Rational Review News Digest ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Published Monday-Friday, except for holidays Made possible by the generous support of our readers http://www.rationalreview.com/news
Produced in cooperation with the International Society for Individual Liberty http://www.isil.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Volume IV, Issue #851 Thursday, March 9th, 2006 Email Circulation 2,043 ------ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS -------------------------------------- VERTORO HELPS YOU BEAT HYPERINFLATION Join the move to better money. Go from green to gold! http://vertoro.com/ TOM PAINE MARU The first UNCENSORED edition of L. Neil Smith's classic novel. http://www.lneilsmith.org/tpm-2005.html WINNING ELECTIONS "[A]n advanced guide to running political campaigns. It provides invaluable, practical advice from the leading pros in the industry." http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1590770269/rationalrev08-20 -------------------------------------- SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ----- Today's News: 1) Iraq: Three US, 11 Iraqi dead; storm hits Baghdad 2) Turkey: Three killed in blast 3) Regime glowers, Senate cowers on spy plot 4) Iran warns US on sanction threats 5) House panel votes to block port deal 6) US Marine Corps sued over alleged rapes 7) AZ: Napolitano continues border militarization 8) Google to settle in click fraud case 9) US newspapers about to turn new page 10) Iraq: VP signs order convening parliament 11) House votes to strip food warning labels 12) Report: North Korea fires missiles 13) Carter urges troop withdrawal from Iraq 14) CA: Aging friends head back to the commune 15) Feds assigning 9.5 billion hours of homework 16) MD: "Embryo" out of legislation 17) Study: Humans still rapidly evolving 18) High property taxes driving a new revolt 19) A leaderless nation learns to adapt 20) Church needs planning permission for cross 21) UK: Passports go biometric 22) OK: Guns for judges 23) MO: Court hears arguments on gun permit case 24) TX: Southwest Side man fights off intruder 25) AZ: Armed woman sends robber fleeing Today's Commentary: 26) Blaming the victims as Iraq disintegrates 27) Born again feminism for the 21st century 28) Education: Pay for what you use 29) Absolution in your cup 30) Pol tax 31) Ayn Rand answers 32) Monsters, Inc. 33) International taxes? 34) Still dubious about Dubai? 35) Driving bin Laden? 36) Is the neocon dream dead? 37) Denmark's intifada 38) I, Nanobot 39) Democratic daydream 40) Reframing the election fraud debate 41) The great bail-out 42) I LOVE Starbuck's coffee, so we should ban all other brands! 43) Consumers will benefit from AT&T-Bell South merger 44) Catholic utopia? 45) Beyond the party: Catholics and government's moral purpose 46) Why I'm running as an Independent 47) Conservative ideas 48) Notes from Harry Browne 49) AZ: Bill would end cash giveaways by cities to business groups 50) Renewing welfare reform 51) Kidnapped in Baghdad 52) South Dakota's new "murderers" 53) Help storm refugees find shelter 54) State of emergency ... 55) Free speech for me but not for you 56) Be happy happy happy all the time 57) Compromising civil liberties 58) Dubai and the Straits of Hormuz 59) Who cares about the First Amendment? Today's Movement News & Events: 60) Angel Shamaya jailed 61) ISIL's 25th World Freedom Summit 62) Petition: Free Cory Maye 63) The Million Moon March 64) Austrian Scholars Conference 2006 Today in Politcal History: 65) Them's fightin' words! News 1) Iraq: Three US, 11 Iraqi dead; storm hits Baghdad Houston Chronicle "A dust storm enveloped Baghdad on Thursday as explosions killed 11 people and wounded 19 -- all civilians, police said. The U.S. military, meanwhile, confirmed that a mass abduction from a security firm was the work of kidnappers masquerading as Interior Ministry commandos. One of the deadly blasts targeted an Iraqi army patrol in Amariyah, a mostly Sunni neighborhood in west Baghdad, killing nine civilians and wounding six, according to Interior Ministry Maj. Falah al-Mohammedawi. At Yarmouk Hospital in west Baghdad, a car bomb killed two people and wounded 13 as they entered the clinic, according to police Lt. Thaer Mahmoud. In an audacious attack on locally owned security firm Wednesday, gunmen dressed as Interior Ministry commandos stormed into the company's east Baghdad headquarters and took away 50 people, many of them former military personnel from Saddam Hussein's regime. ... The U.S. military reported the death of another Marine, killed Wednesday in insurgency-ridden Anbar province, the huge, largely desert expanse that stretches from Baghdad to the borders with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria. A day earlier, the Americans reported the deaths of a U.S. soldier in the northern city of Tal Afar and of another Marine, also in Anbar province." (03/09/06) http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/3711995.html ----- 2) Turkey: Three killed in blast ABC News "A bomb set off by suspected Kurdish guerrillas killed three people and injured 18 Thursday in Turkey's Kurdish-dominated southeast, officials said. Police Chief Tacettin Kurt said a police officer, a civilian and an unidentified man were killed, and three of the injured were in serious condition. Mustafa Yavuz, the deputy governor of Van, where the attack took place, said the body of the unidentified man was torn apart, leading police to suspect that he may have been a suicide bomber." (03/09/06) http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1704123 ----- 3) Regime glowers, Senate cowers on spy plot Washington Post "The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence voted along party lines yesterday to reject a Democratic proposal to investigate the Bush administration's domestic surveillance program and instead approved establishing, with White House approval, a seven-member panel to oversee the effort. Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) told reporters after the closed session that he had asked the committee 'to reject confrontation in favor of accommodation' and that the new subcommittee, which he described as 'an accommodation with the White House,' would 'conduct oversight of the terrorist surveillance program.' The program, which became public in December, has allowed the National Security Agency to monitor phone calls and e-mails between U.S. residents and suspected terrorists abroad without first obtaining warrants from a secret court that handles such matters." (03/08/06) http://tinyurl.com/pydu3 ----- 4) Iran warns US on sanction threats Indianapolis Star "Iran threatened the United States with 'harm and pain' Wednesday if the U.S. tries to use the U.N. Security Council -- which has the power to impose sanctions -- as a lever to punish Tehran for its suspect nuclear program. Washington warned that Tehran has enough nuclear material for up to 10 atomic bombs. Hours after the Iranian and U.S. exchange, the some members of the Security Council took up the issue for the first time, with the five permanent nations holding consultations in New York." (03/08/06) http://tinyurl.com/92wo4 ----- 5) House panel votes to block port deal Houston Chronicle "In a congressional election-year repudiation of President Bush, a House panel dominated by Republicans voted overwhelmingly today to block a Dubai-owned firm from taking control of some U.S port operations. Democrats clamored for a vote in the Senate, too. By 62-2, the House Appropriations Committee voted to bar DP World, run by the government of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, from holding leases or contracts at U.S. ports. The landslide vote was the strongest signal yet that more than three weeks of White House efforts to stunt congressional opposition to the deal have not been successful." (03/08/06) http://tinyurl.com/kluje ----- 6) US Marine Corps sued over alleged rapes Seattle Post-Intelligencer "Two women who claim two former U.S. Marine Corps sergeants raped them in a recruiting office sued the military Wednesday. The lawsuit names the Navy and the Marine Corps, which is under Navy jurisdiction, and the two recruiters as defendants. It seeks unspecified damages and an injunction requiring the military to train and supervise recruiters, among other things. The women were in high school when the alleged rapes occurred, according to the lawsuit. The recruiters, Joseph Dunzweiler and Brian Fukushima, were fined and demoted last year after court-martial proceedings but were acquitted of the most serious charges." (03/09/06) http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Recruiter_Sex.html ----- 7) AZ: Napolitano continues border militarization Fox News "Gov. Janet Napolitano on Wednesday ordered more National Guardsmen posted at the Mexican border to help stop illegal immigrants and curb related crimes. National Guard troops have worked at the border since 1988, but Napolitano signed an order authorizing commanders to station an unspecified number of additional soldiers there to help federal agents. Once the funding is approved, the troops will monitor crossing points, assist with cargo inspection and operate surveillance cameras, according to the order. 'They are not there to militarize the border,' the governor said. 'We are not at war with Mexico.'" [editor's note: War is peace. Ignorance is strength. Slavery is freedom - TLK] (03/09/06) http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,187214,00.html ----- 8) Google to settle in click fraud case PC Magazine "Google says it has nearly settled a class action lawsuit alleging that the search engine charges inflated advertising rates because of rampant click fraud. The search engine Ask, formerly known as Ask Jeeves, believes it, too, is covered under the proposed settlement, a spokesperson said. Lawsuit defendant Yahoo plans to continue battling the accusations." (03/09/06) http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1935867,00.asp ----- 9) US newspapers about to turn new page International Herald Tribune [France] "The fate of Knight Ridder newspapers, the second-largest U.S. newspaper chain, could be determined any day -- and, with it, the future of what has come to be known as the mainstream media could become clearer. Knight Ridder was put up for sale in November under pressure from its three biggest shareholders, who said the company's stock was undervalued. In what may be an early sign that the newspaper industry's value has declined, it appeared that only two bidders were likely to make offers by the deadline, which was Thursday." (03/09/06) http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/09/business/papers.php ----- 10) Iraq: VP signs order convening parliament USA Today "Iraq's Shiite vice president, who had balked at signing a presidential decree calling parliament into session, finally agreed Wednesday, a Shiite political leader told The Associated Press. Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi's signature cleared the way for the much-delayed first session of the parliament -- as early as Sunday. The move also openly signaled a fundamental disagreement within once-unified majority Shiite ranks." (03/08/06) http://tinyurl.com/rjyoy ----- 11) House votes to strip food warning labels MSNBC "The House voted Wednesday to strip many warnings from food labels, potentially affecting alerts about arsenic in bottled water, lead in candy and allergy-causing sulfites, among others. Pushed by food companies seeking uniform labels across state lines, the bill would prevent states from adding food warnings that go beyond federal law. States could petition the Food and Drug Administration to add extra warnings, under the bill." (03/08/06) http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11734532/ ----- 12) Report: North Korea fires missiles CNN "North Korea launched a pair of short-range missiles Wednesday, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. Japan's Kyodo News Agency, which quoted 'sources knowledgeable about the matter,' said the surface-to-air missiles were launched near North Korea's border with China. 'Indications are that North Korea launched two short-range missiles,' McClellan said. 'The regime has conducted similar tests in the past.'" (03/08/06) http://tinyurl.com/p464y ----- 13) Carter urges troop withdrawal from Iraq Cincinnati Enquirer "Former President Jimmy Carter criticized the war in Iraq on Wednesday, urging a troop drawdown as the United States enters its fourth year of conflict in Iraq. 'It was a completely unnecessary war. It was an unjust war,' said Carter, the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize winner. 'It was initiated on the basis of false pretenses. All of those are true, but we can't just pre-emptively withdraw.' He urged the Bush administration to bring home as many troops as possible within the next 12 months." (03/08/06) http://tinyurl.com/qzjqf ----- 14) CA: Aging friends head back to the commune San Francisco Chronicle "They are unlikely revolutionaries. Bearing walkers and canes, a veritable Merck Manual of ailments among them, the 12 old friends -- average age 80 -- looked as though they should have been sitting down to a game of Scrabble, not pioneering a commune for the elderly. Opting for old age on their own terms, they were starting a new chapter in their lives as residents of Glacier Circle, the country's first cooperative housing development for senior citizens -- a community they had planned and designed themselves, right down to its purple gutters. Over the past five years, the residents of Glacier Circle have found and bought land together, hired an architect together, ironed out insurance together, lobbied for a zoning change together and existentially probed togetherness together." (03/08/06) http://tinyurl.com/ewkjj ----- 15) Feds assigning 9.5 billion hours of homework Arizona Republic "About 9.5 billion hours. That's how much time the public is expected to spend this fiscal year providing information to the federal government for anything from an income-tax return to a report of an injury to a whale. In all, the nation will devote the equivalent of nearly 1.1 million years of round-the-clock work to completing the 8,459 forms, reports, applications, questionnaires, surveys and assorted detritus required under federal regulations. 'Enough!' Congress cried in 1980, when federal collection of information was consuming a little more than 1 billion hours of the public's time. That year, lawmakers passed and President Carter signed a package of would-be restraints known as the Paperwork Reduction Act. Today, with clear evidence that the act and a major overhaul in 1995 aren't working, a subcommittee of the House Committee on Government Reform will hear ideas for curbing the seemingly insatiable federal appetite for collecting information." [editor's note: And as long as the sheeple continue to "fear the man" they will continue to fill out the forms and say, "Thank you , Sir! May I have another?" - SAT] (03/08/06) http://tinyurl.com/mxew4 ----- 16) MD: "Embryo" out of legislation Washington Times "Democratic lawmakers have changed the word 'embryo' to 'material' in a bill for embryonic stem-cell research to secure the votes of Catholic senators who did not want to be viewed as supporting abortion-related legislation. 'They didn't want to vote for a bill that had the language embryo in it,' said Sen. Paula C. Hollinger, Baltimore County Democrat and the bill's sponsor. The bill, which appears certain of passage as early as today, calls for the state to spend $10 million for research on cells extracted from human embryos to create treatments for degenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease. Changing the bill's wording angered Republicans and conservative Democrats, who think that a human embryo is a human life and embryonic research is a form of abortion." (03/08/06) http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20060307-114258-8860r.htm ----- 17) Study: Humans still rapidly evolving Fox News/Live Science "A comprehensive scan of the human genome finds that hundreds of our genes have undergone positive natural selection during the past 10,000 years of human evolution. Genes are the instructions organisms use to make proteins. They are encoded in genetic material, usually DNA, and some come in different versions, called 'alleles.' Positive natural selection occurs when one allele is favored over another due to changes in the environment. Researchers from the University of Chicago analyzed the genomes of 209 unrelated individuals from three distinct human populations: East Asians from Beijing and Tokyo, Utah residents of European descent and Yorubans from Nigeria." (03/08/06) http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,187203,00.html ----- 18) High property taxes driving a new revolt Christian Science Monitor "In Orford, N.H., a tin-roofed hunting cabin worth $10,000 was recently assessed at $200,000, just for its mountain view. Taxes on the cabin and its outhouse skyrocketed. Around Lake Tahoe, along the California-Nevada border, property taxes have shot up 135 percent in the past four years. Residents of Beaufort, S.C., pay $17 million more in property taxes today than in 2000. Welcome to the flip side of the real estate boom. Years of rising home values have boosted property taxes steadily. Now, homeowners across the United States are fighting back. 'Real estate growth and real estate boom seem to be happening all over the country and [property-tax revolt] is an inevitable consequence,' says Roger Sherman, a property tax expert in Boise, Idaho. This year, legislative proposals, citizen initiatives, and lawsuits are on the agenda in at least 20 states." (03/08/06) http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0308/p01s02-usec.html ----- 19) A leaderless nation learns to adapt Boston Globe "When Abdirahman Farah, who is blind, returned to his native Somalia two years ago, his friends in Britain worried about him because of the country's lawlessness. But Farah was not deterred by the peril, or by the lack of a functioning government to provide services or security. He started a school for the blind in Mogadishu, the capital, by raising tens of thousands of dollars from local businesses and enrolling 22 students, with 100 more currently on a waiting list. Farah is among the thousands of Somalis who have adapted and plunged ahead with businesses, schools, and service organizations despite the continuing violence and leadership void. As Somalia this week took another important step to resurrect its national government after 15 years without one, many Somalis say they would welcome even a minimalist government, one that would guarantee their security but also allow their recent initiatives to flourish. They worry about a return to a dictatorial government that would quash many freedoms, including a free-market system." [editor's note: As a good anarchist myself, I'm a bit bemused by the "horror" in this writer's tone, over the lack of a strong central gummint ... as well as his surprised admission that things without one have been so successful - SAT] (03/08/06) http://tinyurl.com/fbp5g ----- 20) Church needs planning permission for cross Ananova [UK] "A church has been told it needs planning permission for a cross. Minister Paul Nzacahayo was told he has to pay £75 for permission to erect a free-standing cross. The local council says the payment is neccessary because the cross is an advert reports The Sun. Speaking at Dudley Wood Methodist Church he said: 'This is crazy. All my congregation and I want to sell is the word of the Gospel.'" (03/08/06) http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1753470.html ----- 21) UK: Passports go biometric Kable "The UK Passport Service has now issued its first biometric e-passport, it announced on 5 March 2006. The new passports will include a chip with the holder's facial biometric and will be introduced gradually over a five month period this year. Home Office minister Andy Burnham said that the government is looking to expand the use of biometrics in passports. 'ePassports are the first step in secure biometric identity documentation,' he said. 'Not only will they improve the integrity and security of British passports, they will also help in the detection of forged or manipulated documents while confirming the identity of the individual." (03/06/06) http://tinyurl.com/oqlje ----- 22) OK: Guns for judges NewsMax "Oklahoma judges could carry guns in courthouses under legislation approved today by the Oklahoma House. Tulsa state Representative Daniel Sullivan allows district judges and associate district judges to have firearms in a courthouse. It was approved 94-to-4 and sent to the Senate for a vote. The measure arose from an incident in Tulsa in which a judge became concerned that a defendant had overpowered a deputy sheriff, prompting the judge to arm himself in self-defense." (03/08/06) http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/3/7/180748.shtml ----- 23) MO: Court hears arguments on gun permit case Belleville News Democrat "A man who was denied a permit to acquire a gun after being evaluated at a mental health facility argued Monday to the state Supreme Court that his constitutional right to due process was violated. David Nelson was sent to a mental health center for a 96-hour evaluation in September 2003 over fears he would harm himself. He was evaluated and released with no finding of mental illness or need for further treatment. Last year, he applied for a permit to acquire a weapon. The Callaway County sheriff's office denied the request, citing a section of law barring people who were committed to a mental health center from obtaining a permit." (03/06/06) http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/state/14032146.htm ----- 24) TX: Southwest Side man fights off intruder My San Antonio "A man walking home from a neighborhood nightclub had to defend himself from an intruder that followed him to his Southwest Side apartment. Police said the man was walking to the apartment in the 400 block of Cropsey Avenue, near General Hudnell Drive, at about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, when he noticed someone behind him. The man ran to his apartment, went inside and slammed the door. The suspect kicked in the door and knocked the victim to the floor. The victim got a gun, fired a shot and missed. The intruder ran away. Police are searching for him." (03/08/06) http://tinyurl.com/mhm83 ----- 25) AZ: Armed woman sends robber fleeing Tucson Star "A robber got some spare change and a scare when he threatened a woman in Midtown on Monday morning. The 56-year-old woman was walking near East Fort Lowell Road and North Country Club Road when a man dressed in black approached her and demanded money, said Officer Dallas Wilson, a Tucson Police Department spokesman. The robber implied he had a gun, so the woman complied with his order and gave him $1.50, hoping he would leave, Wilson said. Then, thinking her life was in danger, she drew a Smith & Wesson revolver and pointed it at the robber, who ran away." (03/08/06) http://www.azstarnet.com/dailystar/allheadlines/119091.php ----- RRND MEDIASHELF -------------------------------------------- Books, CDs and other tchotchkes from today's edition: Ayn Rand Answers, by Robert Mayhew http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0451216652/rationalrev08-20 Monsters, Inc., DVD http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JKDR/rationalrev08-20 Free Speech for Me, but Not for Thee, by Nat Hentoff http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/006019006X/rationalrev08-20 Note: Affiliate links generate commissions for RRND's editors. -------------------------------------------- RRND MEDIASHELF ----- Commentary 26) Blaming the victims as Iraq disintegrates Asia Times by Stephen Zunes "The sectarian violence which has swept across Iraq following last month's terrorist bombing of the Shi'ite Golden Mosque in Samarra is yet another example of the tragic consequences of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq. Until the 2003 US invasion and occupation, Iraq had maintained a longstanding history of secularism and a strong national identity among its Arab population despite its sectarian differences. ... Top analysts in the Central Intelligence Agency and State Department, as well as large numbers of Middle East experts, warned that a US invasion of Iraq could result in a violent ethnic and sectarian conflict. Even some of the war's intellectual architects acknowledged as much: in a 1997 paper, prior to becoming major figures in the Bush foreign policy team, David Wurmser, Richard Perle and Douglas Feith predicted that a post-Saddam Iraq would likely be 'ripped apart' by sectarianism and other cleavages but called on the US to 'expedite' such a collapse anyway. As a result, the tendency in the US to blame 'sectarian conflict' and 'long-simmering hatreds' for the Sunni-Shiite violence in Iraq is, in effect, blaming the victim." (03/08/06) http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HC09Ak01.html ----- 27) Born again feminism for the 21st century Fox News by Wendy McElroy "March is Women's History Month, with a focus on the past raising questions about the future. Gender or left-wing feminism has defined the mainstream movement for decades, but can it carry feminism into the 21st century and away from the accusation of irrelevancy? 2006 is a fine year in which to ask that question. It is far enough into the new century for gender feminists to have provided a rough answer if one is coming. I believe the answer has arrived. On a personal level, you may not care. You may be fed up with decades-long arguments that all seem to run in an endless loop toward the same conclusion: Women as a class are oppressed by men as a class through the institutions of society such as the free market and the family. On a political level, however, you should pay attention. Those same tiresome arguments have dramatically reshaped the institutions with which you and your children live every day." (03/08/06) http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,187123,00.html ----- 28) Education: Pay for what you use The Choice Channel by R. Lee Wrights "Should individuals be forced to pay for something, to pay for anything, that they have no use for? Would you expect to receive a bill from say, the gas company, if you did not use natural gas in your home? Would you pay an invoice from an appliance store where you had never made a purchase in your life? Why would you pay a milkman who never delivered any milk? Would it help to be told that you are being charged for all these things because you must be forced to contribute 'your fair share' for the benefit of everyone that does use those goods and services? Your fair share? What is fair about forcing people to pay for things they do not need and will never use?" (03/08/06) http://www.isil.org/channels/archives/670 ----- 29) Absolution in your cup Reason by Kerry Howley "High-end specialty coffees are the fastest growing sector of the industry, and Fair Trade is the fastest growing specialty coffee; demand for it has ballooned by around 70 percent annually for the last five years. You'd think this confluence of social responsibility and double lattes, good business practices and lefty politics, would make Katzeff a happy man. But he and a growing number of roasters say the Fair Trade movement has lost its way. The movement has always aroused suspicion on the right, where free traders object to its price floors and anti-globalization rhetoric. Yet critics from the left are more vocal and more angry by half; they point to unhappy farmers, duped consumers, an entrenched Fair Trade bureaucracy, and a grassroots campaign gone corporate." (03/08/06) http://www.reason.com/0603/fe.kh.absolution.shtml ----- 30) Pol tax LewRockwell.Com by Becky Akers "Mayors across the country increasingly see smokers as God's gift to spendthrift governments. They steal from them accordingly. This is especially true of New York's Michael Bloomberg, whose ambitions along these lines match his outsized city. Let other places diddle around with ten-cent tobacco taxes, as does Hueytown, Alabama, or even a buck (Washington, DC); New York is bigger than that. Mike wants to boost its already-staggering tax on cigarettes by a whopping 50 cents. This will push the price of a pack past $8, with Leviathan grabbing $3.50 of that. New Yorkers will then suffer the dubious distinction of paying the highest tobacco tax nationwide: even Chicago steals only $3.05 per pack. Mike shrugged off suggestions that he's picking smokers' pockets a tad aggressively. 'It's not a revenue source,' he announced, and he's right about that. It's a revenue geyser. 'We're trying to save the lives of our children.' I won't pretend to understand how bankrupting their parents saves children's lives, but perhaps Mike's onto something here. Can taxing smokers and other dangerous folks really save lives? If so, let's tax politicians." (03/09/06) http://www.lewrockwell.com/akers/akers33.html ----- 31) Ayn Rand answers Free Market News Network by George Reisman "Here we have a confession that the content of some of Ayn Rand's answers has been materially altered, indeed, apparently transformed, at least in part, into the very opposite of what she actually said. We have no way of knowing if what was involved was a mere act of misspeaking, or something of real significance, possibly representing a change in her position on a subject. We cannot know if Ayn Rand was addressing a complexity in her position that was too subtle for Prof. Mayhew to follow and that he mistakenly inferred a contradiction of her published position when in fact there was none. Whatever the explanation may be, the reader will never know. Nor will anyone know what significant new knowledge the world may have been deprived of because Prof. Mayhew assumed that he was entitled to correct Ayn Rand." (03/08/06) http://www.fmnn.com/Analysis/158/4037/2006-03-08.asp?nid=4037&wid=158 ----- 32) Monsters, Inc. The Price of Liberty by Sam Bostaph "Monsters, Inc. is a useful analogue for understanding the main purpose that President George W. Bush's 'war on terror' serves. ... George W. Bush is our Mr. Waternoose (although the cartoon character looks more like Dick Cheney). Unfortunately, he and the 'scarer' monsters in his administration have succeeded in strapping the American public to a scream machine and are extracting more screams to provide more power to the executive branch. Their latest ploy is the demonizing of Iran, the creation of yet another monster for further power enhancement." (03/06) http://www.thepriceofliberty.org/06/03/06/fffoundation.htm ----- 33) International taxes? The Free Liberal by US Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) "April 15th is once again approaching and with it the necessity of filling out your tax return. It is a good time to reflect on the taxes you do pay -- and especially on the taxes you may soon be forced to pay. Throughout the year you paid federal taxes through withholding, including Social Security payroll taxes. You also paid state income taxes, unless you're fortunate enough to live in Texas or another state without an income tax. You paid local property taxes. You paid local sales taxes and numerous miscellaneous taxes on your vehicles and gasoline and so many other things. Like most people, you probably feel taxed to death by all these layers of taxes. Well, hold on to your wallets, because the United Nations once again has launched a plan to impose a whole new level of global taxes on us." (03/09/06) http://www.freeliberal.com/archives/001927.html ----- 34) Still dubious about Dubai? TechCentralStation by Robert M. Green "Critics of the plan that would put a United Arab Emirates (UAE) company in charge of operations at six major U.S. ports have cited security as their central concern. Advocates of the deal have most often argued that security will not be effected by Dubai Ports (DP) World management, largely because port security is the province of domestic U.S. agencies. A third argument has not yet been made by the major factions, and may never be. That argument says that the UAE company's role here might result in better security implementation for the cargo container terminals than would otherwise have been possible." (03/09/06) http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=030906B ----- 35) Driving bin Laden? Cato Institute by Jerry Taylor and Peter Van Doren "When you drive alone, do you drive with bin Laden? A growing number of foreign policy analysts seem to think so, and the president himself said as much in an interview with CBS News anchor Bob Schieffer a few days before his much-ballyhooed 'State of the Addiction' speech to a joint session of Congress. Unfortunately, the widespread belief that conservation and alternative fuels will cripple Islamic terrorism is wishful thinking. The fundamental problem with the argument is that terrorists don't need oil revenues. The fact that catastrophic terrorism can be undertaken on the proverbial dime (a few hundred thousand dollars paid for the 9/11 attacks) suggests that choking off financial resources to al Qaeda effectively is a hopeless task." (03/09/06) http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=5872 ----- 36) Is the neocon dream dead? The American Conservative by Christopher Orlet "These are hard days for the neocons. There are defections left and right (well, mostly right). Those who remain on board seem as wobbly as Kate Moss after an all-night coke binge. Last month Francis Fukuyama -- always an irresolute neocon -- formally severed all ties: 'Neoconservatism, as both a political symbol and a body of thought, has evolved into something I can no longer support.' At home the Venerable Buckley pronounced the Iraq War a lost cause. Andrew Sullivan offered a mea culpa to his readers in Time. ('The shock of 9/11 provoked an understandable but still mistaken over-estimation of the risks we faced.') Abroad, the Hamas victory in the Palestinian elections gave critics more ammo. Given the choice in a free and open election, Palestinians opted for a terrorist organization. Iraq, the cliche-mongering press reminded us, 'teetered on the brink of civil war.' To some it appears the neoconservative moment is over." (03/09/06) http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=9509 ----- 37) Denmark's intifada The American Conservative by Paul Belien "Denmark is one of Europe's smallest countries; it has only 5.5 million inhabitants. Until the beginning of this year it was known mainly for dairy products, butter cookies, Legos, and Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales. However, conservative Europeans had been watching Denmark for some time. Since Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen's center-right coalition came to power in 2001, Copenhagen has introduced the most sensible immigration policies in Europe. Today, Denmark is at the center of a controversy over 12 drawings, the infamous Danish cartoons." (for publication 03/13/06) http://www.amconmag.com/2006/2006_03_13/cover.html ----- 38) I, Nanobot Salon by Alan H. Goldstein "Long before we can melt the polar ice caps, or denude the rain forests, or colonize the moon, we will be gone. And we will not -- definitely will not -- end with a bang or a whimper. The human race will go to its extinction in a state of supreme exaltation, like an actor climbing the stairs to accept an Academy Award. We will exit the stage of existence thinking we are going to a spectacular party." [subscription or ad view required] (03/09/06) http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2006/03/09/nanobiobot/ ----- 39) Democratic daydream Slate by John Dickerson "Republicans like to think they govern with corporate efficiency. So, could it be that while it took Democrats 40 years of running Congress to become complacent, irritating, and ineffective, the GOP has managed the same task in just 12 years? A few months ago, it was laughable to think that Democrats could do what Republicans did in 1994 and take control of Congress after the November midterm elections. It's still a long shot. But GOP members of Congress and staffers treat the idea more seriously now. Only delusional Republicans still think that congressional races can be won by sticking to local issues in Bloomington, Ind., or Trappe, Pa. Republican candidates are going to have to answer for the unpopular Iraq war, and their party's unpopular president, and unpopular members of Congress, some of whom are under indictment or soon may be." (03/08/06) http://www.slate.com/id/2137685/ ----- 40) Reframing the election fraud debate AlterNet by David Dill "The election fraud debate frames the problem incorrectly. The question should not be whether there is widespread election fraud. It should be: 'Why should we trust the results of elections?' It's not good enough that election results be accurate. We have to know they are accurate -- and we don't. In a word, elections must be transparent. People must be able to assure themselves that the results are accurate through direct observation during the election and examination of evidence afterwards. U.S. elections are far from transparent." (03/09/06) http://www.alternet.org/story/33244/ ----- 41) The great bail-out Mother Jones by Ruy Teixeira "Bush's approval rating is now consistently back in the '30s and the Democrats have been running strong double-digit leads in the generic Congressional ballot. These trends are being driven by what we might call 'the great bail-out,' as not only are swing and independent voters moving sharply away from the GOP, but also a serious chunk of core GOP support. The latter development is truly frightening to Republican operatives and strategists who are only too aware of how dependent their election victories in the last several political cycles have been on rock-solid core support. Take that away and it's a long way to the bottom." (03/09/06) http://tinyurl.com/zxcxa ----- 42) I LOVE Starbuck's coffee, so we should ban all other brands! Frontiers of Freedom by kathy dolan "Alright, so my editorial is NOT about Starbuck's coffee, directly that is, but it is about the importance of CHOICE and our rights as American Citizens to expect such protection under the law. Imagine if we did impose such 'rules' on our population? I drink Starbuck's coffee so we should outlaw all other brands. You may prefer Chock full O'Nuts, but you can no longer buy it, because one choice should be good for all. Sounds ridiculous, right? We all have different tastes, likes and dislikes and this is America after all, the world's greatest Democracy where individuals ALWAYS have freedom of choice! At least we're supposed to, unless you happen to be a parent of multiple birth children (twins, triplets, quads etc) entering the school system. Then you probably won't have any choice, unless you move to Europe." (03/08/06) http://tinyurl.com/e6qyp ----- 43) Consumers will benefit from AT&T-Bell South merger Competitive Enterprise Institute by staff "AT&T's announcement that it will merge with Bell South is a pro-competitive move that will benefit consumers, says Wayne Crews, Vice President for Policy and Director of Technology Studies at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a free market public policy group. ... Last fall the Federal Communications Commission approved two telecom mergers, that of SBC Communications with AT&T and Verizon with MCI, with strings attached ..." (03/06/06) http://www.cei.org/gencon/003,05174.cfm ----- 44) Catholic utopia? America's Future Foundation by Roman P. Storzer "Thoreau built a tiny house on the shores of Walden Pond to experience first-hand the application of his Transcendentalist principles. The Oneida Society maintained a community in New York in order to achieve their own vision of communal perfection. But is there any doubt that building inspectors today would red-tag Thoreau's simple structure, or that law enforcement would investigate the peculiar marriage and sexual practices of the Oneida group?" (03/05/06) http://www.affbrainwash.com/archives/020839.php ----- 45) Beyond the party: Catholics and government's moral purpose Acton Institute by Samuel Gregg "Last week, 55 Catholic Democrat members of the House of Representatives released a self-described 'Historic Catholic Statement of Principles.' It asserted their identity as Catholics and their commitment to working towards realization of basic principles of Catholic social teaching. Some hoped that the statement would indicate that the spirit of the late Bob Casey, the pro-life governor of Pennsylvania, was alive in the Democrat Party. They were, however, to be disappointed." (03/08/06) http://tinyurl.com/pykdd ----- 46) Why I'm running as an Independent Boston Globe by Christy Mihos "When George Washington announced his intent to depart the presidency, he left the American people with a stern warning regarding political parties: 'They are likely in the course of time and things to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people, and to usurp for themselves the reins of government.' If only he could see things today. In the city that bears Washington's name, there is no longer a home for the common man. Instead, the two major parties are beholden to special interests -- not to the people's. Extreme partisans are locked in a perpetual stalemate where power and influence is sold to the highest bidder. Just look at Jack Abramoff and Duke Cunningham. Massachusetts is no different. Both political parties are more concerned with holding onto power than with helping people. The politics of confrontation has replaced cooperation." (03/08/06) http://tinyurl.com/owwzu ----- 47) Conservative ideas Washington Times by staff "Governing effectively as a conservative majority has not been without challenges -- more hard slog than easy success. Senate Democrats routinely frustrate reform by exploiting their procedural minority rights, but so do reticent moderate Republicans, and intra-GOP confusion about how the party of limited government manages that which it is supposed to constrain. After harvesting the low hanging fruits of reform, many now ask: Where do we go from here? The themes of freedom, personal responsibility and limited government -- principles that under gird the conservative movement -- are needed more than ever and require fresh application in the 21st century. ... Health care, telecommunications, economic policy, immigration, education, poverty and the war on terrorism are just a few issues that demand new applications of conservative thought." [editor's note: And if this concept ceases to be confused with the "necon globalist" tripe, it could be a good thing! - SAT] (03/08/06) http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20060307-092818-4818r.htm ----- 48) Notes from Harry Browne Boston Globe by Jeff Jacoby "It came as a jolt to learn that Harry Browne -- scholar, gentleman, apostle of freedom, and two-time Libertarian Party candidate for president -- had died on March 1 of Lou Gehrig's disease. It came as an even greater jolt to discover that his last published words were apparently a criticism of ... me. The final post on 'Harry Browne's Journal,' his online blog, was about a column of mine arguing that Supreme Court nominees should be compelled to give substantive answers to questions asked during their Senate confirmation hearings. Those hearings, I had written, should be used to remind the justices that they are not lords and masters but 'public servants who must answer, however indirectly, to the people.'" (03/08/06) http://tinyurl.com/qteob ----- 49) AZ: Bill would end cash giveaways by cities to business groups Arizona Republic by Laurie Roberts "Just over a year ago, a group of Valley mayors made a public plea to the Legislature, asking state leaders not to stop them from stuffing the pockets of mall developers and car dealers with what's supposed to be our money. After years of giving great wads of public cash to lure big retailers to their cities, the mayors vowed to begin restraining themselves if only the Legislature would give them the chance. The Legislature gave them their chance. Now, 15 months and well over $100 million in retail subsidies later, the Legislature may at long last be ready to ram a stick into the wheels of the Great Arizona Gravy Train. On Monday, we'll find out if cities and the retail industry that leads them around by the nose will be able to continue stoking the engine of this runaway railroad." (03/08/06) http://tinyurl.com/rspyn ----- 50) Renewing welfare reform Washington Times by Robert Rector "If the phrase 'successful government program' sounds like an oxymoron, that's because it usually is. Once in a while, though, there's an exception. Take the welfare reform law of 1996. It's been such a resounding success that Congress and President Bush have just renewed it -- with some significant improvements. The 1996 law replaced the failed Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program with a new program called Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). It fixed the moral foundations of welfare by demanding that able-bodied recipients work or prepare for work in exchange for aid. Federal rules required state bureaucracies to place a portion of welfare recipients into work activities. Since vigorous work-fare programs cause welfare caseloads to drop, states also were given credit for any future caseload decline." (03/08/06) http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20060307-092817-9234r.htm ----- 51) Kidnapped in Baghdad The American Prospect by Christina Asquith "On day fifty-nine of her captivity, nine days after she was to be killed, friends and family members of kidnapped reporter Jill Carroll wait anxiously and hopefully for her release. With three deadlines now come and gone, it's not clear whether or not the kidnappers will set a fourth. Iraq's interior minister Bayan Jabr raised hopes on Monday by saying that his ministry had detailed information about Carroll's kidnapper and a reason to hope. 'We know his name and address, and we are following up on him as well as the Americans,' he told the Christian Science Monitor. 'I think she is still alive.' Iraqi forces also raided homes in Baghdad looking for Carroll, without success." (03/08/06) http://www.prospect.org/web/view-web.ww?id=11258 ----- 52) South Dakota's new "murderers" Tom Paine by Lynn Paltrow & Charon Asetoyer "This week South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds signed a law that bans almost all abortions in the state. Neither the governor nor the law's supporters have been honest about what the effect of such a law will be. Those who authored the law want to create impression that only the people providing the abortions will be punished, not the women having them. They are not brave enough enough to admit what is clear: women will be punished and they and their families will suffer if this law goes into effect. We know that before 1973 -- when abortion was illegal in most states -- that even if the statute did not specifically provide for the prosecution of the woman who had the abortion, pregnant women could still be arrested under separate laws permitting the prosecution of those who aid and abet a crime." (03/08/06) http://tinyurl.com/mkofn ----- 53) Help storm refugees find shelter Christian Science Monitor by Kirsten D. Levingston "When hurricanes scattered to the winds tens of thousands of Gulf Coast residents many landed on the soft soil of a nation eager to embrace them. The earth is beginning to harden -- last month Federal Emergency Management Agency started cutting back on covering the cost of hotel rooms for evacuees, increasing the pressure to find permanent housing and thus perhaps increasing the ranks of those who are homeless as well. For those with past criminal convictions, securing housing has been hard from the beginning. No matter how ancient, minor, or unrepresentative of their lives on the day waters swallowed the Gulf Coast, past criminal convictions have haunted evacuees." (03/08/06) http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0308/p09s02-coop.html ----- 54) State of emergency ... Mens News Daily by John Longenecker "A lot of non-gun owner households may not have noticed, but there is a lot of activity in state legislatures about barring authorities from confiscating personal weapons during an emergency. ... The individual is the asset of the community, and communities make up the nation. The sovereign individual is the authority of the country. These mean that the person is at once the beneficiary of the nation and its authority in one. Officials tend to forget this, and freeze people out of their neighborhood's disaster recovery. Confiscation of weapons in time of emergency is one such example. Illegal or not, it works against the interests of the community. It stomps on the rights of the people. It delays recovery, and for what?" (03/07/06) http://mensnewsdaily.com/blog/longenecker/ ----- 55) Free speech for me but not for you Indy Star by Sheila Seuss Kennedy "In 1993, Nat Hentoff wrote a book titled 'Free Speech for Me, but Not for Thee: How the American Right and Left Relentlessly Censor Each Other.' After amply documenting this thesis, Hentoff concluded that the human animal's urge to censor was at least as strong as, and perhaps stronger than, its sex drive. Whatever the comparative strengths of sexual desire and the impulse to control what our neighbors are reading, watching or downloading, news sources offer daily reminders of the essential accuracy of his observations. Overseas, the Muslim riots over publication of the Danish cartoons had barely subsided when an Austrian court sentenced historian David Irving to three years in prison. His crime? Denying that the Holocaust had occurred. Here in America, Homeland Security officers visited the Little Falls library, in Bethesda, Md., announced that viewing 'Internet pornography' was forbidden, challenged a patron's choice of viewing material, and asked him to 'step outside.'" (03/07/06) http://tinyurl.com/zeybs ----- 56) Be happy happy happy all the time Common Dreams by Joyce Marcel "Polar bears are drowning but what the hell. Don't worry, be happy. At least that's the Republican philosophy as spelled out -- at last! -- by a letter-writer to the Boston Globe. According to her, Democrats are miserable. Republicans are happy. It's as easy as that. Where have liberals gone wrong? Headlined 'Conservatives Have More Fun,' the writer lays it out with a simplicity that is nothing short of breathtaking. 'Could it be that we conservatives have a more positive world view?' she says. 'How about a more positive view of the future?' How can you be happy, she asks, when you think your country 'consists of imperialist occupiers trying to take over the world.' But if, like her, you 'realize the true road to freedom happens when democracies lead to thriving societies, you're feeling pretty good right now.'" (03/08/06) http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0308-35.htm ----- 57) Compromising civil liberties CounterPunch by Walter Brasch "Two weeks before President Bush signed Congressional legislation that made permanent all but two sections of the USA PATRIOT Act, State College, Pa., became the 397th American community to reaffirm the belief that the Constitution and Bill of Rights take precedence over any federal law. Not one of those resolutions should have been necessary. Nor should the legislatures of eight states -- Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Montana and Vermont -- have had to pass legislation affirming the rights of all Americans. But they had to, and they did." (03/08/06) http://www.counterpunch.org/brasch03082006.html ----- 58) Dubai and the Straits of Hormuz Uruknet by Mike Whitney "Geography is fate. United Arab Emirates is located at the center of an oil-dependent world. This tiny state forms the promontory that juts out into the famed Straits of Hormuz through which 40% of the world's oil passes every day. Across the narrow straights sits Iran, the next victim on the list of 'axis of evil' nations. Any attack on Iran will require that military forces quickly deploy to Dubai to forestall the closing of the straits and the subsequent devastation that would cost to world oil supplies and financial markets. This is the critical point which is being intentionally concealed by America's diversionary media. This is the reason that President Bush continues to force the Dubai port-plan even though 70% of the American people and Congress resoundingly oppose it." (03/05/06) http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m21254&hd=0&size=1&l=e ----- 59) Who cares about the First Amendment? Strike the Root by Jonathan David Morris "I think it's time to face the basic facts of the matter here: The First Amendment doesn't exist to protect average Americans. It exists to protect people like me, Jonathan David Morris -- semi-literate op-ed columnist. That's the only way to explain why Americans don't care one way or another whether it erodes. This country has been trying to silence me for years now. The faster the First Amendment disappears from existence, the quicker I'll shut the hell up." (03/08/06) http://www.strike-the-root.com/61/morris/morris3.html Movement News & Events 60) Angel Shamaya jailed KeepAndBearArms.Com ongoing "Angel Shamaya, founder of KeepAndBearArms.com is in jail in Michigan, having been arrested for possession of firearms not properly registered under Michigan law. Angel's friends are working to help him with this problem, but we need your help, right now! We need character references from you for Angel. There is a form letter for you to fill out and send back at: www.marbut.com/angel. Be advised that Angel's problem is happening in the Detroit area, where a strong anti-gun sentiment exists in the criminal justice system. So, we are asking you to downplay gun-rights and gun-related comments. We will NOT deliver to the court any disparaging letters about Michigan or Michigan laws. Stay on the high ground. Please, download a copy of the draft letter. ... Please pass this on to your friends for action. We need letters from everyone who knows or knows of, and appreciates Angel." (03/04/06) http://www.keepandbeararms.com/nicki/Angel.htm ----- 61) ISIL's 25th World Freedom Summit International Society for Individual Liberty 07/07/06-07/12/06 "ISIL's international conference for 2006 is being held in the stunningly beautiful city of Prague, Czech Republic." Scholarships for students/young activists available. Watch this space for details To Be Announced! http://www.isil.org/conference/ ----- 62) Petition: Free Cory Maye What is Liberalism? ongoing "The law has been misapplied to Cory Maye. If an unidentified intruder were to burst into our home in the middle of the night, we would be within our rights to defend ourselves and our children. Given the law of Mississippi, Cory Maye acted within his right on the night of December 26th, 2001. It is a great tragedy that a police officer lost his life in this encounter. The execution of Cory Maye would magnify the tragedy, killing an innocent citizen because of the death of an officer. Haley Barbour, the governor of Mississippi, should grant an unconditional pardon to Cory Maye." http://www.whatisliberalism.com/index.php?pageId=87667 ----- 63) The Million Moon March War on Guns Blog thru 06/06 "An international citizen disarmament coalition, Control Arms, is sponsoring a 'Million Faces petition' and 'is collecting photos and self portraits from around the world to reach [their] goal of one million faces by June 2006. [They] will use these faces to send a powerful, global message of support to the world's governments for an International Arms Trade Treaty.' The idea of The Million Moon March (as in 'mooning') is to send them photos from the side that believes in the right of the people to keep and bear arms -- to let the rights grabbers know there are untold numbers of people who refuse to be disarmed, and quite candidly, to taunt and hopefully enrage them." [Editor's note: Thanks to the inimitable David Codrea for this action ... be sure to check his blog for the latest pictures and join in the fun by submitting your own - MLS] (02/06/06) http://waronguns.blogspot.com/2006/02/million-moon-march-gallery.html ----- 64) Austrian Scholars Conference 2006 Ludwig von Mises Institute 03/16/06-03/18/06 "The Austrian Scholars Conference is the international, interdisciplinary meeting of the Austrian School, and for scholars interested or working in this intellectual tradition, it is the event of the year. Over the course of three full days, the Austrian Scholars Conference offers eighty plus presentations on economics, history, philosophy, and the humanities, in addition to named lectures by the leaders in the field." Mises Institute campus, Auburn, AL. Free for students (application required), $200 for others. Online registration available. Group rate available at local hotel. http://www.mises.org/upcomingstory.aspx?control=77 Today in Political History 65) Them's fightin' words! Details, and the "quote of the day," from Leon's Political Almanac at: http://perspicuity.net/cgi/hypercal.cgi ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RRND is published every weekday except on holidays. Forward freely. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or financially support RRND, visit: http://www.rationalreview.com/news To support ISIL's Free-Market.Net Project (tax deductible) http://www.isil.org/store/membership.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Thomas L. Knapp ..... Publisher Mary Lou Seymour .... Editor Steve Trinward ...... Editor R. Lee Wrights ...... Editor --------------------------------- Yahoo! Mail Bring photos to life! New PhotoMail makes sharing a breeze. 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