GOVERNMENT & POLITICS

News from the Swamp: War funding and wiretapping

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has been working to shift the debate on war spending in Iraq to a comparison with other federal spending that President George W. Bush is seeking to rein in, such as the SCHIP expansion. Pelosi has said many times of late that “the cost of the war in terms of dollars is a very important issue for the American people, especially when you think that we can insure ten million children in America for one year for 40 days in Iraq.” In other words, when it comes to national defense, Democrats are fiscal hawks, a posture that plays well with the MoveOn portion of their base.

The inconvenient truth, however, is that national defense is a constitutional duty of the federal government. We can’t seem to lay our finger on the section discussing health insurance. Or education. And the list goes on. (See Article I and specifically Section 8 for the enumerated duties of Congress.)

Meanwhile, it seems to have dawned on congressional Democrats that they do not have the votes to roundly oppose broader authority to conduct terrorist surveillance, which is coming up for renewal this month. Liberals, eager to strip one of our best defenses against terrorist attack in the name of civil-liberties violations they cannot prove, vowed to roll back the broader powers first introduced in August for a six-month period. Although they don’t want to risk being seen as weak on terror by restricting intelligence-gathering measures, their latest legislative proposal continues to challenge the administration’s terrorist-surveillance program.

Legislation now under consideration includes quarterly audits by the Justice Department inspector general and giving foreign-intelligence courts the power to approve umbrella warrants for overseas communication surveillance. Oversight is necessary, but the level of oversight the Demos are looking for is motivated by their political differences with President Bush. The House bill calls for the President to release details of the program, which he so far has refused to do—for good reason. Another sticking point involves the fate of lawsuits against telecommunications companies that cooperated with the surveillance program. In step with their anti-corporate nature, Democrats want the lawsuits to go forward, sending a signal to all companies that cooperation with homeland-security efforts could actually lead to civil punishments.

In the House: Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R-VA) died this week at 57 after a two-year battle with breast cancer. In the first eight months of the 110th Congress, Davis is the fifth lawmaker to have died. The others are Rep. Charles Norwood (R-GA) in February, Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA) in April, Sen. Craig Thomas (R-WY) in June and Rep. Paul Gillmor (R-OH) in September. Only one member of Congress died in office during the previous two Congresses.

New & notable legislation

Reps. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), Paul Ryan (R-WI), John Campbell, (R-CA), Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and other members of the Republican Study Committee introduced the Taxpayer Choice Act, “a comprehensive, individual-income-tax reform initiative with two principal aims: 1) eliminating massive future tax increases by repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax; and 2) providing individuals an alternative tax system that is transparent, simple and efficient.”

The House passed H.R. 3056, the Tax Collection Responsibility Act, which removes Internal Revenue Service authorization to contract with private firms for the collection of delinquent income taxes. Even though most House Republicans opposed the bill, Democrats noted that the program paid out $71 million in start-up costs to collect, so far, about $30 million in unpaid incomes taxes. Hey, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

The House Foreign Relations Committee passed a resolution condemning the genocide committed against the Armenians, a Christian minority under Ottoman rule, during World War I. Turkey maintains that the 1.5 million Armenians were killed in the war that led to the break-up of the Ottoman Empire. The resolution has, of course, angered our Turkish allies.

From the Left: More Clinton thieving

Hillary Clinton had to face questions this week about having Sandy “Socks” Berger as an adviser to her campaign, to which she gave the unrepentant response that he has “no official role.” Bergler, as Patriot readers will recall, was convicted for stealing and destroying classified national-security documents during the 9/11 Commission investigation in 2003, and received a $50,000 fine and two years probation. He also lost his security clearance for three years, a restriction due to expire shortly after—wouldn’t you know it?—the next presidential administration takes office. This hardly constitutes a stiff sentence when compared to that of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby. Berger, of course, is being welcomed back into the Clinton camp as a reward for taking one for the team; the documents he stole were related to the Clinton administration’s “work” against terrorism and the role Berger played as national security adviser. If any of Hillary’s opponents have the courage to take her on, they should ask her why she would even consider enlisting a convicted felon, a major security risk, to provide her with foreign-policy advice. The short answer, of course, is: She’s a Clinton.

Hillary’s other campaign move this week was to scrap her scheme to give each baby born in the U.S. $5,000 on the backs of taxpayers. Instead, she’s offering $1,000 tax cuts to encourage “working-class” families to start 401(k) savings—on the backs of taxpayers. Clinton declared that those with estates of more than $7 million would, via higher estate taxes, give “a matching refundable tax credit—dollar for dollar—for the first $1,000 of savings set aside by every married couple making up to $60,000 a year.” She is just so generous with other people’s money. This confiscation and redistribution of wealth has an estimated cost of $20 billion to $25 billion a year.

Meanwhile, Clinton’s position on personalized Social Security—using your own money to create your own savings—is “fat chance.”

Campaign trail: Primary scuffles

Several states have been playing leapfrog over the dates of their respective primaries, in some instances leading to penalties from the two major parties. Michigan moved its primary from 26 February to 15 January and thereby lost its delegates to the Democratic [sic] National Convention. Barack Obama, John Edwards and Bill Richardson withdrew from the primary there, leaving Hillary Clinton to win the meaningless beauty contest. Florida has also been punished for setting up a primary on 29 January, losing all its Democrat delegates and half its Republican ones. Wyoming has also lost half its Republican delegates for scheduling an early primary.

Meanwhile, New Hampshire state law requires that it hold the first primary and Iowa law requires that it hold its caucus eight days before any other “nominating event,” meaning voting could begin in December of this year.

NATIONAL SECURITY

Homeland Security front: Leak ruins intelligence

Another avenue for penetrating al-Qa’ida’s secretive network has been compromised. Last month, SITE, a private intelligence firm, obtained a new bin Laden video from al-Qa’ida ahead of its official release. Then last Sunday morning, the firm notified the White House of its acquisition, giving two senior administration officials access to the video on condition that they not reveal its existence until al-Qa’ida released it. Within 20 minutes, however, numerous U.S. intelligence agencies began downloading it from the company’s Web site, and by Sunday afternoon the video and a transcript had allegedly been leaked by the Bush administration to the media and broadcast around the world.

Al-Qa’ida supporters, now alerted to an internal-security breach, immediately threw up obstacles that prevented SITE from gaining the kind of information it had obtained in the past, and SITE’s founder said the premature disclosure destroyed the company’s long-term surveillance operation.

Administration officials declined to comment about the incident, but they did not challenge SITE’s version of events, and some intelligence officials privately said the incident was regrettable, as SITE had been “tremendously helpful” in obtaining al-Qa’ida secrets in the past. To put it mildly, these kinds of leaks do great damage to the West’s hopes of defeating our jihadi enemies.

Sentence first, verdict later

We suppose they think they’re “supporting the troops”: The New York Times last week bemoaned the apparent end of the collective murder charges against Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 1st Regiment following an ambush and firefight in Haditha, Iraq, in November 2005. Those battle-tested scribes at The Times opened by comparing the event in Haditha to My Lai in Vietnam and went on to describe the inability of prosecutors to amass sufficient evidence and witnesses to meet the reasonable-doubt standard that would be required in a court-martial. A military investigator last week recommended dropping murder charges, a recommendation likely to be followed by the general officer in charge of the case, although negligent manslaughter charges might still be pursued. The Times’ coverage of this latest development in the Haditha case recalls the comments of Rep. Fightin’ John Murtha (D-Jihadistan), who couldn’t wait for the outcome of a trial before spewing the following slander in May 2006: “Marines overreacted… and killed innocent civilians in cold blood.”

We are firmly in favor of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, as well as the laws of war, being enforced in Iraq, even if it ultimately means the court-martial of American soldiers or Marines in some cases. But we will always give the benefit of the doubt to those young men who are risking their lives to defend our nation. Apparently that’s too much to ask of the “Newspaper of Record,” whose palpable disappointment here is just the latest proof that the Left wants more than anything to see America defeated in Iraq.

Department of Military Readiness: Where to?

The Marine Corps is lobbying to remove its forces entirely from Iraq, leaving the country in the hands of the Army, while redeploying for a more prominent role in Afghanistan. Supporters of the plan say that both Army and Marines would be better able to carry out their respective duties if reduced to one theater. There are currently 25,000 Marines in Iraq as part of a total American force of 169,000, and 26,000 American troops in Afghanistan (no major Marine units are currently there). The idea is that the hunt for al-Qa’ida in Afghanistan would become even more the province of Special Operations units.

The Army is looking for ways to combat its severe officer shortage. The projected shortfall of captains and majors is around 3,000 for every year through 2013. The Army will begin offering up to $35,000 in bonuses to retain young officers, particularly in the areas of intelligence, aviation and infantry.

Profiles of valor: SEAL Team 10

Not long ago, The Patriot noted the valor of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell on a mission in Afghanistan. This week, partly in honor of the Navy’s birthday, we call attention to Petty Officer Luttrell’s three companions, Lt. Michael Murphy, Petty Officer Danny Dietz and Petty Officer Matthew Axelson.

SEAL Team 10’s mission, Operation Redwing, was to kill a Taliban leader. En route, they encountered three Afghan civilians believed to have later alerted Taliban fighters of the team’s location. In the ensuing firefight, all four SEALs were badly injured but kept fighting, with Lt. Murphy exposing himself to lethal fire in order to radio for reinforcements. An MH-47 Chinook helicopter sent to rescue the four men was shot down, killing all 16 on board and enemy forces soon overwhelmed the SEALs. Murphy, Dietz and Axelson were killed; only Luttrell survived. The SEALs killed 35 Taliban before they met their end, and it was the team’s actions that allowed Luttrell, badly injured, to escape and tell the story. Luttrell was awarded the Navy Cross, as were Axelson and Dietz posthumously. At a White House ceremony on 22 October, Daniel and Maureen Murphy will receive the Medal of Honor on behalf of their fallen son. This, our nation’s highest military honor, will be the first such medal awarded for combat actions in Afghanistan.

The birth of the U.S. Navy

On 13 October 1775, the U.S. Navy was born when the Continental Congress authorized the arming of two sailing vessels in order to intercept supply transports for the British army. The Declaration of Independence came nine months later, followed by the creation of the Department of the Navy in 1798. We at The Patriot offer our thanks for a job well done. Happy Birthday, Sailors! Please visit the Patriot Shop for a great selection of items bearing the Navy’s insignia.

Immigration front: Around the horn

Last year, President Bush signed a law authorizing 700 miles of fence along the U.S. -Mexico border. However, progress is slow in Texas as opposition mounts from those who say the fence will, as the Associated Press reports, “disturb the bilateral way of life along the border.” Yes, that’s the idea. Now U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle has temporarily delayed border-fence construction in part of Arizona because a 1.5-mile section of fence apparently intrudes upon a wildlife conservation area. The Defenders of Wildlife and the Sierra Club petitioned for a ten-day delay, saying the Bureau of Land Management had not sufficiently studied the fence’s impact on the environment. The judge agreed, accusing the government of trying to “ram” a three-week environmental study through “before anyone would wake up.” Of course, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has the authority to waive environmental laws in order to build the fence. Any ol’ time now would be grand, Mr. Secretary.

In Reno, Nevada, responding to reports that a Mexican flag had flown over an American flag at the Cantina El Jaripeo bar, U.S. Army veteran Jim Broussard acted to “fix” the problem. Cutting both flags from their moorings, Broussard tossed the Mexican flag on the ground. Holding up the American flag, Broussard told local reporters, “I took this [American] flag down in honor of my country with a knife from the United States Army. I’m a veteran—I’m not going to see this done to my country… They’re not going to get [this flag] back.”

While we applaud this veteran’s courage and heartfelt desire to right a wrong, we are troubled that he felt the need to resort to vigilantism. U.S. law prohibits the display of another nation’s flag above the American flag and, as John Adams aptly noted, we are a nation of laws, not of men. While we agree that Cantina’s owner should be met with the full force of American justice for violating U.S. law, justice is not served when meted out by autonomous citizens—no matter how righteous their indignation. In this case, an otherwise spineless, lethargic local government should have been shamed into doing the right thing by the press, conventional or otherwise. As a matter of fact, YouTube was doing fine on this count.

An inconvenient justice

In July, we told you about two U.S. Border Patrol agents—Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean—wrongfully convicted in January of assault with a deadly weapon and of violating the civil rights of another. The “another” happened to be well-known drug smuggler Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, whose rights were anything but “violated.” The actual violations of rights in this case were those of Ramos and Compean to a fair trial. The two men, each having left behind a wife and three children, are currently serving more-than-overkill 11- and 12-year prison terms, respectively.

Appeals for intervention by President Bush have fallen on deaf ears, so Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) introduced an amendment to an appropriations bill that would preclude the use of federal funds to enforce the two agents’ prison sentences—in effect, legislatively commuting their terms. Ideally, the power of commutation of federal sentences would have rested with the Executive Branch. Indeed, several in Congress pointed out that the Legislative Branch was effectively exercising pardoning authority it does not have. Even so, Congress does have the “power of the purse,” and it may withhold that purse as necessary to mandate how federal funds are spent.

For our part, we believe that to the extent Congress can correct the gross injustice committed on these two agents, we’re all for it. Please take a minute and sign our petition to that effect: Free the Texas Three and Secure our Borders.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Income Redistribution: ‘Chronically undertaxed’

In exchange for millions in political donations to liberal lawmakers, Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid now says his party’s latest tax-the-rich scheme to double the taxes on what The Washington Post called “chronically undertaxed” hedge funds and private-equity firms will not be considered by the Senate. Apparently, $6 million in congressional campaign donations assuaged liberal notions regarding this industry’s “chronic under taxation.” A bribe by any other name…

The Wall Street Journal reports Hillary Clinton, who is, coincidentally, a Democrat presidential candidate, received the largest share of the $6 million in campaign donations. Lobbying firms also benefited from the tax-hike proposal by raking in fees reported to be at least $5.5 million. As there are no reports of liberals claiming anyone was ever chronically over taxed, we may expect the pay-to-play campaign-donations scheme to ward off claims of chronic under taxation will spread to other industries and income levels. Demos must have forgotten last fall’s campaign promises to clean up Congress. What they really meant is that they are going to clean up in Congress.

Ed and Elaine Brown

Ed and Elaine Brown were convicted in January on federal tax-evasion charges and sentenced in April to five years and three months in prison. They had apparently not reported $1.9 million of income between 1996 and 2003. The Browns kept fighting, however, and refused to turn themselves in to authorities on the grounds that collection of the federal income tax is illegal. They stayed in their New Hampshire home on 103 wooded acres for several months, despite the unbelievable reality of being surrounded by federal agents, SWAT teams and military and explosives vehicles since June. The U.S. Marshals insisted that they were only there for surveillance, though power and telephone lines were cut in the effort to force the Browns out of their home.

Finally, last Thursday night, the couple was “peacefully” arrested. State Agriculture Commissioner Stephen Taylor had this to say: “This has been such a distraction to everybody.” A “distraction”? A couple challenges the very power structure of the federal government and it’s a “distraction”? The implications of this case are far reaching, indeed. The federal government has claimed first right to your hard-earned money, and they will use any and all means to get it. Some freedom.

Nuclear comeback

Nuclear fission is one of the most efficient, plentiful and clean sources of energy, and yet it has also been one of the most under-appreciated. Despite growing demands for energy, no new nuclear power plants have been built in the United States in over 20 years. The reasons are many: fears about nuclear accidents, environmental concerns regarding the disposal of nuclear waste, and the prohibitively high costs of construction.

Despite the lack of new construction, recent reports from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission anticipate applications for up to 32 new nuclear reactors. Environmentalists—who have traditionally opposed nuclear power—are being forced to reconsider due to their fear of climate change. Nuclear power, of course, does not involve burning fossil fuels. Its use for generating electricity—instead of burning coal or natural gas—directly reduces the emission of greenhouse gasses.

Popular fears are unfounded as well. With modern technology, the potential for accidents is quite slim. Not only is nuclear power a relatively clean energy source, but it is also economically efficient over the long run. Construction costs are high, but nuclear fuel is cheaper than both coal and natural gas. Insofar as Congress feels the need to be involved in energy policy, the promotion of nuclear power is a good idea.

UAW strike at Chrysler begins and ends

The United Auto Workers (UAW) went on strike Wednesday as the contract deadline passed with Chrysler, but six hours later, a deal was reached and all was well once again. As with the UAW’s deal with General Motors last month, in return for a hefty contribution from Chrysler toward healthcare, the union will supervise where those dollars go. Chrysler can also hire new workers at lower wages and benefits. Currently, Chrysler pays nearly $76 an hour per worker in wages, benefits and pensions. Toyota, on the other hand, pays about $47 an hour. Next up for the UAW is Ford, which has been hemorrhaging money for the last several years.

CULTURE

’Non Compos Mentis’: Al Gore wins Nobel Prize

Al Gore, the former Vice President and Oscar-winning crockumentarian, can now add “Nobel Laureate” to his list of credentials. Earlier today, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway, along with the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for their work on raising environmental awareness. According to the Nobel Committee, Gore is “the single individual who has done most” to scare every man, woman, child and polar bear into believing that our planet will soon be incinerated because of the horrible things people have done to Mother Earth. (Actually, we took a little bit of editorial liberty with that last part.)

The science that Gore clings to has been carefully taken apart by a number of far more reputable sources around the world who specialize in looking at long-term climate trends, not cherry-picking convenient truths like Gore’s band of “scientists.” His theory simply doesn’t hold up, and he has clearly not done “the most or the best work for fraternity among nations,” as the Nobel qualifications state. He has not acted “for the abolition or reduction of standing armies,” and by treating those who reject his theories as morons and “deniers,” he certainly has not held or promoted “peace congresses.” Yet, the Nobel Committee saw fit to give him the prize anyway. And so, the once inestimable Nobel Peace Prize has been devalued even further, now that this eco-charlatan has joined the ranks of terrorist Yasser Arafat and America-hating ex-prez Jimmy Carter.

Around the nation: School shooting in Cleveland

Another school shooting occurred on Wednesday, this time in Cleveland, Ohio. A 14-year-old student at the school walked the hallways with two revolvers shooting what police believe to be specifically chosen targets. The student had been suspended two days earlier and apparently went looking for two teachers, both of whom are in stable condition after being shot. Two students were shot as well but are also in stable condition. After only a few minutes of violence, the student, who had been arrested last year for domestic violence, turned a gun on himself.

Undoubtedly, as these tragic instances always do, this shooting will lead to further calls for gun control, as if guns themselves were the problem. If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a thousand times: It’s not a gun problem, it’s a culture problem.

Judicial Benchmarks: Guns are ‘bad’

From the Leftjudiciary: U.S. District Judge Terence Kern issued a permanent injunction against an Oklahoma law that allows employees to keep guns locked in their cars on company property. In 2004, the Oklahoma House had voted unanimously and the Senate voted 92-4. Judge Kern ruled that the law conflicted with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA), a federal law designed to keep people safe at work. The judge might take a peak at the Second Amendment—we’d venture to say it trumps OSHA.

In related news, an Oregon high-school teacher is suing her school district to protect her right to carry a concealed gun. Oregon allows permit holders to carry guns in public buildings, but the school district has a policy against it. The superintendent claims that employees and students are safer without guns on campus. Try telling that to the families of law-abiding citizens killed because they couldn’t protect themselves from murderers who didn’t tend to abide by “no guns” signs.

Faith and Family: Legal dispute in Rhode Island

Two Rhode Island married women have filed for divorce—from each other. The couple “married” in Massachusetts in 2004 after the state’s Supreme Judicial Court demanded that the legislature legalize same-sex marriage. However, like far too many truly married couples, the two women did not find marital bliss. The problem is, Massachusetts will not allow non-residents to divorce in the state (though same-sex marriage is no problem for non-residents), and Rhode Island does not recognize same-sex marriage, making divorce a bit of a non sequitur. The case is most likely the design of the homosexual-rights movement, crafted to take on the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. If Rhode Island rules against the two, the solution might be for one or both women to move to Massachusetts, which is all of about two or three miles from Providence, where they currently reside.

Speaking of homosexual activists, 400,000 of them gathered in San Francisco recently for the Folsom Street Fair, a celebration of the worst of the homosexual lifestyle. The Fair included more than just a few placards calling for equal rights. Indeed, there were sadomasochism displays as well as public nudity and sex acts, all while police stood idly by. Perhaps that’s why the Associated Press, Reuters and United Press International were busy elsewhere that day. The Leftmedia realize that their common cause with the homosexual agenda is not advanced when everyday Americans are exposed to this sort of perversion.

Frontiers of Junk Science: DDT and breast cancer

Scientists and scholars alike know that a lone study does not a proven conclusion yield. Yet a group of researchers has pounced on a recent study that seems to link early exposure to the chemical DDT and later development of breast cancer in women. The research, directed by Barbara Cohn of the California-based Child Health and Development Studies, suggests that girls exposed to higher levels of DDT before age 13 were five times more likely to develop breast cancer than those exposed to low levels. For those 14 and over, the likelihood did not vary dependent on DDT exposure levels.

Although Cohn’s sampling totaled only 258 cases, some experts are already vouching for its validity. As with Rachel Carson’s 1962 book Silent Spring, however, which effectively spooked the world out of using DDT, the evidence is anything but conclusive.

What is conclusive is that DDT remains one of the most effective defenses against malaria. Indeed, since the virtual worldwide banning of DDT in the 1980s, malaria has ballooned into what The Washington Post calls “a global scourge that kills about a million people every year, most of them children.” To fight it, in 2006, the World Health Organization began supporting limited use of the lifesaving chemical.

While malaria kills millions in Africa, DDT has yet to be positively identified as a breast-cancer culprit, and over a dozen previous studies have shown no connection between the two. Before revamping policy, policymakers should consider the “science” guiding their decisions.

And last…

We recently reported that European scientists had once and for all nailed down the answer to the age-old question of whether two-year-old children are smarter than chimpanzees and orangutans. The toddlers won. Now, German researchers have found a different answer to a similar question: Do humans or chimpanzees protect their self-interest more consistently? The Germans say that chimps do. In an economic game, humans and chimps were given something of value that they could opt to share; if an offer was rejected, neither party got anything. The humans in the game typically offered about half of the reward and rejected offers significantly less than half, despite not getting anything at all. The chimpanzees, on the other hand, generally made offers substantially less than half and accepted offers of any size. This indicated to researchers that chimpanzees protect their self interest more often than humans do. To us, it indicates that humans are smarter than animals. Well, some humans. Politicians act in self interest all the time and might give the chimps a run for their money. Or at least their vote. Perhaps the Germans should consider expanding their study.

Veritas vos Liberabit—Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus, et Fidelis! Mark Alexander, Publisher, for The Patriot’s editors and staff. (Please pray for our Patriot Armed Forces standing in harm’s way around the world, and for their families—especially families of those fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, who granted their lives in defense of American liberty.)