Any RB experts on West Sahara autonomy? If M. Jacques Le Weasel is for it, I think I ought to be against it, but I'm not sure.
French President Jacques Chirac praised a Moroccan plan to grant self-rule to the separatist region of Western Sahara as "constructive" after talks with Moroccan ministers here Monday. Chirac held talks in Paris with Morocco's Interior Minister Chabib Benmoussa and a delegation of officials from Rabat, who gave the French president an early look at the plan, which is due to be presented to the UN in April. A statement from Chirac's office thanked the Moroccan delegation for "reserving for France a first look at its considerations for the future of Western Sahara and of the plan accompanying it, which it characterises as 'constructive'".
Morocco annexed the desolate but phosphate-rich northwest African territory after the withdrawal of the region's former colonial power Spain and neighbour Mauritania in the 1970s. A war ensued with the armed Polisario Front independence movement which was set up in 1973 and established itself as the sole representative of the nomadic Saharan or Saharawi people. The conflict ended in 1991 with a UN-brokered ceasefire. Moroccan Communications Minister Nabil Benabdellah said the plan for the southern desert region rests on "three axes," namely "the sovereignty of Morocco... the social and cultural characteristics of the (Western Sahara) region and international criteria for autonomy."
But the plan was roundly rejected by Saharawi foreign minister Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, who declared it "null and void". Ould Salek, a member of the Saharawi government in exile, told journalists in Algiers the plan was dead in the water. "The occupier's plan is null and void. It is stillborn," he said. The minister warned that "the people are going to resist, fight and campaign against it until they get full satisfaction for their right of self-determination, whatever the cost." He said the "Moroccan regime, unfortunately comforted by France" would have to bear the "dangerous consequences" for the plan.
O dear. That sure sounds a lot like he's setting the table for a steamy hot serving of Legitimate Rights, with a side order of Humiliation and perhaps a flaming dish of Dire Revenge Jubilee for dessert. Waiter, check please.
Of course he rejected it. Standard Middle East negotiating tactics 101: reject everything til you get what you want, or until someone threatens to pound the beejeebus out of you. The Moroccans can't do the latter (they tried and failed) so he'll wait for the former. It's only been 30-plus years, time is on his side.
A government source in Rabat, meanwhile, said that other UN Security Council members would also be given a look at the proposal. "After France ... government emissaries will be sent to the United States, Britain, Russia and China," the source told AFP. There will also be talks with Spain as well as non-permanent members of the Security Council such as Qatar, Peru and Italy, the source said.
#1
I will always remember Chirac's words to CNN, shortly before the liberation of Iraq, desperately trying to prevent it: "I am sure Saddam Hussein loves the Iraqi people."
Don't trust one word this man pronounces. Don't trust his breath. Don't trust his power-lusting, vain shell.
Morocco always considered the northern half of Spanish Sahara to be Morrocan and when the Spanish pulled out, Morocco and Mauritania agreed to divide the former Spanish colony/protectorate. Some locals (Polisario) thought they should have the run of the country and Algeria supported them, because they didn't want the Moroccans to have it. There were several smaller Spanish enclaves in Morocco which were integrated into Morocco (Sidi Ifni, which I visited, comes to mind).
I was there to design a railroad from Marrakesh to El Layoon (the phosphate shipping port on the Atlantic)in the contested area. The King hoped the railroad would unify the portions like the transcontinental railroad united the eastern and western US. It was too expensive, of course, since the French set the design standards too high, and there wasn't much between Marrakesh and El Layoon - except a lovely and expensive mountain range, the popular beach resort of Agadir, and a whole lotta sand dunes.
Doezat make me an "expert"?
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/07/2007 6:44 Comments ||
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#4
Ship - Nah, too expensive. I tried to get the French engineers to lower their criteria to something more like the original transcontinental railroad - say a 35 mph speed thru the mountains. They hadda have 60 mph. To do that, there were a couple of places where there was a 360-degree tunnel!
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/07/2007 11:04 Comments ||
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#5
That's more Sahara xperience than I've had, so , yah, Bobby's our expert.
Thanks for the travelogue! Sorry about the railroad, I was looking forward to my trip on the Phosphate Mine Express.
#6
I read somewhere that the Polisario are pro-democracy anarcho-capitalists... or close enough for government work. Which would definately make them the good guys, right?
#7
If being yet another permanent "refugee" camp UN dependency with free education, free housing, water shipped in, etc. on the US tax-payer's dime makes you pro-democracy anarcho-capitalists then I guess that would be right. Of course, these folks get none of the press of the you-know-whos because they are no Jews involved. Neither does the 1700 mile wall Morocco built to keep the anarcho-capitalists out in the desert. Again, no Jews on either side so the "left", the Nazis and the muslims could care less.
#9
IIRC, the Polisario is a far leftist organization more closely aligned with Libya and Syria than "anarcho-capitalists". The former Kingdom of Morocco was divided between the French and the Spanish, and teh Moroccans had little to say about it. Mauritania didn't exist until the French created it.
We've seen the disaster the French and British created in carving up the Ottoman Empire. It also exists in how the French, British, Portuguese, Spanish, and Belgians carved up most of Africa.
I wouldn't trust Shitrack to move my trashcan to the front of my house for pickup day.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/07/2007 18:23 Comments ||
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For close to seven years, Zimbabwe's economy and quality of life have been in slow, uninterrupted decline. They are still declining this year, people there say, with one notable difference: The pace is no longer so slow.
Indeed, Zimbabwe's economic descent has picked up so much speed that President Robert Mugabe, the nation's ruler for the past 27 years, is starting to lose support from parts of his own party.
In recent weeks, the national power authority has warned of a collapse of electrical service. A breakdown in water treatment has set off a new outbreak of cholera in the capital, Harare. All public services were cut off in Marondera, a regional capital of 50,000 in eastern Zimbabwe, after the city ran out of money to fix broken equipment. In Chitungwiza, just south of Harare, electricity is supplied but four days a week.
The government awarded all civil servants a 300 percent raise just two weeks ago. But the increase is only a fraction of the inflation rate, so the nation's 110,000 teachers are staging a work slowdown for more money; measured by the black-market value of Zimbabwe's ragtag currency, even their new salaries total less than $60 a month.
#2
Seeking to revive farm production, for example, the government sells gasoline to farmers at a deep discount of 330 Zimbabwe dollars, or about $1.27, per liter and farmers promptly resell it on the black market for 10 times as much, leaving their fields idle.
Damn! Bob know about that?
Posted by: Farmin B. Hard ||
02/07/2007 15:07 Comments ||
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#3
Aliter and a quart are close enough in size to equals compare, so the LOW price of $1.27 equals $5.08 a gallon,(discount? like hell it's a "discount")
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/07/2007 16:31 Comments ||
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#4
To continue, I doubt that anyone in Zimbabwe could afford $50 buck a gallon gas, I think the "Reselling" is a fiction.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/07/2007 20:08 Comments ||
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#5
I for one would NEVER farm there, the Govt has already shown that they plan to steal the crops and kill the farmers, once is plenty of warning.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/07/2007 20:11 Comments ||
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#6
Nice foreshadowing for the socia-fascists in Venezuela and Bolivia. That's right suka's. Nationalize industry, redistribute land, ceed powers to the despots and fix prices.
Bangladeshs security forces arrested two more aides of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on Tuesday, moves that come amid renewed vows by the interim government to fight corruption. Tariqul Islam, a former forest and environment minister, and Rashiduzzaman Millat, a former lawmaker, were detained in raids on their homes, ATN Bangla TV and their families said.
There was no immediate comment from security forces. The Home Ministry said in a statement the government was stepping up its drive against corruption and violence, without referring to the detention of politicians and former Cabinet ministers since a state of emergency was declared last month. On Monday, 19 politicians arrested under emergency powers were sent to jail for a month, a lawyer said.
Eight of the detainees, including former Cabinet minister Nazmul Huda and Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, are close aides of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Several detainees are from the Awami League party, headed by Zias predecessor and main rival, Sheikh Hasina. No specific charges have been brought against any of them, but they are accused of corruption and anti-state activities, a lawyer for one of the detainees said Monday on condition of anonymity.
Also Tuesday, the chief of Bangladeshs corruption watchdog agency announced his decision to step down on Wednesday following a meeting with President Iajuddin Ahmed. Sultan Hossain Khan, chairman of Anti-Corruption Commission, did not explain his decision, but he has reportedly come under pressure from the interim government for allegedly failing to pursue corruption while Zia was in power.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2007 00:00 ||
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Gunmen in army-style uniforms attacked police stations and killed seven people in the Mexican resort of Acapulco, despite a military crackdown against violent drug gangs. Local media said men dressed in khaki uniforms and wearing red berets opened fire with automatic weapons at one station, killing three policemen. A man with the assailants filmed the attack with a video camera, the El Universal newspaper said. Hitmen also attacked another station, stripped several agents of their weapons and started shooting, killing a secretary, two police officers, and a public prosecutor.
President Felipe Calderon called an emergency meeting with his security cabinet to discuss the attacks. Local government officials were not immediately available for comment.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
In Acapulco? But that's where the yanqui tourists go to spend money... No wonder Presidente Calderon called an emergency meeting of his security cabinet.
#2
they've been shooting randomly in Acapulco now for a few years, The Yankee tourist dollar is nothing compared to the Drug Cartel's lust for Power and Money(money that pales in comparison to tourista dollars)
Via Damian Penny
Last week China's leader, Hu Jintao, provided Sudan with an interest-free loan to build a presidential palace. With that gesture, Hu demonstrated his contempt for the Western understanding of the world -- and for Western policy toward his own country.
Sudan, you will recall, is the scene of the Darfur genocide. Since the killing began three years ago, the United States and its allies have flown in food and medicines, provided logistical help and money for a token African peacekeeping force, and done their best to isolate the Sudanese regime, which orchestrates the massacres. They have done this not because they have a selfish interest in Darfur but because tossing babies into bonfires is a crime against humanity.
In the run-up to Hu's visit to Sudan on Friday and Saturday, there were hopes that the Chinese leader would back the West's Sudan policy.
China's diplomats are forever reassuring the world about their country's "peaceful rise," and Hu duly expressed support for an expanded peacekeeping force in Darfur. But everything else about his visit demonstrated the gap between Chinese and Western priorities.
Hu called on nations to "respect the sovereignty of Sudan." But since the end of the Cold War, the Western view of sovereignty has grown increasingly contingent. If a nation slaughters its civilians (think Rwanda, Kosovo), harbors terrorists (Afghanistan) or refuses to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors (yes, Iraq), it forfeits its right to sovereignty. It may not be invaded, but it certainly can expect to face sanctions.
Sudan, by these standards, is an easy candidate for sanctions. But China's talk of "sovereignty" is code for the opposite policy. As well as paying for a presidential palace, Hu used his trip to cancel $80 million of Sudanese debt, to announce a plan to build a railway line and to visit an oil refinery that China partly owns, basking in the fact that 80 percent of Sudan's oil goes to his country.
#3
I get the feeling China And Russia are behind all our enemies whether North Korea,Iran,Syria etc
Welcome to my world EG9608!
Yes, we are fighting proxy wars all around the world. It is called death by a thousand cuts.
Posted by: DanNY ||
02/07/2007 5:19 Comments ||
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#4
I get the feeling China And Russia are behind all our enemies whether North Korea,Iran,Syria etc
"I've Got That Old Feeling"
No matter what I say or do,
I just can't seem to get inside your heart
What have I done wrong?
Lately you're so far away,
You just don't seem to hold me like you used to
Something's going on
I've got that old feeling, you're leaving
I'm so tired of goodbye
I can't wait on your love forever
While you change your mind
Morning finds us face to face
I feel you staring through me while I'm talking
Familiar looks I recognize the same old looks that said goodbye the last time
Something I'm used to
I've got that old feeling, you're leaving
I'm so tired of goodbye
I can't wait on your love forever
While you change your mind
#7
SPACEWAR > CHINA CHECKMATING THE USA article > Hu Jintao's upcoming visit to West Indies = China SSSSHHHHHHH wants a naval base [and by extens Air] in the Seychelles. *Interesting - USA + Brit also wanted a base(s) there in Seychelles but conservationist + enviro groups complained/resisted.
Yesterday morning at 10am in the well-to-do area of Tokyos Nishi Azabu, a member of one Yakuza gang (the Yamaguchi-gumi) shot and killed a very senior member (a kanbu, which roughly translates to "director") of another Yakuza gang (the Sumiyoshi-kai) on the side of the main road between Roppongi and Shibuya, all in broad daylight.
This has lit a match of dangerous and lethal proportions, escalating a rift that has been brewing in Tokyo for some time now, starting the much feared "Yakuza war" in central Tokyo, that many have been predicting since the end of 2005.
This is directly relevant for a few of us who write for stippy, because it has all happened literally right on our doorstep. One of the things we all like and respect about Japan - it's shiny reputation as a "safe" country - seems to have become tarnished and is somewhat crumbling at the sides.
Continued on Page 49
#5
"Now you listen to me, you smooth talking son-of-a-bitch. Let me lay it on the line for you and your boss, whoever he is. Johnny Fusuki will never get that movie. I don't care how many of you Yakuza greaseball goombahs come out of the woodwork."
The next morning, he woke up to find the severed head of his favorite Pokemon in the bed next to him.
Posted by: Mike ||
02/07/2007 8:12 Comments ||
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How, I dunno, civilized? Don't think the Post would use that as a headline if this was happening in NYC.
Anybody get a flak jacket with a whale in it delivered yet?
P.S.: Whoever wrote this did a great job.
#14
I read a book on the Yakuza some time ago and one thing really struck me. Japan has a really high number of arrests, it is a point of pride that they solve some insanely large amount of crimes.
Well this book pointed out that when the cops can't solve a crime they will often knock on the door of the local Yakuza place and the youngest member is sent out to take the rap for the unsolved crime. Citizens think crimes are being solved, Cops get great arrest stats, the Yakuza protect their higher ups (who were probably involved in some way) and the newguy doing the time proves his loyalty.
I found that an amazing insight into the Japanese.
#15
Icerigger: Black Rain was my first thought. This was closely followed by "cool!" and me making mid-'80s guitar noises and imagining I had mirrored aviators and a Kawi Ninja.
BEIJING - China plans to build its fourth satellite launch centre on the countrys southern island of Hainan, the official Xinhua news agency said on Tuesday. The new site would be built at Wenchang, around 60 km (40 miles) from the Hainan provincial capital of Haikou, it cited Luo Baoming, acting governor of the island as saying. China began conducting a feasibility study on the new satellite launch site in 2002 and concrete plans for its creation would soon emerge, Luo said.
Chinese satellites are currently put into orbit from launch centres in southwestern Sichuan province, northwestern Gansu province and Shanxi province in the north of the country, according to Xinhua.
The country launched its first satellite in 1970. Since then, analysts estimate it has launched at least 50 satellites. State media said last month that China would launch two satellites this year dedicated to broadcasting television and radio coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/07/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Why don't they try putting it up in that ring of orbiting debris they created?
#2
Gorb, They have, or will, insert a payload into the debris cloud. This makes it difficult to monitor energy signatures and also protects it from kinetic kill weapons.
#3
???! I thought I was kidding. How does this work? It makes a strange sort of sense, but would the cloud be enough protection to shield against anything like 50% of attacks? Interesting idea.
In any case, I thought we were working on energy beams and the like.
Anybody know how this mess will get cleaned up? Will it clean itself up? Is there something we can do, like have the debris rain down on China just to needle them for being aloof buttheads?
#4
right... they intentionally created that debris cloud to hide their deathstar...uh huh
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/07/2007 7:31 Comments ||
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#5
the whole China space junk episode thingy was a diversion secrete Op to establish Chinese Fast Food Franchises in Space. look for ceramic chop sticks next..sure sign.
Benedikt Thoma recalls the moment he began to think seriously about leaving Germany. It was at a New Year's Day reception in 2004 in nearby Frankfurt and the guest speaker, a prominent politician, was lamenting the fact that every year thousands of educated Germans turn their backs on their homeland.
"That struck me like a bolt of lightning," said Thoma, 44, an engineer who was then running his family's elevator company. "I asked myself, Why should I stay here when the future is brighter someplace else?"
In December, as his work with the company became an intolerable grind, mainly because of labor disputes, Thoma quit and made plans to move to Canada. In its wide-open spaces, he hopes to find the future that he says is dwindling at home. As soon as he lands a job, Thoma, his wife, Petra, and their two teenage sons will join the ranks of Germany's emigrants.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/07/2007 00:00 ||
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#2
Interesting... especially in light of the novel that I am working on, about the great exodus of German farmers and craftsmen to Texas in the mid 1840ies. It was becoming very difficult for farmers, since inheritance split up holdings into smaller and smaller plots. And industrialization was just kicking in, and squeezing out small craftsmen... and an extremely rigid political situation left political dissidents out in the cold. The Mainzer Adelsverein signed up 10,000 familes and single men in a year or so, to come out and homestead on the Verein's land grants in Central Texas, and managed to transport about three fourths of that number before going broke. It's a fascinating story, BTW and with any encouragment at all I can bore you to death with the details.
#5
I would love to be bored to death. - JFM
You are going to be so sorry....
Well, one of the biggest problems for the Mainzer Adelsverein was--- besides being very liberal and well-meaning (in the 19th century way, of course) was their incredibile ability to ignore the best advice of people who knew what they were talking about, and fall like a ton of bricks for the advice of parties who did not... or worse yet, were out and out crooks. And that it took at least two months to cross the Atlantic by sailing ship at that time, didn't help communications much.
Their first commissioner in Texas came out to set things in motion in 1844. He made a great splash, traveling with an entourage of valets, huntsmen, guards, and a private chef: one Prince Karl of Solms-Braunfels. He committed to a entrepeneur contract agreeing to settle so many settlers on a tract of land. The Adelsverein would grant so much land per settler, pay all their transportation expenses, build them a log house and supply them with everything they needed to get started, and in return and keep a certain portion of the land for itself. So if it had been carefully managed, they might have made a profit. Unfortunatly Prince Karl had all the business sense of a turnip. (And he also managed to piss off Sam Houston, in an easy and aristocratic fashion.) The grant itself lay right spang in the middle of Comanche territory, at a time when they were pound-for-pound the meanest, leanest fightingest badasses on the whole continent, with the possible exception of the Apache. It was also not good farmland-- the Prince actually never visited it--- and he fatally underestimated the actual costs of transporting, supplying and setting up the infrastructure for those immigrants who began arriving at Galveston. Back in Germany, the Verein had already chartered ships and begun sending settlers, before there was even a place for them to settle. (Cliff-hanging suspense, more to follow... if anyone else cares to be bored to death.)
#6
Go for it, Sgt. Mom. Ladies and gentlemen, Rantburg University's History Department, Regional History 151 (The Settlement of Texas) is now in session.
#7
Jeebus, Sgt. Mom. Please tell me there's no pop quizzes on this later! I LOVE history, but have been outta school for too long to be taking tests, lol.
Posted by: BA ||
02/07/2007 11:14 Comments ||
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#8
Looks like "Port Tarascon" a novel from Daudet who is the follow-up of the immensely funy "Tartarin de Tarascon".
In it the whole population of Tarascon, a small city in the South of France leaves for a paradisiac island in the South Seas to colonize a newly built city who has everything (stores, port, houses even a cathedral). When they land they discover they have been victims of a crook: there is no city, locals are canibals, island is another Guadalcanal (complete with lots of snakes, giant insects, malaria) and last but not least (for inhabitants of sunny Tarascon this was the worst) it rains 365 days a year. Nearly forgot it, the island belongs to England.
#9
Right then, (reshuffling lecture notes) continuing with todays Rantburg University History Department lecture "The German Settlements in Texas".
Because the Adelsverein's eventual profits from their land grant depended on settling people on it, it was in their best interests to move their people in as effecient a manner as possible from the ships arriving in Galveston to the grant. There were other entrepeneurs with competing grants, among them Henri Castro, who had a small grant south of San Antonio upon which he was settling Alsatian immigrants, for instance. Prince Karl thought it would be better for the Adelsverein to bring their settlers to a port farther east of Galveston, and transport them by wagon to the north, a staging point on the Comal River some 150 miles north. With a couple of ships already unloading Adelsverein immigrants in Galveston, he made a quick purchase of land from the Veremendi family of San Antonio (James Bowie had married a Veremendi daughter by the way) around a series of natural springs known as "The Fountains". This became the town of New Braunfels, which the Prince hoped would serve as a staging area, for settling the main grant of land between the Llano and San Saba rivers, north and west of the Hill Country. He also procured the use of a tract along the coast of Matagorda Bay south of present-day Port Lavaca, to land the Adelsverein settlers. This location was christened Karlshaven, later Indianola. He conducted a small party of the first arrivals from there to New Braunfels. Then, having done all the good and all the damage that he could possibly do, Prince Karl decamped for Europe, pursued by creditors, just as Texas was about to be annexed by the United States, over the strong objections of Mexico. He was replaced as commissioner in Texas by Baron Ottfried Johann von Meusebach, who had trained as a lawyer, civil administrator and forest-manager, and had the sense to first become an American citizen and drop the title, becoming simply John O. Meusebach.
In any case, he had his hands full to overflowing. Prince Karl, as noted, had the business sense of a turnip. He authorized all kinds of expenses, and the accounts were in a hideous mess. War was about to break out with Mexico, shiploads of German settlers were arriving, and pitching up tents on the beach... in the winter. Meusebach was desperatly short of funds and credit, and his contracts to transport them north to New Braunfels fell through. The cartage companies reneged, preferring to work for the US Army, hauling supplies for the war effort.
The landing-site at Indianola became such a hellhole that 500 young men chose to volunteer for service in the US Army, just to get away from it. Lecture will continue after lunch... any questions so far?
#10
Why thank you, Sgt Mom. I'll just have me a Shiner Bock in Gruene Hall until you git back.
Posted by: Steve ||
02/07/2007 11:52 Comments ||
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#11
Fascinating, Sgt. Mom. A neat reflection of the shipping of Irish immigrants en masse to the Northeast during the Civil War, it seems. I understand that the character of Cincinnati, Ohio was changed by the large numbers of German immigrants that arrived after the failed democracy initiative in 1848, but I'm not aware that was as organized as this.
#12
Right then... finish up that Shiner, Steve, the afternoon lecture is about to begin. (clears throat, shuffles notes)Continuing with todays Rantburg University History Department lecture "The German Settlements in Texas", part three.
John Meusebach, the Adelsverein's commissioner in Texas had one of the 19th century's biggest bucket o' worms dropped into his lap when he arrived in Texas in mid 1845 to oversee the settlement of German immigrants on the Adelsverein's massive, but ultimatly useless land grant. He had a disease-ravaged tent city/reception center at Karlshaven, on Matagorda Bay, a seriously over-crowded new town/way-station on the Comal River, an empty bank account, a raging war going on between the United States and Mexico... and more chartered immigrant ships on the way... all besides cleaning up the mess, financial and otherwise, left behind by the previous commissioner.
In the crude vernacular, at first he probably didn't know whether to piss or go blind. But John Meusebach was also one of the 19th century's great organizing talents, and in the space of about a year and a half, he had managed to scrounge a letter of credit for sufficient funds to meet urgent expenses, round up enough transport and personnel to start moving settlers up from the coast, and go out on an exploring mission towards the north-west from New Braunfels to survey and map out a second town. While Prince Karl had been more moved by aesthetics, in selecting the site for New Braunfels, John Meusebach was much more practical. He selected a location with good soil, running water, generous stands of fine timber and readily quarried stone, in the Pedernales River valley, and had it marked out in half-acre town lots and larger farm plots up and down the valley. It was expected that settlers would live in town and go out during the day to farm their fields, much as was done in Germany. A train of carts and wagons brought 120 settlers to the site in the spring of 1846. The town was named Fredericksburg, and for the next year more settlers kept pouring in. Epidemics followed the settlers into the new towns: typhus and cholera, mostly. It is not certain how many died on the beach at Karlhaven, or struggling up towards New Braunfels on their own, since many died along the road and were buried uncounted. Estimates range from 800 to perhaps a quarter of the 7,000 immigrants brought in Verein-chartered ships perished during their journey or shortly after arrival.
John Meusebach still had hopes of moving them into the large grant along the Llano and San Saba, and to facilitate this... and to secure the safety of Fredericksburg, he went out in the spring of 1847 with a party of 40 men and a translator to negotiate a peace with the Comanche tribes. Much to the surprise of practically everyone, he managed to pull it off, signing a peace treaty with representatives of a good portion of the Comanche people which basically allowed the German settlers and the Comanche to exchange hospitalities and wander at will in each others' territory... not that many were terribly comfortable doing so. Still, having a large Comanche warrior wander into your kitchen and wander out with a loaf of bread or some other unconsidered trifle was a vast improvement over having him wander out with your scalp, horse, child and anything else he fancied. Still John Meusebach's peace treaty held for ten years, which was probably about as good as could be expected, given that the Comanche were first and formost warrior-raiders.
A very strong German component still remains in the Hill Country, centered around Fredericksburg, and New Braunfels. They were strongly pro-Union during the Civil War, and suffered for it. Until WWI German was the predominent language in that area. A visitor to Fredericksburg in the 1880ies noted that there was only one person in town --- the sheriff--- who understood English.
They are very charming towns, still. And when I finish my novel about it all, and find a publisher for it, the Rantburgers (Rantburgundians?) will be almost the first to know. Should anyone not already be bored into a coma, I have written moore about this at The Daily Brief... just search under the "History" heading for more.
#13
Very cool, Sgt. Mom. Mr. exJAG and I often drive through Fredicksburg to visit family in New Braunfels, most recently just last month. Having spent many years in Germany now, we're always surprised at how totally German those places still are. Neat!
#17
My SIL is from New Braunfels (her mother's a Hillier), and talks about it enthusiastically. Your lecture, Sgt. Mom, is greatly appreciated.
Most people don't know it, but there's also a large German population a couple of dozen miles north of Alexandria, Louisiana, and several places in Colorado. I've answered a couple of emails from the son of our former landlady in Germany about emigrating to Colorado Springs. The Germans are not happy at home - a very unsettling sign. The last time they were this unhappy, some guy named Adolph took over...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/07/2007 18:50 Comments ||
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José Manuel Barroso put the Netherlands under pressure for being indifferent about the EU Constitution, De Volkskrant reports. In the spring of 2005, the Netherlands and France gave the Constitution a big no. Once you have signed an agreement you must ratify it as well, Barroso said to Dutch journalists in Brussels today. And if thats not possible, you should at least try to contribute everything you can to a solution, he added. The European Commission president would not comment whether he thought it was a good idea to shrink the Constitution to the size of a mini-agreement, as suggested earlier by the French presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy. This is a question for the member states. They have signed the agreement, and now they have to find a solution, Barroso said.
"Referendums make the process of approval of European treaties much more complicated and less predictable."
Translation: democracy is to be avoided, as voters might make the wrong decision.
"I was in favour of a referendum as [Portuguese PM], but it does make our lives with 27 member states in the EU more difficult. If a referendum had been held on the creation of the European Community or the introduction of the euro, do you think these would have passed?"
I mean, wow. They're not even trying to hide it anymore.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has hired Los Angeles celebrity attorney Martin Singer for legal work. Reid, D-Nev., paid Singer $25,000 on Dec. 14 from his senatorial campaign account, according to his most recent Federal Election Commission report. The money was described as "legal fees," but no details were given.
Reid's spokesman, Jon Summers, said Singer was hired to help Reid respond to a story by The Associated Press that was critical of a Las Vegas land deal involving the senator. He said Reid got approval from the Senate Ethics Committee for the expenditure. Singer did not immediately return a call.
Singer is among Hollywood's most sought-after litigators and has represented Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Britney Spears and Bruce Willis, among others. His specialties include libel, copyright and privacy law.
#1
How come every story I read about Harry lately contains the phrase "land deal"?
I'm sure Marty is just around to help him in the fight against the "Culture of Corruption"...
#2
Reid made a forture selling a chunk of desert that he didn't even own. I'm sure we'll eventually find an earmark for water to be supplied to a certain part of the desert on some otherwise innocent legislation.
The democrat party, all corruption, all the time.
#4
Nevada: a desolate part of the country fouled by radioactive wastes and corrupt politicians.
Let the Nevadians clean up the politicians, SuperFund the isotopes (SF will get 'er done sooner and better)
WASHINGTON President Bush's budget includes enough money to build only half the U.S.-Mexico border fence Congress demanded last fall, leaving supporters of a 700-mile barrier seething Monday and immigration advocates shrugging that it was just an election-year ploy.
With 75 miles of fencing already in place, the $1 billion in extra money proposed for border infrastructure would be used to build 150 miles of fence by the end of this year and 370 miles by the time Mr. Bush leaves office in early 2009, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said. That's far less than the 700 miles Congress approved last fall and Mr. Bush signed into law. "We are committed to the right fencing at the right place at the right time," Mr. Chertoff said during a briefing about his department's $46.4 billion budget proposal.
Mr. Bush has called for a "virtual fence" that would include barriers, cameras, unmanned surveillance aircraft and sensors, but critics say his reluctance to build the full physical fence demanded by Congress shows he's not serious about cracking down on illegal immigration.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/07/2007 00:00 ||
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#4
Bush has sold us out. Right now in Minnesota the majority of Meth is being smuggled in by Mexicans here illegally. Which begs the question, what is wrong with this idiot? There are little to no raids on companies that hire illegals which just goes to show his intentions.
Aside from landmines which would be a great idea, the Minute Men are our only defense. Because it's only a matter of time before the Muzzies smuggle a nuke over our southern boarder.
#6
I could build a fence for a lot less than that!
Posted by: Jim ||
02/07/2007 8:55 Comments ||
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#7
Tamper proof Social Security cards along with hefty fines and/or jail for employers who hire illegals would help. After all, most of them are here for the jobs so if they can't work they might go home on their own. The fact that these measures have not already been taken goes to show how crooked our politicians are. I don't have much faith this problem will ever be solved so I'm always nice to Mexicans because I figure they're taking over. As for the drugs, I think if the government was serious about it, the problem would have been solved long ago. There again, the real problem is corruption on both sides of the border. It's really disturbing to think the people in our government are that bad but it is the obvious conclusion when they consistently fail to address the problem in any meaningful or effective way.
#8
I could build a fence for a lot less than that!
You're not allowed to, Jim. You don't have a union and pension benefits and healthcare benefits. Why the only fools stupid enough to work for you would be Mexicans.
[/snrk]
#9
Besoeker: Haven't ridden MARTA lately have you? Definitely not many Albanians on there. More Africans (thus, originally, MARTA=Moving Africans Rapidly Through Atlanta) and Hispanics than anything else.
Posted by: BA ||
02/07/2007 11:06 Comments ||
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#10
I'll bet if you sold the advertising rights to the fence, it would pay for itself.
We are already a nation of whores, so what's another buck or two????
#11
Why not use volunteers? Any money used to build the fence would then mostly be used for equipment, materials, meals, lodging, and professionals to guide the work. No labor.
If you made it into a summer experience and call it the "Fence Corps" I would think there ought to be plenty of people who would send their kids down to work on it during the summer, too! :-)
#12
Give me a rifle, ammo, the right rules of engagement, a tent and camp-stove, and I'll guard a portion of the border just to piss off the leftoids. I gotta have the right to shoot ACLU types as well as illegals, though, or it won't be worthwhile. Also that idiot in Arizona that wants to criminalize the Minutemen - she's gotta be declared a target, or it's all for nothing. I'm sure I could round up a few hundred (thousand?) other volunteers, as well...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/07/2007 19:16 Comments ||
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#13
The Minutemen were collecting money for the fence last year, gorb, and even got a small portion built. But then a politician volunteered to handle it for them, 'cause he had the staff just sitting about or something, and it all got queer.
#3
It does indeed prove a little mistrust of the govt is healthy. But it does not mean the two border agents should be pardoned. They were charged with an offense, and were then tried and convicted by a jury. They have an appeal pending. The law provides a procedure to correct mistakes made in trials. It is not perfect, but it is a lot better than trying the case in the press without knowledge of the facts. A jury heard the evidence and thought these guys were guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If there was a problem with the trial, then the court of appeals will likely catch it. If the agents are in fact guilty of the offense charged, then they should not be pardoned simply because the victim was a Mexican - its hard to write that exception into the law.
From the article, it sounds like Skinner told the truth, but that some other Homeland Security official lied, and that is the guy who might have committed a crime.
#1
but, of course, US Bureau of Corrections had acknowledged they would be at risk, and promised they'd be protected. The promisers should find themselves unemployed this afternoon, along with the warden and guards responsible for that protection.
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/07/2007 17:46 Comments ||
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ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Exxon plans to keep some refinery workers living in the plants to keep them going. A small Southern grocery chain is thinking about drive-through pickup of soup and bread.
The U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration urged employers to develop plans to cope with a possible flu pandemic on Tuesday, suggesting letting employees work from home and encouraging sick workers to stay home without reprisals. But a few international companies and small regional firms were already making bird flu planning a full-time job, and said on Tuesday they have had to prepare for the unthinkable.
Interesting how private companies lead the way on this.
It's not flocks of gummint chickens that are getting axed.
Jay Schwartz, vice president of information systems at North Carolina-based Alex Lee Inc., is worried about what will happen when food supplies begin to get scarce as people become ill, stay home to care for children when schools close or tend to ill relatives.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/07/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
A lot of common sense thought has gone into protecting trucking in the US. Many trucks now are "sleepers" which have beds for the drivers in the back of the cab.
Filling stations can be made "credit card only", and by monitoring truck stops, you can keep the human contact to a minimum, lowering chances of infection.
It might even be a good idea to set up a national "I'm sick" hot line. Encourage people to call in as soon as they start showing symptoms, in exchange for information and assistance.
#5
Spaviger Flesh5959: Well, right now you either die, or you have serious lung damage. Ordinarily, this would mean if you could get a call in to emergency services, they might be able to save you.
However, because the US has almost no extra ventilators then we use during a normal flu season, a lot of people who would have survived will suffocate, raising mortality strongly.
I still think that the US will pull through with some strong common sense innovation to minimize casualties, except in places where local and State government is ineffectual (read "Democrat"); like New Orleans and Louisiana were for decades before Katrina.
So far, I have thought up three ideas that I think would be easy, cheap and effective ways of controlling Avian flu:
1) Cities setting up phone banks to automatically call every residence in the city with information and to ask if they need assistance. This would be a godsend, and would force multiply emergency services. Volunteers could go house-to-house for people who don't answer (like in the old days.)
2) Businesses could have large bottles of hand sanitizer and courtesy loop masks at their main entrances. This would help keep their employees and customers healthy and their merchandise from getting contaminated. (Already some grocery stores have grocery cart handle wipes available along with free hand sanitizer at checkouts.)
3) This new idea, a federal "I'm sick" hot line would be an incredible advance in epidemology, in actually *seeing* where the disease is, which is light years ahead of any statistical projection or official medical reporting. This would focus and concentrate response at all levels.
#6
25-50% mortality in the current version, hard to tell what it will be in a human-to-human mutation. The issue is how fast it spreads, before symptoms are obvious.
COOP (Continuity of Operations Plans) typically align activities with the CDC's 6 stages. Stage 0 = before H2H xmission. Stage 1 = some H2H xmission, which (should) trigger staging of food, emergency supplies, initial prevention/"restriction of spread" activities and opening emergency ops centers. Plus designating alternates for decision making and key tasks, so that important functions go as smoothly as possible if/as people are unable to be at work due to their own illness, kids at home, etc.
Stage 2 = it's here among us, at which point things like closing schools go into effect, along with setting up various levels of quarantine and medical centers for expected overflow from hospitals. Expect govt agencies to have id'd mission-critical employees who may be asked (and at later stages might be required, if only by movement restrictions) to sleep etc. at work.
The rest of the stages get a lot more tough. How do you handle thousands of infectious corpses quickly, to prevent transmission? Do you burn them? Bury them in mass graves for later exhumation and reburial by loved ones? Worry about that when / if 25% of the country dies?
Another issue: lots of these plans assume the Internet will be available for telecommuting. I suspect that for various reasons that's an iffy assumption.
#8
If it's reached the epidemic stage, product development for the new and improved laundry detergent will move down the criticality list of the researchers involved. They'll get along without the immediacy of the internet for that purpose. But I imagine the military's net will have better survivability, surely?
My vote, for what it's worth re: infectious corpses: burn them, if sufficient facilities exist, otherwise mass graves with the bodies sealed in plastic to prevent decomposition products from seeping into the groundwater... then burnt later. No need to restart the infection cycle by letting an over-sentimental relative get infected from the remains of the corpse. I apologize if that seems cold blooded.
#9
Depends on which military network you have in mind, tw. A lot of DOD day to day stuff is done using virtual private network tunneling over the standard public internet. And more to the point, the civilian employees at DOD won't have access to any other options from home.
#10
Nothing specific I'm afraid, occasional observer, merely assumption. What I know about matters military I've learnt here -- I'm just a little civilian housewife (stop snickering, Frank G!) with no outside connections to the military besides a friendship with the former commander of the local VFW post, and he gallantly shelters me from anything that I might find distressing.
#11
"Infectious corpses" are not a problem, except for the smell. This fake issue is like a zombie, it shows up every time many people die at once. Is there any evidence of anyone catching influenza from a corpse? Disposing of the dead with decency relates more to the survivors' self-esteem and mental health.
Part of the issue is how fast the infection spreads & whether or not people without symptoms are socially active & casually spreading the virus. The other part is how lethal the virus is. If 50% of the population gets it, and 50% die, that's 25% of everyone. Civilization will take a pause if/when that happens. I hope key organizations are cross-training their people to fill in when essential personnel die off.
#12
Think worst case for personal protection and you will still fall short.
example: fresh water useage for typical natural disasters is 1 gal/person/day. If you have to do extra cleaning / laundernig of clothing /bedding for those sick in your household, that requirement is way short. For 2 of us for 3 weeks, I am estimating 100 gallons.
Also not counting on electrical grid staying up (their staff isn't immune) so cannot count on pumps for the water, lights, heat, refigeration. plan on a lot of Spam, peanut butter, wood stove cooked meals, assuming enough strength to fire up the thing.
#13
AH9418, disposal of corpses may seem unimportant, but there are twokinds of issues involved. First, questions of hygeine (and it's not just viruses but for instance bacteria getting into the water supply, rats being attracted to piles of bodies out on the soccer fields etc.
Second issue is legal and / or the ability of authorities to get compliance with tough measures. What is NOT needed during a pandemic is for various agencies to be deciding these issues on the fly. Hence the plans, which get at least a quick read from legal counsel to ensure that the local govt, or military base commander, or whomever can do what they are planning to do if need be.
Now that's a shitter...
Think you deserve a throne? A U.S. plumbing firm has created a luxury toilet equipped with laptop computer and flat-screen TV which it plans to give away in an online sweepstake. Ohio-based Roto-Rooter says its "Pimped Out John" is designed to "fulfill all your wildest bathroom dreams." Well...almost.
Special features include an iPod music player and speakers, an Xbox video game console, a refrigerator filled with drinks and snacks and a cycling exercise machine. You can keep the snacks, thanks...
"The bathroom is the perfect place for your very own throne. It shouldn't always be regarded as the room of last resort," said Steven Pollyea, Roto-Rooter vice president of marketing, in a press release emailed to Reuters. "The average person spends 11,862 hours in the bathroom, which equals one year, four months and five days in a lifetime... a toilet should be the most wonderful location in your home." Damn right!
Roto-Rooter spokesman Paul Abrams said the firm spent about $5,000 on parts and components to customize the toilet. Any resident of the United States could win this "gleaming monument to personal convenience" by entering the sweepstake at www.rotorooter.com before April 2. I wonder if their server will crash?
You might never want to leave your bathroom again. My wife thinks I spend enough time in there now...
#3
Form should follow function. For example, the toilet is also the place where many people die in the process of the strain and discomfort of an uncooperative bowel movement.
So the toilet should not just be an efficient drain. Even the incorporation of a warm bidet with a toilet, while desirable, is not the ultimate in excremeditatorial comfort.
It should also have a gentle, distilled water enema feature integrated into the system. A shallow enema, just gently flooding the rectum, instead of like a full enema, that floods into the lower intestine.
Warm distilled water, as heavily chlorinated tap water is not good for your intestinal flora, a healthy balance of which is essential for good health, but also, because due to an eccentricity of human plumbing, there are some large blood vessels in the rectum that have an almost direct connection to the liver. No reason to chlorinate the liver.
The ideal toilet should also be considerably higher, based on the knee height of the user, and conforming with his posterior for maximum comfort.
And yes, a padded seat is a must, but it must also be contoured so that it puts less pressure on the sciatic nerves of either leg. This often causes the legs to go to sleep after an extended sojourn, and is most unpleasant if the sciatic nerves are otherwise irritated.
Finally, though sitting rigidly upright might seem to be the best position for defecation, study should be made to determine the best posture for both it and respite in between efforts.
In the final analysis, we are still confronted with just a basic technology for this important part of our lives.
Hackers briefly overwhelmed at least three of the 13 computers that help manage global computer traffic Tuesday in one of the most significant attacks against the Internet since 2002.
Experts said the unusually powerful attacks lasted for hours but passed largely unnoticed by most computer users, a testament to the resiliency of the Internet. Behind the scenes, computer scientists worldwide raced to cope with enormous volumes of data that threatened to saturate some of the Internet's most vital pipelines.
Experts said the hackers appeared to disguise their origin, but vast amounts of rogue data in the attacks were traced to brooding Castle Rantburg South Korea.
The attacks appeared to target UltraDNS, the company that operates servers managing traffic for Web sites ending in "org" and some other suffixes, experts said. Company officials did not immediately return telephone calls from The Associated Press.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2007 00:00 ||
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The stifling of dissent continues. Climate Change has become a religion, and blasphemers (skeptics) are being shut down, fired, and ridiculed. That's science?
In the face of evidence agreed upon by hundreds of climate scientists, George Taylor holds firm. He does not believe human activities are the main cause of global climate change. Taylor also holds a unique title: State Climatologist.
Hundreds of scientists last Friday issued the strongest warning yet on global warming saying humans are "very likely" the cause. Most of the climate changes we have seen up until now have been a result of natural variations, Taylor asserts.
Taylor has held the title of "state climatologist" since 1991 when the legislature created a state climate office at OSU. The university created the job title, not the state. His opinions conflict not only with many other scientists, but with the state of Oregon's policies.
So the governor wants to take that title from Taylor and make it a position that he would appoint. In an exclusive interview with KGW-TV, Governor Ted Kulongoski confirmed he wants to take that title from Taylor. The governor said Taylor's contradictions interfere with the state's stated goals to reduce greenhouse gases, the accepted cause of global warming in the eyes of a vast majority of scientists.
Because it's just not proper to have dissent when the dissenter is saying stuff you don't like ...
He is Oregon State University's climatologist. He is not the state of Oregon's climatologist, Kulongoski said.
So the governor is going to re-arrange what the university has done. So much for academic freedom ...
Taylor declined to comment on the proposal other than to say he was a "bit shocked" by the news. He recently engaged in a debate at O.M.S.I. and repeated his doubts about accepted science.
Join the Galileo club, Dr. Taylor ...
In an interview he told KGW, "There are a lot of people saying the bulk of the warming of the last 50 years is due to human activities and I don't believe that's true." He believes natural cycles explain most of the changes the earth has seen.
A bill will be introduced in Salem soon on the matter. Sen. Brad Avakian, (D) Washington County, is sponsoring the bill. He said global warming is so important to state policy it's important to have a climatologist as a toady consultant to the governor. He denied this is targeted personally at Taylor. "Absolutely not," Avakian said, "I've never met Mr. Taylor and if he's got opinions I hope he comes to the hearing and testifies."
"I don't need to meet Mr. Taylor to know that he should be suppressed."
Kulongoski said the state needs a consistent message on reducing greenhouse gases to combat climate change.
"Whether or not it's true, it must be consistent."
The Governor says, "I just think there has to be somebody that says, 'this is the state position on this.'" This was h/t'd to Drudge, who has become one of the worst hysterics on Climate Change...
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/07/2007 09:06 ||
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#1
Plus, think of all the government and private money will come in now that there is no opposition to Global Warming in Oregon!
BTW, does the Gov understand that around 20,000 years ago his state was under a massive ice sheet and that if real and natural climate warming hadn't occurred he wouldn't be pompous Gov of Oregon?
#4
The Eco-nazis are out in full force...emboldened by the November elections.
I will say again...there are many skeptical government atmospheric scientists who, by regulation, are not allowed to express an opinion on the subject.
#5
The left embraces the theory that Global Warming is man made and keeps the ecology wackos in their camp and not splitting off to vote for Nader as in the last two presidential elections.
The "climate scientists" are then paid off with grants and will keep the charade going for generations.
#7
His eubellent pomposity, Governor Ted Kulongoski, of the Peoples Republic of Oregon, has decreed that anyone denying the 1000% human cause of global warming shall have his tongue removed and his lips sewn together...
The secret police are on the hunt for those who will be judged to be politically lacking...
Now, let's all sing the Oregonian anthem, "If I Only Had a Brain"
#8
It's a difficult year to be an Oregonian. We have the penultimate hack as Governor and yet there is no engine for change.
It's been, roughly, thirty years since the Republican party in Oregon has had any public role to play. Following the ascent of what is referred to as the "religious right" to the levers of power within the party in 1978 the party has been viewed as an assortment of anti-feminist Christianists. The last hurrah was the gubernatorial aspiration of Dave Frohnmeyer in 1994.
When you look back Oregon has had its share of outstanding public servants. Mark Hatfield, Edith Green, Al Ullman, Wendell Wyatt, John Dellenback, Vic Atiyeh, Tom McCall and Bob Packwood. Al Ullman served as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee from 1975 to 1981. He lost because he advocated replacing the current tax code with a national value added tax. Bob Packwood was Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and responsible for the 1986 Tax Reform Act.
You can love Clinton all you want. It was the work of Oregonians like these who've helped move our country forward. The bellweather loss by Portland Mayor Frank Ivancie went unnoticed within the ranks of the party faithful. By '76 the Right had been infested by the Single-Issue Religious. Thanks to that Californian President, then Ford opponent. Four years later, independent candidate John Anderson ran his most successful campaign in this state.
And now being a Republican is viewed as being a moral bigot. Pointing out the ludricrous nature of our Governor's or state legislature's plans ends up with finger-pointing and name calling. This is the current level of debate in this once great state.
But I will not go gently into the night. Nor will I allow others to frame the debate. (Remember, baby steps.)
#9
Sounds like it may be safer for you in Sadr City, Oregon Guy. Good luck and G*dspeed.
Posted by: BA ||
02/07/2007 13:29 Comments ||
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#10
For whatever reason, Spousal Unit loves going to the Oregon coast for vacation. Me, the only good thin I can say about Oregon is that it acts as a physical barrier to help filter the Caliphonians out so it will slow down the destruction of the great state of Seattle. (True story, had a Caliphonian and his wife stop me whilst mowing the yard and offered me a considerable sum of money for the place, when I told him no, he got all sort of pissed off. )
Let's keep in mind that the last ice age was brought down by all those evil Plains Indians driving around SUV and keeping large herds of buffalo. Haliburton put a stop to that.
#12
I spent time in Hillsboro, Oregon back in '91. I actually liked it and liked the people. The one thing I didn't like was the very high property taxes.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/07/2007 17:59 Comments ||
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#13
Deacon you ever been anywhere you didn't like the people?
#16
as a CaliFornian in the San Diego region, strong military supporters, and the Father of an Army enlistee, F*CK OFF and KISS MY ASS. I will not tolerate bigoted ignorance and blanket slams, or perhaps you aren't Navy at all, if you don't respect our regions' contributions. My father is buried at Ft Rosecrans, and I don't have to apologize to you at all, USN, Ret. Time to acknowledge your stupidity, or that some parts of CALIFORNIA are in the US and do their part. You too, Icerigger.
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/07/2007 20:44 Comments ||
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#17
"Important to state policy" > TREE/FOREST-, SASQUATCH-, and related ECO-TOURISM $$$???
#18
I live in Oregon -- Gov. Kulongoski is a joke, a very bad joke. He ranks right up there with the Mayor of Portland as an example of who NOT to elect to public office. But for the past 30 years or so, no Republican can get major vote totals in this state : lots of people brag that Oregon was one of the few states NOT to vote for Reagan either time. And the only Republican Senator is sounding more and more like a RINO every day.
Kulongoski is a publicity whore, and will throw anyone under the bus for applause from the Greenies.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
For close to seven years, Zimbabwe's economy and quality of life have been in slow, uninterrupted decline. They are still declining this year, people there say, with one notable difference: The pace is no longer so slow.
BEIJING - China plans to build its fourth satellite launch centre on the countrys southern island of Hainan, the official Xinhua news agency said on Tuesday. The new site would be built at Wenchang, around 60 km (40 miles) from the Hainan provincial capital of Haikou, it cited Luo Baoming, acting governor of the island as saying. China began conducting a feasibility study on the new satellite launch site in 2002 and concrete plans for its creation would soon emerge, Luo said.
Benedikt Thoma recalls the moment he began to think seriously about leaving Germany. It was at a New Year's Day reception in 2004 in nearby Frankfurt and the guest speaker, a prominent politician, was lamenting the fact that every year thousands of educated Germans turn their backs on their homeland.
José Manuel Barroso put the Netherlands under pressure for being indifferent about the EU Constitution, De Volkskrant reports. In the spring of 2005, the Netherlands and France gave the Constitution a big no. Once you have signed an agreement you must ratify it as well, Barroso said to Dutch journalists in Brussels today. And if thats not possible, you should at least try to contribute everything you can to a solution, he added. The European Commission president would not comment whether he thought it was a good idea to shrink the Constitution to the size of a mini-agreement, as suggested earlier by the French presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy. This is a question for the member states. They have signed the agreement, and now they have to find a solution, Barroso said.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has hired Los Angeles celebrity attorney Martin Singer for legal work. Reid, D-Nev., paid Singer $25,000 on Dec. 14 from his senatorial campaign account, according to his most recent Federal Election Commission report. The money was described as "legal fees," but no details were given.
WASHINGTON President Bush's budget includes enough money to build only half the U.S.-Mexico border fence Congress demanded last fall, leaving supporters of a 700-mile barrier seething Monday and immigration advocates shrugging that it was just an election-year ploy.
ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Exxon plans to keep some refinery workers living in the plants to keep them going. A small Southern grocery chain is thinking about drive-through pickup of soup and bread.
Hackers briefly overwhelmed at least three of the 13 computers that help manage global computer traffic Tuesday in one of the most significant attacks against the Internet since 2002. 
