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Raj & Elephants On Parade

Posted by Team Turk on Wednesday, October 11, 2006 5:04:57 PM
Brownsville Herald spotlights pathetic border security.

“The elephant never made landfall into Mexico, but I tell you something, he could have made 15 laps back and forth, but no one showed up,” said Raj Peter Bhakta, a former star on the NBC show “The Apprentice,” who also is a Republican candidate for the 13th District U.S. House of Representatives seat in Eastern Pennsylvania.

In Brownsville, he witnessed half a dozen men swim under one of the international bridges “with complete immunity” which in turn prompted him to take the immigration issue to the next level.

Bhakta decided to see if he could get an elephant accompanied by a six-piece mariachi band across the river.

“To my surprise, the band played on, the elephants splashed away, and nobody showed up,” Bhakta said of the stunt. “I’m astounded.”

[James] Plunkett said he and his crew were hired for a “photo shoot” and entered the Boca Chica beach area without any notice from the Border Patrol. However, when it became clear that the elephants were in a quarantined area, the Border Patrol alerted the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the elephants had to be detained.

The animals needed to be sprayed for ticks.

“If I can get an elephant led by a mariachi band into this country, I think Osama bin Laden could get across with all the weapons of mass destruction he could get into this country,” Bhakta said.
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Was It Or Not?

Posted by Team Turk on Wednesday, October 11, 2006 2:12:05 PM
From United Press International:

White House spokesman Tony Snow said Tuesday it's possible North Korea blew up a weapon it has had for years in Monday's claimed nuclear test.

Snow told the daily Washington press briefing there was speculation going back a decade about whether Pyongyang had nuclear devices, perhaps as many as eight.

"The fact is there was a lot of -- that was a mere hypothetical. It was the case where there was a lot of speculation," Snow said.

Snow said experts have yet to determine whether Monday's seismic incident in North Korea was a nuclear explosion.

"We don't know. That is one of the reasons why it has been very difficult for anybody at this juncture, and this would include all of our allies, to assess precisely what took place the other day," he said.

The goal, Snow said, is to make sure "the end number of nukes they (the North Koreans) have is zero, and that the nuclear capability gets zeroed out, as well."
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Down Here, Up There, Even Elsewhere

Posted by Team Turk on Wednesday, October 11, 2006 2:09:51 PM
Kansas City Star narrates energy price forecast.

The federal Energy Information Administration said Tuesday that it expects natural-gas customers in the Midwest to see their heating bills decline 14.2 percent compared with last winter. Nationwide, the agency expects a 12.6 percent decline.

That would mean that an average residential natural-gas heating bill would drop about $156 in the Midwest and $119 nationwide this winter. Natural gas is the primary fuel for heating in this region and is used to heat 58 percent of households nationwide.

The outlook for other fuels used for heating is mixed. Fuel-oil expenditures are expected to increase 6.3 percent nationwide. Electricity spending is expected to increase 7.4 percent. Propane spending is expected to decline 1.1 percent.
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Are Guns the Solution?

Posted by Team Turk on Wednesday, October 11, 2006 2:06:12 PM
Kansas City Star ponders arming teachers.

A Wisconsin lawmaker has proposed legislation that would give teachers and principals the option of carrying concealed weapons.

On Monday, when questioned by reporters in Joplin, Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt said the idea might be worth exploring.

On Tuesday, however, Blunt’s spokesman Spence Jackson clarified that the governor was not suggesting schools take that step.

“The governor is in no way suggesting that we should arm teachers,” Jackson said. But the governor is calling for educators, local law enforcement and public safety officials to revisit their plans to protect children and adults in schools.

“The governor is stressing the importance of every school having a plan,” Jackson said.
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Battle of Wage

Posted by Team Turk on Wednesday, October 11, 2006 1:58:18 PM
Kansas City Star debates proposed minimum wage increase.

Persons opposed to minimum wage increases cite economic studies that show increases in unemployment among the least-skilled workers when the wage floor goes up. Persons in favor of minimum wage increases cite other economic studies that show no companion job loss with minimum wage increases.
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War On Porn

Posted by Team Turk on Wednesday, October 11, 2006 1:53:03 PM
GOP USA publicizes Senator Brownback’s proposal.

Senator Sam Brownback thinks the time has come to bear down on those who are distributing pornography throughout America, so he's calling for an investigative commission.

"We are seeing some prosecutions of pornography in the country in some areas, particularly on child pornography," says the Republican lawmaker. "But there has been an explosion of pornography across this nation."

"I think we need to update and look at that again, because there's been an explosion since that period of time [in the 1980s]," the senator says. "And [we need to] look at its addictive impact, its negative impact on families, [and] its coarsening of the culture, and to provide more information to local communities about that as well."
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Let Them Sue

Posted by Team Turk on Wednesday, October 11, 2006 1:49:31 PM
GOP USA chronicles Christmas music lawsuit.

Although a lower court dismissed the complaint, a federal court has now ruled that a legal challenge to a New Jersey school district's ban on Christmas music can proceed to trial.

In December of 2004, administrators with the South Orange/Maplewood School District banned the playing of Christmas music during year-end celebrations in its public schools. The Thomas More Law Center sued on behalf of a district parent and his two school-age children.

A district court dismissed the complaint, claiming the Law Center failed to state a claim under the Constitution of the United States. However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has ruled the challenge can go forward.
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Do Their Opinions Count?

Posted by Team Turk on Tuesday, October 10, 2006 5:17:50 PM
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver: "I think we've gotten into this because we haven't been paying attention. I think this could ignite an Asian arms race. No leader of a nation will sleep better tonight because of the test by North Korea."

Rep. Ike Skelton: "North Korea continues playing a highly dangerous game...Because of its importance to both regional and international security, this issue must be given far greater priority...including the appointment of a high level coordinator for North Korean policy within the administration."

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North Korea Reaction

Posted by Team Turk on Tuesday, October 10, 2006 5:16:37 PM
Sen. Pat Roberts: "It is clear the North Korean government continues to pursue its provocative and defiant policies. The international community must quickly and firmly respond to this action."

Sen. Jim Talent:  "I fully support U.S. and Japanese diplomatic efforts through the United Nations Security Council to impose economic and commercial sanctions that would persuade North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program."

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No Habla Espanol?

Posted by Team Turk on Tuesday, October 10, 2006 5:15:26 PM
From United Press International:

Cities and states across the United States, against a setting of increased immigration debate, are trying to make English the official language.

Arizona has a measure pending for its ballot, USA Today said Monday. Bills have passed one chamber in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Michigan and await action in the other. At least five communities approved English ordinances while another eight are considering them. The U.S. Senate version of an immigration bill includes a language provision as well.

While specific language varies, the propositions generally say government business must be conducted in English, except for emergency services, USA Today said. By federal law, election information must be available in other languages as well.

Supporters said the measures aren't anti-immigrant because they help immigrants assimilate into the United States, USA Today said. Critics disagree, saying among other things, that such measures deprive non-English-speaking people the right to information in a language they understand.

Several cities have rejected English proposals while other proposals have been challenged in court, USA Today said. Twenty-seven states have passed laws making English their official language.
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We Hate… Ourselves!

Posted by Team Turk on Tuesday, October 10, 2006 5:13:06 PM
From United Press International:

A Gallup poll finds that most U.S. Democrats and Republicans have nothing good to say about the other party.

The survey also found that about one-in-five members of both political parties don't have much use for the one they do identify with.

Curiously, neither the war in Iraq nor terrorism loom large as reasons for liking or disliking one of the major parties. Corruption also was a minor factor.

Twenty-seven percent of Democrats said the main reason they like the party is its identification with ordinary people. But 21 percent of Democrats, like 63 percent of Republicans, could think of nothing good to say.

Ineffective leadership was the major reason for disliking the Democratic Party, with 51 percent of Democrats and 43 percent of Republicans saying that.

While 70 percent of Democrats had no favorable views of the Republican Party, so did 19 percent of Republicans. The major reasons Democrats gave for disliking the GOP are that it is the party of big business and has provided poor leadership.

Republicans give a variety of reasons for liking the party, including its positions on moral and economic issues. But 25 percent, like 27 percent of Democrats, say its leadership has been bad.
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Answering With Force

Posted by Team Turk on Monday, October 09, 2006 10:10:15 PM
Fox News reports United States sanctions proposal.

The U.S. responded Monday to North Korea's claim that it had successful detonated a nuclear weapon by circulating a tough draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council condemning the nuclear test and impose wide-ranging sanctions on the country for disregarding the world body's admonishments to not move forward with the test.

The resolustion would enact tough restrictions, including a trade ban on military and luxury items, the power to inspect all cargo entering or leaving the country, and freezing assets connected with its weapons programs.
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"No Indication of Why"

Posted by Team Turk on Monday, October 09, 2006 9:57:44 PM
Fox News relates middle school assault.

A 13-year-old student wearing a dark green trenchcoat and carrying an assault rifle fired one shot in a middle school Monday morning and told two administrators, "please don't make me do this," officials said.

No one was injured, and the student was taken into custody.

The student, who was not identified, pointed the gun at two other students as he entered Memorial Middle School and was confronted by an administrator, who tried to talk him into putting down the Mac-90 assault rifle, said Joplin police spokesman Lt. Geoff Jones.
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GoogleTube

Posted by Team Turk on Monday, October 09, 2006 9:51:01 PM
Fox News describes Google-YouTube merger.

Google Inc. (GOOG) is snapping up YouTube Inc. for $1.65 billion in a deal that catapults the Internet search leader to a starring role in the online video revolution.

The all-stock deal announced Monday unites one of the Internet's marquee companies with one of its rapidly rising stars. It came just hours after YouTube unveiled three agreements with media companies in an apparent bid to escape the threat of copyright-infringement lawsuits.

The price makes YouTube, a still-unprofitable startup, by far the most expensive purchase made by Google during its eight-year history.
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North Korea Reaction

Posted by Team Turk on Monday, October 09, 2006 6:22:53 PM
House Majority Whip Roy Blunt:  "The idea of a nuclear-armed North Korea should concern everyone in the civilized world...Dangerous weapons are now in the hands of a regime with a proven record of proliferation and hostility towards its neighbors...Now is the time for the world community to demonstrate its resolve in stopping nuclear proliferation."

Sen. Kit Bond:   "An outlaw regime with a nuclear capability and the ability to transfer weapon technology to other countries such as Iran, or non-state terrorist groups, cannot be tolerated...We must confront this threat to restore regional and global stability, as well as protect the long-term safety and security of the American people."   

Sen. Sam Brownback: "We will fight tyranny with freedom. We call on all freedom-loving nations around the world, especially the United States, to take every North Korean refugee that legally seeks entry into their country...Over a million North Korean refugees have died of starvation, and it will only get worse, as this rogue regime isolates itself further from the world while more and more people flee such a desperate situation."

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