BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand’s military-appointed government blocked access to on-line video-sharing Web site YouTube on Wednesday after its owner, Google Inc., declined to withdraw a video clip mocking the country’s revered monarch.

Communications Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom told Reuters he had ordered a block of the entire site, www.youtube.com, from Thailand after the ministry’s attempts to get the offending page removed last week failed.

“Since Google has rejected our repeated requests to withdraw the clip, we can’t help blocking the entire site in Thailand,” said Sitthichai, a telecoms professor who said he had spent most of his academic life researching eavesdropping devices.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSBKK17066320070404

I really don’t know what to say at this point; first Turkey blocked YouTube over the videos making fun of Atatürk, and now Thailand is blocking the site over a 44 second clip making fun of it’s king. I guess both nations have decided that they do not support freedom, and I guess that’s fine - it’s there decision, but I heavily denounce both nations for it.

An image from the offending video.

I am aware of the fact that the Thai people have a great respect and reverence for there king, but at the same time, I find it hard to believe that they find it so offensive that they must block an entire site to prevent it’s viewing. The clip, which I’ve included at the end of this post, is nothing more than a childish attempt (and really very poorly executed) at drawing faces on the King and editing photos to make him look funny. I’ll be entirely honest, the clip made me chuckle, but at the stupidity and pointlessness more than anything.

Perhaps being an American and never really leaving the country (except for a vacation in Canada ), I’ve developed extremely warped views on Freedom of Expression. Whatever the cause, I find myself almost entirely incapable of comprehending why a nation would block a video like this, let alone an entire site for hosting it. What’s more, I find a law that allows people to be jailed for 15 years simply for disrespecting the royal family beyond insane - such a law is a sign of a totalitarian dictatorship that needs to be overthrown and replaced with a democracy. This may have been acceptable three or four hundred years ago, but in this day and age, such laws are objects of antiquity and unenlightened times.

I also need to applaud Google on their decision to maintain free speech of their users and not cave to the laws of a foreign nation. Hopefully this action will set a precedent and show the world that American companies aren’t going to give in to the demands of foreign dictatorships. One can only hope.

Edit: The video has since been removed.

Although I never went anywhere.

First of all, I’d like to apologize to all my readers for not posting over the last few weeks. More than anything, I’ve been kind of busy with school and just not had the creative energy to devote to this blog. Nothing has changed, but I am now making a real effort to spend more time posting to this blog and keeping everything up to date.

I’d like to thank those readers who have continued to check this site, as well as those who will soon resuming reading. To any new readers, I’d like to welcome you and I hope you enjoy the site.

Although not particularly recent, the layout of the site has changed since my last update. Gone are the sometimes faulty menu bars, allowing the sidebar to make a comeback. In addition, all advertising has been removed, and I am no longer accepting monetary incentive for posts (if you recall the few ‘Sponsored’ posts of the past).

With all of these changes, and my renewed commitment to posting, I hope that News. Views. Common Sense. can continue to grow into a successful and popular blog.

Thank you,
Andy

(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.

This week’s bonus video selection comes to us from 1953, the age of atomic weapons and energy - people were worried and both government and industry (in this case, General Electric) created videos to dispel myths and quell fears among the public. As usual, this video come to us via the Internet Archive.

—
Animated classic presenting what an atom is, how energy is released from certain kinds of atoms, the peacetime uses of atomic energy and the byproducts of nuclear fission.

—

Read the rest of this entry »

I had intended to get this up sooner, but I was having some very annoying problems with various video sites. Without further adieu, the State of the Union Address 2007, as aired on C-SPAN.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

As I write this, we are mere minutes away from the 2007 State of the Union Address. I’m sure everyone knows that just about every network will be covering it, and it should be easy enough for everyone to find and view it.

I will be posting a video of the Address as soon as possible after it ends and I’ll be sure to include my commentary as well.

I’m a little surprised that I find myself having to concede this, but I’d like to offer the Democrats a hearty congratulations on completing the 100 Hour Plan yesterday evening, and successfully blowing my expectations out of the water. If they manage to maintain the pace, this could prove to be a very interesting two years. As the measures still await a trip through the Senate and the signature or (as the case may well be) veto of President Bush, I’m still willing to bet that about half of the changes will never see the light of day.

As many of you know, the 100 Hour Plan consisted of a number of laws and policy changes that the new Democratic House of Representatives wanted to pass in the early days of their reign. These ranged from repeal of tax cuts to an increase in the minimum wage and just about everything in between. According to Wikipedia, the points were:

• “Break the link between lobbyists and legislation” with new House rules
• Enact all recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission
• Raise the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour.
• Grant federal funding to a wide variety of stem cell research projects
• Cut interest rates on student loans in half
• Allow the government to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies, securing lower drug prices for Medicare patients.
• Institute a “pay-as-you-go” policy to reduce the deficit
• End the Bush tax cuts for the Americans “at a certain level” (those making $250,000.00 a year or more)
• End large tax subsidies for large oil companies

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Hour_Plan

I’m not sure that there’s really much more to say on this, but it almost goes without saying that I will be keeping a close eye on what happens in the Senate and when the bills finally get to the President.

I also have a bit of a mistake to admit - I had misunderstood what exactly was meant when they announced the ‘100 Hour Plan’ - I wrongfully assumed that it referred to the first 100 hours of the new Congress, not just the first 100 working hours. Not that it really matters, not that this is any defense of my predictions, I simply want to make my mistake clear and be honest with my readers.