I’ve done a far more extensive writeup on this over at Pandazing.net, but the basic idea is as follows:

A judge in New Zealand banned the use of the names of two murder suspects online, but allowed their use in the traditional media, causing outrage among bloggers and the online media.

Being an American and living in the US, I can post them as much as I want, so here goes:

In a purposeful and direct violation of a recent court order in New Zealand, I’m proudly posting the names Nathan Tuiti Reo Mutunga Williams and Daniel Bobby Tumata online! And guess what? There is absolutely nothing anyone can do about it!

The two men. Williams is at left and Tumata in the center.

For more of an explanation of this story and of my reasoning for posting the names, please check out my full article at Pandazing.net!

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bowing to President Bush, the Democratic-controlled Congress grudgingly approved fresh billions for the Iraq war Thursday night, minus the troop withdrawal timeline that drew his earlier veto.

“The Iraqi government needs to show real progress in return for America’s continued support and sacrifice,” said the commander in chief, and he warned that August could prove to be a bloody month for U.S. troops in Baghdad’s murderous neighborhoods.

The Senate vote to send the legislation to the president was 80-14. Less than two hours earlier, the House had cleared the measure, 280-142, with Republicans supplying the bulk of the support.

-The Associated Press

To be entirely honest, I haven’t been keeping up with the War in Iraq very much, but it seems to me that this is a sign the Democrats aren’t all insane people wanting to destroy our nation. That may be an exaggeration, but the point remains, that Congress should leave control of the military to the military.

I don’t know the slightest bit about military strategy, but it sure seems to me that in order for a nation to win a war, they should give the best commanders and generals nearly full control. In my mind, in finally passing a spending measure without a timetable, Congress is both sending a message that they still support American troops, and recognizing that sometimes the good of our nation must transcend politics.

I also find this to be an interesting turn, especially with so many prominent Democrats recently speaking out against bills without timelines. My best guess would be that, once the ball’s rolling - the war had begun - it’s not something any amount of political power can stop and it must come to an end on it’s own time.

What does this hold for the future and what will September bring? I guess only time can tell.

(CBS/AP) Terrorism charges brought Friday against the administrator of a loan investment program claimed that he secretly tried to send $152,000 to the Middle East to buy equipment such as night vision goggles for a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan.

Abdul Tawala Ibn Ali Alishtari, 53, of Ardsley, N.Y., pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in Manhattan to an indictment accusing him of terrorism financing, material support of terrorism and other charges. The charges carried a potential penalty of 95 years in prison.

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/16/terror/main2488520.shtml

First of all, I’d like to offer a hearty congratulations to the investigators and prosecutors who brought this case to trial. Thanks to them, we are one step closer - even if it is just a tiny step - to defeating terrorism both in the United States and around the world.

I suppose that slightly more than $150,000 is really not all that much in the whole scheme of things, but the fact of the matter is that every bit of money that is removed from or kept out of the hands of terrorists, terrorist groups, and terrorist harboring nations is going to make a difference. Yes, I’m sure that they’ll be able to get the money from other sources, but in stopping this transaction, a message has been sent that the United States simply won’t allow funding of terrorism.

I’m also going to be very interested in seeing what sentence Alishtari ends up getting, considering that the 95 year maximum is just that - a maximum. Considering that he’s 53 already, I hope he gets at least 50 years without probation and ends up rotting in prison. Funding terrorism is just about the worst crime that does not involve direct violence against another that I can think of. In fact, if it were up to me, I’d like to see him charged with treason. But as far as I know, that’s not how the laws work.

On the other hand, I have to wonder how much he really knew about what he was doing. Something just seems funny that a successful businessman would put so much on the line to help with a wire transfer for terrorism.

There was one other aspect of the case - or rather Mr. Alishtari - that surprised me. According to CBS News, he was a member of the Republican Party and had donated over $15,000 to the Republican National Committee between 2002 and 2004. I find something strange in that, namely why in the world would a man who clearly supports terrorism want to be a part of the party that wants to fight terrorism around the world.

SAN’A, Yemen (AP) - A boat loaded with Somali and Ethiopian migrants capsized in the Gulf of Aden during a treacherous night crossing in which at least 112 people died, a Yemeni official said Friday.

The boat was among a group of four vessels carrying migrants from the Horn of Africa to Yemen, a U.N. official and a Yemeni human rights activist said. More than 280 were aboard the boats. Thousands of Somalis and Ethiopians try to escape to the Arabian peninsula each year, many hoping to eventually reach Europe.

Source: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070217/D8NB7AHG0.html

Needless to say this is a terrible disaster, as is any accident resulting in the loss of multiple human lives, and my heart goes out to the family and friends of the unfortunate victims, but at the same time, some real issues come to mind.

First of all, why are these people being ‘allowed’ to (well, why is more not being done to stop them from) sneak into the Middle East and then move on to Europe? I’m not familiar with the security measures in the region, but it seems to me that there should be better border controls to prevent random people from getting in. And specifically with refugees, it seems that there should be some sort of program so that these people don’t have to sneak out of the country via smugglers as it is.

More importantly, why is the United Nations not doing more to stop or reduce the violence in Somalia that these people find themselves fleeing? It seems to me that most of the problems could be solved with some simple international intervention, even if the United States was to take no part.

Finally, I want to know what is going to happen to the smugglers if they are ever caught. Personally, I’d love to see them tried for murder, and given the region in which they would likely be charged, I’m hoping that they get the death penalty. Yes, this is an extreme case, but I support very strong penalties for human smugglers in all cases. I don’t care what the circumstances are, but there is simply no justification for breaking immigration laws and putting human lives at such risk simply to make money. I find it reprehensible on multiple levels.

I guess the point is that things like this should never have to happen, should never be allowed to happen, and should be prevented whenever possible. The same goes for refugees from countries such as Cuba and Mexico trying to flee to the United States.

It’s been yet another week and I’m again behind on my posting. I’ve decided to try something new this week, I’m offering a ‘news roundup’ of things I found interesting, important, and insightful. They are presented in no particular order.

Wisconsin Police Chief Writes Himself a Ticket

KEWASKUM, Wis. - Police Chief Richard Knoebel says he wasn’t about to take the easy way out when he accidentally drove past a stopped school bus with its emergency lights flashing.

For violating traffic laws, Knoebel wrote himself a ticket for $235, docked himself four points on his driving record and paid the fine the next day.

Yahoo! News

I applaud Mr. Knoebel and his actions. I’m sure that police are more honest and trustworthy than the general American population (not everyone, though, I’m making generalizations), but it’s still amazingly reassuring to see that he had the honesty and integrity to do what was right. I’m sure that he could just as easily have ignored his violation and gone on without a second thought. I wish I could say that this is indicative of a new moral and social direction in America, but I’m afraid it remains an outlier in the continuous decay that surrounds us.

Switzerland May Allow Assisted Suicide for the Mentally Ill

LAUSANNE, Switzerland: A ruling by Switzerland’s highest court has opened the possibility that people with serious mental illnesses could be helped by doctors to take their own lives.

Switzerland already allows physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients under certain circumstances but the Federal Tribunal’s decision, which was released on Friday, puts mental illnesses on the same level as physical ones.

International Herald Tribune

I see real problems with this on two fronts, one being the continuing decay of the importance and sanctity of human life, and the other being the fact that mentally ill patients are being allowed to make such decisions. If many mentally ill patients cannot even make decisions about their treatments, what position are they in to decide to end their lives?

Frankly, I just don’t get the idea of assisted suicide laws in the first place, and I find physician assisted suicide especially troubling - it is the role of doctors to work to protect and save their patients, not end their lives. I don’t really care if people decide that there lives are so terrible that they need to commit suicide, but at the point that there are laws that allow doctors to ‘help’ is just insane. And what is there to stop the slippery slip from assisted suicide (which is apparently now expanding) to mandatory euthanasia for seriously ill or elderly patients. I don’t like it one bit.

China to Censor Year of the Pig Commercials

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese state television will censor advertisements featuring pigs in order not to offend Muslims in the Year of the Pig, a media company said on Friday.

“Originally they didn’t want pig images in ads on TV, because they worry about conflicting issues with Muslims in China,” said Lisa Wei, managing director of media investment firm GroupM China Trading.

Yahoo! News

Personally, I find this terribly surprising and a sad reflection of the world we live in. While I can’t say that I care for the Chinese government or their rampant censorship policies, this just seems to be going off the deep end. I’m not even going to pretend to be an expert on China, but I’ve always had the impression that they at least ignore religion and often seem to actively suppress it - it seems very strange to me that they would thus censor for such a purpose. The other aspect that gets to me is the fact that the Chinese have a rich culture dating back 1000s of years. For a great many of these years, the zodiac system and lunar calendar have been essential - that they are censoring their own traditions to pacify Muslims is silly at best and cultural suicide at worst.

More than 120 People Killed in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A suicide bomber driving a truck loaded with a ton of explosives hidden beneath cooking oil, canned food and bags of flour obliterated a Baghdad food market on Saturday, killing at least 121 people in one of the most fearsome attacks in the capital since the U.S. invasion in 2003.

It was the fifth major bombing in less than a month targeting predominantly Shiite districts in Baghdad and one provincial city to the south. This one leveled about 30 shops and 40 houses, witnesses said.

Yahoo! News

What is it with these terrorists?! When are they going to learn that killing innocent civilians (and your own people at that) is no way to get the support you need to make real change. I’m going to refrain from offering many comments on this, mainly because I just can’t understand why the terrorists perform such heinous acts and I have no ‘advice’ to offer. I just know that there is someone out there who can stop this, some way that it can be done, I’m just not sure who or how.

Teacher Fired over Suicide Bomber Comment

Andrew McLuskey was sacked from Bayliss Court Secondary School in Slough after a Religious Education lesson discussing the pros and cons of religion.

Pupils at the predominantly Muslim school claimed Mr McLuskey said most suicide bombers were Muslim.

BBC News

I’m not going to bother finding statistics for this one, but I’m confident enough to say that his comments were 100% accurate (that most suicide bombers are Muslim). I understand that the fact he teaches ar a mainly Muslim school (talk about the Islamification of Europe), but if the facts do support the statement, I see no justifiable grounds for letting the teacher go. I understand that the school likely wanted to create a ’safe’ environment free of ‘prejudice,’ but to fire a teacher over (seemingly) factual comments is insane and incomprehensible in my mind.

Again on a bit of a tangent, this situation highlights an interesting difference between British and American schools. In the United States even teachers of accused terrible crimes will almost always be put on ‘administrative leave’ for weeks or months before the school can even consider firing said teacher. In England, it seems, a few complaints about a teacher’s comments (even if they are seemingly truthful) and the teacher’s out the door faster than you can ask, ‘huh?’

German Preteen Gets Sex Change

A 12-year-old German boy who insisted he was a girl trapped in a boy’s body convinced his parents that something had to be done, so they agreed to allow him to receive a series of hormone injections, making him the youngest sex-change patient in the world, according to published reports Monday.

[…] Her treatment, which has cost more than $40,000, is being funded by German taxpayers.

FoxNews

This story comes straight from the ‘what in the world were they thinking’ department on multiple levels. I’m really not even sure where to begin, so I’ll go ahead with the most obvious to me.

What in the heck were they thinking. There is no way in the world that a twelve year old has the maturity, intelligence, and common sense to make such a life-altering decision. The very idea that this was ever allowed even makes me a bit nauseous. People are born with a specific gender for a reason, and to do something so disgusting and self-mutilating as ‘gender reassignment’ is a complete travesty to the moral and ethical values that lie at the basis of our society and culture. I am also appalled at the doctors for taking any part in such a disgusting act.

I realize that much of the scientific literature does not support my following contention, but I still firmly believe that virtually all of the diseases that deal with gender identity and sexuality are entirely psychological in nature and can be treated with the right combination of therepy and neurological medications. Until I see solid and repeated scientific evidence, I also refuse to believe that any of it is genetic.

In the whole scheme of things, some random Tim becoming Kim is not going to have any impact on me at all (beyond, perhaps, spawning a rant like this). But this is different, and if I was German, I’d be fuming mad and protesting the government right about now. Why? The $40,000 cost of Tim’s mutilation is being paid for by the German people, through their national health plan, and ultimately through their taxes. I’ve always thought that socialized medicine is nonsense, but this takes it to a new low. In some countries (Canada comes to mind), people have to wait days, weeks, or months for the medical care they need (perhaps to save their lives). Yet, at the same time, government funded health care is permanently disfiguring a young boy in Germany. Does anyone care to explain why this is a good thing? I guess that’s one more reason to avoid the Democrats in 2008.

Boston Bomb Scare

BOSTON — The CEO of a New York City-based marketing firm apologized for a publicity stunt that caused a bomb scare, saying the firm had acted quickly to try to resolve the problem.

[…] More than three dozen of the devices were installed around Boston weeks before authorities responded Wednesday. Authorities shut down highways, bridges and river traffic as bomb squads checked out the devices. There was barely a stir in nine other cities across the country where similar devices were placed.

NewsDay

I fully understand that authorities across the United States (and the entire world) have been very uptight and perhaps a bit jittery in recent years, but I just don’t see how LED signs can be confused for bombs. I understand that some of the locations they were placed could be considered targets for terrorist attacks, to nearly shut down the city over it was certainly an overreaction.

When it comes to punishment, I’m really not sure what should be done. Yes, the men placed very odd, clearly either littering or vandalizing signs around the city, but I believe them in that they had no criminal intentions and certainly did not intend to create a bomb scare. At the same time, I think that they (or the advertising agency) should be held somehow responsible for their actions, most likely in a financial manner (reimburse the police and other public safety costs) or perhaps community service, but not through prison time - we have bigger things to worry about. I also hope that this incident sends a message for any person or company considering an unusual or ‘creative’ marketing campaign, please try to avoid possible bomb scares.

All right, as promised, the following is my interpretation of the State of the Union Address with a bit of commentary thrown in. I was typing this out as I was watching the Address on C-SPAN, so I do want to make it clear that I missed a few things. These, however, are what stuck out to me. I’ll be adding a video later.

Introduction
As usual, I find the entry of all the officials a bit strung out and tedious, all the applause gets a tad annoying, but at the same time it is kind of nice.

Introduction seems to have the usual positive tone, as would be expected, but I’ll hold of my own comments for the real meat and potatoes of the speech.

It seems that Bush is calling out to the Democrats (and possibly fellow Republicans) to try for bi-partisan cooperation to do their best for our nation.

Economy
Forty-one months of job growth, wow, over seven million new jobs - the economy seems fairly decent. Balancing the federal budget gets a good set of applause, as does the goal to do so without raising taxes. He wants to cut earmarks through budget reform and cut the number and cost in half by the end of the session. Nice - I hope it works.

We need to keep Social Security and Medicare in tact and doing well for the children (such as myself). Bush thinks they can be fixed and saved, but how?

Education
We need to build on the success of the No Child Behind Act, through the right to choose to leave failing schools and special help for those who struggle. We need to strengthen math and science education, but he offers no real ideas how.

Healthcare
We need to increase availability of health insurance and make it more available, via a standard tax deduction, this will make it possible for people to purchase their own healthcare and make insurance more affordable.

Federal funding for states that provide free or discounted healthcare to the citizens in need, grants for the states.

We need to expand health savings accounts, make small business insurance cheaper.

Price transparency, medical liability reforms (a very good idea), make sure patients and doctors retain the right to make decisions.

Immigration
We need fair laws and secure borders. We are doubling the border patrol and increasing technology on the border.

Increase enforcement at workplaces, make verification easier.

No animosity and no amnesty, but we need to handle those already here. This means a call for comprehensive immigration reform.

Energy Policy
We need to lessen our dependence on foreign oil to protect our economy and national interests and security. We need alternative energy (solar, wind, nuclear), hybrid and clean diesel vehicles, new ethanol production methods.

He wants to reduce gasoline usage by 20% in the next 10 years - we will be able to cut imports by 75% from the Middle East. We also need to increase targets for alternative fuels and domestic oil production.

We need to double the capacity of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

We need to work to help reduce emissions.

Justice
Federal court nominees should be given fair hearings and prompt votes to get approved (great shot of only reps standing)

National Security, Terrorism, and Iraq
National Security and the debates on it are essential - to win the War on Terror, the fight must be taken to the enemy.

There is no way to know what the plots may hold, but the government has stopped a great many since September 11th.

Success against terror brings rejoice, but we must remember that this is a nation at war. The threat will not stop until we win the war. The enemy wants to overthrow government and cause our nation to retreat as a protector of democracy.

In the time since September 11 the dangers have not ended, we must use all lawful means to find the enemies and stop the attacks. This is an ideological struggle and a fine balance. We must remove the source of the terrorism - we need to continue to help moderates and reformers in the Middle East and around the world. We must for the sake of our own security.

Recent developments in Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Iraq are examples of what can happen when people are given a choice through free elections. In Lebanon terrorists took the life of the Lebanese Prime Minister and have tried to overturn the government.

Extremists are also destroying places of worship, causing waves of sectarian violence and placing world security at risk - it would not be like us to abandon it.

We need to find our resolve and become victory in Iraq. We need to work with the Iraqi government and reinforce our troops over there - we need to help the Iraqi government secure the national and end the extremist and sectarian violence. More troops will allow this to happen and we will be victorious as will the free Iraq.

The Iraqi leaders need to begin using their own troops and bring security to the nation - to do this; we must help them secure Baghdad. If the US pulls out too soon, Iraq will be overpowered by fighting and could pull the entire region into chaos - this is extremist goal and our nightmare. We cannot allow this to happen; we must remember the lessons of September 11th and not let this happen.

The nation is perusing a new strategy Iraq and we must support them and give them time to end the fighting in Iraq.

Both parties and both houses of Congress should work together - there should be a taskforce to help make Iraq truly work.

Increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps by 92,000 in five years. We should also form a Civilian Reserve Corps - giving a chance for more people to help.

We have to send a message to the world that we cannot and will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. We need to continue work with other nations to establish a Palestinian state.

We are working and need to continue to do so to prevent North Korea from doing anything with nuclear weapons and we need to stop tyranny around the world and the genocide in Darfur.

Foreign Affairs
We need to provide food and medical assistance around the world - including helping with HIV/AIDS in Africa. In three years the people getting drugs has gone from 50,000 to 800,000.

Two and a half billion dollars to help fight malaria.

Trade and debt relief to help lives and eliminate poverty.

These show the strength and generosity and reflect the spirit of our country.

Personal Honors
We are proud of those who come here and become citizens of the United States to make their lives better.

We are proud of our entrepreneurs and those who work to help protect our children.

We are proud of the heroes (even if they refuse the title) who save the lives of their fellow Americans even at the risk of their own.

We are proud of our troops who make sacrifices every day and who put our country ahead of their own lives. They have earned the gratitude and respect of our entire country.

We see the character and spirit of America in there people and others everyday - we must honor and respect them and thank them for their sacrifices.

Closing
The usual thank yous, fanfare, and handshaking as the President left the room.

Most of you have likely already seen the video (especially considering that it has flooded the YouTube.com most popular videos list) but for those of you who have yet to see it (or wish to watch it again) the video follows.
Read the rest of this entry »

News:

Views:
Well, the time came and went, and if the reports are in fact true, I think this is going to be a very good day for Iraq. Do I smell a potential national holiday? Maybe not, but this should be interesting.

What I want to know is where the pictures and video that was promised are? The will be the ultimate proof and until then we will have no solid confirmation.

Common Sense:
Keep watching the news and scouring the web for more information, I guess. And don’t trust anything until sources are given.

News:

Views:
This is big news, absolutely huge news, that should really send a message to the terrorists in Iraq: the government is finally strong enough to do something and you had better watch out. On a more American note, I hope that this can convince more people that the War in Iraq was a good idea, that Saddam is not only out of power, but that he will never be able to return.

At the same time, I am somewhat worried that the execution may potentially cause a flair-up of violence caused by Sunni’s who may feel like they will loose even more power in the execution of their leader - perhaps further turning them into a powerless minority. To be honest, I really have no idea how they will react, but I’d imagine it won’t be the greatest reaction.

Regardless, the next few days should bring some very interesting news in the Middle East and around the world.

Common Sense:
Don’t throw the ‘Goodbye Saddam’ parties quite yet.

News:
According to a report by Britain’s TimesOnline, officials from the Scotland Yard have come to the conclusion that the Polonium used to kill former KGB Agent Alexander Litvinenko cost more than $10,000,000. This staggering amount was actually more than ten times the lethal dose, and make it look more and more like the Russian Government was either involved or at least had some knowledge of the plot.

While the $10 million price tag could easily be footed by a unscrupulous businessman or organized terrorist organization, it would be very difficult for any entity not connected to, or at least allied with, a government or government official to obtain. As one British source put it: “You can?t buy this much off the internet or steal it from a laboratory without raising an alarm so the only two plausible explanations for the source are that it was obtained from a nuclear reactor or very well connected black market smugglers.”

Although little information is being released, mostly for diplomatic reasons, it also seems that there are heavy suspicions on two Russian businessmen, Andrei Lugovoy and Dmitri Kovtun, who met with Litvinenko in the weeks leading up to his death. Perhaps most incriminating of all, traces of Polonium have been found in places that they visited as early as October 16th, before the poisoning ever occurred.

Views:
If I were Vladimir Putin, I’d be sweating bullets right about now. I don’t care what the official explanations turn out to be: there is some connection to wither thew Russian Government or high ranking Russian officials, and perhaps the Russian President himself.

With the KGB being as scary, ominous, and corrupt an organization as it was back in the days of the Soviet Union, I am truly amazed that someone like Putin - former head of the KGB - could have ever been elected in the first place. Russia is a corrupt country, no doubt, but when you have former spy and secret police officials in positions of great power, problems are bound to occur - whether they mean to or not.

Surely, SOMEONE in the Russian administration must have known about or supported the plot. I simply don’t see how someone or some group acting without the help of an official could have pulled of such a dangerous.

The other question that this whole incident raises in my mind is just how safe and secure the United Kingdom’s borders are. I want to know how the Polonium was smuggled in and why nothing was done to stop it. Could this be the beginning of truly extensive use of radiation detectors? I don’t know, only time will tell.

What I really think this comes down to is the fact that there are going to have to be some major shakeups in Moscow. I’m not expecting Putin to step down or anything like that, but I have a gut feeling that someone is going to loose either his or his life over this whole fiasco. If it turns out to be the former, we’re going to get real answers; if its the later, than I’m not sure there’s ever going to be an answer.

Common Sense:
If you’re a Government official or prosperous businessman, stay out of assassinations and other terrorist-like operations: there is no good that can come out of it. If you’re a former spy for a corrupt former superpower, be extremely careful with what you say and do if you value your life.