Saturday, May 24, 2003

U.S. bans imports from huge Chinese conglomerate (Norinco). The Bush administration has banned imports for two years from a major Chinese industrial conglomerate for selling missile parts to Iran, State Department officials said Thursday. The sanctions against the China North Industries Corp., also known as Norinco, went into effect May 9 under an executive order and will run in the Federal Register today. The sanctions are significant because they affect a company with direct links to the Chinese government and could have a noticeable economic impact on U.S. companies because Norinco supplies a variety of goods to the American market, U.S. officials and China analysts say. [FirearmNews.com] The fact that Norinco manufactures cheap but adequate quality SKS and Kalashnikov rifles, and M1911 pistols, is no doubt an added bonus for Bush. 6:44:51 PM    comment () Carter Laren at Capitalism Magazine - American Gestapo: A Primer - we've got at least as much to fear from our own alphabet soup of federal "police" as we do from foreign terrorists. Mr. Laren reminds us of the proliferation of armed agents. [grabbe] As the U.S. government tightens its grip on der homeland, citizens are constantly reminded of terrorist threats from religious zealots in the Middle East. While these threats are real and should be eliminated, it is vital that Americans--especially rational intellectuals--denounce and combat the ever-growing network of thugs hatched from Washington itself. It is probably a good idea to do this sometime before all "unpopular" Americans find themselves staring down the muzzle of a machine gun. After all, if the ATF, IRS, DEA, INS, and other paramilitary agencies are allowed to operate freely from within America's borders, then what good are the U.S. Marines? [End the War on Freedom] 6:21:14 PM    comment () President Bush's "New" Emphasis on Religion Is Hardly New. There is no question that President Bush has placed religion front and center in his Administration. Recent press coverage would seem to indicate that this is a new approach - one that is specific to this Republican Administration, and that is part of a conspiracy of fundamentalists to gain political power. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Virtually all of President Bush's initiatives, when it comes to religion, were presaged by Clinton Administration policies and attitudes. Indeed, a strong case can be made that Clinton set the stage, and Bush is doing no more than following in his footsteps. (link) Another one for the "thanks a lot, Clinton" files. [Al-Muhajabah's Islamic Blogs] 5:51:02 PM    comment () Texas Trainwreck. Joshua Micah Marshall is all over the Homeland Security/Texas Department of Public Safety scandal. Here's today's installment; scroll down for more. [Hit & Run] Lots of detail on Tom DeLay using the KGB to track down the Texas Democrats. I'm a bit puzzled that the focus is only on that. Even if the KGB hadn't been involved, there was still an order to arrest the Democrats even though they had comitted no crime. It was an arrest order that openly targetted political opponents for purely political reasons. Surely there are some people left who remember what America is supposed to be? 5:43:48 PM    comment ()

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