YID With LID: The Numbers Reflect Voters Hate The President's Budget

YID With LID: The Numbers Reflect Voters Hate The President's Budget: "Rasmussen has released its Superbowl Sunday version of its Presidential approval ratings and their report only tells part of the story. The report shows the president's approval index down to a -17, but what it doesn't show is that the depth of President's recent slide is a direct result of the bloated budget he sent to congress almost a week ago.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Sunday shows that 26% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-three percent (43%) Strongly Disapprove which gives Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -17


Overall, 44% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance. That matches the lowest level of overall approval yet measured for this president. Fifty-six percent (56%) now disapprove.

The charts Rasmussen provides show the Presidents approval rating since his inauguration. The trends of which are well known:"

Gov. who linked Christians, violence latest Obama pick

Gov. who linked Christians, violence latest Obama pick: "President Obama has picked to advise him on military actions inside the U.S. the Missouri governor whose state 'Information Analysis Center' last year linked conservative organizations to domestic terrorism and said law enforcement officers should watch for suspicious individuals who may have bumper stickers from Ron Paul or Chuck Baldwin.

Missouri Gov. Jeremiah Nixon, a Democrat, is being joined on the Obama's special advisory panel by the governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Fortuno, and Arizona Gov. Janice Brewer, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano's replacement when she moved to Washington.

They are among Obama's nominations for the 10 positions on Obama's new 'Council of Governors' that he will use for advice on 'military activities in the United States.'

WND reported earlier when Obama announced the council to advise on military actions in the U.S. and 'to protect our nation against all types of hazards.'

A subsequent WND report confirmed when a rebellion developed to the order, and a new push was launched for states to adopt laws limiting the use of their National Guard units unless there is an invasion, insurrection or other limited circumstance."

Democrats chafe as White House wavers on health care bill - Carrie Budoff Brown - POLITICO.com

Democrats chafe as White House wavers on health care bill - Carrie Budoff Brown - POLITICO.com: "President Barack Obama has left Democrats as confused as ever about how the White House plans to deliver a health care reform bill this year, after two weeks of inconsistent statements, negligible hands-on involvement and a sudden shift to a jobs-first message.

Democrats on Capitol Hill and beyond say they have no clear understanding of the White House strategy — or even whether there is one — and are growing impatient with Obama’s reluctance to guide them toward a legislative solution.

At a White House meeting Thursday with Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed frustration with the slow pace of the negotiations and the president’s decision not to weigh in publicly on a path forward, according to a Democratic source familiar with the meeting.

And some Democrats feel that every time they look to White House for clarity, they hear something different, as though the strategy is whatever the president or his top advisers said that day."

Health Care Is Not a Right

Health Care Is Not a Right: "Most people who oppose socialized medicine do so on the grounds that it is moral and well-intentioned, but impractical; i.e., it is a noble idea—which just somehow does not work. I do not agree that socialized medicine is moral and well-intentioned, but impractical. Of course, it is impractical—it does not work—but I hold that it is impractical because it is immoral. This is not a case of noble in theory but a failure in practice; it is a case of vicious in theory and therefore a disaster in practice. So I'm going to leave it to other speakers to concentrate on the practical flaws in the Clinton health plan. I want to focus on the moral issue at stake. So long as people believe that socialized medicine is a noble plan, there is no way to fight it. You cannot stop a noble plan—not if it really is noble. The only way you can defeat it is to unmask it—to show that it is the very opposite of noble. Then at least you have a fighting chance.

What is morality in this context? The American concept of it is officially stated in the Declaration of Independence. It upholds man's unalienable, individual rights. The term 'rights,' note, is a moral (not just a political) term; it tells us that a certain course of behavior is right, sanctioned, proper, a prerogative to be respected by others, not interfered with—and that anyone who violates a man's rights is: wrong, morally wrong, unsanctioned, evil.

Now our only rights, the American viewpoint continues, are the rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. That's all. According to the Founding Fathers, we are not born with a right to a trip to Disneyland, or a meal at Mcdonald's, or a kidney dialysis (nor with the 18th-century equivalent of these things). We have certain specific rights—and only these."

American Thinker: Did We Elect a Beta Male As President?

American Thinker: Did We Elect a Beta Male As President?: "We're all somewhat familiar with the body language dogs display when they greet each other. The dominant alpha male approaches directly, asserting his authority, while the beta male genuflects, crouches, tucks his tail, and may even end up on his back, exposing his neck in acquiescence, making sure the alpha male knows he has no intention of challenging him. With his 'we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist' opening to the world's dictators, the President is exhibiting classic beta male behavior, in essence rolling over on his back and exposing his throat to them to make sure they know he has no intention of challenging their authority.

Of course, the problem is that he's not simply exposing his throat, he's exposing America's collective throat, sending the message that he's a typical beta male intent on submitting to all the alpha male leaders around the world, and damn the consequences. His response to the discovery of Iran's newest, and heretofore 'secret,' nuclear facility was, as Daniel Henninger (Wall Street Journal, October 1, 2009) points out, to have our State Department offer to start a direct dialogue with the tyrannical Burmese regime."

'Snowmageddon' slams mid-Atlantic; utilities race to restore power - CNN.com

'Snowmageddon' slams mid-Atlantic; utilities race to restore power - CNN.com: "Washington (CNN) -- More than 2 feet of snow piled up at the nation's capital as a blizzard pounded mid-Atlantic states Saturday, cutting power to hundreds of thousands in the region in what the president referred to as 'Snowmaggedon.'

Snow fell from southern Indiana eastward to New York, Washington, Pennsylvania, Delaware and the New Jersey coast, gripping states and snarling traffic.

The snow didn't stop everyone, however. Some made fun with the white stuff, fashioning 'people' out of snow or having snowball fights. In Washington's Dupont Circle, about 1,000 people packed, rounded and flung snowballs in between outbursts of laughter.

President Obama didn't let the snow keep him from his busy Washington schedule. Faced with the swirling flakes, Obama ditched 'the Beast' -- his souped-up Cadillac limousine -- for an armored, four-wheel drive Chevy Suburban capable of trudging through the several inches of snow."


Wonder how that Global warming is working out for Obama and his friends like Gore now? Will the snow all thaw by the time they tell us about it again? ~~ The Munz

N.L. Premier Williams set to have heart surgery in U.S.

N.L. Premier Williams set to have heart surgery in U.S.: "ST. JOHN'S, N.L. -- Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams will undergo heart surgery later this week in the United States.

Deputy premier Kathy Dunderdale confirmed the treatment at a news conference Tuesday, but would not reveal the location of the operation or how it would be paid for.

'He has gone to a renowned expert in the procedure that he needs to have done,' said Ms. Dunderdale, who will become acting premier while Mr. Williams is away for three to 12 weeks.

'In consultation with his own doctors, he's decided to go that route.'

Mr. Williams' decision to leave Canada for the surgery has raised eyebrows over his apparent shunning of Canada's health-care system."

Police seize explosives in central Portugal - CNN.com

Police seize explosives in central Portugal - CNN.com: "(CNN) -- Police in Portugal this week seized more than 3,000 pounds of explosives from a house used by the Basque separatist group ETA, the Spanish Interior Ministry said Saturday.

Additionally, other suspicious material was found in boxes inside the home in Obidos, about 60 miles north of Lisbon, said Lt. Gen. Nelson Dos Santos, commander of the Portuguese National Republican Guard on Friday.

'The items that we have found and that are now being analyzed by the national anti-terrorism unit ... lead us to believe that we are dealing with terrorists,' said Jose Almeida Rodrigues, head of Portugal's judicial police.

The discovery was made Thursday and came three days after guards attempted to stop an SUV whose occupants led them on a chase."

On terrorism, will we get fooled again? - CNN.com

On terrorism, will we get fooled again? - CNN.com: "(CNN) -- On October 20, 2001, a concert was held in Madison Square Garden to benefit the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. On stage were some of the biggest names in show business. In the audience were first responders who had been working around the clock at ground aero.

To those watching on television, the most memorable thing about the evening was not the performers on stage. It was the faces of those in the crowd. The firemen. The paramedics. The police officers. They were smiling. They were laughing. Some of them were in tears. For the first time in weeks, it seemed, they had set aside their anguish and were having a good time.

By far, though, the emotional high point of the evening came when The Who took the stage toward the end of the night. After opening with 'Who Are You' and following that with 'Baba O'Riley,' the band played 'Won't Get Fooled Again.'"

» Why Obama Hates the Recent SCOTUS Decision - Big Journalism

» Why Obama Hates the Recent SCOTUS Decision - Big Journalism

A major provision of the “Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002″, aka McCain-Feingold, was largely dismissed by the Supreme Court on January 21, 2010. President Obama’s reaction was swift and almost comically over the top.

With its ruling today, the Supreme Court has given a green light to a new stampede of special interest money in our politics. It is a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans. This ruling gives the special interests and their lobbyists even more power in Washington–while undermining the influence of average Americans who make small contributions to support their preferred candidates. That’s why I am instructing my Administration to get to work immediately with Congress on this issue. We are going to talk with bipartisan Congressional leaders to develop a forceful response to this decision. The public interest requires nothing less.

Uh-oh! Whenever they use the term “bipartisan” you know they’re trying to sucker us. It’s become as transparent as their disingenuous names for bills like the so called “Stimulus” which was supposed to fund “shovel ready jobs” and instead went to non-existent zip codes. Our unemployment rate went up dramatically.

But why is Obama so upset about the decision? He’s upset by unions and special interests donating large sums of money to candidates? This is the president who took $60 million from SEIU members and was visited by its head, Andy Stern, more than any other person last year. Obama’s “outrage” deserves a closer look.

First, why was this law written? And why did George Bush sign it?

New video shows Taliban flogging men in Pakistan

New video shows Taliban flogging men in Pakistan: "ISLAMABAD -- Taliban militants flog two men and a teenage boy in a video that has emerged from Pakistan's tribal belt along the Afghan border, showing the hold of insurgents in at least one area there despite army offensives and intensified U.S. missile strikes in the region.

The video was shot on a mobile phone on Feb. 3 and passed to a local journalist who occasionally provides video to Associated Press Television News. The man who provided the clip said it was taken in the Mamozai area of the Orakzai tribal region, though there was no way of verifying that because travel there is dangerous for outsiders. The tribal elder requested anonymity out of fear for his life."

CNSNews.com - Michael Moore Seeks Million-Dollar Refundable Tax Credit (from Program He Trashed) to Cover Costs of His Anti-Capitalist Movie

CNSNews.com - Michael Moore Seeks Million-Dollar Refundable Tax Credit (from Program He Trashed) to Cover Costs of His Anti-Capitalist Movie: "(CNSNews.com) – Filmmaker Michael Moore has been approved to receive a refundable tax credit of up to $1 million from the State of Michigan Film Office for his 2009 documentary, “Capitalism: A Love Story,” and a Republican state senator in Michigan wants her state's money back. Two years ago, Moore attacked the movie-subsidizing program for giving 'free money' to corporations.

“That’s a refundable tax credit, so that’s just a handout,” Michigan Sen. Nancy Cassis told CNSNews.com Friday from her office in Lansing. “I am just aghast at his asking for the taxpayers of Michigan to donate $1 million out of our already impoverished general fund to support his film--that trashes our economic system.”

In July 2008, Moore participated in a panel discussion at the Traverse City Film Festival, where he attacked the tax-credit program.

'These are large multinational corporations--Viacom, GE, Rupert Murdoch--that own these studios,' Moore said. 'Why do they need our money from Michigan, from our taxpayers? We’re already broke here. Why? I mean, they play one state against another and so they get all this free cash when they’re making billions already in profits. What’s the thinking behind that? … Giving free money to a bunch of billionaires.'"

Power plant explosion in Middletown | WTNH.com Connecticut

Power plant explosion in Middletown | WTNH.com Connecticut: "Nearby homes said to be damaged

Updated: Sunday, 07 Feb 2010, 1:41 PM EST
Published : Sunday, 07 Feb 2010, 12:32 PM EST

Fatalities are reported from an explosion at a power plant in Middletown, Connecticut. The number is not yet known.

The explosion happened at the Kleen Energy natural gas and oil plant under construction on River Road around 11:30 a.m.

Two LifeStar helicopters were called to the scene. One has taken off carrying one patient. We do not know any details about the person's injuries.

State police have deployed detectives and cadaver dogs to the scene to help Middletown authorities, state police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said."

Senator Schumer challenged by comedian, former addict | NBC-WKTV News Channel 2 - Utica News, Weather, Sports - | Local News

Senator Schumer challenged by comedian, former addict | NBC-WKTV News Channel 2 - Utica News, Weather, Sports - | Local News: "ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - U.S. Senator Charles Schumer has represented New York state for more than a decade with little serious
opposition. But a funny thing happened on the way to Election Day this year: He picked up a challenge from a comedian activist.

Randy Credico's race against the formidable incumbent is already drawing celebrity intrigue. 'Seinfeld' co-creator Larry David has offered support for his fellow comic.

Credico hopes to take on Schumer in a primary for the Democratic line, but he's also talking to officials in the Libertarian party.

Credico is a recovered cocaine addict who mines his drug years for jokes.

He's spoken out for years against New York state's drug laws and has helped push for clemency for men and women who have been harshly sentenced or falsely accused of crimes."

Politicizing Intelligence | The Weekly Standard

Politicizing Intelligence | The Weekly Standard: "Last week, a little more than 24 hours after the FBI warned senators not to disclose the sensitive information that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was cooperating with the FBI, the White House shared the information with the news media.

An indignant Christopher “Kit” Bond, the ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, immediately wrote to President Obama, complaining that he had been told by FBI Director Robert Mueller that the cooperation of the Nigerian terrorist who tried to bomb a Northwest passenger jet over Detroit was extremely sensitive information and was to be kept quiet. It was so sensitive, in fact, that the entire committee wasn’t briefed, just Bond and the committee chairman Dianne Feinstein.

“On Monday afternoon, the leadership of the Senate Intelligence Committee received notification from the Federal Bureau of Investigation concerning Abdulmutallab’s recent willingness to provide critical information,” Bond wrote. “FBI officials stressed the importance of not disclosing the fact of his cooperation in order to protect on-going and follow-on operations to neutralize additional threats to the American public; FBI Director Bob Mueller personally stressed to me that keeping the fact of his cooperation quiet was vital to"

» Federal Court: No, the Government May Not Prevent Further Discovery of the Takeover of AIG - Big Government

» Federal Court: No, the Government May Not Prevent Further Discovery of the Takeover of AIG - Big Government

This week we broke the story of possible criminal wrongdoing in the government takeover of insurance giant AIG. In the last several months, the US government has tried, unsuccessfully, to throw out plaintiff Kevin Murray’s case, alleging that the government’s takeover of AIG puts it in the position of supporting and promoting Islam and Shariah finance.

In the discovery process attorneys for Murray, David Yerushalmi and Robert Muise (of the Thomas More Law Center), discovered that the takeover itself may have been illegal, and have attempted to get Treasury Secretary under oath to try and untangle this mess. Again, the Fed and the Treasury Department tried to stonewall.

This past Tuesday, Federal district court judge Lawrence P. Zatkoff rejected the Treasury Department’s and the Fed’s effort to prevent any further discovery while the government attempts to convince the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals to overrule Judge Zatkoff’s earlier ruling rejecting the government’s motion to dismiss the federal lawsuit challenging the government’s takeover of AIG on First Amendment-Establishment Clause grounds.

Tim Geithner: The “extraordinary move to depose a sitting Treasury Secretary”

The lawsuit, captioned Murray v. Geithner et al., was brought by attorneys David Yerushalmi and Robert Muise, representing the plaintiff, Kevin Murray, a tax payer and former combat Marine who served in Iraq. The federal lawsuit alleges that the U.S. government’s takeover and financial bailout of AIG was in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Specifically, at the time of the government bailout (September-December 2008), AIG was (and still is) the world leader in promoting Shariah-compliant insurance products. Shariah is Islamic law, and it is the identical legal doctrine that demands capital punishment for apostasy and blasphemy and provides the legal and political mandates for global jihad followed religiously by the world’s Muslim terrorists. By propping up AIG with tax payer funds, the U.S. government is directly and indirectly promoting Islam and, more troubling, Shariah.

Iran opens two new missile plants - Yahoo! News

Iran opens two new missile plants - Yahoo! News: "TEHRAN (AFP) – Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi opened two new missile production plants on Saturday, just three days after Iran fired a rocket carrying live animals into space, state television reported.

The plants will produce a ground-to-air missile dubbed the Qaem (Rising) and a surface-to-surface missile dubbed Toofan 5 (Storm), state television reported.

The Qaem is designed to target helicopters at low and medium altitudes, it added.

Iran unveiled the new plants as part of its celebrations for the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution later this month.

On Wednesday, Iran launched a capsule carrying turtles, rats and worms aboard its Kavoshgar 3 (Explorer) rocket in its first experiment in sending living creatures into space.

Iran's missile and space programmes have sparked mounting alarm in the West amid fears that a command of advanced ballistics technologies combined with the nuclear know-how acquired from its declared civilian programme may enable it to produce an atomic weapon."

EDITORIAL: Holder's ignorance - Washington Times

EDITORIAL: Holder's ignorance - Washington Times: "The U.S. attorney general should read up on the history of terrorism. He might learn something.

On Wednesday, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. sent a five-page letter to Sen. Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, detailing his rationale for treating purported Christmas Day bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab as a criminal suspect rather than a terrorist detainee. The attorney general's defense betrays significant misreading of how the United States has dealt with terrorism in recent decades.

Mr. Holder incredibly claims that policies treating terrorists as criminals 'were not criticized when employed by previous Administrations [and] have been and remain extremely effective in protecting national security.'"

New 'bill of particulars' cites Obama failings

New 'bill of particulars' cites Obama failings: "NASHVILLE – Citing American patriots such as Thomas Paine, James Madison, Samuel Adams and Patrick Henry, Judge Roy Moore lit a fire in the hearts of tea partiers tonight – inspiring four impassioned standing ovations with his reading of a 'bill of particulars' against President Obama.

Moore, WND columnist, author of 'So Help Me God' and candidate for governor in Alabama, began by quoting Thomas Paine as he made his case for independence from England:

'These are the times that try men's souls,' he told a packed banquet room at the first national tea-party convention in Nashville.

'Once again we live in a trying time, not just trying to the souls of men and women, but the soul of our nation,' he continued. 'Once again, people across our country are rising up, tired of politics as usual, angry about the direction of our country.'

The recent elections in New Jersey, Virginia and Massachusetts send a strong message to the Democratic Party that Americans are weary of the direction in which the nation is headed, he said."

Tea Party turns nasty: ‘It’s our country – let’s take it back’ - Times Online

Tea Party turns nasty: ‘It’s our country – let’s take it back’ - Times Online: "They will proudly boast of how they have galvanised ordinary Americans against runaway government spending, but a dark underbelly of xenophobia has been exposed at the first national gathering of the Tea Party movement.

Here in the vast Gaylord resort in Nashville, where 600 members of the conservative grassroots phenomenon that exploded in revolt against President Obama’s economic policies have gathered, it would be advisable not to wear a T-shirt declaring “I am an illegal immigrant”.

The anti-Government, anti-Establishment movement, which has splintered in the past week with many boycotting this gathering, has billed itself as a revolution born of the widespread disgust at Washington and the way that the nation’s politicians are bankrupting America’s future.

With its raucous protests it has undeniably become a political force that threatens to hand Democrats a disastrous midterm election night in November. Voter anger against spending and debt, of which the Tea Partiers are in the vanguard, played a significant role in the recent loss of the late Edward Kennedy’s Senate seat and could conceivably lead to Democrats losing the House and Senate."

Welcome to the Osama-Obama Generation

Welcome to the Osama-Obama Generation: "Welcome to the Osama-Obama opening chapter along the March to Marxism.

As the chapter opens we find Osama and Obama on the same page. Both terrorist and president are on the same page on global warming. You don’t have to be CIA to ask the obvious question: “How is this even possible?”

Both parties know diddly squat about orchestrated man-made global warming, other than what is spoon fed to them by Al Gore and Company.

Fresh on the heels of the news that Osama worries—really worries—about global warming, comes the news that airline terror suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, aka the “Underwear Bomber” is providing “key intelligence” to investigators.

This is the tawdry tale of a wannabe terrorist ratting out his terrorist pals.

“Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s cooperation could prove to be a national security victory and a political vindication for President Obama, who has been under fire from lawmakers who contend the administration botched the case by giving Abdulmutallab the right to remain silent, rather than interrogating him as a military prisoner.” (Associated Press, Feb. 3, 2010).

Seems that Obama has been doing more than plastering his personal pictures where valuable White House art used to be."

Sen. Landrieu defends Medicaid deal for La.

Sen. Landrieu defends Medicaid deal for La.: "WASHINGTON (AP) - Called a prostitute by conservative talk show hosts, a Louisiana Democrat on Thursday defended a deal she cut for her Hurricane Katrina-ravaged state in the Senate health care bill.

Sen. Mary Landrieu insisted the Medicaid boost worth $300 million wasn't the price for her vote for President Barack Obama's sweeping health care plan and she noted that state Republicans backed the deal. Defiantly, she said she would do it all over again if she had to.

'I don't need this job badly enough—maybe some people do, I don't—to throw the people of my state under the bus to protect myself politically,' Landrieu said in an impassioned speech on the Senate floor.

The deal has been derided as the 'Louisiana Purchase' and conservative talk show hosts Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck have both labeled Landrieu a 'prostitute' for obtaining it.

In recent weeks, Obama has also alluded to messy dealmaking as a reason for public skepticism about the health care bill. He referred in his State of the Union speech to 'lobbying and horse-trading' and told ABC News earlier, 'It's an ugly process and it looks like there are a bunch of backroom deals.'"

Obama calls for talks with GOP on health care, then vote by Congress - CNN.com

Obama calls for talks with GOP on health care, then vote by Congress - CNN.com: "Washington (CNN) -- President Obama called Thursday for high-level talks with Republicans to work out a compromise on health care legislation, then putting the resulting bill to a vote in Congress.

'If Congress decides we're not going to do it, even after all the facts are laid out, after all the options are clear, then the American people can make a judgment as to whether this Congress has done the right thing for them or not,' Obama said. 'That's how democracy works.'

Obama's comments were the first clear signal from the White House or Democrats in Congress on how they would proceed on a top legislative priority after losing their 60-seat super-majority in the Senate.

Republican Scott Brown was sworn in as the new U.S. senator from Massachusetts earlier Thursday, leaving the Democrats one vote shy of being able to overcome GOP filibusters of health care reform and other major initiatives."

American Thinker: Our National Blind Spot

American Thinker: Our National Blind Spot: "Nobody will dispute the fact that there are differences between private and public behavior. We can all think of things that we do privately that we would never consider doing in public.

This holds true in politics, too. Specifically, the vast majority of Americans would never dream of stealing from another person, yet they have no compunction about wanting government to take property from some citizens to give it to others.

Friends with whom we would entrust the keys to our house and all our worldly goods are often enthusiastic supporters of government programs that redistribute wealth. Few of us would imagine that a Washington lobbyist would peek out his window at home, wait for his neighbors to leave, and then sneak into their houses to take their possessions. The very image is absurd. And yet, those same lobbyists spend their working hours trying to persuade politicians to grant favors to them and send the bill to someone else."

The Reality Check » Blog Archive » Obama’s Newest Racemongering Judge: California’s Edward Chen

The Reality Check » Blog Archive » Obama’s Newest Racemongering Judge: California’s Edward Chen: "President Obama has gone out of his way to “diversify” the federal bench with his spate of nominations of various minorities chief of which was his successful seating of the “wise Latina,’ Sonia Sotomayor, on the Supreme Court. Obama’s nominees* for 10 district court openings include four African-Americans, three Asian-Americans, one Latino and four women. One of those nominees, San Francisco U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward Chen, received a favorable vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington today.

So what sort of judge is Edward Chen? Well, for one, the left-wing American Bar Association rated Chen a “well qualified” nominee and many of his associates at the ACLU speak highly of him. As an ACLU lawyer, Chen was known for opposing English-only policies and for pushing discriminatory affirmative action ideals. He even came to the aid of gang members in one case. Chen was quite the ACLU activist between 1979 and 2001.

His ACLU history would suffice to make many wary of him, of course. But for a segment of America, working for the ACLU is not a disqualifier. So in order to judge Edward Chen one must look at his past. Discovering what Judge Chen thinks of the country upon which he apparently assumes to sit in judgment is a telling exercise. Sadly, it seems he has quite a low opinion of the nation that he will be serving.

One hint at Judge Chen’s feelings about our nation can be seen from his appearance at the 2005 graduation ceremony at the Hastings Public Interest Law Foundation. There, Chen wondered aloud if American patriotism was justified. Chen told the crowd of his, “feelings of ambivalence and cynicism when confronted with appeals to patriotism — sometimes I cannot help but feel that there are too much [sic] injustice and too many inequalities that prevent far too many Americans from enjoying the beauty extolled in that anthem.” Apparently, Chen feels that America is too racist to justify anyone feeling patriotism for her."

U.S. Combat Officers Under Fire For American Troop Deaths Caused By Obama-McChrystal Hearts And Minds Policies | NewsReal Blog

U.S. Combat Officers Under Fire For American Troop Deaths Caused By Obama-McChrystal Hearts And Minds Policies | NewsReal Blog: "There is a saying in police work and in military service that certain very noxious, offensive substances always roll downhill. That is to say, foul-ups instigated by bad policy will always be blamed on the lowest possible links in the chain of command. Such is the case now in Afghanistan.

Diana West writes extensively about U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal’s (pictured above with CIC Obama) “hearts and minds” Afghanistan counter-insurgency campaign: Sacrificing American lives by denying artillery and air support to our ground troops pinned down under heavy enemy fire is acceptable, because artillery and bombs may cause collateral damage to Afghanistan civilians. Terrible as it is to contemplate the idea, it is the Obama-McChrystal policy. This cannot help troop morale in the ranks and files. And it’s not going to bring an end to this Islamic-doctrinally driven war.It’s time to get out of Afghanistan.

There’s a story in today’s Washington Post announcing increased disciplinary actions against U.S. field commanders’ decisions during battles against the Taliban’s Soldiers of Allah. The you-know-what is now rolling down the hill onto the heads of infantry platoon, company and brigade commanders:"

Times’ Columnist Asks: What’s Behind Deficit Hysteria? | NewsReal Blog

Times’ Columnist Asks: What’s Behind Deficit Hysteria? | NewsReal Blog: "New York Times op-ed columnist Paul Krugman does not believe that tripling the federal deficit in one year’s time is anything to be concerned about. He compares what he calls “fiscal scare tactics” to the “fear-mongering on weapons of mass destruction.”

Mr. Krugman needs some lessons in basic economics and the law of unintended consequences. The rapidly growing deficits are hurting our country right now.

First off, massive federal debt – with annual deficits projected of over a trillion dollars as far as the eye can see – crowds out private firms that are seeking credit. This cuts off investments that could create many new jobs – real jobs, not the phony ones being attributed to Obama’s stimulus plan.

The run-away deficit is making us more beholden to the biggest buyer of our debt, China, which is busy cutting its imports and expanding its exports. China’s economic leverage – and hence its political leverage – is increasing at an alarming rate and in linear proportion to their control of much of our debt."

Administration Signals It Won’t Push Legal Limits of Terrorism Detention - ProPublica

Administration Signals It Won’t Push Legal Limits of Terrorism Detention - ProPublica

The five-page letter [2] (PDF) that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder issued this week defending the decision to treat the Christmas Day bomber suspect as a criminal suspect, rather than as a wartime captive, offered new insight into the Obama administration's view of the limits of preventive detention.

The letter suggests that the administration sees virtually no legal foundation for holding terrorism suspects arrested on U.S. soil in preventive detention and has very little interest in trying to create any.

He didn't confine his reasoning to the specifics of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's case, but instead offered an overarching view of the current state of the law.

(Fort Worth, Texas) Inverted Flag Draws Double-Takes

Cynthia Benton, owner of Cantwell Power Solutions, called her inverted flag a protest.

Story and photos by Jim Ryan, WBAP 24/7 News

Fort Worth (WBAP) - Cynthia Benton will be the first to tell you that "it's a terrible thing to fly the flag up-side down." But that's exactly what she's doing outside her business along I35-W in far south Fort Worth. "It's warranted in today's environment."

According to the U.S. Senate rules on flag etiquette, "the flag should never be displayed with the union (the blue field) down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property." Ms. Benton says the nation's current situation meets the definition.

"We have people in charge now who would actually throw us in jail for refusing to purchase something that they want us to buy," she said. "That being health care."

Her inverted flag also is a protest against -- what she considers -- the administration's lax attitude about terrorism and the growing national debt: "Obviously we could never handle the kind of debt that we're getting into now, which is blossoming under this administration."

Ms. Benton says reaction to her inverted flag has been both positive and negative. She said Tarrant County Republican leaders have applauded her silent protest, but that a woman in the military on Thursday stopped at her business, Cantwell Power Solutions, to express her outrage.

Unemployment Insurance Borrowing Now Greater Than During 1980s Recession - ProPublica

Unemployment Insurance Borrowing Now Greater Than During 1980s Recession - ProPublica

If you’ve been following our coverage [1] of the nation’s unemployment insurance system, you may have concluded that things are pretty bad. (See our interactive feature showing whether your state’s fund is in the red [1].)

But what about some historical perspective?

It’s official, recession hounds: The 26 states with insolvent unemployment insurance trust funds have now borrowed more than was borrowed during 1981 and 1982, the last time there was a severe recession in the U.S., and oft-used benchmark for when things are Officially Really Bad.

According to this long-buried CBO document (PDF) [2], in March 1983, total outstanding state loans were 13.7 billion, a figure that includes borrowing during 1981 and 1982 and the first quarter of 1983 plus carried-over borrowing from 1975 to 1980.

In 2009 dollars, that’s $29.5 billion. Current state borrowing is now just over $30 billion.

continue reading

United States to Donate $40 Million to UNRWA - News Briefs - Israel National News

United States to Donate $40 Million to UNRWA - News Briefs - Israel National News: "(IsraelNN.com) The United States announced on Thursday that it will donate $40 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Arabs in the Palestinian Authority-assigned areas, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria who fled when Israel was established in 1948. About a quarter of the package is supposed to be designated for food and the creation of jobs. The rest is for maintaining basic services provided by the agency.

The American funding comes despite a report commissioned by the European parliament, which showed that Hamas terrorists have been chosen by the agency's labor union to oversee its Gaza facilities, which was part of a Canadian decision last month to stop its UNRWA funding."


We are now financing terrorists ourselves ... ~~~ The Munz

YouTube - Amnesty Madness

YouTube - Amnesty Madness

White House budget could stifle charitable donations to hospitals, group says | Healthcare Finance News

White House budget could stifle charitable donations to hospitals, group says | Healthcare Finance News: "WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama's proposed budget will harm fundraising for nonprofit hospitals by thwarting wealthy donors, according to the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy.

The AHP is particularly concerned about Obama's proposals to reduce tax deductions for charitable donations and freeze discretionary spending.

'Nonprofit hospitals are struggling to keep up with the burgeoning numbers of under- and uninsured Americans that are seeking medical care in their local community emergency rooms,' said William C. McGinly, president and CEO of the AHP. 'A limit on charitable deductions aimed at those who are in a financial position to make the most significant contributions sends the wrong message at the wrong time.'

McGinly said hospitals have cut back on spending, mainly at the expense of necessary capital improvements. He suggested that a three-year discretionary spending freeze would reduce the ability of state and local governments to provide health-related grants and Medicaid funding, making it imperative for individuals, businesses and foundations to step up their philanthropic support."

2theadvocate.com | News | Landrieu defends La. Medicaid funds — Baton Rouge, LA

2theadvocate.com | News | Landrieu defends La. Medicaid funds — Baton Rouge, LA: "Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu took to the Senate floor Thursday delivering a blistering defense of her securing $300 million for Louisiana’s insurance for the poor.

In her comments, she noted that Gov. Bobby Jindal read one statement on the matter for the record.

“It takes more than intelligence to be a public official, it takes more than a fancy resume, it takes guts,” Landrieu said. “Some people have more of those than others.”

Landrieu then read Jindal’s comments in which he told CNN it was unfair to criticize Landrieu and members of the delegation for fighting to “correct this injustice” to Louisiana.

“This is the one statement that he made,” Landrieu said.

Landrieu felt it necessary to speak out on the Medicaid matter to “clear the air,” she said. Landrieu has been roundly criticized, particularly by national conservative media commentators such as Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, for securing the money before she voted for the health care legislation she initially opposed."

There is currently a petition to have her removed from Office for her malfeasance in office. ~~ The Munz

Denver boy, 9, died after state-benefits error denied him asthma medication - The Denver Post

Denver boy, 9, died after state-benefits error denied him asthma medication - The Denver Post

A Montbello mother says her 9-year-old son's death from severe asthma could have been prevented had Denver Human Services resolved problems with his Medicaid pharmacy benefits.

Zuton Lucero said she called Human Services every three days for months last year when she was suddenly unable to get prescription drugs for her son, Zumante.

The boy's health deteriorated without the medication, his doctor said, and he died at Children's Hospital in July after losing consciousness at his house after an attack.

"I don't want anyone else to be sitting where I'm sitting," Lucero said.

Advocacy lawyers who met Wednesday with the Colorado Attorney General's Office hold up Lucero's story as an example of how serious the problems are with the state's $243 million computer system that is supposed to manage benefits — and the county human workers behind it.

"The human system fell down," said Ed Kahn, a lawyer with the Colorado Center for Law and Policy, who is among a group of local and national lawyers weighing a lawsuit against the state for delays in getting food stamps and Medicaid benefits to people. "They are responsible for this kid's death."

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_14329527#ixzz0ehbBrAre



This is Government Health Care, do we really need an even bigger system with far more agencies involved in our health care as Obama has proposed? ~~ The Munz

Panel OKs bill letting Utah opt out of health reform - Salt Lake Tribune

Panel OKs bill letting Utah opt out of health reform - Salt Lake Tribune: "Fueled by a deep mistrust of the federal government and Tea Party fervor, a House committee approved a bill Tuesday aimed at enabling Utah to opt out of national health-reform efforts.

Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, founder of the legislative Patrick Henry Caucus, which focuses on state sovereignty, said the measures being contemplated by Congress infringe on states' rights and threaten progress Utah has made in trying to reform health coverage.

Wimmer's bill would require the Utah Legislature to pass legislation to enact any piece of health reform passed by Congress.

It buys the state at least a year, Wimmer said, to decide if Utah should amend its constitution 'to protect people and their health-care rights.'

Wimmer said 30 other states are considering similar legislation, including some trying to amend their state constitutions.

'We need a law on the books quickly,' he said.

But Judi Hillman, executive director of the Utah Health Policy Project, called it an 'irresponsible and very destructive bill' that could cost the state all of the Medicaid money it receives from the federal government.

'When you lose all of your Medicaid dollars, you will see a complete unraveling of our health care safety net,' she said. 'We're playing with fire here.'"

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Obama hints to Dems: If you don’t pass ObamaCare, you deserve to lose the midterms

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Obama hints to Dems: If you don’t pass ObamaCare, you deserve to lose the midterms

From tonight’s fundraiser. You have to read between the lines, but you don’t have to read too hard.

So what happens if the bill in Congress does not pass? It’s an election year, Obama said to remember.

“If Congress decides we’re not going to do it, even after all the facts are laid out, all the options are clear, then the American people can make a judgment as to whether this Congress has done the right thing for them or not. And that’s how democracy works, with the elections coming up. And they will be able to make a determination, and register their concerns one way or the other during election time.”

Percentage of Americans who think Congress is/isn’t doing “the right thing for them” by passing this bill: 38/51. You might think that a guy who sees catastrophe on the horizon if this doesn’t get done would be bringing every ounce of presidential power he has to bear on making sure that it does. But you would be wrong:

“The president was weighing in pretty heavily on the discussions between the House and Senate before the Massachusetts special [Senate] election,” Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) told Huffington Post. “It’s dried up since.”…

Brown’s lament was echoed in conversations with several high-ranking Senate aides this past week, many of whom agreed that the administration’s involvement in health care negotiations has declined since Scott Brown’s victory in the Massachusetts Senate race…

All of which has struck Sherrod Brown and others as somewhat peculiar. Most observers of the debate believe that the best way to get legislation passed is to follow the suggestion of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif), who said that the Senate needs to make a firm commitment (either in writing or action) to amend its legislation. Whatever steps can be made to facilitate that process would seem important. But the administration is so far declining to engage.

Stakes High for California in Health Care Reform - ABC News

Stakes High for California in Health Care Reform - ABC News: "Among states, California arguably has the most to gain from an overhaul of its health care system: it has the greatest number of uninsured residents in the country and the largest public insurance program for the poor, which struggles to serve 6.5 million people while reimbursing doctors at one of the nation's lowest rates.

Stuck between the increasingly uncertain future of national reform, a looming $20 billion state budget deficit, and a health care system that is limping along and likely to face even greater demand in the coming years, Californians are frustrated. Doctors, patients, politicians and researchers all agree change is desperately needed, even if they disagree passionately on what that change should look like."


Maybe this is why Pelosi is pushing so hard for this? To help her state or face the consequences. ~~~ The Munz

Al Franken lays into David Axelrod over health care bill - Manu Raju and Andy Barr - POLITICO.com

Al Franken lays into David Axelrod over health care bill - Manu Raju and Andy Barr - POLITICO.com: "Sen. Al Franken ripped into White House senior adviser David Axelrod this week during a tense, closed-door session with Senate Democrats.

Five sources who were in the room tell POLITICO that Franken criticized Axelrod for the administration’s failure to provide clarity or direction on health care and the other big bills it wants Congress to enact.

The sources said Franken was the most outspoken senator in the meeting, which followed President Barack Obama’s question-and-answer session with Senate Democrats at the Newseum on Wednesday. But they also said the Minnesotan wasn’t the only angry Democrat in the room.

“There was a lot of frustration in there,” said a Democratic senator who declined to be identified.

“People were hot,” another Democratic senator said.

Democratic senators are frustrated that the White House hasn’t done more to win over the public on health care reform and other aspects of its ambitious agenda — and angry that, in the wake of Scott Brown’s win in the Massachusetts Senate race, the White House hasn’t done more to chart a course for getting a health care bill to the president’s desk."

FOXNews.com - Gov't to Pay More Than Half of U.S. Health Costs

FOXNews.com - Gov't to Pay More Than Half of U.S. Health Costs: "WASHINGTON -- For all the hue and cry over a government takeover of health care, it's happening anyway.

Federal and state programs will pay slightly more than half the tab for health care purchased in the United States by 2012, says a report by Medicare number crunchers released Thursday.

That's even if President Barack Obama's health care overhaul wastes away in congressional limbo. Long in coming, the shift to a health care sector dominated by government is being speeded up by the deep economic recession and the aging of the Baby Boomers, millions of whom will soon start signing up for Medicare.

'This does mark a pretty stark jump in the data,' said Christopher Truffer of Medicare's Office of the Actuary, which prepared the analysis published in the journal Health Affairs."

Introduction to the Articles of Freedom

Introduction to the Articles of Freedom

An Introduction to the Articles of Freedom

Think of the millions of folks, including members of the Armed Forces, who have raised their right hand and said, “I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

Think of the millions who have placed their right hand over their heart and said, “I pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.”

How could anyone who has pledged their devotion to the Constitution, reconcile the following violations of the Constitution that are destroying America? When will it end?

• For decades, our Government has been meddling in the internal affairs of other countries, without any Constitutional authority, causing foreign nationals to direct their hostilities towards us, which has given us a War on Terror and a growing Police State that is repugnant to the Fourth Amendment and the General Welfare of a Free People;
• For decades, we have had undeclared wars in violation of the War Powers clauses of Articles I and II;
• We are now gifting and lending public money and credit to private corporations for decidedly private purposes (corporate welfare), without any constitutional authority, whatsoever;
• We have a fiat currency, in violation of the money clauses of Article I;
• We have been emitting trillions of dollars worth of Bills of Credit through or under the auspices of the Federal Reserve System in violation of Article I;
• We have been incurring trillions of dollars worth of debt for the payment of expenditures for programs and activities that are not enumerated in Article I, and therefore not authorized;
• We have a fraudulently ratified 16th Amendment in violation of Article V, a direct, un-apportioned tax on labor in violation of the tax clauses of Article I, and a judicial system that refuses to consider the evidence, in violation of Article III;
• For decades we have had unenforced immigration laws in violation of that mandate, plainly-worded in Article II, that requires the President to “faithfully execute” all the laws passed by Congress;
• We have a President who apparently is not a natural born citizen, a violation of Article II;
• We are counting our votes in secret, as all machines do, in violation of our constitutional right not only to vote but to know that our votes are being accurately counted;
• We have an absence of well-regulated state militias, and we have federal gun control laws, all in violation of the Second Amendment;
• For decades, in violation of the sovereignty clauses of the Declaration of Independence, the United States has been entering into treaties, contracts and relationships with foreign entities, and giving authority to international bodies, dissipating, destroying and undermining America’s sovereignty;
• We have private land being taken for private purposes in violation of the Fifth Amendment.
• We have a Government about to become a provider of Health Care, and about to order the People to purchase a product, powers that are not enumerated in Article I, and therefore not authorized.
• We have money bills originating in the Senate, in violation of Article I.
• We have a Senate that is using a supermajority vote to decide whether to enact a law, without an amendment to the Constitution, all in violation of Article I, Sections 3 and 5, and Article 5.

These violations have challenged the Constitutional Republic of the United States and Her People to Its core.

Above all, we have government officials who, for fourteen years, and more, have refused to honor their fundamental obligation to respond to the People’s First Amendment Petitions to Redress these violations. I call this the “capstone grievance.”

It is well settled in American Jurisprudence that if anyone has an obligation to respond and he fails to do so, his silence amounts to admission. It is also well settled that any Right that is not enforceable is not a Right – that is, with every Right there is a Remedy. However, the Constitution cannot defend itself. It is the duty of the People to defend it.

The We The People Foundation exists for the purpose of protecting and defending our federal and state Constitutions and to ensure the day comes when the American People will have institutionalized citizen vigilance for the purpose of routinely holding their elected officials accountable to their Constitutions, regardless of their political stripes and whether they voted for them.

The vision for Continental Congress 2009 came in December of 2008, while I was preparing to give a speech at Faneuil Hall in Boston. The idea was well received. From January 1 – May 1, I traveled to 88 cities in all 50 states to meet with People to see if this was an idea they would support and help make a reality. They agreed.

On May 21, the Foundation sponsored a meeting of leaders of the Freedom movement at the Jekyll Island Club in Georgia. This was the place where the Federal Reserve was first conceived in 1910. We stood in the Federal Reserve Room, as it is called, and asked our Creator to put a new and righteous record for America in the place of what had gone before. We believe our prayers were answered. We discussed Continental Congress 2009 and if this was an idea they could support and help make a reality. They all agreed.

From June 1 – October 10, a national structure was established to accommodate Continental Congress 2009. State coordinators in nearly every state volunteered their time and energy along with other citizens. A small national management team formed to assist. Delegates were nominated in each state to attend the Congress.

A Constitutionally – correct election was held on October 10. On November 11, 2009, the delegates attended Continental Congress 2009 at the Pheasant Run Conference Center in St. Charles, Illinois, sponsored by the Foundation. The Delegates of Continental Congress 2009 were not professional legislators or wordsmiths. They were ordinary, non-aligned citizens from across America and all walks of life. They set aside their lives for this Assembly. They represented You and Me, the Free People of America.

The conclusion of their efforts, their recommended Course of Action to restore and maintain Constitutional obedience in America, is This Document called ‘‘Articles of Freedom.’’

It is proposed that these Articles be distributed to All in the Land, with the intent to draw the attention and courage of a “goodly number of millions of People” who, entitled to their Freedom and essential to Its maintenance, Arise to Restore and maintain the Constitution for the United States of America.

Then and only then shall America’s Destiny be Fulfilled.

Please take the time to read the Articles of Freedom. Learn about the Constitution. Take the Pledge to stand with millions of Americans as the Articles of Freedom are served on our elected officials, and then, if necessary, to participate in coordinated, non-violent, legal and Constitutional civic actions to stop the violations.

Robert L. Schulz
Founder and Chairman
We The People Foundation for Constitutional Education, Inc.
www.GiveMeLiberty.org

Take the Articles of Freedom Pledge!

Gateway Pundit - Obama Finally Admits You Can Kiss Your Doctor Good-Bye Under Obamacare (Video)

Gateway Pundit

You Lie!
Barack Obama told audiences time after time that, “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor,” under Obamacare. He demonized those who challenged this argument.

This week we found out it was just words. Barack Obama finally admitted on Friday thay you will not be able to keep your doctor if Obamacare is passed.
Glenn Beck discussed this stunning admission by President Obama:

Obama finally admitted to the GOP you can kiss your doctor good-bye:

The last thing I will say, though — let me say this about health care and the health care debate, because I think it also bears on a whole lot of other issues. If you look at the package that we’ve presented — and there’s some stray cats and dogs that got in there that we were eliminating, we were in the process of eliminating. For example, we said from the start that it was going to be important for us to be consistent in saying to people if you can have your — if you want to keep the health insurance you got, you can keep it, that you’re not going to have anybody getting in between you and your doctor in your decision making. And I think that some of the provisions that got snuck in might have violated that pledge.

RELATED!

Video: Barack Obama Finally Admits that He Lied About Healthcare Transparency

Barack Obama has finally, at long last, admitted that he lied about healthcare transparency as it relates to his much-mocked and much-maligned, empty promise to put on C-SPAN negotiations concerning his ill-fated drive for healthcare "reform." In comments that were very carefully and slyly buried in a long, one-and-a-quarter-hour speech and Q&A session a couple of days ago in Nashua, NH, Obama very briefly touched on his failure to live up to promises to televise all the negotiations regarding healthcare on C-SPAN. When asked by little Ashley Sevins of Nashua High South about the grade he'd give himself regarding transparency in his administration, Obama grudgingly admitted that...yes...he does indeed deserve the criticism that he failed to put all of the negotiations on C-SPAN.

Who are the 300 terrorists held in U.S. prisons? | Washington Examiner

Who are the 300 terrorists held in U.S. prisons? | Washington Examiner: "'The Bush administration used the criminal justice system to convict more than 300 individuals on terrorism-related charges,' writes Attorney General Eric Holder in a new letter to Republican critics in Congress. The letter is part of the Obama administration's aggressive defense of its decision to grant full American constitutional rights to al Qaeda soldier Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the accused Christmas Day bomber. That defense boils down to one sentence: Bush did it, too.

Republicans on Capitol Hill object. They argue that one of the reasons some terrorists were handled in the criminal justice system is that it took George W. Bush and Congress years to establish a military tribunal system that satisfied constitutional requirements -- a process that was lengthened by legal challenges filed by some of the same lawyers who now work in Holder's Justice Department."

David Limbaugh - This 'Messiah' Isn't Delivering Peace

David Limbaugh: "President Barack Obama's delusional perspective on fiscal issues is only surpassed by his surreal approach to the war on terror, which he doesn't even consistently recognize as a war. The ideological extremism of his policies is only surpassed by his flailing incompetence in administering them.

During his presidential campaign, Obama repeatedly denounced President George W. Bush's 'unilateralist' and 'imperialistic' foreign policy.

Obama carefully cultivated an image as a domestic and global healer who could leverage his personal background to rise above internal and foreign bickering and address the root causes of this conflict en route to a peaceful resolution. Frighteningly enough, he obviously believed his own hype."

John Bolton: While nukes proliferate, Obama fiddles | Washington Examiner

John Bolton: While nukes proliferate, Obama fiddles | Washington Examiner: "In his lengthy State of the Union address, President Obama was brief on national security issues, which he squeezed in toward the end. Nonetheless, Obama boasted that 'the United States and Russia are completing negotiations on the farthest-reaching arms control treaty in nearly two decades' and that he is trying to secure 'all vulnerable nuclear materials around the world in four years, so that they never fall into the hands of terrorists.'

Then came Obama's critical linkage: 'These diplomatic efforts have also strengthened our hand in dealing with those nations that insist on violating international agreements in pursuit of nuclear weapons.'

Obama described the increasing 'isolation' of both North Korea and Iran, the two most conspicuous -- but far from the only -- nuclear proliferators. He also mentioned the increased sanctions imposed on Pyongyang after its second nuclear test in 2009 and the 'growing consequences' he says Iran will face because of his policies."

E.U. no longer charmed by Obama - Washington Times

E.U. no longer charmed by Obama - Washington Times: "European leaders are getting a dose of reality about the limits of President Obama's patience with their long-established diplomatic traditions, as his administration seeks to change nearly two decades of U.S.-European Union summit protocol.

Mr. Obama's disappointment with European allies during his first year in office, culminating in his decision to skip a long-planned May summit in Madrid, should not come as a surprise, diplomats and analysts said.

In spite of unusual enthusiasm on the Continent about his 2008 election, they said, Europeans have delivered much less than the new president expected on Afghanistan, climate change and other items high on Mr. Obama's agenda."

UK and US to launch offensive against Tailban in Afghanistan - Telegraph

UK and US to launch offensive against Tailban in Afghanistan - Telegraph: "The biggest offensive since foreign troops entered Afghanistan eight years ago will begin with more than 15,000 troops deployed for the attack, said Major Gen Nick Carter, the British commander leading the operation.

The “shaping” phase of the operation - in which British forces have been setting up a cordon around the area of the operations - began three weeks ago in advance of the imminent combat phase.

In the coming days Operation Moshtarak - or Together - aims to clear out more than 1,000 Taliban fighters from the Marjah and Nad-e-Ali areas of central Helmand where the insurgents rule the “ungoverned space” with their strict interpretation of Islamic law.

In addition to 3,000 British soldiers being used a surge in Special Forces thas been pushed into Helmand with troopers from the SAS, SBS and Special Forces Support Group bolstering numbers already on the ground."

CNSNews.com - Christmas Day Bombing Attempt Should Have Been Wake-Up Call for Obama Administration, But It Wasn’t, McConnell Says

CNSNews.com - Christmas Day Bombing Attempt Should Have Been Wake-Up Call for Obama Administration, But It Wasn’t, McConnell Says: "Washington (CNSNews.com) – Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said the attempt by an al-Qaeda-trained Nigerian to blow up a U.S.-bound airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day is just the latest in a series of failures by the Obama administration to protect U.S. citizens from terrorist attacks.

“Unfortunately, there are all too many signs that the current administration has a blind spot when it comes to prosecuting this war,” McConnell said at the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. “Its handling of the Christmas Day bomber may have been the most egregious example, but it was no isolated case.”

McConnell said that eight years after the September 11 attacks, the nation is continually reminded of the need to remain vigilant."

Washington Times - Justice inspector stripped of probe power

Washington Times - Justice inspector stripped of probe power: "In a terse letter to a Republican lawmaker who requested an investigation of the dismissal of complaints against the New Black Panther Party, Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine said he should be able to do so, but was powerless because Congress had stripped him of that authority.

In a four-page response to Rep. Frank R. Wolf of Virginia, who had requested that the IG's office investigate what he called the complaint's 'unfounded dismissal,' Mr. Fine said that unlike all other inspectors general who have unlimited jurisdiction to investigate all claims of wrongdoing inside their agencies, his office does not.

Mr. Fine said in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Times, that he understood Mr. Wolf's desire to have his office review the matter 'because of our independence.'

But while Mr. Fine had advocated expanding his jurisdiction to allow him to investigate all suspected wrongdoing within the department, Congress had not seen fit to do so."

Time Magazine Has a Problem with the Truth about Global Warming » Publications » Family Security Matters

Time Magazine Has a Problem with the Truth about Global Warming » Publications » Family Security Matters: "Bryan Walsh has a great career in public relations awaiting him. Unfortunately he is currently passing himself off as a journalist for Time Magazine.

PR, a profession I have enjoyed for several decades, is widely seen to “spin” facts to a client’s advantage and this is frequently the case. PR is advocacy. Journalism is supposed to be something else, i.e., the unbiased, objective reporting of the facts. Someone needs to explain this to Bryan.

In an article titled “Explaining a Global Climate Panel’s Key Missteps,” Bryan barely pretends to be a journalist as he engages in whitewashing some widely known facts about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations' scam for the propagation of the huge global warming hoax."

Exclusive: National Recovery Requires Banking Reform » Publications » Family Security Matters

Exclusive: National Recovery Requires Banking Reform » Publications » Family Security Matters: "Another World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland has come and gone. It didn’t get as much attention this year as in the past, and that is a good thing. Top government officials did not attend in their former numbers to mix with the rich and famous – and thus be subverted from their duties by the decadent glitz. With economic instability and rising tensions around the world, the libertarian notions the WEF was created to extol were being pushed aside by reality.

The WEF was dominated by business leaders, but major disagreements along national and professional lines were evident. Countries are climbing out of the Great Recession at different rates. A term used at Davos to describe the situation was LUV. An L-shaped stagnation in Europe; a U-shaped slow growth recovery in the United States; and a sharp V-shaped upturn in emerging economies like India, Brazil and China. The V is an exaggeration, as the emerging and developing countries continued to grow last year, just as a slower rate."

The Super-Sized Census Boondoggle » Publications » Family Security Matters

The Super-Sized Census Boondoggle » Publications » Family Security Matters: "If only the federal government were as responsible with our money as Pepsi is with theirs. The soda giant has been in the Super Bowl ad business for more than two decades. But this year, Pepsi determined it was economically unwise to pay $3 million for a 30-second spot. So, who's foolish enough to pay for Super Bowl gold-plated airtime? You and me and Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Census Bureau will squander $2.5 million on a half-minute Super Bowl ad starring D-list celebrity Ed Begley Jr., plus two pre-game blurbs and 12-second 'vignettes' featuring Super Bowl anchor James Brown. It's a drop in the census boondoggle bucket (otherwise known as the tax-subsidized National Democratic Future Voter Outreach Drive).

The Obama White House has allocated a total of $340 million toward an 'unprecedented' promotional blitz for the 2010 census. That's on top of $1 billion in stimulus money siphoned off for increased census 'public outreach' and staffing. In all, the census will triple its total 2000 budget to $15 billion."

Exclusive: Political Incompetence on National Security » Publications » Family Security Matters

Exclusive: Political Incompetence on National Security » Publications » Family Security Matters: "The case of the Panty Bomber has come back into the spotlight with the White House trumpeting details of his recent cooperation thanks to the FBI bringing family members over from Nigeria. The spotlight shows up the incompetence, ignorance and/or stupidity of those concerned in the upper decision making processes and of those supporting this administration over the systemic “failures” following the detention of Umar Abdulmutallab.

With politics once again interfering in a National Security issue, there has been a great deal of comment from a range of officials and politicians
. Some of it has been on point but most of it has been confusing and misleading, designed to obfuscate the plain, simple facts in order to hide the simple truths of the c**k-up made by Attorney General Holder in a blatant case of political one-upmanship (in ignoring the lessons and policies of the Bush administration)."

Obama admits health care overhaul may die on Hill

Obama admits health care overhaul may die on Hill: "WASHINGTON (AP) - After insisting for a year that failure was not an option, President Barack Obama is now acknowledging his health care overhaul may die in Congress.

His tone at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser Thursday night verged at times on defeatist. Even while saying he still wanted to get the job done, Obama bowed to new political realities. Democrats no longer command a filibuster-proof Senate majority, and voters and lawmakers are far more concerned with jobs and the economy than with enacting sweeping and expensive changes to the health system."

Obama Administration Forces Military Hospitals to Stock Morning After Pill

Obama Administration Forces Military Hospitals to Stock Morning After Pill: "Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Late Thursday, the Obama administration issued a new order for the U.S. military requiring all military hospitals and health centers to stock the morning after pill. The Department of Defense will soon begin having military medical facilities stock the Plan B drug, which can sometimes cause an abortion.

The Obama administration's decision came after the Pentagon's Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, an advisory panel, made the recommendation to stock the drug.

The PPTC suggested stocking both Plan B and the Next Choice generic of the morning after pill.

The decision is the latest to have President Barack Obama overturning pro-life policies during the Bush administration and follows him forcing Americans to pay for abortions and embryonic stem cell research with their tax dollars."

Michelle Obama's Obesity Comments: Was Bringing in Malia, Sasha Wrong? - ABC News

Michelle Obama's Obesity Comments: Was Bringing in Malia, Sasha Wrong? - ABC News: "Michelle Obama has earned accolades for making healthy living and eliminating childhood obesity a priority as first lady. But when it came down to personalizing the issue in relation to her daughters, the remarks touched a nerve with some, and praise from others.
Michelle Obama shares stories about her family during obesity campaign in Va.

The first lady made the issue of healthy eating personal last week at an event in Alexandria, Va., where she kicked off a campaign addressing the issue of childhood obesity.

'We went to our pediatrician all the time,' Obama said. 'I thought my kids were perfect -- they are and always will be -- but he [the doctor] warned that he was concerned that something was getting off balance.'

'I didn't see the changes. And that's also part of the problem, or part of the challenge. It's often hard to see changes in your own kids when you're living with them day in and day out,' she added. 'But we often simply don't realize that those kids are our kids, and our kids could be in danger of becoming obese. We always think that only happens to someone else's kid -- and I was in that position.'"


Funny isn't it how no one can talk about the Obama children in the media because Obama has made it taboo, now they become role models when it suits the Obama's? ~~ The Munz

44 - Obama offers alternative path on health care

44 - Obama offers alternative path on health care: "President Obama sketched out an alternative approach to passing health-care legislation that would enlist Republicans and potentially extend the congressional debate for months, but in an open forum that would allow the public to watch the process unfold."


Don't tell me .. we are going to be able to watch everything on c-span ... didn't we hear this BS during his last campaign? ~~~ The Munz

GOP leader rejects White House terms for deficit commission - washingtonpost.com

GOP leader rejects White House terms for deficit commission - washingtonpost.com: "House Minority Leader John Boehner on Friday rebuffed a request from the Obama administration to work with Democrats to rein in soaring budget deficits, aides said. Instead, the Ohio Republican argued, the White House's plans for a bipartisan commission to address the deficits should be scrapped and redesigned.

Boehner told Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner in a telephone call that Republicans would refuse to participate on the 18-member commission unless it were comprised equally of Republicans and Democrats, and unless all GOP members were appointed by their caucus leaders, according to a top Boehner aide.

A deal between the White House and congressional Democrats calls for the commission to include six GOP lawmakers, six Democratic lawmakers and six presidential appointees, two of whom would be Republicans."

Obama: Bank Bailout “Necessary,” Iraq War “Dumb” | FrontPage Magazine

Obama: Bank Bailout “Necessary,” Iraq War “Dumb” | FrontPage Magazine: "“If there’s one thing that has unified Democrats and Republicans — and everybody in between — it’s that we all hated the bank bailout. I hated it. You hated it.” — President Barack Obama, Jan. 27, 2010

“I don’t oppose all wars. … What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war.” — Illinois state Sen. Barack Obama, Oct. 2, 2002

This week the watchdog of the Troubled Asset Relief Program, Neil Barofsky, submitted his quarterly review and testified before Congress. In England, former Prime Minister Tony Blair also testified — for six hours under cross-examination — at a widely anticipated inquiry into the Iraq War.

TARP and the war in Iraq, begun with bipartisan congressional support, are now unpopular. In both cases, proponents argued that without action, we risked greater danger. President Obama defends TARP, which he voted for in the Senate and has expanded as President. But he bemoans having inherited a war he called “dumb.”"

Global Warming: The Other Side | FrontPage Magazine

Global Warming: The Other Side | FrontPage Magazine: "John Coleman, founder of the Weather Channel, in an hour-long television documentary titled “Global Warming: The Other Side,” presents evidence that our National Climatic Data Center has been manipulating weather data just as the now disgraced and under investigation British University of East Anglia Climate Research Unit. The NCDC is a division of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Its manipulated climate data is used by the Goddard Institute of Space Studies, which is a division of the National Aeronautical and Space Administration. John Coleman’s blockbuster five-part series can be seen here.

The Coleman documentary presents research by computer expert E. Michael Smith and Certified Consulting Meteorologist Joseph D’Aleo. During the 1960s and into the 1980s, the number of stations used for calculating global surface temperatures was about 6,000. By 1990, the number of stations dropped rapidly to about 1,500. Most of the stations lost were in the colder regions of the Earth. Not adjusting for their lost made temperatures appear to be higher than was in fact the case. According to Science & Environmental Policy Project, Russia reported that CRU was ignoring data from colder regions of Russia, even though these stations were still reporting data. That means data loss was not simply the result of station closings but deliberate decisions by CRU to ignore them in order to hype their global warming claims. D’Aleo and Smith report that our NCDC engaged in similar deceptive activity where they have dropped stations, particularly in colder climates, higher elevations or closer to the polar regions. Temperatures are now simply projected for these colder stations from other stations, usually in warmer climates."

Sarkozy vs. Obama: Two Different Approaches Towards Muslim Dress | NewsReal Blog

Sarkozy vs. Obama: Two Different Approaches Towards Muslim Dress | NewsReal Blog

The [face-covering] veil is not a sign of religion, but a sign of subservience. We cannot accept to have in our country, women who are prisoners behind netting, cut off from all social life, deprived of identity—French President Nicolas Sarkozy

The U.S. government has gone to court to protect the right of women and girls to wear the hijab, and to punish those who would deny it. I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal, but I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality—U.S. President Barack Obama

The above quotes clearly illustrate two diametrically opposed approaches towards certain Muslim attire, which completely obscures the face of the woman wearing it—Sarkozy attacking it and Obama encouraging it.

Liberal Judge Says ACORN Eligible for $4 Billion of Your Money | NewsReal Blog

Liberal Judge Says ACORN Eligible for $4 Billion of Your Money | NewsReal Blog

Thanks to the Obama administration and an out-of-control liberal judge, ACORN and other leftist activist groups –including the embattled radical group ACORN– could be eligible for up to $3.99 billion in federal funding included in the $3.83 trillion fiscal 2011 budget blueprint President Obama released Monday.

The $3.99 billion comes from a congressional slush fund known as the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, which is part of the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) $48.5 billion fiscal 2011 budget. CDBG grants, which are awarded to states and localities, flow indirectly to ACORN and similar groups that compete at the state and local level for grants.

But how is it that ACORN might be eligible to take in more federal funding when Congress passed a ban on funding the group and its affiliates just last year? Because in December federal Judge Nina Gershon (no apparent relation to actress Gina Gershon) restored federal funding of ACORN by issuing a temporary injunction against the congressional funding ban. The Bill Clinton appointee found that depriving ACORN of taxpayer dollars was an unconstitutional “bill of attainder” that singled out ACORN for punishment without trial. The judge’s ruling could be made permanent when the case eventually goes to trial, a move that would help to shore up ACORN’s finances.

WaPo Points Out Obama’s Two Faces on Senate Holds | NewsReal Blog

WaPo Points Out Obama’s Two Faces on Senate Holds | NewsReal Blog: "President Obama has given us plenty of reasons not to like him — his penchant for redistributive policies, his love of increasing the power and scope of government, and his stances on terror and security that could at best be called ambivalent. But perhaps the thing that rankles most is his attitude. This is the President. Of the United States. The “leader of the free world” and the “most powerful man in the world.” His party had a supermajority (and still maintains a hefty majority despite the recent Massachusetts election) in the Senate and a wide majority in the House.

And yet he still insists on taking a whining, hurt tone when someone disagrees with him. Obama’s act is reminiscent of a rich, star high school quarterback who’s still bitter because someone, somewhere doesn’t like him and won’t invite him to their birthday party.

Sometimes, it seem the President really believes his own hype, that just by existing he’s changed the rules of politics and policy forever. How else to explain this latest complaint about holds being placed on his nominees for federal jobs?"

NBC Cafeteria Menu and Racial Stereotyping | NewsReal Blog

NBC Cafeteria Menu and Racial Stereotyping | NewsReal Blog

The above photograph is an NBC Cafeteria sign, in honor of Black History Month. I won’t hold my breath for the ever-deranged Keith Olbermann of MSNBC to make them so, however. Remember, racism, straight up, as Janeane Garofalo likes to bluster, is totally cool as long as you are of the “correct” political stripe. Olby is just buffoonish enough to consider an entity a purveyor of sweet, sweet liberal policy.

All the sign needs is Bill Clinton, asking for someone to fetch him some coffee. At least the sign is light-colored and not written in “negro dialect”. Harry Reid, therefore, approves!

THE OBVIOUS DEFICIT-CLOSERS at DickMorris.com

THE OBVIOUS DEFICIT-CLOSERS at DickMorris.com: "As he tells us he wants to reduce the dangerous budget deficit, President Obama brings to mind the hapless engineers at Toyota who find that their vehicles accelerate whether or not the driver wants them to. It appears that no matter how hard Obama jams on the brakes with his newfound commitment to deficit reduction (after almost doubling the deficit in one year), the level of red ink just seems inexorably to rise. The House voted yesterday to raise the federal debt limit another $1.9 trillion.

Obviously, more fundamental change in the budget’s engineering is needed. But, unfortunately, it is easier to recall a car than a president.

Obama’s announced intention to freeze 13 percent of the budget for three years is a relatively minor cut. It will trim the deficit by only 3 percent over the decade.

But if the president really wanted to get serious about reducing the deficit, he’s got two easy steps to take:

1) Stop the remaining $500 billion of last year’s $800 billion stimulus package.

2) Refund to the Treasury the $500 billion in TARP funds repaid by the banks."

Obama, at National Prayer Breakfast, calls for civil political debate - washingtonpost.com

Obama, at National Prayer Breakfast, calls for civil political debate - washingtonpost.com: "President Obama lamented the 'erosion of civility' in the nation's political debate, telling an audience Thursday at the National Prayer Breakfast that there is a growing sense that 'something is broken' in Washington.

'Those of us in Washington are not serving the people as well as we should,' he said. 'At times, it seems like we're unable to listen to one another; to have at once a serious and civil debate.'

Obama contrasted the sense of duty and service summoned in response to disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti with the seeming inability of the nation's policymakers to respond to 'the slow-moving tragedies of children without food and men without shelter and families without health care.'"


This from the man who flatly stated "I won" ~~ The Munz

Morning Bell: Second Stimulus, Same as the First | The Foundry: Conservative Policy News.

Morning Bell: Second Stimulus, Same as the First | The Foundry: Conservative Policy News.

When President Barack Obama was sworn into office, the U.S. economy employed 134.6 million people and the unemployment rate stood at 7.6%. In response to growing job losses, President Obama passed an $862 billion stimulus plan that his economic experts promised would help the United States employ at least 138.6 million people by 2010. Reality has not been kind to President Obama’s hope. Today, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics released its monthly jobs report showing the U.S. economy shed another net 20,000 jobs, leaving only 129.5 million jobs, almost 10 million short of the President’s promises.

Anticipating this bleak job news, the President announced in his State of the Union address last week: “That is why jobs must be our number one focus in 2010, and that is why I am calling for a new jobs bill tonight.” It is understandable why the President wants to call this new legislation a “jobs bill” instead of what it really is: his second stimulus. But that would mean admitting that his first stimulus completely failed, which both the objective evidence and the opinion of the American people show it has.

And why did the President’s first stimulus fail? For the same reason his second stimulus is destined to fail: Only the private sector in pursuit of opportunity can create jobs on net. The best we can hope from government is that it keeps to a minimum the jobs it prevents and the income and wealth it destroys.