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ANKARA — Shock and outrage swept the globe Monday after Israeli commandos stormed a flotilla of aid ships bound for the Gaza Strip, as the Jewish state's foes and allies closed ranks in condemning the deadly raid.
The UN's rights chief Navi Pillay said she was "shocked" at the violence of the raid, which left at least 10 dead, many of them reportedly Turks, while the European Union demanded a full inquiry from Tel-Aviv.
As the Islamist Hamas which rules in Gaza urged world Muslims to "rise up" in protest, police struggled to hold back an angry crowd of hundreds outside the Israeli consulate in Turkey's biggest city Istanbul.
Furious protesters shouted "Damn Israel" outside the residence of Israel's ambassador to Ankara, who was summoned for immediate talks as Turkey warned of "irreparable consequences" to bilateral ties.
"This deplorable incident, which took place in open seas and constitutes a fragrant breach of international law, may lead to irreparable consequences in our bilateral relations," a written statement said.
"By targeting civilians, Israel has once again shown its disregard for human life and peaceful initiatives," Ankara said.
Israel claimed its naval forces were attacked by activists and that both sides used live fire, after they stormed six ships bound for besieged Gaza with thousands of tonnes of aid and hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists aboard.
But Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denounced the raid as "inhuman Zionist regime action."
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas declared three days of mourning over the "massacre," while the Arab League chief Amr Mussa called it a "crime" and said the 22-country body was consulting on its next step.
Kuwait's parliament speaker condemned the storming of the flotilla, which was carrying 16 Kuwaitis including an MP, as a "heinous Israeli crime."
In Europe, condemnation was equally swift.
The European Union demanded Israel mount a "full inquiry," with foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton demanding "an immediate, sustained and unconditional opening" of crossings to Gaza.
Spain -- the current European Union president -- Sweden and Greece summoned the Israeli ambassadors to their capitals to demand explanations, with Madrid slamming the operation as "unacceptable".
Greece, which had some 30 nationals on board the flotilla, also withdrew from joint military exercises with Israel in protest at the raid.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said he was "deeply shocked" by the Israeli raid and insisted "nothing can justify" such violence.
Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle also said he was "deeply concerned" about the deaths.
The bloody ending to the high-profile mission to deliver supplies to Gaza came on the eve of a meeting in Washington between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Maen Bashur, a Lebanese activist and coordinator for a group called End the Blockade on Gaza, said they had expected the convoy to be "attacked" by the Israelis and considered those seized on board the ship as "war prisoners".
"For that reason we asked Hezbollah's leadership to act accordingly," Bashur said.
When asked whether he was encouraging the Shiite militant group to launch a cross-border raid and seize Israeli hostages, Bashur responded: "Hezbollah's leadership is wise and knows how to behave."
A Cyprus MEP Kyriacos Triantafyllides, who was prevented at the last minute from joining the aid mission, told the Cypriot news agency CNA that activists had "expected a strong reaction from Israel."
"But nobody believed it would come to this point where they would face something akin to an invading army," he said.
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Learning the meaning of Memorial Day
How does one measure the value of freedom? I began to learn the answer to this question as a teen, and in the strangest of places.Growing up in New Freedom, I belonged to the town's drum corps. It was a given that whenever the town had an event, the drum corps would perform. Such was the case every year on the last Monday in May.
We'd get into formation in the church parking lot on the edge of town, the drum corps, antique cars, the Boy Scouts, a few floats and dignitaries. As the parade starts, the drum corps leads the way banging out a half-hearted cadence played by half-hearted teenagers who are all thinking, "This is going to be a long afternoon."
Making matter worse, as we approach the main road that leads to the town square, we turn and head away from town. A hundred yards down the road, the drums become silent and the lead drummer plays a somber tap, tap, tap as the parade procession enters the town cemetery.
We pass row after row of grave markers along the narrow road. Here is the final resting place for many who have called this town "home" over the past 200 years.
And this teenager, for one, would rather be anywhere else.
We approach a white concrete stage in the middle of a circle drive. In front of the stage, a flagpole stands. We come to a halt, but are not allowed to break rank. There we stand, in the hot noonday sun, waiting. We dare not move. We remain at attention for what seems like an eternity while beads of sweat sting our
eyes.AdvertisementFinally, there they are, approaching the stage. Veterans of foreign wars.
Some walk, some hobble, some are wheeled, others are helped along by a son or daughter. They wear faded uniforms of various colors. Leading them is a small group of veterans carrying rifles, the color guard, and one veteran, in the center, gently carrying a folded American flag.
It's silent. Not even their footsteps are heard on the soft grass.
With precision and poise, a few of the men carefully unfold the flag. There's a somber look on their faces. Slowly, they raise the flag against the deep blue sky; the breeze quietly waves its Stars and Stripes.
The soldiers step back, raise their heads skyward, and remove their hats. We do the same.
Without being told, we all place our hands over our hearts and repeat aloud the Pledge of Allegiance.
Finally, the drum major allows us to parade rest -- but the color guard stands at attention on either side of the flagpole: feet together, chin up, eyes straight ahead as if looking at something far off in the distant past. I know now few of us have seen what they have -- and few of us would ever want to.
There's a shuffling of chairs on stage as people take their seats.
The program begins. Prayers are offered. Speeches made. Scripture read.
And then the Sergeant of Arms commands, "Attention!" We're snapped back to consciousness.
All present are instructed to rise. Our drum major calls us to attention. We, along with the veterans, salute.
And then, the reading of the list begins . . ..
Name, rank, birth date, wars fought, medals earned, and . . . date of death. It's a list of those soldiers from the area who were alive for this ceremony last year, but who now lie buried somewhere in this cemetery. Each one is mentioned. Each one honored. Each one remembered.
And then it hits me -- this is important. These aren't just names; they're somebody's dad, somebody's grandpa, and somebody's neighbor. I've only read about what they accomplished. They fought in the trenches in World War I, suffered on the beaches in World War II; they braved the battles in Korea and the jungles of Vietnam. They left family. Friends. Loved-ones. They went. They served. They bled. They died.
This is no ordinary parade. This is no ordinary day -- and these are no ordinary people. This is special.
The last name on the list is read. From across the cemetery comes the faint sound of "Taps" played by a lone trumpeter. At its conclusion, we jump from the concussion of the rifles fired in unison.
And with that, the ceremony ends. The veterans shuffle off the stage, the color guard breaks rank. Some of the soldiers get into cars, but others choose to lead the parade on foot.
The lead drummer again plays the somber three-tap cadence until we reach the main road.
But oh, when we hit the main road, we light into our cadence, the same one we played earlier, but this time it sounds different -- because it is different. It's spirited. Powerful. Passionate.
We march through town with heads held high as if we were accompanying the greatest men who ever lived, honored beyond words that we could be a part of their parade.
We break rank in front of the Veterans of Foreign Wars building. We enter to find waiting for us what is there every year: An unlimited supply of fresh doughnuts and ice-cold Coca-Cola.
And who should greet us as we enter the building? Who is serving the doughnuts ? Who's handing out the Cokes?
Our veterans.
And I'm honored to be in their presence.
"That's the best I've ever heard you boys play," one veteran mentions. And I'm sure that day he was right.
"Thank you, sir," I tell him.
Looking back on those days, I wish I had said more, much more. Thank you for your service. For your valor. Your sacrifice. Your gift to every American. Thank you for paying the price.
It's been three decades since I spent those hot afternoons in New Freedom's cemetery on the last Monday of May. But that's where I learned important lessons about the value of freedom. I know now that freedom isn't found in a laundry list of things we can do or say. I know now the value of freedom is measured by the number of those who have been willing -- and even now -- the number of those who are willing to pay the price to both earn that freedom and protect it. Our freedom is not free at all; it comes at a great price.
How much more when we consider the freedom we have in Christ Jesus! It, too, came at a great price. And because Jesus paid it all, those who trust in Him never have to see the atrocities of war He saw, or fight the enemy like He did. Our past is forgiven. Our future is secure. And one day, when the roll is called, the names of God's chosen will be found in the Book of Life, written in the blood of a fearless Warrior who knows what real freedom looks like.
Dave Shultz was raised in New Freedom where his parents, Gary and Ruth, still live. Today, he lives in Newark, Del., with his wife, Karlisa, and daughters, Karlyn and Kayla. He is a 1983 graduate of Susquehannock High School.
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This weekend, as we enjoy time with family and friends, we should stop and remember the meaning of this national holiday. Memorial Day is a uniquely American holiday that finds its origins in the aftermath of our Civil War, when our country searched for a proper way to commemorate the many who had fallen in the long struggle to end slavery and unify our nation.
Today, we remember all of those throughout our history and to this very day who gave their lives serving our country in uniform. Our prayers are especially with the surviving family members for whom everyday is memorial day, as they live on remembering their loved ones who died selflessly to protect the freedoms we hold dear.
And on Memorial Day, let us also remember all veterans, past and present, because everyone who wears the uniform and swears the oath is willing to make that ultimate sacrifice for America. So, in honoring them let’s keep in mind this version of a popular poem as we show respect for those willing to sacrifice all for our exceptional country:
“It is the veteran, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the veteran, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the veteran, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the veteran, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is the veteran, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the veteran, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.
It is the veteran, who salutes the flag, who serves under the flag, and whose coffin will be draped by the flag.”
- Sarah Palin
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Memorial Day: On Hallowed Ground
Posted by RAY NOTHSTINE
on FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2010
When I lived in Hawaii my family visited Punchbowl National Cemetery to see where my grandfather’s high school buddy was buried. He was killed in the Pacific Theatre in World War II. As a child I had two thoughts that day. It was taking a long time to find his grave simply because it was a sea of stones and I remember thinking at the time, I wonder if his family wanted him buried here, so far from home. Did his loved ones ever see his grave?
We can comprehend the price of liberty in the thousands of American soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen buried far from home across seas and continents. One of these men, buried at Normandy, is medal of honor recipient Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.After receiving two denials to land with his men in the first assault waves at Normandy, he was finally granted permission to storm the beaches with his men on D-Day.
Courageous to an almost absurd degree, Roosevelt had a serious heart condition and walked with a cane. The only general to land in the first wave at Normandy, General Omar Bradley later said of Roosevelt’s actions on the beach that day, “It was the greatest single act of courage I witnessed in the war.”
His father, President Theodore Rosevelt, cited courage and honor as being among the chief virtues of the American way of life. Too often in the academy and the political sphere the opposite is true. The student senate at the University of Washington brought dishonor on itself when it blocked a memorial to medal of honor recipient, Marine fighter ace, and an alumnus of the school named Gregory “Pappy” Boyington in 2006. One of the reasons cited: “Many monuments at UW already commemorate rich white men,” driveled one student.
A true example of honor is the Tomb Guard, a special platoon within the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment. Honor and respect has everything to do with their ceremonial and almost mystic vigil over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. The tomb represents not only all of those who died defending the republic, but also those who sacrificed their identity. The tomb has been guarded continuously and without interruption since the summer of 1937. Part of the creed of the sentinel guard reads:
Surrounded by well meaning crowds by day, alone in the thoughtful peace of night, this soldier will in honored glory rest under my eternal vigilance.
My favorite thing to do in Arlington is to walk the hallowed grounds in that garden of stones. It is in so many ways the greatest monument to America and her splendor and character. WWII veteran, and Mississippi civil rights hero Medgar Evers, who was assassinated in 1963, is buried there. Grand Rapids, Michigan native and astronaut Roger Chaffee, who died during an Apollo launch pad test, was also laid to rest in Arlington.
I actually left Arlington for a work related trip right before what has been dubbed“Snowpocalypse.” I remember watching the news about how the entire federal government had been shut down, and the area was in disarray. I remember thinking: while the weather was bringing the entire government to a halt, still somewhere things would be exactly the same. Across the Potomac in Arlington a solitary guard would be at his post, meticulously pacing 21 steps, with a rhythmic click of the heels, like an eternal heartbeat for America’s bravest.
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Acupuncture's molecular effects pinned down
New insights spur effort to boost treatment's impact significantly
Scientists have taken another important step toward understanding just how sticking needles into the body can ease pain.
In a paper published online May 30 in Nature Neuroscience, a team at the University of Rochester Medical Center identifies the molecule adenosine as a central player in parlaying some of the effects of acupuncture in the body. Building on that knowledge, scientists were able to triple the beneficial effects of acupuncture in mice by adding a medication approved to treat leukemia in people.
The research focuses on adenosine, a natural compound known for its role in regulating sleep, for its effects on the heart, and for its anti-inflammatory properties. But adenosine also acts as a natural painkiller, becoming active in the skin after an injury to inhibit nerve signals and ease pain in a way similar to lidocaine.
In the current study, scientists found that the chemical is also very active in deeper tissues affected by acupuncture. The Rochester researchers looked at the effects of acupuncture on the peripheral nervous system – the nerves in our body that aren't part of the brain and spinal cord. The research complements a rich, established body of work showing that in the central nervous system, acupuncture creates signals that cause the brain to churn out natural pain-killing endorphins.
The new findings add to the scientific heft underlying acupuncture, said neuroscientist Maiken Nedergaard, M.D., D.M.Sc., who led the research. Her team is presenting the work this week at a scientific meeting, Purines 2010, in Barcelona, Spain.
"Acupuncture has been a mainstay of medical treatment in certain parts of the world for 4,000 years, but because it has not been understood completely, many people have remained skeptical," said Nedergaard, co-director of the University's Center for Translational Neuromedicine, where the research was conducted.
"In this work, we provide information about one physical mechanism through which acupuncture reduces pain in the body," she added.
To do the experiment, the team performed acupuncture treatments on mice that had discomfort in one paw. The mice each received a 30-minute acupuncture treatment at a well known acupuncture point near the knee, with very fine needles rotated gently every five minutes, much as is done in standard acupuncture treatments with people.
The team made a number of observations regarding adenosine:
- In mice with normal functioning levels of adenosine, acupuncture reduced discomfort by two-thirds.
- In special "adenosine receptor knock-out mice" not equipped with the adenosine receptor, acupuncture had no effect.
- When adenosine was turned on in the tissues, discomfort was reduced even without acupuncture.
- During and immediately after an acupuncture treatment, the level of adenosine in the tissues near the needles was 24 times greater than before the treatment.
Once scientists recognized adenosine's role, the team explored the effects of a cancer drug called deoxycoformycin, which makes it harder for the tissue to remove adenosine. The compound boosted the effects of acupuncture treatment dramatically, nearly tripling the accumulation of adenosine in the muscles and more than tripling the length of time the treatment was effective.
"It's clear that acupuncture may activate a number of different mechanisms," said Josephine P. Briggs, M.D., director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. "This carefully performed study identifies adenosine as a new player in the process. It's an interesting contribution to our growing understanding of the complex intervention which is acupuncture," added Briggs, who is the spouse of co-author Jurgen Schnermann.
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Obama Snubs Arizona Governor
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) will be in Washington DC this week and has asked for a meeting with President Barack Obama and his Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to discuss border security and immigration. While the president and his cronies have spent the last few weeks trying to score political points by attacking Arizona's right to protect itself, Mr. Obama claims he just can't find the time to discuss the issue with the governor.
Continued...
The president has been criticizing Arizona's tough new immigration legislation from the moment it was passed; originally saying it was "misguided" then upping his rhetoric to call the law "a misdirected expression of frustration." (source) He has tried to inflame American citizens and non-citizens in the country legally with the fear of civil rights ramifications and he instructed his Justice Department to review the law for possible violations. Yet White House spokesman Adam Abrams said Mr. Obama's schedule "doesn't allow for a meeting" with Governor Brewer. (source)
Of course President Obama is a very busy man. Next week his schedule includes many events that are evidently more important than border security. In addition to several meetings with foreign officials; he will attend an event in Pittsburgh, host a concert honoring Paul McCartney and welcome Major League Soccer's championship team to the White House. All this after a long-weekend getaway in Chicago. But his schedule "doesn't allow for a meeting" with Governor Brewer.
Mr. Abrams says the president "does intend to sit down with the governor in the future." Evidently just not while Paul McCartney is in town or while twice as many Americans support the Arizona law as oppose it.
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I'm hoping this November we get serious about protecting the amazing way of life we've inherited, both from the threats abroad, as well as those right here who fail to appreciate the sacrifices made to create and sustain it this long.
Recipe for Islamization
Islam is not a religion nor is it a cult. It is a complete system. Islam has religious, legal, political, economic and military components. The religious component is a beard for all the other components.
Islamization occurs when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their so-called "religious rights."
When politically correct and culturally diverse societies agree to "the reasonable" Muslim demands for their "religious rights," they also get the other components under the table. Here’s how it works (percentages source CIA: The World Fact Book (2007).
As long as the Muslim population remains around 1% of any given country they will be regarded as a peace-loving minority and not as a threat to anyone. In fact, they may be featured in articles and films, stereotyped for their colorful uniqueness:
United States — Muslim 1.0%
Australia — Muslim 1.5%
Canada — Muslim 1.9%
China — Muslim 1%-2%
Italy — Muslim 1.5%
Norway — Muslim 1.8%At 2% and 3% they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs:
Denmark — Muslim 2%
Germany — Muslim 3.7%
United Kingdom — Muslim 2.7%
Spain — Muslim 4%
Thailand — Muslim 4.6%From 5% on they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population. They will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature it on their shelves — along with threats for failure to comply.
France — Muslim 8%
Philippines — Muslim 5%
Sweden — Muslim 5%
Switzerland — Muslim 4.3%
The Netherlands — Muslim 5.5%
Trinidad & Tobago — Muslim 5.8%At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islam is not to convert the world but to establish Sharia law over the entire world.
When Muslims reach 10% of the population, they will increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions (Paris — car burnings, etc.). Any non-Muslim action that offends Islam will result in uprisings and threats (Amsterdam — Mohammed cartoons).
Guyana — Muslim 10%
India — Muslim 13.4%
Israel — Muslim 16%
Kenya — Muslim 10%
Russia — Muslim 10-15%After reaching 20% expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings and church and synagogue burning:
Ethiopia — Muslim 32.8%
At 40% you will find widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks and ongoing militia warfare:
Bosnia — Muslim 40%
Chad — Muslim 53.1%
Lebanon — Muslim 59.7%From 60% you may expect unfettered persecution of non-believers and other religions, sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon and Jizya, the tax placed on infidels:
Albania — Muslim 70%
Malaysia — Muslim 60.4%
Qatar — Muslim 77.5%
Sudan — Muslim 70%After 80% expect State run ethnic cleansing and genocide:
Bangladesh — Muslim 83%
Egypt — Muslim 90%
Gaza — Muslim 98.7%
Indonesia — Muslim 86.1%
Iran — Muslim 98%
Iraq — Muslim 97%
Jordan — Muslim 92%
Morocco — Muslim 98.7%
Pakistan — Muslim 97%
Palestine — Muslim 99%
Syria — Muslim 90%
Tajikistan — Muslim 90%
Turkey — Muslim 99.8%
United Arab Emirates — Muslim 96%100% will usher in the peace of "Dar-es-Salaam" — the Islamic House of Peace — there’s supposed to be peace because everybody is a Muslim:
Afghanistan — Muslim 100%
Saudi Arabia — Muslim 100%
Somalia — Muslim 100%
Yemen — Muslim 99.9%Of course, that’s not the case. To satisfy their blood lust, Muslims then start killing each other for a variety of reasons.
"Before I was nine I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; and the tribe against the world and all of us against the infidel". — Leon Uris, "The Haj"
It is good to remember that in many, many countries, such as France, the Muslim populations are centered around ghettos based on their ethnicity. Muslims do not integrate into the community at large. Therefore, they exercise more power than their national average would indicate.
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In the latest issue of Uncensored Magazine of New Zealand, investigators reveal that they believe Polish government officials were assassinated rather than killed in the recent air tragedy.
In April a Polish plane carrying 96 government officials, including Poland's President, went down in a section of Russia near the site of the infamous Russian massacre of Polish elite 70 years ago.
(AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel, file).
Conservative Examiner reported this story in a series of articles here, here, here, here, and here.
According to investigative reporter Jane Burgermeister, the magazine, which is slated to go on sale the first week of June, claims that there were only 4 persons aboard the plane when it crashed, rather than the 96 reported by Russian and Polish officials.
The magazine suggests that the top officials of the Polish government were seized prior to boarding the plane, taken to an undisclosed location, and assassinated.
Burgermeister provides a statement from the editor of the magazine concerning these disturbing allegations:
As proof, the magazine offers chilling video coverage which definitely appears to show what the magazine claims.
"Moreover," editor Jonathan Eisen claims, "there were no ambulances, no bodies, only one isolated fire truck, mostly small bits and pieces of the plane which indicate an on-board explosion, no pictures of the presidential party boarding the plane in Poland, as well as lots of other strange occurrences.
"I don't think that the presidential party ever made it to the plane," Eisen states. "It is likely that they were rounded up and 'liquidated' as the Soviets used to say, prior to the take off of the plane."
The website of Uncensored can be found here.
Meanwhile, yet another recent news report was issued by the Russian government concerning the crash.
Via the Newsguy, ABC News in Australia is reporting that Russian officials now claim that at least 4 unknown voices can be heard on the cockpit recorder prior to the crash, none of which are the voices of the crew.
In addition, 5 former Soviet dissidents have written an open letter to the Polish government criticizing the manner in which officials are handling the investigation of the crash. According to The News of Poland,
The Rzeczpospolita web site in Poland has published an open letter signed by five Russian dissidents, saying that they are “surprised and seriously concerned” over the course of the investigation to determine the causes of the air crash near Smolensk on April 10.
Alexander Bondarev, Vladimir Bukovsky, Viktor Fainberg, Natalya Gorbanevskaya and Andrei Illarionov write that the Russian authorities all but ignored the video message of thanks on youtube by presidential candidate Jaros?aw Kaczy?ski, twin brother of Lech Kaczynski who died in the plane crash.
The letter accuses the Polish government of seemingly being more interested in closer relations with the Kremlin than establishing the truth about one of the greatest national tragedies to befell Poland.
Further updates will be provided as they become available.
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May 29, 2010 | Filed Under 1st Amendment, Blogging, Civil Rights,Computers, Constitution, Free Speech, Freedom, Government,Government, Corruption, Inernet, Journalism, Media, Media Bias,Michigan, Newspapers, Radio, Technology, Warner Todd Huston |
-By Warner Todd Huston
State Senator Bruce Patterson is the braintrust behind this flouting of the U.S. Constitution and outrageously enough, this Patterson fellow claims to be a “constitutional lawyer.” Pair him with the “constitutional scholar” we have as president and we have a matched set of revisionists out to steal as much power for themselves as one can find in any tinpot dictatorship! Even more ridiculously, this mustachioed villain is a MichiganRepublican, proving that this sort of megalomania infests both sides of the aisle.
Prospectively approved “journalists” — read news folks that will say kind things about Patterson — will have to provide our caring and concerned Wolverine State government with the following:
This bill makes perfect sense, of course. If you’re Fidel Castro.
Fortunately, the rest of the Michigan Senate thinks Patterson is an idiot because not one other Senator of either party is willing to co-sponsor Fidel Patterson’s un-American attempt at state control of the media.
Even if the tubby retiring Senator was sane, nice as pie, and completely trustworthy to be the sole adjudicator of just what constitutes a “legitimate media source,” we as a free people could never trust the next political hack that might step into Patterson’s iron booties in order to decide what sort of journalism will be “allowed” by the state.
Imagine if Bill Clinton, he of laments about the “great right wing conspiracy,” was the man responsible to decide what is “legitimate” under a Patterson-like media licensing law? Do you think Drudge would have ever been able to break the Monica Lewinski story in such a climate? Or do you think, rather, that Drudge would currently be sitting next to some al Qaieda terrorists in some dark hole in the foreign camp he was “rendered” to by Mr. “I fell your pain”? In fact, one rather imagines that Drudge would be in a Democrat provided for cell right next to Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity even as William F. Buckley had become a long ago forgotten victim of the “journalist licensing” gulag!
In any case, we will be seeing this sort of nonsense more and more as the new media gets stronger and more vital. Government thugs like Bruce Patterson will continue to try and find ways to destroy the new media and will continue to dream of the day when they can control every word that we hear from the media, new or old.
We as Americans need to keep a constant vigil against these sort of anti-American, tyrannical usurpations of our right to free political speech. Regardless of what party label this sort of menace hides behind, we must always defeat it lest we lose our God-given liberty.
But I have to say, this is almost like a backhanded compliment. After all, if the new media is vexing comrade Pattersoninski this much, we must be having an effect. Right folks?
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