---

You've got to be taught to hate and fear
You've got to be taught from year to year
It's got to be drummed in your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught
You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made
And people whose skin is a different shade
You've got to be carefully taught
You've got to be taught before it's too late
Before you are six or seven or eight
To hate all the people your relatives hate
You've got to be carefully taught You've got to be carefully taught
Rogers and Rodgers and Hammerstein in South Pacific

Parents have forced a school trip to a mosque to be abandoned because they objected to their children learning about Islam. Atwood Primary in Croydon was forced to call off a Year 5 class visit to a mosque after nearly a third of parents refused to give consent.
"Class trip to mosque blocked by parents," Canada's Daily Mail, November 22, 2006 --- Click Here

Episcopalians tend to be better-educated and tend to reproduce at lower rates than some other denominations
(e.g.,  Roman Catholic and Mormon churches that tend to encourage large families)
Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, the first woman to head the US Episcopal Church (ECUSA) --- http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/nov/06112106.html
Jensen Comment
I can't believe Bishop Schori made such a statement!  She does confirm why Episcopalians, being more educated, are more unfit for military service than prolific and uneducated Roman Catholics who support Senator Kerry and Representative Rangel..

MUSLIM terrorists are no more likely to come from places with large Islamic populations than anywhere else, according to Manchester academics. Dr Ludi Simpson and Dr Nissa Finney studied media reports to map the location of suspects charged under anti-terror laws. The Manchester university researchers found that the proportion of people who have been charged is no greater in areas with large Muslim populations.
Seb Ramsay, "Large Muslim areas 'not breeding grounds for terror'," The U.K Manchester Evening News, November 22, 2006 --- Click Here

With Baghdad shaken by daily outbreaks of sectarian violence, in Iraq's western al-Anbar province, groups of former Iraqi Baathists are battling armed Islamist groups for control of this largely desert region near the Syrian border . . . The former Baathist fighters are believed to be relatively secular while their opponents share al-Qaeda's dream of establishing an Islamic caliphate in Iraq which will then be a launchpad for carrying out attacks around the Middle East.
Maher al-Jasem, "Sunni face new conflict in Iraq war," Al Jazeera, November 24, 2006 --- Click Here

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi Sunday accused the West of trying to grab Sudan's oil wealth with its plan to send U.N. troops to Darfur and urged Khartoum to reject them. "Western countries and America are not busying themselves out of sympathy for the Sudanese people or for Africa but for oil and for the return of colonialism to the African continent," he said.
"Gadhafi: U.N. Darfur force is ruse to grab Sudan's oil," CNN News, November 19, 2006 --- Click Here
Jensen Comment
Yeah Right! George Clooney and Oprah secretly conspired with Bush and Cheney to grab the oil wells. See the video for yourself at http://www.theirc.org/resources/george-clooney-visit-chad-sudan.html

The news is that two years after we've said "genocide" that it's still going on and it's increasing — and that somewhere in there we can all talk about this and make speeches and say this is horrible and we have to do something. But every day we don't do something, and every day this goes on, thousands of people are dying and dying horrific deaths . . . Here's the thing: We always see this now. We have tragedy fatigue on television. Every day, 20 kids [are] killed in Iraq or, you know, there's always disaster. Pakistan, Afghanistan, there's always horrible disaster in Nepal now. But this is genocide, and if everybody just got up right now out of their chair and picked up a phone and called their congressman, or called the number that registered with the president, it makes a difference. It always has.
Oscar Winning George Clooney, ABC News, April 30, 2006 --- Click Here
Clooney On Darfur | September 15, 2006 (Video)

We all condemn terrorism, because its victims are the innocent. But, can terrorism be contained and eradicated through war, destruction and the killing of hundreds of thousands of innocents? If that were possible, then why has the problem not been resolved?
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, "Letter to the American People," President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, November 29, 2006 --- http://www.blogsofwar.com/2006/11/29/mahmoud-ahmadinejads-letter-the-american-people/

“Americans are going to be very puzzled by it (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's, "Letter to the American People,") ,” said William Beeman, a linguistic anthropologist at Brown University who specializes in Persian. “People are simply not used to being talked to this way.” He added, “It is almost a sermon, which is very much in keeping with his religious background. But I should also point out it is also a lecture.” The letter reminded Americans that “many victims of Katrina continue to suffer, and countless Americans continue to live in poverty and homelessness.” It also lamented: “Civil liberties are increasingly being curtailed. Even the privacy of the individuals is fast losing its meaning.” The president made no reference to the level of poverty, political freedom or judicial independence in his own country.
Michael Slackman, "Iran’s President Criticizes Bush in Letter to American People," The New York Times, November 30, 2006 --- http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/30/world/middleeast/30iran.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation's fury.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad --- http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/mahmoud_ahmadinejad/

Powerful Iran is the best friend of the neighboring states and the best guarantor of regional security
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Our religion prohibits us from having nuclear arms and our religious leader has prohibited it from the point of view of religious law. It's a closed road.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

We believe that atomic energy is a blessing given by God.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Iran is ready to transfer nuclear know-how to the Islamic countries due to their need.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

As the Imam (Ayatollah Khomeini) said, Israel must be wiped off the map.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Jensen Comment
There are academic disputes over the translation of this threat --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Ahmadinejad_and_Israel
A synopsis of Mr Ahmadinejad's speech on the Iranian Presidential website states:

He further expressed his firm belief that the new wave of confrontations generated in Palestine and the growing turmoil in the Islamic world would in no time wipe Israel away (however interpreted) --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Ahmadinejad_and_Israel

They say it is not possible to have a world without the United States and Zionism. But you know that this is a possible goal and slogan.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

CNN host Glenn Beck criticizes the rest of the Western media, including by implication his own station CNN, for drastically failing to properly report on Islamic extremism. This documentary, screened on the American (but not so far on the international) version of CNN ---  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PWIK8YTZS8

Researchers have been scouring rivers in Europe and the US for traces of cocaine consumption. The result: Cocaine use is probably much greater than previously assumed -- and New Yorkers are the biggest coke-heads of all.
Markus Becker, "New York Blows Away the Competition," Spiegel (Germany), November 23, 2006 --- http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,450078,00.html

The radioactive poison used to kill the former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko is being offered for sale over the internet for less than £40. A company in the US claims to supply polonium-210 to anyone for just $69 plus postage and packing. A three-pack set of “alpha, beta, gamma” radioactive isotopes also includes polonium-210. United Nuclear, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, tells purchasers: “If you’re looking for clean, accurate, certified radiation sources, here they are. . . All isotopes are produced fresh in a nuclear reactor and shipped directly to you.”
Tony Halpin in Moscow, "Polonium-210? it's yours for $69, no questions asked," London Times, November 30, 2006 --- http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2478908.html
Jensen Comment
This makes little sense since coming near this radiation is dangerous to postal workers and other innocent people who get near the package.

Be unselfish: respect the selfishness of others.
Stanislaw Jerzy Lec (1909-1966) --- Click Here

A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.
Edward Abbey

This world is a comedy for those who think but a tragedy for those who feel.
Horace Walpole

Be nice to people on your way up because you'll meet them on your way down.
Wilson Mizner (1876-1933) --- Click Here

Never mind those promised reforms
The reception thrown by Nancy Pelosi at the Capitol a week after the Democrats prevailed in congressional elections was a party some power players had been waiting more than a decade to attend. The fête was for newly elected freshmen lawmakers, but Pelosi's invited guests included big-name Democratic lobbyists like Jack Quinn, Tony Podesta and Steve Elmendorf. Said a partygoer: "I thought to myself, they're all back, all the same old faces. It was just like old times." . . . Who will win the coming battle between reformers and revanchists? The market is betting against reform. Demand for anyone with access to powerful Democrats on the Hill is soaring. Lobbyists who couldn't get a meeting (before the election) are suddenly a hot commodity. "I've gotten a lot of calls from headhunters in the last two months," says Florence Prioleau, a lobbyist who has maintained close ties with her former boss, New York's Charles Rangel, incoming chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. Pelosi's former chief of staff, George Crawford, has just been hired by Amgen, a biotech company, to represent its interests with the new Congress.
Massimo Calabresi, "When the Democrats Take Back K Street:  Democratic lobbyists are enjoying a comeback after 12 years of exile. Never mind those promised reforms," Time Magazine, November 26, 2006 --- Click Here

The City Council here voted late Tuesday to ban certain giant retail stores, dealing a blow to Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s potential to expand in the nation's eighth-largest city. The measure, approved on a 5-3 vote, prohibits stores of more than 90,000 square feet that use 10 percent of space to sell groceries and other merchandise that is not subject to sales tax.
Elliot Spagat, "San Diego to Ban Wal-Mart Supercenters," Yahoo News, November 29, 2006 --- http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/061129/wal_mart_supercenter_ban.html?.v=4
Jensen Comment
Think of how much better off residents of San Diego will be as a result of this decision supposedly in their best interests. I wonder what would happen if the choice was put to a test in a referendum? The entire state of Vermont banned new Wal-Mart stores of any kind, and now I can't get into my closest New Hampshire Wal-Mart (ten miles away in Littleton) because most of the cars in the overflowing parking lot have green license plates. Claiming that sales tax revenue in San Diego and Vermont will increase without Wal-Mart stores is phony to the point of being fraudulent. The real reason is that local business interests can't compete with Wal-Mart --- which is a much more legitimate argument but it won't sell with voters. I might add that the lowest paying workers are those clerks in small retail stores. These exploited workers would have much better salaries and benefits working for Wal-Mart. But from a selfish standpoint, I hope that my little village never allows any store to have more than 50 square feet. We have only one Sugar Hill store to date (an old fashioned cheese and venison store). One little store's enough for our village as far as I'm concerned. I'd vote against Wal-Mart if it ever came to a vote in Sugar Hill. But then I'd also vote against any new store in Sugar Hill. But I was all in favor of more and more Wal-Mart Supercenters when I lived in San Antonio, because more Wal-Marts beside the many Super K-Marts and other giant stores are not going to affect the ambiance of San Antonio (or San Diego).

The essay — in his collection There’s No Such Thing as Free Speech — ought to be more notorious still. According to Fish, academics will do anything to distinguish themselves from “the realities of the marketplace.” One of whose realities, I am suggesting here, is that bosses do exist in both realms. Perhaps we can’t abide a vocabulary of bosses because the need to distinguish ourselves from the world of business is so crucial. Or, more interestingly, perhaps we already have enough oppression. “In the psychic economy of the academy,” Fish explains, “oppression is the sign of virtue. The more victimized you are, the more subject to various forms of humiliation, the more you can tell yourself that you are in proper relation to the corrupted judgment of merely worldly eyes.”
Terry Caesar, "Who’s the Boss?" Inside Higher Ed, November 21, 2006 ---
http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2006/11/21/caesar

It’s a funny old world. Chinese manufacturers are copying the circuit boards and designs of products from Japan and Korea, and they’re doing it so fast that by the time the originals arrive in the marketplace, they’re seen as the fakes! China is a land of endless factories, with many pumping out the world’s most desirable gadgets, from iPods to portable computers to digital cameras and much more.
Alex Zaharov-Reutt, "Fake chinese electronics selling better than the originals!" ITWire, November 27, 2006 --- http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/7483/52/

A state office that oversaw a series of controversial charities tied to African-American legislators is being scrutinized by the FBI, Gov. Kathleen Blanco’s office confirmed Tuesday in announcing that it had complied with a subpoena for records from the department. “The governor’s office staff has complied with the FBI’s request for information dating back to 1996 regarding certain programs funded by the former Office of Urban Affairs,”
Gordon Russell, Jan Moller and James Varney, New Orleans Times Picayune, November 22, 2006 --- Click Here
Jensen Comment
Government programs are always ripe for the plucking by ex-generals and criminal politicians, most especially Louisiana politicians who've been notoriously corrupt since the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Crime just grows and grows hand-in-hand with government programs and Louisiana seems to steal more than its fair share from Federal programs. For Louisiana criminals, of all races, Katrina was indeed a perfect storm.

Each place has its own advantages - Heaven for the climate and Hell for society.
Mark Twain

A church that wanted to do something special for Hurricane Katrina victims gave a $75,000 house, free and clear, to a couple who said they were left homeless by the storm. But the couple turned around and sold the place without ever moving in, and went back to New Orleans. "Take it up with God," an unrepentant Joshua Thompson told a TV reporter after it was learned that he and the woman he identified as his wife had flipped the home for $88,000. Church members said they feel their generosity was abused by scam artists . . . The church was also shocked by an ungrateful interview the couple gave with WHBQ-TV in Memphis. "I really don`t like this area," said Delores Thompson. "I really didn`t, and I didn`t know anybody, so that`s why I didn`t move in and I sold it."
"2 unrepentant about selling Katrina gift," The Angola Press, November 22, 2006 ---
http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia-e.asp?ID=489462
Also see http://community.myfoxmemphis.com/blogs/category/NEWS

"They came in humble like they really needed a new start, and our hearts went out to them," said Jean Phillips, a real estate agent and member of the Temple of Deliverance Church of God in Christ. "They actually begged for the home." . . . "Do I have any legal problems? What do you mean? The house was given to me," Delores Thompson said. "I have the paperwork and everything." She refused further comment and hung up.
WTOP --- http://www.wtop.com/?nid=104&sid=982862
Jensen Comment
We can only hope that God takes it up with scammers like Joshua and Delores Thompson. If we could get a glimpse of them ten years from now my guess is that they will not be so proud and happy that they scammed the Good Samaritans. It would be fantastic if they prospered and became reformed Good Samaritans themselves --- but in the meantime don't hold your breath!

British criminal psychologists are putting together a list of the 100 most dangerous murderers and rapists before they have committed any such crimes, The Times said.
"British police targeting would-be criminals before they offend," PhysOrg, November 27, 2006 ---http://physorg.com/news83838079.html
Jensen Comment
In the U.S., our ACLU would never tolerate such a crime prevention move even against our even our most threatening criminals.

And contrary to the United Nations resolutions, contrary to the official policy of the United States government, contrary to the Quartet so-called road map, all of those things – and contrary to the majority of Israeli people's opinion – this occupation and confiscation and colonization of land in the West Bank is the prime cause of a continuation of violence in the Middle East," he said.
"Carter blames Israel for Mideast conflict:  'Domination' over Palestinians 'atrocious,' ex-prez tells 'Good Morning America'," WorldNetDaily, November 27, 2006 --- http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53120

Carter's book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid" is so biased that it inevitably raises the question of what would motivate a decent man like Jimmy Carter to write such an indecent book. Whatever Mr. Carter's motives may be, his authorship of this ahistorical, one-sided, and simplistic brief against Israel forever disqualifies him from playing any positive role in fairly resolving the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. That is a tragedy because the Carter Center, which has done much good in the world, could have been a force for peace if Jimmy Carter were as generous in spirit to the Israelis as he is to the Palestinians.
Alan M. Dershowitz, (Harvard Law School). New York Sun, November 22, 2006 --- http://www.nysun.com/article/43958
A knowledgeable Lebanese-American casts even more doubt on Carter's scholarship
see http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53154
Also see http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/reviews/carter.html

One of the most nefarious elements in the book is Carter’s effort to paint Israel as hostile to Christians. He repeatedly refers to “Christians and Muslims” rather than simply the Palestinians in a transparent effort to suggest that Israeli actions were harming Christians and not just Muslims or Arabs. He claims, for example, that “many priests and pastors” were disturbed by the control of Israeli religious parties over “all forms of worship.” On a visit to Jerusalem in 1990, he said he met with a variety of Christian leaders who he said complained of various abuses. He doesn’t offer a single specific example, but tars Israel with bigotry. He then says that Prime Minister Shamir told him that religious parties had authority over all religious matters because of the needs of the coalition government. Carter says that this conversation made him understand why “there was such a surprising exodus of Christians from the Holy Land.”

These charges are so vile they require a more substantial response. First, while Christians are unwelcome in Islamic states such as Saudi Arabia, and most have been driven out of their longtime homes in Lebanon, Christians continue to be welcome in Israel. Christians have always been a minority in Israel, but it is the only Middle East nation where the Christian population has grown in the last half century (from 34,000 in 1948 to 145,000 today), in large measure because of the freedom to practice their religion.

The "progressive" media grows angry with Democrats who do not endorse Jimmy Carter's rage toward Israel
Instead, Democrats are shoring up their pro-Israel bona fides. They are strikingly anxious because of a courageous new book by President Jimmy Carter that hit American bookstores in mid-November, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.
Michael F. Brown, "Dems Rebut Carter on Israeli 'Apartheid'," The Nation, November 20, 2006 --- http://www.thenation.com/doc/20061204/brown
Jensen Comment
I don't find solutions in Carter's book that have not already been advocated and tried even by Israel. Carter insists on Israel's right to exist. He's a man a peace who does not advocate wiping out Israel. Liberals who like to be called "progressives" advocate cessation of military and economic backing of Israel. Do progressives really want Israel so wounded and dying that Israel seriously considers resorting to its huge nuclear arsenal.  As usual, the "progressives" are long on criticism but short on alternatives. So is Jimmy Carter. Finding solutions is not nearly as much fun as finding fault.

Most chilling of all, could the festering differences precipitate a military confrontation involving the use of nuclear weapons? It is known that Israel has a major nuclear arsenal and the capability to launch weapons quickly, and some neighboring states are believed to be attempting to acquire their own atomic bombs. Without progress toward peace, desperation or adventurism on either side could precipitate such a confrontation.
Jimmy Carter, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid

A joint paratrooper and Shin Bet force uncovered an explosive lab in Nablus Friday night. In the lab, the forces found teddy bears with wires hanging from them, apparently slated to be used as explosive devices . . . Captain Assaf Cabra, a company commander at the Haruv battalion, addressed the operation at the time: "We launched a regimental operation in Nablus, which included searches, seizing weapons and arrests. We uncovered the explosive lab in the casba, which contained between 40 to 50 kilograms (88 to 110 pounds) of explosives for preparing explosive devices."
"Nablus: Explosive teddy bears found in lab," YNet News, November 25, 2006 --- http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3332360,00.html
Jensen Comment
When the teddy bears blow up in the faces of children, Jimmy Carter reminds them that their parents really caused the pain and suffering. In fairness, Israel's recklessness has killed and maimed children in Palestine. But it is a particularly vile deed to deliberately plant explosives in toys for children.

Denmark, once the symbol of a welcoming welfare state, is becoming part of an anti-immigrant backlash sweeping across Europe. Sentiments once associated with ultra right-wing parties are becoming mainstream.
Sylvia Poggioli, "Danes' Anti-Immigrant Backlash Marks Radical Shift," NPR, November 20, 2006 --- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6505809

French presidential candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen is drawing support again this year for his anti-immigrant stance. The extreme-right politician is pushing for a welfare system that favors indigenous French . . . Immigration -- code for Muslim immigration -- was the convention's hot-button issue.
Sylvia Poggioli, "Anti-Immigrant Policy Boosts France's Le Pen Again," NPR, November 22, 2006 --- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6522463

The second element is definitiveness. Our political figures say they have to concentrate on an overall, long-term, comprehensive answer to the immigration problem. So they huff and puff about the long-term implications of this move or that, and in the end they do nothing. They are like people in a burning house who sit around discussing the long-term efficacy of various kinds of water hoses while the house burns down around them.
Peggy Noonan, "What Grandma Would Say:  We don't need to solve the immigration problem forever. We need to solve it now," The Wall Street Journal, November 24, 2006 --- http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110009288

With political junkies looking ahead to the 2008 presidential race, two of the names often mentioned as leading contenders for the GOP nomination – John McCain and Rudy Giuliani – are being called "disastrous" for the Republican Party by Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo. Both of those individuals, of course, would be disastrous for us for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is their position on immigration, which is to open the border," Tancredo told WND in an exclusive interview.
Joe Kovacs, "Tancredo: McCain, Giuliani would be disastrous for GOP," WorldNetDaily, November 22, 2006 ---
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53039
Jensen Comment
Senator McCain's "open border stance," like a lot of his stances, is no more solid than flubber. He voted both times to build the border fence despised by Mexico and favored heavily by his Arizona constituency. To see how the U.S. Senate (Republicans and Democrats alike) voted overwhelmingly to build a useless wall between the U.S. and Mexico, go to http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/book06q4.htm#BorderFence
Since being for an open border will be political suicide for the 2008 elections, it's entertaining to watch Congress dance the proverbial sidestep. The great majority of our legislators will proudly point to their votes in favor of building a border wall and then find all sorts of excuses not to fund the actual construction.  Even more of a hot potato will be amnesty for millions of  illegal immigrants already residing in the U.S. I favor a  one-time amnesty coupled with elimination of citizenship of babies born to on U.S. soil to mothers who are not citizens. Bush strongly supports amnesty and citizenship to all babies born in the U.S. in the face of overwhelming opposition among voters. Counterfeiters are now cranking out thousands of phony birth certificates daily in anticipation of bringing in more more parents from Mexico. This will be a booming business until babies are not granted automatic citizenship regardless of citizenship status of the parents.

Half of the 91,516 illegal aliens from terror-sponsoring countries and those of "special interest" apprehended at the border between 2001 and 2005 were released into the U.S. population, according to a report by the inspector general's office of the Department of Homeland Security. The report, "Detention and Removal of Illegal Aliens," released earlier this year with little fanfare or attention, suggests about 85 percent of those aliens – potentially the most dangerous – would abscond and likely never be seen by authorities again. Acknowledging the danger such aliens pose to the national security, the report cites a DHS official testifying that terrorist organizations "believe illegal entry into the U.S. is more advantageous than legal entry for operations reasons."
"45,000 terror-threat illegals released into U.S. population:  Half from countries of 'special interest' let go between 2001, 2005, says report," WorldNetDaily, November 29, 2006 ---
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53151

A South African man has been fined $140 for taking a week off work, telling his employers he was pregnant. Charles Sibindana, 27, stole a certificate from a clinic during his pregnant girlfriend's checkup, a court near Johannesburg heard. He then added his own details to the note and submitted it and took seven days off work, seemingly unaware that only women consult gynaecologists (sic) . His employers became suspicious and investigated the matter.
"'Pregnant' man fined in SA court," BBC News, November 28, 2006 --- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6190772.stm?lspan
Jensen Comment
This sort of dashes his hopes for maternity leave, but he might still conjure up a miracle by moving to New Orleans.