South Africa Violence Aganist Foreigners

WITNESS-Photographing evil in S.Africa's townships | World | Reuters

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - I only realized how serious the attacks were when I saw a photograph of a man being burnt alive in a township east of Johannesburg.

South Africa Violence Displaces 25,000 Immigrant

Having worked as a photographer in South Africa for more than 10 years, I was no stranger to violence: I had seen angry people chanting slogans, blocking roads and destroying property.

But burning a man alive was evil and barbaric, a flashback to the worst violence under apartheid when opponents of the white minority government were shot and tortured by police and informers were "necklaced" with burning tires. By Siphine Sibeko.

There are believed to be between three and five million foreigners living in South Africa, most of them Zimbabweans fleeing poverty and violence at home.This violence against foreigners started on the night of May 11th and South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki doesn't approve the deployment of the army until May 21st. This is 10 days later.

Question: Are politicians exploiting the situation in Durban? Even though President Mbeki urged South Africans to welcome foreigners his action of waiting 10 days to use the army to stop this says other wise. And where is the United Nations? What are they doing to help the situation? It seems when it is black on black violence in Africa, the United Nations is no where to be found.

Why is this happening? in the words of CBC's Bruce Edwards, who is in Johannesburg, said it's the worst violence in the country since the end of apartheid.

"Millions of immigrants, most from poor neighbouring countries, come here seeking a better life," Edwards said, "but with half of the country's own population still living in abject poverty, and the resources scarce, many fear this … may still get worse."

When there is no economic growth, the populace will revolt.
Technorati Tags: violence

John McCain, He and Obama Should Meet Gen. Petraeus in Iraq.

ABC News: McCain Says He'll Go to Iraq With Obama

IRAQ HEARINGS: Sen. Obama Questions Gen. Petraeus

Republican John McCain on Monday sharply criticized Democratic rival Barack Obama for not having been to Iraq since 2006, and said they should visit the war zone together.

Republican
presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks at the New
Mexico Veterans Memorial on Monday, May 26, 2008, in Albuquerque.

(Jeff Chiu/AP Photo)

"Look at what happened in the last two years since Senator Obama visited and declared the war lost," the GOP presidential nominee-in-waiting told The Associated Press in an interview, noting that the Illinois senator's last trip to Iraq came before the military buildup that is credited with curbing violence.

Wait, military buildup that is credited with just curbing violence? I thought that the Democrats said this was a civil war. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) had said that"the [Iraq]war is lost" during a press conference discussing Congress' standoff with President Bush over emergency funding for the war. Reid added that "the war, at this stage, can only be won diplomatically, politically, and economically. Senator Reid and the Democrats where wrong. We won with military buildup.

On Memorial Day, Obama chatted with N.M. veterans "As president of the United States,I will not let you down." he Promised. Senator Obama has never sat down, one-on-one, with General Petraeus.Even worse, he hasn't visited Iraq, and our brave troops on the ground, in over two years. And on April 8,when two-dozen Illinois veterans went to his office for a meeting, Senator Obama was unwilling to meet with them. He was in his office, just wouldn't come out. Why hasn't he met with General Petraeus? And why won't he visit Iraq? He doesn't have to go with Senator John McCain. He can go with Nancy Pelosi, she likes to make foreign trips. In fact she was there just last week doing what Obama should be doing.

Last, If you want to know how Barack Obama will lead our troops and speak to our generals just watch the video. In stead of asking questions to find out what is going on in Iraq, he lectures Gen. Petraeus. When he does ask a question it's the same question someone just asked. Sleeping or not there?

Senate, Domestic Add-ons Linked to War Funding.

ABC News: Deal Allows for Senate Vote on War Funding

SENATE LEADERSHIP RESPONDS TO FAILURE TO PASS WAR FUNDING

In the Senate, members of the Appropriations Committee added more than
$10 million in discretionary funding not requested by Bush, including
funding for grants to state and local police departments, $1 billion
for energy subsidies for the poor and more than $1 billion to help
Mississippi recover from Hurricane Katrina.

Reid always held a dim view of the domestic extras, knowing they would guarantee a veto and reinforce perceptions that Senate is to profligate. Indeed, Appropriations Committee members treated the war funding bill like the last train leaving the station and as a result, added billions of dollars for pet programs.

What ever happened to House Democrat leader Nancy Pelosi's time to begin to "drain the swamp" after more than a decade of Republican rule. The Republicans lost the 2006 elections because of their pet projects and now the Democrats are joining the Republicans "in the swamp."

The Democrats also won the 2006 mid term elections because they promised to rein in the excessive spending. The Democrats brought in the "pay-as-you-go" concept. Meaning no increasing the deficit, whether the issue is middle class tax relief, health care or some other priority. Pelosi is plotting a"guns-for-butter" strategy to try to force Bush to accept some newdomestic spending in exchange for the money he needs to fight the war. On "pay-as-you-go" the Democrats abandon ship.

Also pertaining to domestic add-on linked to war funding, Andrew Taylor Associated Press Writer, wrote that it included work permits for immigrant farm labor. I read this in my Wednesday, May 21, 2008, The Times-Picayune but when I looked this up on the Web I couldn't find it. I even looked this up the the Times-Picayune link and I couldn't bring this up. Question; Was this a miss print because it was dropped before the finial bill or are they trying to hide something from us?

It's time to rein in our politicians, no matter if their are Democrats or Republicans. We must use the power of the Web to e-mail our politicians, to hold them accountable for spending our tax money. The Democrats said they would hold the Republicans accountable but on this bill it seems they are both in bed together.

More on "pay-as-you-go."
Technorati Tags: Iraq,

US House Votes to Sue OPEC for Price Fixing.

House votes to allow suit against OPEC - Los Angeles Times

Will gas be rationed?

WASHINGTON - Congress' latest answer to rising gasoline prices: Sue OPEC.

Defying a White House veto threat, the House on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved legislation that would allow the Justice Department to pursue legal action against the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries for conspiring to restrict supplies or drive up prices.

It was the second time in a week that a majority of Republicans joined Democrats to support an energy measure over the Bush administration's objection and came as the average price for a gallon of self-serve regular set more records Tuesday -$3.80 nationally and $3.976 in California, according to AAA.

The White House warned that the measure could invite retaliatory action by the oil cartel, which supplies about 6 million barrels of crude to the United States every day.

If the United States sues OPEC, who will we be suing? A bunch of middle east countries that export oil? NO. There will be two South American countries, Ecuador and Venezuela, a founder member. Four countries from Africa, and Indonesia from Asia.Out of the thirteen members only six are from the middle east and one of them is Iran.

I would like to see us sue President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. I sure he won't retaliate against the United States. I also would like to see us sue Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He is urging OPEC members to from a joint bank and stop pricing oil trades in US dollars. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says oil valued at $115 per barrel is priced too low. I am sure if we sue him, he won't retaliate against the United States. And the other eleven countries will love us as we sue them and bow at our feet.

I don't know why Congress is so upset. Just last August, 10 months ago, CNNMoney.com reported that despite oil's record high last week, forget about crude going to $100 a barrel. The government run Energy Information Administration has a $50 target price for crude by 2015. Here we go, most analysts agree with EIA assessment. "This is an inherently cyclical business," said Edward Morse, chief energy economist at Lehman Brothers, who said he could see oil prices in the $40 to $50 range by 2010. Thats only a year and a half from now. Do you believe them?

Now the United States is going to sue OPEC. Are we going to have another oil crisis of 1973? The 1973 oil crisis began on October 17, 1973 when the members of OPEC announced, as a result of the ongoing Yom Kippur War, that they would no longer ship oil to nations that had supported Israel in its conflict with Syria and Egypt (the United States and it's allies in Western Europe and Japan.) I guess we should have sued OPEC then, because Syria and Egypt launched a military attack on Israel.

This proves OPEC doesn't need to sell us oil and we are just going to make them mad and they will produce less and really fix the price. So maybe the day that our Congress sues OPEC that will be the day that the 2008 oil crisis will begin.




Technorati Tags: OPEC Oil Congress

Nancy Pelosi Reaction in Iraq

Pelosi Gets Quiet Reaction in Iraq - TIME

Cool Reception

Pelosi is something of a nonentity to average Iraqis. If they know who she is at all, she is generally seen as an antiwar caricature figure, someone whose views on U.S. troop withdrawals are widely considered unrealistic. Pelosi has said she wants to begin withdrawal of troops this year with a goal for the U.S. to be out of Iraq by the end of 2009.It is a time frame virtually no Iraqi political leader sees as feasible. Not even Mahdi Army militia leader Moqtade as-Sadr, the fiercest advocate of a U.S. withdrawal on the scene, has called for such a rapid withdrawal of U.S. forces.

Nancy Pelosi is traveling the world with a bipartisan group of lawmakers, which means there are a few Republicans in her group. But I wonder if she knows what she is doing and why she is there? She has stated that she wanted our troops out by the end of 2008 and now 2009. Why are the Republicans there, for a free trip? What are they going to do to change Pelosi's view to Bush's view? A bipartisan view. No way!

But maybe Pelosi's mind has changed after she met with Iraq Prime Minister Maliki. His office said that Pelosi promised "renewed US support" for his government and declared that Washington "would stand by efforts to achieve security and stability and ensure national reconciliation in Iraq." At least this is what the Prime Minister of Iraq believes.

What did she mean when she said this? Keeping our troops in Iraq longer? Spending more money for the Iraq conflict? I hope her eyes have been open to see what the US can accomplish in Iraq. A free people with free elections. I'll be very disappointed if she sticks her foot in her mouth again.

Other posts on Nancy Pelosi

Technorati Tags: Iraq Pelosi Troops

Is Obama Ready for the Presidency?

Obama Lashes Back At Bush, McCain, Following Flap Over Bush's Comments In Israel, Dem Candidate Lambastes McCain On Foreign Policy - CBS News

Ready for the White House?

Barack Obama rebuked Republican rival John McCain and President Bush for "dishonest, divisive" attacks in hinting that the Democratic presidential candidate would appease terrorists, staunchly defending his national security credentials for the general election campaign.

"I'm a strong believer in civility and I'm a strong believer in a bipartisan foreign policy, but that cause is not served with dishonest, divisive attacks of the sort that we've seen out of George Bush and John McCain over the last couple days,"Obama told about 2,000 voters at a town hall-style meeting in a livestock barn.

"It was one of the most pugnacious, combative nature,speeches Barack Obama has ever given," said CBS News Correspondent Dean Reynolds.

I hope you can watch this video of Obama rebuking President Bush and John McCain. The last couple of times I tried to access it, it didn't come up. I think they pulled-it. Why, if you watch this 9.31 minute video you will see Barack Obama stumble and look down at his notes only 121 times. The man can't speak without a written message by a professional writer. He will stumble over his tongue during the Presidential debates just like he did with Hillary Clinton but worst, because John McCain will not hold back like Hillary did.

President Bush referred to the leader of Iran, President Mahmound Ahmadineiad, who has called for the destruction of the U.S. ally, Israel, and then said some, not Democrats, seem to believe that we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals. Bush could have been talking about the United Nations who is talking to Iran right now. But Barack Obama took this to heart because this is how he believes. I personally think Barack Obama is a good man but not ready for the White House.


Technorati Tags: Obama Bush McCain

U.S. Retail Sales Looking Good In April.

U.S. Retail Sales Mixed In April





Monthly sales report better than expected.

According to a preliminary tally from Thomson Financial, 19 retailers beat estimates, while 9 missed. The tally is based on same-store sales, or business at stores open as least a year, they are considered a key indicator of a retailer's health.

Wal-Mart, which is rolling out more discounts, reported a 3.2 percent gain in same-store sales. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected a 2.1 percent gain. Including fuel, same store sales climbed 3.8 percent.

The world's largest retailer said business was helped by strong sales in grocery and health items as well as entertainment products like flat-panel TV's, video games and game consoles. The company said apparel sales continued to recover, despite cold weather, but home furnishings sales were weak.

Rival Target Corp. posted a 3.1 percent gain in same-store, below the 4.5 percent estimate, as consumers shopped for necessities such as food and skipped higher-priced items such as jewelry.

Costco reported an 8 percent increase in same-store sales, surpassing the 6.1 percent estimate.

Among department stores Penney reported a 1.7 percent decline in same-store sales, though that was better than the 4.6 percent decline analysts expected. The top-performing merchandising areas in April were apparel and family footwear, while fine jewelry and home categories continued to experience weaker sales.

For a country that's in a recession our retail sale are pretty good. 19 retailers beat estimates 9 missed.That means that 68% of the retailers did better than expected. They did better than the analysts expected. That means the professional analysts were wrong 68 percent of the time in the month of April.

Now I would like you to read this article because even though the facts are positive the writers opinions are negative. When a writer has a agenda they will cover the good positive news with negative comments. So when you read an article look for the facts and throw away the trash.

2



Technorati Tags: Recession Economy Retail Sales

U.S. Recession Over? Unemployment Claims Drop.

Initial U.S. unemployment claims drop - UPI.com

First time claims for U.S. unemployment insurance declined during the week ending May 3, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday. The department said the 365,000 initial claims on the week was a decrease of 18,000 from the previous week's 383,000 initial claims.The four-week average increased by 2,500 to 364,000, the report said. The U.S. unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5 percent.

Looks like it is hard for the news media to report good economic news. They report that U.S. unemployment insurance declined during the week ending May 3rd. But thats not big news because the four week average increased and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5 percent.

Question, do you know who the unemployed are and which percentage are bread winners? The news media will push the idea that the 5 percent are head of house and must rely on their unemployment check to survive and can't find a job.

If I told you that almost half of the unemployed are teenagers would you believe me? It's true. Most of the unemployed are 17,18 and 19 years old and I would guess they still live with their parents. The news media and the mainstream economist wants to push the recession because they have an agenda. But the facts show we are still growing.
Technorati Tags: Recession Unemployment

U.S. Economy Showing Signs of Life.

SunHerald.com : Economy shows signs of life

Employers shed jobs in April for the fourth consecutive month. but at a much slower pace than analysts expected, and the unemployment rate actually improved to 5 percent, a government report said Friday.

Coupled with Wednesday's first-quarter economic growth numbers, which also were better than expected at 0.6 percent, the new employment statistics point to an economy that's not robust but appears safe from deep contraction.

Employers cut 20,000 jobs in April, well below the 80,000 expected in the consensus forecasts of mainstream economists. And the unemployment rate dipped slightly from 5.1 percent to 5 percent. By Kevin G. Hall.

The mainstream economists are wrong again. They say we are in a recession right now but the country's economic growth during January through March was the same as in the final three months of last year showing economy still avoiding a downturn. Earlier this year,some mainstream economists thought the economy would actually lurch into reverse during the opening quarter.

The Mainstream Economist predicted 80,000 job loses, but employers cut only 20,000 jobs in April. The unemployment rate in April actually improved to 5 percent. Last year in April 2006 the unemployment rate was at 4.7 percent. And did you know that 15 percent of those unemployed were teenagers? I wonder how many teenager are in the 5 percent?

Mainstream Economist are like Weathermen, trying to predict what is going to happen, but most of the time their wrong.


Technorati Tags: economy unemployment recession

The United Nations Wants U.S. to Reduce Carbon Footprint.

With a few choices, we can reduce our carbon footprints- NOLA.com

Take nothing but pictures. Leave nothing but footprints. That's what the grown-ups told us when we were kids setting out to explore nature on a hike, field trip or camp out. It seemed like the perfect philosophy. Who knew the footprints would get so big?

Your carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide you are responsible for, be it from your car's exhaust or the production of electricity to run your air conditioner. The average American's carbon footprint is 42,000 to 44,000 pounds a year according to the United Nations. By John Campanelli, Newhouse News Service.

The United Nations knows what the average American's footprint is and a list of things that we must do to reduce our carbon footprint. I wonder if the United Nations knows the carbon footprint of the Chinese, since they are the largest producer of carbon dioxide. With India population growth and growth of their industry, they are a close second. Question, what is the United Nation themselves doing to cut down on their carbon footprint? They should be setting the example.

Let's look at the big picture. On a countries total out put of carbon dioxide what percentage do people produce? What percentage does industry produces? What percentage does government produce? And what are governments of these three large producers of carbon doing to reduce their footprint?

Are they recycling half of their waste? How about getting rid of their extra cars? Here is a good one. How about using ceiling fans or free standing fans instead of air condition? Unplug all of their electronics and appliances when they're not in use. And last. Raising their thermostats 2 degrees in summer and lowering it 2 degrees in winter.

You see the population or people are the least carbon producers in a country. The government wants you to change your lifestyle while they don't change theirs. Why is this? Because they want you, the American people, to feel guilty for the way we live so the government can get more of your money in taxes. And the United Nations want more money from the United States.
Technorati Tags: Carbon Footprint

Syria Must Come Clean About N. Korea Nukes

U.S: Syria must 'come clean' on nukes - Security- msnbc.com

The White House said Thursday that North Korea did secret work on a nuclear reactor with Syria, calling it "a dangerous and potentially destabilizing development for the world" and raising doubts about Pyongyang's intention to carry through with a promised disclosure of its nuclear activities.

Seven months after Israel bombed the site, the White House broke its silence and said North Korea assisted Syria in a secret nuclear program and that the destroyed facility was not intended for "Peaceful Purposes."

The White House issued a two page statement after lawmakers were given details about the alleged reactor in a series of briefings on Capitol Hill. The briefing included a video presentation of intelligence information that the administration contends establishes a strong link between North Korea,s nuclear program and the bombed Syrian site. The briefing also included still photographs that showed a strong resemblance between specific features of the plant and one near Yongbyon in North Korea.

Syria is a nation that is listed as a state sponsor of terror and is home to terror group Hezbollah. A year ago the State Department made it quite clear they did not want Nancy Pelosi to visit Syria but she went anyway. Pelosi met with Syrian President Bashar Assad and said, "The road to Damascus is a road to peace." Even The Washington Post editorialized that "Ms. Pelosi's attempt to establish a shadow presidency is not only counterproductive, it is foolish. Does Nancy Hates President Bush that much she's willing to make herself look foolish?

Former President Carter, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, praised Pelosi's trip, Staying, "I have known President Bashar al-Assad since he was a college student, and I thought it might be helpful if I went and urged him to support the peace in the Middle East. But for the only time in my life as a former president, I was ordered by the White House not to go." But he went anyway. Another Democrat attempting to establish a shadow presidency.

Syria, North Korea and Iran will have to be dealt with by the new President of the United States. Now we know how a Democrat president will act because neither one of the Democrat candidates criticized Pelosi or Carter. We need a president like John McCain to deal with these countries.

Enjoyed this post? Email a friend, Leave a comment, Subscribe to Wag This Dog, Link to any post





Technorati Tags: Nuclear