US Blasts Mohammed Cartoons

This is disturbing (hat tip Zonitics):

US blasts cartoons of Prophet Mohammed
Feb 03 11:11 AM US/Eastern

US blasts cartoons of Prophet Mohammed Feb 03 11:11 AM US/Eastern

The United States blasted the publication by European newspapers of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed as unacceptable incitement to religious or ethnic hatred. “These cartoons are indeed offensive to the beliefs of Muslims,” State Department spokesman Justin Higgins said when queried about the furore sparked by the cartoons which first appeared in a Danish newspaper.

“We all fully recognize and respect freedom of the press and expression but it must be coupled with press responsibility,” Higgins told AFP.“Inciting religious or ethnic hatreds in this manner is not acceptable. We call for tolerance and respect for all communities and for their religious beliefs and practices.”The cartoons have caused an international furore, with protests in many Muslim nations and from Muslim political leaders.While Danish and Norwegian missions are burning in Damascus and Beirut, and while the President proclaims that “freedom is on the march,” the US State Department apparently doesn’t believe that freedom of speech and of the press is not worthy of defending.

 

 

Chandler AZ City Council Candidates

The Chandler AZ City Council primary election is March 14th, and it looks to be an interesting race.  Recent political posturing in the mayoral race (with dueling Letters to the Editor in the San Tan Sun Times), as well as the infighting among current council members (demonstrated by the 3-3 deadlock in attempts to temporarily replace councilman Martin Sepulveda as he serves in Iraq), should make this an interesting spectacle. 

I’ve added candidate web page links in the blogroll (Jeff Weninger does not have a website that I’m aware of).  I haven’t picked any favorites yet (well maybe I’m leaning a little bit towards a couple), and I’m most interested in hearing positions on the following:

• What is the candidate’s position on big box retail development near residential neighborhoods?
• What is the candidate’s position on the use of eminent domain for purposes of economic development?
• How does arterial road construction fall in the candidate’s list of priorities?

For the non-Chandler AZ resident, my city is one of the faster growing municipalities in the country, and the city is now approaching residential buildout.  Road construction in the southeast portion of the city seems to be slow and randomly planned.  The city is in the midst of redeveloping the downtown area, and big box retail is a major issue because of past plans to locate close to residential neighborhoods. 

Endorsements will be forthcoming as the Amazing Jake becomes more familiar with each candidate’s positions. 

 

Non-Political Post

Hey, it’s Franklin.  Comin’ over to play-ay… 

Lest the reader think the Amazing Jake writes about nothing but politics, Lost, and border issues, I thought I would share my views on children’s television programming.

As the father of two girls, 6 and 5, I’ve seen my share of TV programming from Noggin, PBS, Disney, and Nickelodeon.  The Amazing Mrs. Jake and I are pretty restrictive in what we allow the mini-Jakes to watch, and how much we let them watch.  For the most part, Franklin, Dora the Explorer, Caillou, Lazytown, and the occasional repeat of Full House on Nick are about all the girls are allowed to watch. 

Incidentally, that promo spot on Noggin where the parents sing the Franklin song in the elevator is hilarious, and something that only parents of kindergarten-age kids would probably appreciate. 

WMD in Syria?

Press reports in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq speculated on the movement of WMD to Syria.  I remember reading multiple sources on this at the time, but the only one I could find without a lot of effort was Powerline. 

I found it odd, especially during the daily hourly condemnations by the MoveOn croud that there were definitively no WMD in Iraq (and never were), that more attention was not paid to the theories that the WMD were moved.

Recently, reports have been trickling out again, giving more weight to this theory:

John Loftus, a former Justice Department prosecutor, said a civilian contractor who has been among those examining the Mukhabarat files has found audiotapes of meetings in Saddam’s office where WMD was discussed. The contractor, a former military intelligence analyst, will make the tapes public Feb. 17 at a conference sponsored by Intelligence Summit, a private group that Mr. Loftus heads.

Mr. Loftus wouldn’t disclose the identity of the contractor in advance of the conference, but said his tapes have been verified by the National Security Agency. “This isn’t a smoking gun. It’s a smoking cannon,” he said.

Those who have bet their political futures that Saddam had no WMD may be starting to sweat.

I’m looking forward to the public release on February 17th. 

Shadegg Loses House Leadership

Despite my best efforts, and those of other conservative bloggers, John Shadegg lost the Majority Leader race this week. Now that Shadegg has given up his post as chair of the Republican Policy Committee, what does the future hold in store for him?

Shadegg gave up his position as chair of the Republican Policy Committee to focus on the leadership race; it’s a decision he doesn’t regret. His staffers say that in the coming months he will use the publicity he has gotten from this race to push for the big reforms — like changing the outdated federal budget process — that he put at the heart of his campaign.

This is encouraging.  As majority leader, Shadegg would be restrained by multiple priorities, including building strategy around the 2006 elections.  As a congressman with no other portfolio but the voice of conservative reform, he will be freer to push specific agendas that advance the conservative cause.