Sunday - July 29, 2007

“How close were we to seeing an armed nuclear conflict?”

Mangun sends us this story:

US Sinks North Korean Ship Bound for Iran

“How close were we to seeing an armed nuclear conflict?” That is the question being asked as Syrian nationals temporarily vacated Beirut, Lebanon and the Jordan Valley during mid July according to sources close to ACG-CIS. Many security and intelligence officials believe that this behavior may have been related to the US sinking of a North Korean ship approximately 100 nautical miles from the coast of Iran. 

It was not immediately clear why, around July 10, 2007, the Syrian nationals, primarily engaged in construction, trades and agricultural occupations, should have vacated Lebanon without notice.  The nationals were noticed to have returned to Beirut and the Jordan Valley by July 21, 2007.

I’m not familiar with this source, and cannot quickly find anything to back it up, so the BS meter is twitching.

Posted by Mr. Christian     on 07/29/2007 at 07:05 AM   
Filed Under: • Iran • North-Korea •  
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   Saturday - July 28, 2007

Fred on Federalism

On Federalism

By Fred Thompson

The Framers drew their design for our Constitution from a basic understanding of human nature. From the wisdom of the ages and from fresh experience, they understood the better angels of our nature, and the less admirable qualities of human beings entrusted with power.

The Framers believed in free markets, rights of property and the rule of law, and they set these principles firmly in the Constitution. Above all, the Framers enshrined in our founding documents, and left to our care, the principle that rights come from our Creator and not from our government.

We developed institutions that allowed these principles to take root and flourish: a government of limited powers derived from, and assigned to, first the people, then the states, and finally the national government. A government strong enough to protect us and do its job competently, but modest and humane enough to let the people govern themselves. Centralized government is not the solution to all of our problems and – with too much power – such centralization has a way of compounding our problems. This was among the great insights of 1787, and it is just as vital in 2007.

The federalist construct of strong states and limited federal government put in place by our Founders was intended to give states the freedom to experiment and innovate. It envisions states as laboratories in competition with each other to develop ideas and programs to benefit their people, to see what works and what does not.

This ingenious means of governing a large and diverse nation prevailed for more than a century. But today our Constitution and the limited, federalist government it established, are considered by many to be quaint or out of touch with the world we live in, to be swept aside by political expediency.

The Supreme Court sometimes ignores the written Constitution to reflect its view of the times. So does Congress, which routinely forgets that our checks and balances, the separation of powers and our system of federalism are designed to diffuse power and protect the liberties of our people. Before anything else, folks in Washington ought to be asking first and foremost, “Should government be doing this? And if so, then at what level of government?” But they don’t.

There’s more at the link.  The more I read, the more I like.  I might have to create a Fred category

Posted by Mr. Christian     on 07/28/2007 at 07:39 AM   
Filed Under: • Politics •  
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So, You Want HillaryCare?

Kim over at WizBang, found a great article about Canada’s healthcare system.  This is what happens when you hand the keys to any program over to Uncle Sam.

Michael Moore, call your office.

I was once a believer in socialized medicine. As a Canadian, I had soaked up the belief that government-run health care was truly compassionate. What I knew about American health care was unappealing: high expenses and lots of uninsured people.

My health care prejudices crumbled on the way to a medical school class. On a subzero Winnipeg morning in 1997, I cut across the hospital emergency room to shave a few minutes off my frigid commute.

Swinging open the door, I stepped into a nightmare: the ER overflowed with elderly people on stretchers, waiting for admission. Some, it turned out, had waited five days. The air stank with sweat and urine. Right then, I began to reconsider everything that I thought I knew about Canadian health care.

A five-day wait for an ER visit....I hope its not a, you know, EMERGENCY!

Here’s some more good news:

Government researchers now note that more than 1.5 million Ontarians (or 12% of that province’s population) can’t find family physicians. Health officials in one Nova Scotia community actually resorted to a lottery to determine who’d get a doctor’s appointment.

These problems are not unique to Canada—they characterize all government-run health care systems.

Consider the recent British controversy over a cancer patient who tried to get an appointment with a specialist, only to have it canceled—48 times. More than 1 million Britons must wait for some type of care, with 200,000 in line for longer than six months. In France, the supply of doctors is so limited that during an August 2003 heat wave—when many doctors were on vacation and hospitals were stretched beyond capacity—15,000 elderly citizens died. Across Europe, state-of-the-art drugs aren’t available. And so on.

Single-payer systems—confronting dirty hospitals, long waiting lists and substandard treatment—are starting to crack, however. Canadian newspapers are filled with stories of people frustrated by long delays for care. Many Canadians, determined to get the care they need, have begun looking not to lotteries—but to markets.

Go read the rest and see your futute when the whiners get their way and get .gov to take over your health care.

Posted by Mr. Christian     on 07/28/2007 at 07:31 AM   
Filed Under: • Health-Medicine •  
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   Thursday - July 26, 2007

Moral Conundrum

A couple of weeks ago, our church did an outreach to the local area.  For three days we partnered with a local contractor and did some work on local homes that were in dire need of repair.  Then in the evenings, in the local park, we conducted a “kid’s camp” for any and all kids that were there.  Kind of like a Vacation Bible School, but at the park.

One lady who had her kids there was a Hispanic woman with two boys: age 10 and 2.  They had a great time and in the course of the week, we found out she really wanted to learn English so she could get a job.  She had been watching kids in her home, but since they were all Spanish speakers, it was no problem. 

So my wife and I and another lady from the church have been meeting her and her kids in the park twice a week now to let our kids play together while we help her with English.  She is a quick study and very smart.  I’m confident that she will be conversational within a month of twice-a-week lessons.

I have not asked directly yet, but my suspicion is that she is probably here illegally.  From what I’ve gathered, her and her husband came from Mexico about 10 years ago to California.  They recently moved to the east coast to be closer to family.

Now, you’ve seen my posts on illegal immigration and know that I’m staunchly against it.  I firmly believe it is an affront to those who stood in line and followed the process. 
But now there’s a name and a face and a family to go with that opinion.

I would not turn them in at this point, mainly because I’m not sure they are illegal (I can speak a good bit of Spanish, but do not consider myself fluent) as well as my feeling that it would not accomplish anything meaningful.  Here are a couple of pretty productive, smart and resourceful individuals (who also have two American sons).  I doubt they would get sent anywhere at this point.

So here’s the conundrum:  Do I continue to help her learn English in hopes that she can progress a little in society and be more productive?  Or do I drop the lessons, claiming the moral high ground because of my stance on illegal immigration?

Posted by Mr. Christian     on 07/26/2007 at 01:58 PM   
Filed Under: • Illegal-Aliens • Immigration •  
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   Tuesday - July 24, 2007

Bandwidth Hogs

I was looking at the bandwidth usage for the blog back on July 16th.  I was stunned that we, at the middle of the month, had already burned through 110% of our alloted bandwidth.  I knew I had to do something drastic to make sure Hosting Matters didn’t shut us down for overusing the service.

So I made the decision to delete all of the “Weekend Eye Candy” pics as they were showing an enormous percentage of the bandwidth usage (through direct links no less)

I decided to look tonight and see if it had an effect.  What do you think? 

This chart is the daily usage since June 1st.

Posted by Mr. Christian     on 07/24/2007 at 11:40 PM   
Filed Under: • Blog Stuff •  
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Direction

Decided it was time to post another Motorvator…

Posted by Infinity     on 07/24/2007 at 11:17 PM   
Filed Under: • Motorvators •  
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Civics Lesson Alarms Moonbats

The other day, a responsible citizen gave the city of Norfolk, Virginia a much needed civics lesson, and I think more Americans could stand to learn from it, thusly, I’ll share it with you:

http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=128887&ran=175683

Essentially, reminding people of their Second Amendment Rights.  A non-violent confrontation with the police ensued, resulting in his inappropriate, and possibly illegal, arrest.  This gentleman, acting within his rights as an American to bear arms, eventually had charges dropped against him, as in this case the city was in the wrong.

Our Founding Fathers, for some reason, thought it very important that we, the people, should not be denied our right to keep, maintain, and carry a weapon.  To find out why, lets ask Patrick Henry, one of the greatest Americans.

“Are we at last brought to such an humiliating and debasing degradation that we cannot be trusted with arms for our own defense? Where is the difference between having our arms under our own possesion and under our own direction, and having them under the management of Congress? If our defense be the real object of having those arms, in whose hands can they be trusted with more propriety, or equal safety to us, as in our own hands?”

Or perhaps you have heard of this gentleman:

“Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the people’s liberty teeth keystone… the rifle and the pistol are equally indispensable… more than 99% of them by their silence indicate that they are in safe and sane hands. The very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference. When firearms go, all goes, we need them every hour.” President George Washington (Address to 1st session of Congress)

The object of this post is not to convince you that it is your duty to possess a firearm and be trained in its use, lest the hands of government seize our liberty, though its been said that “The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.” (Thomas Jefferson Papers p. 334, 1950).  However, it is to make you, responsible reader, aware that our liberties are at stake every day.

Many things are going on today that worry me greatly.

Take for instance the current Supreme Court ruling on Eminent Domain.  Apparently, just because you own something doesn’t mean its really yours if someone else can make more money with it.  Or they want to put a road through.  Or, as happened just recently, a college wants to put up a new sports stadium ( http://www.cstv.com/genrel/072307aab.html )

Taking away your right to property, all in the name of progress.  Or the “Patriot” Act, eroding our right against unreasonable searches and seizures, in some cases, without a warrant.  Or the continuing debacle of the “Fairness Doctrine”, so against the 1st Amendment rights to freedom of expression it makes me ill to think on it.

I think our Founding Fathers would be shocked and alarmed at the state of our current Republic.

More insidious than a peace-protesting, red-faced, screaming Moonbat, Apathy poses a larger threat to our freedom as Americans than anything else in our history.  Many people do not see the government itself as a threat.

Whoah!  Should I just don my AFDB ( http://zapatopi.net/afdb/ ) now?  Am I being paranoid, or what?  Or am I?  Louis Brandeis, US Supreme Court Justice, once said “Experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the government’s purposes are beneficent. Men born to freedom are naturally alert to repel invasion of their liberty by evil-minded rulers. The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning but without understanding.” (Olmstead v. United States, 1928)

If you do a little reading, you will see that this is a common thought throughout US history.  Until recently.  Somehow, distrust of government has become a “quaint” or “kooky” notion--more what you would expect from some nut-job typing out manifestos in a clapboard shack--instead of a pretty darned good idea.  And there they are, our legislators, slowly, eroding our freedom and telling us its for the common good.

What can you do about it?  Register to Vote.  Then Vote.  Every time.  Send a message to your legislators discussing their voting activity and your views--make sure they know they are being watched.  Get your wife/hubby out there voting too.  Are they claiming they know nothing about it?  Teach and inform.  If you are a property owner, and don’t vote, you are asking for whatever happens to you.  Discuss politics with your kids.  Make sure that when you are fostering a respect of authority in them, you also ensure they always question authority.  Take them out on their 18th Birthday and go with them as they register to vote.  Express your pride that they are taking part in America--make a big deal out of it.  It is after all, a big deal.  Remember:  The cliche that they are the future of America is no less true because they are the future of America.  Discuss politics with your friends and neighbors.  Foster discussion.  Even disagreement is better than apathy.  I would even go so far as to say that disagreement is the preferred path. 

One last thought to send you on your way:

“The spirit of the times may alter, will alter. Our rulers will become corrupt, our people careless. A single zealot may commence persecutor, and better men be his victims. It can never be too often repeated that the time for fixing every essential right on a legal basis is while our rulers are honest and ourselves united. From the conclusion of [their] war [for independence, a nation begins] going down hill. It will not then be necessary to resort every moment to the people for support. They will be forgotten, therefore, and their rights disregarded. They will forget themselves but in the sole faculty of making money, and will never think of uniting to effect a due respect for their rights. The shackles, therefore, which shall not be knocked off at the conclusion of [that] war will remain on [them] long, will be made heavier and heavier, till [their] rights shall revive or expire in a convulsion.” --Thomas Jefferson: Notes on Virginia Q.XVII, 1782. (*) ME 2:225

Posted by Drew458     on 07/24/2007 at 08:36 PM   
Filed Under: • Miscellaneous •  
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Ding dong….

the hippy is gone...

Ward Churchill, by a vote of 8-1 *in a Vince McMahon of WWE growl* YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOURE FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRED…

So far FoxNews is the first to break this. Lessee how the MSM spins this, hmm? *breaks out the beer and popcorn*

Posted by Severa     on 07/24/2007 at 07:59 PM   
Filed Under: • Miscellaneous •  
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If Only Ours Would Say This

Kim has his ”quote of the day” posted today. Its an oldie, but goodie.

If only GWB had the balls to say this.

Posted by Mr. Christian     on 07/24/2007 at 01:51 PM   
Filed Under: • Immigration •  
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A Pilot’s View

Sorry for the lack of posting these past few day...just buried with life right now.

But I did run across this article on Hot Air.

Did you ever wonder what a pilot thinks about the security of the airline system?  Dave Mackett is about to tell you.

As background, no conversation about airline security should take place without at least trying to conceive of the almost incomprehensible size of the air transportation system. The size of the system is the reason everything the public and policymakers “think” should work in airline security doesn’t, and the reason our entire approach to airline security is almost completely ineffective against a threat like Al Qaeda — and the reason security almost always fails when tested by covert testers, innocent civilians and, occasionally, persons with intent.

At this moment, there are roughly 5000 commercial airliners in the skies above you. There will be 28,000 flights today, and 840,000 in the next month — every month. The U.S. fleet consists of some 6000 aircraft — almost all of which will be parked unattended tonight at a public airport. We will carry almost 7 billion passengers this year, the number increasing to 10 billion by 2010, barring an exogenous event like another 9/11.

There is simply no deployable technology that has a prayer of keeping a motivated, prepared terrorist out of the system every time — even most times. TSA misses more than 90% of detectable weapons at passenger checkpoints in their own tests, and it is not their fault, because of the limitations of technology and the number of inspections they must conduct. This doesn’t count several classes of completely undetectable weapons like composite knives and liquid explosives.

What is TSA’s fault is their abject failure to embrace more robust approaches than high visibility inspections, and their accommodations to the Air Transport Association’s revenue interests at the expense of true security, while largely ignoring the recommendations of the front-line airline crews and air marshals who have no direct revenue agenda and are much more familiar with airline operations than are the bureaucrats (remember government ignoring the front-line FBI agents who tried to warn them about 9/11?). Deplorable amounts of money have been wasted on incomprehensible security strategies, while KISS [Keep It Simple, Stupid] methods proven to work have been ignored.

Go read the rest, and wonder why we still trust what little security we think we have to a bloated bureaucracy.

Posted by Mr. Christian     on 07/24/2007 at 01:40 PM   
Filed Under: • Politics • Stoopid-People • Terrorists •  
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   Sunday - July 22, 2007

New Jersey is losing it

Hat tip to the NRA/ILA; the story about State Bill 2810:

”BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. A person who sells, transfers or assigns an imitation firearm to a person under 18 years of age commits a disorderly persons offense; provided, however, that the establishment by a preponderance of the evidence of all of the following facts by the person making the sale, transfer or assignment shall constitute an affirmative defense to any prosecution under this section:
a. The purchaser, transferee or assignee represents his age by producing a driver’s license bearing a photograph of the licensee, or by producing some other photographic card purporting to be a valid identification card, indicating that he was 18 years of age or older;
b. The appearance of the purchaser, transferee or assignee was such that an ordinary prudent person would believe him to be 18 years of age or older; and
c. The sale, transfer or assignment was made in good faith relying upon the indicators of age listed in subsections a. and b. of this section.

2. This act shall take effect immediately.”

(An imitation firearm is defined in New Jersey’s firearm statutes as an object or device that is “reasonably capable of being mistaken for a firearm.” Right. Resonable by whom? People stupid enough to try and make this thing into law?)

See, it wasn’t enough to legislate the hell out of actual legal gun ownership. It wasn’t enough to pass laws that BB guns, bows, and even slingshots required a firearms ID to purchase. It wasn’t even enough demanding that all toy guns had a bright orange muzzle, or were only sold in shocking neon colors so that they could never be mistaken for the real thing. Nope, this desparate measure will outlaw even the toy ones, turning your children into criminals liable for a ONE THOUSAND DOLLAR fine.


Yeah, this bill will end gang violence alright. God forbid they actually catch the criminals instead. Numbskulls.

I wonder if water pistols fall under this asinine agenda? Wait, discharge of a water pistol is probably already an egregious waste of water, which would violate all the drought induced water restriction laws the state operates under most of the time. This state is loonie land.

Posted by Drew458     on 07/22/2007 at 12:15 PM   
Filed Under: • Miscellaneous •  
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   Friday - July 20, 2007

Ward Churchill could be FIRED? Be still my heart…

Check THIS out, folks…

Churchill expects to be fired

I saw this story this afternoon while surfing and remembering the many articles on him here at BMEWS, I just HAD to share.
Cheers.

Posted by Severa     on 07/20/2007 at 12:49 PM   
Filed Under: • Education •  
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Liars, Traitors and Thieves

It’s not like this is anything new, but I am amazed that the Democrats believe the possibility of racial profiling is more of a threat and worse than the possibility of a terrorist attack.

By now you’ve read that they blocked the “John Doe” amendment from the homeland security bill.  This would have protected the public from being sued for reporting suspicious behavior that may lead to a terrorist attack.  You want to know who voted for the amendment and who didn’t?  Sure, we’ve got that. (courtesy of MM)

Justin Higgins at Right on the Right has a great poster for the Dems:

Bastards.

Posted by Mr. Christian     on 07/20/2007 at 09:31 AM   
Filed Under: • Democrats • Liberals • Terrorists •  
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He Agrees Too

Remember my post last week positing that Iran could be attacked this summer?

Apparently, Alabamadinnerjacket agrees

Ahmadinejad: It will be a ‘hot’ summer

It’s going to be a “hot” summer in the Middle East, said Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad following a surprise meeting with Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah in Damascus on Thursday evening, Channel 10 reported.

Nasrallah allegedly entered Syria via an underground tunnel, the television channel said.

“We hope that the hot weather of this summer will coincide with similar victories for the region’s peoples, and with consequent defeat for the region’s enemies,” Ahmadinejad added, in an apparent reference to Israel.

“The enemies of the region should abandon plans to attack the interests of this region, or they would be burned by the wrath of the region’s peoples,” the hardline Iranian leader said at a joint press conference with Assad.

“burned by the wrath of the region’s people”.  Hmmm Where have we heard rhetoric like that before? 

Posted by Mr. Christian     on 07/20/2007 at 07:26 AM   
Filed Under: • Iran •  
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