The New American articles from November 2007

The New American archives from November 2007

U.S. support of terrorism.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the editor)
November 12, 2007... The September 3 issue of THE NEW AMERICAN goes into considerable detail showing that Russia is providing the Islamic terrorists with material and tactical assistance in their war against the West. I figured that out some 37 years ago when I was...

Newspeak.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the editor)
November 12, 2007... Several years ago I read George Orwell's essay "Politics and the English Language." Orwell opened my mind to the dangers of "Newspeak." Since then I have reread it, along with his explanation on "The Principles of Newspeak" at the end of...

Internet using Ron Paul?(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the editor)
November 12, 2007... It is not accurate to say that Ron Paul "uses" the Internet ("How the Internet Is Changing Political Campaigning, October l issue). The Internet is using Ron Paul to express Americans' desire for freedom. We are unable to use the mainstream...

Correction.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Correction notice)
November 12, 2007... CORRECTION: Regarding the article "What a Gas!" in the October 1, 2007 issue, 300 (not 3,000) psi of pressure is required for six cubic feet of tank volume to hold enough compressed natural gas for a car to travel 40 miles.

Bush gives Mexico $500 million but won't fund border protection.(Inside Track)(George W. Bush)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... "To combat the threats of drug trafficking, transnational crime, and terrorism in this Hemisphere, the President today is requesting $500 million as part of a $1.4 billion program to fund security cooperation with Mexico," the White House Press...

Fox admits North American Union scheme.(Inside Track)(Vicente Fox )(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... Months after his tenure as president in Mexico ended, Vicente Fox toured the United States promoting his new book Revolution of Hope and admitting to his desire for a North American merger. Appearing on Larry King Live on October 8, Fox was...

Unjustly convicted Deputy Sheriff Hernandez released.(Inside Track)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... While patrolling Rocksprings, Texas, late on the night of April 14, 2005, deputy sheriff Gilmer Hernandez pulled a vehicle over for a routine traffic stop. The driver of the car pulled away, trying to run Hernandez over. Officer Hernandez...

Harry Potter author outs wizard as "gay".(Inside Track)(J.K. Rowling)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... Professor Albus Dumbledore, the wise wizard and headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has become a hero to millions of fans of the Harry Potter books and films. So when British author J.K. Rowling, creator of the hugely...

Ratcheting up the rhetoric for war on Iran.(Inside Track)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... The White House significantly cranked up the war drams during the third week of October, heightening concerns that a U.S. military attack against Iran is imminent. At a news conference on October 17, President George W. Bush suggested that if...

LOST vote likely before year's end.(Inside Track)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] On October 4, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing on ratifying the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST). The prepared testimony given by the several witnesses underscores the fact that LOST is a real...

Miller Brewing boycotted for supporting homosexual porn.(Inside Track)(Miller Brewing Company)
November 12, 2007... Miller Brewing Company, the second largest brewery in the United States, brewed up a major tempest when it lent its name and financial support to the Folsom Street Fair on September 30 in San Francisco. Miller came under heavy fire from...

Former Iraq Commanding General calls war effort a "nightmare".(QuickQuotes)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "After more than four years of fighting, America continues its desperate struggle in Iraq without any concerted effort to devise a strategy that will achieve victory in that war-torn conflict against extremism." ...

Bush defends harsh interrogation techniques.(QuickQuotes)(George W. Bush)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... "And when we find somebody who may have information regarding a potential attack on America, you bet we're going to detain them, and you bet we're going to question them, because the American people expect us to find out information--actionable...

Federal spending covers the earth.(QuickQuotes)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... "In 2005, federally financed contractors were working in every United Nations-recognized country except Bhutan, Nauru, and San Marino." In 2005, there were 191 nations recognized by the UN. Federal budget scrutinizer Allison Stanger...

Defense secretary describes new mission for the nation's military.(QuickQuotes)( Robert Gates )(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... "Army soldiers can expect to be tasked with reviving public services, rebuilding infrastructure and promoting good governance. All these so-called nontraditional capabilities have moved into the mainstream of military thinking, planning and...

GOP strategist urges close watch of Ron Paul.(QuickQuotes)(Grand Old Party)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... "Ron Paul is no laughing matter. He's tapping into a side of the Republican Party that's never had its issues addressed. And he's doing it by running a truly Web 2.0 campaign." GOP strategist and Internet expert David All acknowledges gains...

Failure of leadership draws criticism at top army school.(QuickQuotes)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... "If the general remains silent while the statesman commits a nation to war with insufficient means, he shares culpability for the results." Iraq veteran Lieutenant Colonel Paul Yingling has authored A Failure in Generalship, which is now...

Small religious sect in Iraq yearns for the days of Saddam.(QuickQuotes)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... "In the past, under Saddam, we used to practice our ceremonies in freedom. Now we are targeted for our faith. I do not know how I will explain to my children that we cannot practice our ceremonies this year." A member of the 500,000-member...

Running for president as a woman is different, Says Hillary.(QuickQuotes)(Hillary Clinton)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Well, look how long it takes me to get ready. The hair, the clothes, the laugh.... I do think there is a tougher standard for women." With a big smile while delivering her surprisingly humorous response,...

Restoring rights: Rep. Ron Paul introduces legislation to protect basic rights like habeas corpus, to prohibit torture, and to ban arbitrary kidnapping and imprisonment by the executive branch.(CONSTITUTION)(Cover story)
November 12, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If leading spokespersons of both the right and the left in America enthusiastically back passage of any piece of legislation, there should be headlines in the various elements of the mass media. Anything attracting...

What's left of the Bill of Rights?
November 12, 2007... Television commentator Keith Olbermann hosts Countdown on MSNBC. Well known for his liberal views, he is one of many on the left who consider the Military Commissions Act as an enormous infringement of fundamental rights. On October 10....

A bill that protects rights: Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) has introduced legislation to restore the Constitution's checks and balances and to bolster the protection of our liberties.(CONSTITUTION)
November 12, 2007... On October 15, 2007, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) introduced H.R. 3835, the American Freedom Agenda Act of 2007. Dr. Paul announced that he was "introducing a comprehensive piece of legislation to restore the American Constitution and to restore the...

The economics of climate change: fears of global warming have spurred calls for the regulation of carbon emissions. If such regulations are put in place, the result could well be economic meltdown.(ENVIRONMENT)
November 12, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Incredibly, the Nobel Peace Price for 2007 has been awarded jointly to Al Gore and the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The award was made to this unlikely pair "for their efforts to build tip...

The "other" renewables: environmentalists often refer to wind, solar, and "other renewable sources" of energy. What are these "other sources"? How can they contribute to our energy future?(ENERGY)(Table)
November 12, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Over the past several months, THE NEW AMERICAN has looked at some of what are deemed "renewable energy resources"--hydrogen, ethanol, wind, and solar--and found them wanting. Wind and solar power have been shown to...

The faithful rendering of Rendition: the Hollywood movie Rendition, though depicting fictional incidents and characters, accurately portrays the CIA's "extraordinary rendition" torture program.(MOVIE REVIEW)(Movie review)
November 12, 2007... As newly minted Hollywood cliches go, the CIA case officer with a heart of gold" does not seem calculated for mass appeal. Yet such a premise is precisely what prods the new Hollywood political thriller, Rendition, to its somewhat ambiguous...

Camp good grief.(THE GOODNESS OF AMERICA)
November 12, 2007... Each year, grief-stricken children who have lost a parent in the military attend one of approximately 20 camps conducted nationwide by a nonprofit organization called Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). As one example, back in...

Surf's up--Shalom!(THE GOODNESS OF AMERICA)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... Dorian Paskowitz is an 86-year-old retired doctor from Hawaii with a pastime that is unusual for a man his age. He has been surfing for 75 years! Back in 1956 Paskowitz, who is Jewish, went to Israel and tried to join the Israeli military...

Neighborly rescue.(THE GOODNESS OF AMERICA)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... Back on August 9, 17-month-old Madeline Lam of Richland, Pennsylvania, was playing in the yard when her father went to check on her. Mr. Lam found the girl floating in the family's above-ground pool. While Madeline's parents--Keith Lam and...

The picture: in a new book, Cuban exile Humberto Fontova exposes the real Che Guevara.(HISTORY--PAST AND PERSPECTIVE)
November 12, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Rock star Carlos Santana wears the shirt with Che Guevara's famous visage because the long-dead revolutionary, he declared, "is all about love and compassion, man." Supermodel Giselle Bundchen sports a bikini covered...

Freeloaders.(EXERCISING THE RIGHT)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... Terry Anthony and another man who has not been identified walked up to a group of people on the patio of an apartment building in Memphis, Tennessee, on July 11, asked if they were having a party, and then mingled. A short while later, they...

Moving day.(EXERCISING THE RIGHT)
November 12, 2007... After spending a day moving furniture and personal items from a rented house in Brunswick, Georgia, Leah Whitman and two housemates held one last party in the house. At about 1:30 a.m. on September 3, the three housemates and two other...

Rushed departure.(EXERCISING THE RIGHT)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... Samuel Anderson was shot on August 27 by a would-be robber, who ran into the night but didn't get away. Anderson had just arrived at his Memphis, Tennessee, home at 12:23 in the morning when "a stranger ran up behind him and pushed him...

No knock-knock joke.(EXERCISING THE RIGHT)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... At 6:45 p.m. on July 9, Ahwatukee Altieri was in the bathroom of his Phoenix townhouse when he heard knocking at his door. He assumed it was a salesman and didn't answer the door. The knocking continued for about three minutes. The...

Robber didn't follow the script.(EXERCISING THE RIGHT)(Brief article)
November 12, 2007... The police in Paterson, New Jersey, were mystified as to why a burglar did not flee but instead attacked when a homeowner walked in on him in her house. The 22-year-old homeowner arrived home at about 10:30 a.m. on September 24, walked into her...

Making a deal with a double-dealing dictator.(Correction, Please!)
November 12, 2007... ITEM: "After years of a go-it-alone U.S. foreign policy, North Korea's nuclear test had the president looking to the United Nations Security Council to condemn the action," commented the Seattle Times for October 9. "All 15 U.N. members agreed....

Not teaching our nation's roots.(THE LAST WORD)
November 12, 2007... Want an answer to why America's best-educated sons and daughters aren't demanding an end to deficit spending, undeclared wars, mushrooming federal programs, and attacks on the Bill of Rights? A little-known organization based in Wilmington,...

Questions nuclear waste.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the editor)
November 26, 2007... THE NEW AMERICAN has printed a series of articles about energy that end up pointing to nuclear power as a viable alternative for the future. I want to tell you nuclear energy is not the way. As a former employee of SAIC and TRW contract...

Not a National ID supporter.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the editor)
November 26, 2007... Gary Renner's letter to the editor (TNA, October 1) seemingly welcoming National IDs and enumerating his view of their benefits leaves out some serious basic concerns about such IDs. Everyone has seen recent headlines exposing massive security...

Semantics and bad policy.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the editor)
November 26, 2007... The recent article on the misuse of speech was excellent ("Torturing the English Language," September 17). In particular, the author did a service in pointing out that "pro-choice" really means pro-abortion. However, he did fall into a...

Mukasey, waterboarding, and torture.(Inside Track)(Michael Mukasey )
November 26, 2007... The Senate Judiciary Committee on November 6 approved the nomination of Michael Mukasey as attorney general, despite his refusal to condemn harsh interrogation techniques such as waterboarding as torture. The vote was 11 to 8, with two of the...

House passes "thought crimes" act.(Inside Track)
November 26, 2007... On October 23, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1955, the "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007," by a landslide vote of 404 to 6. The bill has been referred to the Senate, where it awaits scrutiny from...

Moscow, Beijing deepen ties, sign nuke energy pact.(Inside Track)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Communist China's Prime Minister Wen Jiabao to the Kremlin on November 5 and said he hopes for further close cooperation with China. Referring to the recently concluded 17th Communist Party Congress,...

U.S., China seek closer military ties, agree on Taiwan.(Inside Track)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... While Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao was in Moscow meeting with Vladimir Putin, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was in Beijing meeting with his counterpart, Chinese Defense Minister and People's Liberation Army General Cao Gangchuan....

Law of the Sea Treaty approved by Senate Committee.(Inside Track)
November 26, 2007... The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the ratification of the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) on October 31, 2007, by a vote of 17-4. The treaty, which is now a quarter of a century old, was first opened for signatures in 1982 but was...

Students protest being defenseless.(Inside Track)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... If you're a crazed lunatic who wishes to die in a lake of blood so that the news media will give you a memorable send-off, it is easy to do. You find a target-rich environment with the most defenseless victims available to make sure that you...

Dollar plunge leads supermodel to demand euros.(Inside Track)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... Supermodel Gisele Bundchen doesn't work for pennies. Literally. The Brazilian model, who rakes in a fairy princess-like $30 million per year, has informed prospective employers that she will no longer take payment for her services in the form...

Mortgage bubble getting worse.(Inside Track)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... An "emergency board meeting" on November 4 placed former Clinton administration Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin atop a massive and unstable bubble of epic proportions as Citigroup's new chairman. Ironically, it is a bubble that he helped to...

Border security still failing; 20,000 sneak in during audit.(Inside Track)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers failed to stop roughly 1 in 10 illegal immigrants and serious drug and weapons violators from entering the United States through airports and official land border crossings last year, according...

Illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses in New York.(Inside Track)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... New York Governor Eliot Spitzer is going forward with his plan to allow driver's licenses for illegal immigrants, but the plan has undergone several transformations since first being proposed. New York is the fourth state to reach an agreement...

Oklahoma's illegal immigration law: when congress fails to act.(Inside Track)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... On November 1, a new illegal alien bill became law in Oklahoma, and it is one of the toughest in the country. The Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007 helps to keep illegal aliens from receiving public assistance by requiring...

Senator tries to cut funding as Amtrak continues to lose money.(QuickQuotes)(John Sununu)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... "How much money should the taxpayers be asked to spend on a business that is losing money?" Attempting to add an amendment to cut Amtrak's subsidy by $10 billion over six years, Senator John Sununu (R-N.H.) saw his measure fail by a wide...

Reporter thinks United States is catching up to Ron Paul.(QuickQuotes)( Tom Curry )(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... "Rip Van Winkle slept for 20 years and woke to find the world had passed him by. Rep. Ron Paul woke up one morning recently to find that perhaps America has caught up with him." Reporting for the Associated Press, national affairs writer...

Director of National Intelligence reveals budget, not activities.(QuickQuotes)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... "Such disclosures could harm national security." Announcing that the United States spent $43 billion on intelligence for the last fiscal year (not counting separate military intelligence operations), Director of National Intelligence Mike...

Senator Clinton pointedly combats the male-only club.(QuickQuotes)(Hillary Clinton)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... "In so many ways, this all-women's college prepared me to compete in the all-boys' club of presidential politics." Speaking at Wellesley College, her alma mater, Hillary Clinton rejoiced at being able to address its all-female student body....

Vicente Fox's book admits long existence of plan for a North American union.(QuickQuotes)(Vicente Fox)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... "I proposed a 'NAFFA Plus' plan to President Bush and Prime Minister Jean Chretien to move us toward a single continental economic union, modeled on the European example." The above statement written by former Mexican President Vieente Fox...

Colorado congressman won't run for reelection.(QuickQuotes)(Tom Tancredo )(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... "The [immigration] issue now has a life of its own and it doesn't need one person to champion it. I feel my job, my task, has been completed." U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) is still running for president but has decided he's...

Ambassador praises controversial blackwater guards.(QuickQuotes)(Ryan Crocker)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... "Those guys guard my back. And I have to say they do it extremely well. I continue to have high regard for the individuals who work for Blackwater, as I do for the other security contractors." Even as he acknowledged deep concern about the...

New Louisiana governor pledges to clean up corruption.(QuickQuotes)(Bobby Jindal)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... "I think we're setting the bar too low when we say, 'Look, isn't it great we haven't had a statewide official go to jail recently.'" Republican Bobby Jindal will be the nation's first Indian-American governor when he takes office in...

Unleashing a terrorist: why is the U.S. government hiding al-Qaeda master terrorist Ali Mohamed? Is the government planning to release him, or has it done so already?(TERRORISM)(Cover story)
November 26, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FBI Special Agent Jack Cloonan, a lead investigator in the bureau's "bin Laden Unit," was in Yemen on September 11, 2001 when airliners began crashing into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. As soon as he could...

From the WTC to OKC: for years, The New American was the only national media organ exposing the critical links between the WTC-OKC-9/11 terror attacks.(AHEAD OF THE CURVE)(World Trade Center, Oklahoma City, organization)
November 26, 2007... In his 2004 book, Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror, Richard Clarke, counter-terrorism adviser to Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, speculated that al-Qaeda operatives in the Philippines may have "taught Terry...

Turkish travails: though Turkey is now considered a main U.S. ally in the Middle East, U.S. foreign policy is driving a wedge between the countries.(FOREIGN POLICY)
November 26, 2007... Quick! Which NATO member has the largest military, after the United States? Not Great Britain, whose Royal Navy once ruled the waves. Not Germany, the inventors of guided missiles and modern tank warfare. Not even former colonial powers Spain...

Bush and the World Court vs. Texas: President Bush is supporting the World Court's effort to exert influence over a Texas state court decision. How will the case's outcome affect states' rights and U.S. independence?(JUDICIARY)
November 26, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The fate of Jose Ernesto Medellin and 50 other Mexicans facing the death penalty for horrible crimes committed in our country has become an issue involving the independence of the United States. And President Bush...

Greenspan: in his own voice: former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan gives readers a glimpse into his personal life and the inner workings of the corridors of power in The Age of Turbulence.(The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World)(Book review)
November 26, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World, by Alan Greenspan, New York: The Penguin Press, 2007, 544 pages, hardcover, $35.00. I guess I should warn you, if I turn out to be particularly clear, you've...

U.S. troops make the ultimate sacrifice.(THE GOODNESS OF AMERICA)
November 26, 2007... USA Today recently reported that at least five U.S. servicemen have been killed in Iraq after throwing themselves on live grenades to protect their fellow troops from the explosion. These included: * Army Spc. Ross McGinnis, who was the...

Group continues legacy of 9/11 heroes.(THE GOODNESS OF AMERICA)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... On September 11, 2001, a lawyer named Glenn Winuk--who was also a volunteer fireman--helped evacuate his law offices, which were located a block and a half away from the World Trade Center. He then grabbed his medic's bag and ran toward the...

Oklahoma boy to the rescue.(THE GOODNESS OF AMERICA)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... His neighbors had not seen 79-year-old Herman Kyselka of Paradise Valley, Oklahoma, for several days, so on the evening of September 26, 12-year-old Austin Hogg decided to check on his older friend, whom he affectionately calls "Grandpa K." ...

Misled into laboring for anarchy: the Haymarket Affair is a classic example of how well-organized agitators cleverly manipulated many well-intentioned laborers into committing acts of social demolition.(HISTORY--PAST AND PERSPECTIVE)
November 26, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] On a rain-soaked night on May 4, 1886, a crowd of about 1,000 laborers gathered near Haymarket Square in Chicago, to rail against the action of police at the McCormick labor strike a few days earlier. Among them were...

Neighborhood watchdog.(EXERCISING THE RIGHT)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... Robert Bragg, a 24-year-old military policeman who lives in Dayton, Ohio, was at his house at about 1:30 p.m. on August 21 when he heard gunshots. Just moments before he had seen two suspicious-looking individuals walk down the street, and...

Deliberate deception.(EXERCISING THE RIGHT)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... Two criminals teamed up to lure unsuspecting homeowners to open their doors to make robbing them easier. One criminal would knock on a door, and the other would hide nearby with a gun. However, when the two criminals, 18-year-old Robert Willis...

Peeved pastor.(EXERCISING THE RIGHT)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... On September 4, Judith Willis woke up at 11:30 p.m. She thought she heard someone in her Greenville, South Carolina, home. She woke up her husband, retired 70-year-old pastor William Willis. William investigated the noise and noticed that a...

Victim no longer.(EXERCISING THE RIGHT)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... Marion Discount Pharmacy in Marion, Arkansas, was being targeted by robbers. As of May 20, it had been robbed three times, with one of the robberies taking place just two weeks earlier. On May 21, Jeremy Johnson tried to increase the pharmacy's...

Cruising for crime.(EXERCISING THE RIGHT)(Brief article)
November 26, 2007... Twenty-two-year-old Fernando Sedano, a member of the "White Fence" gang, one of the "traditional, multi-generational Latino gangs" according to the Los Angeles Times, was cruising with his girlfriend, another gang member, and a passenger,...

Al Gore takes the prize.(Correction, Please!)
November 26, 2007... ITEM: The Washington Post for October 13 reported: "Former vice president Al Gore, who wrapped up a remarkable year of honors yesterday by sharing the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with a U.N. scientific panel, said he will use the award to heighten...

Our new mercenary army.(THE LAST WORD)
November 26, 2007... When you think of the U.S. Army or the U.S. Navy, or when you think of the Marines or the Air Force, you think of young Americans in uniform. You also think of American officers from elite military academies, prepared to be leaders in the vital...