Monday, April 30, 2001

German Chancellor Proposes European Super-State Eurosceptics attack Schrsder vision of a federal Europe - (story)	(story)
Study claims link between nuclear power plants and cancer Editor's Note: Look for more stories like this in coming months as it becomes more and more apparent that the world cannot satisfy its increasing requirements for energy without nuclear power.	(story)
Daschle Voted for "Poisoned Water" (Rush Limbaugh) (Rich Lowry)
Prison Heart Attack Fells Key Witness Against Roger Clinton	(story)
South Africa Rocked By Leadership Crisis	(story)
Kerrey Experiences Shared by Many Vietnam Veterans	(story)

Thursday, April 26, 2001

"Hero" Former Senator Admits Fatal Viet Nam "Mistake" Editor's Note: Please pay careful attention to this story. This man may be running for president some day, and his story contradicts those of other eye-witnesses. He may be employing the tried-and-true Clinton strategy of getting bad news out early, then claiming it's "old news" whenever someone brings it up.	Bob Kerrey
House may end contract for berets (story)
Key Senate Democrat Blasts Bush Comments on Taiwan Editor's Note: So whatever happened to the notion that partisanship stopped at the water's edge? Maybe that only applies when a president is bombing an aspirin factory to distract attention from his impeachment.	(story)
Crew Unable to Destroy All Secrets on China Spy Plane	(story)
New Bill Would 'Repeal and Replace' Civil Unions	(story)
House To Debate Unborn Victims Of Violence Act	(story)
Bush Administration Hesitates On Stem Cell Research	(story)
Will Bush Let French Bureaucrats Take Your Money?	(story)
Boy's Letter Supporting Abortion of Disabled Babies Wins in Lutheran Contest	(story)
'Shrubman' reaps time in jail over plant row	(story)
China anti-satellite development continuing	(story)

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High Court Bars English-Only Suits

The Supreme Court ruled that people do not have the right to sue over "discrimination" based on their inability to comply with "English only" laws. (story)

USS Greeneville Skipper To Retire With a slap at military discipline, the United States Navy allowed Cmdr. Waddle to retire to avoid Admiral's Mast where he could have been sent to prison for dereliction of duty. Cmdr. Waddle was "in charge" of a nuclear reactor. People have been sent to prison for actions at civilian nuclear power plants for actions far less egregious than Waddle's which resulted in no loss of life. This is not justice! (story)

Alaska oil remains in energy plan Surprise, surprise! Ms. Whitman got it wrong again! (story)

(story)

(story)

Taxpayers Group Says Congress Didn't Curb Big Government Last Year

(story)

World Government Socialists Target "Low Tax" Nations

Editor's Note: We have to believe that the concept of a world government is one that deserves debate. There is no doubt that there is a political movement in this country and the rest of the world which has a single world government as its aim. It is a wonder, then that our political discourse so studiously avoids the subject, in fact, whenever it is broached, it is treated as some kind of kooky conspiracy theory. When we see the United States Commander-in-Chief ceding authority of the United States military to United Nations command, it's time to acknowledge that the "conspiracy" may be a bit past the "theory" stage. Do we need world government to solve problems such as "global-warming", or are these "problems" nothing more than scare-tactics meant to frighten us into accepting the loss of our freedoms that a world government will bring? What do you think? (story)

Russian 'Rocket' Torpedo Arms Chinese Subs

(story)

China Arrests Bishop in Futile Bid to Stop Religion

(story)

Los Angeles Refinery Burns, Supplies Seen Hit

(story)

Bush Allows Snowmobile Ban to Take Effect

CNSNews.com reports that President Bush will allow another of Clinton's last-minute rules to take effect - a ban on recreational snowmobiling in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, which takes effect in 2003. Snowmobile makers are challenging the ban in court, and the Justice Department is negotiating a settlement that may end up being the compromise President Bush seeks. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Monday, "We believe an agreement can and will be reached that will provide for limited recreational use while ensuring that we protect our national parks." President Bush is trying to appease environmental whackos who will never support him. Why bother?

Cuban Exiles Recall Seizing of Elian One Year Ago Anti-Cuban Hatred Within INS May Have Contributed to Raid Tactics

Editor's Note: This may provide a good test for the "liberals" who demand that homosexuals be allowed to march under their own banner in the St. Patrick's Day parade. Let's see how inclusive they really are. (story)

Editor's Note: Although I agree with the sentiments, calling it "Anti-Earth Day" isn't going to win any converts or any sympathy. Better to call it something which conveys the idea that we humans rule the earth, and not the other way around. (story)

This story contains more evidence in support of my recent commentary on people's willingness to sacrifice freedom for security. Walter Williams says that when he sees where we are going, it makes him glad he's old.

Editor's Note: What I found offensive in this story from a usually good source is its reference to a man who underwent sex-organ mutilation surgery as a "transsexual woman".  For a more sensible look at the "trans-sexual" issue, read this by John Leo.
(story)

CNSNews.com reports that a Michigan physician has been charged with a felony for performing a third-trimester abortion when there was no health issue involved. The woman said that since her marriage had ended, she did not want the child from it. Abortion proponents say that since the Michigan law was written prior to Roe vs. Wade and technically bans all abortions, it is unconstitutional.

Editor's note: Before reading this story, make sure you're sitting down. Think about the ramifications of society recognizing "the right of all young people to enjoy sex and to express their sexuality in the way that they choose". What about the boy who "chooses" to "express" his sexuality by force? What about the kid who can't find a partner? If they have a "right...to enjoy sex" as this group says, how does that youngster fulfil that right? Sure, I can sit here all day and show how this is utter nonsense, because it is, but it's far worse than that, it's downright dangerous. President Bush did the right thing by cutting off this group's taxpayer funding. (story)

Editor's note: First, read this story about people suing because they think being "forced" to pay for TV ads they don't agree with violates their first amendment rights. After you've read the story, think "National Endowment for the Arts" which takes money extorted from taxpayers and spends it on "speech" which offends many of the people being forced to pay for it. In a way, I hope these people win their lawsuit. (story)

The Washing Times is reporting today that the Australian government has indicated it will not sign the Kyoto accords to limit carbon dioxide emissions.

(CNSNews.com) - The American Civil Rights Coalition announced Thursday a statewide campaign to end racial classifications in California. "We are a multi-racial society that defies box-checking. The boxes can no longer define us just as the 'one-drop rule' can no longer divide us," said Ward Connerly, chairman of the ACRC. The Racial Privacy Initiative (RPI), if passed, will end racial classifications throughout the state, with limited exceptions. It would also prohibit questions probing one's racial or ethnic identity on state and local government forms. "The goal of the Racial Privacy Initiative is to move us beyond the box and closer to a color-blind society," Connerly said. "The government should respect our privacy and not collect such personal information, especially since our state constitution no longer allows discrimination or preferences based on an arbitrary social construct such as 'race.'" The ACRC works with grassroots supporters and leaders on the local, state and federal level to end racial and gender preferences and classifications.

Do you remember how the Clintonistas and their media allies resurrected a claim that Thomas Jefferson fathered two children by his slave, Sally Hemming in order to make Clinton look "presidential"? They even trotted out some DNA tests which "proved" a link to the great man in order to bolster their claim. Of course, there was always a problem with this tactic, which was that while the tests showed a DNA link to the Jeffersons, it did not prove that the link was to  Thomas, and not someone else in the family, and since Thomas himself never acknowledged fatherhood of the children, their lineage was and always will be a mystery.

Today, on Thomas Jefferson's birthday, Pres. Bush, as is customary, invited Jefferson's descendants to the White House, but he also invited Hemming's. I know he wants to be known as a "uniter", but I wonder if this isn't going a little too far. Being a uniter doesn't mean you have to give in to everything. If, as is quite possible, Thomas wasn't their ancestor, acknowledging what isn't true borders on slander, something Thomas Jefferson does not deserve.

(CNSNews.com) - Women's groups and lawmakers from both parties are angered over President Bush's proposal to dropping a requirement that all health insurance programs for federal employees cover a broad range of birth control. The proposal was included in one paragraph of the president's 1,296-page budget proposal and would affect insurance coverage of almost 1.2 million female employees and their dependents. The change would still give coverage for at least one form of birth control, but many or those outraged see it as a message of support of social-conservative groups who believe the U.S. government should not be providing birth control to its workers. "This goes far beyond abortion," said Kate Michelman, President of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League. "This is simply another manifestation of President Bush's hostility to the reproductive rights of women."

Editor's note: Why is it that people like Ms. Michelman aren't satisfied in having the freedom to make a choice, they also insist that someone else pay for it? I, personally, become incensed when people like Ms. Michelman twist things like this around to make it look as if a reluctance to pay for a choice is being "anti-choice".

Editor's note: I copied this headline verbatim from the story, but when you read the story, you'll find that it's not about "unborn" children at all. It's about children who were born against the wishes of their mothers. The fact that this bill is being fought so vociferously by people calling themselves "pro-choice" is further proof that these people aren't pro-choice at all, they are what they religiously deny being, which is pro-abortion. I'd also add, anti-child.

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Virus in DNA 'is cause of mental illness'

Wouldn't it be interesting if it were found that homosexuality was caused by a virus? Would the "mental health" profession then declare homosexuality a mental illness, or would they refuse to "treat" it? (story)

(CNSNews.com) - Advocates for a moratorium on execution in Maryland conceded defeat Monday when they could not muster enough votes to override a threatened filibuster in the state Senate. Without the moratorium, as many as four inmates will be executed by lethal injection by the end of the summer. Black legislators and liberal lawmakers led the charge, convinced there is prejudice in the judicial system because nine of 13 inmates currently on death row are black. However Sen. Walter Baker (D-Cecil), who led opponents of the moratorium, disagrees. "It's got nothing to do with black and white," he said. The Legislative Black Caucus and other moratorium supporters agreed to let the bill die in exchange for the passage of two measures that would guarantee DNA testing for certain defendants convicted of rape or murder, and restore voting rights to convicted felons once they are released from prison. Illinois is the only state that has declared a moratorium.

(CNSNews.com) - Motivated by anger over the Florida Supreme Court's handling of Bush v. Gore, the Republican-dominated Florida legislature is moving to dilute the high court's authority and make it harder for justices to keep their jobs. One justice issued an order forbidding the joint Senate-House committee hearing, but lawmakers ignored it. Legislators, who say the court politicized the Bush v. Gore case, aim to give the governor total control of judicial appointments, which eliminates the Florida Bar's direct involvement, and to move bills that would take away some of the court's jurisdiction and perhaps two seats. "We have a court that usurps legitimate legislative authority and is result-oriented at the expense of limiting its own activities," said House Speaker Tom Feeney (R-Orange County). "The true radicals in this case are those who would support the Florida Supreme Court's disenfranchisement of the people by calling it jurisprudence."

(CNSNews.com) - Amid a barrage of criticism aimed at the Bush administration over environmental policies, Vice President Dick Cheney reiterated Sunday the administration's stance on pursuing gas and oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and defended the administration's decision to not restrict emissions from electric power plants. On NBC's Meet the Press, Cheney denied that the administration's plans to explore ANWR were sinking, maintaining that the environmental impact to the region would be minimal. "No, I don't think it's dead at all," Cheney said about the plans. "The notion that, somehow, developing the resources in ANWR requires some sort of vast despoiling of the environment up there is just garbage." Democrats and environmentalists have been especially vehement in criticizing a campaign promise reversal when President Bush refused to limit carbon dioxide emissions by electric power plants, effectively abandoning the 1997 Kyoto treaty aimed at fighting global warming. Cheney said the U.S. Senate would not have ratified the treaty because of its negative economic impacts, but promised the administration was seeking alternative ways of approaching the problem. "Kyoto was a dead proposition before we ever arrived in Washington," Cheney said on ABC's This Week. "All we did was make it clear that the U.S. would not bound by it."

(CNSNews.com) - A leader among homosexual Republicans in Wisconsin will be named director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, the New York Times reports Monday. According to the report, Scott Evertz will be the first openly homosexual appointment in any Republican administration. Even though the move seems to appeal to homosexual voters, White House officials maintain that Evertz's appointment was based neither on his sexuality or its significance in politics or policy. Evert agrees. "What I appreciate is the president has said he is appointing people who are qualified and share his philosophy," he said. "I haven't been treated like a token." Evertz, 38, a Roman Catholic, has been a fundraiser for Wisconsin Right-to-Life and a Catholic AIDS ministry. He is also the head of the Wisconsin Log Cabin Republicans and has political ties to former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson, who now heads the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which will take on the role of coordinating all domestic and international HIV/AIDS policies.

It should be clear by now that the Democrats' strategy is to prevent Pres. Bush's tax cut plan from succeeding, thereby keeping the economy from rebounding in time for the 2002 congressional elections where they hope they can regain the majority. While such tactics are cynical and despicable, they do work. (full story)

From the Drudge Report: A test tube containing the foot-and-mouth virus went missing from a top secret laboratory two months before the outbreak was first reported, the SUNDAY EXPRESS is planning to report...

The editor here has long suspected that this epidemic might be the work of "animal rights" militants who really are more interested in controlling other peoples' diets than in the welfare of animals. Stay tuned.

This story is included here as a reminder that there are forces on Earth far more powerful than man affecting the weather and the climate. Perpetrators of the "global-warming" hoax would like us to believe that our wasteful lifestyle is responsible for changing the climate, but in truth, natural phenomena, such as this volcano and variations in solar activity have a much more powerful influence than anything mankind can do. (story)

The most interesting aspect of this story, I think, is the difference in the way it is being treated in the press compared to  the way it would be treated if the suspect were, for instance, a Catholic priest. My guess is that this is the only time you'll ever see this story mentioned. (story)

Does anyone remember how Democrats always demanded that Republicans "rally around" the president when Clinton was off diverting attention from impeachment by bombing innocent civilians? What the heck is this woman apologizing for? We should be demanding that the Chinese apologize! Oh, maybe her regrets have something to do with her husband's business interests in China. (story)

According to this story, "source said that immediately after the plane went down, Navy leaders wanted to stage "a big show of force,'but were outranked by the commander in chief.'" Since Pres. Bush took office, I have had a feeling that the U.S. military has been experiencing a sense of euphoria. It's good to see that Bush is exerting his authority and keeping the military commanders in check. (full story)

This is a great example of how the "Left" bullies its way when propaganda doesn't work. Make no mistake, the ultimate goal of Greenpeace is a socialist world government. It is using the "global-warming" hoax to frighten the world into accepting global control over energy, and since free nations rely on energy, when they control energy, they will control our freedom. (full story)

(CNSNews.com) - Former President Bill Clinton has a paid speaking engagement lined up next month - in Hong Kong, which became part of China in 1997. But with 24 Americans now detained in China, the question arises - will he keep the engagement? The New York Post quotes Clinton spokeswoman Julia Payne as saying, "We'll take another assessment as it gets closer, if the situation is still going on. Just because he's scheduled to go now doesn't mean he will." Clinton is supposed to speak at a May 10 Fortune magazine forum. The magazine refused to say how much he'll be paid.

(CNSNews.com) - Another Virginia Military Institute tradition is under attack, after two cadets complained about the blessing offered before dinner. Press reports said the American Civil Liberties Union wrote a letter to VMI at the end of February, asking the school to stop the long practice of requiring cadets to listen to a prayer before dinner. The ACLU has threatened to sue the school if the nonsectarian prayers don't stop. They won't stop, the school insists. "The Supreme Court has never said adults assembled for an official meal on a college campus may not hear a blessing offered for the meal," said Attorney General Mark Earley, whose office is legal counsel for VMI. The school's all-male tradition was abolished in 1996, when the U.S. Supreme Court ordered it to start admitting women because it receives state funds. While the Supreme Court has banned prayed in public schools, it has never ruled on prayer at state-supported schools.

(CNSNews.com) - An analysis of Florida ballots conducted by the Miami Herald and USA Today shows George W. Bush would have won the November election under three out of four vote-counting scenarios. Based on a review of 64,248 ballots in all 67 Florida counties, the ballot examination found that Bush would have tripled his lead over Al Gore, but only if Democrats had been allowed to count every dimple, hanging chad and mark on the ballots. In that case, Bush would have won by 1,665 votes. Ironically, using the stricter Republican standard (no dimpled or hanging chads allowed), Al Gore would have won by three votes. The ballot review, conducted by the accounting firm BDO Seidman LLP, was intended to answer the question, What would have happened if the courts had allowed the manual vote recount to proceed? "The answer, under almost all scenarios, Bush still would have won," said the Miami Herald in its report. Bottom line - both campaigns were clinging to a vote-counting standard that would have undermined their candidates.

P.S. Notice where the Poughkeepsie Journal ran this story? Think it would have been a small item on page 3 if the result had been different?

(CNSNews.com) - The U.S. Education Department lost an estimated $450 million in waste, fraud and mismanagement over the last three years, said the Department's inspector general Tuesday in testimony before a House subcommittee. "This is a very serious problem," Inspector-General Lorraine Lewis told the panel, adding that "No one can say with certainty if there are other problems." Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.), the subcommittee chairman, said, "In many ways, it's beginning to look like we are dealing with a Third World republic." Republicans in Congress said they are counting on President Bush's Education Secretary Rod Paige to straighten things out.

I have to ask, why wasn't this woman arrested? If this had been a man, is there any doubt where he'd be right now? (full story)

You have to wonder if this action has anything to do with the Democrat Party now being the "minority" party in both houses. (full story)

Although this study isn't "news", it certainly is relevant to the news of the day regarding the EPAs plan to dredge the Hudson River. (synopsis)

(CNSNews.com) - House minority Leader Richard Gephardt, looking toward a possible run for the U.S. presidency, has formed a political action committee so he can accept soft money contributions that will help him form a national base of support. The timing is awkward, reports Roll Call, the Capitol Hill newspaper. Gephardt is among the lawmakers who demanding passage of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill, which seeks to reduce the "corrupting" influence of soft money on politicians. According to the newspaper, in the short term Gephardt will use the soft money to help certain state and local Democrats win elections. He, in turn, will look to those politicians for support when and if he runs for president. Roll Call quotes John Feehery, a spokesman for House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.),as saying that Gephardt's decision to form a soft-money PAC "goes to the hypocrisy of the Democratic position."

(CNSNews.com) - As the House of Representatives prepares to vote Wednesday on a bill repealing the estate tax, a group of black business leaders is throwing its support behind efforts to get rid of that tax. The Washington Post reports the black business leaders believe the estate tax is helping to widen the "wealth gap" between blacks and whites. Robert Johnson, the head of Black Entertainment Television, is leading the campaign to get rid of the inheritance tax, which he said threatens the first generation of significant black wealth. He also believes the estate tax is a form of double taxation, since businesses have already paid taxes on their earnings. Johnson sees black efforts to repeal the estate tax as a good opening for President Bush: "If he's smart, he'd take the opportunity to reach out to these African American business leaders and say, 'We agree on at least one thing. What else can we talk about?'" the newspaper quotes Johnson as saying.

London (CNSNews.com) - American diplomats Monday sought access to a grounded U.S. Navy spy plane and its 24-person crew, which landed on a southern Chinese island Sunday after an incident involving two Chinese fighter planes. Washington and Beijing exchanged accusations about who was to blame after the U.S. EP-3 surveillance plane made physical contact with one of the Chinese F-8s, which subsequently crashed into the sea. The American plane issued a "mayday" signal before landing at a Chinese airbase on Hainan Island. U.S. military officials have been unable to make contact with the crew. They have warned China not to "seize, board or inspect" the EP-3, which contains highly-sensitive equipment. One media report from Taiwan, claiming to be based on intercepted radio contact between the U.S. and Chinese planes, said the American crew had issued the warning signal and prepared to land after one of the Chinese aircraft had signaled it was likely to open fire. Full Story

(CNSNews.com) - A new ad campaign by retailer Abercrombie & Fitch aimed at teens is getting heat from the Catholic community. The publication features nudity and even an interview with a porn star, but that's not all. The Catholic League, the nation's largest Catholic civil rights organization, condemned the clothier for its advertising stunt, saying the ad mocks nuns and priests. For example, the league said, on page 110, in a review of cult movies, readers are instructed on how they can join in the fun. "One viewing is all it'll take, but learning to make wry comments after bashing a dead nun's head to a pulp couldn't hurt either," the league quoted the piece as saying. Catholic League President William Donohue said, "Abercrombie & Fitch's marketing department has concluded that the best way to sell its pants is to flash models who don't wear any. The clothes, they are convinced, do not make the man, which is why they feature two naked guys riding a motor scooter on the cover of their catalog. I think that's the point. But what do I know? I'm Catholic." He added," What I do know is that it doesn't take any guts to bash Catholics these days. Indeed, it's sport with the sexually free crowd that A&F likes to target. In any event, we're going to give Abercrombie & Fitch some free advertising: we're going to let Catholics know exactly what the bad boys at A&F think of their religion. We'll then see who gets the last laugh."

(CNSNews.com) - The chairman of the Subcommittee on the Census is calling for the resignation of Democratic appointees from the Census Monitoring Board. In a letter sent Thursday night to Gilbert Casellas, co-chair of the presidential side of the Census Monitoring Board (CMBP), Chairman Dan Miller (R-Fla.) called on the appointees to step down for "irresponsibly misleading both Congress and the American people with faulty data."  Read the letter.

(CNSNews.com) - "For anyone who's Christian, it's very offensive," said Florida state Sen. Debby Sanderson about a college play that features a Christlike character who is homosexual. Despite an outcry, Florida Atlantic University's theater department will allow the play to finish it's five-day run this weekend. "It's a matter of academic freedom," wire services quoted university spokeswoman Lynn Laurenti as saying. The play, "Corpus Christi," tells the story of homosexual named Joshua growing up in modern-day Texas. The story borrows heavily from the Gospels. The same play, written by Terrence McNally, prompted protests by Roman Catholic groups when it debuted on Broadway in 1998. The flap has several Florida lawmakers threatening to cut state funding for FAU programs.

(CNSNews.com) - Teamsters President James Hoffa will join Republican Sen. Frank Murkowski of Alaska Wednesday to support what the union calls "responsible development" in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Reservation. In a statement announcing Wednesday's press conference, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters said the union "supports the continued creation of good-paying jobs for working families while protecting the environment." Hoffa is expected to say more about jobs and ANWR oil drilling later today. President Bush is a strong advocate of oil exploration in one corner of the vast Alaskan wilderness, something that many Democrats and environmentalists strongly oppose.

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(CNSNews.com) - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) will open her $2.85 million home in Washington, D.C. next month, to help a fellow Senator pay off her campaign debt. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) owes $4.3 million - loans secured by her personal assets - at a time when the stock market slide has decimated her portfolio. The Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call reports that other Democratic Senators are also pitching in to help raise funds for Cantwell. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) last week "basically just asked individual Senators to help her out," according to Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Wash.). Cantwell reportedly cashed in more than $6.5 million of her company stock to fund her Senate campaign. Her Seattle software company, RealNetworks, has seen its share value plummet in recent months.

(The Federalist - March 23, 2001) Daschle-Gephardt, et al., are still flapping about, declaring that George Bush and Dick Cheney have used their brief tenure in the White House to talk the equity markets and economy into a recession. As we noted last week, Gephardt complained, "[This] started when Dick Cheney, a few months back, said we're in a recession." Of course, the charges are ludicrous, but, for the record, we came across this comment from Dick Gephardt in a January 3rd interview: "Look [the tax cut] may [have] to get bigger because the recession is looming and we've got economic worries out there."  That's right -- Gephardt was using the "R" word weeks before Mr. Bush took office.

FrontPage Magazine - March 23, 2001 - Hundreds of campus radicals protested the Duke Chronicle's decision to run David Horowitz's anti-reparations ad. Campus police had to intervene when a group of protesters stormed the paper's offices on Wednesday. But Chronicle editors and Duke administrators stood tall and defended the decision to run the ad. The Chronicle's Greg Pessin said, "Open debate, open discussion, should not be sacrificed for comfort." And Duke President Nan Keohane defended Horowitz?s right to speak. "The best recourse on a university campus is to use free speech to deal with speech that is offensive."

(CNSNews.com) - Instead of looking for new supplies of oil, Senate Democrats want to limit how much oil can be used for transportation - something that would force automakers to build more fuel-efficient cars. "Unless we can deal with vehicle efficiency, we will not be able to control consumption," said Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.). A bill introduced Thursday would limit the growth of petroleum use for transportation at 5 percent over the next eight years. The Democrats' energy bill also includes tax incentives for more efficient appliances and for renewable energy such as solar power and wind power, and it would speed up the approval process for gas pipelines and power transmission lines. President Bush strongly supports the development of new energy reserves, but Democrats object to opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration. "We cannotdrill our way out of this problem and we cannot use our coming energy challenges as justification for an all-out assault on the environment," said Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) on Thursday.

And such a deal it was! It stinks to high heaven. Plea bargains usually occur when a defendant gives the prosecution information. The purpose of this deal seems to have been to bury information which might have implicated Bill Clinton in corruption.
(Newsmax.com story)

Considering the vast sums of money going from trial lawyers to Democrat candidates and causes, and the conflict of interest created by lawyers making vast sums of money on "liberal" causes such as suits against tobacco companies, the move by the Bush administration to remove the American Bar Association from the appointment process for federal judges is completely justified. (CNSNews.com story)

The Canadian government is now sticking their noses into this issue. We import a lot of energy from Canada which gives their environmentalists added leverage with the government. This could get sticky. (CNSNews.com story)

This editor doesn't profess to know that the Oklahoma City bombing was part of a larger conspiracy, but I've always been suspicious. The basis for that suspicion is the fact of the power and efficiency of the bomb. I don't believe that such a device could have been assembled serendipitously. I believe it would have required very knowledgable assistance or simple dumb "luck", the probability of which is astonomically small. Did McVeigh have a bomb testing range where he tested his device beforehand? I haven't heard of any such thing, and it seems inconceivable to me that, unless he had very knowledgable assistance, he would have attempted the attack without testing the device first.
(WorldNetDaily.com story)

(CNSNews.com ) - House Republican Leader Richard Armey (R-Texas) has accused the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development of trying to initiate a "global network of tax police" with an initiative that the organization believes will stop "harmful tax competition" around the world...

Editor's note: When internationalists call for an end to "harmful tax competition", they mean that all nations should conform to whatever tax rates exist in the highest taxed countries. Of course, their socialist agenda would be the beneficiary of such a scheme.

It's too bad this story doesn't go into Gov. Pataki's reasons for this action. I'd like to believe it's because he recognizes Whites "investigation" as nothing but a ploy to keep her job. Does anyone actually expect her "investigation" to turn up anything?
(Newsmax.com story)

You are about to be inundated with "news" stories lamenting how this reform is just another Republican gift to big business. What "liberals" and their media allies want you to  overlook, however, is that big businesses aren't hurt by people who don't pay their bills, they just pass the costs along to consumers. Who gets hurt are the people who do pay their bills. It's really no different from corporate taxes. "Liberals" know that taxing business is a good way to hide the level of taxation from the taxpayers. They know that consumers, with their and the media's help, will blame the higher prices on business. They think we're too stupid to realize that lowering corporate taxes will lower prices.
(Newsmax.com story)

(story)
Commentary (John Leo)

If the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) suddenly declared itself to be "pro-life", it would instantly be declared "organized crime" and the RICO statute would be applied. We have to wonder at the double standard evident here. (story)

(USA Today story)
(George Will on 'soft money')
(John LeBoutillier on Campaign Finance "Reform")

Republican Sen. Strom Thurmond is 98 years old and in failing health. If he passes away in the near future, an eventuality Democrats are secretly hoping for, a Democrat governor may select his replacement, most likely another Democrat who will tip the balance of power in the Senate.

There is a story circulating that the South Carolina legislature, under Republican control, is seeking to pass a bill giving them control over the selection. I have heard this story several times, but I can't put my finger on a bonafide source for it. If you can supply a source either confirming or refuting it, please send it in.

There is something very important missing from this story and its non-description of the "fistgate" scandal. Not only were the taxpayers paying for a homosexual practices workshop, the Massachusetts Education Department went to great lengths to suppress information regarding what transpired. When it became known that the workshop had been surreptitiously taped, they got a court to issue an injunction prohibiting the tapes from being played. Thanks to Sean Hannity for getting this story out. (Newsmax.com story)

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Bush May Support "Global Warming" Treaty

(CNSNews.com story)
The only good that can come out of this treaty would be a renewed commitment to nuclear energy. Until I see that, I will be vociferously opposed to the treaty's principle, which is that carbon dioxide emissions must be reduced to prevent "global warming". There is, however, a good reason for wanting carbon dioxide emissions reduced, and that is to reduce our burning of fossil fuels, which are non-renewable and of limited supply.

Is Bush committed to nuclear power's rebirth? I don't know because I haven't heard a word from him on the subject.

GOP Ads Feature JFK on Tax Cuts

(CNSNews.com) - Republicans are ready to roll with a series of radio ads supporting the Bush tax cut plan. The ads include radio clips of former President Kennedy pushing his own tax cuts four decades ago. The ads are aimed at Democratic senators in states President Bush will be visiting in the days ahead. "We recognize there are a number of Democratic senators up this election cycle from states that Bush overwhelmingly carried and we are targeting them," said Scott Reed, one of the men behind the ads. "The ads will be focused on Democrats who can and should vote for the Bush agenda.

Poll: Majority Supports Tax Cut

Don't think this is a good news story, it isn't. It's more a testament to the effectiveness of class warfare propaganda  and the stupidity of far too many people.
(AP story)

Confusion Mounts Over HHS Secretary's Opinion on Stem Cell Research

(story)
In a related story from CNSNews.com, the New England Journal of Medicine is reporting that a recent study shows that cells from aborted babies implanted into the brains of Parkinson's patients did more harm than good, and that's not even counting the harm done to the aborted baby and the baby's mother.

Teen Mom Throws Baby To Hungry Dog

Don't let the headline prejudice you, this is just an example of a young, responsible woman exercising her "reproductive choice". (NY Daily News story)

Euro-court outlaws criticism of EU

Before you read this story, keep in mind the fact that the European Union is considered by some to be a first step on the road to world government which is a goal of many people in the United States. (story)

While you're reading this L.A. Times story, keep in mind that China is a country that has taken drastic steps to limit its population growth to the extreme of imposing a one-child per family limit backed up by forced abortions and worse. Even in this country, much of the homosexuality normalization impetus is coming from a political extremity that voices great concern about world population (Al Gore is among this extreme group). One thing you have to say about homosexuality, it doesn't contribute to "over-population". Should we be surprised that such a view is coming from the People's Republic of China? It doesn't surprise me.

This story is getting to be a regular occurrence and we have to wonder why. While I don't believe there is any one single cause, but of all the causes I could name, "guns" isn't one of them. You might hear people lament the lack of morality training, or point out the devaluation of life by the "pro-abortion" mindset, and I do believe those are contributing factors. But there is one factor that seems to be a common thread in all of these attacks, that isn't being mentioned. I'm referring to fact that all of the perpetrators seem to be motivated by attacks on their "self-esteem". When I was growing up, we were made to understand that self-esteem was something to be earned, but these days, kids are being taught that self-esteem is something they are owed, as if it is their right. So of course, when other kids undermine their self-esteem, they react by attacking, just as anyone might do when a basic "right" is being denied.
(LA Times story)

Many Democrats are concerned that a Senate bill considered the best prospect for campaign finance "reform" could seriously undermine the party's ability to remain financially competitive. (Washington Post story)

George Will maintains that the bill is unconstitutional and urges Pres. Bush to repeal it. (column)

(CNSNews.com) - A California appeals court has unanimously decided that public schools in the state cannot prohibit Christian Bible clubs from using school facilities for their after-school activities.

You have to wonder what schools are teaching people these days when you read stories about the mass hysteria being generated over what usually amounts to  the insignificant risks of our technological society. These people who will demand a draconian response to an infinitisimal chance of "Mad Cow" disease will tell their children that a condom with a 2% failure rate (~18% FAILURE RATE after ten uses, ~87% FAILURE RATE after 100 uses) is "safe sex", and they're probably perfectly willing to stand in line for hours to buy a lottery ticket when they're more likely to get hit by lightning while standing in line than they are to buy a winning ticket. Of course, we can't discount the possibility that the meat hysteria hasn't been orchestrated by the militant animal "rights" whackos.
(Washington Post story)

If you were hoping for real change in Washington, this is not good news. On the issue of "global warming), before it is determined that it is an issue for political intervention, there are several questions that must be addressed:

1. Is global warming actually occurring
2. Is it a result of human activity
3. If the answer to question #2 is affirmative, can it be reversed?
4. If it is occurring, is the net effect bad or good?

When you look at these issues closely, you find that none of them have been answered with enough certitude to warrant the draconian measures being bandied about by politicians (and their "scientist" patrons) who really are only interested in new revenue sources. (story)
Related stories and opinions:
http://www.co2science.org/edit/v4_edit/v4n9edit.htm
http://www.co2science.org/journal/2001/v4n9c2.htm
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns225749
http://www.co2science.org/journal/2001/v4n9c1.htm
http://www.co2science.org/journal/2001/v4n9c3.htm
http://www.junkscience.com

House Majority Whip Tom DeLay issued a response to comments by Supreme
Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who criticized DeLay for speaking out
about judicial deficiencies though he is not a lawyer: "In her speech,
Justice Ginsburg raised a serious public policy question which deserves
thoughtful consideration and a vigorous debate. What, if any, redress is
available to the American people when judges do not follow the law? I'm
sure Justice Ginsburg does not believe that the judicial branch is above
accountability. We all agree that judges must adhere to the law just as
every other citizen is required to do. My question to her is this: By what
mechanism can the American people enforce accountability for judges if not
by the tools given to us by the Constitution? I also reject Ginsburg' s
assertion that I am not qualified to offer an opinion on problems within
our justice system. Unlike Justice Ginsburg, I believe that every American
citizen...has the right to be heard on this and other legal questions. Our
Constitution was not intended to be an inaccessible legal document. Our
Founding Fathers drafted the Constitution so that every American would be
able to understand the proper scope of the law. I believe that average
Americans -- not just Ivy League lawyers -- have both a right and an
obligation to speak out when they see members of the judiciary overstepping
the proper scope of the law." - from The Federalist

Here we go again. The last time the SAT came under attack, the reason was that it was "unfair" to girls, who were getting better grades but lower SAT scores. Lost in that debate was question of why, when there is a disparity between a subjective indicator (grades) and an objective indicator (standardized tests), the objective one would be the one deemed unfair. Read about the latest attack on SATs in this ABC story.

So now the social engiineers have gotten college admissions so out of whack that the next candidates for "affirmative action" just might be white boys! Read about that in this related FoxNews story.

This is a very interesting story, particularly if you remember back during Clinton's reign how his puppets were always accusing the other side of "leaking" things to the media. You would think that someone who had been damaged by "leaks" as much as Clinton claimed to be would not be soft on leakers. But these pardons tell a much different tale. (read about it)

According to the First Amendment to the Constitution, speech and religion are equally protected. Defenders of "artistic expression" tell us that it is equivalent to, and equally protected as speech.  If that is so, then while government cannot restrict it, it cannot at the same time promote one form of it over another, and public financing of anti-Christian speech while refusing to finance any form of religious expression is clearly unconstitutional! If government does not financially support all expression, something it clearly cannot do, then it must subsidize no expression. (story)

(see StarNews story)
Is this story and its timing an indication that the Bush Administration is using this situation for political purposes? What better way to counter charges of being dominated by the "religious right" than to launch an attack on a church! I hope I'm not right about this.

This week's "Hyper-Hypocrisy" Award:

"A 48-year-old mother has been convicted of shooting a man she mistakenly thought murdered her son. The jury found Barbara Graham guilty on various charges, including aggravated assault with intent to kill." --Washington Post  **Nowhere in the article did the Post mention that Ms. Graham was a speaker at the "Million Mom March" opposing handguns!
-- The Federalist

One can only wonder if "Gay History" taught by the teachers' unions will include an analysis of the way the disease AIDS was allowed to spread in order not to stigmatize homosexuals. (CNS story)

Are you getting confused by the conflicting "global warming" claims? One week, scientists are saying there's less warming than predicted, now this week there's that claim that it's more than predicted (see AP story). One thing you have to understand about the latest claim. There are people in the United Nations who desperately want an excuse to impose world-wide taxes to support their globalist socialist agenda. Despite what you read in the media, there is nothing close to a consensus among scientists on the extent or cause(s) of "global warming".

EPA supports dredging Hudson River

The Poughkeepsie Journal reports that the Environmental Protection Agency now supports a $460 million project to dredge PCBs from the Hudson River over a five year period. The dredged sediment will be moved to landfills. In other words, the PCBs won't be removed from the environment, they will simply be spread around. Sounds like a good plan to me (not)!
(see GE press release)