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)/