The EU is Shocked, Shocked

EU hears the plight of North Korea's refugees

BRUSSELS -- The European Parliament held its first public hearing on the North Korean human rights issue in Brussels, Belgium on March 23. About 100 participants including European Parliament members, NGO representatives and journalists attended the hearing. Three defectors from North Korea also attended, and their stark testimonies shocked the participants.

Istvan Szent-Ivany, a Hungarian member of the European Parliament who presided over the hearing, emphasized that "human rights are universal rights," and passionately requested North Korea to respect these rights.

Murderous tyrannical regimes have always responded well to begging, and that is good because that is all that the UN, the EU and other liberal western European organizations do.

In an even more amazing development, the EU members seems puzzled at liberal self destructive self loathing.

Meanwhile, some 100 South Korean civil activists and students held demonstrations and rallies in Brussels fiercely criticizing the hearing for "assisting the United States in using the human rights issue as mean to gain hegemony."

Some puzzled members of the European Parliament who attended the hearing asked, "Why do South Koreans oppose the hearing, rather than criticizing North Koreans for committing human rights violations?" Professor Yoo Sae Hee, who attended the hearing as a South Korean representative said, "I feel ashamed as a South Korean. Those who are demonstrating against the hearing are not representatives of South Korea."

Read the whole thing. There is some interesting political interplay described there. Sadly, the upshot of the whole thing is that, although shocked, the EU wants more conferences, discussion, etc.

In Memoriam - USS Thresher (SSN 593)

Today is the 43rd anniversary of the loss of the USS Thresher (SSN 593).

The men lost aboard USS Thresher.

Officers
Harvey, John W.     LCDR, Commanding Officer
Garner, Pat M.     LCDR, Executive Officer
Di Nola, Michael J.     Lieutenant Commander
Lyman, John S., Jr.     Lieutenant Commander
Collier, Merrill F.     Lieutenant
Smarz, John, Jr.     Lieutenant
Babcock, Ronald C.     Lieutenant (Junior Grade)
Grafton, John G.     Lieutenant (Junior Grade)
Henry, James. J., Jr.     Lieutenant (Junior Grade)
Parsons, Guy C., Jr.     Lieutenant (Junior Grade)
Wiley, John J.     Lieutenant (Junior Grade)

Enlisted Crew
Arenault, Tilmon J.     ENCA (SS)
Bain, Ronald E.     EN2 (SS)
Bell, John E.     MM1
Bobbitt, Edgar S.     EM2 (SS)
Boster, Gerald C.     EM3 (SS)
Bracey, George     SD3 (SS)
Brann, Richard P.     EN2 (SS)
Carkoski, Richard J.     EN2 (SS)
Cayey, Steven G.     TM2 (SS)
Christiansen, Edward     SN (SS)
Claussen, Larry W.     EM2 (SS)
Clements, Thomas E.     ETR3 (SS)
Cummings, Francis M.     SOS2 (SS)
Carmody, Patrick W.     SK2
Dabruzzi, Samuel J.     ETN2 (SS)
Davison, Clyde E., III     ETR3
Day, Donald C.     EN3 (SS)
Denny, Roy O., Jr.     EM1 (SS)
DiBella, Peter J.     SN
Dundas, Don R.     ENT2 (SS)
Dyer, Troy E.     ET1 (SS)
Forni, Ellwod H.     SOCA (SS)
Foti, Raymond P.     ET1 (SS)
Freeman, Larry W.     FTM2 (SS)
Fusco, Gregory J.     EM2 (SS)
Gallant, Andrew J., Jr.     HMC (SS)
Garcia, Napoleon T.     SD1 (SS)
Garner, John E.     YNSN (SS)
Gaynor, Robert W.     EN2 (SS)
Gosnell, Robert H.     SA (SS)
Graham, William E.     SOC (SS)
Gunter, Aaron J.     QM1 (SS)
Hall, Richard C.     ETR2 (SS)
Hayes, Norman T.     EM1
Heiser, Laird, G.     MM1
Helsius, Marvin T.     MM2
Hewitt, Leonard H.     EMCA (SS)
Hoague, Joseph H.     TM2 (SS)
Hodge, James P.     EM2
Hudson, John F.     EN2 (SS)
Inglis, John F.     FN
Johnson, Brewner G.     FTG1 (SS)
Johnson, Edward A.     ENCA (SS)
Johnson, Richard L.     RMSA
Johnson, Robert E.     TMC (SS)
Johnson, Thomas B.     ET1 (SS)
Jones, Richard W.     EM2 (SS)
Kaluza, Edmund J., Jr.     SOS2 (SS)
Kantz, Thomas C.     ETR2 (SS)
Kearney, Robert D.     MM3
Keiler, Ronald D.     IC2 (SS)
Kiesecker, George J.     MM2 (SS)
Klier, Billy M.     EN1 (SS)
Kroner, George R.     CS3
Lanouette, Norman G.     QM1 (SS)
Lavoie, Wayne W.     YN1 (SS)
Mabry, Templeman N., Jr.     EN2 (SS)
Mann, Richard H., Jr.     IC2 (SS)
Marullo, Julius F., Jr.     QM1 (SS)
McClelland, Douglas R.     EM2 (SS)
McCord, Donald J.     MM1 (SS)
McDonough, Karl P.     TM3 (SS)
Middleton, Sidney L.     MM1 (SS)
Muise, Ronald A.     CS2
Musselwhite, James A.     ETN2 (SS)
Nault, Donald E.     CS1 (SS)
Noonis, Walter J.     RMC (SS)
Norris, John D.     ET1 (SS)
Oetting, Chesley C.     EM2
Pennington, Roscoe C.     EMCA (SS)
Peters, James G.     EMCS
Phillippi, James F.     SOS2 (SS)
Philput, Dan A.     EN2 (SS)
Podwell, Richard     MM2
Regan, John S.     MM1 (SS)
Ritchie, James P.     RM2
Robison, Pervis, Jr.     SN
Rountree, Glenn A.     QM2 (SS)
Rushetski, Anthony A.     ETN2
Schiewe, James M.     EM1 (SS)
Shafer, Benjamin N.     EMCM (SS)
Shafer, John D.     EMCS (SS)
Shimko, Joseph T.     MM1
Shotwell, Burnett, M.     ETRSN
Sinnett, Alan D.     FTG2 (SS)
Smith, William H., Jr.     BT12
Solomon, Ronald H.     EM1
Steinel, Robert E.     SO1 (SS)
Snider, James L.     MM1
Van Pelt, Rodger E.     IC1 (SS)
Wasel, David A.     RMSN
Walski, Joseph A.     RM1 (SS)
Wiggins, Charles L.     FTG1
Wise, Donald E.     MMCA (SS)
Wolf, Ronald E.     QMSN (SS)
Zweifel, Jay H.     EM2

Naval Observers
Krag, Robert L.     Lieutenant Commander Staff, Deputy Commander, Submarine Force, Atlantic Fleet
Allen, Phillip H.     Lieutenant Commander Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Billings, John H.     Lieutenant Commander Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Biederman, Robert D.     Lieutenant Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

Civilian Technicians
Abrams, Fred P.     Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Beal, Daniel W., Jr.     Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Charron, Robert E.     Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Critchley, Kenneth J.     Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Currier, Paul C.     Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Des Jardins, Richard R.     Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Dineen, George J.     Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Fisher, Richard R.     Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Guerette, Paul A.     Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Moreau, Henry C.     Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Palmer, Franklin J.     Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Prescott, Robert D.     Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Whitten Laurence E.     Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Corcoran, Kenneth R.     Sperry Corporation
Keuster, Donald W.     Sperry Corporation
Stademuller, Donald T.     Sperry Corporation
Jaquay, Maurice F.     Raytheon Corporation

May they all be resting in the presence of God.

And, pray for all for those who go to sea in ships. God bless them all.

When Naked, Safety First!

The Deadly Funnel Web Spider

Ok, I appreciate getting naked as well as the next guy, but one thing NOT to do is mess around with gasoline and matches at the same time. Actually, one should not do this when clothed, either

Nudist's spider-killing stunt backfires

A naked man suffered burns to one-fifth of his body when he tried to set fire to a spider at a nudist resort in the NSW southern highlands.

The 56-year-old Sydney man tried to kill what he thought was a funnel web spider by pouring petrol down the spider's burrow and igniting it with a match, the NRMA CareFlight service said.

But the fuel exploded and the man was left with burns to 18 per cent of his body, on the upper leg and buttocks.

The man was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Sidney. He will be ok.

But, to add insult to injury,

Resort guests told emergency crews it was probably a harmless trapdoor spider and not a deadly funnel web, CareFlight said.

The man's lack of clothing probably contributed to the extent of his burns, the rescue chopper service said.

Gee, do ya think?

Trap Door Spider

Charles from the Planetoid Aidemydni

As both of my beloved readers know, I am a big fan of Charles Johnson, author of Little Green Footballs (LGF). You can probably tell by my badge.

Since he is an influence on me, in fact the influence that got me started in blogging, I thought it only proper to let you know a little more about him.

Two old posts from LGF that identify Charles.

"Charles" and The Truth about LFG. This is one of his funniest threads.

A drawing of "Charles" - The Terrible Secret of LFG

NOTE: I am, in fact, a member of the lizardoid army.
(Pssst, Charles, where's my check?)

Stupid Criminal Discovers Sumo

Crime weighs heavy;

What’s the worst that could happen if you’ve been caught stealing? That your crime weighs heavy on your conscience, and leaves you wrestling with your morals?

Or this: Your crime weighs heavy on your middle-aged body, and leaves you wrestling with Sumos?

HUNGH? Strange but true – it’s exactly what happened to Konoshin Kawabata in Osaka, Japan.

He stumbled upon a perfect opportunity to burglarize a building on the Shounji temple premises. A door was unlocked, the lights were off, and it was the wee hours of the morning. The Japanese man, who’s pushing 50, must’ve thought: lucky.

Damn, did he think too soon. As he started rummaging for loot, he felt himself being “caught by a massive man” whom he could not make out in the dark.

The lights were then turned on, showing Kawabata what the hell sort of mondo bizaaro was really going on. A freakin’ Sumo wrestler had tackled him – bear-hugged, in the wrestler’s own words – whilst over a dozen other Sumo wrestlers had him surrounded.

Dewanosato (real name: Hideyuki Kawahara) was the Sumo wrestler who pinned down the burglar. Don’t deadpan now: this dude just happens to stand 5′10” (180 cm) and weigh 289 lbs (131 kg).

Since the Japanese cannot legally keep a gun in the house, perhaps they should keep a Sumo wrestler. Perhaps an "Adopt a Sumo" program.

More Torture at Guantanamo Bay

The anti-American, openly Leftist™ paper, The Guardian, has the story. A big thank you to Charles for this.

Cuba? It was great, say boys freed from US prison camp

Asadullah strives to make his point, switching to English lest there be any mistaking him. "I am lucky I went there, and now I miss it. Cuba was great," said the 14-year-old, knotting his brow in the effort to make sure he is understood.

Not that Asadullah saw much of the Caribbean island. During his 14-month stay, he went to the beach only a couple of times - a shame, as he loved to snorkel. And though he learned a few words of Spanish, Asadullah had zero contact with the locals.

He spent a typical day watching movies, going to class and playing football. He was fascinated to learn about the solar system, and now enjoys reciting the names of the planets, starting with Earth. Less diverting were the twice-monthly interrogations about his knowledge of al-Qaida and the Taliban. But, as Asadullah's answer was always the same - "I don't know anything about these people" - these sessions were merely a bore: an inevitably tedious consequence, Asadullah suggests with a shrug, of being held captive in Guantanamo Bay.

On January 29, Asadullah and two other juvenile prisoners were returned home to Afghanistan. The three boys are not sure of their ages. But, according to the estimate of the Red Cross, Asadullah is the youngest, aged 12 at the time of his arrest. The second youngest, Naqibullah, was arrested with him, aged perhaps 13, while the third boy, Mohammed Ismail, was a child at the time of his separate arrest, but probably isn't now.

Tracked down to his remote village in south-eastern Afghanistan, Naqibullah has memories of Guantanamo that are almost identical to Asadullah's. Prison life was good, he said shyly, nervous to be receiving a foreigner to his family's mud-fortress home.

The food in the camp was delicious, the teaching was excellent, and his warders were kind. "Americans are good people, they were always friendly, I don't have anything against them," he said. "If my father didn't need me, I would want to live in America."

Asadullah is even more sure of this. "Americans are great people, better than anyone else," he said, when found at his elder brother's tiny fruit and nut shop in a muddy backstreet of Kabul. "Americans are polite and friendly when you speak to them. They are not rude like Afghans. If I could be anywhere, I would be in America. I would like to be a doctor, an engineer, or an American soldier."

...

Naqibullah, Asadullah and Mohammed Ismail were moved into one large room, which was never locked. They were taught Pashto (their own language), English, Arabic, maths, science, art and, for two months, Islam. "The American soldiers ate pork but they said we must never do that because we were Muslim," said Naqibullah. "They were very strict about Islam."

To bad that the Americans were strict about Islam, but these are now probably the best educated people in their local area.

Sadly for the Left™, now there are at least three children in the world who have been un-taught how to hate Americans.

So ... What Are You Choosing?

All of those of you who are "pro-choice" and believe that a fetus is just a clump of cells need to read this. From the very liberal BBC, Premature babies 'feel true pain'

Experts have never been sure how a premature baby responds to pain, the Journal of Neuroscience reported.

But a team from University College London found that they do feel pain after analysing brain scans taken when blood samples were being drawn.

They hope the findings will lead to more formal plans for managing pain in premature babies.

Lead researcher Professor Maria Fitzgerald said: "We have shown for the first time that the information about pain reaches the brain in premature babies.

"Beforehand, although we could assume it, we did not know for sure that these babies could feel pain.

"These babies' brains are so immature that it was difficult to genuinely know that the pain was going to their brain."

Previous research had shown that premature babies are capable of displaying behavioural, physiological and metabolic signs of pain and distress.

This makes clear exactly what abortion is.

Basic Instinct #2 does Poorly, Bush Blamed

And no, that is not a pun.

Erotic thrillers lose steam at box office

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The last time "Basic Instinct" man-eater Catherine Tramell prowled the big screen, the studio erotic thriller was hitting box office heights. The first "Instinct" took the top spot when it debuted in 1992, with an opening weekend of $15.1 million, the equivalent of $20.45 million in today's dollars.

By comparison, "Basic Instinct 2" limped into 10th place upon its arrival this weekend, grossing just $3.2 million.

And why would that be?

Paul Verhoeven, director of the first "Basic Instinct" (which scored $353 million worldwide) as well as the widely ridiculed "Showgirls" (now regarded as something of a camp classic), attributes the genre's demise to the current American political climate.

"Anything that is erotic has been banned in the United States," said the Dutch native. "Look at the people at the top (of the government). We are living under a government that is constantly hammering out Christian values. And Christianity and sex have never been good friends."

Scribe Nicholas Meyer, who was an uncredited writer on 1987's seminal sex-fueled cautionary tale "Fatal Attraction," agrees, noting that the genre's downfall coincides with the ascent of the conservative political movement.

"We're in a big puritanical mode," he said. "Now, it's like the McCarthy era, except it's not 'Are you a communist?' but 'Have you ever put sex in a movie?'"

I'm sure that you all remember the recent Congressional hearings where large numbers of movie producers and directors were angrily asked "Have you ever put sex in a movie?", threatened with imprisonment in Branson, Missouri. [Note to liberals, this didn't really happen. - ed.]

Even rich liberals like these assume an entitlement for themselves. They believe that they are entitled to business success, and if they don't get it, it is the fault of the government (read GWB).

From Mere Comments, Erotic Thrillers Unexciting

What are these guys smoking? Who is chasing them? Christians--no, those nasty Puritans are back--are banning sex in the movies? Gads, sex not only in the movies, it's on prime-time television and cable, the internet--you don't have to go to the movies to see erotic thrills.

Has it every occurred to them that lust, after multiple viewings, isn't all that interesting? Maybe "pure" eroticism is just one-dimensional and boring? I mean, how much can you say about it? And is the following comment unintentionally admitting this?

Mark Damon, once dubbed the king of eroticism for producing such steamy classics as 1986's "9 1/2 Weeks" and 1990's "Wild Orchid," said he stopped producing sex-steeped dramas because "I didn't find any scripts that were worth producing. The genre had exhausted itself."

There is nothing there, it is just the same thing over and over again.

The problem that Paul Verhoeven and Nicholas Meyer have is that they are Leftists™ who cannot image that market forces have any effect on attendance. Sort of like not seeing an elephant in the living room.

Gun Control

I am an expert in this weapon and have the medal for it - the M1911A .45 Caliber Pistol

Liberals have made a big issue of restricting private gun ownership. The idea runs like this; if law abiding citizens had no guns, then the gun carrying criminals will not harm us, resulting in fewer violent crimes.

There is some sound reasoning for you.

The people do not agree.

Everyone not previously convicted of a serious crime should be permitted to carry a sidearm. Criminals are less likely to attack someone if that someone might shoot back.

See also;

Gun control doesn't reduce crime, violence, say studies

WASHINGTON – While it is an article of faith among gun-control proponents that government restrictions on firearms reduces violence and crime, two new U.S. studies could find no evidence to support such a conclusion.

The National Academy of Sciences issued a 328-page report based on 253 journal articles, 99 books, 43 government publications, a survey of 80 different gun-control laws and some of its own independent study. In short, the panel could find no link between restrictions on gun ownership and lower rates of crime, firearms violence or even accidents with guns.

The panel was established during the Clinton administration and all but one of its members were known to favor gun control.

Bush Was Right

Yeah, baby!

Rock and Roll!

I agree with the review at Wizbang. A protest song for the Right.

Drunk Blogging

Ok, I admit that I have been drinking for the past few...well, it doesn't matter. I just finished bottling some wine that I made (from a kit).

I was going to post my outrage over a human rights issue that I have just run across, but I'll do that later.

I am now watching Carousel on DVD. This is excellent music in the best American tradition. If you haven't seen it, get it and watch. It is exceptional. American musical theater is a uniquely American art form of great value, and this is one of the best examples of it.

I'll do the serious stuff later. Now is the time to enjoy something splendid.

Sharon Stone Tells Children - Give Oral Sex

And you think that I am making this up.

From Mere Comments, Teenage Girls, Oral Sex, and the New Feminism

Stone talks about watching a mother and daughter trying on clothing in a department store. The mother was concerned about the daughter showing her stomach in the outfit she wanted to buy. When the mother walked away, Stone approached the teenager and gave her some tips on sex and avoiding diseases such as AIDS. Her advice to teenagers is simple:

Young people talk to me about what to do if they're being pressed for sex? I tell them (what I believe): oral sex is a hundred times safer than vaginal or anal sex. If you're in a situation where you cannot get out of sex, offer [oral sex]. I'm not embarrassed to tell them.

This advice is astounding. Not because a Hollywood actress opposes Christian understandings of sexual morality. That is nothing new. What's astounding is how resigned this feminist activist actress is to a patriarchy of the most predatory kind.

There are two things that I find astounding here;
1. That Sharon Stone would simply walk up to another woman's child and say this.

2. That she thinks that she is virtuous for doing so is not surprising, being the arrogant elitist liberal that she is, but that exactly no one in the press thinks this is noteworthy. See the original news article.

Speech Freedom Protected?

Proposed FEC Rules Would Exempt Most Political Activity on Internet

I'm not ready to remove my Gadsden Flag yet.

Iran Figures It Out

This is a "must read" for anyone who desires international stability.

'The Last Helicopter'

Hassan Abbasi has a dream--a helicopter doing an arabesque in cloudy skies to avoid being shot at from the ground. On board are the last of the "fleeing Americans," forced out of the Dar al-Islam (The Abode of Islam) by "the Army of Muhammad." Presented by his friends as "The Dr. Kissinger of Islam," Mr. Abbasi is "professor of strategy" at the Islamic Republic's Revolutionary Guard Corps University and, according to Tehran sources, the principal foreign policy voice in President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's new radical administration.

And here is what he has to say;

To hear Mr. Abbasi tell it the entire recent history of the U.S. could be narrated with the help of the image of "the last helicopter." It was that image in Saigon that concluded the Vietnam War under Gerald Ford. Jimmy Carter had five helicopters fleeing from the Iranian desert, leaving behind the charred corpses of eight American soldiers. Under Ronald Reagan the helicopters carried the corpses of 241 Marines murdered in their sleep in a Hezbollah suicide attack. Under the first President Bush, the helicopter flew from Safwan, in southern Iraq, with Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf aboard, leaving behind Saddam Hussein's generals, who could not believe why they had been allowed live to fight their domestic foes, and America, another day. Bill Clinton's helicopter was a Black Hawk, downed in Mogadishu and delivering 16 American soldiers into the hands of a murderous crowd.

According to this theory, President George W. Bush is an "aberration," a leader out of sync with his nation's character and no more than a brief nightmare for those who oppose the creation of an "American Middle East." Messrs. Abbasi and Ahmadinejad have concluded that there will be no helicopter as long as George W. Bush is in the White House. But they believe that whoever succeeds him, Democrat or Republican, will revive the helicopter image to extricate the U.S. from a complex situation that few Americans appear to understand.

Mr. Ahmadinejad's defiant rhetoric is based on a strategy known in Middle Eastern capitals as "waiting Bush out." "We are sure the U.S. will return to saner policies," says Manuchehr Motakki, Iran's new Foreign Minister.

Mr. Ahmadinejad believes that the world is heading for a clash of civilizations with the Middle East as the main battlefield. In that clash Iran will lead the Muslim world against the "Crusader-Zionist camp" led by America. Mr. Bush might have led the U.S. into "a brief moment of triumph." But the U.S. is a "sunset" (ofuli) power while Iran is a sunrise (tolu'ee) one and, once Mr. Bush is gone, a future president would admit defeat and order a retreat as all of Mr. Bush's predecessors have done since Jimmy Carter.

Mr. Ahmadinejad also notes that Iran has just "reached the Mediterranean" thanks to its strong presence in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. He used that message to convince Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to adopt a defiant position vis-à-vis the U.N. investigation of the murder of Rafiq Hariri, a former prime minister of Lebanon. His argument was that once Mr. Bush is gone, the U.N., too, will revert to its traditional lethargy. "They can pass resolutions until they are blue in the face," Mr. Ahmadinejad told a gathering of Hezbollah, Hamas and other radical Arab leaders in Tehran last month.

Read the whole thing. There is a lot more here, like this;

It is not only in Tehran and Damascus that the game of "waiting Bush out" is played with determination. In recent visits to several regional capitals, this writer was struck by the popularity of this new game from Islamabad to Rabat. The general assumption is that Mr. Bush's plan to help democratize the heartland of Islam is fading under an avalanche of partisan attacks inside the U.S. The effect of this assumption can be witnessed everywhere.

We can kid ourselves all day long and Liberals can tell all of the lies that they wish about how they are really patriotic and how they are not harming our national security, that will not help. The Democrats want a strategic redeployment, and the enemy knows exactly what that is. We kid ourselves, but they understand.

The enemy sees our weakness and is ready to act.

You Just Can't Make This Up

The primitives of Islam are having trouble with a "problem" that we would not think twice about.

Uttering 'talaq' in sleep lands couple in soup

Siliguri: A Muslim couple in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal have been ordered by local religious leaders to separate as the husband allegedly uttered 'talaq' three times in his sleep.

While the couple, who have three children, refused to obey the order as there was no discord between them, the community leaders are adamant that they must separate or face a "social boycott."

Aftab Ansari and Sohela have been married for the past 11 years.

However, on the night of December 20 last, Aftab allegedly uttered 'talaq' three times in his sleep after a tiff with his wife.

The matter came to light when Sohela discussed it with her close friends and soon it reached the ears of the Muslim leaders.

A quote of a Press Trust of India article by the same name (I cannot find a link) in its entirety;

A Muslim couple in Jalpaiguri district have been ordered by local
religious leaders to separate as the husband allegedly uttered talaq
three times in his sleep.

While the couple, who have three children, refused to obey the order
since there was no discord between them, the community leaders are
adamant that they must separate or face a "social boycott".

Aftab Ansari and Sohela have been married for the past 11 years.
However, on the night of December 20 last year, Aftab allegedly uttered
talaq three times in his sleep after a tiff with his wife.

The matter came to light when Sohela discussed it with her close
friends and soon it reached the ears of the Muslim leaders.

The leaders, quoting the Shariyat, ruled that the talaq has to be
implemented and if it is not acceptable, the only alternative was
temporary separation for 100 days during which the wife will live at
her father's house and spend a night with another man. [Now there are some family values for you. Does she then get to be stoned for adultery? - ed.]

She can remarry her husband only after the man has given her talaq.

As the couple was unwilling to accept the verdict, the matter went to
the family counselling centre at Falakata police station in Jalpaiguri
district.

The counselling centre, attended by judges of the Alipurduar
sub-divisional court, discussed the problem in detail on Saturday, but
failed to find a solution.

The additional district session judge (second track), Muhammad Abdul
Jalil, has directed the general secretary of the Anjuman Committee,
Muhammad Abul, to settle the issue, sources in the counselling centre
said.

I wonder if they will be able to sort out this very difficult problem

Liberal Judenhass Watch - Jimmy Carter

JOSHUAPUNDIT fisks the recent pronouncement of Jimmy Carter in support of HAMAS, the group that still wants to kill every Jew in the Middle East.

In Jimmy Carter soils himself in print Freedom Fighter finds both the lies...

"With Israel's approval, the Carter Center has monitored all three Palestinian elections. They have all been honest and peaceful, with the results accepted by winners and losers."

Which elections are you talking about. Mr. Carter? The Stalin-like one where Arafat ran unopposed except for an 80 year old woman who told everybody to vote for Arafat? Or the most recent one that featured gun battles between Hamas and Fatah supporters, and had the Palestinian 'security' forces voting in their barracks under the eyes of their officers?

and the stupidities;

"The pre-eminent obstacle to peace is Israel's colonisation of Palestine."

No, Mr. Carter. The pre-eminent obstacle to peace, as you put it, is the Arab refusal to live next to Jews in peace and equality.That's the central issue, and if it weren't, where the borders were wouldn't be important.

There are almost a million Arabs who live in Israel as citizens, with the right to vote and the full protection of law. Care to show me a similar community of Jews with those rights in the Arab world?

Freedom Fighter nails it, go read the whole thing.

Sodom Officially Condemns Christians

The City of San Francisco, always willing to tolerate speech with which it agrees, has issued an official condemnation of a rally of peaceful, evangelical Christians.

Evangelical teens rally in S.F.;

More than 25,000 evangelical Christian youth landed Friday in San Francisco for a two-day rally at AT&T Park against "the virtue terrorism" of popular culture, and they were greeted by an official city condemnation and a clutch of protesters who said their event amounted to a "fascist mega-pep rally."

This is not their first rally. They made stops in Detroit and Philadelphia.

Luce said it was the first time one of his events has been officially condemned.

A Battle Cry invitation to teenagers made plain the symbolism of gathering in San Francisco for a pre-event rally at "the very City Hall steps where several months ago, gay marriages were celebrated for all the world to see."

The idea of normal, healthy families leading normal healthy lives is too much for the people of Sodom.

On one side of the barricade was girl carrying a sign that said, "Instead of porn, show us Godly relationships." On the other, a woman held one that said, "I moved here to get away from people like you."

South Koreans Warm to U.S.

Poll: S. Koreans warming to U.S., see China as longterm threat;

Some 38 percent of South Koreans think China could emerge as their country'’s biggest security threat in a decade, according to a recent poll by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, a state-run think tank.

The March 19 survey indicated that South Koreans are increasingly concerned about China's rapidly growing influence while Seoul's anti-U.S. sentiment appears to be slowly easing.

Also, 81.7 percent of respondents described the United States as the most helpful to South Korea, followed by distant runners-up China with 6.1 percent and Japan 4.5 percent. 5.4 percent cited North Korea as the most helpful country to South Korea.

Perhaps, but for the reasons that I stated here, I still think that we should remove our armed forces and use them elsewhere.

Write Your Congressman

Congress Must Block White House From Cutting Military Health Care

But this year, the Bush administration decided it was time to make major cuts in the TRICARE retiree program to help pay for the war in Iraq. The administration has proposed a defense budget which would triple the annual TRICARE Prime enrollment fee for retired officers under 65, double the annual enrollment fee for senior enlisted retirees under 65 and increase the annual enrollment fee by 41 percent for enlisted retirees E-6 and below under the age of 65.

Anyone who opts for TRICARE Standard would have to pay an annual enrollment fee for the first time, though it would not be as high as the TRICARE Prime enrollment fee. At the same time, the administration also proposed raising deductibles for everyone covered under TRICARE Standard.

Let’s be very specific. Retired officers under TRICARE Prime will see their annual enrollment fee for an individual go up from the current level of $230 to $700 in two years. Family enrollment fees for retired officers will go up from the current level of $460 to $1,400 in two years.

For senior enlisted retirees under TRICARE Prime the annual fee would increase from the current individual level of $230 to $475 in two years and the family enrollment fee would go up from $460 to $950 in two years.

Those military retiree families who elect TRICARE Standard could expect new enrollment fees ranging from $280 to $560 plus higher deductibles.

In a move that can only be described as cynical, the Bush administration is trying to create savings by raising fees, deductibles and co-pays to such a level that many retirees will abandon TRICARE in favor of health insurance provided by their post-military employers (for those who have second career jobs). The assumption is that employed retirees currently sign up for TRICARE rather than health insurance through their new employer because TRICARE is so much cheaper and since many employers require the employee to pay a hefty portion of their health insurance premiums.

One of the reasons we stick-out 20 of active duty service with lousy pay is because the lack of pay is made up for with other benefits, medical care after retirement being the most important. When I joined the Navy, the promise was of free medical for life. Then under the Clintons we got TRICARE and the fees mentioned in the article linked above. OK, I have no problem with that.

This goes too far.

Physical Defects in North Korea

No one in North Korea has a physical defect. How can that be? Simple. If a child is born with a physical defect he is immediately killed.

N.Korean defector says disabled newborns are killed

"There are no people with physical defects in North Korea," Ri told members of the New Right Union, which groups local activists and North Korean refugees.

He said babies born with physical disabilities were killed in infancy in hospitals or in homes and were quickly buried.

The practice is encouraged by the state, Ri said, as a way of purifying the masses and eliminating people who might be considered "different."

The group urged the South Korean government to change course away from "silent diplomacy" and immediately begin taking action to pressure the North to improve its human rights record.

The South Korean government has refused to join international condemnation of human rights abuses in the North out of concern that such a move could rattle ties with Pyongyang, which considers any criticism of its human rights as deeply offensive.

"The government should stop trying to avoid upsetting Kim Jong-il," said another defector, Kim Young-sun, 67, referring to the North Korean leader. "It should try to upset Kim Jong-il," she said, adding it would be the best way to change the North.

Kim Young-sun is a survivor of the North's Yodok prison camp, [more on North Korea's Gulag here, - ed.] notorious for its forced labor and life-sentences for people charged with conspiring against the Kim Jong-il leadership.

Mun Hyon-ok said women from her hometown in the northern region of North Korea bordering China were taken by a ring of human traffickers and probably ended up in China.

"And there are women who are selling themselves for a handful of rice," she told the forum.

North Korea has called itself a people's paradise and said criticism of its human rights was motivated by a goal of toppling the leadership of Kim Jong-il.

North Korea still calls itself a worker's and a people's paradise. Kim Jong-Il would like to give this gift of "paradise" to South Korea as well.