Something's Wrong With This Article

Above, the National Diet Building, home of the Japanese parliament.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I was reading the Christian Science Monitor's online news article on Ambassador Caroline Kennedy's arrival in Japan when I spotted an error.

Can you spot it?

Here's the passage that contains the error:

The surviving member of the Kennedy presidential family highlighted this historical link when she landed in Tokyo, noting that because of her father’s plans in particular “it is a special honor for me to be able to work to strengthen the close ties between our two great countries.” 

Kennedy, who is expected to present her credentials to Emperor Hirohito on Nov. 19, noted that her arrival coincides with “the 50th anniversary of my father’s presidency.” Nov. 22 marks a half-century since President Kennedy’s assassination.

To read the full article, go here.

UPDATE: Emperor Hirohito (known now as Emperor Showa) died in 1989. The reigning monarch now is his son Emperor Akihito (Emperor Heisei). It would be an interesting trick for Caroline to present her credentials to Emperor Hirohito, wouldn't it?

Gov. Moonbeam Wants CA Voters To Raise Taxes

California Governor Jerry Brown is banking (pardon the pun) on the stupidity of the state's electorate to pass an initiative to raise taxes.

According to the Christian Science Monitor:

Facing huge deficits despite $10 billion in budget cuts last year, California needs new tax dollars in order to avoid catastrophic cuts to schools and government services for the elderly, Governor Brown said.

His plan includes a 1 percent income-tax-rate increase for individuals making more than $250,000 per year, and a 2 percent rate increase for those making more than $500,000. It would also increase the state sales tax by half a cent to 7.75 percent.

In total, at least 10 initiatives that propose tax increases are vying to qualify for the 2012 ballot in California – a sign that the state that led the national tax revolt with Proposition 13 in 1978 might now be considering at least a partial reversal of course.

Opponents of tax increases plan to counter Brown's initiate.

From CBS News:

Just a day after California Gov. Jerry Brown released his tax initiative proposal, anti-tax advocates announced Tuesday they have filed their own counter measure seeking to restrain government spending.

The California Taxpayers Association, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and Small Business Action Committee said they filed a proposed ballot measure with the state attorney general's office that would limit spending after the state makes a full recovery from the recession.

"We need a mechanism to make sure that the drunken sailor DNA of our Legislature doesn't kick in, and that we put that money away and we use it for debt reduction," said John Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis group.

The measure is just one of many complications Brown faces as he tries to increase taxes on the rich and raise the statewide sales tax.

With the California state government in control by one party hell-bent on spending and caters to labor unions, it would be like giving an alcoholic unlimited money for more liquor if the initiative passes. They would use the revenue to spend even more, not less.

Until the state government learns how to discipline itself on spending, voters would be best served by voting no to tax increases.

Obama Signs Secret Order Aiding Libyan Rebels; al-Qaeda Involved?

President Obama signed a secret order supporting rebels in Libya. The problem is, there may be elements of al-Qaeda involved with the rebels. We are supposed to be at war with al-Qaeda for the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon on September 11, 2001.

Left, an al-Qaeda commander urged Libyans to overthrow Col. Moammar Gadhafi’s regime and establish Islamic rule.

According to a Reuters story posted at the Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing covert U.S. government support for rebel forces seeking to oust Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, government officials told Reuters on Wednesday.

Obama signed the order, known as a presidential "finding", within the last two or three weeks, according to four U.S. government sources familiar with the matter.

Such findings are a principal form of presidential directive used to authorize secret operations by the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA and the White House declined immediate comment.

The rebels may have been infiltrated by al-Qaeda according to the United Kingdom's Telegraph:

Libyan rebel forces may have been infiltrated by al-Qaeda fighters, a senior American military commander has warned.

Admiral James Stavridis, Nato's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, said that American intelligence had picked up "flickers" of terrorist activity among the rebel groups. Senior British government figures described the comment as "very alarming".

The admission came as the American, Qatari and British Governments indicated that they were considering arming rebel groups, who yesterday suffered a series of setbacks in their advance along the Libyan coast towards Tripoli.

And, from the Christian Science Monitor:

Since Libya’s popular uprising began in mid-February, Col. Muammar Qaddafi has repeatedly declared that this rebellion is different: He is not facing pro-democracy activists who want to end his four decades in power, but Al Qaeda militants determined to make Libya a base for global jihad.

“This is the Al Qaeda that the whole world is fighting,” warned the Libyan leader, who demands that the Western-led alliance help him fight a common enemy instead of decimating his military apparatus.

While most experts agree that Qaddafi is grossly exaggerating the Al Qaeda threat to discredit his opposition, eastern Libya has had a history of Islamic militancy. Documents captured by the US military from Al Qaeda in Iraq show that eastern Libya – and especially the city of Derna – provided per capita far more foreign fighters in Iraq from August 2006 to August 2007 than anywhere else in the world.

If al-Qaeda is a part of the rebels in Libya, and if we arm them with advanced weapons, those weapons can be used against us.

Before we dig ourselves deeper in this Libya matter, we need to know who the rebels are, who finances them and whether there are elements of al-Qaeda within the rebel organization.