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John Boehner As the debate over health care enters a critical make-or-break moment in the weeks ahead, it’s no surprise that a growing number of concerned governors, state officials and legislators are speaking out against a government takeover of health care. Perhaps best of all, these state leaders -- who unlike Congress can’t print money when they don’t have it -- know we can’t afford all of the new mandates, tax increases and new layers of government red tape that the Washington Democrats’ bill would impose on families and small businesses. China Urges Google to Follow Chinese Laws as Google Postpones Mobile Phone Launch China says it has clear laws against computer hacking, rejecting allegations it may have been behind attacks on Internet giant Google. At the same time, a government spokesman urged Google to obey all laws that require filtering of content that China deems illegal. Meanwhile, Google on Tuesday postponed the sales launch of its mobile phone in China. Kabul Attack Highlights Competing U.S., Taliban Urban Strategies Kabul has cautiously returned to its everyday hustle and bustle, a day after a Taliban attack that rocked the city's center and brought the harsh realities of war perilously close to the presidential palace and key ministry buildings. But the January 18 brazen attack, in which just seven Taliban militants managed to detonate suicide bombs that destroyed a shopping center and wage a lengthy gun battle with Afghan forces, has raised serious questions about the state of security even in areas thought to be relatively secure. Armenian Foreign Minister Warns Turkey, Cools Karabakh Peace Talk Turkey will risk reversing its unprecedented rapprochement with Armenia if it persists in linking the process with a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict desired by Azerbaijan, Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian has said. In a videotaped studio interview on January 17 with RFE/RL's Armenian Service (here in Armenian), Nalbandian also sought to cool talk of an imminent settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh, saying that Baku is "not prepared for mutual concessions in 2010." A Volcano about to Erupt Gary Cooperberg In the 1930s, a Jew by the name of Ze’ev Jabotinski traveled throughout Europe warning his fellow Jews that they were sitting atop a volcano that was about to erupt. He begged them to get up and leave the Exile while they still could and come home to "Palestine" (which in those days was a Jewish concept, not an Arab one). Jabotinski was ridiculed for saying things that people preferred not to hear; millions perished for their refusal to face reality. The Wizard of Cost Control Congressman Joe Pitts "Pay no attention to my six-figure stipend." That’s what MIT economist Jonathan Gruber has been saying since it was revealed that he was being paid by the Department of Health and Human Services while also defending the administration’s health bill as an "independent researcher." Gruber is a health economist currently with MIT, but formerly with the Clinton Treasury Department. Analysts Say U.S. Intelligence System Overloaded, Out Of Date The attempted Christmas Day terror attack on a U.S. airliner has provoked much soul searching in Washington and talk of the need to reexamine U.S. intelligence-gathering operations. After ordering a snap review of what went wrong, U.S. President Barack Obama blamed the incident on a failure by the country's intelligence agencies to share intelligence and "connect the dots," allowing a suspected Al-Qaeda operative to board a commercial flight with the aim of blowing it up. Google-China Row Could Reflect A New Era Of Internet Control In its first public reaction to the Internet row between Google and the Chinese government, Beijing today reasserted its right to control the Internet and strengthen what it calls "Internet management." China's position, which comes amid attempts by many authoritarian regimes to control the web, has led some commentators to question whether a new trend toward local or state control over the Internet is developing. WHO Denies Hyping Dangers of Swine Flu The World Health Organization refutes charges by politicians in some European countries that it has exaggerated the dangers of Swine Flu. The WHO also denies any of its decisions have been improperly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry for commercial reasons. The World Health Organization has been clearly stung by these criticisms. Civil Rights Group Seeks Enforcement of Ruling Declaring Zimbabwe’s Land Distribution Illegal and Racist A South African civil rights group is taking legal action to try to enforce a court ruling that labeled Zimbabwe’s land distribution program illegal and racist. Under the policy, farms owned or operated by white farmers were seized and turned over to blacks, who had been denied land under white rule. Report: Democratic Decline Continues Across Former Soviet States The U.S.-based human rights watchdog Freedom House says 2009 saw more setbacks than improvements, with 40 countries and territories covered in its latest survey experiencing declines in democratic freedoms, including most of the post-Soviet area. Freedom House has issued its annual measure of freedom in the world since 1972. Behind Closed Doors By U.S. Senator Jon Kyl "Here’s the thing, we’re going to do all these negotiations on C-SPAN so the American people will be able to watch these negotiations." That was Senator Barack Obama at an Ohio campaign event in March 2008 discussing how his bill to reform the nation’s health-care system would be drafted.
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