The terrorists present the world with an endless supply of lies, which generally take the form of accusing us of what they do (and we don't). Many of their actions are staged precisely for the benefit of reporters (like the horror scene of the four dead American contractors a couple of weeks ago). They brought in the television cameras the other day to film the execution of an Italian hostage, Fabrizio Quattrocchi, but something went wrong. After forcing him to dig his own grave, they put a hood over his head and ordered him to kneel so he could be killed. He wouldn't go for it. He tried to remove the hood, and defiantly yelled at them "I will show you how an Italian dies." The scene was a propaganda disaster for them, and good old al Jazeera, the modern mother of lies, announced that they had the tape but wouldn't release it because it was too terrible to witness. It was terrible, but not in the way al Jazeera wanted us to think. It showed Western bravery, not Arab domination, so they couldn't show it.

The New York Times reported yesterday on UNScam: Corruption Allegations at U.N. Put Annan on the Defensive. This Commentary article by Claudia Rosett provides a good overview of the scam: The Oil-for-Food Scam: What Did Kofi Annan Know, and When Did He Know It? (via Friends of Saddam, a UNScam-dedicated blog). Highlights:

In 2000, Saddam enjoyed a blockbuster year. By this time he was not only selling vastly more oil but had institutionalized a system for pocketing cash on the side. It worked like this. Saddam would sell at below-market prices to his hand-picked customers -- the Russians and the French were special favorites --and they could then sell the oil to third parties at a fat profit. Part of this profit they would keep, part they would kick back to Saddam as a "surcharge," paid into bank accounts outside the UN program, in violation of UN sanctions.

By means of this scam, Saddam's regime ultimately skimmed off for itself billions of dollars in proceeds that were supposed to have been spent on relief for the Iraqi people. [...]

Unimpeded responsibility for the "humanitarian" aspect of the program fell to [UN Secretary-General Kofi] Annan. The next month, "humanitarian" became a broad category indeed. On June 2, Annan approved a newly expanded shopping list by Saddam that the Secretariat dubbed "Oil-for-Food Plus." This added ten new sectors to be funded by the program, including "labor and social affairs," "information," "justice," and "sports." Either the Secretary-General had failed to notice or he did not care that none of these had anything to do with the equitable distribution of relief. By contrast, they had everything to do with the running of Saddam's totalitarian state. "Labor," "information," and "justice" were the realms of Baathist party patronage, propaganda, censorship, secret police, rape rooms, and mass graves. As for sports, that was the favorite arena of Saddam's sadistic son Uday, already infamous for torturing Iraqi athletes. [...]

It is true that Oil-for-Food managed to deliver to Iraqis some portion of what it promised. On sales totaling $65 billion, some $46 billion (by Annan's uncheckable reckoning) went for "humanitarian" spending. Of this amount, an official total of $15 billion worth of food and health supplies -- the original rationale for the program -- had been received by the time Saddam fell. The actual figure was no doubt considerably less if you factor in the kickbacks and spoiled goods; from the remainder came the equipment for Saddam's oil monopoly, the construction materials, the TV studio systems, the carpets and air conditioners for the ministries, and all the rest.

But at what cost? Are we supposed to conclude that, in order to deliver this amount of aid, the UN had to approve Saddam's more than $100 billion worth of largely crooked business, had to look the other way while he skimmed money, bought influence, built palaces, and stashed away billions on the side, at least some of which may now be funding terror in Iraq or beyond?

As Senator Chuck Hagel and others call for the re-establishment of military conscription, it is worth remembering Ayn Rand's words:

"Of all the statist violations of individual rights in a mixed economy, the military draft is the worst. It is an abrogation of rights. It negates man's fundamental right--the right to life--and establishes the fundamental principle of statism: that a man's life belongs to the state, and the state may claim it by compelling him to sacrifice it in battle. Once that principle is accepted, the rest is only a matter of time.

If the state may force a man to risk death or hideous maiming and crippling, in a war declared at the state's discretion, for a cause he may neither approve of nor even understand, if his consent is not required to send him into unspeakable martyrdom--then, in principle, all rights are negated in that state, and its government is not man's protector any longer. What else is there left to protect?"

• Afghanistan: Any and all men above the age of 18 for as long as needed.
• Albania: Any and all men above the age of 18 for one to three years depending on the branch of the armed forces.
• Algeria: Any and all men above the age of 19 for six months (or longer if needed).
• Angola: Any and all men from 18 to 50 (some reports put the youngest age at 16). Women of the same age ranges with "special qualifications of interest to the armed forces." Note: those over 30 serve only in the reserve force. No mandated minimum or maximum length of service.
• Bolivia: Any and all men between the ages of 19 and 21 for one year (or more in times of war).
• Cambodia: Any and all men above the age of 18 for three years, extendable by an additional six months if needed.
• Chile: Both men and women must register at the age of 18 and may be called up anytime between the ages of 19 and 30 for up to two years of service.
• China: Men aged 18 to 22 may be drafted into the army at any time; men aged 18 to 35 may be drafted into the militia, or into the army during wartime. Term of service varies from between two and four years.
• Colombia: Any and all males between the ages of 18 and 50 for one to two years.
• Cuba: Any and all men over the age of 16 and under 50 for three years.
• Democratic People's Republic of Korea: Any and all men over the age of 16 and under 50 from 30 to 36 months.
• Dominican Republic: Any and all men at or above the age of 18. No mandated minimum or maximum length of service.
• Ecuador: Any and all men at or above the age of 19 for one year.
• Egypt: Any and all men between 18 and 30 for three years.
• El Salvador: Unmarried men between the ages of 18 and 20 who are members of poorer socio-economic groups. No mandated minimum or maximum length of service.
• Equatorial Guinea: Any and all men at or above the age of 18. No mandated minimum or maximum length of service.
• Estonia: All men above the age of 18 are liable for compulsory military service, but at the age of 17 a man can start the compulsory military service as a volunteer. In the case of early voluntary service, the law gives a man the possibility of choosing the place where he wants to serve. From the ages of 18 to 27, every young man has to perform active service. Service terms from 9 to 12 months.
• Ethiopia: Men between the ages of 18 and 30, although there are reports of juveniles as young as 12 being conscripted. Obligation to perform reserve duties from the age of 30 to the age of 50. Service terms from 12 to 18 months.
• Greece: Any and all men between the ages of 18 and 40. Service terms as follows: 21 months in the army, 23 months in the air force and 25 months in the navy.
• Guatemala: Men between the ages of 18 and 30: heads of families and middle-class students are usually exempt. Service term is 30 months.
• Guinea-Bissau: Any and all men at or above the age of 18. No mandated minimum or maximum length of service.
• Honduras: Any and all men between the ages of 18 and 30 with voluntary service being permitted at 17. Service term is 2 years.
• Georgia: Unknown ages, service is for two years.
• Guinea: Any and all men between the ages of 18 and 30 for two years.
• Iran (Islamic Republic of): Any and all men at or over the age of 18 for a two year active service with lifetime reserve service.
• Iraq: Any and all men at or over the age of 19 with voluntary service allowed at 18. Term of service; two year active service with lifetime reserve service.
• Israel: Men and women over 18, with non-Druze Israeli Arabs and Druze women exempted. Service term: three years for men and two years for women, plus reserve duty of about one month in every year until the age of 54.
• Kazakstan: Unknown ages with unknown length of service.
• Lao People's Democratic: Any and all males over the age of 15 for an 18 month term.
• Republic of Lebanon: Any and all men at or over the age of 18. No mandated minimum or maximum length of service.
• Liberia: Unknown ages with unknown term of service.
• Libyan Arab Jamahirya: Men and women between the ages of 18 and 35 for a three to four year term.
• Madagascar: Unknown ages with unknown term of service.
• Mexico: Any and all men between the ages of 18 and 40 for one year.
• Mongolia: Any and all men at or over 18 for two years.
• Morocco: Any and all men at or over 18 for 18 months.
• Mozambique: Any and all men between 18 and 30 for two years.
• Paraguay: Any and all men over 18 years of age; women of the same ages as non-combatants during international (world) war for terms of 18 to 24 months.
• Peru: All men over 18 and with voluntary service permitted at 16 years of age for two year terms.
• Philippines: Any and all men at or over 18. No mandated minimum or maximum length of service.
• Republic of Korea: Any and all men at or over 18 from 30 to 36 months.
• Romania: Any and all men between 20 and 35. Service terms are as follows; 12 months infantry, 18 months in the navy, university graduates only have to serve for 6 months.
• Singapore: Unknown age requirements. Service is for two years' ordinary military service with an additional three years' officer training (if elected).
• Somalia: Any and all men aged between 18 and 40; women aged between 18 and 30 (although in practice women are not normally drafted). Service terms as follows: two years general service (only 18 months for graduates of higher educational institutions).
• Sudan: Unknown ages with unknown term of service.
• Thailand: Unknown ages with unknown term of service.
• Tunisia: Any and all men over the age of 20 and with voluntary service permitted at 18, unknown term of service.
• Turkey: Any an all men between 20 and 65 (in practice men over 46 years of age are no longer called up) for 18 months.
• Venezuela: Any and all men at or over 18 for two years.
• Vietnam: Any and all men at or over 18 for three years.
• Yemen: Unknown ages for terms of two to three years.

[Source: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (2001).]

Young German men could soon be free of compulsory military service. But abolishing the draft may pose a serious problem for the social system, which depends on those men that opt for the alternative -- community service. German politicians have long been debating plans to abandon the draft in favor of a professional army. But getting rid of conscription would also entail an end to its alternative -- community service. The details are as yet unconfirmed, but the government this year looks set to shorten the length of compulsory community service from 10 to nine months -- the same that is required for military service.

...Around 90,000 young German men are registered yearly for community service, and approximately 80 percent end up working in hospitals or senior citizens' homes doing essential work such as driving ambulances, caring for the disabled and elderly, and delivering meals.

Charitable organizations fear there will be "catastrophic" consequences for healthcare in Germany if this inexpensive and valuable workforce were to disappear. Joachim Kendelbacher from the Workers' Welfare organisation told Deutsche Welle that his organisation, which currently employs around 6,000 people doing their alternative community service, would suffer heavily if their jobs were to be cut.

"We'll have to consider if the services these young people are doing can be totally abolished," he said. "In some sectors this will certainly be the case. I'm thinking of services like going for walks with old people in the nursing homes, reading literature to old people or doing office work. If these services are cut this definitely means a loss in quality." [Germany Set to Abolish the Draft]

Such is the nature of altruism--the creed of self-sacrifice. Observe that "community service" is the stepping stone for folks dying in war--againt their will. So-called "community service" is in fact community slavery and is just as reprehensible as the military draft.

Switzerland is a politically neutral country, yet it has more soldiers per capita than any other Western democracy. Odd? The Swiss don't think so--or at least, most of them don't. According to Swiss military dogma, a powerful citizen army is the best way to preserve Switzerland's neutrality and keep neighboring countries from invading Swiss territory. They may be right; Switzerland hasn't been at war in 500 years.

In his 1984 book, La Place de la Concorde Suisse, acclaimed New Yorker author John McPhee quoted a Swiss officer as saying: "Switzerland doesn't have an army, Switzerland is an army." That statement may have been hyperbole, but the fact remains that nearly 400,000 of Switzerland's roughly 6 million inhabitants belong to the armed forces. [Europe for Visitors]

But Howard said on April 15 that his government plans to abolish the 14-year-old commission because it has failed to improve the lot of most Aborigines, who remain the poorest, sickest and least educated minority group among Australia's 20 million people. In place of ATSIC, the government wants to appoint a panel of Aboriginal experts to advise it on indigenous needs. [CNN, Hat Tip: B. Harburg-Thomson]

Israel's targeted killing of Abdel Aziz Rantisi was as justified as would be America's targeted killing of Osama bin Laden. Rantisi was the leader of Hamas, a terrorist organization responsible for the murder and maiming of hundreds of innocents, and he got what he deserved. That heads of state from London to Paris criticized Israel's action instead of applauding it reveals, once again, their utter moral bankruptcy--and their seemingly endless willingness to appease evil. But as logic suggests and history demonstrates, appeasing evil only emboldens it, and those who fail to learn this lesson invariably become targets of evil themselves.

[That report] will help pave the way for tax increases on corporations to expand the welfare state and perhaps put Democrats back in control of the White House and Congress. Unfortunately,the GAO report provided little context for its findings. It would have been helpful to know that 45% of all corporations had no net income and nearly 60% had assets of less than $100,000 in 2000, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

It is hardly surprising that a company pays no taxes when it has no income and virtually no assets. After all, about 40% of individual income tax returns report no tax liability, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation.

Another point worth mentioning is that all of this alleged tax avoidance came during the Clinton administration.Yet, because the data have been released now, many casual readers are probably left thinking that the Bush administration is responsible. [NYSun]

Minutes after the United Nations human rights commission in Geneva narrowly passed a resolution criticizing Cuba yesterday, a member of the dictatorship's delegation violently attacked a prominent Cuban-American activist, knocking him briefly unconscious....

Mr. Calzon, 60, told The New York Sun people in the hallway began yelling at each other after the vote was announced, prompting him to seek the attention of a U.N. guard. At that point, a man raced down a nearby escalator, swung his arms over the side as he approached the bottom, and slammed Mr. Calzon with a twofisted blow. "All of a sudden, someone hit my head, and I passed out," Mr. Calzon said in a telephone interview.

Mr. Calzon said witnesses later told him Cuban government supporters surrounded him after he collapsed. "When I was awake, they were yelling things like 'traitor,' 'son-of-a-bitch,' 'lackey to the United States.'" A U.N. guard brandishing a canister of Mace broke up the crowd and helped Mr. Calzon. "That's what prevented them from kicking me," he said....

Cuban U.N. officials had a different version of events. "There was a provocation from Frank Calzon against one woman in the Cuban delegation, and he received the due response from our Cuban delegation," Cuban Ambassador Jorge Mora Godoy, who didn't see the incident, told The Associated Press. [NYSun]