by Alex Gimarc                                Mon., June 16, 2008

Interesting Items 6/16 -

Howdy all, a few Interesting Items for your information. Enjoy -

In this issue:

1. SCOTUS
2. Weather
3. Faker
4. Countrywide

1. SCOTUS. The Supreme Court handed down one of the most outrageous decisions since Roe v Wade last week, granting illegal combatants habeas corpus rights. The 5-4 opinion overturns nearly 240 years of precedent, and puts the SCOTUS in the business of determining how a war is to be prosecuted. This is one of the worst usurpations of Executive and congressional power by the leftist judges in the majority. Basically, the opinion gives illegal enemy combatants rights that American military members, who are subject to military commissions while in the military – access to the federal courts system so that some idiot in black robes can determine if there is enough evidence to hold and try the combatant. Interesting corollary to that last sentence: When was the last time that military members in armed combat followed the official federal rules of evidence gathering for criminal trials? The McClatchy newspapers responded by weeks’ end with a series of articles describing all the human rights abuses suffered by the poor terrorist misfits held in Guantanamo and other military prisons. Interestingly enough, none of the articles recapped the history of military commissions and tribunals run since the Revolutionary War. And none of the McClatchy articles recapped what the captured had been doing when they were captured on the battlefield (hint: do a search on Daniel Pearl). The bottom line in all of this is that illegal enemy combatants – usually people not wearing uniforms – have no rights. None. Zip. Zero. Nada. Should they take up arms in support of a government, wear uniforms, and operate at the direction of a government, then they are covered by the Geneva Conventions. But none of the terrorists captured on the battlefield are so covered. They do not wear uniforms. They do not fight at the behest of any sovereign government. They do not adhere to the rules of armed conflict. They hide behind women, children, and use the handicapped as weapons delivery systems. As such, their lives are forfeit. What should be done? While I’d like to see impeachments for the five fools in the majority, I don’t think we will get it. There has been some talk about a constitutional amendment removing completely the ability of the courts to intrude in this area of law. I would be supportive of such an amendment. Unfortunately, how can we get into the business of passing constitutional amendments each time the SCOTUS has a brain f art? A better solution would be for the President to simply ignore the ruling, and lay out in detail rationale for ignoring it. For if the judges become lawbreakers, why pay any attention to them at all.? If they are lawless in their review and opinions, why give them any respect, any weight in future opinions, or pay any attention to them ever again? With this opinion, the SCOTUS has undermined the ability of the Executive to conduct armed conflict. They have undermined congressional prerogative in armed conflict. And they have inserted themselves sm artly into the game – all to the detriment of successful conduct of future wars. There are going to be a lot of dead people as a result of this opinion. I hope the media celebration for the majority was worth the lives and blood on their hands.

2. Weather. One of the old sayings was that you can’t do anything about the weather except complain about it. However in recent years that has been modified a bit. Today, anything that happens weather wise is blamed on manmade global warming – regardless of whether or not the weather event was due to warmer or colder than normal air masses. Take the violent weather in the Midwest last week. It didn’t take the global warmists long to blame a string of tornadoes on warmer than normal temperatures due to manmade global warming. But when you look at the actual temperatures involved, you will note that the warm, wet air moving north from the Gulf of Mexico was not significantly warmer than normal. On the other hand, the cold air moving south out of Canada was significantly cooler than normal. When the two air masses met and combined, there were spectacular thunderstorms and tornadoes. The point in this discussion is the difference in temperature between the two air masses. When there is not a large difference, weather changes turn out relatively mild. When there is a large temperature difference, the associated weather gets pretty dangerous. Wild weather in the Midwest? Look at colder than normal air from Canada. As the sun continues without sun spots, expect colder than normal weather. And expect more violent weather.

3. Faker. The latest election campaign gambit out of the democrats and the Obama campaign is an attack on credibility of bloggers and talk radio. The subject was rumors out of democrat activists including Bob Beckel, best known for pot-stirring during the Florida 2000 recount, and a couple other Hillary supporters about a video tape of Michelle Obama in the pulpit of the Trinity United Church of Christ using the terms “whitey’ and “cracker.” Beckel went on Fox after Obama was selected as the nominee warning that the right wing had the tape and would release it to harm Obama and go after his wife as part of the campaign. The Obama campaign in concert with the release of this rumor stood up a web site called Fight the Smears, ostensibly intended to proactively go after all the false, evil things that the bloggers and talk radio would be going after Obama about during the campaign. It turns out that nobody can find the Michelle Obama tape, and it may very well not exist. At this point it appears that the entire episode was intended to get the blogosphere and talk radio chasing after a false rumor, over extend themselves, and undermine their credibility. The second goal of this was to inoculate Michelle Obama, who has some severe drawbacks as a candidate from any criticism. Like Obama himself, she and the campaign appear to be singularly incapable of responding to criticism by telling the truth. And instead resort to taking issues off the table, shutting up critics, and stopping all discussion. The phrase “shut up, she explained” describes this technique nicely. Expect this campaign to eventually pull the race card, whereby if anyone criticizes Obama or his wife on any subject, or questions anything about them, they will be called racists. Now this is not going to stop me. But the weak sisters at the RNC and inside the McCain campaign seem very susceptible to the threat.

4. Countrywide. Yet another democrat majority in congress; yet another series of unreported financial scandals. And it only took this new majority a mere year and a half to dig this hole. It appears that Countrywide Financial, one of the companies at the center of the subprime mortgage loan meltdown has been buying influence from democrat members of congress via loans at below market rates. Obama’s point man on his Vice Presidential search committee, Jim Johnson, who had connections to the Fannie Mae scandal while CEO of Fannie Mae, accepted over $2 million in loans below market rates from Countrywide. Johnson has since resigned from the VP search committee. Interestingly enough, Obama has been blasting away at Countrywide and the subprime loan mess for months, using it as a tool against both the Hillary campaign and the Bush administration. He had no rationale for one of his closest advisors being up to his neck in the scandal and benefiting personally from loans made while CEO of Fannie Mae except to say that Johnson did not work for him and that he did not vet the vetters. At weeks’ end the list of those getting preferential treatment from Countrywide has expanded to include two sitting democrat US Senators – Chris Dodd (D, CN), and Kent Conrad (D, ND). Both refinanced properties at rates well below prime rates in 2003 – 2004. Both are sitting on or chairing senate committees currently working on legislation to bail out those companies that made too many subprime loans and had them defaulted upon by homeowners that ought to have known better. The list of other Washington insiders bellying up to the trough includes former Clinton HHS Secretary Donna Shalala, former Bush HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson (who resigned abruptly under ethical questions earlier this year), and former Clinton UN Ambassador and Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke. Dodd saved himself $58,000 with the loan and chairs the Senate Banking Committee. Conrad saved himself $10,000. So much for Reid and Pelosi’s most ethical congress in history promise, eh? Hot Air, Sat.

More later –

           - AG

"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."
- Samuel Adams, speech at the Philadelphia State House, August 1, 1776.