The US Report

China official says hackers affected more than 42,000 websites

2010-02-08T14:36:05Z

By Kay B. Day

China has developed a reputation as a source for hacking attacks, and a government official has told Al Jazeera “hackers tampered with more than 42,000 websites last year.” Perhaps in response to that developing reputation as well as criticism from Internet corporate monolith Google, China said it has shut down the biggest “training center” for hackers, the Black Hawk Safety Net. The operation was shut down in November, but reports didn't surface until February.

AJ said the hackers' website recruited members online, teaching more than 12,000 how to hack computers. Members could purchase malicious software that enabled them to gain control over others’ computers. Hacking is apparently very profitable—the website reportedly took in more than $1 million. AJ said, “The report said police seized nine servers, five computers and a car, and shut down all websites involved in the case. Authorities also reportedly froze $250,000 in assets.”

James Mulvenon, director of the US-based Center for Intelligence Research and Analysis at Defense Group Inc., told The Wall Street Journal, after Google accused Chinese hackers of major cyber attacks in January, that some hackers mask their location from Internet addresses in Taiwan.

WSJ said, “The attack on Google is similar to an earlier one that affected computers belonging to the office of the Dalai Lama and many foreign embassies.”

AJ said the attack on Google also affected approximately 20 other companies.

CNET said an executive for the computer security firm McAfee called the attack on Google “a watershed moment in cybersecurity.”

The government of China claims to be the biggest victim of hacking.

But AJ said many experts view China as a “global centre for Internet crimes.” The Black Hawk Safety Net story originated in Wuhan, "home to the Communication Command Academy, which trains hackers, according to US congressional testimony by cyber expert James Mulvenon in 2008."

It’s likely the 42,000 websites affected by cybercrime last year are a drop in the Web bucket. It’s possible 42,000 is a conservative estimate.

Child sex traffickers capitalize on Super Bowl

2010-02-06T17:37:33Z

Commentary by Kay B. Day

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) has been fighting child sexual exploitation for more than 20 years.Most of us will celebrate Super Bowl Sunday with friends, family and food as we cheer our team and laugh at the TV commercials. What’s more American than the annual gridiron matchup?

While we make plans for what we’ll serve guests, lowlifes are making plans to exploit children for profit. “Super Bowl is also a lure for underage workers in sex trade,” said a headline in my morning paper. Who knew?

I’d never thought about it—most of us probably never thought about it. But the story, sourced to McClatchy Newspapers, has appeared in The Florida Times Union, the Sun Sentinel and the Miami Herald, so more of us will now be aware of a sordid back story running parallel to the story of the Saints vs. the Colts.

Trudy Novicki, head of Kristi House, told media, “Miami is known as a destination city for human trafficking and sporting events are generally recognized by the experts as magnets for prostitution.”

But child sex trafficking isn’t just happening in Miami. Novicki said during last year’s Super Bowl in Tampa, 24 children were taken in by the Dept. of Children and Families. The children were brought to the city for purposes of prostitution.

Last year as a result of a nationwide sweep, the FBI rescued 48 suspected teenage prostitutes. CBS11 TV said some of the children were as young as 13 years old.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited children, there are between 100,000 and 150,000 child sex workers. The NCMEC head said girls are typically 11 or 12 years old when they "enter prostitution." He called these exploited children "21st century slaves."

In Miami volunteers met to prepare for the big event. They hope to assist law enforcement in rescue efforts for young girls brought to the popular resort as sex workers. A program manager at Kristi House told media the Super Bowl is a “really big deal for prostitution.” Who knew?

US imam praises Detroit terror attack, says bomber was his student

2010-02-05T14:21:03Z

By Chris Carter

[]WTC site by Kay B. Day]An American-born, pro-jihad cleric has reportedly praised the failed Christmas airliner attack and claimed the alleged perpetrator was his student.

Anwar al-Awlaki is a U.S. citizen born in New Mexico to Yemeni parents. Before leaving the U.S. in 2002, he served as an imam in Denver, San Diego, and the Washington, D.C. area. While in San Diego, he became the “spiritual advisor” for two of the 9/11 hijackers (and had contact with a third). He also admits to having advised the man who gunned down 14 unarmed Americans at Fort Hood, Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan. Al-Awlaki now lives in Yemen, and counter terrorism experts believe that he works for al Qaeda.

In a recent Al Jazeera interview al-Awlaki stated that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 23 year-old Nigerian student who attempted to detonate a bomb on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, was in fact a student of his.

Al-Awlaki's pro-jihad internet lectures and materials are very popular, and he is even said to be active on social networking sites like Facebook.

Abdulmtallab allegedly attempted to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 in December while en route from Amsterdam to Detroit by hiding a bomb in his underwear. He has stated that more attacks are planned, that his is the first of many forthcoming plots. He is currently in federal prison in Milan, Mich.

“Brother mujahed Umar Farouk — may Allah relieve him — is one of my students, yes,” said al-Awlaki in the interview published on Tuesday. “We had kept in contact, but I didn't issue a fatwa (religious ruling/declaration of war) to Umar Farouk for this operation.”

Al-Awlaki expressed his support of the failed Christmas attack, but said that he would have preferred a military target.

“I support what Umar Farouk did after seeing my brothers in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan being killed,” al-Awlaki said. “If it was a military plane or a U.S. military target it would have been better...(but) the American people have participated in all the crimes of their government.”

The other two known terrorism cases that he had ties to were indeed military targets. The victims in Maj. Hasan's Fort Hood massacre were mostly soldiers. And Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Midhar – the 9/11 hijackers that al-Awlaki mentored – were two of the five operatives who flew American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon, killing 64 passengers and 125 people in the Pentagon. Hani Hanjour – another Flight 77 hijacker – attended services at the Dar al Hiraj mosque in Falls Church, Va. while al-Awlaki was an imam there.

“Some 300 Americans are nothing compared to thousands of Muslims they have killed,” he said of the innocent civilians on the flight to Detroit.

But according to a recent study, the same could be said of al Qaeda.

A West Point study found that 85% of al Qaeda's victims are in fact Muslims.

USAF reservist battles injury and government insurance system

2010-02-04T20:08:07Z

By Kay B. Day

Col. Doug Strand with Zalmay Khalilzad, then Ambassador to Iraq. Strand said when he was in Iraq he worked directly with Khalilzad’s staff developing strategies to help the Iraqi people with water, electricity, rule of law, elections, and other matters.Col. Doug Strand served for 11 years on active duty in the US Air Force and he has another 8 years on active duty as a reservist. He’s jumped out of planes and he’s served in Iraq. He probably never envisioned himself grappling with serious medical problems and he certainly didn’t envision dealing with the complexities of Tricare, a military health insurance plan. But a few minutes on a hot summer morning changed his life forever.

Strand was traveling on his motorcycle to report for duty as usual in July, 2008. The base was 5 miles from his house. The roads were wet and when he was about to turn, the back tire skidded on the slick pavement.

The good news: he came to a safe stop on a grassy shoulder.

The bad news: the bike fell on his leg, crushing the tibia and fibula.

Strand was treated at a civilian hospital and after surgery, he was sent home a few days later. He had an open incision about 12 inches long on his leg. It would be a month before the incision was surgically closed. He couldn’t stand, dress or bathe without assistance. His wife changed the dressings each day. He ordered bandages, dressings and crutches from Internet websites.

For some reason, placing him on continuous active duty orders—a requirement for the care and provisions he needed—took 7 months. Then there were administrative errors resulting in delinquent orders. Strand said Tricare personnel didn’t know what medical rights were afforded reservists who were injured even if they were on duty. Nothing went according to procedure and there were countless delays.

Completing his paperwork necessitated his traveling to the base 50 times and there was no assistance for transportation. He said, “I was told I would have to pay $500 from a private carrier for each round-trip appointment.”

Strand’s wife Vivian is a small woman—transporting him is next to impossible for her.

REGULATIONS CALL FOR ORDERS IMMEDIATELY
Strand said Dept. of Defense regulations actually require members to be placed on orders immediately for treatment and to ensure pay begins within 30 days.

One thing was clear—Tricare wouldn’t provide transportation to or from appointments even when the patient couldn’t stand or walk, much less drive.

And thank God for Internet medical supply companies.

Tricare was the only insurance Strand had, relying as many in the Guard and Reserves do on government employee insurance. He said because of his frequent activations, he hasn’t had a full-time civilian job since 1999. Ironically had Strand not been on active duty, he might have been better off.

The premium-based Tricare Reserve Select coverage would’ve kicked in had he not been activated. But since he was active, that coverage would not apply.

In Strand’s case, the complications and misfires with government regulations had a negative impact on his health.

BATTLING RSD
A condition called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy set in. Strand said, “RSD is believed to be the result ofCol. Strand was sent home after surgery with an open incision about 12 inches long on his leg. It was a month before the incision was surgically closed, setting up opportunity for complications. dysfunction in the central or peripheral nervous systems...[it] tricks my brain into thinking I have a brand new fractured leg and my body’s defenses rush to the area causing pain and swelling.” The pain can be excruciating.

As a result of swelling, pulmonary embolisms developed.

And here’s the most frustrating part. Strand said, “If diagnosed and treated in the first few months, RSD can be reversed. Beyond that it progresses through stages of constant pain and swelling, atrophy of bones and muscles, and symptoms can spread anywhere in the body. It is a progressive disease—it gets worse over time.”

For patients with RSD, it is not uncommon for them to plead with a doctor to amputate their injured limb—they believe that will stop the pain. It doesn’t—phantom pain often persists.

Strand said his diagnosis came too late—9 months after the injury—due to delays in military medical care caused by Tricare and paperwork at the Reserves.

As he struggled to heal and as he and his wife Vivian dealt with getting him back and forth to the base for the paperwork, he realized the numerous trips aggravated his wound. How could he elevate his leg when he had to travel back and forth to deal with procedural issues? He doesn’t mention the stress, but there would have been plenty of that as well.

STRAND REALIZED HE ISN'T ALONE
Strand said he discovered the problem he had with his “orders” aren’t unique. “This is happening to the Reserves and Guard in all branches of service,” Strand said. “If these branches complied with already existing laws passed by Congress and regulations written by DoD, there would be few issues with members obtaining healthcare and other entitlements...A sweeping inspection of medical order processes needs to be completed by each service’s Inspector General.”

Enforcement of standards typically falls within the IG’s office Strand said.

He also said staffers mismanage reservists who need medical attention—there’s “little to no accountability.”

Two wars have required more numbers of reservists and Guard than normal times and they are often on active duty for longer periods.

“Some reservists and Guard are returning from war zones with injuries. They are removed from orders and sent home without being processed through the disability evaluation system resulting in no pay or medical benefits. Being unable to work, they can lose their jobs, their homes and then their families.”

Strand also points out if a patient can’t walk or drive, some sort of transportation needs to be arranged.

Somehow, he’s kept a sense of humor. “I could win any ugly legs contest—hands down!” he told friends on Facebook.

But he’d really like to see the government address problems he and others in the Reserves or Guards face when they have a medical problem. His illness was complicated by countless paperwork glitches and delays in the treatment he needed. Others may experience the same, put in a position to fight not only the injury but also the government healthcare system.

“This has got to stop,” he said.

AFP says Taliban manipulates rules of engagement; US media slow to report

2010-02-04T14:48:34Z

Commentary by Kay B. Day

War memorial at Billard Park in Jacksonville, Fla. [photo by Kay B. Day]Imagine the frustration of having to abide by stringent rules of engagement while the enemy can get away with murder and human rights groups turn a blind eye. Agence France-Presse reported on battlefield conditions in Southern Afghanistan after a unit of Marines was ambushed in Helmand Province.Two men were killed; three were wounded.

A platoon commander, after acknowledging the “rules are there for a reason,” said the Taliban manipulates “rules of engagement by using women and children as shields and shooting from hidden positions before dropping their weapons and standing out in the open.”

Coalition troops cannot fire unless the enemy is carrying a weapon, and troops must also be able to positively identify the target as the enemy. Do you shout across the battle zone, “Hey, let me see some ID” before you shoot?

One Marine told AFP, "We were attacked treacherously. We came under fire from everywhere, but the rules of engagement prevent me from doing my job.”

The Taliban and other terrorist groups make good use of propaganda in addition to not playing by any rules. In late January burned Korans were discovered in Helmand. The owner of the home where the burned books were found has a son who is in the Taliban. A local government spokesman in Helmand said Pakistani Intelligence agents and al Qaeda burned the Korans, an action that can move local populations to violence.

The top military blog One Marine’s View said the burned books were “another attempt by the enemy to action a desperate tactic against us.” But it failed. “It didn’t materialize,” the Marine wrote, “ as we mustered locals, silenced crowds and educated locals to ensure they understood that the enemy is desperate and apparently has no respect for their holy book or religion as they destroy it during lies against their own people.”

AFP summed up grim statistics: “The death toll of foreign soldiers fighting in Afghanistan under U.S. and NATO command hit 44 in January --- the highest for the month since the war began more than eight years ago --- compared with 25 in January 2009.”

While President George W. Bush held office, media kept the death toll in the public eye. Once President Barack Obama was elected, media seemed to downplay death counts. Even the anti-war protesters have gone quiet.

The Marine writing at One Marine’s View said, “The winter hasn’t slowed any attacks, only the high tempo is squashing the enemy’s actions. You would be very proud of your Marines and what they are doing, even if it doesn’t ever get recognized by the press or anyone else but here.”

The United Nations appears unconcerned about the brutality of the Taliban, judging by a summary of issues on pages devoted to human rights. Articles about Haiti, Ecuador, countries’ methods for fighting terrorism and the rights of indigenous people dominate the page. With many human rights groups, the sharp eye has been on US and coalition troops and private contractors rather than on the Taliban and other groups that oppress women’s rights and permit little or no personal liberty.

Even before the US entered Afghanistan after terrorists harbored by the Taliban attacked America, killing thousands of innocent civilians, the Taliban was known for its brutality.

US media turn a blind eye even as our soldiers die and Taliban use human shields.

Three pastors and family advocate file challenge to federal Hate Crimes Act

2010-02-03T15:11:01Z

Commentary by Kay B. Day

Congress passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act by including it in the National Defense Authorization Act/2010. At the time Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said, “It is indeed unfortunate that we are using the brave men and women in uniform as leverage to pass hate crimes legislation.”

Months before President Barack Obama signed the Act, as the legislation bounced around Congress, I remarked that language in the Act appeared to be unconstitutional. The Thomas More Law Center appears to agree, having filed a federal lawsuit against Att. Gen. Eric H. Holder to challenge the constitutionality of the Hate Crimes Act.

An announcement from TMLC said, “The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, on behalf of Pastor Levon Yuille, Pastor Rene Ouellette, Pastor James Combs, and Gary Glenn, the president of the American Family Association of Michigan (AFA-Michigan).”

Each of the plaintiffs believes in a literal interpretation of Biblical scripture.

The US Report pointed out problems with the way the Act is constructed.

I believed then and I believe now the Act intrudes on free speech and other Constitutional rights. Whether I agree with what is being said bears no relevance to the right of the person to say it.

The complaint filed by TMLC said, “52. Section 249(a)(2) of the Hate Crimes Act subjects Plaintiffs to increased government scrutiny, questioning, investigation, surveillance, and intimidation on account of their strong, public opposition to homosexual activism, the homosexual lifestyle, and the homosexual agenda, thereby causing a tangible and concrete deterrent, inhibitory, and chilling effect on Plaintiffs’ activities and their rights to freedom of speech, expressive association, and the free exercise of religion.”

The plaintiffs also regard the Act as a “tool of intimidation” for the federal government.

The complaint cites an example from testimony before the House Judiciary Committee: “[I]f a minister preaches that sexual relations outside of marriage of a man and woman is wrong, and somebody within that congregation goes out and does an act of violence, and that person says that that minister counseled or induced him through the sermon to commit that act, are you saying under your amendment that in no way could that ever be introduced against the minister?”

A congressional supporter of the Hate Crimes Act responded bluntly, “No.”

As it now stands, the Act makes sections of holy books such as The Bible and The Koran illegal.

TMLC also cites statistics on violence: “According to statistics gathered by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP), a homosexual advocacy group, during the 1999 to 2003 time period, homosexuals were 244% more likely to be the perpetrators of violence against other homosexuals than were heterosexuals.”

The complaint makes a strong statement against violence of any type.

I view hate crime legislation as contrary to the equal rights conferred upon every American. Any violent crime should be punished to the full extent of the law, and no one should be targeted for wanton violence for any reason. But establishing special laws to confer extraordinary protection to groups based on sexual identity conflicts with the premise of equal rights for all.

TMLC said, “Eric Holder, a supporter of the new federal law, was asked by Senator Orrin Hatch in a hearing whether there was any evidence of a trend that ‘hate crimes’ were going unpunished at the State level. Holder stated without reservation that there was no such evidence and that, in fact, States were, by and large, doing a fine job in this area. Consequently, as the lawsuit alleges, there is no national problem associated with ‘bias’ motivated crimes on account of the victim’s ‘sexual orientation’ to warrant federal involvement.”

For Obama’s federal budget, we need a few ‘locofocos’

2010-02-02T21:06:45Z

Pt. 1 in a series ‘Seeking Redress of Grievances’
Main Street USA

Can you think of anything crazier than proposing record levels of spending amid the hard economic times Main Street, USA faces right now? That’s exactly what President Barack Obama’s administration wants in the budget—an increase of 5.7 percent to $3.72 trillion. That increase, among other items, will provide more money to the states for Medicaid, increase funds for welfare programs like food stamps and the homeless and pay lip service to so-called ‘middle class’ taxpayers by giving them a small break in the neighborhood of $400 per individual.

Lesson one in Reality Government: What the government spends, we must provide, every single one of us either through the front door or the back.

As we face a financial quagmire, the administration is also adding or has added more federal workers. The Washington Times said most of the increase will be in civilian workers—“153,000 workers, to 1.43 million people, in fiscal 2010.” Remember to add applicable taxes, retirement and insurance to those employees’ salaries.

[Image from NASA]That those claiming to lead the government would consider increasing a budget as well as the federal payroll tells me we need a few ‘locofocos.’

I learned about these activists of yesteryear in a column by Lawrence W. Reed at The Freeman Online. Reed writes, “In American history no such group has ever been as colorful and as thorough in its understanding of equal rights as one that flashed briefly across the political skies in the 1830s and ’40s. They were called ‘Locofocos.’”

Freeman is one of my favorite speakers and writers—he is one of the most interesting scholars I have ever met. His lecture on the Great Depression is one that will open your eyes to the reality of big government largesse and set many a historical record straight.

He goes on to explain how members of this faction of the Democrat Party of President Andrew Jackson were left in the dark at a politically charged convention in 1836—the “more conservative officialdom,” Reed said, “walked out, plunging the meeting room into darkness as they left by turning off the gas lights. The radicals continued to meet by the light of candles they lit with matches called “loco focos” (Spanish for ‘crazy lights’).

The locofocos were angry about the national bank (a “tool of special interests”), monopolies (such as the cronyism so popular in government today) and federal policies in conflict with the US Constitution.

Sound familiar? I think leftwing zealots like comic Keith Olbermann might see a parallel with the Tea Partiers he and his retrogressive buddies like to ridicule. Libertarians would also like those locofocos I think.

We must admit to ourselves that our government led by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and President Obama has lost sight of reality.

Any business experiencing a downturn in sales volume would begin to cut expenses. An eye would be turned to payroll. We have repeatedly called for eliminating federal positions by attrition—in non-vital agencies this would be very easy to do. We have repeatedly called for removing funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Dept. of Education. Neither are necessary and neither are a duty of the federal government. Those are just for starters in this first public petition for redress of grievances.

In a business experiencing the downturn our government saw in tax revenue, the owner or manager would remove any and all unnecessary expenses. Pelosi’s extravagant plane transport, the president’s own record earmarks when he was a senator (we are at the moment paying for a late Democrat senator’s think tank in an Obama perpetual earmark) and the Stimulus are but a few examples.

As an example of Stimulus insanity, consider a report from Citizens Against Government Waste: “On December 8, Senators Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) released a “Stimulus Checkup” report citing $7 billion in wasteful stimulus spending. The examples included $5 million for a geothermal energy system for the Oak Ridge City Center shopping mall in Tennessee, which has been losing tenants for years and is mostly empty; $1.57 million for Pennsylvania State University researchers to look for fossils in Argentina; $950,000 for two universities in Arizona to study the division of labor among ants; and, $400,000 to evaluate the drinking and drug habits for residents of Buffalo, N.Y.”

Where are the locofocos when we need them?

In truth, we’re right here. And we better speak up and act. We can vote big spenders out of office. We can seek redress, as is our Constitutional right.

We can utilize the courts, advocacy groups and other legal means. We can phone our congressmen, write them letters and tell them exactly how we feel. We can join the nearest Tea Party and we can work to educate all voters so they realize that playing the Democrat Robin Hood game will, in the long run, impact freedom and civil order. Everyone has an equal right to his or her property and our government is overstepping by expecting to spend more and tax more.

The new increase in the budget should be offset—the total amount—by equal cuts in spending, and at least 10 percent should be cut across the board on top of that. Taxpayers can use this crisis to request government to remove programs that were never meant to be administered on the federal level anyway. Government has overlooked the fact that when you multiply the work force and increase government property, that will require an even larger work force to administer because your needs will grow larger with time.

The only hope for American liberty and sovereignty is for the government to reduce its spending substantially—not by some meek margin that simply pays political lip service to Tea Partiers, conservatives and Libertarians.

I’d suggest for starters that conservative and Libertarian bloggers post a Redress of Grievances on the same day. We could do it on Presidents’ Day February 15. That seems apropos.

The locofocos said, “The true foundation of Republican Government is the equal rights of every citizen, in his person and property, and in their management.”

As for Main street, if we don’t take responsibility for these people we have elected, then we can call ourselves just plain loco.--Commentary by Kay B. Day

Convict gets new hearing after judge agrees with remarks in confession

2010-02-02T15:50:12Z

Commentary by Kay B. Day

Irfan Nawaz worked as a doctor at St. Luke's Hospital and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. Nawaz was convicted of soliciting a child via computer and traveling to meet a minor to engage in sexual acts. [Photo from Florida Dept. of Corrections]Courts are not known for their wisdom, and the case of Irfan Nawaz is a perfect example. Nawaz practiced as a board-certified internal medicine doctor at St. Luke’s Hospital and the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville.

Nawaz was convicted of soliciting a child via computer and traveling to meet a minor to engage in sexual acts. The Florida Times Union said prosecutors played a tape of Nawaz’s confession during the sentencing phase of the trial. Nawaz made remarks during his confession that suggested his contempt for American women—“[I] was laughing at how stupid girls are in this country, and I thanked God I did not marry someone from this country.”

The paper said the doctor’s wife by an arranged marriage was 8 months pregnant while he was chatting on computers at both hospitals. Authorities said Nawaz was “interested in girls that were virgins.”

When Judge John Merrett sentenced Nawaz, he said, “On behalf of my countrywomen, I join you in thanking God that you didn’t marry anyone from this country.” Basically Merrett agreed with what Nawaz said. The defendant’s comments were publicly aired in the courtroom—Nawaz’s own confession went to the heart of country and culture.

Now Nawaz is getting a new hearing. On Friday, the TU said the 1st District Court of Appeal ruled the judge’s comments “could be construed to suggest Merrett based his sentence at least in part on Nawaz’s national origin.” Never mind all those “virgins” Nawaz had plans for among all those “stupid” American minors.

The court went so far as to call the case one of “first impression” in the Sunshine State. So Nawaz’s case set a standard for cases to come.

Nawaz is from Pakistan; his lawyer told the TU after his trial the doctor would probably be deported.

“Probably be deported”?

Regardless of whether the court, on this questionable premise, reduces the would-be molester’s sentence, why would we permit this man to stay in the US? His own country has serious issues over women’s rights. He obviously has a dim view of the US. He confessed to the crime.

Send him packing and don’t let him back in.

It is chilling to think of this man, in the guise of a healer, putting his hands on a female, all the while despising the very person he is treating. Did patients suffer because of his lack of respect? Did anyone think to investigate that?

It is the height of insanity for a court to revisit a sentence because a judge agreed with what the defendant said. Nawaz confessed—there is no doubt he sought minors for sex.

The case begs a question—why are we hiring doctors from countries where women’s rights are so tenuous?

In these troubled times, courts are not known for wisdom. The decision by the 1st District Court of Appeals to offer opportunity for relief on Nawaz’s sentence turns justice on its ear. The opinion itself is based on a sophistic argument. Once again American justice takes a bow to political correctness. The court in this case protects the convict rather than the state.

[Ed. note: I attempted to determine Nawaz's immigration status by contacting the Florida Attorney General's Office. That office recommended I contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement for his current status and Mayo Clinic for his status before he was convicted. I decided to trust the newspaper account which suggests he was in the country on some type of visa rather than spend hours jumping through bureaucratic hoops to get an answer to a simple question. It is my opinion that when citizenship status is in question, the status should be disclosed for anyone charged with a crime.]

Rasmussen survey finds Rubio leads Crist by 12 points

2010-02-01T21:52:05Z

Former Speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio spoke at the Duval Republican Women's meeting in Jacksonville. He packed the house.Former Speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio leads Gov. Charlie Crist by 12 points among likely GOP Primary voters in the race to determine who will oppose a Democrat for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Mel Martinez. Rasmussen Reports said, "A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely GOP Primary voters in the state finds Rubio leading Crist 49% to 37%. Three percent (3%) prefer another candidate, and 11% are undecided."

RR also said, "Rubio leads Crist by 17 points among men and by seven among women. He also carries 52% of the conservative GOP vote, while moderates prefer Crist."

In another survey, both candidates hold a double digit lead over Democrat Congressman Kendrick Meek. The latest RR survey found Crist has a 15-point lead on Meek among likely Florida voters, 48% to 33%.

Rubio now posts a 17-point lead on Meek among likely Florida voters, 49% to 32%.

An announcement from Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) with the Senate Conservatives Fund said Rubio had already met the group's moneybomb goal of $100,000, having raised or generated pledges for $108,107 with 8 more days to go. The SCF has set a new goal of $200,000 by Feb. 10. The SCF endorsed Rubio, going against the preferences of some established Republicans in Congress.

Rubio supporters have understandable respect for Crist--the charismatic governor is famous for his fundraising ability.

DeMint said, "Marco Rubio started the race last year polling in single digits and the Republican establishment in Washington said he had no chance. But now he's leading the race and is in a strong position to win this important Senate seat for conservatives."

IPCC pushes ‘Hottest hoax in the world’ says Open magazine

2010-02-01T14:52:56Z

Commentary by Kay B. Day

US top shelf media refuse to investigate the numerous errors and conflicts in reports from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. But in other countries like Australia and England, media routinely carry stories questioning IPCC claims—even newspapers who agree with manmade global warming theory do this. The latest sizzler comes from India’s Open Magazine. OM is published by RPG Enterprises, one of India’s largest publishers.

Open Magazine, published by one of the largest media outlets in India, calls manmade global warming theory 'the hottest hoax in the world.' [Screen snip/Open Magazine]The writer, Ninad D. Sheth, does an excellent job of dissecting IPCC inaccuracies, coming from the panel originally formed to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic consequences.

The IPCC, however, by its own admission does not “conduct any research nor does it monitor climate related data or parameters.” The panel reviews and assesses information. Although a number of key IPCC claims were not peer reviewed, the panel declares review an “essential part” of the process.

Sheth likens the current IPCC to a “climate change mafia.”

As The US Report was among the first to point out, the head of the IPCC is not a scientist. Sheth writes: “Mr Pachauri has no training whatsoever in climate science. This was known all the time, yet he heads the pontification panel which proliferates the new gospel of a hotter world. How come? Why did the United Nations not choose someone who was competent? After all, this man is presumably incapable of differentiating between ocean sediments and coral terrestrial deposits, nor can he go about analysing tree ring records and so on. That’s not jargon; these are essential elements of a syllabus in any basic course on climatology...You cannot blame him. His degree and training is in railroad engineering. You read it right. This man was educated to make railroads from point A to point B.”

That’s a small slice of a big pie; Sheth’s analysis is definitely worth reading if you’re interested in global warming/climate change/formerly the Little Ice Age.

During his State of the Union Address in January, President Barack Obama urged members of both parties to work on various issues, including climate change. Obama did acknowledge there is disagreement about “the science.” Unfortunately our president did not acknowledge the fraud and deceit inherent in a process where scientists collude for the purpose of politics and grant money rather than a search for truth.

The negligence of US media in covering the global warming controversy speaks volumes about the state of well-branded publications and websites. We must accept that on this issue as well as others the media cannot be trusted, at least not the media the political class trumps as purveyors of truth. Like scientists who skew their facts, media have skewed coverage of policy that will, as Obama forecast, “make electricity rates necessarily skyrocket.”

Doesn’t this mean the Supreme Court decision giving the Environmental Protection Agency the right to control carbon emissions is based on faulty data? In the real world, it would. In a world where global warming policy is dominated by leftwing radical environmental groups, truth apparently doesn’t matter.

The Supreme Court opinion in Massachusetts et al vs. Environmental Protection Agency et al begins: “Based on respected scientific opinion that a well-documented rise inglobal temperatures and attendant climatological and environmental changes have resulted from a significant increase in the atmospheric concentration of “greenhouse gases,” a group of private organizations petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to begin regulating the emissions of four such gases, including carbon dioxide, under §202(a)(1) of the Clean Air Act…”

I’m thinking you can toss out the phrase ‘respected scientific opinion.’ Nothing like de facto legislating from the bench, is there?

Only branded media located in India and countries like Australia dare to tell the truth about the global warming hoax. Sheth appropriately calls it the “hottest hoax in the world.”