strategist

Huh? Can government actually do this?

Question: Is this an impeachable offense? Read article for details.

President Bush recently nominated Stephen L. Johnson, a 24-year veteran of the Environmental Protection Agency, to be the agency's new administrator. Mr. Johnson has been the acting administrator since January, and prior to that oversaw the EPA office handling pesticides and other toxic substances. In nominating Johnson, Mr. Bush described him as "a talented scientist" and having "good judgment and complete integrity."

During President Clinton's administration, the E.P.A. would not consider the results of controversial trials that tested pesticides on people. But after Mr. Bush was elected, Johnson changed the policy to permit consideration, saying, "We are willing to consider that such studies can be useful".

Johnson strongly supported a study in which infants will be monitored for health impacts as they undergo exposure to toxic chemicals for a two-year period. The Children's Environmental Exposure Research Study (CHEERS), will analyze how chemicals can be ingested, inhaled, or absorbed by children ranging from infants to three year olds.

Other aspects of CHEERS are equally troublesome. The participants will be selected from six health clinics and three hospitals in Duval County. The E.P.A. study proposal noted, "Although all Duval County citizens are eligible to use the [health care] centers, they primarily serve individuals with lower incomes. In the year 2000, 75 percent of the users of the clinics for pregnancy issues were at or below the poverty level." The proposal also cited that "The percentage of births to individuals classified as black in the U.S. Census is higher at these three hospitals than for the County as a whole."

The E.P.A. is targeting the poor and African-Americans for the study, presumably in the hope that they will be less informed about the dangers of exposing their children to pesticides, and will therefore continue to expose them over the two-year period.

Parents receive $970 for participating, but only if they continue over the two-year period. This is a powerful inducement for these impoverished parents to keep exposing their children to pesticides. Even some E.P.A. officials have been troubled by the lack of safeguards to ensure that these parents are not swayed into exposing their children to the chemicals.

Stephen L. Johnson's strong support of pesticide testing on humans is morally and scientifically reprehensible. The testing provides no health benefit to the subjects, or to society at large. But it does help chemical companies who claim that their products are not dangerous. And this is not the type of help that the future head of the E.P.A. should be giving.

(Intervention Magazine: EPA Nominee is Scientist Gone Mad.)

Who is Randall Terry? Danger! Danger!!

**Warning** **Danger, Danger** **Warning** 

This link will make you run to the bathroom and vomit. Should you wish to proceed, click on the link given below. Please remember, you have been fairly warned. Any pst-traumatic disorder that results from reading the information at the link given is your own responsibility. This blogger, "ME", does not want to cause you any harm. As a God-fearing Christian, I do not want to upset you nor do I wish to upset Him. But, I must make you aware of "just who" Randall Terry is. Remember, this is your last warning.... By the way, he is not a Christian... think of Randall Terry as a "Wolf in ......... (you get the idea)".  Remember what The Book of Revelations says.... (now you have got the true picture of what is happening here.)

(Dangerous Link: After reading, please take a hot shower lest you want the filth to stick to your body.)

Guns Don't Kill, Stupid People Kill

Just remember: Guns do not kill. Stupid people kill.

Yet another case of some disillusioned young person who illegally obtains weapons and then, goes on a killing spree. Had the school teachers been armed, perhaps they would have unleashed a wave of bullets into the killer's melon and thus, stopping his rampage.

Whenever I read stories about yet another killing spree at a school, I don't get too angry at gun proponents. I get angry at those people who do not wish to allow more people to own guns. Heck, I would love to give my children their own hand guns. Since I cannot be with my children, I would know that they could defend themselves in case some wacko tried to 'off them'.

What we need is 'more guns' not fewer guns.

(NY Times: Another Wacked-out of His Mind Killer Guns Down Students)

Why is it that 'cowards' who kill innocent fellow students and teachers, eat a bullet? Don't the cowards have the guts to face justice?

John Couey: Kidnapping, Murder

Death penalty - the only justice available for this dispicable person for his crimes.

Accident or Pre-Meditated Murder??

Kanji Komatsu, railway employee, lifted a safety gate and allowed two women to enter into a railway crossing zone. Without regard to the safety to the women, an oncoming train struck both women and killed them. Now, the police must investigate what happened and why. Right now, the police are investigating the matter as an accidental death which resulted from professional neglect.

I would like to add one more possibility: Kanji Komatsu did willfully commit murder. Komatsu woke up on this day knowing full well that he had pre-planned his actions. He knowingly allowed the women to be killed. Why? That is up to the police to determine.

Perhaps, Komatsu is some sick sadist who derives pleasure from seeing people go 'SPLAT' on railway tracks. Perhaps, Komatsu loves the idea of killing women. Who knows. Maybe he is just some wacked out sicko. Just think - the perfect crime.

I hope the police file murder charges against the railway employee. There are way too many cases of death due to the professional negligence of workers. It's high time that the police file murder charges instead of filing manslaughter charges. Often, the guilty get a simple slap on the wrist and get their prison sentence suspended.

(Mainichi News: Murder or Not?) (More suspicions cast upon railway company)

Criminal Intent: Good vs. Bad

After reading about how a convicted rapist-murderer was punished, I don't think the public lashing and hanging is such a bad thing for the worst criminals in society. I'm surprised that the police restrained the angry mob so well. They should have allowed the angry mob and the victims' families  to do some of the lashing.

(Globe and Mail: Revenge is the only solution)

Wanted: Hanging Judge

What kind of slime lawyer is going to defend Brian Nichols? What will be their defense? Wait, I can see it now. Brian Nichols was running from a lifetime of cruel and inhumane punishment: prison.

As such, his defense attorney will plead that Nichols should not face any further charges for murdering the judge, officers of the court, and other innocent bystanders. Nor should Nichols be charged with pistol-whipping another man.

Ladies and gentlemen of the world, this is why we must have capital punishment for the most heinous crimes. Here is a person who has no compassion nor does he show any remorse for gunning down innocents.

By the way, what's up with the 'white flag'? Here's a guy who kills people without a second thought and then, he gives up his weapon? What happened to all that blaze and glory? The SWAT guys should have taken him out. End of story. No need for a criminal trial. Save the good folks of Georgia a couple of million dollars. Money for the trial could have gone to the victim's families.

What do you think? Death penalty? Or a life of ease and comfort in a maximum security prison facility? Any other suggestions?

(NY Times: White flag - ha! ha!)

Cold-blooded Killer: Hunter or Hunted?

Incredible news coming out of Atlanta. A defendant shot four people and killed one of them - a judge. When and if he is apprenhended alive, I wonder what his defense will be?  His actions and society's demand for punishment for such heinous crimes is one fo the main reasons I am an advocate of capital punishment. People who can kill so easily do not deserve to live free off our hard work. Let a judge and jury of his peers judge him guily and sentence him to the fullest extent of the law.

(NY Times: Brian Nichols)

Roper vs. Simmons: Wacky Decision

Shouldn't the killer pay for a life taken with his own life? What's so wrong with the death penalty? Does it really matter how old the Simmons was at the time of the murder? A life for a life: it is that simple.

As for the notion of 'decency test', where was the killer's decency (and respect) for life when he killed his victim? Decency? I cannot believe the USA sometimes. Let's bring sanity back to government and pass legislation to bring the death penalty to people on death row who can never be saved.

By the way, isn't it much cheaper to execute Simmons now instead of housing him until he dies? I'm sure glad that I do not have to pay taxes to the US government. I'd be asking for a refund right about now...

(Wacky World of US Criminal Justice: Killer allowed to laugh at the law)

(Roper vs. Simmons: Supreme Court of the United States) [link to PDF]

Psycho Killer: 4 Dead RCMP Officers

As more information is slowing being released about the tragic deaths of four RCMP officers in Alberta, many people are beginning to question whether or not the officers should have entered the suspect's premises without adequate back-up and weapons.

I am unsure how anyone can second guess the operating procedures the four officers followed. Every police officer is trained to go into each and every situation as a highly potential explosure one. Clearly the suspect wanted to 'kill' as many law enforcement officers before he took his own life.

I hope the media allow the RCMP and other government agencies the time and space to determine what had happened and report on how such situations should never be repeated in the future.

(Leader Post: Tears & Anger)

Rapist Walks with Blessing from Judge

Un-f'ingbeliveable. Just downright evil is all I have to say about this convicted rapist, Tracy McIntosh, who will receive a 'Get Out of Prison' free card. Apparently, McIntosh is some kind of hotshot who does good deeds for sick people. Mind you, McIntosh also likes to 'slip a few pills' into unsuspecting girls drinks and then, jumps them for fun. Tsk-Tsk. The judge erred and I hope the 'get out of jail free' card is revoked and the guy goes to prison for a long, long time.

Excuse me but when did judges go out of the way to allow rapists to walk free in society??

(Profile of McIntosh) - News about his rape trial (blogger-Michelle Malkin)

Amandeep Atwall Murdered by Father

A tragic story about how a father killed his daughter in a vicious attack. And why did a father take his daughter's life? Did she steal his money? No. Did the victim run over his dog? No. Did the daughter embarass him? Yes. According to court testimony, the father killed his daughter because she was dating outside of their people. I'm sorry did I lose you there? You read it right. Amandeep's father killed her because she was dating a non-Sikh. (Wait while I throw up at all the insantity in this world.)

It's so hard to believe that in the 21st Century that parents can be so darn stupid. Hey, wake up here folks. It's the 21st Century!!! We don't live in the stone age anymore. Wait, I don't thik our cavemen ancestors were this stupid!

So, what's up with the father? Did his daughter, Amandeep, commit a huge crime by dating someone he did not approve of? Oh, by the way, does the Canadian government still execute murderers? If not, can we send the father to another country that does still believe in the death penalty? Wait! Japan still executes people!  Just think of the great potential here! Getting back to my original thought for this paragraph - what's up with dating someone from outside of your race, Mr. Tough Guy??? Do you love to kill weaker people?  Oops, getting back to Japan and its newest import market.

Japan could market itself as a place to send the worst criminal offenders. Advertising campaign: "Send us your worst slime and we'll make them pay for their crime!" - I really like that jingo.  Japan could charge US$10,000 a head to the exporting country. Does this include shipping the body  back to the originating country? Or could Japan just dump the dead in the ocean? Hmmm.... let me put some more thought to that one later.

Oh, sorry. I forgot about the matter at hand. The death of a young woman whose only crime (in her father's mind) was to date someone outside of her race.  Is it really that screwed up in BC? Do people walk about towns and cities "sticking with their own kind"?? Does this happen? If it does, WTF is wrong with people???

Excerpt from news article (link)

The official line from Ms. Atwal was that she was not permitted to date. But the unspoken sentiment behind that order was that she couldn't date Mr. McIsaac because he wasn't Sikh. All the while, Ms. Atwal tried to tiptoe between the two cultures in the small northern B.C. town of Kitimat.

Final note: Hang him until he is dead. And may God not take mercy on his soul.

Tragedy Strikes Judge J.H. Lefkow

The US government had better start looking at how its own citizens resort to violence in order to further their group's political, religious, and racial aims. A judge at the centre of a trial in Chicago came home to find her husband and mother executed. At present, Judge  Lefkow is being protected by federal authorities. (Read NY Times.)

Either the U.S. Congress does more to limit the growth of hate groups in the country or the world should expect to witness more violent crimes. For the life of me, I cannot understand how the US Congress can allow hate groups to operate so openly and freely. I don't think the writers of the Constitution had 'in mind' future hate groups who would use the 'right to free speech' to advocate hatred among the races. If the US Congress has the wisdom, it should address any deficiencies in the consitution and quickly.

I would hate to see the entire USA tear itself in another civil war. This time the civil war will not be the North vs. the South but an entirely different war pitting many groups against each other. Here's how I see the line-up of potential adversaries:

Rich vs. Poor
Educated vs. Uneducated
Haves vs. Have nots
Employed vs. Unemployed
White vs. Non-whites
Christians vs. Non-Christians
Westerners vs. Non-westerners
Americans vs. Non-Americans
Gays vs. Non-gays
Conservatives vs. Liberals

Should a civil war erupt in the USA in my lifetime, I shudder to think how many different countries will come out of a Divided States of America. My guess that the USA will become, at the very least, 20+ nation states. And for those states smart enough, they will allow themselves to be annexed by Canuckland.

Kansas: New Groupthink on Women's Rights

Honestly, if the Kansas Attorney General is so interested in protecting the rights of the unborn, he should petition the state legislature or Congress to set up "Baby Farms".  Here's how it would work in a 'Orwellian-twisted World'.

Each month, the state would conduct mandatory testing for all women of child-bearing age. If a woman is found to be pregnant, she would immediately be sent off to a 'Baby Farm'. The Baby Farm would be a maximum security facility with the sole aim of the facility to ensure that each and every unborn child see the light of day. As such, the state of Kansas could guarantee the rights of every unborn child. (Even women who have been raped would be subject to the new laws of the state. Ditto goes for incest. Double ditto for underage pregnancies. - the abortion opponents want to secure the rights of the unborn - never forget their position.)

Does this seem so far-fetched? Don't you think once abortion opponents get their people in all the higher political offices that this won't occur? Let's get real folks. By setting up 'Baby Farms' so-called 'concerned advocates' of the unborn could in fact, ensure the 'birth of perfect babies'. I'll let you the reader determine what 'perfect babies' might mean in the grand scheme of things. (I can only think of one period in modern history when a state wanted to ensure the birth of perfect babies.)

Women in the state of Kansas should be thinking about moving to a more friendlier state for women's rights. Or better yet, move to Canada. Up in Canada, there is no way any politician would advocate such a position being supported by the Kansas Attorney General. Well, I am not too sure about Stephen Harper and his friends but, I can vouch for the majority of Canadians.

Should people be worried about politicians such as A.G. Phill Kline???

(NY Times: A.G. wants access to private medical records)

New GOP Strategy: Logan's Run

Apparently the (extreme right wing of) GOP wants to punish senior citizens for not backing the proposed changes to Social Security. Anyone who does not line up behind the 'special interests' of Big Business is now deemed an enemy combatant or 'person of interest'. As such, all citizens over the age of 50 must report to special detention centers for re-education or special extermination - See Logan's Run, the movie for more details.

Unfortunately, only those citizens over 50 who do not have a net worth of $10 million will need to report to the nearest police station by midnight December 31, 2009. Now, if senior citizens wish to go out and commit heinous crimes in order to increase their net worth they may do so under the following conditition. Poor senior citizens may only rob people who do not live in affluent neighbourhoods.

By the way, don't you think it is about time for the 'intelligent people' of the Republic to begin pushing back against the 'Extreme Right Wingers'??? (How about push them back into the ocean and let them swim to ...... oh, sorry, I don't think any country will take them. Well, maybe North Korea will take them.)

(NY Times: Maureen Dowd's Swiftie Slime Ads)

Mobile Phone Scams: One-Ring Calls

In Japan, there is a new scam called "One Ring" which leads to high charges made to one's mobile telephone. Here's how it works. A company hires someone to ring your mobile phone and hangs up right away. Now, most people just hit 'return dial' on their mobile phones without thinking about who might be on the other end. Often, the telephone numbers are bogus fronts for 'criminal organizations'. When the phone is answered it is often some 'sex talk line'. One the phone is answered on their end, you are charged lots of money - how much I do not know.

Well, I think some 'woman' tried to call my mobile. Don't ask me how they choose the numbers. Anyhow, here are the numbers that the woman used to ring me. If you want, ring them up from a 'pay phone' and give them 'hell'! Waste their time so that they cannot phone some unsuspecting person.

Dial #03-5443-4555 (or) #03.5476-5993. Remember that these are Tokyo telephone numbers.

SRU: Extraordinary Rendition

I read Bob Herbert's op-ed piece, Outsourcing Torture, in The New York Times with great interest. I did not know that the US government has a Spec Ops group called the "Special Removal Unit". The SRU's charter is to seize individuals and direct them to a second country for 'special actions'. Gee, I never knew it was legal to kidnap a person from one country and send them to another one. Such was the case for a Canadian citizen in 2002.

It's sad that our neighbor to the south can/will/does kidnap Canadian citizens and send them to countries that engage in 'pain and torture' in order to extract information. Now, if the US government sanctions such activities, does this also mean other countries have the same types of Spec Ops teams??

I am no international law scholar but I suspect that kidnapping is still deemed a criminal act even when it is performed by a sovereign state.

I am unsure how the US government has addressed the injustices done to the Canadian person at the centre of the current op-ed piece but, I suspect the US government will not answer questions from the medai. As long as the public is willing to forgo 'freedom' in order to gain 'more security', actions taken by the SRU will be tolerated by that same society. As such, 'May God have mercy on our souls'.

Rudy Fleming: Poster Child of Problems with the Parole System

Need I say anymore? (Read Murder Suspect) Why is the US so compassionate when it comes to criminals? Isn't it better that those people who have a strong desire to prey on the weak be sent to prison for the rest of their lives? If parole boards are so keen on letting the dangerous elements of society back onto the streets, perhaps we can let the parolees live with them. Wouldn't that be much better?

Death penalty sure sounds good right about now!

Excerpts from new article in NY The SUN:

It is unclear at what point Fleming might have acquired the alleged murder weapon, a .357 Taurus revolver.

"Carrying a gun is clearly a violation," Ms. Halbrook said.

Normally, such violations, including breaking his curfew and moving, would send a paroled convict to an administrative law judge to rule on his case, Mr. Steinhardt said.

Instead, the alleged violations by Fleming went undetected - at a time when the parole officers union has been complaining that unnecessary paperwork keeps officers from doing their job properly.

"You can't take what a parolee says at face value. You have to free parole officers up so they can do their job," Ms. Halbrook said. "This is a system-wide problem."

The Division of Parole has maintained that such paperwork is critical to the officers' job and does not have the effect of compromising public safety.

Fleming and four other teenagers were picked up for questioning Sunday night after police received tips from the public about the case, which was widely publicized. Two of the four were charged with attempted robbery in a related case the same night, but were not charged in the duFresne slaying. The remaining two are considered witnesses, police said. The 14-year-old girl who was charged with murder was taken to police in Brooklyn on Monday by her mother, according to the Associated Press.

Whatever will happen to the other teenagers involved in the case? Will they receive a light 'slap on the wrist' and get out of juvenile hall with a 'hand gun' and a couple of hundred dollars? Gee, for Chrissakes - society cannot save them!

Drunk Driver: How much time in prison is enough?

Yet another tragic story about traffic fatalities in Japan. This past weekend, a drunk driver whose driver's license had been suspended drove his car into a group of people and drove off. In his statement to the police, the drunk driver claimed that he did not know he had ran into a group of people. (Yeah, right! Tell us another big fib!)

I'm not sure how much time he will serve behind prison walls but, any sentence that is less than 20-25 years is too short. If the judges decide his sentence should be life, I would not complain.

(Mainichi News: Drunk driver kills many)

Florida "Torture" Couple: The Dollars

Perhaps, they should change their names to 'Two Cents' because that is what their lives are worth today. I'd love to be on the jury that decides their fates. Before the trial even gets under way, I'd be the one standing in front of the court house with a huge placard saying "DEATH to SLIME". These two people, and people like them, are the main reason why the death penalty should never be outlawed.

A sentence of life in prison is too easy for them. Only through death can society feel much better. (Thoughts to myself - does the State of Florida permit 'torture' as a means of punishment?? What say you Jeb? If not, "why not"?)

(Yahoo News: The Torturers - The Family Dollar)

Raising the bounty will solve nothing

Thomas Friedman in his recent op-ed piece hits the nail on its proverbial head: less money on OBL's head will make for a much stronger future.

(NY Times: Fighting terrorism and fostering peace)

Dick Grasso: Secretary earned $240K/year

I read a story in the International Herald Tribune about infamous Dick Grasso's secretary who reportedly pulled down $240,000 a year. Is there any wonder why so many people hate the uber-criminal-rich and their cohorts? I cannot f'ing believe Grasso paid the assistant that much cash. I honestly think there is something going on behind the story and once the media gets some balls, we'll all know the truth behind the outrageous sum of money.

240K, just unf'ing real.

(See NY Times)

Yet Another Candidate for the Death Penalty: Rudy Fleming

Parolee robs people. Parolee shoots robbery victim. Victim dies. Parolee's sentence?

I sure hope it is the death penalty or at the very least, life in prison without any chance of parole. Just look how well his first time on parole panned out??? Would you want this person living in your neighbourhood?

(NY Times: Parolee arrested for robbery-murder.)

Death Penalty: Obvious choice for this sick man

Guy gets paid to do job. Guys does not do  job. Corpses get stacked one on top of the others. More corpses. More bodies left to rot. Justice? Twelve years in prison. My justice? A bullet to the criminal's head. Or better yet, a bullet through his left eye. And a hot poker through his mouth and into his brain, or whatever he has up there.

This guy has got to die. Please let some other person behind bars, put this deviant out of our minds once and for all.

(CNN: Crematory loser gets an easy 12 years in prison.)

Gosh, if you really think I am too harsh regarding this guy, you should hear what I really think of him!!! I can't post my real thoughts because you just never know who might be reading my blog!

Reason #1 for the Death Penalty

If you have any objections to capital punishment, you need to explain how society should deal with this Japanese couple. Their story and their treatment (or lack thereof) for a child will make you vomit.

I am a strong advocate for capital punishment. I don't really care too much for people like the two described in the news article below. This couple deserves to hang by their neck until they are dead: And may God not take mercy on their pathetic souls.

Young couple starve 'burdensome' 3-year-old daughter to death

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama -- A young man and woman who starved the woman's 3-year-old daughter to death because she was "a hindrance" to their entertainment have been arrested, police said. Arrested on suspicion of murder were Misa Hanaya, 20, and Yuichi Kiyohara, 23, who was living with Hanaya at the time of her daughter's death. Investigators accuse the couple of leaving Hanaya's daughter Juri to sleep in the loft of their home in Tokorozawa, giving her hardly any food for several months. She died at about noon on Jan. 22 from malnutrition. Police said that from about 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the day of Juri's death, both Hanaya and Kiyohara were playing pachinko. When they came home at about 9 p.m., Hanaya noticed that her daughter was not moving, and called for an ambulance. The girl was later confirmed dead. At the time of her death, the young girl weighed a mere 6 kilograms -- roughly half the average weight of a 3-year-old girl. Police added that her body was covered in bedsores because they made her sleep on newspapers on the floor. "I ate normally (with Kiyohara) and did things like go to karaoke," Hanaya was quoted as telling investigators. "We wanted to spend time together, but Juri was a hindrance." Police said they decided to accuse the couple of murder because Juri said, "I sacrificed Juri and chose a life with Kiyohara instead," and added that the girl was an obstacle. (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, Jan. 25, 2005)

U.S. War Policy: Do the ends justify the means?

Only time will tell. Leave it to future historians to decide whether or not GW was right in his 'ordered' treatment of enemy combatants from the War against Terror(ism).

If the actions of the US government spiral out of contro and undo 50+ years of humane treatment of prisoners of war, then 'their actions' are bad. However, if the actions of the US government do usher in a new "World Order" of peace and prosperity then, I guess GW was right. Again, only time will tell which is the correct outcome.

(NY Times: More Disturbing News)

Gunmen bust up birthday with murder

Is the death penalty the right sentence for such cowards? Should taxpayers pay to keep the killers alive until they die of old age? One has to scratch one's head to figure out why personal income tax is shooting through the roof for many American workers. If a jury of peers select the 'death penalty' for murderous cowards, shouldn't the execution occur the very next day? Wouldn't it be cheaper in the long run for the country???

(CNN: Two killed)

Sex Abuse by U.N. Peacekeepers in Congo

Disgusting. If the United Nations cannot police their own people, perhaps the U.N. should be disbanded. I find the behaviour and lack of supervision by the U.N. officials downright pathetic and evil. For all the good the U.N. has done in the past, cover-ups only serve to foster feelings of distrust amongst the world's population.

When will the United Nations do something to bring those peacekeepers (rapists) to justice?

(Original article in LA Times: no link available)

Woman Hurts My Family

A personal blog tonight: a disgusting woman is trying to hurt my family. My personal mission is to humiliate her and make her pay for her crimes against my family. A promise I intend to keep.

Hell hath no fury like a pissed off Canuck...

Ban Telemarketing

Frightening story about how a disgruntled telemarketer threatened harm to a women on the other end of the phone.

(The Kansas City Channel: you got to read it to believe it!) - The threatening letter.

Why is there only one fat man in NK?

Thanks go to the Christian Science Monitor for a very interesting look at what tourists face if they venture into North Korea. A must read for people who want to understand the 'enemy' (member of the Axis of Evil). I, for one, would never set foot in the country.

(CSM: Rule No. 1: Obey All Rules)

Jack Bauer: 24 - Season Four

I really think Jack needs to take a long vacation. After having 3 really horrible days over the past three years, you'd think he would change his job and become a school librarian or something a lot less stressful. But, since Jack is a true hero who believes in protecting his country and the world from terrorists, we can thank him for staying on board.

I can't wait for Season Four to begin. Let's draft Jack Bauer as candidate for US President in 2008!!!

(Trailer for next season)

Wait: I can hear it now - Guns don't kill

Do you remember hearing this famous/infamous line being uttered by gun ownership advocates: "Guns don't kill people. People kill people."?? Well, I would love to amend this often quoted line to defend the rights of gun owners around America. I would like people to use this new phrase: "Guns don't kill people. Guns only help stupid people kill others." Think about it: if there were another light, portable, inexpensive weapon that could reach its target from 100 feet away, people would use it instead of guns. Since guns are so cheap to buy, it is the optimal choice for stupid people to kill other people. So, remember, "Guns aren't dangerous. Guns are only dangerous in the hands of stupid people."

(CNN: Hunter kills others like animals.)

Sexual Predators: Apply for Airport Jobs

If airport screeners are 'copping' a cheap feel at the expense of women travellers, it is only a matter of time before 'sexual predators' begin applying for those jobs. If the government is unwilling to protect its own citizens from those who abuse their official offices/positions, it does not bode well for the nation. Now, if airlines and airports were smart (I sure hope they are already), they will begin forcing its employees to take lie detector tests twice a year. Some of the obvious questions are (1) have you used your position to make sexual advances on a member of the opposite sex? (2) have you inappropriately touched any passengers in an inappropriate manner? (3) do you get sexual satisfaction when you 'pat down' travellers? And if any employee fails this portion of the test, the police should take them outside and put a bullet in their head. Yes, it is that simple.

(Read Silicon Valley: Blog)

Crimes Against Humanity: North Korea

This is a very disturbing account of what is happening in North Korea. (Link to Der Spiegel)  If the United Nations is the guardian of the peoples of the world, why aren't they doing anything about 'the mass starvation' in North Korea? Do North Korean lives have less value than human life in Africa? Or is the world helping Africa because those military governments do not possess the ability to launch nuclear weapons on invading/occupying troops? How can the world stand by and let hundreds or thousands of North Koreans die so easily?

Scandal in NY Politics? Read and Decide

Too good to pass up. Here is the article in full.

Feed the Billionaire, Starve the Students

By BOB HERBERT

Published: November 15, 2004

The juxtaposition of the two articles, one in the news section and the other in sports, was instructive.

We learned from a page-one story in last Thursday's Times that pupils at Public School 63 in the South Bronx have to take their gym classes in the school's lobby. They don't have a gymnasium. Their teacher, Rose Gelrod, has marked a jogging path on the lobby's floor. These makeshift classes, as reporter Susan Saulny informed us, "are regularly interrupted by foot traffic to bathrooms and deliveries to the cafeteria."

Welcome to the wonderful world of neglect, which is the daily life of New York City schoolchildren.

Ah, but on the front page of the Sports section of that same paper comes a different story. It was a profile of the pampered billionaire owner of the New York Jets, Robert Wood Johnson IV, who is known as Woody to his close friends and those many public officials who stumble all over themselves trying to kiss his ring.

The very people who are crying poverty as they deny gyms and playgrounds to the city's schoolchildren - starting with the billionaire mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, and the governor, George Pataki - are pulling out every stop in an effort to round up and hand over hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to their friend Woody so he can have the grandest, most luxurious, most expensive sports stadium the country has ever seen.

The stadium would sit on some of the most valuable real estate in the country, prime Manhattan riverfront property, which would also be handed over for Woody's use. Oh, it's good to be a billionaire.

As for the kids. Well, forget about them. They don't have any money. For 30 years, at least, they've gotten the back of the hand when it comes to playgrounds and athletic facilities. Nearly a fifth of the city's schools lack gymnasiums. Ninety-four percent have no athletic fields. More than half have no playgrounds.

The politicians will tell you we can't afford to do better than that for the kids in the public schools. But a billion-and-a-half-dollar playground for the rich and famous, hard by the Hudson River? No problem.

In the article about Mr. Johnson, The Times's Duff Wilson said:

"He is one of the biggest Republican fund-raisers in the nation, and his grateful allies - President Bush, Gov. George E. Pataki and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg - make up a rare triple play of powerful support."

When you lavish money on politicians, you expect something in return. Among the things Mr. Johnson wants is $600 million in city and state funds (at least) to make up the difference between the $800 million he is putting up and the estimated $1.4 billion the stadium will cost.

The state and the city are responsible for financing the city's grossly underfinanced schools and they fight like gamecocks over who should pay for what. But they are in the most harmonious agreement that the estimable Woody should get the hundreds of millions that he wants for his stadium.

It couldn't be because he's greased so many palms, could it? I personally think this entire project is a scandal, a wholesale giveaway of tremendous public assets to an incredibly wealthy private interest. In the old days somebody would have called the sheriff. But you don't hear much about bribery or quid-pro-criminal-quos anymore because the rascals have figured out how to make it legal.

Woody Johnson is not big on publicity. He goes out of his way to avoid the spotlight. "He declines interviews for a profile," Mr. Wilson wrote. "He tells his closest family members and longtime business associates not to talk about him, either."

He would like the public to know as little about him as possible. And yet he has his hand out, palm wide open, ready to seize as much of the public's money as he can get.

The neglect of New York City's schools goes far beyond the lack of gymnasiums, athletic fields and playgrounds. Classrooms are overcrowded and there is a dangerous shortage of qualified teachers. Bathrooms in some schools aren't even equipped with toilet paper or hand towels. Parents and teachers are often forced to buy the most basic supplies.

You might think the powers that be would address those sorts of things before catering to the wish lists of greedy, grasping billionaires.

You might think that. But if you did, you'd be wrong.

JFK Airport Baggage Handlers Arrested

Just when you thought it was safe to travel, a bunch of two-bit thieves get caught red-handed stealing items from checked baggage.

Quoted passage from news article: (NY Times)

BAGGAGE THIEVES BAGGED After police staged a months-long undercover sting, five baggage handlers at Kennedy Airport were charged last week with stealing laptop computers, cameras, compact discs and cash from the checked bags of passengers, according to the Queens district attorney's office, which estimated the total value of the stolen goods to be $23,000. The baggage handlers who were charged in the thefts were employees of Swissport USA, which transports luggage and cargo from terminals to aircraft. Some of the stolen goods were sold to undercover detectives or on eBay, the online auction house. Since April, about two dozen employees of the Transportation Security Administration have been arrested on charges of stealing from checked bags at six airports.

[Just thoughts: Can we cut off their hands?]

FBI taking a harder look at Halliburton

Is the FBI investigation for real?

Quoted passage from article: (NY Times)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating whether the Army's handling of a large Iraq contract with the Halliburton Company violated procurement rules, according to lawyers for an Army official who made the charges of improprieties.

F.B.I. agents have requested an interview with the official, Bunnatine H. Greenhouse, the chief of contracting with the Army Corps of Engineers, on her allegations regarding a 2003 contract with Halliburton to repair Iraqi oil fields, her lawyer, Michael D. Kohn, said in an interview yesterday.

Unpaid Chinese Migrant Workers-Group Suicide

Read this very sad and upsetting news piece via The Peking Duck about how some corrupt Chinese business operators did not pay wages owed to some migrant workers. Such actions make me so upset. If the PRC cannot clamp down on such activities, I predict there will be a massive revolt against the system. If this occurs, I would not lose any sleep over it. Let the people 'hang the criminals' by their skrawny necks until they are dead - is what I say.

(The Straits Time Interactive - registered required)

Quoted passage from news article:

According to the workers, a foreman named Wei Xinghua had held back their pay month after month.

'Soon most of us had to survive on one meal a day,' said another worker, Mr Xie Guozhu.

Mr Xie also said Mr Wei had promised to pay him 35 yuan a day. 'He now owes me 3,600 yuan and 200,000 yuan in all to the 20 over workers under him. But Xie is nowhere to be found since more than a month ago,' he added.

As sleeping pills are controlled drugs in China, the workers had bought their pills in batches. Last Saturday, they decided to take their last meal together before killing themselves.

The property developer which Fu Cheng, Mr Wei's company, was contracted to said it had long given the workers' money to Fu Cheng.

Following the suicide attempt, Fu Cheng paid every labourer hired for the project 100 yuan each and sent them home to wait for further news.

The seven workers are in stable condition now.

According to national surveys, more than 70 per cent of China's migrant workers are owed money by their employers who prey on them because there are few safeguards over workers' rights.

Also, unpaid wages in China have reportedly reached an astounding US$15 billion (S$25 billion), much of this in the construction sector.

Suicide threats are common among exploited migrant workers. Some of them perch on the rooftops of their quarters to try to force employers to pay up.

[comment: I sure hope the PRC finds the company foreman and gives him the severest punishment possible - that's right folks - "life in prison".]

International firms doing business in China need to ensure that labourers and/or factory workers are being paid properly. I will refuse to do any business with any company that does business with slave owners or evil businessmen.

World governments need to do more to ensure that evil business owners do not take advantage of workers. If the world governments are unwilling to do so, we can all pray to God that we hope He brings this world to an end quickly and start a new race of humans who might be more kinder to their fellow mankind.

By the way, with over 1.3 billion Chinese nationals, don't you think they could just march down the streets and kill all the evil business people and eventually make their way to Beijing? Now, that would be one event I would love to see and blog about.

Pakistan: A very screwed up country

I will just copy and paste the important sections and you can decide whether or not the USA should treat Pakistan as an ally or an enemy of mankind.

Quoted passage from the news article: (NY Times)

In June 2002, the police say, members of a high-status tribe sexually abused one of Ms. Mukhtaran's brothers and then covered up their crime by falsely accusing him of having an affair with a high-status woman. The village's tribal council determined that the suitable punishment for the supposed affair was for high-status men to rape one of the boy's sisters, so the council sentenced Ms. Mukhtaran to be gang-raped.

Yes, in the 21st Century, we still have barbaric practices commited by stupid men. Why aren't politicians standing up in the United Nations and screaming for such practices to be halted?

Disgraced Former CSFB Banker Heads to Jail

Frank Quattrone has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for his involvement in obstructing justice in federal probes into the possible mishandling of IPOs at his former place of employment, CSFB. From the news report, he was also fined $90,000 for his infractions. I am unsure what the federal sentencing guidelines are for such crimes, but I do not really think a $90K fine is large enough.

Is this just the tip of the iceberg? Are more federal charges brewing in NYC for the underhanded tactics of i-bankers? Is it time for the entire securities industry to change the way it licenses traders, brokers, analysts, consultants? I don't know.

As I am preparing for the CFA examinations, I cannot help but remember the readings on ethics and rules of conduct. Perhaps, i-bankers should be forced to sign annual declarations which stipulate their course of conduct and possible violations for the previous year. If a committee of overseers rule that their actions did violate rules of conduct, then immediate actions can be taken. None of this: post-event redress. And, if bankers refuse to sign the declaration, they should face serious sanctions and possible suspension from investment activities.

(CBS Market Watch.)

Vicious Murders in Florida

Unbelievable how violent some people can become.

(Globe and Mail.)

Possible Terrorist? Or Just Another Illegal Alien in the U.S.

A woman who tried to board a flight with an altered passport has been detained in Texas. Is she the new face of the enemy? Or is she someone trying to find a job in the US?

I did not know that illegal aliens were allowed to seek legal counsel during interrogations with government officials and thus, bring the interrogations to a grinding halt. Do other countries afford the same priveleges to Westerners when detained by police officials in Middle Eastern countries? How about in African nations? I don't think so.

By the way, why was she headed to New York? Did she have some nefarious plans to disrupt the upcoming RNC?

(CNN.)

Anti-Social Behaviour in UK Teens

Are they kidding? The British government wants to crack down on the level of anti-social behaviour? Teenagers, I'm quite sure, the world over are just being teenagers. If they tend to loaf around doing nothing and getting into trouble, it's because they have nothing to do. If they have no jobs, no money, no parental control, no role models, what else do we expect from them? Stay at home and read the Bible? Stay at home and paint the fence? C'mon - let's get real. Teens have so much free time nowadays.

When I step outside of my apartment, I see hundreds of cases where Japanese teenagers have the same problems of 'idleness'. They have so much free time and lots of 'pocket money' from their parents. They like to sit on the floor of train cars. They like to yap on their cellular phones anywhere and at anytime. They like to get frisky on a bus. And you know what? I don't really care about them at all. I have enough problems in my life than to give a rat's ass how another mother and father raise their kids. If, from the lack of parental supervision, these young kids can't get a high school diploma or get arrested, I don't really care.

Let the young be young and one day, they might just wake up from their 'life of no responsibilities' only to find that they have nothing from their life. Until then, I sure hope the UK government does not waste taxpayers' money on a "War against anti-social behaviour disorder".

Maybe it'll be easier if teenagers are put to work on summer projects or farms for the summer months. Let them work and earn some money. Keep them off the streets and out of trouble!

(Economist.com)

Attackers in Paris: Disgusting Act

[Did the attack take place? Did the woman fabricate her story? Did the authorities coerce her into recanting her story? Could this have happened? (News.)]

I am beginning to think that the world is headed for another large scale war.

Excerpt Begins

Paris — French politicians have rushed to condemn a gang of young men who attacked a woman and her infant child, cutting her hair and drawing swastikas on her stomach.

Excerpt Ends

(Globe and Mail.)

Not a Good Day for Police

Quite an embarassing story for the police department in Ocala, Florida.

(CNN.)

Sickening Story

After you read this story, perhaps you too will agree that children no matter how young they are must be punished for their horrific actions.

(CNN.)

SCAM: Citicorp Website

Do you think this web site is legitimate? Beware!!! I got this link in an email message. I wonder if Citibank is aware of its existence??

(Citi Fake)

(Citibank)

The Murder of Satomi Mitarai

Very sad story.

I truly believe that justice can only be served if the 11-year old attacker is placed in police custody until she reaches the age of 45. I do not want to see this vicious killer allowed to walk away from a juvenile care facility at the age of 18. The attacker has basically confessed to the killing and has made statement that she had planned the attack at least 2 or more days in advance. Also, when asked by the police what she did between the time she slit the throat of the victim and when she returned to the classroom, the attacker replied, "I watched and waited for her (the victim) to die."

I know it is cruel to wish that capital punishment be meted out against a child and for that I can only ask that the Japanese authorities keep the attacker behind locked bars for at least 30+ years. Even after serving 30+ years behind locked bars, the attacker will still be 41 years young, give or take a few years.

In addition, the attacker's name should be publicized upon her release from prison in 30 years. The attacker does not deserve our sympathy nor does she deserve to remain anonymous in a society that demands justice.

Here is a recent article taken from the Mainichi News. (Article.)

Father of slashing victim 'unable to function normally' says lawyer

SASEBO, Nagasaki -- The mental suffering of the father of a 12-year-old girl who was slashed to death with a paper cutter by one of her elementary school classmates has rendered him unable to function normally in his daily life, the man's lawyer said Monday.

"I think he is suffering from sleep deprivation," Lawyer Mitsuhide Yahiro, who works for the victim's father, Kyoji Mitarai, told a press conference.

Mitarai, 45, chief of the Mainichi Shimbun Sasebo Bureau, was scheduled to speak to reporters Monday evening, but the lawyer and doctors prevented him from doing so.

Instead of talking with reporters, widower Mitarai released a statement describing his feelings for his late daughter, Satomi.

The statement began with an address to the girl: "Sacchan, where are you now?"It went on to ask the daughter about her mother who died about three years ago. "Have you already met up with your mother?"

Later in the statement, Mitarai recalled their trip to Tokyo Disneyland and mentioned that Satomi was good at making friends.

But Mitarai went on to say that he didn't completely comprehend what had happened.

"I don't understand why you aren't here," it said. "My name and your name are being mentioned in newspapers and television news reports. I don't understand why."

Meanwhile, the parents of the girl believed to have killed Mitarai's daughter at school have also expressed their shock over the incident, sources close to the couple said.

They have rarely left their home since the day of the slashing. The sources said that the father of the suspected killer wanted to meet with Mitarai and offer an apology in place of his daughter.

Yahiro quoted Mitarai as saying that he was not in a condition to meet with the parents of the attacker. (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, June 7, 2004)

Spain: Terrorists Strike Back!

If you are having a good day, do not - I repeat "do not" - read the article about the fallen police officer who died trying to apprehend the terrorists responsible for the railway bombings in Madrid. The article is not very nice and if you have not had lunch or dinner yet, stay away. And if you are about to tuck yourself into bed, don't read it. For after you read the article, you will feel compelled to (1) vomit, (2) get really angry, (3) throw something at the television, or (4) more to a remote island in the South Pacific.

Here is an excerpt of the article.

Excerpt Begins

The coffin and body of special agent Francisco Javier Torronteras were pulled from the tomb in Madrid Sur cemetery in Carabanchel and pushed 1,000 yards in a wheelbarrow before being doused with petrol and set alight.

Excerpt Ends

Yes, it is that disgusting! If you're ready to read the article, here is the link.