Needless to say, this is quite an interesting development to learn of entering 2006…

The United States government reportedly began coordinating with NATO its plans for a possible military attack against Iran.
The German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel collected various reports from the German media indicating that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are examining the prospects of such a strike.
According to the report, CIA chief Porter Gus, in his last visit to Turkey on December 12, requested Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to provide military bases to the United States in 2006 from where they would be able to launch an assault.
The German news agency DDP also noted that countries neighboring Iran, such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman, and Pakistan were also updated regarding the supposed plan. American sources sent to those countries apparently mentioned an aerial attack as a possibility, but did not provide a time frame for the operation.
Although Der Spiegel could not say that these plans were concrete, they did note that according to a January 2005 New Yorker report American forces had entered Iran in 2005 in order to mark possible targets for an aerial assault.

Simply outstanding…..

WASHINGTON - The Justice Department has opened another investigation into leaks of classified information, this time to determine who divulged the existence of President Bush’s secret domestic spying program.
The inquiry focuses on disclosures to The New York Times about warrantless surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, officials said.
The newspaper recently revealed the existence of the program in a front-page story that also acknowledged that the news had been withheld from publication for a year, partly at the request of the administration and partly because the newspaper wanted more time to confirm various aspects of the program.
White House spokesman Trent Duffy said Justice undertook the action on its own, and Bush was informed of it Friday.
“The leaking of classified information is a serious issue. The fact is that al-Qaida’s playbook is not printed on Page One and when America’s is, it has serious ramifications,” Duffy told reporters in Crawford, Texas, where Bush was spending the holidays.

…for it is better late than never that those behind this leak should understand the magnitude of this War that we wage.

A remarkable story, and one that should be an example for any American. It appears that “out of the mouth of babes” our mainstream media should listen,

“There is a struggle in Iraq between good and evil, between those striving for freedom and liberty and those striving for death and destruction,” he wrote.
“Those terrorists are not human but pure evil. For their goals to be thwarted, decent individuals must answer justice’s call for help. Unfortunately altruism is always in short supply. Not enough are willing to set aside the material ambitions of this transient world, put morality first, and risk their lives for the cause of humanity. So I will.”

Why must it be the actions of a courageous (or “courageous” ) child to illustrate what those in the media should report?

It seems as though I am somewhat torn as to whether these actions should be construed as somewhat misguided or if they should be construed as proper. Nevertheless, I find it encouraging that this American youth, in a day and age where America’s youth are stagnantly complacent, is a breath of fresh air from what we have grown accustomed to. Few and far between are the youth of this nation that act upon their convictions; who will actually place their livelihood on the line in order to demonstrate they truly believe in the cause they rhetorically support. Self-righteousness abounds amongst the youth who protest such things as abortion and this war; however, as these gestures are always done within the friendly confines of a nation that encourages such discourse.

This is what separates this young man’s actions in your humble pundit’s most humble opinion. Sure, his rationale and logic may have been misplaced, but his intentions were noble and he should at lest be given the credit for such. It should not be seen that this postulation condones any ends justifying the means. The youthful exuberance of being able to demonstrate his own convictions should be the focus of this story.

Tapscott’s Copy Desk / Myopic Zeal / Florida Cracker / Below the Beltway / OpinionBug.com / CDR Salamander / The Florida Masochist / Super Fun Power Hour

From our friends across the pond,

Pupils are being allowed to swear at one Northamptonshire secondary school - as long as they limit their use of bad language to five times a lesson.

No, this is not from The Onion (unfortunately).

“Within each lesson the teacher will initially tolerate (although not condone) the use of the f-word (or derivatives) five times and these will be tallied on the board so all students can see the running score,” he wrote in the letter.

Your humble pundit is at a f#$@*&% loss for words….

Hat Tip - The Moderate Voice
& Reasonable Prudence

Ronald Reagan once said an economist is someone who sees something that works in practice and wonders if it would work in theory. So why is it that when confronted with a concept that works in both practice and theory, so many people refuse to believe it?

However, in matters encapsulated by the Laffer Curve, the fusion of theory and practice are easily attenuated for the practice of utilizing the principles underlying this theorem are ascertainable by everyone. Unlike so many theories and discussions in Economic matters, this theorem can be easily explained even if one does not have some form of a degree in this subject or a business background.

Essentially, it is a theoretical statement of what most would consture as being common knowledge (Is this not all there is to Economics essentially?) for it postulates that their is a finite amount of tax to be collected; and that as tax rates escalate, the incentive to avoid economic activity ensnared by taxes increases. Further, by reducing the tax rate, the dis-incentive to work decreases; thereby escalating the base of the tax, which increases the amount of tax income.

All in all, this has been demonstrated with the Reagan tax cuts of the 1980s and what President Bush has accomplished during his time in office. Yet, in an all to predictable fashion, the results of the 2003 tax cuts will not be paraded in the mainstream media for it is but another example of the somewhat sound fiscal tax policy of the Bush Administration.

Common sense is a scarce commodity in America. Without berating my colleagues on the other side of the aisle; it goes without saying that many times matters of common sense are lost on the more “enlightened.”

I believe what your humble pundit is attempting to state is this: in some matters there are no shades of grey or blurring of lines, for in these matters there are unadulterated black or white and their is a precise line of demarcation. Take for instance the recent “controversy” surrounding the “spying” conducted by our “fascist” President Bush. Ferdinand T. Cat of The Conservative Cat poignantly dissected a mantra emanating from those on the left,

Ben Franklin once said “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Dr. Franklin turned many a clever phrase in his day, but that doesn’t mean he has the last word in discussion of the Patriot Act.
Before we go too far, it’s worth noting that Franklin was talking about liberty, not privacy. There is a relationship between the two, but I find it strange that no one bothers to quote Franklin when we’re talking about the liberty to choose how your children are taught or smoke cigarettes in public. Instead, he’s used to protect us from the government trying to find out whether or not we’re terrorists.

Many times in our political discourse emotion and colorful rhetoric seemingly replace common sense to become the standard. When discussing how to conduct the War on Terror, it should remain paramount in our minds that common sense and pragmatism is mandatory. The terrorists wish to use our own “rights” and “liberties” to kill us.

This story alone serves as illustration as to why most of the world tends to follow our lead in the latest trends…

November is slipping away from the Democrats in late December. As Captain’s Quarters notes this morning,

After watching the liberal press dismantle the NSA program on the front pages of the Times and Harry Reid dancing like Grandpa Fred on the corpse of Patriot, the Democrats had better hope that George Bush keeps the country safe from an attack in the next few months. If an attack should occur, a lot of people will start asking what changed, and they’re going to look at the New York Times and the Democrats to explain their actions.

Why is it automatically presumed Roe v. Wade should be preserved?

In countless media stories emanating in regards to this recycled parcel of news, the default posture is that Roe v. Wade was decided correctly so many years ago.

Conservatives are steadfastly characterized as the ones being close-minded and unwilling to consider different perspectives in the realms of our political forum. Yet, why is the posture regarding abortion seemingly always from the perspective that it is fundamental tenet weaved into the very fabric of our society?

I think the words of this man are a testament unto themselves and are quite illustrative of why, we, as the United States of America must remain resolute in our efforts to combat the worldwide threat of terrorism. Any entertainment of such preposterous rhetoric is beyond the realms of the absurd.

As FOXnews reports,

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad escalated his anti-Israeli rhetoric Wednesday, calling the Holocaust a “myth” used by Europeans to create a Jewish state in the heart of the Islamic world.
“Today, they have created a myth in the name of Holocaust and consider it to be above God, religion and the prophets,” Ahmadinejad told thousands of people in the southeastern city of Zahedan.
His remarks drew swift condemnation from Israel, Germany and the European Commission. Germany said the remarks would affect upcoming negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
Ahmadinejad last week questioned whether the Nazi destruction of 6 million European Jews during World War II occurred and said Israel should be moved to Europe. He also provoked an international outcry in October when he called for Israel to be “wiped off the map.”
But Wednesday was the first time he publicly denied the Holocaust. Touring southeast Iran, Ahmadinejad said that if Europeans insist the Holocaust happened, then they are responsible and should pay the price.
“If you committed this big crime, then why should the oppressed Palestinian nation pay the price?” Ahmadinejad asked rhetorically.

The Moderate Voice has comprehensive commentary.
The Dread Pundit Bluto harkens back to the rhetoric long forgotten; the “Axis of Evil”