Saturday, March 31, 2007

Easter Break

Photo from Google Images: The Tidal Basin

My Easter Break began at the end of classes on Thursday. All those postponed items on my to-do list will be addressed: grading students' book reports on The Merchant of Venice, averaging students' grades to date, and assembling for my attorney bills and medical records related to my car accident in 2005.

Spring cleaning is not on the list because The Maids are coming on Monday. I spent much of yesterday picking up the house, in preparation for those whirlwinds to take care of the dirty work. I did manage, however, to find time to go cruising around the D.C. suburbs to see trees in bloom less famous than those pictured to the left. Glorious!

During vacation, I also have a book review to write for An Introduction to Islam. Christians should be particularly interested in this book, which is a collection of articles from the web site of Bassam and Shirley Madany.

Usually, my Easter Break doesn't hold much excitement. I like to take it somewhat easy before the final push to the end of the school term. But this year is different. Something special is arriving to my house on Tuesday.

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Photo from Google Images: Yamaha U2

I've bought a piano. It's not new, but it's new to me.

I can hear you saying, "So what, AOW? Haven't you always had a piano? After all, you're a piano teacher."

Yes, technically, I've always had a piano. But since 1972, the year my husband and I got married, I haven't had a piano in the same house where I sleep. I had to drive to my parents' house until 1985, when, after thirteen years of living here, I finally bought a piano for this property — a Huntington spinet, which sits in "The Little House," the small garage apartment several steps away from the main house. A nice instrument as spinets go, but inconvenient to get to, now that The Little House is crammed with items in storage.

By removing two huge stereo speakers from our dining room, we've finally made room for a piano, a Yamaha U2 studio upright like the one pictured here. In a few days, I'll be tickling the ivories in this house!

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/31/2007 06:55:00 AM  

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Thursday, March 29, 2007

Thinking Bloggers

Both Angel and Benning were so gracious as to bestow upon me the Thinking Blogger Award. Thank you! Now I have the privilege of announcing the awardees I have chosen to receive this award. But, first, the rules of participation.

Rules of participation

Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging. The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme and know you thinks so highly of you!

3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote.
Here are the five recipients I have chosen:

1. Mustang — My best cyberfriend doesn't post as often as I'd like. But when he does, his essays make me say, "Wow!"

2. GM Roper — A cancer survivor, his posts have gotten even better since his diagnosis and remission (as if improvement in his commentary were possible).

3. Beak — This exposer of the far left knows how to make his blog fun to read, too, with features such as interviews, satires, book reviews, book serializations, and cyber-roasts.

4. American Crusader — He focuses on those who desire to undermine Western civilization. When he took a brief hiatus last year, I missed him terribly.

5. Seth — Conservative to the core and giving no quarter to liberals, he writes pithy commentary. His comments are just as pointed as his front-and-center posts.

The only problem I had with deciding these awards was paring down my list to five recipients. I tried to choose a few names with which my regular commenters here might not be familiar.

If I didn't mention you, please don't be offended!

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/29/2007 06:20:00 AM  

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Wednesday, March 28, 2007

HR 1640: Anti-dhimmitude From Congress

Now, for some news which is bound to rile up CAIR.



Excerpt from the March 27, 2007 Washington Times:

House Republicans tonight surprised Democrats with a procedural vote to protect public-transportation passengers from being sued if they report suspicious activity -- the first step by lawmakers to protect "John Doe" airline travelers already targeted in such a lawsuit.

After a heated debate and calls for order, the motion to recommit the Democrats' Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2007 back to committee with instructions to add the protective language passed on a vote of 304-121.

Check out the roll-call vote and other updates at The Jawa Report.



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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/28/2007 08:05:00 AM  

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Tuesday, March 27, 2007

"A Former Jihadist Speaks Out"

Or so that segment of the March 25, 2007 broadcast of Sixty Minutes was entitled. Watch the video of Hassan Butt's interview? What are those evil deeds of which Hassan spoke? Possibly the following gives a clue.



----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Excerpt from one of LionHeart's recent postings:
Jihad has been underway in Luton for many years with the Pakistani Moslems of Luton now being upper most in strength and over the past few years they have turned their attention towards Dunstable and turned it into a money making out-post and are actively conducting Jihad against the community forcing the non-Moslem population into Dhimmitude so they can have an unhindered reign of Our community. It is Our sons and daughters who are the most at risk from these savages and they need protecting from them.

The top echelons of the Luton Pakistani Moslem street Jihad with Class A drugs, prostitution, high level fraud and all other related crime are from the Khan family. Whever it is Nigel Khan, Killer Khan or any other Khan related, these are the top echelons who are connected to their Al Qaeda brothers who they recieve their Afghani Heroin from.

The main Pakistani Moslem leaders of the Khan mafia have the Islamic crescent moon branded to their forheads, necks or hands so you cannot miss them....

[...]

I spoke to a very good witness yesterday who used to go to school with Des' girlfriend who he has 3 children with. I was told that she had her first child when she was at school between the ages of 13 - 14 and before she had left school she had, had her second which was by the time she was 16. This poor young child had to tell everyone she was raped obviously to take the heat off of the Pakistani Moslem paedophile father of the child who had impregnated her while she was still a child.

Those of us who know of the threat Our daughters face from these Moslem beasts will know that this type of behaviour is common place from the Moslem community aimed at the dirty kuffar (non-Moslem) community. Our children need protecting from these Moslem beasts who are living amongst us, imagine if that poor young girl was your daughter!

It is common knowledge throughout the whole Town that you can buy Heroin & Crack cocaine from this fast food shop, you can even call for your chicken and chips and have your drugs delivered at the same time. This is how blatant they are operating their Moslem drug dealing operation in my Christian community with the police doing absolutely nothing to stop it.

Young male and female children from the local school...are potentially the next generation drug addicted Dunstable Moslem drug and sex slaves...
Read the entire essay.

Are these the kinds of actitivites to which Hassan Butt was referring in his interview on Sixty Minutes? Before you say, "No way!" take time to read this, which contains the following paragraph:
Luton is the frontline in Islam and Al Qaeda's war against Britain and is an example for every other Muslim community across the country. The Muslim community of Luton gave permission for the bombers to set out from here that day because they know how strong and how capable they are of protecting and defending themselves here.

[...]

Luton played a central role in the terrorist attacks of 7/7 and continues to be a hotbed of terror to this day.

I challenge anyone who disagrees or who is interested in finding out the truth to travel to Luton and see with your own eyes.
Oh, and one more thing....It was LionHeart's blog which Ultimate Organization insisted be taken down immediately.


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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/27/2007 08:20:00 PM  

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Monday, March 26, 2007

Two Emails


Both LionHeart and I received the following emails, quoted word-for-word, from ultimateorganization@hotmail.co.uk:


1.
You need to listen to this very carefully! In order to stay in this
violent, wicked, devilish, country like this you need to remove this blog,
remove the information you put on.

You are embarrassing you self and the public of my and your Country.
Statements like these will cause hatred and the hatred that we really don't
want anywhere in this world. Mine and your job is to create unity in this
world not to make it more violent.

Stop your foolishness and live like a human rather than an animal. I, my
self studied Islam is a peaceful religion, it shows you to go on the right
path. Investigate it and (if God Willing) it will head you on the right way,
now I値l state here a link ( ) where you can investigate and learn more
about Islam and Christianity, this link will take you to the website where
you can watch videos of the Christians converts that explains everything you
need to understand.
Unlock your ignorance of this beautiful faith, end-of-day it is your
decision but we are all human beings and you should not make a statements
like this again in the future it is not right to discriminate anyone no one
is perfect. Live your life in peace people who are creating conflicts will
never succeed and God will curse them you must know that.

Thank You for your attention.

2.

promise me not to encourage such an idea, think about your own family.

http://www.islaminireland.com/multimedia/video.html
please download the three last videos i.e

Purpose of life part 1 - khalid yaasin here....

Purpose of life part 2 - khalid yaasin here....

Purpose of life part 3 - khalid yaasin here....


http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/
At WC's suggestion, I invited "ultimate orgnization" to call into The Gathering Storm Radio Show. No such call arrived.

I'm not sure, but I suspect my comment to this article by LionHeart is what prompted "ultimate organization" to send me the above emails. Those interested might want to take a look at that lengthy essay by LionHeart UK.

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/26/2007 08:15:00 AM  

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Sunday, March 25, 2007

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: "The War On Terror"

(Each "Question of the Week," an idea which I gleaned from A Republic If You Can Keep It, will remain toward the top of the blog until the next question appears. The previous Questions of the Week are HERE. Please scroll down for recent postings)

I have a few issues with the term "The War On Terror."



Terror is a method, not an enemy against whom war can be declared. In the current conflict, I'd much rather use the term "The War Against Islamists," "The War Against Jihadists," or "The War Against Islamofascists." In sum, "The War On Terror" seems another politically-correct term, one which obfuscates both the identity and the ideology of the enemy.

Maybe I'm missing something important about the use of this term?


QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Is the terminology "The War On Terror" an adequate name for the clash in which we are now engaged?

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/25/2007 10:00:00 AM  

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Lawyers Against CAIR!

Eavesdropper over at Maverick News Media has posted a list from Power Line Blog. These attorneys are pro bono and are offering to defend the "John Doe" passengers in the Six-Flying-Imams case.

That's not all!



Check out HR 1640 (Protecting Americans Fighting Terrorism Act), pdf file, introduced as follows by Representative Pearce of New Mexico:

It is a sad day in America when our own institutions of freedom are being used against us in the battle against terrorism. When I first heard about the lawsuit brought by the 'imams' in Minnesota, it was clear to me that this was an injustice against Americans who were simply trying to protect themselves. These brave citizens should be recognized as heroes for their efforts to report suspicious activity, particularly activity that has been associated with previous terror attacks.

As Americans, we must not allow ourselves to be bullied by individuals who seek to disrupt our way of life. We can not allow the sympathizers of terrorism to make Americans wonder if they could be sued before reporting possible terrorist activity. Whether it is an intimidation tactic or a full scale attack, Americans have the right and responsibility to protect themselves and their fellow citizens. I introduced this legislation to protect Americans... as they serve on the front line in our battle against terrorism here in America.
The following House Representatives are co-sponsors: Rep. Bill Shuster (PA-9), Rep. Rob Bishop (UT-1), Rep. John Kline(MN-2), Rep. Geoff Davis (KY-4), Rep. Frank Wolf (VA-10), Rep. Trent Franks (AZ-2), Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (GA-3), Rep. Dan Burton (IN-05), Rep. Thad McCotter (MI-11), and Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (CA-25).

What will Keith Ellison have to say about HR 1640?

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/25/2007 09:15:00 AM  

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Friday, March 23, 2007

Sounds Fine At First, But...

Here is a stunner, from Gates of Vienna. Excerpt:



The event sounds innocuous enough — “A First Freedom Project Seminar: Federal Laws Protecting Religious Freedom” — but the significance of the occasion is revealed by the inordinate interest in it displayed by MPAC and other Muslim advocacy groups. The fact that these organizations are anxious to get their members to this meeting and intend to have an impact on it tells you a lot about what they hope to accomplish.

[...]

The upshot is that Justice Department policy on religious discrimination is being guided by leaders from CAIR, ISNA, MAS Freedom Foundation (co-sponsors with ANSWER of the March 17 demonstration against the war), and MPAC.

As I’ve said before, this is a Trojan horse being rolled into the heart of the United States Constitution, and we have to make our voices heard if we want to stop it.

[...]

The Department of Justice’s The First Freedom Project on religious liberty, starting next week with a March 29 public meeting in Kansas City, Missouri, may be monopolized by Islamist organizations. Other seminars will be held in Tampa, Florida, on April 25, 2007 and Seattle, Washington, on May 10, 2007. If members of other religions attend these DOJ meetings, a more balanced view can be presented. Criticism of other religions should not be criminalized, including criticism of Islam or the Koran.

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/23/2007 11:58:00 PM  

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Anti-Dhimmitude From France (Of All Places)

From this item in the March 23, 2007 Washington Post:
"French Paper Is Cleared Of Abuse by Caricature"



PARIS -- A French court cleared a satirical weekly newspaper Thursday in a case brought by Muslims who were angered by its publication of caricatures of the prophet Muhammad.

The newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, and its director, Philippe Val, had been accused of "publicly abusing a group of people because of their religion." The court ruled that Charlie Hebdo showed no intention of insulting the Muslim community with the caricatures, several of which had appeared first in a Danish paper and sparked angry protests across the Muslim world and in Europe.
Eurabia has not yet arrived!

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/23/2007 10:48:00 AM  

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Thursday, March 22, 2007

Al Gore's Carbon Credits

From "Liberal Limousine Hypocrisy," a Time Magazine essay by Charles Krauthammer (emphases mine):



Goldman Sachs has been one of the most aggressive firms on Wall Street about taking action on climate change; the company sends its bankers home at night in hybrid limousines.

--The New York Times, Feb. 25

Written without a hint of irony--if only your neighborhood dry cleaner sent his employees home by hybrid limousine--this front-page dispatch captured perfectly the eco-pretensions of the rich and the stupefying gullibility with which they are received.

Remember the Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Gore global-warming pitch at the Academy Awards? Before they spoke, the screen at the back of the stage flashed not-so-subliminal messages about how to save the planet. My personal favorite was "Ride mass transit." This to a conclave of Hollywood plutocrats who have not seen the inside of a subway since the moon landing and for whom mass transit means a stretch limo seating no fewer than 10.

Leo and Al then portentously announced that for the first time ever, the Academy Awards ceremony had gone green. What did that mean? Solar panels in the designer gowns? It turns out that the Academy neutralized the evening's "carbon footprint" by buying carbon credits. That means it sent money to a "carbon broker," who promised, after taking his cut, to reduce carbon emissions somewhere on the planet equivalent to what the stars spewed into the atmosphere while flying in on their private planes.

In other words, the rich reduce their carbon output by not one ounce. But drawing on the hundreds of millions of net worth in the Kodak Theatre, they pull out lunch money to buy ecological indulgences. The last time the selling of pardons was prevalent--in a predecessor religion to environmentalism called Christianity--Martin Luther lost his temper and launched the Reformation.

A very few of the very rich have some awareness of the emptiness--if not the medieval corruption--of ransoming one's sins. Sergey Brin, zillionaire founder of Google, buys carbon credits to offset the ghastly amount of carbon dioxide emitted by Google's private Boeing 767 but confesses he's not sure if it really does anything.

Which puts him one step ahead of most other eco-preeners who actually pretend that it does--the Goracle himself, for example. His Tennessee mansion consumes 20 times the electricity used by the average American home. Last August alone it consumed twice as much power as the average home consumes in a year. Gore buys absolution, however. He spends pocket change on carbon credits, which then allow him to pollute conscience-free.

What is wrong with this scam? First, purchasing carbon credits is an incentive to burn even more fossil fuels, since now it is done under the illusion that it's really cost-free to the atmosphere.

Second, it is a way for the rich to export the real costs and sacrifices of pollution control to the poorer segments of humanity in the Third World. (Apparently, Hollywood's plan is to make up for that by adopting every last one of their children.) For example, GreenSeat, a Dutch carbon-trading outfit, buys offsets from a foundation that plants trees in Uganda's Mount Elgon National Park to soak up the carbon emissions of its rich Western patrons. Small problem: expanding the park encroaches on land traditionally used by local farmers. As a result, reports the New York Times, "villagers living along the boundary of the park have been beaten and shot at, and their livestock has been confiscated by armed park rangers." All this so that swimming pools can be heated and Maseratis driven with a clear conscience in the fattest parts of the world.

The other form of carbon trading is to get Third World companies to cut their emissions to offset Western pollution. The reason this doesn't work--and why the carbon racket is a farce--is that you need a cap for cap-and-trade to work. Sulfur dioxide emissions in the U.S. were capped, and the trading system succeeded in reducing acid rain by half. But even the Kyoto treaty doesn't put any cap on greenhouse gases in China and India, where billions of these carbon credits are traded. Sure, you can pretend you're offsetting Western greenhouse pollution by supposedly cleaning up a dirty coal plant in China. But China is adding a new coal plant every week. You could build a particularly dirty "uncapped" power plant, then sell hundreds of millions in carbon credits to reduce it to a normal rate of pollution. The result? The polluter gets very rich. The planet continues to cook. And the Gores of the world can feel virtuous as they burn up the local power grid.

If Gore really wants to save the planet, he can try this: Turn off the lights. Ditch the heated pool. Ride the subway. And spare us the carbon-trading piety.
Link

Sounds to me as if the concept of carbon credits might be heading for a great crash.

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/22/2007 08:00:00 AM  

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Pim's Ghost's Video Manifesto

[Hat-tip to Pim's Ghost]



YouTube Link

[END OF THIS POSTING]

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/22/2007 05:40:00 AM  

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Wednesday, March 21, 2007

China's New Outlook On Private Property



According to this March 9, 2007 article in the Washington Post, China is considering abandoning the notion that all property should be owned by the government:



China's legislature began examining a much-debated measure Thursday [March 8] that is intended to help protect private property in an increasingly well-off society.

Although the Communist Party still believes the state owns all land, the growing economy has meant that private property "has been increasing with each passing day," the draft legislation states, adding that the protection of that property is the "urgent demand of the people."

The latest draft of the property law, almost certain to pass, seeks to strike a delicate balance between the need to continue greasing the wheels of the Chinese economy -- which depends on private investment -- and satisfying old-guard officials reluctant to jettison the socialist ideals they have relied on since the 1949 communist revolution.

"As the reform and opening-up and the economy develop, people's living standards have improved in general, and they urgently require effective protection of their own lawful property accumulated through hard work," Wang Zhaoguo, deputy chairman of the National People's Congress, said in introducing the latest draft of the measure in the legislature.

The legislation has been at least 14 years in the making and has been discussed by the standing committee of the National People's Congress six times.
Enjoying the fruits of one's own labor changes attitudes, but it remains to be seen how successful the above proposed measure will be. The article also states the following:
[In the legislation,] [t]here are multiple references to the need to uphold "the basic socialist economic system" and "regulate the order of the socialist market economy." The Chinese socialist property system "is in essence different from the capitalist property system," the draft stresses.
Obviously, China is not going to admit that their version of Communism has been a failure. Watch for more word games as the Communist regime jockeys to hold power.

In addition, as the nation moves in fits and starts toward a free-market economy, China might also want to stop giving the death penalty to scammers who sell overpriced ant farms to the public.

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/21/2007 06:00:00 AM  

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Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Challenge To CAIR

Pamela of Atlas Shrugs has offered her radio show tonight as a forum for debate between Pim's Ghost and Ahmed Bedier of CAIR (Tampa, Florida).

CLICK HERE to listen at 9:00 PM, Eastern Time.

Dial In Number: (347) 996-3944

[END OF THIS POSTING]

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/20/2007 06:40:00 AM  

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Monday, March 19, 2007

SCAIR Tactics

Check out what's going on at this site, owned by Pim's Ghost.

Ahmed Bedier of CAIR (Tampa, Florida) wants a face-to-face with Pim's Ghost. She is not about to do that. However, she has posted several questions for Mr. Bedier, as have other bloggers in the comments section.

Perhaps you have a few questions to ask Mr. Bedier? If so, visit What Would Charles Martel Do?

[END OF THIS POSTING]

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/19/2007 03:17:00 PM  

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Sunday, March 18, 2007

A Gathering Of Eagles: "Win The War Or Lose To Jihad"


The title for this posting reflects one sign which participants in A Gathering Of Eagles were carrying yesterday. For my husband and me, as well as for others who were part of A Gathering of Eagles, those words sum up what's at stake for all of Western civilization.

This video will give you an idea as to what we saw and heard yesterday:





See all those American flags? All those American flags waving in the strong breeze made it easy to locate where we supposed to assemble yesterday once we arrived to the general area for our rally of Eagles.

A few of the anti-war protesters were carrying our nation's flag. But many were not; instead, they opted to carry peace signs or the signs of other nations. Furthermore, many of the protesters wore Muslim face-scarves. Carrying his sign saying "Veteran," my husband harassed some of the protesters who were clearly not those who love America: "Why are you wearing a mask? Ashamed to show your face? You should be!"

At the Gathering of Eagles Rally, for the first time since his service long ago in the army, my husband had strangers come up to him and thank him for serving. I can't tell you the emotions which that simple "Thank you" evoked in my husband's heart!

My back problems forced me to leave the downtown area before the Communists and other moonbats marched to the Pentagon. But others with whom we went — including Steve Harkonnen, cofounder of Anti-CAIR, Eavesdropper, and Maccus Germanis — stayed all day long. We reunited afterwards at the house of one of the 910 Group's members for chili and good company including that of Baron Bodissey, who joined us for dinner. Baron's first report, with excellent photographs, is HERE. Don't miss it! Also be sure to visit Mike's America for several reports. He has pictures too!

I want to thank Steve, Eavesdropper, Maccus Germanis, The City Troll, and Monica (and others who came with them) for taking the time yesterday morning to gather at my house before catching Metro to go downtown to A Gathering of Eagles. Patriots all!

According to this source, 30,000 Eagles gathered yesterday, and
Fox News reported today that the anti-war protesters had significantly less than they expected. However, they are erroneously reporting that the Eagles were there in “equal numbers”. The truth is that we outnumbered them [ANSWER] by at least three to one!
Yes, mission accomplished!

Addendum: Go to this index at Maverick News Media to see some more write-ups and lots of pictures, including one with Michelle Malkin.

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/18/2007 08:22:00 AM  

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A Gathering Of Eagles


1000 Hours, March 17, 2007

Viet Nam Memorial Wall

Washington, D.C.


From this source:

The anti-war/anti-America groups are planning a “march to the Pentagon” on March 17, 2007…this group has intentions that defenders of freedom cannot overlook or allow to occur…there must be a challenge.

Here’s a portion from the “anti-war” web site March 17 — March on Pentagon!: Time to Turn Up the Heat! that causes considerable concern: “The biggest single group of new volunteers and activists are soldiers and marines who have returned from Iraq. Their family members and other veterans are also organizing to March on the Pentagon. The opening rally will assemble at the Vietnam Memorial (Constitution Gardens) at noon.”

The anti-war/anti-America group cannot be allowed to use the Viet Nam Memorial Wall as a back-drop to their anti-America venom and stain the hallowed ground that virtually cries out with blood at the thought of this proposed desecration….it must not happen.

Many are encouraging a ”Gathering of Eagles” (symbolic of our freedom) at the Viet Nam Memorial Wall on March 17, 2007, as a signal that a segment of America does not agree with the “anti-war/anti-America” rally on the same day. As noted above, the anti-war/anti-America crowd is publishing intention to use the Viet Nam Memorial as a backdrop to their rally………..this cannot happen……..it cannot go unchallenged.

Based on the input received, here is what is suggested as a means to identify those of us attending/visiting the Viet Nam Memorial wall and other Memorials on March 17, 2007 opposing the anti-war distortions.

We want to send a different message than the “anti-war/anti-America” surrender crowd, so we should be clearly set apart from them.

Wear a Red Armband on the right arm (Red often symbolizes/represents courage, revolution, hardiness, blood, and/or valor) . If red is not your color, choose another, but wear an “armband”.

On the armband each person should print something, e.g. WWII, Korea, Nam, Iraq, spouse, widow, POW, Vet, Legion, patriot, citizen, etc., or other respectful phrase one wants to help us identify one another.

We need to remember all American’s are invited to support our effort which is intended as a defender of hallowed ground and intended as a non-violent competition between those that would sell out America and those of us who support freedom and keeping the fight with the enemy on distant shores.

At this time we have visitors/supporters coming from North, South, East, and West to include Hawaii….. “Rolling Thunder” will also visit Washington, D.C on March 17 in support of “Gathering of Eagles”.

Many of us will be wearing favorite caps, shirts, jackets, jungle fatigues, desert dress, medals, etc. to include the Red Armband or another color if desired……….it will be a grand reunion, a time of new friendships, which will also, God willing, rekindle a new light of American patriotism which would filter down the mall toward the Capitol of the United States…..maybe even the main stream media (MSM)

…..obviously more detail is needed which will come as we draw nearer…look at the web sites, live blog in the near future.

We know some of the, who, what, when, why, where, …….it’s up to each of us to supply the “how”.
More details at the web site for A Gathering of Eagles.

Update: The above link wasn't working when I last accessed it. TRY THIS ONE.

Steve Harkonnen has also posted on this topic.

At this point, the May 26 Bloggers' Party is not precluded by A Gathering of Eagles on March 17.

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/18/2007 04:00:00 AM  

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Saturday, March 17, 2007

Live Blogging From A Gathering Of Eagles


Mike's America, unable to attend but working with Skye in a joint effort, will be blogging today's Gathering of Eagles in Washington, D.C. My husband and I will be standing with the Eagles and also hope to be in Skye's company. Here's why my husband and I will be at the Vietnam War Memorial.

As the anti-war crowd is protesting the War in Iraq, they need to remember the following, in the words of those whom they hold in high esteem:




[Hat-tip to LA Sunsett for the above video]

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/17/2007 05:00:00 AM  

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QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Demographics

(Each "Question of the Week," an idea which I gleaned from A Republic If You Can Keep It, will remain toward the top of the blog until the next question appears. The previous Questions of the Week are HERE)
According to a recent study, "married with children," a significant part of the post-World War II American dream, has been on the decline since 1970.

From this article, which appeared in the March 4, 2007 Washington Post:
Numbers Drop for the Married With Children:
Institution Becoming The Choice of the Educated, Affluent


PORTLAND, Ore. -- Punctuating a fundamental change in American family life, married couples with children now occupy fewer than one in every four households -- a share that has been slashed in half since 1960 and is the lowest ever recorded by the census.

As marriage with children becomes an exception rather than the norm, social scientists say it is also becoming the self-selected province of the college-educated and the affluent. The working class and the poor, meanwhile, increasingly steer away from marriage, while living together and bearing children out of wedlock.

"The culture is shifting, and marriage has almost become a luxury item, one that only the well educated and well paid are interested in," said Isabel V. Sawhill, an expert on marriage and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Marriage has declined across all income groups, but it has declined far less among couples who make the most money and have the best education. These couples are also less likely to divorce. Many demographers peg the rise of a class-based marriage gap to the erosion since 1970 of the broad-based economic prosperity that followed World War II.

"We seem to be reverting to a much older pattern, when elites marry and a great many others live together and have kids," said Peter Francese, demographic trends analyst for Ogilvy & Mather, an advertising firm.

[...]

As cohabitation and out-of-wedlock births increase among the broader population, social scientists predict that marriage with children will continue its decades-long retreat into relatively high-income exclusivity.

[...]

"For most Americans, cohabitation will continue to increase over the coming decades, and the percentage of children born outside of marriage is also going to increase," said Smock [co-author of the review and a University of Michigan sociology professor].
The article emphasizes income and education as factors contributing to the decline of marriage in American society. In addition, one interviwed couple — unmarried — cited their parents' failed marriages as evidence that "Marriage ruins life." The racial component was mentioned as follows:
Marriage and childbearing seem to be more "de-coupled" among black people than white people, with about a third of first births among white women coming before marriage, compared with three-quarters among black women, according to a recent review of research on cohabitation. As for children, the review found that 55 percent of blacks, 40 percent of Hispanics and 30 percent of whites spend some of their childhood with cohabiting parents.
Read the entire article.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK, in two parts:
(1) Do you see income and education as the primary factors in "married without children"?
(2) In the long term, what effect will "married without children" have on American society as a whole?

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/17/2007 04:58:00 AM  

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Friday, March 16, 2007

Levitate The Pentagon?

Because of the upcoming demonstration tomorrow, both the anti-war protest (Cindy Sheehan is in town, along with many others) and the counter-protest A Gathering of Eagles (of which I'll be a part), I expected today's Washington Post to carry an article or two about those events.

I well remember that October 21, 1967 march protesting the Vietnam War, but I'd forgotten about this:


The National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam -- an umbrella organization of peace groups and radical organizations -- vowed to shut down the Pentagon with the greatest antiwar protest in history.

Among their number was Abbie Hoffman, co-founder of the yippies, who announced plans to levitate the Pentagon 300 feet, using the psychic energy of thousands of protesters.

[...]

...Hoffman, dressed in an Uncle Sam hat and by his own admission tripping on acid, went about his efforts to raise the building by leading protesters in chants.
Did the protestors on that day really believe that they could levitate the Pentagon? If so, they found out otherwise.

The last two paragraphs of today's article in the Washington Post:
Protest leaders, learning lessons from the 1967 march, said they are taking pains to show no disrespect to soldiers this weekend.

And the Pentagon is not likely to rise in the air. Said Amelia McDonald, a protest organizer, "We're not trying to levitate it."
I guess that the 1967 anti-war protesters learned their lesson about levitation. But they haven't learned their lesson about showing the proper respect to our military. They just say that they have.

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/16/2007 04:45:00 AM  

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Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Why I'll Be Standing Guard

Are you aware of the upcoming anti-war protest on March 17? Are you aware of the counter-protest, A Gathering of Eagles?

From this source:
Leftist activists who march to the Pentagon next month will discover that their path won't be as clear as it has been in the past.

The group, led by Cindy Sheehan, Jane Fonda, Ramsey Clark and their ilk, plan to gather March 17 at the Vietnam Memorial Wall to begin a march to protest America's involvement in the Iraq war. The date marks the fourth anniversary of the war's beginning.

[...]

The movement is well-financed. Its sponsor list is lengthy and contains highly recognizable names, as well as those of Fonda and Sheehan:

· Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark (who offered his services to defend Saddam Hussein)

· Ultra-liberal Congresswoman Maxine Waters

· Former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney

· Ron Kovic, Vietnam veteran and author of "Born on the 4th of July"

· Mahdi Bray, executive director, Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation

· Waleed Bader, vice chair of the National Council of Arab Americans and former president of Arab Muslim American Federation

· Medea Benjamin, co-founder, CODEPINK and Global Exchange

· Free Palestine Alliance

· Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation

· Islamic Political Party of America

· FMLN (Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front)

· Islamic-National Congress

· Gay Liberation Network

· Muslim Student Association

· Jibril Hough, chairman, Islamic Political Party of America
I am going to be part of A Gathering of Eagles. I've never before taken part in any such marching in the streets. So why now?



Some twenty years ago, I took a group of Christian-school students on a field trip to the Capitol. This group of students numbered about fifty and consisted of fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. As anyone who has worked with age group knows, they are an active bunch.

Congressman Wolf, who sponsored our field trip, was delayed with his duties, so we had to wait nearly two hours on the steps of the Capitol. I could see that the students were going to get hurt or get into trouble. They were running up and down the Capitol steps, pushing and shoving each other, and being active children. Therefore, in an off-the-cuff moment, I had all the students line up in choir formation and start singing. As soon as we finished "America the Beautiful," along came the Capitol Police, who told me, "You must cease and desist, or you will be arrested. It's against the law to sing on the steps of the Capitol without a permit."

I was incredulous, as was my husband, who was serving as a chaperone for the field trip. We were in trouble for singing "America the Beautiful"?

Looking back, I should have let the Capitol Police take me away to jail. But at the time, I was young and afraid of bringing some kind of scandal to the school. I disbanded the singing students. Within minutes, one fell and got hurt.

In the last anti-war protest, the steps of the Capitol were spray-painted. The Capitol Police were ordered not to make any arrests. That story didn't get much coverage in the mainstream media, but see this:
Anti-war protesters were allowed to spray paint on part of the west front steps of the United States Capitol building after police were ordered to break their security line by their leadership, two sources told The Hill.

According to the sources, police officers were livid when they were told to fall back by U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) Chief Phillip Morse andDeputy Chief Daniel Nichols. "They were the commanders on the scene," one source said, who requested anonymity. "It was disgusting."

After police ceded the stairs, located on the lower west front of the Capitol, the building was locked down, the source added.

A second source who witnessed the incident said that the police had the crowd stopped at Third Street, but were told to bring the police line in front of the Capitol.

Approximately 300 protesters were allowed to take the steps and began to spray paint "anarchist symbols" and phrase such as "Our capitol building" and "you can’t stop us" around the area, the source said.
On March 17, my husband, many of my friends, and I will be in D.C. to try to assure that the anti-war protesters do not deface anything else.

[Visit Gathering of Eagles for updates on the counter-protest]

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/13/2007 07:00:00 AM  

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Sunday, March 11, 2007

Ayaan Hirsi Ali Tells It Like It Is

(All emphases by Always On Watch)

Graphic from WSJ.com

Most readers here are probably familiar with Ayaan Hirsi Ali. For those who are unfamiliar with the story of this brave woman, as well as for those who are, Glenn Beck's interview of this brave woman is posted HERE. If you've never before seen that video, please take the time to watch it. It's worth your time!

The following is brief background information on Ayaan Hirsi Ali's bestselling book Infidel, from this source:

["Infidel"] describes the escape of a young Somali woman from sexual chattelhood to a new life in Holland and then (after the slaying of her friend Theo van Gogh) to a fresh exile in the United States.
Yesterday, WSJ.com's Opinion Journal published a powerful piece about Ayaan Hirsi Ali.



Excerpts from "Free Radical: Ayaan Hirsi Ali infuriates Muslims and discomfits liberals":
Ayaan Hirsi Ali is untrammeled and unrepentant: "I am supposed to apologize for saying the prophet is a pervert and a tyrant," she declares. "But that is apologizing for the truth."

[...]

"...The West is falling apart. The open society is coming undone."

Many liberals loathe her for disrupting an imagined "diversity" consensus: It is absurd, she argues, to pretend that cultures are all equal, or all equally desirable. But conservatives, and others, might be reasonably unnerved by her dim view of religion.
She does not believe that Islam has been "hijacked" by fanatics, but that fanaticism is intrinsic in Islam itself: "Islam, even Islam in its nonviolent form, is dangerous."

The Muslim faith has many variations, but Ms. Hirsi Ali contends that the unities are of greater significance. "Islam has a very consistent doctrine," she says, "and I define Islam as I was taught to define it: submission to the will of Allah. His will is written in the Quran, and in the hadith and Sunna. What we are all taught is that when you want to make a distinction between right and wrong, you follow the prophet.
Muhammad is the model guide for every Muslim through time, throughout history."

This supposition justifies, in her view, a withering critique of Islam's most holy human messenger. "You start by scrutinizing the morality of the prophet," and then ask:
"Are you prepared to follow the morality of the prophet in a society such as this one?"

[...]

The most grievous failing of the West is self-congratulatory passivity: We face "an external enemy that to a degree has become an internal enemy, that has infiltrated the system and wants to destroy it." She believes a more drastic reaction is required: "It's easy," she says, "to weigh liberties against the damage that can be done to society and decide to deny liberties. As it should be. A free society should be prepared to recognize the patterns in front of it, and do something about them."
Read it all! Consider what this young woman is saying. We in America think of our nation as one which cannot be undermined by an antithetical ideology. Ayaan Hirsi Ali states otherwise.

[Hat-tip to Fausta, who posted about this at Maverick News Media and at Fausta's Blog]

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/11/2007 05:00:00 AM  

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Saturday, March 10, 2007

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: CREATIVE WRITING

(Each "Question of the Week," an idea which I gleaned from A Republic If You Can Keep It, will remain toward the top of the blog until the next question appears. The previous Questions of the Week are HERE. Please scroll down for recent postings)

When I started QUESTION OF THE WEEK as a blog feature, I mentioned that I would cover a variety of topics. This week's QUESTION is one of the unusual ones.



The picture below was a story prompt for my creative writing class. Students were instructed to write a short story in imitation of the style of an American author. I also required that the story begin with a wide-angle lens to set the mood before beginning the telling of the story and to avoid the use of flashbacks and in medias res.




QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What would you write about?

You don't have to write the entire story or even complete the outline. Nevertheless, my students and I would appreciate any input you might have. I am hoping that some of students will allow me to post their stories, the final drafts of which were recently submitted.

I required my students to use an outline similar to the one below.

Theme:

Genre:

Setting (time and place):

Point of view:

Author imitated:

What if _________________?

What happened?

Outcome?

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/10/2007 06:00:00 PM  

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News Flash! Muslims Complain!

Just heard on the Saturday edition of NBC's Today:
"Muslims are complaining about Daylight Savings Time."
Apparently, the time change confuses their prayer schedule.

Whatever.

Set your clocks ahead tonight.

[END OF THIS POSTING]

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/10/2007 07:21:00 AM  

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Friday, March 09, 2007

D.C. Gun Law Overturned

From this article on the Washington Post web site:
A federal appellate panel today struck down parts of the District's gun law as unconstitutional, ruling that the city cannot bar people from keeping firearms in their homes.

The decision was a victory for six D.C. residents who said they wanted to keep firearms for self-defense. But it could have much broader implications: The case eventually could wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court as a test of the thorny issues surrounding the Second Amendment and the public's right to keep weapons.

[...]

"We conclude that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms," [Senior Judge] Silberman declared in the 58-page majority ruling....
Read the rest.
One for Constitutional law!

Update 1: The ban will stay in effect while the city appeals.

Update 2: HERE is the Washington Times version. Excerpt:
"The Second Amendment would be an inexplicable aberration if it were not read to protect individual rights as well," the 58-page ruling said.

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/09/2007 06:45:00 PM  

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Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Funding Hamas

(All emphases by Always On Watch)

From an article which appeared in the March 5, 2007 Washington Times:
Millions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid have been given in the past several years to two Palestinian universities -- one of them controlled by Hamas -- that have participated in the advocacy, support or glorification of terrorism.

The funding -- principally in scholarships to individual students -- is being eyed by several members of Congress and their aides, who say it may violate U.S. law.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided more than $140,000 in assistance to the Hamas-controlled Islamic University in Gaza -- including scholarships to 49 of its students -- since Congress changed the law in 2004 to restrict aid to entities or individuals "involved in or advocating terrorist activity."

No U.S. assistance was directed to Islamic University last year, but USAID continues to fund multimillion-dollar programs through American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA), which is building a high-tech facility for the school. U.S. law requires that any recipient of U.S. aid have no association with terrorists.

USAID also gave $2.3 million in aid last year to Al-Quds University, which has student groups affiliated with designated terrorist organizations on campus and last month held a weeklong celebration of the man credited with designing and building the first suicide belts more than a decade ago.

[...]

Aides to several congressmen said they were most troubled by USAID assistance to Islamic University in Gaza City, which is openly controlled by Hamas leaders.

The organization held a two-day conference in 2005 on the "martyrdom" of former Hamas spiritual leader and founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin, who was killed in an Israeli air strike in 2004. Sheik Yassin founded the school in 1978.

Sheik Yassin and former Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi used Islamic University as a base, as has Ismail Haniyeh, prime minister in the Hamas-led Palestinian government and a member of the school's board of trustees.

Sixteen Islamic University lecturers and teachers are elected Hamas members of the Palestinian legislature. In 2005, 78 percent of the student council vote went to Hamas, according to a Palestinian newspaper article provided by Palestinian Media Watch.

When challenged by Congress last year on its assistance to the school, USAID noted that the funding was not renewed last year. Nonetheless, the agency is providing millions in grants to ANERA, which is building a high-tech facility in Gaza City for the university. California-based Intel Corp. is underwriting the project.
Read the rest of the article. There's much more to make your blood boil!

But not to worry. Congress has "its eye" on this matter of taxpayers' dollars being used to fund the enemy's operations, including their education.

[Hat-tip to Mustang, who alerted me to this article]

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/07/2007 07:30:00 AM  

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Tuesday, March 06, 2007

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: EDUCATION

(Each "Question of the Week," an idea which I gleaned from A Republic If You Can Keep It, will remain toward the top of the blog until the next question appears. The previous Questions of the Week are HERE. Please scroll down for recent postings)

Quite a controversy has arisen here in some of the school districts in the Washington area. From this February 23, 2007 article in the Washington Post:
The U.S. Education Department threatened yesterday to withhold more than $17 million from Fairfax County schools if the system continues to defy a federal mandate to give reading tests to thousands of immigrant children.

Other Virginia school systems would also be in jeopardy if they refuse to comply with the federal No Child Left Behind Act, and the state could lose $2 million in administrative funds.


The possible loss of millions of dollars raises the stakes in a months-long standoff between the federal government and a growing group of Virginia educators over the best way to test immigrant students learning English.



The rift in Virginia mirrors a nationwide debate over how to ensure that English-language learners, a fast-growing population in schools, are making progress. When the Education Department rejected Virginia's test, it also found problems with the way 17 other states test English-language learners. Testing programs in Maryland and the District have withstood federal scrutiny.

...U.S. officials indicated that there probably will be a third alternative for Virginia schools. Federal officials said they expect to approve a state request to use a portfolio of a student's work over time instead of a test.

Fairfax County School Board member Stuart D. Gibson (Hunter Mill) yesterday said he does not think there is enough time to train teachers on the portfolio assessment and to collect assignments that show a student has mastered the material before the spring testing season.
Read the entire article.

Having taught hundreds of ESL students over the years, I've been following this controversy with some interest. I know from my own experience how difficult it is to evaluate the progress of ESL students, particularly when those students have had only a year's instruction in or exposure to English.

But a larger issue is apparent is this controversy. What has the school systems so riled up is the possibility of losing federal funds. Over the years, local school systems have come to rely on federal money, and their budgets, constantly rising, are dependent on federal contributions thereto. Predictably, relying on those funds has resulted in federal control of curriculum, particularly as that curriculum relates to testing.



QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
What is the proper role of the federal government in education?

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/06/2007 06:59:00 AM  

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Sunday, March 04, 2007

The Government And Your Health

I wasn't going to post today. Then I saw two headlines in the Sunday, March 4 edition of the Washington Post: "FDA Rules Override Warnings About Drugs" and "Parents Question HPV Vaccine."

From the first article:
The government is on track to approve a new antibiotic to treat a pneumonia-like disease in cattle, despite warnings from health groups and a majority of the agency's own expert advisers that the decision will be dangerous for people.

The drug, called cefquinome, belongs to a class of highly potent antibiotics that are among medicine's last defenses against several serious human infections. No drug from that class has been approved in the United States for use in animals.

The American Medical Association and about a dozen other health groups warned the Food and Drug Administration that giving cefquinome to animals would probably speed the emergence of microbes resistant to that important class of antibiotics, as has happened with other drugs. Those super-microbes could then spread to people.

Echoing those concerns, the FDA's advisory board last fall voted to reject the request by InterVet Inc. of Millsboro, Del., to market the drug for cattle.

Yet by all indications, the FDA will approve cefquinome this spring. That outcome is all but required, officials said, by a recently implemented "guidance document" that codifies how to weigh the threats to human health posed by proposed new animal drugs.

[...]

Cefquinome's seemingly inexorable march to market shows how a few words in an obscure regulatory document can sway the government's approach to protecting public health.
Read the entire article.

From the second article:
In barely nine months, the first cancer-specific vaccine to win federal approval has gone from licensing and the enthusiastic embrace of dozens of states to a widespread backlash against moves to mandate immunization for adolescent girls.
...Never has compulsory use of a drug been pushed with such breakneck speed -- with concerted lobbying by its manufacturer. Never have such efforts advanced largely through political and legislative channels instead of medical authorities and public education campaigns.

[...]

"Why is this happening so fast? Why is there a mandate when this is such a different kind of disease?" asked Barbara Loe Fisher, president of the National Vaccine Information Center, a nonprofit consumer organization that opposes HPV legislation. Most states did not add the chickenpox vaccine to schoolchildren's immunization schedules until several years after its approval in the mid-1990s, she noted.
Read the entire article.

Over the past few decades, as the cost of private healthcare policies have skyrocketed, we've heard a lot of talk about a national plan for health care. Do you trust the federal government to manage your health care? In my own case, I'm having enough trouble battling my HMO, which exerts a lot of control over which prescription medications the policy will cover and even overrides the recommendations of my primary care physician. And to get adequate medical care for my back injury, I've had to step out of my HMO's network because the few neurologists in my plan were clearly incompetent.

The articles cited in this posting show that the federal and state government can easily interfere with an individual's healthcare through government measures applied in unavoidable ways.

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/04/2007 07:05:00 AM  

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Saturday, March 03, 2007

CAIR Admits Terrorist Ties

Newsletter from Anti-CAIR:

News & Analysis
007/07 March 3, 2007

CAIR: Admits Officials Have Ties to Islamist Terrorism

In a stunning revelation, Corey Saylor, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) government affairs director, on 2 March admitted that convicted Islamic terrorists were CAIR officials when they committed terrorist acts against the United States:


[Link here]

In an article carried by Delcotimes.com, Saylor is responding to questions about Ghassan Elashi and Ismail Royer and their ties to the leader of Hamas and activities in support of overseas terrorist organizations. While Saylor first said that Elashi and Royer were not working on behalf the group, he was later quoted:
"Some people try to hold us responsible for the actions of people that are associated with our organization. That’s absolutely ludicrous…you don’t hold all of Enron responsible for what Ken Lay did."
For those North Americans that ever had any questions about CAIR’s ties to Elashi and Royer, and, by association, tied directly to Islamist terrorists, those questions have been answered by CAIR’s own spokesman.

Saylor seems to have forgotten that Enron folded like a cheap tent when the criminal activities of its leadership were exposed…

Andrew Whitehead
Director
Anti-CAIR (ACAIR)
ajwhitehead@anti-cair-net.org
www.anti-cair-net.org
Sooner or later, these CAIR folks trip themselves up.

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/03/2007 05:12:00 PM  

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Friday, March 02, 2007

A New Role For AOW

(Stuck toward the top. Please scroll down for the most recent postings)

I've agreed to be WC's cohost of The Gathering Storm Radio Show. The show broadcasts live every Friday for one hour at noon, Pacific Standard Time.

The call-in number is (646) 915-9870.

Update: This week's scheduled guest is Joshua Pundit. Guests are interviewed during the last 30 minutes of the program.

You can also listen to recordings of the broadcasts later by CLICKING HERE. The link to the March 2 show is HERE.

And HERE is my interview when I was the interviewee on February 16.

Blogging here at AOW will continue as usual.

[END OF THIS POSTING]

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/02/2007 07:01:00 AM  

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Thursday, March 01, 2007

Why The Blogosphere Is So Important

All of us know that people establish blogs for many different reasons.

But does the blogosphere serve a significant purpose, a purpose other than a personal one such as an online diary or a meeting place for friends? According to this essay by Michael Freund, yes.

Short excerpt from the latter part of Mr. Fruend's essay:
[B]logs are a vibrant source of energetic and independent thinking, often providing readers with a fresh way of looking at things that is unencumbered by bureaucratic blinders or organizational self-interest.

[...]

Time and again, blogs have shown themselves to be a potent communications tool....

[...]

SURE, mainstream entities such as CNN, the BBC and The New York Times will continue to dominate the news business for years to come. But the battle for public opinion is far from being a lost cause....
The beginning of the article discusses the importance of how the blogosphere can counter moral relativism, political correctness, and the propaganda pervading the mainstream media:
As archeologists continue to excavate the site of the Mughrabi Gate alongside the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, it remains anybody's guess what they might just find underneath the mounds of soil, rock and debris.

But one item already unearthed by this dig should have us all deeply concerned, and that is the mainstream media's disgraceful habit of parroting Arab propaganda.

It was just a few weeks ago that a shocking array of prominent media outlets, in their coverage of this non-event, went about spreading one irresponsible and malicious lie after another about the Mughrabi Gate dig, tarnishing Israel's image and inflaming public opinion against the Jewish state.

A headline in The Australian screamed "Palestinians unite to fight Temple Mount dig," as if the bulldozers were actually tearing up the mount itself. Across the globe, France 24, the international French news channel, declared: "Palestinians protest over Jerusalem mosque works," falsely implying that Israel was ripping apart a Muslim house of prayer. Similarly, China's official Xinhua news agency reported: "Arab League urges international response to Israel's dig at al-Aqsa Mosque," as though the earthmovers were displacing the mosque itself.

Perhaps the most egregious example was provided by Time magazine, whose editors could not resist taking a swipe at Israel by running the headline: "Raiders of the Temple Mount." It's hard to remember the last time so many falsehoods were spread so extensively in such a short period of time.
And here's something else to consider:

Over half of all bloggers are under the age of 30, underlining the importance of blogs to the next generation of decision-makers. Some of the most popular sites welcome hundreds of thousands or even millions of visitors.om

In recent years, blogs have come to play a key role not only in shaping the news, but in making it as well.
In my own experience, despite my being well out of my thirties, I find that I boot up the computer before reaching for the morning paper. Maybe I should be calling myself "Always Online." My family and friends think so!

[Hat-tip to Pamela at Maverick News Media]

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posted by Always On Watch @ 3/01/2007 07:24:00 AM  

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