Rational Review News Digest
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http://www.rationalreview.com/newsProduced in cooperation with the International Society for Individual Liberty http://www.isil.org ---------------------------------------------------------- Volume IV, Issue #938 Thursday, July 13th, 2006 Email Circulation 2,003 ------ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS -------------------------------------- LIBERTARIANS: THE GAY-FRIENDLIEST PARTY Join Outright Libertarians online or at the LP National Convention to help keep the LP true to its gay-friendly roots. http://www.outrightlibertarians.org/ SEE THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET! Want a Smart Network or Dumb Pipe? Congress is about to Vote, Make Up Your Own Mind. It's About the Future of the Internet! http://www.internetofthefuture.com/ FREEDOMAIN RADIO! Passionate, articulate, funny and irreverent, Freedomain Radio shines a bold light on old topics -- and invents a few new ones to boot! http://www.freedomainradio.com/ RADIO FREE LIBERTY Principled Libertarian Podcasts - Changing the world one iPod at a time! http://radiofreeliberty.com/ -------------------------------------- SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ----- Today's News: 1) Iraq: At least 19 killed in latest fighting 2) Israel pounds southern Lebanon 3) FBI plans new Net-tapping push 4) World powers threaten Iran 5) VT: Judge rejects SCOTUS search ruling 6) MO: Suburban pols OK land theft plan 7) Senate leaders reach drilling compromise 8) MA: Cowardly pols put off anti-family vote 9) US has limited options in Mideast crises 10) House GOP favors new detainee legislation 11) China, Russia offer North Korea resolution 12) Courts block Georgia's voter photo ID law 13) Spacecraft successfully inflates in orbit 14) DC police boost patrols around landmarks 15) TX: "Kinky" on ballot, but not "Grandma" 16) Smokers' airline set to light up next year 17) Budget news masks grim long-term view 18) TN: Judge overturns drug tax 19) Judges risk notoriety with creative sentences 20) Ukraine's reforms in doubt 21) MA: Big Dig under the microscope 22) UK: Symbolic protest at extradition 23) UK: Planetarium is accused of dumbing down 24) South Africa: Last-ditch protest against gun laws 25) NC: Deadly force self-defense Today's Commentary: 26) "Libertarian" is a verb 27) Searching for Alex Kozinski 28) Teaching the 2nd Amendment 29) Soviet-style rule in Iraq 30) LP releases new platform details 31) What happens in Vegas ... happens in Vegas 32) It's the productivity, stupid 33) The hatred incubator 34) Bush faces major choice 35) All the news that's fit to prosecute 36) Not so SWIFT 37) The failure of Republicanism 38) Trucks, tubes and Net neutrality 39) The other face of Europe 40) Careful what you wish for 41) Conformity without conscience 42) The man who has been to America 43) Voter registration issues cloud elections 44) The welfare state's attack on the family 45) Protecting us from ourselves 46) Sofa tax "for the children" 47) Parliament of bans 48) Charity vs. philanthropy 49) Steal this column: A plea to Ann Coulter 50) It's the conservatism, stupid 51) Putin's silencing of airwaves 52) Real men worship loud music 53) System too slow to change direction in abuse case 54) Ending CIA rendition of terror suspects 55) Why citizens must own and carry firearms 56) Minimum standards 57) Whither the Duke rape case 58) Mexico splits in half 59) Arrested for failing to obey 60) Global government and its American leadership Today's Movement News & Events: 61) KT Ordnance Needs Your Help 62) If they come for you in the morning 63) Seminar: Liberty, Economy & Society 64) Authority and autonomy in the family 65) Reason in Amsterdam 2006 Today in Political History: 66) Off on the road to Croatan News 1) Iraq: At least 19 killed in latest fighting Forbes "British and Australian forces handed over security duties for a relatively peaceful southern province to Iraqis on Thursday in the first such transfer of an entire province. ... Sectarian violence continued to escalate, with a bicycle bomb striking the headquarters of a village council near Baqouba .... The bodies of four council members were found under the rubble. Gunmen also killed a member of a provincial council in Diwaniyah .... A U.S. Army Apache attack helicopter crashed during a combat patrol southwest of Baghdad, but both pilots survived .... purported Shiite militiamen drove the streets of the western Baghdad neighborhood of Ghazaliyah and called on Sunnis to leave. Clashes broke out after police arrived, supported by U.S. forces in the air, with one policeman killed and two injured .... A car bomb struck a police patrol in the oil-rich northern city of Kirkuk, killing four .... A postal policeman also was killed in a drive-by shooting .... Gunmen attacked a minivan that was coming from the Shiite holy city of Karbala to Baghdad, killing the driver and wounding four passengers. ... Gunmen at a fake checkpoint killed four policemen .... Gunmen killed a policeman wearing civilian clothes while he was getting his car repaired .... A bomb exploded near street sweepers in the southeastern New Baghdad neighborhood in the capital, killing two ..." (07/13/06) http://tinyurl.com/eum3k ----- 2) Israel pounds southern Lebanon Lubbock Avalanche-Journal "Israel bombed and shelled southern Lebanon and sent ground troops over the border for the first time in six years Wednesday after Hezbollah guerrillas captured two Israeli soldiers. The fighting killed eight Israeli soldiers and three Lebanese. Hezbollah's brazen cross-border raid opened a second front for the Israeli army. The army is now fighting Islamic militants in both Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, where it is looking for another soldier who was captured more than two weeks ago by Hamas-linked militants." (07/12/06) http://tinyurl.com/n87a9 ----- 3) FBI plans new Net-tapping push Looking Glass News "The FBI has drafted sweeping legislation that would require Internet service providers to create wiretapping hubs for police surveillance and force makers of networking gear to build in backdoors for eavesdropping, CNET News.com has learned. FBI Agent Barry Smith distributed the proposal at a private meeting last Friday with industry representatives and indicated it would be introduced by Sen. Mike DeWine, an Ohio Republican, according to two sources familiar with the meeting. The draft bill would place the FBI's Net-surveillance push on solid legal footing." [editor's note: I propose an "X-Prize" type project to reward those who come up with software solutions that put the zap on this police state nonsense - TLK] (07/10/06) http://www.lookingglassnews.org/viewstory.php?storyid=6627 ----- 4) World powers threaten Iran CNN "World powers agreed Wednesday to send Iran back to the United Nations Security Council for possible punishment, saying the clerical regime has given no sign it means to negotiate seriously over its disputed nuclear program. The United States and other permanent members of the powerful U.N. body said Iran has had long enough to say whether it will meet the world's [sic] terms to open bargaining that would give Tehran economic and energy incentives in exchange for giving up suspicious activities." (07/12/06) http://tinyurl.com/o2nx8 ----- 5) VT: Judge rejects SCOTUS search ruling Boston Globe "A Vermont District Court judge has rejected a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the power of police to search a private home, concluding that the state offers greater protections in such cases. Judge Robert Bent said that under the state Constitution police must knock and announce themselves before conducting a search, even if they have a warrant, or face the prospect that any evidence they find could be thrown out. The Supreme Court said June 15 that evidence obtained without first knocking could be used at trial, but Bent said that would not apply in Vermont. Judge Robert Bent said that under the state Constitution police must knock and announce themselves before conducting a search, even if they have a warrant, or face the prospect that any evidence they find could be thrown out." [editor's note: My God, a judge with cojones - MLS] (07/11/06) http://tinyurl.com/q3kmz ----- 6) MO: Suburban pols OK land theft plan St. Louis Post-Dispatch "The [Richmond Heights, MO] City Council approved the Hadley Township Redevelopment Area plan in a 5-3 vote Wednesday night, ending months of uncertainty. The city's Tax Increment Financing Commission voted June 27 to reject the plan as well as the finding that the area is blighted. A week later, residents of the affected area showed strong support for the plan. The $190 million plan, including $46 million in tax increment financing, would replace 45 acres of a longtime black neighborhood with 156 new homes, as well as developments including a hotel, office buildings and stores. Lots that could not be acquired by negotiation would be subject to eminent domain." (07/13/06) http://tinyurl.com/fxua2 ----- 7) Senate leaders reach drilling compromise New Orleans Times-Picayune "Senate leaders produced a compromise on offshore oil and gas drilling Wednesday that they hoped would satisfy lawmakers in Florida and other coastal areas who fear for their tourist-based economies. The deal would limit new offshore development -- outside the central and western Gulf of Mexico -- to an area of the eastern Gulf known as Lease Area 181 and protect waters within 125 miles of the Florida coast." (07/13/06) http://tinyurl.com/gm5lp ----- 8) MA: Cowardly pols put off anti-family vote Chicago Tribune "Massachusetts lawmakers ended debate on proposed constitutional amendments Wednesday before dealing with the most volatile issue on their agenda: a proposal to outlaw same-sex marriage in the only state where it is legal. The move to recess until Nov. 9 put off the decision on the politically charged issue until after the general election. ... Gay marriage foes had been optimistic they had the votes to move closer to putting the amendment on the 2008 ballot. If approved, the amendment would block future same-sex marriages in Massachusetts. More than 8,000 same-sex couples have taken vows since gay marriages began in May 2004." (07/13/06) http://tinyurl.com/mrgox ----- 9) US has limited options in Mideast crises MSNBC "The Bush administration suddenly faces three rapidly expanding crises in the Middle East, but it has limited options to defuse tensions in any of them anytime soon, U.S. officials and Middle East experts say. Israel has sent troops into Gaza and Lebanon over three captured soldiers -- one held by Hamas in Gaza and two seized yesterday by Hezbollah in Lebanon. The United States and its allies set a collision course with Iran over its nuclear program. And there is mounting concern that Iraq's sectarian violence is crossing the threshold to a full-blown civil war." (07/12/06) http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13822051/ ----- 10) House GOP favors new detainee legislation Elizabeth City Daily Advance "Siding with the White House, top Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee said Wednesday they favor writing into law the special military trials for suspected terrorists that the Supreme Court rejected. Bush administration officials urged Congress to pass legislation that would authorize President Bush's plan to try detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in military tribunals. The high court last month said that system violated U.S. and international law." (07/12/06) http://tinyurl.com/k8w3q ----- 11) China, Russia offer North Korea resolution Wilkes-Barre Times Leader "China and Russia introduced a resolution Wednesday deploring North Korea's missile tests but dropping language from a rival proposal that could have led to military action against Pyongyang. Japan and the United States welcomed the draft but said it had major deficiencies and they would still press for a Security Council vote on their resolution -- though no date has been set. The Japanese resolution's supporters have delayed a vote to wait for the outcome of a high-level Chinese visit to North Korea which began on Monday." (07/12/06) http://tinyurl.com/jfhgm ----- 12) Courts block Georgia's voter photo ID law CNN "The same federal judge who threw out Georgia's voter ID law last year blocked the state Wednesday from enforcing its revised law during this year's elections. The ruling came less than two hours after the Georgia Supreme Court denied the state's emergency request to overrule a state court order that blocked enforcement of the new photo ID law during next week's primary elections and any runoffs." (07/12/06) http://tinyurl.com/hpewy ----- 13) Spacecraft successfully inflates in orbit Huntington Herald-Dispatch "An experimental spacecraft bankrolled by real estate magnate Robert Bigelow successfully inflated in orbit Wednesday, testing a technology that could be used to fulfill his dream of building a commercial space station. In a brief statement posted on his Web site, Bigelow said the Genesis I satellite 'successfully expanded' several hours after liftoff. No other details were provided." (07/12/06) http://tinyurl.com/z577k ----- 14) DC police boost patrols around landmarks Orange Leader "Police beefed up patrols around national landmarks Wednesday, a day after the District of Columbia's police chief declared a crime emergency in response to a string of violence that included the killing of a British activist. At least 14 people have been killed in Washington already this month, and in the last 30 days robberies have risen 14 percent and armed assaults have jumped 18 percent. Last year, homicides in the city fell to a 20-year low of 195." (07/12/06) http://tinyurl.com/hzoyt ----- 15) TX: "Kinky" on ballot, but not "Grandma" Yahoo! News "Writer and musician Kinky Friedman, who once sang 'They Ain't Making Jews Like Jesus Anymore,' may include the name by which he is best known on the ballot to choose Texas' next governor in November, the state's top election official said on Monday. Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams said Friedman's nickname was not a slogan and thus did not violate state law. His name will appear on election ballots as Richard 'Kinky' Friedman. But Williams, a Republican, said Carole Keeton Strayhorn, who is also running as an independent against incumbent Republican Gov. Rick Perry, cannot include 'Grandma' as a nickname on the ballot. Strayhorn's campaign advertising calls her 'One Tough Grandma.' Williams said Strayhorn, the state comptroller who left the Republican Party to challenge Perry, never used 'Grandma' as a nickname before the campaign." (07/11/06) http://tinyurl.com/epz4s ----- 16) Smokers' airline set to light up next year ABC News "More legroom, an upper deck lounge and the freedom to smoke to one's heart's content are the promises of the new SMINTAIR which hopes to make a maiden voyage from Dusseldorf to Tokyo in March 2007. Alexander Schoppman, Managing Director at SMINTAIR, assures his future flyers that smoking in airline cabins is safe, and he says that airlines only stopped allowing their passengers to smoke in order to save money on fuel and air conditioner filters. On SMINTAIR's website, Schoppman also denies that second-hand smoke is a health threat and compares today's anti-smoking campaigns to those of the Nazis." [editor's note: This report then goes on to quote the Surgeon General's total distortion of the scientific findings on this issue, claiming links to disease from second-hand smoke that have been mostly debunked by the researchers - SAT] (07/12/06) http://tinyurl.com/fdrao ----- 17) Budget news masks grim long-term view San Francisco Chronicle "President Bush used the formal East Room of the White House Tuesday to tout the administration's midyear budget forecast -- news normally relegated to a technical briefing -- as surging corporate and individual income tax revenues pared the federal budget deficit more than expected this year. Bush credited his signature tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 for an anticipated 30 percent drop in the deficit to $296 billion. Although some analysts agreed that tax cuts helped produce higher economic growth and tax revenue, they warned that Bush and the Republican-led Congress are spending the money very fast. The revenue burst, while welcome, masks a dangerous longer-term picture, the analysts said. 'I think you should buy yourself a very small brownie, light a candle and blow it out,' said former Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Holz-Eakin. 'This is tiny compared to the big problem, and it's on the wrong side of the budget. The big problem is on the spending side, and there is a question of just how permanent this will be.'" (07/12/06) http://tinyurl.com/hjy5f ----- 18) TN: Judge overturns drug tax Tennessean "A Tennessee judge has ruled that a state law requiring drug dealers to pay taxes on their cocaine, marijuana and other illicit drugs is unconstitutional. The ruling by Davidson County Chancellor Richard Dinkins bars the state from collecting $1.1 million from Jeremy Robbins, an East Tennessee man who was arrested on federal drug conspiracy charges and ordered to pay taxes on marijuana he is accused of illegally possessing. But it could potentially cost the state much more if the decision is upheld by higher courts and interpreted as applying to the entire state. Last night, state officials said they would continue to enforce the tax, which has brought more than $2.7 million into state coffers since it went into effect in January 2005." (07/12/06) http://tinyurl.com/f23s9 ----- 19) Judges risk notoriety with creative sentences Fox News "America's judiciary is getting creative when it comes to setting an example. In Texas, a man who slapped his wife was ordered to attend yoga classes. In Michigan, a woman who claimed to be a Hurricane Katrina victim so that she could get free rent was ordered to clean houses. The sentences may sound ludicrous or inspired, depending on your point of view, but this much is certain: Judges across the country are quietly instituting new ways to combat the old problem of having criminals serve meaningful sentences. Occasionally, these judges make national headlines when their attempts to impose justice meet public backlash, as they did last month when Nebraska judge Kristine Cecava sentenced a convicted sex offender to probation and electronic monitoring rather than send the 5-foot-1-inch, mentally impaired man to prison. Cecava said she feared for the sex offender's personal safety in jail." (07/12/06) http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,203042,00.html ----- 20) Ukraine's reforms in doubt Christian Science Monitor "Orange is out, at least for the moment, as Ukraine's political roller coaster seems set to reject at least some results of 2004's pro-democracy revolt and vault Moscow-leaning politician Viktor Yanukovich back into the country's driver's seat. After a week of wild surprises in the 450-seat Supreme Rada, Mr. Yanukovich's Party of Regions announced Tuesday that it had formed a new 'anticrisis coalition,' holding a slender 12-seat majority, with the Communists and the formerly Orange-allied Socialists. Oleksandr Moroz, the Socialist leader, announced that he had forwarded Yanukovich's name to President Viktor Yushchenko as the new coalition's choice for prime minister. Mr. Moroz defected last week from a tentative Orange Coalition and was subsequently elected parliamentary speaker with Regions Party support." (07/12/06) http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0712/p04s01-woeu.html ----- 21) MA: Big Dig under the microscope Boston Globe "Investigators unraveling how concrete ceiling panels cascaded onto a car in one of the Big Dig tunnels should focus on some basic, troubling questions about the way the tunnel ceiling was built, civil engineers and highway construction specialists said yesterday. Officials from the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority suspect that the accident that killed Milena Del Valle began with the failure of a single steel hanger that helped hold up the concrete ceiling, setting off a chain reaction that caused other hangers to fail and send 12 tons of concrete to the highway surface as Del Valle's husband drove underneath. Now, federal and state investigators are looking into the possibility that there was some defect in the way the hangers were manufactured or secured to the roof of the tunnel connecting the turnpike to the Ted Williams Tunnel." (07/12/06) http://tinyurl.com/r266g ----- 22) UK: Symbolic protest at extradition Guardian [UK] "MPs voted to adjourn the Commons early in a highly unusual symbolic protest against the Government's controversial extradition arrangements with the US. The surprise 246 to four vote, majority 242, came at the end of an impassioned three-hour emergency debate on the issue on the eve of the scheduled extradition of the NatWest Three. Liberal Democrats, who demanded the emergency debate on Tuesday, joined with the Tories in condemning the extradition treaty as 'one-sided.'" (07/13/06) http://tinyurl.com/p8pt2 ----- 23) UK: Planetarium is accused of dumbing down Independent [UK] "It may have prompted a supernova of outrage among serious astronomers, but with a cast of 45 bug-eyed aliens and the very latest in computer-animated wizardry, a visit to the London Planetarium will never be the same again.The attraction has unveiled its new show, The Wonderful World of Stars, which from tomorrow will replace the old-style educational drift through the solar system which has been the staple offering for generations. ... The decision to pull the plug on the old star projection show, which has been playing at the site in varying forms for the last 50 years, has provoked anger among Britain's stargazers. ... The British Astronomical Association accused Tussauds of sacrificing a vital educational resource in the name of commerce." (07/13/06) http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article1174105.ece ----- 24) South Africa: Last-ditch protest against gun laws Business Day "Picketers lined up outside Parliament yesterday displaying placards urging the abolition of gun control by government as envisaged in its Firearms Control Amendment Bill.Yesterday was the last day for comment by interested parties on the bill. The demonstration by the Gun Owners of SA organisation (Gosa) formed part of efforts to have the firearms law scrapped. In June, Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula made an about turn on existing gun licences, including in the legislation a clause that insists all existing legal guns be relicensed, replacing an earlier suggestion of a national audit of all legal firearms. Nqakula and gun owners have since been at loggerheads over the proposed legislation." (07/12/06) http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/national.aspx?ID=BD4A230570 ----- 25) NC: Deadly force self-defense WNCT News "A Rocky Mount businessman stands accused of murder because he shot the teenager who tried to rob him. Rocky Mount police say 65-year-old Joshua Moore shot Emanuel Harris in the chest when the 16-year-old attempted to steal a cash box from Moore's vegetable stand on Saturday. Moore is charged with second-degree murder. Moore's family says it was a matter of self defense but the charges say he used excessive force for the situation." (07/10/06) http://tinyurl.com/q2jnj ---------------------------------------------------------- HEALTH-OF-THE-STATE-O-METER, 07/13/06 Civilian Casualties in Iraq: Min - 38,960 ... Max - 43,397 (source: www.iraqbodycount.org) American Military Deaths in Iraq: 2,544 (source: www.antiwar.com/casualties/) ---------------------------------------------------------- Commentary 26) "Libertarian" is a verb Free Market News Network by Michael Cloud "What's a libertarian? Most freedom advocates describe or define a libertarian in terms of his beliefs, philosophy, values, or proposals. What if they are mistaken? What if a person can believe in liberty, endorse the freedom philosophy, value liberty, propose liberty -- and still NOT be a libertarian? What's a libertarian? What if the essential, defining characteristic of a libertarian is NOT what he thinks or feels or says? What if the key to being libertarian is what a person does? What if 'libertarian' is a verb?" (07/13/06) http://www.fmnn.com/Analysis/232/5628/verb.asp?nid=5628&wid=232 ----- 27) Searching for Alex Kozinski Reason by Shikha Dalmia "Judge Alex Kozinski was born to Holocaust survivors in Communist Romania, emigrating to America at age 12. Four decades later, he enjoys a reputation as -- to quote the legal luminary Richard Posner -- 'one of the best and smartest judges in the country.' Famous for his witty, acerbic writing and his libertarian inclinations, he is perennially cited as a potential appointee to the U.S. Supreme Court -- and is just as perennially passed over. He is, indeed, the founder and sole member of OOPPSCA: the Organization of People Patiently Seeking Court Appointment." (07/06) http://www.reason.com/0607/fe.sd.searching.shtml ----- 28) Teaching the 2nd Amendment Liberty Belles by Jennifer Freeman "The public education system has tremendous influence in shaping the views of millions of young Americans. In many cases, the public school system is the only exposure that many children have to the Bill of the Rights. It is imperative, therefore, to ensure that our nation's teachers are enlightening our young people and teaching them correctly about our rights and the meaning behind them. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of educators in the United States appear to promote an anti-gun agenda or, at the very least, prefer not to teach the Second Amendment in its true light." (07/11/06) http://www.libertybelles.org/articles/teaching2a.htm ----- 29) Soviet-style rule in Iraq LewRockwell.Com by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. "The pricing problem, or the calculation problem, as Mises called it, will always and everywhere doom any attempt to centrally plan. It even makes it impossible to carry out projects from the first to the last stage of production, since every economic good requires many stages of production. After all, even with all of Stalin's secret police and armies, there was nothing they could do to produce a decent crop of grain. The process of production is too complicated to be run by anything as stupid as a government bureaucracy. The specific problems of martial-law central planning are tied to the way the US has chosen to do business. The government has contracted out most of its work to private corporations. Of the $18 billion that the US Congress has allocated since 2003, 90 percent has been farmed out to private contractors. This may (or may not) increase efficiency but this strategy does not overcome the calculation problem." (07/13/06) http://www.lewrockwell.com/rockwell/soviet-style-iraq.html ----- 30) LP releases new platform details Hammer of Truth by Stephen VanDyke "I think everyone should look at the platform from this fresh new approach: pretend you've never heard of the LP before today. This is because most people have in fact never heard of us and this is a great starting ground to get those people to move from their own party where they have been let down to the LP which is still principled but focusing on fewer issues." (07/12/06) http://hammeroftruth.com/2006/07/12/lp-releases-new-platform-details/ ----- 31) What happens in Vegas ... happens in Vegas The Free Liberal by Jonathan David Morris "Last week, my wife and parents and brother and I all traveled to Las Vegas for the first time in our lives. It was a rather unusual vacation. I explained what happened to one of my friends the other day, and he responded by saying it was almost like two vacations in one: the first, an escape from work; the other, an escape from reality. I would tend to agree with that assessment. To say we experienced Murphy's Law would be an understatement. For one full week, it felt as though we were living Murphy's Life and wearing Murphy's Underwear." (07/13/06) http://www.freeliberal.com/archives/002175.html ----- 32) It's the productivity, stupid TechCentralStation by Tim Worstall "We've all seen the 'Why oh Why' pieces floating around about the economy? Why, if productivity is booming, GDP growth is strong, oh why is the labor market weaker than we think it ought to be? Why aren't Joe Six-pack's wages soaring and why are profits rising so strongly? Well, here's why: productivity is booming." (07/13/06) http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=071306A ----- 33) The hatred incubator Salon by Phillip Robertson "There is the sweet, sharp smell of the dead in their peaked wooden coffins, souring in the white heat of the day. A crowd of men are carrying a newly loaded coffin on their shoulders in a procession away from the loading doors of the morgue and through the main gates, chanting, 'There is no God but God.' The morgue is set behind a guarded checkpoint that allows access to the health ministry offices, and on this Thursday morning, a day on which many Iraqis celebrate their weddings, the morgue is full, the officer in charge of the gate tells me. At 10 a.m., it has 48 bodies that must be claimed for a trip to Najaf or burial at Abu Graib, a large Sunni graveyard in the west of the city." [subscription or ad view required] (07/13/06) http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/07/13/morgue/ ----- 34) Bush faces major choice AntiWar.Com by Jim Lobe "The sudden opening Wednesday by Lebanon's Hezbollah militia of a second front in Israel's ongoing campaign against Hamas militants in Gaza presents the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush with an escalating crisis that, until now, it has preferred to ignore. The immediate question it faces is whether to maintain its strong backing for military action by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert or to engage in active diplomacy to prevent any further escalation and end the violence." [editor's note: It's interesting that Lobe doesn't include the obvious option for the US: Getting, and keeping, its nose (and its money) out of the Arab-Israeli conflict. And it's disconcerting to see an article not referencing that option on AntiWar.Com - TLK] (07/13/06) http://www.antiwar.com/lobe/?articleid=9297 ----- 35) All the news that's fit to prosecute The Weekly Standard by Gabriel Schoenfeld "In the history of our country, there has never a been a successful prosecution of a journalist for publishing secrets. But we are now engaged in an intelligence war in which secrecy regarding counter terrorism methods is crucial to avoiding a repetition of the catastrophe of September 11. The behavior of the New York Times has made the question inescapable: Can the editors of a great newspaper arrogate to themselves the right to be the final arbiter of what is secret and what is not? Existing law would seem to make it nearly impossible to prosecute a newspaper for publishing classified information." (for publication 07/17/06) http://tinyurl.com/jwfnx ----- 36) Not so SWIFT Slate by Jacob Weisberg "Newspaper editors tend to be very uncomfortable making complex balancing judgments about the public interest vs. national security and usually end up falling back on the one bright line they do have, the 'troop movements' test of whether anyone on our side might be killed as a result of their publishing information. But how should they make a decision in a case like this, where immediate consequences are not at issue? To run with a story with the potential to cause significant harm to the national interest, I'd argue, an editor needs one of two things: a solid claim of public interest, or a sound basis for thinking that a story won't in fact damage national security. In the case of the SWIFT story, editors at the Times were notably weak in both suits." [editor's note: Ah, vive le difference! "Conservatives" want to jail journalists, "liberals" just want to convince them to shut up - TLK] (07/12/06) http://www.slate.com/id/2145619/ ----- 37) The failure of Republicanism Intellectual Conservative by Steven D. Laib, JD, MS "What has happened, apparently, is that the conservative voter expected Presidents Bush, father and son, to follow in the footsteps of Ronald Reagan. They have also expected legislative representation in the same vein. When this didn't happen they have become more frustrated, and less supportive of a political party that shows many of the trappings of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society; a position they do not personally support. They are not satisfied with a party that says 'vote for us because the opposition will be so much worse that you can't afford to let them get in office.' They are also dissatisfied with party functionaries who refuse to fight, and fight dirty if necessary, to win the points that are supposed to make up a conservative agenda." (07/12/06) http://tinyurl.com/judrx ----- 38) Trucks, tubes and Net neutrality AlterNet by Annalee Newitz "If you think I'm done making fun of Sen. Ted Stevens from Alaska, then you are sorely mistaken. I have only just begun to mock. In a rousing speech about why he would be trashing network neutrality provisions in the Senate's version of the new telecommunications bill, Stevens sagely pointed out that the Internet 'is not something you just dump something on. It's not a truck.' Instead, he explained, 'it's a series of tubes.' And those tubes get all gummed up with icky stuff like big movies and things." (07/11/06) http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/38816/ ----- 39) The other face of Europe Independent Institute by Alvaro Vargas Llosa "The reason there has been much less integration in France than, say, in the United States, is a republican system that defined identity in narrow terms and a socioeconomic system that was not conducive to permanent wealth-creation and social mobility. The ghettos formed on the outskirts of French cities have in turn bred social resentment. The result has been mutual distrust. Perhaps the growing acceptance of diversity through symbols such as a national soccer team will eventually help foster a political and economic system that is porous enough for today's vertiginous world and helps to diffuse tension by spreading out opportunity." (07/12/06) http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1764 ----- 40) Careful what you wish for Cato Institute by Ted Galen Carpenter "Taiwan's opposition politicians are persisting in their efforts to oust President Chen Shui-bian apparently oblivious to the fact that, if successful, they would bring an even more pro-independence successor to power. That could provoke a crisis with China which no one, including these politicians, wants." (07/13/06) http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6517 ----- 41) Conformity without conscience The American Conservative by Austin Bramwell "Humorlessly posing as a disinterested champion of the public weal, [John] Dean defends his unkind words for conservatives by invoking the theory of the 'authoritarian personality.' First introduced by the neo-Freudian Theodor Adorno in the 1940s but largely discredited by the 1970s, the theory evidently still has its champions, who have carried on a small, if obscure, research industry in its name. Their work does not appear to have earned widespread acceptance among academic psychologists. No matter: in Dean's mind, as he spends the bulk of Conservatives Without Conscience arguing, the theory of the authoritarian personality establishes the malevolence of conservatives as scientific fact." (for publication 07/17/06) http://www.amconmag.com/2006/2006_07_17/review.html ----- 42) The man who has been to America Mother Jones by McKenzie Funk "The Bush administration's late embrace of the Geneva Conventions may or may not be sincere. Either way, it comes too late for hundreds of prisoners who've spent years of their lives in U.S. detention -- like Muhibullo Abdulkarim Umarov." (07/12/06) http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2006/07/guantanamo.html ----- 43) Voter registration issues cloud elections National Center for Policy Analysis by staff "The key to victory in some of this year's elections may be who wins the battle over voter registration rules, say observers. A relatively obscure area of election law has sparked a flurry of lawsuits over who gets to register new voters and how they perform the task. Several lawsuits have been filed in states that helped decide the 2004 presidential election and could be key this year in determining which party ends up with control of Congress." (07/11/06) http://tinyurl.com/gtkcc ----- 44) The welfare state's attack on the family Ludwig von Mises Institute by Vedran Vuk "Most people listening to libertarian ideas are thrown off by the thought that private charity, in absence of government programs, will handle problems involving truly helpless people. Charitable organizations are active but no one knows for sure how much donations would increase in a tax-free society. When a person becomes old without savings, what is he or she supposed to do without socialist programs such as Social Security? The forgotten institution of charity here is the family. When libertarians talk of charity, we don't just mean the Salvation Army, but taking care of your relatives as well." (07/12/06) http://www.mises.org/story/2218 ----- 45) Protecting us from ourselves Frontiers of Freedom by Greg Reeson "Whether it's games at recess, fireworks, or clothing requirements for motorcycles, our society has become overly protective in the name of safety. Personally, I think it's stupid to ride a motorcycle without a helmet and eye protection and I would never subject myself or my family to that sort of risk. My concern is that over regulation of behavior takes away individual choice and responsibility as authority figures and government officials come up with new ways to run our lives for us, all in the name of protecting us from ourselves." (07/12/06) http://tinyurl.com/lno2j ----- 46) Sofa tax "for the children" Foundation for Economic Education by P. Gardner Goldsmith "Flanked by poster-sized images of Fat Albert and Babe Ruth, the American Mendacity Association (AMA) today launched a new initiative for a federal tax on sofas and lounge chairs. Following its proposal for a tax on sodas sweetened with corn syrup (the 'crack cocaine' of sweeteners), the organization's board vowed to do more to 'protect our children from the ravages of relaxation.'" (07/12/06) http://www.fee.org/in_brief/default.asp?id=618 ----- 47) Parliament of bans Competitive Enterprise Institute by Henry I. Miller "Scandals, incompetence, and profligacy at the UN are hardly news these days, but many of the organization's worst transgressions are hidden from public view. Among the worst examples are the organization's attempts to police all manner of scientific, technological and commercial activities. The UN's regulation of various chemicals applied to agriculture and food production is among its most egregious failures." (07/12/06) http://www.cei.org/gencon/019,05434.cfm ----- 48) Charity vs. philanthropy Acton Institute by Karen Woods "Warren E. Buffett's plan to transfer $31 billion of his wealth to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation carries with it the potential to accomplish many good things, particularly in the health and education fields where Gates is focused. But let's keep in mind that there are differences between the huge amount of charitable giving as practiced by most Americans every year, and the classic type of big foundation philanthropy that Buffett's gift represents." (07/12/06) http://tinyurl.com/rp92q ----- 49) Steal this column: A plea to Ann Coulter The American Prospect by Charles P. Pierce "In 1954, Hank Ballard and the Midnighters released 'Work With Me, Annie,' a song dirtier than the sub-basement of Jack Abramoff's soul. If I were a brilliant modern satirist, I would now write the following without ever referencing the song. Time might put me on its cover. The New York Observer would send me roses every couple of weeks. Steal from me, Annie. Steal from me, Annie. / OO-wee, steal from me, Annie. Steal from me, Annie. / Steal from me, Annie. Come take it while the takin's good. / Annie, please come cheat. That'd be real, real sweet. / Oo-hoo, wee-ee. So good to me. And so on. You may go take a shower now. I'll wait. ... Welcome back. I have begun to notice that I may be the only writer alive from whom my gal Annie Coulter, Queen Of The Ultravixens, has stolen nothing. ... I'd hate to be her editor, knowing that the next brilliant work of modern satire is even-money to contain chapters entitled: 'You May Already Be A Winner!' ... 'I Got Mine At Bubba's Confederate Reptile Farm, County Road 9.' ... And 'Downtown Louisville, Next Four Exits.' It cannot be easy being an editor these days." [editor's note: Nice to see Charlie hasn't lost his delicate sense of ... Menckenian absurdia! - SAT] [additional editor's note: My vote is for "Menckenesque;" I wonder if the OED guys have regularized a term - TLK] (07/12/06) http://www.prospect.org/web/view-web.ww?id=11718 ----- 50) It's the conservatism, stupid Tom Paine by Paul Waldman "Ask a conservative what the biggest problem in America is today, and you'll get answers like overtaxation, a sexualized culture, lack of respect for authority, insufficient church-going or big government running amok. But if you then asked the conservative what the real source of the problem was ... you'd get one: liberalism. On the other hand, you could ask a liberal a hundred questions about the problems facing our country before you'd get to an answer that placed conservatism at the heart of the nation's ills. ... What does a 'campus liberal' do? Well, it depends what his or her issue is. ... What does a 'campus conservative' do? Fight liberals and liberalism." [editor's note: Actually, Paul, "it's the statism, dumbass!" The left jackboots of political correctness, nanny-statism and "good government" are just as oppressive as the troglodyte right-wing ones you object to here. As for me, as a libertarian, I choose neither, aka NOTA! - SAT] (07/12/06) http://tinyurl.com/qkzqv ----- 51) Putin's silencing of airwaves Boston Globe by Jeff Jacoby "In early 1990 I visited Eastern Europe for the first time, traveling in Hungary, Romania, and what was then Czechoslovakia just a few months after the revolutions that had freed them from Communist dictatorship. One indelible lesson from that trip was the remarkable role that had been played by the US government's broadcast services -- Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty -- in providing a lifeline to people trapped behind the Iron Curtain. Several times in private homes I was shown the shortwave radio on which a family had for years picked up the American-produced programs that were their only reliable source for news and analysis, especially about events in their own country. Naturally the Communist thugs who ruled in Budapest, Bucharest, and Prague -- and the thugs in Moscow who ruled over them -- hated these American voices of freedom." (07/12/06) http://tinyurl.com/jq5x7 ----- 52) Real men worship loud music San Francisco Chronicle by Mark Morford "It's a wickedly simple concept. Gather ye together a small group of well-adjusted yet unabashedly non-macho men (usually not women -- more on that later), hand selected for their obsessive adoration of music and their variegated preferences and their curious taste in shoes, and also for their ability to drink and self-deprecate and laugh easily and look at each other like each was sort of crazy for his weird and borderline insane styles. But, you know, in a good way. Everyone brings a specially burned CD or custom iPod mix (carefully considered and chosen beforehand) and everyone brings either something outstanding to drink or something exceptional to smoke or something rather deliciously unhealthy to eat. The latter is usually gourmet pizza. The former is usually fine rum, scotch, wine or beer. The middle one is usually illegal." (07/12/06) http://tinyurl.com/kp5u9 ----- 53) System too slow to change direction in abuse case Arizona Republic by Laurie Roberts "On June 24, Eboni Perri was arrested. There's no nice way to say this. The 24-year-old woman is accused of starving her daughter to death. That's right, starving her to death. This, to collect on a life-insurance policy. Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, in announcing Perri's indictment, called it 'almost unspeakable abuse.' Now comes the part that must be spoken about. Spoken about, shouted about, downright screamed about. CPS is allowing mommy unsupervised access to her other kids. 'Shocked is probably the only word I have for it,' said Phoenix Detective Jason Schechterle, the investigator on the case. Actually, I can think of a few other words but this is, after all, a family newspaper." [editor's note: And once again, a clearly abusive (homicidal) parent gets light treatment, while we must focus on the alleged "epidemic" of "onlilne child predators," and bring them to swift justice - SAT] (07/12/06) http://tinyurl.com/glzyy ----- 54) Ending CIA rendition of terror suspects Christian Science Monitor by John K. Cooley "It's time for the Bush administration, and those European governments that have aided its 'renditions' of suspected terrorists, to come clean about the process and return to international, legal procedures that govern the treatment of detainees. Renditions refer to the Central Intelligence Agency's process of secretly nabbing suspects in one country -- with at least implicit, if not explicit, cooperation of agents for that government -- and transferring them to another for interrogations. The suspects are often 'rendered' to secret prisons in countries such as Egypt, Syria, or Afghanistan. They may be placed in isolation, denied due legal process, and in some cases, allegedly tortured. Until recently, European governments have been extremely critical of the US rendition process and have mostly denied hosting secret prisons and transit points in their countries." (07/12/06) http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0712/p09s02-coop.html ----- 55) Why citizens must own and carry firearms World Net Daily by Benjamin Shapiro "Now the police have their probable cause. Rice was found with Senitt's ID and the woman's cell phone on his person, and his shirt covered in Senitt's blood. The suspects are in custody. And Alan Senitt is dead.Our Constitution mandates that citizens may not be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law. One of the requirements of due process of law is that arrests not be arbitrary. It is likely true that the D.C. police did everything within the confines of the law to pursue the suspects. What the murder of Alan Senitt demonstrates is that the confines of law cost lives when citizens are unable to protect themselves.Law enforcement is by its very nature reactive." (07/12/06) http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51024 ----- 56) Minimum standards Truthout by William Rivers Pitt "BBC News reported it this way: 'All US military detainees, including those at Guantanamo Bay, are to be treated in line with the minimum standards of the Geneva Conventions. The White House announced the shift in policy on Tuesday, almost two weeks after the US Supreme Court ruled that the conventions applied to detainees.' A small thing, one would think. We have been told time and again, after all, that we are engaged in a 'War on Terror,' and the rules of war should therefore apply. The fact that we are also fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan further simplifies the issue. With the Bush administration, however, nothing is so straightforward. The administration argument, on the surface, has been that because 'terrorists' are affiliated with no official government, they do not fall under the umbrella of Geneva protections. The real reason for the denial of protections, though, was the Cheney-born insistence that the powers of the executive are plenary and not to be restricted in any way. Holding people indefinitely without trial while subjecting them to torture, therefore, was a marvelous way to establish the precedent of limitless power." (07/12/06) http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/071206J.shtml ----- 57) Whither the Duke rape case FOX by Wendy McElroy "The three Duke University students accused of raping a woman in March are not expected to stand trial before Spring 2007. Indeed, among the uncertainties surrounding the case is whether the trial will occur at all or whether charges will be dismissed. Nevertheless, the preliminary debate that raged like wildfire through the media has changed society's frame of reference for viewing sexual assault cases. For some, the Duke case has changed how they view the criminal court system itself. It is important to sort through the certainties, questions and probable impact of the Duke case." (07/11/06) http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,203035,00.html ----- 58) Mexico splits in half CounterPunch by John Ross "A full week after the most viciously contested presidential election in its modern history, a Florida-sized fraud looms over the Mexican landscape and the nation has been divided almost exactly in half along political, economic, geographical and racial lines. ... At a raucous July 8th rally that put a half million supporters in Mexico City's vast Zocalo plaza, the political heart of the nation, Lopez Obrador called upon his people to demand a complete vote by vote recount of the results. ... The gathering in the Zocalo signaled the kick-off to what is sometimes called 'the second election in the street;' a mass effort to pressure electoral officials into a ballot-by-ballot recount that Lopez Obrador is convinced will show that he was the winner July 2nd." (07/12/06) http://www.counterpunch.org/ross07122006.html ----- 59) Arrested for failing to obey CounterPunch by Ed Kinane "Last Friday I was tried and found guilty in federal district court in alexandria, virginia for a civic action at the pentagon on march 20 -- the first day of the fourth year of the u.s. invasion of iraq. My court statement follows." (07/12/06) http://www.counterpunch.org/kinane07112006.html ----- 60) Global government and its American leadership News With Views by Nancy Levant "Every 'elected' official knows full well that America is being systematically, secretly, illegally, and bureaucratically dismantled. After all, they've been quietly and steadfastly working at global governance for over 100 years. However, they have never been held to account, and they never, ever bring up the subjects of their treasonous legislating and back door dealings. They speak no evil, whatsoever. Instead, they play the terrorism game while double-timing to implement their custom made fascist system of total corporate ownership of the entire world -- including 'all human resources' (translation: all human beings)." (07/11/06) http://www.newswithviews.com/Levant/nancy49.htm ----- RRND MEDIASHELF -------------------------------------------- Books, CDs and other tchotchkes from today's edition: Conservatives Without Conscience, by John Dean http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0670037745/rationalrev08-20 Note: Affiliate links generate commissions for RRND's editors. -------------------------------------------- RRND MEDIASHELF ---- Movement News & Events 61) KT Ordnance Needs Your Help Montana Shooting Sports Association ongoing Rick Celata the proprietor of KT Ordnance needs our help. K T Ordnance of Dillon, Montana was raided by the BATFE, FBI and the Canadian ATF in June. KT manufactured what proprietor Rick calls "80% firearms" -- incomplete frames that needed additional manufacturing work to be made into operable firearms. Help with Rick's legal expenses. (07/12/06) http://www.marbut.com/KT/ ----- 62) If they come for you in the morning Indymedia 07/27/06 - 07/28/06 "On Thursday, July 27 and Friday, July 28, Visual Resistance will present 'If they come for you in the morning,' a benefit gallery show featuring over 70 renowned and emerging artists at ABC No Rio in New York's Lower East Side. The show will feature some of the most respected and prolific street artists working today .... All proceeds from the show will benefit the legal fund of local environmental and social justice activist Daniel McGowan, who currently faces life plus 335 years in prison on federal charges of arson, property destruction, and conspiracy. Daniel was arrested during Operation Backfire, a multi-state sweep of environmental activists who have now been charged with virtually every unsolved earth and animal liberation case in the Northwest. Daniel has pled not guilty to all charges. Thursday, July 27 & Friday, July 28, 2006, 5-10 pm ABC No Rio, 156 Rivington St, Lower East Side, NYC. Co-sponsored by Visual Resistance and Family and Friends of Daniel McGowan." (07/08/06) http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2006/07/72657.html ----- 63) Seminar: Liberty, Economy & Society Independent Institute 08/07/06 - 08/11/06 "To help high school and college-age students better understand the social and economic issues faced throughout life, The Independent Institute sponsors the Liberty, Economy & Society Summer Seminars as a major part of the Institute's overall program for students. These dynamic seminars help students learn what economics is, how it affects their lives, and how understanding its laws can help them achieve the things they care about." Independent Institute, 100 Swan Way, Oakland, CA. Enrollment fee $195 per student, including course materials. Tuition assistance available. http://www.independent.org/students/seminars/ ----- 64) Authority and autonomy in the family various 08/19/06 "August 19, 2006 at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA. Speakers confirmed so far include Nathaniel Branden, Peter Breggin (via live video), Susan Love Brown, Marshall Fritz and Sharon Presley. Topics include liberating education, liberating childrearing, encouraging critical intelligence in children, alternative family structures, egalitarian marriage, and encouraging self-esteem in children. The sponsors are Resources for Independent Thinking, the Civil Society Institute, and the Association of Libertarian Feminists." http://www.autonomyinthefamily.org ----- 65) Reason in Amsterdam 2006 Reason Foundation 08/23/06-08/26/06 "Amidst the beauty of Amsterdam's canals, flower markets and colorful people, attendees of Reason in Amsterdam, 2006 will enjoy a unique opportunity to learn about the contemporary struggle in Europe from prominent European and American intellectuals." An astounding roster of guests and speakers, including Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of the hit series "South Park," Time Magazine's Andrew Sullivan, Reason editors Nick Gillespie and Jacob Sullum, and a host of distinguished authors, activists and political leaders. August 23-26 at the Grand Amsterdam Hotel. $425. Online registration available. http://www.reason.org/amsterdam/ Today in Political History 66) Off on the road to Croatan 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 --------------------------------- Sneak preview the all-new Yahoo.com. It's not radically different. Just radically better. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! 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