September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day: try the ever useful English to Pirate Translator, Pirate Name Generator, and the Pirate Ship Name Generator.

In real life, African and Asian pirates are a serious threat, and IMO are another front in the War on Terror:

French troops wearing night-vision goggles killed one pirate, captured six others and pulled the French Polynesian couple to safety in an overnight operation described by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in a triumphant press conference…

Sarkozy said piracy in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia has “literally exploded” this year, with some 54 attacks in the heavily trafficked zone so far this year.

He added that Somali pirates are holding 150 people and at least 15 ships, mainly in Eyl, a Somali area that serves as a base for pirates who have been seizing yachts, freighters and fishing boats.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni won the Kadima Party primary, which means that she will likely become the next Prime Minister of Israel, pending Ehud Olmert’s resignation (expected Sunday) and Kadima forming a Government (without a general election). Livni received 43% of the vote, beating out Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz (42%), Meir Sheetrit (8.5%), and Avi Dichter (6.5%).

Caroline Glick had this to say about Livni before the election:

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni may not be a crook, but she is a fraud. And if polls are to be believed, Livni the fraud is just one fraudulent election away from becoming our next prime minister…

Unlike all the other party primaries that have been held over the years, this one is designed not as a preparatory step ahead of general elections to the Knesset. Rather, it is intended to replace general elections. The expressed goal of Livni and her three opponents - Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, Public Security Minister Avi Dichter and Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit - is not to ready Kadima for elections, but to select a new prime minister who will form a governing coalition that will bar the public from electing its representatives until March 2010.

It should be noted that Glick is a former Likud Party official (the same party as former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu).  This part is interesting to me because of the ‘Vote Contractor’ angle (think ‘Community Organizer’ and ACORN):

Only 15 percent of Kadima’s members joined the party on their own initiative. According to analyses conducted over the past several months, these 15% are people who were swept up in the initial excitement when Kadima was formed by Ariel Sharon in 2005…

The other 85% of Kadima’s 70,000 members are people who were brought into the party by those nefarious standard-bearers of Israeli politics of recent years: the vote contractors.

Vote contractors are political bosses and paid political operatives who peddle their influence in various communities, labor unions and population sectors to persuade citizens to join specific parties as bloc voters.

In its brief political life span, Kadima’s membership rolls have been subject to multiple criminal investigations. In one case now under investigation, up to 1,000 people were signed up for the party without their knowledge. Vote contractors forged their signatures on membership forms and paid their membership fees.

 Seems like liberals use the same tactics all over the world. Saul Alinsky would be so proud.

 One of my favorite websites is ‘Sweetness & Light’, here is a post about ACORN and their history of undermining the US election system - ”to overwhelm, paralyze, and discredit the voting system through fraud, protests, propaganda and vexatious litigation.”

From across the pond:

The threat of global warming is so great that campaigners were justified in causing more than £35,000 worth of damage to a coal-fired power station, a jury decided yesterday. In a verdict that will have shocked ministers and energy companies the jury at Maidstone Crown Court cleared six Greenpeace activists of criminal damage.

Jurors accepted defence arguments that the six had a “lawful excuse” to damage property at Kingsnorth power station in Kent to prevent even greater damage caused by climate change. The defence of “lawful excuse” under the Criminal Damage Act 1971 allows damage to be caused to property to prevent even greater damage - such as breaking down the door of a burning house to tackle a fire.

Crazy.  Just crazy.

End the Genocide in Darfur!

We’ve all heard that, and we would all like for it to stop. According to Danny at Doc’s Political Parlor (one of my favorite web sites), Howard Dean says it is an issue that Democrats can use to appeal to young Evangelicals.  But… is it our job? I think so…  What can the US do about it? And which party is more serious about ending the genocide? Hint: ‘Just Words’ don’t work with murderous dictators…

First some background: Darfur (Dar al-Fur) is ‘the land of the Fur tribe’, it is a western region of Sudan, which is the largest country in Africa (920,000 square miles - 3 1/2 times bigger than Texas). Sudan’s 40 million people have been ruled since 1993 by Omar al-Bashir (a murderous dictator). Sudan gained its independence from Egypt / UK in 1956. It has disputed borders with Kenya and Ethiopia and Egypt.

Sudan also has lots of oil (400,000 barrels a day) - 70% of which is sold to China (10% of China’s oil comes from Sudan). The Chinese sell military equipment to Sudan and train the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army. China has hundreds of ‘peacekeeping’ troops in Sudan.

The Darfur genocide is hard to quantify, but about 200,000 people have been killed according to many estimates, plus thousands of people have been displaced. The Sudanese Government and associated militias (Janjaweed) are condemned for the genocide.  Slavery, human trafficking, and rape are fairly common.

There are 20,000 international peacekeepers in Sudan (UN / African Union Mission in Darfur - UNAMID).

Pretty nasty place - I can see why we all want that to stop. But how can Darfur be an issue for Democrats? After all, Saddam Hussein (a murderous dictator) killed as many people in ONE YEAR (1991 - 100,000 Kurds and 130,000 Shia) as have died in Darfur. In 1988, Saddam killed 50,000 Kurds using Weapons of Mass Destruction such as Sarin and Mustard Gas. Barack Obama opposed the War in Iraq…

Barack Obama says that “increasing pressure on the Sudanese” and “deployment of a robust international force” will end the genocide.

John McCain goes further.  In 2006, McCain and Bob Dole published a plan to end the genocide. McCain called for NATO (US) to enforce a ‘No Fly Zone’ over Darfur and “push the United Nations to draw up firm plans for the entrance of a robust force into Darfur and contingency plans for the force to enter without Sudanese consent”, with US logistical, intelligence, and diplomatic support.

Compare the two plans: which one has a better chance of stopping a murderous dictator intent on killing his own people?  Which candidate has recent experience helping bring a murderous dictator to justice - and which one opposed that action?

By the way, ANWR can produce 780,000 barrels of oil per day, almost double that of Sudan.

I happened to notice a particular link on Walt’s sidebar: KOREAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY of DPRK (that’s North Korea).  I figured that Kim Jong Il’s state run news agency had to be pretty funny - and I was not disappointed.

It included some particularly silly and unimportant headlines:

• U.S. Reverend Arrives
• National Workshop on Agro-forestry Held
• New Mosaic Unveiled
• Okryu Restaurant Facelifted

Remember, this is their national media covering a restaurant renovation.

But then there was this story, which I knew would be sure to please: Frantic War Exercises and Aerial Espionage Committed against DPRK.

Pyongyang, July 31 (KCNA) — The U.S. imperialist aggression forces and the south Korean puppet army got more frantic in their war exercises in land, sea and air against the DPRK in July, according to military sources.

On July 21 and 22 they staged joint war exercises to cope with a chemical warfare. On July 24 and 25 the warmongers of the south Korean puppet army infiltrated “commandoes” into the operational theatres simulating the strategic and tactical targets of the north to frantically conduct observation, reconnaissance, assault, destruction and disturbance.

Between July 14 and 18 they conducted a war exercise codenamed Hwarang.

The south Korean puppets are now taking even middle school students and public servants to the special units belonging to the “Special Warfare Command” of the puppet army to force them to undergo “guerrilla” and airlifting exercises and drills for night warfare.

On July 16 the super-large nuclear-powered carrier “Reagan” of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces entered Pusan Port to be followed by the sailing of guided missile destroyers and cruisers to waters off south Korea one after another. They were busy with naval operation maneuvers in coordinated operations with the puppet forces.

…

The south Korean puppet navy conducted a landing operation exercise and an emergency mobile operation maneuver between July 14 and 20. The “Special Warfare Command” of the south Korean puppet army had been busy staging a naval infiltration operation exercise for more than ten days since mid-July.

The U.S. imperialist aggression forces staged exercises to strike targets in the land in combination with a long-distance navigation drill of formations of B-52H.

The joint air war exercises of the U.S. imperialists and the south Korean puppet army which started on July 21 reached a very reckless phase.

…

The madcap war exercises and aerial espionage being perpetrated by the U.S. imperialists and the warmongers of the south Korean puppet army against the DPRK in the sky, land and sea of south Korea almost everyday glaringly reveal their scenario for aggression to stifle the DPRK by force of arms.

Imperialist aggressor.  Puppet army.  Madcap war exercises.  Warmongers.  Good stuff.

Hold on!  One can’t talk about puppet armies and Kim Jong Il without a reference to…

[Note: Crude language - you've been warned.]

The Norks also brag about the “Fatherland Liberation War.”

Pyongyang, July 31 (KCNA) — The British Association for the Study of Songun Policy and the British Group for the Study of the Juche Idea issued a joint statement on July 25 on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the victory in the great Fatherland Liberation War.

The statement referred to the fact that the Korean People’s Army shattered to smithereens the myth of the “mightiness” of the U.S. imperialists under the leadership of President Kim Il Sung during the war.

The DPRK which was less than two years old defeated the U.S. imperialists, the chieftain of the international reaction and the boss of imperialism, it noted, stressing that it was a miracle unprecedented in history.

The great victory of the DPRK was a fruition of the Juche-oriented military idea and strategy and tactics of President Kim Il Sung and the heroism and the self-sacrificing spirit displayed by its army and people, it added.

The Switzerland-Korea Committee in a statement on July 23 noted that the historic victory won by the Korean people in the Fatherland Liberation War encouraged the people of the whole world in their struggle for freedom against imperialism and colonialism.

The danger of the second Korean war will continue to remain as long as the U.S. forces stay in south Korea, the statement said, urging the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces to quit south Korea.

They also are proud to have supposedly been on the cutting edge of women’s rights.  Note the headline on the article: Gratifying Law on Women.

Pyongyang, July 30 (KCNA) — A gratifying law on women never known in human history was promulgated in the DPRK on July 30, Juche 35 (1946).

It was “Law on Sex Equality in North Korea” which codified the liquidation of the hangovers of the mediaeval feudal customs and vices of infringement upon the women’s human rights and their complete emancipation from political, economic, cultural and domestic inequalities of the bygone days.

With the promulgation of the independent law legalizing equal rights of men and women, the Korean women came to exercise their role as masters of the state and society and enjoy an independent and creative life, freed from the feudal fetters that had harassed them for centuries.

On the 62nd anniversary of the law, the Korean people are looking back with deep emotion upon the immortal feats of the peerless great persons who spread in this land a new flower garden where the women are respected and valued.

President Kim Il Sung long ago attached great importance to their position and role, saying the women played an important part by rolling one of the two wheels of the revolution.

He visited everywhere people worked and watched women at work. Much pleased, he said it was good for the housewives to work in society because they became socialist builders, their living standard got higher with increased income and they could send their children to nurseries.

Under his loving care, women who had been maltreated as maidservants or babysitters in the past days could become dignified officials of the Party and the state, deputies to the Supreme People’s Assembly, heroines and women of distinguished services.

Law on Sex Equality is displaying ever greater vitality today under the wise guidance of General Secretary Kim Jong Il.

General Secretary Kim Jong Il has shown all loving care to the women, saying: We have yet to do a lot of work for the revolution, but we should not be sparing of anything in sprucing the women up.

The stories about the cosmetics “Pomhyanggi” (Spring Perfume), medicinal cream, cloth for chima and jogori (Korean skirt and jacket) and Cosmos hairpin are all legendary stories recounting his benevolent care for the women.

The Korean revolution will be ever victorious and the bright day of a great, prosperous and powerful nation of Juche will surely break as the large unit of woman revolutionaries who have grown under the loving care of the peerless great persons are vigorously turning one of the two wheels of Songun revolution.

The list goes on and on…

I’ve written a handful of posts about Zimbabwe over the years, mostly because of the unbelievably harmful reign of Robert Mugabe.  Two years ago I pointed out that the country had just started printing a $100,000 note.

Now the troubled nation has released a $100 billion note.  It sounds like a lot of dough, but it’s only worth about one US dollar and will enable you to purchase just four oranges - at least for a few more days.  According to the article it won’t even buy a loaf of bread.

Oh, and the official inflation rate there is now 2,200,000%.  I’m not kidding.

The Greenhouse Calculator calculates “what age you should die at so you don’t use more than your fair share of Earth’s resources!”  This (State-owned) Australian Broadcasting Corporation website for kids compares your CO2 production to the “Average Aussie greenhouse pig” and to “an environmentally-sustainable ‘green’ pig”.

From Cassy Fiano via Rachel Lucas.

Did House Democrats kill the Colombian Free Trade Agreement to help Marxist FARC terrorists?

It looks like some of them might have…

The Economist, in The FARC Files: Just how much help has Hugo Chavez given to Colombia’s terrorists?, reports that “Interpol has now concluded that the huge cache of e-mails and other documents recovered from the computers of Raúl Reyes, a senior leader of the FARC guerrillas killed in a Colombian bombing raid on his camp in Ecuador on March 1st, are authentic and undoctored.”

Batches of the documents have been seen by The Economist and several other publications. They appear to show that Mr Chávez offered the FARC up to $300m, and talked of allocating the guerrillas an oil ration which they could sell for profit. They also suggest that Venezuelan army officers helped the FARC to obtain small arms, such as rocket-propelled grenades, and to set up meetings with arms dealers.

The Wall Street Journal wrote about the links between FARC, House Democrats, and the Colombian Free Trade Agreement in A FARC Fan’s Notes:

A military strike three weeks ago killed Raúl Reyes, No. 2 in command of the FARC, Colombia’s most notorious terrorist group. The Reyes hard drive reveals an ardent effort to do business directly with the FARC by Congressman James McGovern (D., Mass.), a leading opponent of the free-trade deal. Mr. McGovern has been working with an American go-between, who has been offering the rebels help in undermining Colombia’s elected and popular government.

House Democrats killed the Colombian Free Trade Agreement in April.  The American published a good overview of the FTA process in The Fast-Track Trade War:

By a vote of 224 to 195, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the House Democratic leadership pushed through an amendment that eliminated rules requiring Congress to approve or reject the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement…

President Bush charged that “the message the Democrats sent today is that no matter now steadfastly you stand with us, we will turn our backs on you when it is politically convenient.”

Suffice it to say that there is little disagreement on the economic payoff: it is largely a one-way street. Since 1991, most of Colombia’s exports have entered the United States duty-free under the Andean Trade Preference Act. The FTA would provide reciprocal duty-free access for almost 90 percent of U.S. exports to Colombia within five years, and it would ensure total free trade within ten years. (NOTE - this means good for the US)

The special congressional rules for ratification of trade agreements were established in 1974…  Under the “fast-track” legislation, after a trade agreement is sent to Congress the House must vote on it within 60 legislative days, without amendment; then the Senate has 30 days to complete action, which means the whole process must occur within a 90-day window.

FARC’s friend Rep. McGovern was instrumental in killing the Colombian Free Trade Agreement: 

Rules Committee chairwoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Rep. James McGovern (D-MA) had discussed the option of stripping time requirements from the fast-track process since January. When the administration signaled that it would forward the agreement even without a sign-off by congressional Democratic leaders, Slaughter and McGovern seized the opportunity. On Tuesday, April 8, the president formally sent up the agreement and supporting documents; that same evening, Slaughter and McGovern presented the deadline-stripping plan to Speaker Pelosi, who, after meeting with other members of her leadership team, the next day backed the changes in a larger Democratic caucus. And on Thursday, as noted above, the House Democratic majority rammed through the amendments to House rules, effectively gutting the fast-track process for the Colombia FTA. 

More:

…there seems to have been no serious discussion of the far-reaching implications of overturning three decades of U.S. trade policy.

…powerful U.S. foreign policy and security arguments fell on deaf congressional ears. There could be no starker example of a beleaguered U.S. ally, flanked by regimes (Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia) increasingly hostile to U.S. interests, than Colombia.

…the speaker of the Colombian House of Representatives described the U.S. House action as “colonial treatment.” 

From Down Under:

A British man who moved to New Zealand has been told by officials that his wife is too fat to join him.

Why, you might ask?  Because New Zealand has a fantastic government health care system.

Richie Trezise, 35, a rugby-playing Welshman, lost weight to gain entry to New Zealand after initially being rejected for being overweight and a potential burden on the health care system.

His wife, Rowan, 33, a photographer, has been battling for months to shed the pounds so they can be reunited and live Down Under but has so far been unable to overcome New Zealand’s weight regulations.

This is the kind of story that should set off alarms in your head when you hear some modern day socialist talking about the “common good” and demanding “universal health care.”

BTW, “universal” health care is a stupid phrase.  Any politician elected in this country could, at most, impose a national health care plan.  He/she couldn’t even thrust upon us an international plan and most certainly not a “universal” plan, which would presumably cover all life forms in the universe that we haven’t even discovered yet (or should I say that haven’t discovered us yet?).

A British woman tried twice to abort one of the twins she was carrying because doctors presumed it would die in the womb.  They were wrong.

When doctors found that Gabriel was weaker than his brother, with an enlarged heart,and believed he was going to die in the womb, his mother Rebecca Jones had to make a heartbreaking decision.

Doctors told her his death could cause his twin brother to die too before they were born, and that it would be better to end Gabriel’s suffering sooner rather than later.

Mrs Jones decided to let doctors operate to terminate Gabriel’s life.

Firstly they tried to sever his umbilical cord to cut off his blood supply, but the cord was too strong.

They then cut Mrs Jones’s placenta in half so that when Gabriel died, it would not affect his twin brother.

But after the operation which was meant to end his life, tiny Gabriel had other ideas.

Although he weighed less than a pound, he put up such a fight for survival that doctors called him Rocky.

Astonishingly, he managed to carry on living in his mother’s womb for another five weeks - until the babies were delivered by caesarean section.

Now he and Ieuan are back at home in Stoke - and are so close they are always holding each other’s hand.

“The baby might die so lets go ahead and kill it” argument really does ring hollow.  Life - in and out of the womb - is all about challenging and overcoming long odds, not yielding all hope of eventual success.

I wonder what kind of complex that kid is going to have when he learns that his mother did everything in her power to kill him before he was born.  The mother is clearly in denial over her decision based on her misleading characterization of the situation.  She said, “Doctors carried out an operation to let Gabriel die.”  No, what actually happened is that doctors, with her express consent, tried twice to carry out an operation to prevent Gabriel from living.  There is a big difference.