U.N.- Believable! Our Continued Support of This Organization Is Unconscionable!

World Bodies: The newest adviser to the U.N. Human Rights Council hates democracies and loves dictators. The only right he wants is to bash the United States and Israel. Truly, the inmates are running this asylum.

We commented last week on how the Human Rights Council of the U.N. has ignored China's occupation and brutalization of the Tibetan nation while finding time to condemn Israel a dozen times in the HRC's two years of existence.

This is no surprise when people like Jean Ziegler, a former Swiss Socialist lawmaker, is picked as one of the council's 18 advisers. His election last week as one of three Western representatives shows that the only thing changed from the old U.N. Commission on Human Rights is the title — to protect the idiotic and hypocritical.

Ziegler's nomination by the Swiss prompted U.N. Watch, a Geneva-based nongovernmental organization, and 14 other NGOs to write the Swiss government urging it to withdraw his candidacy.

In their letter, the NGOs said Ziegler's term as a special "rapporteur" (investigator/reporter) on the "right to food" showed he "embodied everything that was discredited about the old Commission on Human Rights: gross politicization, selectivity, lack of professionalism and lack of credibility." It's worth noting that in 2004 Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez nominated him for this same post.

Ziegler typifies the Mad Hatter worldview held by most representatives and officials at the U.N. According to him, the U.S. is committing "genocide" in Cuba, and Israel commits "state terror" and "war crimes" with the U.S.'s blessing.

In one of his last acts as "right to food" watchdog, Ziegler earlier this month filed a report with the HRC on his visit to Cuba last October. In the report, he blamed not a half-century of Communist rule, but America's "illegal blockade" of the island as Cuba's main obstacle to feeding its people.

As for caring for the world's hungry, the U.N. Watch report, "Blind to Burundi," documents that from 2000 to 2004, Ziegler systematically failed to speak out for numerous food emergencies — in Burundi, the Central African Republic, Sierra Leone and elsewhere.

He is also friends to thugs and terrorists. In 1986, U.N. Watch reports, Ziegler served as adviser to Ethiopian dictator Colonel Mengistu on a constitution instituting one-party rule. In 2002, he praised Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe, saying, "Mugabe has history and morality with him."

The history Ziegler has in mind must be that of the Third Reich. In Mugabe's 28 years of Marxist rule, he has shown no interest in human rights or feeding people. Instead, he has taken once-productive farmland from white Zimbabweans and deprived an estimated 700,000 of their homes and businesses. The life expectancy for males is 37, for females 34.

Another of Ziegler's heroes is Libya's Muammar Qad-dafi. In 1989, shortly after Libyan agents blew up Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland, killing 270 people from 21 countries, including 189 Americans, Ziegler went to Libya to co-found the "Muammar Qaddafi Human Rights Prize." Recipients of this prestigious honor have included Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Louis Farrakhan and Ziegler himself in 2002.

This year, during an interview in Lebanon, Ziegler said, "I refuse to describe Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. It is a national resistance movement. I can understand Hezbollah when they kidnap soldiers." He probably also understands when they rain Katyusha rockets on Israeli civilian populations.

Sometimes Ziegler's views get to be too much even for the U.N. In an unprecedented move, both Secretary-General Kofi Annan and High Commissioner Louise Arbour publicly denounced him in 2005 for comparing Israeli soldiers to concentration camp guards.

What the U.N. really needs is a special "rapporteur" for freedom and democracy. But we're not holding our breath.

Related Article: Jihad Against West is Well-Entrenched, Author Says

The Anti-Capitalist Is At It Again

UPDATE !!! British Financial Expert Says Bush's Recommendation's Could Mean The Government Seizure Of Banks!

"The Fed would become the government's "market stability regulator," given sweeping powers to gather information on a wide range of institutions so that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues could better detect where threats to the system might be hiding."

Bush Administration Proposes Sweeping Overhaul of Financial Regulation

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is proposing a sweeping overhaul of the way the nation's financial industry is regulated.

In an effort to deal with the problems highlighted by the current severe credit crisis, the new plan would give major new powers to the Federal Reserve, according to a 26-page executive summary obtained Friday by The Associated Press.

The proposal would designate the Fed as the primary regulator of market stability, greatly expanding the central bank's ability to examine not just commercial banks but all segments of the financial services industry.

The administration proposal, which is to be formally unveiled in a speech Monday by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, also proposes consolidating the current scheme of bank regulation.

The plan would shut down the Office of Thrift Supervision, which supervises thrift institutions, and transfer its functions to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which regulates banks.

The plan would eliminate the distinction between banks and thrift institutions.
The role the Federal Reserve has been playing in efforts to stabilize the financial system after a severe credit crisis hit last August would be formalized.

The Fed would become the government's "market stability regulator," given sweeping powers to gather information on a wide range of institutions so that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues could better detect where threats to the system might be hiding.

... meanwhile, more good news; Jihad USA: Terror Threat Growing At Home

Hillary WASN'T LYING! Bosnia gunfire footage discovered...

: )

Ultimate Fighting Expanding To Include Kids - And Why This Is A Good Thing!

CARTHAGE, Mo. - Ultimate fighting was once the sole domain of burly men who beat each other bloody in anything-goes brawls on pay-per-view TV.

But the sport often derided as "human cockfighting" is branching out.

The bare-knuckle fights are now attracting competitors as young as 6 whose parents treat the sport as casually as wrestling, Little League or soccer.

The changes were evident on a recent evening in southwest Missouri, where a team of several young boys and one girl grappled on gym mats in a converted garage.

Two members of the group called the "Garage Boys Fight Crew" touched their thin martial-arts gloves in a flash of sportsmanship before beginning a relentless exchange of sucker punches, body blows and swift kicks.

No blood was shed. And both competitors wore protective gear. But the bout reflected the decidedly younger face of ultimate fighting. The trend alarms medical experts and sports officials who worry that young bodies can't withstand the pounding.

Tommy Bloomer, father of two of the "Garage Boys," doesn't understand the fuss.

"We're not training them for dog fighting," said Bloomer, a 34-year-old construction contractor. "As a parent, I'd much rather have my kids here learning how to defend themselves and getting positive reinforcement than out on the streets."

Bloomer said the sport has evolved since the no-holds-barred days by adding weight classes to better match opponents and banning moves such as strikes to the back of the neck and head, groin kicking and head butting.

Missouri appears to be the only state in the nation that explicitly allows the youth fights. In many states, it is a misdemeanor for children to participate. A few states have no regulations.
Supporters of the sport acknowledge that allowing fights between kids sounds brutal at first. But they insist the competitions have plenty of safety rules.

"It looks violent until you realize this teaches discipline. One of the first rules they learn is that this is not for aggressive behavior outside (the ring)," said Larry Swinehart, a Joplin police officer and father of two boys and the lone girl in the garage group.

The sport, which is also known as mixed martial arts or cage fighting, has already spread far beyond cable television. Last month, CBS became the first of the Big Four television networks to announce a deal to broadcast primetime fights. The fights have attracted such a wide audience, they are threatening to surpass boxing as the nation's most popular pugilistic sport.

Hand-to-hand combat is also popping up on the big screen. The film "Never Back Down," described as "The Karate Kid" for the YouTube generation, has taken in almost $17 million in two weeks at the box office. Another current mixed martial arts movie, "Flash Point," an import from Hong Kong, is in limited release.

Bloomer said the fights are no more dangerous or violent than youth wrestling. He watched as his sons, 11-year-old Skyler and 8-year-old Gage, locked arms and legs and wrestled to the ground with other kids in the garage in Carthage, about 135 miles south of Kansas City.
The 11 boys and one girl on the team range from 6 to 14 years old and are trained by Rudy Lindsey, a youth wrestling coach and a professional mixed martial arts heavyweight.

"The kids learn respect and how to defend themselves. It's no more dangerous than any other sport and probably less so than some," Lindsey said.

Lindsey said the children wear protective headgear, shin guards, groin protection and martial-arts gloves. They fight quick, two-minute bouts. Rules also prohibit any elbow blows and blows to the head when an opponent is on the ground.

"If they get in trouble or get bad grades, I'll hear about it and they can't come to training," he added.

In most states, mixed martial arts is overseen by boxing commissions. In Missouri, the Office of Athletics regulates the professional fights but not the amateur events, which include the youth bouts. For amateurs, the regulation is done by sanctioning bodies that have to register with the athletics office.

The rules are different in Oklahoma, where unauthorized fights are generally a misdemeanor offense. The penalty is a maximum 30 days in jail and a fine up to $1,000.
Joe Miller, administrator of the Oklahoma Professional Boxing Commission, said youth fights are banned in his state, and he wants it to stay that way.

"There's too much potential for damage to growing joints," he said.
Miller said mixed martial arts uses a lot of arm and leg twisting to force opponents into submission. Those moves, he said, pressure joints in a way not found in sanctioned sports like youth boxing or wrestling.

But Nathan Orand, a martial arts trainer from Tulsa, Okla., said kids are capable of avoiding injuries, especially with watchful referees in the rings. He thinks the sport is bound to grow.
"I can see their point because when you say 'cage fighting,' that right there just sounds like kids shouldn't be doing it," Orand said.

"But you still have all the respect that regular martial arts teach you. And it's really the only true way for youth to be able to defend themselves."

Back in the Carthage garage, Bloomer said parents shouldn't worry about kids becoming aggressive from learning mixed martial arts. He said his older son was picked on by bullies at school repeatedly last year but never fought them, instead reporting the problem to his teachers.

And fighters including his 8-year-old son get along once a bout is over, Bloomer said.
"When they get out of the cage, they go back and play video games together. It doesn't matter who won and who lost. They're still little buddies."

... Liberals, which include all Democrats and Republicans, would rather our boys grow up balless and slaves to Title 9. This is a small step in the RIGHT direction! - Tiger

Photo: AP

It's Still Neat To Hear Sonic Booms!

The Shuttle Came Home To Roost Last Night - Double Booms Sounding Away!

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The space shuttle Endeavour and its crew of seven returned to Earth on Wednesday, making a rare nighttime touchdown to wrap up "a two-week adventure" at the international space station.

The shuttle swooped through the darkness and landed on NASA's illuminated runway at 8:39 p.m., an hour after sunset.

"Welcome home, Endeavour," Mission Control radioed. "Congrats to the entire crew."
Replied Endeavour's commander, Dominic Gorie: "It was a super-rewarding mission, exciting from the start to the ending."

Returning aboard Endeavour was French Air Force Gen. Leopold Eyharts, who spent 1 1/2 months aboard the space station, and Japanese astronaut Takao Doi, who accompanied his country's space station contribution to orbit.

Raising the Kibo lab's storage compartment from Endeavour's payload bay for attachment to the space station "was a great moment not only for me, but for Japan," Doi said late Tuesday. It was concrete evidence, finally, of the Japanese Space Agency's partnership in the longtime station project.

The shuttle's homecoming was a bit delayed.

Endeavour was supposed to land before sunset, but at virtually the last minute, clouds moved in. As the astronauts took an extra swing around the planet, the sky cleared enough to satisfy flight controllers and — after asking Gorie for his opinion — they gave him the green light to head home.

It was only the 22nd space shuttle landing in darkness. Less than one-fifth of all missions have ended at nighttime; the last one was in 2006.

Endeavour blasted off March 11 — also in darkness — on an ambitious, intense space station construction mission that had even its commander wondering at times how everything would go.
In the end, Gorie and his multinational crew accomplished everything they set out to do during their voyage, which spanned 16 days and 6.5 million miles (10.46 million kilometers). The astronauts installed the first piece of Japan's Kibo lab, put together a giant Canadian robot named Dextre, tested a shuttle repair technique and more.

"This has been a two-week adventure," said Gorie's co-pilot, Gregory Johnson. "It's been a pleasure and an honor to be on it and although we've had wonderful events and some great successes ... we're ready to get home."

The space station is now 70 percent complete, thanks to the latest additions, with a mass of nearly 600,000 pounds (272,160 kilos).

Ten more shuttle flights to the space station — spread over the next two years — will round out the numbers. NASA hopes to have its share of the orbiting outpost finished in 2010 and its three shuttles retired, so it can focus on human expeditions to the moon.

International Socialist President Slapped Down By Supreme Court

On Tuesday, The Supreme Court of the United States reminded George W. Bush that the U.S. Constitution and Texas State Law come before his International cohorts within the World Court!

WASHINGTON — President Bush overstepped his authority when he ordered a Texas court to reopen the case of a Mexican on death row for rape and murder, the Supreme Court said Tuesday.

In a case that mixes presidential power, international relations and the death penalty, the court sided with Texas and rebuked Bush by a 6-3 vote.

The president was in the unusual (really?, unusual? - Tiger) position of siding with death row prisoner Jose Ernesto Medellin, a Mexican citizen whom police prevented from consulting with Mexican diplomats, as provided by international treaty.

An international court ruled in 2004 that the convictions of Medellin and 50 other Mexicans on death row around the United States violated the 1963 Vienna Convention, which provides that people arrested abroad should have access to their home country's consular officials. The International Court of Justice, also known as the world court, said the Mexican prisoners should have new court hearings to determine whether the violation affected their cases.

Bush, who oversaw 152 executions as Texas governor, disagreed with the decision. But he said it must be carried out by state courts because the United States had agreed to abide by the world court's rulings in such cases. The administration argued that the president's declaration is reason enough for Texas to grant Medellin a new hearing.

Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, disagreed. Roberts said the international court decision cannot be forced upon the states.

The president may not "establish binding rules of decision that pre-empt contrary state law," Roberts said. Neither does the treaty, by itself, require individual states to take action, he said.
Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter dissented.

The international court judgment should be enforced, Breyer wrote. "The nation may well break its word even though the president seeks to live up to that word," he said.

Justice John Paul Stevens, while agreeing with the outcome of the case, said nothing prevents Texas from giving Medellin another hearing even though it is not compelled to do so.

"Texas' duty in this respect is all the greater since it was Texas that — by failing to provide consular notice in accordance with the Vienna Convention — ensnared the United States in the current controversy," Stevens said.

Medellin was arrested a few days after the killings of Jennifer Ertman, 14, and Elizabeth Pena, 16, in Houston in June 1993. He was told he had a right to remain silent and have a lawyer present, but the police did not tell him that he could request assistance from the Mexican consulate.

Medellin, who speaks, reads and writes English, gave a written confession. He was convicted of murder in the course of a sexual assault, a capital offense in Texas. A judge sentenced him to death in October 1994.

Texas acknowledged that Medellin was not told he could ask for help from Mexican diplomats, but argued that he forfeited the right because he never raised the issue at trial or sentencing. In any case, the state said, the diplomats' intercession would not have made any difference in the outcome of the case.

State and federal courts rejected Medellin's claim when he raised it on appeal.

Then, in 2003, Mexico sued the United States in the International Court of Justice in The Hague on behalf of Medellin and 50 other Mexicans on death row in the U.S. who also had been denied access to their country's diplomats following their arrests.

Roe Wilson, a Harris County assistant district attorney who handles capital case appeals, applauded the Supreme Court decision. "This case has been in the court system a long time based on various issues, " said Wilson, whose office prosecuted Medellin. "It was a heinous murder of two young girls who were only 14 and 16. It's certainly time the case be resolved and the sentence be carried out."

Medellin, who was 18 at the time of the slayings, turned 33 earlier this month. He's now out of appeals and Wilson said her office will ask for an execution date once the Supreme Court resolves a separate case challenging lethal injections.

Mexico has no death penalty. Mexico and other opponents of capital punishment have sought to use the world court to fight for foreigners facing execution in the U.S.

Forty-four Mexican prisoners affected by the decision remain on death row around the country, including 14 in Texas. One Mexican inmate formerly facing execution now is imprisoned for life because of the Supreme Court decision outlawing capital punishment for anyone under 18 at the time the crime was committed.

Bush has since said the United States will no longer allow the World Court to judge the consular access cases because of how death penalty opponents have tried to use the international tribunal.

The case is Medellin v. Texas, 06-984.

... let's hope the Supremes will be as Conservative with the D.C. Gun Ban case. - Tiger

... and please, don't anyone try to tell me Bush is a conservative! That would be downright laughable!

Boston Police Attempt Nazi Tactics - Wants To Search Homes For Guns - Without Warrant!

By Maria Cramer
Globe Staff / March 25, 2008

Boston police officials, surprised by intense opposition from residents, have significantly scaled back and delayed the start of a program that would allow officers to go into people's homes and search for guns without a warrant.

The program, dubbed Safe Homes, was supposed to start in December, but has been delayed at least three times because of misgivings in the community. March 1 was the latest missed start date.

One community group has been circulating a petition against the plan. Police officials trying to assuage residents' fears have been drowned out by criticism at some meetings with residents and elected officials.

Officers may begin knocking on doors this week, officials said yesterday, but instead of heading into four troubled neighborhoods, as they had planned, officers will target only one, Egleston Square in Jamaica Plain, where police said they have received the most support.

Police would ask parents or legal guardians for permission to search homes where juveniles ages 17 and under are believed to be holding illegal guns. Police would only enter homes into which they have been invited and, once inside, would only search the rooms of the juveniles.

The goal, said Elaine Driscoll, spokeswoman for the Boston Police Department, would be getting weapons off the streets, rather than making arrests.

But critics say that the searches are unconstitutional and that police will not guarantee that residents would face no criminal charges if guns or drugs were found.

Commissioner Edward F. Davis has been taken aback by the criticism. Davis promoted Safe Homes as a voluntary program that would help overwhelmed, frightened parents and guardians by removing guns from their homes without fear of prosecution.

"I would say that the police commissioner has been a bit surprised by those that are not in favor," Driscoll said. "We're genuinely trying to save lives."

But for many of the 100 people who packed the Roxbury Family YMCA last Thursday to talk about the plan, the goal of the program was overshadowed by tactics they called invasive and misleading.

"Police are like vampires. They shouldn't be invited into your homes," said Jamarhl Crawford, chairman of the New Black Panther Party in Roxbury, who moderated the meeting.

"Vampires are polite; they're smooth," he said in an interview the following day. "But once they get in, the door closes. Havoc ensues."

Other comparisons have been no more favorable.

"The community doesn't want this," Lisa Thurau-Gray, managing director of the Juvenile Justice Center at Suffolk University Law School, said at the meeting. She likened the police persistence to a sexual aggressor who refuses to stop assaulting a victim despite her pleas. "What part of no don't they understand?" she said.

... they don't understand America, Miss Gray, they don't understand America ... - Tiger

Uh! And This Is A Surprise?

Ones Desire For Peace In The World Should Never Override Common Sense. The Problem Is, We Have None In Washington; Common Sense, That Is! - Tiger

Cheney: Hamas 'Torpedoes' Israel-Palestinian Peace Talks

JERUSALEM — Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday that Hamas, with support from Syria and Iran, is trying to "torpedo" peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel.

Meeting reporters after having breakfast with the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Cheney said, "It is clearly a difficult situation, in part, because I think it's true, there's evidence that, Hamas is supported by Iran and Syria and that they're doing everything they can to torpedo the peace process."

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said the two men had a good meeting. "They discussed a range of issues, including the peace process, terrorism, and threats to regional security," he said.

Cheney said in his meeting Sunday with Palestinian leaders that they talked about efforts under way in Yemen to encourage reconciliation between moderate and militant Palestinians.

"My conclusion after talking about this with the Palestinians is that they have established some preconditions before they would ever consider a reconciliation, including a complete reversal of the Hamas takeover of Gaza."

Asked whether the U.S. supports the Yemeni mediation effort to bridge differences between Hamas and Fatah, a senior administration official said that the United States has made it clear that it will not support working with Hamas unless there is a fundamental change in the group's current role, which the U.S. describes as terrorist.

Of course, we've armed Hamas to the teeth! Thanks Whitehouse, State Department! - Tiger

Photo: AP

... meanwhile, the Silence of Any Condemnation of China from the President Is Deafening!

Christos Anesti

When He rose, empires fell.
By Jerry Bowyer

I wonder if the people sitting in churches this week understand how very much Jesus of Nazareth’s last week of life was driven by clashes pertaining to wealth and poverty, freedom and tyranny. Probably not. Theologians generally don't study history. Historians usually don’t study theology, and neither study economics. Here’s what happened: For over half of a millennium, Israel had been passed from empire to empire. Each new world power treated Jerusalem as a cash cow, diverting its wealth into imperial coffers in order to finance imperial ambitions. First there was Assyria, then Babylon, Persia, and Macedonia. Then finally Rome was given its turn. It was at this time that Jesus of Nazareth came into the world.

Rome didn’t care much about places like Nazareth; it was much more interested in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was a company town, and the company was The Temple. The Temple was the Herod family business, and it had been created for one reason and one reason only — to squeeze enough money out of the region for Herod and his dynasty to buy their way back into favor with Caesar Augustus.

Rome needed money to buy off the urban mob, and Herod needed Rome to keep down the Palestinian rabble. And so when the people came to Jerusalem to make their offerings to God, they were met at each step in the process of religious devotion with another checkpoint at which tolls were extracted. The journey to Jerusalem often meant crossing a Roman checkpoint — ka-ching! Since the trip was long and hard on the animals, it was better to travel light and buy the sacrifices in Jerusalem — ka-ching! You can’t use pagan Roman coins for that sort of thing, of course, so off to the money-changers — ka-ching again. Tithes, offerings, sacrifices, festivals, Rome got her cut — ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching. In fact, that’s the only reason there even was a temple or a King Herod. Rome would have long ago plundered it and killed him, except you don’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

If the temple was the bridge between heaven and earth, Herod was the troll who lived under the bridge. Every pilgrim was forced to pay the toll. That’s what kept Herod in power: no ka-ching, no king. Ordinary Jews hated the regime, and the anger was boiling over, but Herod didn’t care what they thought; he had Rome on his side.

Into this world steps the young son of a Galilean entrepreneur. Joseph was a tekton, a skilled contractor. His adopted son, Jesus, was a rabbi, who gathered around him a small group of apprentices (mathetai, disciples) and set off for Jerusalem. Along the way he said and did things that implied that the temple was losing its status as the exclusive provider of access to the presence of God. Most Jews had already come to similar conclusions. They knew the Temple was corrupt, and turned to small-group Torah study as an alternative. Jesus adopted and intensified this new worship model. He created a network of small, nimble, and self-replicating clusters of people who could study and pray together and care for the poor. In his words: “Wherever two or more are gathered in my name, I am there in the midst of them.” This threatened the Templar monopoly.

The Temple hierarchy was enraged by this. Their livelihood was at risk. Eventually Jesus went a step farther and staged a protest in which he overturned the foreign-exchange tables at the Temple where Roman coins were swapped for Jewish ones. The Temple was forced to shut down. That was the last straw. Jesus had demonstrated in a graphic, physical way that the Temple really did run on money. Even worse, he had demonstrated that during the time that The Temple, Inc. ceased to function the world still rolled along just fine without it.

Such knowledge could destabilize the entire world. Palestine was ungovernable without the Herodian Templar system, and an ungovernable Palestine meant the gold would cease to flow to Rome. It also meant the grain would cease to cross the Holy Land. As our tanks and ships run on oil, their horses and galley slaves ran on grain.

The Temple bureaucrats used their superior war chest to pay activists to call for Jesus’ execution, and even to bribe witnesses. The Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, knew how to keep his job in middle management — keep the money flowing to Rome. That meant killing Jesus.

Jesus was a politically sophisticated man. He knew what was coming.

He faced the executioners bravely. He accepted, even embraced his death, and overcame it. By doing this he took the stinger out of Jerusalem and Rome. Behind all the taxes and tolls, price controls, and monopolies, and behind the governors and tetrarchs and consuls and emperors, lurked a tax-hungry greed, and the greed was backed up by the threat of death. The emperor’s colossal ego was fed by the people of Rome; the Romans were fed by the bread and circuses; the bread and circuses were fed by the armies; the armies fed on the captive peoples, and the captive peoples who didn’t like it were fed to the lions, or (even worse) the crucifix.

Such it has always been. When tyrants rule, money flows uphill and pain flows down. At the top is always a Caesar (or his etymological cousins, a Kaiser or a Czar). In the modern age, they usually make a hypocritical nod to democracy by calling themselves “President,” but the suffix “for life” tells us what’s really going on. At the bottom is the enemy of the state and what awaits him is a cross, or a gas chamber, perhaps a syringe filled with poison, or the observation section of a rape room and then a trip to the paper shredder. Every tyrant rules the same way: through threat of torture, humiliation, and death.

But when Jesus said, “Go ahead, do your worst,” and, as his early followers testified, overcame death, he ripped the stinger out, rendering the whole wasp twitching and dying from tip to tail. When his followers chose the cross as their symbol, they seemed to be turning “the world upside down,” but they weren’t; they were turning the upside-down world, finally, right-side-up. To get the flavor, imagine a revolutionary-era Frenchman displaying a tiny replica of the guillotine, or modern Iraqis wearing little rape-room replicas around their necks, or industrial paper shredders. Imagine Russian dissidents making the sign of the syringe, or think of Holocaust survivors who display their tattooed identification numbers with pride instead of shame. This is what the early followers of Jesus did with the Roman cross.

Yes, Rome continued to plunder and murder for a time, but Jesus’ peaceful army grew. The empire tried to wipe them out, but the movement grew faster than Rome could kill. The Caesars gradually lost their grip on the world. Jesus’ new model survived, then prevailed and eventually spread. One by one it has been wiping the little Caesars from the face of the earth in a gale of creative destruction.

The gale blows still, Messrs. Putin, Kim Jong Il, and Ahmadinejad. The gale blows still, Raul, Hugo, Mugabe. House of Saud, the gale blows still.

The Question Has To Be Asked - Does Nancy Have Bigger Ones Than George?

DHARMSALA, India — The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, called on the world community Friday to denounce China in the wake of its crackdown in Tibet, calling the crisis "a challenge to the conscience of the world."

Pelosi, one of the fiercest Congressional critics of China, was the first major official to meet the Dalai Lama, the leader of Tibet's exile community, since protests turned violent last week in the Chinese-ruled region.

"If freedom loving people throughout the world do not speak out against China's oppression in China and Tibet, we have lost all moral authority to speak on behalf of human rights anywhere in the world," Pelosi said before a crowd of thousands of cheering Tibetans, including monks and schoolchildren.

"The situation in Tibet is a challenge to the conscience of the world," she said.
Pelosi, heading a Congressional delegation, was greeted warmly by the Dalai Lama, who draped a gold scarf around her neck.

"I pray for success of the speaker of such a great nation, considered a champion of freedom, democracy and liberty," the Dalai Lama said, standing next to Pelosi.

After meeting with the Tibetan leader, Pelosi called for an international investigation into the violence in Tibet and said the Chinese should open the region to the international media and independent monitors.

... meanwhile, from a Washington Times Editorial;

The Bush administration has tied itself in knots trying to rationalize Beijing's behavior. Just last week, the State Department upgraded China in its most recent Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Beijing no longer stands among the world's most brutal human-rights abusers in Foggy Bottom's appraisal. So, China has left the company of North Korea, Cuba and Iran.

George wants everything both ways - get all the cash we can - while ignoring all the evil. It's called, HAVING NO PRINCIPLES !

UPDATE!: At least John McCain is beginning to wake up a little. George, would you care to get involved?

It's Now Time To Defend Pope Bennie; Osama Bin Towel-Head Threatens

DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden threatened the European Union with grave punishment on Wednesday for publication of cartoons mocking Islam's Prophet Mohammad.
In an audio recording posted on the Internet coinciding with the birthday of Islam's founder, bin Laden said the drawings, considered offensive by Muslims, were part of a "new crusade" in which Pope Benedict was involved.

"Your publications of these drawings -- part of a new crusade in which the Pope of the Vatican had a significant role -- is a confirmation from you that the war continues," said the Saudi-born militant leader, addressing "those who are wise at the European Union".

You are "testing Muslims ... the answer will be what you shall see and not what you hear."
It was bin Laden's first message since November 29 when he urged Europe to end participation with U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

The message, produced by al Qaeda media arm As-Sahab in the lunar month which ended on March 8, carried an animation of a spear piercing through a red map of Europe with blood splashing as its tip penetrated the surface.

It also carried what appeared to be an old picture of bin Laden firing an assault rifle. The message also coincides with the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
Michael Scheuer, a former CIA bin Laden tracker, said: "It's not a coincidence that it was released on the day that is observed in the Muslim world as the Prophet's birthday."
He added: "It's only ominous when he says 'don't listen to our words, watch for our actions' ... that means they clearly are intending to attack in Europe."

THREAT AGAINST EUROPE

The U.S.-based IntelCenter, a terrorism monitoring firm, said the message was "a clear threat against EU member countries and an indicator of a possible upcoming significant attack, however, it is unclear in exactly what timeframe it may occur."

Bin Laden said the publication of the cartoons was a graver offence than the "bombing of modest villages that collapsed over our women children", in reference to U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan with European participation. "This is the bigger catastrophe ... for which the punishment is graver."

"Animosity among people is very old but wise people ... have always been keen on maintaining the manners of disagreement and the ethics of fighting ... but you have abandoned many of these ethics although you use them as slogans," he said.

Bin Laden said Europe was intentionally targeting Muslim women and children at the behest of their "unjust ally who is close to departing the White house".
He said "brutality" had not defeated Muslims and made them determined to "avenge our folk and eject the invaders from out countries."

A U.S. counterterrorism official said the authenticity of the recording was under examination but added it was in line with "al Qaeda's ongoing propaganda effort."

The cartoons were first published by the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten in September 2005 but a furor erupted only after other newspapers reprinted them in 2006.

CARTOONS

On February 13 several Danish newspapers published one of the cartoons in solidarity with the cartoonist after three men were arrested on suspicion of plans to kill him.
One of the cartoons shows a man described as Islam's prophet wearing a turban with a bomb in its folds.

At least 50 people were killed in the protests against the cartoons, which Muslims say are an affront to Islam. Newspapers which printed them say they are defending media freedom.
Sajjan Gohel of the Asia-Pacific Foundation, a London-based security think-tank, said the message did not necessarily signal an imminent attack in Europe but was a "statement of intent".

"A bin Laden message doesn't necessitate countries in Europe increasing their threat levels. The reason why they would do that is based on actual intelligence," he said.

"But when Osama bin Laden talks, people listen -- his supporters and constituents throughout the world are motivated by his words and want to turn them into action... Europe has become the battleground for al Qaeda."

European countries singled out by al Qaeda in the past include Britain, Spain, Italy and Denmark. The new message is likely to cause particular concern to Denmark.
Bin Laden's attempt to stoke Christian-Muslim tensions, by evoking the crusades, also comes as the Netherlands braces for the expected release on March 28 of a film about Islam by a right-wing politician who has called the Koran a "fascist" book.

Tensions over the film prompted the Dutch to raise their terrorism threat level earlier this month.

Bin Laden, the man behind the September 11 attacks on U.S. cities, issued several messages late in 2007 after a hiatus of well over a year raised speculation that he might be dead.
Bin Laden, believed to be in remote areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan, often marks significant events with messages.

On September 7 bin Laden appeared in a video marking the sixth anniversary of the September 11 attacks and said the United States remained vulnerable despite its economic and military power.

Osama Bin Poopie knows that Pope Bennie has done nothing but weep for and placate Muslims, and worry himself sick over the "church's" image amongst Muslims. The Papacy and the Archbishop of Canterbury have been in a ridiculous competition for a long time now over who can best kowtow to Muslims. Oh well, if the EU is attacked maybe it will wake them up. - Tiger

Mahmoud Abbas - America's Terrorist

“Our people in Jerusalem are under an ethnic cleansing campaign. They are suffering from a series of decisions like tax hikes and construction prohibitions. [Palestinians] are facing a campaign of annihilation [by Israel].”

Those were the words of Mahmoud Abbas last week to the summit of Islamic countries in Dakar, Senegal. And what a crew it was; Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad chimed in, using rhetoric about the same as that of Abbas, with “[Israel] just kills innocent women and children, but the UN Security Council stays silent.” Sudanese genocide president Omar al-Bashir was there, too, among the roster of heavies.

For Abbas—given tremendous credit by the U.S. and Israeli governments as a man of peace—vilifying Israel before this crowd was like pouring oil on flames as he confirmed the world’s darkest fantasies and designs about Israel. Nor is he on record as saying a single more conciliatory word about Israel, the “conflict,” or resolving it.

Yet, asked about Abbas’s reference to “annihilation,” all State Department spokesman Sean McCormack could come out with was “we would not use that term to describe the situation. I think it’s probably an example of some overheated political rhetoric.”

Meaning that Abbas was once again protected, whitewashed, and coddled—this time by taking the specificity out of his act of deadly incitement and putting it in a broad category of “overheated rhetoric” that, by clear implication, is supposed to be bilateral. McCormack could not, of course, have pointed to remotely comparable statements by Israeli leaders like Ehud Olmert, Tzipi Livni, and Shimon Peres as they traipse through the world heaping praise on Abbas’s “moderation” and “pragmatism.”

But the U.S. has big plans for Abbas and there’s no use getting bogged down in details. As Ellen Knickmeyer and Glenn Kessler reported in the Washington Post on Saturday, since late January U.S. and Jordanian instructors have been training about 600 members of Abbas’s National Security Force and 425 members of his presidential guard in Jordan.

Knickmeyer and Kessler mention some minor snafus and equipment shortages but, more significantly, that “Because of Israeli concerns, the group of…Palestinian trainees has not been outfitted with pledged body armor or light-armored personnel carriers”:

The Israeli government has insisted that the Palestinian…forces be trained and equipped as a police force rather than an army that could threaten the Jewish state…. Israeli officials have blocked delivery of body armor to Palestinian forces of a grade capable of stopping rounds from the M-16 assault rifles used by Israeli troops, American officials said…. “You never know when these things are going to be used against you,” Shlomo Dror, spokesman for the Israeli Defense Ministry, said of armor and weapons.

Dror added that Palestinian forces don’t need the kind of armor requested and that “we are the ones fighting the terror. Dealing with Hamas is what we do.”

Indeed, an earlier U.S.-trained contingent of Fatah forces didn’t do very well against Hamas in Gaza last June when they were routed in five days and by many accounts didn’t fight at all. For that and the other reasons Congress shares Israel’s misgivings: Knickmeyer and Kessler note that, while last summer Congress approved $28 million out of $86 million earmarked for the Palestinian security training, since then it has approved no further money.

But with the Bush-Rice pro-Fatah juggernaut impervious as ever to empirical concerns, on Sunday the Israeli daily Haaretz reported that the administration has gone ahead and asked Congress to fund a new PA battalion to be trained in Jordan while eventually planning to create five such battalions to serve under Abbas in the West Bank.

Although critics of the juggernaut know that pointing to mere facts about Abbas and his Fatah has no effect, still it is worth citing a few of these facts that are of recent vintage (some of the material is taken from relevant web pages of the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center):

* January 29, 2007: Three Israelis were killed in a suicide bombing in a bakery in the southern city of Eilat. The Fatah Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade claimed joint responsibility with Islamic Jihad.

* October 21, 2007: Israeli Security Agency chief Yuval Diskin revealed that the PA had released three terrorists from a squad that had planned to assassinate Prime Minister Ehud Olmert during a planned visit to Jericho in June (the other two squad members were arrested by Israel). Two of those detained by the Palestinians belonged to the National Security Force and the third served in General Intelligence. Two of the three were also members of Fatah-Tanzim. Nevertheless, all three operatives held by the Palestinians were released on September 26 when their investigation ended.

* November 19, 2007: Ido Zoldan, 29, was killed in a shooting attack in the northern West Bank when terrorists opened fire from a passing car. The Fatah Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility as “an act of protest against the Annapolis conference.”

* December 28, 2007: Cpl. Ahikam Amihai (20) and Sgt. David Rubin (21) were killed by Palestinian terrorists while hiking in the Hebron area. That same day, the two terrorists turned themselves in to Palestinian General Intelligence in Hebron to avoid being apprehended by Israeli security forces. Statements to the media by Palestinian security elements to the effect that the incident was of a criminal, not security, nature were contradicted both by information in Israel’s possession and the confessions of the terrorists themselves. Apparently, these statements were designed to obviate the Palestinian Authority’s responsibility for the incident mainly because the murders were perpetrated by Fatah and security-apparatus members. In January the PA sentenced the two killers to 15 years in prison as Israeli security sources decried the PA's known "revolving door" policy; most recently there are reports of an "escape" or "furlough."

* January 24, 2008: Border Guard Lance Cpl. Rami Zuari, 20, of Beersheva was shot and killed at a checkpoint at the northern entrance to Shuafat, north of Jerusalem. The Battalions of Struggle and Return, a previously anonymous offshoot of Fatah’s Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Abbas, who presides over terrorist forces and engages in terroristic incitement—not to mention the genocidal-hatred-saturated official media, education system, and religious establishment of his PA—has been (as he proudly acknowledged) a terrorist since the 1960s and remains one. America’s backing for him has put it in conflict even with a weak-kneed Israeli government that is eager to play along with the pro-Abbas game but not at any price. It’s a shameful chapter for America.

Islam for Kids: Mohammed

Garner - Washington Times

Citizens Enslaved By Laws? The D.C. Gun Ban

Why Americans Love The Irish

On Monday, tens of millions of Americans of every race and background will join together to celebrate a uniquely cherished ethnic holiday — a tribute to despised, destitute Hibernian hordes whose descendants eventually claimed pride of place as the most popular of all immigrant groups. With mass immigration once again a contentious issue in our politics and culture, the St. Patrick's Day formula — combining Irish pride with unabashed, flag-waving Americanism — offers hope that current controversies might someday achieve similarly satisfactory resolution.

There's little doubt that our annual "Great Day for the Irish" draws more attention than festive commemorations of other national origins (Columbus Day, Pulaski Day, Cinco de Mayo, Israeli Independence Day, you name it), complete with shamrock decorations turning up nearly everywhere, big city rivers sparkling with emerald dye, and school kids featuring green in their wardrobes under serious risk of pinching. The mostly positive images and emotions toward the Irish say as much about the character of the USA as they do about the sons and the daughters of the Auld Sod.

Initial hostility

In part, we love the Irish because we instinctively embrace underdogs. The Emerald Isle suffered hellish torments during 800 years of oppression by the English — the same arrogant colonialists we defied in our own Revolution. When the starving Irish began to arrive en masse during "The Great Hunger" of the 1840s, they initially faced fiery hostility from nativist Americans and encountered occasional posted notices declaring, "No Irish Need Apply."

Agitation culminated with bloody riots against churches and convents, with the virulently anti-immigrant "Know Nothing" Party electing numerous governors and mayors and even running a former president (Millard Fillmore) as a credible contender for the White House. Despite such obstacles, Irish arrivals persevered, establishing a vibrant Catholic community, dominating police and fire departments within a generation, and playing the lead role in organizing labor unions and big-city political machines.

When Harvard-educated millionaire John Fitzgerald Kennedy won the presidency in 1960, barely 110 years had passed since the American arrival of his famine-fleeing great-grandfather, Patrick Kennedy. That's the sort of poverty-to-power, rags-to-riches tale that has always inspired Americans in this nation of fresh starts and second chances.

The other key element in the appeal of the Irish involves their instantaneous affirmation of American patriotism. Many other immigrant groups experienced a sense of divided loyalties, torn by nostalgic connections to old country nationalisms. In Ireland, however, English overlords ruthlessly suppressed expressions of national pride or distinctive culture (including Gaelic language) so that immigrants embraced Yankee symbols and customs with scant hesitation. That redoubtable patriotic ditty It's a Grand Old Flag came from Broadway composer George M. Cohan, simultaneously proud of his Irish heritage and his status as the original Yankee Doodle Dandy.

German-Americans count as even more numerous than Irish-Americans (with 49 million claiming German ancestry, compared with 35 million saying they're Irish). But Ireland never became a rival world power or fought the United States in two brutal wars — preventing any contradiction between loyalty to origins and unquestioned love of the new homeland. John Ford, the legendary filmmaker whose classic westerns forever defined our cowboy heritage, proudly claimed that he began life as Sean Aloysius O'Feeny, the son of immigrants from County Galway. In addition to all the soul-stirring John Wayne horse-operas, Ford also made magnificent films (The Quiet Man, The Last Hurrah) celebrating Ireland and Irish-Americans.

That same blend of heartfelt Americana and Emerald Isle nostalgia characterizes the annual revelry on St. Paddy's Day. Unlike other ethnic holidays, the festivities seem more familiar than exotic, more mainstream than multicultural. Irish names, accents and melodies have become inescapably American — not some demonstration of diversity or distinctive difference. Irish-ness feels comfortable, even cozy, in part because the sons of the Shamrock have been here so long (the first St. Patrick's Day Parade took place in New York in 1762) and most of them had arrived speaking English.

For other immigrants

It's impossible to imagine a sentimental hit song called When German Eyes Are Smiling, despite the countless contributions of German-Americans to our culture.

Sports teams choose their names to convey a sense of classic American pluck, so it's unthinkable that the legendary Notre Dame football squad would call itself "The Fighting French" — even though it was French priests (honestly!) who founded that Indiana university in 1842. By the same token, in modern Boston immigrants from Italy have played almost as large a role as Celtic immigrants from Ireland, but the great basketball dynasty isn't known as the "Boston Italians."

When St. Patrick's Day parades energize cities across the country, those processions feature marching bands, drill teams, floats and service clubs at least as likely to wave Cohan's Grand Old Flag as to carry the green-white-and-orange of the republic of Ireland. In fact, the festive frenzy of this now international holiday mostly began in the USA, and then spread back across the ocean to Dublin and communities of Irish migrs around the world.

More recent immigrant groups can surely benefit from the Irish-American example, understanding that the enthusiastic, unequivocal embrace of American identity need not undermine pride in heritage and kinship durable enough to flourish for centuries. Amid all the happy sailing on waves of foamy green beer, Irish-Americans (and fellow celebrants) acknowledge no inconsistency between remembering a distinctive history and cherishing American patriotism, and no clash of colors between shamrock green and the red, white and blue.

Tuesday Will Tell; It Will Determine If The S.C.O.T.U.S. Has Any Validity Left, Or Not!

The nine justices of the highest court in the land will meet Tuesday to hear arguments on who the Founders Fathers intended when they called for the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms: a well regulated militia or all individuals. (it's both, BTW - Tiger)

Tuesday's arguments in front of the Supreme Court — the focal point for gun rights advocates and foes alike — will be the first significant Second Amendment case in front of the high court since 1939. Supporters and opponents are equally excited and concerned by the prospect of what the court’s ruling —expected by June — could mean for individuals seeking clearer laws on the right to bear arms.

Washington, D.C., the nation's capital and one party to the case, argues its handgun ban “is a governmental duty of the highest order.” The contrary argument claims the city's law is “draconian” in its infringement of Second Amendment rights, which states, "A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

In its pre-argument briefs to the Supreme Court the parties to this case seem to have been writing to convince today’s nine foremost grammarians or historians. Much of the presentations to the Supreme Court focus on the grammatical meaning of the 27-word amendment.

The agitator at the center of this case is Dick Heller, a police officer for the federal government who in his job patrolling federal buildings carries a handgun. But D.C. law prohibits him and nearly every other resident from registering a handgun for personal use.

Heller contends the handgun is necessary to defend himself at his home. The city’s law, on the books for more than three decades and one of the most stringent in the country, was passed to prevent violent and accidental gun violence. It’s a law the city and its supporters say is necessary and successful.

Heller’s lawsuit against the city was initially dismissed but the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a landmark 2-1 decision, overturned that ruling. It declared that the Second Amendment guarantees all individuals the right to keep and bear arms. (so do the Founding Fathers and most of History - Tiger)

That ruling contravened decades of jurisprudence that held the Second Amendment right was exclusive to militias. The D.C. government appealed that ruling and in November the Supreme Court announced it would take the case. (This is, in fact, a lie - Tiger)

The D.C. government presents three overarching arguments to the Court. First, the city contends the D.C. Circuit erred in its basic interpretation of the law.

“The text and history of the Second Amendment conclusively refute the notion that it entitles individuals to have guns for their own private purposes,” reads the appeal by the city to the high court. Specifically, it points to the language of the Second Amendment and argues both clauses taken individually or in concert can only be read to suggest its application to militias and not individuals.

As for its historical argument, the city concludes, “There is no suggestion that the need to protect private uses of weapons against federal intrusion ever animated the adoption of the Second Amendment.”

The city's attorneys detail the debate that preceded the enactment of the law as part of the Bill of Rights. In so doing, the city draws upon the works of William Blackstone, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and similarly worded legislation passed in the late 18th century. It argues the Founders’ “efforts surely were purposeful, and should not be ignored two centuries later.”
The city’s second argument is that the Second Amendment does not apply to District-specific legislation. It is a curious argument, at least politically, for a government keen on seeking equal representation in Congress.

“The Framers created a federal enclave to ensure federal protection of federal interests. They could not have intended the Second Amendment to prevent Congress from establishing such gun-control measures as it deemed necessary to protect itself, the president and this court.”

Its final argument rests on an analysis of the D.C. statute which the city says should be done on a “proper reasonableness” standard. The city argues its law “represent(s) the District’s reasoned judgment about how best to meet its duty to protect the public. Because that predictive judgment about how best to reduce gun violence was reasonable and is entitled to substantial deference, it should be upheld.”

In response, attorneys for Heller roundly disagree with the District’s positions with its most fundamental argument being that the lower court was correct in its judgment that the Second Amendment does in fact guarantee an individual the right to keep and bear arms.

They contend the D.C. gun ban is a “draconian infringement” of the Second Amendment. And they too present their grammatical and historical interpretation of the law writing there cannot be “doubts or ambiguities” about the meaning of the second clause or its relationship with the first.

“The words cannot be rendered meaningless by resort to their preamble. Any preamble-based interpretive rationale demanding an advanced degree in linguistics for its explication is especially suspect in this context,” the attorneys argue.

Heller’s lawyers also present its Founders-era evidence by quoting from George Mason, Blackstone and Madison. They also quote lawyer John Adams during his successful defense of British soldiers in the aftermath of the Boston Massacre.

In that trial Adams conceded that “here every private person is authorized to arm himself, and on the strength of this authority, I do not deny the inhabitants had a right to arm themselves at that time for their defense, not for offense."

They also dismiss as spurious the city’s argument that the Second Amendment does not have the effect of law in the District of Columbia. They acknowledge that Congress (and now the D.C. government under Home Rule) has the ability to make gun laws but must do so in accordance with the Constitution. Heller's lawyers draw a parallel with Congress’s power to run the city’s schools which they note cannot then be segregated or otherwise be operated contrary to Constitutional holdings.

Finally, they dismiss the city’s argument that the handgun ban is legal under a “proper reasonableness” standard. Instead they offer a “strict scrutiny” guideline for imposing restrictions on gun ownership.

“As our nation continues to face the scourges of crime and terrorism, no provision of the Bill of Rights would be immune from demands that perceived governmental necessity overwhelm the very standard by which enumerated rights are secured. Exorbitant claims of authority to deny basic constitutional rights are not unknown. Demoting the Second Amendment to some lower tier of enumerate rights is unwarranted. The Second Amendment has the distinction of securing the most fundamental rights of all — enabling the preservation of one’s life and guaranteeing our liberty. These are not second-class concerns.”

It is common for the Supreme Court to ask for the official position of the United States government. In this case, Solicitor General Paul Clement has been given 15 minutes to argue before the court. Lawyers for the District of Columbia and Heller will each have 30 minutes.
His brief, however, surprised many when it argued against a definitive ruling on the merits of the case. Instead the brief counsels the justices that the “better course” would be to remand the case back to the lower courts for further review. In so doing, Clement urges the court to acknowledge the “plain text” of the Second Amendment and recognize that the law does guarantee an individual right to keep and bear arms. He says such an interpretation “reinforces the most natural reading of the amendment’s text.”

Clement asks the court to remand the case out of fear that an outright affirmation of the lower court’s ruling could “cast doubt” on all existing federal firearms legislation.

“The Second Amendment, properly construed, allows for reasonable regulation of firearms.” Within that framework Clement offers to the court what he describes as an intermediate or heightened level of judicial review. He says the court’s handling of legally similar cases by remanding them for further proceedings represent a due diligence that should be followed in this case.

Of the more than 65 friend-of-the-court briefs filed on this case, one drew immediate attention for its dismissal of the solicitor general’s remand argument and because the lead name attached to it is that of Vice President Dick Cheney.

Cheney, in his position as president of the Senate, joined a brief with 55 senators and 250 House members to support Heller asking the court to fully affirm the lower court ruling. It created the most unusual circumstance of the vice president — not to mention majorities of both chambers of Congress — in opposition to the official position of the U.S. government.

“This court should give due deference to the repeated findings over different historical epochs by Congress, a co-equal branch of government, that the amendment guarantees the personal right to possess firearms. ... No purpose would be served by remanding this case for further fact finding or other proceedings.”

The members of Congress who joined the brief are mostly Republicans, including presumptive Republican presidential nominee and Arizona Sen. John McCain. A healthy number of gun-rights Democrats also joined in the brief.

Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, both vying for the Democratic presidential nomination, did not make their positions known to the court. Another brief by 17 other House members—all Democrats—and the non-voting delegate to the House from Washington, D.C. asked the court to uphold the city’s handgun ban.

National Review's, Uncommon Knowledge w / Peter Robinson

FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2008

The Decline and Fall of Europe: Chapter 5 of 5

Prof. Thornton says the U.S. needs to show Europe some tough love, with particular regard to military matters. For instance, today the U.S. plays the necessary role of global policeman, but in terms of the security provided by the U.S., Europe is getting a free ride. This needs to end. Says Thornton, “We need to say to Europe: You guys are rich. You wanna be a big, important player? Spend the money on the military and then we’ll deal with you.”

National Review's, Uncommon Knowledge w / Peter Robinson

THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2008

The Decline and Fall of Europe: Chapter 4 of 5

Children are expensive, and they require a sacrifice of time and interest by parents. But what is the root cause of Europe’s ongoing demographic suicide — which coincides, by the way, with an explosion of the Muslim demographic on the continent? Prof. Thornton says Europeans are not reproducing because “the dolce vita lifestyle does not include children.” A Europe that is drawn to instant pleasure has little interest in investing in either children or the future of the Europe.

Chairman Hensarling Talks About Democrats' Priorities - Or, What The Chicken In The Whitehouse Won't Say!

A Real Conservative vs. the "Compassionate" Type

A Bright Point of Light!

PURCELLVILLE, Va. – Matthew du Mee was one of more than 2 million college-bound students in 2001 to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT.

But he was one of only a tiny handful who received a perfect score.

Within weeks, the nation's most prestigious schools – Harvard, Yale, and Stanford among them – began courting him. Du Mee turned them all down, choosing instead a tiny new school with, at the time, fewer than 100 students, no accreditation and no name outside of homeschooling circles.

The school was Patrick Henry College, created as haven of sorts for the nation's brightest homeschooled students, and which has, in seven ensuing years, grown into a well-known and influential evangelical school purposed to train Christian leaders for high level service in the public square. Its rigorous academic programs, abundant Capitol Hill apprenticeships, and deep homeschooling ties led to its being dubbed "God's Harvard" in a new book by Washington Post religion reporter Hanna Rosin.

... With its distinctly Christian statement of faith leaving no room for confusion, Patrick Henry College has designed one of the most comprehensive core curriculums in the country and an academic foundation built upon the truth found only in Scripture. To protect itself from government regulations and thereby safeguard its liberty to teach from a distinctly Christian worldview, the College operates with a no-debt policy and accepts no government funding. Its operations and facilities are funded entirely through donations.

The college continues to be the subject of intense media scrutiny, books, and international features, documentaries – even movies – not to mention the ongoing and often vicious attacks from its critics on the left. Yet PHC's leadership remains committed to holding fast to its biblical roots, founding principles and evangelical aspirations, come what may.

"A small number of Christian colleges are truly faithful to the word of God," Farris said. "At Patrick Henry we are committed to remaining faithful. We are not alone in that, but among an increasingly small number. Many schools have compromised. We remain unwavering."

National Review's, Uncommon Knowledge w / Peter Robinson

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2008

The Decline and Fall of Europe: Chapter 3 of 5

Prof. Thornton discusses how a bureaucratic European Union “super state” is undermining the old nation-states of England, France, and Germany — a dangerous process. Uber-nationalism, of course, gave us the fascist European movements of the 20th century. Under the “enlightened” guidance of the EU, however, any nationalism is looked upon as reprehensible. Thornton counters that deep-rooted nationalism is a net good, and that its deterioration will coincide with the loss of representative democracy.

National Review's, Uncommon Knowledge w / Peter Robinson

TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2008

The Decline and Fall of Europe: Chapter 2 of 5

If Europe is still democratic, and if it still embraces the free market, why should anyone care that Judaeo-Christian religious beliefs are slipping across the region? Of course, the tide of faith has been going out for a long time — since the Enlightenment — and the rise of science is a good reason why. But Prof. Thornton says this is particularly worrisome today because of the coinciding rise of radical Islam.

National Review's, Uncommon Knowledge w / Peter Robinson

MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2008

The Decline and Fall of Europe: Chapter 1 of 5

Professor Bruce Thornton of Cal State Fresno describes a European civilization that after twenty-five centuries is drawing to an end. He lists the symptoms: Economies are less adaptable and competitive because of an enormous regulatory burden; social welfare entitlements are incredibly expensive; and, demographically, Europeans simply aren’t reproducing. At the source of this demise is a loss of the foundational belief system that created the West — that created Europe — in the first place.

- must have Adobe Flash player installed - Tiger

This is an excellent video series of interviews describing Europe's Fall and America's possible future.

Another Example Of Sticking Your Nose Where It Doesn't Belong

Now that the "Most High Papacy" has directed Catholics to watch out for their recycling sins, the state of Florida is trying to control toilet paper use in public areas! These idiots never learn!

TALLAHASSEE (CBS4.com) ― A proposed law currently making its way through the Florida legislature might help you with what can be an embarrassing problem. Here's the bottom line, the bill would be a mandate that all eating establishment must have enough toilet paper when you go into the restroom. The only problem is the bill doesn't dictate how much toilet paper is "enough".

State Senator Victor Crist, a Republican from Tampa, felt the problem was so important, a law must be passed to protect the backsides of anyone in Florida. The measure will also try to regulate the cleanliness of restrooms in eating establishments.

Crist, says in the bill, restaurant inspectors, "should also check the restrooms along with the kitchens to make sure that basic cleanliness necessities are in place." The Senate Regulated Industries Committee approved the bill, SB 836, on Monday. It has two more stops to go and as long as it's not wiped out before then, it could then go to the Senate floor. A similar measure is currently awaiting passage by the House.

... I've got a recommendation on where you can stick this legislation, : ), tee hee! If you want to protect our backsides - ARREST ABOUT 1 MILLION ILLEGALS AND DEPORT THEM! That - at least - would make room at the local 7-11 to buy coffee in the morning!

Oh Brother! Lord Help Us! More Silliness From The "Man-Gawd"

ROME — Drug pushers, the obscenely rich, environmental polluters and “manipulative” genetic scientists beware — you may be in danger of losing your mortal soul unless you repent.

After 1,500 years the Vatican has brought the seven deadly sins up to date by adding seven new ones for the age of globalization. The list, published yesterday in L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, came as the Pope deplored the “decreasing sense of sin” in today’s “secularized world” and the falling numbers of Roman Catholics going to confession.

The Catholic Church divides sins into venial, or less serious, sins and mortal sins, which threaten the soul with eternal damnation unless absolved before death through confession and penitence.

It holds mortal sins to be “grave violations of the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes,” including murder, contraception, abortion, perjury, adultery and lust.

(Sin can arise from mere thought, according to Christ - Paul and Peter argued this just after Christ's ascension - they decided that evil Gentiles like myself would NOT be required to follow Jewish religious law - law that not even the Jews could uphold and live by. The Law would be written on our hearts, not from a man's list of sins! - Tiger)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into Hell.”

(Then why have a resurrection OF THE DEAD at the end of time, both GOOD and EVIL? The Bible doesn't state we are punished forever. Did Lazarus go to heaven for awhile until his friend Jesus called him forth? [doesn't make sense does it?] The other Lazarus (the beggar), and the rich man, with the parched tongue; is a parable. Remember the "Thief on the Cross", who would see Christ that very day in Paradise? "Paradise" is used with many different meanings in the Bible and usually means a "state of being, or existence" [not Heaven]. Could it mean the peaceful sleep of the grave in this instance? - Tiger)

(Here's a video explaining better than I! [Click Deadly Delusions and then, The Hot Topic of Hell] - Tiger)

Although there is no definitive list of mortal sins, many believers accept the broad seven deadly sins or capital vices laid down in the 6th century by Pope Gregory the Great and popularized in the Middle Ages by Dante in "The Inferno": lust, gluttony, avarice, sloth, anger, envy and pride.

Christians are exhorted instead to adhere to the seven holy virtues: chastity, abstinence, temperance, diligence, patience, kindness and humility.

Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican body which oversees confessions and plenary indulgences, said after a week-long Lenten seminar for priests that surveys showed 60 percent of Catholics in Italy no longer went to confession.

He said that priests must take account of “new sins which have appeared on the horizon of humanity as a corollary of the unstoppable process of globalization.” Whereas sin in the past was thought of as being an individual matter, it now has “social resonance.”

(Did ya catch that last paragraph, folks? Essentially, the Pope is saying Christianity has been redefined as Marxist! - Tiger)

“You offend God not only by stealing, blaspheming or coveting your neighbor’s wife, but also by ruining the environment, carrying out morally debatable scientific experiments, or allowing genetic manipulations which alter DNA or compromise embryos,” he said.

Bishop Girotti said that mortal sins also included taking or dealing in drugs, and social injustice which caused poverty or “the excessive accumulation of wealth by a few.”

He said that two mortal sins which continued to preoccupy the Vatican were abortion, which offended “the dignity and rights of women,” and pedophilia, which had even infected the clergy itself and so had exposed the “human and institutional fragility of the Church.”

The mass media had “blown up” the issue “to discredit the Church,” but the Church itself was taking steps to deal with it, according to Girotti.

Addressing the Apostolic Penitentiary seminar, the Pope said there was “a certain disaffection” with confession among the faithful. Priests had to show “divine tenderness for penitent sinners” and admit their own failings.

“Those who trust in themselves and in their own merits are, as it were, blinded by their own ‘I’, and their hearts harden in sin. Those who recognize themselves as weak and sinful entrust themselves to God, and from Him obtain grace and forgiveness.”

The Pope also complained that an increasing number of people in the secularized West were “making do without God.”

He said that hedonism and consumerism had even invaded “the bosom of the Church itself, deeply undermining the Christian faith from within, and undermining the lifestyle and daily behavior of believers.”

Eastern Catholics do not recognize the same distinction between mortal and venial sins as the Western or Latin Church does, nor do they believe that those people who die in a state of sin are condemned to automatic damnation.

(This is because they still follow the teachings of Christ and the New testament - NOT PAGAN ROME! - Tiger)

We should not trash our good earth, of course - that I can agree on without hesitation, but these "fish hatters" have gone nuts! Sadly, some Protestant Sects are playing this game as well! - Tiger