Immigration Battle, My Thoughts

Well, Senator Nelson disappointed me (I won't mention the other disappointing Senator from NE) and voted for cloture yesterday, but there is still a chance that the bill will fail with another cloture vote scheduled Thursday after the various amendments have been debated.

Meanwhile, Heritage's Robert Rector, who has been one of the point people arguing against the bill, answer his critics (in the link above) from the administration. Once again, the pro-amnesty crowd confuses (or attempts to confuse) the issue by grouping all immigrants together, rather than properly separating them into the illegal, little educated and low wage group and the legal, highly educated and high earning group (like those coming into the country on H1-B visas).

AGAIN, I am personally all for the latter group - the ones that follow the the rules, wait their turn, and contribute so mightily to our society. We need more doctors, engineers, software developers, etc. And I would personally like to allow more of that kind of immigrant into our nation, even to the point of (possibly) doubling the legal limit. I also think we have to take into account where they are coming from - are they fleeing a despotic dictator, or are their old societies unwelcoming or violent toward minority ethnic groups? If the answer is yes, then we should seriously consider making a place for them in our own society. People in such dire straits, where they are at risk in their own nations, should merit some additional consideration, in my view. (Think nations like Cuba, China, Venezeula, Zimbabwe, or any individual Christian or Jew living in a predominantly Muslim nation).

But we would have to drastically curtail the other type of immigrant, the ones that are a net drain on our society and resources, before I'd agree to that. I understand they are coming here for opportunities that do not exist in their home countries. That is the unifying thread of all immigrants, all the way back to the beginnings of this country and even before into pre-history. But up until the last 30 to 40 years, immigrants generally followed the prevailing rules that the US government established for the entry of new Americans. We have to control our own borders before we can face the questions of which people merit admittance to our society. Right now, we don't have any control over who arrives, where they are from, and what their behavior is when they arrive here. We also have no clue if they have the skills we need for the advancement of our economy and society.

I do not now, nor will I ever, support the notion that we should just accept the fact that all these people that are here illegally and reward their behavior with immediate citizenship. I can accept the fact that there should be a path to citizenship for such persons, but it should be long, difficult, and expensive, just as it is for the legal immigrants today. They have to prove themsleves worthy, as it were, for the price of cheating their way to admission. And those here illegally should start at the back of the line, not the front. If we are going to address such issues in legislation today, then we also need to make it easier to gain citizenship for the people that are following the rules, and set the bar very, very high for those that decided to come here not in accordance with US laws and regulations.

From what I have seen out of the pending legislation, it does not meet my criteria, nor does it come anywhere even close to it.

Immigration Bill

Senator Nelson is apparently on the fence in voting for cloture on the Senate Immigration/Amnesty bill, but I am slightly encouraged by the tone of his Senate website on the matter. We'll see if how he follows through with his vote tomorrow. I've both emailed and signed an online petition on the matter asking for a vote against cloture. I may call his office as well.

"Nelson believes that too many reform proposals will not work because they attempt to tackle too many issues at once. As any Husker football fan will tell you, even the best Blackshirt can’t tackle four running backs at the same time. Ben Nelson’s smarter, more effective, play is to take aim at one problem at a time and start where the problem starts—at the border.
Ben Nelson knows from visiting with Nebraskans how important the issue of illegal immigration is to them, and the national attention on this issue is proof that Nebraska is not alone.
Nelson authored bipartisan Border Security First bills in the 109 th Congress that would, among other things, double the number of border agents over five years and provide for the construction and installation of effective border security measures from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico."

Husker FB Preseason Magazine Ratings

via OWH, the pre-season College FB magazines are out, and the analyst's prognostications appear to jibe with my own, finishing 9-3, winning the Big 12 North and a finish in the top 25.
LB Bo Ruud is on two covers, Lindy's and Phil Steele's.

ATHLON'S• NU in Top 25: No. 18• NU in the Big 12: Third• Big 12 North: First• All-Big 12: First team - Bo Ruud, LB; Matt Slauson, OG. Second - Ndamukong Suh, DT. Third - Corey McKeon, LB; Maurice Purify, WR.• Oops: Magazines already were sitting on newsstands with Maurice Purify on regional Big 12 covers when the receiver was suspended indefinitely.• Notable: Ranks the Huskers' receivers and tight ends No. 1 in the Big 12. Ever think you'd see the day?• Big words: "(Sam) Keller should be just as - if not more - productive than predecessor Zac Taylor."

LINDY'S• NU in Top 25: No. 25• NU in the Big 12: Fourth• Big 12 North: First• All-Big 12: First team - Bo Ruud, LB; Matt Slauson, OG. Second - Ndamukong Suh, DT; Maurice Purify, WR.• Notable: Plugs Sam Keller as both Big 12 newcomer of the year and "strongest arm" among QBs but doesn't list the senior among its Top 25 nationally at the position. Who is ranked?• Big words: Of Sept. 15 USC-NU game, "Something tells us USC won't win as easily as it did last season in the Coliseum."

SPORTING NEWS• NU in Top 25: No. 23• NU in the Big 12: Third• Big 12 North: First• All-Big 12: First team - Bo Ruud, LB; Matt Slauson, OG. Second - Ndamukong Suh, DT; Maurice Purify, WR.• Notable: Places Bill Callahan at No. 21 among head coaches in BCS conferences (one spot behind Houston Nutt, by the way). Calls for NU over Texas on its "calendar of upsets."• Big words: "Nix those national title dreams and focus on winning the Big 12. That means going 4-0 in league play at home and splitting on the road. It's possible, and should be enough to win the North."

PHIL STEELE'S PREVIEW• NU in Top 25: No. 22• NU in the Big 12: Fourth• Big 12 North: Second• All-Big 12: First team - Bo Ruud, LB. Second - Corey McKeon, LB; Andre Jones, CB; Maurice Purify, WR; Matt Slauson, OG; Lydon Murtha, OT; Dan Titchener, P; Terrence Nunn, PR. Third - Ndamukong Suh, DT; Cortney Grixby, CB; Tierre Green, FS; Marlon Lucky, IB.• Notable: Calls Huskers' schedule No. 17 toughest in Division I-A.• Big words: "Even with USC and Texas on the schedule, I give the Huskers a great shot at topping last year's nine wins."

Major Offensive in Iraq

via The Fourth Rail, it appears General Petraeus has some big things going on in the areas around Baghdad. US and Iraqi forces are taking names and kicking A**.

"Four days after the announcement of major offensive combat operations against al Qaeda in Iraq and its allies, the picture becomes clearer on the size and scope of the operation. In today's press briefing, Rear Admiral Mark noted that the ongoing operation is a corps directed and coordinated offensive operation. This is the largest offensive operation since the first phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom ended in the spring of 2003.
The corps level operation is being conducted in three zones in the Baghdad Belts -- Diyala/southern Salahadin, northern Babil province, and eastern Anbar province --- as well as inside Baghdad proper, where clearing operations continue in Sadr City and the Rashid district. Iraqi and Coalition forces are now moving into areas which were ignored in the past and served as safe havens for al Qaeda and Sunni insurgent groups. As the corps level operation is ongoing, Coalition and Iraqi forces are striking at the rogue Iranian backed elements of Muqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army and continuing the daily intelligence driven raids against al Qaeda's network nationwide."

In effect we (the US and the Iraqi government forces) are pressing both the foreign Al-Queda on all fronts while simultaneously serving notice to troublemakers like Sadr that they had better get with the program or face the consequences. Three corps level ops running at the same time is a pretty heavy duty operational tempo. It's going to be a long tough slog through the summer, but I believe that we will see considerable progress made by September if we can sustain the pressure and give the Iraqi government enough space to achieve its political aims.

Husker Football Preview

Sunday Morning QB has a ridiculously early look at the 2007 Husker football squad. (HT: Double Extra Point, from the Local Yokels blogroll). Can't say I disagree much with the prognostications.

The schedule should be brutal, with 3 conference champs (USC, Wake and Nevada) in the non-conference schedule and then there is that always fun trip to Austin. Beating Mizzou in Columbia will be no small task either. The other road trips are to KU and CU and their always so polite fans will sure to be quite accomodating as well.

I'll go out on a limb and say 9-3 right now, and it could well be worse. However, former Husker RB Roger Craig seems to think this is the breakthrough year and that NU will wind up with a top 10 ranking. I hope he's right, but am not sold quite yet.

Nebraska Guard Unit on Way Home from Iraq

Great news from fellow Nebraskan blogger and Army National Guardsman Sack. My old unit, HHT 1/167 Cavalry is going HOME, and as of Saturday was already in Kuwait. The unit had been serving at Camp Anaconda in western Iraq. Eight Nebraska Guard members have died serving in Iraq. Sack gives the details and I think he also sums it up nicely on his post from June 5th.

" One thing that struck me about each of these soldiers is that most, if not all, were volunteers. Not just volunteers to join the Guard, as we are all, but volunteers to deploy to Iraq and do what needed to be done. I know that most of them could have stayed home, having already done duty in Kuwait, Bosnia, or a prior deployment to Iraq. But they didn't. Their unit, their state, and their country needed them, and they answered the call. And they paid the ultimate price. This may be cliche, but "Where do we find such men and women?" I am proud to wear the uniform and to have served in the Nebraska National Guard with MSG Tarango-Griess, SGT Fisher, SFC Jameson, SGT Ford, SSG Hansen, SGT Debro, SGT Matheny, and SPC Bailey. God bless you all. We will never forget you."

Amen.

Liberal Media Bias

via MSNBC, a somewhat surprising article given the source. They analyzed political contributions made by journalists to Federal candidates, PACs and the two major political parties. They found that of the 144 journalists making contriubtions, 125 gave to Democratic candidates or causes, 2 gave to both parties or candidates from both parties, and 17 to Republican causes. No surprise here, and although most of the contributing journalists do not cover politics, they certainly tilt overwhelmingly leftward.

"The pattern of donations, with nearly nine out of 10 giving to Democratic candidates and causes, appears to confirm a leftward tilt in newsrooms — at least among the donors, who are a tiny fraction of the roughly 100,000 staffers in newsrooms across the nation. "

A number of the organizations these journalists work for do not allow their employees to make such contributions (ABC & CBS for example), and several have changed or are examing their policies to prohibit such employee activity. Some of the organizations do allow employee contributons, such as FoxNews and Forbes magazine. There is no record that MSNBC could find of any of the journalists disclosing their contributions to the listeners or readers.

Different Ideas on the Right vs. Leftist Groupthink

Jeff Jacoby @ The Boston Globe via RCP talks about the (sometimes) bitter debate for ideas on the political right, and the dearth of any such on the political left.

"On one important issue after another, the right churns with serious disputes over policy and principle, while the left marches mostly in lockstep. Liberals sometimes disagree over tactics and details, but anyone taking a heterodox position on a major issue can find himself out in the cold. Just ask Senator Joseph Lieberman . In the liberal imagination, conservatives are blind dogmatists, spouters of a party line fed to them by (take your pick) big business, their church, or President Bush. Yet almost anywhere you look on the right these days, what stands out is the lack of ideological conformity."

Jacoby points out the current fight over immigration, the fact pro-abortion Rudy has been welcomed into the presidential race (while any pro-life Dem would be shot down immediately) and the debate on the right about stem cells, and health insurance. I would add there is also a lot of discussion on gun control, tax and trade policy, federal spending, alternative energy, global warming, military preparedness.

Atlantis Undocked From ISS

via Space.com

Shuttle Atlantis is on its way back to Earth after an eventful construction mission to the ISS. Undocking yesterday, the orbiter is scheduled to arrive in Florida at Cape Kennedy tomorrow afternoon.

" STS-117 crew arrived at the ISS on June 10 and performed four spacewalks to install a new pair of 17.5-ton trusses and unfurl two new solar arrays to the station's starboard side. The astronauts also stowed an older solar wing atop the station, stapled down a torn shuttle thermal blanket and assisted the Expedition 15 crew to revive vital Russian ISS computer systems after they failed last week.

During the shuttle mission, a new ISS crewmember relieved NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, who passed the 191-day mark in space Tuesday and is setting a new record for the longest spaceflight by a female astronaut. She joined the space station crew in December 2006 and relinquished her Expedition 15 flight engineer post to fellow NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson."

The STS-117 mission was the first of four planned shuttle missions slated for ISS construction this year. The new solar arrays delivered on this mission will allow for the the station to be expanded significantly when European and Japanese built modules are added later this year.
The new array gives the station a more balanced appearance, with each side of the orbiting outpost now featuring power generating solar panels.

Gates Needs Econ Course

John Stossel nails Bill Gates for a speech he gave to Harvard graduates telling them to help the poor because "the market did not reward saving the lives of these children" (in poor nations). The market is to blame for poverty? Wow, he's as ignorant about political economy as he is wealthy. The world is full of examples of the market alleviating the worst issues of poverty and hunger. How about the people of China, India, South Korea, etc. all pulled themselves out of poverty and hunger by utilizing the market.

"Can he name one poor country that permits the free market to operate? The problem is not that the market doesn't make it profitable to save lives -- it most certainly does. The problem is that Third World countries have overbearing, corrupt governments that are obstacles to private property and freedom. That's why the children's parents have no voice or power. Poor people in the West and in East Asia lifted themselves out of poverty by relying largely on the unplanned market process. That process -- countless individuals pursuing their own interests by trading with one another -- is, as Nobel Prize-winning economist F.A. Hayek put it, a "discovery procedure." Through the price system and free competition, it clarifies tradeoffs of scarce resources, generates the lowest-cost solutions, and provides feedback about success and failure through profit and loss. This spontaneous order is far better at "saving the lives of these children."

Source of Ancient Egyptians Gold Found

via Livescience, a new archaeological site in the northern area of Sudan has been discovered that leads the scholars there to believe that much of the famed gold of Egypt came from this area, the ancient land of Kush. However, it has not been noted how geographically extensive Kush was in ancient times, however. The new site is over 200 miles from the ancient Kushite capital of Kerma, with the implication that Kush was regionally quite powerful and had a strong centralized ruling class. The Egyptians traded extensively with the Kushite kingdom for their gold.

"The archaeologists think non-Egyptians called Kushites, who ruled the region, gathered gold at the site from about 2000 B.C. to 1500 B.C. and used it to trade with Egypt. “Based on what we’ve found, the kingdom of Kush was significantly larger and more powerful than anyone thought,” said Geoff Emberling, an archaeologist at the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute and co-leader of the expedition. Emberling explained most other clues of the Kushite’s reach have been inferred from written Egyptian records."

Unfortunately for the scientific team, this is likely the last chance they will have to examine the site. A dam is being built further downstream which will flood the area as soon as next year, and it is believed almost 2,500 potential sites might be in the flooded region.

Issues with "Renewable" Energy

Great article by William Tucker at The American Spectator about the myth of "renewable" energy. Energy isn't "renewable", even the Sun will run out of energy someday. The First Law of Thermodynamics posits that energy can neither be created or destroyed, it merely changes form. Great, but the Second Law of Thermodynamics posits that when energy being used to accomplish work, some of it becomes unrecoverable - to things like friction.

"In the process, however, some of the energy inevitably becomes inaccessible as "waste" or low-grade heat. Once dispersed, this energy achieves a state of high disorder or entropy. It cannot be reused, renewed, or recycled because it would take more energy to reassemble it than could be recovered."

Tucker further points out that when people talk of "renewable" energy sources, what they really mean are "inexhaustable" sources of energy. In effect, most sources of energy are related to the sun. Obviously solar power comes from the sun but also drives the water cycle, the wind, and is ultimately responsible for plant growth and thus most conventional fossil fuel energy sources derived from the breakdown of plants into petroleum and natural gas.

Solar has its uses - it is available when the need is the greatest, hot summer days, and could definitely aid us ona small scale. However, it doesn't really arrive in truly useful amounts, the kind that could be used for industrial scale purposes. Of course, we use fossil fuels for much of that, but waiting millions of years for these to be replenished isn't practical either, and there are those pesky byproducts, pollution and carbon dioxide. Biofuels aren't really a great answer either, because they compete with the alternate use of the crop as food, and buring them also releases those same pesky byproducts.

The one resource available to us that is nearly inexhaustable is that of the planet itself. Both geothermal energy and its artificially contrived corollary, nuclear power, are derived from the natural (or forced) breakdown of radiactive elements like uranium and thorium. The heat derived from these sources is transferred to water and used to drive electrical turbines. This source of energy is the only one known not dependent on the sun or solar energy stored in carbon bonds, thus it does not releasing any carbon into the atmosphere when utilized. Nuclear power is definitely the most ecofriendly of all conventional and non-conventional sources. Of course, it is also one of the most vilvified by certain segments of society, unfortunately.

Fred on Harry Reid

Over at Twonhall, Fred! busts out with a verbal smack down on the Senate Majority Leader and unsurprisingly the results are not pretty. Reid has been reported as calling Marine General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, "incompetent". Of course it goes without saying that a person rising to four star military rank and elevated to the Chair of the US military is most likely a pretty competent individual. He also stated that David Petraeus, the ground commander of the troops in Iraq, "out of touch". Petraeus literally wrote the US Army's Counter Insurgency doctrine and is one of the most highly educated generals in the US military, and is actually on the ground in country - unlike the good Senator.

"Reid has led the attack on the administration, with Nancy Pelosi, charging it lied and tricked America into supporting the war. Ignoring multiple hearings and investigations into pre-war intelligence findings that have debunked this paranoid myth, they accuse an entire administration of conspiracy to trick us into a war. I suppose that's easier for some than admitting that they've flip flopped -- but the fact that Reid says this sinister Republican plot is going to help him elect more Democrats ought to be raising a few flags. Saying General Pace is incompetent doesn't even rank near the top of his bizarre statements."

Of course, Fred also point out Harry Reid voted in support of the war back when this little shindig over in the sand got started up. He also points out that when someone in his position makes idiotic statements like the "war is lost, we can't win", etc. that our good friends over at AL-Jazeera Arab TV like to publicize it - and that makes the job of those young soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines a lot tougher.

Smallest Exoplanet May Be Too Warm for Life

Gliese 581c, the smallest exoplanet yet discovered at just five earth masses, may be too warm to support liquid water. Scientific excitement over the discovery of the planet was palpable as the planet orbits within its star's habitable zone, leading to speculation that it might harbor liquid water and be a viable candidate in the search for extra-terrestrial life. However, it appears the planet may be too warm due to an atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide and methane, leading to a runaway greenhouse effect such as that found in our own solar system on the planet Venus.

"Of the more than 200 extrasolar planets, or "exoplanets," discovered since 1995, Gliese 581c was the first found that resides within the habitable zone of its star, if only barely. The habitable, or "Goldilocks" zone is the region around a star where the temperature is neither too hot nor too cold, so water can exist on a planet's surface in its liquid state. Water is a key ingredient for life as we know it.

But new simulations of the climate on Gliese 581c created by Werner von Bloh of the Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany and his team suggest the planet is no Earthly paradise, but rather a faraway Venus, where carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere create a runaway greenhouse effect that warms the planet well above 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 Celsius), boiling away liquid water and with it any promise of life."

However, those same greenhouse conditions found on Gliese 581c may also hold sway on sister planet Gliese 581d, possilby allowing for liquid water there. At eight earth masses, 581d is the second smallest planet yet found. This new data point out that the atmospheric conditions of these distant planets have to also be taken into account when searching for potential life bearing planets. One other item that leads scientists to believe there could be alien life forms in the system is that the star is relatively old and has been quite stable over the period it has been observed.

Origins of the Ancient Etruscans Pinpointed

The origin of the ancient Etruscan people of Northern Italy has long been an archaeological mystery. Their culture and artwork differs greatly from that of every other group of people living in Italy. There have been three competing theories of their origins. One holds that they arose indigenously from the North Italian plains, another that they immigrated to the area from somewhere north of the Alps, and the other that they came from the Near East, possibly Anatolia. New DNA testing of the inhabitants of the area and comparisons with other genetic evidence from the Mediterranean basin show fairly conclusive evidence of the orgin being in modern Turkey, in what was then called Lydia, (modern Izmir) along the south-eastern coast.

"The scientists compared DNA samples taken from healthy males living in Tuscany, Northern Italy, the Southern Balkans, the island of Lemnos in Greece, and the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia. The Tuscan samples were taken from individuals who had lived in the area for at least three generations, and were selected on the basis of their surnames, which were required to have a geographical distribution not extending beyond the linguistic area of sampling. The samples were compared with data from modern Turkish, South Italian, European and Middle-Eastern populations."

The mystery has been long running: the three competing theories were proposed by Classical Greek historians, and it turns out Herodotus, the father of history, was right all along about the cultures origins. The Etruscans settled in Italy during the late Bronze era, probably before 1200 BC. It is thought that a long famine in their homeland led to the migration to Italy. The culture had a profound influence on the later development of the neighboring Roman culture.

President to Veto Congressional Spending Bills

Columnist Robert Novak has learned that the President has decided to get out his pen - the veto pen, that is. Of the 12 Appropriations bills that are being sent to the President, he plans on vetoing three-fourths of them, and has the votes to sustain the vetoes. As has been widely noted, Bush did not veto any bills from the Congress when it was controlled by Republicans, although he did threaten to do so on occaision in order to bring the spending within the White House budget parameters. The only bills expected to be signed are the ones dealing with the VA and the two dealing with the actual operations of the Federal government and Congress itself.

"It is an offensive pressed on Bush by congressional GOP leaders and by his own budget director, Rob Portman, a former member of the House Republican leadership as a congressman from Ohio. Portman believes the 2006 electoral catastrophe in his state was caused mainly by Republicans losing the mantle of fiscal responsibility. Unless it is retrieved, Ohio -- and the presidency -- will go to the Democrats in 2008. By vetoes that would slice over $20 billion in Democratic spending, Bush is seeking to transform that outlook. It will trigger an epochal political struggle in the months ahead."

It's long overdue that the administration and the Republicans in Congress started to actually walk the walk on spending. Maybe the sting of the 2006 Election losses will remind them that the voters want accountability and expect the people they elect to keep their promises.

Mitt Romney Campaign Literature

No link, but I've recieved some campaign literature from the candidate, and I've been giving some blog time to others, so it's probably overdue to give a short spiel on him. Right on the heels of the Mayor's 12 point plan I get the Governor's 10 point plan in the mail. Interesting. Of course, I'm still throwing away all the crap John McCain's been sending me.

1. Defeat the Jihadists - no argument here, he suggests it will take both military and diplomatic efforts, and some attitude adjustments from Muslims. Pretty clear thinking here.

2. Compete with Asia - Aren't we already doing that? Blurb says something remotely pro-trade, welcoming investment and educating our children. Not sure what his point is, but I think we have to compete globally, not just with one particular area.

3. Stop Runaway Spending - Good luck getting the other party to agree to that one, but I do appreciate the sentiment.

4. Getting Immigration Right - wants to increase legal immigration for skilled workers, and strongly enforce the border. Best thing I've heard since #1.

5. Achieving Energy Independence - Refers to domestic drilling, conservation efforts, and alternate energy sources, just like almost every other Republican candidate.

6. Affirming America's Culture and Values - a fairly innoculous list pandering for the social conservative vote. Nice rhetorical flourishes. Not sure superpower status relies exclusively on these values, however.

7. Simplifying the Tax System - doesn't explicitly endorse making the Bush cuts permanent, but does say he wants to keep taxes low and reduce the complexity of the code, both items I favor.

8. Investing in Technology - Oh, boy. Corporate welfare. Which industries and companies do you pick? Mentions American firms spend more on tort liability than R & D, sounds to me like some justified legal reforms are long overdue rather than having my tax money being spent on solar panels or what have you so some business can bring a product to market on my dime.

9. Extending Health Insurance to All Americans - this guy is a Republican? Says it won't be a government program, but ??? What it going to cost? What if I'm young and healthy and don't like forking out half my paycheck to an insurance company?

10. Raise the Bar on Education - another UGHHH issue, the federal government's involvement with this subject has been conclusively proven to be entirely counterproductive. Says nothing about school choice or vouchers.

I can certainly tell he's from Massachussets. While I have some issues with these issues, he's almost certainly better than any Democrat with the possibly exception of Governor Richardson.
I've been getting alot of mailings from the major players beggin for money, this is the first I can recall that had the candidate's laundry list of issues. McCain's been sending me surveys for over a year, and the Mayor's sent me a number of deals as well.

I sure hope Fred gets his campaign together soon. A couple of pundits believe, like I do, that it will come down to the Mayor and Fred. Romney did not impress me before, and this list, while it has some good elements, does not inspire a great deal of confidence in the candidate from my perspective.

More on Pluto

via National Geographic.

Astronomer Mike Brown of CalTech discoverer of several Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) in the distant reaches of our solar system, has led a new analysis of the dwarf planet Eris (formerly called Xena and 2003 UB313) that places its mass firmly ahead (up to a third larger) of our old friend Pluto, demoting it not only from planet status but also as the King of the KBOs. The key was getting the mass of Eris' moon, Dysnomia.

"The key to finding Eris' mass was its tiny moon, Dysnomia. Brown and Schaller used Keck and Hubble to capture images of the moon's position over time. The data suggest that Dysnomia is Eris' only moon and orbits every 15 days. The researchers also calculated the total mass of the pair—about 1.27 times that of Pluto—and revealed that the objects are made of around 70 percent rock, making them as dense as Pluto and Triton, a moon of Neptune."

Of course, it has been Brown's work on the region that has ignited the controversy over the definition of the word planet and the status of our formerly ninth planet in the first place. However, there are still those who favor the initial IAU (International Astronomical Union) definition that would allow Pluto to maintain its planetary status, and add both Eris and Ceres (formerly an asteroid) all now both "dwarf planets". However, after much discussion, that definition was shelved in favor of another more restrictive one that resulted in the creation of the new "dwarf planet" category that the three solar objects now dubiously enjoy.

How Wealthy is the US?

Cool site called Strange Maps has a US economic map with the names of the states replaced by the name of the nation with the nearest sized economy. (HT: QandO)

The map shows the nation with the Gross Domestic Product nearest in value to each US state. The results are pretty interesting, although it doesn't take into account the different populations (i.e., per capita GDP) , which would probably trend it even more in the favor of the US economy. The US economy is almost larger than the next four largest national economies (Japan, Germany, China and the UK) combined.

California would be the eighth largest national economy in the world (about the same as France's - ironic, isn't it) if it were its own nation, Texas tenth (about the same size as Canada's economy). If the ten largest state economies were nations, they would all rank in the current top twenty nations. Nebraska's economy is about the same as that of the Czech Republic (#44 on the world list) , Iowa's is comparable to that of Venezuela (#39). The only state that would not rank in the current world top 100 would be Wyoming, at 101, about the same is Uzbekistan.

ISS Computers Back Online

Meanwhile, on the ISS, the Russians have apparently re-established their computers controlling the environmental and maneuvering systems aboard the station. The shuttle Atlantis mission had already been extended to deal with a repair issue to a thermal blanket on the orbiter, and it was discussed that the shuttle might have had to return the station crew to Earth.

"An unexplained glitch shutdown primary Russian computers aboard the ISS early Wednesday, leaving it dependent on the station's U.S. gyroscopes and thrusters aboard Atlantis for attitude control and other primary systems. The issue left mission managers contemplating a one-day extension to the space shuttle Atlantis crew's already extended 13-day mission to give additional time to work through the glitch."

The computer glitch was speculated to have been caused by the installation of new power systems aboard the station as the shuttle crew continues its construction mission to the station. Power was restored this morning to the stations Zarya module around 7 am US Eastern time.

Mars Once Had Oceans

via National Geopgraphic.

New evidence has been analyzed by scientists, building a pretty convincing case that the planet Mars once had oceans located in its northern hemisphere. The new evidence shows that the poles of the planet have shifted, blurring the ancient shorelines as the land warped due to the centrifigal force of the planet's rotation. The researchers believe that the poles have moved as much as 1800 miles form their old position, disturbing the old shorelines of the Arabia and Deuteronilus "seas".

Now if we could just figure out where all the water went. Underground? To the poles? Lost to space? Vacuumed off by Klingons? I want to know, damn it.

A little more on this from Space.com, here.

Extrasolar Planets

via Livescience, a good article on exoplanets, and what we've discovered so far about them. Most notable is the smallest yet found, Gliese 581 C, which is about only 5 earth masses and could hold liquid water. In total, over 200 planets have been discovered orbiting other stars so far, with more being observed almost every week or so it seems. Around 25 systems have been found that hold multiple planets like our own solar system. The goal of course, is to find another planet like our own.

"The ultimate goal, say many planet hunters, is to find Earth-like planets, or those with similar masses, orbits and rocky compositions to Earth. And beyond finding the physical Earth-like attributes would be to find life. So far no "Earths" have been identified, though observatories are coming online with the sensitivity to detect small objects that orbit far from their host stars, as our planet does."

There are two principal methods of discovery, the "wobble" method, where the gravitational influence of a planet is observed in a star's light reaching Earth, and the "transit" method, where a planet crossing it's star's light reaching us here on Earth causes an observable (to a computer, anyway) decrease in the light reaching us. The wobble method has been the most successful in finding planets as the transit method depends greatly on all the astronomical bodies lining up just right. Even so, around 20 planets have been discovered using the method.

I just know the Vulcans and Klingons are out there waiting for us.

Happy Flag Day

A veteran discusses what flag day means to him, via the Orlando Sentinel (HT: RCP). He points out that while Flag Day isn't celebrated the way it probably should be, Old Glory gets a pretty good display on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Veteran's Day. Further, he discusses what to him (and to me as well) is a disturbing trend in the attitudes of some citizens towards the flag.

"Some of us have even gone far enough from the basics to see our flag as a political symbol, one adopted by or representing some parts of our population and not others, something that signifies one political party, or set of beliefs, or values or one philosophy or another. I'm only 69 years old, only spent 31 of those years in a uniform under that flag, but have been around a bit and seen a fair amount. Not for one minute of those 31 years, or since, have I ever believed America's flag to represent anything other than all of us, be we rich or poor, native or naturalized, with no distinction for our station in life, our race, creed, gender, education or national origin. It is the one unifying element that has and should continue to bring all of us together in both good times and bad, in peace and in war. It is the common bond that connects us all, or should."

As a fellow citizen and veteran, I could not agree more.

Rudy's Contract with America

While having thrown in with Thompson, I will still take a look at other candidates, particularly ones that also appeal to me on some level. Rudy has a 12 point contract with America he is publishing at NRO that he says he'll implement if elected. Nice talking points, to be sure.

1. He'll keep America on the offensive against terrorists.
2. End illegal immigration and identify every non-citizen in our nation.
3. Restore fiscal discipline to Washington.
4. Cut taxes and reform the tax code.
5. Impose accountability on Washington.
6. Lead America to energy independence.
7. Give Americans more control over their health care choices
8. Increase adoptions, decrease abortions, and protect children's quality of life.
9. Reform the legal system and appoint Constructionist judges.
10. Ensure every American community is prepared for a terrorist attack.
11. Give access to quality education to every American child by allowing school choice.
12. Expand American involvement in the global economy and strengthen our reputation.

Like a lot of politicians, he is strong on the rhetoric, and it all sounds pretty wonderful and I wish it all were politically possible. I just don't see how it all gets accomplished with the facts on the ground. I can see points that 1, 2, 9, 10 and 12 are definitely executive issues and can be accomplished, but 12 will be difficult to make progress on until you replace wholesale parts of the State Department and perhaps some of the other Federal agencies. Point 10 also depends a lot on the quality of local officials, which can vary a lot as hurricanes in Florida have proven to be nowhere near the problem that hurricanes in Louisiana have wound up being. Point 2 would also need some involvement with Congress, but you could at least start by enforcing the current laws, particularly those about employment.

Points 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 11 needs A LOT of help from the legislative branch, which is unlikely with the other party in power there. You'd need a change in at least one house in Congress to even get started on much of it, but all the Republican candidates face that same problem. At least points 3-5 could be partially addressed, but the others aren't really executive issues at all and would almost certainly get loaded up with crud like earmarks in the process of crafting the legislation.

6 is currently wishful thinking at best and until a market based solution is reached, there really isn't a whole lot anyone can do, although expanding our ability to drill domestically would be a good start, and the government could push for more research into some of the more promising technologies.

This is not to be overly critical of the good Mayor, just simply my critique of the usual campaign rhetoric that every candidate for every office spouts off, and I'm sure Fred and every other person running will do the same, it's just a part of the process to make campaign promises that require help from the other branches of government. You can always blame them if you don't follow through.

Oldest Jewelry Discovered in Moracco

via National Geographic.

The oldest jewlery ever found has been discovered in Moracco. The thirteen tiny clay coated shells are estimated to be around 82,000 years old and have perforations for being strung together to be worn as a bracelet or necklace. The major implications of jewelry making for human developmental history are thought to be that the symbolism involved with the creation of such artifacts is the root of modern cultures.

"In a paper published in the June issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the archaeologists suggest that the beads mark a shift in human development and the beginnings of modern cultural behavior. "We think that they were capable of thinking symbolically and able to use one thing to represent another," Barton said. Possibly the beads were used to establish group identity and indicate where certain people belonged. Similar cultural signs, such as specialized tools and personal decoration, didn't arrive in Europe until around 40,000 years ago."

Another interesting tidbit is that the animal shells used are only now native to Tunisia, hundreds of miles away, suggesting a very early exchange network between different groups, or fairly long distance travel. Similiar shells have been found as far away as Israel, and could be even older (perhaps as much as 100-135,000 years ago), although they have not been dated to the same precision as the Moraccan samples and thus are not yet claimed to be the oldest. Other samples found in Algeria are much younger (around 35,000 years), but show that the use of these shells as decorative cultural items was both long lasting and widespread.

Shuttle Mission Extended

via MSNBC.

Shuttle Atlantis has arrived at the ISS and will stay an additional two days in order to attempt to repair a damaged thermal blanket on the shuttle's main engines that was discovered Saturday on the after launch inspection the oribiter now makes because of the Columbia tragedy.

"Engineers didn’t think the intense heat when the shuttle re-enters Earth’s atmosphere could burn through the graphite structure underneath the blanket, but they worried it might cause some damage that would require repairs on the ground."

Meanwhile, despite some scheduling issues caused by overloaded station gyroscopes, the first 6 1/2 hour spacewalk has placed the 35,000 pound truss segment that will provide additional power capability to the station. Two more spacewalks are planned for ISS construction, and one more might be needed for the shuttle repairs as well.

Torre Wins 2000th Game

via MSNBC.

Mike Mussina pitched a solid six-plus innings and Alex Rodriguez hit a late grand slam to put the game out of reach as the New York Yankees defeated the Chicago White Sox 10-3 for NY manager Joe Torre's 2000th career victory. Torre has also managed the Braves, Mets and Cardinals in his career, but has enjoyed his most success wiht the Yankees, whom he has managed since 1996. He is the tenth manager to reach the milestone, and is only nine victories from moving up to ninth place on the all time victory chart, ahead of legendary manager Leo Durocher. The Yankees are now 27-31, but have won six of their last eight. They trail the evil Red Sox by a whopping 10 1/2 games.

Matters of Conscience

via Doug Bandow at NRO.

Great article on the recent decision by a Malaysian court to prevent a Malysian woman from converting from Islam to Christianity. Malaysia is obstensibly a secular state, but majority Muslim, and other faiths are "limited" and once you are identified as a Muslim, you can apparently never change faiths. Malaysia is about 60% Muslim.

"Although there is no overt persecution in Malaysia, non-Muslims face significant restrictions. The government officially promotes Islam; Muslim civil servants must attend religion courses. “Proselytizing of Muslims by members of other religions is strictly prohibited, although proselytizing of non-Muslims faces no similar obstacles,” reports the U.S. State Department. Violators may be fined and imprisoned. Moreover, “belittling Islam” comes with the risk of imprisonment under the Sedition Act."

Hence the case of one Lina Joy, a Muslim Malay that has been attending Catholic services since 1990 and was baptized into that faith in 1998. She is attempting to simply have the government recognize her change in faith but religious matters are referred from the civil courts in Malaysia to Islamic sharia courts, where a charge of apostasy can be...problematic, to say the least.

"Apostasy is a serious Islamic offense, and converts face fines and imprisonment; some offenders are “counseled” and, if they remain recalcitrant, are sent to “rehabilitation” centers in the mold of Communist reeducation camps. (Only one of the 13 states in Malaysia actually allows apostasy, and only after an attempt at “rehabilitation,” while one sets death as punishment, though no one has yet been executed.)"

Unfortunately, while Joy took her case to civil court, she has lost the case to have the government identify her as Christian at all the various levels of Malay courts. Disowned by her family and having lost her job due to the controversy, her only apparent recourse is to emmigrate. She cannot marry her boyfriend, a fellow Catholic, unless he converts to Islam, and any children they might have could be taken from them unless they are educated as Muslims.

Unbelievable.

Thompson Donations, Republican Campaign, etc.

I guess I've decided to support Fred for the Republican nomination. See the widget on the side.

Interesting news over the last couple of days is that both Rudy Guiliani and John McCain have announced that they have decided to take their toys home and won't be participating in the Iowa Straw Poll. Romney appears to be cleaning both their clocks there as of right now.

No word if Fred is going in to Iowa or not, but he did get interviewed by Larry Kudlow last night, transcript here, although the comments section seem a bit bizarre. Fred seems to be everywhere right on the web right now, which is both good news and pretty cool.

Even more on Fred from QandO's Jon Henke - he's joining the Thompson campaign, which is also excellent news, I have a lot of respect for Jon. He also points out an outstanding piece on the case for Fred made by Mike Turk at a site called Kung Fu Quip (clever sitename, BTW). All of this does nothing but reinforce my belief that Fred is the right candidate.

Global Warming Climate Modeling Flawed

via NG again.

Global climate models have apparently failed in their predictions in at least one respect - as the Earth has warmed, precipitation has also increased in a similiar fashion. Satellite imagery available since 1987 has been recently analyzed showing this to be the case.

"The results fly in the face of many of the world's most sophisticated climate models, which predict that worldwide rainfall will increase at a much slower rate than temperatures.
The findings also cast doubt on the ability of climate models to accurately predict precipitation on regional scales."

Most climate models tend to predict that dry areas will get drier, and wet ones wetter with additional warming, but the evidence does not appear to be stacking up in this fashion, which is good news for regions such as the Americna Southwest.

Ooops.

Polynesians Brought Chickens to South America

via National Geographic.

Polynesian sailors, already credited with discovering and colonizing most of the Pacific islands, apparently also made it to South America - explaining the mystery of how chickens arrived there before Columbus "discovered" the New World. Ancient chicken bones found at a site in central Chile have been genetically identified as coming from SE Asia, the origin of the Polynesian seafarers. The bones appear to date from the 14 or 15th centuries.

"The researchers used carbon dating on the same bone used for DNA testing. The analysis suggested the bone was buried between A.D. 1320 and 1410. These dates, which fit well with those of other artifacts found at the same site, were determined with a dating technique called thermoluminescence. The dates of the Chilean chicken bones also roughly fit with when Polynesians would be expected to have reached the Americas, since they probably traveled eastward from Easter Island, which was first settled as late as A.D. 1200."

Hoffman First to 500 Saves

San Diego Padres closer Trevor Hoffman extended his MLB record for career saves to 500 last night. He set the record last year, bypassing Lee Smith's mark of 478. While Hoffman wasn't an immediate success with the club (fans booed him in some his early appearances), he is probably second to only long time teammate and Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn as the most recognized member of the club today. The Padres started surefire HOFer Greg Maddux last night in defeating the Dodger's Randy Wolf 5-2 at Petco Park. Geoff Blum made the game for the Pads with 4 RBIs.

"Hoffman set the career record with his 479th save on Sept. 28 against Pittsburgh, breaking Lee Smith's old mark of 478. Hoffman finished the 2006 season with 482. While noting that 500 is only 22 more than Smith's old record, Hoffman said, "It's special in its own right. I think it's like trying to compare your kids to one another. They're special in their own way."
Hoffman said he was thinking of Mark Merila, the Padres' longtime bullpen coach who has been battling a brain tumor for years and wasn't at the ballpark Wednesday night.
The right-hander was an unknown rookie with two saves when the Padres obtained him in a controversial five-player deal on June 24, 1993. It was one of the big trades of the Padres' "fire sale" that summer as they shed as many big salaries as they could. Gary Sheffield, who won the NL batting title the season before, was one of the two players who went to the Marlins in the trade."

SD is on a four game winning streak, and has won nine of its last eleven. They are currently in first place in the NL West.

First Nebraskan in Space

via Omaha's KETV, the shuttle is carrying the first Nebraskan in to space as well. Pretty cool.

The shuttle Atlantis will also carry the first Nebraskan in space, Clay Anderson of Ashland, NE to the ISS where he will take over mission specialist duties from fellow astronaut Sunita Williams. The weather report in Florida indicates a 70% chance of a launch on June 8, although there is a possibility weather could delay it. The current launch window expires June 12th. If the shuttle launches successfully tomorrow, it will return on June 19th.

Alot more on our Mr. Anderson at Sapce.com here. Apparently, he was a late add to the crew in order to bring Williams home at a regular ISS mission interval of about six months. He was orignally scheduled to go to the orbiting station in August on the STS-118 mission. He 's been workign with NASA since 1983 and joined the astronaut corps in 1998. He'll serve as flight engineer and science officer while aboard the ISS.

"Anderson holds a bachelor's of science degree in physics from Nebraska's Hastings College and a master's of science degree in aerospace engineering. He joined NASA full-time in 1983 to help design shuttle and ISS rendezvous and docking operations within the Mission and Planning and Analysis Division at JSC. Anderson joined NASA's astronaut ranks in 1998, where he has trained for a long-duration spaceflight from the start. He served as a crew support astronaut for the station's Expedition 4 mission, and later as a backup crewmember for Expeditions 12, 13 and 14 for the orbital laboratory."

Atlantis Readies for Launch

via Space.com

Shuttle Atlantis and its seven person crew is prepped and ready to go on its STS-117 construction mission to the ISS. Two rookie astronauts get their first taste of spaceflight, and also get to go spacewalking as well.

"First-time spaceflyers John "Danny" Olivas and Steve Swanson, along with five fellow crewmates, are due to launch spaceward June 8 aboard NASA's space shuttle Atlantis on a construction mission to the International Space Station (ISS)...Of the mission's three planned spacewalks, Olivas will take part in the first and third excursions while Swanson will participate in the second."

The shuttle is to deliver two trusses and an additional solar array to the station on this misison in preparation for two further construction missions later this year delivering additional Japanese and European modules to the base.

Hagel gets some Press

Meanwhile, the New York Sun begins to wonder whether or not Chuck Hagel could survive a priamry fight against Nebraska Attorney General John Bruning. Uhh...probably not, as I am a guy that voted for him....once upon a time in land far, far away. But I will never do so again, so help me God.

"It'll be interesting to see how Mr. Hagel's weakness on foreign policy plays in the American heartland when challenged by a strong candidate such as Mr. Bruning. There's been talk of Mr. Hagel mounting a Republican presidential campaign or joining with Mayor Bloomberg on an independent presidential ticket, but it looks to us as if the senator from the cornhusker state may be lucky if he even manages to hold on to his Senate seat."

Fred's Website is Up

http://www.imwithfred.com/index.aspx

A bit scanty today, but I'm sure more will be added over the next month.

A lot of press for Fred over the last few days as well, some of it not terribly flattering, but not terribly accurate either. See here, and a bit on his fund raising here, as well as his post Republican debate interview by Hannity & Colmes here.

Also, the Rasmussen Poll has him in second nationally among Republican candidates to Rudy, six points behind, good news on either front, in my opinion. At least both are serious about the war and growing the economy.

History of Cheesemaking

Livescience finally comes up with a delicious article on how and why one of my favorite foods has so many varieties. It also describes the processes used in the creation of it - everything you ever wanted to know about cheese and maybe then some.

"In fact, all cheese types—there are now more than 1,400--initially arose due to the unique constraints forced by geography and the human effort to preserve the valuable commodity that is milk, says food scientist Paul Kindstedt, of the University of Vermont.
Cheese recipes initially arose as a way to preserve the nutritional value in milk for longer periods of time, so the number of types primarily reflects the number of struggling pre-industrial communities that successfully devised a method to achieve this given their local climate, resources and terrain."

In short, different constraints caused by local conditions inspired different methods, giving us the wide ranging and delicious results known today. mmmmmm.

More on Fred

Fred gets interviewed by USA Today, although the content of the interview itself is a bit...spotty. However, the paper does give some details as to why he decided to run and they rate his chances as pretty good given the disastifaction many Republicans are voicing over the current field.

""I can't remember exactly the point that I said, 'I'm going to do this,' " Thompson says, his 6-foot, 6-inch frame sprawled comfortably across a couch in a hotel suite. "But when I did, the thing that occurred to me: 'I'm going to tell people that I am thinking about it and see what kind of reaction I get to it.' "

His late start carries some problems but also "certain advantages," he says. "Nobody has maxed out to me" in contributions, he notes, and using the Internet already "has allowed me to be in the hunt, so to speak, without spending a dime."

Thompson could reshape a GOP contest in which each of the three leaders has significant vulnerabilities and none of the seven second-tier contenders has broken through. Without formally joining the race — he's preparing to do that as early as the first week of July — Thompson already is placing third and better among Republican candidates in some national polls."

One of the things I like about Thompson is that he's his own man, and wants to campaign his way - smarter not harder, using the Internet and nontraditional media sources to get his message out. The response he crafted to filmmaker Michael Moore a couple of weeks ago was pretty classic - he videoed a quick response and posted it to the web, where it's had nearly 100,000 hits.

The article relates his decision in his Tennessee Senate campaign to chuck the advisors and drive himself around the state in his red pickup truck. The numbe rone thing I like about him are the campaign themes he is stressing - tighter borders, smaller government and lower taxes. Those are all issues I can get behind in a big way.

Washington Post also has an article here on Fred.

Speculation is Fred Announces in July

via MSNBC.

Fred has formed a "testing the waters" committee and is expected to dip his toe in those waters June 4, with the intention of announcing as soon as July 4.

"The June 4 filing will be coordinated with a first-day fundraising blitz with 100-plus "First Day Founders" raising a significant one-day sum in order to send a we're-in-the-first-tier message."

Thompson would be the highest profile southern candidate in the Republican field, the geographical center of the party. Many Republicans are reported to not be terribly excited about the current crop of candidates, yeilding speculation that either Thompson or former House Speaker Newt Gringrich would enter the race. Thompson's entry might prevent Newt from entering the field himself, and could also cloud the prospects for Senator John McCain, the candidate Thompson most resembles on the issues.

I've been cautiously optimistic about a Thompson run, and hope that he does so in order to broaden the field of front runners and get some substative insights into the issues. At least to this point, he appears to me to be the most impressive for a host of reasons, a big one being his formidable yet plain spoken communication skills with the public.

That being said, I still have a lot of respect for Mayor Guiliani and Governor Romney (I can't stand McCain for another host of reasons, although I certainly respect his miltary service), but I don't believe them to be quite as strong a candidate as Fred, at least not right now. My thinking is that it might come down to Rudy or Fred, with Romney a not so distant third.

Chinese Interested in Building Aircraft Carriers

Richard Halloran via RCP. Now this is a bit disturbing, not sure what they think they need a CVA for, if not to try to intimidate their neighbors, or try to slug it out with another Pacific power, namely, the US of A.

US Admiral Tim Keating, fresh from a visit with military counterparts in the People's Republic, indicated officials there are very, very interested in constructing their own CVAs. While they have long expressed interest in carriers (as long ago as 1977), that interest seems to have become magnified recently after the rapid US and allied response to the Suamtran tsunami of 2004, which caused Chinese leadership some embarassment with their inability to repsond themselves.

"Internal discussion and external speculation over China's acquisition of an aircraft carrier has been churning along for at least 25 years but now seems to have picked up momentum. Keating said he sensed that, just below the surface, the Chinese saw aircraft carriers as potent symbols of great power status, a clear Chinese aspiration."

Other reasons the Chinese wish to pursue naval aviation are for the capability to project military power, the ability to defend their oil lifeline through the Straits of Malacca, and their regional rivalries with India and Japan, both of whom boast a more significant surface navy. The Chinese have traditionally focused on acquiring submarine technology, particulary quiet diesel electric boats. This shift in thinking and priorities toward naval airpower might be reflected as soon as their next 5 year military budget, which will be formulated in 2011.

At least we have several years to study the issue and determine what, if any, response we should take. Building a CVA takes us several years, not sure if the Chinese could produce one any faster, although I'm sure they could likely gather the materials pretty quickly.

Heroes You Haven't Heard About

Jeff Emanuel (posted at both at NRO and The American Spectator) relates the stories of 4 brave men, from each branch of the service, that gave their lives for the cause of freedom.

Michael Monsoor, United States Navy, was a SEAL team member that sacrificed his life jumping on a grenade to save three other individuals on his team and eight Iraqi soldiers during the battles for Ramadi in Iraq. The amazing part of this act was that Monsoor was the only man in the room that was in a position to vacate it - meaning he could have saved himself.

"According to the Associated Press, "One SEAL lieutenant...watched Monsoor shield him and others from exploding hot metal...when the grenade blew up their sniper position. 'Mikey had the best chance of avoiding harm altogether,' said the officer. 'But he never took his eye off the grenade.""

Monsoor, already a Bronze Star recipient at the time of his death, earned a Silover Star for this act, and has his name has been submitted for the Medal of Honor.

Jason Dunham, United States Marine Corps, saved the lives of his fellow Marine teammates during a vehicle search after a Marine convoy was ambushed. Dunham and an insurgent were engaged in a hand to hand struggle when the insurgent dropped a grenade. Like Monsoor, Dunham jumped onto the grenade and also used his helmet to contain the blast, saving several other Marines from injury. He succumbed to the wounds he suffered a week later, and has been awarded the Medal of Honor for his selfless act of bravery in a White House ceremony on Jan. 11 of this year.

Ross McGinnis, United States Army joined the US Army at the age of seventeen (so did this blogger, BTW) and joined an infantry company based in Germany, which in turn deployed to Iraq last year. McGinnis was such an outstanding soldier and distinguished himself so much in his service in Iraq that an exemption was requested, and granted, to promote him to the grade Specialist (E-4) despite not having the requisite time of service. Like the two brave souls above, McGinnis also lost his life saving others from a grenade. McGinnis was manning a .50 caliber MG from a Humvee when a grenade thrown from an rooftop entered the vehicle hatch. Like Monsoor, he could have saved himself, but chose to sacrifice himself to save others.

"According to platoon sergeant Cedric Thomas, who was commanding the vehicle, "McGinnis yelled 'Grenade...It's in the truck!'...I looked out of the corner of my eye as I was crouching down and I saw him pin it down."He had time to jump out of the truck. He chose not to."

McGinnis has been awarded the Silver Star, and has also been submitted for the Medal of Honor. He was 19 years of age at the time of his death.

Jason Cunningham, United States Air Force, had an unusual career path; he spent four years in the US Navy before joining the USAF with the goal of joining the elite Air Force Pararescue team. This is a team of medics (there are less than 1000 such in the entire USAF) that specialize in deploying by any means necessary to provide medical aid to downed pilots or special operations personnel. Cunningham not only earned a position with this group, he was an innovator that helped develop the program that allowed Pararescue teams to carry whole blood in forward battle zones, saving untold Americna lives as a result. Cunningham was serving in Afghanistan at Bagram AFB during Operation Anaconda when he was inserted to a hilltop where a number of Navy SEALS, USAF personnel and Army Rangers had been wounded.

Then the story gets really amazing. The bravery and heroism displayed by Cunningham is simply stunning.

"Making the decision to move his patients, Cunningham crossed the line of fire seven separate times while successfully transporting them to higher ground -- then was forced to move them twice more to avoid the enemy fire raining down on their static, vulnerable casualty collection points. Finally, just after midnight, after so much success defying enemy fire to move and treat his patients, Cunningham's luck ran out, and he was shot in the abdomen just below his protective vest. According to the Air Force Times, "Cunningham must have known he was in serious trouble. But despite his worsening condition, he continued to treat patients and advise others on how to care for the critically wounded. One of the two blood packs he had brought [and which he was directly responsible for PJs being able to carry] saved a badly wounded Ranger. The medics gave the other packet to Cunningham himself, whose life was slowly flowing out in a red stream onto the white snow."Nearly twenty hours after suffering serious internal injuries, and not long before the area became cold enough for rescue helicopters to arrive and evacuate the wounded fighters, Cunningham succumbed to his wounds. He had treated patients to the end, and was credited afterward with having almost single-handedly made sure that only seven men died rather than seventeen -- though such dedication and seriousness of purpose ended up costing him his own life. Every wounded man he treated survived the encounter, and for his extraordinary heroism and gallant action in living the Pararescue motto ("That Others May Live"), he was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross, the second-highest award that the USAF offers. According to the citation, "As a result of [Cunningham's] extraordinary heroism, his team returned 10 seriously wounded personnel to life-saving medical care."

The fact that the stories of all of these men, and others like them, such as CMH award winner Paul Smith, are not featured prominently in the nations' media outlets is more than a tragedy, it's almost a crime. The fact that there are no Audy Murphys or Alvin Yorks in this war, men whose bravery and sacrifice are known to all Americans, is pathetic beyond measure. The fact that the media choose to ignore them entirely or bury them in the back pages due to political considerations is a travesty.

Happy Birthday, Duke!

Couldn't resist this from the American Spectator, fast becoming my favorite conservative online mag. Larry Thornberry points out this would have been the 100th birthday of American icon John Wayne, and points out how the Hollywood's current crop of leading men lack a certain...believability as tough guys, as well as speculating whether or not today's Hollywood would even let the man work.

"It's hard to guess how the Duke would be received today, or even if he could find work in contemporary Hollywood. There are plenty of red-blooded Americans who could make up a market for more of the Duke. But the values of the New York, Malibu bed-wetters pretty much have a lock on today's Hollywood. It's a legitimate question whether Hollywood would be big enough for both George Clooney and John Wayne. It would be nice to see a real, full-service American hero like the Duke on the silver screen again. The current lot of leading men is pretty pallid by comparison. Show of hands, how many of you really believe in the likes of Kevin Costner, Michael Douglass, or Val Kilmer as tough guys? Cowboys? These guys belong having a Cherry Garcia at Ben & Jerry's, not knocking off the trail dust with a straight shot at the Longhorn. Good grief, Val Kilmer would have to get a note from his mother to ride the range."

Ouch, that has to GOT to smart, and might have left a permanent mark as well.

Did a Comet Strike Great Lakes in Prehistory?

via ScienceDaily, again.

A new theory has been proposed regarding the Lesser Dryas climate event occuring about 13000 years ago. The Lesser Dryas was a cooling trend that briefly interrupted the warming climatic trend that ended the last ice age about 20000 years ago (which we are still experiencing). The Lesser Dryas is held responsible for a major extinction event that occurred about the same time that eliminated a number of the large mammal species in North America.

The theory? An impact event in the area of the Great Lakes, possibly a comet, that struck the ice sheet covering the area north of the lakes in present day Canada. The evidence? A large concentration of carbon rich soils pointing to such an impact event found in over 50 Clovis culture archaeological sites throughout North America, with the highest concentrations centered in the Lakes region.

"The researchers propose that a known reversal in the world's ocean currents and associated rapid global cooling, which some scientists blame for the extinction of multiple species of animals and the end of the Clovis Period, was itself the result of a bigger event. While generally accepted theory says glacial melting from the North American interior caused the shift in currents, the new proposal points to a large extraterrestrial object exploding above or even into the Laurentide Ice Sheet north of the Great Lakes."

Interesting. The one trouble with the theory is no impact crater, but that is easily explained by the ice sheet absorbing the impact. The results of such an impact would have been pretty devastating to both animal and human populations, and might explain the concentration of late era Clovis sites in the American Southwest.

Iowahawk Strikes Again

Iowahawk responds, as only he can, to the recent Pew study that indicates that most Muslims don't support violence against infidels, only a sizable minority does. Once again, he examines the dark and dangerous underworld of radical Midwestern Lutheranism, led by the mysterious Pastor Duane Gunderson.

"Although a majority 87% of respondents agreed that "The world should be brought to submission under global Lutheran conquest and eternal perfect rule," there was a great deal of disagreement on the means to accomplish it. More than 95% supported "pancake breakfasts" and "popcorn fundraisers," but support dropped to less than 80% for "cow tipping" and "T-P'ing infidel houses." Support dropped even more dramatically for more violent means of conquest, such as "suicide bombing" (28%), "decapitation" (24%), and "running over Presbyterians with my Ski-Doo" (23%)."

The man is effing hilarious.

Fred talks to Pajamas Media

Fred speaks over at PM, where he is kicking tail and taking names in the online straw polls, apparently running away with the online community's full support.

"Whether or not the Internet can elect any particular candidate in any particular race, it’s clear that all of you and our many friends across the blogosphere and the Web are part of a true information revolution. That’s why so much of my effort has been focused on talking to Americans through this medium. By empowering individuals and building communities, the Internet provides a way of going around the inside-the-beltway crowd to reach people in numbers unheard of not that long ago. I believe this direct communication and discussion is going to have an enormous impact on our political process. "

Run Fred, run!

Mars Spirit Rover Finds Compelling Water Evidence

via ScienceDaily.

The Mars Spirit rover, now into its third year of operation, has found compelling new evidence, the most substantial to date, of free flowing water existing on the Mars surface of long ago. Interestingly enough, the evidence was uncovered due to a malfunction on the part of the rover itself. One of Spirit's six wheels has jammed and no longer rotates, leaving it dragging through the Martian soil. While exploring the Gusev crater, the Spirit science team noticed that the drag marks exposed patches of brightly colored soil. When Spirit's onboard sensors examined these patches, they were found to be rich in silica - a substance created only in the presence of an abundant water source. The sample examined was shown to 90% silica by the rover's X-ray spectrometer.

"This is some of the best evidence Spirit has found for water at Gusev," said Albert Yen, a geochemist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. One possible origin for the silica could have been interaction of soil with acid vapors produced by volcanic activity in the presence of water. Another could have been from water in a hot spring environment. The latest discovery adds compelling new evidence for ancient conditions that might have been favorable for life, according to members of the rover science team."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, Spirit's twin rover Opportunity continues to explore Victoria Crater, with the intention to send it into that geologic feature now that it has completed a circuit around the crater and discovered a potential path into the crater.

Blogging, Memorial Day & Veterans

Blogging has been a bit light of late, mostly due to my graduate studies interfering with what little free time I have already. With the end of the term in sight, there should be a little more activity here again, although I have to add that there really hasn't been all that much in the news to interest me lately. I started this as a (somewhat) political blog; I've branched out into other things that interest me, mostly sports and truly geeky science issues, and there hasn't been all that much on any of the usual subjects that I truly felt I needed to comment on.

On the other hand, with the Memorial Day holiday approaching, it seems as good a time as any to shill a little for some of my favorite charity outfits. Being a veteran, I am particularly vulnerable to requests by groups asking for assistance in the the support of our finest citizens, often injured in the prime of life serving to protect us all. I am also concerned about supporting the troops today serving far from home as well, like my brother-in-law now serving in Iraq, and try to help groups concerned with the today's troops and their families.

So, if you feel as I do that the tribulations and sacrifices undergone by those who serve in the cause of freedom are well worth the costs, then I would humbly ask you to contribute to any of the groups below, if you are able, to the maximum extent that you can afford. I would also encourage you to examine the organization's websites further for information about the good work that they do.

Thank you for helping others who've made, and continue to make, tremendous sacrifices for all the rest of us in the name of freedom around the globe.

Disabled American Veterans (DAV) - Contribute here.

Help Hositalized Veterans (HHV) - Contribute here.

Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) - Contribute here.

Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) - Contribute here.

United Service Organization (USO) - Contribute here.

Soldier's Angels - Contribute here.

Coaltion to Support America's Heroes (CSAH) - Contribute here.

Oil Prices & the Government

Eric Peters at the American Spectator reminds us all about the real reason for high oil prices - taxes. The federal government takes in 18.4 cents per gallon in taxes, and the various states take another 20-30 cents. Nebraska, if I recall takes in 28 cents per gallon. On top of that, some local jursidictions also pile on the bandwagon. This just may be the most regressive tax in the nation.

"Motor fuels taxes account for some 22 percent or so of the current per-gallon cost of gasoline in this country. This is arguably both regressive (because it hits people with low and moderate incomes harder than it does the well-heeled) as well as disproportionate -- since the amount of tax is very high relative to the actual cost of the item being taxed. We don't, for example, stack a tax of 50 cents per quart onto the price tag of milk -- because milk is considered a necessity. But how is gasoline less of a necessity? Maybe we don't drink it -- but most people have little choice about using a car to get to work."

The real tragedy here is that the people that produce the gasoline for our vehicles are always the ones the govenrment and the media blames for the high price of fuel. On top of that, they restrict these companies ability to provide it to us by refusing to let them drill for oil where we know if exists, and even worse, refuse to allow them to build new refineries because no one wants a new refinery in their backyard. As Peters correctly notes, these taxes are supposed to fund the highways we all drive on, and it might be that is where the majority of the money goes, but how much of it is siphoned off by the bureaucracy for other purposes, like funding mass transit systems that almost no one uses. The other issue is there is no guarantee that the money raised remains in the same jurisdiction, due to the way DC decides to reallocate the money. So some states are paying for roads in other states, with only the political power of the congressional delegation influencing the decisions, not where the money belongs or where it might be needed the most.

Doesn't sound like a very good system to me.

Atlantis Returns to Launch Pad

via Space.com

Two and a half months after the freak storm that damaged the foam insulation of its external fuel tank, shuttle Atlantis returns to the launch pad in preparation for its scheduled June 8 launch to the ISS for an extensive construction mission to the orbiting space habitat.

"The move is a major step towards launch for Atlantis and its STS-117 astronaut crew following a two and one-half-month delay that began on Feb. 26, when a freak storm over Pad 39A pelted the orbiter's foam-covered fuel tank with golf ball-sized hail. Of about 4,200 divots gouged into Atlantis' fuel tank insulation, engineers patched up all but 402 minor dings and invented a new portable sanding tool in one week to finish the job inside KSC's 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building, said John Chapman, NASA's external tank project manager."

The foam was sanded and repaired with new foam in spots, while others had to have new insulation hand poured into damaged areas. The extensive damage done to the nose cap of the tank was particularly challenging, with new spraying techniques having to be developed for the repairs. STS-117 will deliver two new trusses in preparation for later missions carrying new European and Japanese built station modules later this year and also install a new solar array to provide additional power for the new segments. A new station crew member will also be delivered to relieve an ISS mission specialist on the Expedition 15 crew.

Federal Budget forcast - Skeptical Optimist

The Skeptical One has updated his monthly trending for the Federal budget deficit. If the current trends continue, the US government budget will go into surplus in April 2008. While Steve isn't necessarily a fan of balanced budgets (particularly if the money is spent wisely on important things like making us all more secure) he is looking forward to the prospect of all the lefty trolls having to think up a different reason (other than the deficit) to raise taxes, as has been widely proposed by a number of leftist political pundits and candidates. He also likes the idea of the campaign debate being changed from raise taxes vs cutting spending to "add in a third issue, grow the economy". I have to agree completely on that point. Steve's chart showing the trend lines and their intersection shamelessly stolen above.

Search for Vulcan

I often joke about the search for extra-terrestial life by refering to finding Klingons and Vulcans. In the "Future History" of the various TV Star Trek series, Vulcan orbits the star 40 Eridani, which lies a mere 16 light years from our own.

Apparently, scientists at the JPL believe there could be a planet orbiting the primary star of the system (it's a trinary, or three star system). If there is a habitable planet, it would have to be orbiting much closer than the Earth around the Sun, as 40 Eridani A is a red dwarf emitting much less energy than our own G sequence star. The habitable zone around the star is around .6 AU (astronomical units, or the average distance of Earth around the Sun). A terrestrial type planet there could possilby be detected by the new SIM PlanetQuest satellite being developed by NASA/JPL and Northrup Grumman. SIM is planned to launch before the other big NASA planet finding mission, the Terrestrial Planet Finder, but no dates have yet been targeted.


"Astronomers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have recently concluded that the upcoming planet-finding mission, SIM PlanetQuest, would be able to detect an Earth-like planet around the star 40 Eridani, a planet familiar to "Star Trek" fans as "Vulcan." 40 Eridani, a triple-star system 16 light-years from Earth, includes a red-orange K dwarf star slightly smaller and cooler than our sun. Vulcan is thought to orbit that dwarf star, called 40 Eridani A."

I guess if they're there, we'll be the first to know, unless they've already been visiting waiting for Zephran Cochrane to develop warp drive.

Missile Defense

Today's OWH has an interesting article on an issue dear to my heart, one that I have been a long time proponent of (twenty plus years) - anti-ballistic missile defenses. I find the case for defensive weapons which can prevent the loss of an entire American (or allied) city to be a pretty convincing case for such weapons. Critics argue the cost is too high, or that the weapons can be easily fooled, defeated, or just plain won't work - in spite of several successsful tests (critics claim they are too simple, ignoring that is the way all programs start).

I would say the cost of losing a city is also pretty high, and that the technology is getting better all the time, particularly as high end computing power and sophisticated tracking radar inproves. Another point to make is that any one system is not going to be infallible, which is why the system being designed is multi-layered using several different technologies - US Navy ships, Army and USAF radars and missile interceptors, and possibly USAF aircraft and satellites. Another point is that possessing such systems terribly complicate the planning for an attack by a potential rogue state (see Iran, North Korea).

I have to applaud Senator Nelson (D-NE) for being a voice of reason on the issue - yes, the systems are expensive, but the role they can play in US defense strategy could be critical.

"Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., an Armed Services Committee member, has concerns about the system's viability, but said it could play an important role."I don't want America to have a false sense of security with these defense missiles on the ground that may not actually work to knock enemy missiles out of the sky," Nelson said. "I do think a robust program is important, but we have to remember it's just one piece of the puzzle on homeland defense."

Freedom House Human Rights Report

(HT: Jay Nordlinger of NRO)

Freedom House has released its Annual Report on the leading national Human Rights violators in the world. There are seventeen nations at the top of the list, with eight singled out for special enphasis, including our special friends, Cuba and North Korea, both of whom I hold in particular contempt, although I may have to add a couple to the list now. Leading candidates are Burma and Sudan, although Libya also has a special place in my heart as well.

"The eight countries judged to have the worst records on political rights and civil liberties were Burma, Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Similarly branded for particularly repressive behavior were two territories, Chechnya and Tibet.
Within these countries and territories "state control over daily life is pervasive and wide-ranging," said the report by Freedom House, a New York-based private democracy watchdog organization. Also, it said, "independent organizations and political opposition are banned or suppressed and fear of retribution for independent thought and action is part of daily life."

The other nine nations, labelled as places where citizens are just a wee bit better off than the "evil eight", are: Belarus, China, Cote d'Ivoire, (new to the list), Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Laos, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Zimbabwe. We all know how much I love the Chinese government, but it is nice to see such luminaries such as Zimbabwe, our good friends the Saudis, and the Syrians getting some press as well.

John Cox, Fringe Republican Candidate

Matt Labash over at the Weekly Standard takes a look at fringe Republican persidential candidate John Cox's struggle to be taken seriously by the establishment. Cox has won a South Carolina county straw poll, so he does have some supporters. He wasn't invited to the recent Republican debate in California.

"In the red flag department, he has run unsuccessfully for office in Illinois three times: in a congressional, senatorial, and Cook County recorder of deeds race. But even in his most recent loss, in 2004, his high principle was in evidence. He spent around $200,000 of his own money running for the recorder's job on the promise to eliminate the position as wasteful spending if he won--the kind of idea that used to fire up conservatives back when they were, how to put it, conservative."

Sounds like my kind of guy, and he wants to eliminate the IRS. I would rather see a Flat Tax supporter over a Fair Tax supporter, but the man sounds like he could be a serious candidate if anyone would listen. He's released several YouTube videos of himself discussing various issues, including Republican principles, immigration, the IRS, and Iraq, see a list here.

More Evidence for Out of Africa Theory

via ScienceDaily.

New genetic studies of Autralian and New Guinean natives appear to confirm the two populations come from the same genetic heritage. Differences between them appear to be the result of divergent mutations caused by their respectively isolated populations and not secondary migrations,or interbreeding with other populations like homo erectus. This evidence supports the evolution "Out of Africa" theory of human evolution that holds that all humans share a common ancestry. The aboriginal populations of New Guinea and Australia, which migrated to these areas arounf 50,000 years ago, have been the primary evidence utilized by critics of this theory.

"Until now, one of the main reasons for doubting the “Out Of Africa” theory was the existence of inconsistent evidence in Australia. The skeletal and tool remains that have been found there are strikingly different from those elsewhere on the “coastal expressway” – the route through South Asia taken by the early settlers. Some scholars argue that these discrepancies exist either because the early colonists interbred with the local Homo erectus population, or because there was a subsequent, secondary migration from Africa. Both explanations would undermine the theory of a single, common origin for modern-day humans. But in the latest research there was no evidence of a genetic inheritance from Homo erectus, indicating that the settlers did not mix and that these people therefore share the same direct ancestry as the other Eurasian peoples."

Eject!Eject!Eject!

For those of you who weren't aware, Bill Whittle is back at his place, and it sounds like he'll be posting a lot more frequently from now on - thank god.

Bill's more of an internet essayist than a daily blogger, but when he has something to say, he says it extremely well, and it always strikes close to home, often with devastating impact. He's been among the foremost voices for civilization (IMO) during this little dustup we've been leading overseas. I wish I were half as eloquent as Bill has been about what is at stake.

For those of you unaware, go simply must go check it out here - NOW!

Even though he's been away for a quite a while, I'm proud to say he NEVER left my blogroll - evne though he's a Florida Gator fan.

COROT Satellite Imagery

The European Space Agency's COROT satellite has released its first images, taken from its discoery of the exoplanet lablled COROT-Exo-1b, orbiting a yellow dwarf star in the contellation Unicorn 1500 light years from Earth. While not an astounding find, the imagery has generated some surprise among scientists - the satellite's instrumentation is operating with an unexpectedly high level of precision - so much so that it could conceivably directly image an earth size terrestrial planet and geta chemical analysis.

"The unanticipated level of accuracy of this raw data shows that COROT will be able to see rocky planets - perhaps even as small as Earth - and possibly provide an indication of their chemical composition. COROT, a CNES project with ESA participation, is a mission with a dual goal. It is the first space mission dedicated entirely to the search of extra-solar planets. It provides a wide-field survey of planets like our own at an unprecedented level of accuracy. It is also making the most comprehensive study ever of the interior of stars other than our Sun. Both objectives are achieved by analysing the behaviour of light emitted by a target star."

They are also getting some pretty amazingly detailed data on the star, with an accuracy under 5 parts per 100,000, and this is expected to improve to 1 over time with fine tuning. COROT was launched in December aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket, entered into its designated orbit and was powered on Jan 2 of this year and began its observation work ahead of schedule on Feb. 3.

Fred on Cuba

Fred's over at NRO again, picking up where he left off and targeting my favorite dictator (sorry, Mr. Poofy Hair), Cuba's cigar smoking, fatigue wearing, billionaire tyrant Fidel Castro, and the myth of the "free Cuban healthcare system", both barrels blazing, and it's not even next week yet.

"The truth is that Cuban medical care has never recovered from Castro’s takeover — when the country’s health care ranked among the world’s best. He won the support of the Cuban people by promising to replace Batista’s dictatorship with free elections, and to end corruption. Once in power, though, he made himself dictator and instituted Soviet-style Communism. Cubans not only failed to regain their democratic rights, their economy plunged into centrally planned poverty. As many as half of Cuba’s doctors fled almost immediately — and defections continue to this day. Castro won’t allow observers in to monitor his nation’s true state, but defectors tell us that many Cubans live with permanent malnutrition and long waits for even basic medical services."

Ouch, that has GOT to leave a mark. FT's also has an interesting take on the fawning Hollywood elite that so adore our friend Fidel, asking why they don't make any movies about the plight of pro-democracy activists. FT also begs to ask the question - if Cuba's medical care is so fantastic, why in the world would Fidel fly in a team of Spanish doctors and equipment for himself on a specially chartered jet when he was ailing?

Certainly, you don't want to ask those kinds of questions if you live in Cuba- these will get you detained, jailed and tortured in Cuban prisons, or better yet, allow you the privelige of experiencing the Cuban medical system for yourself, in a "mental health hosptial", the kind where you can regularly recieve the singular pleasure of free electroshock therapy, like Cuban painter and filmmaker Nicolás Guillén Landrián did after criticizing his good buddy Fidel.

Those types of "treatments" really leave a mark.

Fred on Foreign Policy

via NRO. Say this about Fred, he's actually taking the time to speak to the base, and through historically fashionable conservative outlets. My take is that he will announce sometime soon, maybe by Memorial Day. He certainly has a way of getting his point across in plain language without being overly condescending (well, maybe to the French). I'll quote Fred as he runs down a number of foreign nations, and give my opinion parenthetically.

"It bothers Americans when we’re told how unpopular we are with the rest of the world. For some of us, at least, it gets our back up — and our natural tendency is to tell the French, for example, that we’d rather not hear from them until the day when they need us to bail them out again. But we cool off. We’re big boys and girls, after all, and we don’t really bruise that easily. We’re also hopeful that, eventually, our ostrich-headed allies will realize there’s a world war going on out there and they need to pick a side -" (Love the sentiment here, pretty much sums up my feelings on foreign policy!)

Europe - "most of our European friends continue to dismantle their defenses" - (Yup, pretty much sums up their foreign policy.)

Mexico - "Mexican leaders apparently have an economic policy based on exporting their own citizens, while complaining about U.S. immigration policies that are far less exclusionary than their own." (Ouch, that's gotta sting a little, President Calderon).

France - "The French jail perfectly nice people for politically incorrect comments, but scold us for holding terrorists at Guantanamo." (The French talent for hypocrasy appears infinite - much like the Deomcratic House and Senate leadership.)

Russia - "Here is a government apparently run by ex-KGB agents who have no problem blackmailing whole countries by turning the crank on their oil pipelines. They’re not doing anything shady, they say. They can’t help it if their opponents are so notoriously accident-prone."
(He may have Putin putting out a contract on him tomorrow. Fred also notes mysterious little things like anti-government protesters and the media have a hard time getting permits - while pro-government groups appear to have little trouble wiht such trivial matters.)

Unfortunately, he misses several of my favorite targets - China, Cuba, and Venezuela. Maybe next week. I saw something yesterday I found interesting, speaking of Fidel's little island paradise. Apparently a group of ten refugees, two families if I recall correctly, were intercepted by the fine folks of our own US Coast Guard, but apparently Fidel didn't want them back as it was their fourth attempt to leave utopia.
Who then, do you think, in all the wide world, took in these refugees? The US stored them temporarily at Guantanamo (one wonders where Amnesty International was during all this), but the government apparently decided we already have too many freedom loving Cubans or something. Wet foot, dry foot, if I recall correctly, is the US policy - make it on land and we take you, we find you out in the ocean, not so fast.
No, the wonderful Czech Republic, that little bastion of freedom, remembers all too well the wonders of Communism and took in the Cubans. It is the first instance of the Czechs taking in Cuban refugees, and hopefully not the last. The really beautiful thing about the story? The immigrants attitude - the are already inquiring about Czech language lessons and looking for work. Good luck & hats off to them, I wish more US immigrants would take the same attitude.