20 Aug 2005
U.S. concedes ground to Islamists on Iraqi law

Spreading democracy, indeed. If Iraq turns into "Iran-Lite", the Republican party can forget about winning US elections anytime in the near future. It makes me physically ill to think that we may have sacrificed so many American lives to install a bunch of Islamo-Fascist mullahs in Baghdad.

Reuters - U.S. concessions to Islamists on the role of religion in Iraqi law marked a turn in talks on a constitution, negotiators said on Saturday as they raced to meet a 48-hour deadline under intense U.S. pressure to clinch a deal.

(link) [Yahoo! News: Top Stories]

00:00 /Politics | 0 comments | permanent link

Germany acts to prevent spread of bird flu

EU ChickenSo what are they doing? Well, they've ordered poultry farmers in the Netherlands to bring their flocks indoors, to prevent any contact with migrating waterfowl that may be carrying the bug.

Which is entirely sensible, given the situation. But looked at from another angle, it's really a case of "damned if we do, damned if we don't". You see, cramming a bunch of normally free ranging birds into a barn is going to incite the development of other diseases. It just happens that way, naturally, to keep overcrowding under control. So while they might save their flocks from avian flu by doing this, and hopefully prevent a human pandemic, they're at a vastly increased risk of losing their flocks to another germ. And while denizens of the cities will be protected from a dreadful fate, the farmer will likely lose his ass financially.

A free range flock would be worth between $5 and $7 per bird here - I lost about $1500 when my 200 meat birds died this spring. And that ain't chicken feed - well, OK, that's exactly what it is - feed. Imagine how I'd feel if I'd lost 2000 birds ...

Highlighting German fears about the possible arrival of bird flu via the Urals, Berlin on Friday announced steps to impose emergency restrictions on poultry kept in the open.

(link) [Financial Times]

Update: On the same topic, within the crainium directed my attention to a fine resource for this emerging disaster: the avian flu blog.

00:00 /Agriculture | 0 comments | permanent link

Pope visits synagogue, warns of new anti-Semitism

I hope none of my Catholic readers are offended, but this man (the Pope) is a jackass. Here's what he actually said:

"In the 20th century, in the darkest period of German and European history, an insane racist ideology, born of neo-paganism, gave rise to the attempt, planned and systematically carried out by the regime, to exterminate European Jewry."

Excuse me???!!! "Neo-pagans" were responsible for Nazism? Uh, maybe this bonehead needs to get reacquainted with the the most famous Christian of the 20th century. Hint: He was born in Austria, tried to take over the world, and no, he’s not the Governor of California.

Nary a word about Catholic complicity in the Holocaust - nope, that was all us "neo-pagans"!

Take a look at your history, Mr. Pontiff, and tell me what you see. I see the Spanish Inquisition persecuting Jews, and pagan Lithuania as the only country in Europe willing to accept them. I see "Passion Plays", pogroms and ghettos - in fact, I see a rampart hatred of "Christ-killers" all over the Christian world. I see the Nazi's throwing the "neo-pagan" runemaster Friedrich Bernhard Marby into Dachau, and imprisoning many other occultists who disapproved of their usurpation of pagan symbology. I see the Vatican, represented by a man who would become Pope Pius XII, signing a concordat with Hitler.

People who live in glass houses should refrain from tossing rocks ...

Pope Benedict, making a historic visit on Friday to a synagogue once destroyed by the Nazis, said Christians and Jews must join forces so the "insane racist ideology" that led to the Holocaust never resurfaces.

(link) [Reuters]

link to Soma Review via The Wildhunt Weblog

00:00 /Asatru | 4 comments | permanent link