But what I can't wrap my head around is that it took the President four days to acknowledge what he termed a "catastrophic" national security failure, but Cheney criticizes the administration's handling of the war on terror and they have a rapid response on the White House blog in a matter of hours? Priorities!While the United States has had two terrorist attacks by Islamofascists in the past two months, and there are more plots to kill Americans, we can rest assured that this incompetent Administration is willing protect us from who they see as a bigger security threat....Dick Cheney.
Then again, it took six days to respond to the riots in the streets of Tehran during their election, so four days seems about right for a barely averted domestic catastrophe.
Also, is the White House aware of how small they look when they are so obviously spooked by Cheney's every utterance? Remember when the President rescheduled a press conference earlier this year to deliberately conflict with a pre-planned Cheney speech?
We could really use a steady hand on the tiller while dealing with national security matters, but the White House is still in campaign mode, worried about what a private
citizen -- who left office remarkably unpopular! -- thinks of them.
Suffice to say, this is not reassuring.
HONOLULU -- A Honolulu television station is reporting that conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh was taken to a hospital with chest pains.It appears this story is just breaking, so more details will come soon. Regardless, I'm wishing Rush well with Mega Dittos and prayers.
KITV reported Wednesday that paramedics responded to a call at 2:41 p.m. from the Kahala Hotel and Resort where Limbaugh is vacationing.
The station, citing unnamed sources, said paramedics treated Limbaugh and took him to The Queen's Medical Center in serious condition.
Queen's spokesman N. Makana Shook says the hospital is unable to comment on the report.
Is this the Jodie Evans who is the co-founder of Code Pinko and one of Barack Hussein Obama's campaign bundlers?Keying off an article in the UK Times Online about Northwest Airlines flight 253 bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab organizing an antiwar seminar called "War on Terror Week", I did some quick research before the links get scrubbed.Taylor found a poster of the event in a 2007 post on Little Green Footballs, before it morphed into a moonbat blog. Here's a screenshot before Charles "Icarus" Johnson takes it down or adds one of his apologetic recants, as he's done to articles he posted debunking climate change, before the failed jazz guitarist became a glo-BULL warming true believer.
From the Times:
According to isocnews.com, an online magazine for Muslim students, War on Terror Week at University College London was one of the events of the year in 2007. There was a slick video advertisement for the event, an eye-catching poster and packed lecture theatres for five days of discussions about Guantánamo Bay, allegations of torture and the subject of “Jihad v Terrorism”.
The website reported the week of talks as “informative, relevant and always entertaining — the audience got involved with a good mixture of Muslim and non-Muslim attendees asking tough questions of the speakers”. In a corner of the poster, the event is declared to have been “approved by Umar Farook, president of UCLU Islamic Society”. The speakers advertised included George Galloway, the Respect MP; Geoffrey Bindman, the human rights lawyer; and former Guantánamo Bay detainees.
The Nigerian student who organised “War on Terror Week” in January 2007 is now better known as Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the would-be suicide bomber who tried to blow up a transatlantic airliner last week.
Mr Galloway said last night that he did not attend any of the events in War on Terror Week and had no record in his parliamentary diary of any contact with UCL Islamic Society. Mr Bindman, a visiting professor at UCL, said that he could not recall the event or meeting Mr Abdulmutallab.
Umar Farouk's name is listed in the corner of this poster. 
Close up of bottom left hand corner of the poster: (Approved by Umar Farook, President of UCLU Islamic Society).
Amnesty International also had their logo on the poster.
In a related story, members of Democrat Underground (DUh) championed the foiled terrorist who would have killed Americans in mid-air...
...in a thread attacking former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge for saying the NWA 253 terrorist doesn't deserve full range of rights.
And you thought the so-called "anti-war movement" was about peace? Hardly. They, as well as many liberal Democrats, facilitate terrorism by pretending it doesn't exist and attacking those in our government who try to fulfill their Constitutional duty to protect Americans.
While President Barack Obama enjoys a high profile vacation on Oahu, “progressive (socialist)” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is being allowed to stay out of the limelight while luxuriating at the Four Seasons Hualalai resort on the Big Island.
While many cut back for Christmas or can't afford to travel, Nancy Pelosi lives it up at this multi-million dollar Four Seasons Hulalai Resort on the big island of Hawaii
Guarded by US Capitol Police bolstered by officers on loan from the Hawaii County PD, Pelosi is enjoying what Hollywood Reporter calls: “…a picture-perfect stretch of beach on the Big Island’s chic Kona Coast….a private Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course and Pahu’ia, an award-winning oceanfront restaurant, $40 million worth of enhancements…20 new suites and … its lauded Hualalai Spa.”
According to the Hualalai Spa website, Pelosi may, “Enjoy complimentary pre-treatment rituals, relaxing by a quiet stream in the open-air Waiea, or Water of Life, garden. Or savour the lap pool, whirlpools, saunas, steam rooms and cold plunges, all set amidst lush greenery. (Pelosi’s) choice of skin-care and massage treatments may be enjoyed outdoors in our exotic new hales, secluded for privacy…. With the guidance of (her) spa therapist, (Pelosi may) choose from more than 20 local natural ingredients – from Hawaiian sea salt to crushed macadamia nuts – which are custom-blended to create unique personalized treatments.”
It is not clear how Pelosi arrived on the Big Isle. Her controversial military transport is not immediately visible amidst the forest of private jets which now crowd Kona’s Keahole Airport South Tarmac. Hawaii County is hard hit by shrinking tax receipts caused by the Obama recession, but Hawaii County Police department spokesperson Chris Loos states that the department was able to aid Pelosi’s security detail without canceling other scheduled enforcement activities. Loos did not provide an estimate of the expense incurred by the County PD.
...The one-way flight from San Francisco to the Big Isle is 2400 miles, within the range of both the C-20 (Gulfstream III) and the C-37A (Gulfstream V) but only the C-37A could safely make the 4500 mile one-way trip from Washington, DC nonstop.
Pelosi’s visit has not been noted in local or national media. This contrasts strikingly to the treatment meted out to another high profile Hawaii vacationer–Sarah Palin. While attempting to relax at a resort on Maui December 16 and 17, Palin, husband Todd and their children found themselves hounded by paparazzi hungry for photo bounties offered by the pro-Obama Hollywood gossip website TMZ.com. Finally they were forced to leave. Said Palin: “Todd and I have since cut our vacation short because the incognito attempts didn’t work and fellow vacationers were bothered for the two days we spent in the sun.” Palin was obligated to issue an apology for wearing a visor with the McCain campaign logo covered. Said Palin: “So much for going incognito.”
The contrast between the reverential privacy granted Pelosi and the petty harassment aimed at both Palin and the Detroit auto execs is an element of the ongoing decades-long campaign of politically correct thought reform aimed at American elites. The message is simple: Toe the line or be hounded out of our circles.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Muslim advocacy group is urging passengers, crews and security personnel to avoid ethnic and religious "profiling" in the wake of the attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight in Detroit on Christmas Day.Here's my response to CAIR: Go f*^k yourselves!
In a statement, Ibrahim Hooper of the Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations says, "While everyone supports robust airline security measures, racial and religious profiling are in fact counterproductive and can lead to a climate of insecurity and fear."
CAIR issued the statement following two false alarms aboard U.S. airliners this weekend.
In one of them, the FBI says passengers on a U.S. Airways flight from Orlando to Phoenix last night reported that two men, described as Middle Eastern, had been acting in a suspicious manner. The men have been released, after being questioned by federal anti-terrorism authorities.
Two of the four leaders allegedly behind the al Qaeda plot to blow up a Northwest Airlines passenger jet over Detroit were released by the U.S. from the Guantanamo prison in November, 2007, ABC News is reporting, quoting American officials and citing Department of Defense documents.And despite this and other evidence of these released detainees returning to the battlefield, this soft-on-terror Obama Administration is proceeding full speed ahead with closing the facility, moving it to Illinois and releasing more detainees from Gitmo.
American officials agreed to send the two terrorists to Saudi Arabia where they entered into an "art therapy rehabilitation program" and were set free, according to U.S. and Saudi officials, ABC News reported.
Guantanamo prisoner #333, Muhamad Attik al-Harbi, and prisoner #372, Said Ali Shari, were sent to Saudi Arabia on Nov. 9, 2007, according to the Defense Department log of detainees who were released from American custody. Al-Harbi has since changed his name to Muhamad al-Awfi.
Obama doesn’t bother to wear a tie. He hastily reads a belated statement describing the incident like a small-town sheriff’s deputy rather than the leader of the free world. He ticks off investigative steps in a perfunctory, plodding, bloodless manner. “We will continue to every element of our national power to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat the violent extremists…anywhere where they are plotting attacks against Americans.”Yeah, I'm sure he was in a hurry to either a) hit the golf course again or b) head out to lounge on the beach.
Eyes down on his paper the whole time — not looking at the camera and directing his statements at our enemies.
He talks about “resilience” as a foreign concept, not something he believes in in his heart.
Rushes through the end of his statement with a postscript about the violence in Iran.
Couldn’t get off the podium fast enough.
Inspiring.
I will stand with them (Muslims) should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."
Link to the thread mentioning the plot is here.Photo of terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab from al-Falojah terrorist forum
“Al Falojah” terrorist forum just posted ten minutes ago a press release form “Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula” (Yemen and Saudi Arabia) where they adopted the terrorist attempt on the plane in Detroit on December 25 2009.
The thread on "Al Falojah" terrorist forum is # 97593 the author of the thread is “Mourasel Al Fajr” who is the official Al Qaeda press representative on Al Qaeda affiliated terrorist forums.
Clinton’s second term national security advisor, Sandy Berger, described the official White House position towards these attacks as "a little bit like a Whack-A-Mole game at the circus. They bop up and you whack ‘em down, and if they bop up again, you bop ‘em back, down again."
David Horowitz
How the Left Undermined America's Security Before 9/11
What we are focused on is making sure that the air environment remains safe, that people are confident when they travel. And one thing I’d like to point out is that the system worked. Everybody played an important role here. The passengers and crew of the flight took appropriate action. Within literally an hour to 90 minutes of the incident occurring, all 128 flights in the air had been notified to take some special measures in light of what had occurred on the Northwest Airlines flight. We instituted new measures on the ground and at screening areas, both here in the United States and in Europe, where this flight originated.
Maybe if the "system had worked," this creep would not have been allowed on an airplane, as his name was on a terror watch list.
Maybe if the system had worked, thirteen lives, plus one unborn life, would have celebrated Christmas this year while authorities would have taken action against the suspicions voiced about Major Nidal Malik Hasan, thus preventing his jihad at Ft. Hood.
Under Barack Hussein Obama the system of fighting Islamic terrorism has returned to the "whack-a-mole" strategy which Sandy Burglar illustrated during the Clinton Administration. This government is back to reacting, in a defensive manner, towards Islamic terror; instead of taking proactive action against Islamofascist terror suspects and threats.
This is an administration which refuses to admit there is a "War on Terror" only a "man made disaster." Terrorists like the 9/11 Mastermind Kahlid Sheikh Mohammed are given more protection than American citizens whom his satanic hordes of Islamic terrorists would like to kill. As is the case with liberalism since the 1960s, the perpetrators become the "victims" who are "misunderstood." It doesn't help matters when we have an Administration whose strategy is to bury their heads in the sand, bow to foreign leaders and apologize for the supposed misdeeds of this nation in their Sally Field attempt ("You like us, you really, really like us!") at diplomacy.
How many citizens are afraid to fly back home during their Christmas vacation, or even in the future? How many want to go through the inconvenience of a near-strip search at the airports, then told to sit in your seats for the last hour of the flight?
Is it any wonder the so-called "leadership" in Washington is so disconnected from the people they represent? How many of them (paging Nancy Pelosi) fly on the taxpayer dime, using the US Air Force as their own private airline while Americans face more travel inconveniences. All because the liberal politicians and weak kneed Republicans don't want to do something as common sense as profiling.
Yes, I said it: PROFILING. If you think that's racist, then you're more of an idiot than you look like, and willing to put your fellow citizens lives at risk all so not to offend your effeminate liberal sensibilities.
But nooooooooooo! Our elected officials are more concerned about shoving a takeover of our healthcare system (a power not granted to the government in the Constitution) down our throats, all against our wishes, instead of protecting the citizens they serve. Additionally, while these liberal Democrats talked a good talk about doing a better job of protecting us from terrorists, all they did when they got power was declare war on the previous Administration's methods of fighting terrorism.
Maybe if Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi had channeled all that gusto they used in shoving socialized medicine down our throats towards fighting Islamic terrorism instead (this government's number one Constitutional duty), our troops would be ready to come home from a secure Afghanistan and Iraq, al-Queda would be eradicated, and we wouldn't think twice about getting on a plane.
This has been two attacks by Islamic terrorists in two consecutive months. I'm worried about what's going to happen when the next shoe drops.
*****
3:20 p.m. EDT Michelle Malkin writes that another Nigerian has been detained on another Amsterdam to Detroit flight.
No, just another isolated incident by a "lone nut." Move along please!
Authorities, according to Fox News, had Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on a watchlist since November.Despite mounting evidence of a sophisticated international plot to bring down a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day, the man charged in the thwarted attack — who was on U.S. officials' radar for years — was never considered a sufficient threat to keep from flying.
The alleged Christmas Day terrorist had been in one of the U.S. government's largest terror databases since November, when his father brought him to the attention of embassy officials in Nigeria.
But Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab came to the attention of intelligence officials months before that, according to a U.S. government official involved in the
investigation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.
The government also issued new restrictions on movement of passengers on airliners. Why? Are we preventing hero passengers like Jasper Schuringa to stop future jihadists?
Debbie Schlussel is reporting an allegation that a "sharp dressed man" convinced authorities at the airport to let him on the NWA/Delta flight without a passport.
Despite this attempted terrorist attack over the United States on an airliner and another security failure on his hands, "That One" still found time to hit the golf course, while staying in an $8 million dollar estate while vacationing in Hawaii.
John Leonard at the American Thinker writes more about possible terrorist test runs on airlines.
Suspected terrorist Umar Abdul Mutallab, who attempted to blow up Delta/Northwest Airlines flight yesterday.
"He may have been in contact with the American imam al-Aulaqi," Peter Hoekstra, the most senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee and a member of Congress for Michigan, told AFP.First reports said the terrorist was on a "no-fly" list, which turns out not to have been the case. Today, some news authorities are saying the US knew for two years this students was a possible terror threat. Abdul Mutallab's father apparently warned authorities months ago about his son.
"There are reports that he had contact and that he was recently in Yemen. The question we'll have to raise is was this imam in Yemen influential enough to get some people to attack the US again."
A high-ranking law enforcement official told CBS News that the suspect apparently used a syringe to inject a chemical into the powder, which was located near his groin. It is a technique not seen in previous attempted attacks and it's possible that this incident was a test of whether the materials could pass screening and how effective they might be at causing damage, the source said.
According to Encyclopedia Brittanica, PETN is a highly explosive, colorless organic compound, and is related to nitroglycerin. Introduced as an explosive after World War I, PETN is "valued for its shattering force and efficiency ... and is the least stable of the common military explosives but retains its properties in storage for longer periods than nitroglycerin or cellulose nitrate (nitrocellulose) does."
PETN is also used in heart medication as a stimulant.
Federal officials and police are interviewing a Nigerian man, who allegedly tried to "explode" a powdery substance aboard a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, injuring himself and two other passengers, law enforcement officials said.If this person was on the "no-fly" list, then why was he flying?
More PhotosThe man said he was directed by al Qaeda to explode a small device in flight, over U.S. soil, ABC News has learned. Authorities have no corroboration of that information, and the credibility of the suspect's statements are being questioned, officials said.
The man was apparently already on the government's no-fly list of suspected terrorists, according to a senior intelligence official.
"The subject is claiming to have extremist affiliation and that the device was acquired in Yemen along with instructions as to when it should be used," a federal situational awareness bulletin stated.
A White House official said the incident was an attempted act of terrorism. The FBI is investigating and President Obama, celebrating Christmas in Hawaii, was told of the incident about three hours after the plane landed, officials said.THREE HOURS? Why does it take three hours to inform the President that there was an attempted terrorist attack.
Obama has told White House officials that all appropriate measures be taken to increase security for air travel, a spokesman said. Nevertheless, officials said, they are not prepared to raise the terrorism alert level, currently at orange -- or the second-highest of five levels -- for domestic and international air travel.
Fox News via Polijam Blog, noted that the suspect, Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, a student at a UK university, had apparently been on a watch list of "suspected" al-Queda for the last month, according to counterterrorism expert Steve Emerson (video below).
Yet this guy was allowed to board a plane?
Does all that "HopeyChange" make you feel secure yet?
The Senate early Christmas Eve morning passed its version of a health care overhaul, advancing the issue further than ever before in the nation's history and setting up a bruising stretch-run early next year to get a final bill to President Obama.
"It's about people, it's about life and death in America," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat.
"Screw you, America!" Dingy Harry Reid tells the majority of Americans what he thinks of their opposition to their socialized medicine schemeLife and death, Dingy Harry? Like perhaps the lives of seniors who will be denied Medicare due to the deep cuts that will be made in the system to pay for this monstrosity?
The corpse of Ted Kennedy was wheeled onto the Senate floor by none other than Sen. Robert "Sheets" Byrd, (D-KKK), former Kleagle and Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan.
"This is for my friend, Ted Kennedy (hiccup)-- Aye!" said Sen. Robert C. Byrd, West Virginia Democrat, breaking tradition in honor of the Massachusetts senator and staunch universal health care supporter who died this summer, leaving the Senate to work on the issue as a legacy to him.
Not surprisingly, Byrd has been on the wrong side of major issues, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (he was one who filibustered equal rights for African Americans). This former night rider who claims to be such a Constitutional scholar showed, in the end, how much he's willing to trample across that sacred document to put his party first.
Somehow it is fitting that Kennedy is used to pass the health care bill, as it will do nothing but drive this nation economically off a bridge and result in death (kinda like Mary Jo).
But Republicans predicted the vote would resonate loudly outside the Senate chamber.
"I guarantee you, the people who voted for this bill are going to get an earful when they finally get home," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, warned the Senate in the moments before the vote.
That is, if they don't answer the phones. VA Senator Jim "Mellonhead" Webb and his staff won't answer the phones.
For those who are still convinced there's no difference, Democrats have shown America that there IS a distinct difference between the two parties. There is no such thing as a moderate, pro-life, fiscally conservative Democrat. They are all mindless zombies who will all goosestep to the marching orders of their leadership, arrogantly turning their backs on constituents who scream "NO" loudly at this unAmerican legislation, when jobs and the economy need fixing instead. Democrats have spent years scaring seniors that Republicans would cut their benefits and leave them on the street corner, yet they were the ones who cut Medicare in order to pay for this socialist scheme. This bill is not about "people" or "life and death" as Dingy Harry says. It is all about control over our lives by liberals.
Well, Sen. Reid and Democrat, you can only ignore us for so long. Wait until you hear the American people loud and clear in November 2010, when your corrupt ass gets voted out of the Senate, and you can go back to Nevada to cook up more illegal land deals.
Until then, maybe the above is appropriate for Sen. Reid and the other 59 liberal senators.
In June 2007, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman called Arale a "high-value detainee." That phrase was reserved for less than twenty detainees. As far as I know, the U.S. has never transferred a "high-value detainee" from its custody. One "high-value detainee," Ahmed Ghailani, was transferred to New York for trial. But he is, of course, still detained by the U.S. Does this mean that Arale was the first "high-value detainee" ever transferred from American custody?This is some background on Arale from WS.
“Abdullahi Sudi Arale is suspected of being a member of the Al Qaeda terrorist network in East Africa, serving as a courier between East Africa Al Qaeda (EAAQ) and Al Qaeda in Pakistan. Since his return from Pakistan to Somalia in September 2006, he has held a leadership role in the EAAQ-affiliated Somali Council of Islamic Courts (CIC).The writer, Thomas Joscelyn, suspects the Obama Administration was behind the move for the following reason.
There is significant information available indicating that Arale has been assisting various EAAQ-affiliated extremists in acquiring weapons and explosives, and has facilitated terrorist travel by providing false documents for AQ and EAAQ-affiliates and foreign fighters traveling into Somalia. Arale played a significant role in the re-emergence of the CIC in Mogadishu.”
...What changed? Does the DOD now believe that Arale was wrongly detained, or that he is no longer a threat? Perhaps that is possible, but there are good reasons to doubt that is the case.
But the official word on all things Gitmo from terrorist friendly AG Eric Holder? Just trust us....When I visited Guantanamo earlier this month, I spoke with Brigadier General Timothy Lake, who took over as Deputy Commander for Joint Task Force Guantanamo in October. Lake reiterated several times that he and his staff have “zero input” and “zero influence” over the Obama administration’s transfer decisions.
Instead, Lake said, they “provide information to the legal system” –- meaning the Department of Justice and the State Department.In other words, the DOJ and Foggy Bottom control transfer decisions, not the military officials who have been responsible for detaining, interrogating, and analyzing the intelligence collected on each Gitmo detainee. That is not surprising. Lake’s comments reinforce what we’ve known for some months. The DOJ, in particular, plays a leading role in President Obama’s interagency review board, which in turn makes transfer decisions.
The Congressional Budget Office's score is in for the final Senate health bill, and it's amazing how little Americans would get for so much.But the majority will just keep goosestepping this nation off the cliff, regardless of what damage they do to the economy and our healthcare system.
The Democrats are irresponsibly and disingenuously claiming that the bill would cost $871 billion over 10 years. But that's not what the CBO says. Rather, the CBO says that $871 billion would be the costs from 2010 to 2019 for expansions in insurance coverage alone.But less than 2 percent of those "10-year costs" would kick in before the fifth year of that span. In its real first 10 years (2014 to 2023), the CBO says that the bill would cost $1.8 trillion -- for insurance coverage expansions alone. Other parts of the bill would cost approximately $700 billion more, bringing the bill's full 10-year tab to approximately $2.5 trillion -- according to the CBO.
In those real first 10 years (2014 to 2023), Americans would have to pay over $1 trillion in additional taxes, over $1 trillion would be siphoned out of Medicare (over $200 billion out of Medicare Advantage alone) and spent on Obamacare, and deficits would rise by over $200 billion. They would rise, that is, unless Congress follows through on the bill's pledge to cut doctors' payments under Medicare by 21 percent next year and never raise them back up -- which would reduce doctors' enthusiasm for seeing Medicare patients dramatically.
And what would Americans get in return for this staggering sum? Well, the CBO says that health care premiums would rise, and the Chief Actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says that the percentage of the Gross Domestic Product spent on health care would rise from 17 percent today to 21 percent by the end of 2019. Nationwide health care costs would be $234 billion higher than under current law. How's that for "reform"?
Adjusting for inflation, Medicare spending per beneficiary under the legislation would increase at an average annual rate of less than 2 percent during the next two decades--about half of the roughly 4 percent annual growth rate of the past two decades. It is unclear whether such a reduction in the growth rate could be achieved, and if so, whether it would be accomplished through greater efficiencies in the delivery of health care or would reduce access to care or diminish the quality of care."
Here are the key ten words: "reduce access to care or diminish the quality of care."
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) latest health care “manager’s amendment” would STILL levy a new “abortion premium” fee on Americans under the Democrats’ health care plan. Just like the original 2,032-page, government-run health care plan from Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) and the last version of Senator Reid’s 2,074-page bill, this latest 383-page amendment levies an abortion premium and does not fix the problem of government funds being used to subsidize elective abortions.Kathryn Jean Lopez writes at NRO that Nebraska Right To Life is saying Ben Nelson betrayed them:
Under Reid’s “manager’s amendment,” there is no prohibition on abortion coverage in federally subsidized plans participating in the Exchange. Instead the amendment includes layers of accounting gimmicks that demand that plans participating in the Exchange or the new government-run plan that will be managed by the Office of Personnel Management must establish “allocation accounts” when elective abortion is a covered benefit (p. 41). Everyone enrolled in these plans must pay a monthly abortion premium (p. 41, lines 5-8), and these funds will be used to pay for the elective abortion services. The Reid amendment directs insurance companies to assess the cost of elective abortion coverage (p. 43), and charge a minimum of $1 per enrollee per month (p. 43, lines 20-22).
In short, the Reid bill continues to defy the will of the American people and contradict longstanding federal policy by providing federal subsidies to private health plans that cover elective abortions. The new language does include a “state opt-out” provision if a state passes a law to prohibit insurance coverage of abortion, but it’s a sham because it does nothing to prevent one state’s tax dollars from paying for elective abortions in other states.
"Senator Nelson had a chance to ensure that the longstanding principle of the Hyde Amendment against federal funding of abortion with narrow exceptions, would be placed in the Senate healthcare legislation. He dashed any hope of that with his late-night agreement with Senators Reid, Boxer and Schumer on unacceptable language that he claimed would address pro-life concerns." said Julie Schmit-Albin, Executive Director of Nebraska Right to Life (NRL).Unfortunately, NRLC learned the hard lesson that there is not such thing as a pro-life Democrat, just like there's no such thing as a conservative Democrat. They all need to be thrown out on their asses at election time. Ben Nelson is another example of how you cannot trust a Democrat in elected office, because they put Party First, before their constituents who elected them, and the Country.
"Senator Nelson and his Chief of Staff, Tim Becker, called me last night at 7:30 p.m. Central time as a matter of 'courtesy', to let me know that he was pitching alternative language to Democratic leadership. We spoke for about 40 minutes." said Schmit-Albin. "When I asked them at the outset of the conversation to include National Right to Life in the call they declined and said they were going with the language. Senator Nelson claimed that their newly-drafted concepts/language was Stupak-plus and that it would pass pro-life muster. When I countered that we had no assurance of that because we were not allowed to review the language, I was reminded that this was merely a courtesy call, not a call for our input or approval."
"There is no pro-life Nebraskan more devastated by Senator Nelson's actions than myself." said Schmit-Albin. "I have defended his record to Nebraskans and believed that he would stand on pro-life principles as he has on numerous occasions in the past. I have had a good relationship with Senator Nelson and his staff throughout the years. I personally met with him on healthcare in July and in mid-November and have been in frequent contact with his staff over the past six weeks. Just Wednesday afternoon, I was apprised of the Casey language by his staff and I urged them to strongly relay to him that we could not support it. When he rejected the Casey language we were bolstered by that action and believed he would hold firm to his commitment to vote against cloture if Stupak language was not included."
"Moreover, NRL Political Action Committee gave Senator Nelson a sole endorsement in his re-election race in 2006 based on his record and actions both as Governor and Senator." said Schmit-Albin. "It is a very sobering day for myself personally and for pro-lifers across Nebraska and the nation. Senator Nelson obliterated the hope of pro-life Americans who saw him as the last man standing between expansion of government funding of abortion and the Hyde Amendment."
"Nebraska Right to Life follows the lead of National Right to Life in opposing the passage of healthcare legislation containing such bogus abortion language and looks forward to NRLC 's scoring of all cloture votes on the issue." said Schmit-Albin.
IT is getting harder for governments to buy United States Treasuries because the US's shrinking current-account gap is reducing supply of dollars overseas, a Chinese central bank official said yesterday.When I was a kid, and there was some item I thought my parents should spend money they didn't have, I always responded, naievely, "well, we can just write a check." Mom or Dad would respond with, "Money doesn't grow on trees!"
The comments by Zhu Min, deputy governor of the People's Bank of China, referred to the overall situation globally, not specifically to China, the biggest foreign holder of US government bonds.
Chinese officials generally are very careful about commenting on the dollar and Treasuries, given that so much of its US$2.3 trillion reserves are tied to their value, and markets always watch any such comments closely for signs of any shift in how it manages its assets.
...In a discussion on the global role of the dollar, Zhu told an academic audience that it was inevitable that the dollar would continue to fall in value because Washington continued to issue more Treasuries to finance its deficit spending.
He then addressed where demand for that debt would come from.
"The United States cannot force foreign governments to increase their holdings of Treasuries," Zhu said, according to an audio recording of his remarks. "Double the holdings? It is definitely impossible."
"The US current account deficit is falling as residents' savings increase, so its trade turnover is falling, which means the US is supplying fewer dollars to the rest of the world," he added. "The world does not have so much money to buy more US Treasuries."
...shoveling ourselves out of nearly a foot of snow, and it's still falling.
Ben Nelson sold himself to "Dingy" Harry Reid and the Chicago Gang of Obama, Axelrod and Emmanuel like the cheapest trick on the corner (Politico).Senate Democrats reached a deal with Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) Friday night to move forward with a health care reform bill, clearing the way for a series of votes on the landmark legislation next week, said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y).
Schumer told reporters in the Capitol that the deal was finalized late Friday night, with a handshake at 10:30 p.m. The negotiations included Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Schumer, Nelson and White House officials Pete Rouse and Jim Messina ended after a marathon 13 hours of talks.“There were many times they thought they couldn't come to an agreement,” Schumer said. “We are now for the first time really feeling good. I think every Democrat realized whatever his or her views, we had to get this done.”
But Schumer made clear the negotiations, which centered on abortion funding and Medicaid expansion were touch and go. “There were several times in that room where we thought we wouldn't have a deal," he said.
The state's hated local car tax would be replaced with a $2 billion-a-year income tax increase under the new budget Gov. Timothy M. Kaine presented Friday.So how are Virginians, pinched tight due to the Obama Recession, supposed to pay for these tax increases?
The departing Democratic governor's tax proposal accompanied a budget that prescribes about $1.2 billion in spending cuts in a bid to reconcile a $3.6 billion state revenue shortfall for 2010 through 2012.
The plan was on an immediate collision course with incoming Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell, who has pledged to reject any general tax increase, and an anti-tax GOP House majority strengthened by last month's elections.
Besides a budget bill that deeply cuts funding for state-supported colleges, mental health services and public safety, Kaine is preparing a separate bill that would phase in a 1 percent income tax increase over two years.
As the world’s largest economy and the world’s second-largest emitter, America bears our share of responsibility in addressing climate change, and we intend to meet that responsibility.The typical "sky is falling if we don't act" routine:
There is no time to waste. America has made our choice. We have charted our course, we have made our commitments, and we will do what we say. Now, I believe that it’s time for the nations and people of the world to come together behind a common purpose.And, the call for a new taxpayer-funded boondoggle:
..we must have financing that helps developing countries adapt, particularly the least-developed and most vulnerable to climate change. America will be a part of fast-start funding that will ramp up to $10 billion in 2012. And, yesterday, Secretary Clinton made it clear that we will engage in a global effort to mobilize $100 billion in financing by 2020, if—and only if—it is part of the broader accord that I have just described.Just how in the Hell are we supposed to pay for this? We, as a nation, are already trillions of dollars in the hole with a deepening recession to show for it that is getting worse, not better.
This whole fraud can be best summed up viewing it through the prism of the speech Venezuelan dictator (and fat buddy of Sean Jeff Spicoli Penn) Hugo Chavez. This glo-BULL warming scare is an attack on the free-market principles of this nation and other free nations. It is a tool by Communist dictators to weaken America and others by screaming that we are the "haves" and they're the "have nots."
Make no mistake, that is what the "green movement" really is: a new Communism, illustrated below by their new symbol:
There's a fund for C.J.'s defense, if you wish to contribute. More background on this story at Blackfive. I'll be keeping an eye on this story as well, and post future developments.On Wednesday 16 December 2009, many milblogs — including This Ain’t Hell, From My Position, Blackfive, Miss Ladybug, Boston Maggie, Grim’s Hall, and those participating in the Wednesday Hero program — are going silent for the day. Some are choosing to go silent for a longer period of time.
The reason for this is two-fold. First, milblogs are facing an increasingly hostile environment from within the military. While senior leadership has embraced blogging and social media, many field grade officers and senior NCOs do not embrace the concept. From general apathy in not wanting to deal with the issue to outright hositility to it, many commands are not only failing to support such activities, but are aggressively acting against active duty milbloggers, milspouses, and others. The number of such incidents appears to be growing, with milbloggers receiving reprimands, verbal and written, not only for their activities but those of spouses and supporters.The catalyst has been the treatment of milblogger C.J. Grisham of A Soldier’s Perspective . C.J. has earned accolades and respect, from the White House on down for his honest, and sometimes blunt, discussion of issues — particularly PTSD. In the last few months, C.J. has seen an issue with a local school taken to his command who failed to back him, and has even seen his effort to deal with PTSD, and lead his men in same by example, used against him as a part of this. Ultimately, C.J. has had to sell his blog to help raise funds for his defense in this matter.
An excellent story on the situation with C.J. can be found at Military Times. While there have been new developments, the core problem remains, and C.J. is having to raise funds to cover legal expenses to protect both his good name and his career.
One need only look at the number of blogs by active duty military in combat zones and compare it to just a few years ago to see the chilling effect that is taking place.
Milblogs have been a vital link in getting accurate news and information about the military, and military operations, to the public. They have provided vital context and analysis on issues critical to operations and to the informed electorate critical to the Republic.
On Wednesday 16 December, readers will have the chance to imagine a world without milblogs, and to do something about it. Those participating are urging their readers to contact their elected representatives in Congress, and to let their opinions be known to them and to other leaders in Washington.
Some milblogs will remain silent for several days; some just for the day. All have agreed to keep the post about the silence and C.J. at the top of their blogs until Friday 18 December.
The issues go beyond C.J., and deserve careful consideration and discussion. We hope that you will cover this event, and explore the issues that lie at the heart of the matter. Contact the milbloggers in your area or that you know, and hear the story that lies within.
Under their current terms of confinement at Guantánamo, detainees have a constitutional right to challenge the legality of their detention in federal court. But that’s it.Terrorists currently held in civilian prisons have also caused some serious damage (ABC News).
In contrast, from the moment the detainees set foot on US soil, their lawyers will have the ability to tap into the full array of constitutional and other legal protections enjoyed by every American citizen and resident.
How broad might those protections be?
“It is an unanswered question. We’ve never done this before,” says Scott Silliman, a professor at Duke University Law School and director of the Center for Law, Ethics, and National Security.
“They are probably going to end up with more rights than they have at Guantánamo Bay, but how much more, we don’t know,” he says.
White House officials said Tuesday Americans have nothing to fear from the Guantanamo detainees to be transferred to Thomson Correctional Center in Illinois, but in at least two cases, individuals connected to terror who are already in federal prisons have managed to beat the system.So you liberals want to know why I call the Obama Administration "terrorist friendly?" The ACLU and other so-called "human rights" groups will champion these "poor, oppressed detainees" and work to free them in this nation, where they could become involved in another plot against synogauges, a shooting at a recruiting station, or, even worse, an attack with the potential to do greater damage than 9/11.
...the man called the blind Sheikh, Omar Abdel Rahman, convicted of inspiring attacks on the U.S., used his lawyer to pass messages back to his violent followers in
Egypt.
But even a warning from the FBI to officials at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, a federal prison in New York, wasn't enough to stop one al Qaeda terrorist, Mamdouh Salim, from making a bloody escape attempt in the year 2000.
His victim was prison guard Louis Pepe who Salim first blinded with hot sauce stored up in these empty honey bottles he somehow hid in his cell. Then Salim stabbed Pepe in the eye with a sharpened comb that went deep into Pepe's brain, causing permanent damage.
Salim, originally convicted for his role in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Africa, is now incarcerated at Florence. Rahman, the blind sheikh, is serving a life sentence at Butner Federal Correctional Complex, where Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff is also doing time.
A senior administration official tells ABC News that on Tuesday the administration will announce that President Obama "has directed that the federal government proceed with the acquisition of the Thomson Correctional Center in Thomson, Illinois to house federal inmates and a limited number of detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba."Never mind that, a majority of Americans polled over the summer are not only opposed to closing Gitmo, but bringing these terrorists on American soil. But, just like the opposition to socialized medicine, the Administration and treasonous Democrats like Dick "Our troops are Nazis" Turbin say "screw you, America!"
Thomson Correctional Center is a maximum security prison that opened in 2001 but has never been fully utilized because of state budget issues.
Information from the state of Illinois indicates that Thomson Correctional Center is a Level 1 adult male maximum-security facility comprised of 1,600 cells and eight housing units, none of which are currently used. The facility is on 146 acres and is currently surrounded by a 12-foot exterior fence and 15-foot interior fence -- which includes a dual sided electric stun fence. The cell houses were constructed with pre-cast, reinforced cement walls. The complex also contains a 200-bed minimum-security unit, which has been operational.
"Closing the detention center at Guantanamo is essential to protecting our national security and helping our troops by removing a deadly recruiting tool from the hands of al Qaeda," the official said. "Tomorrow’s announcement is an important step forward as we work to achieve our national security objectives."
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and Sen. Dick Durbin, two leading officials -- both Democrats -- who have supported the move, will be briefed on the decision Tuesday by administration officials.
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 24% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-two percent (42%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -18.Gateway Pundit notes that the Obama Approval Index has fallen 48 points this year.
That’s a one point improvement from yesterday when Obama’s Approval Index rating fell to the lowest level yet recorded. Prior to the past three days, the Approval Index had never fallen below -15 during Obama’s time in office (see trends).
As the health care plan struggles in the Senate, public opposition remains stable. Fifty-six percent (56% ) oppose the plan working its way through Congress while just 40% favor it. In Nevada, the health care bill is causing problems for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s bid for re-election.
The Presidential Approval Index is calculated by subtracting the number who Strongly Disapprove from the number who Strongly Approve. It is updated daily at 9:30 a.m. Eastern (sign up for free daily e-mail update). Updates are also available
on Twitter and Facebook.
Overall, 44% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance. That’s the lowest level yet measured for this president. Previously, his overall approval rating had fallen to 45% twice, once in early September and once in late November.
Liberal websites such as Charles "Icarus" Johnson's Little Green Fascists (formerly known as Little Green Footballs) and Media Matters, funded by Nazi-collaborator George Soro$, have defended Jennings.BOSTON, December 14, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - New details on President Barack Obama's "Safe Schools Czar" Kevin Jennings have emerged, as an eye-witness has finally broken her silence and says that Jennings was present at Tufts University during the infamous "Fistgate" scandal, and says that he bears personal responsibility for the event.
Jim Hoft of Gateway Pundit reports that a Massachusetts teacher - who remains anonymous out of concern for herself and her family - told him that she saw Jennings in 2000 at the 10 Year Anniversary Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN)/Boston conference at Tufts University.
At that time Jennings was the executive director of GLSEN, an organization which he founded. The event, cosponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Education, featured a youth workshop on sex, specifically targeting 14-21-year-olds. During that workshop GLSEN presenters taught youth how to perform a dangerous sexual practice known as "fisting" - a practice so obscene that it cannot be described here.
The Massachusetts teacher said that Jennings was the keynote speaker for GLSEN's conference, and was "touted as this wonderful person who helped children so that they wouldn't be harassed by parents, and accepted in society."
"It sounds really good, because there's not a single teacher I know that wants any child to be mistreated," the teacher told Hoft. She said she did not expect the conference would lead into the sexually graphic workshops, which promoted sex between adults and children.
The teacher also snapped a picture of Jennings showing him getting a lunch ticket at the event.
Hoft asked, "There's no way that Kevin Jennings could have been at this conference and not know that there was this explosive sexual speeches, talks, materials around the conference."
"This whole conference was his dream and his mindset. This was his vision from the very beginning," said the teacher.
Jennings has publically stated that he dreamed of "promoting homosexuality" in schools; he has also come under fire over revelations that GLSEN promoted a pornographic reading list to children grades 7 - 12, both during and after his tenure as executive director.
These books included explicit descriptions of pre-school children engaging in sexual acts; stories portraying child-adult sexual relationships in a positive light, homosexual sex in restrooms, affairs between students and teachers, and other content too extreme to be described here. (See Gateway Pundit coverage: WARNING: Content extremely graphic)..Jennings also is a professed admirer of Harry Hay, a radical homosexual rights activist, ardent promoter of pedophilia and the North American Man/Boy Love ssociation (NAMBLA).
"You mention his name, you get some attention, I think that was the whole idea behind it," said Spencer Swann of Colorado Canyon Signs. "I didn't dream it up, but I thought it was a good idea. I thought that it would help some of these guys down here."
Swann designed the "Welcome to Obamaville: Colorado's Fastest Growing Community" sign on behalf of someone else, whose identity he wouldn't reveal. Swann also designed a new sign Thursday that replaced "Obamaville". The new sign reads: "Please help, we need firewood, propane and canned food."
"I thought it was just something to draw attention and help those folks," said Swann.
On krdo.com, Mary wrote, "The person that had the sign made could have donated to the homeless shelter instead."
Harley agreed, writing, "…you should have taken this money for the sign and given it to them."
Swann says the "Obamaville" sign cost around $150. He didn't charge the unknown creator for either sign. Swann also tells NEWSCHANNEL 13, the person who put up the sign makes donations of his own to the homeless.
"He gives them money, he gives them food, he gives them support," said Swann.
A NEWSCHANNEL 13 viewer forwarded us an e-mail he received from a friend, which included a picture of the "Welcome to Obamaville" sign. The viewer wrote us, "I am disgusted by the sign."
"I've had 100 calls today and not a single one of them was negative," said Swann.
It's not just in Colorado. This photo below I took on my way back to the car in DC after the November 7th anti-Obamacare rally with Reps. Michele Bachmann and Steve King.
The end result of Hope & Change.
For reporters covering President Obama, there’s only one party in town that matters: The White House Holiday Party. It’s a rare opportunity to walk around parts of the White House and meet the president and first lady. In the past, the highlight of the event has been the chance to get your picture taken with the president in the receiving line.What a surprise! You'd think that, as many of the reporters in the press corps act more like stenographers instead of journalists, Barack Hussein Obama and Michelle would show a little more appreciation during the holidays.
This year, however, the White House seems to be doing things a little differently. The invites went out late – and didn’t include journalists who have been invited in the past. And those who have been invited seem likely to be denied the traditional receiving-line photo.
At a party last week for Democratic political types and some donors, former White House press secretary Dee Dee Myers watched Obama speak briefly behind a podium, welcoming party-goers to White House. Then, she looked on as Obama worked the room for a few minutes, shaking hands and posing for candid pictures — not taken by the White House photographer — before leaving the party.
But the party she attended did not have a receiving line, where the photos of the president and guest would normally be taken. And if that format is followed for the upcoming media parties, journalists won’t get their formal presidential pictures either.
...“It’s always been a big deal,” said Myers, who served as press secretary to former President Bill Clinton. “It’s exhausting [for the president] but it’s the one time when reporters feel like they’re treated like human beings and not just some guy behind the rope line. It’s the one time they can actually say hello.”
