05/11 Morning Report

Well, the Democrats and Republicans seem to have finally agreed to approve overseas unions. Don’t get me wrong, there are rights that workers should have protected and upheld. However, the effectiveness of unions for other than raising prices and controlling the workplace have been declining for years. And, despite the media uproar on the issue, it was the Democrats holding up all the trade agreements. As stated in the New York Times, April 21, 2007:

At issue is the Democratic demand that pending trade deals with Colombia, Panama, Peru and South Korea include a provision guaranteeing certain rights for labor in the trading partner countries, including a ban on child and slave labor and the right to organize.

(…I’ll ask an honest question here…would someone refresh my memory…when was the last time unions brought about an industry change besides raising of wages through a strike?...I honestly don’t remember hearing of one…)

Good news from the abortion front. The Missouri Supreme Court ruled parents should be informed and be able to make decisions regarding their daughters medical care. It really is a puzzle to me how abortion gives the state, specifically schools, rights that in all other medical situations belong to parents or legal guardians.
(…it’s good to see state’s taking their authority in this arena…too bad it won’t hold…this will move up the chain to federal court…)

Meanwhile, in Iraq, al-Sadr and, presumably, the Mahdi Army, trying to make new alliances. His latest moves bring him more in line with Sunni goals than Shiite. But, among other things, it seems he is trying to distance himself from failures in the current government:

Moreover, by distancing himself from the ruling Shi'ite coalition, he absolves himself of any failures associated with the current government, including the absence of an oil-revenue law, the lack of progress on constitutional amendments, and the inability to pass legislation to allow Ba'athists to resume their positions. Most importantly, if the current government is not able to deliver on security with the Baghdad security plan, it may create the opening for a figure like al-Sadr to step in.

It’s important to remember that all al-Sadr seems interested in is power. His most recent activities to stop coalition forces from enforcing the rules on his own group, followed by his demands for US withdrawal, are good indicators of this.
(…leaves you wondering where he’s going with playing on the Sunni side now…)

Speaking of Iraq, the MSM always has an outcry over despicable actions by coalition troops. Just once, I would like to see something like last as long over something like the video of prisoner executions. I know this isn’t the first. And it won’t be the last, either. But, where is the outcry?
(…I suppose the outcry will probably be “It’s Bush’s fault”…maybe we could all say it was the gun’s fault, not the trigger puller…)

Finally, I have been remiss in not posting the report of a soldier in need. There are a lot of important details here. But, the short version is Chris Cooper, Jr’s father passed away from cancer. The family has been financially wiped out. And, this soldier has taken out loans against his future military pay to pay for his father’s funeral and medical bills. Please help this servant of our country. A Paypal account has been set up, and there is a website set up with more information. Thank you for any help you can provide.