iraq Police enlistment -- I don't know maybe it is just me but it appears the terror the insurgents are attempting to "instill" is actual anger towards them. A story like this make me feel sadness for the Iraqi people, concern of our military, and confirms there is a price for freedom but people are willing to pay it, Thank God!.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- In the deadliest single insurgent attack of the Iraq war, a suicide car bombing killed 125 people Monday in Hilla where police recruits were waiting to get physicals, Iraqi government and health officials said.

Lebanese Government Resigns!

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's Syrian-backed Prime Minister Omar Karami, under popular pressure after the assassination of an ex-prime minister, said Monday his government was resigning.

"Out of concern that the government does not become an obstacle to the good of the country, I announce the resignation of the government I had the honor to lead," Karami told parliament in Beirut.

More news here.

Good Illustration - So

(via Cox & Forkum)

Dean's Definition of Evil?

Dean's comments defiantly demonstrates why I cannot even contemplate the Democratic Party -- yes there are some good people in the Democratic Party; however, like Zell Miller I believe they be coming out against the "far left" of their party… Dean's latest statement shows he has no concept of "EVIL" none whatsoever… Evil is Mr. Dean's and other "far left" liberals hate -- the practice and attempt to incite hate against anyone that disagrees with them… Hate Mr. Dean is evil and my friend you are a master of "hate speech"…

And concluding his backyard speech with a litany of Democratic values, he [Howard Dean] added: "This is a struggle of good and evil. And we're the good." [Article here]

On the brighter side; "hate talk" like this will continue to drive support for the Republican candidates… I have stated before that I truly believe we [United States] need at a minimum a two party political system - however, the democrats are destroying themselves from within and I predicted will continue loosing seats rendering their opinions moot; IMO this would be bad for the country, but they will not learn.

Friedman on "Tipping Points"

Thomas Friedman has an interesting column on Tipping Points a topic taken from a book written by Malcolm Gladwell.

While I agree -- a 100% guarantee that a positive "tipping point" will not be "tipped" in the opposite direction would be nice, life and history have no guarantees -- this is precisely why we must remain diligent... If recent history is any indication we only have to look back twenty-six years (1979) when an appeasement administration (Jimmy Carter) betrayed the then Pro-American Shah of Iran giving way to the Shah's fundamentalist enemies and revolution. This destabilized the Middle East further and opened the door for the Iran/Iraq war -- where the following administration had to choose the "lesser of two evils" -- Saddam or the Ayatollah... Appeasement put us in this undesired position of having to choose -- Appeasement is the root of horror that has manifested itself over the last 26 years -- and to avoid this yet again we must be diligent and support those that support us. This is a hard learned lesson and listening to liberals I feel that it is an "unlearned" lesson by many -- appeasement and isolationism have and will continue to have negative results… Some highlights:

I think that what's so interesting about the Middle East today is that we're actually witnessing three tipping points at once.

Thanks to eight million Iraqis defying "you vote, you die" terrorist threats, Iraq has been reframed from a story about Iraqi "insurgents" trying to liberate their country from American occupiers and their Iraqi "stooges" to a story of the overwhelming Iraqi majority trying to build a democracy, with U.S. help, against the wishes of Iraqi Baathist-fascists and jihadists.

In Lebanon, the murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which Syria is widely suspected of having had a hand in, has reframed that drama. A month ago, Lebanon was the story of a tiny Christian minority trying to resist the Syrian occupation, which had the tacit support of the pro-Syrian Lebanese government and a cadre of Lebanese politicians who had sold their souls to Damascus. After the Hariri murder, Lebanese just snapped. Lebanon became the story of a broad majority of Lebanese Christians, Muslims and Druse no longer willing to remain silent, but instead telling the Syrians, and their Lebanese puppet president, to "go home." Lebanon went from a country where few dared whisper "When will Syria leave?" to a country where nearly everyone was shouting it, and Syria was having to answer.

The Israel-Palestine drama has gone from how Ariel Sharon will use any means possible to sustain Israel's hold on Gaza, which he once said was indispensable for the security of the Jewish state, to being about how Mr. Sharon will use any means possible to evacuate Gaza - with its huge Palestinian population - which he now says is necessary for saving Israel as a Jewish state. The issue for the Palestinians is no longer about how they resist the Israeli occupation in Gaza, but whether they build a decent mini-state there - a Dubai on the Mediterranean. Because if they do, it will fundamentally reshape the Israeli debate about whether the Palestinians can be handed most of the West Bank.

While all three of these situations would constitute tipping points by Mr. Gladwell's definition, I would feel a lot better about all three if I thought that they were irreversible - and couldn't tip back the wrong way. [Column here]

Just a Reminder

Just another example of the many jobs Clinton started and didn't finish -- Somali is a bad memory for many who lost friends and loved ones with absolutely no one being held accountable by the United States of America.

A group of Somali cabinet ministers and MPs has denounced government proposals to deploy foreign peacekeepers.
They issued a statement saying troops from neighbouring Ethiopia and Djibouti would not be acceptable. [Read story here]

BTW: Mr. Clinton, What was that exit strategy again?

More Progress

As I pointed out here there continues to be progress, good progress, against the insurgency -- despite the Ted Kennedy(s) and their rhetoric.

A half-brother and one-time aide to former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has been captured, the Iraqi interim government has said.
It accused Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hasan al-Tikriti of planning and carrying out terrorist acts.

He is high on a list of the 29 most wanted insurgents, and the US military was offering a $1m reward for him. [Read complete story here]

Bad or Good - I say Good

Yes, I say this is good. Is it far enough, no, but they are moving the right direction -- I figure Kennedy, Kerry, and other bleeding heart liberals will have some negative spin on this.....maybe this is a Bush puppet too.

CAIRO -- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, in a surprise reversal, yesterday took a significant step toward democratic reform in the world's most populous Arab country by ordering that presidential challengers be allowed on the ballot this fall.
[...]
Touting "freedom and democracy," Mr. Mubarak told an audience at Menoufia University, north of Cairo, that he had instructed parliament and the consultative Shura Council to amend the constitution's Article 76 on presidential elections.

This Ain't Good

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bank of America Corp. has lost computer data tapes containing personal information on 1.2 million federal employees, including some members of the U.S. Senate.

The lost data includes Social Security numbers and account information that could make customers of a federal government charge card program vulnerable to identity theft.

Crazy Ward

Jackson's Junction has a video of Mr. Churchill's outburst when confronted about fake art. See the video here.

Progress Continues Despite Negativism

Despite all the criticism of our military and the Iraqi forces the good work continues!

A TOP aide to al-Qaeda's frontman in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has been arrested, the Iraqi government said today.
"The terrorist Mohammed Najm Ibrahim, alias Mohammed Najm, who with one of his brothers runs a Zarqawi cell, is responsible for the beheading of several citizens and for attacks against Iraqi security forces," it said in a statement.
Ibrahim was arrested in the town of Baquba, north of Baghdad, it added, without giving the date of his arrest.
On February 21 police in Baquba announced the arrest of another member of the Zarqawi group. [link]

Well They Delt with It

I stated "if the Marine killed a non combatant, did not obey his ROE ("Rules of Engagement") he should be prosecuted; but report it, leave it alone and let the military deal with it", during a rant about the media only reporting negative news; here. Well the military did and is continuing to deal with this incident -- professionally I might add.

A US marine filmed apparently shooting dead an injured Iraqi in a Falluja mosque last year may not be formally charged, according to media reports.
Military investigators have concluded there is not enough evidence to prosecute over the shooting, US television network CBS news says.
However, the US military said the investigation had not been completed. [Read more here]

I am waiting to hear "the military is just covering it up" -- well actually to make it go away they should have prosecuted the young marine, but then you would hear the same thing we are hearing about the prison abuse prosecutions -- "the military is just offering us a sacrificial lamb"... Well thankfully the military knows that as far as the media goes they will not get a fair shake so they simply conduct fair investigations while attempting to ignore the media -- although like a whining child that is hard to do.

Excellent - Need More

Although I am against abortion this is the wrong way to go about disputing a law, period -- and I personally do not want to be associated with radical jerks like this. Now let's see if we can get some "international" terrorist with this law!

PITTSBURGH - The leader of a Ku Klux Klan splinter group was sentenced to 12 years in prison Friday in what prosecutors said was the nation's first conviction under a new anti-terror law.
David Wayne Hull, 42, was convicted of teaching a government informant posing as an anti-abortion activist how to use a pipe bomb at a November 2002 white supremacist gathering on Hull's property south of Pittsburgh.

Of Course He Should Be

I am sure many will have a problem with this story about a solider being charged for refusing to deploy -- let me feel you in on a few things... The United States Army is still set up on discipline -- not feelings -- you do get to choose what you will and want do. Even if this guy applied and got a discharge for "conscientious objecting" he did not have it at the time of deployment and he obviously had been in long enough to know you do what you are ordered -- he could have continued with the proceedings but he also had an obligation to "his commitment", to the Army, and to his "fellow soldiers" to follow orders -- just as the Army has an obligations to the many that follow orders to prosecute anyone that fails to follow them..

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — An Army mechanic who refused to deploy to Iraq for a second tour of duty will be court-martialed on desertion charges, officials said Friday.
Sgt. Kevin Benderman, 40, missed his unit's deployment flight Jan. 7 after giving his commanders notice 10 days earlier that he planned to seek a discharge as a conscientious objector. Benderman said he had become opposed to war after serving in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Well This Want Help

I have blogged several items highlighting some goods signs for Israel/Palestine peace; here, here, and here. But I am afraid this is will be a major set back!

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli police say a suicide bomber caused an explosion outside a beachfront nightclub in Tel Aviv Friday night that killed three people.

Please read the complete story, because there was some immediate action by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas -- but will it be enough?

I Might Take this Personal

If I was a Japanese man I might take this personal -- how about you all?

TOKYO (Reuters) - Most single Japanese women prefer not to marry and believe they can live happily alone for the rest of their life, a poll shows, casting another shadow on the future of a country plagued by a falling birthrate.

About seven in ten single Japanese women surveyed by the conservative Yomiuri newspaper said they would rather stay unwed.

Cell Phone-Only -- That's Me

WASHINGTON - They're mainly young, single and urban. They move frequently, usually renting rather than owning their homes. Pollsters call them "cell phone only" because they don't own traditional phones.

Not single -- but really think a "traditional phone" is a waste of money in today's environment... When I had a "traditional phone" no one ever called me or my wife on it - so we disconnected it and didn't miss a beat. That is where DSL is missing the boat -- if I wanted DSL I had to have a phone line so I would have had to pay $30 for the phone line then the "high-speed" up charge with cable "high-speed" I don't pay the $30 for the phone line!

CSI Makes Mistake - Me Thinks!

As a CSI fan -- I do not look forward to the "Tarantino" finale!

New Seatbelts

They are releasing new seatbelts that will limit driver distractions.

Brotherhood

We hear all the negative stories about how Iraqi soldiers are behind -- how our military does not trust them -- etc... I must admit I am pleasantly surprised that the Washington Post released this story and picture... Some highlights:

"When I saw those Iraqis in the water, fighting to save their American brothers, I saw a glimpse of the future of this country," said Col. Mark McKnight, commander of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, which had overall responsibility for the unit in the accident, his eyes tearing.
[...]
Pfc. Russell Nahvi, 23, of Arlington, Tex., a medic whose platoon was involved in the accident, said he arrived in Iraq this month with preconceptions about the Iraqi forces. "You always heard never to trust them, to never turn your back on them," he said.

The actions of the Iraqis that Sunday "changed my mind for how I felt about these guys," he said. "I have a totally different perspective now. They were just so into it. They were crying for us. They were saying we were their brothers, too."

Iraqi Army soldiers pray in traditional Islamic manner in front of a memorial for 3 American soldiers on Friday, February 18, 2005 in Forward Operating Base Palowada in Balad. Iraqi soldiers helped Americans to find the bodies of three American soldiers with Charlie Troop Task Force 5-7 (SPC Dakotah Lee Gooding, SGT Rene Knox Jr., SGT Chad William Lake) who died in accident during a mission.
Ramin Talaie for The Washington Post

Little History

On this date in 1803 the Supreme Court ruled itself to be the final interpreter of all constitutional issues... (Simply and FYI I found interesting)

Listen to Ward Churchill Yourself

I believe among other things Ward Churchill is suffering from a mental imbalance, but that is my opinion. Michell Malkin has clips available to listen to -- so listen and draw your own conclusion. You can here to clips here, here, here, and here; or read the transcript here.

Interesting Take

Here, with our readers' help, are WorldNetDaily editors' picks for the 10 most underreported stories of the past year. [Read more here]

There is an Issue with Social Security

This is a step forward -- someone at the Washington Post (Robert Samuelson) actually acknowledged there is a problem with Social Security... He does not agree with Bush's plan, but simply acknowledging a problem is a "giant step forward"; wouldn't you say?

Our central budget problem, as I've noted in earlier columns, is the coming spending explosion in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, driven by aging baby boomers and rising health spending. In 2004 these programs cost $965 billion, or 8.4 percent of the economy (gross domestic product). The Congressional Budget Office projects that by 2030 their costs will rise to 14 percent of GDP, or more than $1.6 trillion in today's dollars. Avoiding a (nearly) $700 billion annual increase in taxes or deficits would require comparable spending cuts in other government programs. It won't happen. The projected increase in retirement spending nearly equals all federal "discretionary spending" -- a category that includes defense, homeland security, environmental programs, national parks, scientific research and much more. We're not going to eliminate all these programs.

Once you've done this math, you recognize that benefit cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are inevitable. They're the only other way to limit massive tax increases or immense budget deficits. Moreover, the benefit cuts have to affect baby boomers, because they will be the people on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. The critical period occurs from 2011 to 2029, when all baby boomers (people born from 1946 to 1964) hit 65. That's when budgetary pressures intensify. So, does the Bush Social Security plan improve the budget outlook? From all indications, the answer is "no."

Terrorist Fear Freedom?

I have blogged numerous stories like this -- but I truly believe these type of attacks are not getting the attention they need nor or they being interpreted accurately. These are attacks against their own people -- why would they do that, what would be the reason? Because of the evil Americans, no I don't thinks so. These attacks are aimed directly at freedom, and why would they [terrorist or as I prefer animals] target freedom -- it scares them! If their ideology is so noble, so honorable, and so correct; what do they have to fear from freedom? People will easily choose goodness over evil, lawfulness over unlawfulness; so does this indicate that these animals know what they stand for -- what they want is evil? I think so and this is the reason they fear freedom for Iraq!

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- On the day a Shiite Muslim-led bloc picked its candidate for Iraq's prime minister, insurgents assassinated an official in Diyala province who was a member of that nominee's political movement.

Unknown gunmen shot dead Khalil Ali Shuker as he finished evening prayers Tuesday at a mosque in Muqdadiya, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of Baghdad. A male bystander also was wounded.

Does This Mark the End

Unfortunately, one of the first things I thought after reading the below story was "I wonder how many families will bring up lawsuits"... I am ashamed to think that but this country ought to be ashamed that it could actually happen.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Saying it has exhausted all DNA technology, the New York City Medical Examiner has halted the process of identifying human remains from the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center site.

Family members are to be notified by telephone calls and letters saying that further positive identifications are not expected, leaving more than four out of 10 families with no recovered remains for burial.

Bobbit Has Company

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A woman upset about an impending breakup with her boyfriend cut off the man's penis and flushed it down a toilet, police said.

Utility workers recovered the severed member Sunday and surgeons reattached it.

Kim Tran, 35, was charged with first-degree assault, domestic violence and tampering with evidence. She was jailed at the Anchorage Jail with no bail set.

Where to these guys find these women?

Iran not Iraq

MAINZ, Germany (Reuters) - President Bush said Wednesday that European diplomatic efforts were just beginning to try to rein in Iran's nuclear program and comparisons with Iraq were wrong.

"Iran is not Iraq. We just started the diplomatic efforts and I want to thank our friends for taking the lead. We will work with them to convince the mullahs that they need to give up their nuclear ambitions," Bush told a news conference after talks with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder

Well at least someone remembers the years, more than a decade, we dealt with Iraq -- inspectors allowed in, inspectors refused access, documents requested, refusal to turn over documents, on and on and on... I really does not amaze me how those opposed to President Bush use shock to sway people -- Iraq is another Vietnam, Iran is another Iraq, etc.; what shocks me is how people "fall for it". Iran is just starting on their path of international deception and if diplomatic means are successful will anyone give credit to US action in Iraq -- I will! One hint, please don't let the UN, France, Germany, or Russia get in involved in dispense financial aid, ala "oil-for-food", or this maybe another 10 year diplomatic approach.

UN Sexcapades Continue

UNITED NATIONS - A letter sent to Secretary-General Annan by representatives of the United Nations staff union may set up the next firing of a top Turtle Bay figure, following a weekend that brought the housecleaning under the new chief of staff, Mark Malloch Brown, to new heights.

The confidential staff union letter, dated February 17, marked a new round in a battle to investigate allegations of abuse of power by Undersecretary-General Dileep Nair, who heads the U.N. internal investigative arm, the Office of Internal Oversight Services.

Ironically, it was a leak last week of a months-old classified report on sexual harassment by the OIOS that led to the high-profile departure this weekend of the U.N.'s high commissioner for refugees, Ruud Lubbers. Mr. Lubbers' s forced resignation was universally seen at the U.N. as an attempt by Mr. Malloch Brown to pre-empt criticism of the organization.

The letter regarding Mr. Nair, who has been accused by some staffers of sexual harassment in the past, consisted of five separate new allegations, according to two sources who have read parts of it to The New York Sun. The five allegations were described by one source as "merely technical." But another said they regarded serious "hiring, promotions, recruitment, and discipline" issues in Mr. Nair's office.

Florida Makes News Again

MIAMI, United States (AFP) - A state prosecutor in Florida's island city of Key West is under arrest after he allegedly ran naked and drunk across a parking lot and hopped into the wrong car.

Albert Tasker of the local state prosecutor's office told police he had been drinking with friends and thought it would be funny to take off his clothes and run to a friend's car in the parking lot, according to the Florida Keys Citizen.

This just hit me funny!

Saying Bad Thing about Us

Ever heard your boss or a teacher say "if they are saying or writing bad things about me I am not doing my job"? I guess this falls under that category:

(CNN) -- Osama bin Laden's No. 2 man in al Qaeda lashed out at U.S. efforts to extend democracy around the world in a videotape aired Sunday on Arabic-language TV station Al Jazeera, saying those efforts "will end with your defeat, the killing of your sons and the destruction of your economy."

First -- this will not change the minds of those that support the actions in Iraq and in fact strength the resolve of many... Second -- if the threat is carried out many of the fence sitters will become supporters of any actions against the animals -- as usual my opinion!

Thompson Suicide - Bush's Fault

It is amazing; President Bush is now the reason for suicides!

Outlaw, druggie, Dunhill-smoking, Chivas Regal-drinking, anti-establishment literary icon Hunter S. Thompson committed suicide after becoming depressed about the United States' shift toward conservatism, said one longtime friend who spent the weekend at the Aspen, Colo., home of the late "gonzo" journalist.
[...]
A vehement opponent of President Bush, Mr. Thompson, 67, "was feeling maudlin about the current conservatism sweeping the country," Mr. Jenkins said. [Read more here]

Let's see, President Bush is responsible for escalating hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, tsunamis, pretty much any national disaster, now suicides, with this kind of power why would anyone not vote for the man!

Amnesty International - Other Agendas

Can anyone read this -- even those opposed to President Bush -- and not believe Amnesty International has another agenda?

LONDON (Reuters) - Nearly two years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, women there are no better off than under the rule of ousted dictator Saddam Hussein, the human rights group Amnesty International said on Tuesday.

Without listing a multitude of reasons this is a false claim I will look to one fact -- women voted, and there are many countries that is still not legal... Give me a break, as Matt Margolis states, "Anyone else want to trust an organization that supports convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu Jamal?"

Out There Justice

This is just strange to me - can anyone explain it to me?

MULTAN, Pakistan - A tribal council in Pakistan has ordered the betrothal of a 2-year-old girl to a man 40 years older to punish her uncle for an alleged affair with the man's wife, police said Monday.
The council decreed the girl must marry 42-year-old Mohammed Altaf, her uncle's cousin, when she turns 18, police said.
Altaf, a farmer, divorced his 32-year-old wife over her alleged love affair with his 20-year-old cousin, Mohammed Akmal. Akmal, a bachelor and also a farmer, has no children.
Altaf asked tribal elders in the village of Kacha Chohan, about 215 miles west of the city of Multan in Punjab province, to convene a panchayat, or council, on Feb. 15 to arbitrate and propose a punishment. As punishment, the elders ordered the girl's betrothal and ruled Akmal should also pay a $3,800 fine to the husband.

Stranger and scarier by the minute.

In 2002, another village council near Multan ordered a woman gang-raped as punishment for her brother's sexual relations with another woman. A court later convicted six men who perpetrated the rape and sentenced them to death. They are appealing the sentences.

Light at the end of the tunnel.

"These types of panchayats are illegal and nobody has the right to take a decision about a child's life," he said. "This country has its legal system and all decisions should be taken under it."
He said that the betrothal of a minor did not itself break the law, but forcing a woman to marry against her will carried a maximum 14-year jail sentence. Underage marriage is also illegal but is only punishable by a fine.

(Hat tip to Flying Yangban)

Senator Reid's SS Calculator Debunked

Senator Reid introduced an online Social Security calculator which you can access here… However, I would suggest you read this information from The Heritage Foundation…

Sen. Reid, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), and other foes of personal retirement accounts today posted an on-line calculator developed by the far-left Center for Budget Policy and Priorities. Those planning to use this calculator should keep in mind a few of the unsupportable assumptions built into it:

It assumes personal accounts will deliver CBO’s “risk-adjusted” rate of return of 3% not counting administrative costs—less than half of the average return of 7% on equities delivered over the past 75 years. For its “expected” analysis, however, CBO assumes a rate of return of 4.9%, even after accounting for administration costs.[1] This calculator assumes that the average investor will be able to equal, at best, no more than the return on U.S. Treasury Bonds.

It assumes all workers will start collecting full benefits at age 65—even though the age at which one qualifies for full Social Security benefits will reach 67 by 2022. This incorrect assumption allows the calculator to overstate projected Social Security benefits by as much as two years and underestimate personal account earnings by the same margin. [Read the rest here]

On Again - Off Again - Pyongyang Game

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il said his country would return to six-party nuclear talks under the right conditions and called for the United States to show sincerity, the North's official KCNA news agency said on Tuesday.
In a rare statement on the stalled talks, Kim told a visiting senior Chinese communist party official that the North had never opposed the six-party talks and was committed to the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula

I know I am blogging a lot about the "wishy washy" actions of North Korea - but, I am trying to demonstrate the idiotic diplomacy all administrations have faced for half a century...

USA Today Story

Step Forward for Peace?

Am I the only one that sees this as a step toward for peace?

JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel freed 500 Palestinian prisoners in a good-will gesture Monday, a day after the government gave final approval to a pullout from Gaza and a revised route of the West Bank separation barrier that would encompass at least 6 percent of land claimed by the Palestinians for a future state.

Jimmy Carter's Contribution to Military Might

His only contribution!

GROTON, Conn. (AP) — The USS Jimmy Carter entered the Navy's fleet Saturday as the most heavily armed submarine ever built, and as the last of the Seawolf class of attack subs that the Pentagon ordered during the Cold War's final years.

Japan is Now a Super Power

Really - Just ask North Korea -

(CNN) -- North Korea has accused Japan of aspiring to rule a "Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere" beginning with an invasion of Korea with the assistance of the United States.

Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's state newspaper, said Sunday the Japanese had joined with the United States' "vicious hostile policy" toward North Korea and that the "military threat" they perceive from the Koreans "is a far-fetched allegation fabricated by themselves."

The paper's comments followed a day of talks in Washington between U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and their Japanese counterparts on the two countries' security relationship.

Didn't you know that the Japanese have such a "large" military that North Korea should fear them - give me a break - more "Pyongyang games".

More on Jimmy Cater

I have already blogged an interesting story about Jimmy Carter conspiring with the enemy (Russia), here, but The Spoons Experience has a much deeper look at the Jimmy Carter.

I am considering, after some research, discussing how our greatest alley in the Middle East, Iran, became one of our worst enemies in less then four years of the Carter presidency... Then maybe we can look at how Carter's giving up the canal and military spending cuts further weakened this great Nation...we could go on and on about how this man "the Great American" was the worst president of my lifetime and perhaps ever, but what would be the point - I think many democrats already are aware of this and others are simply in denial.

Another Ross Perot?

David Brooks has an interesting idea of a new "Ross Perot" rising out of worry over federal deficits - strange idea, maybe, but he has some interesting points. Some snippets:

There's going to be another Ross Perot, and this time he's going to be younger. There's going to be a millionaire rising out of the country somewhere and he (or she) is going to lead a movement of people who are worried about federal deficits, who are offended by the horrendous burden seniors are placing on the young and who are disgusted by a legislative process that sometimes suggests that the government has lost all capacity for self-control.
[...]
We may as well be blunt about the driving force behind all this. The living and well organized are taking money from the weak and the unborn. Over the past decades we have seen a gigantic transfer of wealth from struggling young families and the next generation to members of the AARP. In 1990, 29 percent of federal spending went to seniors; by 2015 roughly half of all government spending will go to those over 65. This prescription drug measure is just part of that great redistribution.

But what can't last won't last. Before too long, some new sort of leader is going to arise, especially if we fail to reform Social Security this year. He's going to rail against a country that cannot control its appetites. He's going to rail against Republicans who promise to be virtuous - but not just yet. He's going to slam Democrats who loudly jeer at Republican deficits but whose own entitlement proposals would make the situation twice as bad. He's going to crusade against the interest groups who are so ferocious on behalf of their members that they sacrifice the future. [Read here]

What a Shocker

USA Today has a shocking new development - NOT - where have they been, this is nothing new in the "Pyongyang game" that has lasted half a century... Just keep reporting even if there is nothing new to report.

BEIJING (AP) — North Korea no longer wants to negotiate with the United States and four other nations in an effort to ease the ongoing standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear program, China's state news agency said Saturday.

The official Xinhua News Agency, citing an anonymous North Korea Foreign Ministry spokesman, said the official reiterated the communist regime's Feb. 10 decision to indefinitely suspend its participation in six-party nuclear disarmament talks. Those parties are the United States, the two Koreas, China, Russia and Japan.

Liberal Elite at Their Best

Can you believe the time and money "brilliant [?]" educators are putting in to this "war over words"? Just as the original protest over President Lawrence H. Summers' comments totally disregarded the question; "is what he said factual?" for the "bigger [liberal] issue", "does it offend", this new round of debate disregards the same question for the concern "could this damage the University's reputation?" whoopee do!

I tell you want damages your University's reputation and demonstrates why liberal academia elites don't earn my attention; your total disregard of facts, truth, and educating choosing instead to worrying about "not offending" and "your reputation".

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 18 - A mood of uncertainty settled over Harvard University on Friday in the aftermath of President Lawrence H. Summers's release of the transcript of his contentious remarks last month about the shortage of women in the sciences and engineering.

Many people were parsing and debating the often dense and rambling 7,000-word transcript, a long-awaited document that quickly became a must-read on campus.

A group of professors and students was collecting names on letters supporting Dr. Summers. Another group of professors, who had criticized Dr. Summers's leadership style at a tense faculty meeting on Tuesday, was continuing to discuss the matter.

Scholars normally immersed in research and teaching were preoccupied with questions about the leadership of the university, to which many of them have devoted their adult lives. [Read more if you really want to]

Bias Review

Thomas Sowell demonstrates the bias of media by comparing the investigation of the two candidates', in the recent Presidential campaign, military records... Some highlights:

One document whose authenticity is not likely to be questioned by the mainstream media is the honorable discharge on Senator John Kerry's web site. Yet who in the major media has investigated why that honorable discharge is dated during the Carter administration, when Kerry's military service ended years earlier?

This is the same media that spent months investigating George W. Bush's military record and, even after key allegations were revealed to be based on forgeries, continued publicizing rumors and innuendoes. They didn't stop even after the President signed Form 180, opening all his military records to the public.

But who in the major media has asked why John Kerry would need to be issued an honorable discharge during the Carter administration, years after leaving the navy, unless his original discharge was less than honorable?

One of Jimmy Carter's first acts as President was to issue an order granting amnesties to draft dodgers who had fled the country during the Vietnam war and also allowing an upgrading of military discharges that had been less than honorable.

There is more to this than simply a strange date on an honorable discharge. The covering memo refers to U.S. Code Title 10, sections 1162 and 1163. Anyone who bothers to read those sections will discover that they are about unusual circumstances for issuing discharges from the military services. [Read more here]

Rummy Explained - Accurately

David Limbaugh puts Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld testiness in perspective - I know I would be testy if I had idoits using 20/20 hindsight.

Is it any wonder Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was a little testy -- if you can even call it that -- during his testimony before the House Armed Services Committee this week?

If the media and a slew of armchair quarterback politicians had persistently derided you like they have Secretary Rumsfeld, blaming you for every negative turn in the war and crediting you with none of its achievements, how warm and fuzzy would you feel toward them?

Almost every time Mr. Rumsfeld opens his mouth in public, people accuse him of arrogance, rudeness, evasiveness and insubordination to people who aren't even his superiors. Day after day, week after week, month after month, this brilliant, sagacious man is treated like a punching bag by people who couldn't hold his briefcase. We are talking about a man who is in his late sixties, independently wealthy, professionally accomplished beyond the wildest dreams of his detractors, and who has nothing personally to gain through his position.

Democrat Demonstrates the Spirit of Unity

PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) -- Howard Dean, the newly minted leader of the Democratic Party, and former Pentagon adviser Richard Perle made clear their opposing views on the war in Iraq during a debate marred by a protester who tossed a shoe at Perle.

Perle had just started his comments Thursday when a protester threw a shoe at him before being dragged away, screaming, "Liar! Liar!"

Care for Religious Symbols and Buildings?

Tell me again why everyone was or is so worried about our military damaging religious buildings in Iraq?

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least four people were killed and 22 wounded in an attack near a Shi'ite mosque in southern Baghdad on Friday, hospital and police sources said.
Survivors said a man wearing a suicide belt blew himself up in the mosque in the Doura district of southwestern Baghdad, a hospital official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.

Class-Action Lawsuit Change - Good!

WASHINGTON - Congress on Thursday passed legislation that would transfer most large, multistate class action lawsuits to federal court, fulfilling one of President Bush’s second-term goals.

The aim of the bill was to protect businesses and stop lawyers from reaping huge profits by filing suits in carefully selected state courts.

The legislation, given final congressional approval by the House on a 279-149 vote, would ban state courts from hearing large multistate class action lawsuits. Such courts have been known for issuing multimillion-dollar verdicts like they did against tobacco companies.

Jimmy Carter and Friends - Conspiring with Enemy?

FrontPage Magazine has some interesting information that begs more attention from the Main Stream Media (MSM), but don't hold your breath.

Remember the old conservative charge that many of the Democrats here in America were playing footsie with the Soviets? Some Republicans even said the Russians viewed the Democrats as their favorite party.
[...]
Soviet diplomatic accounts and material from the archives show that in January 1984 former President Jimmy Carter dropped by Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin's residence for a private meeting.

Carter expressed his concern about and opposition to Reagan's defense buildup. He boldly told Dobrynin that Moscow would be better off with someone else in the White House. If Reagan won, he warned, "There would not be a single agreement on arms control, especially on nuclear arms, as long as Reagan remained in power."

Using the Russians to influence the presidential election was nothing new for Carter.

Schweizer reveals Russian documents that show that in the waning days of the 1980 campaign, the Carter White House dispatched businessman Armand Hammer to the Soviet Embassy. [Read more here]

Bad Economy - What?

These articles might dispute the democrats claim of a bad economy.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. weekly initial jobless claims fell 2,000 last week, touching a four-year low of 302,000 claims, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

The four-week average of new claims dropped by 4,000 to stand at 311,750, the lowest since Nov. 4, 2000. Read the full report.

Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had been expecting claims to rise to 316,000. See Economic Calendar.

The number of people collecting unemployment benefits fell by 14,000 to 2.72 million, as of the week ended Feb. 5. The insured unemployment rate, meanwhile, fell 0.1 percentage point to 2.1 percent in the same week.

The jobless claims data show anew improvement in the nation's labor market conditions. Layoffs, represented by initial claims, have declined about 13 percent over the past year, from about 360,000 a year ago.

You can read another Reuters article about "jobless claim falling" and "import prices going up" here. Then yesterday USA Today reported that counstruction jumped which is another good sign.

WASHINGTON — New home and apartment construction jumped nearly 5% in January to the highest level in nearly 21 years, bolstered by historically low mortgage rates, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.
U.S. housing starts reached 2.16 million units on a seasonally adjusted annual basis in January. That's up from 2.06 million the previous month and is a nearly 12% increase from January 2004.

Housing permits, an indicator of future activity, rose nearly 2% to a 2.1 million seasonally adjusted annual rate. The housing-starts figure was the highest since February 1984.

The robust figures surprised economists. Many had predicted a dip in activity during January and expect the record-setting housing market — one of the brightest spots in the economy — to cool this year, partly in response to Federal Reserve interest rate increases.

Black Caucus Insulted w/out Knowing It!

La Shawn Barber has a no holds barred look at Howard Dean's new position and his latest [racist] comments - oh, I am sorry, racist only if a Republican had said it.

“You think the Republican National Committee could get this many people of color in a single room?,” Dean asked to laughter. “Only if they had the hotel staff in here.”

Go here and read it.

No to Social Security - Why?

Pete Du Pont explains better than I could "Why do Dems oppose Social Security reform?" socialism versus individualism:

In 1945 Clement Attlee led the British Labour Party to victory over Winston Churchill's Conservative Party. He then proceeded to socialize much of the British economy, for he believed that "the creation of a society based on social justice . . . could only be attained by bringing under public ownership and control the main factors in the economic system." Labour's goal was to get rid of the waste and irrationality that, in the socialist view, doomed market economies to failure.

Fast forward six decades, and you hear an Attlee echo--Sen. Hillary Clinton telling a California audience last summer that taxes must rise because "We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good."

American socialist Noam Chomsky made the same argument concerning Social Security: that allowing people to invest in markets is a bad thing, for "putting people in charge of their own assets breaks down the solidarity that comes from doing something together, and diminishes the sense that people have responsibility for each other."

So the 2005 Social Security argument is an old and familiar one: government decisions versus individual ones, government control of assets versus individual ownership. In short, socialism versus individualism. [Read more here]

Still Violence Against their Own

You cannot pick up a paper or watch television and not hear something about an Iraqi insurgent attack on an Iraqi official - what are they trying to prove except that "terrorist" apply describes them. I mean they only mission, I use mission loosely because otherwise it would mean their was some kind of military strategy involved something they are incapable of, is to instill fear and so far they have failed - unless you count members of the American Democratic Party. Their [the insurgents] war is against freedom whoever might be bringing it, advocating it, or defending it - to bad the liberals don't get it and thank God our President does.

BAGHDAD (AP) — Gunmen shot dead an Interior Ministry intelligence officer in a southern Baghdad neighborhood on Wednesday, police said.
Attackers opened fire on 1st Lt. Ghazi Hoshi as he was getting into his car to go to work in Dora, said Falah Mohamadawi, a police detective in the district.

In another attack in the northern city of Mosul, gunmen seriously wounded a police colonel and killed his driver, medical officials at a hospital where the casualties were brought said.

Questions for AARP

Rich Lowry has some great questions for the AARP.

The AARP recently announced that it is taking its campaign against President Bush's proposed Social Security reform to the nation's youth, hoping to broaden its target audience from the credulous elderly to the credulous young. Thus, the AARP further cements its status as the country's foremost lobby against reform. So inquiring minds should have a few questions for AARP CEO William D. Novelli, the architect of the group's crusade to keep young people from having personal retirement accounts as part of Social Security:

--Since Bush has said that any proposal won't affect anyone 55 years of age or older, what possible reason -- other than sheer ideological hostility -- do you have to oppose reforming the system?

That is one good question go here to read the rest.

What Will Democrats Say?

It took what, one hundred and forty years for the women in America to vote - how long before America had women poloticians. Can this be seen as anything but progress?

KABUL, Afghanistan — President Hamid Karzai is preparing to appoint Afghanistan's first female provincial governor, in another step toward reviving women's rights that had been trampled by the hard-line Taliban government.

Updated Internet Explorer

It is about time that Microsoft came out with an updated Internet Explorer - of course, they were forced somewhat with the growing interest in Firefox and the suspicion Google will be coming out with a browser... I really don't care what motivated them but they need to improve on IE 6.0, I have tried Firefox and think it has some neat features but I despise some of the quirks and having to grab a new plug-in every time I go to a new webpage, etc. Besides I am an old dog and am comfortable with IE - actually started using it when if first was released because I felt it was better then Netscape and have even beta tested some releases... Anyway the latest beta will probably be released this summer - seems they are not waiting for "Longhorn" as originally reported.

Stories here and here.

Kerry in 2008 or 2004

I am not sure - either John Kerry is defiantly going to run in 2008 already starting his campaign or he is delusional and is still conducting the 2004 campaign. I am under the impression that it is the latter and it is sad. Mr. Kerry newest "campaign" speech concentrates on his plans for security improvements and the military - you know the plan never introduced. I have already blogged about John Kerry's denial here.

WASHINGTON - Former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, who lost to President Bush in an election focused on national security, said Tuesday the country would be "far better off" with his proposals for Iraq and the military.

This is really sad; gracious concession was simply too much to hope for. This reiterates one of the many problems I had with John Kerry - along with his lack of core values his self-loving is sickening - since his fifteen minutes of fame Mr. Kerry simply cannot stand being out of the limelight. Mr. Kerry goes on to say "Americans accepted that I could be the commander in chief" - "What they were unwilling to do was shift commanders in midstream" - what was I saying about self-loving, these two statements are simple denial of the facts and wishful thinking.

Munich Security Conference

David Brooks has a good column on the "trans-Atlantic security conference" which took place in Munich - with an interesting twist. While returning from the conference he and the politicians stopped in Ireland, while there encountered Marines returning home. So Mr. Brooks rights his column by telling us how he would explain the conference to these returning heroes...

More Oil for Fraud

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate panel says it has obtained Iraqi documents providing new evidence that the former head of the U.N. oil-for-food program made up to $1.2 million through oil deals with Saddam Hussein's government.

This thing keeps going deeper and deeper into the UN leadership though I am not surprised it is worth reiterating this is the Organization that John Kerry and the democrats believe we should be totally dependent of for our protection among other things…

Intereting Look at Democrats

The American Spectator has an interesting review of the Democratic Party:

No mention of Sen. John Kerry, who shared the dais with Clinton, and who has been busily working to elevate himself to leader of the opposition nationally. Kerry is said by advisers to have been surprised that Clinton did not highlight him as a party leader to be respected and supported.

But perhaps most telling about Clinton's comments, which were warmly received, was the lack of anything new compared to his remarks at prior DNC functions pre- or post-November election. "He has said this before in just about every Democratic Party setting he's attended," says a Democratic National Committee member. "I've heard this speech ten times in the past couple of years. There is nothing new, and it's unfortunate that he keeps giving it, because it's clear that our leaders aren't listening."
[...]
There are still so many doubts about Dean that that's the only thing Reid can say to allay concerns," says a Democratic Senate leadership source. "Dean is not the guy everyone wants. He has the backing of the state parties, but he's going to have to line up with the rest of the party leadership here in D.C."

South Koreans Responds

Like I have said before - we should key off the South Korean reaction to North Korea - you know the ones that are in immediate danger it the claims prove true not those living in Washington DC...

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's top policymaker on North Korea said Monday North Korea's claim to have nuclear weapons was unproven and Seoul's controversial engagement policy with the North would remain, at least for now.

North Korea explicitly said for the first time last Thursday that it had atomic weapons. The reclusive communist state also said it was pulling out of six-party talks aimed at ending a two-year impasse over its nuclear programs because of what it called U.S. hostility.

"There is no doubt that North Korea has 10 to 14 kg (22 to 31 pounds) of plutonium, but there is no evidence that the North has turned it into plutonium bombs," Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young told parliament Monday.

Anti-Kitchen Knife Laws Needed

If we are to believe the anti-Gun lobby - "making guns illegal will stop gun violence" - Japan needs an anti-Kitchen knife law... A seventeen year old goes into a school, yes school violence without a gun, and attacks teachers resulting in at least one fatality. Where is the petition I will sign it - who cares about the individual committing the crime let's condemn the tool used...let absurdity to demonstrate the absurd.

TOKYO (AP) — A 17-year-old boy armed with a knife burst into a public elementary school in western Japan on Monday, stabbing one teacher to death and slashing two others, police said.
No students were hurt in the attack in Neyagawa City outside Osaka, said Isoo Noda, spokesman for the Neyagawa City police, but the stabbings came as the latest in a series of rampages in Japan involving knives and children.

Police arrested a teenage boy who was a former student at the school in the faculty room, saying he used an 8-inch kitchen knife to stab two teachers and a school nutritionist. They found him smoking a cigarette in the room as frightened teachers looked on from afar, Noda said.

A 52-year-old male teacher was declared dead after the assault while a 57-year-old female teacher was seriously injured with knife wounds in her stomach, police said. The nutritionist, 45, was also being treated for injuries.

See there is a history of knife welding, ban them now! We need to ban them in the US too, before the evil begins here!

Also, in 2001 a Japanese man with a history of mental illness barged through several classrooms in Osaka in western Japan and stabbed dozens of children and teachers. Eight children died and 13 others, including two teachers, were injured. Mamoru Takuma was found guilty of the murders and executed last September.

In June, an 11-year-old girl led a 12-year-old classmate into an empty classroom in southwest Japan and slit her neck and arms, leaving the girl to bleed to death. The attacker told police the other girl had been posting unfriendly notes on the attacker's home page on the Internet.

Earlier this month, a man armed with a kitchen knife went on a stabbing spree in the children's department of a supermarket in central Japan, killing an 11-month-old boy and injuring a 3-year-old girl and an adult woman, police said.

My point, evil is evil and a determined individual will carryout their plan with whatever is available - a car, a knife, a gun, a robe, gasoline, etc. - we cannot ban everything, but we can prosecute the criminals to the fullest extent of the law and the harshest penalties allowed under the law - but currently we are told to feel the criminal's pain and ban the instrument of their demise.

Still Waiting on World Condemnation

Well like I have asked, "world outrage - where is it?" - I am still waiting on the outrage. Oh sure they are reporting on it, but you would think it was just another crime - folks these "peacekeepers" are alleged to have sexually assaulted and/or molested women and CHILDREN and this is not considered as outrageous or more so then Abu Ghraib? I simply do not get it - except that this does not lead to criticism of President Bush or the United States just the United Nations, so it's just a story.

Well at least men have been arrested even without world condemnation of this countries military or leadership - imagine that they are allowing the law to take it's course before any condemning accusations are made… Just think the United States system of law is one of the most envied yet the MSM and world opinion did not wait to let our system run its course before condemning the President, cabinet, military, and calling for resignations, why because along with an envied system of law we allow all peoples the freedom to criticize - ain't it great.

Six Moroccan soldiers serving as UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been arrested over sex abuse claims, Moroccan officials say.
The head of the Moroccan contingent of UN peacekeepers and his deputy have also been relieved of their duties. [Read story here]

Good Signs Continue

Like I said here and here - things are looking good and let us keep up hope. Here is another indication things are moving in the right direction.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's cabinet on Sunday approved the release of 500 Palestinian prisoners in what Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called a goodwill gesture to bolster new Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and build mutual trust.

In a further step to support peace moves after Sharon and Abbas agreed on a ceasefire at a groundbreaking summit five days ago, Israel let more than 200 Palestinian laborers enter from the Gaza Strip for the first time in months.

Top News -- North Korea

Well it looks like North Korea got it's wish -- they are now top news and have been for at least two days... Along with "blackmail" and discrediting the Presidents policies, as I discussed here, the wanted attention - like a spoiled child...

1. China Says It Will Seek North Korea Talks
   
2. China Tells U.S. It Will Push for N.Korea Talks
   
3. North Korea rallies support for Kim

I do find it amusing that experts are all over the networks criticizing the Clinton administration's attempt at bilateral talks using words like failure and embarrassment while reiterating the Bush administration will not nor should not budge on this issue -- but this fact falls on deaf ears where liberals are concerned; why, because they marching orders are "hate Bush and disagree with him at all cost" - besides Kerry and the democrats campaigned on bilateral talks with North Korea.

Are you Surprised

NEW YORK - The U.N. oil-for-food program chief under scrutiny for alleged corruption and mismanagement blocked a proposed audit of his office around the same time he's accused of soliciting lucrative oil deals from Iraq, according to investigators.

Let's Hope

Let us hope they prove ture to their word.

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad reiterated their promise Saturday to halt attacks against Israel, but stopped short of joining an oral cease-fire pact reached four days ago between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

UN - World Outrage - Where is it?

Waiting for the outrage over the UN peacekeepers sexual abuse charges - for that matter where are the American haters, excuse me the American citizens demanding and investigation, demanding prosecution of the leaders, or demanding a "war crimes" hearing... Of course, jumping on this band wagon will show the inadequacies of the UN - you see where the American Military took action and is still taking action the UN does not have the authority and the it appears there is no "world outrage" demanding someone held accountable; go figure - guess America has to be involved for everyone to find their moral and ethical compass.

UNITED NATIONS — A scandal about the sexual abuse of Congolese women and children by U.N. officials and peacekeepers intensified Friday with the broadcast of explicit pictures of a French U.N. worker and Congolese girls and his claim that there was a network of pedophiles at the U.N. mission in Congo.
[...]
The U.N. has no power to prosecute peacekeepers or civilians. The organization can only repatriate individuals and waive their immunity so they can face trial at home. Whether they are punished depends largely on the politics and culture of their home country, and U.N. officials acknowledge that they have been lax in following up cases.

False Report

Seems this was not as bad as we were led to believe.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (CNN)-- A Florida woman who reported seeing a newborn tossed out of a moving car made up the story and is actually the boy's mother, Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne said Friday.

Patricia Pokriots, 38, "made up an incredible story," but acknowledged what she had done while being questioned by authorities Friday, he said.

Easy Way Out - Quit

NEW YORK - CNN chief news executive Eason Jordan quit Friday amidst a furor over remarks he made in Switzerland last month about journalists killed by the U.S. military in Iraq.

Jordan said he was quitting to avoid CNN being "unfairly tarnished" by the controversy.

UPDATE: BTW good riddance.

North Korea Want One-on-One

I did not blog anything about the North Korean claim yesterday, but did make some comments about my opinion being it is "blackmail" plain and simply - now we have it; "We go a nuke you got to talk to us"... Interestingly they are only want bilateral talks, go figure same thing President Bush's opposition talked about - you think it is a move to discredit the President, you think?

Presidents have been second guessed for half a century in regard to North Korea - the premise of the second guessing is that those doing the second guessing assume North Korea is trustworthy - they are not - it is a totalitarian government based on terrorizing it's citizens and the dictator is a total self absorb nut. Of course, this fact makes it even more dangerous if indeed there is a nuke - anyway here is the story.

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has demanded bilateral talks with the United States to defuse tension created by its announcement that it is a nuclear power, the communist state's U.N. envoy said in a South Korean newspaper interview published Friday.

Han Sung Ryol, a senior diplomat at North Korea's U.N. delegation in New York, was the first North Korean official to speak to outside news media since Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry defied the United States and its allies by declaring Thursday that it has nuclear weapons, its first public announcement that it has weapons.

North Korea said the weapons are a deterrent against a U.S. invasion and that it doesn't intend to join six-nation disarmament talks any time soon.

"We will return to the six-nation talks when we see a reason to do so and the conditions are ripe," Han told Seoul's Hankyoreh newspaper in a Thursday interview in New York. "If the United States moves to have direct dialogue with us, we can take that as a signal that the United States is changing its hostile policy toward us."

I really do not mean to trivialize this - but I do want to call a duck a duck - it is blackmail!

Ollie on Eason Jordan

Oliver North has a great take on Eason Jordan's asinine statement. Highlights:

And therein lies the problem -- not just with Jordan's calumny about our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Guardsmen and Marines, but with his colleagues in the so-called mainstream media.

The CNN executive's slander went unreported -- and apparently unchallenged -- by other potentates of the press who heard him accuse America's military of deliberately targeting and killing journalists in Iraq. Worse still, other "leaders" in the Fourth Estate are now rushing to Jordan's defense. David Gergen, editor-at-large for U.S. News & World Report and moderator of the discussion in Davos, now says Jordan had recently been to Iraq, and was "caught up in the tension of the moment" and "deserves the benefit of the doubt."

Why? Aren't news reporters supposed to have a thirst for truth? Isn't there some standard of proof or corroboration required before someone in the "news business" makes such a horrific accusation? Furthermore, why should any member of the media in attendance be let off the hook for failing to immediately jump up and demand: "Prove it!" when Jordan made his unsubstantiated charges?

Such damning allegations, if true, would make Abu Ghraib look like petty larceny. Yet, Jordan has offered no evidence to validate the alleged war crimes -- nor, apparently, has he ever proffered any witnesses or evidence of such crimes in Iraq or anywhere else.
[...]
According to Rony Abovitz, the Forum-sponsored blogger who first broke this story to the world, Jordan "repeated the assertion a few times, which seemed to win favor in parts of the audience and cause great strain on others." According to Abovitz, Jordan's charges met with approval among Arab attendees "who applauded and called him 'a very brave man' for speaking up against the U.S. in a public way amongst a crowd ready to hear anti-U.S. sentiments."

There is a lesson in all of this, and not just for CNN, but for all the media. Jordan's disparaging duplicity wasn't exposed by the barons of broadcasting or the potentates of print, but by "amateurs" -- bloggers -- the same "unwashed masses" who brought down Dan Rather. These e-mailing, Web-surfing, call-'em as you see-'em bloggers are the electronic equivalent of the pamphleteers who brought about our revolution.

Read the entire column here.

Yet Another Sick Story

I posted earlier this week, this is simply sad, adults killing children is a sick, sick, thing - even worse killing their own... I don't want to rehash what I have already written but we have to stop devaluing life especially children and stop teaching the next generation it is easy and OK to fix a mistake... Another sad story.

(CNN) -- A newborn baby boy who was tossed from a moving vehicle Thursday is in remarkably good shape, authorities say.

First hospitalized in critical condition, the Broward Sheriff's Office said the baby is continuing to improve and was in serious condition late Thursday

Thank God the child appears to be OK!

Excellent - Tort Reform

WASHINGTON — Congress is only days away from handing President Bush and business groups a big victory by curbing multimillion-dollar class action lawsuits.

Despite complaints the legislation could hurt consumers, the Senate overwhelmingly passed the bill 72-26 on Thursday. The House will take it up next week and send it to the president to sign into law.

Not sure if this goes far enough but it is a start!

Let the Crying Begin

Well the Democrats have hit a new low - they are now crying foul - where were their concerns for personal attacks during the confirmation hearings where people's integrity was challenged. How about the personal "racial" attacks prior to the confirmation hearings? Besides Senator Harry Reid needing tougher skin to be considered a leader the Democrats as a whole need learn the old "do unto others" rule - start by putting Kennedy on a leash.

WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats demanded Thursday that President Bush order a halt to personal attacks on the party's leader, Sen. Harry Reid and expressed regret they had failed to mount a stronger defense for his defeated predecessor.

"This is a new Democratic party," Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said at a news conference called to release a letter telling Bush to muzzle his "political operatives."

"...It says to the president, `you will not intimidate us'," added Schumer, who likened the attacks on Reid to political knee-cappings.

Dems - Change Your Rhetoric

Thomas Friedman says Democrats should stop suggesting everything happening in Iraq is bad - I agree complaining, gripping, or simply devaluing every action simply discredits any possibly valid point. However, I guess to my delight, Mr. Friedman will be disappointed if he believes the Democrats with their new leader Howard Dean plan to change their rhetoric - maybe after the loosing more seats in 2006 - I say keep the vile hate speech like Howard Dean's, "I hate Republicans and what they stand for", coming! Some hightlights:

I think there is much to criticize about how the war in Iraq has been conducted, and the outcome is still uncertain. But those who suggest that the Iraqi election is just beanbag, and that all we are doing is making the war on terrorism worse as a result of Iraq, are speaking nonsense.

Here's the truth: There is no single action we could undertake anywhere in the world to reduce the threat of terrorism that would have a bigger impact today than a decent outcome in Iraq. It is that important. And precisely because it is so important, it should not be left to Donald Rumsfeld.

Democrats need to start thinking seriously about Iraq - the way Joe Biden, Joe Lieberman and Hillary Clinton have. If France - the mother of all blue states - can do it, so, too, can the Democrats. Otherwise, they will be absenting themselves from the most important foreign policy issue of our day.

Good Deeds Punished - Rewarded?

I guess you all have heard the story about the two girls that made cookies for their neighbors - allegedly instead of going to a party where alcohol, drugs, and general parting would be taking place, I say allegedly because I do not know the "whole story" but if true I find it refreshing... Well they made the cookies and while secretly delivering them scared one of the neighbors who sued and won....[Read here]

These girls are now receiving donations to pay their fines... [Read here] I find this neat because if indeed the girls were doing the "right" thing and only wanted to perform an act of kindness, how disturbing is it for them to "get into trouble" - would kind of drive home the "don't do anything nice because it opens you up to a law suite" mentality, and that is sad.

The story goes on to say that the complainant is getting harassing phone calls - don't support the phone calls, but what did she expect? Although, every neighborhood I guess has a "mean old lady" - the neighborhood I grew up had one and she never figured out that your "hatred of children" actually kept us coming back to "annoy her" (i.e.: knocking and running, yelling in the street in front of your house late I night, generally anything to annoy her); guess they will never learn. Funny thing my parents keep telling us we misjudged the "mean old lady" until one day we were forced to perform "an act of kindness" and her "hatred of children" was exposed to the "adults in the neighborhood" who eagerly watched from afar; of course, believing they were right but learned instead the children of the neighborhood were correct... To each their own I guess?

Embryo Legally Human

Chicago, IL (LifeNews.com) -- A county judge in Chicago has ruled that the parents of a frozen embryo which was accidentally destroyed at a fertility clinic have the right to file a wrongful death suit.

Legal experts say the case, which is drawing nationwide attention, could affect the debate over embryonic stem cell research, which involves the killing of human embryos to obtain their stem cells.

Cook County Judge Jeffrey Lawrence said in his decision that "a pre-embryo is a 'human being' ... whether or not it is implanted in its mother's womb."

Maybe the Democrats can Finally "Lick" Reagan

The post office annouces stamp honoring Ronald Reagan.


Read article here.

Journalist Dies in Mogadishu (note to Eason Jordan)

Mr. Jordan - do you think the US Military was responsible for this death too? Just curious since you obviously don't know how dangerous your chosen career field is. Further, you do not know how much having a reporting present during a mission jeopardized the military members lives - I have been involved in missions of this type and I can assure you sir that I and the other military member do everything possible to ensure the journalist safety up to and including jeopardizing our own safety. Journalist compromise missions, they are a hindrance, and should feel honored and thankful to be allowed to accompany the military not to mention thankful for the added attention they get over and above the units members!

A BBC producer has died after being shot while making a series of reports in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. [Read story here]

I really was going to let this Jordan thing go and not say much about it - however, I remember being "ordered" to take a reported or assist a reporter and how much the "order" irritated me. I remember the added pressure we all felt having this journalist with us and the added attention we gave the journalist when dangerous situations presented itself, and for some idiot to make a claim like this and then go into hiding is the most reprehensible, no treasonous to the highest degree - a disservice to the military, the journalistic profession, and our country!

BTW: Keep up with the Eason Jordan story at Easongate.com.

Dems Loose Ground Over Iraq

Well with support for the war waning and the democrats rejoicing some conservatives felt depressed - this was when for/against totals were roughly 50/50. Now, more than "two-thirds" are either "very" or "somewhat" satisfied - what does this tell me; the majority of Americans were/are steadfast in their support for what we are doing in Iraq with a minority staunchly against and an even smaller number that goes as the news goes....The story:

(CNN) -- Nearly two-thirds of Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in the war on terrorism, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Tuesday.

Sixty-four percent of those polled said they were "very" or "somewhat" satisfied with the way things are going in the war on terrorism, while 35 percent said they were dissatisfied.

That is a significant change from October, when 53 percent said they were satisfied and 47 percent were dissatisfied with the war on terror.

Should Equal Better Customer Service

This is a neat idea - currently none of my Customer Service calls sound as if they are answered in the United States, but we will see if this will be a growing idea... I think it is good because the customer service representative can only be in a "happier spirit". The only downside I see is if you are working through something and a young child or someone the individual is caring for has an emergency - and that would not bother me personally, I don't think, I hope I am a bigger person then that.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - People who reach Esther DeJesus when they call Office Depot Inc.'s customer service center have no idea that she's sitting at home in a room decorated with pictures of Garfield and Betty Boop.

The Orlando, Florida, resident, who works on the retailer's account for call center contractor Willow CSN, is one of a new breed of customer service representative.

Rather than commuting to a crowded office, she puts in 37 to 40 hours a week at home and sets her own schedule.

Eason Jordan Should Talk of This

I have already posted, Michelle Malkin called Eason Jordan out for his ridiculous comments about US Military targeting members - maybe it would have been better had Mr. Jordan reported accurately on this:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Gunmen burst into the home of an Al-Hura TV correspondent in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, shooting him to death, an Iraqi army official said.

Looks like it isn't the US Military that is targeting media members!

UPDATE: USA Today has the story too.

It (See Previous Post) Could Stop This

McMINNVILLE, Tenn. A Tennessee elementary teacher has been charged with multiple counts of sexual battery and statutory rape for her alleged involvement with a 13-year-old male student.

I mean these teachers "carrying on" - to sound like an old man - with these children, yes kids, is getting ridiculous and has to stop!

They (See Previous Post) Should Look Here

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP)— A Saudi woman was beheaded Monday after she was convicted of murdering her mother-in-law, the Interior Ministry said.
Noura bint Khalaf al-Harbi was found guilty of setting her mother-in-law, Noura bint Salem al-Harbi, on fire as she slept following a dispute, the ministry said in a statement. She was beheaded in the capital, Riyadh.

I support capitol punishment - but there might be a more human way of carrying it out - but then again if the blade is good and the swordsmen is great......

Get Ready for Humanitarian Groups Claiming ....

It appears a "young" terrorist died of a heart attack while in prison - of course, these claims will be hailed as facts, before all the facts are known. Watch I beat someone comes out before COB today…

KUWAIT CITY (AP) — The alleged ringleader of a terror group accused of attacking Americans and Kuwaiti security forces has died of heart failure while in prison, an Interior Ministry official said Wednesday.
Amer Khlaif al-Enezi, believed to be in his 30s, died Tuesday, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

If there was abuse it needs to be known, but I just want the investigation to proceed before a "reporter" misrepresents the truth (?) - you know all the facts!

Israel/Palestine This is Good!?

Well it last? Let us hope so!

Linda Chavez: If a picture is worth a thousand words, the image of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas reaching across the table to clasp hands with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon speaks volumes. Abbas looked almost professorial, with his horn-rimmed glasses and conservative business suit and tie, in stark contrast to his predecessor, Yasser Arafat. Gone were Arafat's trademark stubble, desert fatigues and keffiyeh, the checkered Arab headscarf that became all the rage among campus leftists a few years ago. And the sartorial symbolism is more than superficial.
[...]
Anyone who watched the televised summit, hosted by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah II of Jordan, immediately grasped the difference between this and previous meetings of the two parties when Arafat was at the helm. In October 2000, Arafat met at Sharm el Sheik with then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. But President Bill Clinton ran the show during that round of talks, with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan present to give his imprimatur to the meeting. Nothing positive happened at the 2000 confab, despite Clinton's involvement. As The New York Times reported at the time, when the talks ended "all [Clinton] could do was read an agreement that neither Ehud Barak, the Israeli prime minister, nor Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader, was willing to sign, to read aloud or to answer questions about."

But this week's summit seemed different. Of course the players had changed on both sides of the table. Not only was Arafat gone, but the hard-liner Sharon had replaced the moderate Barak -- yet it is Sharon who has pledged unilaterally to withdraw settlements from Gaza and parts of the West Bank. And the United States, wisely, decided to stay away and let the parties talk directly.

Still, it is too early to declare Sharm el Sheik II an unqualified success. The symbols were right -- down to the flying of the Israeli flag, something missing at the 2000 Sharm el Sheik meetings. However, symbols only go so far. Abbas has the more difficult task and the most to prove. Sharon has announced that Israel will pull back its troops from Bethlehem, Jericho and Ramallah, and lift roadblocks that make it difficult for Palestinians to travel to jobs. The Israeli public will back Sharon, so long as a new wave of violence does not ensue.

Calling Eason Jordan Out

Michelle Malkin calls Eason Jordon, CNN executive, out -- rightfully so! I quote:

For the past week, Internet weblogs ("blogs") around the world have been buzzing about outrageous comments regarding American soldiers reportedly made by Jordan, the head of CNN's news division, at a World Economic Forum gathering in Davos, Switzerland. (My reporting on the controversy, with extensive links to other bloggers, is at www.michellemalkin.com.) According to several eyewitnesses, Jordan asserted on Jan. 27 that American military personnel had deliberately targeted and killed journalists in Iraq. (Jordan has since disputed the characterization of his remarks.)

Why wasn't this headline news?

Great question; however, I am sure she knows the answer -- elite media circling the wagons to protect their own. Thought they would have learned from Rathergate -- see Easongate here. Why to go, and I hope this finally gets the coverage it deserves and Mr. Jordan gets what he deserves!