"I am not trying to say that [the Americans] are angels! They have their interests; they came to Iraq for that reason, not to free the Iraqis. But the fruit is, in fact, liberation." --Chaldean Bishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk [Zenit]
Libya has agreed to end its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and allow international inspectors to enter the country and search for such weapons, President Bush announced Friday...Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi has admitted trying to develop weapons of mass destruction and now plans to halt all such programs, Bush said...Bush said the United States and Britain, wary of Libyan promises, would watch closely to make sure al-Qaddafi keeps his word. And he said Libya's promises on weapons aren't enough; it must "fully engage in the war against terror" as well. If Libya "takes these essential steps and demonstrates its seriousness," Bush held out the promise of helping Libya build "a more free and prosperous country."
...The U.N. Security Council ended sanctions against Libya on Sept. 12 after al-Qaddafi's government took responsibility for the [1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people] and agreed to pay $2.7 billion to the victims' families.Observe that the best that the U.N. could offer Libya for their 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet over Lockerbie, Scotland was to give Libya chairmanship of the so-called U.N. Commission on Human Rights (while kicking the U.S. off the council). See Another United Nations Sham: Libyan leader Colonel Gadaffi to Head the U.N. Human Rights Commission for details of the "U.N. Human Rights" sham. "Multilateralists" and advocates of the "international community" must be wondering how did the U.S. and Britain achieve such a concession without the "assistance" of the United Nations?
...But the United States has kept its own 17-year embargo in place.If you are an admirer of "Old Europe" foreign policy you must be thinking: Doesn't the U.S. know that such a policy does not "work"? All it does is to create "resentment." How does one "build bridges" with such an "unilateral" foreign policy, clearly not approved by Howard Dean, Kofi-Annan, and his merry band of U.N. approved dictators? Dictators must be cuddled, kissed, and appeased.
...Libya had relied heavily on foreign assistance for its weapons programs. It had already made overtures suggesting it would slow or halt its programs to improve its international standing.Foreign "assistance" from whom? Anyone from the "Axis of Weasels"? The report does not say.
The U.S. intelligence statements on Libya's alleged weapons programs suggest efforts in that country were not as advanced as Iraq's were before the U.S.-led invasion. At the White House, Bush said the war in Iraq and efforts to stop North Korea's nuclear program had sent a clear message to countries such as Libya that they must abandon weapons programs."In word and in action, we have clarified the choices left to potential adversaries," Bush said. That was an apparent reference to Iran and North Korea, two other countries that the United States contends are trying to develop weapons of mass destruction. Without naming them, Bush added: "I hope other leaders will find an example" in Libya's action. ["Libya to Allow Weapons Inspections", FoxNews, December 20, 2003]To quote from a previous Dollars and Crosses new item from the The London Telegraph (September 13, 2003) that quoted an interview of Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi:
"I said, given the enormous and paradoxical success of fundamentalism, why don't we reform the UN? Let us say to Mr X or Y in this or that dictatorship, you must recognise human rights in your country and we give you six to 12 months to do so, or else we intervene. "We can do this now because there is no countervailing power," he said referring to the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union."...Yes! By force if necessary, because that is the only way to show it is not a joke. We said to Saddam, do it or we come. And we came and we did it." A spokesman for Mr Berlusconi said the prime minister had been telephoned recently by Col Gaddafi of Libya, who said: "I will do whatever the Americans want, because I saw what happened in Iraq, and I was afraid."Thanks to America's words and deeds the world is, in fact, a safer place. America must not stop until it End States That Sponsor Terrorism.
***
From Cox and Forkum:
French Education Minister Luc Ferry said on Thursday he planned to submit to parliament early next year a draft law banning religious symbols such as Islamic headscarves in state schools....Ferry said he planned to keep the draft law short and simple, and although he had yet to settle the exact wording he was leaning toward prohibiting what would be described as "ostentatious" symbols of faith. The minister, who earlier expressed concern over suggestions there might be a ban on all religious symbols in schools, said he was satisfied Chirac had restricted it to overt ones like headscarves, Jewish skullcaps and large Christian crosses.Small ones apparently are permitted.
Fadela Amara, head of a French organization campaigning for the rights of Muslim girls, said the move would help counter the pressure of radical Islamists.The wearing of a headscarf, cross jewelry, etc. does not violate the rights of anyone--it is simply a form of advertising or free speech.
...Sony said on Thursday that it had developed the world's first running -- okay, jogging -- robot. "All around the world, universities and think tanks have been researching how to make robots run but we are pleased to announce that we have done it first," Toshi Doi, an executive vice president at Sony told a news conference. ...The big technological breakthrough, says Sony, was in getting both the robot's feet to lose contact with the ground at once. Up until now humanoid or two-legged robots have needed to have one foot on the floor to move stably. "The hardest part was theoretical. Humanoid robots like Sony's older Qrios and Honda's Asimo have been based on a theory which dictates that there must be contact with the floor. We had to develop a new theory," said Doi. ...The next challenge, said Doi, is to make Qrio's running motion less jogging-like and more like an athlete's. At the moment, Qrio's time with both feet off the ground is only 40 milliseconds, compared with around one second managed by athletes, he said...Sony, which also makes the Aibo robot dog, a sell-out success when it debuted in 1999, said it still doesn't have a timetable for commercializing Qrio, whose name is short for "quest for curiosity." [ "Sony Unveils World's First 'Running' Humanoid Robot"]
...Much of Iraq's eight billion dollar debt to Moscow -- including interest payments -- is from military equipment that the Soviet Union delivered to Iraq in the 1980s when Saddam Hussein attacked Iran in a war that killed one million people on both sides and ended in a stand-off....But Moscow has been furious with Washington in recent days for barring countries that opposed the war on Iraq from taking part in the lucrative first phase of reconstruction projects for the country.What is the source of the "lucrativeness"? Washington. In other words, Moscow is "furious" that it cannot get money from Washington.
...Only hours before Baker's arrival, Putin used a live question-and-answer session with Russian television viewers to issue some of his most stinging criticism of the Iraqi war to date...."The use of force abroad, according to existing international laws, can only be sanctioned by the United Nations. This is the international law. Everything that is done without the UN Security Council's sanction cannot be recognized as fair or justified," said Putin...Translation: The United States cannot kill Hitler, or his equivalent, without the permission of Hitler, and/or the other dictators of the world, i.e., Russia, China, Libya, etc. The U.N. is nothing more than a debating society to sanction and protect dictators.
[Putin] also suggested that the United States may be showing over-confidence on the international scene and warned that "empires" had fallen before from feeling too strong and using their military might indiscriminately.Translation: Don't you dare come after me. Don't you dare!
His comments came days after Moscow warned Washington that its decision to hog Iraq reconstruction projects was "unacceptable" and began to waver on the issue of debt.Translation: It is "acceptable" enough for us to think about negotiating on the debt.
....Moscow is owed 3.5 billion dollars in original debt and another 4.5 billion dollars in post-Soviet interest, according to the Paris Club. Russia is followed by France with three billion, Germany with 2.4 billion, the United States with 2.2 billion, and Italy with 1.7 billion. Japan is the Club's largest Iraqi donor and is owed 4.1 billion dollars.Any nation that sold weapons to Saddam's Iraq has to take up those payments with Saddam. In other words: any country, company, or individual that voluntarily supports a dictatorship deserves to lose their "investment."
[Chart Source. Data source used to produce chart: Iraq arms trade, SIPRI projects. Chart title changed to reflect that data from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute only goes up to 1990. So the chart does not show any illegal sales (illegal due to UN sanctions) made to Iraq after 1990.]
Dean said he "would not have hesitated" to launch an attack on Iraq "had the United Nations given us permission and asked us to be part of a multilateral force."In other words, in matters of self defense, Dean expects the U.S. to ask permission from an organization that harbors the dictators and tyrants from whom we seek to defend ourselves. (Saddam's Iraq was a U.N. member). But Dean wasn't the first candidate to tout his willingness to sacrifice America's sovereignty to other nations. There was also this comment from Wesley Clark.
Well, if I were president right now, I would be doing things that George Bush can't do right now, because he's already compromised those international bridges. I would go to Europe and I would build a new Atlantic charter. I would say to the Europeans, you know, we've had our differences over the years, but we need you. The real foundation for peace and stability in the world is the transatlantic alliance. And I would say to the Europeans, I pledge to you as the American president that we'll consult with you first. You get the right of first refusal on the security concerns that we have. We'll bring you in. [Emphasis added]Can you imagine France and Germany agreeing to let us attack any terrorist-sponsoring nation? Of course not. And that's exactly the goal of Clark and Dean: to humble the American giant before the world. Bush certainly has his "multilaterist" tendency that are cause for great concern. But these two would apparently relinquish control of our military as a matter of principle
BEIJING - A Chinese court sentenced a hotel worker and a prostitute to life in prison on Wednesday for organizing a three-day-long sex party for Japanese tourists -- a case that outraged Chinese and reignited anger over Japan's wartime conduct. All 14 of those convicted in the sex party case by the Zhuhai Intermediate People's Court were Chinese citizens....Prostitution, though illegal, is common in China and often practiced openly in tourist hotels in major cities....The public and nonessential employees were barred from the courthouse by officials who cited privacy concerns. ["China Sentences Two to Life for Sex Party "]It also appears that Red China wants Japan to extradite Japanese construction workers who "clearly requested sexual services." Japan has so far refused. To which an appeaser might ask: why can't Japan be more accomodating like Christian conservative Pat Robertson?
A century ago Americans understood that progress comes at a price and were willing to pay it. Orville Wright was hospitalized after a crash that killed his first passenger; Clyde Cessna, the founder of Cessna Aircraft Company, only earned his wings after 12 crashes. [...] But the risks these early aviators took were calculated and deliberately accepted. They stemmed not from irrational folly, but from their willingness to accept the responsibility of independent judgment. ... Today, we seek to escape the responsibility of judgment while demanding that progress be risk-free. New products are expected to be instantly perfect, to last forever and to protect us from our own failings—or else we sue.Berthold argues that government regulations have also stifled aviation innovation.
[B]y the 1930s the government had begun regulating the airlines, master planning route structures and suppressing competition. Today, innovation has ground to a halt under the weight of government control. Unlike the first 25 years of flight, the last 25 have seen few major advances -- and regulatory barriers suppress the adoption of new technology. For instance, most FAA-certified aircraft today are still the same aluminum-and-rivets construction pioneered more than 50 years ago, while for at least a decade non-certified experimental aircraft builders have preferred composite materials, which make their aircraft stronger, roomier, cheaper, and faster at the same time.(Coincidentally, Boeing just announced plans to produce their first new jet design in 13 years, one that utilizes composite materials.) But utopian product safety is not the only cultural battle being fought. The Wright Stuff by Thomas Sowell examines how even the Wright Brothers have fallen victim to "political correctness."
Man had dreamed of flying for centuries and others were hard at work on the project in various places around the world when the Wright brothers finally got their plane off the ground a hundred years ago, on December 17, 1903. It didn't matter how long or how short the flight was. What mattered was that they showed that it could be done. Alas, Orville and Wilbur Wright are today pigeon-holed as "dead white males" whom we are supposed to ignore, if not deplore. Had either of them been a woman, or black or any of a number of other specially singled out groups, this hundredth anniversary of their flight would be a national holiday with an orgy of parades and speeches across the length and breadth of the country. [...] Many of the great breakthroughs in science and technology were gifts to the whole human race. Those whose efforts created these breakthroughs were exalted because of their contributions to mankind, not to their particular tribe or sex. In trying to cheapen those people as "dead white males" we only cheapen ourselves and do nothing to promote similar achievements by people of every description. When the Wright brothers rose off the ground, we all rose off the ground.For a rational perspective of the Wright Brothers' achievement, here is the Smithsonian Institute's tribute: The Wright Brothers: The Invention of the Aerial Age. Though this FoxNews story notes a serious omission by the Institute:
The Smithsonian Institution is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first flight with a Web presentation and the grand opening of a new branch of the National Air and Space Museum. The tribute is ironic as the Smithsonian spent 28 years denying the Wrights credit for the first flight in favor of promoting the dubious legacy of one of its own.FoxNew also reports: Bush to Honor Wright Brothers on 100th Anniversary of Flight.
One of the reasons America has an illegal immigration problem is because it has a legal immigration problem. If, like that hapless British Army wallah, you do things by the book, go to a US consulate in a foreign city and get issued with an "Advance Parole", you lay yourself open -- for years to come -- to being suddenly plunged, entirely arbitrarily, into a bureaucratic nightmare that destroys your life. Compare that to the courtesies extended to illegal aliens....if you slip across the border, rent an apartment, get a job and a driver's license courtesy of outgoing California Governor Gray Davis, the entire Democratic Party and a good half of the Republican Party will bend over backwards to respect you as a fine upstanding member of the Undocumented-American community and facilitate your access to all the benefits the state has to offer. Entering America illegally is a rational choice.If a non-criminal foreigner wishes to immigrate into America--and an American is willing to hire him--the process of immigrating should be little more than a matter of "rubber stamp" paperwork, as opposed to a sometimes decade-long process. Immigrants should not be permitted to enter if they simply intend to be future members of the welfare state.
France said Monday it will work with other nations to cancel billions of dollars in Iraqi debt and suggested that Saddam Hussein's capture would open the way toward mending relations with Washington....Observe that France's decision followed the "U.S. decision last week to lock out Russia, Germany and France from bidding on $18.6 billion in U.S.-financed reconstruction projects in Iraq." France understands that Bush means business.
...The one consistent feature of the post-9/11 era is the comprehensive failure of the international order. The French use their Security Council veto to protect Saddam. The EU subsidises Palestinian terrorism. The International Atomic Energy Agency provides cover for Iran's nuclear ambitions. The UN summit on racism is an orgy of racism.
The New York Times, sleepwalking through the 21st century on bromides from the Carter era, wants the UN to run Saddam's trial because one held under the auspices of the Americans would "lack legitimacy". Au contraire, it's the willingness of Kofi Annan, Mohammed el-Baradei, Chris Patten, Mary Robinson and the other grandees of the international clubrooms to give "legitimacy" to Saddam, Kim Jong-Il, Arafat, Assad and co that disqualifies them from any role in Iraq...
Since stoning people to death is a tradition in parts of the Middle East, that might be the most appropriate way to execute Saddam Hussein. If each relative of someone murdered by Saddam were allowed to throw a stone, the line might stretch back for miles. Television pictures of that line, broadcast throughout the Arab world, could completely undermine any notion that this is just an American vendetta against Moslems.
Presiding over a matter of this magnitude and applying traditional laws and practices could help establish the credibility of the new Iraqi authorities. To our inevitable critics in Europe and elsewhere, we could say: "This is not the American way of doing things. But this is the Iraqis' country."
A photograph released in mid-November showed Mikhail Khodorkovsky, head shaved, staring through the bars of a cage into a CCTV camera at the closed hearing that denied him bail. Accompanying the picture was a warning from the deputy prosecutor, who spoke as though Khodorkovsky had already been convicted. ‘Those who are not yet jailed must think hard about what they are doing,' he said. Russia's new rich may not have had to think hard about this public political blackmail by a member of the judiciary, but they thought fast. The day after the publication of this graphic indication of the consequences of powerful dissent, the President appeared before the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. In regard to state-business relations, Putin declared, there will be no going back to the past. The tycoons greeted this remark with ‘stormy applause', as the editors of Communist party proceedings used to say...No one mentioned Khodorkovsky. After the meeting, many businessmen vocally distanced themselves from the President's humiliated enemy, and lined up to pledge commitment to United Russia. Many others kept quiet. ...We have flattered Putin enough. There is no reason to believe that a corrupt, repressive corporate state will produce significant economic and social improvements for the third of the Russian population that lives in absolute poverty. Political freedom, justice and official accountability are more than just optional decorations for a market economy.Definitely worth a read.
...There might be a public investigation into the ‘apartment bombings' of 1999, in which 300 Russians were killed in their sleep, to establish whether, as much evidence suggests, the FSB planted them to create a pretext for the Chechen war which made Putin popular. Liberal Duma deputies who proposed such inquiries would not, like Sergei Yushenkov and Yuri Shchekochikhin, be murdered. The survivors of the bombings would speak publicly about their suspicions; those who have dared to speak would return from political asylum...
Disbelief and gloom seized many Palestinians Sunday at news of Saddam Hussein's capture as Israel fired off a telegram of congratulations to Washington...."It's a black day in history," said Sadiq Husam, 33, a taxi driver in Ramallah, West Bank seat of the Palestinian Authority....Saddam paid over $35 million to the kin of Palestinian suicide bombers, militants and bystanders who died in an uprising that began in 2000. Arafat himself had opposed the 1991 Gulf War that ousted Saddam's forces from Kuwait. Palestinians cheered when Iraqi Scud missiles crashed into Israeli cities.But not to worry, there are always fellow terrorist supporters--opps, I mean "freedom fighters"--in other Arab countries, Old Europe, and that beacon for world dictatorship--the U.N. The article also quotes one of the wonders of the Palestinian "education" system (which duplicates that of a few American, Cuban, and European universities):
"The war will start now in Iraq said 16-year-old Yusef Khalil in Gaza. "Saddam helped our people and we will not forget him."As another example of non-objective reporting here is what an ABC News Reporter had to say on Saddam's support of "Palestinians killed in the conflict", i.e., suicide bombers:
Until the outbreak of the war against Iraq, the strongman sent millions of dollars to Palestinians killed in the conflict with Israel.Killed by whom? Themselves. Comments Mark Steyn in the Irish Times (December 15, 2003):
In the honour/shame culture of the Arab world, it will be much harder now to pass [Saddam] off as the mighty warrior. He had a pistol, but chose not to use it on himself. The Palestinians may be jumping up and down in the street insisting he's still a great man, but in the end the sugar daddy who put up 25,000 bucks for the family of each suicide bomber had no desire to experience the glory of martyrdom himself: he's eager for you to strap your teenage daughter into the Semtex belt, but, like Osama and Yasser and the rest of the gang, he's disinclined to lead by example. For Middle East dictators who've enjoyed a wholly undeserved political stability for a quarter-century, the humiliation of Saddam Hussein is a cautionary tale.
...[Senator John Kerry urged that] now would be an excellent opportunity to hand everything over to the UN, the Hague, the Arab League, the Westchester County League of Women Voters, and other respected bodies. Kerry doesn't get it: if it had been left to Kofi Annan, the French, Germans, Russians, Canadians, Arabs and all but two of the nine Democratic Presidential candidates, Saddam Hussein wouldn't be being inspected for lice by American medics, he'd still be sitting on his solid gold toilet in his palace reading about the latest massive anti-Bush demonstrations in Le Monde. The Iraqi people don't want to place their future in the hands of an "international community" that found it more convenient to allow Saddam to go on torturing them.
...whether the American Defence Department should use American taxpayers' money to offer American government contracts in Iraq to companies from countries that actively obstructed and continue to obstruct American policy in Iraq....The best thing for the people of Iraq, according to Mr Martin and , and Herr Schroder and M de Villepin, was that Saddam should be allowed to go on killing and torturing them for another decade or three...The assumption was that there would be no price to pay: after the war things would revert to normal...
....On Iraq, France, is on the other side - Saddam was their man, to the end. Germany is in a state of semi-derangement - a third of Germans under 30 believe that America organised the 9/11 attacks...One can think of several terms for folks...but "allies" isn't one of them - unless "allies" is now a synonym for, respectively, saboteurs, poseurs, nutters and enemies. ["Payback time for the axis of weasels" Mark Steyn, UK Telegraph]