Political Blog

Originally posted at Swing State Ohio.

Dictionary.com defines a pathological liar as “a person who lies to the point of it being considered a disease or condition, an abnormally habitual liar.”

Most politicians tend to stretch the truth a bit while they are in office. Whether is is George Bush’s assertion that “Iraq has WMD’s” or Bill Clinton’s “I did not have sexual relations with that woman,” examples can be found throughout American history. The distinction lies in the last part of the definition quoted above: an abnormally habitual liar.

In the paragraphs below, I’ll explain why I feel that Jean Schmidt is an abnormally habitual liar. To make my point, I’ve numbered several instances in which Schmidt has not only stretched the truth, but has intentionally lied to voters in an attempt to make herself look better, or her opponent look worse.

Lie #1: Denied that she knew Tom Noe

July 31st 2005, from Swing State Project:

This morning’s CBS 12 “Newsmakers” program, Jean Schmidt lied to the voters – only two days before the election. In an effort to cover up Jean Schmidt’s involvement in the scandalous culture of corruption, Schmidt said she didn’t know Tom Noe. Schmidt said she’d never met Tom Noe. Schmidt said she had never even heard of Tom Noe. The woman with the “file-card memory” lied.

You see, Jean Schmidt was Vice Chair of the Higher Education
Subcommittee of the House Finance and Appropriations Committee. During
the same period, Tom Noe was a member of the Board of Regents.

In fact, on March 21, 2002, official state documents prove Jean Schmidt testified before Tom Noe’s committee.

Lie #2: Swift-Boated a veteran on the day of the primary

August 2nd 2005, from Cincinnati News:

The Schmidt Campaign released a press release Monday alleging that Paul Hackett has been misleading voters by “touting that he will be the first Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran to serve in Congress.” According to the press release, “that is untrue.”

The release goes on to explain that “Republican Congressman Mark Steven Kirk of Illinois served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Kirk is a Naval Reserve intelligence officer who is the only member of Congress to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom.”

According to a USA Today Candidate Profile, Kirk “continues to serve one weekend a month in the Pentagon, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff war room during Operation Iraqi Freedom.”

I went on to explain at Cincinnati News that:

I would hardly consider a politician spending “one weekend a month” in the Pentagon to be a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Most definitions of veteran include the phrase “active duty status.” Active duty status refers to “full-time duty in the active military service of the United States.” Given these criteria, the situation becomes much more clear. Mark Steven Kirk was a politican in D.C. when the conflict began, and he was a politician in D.C. when he spent one weekend a month at the Pentagon during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The DCCC Stakeholder blog put it this way:

And yes, this is a real press release, and yes putting that out on the last day of the campaign so that nobody has a chance to blast you for it is one of the most pathetically cowardly things I’ve seen.

Incredibly, the original press release is still hosted on Jean Schmidt’s website.

Lie #3: Tried to blame shameful comments on Ohio State Rep. Danny Bubp.

November 22nd 2005, from Think Progress(emphasis added):

During Rep. Jean Schmidt’s (R-OH) shameful attack on Rep. Jack Murtha (D-PA) on the House Floor she said she was communicating a message from Marine Colonel Danny Bubp:

A few minutes ago I received a call from Colonel Danny Bubp, Ohio Representative from the 88th district in the House of Representatives. He asked me to send Congress a message: Stay the course. He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message, that cowards cut and run, Marines never do. Danny and the rest of America and the world want the assurance from this body – that we will see this through.

Bubp denies he said that:

Danny Bubp, a freshman state representative who is a colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve, told The Enquirer that he never mentioned Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., by name when talking with Schmidt…”There was no discussion of him personally being a coward or about any person being a coward,” Bubp said.

Why can’t Jean Schmidt take responsibility for her own ridiculous comments? Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that she has made quite a habit of lying and getting away with it.

Lie #4: Stretched her bio to include two college degrees even though she only earned one.

April 4th 2006, From ChannelCincinnati.com(emphasis added):

The freshman congresswoman is facing a complaint about the truthfulness of her education and her endorsements.

The Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes, or COAST, has endorsed Schmidt’s opponent in the GOP primary, Bob McEwen. The group claims that some of Schmidt’s claimed endorsements are bogus, and instead of two bachelor degrees as stated on various biographical material, she has one.

“If it was one incident, I might think there was some merit in letting it go,” COAST’s Jim Urling said. “But we’ve got a very troubling, disconcerting pattern of misrepresentations here.”

Schmidt’s chief of staff, Barry Bennett, denied any such pattern. He told News 5 that a staffer mistakenly credited Schmidt with a second degree while creating a Web site six years ago, when Schmidt was in the Ohio House. Bennett said Schmidt’s official Web sites were corrected a year ago.

However, News 5 found a mid-June survey from the League of Women Voters that reflects two college degrees.

I’ve laid out four examples with documentation that show that Jean Schmidt is an abnormally habitual liar. If I spent the time, I could probably find several more. I think Paul Hackett said it best in a recent interview with the Cincinnati Drinking Liberally group: “She’s a pathological liar and we all know it…”

Perhaps someone from Schmidt’s staff or even Jean herself will rebuke my claims in the comment section, but I’m not holding my breath.

Cross Posted at Swing State Ohio

Subodh Chandra has a new campaign ad that is quickly gaining a lot of attention. The video is a Simpson’s spoof that compares Subodh to Apu and Marc Dann to Homer. Click here to view the video.

Even the painfully conservative Cincinnati Enquirer endorsed Chandra this morning, pointing out that he has “a keen legal intellect, solid prosecutorial experience, management experience in a large public law firm, and an incisive view of what the AG can and should do to protect Ohioans.”

From Subodh’s Campaign site:

In the weeks that remain before the primary election I intend to talk with Ohioans about the squandered potential of the Ohio Attorney General’s office that has been put at the disposal of the campaign contributors of the recent office holders instead of being used to further the interests of the Attorney General’s real clients – the people of Ohio. I intend to make the case that – as every Ohioan already knows – our state is in trouble and that when they consider who to vote for as the next Attorney General, they should do just what they would do if their family were in trouble – hire the best attorney they can find.

Subodh Chandra is the real deal. I am confident that he will make a phenomenal attorney general and that he genuinely has the interests of Ohioans in his heart. Subodh will work tirelessly to put an end to the culture of corruption in Ohio. He has the experience, qualifications, and knowledge to get the job done; all he needs is your support. The primary is May 2nd, the time to act is now.

The president of Belarus is unable to go away. Though most people think he should. Most likely Alexander Lukashenko remains the president for unlimited term as a result of outrageous lie and falsifications of election. «For our security forces the tension is so great, that you cannot imagine”, - the president said.

Belarus is threatened with the destiny of North Korea. According to Alexander Milinkevich, one of the opposition candidates, polar night can let down the country. And the main result for opposition will be that the authority will discover a new portion of disloyal people which wait for repressions after election.

Alexander Lukashenko repeatedly declared, that he will not give out the power without fight. “We’ll blow so, that it will not seem a little to them, we’ll turn off heads, we’ll kick from left to right and from top to down, they’ll rush out in one day.” He named contenders at president election as “frozen imbeciles”. The authority equates practically the opposition to terrorists.

There are low chances that a lot of people will express against distortion of election results. Belarusians are intimidated by propaganda and existing total control and slavish contract system. Disloyal people are threatened with dismissal from work, arrest and beating.

THE AUTHORITY DISCOVERED THE IMAGINARY PLOT OF OPPOSITION

They arrested first 4 heads of unregistered public association Partnership - the organizer of independent observation at election. These guys wait now for 3 years of prison. KGB declared, that Partnership was created, controlled and financed by the American organization National Democratic Institute.

One of the arrested persons Nikolay Astrejko married some days before arrest. His wife Polina speaks that KGB members threatened with a pistol to her husband. They brought with themselves witnesses which live in the other end of city. They took away Astrejko’s mobile phone In the beginning of the search and replied the incoming calls. They took away all the information, even writing-books which Astrejko a long ago used in University. They took away also the money presented by guests on the wedding and keys from an apartment.

Later the president declared, that KGB discovered the plot of opposition and crushed 72 organizations which were going to observe the election and withdrew millions of dollars, PC’s, mobile phones. “They prepared to make blow up in a crowd on March, 19 and then block main Minsk city structures and make revolution”, - said head of KGB Stepan Suharenko.

Representative of KGB declared, that they have also withdrawn already filled exit-polls reports prepared by the Vilnius office of Gallup which should be carried out during president election on March, 19. As though the opposition wanted to sound off these figures simultaneously with the official data and to declare their victory.

Rasa Olishovskene, the head of the Gallup Baltic office denied this statement and named it a forgery. This organization was not going to make exit-poll during president election in Belarus at all. Experts speak, that a forged documents have bad quality as there is not figures “against all candidates” and “refused to answer”.

According to Pavel Mozhejko, press secretary of Alexander Milinkevich, the authority have data of the population polls. These figures coincide with those information which authorities named as preparing provocation. According to documents withdrawn by KGB, the victor in president election is the leader of opposition Alexander Milinkevich with 53,7% voices of voters. Alexander Lukashenko has 41,3%. Another opposition candidate Alexander Kozulin 3,8%, Sergey Gajdukevich 1,2%.

THE OPPOSITION AS THOUGH TRIED TO BUST UP BELARUS WITH MOSLEMS

In absence of the editor-in-chief A.Karol, oppositional newspaper Zgoda reprinted a caricature on prophet Mohammed which already have done a lot of noise in the West. Most likely provocation has been made by the introduced employee of KGB.
The criminal case is up. The president has declared that the newspaper will be closed and guilty persons will be in prison.

THEY ARRESTED AND BEATEN OPPOSITION CANDIDATE AND JOURNALISTS

Alexander Kozulin wanted to get to All-Belarusian People’s Congress which was made as Lukashenko pre-election propaganda action. By the way, speakers of this event sent their speeches in the administration of the president a week before event.

In a Railway Palace building, where Kozulin tried to be registered as member of Congress, 6 guys in black jackets and sport caps tumbled down 2 meter high candidate on the floor quickly and professionally.

“They started to beat him with fists and legs, - the head of candidate staff Mecheslav Grib speaks. We could make nothing. Journalists tried to photograph and every one got down. They pressed them to a wall. Each photographer was held by two persons. Television cameraman for Reuters was also beaten. They destroyed his camera”.

After beating, «men in black» lifted Kozulin up, drag off the building and pushed in the dark blue bus. «They jostled me as the ram under a seat in unnatural position, someone sat down from above. In this way I was driving about an hour through the city», - speaks Kozulin himself.
The crowd of people gathered at police building where they delivered Kozulin. Correspondent of KP in Belarus Oleg Ulevich was beaten when tried to photograph as the police began to detain people. The police broken his nose. Later in hospital it was found out that the journalist also have a craniocerebral injury.

Soon two policemen from the press service came to him in hospital like to apologize, but when the journalist could not describe people which attacked him, the police assumed, that he strike with head on the fence himself.

SCANDAL CONFESSIONS OF KGB EMPLOYEES

A few days ago site www.ucpb.org received e-mail signed by staff of KGB. Here is the full text of the letter.

We are employees of Committee of State Security of Belarus and declare the following! After TV statement of opposition candidate in president Alexander Milinkevich and especially Alexander Kozulin, we started to receive messages from places that the population of Belarus actively discusses them, expresses support to those politics and negatively expresses to the side of running authority.

Our information shows, that these days the rating and trust to the working president has sharply fallen. Even in the Mogilev area (native area of Lukashenko) it does not exceed 23%. Talks about TV statements of opposition candidates and also an opinions about events are active on workplaces, in transport, in shops and the markets. The main part of people shows extreme displeasure with suppression and distortion by authority of a true state of affairs. The anxiety for result of voting on March, 19 and confidence of their falsification from authorities simultaneously grows by people.

We see that the authority is frightened. The meeting with heads of power structures carried out by Alexander Lukashenko was really hysterical. Chairman of KGB Stepan Suharenko got the sanction to immediate performance of special actions. These articles of criminal code are on the top: Action on behalf of the unregistered organization and Implication in illegal activity of minors. That’s why have begun searches, checks and detentions.

Round-the-clock closer watch are established for Milinkevich, Kozulin and also for their nearest colleagues. Detachments and checks are reinforced on borders, especially with Russia. They made lists with numbers of cars of disloyal people, including members of families.
Struggle against the organization Partnership is the beginning of provocations of our department. Copies of the fabricated polls are prepared by our structure and we know those people.

And what is ahead?

1. In the day of voting Lukashenko’s headquarters will be in Administration of president. This day there will be all basic heads and all power structures heads.
2. The day of election is the working day for all officials. Everyone should manage process and be at phone.
3. One day before elections - personal care of all leaders of opposition. In day of elections – keeping out leaders from people.
4. Switching-off of the Internet and mobile telecommunications is planned.
5. There will be all possible measures on denial of arriving people from places to Minsk in the day of voting. They prepare the official statement that because of probable provocations arrival to Minsk will be limited: cancellation of electric trains, buses, check of cars entrance.
6. They prepare variant of finding the weapon or an ammunition in one of offices, in garage or the car of the oppositionist. It’s the basic direction of provocations.
7. Members of the election committee will instruct voters, that they will be responsible for carrying out of the bulletins (intimidation).
8. The central places of Minsk in day of voting will be closed, tightly and in various ways (in advance).
9. There is the task to find “skunk” with the big sum of dollars which he should give out to other people for coming out on the streets. Certain people will give out themselves for members of opposition.
10. In the day of voting TV all the day long will reporting about course of voting. Positively about Lukashenko and all dirty about Milinkevich. In other words: mass infringements, purchase of the voices, a drunk active, etc.
11. There will be an instructing of all power structures heads on March, 17 in a Lukashenko’s cabinet according analysis of the received information. After that there will be command how to act: with whom and when.
12. The plan for oppositionists is approved: arrest, police, court,15 day in prison. 2-3 hours time for all this actions. By evening on March 19 there will be no most active members at all.
13. The task is only 1 round and more than 73% of voices to Lukashenko, Milinkevich is not the second.
14. Groups of certain sportsmen are created. They will engaged in fight with police passing themselves off as drunk opposition and also will beat members of opposition.
15. Till March 10, 2006 all members of the election committee will know about measures of their encouragement.
16. The tasks also are:
- To break utterly meetings with voters
- To release and arrest as though Milinkevich brochures
- 3 video sign against opposition are ready.
- During broadcasting of Milinkevich statements, in 2-3 areas to switch off light.
- Police should not let independent mass-media in post boxes of people.
17. They already spy on international observers.
18. Before the election, after TV statements of all candidates Lukashenko will give “estimation” and conclusion to all oppositional candidates.

The authority is ready to do anything. They afraid to lose all feeding troughs, the stolen money and power.

The most part of force and police structures are decent, patriotic people. They said years to us that coming opposition authority will dismiss everybody and the most enthusiastic will imprison.

Let’s work with our colleagues and to win over to your side. We collect and analyze the information understanding essence of the today’s moment and will present it to society when there will be conditions for this.

The order on beating of presidential contender Kozulin has given personally Lukashenko. And chairman of KGB went to look who is stronger: one marine or 30 special force men.

What for we need to serve to such executioners?

Original story with cute images on: Garmahis’ Belarus stories

I don’t think there is any doubt around the fact that the United States was founded on libertarian grounds. The constitution drips with freedom. For those of you who don’t know the philosophy behind libertarianism, it is based around a lack of government prevalence:

The government must be controlled by the people, not vice-versa.
The government must fear any decision is makes that infringes on people’s liberties.
The government must always be vulnerable to overthrow from its people.

Let’s look at the first amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The first part regards keeping the influence of an establishment of religion (Church) to not be prevalent in the government, and that congress should not make a law that pretains to less than all the religions (”no law respecting”). This is primarily twisted by our current President, who is a self-acclaimed “born-again Christian”, and said that not only did God tell him to invade Iraq, but also that the most influencial person in his life is Jesus. Hey, there’s a million ways to skin a cat. And by “skin a cat”, I mean “tear down the wall separating Church and State”. This also mostly has to do with our “freedom of speech”, something very few countries have. This is here, again, to limit the goverment’s power. If the goverment regulates what we say, it has far more power over the people, and that can’t happen. Right now, it is already being infringed. Who’s to say I’m not allowed to say “fuck” or “shit” in school? It’s simply a secquence of sounds some people have decided is offending (but I sure as hell don’t think so). How about the second?

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.

The Second Amendment is not here just because people like guns, it’s that guns are necessary to retain the freedom of the people. One of the main reasons the Revolutionary War started and escalated was when British Federalists tried to destroy or capture large stocks of American weapons and powder. If it weren’t for Washington reacting in time, the Federalists would’ve had complete power over us, as the Revolutionary forces would have had nothing to fight back with. In the situtation where the government gains too much power and destroys the American right to keep and bear arms, there would be little we can do. See, the government has to be fearful of it’s population, not the other way around. A lot of people say “Well, it says “militia”, so we can’t just let anybody get a gun!!!1″ Wrong. It says “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” By militia, they mean an organized fighting force, controlled by our government, for the “Security of a free State”. I.E., our current armed forces. HOWEVER, the “right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed” because the people just fought a war agains Federalist militia, for two years, that’s why the Second Amendment is here and enforced.

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

This limits the military’s power. It basically means that a soldier shall not live in a guy’s house without his permission. This has declined in relevancy since the Revolutionary War, as there has not since been a war on our soil.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

This sounds awfully familiar, was it that NSA-Bush wiretapping thing? The “Patriot” act? Well, both. With the wiretapping, Bush did not obtain a “Warrant”, and is therefore unconstitutional. With the “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001″, it says it is and act “To deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes.” Wow, I guess they wouldn’t notice the “for other purposes” sneaked in there. This gives the government FAR too much power, and that can’t happen. People pass it off as “we’re at war”. Well, these guys wrote the Bill of Rights right after and during a war. That’s the whole point - our civil liberties cannot be infringed upon even in a time of war. But, then again, nobody seemed to mind when we locked all those Japanese people up in WW2. Wait, they did mind. Actually, we were all pretty damn pissed. Lets face it, America is pretty safe right now, even though we are “in a war” (even though the “mission” was declared “accomplished” a few years ago in a pretty lavish spectacle), and the level of our safety doesn’t constitute giving our government the ability to spy on us without anyone ever finding out. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Those who give up essential liberties for temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” What supporters of the “Patriot” Act don’t seem to understand that as soon as you give up those freedoms, you’re never going to get them back.

Right now, those seem to be the only amendments in the Bill O’ Rights that the government appears to be breaking or is getting pressure to do so soon (the second amendment). Only time will tell, as the United States veers further and further away from the liberties and personal freedom the founding fathers intended.

The current riots over Danish cartoons portraying Mohammed have been a missed opportunity by most parties involved. The Muslims could have protested peacefully, or ignored them, proving that the image of Muslims as terrorists is wrong. The American media has also missed an opportunity to both show solidarity with the European press, who published the cartoons, and prove to the Islamists that threats and violence will not work.
Make no mistake; the riots are a planned attack on our freedom of speech from people that do not have the same values as we do. The cartoons were originally published in September by a small Danish right-wing newspaper. Imams in Denmark and a group calling themselves the Brotherhood of Islam took the newspapers, went to Islamic countries and told the leaders, erroneously, that they were being published all over Europe. These countries then planned the riots. As proof I point to the fact that they had so many Danish flags to burn. I could understand if they had American flags on call to burn every time the Great Satan did something to anger so-called moderate Muslims. But Danish flags in abundance?
Not only that, but Denmark is soon to be on the U.N. Security Council. With Iran seeking nuclear weapons and trying to discredit the U.N., this is a perfect opportunity to portray the U.N. as an anti-Muslim organization. This attempt points to a larger scale operation than the ‘spontaneous’ riots that we were originally led to believe.
The rioters have signs claiming, among others that call for the death of the cartoonists and the beheading of people who speak ill of Islam, that pictures of Mohammed are not allowed according to Shar’ia (Islamic law). Not only is that a lie, there are portrayals of Mohammed that date to the medieval period in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, and Persian Iran, but we are not Muslims therefore we do not need to bend to their rules. Non-Catholics do not need to give up something for Lent or meat on Fridays. Nor do Catholics expect anyone to.
This has been a planned terrorist response by an international fascist movement. Unfortunately our mainstream media has decided to bow to threats of violence, citing ‘cultural sensitivity’. These self-styled proponents for free-speech, whenever Christianity is involved, are now kowtowing to terrorism.
During the Catholic priest pedophilia scandal the media wrote scathing editorials about the Catholic Church. When criticized they cited their right to free-speech. Did Catholics go out into the streets and burn consulates? Did Christians take to the streets calling for the death of op-ed columnists and cartoonists that portrayed priests and the Church as a whole in a negative light?
Why is the mainstream media, arguably our best defender of free-speech, now refusing to do just that? This is a missed opportunity by our press to show exactly where their loyalties lie. I do not buy the excuse that it would have ‘added fuel to the controversy’ when the very same people printed stories about Qur’an defacement (Newsweek) and the newly released Abu Graib pictures (CNN). Apparently freedom of speech is only applicable to people that will not kill you for disagreeing.
Another point that these riots have brought to light is that America is not the sole target of Islamic fundamentalism. For too long Europe has bought the myth that only the imperialist Americans and Zionist Israel were the sole foes of a Caliphate. Europeans were able to go to sleep sure that Islamists would overlook them. This has been proven horribly wrong. Not only is Europe in this war as well, but they have more concerns than us due to their larger population of Muslims.
The major question remains: Why did Muslims choose to respond to cartoons that portrayed their beliefs as a violent religion with violence? Simply put, violence worked. Our media chose not to run these stories and hence they chose to give in to terrorism. In essence, sacrificing our freedoms of speech and press for ‘peace for our time’

For the past two decades, America’s dependence on foreign oil has been seen as an increasing threat to its economic, political, and military wellbeing. Indeed, after the attacks in New York and Washington on September 11, 2001 that viewpoint gained new credibility. For the moment, the greatest natural resource on Earth is largely controlled by governments unfriendly to the United States. And, in the few cases where those governments are friendly with the US, we are simply incompatible with one another in terms of our views on freedom and democracy. Even traditionally friendly nations, such as Venezuela, seem eager for America to fail and wither into a second-rate power. There is little doubt that the United States would be well served to sever itself from foreign oil and focus its attention on important issues without having to be held hostage by oil-rich tyrants and dictators. President Bush, in his State of the Union Address, made it clear that America was in need of new sources of energy.

Long before his State of the Union Address this past January, The President hinted at another long-term US strategy, perhaps without even realizing it. In early 2004, President Bush announced an ambitious plan to return American astronauts to the moon by 2020. In the wake of mounting casualties in Iraq, many Americans viewed this latest endeavor as unworthy of our attention. They argued that the US had more pressing needs to consider here on Earth and that this was merely a publicity stunt with no real value. But the moon is far more than a handsome rock that we stare at on clear winter nights. The moon may just be the most valuable piece of real-estate in the solar system. In fact, the moon may make or break the next global superpower on Earth.

Our nearest cosmic neighbor actually has a very special resource that is extremely rare on Earth. This little gem is not really a gem at all, but a potent little substance known as Helium-3 (He-3). Without getting too technical, He-3 is an isotope of helium with 1 neutron and 2 protons (as opposed to the 2 neutrons and 2 protons we are familiar with in our balloons). The really great thing about He-3 is that it could provide a much safer and more reliable source of nuclear energy. It is very powerful, it is non-polluting, and there is essentially no radioactive byproduct when using it as nuclear fuel.

We actually have some He-3 right here on Earth as a by-product of nuclear weapon maintenance. It is estimated that we can supply ourselves with about 15 kg of He-3 per year and that there is 29 kg in strategic reserves. But the Moon is packed with the stuff. The current estimate is that there are 1.1 million metric tons of He3 waiting to be exploited on the Moon. That amount of He-3, when used with Deuterium, would generate approximately 20,000 terawatt-years of thermal energy. Incredibly, that is about 10 times as much energy as we could produce from mining all of the fossil fuels on the planet - and it is much cleaner. 25 tons would power the entire United States for 1 year and that is about the amount we could pack into the cargo space of the space shuttle.

And if that isn’t enough to sell you, imagine the economic potential. Of all of the countries on Earth, the United States is the only one that has proven it can put men on the moon. If the US could get a jump start on this new resource, it could single handedly provide the entire world with all of its energy needs. The United States could go from energy consumer, to energy provider very quickly. The economic gain will drive exploration of the moon and encourage private industry in the US to take up the lucrative and difficult challenge of space commercialization.

While many people wondered how we could afford to be thinking about the Moon at a time like this, I ask, “How can we afford not to?”

Yes, I believe we should put a full economic boycott on all muslim nations.

In a previous article posted here on this blog there was a statement regarding the resolve to defend islam. There, it refered to blasphemy as an attack on islam. Ergo, the author believes it to be his duty to protect his religion. Methods of this protection are, following from his article, boycotting, ignoring, et cetera.
My point is, how different is boycotting, ignoring, et cetera from disrespecting? I exercise my beliefs by saying that “Muhammed suffered from epilepsy, and his revelations are thusly of ‘undivine’ nature”.
The author states that he respect atheists, yet with his wish to limit my freedom of expression, he assaults, he attacks with those words my love of freedom. My statement “Muhammed…nature” could be seen as a consequence to his intolerance (and that of the muslim world).
Merely because he professes islam to be reactionary (in contrast to peaceful, as some would dare claim) does not mean that these reactions do not in turn have other reactions, of which he is in part responsible (at least, if one were to feel one has the right to blame others for their actions).

It were people using islam to murder others that inspired those cartoons. Extremists using Muhammed were being displayed in those cartoons. The reaction of the western world, rather than placing boycotts on the muslim world was to finely point out critique in a responsible way. Responsible? Yes, because the method in which it was presented did not harm anyone.

These boycotts will harm people. They will harm the people in Denmark who are right now having a tough time. Likewise, boycotting the muslim world and letting victims of earthquakes and the likes without food, medicin and support would have direct casualties as a result. The western world chose for a method to vent their frustration about extremist islam by using cartoons, rather than boycotting, silencing, murdering, torching, lynching, or other methods that are seen as unhuman. The Western world recognises its global responsibility and is actively preventing escalation. It is in no means responsible for the violent, suicidal tendencies of the muslim world towards escalation. Tendencies (for they are in no case isolated incidents) that do not fit a peaceful religion.

Mahatmi Gandhi gave a method of manipulation. Civil disobedience. Islam, the religion of peace? Then call up those muslims of Syria and other nations where people are being oppressed, to inact a period of civil disobedience. No authority, history has proven, can force an entire nation to comply. If islam is a religion of peace, let alone supported by Allah, this should be within its power.

A famous western proverb, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” best describes here the choice the modern muslim faces. He can not be complacent, he can not be lazy. He can not say in 50 years, “I did not know.” He must stand up, now, and show the world that fundamentalist islam is not the path. He must actively scream out, in unison with all other muslims, against those oppresive regimes, and against war in the name of islam.

Until such interuption of complacency in the moderate muslim, doubt will remain about his true intent, and his true loyalty and devotion towards freedom (both in the western world, and abroad.

Jerôme Serpenti

British revocation of our independence.

A newspaper in Denmark started an uproar in the Muslim world by publishing 12 cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed(saw) a few weeks back which has triggered a huge backlash against anything made in Denmark. Before I go any further, I would like to state to my non-Muslim readers that to make an image of any of the prophets of Allah(swt) is considered blasphemous and a possible route to idolatry. One example I can easily cite is with the Christians, who have taken Prophet Jesus(as) and raised him to the the rank of Allah(swt) and the son of Allah(swt) [astaghfirulah].

One of the worst cartoons shows the Prophet(saw) with a turban in the shape of a bomb. Not only are these cartoons blasphemous, which most non-Muslims would not care about, but they are disrespectful as well. When it comes to religion I try very hard not to disrespect others religions or lack of religion, due to the simple fact that it may cause them emotional disstress or another form of discomfort. Besides these two reasons it is, as I stated before, disrespectful to attack someones beliefs in such a manner. If the people of Denmark don’t want to like the Prophet(saw) that is fine, but at least respect the beliefs of others. Denmark and Norway (second nation to publish the cartoons) are both now facing and feeling a worldwide Islamic boycott of any and all goods from the two nations. Denmark has now threatened Saudi Arabia with the threat of going to the WTO to try to get monetary compensation if the government has in anyway supported this boycott. I find it kind of funny, since when US Republicans Senators and Representatives called for a boycott of Frence products, no such move was made by France.

The Denmark paper that published the cartoons has finally come out and made an empty apology concerning the cartoons. I say empty because with the apology they stated that they don’t regret running the cartoons, and would not have made a different choice if they could take the publishing back. Weak. Allah willing the Musilms will not stop their boycott, but only increase it. Speaking of increasing it, the Frence and the Germans have now made the move to re-publish the cartoons in their papers. Therefore the Muslims of the world have a duty to further boycott any and all products from these two nations. I find it particularlly interesting that France was stupid enough to publish these cartoons as the Muslims in France are still boiling over poor treatment and services they recieve in their own nation. I would not be surprised to see riots re-erupt in France.

What this all comes down to is respect for others. I do not know of any decent Muslim that makes fun of other people’s belief systems such as Christianity, Judiasm, Wicca, Atheist, or the Hindu’s. If someone were to publish something about the Prophet Moses(as) it would immediatly and relentlessly be condemned as anti-semitism. So why is it ok to treat us with disrespect?

One thing that many people fail to realize, is that we as Muslims take our deen (faith) very, very seriously. So any of the non-Muslims can attempt to have an understanding of what I mean by this, if I were to ever hear a family member or friend slander the Prophet Muhammed(saw), I would likely never speak to them again in this life, and may even become so angry by the remark that I would not hold back on them. We love our faith and are proud to be Muslims and we will not hesitate to defend Islam.

Back to respect. I wish to give an example. A good friend of mine is a Wiccan. I have known him since before I was a Muslim and lost contact with him for about four years. Even though we are very opposite now, we still show each other the respect that is deserved. Even if he is opposed to aspects of Islam, he does not attack them out of respect for me, and I do not attack aspects of Wicca out of respect for him. This is how it should be, even if we didn’t know each other. We don’t as humans have to like everything about one another, but we do need to show a minimal level of respect.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1565688

Curious what people think about this, if anyone wants to write their opinion.

It seems as though they are listening for calls FROM an arabian country to the United States. So…uh…does that mean we’re all tapped?

Here’s a thread about it illegal wiretapping!