TOO FREE? Radical Muslim terrorists continue to exploit the Western world's relatively open societies. Wrote Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld, the author of Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed and How to Stop It, in an article on National Review Online: "This September, as the UK outlawed Hamas, the Hamas publication Filisteen Almuslima (Muslim Palestine) continued to be published in and distributed from London to the Middle East, Europe, and the U.S. In fact, the cover of the September issue carries the horrifying picture of the bloody casualties and the dissevered No. 2 bus in Jerusalem, as well as the glorified image of the homicide bomber who murdered 23 innocent civilians, many of them babies, and wounded 136. Inside, the magazine praises and justifies the terrorist attack against Israelis and glorifies the terrorist, Raid Misk, as a heroic role model. . . . The UK has become a global hub for Islamist propaganda." So far, said Ehrenfeld, British authorities do little, even though "these and similar publications and their affiliated websites also raise funds for jihad."
CLEARER: The CLEAR Act (HR 2671) continued to pick up support in the last week. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Charlie Norwood (R.-Ga.), would make it easier for state and local law authorities to enforce immigration laws. It now has 110 co-sponsors, including House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R.-Mo.) and Homeland Security Subcommittee on Infrastructure and Border Security Chairman Dave Camp (R.-Mich.). "Currently, our federal government provides only 2,000 Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE) agents to enforce immigration laws. Meanwhile, 400,000 illegal aliens with standing deportation orders, 80,000 criminal aliens and 3,800 from countries with known ties to al Qaeda among them, cannot be found," reports Norwood's office.
IMMIGRATION'S EFFECTS: Moreover, House Subcommittee on Immigration Chairman John Hostettler (R.-Ind.) noted at an October 30 hearing called "Prospects for American Workers: Immigration's Impact": "The number of immigrants in America has increased from less than ten million and less than 5% of the population in 1970 to more than 33 million and more than 11% of the population today. But have we absorbed this great influx without a cost?. . . Under our existing, and freely chosen, immigration policy, newly arrived immigrant workers are more than four times as likely as native workers to lack a high school education. Economic theory predicts that this will have a deleterious effect on low-skilled American workers-it will lower their wages and increase overall economic inequality in America."
ACADEMIC ACCOUNTABILITY? The House has passed a bill that would actually try to bring a sliver of responsibility to the American academy. The International Studies in Higher Education Act (HR 3077) will create an advisory board to oversee the federal program that parcels out money to international studies departments-including the notoriously irresponsible Middle Eastern studies departments-around the country. The "Title VI fix," wrote Martin Kramer on October 30, is opposed by the American Council on Education (ACE), which claims the merely advisory board could impinge on academic freedom. "I was delighted to see a liberal Democrat and civil libertarian rise on the House floor to endorse the idea of the board," wrote Kramer. Rep. Howard Berman (D.-Calif.) said, "I am encouraged that the creation of this advisory board will help redress a problem which is a great concern of mine, namely, the lack of balance, and indeed the anti-American bias that pervades Title VI-funded Middle East studies programs in particular."
GEPHARDT GOES AT DEAN: In a speech titled "Securing Medicare: A Prescription for Ending the Rural Disparity," presidential contender Rep. Dick Gephardt (D.-Mo.)-whose poll numbers have waxed of late-said that Iowa ranked "dead last" in Medicare reimbursements. "At the heart of my presidency will be a commitment to cover every American with health insurance, to protect Medicare for every senior, and to raise Medicare reimbursements in rural states like Iowa so every family is treated with fairness and respect," said Gephardt on October 29, according to his website. He also went after rival Howard Dean, who once called Medicare "one of the worst federal programs ever." Said Gephardt, "Dr. Dean, I challenge you to find one doctor in Iowa who believes we should cut Medicare reimbursements any lower than they already are. And I challenge you to find one Iowa senior who shares your belief that Medicare should be turned into a managed care program."
