Munz's Place: 11/28/10

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

President Barack O-Blunder

President Barack O-Blunder: "With the two-year anniversary of the Obama administration coming in January, combined with the results of the midterm elections and the plunge in the president’s approval polls, it’s worth taking a moment to look at just some of the almost daily blunders of Barack Hussein Obama.

Chief among them must surely be the way he has engineered a down-to-the-wire problem regarding the extension of the Bush era tax cuts and then blamed the GOP for the Democrat’s failure to admit the obvious; raising taxes at this time would harm the economy. He has literally held all taxpayers hostage and, as of this writing, the issue is still not resolved in Congress.

As Henry Lamb, the chairman of Sovereignty International, noted just before Obama was sworn into office, “Much of the world sees Obama not simply as the first black president, but as the first president to accept global governance to be more important than U.S. governance. His Berlin speech last July promised ‘a new global partnership’ and a new ‘global commitment’ to ‘save the planet.’”

It’s not as if Obama did not signal his intentions. His inaugural speech on January 20, 2009, laid out the path to the present crisis of confidence that caused voters to transfer political power in the House to Republicans and narrow the Democrat control of the Senate."

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You Pay $1.5 Million for Public Radio to Air Al-Jazeera “News” | Floyd Reports

One of the Obama administration’s top priorities is “diversifying” the nation’s airwaves. Its commitment to public broadcasting and outreach to Muslims has made the unthinkable possible: This week, publicly funded Pacifica Radio will begin airing an hour of “news” from the radio affiliate of Al-Jazeera television. AJE news will be heard early in the morning in three of the network’s five markets — including New York City. The network’s remaining two affiliates — including WPFW in Washington, D.C.– will pick up the AJE broadcast early next year.

By 2011, the voice of Osama bin Laden’s preferred network will be heard in two of the three 9/11 attack sites at taxpayer expense.

According to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s 2009 Annual Report, taxpayers gave Pacifica Radio’s five stations nearly $1.6 million last year alone, down slightly from $1.75 million in 2008. The station-by-station-breakdown is as follows:

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A Long Post: The Complete List of Obama Statement Expiration Dates - By Jim Geraghty - The Campaign Spot - National Review Online

A Long Post: The Complete List of Obama Statement Expiration Dates - By Jim Geraghty - The Campaign Spot - National Review Online:

"By popular demand, a comprehensive list of expired Obama statements . . ."

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YID With LID: How Western Aid is Creating A Wealthy Islamist State In Gaza

YID With LID: How Western Aid is Creating A Wealthy Islamist State In Gaza: "The Gaza Strip is doing really well economically and the Hamas regime seems set to go on forever. It's raking in the aid money but every dollar and every project is shaped to ensure that Hamas remains in power, can return to violence in future and...wreck everything again.

'There are a slew of products here, and beautiful restaurants. Is this the Gaza we have been hearing about?' asked a Sudanese official arriving there, as quoted by the Palestinian news agency Maan. 'Where is the siege? I don't see it in Gaza. I wish Sudan's residents could live under the conditions of the Gazan siege.'"

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The NEFA Foundation

The NEFA Foundation

Taliban: “Remarks of the Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Regarding the Usage of Poisonous Chemical Weapons in Afghanistan by the Invading Americans”
Published: December 07, 2010
The NEFA Foundation has obtained a statement from Taliban spokesman Qari Muhammad Yousaf Ahmadi in which he asserted that “the American invaders have used banned weapons like thermo baric and bunker buster bombs against defenseless civilian Afghans in various parts of the country in the past few years under the pretext of eradicating Mujahideen. Many congenital deformities have occurred in infants in every part of the country as a result of the usage of the chemical weapons.” Ahmadi continued, “the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan calls on all human rights organizations and other relevant entities, organizations and independent personalities to take steps, as a part of their responsibility, to impede those who are involved in human rights violations and bring them to human rights crimes tribunals. Moreover, speed up efforts aimed at disseminating awareness and unearthing more cases of crimes against humanity.”

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Stop Liberal Lies - Defying the will of the people, Obama governs by regulation

Stop Liberal Lies

Defying the will of the people, Obama governs by regulation

Sitting presidents whose agendas are soundly rejected by voters in midterm congressional elections have two options: They can either accommodate the new political reality, as President Clinton did after 1994; or they can use bureaucratic edicts to advance their unpopular programs, as President Obama is clearly doing now.

Given the historic drubbing his party just suffered at the polls, Obama’s defiant strategy may prevent a second term for the man who began his first buoyed by an outpouring of good will.

Predictably, Obama’s regulatory imperialism focuses on labor and environmental issues, as Big Green activists and labor unions, especially those representing government workers, are the core of support for the Democratic president and his congressional allies.

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WikiLeaks: Five more of the strangest stories to emerge - Project much? - CSMonitor.com

The WikiLeaks cable dump has uncovered a lot of downright serious allegations: that the State Department pressured Germany into not criminally investigating the CIA's kidnapping of one of its innocent citizens, that the British government secretly allowed the US to keep cluster bombs on its soil in defiance of a treaty, that the US manipulated the Spanish criminal justice system in its investigation of the CIA's torture of its citizens, and so on.

And it also uncovered some very weird stories. Earlier this week, we wrote about how Qaddadfi loves flamenco dancing, how King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia likes the idea of surgically implanting people with tracking chips, and how a 75-year-old US citizen fled Iran on horseback.

The leaks keep coming. Here are five more of the oddest stories to come out of the leaked State Department cables.

- Eoin O'Carroll, CSMonitor.com

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Newscom/File

3. Project much?

Apparently, Hilary Clinton is very interested in learning how Argentine president Cristina Kirchner handles stress.

The cable sent from Washington to the US Embassy in Buenos Aires, is written in all caps, riddled with typos, and dated December 1, 2034. It inquires how Kirchner who, like Clinton, is a former First Lady, manages her "NERVES AND ANXIETY," if she is "TAKING ANY MEDICATIONS," and asks "HOW DOES SHE CALM DOWN WHEN DISTRESSED," about, let's just say hypothetically, her husband agreeing to a cameo in "The Hangover 2." We suggest deep breaths.

The Cable

Reference ID	Created	Released	Classification	Origin
09STATE132349	2009-12-31 14:02	2010-11-30 16:04	SECRET//NOFORN	Secretary of State

VZCZCXYZ0010
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHC #2349 3651459
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
R 311455Z DEC 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 0374

S E C R E T STATE 132349

NOFORN
SIPDIS

EO 12958 DECL: 12/31/2034
TAGS PINR, PGOV, AR
SUBJECT: (C/NF) ARGENTINA: KIRCHNER INTERPERSONAL
DYNAMICS (C-AL9-02612)
Classified By: ELISSA G. PITTERLE, DIRECTOR, INR/OPS. REASON:

1.4(C).

¶1. (S/NF) WASHINGTON ANALYSTS ARE INTERESTED IN ARGENTINE LEADERSHIP DYNAMICS, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARDS TO CRISTINA FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER AND NESTOR KIRCHNER. DRAWING ON PREVIOUS REPORTING, AND BUILDING UPON OUR OWN ANALYTIC ASSESSMENTS, WE ARE CURRENTLY PREPARING A WRITTEN PRODUCT EXAMINING THE INTERPERSONAL DYNAMICS BETWEEN THE GOVERNING TANDEM. WE HAVE A MUCH MORE SOLID UNDERSTANDING OF NESTOR KIRCHNER’S STYLE AND PERSONALITY THAN WE DO OF CRISTINA FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER AND WE WOULD LIKE TO DEVELOP A MORE WELL-ROUNDED VIEW OF CRISTINA FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER’S PERSONALITY. AS POST,S TIME AND RESOURCES ALLOW AND TO THE EXTENT POST HAS ACCESS TO THIS TYPE OF INFORMATION, WE WOULD WELCOME ANY INSIGHT INTO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS. MANY THANKS, AND REGARDS FROM WASHINGTON.

¶A. (U) MENTAL STATE AND HEALTH:

1) (S/NF) HOW IS CRISTINA FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER MANAGING HER NERVES AND ANXIETY? HOW DOES STRESS AFFECT HER BEHAVIOR TOWARD ADVISORS AND/OR HER DECISIONMAKING? WHAT STEPS DOES CRISTINA FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER OR HER ADVISERS/HANDLERS, TAKE IN HELPING HER DEAL WITH STRESS? IS SHE TAKING ANY MEDICATIONS? UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES IS SHE BEST ABLE TO HANDLE STRESSES? HOW DO CRISTINA FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER,S EMOTIONS AFFECT HER DECISIONMAKING AND HOW DOES SHE CALM DOWN WHEN DISTRESSED?

2) (S/NF) WHAT IS THE STATUS OF NESTOR KIRCHNER’S GASTROINTESTINAL ILLNESS? DOES IT CONTINUE TO BOTHER HIM? IS HE TAKING ANY MEDICATIONS? LONG KNOWN FOR HIS TEMPER, HAS NESTOR KIRCHNER DEMONSTRATED A GREATER TENDENCY TO SHIFT BETWEEN EMOTIONAL EXTREMES? WHAT ARE MOST COMMON TRIGGERS TO NESTOR KIRCHNER’S ANGER?

¶B. (U) POLITICAL VIEWS:

1) (S/NF) WHEN DEALING WITH PROBLEMS, DOES CRISTINA FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER TAKE A STRATEGIC, BIG PICTURE OUTLOOK, OR DOES SHE PREFER TO TAKE A TACTICAL VIEW? DOES SHE VIEW CIRCUMSTANCES IN BLACK AND WHITE OR IN NUANCED TERMS? DOES SHE SHARE NESTOR KIRCHNER’S ADVERSARIAL VIEW OF POLITICS OR DOES SHE ATTEMPT TO MODERATE HIS HEAVY-HANDED POLITICAL STYLE?

¶C. (U) ON THE JOB:

1) (S/NF) HOW DO CRISTINA FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER AND NESTOR KIRCHNER DIVIDE UP THEIR DAY? ON WHICH ISSUES DOES CRISTINA FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER TAKE THE LEAD AND WHICH ISSUES DOES SHE LEAVE TO NESTOR KIRCHNER?

¶2. (U) PLEASE CITE C-AL9-02612 IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF REPORTING IN RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE QUESTIONS. CLINTON

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BBC News - Bank of Ireland ATM and online systems fail

BBC News - Bank of Ireland ATM and online systems fail: "One of the Irish Republic's biggest banks has issued an apology to customers after a systems failure meant that, for a time, they were unable to access their cash accounts.

Bank of Ireland said it became aware at 1000 GMT on Tuesday that ATMs were not working and customers were unable to make online transactions.

People with Post Office savings accounts in the UK were also affected.

A spokesperson said the fault had been largely rectified.

However, the amount of cash that can be withdrawn via ATMs may be restricted."

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Medicare Director Who Said Health-Care Systems 'Must' Redistribute Wealth Says He's Happy With Obamacare | CNSnews.com

Medicare Director Who Said Health-Care Systems 'Must' Redistribute Wealth Says He's Happy With Obamacare | CNSnews.com: "(CNSNews.com) - Dr. Donald Berwick—whom President Barack Obama made director of the Medicare system without a Senate confirmation vote after a national controversy sparked over statements Berwick had made including one in which he insisted that a just health-care system must redistribute wealth—says he is satisfied with Obamacare on that score.

“I don’t think I’ve seen a law with more help in it, more sense of responsibility than the Affordable Care Act--not in my time,' Berwick told CNSNews.com in response to a question about whether Obamcare does enough to redistribute wealth."

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Rep. Michele Bachmann: De-Fund Planned Parenthood | CNSnews.com

Rep. Michele Bachmann: De-Fund Planned Parenthood | CNSnews.com: "(CNSNews.com) - Rep. Michele Bachmann (R.-Minn.) is calling on the U.S. House of Representatives to de-fund Planned Parenthood after the newly elected Republican majority takes charge next month.

“Well, I think one thing that we can do, quite simply, is to withhold funding from Planned Parenthood,” Bachmann said when asked by CNSNews.com what practical steps she believed the in-coming House majority could take to protect unborn babies."

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Obama’s Claims About Auto Jobs Conflict with Some Government Data | CNSnews.com

Obama’s Claims About Auto Jobs Conflict with Some Government Data | CNSnews.com: "(CNSNews.com) – President Barack Obama and administration officials have boasted about how their policies have revived the U.S. auto industry, pointing to the successful initial public stock offering by General Motors on Nov. 18.

However, some of the touted job growth could be questionable based upon a government report last summer that says the rapid pace of dealership closings put “tens of thousands” of workers in immediate jeopardy.

Further, the auto plan lacked 'any explicit cost savings to the manufacturers' according to the report by the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) from July."

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U.S. Postal Service Lost Record $8.5 Billion in 2010 | CNSnews.com

U.S. Postal Service Lost Record $8.5 Billion in 2010 | CNSnews.com: "(CNSNews.com) - The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) accrued a record loss of $8.5 billion in fiscal year 2010, up $4.7 billion from 2009, highlighting financial pressures that are not expected to improve in 2011 or in the “foreseeable future,” according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

The loss was mainly driven by employee benefits and compensation costs, including a $5-billion-plus congressionally mandated retiree health benefits payment and a drop in mail volume.

“USPS must modernize and restructure to become more efficient, control costs, keep rates affordable, and meet changing customer needs,” the GAO stated in an audit released on Dec. 2."

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NYC Taxi Drivers Urged to Use Racial Profiling in Passenger Pickups | CNSnews.com

NYC Taxi Drivers Urged to Use Racial Profiling in Passenger Pickups | CNSnews.com: "(CNSNews.com) - The federal government refuses to profile airline passengers, but New York City taxi drivers are being urged to profile potential passengers before giving them rides.

Following an attack on a New York taxi driver, the head of the city's taxi-drivers' union is urging cabbies to 'profile your passengers; it's very important.'

Fernando Mateo, president of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers, gave that advice at a press conference Saturday outside the hospitial where the cabbie is in serious condition, the New York Post reported."

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Number of Black Farmers Who Will Get Payments from $1.25 Billion USDA Settlement Tough to Determine, Attorneys Say | CNSnews.com

Number of Black Farmers Who Will Get Payments from $1.25 Billion USDA Settlement Tough to Determine, Attorneys Say | CNSnews.com: "CNSNews.com) - The number of African-American farmers who will eventually receive a portion of a $1.25-billion government settlement for discrimination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is almost impossible to determine at this point, said attorneys representing the second batch of complainants in the Pigford case.

Congress recently approved $1.15 billion--to add to $100 million approved in the 2008 farm bill--to compensate black farmers who say the USDA discriminated against them sometime between 1981 and 1996, but missed the 1999 filing deadline for a settlement in the case of Pigford v. Glickman that was made by the Clinton administration."

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Will WikiLeaks' Julian Assange, now arrested, take the 'nuclear' option? - CSMonitor.com

Will WikiLeaks' Julian Assange, now arrested, take the 'nuclear' option? - CSMonitor.com: "Now that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arrested, will he unleash his 'thermonuclear device?'

He appeared to hint at the option last week, when he threatened that “key parts” of secret US government cables would be released if anything happened to him or WikiLeaks.

The 'thermonuclear device,' so named by Mr. Assange's lawyer, is believed to refer to a mysterious 1.4 GB file labeled 'insurance' that was uploaded onto the WikiLeaks website in late July, just after the website published 77,000 Afghan war documents."

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Wis woman jailed for biting off husband's tongue | StarTribune.com

Wis woman jailed for biting off husband's tongue | StarTribune.com: "SHEBOYGAN, Wis. - A Wisconsin woman is accused of biting off her husband's tongue as he was giving her a good night kiss.

Sheboygan police say the man in his late 70s called authorities about 11 p.m. Monday, but was having trouble speaking. An ambulance was dispatched to the house."

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Irish lawmakers offer initial OK for brutal budget - Yahoo! Finance

Irish lawmakers offer initial OK for brutal budget - Yahoo! Finance: "DUBLIN (AP) -- Lawmakers narrowly approved tax hikes Tuesday as part of Ireland's most brutal budget in history, a euro6 billion ($8 billion) slash-and-tax plan imposed as a key condition of the nation's international bailout.

Rejection following Tuesday's publication of the long-awaited 2011 budget would have forced Prime Minister Brian Cowen's resignation and snap elections -- and raised doubts about whether Ireland could tap euro67.5 billion ($90 billion) from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund."

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More Health Waivers | Jamie Dupree Washington Insider

More Health Waivers | Jamie Dupree Washington Insider: "The Obama Administration has quietly granted even more waivers to one provision of the new federal health reform law, doubling the number in just the last three weeks to a new total of 222.

One of the more recognizable business names included on the newly-expanded list of waivers issued by the feds is that of Waffle House, which received a waiver on November 23 for health coverage that covers 3,947 enrollees.

Another familiar name was that of Universal Orlando, which runs a variety of very popular resorts in the Orlando, Florida area. Universal was given a waiver for plans that cover 668 workers.

These waivers deal with limited health benefit plans, sometimes referred to as 'mini-med' policies, which companies as large as McDonald's use for some its employees."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Current list of approved waivers is here
http://www.hhs.gov/ociio/regulations/approved_applications_for_waiver.html

Applications for waivers from annual limit requirements are reviewed on a case by case basis by Department officials who look at a series of factors including whether or not a premium increase is large or if a significant number of enrollees would lose access to their current plan because the coverage would not be offered in the absence of a waiver. More detailed information on specific criteria can be found at: http://www.hhs.gov/ociio/regulations/11-05-2010annual_limits_waiver_bulletin.pdf. Approved applicants are granted an annual limit waiver for one year. The Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight’s sub-regulatory guidance on the process for obtaining waivers of the annual limits requirements may be found at: http://www.hhs.gov/ociio/regulations/patient/ociio_2010-1_20100903_508.pdf

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Catch-and-release of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan angers troops | Washington Examiner

Catch-and-release of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan angers troops | Washington Examiner: "More than 500 suspected Taliban fighters detained by U.S. forces have been released from custody at the urging of Afghan government officials, angering both American troops and some Afghans who oppose the policy on the grounds that many of those released return to the battlefield to kill NATO soldiers and Afghan civilians.

And those numbers understate the problem, military officials say. They do not include suspected Taliban fighters held in small combat outposts or other forward operating bases throughout the region who are released before they ever become part of the official detainee population."

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Police Chief Randy Colwell Rock Island, Ok. EOW: December 3, 2010 20 Year Vet Father of 7 and husband. Cause of death unknown « The Munz ~~ Remembering the fallen

FORT SMITH, Ark. — Funeral services will be held Tuesday in Keota for Rock Island Police Chief Randy Colwell.

Colwell was found dead in his office Friday.

The 40-year-old had been Rock Island’s chief for about six months, but was a 20 year law enforcement veteran. He is survived by his wife and seven children.

Colwell’s funeral will be Tuesday at 2 p.m. in the auditorium at Keota High School.

LeFlore County residents are mourning the death of a local law enforcement official. A dispatcher at the sheriff’s department confirms Rock Island Police Chief Randy Colwell passed away Friday afternoon.

Colwell was found dead in his office at the town hall. The sheriff’s department as well as investigators from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation were called to the scene. No foul play is suspected.

Rock Island’s current police force has only been in place since the spring.

The Leflore County Sheriff’s Department said the body of Rock Island Police Chief Randy Colwell, 40, was found Friday afternoon in his town hall office.

"I came home for work, and I heard the ambulance coming through," said Teresa Call, a lifelong Rock Island resident. "Not within long after that you saw other police officers coming and just being here just to support everyone."

LeFlore County Undersheriff Donnie Edwards said that at about 3 p.m., another officer found Colwell unresponsive in a chair.

Investigators from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation were at the scene because Colwell died while on duty. Officials told 40/29 News they don’t suspect foul play in Colwell’s death.

"He was very nice," Call said. "He was at the corner mart one day, and I sat and had lunch with him and talked over some things that we had going on. He was very pleasant, and it didn’t bother him that I interrupted him during his lunch."

To Call, Colwell was not only an officer but a friend to the community. Call said Rock Island had not always had police representation. She said Colwell had been chief only about six months.

"It felt safer here, because we’ve been having quite a few break-ins around and it seemed like it had calmed down since we had police officers here," Call said.

Christy Humphries works at an area gas station. She said Colwell was known for coming into the store and talking with residents.

"Everybody liked him," Humphries said. "He was a nice guy."

Officials said before coming to the Rock Island department, Colwell worked at the Bokoshe Police Department. Call said Rock Island won’t be the same without their chief.

"It’s going to be a big void," Call said.

Colwell’s body has been sent to the state medical examiner’s office for an autopsy.

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BBC News - Elizabeth Edwards 'halts cancer treatment'

BBC News - Elizabeth Edwards 'halts cancer treatment': "Her doctors have said further treatment for breast cancer would be unproductive and she may have only months to live.

In January, the couple separated after three decades amid revelations he had fathered a child during an affair.

Mr Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina, ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008.

On her Facebook page, Ms Edwards, 61, thanked supporters.

'The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered,' she wrote, according to the Associated Press."

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WikiLeaks cables: Barack Obama is a bigger danger | John Bolton | Comment is free | The Guardian

WikiLeaks cables: Barack Obama is a bigger danger | John Bolton | Comment is free | The Guardian:

WikiLeaks harms the US. But the president's refusal to acknowledge the threats we face is a bigger danger

"WikiLeaks has yet again flooded the internet with thousands of classified American documents, this time state department cables. More troubling than WikiLeaks' latest revelation of US secrets, however, is the Obama administration's weak, wrong-headed and erratic response. Unfortunately, the administration has acted consistently with its demonstrated unwillingness to assert and defend US interests across a wide range of threats, such as Iran and North Korea, which, ironically, the leaked cables amply document."

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Video:Ben Bernanke: 4-5 Years Until We Fully Recover » Blog » Family Security Matters

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NVC students stage "Die In" for the Dream Act

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Parents outraged over finance class reading - Monday, Dec. 6, 2010

Parents outraged over finance class reading - Monday, Dec. 6, 2010: "BEDFORD – The parents of a Bedford teen are calling for the ouster of school officials who assigned their son a book that refers to Jesus Christ as a 'wine-guzzling vagrant and precocious socialist.'

'We had almost PhD people letting this fumble through their fingers, and they all said it was grand,' said Dennis Taylor, a conservative Christian. 'I think there should be a review of these individuals and perhaps some firing done.'

Taylor and his wife Aimee became upset when they learned that their son had been assigned the book 'Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America,' in his personal finance class at Bedford High School."

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TheDC Investigation: Universities encouraging students to receive welfare benefits « » Print The Daily Caller – Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

TheDC Investigation: Universities encouraging students to receive welfare benefits « » Print The Daily Caller – Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment: "Many American colleges and universities are steering their students toward a new source of “financial aid”: food stamps.

In Oregon, for instance, both Portland State and Pacific University encourage their students to apply for food stamps. “Many students are surprised to learn that they may be eligible for Food Stamps,” explains Portland State’s website.

This may be a little surprising given that food stamps were created to help struggling poor people, not heavily-subsidized and frequently-idle college kids. But have no fear, assures Portland State: “Being a college student is hard work! Not just academically, but financially too.”"

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Video: Sharpton Meeting with FCC to Regulate Rush’s ‘Racist Talk’ » Blog » Family Security Matters

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Senator McCaskill (D-MO): If GOP Extends Tax Cuts, It's Time To Pick Up ...

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Sean Penn Movie Full of Lies, Post Says » Publications » Family Security Matters

When the Washington Post isn’t letting ideology trump news judgment by beating the drums for the left-wing domestic agenda of the Democratic Party, it can sometimes get a story straight. Such was the case with its editorial, “Hollywood myth-making on Valerie Plame controversy.” In an editorial, the paper tore the new movie, “Fair Game,” starring left-wing movie actor and friend of Hugo Chavez Sean Penn, to pieces.

The film, now in theaters, takes the line that the Bush Administration went after a CIA agent, Valerie Plame, because her husband, Joe Wilson, exposed lies about the Iraq War. We at AIM spent a lot of time and effort debunking this version of events as it was unfolding. It’s good to see the Post getting it right.

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Hand Book Shows Islamic Circle of North America's True Goals » Publications » Family Security Matters

Hand Book Shows Islamic Circle of North America's True Goals » Publications » Family Security Matters: "The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) is preaching a global Caliphate and Islamic Shari'a law over America to its members, according to the 2010 ICNA Member's Hand Book. This is a very different message than the group's public outreach efforts, and contradicts claims that the organization is a tolerant, mainstream Islamic group.

As the hand book spells out, the organization's ultimate goal is 'the Establishment of Islam' as the sole basis of global society and governance. It also encourages members to deceive people in its proselytizing campaign to help fulfill this goal. This aim is one that ICNA has been actively pursuing as the group has set its sights on America's constitutional separation of religion and state."

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The Cancun Wealth Redistribution Conference » Publications » Family Security Matters

The Cancun Wealth Redistribution Conference » Publications » Family Security Matters: "It’s become a predictable annual rite. Several weeks prior to each global warming gabfest, breathless news stories, editorials, op-eds and pontifications begin hitting the airwaves and print pages, reaching a crescendo as the conference opens. So it was with Copenhagen; so it is with Cancun.

Actually, it may be worse this year. ClimateGate, bogus IPCC “studies” about disappearing Himalayan glaciers and Amazonian rainforests, the global economic recession, the Copenhagen disaster, soaring EU and UK energy prices, Spain’s collapsing green energy industry, and eroding public belief in manmade Climate Armageddon have ushered in growing unease within the alarmist camp."

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‘These Monstrous Budget Deficits Really ARE The Fault of The Constitution and Those Nutty Founders’ » Publications » Family Security Matters

We think we may have found the problem to our national budget mismanagement and fiscal malfeasance on the part of our elected 'leaders' (sic) in Washington:

‘It is all the Founders’ fault!’

Those wacky guys James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, George Mason and Ben Franklin….they just plain forgot to put any words relating to balancing annual budgets; insuring that annual spending matched annual revenues or even putting in some archaic 18th-century clause such as ‘protection of the national fisc’ in our US Constitution.
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REMEMBER

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that nation, and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our secretary of state a formal reply to a recent American message. While this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday the Japanese government also launched as attack against Malaya.

Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.

Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.

Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.

Last night Japanese forces attacked Wake Island.

And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.

As commander in chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense. But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us. . . .”

- Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882 – 1945), 32^nd President of the United States from 1933 - 1945, in a famous speech, calling for war against the Japanese, in the immediate aftermath of the December 7, 1941, attack upon Pearl Harbor.

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America to Talk Nukes with Iranian Islamists » Publications » Family Security Matters

America to Talk Nukes with Iranian Islamists » Publications » Family Security Matters: "The United States and its allies will soon be sitting down—once again-- with Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program. What will happen? What should happen?

Two recent headlines give us some clues. Three years after the Israelis destroyed the Syrian Al-Kibar nuclear reactor, the regime in Damascus continues to stonewall the International Atomic Energy Administration. And 16 years after a supposed breakthrough agreement with North Korea, a “breathtaking” uranium enrichment program continues apace."

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Baltimore police traffic deaths raise training questions - baltimoresun.com

Baltimore police traffic deaths raise training questions - baltimoresun.com: "When we think about police dying in the line of duty, we tend to flash to a thought of a criminal maliciously gunning down an officer.

But a more common fate for law enforcement officers is to be killed in a vehicle collision. According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, as of last week there had been 70 officers killed nationwide in vehicle incidents compared with 54 killed by gunfire in 2010. Crash fatalities among officers were up 49 percent over the same period in 2009. The majority are killed in crashes involving a single moving vehicle.

The Baltimore Police Department has lost two of its own to such crashes in recent months. In September, Officer James E. Fowler III died when his Chevy truck went off a road in central Pennsylvania while on his way to a police training course at Penn State University. Less than a month later, Officer Thomas Portz Jr. was killed when his patrol car ran into a fire engine parked on U.S. 40 while responding to a call."

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Police charge driver with DUI in death of girl, 7

Travis Isiminger

Pittsburgh police charged a Greene County man in the death of a 7-year-old girl in a Saturday night head-on collision on the South Side while he was allegedly driving drunk.

Travis Isiminger, 23, of Holbrook, was arraigned Sunday night on 13 charges, including homicide by vehicle while DUI, reckless endangerment, reckless driving while DUI, aggravated assault while DUI and speeding.

Bail was denied, and he is being lodged at the Allegheny County Jail. A hearing has been set for Friday.

The girl, who was traveling with her mother and sister in another vehicle, was identified by the Allegheny County medical examiner's office as Lexa Cleland of South Park.

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Lawmakers school Obama on nat'l motto (OneNewsNow.com)

Lawmakers school Obama on nat'l motto (OneNewsNow.com): "A letter signed by 42 members of Congress criticizes President Barack Obama for telling students in Indonesia last month that America's national motto is 'E Pluribus Unum.'

Obama commented to the students last month that the U.S. and Indonesia share a similar history. 'It is a story written into our national mottos. In the United States, our motto is 'E Pluribus Unum' -- out of many, one.'

In a letter to the White House, members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus -- mostly Republican -- note that the national motto has been 'In God We Trust' since 1956."

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Obama’s WikiLeaks Problem | FrontPage Magazine

Obama’s WikiLeaks Problem | FrontPage Magazine: "The Obama administration’s glib, nonchalant response to the Wikileaks security breach reinforces the troubling perception that it doesn’t take national security seriously. While the president himself has said virtually nothing about the scandal, the response of his proxies has been even worse. Attorney General Eric Holder assures us that he’s doing something, but won’t go into specifics. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made light of the issue, joking: “I’m writing a cable about it, which I’m sure you’ll find soon on your closest website.” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs downplayed the impact of Wikileaks, telling Fox and Friends: “We should never be afraid of one guy who popped down thirty-five dollars and bought a web address.”"

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Elites Should Blame Selves, Not Obama, for Believing His Messianic Pretensions - David Limbaugh - Townhall Conservative

Elites Should Blame Selves, Not Obama, for Believing His Messianic Pretensions - David Limbaugh - Townhall Conservative: "Have you noticed the desperate agony among the Obama-supporting elite upon realizing that he is not quite the messiah he made himself out to be and as which they willingly embraced him?

Many leftists are disgusted with Obama for supposedly betraying the cause on a number of issues, which tells us how irredeemably liberal they are. But their sense of betrayal runs deeper than ideology.

It's not just their belief that he's abandoned them on numerous policy issues. It's also their belated discovery that he's not superman."

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Obama's 7 'Creator' Omissions (Part 2) - Chuck Norris - Townhall Conservative

Obama's 7 'Creator' Omissions (Part 2) - Chuck Norris - Townhall Conservative: "Last week, I detailed seven occasions in the past few months at which President Barack Obama omitted the words 'by their Creator' from direct quotes of the Declaration of Independence: 'that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.'

Though you can read the actual quotes in detail in Part 1, let me briefly remind readers where and when they occurred:

--On Oct. 21 at a rally for Sen. Patty Murray in Seattle.

--On Oct. 18 at a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee dinner in Rockville, Md.

--On Oct. 17 at a reception for Gov. Ted Strickland in Chagrin Fall, Ohio.

--On Sept. 22 at a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee/DSCC dinner in New York.

--On Sept. 15 at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's 33rd Annual Awards Gala in Washington.

--On Sept. 11 at the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Va.

--On Sept. 10 at the president's news conference at the White House."

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Obama’s once-vaunted Organizing for America silent in tax cut debate | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

Obama’s once-vaunted Organizing for America silent in tax cut debate | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment: "One group has been conspicuously quiet during the debate over whether to extend all or some of the Bush tax cuts: Organizing for America.

While groups such as the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and MoveOn.org have rallied the grassroots to call on President Obama to fight against a compromise extending current tax rates for high-end earners, OFA has been largely silent.

A look at OFA’s website Friday showed no mention of the debate. On Monday, a vote in the Senate Saturday had given OFA something to talk about, as they railed against Republicans “demanding tax cuts for millionaires or no tax cuts at all.”

But there has been no agitation or organizing similar to other groups like PCCC and MoveOn. Those groups have run TV ads, raised money and urged supporters to pressure Obama and Congress to draw the line at extending current tax rates for only those making less than $250,000 a year or less."

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Don’t Look, Don’t Read - Government Warns Its Workers Away From WikiLeaks Documents - NYTimes.com

Don’t Look, Don’t Read - Government Warns Its Workers Away From WikiLeaks Documents - NYTimes.com: "WASHINGTON — In a classic case of shutting the barn door after the horse has left, the Obama administration and the Department of Defense have ordered the hundreds of thousands of federal employees and contractors not to view the secret cables and other classified documents published by Wikileaks and news organizations around the world unless the workers have the required security clearance or authorization."

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The Obama Administration’s Solution To The Wikileaks Problem: Gov’t Employees Can’t Look | Right Wing News

The Obama Administration’s Solution To The Wikileaks Problem: Gov’t Employees Can’t Look | Right Wing News: "The only thing worse than the Wikileaks spy disaster has been the Obama administration's flaccid response to it. Julian Assange is doing everything he can to humiliate and damage the United States. So, what is the Obama administration doing about it? Has someone walked up to Assange, stuck a pistol in his mouth, and introduced the back of his brains to a nearby wall? No. Has a CIA squad kidnapped him and brought him back to the United States for trial? No. Have they done anything that seriously inconveniences Assange at all? No.

So, what has the Obama administration done?

Well, they are making Drudge,

(Hillary) Clinton said she found it extraordinary to greet so many talented people. She then said: `I am writing a cable about it, which I'm sure you'll find soon on your closest website.'

That's hilarious. She should quit her job and get on the comedy circuit. Of course, that joke's not quite as funny as this,"

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More Health Waivers | Jamie Dupree Washington Insider

More Health Waivers | Jamie Dupree Washington Insider: "The Obama Administration has quietly granted even more waivers to the new federal health reform law, doubling the number in just the last three weeks to a new total of 222.

One of the more recognizable business names included on the newly-expanded list of waivers issued by the feds is that of Waffle House, which received a waiver on November 23 for health coverage that covers 3,947 enrollees.

Another familiar name was that of Universal Orlando, which runs a variety of very popular resorts in the Orlando, Florida area. Universal was given a waiver for plans that cover 668 workers.

These waivers deal with limited health benefit plans, sometimes referred to as 'mini-med' policies, which companies as large as McDonald's use for some its employees.

The plan have limits on how much can be paid out in coverage, limits which would be phased out under the new health reform law.

The feds though have granted waivers from that law, amid concern that certain groups would drop their health insurance programs entirely. Those waivers are good for one year, and can be considered for renewal."

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British Court Denies Bail to Assange in Sex Inquiry - NYTimes.com

British Court Denies Bail to Assange in Sex Inquiry - NYTimes.com: "LONDON — Julian Assange, the founder of the beleaguered WikiLeaks anti-secrecy group, was denied bail by a London court on Tuesday and said that he would resist extradition to Sweden where he faces questioning in connection with alleged sex offenses."

Mr. Assange was ordered to remain in custody until a further court session on Dec. 14, the latest twist in the drama swirling around WikiLeaks following its publication of leaked documents.

Mr. Assange’s associates said his detention would not alter plans for further disclosures like those it has made in recent months relating to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and, over the past nine days, disclosing confidential diplomatic messages between the State Department and American representatives abroad.

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Frankenbombers are 'new kind of terrorism': Al Qaeda hopes to surgically implant bombs into thugs

Frankenbombers are 'new kind of terrorism': Al Qaeda hopes to surgically implant bombs into thugs: "WASHINGTON - Jihadis bent on concocting a 'new kind of terrorism' are brainstorming how to surgically implant explosives to make undetectable Frankenbombers.

'What is your opinion about surgeries through which I can implant the bomb ...inside the operative's body?' an apparent mad surgeon recently asked an online forum used by Al Qaeda affiliates.

He called on bombmakers and doctors to cook up the perfect solution to murder 'larger numbers of unbelievers and apostates.'"

Will TSA now do surgery on Americans who wish to travel????? ~~ The Munz

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Border drug tunnels put warehouses under scrutiny - Washington Times

Border drug tunnels put warehouses under scrutiny - Washington Times: "SAN DIEGO | Workers at warehouses just feet from the U.S-Mexico border would come and go at odd hours. Few, if any, knew what their trucks carried.

Few knew, too, that the buildings sat atop the openings for two of the longest, most sophisticated tunnels ever built to smuggle drugs from Mexico to the United States.

'Look over there across the street, I have no idea what they do,' said neighbor Mario Rodriguez, 46, pointing to a large warehouse with no trucks outside."

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Trumka Now Using Faith Groups to Organize ‘Progressive Activists’ | The Blaze

Trumka Now Using Faith Groups to Organize ‘Progressive Activists’ | The Blaze: "AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka has announced that his union is starting a new campaign using “1,000 congregation-based unemployed worker support committees” to offer support to the unemployed and advocate for jobs.

“The campaign will help combat the severe unemployment crisis that is devastating so many working people and families and help rebuild the foundations of our nation’s economy,” Trumka announced in a statement."

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Majority of Muslims want Islam in politics, poll says - latimes.com

Majority of Muslims want Islam in politics, poll says - latimes.com: "A majority of Muslims around the world welcome a significant role for Islam in their countries' political life, according to a new poll from the Pew Research Center, but have mixed feelings toward militant religious groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

According to the survey, majorities in Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan and Nigeria would favor changing current laws to allow stoning as a punishment for adultery, hand amputation for theft and death for those who convert from Islam to another religion. About 85% of Pakistani Muslims said they would support a law segregating men and women in the workplace."

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Monday, December 6, 2010

Government can’t print money properly - Yahoo! News

Government can’t print money properly - Yahoo! News: "Because of a problem with the presses, the federal government has shut down production of its flashy new $100 bills, and has quarantined more than 1 billion of them -- more than 10 percent of all existing U.S. cash -- in a vault in Fort Worth, Texas, reports CNBC.

'There is something drastically wrong here,' one source told CNBC. 'The frustration level is off the charts.'"

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Bureaucrats Gone Wild in Cancun

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"Marxism in America" Lt. Gen. (Ret.) W.G. "Jerry" Boykin Video |

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WikiLeaks founder Assange has encrypted Guantanamo documents, will release them if arrested - NYPOST.com

WikiLeaks founder Assange has encrypted Guantanamo documents, will release them if arrested - NYPOST.com: "WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has circulated across the internet an encrypted “poison pill” cache of uncensored documents suspected to include files on BP and Guantanamo Bay.

One of the files identified this weekend by The (London) Sunday Times — called the “insurance” file -- has been downloaded from the WikiLeaks website by tens of thousands of supporters, from America to Australia.

Assange warns that any government that tries to curtail his activities risks triggering a new deluge of state and commercial secrets.

The military papers on Guantanamo Bay, yet to be published, believed to have been supplied by Bradley Manning, who was arrested in May. Other documents that Assange is confirmed to possess include an aerial video of a US airstrike in Afghanistan that killed civilians, BP files and Bank of America documents."

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US forced to shake up embassies around the world after WikiLeaks revelations - World Politics, World - The Independent

US forced to shake up embassies around the world after WikiLeaks revelations - World Politics, World - The Independent: "Battered by a scandal which seems to provide a fresh wave of embarrassment with each passing day, the US government is being forced to undertake a major reshuffle of the embassy staff, military personnel and intelligence operatives whose work has been laid bare by the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks.

The Obama administration was yesterday facing a crisis in its diplomatic service, amid growing evidence that the ongoing publication of a tranche of supposedly-confidential communiqués will make normal work difficult, if not dangerous, for important State Department employees across the world."

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FoxNews.com - U.S. Documents Detail How Arab Allies Fund Terror Groups

FoxNews.com - U.S. Documents Detail How Arab Allies Fund Terror Groups: "CAIRO – Saudi Arabia has made 'important progress' in aggressively trying to curtail the flow of funds to terrorist groups, but the oil rich kingdom and its Gulf Arab neighbors still remain major sources of financing for militant movements like Al Qaeda and the Taliban, according to leaked U.S. government documents.

The findings, detailed in a series of internal U.S. diplomatic cables spanning a period of several years, paint a stark picture of Washington's challenges in convincing key allies of the need to clamp down on terror funding, much of which is believed to stem from private donors in those nations."

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BBC News - List of facilities 'vital to US security' leaked

BBC News - List of facilities 'vital to US security' leaked: "In February 2009 the State Department asked all US missions abroad to list all installations whose loss could critically affect US national security.

The list includes pipelines, communication and transport hubs.

Several UK sites are listed, including cable locations, satellite sites and BAE Systems plants.

BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says this is probably the most controversial document yet from the Wikileaks organisation."

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Islamists Target Christians 'Wherever They Can Reach Them' » Publications » Family Security Matters

Islamists Target Christians 'Wherever They Can Reach Them' » Publications » Family Security Matters: "In 2006, when Pope Benedict quoted history deemed unflattering to Islam, Christians around the Muslim world paid the price: anti-Christian riots ensued, churches were burned, and a nun was murdered in Somalia. That was then. Days ago, when a Christian in Egypt was accused of dating a Muslim woman, twenty-two Christian homes were set ablaze to cries of 'Allah Akbar.' Countless other examples of one group of Christians in the Muslim world being 'punished' in response to other Christians exist.

In fact, the recent carnage in Baghdad, wherein Islamists stormed a church during mass, killing over fifty Christian worshippers, was a 'response' to Egypt's Coptic Christian church, which Islamists accuse of kidnapping and torturing Muslim women to convert to Christianity (even if the well documented reality in Egypt is that Muslims regularly kidnap and force Christian women to convert to Islam). Moreso, the al-Qaeda affiliated Islamists who perpetrated the Baghdad church massacre have further threatened Christians around the world:"

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The EPA Versus the USA » Publications » Family Security Matters

The EPA Versus the USA » Publications » Family Security Matters: "It seems almost beyond reason that a single U.S. agency could so hate America that it was prepared to ignore the Constitution, distort a Supreme Court decision, and impose its will on the nation in the name of totally discredited science.

That, however, is what the Environmental Protection Agency is seeking to do while Americans are distracted by the Christmas celebrations.

The agency’s objective is to regulate so-called greenhouse gases (GHG) on January 2, 2011. More specifically, it would regulate emissions from power plants and other large emitters, but in reality it would end the role of coal as the provider of 50% of the electricity Americans require."

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Covert operations: Red Teams Test Security Vulnerabilities in U.S. » Publications » Family Security Matters

Covert operations: Red Teams Test Security Vulnerabilities in U.S. » Publications » Family Security Matters: "Using counterfeit documents and posing as employees of a company with a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license, FSI investigators successfully crossed the U.S. northern and southern borders with the type of radioactive materials that could be used to make a dirty bomb.

The Government Accountability Office's Forensic Audits and Special Investigations team (FSI), which was created in 2005 as an interdisciplinary team consisting of investigators, auditors, and analysts, conducts covert tests at the request of the Congress to identify vulnerabilities and internal control weaknesses at executive branch agencies."

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MSNBC Commentators Protect Their Corporate Bosses at GE » Publications » Family Security Matters

The partisan commentators on the GE-owned MSNBC television network continued their class warfare rhetoric against Republicans on Thursday night over “tax cuts for the rich” but failed to cover the big financial news of the day—their corporate bosses had tapped the Federal Reserve for $16 billion in bailout money.

Charles Ortel, managing director of Newport Value Partners, says more bad news for the firm is coming. He does not believe U.S. government policies are addressing vexing structural problems and that, in the persistently tough economic environment, the “intrinsic worth” of GE’s stock is about $2, compared to its high of $60 and current price of $16. Ortel wonders whether the company is so poorly managed that it should be put into conservatorship.

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WikiLeaks and the Mexican Drug War » Publications » Family Security Matters

WikiLeaks and the Mexican Drug War » Publications » Family Security Matters: "The fact is governments deal with the United States because it's in their interest, not because they like us, not because they trust us and not because they think we can keep secrets.”

Robert Gates, U.S. Secretary of Defense

WikiLeaks, a website operated by Julian Assange that publishes leaked material provided by insider informants, is in the process of releasing a quarter of a million documents from the U.S. Department of State. These documents were diplomatic cables, or dispatches, sent from U.S. diplomats worldwide to the Department of State, or vice-versa."

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Missile Malpractice » Publications » Family Security Matters

Missile Malpractice » Publications » Family Security Matters: "Show me where in the Constitution it says the government — created by the people in order to serve the people — is empowered to mandate that those selfsame people buy health insurance as a condition of living and breathing in the United States.

That was the pointed demand put to Democrats during the Obamacare debate. You remember those months: threats and bribes for every wavering moderate on their side of the aisle, while Republican opposition was steamrolled with accounting voodoo and parliamentary tricks that would have made Saul Alinksy blush. And what was their answer on the Constitution? Why, it was right there in the preamble, they told us. It expressly says, in black and white, that it is government’s job to “promote the general Welfare.”"

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Vice President Biden Rewrites History - To Our and Our Allies' Peril » Publications » Family Security Matters

Vice President Biden Rewrites History - To Our and Our Allies' Peril » Publications » Family Security Matters: "Why does the new START treaty hang in the balance? In part, because missile defense advocates, who spent years pressing the US to adopt such weapons, are now ridiculed as having pushed the wrong systems with the wrong countries -- even though all currently planned defenses are precisely those first acquired and deployed by these same missile defense advocates.

The administration, including the Vice President, has ironically adopted, in large part, the regional missile defense program and policy of the Bush administration, while rejecting key aspects of its national defense of our continental United States."

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Political fallout from WikiLeaks? - CNN.com

Political fallout from WikiLeaks? - CNN.com: "Washington (CNN) -- Some critics are blasting the Obama administration in the wake of WikiLeaks' release of State Department cables.

'I didn't see a passion from the people at the Department of State who should have been furious that this database at the Department of Defense has been compromised and that, therefore, they've potentially lost all of these documents to this private first class and then to WikiLeaks and then to The New York Times and other places,' Rep. Peter Hoesktra, R-Michigan, told CNN.

'I didn't walk way from there feeling really confident that there was a sense of urgency to fix the problem and to make sure that it would never happen again.'"

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Mounting Debts by States Stoke Fears of Crisis - NYTimes.com

Mounting Debts by States Stoke Fears of Crisis - NYTimes.com: "The State of Illinois is still paying off billions in bills that it got from schools and social service providers last year. Arizona recently stopped paying for certain organ transplants for people in its Medicaid program. States are releasing prisoners early, more to cut expenses than to reward good behavior. And in Newark, the city laid off 13 percent of its police officers last week."

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The Latest Attempt To Defend Ethel And Julius Rosenberg Fails Miserably. | The New Republic

The Latest Attempt To Defend Ethel And Julius Rosenberg Fails Miserably. | The New Republic: "In March of 1951, a young Jewish couple from New York City, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, both secret members of the American Communist Party, were tried in Federal Court for “conspiracy to commit espionage.” The Rosenbergs were accused of having passed secrets pertaining to the atomic bomb from Ethel’s brother, David Greenglass, who worked in a lab at Los Alamos, to the Soviets. In June of 1953, all legal appeals having been exhausted, the Rosenbergs were executed, becoming the only American civilians executed for espionage by the United States government. Their sentence shocked the world and was immediately seized by communists as a powerful tool in the propaganda war between the United States and the USSR."

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Senators unveil anti-WikiLeaks bill - The Hill's Hillicon Valley

Senators unveil anti-WikiLeaks bill - The Hill's Hillicon Valley: "Sens. John Ensign (R-Nev.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Scott Brown (R-Mass.) introduced a bill Thursday aimed at stopping WikiLeaks by making it illegal to publish the names of military or intelligence community informants.

Ensign accused WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his 'cronies' of hindering America's war efforts and creating a 'hit list' for U.S. enemies by outing intelligence sources.

“Our sources are bravely risking their lives when they stand up against the tyranny of al Qaeda, the Taliban and murderous regimes, and I simply will not stand idly by as they become death targets because of Julian Assange,' Ensign said. 'Let me be very clear, WikiLeaks is not a whistleblower website and Assange is not a journalist.”"

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Civil Rights Commission Rips Justice Dept. Over New Black Panthers Case - FoxNews.com

Civil Rights Commission Rips Justice Dept. Over New Black Panthers Case - FoxNews.com: "WASHINGTON – After a 5-2 vote, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has issued its report criticizing the Justice Department for its handling of voting rights accusations against the New Black Panther Party.

The report, approved Nov. 19 but released Friday, has been published on the commission's website. It says the department has failed to cooperate with the investigation and left open the question of whether political interference played a role in limiting action against the New Black Panther Party."

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WikiLeaks releases list of global sites 'vital' to US - Yahoo! News

WikiLeaks releases list of global sites 'vital' to US - Yahoo! News: "WASHINGTON (AFP) – WikiLeaks has divulged a secret list compiled by Washington of key infrastructure sites around the world that could pose a critical danger to US security if they come under terrorist attack.

The newly released diplomatic cable is one of the most explosive yet out of many leaked by the whistle-blowing website that have heaped embarrassment on Washington and caused anger around the world.

Among other revelations, the latest WikiLeaks document dump showed Australia's then leader Kevin Rudd warning US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that force might be needed against China 'if everything goes wrong'.

A State Department cable from February 2009 asked US missions to update a list of infrastructure and key resources worldwide whose loss 'could critically impact' the country's public health, economic life and national security."

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WikiLeaks cables portray Saudi Arabia as a cash machine for terrorists | World news | The Guardian

WikiLeaks cables portray Saudi Arabia as a cash machine for terrorists | World news | The Guardian: "Saudi Arabia is the world's largest source of funds for Islamist militant groups such as the Afghan Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba – but the Saudi government is reluctant to stem the flow of money, according to Hillary Clinton.

'More needs to be done since Saudi Arabia remains a critical financial support base for al-Qaida, the Taliban, LeT and other terrorist groups,' says a secret December 2009 paper signed by the US secretary of state. Her memo urged US diplomats to redouble their efforts to stop Gulf money reaching extremists in Pakistan and Afghanistan."

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Media outlets collaborate with WikiLeaks - Yahoo! Canada News

Media outlets collaborate with WikiLeaks - Yahoo! Canada News: "PARIS - The diplomatic records exposed on the WikiLeaks website this week reveal not only secret government communications, but also an extraordinary collaboration between some of the world's most respected media outlets and the WikiLeaks organization.

Unlike earlier disclosures by WikiLeaks of tens of thousands of secret government military records, the group is releasing only a trickle of documents at a time from a trove of a quarter-million, and only after considering advice from five news organizations with which it chose to share all of the material.

'They are releasing the documents we selected,' Le Monde's managing editor, Sylvie Kauffmann, said in an interview at the newspaper's Paris headquarters."

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Iran says it has made its own atomic raw material - Telegraph

Iran says it has made its own atomic raw material - Telegraph: "Officials said Iran had produced the yellowcake, an achievement that allows the country to continue enriching stockpiles of the material into fuel for nuclear power stations. It may also allow the manufacture of warheads to fit on long range missiles in spite of a worldwide embargo.

The announcement came as Baroness Ashton, the EU's foreign policy representative, travelled to Geneva to hold negotiations with Iran's Saeed Jalili, Tehran's chief nuclear envoy, on behalf of Germany and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council."

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Deputy Sheriff Dewayne Crenshaw Tippah County Sheriff’s Department Mississippi End of Watch: Friday, December 3, 2010 « The Munz ~~ Remembering the fallen

Deputy Sheriff Dewayne Crenshaw
Tippah County Sheriff’s Department
Mississippi
End of Watch: Friday, December 3, 2010

Biographical Info
Age: 62
Tour of Duty: 7 years
Badge Number: T-5

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Friday, December 3, 2010
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Charged with capital murder

Deputy Sheriff Dewayne Crenshaw was shot and killed after responding to a call of a domestic dispute at a home on County Road 500.
Deputy Crenshaw and another deputy responded to a domestic dispute at approximately 4:00 am in a rural area near Ripley. When they arrived at the scene they encountered a male subject outside. As they made contact with the man Deputy Crenshaw was fatally shot.
The suspect was arrested and charged with capital murder.
Deputy Crenshaw was a U.S. military veteran and had served as a patrol deputy for the Tippah County Sheriff’s Department for seven years. He had previously served as a detention officer with the agency.
He is survived by his wife, four children, and one stepchild. One of his sons also works for the department.

Agency Contact Information
Tippah County Sheriff’s Department
205 W Spring Street
Ripley, MS 38663
Phone: (662) 837-9336
Please contact the Tippah County Sheriff’s Department for funeral arrangements or for survivor benefit fund information.

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Sunday, December 5, 2010

5 Ugly Truths Americans Will Have to Face | Right Wing News

5 Ugly Truths Americans Will Have to Face | Right Wing News

Even the United States of America is not immune to the rules of nature and commerce that govern other nations. Over the last few decades, our country has made some very foolish economic choices. It seems as if we have come to believe that the rest of the world is going to finance our government spending in perpetuity, even as it becomes clear that we have no intention of getting spending under control or paying back our debt. Because the wheels of history turn very slowly, we've gotten away with this for a long time, but as the baby boomers are starting to hit retirement age, the time to pay the piper is drawing nigh. In the next decade or two, we're likely to face a financial crisis more dire than any this nation has ever seen.

What is that going to mean in real terms? It means that barring an unforeseen miracle, our out-of-control spending is going to lead to some very painful decisions that will make a lot of people, including conservatives, very unhappy. What you're about to read are the ugly truths about what our behavior today means for our country's future.
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Misery Index - The Need to Rebuild America

Misery Index - The Need to Rebuild America: "For those old enough to remember, the late 1970's and early 1980’s were consumed by periods of high unemployment, high inflation, and devastating interest rates. The national debt was almost $1 Trillion. Interest rates were in the high teens and inflation was equally high.
President Reagan, in a national debate, asked the devastating rhetorical question which haunted then President Carter, “Are we better off today than we were four years earlier?” The answer to the question was intuitively obvious to the most casual observer at the time and is believed to have had a significant effect on the outcome of the presidential election that year.
Unfortunately, since the1980’s, the impact of continued deficits under both parties, systemic undermining of American industry, and the wholesale degradation of our nation’s critical infrastructure, have combined to yield extremely high unemployment, recklessly low interest rates, and volatile and unrecognized inflation.
The dichotomy of the economic realities of low interest rates, deceptive and volatile inflation rates and high unemployment do not bode well for our economy and our citizens."

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America’s SS Party

“The goal of socialism is communism.”—Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924)

“National Socialism will use its own revolution for establishing a new world order.”—Adolf Hitler (1889-1945)

I think we should relabel the Democratic Party the “Insane Socialist” Party, or in a nod to political correctness, the “Semi-sane Socialist” Party (SS). (Link)

Because the SS Party is so fond of things European, Socialist, Totalitarian, and Anti-American, they might want to dust off those old European-style Socialist Worker Party emblems and use them as their party logo—you know, those twin lightning-bolt shaped “S” insignias? (Link)

The SS Party could adopt as its planks such things as nationalising businesses, outlawing guns, population/racial control through abortion…. No wait, the SS already has those issues as part of its party platform; they’ll need something new. (Link)

I know, they can add anti-Zionism to the party platform! Say, this is all starting to sound strangely familiar. (Link)

It would also help move things along if the SS had someone with deep pockets to fund them. Someone immersed in SS philosophy from a young age. Hey, they do have someone like that—“Spooky Dude” himself! “Say hi to the people George,” no need to be shy. (Link)

Be that as it may. I’ve heard rumors that members of the “moderate” (it’s a relative term) liberal group PUMA (Party Unity My A—) may join forces with the RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) to form the GIMPS (Globalists In Mostly Plain Sight). (Link) and (Link)

Between the SS, the GIMPS, the Tea Party, and Republicans, it promises to be a most interesting run-up to the 2012 Presidential election.

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Radical Leftist Julian Assange Plays God Leaking US Documents

Radical Leftist Julian Assange Plays God Leaking US Documents: "Question: Does it matter that most of today’s Western rebels are driven by socialism? Or that the lobotomized mainstream media never isolates this trait when reporting these rogues? In the West there is no larger group of man-made disaster-makers than modern liberals. Cursing the world with their withering self-righteousness, socialists and Marxists like Julian Assange have been a global plague since the French Revolution.

The fact is when journalists report on those sharing their own worldview, typically they display no professional discipline. And the coverage gets sloppy. There is no doubt that Assange is a committed leftist. We know this by admissions from he and his family. Moreover, his words and deeds reveal progressive ideals driving his outlandish campaign. This essay examines the disturbing phenomena of the socialist sheriffs-from-hell who believe it is their Hades-borne duty to judge and punish the world by treasonous sabotage."

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INHOFE: The McCain-Coburn budget-balancing fraud - Washington Times

INHOFE: The McCain-Coburn budget-balancing fraud - Washington Times: "I am used to being all alone. I was the only 'no' vote in the Senate on the Everglades Restoration Act. Three years later, major publications said I was right and the other 99 were wrong. In 2002, I was alone in exposing the global-warming hysteria as a hoax. Now I have been vindicated on that issue as well. As the only conservative Republican to vote against the earmark moratorium within our conference, I find myself alone once again. But, as before, I eventually will be proved right. My opposition to the moratorium is based on my concern that Congress would be ceding its constitutional authority to the president, while failing to save a single taxpayer dime and distracting from the real issue of out-of-control deficit spending."

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Facebookers 'like' Decerega's elbow - PATRICK GAVIN | POLITICO CLICK

President Barack Obama's lip may be healing, and the snickers about his recent basketball injury may be dying down, but Facebook pages in honor of the moment may keep the discussion going.

A fan page — "Rey Decerega's Elbow" ("The elbow that nailed Obama's face!") — has been set up, though it has only been "liked" so far by 54 people.

But it doesn't stop there: Another page — the "Rey Decerega Fan Club" — proclaims, "Of course I am not advocating for violance against the president of the United States, but props to Rey for giving it his all and not just letting Obama win."

"FHS Still Loves Rey Decerega and His Elbow" is supported by some students at Flint High School, where Decerega once taught.

As you might expect in our current political climate, other Facebook pages aren't as nice, such as "Rey Decerega For Nobel Peace Prize."

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Bankruptcy? No Worries! California Is “Going Green!” - Austin Hill - Townhall Conservative

Bankruptcy? No Worries! California Is “Going Green!” - Austin Hill - Townhall Conservative: "First, let me make this clear: I’m a native Californian, and I grew up thinking that California was pretty much the center of the universe.

As a very small child I knew that President Richard Nixon was born about 25 miles north and his “Western White House” was about 35 miles south of where I lived (doesn’t every kid experience the President vacationing near his home?). While in elementary school, my favorite tv shows – “Emergency,” “Adam 12” and “The Rockford Files” to name a few – all included panoramic glimpses of cityscapes and freeways that were familiar. I didn’t “dream” about this California – for better or worse, I lived it.

College, graduate school, and my media career have taken me around the state – Sacramento, San Diego, Fresno, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles – all very different places, and all California. It’s a really big place that I know really well, and it is a part of me."

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