There is some talk as to whether the Iranians are mistaken or outright lying concerning the location of the British sailors whom they kidnapped in Iraqi waters.
This discussion misses a more important point, which is that under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Iranians may legally do no more than require the British ship to leave.
Instead, in the best case scenario, the Iranians ambushed and stole a British ship and kidnapped the sailors.
Part II, Section C, Article 30
Non-compliance by warships with the laws and regulations of the coastal State
If any warship does not comply with the laws and regulations of the coastal State concerning passage through the territorial sea and disregards any request for compliance therewith which is made to it, the coastal State may require it to leave the territorial sea immediately.
This is piracy, plain and simple. Thomas Jefferson defeated piracy in the 1700’s by sending the U.S. Marine Corps to Tripoli. In 2007, the destination may be Tehran.
I would normally believe that the Iranian army invading Iraq and firing on American troops would make front page news. It should be the biggest story of the year.
It appears that I was wrong. On 3 March, such an event did happen. The strangest part to me is that I read about it Time of all places. The article is titled A Deadly U.S.-Iran Firefight and the details are as follows:
U.S. soldiers from the 5th Squadron 73rd Cavalry 82nd Airborne were accompanying Iraqi forces on a routine joint patrol along the border with Iran, about 75 miles east of Baghdad, when they spotted two Iranian soldiers retreating from Iraqi territory back into Iran. A moment later, U.S. and Iraqi forces came upon a third Iranian soldier on the Iraqi side of the border, who stood his ground. As U.S. and Iraqi soldiers approached the Iranian officer and began speaking with him, a platoon of Iranian soldiers appeared and moved to surround the coalition patrol, taking up positions on high ground. At that point, according to the Army’s statement, the Iranian captain told the U.S. and Iraqi soldiers that if they tried to leave they would be fired on. Fearing abduction by the Iranians, U.S. troops moved to go anyway, and fighting broke out. Army officials say the Iranian troops fired first with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades, and that U.S. troops fell further back into Iraqi territory, while four Iraqi army soldiers, one interpreter and one Iraqi border guard remained in the hands of the Iranians.
FoxNews recently published a great article titled Gun Enthusiasts Mobilize in Blogosphere in New Era For Grassroots which discusses the strength which pro-gun bloggers give to the Second Amendment through their quick response and adaptive organization ability.
Todays gun bloggers are the Minutemen of the new century.
For the latest posts from the best of the gun bloggers, visit Gun News.
The Jews are reacting to growing anti-Semitism in France and the increasing use of violence my French Muslims.
The letter asks the U.S. Congress to enact a law granting refugee status to French Jews.
I, of course, am all for this. I do not believe that people belong to states. I believe that individuals should be free to select nation states which best serve their needs. In addition, I believe that nation states should be able to choose immigrants which best meet their needs. These Jews are, as a group, well educated and hard-working people. They should quickly adapt to life in the United States and take their place as productive citizens, taxpayers, and service members. Our nation would be smart to accept them.
The New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
—Emma Lazarus, 1883
This showed up unattributed in my mailbox; it’s definitely worth reading.
House Number One
The four-bedroom home was planned so that “every room has a relationship with something in the landscape that’s different from the room next door. Each of the rooms feels like a slightly different place.” The resulting single-story house is a paragon of environmental planning.
The passive-solar house is built of honey-colored native limestone and positioned to absorb winter sunlight, warming the interior walkways and walls of the 4,000-square-foot residence. Geothermal heat pumps circulate water through pipes buried 300 feet deep in the ground. These waters pass through a heat exchange system that keeps the home warm in winter and cool in summer. A 25,000-gallon underground cistern collects rainwater gathered from roof urns; wastewater from sinks, toilets, and showers cascades into underground purifying tanks and is also funneled into the cistern. The water from the cis tern is then used to irrigate the landscaping around the four-bedroom home, (which) uses indigenous grasses, shrubs, and flowers to complete the exterior treatment of the home. In addition to its minimal environmental impact, the look and layout of the house reflect one of the paramount priorities: relaxation. A spacious 10-foot porch wraps completely around the residence and beckons the family outdoors. With few hallways to speak of, family and guests make their way from room to room either directly or by way of the porch. “The house doesn’t hold you in. Where the porch ends there is grass. There is no step-up at all.” This house consumes 25% of the energy of an average American home. (Source: Cowboys and Indians Magazine, Oct. 2002 and Chicago Tribune April 2001.)
House Number Two
This 20-room, 8-bathroom house consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year. The average household in America consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, according to the Department of Energy. In 2006, this house devoured nearly 221,000 kWh, more than 20 times the national average. Last August alone, the house burned through 22,619 kWh, guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year. As a result of this energy consumption, the average monthly electric bill topped $1,359. Also, natural gas bills for this house and guest house averaged $1,080 per month last year. In total, this house had nearly $30,000 in combined electricity and natural gas bills for 2006. (Source: just about anywhere in the news last month online and on talk radio, but barely on TV.)
PLEASE scroll down………………….
House Number One belongs to George and Laura Bush, and is in Crawford, Texas.
House Number Two belongs to Al and Tipper Gore, and is in Nashville, Tennessee.
The U.S. Air Force has certified the Active Denial System (ADS) as safe after extensive testing.
The Active Denial System fires a beam of three millimeters waves (94 Ghz) at the targets.
The waves are absorbed by the top layers of a persons skin which makes them feel like they are on fire within three to five seconds. The net effect is to encourage the targets to leave the area immediately.
Targets who leave the area of the heat ray will suffer no long-term effects. Targets who somehow manage stay in the area can experience redness and minor blistering.
The Air Force has tested the system over ten thousand times. In all of those tests, there were only six incidents involving blistering and there was only one that involved second-degree burns. That last guy must have been one tough bastard!
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia finally ruled that several D.C. anti-gun laws were unconstitutional.
The case covered three separate District of Columbia laws:
A law that prevents handgun registration
A law that requires rifles and shotguns to be either disassembled or disabled when being stored
A law that requires a permit to carry a gun in your own home
Here’s the bad news:
The fascist govermnent weasels are appealing the verdict and they will continue to enforce their unconstitutional laws during the appeal.
The verdict does not affect laws that governs concealed carry permits outside the home.
The anti-Constitution beauracrats are still allowed to place “reasonable restrictions” on the exercise of a citizens Constitutional rights. Reasonable restrictions such as “to get a permit to carry a gun in your own home, you have to attend a year long training course held by the government and the next one is scheduled for 2092.”
Due to extremely successful media manipulation, the Democrats are rising inpower. Expect a series of new anti-gun laws to be enacted over the next six years. Even if this was good news, it’s likely to be the last good news you hear for a long long time.