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NANCE AND MYRDAL: How ‘new’ science alters the abortion debate

At what stage do states have a legitimate interest in protecting human life? Six weeks? Six months? Six years?

This question was answered by brave North Dakota lawmakers last week as they passed common-sense laws based on new science and technology that allow us to clearly see a beating heart and life within the womb. HB 1305 and HB 1456 ban abortions after a detectable heartbeat and for reasons of gender selection and genetic abnormalities. This technology was not available 40 years ago when the Supreme Court made the landmark decision to allow abortion on demand, overriding states’ rights in the infamous Roe v. Wade case.

The sex selection-genetic abnormalities law simply affirms that anti-discrimination laws already on the books should apply to all persons, regardless of age. Every child deserves the right to live, regardless of its sex, genetic abnormalities or a potential genetic abnormality. Our Founding Fathers clearly delineated the right to life as one that is unalienable and endowed by our Creator. It is horrific that in America today babies are being killed on the basis of their sex or genetic abnormalities. America is the only advanced country that does not restrict sex-selection through law.

A human heartbeat in the womb can be detected as early as six weeks of gestation (often earlier), and the North Dakota law bans all abortions when there is a detectable heartbeat. It is a universally accepted fact that a beating human heart is the fundamental affirmation of life. Maybe this is why no opposing discussion was heard in either chamber as this bill came up for a vote.

Of course, the abortion industry is crying foul, saying that none of these laws will pass muster in court. We say, “Bring it on.” Abortionists have opposed everything from partial-birth abortion bans to ultrasound bills, and they continue to lose in court. This will be no different.

The saddest argument is that taxpayer dollars will be “wasted” to defend the legislation. When faced with regulation of any kind, pro-abortion liberals become fiscal conservatives in a heartbeat (no pun intended). It probably has nothing to do with the profits they stand to lose from potential clients. Still, even forgetting that there are hundreds of legal experts willing to defend the law pro bono, not a single penny is wasted in the defense of life. Abortionists are silent on $5 million in taxpayer money wasted on Senate haircuts, but they cannot stand seeing any money used to defend life.

Besides, the heartbeat legislation will withstand judicial review. Roe and Casey left the states “legitimate interests from the outset of the pregnancy in protecting the health of the woman and the life of the fetus.” Those arguing that the law is unconstitutional argue that it places restrictions on the right to privacy. Yet that is simply not enough. The heartbeat law goes to the balance raised in Roe and Casey, weighing the state’s duty to protect life with a woman’s right to privacy. The law acknowledges 40 years of advancement in science and medicine, which weigh in favor of life. It acknowledges the right to privacy, but it also says the state’s legitimate duty becomes stronger once a heartbeat is present and detectable. Nothing has been done to the right to privacy; the right to life has become weightier.

Abortionists fear this law because they know Americans with common sense from either side of the political aisle can agree that, at the very least, a beating human heart deserves full protection under the law, regardless of age, gender or disability. The idea is not challenged but fundamentally supported by our Constitution.North Dakota has been at the center of the debate over life as long as there has been a debate. Before it was even a state, North Dakota had a territorial law prohibiting abortion (adopted in 1877 - 12 years before it was a state). That prohibition was carried over to the Century Code after it became a state and stayed on the books until Roe. In fact, in November 1972 (two months before Roe was decided in January 1973), North Dakota voters rejected - by a three-to-one margin - a ballot measure that would have weakened their abortion laws. North Dakota was a pro-life state from before “Day One.”Steve Forbes once said, “Our Founding Fathers created a nation based on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Switch the order of these three fundamental human rights - putting happiness before liberty or liberty before life - and you end up with moral chaos and social anarchy.” Forty years ago, we did switch those values around, and Americans must ask themselves today, “Are we better off because of it?”We simply cannot continue to ignore the ever-increasing scientific, technological and experiential evidence from the past 40 years revealing that unrestricted abortion on demand has hurt our nation. We are proud of North Dakota for being the first state to take that bold step.

Sopore gunbattle leaves behind tragedies,trail of destruction

Sopore gunbattle leaves behind tragedies,trail of destruction

Scores Of Orchards, Houses Damaged

Sopore, Dec 20: Tuesday’s gunbattle at Saidpora, Sopore in which six militants were killed has left behind a trail of destruction in the area with scores of orchards and houses damaged completely.
 The 48-hour encounter that ended last evening had put Saidpora area under complete siege with parts of Sopore witnessing heavy stone-pelting.
 The locals of Saidpora said their orchards and houses were completely damaged in the encounter. “We were not allowed to step outside our houses during the past two days. We only heard blasts every second minute,” said a local. “It was a war-like situation.”
 According to locals, houses of Ghulam Muhammad Dar son of Ghulam Rasool Dar and Khaati wife of Late Muhammad Nawab Dar were razed to rubble in the fierce gunbattle. “The families are roofless now,” the locals told Greater Kashmir.
 The residents said scores of orchards were badly damaged during the action. “We have less regret about damage to the houses but destruction to the orchards is a big loss. It took us decades to groom the orchards,” the families said.
 The damage to orchards was caused by the movement of army bulldozers, the locals said. “Dozens of trees were uprooted in the encounter. It is a big loss. We have been giving our best to maintain the orchards but now there is nothing more than debris,” Khaati said with tears rolling down her cheeks.
 According to locals, the houses of Muhammad Ramzan Bhat, Ghulam Hassan Bhat, Ghulam Mohiuddin Dar, Abdul Hamid Dar, Ghulam Muhammad Dar, Khursheed Ahmad Dar, Abdul Malik Dar, Muhammad Ashraf Dar, Ghulam Rasool Dar, Muhammad Dilawar, Muhammad Ashraf Dar, Mushtaq Ahmad Dar and Abdul Rashid Peer were also damaged in the encounter.
 Meanwhile, the town observed complete shutdown for the second consecutive day today. Government institutions and business establishments remained closed with traffic remaining off the roads.
 Main Chowk, Tehsil Road, Ashpeer Road and Channakhan witnessed stone pelting.

Those wild and crazy Mayans

Those wild and crazy Mayans put down their marker that the end of the world would occur on Dec. 21, 2012 — about two months from now. There is, of course, some small chance that they might be right. On the other hand, there is a very large probability that the real end of the world will occur around March 4, 2014.

The doomsday clock will ring then because the U.S. economy may fully crash around that date, which will, in turn, bring down all world economies and all hope of any recovery for the foreseeable future — certainly over the course of most of our lifetimes. Interest rates will skyrocket, businesses will fail, unemployment will go to record levels, material and food shortages will be rampant, and there could be major social unrest. Any wishful thinking that America is in a “recovery” and that “things are getting better” is an illusion.

The problem is not Medicare, which won’t quit on us for another six or seven years. Nor is it Social Security, which will not be fully bankrupt for another 15 years or so. The crisis is much more immediate and much more serious.

The central problem is that America is the bank of the world. What this means, simply, is that the dollar is the world’s currency (often termed the “reserve currency”). Throughout the world, nearly all traded goods, oil, major commodities, real estate, etc., are denominated in dollars. The world needs dollars, and the U.S. provides them and provides confidence that the dollar is the “safest” currency in the world. Countries get dollars by trading with us on attractive terms, which enables Americans to live very well. Countries support this system and cover their risk by investing in dollars through T-bill auctions and other mechanisms, which enables us to run budget deficits — up to a point.

The central issue is confidence in America, and the world is losing confidence quickly. At a certain point, soon, the United States will reach a level of deficit spending and debt at which the countries of the world will lose faith in America and begin to withdraw their investments. Many leading economists and bankers think another trillion dollars or so may do it. A run on the bank will start suddenly, build quickly and snowball.

At that point, we will need to finance our own deficit, and we will not be able to do so. We will raise bond rates to re-attract foreign investment, interest rates will go up, and businesses will fail. Unemployment will skyrocket. The rest of the world will fully crash along with us. Europe will continue to decline, and the euro will not replace the dollar. Russia will see a collapse in oil prices as market demand softens, and Russia will collapse along with it. China will find nowhere to export and also will collapse. The Russian and Chinese governments, which see all this coming and have been stockpiling gold to hedge against such a dollar collapse, will find that you cannot eat gold. There will be uprisings — think of the streets in Spain and Greece today — everywhere. Technological advances that traditionally drive productivity increases and economic growth will not be able to keep up with this collapse.

When might this all happen? Paul Volker indicates we might face a mess like this in the next year and a half. David Walker, former U.S. comptroller, i.e., the former chief accountant of the U.S. government, has suggested similar time frames for economic catastrophe. Most agree that the budget sequestration approach won’t work from either economic or political perspectives, and mindless across-the-board cuts in spending will only exacerbate a mess. The Federal Reserve’s third round of quantitative easing, in which we print money to buy our own bonds in order to goose economic and employment numbers, means we are floating our own debt, a good formula for sudden hyperinflation.

The next president will have about six months to fix this problem before it is too late. He must be fully prepared, able and willing to work with Congress and move quickly and decisively. During the election, the most important question to ask is, who understands all this and is prepared to prevent it? Everything else is noise.

Grady Means is a businessman, former assistant to Vice President Nelson Rockefeller and former economist

Waiting for 2014

Waiting for 2014!

Will the year 2014 bring major changes in the world and especially in the South Asian region including the Indian sub-continent?

My Take

M.ASHRAF

Recently, there have been many prophecies creating panic in some parts of the world about the doom’s day being round the corner. It is said that according to Mayan prediction the world will end on December 21, 2012! Michel Nostradamus also predicted something similar happening soon. However, in practical terms there are two analytical propositions which seem quite disturbing. One is the possible economic crash in 2014 and the other is the Afghan situation after American and NATO forces leave the area in that year.
Grady Means wrote in the Washington Times of October 25, “Those wild and crazy Mayans put down their marker that the end of the world would occur on Dec. 21, 2012 — about two months from now. There is, of course, some small chance that they might be right. On the other hand, there is a very large probability that the real end of the world will occur around March 4, 2014. The doomsday clock will ring then because the U.S. economy may fully crash around that date, which will, in turn, bring down all world economies and all hope of any recovery for the foreseeable future — certainly over the course of most of our lifetimes. Interest rates will skyrocket, businesses will fail, unemployment will go to record levels, material and food shortages will be rampant, and there could be major social unrest. Any wishful thinking that America is in a “recovery” and that “things are getting better” is an illusion”.
“The central problem is that America is the bank of the world. What this means, simply, is that the dollar is the world’s currency (often termed the “reserve currency”). Throughout the world, nearly all traded goods, oil, major commodities, real estate, etc., are denominated in dollars. The world needs dollars, and the U.S. provides them and provides confidence that the dollar is the “safest” currency in the world. The central issue is confidence in America, and the world is losing confidence quickly. At a certain point, soon, the United States will reach a level of deficit spending and debt at which the countries of the world will lose faith in America and begin to withdraw their investments. Many leading economists and bankers think another trillion dollars or so may do it. A run on the bank will start suddenly, build quickly and snowball”.  Earlier in June, 2010, Professor Nicholas Boyle of the Cambridge University in his thesis had predicted the end of the world on same lines. According to him, “A 'Doomsday' moment will take place in 2014 - and will determine whether the 21st century is full of violence and poverty or will be peaceful and prosperous”. So much for the end of the world in practical terms!
Now, coming to our part of the world, the biggest worry is Afghanistan. What will happen once Americans and NATO forces leave the area? There are varied opinions and analysis. However, quite few experts point to a possible civil war among the tribes as happened after the exit of the Russians. The Americans after having arranged the exit of the Russians let Afghanis fend for themselves. The shadows of these coming events are visible from the present day happenings there. Three things are evident and point towards a coming grave situation. One is the continuous brain drain. There are continuous migrations of the educated and modernized Afghanis. According to some estimates the migrations are in hundreds of thousands. Quite a few go to Europe and America. Second is the brisk sale of arms. Everybody seems to be keen in getting some sort of a weapon to defend oneself in the forthcoming free for all among the tribes. Weapons of all types, mostly of the Russian make are available. In fact, the prices have shot up recently. Weapons of American and European make are also available. These are being smuggled in from the Pakistan’s illegal weapons market of Landi Kotal! The third is the panic and apprehension among the foreign aid workers. They are not sure as to the attitude of the future government especially if it is led by the Taliban. Earlier too Taliban had made certain strict regulations for the aid workers after the exit of the Russians. However, that time these workers did not have any military associations but during the present upheaval they have been closely aligned with the military. That makes them more vulnerable.
Will the Taliban come back to power? That is the million dollar question! There are possibilities of a civil war between the Pushtoons and Uzbeks also. Both India and Pakistan are looking at post 2014 Afghanistan from their strategic angles. Pakistan is supporting Taliban for getting strategic depth while as India wants to keep Pakistan engaged from that side to get relief on its own side! Taliban were born and bred in Pakistan but that whole process proved ultimately very costly and the country is in total shambles with violence becoming a way of life. In any case, coming back of Taliban will be a nightmare for both the countries unless there is some agreement before they capture Kabul. One has to wait and watch.
Back home 2014 will also be a year of upheavals because of the elections. If all goes as planned, Pakistan may have an elected government in 2013 after having completed the tenure of its last elected one! However, it is not sure what shape the new government would have. On the Indian side even though there are speculations for an election in 2013, it is presumed that the present government may drag itself to 2014. However, most of the political analysts and even astrologers, who are an important part of life in India, predict a “Khichidi” government. All major parties are expected to get a drubbing. Some even predict Congress coming back with two digit tally only! BJP may also face a reverse. The third front may gain but all third front governments have been short lived. So India too may be in turmoil and face instability in 2014. Well, Kashmir, which too is going for elections may see some new slogans as “Bijli, Panni, aur Saddak” won’t sell this time after the experience of last four years or so. In brief, 2014 may spring many surprises all over the world, including the sub-continent and in Kashmir too! So let us wait for 2014, the year of change for the 21st Century as predicted by Professor Nicholas Boyle of the Cambridge University
!

Cambridge expert predicts 'a great event' will determine course of the century

World could be plunged into crisis in 2014': Cambridge expert predicts 'a great event' will determine course of the century

A 'Doomsday' moment will take place in 2014 - and will determine whether the 21st century is full of violence and poverty or will be peaceful and prosperous, according to a Cambridge University professor.

In the last 500 years there has been a cataclysmic 'Great Event' of international significance at the start of each century, he claims.

Occurring in the middle of the second decade of each century, they include events which sparked wars, religious conflict and brought peace.

Great Event: The movie 2012 (pictured) suggested there would be massive world disaster that year. But Professor Boyle claims it will be 2014 when there is a huge world event

• In 1517 Martin Luther nailed his theses to the door of Wittenburg church, sparking the Reformation of the church and rise of Protestantism.
• 1618 marked the start of the 30 Years War and decades of religious conflict in Western Europe
• That conflict ended with the establishment of the Hanoverians in 1715. They ruled over Great Britain and Ireland, and Hanover (in Germany).
• The enlightened Congress of Vienna took place in 1815, following the defeat of Napoleon, and heralded a century of relative stability across Europe.
• In 1914 the First World War broke out, a catastrophic conflict that would claim millions of lives and set the tone for international discord throughout the 21st century.

Cataclysmic events: The 'Doomsday' of the last century was in 1914, when the First World War began

Does the Mayan calendar end

 Does the Mayan calendar end in December 2012?

 A: Just as the calendar you have on your kitchen wall does not cease to exist after December 31, the Mayan calendar does not cease to exist on December 21, 2012. This date is the end of the Mayan long-count period but then -- just as your calendar begins again on January 1 -- another long-count period begins for the Mayan calendar.

Video: NASA Scientist David Morrison Debunks the Myths