Groundbreaking for Victims of Communism Memorial

The Washington Post reports:

In China's Tiananmen Square, the "Goddess of Democracy" created by student activists was demolished by communist tanks during the historic uprising in 1989. Now a 10-foot bronze copy of the statue is being erected in downtown Washington as a permanent tribute to the estimated 100 million people killed by various communist regimes.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Victims of Communism Memorial was held yesterday at the site, a wedge of federal land where G Street NW meets Massachusetts and New Jersey avenues, near Union Station. The event drew about 100 people, including ambassadors and other officials from Poland, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Reading both the Washington Times and Post articles finds an intesting pair of dueling quotes:

"Today, we proclaim that communism is indeed dead, but we will never forget those who communism murdered during its brief life on this planet," said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, California Republican, who sponsored the legislation that authorized the memorial.

Yet in the Post:

David Lee, Taiwan's representative in Washington, said the memorial will also remind people that the fight against communism is not over.

"We are still in a confrontational situation with communist China," Lee said, as he waited his turn yesterday to help shovel a bit of the earth. "That's the reason we think we need to be here."

The Times adds:

An inscription on the front pedestal of the memorial will read: "To the more than one hundred million victims of communism and to those who love liberty."

On the back pedestal, it will read: "To the freedom and independence of all captive nations and peoples."

The project was initially conceived as a $100 million bricks-and-mortar structure, similar to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

But various issues, including fundraising and location problems, forced organizers in 2003 to scale back the project to a memorial near the Capitol.

Officials originally hoped to build the statue on a 6,900-square-foot tract behind the Supreme Court in Northeast before advisory neighborhood commissioners disapproved in February 2005...

The dedication of the memorial is scheduled for June to coincide with the 20th anniversary of President Reagan's famed "tear down this wall" speech at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

Technorati Tags: China, DC, Tourism

Only in New Jersey

The Washington Times reports on a question on many minds - whether New Jersey Democrats will abandon their chosen candidate when polls look bad, and whether they'll pull a patently illegal stunt like in 2002:

Senate Democrats said they won't try to replace Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, despite new accusations of corruption that surfaced yesterday in the Democratic incumbent's already tough re-election race.

...

A Menendez fundraiser and confidant was heard on a newly released tape pressuring a government contractor to hire a person as "a favor" to Mr. Menendez, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported yesterday.

...

Earlier this month, the Newark Star-Ledger reported that federal investigators are looking into a rental deal between Mr. Menendez and a nonprofit agency that received millions in federal funding while he was a House member.

...

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), meanwhile, has a legal team ready to fight any last-minute Democratic effort to replace Mr. Menendez on the ballot, as the party did in 2002, when it ousted embattled Democratic Sen. Robert G. Torricelli in favor of Frank R. Lautenberg, a Democrat who went on to win the Senate election.

"Democrats have a track record in New Jersey of pulling last-minute stunts," said William McGinley, NRSC's general counsel.

I can't think of another state where this question would even be asked.

Technorati Tags: Democrats, New Jersey, Senate, 2006 Elections

Senator Takes On Global Warming Hype

Senator James Inhofe on the Senate floor Monday:

Since 1895, the media has alternated between global cooling and warming scares during four separate and sometimes overlapping time periods. From 1895 until the 1930’s the media peddled a coming ice age.

From the late 1920’s until the 1960’s they warned of global warming. From the 1950’s until the 1970’s they warned us again of a coming ice age. This makes modern global warming the fourth estate’s fourth attempt to promote opposing climate change fears during the last 100 years.

Much more here, with charts and everything. Then there's the media hysteria (and non-attention) that followed.

Technorati Tags: Global Warming, Media, Senate

Senate Democrats Sit Out National Security Debate

The Washington Times reports:

As Republicans patch up their differences over how to handle the terrorism suspects held at U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, they are turning their sights on Democrats in time for the November elections.

Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell on Friday took issue with Minority Leader Harry Reid over his comments earlier in the week that Democrats were "on the sidelines watching the catfights" among Republicans on terrorism legislation.

"The minority leader indicated that they were sitting on the sidelines during our internal discussion about how best to craft this proposal," the Kentucky Republican told reporters gathered in his office. "I don't think sitting on the sidelines in the war on terror is a good idea. We have to have as much bipartisan cooperation as possible."

Don't hold your breath.

Technorati Tags: Democrats, Senate, Terrorism

Democrats Take Stand Against Legitimate Elections

Reuters reports:

In a move to crack down against illegal immigrants voting in U.S. elections, the House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to require Americans to provide proof of U.S. citizenship to vote in federal elections.

Democratic opponents said the bill would discourage eligible voters. But it passed with overwhelming support of Republicans who argued that it would prevent fraud and stop illegal immigrants from casting ballots in U.S. elections.

"Those who are in this country illegally want the same rights as United States citizens without obeying the laws of our land," Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, a Florida Republican, said during the House debate. "We should not let these criminals defraud our election system by allowing them to vote."

The legislation passed on a largely party-line vote of 228-196 and although immigration issues are a hot topic in this year's congressional elections, it has little chance of winning Senate agreement before the November 7 vote.

The bill would require voters to present a photo identification to vote in federal elections in 2008. By 2010 the photo identification would also have to show the voter is a U.S. citizen.

...

John Trasvina of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund accused Republicans of bringing the measure up so they could use it in campaign ads against political foes.

"It would certainly make a nice 30 second ad. Somebody's opponent saying, 'He voted against a bill that requires only U.S. citizens to vote,"' said Trasvina.

That does make a nice ad, and an honest one.

But we wouldn't want to intimidate illegal voters, would we?

Technorati Tags: Congress, Democrats, Illegal Immigration

Die Hard Comes to Baltimore

WTOP reports:

The production company for the fourth 'Die Hard' film, tentatively titled "Live Free or Die Hard," has set up shop in Baltimore for a weeklong shoot, starting Saturday.

Star Bruce Willis once again plays NYPD detective John McClane, who battled European terrorists in an L.A. high-rise in "Die Hard" (1988), drug-world terrorists at D.C.'s Dulles airport in "Die Hard 2" (1990) and the brother of the lead terrorist from the first film in "Die Hard With a Vengeance."

In his latest battle, Willis takes on techno-terrorists who are trying to shut down the nation's computer systems on the Fourth of July.

The movie is scheduled for release in June 2007.

If you count Hostage and 16 Blocks, this should at least be Die Hard 6.

Technorati Tags: Entertainment, Maryland

DC Speed-Cameras Working?

The Washington Times reports:

The District's automated speed-camera program caught an all-time low monthly percentage of speeding motorists last month, the third time this year a record percentage was reported.

Just 1.7 percent of the 2.3 million vehicles monitored in the District were caught speeding in August -- the lowest monthly percentage since the speed cameras were introduced in July 2001, according to police statistics. By comparison, 30.9 percent of monitored vehicles were caught speeding during the program's inaugural month.

...

The monthly percentage of motorists caught speeding has decreased steadily since the cameras were implemented. The previous low, 1.9 percent, was set in June, the first time the monthly percentage was less than 2 percent.

More here.

Technorati Tag: DC