More proof that we need to de-internationalize critical parts of our food supply:
China conducted an investigation into why pet food, toothpaste and other products were contaminated. They found that substances such as formaldehyde, illegal/banned dyes, and industrial wax were being used in the production of pickles, candy, crackers and seafood, among other things.
180 factories violating rules have been shut down. An additional 152,000 factories were shut down by another Chinese agency for doing the same thing over the last year. There are still 850,000 factories (mostly small operations) that Chinese authorities need to look at.
Formaldehyde??! As a preservative??! I wonder what that will do to global cancer rates.
This is probably just the tip of the iceberg as there are many more factories that need to be looked at. At least they're not denying the problem anymore. What a mess.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Gordan Brown Installed As New Prime Minister of Great Britain
Queen Elizabeth II accepted the resignation of British Prime Minister Tony Blair today and installed Labor Party leader Gordon Brown as the new Prime Minister.
It should be interesting to watch as this new British government forms. How different will this government be with regards to relations with Washington and the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as compared to the Blair government?
On Tony Blair, I think critics were too harsh when they called him George Bush's poodle. His contributions to peace in Northern Ireland and in the developing world exceed President Bush's efforts, period. Don't look for the Quartet on the Middle East to ask President Bush to do anything for them when he leaves office. They may well throw a party after Bush goes back to Texas.
Blair did a much better job of explaining his reasons for supporting the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, and was eloquent in defending his reasoning. A lot of that has to do with the fact that every Wednesday, he'd go to Parliament and duke it out with his opponents during Prime Minister's Questions, where he'd answer questions posed to him by the opposition and from his own party.
I think Prime Minister Brown will not have much of a grace period; his first Prime Minister's Questions next Wednesday will tell the tale.
It should be interesting to watch as this new British government forms. How different will this government be with regards to relations with Washington and the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as compared to the Blair government?
On Tony Blair, I think critics were too harsh when they called him George Bush's poodle. His contributions to peace in Northern Ireland and in the developing world exceed President Bush's efforts, period. Don't look for the Quartet on the Middle East to ask President Bush to do anything for them when he leaves office. They may well throw a party after Bush goes back to Texas.
Blair did a much better job of explaining his reasons for supporting the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, and was eloquent in defending his reasoning. A lot of that has to do with the fact that every Wednesday, he'd go to Parliament and duke it out with his opponents during Prime Minister's Questions, where he'd answer questions posed to him by the opposition and from his own party.
I think Prime Minister Brown will not have much of a grace period; his first Prime Minister's Questions next Wednesday will tell the tale.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Outgoing Prime Minister Blair to Be Named Diplomatic Quartet's Emissary
Outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair won't be unemployed for very long. The diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East--the United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia--have decided to name Blair as their special envoy to Palestine.
His job will be to help Palestine build up governmental infrastructures, and to aid the divided Palestinian Authority on questions of law. His role will probably be expanded later.
Blair's proven diplomatic skills will serve him well in his new position. Hopefully he'll be able to help Palestine's government evolve into a strong government that helps and represents all Palestinians.
His job will be to help Palestine build up governmental infrastructures, and to aid the divided Palestinian Authority on questions of law. His role will probably be expanded later.
Blair's proven diplomatic skills will serve him well in his new position. Hopefully he'll be able to help Palestine's government evolve into a strong government that helps and represents all Palestinians.
Senate Votes to Resume Debate on Immigration Bill: Another Chance to Kill It
The ill-conceived immigration bill is back on the table after the Senate voted 64-35 to pick it back up and bat it around some more.
Hopefully they kill the measure outright this time. "Something is better than nothing" is a very bad rationale for passing the thing.
A vote may come as early as Thursday.
Hopefully they kill the measure outright this time. "Something is better than nothing" is a very bad rationale for passing the thing.
A vote may come as early as Thursday.
Professional Wrestling Needs to Crack Down Hard on Wrestlers Using Steroids: Age of Big Men Should End
All wrestling promotions need to crack down hard on wrestlers using anabolic steroids.
The Benoit double murder/suicide press conference held earlier this afternoon by investigators down in Georgia was damning.
The toxicology reports will be out in a couple of weeks, but it's clear that Chris Benoit murdered his wife and son before killing himself. Many reports are saying that it was steroid rage. Anabolic steroids were found in Benoit's house by the police. They made it clear that he had prescriptions for the steroids, but not how many prescriptions there were. They alluded to the fact that there were a lot of them.
In a previous post, I asked why these guys die so young. It's because they abuse drugs, like steroids, which causes them to develop heart conditions, or O.D. on drugs, or get into violent situations. Here is a list of wrestlers who have died of anything but natural causes:
Every promotion needs to discourage their wrestlers from using steroids, and get them some help.
to do a good job and entertain people. Look at Mick Foley in comparison:
It's time for professional wrestling to get control of their major drug and steroid problems and save the lives of some of their own. And the sooner, the better.
The Benoit double murder/suicide press conference held earlier this afternoon by investigators down in Georgia was damning.
The toxicology reports will be out in a couple of weeks, but it's clear that Chris Benoit murdered his wife and son before killing himself. Many reports are saying that it was steroid rage. Anabolic steroids were found in Benoit's house by the police. They made it clear that he had prescriptions for the steroids, but not how many prescriptions there were. They alluded to the fact that there were a lot of them.
In a previous post, I asked why these guys die so young. It's because they abuse drugs, like steroids, which causes them to develop heart conditions, or O.D. on drugs, or get into violent situations. Here is a list of wrestlers who have died of anything but natural causes:
- David Von Erich--drugs/heart condition--1984
- Eddie Graham--suicide--1985
- Rick McGraw--suicide--1985
- Gino Hernandez--cocaine overdose--1986
- Mike Von Erich--suicide--1987
- Bruiser Brody--stabbed to death in Puerto Rico by another wrestler in locker room--1988
- Mark Tendler--murdered--1990
- Chris Von Erich--suicide--1991
- "Mad Dog" Buzz Sawyer--drug overdose--1992
- "Texas Tornado" Kerry Von Erich--suicide--1993
- Dino Bravo--murdered Gangland style/smuggling--1993
- Art Barr--complications from drug abuse--1994
- Louis Spicolli--drug-related complications--1998
- Brian Hauser--shot by police--1998
- Rick "Renegade" Williams--suicide--1999
- Bobby Duncun, Jr.--drug overdose--2000
- Rhonda Singh--drug overdose--2001
- "Gentleman" Chris Adams--died from gunshot wounds--2001
- "Mr. Perfect" Curt Henning--acute cocaine intoxication--2003
- Miss Elizabeth--drug and alcohol poisoning--2003
- Crash Holly--drug overdose--2003
- Anthony Durante--drug overdose--2003
- Mike Awesome--suicide--2007
- Scott "Bam Bam" Bigelow--drugs--2007
- Nancy "Woman" Sullivan Benoit--murdered?--2007
- Chris Benoit--suicide?--2007
Every promotion needs to discourage their wrestlers from using steroids, and get them some help.
I don't think it's necessary for wrestlers to look like this:
to do a good job and entertain people. Look at Mick Foley in comparison:
It's time for professional wrestling to get control of their major drug and steroid problems and save the lives of some of their own. And the sooner, the better.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Update on Benoit Situation: Police Rule It a Double-Murder Suicide
I'm shocked beyond belief at what I'm hearing and seeing with regards to the apparent double-murder/suicide of the Chris Benoit family.
WWE.com and Sports Illustrated have been updating this story all day, and it is getting worse and worse. Police are saying that Benoit killed his wife on Saturday, and then his son on Sunday, followed by his suicide on Monday.
Unbelievable.
I hope it isn't true, but it doesn't look good.
WWE.com and Sports Illustrated have been updating this story all day, and it is getting worse and worse. Police are saying that Benoit killed his wife on Saturday, and then his son on Sunday, followed by his suicide on Monday.
Unbelievable.
I hope it isn't true, but it doesn't look good.
WWE Wrestler Chris Benoit and His Family Found Dead Today: Called in Yesterday Saying Family Was Very Sick
Chris Benoit1967-2007
World Wrestling Entertainment broke the news tonight that former WWE Champion and superstar Chris Benoit, his wife, and his young son were found dead in their Atlanta-area home today.
Benoit had called in to the WWE office on Sunday, saying he and his family were very sick and were spitting up blood. Authorities were investigating the situation, but said that there was no evidence of violence. Those are just preliminary reports.
WWE canceled it's live show tonight and dedicated the entire broadcast to Benoit's memory. Benoit was trained by the legendary Stu Hart, father of WWE great Bret "the Hitman" Hart and the late Owen Hart, who died after a fall from the ceiling of Kemper Arena in Kansas City a few years ago.
Why do these guys die so young?
Science on Global Warming is Far From Settled: The Only Thing Settled is the Political Interpretation of the Incomplete Data
In the history of football, has there ever been an instance where two teams took to the field, then had the referee call the game ten seconds later and award the victory to one of the teams based on which quarterback looked stronger? NOT!
What kind of an idiot referee would call the game and award the victory like this? A crooked one who would be torn limb from limb by the other team and their fans, that's who. Politicians in the global warming controversy are just like that referee; in this case, they've tried to call the game on the climate change debate without taking other things into consideration.
President Bush recently surrendered his position on the global warming "science" (which totally ignores everything that happened more than 25,000 years ago) and joined other misinformed leaders that the "science" was "settled." Nonsense! The political interpretation may be settled, but the politicians are badly misinterpreting the data, which is incomplete.
Global warming is a naturally occurring phenomenon, first and foremost. Man has greatly accelerated this process and amplified it due to it's greenhouse gas emissions. That's the actual science right there.
The political "science" says that global warming is caused by man and we have only a few years left to "save the planet" and "avoid the worst of the consequences."
It sounds like the politicians spent a little too much time watching "Captain Planet" on TBS. Perhaps a little remedial Earth Science with a focus on Earth's weather patterns and the effect that sunspot activity has on Earth's temperature would be useful in getting this garbage out of their heads and refocused on the problem.
Global warming has happened many times over Earth's history. The global warming crowd's own research (as narrow in scope as it is) proves it. And the research that they want to ignore shows it even more.
So, reducing greenhouse gases is a good thing; but I don't buy the Captain Planet nonsense at all. The plain and simple truth is that the planet doesn't need saving; WE DO. The government and the global warming crowd need to quit wasting time and start planning for the future. Will we retreat from the coastlines? Or will we get our act together and build defenses to keep the oceans out of our coastal cities?
Every seaside nation on Earth will be affected by a rise in ocean levels, so millions of people will need to migrate inland. That definitely won't happen overnight.
Instead of saving the planet, which doesn't need our help, we should be focused on what we need to do to save people from the coastal flooding that is sure to come. The flooding will change our coastlines permanently. Levees need to be built; New York City will either need to be reinforced, modified, or evacuated. So will dozens of other U.S. cities and towns along the coast. Here's an adjustable flood map, showing the effect of an ocean rise from 0 to 14 meters above current levels (the hybrid maps give greater detail.)
It may be that we have many years to prepare--and we may not see any of this in our lifetimes--but in all likelihood, it will take more time than we have to relocate millions of people, move parts of our nation's capitol, move our financial institutions that will be affected in New York and elsewhere, reconfigure or move our seaports, and who knows what else.
Global warming is inevitable. It's utter human arrogance and folly that says we can stop global warming.
But we ARE in the process of kicking ourselves in our collective asses not once, but twice: the first kick is from our wasting time on how we "stop" global warming; the second kick is from our politicians and environmentalists not shifting gears and taking steps to combat the changes that are definitely on the way.
Get it in gear, folks.
What kind of an idiot referee would call the game and award the victory like this? A crooked one who would be torn limb from limb by the other team and their fans, that's who. Politicians in the global warming controversy are just like that referee; in this case, they've tried to call the game on the climate change debate without taking other things into consideration.
President Bush recently surrendered his position on the global warming "science" (which totally ignores everything that happened more than 25,000 years ago) and joined other misinformed leaders that the "science" was "settled." Nonsense! The political interpretation may be settled, but the politicians are badly misinterpreting the data, which is incomplete.
Global warming is a naturally occurring phenomenon, first and foremost. Man has greatly accelerated this process and amplified it due to it's greenhouse gas emissions. That's the actual science right there.
The political "science" says that global warming is caused by man and we have only a few years left to "save the planet" and "avoid the worst of the consequences."
It sounds like the politicians spent a little too much time watching "Captain Planet" on TBS. Perhaps a little remedial Earth Science with a focus on Earth's weather patterns and the effect that sunspot activity has on Earth's temperature would be useful in getting this garbage out of their heads and refocused on the problem.
Global warming has happened many times over Earth's history. The global warming crowd's own research (as narrow in scope as it is) proves it. And the research that they want to ignore shows it even more.
So, reducing greenhouse gases is a good thing; but I don't buy the Captain Planet nonsense at all. The plain and simple truth is that the planet doesn't need saving; WE DO. The government and the global warming crowd need to quit wasting time and start planning for the future. Will we retreat from the coastlines? Or will we get our act together and build defenses to keep the oceans out of our coastal cities?
Every seaside nation on Earth will be affected by a rise in ocean levels, so millions of people will need to migrate inland. That definitely won't happen overnight.
Instead of saving the planet, which doesn't need our help, we should be focused on what we need to do to save people from the coastal flooding that is sure to come. The flooding will change our coastlines permanently. Levees need to be built; New York City will either need to be reinforced, modified, or evacuated. So will dozens of other U.S. cities and towns along the coast. Here's an adjustable flood map, showing the effect of an ocean rise from 0 to 14 meters above current levels (the hybrid maps give greater detail.)
It may be that we have many years to prepare--and we may not see any of this in our lifetimes--but in all likelihood, it will take more time than we have to relocate millions of people, move parts of our nation's capitol, move our financial institutions that will be affected in New York and elsewhere, reconfigure or move our seaports, and who knows what else.
Global warming is inevitable. It's utter human arrogance and folly that says we can stop global warming.
But we ARE in the process of kicking ourselves in our collective asses not once, but twice: the first kick is from our wasting time on how we "stop" global warming; the second kick is from our politicians and environmentalists not shifting gears and taking steps to combat the changes that are definitely on the way.
Get it in gear, folks.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Passport Debate is Meaningless and Stupid; They're Targeting People Who Are Obeying the Law While Ignoring the Southern Border
Congress has been questioning the State Department about a huge backlog in processing of passport requests, since it became known that they would be required for Americans attempting to re-enter the country by air.
Some sixteen million people have filed paperwork for passports; the number was higher than anticipated and the State Department didn't have enough resources available to help with the increased workload. They also came close to running out of passports.
Some in Congress were urging the new requirements be delayed until the backlog was dealt with; Homeland Security objected. It's actually a stupid debate.
The problem on 9/11 was not Americans attempting to return to the U.S. from Mexico or Canada by air. It was foreign nationals on Visas who carried out the 9/11 attacks. Not one of them was American.
They should straighten out the Visa mess first. Then they need to deal with the other major threat--the unsecured southern U.S. border, where illegals come in whenever they want.
Until the rest of the picture gets straightened out, it seems kind of a waste of time to deal with the passport issue. Forget about delaying the new passport rules until September, delay it even longer. They need to get this right.
Some sixteen million people have filed paperwork for passports; the number was higher than anticipated and the State Department didn't have enough resources available to help with the increased workload. They also came close to running out of passports.
Some in Congress were urging the new requirements be delayed until the backlog was dealt with; Homeland Security objected. It's actually a stupid debate.
The problem on 9/11 was not Americans attempting to return to the U.S. from Mexico or Canada by air. It was foreign nationals on Visas who carried out the 9/11 attacks. Not one of them was American.
They should straighten out the Visa mess first. Then they need to deal with the other major threat--the unsecured southern U.S. border, where illegals come in whenever they want.
Until the rest of the picture gets straightened out, it seems kind of a waste of time to deal with the passport issue. Forget about delaying the new passport rules until September, delay it even longer. They need to get this right.
Gallup Poll Shows Congressional Job Approval Rating Falling to 14%; President Bush's is at 25%: Who's the Lame Duck Now?
Congress's job approval rating continues to slide, and has fallen below President Bush's record low approval rating, 14% vs. 25% respectively. And the mainstream media continues to ignore the shockingly low approval numbers for Congress, while blasting President Bush over his low standing.
Big deal. The media's approval rating (according to the same Gallup Poll) is at 23%, which is also lower than President Bush's, so they're a bunch of hypocrites too.
According to the same poll, public schools stand at 33%, the Supreme Court is at 34%, banks are at 41%, religion is at 46%, the police are at 54%, and the military is at 69%.
How the mighty have fallen.
Big deal. The media's approval rating (according to the same Gallup Poll) is at 23%, which is also lower than President Bush's, so they're a bunch of hypocrites too.
According to the same poll, public schools stand at 33%, the Supreme Court is at 34%, banks are at 41%, religion is at 46%, the police are at 54%, and the military is at 69%.
How the mighty have fallen.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Palestinian Civil War Breaks Out: Fatah Gets Creamed By Hamas in Gaza
Hamas launched a full-scale attack on the Fatah political and security apparatus, defeating Fatah in several battles and then executing the surviving Fatah fighters. Noncombatants were caught in the crossfire for hours as Fatah and Hamas threw everything that they had at each other.
Hamas won and captured most of the Gaza Strip.
Fatah members of the government fled to the West Bank, including Prime Minister Abbas, who dissolved the Hamas-lead government. Hamas said "hooey" to that, of course, and pressed their attacks.
There will be no real winners in this civil war. Hamas and Fatah are both terrorist organizations, and now the Palestinian people are paying a terrible price for their decision to elect a government that was going to stand up to Israel on their behalf.
Instead, it's brought ruin down on their heads.
Hamas won and captured most of the Gaza Strip.
Fatah members of the government fled to the West Bank, including Prime Minister Abbas, who dissolved the Hamas-lead government. Hamas said "hooey" to that, of course, and pressed their attacks.
There will be no real winners in this civil war. Hamas and Fatah are both terrorist organizations, and now the Palestinian people are paying a terrible price for their decision to elect a government that was going to stand up to Israel on their behalf.
Instead, it's brought ruin down on their heads.
Celebrity Fame is No Excuse for Rampant Alcoholism or Drug Abuse: Many Blame their Fame or Others Instead of Themselves and Delay their Recovery
There have been a slew of celebrities who have drawn a lot of unwelcome attention upon themselves because of their very public meltdowns. And it's surprising the excuses that some of them are coming up with, and the support those excuses are getting from the Hollywood media.
Paris Hilton was totally humiliated with her recent jail odyssey. She cried her way out of serving the rest of her sentence in jail; she cried and shrieked her way right back in the very next day.
Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears have had major problems with alcohol. See their very unflattering photos (yuck) elsewhere.
David Hasselhoff (of Knight Rider and Baywatch fame) was humiliated when someone released a tape of him interacting with his daughter in a drunken stupor.
Mel Gibson had a spectacular run-in with the police, who pulled him over for erratic driving. He ran for it, got collared within seconds, then launched into an anti-Jewish rant, among other things.
There are dozens of others.
Alcoholism turns people into shadows of what they were before. And the Hollywood media is all too willing to place blame on someone or something else, but not directly on the celebrity who is struggling with alcohol or drug abuse. The exception seems to be Britney Spears; they ran out of excuses for her.
I object to people placing all the blame for their problem on someone or something else. It's that person's weakness that caused them to turn to alcohol as a coping mechanism. One of the major steps to recovery is taking responsibility for one's own life, as well as for what's happened. That means that scapegoats are OUT.
It's sad to see all of these people go through stuff like this, then delay their recovery by releasing statements to the media blaming something else for their problem. I hope they all recover and get well soon.
Paris Hilton was totally humiliated with her recent jail odyssey. She cried her way out of serving the rest of her sentence in jail; she cried and shrieked her way right back in the very next day.
Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears have had major problems with alcohol. See their very unflattering photos (yuck) elsewhere.
David Hasselhoff (of Knight Rider and Baywatch fame) was humiliated when someone released a tape of him interacting with his daughter in a drunken stupor.
Mel Gibson had a spectacular run-in with the police, who pulled him over for erratic driving. He ran for it, got collared within seconds, then launched into an anti-Jewish rant, among other things.
There are dozens of others.
Alcoholism turns people into shadows of what they were before. And the Hollywood media is all too willing to place blame on someone or something else, but not directly on the celebrity who is struggling with alcohol or drug abuse. The exception seems to be Britney Spears; they ran out of excuses for her.
I object to people placing all the blame for their problem on someone or something else. It's that person's weakness that caused them to turn to alcohol as a coping mechanism. One of the major steps to recovery is taking responsibility for one's own life, as well as for what's happened. That means that scapegoats are OUT.
It's sad to see all of these people go through stuff like this, then delay their recovery by releasing statements to the media blaming something else for their problem. I hope they all recover and get well soon.
Immigration Bill's Failure Proves We Have a Lame-Duck President AND Congress: This is a Caretaker Government Until the Next Election
It's become clear that we have a caretaker government filled with placeholders who are awaiting the next election.
Both parties are badly splintered; both are split on the Iraq War and immigration. An up-or-down vote of no-confidence on Alberto Gonzales' leadership of the Justice Department died on the Senate floor. Congress members have been reduced to threatening to kill one another's pork projects in appropriations bills.
I think I would prefer it if this Congress and President stuck to naming federal buildings, handing out medals, and the like. They are clearly out to do their own business and not the business of the American people.
Immigration reform? Not with this crowd. No way. They all but gave away our southern border with their last attempt at immigration reform.
Resolving the Iraq War? Forget it. Hopefully the generals or Iraq's government tell President Bush that it's time for American forces to leave, and he listens to them, regardless of what this Congress is doing.
Gonzales? Nope.
Dealing with Iran? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
President Bush is fighting both Democrats and Republicans and achieved a stalemate with the Democrats...and with his own party.
And the Democrats are blowing it BIG time. Their control of Congress is a joke; and news came this week that their approval rating has dropped to 29%, which is lower than President Bush's 33% approval rating. One commenter has observed that Congressional approval ratings have returned to 2006 pre-election levels.
This is really the party that swept back into power last November?
Both parties are badly splintered; both are split on the Iraq War and immigration. An up-or-down vote of no-confidence on Alberto Gonzales' leadership of the Justice Department died on the Senate floor. Congress members have been reduced to threatening to kill one another's pork projects in appropriations bills.
I think I would prefer it if this Congress and President stuck to naming federal buildings, handing out medals, and the like. They are clearly out to do their own business and not the business of the American people.
Immigration reform? Not with this crowd. No way. They all but gave away our southern border with their last attempt at immigration reform.
Resolving the Iraq War? Forget it. Hopefully the generals or Iraq's government tell President Bush that it's time for American forces to leave, and he listens to them, regardless of what this Congress is doing.
Gonzales? Nope.
Dealing with Iran? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
President Bush is fighting both Democrats and Republicans and achieved a stalemate with the Democrats...and with his own party.
And the Democrats are blowing it BIG time. Their control of Congress is a joke; and news came this week that their approval rating has dropped to 29%, which is lower than President Bush's 33% approval rating. One commenter has observed that Congressional approval ratings have returned to 2006 pre-election levels.
This is really the party that swept back into power last November?
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Howard Dean is Reading the Signs Correctly; If Democrats Don't Get Their Act Together, They'll Lose Control of Congress
Howard Dean is reading warning signs in the American voting public correctly. If Democrats don't end their divisions over the Iraq War and put an end to it, the voting public will end Democratic control of Congress. Left unsaid was that that it is very likely that control of one or both houses will likely go back and forth for at least the next several elections.
Dean used the Democratic radio address to send out his warning to Congressional Democrats to do what the American people elected them to do, or risk being run out of Congress.
I think he's right in this instance. 79% of voters in a recent poll indicated that they felt the Democrats had already turned their backs on the voters that helped to get them elected. And Congress's approval numbers (39%) are only marginally better than President Bush's (35%).
The Democrats are already in big trouble, and Dean sees the writing on the wall, while his Congressional colleagues don't. They will, soon enough.
Dean used the Democratic radio address to send out his warning to Congressional Democrats to do what the American people elected them to do, or risk being run out of Congress.
I think he's right in this instance. 79% of voters in a recent poll indicated that they felt the Democrats had already turned their backs on the voters that helped to get them elected. And Congress's approval numbers (39%) are only marginally better than President Bush's (35%).
The Democrats are already in big trouble, and Dean sees the writing on the wall, while his Congressional colleagues don't. They will, soon enough.
U.S. Doesn't Need Chinese Ingredients or Slave Labor to Make Food Products, Toothpaste or Pet Food: We Can Manufacture All Those Products Here
Why are we exporting OUR food production capability to China, which has a very checkered history of food contamination in recent memory?
We should be growing, producing and making our own foods, pet foods, and toothpaste HERE, regardless of other issues. This is a MAJOR national security problem that needs to be at the top of federal government's priority list. What good is securing our borders if our food supply is compromised and millions of people get sick?
Look at what's happened already.
Thousands of brands of pet foods were contaminated by something in Chinese wheat gluten. As a result, thousands of cats and hundreds of dogs got sick and DIED. Now discount store toothpaste has been contaminated by diethyl glycol (DEG), which is a poison that can cause kidney failure in humans if ingested. The discount store toothpaste was also produced in China.
It's apparent that we should be manufacturing these kinds of products here in the U.S., where our labs have quick and unfettered access to production facilities should a problem arise. China's been stalling on access to it's production facilities for weeks. Our own food production system is not perfect either, but at least our government and companies recall their products if there's a problem. All China's government did was deny the problems, or told the U.S. government that it was overreacting. Hooey!
Control of our food supply should not be internationalized for cost-cutting reasons. Corporations should keep their production facilities here, and not transfer them to China or India--for any reason.
There's a reason that certain pesticides were banned in the U.S.
It's because they were harmful to humans, but nations like China still continue to use them. I think these corporations should get their supplies from U.S. farmers and keep their business here. The food supply will be much safer, and we'll have answers much quicker should a malfunction occur during the manufacture of these products.
We should be growing, producing and making our own foods, pet foods, and toothpaste HERE, regardless of other issues. This is a MAJOR national security problem that needs to be at the top of federal government's priority list. What good is securing our borders if our food supply is compromised and millions of people get sick?
Look at what's happened already.
Thousands of brands of pet foods were contaminated by something in Chinese wheat gluten. As a result, thousands of cats and hundreds of dogs got sick and DIED. Now discount store toothpaste has been contaminated by diethyl glycol (DEG), which is a poison that can cause kidney failure in humans if ingested. The discount store toothpaste was also produced in China.
It's apparent that we should be manufacturing these kinds of products here in the U.S., where our labs have quick and unfettered access to production facilities should a problem arise. China's been stalling on access to it's production facilities for weeks. Our own food production system is not perfect either, but at least our government and companies recall their products if there's a problem. All China's government did was deny the problems, or told the U.S. government that it was overreacting. Hooey!
Control of our food supply should not be internationalized for cost-cutting reasons. Corporations should keep their production facilities here, and not transfer them to China or India--for any reason.
There's a reason that certain pesticides were banned in the U.S.
It's because they were harmful to humans, but nations like China still continue to use them. I think these corporations should get their supplies from U.S. farmers and keep their business here. The food supply will be much safer, and we'll have answers much quicker should a malfunction occur during the manufacture of these products.
Russian Rhetoric Over Proposed Missile Shield is Nothing But Paranoia: No Ten Missiles Ever Built Could Stop a Massive Russian Nuclear Attack
Russian President Vladimir Putin managed to turn the G-8 conference on it's head with his Cold War-style comments on the proposed U.S. missile shield that will have elements in Eastern Europe.
I think he's trying to restart the Cold War and is using the missile shield to do it. There will be elements of the shield in Poland and in the Czech Republic; Putin threatened to target the sites with Russian nuclear weapons.
This is Russian paranoia.
The proof is in the number of intercept missiles that will be based in Poland--a grand total of ten--and the fact that Russia has many times that number of missiles in the form of ICBMs, and technology that allows each ICBM to carry more than one nuclear warhead (anywhere from three to fourteen nuclear warheads).
Look at it this way: if the American system were targeted on Russia, it would destroy the first ten nuclear missiles that Russia launched, leaving the rest of the Russian ICBMs free to launch and to presumably destroy their targets anywhere in the world. And that's IF the American system worked perfectly, which it really hasn't yet.
This missile intercept system should be a non-issue to Russia, but Putin is using it to his advantage to stay in power.
If the Russians don't want this system to be deployed, perhaps they should reign in their pals North Korea and Iran, whose ability to make trouble is unparalleled in the modern age. Or offer to host the system on Russian soil.
In any case, Russia's stirring the pot for Putin's benefit, and no one else's.
I think he's trying to restart the Cold War and is using the missile shield to do it. There will be elements of the shield in Poland and in the Czech Republic; Putin threatened to target the sites with Russian nuclear weapons.
This is Russian paranoia.
The proof is in the number of intercept missiles that will be based in Poland--a grand total of ten--and the fact that Russia has many times that number of missiles in the form of ICBMs, and technology that allows each ICBM to carry more than one nuclear warhead (anywhere from three to fourteen nuclear warheads).
Look at it this way: if the American system were targeted on Russia, it would destroy the first ten nuclear missiles that Russia launched, leaving the rest of the Russian ICBMs free to launch and to presumably destroy their targets anywhere in the world. And that's IF the American system worked perfectly, which it really hasn't yet.
This missile intercept system should be a non-issue to Russia, but Putin is using it to his advantage to stay in power.
If the Russians don't want this system to be deployed, perhaps they should reign in their pals North Korea and Iran, whose ability to make trouble is unparalleled in the modern age. Or offer to host the system on Russian soil.
In any case, Russia's stirring the pot for Putin's benefit, and no one else's.
California Town's Example of Declaring Itself a "Safe Haven" for Illegal Aliens is an Example of What NOT to Do: Rule of Law Get Chucked
A California town is taking sides in the immigration debate in a big way--it's declared itself a safe haven for illegals and taken some really stupid steps to guarantee it.
One of the first things that it did was eliminate safety checkpoints, which are designed to help police get drunk, unsafe, or unlicensed drivers off the road. As most people know, it's standard procedure for police officers to ask for a driver's license and registration during a stop.
At these checkpoints, they would discover many drivers operating a vehicle without a valid California driver's license or registration. Upon further investigation, they would discover that the driver was also in the country illegally. The cars would be impounded.
California law also gives drivers 30 days to pay off impound fees, and to get a valid license and registration to get their cars back. But many illegals chose not to.
The other boneheaded move the city council made was it eliminated the traffic division of their police department because it was determined that they were giving too many tickets to illegals. So they can't pull over a reckless driver who clearly doesn't know what he/she is doing behind the wheel, can't read the signs, and is a disaster waiting to happen.
Illegal immigrants are already in violation of our laws; when a municipal government chooses to disregard state and national laws regarding the disposition of illegals, they have to dismantle other common law enforcement practices to make their illegal and unwise political move a reality.
It's unsafe; and it's astonishing that a town could make such dangerous decisions like this.
All it's going to take is one person getting killed by a drunk on a street where there were once safety checkpoints in operation--but no longer--and it will probably be a Latino member of the community (since 97% of the town is Latino) who dies--to convince these idiots that they've gone too far.
And it will be too late to do anything about it.
One of the first things that it did was eliminate safety checkpoints, which are designed to help police get drunk, unsafe, or unlicensed drivers off the road. As most people know, it's standard procedure for police officers to ask for a driver's license and registration during a stop.
At these checkpoints, they would discover many drivers operating a vehicle without a valid California driver's license or registration. Upon further investigation, they would discover that the driver was also in the country illegally. The cars would be impounded.
California law also gives drivers 30 days to pay off impound fees, and to get a valid license and registration to get their cars back. But many illegals chose not to.
The other boneheaded move the city council made was it eliminated the traffic division of their police department because it was determined that they were giving too many tickets to illegals. So they can't pull over a reckless driver who clearly doesn't know what he/she is doing behind the wheel, can't read the signs, and is a disaster waiting to happen.
Illegal immigrants are already in violation of our laws; when a municipal government chooses to disregard state and national laws regarding the disposition of illegals, they have to dismantle other common law enforcement practices to make their illegal and unwise political move a reality.
It's unsafe; and it's astonishing that a town could make such dangerous decisions like this.
All it's going to take is one person getting killed by a drunk on a street where there were once safety checkpoints in operation--but no longer--and it will probably be a Latino member of the community (since 97% of the town is Latino) who dies--to convince these idiots that they've gone too far.
And it will be too late to do anything about it.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Sheehan Quits Anti-War Movement: It Was Bound to Happen Since Anti-War Coalitions Have No Unity
The Democratic cave-in on Iraq War funding deadlines has claimed another one of their former allies: anti-war mom Cindy Sheehan, who grabbed headlines over her protests at President Bush's Texas ranch, quit the anti-war movement and left the Democratic Party.
Some were leaping for joy at news of her packing it in; I was not among them. All I feel is sadness.
She was not in good health to begin with--after all, she had lost her son Casey in Iraq--plus her marriage broke apart, her relationship with her surviving children was on the ropes, and her finances were melting down. These were statements from Sheehan herself in her letter of farewell.
And she was egged on by the Democrats, who attended her rallies and sang her praises. But when she began criticizing them for the same things that she was criticizing the Bush Administration for--namely ending the war--they tossed her over their shoulders like an empty beer can. Goodbye. The end.
I criticized her for going beyond the scope of the anti-war movement and joining the liberal "I hate George Bush" crowd and meeting with Venezuela's communist president and other left-wing thugs. She became a side-show and severely undermined her own message to the point that she lost major credibility with those who might have supported her, had she stayed on topic.
I feel sad for her; she made some very bad decisions based on her anger and it's visibly taken a toll over the last two years. I hope she recovers her health and gets her personal life back on track.
Some were leaping for joy at news of her packing it in; I was not among them. All I feel is sadness.
She was not in good health to begin with--after all, she had lost her son Casey in Iraq--plus her marriage broke apart, her relationship with her surviving children was on the ropes, and her finances were melting down. These were statements from Sheehan herself in her letter of farewell.
And she was egged on by the Democrats, who attended her rallies and sang her praises. But when she began criticizing them for the same things that she was criticizing the Bush Administration for--namely ending the war--they tossed her over their shoulders like an empty beer can. Goodbye. The end.
I criticized her for going beyond the scope of the anti-war movement and joining the liberal "I hate George Bush" crowd and meeting with Venezuela's communist president and other left-wing thugs. She became a side-show and severely undermined her own message to the point that she lost major credibility with those who might have supported her, had she stayed on topic.
I feel sad for her; she made some very bad decisions based on her anger and it's visibly taken a toll over the last two years. I hope she recovers her health and gets her personal life back on track.
Many Businesses Violate Mastercard/VISA Rules Governing Establishment of Minimum Amount for Debit/Credit Card Transactions
Have you ever gone into a business and noticed a little sign by the cash register that says something to the effect of "$5.00 minimum purchase for Debit/Credit Cards"?
Did you know that the business cannot do that? It's a major violation of a Mastercard/VISA agreement which the business is required to sign, which also allows for fees/fines and other sanctions if the rules are violated. Basically, if a business displays a Mastercard/VISA logo, it's an acceptance of ALL the rules that go along with it.
The rule is found in Section 1.8--"Honoring Cards" of the Mastercard and VISA Acceptance portion of the Merchant Processing Agreement. It reads:
Did you know that the business cannot do that? It's a major violation of a Mastercard/VISA agreement which the business is required to sign, which also allows for fees/fines and other sanctions if the rules are violated. Basically, if a business displays a Mastercard/VISA logo, it's an acceptance of ALL the rules that go along with it.
The rule is found in Section 1.8--"Honoring Cards" of the Mastercard and VISA Acceptance portion of the Merchant Processing Agreement. It reads:
1.8 Honoring Cards--
You cannot establish minimum or maximum amounts as a condition for accepting a Card.
I recently got into it with a business down here that had a $10 minimum amount. I intended to purchase $5.30 worth of stuff with my debit card and ran afoul of that company's policy. They let me do the $5.30 purchase after I threatened to leave and call Mastercard immediately to report them. As I was leaving, I saw them take down their $10 minimum sign.
Yesterday, I went back in and noticed that they had put the sign back up. So I'm debating whether to call Mastercard and carry out my original threat. I probably should.
Here's how the system works from the business side:
If a customer uses a credit card, the merchant pays a small fee for that transaction.
If a customer uses a debit card, the merchant doesn't have a fee. So merchants LIKE debit cards because it doesn't cost them anything extra.
The establishment where I work has no minimum or maximum amount because the owner read the entire agreement and accepts the fees as part of the cost of doing business. All businesses should have that same attitude.
You cannot establish minimum or maximum amounts as a condition for accepting a Card.
I recently got into it with a business down here that had a $10 minimum amount. I intended to purchase $5.30 worth of stuff with my debit card and ran afoul of that company's policy. They let me do the $5.30 purchase after I threatened to leave and call Mastercard immediately to report them. As I was leaving, I saw them take down their $10 minimum sign.
Yesterday, I went back in and noticed that they had put the sign back up. So I'm debating whether to call Mastercard and carry out my original threat. I probably should.
Here's how the system works from the business side:
If a customer uses a credit card, the merchant pays a small fee for that transaction.
If a customer uses a debit card, the merchant doesn't have a fee. So merchants LIKE debit cards because it doesn't cost them anything extra.
The establishment where I work has no minimum or maximum amount because the owner read the entire agreement and accepts the fees as part of the cost of doing business. All businesses should have that same attitude.
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