US Rice Farmers Boost Production as World Faces Shortage
A dramatic surge in the international price for rice has U.S. producers planting more fields in an effort to increase profits. But high costs could limit their margins. In the rice-growing area of Dayton, Texas, tractors are tilling the land and building earthen rows that will serve as levees once water flows into these fields. This area of southeast Texas is one of the best rice growing areas of the United States.

PLO: "We’ll Drive Israel Out Of Palestine"
"The PLO... has not changed its platform even one iota... to drive them [Jews] out of all of Palestine," the PLO ambassador to Lebanon told NBN TV in an interview broadcast on Wednesday, even while a Hamas MP predicted Muslims would soon overtake "Rome", which he charged had "planted the brothers of apes and pigs in Palestine in order to prevent the reawakening of Islam."

Further Progress in Iraq
Jon Kyl
Last week, the U.S. commander of Multi-National Forces Iraq, General David Petraeus, and the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, reported to Congress. While many significant challenges remain in Iraq, they stressed that measurable progress has been made since they last testified before Congress in September 2007. Most importantly, both General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker stated that the war in Iraq has made America safer.

Bailing Out Banks
Ron Paul
There has been a lot of talk in the news recently about the Federal Reserve and the actions it has taken over the past few months. Many media pundits have been bending over backwards to praise the Fed for supposedly restoring stability to the market. This interpretation of the Fed's actions couldn't be further from the truth.

US Sale Of Top-Line Jets To Saudis Alarms Israel
Israel is increasingly concerned that the US will sell advanced F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. Although this could present a stiff challenge for the IDF, it does give Israel the opportunity to ask the Pentagon for state-of-the-art technology that the Saudis will not acquire, so as to maintain its qualitative edge over potential enemies in the Middle East, defense officials said.

The Iraq Surge
George W. Bush
Fifteen months ago this week, I announced the surge. And this week, General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker gave Congress a detailed report on the results. Since the surge began, American and Iraqi forces have made significant progress. While there's more to be done, sectarian violence, civilian deaths, and military deaths are down. Improvements in security have helped clear the way for political and economic progress.

Tax Day Cometh
Joe Pitts
It’s April, which means Americans are once again scrambling to sift through the myriad paperwork needed to file their federal taxes. Tax day, as usual, falls on April 15. However, tax freedom day, the day when the average American has earned enough to pay off federal, state, and local taxes, will not come until April 22. That means the average American will have worked for 113 days this year before they get to actually keep their earnings.

Killing Colombia Free Trade Agreement Maintains Economically Dangerous Status Quo
John Boehner
It was bad news for our region recently when the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, which would have created good jobs for Ohio and opened new markets for Ohio farm exports, was killed by political gamesmanship in Congress. In refusing to bring this agreement before the House for a vote, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has signaled that she puts the concerns of big labor bosses above those of Ohio’s farmers and working families.

Satellite Reveals Iranian Long-Range Missile Site
Recent satellite imagery has revealed a site in Iran for developing ballistic missiles with a range of 6000 kilometers. Such a missile could reach any destination in the Middle East, Europe, China and most of India. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claims that the missiles are being constructed only to serve peaceful purposes, just as with their uranium enrichment program.

Bush Calls Iraq Convergence Point For Al-Qaeda, Iran Threats
President George W. Bush says Iraq has become the point of convergence for two of the greatest threats the United States is facing -- Al-Qaeda and Iran. In a White House speech on April 10, Bush said a U.S. failure in the Iraq war would lead to key victories for Al-Qaeda and the Iranian regime.

Israeli Army Officer Accuses Hamas Of Making Up Disaster In Gaza
According to a top IDF officer on Thursday, Hamas is twisting the reality of life in Gaza by creating a false ‘humanitarian crisis’ to gain sympathy. Colonel Nir Press, head of the Erez Crossing, said the Nahal Oz attack on Wednesday was part of Hamas’ strategy for "creating a false display of crisis in order to gain international legitimacy," but all claims have proved untrue.