Today's Links and Minifeatures 2005 08 03 Wednesday

Carnival of Liberty is up at Owlish Mutterings.

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Oh-oh! Look out for interest rates to rise! Treasury bringing back thirty year bond. The ten year has been the index that mortgage people have gotten used to because it's been what has been issued for the past several years. Given the realities of the situation, I had hoped that the administration would resist bringing back the 30, which carries a higher interest rate than the 10 year bond, and so costs more. I'd like to see the study that says this will benefit anybody except bond investors and banks. It certainly won't benefit our treasury, and is going to be one more (albeit minor) factor in cooling off the housing market.



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Iraq and War on Terror



Palestine Authority Prime Minister: Today Gaza, Tomorrow Jerusalem (HT: LGF



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Air America:



Radio Equalizer tells us the amount under scrutiny is $800,000, not $500,000, among other things. (HT: Powerline



Michelle Malkin has a column exposing the Jackson/Sharpton hypocrisy on this. I just have a hard time believing anybody is actually surprised. She also points us to a NY Sun article that tells us that Air America has known of the funds for some time, and didn't disclose! She also directs us to Macho Nachos who tells us that Piquant Media, the current owners, is composed of the same people as Progress Media, and was likely formed in order to dodge Progress Media's debts.



Captain's Quarters wonders why we still have the sounds of crickets chirping from the Legacy Media on this, which seems to be their favorite narrative except in the perpetrators. He also has an email from a lawyer on the subject, and goes into the give and take of the exchange.



It Comes In Pints? has a hilarious take on the scandal. HT: Wizbang



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Captain's Quarters links us to a report that says although the Republicans do have some voter intimidation and suppression to be ashamed of, the Democrats have done much more of it. Captain Ed's link seems to have gone bad but here is the link on the ACVR Website.



On the other hand The Moderate Voice has a caution that ACVR may not be a bipartisan group. Captain's Quarters shows they have a Donkey edge as well as Elephant.



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Austin Bay tells us in one word why Japan is rearming: China. Well, duh. Nuclear power, largest military in the world in terms of numbers, totalitarian government, grudge against Japan for WWII, rapidly expanding economy looking for further ways to grow and more access to resources (What that compares to, I have no idea).



In short, when the Chinese decide they are ready to attempt world domination, we had better be ready for them.



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Indepundit channels Monty Python to make a point.



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Politburo Diktat has some information on the eventual shuttle replacement.



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I thought I was the only one who felt this way. Wizbang has a great op-ed on why we should make it more difficult to register and vote. I want to set the bar higher, not lower. (Apportion districts by registered voters, or better yet, actual voters, not total population, for a true one person, one vote experience. This would really cause liberals to flame out in the legislative branch, so expect screams of displeasure from the left). Among these things is I don't want anybody voting who cannot participate in the political discourse directly, rather than by reading some third party's opinion because they cannot communicate in english. Voting materials should be in english only. Motivate people to learn enough english to join the debate, and join the rest of us. If we can't all talk to one another, we aren't really one country.



links politics Air America real estate economics votes china space shuttle humor