12/11 -- Obama delivers "just war" shuck and jive in Nobel acceptance; Russia admits "swirl UFO" was missile launch
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Thomas L. Knapp
Dec 11, 2009, 3:40:20 AM12/11/09
to Rational Review News Digest
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In The News:
1) Obama delivers "just war" shuck and jive in Nobel acceptance
2) Russia admits "swirl UFO" was missile launch
3) Iraq: Four killed, 11 wounded
4) Pakistan: US officials say al Qaeda leader killed in "remote
control murder" op
5) Poll: Most Americans would "legalize it"
6) CA: Legal ping-pong over San Francisco sanctuary law
7) Google.org unveils deforestation monitor
8) Zelaya rejects offer to leave Honduras
9) Facebook users unwittingly spread Koobface worm
10) SEC probes nine deals for insider trading
11) US, allies rattle new Iran sanctions saber
12) House eases restrictions on derivatives trades
13) Government auditors: Food traceback program flawed
14) Pentagon held in contempt for failing to tape Gitmo detainee's
testimony
15) Blackwater guards linked to CIA raids
16) Pakistan: Arrested Americans rejected for jihad training
17) UK: It's time to give up the dream of home ownership, says
minister
18) UK: Nursery funding change postponed
19) Canadian prof: Thomas the Tank Engine "sexist"
20) MA: Fewer taxpayers penalized for no health coverage
21) TSA screening postings put five "on leave"
22) McCain slapped with ethics complaint over robo-calls
23) ND: Homeowner readies for turbine fight
24) Israel: Netanyahu backs welfare for squatters
25) Vocal Stossel isn't docile: Fox series to reflect his libertarian
views
Everybody Has An Opinion:
26) The thin blue whine
27) The bumpy road to Recovery.gov
28) The Afghan "experiment"
29) Imperial Democrats line up for war
30) Honest statism beats a fake "free market" every time
31) "There is no simple formula here"
32) Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech
33) The last taboo
34) Equality's irrelevance
35) Household healing
36) Public option's rotten replacements
37) Progressives vs. democracy
38) Killing the currency
39) More "corruption" is needed in Afghanistan
40) The anti-police-state police
41) The crystal meth economy
42) Giving Thanks -- at an Appleseed Shooting Event
43) War or more war or morer war
44) Bernanke must go
45) Life in a mahogany bubble
46) Just say no to mega-media marriages
47) Hillary Clinton: Obama's foreign policy hawk
48) To end war, bring back the draft
49) Selective subpoenas
50) Stop usury now
51) One hot mess
52) Speculating on senseless acts of violence
53) The average American citizen
54) Attacking the sacred
55) Ticket scalpers are hidden heroes
56) There's no such things as a free mammogram
57) ABC fired Stossel?
58) EPA's endangerment finding endangers economy
59) Immigration limits don't protect us
60) Ceuta's scream
See No Evil, Hear No Evil:
61) Tim Cox on Freedom Rings Radio, 12/21/09
62) Reason.tv interview: John J. Miller
63) Cato Daily Podcast, 12/10/09
64) The fear of violence: Governments vs. liberty
65) Charles Goyette on Antiwar Radio
What's Up In The Freedom Movement:
66) Today's events
WaYbAcK:
67) SCOTUS repeals Constitution, upholds double jeopardy
***************
* In The News
***************
1) Obama delivers "just war" shuck and jive in Nobel acceptance
Denver Post
"Pronouncing himself humbled by such an honor so early in 'my labors
on the world stage,' Obama nevertheless turned his Nobel moment into
an unapologetic defense of armed intervention in times of self defense
or moral necessity. The hawkish message was an inevitable nod to the
controversy defining his selection: an American president, lauded for
peace just as he escalates the long, costly war in Afghanistan. It was
a jarring moment when Obama, in the midst of the ceremony, said of his
troops in Afghanistan: 'Some will kill. Some will be
killed.'" (12/10/09)
http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_13966111
-----
2) Russia admits "swirl UFO" was missile launch
The Sun [UK]
"Russia last night admitted the amazing light swirl over Norway was
caused by one of its missiles going haywire. ... Defence officials
finally confirmed Norway's suspicions that the swirl was caused by a
technical failure in a Bulava missile launched by a nuclear
sub." (12/11/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yd6tr4z
-----
3) Iraq: Four killed, 11 wounded
AntiWar.Com
"Although only three Iraqis were killed and 11 more were wounded in
the latest reports, there were other significant developments coming
out of Iraq. Tuesday's bloody bombings in Baghdad continued to
dominate the news from various angles, but the closing of Camp Ashraf
could soon take the attack's place in the headlines. One U.S. soldier
was also killed as U.S. Secretary Gates dropped in on Iraqi
officials." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yeeqaan
-----
4) Pakistan: US officials say al Qaeda leader killed in "remote
control murder" op
MSNBC
"A high-ranking al-Qaida figure was killed Thursday in an attack by a
drone aircraft in northwest Pakistan, U.S. officials told NBC News.
The officials did not identify who was killed, except to say that it
was not al-Qaida's supreme leader, Osama bin Laden. If the report is
confirmed, it would be the first time coalition forces had killed a
top al-Qaida figure in almost a year. The officials said the killing
was the result of stepped-up operations targeting al-Qaida leaders in
recent weeks." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/y8ceu6r
-----
5) Poll: Most Americans would "legalize it"
Angus Reid
"Many adults in the United States are willing to legalize marijuana,
according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 53 per cent of
respondents support this notion, while 43 per cent are opposed. Less
than 10 per cent of respondents support the legalization of other
drugs, such as ecstasy, powder cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine or
'crystal meth' and crack cocaine. The use of marijuana is illegal in
the U.S. except in some regulated cases of medical use. The amount
allowed for such purposes varies depending on the state. Some states
have passed laws to reduce law enforcement for possession of small
amounts of the substance." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yzuz6xp
-----
6) CA: Legal ping-pong over San Francisco sanctuary law
San Francisco Chronicle
"Supervisor David Campos asked the city attorney Thursday for a
written opinion on whether Mayor Gavin Newsom has the authority to
'unilaterally ignore' the city's revised sanctuary law .... [the] law
would prohibit local authorities from handing over undocumented
juvenile offenders to federal immigration authorities until the youth
is convicted -- not upon arrest, as was Newsom's policy. Newsom vetoed
the legislation -- saying it violates federal law -- but the board
overturned the veto. But what that means is subject to legal debate.
Newsom has made clear that he has no intention of asking city law
enforcement officials to carry out the board's proposed change,which
he said would put city workers at risk of federal prosecution. But
Campos said the call is not Newsom's to make." (12/10/09)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/cityinsider/detail?&entry_id=53320
-----
7) Google.org unveils deforestation monitor
CNet News
"Google.org demonstrated a new platform on Thursday that, if
implemented in conjunction with a proposed United Nations program,
could provide a significant tool to combat climate change. Its new
'high-performance satellite imagery-processing engine' can process
terabytes of information on thousands of Google servers while giving
access to the results online. The platform, which was demonstrated on
Thursday at the International Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen,
would allow anyone using the tool to monitor whether or not trees were
being chopped down in a given forest. It analyzes satellite images to
show forest changes over a given time period." (12/10/09)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10413145-54.html
-----
8) Zelaya rejects offer to leave Honduras
Agence France-Presse
"Efforts to end the six-month political crisis in Honduras lay in
tatters Thursday as deposed leader Manuel Zelaya rejected an offer of
exile barbed with demands he relinquish his claim to the presidency.
Zelaya dismissed a Mexican offer of safe passage, which could have
ended a tense stand-off that has seen him holed up at the heavily
fortified Brazilian embassy for the last three months. Mexico on
Wednesday sent a plane to collect Zelaya -- who was deposed and exiled
in a military-backed coup [sic] in June, before clandestinely
returning to the country three months ago -- only to have it return to
Mexico. 'Yesterday, the de facto government ... experienced another
failure in its plan to get me to renounce my post,' Zelaya told
Brazil's Globo radio from inside the Brazilian embassy." [editor's
note: Zelaya was not "deposed" in a "coup." He was removed from office
by the courts, as allowed for -- actually, required by the
Constitution of Honduras - TLK] (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/y8mwbk4
-----
9) Facebook users unwittingly spread Koobface worm
USA Today
"Facebook users are being targeted by a nasty new version of the
Koobface worm -- dubbed Koobface.GK -- that compels its victims to
manually participate in creating a new Facebook account to help spread
the worm. The attackers are posting malicious links on Facebook wall
pages enticing folks to click on a cutesy Christmas video. Attempts to
play the video turns over control of the PC to the attacker, says
PandaLabs researcher Sean-Paul Correll. The victim next sees a Windows
warning message requiring them to solve a CAPTCHA puzzle within three
minutes." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/ybk53fb
-----
10) SEC probes nine deals for insider trading
MSNBC
"U.S. securities regulators are investigating at least nine mergers,
including Pfizer Inc.'s takeover of Wyeth and Merck & Co Inc.'s
acquisition of Schering-Plough Corp, for possible insider-trading
violations, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar
with the matter. The Securities and Exchange Commission is probing
whether deal advisers and traders illegally shared confidential
information, the paper said, noting that the agency had sent out about
three dozen subpoenas to hedge funds and brokerages." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/y8zyp67
-----
11) US, allies rattle new Iran sanctions saber
Yuma Sun
"The United States, Britain and France warned Thursday that Iran risks
increased sanctions unless it immediately complies with a series of
Security Council resolutions regarding its nuclear program.
Ambassadors from the three countries made their comments at a Security
Council meeting after a sanctions committee report to the council on
Thursday found an 'apparent pattern of sanctions violations involving
prohibited arms transfers' over the past three months." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/ykxszeh
-----
12) House eases restrictions on derivatives trades
Newnan Times-Herald
"A bipartisan coalition in the House voted late Thursday to make it
easier for corporations to engage in complex derivatives trades
without government restrictions, eroding the reach of proposed
regulations to govern Wall Street. Democratic attempts to toughen the
legislation failed. Though not major setbacks, the votes illustrated
the difficulties facing House Financial Services Committee Chairman
Barney Frank and the Obama administration as they seek to pass
legislation aimed at preventing a recurrence of last year's Wall
Street crisis." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yjsxr5z
-----
13) Government auditors: Food traceback program flawed
San Francisco Chronicle
"An independent watchdog agency has uncovered flaws in a crucial part
of the nation's rapid-response plan -- the ability to trace food to
the company it came from during an illness outbreak or bioterrorism
attack. Federal auditors found that nearly half of all the food
manufacturers they surveyed that are supposed to register with the
Food and Drug Administration failed to give the agency accurate
contact information. Congress set up the program after the Sept. 11
attacks to keep food safe from bioterrorism and to allow quick
tracebacks when contaminated food reaches consumers." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/ygrnoof
-----
14) Pentagon held in contempt for failing to tape Gitmo detainee's
testimony
CNN
"A federal court has held the Defense Department in contempt after
officials at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, failed to
videotape the testimony of a Yemeni detainee as ordered. Attorneys for
Mohammed Al-Adahi, a Yemeni citizen held at Guantanamo, filed a motion
seeking sanctions against the government after al-Adahi's testimony
was not videotaped during a four-day hearing held in June." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yzppqcn
-----
15) Blackwater guards linked to CIA raids
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
"Private security guards working for Blackwater USA participated in
clandestine CIA raids against suspected insurgents in Iraq and
Afghanistan, The New York Times reported Thursday. Blackwater's role
points to a much deeper connection between the company and the spy
agency than has been previously disclosed and raises concerns over the
legalities of involving contractors in the most sensitive operations
conducted by the U.S. government." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yk5fy4k
-----
16) Pakistan: Arrested Americans rejected for jihad training
ABC News
"The five American terror suspects arrested in Pakistan where they
allegedly sought training for jihad may have had more ambition than
actual ability, sources tell ABC News. Pakistani police say the men
attempted to join several terror groups but were turned down, partly
because they were foreigners and had no local references. 'They wanted
to join jihad but didn't know the meaning of jihad,' the Sargodha
deputy chief of police told ABC." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yjw8gly
-----
17) UK: It's time to give up the dream of home ownership, says
minister
Independent [UK]
"The era in which all Britons aspire to own their own home may be
coming to an end, according to the Housing minister, John Healey. In a
controversial speech, he suggested that Britain may be moving towards
a European model, with renting on a roughly equal footing with buying.
He said home ownership had fallen from 71 per cent of households in
2003 to 68 per cent today, noting that this trend began in 2005, well
before the recession." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/ydv7kga
-----
18) UK: Nursery funding change postponed
BBC News [UK]
"Controversial plans to re-work the way English local authorities fund
nursery education are being delayed because of problems with their
implementation. These problems were highlighted by the BBC News
website after many state-run nurseries warned they faced budget cuts
or closure because of the changes. ... Under the Early Years Single
Funding Formula, the government wants private, voluntary and
independent nurseries to be funded at the same level as state-run pre-
schools, which currently get more cash." (12/10/09)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/8405523.stm
-----
19) Canadian prof: Thomas the Tank Engine "sexist"
Ananova [UK]
"Children's favourite Thomas the Tank Engine has been attacked by a
Canadian academic for being sexist. Shauna Wilton, a professor of
political sciences at the University of Alberta, also highlighted the
class divide which sees Thomas and his friends at the bottom of the
social ladder and the wealthy Fat Controller at the top. She launched
her study after watching the animated programme, which is shown in
over 130 countries, with her three-year-old daughter. She then
analysed the plots, characters and other aspects of 23 different
episodes to draw her conclusions, which she then presented at a
conference of political science in Canada." (12/10/09)
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_3595443.html
-----
20) MA: Fewer taxpayers penalized for no health coverage
Boston Globe
"Fewer Massachusetts taxpayers were penalized for lacking required
health insurance last year than were fined in 2007, the state said
yesterday in a report reflecting the second year that residents had to
report on their tax returns whether they were covered under the
state's near-universal-coverage mandate. More than 96 percent, or 3.8
million, of the state's 3.95 million adult taxpayers said they had
health insurance for at least part of 2008, according to the state
Department of Revenue, and 3.65 million had coverage for the entire
year." [editor's note: So the stick is working, eh? Give it time -
SAT] (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yjfrqjn
-----
21) TSA screening postings put five "on leave"
Associated Press
"Five Transportation Security Administration employees have been
placed on administrative leave since it was discovered that sensitive
guidelines about airport passenger screening were posted on the
Internet. The move was disclosed as senators questioned administration
officials Wednesday about the second embarrassing security flap at the
Homeland Security Department in as many weeks. The Secret Service,
also part of the sprawling department, is investigating how a couple
of would-be reality TV stars were able to get into a White House state
dinner without an invitation. Assistant Homeland Security Secretary
David Heyman told senators that a full investigation into the Internet
security lapse is under way." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/ycfbjlj
-----
22) McCain slapped with ethics complaint over robo-calls
Raw Story
"A Washington political watchdog group has filed an ethics complaint
with the Senate over robo-calls Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) made, urging
voters to pressure their senators into supporting a McCain-led
amendment to the Senate healthcare bill. Citizens for Responsibility
and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, filed the complaint with the Senate
Ethics Committee on Wednesday, saying the Arizona senator and former
presidential candidate violated Senate ethics rule 38, which prohibits
senators from using political money to fund official Senate business.
CREW says when McCain used money from the National Republican
Senatorial Committee to fund the robo-calls, he broke rule
38." (12/10/09)
http://rawstory.com/2009/12/mccain-ethics-complaint-robocalls/
-----
23) ND: Homeowner readies for turbine fight
Fox News
"In a time when it pays to be environmentally friendly, Larry Walth is
learning the hard way that it isn't easy being green. Walth, of
Wishek, N.D., pop. 1,100, is readying for a legal battle over the 39-
foot wind turbine he built in his backyard. In April, he was denied a
permit to put up the wind turbine because it does not meet zoning
codes for residential districts. But, in defiance of city officials,
he put it up two months later anyway. And now he intends to keep it
standing on his two-lot property on the edge of town." (12/10/09)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,579968,00.html
-----
24) Israel: Netanyahu backs welfare for squatters
Christian Science Monitor
"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces mounting resistance
from his political right to the 10-month settlement freeze announced
two weeks ago. And there are increasing signs that his efforts to
please the full range of constituents represented in his broad-based
coalition government may be backfiring. Promises that the freeze was
temporary failed to mollify angry settlers and their supporters, some
10,000 of whom came out to protest in Jerusalem Wednesday night.
Today, Mr. Netanyahu announced additional funds and new social
benefits to tens of thousands of settlers in a package directed toward
areas of 'national priority.' The package would recognize isolated
settlements as 'national development areas' that get preferential
treatment and tax breaks to help the communities survive." (12/10/09)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/1210/p06s15-wome.html
-----
25) Vocal Stossel isn't docile: Fox series to reflect his libertarian
views
New York Daily News
"John Stossel says he's gotten used to being an outcast of sorts
around the TV world for the libertarian, small-government thrust of
his views -- and stories -- when he was at ABC News. ... At ABC, he
was allowed to express his opinions and did a lot of specials on
topics dear to him, yet he wanted to do more. Since joining Fox, he's
turned up as an analyst during the Fox News Channel's daytime and
prime-time programming. This week, though, he gets a chance to flex
his libertarian muscles with a consumer issues show that's all
his. ... He's got the first three episodes planned out, he says.
They'll look at the book Atlas Shrugged, global warming and
healthcare." (12/07/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yaz73m5
*******************************************************************
* HEALTH-OF-THE-STATE-O-METER, 12/11/09
*
* Reported Civilian Deaths in Iraq: Min - 94,576 ... Max - 103,187
* (source: www.iraqbodycount.org)
*
* American Military Deaths in Iraq: 4,367
* (source: www.antiwar.com/casualties/)
*******************************************************************
****************************
* Everybody Has An Opinion
****************************
26) The thin blue whine
LewRockwell.Com
by William Norman Grigg
"Violence 'is unpredictable, chaotic and thoughtless' by its nature,
observed Peter Taylor in a recent op-ed column published in The
Oregonian. 'It doesn't like to be confined and doesn't lend itself to
cooperation. ... It is saddening to see the effects of violence on its
victims, those who witness it and, yes, also those who wield it
against others.' As the final clause in that sentence suggests,
Taylor's point is not to sympathize with victims of 'unpredictable,
chaotic and thoughtless' violence, but rather to defend those who
often employ it. Taylor is an officer with the Portland Police Bureau,
and his column was intended to explain why he -- along with several
hundred others -- took part in a protest march and rally outside
Portland's City Hall in defense of Officer Chris
Humphreys." (12/11/09)
http://www.lewrockwell.com/grigg/grigg-w120.html
-----
27) The bumpy road to Recovery.gov
Jeffersonville Evening News
by Debbie Harbeson
"Yes, it is a scary Web site. The first thing I noticed upon entering
was lots of numbers -- ID numbers, award numbers, code numbers, order
numbers and numbers referring to the other numbers. Oh, and of course
plenty of 'dollars awarded' numbers. I suspect the dollars awarded are
what scares most people away because hardly any of us learned to count
that high in math class. The site has so many numbers, there's a
special link called Clarification of Codes just to, well, clarify the
codes." (12/10/09)
http://www.news-tribune.net/opinion/local_story_344005651.html
-----
28) The Afghan "experiment"
AntiWar.Com
by Justin Raimondo
"This effort to create a kinder, gentler form of colonialism, to make
a military occupation a true labor of love, is part and parcel of the
loony faux-Maoist 'COIN' strategy championed by the Center for a New
American Security (CNAS), whose policy wonks have captured the
civilian leadership of the Pentagon. Their efforts to construct a
'smart' version of George W. Bush's 'war on terrorism' on the Af-Pak
front are imbued with just the sort of pseudo-scientific claptrap that
allows liberals to think they can similarly 'experiment' -- as Gen.
Petraeus puts it -- on the American people as well." (12/11/09)
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2009/12/10/the-afghan-experiment/
-----
29) Imperial Democrats line up for war
Campaign For Liberty
by John Walsh
"In a scene replicated all over the country, a small, dispirited crowd
protested on Boston Common following Obama's West Point declaration of
more war on the unfortunate people of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Obama
intends to out-Bush Bush on Af-Pak, which has finally thrown some cold
water on his supporters. The large printed placards ordered up for the
demo called for an end to the war on Af-Pak, but only three scraggily
handmade signs mentioned Obama." (12/10/09)
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=426
-----
30) Honest statism beats a fake "free market" every time
Center for a Stateless Society
by Kevin Carson
"It's interesting, don't you think, that all the professed enemies of
'big government' and friends of 'our free market system' objected to
the public option of all things. Lieberman and others explicitly said
that competition to 'private' insurance companies was what they
couldn't abide. But holding up taxpayers and forcing them to buy
insurance at gunpoint, at whatever price the insurance companies
choose to charge, with no competition -- why, that's not 'big
government' at all. Because the insurance companies are businesses,
you see, and anything that benefits business is part of 'our free
market system.'" (12/09/09)
http://c4ss.org/content/1526
-----
31) "There is no simple formula here"
The New Republic
by Michael Walzer
"President Obama gave a pretty good speech when he accepted the Nobel
Peace Prize. Maybe it was a little too eloquent. I don't much like
soaring rhetoric; I know there are times to soar, but Obama does it,
or tries to do it, every time. Plain speech is also useful, and there
was some plain speech in Norway -- particularly the reiterated
insistence, directed, I think, to our European friends, that sometimes
making war is the only way to a just peace. He said this, not once but
three or four times, 'because in many countries there is a deep
ambivalence about military action today, no matter the cause.' He
spoke also about the horrors of war, and said all the right things,
but his emphasis was on war's occasional necessity -- and these
occasions are probably the most critical ones that political leaders
face." (12/10/09)
http://www.tnr.com/article/metro-policy/there-no-simple-formula-here
-----
32) Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech
Wall Street Journal
by President Barack Obama
"War, in one form or another, appeared with the first man. At the dawn
of history, its morality was not questioned; it was simply a fact,
like drought or disease -- the manner in which tribes and then
civilizations sought power and settled their differences. Over time,
as codes of law sought to control violence within groups, so did
philosophers, clerics and statesmen seek to regulate the destructive
power of war. The concept of a 'just war' emerged, suggesting that war
is justified only when it meets certain preconditions: if it is waged
as a last resort or in self-defense; if the forced used is
proportional; and if, whenever possible, civilians are spared from
violence." (12/10/09)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126045164564185287.html
-----
33) The last taboo
The Partial Observer
by James Leroy Wilson
"It is legal for a woman to sleep with a married man. It is also legal
for the woman to sell her story to the media and embarrass the man.
But it is criminal for her to sell her silence to the married man. If
she even suggests it, he's a 'victim.' At the same time, it is
perfectly legal for the man to buy her silence - so long as it is his
idea, not hers." (12/10/09)
http://partialobserver.com/article.cfm?id=3374
-----
34) Equality's irrelevance
A Passion for Liberty
by Tibor R. Machan
"On the continuum from what is universal, applicable to us all as
human beings, to what is only right for a given individual human
being, there is a vast array of options suited all the way from what
suits millions to what only some here and there and, finally, to just
a solitary single one individual. This is what the American Founders,
guided by their study of political history and thought, especially the
ideas of John Locke, suggested, which is why their claim that we are
all created equal had to do with 'equal with respect to having certain
basic rights' and not with equal opportunities, equal conditions,
equal consequences and the like." (12/10/09)
http://tibormachan.rationalreview.com/2009/12/equalitys-irrelevance/
-----
35) Household healing
TCS Daily
by Larry Kudlow
"Another important sign of economic recovery came today from the Fed's
release of household balance sheets in the Flow of Funds report for
the third quarter. Overall, household net worth rose $2.7 trillion in
the third quarter. Now, we are still $12.6 trillion below the $66
trillion peak registered in the second quarter of 2007, according to
Wall Street economist John Ryding. But household wealth is nearly $5
trillion above the trough registered in the first quarter of
2009." (12/10/09)
http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=121009A
-----
36) Public option's rotten replacements
Cato Institute
by Michael D. Tanner
"Searching for an acceptable alternative to the controversial 'public
option,' Senate Democrats on Tuesday night adopted three bad ideas
instead. Having tried and discarded the 'robust' public option, the
opt-in and opt-out approaches, co-ops and the 'trigger,' Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid proposed a program similar to the Federal
Employees Health Benefit Program, which covers government workers,
including Congress members. Reid's plan would also expand Medicare and
Medicaid." (12/10/09)
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=11041
-----
37) Progressives vs. democracy
Reason
by Brian Doherty
"At press time, the House-Senate reconciliation over some version of a
health care bill was still lurching along. Although key details were
changing daily, one fact has remained constant: Any legislation that
might end up passing through the Democrat-controlled Congress will
involve enormous new government subsidies, onerous mandates on private
insurance companies (and their customers), and tighter government
controls on a large and growing percentage of the U.S. economy. Yet
the process has already proven to be an unconscionable disappointment
to many liberal legislators and commentators. Their increasingly
shrill reaction to the debate has revealed a disturbing strain of
American political thought that cannot comprehend how anyone could
disagree with a big-government solution to health care without being
evil, stupid, insane, or all three." (for publication 01/01/09)
http://reason.com/archives/2009/12/09/progressives-democracy-health
-----
38) Killing the currency
The American Conservative
by Robert P. Murphy
"First under the Bush Administration and even more so under President
Obama, the federal government has been seizing power and spending
money as it hasn't done since World War II. But as bold as the
Executive Branch has been during this financial crisis, the
innovations of Fed chairman Ben Bernanke have been literally
unprecedented. Indeed, it is entirely plausible that before Obama
leaves office, Americans will be using a new currency." (12/10/09)
http://www.amconmag.com/blog/killing-the-currency/
-----
39) More "corruption" is needed in Afghanistan
Independent Institute
by Ivan Eland
"The American foreign policy elite blanched at the massive fraud
allowing President Hamid Karzai to win a second term handily. The
election fraud then led to a thorough examination by the American
media of Afghanistan's corrupt government and questions about whether
such a venal government could ever win the hearts and minds of the
Afghan people. Of course, the implication was that it couldn't and
that the U.S. war effort, attached to this sinking anchor, would
ultimately fail. Odds are that the U.S. war effort will ultimately
fail, not primarily because of a tainted election or a corrupt
government -- but because the U.S. elite and ordinary Afghans have
such different worldviews that they might as well live on different
planets." (12/09/09)
http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=2677
-----
40) The anti-police-state police
Dallas Libertarian Examiner
by Garry Reed
"Libertarians concerned with America's growing police state should
know there is a small but growing resistance within law enforcement
itself. Even after the Colorado State University Student Senate
resoundingly endorsed their longstanding right of concealed carry the
board of governors voted to ban all guns from the campus. But Larimer
County Sheriff Jim Alderden had already told students in an email that
his office would 'not hold or detain a valid permit holder who
violates that policy, nor would his department have anything to do
with enforcing that policy.'" (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yfx3ylp
-----
41) The crystal meth economy
LewRockwell.Com
by David Calderwood
"By definition, in a fractional reserve system a small amount of debt
is pyramided into vast purchasing power, driving up prices for goods
and services and/or assets. When it flows into assets it is not
generally recognized as inflation and is initially applauded as people
feel wealthier, until optimism peaks, only after which is the bubble
recognized. Some have likened the Fed to supplying the punchbowl at
the party, but this is the wrong analogy. The party and hangover would
occur with or without the Fed; the Fed's role is to supply
methamphetamines whenever the revelers appear to be running out of
energy, staving off the hangover and near-term sobriety. This prevents
periodic economic readjustments and creates the illusion of 'full
employment' and 'economic stability' over longer periods of
time." (12/11/09)
http://www.lewrockwell.com/calderwood/calderwood41.1.html
-----
42) Giving Thanks -- at an Appleseed Shooting Event
AmmoLand
by Chris Knox
"Thanksgiving is a time for reflection on our blessings, including the
blessings of liberty and on the sacrifices our forebears made for us.
With that in mind, son Brandon and I wrapped up our Thanksgiving
observations slung into battle rifles on the firing line at the
beautiful, newly remodeled and re-christened Joe Foss Shooting Complex
near Buckeye, Arizona." (12/10/09)
http://www.ammoland.com/2009/12/10/appleseed-shooting-event/
-----
43) War or more war or morer war
UExpress
by Ted Rall
"What a joke! When you ask a bunch of generals and the secretary of
defense for advice about a war, the results are pre-determined: more
bang bang, more soldiers, more planes, more bombs, more coffins. The
amazing part is how far we've traveled down the path towards all war,
all the time." (12/10/09)
http://www.uexpress.com/tedrall/?uc_full_date=20091203
-----
44) Bernanke must go
The Guardian [UK]
by US Sen. Bernie Sanders [I-VT]
"I will not vote to confirm Ben Bernanke for another term as chairman
of the Federal Reserve and have placed a hold on his nomination in the
US Senate. Last year, the American people overwhelmingly voted for a
change in our national priorities and for a new direction on the
economy. After eight long years of trickle-down economics that
benefited millionaires and billionaires while leaving the middle class
behind, Americans demanded a change that would put the interests of
ordinary people ahead of the greed of Wall Street and the wealthy few.
What the American people did not bargain for was another four years
for one of the key architects of the Bush economy." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/y9d6tjl
-----
45) Life in a mahogany bubble
Fred on Everything
by Fred Reed
"In our nation's curious capital, people know nothing of uneducated
young waitresses who juggle long hours and children, without having
even one illegal nanny. DC is a world of secure jobs and money, where
everyone has been to university, often to a Calvin Klein universities
like Harvard, and brains in the ninety-ninth percentile seem
unremarkable. We are making three hundred grand a year; why can't
they? This otherworldliness accounts I think for a certain surreal
quality to Washington's debates. For people with high-end Blue Cross,
health care has something to do with Keynes and free enterprise and
ideological catfights. For a young mother with a sick kid and no
money, it doesn't. But Washington doesn't know this. Let them eat
cake, but is there cake?" (12/10/09)
http://fredoneverything.net/Houston.shtml
-----
46) Just say no to mega-media marriages
In These Times
by Megan Tady
"It's a bad marriage -- the kind that makes you want to run down the
aisle yelling, 'Stop the wedding!' The planned union between Comcast
and NBC Universal (NBCU) spells disaster: it paves the way for a new
era of mega-media consolidation that reaches across content creation
and distribution, wielding enormous power over TV and Internet
content. Last week, Comcast announced it has struck a deal with the
General Electric Company, which had owned NBCU, to take a controlling
stake in the company. (GE will retain a 49-percent ownership stake,
and the joint venture will be managed by the newly created 'Comcast
Entertainment Group.')" (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yfq6dlg
-----
47) Hillary Clinton: Obama's foreign policy hawk
Christian Science Monitor
by John Hughes
"She's smart. She speaks her mind. A lot of people love her and think
she should be president. Sarah Palin? No, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Secretary of State Clinton, Washington's No. 1 diplomatic salesperson,
is fast becoming the foreign-policy hawk in a Democratic
administration, while President Obama seems to be slow moving. Both
believe in engagement with foreign adversaries, but Clinton believes
in engaging from a position of strength. By contrast, Mr. Obama is now
being faulted for engaging from a platform of weakness, if not
appeasement. Clinton seems to be replicating as secretary of State the
technique she employed when she became a senator." (12/10/09)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/1210/p09s02-coop.html
-----
48) To end war, bring back the draft
Boston Globe
by Jeff Danziger
"At a confab this week to honor his 60 years in journalism, Jimmy
Breslin did what he has always done best in his cantankerous and
disquieting newspaper columns. He brought up a miserable and
unpleasant subject, the war in Afghanistan. If you want to end it, he
said, bring back the draft. Breslin, true to form, was the skunk at
his own garden party. And he was right. A draft would probably cause
the war to come to a screeching halt. It was the draft that
essentially ended the Vietnam War." [editor's note: While I vehemently
disagree with ANY effort to reinstate conscripted slavery, I do grok
the apparent intentions here - SAT] (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/y9r2yk6
-----
49) Selective subpoenas
CounterPunch
by Jayne Lynn Stahl
"Lawmakers have now decided to subpoena the Salahis, the Virginia
couple who arrived uninvited to the White House's first state dinner
last month. The couple will appear before the Committee for Homeland
Security to answer questions as to what they were doing at the dinner,
and why they went there in the first place. For a country that has
become consumed with concerns about national security, over the past
eight years, why is it that Congress appears not only to selectively
subpoena, but selectively enforce subpoenas?" (12/10/09)
http://counterpunch.org/stahl12102009.html
-----
50) Stop usury now
The Nation
by William Greider
"The Democratic party brushed aside the question of usury last spring
when Congress decided not to impose any limits on the ruinous interest
rates charged by major banks and other lenders. But usury is now back
on the table, put in play by Metro IAF, an alliance of two dozen faith-
based community organizations affiliated nationwide with the
Industrial Areas Foundation. ... They are staging face-to-face
'actions' to confront bankers and politicians around the country with
a blunt moral message. Usury is a sin, Judaism, Christianity and Islam
agree, and must be stopped. ... As one IAF campaigner put it, 'If ten
percent is good enough for God, it should be enough for the
bankers.'" (12/10/09)
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091221/greider2
-----
51) One hot mess
The American Prospect
by Matthew Yglesias
"This week offered a typical example of the disconnect that's emerged
between the United States and the rest of the globe. The eyes of the
world are on the climate talks in Copenhagen, while the American
political establishment instead watches Gen. Stanley McChrystal and
Ambassador Karl Eikenberry offer testimony on Afghanistan to Congress.
The simple fact of the matter is that what happens -- or doesn't -- in
Copenhagen is much more likely to be remembered in history books than
the details of America's effort to stabilize Afghanistan. Either
concrete progress will be made toward a global effort to forestall
catastrophic climate change or else we risk slipping backward down the
slope and undoing all the effort of recent years." [editor's note:
I'll agree with Matt about one thing here ... there should be more
attention paid to climate change than to fighting wars against nations
that never attacked this land! - SAT] (12/10/09)
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=one_hot_mess
-----
52) Speculating on senseless acts of violence
WendyMcElroy.Com
by Wendy McElroy
"Why does a normal person suddenly snap and commit acts of violence
that appear to be senseless? For example, why did Major Nidal Hasan
decide one day to shoot and kill 13 of his fellow soldiers at Fort
Hood, Texas?" (12/10/09)
http://www.wendymcelroy.com/news.php?extend.2920
-----
53) The average American citizen
Strike the Root
by tzo
"The Average American Citizen (AAC) is crippled in his head. The AAC
has been lobotomized. The AAC is an enabler. The AAC suffers from
Stockholm Syndrome. The AAC has been brainwashed by a cult. The AAC
has a slave mentality. The AAC is a plate full of paradoxes with a
side order of inconsistency. The AAC needs an intervention, but he
must first admit he has a problem before he can be helped." (12/10/09)
http://www.strike-the-root.com/92/tzo/tzo3.html
-----
54) Attacking the sacred
Liberty For All
by Larken Rose
"The Constitution was written by mere mortals. To many, it has become
akin to religious doctrine, and questioning it is considered
sacrilege. But back when it was being debated, it was obviously not
considered unquestionable. The arguments between 'federalists' and
'anti-federalists' (with both groups including individuals now revered
as 'founding fathers') were zealous, and often heated. Looking back,
the worries of the 'anti-federalists,' that the 'limited' federal
government would eventually grow into a giant, tyrannical monster,
were well-founded. And the assurances from the 'federalists' that it
would not do so were dead wrong." (12/10/09)
http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=3499
-----
55) Ticket scalpers are hidden heroes
Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Briggs Armstrong
"Dozens of people among the throngs of jubilant fans hold crudely made
cardboard signs featuring the words 'I Need Tickets.' Strangely, these
people who, to an outsider, appear to be in desperate need of tickets
for the big game, hold numerous tickets high above their head so
everyone can see. These people are the noble ticket scalpers. They are
a people scorned by athletic organizations, lawmakers, and many fans.
What are they doing to merit such ill will and legal
persecution?" (12/10/09)
http://mises.org/daily/3888
-----
56) There's no such things as a free mammogram
Future of Freedom Foundation
by Sheldon Richman
"Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) holds the distinction of being the
first senator to offer a successful amendment to the big Senate health-
care overhaul bill now being debated in Washington, D.C. It is a
perfect lesson in what's wrong with the political mentality. According
to Mikulski's news release, the amendment would 'guarantee women
access to preventive health care screenings and care at no cost ...
[by requiring] all health plans to cover comprehensive women's
preventive care ... with no copayments.'" (12/10/09)
http://www.fff.org/comment/com0912f.asp
-----
57) ABC fired Stossel?
Freedom Politics
by John Stossel
"People keep forwarding me emails and blog posts saying ABC fired me.
Internet forums claim I was fired because I aired a story about the
downside of government-controlled healthcare. This is silly. It's not
even logical. No one can broadcast anything on '20/20
* RATIONAL REVIEW NEWS DIGEST
* The Freedom Movement's Daily Newspaper
*
* Volume VI, Issue #1,810
* Friday, December 11th, 2009
* Email Circulation 2,147
*
* Published every non-holiday weekday
* by the staff of Rational Review
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In The News:
1) Obama delivers "just war" shuck and jive in Nobel acceptance
2) Russia admits "swirl UFO" was missile launch
3) Iraq: Four killed, 11 wounded
4) Pakistan: US officials say al Qaeda leader killed in "remote
control murder" op
5) Poll: Most Americans would "legalize it"
6) CA: Legal ping-pong over San Francisco sanctuary law
7) Google.org unveils deforestation monitor
8) Zelaya rejects offer to leave Honduras
9) Facebook users unwittingly spread Koobface worm
10) SEC probes nine deals for insider trading
11) US, allies rattle new Iran sanctions saber
12) House eases restrictions on derivatives trades
13) Government auditors: Food traceback program flawed
14) Pentagon held in contempt for failing to tape Gitmo detainee's
testimony
15) Blackwater guards linked to CIA raids
16) Pakistan: Arrested Americans rejected for jihad training
17) UK: It's time to give up the dream of home ownership, says
minister
18) UK: Nursery funding change postponed
19) Canadian prof: Thomas the Tank Engine "sexist"
20) MA: Fewer taxpayers penalized for no health coverage
21) TSA screening postings put five "on leave"
22) McCain slapped with ethics complaint over robo-calls
23) ND: Homeowner readies for turbine fight
24) Israel: Netanyahu backs welfare for squatters
25) Vocal Stossel isn't docile: Fox series to reflect his libertarian
views
Everybody Has An Opinion:
26) The thin blue whine
27) The bumpy road to Recovery.gov
28) The Afghan "experiment"
29) Imperial Democrats line up for war
30) Honest statism beats a fake "free market" every time
31) "There is no simple formula here"
32) Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech
33) The last taboo
34) Equality's irrelevance
35) Household healing
36) Public option's rotten replacements
37) Progressives vs. democracy
38) Killing the currency
39) More "corruption" is needed in Afghanistan
40) The anti-police-state police
41) The crystal meth economy
42) Giving Thanks -- at an Appleseed Shooting Event
43) War or more war or morer war
44) Bernanke must go
45) Life in a mahogany bubble
46) Just say no to mega-media marriages
47) Hillary Clinton: Obama's foreign policy hawk
48) To end war, bring back the draft
49) Selective subpoenas
50) Stop usury now
51) One hot mess
52) Speculating on senseless acts of violence
53) The average American citizen
54) Attacking the sacred
55) Ticket scalpers are hidden heroes
56) There's no such things as a free mammogram
57) ABC fired Stossel?
58) EPA's endangerment finding endangers economy
59) Immigration limits don't protect us
60) Ceuta's scream
See No Evil, Hear No Evil:
61) Tim Cox on Freedom Rings Radio, 12/21/09
62) Reason.tv interview: John J. Miller
63) Cato Daily Podcast, 12/10/09
64) The fear of violence: Governments vs. liberty
65) Charles Goyette on Antiwar Radio
What's Up In The Freedom Movement:
66) Today's events
WaYbAcK:
67) SCOTUS repeals Constitution, upholds double jeopardy
***************
* In The News
***************
1) Obama delivers "just war" shuck and jive in Nobel acceptance
Denver Post
"Pronouncing himself humbled by such an honor so early in 'my labors
on the world stage,' Obama nevertheless turned his Nobel moment into
an unapologetic defense of armed intervention in times of self defense
or moral necessity. The hawkish message was an inevitable nod to the
controversy defining his selection: an American president, lauded for
peace just as he escalates the long, costly war in Afghanistan. It was
a jarring moment when Obama, in the midst of the ceremony, said of his
troops in Afghanistan: 'Some will kill. Some will be
killed.'" (12/10/09)
http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_13966111
-----
2) Russia admits "swirl UFO" was missile launch
The Sun [UK]
"Russia last night admitted the amazing light swirl over Norway was
caused by one of its missiles going haywire. ... Defence officials
finally confirmed Norway's suspicions that the swirl was caused by a
technical failure in a Bulava missile launched by a nuclear
sub." (12/11/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yd6tr4z
-----
3) Iraq: Four killed, 11 wounded
AntiWar.Com
"Although only three Iraqis were killed and 11 more were wounded in
the latest reports, there were other significant developments coming
out of Iraq. Tuesday's bloody bombings in Baghdad continued to
dominate the news from various angles, but the closing of Camp Ashraf
could soon take the attack's place in the headlines. One U.S. soldier
was also killed as U.S. Secretary Gates dropped in on Iraqi
officials." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yeeqaan
-----
4) Pakistan: US officials say al Qaeda leader killed in "remote
control murder" op
MSNBC
"A high-ranking al-Qaida figure was killed Thursday in an attack by a
drone aircraft in northwest Pakistan, U.S. officials told NBC News.
The officials did not identify who was killed, except to say that it
was not al-Qaida's supreme leader, Osama bin Laden. If the report is
confirmed, it would be the first time coalition forces had killed a
top al-Qaida figure in almost a year. The officials said the killing
was the result of stepped-up operations targeting al-Qaida leaders in
recent weeks." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/y8ceu6r
-----
5) Poll: Most Americans would "legalize it"
Angus Reid
"Many adults in the United States are willing to legalize marijuana,
according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 53 per cent of
respondents support this notion, while 43 per cent are opposed. Less
than 10 per cent of respondents support the legalization of other
drugs, such as ecstasy, powder cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine or
'crystal meth' and crack cocaine. The use of marijuana is illegal in
the U.S. except in some regulated cases of medical use. The amount
allowed for such purposes varies depending on the state. Some states
have passed laws to reduce law enforcement for possession of small
amounts of the substance." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yzuz6xp
-----
6) CA: Legal ping-pong over San Francisco sanctuary law
San Francisco Chronicle
"Supervisor David Campos asked the city attorney Thursday for a
written opinion on whether Mayor Gavin Newsom has the authority to
'unilaterally ignore' the city's revised sanctuary law .... [the] law
would prohibit local authorities from handing over undocumented
juvenile offenders to federal immigration authorities until the youth
is convicted -- not upon arrest, as was Newsom's policy. Newsom vetoed
the legislation -- saying it violates federal law -- but the board
overturned the veto. But what that means is subject to legal debate.
Newsom has made clear that he has no intention of asking city law
enforcement officials to carry out the board's proposed change,which
he said would put city workers at risk of federal prosecution. But
Campos said the call is not Newsom's to make." (12/10/09)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/cityinsider/detail?&entry_id=53320
-----
7) Google.org unveils deforestation monitor
CNet News
"Google.org demonstrated a new platform on Thursday that, if
implemented in conjunction with a proposed United Nations program,
could provide a significant tool to combat climate change. Its new
'high-performance satellite imagery-processing engine' can process
terabytes of information on thousands of Google servers while giving
access to the results online. The platform, which was demonstrated on
Thursday at the International Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen,
would allow anyone using the tool to monitor whether or not trees were
being chopped down in a given forest. It analyzes satellite images to
show forest changes over a given time period." (12/10/09)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10413145-54.html
-----
8) Zelaya rejects offer to leave Honduras
Agence France-Presse
"Efforts to end the six-month political crisis in Honduras lay in
tatters Thursday as deposed leader Manuel Zelaya rejected an offer of
exile barbed with demands he relinquish his claim to the presidency.
Zelaya dismissed a Mexican offer of safe passage, which could have
ended a tense stand-off that has seen him holed up at the heavily
fortified Brazilian embassy for the last three months. Mexico on
Wednesday sent a plane to collect Zelaya -- who was deposed and exiled
in a military-backed coup [sic] in June, before clandestinely
returning to the country three months ago -- only to have it return to
Mexico. 'Yesterday, the de facto government ... experienced another
failure in its plan to get me to renounce my post,' Zelaya told
Brazil's Globo radio from inside the Brazilian embassy." [editor's
note: Zelaya was not "deposed" in a "coup." He was removed from office
by the courts, as allowed for -- actually, required by the
Constitution of Honduras - TLK] (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/y8mwbk4
-----
9) Facebook users unwittingly spread Koobface worm
USA Today
"Facebook users are being targeted by a nasty new version of the
Koobface worm -- dubbed Koobface.GK -- that compels its victims to
manually participate in creating a new Facebook account to help spread
the worm. The attackers are posting malicious links on Facebook wall
pages enticing folks to click on a cutesy Christmas video. Attempts to
play the video turns over control of the PC to the attacker, says
PandaLabs researcher Sean-Paul Correll. The victim next sees a Windows
warning message requiring them to solve a CAPTCHA puzzle within three
minutes." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/ybk53fb
-----
10) SEC probes nine deals for insider trading
MSNBC
"U.S. securities regulators are investigating at least nine mergers,
including Pfizer Inc.'s takeover of Wyeth and Merck & Co Inc.'s
acquisition of Schering-Plough Corp, for possible insider-trading
violations, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar
with the matter. The Securities and Exchange Commission is probing
whether deal advisers and traders illegally shared confidential
information, the paper said, noting that the agency had sent out about
three dozen subpoenas to hedge funds and brokerages." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/y8zyp67
-----
11) US, allies rattle new Iran sanctions saber
Yuma Sun
"The United States, Britain and France warned Thursday that Iran risks
increased sanctions unless it immediately complies with a series of
Security Council resolutions regarding its nuclear program.
Ambassadors from the three countries made their comments at a Security
Council meeting after a sanctions committee report to the council on
Thursday found an 'apparent pattern of sanctions violations involving
prohibited arms transfers' over the past three months." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/ykxszeh
-----
12) House eases restrictions on derivatives trades
Newnan Times-Herald
"A bipartisan coalition in the House voted late Thursday to make it
easier for corporations to engage in complex derivatives trades
without government restrictions, eroding the reach of proposed
regulations to govern Wall Street. Democratic attempts to toughen the
legislation failed. Though not major setbacks, the votes illustrated
the difficulties facing House Financial Services Committee Chairman
Barney Frank and the Obama administration as they seek to pass
legislation aimed at preventing a recurrence of last year's Wall
Street crisis." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yjsxr5z
-----
13) Government auditors: Food traceback program flawed
San Francisco Chronicle
"An independent watchdog agency has uncovered flaws in a crucial part
of the nation's rapid-response plan -- the ability to trace food to
the company it came from during an illness outbreak or bioterrorism
attack. Federal auditors found that nearly half of all the food
manufacturers they surveyed that are supposed to register with the
Food and Drug Administration failed to give the agency accurate
contact information. Congress set up the program after the Sept. 11
attacks to keep food safe from bioterrorism and to allow quick
tracebacks when contaminated food reaches consumers." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/ygrnoof
-----
14) Pentagon held in contempt for failing to tape Gitmo detainee's
testimony
CNN
"A federal court has held the Defense Department in contempt after
officials at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, failed to
videotape the testimony of a Yemeni detainee as ordered. Attorneys for
Mohammed Al-Adahi, a Yemeni citizen held at Guantanamo, filed a motion
seeking sanctions against the government after al-Adahi's testimony
was not videotaped during a four-day hearing held in June." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yzppqcn
-----
15) Blackwater guards linked to CIA raids
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
"Private security guards working for Blackwater USA participated in
clandestine CIA raids against suspected insurgents in Iraq and
Afghanistan, The New York Times reported Thursday. Blackwater's role
points to a much deeper connection between the company and the spy
agency than has been previously disclosed and raises concerns over the
legalities of involving contractors in the most sensitive operations
conducted by the U.S. government." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yk5fy4k
-----
16) Pakistan: Arrested Americans rejected for jihad training
ABC News
"The five American terror suspects arrested in Pakistan where they
allegedly sought training for jihad may have had more ambition than
actual ability, sources tell ABC News. Pakistani police say the men
attempted to join several terror groups but were turned down, partly
because they were foreigners and had no local references. 'They wanted
to join jihad but didn't know the meaning of jihad,' the Sargodha
deputy chief of police told ABC." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yjw8gly
-----
17) UK: It's time to give up the dream of home ownership, says
minister
Independent [UK]
"The era in which all Britons aspire to own their own home may be
coming to an end, according to the Housing minister, John Healey. In a
controversial speech, he suggested that Britain may be moving towards
a European model, with renting on a roughly equal footing with buying.
He said home ownership had fallen from 71 per cent of households in
2003 to 68 per cent today, noting that this trend began in 2005, well
before the recession." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/ydv7kga
-----
18) UK: Nursery funding change postponed
BBC News [UK]
"Controversial plans to re-work the way English local authorities fund
nursery education are being delayed because of problems with their
implementation. These problems were highlighted by the BBC News
website after many state-run nurseries warned they faced budget cuts
or closure because of the changes. ... Under the Early Years Single
Funding Formula, the government wants private, voluntary and
independent nurseries to be funded at the same level as state-run pre-
schools, which currently get more cash." (12/10/09)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/8405523.stm
-----
19) Canadian prof: Thomas the Tank Engine "sexist"
Ananova [UK]
"Children's favourite Thomas the Tank Engine has been attacked by a
Canadian academic for being sexist. Shauna Wilton, a professor of
political sciences at the University of Alberta, also highlighted the
class divide which sees Thomas and his friends at the bottom of the
social ladder and the wealthy Fat Controller at the top. She launched
her study after watching the animated programme, which is shown in
over 130 countries, with her three-year-old daughter. She then
analysed the plots, characters and other aspects of 23 different
episodes to draw her conclusions, which she then presented at a
conference of political science in Canada." (12/10/09)
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_3595443.html
-----
20) MA: Fewer taxpayers penalized for no health coverage
Boston Globe
"Fewer Massachusetts taxpayers were penalized for lacking required
health insurance last year than were fined in 2007, the state said
yesterday in a report reflecting the second year that residents had to
report on their tax returns whether they were covered under the
state's near-universal-coverage mandate. More than 96 percent, or 3.8
million, of the state's 3.95 million adult taxpayers said they had
health insurance for at least part of 2008, according to the state
Department of Revenue, and 3.65 million had coverage for the entire
year." [editor's note: So the stick is working, eh? Give it time -
SAT] (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yjfrqjn
-----
21) TSA screening postings put five "on leave"
Associated Press
"Five Transportation Security Administration employees have been
placed on administrative leave since it was discovered that sensitive
guidelines about airport passenger screening were posted on the
Internet. The move was disclosed as senators questioned administration
officials Wednesday about the second embarrassing security flap at the
Homeland Security Department in as many weeks. The Secret Service,
also part of the sprawling department, is investigating how a couple
of would-be reality TV stars were able to get into a White House state
dinner without an invitation. Assistant Homeland Security Secretary
David Heyman told senators that a full investigation into the Internet
security lapse is under way." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/ycfbjlj
-----
22) McCain slapped with ethics complaint over robo-calls
Raw Story
"A Washington political watchdog group has filed an ethics complaint
with the Senate over robo-calls Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) made, urging
voters to pressure their senators into supporting a McCain-led
amendment to the Senate healthcare bill. Citizens for Responsibility
and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, filed the complaint with the Senate
Ethics Committee on Wednesday, saying the Arizona senator and former
presidential candidate violated Senate ethics rule 38, which prohibits
senators from using political money to fund official Senate business.
CREW says when McCain used money from the National Republican
Senatorial Committee to fund the robo-calls, he broke rule
38." (12/10/09)
http://rawstory.com/2009/12/mccain-ethics-complaint-robocalls/
-----
23) ND: Homeowner readies for turbine fight
Fox News
"In a time when it pays to be environmentally friendly, Larry Walth is
learning the hard way that it isn't easy being green. Walth, of
Wishek, N.D., pop. 1,100, is readying for a legal battle over the 39-
foot wind turbine he built in his backyard. In April, he was denied a
permit to put up the wind turbine because it does not meet zoning
codes for residential districts. But, in defiance of city officials,
he put it up two months later anyway. And now he intends to keep it
standing on his two-lot property on the edge of town." (12/10/09)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,579968,00.html
-----
24) Israel: Netanyahu backs welfare for squatters
Christian Science Monitor
"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces mounting resistance
from his political right to the 10-month settlement freeze announced
two weeks ago. And there are increasing signs that his efforts to
please the full range of constituents represented in his broad-based
coalition government may be backfiring. Promises that the freeze was
temporary failed to mollify angry settlers and their supporters, some
10,000 of whom came out to protest in Jerusalem Wednesday night.
Today, Mr. Netanyahu announced additional funds and new social
benefits to tens of thousands of settlers in a package directed toward
areas of 'national priority.' The package would recognize isolated
settlements as 'national development areas' that get preferential
treatment and tax breaks to help the communities survive." (12/10/09)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/1210/p06s15-wome.html
-----
25) Vocal Stossel isn't docile: Fox series to reflect his libertarian
views
New York Daily News
"John Stossel says he's gotten used to being an outcast of sorts
around the TV world for the libertarian, small-government thrust of
his views -- and stories -- when he was at ABC News. ... At ABC, he
was allowed to express his opinions and did a lot of specials on
topics dear to him, yet he wanted to do more. Since joining Fox, he's
turned up as an analyst during the Fox News Channel's daytime and
prime-time programming. This week, though, he gets a chance to flex
his libertarian muscles with a consumer issues show that's all
his. ... He's got the first three episodes planned out, he says.
They'll look at the book Atlas Shrugged, global warming and
healthcare." (12/07/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yaz73m5
*******************************************************************
* HEALTH-OF-THE-STATE-O-METER, 12/11/09
*
* Reported Civilian Deaths in Iraq: Min - 94,576 ... Max - 103,187
* (source: www.iraqbodycount.org)
*
* American Military Deaths in Iraq: 4,367
* (source: www.antiwar.com/casualties/)
*******************************************************************
****************************
* Everybody Has An Opinion
****************************
26) The thin blue whine
LewRockwell.Com
by William Norman Grigg
"Violence 'is unpredictable, chaotic and thoughtless' by its nature,
observed Peter Taylor in a recent op-ed column published in The
Oregonian. 'It doesn't like to be confined and doesn't lend itself to
cooperation. ... It is saddening to see the effects of violence on its
victims, those who witness it and, yes, also those who wield it
against others.' As the final clause in that sentence suggests,
Taylor's point is not to sympathize with victims of 'unpredictable,
chaotic and thoughtless' violence, but rather to defend those who
often employ it. Taylor is an officer with the Portland Police Bureau,
and his column was intended to explain why he -- along with several
hundred others -- took part in a protest march and rally outside
Portland's City Hall in defense of Officer Chris
Humphreys." (12/11/09)
http://www.lewrockwell.com/grigg/grigg-w120.html
-----
27) The bumpy road to Recovery.gov
Jeffersonville Evening News
by Debbie Harbeson
"Yes, it is a scary Web site. The first thing I noticed upon entering
was lots of numbers -- ID numbers, award numbers, code numbers, order
numbers and numbers referring to the other numbers. Oh, and of course
plenty of 'dollars awarded' numbers. I suspect the dollars awarded are
what scares most people away because hardly any of us learned to count
that high in math class. The site has so many numbers, there's a
special link called Clarification of Codes just to, well, clarify the
codes." (12/10/09)
http://www.news-tribune.net/opinion/local_story_344005651.html
-----
28) The Afghan "experiment"
AntiWar.Com
by Justin Raimondo
"This effort to create a kinder, gentler form of colonialism, to make
a military occupation a true labor of love, is part and parcel of the
loony faux-Maoist 'COIN' strategy championed by the Center for a New
American Security (CNAS), whose policy wonks have captured the
civilian leadership of the Pentagon. Their efforts to construct a
'smart' version of George W. Bush's 'war on terrorism' on the Af-Pak
front are imbued with just the sort of pseudo-scientific claptrap that
allows liberals to think they can similarly 'experiment' -- as Gen.
Petraeus puts it -- on the American people as well." (12/11/09)
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2009/12/10/the-afghan-experiment/
-----
29) Imperial Democrats line up for war
Campaign For Liberty
by John Walsh
"In a scene replicated all over the country, a small, dispirited crowd
protested on Boston Common following Obama's West Point declaration of
more war on the unfortunate people of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Obama
intends to out-Bush Bush on Af-Pak, which has finally thrown some cold
water on his supporters. The large printed placards ordered up for the
demo called for an end to the war on Af-Pak, but only three scraggily
handmade signs mentioned Obama." (12/10/09)
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=426
-----
30) Honest statism beats a fake "free market" every time
Center for a Stateless Society
by Kevin Carson
"It's interesting, don't you think, that all the professed enemies of
'big government' and friends of 'our free market system' objected to
the public option of all things. Lieberman and others explicitly said
that competition to 'private' insurance companies was what they
couldn't abide. But holding up taxpayers and forcing them to buy
insurance at gunpoint, at whatever price the insurance companies
choose to charge, with no competition -- why, that's not 'big
government' at all. Because the insurance companies are businesses,
you see, and anything that benefits business is part of 'our free
market system.'" (12/09/09)
http://c4ss.org/content/1526
-----
31) "There is no simple formula here"
The New Republic
by Michael Walzer
"President Obama gave a pretty good speech when he accepted the Nobel
Peace Prize. Maybe it was a little too eloquent. I don't much like
soaring rhetoric; I know there are times to soar, but Obama does it,
or tries to do it, every time. Plain speech is also useful, and there
was some plain speech in Norway -- particularly the reiterated
insistence, directed, I think, to our European friends, that sometimes
making war is the only way to a just peace. He said this, not once but
three or four times, 'because in many countries there is a deep
ambivalence about military action today, no matter the cause.' He
spoke also about the horrors of war, and said all the right things,
but his emphasis was on war's occasional necessity -- and these
occasions are probably the most critical ones that political leaders
face." (12/10/09)
http://www.tnr.com/article/metro-policy/there-no-simple-formula-here
-----
32) Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech
Wall Street Journal
by President Barack Obama
"War, in one form or another, appeared with the first man. At the dawn
of history, its morality was not questioned; it was simply a fact,
like drought or disease -- the manner in which tribes and then
civilizations sought power and settled their differences. Over time,
as codes of law sought to control violence within groups, so did
philosophers, clerics and statesmen seek to regulate the destructive
power of war. The concept of a 'just war' emerged, suggesting that war
is justified only when it meets certain preconditions: if it is waged
as a last resort or in self-defense; if the forced used is
proportional; and if, whenever possible, civilians are spared from
violence." (12/10/09)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126045164564185287.html
-----
33) The last taboo
The Partial Observer
by James Leroy Wilson
"It is legal for a woman to sleep with a married man. It is also legal
for the woman to sell her story to the media and embarrass the man.
But it is criminal for her to sell her silence to the married man. If
she even suggests it, he's a 'victim.' At the same time, it is
perfectly legal for the man to buy her silence - so long as it is his
idea, not hers." (12/10/09)
http://partialobserver.com/article.cfm?id=3374
-----
34) Equality's irrelevance
A Passion for Liberty
by Tibor R. Machan
"On the continuum from what is universal, applicable to us all as
human beings, to what is only right for a given individual human
being, there is a vast array of options suited all the way from what
suits millions to what only some here and there and, finally, to just
a solitary single one individual. This is what the American Founders,
guided by their study of political history and thought, especially the
ideas of John Locke, suggested, which is why their claim that we are
all created equal had to do with 'equal with respect to having certain
basic rights' and not with equal opportunities, equal conditions,
equal consequences and the like." (12/10/09)
http://tibormachan.rationalreview.com/2009/12/equalitys-irrelevance/
-----
35) Household healing
TCS Daily
by Larry Kudlow
"Another important sign of economic recovery came today from the Fed's
release of household balance sheets in the Flow of Funds report for
the third quarter. Overall, household net worth rose $2.7 trillion in
the third quarter. Now, we are still $12.6 trillion below the $66
trillion peak registered in the second quarter of 2007, according to
Wall Street economist John Ryding. But household wealth is nearly $5
trillion above the trough registered in the first quarter of
2009." (12/10/09)
http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=121009A
-----
36) Public option's rotten replacements
Cato Institute
by Michael D. Tanner
"Searching for an acceptable alternative to the controversial 'public
option,' Senate Democrats on Tuesday night adopted three bad ideas
instead. Having tried and discarded the 'robust' public option, the
opt-in and opt-out approaches, co-ops and the 'trigger,' Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid proposed a program similar to the Federal
Employees Health Benefit Program, which covers government workers,
including Congress members. Reid's plan would also expand Medicare and
Medicaid." (12/10/09)
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=11041
-----
37) Progressives vs. democracy
Reason
by Brian Doherty
"At press time, the House-Senate reconciliation over some version of a
health care bill was still lurching along. Although key details were
changing daily, one fact has remained constant: Any legislation that
might end up passing through the Democrat-controlled Congress will
involve enormous new government subsidies, onerous mandates on private
insurance companies (and their customers), and tighter government
controls on a large and growing percentage of the U.S. economy. Yet
the process has already proven to be an unconscionable disappointment
to many liberal legislators and commentators. Their increasingly
shrill reaction to the debate has revealed a disturbing strain of
American political thought that cannot comprehend how anyone could
disagree with a big-government solution to health care without being
evil, stupid, insane, or all three." (for publication 01/01/09)
http://reason.com/archives/2009/12/09/progressives-democracy-health
-----
38) Killing the currency
The American Conservative
by Robert P. Murphy
"First under the Bush Administration and even more so under President
Obama, the federal government has been seizing power and spending
money as it hasn't done since World War II. But as bold as the
Executive Branch has been during this financial crisis, the
innovations of Fed chairman Ben Bernanke have been literally
unprecedented. Indeed, it is entirely plausible that before Obama
leaves office, Americans will be using a new currency." (12/10/09)
http://www.amconmag.com/blog/killing-the-currency/
-----
39) More "corruption" is needed in Afghanistan
Independent Institute
by Ivan Eland
"The American foreign policy elite blanched at the massive fraud
allowing President Hamid Karzai to win a second term handily. The
election fraud then led to a thorough examination by the American
media of Afghanistan's corrupt government and questions about whether
such a venal government could ever win the hearts and minds of the
Afghan people. Of course, the implication was that it couldn't and
that the U.S. war effort, attached to this sinking anchor, would
ultimately fail. Odds are that the U.S. war effort will ultimately
fail, not primarily because of a tainted election or a corrupt
government -- but because the U.S. elite and ordinary Afghans have
such different worldviews that they might as well live on different
planets." (12/09/09)
http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=2677
-----
40) The anti-police-state police
Dallas Libertarian Examiner
by Garry Reed
"Libertarians concerned with America's growing police state should
know there is a small but growing resistance within law enforcement
itself. Even after the Colorado State University Student Senate
resoundingly endorsed their longstanding right of concealed carry the
board of governors voted to ban all guns from the campus. But Larimer
County Sheriff Jim Alderden had already told students in an email that
his office would 'not hold or detain a valid permit holder who
violates that policy, nor would his department have anything to do
with enforcing that policy.'" (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yfx3ylp
-----
41) The crystal meth economy
LewRockwell.Com
by David Calderwood
"By definition, in a fractional reserve system a small amount of debt
is pyramided into vast purchasing power, driving up prices for goods
and services and/or assets. When it flows into assets it is not
generally recognized as inflation and is initially applauded as people
feel wealthier, until optimism peaks, only after which is the bubble
recognized. Some have likened the Fed to supplying the punchbowl at
the party, but this is the wrong analogy. The party and hangover would
occur with or without the Fed; the Fed's role is to supply
methamphetamines whenever the revelers appear to be running out of
energy, staving off the hangover and near-term sobriety. This prevents
periodic economic readjustments and creates the illusion of 'full
employment' and 'economic stability' over longer periods of
time." (12/11/09)
http://www.lewrockwell.com/calderwood/calderwood41.1.html
-----
42) Giving Thanks -- at an Appleseed Shooting Event
AmmoLand
by Chris Knox
"Thanksgiving is a time for reflection on our blessings, including the
blessings of liberty and on the sacrifices our forebears made for us.
With that in mind, son Brandon and I wrapped up our Thanksgiving
observations slung into battle rifles on the firing line at the
beautiful, newly remodeled and re-christened Joe Foss Shooting Complex
near Buckeye, Arizona." (12/10/09)
http://www.ammoland.com/2009/12/10/appleseed-shooting-event/
-----
43) War or more war or morer war
UExpress
by Ted Rall
"What a joke! When you ask a bunch of generals and the secretary of
defense for advice about a war, the results are pre-determined: more
bang bang, more soldiers, more planes, more bombs, more coffins. The
amazing part is how far we've traveled down the path towards all war,
all the time." (12/10/09)
http://www.uexpress.com/tedrall/?uc_full_date=20091203
-----
44) Bernanke must go
The Guardian [UK]
by US Sen. Bernie Sanders [I-VT]
"I will not vote to confirm Ben Bernanke for another term as chairman
of the Federal Reserve and have placed a hold on his nomination in the
US Senate. Last year, the American people overwhelmingly voted for a
change in our national priorities and for a new direction on the
economy. After eight long years of trickle-down economics that
benefited millionaires and billionaires while leaving the middle class
behind, Americans demanded a change that would put the interests of
ordinary people ahead of the greed of Wall Street and the wealthy few.
What the American people did not bargain for was another four years
for one of the key architects of the Bush economy." (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/y9d6tjl
-----
45) Life in a mahogany bubble
Fred on Everything
by Fred Reed
"In our nation's curious capital, people know nothing of uneducated
young waitresses who juggle long hours and children, without having
even one illegal nanny. DC is a world of secure jobs and money, where
everyone has been to university, often to a Calvin Klein universities
like Harvard, and brains in the ninety-ninth percentile seem
unremarkable. We are making three hundred grand a year; why can't
they? This otherworldliness accounts I think for a certain surreal
quality to Washington's debates. For people with high-end Blue Cross,
health care has something to do with Keynes and free enterprise and
ideological catfights. For a young mother with a sick kid and no
money, it doesn't. But Washington doesn't know this. Let them eat
cake, but is there cake?" (12/10/09)
http://fredoneverything.net/Houston.shtml
-----
46) Just say no to mega-media marriages
In These Times
by Megan Tady
"It's a bad marriage -- the kind that makes you want to run down the
aisle yelling, 'Stop the wedding!' The planned union between Comcast
and NBC Universal (NBCU) spells disaster: it paves the way for a new
era of mega-media consolidation that reaches across content creation
and distribution, wielding enormous power over TV and Internet
content. Last week, Comcast announced it has struck a deal with the
General Electric Company, which had owned NBCU, to take a controlling
stake in the company. (GE will retain a 49-percent ownership stake,
and the joint venture will be managed by the newly created 'Comcast
Entertainment Group.')" (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/yfq6dlg
-----
47) Hillary Clinton: Obama's foreign policy hawk
Christian Science Monitor
by John Hughes
"She's smart. She speaks her mind. A lot of people love her and think
she should be president. Sarah Palin? No, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Secretary of State Clinton, Washington's No. 1 diplomatic salesperson,
is fast becoming the foreign-policy hawk in a Democratic
administration, while President Obama seems to be slow moving. Both
believe in engagement with foreign adversaries, but Clinton believes
in engaging from a position of strength. By contrast, Mr. Obama is now
being faulted for engaging from a platform of weakness, if not
appeasement. Clinton seems to be replicating as secretary of State the
technique she employed when she became a senator." (12/10/09)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/1210/p09s02-coop.html
-----
48) To end war, bring back the draft
Boston Globe
by Jeff Danziger
"At a confab this week to honor his 60 years in journalism, Jimmy
Breslin did what he has always done best in his cantankerous and
disquieting newspaper columns. He brought up a miserable and
unpleasant subject, the war in Afghanistan. If you want to end it, he
said, bring back the draft. Breslin, true to form, was the skunk at
his own garden party. And he was right. A draft would probably cause
the war to come to a screeching halt. It was the draft that
essentially ended the Vietnam War." [editor's note: While I vehemently
disagree with ANY effort to reinstate conscripted slavery, I do grok
the apparent intentions here - SAT] (12/10/09)
http://tinyurl.com/y9r2yk6
-----
49) Selective subpoenas
CounterPunch
by Jayne Lynn Stahl
"Lawmakers have now decided to subpoena the Salahis, the Virginia
couple who arrived uninvited to the White House's first state dinner
last month. The couple will appear before the Committee for Homeland
Security to answer questions as to what they were doing at the dinner,
and why they went there in the first place. For a country that has
become consumed with concerns about national security, over the past
eight years, why is it that Congress appears not only to selectively
subpoena, but selectively enforce subpoenas?" (12/10/09)
http://counterpunch.org/stahl12102009.html
-----
50) Stop usury now
The Nation
by William Greider
"The Democratic party brushed aside the question of usury last spring
when Congress decided not to impose any limits on the ruinous interest
rates charged by major banks and other lenders. But usury is now back
on the table, put in play by Metro IAF, an alliance of two dozen faith-
based community organizations affiliated nationwide with the
Industrial Areas Foundation. ... They are staging face-to-face
'actions' to confront bankers and politicians around the country with
a blunt moral message. Usury is a sin, Judaism, Christianity and Islam
agree, and must be stopped. ... As one IAF campaigner put it, 'If ten
percent is good enough for God, it should be enough for the
bankers.'" (12/10/09)
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091221/greider2
-----
51) One hot mess
The American Prospect
by Matthew Yglesias
"This week offered a typical example of the disconnect that's emerged
between the United States and the rest of the globe. The eyes of the
world are on the climate talks in Copenhagen, while the American
political establishment instead watches Gen. Stanley McChrystal and
Ambassador Karl Eikenberry offer testimony on Afghanistan to Congress.
The simple fact of the matter is that what happens -- or doesn't -- in
Copenhagen is much more likely to be remembered in history books than
the details of America's effort to stabilize Afghanistan. Either
concrete progress will be made toward a global effort to forestall
catastrophic climate change or else we risk slipping backward down the
slope and undoing all the effort of recent years." [editor's note:
I'll agree with Matt about one thing here ... there should be more
attention paid to climate change than to fighting wars against nations
that never attacked this land! - SAT] (12/10/09)
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=one_hot_mess
-----
52) Speculating on senseless acts of violence
WendyMcElroy.Com
by Wendy McElroy
"Why does a normal person suddenly snap and commit acts of violence
that appear to be senseless? For example, why did Major Nidal Hasan
decide one day to shoot and kill 13 of his fellow soldiers at Fort
Hood, Texas?" (12/10/09)
http://www.wendymcelroy.com/news.php?extend.2920
-----
53) The average American citizen
Strike the Root
by tzo
"The Average American Citizen (AAC) is crippled in his head. The AAC
has been lobotomized. The AAC is an enabler. The AAC suffers from
Stockholm Syndrome. The AAC has been brainwashed by a cult. The AAC
has a slave mentality. The AAC is a plate full of paradoxes with a
side order of inconsistency. The AAC needs an intervention, but he
must first admit he has a problem before he can be helped." (12/10/09)
http://www.strike-the-root.com/92/tzo/tzo3.html
-----
54) Attacking the sacred
Liberty For All
by Larken Rose
"The Constitution was written by mere mortals. To many, it has become
akin to religious doctrine, and questioning it is considered
sacrilege. But back when it was being debated, it was obviously not
considered unquestionable. The arguments between 'federalists' and
'anti-federalists' (with both groups including individuals now revered
as 'founding fathers') were zealous, and often heated. Looking back,
the worries of the 'anti-federalists,' that the 'limited' federal
government would eventually grow into a giant, tyrannical monster,
were well-founded. And the assurances from the 'federalists' that it
would not do so were dead wrong." (12/10/09)
http://www.libertyforall.net/?p=3499
-----
55) Ticket scalpers are hidden heroes
Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Briggs Armstrong
"Dozens of people among the throngs of jubilant fans hold crudely made
cardboard signs featuring the words 'I Need Tickets.' Strangely, these
people who, to an outsider, appear to be in desperate need of tickets
for the big game, hold numerous tickets high above their head so
everyone can see. These people are the noble ticket scalpers. They are
a people scorned by athletic organizations, lawmakers, and many fans.
What are they doing to merit such ill will and legal
persecution?" (12/10/09)
http://mises.org/daily/3888
-----
56) There's no such things as a free mammogram
Future of Freedom Foundation
by Sheldon Richman
"Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) holds the distinction of being the
first senator to offer a successful amendment to the big Senate health-
care overhaul bill now being debated in Washington, D.C. It is a
perfect lesson in what's wrong with the political mentality. According
to Mikulski's news release, the amendment would 'guarantee women
access to preventive health care screenings and care at no cost ...
[by requiring] all health plans to cover comprehensive women's
preventive care ... with no copayments.'" (12/10/09)
http://www.fff.org/comment/com0912f.asp
-----
57) ABC fired Stossel?
Freedom Politics
by John Stossel
"People keep forwarding me emails and blog posts saying ABC fired me.
Internet forums claim I was fired because I aired a story about the
downside of government-controlled healthcare. This is silly. It's not
even logical. No one can broadcast anything on '20/20
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