The Bosque Boys

Gateway Pundit has two posts worth reading this morning: one notes that Bush is not being greeted by mobs of American hating Europeans, the other that today is the anniversary of Reagan's "tear down this wall" speech.

It is worth remembering that when our media tells us how much the world hates us, they usually are referring to the elites. It also is worth remembering that the right person at the right time can change history.

Three cheers for the Irish. They have defeated the Lisbon Treaty. The Lisbon Treaty was a back-door effort to impose the EU on the nations of Europe after the earlier EU Constitution was defeated. Since all 27 nations must approve the Treaty for it to take effect, this should kill it. Though it does not pay to assume that the political elites will play by the rules.

A major problem with the EU is that it shifts power from local nations and communities to a bureacratic elite not accountable to voters. It also makes EU law superior to national and local laws. Its justice system was to be based on Napoleanic Code, which would mean the loss of the rights and liberties of the Anglo-American tradition such as presumption of innocence.

The Irish were the only nation to put the Treaty to the voters. Other nations approved it in other ways, most of them knowing that public opinion was against the Treaty.

God bless the Irish.

Full story from The Telegraph.

For the full Report, go here. (This year's report has more color and graphics and so loads more slowly than past reports.)

The worst nation offenders (Tier 3) are Algeria, Burma, Cuba, Fiji, Iran, Kuwait, Moldovia, North Korea, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria.

Interesting that 8 countries out of 14 in this tier have Muslim governments. Communist dicatorships account for 2 more. And Burma, with its now infamous military dictatorship.

See this interview. Infidel Bloggers' Alliance has excerpts and a link to MEMRI.

The Chinese government has an ongoing espionage action against the U.S. computer infrastructure. The Chinese also may be responsible for two major power failures in our country. Story here. Link from Drudge.

Someone tell me again, why are we trading with China like it is an ally?

The Rott links to this Dutch-language video of Dutch troops conducting a live-fire exercise in Afghanistan.

The Times of India has several stories dealing with the bombings in Jaipur that killed 61 and wounded 218. A group calling itself Indian Mujahideen claimed credit.

Here. Here.

Gateway Pundit has the best round-up of Burma news after the cyclone. Some aid is starting to get in, but the Burmese government's reluctance to admit foreign aid is condemning many, many people to death.

Notice once again that the most effective relief efforts can come from the U.S. military.

As of yesterday, Church World Service, a very fine organization that my denomination channels aid through, was still waiting with supplies on the Thai-Burmese border for permission to cross.

The Labour Party is going down in flames in local elections in Great Britain. According to The Telegraph, as of this posting The Conservatives are winning big. Conservatives are picking up around 44% of the votes, with Liberal Democrats and Labour fighting it out for second with about 25/24%. The infamous mayor of London, Red Ken, appears to have lost reelection.

One issue not emphasized enough in the coverage is the Labour Party breaking its promise to hold a referendum on imposing the EU Constitution on Great Britain. The High Court has just agreed to hear a case challenging the Labour government's refusal to hole a referendum. Story here with links.

If the EU Constitution is imposed on Britain it will supercede the traditional British Constitution, the ancestor and model for our own liberties as Americans. In many ways the EU is a step back from liberty, turning way too much power over to unelected bureacratic elites far removed from local conditions and not subject to local control.

If you are interested in keeping up with liberty across the pond, one source is Open Europe. For a summary of the implications see this post from Brits At Their Best.

Lest you think I exagerate, remember that presumption of innocence at trial is found in the British Constitution, but is not shared by many other systems, including, for example, the French justice system.

Gateway Pundit has this news on the recently released documentary "Refusenik." The film covers the brave Soviet Jews who sought the right to emmigrate and refused to be cowed. "Scoop" Jackson and Ronald Reagan also get credit for their aid to the "Refuseniks."

Many things contributed to the fall of the Soviet Union. One essential action was the moral and physical courage of Soviet dissidents.