The Rant

posted by Bob Clasen ______________________ German brothel donates money for tsunami relief 12 January 2005 BERLIN: A German brothel owner has been so moved by the plight of survivors from Asia's tsunami disaster that she is donating part of her takings from clients. "It's not every day you can make a charitable gesture by going to a brothel," said Mercedes Mueller, who is giving 5 euros ($NZ9.57) of the 39-euro entrance charge clients pay. "It's so terrible what happened there and I wanted to do something," said Mueller, who owns the Happy FKK Club in the western city of Dortmund. Mueller said clients, prostitutes and the public had all responded with great enthusiasm to her gesture, and that about 1300 euros had been raised so far. "We have as much of a right to raise money as any other business," she said. "We all have a heart too. I hope it will serve as an example to others." ______________________

by Bob Clasen __________________ Two former White House national security advisers, Republican Brent Scowcroft and Democrat Zbigniew Brzezinski are leading the nay sayers in arguing that Iraq is now hopeless and that we need to cut our losses and withdraw, inviting Europe or the UN to come in and take our place (a very unlikely happening). Realistically, such a withdrawal would abandon Iraq to the forces of chaos and fascism. These same advisors argue that we should essentially abandon Israel and go back to "dealing" with the terrorists, entering into treaties at the expense of Israeli security by forcing Israel to tear down the security fence, withdraw from the West Bank, etc. I prefer an idealistic foreign policy that stands up for the values we as a country stand for: freedoma and democracy. We need to stand with the people of Iraq through their first election so long as they are willing to fight with us. We need to stand with our historic ally, democratic Isra

posted by Bob Clasn (slow news day) Long hair 'steals the brain's energy' From correspondents in Seoul STALINIST North Korea has stepped up its campaign against long hair and untidy attire which its media says represents a "corrupt capitalist" lifestyle, reports said. North Korean state television, radio and newspapers have led the grooming drive, urging people to cut their hair short and to dress tidily, the BBC said in a dispatch citing broadcasts from Pyongyang. Men were asked to have crew cuts with hair growing up to five centimetres in a twice-a-month visit to the barber, it said. Not only health and hygiene but also intelligence was cited by the North Korean media as reasons for the crackdown on appearance. Pyongyang television noted long hair "consumes a great deal of nutrition" and could thus rob the brain of energy, according to the BBC. But another serious reason came from state radio which said tidy attire "is impor

posted by Bob Clasen __________________________ The Disenchanted American Are we growing world-weary? by Victor Davis Hanson National Review Online There is a new strange mood of acceptance among Americans about the world beyond our shores. Of course, we are not becoming naïve isolationists of 1930s vintage, who believe that we are safe by ourselves inside fortress America — not after September 11. Nor do citizens deny that America has military and moral obligations to stay engaged abroad — at least for a while yet. Certainly the United States is not mired in a Vietnam-era depression and stagflation and thus ready to wallow in Carteresque malaise. Indeed, if anything Americans remain muscular and are more defiant than ever. Instead, there is a new sort of resignation rising in the country, as the United States sheds its naiveté that grew up in the aftermath of the Cold War. Clintonism may have assumed that terrorism was but a police matter, that the military could be sla