What's Up?

Here is what everyone is talking about today:

• The White House and the GOP House go head to head on UN Dues. [NYT]
• The Koreas celebrate five years of talking to each other. I have no idea what S. Korea is celebrating.[WashTimes]
• 16 terror suspects have been arrested in Spain in the last two days. [USAT]
• Sinologists are surprised that Hu Jintao who owes everything he has to the Communist Party and its control of China is an eager and willing defender of the system. It now seems that he is in fact a hardliner. [WP]
• The EUnuchs leaders have gathered to finger point, bitch and moan. Well that isn't what they're supposed to be there for but that is what they do best. By the way did you know that the EU constitution is 500 pages? [WashTimes]
• Oh yeah, the reason they're meeting is to discuss their six year budget. Six year budget? Sounds so Leninesque. [NYT]
• They've toppled two presidents so isn't it about time you read up on the indians of El Alto, Bolivia? [LAT]
• For the first time a former president of Mexico will stand trial (maybe). That's great news but it took 5 years to get a Supreme Court in 3 - 2 decision to allow charges (maybe) against a former president who actually killed hundreds if not thousands. What are the chances of them putting away Salinas Gotari in our lifetime? [el Universal]
• Here it is in English. By the way neither article mentions Echevarria's role in the bloodier massacre of '68 which he oversaw as Interior Minister. The statute of limitations has run out on that one so he is free and clear. [LAT]

In the Tanks

Here's what's going on at the tanks:

• In case you can't get enough news on CAFTA there is a new blog dedicated to its legislative adventure. [Heritage Foundation]
• Jumping on the anti-poverty bandwagon the Independent Institute has launched the Center on Global Prosperity and tapped Alvaro Vargas Llosa (son of the famous Mario) to head it. [Center on Global Prosperity]
• CAFTA is not free, fair nor smart. It is too limited or too damaging. It does not help the US or anyone for that matter. Overall a knee-jerk bash, but a good primer on those that oppose CAFTA. [Center for American Progress]
• How to fix the UN? Here's a whole bunch of words on how not to fix the UN. Ignore the title since it dedicates zip to specific proposals on the right way to set the UN right. [Brookings Institute]
• How much time do you have on your hands? Enough to read a 100 page report on the "Military We Need: The Defense Requirements of the Bush Doctrine"? Let's just say it's not cheap. [American Enterprise Institute]
• Follow France? This is one of several proposals to disabuse Iran of its nuclear ambitions. Surprising considering that this is essentially a conservative journal albeit with a realist bent. [ Hoover Institute - Policy Review]

EUnuchs Get Tough on Cuba

The EUnuchs want Fidel to cut out all this Human Rights funny business. If he doesn't change they'll get tough with him. Seriously what are they going to do, not talk to him anymore? Heck if that was the case W would lock up Howard Dean and hope Chiroeder would never speak to him again.

Confused Turks

WashTimes reports that Turkey is confused about their realtions with the EUnuchs and the US. They shouldn't be apparently the EUnuchs don't want them...yet.

Immigration Sucks

That's what Peter Brimelow from VDARE.com wants to tell us. VDARE for those of you that don't know is an anti-immigration website. Here's Brimelow:

...the economists' consensus is that, while immigration does not increase the aggregate income of the native-born, it does cause an immense redistribution of wealth within the native-born community, basically by depressing wages. George Borjas has estimated that more than 2 per cent of GDP is redistributed from labor to capital. This by itself explains much of the American immigration debate or, more accurately, lack of it. Big political donors, like Silicon Valley and agribusiness, want cheap labor. Politicians of all parties give it to them. Both are engaged in a predatory attack on American workers. It's embarrassing, but vulgar Marxism does offer the simplest explanation.

By the way did I mention that both Brimelow and Borjas are both immigrants? Brimelow is British and Borjas is Cuban.

Frogs v. Limeys

Ahhhh....There is nothing more reassuring for a realist such as myself to see the Brits and the French bashing each other. This is power politics old school style. It is true that this latest tiff may not lead to another Hundred Year War, but it is fun nonetheless.