Here they come again . . .

Advocates who say black Americans should be compensated for slavery and its Jim Crow aftermath are quietly chalking up victories and gaining momentum.

Fueled by the work of scholars and lawyers, their campaign has morphed in recent years from a fringe-group rallying cry into a sophisticated, mainstream movement. A pair of churches apologized recently for their part in the slave trade, and one is studying ways to repay black church members.

It is difficult to think of an effort which is more corrosive to public harmony than to hold people living today responsible for acts which occurred over 150 years ago.  That's why the Old Testament stated:

"The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself."

Sadly, all too many people fail to see the wisdom in this simple statement.

When Snookums and I were at my sister's place in rural South Dakota, our main worries were eating too much and setting off the tinder-dry grass with the fireworks.  We returned to Kansas City and turned on the news, and were assaulted by a lengthy series of stories featuring rape, murder, car crashes, and (yes) fireworks-related death and mayhem.

This may partially explain why I'm not particularly moved by the continuing drip of stories alleging rape and murder by U.S. forces in Iraq.  I don't doubt that some of that goes on.  You put 150,000 people anywhere, and a small fraction will be bad people who look for opportunities to do bad things.  But bad things happen everywhere, on a regular basis.

Throw in a tribally-based culture where blood money is expected and (let's be honest) lying is considered acceptable behavior in certain circumstances, and, in retrospect, this seeming parade of miscreants in military uniform should have been expected.  I also have a strong suspicion that some of these accusations are a coordinated propoganda campaign.  The many inconsistencies of the Haditha case, for instance, not only cast doubt on the accusations but point back towards an organized conspiracy among the accusers.

The response of good people is the same.  Find the truth, punish the guilty (whoever they may be), console the victims (whoever they may be).  As far as I can tell, that's exactly what the U.S. military is doing.

That's the claim of the State of Massachussetts in a case going before the U.S. Supreme Court (via the Cato Institute):

Earlier this week, as Washington floated away in a summer torrent that reporters glibly blamed on global warming, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, the mother of all climate changes cases.

The case represents a proceeding of several state Attorneys General, environmental groups, and others arguing that current law requires the federal government to classify carbon dioxide—the main global warming gas—as a "pollutant."

But is carbon dioxide a "pollutant," a harmless byproduct of human activity, or even an adjuvant? The fact is, no one knows. There's never been a truly comprehensive study of the net effects of powering our world on fossil fuels.

Those few of you who did not attend grade school science class may be surprised to know that you exhale carbon dioxide every time you breathe.  Plants use carbon dioxide as airborne food.

"Give a hoot, don't pollute, hold your breath, bring on death."

(Headline mine) . . . Reuters report via Yahoo News:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States believes it has the votes in the U.N. Security Council to impose sanctions against North Korea's nuclear missile program, a top U.S. official said on Sunday.

"We think we've got the votes to pass that," UnderSecretary of State Nicholas Burns said on NBC's "Meet the Press" television program.

Security Council members Russia and China have veto power and have opposed the resolution drafted by Japan. They could abstain, allowing the resolution to pass, but have so far not announced their intentions. A vote may come on Monday.

That's the UN's motto, by the way:  "Toothless.  Meaningless.  The UN."

We need to start over, perhaps with NATO as either the core or the model, for a real international organization composed only of actual liberal democracies, and let the UN stew in its own statist, racist, totalitarian juices, tossing them money every once in a while to keep the entertainment coming.  Those few UN-related non-governmental organizations that actually work should be moved to or replaced by analogous organizations run by the new entity.

Reuters story via Yahoo News:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration was running several intelligence programs, including one major activity, that it kept secret from Congress until whistle-blowers told the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, the committee's chairman said on Sunday.

Rep. Pete Hoekstra, a Michigan Republican who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, said on Fox News Sunday he had written a four-page to President George W. Bush in May warning him that the failure to disclose the intelligence activities to Congress may be a violation of the law.

You may be interested to know that there is a law in place which deals with the appropriate way to be a whistleblower regarding government secrets.  I don't see "Running to a New York Times reporter" anywhere in the law.  Do you?

Title VII: Whistleblower Protection for Intelligence Community Employees Reporting Urgent Concerns to Congress
 - Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act of 1998 - Amends the Central Intelligence Agency Act of 1949 to authorize a CIA employee or contractor who intends to report to the Congress a complaint or information with respect to an urgent concern to report to the Inspector General (IG). Requires the IG, within 14 days, to transmit a credible complaint or information to the DCI, who shall forward such complaint or information to the intelligence committees within seven days. Allows an employee to contact the intelligence committees directly concerning such complaint or information in limited circumstances. Defines a matter of "urgent concern" as: (1) a serious or flagrant problem, abuse, violation of law or executive order, or deficiency relating to the funding, administration, or operations of an intelligence activity involving classified information; (2) a false statement to the Congress on, or willful withholding from the Congress of, an issue of material fact relating to the funding, administration, or operation of an intelligence activity; or (3) an action constituting reprisal in response to an employee's reporting of an urgent concern.

Amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 to allow employees or contractors of the following agencies who intend to report to the Congress a complaint or information with respect to an urgent concern to report such to the IG of DOD: the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, and the National Security Agency. Authorizes employees and contractors of the FBI who intend to take such action to report to the IG of the Justice Department. Authorizes other Federal employees dealing with foreign intelligence or counterintelligence activities who intend to take such action to report to their appropriate IG. Outlines procedures to follow the reporting of such complaint or information, and a definition of "urgent concern," similar to those provided for CIA employees, above.

Those who have acted outside the law (illegal leakers, and the New York Times itself), should be prosecuted for their illegal, criminal behavior, just as anyone in the Administration who runs programs outside of Congressional oversight.

Didn't your mother tell you that two wrongs don't make a right?

Why don't the truly compassionate and concerned people of the world (i.e. everybody left of center) call terrorist attacks what they are:

We learn today that a plot to destroy a New York City tunnel has been disrupted by the FBI:

The Daily News reported that the plotters wanted to blow up the Holland Tunnel, the southernmost link between Manhattan and New Jersey, in the hopes of flooding New York's financial district. The desired effect would be akin to the flooding that ravaged New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the newspaper said.

A government official with knowledge of the investigation said while the alleged plot did focus on New York's transportation system, it did not target the Holland Tunnel. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the case is ongoing, would give no further details about the intended targets.

It's unlikely that any plan to flood the financial district would work because it is above the level of the Hudson River.

Fortunately, most of the barbarians are, in addition to being dangerous, intensely stupid and inept.  Counting on that to continue forever into the future would however be a very deadly mistake.

PepsiCo and Coca-Cola apparently worked together to bust a Coke employee who was trying to sell Pepsi Coke's Secret Formula (from the Kansas City Star):

“Competition can sometimes be fierce, but also must be fair and legal,” Pepsi spokesman Dave DeCecco said. “We’re pleased the authorities and the FBI have identified the people responsible for this.”

Three cheers for the PepsiCo management, and a welcome reminder that most businesses are run ethically and above-board.  This is why the Ken Lays of the world are aberrations (and hence newsworthy).

According to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader:

The first Sonic Drive-In restaurant in South Dakota will be located on South Louise Avenue, next to Sportsman's Warehouse, in Sioux Falls, the company announced today.
. . .
"We are excited about breaking ground for this Sonic because it brings us one step closer to serving the Sioux Falls community," said Bob Blumenthal, local franchisee. "Sioux Falls was one of Forbes magazine's 'Best Small Metros for Business and Career,' and it's a wonderful family-oriented community, making it an ideal location for a new Sonic Drive-In."

Found this at Powerline, who credits Les Baitzer.

Happy Independence Day. Y'all be careful with the beer, brats, burgers, and fireworks.