Obama's Nobel Prize

An AP report notes the defense the Nobel Prize committee gave for its decision to give its peace award to President Obama. Members of the committee said the reasons were as follows. First, Obama has made "efforts to heal the divide between the West and the Muslim world". Second, Obama has scaled "down a Bush era proposal for an anti-missile shield in Europe". Third, Obama has caused a change in "global mood" by his "calls for peace and cooperation". Fourth, Obama has "pledged to reduce the world stock of nuclear arms". Fifth, Obama has "strengthened the US role in combating climate change". Members of the committee who were interviewed said that "most world leaders were positive about the award" while the critics are mostly the US media and "Obama's political rivals". Some of those critics-like Michael Steele of the GOP-said the award to Obama indicates "how meaningless a once honorable and respected award has become". Steele also said that democrats and "their international leftist allies want America made subservient to the agenda of global redistribution and control" (What does the rest of the world think of this degree of criticism? Are they wondering if race is a factor?)

(Source: "Nobel Jurists defend giving Award to Obama" by Ian McDougall and Karl Ritter of The AP. In The Virginian Pilot on 10/14/09).

Update on 11/11/09.

The Washington Spectator offers an explanation of the Peace Prize award to president Obama that hinges on the committee's long-standing belief that the "biggest issue...(is)...nuclear disarmament". Those who are opposed to Obama getting the award are "...diehard Cold Warriors..." in the US. These people have always felt that disarmament was "...for others, not for itself". In Prague in April Obama stated his goal of "a multilateral policy committed to nuclear disarmament". In September at the UN Obama became the "first US president ever to preside over the UN Security Council" and his agenda was "nuclear disarmament". At the UN, Obama pushed a resolution that would support the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty, "which would ban the processing of the refined materials necessary for bomb production". The resolution was adopted unanimously. Obama also "seems to be moving forward" on the Non-Proliferation Treaty and disarmament by the nuclear power countries. He has "moved to renew and expand the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty" and he has "re-considered the provocative, expensive-and almost certainly useless-anti missile program in Eastern Europe"

(Source: "Obama and the Bomb" by Ian Williams of the Foreign Policy In Focus. The Washington Spectator. November 1, 2009).

George Washington's Pay

We all know that George refused a salary when he served as the commander of American forces in the Revolution. However, did we know that the bill he submitted to the Continental Congress for his expenses was in excess of $ 450,000 (The article does not say if that is 1783 or 2009 money). The article notes that historians are now going over financial records GW left that up till now had been mostly ignored.

(Source: "Long-ignored logs reveal father of his country, too" by Joel Achenbach of the Washington Post. In The Virginian Pilot on 10/14/09).

The Southern Manifesto"

This post is an up-date on the Estes Kefauver item on 10/15/09. In that info I stated that Kefauver was one of three US southeastern senators who did not sign the Southern Manifesto. The other two were Albert Gore Sr. and Lyndon Johnson. This document was written in Feb/Mar of 1956 by senators Strom Thurmond and Richard Russell, and stated their "opposition to racial integration in public places". It was signed by 101 congressmen-99 democrats and 2 republicans: 19 were senators and 82 were house members. In the 1960's, the democrats switched to the GOP. Their opposition was against the Supreme Court ruling of Brown v. Board of Education of 1954. The entire delegations of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, S. Carolina, and Virginia signed the document. (It would seem that the three non-signing senators would have been "profiles in courage" but Kefauver went on to the vice presidential nomination under Stevenson, and Johnson became VP and President. All three were re-elected).

(Source: Wikipedia 10/17/09)

MI5 and Mussolini

The Guardian stated recently that the British Intelligence Service-MI5-paid Benito Mussolini 100 pounds a week in 1917-equal to $9600 today-to produce pro-war propaganda during the First World War . At the time Mussolini was the editor of Il Popolo d'AItala. He was also paid to "send thugs to 'persuade' peace protestors in Milan to stay at home".

(Source: "Italian dictator worked for British Intelligence in WWI". In blog.usatoday.com/on deadline. 10/16/09)

Guns, NRA and the Law

In the race for Virginia governor, the NRA is not endorsing a candidate who is known as a "strong supporter of gun rights", has voted "repeadedly to stop local governments from enforcing gun laws more restrictive than the state's", opposed a ban on guns in "community centers and parks". He has opposed "government law suits against gun manufactures" and against "firearm bans on school campuses". He opposed a state law "that limits gun purchases to one a month". In 2005 the NRA did endorse this candidate but after he voted to support a "bill to close the so-called gun-show loophole" that permits sales without a back ground check, the National Rifle Association now will not endorse him. (If the NRA had an rational thoughts they would endorse no-one in the Virginia race: big if.)

(Source: "The Issues. The Candidates. The Future of Virginia". Pull out section in the Sunday paper on 10/25/09. The Virginian Pilot)

Mayan Calendar

The Mayan Calendar is 5125 years old and it will "run out" on Dec 21, 2012 giving some to think that this may be a warning of a "doomsday scenario". Hollywood is contributing to the hype by producing a disaster movie entitled "2012". Mayan scholars are not buying the disaster theme, saying even though the Maya were advanced in many fields they could not possibly predict the future. The calendar is formally known as the "Mesoamerican Long-Count" calendar and is refered to by some as the "Odometer of Time". The Mayan estimated the creation day as August 11 (or 13) 3114 BC. In response a company in Virginia is selling doomsday shelters and have built 1000 so far. Others have picked up on this theory; one being the Edgar Cayce Association of Virginia Beach, Virginia. The Mayan experts say the Maya "were indeed deep thinkers-equipped with a written language, adept at astronomy and math. But they also favored elongated heads, crossed eyes and human sacrifice". They also say that the calendar is "impressive...but flawed by inaccuracies".

(Source: "1159 days left? Maya prophecy gains a following" by Joanne Kimberlin of The Virginian Pilot on 10/18/09)

Police complaints in NJ

The ACLU of NJ reports that a majority of the state police departments are not following the law regarding citizen complaints. In the 1990's the state "adopted a strong Internal Affairs Policy" with procedures that state the following. Police must "accept complaints 24 hours a day" from "a victim, a third party or anonymous source" regardless of age. Complaints do not have to be filed in person, they can be filed over the phone and they can be anonymous. The policy also says that "juveniles could file a complaint without a parent present". This source says the law in this regard is not being followed by most law agencies.

(Source: "Confronting the Crisis Inside Internal Affairs in NJ's police departments" by Deborah Jacobs. Civil Liberties Report. The American Civil Liberties Union of NJ. 2nd Quarter 2009)/

Youth Rights NJ

In NJ, the state Supreme Court ruled in "In the Matter of P.M.P." "that a juvenile charged with a crime has the right to counsel when the complaint is filed" and not "at the first court appearance". In another case, not yet decided, a student's car was searched for drugs by the school principal after another student said there were drugs in the car. Egg Harbor High School has no rule on car searches but does require students to turnover their keys after they park. The principal says he needs only "reasonable suspicion"-like he would if the search involved a locker-while the ACLU of NJ says the principal needs "probable cause"-a higher standard-"unless there is a potential for immediate danger to students". It is noted that the principal had the keys and the student was detained in the school. The ACLU position is that the police could have been involved in the search. The case is "State v. Best" and is yet to be heard.

(Source: "In NJ, Rights of Youth Under Stress" no author listed. Civil Liberties Reporter of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey. 2nd Quarter 2009.

Confederates in Brazil

After the Civil War, about 10,000 former confederates left the US and re-settled in Brazil; one of the "colonies" has survived to the present. The locations are about 2 hours NW of Sao Paulo at Santa Barbara d'Oeste and Americana. The emperor at the time-Dom Pedro II-made offers of cheap land as an enticement. Their descendents today are known as "confederados" and they have kept alive the memory of the pre-Civil War south. It seems the original founder of the community was Col. William Norris. Interestingly the area of Brazil where the group settled was involved in its own secession in 1932 and "many of the confederados went off to fight" (There is no other info on this topic in this article). Two books on the subject are; The Lost Colony of the Confederacy by Eugene C. Harter and The Confederates: Old South Immigrants edited by Cyrus and James Dawsey. An emigration to Brazil society was based in the Broad River town of Edgefield, SC.

(Source: "The Deepest South" by Alan M. Tigay who writes about Brazil for Hadassah Magazine. American Heritage Magazine April 1998).

Can You Believe This (Again)

The House voted overwhelmingly to end federal government restrictions on local governments ability to "disinvest from organizations that have at least $ 20 million invested in the Iranian energy sector or sell $ 20 million in services or equipment to that sector". The House vote was 414 to 6. The State Department opposed the legislation saying that "disinvestment hampers the conduct of US foreign policy". The bill (HR 1327) now awaits Senate action. (I guess my bias is showing; can you blame me?)

(Source: "How They Voted". The Virginian Pilot on 10/19/09).

US Military Spending

The US military in Afghanistan is spending billions of dollars to rebuild the infrastructure in that country. They have reportedly spent $ 2.7 billion already and the fiscal 2010 budget includes another $ 1.3 billion "on more than 100 projects at 40 sites across the country". The spending is meant to "support American and coalition personnel in 2010 and years beyond". The main US base there-Bagram-is up for a $ 30 million passenger terminal and adjacent cargo facility to handle the flow of troops". This facility will not be completed until late in 2010 and be operational in 2011 (if we were leaving anytime soon, I would imagine we would not be building like this).

(Source: "Military wants $ 1.3 B for Afghanistan projects" by Walter Pincus of The Washington Post. In The Virginian Pilot on 10/18/09).

US Wars

More than 30,000 Iraqis have moved to the US "under a resettlement program that began in 2007". It seems that as many as 82,000 would be eligible for relocation. Some of those might be going to other countries as well. The UN High Commission for Refugees made the recommendation to relocate Iraqis that might be in danger if they remained; it seems for cooperation with the US occupation.

An update on the US deaths in the Iraq war now stands at 4352 with 31,529 wounded. The war in Afghanistan has caused 796 US troop deaths and 4300 wounded.

(Source: "US intake of refugees increases after criticism" by Alexander G. Higgins of the AP. In The Virginian Pilot on 10/17/09)

Can You Believe This

A US company is "importing 20,000 tons of low-level radioactive waste from Italy" and the federal regulators have informed Congress they can not stop them. Legislation has just now been introduced in the Senate to ban the importation of radioactive waste. The company wants to "process the waste in Tennessee and then store the remaining 1600 tons" at a private site in Utah. This source says that there are applications from Brazil and Mexico to dispose waste in Utah.

(Source: "Regulators warn of waste dumped by other nations". No author listed. In The Virginian Pilot on 10/18/09).

Update: That company is "Energy Solutions". The NRC says the importation can not be stopped and congressmen from Utah are trying to get legislation banning the disposal.

(Source: www.projectcensored.org on 10/25/09)

Columbus Day

It appears the age-old celebration of Christopher Columbus is changing. Schools are presenting a more balanced view of the explorer by noting "...the suffering of indigenous populations" that resulted from European contact. Many school districts are not observing his holiday at all. Many are not using the word "discovery" when covering Columbus as there were peoples already here when he arrived. Some schools emphasis the "Columbian Exchange" with wealth going to Europe and disease coming to the Americas. One elementary school in PA put Columbus on trial and found him guilty of "...misrepresenting the crown and thievery".

(Source: "Schools take more nuanced approach to story of Columbus" by Christine Armario of the AP. In The Virginian Pilot on 10/12/090

Senator Estes Kefauver

I had a request for information on the late Senator Estes Kefauver recently and came across some interesting items on Wikipedia about him. We know he ran with Adlai Stevenson for vice president as a democrat in 1956; they lost to DDE. He was also known as the "chief enemy of crooked businessman in the Senate" (Wikipedia is not clear on this point. Does that mean senators for were crooked businessmen or speaking as a senator was EK the enemy of such businessmen?). In 1962-in his last year in the senate-he sponsored what may be his signature legislation in the Kefauver-Harris Drug Control Act. This piece of consumer protection did the following. First, put "controls on pharmaceutical industry that required that drug companies disclose to doctors the side-effects of their products". Second, allowed for the selling of generic drugs. Third, required the drug companies "...to be able to prove on demand that their products were effective and safe".

Wikipedia also notes that in 1962 Kefauver died of a heart attack after "...eating some apple pie given to him"-by whom they do not say. (For those given to conspiracies, well never mind)

(Source: Wikipedia on 10/16/09)