July 19, 2005

Conference to Spotlight Enormous Human Rights Abuses in North Korea

FREEDOM HOUSE CONFERENCE TO FOCUS ON NORTH KOREA HUMAN RIGHTS CRISIS

North Korea's horrific human rights crisis will be the focus of a first-ever international conference, to be held July 19, 2005 in Washington, DC, Freedom House announced today..

The conference, titled "Freedom for All Koreans," will feature Kang Chol Hwan, a defector to South Korea and author of "The Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag," and Natan Sharansky, former Soviet dissident, political prisoner and Israeli cabinet minister, and author of "The Case for Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror."

Jamming Devices to Shut Down Radio-Controlled Explosives in Iraq

From Army Public Affairs: 

"...we have gone on to counter radio controlled initiators that the enemy has been using. In other words, we have gone out and tried to figure out how we counter the radio controlled threat.”

Since 2003, the JIEDD TF has invested about $378 million toward the acquisition of technology to counteract radio-controlled devices used to detonate IEDs. The devices, called Countering Radio-Controlled IED Devices – Electronic Warfare, or “jammers,” exist in six vehicle-mounted forms to detect and prevent potential IEDs.

“We have done a lot of research and study, and started to get the production lines in America spun up to get the actual jammers on the vehicles and to the troops that are deployed,” Woody said. “Our goal is to reduce the casualties and to make sure that the troops have the very best TTPs (tactics, techniques and procedures), and the very best equipment that we can provide them.”

The Bush Tax Cuts Have Resulted in Higher Tax Revenue

From the NY Times:

Sharp Rise in Tax Revenue to Pare U.S. Deficit

For the first time since President Bush took office, an unexpected leap in tax revenue is about to shrink the federal budget deficit this year, by nearly $100 billion.

On Wednesday, White House officials plan to announce that the deficit for the 2005 fiscal year, which ends in September, will be far smaller than the $427 billion they estimated in February.

And growth of the economy is the strongest it's been since 1999:

The economy grew by 4.4 per cent last year, the strongest performance since 1999. Private economists believe this year could clock in around 3.5 per cent, a slower but still healthy pace.

Those who opposed the tax cuts made a potentially serious mistake in doing so. 

See also these previous posts:

Lower Taxes Make the Economy Stronger 

Lower Tax Rates Are Resulting In Higher Tax Revenue 

A Myth Debunked: Bush Tax Cuts Did Not Favor the Rich

USA TODAY POLL: CAN HILLARY BE PRESIDENT?

• 59 percent thought Clinton is not strong on national security.
• 42 percent said she would use military force wisely as president.
• 56 percent doubted she could candle an international crisis.

 

Gore Says His New TV Network Is “Not Intended to be Partisan in Any Way”

This original purpose of Gore's TV network was specifically to be Liberal:

The former Veep is assisting in an effort to create a liberal alternative to conservative talk radio, and is exploring a cable television venture.

Yet now Gore claims that is no longer its purpose: 

The 2004 Democratic candidate for president was asked if he was concerned the 24-hour news and information channel, called Current, would be perceived as having a political slant. It's scheduled to launch Aug. 1.

"I think the reality of the network will speak for itself. It's not intended to be partisan in any way," said Gore, Current's co-founder (with businessman Joel Hyatt) and chairman of the board.

He doesn't say it won't be -- only that "it's not intended to be." Yeah, right. 

Video iPods?