Communism

The Australian – COMMUNIST officials have outraged the International Olympic Committee and the world’s media by barring unfettered access to the internet – reneging on a key pre-Games promise to open China’s doors to the world. Having already restricted access to Tiananmen Square during the Games, which begin in eight days, China yesterday brazenly defied the IOC and admitted it would censor the internet. International media were yesterday unable to access websites connected to the Falun Gong, Amnesty International or the Tiananmen Square massacre.

IHT – The official came for Yu Tingyun in his village one evening last week. While clutching a contract and a pen, he asked Yu to get into his car. Yu’s daughter had died in a cascade of concrete and bricks, one of at least 240 students at a high school in Hanwang who lost their lives in the May 12 earthquake. He became a leader of grieving parents demanding to know if that school, like so many others, had crumbled because of poor construction. The contract had been thrust in Yu’s face during a long interrogation by the police the previous day. In exchange for his silence, and for acknowledging that the ruling Communist Party had “mobilized society to help us,” he would get a cash payment and a pension.

Japan thanks to America and Capitalism

FOX News – Officials say an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 struck off the northern Japanese coast, injuring nearly 100 people. The quake also triggered landslides and caused a blackout at more than 8,000 homes. The Meteorological Agency says there was no danger of a tsunami, or seismic waves, from the 12:26 a.m. Thursday (11:26 a.m. Wednesday EDT) quake, which occurred at a depth of about 65 miles near the coast of Iwate, 280 miles northeast of Tokyo. Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries. “We must grasp the extent of damage as quickly as possible so that we can immediately take necessary steps,” Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda told reporters.

And we’ll be waiting for you

MNF-Iraq – Security progress in Basra is “overwhelming” and Iraq’s second-largest city could be “another Dubai in the coming decade,” the commander of Multi-National Division – Southeast said July 14, referring to the bustling international business hub. British Army Maj. Gen. Barney White-Spunner told Pentagon reporters via teleconference from Baghdad that Operation Charge of the Knights – ordered by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in March – has “well and truly” turned the tide in the city.

Dudd 08 – Open borders & Gaseous platitudes

The Australian – Immigration Minister Chris Evans will outline significant reforms to the system of mandatory detention today, extending the Labor Government’s original pledge to remove all children from detention. Senator Evans is expected to announce the immigration policy changes during an address – New Directions in Detention: Restoring Integrity to Australia’s Immigration System – at the Australian National University this morning. [snip] Senator Evans said today that under Labor’s new policy detention, Immigration Detention Centres will only be used as a last resort and for the shortest practicable time. “A person who poses no danger to the community will be able to remain in the community while their visa status is resolved,” Senator Evans said. “The department will have to justify why a person should be detained. Once in detention a detainee’s case will be reviewed every three months to ensure that the further detention of the individual is justified. “Children will not be detained in an immigration detention centre.” [snip] “Unauthorised boat arrivals at excised places will continue to be processed on Christmas Island but will now have access to legal assistance and an independent review of unfavourable decisions.”

What that really means is that if you sneak in here with your children, the wet-lettuce authorities won’t detain your children and therefore how can you separate the parents from the children, breaking up families, genocide you heartless bastards! So I guess the whole family will be released into the community, naturally after promising to stay where they’re supposed to stay. I don’t know how Minister Evans will ensure these people won’t just run and disappear once released into the community and I don’t think he particularly cares. So the message to all really is, come to Australia by boat or some other means and just bring your kids, you won’t be detained, we’ll look after you. In the unlikely event that you’re refused a visa to stay here, don’t worry we’ll arrange for you to appeal the decision repeatedly until you get what you want. All paid for by the suckers who came here legally and citizens going to work and back everyday. Let’s see how all this is going to work out in the future, take the example of Britain, where they don’t have mandatory detention and Labour/leftists are in charge.

Ramadi after the Marines & the Surge

MNF-Iraq – A mostly Sunni city with about 500,000 residents, Ramadi was considered to be one of the most violent cities in the world during the early part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Today, locals are out shopping at the city’s bustling marketplace, known as the souk. Children are playing soccer in fields, and students are walking mostly worry-free to and from the province’s local college, al Anbar University.

The signs of war have steadily declined as the city has embraced peace and the region is returning to normalcy, which is an unexpected but welcome change for Marines with 1st Battalion,9th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, returning to the region for consecutive tours. “A lot of the action happened in Ramadi,” said Cpl. Abdias Betancourth Jr., a 23-year-old motor transportation operator from Toppenish, Wash., with 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1.

Obama finally gets something right

Reuters – The Miami woman’s story illustrates a debate about whether black American parents take enough responsibility for raising their children that has spilled into the U.S. presidential campaign through comments by civil rights leader Jesse Jackson and Democratic candidate Barack Obama. It also sheds light on how complex factors including home foreclosures, lack of health insurance and high incarceration rates combine to put pressure on many inner-city families.

Hold on just a minute there Reuters, do you see the way they throw in the ‘high incarceration rates’ are putting pressure on families, it’s like some sort of weather phenomenon putting pressure on a farmers ability to grow corn or illness or something. What nonsense! Last I checked, unless you’re living in some sort of communist utopia you don’t just get yanked off the street and ‘incarcerated’ for a few years. You have to commit some sort of crime that then incurs a punishment involving incarceration. Also contrary to leftist belief you actually have control over whether you commit the crime in the first place. You don’t accidentally steal a car, rob a bank or rape someone. So you really are to blame if you end up incarcerated. Anyway back to Obama.