SOTU 2006: Defense and democracy...

Federalist Patriot ^ | 03 February 2006 | Federalist Patrion

[Warhammer]

The Patriot Post

Patriot No. 06-05 Digest | 03 February 2006

THE FOUNDATION

"The President shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." —Article II, Sec. 3, U.S. Constitution

TOP OF THE FOLD SOTU 2006: Defense and democracy...

Every year this column seeks to extract from the annual State of the Union address a basic message of the President's concerns for the coming year. This time, two themes quickly emerged: National defense and global democratization. Taken together, President George W. Bush believes that a strong national defense and a furtherance of democracy abroad constitute the best strategy for defending our nation's security in a post-9/11 world.

In fact, these two components are virtually inseparable.

The President's address reflected this reality. In Iraq, the U.S. and its allies aren't only "striking terrorist targets while we train Iraqi forces," but also "helping the Iraqi government to fight corruption and build a modern economy so all Iraqis can experience the benefits of freedom." Just as the Marshall Plan and NATO followed on the heels of World War II, the cessation of hostilities in Iraq will mark a crucial phase of America's mission in the region—helping democracy take root in the Middle East.

Regarding democratization and its ultimate goal—that is, "the end of tyranny in our world" —the President was clear: "Some dismiss that goal as misguided idealism. In reality, the future security of America depends on it." The simple truth that democracies don't attack other democracies, a maxim originating with Immanuel Kant's Perpetual Peace in 1795, is still considered the only verified, empirical claim of international relations theory.

Democracies aren't just important for what they create, but also for for what they prevent: a vacuum that fills with would-be tyrants. "Dictatorships shelter terrorists and feed resentment and radicalism and seek weapons of mass destruction," the President told Congress. "Democracies replace resentment with hope, respect the rights of their citizens and their neighbors, and join the fight against terror. Every step toward freedom in the world makes our country safer—so we will act boldly in freedom's cause."

In this respect, America's ideals and America's self-interest don't conflict, but align smoothly—and they always should.

That's also true of President Bush's terrorist surveillance program, legally conducted by the National Security Agency—the existence of which was illegally leaked by The New York Times. Not only does the program have precedent in previous administrations and the backing of federal courts, it is also in accordance with the executive powers enumerated by the Constitution. Moreover, it is vital to our nation's security. Despite what partisan Democrats would have us believe, the past 53 months of terror-free tranquility here at home have not been a matter of dumb luck.

Nor was the lack of surveillance in years prior to September 11th and the success of the terrorist hijackers a matter of mere happenstance. In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Debra Burlingame, sister of Charles "Chic" Burlingame, III, pilot of Flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon, argues that Mr. Bush's oft-demonized NSA terrorist surveillance may have thwarted the 9/11 attackers.

How so? Two hijackers of Flight 77, Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al Hazmi, received more than a dozen phone calls from a known al-Qa'ida "switchboard" in Yemen, all with the knowledge of the NSA. However, in keeping with the prevailing institutional culture at the time, the NSA didn't intercept the calls to avoid the appearance of "domestic spying."

As President Bush lamented in Tuesday's address, "we did not know about their plans until it was too late." Indeed, terrorism can only be beaten proactively; by the time a jetliner takes out a skyscraper, it is, as the President says, too late.

Of the surveillance program, the President reminded the convened Congress that "...to prevent another attack...I have authorized a terrorist surveillance program to aggressively pursue the international communications of suspected al-Qa'ida operatives and affiliates to and from America... If there are people inside our country who are talking with al-Qa'ida, we want to know about it..."

Then again, does everybody want to know about it? This defense of the terrorist surveillance program drew looks of stupefaction from the gum-chewing Hillary Clinton, shown wide-eyed, mouth ajar in a half-grin, head shaking in disagreement, all as the President spoke the words, "We will not sit back and wait to be hit again." No doubt this colorful "surveillance" of Sen. Clinton on national television will play well back home in New York, one-time home of the World Trade Center.

The Democrats' churlish behavior Tuesday night served notice that they'll continue to play politics first. The security needs of our nation, however, can't wait for them to grow up—and this President isn't inclined to bide his time.

As The Patriot has argued countless times, the principal threat America faces—and the principal reason we must steel ourselves for a long campaign against terrorism—is that WMD, particularly nuclear weapons, may one day fall into the hands of Jihadis bent on our destruction.

As in Afghanistan and Iraq, the best defense is a strong offense, and we fight the terrorists abroad that we might not have to fight them at home. As the President aptly warned, "[W]e cannot find security by abandoning our commitments and retreating within our borders. If we were to leave these vicious attackers alone, they would not leave us alone. They would simply move the battlefield to our own shores. There is no peace in retreat."

The fight isn't just with jets in the air and troops on the ground. The far more difficult and long-term job is the creation of economic and cultural conditions to promote the emergence of a sustainable and expanding democratic space in the Middle East and across Central and South Asia. In this endeavor, the U.S. can only show support and lead the way. The peoples of these regions must ultimately decide their own destiny.

Publisher's Note: In honor of Ronald Reagan's 95th birthday this Monday, The Patriot will dedicate Monday's Brief to the wit and wisdom of our dearly departed friend and mentor. Quote of the week...

"Far from being a hopeless dream, the advance of freedom is the great story of our time. In 1945, there were about two dozen lonely democracies in the world. Today, there are 122... At the start of 2006, more than half the people of our world live in democratic nations, and we do not forget the other half—in places like Syria and Burma, Zimbabwe, North Korea and Iran—because the demands of justice, and the peace of this world, require their freedom as well." —President George W. Bush

On cross-examination...

"Our offensive against terror involves more than military action. Ultimately, the only way to defeat the terrorists is to defeat their dark vision of hatred and fear by offering the hopeful alternative of political freedom and peaceful change.... Elections are vital, but they are only the beginning. Raising up a democracy requires the rule of law, and protection of minorities, and strong, accountable institutions that last longer than a single vote." —President George W. Bush Open query...

"Our commitment to winning the war on terrorism compels us to ask this question: Are the President's policies the best way to win this war?" —Virginia Demo Gov. Tim Kaine, giving the Democrats' soporific response to the SOTU

The Demos have a "commitment to winning the war on terrorism"? Who knew? The BIG lie...

"[Iraq] is not the center for the global war on terrorism... I believe the Iraqis will force [al-Qa'ida] out or kill them after U.S. troops are gone. Our military presence is the single most important reason why the Iraqis have tolerated the foreign terrorists... [T]he Iraqis are against a foreign presence in Iraq of any kind." —Fightin' John Murtha, in a letter to President Bush Wednesday

News from the Swamp...

On the Hill, Congress is gearing up to take a look at the overwrought and under-performing Medicare drug benefit, which has been short-changing seniors and otherwise preventing them from getting their proper medications. Lawmakers surely got an earful from disgruntled voters over the recent break and now are in a committee-forming mood to get to the bottom, or at least the middle, of the problem.

In the House, John Boehner of Ohio was named the new majority leader after two rounds of voting on Thursday, outpolling acting Majority Leader Roy Blunt 122-109. John Shadegg, a true fiscal conservative who would have provided a welcome change to the Republican caucus withdrew after garnering only 40 votes in the first round. Boehner won by campaigning as a reforming outsider. We challenge him to hold true to that, beginning with spending reform.

Now that the leadership race is over, early speculation has begun over the fate of the speakership. Dennis Hastert has indicated that he plans to leave office in 2008, and with that in mind, it is likely that we have not heard the last of Blunt and Shadegg.

In the days prior to the leadership vote, a hard-fought budget reduction bill squeaked through by a margin of 216-214, with 13 Republicans joining an opposition that was concerned only with keeping the entitlement spigot running at full volume. The bill will cut $40 billion over the next five years by restricting the amount of money middle- and upper-income seniors can obtain from Medicaid, as well as imposing cost-saving changes into welfare, child support and student-lending programs. Opponents of the bill have charged that it cuts too much money out of important programs while simultaneously complaining that its savings will be negligible. Now that's planting oneself on both sides of an argument.

In the Senate, Samuel Alito was confirmed as the 110th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court by a vote of 58-42. Sworn in just in time to attend the State of the Union address with his High Court colleagues, Alito's confirmation vote was virtually assured, despite the best efforts of the toxic twins from Chappaquiddick and Davos, respectively, Sens. Edward Kennedy and John Kerry. Their pitiful attempt to mount a filibuster crashed and burned, mustering only 25 votes. Among those who supported the obstructionist effort were 2008 Demo presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Evan Bayh. (Truth be told, we expected little else from Sens. Clinton and Biden, but we're deeply disappointed in the once-sensible senator from Indiana.)

Deluded in the belief that they truly made a difference, Kennedy and Kerry espoused the need to take a stand against such court nominees as Justice Alito. After all, who wants a strict constructionist mucking up the efforts of liberal judges to legislate from the bench? If these two senators succeeded in anything, it was demonstrating to the American public just how fractured the Democrat caucus truly is, and how petty and partisan the Left has become in recent years.

New and notable legislation: The Senate joined the House in extending vital provisions of the Patriot Act another five weeks; provisions the administration seeks to have made permanent. This week's "Alpha Jackass" award:

"He talked about how far we have come in history, and the importance of not turning back, yet he nominated a Judge to the Supreme Court who would take us back to the days when women were deemed criminals for exercising their right to [have their babies' brains sucked out at the moment of birth]. This President is simply out of touch with ordinary Americans." —Sen. Barbara Boxer on "ordinary Americans" This week's "Braying Jackass" award:

"The union would be better and stronger and more unified if we were confirming a different nominee, a nominee who could have united us more than divided us." —Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-Vide) On the National Security front...

The International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to vote today on a European proposal to report Iran's nuclear program to the UN Security Council. Russia insisted, as quid pro quo for approval, on language stipulating that the UNSC will not take any action before March, when the next regular IAEA meeting will occur. This will delay actual referral of Iran's program to the UNSC (meaning a transfer of responsibility for dealing with it) at least another six weeks. While we do not place any great faith in the UN's ability to resolve the Iranian issue (see, for example, their miserable performance in Iraq v. UN, 1991-2002), getting Iran to the Security Council is an important event if only because it brings ultimate resolution one step closer. We hope and expect that the IAEA will approve the European resolution.

As The Patriot has often noted, referral to the UNSC opens up several new cans of worms, one of the largest and most slippery being China and its UNSC veto power. No veto power exists within the IAEA, but neither does any real leverage to make Iran comply. The UNSC can apply leverage up to and including authorizing armed force, but China, Russia and France have veto power over any UNSC resolution. China has enormous current and future energy demands that depend on Persian Gulf oil and will be reluctant to support sanctioning Iran's oil exports, the only meaningful sanction the UNSC can apply to Iran. Yet one of two things must happen before Iran attains nuclear weapons, say before the end of 2008: Either the UN displays the backbone to discipline Iran, even in the face of very large oil-price increases, or Operation Iranian Freedom must commence. While we hope that the first possibility comes to pass, the UN's recent history clearly puts the odds on the second option. Stay tuned...

From the warfront with Jihadistan...

The Hamas electoral victory continues to roil the Middle East and capitals around the world. Unfortunately, the options available to deal with this mess are Bad and Worse. Hamas has refused to back off from its raison d'etre, the destruction of Israel, leading the rest of the world to consider economic and diplomatic sanctions. Both the U.S. and the European Union have threatened to cut off financial aid, to the tune of $400 million and $600 million, respectively, if Hamas does not abandon its commitment to armed aggression. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Israel froze $55 million in tax payments to the Palestinian Authority. These moves would cripple Hamas and the PA, as the utterly corrupt Fatah Party of Yasser Arafat left the PA in a fiscal shambles. Unfortunately, this could push the Palestinians into the arms of the Mad Mullahs in Iran, who are inching ever closer to their goal of an Islamist Bomb. The rest of the Arab world, always so ready to stand by the Palestinian people when they're killing Israelis, has offered some emergency aid to cover PA personnel salaries. With significant uncertainty in the upcoming Israeli elections, the entire Middle East is extremely unstable. The region may rapidly be approaching a critical, historic turning point, for better or worse. On the Homeland Security front...

Finally, some rational comments on the NSA's program of intercepting calls between people in the U.S. and al-Qa'ida members (aka The Enemy) located overseas. Deliberately mislabeled by the Leftmedia as "domestic spying," this program's sole purpose is "to detect and prevent attacks," according to General Michael Hayden, Deputy Director of National Intelligence. His remarks, delivered at the National Press Club last week, were a strong rebuttal of the program's critics. General Hayden also explained what the program is not, saying, "It is not a driftnet over Dearborn or Lackawanna or Fremont, grabbing conversations that we then sort out by these alleged keyword searches or data-mining tools... This is targeted and focused." General Hayden also pointed out that he, personally, had briefed Congress about the program over a dozen times. As President Bush said Tuesday night: "If there are people inside our country who are talking with al-Qa'ida, we want to know about it." From the "Department of Military Readiness"...

Publisher's correction: In last week's Digest, The Patriot commented on the Defense Department's contemplation of the 2005 Quadrennial Defense review; namely the proposal to dramatically increase Special Operations Forces. We noted, "...part of the proposal apparently incorporating the Marine Corps into the Special Operations forces." This misprint correctly reads: "incorporating elements of the Marine Corps..." Our apologies to the Marine Corps and, as always, Semper Fi!

Judicial Benchmarks...

The Supreme Court issued another surprising and unanimous "minimalist" ruling this week, handing back to lower federal appellate courts a case challenging the McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002. Wisconsin Right to Life sued on First Amendment grounds, charging that the law prevented the group from its grassroots lobbying mission by capriciously denying their right to air their usual type of ads during incumbent-protection, err, election season.

From the Leftjudiciary, the Ninth Circuit Court, joined by the Second Circuit in a similar ruling, struck down the 2003 federal ban on partial-birth abortion as "unconstitutional," citing the lack of provision for the health of the woman. The law, however, did not neglect the woman's health. It specifically stated that partial-birth abortion is not necessary for the health of the woman and can in fact be quite harmful. The case will almost certainly be appealed to the Supreme Court, which we strongly hope will outlaw this barbaric practice.

From the Legal Lotto Files, three Massachusetts women are suing Wal-Mart for failing to stock "emergency contraception" pills in its pharmacies—something Massachusetts law does not require. We're not sure what damage it caused the women, besides having to drive somewhere else (all major pharmacy chains in Massachusetts besides Wal-Mart carry "Plan B"), but we're sure to find out.

From the "Court Jesters" File, remember how Justice David Souter voted with the High Court majority in Kelo v. New London to allow governments to take property from one owner and give it to another who can put more cash into government tax coffers? Souter may be getting a taste of his own poison pen. Logan David Clements has collected the signatures necessary from Souter's hometown of Weare, New Hampshire, to allow voters to determine whether to take Souter's home and transfer it to Clements to build the "Lost Liberty Hotel," which would stand in mocking testament to all such Souteresque assaults on our Constitution.

From the Left...

The Washington Post this week published an incredibly slanderous and patronizing editorial cartoon against our troops in the field, so outrageous that the Joint Chiefs are taking issue. The latter have signed a letter to managing editor Philip Bennett objecting to the cartoon, which depicts a hospitalized soldier with all four limbs amputated and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld ("Dr. Rumsfeld") at his bedside, declaring, "I'm listing your condition as 'battle hardened'." This shameless exploitation of our troops is beyond repugnant, but what else should we expect from the paper that employs Dana Milbank?

From the Clintonistas...

Bill Clinton's inability to prioritize the world's problems was on display this past week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Speaking before a crowd of Europeans who are preternaturally gaga over the former prevaricator-in-chief, Clinton said that the biggest challenge facing the world was climate change. Global inequality and cultural and religious divides came next, with terrorism receiving only scant mention as a by-product of the latter issue.

Clinton also suggested that the Bush administration should open up a dialogue with everyone, including the Iranians and Hamas. "One of our politically correct things is we don't talk to people we don't like," Clinton said. This is a pretty loaded statement coming from the man who ushered in the PC era, virtually shutting down honest dialogue in America about any subject that could possibly irritate any minority group. It was because of political correctness that we spent more time during the 1990s listening to the terrorists rather than fighting them.

From the Leftmedia...

Pollaganda rides again! During the State of the Union, CBS took a "flash" poll to gauge support for the President's speech. The results: 77 percent approved; 23 percent disapproved. When reporting the results after the speech, Bob Schieffer couldn't believe his eyes, even issuing a little disclaimer: "Now, remember, this does not necessarily reflect the feelings of the country because traditionally we found out in recent years more Republicans watch when a Republican makes the speech; more Democrats watch when a Democrat makes the speech." Apparently, the poll was so scientific that Bob had to inform his viewers that they couldn't really believe the results.

Regarding the redistribution of your income...

After being criticized (mainly by the partisan press) for not responding quickly enough to Hurricane Katrina, FEMA has announced plans to start housing displaced folks in 325 damaged apartments left empty in New Orleans after the storm. Contrary to normal policy, FEMA will determine if the program succeeds and then may house up to 20,000 people in similar homes. Of course, the apartments are "free" for those in need for at least 18 months. Taxpayers will foot the bill of about $1,000 per month per apartment, translating into possibly hundreds of millions of dollars over the next 18 months. We offer our great sympathy for those displaced by Katrina, but we also hold that churches and private charities would do this work better and much more economically.

From the "Regulatory Commissars" File...

ExxonMobil's announcement of $10.71 billion in profit for the fourth quarter of 2005—the highest quarterly profits of any company in history—and over $36 billion for the year has Capitol Hill hopping. Calls are again being heard for a so-called "windfall" profits tax, as if taxes aren't already high enough. Indeed, with an estimated 38 percent effective tax, Exxon's fourth quarter profits didn't even cover the full 2005 tax bill. Combined for 2005, Exxon, ConocoPhillips and Chevron paid over $44 billion in corporate income taxes. The Senate has now passed provisions reducing tax-credit options for oil companies, including barring a credit for taxes paid in other countries. The measures are not certain in the House—here's hoping they fail.

Deregulation and lower taxes are perhaps counter-intuitive, but they are the answer. Exxon increased fourth-quarter capital and exploration by $5.3 billion from a year earlier, or about the same percentage as profits. Increased taxes would hinder capital expansion and exploration. Greater oil consumption in China and India, as well as political uncertainty in Iran and Iraq, are driving the price of oil higher. No tax will change that. Rather, it would be you, fellow Patriots, who end up paying the tax at the pump, if there's anything left to pump.

From the "Non Compos Mentis" Files...

A rare disease has been afflicting Democrats since the State of the Union address; one of its symptoms is the inability to use statistics. Still-Senator John Kerry, a victim of, shall we say, percentagitis, when asked about the President's education initiatives, told the Today Show that "53 percent of our children are not graduating from high school." The U.S Census Bureau begs to differ, however, listing 85.9 percent of Americans aged 20-24 as having graduated from high school. Katie Couric never challenged Kerry's fun fact.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has also come down with a bad case of the bug. In an interview with millionaire "journalist" Harry Smith, Nagin was asked about his reaction to the President's "scant attention" to New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast. Nagin was "disappointed" and went on to claim that "50 percent of all residents in the United States live along the Gulf Coast." Once again, Smith did not challenge Nagin. Indeed, while we're having fun, we'll go out on a limb and say that 87 percent of liberals are totally nuts! Around the nation...

From the states, it seems that Louisiana is not quite the victim it had made itself out to be. A new document has come to light that exposes Louisiana's health emergency preparedness director for rejecting federal offers to move or evacuate patients before Hurricane Katrina hit. Two days before landfall, Dr. Roseanne Pratts "responded no, that they do not require anything at this time and they would be in touch if and when they needed assistance," according to Heath and Human Services senior policy analyst Erin Fowler. However, Louisiana Medical Director Dr. Jimmy Guidry says that HHS was indeed helping in evacuations. Unfortunately, at least 40 bodies were found inside a flooded New Orleans hospital after Katrina hit. Also, 34 nursing-home patients near New Orleans died in the wake of massive flooding when the home's owners fled without evacuating their patients. We suspect other travesties will become known in the coming months as House and Senate reports are released.

The Department of Homeland Security has now received three bills in the mail from an Ohio sheriff totaling $125,000. At about $70 per day per person, that's the price of jailing 900 illegal aliens in his county beginning in October. The protesting sheriff said he's angry that the federal government isn't doing its part to control illegal immigration. Of course, Sheriff Jones doesn't expect payment, but he intends to keep billing until he sees a change. "Why should Butler County taxpayers have to pay for jail costs associated with people we don't believe should ever have been in this country, let alone this state or county, to begin with?" Sheriff Jones asked.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesman Dean Boyd, on the other hand, says that measures have been taken to help Butler County, and he expects that after criminal hearings, the aliens will be turned over to ICE for deportation. From the "Village Academic Curriculum" File...

Young America's Foundation recently published a list of 12 of the most bizarre and downright immoral college courses in the country. Indeed, with college tuition soaring, Patriots should be cautious about the "education" their college-age youth are receiving. The courses celebrate decadence and debauchery, as well as various extrapolations from Marxism. For example, one can study "Ancient Greek/Modern Gay Sexuality" at the University of Michigan; "Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll in Ancient Egypt" at Johns Hopkins; or prostitutes, cross-dressing and same-sex eroticism in 16th- and 17th-century Western Europe. If Marxism intrigues you, try "Marxist Concepts of Racism," studying "the role of capitalist development and expansion in creating racial inequality" or "Taking Marx Seriously: Should Marx Be Given Another Chance?" a course which asserts that Lenin, Stalin and Pol Pot just misapplied Marxism. One might also try a little bit of everything with "The Unbearable Whiteness of Barbie: Race and Popular Culture in the United States" at Occidental College in California, which investigates ways that "scientific racism has been put to use in the making of Barbie" and also looks at "the film 'The Matrix' as a Marxist critique of capitalism."

In business/economic news...

Regional bank BB&T announced last week they would no longer lend to developers who abuse eminent domain for their own benefit. CEO and Chairman John Allison noted, "The idea that a citizen's property can be taken by the government solely for private use is extremely misguided; in fact it's just plain wrong." Chip Mellor, president of the private property advocacy group Institute for Justice, applauded the move. "BB&T's principled stand sets an example that should inspire other lenders and should become the new industry standard. You can and should accomplish economic development through private negotiation, not...eminent domain."

Last summer's Kelo decision set off a flurry of state legislation prohibiting eminent domain abuse, and a case before the Ohio Supreme Court is testing older Ohio laws allowing it for private developers in deteriorating areas. Now, legislation to block federal funding for private projects that misuse eminent domain has passed the House but stalled in the Senate.

On the culture front...

Oscar nominations were announced this week and conservatives are once again left shaking their heads. "Brokeback Mountain," the homosexual cowboy movie that finally topped $50 million after nearly two months, snagged eight Oscar nominations, including "Best Picture." "Capote," about a homosexual author, received five nominations and "Transamerica," in which the lead character undergoes a sex change, received two. Tellingly, the summer comedy "Wedding Crashers" did better at the box-office than all five "Best Picture" nominees combined. Furthermore, a wildly successful and wholesome picture, "The Chronicles of Narnia," which currently stands at $278 million ($634 worldwide, or more than ten times "Brokeback's" worldwide gross), was nominated in the make-up category. Call us crazy, but something's rotten in Beverly Hills.

On the small screen, ABC's "Commander in Chief" was pulled temporarily for low ratings. "Commander" is not just about a female president, but about a feminist president and is clearly a tool for the feminist agenda. When one considers the recent poll numbers on Hillary, the show's failure comes as no surprise.

Family and faith matters...

Conservatives have long argued among themselves about the merit of pro-life legislation when the culture is not clearly pro-life. However, a new Heritage Foundation report—"Using Natural Experiments to Analyze the Impact of State Legislation on the Incidence of Abortion," by Michael J. New, Ph.D.—reveals substantial evidence that legislation is indeed effective in reducing the number of abortions on a state-by-state level. During the 1990s, much state pro-life legislation was passed and the abortion rate simultaneously dropped by more than 18 percent. Of course, knowing that cultural factors could skew results, Dr. New resolved potential problems by comparing states that enacted legislation to states that nullified legislation, assuming that the values in the states were similar. The results were "statistically significant" and quite compelling: Laws reduce abortions.

To that end, four states—Indiana, Ohio, Georgia and our home state of Tennessee—have joined South Dakota in seeking to pass abortion bans. Some wonder whether this is wise, considering the make-up of the Supreme Court make-up remains pro-Roe. In any case, we're pleased to note the use of federalism to decide this issue. On the frontiers of science...

Newly released information reveals that in March, 2004, the CIA held a secret meeting to discuss improving covert technology capable of detecting when a country becomes able to develop nuclear weapons. This comes just in time, it seems, as the IAEA also announced this week that Iran conducted experiments with high explosives in 2003, which the agency sees as possible precursors to nuclear weapons tests. Coupled with knowledge of Iran's uranium enrichment program and design for a missile warhead, that conclusion seems an increasingly solid bet. Following the 2004 meeting, the government accelerated the research focusing on four basic emissions: distinctive chemicals, sounds, electronic waves and isotopes (same element, different number of neutrons). Eventually, research centered on sensors which could detect uranium hexafluoride (UF-6), a gas, present in the uranium (U-235) enrichment process. The gas could also be tracked by detecting radioactivity or U-235 in the atmosphere, or by tracking plumes from clandestine sites.

The need to know Iran's capabilities, increasingly, is putting pressure on these agencies to "get it right." There are signs that Washington is already using atomic espionage in a hunt for clandestine sites. Last year, Iran publicly complained to the UN that two unmanned American aircraft had crashed within its territory. Such drone aircraft, according to U.S. intelligence experts, are periodically launched from Iraq to spy on suspected nuclear sites.

And last...

Angry Left gas-bag Cindy Sheehan, honored guest of Rep. Lynn Woolsey at President Bush's State of the Union address, keeps taking up headline space. Sheehan's antics in the House gallery are well known—arrested and charged with unlawful conduct for wearing a T-shirt that read "2245 Dead. How many more?" What is less reported is that House rules dictate certain decorum, and the "Peace Mom" from Berkeley paid them no mind. Wacky Rep. Fortney Hillman "Pete" Stark, Jr., is also apparently ignorant of the rules against "unlawful demonstration," saying in Sheehan's defense, "I'm still trying to find out why the president's Gestapo had to arrest Cindy Sheehan in the gallery." Of course, the real Gestapo didn't turn around and apologize as the Capitol's finest did Wednesday.

Sheehan has also announced her intent to challenge Demo Sen. Dianne Feinstein for her seat in November, leading us to ponder a campaign contribution so that the laughs can continue.

Lex et Libertas—Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus, et Fidelis! Mark Alexander, Publisher, for the editors and staff. (Please pray for our Patriot Armed Forces standing in harm's way around the world, and for their families, especially those of our fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, who have died in defense of American liberty while prosecuting the war with Jihadistan.)

SUPPORT THE 2006 PATRIOT FUND Link to our Secure Commerce Page at—http://PatriotPost.US/support.asp

SUBSCRIBE The Patriot Post (PatriotPost.US) is FREE by E-mail! To get your own subscription, link to—http://PatriotPost.US/subscribe/

REPRINT AND FORWARD POLICY Subscribers may reprint or forward The Patriot Post (PatriotPost.US), in whole or part. If reprinting, please include the citation "The Patriot Post (PatriotPost.US)" in accordance with our Subscriber/User Disclaimer. For questions, contact our legal department at Legal@PatriotPost.US.

*PUBLIUS*

"FRUIT FROM THE TREE OF LIBERTY" The Patriot Post (PatriotPost.US) is protected speech pursuant to the "inalienable rights" of all men, and the First (and Second) Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. In God we trust.

Copyright © 2006 Publius Press, Inc.

All rights reserved.

[Christian4Bush]

BUMP. Thanks for the post. I seriesly love long posts, and this one looks like a keeper.