There Goes The Neighbourhood

I don't have the time nor the deeper interest in China to consider the following, but the following cases are not isolated, they are not random, and they are very much indicative of a much deeper issue in China, one I don't have a great deal of insight to figure (although I can see it when I see it and I see it pretty clearly now). March 2, Mazhang, Guangdong province. A 40-year-old man believed to be mentally disabled attacked five children and a grandmother at a primary school. Two children died.  (He wasn't mentally disturbed - it was easier to claim he was than to admit a normal 40 year old just started killing people.) March 23, Nanping, Fujian province. A 42-year-old man attacked 13 children and a teacher at the entrance to a primary school. Eight students died. The attacker was a former medical worker believed to have a history of mental illness. He was executed for the crime on April 28.  (Swift Justice!!) April 12, Hepu, Guangxi province. A 42-year-old man stabbed ...

596 immigrants convicted of crimes nabbed in South Apr 30 12:51 PM US/Eastern By GREG BLUESTEIN Associated Press Writer ATLANTA (AP) - Federal agents say they have arrested 596 immigrants with criminal records during a three-day immigration enforcement sweep across the Southeast. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Friday that the operation, dubbed Operation Cross Check, was the largest ever conducted by the agency targeting foreign nationals convicted of crimes. They said the immigrants have already served their sentences and authorities will now seek to deport them. Atlanta ICE Field Director Felicia Skinner says that "communities around the Southeast are safer than they were before" as a result. She said three of the people arrested this week had been convicted of murder and 144 were convicted on assault charges.

This could just as easily be entitled - HOW THE LEFT PLANS ON PAYING FOR OBAMA'S HEALTH PLAN. How will the Obama administration pay for its new health care program?  Taxes and Cuts. The newest idea that popped up was a VAT.  A VALUE ADDED TAX.  This VAT would replace the federal taxes on everything.  No more federal taxes when you purchase an item - but you would pay a VAT, say 10%. This would be incredibly easy, very simple, and so much easier for us, the average American, to understand.  However - I have one concern, just one little concern.  Say an item is $1.00 today and no VAT exists.  Do we know what the 'true' or 'real' cost of that item is?  Do we know how much of the $1.00 is federal costs?  I believe I would accept this European concept IF we knew how much federal tax existed on every item and THAT tax was removed on say Monday, BEFORE the VAT was imposed on Tuesday.  I do not want to, and will not accept willingly or even begr...

Surprise, surprise.  Isn't it amazing.  A year on the campaign trail, the attacks and viscerally hateful comments made by Obama and his minions in attacking Bush as violating civil liberties and trampling on your rights ... as if he would do better.  Once again, he has failed.  Of course, defenders will say - but Bush did it first.  True, but we have finished with Bush haven't we and Bush never said he would ignore violations to National Security, never said it was a matter of a reporter's civil liberties ... he just marched forward doing what he believed best.  Obama came along and said nothing Bush did was for the best, it was all wrong, all bad, all messed up, and he was going to fix it.  Obama has doubled up on scouring our civil liberties, and maintained the same programs, enhanced others - all the while extolling the virtues of his enlightened policies, and how he is not Bush.  Yet, he seems to be, only worse.  I preferred the guy who a...

Belgian lawmakers vote to ban full-face veils in public By Edward Cody Friday, April 30, 2010; A08 Washington Post PARIS -- Belgian lawmakers on Thursday passed a nationwide ban prohibiting women from wearing full-face Islamic veils in public places, the first move of its kind in Western Europe. The unanimous vote in the lower house of Parliament came in response to growing irritation in Belgium and other West European countries over the increasing numbers and visibility of Muslims whose customs and attitudes often present a challenge to the continent's largely Christian heritage. The French government, after months of rancorous debate, has pledged to pass a similar nationwide ban by September, a promise denounced by Muslims as "stigmatization" of their religion. President Nicolas Sarkozy decided last week to introduce the bill despite a warning from the country's constitutional court that a blanket prohibition would probably be unconstitutional. "The burqa has n...

Obama "Now, what we’re doing, I want to be clear, we’re not trying to push financial reform because we begrudge success that's fairly earned. I mean, I do think at a certain point you've made enough money." CNN, April 28, 2010, Mr. Obama. When is enough?  How much?  Who determines?  Obama

God is not religious. Do these people troll through every obscure insignia, label, motto, name, door marker in every state, every military base looking for such things? Group: Army symbol is religious, should be changed By DAN ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer April 29, 2010 .DENVER – A religious watchdog group says a cross and motto on the emblem of an Army hospital in Colorado violate the constitutional requirement for separation of church and state and should be removed. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation asked the Army this week to change the emblem of Evans Army Community Hospital at Fort Carson, outside Colorado Springs. The emblem says "Pro deo et humanitate" or "For God and humanity." Fort Carson commanders will review the complaint, Lt. Col. Steve Wollman said. He said the emblem had been approved by the Army Institute of Heraldry and has been in use since 1969. Wollman said references to doctors serving God and humanity date to the time of Hippocrate...

UN's Ban shows bias on nuclear issue Thu, 29 Apr 2010 10:18:44 GMT Presstv.ir UN Secretary General urges Tehran to convince "international community" on its nuclear drive, while ignoring US declared nuclear threat against Iran. Ban Ki-moon accused Tehran of not satisfying international concerns over the peaceful nature of its nuclear program , as he welcomed the planned participation of Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the upcoming UN meeting to review the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) next Monday in New York, according to a Wednesday report in the major US daily The New York Times. While expressing optimism for President Ahmadinejad to offer constructive proposals in resolving Iran's nuclear issue at the meeting, Ban commended recent US-Russia agreement to reduce a small part of their vast nuclear arsenals describing it as a model for the rest of the world. [Mr. Ban is a naive fool.  A moral idiot.  How can Iran demonstrate it's peaceful desir...

State Sen. Kevin Parker erupts again with raced-based rant, and even allies are concerned BY Celeste Katz and Kenneth Lovett DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS Wednesday, April 28th 2010, 2:11 PM Berman for NewsState Sen. Kevin Parker Related NewsALBANY - Hothead state Sen. Kevin Parker erupted again Tuesday, this time with a race-based rant that rattled even his supporters. "He needs help," said Sen. Ruben Diaz (D-Bronx), an ally who witnessed the latest angry outbursts. "He lost control of himself." Parker exploded in anger at fellow Sen. John DeFrancisco, a Syracuse Republican, who was questioning a nominee to the New York Power Authority. DeFrancisco, who is white, asked Mark O'Luck, who is black, about the nominee's prior claim that without programs for minorities, whites and the affluent "would have access to nearly 100%" of government funding. As DeFrancisco told O'Luck he can't fault everyone who's prospered, Parker began screaming that t...

The Mexican government is in a tizzy over the new laws in Arizona. As I stated in a previous post, Mexico has more problems than an accountant could accurately count .    Yet, their Foreign Ministry thought it urgent enough to comment on. Mexico Issues Travel Warning for Arizona Over Law (Update2) By Jonathan J. Levin and Catherine Dodge Bloomberg April 27 (Bloomberg) -- Mexicans in Arizona should carry documentation and “act carefully” after the state passed a law requiring local police to determine the immigration status of anyone suspected of being in the country illegally, Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said. The ministry said the warning is directed toward Mexicans living, studying or planning to travel to the southwestern U.S. state, which shares a border with northern Mexico, according to the e-mailed statement sent today. It comes as members of U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration said they have concerns about the new law and may seek to overturn it in court. “Ther...

Spain downgraded, Europe debt crisis widens Juergen Baetz, Associated Press Writer Wednesday April 28, 2010, 12:39 pm EDT BERLIN (AP) -- Europe's debt crisis mushroomed Wednesday as Spain saw its credit rating lowered, just as Germany sought to reassure nervous investors that Greece would not be allowed to go under, saying Berlin's share of a key aid package could be approved in the next few days. Stock and bond markets had begun to regain their composure after stinging downgrades of Greece and Portugal the day before, when Standard & Poors delivered more bad news by cutting Spain's rating to AA from AA+ amid concerns about the country's growth prospects following the collapse of a construction bubble. "We now believe that the Spanish economy's shift away from credit-fuelled economic growth is likely to result in a more protracted period of sluggish activity than we previously assumed," Standard & Poor's credit analyst Marko Mrsnik said. Spain...

So bye bye Ms Euro Pean, I drove my chevy to the bank but the euro was dry, and them good old boys in Greece and Spain were drinkin whiskey and rye, singin, "this'll be the day that the Euro will die. this'll be the day the Euroe will die." And to think, I heard from several people in the last decade how the world was so over the dollar, and how great the Euro was, and how the world would turn to the Euro ... like Greece and now Spain, like Italy, and Portugal ... yes, indeed, I see the EU as a very stable economic place.  I'd bank on it - not.  Am I wrong - well, the way things are going in Greece - the whole system could fall down around the poor Greeks, Spaniards, Portuguese, English ... World markets tumble as euro debt crisis escalates Apr 28, 6:01 AM (ET) By PAN PYLAS LONDON (AP) - World markets tumbled Wednesday amid acute fears that Greece's debt crisis would spread like wildfire through Europe after a leading credit ratings agency downgraded the count...

Argentine media-government conflict turns ugly 10:52am EDT By Fiona Ortiz BUENOS AIRES, April 28 (Reuters) - A ferocious two-year battle between Argentina's president and the country's leading media empire has gone beyond tax raids and soccer broadcast squabbles to dredging up mud from the country's dark past. Government officials say the owner of Grupo Clarin may have adopted two babies stolen from murdered political prisoners during the 1976-1983 military dictatorship, and President Cristina Fernandez has urged courts to investigate. The adopted children of Clarin owner Ernestina Herrera de Noble, one of the country's richest women, accuse Fernandez of using them as pawns in her conflict with their mother's company. "We feel scared, anguished, insecure, persecuted," Felipe Noble Herrera and his sister Marcela, both 34, said in a televised statement last week. The conflict, in which Clarin claims it is being harassed and the government accuses the media g...

The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, the nation’s tax law, adding a section entitled, “Requirement to maintain minimum essential coverage,” section 5000A. “Subtitle D of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new chapter: ‘‘CHAPTER 48—MAINTENANCE OF MINIMUM ESSENTIAL COVERAGE ‘‘Sec. 5000A. Requirement to maintain minimum essential coverage.” “REQUIREMENT TO MAINTAIN MINIMUM ESSENTIAL COVERAGE.—An applicable individual shall for each month beginning after 2013 ensure that the individual, and any dependent of the individual who is an applicable individual, is covered under minimum essential coverage for such month,” the law reads. Individuals who fail to compy with this "requirement" are assessed a “shared responsibility payment”--a fine collected by the IRS. “SHARED RESPONSIBILITY PAYMENT.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If an applicable individual fails to meet the requirement of subsection (a) for 1 or more months during any calendar year be...

Goodbye MANkind, you proved useful once, but now, an inconvenience at best.  All the wars, anguish, suffering you put the world through - all the machismo, hitting, whacking, kicking, fighting, and otherwise unnecessary physical activity ... your time has come.  The rest of Earth will be just fine without you.  Science has seen to that.  Out for the count: Why levels of sperm in men are falling Levels of 'viable' sperm in human males are falling – and scientists believe they now understand the cause. Infertility can begin in the womb, says Steve Connor Monday, 26 April 2010 The Independent If scientists from Mars were to study the human male's reproductive system they would probably conclude that he is destined for rapid extinction. Compared to other mammals, humans produce relatively low numbers of viable sperm – sperm capable of making that long competitive swim to penetrate an unfertilised egg. As many as one in five healthy young men between the ages of 18 and 25...

We best not offend Muhammad, no cartoons, no caricatures, and certainly no long list of actions that may be questionable morally, nor his extolling certain behaviors top his followers Western Civilization may find offensive.  But, the Pope, head of the largest Church in the world - permissible to ridicule and mock him.  Everything religious is bad - pro-life, Catholic, anti-abortion, opposed to gay marriages - bad bad, and worse, unenlightened.  It is very disturbing to watch this attack and tear down of a man who did not do anything to hurt anyone - unlike many in the secular world who go through their lives tearing down one person after another while claiming they never intended to hurt anyone, yet they leave bodies strewn about like plane wreckage as they go.  To watch these people attacking the Church, yet petrified to even think about the idea of criticizing ... say, Mohammad ... shows who and what they really are. If I were them, I would think very very ca...

Cartoonist overwhelmed by response to "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" By JAMIE GRISWOLD Apr 25, 2010 - 2:11 pm   After a Seattle artist's cartoon went viral, she says she's not going with it. Molly Norris drew up a sketch declaring May 20th "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" after Comedy Central cut a portion of a South Park episode following a death threat from a radical Muslim group. Norris explained her motivation on an appearance on KIRO Radio's Dave Ross show. "As a cartoonist I just felt so much passion about what had happened I wanted to kind of counter Comedy Central's message they sent about feeling afraid." Producers of South Park had announced Thursday that Comedy Central removed a speech about intimidation and fear from their show after a radical Muslim group warned that they could be killed for insulting the Prophet Muhammad. The group said it wasn't threatening South Park producers Trey Parker and Matt Stone, but it included a gr...

Sometimes good things happen and bad people are sent to hell to become the play thing of Satan for all eternity.  Sometimes life is good and we can smile knowing that two creatures have been sent home. Al-Qaida in Iraq confirms deaths of top 2 figures Sinan Salaheddin, Associated Press Writer April 25, 2010 .BAGHDAD – An al-Qaida front group in Iraq on Sunday confirmed the killing of its two top leaders but vowed to keep up the fight despite claims by U.S. and Iraqi officials that the deaths could be a devastating blow to the terror network. The defiance came in a statement released a week after the group's leaders — Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Masri — were killed in a raid by Iraqi and U.S. security forces on their safe house near Tikrit, north of Baghdad. "After a long journey filled with sacrifices and fighting falsehood and its representatives, two knights have dismounted to join the group of martyrs," the statement said. "We announce that the Muslim na...

It was quite evident in the days following the revelations of treatment at Walter Reed, that the left would use this as a stick to beat Bush with - his failing to live up to standards he defined for himself as a war president.  The left still use this stick - in an email I posted some time ago titled Now You Get Mad.  One point in that long list of whining is Walter Reed, Bush fault. And when it was discovered, people were fired, removed, and new people put into place.  It could be argued that it had nothing to do with Bush (and properly it didn't), but he was the Commander-in-Chief and ...  just like Obama is now. In Army’s Trauma Care Units, Feeling Warehoused By JAMES DAO and DAN FROSCH April 24, 2010 The New York Times COLORADO SPRINGS — A year ago, Specialist Michael Crawford wanted nothing more than to get into Fort Carson’s Warrior Transition Battalion, a special unit created to provide closely managed care for soldiers with physical wounds and severe psycholo...