Congress tells Mexico to polish the brass

Congress is making a bold statement

MEXICO CITY — The United States Congress has scaled back on President Bush’s anti-drug plans for Mexico and put human rights conditions on some of the aid, drawing fire from some Mexicans who accuse American lawmakers of meddling in their country’s internal affairs.

: at the same time as the Mexican Police in a couple of small towns.

Acapulco, Mexico (AP) - A southern Mexican town's 15-member police force has quit for fear of being assassinated in retaliation for a shootout with gunmen, a security official said Thursday.Zirandaro was the second town in less than two weeks to be left without its police force as Mexico's drug cartels wage increasingly bold attacks against security forces. On Monday, the military took over a town near Texas after all 20 of its police officers were either killed, run out of town or quit.

Do we have a right to ask for certain improvements or addressing human rights to people we give money to; most certainly. Not doing so for too many years in the Middle East has got us to where we are now. The big difference is that Mexico for all of its faults and corruption is still a functional democracy. That puts it a huge step up from the tyrants and thugs that seem to predominate the ME.

But at issue is the performance of Mexico’s army and the police, which have been accused by human rights organizations of engaging in abuses as they chase down the country’s drug cartels.

See those who most object about the present plan are those who are most concerned with how the criminals are treated. The criminals that profit off the misery and death of others. The criminals that will kill anyone that gets in their way.

Where is the line drawn between the need to get rid of the scum and protecting their rights as (barely) humans?

University Punishes Those Who Disagrees

In the real world this would be unthinkable but in academia not doing so would be unfathomable.

The University of Toledo has suspended with pay one of its administrators for writing a newspaper op-ed that questions whether homosexuality is a civil rights issue. The school said the administrator was suspended precisely because her views on homosexuality do not comport with those of the university, a state institution.

This teacher is suspended not for expressing her opinion on campus but in local paper (Toledo Free Press) in response to an editorial. This wasn’t a hate speech, it was questioning on whether a choice of lifestyle should receive the same protection as non-choice issues such as race, gender or handicap. It was a person engaging in dialogue or debate.

And another thing, the state currently doesn’t recognize “gay rights” on the same level as race, gender or handicap. Those things are protected under federal laws while “gay rights” are not. Unless of course homosexuality is a physical (genetic) or mental handicap.

Who could see this coming?

Put out a helping hand to a group of thiefs and thugs and what do you get? A stump.

Myanmar's junta impounded two U.N. food aid shipments at Yangon airport on Friday, officials said, triggering more outrage at the military government's refusal to accept a major international relief operation.

When you rule through fear and suppression, the one thing you can never allow your subjects to see is kindness.

The ruling junta can not allow a show of weakness on any level even if it means letting their subjects die. It is about caring for the people. It never was, it all about themselves and what they have or what they can get. If there was a need to show what evil looks like then this would be a perfect, blaring example. This is the stuff that should have people screaming in the streets. In Burma the people who object soon find themselves in a very painful or dead situation.

I have written about Myanmar (Burma) before and I always find a disconnection between the people who claim to be concerned about human rights and those who actual do. There are too many people out there who want to complain and attack safe targets. In America, a person can call the President of the US any sort of name they want and never fear a midnight knock on their door. In certain areas, the wrong political belief, religion, race or dress code will get you drug through the street in the middle of the day just to set an example. Where are the human shields to protect these people, oh yeah they are dead.

Update:
How generous the junta is. They are allowing us to send in ONE plane when we are ready to give much greater aid with out a lot of strings. How is it that the US is the source of all evil?

Johndroe also said that while the U.S. still has limited leeway to help, "One flight is much better than no flights."

"They're going to need our help for a long time," Johndroe said. He spoke in Crawford, Texas, where President Bush's daughter, Jenna, will be wed on Saturday.