Looks like Mr. Annan may be in this whole mess a bit deeper than Volcker’s committee gave him credit for.

Surprised?

Others: Bluto, TBTN, Roger L. Simon.

The Sun reports that Commission for Racial Equality thnks the former KGB boss is insensitive.

Mr Putin said: “We all know that African countries used to have a tradition of eating their own adversaries.

“We don’t have such a tradition or process or culture and I believe the comparison between Africa and Russia is not quite just.”

…

Commission for Racial Equality chief Trevor Phillips said last night: “What a preposterous thing to say. He is at best insensitive and at worst a downright racist.”

It seems that a better argument that Mr. Phillips could have made would have been to discuss the accuracy of the statements, rather than discussing their sensitivity level or calling Putin names. If in fact they were inaccurate.

Or maybe to point out that Putin’s argument that “they were worse than us” does not make one’s human rights record any less grievous.

The old playground accusation of “he’s a meany” just doesn’t move me to outrage. Factual arguments might.

Today is the 228th birthday of the United States Flag. Read Mike Dalka’s story.

It’s easy to forget that the old cliche “freedom isn’t free” actually means something.

The last week or so I’ve been working with my young kids on early American history as we head in to Independence Day. Hopefully they will learn and remember.

Today, as an exception to the normal theater rule, the US Troops are allowed to fly the Flag in Iraq.

Trey Jackson interviewed Newt Gingrich. Newt’s response to one question was fascinating.

There will be 4 times as much scientific knowledge in the next 25 years, scientific advance, as there was in the last 25. So, 2005 to 2030 will equal 1905 to 2005. It will be extraordinary. The only question is whether it’s going to be in the U.S. or whether it’s going to be in China and India because our math and science education have collapsed and because we are not making the investments in basic science we need to. The challenge for us is, barring a major war, humans are going to continue to move forward, technology and science are going to continue to expand. The question is how much of it will be in the U.S. and how much will Americans be profiting from it?

It’s really a shame. Perhaps you haven’t heard because the media is suppressing the story, but the executive director of Amnesty International, William F. Schultz has come out and called for the kidnapping of President Bush, Donald Rumsfeld and a host of other Republican administration officials.

From the report:

“Amnesty International calls on foreign governments to uphold their obligations under international law by investigating all senior US officials involved in the torture scandal. And if those investigations support prosecution, the governments should arrest any official who enters their territory and begin legal proceedings against them. The apparent high-level architects of torture should think twice before planning their next vacation to places like Acapulco or the French Riviera because they may find themselves under arrest as Augusto Pinochet famously did in London in 1998.” (Bold TOL)

His idea is to have foreign governments kidnap them and then drag them before the ICC (International Criminal Court to which the U.S. is not a signatory) for trial. This is all predicated on the fabricated story Amnesty International was disseminating to the media. As you may know Amnesty admitted they made up the story and had no first hand knowledge of any problems at Guantanamo Bay even though they were calling it a gulag. But like Dan Rather, they have deluded themselves into believing their own made up story as is apparent by this report.

Others have been reporting this story like Captain’s Quarters and Little Green Footballs.

It’s a little ironic that Amnesty International omitted some very prominent American government officials from their list. Two, John Kerry and Robert Byrd, come to mind.

John Kerry’s activity during Vietnam was directly responsible for the torture and deaths of imprisoned U.S. servicemen. He also has responsibility for the torture and death of numerous South Vietnamese citizens, not only during the Vietnam War, but for the ensuing years since those poor people fell under the oppressive communist regime of the north.

And then there’s Robert Byrd, the former Ku Klux Klan member. How many lynchings and tortuous beatings of blacks was he responsible for?

Of course it’s understandable. Schultz, Amnesty’s executive director, was a large financial contributor to John Kerry’s failed presidential campaign.

And as Captain’s Quarters points out some other names are conspicuously absent like Fidel Castro, Kim Jong-Il, and Robert Mugabe just to name a few.

But what is really sad about Amnesty’s latest loony attempt to attack America is that they have clearly prostituted themselves. No longer do they stand for a great cause; that of oppressed peoples around the world regardless of political stripe or religious affiliation. Instead they have sold out their integrity for a bowl of porridge or so it would seem. It has been rumored that Amnesty was having some financial struggles and George Soros, the international investment tycoon, came along to bail them out. If true, that apparently came with a price. It seems that the anti-American Soros, a premier Bush hater, has possibly forced the Amnesty folks to follow his hate Bush agenda.

If it wasn’t for the money of a prostitute, then they have been exposed for who they truly are; folks hiding behind the, now too usual, human rights clothing while in reality having a political agenda which has nothing to do with human rights, but everything to do with a leftist, anti-American campaign. Perhaps it’s both.

In either case Amnesty International is no longer an organization worthy of your support if you truly care about oppressed peoples around the world. Amnesty will look the other way while real people truly suffer and will play this silly, made up charade of pretend while attacking those who do more to help oppressed people in this world than Amnesty could ever dream of helping.

Amnesty International has abandoned its cause to pursue a blind, hate-filled political agenda against the United States. What a shame. And what is even more of a shame is that people will groan under the rod of oppression while Amnesty looks the other way, even making up stories, showing no care or mercy because certain oppressed people don’t serve its political agenda.

It looks like it’s time to abandoned Amnesty International; that is if you honestly care about human rights. No more charades William. Your nakedness has been exposed.