Saturday, May 14, 2011
Mike Huckabee's Video Announcement That He's Not Running for President
At first it sounded like he was running, then explained why he was not. Nice speech,well delivered and thoughtful.
Mike Huckabee Is Not Running for President
S. 679 Will Waive "Advise and Consent" For 200 Govt. Jobs
From: The Heritage Foundation
On March 30, 2011, Senator Charles Schumer (D–NY) with 15 cosponsors, including the Senate Majority and Republican Leaders, as well as six other Democratic Senators, six other Republican Senators, and an Independent Senator,[1] introduced in the Senate the Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act of 2011 (S. 679). The bill was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
The bill reduces the number of presidential appointments that require the consent of the Senate and establishes within the executive branch a Working Group on Streamlining Paperwork for Executive Nominations.
Individuals nominated to senior executive offices suffer slow and detailed background investigations and mounds of duplicative paperwork before a President sends their nominations to the Senate. After nomination, many nominees suffer time-consuming inaction or time-consuming and excruciating action as the Senate proceeds (or does not) with consideration of the nomination. The sponsors of S. 679 have identified a valid problem, but proposed the wrong solution. Congress should not enact S. 679.
The Senate Should Preserve, But Speed Up, Its Role in Senior Presidential Appointments
When the delegates of the states gathered in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 and wrote the Constitution, they distributed the powers of the federal government among two Houses of Congress, a President, and a judiciary, and required in many cases that two of them work together to exercise a particular constitutional power. That separation of powers protects the liberties of the American people by preventing any one officer of the government from aggregating too much power.
On March 30, 2011, Senator Charles Schumer (D–NY) with 15 cosponsors, including the Senate Majority and Republican Leaders, as well as six other Democratic Senators, six other Republican Senators, and an Independent Senator,[1] introduced in the Senate the Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act of 2011 (S. 679). The bill was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
The bill reduces the number of presidential appointments that require the consent of the Senate and establishes within the executive branch a Working Group on Streamlining Paperwork for Executive Nominations.
Individuals nominated to senior executive offices suffer slow and detailed background investigations and mounds of duplicative paperwork before a President sends their nominations to the Senate. After nomination, many nominees suffer time-consuming inaction or time-consuming and excruciating action as the Senate proceeds (or does not) with consideration of the nomination. The sponsors of S. 679 have identified a valid problem, but proposed the wrong solution. Congress should not enact S. 679.
The Senate Should Preserve, But Speed Up, Its Role in Senior Presidential Appointments
When the delegates of the states gathered in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 and wrote the Constitution, they distributed the powers of the federal government among two Houses of Congress, a President, and a judiciary, and required in many cases that two of them work together to exercise a particular constitutional power. That separation of powers protects the liberties of the American people by preventing any one officer of the government from aggregating too much power.
Editorial: Americans Have Hit The Ceiling Over Debt
From: Investors.com
National Debt: Ben Bernanke and Timothy Geithner say the sky will fall if the debt ceiling isn't raised on Monday. The American people say: Cut the Chicken Little spending.
Fed Chairman Bernanke warned on Thursday of "extremely dire consequences" if Congress did not raise the debt ceiling by Monday, and claimed "using the debt limit as a bargaining chip" to reduce government spending "is quite risky."
In the same alarmist vein, Treasury Secretary Geithner used the release of the Social Security and Medicare Trustee reports Friday to warn Congress "to move as quickly as possible, so that all Americans will remain confident that the United States will meet all of its obligations," including "our commitments to our seniors."
National Debt: Ben Bernanke and Timothy Geithner say the sky will fall if the debt ceiling isn't raised on Monday. The American people say: Cut the Chicken Little spending.
Fed Chairman Bernanke warned on Thursday of "extremely dire consequences" if Congress did not raise the debt ceiling by Monday, and claimed "using the debt limit as a bargaining chip" to reduce government spending "is quite risky."
In the same alarmist vein, Treasury Secretary Geithner used the release of the Social Security and Medicare Trustee reports Friday to warn Congress "to move as quickly as possible, so that all Americans will remain confident that the United States will meet all of its obligations," including "our commitments to our seniors."
Germany's Telling Reaction to bin Laden's Death
From: Real Clear World
National debates tell us something about the unique psyche of a country, and the current debate in Germany and the U.S. about the killing of Osama bin Laden is another window on how both countries collectively think and interpret information.
The unfolding debate during the past week in Germany has been illustrative of a national psyche rooted in past history, despite the initial response to the death of bin Laden from Germany's leadership, which was supportive of Obama's actions. Chancellor Merkel expressed her feelings by saying that she was happy to hear about it - and that got her into lots of trouble with the German press and many political figures.
The criticism leveled at the Chancellor's comments took aim at the alleged celebration of a death; bin Laden was essentially executed, it was claimed, without a right to a trial, a lawyer, and access to justice. The U.S. had effectively acted over and beyond the law and Merkel should not support such behavior, went the argument.
The unfolding debate during the past week in Germany has been illustrative of a national psyche rooted in past history, despite the initial response to the death of bin Laden from Germany's leadership, which was supportive of Obama's actions. Chancellor Merkel expressed her feelings by saying that she was happy to hear about it - and that got her into lots of trouble with the German press and many political figures.
The criticism leveled at the Chancellor's comments took aim at the alleged celebration of a death; bin Laden was essentially executed, it was claimed, without a right to a trial, a lawyer, and access to justice. The U.S. had effectively acted over and beyond the law and Merkel should not support such behavior, went the argument.
Setting the Record Straight by Jackie Gingrich Cushman
A very solid, straightforward rebuttal by the daughter of Newt Gingrich, setting the record straight.
From: Jackie Gingrich Cushman on Creators.com
My father, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, has been in politics as long as I can remember.
And as long as I can remember, media coverage about him has contained misstatements of facts. The vast majority are simple mistakes that are easily corrected, understood and rewoven into an ongoing storyline.
But one of them seems to have taken on a life of its own, and simple corrections have not sufficed to set the record straight. Why does this happen? I can't be sure, but I suspect that the narrative created by these untruths proves to be so much more compelling and more dramatic than what actually happened that it proves irresistible.
I'm talking about the story of my father's visit to my mother while she was in the hospital in 1980.
For years, I have thought about trying to correct the untrue accounts of this hospital visit. After all, I was at the hospital with them, and saw and heard what happened. But I have always hesitated, as it was a private family matter and my mother is a very private person. In addition, for the four people involved, it was one of a million interactions and was not considered a defining event by any of us.
My mother and I have both recently run into quite a few people who hold an inaccurate understanding of this hospital visit. Many think my mother is dead.
From: Jackie Gingrich Cushman on Creators.com
My father, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, has been in politics as long as I can remember.
And as long as I can remember, media coverage about him has contained misstatements of facts. The vast majority are simple mistakes that are easily corrected, understood and rewoven into an ongoing storyline.
But one of them seems to have taken on a life of its own, and simple corrections have not sufficed to set the record straight. Why does this happen? I can't be sure, but I suspect that the narrative created by these untruths proves to be so much more compelling and more dramatic than what actually happened that it proves irresistible.
I'm talking about the story of my father's visit to my mother while she was in the hospital in 1980.
For years, I have thought about trying to correct the untrue accounts of this hospital visit. After all, I was at the hospital with them, and saw and heard what happened. But I have always hesitated, as it was a private family matter and my mother is a very private person. In addition, for the four people involved, it was one of a million interactions and was not considered a defining event by any of us.
My mother and I have both recently run into quite a few people who hold an inaccurate understanding of this hospital visit. Many think my mother is dead.
Happy 63rd birthday, Israel
From: American Thinker
This week, Israel celebrates its 63rd birthday. Sixty-three years ago, May 14, 1948, was the rebirth of one of the oldest cultures and nations in history, the State of Israel. Israel with Judaism as its religion has historical continuity spanning more than 3,000 years. It is one of the oldest monotheistic religions, and the oldest to survive into the present day. Israel today is a unique and diverse Jewish state with a young viable democracy, in an unstable region. In 2010, the world Jewish population was estimated at 13.4 million, or roughly 0.2% of the total world population.
The circumstances surrounding Israel's re-birth were anything but easy. Regrettably, Israel's journey from her early beginning to the present has been fraught with great suffering. It is a tribute to the indomitable spirit of the Jewish people that they persisted in their valiant struggle to re-gather again in the land of their birth. Some even go as far as saying that Israel's renaissance -- after 3,000-years or so-- was nothing short of miraculous.
The rebirth of Israel, in reality, is a culmination of thousands of years of gestation during which the Jewish people, dispersed throughout much of the world, endured immense degrees and varieties of suffering. The Nazi murderers and their collaborators capped the crimes committed against the Jewish people by brutally slaughtering six million innocent men, women and children.
The rebirth of Israel, in reality, is a culmination of thousands of years of gestation during which the Jewish people, dispersed throughout much of the world, endured immense degrees and varieties of suffering. The Nazi murderers and their collaborators capped the crimes committed against the Jewish people by brutally slaughtering six million innocent men, women and children.
The 4th Amendment Under Assault By Indiana Court
It was 3-2 decision and is as startling as they come.
From: NWI,comshare
Overturning a common law dating back to the English Magna Carta of 1215, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Hoosiers have no right to resist unlawful police entry into their homes.
In a 3-2 decision, Justice Steven David writing for the court said if a police officer wants to enter a home for any reason or no reason at all, a homeowner cannot do anything to block the officer's entry.
"We believe ... a right to resist an unlawful police entry into a home is against public policy and is incompatible with modern Fourth Amendment jurisprudence," David said. "We also find that allowing resistance unnecessarily escalates the level of violence and therefore the risk of injuries to all parties involved without preventing the arrest."
David said a person arrested following an unlawful entry by police still can be released on bail and has plenty of opportunities to protest the illegal entry through the court system.
From: NWI,comshare
Overturning a common law dating back to the English Magna Carta of 1215, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Hoosiers have no right to resist unlawful police entry into their homes.
In a 3-2 decision, Justice Steven David writing for the court said if a police officer wants to enter a home for any reason or no reason at all, a homeowner cannot do anything to block the officer's entry.
"We believe ... a right to resist an unlawful police entry into a home is against public policy and is incompatible with modern Fourth Amendment jurisprudence," David said. "We also find that allowing resistance unnecessarily escalates the level of violence and therefore the risk of injuries to all parties involved without preventing the arrest."
David said a person arrested following an unlawful entry by police still can be released on bail and has plenty of opportunities to protest the illegal entry through the court system.
Horowitz and Intellectual Terrorism at UCLA
From: Front Page Magazine
Last Wednesday, evening the Freedom Center’s David Horowitz gave a much anticipated and ferociously opposed presentation before a crowd of more than 300 people at Moore Hall at the University of California at Los Angeles. The event was hosted by the Bruin Republicans, self-described as “the only officially right-of-center organization on the UCLA campus” – which is a good, albeit disheartening, indicator of the very issue Horowitz has been addressing on hundreds of campuses across this country, and which was the evening’s topic: the fact that our institutions of supposedly higher learning are utterly dominated by intolerant progressive academics who are ill-serving and mentally straight-jacketing their students.
Horowitz’s speech was as blunt as the title of his presentation – “Intellectual Terrorism: The Left’s War on Free Speech.” Pacing back and forth at the front of the hall, he was revved up right out of the gate and became even more impassioned as he went on. He began the wide-ranging, forty-minute speech with a condemnation of academics who indoctrinate rather than teach (“The students who suffer most are those of you who are on the left, because your assumptions are never challenged.”) Among other topics, he went on to decry campus anti-Semitism and to identify Islam as the greatest oppressor of women and gays in the world today. He delivered a myth-busting history of “Palestine” and a concise explanation of his opposition to slavery reparations a hundred years after the fact. And he attacked the Muslim Student Association, ubiquitous on major college campuses, as a creation of the Muslim Brotherhood, a supporter of the terrorist organization Hamas and the sponsor of Israel Apartheid weeks across the country.
He was flanked throughout the speech by very visible security – a tragic necessity for Horowitz, who is a lightning rod for some of the most bilious hatred that has ever been directed at a conservative public figure. He regularly receives threats prior to speaking engagements and has in fact been physically attacked. This is the inevitable result of his having once been a radical leftist himself, for the Left is only marginally more forgiving of its apostates than fundamentalist Muslims are of theirs.
Last Wednesday, evening the Freedom Center’s David Horowitz gave a much anticipated and ferociously opposed presentation before a crowd of more than 300 people at Moore Hall at the University of California at Los Angeles. The event was hosted by the Bruin Republicans, self-described as “the only officially right-of-center organization on the UCLA campus” – which is a good, albeit disheartening, indicator of the very issue Horowitz has been addressing on hundreds of campuses across this country, and which was the evening’s topic: the fact that our institutions of supposedly higher learning are utterly dominated by intolerant progressive academics who are ill-serving and mentally straight-jacketing their students.
Horowitz’s speech was as blunt as the title of his presentation – “Intellectual Terrorism: The Left’s War on Free Speech.” Pacing back and forth at the front of the hall, he was revved up right out of the gate and became even more impassioned as he went on. He began the wide-ranging, forty-minute speech with a condemnation of academics who indoctrinate rather than teach (“The students who suffer most are those of you who are on the left, because your assumptions are never challenged.”) Among other topics, he went on to decry campus anti-Semitism and to identify Islam as the greatest oppressor of women and gays in the world today. He delivered a myth-busting history of “Palestine” and a concise explanation of his opposition to slavery reparations a hundred years after the fact. And he attacked the Muslim Student Association, ubiquitous on major college campuses, as a creation of the Muslim Brotherhood, a supporter of the terrorist organization Hamas and the sponsor of Israel Apartheid weeks across the country.
He was flanked throughout the speech by very visible security – a tragic necessity for Horowitz, who is a lightning rod for some of the most bilious hatred that has ever been directed at a conservative public figure. He regularly receives threats prior to speaking engagements and has in fact been physically attacked. This is the inevitable result of his having once been a radical leftist himself, for the Left is only marginally more forgiving of its apostates than fundamentalist Muslims are of theirs.
Friday, May 13, 2011
NASA Gets Caught Faking Climate Change
Another great post from Yid With Lid
From: YID With LID
One of the big threats from the global warming moonbat types is that a rise in temperature will melt the polar ice caps causing the oceans to rise, with the cataclysmic result of skyscrapers being under water. Let's face it, if you think that the commute into Manhattan is bad now....just wait.
There is only one problem with this scenario, Mother Nature isn't being cooperative. You see it is true that sea level has risen during the 20th century and probably well before that. Scientists estimate that sea level has increased by 7 inches during the 2oth century.
The climate change hoaxers use computer models to predict that sea levels would rise anywhere from 15 inches to 2o feet because of global warming in the 21st century (the consensus number is closer to 3 feet).
From: YID With LID
One of the big threats from the global warming moonbat types is that a rise in temperature will melt the polar ice caps causing the oceans to rise, with the cataclysmic result of skyscrapers being under water. Let's face it, if you think that the commute into Manhattan is bad now....just wait.
There is only one problem with this scenario, Mother Nature isn't being cooperative. You see it is true that sea level has risen during the 20th century and probably well before that. Scientists estimate that sea level has increased by 7 inches during the 2oth century.
The climate change hoaxers use computer models to predict that sea levels would rise anywhere from 15 inches to 2o feet because of global warming in the 21st century (the consensus number is closer to 3 feet).
Indiana School Employee: Education Reform Worse Than the Holocaust
From: Big Government
Last week, my organization praised the Indiana lawmakers for passing some of the nation’s most significant education reforms. In one of Education Action Group’s weekly newsletters, we said that Indiana’s new voucher program and its decision to lift the cap on charter schools will transform the state’s public education system, to the benefit of all Hoosier families and students. (An EAGtv report that details Indiana’s education reforms can be found here.)
Well, EAG’s audacity in celebrating the idea of school choice generated a number of hateful email responses – from unionized Indiana teachers.
The writers (all with the telltale “k12.in.us” in the email address) accused us of “attacking public education” and “bashing” teachers. One writer blamed us for demoralizing “those of us in the trenches and on the front lines of the classroom.”
Last week, my organization praised the Indiana lawmakers for passing some of the nation’s most significant education reforms. In one of Education Action Group’s weekly newsletters, we said that Indiana’s new voucher program and its decision to lift the cap on charter schools will transform the state’s public education system, to the benefit of all Hoosier families and students. (An EAGtv report that details Indiana’s education reforms can be found here.)
Well, EAG’s audacity in celebrating the idea of school choice generated a number of hateful email responses – from unionized Indiana teachers.
The writers (all with the telltale “k12.in.us” in the email address) accused us of “attacking public education” and “bashing” teachers. One writer blamed us for demoralizing “those of us in the trenches and on the front lines of the classroom.”
A Comeback for the Gold Standard?
From: The Daily Caller
On Wednesday, the world woke up to the Drudge Report featuring, as its banner headline, Steve Forbes, the CEO, editor, and former presidential candidate, predicting a U.S. gold standard within five years. And as liberal blogger Mike Konczal wrote last month: “Conservatives are . . . rallying around the gold standard wing of their party.”
Conservatives (among others) who are sickened by high unemployment and a runaway federal government should cheer the growing support for restoring the gold standard. But what’s behind the groundswell of support for the gold standard, and what does it mean?
The rally began last year when two groups (with which I am professionally associated) — American Principles Project and American Principles in Action — began promoting the gold standard. When joined by the Lehrman Institute’s web-based The Gold Standard Now (with which I am also professionally associated), the momentum grew notably stronger.
APP chairman Sean Fieler and APP policy director Jeffrey Bell appeared on The Wall Street Journal’s opinion page and elsewhere (as did APP advisor Charles Kadlec) making the case for gold. Conservative icon Lewis E. Lehrman, one of the two pro-gold members of the Reagan Gold Commission, also appeared, for the first time in decades, in The Wall Street Journal to argue the case for gold. That article was picked up by 4,000 other sites, and The Weekly Standard’s William Kristol responded by praising the gold standard on his blog.
On Wednesday, the world woke up to the Drudge Report featuring, as its banner headline, Steve Forbes, the CEO, editor, and former presidential candidate, predicting a U.S. gold standard within five years. And as liberal blogger Mike Konczal wrote last month: “Conservatives are . . . rallying around the gold standard wing of their party.”
Conservatives (among others) who are sickened by high unemployment and a runaway federal government should cheer the growing support for restoring the gold standard. But what’s behind the groundswell of support for the gold standard, and what does it mean?
The rally began last year when two groups (with which I am professionally associated) — American Principles Project and American Principles in Action — began promoting the gold standard. When joined by the Lehrman Institute’s web-based The Gold Standard Now (with which I am also professionally associated), the momentum grew notably stronger.
APP chairman Sean Fieler and APP policy director Jeffrey Bell appeared on The Wall Street Journal’s opinion page and elsewhere (as did APP advisor Charles Kadlec) making the case for gold. Conservative icon Lewis E. Lehrman, one of the two pro-gold members of the Reagan Gold Commission, also appeared, for the first time in decades, in The Wall Street Journal to argue the case for gold. That article was picked up by 4,000 other sites, and The Weekly Standard’s William Kristol responded by praising the gold standard on his blog.
Stepping into the Asian Century
From: The Interpreter
In the 1990s, Australia's leaders assured the nation it would not have to alter its society or institutions to engage with Asia. Adjust the diplomatic settings, of course, and learn the languages and ways of the region, but Australia could attend the Asian party dressed as it was.
Ownership of the Asian story was part of the battle between Paul Keating and John Howard. But both stressed the enduring strengths Australia offered the region. As Keating said, Australia would go to Asia as itself, 'a society which is rare in its cultural diversity, richness and tolerance, and a country which is strong and integrated with the region around it'. The Howard mantra was that Australia faced 'no choice between its history and its geography'.
Budget week in Canberra shows how the terms of the argument have shifted. Now the discussion is of what Australia must change to adjust to Asia, as well as what Asia is doing for and to Australia.
The debate is about transforming the economy, not the society or its traditions. The comfort zone, however, has shrunk. Australia is being told that it is already being altered by Asia and must go much further.
Misconceptions About China?
From: TIME
Wang Qishan, China's vice-premier, caused a bit of a stir this week when he accused Americans of having “simple” ideas about his nation during an interview on “The Charlie Rose Show.” According to a transcript, Wang said:
But Wang's comments got me thinking about American attitudes towards the China-U.S. economic relationship. In my opinion, many Americans don't seem to fully grasp the complexity of the Chinese economy and U.S.-China economic ties, and that generates tensions between the two countries. There is a gap – and in some cases, a pretty wide one, in my opinion – between what many Americans seem to believe about China and what is truly the reality on the ground. Here are what I believe are some common misperceptions:
Common Belief One: China steals American factory jobs.
Reality: Yes, it is true that the U.S. has experienced a major decline in manufacturing employment over the past 30 years, and China is partially responsible, since much of the world's labor-intensive manufacturing (clothes, electronics, shoes) has become based in China. Even some of America's high-tech inventions, like the iPhone, are assembled in China. But where Americans get things wrong is the idea that these jobs are being “stolen,” as if something nefarious is going on. The only crime committed by the Chinese people in this regard is that they are much poorer than Americans, and thus willing to work long hours in factories for a fraction of the wage demanded by workers in the U.S. or other wealthy nations.
Wang Qishan, China's vice-premier, caused a bit of a stir this week when he accused Americans of having “simple” ideas about his nation during an interview on “The Charlie Rose Show.” According to a transcript, Wang said:
It is not easy to really know China because China is an ancient civilization and we are of the oriental culture. And for the Americans, the United States is the world's number one superpower, and the American people are a very simple people. If they're asked to choose to understand a foreign country, their first choice would be the European countries, and the South American countries may come second. It was not only until recent years that the American people have begun to pay more attention to China. But over the years American media coverage of China has been scarce, and if there were some coverage, most of them are lopsided.Wang's views about the “simple-mindedness” of Americans when it comes to the world are widely held by people just about everywhere – and they sting. I am American and I am confronted by this accusation wherever I go. My experience tells me that the average American is no more narrow-minded about the world than the average person anywhere else – let alone in China, where the Chinese aren't allowed free access to information by their government.
But Wang's comments got me thinking about American attitudes towards the China-U.S. economic relationship. In my opinion, many Americans don't seem to fully grasp the complexity of the Chinese economy and U.S.-China economic ties, and that generates tensions between the two countries. There is a gap – and in some cases, a pretty wide one, in my opinion – between what many Americans seem to believe about China and what is truly the reality on the ground. Here are what I believe are some common misperceptions:
Common Belief One: China steals American factory jobs.
Reality: Yes, it is true that the U.S. has experienced a major decline in manufacturing employment over the past 30 years, and China is partially responsible, since much of the world's labor-intensive manufacturing (clothes, electronics, shoes) has become based in China. Even some of America's high-tech inventions, like the iPhone, are assembled in China. But where Americans get things wrong is the idea that these jobs are being “stolen,” as if something nefarious is going on. The only crime committed by the Chinese people in this regard is that they are much poorer than Americans, and thus willing to work long hours in factories for a fraction of the wage demanded by workers in the U.S. or other wealthy nations.
The Persecution of Boeing
From: National Review Online
Boeing has run afoul of that fear by investing more than $1 billion in a new plant in the right-to-work state of South Carolina. With only the flimsiest legal justification, the board wants to force Boeing to reverse course and locate the facility with its current operations in Washington State, where its workers are unionized.
The NLRB’s claims are laughable on their face, although Boeing — trying to run a business in a highly competitive global market — can be forgiven for missing the joke. The board accuses Boeing of “interfering with, restraining, and coercing” its union employees in the exercise of their rights by making a thoroughly understandable business decision.
This is putting not a thumb, but a fist on the scale in favor of the unions. A writer at the liberal The New Republic says it “may be the most radical thing the Obama administration has done.” It’s an attempt to keep companies with the misfortune of operating in union-heavy states in perpetual thrall to organized labor.
The CEO of Boeing stands accused of saying the company could ill afford the “strikes happening every three to four years in Puget Sound.” In a memo, paraphrased in the NLRB complaint, Boeing management said it wanted “to reduce vulnerability to delivery disruptions caused by work stoppages.” What’s notable about these statements is that they are so obvious, they should go without saying.
H. L. Mencken defined puritanism as the haunting fear that someone, somewhere may be happy. The National Labor Relations Board is haunted by the fear that a company somewhere might be creating jobs with a nonunionized work force.
The NLRB’s claims are laughable on their face, although Boeing — trying to run a business in a highly competitive global market — can be forgiven for missing the joke. The board accuses Boeing of “interfering with, restraining, and coercing” its union employees in the exercise of their rights by making a thoroughly understandable business decision.
This is putting not a thumb, but a fist on the scale in favor of the unions. A writer at the liberal The New Republic says it “may be the most radical thing the Obama administration has done.” It’s an attempt to keep companies with the misfortune of operating in union-heavy states in perpetual thrall to organized labor.
The CEO of Boeing stands accused of saying the company could ill afford the “strikes happening every three to four years in Puget Sound.” In a memo, paraphrased in the NLRB complaint, Boeing management said it wanted “to reduce vulnerability to delivery disruptions caused by work stoppages.” What’s notable about these statements is that they are so obvious, they should go without saying.
Americanism
From: National Review Online
Panelists took as their starting point an indispensable new book by Leon and Amy Kass and Diana Schaub called What So Proudly We Hail, a selection of stories, songs, and speeches about “the American soul” that should become the Book of Virtues for patriots. From the Mayflower Compact to Flannery O’Connor, and from Ralph Ellison to George S. Patton Jr., this collection ranges across American history, lighting upon the words that have shaped and reflected us. Whether we continue to cherish the uniqueness of America was one of the questions tackled by the panel, which included Charles Krauthammer, Prof. Robert George of Princeton, Daniel Henninger of the Wall Street Journal, and Sen. Lamar Alexander, among others.
Although there were disputes on some points, the panelists were agreed that what makes America exceptional is its dedication to enduring principles, its willingness to confront and overcome failings and sins, and the great blessing of having been founded by a collection of political geniuses unequaled in human history.
Liberals always worry that a celebration of American greatness will descend into chauvinism, triumphalism, or denial of the mistakes and crimes of American history. Juan Williams, another panelist, mounted just such an objection.
One of William F. Buckley’s later books was titled simply Gratitude, which is, when you think about it, one of the cardinal conservative virtues. The spirit of gratitude was amply on display this past week at a symposium jointly sponsored by the Bradley Foundation and the Hudson Institute titled “True Americanism: What It Is and Why It Matters.” Spoiler alert: It matters.
Although there were disputes on some points, the panelists were agreed that what makes America exceptional is its dedication to enduring principles, its willingness to confront and overcome failings and sins, and the great blessing of having been founded by a collection of political geniuses unequaled in human history.
Liberals always worry that a celebration of American greatness will descend into chauvinism, triumphalism, or denial of the mistakes and crimes of American history. Juan Williams, another panelist, mounted just such an objection.
Demagoguery 101
From: Charles Krauthammer - National Review Online
Obama’s immigration speech was meant to gin up votes, not advance sound policy.
Constructive and civil debate — like the one Obama initiated just four weeks ago on deficit reduction? The speech in which he accused the Republicans of abandoning families of kids with autism and Down syndrome?
The debate in which Obama’s secretary of health and human services said that the Republican plan would make old folks “die sooner”?
In this same spirit of comity and mutual respect, Obama’s most recent invitation to civil discourse — on immigration — came just eleven minutes after he accused opponents of moving the goal posts on border enforcement. “Maybe they’ll need a moat,” he said sarcastically. “Maybe they want alligators in the moat.”
Nice touch. Looks like the Tucson truce — no demonization, no cross-hairs metaphors — is officially over.
After all, the Republicans want to kill off the elderly, throw the disabled in the snow, and watch alligators lunch on illegal immigrants.
Obama’s immigration speech was meant to gin up votes, not advance sound policy.
I’m going to do my part to lead a constructive and civil debate on these issues.
– Barack Obama, speech on immigration, El Paso, Texas, May 10Constructive and civil debate — like the one Obama initiated just four weeks ago on deficit reduction? The speech in which he accused the Republicans of abandoning families of kids with autism and Down syndrome?
The debate in which Obama’s secretary of health and human services said that the Republican plan would make old folks “die sooner”?
In this same spirit of comity and mutual respect, Obama’s most recent invitation to civil discourse — on immigration — came just eleven minutes after he accused opponents of moving the goal posts on border enforcement. “Maybe they’ll need a moat,” he said sarcastically. “Maybe they want alligators in the moat.”
Nice touch. Looks like the Tucson truce — no demonization, no cross-hairs metaphors — is officially over.
After all, the Republicans want to kill off the elderly, throw the disabled in the snow, and watch alligators lunch on illegal immigrants.
Texas House Bans Offensive Security Pat-Downs
From: CBS Dallas-Fort Worth
The Texas House passed a bill that would make it a criminal offense for public servants to inappropriately touch travelers during airport security pat-downs.
The Texas House passed a bill that would make it a criminal offense for public servants to inappropriately touch travelers during airport security pat-downs.
Approved late Thursday night, the measure makes it illegal for anyone conducting searches to touch “the anus, sexual organ, buttocks, or breast of another person” including through clothing.
It also prohibits searches “that would be offensive to a reasonable person.”
The bill’s chief sponsor is Republican Rep. David Simpson, who said, “this has to do with dignity and travel, and prohibiting indecent, groping searches.”
He believes it will keep Transportation Security Administration officials from treating travelers like criminals, though the measure may be superseded by federal law.
After a brief but raucous debate, lawmakers approved the measure with little opposition — drawing applause from supporters.
Obama To Deliver Major Speech On Mideast Next Week
From: The Daily Caller
The president will deliver a second major speech on the Middle East to reset his foreign policy following the changes that have swept through the region since his much-lauded June 2009 Cairo speech.
The contents of the planned Thursday speech are being closely held by administration officials, who only offer generalities, both off and on the record. “I’m sure that it will be a fairly sweeping and comprehensive speech about what we’ve all been privileged enough to witness since January,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said Friday. “I’m not going to say too much because I obviously want the president to have the field,” he added.
The timing of Obama’s address is puzzling, because turmoil in the Arab countries — dubbed “the Arab Spring” — may rapidly invalidate any speech, said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, the president of the GOP-affiliated American Action Forum, a libertarian-minded think-tank. “We’re still in spring, we’re not even in summer — why do you really want to talk in the middle of that?”
The rapid pace of change was underlined Friday, when the president’s envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations resigned, citing personal reasons. The envoy, former Sen. George Mitchell, announced he was stepping down shortly before the president’s scheduled meeting with Israel’s visiting prime minister.
The president is the chief author of the policies and words that will go into the the speech, which is to be delivered at the U.S. Department of State, said administration officials.
The president will deliver a second major speech on the Middle East to reset his foreign policy following the changes that have swept through the region since his much-lauded June 2009 Cairo speech.
The contents of the planned Thursday speech are being closely held by administration officials, who only offer generalities, both off and on the record. “I’m sure that it will be a fairly sweeping and comprehensive speech about what we’ve all been privileged enough to witness since January,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said Friday. “I’m not going to say too much because I obviously want the president to have the field,” he added.
The timing of Obama’s address is puzzling, because turmoil in the Arab countries — dubbed “the Arab Spring” — may rapidly invalidate any speech, said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, the president of the GOP-affiliated American Action Forum, a libertarian-minded think-tank. “We’re still in spring, we’re not even in summer — why do you really want to talk in the middle of that?”
The rapid pace of change was underlined Friday, when the president’s envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations resigned, citing personal reasons. The envoy, former Sen. George Mitchell, announced he was stepping down shortly before the president’s scheduled meeting with Israel’s visiting prime minister.
The president is the chief author of the policies and words that will go into the the speech, which is to be delivered at the U.S. Department of State, said administration officials.
Social Security,Medicare In Bad Shape
From: The Daily Caller
Social Security and Medicare Trustees Friday issued their annual report on the financial future of the two entitlement programs. The prognosis isn’t good, and, in fact, is even worse than was reported just one year ago.
According to the report, Social Security is now permanently cash negative and can no longer be funded solely from the payroll tax. It is projected to exhaust funds in 2036 — one year earlier than the report predicted last year.
Medicare isn’t faring any better. The trustees expect the fund to run out of money in 2024, and not 2029 as was previously expected. For the sixth year in a row, the trustees also, made an “excess general revenue Medicare funding” determination.
It only requires two consecutive determinations before the president is required to submit a legislative proposal to deal with the funding crisis within 15 day of his next budget.
“Today’s news that Social Security and Medicare will become insolvent even sooner than expected is a sobering wake up call and makes clear we must take action now to avoid catastrophe. Washington has no excuse. We have known for years this was coming.”
Social Security and Medicare Trustees Friday issued their annual report on the financial future of the two entitlement programs. The prognosis isn’t good, and, in fact, is even worse than was reported just one year ago.
According to the report, Social Security is now permanently cash negative and can no longer be funded solely from the payroll tax. It is projected to exhaust funds in 2036 — one year earlier than the report predicted last year.
Medicare isn’t faring any better. The trustees expect the fund to run out of money in 2024, and not 2029 as was previously expected. For the sixth year in a row, the trustees also, made an “excess general revenue Medicare funding” determination.
It only requires two consecutive determinations before the president is required to submit a legislative proposal to deal with the funding crisis within 15 day of his next budget.
“Today’s news that Social Security and Medicare will become insolvent even sooner than expected is a sobering wake up call and makes clear we must take action now to avoid catastrophe. Washington has no excuse. We have known for years this was coming.”
The American Public Opposes a Debt-Ceiling Hike
From: Commentary Magazine
The results of a new Gallup Poll will cause heartburn for the Obama administration. By a margin of 47 percent to 19 percent, Americans say they would want their member of Congress to vote against raising the U.S. debt ceiling (34 percent don’t know enough to say).
By party affiliation, Republicans oppose raising the debt ceiling by 70 percent to 8 percent. Independents oppose it by 46 percent to 15 percent. And by only 33 percent to 26 percent do Democrats favor raising the ceiling .
In addition, Gallup reports, Americans are more likely to oppose than favor raising the debt ceiling, regardless of how closely they are following the news about the issue. Among the 23 percent who are following the debt-ceiling discussion very closely, 62 percent are opposed and 25 percent are in favor of raising the current ceiling. Among those who are following the issue less closely, opposition outnumbers support by at least a 2-to-1 margin.
Earlier this year The Hill reported that only 27 percent of Americans want to raise the debt ceiling while 62 percent oppose it.
The results of a new Gallup Poll will cause heartburn for the Obama administration. By a margin of 47 percent to 19 percent, Americans say they would want their member of Congress to vote against raising the U.S. debt ceiling (34 percent don’t know enough to say).
By party affiliation, Republicans oppose raising the debt ceiling by 70 percent to 8 percent. Independents oppose it by 46 percent to 15 percent. And by only 33 percent to 26 percent do Democrats favor raising the ceiling .
In addition, Gallup reports, Americans are more likely to oppose than favor raising the debt ceiling, regardless of how closely they are following the news about the issue. Among the 23 percent who are following the debt-ceiling discussion very closely, 62 percent are opposed and 25 percent are in favor of raising the current ceiling. Among those who are following the issue less closely, opposition outnumbers support by at least a 2-to-1 margin.
Earlier this year The Hill reported that only 27 percent of Americans want to raise the debt ceiling while 62 percent oppose it.
Inflation at 2-Year High, As Rising Food, Gas Costs Boost Prices
From: CNSnews.com
Consumers paid more for gas and food in April, pushing inflation to its highest level in two and a half years. But so far this month, inflationary pressures have begun to ease.
The Consumer Price Index increased 0.4 percent in April, the Labor Department said. In the past 12 months, prices have risen 3.2 percent. That's the biggest 12-month gain since October 2008.
Excluding volatile food and energy, prices ticked up 0.2 percent and have risen only 1.3 percent this year. That's double the gain posted six months ago, but still below the level the Federal Reserve considers a healthy pace of inflation.
Oil prices have fallen from their peak of $114 a barrel earlier this month to about $100 Friday. And the price of corn and other grains have also declined in recent days.
Consumers paid more for gas and food in April, pushing inflation to its highest level in two and a half years. But so far this month, inflationary pressures have begun to ease.
The Consumer Price Index increased 0.4 percent in April, the Labor Department said. In the past 12 months, prices have risen 3.2 percent. That's the biggest 12-month gain since October 2008.
Excluding volatile food and energy, prices ticked up 0.2 percent and have risen only 1.3 percent this year. That's double the gain posted six months ago, but still below the level the Federal Reserve considers a healthy pace of inflation.
Oil prices have fallen from their peak of $114 a barrel earlier this month to about $100 Friday. And the price of corn and other grains have also declined in recent days.
Medicare Trustees Cast Doubt on ObamaCare Health Savings
From: CNSnews.com
The 2011 annual report from the Medicare Board of Trustees casts doubt on the ability of the ObamaCare health reform law to achieve significant health care costs reductions, stating it is “very uncertain” whether the sweeping reform will succeed in reducing health care costs.
The report, released Friday, said that an improved financial outlook reported for Medicare depended on the ability of ObamaCare’s cost-savings experiments to bear fruit – an outcome the Trustees found unlikely.
The Trustees said that Medicare expenditures were scheduled to rise from 3.6 percent of GDP in 2010 to 5.6 percent in 2035 and to 6.2 percent in 2085, if ObamaCare’s reforms fully pan out. If they do not, Medicare could account for as much as 10.4 percent of GDP by 2080.
“The financial projections shown for the Medicare program in this report continue to represent a substantial, but very uncertain, improvement over those prior to 2010 as a result of the Affordable Care Act,” the report states.
The report explains that if the reductions in hospital payments envisioned by ObamaCare fail to spur greater efficiency – because hospitals cannot increase efficiency any more – then they will simply refuse to treat Medicare patients.
Also, if Congress continues to stop planned reductions in physician payments – known as enacting a ‘doc fix’ – then Medicare costs will continue to rise.
“For these reasons, it is important to note that the actual future costs for Medicare are likely to exceed those shown by the current-law projections in this report,” the trustees say.
The 2011 annual report from the Medicare Board of Trustees casts doubt on the ability of the ObamaCare health reform law to achieve significant health care costs reductions, stating it is “very uncertain” whether the sweeping reform will succeed in reducing health care costs.
The report, released Friday, said that an improved financial outlook reported for Medicare depended on the ability of ObamaCare’s cost-savings experiments to bear fruit – an outcome the Trustees found unlikely.
The Trustees said that Medicare expenditures were scheduled to rise from 3.6 percent of GDP in 2010 to 5.6 percent in 2035 and to 6.2 percent in 2085, if ObamaCare’s reforms fully pan out. If they do not, Medicare could account for as much as 10.4 percent of GDP by 2080.
“The financial projections shown for the Medicare program in this report continue to represent a substantial, but very uncertain, improvement over those prior to 2010 as a result of the Affordable Care Act,” the report states.
The report explains that if the reductions in hospital payments envisioned by ObamaCare fail to spur greater efficiency – because hospitals cannot increase efficiency any more – then they will simply refuse to treat Medicare patients.
Also, if Congress continues to stop planned reductions in physician payments – known as enacting a ‘doc fix’ – then Medicare costs will continue to rise.
“For these reasons, it is important to note that the actual future costs for Medicare are likely to exceed those shown by the current-law projections in this report,” the trustees say.
Denmark Stick It To the EU
From: American Thinker
One of the crowning achievements of the European Union was the elimination of passport controls when crossing national borders within the Union itself, making the EU analogous to the United States in terms of ease of travel. Yesterday, that edifice started to crumble, when Denmark announced that it would institute passport control . France 24 reported:
Denmark was on a collision course with the European Union on Thursday as it defended a plan to unilaterally enforce stricter border controls, a policy which reflects growing resentment across Europe toward the EU "open-border" policy.
"We see a rise in cross-border crime: drugs, east European gangs, human trafficking, money smuggling... And one of the efficient ways to fight this is border control," Danish Finance Minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen said Wednesday on Danish television, adding that the enforcement measures would "be put in place as soon as possible."
Danish authorities have planned to invest over €20 million in more customs officers and advanced surveillance equipment to implement a new system of random checks of cars and passports at its borders with Germany and Sweden.
Catholic Professors Outraged At John Boehner
Left Wing hypocrites
From: American Thinker
From: American Thinker
A gaggle of professors at Catholic universities have written a letter to U.S. House Speaker John Boehner criticizing his attempts to restore sanity to the federal budget on the grounds that it hurts the poor. Boehner, who is Catholic, was sharply reprimanded by these ivory tower academics as uncharitable, unchristian, and generally courting the 'tarnal flames.
"Dozens of Catholic professors sent a letter to House Speaker John Boehner, a Catholic, asking him to rethink the GOP budget that they say disproportionately harms the poor and accused him of holding a voting record at odds with the church's teachings.
"Your record in support of legislation to address the desperate needs of the poor is among the worst in Congress," the academics wrote in the letter. "This fundamental concern should have great urgency for Catholic policymakers. Yet, even now, you work in opposition to it."
The scholars said the House Republicans' fiscal 2012 budget, which passed with no Democratic support in April, was "particularly cruel" to pregnant women and children by slashing funds for maternal and child-health programs.
"The House budget radically cuts Medicaid and effectively ends Medicare," they wrote. "It invokes the deficit to justify visiting such hardship upon the vulnerable, while it carves out $3 trillion in new tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy."
Well, well, well; where were these oh so righteous defenders of the faith when Nancy Pelosi threw a direct challenge at the authority of Rome over abortion? She did not receive a similar letter, yet her sins were more egregious; Catholics are required to believe abortion is the sin of murder, whereas Catholics are not required to believe that government social programs are an irreplaceable part of Christian charity. The double standard here is galling.
Christian charity is built originally on Old Testament charity, and it is predicated on a number of statements of Jesus. Jesus instituted the corporal works of mercy in Matthew 25:
34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
Egyptian Democrats: "The victory of our revolution will not be complete without the liberation of Palestine"
From: American Thinker
More evidence of the true nature of the Arab Spring, which I have dubbed "Spring Time for Sharia in Araby." As Reuters reports from Alexandria, the purveyors of genocidal jihad martyrdom were out in force:
And these masses simply reflect the impact of what has long been inculcated among them from the Cairo pinnacle of Islamic religious education for Sunni Islamdom, Al-Azhar University -- genocidal jihad against the Jews of Israel.
Consider a fatwa written January 5, 1956 by then Grand Mufti of Egypt, Sheikh Hasan Ma'moun, and signed by the leading members of the Fatwa Committee of Al Azhar University -- Sunni Islam's Vatican -- and the major representatives of all four Sunni Islamic schools of jurisprudence.
More evidence of the true nature of the Arab Spring, which I have dubbed "Spring Time for Sharia in Araby." As Reuters reports from Alexandria, the purveyors of genocidal jihad martyrdom were out in force:
In the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Egypt's second largest city, thousands marched to the Israeli consulate after dawn prayers at one of the city's main mosques, chanting: "With our souls, with our blood, we redeem you Palestine." We are here today to show our support for the Palestinian cause," said Mohammed Abdel-Salam, a 22-year-old activist on Friday. "The victory of our revolution will not be complete without the liberation of Palestine," he added.
And these masses simply reflect the impact of what has long been inculcated among them from the Cairo pinnacle of Islamic religious education for Sunni Islamdom, Al-Azhar University -- genocidal jihad against the Jews of Israel.
Consider a fatwa written January 5, 1956 by then Grand Mufti of Egypt, Sheikh Hasan Ma'moun, and signed by the leading members of the Fatwa Committee of Al Azhar University -- Sunni Islam's Vatican -- and the major representatives of all four Sunni Islamic schools of jurisprudence.
George Mitchell Out as U.S. Mideast Envoy
From: American Thinker
George Mitchell, who successfully negotiated the Good Friday peace agreement that ended years of sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland, is leaving his post as U.S. Mideast envoy -- unable to duplicate his Ulster triumph. It wasn't exactly his fault; the deck simply was stacked against him. President Obama and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas saw to it that there was nothing left for him to do.
Mitchell's assignment was to mediate an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but almost from the beginning he was blindsided by his boss in the White House and by Abbas's refusal to negotiate a realistic peace agreement requiring concessions by both sides.
Obama was not content to leave Mitchell to lay out his own precepts for an accord. Instead, the president imperiously demanded that Israel first agree to freeze construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as a prelude to direct negotiations -- a one-sided gift to the Palestinians. Obama's warped approach -- requiring Israel to make unilateral concessions as the price of getting Abbas to the negotiating table -- was bound to fail. And it did. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed to a good-faith negotiating process, but without preconditions. For his part, Mitchell was handcuffed and second-guessed by his own boss, who wanted a peace trophy for himself.
George Mitchell, who successfully negotiated the Good Friday peace agreement that ended years of sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland, is leaving his post as U.S. Mideast envoy -- unable to duplicate his Ulster triumph. It wasn't exactly his fault; the deck simply was stacked against him. President Obama and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas saw to it that there was nothing left for him to do.
Mitchell's assignment was to mediate an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but almost from the beginning he was blindsided by his boss in the White House and by Abbas's refusal to negotiate a realistic peace agreement requiring concessions by both sides.
Obama was not content to leave Mitchell to lay out his own precepts for an accord. Instead, the president imperiously demanded that Israel first agree to freeze construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as a prelude to direct negotiations -- a one-sided gift to the Palestinians. Obama's warped approach -- requiring Israel to make unilateral concessions as the price of getting Abbas to the negotiating table -- was bound to fail. And it did. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed to a good-faith negotiating process, but without preconditions. For his part, Mitchell was handcuffed and second-guessed by his own boss, who wanted a peace trophy for himself.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Ron Paul Would Not Have Ordered Bin Laden Mission: BREAKING IT DOWN
Excerpts from The Daily Caller
Ron Paul has never been one to follow the political norms and in many respects that is worthy of our respect. He is someone who is willing to advance seemingly controversial ideas as a matter of principal. Much criticism has been heaped upon him, but rarely has anyone taken the opportunity to substantively refute his views. This is due in large part because his views are deemed lacking in reality. Above is a portion of an interview of Ron Paul in which he says clearly he would not have authorized the NAVY SEAL raid into Pakistan. Let me break it down.
From: The Daily Caller:
“It was absolutely not necessary and I think respect for the rule of law and world law, international law,” he continued. “What if he had been in a hotel in London? So would we have sent the helicopters into London? No, you don’t want to do that.”
Ron Paul has never been one to follow the political norms and in many respects that is worthy of our respect. He is someone who is willing to advance seemingly controversial ideas as a matter of principal. Much criticism has been heaped upon him, but rarely has anyone taken the opportunity to substantively refute his views. This is due in large part because his views are deemed lacking in reality. Above is a portion of an interview of Ron Paul in which he says clearly he would not have authorized the NAVY SEAL raid into Pakistan. Let me break it down.
From: The Daily Caller:
Texas Congressman and prospective 2012 presidential candidate Ron Paul revealed in a radio interview that he would not have ordered the mission that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden almost two weeks ago.
Talking to WHO’s Simon Conway on Tuesday, Paul – who has formed an exploratory committee for president – explained that a better approach would have been to cooperate with Pakistan to arrest bin Laden like the U.S. did with Khalid Sheik Mohammed, and try him in civilian court.
“Why can’t we work with the government?” asked Paul.
Ok, now. Khalid Sheik Mohammed was captured on March 1st 2003 in Pakistan, just Eighteen months after 9/11. The politics of the day were much closer to the events and as such necessitated greater cooperation from the Pakistani Government. More importantly, Pakistan has had free elections since 2008 and at the time of Mohammed's capture Pervez Musharraf was an authoritarian ruler who could successfully direct every phase of political,military,diplomatic and intelligence in the administration of government. The present political makeup in Pakistan has fractured the country and its ability for single minded action. Musharraf could handle Al Qaeda supporters at home, but a much weaker central government is driven by public passions, many of which viewed Bin Laden as a hero. Therefore, the conditions that led to Mohammed's capture in 2003 are no longer prevalent at present. It is evident that sympathetic Pakistani's would never have handed over Bin Laden. Ron Paul, also overlooks the fact that Bin Laden was in that compound for six years in an area coined "The West Point of Pakistan". Does Ron Paul really believe that no one in a position to know was ignorant of Bin Laden's status? Such a conclusion is sadly naive.
Again From The Daily Caller
Jennifer Griffin: Mom and News Reporter Who Covered Osama bin Laden's Death
A very nice article about a great FOX correspondent and one very classy lady
From: Goody Blog
This past Sunday, Jennifer Griffin, a Pentagon Correspondent for FOX News, was at home in the D.C. area trying to tuck her 2-year-old son into bed, when a source called to announce bin Laden’s death. Suddenly, from focusing on a child who was staying up past his bedtime, Griffin found herself focusing on confirming the death with multiple sources. She called into FOX News to report on air and then from there, drove to the Pentagon to continue more reporting for the next 24 hours. In addition to reporting on the war in the Middle East (she was there on 9/11) and national security issues, Griffin is also the mother of three young kids, two girls and one boy.
“I had just gotten home from a friend’s house with 2-year-old Luke, my youngest. It was later than his bedtime, and I was scrambling to warm him a bottle and convince him to put on pajamas. I was at the stove when all of my phones started ringing. The messages on my Blackberry made it seem like [Libyan leader Muammar] Qaddafi had been killed. I put on the TV, gave Luke a bottle on the couch, and told him to be very quiet. That’s when I got a call saying that it was Osama bin Laden, but the source said I couldn’t go [on air] with [the news] unless I got a second confirmation.
“I started dialing like mad and I had three phone lines going at once. I finally got an e-mail from a top-level intelligence source with a one word answer to my question, sent at 10:25 pm on Sunday, May 1: We got him? Dead? The response, sent at 10:47 pm, was: Yes…
“I went on air [over the phone] with Geraldo Rivera of FOX News. My fingers were shaking so badly; my thumbs couldn’t type ’Urgent’ on my Blackberry for a bureau-wide distribution of the news.
“Luke was still awake, so I bribed him with a lollipop to send him downstairs with a new babysitter who had arrived. I ran upstairs and woke up Greg, my husband. Then, I grabbed some clothes, shoved them into a bag, and ran out the door to drive to the Pentagon. I ran a few red lights down Massachusetts Avenue, past the Vice President’s house, and parked at the Pentagon. When I entered, the guards cheered: “We got him!”
“Never showering, I stayed there all night and kept reporting live until 7 pm the next day. When I called home to check on the kids in the morning, my 10-year-old daughter Annalise answered and didn’t say “Hi, Mommy.” Instead, she simply shouted, “Alleluia!” We laughed.
“When I finally left the Pentagon, I looked out at the people milling around the 9/11 Memorial. I remembered reporting on its opening three years ago. It was so calm. So somber. Even though it was a perfect spring day. I got overwhelmed with emotion and remembered exactly where I was in the Middle East on 9/11. Also, I thought back to when my family was in Jerusalem and Annalise was the same age as Luke. Often, I had to run out the door to cover a suicide bombing or terrorist attack. This time, the tables were turned; the story was how we got the world’s number one terrorist. Instead of my daughter, I had been trying to keep my son calm until I could race into work. There was a feeling of déjà vu.”
“Now I thought about how I would explain, when Luke was older, where we were when news was received about bin Laden. Even though I had to leave my girls at a moment’s notice many years before, they now understand why the work was important. Whenever I feel bad, I think of the moms and dads in the military who have to leave their kids routinely for one-year assignments. This helps me get some perspective. The only other way to appease mother’s guilt is by telling myself, One day they will understand.
“This will make a great story when they are old enough — and today was one for the history books.”
From: Goody Blog
This past Sunday, Jennifer Griffin, a Pentagon Correspondent for FOX News, was at home in the D.C. area trying to tuck her 2-year-old son into bed, when a source called to announce bin Laden’s death. Suddenly, from focusing on a child who was staying up past his bedtime, Griffin found herself focusing on confirming the death with multiple sources. She called into FOX News to report on air and then from there, drove to the Pentagon to continue more reporting for the next 24 hours. In addition to reporting on the war in the Middle East (she was there on 9/11) and national security issues, Griffin is also the mother of three young kids, two girls and one boy.
“I had just gotten home from a friend’s house with 2-year-old Luke, my youngest. It was later than his bedtime, and I was scrambling to warm him a bottle and convince him to put on pajamas. I was at the stove when all of my phones started ringing. The messages on my Blackberry made it seem like [Libyan leader Muammar] Qaddafi had been killed. I put on the TV, gave Luke a bottle on the couch, and told him to be very quiet. That’s when I got a call saying that it was Osama bin Laden, but the source said I couldn’t go [on air] with [the news] unless I got a second confirmation.
“I started dialing like mad and I had three phone lines going at once. I finally got an e-mail from a top-level intelligence source with a one word answer to my question, sent at 10:25 pm on Sunday, May 1: We got him? Dead? The response, sent at 10:47 pm, was: Yes…
“I went on air [over the phone] with Geraldo Rivera of FOX News. My fingers were shaking so badly; my thumbs couldn’t type ’Urgent’ on my Blackberry for a bureau-wide distribution of the news.
“Luke was still awake, so I bribed him with a lollipop to send him downstairs with a new babysitter who had arrived. I ran upstairs and woke up Greg, my husband. Then, I grabbed some clothes, shoved them into a bag, and ran out the door to drive to the Pentagon. I ran a few red lights down Massachusetts Avenue, past the Vice President’s house, and parked at the Pentagon. When I entered, the guards cheered: “We got him!”
“Never showering, I stayed there all night and kept reporting live until 7 pm the next day. When I called home to check on the kids in the morning, my 10-year-old daughter Annalise answered and didn’t say “Hi, Mommy.” Instead, she simply shouted, “Alleluia!” We laughed.
“When I finally left the Pentagon, I looked out at the people milling around the 9/11 Memorial. I remembered reporting on its opening three years ago. It was so calm. So somber. Even though it was a perfect spring day. I got overwhelmed with emotion and remembered exactly where I was in the Middle East on 9/11. Also, I thought back to when my family was in Jerusalem and Annalise was the same age as Luke. Often, I had to run out the door to cover a suicide bombing or terrorist attack. This time, the tables were turned; the story was how we got the world’s number one terrorist. Instead of my daughter, I had been trying to keep my son calm until I could race into work. There was a feeling of déjà vu.”
“Now I thought about how I would explain, when Luke was older, where we were when news was received about bin Laden. Even though I had to leave my girls at a moment’s notice many years before, they now understand why the work was important. Whenever I feel bad, I think of the moms and dads in the military who have to leave their kids routinely for one-year assignments. This helps me get some perspective. The only other way to appease mother’s guilt is by telling myself, One day they will understand.
“This will make a great story when they are old enough — and today was one for the history books.”
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Jack Davis Assault Ends Dems Hopein New York 26
Jack Davis is running on the "Tea Party" line in New York 26th Special Election even though he ran as a Democrat three times. He refused to debate and then this happened when confronted by a cameraman.o. He was thought thought to be a spoiler to keep the GOP from holding onto a solid seat. Increased attention,more money and this assault seals the deal and spoils the donkey's hopes.
New Vikings Stadium: One More Example of Crony Capitalism
I've always disliked taxpayer dollars being used to build stadiums for professional franchises. The most absurd of course is in Miami where the Florida Marlins, a very competetive team draws flies and somehow got taxpayer funding for a new stadium. I'm all for the free market, a free market meaning the enterprise pays for itself and its facilities. I love the NFL, but where new stadiums they are "crony capitalists". They only want to take the risks if it's not their money on the line. Below is a article from GCOBB.com, a veteran linebacker of eleven years
From: GCOBB.com
I grew up in love with the NFL and was fortunate enough to play 11 years in the league, but I think something has gone obviously wrong with the league. I hear all the time that too many players have an entitlement mentality.
If players have an entitlement mentality, what about the owners? They seem to feel that they deserve to have people fork over billions of dollars to build them a new stadium to help them make more money.I just read that Minnesota taxpayers are going to fork out $300 million dollars to help build a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings. They’re also kicking in another $100-$175 million dollars for transportation improvements in the area.
Are you kidding me? Throughout the country, we’re closing schools and laying off police but we’ve got $300 million dollars to give to Minnesota Vikings billionaire owner Zygi Wilf?
Wilf is a billionaire real estate developer who has built many malls throughout the country. He’s a billionaire but they’re going to tax average citizens of Minnesota so that Wilf can build more suites in a new stadium, so that he can make more money.
We all know our politicians are never going to stop spending, but do we need to be paying for a new stadium for a billionaires to get richer?
From: GCOBB.com
I grew up in love with the NFL and was fortunate enough to play 11 years in the league, but I think something has gone obviously wrong with the league. I hear all the time that too many players have an entitlement mentality.
If players have an entitlement mentality, what about the owners? They seem to feel that they deserve to have people fork over billions of dollars to build them a new stadium to help them make more money.I just read that Minnesota taxpayers are going to fork out $300 million dollars to help build a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings. They’re also kicking in another $100-$175 million dollars for transportation improvements in the area.
Are you kidding me? Throughout the country, we’re closing schools and laying off police but we’ve got $300 million dollars to give to Minnesota Vikings billionaire owner Zygi Wilf?
Wilf is a billionaire real estate developer who has built many malls throughout the country. He’s a billionaire but they’re going to tax average citizens of Minnesota so that Wilf can build more suites in a new stadium, so that he can make more money.
We all know our politicians are never going to stop spending, but do we need to be paying for a new stadium for a billionaires to get richer?
Denmark: Getting Immigration Right
From: Gates of Vienna
Denmark Suspends the Schengen Agreement
C.Cantoni sent this terse announcement a few hours ago:
Denmark has suspended the Schengen treaty and re-introduced controls at its borders with Germany and Sweden. It was announced by the country’s Finance Minister, Claus Hjort Frederiksen. . .
As our regular readers know, the Baron has been following closely the events in Italy as its coast continues to be inundated with boatloads of refugees from North Africa and environs. Besides documenting the numbers of asylum-seekers, he’s also been commenting on the EU’s stunning willingness to let Italy simply drown in effluvia.
Though the bureaucrats in Brussels have offered some limited, limp-wristed assistance and a few sermons, there has been a marked lack of any robust help for Italy during this siege. However, it appears they’re actually worried enough to hold secret meetings about the situation.
The most concise and informative MSM story [I could find] was half a world away, here:
Denmark has suspended the Schengen treaty and re-introduced controls at its borders with Germany and Sweden. It was announced by the country’s Finance Minister, Claus Hjort Frederiksen. . .
As our regular readers know, the Baron has been following closely the events in Italy as its coast continues to be inundated with boatloads of refugees from North Africa and environs. Besides documenting the numbers of asylum-seekers, he’s also been commenting on the EU’s stunning willingness to let Italy simply drown in effluvia.
Though the bureaucrats in Brussels have offered some limited, limp-wristed assistance and a few sermons, there has been a marked lack of any robust help for Italy during this siege. However, it appears they’re actually worried enough to hold secret meetings about the situation.
The most concise and informative MSM story [I could find] was half a world away, here:
"Why are Americans so angry about petrol prices?"
Althouse: "Why are Americans so angry about petrol prices?": "BBC tries to explain those strange Americans. Americans use their cars more, so the pain is greater. They have, on average, a longer daily ..."
EU lawmakers pledge to take part in new Gaza flotilla
From: Haaretz
The organizers of a new Gaza flotilla on Tuesday vowed to carry out their plan to break an Israeli naval blockade and deliver aid to the Gaza Strip, in what an Israeli official warned would be a "political provocation."
The flotilla is expected to reach the waters off Gaza in the third week of June, Greek organizer Vangelis Pissias said at a press conference hosted by European Union parliamentarians in Strasbourg.
The attempt would come one year after Israeli commandos boarded a similar flotilla on the high seas and clashed with those aboard the main Turkish ship, resulting in the deaths of nine Turkish activists.
Several EU lawmakers have pledged to take part in the new flotilla, with organizers saying that their status will help protect others on board.
The ships will carry school materials, medical equipment and possibly construction equipment for Gaza citizens, according to organizer Manuel Tapial.
"Civil society has a responsibility, a responsibility when the political class is hesitant," the Spanish activist said. "I feel that this is the case here."
The organizers of a new Gaza flotilla on Tuesday vowed to carry out their plan to break an Israeli naval blockade and deliver aid to the Gaza Strip, in what an Israeli official warned would be a "political provocation."
The flotilla is expected to reach the waters off Gaza in the third week of June, Greek organizer Vangelis Pissias said at a press conference hosted by European Union parliamentarians in Strasbourg.
The attempt would come one year after Israeli commandos boarded a similar flotilla on the high seas and clashed with those aboard the main Turkish ship, resulting in the deaths of nine Turkish activists.
Several EU lawmakers have pledged to take part in the new flotilla, with organizers saying that their status will help protect others on board.
The ships will carry school materials, medical equipment and possibly construction equipment for Gaza citizens, according to organizer Manuel Tapial.
"Civil society has a responsibility, a responsibility when the political class is hesitant," the Spanish activist said. "I feel that this is the case here."
AFRICOM's Libyan Expedition
From: Foreign Affairs
Until Operation Odyssey Dawn began in Libya on March 19, U.S. Africa Command -- the United States’ newest combatant command, established in October 2008 -- was largely untested. There was reason to worry that AFRICOM, which would lead the operation, was too green, and its mandate too soft, for it to perform up to U.S. standards.
Yet in launching the U.S. intervention in Libya, AFRICOM, led by its commander, General Carter Ham, acquitted itself well. On the first day of the operation, it coordinated the combat operations of 11 American warships and dozens of aircraft, fired 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles, and delivered 45 Joint Direct Attack Munitions to ground targets. By March 23, AFRICOM-led coalition forces had steadily expanded the no-fly zone from northwest Libya and parts of central Libya to the entire coastline. And on March 26, AFRICOM began coordinating operations to destroy armored vehicles, effectively (if not with specific intent) providing close air support to rebel forces. AFRICOM lost only one aircraft -- an F-15 fighter that crashed on March 22 due to a mechanical malfunction -- and suffered no fatalities.
There was, however, political backlash to AFRICOM’s active fighting role in the conflict. Although the three African non-permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda -- had acquiesced to UN Resolution 1973, the bill that green-lighted the intervention, the African Union unequivocally opposed it. After the campaign began, the AU even tried to arrange a cease-fire, under which Libyan leader Muammar al Qaddafi would have opened channels for humanitarian aid and undertaken negotiations with the rebels but would also have been allowed to stay in power.
Until Operation Odyssey Dawn began in Libya on March 19, U.S. Africa Command -- the United States’ newest combatant command, established in October 2008 -- was largely untested. There was reason to worry that AFRICOM, which would lead the operation, was too green, and its mandate too soft, for it to perform up to U.S. standards.
Yet in launching the U.S. intervention in Libya, AFRICOM, led by its commander, General Carter Ham, acquitted itself well. On the first day of the operation, it coordinated the combat operations of 11 American warships and dozens of aircraft, fired 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles, and delivered 45 Joint Direct Attack Munitions to ground targets. By March 23, AFRICOM-led coalition forces had steadily expanded the no-fly zone from northwest Libya and parts of central Libya to the entire coastline. And on March 26, AFRICOM began coordinating operations to destroy armored vehicles, effectively (if not with specific intent) providing close air support to rebel forces. AFRICOM lost only one aircraft -- an F-15 fighter that crashed on March 22 due to a mechanical malfunction -- and suffered no fatalities.
There was, however, political backlash to AFRICOM’s active fighting role in the conflict. Although the three African non-permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda -- had acquiesced to UN Resolution 1973, the bill that green-lighted the intervention, the African Union unequivocally opposed it. After the campaign began, the AU even tried to arrange a cease-fire, under which Libyan leader Muammar al Qaddafi would have opened channels for humanitarian aid and undertaken negotiations with the rebels but would also have been allowed to stay in power.
Toomey Unveils Budget:Balance By 2021
From: National Review Online
Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania unveiled his budget this afternoon at a Capitol Hill press conference. Four conservatives joined him on the dais: Sen. Jim DeMint (R., S.C.), Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), Sen. Mike Lee (R., Utah), and Sen. Ron Johnson (R., Wis.).
In his opening remarks, Toomey noted that there are differences between his proposal and the Ryan budget in the House, where long-term entitlement reform is the crux. The goal for his legislation, he said, is to “demonstrate that it is, in fact, possible to balance the budget within ten years without raising taxes.”
Pro-growth tax policies are at the heart of Toomey’s plan. His budget reaches balance by 2020 by lowering federal spending to 18.5 percent of gross domestic product, reforming the tax code, lowering marginal tax rates, and closing tax loopholes. It also reduces the corporate-tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent and indexes the alternative minimum tax for inflation.
On defense, Toomey “assumes a full withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan by 2018, contingent on security needs,” and slows the growth of defense spending by using the Pentagon savings identified by Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
On health care, Toomey’s budget repeals Obamacare taxes and spending. It also implements a block-grant program for Medicaid, much like Ryan does in his budget. Medicaid spending is gradually reduced to $14 billion above Fiscal Year 2008 levels by 2019.
Toomey’s approach to Medicare, however, generated the most buzz among reporters.
Toomey, a well known supporter of entitlement reform, decided to leave any major changes to Medicare and Social Security out of the mix. This approach, of course, is decidedly different than the comprehensive Ryan budget.
Toomey acknowledged this up front. “It is my view that a permanent solution to the fiscal challenges that we face will require broader reforms than what we have in this budget,” he said. “But this budget represents what we think of as a necessary first step; it reaches a balance.”
Toomey, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, said that he would vote for Ryan’s budget if it was brought to the floor. His budget, he emphasized, was not a competing document. “I see this as a different focus,” he said. “[Ryan’s] goal is long-term, it’s permanent solvency, and he walks through the structural reforms that would achieve that.”
In response to a reporter’s question about why Medicare reform was left out of Toomey’s budget, Rubio said that comparing the two is akin to “talking about apples and oranges. This is a ten-year budget and certainly it could accommodate structural changes that save Medicare.”
DeMint agreed. He said that his ultimate goal, as ever, is to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment. Ratification would take years, so as he pushes for that reform, he is more than comfortable with supporting Toomey’s idea in the interim: addressing tax reform and spending cuts while openly considering a variety of entitlement reforms.
As Democrats demonize the Ryan plan and tag Republicans as Medicare foes, DeMint pointed out that Toomey’s budget is a complement. “As far as taking anything away [from current retirees], we don’t envision that and neither did Paul Ryan’s plan,” DeMint said. “The ten-year window is consistent. I think most of us here support Paul Ryan’s plan in the ten-year window.”
“Senator Toomey has advocated more money for Medicare than the president did,” DeMint observed. “You want to look at real cuts in Medicare, look at what the president is planning at this point.”
Beyond the press-conference speakers, co-sponsors for the measure include Sen. Tom Coburn (R., Okla.), Sen. Richard Burr (R., N.C.), and Sen. David Vitter (R., La.).
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
28.4% of mortgages underwater.
From: Moe Lane
Note that this article doesn’t quite get the original report right, sort-of kind-of thank goodness; it confuses mortgage holders with homeowners when reporting the percentage of underwater mortgages (mortgages where the holders owe more on a piece of real estate than the real estate is actually worth). In other words, 28.4% of homeowners with mortgages have underwater ones, not 28.4% of all homes.
Note that this article doesn’t quite get the original report right, sort-of kind-of thank goodness; it confuses mortgage holders with homeowners when reporting the percentage of underwater mortgages (mortgages where the holders owe more on a piece of real estate than the real estate is actually worth). In other words, 28.4% of homeowners with mortgages have underwater ones, not 28.4% of all homes.
Euthanasia, Athanasius, and Dying Dogs
From: First Things
We recently put our dog to sleep. Born an excitable and aggressive animal with chronic diarrhea and an unstable temperament, we poured far more money into Chloe (as she was named) than we could afford, and would have spent even more to save her: if her salvation had been possible. It was not.
In the final week of her life, Chloe’s hair fell out, her appetite and strength faded, her hips stiffened, and her behavior grew erratic and violent toward our children. Twice she attacked our oldest son (whom she loved) and we were fortunate that the boy was strong and quick. For the safety of our children, we put her down, albeit with great sorrow and sadness.
Unfortunately for Chloe, we were able to guess at the cause of her sickness only after she was euthanized. A month after her death, we encountered a German Shepherd whose ill-health so perfectly resembled hers as to make it plain that Chloe likely became aggressive because she was crazed from starvation due to an acute enzyme deficiency. It was heartbreaking to realize a bit of powder mixed with her food might have saved Chloe—if diagnosed before she was too far gone into dangerous aggression. Only God knows for certain.
I wonder whether we might have saved her if one of us could have become a dog for a week. We could have run with Chloe to identify the causes of her pain and better understood nearly imperceptible tippers for her aggression. Every person in the family would have volunteered to become true dog—man incarnate as dog—to save Chloe. We would not have scorned the shame. Why? Because all of us loved that German Shepherd puppy.
We recently put our dog to sleep. Born an excitable and aggressive animal with chronic diarrhea and an unstable temperament, we poured far more money into Chloe (as she was named) than we could afford, and would have spent even more to save her: if her salvation had been possible. It was not.
In the final week of her life, Chloe’s hair fell out, her appetite and strength faded, her hips stiffened, and her behavior grew erratic and violent toward our children. Twice she attacked our oldest son (whom she loved) and we were fortunate that the boy was strong and quick. For the safety of our children, we put her down, albeit with great sorrow and sadness.
Unfortunately for Chloe, we were able to guess at the cause of her sickness only after she was euthanized. A month after her death, we encountered a German Shepherd whose ill-health so perfectly resembled hers as to make it plain that Chloe likely became aggressive because she was crazed from starvation due to an acute enzyme deficiency. It was heartbreaking to realize a bit of powder mixed with her food might have saved Chloe—if diagnosed before she was too far gone into dangerous aggression. Only God knows for certain.
I wonder whether we might have saved her if one of us could have become a dog for a week. We could have run with Chloe to identify the causes of her pain and better understood nearly imperceptible tippers for her aggression. Every person in the family would have volunteered to become true dog—man incarnate as dog—to save Chloe. We would not have scorned the shame. Why? Because all of us loved that German Shepherd puppy.
Arizona Moonbats Want Their Ow...
From:JammieWearingFool "I have a better idea: Why don't these loser liberals just pack up and leave ? A long-simmering movement by liberal stalwarts in southern Ar..."
The New Luddites
Imagine a world with no fossil fuels. I can and it would suck.
From: CNSnews.com
What's old is new again in rural Virginia, where a new environmental education center is inviting the public to take a look at farming in what it calls the post-fossil-fuel world.
The 127-acre Living Energy Farm in Louisa County will show that “it is possible to live a healthy, joyful life without the use of any fossil fuel,” project organizers say.
They hope to set an example while actively promoting a lifestyle and technologies that are “truly sustainable” and available to all people, regardless of income or social position. The lifestyle includes cooperative housing and income-sharing.
On Friday, May 13, the Living Energy Farm will hold an open house to explain its mix of “very old and very new technologies.”
Using oxen as draft animals is part of the farm’s zero-fossil-fuel formula. The farm also plans to offer a workshop for “anyone interested in learning how to train their own oxen,” the news release said.
Energy sources at the fledgling farm will range from high density solar to steam power. Home insulation will consist of straw bales. Transportation will consist of bicycles, ox carts and vehicles that allow gasoline engines to run directly off woodchips or other cellulosic debris. And the building design will incorporate cross-ventilation for cooling and passive solar for heating.
No ‘electronic escapism’
From: CNSnews.com
What's old is new again in rural Virginia, where a new environmental education center is inviting the public to take a look at farming in what it calls the post-fossil-fuel world.
The 127-acre Living Energy Farm in Louisa County will show that “it is possible to live a healthy, joyful life without the use of any fossil fuel,” project organizers say.
They hope to set an example while actively promoting a lifestyle and technologies that are “truly sustainable” and available to all people, regardless of income or social position. The lifestyle includes cooperative housing and income-sharing.
On Friday, May 13, the Living Energy Farm will hold an open house to explain its mix of “very old and very new technologies.”
Using oxen as draft animals is part of the farm’s zero-fossil-fuel formula. The farm also plans to offer a workshop for “anyone interested in learning how to train their own oxen,” the news release said.
Energy sources at the fledgling farm will range from high density solar to steam power. Home insulation will consist of straw bales. Transportation will consist of bicycles, ox carts and vehicles that allow gasoline engines to run directly off woodchips or other cellulosic debris. And the building design will incorporate cross-ventilation for cooling and passive solar for heating.
No ‘electronic escapism’
Activists to call on Sheriff Joe Arpaio to resign
From: AzCentral
A group of activists is planning to call for the resignation of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and ask the U.S. Attorney's Office to place the Sheriff's Office into receivership.
County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, a longtime critic of Arpaio's management and immigration policies, expects to be joined by several dozen protesters at a news conference Wednesday calling for the actions following the Board of Supervisors' regularly scheduled formal meeting at 9 a.m.
Arpaio's critics cite the misspending of $99.5 million by his agency over eight years, and a recent internal investigation that found mismanagement by his top commanders, as reasons to seek the sheriff's ouster.
The activists will also "encourage" federal prosecutors to move forward with an abuse-of-power case against Arpaio, former County Attorney Andrew Thomas and others, and ask U.S. Attorney for Arizona Dennis Burke to place the Sheriff's Office - the county's largest agency - into receivership.
Receivership is a legal process by which court-appointed outside management is brought in to run an organization or agency.
Arpaio declined to respond directly to the actions, but a spokesman said he indicated he would continue to work with the board.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office declined comment.
Since December 2009, a federal grand jury has been meeting periodically to review information developed by the U.S. Department of Justice during its probe of county law enforcement. That investigation is ongoing.
"We're asking for the resignation of Arpaio and we will be pressing the federal government to . . . move the Sheriff's Office to receivership," Wilcox said. "The management of the finances of MCSO has been horrendous, and the recent report from Pinal County shows there's been abuse of power."
A group of activists is planning to call for the resignation of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and ask the U.S. Attorney's Office to place the Sheriff's Office into receivership.
County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, a longtime critic of Arpaio's management and immigration policies, expects to be joined by several dozen protesters at a news conference Wednesday calling for the actions following the Board of Supervisors' regularly scheduled formal meeting at 9 a.m.
Arpaio's critics cite the misspending of $99.5 million by his agency over eight years, and a recent internal investigation that found mismanagement by his top commanders, as reasons to seek the sheriff's ouster.
The activists will also "encourage" federal prosecutors to move forward with an abuse-of-power case against Arpaio, former County Attorney Andrew Thomas and others, and ask U.S. Attorney for Arizona Dennis Burke to place the Sheriff's Office - the county's largest agency - into receivership.
Receivership is a legal process by which court-appointed outside management is brought in to run an organization or agency.
Arpaio declined to respond directly to the actions, but a spokesman said he indicated he would continue to work with the board.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office declined comment.
Since December 2009, a federal grand jury has been meeting periodically to review information developed by the U.S. Department of Justice during its probe of county law enforcement. That investigation is ongoing.
"We're asking for the resignation of Arpaio and we will be pressing the federal government to . . . move the Sheriff's Office to receivership," Wilcox said. "The management of the finances of MCSO has been horrendous, and the recent report from Pinal County shows there's been abuse of power."
China Wants a Peek at Stealth Helicopter
From: ABC News
Pakistani officials said today they're interested in studying the remains of the U.S.'s secret stealth-modified helicopter abandoned during the Navy SEAL raid of Osama bin Laden's compound, and suggested the Chinese are as well.
The U.S. has already asked the Pakistanis for the helicopter wreckage back, but one Pakistani official told ABC News the Chinese were also "very interested" in seeing the remains. Another official said, "We might let them [the Chinese] take a look."
A U.S. official said he did not know if the Pakistanis had offered a peek to the Chinese, but said he would be "shocked" if the Chinese hadn't already been given access to the damaged aircraft.
The chopper, which aviation experts believe to be a highly classified modified version of a Blackhawk helicopter, clipped a wall during the operation that took down the al Qaeda leader, the White House said.
The U.S. Navy SEALs that rode in on the bird attempted to destroy it after abandoning it on the ground, but a significant portion of the tail section survived the explosion. In the days after the raid, the tail section and other pieces of debris -- including a mysterious cloth-like covering that the local children found entertaining to play with -- were photographed being hauled away from the crash site by tractor.
Aviation experts said the unusual configuration of the rear rotor, the curious hub-cap like housing around it and the general shape of the bird are all clues the helicopter was highly modified to not only be quiet, but to have as small a radar signature as possible.
Pakistani officials said today they're interested in studying the remains of the U.S.'s secret stealth-modified helicopter abandoned during the Navy SEAL raid of Osama bin Laden's compound, and suggested the Chinese are as well.
The U.S. has already asked the Pakistanis for the helicopter wreckage back, but one Pakistani official told ABC News the Chinese were also "very interested" in seeing the remains. Another official said, "We might let them [the Chinese] take a look."
A U.S. official said he did not know if the Pakistanis had offered a peek to the Chinese, but said he would be "shocked" if the Chinese hadn't already been given access to the damaged aircraft.
The chopper, which aviation experts believe to be a highly classified modified version of a Blackhawk helicopter, clipped a wall during the operation that took down the al Qaeda leader, the White House said.
The U.S. Navy SEALs that rode in on the bird attempted to destroy it after abandoning it on the ground, but a significant portion of the tail section survived the explosion. In the days after the raid, the tail section and other pieces of debris -- including a mysterious cloth-like covering that the local children found entertaining to play with -- were photographed being hauled away from the crash site by tractor.
Aviation experts said the unusual configuration of the rear rotor, the curious hub-cap like housing around it and the general shape of the bird are all clues the helicopter was highly modified to not only be quiet, but to have as small a radar signature as possible.
48 Day Wait In Massachussetts Under Romneycare
From: The Blog Prof
Massachusetts did as a state what Pelosi, Reid and Obama want to force on the entire nation, and if the courts uphold ObamaCare as constitutional, then we have no Republic. At least the state of Massachusetts had a right to pass such stupidity. The Congress does not even have that. In any case, the result of what MA did was quite predictable, as is ObamaCare. From The Boston Globe via HotAir headlines: Wait time for doctors in Massachusetts now as high as 48 days
Massachusetts did as a state what Pelosi, Reid and Obama want to force on the entire nation, and if the courts uphold ObamaCare as constitutional, then we have no Republic. At least the state of Massachusetts had a right to pass such stupidity. The Congress does not even have that. In any case, the result of what MA did was quite predictable, as is ObamaCare. From The Boston Globe via HotAir headlines: Wait time for doctors in Massachusetts now as high as 48 days
'The Incandescent Light Bulb Freedom Act,'
From: American Thinker
Are you stocking up on incandescent bulbs? I value my eyesight and don't plan to read by a light that gives off the equivalent wattage of what my great grandfather had to put up with - whale oil.
That said, South Carolina is trying to do something about it. The Foundry:
Are you stocking up on incandescent bulbs? I value my eyesight and don't plan to read by a light that gives off the equivalent wattage of what my great grandfather had to put up with - whale oil.
That said, South Carolina is trying to do something about it. The Foundry:
The Incandescent Light Bulb Freedom Act, which unanimously passed South Carolina's Senate panel, would allow South Carolina manufacturers to continue to sell incandescent bulbs so long as they have "Made in South Carolina" on them and are sold only within the state. Other states have floated the idea, and last year Arizona passed a bill that would have done the same thing, but Governor Jan Brewer (R) vetoed the legislation.
Whether the legislation becomes law remains to be seen, and even if it does become law, lawsuits will likely ensue. Regardless, South Carolina's efforts demonstrate the will to remove the federal government's ability to restrict individual choice. If the compact florescent light bulb (CFL) is a better choice, consumers will make that choice without the government's push.
Monday, May 09, 2011
California Balks at Public Display of American Flag
From: The Weekly Standard
In the small town of Orcutt, California, a private association has raised donations to erect a flagpole and monument between a highway exit and a park-and-ride lot, at the entrance to the community’s Old Town section. The pole would hang the American flag, encircled by five pillars, one each for the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. The California Department of Transportation (CalTrans), however, has stymied the effort, calling it an impermissible act of “public expression.”
The Orcutt Pioneer reports that, although the Old Town Orcutt Revitalization Association (OTORA) “intends its flag as a tribute and symbol of freedom” — which would seem to be how most Americans would view their nation’s flag — “CalTrans sees it as a form of speech or expression, something more personal than patriotic.”
In Search Of...With Leonard Nimoy (1978) On Global Cooling
I linked a post to the Blog Prof earlier today regarding a post about "Global Cooling", In it were three YOU TUBE links to "In Search Of", with Leonard Nimoy from 1975, I remember and loved watching the show as a kid. It's hokey to look at today, and many episodes were dubious. This episode was obviously dubious because it was wrong, but it demonstrates how we have come full circle from forecasts of a "NEW ICE AGE", to "MELTING POLAR CAPS".
State Department Ignores Christian Slaughter
From: Front Page Magazine
“It’s time to speak out against hate,” declared Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a video introducing the State Department’s new “campaign to stop bigotry.” Created by the Obama administration’s Special Representative to Muslim Communities, Farah Pandith, and Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, Hannah Rosenthal, 2011 Hours Against Hate will “promote respect across lines of culture, religion, tradition, class, and gender.” (All 23 current classifications of gender? Just wondering.) The campaign was launched at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, February 17, 2011.
At the OSCE, Pandith raised legitimate concerns about the defacing of mosques and of Jewish tombs, schools, synagogues, and kosher shops. But she also said that the “latest trends show growing movements that target ‘the other’ – be they immigrants, or religious and ethnic minorities, in the name of protecting the identity and ‘purity’ of their nation.” By 2011 Hours Against Hate standards, British Prime Minister David Cameron’s declaration that multiculturalism has failed is a dangerous targeting of “the other.” Pandith also noted that “permissibility of anti-Muslim speech is growing.” Really? A host of individuals facing charges, paying fines, and hiding from death threats would be surprised to hear this. But then it seems permissible to target “the other” of “the other.”
“Hate is hate, no matter who the target is,” 2011 Hours Against Hate intones. But some targets of hatred appear to be more equal than others. Perhaps because some leftist elites never got over their assumption that Christians are the persecutors, not the persecuted, they have difficulty speaking out against hatred aimed at those whom the mainstream media sees as hate-mongers.
On April 29, 2011, the State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom (IRF) co-sponsored a 2011 Hours Against Hate event. Hosted by George Washington University, the event was billed as a “Town Hall Discussion on U.S. efforts to combat discrimination and hatred against Jews, Muslims, and others.”
Hopefully, the 100 million-plus Christians experiencing persecution around the world today, along with Hindus, Sikhs, Baha’i, etc., are included in “and others.” The IRF office should be reminded that advocates for persecuted Christians played a major role in its creation, along with the creation of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Both were mandates of the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).
“It’s time to speak out against hate,” declared Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a video introducing the State Department’s new “campaign to stop bigotry.” Created by the Obama administration’s Special Representative to Muslim Communities, Farah Pandith, and Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, Hannah Rosenthal, 2011 Hours Against Hate will “promote respect across lines of culture, religion, tradition, class, and gender.” (All 23 current classifications of gender? Just wondering.) The campaign was launched at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, February 17, 2011.
At the OSCE, Pandith raised legitimate concerns about the defacing of mosques and of Jewish tombs, schools, synagogues, and kosher shops. But she also said that the “latest trends show growing movements that target ‘the other’ – be they immigrants, or religious and ethnic minorities, in the name of protecting the identity and ‘purity’ of their nation.” By 2011 Hours Against Hate standards, British Prime Minister David Cameron’s declaration that multiculturalism has failed is a dangerous targeting of “the other.” Pandith also noted that “permissibility of anti-Muslim speech is growing.” Really? A host of individuals facing charges, paying fines, and hiding from death threats would be surprised to hear this. But then it seems permissible to target “the other” of “the other.”
“Hate is hate, no matter who the target is,” 2011 Hours Against Hate intones. But some targets of hatred appear to be more equal than others. Perhaps because some leftist elites never got over their assumption that Christians are the persecutors, not the persecuted, they have difficulty speaking out against hatred aimed at those whom the mainstream media sees as hate-mongers.
On April 29, 2011, the State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom (IRF) co-sponsored a 2011 Hours Against Hate event. Hosted by George Washington University, the event was billed as a “Town Hall Discussion on U.S. efforts to combat discrimination and hatred against Jews, Muslims, and others.”
Hopefully, the 100 million-plus Christians experiencing persecution around the world today, along with Hindus, Sikhs, Baha’i, etc., are included in “and others.” The IRF office should be reminded that advocates for persecuted Christians played a major role in its creation, along with the creation of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Both were mandates of the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).
Another Nail In the Keynesian Coffin
From: Real Clear Markets
The coffin of Keynesianism has so many nails in it now that it is practically surfaced in steel. The notion that government deficits "stimulate" demand, has been proved wrong so many times, and in so many ways, that you would have to be Paul Krugman to still believe in it. However, in its April 28 news release on 1Q2011 GDP, the BEA drove yet another factual wooden stake into Keynesianism's vampire heart - a stake that no one seems to have noticed. What happened should also serve as a warning to Republicans that are still in the grip of the Keynesian superstition.
The BEA reported that its first estimate of 1Q2011 real GDP growth was 1.8%. This represented a dramatic fall from 4Q2010 growth of 3.1%. What no one seems to have noticed is that the slowdown occurred in the face of another large dose of Keynesian stimulus.
Part of the leverage that Republicans had during the negotiation of the compromise on the Bush tax cuts was that the Democrats (Keynesians all) were concerned that Obama's $814 billion "stimulus" program was winding down. The Republicans ultimately got Obama to agree to extend the tax cuts for high earners for an additional two years in return for additional "stimulus", in the form of a one-year, two percentage point cut in the payroll taxes paid by workers.
In 1Q2011, this stimulus amounted to about $110 billion on an annualized basis, or about 0.73% of GDP. Given the Keynesian belief in "multipliers", the result should have been to increase 1Q2011 real GDP growth significantly over that of 4Q2010. Instead, the real growth rate fell, thus providing one more real-world confirmation that Keynesian stimulus doesn't work.
The real mystery is not that stimulus doesn't work, but why anyone would ever expect it to. After Obama signed the compromise bill on December 17, 2010, one of the first things that the Treasury did was to revise its borrowing plans upward to compensate for the reduction in tax revenue that it knew was coming on January 1, 2011. Additional bonds were sold, and extra money was withdrawn from the economy before the payroll tax cut showed up in workers' paychecks. If there was any impact upon demand at all, it was to reduce it.
The coffin of Keynesianism has so many nails in it now that it is practically surfaced in steel. The notion that government deficits "stimulate" demand, has been proved wrong so many times, and in so many ways, that you would have to be Paul Krugman to still believe in it. However, in its April 28 news release on 1Q2011 GDP, the BEA drove yet another factual wooden stake into Keynesianism's vampire heart - a stake that no one seems to have noticed. What happened should also serve as a warning to Republicans that are still in the grip of the Keynesian superstition.
The BEA reported that its first estimate of 1Q2011 real GDP growth was 1.8%. This represented a dramatic fall from 4Q2010 growth of 3.1%. What no one seems to have noticed is that the slowdown occurred in the face of another large dose of Keynesian stimulus.
Part of the leverage that Republicans had during the negotiation of the compromise on the Bush tax cuts was that the Democrats (Keynesians all) were concerned that Obama's $814 billion "stimulus" program was winding down. The Republicans ultimately got Obama to agree to extend the tax cuts for high earners for an additional two years in return for additional "stimulus", in the form of a one-year, two percentage point cut in the payroll taxes paid by workers.
In 1Q2011, this stimulus amounted to about $110 billion on an annualized basis, or about 0.73% of GDP. Given the Keynesian belief in "multipliers", the result should have been to increase 1Q2011 real GDP growth significantly over that of 4Q2010. Instead, the real growth rate fell, thus providing one more real-world confirmation that Keynesian stimulus doesn't work.
The real mystery is not that stimulus doesn't work, but why anyone would ever expect it to. After Obama signed the compromise bill on December 17, 2010, one of the first things that the Treasury did was to revise its borrowing plans upward to compensate for the reduction in tax revenue that it knew was coming on January 1, 2011. Additional bonds were sold, and extra money was withdrawn from the economy before the payroll tax cut showed up in workers' paychecks. If there was any impact upon demand at all, it was to reduce it.
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