“I” Am More Important Than Your Free Speech Rights

Responding to ongoing violence in the Middle East from the cartoons depicting Muhammad, the Vatican issued a statement saying:

“The right to freedom of thought and expression … cannot entail the right to offend the religious sentiment of believers.”

In other words, you do not have the right to say anything that offends religious believers.  However, belief in Catholicism is irreconciable and offensive to a belief in Islam.  It is also irreconiciable and offensive to Atheism.  It is impossible to have religious beliefs that are not offensive to someone else!

This statement itself is offensive, as it presumes that whatever your religious beliefs are, they are more important than allowing someone to say or print something you do not believe in.  Would the Vatican truly want Western civilization to degrade back to the dark ages?  We already know that is what many extreme Muslim fanatics want to bring to the world – but of course with their repressive religious beliefs being imposed on all.

Even more disturbing than the Vatican’s willingness to eliminate free speech rights about religion is the statement’s reference to your “thoughts.”  You cannot be permitted to even think about something that would offend someone else’s religious beliefs.

From this statement one could draw the conclusion that the primary difference between the Vatican and Muslim terrorists is the willingness to use violence against those with different beliefs.

Arrest all the Democrats

Cindy Sheehan was arrested right before President Bush’s state of the union address for wearing a shirt protesting the war in Iraq.  That apparently is considered a “demonstration” – which is not allowed in the Capitol building.

OK, this nut does not know how to appropriately dress.

But what about the speech-stopping standing ovation, applause, and back-slapping the Democrats gave themselves during Bush’s speech when he said that his efforts to reform social security had been rejected by Congress?

That was surely a demonstration.  It was also much more disruptive than Ms. Sheehan’s shirt.  Arrest them all!

Breaking News

“So far all that has burned is a barn and a few bales of hay.”

– Fox News reporting on a small fire near Muskogee, Oklahoma.

Slow news day?  Osama Bin Laden issued a new threatening audio tape yesterday.  Iran is pursuing its nuclear capabilities, threatening to withhold oil from the world, and today started moving its money out of European countries.

If the burning of a few bales of hay can be reported about maybe we are doing a great job on the war on terror.  That is the real news.  No news is good news.

Fox News can now return to day 412 of non-stories about Holloway and Arruba, and other matters no one cares about.

Chocolate City New Orleans

The Mayor of New Orleans, who must be the worst mayor in the country, has stated that New Orleans is a chocolate city and he wants it to stay that way.

He also said the hurricanes were sent by God who was mad at Blacks and the United States.

This is the same nincompoop who blamed a racist US federal government for its hurricane response.  Perhaps, as he suggests, Bush was merely doing God’s bidding?  How could the mayor complain about that?

Could you imagine the mayor’s indignation and uproar if someone said they wanted to see New Orleans become a little more vanilla after the hurricanes?

Funny how those who complain about racism are often the largest racists of all.  That is because they view everything through a very narrow lens – a lens made of black and white.  Racism is their way of life.  For this type of person, racism is a lifeline for further political gain and continued living off of the taxes paid by others.

Hopefully the people of New Orleans have some common sense and will get this moron out of office.

Eat the Scientists

Two scientists, err, professors at some public Universities, reported that after three years of analysis of thousands of bone chips and fragements, they were unable to confirm that the Donners of the “Donner party” engaged in cannibalism. They were apparently split off from the larger group, which did eat each other.

These professors were unable to locate evidence of cannibalism at a campfire site they believe was used by the Donners OVER 150 YEARS AGO. Maybe someone ate the evidence. Maybe the bones they were looking for turned to dust eons ago, or were taken away by scavenging animals. Maybe that is why this boondoggle resulted in this wacky report – contrary to the first-hand reports, diary entries, etc., of the people who were actually there over 150 years ago.

Good to know these teachers, getting paid with our tax dollars, have nothing better to do with their time, abilities, and scientific knowledge. Great, the Donners did not eat other people. Now fire these professors.

What’s next – ‘Cave Men Did Not Kill Whoolly Mammoths’ – Scientists excavating a cave with Neanderthal-era drawings of prehistoric men killing Whoolly Mammoths were unable to find any evidence in or near the cave that this killing ever occurred. After reviewing thousands of bone fragments in the area, professors found a lot of squirrel and bird bones, but not the Whoolly Mammoth shown on the cave walls. Puzzled, the scientists were sure that after 25,000 years they would easily find this evidence.

They also found several beer cans and condoms – which after further scientific study were determined to have been used. Further testing is being conducted to see if they were used on a Whoolly Mammoth.

Wolfs in Sheep Clothing

America Worst, excuse me, America West, is now referring to itself as US Airways. This illustrates a common tactic by bad businesses with a tarnished name: buy-out another company and change your name to that company.

Other recent examples include KMart buying Sears and then changing the company name to Sears, and Worldcom buying MCI and then changing its name to MCI.

The US Police State

In the aftermath of revelations about President Bush’s use of wiretaps without a warrant and without consent, it has been mentioned that President Clinton permitted the interception of millions of phone calls and emails under a secret project called Echelon.

Clinton’s malfeasance does not justify Bush’s actions. Didn’t we learn as children that two wrongs do not make a right?

Perhaps Bush’s actions are symptomatic of the police state the US has become in the view of whoever resides in the people’s White House.

It has also been claimed that the disclosure of Bush’s wiretaps has aided the enemy and let them know what the US is up to. Huh? While attacking the messenger is a common tactic to try and deflect attention, this has to go down as one of the dumbest arguments the government has made this last year. Even if a warrant to wiretap had been properly obtained it would be secret and unknown to those being investigated.

The problem is not wiretapping conversations of those communicating with terrorists. That can be done in a legal manner and the law provides the mechanism for keeping those actions secret. The problem is making the wiretaps in an unlawful manner.

President Bush has said Article II of the US Constitution gives him that authority because he is the Commander in Chief. Evidently, Mr. Bush has never read the constitution. Article II states as pertinent:

“The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States….” Bush is not Commander in Chief of the United States as he claims. He commands the army. The President can only be Commander in Chief of the people, self-assuming the mantle of doing whatever he wants in the name of protecting as a parent his children the people, if this is a police state.

Julius Caesar Bush to be Impeached

President Bush says he has authorized and will continue to authorized wiretaps and eavesdropping without court approved warrants in the battle against terrorism. This is despite the existence of a secret court created for the purpose of reviewing and expediting sensitive wiretapping requests.

If the wiretapping has involved US citizens is there any reason why Bush should not be impeached? To argue that the nation’s security permits any action whatsoever, without any attempt to comply with legal due process, is to argue for a dictator, a Julius Caesar Bush who can proclaim any authority regardless of constitutional limits.

If an emergency arises and there is no time to acquire an initial subpoena, did anyone think of going to the court afterwards with the facts and undoubtedly justification for future snooping? Apparently not. Just an unbridled claim to unlimited power.

On the other hand, if the wiretapping has involved foreigners in the US then I have less of a concern. But a line has to be drawn protecting the rights of US citizens – the rights many founders lost their lives fighting for to escape the tyranny of a King who believed the ends justified the means.

There is no question that the Bush administration is secretive, and issue openly discussed in the media for years. But now we have had reports of secret prisons, walls of secrecy preventing the people from knowing what actions are being taken in their name, and now secret wiretaps.

It is time for King Bush to understand that the “war” on terror, the “war” on drugs, or the “war” on anything else is not a blank check for him to assume dictatorial policies he assumes are needed to protect us.