From: "Alex Gimarc" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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Monday, October 29, 2001
Interesting Items 10/29 -
Howdy all, a few Interesting Items for your information. Enjoy -
In this issue:
1. Judges
2. Security
3. Elections
4. Domestic Terrorists
5. Stimulus
6. Ramadan
7. Smokeless
8. Radiation
9. Dr. Germ
1. Judges. Democrat obstructionism in the Senate hit the fan early in the
week during a meeting between congressional leaders and President Bush. The
meeting was about the war effort, implementing legislation, and the
continuing budget process. President Bush asked Senate Plurality Leader Tom
Daschle (D, SD) when the Senate was going to move on his judicial
nominations. There are over 140 vacancies open on the federal bench, as
Daschle and his cohort in crime, Patrick Leahy (D, VT), have successfully
bottled up all but a few nominees. Republicans in the Senate were
filibustering all appropriations Bills in an attempt to force Leahy to
perform his constitutional duty. Daschle responded that he was going to
concentrate on the war effort and pass the appropriations Bills, and that
Bush had no leverage in the process, as he needed the appropriations bills
passed out of the Senate worse than he needed judges. This "in your face"
response by Daschle silenced the room for a bit. Daschle has served up a
huge, hanging curve ball with this response, literally begging Bush to slam
it out of the ballpark. All Bush needs to do in response is to go to the
general public, and note that it will be very difficult to jail, try,
convict and sentence terrorists during this war if the federal courts are
all balled up in work without having enough judges available to even hold
the trials. We will see if he jams this right down Daschle and Leahy's
respective throats.
2. Security. Airport security is another topic of contention between the
House and Senate. The Senate, always the deliberative body, managed to pass
an airport security bill that nationalized all inspectors nationwide. The
House passed a bill that set up the feds as standards setting inspectors, a
job not unlike that which the FAA performs licensing and certifying pilots,
instructors and airports. It is nice to finally see a conservative approach
to this issue, rather than knee-jerk, grandstanding lurches toward Big
Government by those that ought to know better.
3. Elections. There are 3 elections coming up next month, all pitting
democrat challengers to Republican held offices. In Virginia, the democrat
was so far ahead of the Republican throughout the year that the race was not
even reported. Early last week, polling reported that the race was a dead
heat - which normally means that the Republican is 5-6% ahead. In NJ, where
conservative Bret Schundler is running to replace Cristy Todd Whitmann, the
democrat challenger has started running anti-concealed carry ads, demonizing
gun owners. Finally, in NYC, the Republican candidate for Mayor has wrapped
himself firmly around the legacy of Rudy Giuliani in local ads.
4. Domestic Terrorists. Well, it only took a month and a half for the
Clintonized, unprofessional fools still infesting the FBI to start trying to
tie the Anthrax mailings to domestic terrorists (read this as right wing,
talk radio, small government, conservatives). The story, leaked by the FBI
late in the week, was carried breathlessly by CNN and the major networks.
The climate of mistrust, cover-up, incompetence and unaccountability within
the FBI must be dealt with by this administration at their earliest
opportunity if they hope to win this war.
5. Stimulus. The House passed a economic stimulus package midweek. The
tax-cut heavy Bill will roll back the Alternative Minimum Tax, capital gains
taxes, accelerate the tax cuts passed earlier this year, and give additional
tax breaks to businesses in an attempt to light the economic fire.
Democrats were apoplectic, screaming bloody murder about tax cuts for the
rich, big business, and bewailing the notion that the best way to get the
economy moving again was to trigger job creation and business growth. The
Bill now goes to Conference, where it will be reconciled with the Senate
version.
6. Ramadan. Artificial issue of the week was the Islamic call to cease the
military campaign during the upcoming Holy month of Ramadan. Note that
warfare during Ramadan among Arabs is a regular occurrence, with no
cessation of hostilities. Note also that the Arabs themselves are not
respectful of any other Holy time for any other religion - Yom Kippur, for
example. To his credit, SECDEF Rumsfeld refused to shut down operations
during Ramadan.
7. Smokeless. The Tobacco Nazis last week took exactly one more life than
all second hand smoke has taken, when a University of Arkansas student fell
to his death from a fifth floor balcony. The dormitory was designated a
smoke-free building, leading the student to a ledge for his cigarette.
Limbaugh, Weds.
8. Radiation. The Anthrax scare continued to unfold last week, with the
discovery of Anthrax spores throughout the mail system serving the federal
government in Washington DC. By midweek, it appeared that much of the
contamination was due to the letter received by Senate Plurality leader Tom
Daschle. Anthrax is a relatively large bacteria, even when encysted in
spores. One way to deal with infested areas and mail is to use high-energy,
ionizing radiation to "pasteurize" the letters. Businesses have used this
technique in a few places for many a year. There are also a few commercial
food manufacturers using the same technique. Perhaps it is time to start
installing electron beams or gamma emitters at facilities that handle mail
inbound to sensitive government facilities.
9. Dr. Germ. Saudi sources are starting to link Iraqi activities with the
terrorist attack on 9-11 and the follow-on Anthrax action. One
bioterrorist, code-named Dr. Germ, is a British trained, 40-something woman
who has been heading up Saddam's biological warfare effort for over a
decade. She has reportedly manufactured over 400 pounds of Anthrax, and
made it available for sale, and otherwise ready for use. The UN believes
that Iraq is a prime supplier of Anthrax to the terrorists. Perhaps our
friends, the trained professionals at the FBI, will read similar reports on
this woman, and may start looking to Iraq rather than isolated cabins in
Idaho or Montana. Limbaugh, Mon.
More later -
- AG
"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better
than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not
your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May
your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our
countrymen."
- Samuel Adams, speech at the Philadelphia
State House, August 1, 1776.
Note: Interesting Items can now be found at: www.alaska.net/~agimarc
Additional archives are located at Rod Martin's The Vanguard:
www.theVanguard.org/gimarc
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