Blog Title: Watchingpolitics

ABUSING THE WORD “ABUSE”

At last some common sense concerning sexual offender laws. We applaud the reasoning of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. It vacated and remanded a decision of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division. The essence of its ruling is that not every sexual read more..

INDISCRIMINATE ISRAELI KILLING

It is not going to help the Israeli cause one bit if it continues to savage innocent people. GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli shelling killed more than 40 Palestinians on Tuesday at a U.N. school where civilians had taken shelter, medical officials said, in carnage likely to boost international pressure on Israel to halt a read more..

TIDBITS

No one from the media seems to have noticed that the name of Bernard Madoff, the world’s all-time biggest crook and leading thief, rhymes with “made off”.*****Fighting the good cause for stupidity and senselessness, a moronic female in Baghdad killed herself and took 35 innocent people with her and seriously injured 65 others. She read more..

VENEZUELA ENDS AID TO THE U.S. POOR

We reported on November 20, 2005, that Venezuela has a program for sending oil to the poor people mainly in Massachusetts but to other states, too. Venezuela’s national oil company is suspending its program that provides discounted heating oil to poor communities in the United States, as officials here struggle to find ways of read more..

EX-GUANTANAMO DETAINEE DESCRIBES HIS TORTURE

LAHORE, Pakistan: When Muhammad Saad Iqbal arrived home here in August after more than six years in U.S. custody, including five at the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, he had difficulty walking, his left ear was severely infected, and he was dependent on a cocktail of antibiotics and antidepressants. In November, a Pakistani surgeon operated on read more..

MONEY DOESN’T BUY HAPPINESS?

It may well be, as the gurus say, that money does not buy happiness but it does prevent suicide. BERLIN: A German billionaire, Adolf Merckle, has committed suicide after his business empire, which included interests ranging from pharmaceuticals to cement, ran into trouble in the global financial crisis, his family said Tuesday. Merckle used his wealth, estimated read more..

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE U.N. FORUM

As great men were entering the hallowed halls of the U.N. Security Council, someone placed a molehill at the entrance. The distinguished members of the Council mistook it for a mountain and immediately began a debate about the fate of Gaza and the evils of Israel. It seems Israelis with great disdain for where read more..

ISLAM IS NOT AN ALTERNATIVE RELIGION

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Islam is not a religion. It is not an alternative to Judaism or Christianity. It is not any form of civilization. For the most part, it is a fanatic cult that preaches barbaric demolition of what it has the audacity to consider swinish read more..

THE GREAT AMERICAN BAILOUT

Governors of five U.S. states urged the federal government to provide $1 trillion in aid to the country’s 50 states to help pay for education, welfare and infrastructure as states struggle with steep budget deficits amid a deepening recession. The governors of New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio and Wisconsin—all Democrats—said the initiative for the two-year read more..

THIS SPORTING LIFE

The wrong time and the wrong place for America’s darling speedball. Danica Patrick was given another speeding ticket in Arizona. She has accumulated a nice batch. Last year, the pretty lassie with an itch for gunning the accelerator was humiliated by being ordered to attend traffic school. Save it for read more..

MILITARY NEWS

1. Nine current or former members of Fort Carson’s Fourth Brigade Combat Team have killed someone or were charged with killings in the last three years after returning from Iraq. Five of the slayings took place last year alone. In addition, charges of domestic violence, rape and sexual assault have risen sharply. Prodded by read more..

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL

Don’t believe all that bad stuff you hear about poverty, starvation and disease in Africa. Africa is a jumpin’ sort of town. Zimbawean athletes joined hundreds of others for the annual New Years Eve race in the swinging Angolan capital, Luanda. Money galore. 881 Nigerian athletes are pledging not to succumb to read more..

009 KILLS HIMSELF

We don’t know why suicide is thought to be bad, sad or mad. We like it, and we think more people should try it - especially if they are of a certain sort. 28 people killed themselves this past year in national parks and that really is a matter of some concern. It’s like read more..

THIS SPORTING LIFE

Jamaica’s Usain Bolt beat out USA’s Michael Phelps as international athlete of the year in a poll by the International Sports Press Association. Journalists from 96 nations gave Bolt a narrow edge of 1673 points to 1557 over Phelps. We agree.*****Golf’s John Daly drew another of his suspensions. His dress offends those who maintain read more..

LABORATORY OF HATE

Le Monde Diplomatique `Laboratory of hate´ By Wendy Kristianasen The events of “Gujarat 2002”, in which up to 2,000 Muslims died (1), are widely known, but less is heard about those displaced. Gauhar Raza of the NGO Anhad says: “The Gujarat government… not only disbanded the relief camps but also adopted an active policy of discrimination towards the read more..

MURDER, DRUGS AND CORRUPTION IN MEXICO

The following are excerpts from a report issued by: Barry R McCaffrey, General USA (Retired) Adjunct professor of International Affairs Department of Social Sciences West Point, New York The full report may be read by CLICKING HERE. MEMORANDUM FOR: Colonel Michael Meese Professor and Head Dept of Social Sciences CC: Colonel Cindy Jebb Professor and Deputy Head Dept of Social Sciences SUBJECT: After Action Report—General read more..

NATION MAGAZINE DESCENDS INTO IDIOCY

For several years now, the once-upon-a-time leading liberal magazine, The Nation, has lost its way. It hopelessly confuses dogmatic left-wing politics with liberalism. Along with its descent, it has become shrill and almost illiterate. It has embarked on an anti-Israel campaign that consists of nothing but distortions concerning the Gaza conflict. I read more..

SENTENCING SEX OFFENDERS - TO MISERY

Reprinted from, and including a comment by Yours Truly: SENTENCING LAW AND POLICY A Member of the Law Professor Blogs Network Strict new laws aimed at keeping track of sex offenders after they leave prison appear to be having the opposite effect, encouraging homelessness in a population believed more likely to re-offend if cast into the streets read more..

AFRICANS DIE/NO BIG DEAL

Okay, we get it. We’re not dumb. Over in Gaza, white Jews are killing white Moslems - over 300 of them. This is very bad. Israel is an ally of the USA so its actions must be monitored. The MidEast is geopolitically important - oil and all that jazz. read more..

DOWNTOWN GAZA

Amnesty International condemns Israel. AI says the attacks are unlawful. Palestinian civilians remain at risk of being killed or injured in the Israeli air strikes and are increasingly lacking adequate medical care food, medicines, electricity, water and other necessities, Amnesty International said today after three days of the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza read more..