Morales meets the real world in Bolivia

Bolivia's Morales to Push Land Reform [1]

Morales' plan to redistribute sections of Bolivia's land to landless Indians has come up against a reality so common in Latin America:

Agribusiness leaders from Bolivia's eastern lowlands are the biggest opponents of the land bill and have vowed to use force if necessary to defend their large farms against government expropriation.

As is common in Mexico on south, a relatively small elite hold much of the land.

Morales has said that the government would not seize land used productively, but instead confiscate large tracts of Bolivia's sparsely populated east held among a few powerful families merely for speculation.

Not that Morales has a clue about structuring a successful ecomomy. But, this story does illustrate one of the problems down south.

Tag: latin-america

The conspiracy theorists abound

Justice Department Eyes Spy Program [1]

WASHINGTON - The Justice Department has begun an internal investigation into its handling of information gathered in the government's domestic spying program. However, Democrats criticized the review as too narrow to determine whether the program violated federal law.

Heh. Democrats. Should we expect anything different?

"It's good that the executive branch, on its own, is making sure that someone's not abusing this power," [Former Reagan administration national security official] Turner said. "But when Congress usurps power vested in the president by the people through the Constitution, then it becomes the lawbreaker."

Ah, a bit of fresh air. But the conspiacy theorists are still with us:

Countering, Caroline Fredrickson, the director of the ACLU's office in Washington, urged Fine "to seek the hidden truth about this program.

The plain truth is not good enough for the ACLU: It's the gu'ment. There must be something fishy going on...

Tag: Politics

All talk, no action on Darfur...

Former Darfur rebel demands Janjaweed be disarmed - Reuters Darfur: What We Must Do To Counter Horror - Le Figaro Darfur: A Modern-Day Holocaust? - CBS News Darfur rebels say army launches major offensive - Reuters South Africa Cameron visits Sudan to urge Darfur ceasefire - Telegraph Darfur survivors tell of Janjaweed slaughter - Reuters South Africa

This is a small sample of the current news headlines concerning Darfur.

There certainly is a lot of talk about the plight of the people. So, why the lack of concrete action?

Tag: Darfur

Oh, foo...

U.S. to Require Passports for Nearly All [1]

WASHINGTON - Nearly all air travelers entering the U.S. will be required to show passports beginning Jan. 23, including returning Americans and people from Canada and other nations in the Western Hemisphere.

I guess we will have to go get our's.

Tag: Daily Life

Murtha Rejected

Pelosi Makes History As Female Speaker [1]

[Murtha's] bid for the leadership led critics to recall the Abscam bribery scandal of 1980, an FBI sting operation that sent some lawmakers to jail. Murtha was never charged in the case, despite a videotape that showed him being offered $50,000. "I'm not interested ... at this point," he said.

So, he who aspired to the heights was forced to eat humble pie.

Tag: Politics

This is non sequitur

U.S. Warns Iraq to Stop Shiite Militias [1]

Iraqis grieve over a coffin of their relative during a funeral in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Nov. 13, 2006. The funeral was of three brothers, Ahmed, Jassim and Maythan Abbas, killed in a suicide bomb attack at the recruiting center the previous day. (AP Photo/Alaa Al Marjani)

The headline and the image: provocative or non sequitur. Is the MSM portraying the Shia as victims of American policy or is it just ineptitude in illustrating an article.

Tag: Iraq

How the President squandered the election

Leader of al-Qaida in Iraq Mocks Bush [1]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A new recording Friday attributed to the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq mocked President Bush as a coward whose conduct of the war was rejected at the polls, challenging him to keep U.S. troops in the country to face more bloodshed.

Like his father before him, the President has become insensitive to his surroundings. As a result, second-rate Muslim thugs are thumbing their noses at him.

"We haven't had enough of your blood yet," taunted terror chieftain Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, identified as the speaker on the tape.

So, Mr. President, what are you going to do about it?

Tag: Iraq

There is good news...

and, news.

Bush Taps Gates to Replace Rumsfeld

The good news is Rumsfeld is out as Secretary of Defense:

WASHINGTON - After years of defending his secretary of defense, President Bush on Wednesday announced Donald H. Rumsfeld's resignation within hours of the Democrats' triumph in congressional elections.

The news is:

[President] Bush reached back to his father's administration to tap a former CIA director to run the Pentagon.

If Gates turns out to be a cautious yes man, then we are totally lost.

What this country needs now is a General MacArthur to finish off the Iraq adventure.

Reports have it that Rumsfeld browbeat our Generals into going into Iraq with fewer assets than required to assure victory. And, they acquiesced. Why? To assure they would be able to retire at grade with a pension?

It's obvious we need more soldiers on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan. What will be Gates' recommendation?

I can hardly wait...

Tag: Politics

It's the inept A.P.

Iraq Gov't May Reinstate Saddam Backers [1]

Amongst the rubble of a typical A.P. article, we find this:

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A day after Saddam Hussein was sentenced to hang, the Shiite-dominated government offered a major concession Monday to his Sunni backers that could see thousands of members of the ousted dictator's Baath party reinstated in their jobs.

The government's offer is sensible as most of the Sunnis were low level beaurocrats doing their jobs.

Tag: Iraq

Media critics--Outsiders?

‘Borat’ not even in running for being funniest film ever [1]

In an unattributed article, 'Borat' was declared a nonstarter:

In a few days we will see if “Borat” is felled by the first part of the curse[when it sets expectations far too high], but for months it has been heralded as possibly the funniest film ever made. That’s a mighty tough criterion to meet.

But, now the votes are in:

UPDATE 1-'Borat' vanquishes rivals in box office stunner [2]

It seems, the best predictor of a movie's success is by how many critics hate it.

Tag: Media

Kerry Spiritual Leader for the Democrats

Kerry Sorry for 'Stuck in Iraq' Remarks [1]

Six days before the election, the Democrats' 2004 presidential nominee said he wanted to avoid becoming a distraction in the final days of the battle for control of Congress. He added he sincerely regretted that his words were "misinterpreted to imply anything negative about those in uniform."

Yes, I suppose he really wants to avoid being a distraction.

But, misinterpreted: no. His words opened a window into his mind; a Freudian slip, if you will.

Kerry, typical of Democrats of this generation: liberal elitists that live on a plane far above the common rabble.

Tag: Politics