This is what they teach their children?
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Court will examine profanity rules
From The Associated Press:
The fact is that children always learn all available words and add them to their vocabulary, despite parental efforts to the contrary. And why not? Words are not inherently good or bad - they are just words.
Perhaps people should spend less of their time taking offense at things and more effort fixing our political system.
It seems to me that the Federal Communications Commission should concern itself with the practical matters of standardization and bandwidth allocation that are its primary charter and stay out of the business of trying to regulate "decency". It further seems to me that our government in general should not be trying to legislate in so subjective an area as "decency". If parents find it useful to selectively "protect" their children from a handfull of vocabulary words at which some people choose to take offense, they have the option to turn off the TV, or select channels oriented toward children.WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court on Monday stepped into a legal fight over the use of curse words on the airwaves, the high court's first major case on broadcast indecency in 30 years.
The case concerns a Federal Communications Commission policy that allows for fines against broadcasters for so-called "fleeting expletives," one-time uses of the F-word or its close cousins.
Solicitor General Paul Clement, representing the FCC and the Bush administration, argued that the decision "places the commission in an untenable position," powerless to stop the airing of expletives even when children are watching.
(full article)
The fact is that children always learn all available words and add them to their vocabulary, despite parental efforts to the contrary. And why not? Words are not inherently good or bad - they are just words.
Perhaps people should spend less of their time taking offense at things and more effort fixing our political system.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
"Disproportionate" Force, UN Condemnations, and Decisive Action
From The United Nations:
In reply to the above:
Mr. Ban Ki Moon, United Nations Secretary General:
Sir, in reference to your condemnatory statements above, where is the acknowledgment and condemnation of the now routine practice among the Palestinians, Hamas, and other such terrorist groups of deliberately placing offensive weaponry among civilians; women and children in particular, sacrificing them to the inevitable military response their rocket bombardments necessitate, all for the purpose of twisting the circumstances to appear to support their outrageous claim that Israel's efforts at self defense, after months of self-restraint, somehow make Israel the aggressor?
As for the notion of the "disproportionate and excessive use of force", in war a fair fight is not only undesirable, it is downright irresponsible. When a country, Israel or any other, is finally forced to respond militarily to a threat, it has the right and indeed the responsibility to effect nothing less than a decisive victory. Israel has far too often made the mistake of proportionate response. The only effect this has is to prolong and worsen the situation. In military defense, the object is to put a stop to the enemy attacks, decisively, and if at all possible, permanently. In the recent conflict in Lebanon, Israel's tragic mistake was not excessive use of force; it was insufficient use of force, poor planning, and poor execution. Let us all hope they do not repeat that error now or ever again.
One further note is that you can be sure Mr. Nasrallah is watching this conflict very carefully, probably waiting for an opportunity to resume hostilities in the north. The United Nations needs to recognize the predicament in which Israel repeatedly finds itself and render its full support to its efforts to decisively end these conflicts. Israel, given the opportunity, would be a strong and supportive friend to her neighbors. Can the reverse statement be truthfully made? When it can, there will be peace and prosperity in the region such as it has never seen certainly in recorded history.
I urge you and the UN to consider how any other nation would respond, faced with rockets flying into their land from hostile neighbors. Do not judge Israel by any standard to which you would not hold yourself. Israel correctly stated, before the onset if their response, that civilian casualties were the complete and total responsibility of Hamas. They freely choose to place offensive weaponry in among civilians so tightly that it is virtually impossible to avoid some civilian suffering and death. They knew precisely the effect this would have. If they fancy themselves the protectors of their people, they're stewardship of that role is pathetic.
Let not the UN be as part of the problem. Let the UN instead examine the real facts on the ground and intercede to the extent it is able, to help form a legitimate peace in the region; not one that comes 100% at the expense of Israel with only lip service from the other side.
Security Council, Secretary-General alarmed by deadly violence in Middle East2 March 2008 – The Security Council and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon have condemned the escalating violence in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel, which has claimed dozens of civilian lives in recent days.
Council members met in emergency session late last night and early today to discuss the situation in the Middle East, where the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have launched air and land attacks on targets in Gaza and Palestinian militants have fired dozens of rockets at targets in southern Israel, including the city of Ashkelon.
The United Nations estimates that at least 59 Palestinians – including 39 civilians – were killed yesterday in Gaza, and hundreds more injured, while two Israeli soldiers are reported to have been killed in the fighting and an Israeli civilian was killed in Sderot following a rocket attack and at least five other civilians were injured in Ashkelon.
Following the meeting, Ambassador Vitaly Churkin of Russia, which currently holds the monthly rotating presidency of the Council, today read out a summary of the discussions that was agreed to by all 15 members of the panel.
Voicing deep concern about the loss of civilian life and the escalation of violence in the region, Council members called on all sides to respect their obligations under international law and to immediately cease all acts of violence.
“These acts must not be allowed to deter the political process between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, aimed at establishing two States – Israel and Palestine – living side by side in peace and security,” Mr. Churkin said.
Earlier, Mr. Ban told the Council meeting that he has contacted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and League of Arab States Secretary-General Amr Moussa as part of UN efforts to push for a calming of the violence.
UN humanitarian agencies operating on the ground, especially the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), are also continuing their efforts to help people in distress.
Mr. Ban condemned and urged an end to the Palestinian rocket attacks, which he noted “serve no purpose, endanger Israeli civilians, and bring misery to the Palestinian people.”
The Secretary-General also said that while Israel has a right to defend itself, “I condemn the disproportionate and excessive use of force that has killed and injured so many civilians, including children. I call on Israel to cease such attacks. Israel must fully comply with international humanitarian law and exercise the utmost restraint. Incidents in which civilians have been killed or injured must be investigated and accountability must be ensured.”
All schools operated by UNRWA in Gaza have been closed and many families are trapped inside their homes because of the violence, and Mr. Ban called on Israel to facilitate full access to hospitals and medical centres for the injured.
The Secretary-General urged all parties to “step back from the brink of even deeper and more deadly clashes.”
In addition, he voiced extreme concern about the effect they are having on the Israeli-Palestinian negotiation process, and he called on members of the international community and other stakeholders to use their influence on the parties to both stop the violence and allow humanitarian relief to flow.
In reply to the above:
Mr. Ban Ki Moon, United Nations Secretary General:
Sir, in reference to your condemnatory statements above, where is the acknowledgment and condemnation of the now routine practice among the Palestinians, Hamas, and other such terrorist groups of deliberately placing offensive weaponry among civilians; women and children in particular, sacrificing them to the inevitable military response their rocket bombardments necessitate, all for the purpose of twisting the circumstances to appear to support their outrageous claim that Israel's efforts at self defense, after months of self-restraint, somehow make Israel the aggressor?
As for the notion of the "disproportionate and excessive use of force", in war a fair fight is not only undesirable, it is downright irresponsible. When a country, Israel or any other, is finally forced to respond militarily to a threat, it has the right and indeed the responsibility to effect nothing less than a decisive victory. Israel has far too often made the mistake of proportionate response. The only effect this has is to prolong and worsen the situation. In military defense, the object is to put a stop to the enemy attacks, decisively, and if at all possible, permanently. In the recent conflict in Lebanon, Israel's tragic mistake was not excessive use of force; it was insufficient use of force, poor planning, and poor execution. Let us all hope they do not repeat that error now or ever again.
One further note is that you can be sure Mr. Nasrallah is watching this conflict very carefully, probably waiting for an opportunity to resume hostilities in the north. The United Nations needs to recognize the predicament in which Israel repeatedly finds itself and render its full support to its efforts to decisively end these conflicts. Israel, given the opportunity, would be a strong and supportive friend to her neighbors. Can the reverse statement be truthfully made? When it can, there will be peace and prosperity in the region such as it has never seen certainly in recorded history.
I urge you and the UN to consider how any other nation would respond, faced with rockets flying into their land from hostile neighbors. Do not judge Israel by any standard to which you would not hold yourself. Israel correctly stated, before the onset if their response, that civilian casualties were the complete and total responsibility of Hamas. They freely choose to place offensive weaponry in among civilians so tightly that it is virtually impossible to avoid some civilian suffering and death. They knew precisely the effect this would have. If they fancy themselves the protectors of their people, they're stewardship of that role is pathetic.
Let not the UN be as part of the problem. Let the UN instead examine the real facts on the ground and intercede to the extent it is able, to help form a legitimate peace in the region; not one that comes 100% at the expense of Israel with only lip service from the other side.
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