Check Cashing: A service, not a vile abuser of the poor
Reason has an article on how the "unbanked" are really being provided a service by check cashers.
Some people are like me, they choose not to deal with useless and unfriendly banks.

A Few Random Thoughts....
Bush is looking smarter and smarter on his handling of the Middle East.

The police have forgotten that they are public servants. Police argue that staying alive is their main goal. I argue that if staying alive istheir main goal, they need a new job. They are there to protect and serve the public. Before they pull a trigger that could kill an innocent person, they should hesitate, they should pause and risk their own life first.

I am still here, I have not quit.
I have been doing a lot of moving recently, I am presently in Chicago.
I will definitely get back to blogging next week.

Sorry
I had to drive to Atlanta to pick up my dog, then drive back.
That is why I have not been posting.
I will get back to posting later today.

Will Everybody Just Chill! Let Bush and Powell Finish First.
I am withholding judgement until later on the White House, Powell and the Middle East.
Yes. I do see things I do not like. I wish they were harder on Arafat, left Sharon alone, and kept their moral clarity.
It just seems that the warblogs, and the conservatives, are doing exactly what the left did during the early stages of the Afghanistan military campaigns.
Give them the benefit of the doubt, they have earned that much. For all the talk about Powell being such a dove, he sure is comfortable with all those hawks.
Let this administration have time to deal with this issue.

PatrickRuffini.com // Rants
He has a great information on Gore's 2004 run.
I still think people are ignoring the Hillary factor.
Remember, Bill Clinton ran against a popular Bush, because he wanted to establish himself as the frontrunner for 1996. Clinton did not expect to win. Hillary may run with the same intentions. I think the biggest problem for her, is that she would want to almost be guaranteed the nomination, because losing is not acceptable.

Hillary Clinton: The Double Al Stopper
Hillary will become the Democratic candidate for President in 2004.
She will be seen as the perfect compromise, and her husbands ego will love the attention.
Al Gore is still ranting his class warfare, this will allow Hillary to play the moderate role. "He already tried and lost, I can't do any worse". That will be what her whispering campaign will promote. She can afford to wait and jump in the race late, because Clinton does know how to raise money. Anything that Gore would like to claim credit for under Clinton's terms, would also be claimed by Hillary. If Gore attacked Hillary she would fall back on her "womanhood" and it would really hurt Gore with the female vote. Bill Clinton would also relish the opportunity to "defend the honor of his wife".
The other Al, Al Sharpton that is, would also be silenced by Hillary. He could not attack her as being against him, she has always supported him and made public appearances with him during her campaign. Hillary would also benefit from the large amount of blacks that still see her husband as a great president. Sharpton's support is not as strong as the media or his campaign believes it is. Once he is exposed for not being able to carry most of the black primary voters, Hillary will ride that into a nomination.
She never has to attack anyone, because Bill Clinton and his peons will do that for her. She will be able to run as a sensible, moderate. Anyone that attacks her will be seen as "mean spirited" and not willing to deal with the issues. Remember the nomination process is front loaded so that money and name recognition matters more than ever before.

Music Industry Blues Spur Best Buy to Act
They want to help the music industry make CD's hard to copy. They do not get it. The problem is the quality and price of the CD's.

The May issue of The Atlantic has a good article on Saddam Hussein. It is not on their website at this time. Saddam is an egomaniac. This is both good and bad. Good, because it means he is also delusional and probably has no clue of his own weaknesses. Bad, because he is delusional and really feels that he should bring the entire Arab world under his leadership.

Nations approve first permanent world war crimes tribunal
This is crazy! Who is going to pay for this?
How much will this cost?
How do you enforce an indictment?
What are the rules of law and procedure?
Who will handle any appeals?

Crude Oil Falls After Venezuela's Chavez Is Ousted by Army
This is another blow to OPEC. If OPEC decided to use oil as a weapon, they would be committing economic suicide. Russia and other countries would rush in to fill the gap.

Countdown to Israel's 'Doom from Babylon'?
this article is based on Debka-files reports. It states that Iran, Iraq, Syria, Hezbollah, Palestinians are set to attack israel.
We will have to wait and see.

Ten Tips on How to Be an Arafat Apologist
This is a must read, especially for the Arafat defenders.

Look in the Background.
When watching the news showing the Israeli military in the West Bank, look closely at the background. I found it interesting that there was a Checkers and Firestone sign in the West Bank.
If our culture is so evil, why do they embrace it so willingly?

Russia already has a missile defense system to protect Moscow.

Russia, which built a missile defense system around Moscow in the 1960s that survives to this day, relied from the start on nuclear-armed interceptors. Although U.S. defense experts regard the Russian system as anachronistic, Russian military officials worry that the United States will eventually adopt the nuclear approach, according to Pavel Podvig, editor of an authoritative book about Russian strategic nuclear forces published last year by the Center for Arms Control Studies in Moscow.

This is in an article that says that Bush is considering the use of nuclear-tipped interceptors in a missile defense system.

Defiant Sharon Losing Support in White House
I don't think Bush ever had much confidence in Sharon or Arafat. I think the White House is trying to push both to change or leave.
Bush would prefer to see Arafat out of the mix, and a new Palestinian leader willing to use force on the extremists. I think Netanyahu would be the person Bush would like to deal with in Israel.

China invests in electric cars to combat pollution
We can let the Chinese spend money on developing a product, then copy it for our market.

13 Slain by Boy Bomber
10 year olds being used as human bombs!
OOOPS, he may have been 13 or 14 years old.
This is what the Arab countries have a hard time condemning?

Kirk victorious in Senate runoff
Cant wait to read what Patrick Ruffini has to say about this.

Can Al Sharpton win the Dem nomination?
This NRO article, states that he could win a handful of states and place second in total delegates.
The article is too optimistic about Sharpton, and gives him more credit outside of New York than I think he has earned. It is correct by saying that Sharpton will not mind being the spoiler, unlike Jackson in 1988. The early primaries are important, if he can create early momentum to be taken seriously, then he does have a chance of drawing a large number of black voters throughout the primaries.
The two key phrases will be, "reparations" and "selected President Bush"

The Reality of Racial Profiling
NFL star Graham files suit against deputies This is an example of racial profiling. The officer walked onto private property and pulled Graham out of his truck. The officer then searched the truck, found a registered gun, and locked Graham up for over six hours. No charges were filed.

I suggested that Americans use market forces to reduce our dependency on OPEC oil. It looks like Iran and Iraq are going to save us the effort. This could actually help force a change of leadership in Iraq and Iran. The last thing both countries need is a slower economy. Maybe we should send them a thank you letter, I am sure Russia will.

Jude Wanniski, at Polyconomics.com thinks Minister Louis Farrakhan can help bring peace to the Middle East.
I say this is a fantasy. He is not an objective participant, and has an agenda. I also think his credibility with other Muslims is overrated. When has he ever shown an ability to influence Muslims in other countries?

Tax Burden Falls on the Wealthy

Going back to 1989, the top 5 percent income group paid about 44 percent of income taxes, the bottom almost 6 percent. Then, the top tax rate paid by high earners was 31 percent.
Looking ahead, the 10-year, $1.35 trillion tax cut enacted last year reduces income taxes in three steps, with the final step coming in 2006. In that year, according to the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, taxpayers earning over $100,000 a year will pay almost 59 percent of all income taxes.
Those with annual incomes of less than $30,000 a year will pay about 4.4 percent in 2006, roughly the same as they do today.

Mending the minds of the 'martyrs'

That the Arab world does not tolerate opposition within its borders should get us to thinking about the presence in Yasser Arafat's West Bank of suicide bombers. He says he opposes them. Well, then how is it that they keep emerging from his jurisdiction, insinuating themselves into Israeli public places, and blowing everything and everyone to smithereens? No other groups that Yasser Arafat opposes exist in the West Bank.

I finally had a chance to read Bush's statement on the Middle East. I think Andrew Sullivan gives the best explanation.

The Cincinnati Police Department
Two legal settlements will change the way the CPD operates, and create federal oversight. It is expected to cost $400,000-$800,000 annually. You can find the texts both agreements here.

My viewpoint:

I lived in Cincinnati for two years and had at least five direct contacts with the CPD. I received a citation only once, and it was thrown out in court. Actually it was three citations at one time.

I can say without any hesitation, the CPD is the most unprofessional, militarized, and arrogant police department I have ever had any contact with. The problem is the increasing militarization of local police departments, not race. The effect of these policies allows for those officers with racist mentalities more leeway to act out.

The time I received three citations (headlight out, wrong way on one way street, swerving/driving erratically) was an example of how they deal with the public. The police were coming in my direction at a very fast speed; I could see it in my rear view mirror. I pulled over to my right; it was at the intersection of a small one-way road onto the two-way road I was on. The policed passed by, and then turned around. They passed me going in the other direction then turned around and pulled up behind me, lights flashing. I pulled over again, assuming they were after someone. They pulled over behind me. They were pulling me over!

I gave them my DL and insurance info, asked why I was pulled over. He ignored me, while the second officer was looking thru my car with his flashlight. He then walked away back to his car. I waited, and waited, and waited. He came back and advised me I was getting three citations. I asked why, this is not acceptable in Cincinnati; any questioning is seen as threatening an officer. He told me in a very stern voice, to take it up with the courts. The officer then tossed my DL thru my driver’s side window, where it landed on my floor. I went to court and advised the Judge, that if I was going the wrong way on a one-way street, and swerving, and had a headlight out why didn’t the officers ask if I had been drinking? Or for me to take a sobriety test? The Judge understood the point I made and dismissed the tickets.

I went to a local precinct to file a complaint, and was advised that I had to go through the legal system, they had no forms for citizen complaints. I asked to speak to a ranking officer, he came out and repeated the same thing while asking if I was causing problems. The other officers were all chuckling. It was funny to them.

The anger that people in Cincinnati feel is real and justified. They have complained for years to the Council and CPD. It was always dismissed. The Police Chief even had an exception to the residency rules, he didn't have to live in the city he was responsible for protecting!

I expect to get pulled over by mistake sometimes. The problem is with how you are treated. The CPD acts as if it is an occupying force, in a city that is under siege. The citizen is an enemy, not an employer.

Noam Chomsky
Anybody know of any good sources for anti-Chomsky information?

Faces of the Victims
This site has pictures and info about every Israeli victim of terrorism.
It puts a face on the stats

Back to Ohio
I finally moved back to Ohio, from Atlanta yesterday.

Parents snap up school vouchers - teachers turn off lights and AC in protest
Now I know vouchers must be a good thing.

Farrakhan to visit the Middle East
Don't do it! You will fail in front of the world.

What If the Military Actions Taken By Israel Work? Just a thought.
Israeli Tanks Enter West Bank Towns
Israel Deepens W.Bank Assault, Gunmen Holed Up

Israel widens offensive,Palestinians start to buckle

Palestinian leaders appeared slowly to be buckling under the force of an Israeli offensive against the campaign of terror by militants. With his headquarters in flames, West Bank security chief Jibril Rajoub said he ordered his men not to surrender but that the situation was "very, very bad." In Ramallah, Yasser Arafat rejected an offer of exile, but was pleading for "urgent" deployment of an international protection force, and sympathetic visitors described him as looking "as fragile as an old grandpa." Reports put the number of suspected terrorists rounded up by Israeli forces at 700.

Who Needs the Arabs?
Barbara Lerner, destroys the argument that the US needs Arab allies in order to act militarily in the Middle East.

It's time to stop genuflecting to the Arabs, compromising our interests and principles on the absurd assumption that we can't do whatever we need to do - attack Iraq, defend Israel, support freedom in Iran, and openly acknowledge the manifest superiority of the Turkish model for all Muslim nations - without Arab blessings. Afterwards, relations may well improve since, as bin Laden himself put it, "People naturally prefer the strong horse," i.e., everybody loves a winner. We are the winners; let's act like it. We deserve to win, and so do our natural coalition partners: Muslims, Hindus, Jews, and Christians who believe in freedom, progress, and tolerance. Let's all pray together that President Bush knows it too, and will act on it, boldly, and soon.

Question?
I want to hear from other bloggers.
Is there a way that consumers can put pressure on oil companies to not buy oil from the Middle East? Even if it costs more money?
I think we need to make a radical move as a nation. We are at war!
The government could help some industries like trucking and airlines. (It hurts me to even suggest a government subsidy for anyone)
Higher prices in the American market will draw other producers quickly.
I believe the effect would be short term.
There has got to be a way to change our relationship with Saudi Arabia.
Let me know if this is a crazy idea, or with info or suggestions.

My 2 Cents:
On the PLO:
When peace becomes the main objective, the terrorists have won. They control peace by creating random terror. Their goal is to foster a desire for peace in their opponent that will override all other concerns.

Is it that wrong for America to ask Arafat to denounce suicide bombings?

Why is Arafat being portrayed as a victim, and not the 16 year old that was killed by a suicide bomber?

The PLO is the Mecca of terrorism, the Rome of Islamic fundamentalist.

To What End? What will a Palestinian state look like? No one is asking this question. Arafat is a dictator, and will create a state that resembles the Taliban more than any other form of civilized government. Would Palestine harbor and promote international terrorism? Of course they would. They would call it liberating others using the same tactics that the PLO used.

The world is truly lost in a moral abyss of utopian platitudes. You cannot call for two sides to have a cease-fire, unless you admit that what the Palestinians are doing is an illegal form of warfare. If this is admitted then Israel has a right to defend itself, and even to take land. The Geneva Convention has not been mentioned concerning the PLO. Suicide bombers are a violation of the Geneva Convention. Couldn't suicide bombers be considered a war crime? An attack on civilians is forbidden. What hypocrisy.

The only reason there is a possibility for a Palestinian state, is because Israel is willing to accept its existence. Israel was never forced to give any land up it always withdrew. This fact seems to be lost on people.
If terrorism is successful against Israel, it will increase everywhere. America will become its largest target.

My 2 Cents:
America and Islamifacist:
What we are dealing with is evil. The world is trying to pacify and negotiate with this mentality. The spirit of Chamberlain dominates the worldview. It is a mindset that seeks peace at all cost. The peace it seeks is not a true peace, but a cessation of military action. It goes to their faulty belief that military power is inherently bad. That is why they cannot comprehend the suicide attackers as an act of war.
This islamifacist philosophy will have to be handled the same way Nazi's and the Japanese Empire were changed. Respond with devastating and unrelenting force and power. We must accept the fact that World War 3 has already begun. It is time to engage fully to win, or hesitate and lose.
These people do not realize that their suicide bombings are sowing a fear in the minds of every American. What if that happens here? The idea of being afraid to go to school, work, or shopping is something most Americans do not want to think about. If we are forced to deal with that reality, the response will be devastating.
I am afraid that our enemy does not understand this. They believe that they can hit America where she is weak. That is what the Japanese thought. The day they walk into a Wal Mart and blow themselves up, will be the day that their world will come to an end. I hope it does not take suicide bombers on American soil to wake up America. The sooner we move to destroy the enemy, the sooner we can enjoy peace.
This country is not yet on a war footing. When the country mobilizes into a wartime posture, there will be no negotiating, no hesitating, and the American people will accept devastating loss of lives, especially our enemies’ lives.
There are sacrifices to make. We need to accept a slower economy and some hardships. The existence of our nation is at stake.

Where are the condemnations from the EU, the UN, Amnesty International??
Do these people matter?
14 killed and 46 wounded in suicide strikes in Haifa, Efrat
Partial list of Haifa victims:
Daniel Manchell, 22, Haifa
Suheil Adawi, 30, Turan
Aviel Ron, 54, Haifa
Ofer Ron (son of Aviel), 17, Haifa
Anat Ron (daughter of Aviel), 21, Haifa
Carlos Wagman, 50, Haifa
Orli Ofir, 16, Haifa
Dov Chernevroda, 67, Haifa
Ya'acov Shani, 52, Haifa

ARABIA VS. THE WORLD?
The Arab nations are creating a peculiar coalition as an enemy.

But the stance taken by the various tyrants assembled in Beirut reflects the same misreading of strategic reality, the same deluded sense of power that sees no danger in the Arab world's support for Islamist movements around the globe.
It's an attitude that could, in the not too distant future, have the near-miraculous effect of bringing together America, Russia, China, India and some of the key European states in a vast multicultural anti-Islamist alliance.

The FBI warns about possible truck bombing attempts.

Is there an Iraqi connection to the Oklahoma Bombing?

Russia's Help to North Korea Dismays U.S.
They will just become large targets when we bomb them.