It looks like the Missouri state patrol won't treat conservative bumper stickers as evidence of terroristic tendencies after all. Reports WorldNetDaily:
The chief of the Missouri highway patrol is blasting a report issued by the Missouri Information Analysis Center and promising immediate changes in the procedures through which it was released to law enforcement agencies.
The report linked conservative groups to domestic terrorism and cited as suspicious those individuals who may have bumper stickers for third-party political candidates such as Ron Paul, Bob Barr and Chuck Baldwin.
It further warned law enforcement to watch out for individuals with "radical" ideologies based in Christian views, such as opposing illegal immigration, abortion and federal taxes.
Chief James Keathley of the Missouri State Patrol has issued a statement that the release of the report, which outraged conservatives countrywide, prompted him to "take a hard look" at the procedures through which the report was released by the MIAC.
Of course, the real surprise of this initiative was not that it existed, but that it arose first in Missouri rather than, oh, New York or California!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Red Envelope Campaign
Over one million, empty, red envelopes have poured into the White House mail room, symbolizing the empty promise of lives snuffed out in abortion; and with Red Envelope Day planned for tomorrow, coordinators estimate that number could more than double.
The Red Envelope Project is an idea sparked in the mind and prayers of a Massachusetts man, Christ Otto, who envisioned in January thousands of red envelopes sent to the White House, a visual expression of moral outrage over the president's position on abortion.
On the backs of the envelopes, senders write a message Otto composed: "This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception."
"We are trying to change the president's heart," Otto writes on a website explaining the project. "This is a message to a man that God hears the cry of innocent blood. It is not a political stunt, although I hope it changes policy in Washington. If the capital is flooded with so many letters that no one can deny it, I am hoping the image will be burned into Barack Obama's mind that this is about human blood, and that he lies awake at night until he cannot resist doing something about it."
The original project began small, but when Otto sent out an email to friends asking them to join him in the envelope effort, the symbolic gesture spread through the Internet like wildfire.
"I sent an email to 120 people who pray for me daily, and asked them if they wouldn't mind sending a red envelope, and if they thought it was a good idea, forwarding it on to their friends," Otto told WND. "About a week and half later, a friend told me to Google it, and I found about 30 blogs dedicated to the red envelopes."
Otto told WND a few days later, he began receiving contacts from national pro-life organizations and churches that had taken up the cause.
By February, Otto learned of a Texas man named Brian Potter, who set March 31 as Red Envelope Day, a date when supporters would drop hundreds of thousands of the envelopes in the mail, presumably being delivered to the White House near the beginning of Holy Week, just prior to the start of Passover.
Potter's Red Envelope Day website has also partnered with AmazingCauses.com to enable supporters to send the red envelopes online in one easy and coordinated effort, so that, in Potter's words, "they will send out a truckload of envelopes to the White House."
The rest of the story can be found HERE on www.worldnetdaily.com
Obama Wants Muslims In White House
Barack Obama is conducting his own affirmative action program to get more Muslims in the White House.
The move began with Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn, who took his oath of office with a hand on the Quran, to solicit the resume of what he considered to be the nation's most qualified adherents of Islam.
According to the Denver Post, when White House officials heard about the program, it was put on overdrive.
So far, 45 Ivy League grads, Fortune 500 executives and government officials have been submitted for consideration.
J. Saleh Williams, program coordinator for the Congressional Muslim Staffers Association, sifted through more than 300 names as part of the search.
"It was mostly under the radar," Williams said. "We thought it would put (the president) in a precarious position. We didn't know how closely he wanted to appear to be working with the Muslim American community."
Ellison is serious about his faith. He made the pilgrimage to Mecca with the sponsorship of the Muslim American Society, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.
In 1991, Mohamed Akram wrote a memo for the leadership
of the Muslim Brotherhood that explained its work in America as "a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and 'sabotaging' its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious over all other religions."
Story HERE on World Net Daily
The move began with Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn, who took his oath of office with a hand on the Quran, to solicit the resume of what he considered to be the nation's most qualified adherents of Islam.
According to the Denver Post, when White House officials heard about the program, it was put on overdrive.
So far, 45 Ivy League grads, Fortune 500 executives and government officials have been submitted for consideration.
J. Saleh Williams, program coordinator for the Congressional Muslim Staffers Association, sifted through more than 300 names as part of the search.
"It was mostly under the radar," Williams said. "We thought it would put (the president) in a precarious position. We didn't know how closely he wanted to appear to be working with the Muslim American community."
Ellison is serious about his faith. He made the pilgrimage to Mecca with the sponsorship of the Muslim American Society, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.
In 1991, Mohamed Akram wrote a memo for the leadership
of the Muslim Brotherhood that explained its work in America as "a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and 'sabotaging' its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious over all other religions."
Story HERE on World Net Daily
Constitution Reading Of The Day 3-31-2009
Article 7 Section 1
The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the Same.
The Word, "the," being interlined between the seventh and eighth Lines of the first Page, the Word "Thirty" being partly written on an Erazure in the fifteenth Line of the first Page, The Words "is tried" being interlined between the thirty second and thirty third Lines of the first Page and the Word "the" being interlined between the forty third and forty fourth Lines of the second Page.
Attest William Jackson Secretary
Done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven and of the Independence of the United States of America the Twelfth In witness whereof We have hereunto subscribed our Names,
The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the Same.
The Word, "the," being interlined between the seventh and eighth Lines of the first Page, the Word "Thirty" being partly written on an Erazure in the fifteenth Line of the first Page, The Words "is tried" being interlined between the thirty second and thirty third Lines of the first Page and the Word "the" being interlined between the forty third and forty fourth Lines of the second Page.
Attest William Jackson Secretary
Done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven and of the Independence of the United States of America the Twelfth In witness whereof We have hereunto subscribed our Names,
Monday, March 30, 2009
Tobacco Tax
The largest tax increase on tobacco in history is set to be implemented on Wednesday April 1st 2009. The tax is going to pay for an expansion of the already bloated BullCHIP, I mean SCHIP, State Childrens Health Insurance Program. If you recall Hawaii tried to do an SCHIP program last year and realized very quickly that it was not a financially feasible option. Obama will just continue to tax the working class and the rich to pay for this welfare program.
The problem is there are no limitations on the program. The single mother can continue to have as many children as she wants and we will keep paying for their health insurance. I personally am tired of paying for peoples irresponsible behavior. People on any form of welfare should not have the "right" to smoke, engage in unprotected sex, have children, drink, or do drugs. If you partake in any of the above activities your welfare, aka my money, will be cut off immediately. Why should responsible people like me have to continue to pay for irresponsible peoples bad choices? I dont mind helping someone out but "helping someone out" does not last a lifetime. It last for a year or so. After that you are on your own!
You smokers that voted for Obama, congratulations, you are getting exactly what you wanted. Obama warned that he would increase tax's on many things and he is doing just that.
The problem is there are no limitations on the program. The single mother can continue to have as many children as she wants and we will keep paying for their health insurance. I personally am tired of paying for peoples irresponsible behavior. People on any form of welfare should not have the "right" to smoke, engage in unprotected sex, have children, drink, or do drugs. If you partake in any of the above activities your welfare, aka my money, will be cut off immediately. Why should responsible people like me have to continue to pay for irresponsible peoples bad choices? I dont mind helping someone out but "helping someone out" does not last a lifetime. It last for a year or so. After that you are on your own!
You smokers that voted for Obama, congratulations, you are getting exactly what you wanted. Obama warned that he would increase tax's on many things and he is doing just that.
Constitution Article Of The Day 3-30-2009
Article 6 Section 1
All Debts contracted and Engagements entered into, before the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation.
This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.
All Debts contracted and Engagements entered into, before the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation.
This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Thank "God" For Texas
If you do not like the pledge of allegiance then GET OUT OF MY UNITED STATES! I am tired of you slimy atheist trying to change how 98% of us live out life. Scum bag David Croft does not like the word "god" in the Texas pledge of allegiance that is recited each morning at a PUBLIC school in Carrollton Texas.
Hey Mr. Croft, if you dont like it take your kids out of the public school that I am paying for. Put them in a little screwed up atheist school somewhere. We Texans will not be told what to do and Judge Kinkeade proved that today. The story below can be found HERE.
DALLAS — A federal judge has dismissed the claims of a parent who wanted to remove the words "under God" from the Texas pledge of allegiance recited each morning by public schoolchildren.
U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade ruled Thursday the state pledge may continue to reference God because the national pledge and four other states reference God or divine grace in their pledge, The Dallas Morning News reported Friday.
"A voluntary recitation of the Texas Pledge of Allegiance simply does not coerce students in the same way a school-sponsored prayer might," Kinkeade wrote in his opinion.
David Croft had argued that inserting the words were unconstitutional and amounted to a violation of separation of church and state. He and his wife, Shannon, sued on behalf of their three children who are enrolled at the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District.
Previously, the Crofts unsuccessfully sued after an elementary teacher told one of their children to keep quiet because a minute for silence after the pledge was a "time for prayer."
A provision that took effect September 2003 changed the way schools start their days in Texas. Children are now allowed to "reflect, pray, meditate or engage in any other silent activities" for one minute after the state and national pledges of allegiance have been recited. A federal appeals court ruled last week that the law is constitutional.
Texas, the last great place in these United States.
Hey Mr. Croft, if you dont like it take your kids out of the public school that I am paying for. Put them in a little screwed up atheist school somewhere. We Texans will not be told what to do and Judge Kinkeade proved that today. The story below can be found HERE.
DALLAS — A federal judge has dismissed the claims of a parent who wanted to remove the words "under God" from the Texas pledge of allegiance recited each morning by public schoolchildren.
U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade ruled Thursday the state pledge may continue to reference God because the national pledge and four other states reference God or divine grace in their pledge, The Dallas Morning News reported Friday.
"A voluntary recitation of the Texas Pledge of Allegiance simply does not coerce students in the same way a school-sponsored prayer might," Kinkeade wrote in his opinion.
David Croft had argued that inserting the words were unconstitutional and amounted to a violation of separation of church and state. He and his wife, Shannon, sued on behalf of their three children who are enrolled at the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District.
Previously, the Crofts unsuccessfully sued after an elementary teacher told one of their children to keep quiet because a minute for silence after the pledge was a "time for prayer."
A provision that took effect September 2003 changed the way schools start their days in Texas. Children are now allowed to "reflect, pray, meditate or engage in any other silent activities" for one minute after the state and national pledges of allegiance have been recited. A federal appeals court ruled last week that the law is constitutional.
Texas, the last great place in these United States.
Constitution Article Of The Day 3-28-2009
Article 4 Section 4
The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened), against domestic Violence.
The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened), against domestic Violence.
Friday, March 27, 2009
I Personally Love Her!!!
This story came from Fox today about my favorite Congresswoman Michelle Bauchmann. She is out spoken and rather than pandering to the left she burns there tails up with her fiery speech.
She called for an expose to root out members of Congress who are "anti-America." She gave President George W. Bush a public hug and a kiss so famously awkward one paper called it the "death grip." She claimed to know of a secret plan to partition Iraq and carve out a "terrorist safe haven zone," and then backed off the statement.
And then she won re-election.
Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann has shown an uncanny knack for infuriating critics with sometimes off-the-wall behavior and comments, all the while advancing her own political career.
Minnesota politicos say the Republican congresswoman, having fended off perhaps her toughest challenge last year, could hold on to her seat indefinitely -- thanks in part to the conservative makeup of her district.
But Bachmann, a lightning rod of the left, also may be poised to run for governor or senator, according to the political chatter. Either way, the longer Bachmann stays in office, the more she seems to rile her opponents nationwide with a style some call genuine, but others call clueless.
"For what pisses off the Democrats, it really energizes that conservative base she has," said Lawrence Jacobs, a political professor at the University of Minnesota. "This is not a strategic politician. This is a movement conservative. She's a true believer."
Bachmann, 52, is a born-again Christian -- she has said God called her to go to law school and to run for Congress -- who cut her political teeth in the Minnesota Legislature pushing for an amendment to ban same-sex marriage. She won election to the U.S. Congress in 2006, going against the wave of Republicans forced out of office that year. Since then, she's concentrated more on tax and spending issues. She was in the spotlight this week as she questioned Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke during a hearing about federal intervention in the financial system.
Story continues HERE
She called for an expose to root out members of Congress who are "anti-America." She gave President George W. Bush a public hug and a kiss so famously awkward one paper called it the "death grip." She claimed to know of a secret plan to partition Iraq and carve out a "terrorist safe haven zone," and then backed off the statement.
And then she won re-election.
Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann has shown an uncanny knack for infuriating critics with sometimes off-the-wall behavior and comments, all the while advancing her own political career.
Minnesota politicos say the Republican congresswoman, having fended off perhaps her toughest challenge last year, could hold on to her seat indefinitely -- thanks in part to the conservative makeup of her district.
But Bachmann, a lightning rod of the left, also may be poised to run for governor or senator, according to the political chatter. Either way, the longer Bachmann stays in office, the more she seems to rile her opponents nationwide with a style some call genuine, but others call clueless.
"For what pisses off the Democrats, it really energizes that conservative base she has," said Lawrence Jacobs, a political professor at the University of Minnesota. "This is not a strategic politician. This is a movement conservative. She's a true believer."
Bachmann, 52, is a born-again Christian -- she has said God called her to go to law school and to run for Congress -- who cut her political teeth in the Minnesota Legislature pushing for an amendment to ban same-sex marriage. She won election to the U.S. Congress in 2006, going against the wave of Republicans forced out of office that year. Since then, she's concentrated more on tax and spending issues. She was in the spotlight this week as she questioned Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke during a hearing about federal intervention in the financial system.
Story continues HERE
Constitution Article Of The Day 3-27-2009
Article 4 Section 3
New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.
The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State.
New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.
The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State.
RINO's in Delaware
Folks if we ever hope to advance our agenda we have to get people like these clowns out of office. They give Republicans and Conservatives a bad name. The unfortunate part is uneducated people associate all Republicans with Conservatives. There is nothing further from the truth. The clowns listed below are at best big "R" Republicans, I would tend to call them slimy liberals. I am tired of sharing my party with scum bags like this. We need to boot these clowns and elect some good little "r" Republicans that follow the Constitution.
Below is an email from my a friend and fellow Conservative.
All:
I just wanted to report on the following items:
Thanks to RINO's Kovach, Hudson, Manolakos, Ramone, Miro, and Oberle, H.B. 5 (Act that will add the term "sexual orientation" as a protected class in Delaware code. This Act will forbid discrimination against a person on the basis of sexual orientation in housing, employment, public works contracting, public accommodations, and insurance. In addition, this Act will establish that the Superior Court, in the first instance, would hear and adjudicate alleged criminal violations under the Act of equal accommodations, fair housing and employment discrimination) passed in the house today with a total of 26 YES votes, 14 NO votes, and 1 being ABSENT.
Thanks to RINOs Liane Sorenson (our Senate Minority Whip), Catherine Cloutier, and Dorinda Conner, S.B. 27 (First leg of a Constitutional Amendment to establish marriage between one man and one woman as the only legally recognized union in the State of Delaware) was defeated in the Senate today with a total of 9 YES votes, 11 NO votes, and 1 not voting.
We need more grassroots volunteers to make sure these people do NOT get elected to represent us in 2010.
Below is an email from my a friend and fellow Conservative.
All:
I just wanted to report on the following items:
Thanks to RINO's Kovach, Hudson, Manolakos, Ramone, Miro, and Oberle, H.B. 5 (Act that will add the term "sexual orientation" as a protected class in Delaware code. This Act will forbid discrimination against a person on the basis of sexual orientation in housing, employment, public works contracting, public accommodations, and insurance. In addition, this Act will establish that the Superior Court, in the first instance, would hear and adjudicate alleged criminal violations under the Act of equal accommodations, fair housing and employment discrimination) passed in the house today with a total of 26 YES votes, 14 NO votes, and 1 being ABSENT.
Thanks to RINOs Liane Sorenson (our Senate Minority Whip), Catherine Cloutier, and Dorinda Conner, S.B. 27 (First leg of a Constitutional Amendment to establish marriage between one man and one woman as the only legally recognized union in the State of Delaware) was defeated in the Senate today with a total of 9 YES votes, 11 NO votes, and 1 not voting.
We need more grassroots volunteers to make sure these people do NOT get elected to represent us in 2010.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
GOP Offers Budget Alternative
For days now Obama and the left wing media has been accusing the GOP of being obstructionist and of having no alternative the massive budget. Well guess what Mr. Obama, you may have inherited a deficit but you are making it even bigger than it has ever been. And do I mention that as a senator you voted for the huge deficit.
House Republicans on Thursday released their alternative to President Obama's budget, outlining a plan they say will cut spending and lower taxes while stimulating job creation.
The proposal comes after the GOP spent weeks criticizing the president's $3.6 trillion spending plan for 2010 as a deficit-laden scheme to expand government.
Under their proposal, House Republicans promise to simplify the tax code and cut income tax rates to 10 percent for people making $100,000 or less.
They also promise to cut domestic spending below current levels but don't say whether they are exempting Social Security.
The plan came in the form of a broad overview and was lacking many specifics.
Republicans said more details would come out next week. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, argued that his party should have more time to settle on the details, just as Obama did.
"The president came to Capitol Hill and laid out his blueprint for his budget during the State of the Union. He didn't offer his details until days later. Today we are offering our blueprint," Boehner said.
"We're going to show a leaner budget, a budget with lower taxes, lower spending, and lower borrowing," said Mike Pence of Indiana, the No. 3 Republican in the House. "And it's going to be a budget that says, 'Here's how best to get America out of this struggling economy."'
Among the House GOP offerings: "Republicans seek to ensure that the federal budget cannot grow faster than families' ability to pay the bill."
Republicans also promise to try to lower capital gains taxes and give businesses employing fewer than 500 people a tax deduction equal to 20 percent of their income.
Story can be found HERE on www.foxnews.com
House Republicans on Thursday released their alternative to President Obama's budget, outlining a plan they say will cut spending and lower taxes while stimulating job creation.
The proposal comes after the GOP spent weeks criticizing the president's $3.6 trillion spending plan for 2010 as a deficit-laden scheme to expand government.
Under their proposal, House Republicans promise to simplify the tax code and cut income tax rates to 10 percent for people making $100,000 or less.
They also promise to cut domestic spending below current levels but don't say whether they are exempting Social Security.
The plan came in the form of a broad overview and was lacking many specifics.
Republicans said more details would come out next week. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, argued that his party should have more time to settle on the details, just as Obama did.
"The president came to Capitol Hill and laid out his blueprint for his budget during the State of the Union. He didn't offer his details until days later. Today we are offering our blueprint," Boehner said.
"We're going to show a leaner budget, a budget with lower taxes, lower spending, and lower borrowing," said Mike Pence of Indiana, the No. 3 Republican in the House. "And it's going to be a budget that says, 'Here's how best to get America out of this struggling economy."'
Among the House GOP offerings: "Republicans seek to ensure that the federal budget cannot grow faster than families' ability to pay the bill."
Republicans also promise to try to lower capital gains taxes and give businesses employing fewer than 500 people a tax deduction equal to 20 percent of their income.
Story can be found HERE on www.foxnews.com
Obama's Brother George Is Ill
Not that Obama cares or will do anything to help him. It is common knowledge that George Obama who lives in Kenya lives on $1/month. Yes One Dollar. Barrack Hussein Obama could very easily send George $100/month and not only make his life a lot better but he could greatly improve his social status. Just a couple of days ago Obama proudly boasted on television that he is in the top tax bracket. So being the great bleeding heart liberal one would think the would be more than willing to help out ol George. Fat chance that will happen. Then this story broke on www.foxnews.com
A Kenyan health official says President Barack Obama's older half-brother has been hospitalized with stomach pains and is being tested for cholera.
Local disease surveillance officer James Sande says that Malik Obama, a 51-year-old businessman, was taken to Siaya District Hospital in western Kenya on Tuesday evening. Sande says Obama's condition is improving enough for him to be discharged Thursday or Friday. Results of his cholera test have not come back.
There is an outbreak of cholera in the area and hospital official Frederick Osanya says a domestic employee of Obama's was hospitalized with the disease last week. Cholera is easily treated but can be deadly.
If Obama is such a great person he should send his personal physician to Kenya to make sure his beloved brother George gets the best treatment available.
A Kenyan health official says President Barack Obama's older half-brother has been hospitalized with stomach pains and is being tested for cholera.
Local disease surveillance officer James Sande says that Malik Obama, a 51-year-old businessman, was taken to Siaya District Hospital in western Kenya on Tuesday evening. Sande says Obama's condition is improving enough for him to be discharged Thursday or Friday. Results of his cholera test have not come back.
There is an outbreak of cholera in the area and hospital official Frederick Osanya says a domestic employee of Obama's was hospitalized with the disease last week. Cholera is easily treated but can be deadly.
If Obama is such a great person he should send his personal physician to Kenya to make sure his beloved brother George gets the best treatment available.
Constitution Article Of The Day 3-26-2009
I had intended to post an article and section from the constitution daily but after day 1 I forgot all about it. I will try to do a better job from now on.
Article 4 Section 2
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.
A Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other Crime, who shall flee from Justice, and be found in another State, shall on Demand of the executive Authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having Jurisdiction of the Crime.
No Person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in Consequence of any Law or Regulation therein, be discharged from such Service or Labour, but shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labour may be due.
Article 4 Section 2
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.
A Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other Crime, who shall flee from Justice, and be found in another State, shall on Demand of the executive Authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having Jurisdiction of the Crime.
No Person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in Consequence of any Law or Regulation therein, be discharged from such Service or Labour, but shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labour may be due.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Obama Fact Check
Some fact checking was done by www.foxnews.com on Obamas speech last night. Many of the things he says are just not true.
If you recall during the campaign John McCain said "the fundamentals of the economy are sound". McCain was destroyed by Obama and the left wing media, they accused him of living under a rock somewhere. Now that Obama has taken over, on numerous occasions he has attempted to reaffirm the country that the fundamentals of our economy are strong.
Until the American people wake up and realize that the media is in the tank for any and all Democrats we are going to be stuck in this rut. The good news is many of the left-wing publications are starting to fail.
Enjoy the Obama spin.
THE CLAIM: "We will recover from this recession. But it will take time, it will take patience, and it will take an understanding that when we all work together, when each of us looks beyond our own short-term interests to the wider set of obligations we have to each other, that's when we succeed."
THE FACTS: No one really knows when the recession will end. But Obama's own budget forecasts the recession will continue through this year but with a relatively shallow 1.2 percent decline in the gross domestic product.
Then, the budget predicts solid 3.2 percent growth for 2010, followed by three years of more than 4 percent growth each year.
Christina Romer, head of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said this week she was "incredibly confident" the U.S. economy will recover within a year.
Congressional Republicans and some Democratic budget hawks have suggested the Obama budget projections are unduly optimistic to make the math to pay for the president's programs work. The higher the GDP growth, the more tax revenues come in.
Meanwhile, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office last week predicted that the Obama budget would produce deficits averaging nearly $1 trillion over the next decade.
OBAMA: "In this budget, we have made the tough choices necessary to cut our deficit in half by the end of my first term even under the most pessimistic estimates."
THE FACTS: Not all credible estimates foresee a deficit halved in that time.
Obama's budget forecast a deficit of $530 billion by the end of 2013. That would cut by half the deficit he inherited at the start of his term. To succeed, Obama is counting on a recovered economy, a tax boost for the rich and success in easing foreign entanglements. But his assertion that he can accomplish that "even under the most pessimistic estimates" flies in the face of an answer he gave moments later.
The Congressional Budget Office forecasts that Obama's spending plan would leave a deficit of $672 billion by the end of 2013. Explaining the differences between his projections and CBO's, Obama said his administration projects a higher growth rate.
THE CLAIM: "Our assumptions are perfectly consistent with what blue-chip forecasters out there are saying."
THE FACTS: The Obama administration's economic growth projections are more optimistic over the next five years than those of the Blue Chip Consensus, a monthly average of 50 economic forecasts from the private sector.
THE CLAIM: Obama repeated his assertion that his housing bailout will help "stabilize the housing market and help responsible homeowners stay in their homes."
THE FACTS: Even officials in his administration, many supporters of the plan in Congress and the Federal Reserve chairman have said some of the bailout money is bound to go to those who acted irresponsibly.
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has said it's important for the nation to go ahead with the plan even though it means assistance will go to some who should have known better than to get in over their heads.
Sheila Bair, head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., made a similar point when she said it's "simply impractical" to examine every delinquent loan and weed out those taken by people who overstated their income or assets to get a mortgage they couldn't afford.
THE CLAIM: Responding to Republican critics in Congress who say his proposed budget carries an irresponsible deficit, Obama said, "I suspect that some of those Republican critics have a short memory, because, as I recall, I'm inheriting a $1.3 trillion deficit, annual deficit, from them."
FACT: Obama inherited a whopper of a deficit, much of it due to policies and spending led by Republican President George W. Bush. But the Congress, which authorizes spending and is not blameless in driving up deficits, was controlled by Democrats in the last two years of Bush's presidency.
If you recall during the campaign John McCain said "the fundamentals of the economy are sound". McCain was destroyed by Obama and the left wing media, they accused him of living under a rock somewhere. Now that Obama has taken over, on numerous occasions he has attempted to reaffirm the country that the fundamentals of our economy are strong.
Until the American people wake up and realize that the media is in the tank for any and all Democrats we are going to be stuck in this rut. The good news is many of the left-wing publications are starting to fail.
Enjoy the Obama spin.
THE CLAIM: "We will recover from this recession. But it will take time, it will take patience, and it will take an understanding that when we all work together, when each of us looks beyond our own short-term interests to the wider set of obligations we have to each other, that's when we succeed."
THE FACTS: No one really knows when the recession will end. But Obama's own budget forecasts the recession will continue through this year but with a relatively shallow 1.2 percent decline in the gross domestic product.
Then, the budget predicts solid 3.2 percent growth for 2010, followed by three years of more than 4 percent growth each year.
Christina Romer, head of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said this week she was "incredibly confident" the U.S. economy will recover within a year.
Congressional Republicans and some Democratic budget hawks have suggested the Obama budget projections are unduly optimistic to make the math to pay for the president's programs work. The higher the GDP growth, the more tax revenues come in.
Meanwhile, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office last week predicted that the Obama budget would produce deficits averaging nearly $1 trillion over the next decade.
OBAMA: "In this budget, we have made the tough choices necessary to cut our deficit in half by the end of my first term even under the most pessimistic estimates."
THE FACTS: Not all credible estimates foresee a deficit halved in that time.
Obama's budget forecast a deficit of $530 billion by the end of 2013. That would cut by half the deficit he inherited at the start of his term. To succeed, Obama is counting on a recovered economy, a tax boost for the rich and success in easing foreign entanglements. But his assertion that he can accomplish that "even under the most pessimistic estimates" flies in the face of an answer he gave moments later.
The Congressional Budget Office forecasts that Obama's spending plan would leave a deficit of $672 billion by the end of 2013. Explaining the differences between his projections and CBO's, Obama said his administration projects a higher growth rate.
THE CLAIM: "Our assumptions are perfectly consistent with what blue-chip forecasters out there are saying."
THE FACTS: The Obama administration's economic growth projections are more optimistic over the next five years than those of the Blue Chip Consensus, a monthly average of 50 economic forecasts from the private sector.
THE CLAIM: Obama repeated his assertion that his housing bailout will help "stabilize the housing market and help responsible homeowners stay in their homes."
THE FACTS: Even officials in his administration, many supporters of the plan in Congress and the Federal Reserve chairman have said some of the bailout money is bound to go to those who acted irresponsibly.
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has said it's important for the nation to go ahead with the plan even though it means assistance will go to some who should have known better than to get in over their heads.
Sheila Bair, head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., made a similar point when she said it's "simply impractical" to examine every delinquent loan and weed out those taken by people who overstated their income or assets to get a mortgage they couldn't afford.
THE CLAIM: Responding to Republican critics in Congress who say his proposed budget carries an irresponsible deficit, Obama said, "I suspect that some of those Republican critics have a short memory, because, as I recall, I'm inheriting a $1.3 trillion deficit, annual deficit, from them."
FACT: Obama inherited a whopper of a deficit, much of it due to policies and spending led by Republican President George W. Bush. But the Congress, which authorizes spending and is not blameless in driving up deficits, was controlled by Democrats in the last two years of Bush's presidency.
Carbon Program Obama Helped Fund
In 2000 and 2001 while Obama was a board member of a Chicago-based charitable foundation he was funding a pioneering carbon trading exchange that could fill the role in the controversial cap and trade carbon reduction scheme that he is trying to cram through Congress. .
During those two years, the Joyce Foundation gave nearly $1.1 million in two separate grants that were instrumental in developing and launching the privately-owned Chicago Climate Exchange, which now calls itself "North America's only cap and trade system for all six greenhouse gases, with global affiliates and projects worldwide."
One of those gases is carbon dioxide, the most ubiquitous greenhouse gas and the focus of the most far-reaching -- and contentious -- efforts to combat "climate change." On Monday, Obama's Environmental Protection Agency declared carbon dioxide a public health threat.
Do these people not realize that if there is no carbon dioxide plants will die! If plants die we die! Plants synthesize carbon dioxide into oxygen. The carbon dioxide is what plants eat!
The President of the Joyce Foundation in 2000, when the foundation made its first grant to the Climate Exchange, was Paula DiPerna, who is now executive vice president of the Chicago Climate Exchange in charge of corporate recruitment and public policy, as well as president of CCX International.
The rest of the story can be found HERE
During those two years, the Joyce Foundation gave nearly $1.1 million in two separate grants that were instrumental in developing and launching the privately-owned Chicago Climate Exchange, which now calls itself "North America's only cap and trade system for all six greenhouse gases, with global affiliates and projects worldwide."
One of those gases is carbon dioxide, the most ubiquitous greenhouse gas and the focus of the most far-reaching -- and contentious -- efforts to combat "climate change." On Monday, Obama's Environmental Protection Agency declared carbon dioxide a public health threat.
Do these people not realize that if there is no carbon dioxide plants will die! If plants die we die! Plants synthesize carbon dioxide into oxygen. The carbon dioxide is what plants eat!
The President of the Joyce Foundation in 2000, when the foundation made its first grant to the Climate Exchange, was Paula DiPerna, who is now executive vice president of the Chicago Climate Exchange in charge of corporate recruitment and public policy, as well as president of CCX International.
The rest of the story can be found HERE
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
NO-BAMA at Notre Dame
The Catholics at Notre Dame have said "no thank you" to Obama giving the commencement address on May 17th. They say his views directly contradict the Roman Catholic teachings. 65,000 people signed an online petition protesting Obama's speech.
"It is an outrage and a scandal that 'Our Lady's University,' one of the premier Catholic universities in the United States, would bestow such an honor on President Obama given his clear support for policies and laws that directly contradict fundamental Catholic teachings on life and marriage," the petition at notredamescandal.com reads.
The Cardinal Newman Society, an advocacy group for strengthening ideals at the nation's 224 Catholic colleges and universities, created the Web site to end what it calls the "travesty" of Obama's selection. The petition, which had garnered 64,051 signatures as of midday Tuesday, asserts that thousands of other "accomplished leaders" in business, law or education would have been more appropriate selections. The group says it is sending the list to an independent firm Wednesday to ensure that there are no duplicate names.
"Instead Notre Dame has chosen prestige over principles, popularity over morality," the petition reads. "Whatever may be President Obama's admirable qualities, this honor comes on the heels of some of the most anti-life actions of any American president, including expanding federal funding for abortions and inviting taxpayer-funded research on stem cells from human embryos."
David Constanzo, communications director for the Cardinal Newman Society, said Notre Dame's tradition of inviting sitting U.S. presidents to its commencement should be rethought.
"There is a time when policies need to be reconsidered in light of the fact that the individual invited may have a history of standing in direct opposition to some of the most prominent aspects of our faith -- the biggest case in point is that of the pro-life agenda," Constanzo said. "The obligation of Notre Dame as a Catholic institution is to follow the directives of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, who clearly stated in 2004 that Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles."
Meanwhile, the Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend has indicated he will not attend the commencement ceremony.
"President Obama has recently reaffirmed, and has now placed in public policy, his long-stated unwillingness to hold human life as sacred," Bishop John D'Arcy said in a statement issued Tuesday. "While claiming to separate politics from science, he has in fact separated science from ethics and has brought the American government, for the first time in history, into supporting direct destruction of innocent human life."
D'Arcy said he learned that Obama had accepted Notre Dame's invitation just before White House officials announced the move on Friday.
"I wish no disrespect to our president, I pray for him and wish him well," the statement continued. "I have always revered the Office of the Presidency. But a bishop must teach the Catholic faith 'in season and out of season,' and he teaches not only by his words -- but by his actions."
George Weigel, a Catholic theologian and distinguished senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, said the invitation is not a "neutral act" and will significantly damage Notre Dame's reputation in Catholic circles following Obama's decision to reverse restrictions on embryonic stem cell research and for family planning groups that provide abortions.
"I think Notre Dame should not have issued the invitation," Weigel told FOXNews.com. "This is a colossal mess. This is their mess to fix right now, but they should know that they have forfeited an enormous amount of credibility as an institution that takes moral reasoning seriously."
Weigel said he was not surprised by the outpouring of criticism following the university's announcement on Friday that Obama would become sixth U.S. president to speak at its commencement. Obama will also become the ninth U.S. president to receive an honorary degree from the university.
"Major donors have the most effective leverage in situations like this," Weigel said. "I hope the donors are paying attention."
Asked if Notre Dame is considering rescinding its invitation to Obama, university spokesman Dennis Brown said Tuesday: "I can't foresee that occurring. We made an invitation to the president and he's accepted. We expected criticism and it's nothing beyond what we expected."
The White House did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
In a statement issued Monday, the Rev. John Jenkins, Notre Dame's president, said Obama will be honored as an "inspiring leader" at the commencement.
"Of course, this does not mean we support all of his positions," Jenkins said. "The invitation to President Obama to be our Commencement speaker should not be taken as condoning or endorsing his positions on specific issues regarding the protection of human life, including abortion and embryonic stem cell research. Yet, we see his visit as a basis for further positive engagement."
But Ralph McInerny, a philosophy professor at Notre Dame for more than 50 years, likened the invitation as a "deliberate thumbing of the collective nose" at the Roman Catholic Church.
"By inviting Barack Obama to be the 2009 commencement speaker, Notre Dame has forfeited its right to call itself a Catholic university," McInerny wrote in a column for The Catholic Thing. "It invites an official rebuke. May it come."
Story can be found at www.foxnews.com
"It is an outrage and a scandal that 'Our Lady's University,' one of the premier Catholic universities in the United States, would bestow such an honor on President Obama given his clear support for policies and laws that directly contradict fundamental Catholic teachings on life and marriage," the petition at notredamescandal.com reads.
The Cardinal Newman Society, an advocacy group for strengthening ideals at the nation's 224 Catholic colleges and universities, created the Web site to end what it calls the "travesty" of Obama's selection. The petition, which had garnered 64,051 signatures as of midday Tuesday, asserts that thousands of other "accomplished leaders" in business, law or education would have been more appropriate selections. The group says it is sending the list to an independent firm Wednesday to ensure that there are no duplicate names.
"Instead Notre Dame has chosen prestige over principles, popularity over morality," the petition reads. "Whatever may be President Obama's admirable qualities, this honor comes on the heels of some of the most anti-life actions of any American president, including expanding federal funding for abortions and inviting taxpayer-funded research on stem cells from human embryos."
David Constanzo, communications director for the Cardinal Newman Society, said Notre Dame's tradition of inviting sitting U.S. presidents to its commencement should be rethought.
"There is a time when policies need to be reconsidered in light of the fact that the individual invited may have a history of standing in direct opposition to some of the most prominent aspects of our faith -- the biggest case in point is that of the pro-life agenda," Constanzo said. "The obligation of Notre Dame as a Catholic institution is to follow the directives of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, who clearly stated in 2004 that Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles."
Meanwhile, the Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend has indicated he will not attend the commencement ceremony.
"President Obama has recently reaffirmed, and has now placed in public policy, his long-stated unwillingness to hold human life as sacred," Bishop John D'Arcy said in a statement issued Tuesday. "While claiming to separate politics from science, he has in fact separated science from ethics and has brought the American government, for the first time in history, into supporting direct destruction of innocent human life."
D'Arcy said he learned that Obama had accepted Notre Dame's invitation just before White House officials announced the move on Friday.
"I wish no disrespect to our president, I pray for him and wish him well," the statement continued. "I have always revered the Office of the Presidency. But a bishop must teach the Catholic faith 'in season and out of season,' and he teaches not only by his words -- but by his actions."
George Weigel, a Catholic theologian and distinguished senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, said the invitation is not a "neutral act" and will significantly damage Notre Dame's reputation in Catholic circles following Obama's decision to reverse restrictions on embryonic stem cell research and for family planning groups that provide abortions.
"I think Notre Dame should not have issued the invitation," Weigel told FOXNews.com. "This is a colossal mess. This is their mess to fix right now, but they should know that they have forfeited an enormous amount of credibility as an institution that takes moral reasoning seriously."
Weigel said he was not surprised by the outpouring of criticism following the university's announcement on Friday that Obama would become sixth U.S. president to speak at its commencement. Obama will also become the ninth U.S. president to receive an honorary degree from the university.
"Major donors have the most effective leverage in situations like this," Weigel said. "I hope the donors are paying attention."
Asked if Notre Dame is considering rescinding its invitation to Obama, university spokesman Dennis Brown said Tuesday: "I can't foresee that occurring. We made an invitation to the president and he's accepted. We expected criticism and it's nothing beyond what we expected."
The White House did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
In a statement issued Monday, the Rev. John Jenkins, Notre Dame's president, said Obama will be honored as an "inspiring leader" at the commencement.
"Of course, this does not mean we support all of his positions," Jenkins said. "The invitation to President Obama to be our Commencement speaker should not be taken as condoning or endorsing his positions on specific issues regarding the protection of human life, including abortion and embryonic stem cell research. Yet, we see his visit as a basis for further positive engagement."
But Ralph McInerny, a philosophy professor at Notre Dame for more than 50 years, likened the invitation as a "deliberate thumbing of the collective nose" at the Roman Catholic Church.
"By inviting Barack Obama to be the 2009 commencement speaker, Notre Dame has forfeited its right to call itself a Catholic university," McInerny wrote in a column for The Catholic Thing. "It invites an official rebuke. May it come."
Story can be found at www.foxnews.com
Commercial Fishing Boat Sank In NJ
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — At least one person is dead and four missing after a fishing boat sank off the New Jersey coast, the Coast Guard said.
The Coast Guard plucked three people from the ocean Tuesday morning about 65 miles off the southern coast.
Senior Petty Officer Stephen Carleton said one was dead, another unresponsive and a third conscious and alert.
Helicopters are searching for four others who were on board the ship.
Rescuers received a transmission from an emergency radio beacon around 7:30 a.m. and launched helicopters.
Officials say the boat was the 71-foot long Lady Mary and is based in Cape May.
Courtesy of www.foxnews.com
The Coast Guard plucked three people from the ocean Tuesday morning about 65 miles off the southern coast.
Senior Petty Officer Stephen Carleton said one was dead, another unresponsive and a third conscious and alert.
Helicopters are searching for four others who were on board the ship.
Rescuers received a transmission from an emergency radio beacon around 7:30 a.m. and launched helicopters.
Officials say the boat was the 71-foot long Lady Mary and is based in Cape May.
Courtesy of www.foxnews.com
Monday, March 23, 2009
DOW Climbs Nearly 500 Points
In a shocking turn of events the DOW gained 500 points today. The Obama administration issued a statement planning to rescue banks from toxic assets which gave Wall Street reason to rally.
Keep up the good work Dear Leader........
Keep up the good work Dear Leader........
This Has To Be A Joke
If being anti-abortion or putting a Ron Paul sticker on your car qualifies you as a militia what does The Fusion Center call the left wing wackos like Obamas buddy William Aires?
This story from www.foxnews.com and can be viewed HERE
If you're an anti-abortion activist, or if you display political paraphernalia supporting a third-party candidate or a certain Republican member of Congress, if you possess subversive literature, you very well might be a member of a domestic paramilitary group.
That's according to "The Modern Militia Movement," a report by the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC), a government collective that identifies the warning signs of potential domestic terrorists for law enforcement communities.
"Due to the current economical and political situation, a lush environment for militia activity has been created," the Feb. 20 report reads. "Unemployment rates are high, as well as costs of living expenses. Additionally, President Elect Barrack [sic] Obama is seen as tight on gun control and many extremists fear that he will enact firearms confiscations."
MIAC is one of 58 so-called "fusion centers" nationwide that were created by the Department of Homeland Security, in part, to collect local intelligence that authorities can use to combat terrorism and related criminal activities. More than $254 million from fiscal years 2004-2007 went to state and local governments to support the fusion centers, according to the DHS Web site.
During a press conference last week in Kansas City, Mo., DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano called fusion centers the "centerpiece of state, local, federal intelligence-sharing" in the future.
"Let us not forget the reason we are here, the reason we have the Department of Homeland Security and the reason we now have fusion centers, which is a relatively new concept, is because we did not have the capacity as a country to connect the dots on isolated bits of intelligence prior to 9/11," Napolitano said, according to a DHS transcript.
"That's why we started this.... Now we know that it's not just the 9/11-type incidents but many, many other types of incidents that we can benefit from having fusion centers that share information and product and analysis upwards and horizontally."
But some say the fusion centers are going too far in whom they identify as potential threats to American security.
People who supported former third-party presidential candidates like Texas Rep. Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin and former Georgia Rep. Bob Barr are cited in the report, in addition to anti-abortion activists and conspiracy theorists who believe the United States, Mexico and Canada will someday form a North American Union.
"Militia members most commonly associate with 3rd party political groups," the report reads. "It is not uncommon for militia members to display Constitutional Party, Campaign for Liberty or Libertarian material."
Other potential signals of militia involvement, according to the report, are possession of the Gagsden "Don't Tread on Me" flag or the widely available anti-income tax film "America: Freedom to Fascism."
Barr, the 2008 Libertarian Party presidential nominee, told FOXNews.com that he's taking steps to get his name removed from the report, which he said could actually "dilute the effectiveness" of law enforcement agencies.
"It can subject people to unwarranted and inappropriate monitoring by the government," he said. "If I were the governor of Missouri, I'd be concerned that law enforcement agencies are wasting their time and effort on such nonsense."
Barr said his office has received "several dozen" complaints related to the report.
Mary Starrett, communications director for the Constitution Party, said Baldwin, the party's 2008 presidential candidate, was "outraged" that his name was included in the report.
"We were so astounded by it we couldn't believe it was real," Starrett told FOXNews.com. "It's painting such a large number of people with a broad brush in a dangerous light."
Michael German, national security policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, said the report "crosses the line" and shows a disregard for civil liberties.
"It seems to implicate people who are engaging in First Amendment protected activities and suggest that something as innocuous as supporting a political candidate for office would mean that you're harboring some ill-intent," German told FOXNews.com. "It's completely inappropriate."
German, who claims the number of fusion centers nationwide is closer to 70, said the centers present several troubling concerns, including their excessive secrecy, ambiguous lines of authority, the use of data mining and military participation.
"No two are alike," German said. "And these things are expanding rapidly."
But MIAC officials defended their report, saying it's not a basis for officers to take enforcement action.
"These reports sometimes mention groups or individuals who are not the subject of the document, but may be relevant to describing tendencies or trends concerning the subject of the document," MIAC said in a statement.
"For example, a criminal group may use a particular wire service to transfer funds, but the mention of that wire service does not imply that it is part of that group, or a criminal enterprise.
Nor does it imply that all individuals who use that service are engaged in criminal activity."
The statement continues, "We are concerned about the mischaracterizations of a document following its recent unauthorized release and we regret that any citizens were unintentionally offended by the content of the document."
Donny Ferguson, a spokesman for the Libertarian Party, said he was concerned by the report's "poor choice of words," among other things.
"Unfortunately it is so broadly worded it could be interpreted as saying millions of peaceful, law-abiding Americans are involved in dangerous activities. These mistakes happen and we hope Missouri officials will correct the report," Ferguson wrote in an e-mail. "The Libertarian Party promotes the common-sense policies of fiscal responsibility and social tolerance. We are the only party in America who makes opposition to initiating violence a condition of membership."
Bob McCarty, a St. Louis resident who blogged about the MIAC report, said he's afraid he may be targeted, since he's previously sold Ron Paul-related merchandise.
"[The report] described me, so maybe I need to get a gun and build a shack out in the woods," McCarty said facetiously. "It's certainly an attempt to stifle political thought, especially in Missouri. It definitely makes me pause, if nothing else. Maybe Missouri is just a test bed for squelching political thought."
ACLU officials blasted a Texas fusion center last month for distributing a "Prevention Awareness Bulletin" that called on law enforcement officers to report activities of local lobbying groups, Muslim civil rights organizations and anti-war protest groups.
This story from www.foxnews.com and can be viewed HERE
If you're an anti-abortion activist, or if you display political paraphernalia supporting a third-party candidate or a certain Republican member of Congress, if you possess subversive literature, you very well might be a member of a domestic paramilitary group.
That's according to "The Modern Militia Movement," a report by the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC), a government collective that identifies the warning signs of potential domestic terrorists for law enforcement communities.
"Due to the current economical and political situation, a lush environment for militia activity has been created," the Feb. 20 report reads. "Unemployment rates are high, as well as costs of living expenses. Additionally, President Elect Barrack [sic] Obama is seen as tight on gun control and many extremists fear that he will enact firearms confiscations."
MIAC is one of 58 so-called "fusion centers" nationwide that were created by the Department of Homeland Security, in part, to collect local intelligence that authorities can use to combat terrorism and related criminal activities. More than $254 million from fiscal years 2004-2007 went to state and local governments to support the fusion centers, according to the DHS Web site.
During a press conference last week in Kansas City, Mo., DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano called fusion centers the "centerpiece of state, local, federal intelligence-sharing" in the future.
"Let us not forget the reason we are here, the reason we have the Department of Homeland Security and the reason we now have fusion centers, which is a relatively new concept, is because we did not have the capacity as a country to connect the dots on isolated bits of intelligence prior to 9/11," Napolitano said, according to a DHS transcript.
"That's why we started this.... Now we know that it's not just the 9/11-type incidents but many, many other types of incidents that we can benefit from having fusion centers that share information and product and analysis upwards and horizontally."
But some say the fusion centers are going too far in whom they identify as potential threats to American security.
People who supported former third-party presidential candidates like Texas Rep. Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin and former Georgia Rep. Bob Barr are cited in the report, in addition to anti-abortion activists and conspiracy theorists who believe the United States, Mexico and Canada will someday form a North American Union.
"Militia members most commonly associate with 3rd party political groups," the report reads. "It is not uncommon for militia members to display Constitutional Party, Campaign for Liberty or Libertarian material."
Other potential signals of militia involvement, according to the report, are possession of the Gagsden "Don't Tread on Me" flag or the widely available anti-income tax film "America: Freedom to Fascism."
Barr, the 2008 Libertarian Party presidential nominee, told FOXNews.com that he's taking steps to get his name removed from the report, which he said could actually "dilute the effectiveness" of law enforcement agencies.
"It can subject people to unwarranted and inappropriate monitoring by the government," he said. "If I were the governor of Missouri, I'd be concerned that law enforcement agencies are wasting their time and effort on such nonsense."
Barr said his office has received "several dozen" complaints related to the report.
Mary Starrett, communications director for the Constitution Party, said Baldwin, the party's 2008 presidential candidate, was "outraged" that his name was included in the report.
"We were so astounded by it we couldn't believe it was real," Starrett told FOXNews.com. "It's painting such a large number of people with a broad brush in a dangerous light."
Michael German, national security policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, said the report "crosses the line" and shows a disregard for civil liberties.
"It seems to implicate people who are engaging in First Amendment protected activities and suggest that something as innocuous as supporting a political candidate for office would mean that you're harboring some ill-intent," German told FOXNews.com. "It's completely inappropriate."
German, who claims the number of fusion centers nationwide is closer to 70, said the centers present several troubling concerns, including their excessive secrecy, ambiguous lines of authority, the use of data mining and military participation.
"No two are alike," German said. "And these things are expanding rapidly."
But MIAC officials defended their report, saying it's not a basis for officers to take enforcement action.
"These reports sometimes mention groups or individuals who are not the subject of the document, but may be relevant to describing tendencies or trends concerning the subject of the document," MIAC said in a statement.
"For example, a criminal group may use a particular wire service to transfer funds, but the mention of that wire service does not imply that it is part of that group, or a criminal enterprise.
Nor does it imply that all individuals who use that service are engaged in criminal activity."
The statement continues, "We are concerned about the mischaracterizations of a document following its recent unauthorized release and we regret that any citizens were unintentionally offended by the content of the document."
Donny Ferguson, a spokesman for the Libertarian Party, said he was concerned by the report's "poor choice of words," among other things.
"Unfortunately it is so broadly worded it could be interpreted as saying millions of peaceful, law-abiding Americans are involved in dangerous activities. These mistakes happen and we hope Missouri officials will correct the report," Ferguson wrote in an e-mail. "The Libertarian Party promotes the common-sense policies of fiscal responsibility and social tolerance. We are the only party in America who makes opposition to initiating violence a condition of membership."
Bob McCarty, a St. Louis resident who blogged about the MIAC report, said he's afraid he may be targeted, since he's previously sold Ron Paul-related merchandise.
"[The report] described me, so maybe I need to get a gun and build a shack out in the woods," McCarty said facetiously. "It's certainly an attempt to stifle political thought, especially in Missouri. It definitely makes me pause, if nothing else. Maybe Missouri is just a test bed for squelching political thought."
ACLU officials blasted a Texas fusion center last month for distributing a "Prevention Awareness Bulletin" that called on law enforcement officers to report activities of local lobbying groups, Muslim civil rights organizations and anti-war protest groups.
Financial Policy Despair
by Paul Krugman
The New York Times
Over the weekend The Times and other newspapers reported leaked details about the Obama administration’s bank rescue plan, which is to be officially released this week. If the reports are correct, Tim Geithner, the Treasury secretary, has persuaded President Obama to recycle Bush administration policy — specifically, the “cash for trash” plan proposed, then abandoned, six months ago by then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
This is more than disappointing. In fact, it fills me with a sense of despair.
After all, we’ve just been through the firestorm over the A.I.G. bonuses, during which administration officials claimed that they knew nothing, couldn’t do anything, and anyway it was someone else’s fault. Meanwhile, the administration has failed to quell the public’s doubts about what banks are doing with taxpayer money.
And now Mr. Obama has apparently settled on a financial plan that, in essence, assumes that banks are fundamentally sound and that bankers know what they’re doing.
It’s as if the president were determined to confirm the growing perception that he and his economic team are out of touch, that their economic vision is clouded by excessively close ties to Wall Street. And by the time Mr. Obama realizes that he needs to change course, his political capital may be gone.
Let’s talk for a moment about the economics of the situation.
Right now, our economy is being dragged down by our dysfunctional financial system, which has been crippled by huge losses on mortgage-backed securities and other assets.
As economic historians can tell you, this is an old story, not that different from dozens of similar crises over the centuries. And there’s a time-honored procedure for dealing with the aftermath of widespread financial failure. It goes like this: the government secures confidence in the system by guaranteeing many (though not necessarily all) bank debts. At the same time, it takes temporary control of truly insolvent banks, in order to clean up their books.
That’s what Sweden did in the early 1990s. It’s also what we ourselves did after the savings and loan debacle of the Reagan years. And there’s no reason we can’t do the same thing now.
But the Obama administration, like the Bush administration, apparently wants an easier way out. The common element to the Paulson and Geithner plans is the insistence that the bad assets on banks’ books are really worth much, much more than anyone is currently willing to pay for them. In fact, their true value is so high that if they were properly priced, banks wouldn’t be in trouble.
And so the plan is to use taxpayer funds to drive the prices of bad assets up to “fair” levels. Mr. Paulson proposed having the government buy the assets directly. Mr. Geithner instead proposes a complicated scheme in which the government lends money to private investors, who then use the money to buy the stuff. The idea, says Mr. Obama’s top economic adviser, is to use “the expertise of the market” to set the value of toxic assets.
But the Geithner scheme would offer a one-way bet: if asset values go up, the investors profit, but if they go down, the investors can walk away from their debt. So this isn’t really about letting markets work. It’s just an indirect, disguised way to subsidize purchases of bad assets.
The likely cost to taxpayers aside, there’s something strange going on here. By my count, this is the third time Obama administration officials have floated a scheme that is essentially a rehash of the Paulson plan, each time adding a new set of bells and whistles and claiming that they’re doing something completely different. This is starting to look obsessive.
But the real problem with this plan is that it won’t work. Yes, troubled assets may be somewhat undervalued. But the fact is that financial executives literally bet their banks on the belief that there was no housing bubble, and the related belief that unprecedented levels of household debt were no problem. They lost that bet. And no amount of financial hocus-pocus — for that is what the Geithner plan amounts to — will change that fact.
You might say, why not try the plan and see what happens? One answer is that time is wasting: every month that we fail to come to grips with the economic crisis another 600,000 jobs are lost.
Even more important, however, is the way Mr. Obama is squandering his credibility. If this plan fails — as it almost surely will — it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to persuade Congress to come up with more funds to do what he should have done in the first place.
All is not lost: the public wants Mr. Obama to succeed, which means that he can still rescue his bank rescue plan. But time is running out.
The New York Times
Over the weekend The Times and other newspapers reported leaked details about the Obama administration’s bank rescue plan, which is to be officially released this week. If the reports are correct, Tim Geithner, the Treasury secretary, has persuaded President Obama to recycle Bush administration policy — specifically, the “cash for trash” plan proposed, then abandoned, six months ago by then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
This is more than disappointing. In fact, it fills me with a sense of despair.
After all, we’ve just been through the firestorm over the A.I.G. bonuses, during which administration officials claimed that they knew nothing, couldn’t do anything, and anyway it was someone else’s fault. Meanwhile, the administration has failed to quell the public’s doubts about what banks are doing with taxpayer money.
And now Mr. Obama has apparently settled on a financial plan that, in essence, assumes that banks are fundamentally sound and that bankers know what they’re doing.
It’s as if the president were determined to confirm the growing perception that he and his economic team are out of touch, that their economic vision is clouded by excessively close ties to Wall Street. And by the time Mr. Obama realizes that he needs to change course, his political capital may be gone.
Let’s talk for a moment about the economics of the situation.
Right now, our economy is being dragged down by our dysfunctional financial system, which has been crippled by huge losses on mortgage-backed securities and other assets.
As economic historians can tell you, this is an old story, not that different from dozens of similar crises over the centuries. And there’s a time-honored procedure for dealing with the aftermath of widespread financial failure. It goes like this: the government secures confidence in the system by guaranteeing many (though not necessarily all) bank debts. At the same time, it takes temporary control of truly insolvent banks, in order to clean up their books.
That’s what Sweden did in the early 1990s. It’s also what we ourselves did after the savings and loan debacle of the Reagan years. And there’s no reason we can’t do the same thing now.
But the Obama administration, like the Bush administration, apparently wants an easier way out. The common element to the Paulson and Geithner plans is the insistence that the bad assets on banks’ books are really worth much, much more than anyone is currently willing to pay for them. In fact, their true value is so high that if they were properly priced, banks wouldn’t be in trouble.
And so the plan is to use taxpayer funds to drive the prices of bad assets up to “fair” levels. Mr. Paulson proposed having the government buy the assets directly. Mr. Geithner instead proposes a complicated scheme in which the government lends money to private investors, who then use the money to buy the stuff. The idea, says Mr. Obama’s top economic adviser, is to use “the expertise of the market” to set the value of toxic assets.
But the Geithner scheme would offer a one-way bet: if asset values go up, the investors profit, but if they go down, the investors can walk away from their debt. So this isn’t really about letting markets work. It’s just an indirect, disguised way to subsidize purchases of bad assets.
The likely cost to taxpayers aside, there’s something strange going on here. By my count, this is the third time Obama administration officials have floated a scheme that is essentially a rehash of the Paulson plan, each time adding a new set of bells and whistles and claiming that they’re doing something completely different. This is starting to look obsessive.
But the real problem with this plan is that it won’t work. Yes, troubled assets may be somewhat undervalued. But the fact is that financial executives literally bet their banks on the belief that there was no housing bubble, and the related belief that unprecedented levels of household debt were no problem. They lost that bet. And no amount of financial hocus-pocus — for that is what the Geithner plan amounts to — will change that fact.
You might say, why not try the plan and see what happens? One answer is that time is wasting: every month that we fail to come to grips with the economic crisis another 600,000 jobs are lost.
Even more important, however, is the way Mr. Obama is squandering his credibility. If this plan fails — as it almost surely will — it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to persuade Congress to come up with more funds to do what he should have done in the first place.
All is not lost: the public wants Mr. Obama to succeed, which means that he can still rescue his bank rescue plan. But time is running out.
Obama Opposed To Tax On Bonus'
In a move that almost knocked me out of my chair Obama has stated his disapproval of the 90% tax on the AIG bonus'. I would expect any rational person to be opposed to the tax but especially a person who's administration approved them.
There is still hope Obama will adhere to the constitution and veto the bill that contains the 90% tax. The AIG employees signed retention contracts that promised them bonus' if they continued to fill their dead end job until a certain date. These brilliant people knew not only that their job was very short term but they also knew the economy was headed toward the tank. If they were not promised a substantial bonus they would have moved on to another job and left AIG, and yes that means you and I the tax payers, high and dry. In this country we have contractual law and it must be followed. The day we stop adhering to contracts people might as well move to Iran to do business.
Now I put my political capital on the line and said Geithner would be out of a job by the end of today. He has proven himself to be unable to manage the treasury and his office forced Chris Dodd to put the language in the bill that allowed the payout of bonus' to AIG employees. I think Geithner may survive today but do not expect him to make it through the end of the month.
There is still hope Obama will adhere to the constitution and veto the bill that contains the 90% tax. The AIG employees signed retention contracts that promised them bonus' if they continued to fill their dead end job until a certain date. These brilliant people knew not only that their job was very short term but they also knew the economy was headed toward the tank. If they were not promised a substantial bonus they would have moved on to another job and left AIG, and yes that means you and I the tax payers, high and dry. In this country we have contractual law and it must be followed. The day we stop adhering to contracts people might as well move to Iran to do business.
Now I put my political capital on the line and said Geithner would be out of a job by the end of today. He has proven himself to be unable to manage the treasury and his office forced Chris Dodd to put the language in the bill that allowed the payout of bonus' to AIG employees. I think Geithner may survive today but do not expect him to make it through the end of the month.
Mt. Redoubt Erupted
Alaskas Mt. Redoubt erupted has erupted. Geologist have been warning of an eruption for a few days.
The ash cloud went to 50,000 feet, and it's currently drifting toward the north, northeast.
Geologists at the observatory say the volcano, located 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, erupted four times, from 10:30 p.m. to 1:40 a.m. local time.
"This is a fairly large eruption, close to the larger cities in Alaska," Geophysicist John Power said.
The current wind patterns are taking the ash cloud away from Anchorage and instead heading toward Willow and Talkneetna, two communities near Mount McKinley, North America's largest mountain in Denali National Park.
The ash cloud went to 50,000 feet, and it's currently drifting toward the north, northeast.
Geologists at the observatory say the volcano, located 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, erupted four times, from 10:30 p.m. to 1:40 a.m. local time.
"This is a fairly large eruption, close to the larger cities in Alaska," Geophysicist John Power said.
The current wind patterns are taking the ash cloud away from Anchorage and instead heading toward Willow and Talkneetna, two communities near Mount McKinley, North America's largest mountain in Denali National Park.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Should Democrats Worry About Obama Disconnect in 2010?
Don't be surprised if you soon hear Democrats asserting that midterm elections are referendums on incumbent presidents and that as long as President Barrack Obama's numbers remain strong and the GOP brand remains weak, Democratic candidates running for high office next year have nothing to worry about.
In fact, some wise Democrats are concerned about a possible disconnect between the president's popularity and voters' views of Democratic candidates next year, especially for incumbents.
Their fear is that even if Obama remains personally popular, voters will not look kindly on their party's candidates for Congress and governor if the economy remains weak and the public mood is sour and frightened. And even if the economy is showing signs of life, public concern over the deficit, taxes or cultural issues could drive turnout among voters wanting - you guessed it - change.
The rest of the story can be viewed here on Real Clear Politics
In fact, some wise Democrats are concerned about a possible disconnect between the president's popularity and voters' views of Democratic candidates next year, especially for incumbents.
Their fear is that even if Obama remains personally popular, voters will not look kindly on their party's candidates for Congress and governor if the economy remains weak and the public mood is sour and frightened. And even if the economy is showing signs of life, public concern over the deficit, taxes or cultural issues could drive turnout among voters wanting - you guessed it - change.
The rest of the story can be viewed here on Real Clear Politics
Obama Gets Snubbed By Iran, SHOCKER!
Obama got snubbed by the ever combative Iranians. For years the Democrats have been saying as soon as we got that cowboy Bush out of the White House Obama could fix all the issues we were having with Iran. Now Obama has his chance and as predicted he was told to go stick it. The problem with Democrats is they think they can talk to and negotiate with everyone. They are wrong and have always been wrong. There are some people in this world you can not negotiate with. The only thing the Iranians understand is multiple very large bombs going off in their capital. Thats when they start to negotiate with us. Look what it took for Japan to get the message, 2 large nuclear bomb. The Iranians need the same gentle persuasion.
This from www.foxnews.com
Iran's supreme leader said Friday that world powers had been persuaded they could not block Iran's nuclear progress -- making no mention of a warm new-year's message sent by President Obama to his country, Reuters reported.
Neither Ayatollah Ali Khamenei nor Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad noted Obama's attempt to make a "new beginning" with their country in recorded messages they issued to mark the Iranian New Year.
Obama released his video Friday to coincide with the Iranian festival of Nowruz, which marks the arrival of spring. In the video, Obama said the U.S. is prepared to end the strained relations if Tehran tones down its combative rhetoric.
"This process will not be advanced by threats. We seek instead engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect," Obama said.
A press adviser to Iran's president downplayed the video, saying "minor changes will not end the differences."
Ali Akbar Javanfekr told the Iranian state-run English-language Press TV satellite station that Iran will never forget U.S. meddling in Tehran's affairs. The two countries broke off relations after the 1979 Islamic revolution.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This from www.foxnews.com
Iran's supreme leader said Friday that world powers had been persuaded they could not block Iran's nuclear progress -- making no mention of a warm new-year's message sent by President Obama to his country, Reuters reported.
Neither Ayatollah Ali Khamenei nor Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad noted Obama's attempt to make a "new beginning" with their country in recorded messages they issued to mark the Iranian New Year.
Obama released his video Friday to coincide with the Iranian festival of Nowruz, which marks the arrival of spring. In the video, Obama said the U.S. is prepared to end the strained relations if Tehran tones down its combative rhetoric.
"This process will not be advanced by threats. We seek instead engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect," Obama said.
A press adviser to Iran's president downplayed the video, saying "minor changes will not end the differences."
Ali Akbar Javanfekr told the Iranian state-run English-language Press TV satellite station that Iran will never forget U.S. meddling in Tehran's affairs. The two countries broke off relations after the 1979 Islamic revolution.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Markell Is A One Term Governor
well it sounded good... I honestly think the people of Delaware are too stupid to vote him out no matter what. I watched the state employees on tv last night talking about how they cannot afford to have their wages cut but if you ask them who they voted for by a 2 to 1 margin they will tell you Markell.
You dummies deserve everything you get. Thankfully for me I do not smoke or drink but don't think you are safe if you do not partake in the sinful activities I mentioned. All income tax is going up as well as higher taxes on business. There is a plethora of democrat policies coming down the pipe that are going to affect everyone, including your child's school teacher. Do you think a teacher that makes even less money is going to give a damn about little Johnny's education?
Below is an article from WBOC that outlines all of Markell's planned tax hikes and budget cutting measures.
DOVER, Del. (AP)- Delaware Gov. Jack Markell's proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year includes higher taxes and an across-the-board pay cut for state employees.
The governor said Thursday that he also wants to create a sports betting lottery and add up to three new slot machine casinos in Delaware.
While avoiding layoffs, Markell is calling for an 8 percent pay cut for state employees, which administration officials say would save $92 million. Overall, the administration wants lawmakers to approve about $330 million in cuts.
Markell's proposed tax increases total about $166 million. They include raising the cigarette tax by 45 cents, the alcohol tax by 50 percent, and the top personal income tax rate by 1 percent. Increases in the corporate franchise, gross receipts and public utility taxes also are being proposed.
Some highlights of the fiscal 2010 budget proposal released Thursday by Delaware Gov. Jack Markell:
NEW COST SAVINGS
- $130.7 million from replacing state Medicaid expenditures with
enhanced federal Medicaid funds from the federal stimulus package.
- $91.7 million from an 8 percent pay cut for state employees.
- $11.2 million from using federal stimulus money to pay for
reading and math specialists in public schools
- $10.3 million from suspending salary step increases.
- $9 million from limiting property tax rebates for senior
citizens to those under a certain income threshold.
- $7.7 million from cutting professional development days for
teachers from six days to three days, using the other three days as
unpaid time off.
- $7.5 million from reducing spending for contractors,
consultants and employment services by 10 percent.
- $3.7 million from eliminating double state share health
insurance benefits to couples who are state employees.
- $3.5 million from eliminating vacant positions and reducing
the use of casual and seasonal employees.
NEW REVENUES
- $97.4 million from increasing the maximum corporate franchise
tax from $165,000 to $185,000, and increasing the formula
multiplier for other franchise tax payers from $250 per $1 million
of par stock value to $350 per $1 million.
- $40 million from increasing the state share of slot machine
revenue by 8 percentage points.
- $15 million from reauthorizing a sports betting lottery.
- $30 million from increasing the personal income tax rate on
income above $60,000 from 5.95 percent to 6.95 percent.
- $16 million from increasing the state cigarette tax from $1.15
to $1.60 per pack.
- $7 million from increasing the gross receipts tax on
businesses.
- $3.5 million from increasing the tax on alcoholic beverages by
50 percent.
You dummies deserve everything you get. Thankfully for me I do not smoke or drink but don't think you are safe if you do not partake in the sinful activities I mentioned. All income tax is going up as well as higher taxes on business. There is a plethora of democrat policies coming down the pipe that are going to affect everyone, including your child's school teacher. Do you think a teacher that makes even less money is going to give a damn about little Johnny's education?
Below is an article from WBOC that outlines all of Markell's planned tax hikes and budget cutting measures.
DOVER, Del. (AP)- Delaware Gov. Jack Markell's proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year includes higher taxes and an across-the-board pay cut for state employees.
The governor said Thursday that he also wants to create a sports betting lottery and add up to three new slot machine casinos in Delaware.
While avoiding layoffs, Markell is calling for an 8 percent pay cut for state employees, which administration officials say would save $92 million. Overall, the administration wants lawmakers to approve about $330 million in cuts.
Markell's proposed tax increases total about $166 million. They include raising the cigarette tax by 45 cents, the alcohol tax by 50 percent, and the top personal income tax rate by 1 percent. Increases in the corporate franchise, gross receipts and public utility taxes also are being proposed.
Some highlights of the fiscal 2010 budget proposal released Thursday by Delaware Gov. Jack Markell:
NEW COST SAVINGS
- $130.7 million from replacing state Medicaid expenditures with
enhanced federal Medicaid funds from the federal stimulus package.
- $91.7 million from an 8 percent pay cut for state employees.
- $11.2 million from using federal stimulus money to pay for
reading and math specialists in public schools
- $10.3 million from suspending salary step increases.
- $9 million from limiting property tax rebates for senior
citizens to those under a certain income threshold.
- $7.7 million from cutting professional development days for
teachers from six days to three days, using the other three days as
unpaid time off.
- $7.5 million from reducing spending for contractors,
consultants and employment services by 10 percent.
- $3.7 million from eliminating double state share health
insurance benefits to couples who are state employees.
- $3.5 million from eliminating vacant positions and reducing
the use of casual and seasonal employees.
NEW REVENUES
- $97.4 million from increasing the maximum corporate franchise
tax from $165,000 to $185,000, and increasing the formula
multiplier for other franchise tax payers from $250 per $1 million
of par stock value to $350 per $1 million.
- $40 million from increasing the state share of slot machine
revenue by 8 percentage points.
- $15 million from reauthorizing a sports betting lottery.
- $30 million from increasing the personal income tax rate on
income above $60,000 from 5.95 percent to 6.95 percent.
- $16 million from increasing the state cigarette tax from $1.15
to $1.60 per pack.
- $7 million from increasing the gross receipts tax on
businesses.
- $3.5 million from increasing the tax on alcoholic beverages by
50 percent.
Dodd May Be Screwed
WASHINGTON — Democrats may want to start thinking about a bailout for Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, whose political stock has slipped amid the financial meltdown.
As a five-term Democrat who blew out his last two opponents by 2-1 margins in a blue state that President Barack Obama won handily, Dodd, D-Conn., should be cruising to re-election in 2010. Instead, he's feeling heat from a Republican challenger eager to make him a poster boy for the tumult in the housing and financial markets.
A recent poll showed former Rep. Rob Simmons running about even with Dodd, a former national Democratic Party chairman.
As head of the banking panel, Dodd, 64, has become a convenient target for voter anger over the economic crisis.
"The fact that we have been beaten up, beaten around the head for the last eight or nine months on a regular basis has contributed to it as well," Dodd said.
Some of the worst blows came amid the furor over $165 million in bonuses American International Group Inc. paid some of its employees while receiving billions of dollars in federal bailout money. After first denying it, Dodd admitted he agreed to a request by Treasury Department officials to dilute an executive bonus restriction in the big economic stimulus bill that Congress passed last month. The change to Dodd's amendment allowed AIG to hand out the bonuses and sparked a blame game between Dodd and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
The story continues HERE
As a five-term Democrat who blew out his last two opponents by 2-1 margins in a blue state that President Barack Obama won handily, Dodd, D-Conn., should be cruising to re-election in 2010. Instead, he's feeling heat from a Republican challenger eager to make him a poster boy for the tumult in the housing and financial markets.
A recent poll showed former Rep. Rob Simmons running about even with Dodd, a former national Democratic Party chairman.
As head of the banking panel, Dodd, 64, has become a convenient target for voter anger over the economic crisis.
"The fact that we have been beaten up, beaten around the head for the last eight or nine months on a regular basis has contributed to it as well," Dodd said.
Some of the worst blows came amid the furor over $165 million in bonuses American International Group Inc. paid some of its employees while receiving billions of dollars in federal bailout money. After first denying it, Dodd admitted he agreed to a request by Treasury Department officials to dilute an executive bonus restriction in the big economic stimulus bill that Congress passed last month. The change to Dodd's amendment allowed AIG to hand out the bonuses and sparked a blame game between Dodd and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
The story continues HERE
Obama Makes Fun Of Special Olympics
Mr. Perfect may have rolled a gutter ball when he said "his bowling was suitable for the Special Olympics". Now if Bush would have made a stupid comment like this he would have been blasted in the media for weeks to come. But since Obama is a Democrat you will not hear a word about it from people like Rachael "meaty fingers" Madow, Keith "overbite" Olbermann, or Katie Kouric. The simple fact that Obama said he was sorry is good enough for all the liberals in the media.
President Barack Obama might have rolled a gutter ball on NBC's "The Tonight Show."
Toward the end of the interview on Thursday, Obama told host Jay Leno he's been practicing at the White House's bowling alley but wasn't happy with his score of 129.
Leno complimented Obama on the score, but the president quipped, "It was like the Special Olympics or something," which prompted laughter from the audience.
Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton said the president's offhand remark was not meant to disparage the Special Olympics, only to poke some fun at the commander-in-chief's bowling skills.
VIDEO: Click to watch the remark via YouTube
"He thinks that the Special Olympics are a wonderful program that gives an opportunity to shine to people with disabilities from around the world," Burton told reporters flying back to Washington with Obama aboard Air Force One.
A call for comment to a Special Olympics spokesman was not returned late Thursday.
Despite making fun of his score, the president appears to be getting better the more he visits the White House lanes, which President Truman installed in 1947. During a campaign photo op a year ago at a bowling alley in Altoona, Pa., he rolled only a 37 in seven frames. The clip of the disastrous game was replayed on late night television shows such as Leno's -- one of Obama's few campaign gaffes.
Obama said he was stunned when he learned of the bonuses that bailed-out insurance giant AIG was paying its employees, and the payments raise moral end ethical problems. The administration's going to do everything it can to get them back, he said.
But Obama added the bigger problem is the culture that allowed traders to claim them. He says that's got to change if the economy is to recover.
"The larger problem is we have to get back to an attitude where people know enough is enough, and people have a sense of responsibility and they understand that their actions are going to have an impact one everybody," Obama said. "If we can get back to those values that built America, we're going to be okay."
According to NBC, Obama was the first sitting president ever to appear on "The Tonight Show." He'd already appeared twice as a candidate.
On Thursday evening, Deputy Press Secretary Bill Buton said the president's "offhand" remarks were meant to make fun "of his own bowling and in no way intended to disparage the Special Olympics."
"He thinks that the Special Olympics are a wonderful program that gives an opportunity to shine to people with disabilities from around the world," said Burton.
Obama's TV appearance Thursday came during a series of stops in California intended to rally support for his budget proposal and his solutions to the widespread economic troubles facing the country, but some have questioned whether a light-hearted chat with Leno would strike a humorous tone when a serious one was merited.
"It's not an accident that no sitting president has ever done a show like this," media analyst Steve Adubato told FOX News on Thursday before Obama's TV appearance.
Obama didn't shy away from the typical late-night banter, though he also talked about hot-button topics in Washington, including the performance of his embattled treasury chief, Timothy Geithner. Obama said Geithner is doing an "outstanding job."
He told Leno that Geithner is a smart guy who's been handed an incredibly full plate. But he's handling it all with grace and good humor.
Listing the recession, the banking crisis and the need to coordinate with other countries, Obama acknowledged Geithner's "on the hot seat." But he says too many in Washington are trying to figure out who to blame for things -- when they should be focused on fixing them.
In his opening monologue, Leno said lots of people were surprised Obama would come on NBC -- figuring he'd be tired of big companies on the brink of disaster with a bunch of overpaid executives.
Leno also joked about the dismal state of the economy, saying it's so bad that Obama flew to California on Southwest -- making nine stops.
As for Obama, he called riding on Air Force One "pretty cool, especially because they give you that jacket with the seal on it."
Story HERE
President Barack Obama might have rolled a gutter ball on NBC's "The Tonight Show."
Toward the end of the interview on Thursday, Obama told host Jay Leno he's been practicing at the White House's bowling alley but wasn't happy with his score of 129.
Leno complimented Obama on the score, but the president quipped, "It was like the Special Olympics or something," which prompted laughter from the audience.
Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton said the president's offhand remark was not meant to disparage the Special Olympics, only to poke some fun at the commander-in-chief's bowling skills.
VIDEO: Click to watch the remark via YouTube
"He thinks that the Special Olympics are a wonderful program that gives an opportunity to shine to people with disabilities from around the world," Burton told reporters flying back to Washington with Obama aboard Air Force One.
A call for comment to a Special Olympics spokesman was not returned late Thursday.
Despite making fun of his score, the president appears to be getting better the more he visits the White House lanes, which President Truman installed in 1947. During a campaign photo op a year ago at a bowling alley in Altoona, Pa., he rolled only a 37 in seven frames. The clip of the disastrous game was replayed on late night television shows such as Leno's -- one of Obama's few campaign gaffes.
Obama said he was stunned when he learned of the bonuses that bailed-out insurance giant AIG was paying its employees, and the payments raise moral end ethical problems. The administration's going to do everything it can to get them back, he said.
But Obama added the bigger problem is the culture that allowed traders to claim them. He says that's got to change if the economy is to recover.
"The larger problem is we have to get back to an attitude where people know enough is enough, and people have a sense of responsibility and they understand that their actions are going to have an impact one everybody," Obama said. "If we can get back to those values that built America, we're going to be okay."
According to NBC, Obama was the first sitting president ever to appear on "The Tonight Show." He'd already appeared twice as a candidate.
On Thursday evening, Deputy Press Secretary Bill Buton said the president's "offhand" remarks were meant to make fun "of his own bowling and in no way intended to disparage the Special Olympics."
"He thinks that the Special Olympics are a wonderful program that gives an opportunity to shine to people with disabilities from around the world," said Burton.
Obama's TV appearance Thursday came during a series of stops in California intended to rally support for his budget proposal and his solutions to the widespread economic troubles facing the country, but some have questioned whether a light-hearted chat with Leno would strike a humorous tone when a serious one was merited.
"It's not an accident that no sitting president has ever done a show like this," media analyst Steve Adubato told FOX News on Thursday before Obama's TV appearance.
Obama didn't shy away from the typical late-night banter, though he also talked about hot-button topics in Washington, including the performance of his embattled treasury chief, Timothy Geithner. Obama said Geithner is doing an "outstanding job."
He told Leno that Geithner is a smart guy who's been handed an incredibly full plate. But he's handling it all with grace and good humor.
Listing the recession, the banking crisis and the need to coordinate with other countries, Obama acknowledged Geithner's "on the hot seat." But he says too many in Washington are trying to figure out who to blame for things -- when they should be focused on fixing them.
In his opening monologue, Leno said lots of people were surprised Obama would come on NBC -- figuring he'd be tired of big companies on the brink of disaster with a bunch of overpaid executives.
Leno also joked about the dismal state of the economy, saying it's so bad that Obama flew to California on Southwest -- making nine stops.
As for Obama, he called riding on Air Force One "pretty cool, especially because they give you that jacket with the seal on it."
Story HERE
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Obama Makes NCAA Picks
But not everyone is happy about it, including me. This guy is acting like a celebrity, not the president of The United States. No president has ever gone on the Jay Leno show. Someone needs to tell this guy the campaign is over now its time to get down to real business.
Barack Obama picked North Carolina to defeat Louisville for the NCAA championship, a relatively safe selection for a trailblazing president.
Obama spent part of Tuesday making his tournament picks for ESPN, which posted his completed bracket online Wednesday and showed the First Fan filling it out with Andy Katz on the noon edition of "Sportscenter."
Of course, the president's choice drew a reaction from the Tar Heels' most intense rival.
"Somebody said that we're not in President Obama's Final Four, and as much as I respect what he's doing, really, the economy is something that he should focus on, probably more than the brackets," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said from the Blue Devils' first-round site in Greensboro, N.C.
The president had top-seeded Pittsburgh join the No. 1-seeded Tar Heels and Cardinals in the Final Four, but chose second-seeded Memphis to beat Connecticut in the West Regional.
"I think Memphis has got a very athletic team," Obama told Katz, an ESPN college basketball analyst. "I think they've got a good shot."
Perhaps showing some indecision, Obama initially had the Panthers playing Louisville for the national title in the file posted online. Pitt was scratched out of the title game in favor of North Carolina, which in turn replaced Louisville in the "champion" box.
"Here's what I like about Carolina: experience and balance," Obama said.
Familiarity, too. Obama played a pickup game with Tyler Hansbrough and the Tar Heels while campaigning in North Carolina last April.
"Now, for all the Tar Heels who are watching, I picked you last year — you let me down," Obama said. "This year, don't embarrass me in front of the nation, all right? I'm counting on you. I still got those sneakers you guys gave me."
Katz interviewed Obama last October for a story about the president's brother-in-law, Oregon State basketball coach Craig Robinson. After the interview, Obama invited Katz to play in a pickup basketball game on Election Day in Chicago, and he did.
Katz extracted a promise from Obama that if elected, the new president would reveal his NCAA picks to ESPN when the pairings were announced in March.
"They stayed true to their word and didn't hesitate to get it done," Katz said.
Obama was brutally honest in assessing many of the teams, including Blake Griffin and second-seeded Oklahoma, which he has losing to Syracuse for a spot in the final eight.
"The problem with Oklahoma, they have the player of the year, but they play like, seven guys," Obama said. "I think you start getting worn down."
Among the other notable selections, Obama picked 10th-seeded Maryland to beat No. 7 seed California in the West Regional, fifth-seeded Florida State to make the round of 16, and No. 11 seed Virginia Commonwealth to beat UCLA.
Any chance the president slips away for a few minutes to see how his picks are doing when the tournament begins in earnest Thursday?
"I think the chances are pretty high," he said.
Story can be found HERE
Barack Obama picked North Carolina to defeat Louisville for the NCAA championship, a relatively safe selection for a trailblazing president.
Obama spent part of Tuesday making his tournament picks for ESPN, which posted his completed bracket online Wednesday and showed the First Fan filling it out with Andy Katz on the noon edition of "Sportscenter."
Of course, the president's choice drew a reaction from the Tar Heels' most intense rival.
"Somebody said that we're not in President Obama's Final Four, and as much as I respect what he's doing, really, the economy is something that he should focus on, probably more than the brackets," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said from the Blue Devils' first-round site in Greensboro, N.C.
The president had top-seeded Pittsburgh join the No. 1-seeded Tar Heels and Cardinals in the Final Four, but chose second-seeded Memphis to beat Connecticut in the West Regional.
"I think Memphis has got a very athletic team," Obama told Katz, an ESPN college basketball analyst. "I think they've got a good shot."
Perhaps showing some indecision, Obama initially had the Panthers playing Louisville for the national title in the file posted online. Pitt was scratched out of the title game in favor of North Carolina, which in turn replaced Louisville in the "champion" box.
"Here's what I like about Carolina: experience and balance," Obama said.
Familiarity, too. Obama played a pickup game with Tyler Hansbrough and the Tar Heels while campaigning in North Carolina last April.
"Now, for all the Tar Heels who are watching, I picked you last year — you let me down," Obama said. "This year, don't embarrass me in front of the nation, all right? I'm counting on you. I still got those sneakers you guys gave me."
Katz interviewed Obama last October for a story about the president's brother-in-law, Oregon State basketball coach Craig Robinson. After the interview, Obama invited Katz to play in a pickup basketball game on Election Day in Chicago, and he did.
Katz extracted a promise from Obama that if elected, the new president would reveal his NCAA picks to ESPN when the pairings were announced in March.
"They stayed true to their word and didn't hesitate to get it done," Katz said.
Obama was brutally honest in assessing many of the teams, including Blake Griffin and second-seeded Oklahoma, which he has losing to Syracuse for a spot in the final eight.
"The problem with Oklahoma, they have the player of the year, but they play like, seven guys," Obama said. "I think you start getting worn down."
Among the other notable selections, Obama picked 10th-seeded Maryland to beat No. 7 seed California in the West Regional, fifth-seeded Florida State to make the round of 16, and No. 11 seed Virginia Commonwealth to beat UCLA.
Any chance the president slips away for a few minutes to see how his picks are doing when the tournament begins in earnest Thursday?
"I think the chances are pretty high," he said.
Story can be found HERE
Dodd Didnt Know Anything, Oh Wait.........
The hypocrite Chris Dodd has admitted to not only knowing about the AIG bonus package but to being the person who added the language to the bill, even though he as been on TV screaming about how unethical these scum bags that received the bonus' are.
The dirty little secret the clowns running around talking about these bonus' dont want you to know is they are not performance bonus', they are retention bonus'. I am amazed by the blowhards that can not get enough media time that knew about the bonus' but failed to admit to it until called out.
The federal government does not have the constitutional authority to personally attack these people nor do they have the power to impose taxes on specific people. The executives that gave the bonus' back are FOOLS! The government has not authority to take them back, even if they unconstitutionally gave AIG bailout monies. If I were one of these exec's I would fight them all the way up to the supreme court if I had to. The exec's signed a contract and in this country we honor contracts, this is not China.
Sen. Dodd you are a jackass and I can not wait for your re-election campaign to fail miserably.
In a dramatic reversal Wednesday, Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., confessed to adding language to a spending cap in the stimulus bill last month that specifically excluded executive bonuses included in contracts signed before the bill's passage.
Dodd told FOX News that Treasury officials forced him to make the change.
"As many know, the administration was, among others, not happy with the language. They wanted some modifications to it," he said. "They came to us, our staff, and asked for changes, and the changes at the time did not seem that obnoxious or onerous."
But the provision has become a flash point for criticism amid the controversy over $165 million in bonuses given out by AIG after securing more than $170 billion in federal aid. The language in the stimulus bill wasn't specific to AIG, but some have expressed outrage that it appears to have created a loophole.
Dodd said the argument put forward by Treasury was that a "flood of lawsuits" would come forward if the change was not made.
Dodd said he was unaware of the AIG bonuses at the time the bill was being written back in early February. He also said he has no reason to believe Treasury officials making the argument knew about the AIG bonuses.
When asked how administration officials have this kind of leverage over members of Congress, Dodd said, "The administration has veto power. ... No one suggested a veto to me, I don't want to imply that to you. But certainly that's not an insignificant tool."
On Tuesday, Dodd told FOX News that he didn't add the exemption.
"When the language went to the conference and came back, there was different language," he said then. "I can tell you this much, when my language left the Senate, it did not include it. When it came back, it did."
Dodd still thinks the Treasury can get the bonuses back, despite the inclusion of a date in the stimulus bill, and he said officials are, in fact, using his very language to claw back the money.
"There is language after that date that says explicitly that the Treasury has the right to modify, reaching back, those bonuses, compensations, if it's inconsistent with the TARP legislation or contrary to the public interest," he said.
"In fact, it's that phrase that the administration is relying on this evening as a means by which they can reach back and maybe get these bonuses back," he said.
Still, Dodd has his enemies. The Senate Republican re-election campaign quickly shot out a statement on the Dodd reversal, as he is a prime target in the 2010 midterm elections and is facing a Republican opponent who, in one poll, is in a statistical tie with him.
"Senator Dodd's reversal on this issue is both astonishing and alarming," the National Republican Senatorial Campaign said in a written statement. "Contrary to his statements and denials over the last 24 hours, Senator Dodd has now admitted that he and his staff did in fact change the language in the stimulus bill to include a loophole for AIG executive bonuses."
The group added that Dodd had "misled voters and equivocated on his statements ."
Click here for more on this story from FOXBusiness.com.
The dirty little secret the clowns running around talking about these bonus' dont want you to know is they are not performance bonus', they are retention bonus'. I am amazed by the blowhards that can not get enough media time that knew about the bonus' but failed to admit to it until called out.
The federal government does not have the constitutional authority to personally attack these people nor do they have the power to impose taxes on specific people. The executives that gave the bonus' back are FOOLS! The government has not authority to take them back, even if they unconstitutionally gave AIG bailout monies. If I were one of these exec's I would fight them all the way up to the supreme court if I had to. The exec's signed a contract and in this country we honor contracts, this is not China.
Sen. Dodd you are a jackass and I can not wait for your re-election campaign to fail miserably.
In a dramatic reversal Wednesday, Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., confessed to adding language to a spending cap in the stimulus bill last month that specifically excluded executive bonuses included in contracts signed before the bill's passage.
Dodd told FOX News that Treasury officials forced him to make the change.
"As many know, the administration was, among others, not happy with the language. They wanted some modifications to it," he said. "They came to us, our staff, and asked for changes, and the changes at the time did not seem that obnoxious or onerous."
But the provision has become a flash point for criticism amid the controversy over $165 million in bonuses given out by AIG after securing more than $170 billion in federal aid. The language in the stimulus bill wasn't specific to AIG, but some have expressed outrage that it appears to have created a loophole.
Dodd said the argument put forward by Treasury was that a "flood of lawsuits" would come forward if the change was not made.
Dodd said he was unaware of the AIG bonuses at the time the bill was being written back in early February. He also said he has no reason to believe Treasury officials making the argument knew about the AIG bonuses.
When asked how administration officials have this kind of leverage over members of Congress, Dodd said, "The administration has veto power. ... No one suggested a veto to me, I don't want to imply that to you. But certainly that's not an insignificant tool."
On Tuesday, Dodd told FOX News that he didn't add the exemption.
"When the language went to the conference and came back, there was different language," he said then. "I can tell you this much, when my language left the Senate, it did not include it. When it came back, it did."
Dodd still thinks the Treasury can get the bonuses back, despite the inclusion of a date in the stimulus bill, and he said officials are, in fact, using his very language to claw back the money.
"There is language after that date that says explicitly that the Treasury has the right to modify, reaching back, those bonuses, compensations, if it's inconsistent with the TARP legislation or contrary to the public interest," he said.
"In fact, it's that phrase that the administration is relying on this evening as a means by which they can reach back and maybe get these bonuses back," he said.
Still, Dodd has his enemies. The Senate Republican re-election campaign quickly shot out a statement on the Dodd reversal, as he is a prime target in the 2010 midterm elections and is facing a Republican opponent who, in one poll, is in a statistical tie with him.
"Senator Dodd's reversal on this issue is both astonishing and alarming," the National Republican Senatorial Campaign said in a written statement. "Contrary to his statements and denials over the last 24 hours, Senator Dodd has now admitted that he and his staff did in fact change the language in the stimulus bill to include a loophole for AIG executive bonuses."
The group added that Dodd had "misled voters and equivocated on his statements ."
Click here for more on this story from FOXBusiness.com.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Final 2009 Iditarod Post, And Yes Mackey Won
and he won BIG! Mackey and team came into Nome at 11:38am local time. His nearest competitor(Sebastian Schnuelle), well let me say the 2nd place team because he had no competition since he left Takotna, did not leave Safety until 4pm local time. That will put him in Nome some time around 8pm local time, giving Mackey a very comfortable 8 1/2 lead. Mackey is here to stay and baring him getting eaten by the abominable snowman I think Mackey may go on to win this thing for the next few years. Mackey is an amazing competitor and a world class dog trainer.
Mackey is a class act, and he has a lead dog named Larry:-)
Below is a short story from Iditarod.com, they have provided great coverage of the Iditarod this year. They have great stories, an awesome GPS tracking feature you can subscribe too.
In 2008, Lance Mackey proved the impossible was possible again. Today, (March 18, 2009) Lance Mackey made an indelible mark on the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, and on his legacy as an Iditarod Champion. The Fairbanks Alaska musher arrived in Nome Alaska at 11:38:46 am under a blue sky with thousands of race fans cheering him on. Mackey (Bib #47) made his way under the burled arch with 15 very happy, healthy members of his team. Mackey now joins the legendary Susan Butcher and Montana musher Doug Swingley as having accomplished three consecutive Iditarod Championships. He created an impressive gap between himself and the rest of the pack that has not been seen since 2001. This win was, in a word, “impressive.” Mackey set the pace in the 2009 Iditarod after taking his 24 hours in Takotna. From that point forward Mackey’s teams runs were blistering. He passed all of his competitors and grew his lead each step of the way.
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin called to congratulate Mackey on his three-peat. Iditarod Principal Partner Anchorage Chrysler Dodge owner Rod Udd was on hand to present Mackey with his third Dodge Ram Quad Cab Pick-up truck in a row. Principal Partner Wells Fargo’s Representative Loren Prosser presented Mackey a check for $69,000. In addition, Principal Partner ExxonMobil’s Representative Bill Brackin, and Principal Partner GCI’s Representative, Gary Samuelson presented Lance with the garland of roses for his two lead dogs Maple and Larry.
Original story can be found HERE
Courtesy of www.iditarod.com
Mackey is a class act, and he has a lead dog named Larry:-)
Below is a short story from Iditarod.com, they have provided great coverage of the Iditarod this year. They have great stories, an awesome GPS tracking feature you can subscribe too.
In 2008, Lance Mackey proved the impossible was possible again. Today, (March 18, 2009) Lance Mackey made an indelible mark on the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, and on his legacy as an Iditarod Champion. The Fairbanks Alaska musher arrived in Nome Alaska at 11:38:46 am under a blue sky with thousands of race fans cheering him on. Mackey (Bib #47) made his way under the burled arch with 15 very happy, healthy members of his team. Mackey now joins the legendary Susan Butcher and Montana musher Doug Swingley as having accomplished three consecutive Iditarod Championships. He created an impressive gap between himself and the rest of the pack that has not been seen since 2001. This win was, in a word, “impressive.” Mackey set the pace in the 2009 Iditarod after taking his 24 hours in Takotna. From that point forward Mackey’s teams runs were blistering. He passed all of his competitors and grew his lead each step of the way.
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin called to congratulate Mackey on his three-peat. Iditarod Principal Partner Anchorage Chrysler Dodge owner Rod Udd was on hand to present Mackey with his third Dodge Ram Quad Cab Pick-up truck in a row. Principal Partner Wells Fargo’s Representative Loren Prosser presented Mackey a check for $69,000. In addition, Principal Partner ExxonMobil’s Representative Bill Brackin, and Principal Partner GCI’s Representative, Gary Samuelson presented Lance with the garland of roses for his two lead dogs Maple and Larry.
Original story can be found HERE
Courtesy of www.iditarod.com
George W. Bush Aide Gets Jail Time
This is not such a bad deal. It is $200K a year. I may try to get some of this kind of deal in the near future.
WASHINGTON -- A former Bush White House aide was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for stealing nearly $600,000 from a government program that promotes democracy in Cuba.
Felipe Sixto apologized Wednesday for stealing from the Center for a Free Cuba. He had pleaded guilty Dec. 19 to theft.
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton sentenced him to 30 months in prison, three years supervised release and fined him $10,000.
Sixto quit his job as a special assistant to President George W. Bush for intergovernmental affairs almost a year ago after learning that the center was beginning legal action against him.
Sixto worked as the center's chief of staff before moving to the White House.
Original story HERE
WASHINGTON -- A former Bush White House aide was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for stealing nearly $600,000 from a government program that promotes democracy in Cuba.
Felipe Sixto apologized Wednesday for stealing from the Center for a Free Cuba. He had pleaded guilty Dec. 19 to theft.
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton sentenced him to 30 months in prison, three years supervised release and fined him $10,000.
Sixto quit his job as a special assistant to President George W. Bush for intergovernmental affairs almost a year ago after learning that the center was beginning legal action against him.
Sixto worked as the center's chief of staff before moving to the White House.
Original story HERE
Obama Received $101,332 From AIG
Now this is a real shocker!
Senator Barack Obama received a $101,332 bonus from American International Group in the form of political contributions according to Opensecrets.org. The two biggest Congressional recipients of bonuses from the A.I.G. are - Senators Chris Dodd and Senator Barack Obama.
The A.I.G. Financial Products affiliate of A.I.G. gave out $136,928, the most of any AIG affiliate, in the 2008 cycle. I would note that A.I.G.’s financial products division is the unit that wrote trillions of dollars’ worth of credit-default swaps and "misjudged" the risk.
The rest of the story is on Examiner.com
Senator Barack Obama received a $101,332 bonus from American International Group in the form of political contributions according to Opensecrets.org. The two biggest Congressional recipients of bonuses from the A.I.G. are - Senators Chris Dodd and Senator Barack Obama.
The A.I.G. Financial Products affiliate of A.I.G. gave out $136,928, the most of any AIG affiliate, in the 2008 cycle. I would note that A.I.G.’s financial products division is the unit that wrote trillions of dollars’ worth of credit-default swaps and "misjudged" the risk.
The rest of the story is on Examiner.com
Iditarod 3-18-2009
I am going to take a small gamble today and call the 2009 Iditarod for Lance Mackey.
Unless something happens like he is eaten by the abominable snow man, all his dogs refuse to run any further, or the Bermuda Triangle moves 6000 miles northwest Mackey and team have this one in the bag. He will join a very select group of two others, Susan Butcher 86-88 and Doug Swingley 99-01, to win 3 Iditarod Championships in a row.
Congratulations Mackey and his team of wonderful dogs from The Come Back Kennel. Mackey and team were lead by a dog that is not even 1 1/2 years old. This is truly and amazing feat. It is hard to look at Mackey and not be inspired. He is a wonderful dog trainer, great person, husband, and father.
Great job Lance, I cant wait for the 2010 Iditarod to start and 2009 is not officially over yet.
Unless something happens like he is eaten by the abominable snow man, all his dogs refuse to run any further, or the Bermuda Triangle moves 6000 miles northwest Mackey and team have this one in the bag. He will join a very select group of two others, Susan Butcher 86-88 and Doug Swingley 99-01, to win 3 Iditarod Championships in a row.
Congratulations Mackey and his team of wonderful dogs from The Come Back Kennel. Mackey and team were lead by a dog that is not even 1 1/2 years old. This is truly and amazing feat. It is hard to look at Mackey and not be inspired. He is a wonderful dog trainer, great person, husband, and father.
Great job Lance, I cant wait for the 2010 Iditarod to start and 2009 is not officially over yet.
House Bill 5 In The Delaware Legislator
A Call To Action is NEEDED. Please add Senator Bunting (a co-sponsor of the Bill) to your list of people to call when expressing opposition to this bill...his Dover phone number is 302-744-4286. Looks like the Bill currently has 26 sponsors/co-sponsors and its supporters are confident it will pass in this General Assembly. This Bill blatantly places the sexual orientation choices of the select few, above the religious liberties of the vast majority.
To view the text of the bill, visit the link below:
http://legis.delaware.gov/LIS/LIS145.NSF/vwLegislation/HB+5?Opendocument
To view the text of the bill, visit the link below:
http://legis.delaware.gov/LIS/LIS145.NSF/vwLegislation/HB+5?Opendocument
Daily Constitution Post
I am a strict constructionist and feel the constitution should be followed to the letter. So similar to a "thought for the day" I am going to start posting an article and section of the constitution daily.
Article 2 Section 1.2
The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States.
No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.
In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the Same shall devolve on the Vice President, and the Congress may by Law provide for the Case of Removal, Death, Resignation or Inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what Officer shall then act as President, and such Officer shall act accordingly, until the Disability be removed, or a President shall be elected.
The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.
Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:--"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Article 2 Section 1.2
The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States.
No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.
In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the Same shall devolve on the Vice President, and the Congress may by Law provide for the Case of Removal, Death, Resignation or Inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what Officer shall then act as President, and such Officer shall act accordingly, until the Disability be removed, or a President shall be elected.
The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.
Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:--"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Geithner To Be First Obama Fall Guy?
I just got word from an insider that Tim "Turbo Tax" Geithner may be the first political hit in the Obama administration. If it is proven that Geithner knew of the AIG bonus' before last Tuesday he may be gone before next Monday.
Russia Providing Air Defense Missiles to Iran
It has long been suspected but now Russian new agencies have confirmed that Russia is selling weapons to Iran. The Russians signed a contract to sell S-300 air defense missiles to the Iranians but has not delivered them yet.
Russian officials have consistently denied claims that it already has provided some of the powerful missiles to Iran and had not clarified whether a contract existed.
The state-run ITAR-Tass and RIA-Novosti news agencies and the independent Interfax quoted an unnamed top official in the Federal Military-Technical Cooperation Service as saying Wednesday the contract had been signed two years ago.
Supplying the S-300s to Iran would markedly change the military balance in the Middle East. It will also make it very difficult for Israeli planes to take out Iranian nuclear sites, something I have advocated for some time.
The Iranians have repeatedly stated their desire to "wipe Israel off the map". Israel must defend themselves and I would not be surprised to see an Israeli air strike in Iran before the S-300 missiles are deployed.
Russian officials have consistently denied claims that it already has provided some of the powerful missiles to Iran and had not clarified whether a contract existed.
The state-run ITAR-Tass and RIA-Novosti news agencies and the independent Interfax quoted an unnamed top official in the Federal Military-Technical Cooperation Service as saying Wednesday the contract had been signed two years ago.
Supplying the S-300s to Iran would markedly change the military balance in the Middle East. It will also make it very difficult for Israeli planes to take out Iranian nuclear sites, something I have advocated for some time.
The Iranians have repeatedly stated their desire to "wipe Israel off the map". Israel must defend themselves and I would not be surprised to see an Israeli air strike in Iran before the S-300 missiles are deployed.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Census Help From Obamas Friends???
This is no real surprise considering this is the most partisan White House in recent history. The infamous group ACORN is going to recruit 1.4 million volunteers to assist with the census count.
Story from www.foxnews.com
The U.S. Census is supposed to be free of politics, but one group with a history of voter fraud, ACORN, is participating in next year's count, raising concerns about the politicization of the decennial survey.
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now signed on as a national partner with the U.S. Census Bureau in February 2009 to assist with the recruitment of the 1.4 million temporary workers needed to go door-to-door to count every person in the United States -- currently believed to be more than 306 million people.
A U.S. Census "sell sheet," an advertisement used to recruit national partners, says partnerships with groups like ACORN "play an important role in making the 2010 Census successful," including by "help[ing] recruit census workers."
The bureau is currently employing help from more than 250 national partners, including TARGET and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), to assist in the hiring effort.
But ACORN's partnership with the 2010 Census is worrisome to lawmakers who say past allegations of fraud should raise concerns about the organization.
"It's a concern, especially when you look at all the different charges of voter fraud. And it's not just the lawmakers' concern. It should be the concern of every citizen in the country," Rep. Lynn A. Westmoreland, R-Ga., vice ranking member of the subcommittee for the U.S. Census, told FOXNews.com. "We want an enumeration. We don't want to have any false numbers."
ACORN, which claims to be a non-partisan grassroots community organization of low- and moderate-income people, came under fire in 2007 when Washington State filed felony charges against several paid ACORN employees and supervisors for more than 1,700 fraudulent voter registrations. In March 2008, an ACORN worker in Pennsylvania was sentenced for making 29 phony voter registration forms. The group's activities were frequently questioned in the 2008 presidential election.
ACORN spokesman Scott Levenson told FOXNews.com that "ACORN as an organization has not been charged with any crime." He added that fears that the organization will unfairly influence the census are unfounded.
"It will be the Census Bureau that determines the role and scope of its 300 national partners. ACORN is committed to a fair and accurate count," Levenson said.
The census is an official count of the country's population mandated by the U.S. Constitution. It is used to determine distribution of taxpayer money through grants and appropriations and the apportionment of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives. Every U.S. household unit, including those occupied by non-citizens and illegal immigrants, must be counted.
Westmoreland and Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, a member of the House census subcommittee, said the panel has held hearings to make sure the penalties for census takers committing fraud are clearly defined.
"I feel fairly confident that the penalties for an individual manipulating the count are pretty severe," Chaffetz said. The penalty for any fraudulent activity can be up to five years in jail.
Westmoreland said he hopes the Census Bureau will maintain its measures to ensure an accurate report.
"I feel comfortable right now with the people at the census department that they're going to put forth their best effort to have a fair count," he said.
The U.S. Census Bureau has refuted any suggestions that ACORN or any other groups will fraudulently and unduly influence the results of the census.
"The Census (Bureau) is a nonpartisan, non-political agency and we're very dedicated to an accurate account," bureau spokesman Stephen Buckner told FOXNews.com. "We have a lot of quality controls in place to keep any kind of systemic error or fraudulent behavior to affect the counts."
Buckner said the bureau received an overwhelming number of qualified applicants -- more than 1 million -- for the 140,000 census taker jobs filled to complete the first phase of the effort. Each applicant, he said, must take a basic skills exam, which includes reading a map and entering data into a handheld computer. Applicants are also subject to an FBI background check, he said.
But Buckner acknowledged that it is difficult to track an applicant's political background.
"I have no way of tracking any of that information," he said. "If somebody comes in to a position with a political agenda and their work exhibits that, there are rules against that," he said.
Buckner stressed the need for organizations like ACORN to assist in the effort, saying that "any group that has a grassroots organization that can help get the word out that we have jobs" is helpful.
In 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau had 140,000 partnerships from "national organizations to local and community organizations to elected officials," he said. "The list is as broad as the phone book."
Story from www.foxnews.com
The U.S. Census is supposed to be free of politics, but one group with a history of voter fraud, ACORN, is participating in next year's count, raising concerns about the politicization of the decennial survey.
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now signed on as a national partner with the U.S. Census Bureau in February 2009 to assist with the recruitment of the 1.4 million temporary workers needed to go door-to-door to count every person in the United States -- currently believed to be more than 306 million people.
A U.S. Census "sell sheet," an advertisement used to recruit national partners, says partnerships with groups like ACORN "play an important role in making the 2010 Census successful," including by "help[ing] recruit census workers."
The bureau is currently employing help from more than 250 national partners, including TARGET and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), to assist in the hiring effort.
But ACORN's partnership with the 2010 Census is worrisome to lawmakers who say past allegations of fraud should raise concerns about the organization.
"It's a concern, especially when you look at all the different charges of voter fraud. And it's not just the lawmakers' concern. It should be the concern of every citizen in the country," Rep. Lynn A. Westmoreland, R-Ga., vice ranking member of the subcommittee for the U.S. Census, told FOXNews.com. "We want an enumeration. We don't want to have any false numbers."
ACORN, which claims to be a non-partisan grassroots community organization of low- and moderate-income people, came under fire in 2007 when Washington State filed felony charges against several paid ACORN employees and supervisors for more than 1,700 fraudulent voter registrations. In March 2008, an ACORN worker in Pennsylvania was sentenced for making 29 phony voter registration forms. The group's activities were frequently questioned in the 2008 presidential election.
ACORN spokesman Scott Levenson told FOXNews.com that "ACORN as an organization has not been charged with any crime." He added that fears that the organization will unfairly influence the census are unfounded.
"It will be the Census Bureau that determines the role and scope of its 300 national partners. ACORN is committed to a fair and accurate count," Levenson said.
The census is an official count of the country's population mandated by the U.S. Constitution. It is used to determine distribution of taxpayer money through grants and appropriations and the apportionment of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives. Every U.S. household unit, including those occupied by non-citizens and illegal immigrants, must be counted.
Westmoreland and Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, a member of the House census subcommittee, said the panel has held hearings to make sure the penalties for census takers committing fraud are clearly defined.
"I feel fairly confident that the penalties for an individual manipulating the count are pretty severe," Chaffetz said. The penalty for any fraudulent activity can be up to five years in jail.
Westmoreland said he hopes the Census Bureau will maintain its measures to ensure an accurate report.
"I feel comfortable right now with the people at the census department that they're going to put forth their best effort to have a fair count," he said.
The U.S. Census Bureau has refuted any suggestions that ACORN or any other groups will fraudulently and unduly influence the results of the census.
"The Census (Bureau) is a nonpartisan, non-political agency and we're very dedicated to an accurate account," bureau spokesman Stephen Buckner told FOXNews.com. "We have a lot of quality controls in place to keep any kind of systemic error or fraudulent behavior to affect the counts."
Buckner said the bureau received an overwhelming number of qualified applicants -- more than 1 million -- for the 140,000 census taker jobs filled to complete the first phase of the effort. Each applicant, he said, must take a basic skills exam, which includes reading a map and entering data into a handheld computer. Applicants are also subject to an FBI background check, he said.
But Buckner acknowledged that it is difficult to track an applicant's political background.
"I have no way of tracking any of that information," he said. "If somebody comes in to a position with a political agenda and their work exhibits that, there are rules against that," he said.
Buckner stressed the need for organizations like ACORN to assist in the effort, saying that "any group that has a grassroots organization that can help get the word out that we have jobs" is helpful.
In 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau had 140,000 partnerships from "national organizations to local and community organizations to elected officials," he said. "The list is as broad as the phone book."
Iditarod 3-17-2009 Update 3
I was wrong!
Mackey rested for 6 1/2 hours in Elim. He departed at 1100am local time. None of the other competitors are into Elim yet. I look for Lance to really open his lead in the next few hours. His team should be good and rested with full bellies.
Go Team Come Back Kennel!
Mackey rested for 6 1/2 hours in Elim. He departed at 1100am local time. None of the other competitors are into Elim yet. I look for Lance to really open his lead in the next few hours. His team should be good and rested with full bellies.
Go Team Come Back Kennel!
Delaware Tax Tea Party
This email was received from my friend and fellow conservative Chris Shirey.
If you are available to attend please do so. We need as many people as possible.
I am happy to announce that the Delaware Tax Day Tea Party will be officially announced on March 23. The announcement will be made at the Laurel town council meeting where our event request form will hopefully be approved. The meeting will be held at the town hall, located at Poplar and Mechanic Streets and starts at 7 pm. Please feel welcome to attend the meeting and show support.
There has been many request to hold a Tea Party in Dover and possibly Wilmington. I have not yet been able to find an area that does not require a $1 million insurance rider. I am looking for a solution to this problem and I would be grateful for any help in this area. This a problem that organizers are finding all over the country. One suggestion has been to not plan anything official, but to simply invite folks to take a walk around the Federal Building and Legislation Mall during a set hour. I do not know of any law that prohibits you from carrying a sign that expresses your concerns while you walk about town. This same thing could be done in Wilmington. Please let me know your thoughts on this.
With the event a month away, we need to get the chatter going. Please start talking about the Tea Party. We need to get the media interested. Please send letters to the editor and call radio and TV stations and ask if they know anything about the Tax Day Tea Party. I will be sending out a press release this weekend and the media needs to know there is an interest in the community.
I will keep you posted on how things are progressing. I am starting a list of volunteers. Please let me know if you would like to help out. This could be anything from directing traffic and assisting in handicap parking to helping with our mailing list. I have also been asked for suggestions on how to make a protest sign. I am beginning to look at entertainment for the event. I would especially like to have some activities for the kids since this is a family event. There are many ways to help. If you would like to help, please email me.
Thank you
Chris Shirey
DelawareTaxTeaParty@gmail.com
“The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions
that I wish it to be always kept alive.” Thomas Jefferson
If you are available to attend please do so. We need as many people as possible.
I am happy to announce that the Delaware Tax Day Tea Party will be officially announced on March 23. The announcement will be made at the Laurel town council meeting where our event request form will hopefully be approved. The meeting will be held at the town hall, located at Poplar and Mechanic Streets and starts at 7 pm. Please feel welcome to attend the meeting and show support.
There has been many request to hold a Tea Party in Dover and possibly Wilmington. I have not yet been able to find an area that does not require a $1 million insurance rider. I am looking for a solution to this problem and I would be grateful for any help in this area. This a problem that organizers are finding all over the country. One suggestion has been to not plan anything official, but to simply invite folks to take a walk around the Federal Building and Legislation Mall during a set hour. I do not know of any law that prohibits you from carrying a sign that expresses your concerns while you walk about town. This same thing could be done in Wilmington. Please let me know your thoughts on this.
With the event a month away, we need to get the chatter going. Please start talking about the Tea Party. We need to get the media interested. Please send letters to the editor and call radio and TV stations and ask if they know anything about the Tax Day Tea Party. I will be sending out a press release this weekend and the media needs to know there is an interest in the community.
I will keep you posted on how things are progressing. I am starting a list of volunteers. Please let me know if you would like to help out. This could be anything from directing traffic and assisting in handicap parking to helping with our mailing list. I have also been asked for suggestions on how to make a protest sign. I am beginning to look at entertainment for the event. I would especially like to have some activities for the kids since this is a family event. There are many ways to help. If you would like to help, please email me.
Thank you
Chris Shirey
DelawareTaxTeaParty@gmail.com
“The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions
that I wish it to be always kept alive.” Thomas Jefferson
Iditarod 3-17-2009 Update 2
Mackey has checked into Elim at 420am local time. At the time of the last update Mackey is a full 10 hours ahead of the second place team. There are only 123 miles remaining in the race for Mackey and team. I imagine Mackey will storm on to White Mountain and let his team rest there but I am not a musher so I may be wrong. I know Mackey is an expert at pushing dogs to their threshold but not an inch over it. Mackey will do exactly what his dogs tell him they can do.
Keep up the good work dogs! Even though Lance is my hero, the dogs are owed more credit at this point than the musher!
Keep up the good work dogs! Even though Lance is my hero, the dogs are owed more credit at this point than the musher!
Iditarod 3-17-2009
Mackey and team departed Koyuk at 9pm local time after 9 hours of rest. Mackey is running much faster times than the other competitors and nearly a full mile per hour faster than the 2nd place team.
I am not usually one to get too excited until the race is over but Mackey and team have really found their stride and appear to be unstoppable. I think this is the year of the Come Back Kennels. If Mackey is able to win this year he will have proven it is not all about money and experienced dogs. Mackey started this year with an entire new team of dogs and they have dominated.
Unless Mackey makes a huge mistake I can not see him loosing this race.
I am not usually one to get too excited until the race is over but Mackey and team have really found their stride and appear to be unstoppable. I think this is the year of the Come Back Kennels. If Mackey is able to win this year he will have proven it is not all about money and experienced dogs. Mackey started this year with an entire new team of dogs and they have dominated.
Unless Mackey makes a huge mistake I can not see him loosing this race.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Iditarod 3-16-2009 Update 3
Mackey and team have checked into Koyuk at 12 noon local time. There is not much information available at this point. I will update the blog again when he leaves Koyuk or another competitor checks in. Hopefully the latter will be after Mackey and team have been gone for a few hours.
Discovery Rockets Into Space
A good friend lives in Florida and often sends me pictures and videos of the space shuttle launch. The story below is from Fox but the pictures are courtesy of Charlie.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Space shuttle Discovery and its crew of seven rocketed into orbit Sunday evening, setting off on a space station construction mission cut short by launch delays that dragged on for more than a month.
The launch, though late, turned out to be flawless and the prettiest NASA managers had ever seen.
Discovery rose from its seaside pad just as the sun was setting, an especially spectacular sight for a space agency anxious to get the flight going. As the shuttle sped away like a brilliant star, the upper part of the launch plume glowed pink, peach and golden.
Launch controllers could see the shuttle for seven minutes, until it reached somewhere off the New York or New Jersey coast. "We were all rewarded with a beautiful, beautiful launch," said launch director Mike Leinbach.
• Click here for more photos.
A hydrogen leak prevented Discovery from lifting off Wednesday and, before that, hydrogen valves kept the shuttle grounded for weeks in February. Launch pad repairs took care of the leak, and the astronauts were able to board their spaceship and lift off.
"Well, you had a little bit of a wait but that will just make the payoff that much sweeter," Leinbach told the astronauts.
Commander Lee Archambault and his crew, which includes two former schoolteachers, should reach the international space station Tuesday. They're delivering one last set of solar wings for the orbiting outpost and some critical equipment for a relatively new water-recycling system.
"We'll see you in a couple weeks," Archambault radioed.
No one was more eager to see Discovery take off than the three space station astronauts. Commander Mike Fincke was ecstatic when informed nothing was leaking at the pad.
"That is most excellent news," Fincke told Mission Control. "That's exactly what's been on top of our minds."
During Wednesday's try, hydrogen gas spewed into the air from a vent line connected to Discovery's external fuel tank. NASA replaced the hookups, but could find nothing broken.
The system remained tight during the countdown, and the only problem was a pressure drop in a helium-purge system that workers quickly resolved.
The only other oddity was a fruit bat on the back of Discovery's fuel tank that posed no debris threat to the shuttle and almost certainly perished.
The four-day leak delay forced NASA to shorten Discovery's flight by a day and cut out a spacewalk. Because of a Russian Soyuz rocket launch March 26, Discovery needs to be gone from the space station by the time that spacecraft flies. The Soyuz will carry up a fresh crew for the space station.
Discovery's mission will last 13 days and feature three spacewalks instead of four, the first of which will take place Thursday to install the new solar wings. The two wings will join six already in place and bring the orbiting outpost up to full power.
The canceled spacewalk chores will be tackled by the space station crew after Discovery leaves. Mike Moses, chairman of the mission management team, estimated 80 percent to 90 percent of the mission will still be accomplished, despite the shortened flight.
Discovery also will deliver a spare urine-into-drinking water converter to replace one that's broken, and a flusher and iodine solution to get rid of bacteria that's lurking in the water dispenser.
NASA wants to double the size of the space station crew to six people by the end of May, and need the recycled water to drink.
Discovery originally was supposed to lift off Feb. 12, but NASA ordered extra tests for the valves that control the flow of hydrogen gas into the fuel tank. The three valves in the shuttle's engine compartment kept being replaced to ensure they were the best available and safe to fly.
One of these valves — which maintain tank pressure during liftoff — broke during the last shuttle launch in November. No harm was done, but NASA did not want to take any chances with Discovery.
NASA said the valves seemed to work well during Wednesday's liftoff.
Late Sunday, Mission Control informed the astronauts that although the launch video was still being analyzed, no significant piece of debris appeared to strike the space shuttle.
Two educator astronauts are aboard Discovery: Joseph Acaba and Richard Arnold II, chosen by NASA five years ago. There also is one Japanese astronaut, Koichi Wakata, who will move into the space station for at least three months, replacing one of the current crew.
Justice Served?
McALESTER, Okla. — A 23-year-old inmate beaten to death at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary had been put in a cell with convicted killer he had testified against.
Prison spokesman Jerry Massie says Paul Duran Jr. fought with one cellmate and then was put in a cell with Jessie James Dalton.
Duran was found beaten to death about 15 minutes later.
Massie says the two were not supposed to be put in the same cell and prison officials are trying to determine how it happened.
Duran and Dalton were co-defendants in the January 2002 shooting death of Billy Wayne Ray in Oklahoma City.
Duran pleaded guilty to a robbery charge and testified against Dalton who was convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole.
Massie says investigators will present their findings to a district attorney who will decide if criminal charges will be filed.
Story courtesy of www.foxnews.com
Go HERE for the original story.
Prison spokesman Jerry Massie says Paul Duran Jr. fought with one cellmate and then was put in a cell with Jessie James Dalton.
Duran was found beaten to death about 15 minutes later.
Massie says the two were not supposed to be put in the same cell and prison officials are trying to determine how it happened.
Duran and Dalton were co-defendants in the January 2002 shooting death of Billy Wayne Ray in Oklahoma City.
Duran pleaded guilty to a robbery charge and testified against Dalton who was convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole.
Massie says investigators will present their findings to a district attorney who will decide if criminal charges will be filed.
Story courtesy of www.foxnews.com
Go HERE for the original story.
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