Monday -- March 7, 2005
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 JUST AN EXCUSE TO SHOWCASE HATRED FOR AMERICA
 You can say one thing for today's funeral for Nicola Calipari. At least it got Martha Stewart's mug off the front page. Nicola Calipari is the Italian secret service agent who was killed when U.S. troops in Baghdad open fired on a car rushing freed Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena to the Baghdad airport. Sgrena had just been freed by Iraqi insurgent forces ... freed after Italy paid a cash ransom.
Let's talk about this ransom business for a bit. The United States refuses to pay for the release of hostages. Italy has a history of doing so. We refuse to pay because it rewards the hostage-takers and encourages yet more kidnappings. It can be said that Italy's actions in paying for the release of Sgrena served to increase the level of danger for every other westerner in Iraq. Time, I guess, will tell. The point here is that there are reasons to be upset with their side too. U.S. forces say that Sgrena's car approached a checkpoint on the Baghdad airport road without slowing, and the driver ignored repeated warnings to stop. The warnings reportedly included arm signals, bright flashing white lights, shots fired in front of the car and a shot into the engine block. One more thing. The U.S. Military says that they weren't warned in advance about the release of Sgrena and that she would be driven to the airport after that release. Why wasn't the U.S. told? Evidently the Italians were afraid that we might try to dissuade them from paying the ransom and might actually interfere in some way. So ... first mistake; not telling the U.S. Military that you are going to be making a run for the airport with a freed hostage. Sgrena's story? She says there were no warnings, no bright lights. She says that they weren't even at a checkpoint. A U.S. tank just pulled along side and started firing. She also says they weren't speeding. Riigggghhhhhtttttt. A car full of Italians, and they weren't speeding? Dogs and cats sleeping together. What you probably won't hear today as this story gets played over and over and over. Giuliana Sgrena wrote for a newspaper called "Il Manifesto." As you might suspect from the name, it's one of Italy's communist newspapers. Now hold on a second. I'm not saying that Sgrena got what she deserved because she writes for a communist newspaper. I am saying that it would be illogical to expect either Sgrena or the newspaper she writes for to be at all sympathetic to the situation faced by our forces in Baghdad. Both Sgrena and her newspaper were adamantly opposed to the war in Iraq. Il Manifesto is already accusing U.S. Forces of assassinating the secret service agent, and her partner (whatever that means) says that the shooting was intentional. He referred to the U.S. troops as "imbeciles or terrorized kids who shoot at anyone." The funeral this morning for Calipari is going to be a focal point for expressions of hatred toward the U.S. and U.S. policy in Iraq. It will be a rallying point for those who long for the days of Saddam Hussein. If you're a news junkie you'll hear condemnation and criticism of the U.S. forces time after time throughout the day. It will be interesting if you see one single story about Sgrena's connection with a communist newspaper and their adamant opposition to what the U.S. has accomplished in Iraq. Why, you ask, is that important? It's important because this is a newspaper with strong anti-American credentials. It's not right to report the criticism heaped on the U.S. from a newspaper without identifying that newspaper's strongly anti-U.S. bias. So ... who is telling the truth? Maybe we'll never really know. One thing for sure, the incident certainly presents a great opportunity for someone predisposed to dislike America, and someone who has already expressed her adamant opposition to what U.S. troops have accomplished in Iraq, to rally international opinion against the United States. Of one thing you can be sure. The next time there is some controversy surrounding a reporter from some right wing newspaper you can rest assured that the affiliation will be highlighted in virtually every news story. The unwritten rules demand that right wingers always be identified as such, while leftists are treated as the norm. THE MINIMUM WAGE AGAIN
The Senate is getting ready to vote on whether to raise the minimum wage. Sadly, Republicans are along for the ride, offering their own version of this job-killing legislation. The hourly minimum wage is currently $5.15, where it has been for 8 years.
Ted Kennedy wants to raise it to $7.25 an hour, in three increments over 26 months. Republican Rick Santorum wants to raise it $1.10 over 18 months, in two increments of 55 cents. The Republicans want to add it to the bankruptcy legislation, which the Democrats oppose. Because of the threat of filibuster, they'll need 60 votes to pass either one, which is unlikely.
In the debate over the minimum wage, we will hear people time and time again say that it is impossible to raise a family on the minimum wage. Well ... duhhhhh! Of course you can't raise a family on the minimum wage! This is a wage that is usually paid to teenagers who are bringing the bare minimum of job skills to their very first job. Beyond that .... losers. Oh yeah, it's insensitive ... and you might even find it offensive. That would be your problem. Face facts. The minimum wage is for losers. Baring some physical or mental disaster ... anyone living in this country who has not managed to acquire enough education and job skills to earn more than the minimum wage is a complete failure ... a loser. These are not the kinds of people who should be having children. Not only can't you raise a family on minimum wage, you shouldn't even be trying to. If our child welfare agencies were really doing their job they would be classifying every child in a household where their parent or guardian can't earn more than the minimum wage as endangered ... and promptly remove them. This is not a role for government. There is nothing in the Constitution which permits the Imperial Federal Government to involve itself in a contract between an employer and employee. The salary or hourly wage should be agreed upon between the two parties and not subject to government approval. The minimum wage should be abolished, not raised. People should take their job skills and work ethic into the marketplace and compete with everyone else. If the bid for your services isn't high enough, maybe that's a broad hint that your services aren't valuable enough. Time to improve. The marketplace should decide what someone should be paid, not the government.
ARAB DICTATORS ON THE RUN
 Bashar Assad |
All of a sudden it would seem the Arab dictators in the Middle East are singing a different tune these days. Could it be because they have seen the United States liberate two enslaved peoples in Iraq and Afghanistan, bringing about free elections? Just as was the case with the fall of the Berlin wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union, once people have a taste of freedom, it can't be stopped. It's contagious.
Look at the case in Syria. Syria occupied Lebanon, and has for decades. Protesters surrounded the building housing the Syrian puppet government in Lebanon, forcing them to resign. Now people power is running the Syrian troops out of Lebanon. Check out this quote from Syrian President Bashar "Boy" Assad, in an interview with Time magazine. He was talking about international demands to get out of Lebanon: "Please send this message: I am not Saddam Hussein. I want to cooperate."
Syria leaving Lebanon, elections in Iraq, elections in Afghanistan, elections in Egypt, elections in the Palestinian territories....the list goes on. These dictators' days are numbered, and they know it. Freedom is on the march in the Middle East. Bush was right. 
Read the article online
READING ASSIGNMENTS I've already told you why Hillary Clinton is so hyped about the idea of letting felons vote. You didn't believe me, so maybe you'll believe believe The Wall Street Journal's John Fund. Here is a translation of the report Giuliana Sgrena filed for the Italian communist newspaper she works for. Interesting that she admits she knew the area near the airport was heavily patrolled by American troops.
In a barely noticed story, Bill Clinton has been going around talking about how much he loves Iran. Apparently he likes them because they vote liberals into power. Will the mainstream media cover this? Of course not, but they will point out that he allowed Bush Senior to have the bed on the plane.
A Republican Senator is proposing raising the retirement age as a means to reform Social Security. Naturally, the obstructionist Democrats are opposed....but they weren't when a Democrat proposed it. Go figure.
Dan Rather is about to step down, capping 24 years in the anchor chair. But Philip Chalk says Dan Rather has been a poor excuse for a newsman since he started in 1963. An avalanche awareness class gets caught ... in a ... well, you can just guess.
In the Supreme Court decision banning juvenile executions, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion. George Will explains how he was wrong on all counts.
The chorus of "told you so's" continues, this time from the Chicago Tribune. When it comes to freedom around the world, could Bush have been right?
Now here's an interesting time-line sequence. Just 72 years ago, Franklin Roosevelt took the oath of office, and 72 years before that, Abraham Lincoln was sworn in and 72 years earlier, George Washington became the first president. Michael Barone looks at the historical significance.
Conservatives that were worried about Alan Specter's handling of President Bush's judicial nominees as chairman of the Judiciary Committee had their concerns validated last week. Robert Novak reports.
The Supreme Court has handed down its decision in the Roper vs. Simmons juvenile execution case, so that's that. Jeff Jacoby calls it a phony ruling that lacks consensus.
Was Bush right about the Middle East and freedom? It's sure starting to look that way. Fareed Zakaria says freedom is on the march in the Arab world.
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