POST SCRIPTS

As one example (among many) the domestic dried plum market was all but ruined by cheap imports thanks to this so-called "free trade" concept pushed by then President Clinton. Exporters from Brazil, Argentina, Chili, etc., were able to realize a decent profit on a tonnage price that would bankrupt the average American farmer.

Small farms can't compete against cheap labor in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Mexico...

When faced with such unfair competition, the choice for the American farmer is limited: 1. Continue to sell at a loss and hope for a break or until he's ruined. 2. Abandon his crop for another that pays better (that is, if he can afford to switch). 3. Sell out.

When it comes to orchard crops like plums, switching is extremely costly, it means ripping out old trees, cleaning the soil of roots and slash, re-installing irrigation, buying young seedling trees or grafted trees and then it may be another 5-7 years of intensive labor before they see the first nickel in profit. How would you like to go 5-7 years without a paycheck? Most of our domestic farmers have to borrow the money to get them to a transition crop and of course that adds to their overhead too.

Sadly, whenever there's a pretty decent price on any given crop, be it almonds, rice, wheat, prunes, etc., you can bet the growers outside this country will see that opportunity too. They immediately start planting that good paying crop. Eventually, this leads to over planting and that will cause the price to drop because the foreign competition has upset the supply/demand balance and that brings the American farmer right back to square one again.

Most small to medium size farms in the USA simply don't have the reserves to compete against the imports and given the high land values now, they are often inclined to sell to a developer and there goes the farm land, forever. "California is losing about 50,000 to 100,000 acres of valuable farmland per year.... Like the orange groves of Anaheim, California farming could be a memory of the past, replaced by asphalt and concrete." Sen. Denham-R, CA.

If our safe and reliable food supply isn't a national security item, what is?

We must afford some level of protection or fair trade for critical areas of our economy, like our farms. If we don't, we will see our food supplies coming from other countries. Do you really want that sort of dependancy? Look at what free trade has done to our steel industry. Much of it has been sold off to countries like India or China. So when we need steel to build defense projects contracts, I guess we will have to ask China? That just doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

The problems farmers face now from imports is just a symptom of much larger problem that our government created and our government must remedy. We really need to pay attention to what is happening and why, put the pressure on our representives and fix it while we still can.

When American farmers lose market share to the imports, we are losing control over the use of pesticides and fertilizers and that can't be good. Certain chemicals have been banned here because they were dangerous, but they are still found in significant amounts of imported foods, "...green peas from Guatemala, with a 40.8 percent illegal pesticide violation rate, strawberries from Mexico, with an 18.4 percent violation rate" says one study group. "...66 different illegal pesticides found on the 42 fruits and vegetables we analyzed."

Is this the direction we should be going or is it time to rethink what "free trade" is really costing us?

Posted by Post Scripts at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)

February 25, 2006

And Another Lotto Winner!

"My name is MUHAMMAD WASEEM FEROZE WATTOO from Pakistan I recived a mail from

World Wide Sweepstakes Lottery
An Affiliate of Found money International
Arena Complex Km 18 Route de Rufisque
I.P.P Award Dept.

We happily announce to you the draw of the World Wide Sweepstakes Lottery International programs held on the 15th of January 2006 in Africa Continent. Your email address attached to ticket # with serial number: 5388/02 which subsequently won you the lottery in the second category.

I still not recived any prize still Please tell me real picture is this true lottery or drama please reply me on my mail address waseemferoze@hotmail.com"

Dear Muhammad, hate to break the news to you, but I won the Grand Prize. Your letter must be fake. I am waiting for their big check now. So are my friends, they have all won the lotto, but in different countries of course. Seems almost everybody I know has won a lotto jackpot and is now waiting for their check, just like me. Too bad your letter was a fake and not real like ours.

Posted by Post Scripts at 12:26 PM | Comments (0)

February 24, 2006

Olympics

Coffeesnob writes, ...."Just a little FYI. I am getting suspicious with age. I have been watching and for the most part enjoying the winter games. I have noticed a real lack of enthusiasm on the part of the media toward our team. It is bad enough that it makes one think this is far and away the worst team we have ever fielded. That would be a gross error.

I did a little searching and found a incomplete history of winter Olympics on the CBS sportsline.com site. It has listed the 2002 games back to the 1924 games. It turns out that if your only looking at medal counts, we have fielded some real dogs. In 1924 we won 4 medals. We did manage to improve with time. In 1988 we won 6 medals. As it stands now we have 20 medals in this Olympics, that is pretty impressive. I am sorry more people didn't watch the games, they really missed out. I am also sorry that our media feels the need to "report" things the way they do. It all goes back to them doing anything they can to take away from Americas greatness. In this case they are also taking away from some really great Americans. Keep that in mind when you find yourself in agreement with them."

Posted by Post Scripts at 12:26 PM | Comments (0)

Student Leaders Against WWII Hero Boyington

From Jim who writes...

"My wife and I graduated from the UW in Physics and Geology. Our son
attends there, now. We are embarrassed by the actions and attitude of
the student leaders. I have met the man that shot Pappy down. He lived in Redmond until his passing, a few years ago.

The problem lies with those students. They live in such an isolated
intellectual bubble that they have lost any tactile feeling for the real world. They don't know that they don't know. I do. I've been on both sides of the bubble. In their great quest for knowledge, do they even attempt contact outside the bubble? No, they do not. They should ask themselves why it is that the ratio of liberals to conservatives tilts away from the rampant liberalism of student life after graduation. The answer is that with the addition of knowledge gained from outside the bubble, corrections are made. Too bad they can't assimilate all knowledge all the way through their education.

We need to honor all of our Medal of Honor recipients with a memorial
and with intellectual honesty.

Jim
Duvall, WA"

Posted by Post Scripts at 07:48 AM | Comments (0)

February 23, 2006

The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of history is to
fill the world with fools.
---- Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)

Posted by Post Scripts at 09:06 PM | Comments (0)

Hero Becomes Controversial?

Meet Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, USMC
Read about the controversy now brewing...see story below.

Posted by Post Scripts at 03:20 PM | Comments (1)

Boyington Still a Black Sheep at His Old University

Earlier this month the University of Washington angered thousands of people when the student council rejected by one vote, to honor a former student and WWII hero, Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, Commanding Officer of the USMC's Black Sheep Squadron, so named for the misfits and rejects that were too rough for regular outfits. Boyington molded them into a top fighting unit that went on to be among the most decorated of the war.

Boyington's personal exploits during the war earned him our nation's highest honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor. His story has become legendary in history books and there was even a long running TV series called the "Black Sheep" with Robert Conrad who played Boyington, that appeared in the early 1970's.

He's clearly the most distinguished and best known graduate ever to come from the University of Washington, yet UW's student leaders somehow failed to recognize why he is worthy of a memorial on their hallowed University grounds?

According to a Seattle news story, "The University received hundreds of e-mails about the rejection of a memorial to Boyington and is now trying to cool public tempers over student comments. Student leaders questioned whether the university should honor an American Marine who had "killed" people. One of them asked, "if they should be honoring another rich white man."

Just another rich white man? Well, he sure wasn't rich and he definitely wasn't just another man, you see he won the Medal of Honor for continuing an attack on the enemy, after his plane was shot up and on fire. Yet he was still able to down several more enemy aircraft before he crashed into the jungle. That is a selfless act of heroism that these twitty students will probably never fully understand nor appreciate. What's worse, we have too many university students around the country who think just like them; they are intellectually unwilling or unable, because of their liberal bias, to discern the vast difference between an act of violence and doing one's duty for America in a time of war. I blame our educational system and their parents for failing to teach them properly, but, that doesn't let the students off the hook and that's why I am here to put the spotlight on them and hope they will rethink what they have done.

Would you like to tell the University how you feel about this? Here's their email:

uwnews@u.washington.edu

Here's their phone number at the news department, feel free to ask for Amanda:

206-543-9462

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/260404_memorial22.html

"Stories of Pappy Boyington are legion, many founded in fact, including how he led the legendary Black Sheep squadron, and how he served in China as a member of the American Volunteer Group, the famed Flying Tigers. He spent a year and a half as a Japanese POW, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, was recognized as the Marine Corps top ace (more on that below). Always hard-drinking and hard-living, Pappy's post-war life was as turbulent as his wartime experiences.

The best biography of Boyington that I've read is Bruce Gamble's Black Sheep One: The Life of Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, released late in 2000.

Born on Dec. 4, 1912, young Greg had a rough childhood - divorced parents, alcoholic step-father (who Greg believed to be his natural father until he entered the Marine Corps), and lots of moves. He grew up in St. Maries, Idaho, a small logging town. Greg got his first ride in an airplane when he was only six years old. The famous barnstormer, Clyde Pangborn, flew his Jenny into town, and Greg wangled a ride. What a thrill for a little kid!

Greg's family moved to Tacoma, Washington in 1926. In high school, he took up a sport that he would practice for many years - wrestling. Especially when he had had a few too many (which was often), adult Boyington would challenge others to impromptu wrestling bouts, frequently with injurious results. He enrolled at the University of Washington in 1930, where he continued wrestling and participated in ROTC. He met his first wife, Helene there; they were married not long after his graduation in 1934. His first son, Gregory Clark Boyington, was born 10 months later.

Marine Aviator
After a year with Boeing, Greg enlisted in the Marine Corps. On having to supply them with his birth certificate, he only learned of his natural father at that date. He began elimination training in June, 1935, where (in the small world of Marine aviation at that time) he met Richard Mangrum and Bob Galer, both future heroes at Guadalcanal. He passed, and received orders to begin flight training at Pensacola NAS in January, 1936 with class 88-C. Here he flew a floatplane version of the Consolidated NY-2. Like another great ace, Gabby Gabreski, Boyington had a tough time with flight training, and had to undergo a number of rechecks.
Until he arrived in Pensacola, Boyington, had never touched alcohol. But here, with hard-partying fliers, and aware of his wife's "fooling around," he soon discovered his affinity for liquor. Early on, Boyington established his Marine Corps reputation: hard-drinking, brawling, well-liked, and always ready to wrestle at the drop of a hat. But he kept flying, all through 1936, slowly progressing toward earning his wings, flying more powerful planes like the Vought O2U and SU-1 scouting biplanes. At Pensacola, he also met his future nemesis, Joe Smoak, memorialized in Baa Baa Black Sheep as "Colonel Lard." He finally won his coveted wings in March, 1937, becoming Naval Aviator #5160.

Before reporting for his assignment with VMF-1 at Quantico, Virginia, he took advantage of his 30-day to return home, and reconcile with his wife Helene, who became pregnant with their second child. In those days Marine aviators were required to be bachelors; Greg's family was a secret that he kept from the brass, but he brought them with him to Virginia, installing them quietly in nearby Fredericksburg. He flew F4B-4 biplanes during 1937, taking part in routine training, an air show dubbed the "All American Air Maneuvers," and a fleet exercise in Puerto Rico.

In March of 1938, VMF-1 aviators excited took possession of the latest, hottest Grumman fighters, the F3F-2s, the last biplane fighters used by US air forces. Powered by Wright-Cyclone engines of 950 horsepower, the fat-bellied aircraft were fast and rugged. In July, he moved to Philadelphia, to attend the Marine Corps' Basic School for ten months. Apparently not motivated by the "ground-pounder" curriculum, Boyington here evidenced the weaknesses that would haunt him: excessive drinking, borrowing money (and not repaying it), fighting, and poor official performance.

His irresponsibility, his debts, and his difficulties with the Corps continued to mount throughout 1939 and 1940, when he flew with VMF-2, stationed at San Diego. One memorable, drunken night, he tried to swim across San Diego Bay, and wound up naked and exhausted in the Navy's Shore Patrol office. Despite his problems on the ground, it was during these days of 1940, flying with VMF-2, that Boyington first began to be noticed as a top-notch pilot. Whatever his other issues, he could out-dogfight almost anyone. Back at Pensacola in January, 1941, his problems mounted - he decked a superior officer in a fight over a girl (not his wife), and his creditors sought official help from the Marine Corps. Greg's career was a hopeless mess by late 1941.

Flying Tiger...

Rescue came from, of all places, China. Anxious to help the Chinese in their war against Japan, the U.S. government arranged to supply fighter planes and pilots to China, under the cover of the Central Aircraft Manufacturing Company (CAMCO). CAMCO recruiters visited US military aviation bases looking for volunteers. As Bruce Gamble described it in Black Sheep One:

The pilots were volunteers only in the sense that they willingly quit their peacetime job with the military; otherwise they were handsomely paid through CAMCO. Pilots earned $600 a month, flight leaders $675, plus a fat bonus for each Japanese plane destroyed. This was double or even triple the current military salary for pilots. ... In March, CAMCO representatives began recruiting military pilots for what would become the American Volunteer Group (AVG). ... One recruiter set up an interview room in Pensacola's San Carlos Hotel, a popular watering hole for pilots. On the night of August 4, Greg Boyington found himself in the hotel bar simply "looking for an answer." Payday had been just a few days earlier, but already he was broke. His wife and children were gone, he was deeply in debt, and many of his superiors were breathing down his neck.

The money looked very good to Boyington. Assured that the program had government approval and that his spot in the Corps was safe, he signed on the spot, and promptly resigned from the Marine Corps. While the AVG deal for pilots normally did contemplate a return to active U.S. military service, in Greg's case, his superiors took a different view. They were happy to be rid of him, and noted in his file that he should not be reappointed.

He shipped out of San Francisco on September 24, 1941, in the Boschfontein, of the Dutch Java Line...."

For on this story .... http://www.acepilots.com/usmc_boyington.html

Posted by Post Scripts at 02:13 PM | Comments (0)

Ports Sale and Protectionism

This may not be the final word on why this ports sale went to the UAE, however it seems to be the best reason I've heard so far. Consider, there are billions of greenbacks floating around overseas looking for a way to come home. The Arab countries have tons of our paper money, as does China, one of our biggest creditors. This is largely due to the trade imbalance caused by the importing of cheap overseas goods and imported oil.

Outwardly it seems like a real stupid idea to turn over our major seaports management to an Arab country that has a nexus with terrorists. Howeverm economists say it makes sense and politically speaking, it may be too late to back out now, because it could send the wrong message.

The port management deal was proposed, cleared and accepted before Bush even knew it was in the making (somebody sure goofed on that one.) Now he (Bush) is faced with supporting a vastly unpopular sale verses halting it for security concerns that would surely offend an ally and risk the destabilization of the overseas dollar. That later part could prove worse in economic terms than an outright terrorist attack. This is a very dicey economic situation we've created by our insatiable appetite for cheap foreign goods and this goes back long before Bush I was in knee pants.

A possible solution: There was a time (early 1900's) when America became a major industrial power and engaged in "protectionism" to protect us from being flooded by cheap foreign goods and damaging our labor force. It's now advocated by only a handful of people, but one of the more notables is former presidential candidate Pat Buchannon. He correctly points out, when protectionism was in full force American labor had it pretty good. We enjoyed nearly twice the mean income as our European counterparts. We had no deficit, taxes were low, and in fact there wasn't even a need for an income tax. Nearly 98% of everything we needed was made right here and the 2% of imports were heavily taxed (tariffs) to make our goods competitively priced.

All that changed when Republicans introduced an economic plan that all but did away with the "protective" tariffs. Over time this has resulted in a bonanza for big business, but at a price paid by American workers. It's been slowly costing them jobs while building a monstrously high trade imbalance. That trade imbalance has made us a debtor nation and empowered nations that might not have our best interests at heart.

It might be time to take a new look at protectionism as a way to stop the hemorrhage of dollars to overseas and to bolster the in-house production of certain key goods and industries, such as steel, aircraft and heavy equipment manufacturing, and anything else that is necessary to our national security.

Posted by Post Scripts at 07:27 AM | Comments (1)

February 22, 2006

Ports Operation Sale Defended by Bush

A $6.8 billion sale now gives the United Arab Emirates control over significant port operations in six major American ports and it has Americans wondering whats up?

Bush has defended the sale and has threatened to veto any legislation that would derail it. "The sale to state-owned Dubai Ports World was "rigorously reviewed" by a U.S. committee that considers security threats when foreign companies seek to buy or invest in American industry, National Security Council spokesman Frederick Jones said."

Oh, really Mr. Jones? Then why does over 70% of Congress feel very uneasy about this deal, and we're talking about a lot of very conservative Republicans? "The potential threat to our country is not imagined, it is real," Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., said in a House speech.

Rep. Vito Fossella, R-N.Y., urged congressional hearings on the deal.
"At a time when America is leading the world in the war on terrorism and spending billions of dollars to secure our homeland, we cannot cede control of strategic assets to foreign nations with spotty records on terrorism," Fossella said.

I really want to know who stands to gain by this sale and see if they are the same people who are telling us its not a security problem. Something doesn't seem right here and we need more information.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/16/AR2006021601476.html

Posted by Post Scripts at 05:44 PM | Comments (2)

February 21, 2006

Muslims Caught in U.S.A. Plotting Terrorism

Three Muslim men arrested in Ohio on charges of terrorism.

Next...

INTERESTING FACTS: In 2000 the Muslim population (the fastest growing religion in the world) was estimated at 20% of the worlds total population or 1.25 billion.

The Muslim population in Europe has reportedly increased by 100%, between 1988 and 1998. In 1998 7% of the babies born in the EU were born to Muslim families.

It has been difficult to estimate exactly how many Muslims are now living in North America, however according to a study by the magazine "Islamic Horizons", there are between 8 to 10 million now living here. The number of Islamic schools in America has increased by 400% since 1990.

Registered Islamic Centers now number in excess of 2500 in the US, tripple the number in 1990. The largest Muslim populations in America are found in California, New York and Illinois. The largest city population is found in Chicago with over 400,000.

For more on this statistical study and the remarkable Islamic growth in the US, readers may wish to contact Prof. Yvonne Haddad, PO Box 7000, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. 92688

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/21/terror/main1334400.shtml

http://www.equip.org/free/DI402.pdf

Posted by Post Scripts at 11:16 AM | Comments (0)

February 20, 2006

15 WESTCOAST MAYORS ARRESTED FOR HARBORING ILLEGALS

This is a headline that may not be far off in our future, if we had the courage to enforce the law. But, let me back up a bit and introduce what a new poster has to say about illegal immigration and then you will understand the headline. Here is Mr. Bud Biddle's comments:

"Sanctuary cities advertising that illegal immigrants are welcome and telling their police NOT to enforce immigration laws, cities like San Francisco, Arcata, Portland, et al, should be prosecuted under US RICO Laws (Racketeering Corrupt Influenced Organizations).

Further, all US employers hiring known illegals should be arrested, jailed, their businesses seized and sold at auction." END

Well, right on Bud! This is without a doubt the best original idea I've heard on this subject for a long time. Obviously, a City Council has no legal authority over federal laws! They can't dictate to a police officer which laws they can and can't enforce; thats an aburd notion, yet it's happening and in dozens of major cities.

From the first time I heard about these so-called 'sanctuary cities" for protecting illegals and providing them with full taxpayer supported benefits, I was stunned. It is so blatantly unfair and wrong. But, what is perhaps worse (at least from my perspective) is it creates a precedent that nips away at the very foundation of our democratic system.

I won't mix words, "sanctuary cities" are the creation of extreme leftwing, liberals and we all know it. Sometimes we hesitate to say it, because it's not politically correct to label, but if the shoe fits, right? Look folks, these wacky libs have anointed themselves like little kings in their cities. That have greatly exceeded their legal authority when they refuse to allow their police departments to enforce immigration law. They are saying, we know whats best for America, not you, not Congress and not the President. Oh, we didn't elect them to run the federal government or suspend federal laws, but never let that little detail get in their way!

This power comes by virtue of their great intelligence and the fact they are far more caring than us mere mortal voters and that gives them all the moral authority they need to thumb their nose at us and the United States government!

For a short time, the federal government has tolerated them and allowed this "scantuary" idea to run it's course, but instead of dying out, it's spread across many west coast cities. Cities that are influenced by a certain democraphic, lots of illegals, lots of sympathetic hispanics and of course their cooperative leftist allies that encourage their moronic behavior.

This "tolerance" towards these lawbreakers raises a question I almost hesitate to ask, because the answer may be too unsettling.

However, I must point out in our defense, this immigration legislation that eventually became federal law speaks to the wishes of the majority, not these liberals in San Francisco or Seattle. That's how federal law carries a mandate; thats how it incorporates all the moral authority and reason needed to be enforced and it is not subject to interpretation by the whims of a liberal city council.

The leftist run (ruined) cities have engaged in an illegal conspiracy to thrwart the enforcement of immigration laws. To stop their sanctuary movement is to stop their encroachment on us, the little guys who pay taxes and work like heck to make a living!

RICO is exactly the legal authority necessary to sort this out and the President should serve fair warning it's coming. Police officers must enforce all the laws fairly and not just the ones the leftists feel are worthy. If that's not reason enough to get their attention, then it's time for RICO. The responsibles ought to be impeached by a federal grand jury, removed from office and face heavy fines and imprisonment. Enough is enough!

Posted by Post Scripts at 07:58 AM | Comments (1)

February 19, 2006

PRESIDENTS DAY FEB. 20th, 2006 (MONDAY)

History of the Holiday

The original version of the holiday was in commemoration of George Washington's birthday in 1796 (the last full year of his presidency). Washington, according to the calendar that has been used since at least the mid-18th century, was born on February 22, 1732. According to the old style calendar in use back then, however, he was born on February 11. At least in 1796, many Americans celebrated his birthday on the 22nd while others marked the occasion on the 11th instead.

By the early 19th century, Washington's Birthday had taken firm root in the American experience as a bona fide national holiday. Its traditions included Birthnight Balls in various regions, speeches and receptions given by prominent public figures, and a lot of revelry in taverns throughout the land. Then along came Abraham Lincoln, another revered president and fellow February baby (born on the 12th of the month). The first formal observance of his birthday took place in 1865, the year after his assassination, when both houses of Congress gathered for a memorial address. While Lincoln's Birthday did not become a federal holiday like George Washington's, it did become a legal holiday in several states.

In 1968, legislation (HR 15951) was enacted that affected several federal holidays. One of these was Washington's Birthday, the observation of which was shifted to the third Monday in February each year whether or not it fell on the 22nd. This act, which took effect in 1971, was designed to simplify the yearly calendar of holidays and give federal employees some standard three-day weekends in the process.

Apparently, while the holiday in February is still officially known as Washington's Birthday (at least according to the Office of Personnel Management), it has become popularly (and, perhaps in some cases at the state level, legally) known as "President's Day." This has made the third Monday in February a day for honoring both Washington and Lincoln, as well as all the other men who have served as president.

Posted by Post Scripts at 09:48 PM | Comments (1)

FBI Translator Misses Key Elements...

Reader "CoffeeSnob" obtained this from the internet and thought you might find it interesting: (see link below)

The FBI translator who supplied the 12 hours of Saddam Hussein audiotapes excerpted by ABC's "Nightline" Wednesday night now says the network discarded his translations and went with a less threatening version of the Iraqi dictator's comments.

"What you heard on ABC News was their translation," former U.N. weapons inspector Bill Tierney told ABC Radio's Sean Hannity on Thursday. "They came up with something different on a key element regarding terrorism in the United States," Tierney insisted.

In the "Nightline" version of the 1996 recording, Saddam predicts that Washington, D.C., would be hit by terrorists. But he adds that Iraq would have nothing to do with the attack.

Tierney says, however, that what Saddam actually said was much more sinister. "He was discussing his intent to use chemical weapons against the United States and use proxies so it could not be traced back to Iraq," he told Hannity.

In a passage not used by "Nightline," Tierney says Saddam declares: "Terrorism is coming. ... In the future there will be terrorism with weapons of mass destruction. What if we consider this technique, with smuggling?"

Tierney's full translations are set for release this weekend by The Intelligence Group in Washington, D.C.

_____________________

Scholars Rate Worst Presidential Errors

From engaging in sexual relations with an intern to letting the Vietnam War escalate, U.S. presidents have been blamed for some egregious errors.

So who had the worst blunder? President James Buchanan, for failing to avert the Civil War, according to a survey of presidential historians organized by the University of Louisville's McConnell Center.

The survey's top 10 presidential blunders were announced Saturday during a President's Day weekend conference called "Presidential Moments."

"We can probably learn just as much — or maybe even more — by looking at the mistakes rather than looking at why they were great," said political scientist and McConnell Center Director Gary Gregg.

Scholars who participated said Buchanan didn't do enough to oppose efforts by Southern states to secede from the Union before the Civil War.

The second worst mistake, the survey found, was Andrew Johnson's decision just after the Civil War to side with Southern whites and oppose improvements in justice for Southern blacks beyond abolishing slavery.

"We continue to pay" for Johnson's errors, wrote Michael Les Benedict, an Ohio State University history professor emeritus.

Lyndon Johnson earned the No. 3 spot by allowing the Vietnam War to intensify, Gregg said.

Where does Bill Clinton's Monica Lewinsky scandal rank? Many scholars said it belonged at No. 10, saying that it probably affected Clinton's presidency more than it did American history and the public

The rest of the top 10 blunders:

4: Woodrow Wilson's refusal to compromise on the Treaty of Versailles after World War I.

5: Richard Nixon's involvement in the Watergate cover-up.

6: James Madison's failure to keep the United States out of the War of 1812 with Britain.

7: Thomas Jefferson's Embargo Act of 1807, a self-imposed prohibition on trade with Europe during the Napoleonic Wars.

8: John F. Kennedy allowing the Bay of Pigs Invasion that led to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

9: Ronald Reagan and the Iran-Contra Affair, the effort to sell arms to Iran and use the money to finance an armed anti-communist group in Nicaragua.

Posted by Post Scripts at 02:03 PM | Comments (0)

February 17, 2006

I WON THE LOTTO...again!

They don't know my name, they don't know my address and I've never even entered the lotto, but I still won 1,000,000 Euros! The winners notice is shown below.

OK, you would have to have an IQ equal to a sponge to believe it, but a lot of people do. There are dozens of suckers that fall for the old "eBay password verification" email on any given day. There's hundreds every month that tumble for the ancient "pidgeon drop" that started around the late 1800's, "I jus found dis bag o money, wha shoulds I do wit it kind sir?" Or "Ring, ring...yhello! Hello elderly person, I'm the security officer at your bank and we believe somebody has been stealing from your account, we need to verify your balance and account number..."

And todays prize scam....

WINX LOTTO INTERNATIONAL,
Bezoekadres Holendrechtstraat 37
1089 DN Amsterdam the Netherlands.

From: Dr. Bernard Van Dough
(Lottery Coordinator)

Sir/Madam,
CONGRATULATIONS!!!

We are pleased to inform you of the result of the Winx Lotto Winners International programs held on the 27th, December, 2005. Your e-mail address attached to ticket #: 34903228100 with prize # 448009/UK drew ─1,000,000.00 which was first in the 2ndclass of the draws. You are to receive ─1,000,000.00 (One Million Euros). Because of mix up in cash pay-outs, we ask that you keep your winning information confidential until your money (─1,000,000.00) has been fully remitted to you by our accredited pay-point bank. This measure must be adhere to avoid loss of your cash prize - winners of our cash prizes are advised to adhere to these instructions to forestall the abuse of this program by other participants. We congratulate you once again. We hope you will use part of it in our next draws; the jackpot winning is ─185 million.

Remember, all winning must be claimed not later than 20 days. After
this date all unclaimed cash prize will be forfeited and included in
the next sweepstake. Please, in order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications remember to quote personal and winning numbers in all correspondence with us.

For immediate release of your cash prize to you, please kindly contact our Paying Bank (Inter Continental Alliance
Finance and Securities.)

Send them the following:
(i) Your names,
(ii) Contact telephone and fax numbers
(iii) Contact Address
(iv) Your winning numbers
(v) Quote amount won.
Contact person: (I removed this part in case you're thinking about stealin my loto winnings)

Posted by Post Scripts at 08:42 AM | Comments (0)

February 16, 2006

A peek into the future...

Headlines from the year 2029!

Ozone created by electric cars killing millions.

Baby conceived naturally - - scientists stumped.

Couple petitions court to reinstate heterosexual marriage.

Iran still closed off; physicists estimate it will take at least 100 more years before radioactivity decreases to safe levels

France pleads for global help after being taken over by Jamaica.

Castro finally dies at age 112; Cuban cigars can now be imported legally, but President Chelsea Clinton has banned all smoking.

George "Z" Bush says he will run for President in 2036.

Postal Service raises price of first class stamp to $17.89 and reduces mail delivery to Wednesdays only.

85-year, $75.8 billion study: Diet and Exercise is the key to weight loss.

Average weight of Americans drops to 250 lbs.

Massachusetts executes last remaining conservative.

Supreme Court rules punishment of criminals violates their civil rights.

Average height of NBA players now nine feet, seven inches.

New federal law requires that all nail clippers, screwdrivers, fly swatters and rolled-up newspapers must be registered by January 2036.

Congress authorizes direct deposit of formerly illegal political contributions to campaign accounts.

Capitol Hill intern indicted for refusing to have sex with congressman.

IRS sets lowest tax rate at 85 percent.

Florida voters still having trouble with voting machines

Posted by Post Scripts at 01:23 PM | Comments (2)

February 10, 2006

More on the New Taliban (Democrats)

Written by Political Commentator DHB....

" For all the Democratic Party's talk about how the evil Republicans tried to suppress voters during the last Presidential election by actually questioning whether felons and aliens could vote, I am aware of only one systematic, large-scale incident of voter suppression. It was done by the Democratic Party, and it was successful in suppressing thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of voters. This was the well planned and executed campaign to mount legal challenges to keep Ralph Nader off the ballot. The Democrats feared Nader, not because he was philosphically too different but because he was too similar to John Kerry and might thereby dilute the Kerry vote. The Democratic Party hired hundreds of lawyers to file suits in every state, challenging Nader's presence on the ballot in every possible way. The challenges were successful in many states, including Arizona, where one of the Presidential debates was held. During the debate, which was conducted at ASU, Kerry snidely alluded to the unfounded allegations about voter suppression by Republicans. I kept waiting for someone to ask why Ralph Nader was not up there on the stage, especially since it was a college campus where you would expect to find some Nader supporters. No one asked, and Bush was too clumsy to mention it."

Posted by Post Scripts at 10:02 AM | Comments (0)

Interesting Facts

Special thanks to Mike Wacker for submitting this to us....

"In the 1400's a law was set forth that a man was not allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"

Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury.

Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.

Coca-Cola was originally green.

It is impossible to lick your elbow.

The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska

The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)

The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%

The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400

The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour: 61,000

Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.

The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments .

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:

Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

Only two people signed the Declaration of Independenceon July 4th, John Hancock and CharlesThomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?

A. Their birthplace

Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?

A. Obsession

Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?

A. One thousand

Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?

A. All were invented by women.

Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?

A. Honey

Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?

A. Father's Day

In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."

It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month which we know today as the honeymoon.

In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down."

It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"

Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.

Don't delete this just because it looks weird. Believe it or not, you can read it.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I wsa rdgnieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit plae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

CONT-

Posted by Post Scripts at 08:53 AM | Comments (0)

February 09, 2006

Taliban Attacks Voter Transport in... Milwaukee?

Democrat activists turned to Taliban tactics when they attacked the rented transport vans at the GOP headquarters. And now the trial has started, but hardly a word about it can be found in the media? Well, check this out, "For all the overheated talk of fraud in Wisconsin's last presidential election particularly in Milwaukee one incident stands out and demands significant punishment.

Those who slashed the tires of 25 rented vans and cars at the GOP headquarters in Milwaukee the morning of the 2004 election may have prevented hundreds of people from voting.

Five men, including the sons of two prominent Democrats, are on trial for felony property destruction. Testimony resumes today in a

Milwaukee courtroom. This is not just another run-of-the-mill case of vandalism. It's an affront to our democratic system. The Republican Party of Wisconsin had rented the vehicles to shuttle GOP-friendly voters to the polls. That's perfectly legal. In fact, it's noble.

If you need a ride to the polls, you probably can't drive or don't own a car. Perhaps you are disabled or elderly. Democrats target similar help to voters likely to vote Democratic. What's not OK is preventing people from voting by sabotaging their transportation. It's dastardly and far worse than the actual physical damage to the vehicles, estimated at over $2,500.

Charged in the Milwaukee case are Democratic campaign staffers Sowande Omokunde, 26, Michael Pratt, 33, Lewis G. Caldwell, 29, Lavelle Mohammad, 36, and Justin Howell, 21.

The trial has drawn extra attention because Omokunde is the son of U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D- Milwaukee, and Pratt is the son of former Acting Milwaukee Mayor Marvin Pratt." Unfortunately, such incidents are not that uncommon.

At a more personal level, I recall another incident right here in Chico a few years back when the GOP had their headquarters downtown. At that time a female political activist, wearing her earth first granny style clothing, like a granny skirt, leather sandals and such (you know the uniform) tossed dog feci's in the front door of the headquarters and left some on the brochure stand near the front door to show her contempt, before running away.

The GOP headquarters also had insults written on their windows with several types of grease pens. Another time a bunch of young drunks exiting Duffy's flew across the street, yelling obscene things about conservatives and scaring several older ladies leaving a GOP meeting.

Over the past decade I know for a fact, that the GOP has had their election signs torn down, marked up and have often been the target of vandalism...it's not hard to guess the politics that motivated these attacks; that much was made quite clear by the slogans they left behind.

I've personally witnessed liberal democratic activists at Chico State resort to racial name calling and other personal insults during a debate with a conservative spokesperson on campus. Of course, it's all very immature and incredibly offensive, but not once was their conduct ever condemned by the democrat leadership. Pretty sad, but as this tire slashing shows, it's not getting any better. Liberal politics is behind a lot of outrageous acts designed to confront, disrupt and intimidate...enter the new Taliban.

Posted by Post Scripts at 12:23 PM | Comments (3)

Muslic Clerics Begin to Worry About Image

From an AP story: "Rioting Wednesday came even as Afghanistan's leading Muslim clerics went on nationwide radio and television to appeal for calm. One senior cleric said, "Islam says it's all right to demonstrate but not to resort to violence." He says the rioters are "defaming the name of Islam."

Gee... I don't know, you really think thousands of raging Muslims randomly attacking people and buildings worldwide over a silly cartoon will somehow be interpreted as making Islam look bad?

CONT-

This is exactly why there is this huge disconnect between the west and the mid-east!!!! The response that followed the "Bombhead" cartoon exposed the savage side of Islam and made the rioters look like crazed barbarians on dope. How could such violence not make Islam look bad? As a side note, I think these rioters must have way too much time on their hands, if so many can participate in days of protesting and rioting at the slightest nod of their local Immam. Makes you wonder..., uh, doesn't anyone work in the mid-east?

The mere "defaming the name of Islam" doesn't even come close to the damage done to this religion by it's extremist followers and this is the ugly truth Muslim Cleric's wish to avoid. But, they can't avoid it, not this time. Finally, the world's media has them in the spotlight and by the news stories coming out now, it's clear they don't like all this negative attention. Here's an idea: Islam must come to terms with this unacceptable behavior and take some action. The radicals are seen generally behaving like they are in still in the 7th century and it's tainting Muslims everywhere.

It's time for them (Muslim leaders) to start cleaning house and remove the radical voices of hate and violence. If they don't, they will eventually be forced to suffer the consequences of constantly starting fights they can't win. Here's a great place to start reforming: Shut down these rabid Wahabi schools that are turning out the suicide bombers!

Posted by Post Scripts at 09:12 AM | Comments (0)

Bridge To Nowhere

Wasteful spending is nothing new to Washington, but this time the taxpayers won one and that's news!

Remember the "bridge to nowhere" that was to be built in Alaska, connecting the mainland to a small island with no population?

Good news! The new proposal would strip from the transportation bill the requirement that Alaska spend nearly half a billion federal taxpayer dollars on two wasteful and unnecessary bridges and leave it up to the local authorities how they wish to spend the money.

"The transportation bill had 6,371 transportation earmarks at the cost of more than $24 billion, so eliminating these earmarks is an important turn of events, but it doesn’t turn a budgetary loser into fiscal winner. The good news here is that these efforts put more of the decision making on state and local officials, who are the experts in what a state does and does not need."(1)

The original worthless pork project was sponsored by Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Rep. Don Young (R-AK). Stevens and Young have been the butt of jokes on radio and television since the pork was discovered by taxpayer watchdog groups.

On a darker note, President Bush has yet to use his power of veto to control pork spending. "In its annual budget and economic report, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that this year's deficit will be $337 billion, up $19 billion from 2005. It said the deficit will be about $360 billion if extra anticipated costs for Iraq, Afghanistan and the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast are added.

The White House has pegged this year's projected deficit at more than $400 billion, citing the costs of the war in Iraq and Hurricane Katrina. The White House budget office has overestimated the size of the deficit in the past two years by using what it says are "cautious" economic and revenue projections." (2)

1.) http://www.taxpayer.net/Transportation/gravinabridge.htm

2.) http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-01-26-federaldeficit_x.htm

Posted by Post Scripts at 08:51 AM | Comments (0)

Lil humor...

This was submitted by one of our readers who thought you might fight it funny. The creator of the blog site is Sean Gleeson. Sean is an artist, teacher, and blogger who lives and works in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It's funny, check it out!

http://sean.gleeson.us/2004/11/27/new_mini_moonbat_fits_in_your_sidebar

Posted by Post Scripts at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)

February 08, 2006

The Drug Problem in America

"The other day, someone at a store in our town read that a methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farmhouse between Oroville and Feather Falls and he asked me a rhetorical question, "Why didn't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?"

I replied: "I had a drug problem when I was young":

I was drug to church on Sunday morning.

I was drug to church for weddings and funerals.

I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.

I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults.

Cont-

I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn't put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me.

I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profane four-letter word.

I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's garden and flower beds and cockleburs out of dad's fields. I was drug to the homes of family, friends, and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some firewood; and, if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed."

Anonymous

Posted by Post Scripts at 12:09 PM | Comments (0)

Old Fashioned America Logic....

"I don't think being a minority makes you a victim of anything except numbers. The only things I can think of that are truly discriminatory are things like the United Negro College Fund, Jet Magazine, Black Entertainment Television, and Miss Black America. Try to have things like the United Caucasian College Fund, Cloud Magazine, White Entertainment Television, or Miss White America; and see what happens...Jesse Jackson will be knocking down your door.

CONT-

Guns do not make you a killer. I think killing makes you a killer. You can kill someone with a baseball bat or a car, but no one is trying to ban you from driving to the ball game.

I believe they are called the Boy Scouts for a reason, that is why there are no girls allowed. Girls belong in the Girl Scouts! ARE YOU LISTENING MARTHA BURKE?

I have the right "NOT" to be tolerant of others because they are different, weird, or tick me off.

When 70% of the people who get arrested are black, in cities where 70% of the population is black, that is not racial profiling, it is the Law of Probability.

I believe that if you are selling me a milkshake, a pack of cigarettes, a newspaper or a hotel room, you must do it in English! As a matter of fact, if you want to be an American citizen, you should have to speak English!

My father and grandfather didn't die in vain so you can leave the countries you were born in to come over and disrespect ours. I think the police should have every right to shoot your sorry ass if you threaten them after they tell you to stop. If you can't understand the word "freeze" or "stop" in English, see the above lines.

I don't think just because you were not born in this country, you are qualified for any special loan programs, government sponsored bank loans or tax breaks, etc., so you can open a hotel, coffee shop, trinket store, or any other business.

We did not go to the aid of certain foreign countries and risk our lives in wars to defend their freedoms, so that decades later they could come over here and tell us our constitution is a living document; and open to their interpretations.

I don't hate the rich. I don't pity the poor.I know pro wrestling is fake, but so are movies and television. That doesn't stop you from watching them.

I think Bill Gates has every right to keep every penny he made and continue to make more. If it ticks you off, go and invent the next operating system that's better, and put your name on the building.

It doesn't take a whole village to raise a child right, but it does take a parent to stand up to the kid; and smack their little behinds when necessary, and say "NO!"

I think tattoos and piercing are fine if you want them, but please don't pretend they are a political statement. And, please, stay home until that new lip ring heals. I don't want to look at your ugly infected mouth as you serve me French fries!

I am sick of "Political Correctness." I know a lot of black people, and not a single one of them was born in Africa; so how can they be "African-Americans"? Besides, Africa is a continent. I don't go around saying I am a European-American because my great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather was from Europe. I am proud to be from America and nowhere else. And if you don't like my point of view, tough..."

Anonymous

Posted by Post Scripts at 12:04 PM | Comments (1)

Origins of the "Bombhead" Cartoon

Denmark: Several months ago, a decision was made to removed an art display from public view because it was deemed offensive to Muslims living in Denmark. A Danish cultural editor, Flemming Rose, saw this as an assault on their freedom of expression, but took no action.

Then about a month later, Rose heard Danish cartoonists were too afraid of Muslim militants to illustrate a new children's biography of Islam's Prophet Muhammad. And this is the point where he decided "to put his nation's famous tolerance to the test" and a cartoon contest about Islam followed. Rose contacted 25 Danish newspaper artists and requested they submit caricatures reflecting how they saw Islam, said a Christian Science Monitor news story.

Now keep in mind, Denmark is a very liberal democracy and editor Rose saw Denmark heading in a direction that was undermining their long held democratic ideals to accommodate this new Islamic society. The actions Rose took in defense of his country has since illustrated the great devide between the Muslims that choose to live in ignorance behind 7th century brutality and blind obedience to their faith and those who don't. Ironically, none of the Muslims living in Denmark have staged violent protests.

As of today, leading Muslim clerics have finally stepped up to urge their angry followers to stop the violence, but not to stop the protests.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1110/p01s01-woeu.html

Posted by Post Scripts at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)

February 07, 2006

Outhouse symbol Offends Muslims!

Prior to this current Danish cartoon flap, there was another cartoon incident that went largely unnoticed by most westerners. Last November a Muslim anti-deflamation group called on "BC" author Johnny Hart to apologize for a comic strip that it says insults Islam. The strip shows a caveman entering a crescent-adorned outhouse and saying, "Is it me, or does it stink in here?" You may think this is a joke, but I'm not kidding, this is really true!

Islamic leaders are certain their crescent symbol for Islam is being disrespected! Perhaps Muslims don't realize the "crescent moon" not only represents the symbol for Islam, but it has been the identifying sign for "outhouses" in America for over 200 years. I guess this means some areas of our country will either have to remove the "crescent" from the outhouse door or risk an attack by terrorists?

Well, according to my 3rd cousin in Oklahoma, "They have gone too dang far this time!" Those Muslims better understand in certain parts of America that the "outhouse" is akin to a holy place, sometimes its a two holey place, if you know what I mean? The point being, it's going to hit the fan big time if they start messin with our outhouses! Americans won't take that one sitting down, especially in the south!"

(Okay, this last part of the story was a joke, I couldn't resist...now back to the serious news! )

"The cartoon, which appeared Nov. 10 in more than 1,200 newspapers worldwide -- including The Washington Post -- shows a caveman entering an outhouse at night, and then saying, from inside, "Is it just me, or does it stink in here?" ... [T]he cartoon contained six crescent moons -- three in the sky, and three on the outhouse door -- and wondered if this might have been a veiled slur on the world's 1 billion practicing Muslims. ... [An email] noted that Hart had drawn a prominent sound effect -- "SLAM" -- between two frames to accompany the closing of the outhouse door. The SLAM was stacked vertically, in the shape of an I, and could be seen to signify "Islam." The cartoon appeared on the 15th day of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month."

Posted by Post Scripts at 10:16 PM | Comments (0)

Muslim's Worldwide Ready to Fight!

Today's news headlines portray Islamic leaders declaring they are ready to engage in a Holy war to defend the faith in reference to the recent cartoon from Denmark. CONT-

http://www.omegaletter.com/articles.asp?ArticleID=5842

Israel, GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - "Tens of thousands of angry Muslims marched through Palestinian cities, burned the Danish flag and called for vengeance Friday against European countries where caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad were published.

The demonstrations were the latest sign of growing Muslim anger against the cartoons. Early Friday, Palestinian militants threw a bomb at a French cultural center in Gaza City and many Palestinians began boycotting European goods, especially those from Denmark, where the cartoons where first printed.

"Whoever defames our prophet should be executed," said Ismail Hassan, 37, a tailor who marched through the pouring rain along with hundreds of other angry Muslims in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

"Bin Laden our beloved, Denmark must be blown up," protesters in Ramallah chanted.

And in other news, "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's mystical pre-occupation with the coming of a Shiite Islamic messiah figure – the Mahdi (divinely guided one) – is raising concerns that a nuclear-armed Iran could trigger the kind of global conflagration he believes will be necessary to set the stage for the Mahdi's return.

The Mahdi is said to have gone into "occlusion" in the year 941 AD, at the age of five. In other words he vanished, literally. Shiite Moslems believe he will reappear at the end of the Age. This reappearance will be preceded by cosmic chaos, war and bloodshed. After a cataclysmic confrontation with evil and darkness, the Mahdi will lead the world to an era of universal peace."

Posted by Post Scripts at 12:34 PM | Comments (0)

Muslim Religious Leader Convicted of Race Hatred and Terrorism

While the "cartoon" rioting and reprisal actions by Arab governments continues against Denmark and Norway, we learn that in England, "the radical Islamic cleric Abu Hamza was today jailed for seven years at the Old Bailey after he was convicted of a string of race hate and terror charges. CONT-

(That would be one down and about a million more to go)

Sentencing him, Mr Justice Hughes said he had "helped to create an atmosphere in which to kill has become regarded by some as not only a legitimate course but a moral and religious duty in pursuit of perceived justice".

The judge said: "No one can now say what damage your words may have caused. No one can say whether you audience, present or wider, acted on your words."

But he added that his views had caused "real danger to the lives of innocent people in different parts of the world".

Hamza, 47, described by security sources as a key figure in the global Islamic terror movement, was convicted of 11 out of 15 charges by the Old Bailey jury on the fourth day of its deliberations.

Hamza is also wanted in the United States for similar charges.

Posted by Post Scripts at 12:26 PM | Comments (0)

Candidate's Forum (Debate)

The Butte County Libertarian Party will be hosting a candidate's forum for supervisorial candidates on February 28th at 7pm till 8:30pm. The forum will include 4 panelists asking questions. It will conclude with time for the audience to ask the candidates questions.

Candidates: Anthony Watts and Maureen Kirk will be present.
(This is a Public Service Announcement)

Posted by Post Scripts at 10:41 AM | Comments (0)

Tuesday: Violence Continues Over Cartoon

KABUL, Afghanistan Norwegian troops opened fire on protesters who attacked a NATO base Tuesday in the second straight day of violent demonstrations in Afghanistan over the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, Afghan officials said.

Cont....

In neighboring Pakistan, 5,000 people chanting "Hang the man who insulted the prophet" burned effigies of one cartoonist and Denmark's prime minister. And a prominent Iranian newspaper said it was going to hold a competition for cartoons on the Holocaust in reaction to European newspapers publishing the prophet drawings.

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the West's publication of the Prophet Muhammad cartoons was an Israeli conspiracy motivated by anger over the victory of the militant Hamas group in the Palestinian elections last month. "The West condemns any denial of the Jewish holocaust, but it permits the insult of Islamic sanctities," Khamenei said.

The Norwegian troops fired on hundreds of protesters outside the base in Maymana after the demonstrators shot at them and threw grenades, said provincial Gov. Mohammed Latif. One of the demonstrators was killed and two were wounded, he said.

NATO peacekeepers rushed British reinforcements to the city.

A spokeswoman for the peacekeeping force, Squadron Leader Annie Gibson-Sexton, said troops used tear gas against the protesters, but could not confirm that shots had been fired. She said there were no reports of injuries among the Norwegian troops.

The cartoons were first published by a Danish newspaper in September, then reprinted by a Norwegian newspaper last month, setting off violent protests against the two countries across the Muslim world. The cartoons have subsequently been reprinted in other media, mostly in Europe.

The drawings — including one depicting the prophet wearing a turban shaped as a bomb — have touched a raw nerve in part because Islam is interpreted to forbid any illustrations of the Prophet Muhammad for fear they could lead to idolatry.

In the Afghan capital of Kabul, police used batons to beat stone-throwing protesters outside the Danish diplomatic mission office and near the offices of the World Bank on Tuesday. An Associated Press reporter saw police arrest several people, many of whom were injured.

Security had already been tightened in Kabul, home to some 3,000 foreign diplomats, aid workers and others. Police have set up barricades and peacekeepers have been on constant patrol.

http://wcbstv.com/topstories/topstories_story_038071534.html

Posted by Post Scripts at 08:50 AM | Comments (0)

Muslims Rampage in Indonesia over Cartoon

Enough! You're headed for a spanking

Posted by Post Scripts at 08:39 AM | Comments (0)

February 06, 2006

Super Bowl Observations by Toby

Toby S., writes..."Watching the super bowl was like watching Al Gore steal an election. I am not a fan of either team, but it is clear the Sea Hawks got screwed repeatedly by bad officiating.

I can't decide what was worse, the game or the Stones at halftime. The one up side to such a bad production is it helps limit the withdrawal of Sudden NFL Conclusion Syndrome or SNFLCS for short."

Posted by Post Scripts at 12:04 PM | Comments (0)

Rage and Reason

If a cartoon drawn by a citizen of Denmark was entered into a contest in Denmark (2 months ago) and it was deemed offensive to the Muslim community, why did Muslims claim this was the reason to attack Norway's embassy, yesterday? Where's the connection? It's an even greater leap of logic to explain why Muslims in Afghanistan would try storm the gates at Bag ram Airbase near Kabul today, allegedly for the same reason.

In an effort to understand the "why," I went in search of articles by Muslim scholars. Harvard student, Nasim Zehra, seemed to sum up the feeling of most Muslims, when she says, "...Leaving the politics of it aside, the issue is a fairly straight forward one. It is simply about values...cont

The Danes who published the cartoons ridiculing the Prophet of my faith, degrading and attacking my religion also claim they merely exercised their right of expression-of freedom of speech. Then there were others in Europe who rose to the defense of the Danish act of insulting the prophet. They did so by also publishing the blasphemous cartoons of the prophet. As far as I can see they undermined a fundamental value of humanity; the value that calls for sensitivity towards another, the value to not hurt another person."

If this is truly a consensus of Islamic opinion, then I have to ask what what the "fundamental value of humanity" that was "respected" by Muslims when they stormed the gates of an American air base in Afghanistan? How is firebombing or suicide bombing, valuing humanity and "not hurting another person?" We see how many Muslims reacted to one persons cartoon in little Denmark and there is NO RATIONAL JUSTIFICATION! But, there must be a justification that seems rational within the Muslim world!

Doing seemingly disjointed acts of violence over one obscure political cartoon makes no sense unless you consider there was a widespread, but hidden agenda. The motive that Nasim and other Muslims don't want to talk about is prejudice and fanaticism. It is what has been taught throughout the centuries by radical Immams preaching hate and violence against anyone outside their faith.

Far too many Muslims have grown up accepting this hate and prejudice as normal. It's not a new idea that hatred is used to manipulate people, Christians have certainly done that too at various times in our history. However, hate and prejudicde work best when a society is taught to shun other tought, distrust others and never ask questions. Islam is a classic example of a closed society because their members are told what to think and when; Difficult questions about reason and logic are met with contempt and labled blasphemous for the sake of control.

So, the violence that follows a political cartoon or a rumor of the Koran being flushed down the toilet by a westerner is only the excuse needed that motivates and inflames the already pre-disposed passions of a certain radical Muslim population. For them, it's perfectly normal to react violently and outraged, although this may seem illogical to western minds. This anger is a bipoduct of the righteousness they feel is drawing them closer to a holy war. So it's not about a cartoon, its more, much more and the anger that rages is rotted in centuries old greivances and misconceptions.

Fortunately for us, there are other ideas about how things ought to be that do not include a final showdown. And those newer, more moderate ideas are slowly spreading around the Muslim community. Can we thank our newspapers and TV for that? (Maybe)

Whatever it is, this social enlightenment has worked like a pressure relief valve, moderating much of the hostilities. Many more Muslims are inclined to be more understanding, peaceful and reject the old notion of a holy war against the infidels.

Consider, there are 6M Muslims living in France, 2M in the UK and about 3.2M in Germany. That number is already 3 times larger than the sum of the security forces. If a majority of Muslims were not opposed to violence, Europe would be in flames.

However, there will come a time when Islam will be a major political factor in western governments. Those who have the most to lose then are liberals. Like those libs who think it's ok to place religious icons in urine and call it art or Hollywood and the smut peddlers. The gay community is certainly is in for a rude awakening too. Let Act Up try a stunt in a crowd of Muslims and see how it goes over. The femenists, well, they are heading for a beheading and the ACLU, no need for them either, one voice, no opposition. In a fundamentalist Islamic society, these groups will cease to exist. It's ironic they are often the ones undermining the only government that is strong enough to protect them and allows them their freedom to exist.

Currently Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world with about 1.2 billion Muslims living in 57 countries.

Posted by Post Scripts at 07:49 AM | Comments (1)

Political Cartoon Causes Riot in Afghanistan 4 dead

Monday, thousands of Afghanistan Muslims rioted outside a U.S. Airbase near the capitol city in an angry protest against a Danish cartoon.

According to the AP story by Amir Shah: "Afghan security forces opened fire on demonstrators Monday, leaving at least four dead, as increasingly violent protests erupted around the world over published caricatures of Islam's Prophet Muhammad. European and Muslim politicians pleaded for calm.

The worst of the violence was outside Bagram, the main U.S. base in Afghanistan, with Afghan police firing on some 2,000 protesters as they tried to break into the heavily guarded facility, said Kabir Ahmed, the local government chief."

Posted by Post Scripts at 07:41 AM | Comments (1)

February 05, 2006

Embassies Burned Over Cartoon

Feb. 4th, 2006 EMM News Explorer: "World-wide protests by Muslims over cartoons satirising the prophet Mohammad have intensified with demonstrators torching Danish and Norwegian embassies in Syria and noisy street protests taking place in London.

Thousands of outraged Syrians stormed the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus.

The Syrian authorities fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse the mob but could not prevent them torching both buildings, which are believed to have been empty.

Norway and Denmark have reportedly advised their nationals to leave Syria immediately because it is too dangerous.

But a Foreign Office spokeswoman said guidance for Britons in the Middle East had not been changed following the attacks.

Meanwhile, British Muslims staged noisy protests on the streets again.

Up to 1,000 demonstrators chanted and waved placards with messages such as "Freedom' to insult" to express their disgust outside the Danish Embassy in central London."

Posted by Post Scripts at 08:50 PM | Comments (0)

Arrests Follow Cartoon Publication

Two Jordanian newspaper editors have been arrested for "insulting religion" after they re-published one of the Danish cartoon's noted in the earlier story below.

Accompanying the cartoon was this plea, "Muslims be reasonable. What causes more prejudice against Islam, these caricatures (cartoons) or a suicide bomber who blows himself up at wedding ceremony Amman?

And for that they were arrested by Joranian police?

Posted by Post Scripts at 08:33 PM | Comments (0)

February 03, 2006

Cartoon Angers Muslims

Do you think the world is whimpish when it comes to dealing with these "always" angry, "always" threatening, "always" hypersensitive Muslim radicals?

Take this latest "cartoon" incident from Denmark. A magazine runs a contest for political cartoons and the next thing you know Muslims...
CONT-

all over Europe and the Mid-east are marching in the streets, decrying how one of the cartoons has made a mockery of the Prophet Mohammad. Mobs of defiant, outraged Muslims are calling for reprisals, just like the time when a story broke that Marine guards were flushing the Koran down the toilet, an absurdly silly story, but it proved one thing, there's a very thin line between Muslim radicals and their brother Muslims who seem to be almost as volatile.

How many times have we seen news about angry mobs in Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Indonesia and beyond, protesting something western or burning the America flag or burning effigies of whoever happens to be our President at the time? Those same mobs, cheered on by government leaders, called us the "Great Satan" and chanted "Death to America" and what do we do in response to all this irrational non-sense? Nothing.

We hold no counter-protests, there's no breaking off from diplomatic relations, there are no calls for censorship, we don't fire bomb their cars. We do absolutely nothing to retaliate. However, we may try to understand where they are coming from and try to make allowances for our cultural and religious divide. Actually, we do that a lot, don't we? But, if one little magazine publishes a political cartoon that remotely offends Islamic sensibilities, they flail around like they're having a seizure. Seems like they can dish it out, but they can't take it. Thats a shame, because it only makes things worse for them in the long run. It's causing the world to become increasingly unsympathetic to Muslims and their issues.

Too often we see examples of their religious doctrine colliding with our freedom of the press and freedom of speech and I don't see us giving in on either of those two issues. But, even if we don't agree on that, they can't go around threatening to chop off heads everytime they hear a critical word.

Islam's religious leaders ought do something fairly soon to moderate all this extremism and do some fence mending or they may suddenly find themselves unwelcome in the civillized world. People are becoming increasingly disgusted by their long history of conquest, violence and oppression of basic human rights, not to mention their "mad bomber" approach to diplomacy.

Posted by Post Scripts at 11:48 AM | Comments (3)

February 02, 2006

Political Humor for Friday

Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But then I repeat myself ....Mark Twain

A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. .....Unknown

Posted by Post Scripts at 08:36 PM | Comments (0)

Follow up on State of the Nation Speech

Regarding cutting our dependence on unstable oil supplies. Bush called on us to cut imports of Arab oil by 75% by 2025, but perhaps that isn't enough, considering gulf oil only represents about 17% of our total oil imports?

Here are the current stats on oil production and it shows domestic production going down and imported oil is going up.

American Oil Production (millions of barrels per day)

1999 - 8.1
2000 - 8.1
2001 - 8.1
2002 - 8.0
2003 - 7.8
2004 - 7.6
Outlook - Domestic production is likely to continue slowly falling.

America's Percentage of Net Imported Oil

1999 - 50.8%
2000 - 52.9%
2001 - 55.5%
2002 - 53.4%
2003 - 56.1%
2004 - 58.4%

We must cut our growing dependence on foreign oil as the President said, "In order to stay competitive, America must end its dependence on oil. When you're hooked on oil from the Middle East, it means you've got an economic security issue and a national security issue."

Posted by Post Scripts at 10:24 AM | Comments (0)

February 01, 2006

Real Life Nuclear Crisis - Whats Your Decision?

Should the United States take military action against Iran's nuclear reactor to prevent them from obtaining nuclear weapons? Before you answer, I want you to imagine you are sitting in that big chair in the White House and you have to make a choice and soon, destroy Iran's nuclear facility or watch as Iran developes a nuclear weapon and see what happens.

There are hundreds of complex events that may be set in motion, ...

CONT-

both positive and negative, if you do take it out and just as many if you don't...and then there are those unforseen and unintended consequences.

Your threat assessment team comprised of members of the NSA, CIA and National Security Council have painted a very disturbing picture of Iran's new leader, President Ahmadinejad. He is narcissistic and a Muslim fanatic who believes in the return of the "Hammadi" and a great Muslim holy war that will follow. He sees annihilation of Israel and Zionism as a mandatory part of this holy end-game to fulfill prophecy. He distrusts, rejects and loathes all western influence. He sees himself as a conservative defender of the faith. He has no problem sacrificing innocent human life to meet his military and religious objectives. He believes that such a war is inevitable and that it was his destiny to be at this historic juncture as Iran's leader. Now he is doing the will of Allah, as prophecy has decreed. His extremist rhetoric has caused some concern within Iran, even amongst his most conservative followers, but he remains firmly in power and steadfast in his beliefs. He is absolutely defiant towards all forms of external pressure to cease the enrichment of uranium.

The UN has been frustrated repeatedly with Iran's lack of cooperation and adherence to the nuclear weapons proliferation treating. They are currently debating the next course of action if Iran continues to complete its nuclear reactor without inspectors.

Some at the UN suggest sanctions, but this seems only to provoke President Ahmadinejad who says any such threats from the UN will get all UN inspectors tossed from their land immediately. President Ahmadinejad makes it clear in many press conferences, that any attempt to attack Iran's nuclear plant will be met with an immediate and massive retaliatory strike, hinting at another 9/11 style of attack or worse.

The nation with the most to fear from Iranian nuclear weapons is Israel, but they lack the tactical ability to hit the reactor from the air. They are reluctant to try less reliable options. Russia has invested over $800,000,000 in the reactor and has offered to enrich the uranium fuel rods in Russia as a compromise, but Iran has rejected this offer.

The world's scientists say Iran's nuclear plant doesn't make any sense for energy. Iran has abundant oil reserves that could easily provide a cheaper and safer energy alternatives. The fact that Iran now intends to enrich its own uranium is a strong hint that this was never just about creating nuclear power, it must be about nuclear weapons.

President Ahmadinejad repeatedly makes statements that the Muslim world should wipe out Israel and he often talks about his belief in a final solution. This has the world dreading his next move!

What do you do Mr. President? Lives are at stake!

Posted by Post Scripts at 09:46 PM | Comments (3)

President's State of the Union Address

"Hindsight is not wisdom, second guessing is not a strategy", I loved that part! This obvious message to the dems over Iraq was clear and compelling. It's time to stop the partisan divisiveness and get on with whats best for America!

CONT-

What I didn't understand was the part where Bush was defending immigration as necessary to the economy. Who's against that? Is he talking about "illegal" immigration? Because 68% of Americans say we are extremely concerned about "illegal" immigrants, according to the latest poll, and that sure isn't good for the economy. But, for some reason Bush can't bring himself to connect "illegal" and immigration in the same sentence.

He also didn't speak to Mexico's aiding and abetting that illegal immigration. Most of us are very concerned about the Mexican government supplying helpful information like maps and how to apply for welfare to those sneaking across our border and if we don't like that imagine how we must feel about the 237 illegal border crossings by the Mexican Army protecting drug smugglers? All that never came up.

I would have loved to hear President Bush say, "If the Mexican Army crosses into the United States, threatening our police officers and protecting Mexican drug smugglers, we will defend ourselves. I have requested Apache helicopters to patrol the southern border and eliminate foreign military threats.." That would pretty much end this non-sense.

I also didn't understand why he had to emphasize staying the course in Iraq? Even the dems realize a premature withdrawal in Iraq would be a disaster. There's only 1 wacko in Congress and Cindy Sheehan supporting an immediate pull out...so why bother addressing a non-starter? Better to address Mexico attempting to ruin our welfare system.

I liked it when Dubya said he wanted to end our dependence on unstable (Arab) oil supplies by 2025, but thats hardly an original thought. I recall my Dad was saying that back in the 70's. Now, lets see if Bush can match the talk with the walk and do it.

President Bush seemed to be sowing the seeds of revolution when he directed his comments to the Iranian people, wishing them well, while hoping some day they could throw off the bonds of oppression and be a free and democratic society. I have no problem with him saying that, I just don't want our troops to do it for them! I was disappointed that he didn't say, "We're not going to allow a government of militant fanatics and maniacs to develop nuclear weapons. So, kiss that nuke plant at Bushehr good-bye!" But, I sure wished he had! Nobody I know wants to see Iran develope nukes.

Next, Bush finally defined who our enemy is and guess what? They are no longer the "evil doers" or the "bad guys", they have an identity and they are ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS! Well, hallelujah and call me Mohammed, it's about time! Thank you Dubya for that bit of clarification. Now if you can only bring yourself to say, illegal immigrant!

Cindy Sheehan made a brief appearance, but not brief enough. This idiot Congressman from California (democrat of course) invited C.S. to be part of the audience. Minutes before the speech was too begin Sheehan removed her coat and exposed her tee shirt which said, "2025 dead, how many more?" She was quickly whisked away by Secret Service Agents. Now before you libs start screaming about free speech, Sheehan was warned that federal law prohibited protesting inside the White House or Congress. No can do folks, no, no, no, if we didn't have that law the place would descend into chaos and nobody would hear the President's speech! It should be pointed out that another lady was also removed because her tee shirt said, "Support our Troops". So the law was applied fairly, but don't expect the generally biased leftwing media to note that part.

So, what did you think about the speech? Like it, hate it or were you watching the Simpson's?

Posted by Post Scripts at 07:42 AM | Comments (2)

The Prescription

Hump day humor...

A Woman walked into a pharmacy and said she wanted to purchase some cyanide. The pharmacist said, "Why in the world do you need cyanide?"
The lady then explained she needed it to poison her husband.

The pharmacist's eyes got big, and he said, "Lord, have mercy. I can't give you cyanide to kill your husband! That's against the law! I'll lose my license, they'll throw both of us in jail, and all kinds of bad things will happen! Absolutely not, you cannot have any cyanide!"

The lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacist's wife. The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied, "Well, now. You didn't tell me you had a prescription."

Posted by Post Scripts at 07:38 AM | Comments (0)