Israel Does Not Trust Obama

Why Should Israel Trust Obama?

Hey folks,

I've been telling you my growing concern about Obama and his quest to make Muslin Nations love us. He loves them. He said he wants to work with Muslims all over the world. He has said he wants to give Muslim lead countries YOUR tax money to help them educate their Females. He has compared the Palestinians to American Black Slaves. But Israel?

He completely ignores them on his apology tours. Talks about how they will not be backed if they attack Iran. And then came right out and told them to freeze their settlements that were ACCEPTED by ALL previous American Administrations and even the Palestinians themselves.

Obama has been no friend to Israel. As a matter of fact, he has given us the feeling of being anti-Israel with his words and actions. Cozying up with Iran who said they want to wipe Israel off the map, even inviting them to a BBQ, and completely ignoring Israel, and long time ally.

So this comes as no surprise. According to The Jerusalem Post - 'US misstepped regarding settlements'

The current tensions between Israel and the United States, most recently demonstrated by a poll which showed America's public image on the decline in the Jewish state, might have been avoided had US President Barack Obama not taken such a harsh stance against settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, the editorial published by the Washington Post on Thursday stated.

While acknowledging that confrontation over steps needed to achieve peace was inevitable between the US administration and the various regional players in the Middle East, the editorial maintained that Obama should have accepted initial Israeli concessions, and should have avoided the demand for a total settlement freeze.

"Rather than pocketing Mr. Netanyahu's initial concessions - he gave a speech on Palestinian statehood and suggested parameters for curtailing settlements accepted by previous US administrations - Mr. Obama chose to insist on an absolutist demand for a settlement 'freeze,' the editorial stated. "Palestinian and Arab leaders who had accepted previous compromises immediately hardened their positions; they also balked at delivering the 'confidence-building' concessions to Israel that the administration seeks."

What happened to the US not dictating to other countries? Oh, with the exception of Israel. Right?

In addition, the paper maintained that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's government earned critical public support due to what Israelis perceived as unfair treatment from Washington.

"Israeli public opinion, which normally leans against the settler movement, has rallied behind Mr. Netanyahu," the editorial said. "And Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, which were active during the Bush administration's final year, have yet to resume."

Obama is making it WORSE. As I said before. If I were Israel, I would not be trusting Obama. Turns out they DON'T!

The piece went on to state that an eventual compromise between the US and Israel over settlements, which would see some building projects completed with others temporarily halted, will inevitably draw more criticism from Arab states than it would have had the issue not been escalated in the first place.

"If he is to be effective in brokering a peace deal, Mr. Obama will need to show both sides that they can trust him," the paper stated, adding that he must also "be tough on more than one country."

Yeah but that is not going to happens. They say actions speak louder than words. Obama's ACTIONS scream Anti-Semitism and Anti-Israel. His actions SCREAM he loves Muslims and even those that want Israel destroyed and whom also wants to kill us. Way to go Mr. President. Yes, the World will love us now, because Obama is President? I think not. The World is a far more dangerous place now, than it has ever been. Believe it or not, we can thank Obama for that as well.
Peter

Sources:
The Jerusalem Post - 'US misstepped regarding settlements'

Obamacare Will Insure Millions of Illegals

As if you had a doubt?

Hey folks,

There is this underlining thought that Obamacare will include the well over 12 to 20 million Illegal Aliens in this country. Some even suggest that this is, in a way, a backdoor Amnesty move. Some say, Illegals cannot be covered under this plan, and the Leaders pushing this say it's not about that. Yeah, and Christmas is not about Santa.

We all know that one of the aspect of this Obamacare IS that it will cover Illegals. So right there, there is 12 to 20 million of the number they love to throw around of 40 Million "Americans" that do not have healthcare.

Know we already know that that is a fictitious number. That includes Teens that don't want it, Part timers that don't want it. People that HAVE Healthcare in other avenues that doesn't count as "Healthcare" in the way they are defining it. The ACTUAL number of people that do not have Healthcare that actually WANT it is FAR smaller.

So what about the Illegals? BG sent this in to me. He said this.

Time for all Demo Rats to be removed from office in 2010, only in my dreams probably but it would be nice to see them go and take the RINOs with them. (Republicans In Name Only)

I could not agree more. This is from Roy Beck of Numbers USA.

WHAT'S UP WITH THE HISPANIC CAUCUS AND PELOSI?

You know we are in trouble when the supporters of a massive taxpayer health benefit giveaway to illegal aliens say the current House plan is just right. The authoritative ROLL CALL publication says Hispanic Caucus Members told it confidentially that the Caucus told Speaker Pelosi not to change a thing because as written illegal aliens will get the benefits.

CHC Presses Pelosi to Include Illegal Immigrants in Health Bill
-- Headline about CHC (Congressional Hispanic Caucus) by Jennifer Bendery in the Roll Call newspaper (July 24, 2009)

Interestingly, the article also says that CHC Chairwoman Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) said that only "documented immigrants" were discussed.

But the reporter got quite a different story from other CHC Members who talked off the record.

A CHC member, who requested not to be identified, said the group is urging Pelosi to ensure that everyone — including illegal immigrants — will be able to receive services . . . 'We’re pushing to include everyone in the health care bill. Everyone,' said one CHC member.
-- Roll Call

So, what does CHC want Pelosi to add to the House Health Bill to make sure 12-20 million illegal aliens get full taxpayer-paid health coverage?

Nothing.

That is because CHC apparently feels that the House Bill as written pretty well guarantees the coverage. Look:

Asked if CHC leaders will ask Pelosi to specifically spell something out in the bill to address illegal immigrants, the Member said no. Rather, the Member said the CHC simply wants to make sure the bill — as drafted — doesn’t prohibit illegal immigrants from accessing care.
-- Roll Call

Our allies on the Hill have been making just this point. Speaker Pelosi and others have been trying to say that the House plan doesn't cover illegal aliens because it doesn't specifically say that it does. Our allies, however, point out that unless legislation specifically bars illegal aliens from anything -- and requires verification -- illegal aliens always end up getting the benefit.

The fact that the Hispanic Caucus appears to be satisfied with the language the way it is suggests that our allies are right.

Roll Call reported that the CHS emphasized to Pelosi that she must block any language that would restrict the federal health plan to illegal aliens.

Once again, it appears that the Hispanic Caucus cares more about illegal aliens than Hispanic American citizens.

We will continue to provide multiple opportunities through the week for NumbersUSA members to fight this incredible reward for immigration lawbreakers. At a time when negotiations are breaking down because of the gigantic projected costs of the House plan and as lawmakers try to find ways to cut benefits to -- and increase taxes on -- U.S. citizens, it is most telling that so many Members of Congress are insistent on protecting beneifts for illegal aliens.

Any federal health plan must include verifiable prohibitions against inclusion of foreign citizens who are illegally in this country.

THANKS FOR PAYING ATTENTION,

Singed: Roy.

I found the LINK

Folks, let's look at this logically and without emotion, and or Politics for a second. Our Healthcare is out of control, in cost right now. Doctors are stressed and over burdened now. Let's add 40 million to the mix.

1- It is IMPOSSIBLE that adding 40 million to an already over priced service will reduce costs. That is the same philosophy that says to get out of debt we must SPEND more. {Sigh} Impossible.

2- It is IMPOSSIBLE to add hundreds of patients to a Doctor who is already overwhelmed, and say this will IMPROVE care.

3- We just can not afford it. Period. There is now way that an already hurting economy can sustain such a massive increase.

Couple this with the fact that YOUR healthcare and even your Life span, will now be in the hands of Government, you start to see this for what it is. This is a monster that needs to be killed once and for all. Let them know that covering Illegals is NOT acceptable, nor is this plan in general. Let them know that you will NOT sit back and allow your Healthcare, not being perfect, but being the best in the world, {Why do you think everyone in the world comes here for healthcare needs?} to be turned into Socialized Medicine that FAILS everywhere it is tried. Oh sure, for the common everyday stuff, it may be nice. Go in, get treated, walk out billess. Yet we KNOW that for major stuff, it does not work. We can not allow this to happen folks. We just can not allow this to happen.
Peter

NOTE: You too can send in articles, comments, notes, or whatever you may want to share, at the new Email address opntalk@gmail.com

Energy Taking A Back Seat To Health

From The Energy Front For 072809

Hey folks,

On my way to Miami for a super secret meeting. I spend all day in Miami Saturday and will spend half the day there today. I can't talk about it yet, but I will fill you in when I can.

It's Tuesday, therefore it's time to check in From the Energy Front. You know, scan, search, inquire, no matter what I do today, all I keep coming up with is Healthcare. Obamacare to be more precise. Seems our immediate need for Obamacare, AKA Socialized Medicine as all but put Waxman - Markey, or any other program that is sure to kill the economy, on the back burner. Seems all Obama, the Liberal Leadership, and some, a reducing number by the way, of the Mainstream Media, want to do is attempt to shove Obamacare down our throats.

But we can not let up on our Energy Independence. We MUST have it. California is RIGHT. Their state is bankrupt. Why? Do to Liberal Loon policies, over spending, and being beholden to LWL Kook groups. Their solution? DRILL! I'm not kidding.

"California wisely has decided to use a portion of its abundant natural resources to pay for services to its citizens. An estimated $1.8 billion in state royalty payments are expected over the life of developing these resources, and the funds will help defray the state's budget shortfall as well as increase our nation's energy security" Said Jack Gerard, President of API in his latest Blog Post.

That's right folks, California is one of the models that President Obama wants to use for America itself. It will come to the same end result as California. To help them out of the mess, they decided to DO what America SHOULD be doing. Why? Because the ANSWER is RIGHT HERE!

Some other FACTS vs Fiction?

"The United States represents 5 percent of the world's population but uses 25 percent of the world's energy."

Not true.

According to Jane VanRyan over at the API.

According to the 2009 U.S. Statistical Abstract, the United States is home to about 4.5 percent of the world's people. And an examination of other pertinent statistics shows it makes no sense to suggest that U.S. energy consumption can be attributed to each American individually. The United States is a global economic powerhouse using energy to produce goods and services that help to improve lives all over the world. In 2008, the United States used 20.4 percent of the world's energy to produce 20.6 percent of the world's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

So imagine the impact we could have if we were using OUR OWN resources. As of right now, we are dependent on Foreign Governments that really do not like us that much. We need to take California's lead here.

What about this? "All you have to do is get a tune up, inflate your tires." Remember that? There are some that say if you conserve, drive less, you will save money. NOT TRUE. According to the Heritage Foundation - Cap and Trade’s Effect on Diesel Prices

By artificially restricting use of fossil fuels (which provide 85 percent of America’s energy), the Waxman-Markey bill will drive up energy costs of all sorts. One example is the price of diesel fuel. By 2012, the first year of the Waxman-Markey caps, diesel fuel prices are expected to have risen to $3.75. Waxman-Markey would tack on another 20 cents.

And that’s only the start. Because the legislation mandates ever-tightening restrictions on fossil fuel, the tax on diesel continues to rise. Even after adjusting for inflation, this tax will hit $1.38 by 2035.

Though diesel cost most directly affects truckers and farmers, the higher price will filter through the economy and impact all consumers.

You shop at Wal-Mart? Why? Cheap prices. Do you shop at a grocery store with a card, or some kind of membership? Why? Prices. How do you think all that stuff gets there? Trucks.

Remember when Gas was over $4.00 a gallon? EVERYTHING went up. Waxman - Markey will make these increases PERMINATE. Your Electric Bills will SKYROCKET! Obama said so. Every aspect of your life has a major potential of being effected by our LACK of Drilling and using our own resources. Put this together with Obamacare, and you can see where we are heading. Even though they have stopped talking about it. You need to KEEP talking about it. Kill Obamacare, and KILL Waxman - Markey, BEFORE they kill us.

Got to run folks, for all this and MORE FACTS from those that know, check out our friends over at API. See you all soon.
Peter

Me On Obama

Preview for Sunday 072609

Hey folks,

{Banging hand on desk} OK. OK. I give. I tap out! I told you what this whole Prime Time thing was going to be. It was. I told you who Obama IS. He PROVED it with his own words. I did NOT miss anything. I have been telling you what Obama is and what he wants to do long before MOST.

I also know, wait, Welcome to the OPNTalk Blog Big Sunday Edition. Glad you could stop by. I also know that you folks out there, well, most of you true OPNers out there, are SMART. You do not need me to break this down for you by the syllable. I know, I know, some of my more Liberal friends just do not get it. But YOU folks do.

But OK. Some of you who have found the new Email opntalk@gmail.com and elsewhere, really want my honest opinion of Obama and the last few days. Alright. I will tell you. First, coming right up today?

Barack Obama IS a Racist
Health Reform’s Hidden Victims
Swine Flu Vaccines, Good or Bad?
Swine Flu Shots Mandated at Schools
IWA for Sunday 072609

By the way, the new Email opntalk@gmail.com is the one you all need to use. A lot of you have got it, but to be honest with you, I'm still waiting for a couple of regulars out there who send me some GREAT stuff. I haven't heard from you. ONE MORE TIME. Please do not send anything to the old Email. I will not get it. I have no way of getting it. You must change it to the new one, once again, opntalk@gmail.com

OK. Now to Obama. Where do I start? His Obamacare Speech. I told you it was going to be nothing more than a Snake Oil Salesman pitching his Snake Oil. That's what it was. He lied through his teeth. He made up numbers. Many, including the AP had Fact Check reports after it that PROVED he lied through his teeth. He does not care.

Talk about not caring. Under Obamacare THEY, the Government, will also decide who will live or die. I have a question. In reality, is it Elder Care? Or End of Life Care?




That should tell you all you need to know. But again, I have been telling you this. Remember, Obamacare is based on Daschle's concept that old people should just get out of the way. I will be highlighting a GREAT piece from the Wall Street Journal in a few minutes on Obamacare.

What about Victory in the War? He just said we are fight two wars? Really? But Victory is not the goal? We all know why. He wants to be friends with Muslim lead countries. He sees America in a very similar way as those that want to kill us. But he actually said, Victory is not the goal.

"I'm always worried about using the word 'victory,' because, you know, it invokes this notion of Emperor Hirohito coming down and signing a surrender to MacArthur," Obama told ABC News.

Emperor Hirohito did not sign the surrender, but regardless, Victory is not the goal?

"We're not dealing with nation states at this point. We're concerned with Al Qaeda and the Taliban, Al Qaeda's allies," he said. "So when you have a non-state actor, a shadowy operation like Al Qaeda, our goal is to make sure they can't attack the United States."

Yeah. By BEATING them. If Victory is not the goal, then how do you come to a conclusion? Where is the deciding line? You make sure an Enemy does not attack you anymore by BEATING them. Achieving Victory.

"We are confident that if we are assisting the Afghan people and improving their security situation, stabilizing their government, providing help on economic development ... those things will continue to contract the ability of Al Qaeda to operate. And that is absolutely critical," Obama told ABC News.

Then what? He is completely ignorant. Or, he does not want to kill to many of those he wants to actually be friends with. He has empathy for them. He sees things in many the same ways. SCREW Israel, but he feels for Muslims and Muslim lead countries. He sees THEM as the victims. He said so. Remember, he compared Muslims to Black American Slaves?

As for Race? I'll highlight that is just a few minutes also. Folks, you really do not need me or anyone else to spell out who Obama really is. You really don't. All you have to do is listen. All you have to do is hear what he says. All you have to do is pay attention to what the Congress is trying to do. Learn the facts. Understand the reality of the consequences of the end of their goals. What will actually happen if Obama or the Liberals are able to do what they not only want to, but are trying very hard to do.

I guess we should get started. {Smile} Going to fill my cup. Coffee of the day? Folgers Gourmet Selection "Caramel Drizzle" www.folgers.com Be right back.
Peter

Sources:
Boston Globe - Obama Health Care Claims Adrift
Fox News - Obama: 'Victory' Not Necessarily Goal in Afghanistan

Barack Obama IS a Racist

It does not matter that he TRIED to Clarify, he let out his true opinions.

Hey folks,

That's right. He told the world on national television EXACTLY how he sees things. Black man arrested by White Cop, White Cop is a Stupid Racist. Basically that is exactly what he said.

He said when asked, which we all know was a planted question, what he thought of the situation in Cambridge, he said that the Cops "acted Stupidly." Friday he made a cameo appearance to attempt to stop the firestorm back draft that he has been receiving ever since his Racist statement. He appeased the Obamaide drinkers, but he did not appease everyone. Not even some in the Mainstream Media. But here is the Transcript with my commentary thrown in.

2:33 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Hey, it's a cameo appearance. Sit down, sit down. I need to help Gibbs out a little bit here.

Q Are you the new press secretary?

THE PRESIDENT: If you got to do a job, do it yourself. (Laughter.)

I wanted to address you guys directly because over the last day and a half obviously there's been all sorts of controversy around the incident that happened in Cambridge with Professor Gates and the police department there.

I actually just had a conversation with Sergeant Jim Crowley, the officer involved. And I have to tell you that as I said yesterday, my impression of him was that he was a outstanding police officer and a good man, and that was confirmed in the phone conversation -- and I told him that.

And because this has been ratcheting up -- and I obviously helped to contribute ratcheting it up -- I want to make clear that in my choice of words I think I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sergeant Crowley specifically -- and I could have calibrated those words differently. And I told this to Sergeant Crowley.

"I think the Police Acted Stupidly." Uh, how would you word that differently?

I continue to believe, based on what I have heard, that there was an overreaction in pulling Professor Gates out of his home to the station.

Problem. Gates was NOT pulled out of his home. He followed the Cop ranting and raving causing ALL Police and Bystanders there to become even more concerned. He was arrested on the SIDEWALK.

I also continue to believe, based on what I heard, that Professor Gates probably overreacted as well. My sense is you've got two good people in a circumstance in which neither of them were able to resolve the incident in the way that it should have been resolved and the way they would have liked it to be resolved.

That's true. Cop shows up to investigate someone breaking into your home, you cooperate and thank them for looking out for you, and they leave. That would have been the ideal situation. Not attack the Cop verbally and refuse to cooperate with the investigation.

The fact that it has garnered so much attention I think is a testimony to the fact that these are issues that are still very sensitive here in America. So to the extent that my choice of words didn't illuminate, but rather contributed to more media frenzy, I think that was unfortunate.

You think it was unfortunate that you are taking so much heat over this. NOT That you called the Cops stupid?

What I'd like to do then I make sure that everybody steps back for a moment, recognizes that these are two decent people, not extrapolate too much from the facts -- but as I said at the press conference, be mindful of the fact that because of our history, because of the difficulties of the past, you know, African Americans are sensitive to these issues. And even when you've got a police officer who has a fine track record on racial sensitivity, interactions between police officers and the African American community can sometimes be fraught with misunderstanding.

{Sigh} The Cop TRAINS other Officers in Racial Sensitivity. Why is it always the Cops that have to learn how to deal with Minorities? Why can the Minorities not just cooperate with the Cops?

My hope is, is that as a consequence of this event this ends up being what's called a "teachable moment,"

Yeah, do not automatically assume the Cops are WRONG.

where all of us instead of pumping up the volume

Calling the Cops Stupid.

spend a little more time listening to each other and try to focus on how we can generally improve relations between police officers and minority communities, and that instead of flinging accusations

As you did.

we can all be a little more reflective in terms of what we can do to contribute to more unity. Lord knows we need it right now -- because over the last two days as we've discussed this issue, I don't know if you've noticed, but nobody has been paying much attention to health care. (Laughter.)

We have here. The New or alternative Media has been. People who are learning what is in your plan have been. Sorry. The only ones that have not been talking about it is those trying to pass it in the House and Senate because they KNOW they do not have the Votes.

I will not use this time to spend more words on health care, although I can't guarantee that that will be true next week. I just wanted to emphasize that -- one last point I guess I would make. There are some who say that as President I shouldn't have stepped into this at all because it's a local issue. I have to tell you that that part of it I disagree with. The fact that this has become such a big issue

BECAUSE OF YOU!

I think is indicative of the fact that race is still a troubling aspect of our society.

And people like you, and even Professor Gates are NOT helping matters.

Whether I were black or white, I think that me commenting on this and hopefully contributing to constructive -- as opposed to negative -- understandings about the issue, is part of my portfolio.

So at the end of the conversation there was a discussion about -- my conversation with Sergeant Crowley, there was discussion about he and I and Professor Gates having a beer here in the White House. We don't know if that's scheduled yet -- (laughter) -- but we may put that together.

He also did say he wanted to find out if there was a way of getting the press off his lawn. (Laughter.) I informed him that I can't get the press off my lawn. (Laughter.) He pointed out that my lawn is bigger than his lawn. (Laughter.) But if anybody has any connections to the Boston press, as well as national press, Sergeant Crowley would be happy for you to stop trampling his grass.

All right. Thank you, guys.

Now go talk about my Healthcare Plan. I do not want to hear any more about this. I bet you they will dutifully oblige him. Folks, it really is simple. Look at his associations his whole life. He was a Community Organizer. This is all he knows. He thinks that the Country has been run by "Rich White Men" and that we are an arrogant and evil country that lives off the backs of other countries and the poor and minority in this country. This is who he is. This is all he knows.

This is why he reacted like he did. This is why he saw the Cops as Stupid and Racist and why he saw the poor little innocent Gates as the Victim. None of this is true. But that is how he saw it, and he said so. Now he is, as they {the Liberals} always do, he is now tried to go for a redo. A do-over. He wants you to forget what he said, and just accept what he NOW says he meant. You HAVE to know that Biden is laughing somewhere. "Hey, at least it wasn't me this time."
Peter

Health Reform’s Hidden Victims

You know it's bad when the MMD start telling you the truth.

Hey folks,

You want more proof that Obama's Socialistic Health Plan is bad? Even some in the Mainstream Media are starting to tell you that Obamacare is going to be a disaster. I'm not kidding. Some in the normally Obama friendly Press are starting to cave. Even they can not even defend it for much longer. You know it's bad when the MMD start telling you the truth.

Here is a great piece by the Wall Street Journal - Health Reform’s Hidden Victims By JOHN FUND

President Barack Obama’s health-care sales pitch depends on his ability to obfuscate who is likely to get hurt by reform. At Wednesday’s news conference, for example, he was asked “specifically what kind of pain and sacrifice” he would ask of patients in order to achieve the cost savings he promises.

He insisted he “won’t reduce Medicare benefits” but instead would “make delivery more efficient.” The most Mr. Obama would concede is that some people will have to “give up paying for things that don’t make you healthier.” That is simply not credible.

While Democrats on Capitol Hill dispute claims that individuals will lose their existing coverage under their reform plans, on other issues many Democrats privately acknowledge some people will indeed get whacked to pay for the new world of government-dominated health care.

Democrats have been brilliant in keeping knowledge about the pain and sacrifice of health reform from the very people who would bear the brunt of them. They’ve done so by convincing health-care industry groups not to run the kind of “Harry and Louise”-style ads that helped sink HillaryCare in 1993.

Sen. Tom Coburn (R., Okla.) says the pressure not to run ads has been “intense, bordering on extortion.” “Groups were told if they did they’d give up their seat at the table,” says former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. “What they weren’t told is that they’d be at the table as lunch.”

Here are some of the groups on the menu if anything like the existing Senate or House health plans become law:

• Young people. If the government mandates that everyone must have health insurance, healthy young people will have to buy policies that don’t reflect the low risk they have of getting sick. The House and Senate bills do let insurers set premiums based on age, but only up to a 2-to-1 ratio, versus a real-world ratio of 5 to 1. This means lower prices for older (and wealthier) folks, but high prices for the young. “They’ll have sticker shock,” says Rep. Paul Ryan, ranking Republican on the Budget Committee.

• Small Businesses. Employers who don’t provide coverage will have to pay a tax up to 8% of their payroll. Yet those who do provide coverage also have to pay the tax—if the law says their coverage is not “adequate.” Amazingly, even if a small business provides adequate insurance but its employees choose coverage in another plan offered through the government, the employer still must pay.

• Health Savings Account (HSA) holders. Eight million Americans, according to the Treasury Department, are covered by plans with low-cost premiums and high deductibles that are designed for large, unexpected medical costs. Money is also set aside in a savings account to cover the deductibles, and whatever isn’t spent in one year can build up tax-free. Nearly a third of new HSA users, according to Treasury figures, previously had no insurance or bought coverage on their own.

These policies will be severely limited. The Senate plan says a policy deemed “acceptable” must have insurance (rather than the individual) pay out at least 76% of the benefits. The House plan is pegged at 70%. That’s not the way these plans are set up to work. Ray Ramthun, who implemented the HSA regulations at the Treasury Department in 2003, says the regulations are crippling. “Companies tell me they could be forced to take products off the market,” he said in an interview.

• Medicare Advantage users. Mr. Obama and Congressional Democrats want to cut back this program—care provided by private companies and subsidized by the government. Medicare Advantage grew by 15% last year; 10.5 million seniors, or 22% of all Medicare patients, are now enrolled.

The program is especially popular with those in badly served urban areas and with those who can’t afford the premiums for Medicare supplemental (MediGap) policies. A total of 54% of Hispanics on Medicare have chosen Medicare Advantage, as have 40% of African-Americans, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services at the Department of Health and Human Services.

These plans tend to provide better coordinated and preventive care, and richer prescription drug coverage. But Democrats dislike Medicare Advantage’s private-sector nature, and they have some legitimate beefs with its unevenly generous reimbursement rates. This week Mr. Obama told the Washington Post that the program was “a prime example” of his efforts to cut Medicare spending, because he claims people “aren’t getting good value” from it.

That’s not what others say. In January, Oregon’s Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski wrote the Obama administration expressing his concern about its efforts “to scale back Medicare Advantage” because the plans “play an important role in providing affordable health coverage.” He noted that 39% of Oregon’s Medicare patients had chosen Medicare Advantage, and that in “some of our Medicare Advantage plans . . . with proper chronic disease management for such conditions as heart disease, asthma and diabetes, hospitalization admission rates have declined.”

The $156 billion in Medicare Advantage cuts over the next decade proposed by Mr. Obama will force many seniors to go back to traditional Medicare at greater expense. A new study for the Florida Association of Health Plans found that because Medicare Advantage plans have richer benefits and lower deductibles and copayments than traditional Medicare, seniors in that state would face dramatically higher payments if forced to give up their Medicare Advantage plans. Cost increases would range from $2,214 a year in Jacksonville to $3,714 a year in Miami.

There are reasons that Blue Dog Democrats in Congress are leery of their party’s health-care reform plans. Many are in districts or states carried by John McCain, and they worry about the political fallout when these groups realize they will be paying for health-care reform.

They also know that every government entitlement winds up becoming a money pit. In 1965, Sen. Allen Ellender (D., La.) dismissed promises that Medicare would be a modest program to save seniors from bankruptcy. “Let us not be so naïve as to believe that the Medicare program will not be increased from year to year to the point that the government will have to impose more taxes on the little man or else take the necessary money out of the Treasury,” he told colleagues.

Ellender was right, and his warning is even more relevant in our era of skyrocketing deficits and Medicare costs. The only way the House and Senate health plans can pass is if the costs they impose on vulnerable parts of the population continue to be hidden.

Well done Mr. Fund. Well done. Folks, this is a BAD Bill that needs to be killed. PERIOD. As I and some others keep telling you, NOW is not the time to get complacent. NOW is the time to let these people in Congress know in no uncertain terms that they do NOT WANT To vote this thing in. If they do, YOU WILL Vote them out.
Peter

Sources:
Wall Street Journal - Health Reform’s Hidden Victims

Swine Flu Vaccines, Good or Bad?

Special Sunday From The Emails 072609

Hey folks,

Yes, I was not here on Friday, and yes, some of you have got the new Email Address opntalk@gmail.com. So since I could not be here Friday, here is an interesting Email sent to me by LC. It is from Veggie Source. Yes I know. But this is interesting.

As you know, I have been following Bird Flu and now Swine flu VERY Closely. Neither is going away. Swine flu is increasing. The world is watching what will happen when actual Flu Season returns.

There has been news that Tamiflu has shown signs in helping those that contract Bird Flu and now even Swine flu. They just announced that a NEW Swine Flu Shot may be ready by October and they are talking about it being FORCED on our school Children. So is this good? Or bad? This Email from Veggie Source gives an opposing view of all this. Here it is.

VIDEO: Swine Flu & "60 Minutes"

Come this fall, many governments will have a great deal of swine flu vaccine stocked and ready to go.

There's big money to be made selling vaccines (just ask major Swine Flu vaccine shareholder, Donald Rumsfeld) . The government and media fear-mongering is already starting.

On Thursday, July 9, 2009, US health officials said the government would like to institute mass vaccinations of school-aged children starting in October.

Should this happen, we will be removing our children from school rather than let them receive this vaccine.

Why? Well just watch the two videos below, from the last time the government got into the swine flu vaccine business.

The two videos are a 1979 "60 Minutes" piece about some of the people who became seriously ill, permanently paralyzed, or died due to the vaccine.

Before letting yourself or your loved ones be vaccinated with this new, untested vaccine, before you let them become fodder for Big Pharma profits, do some research and seriously question the need for this -- or any government vaccine $chemes.

The 1976 mass vaccination was stopped, but only after thousands of people became gravely ill. Nothing has changed between then and now.

(PS: Jeff's cousin and her family, three of them, had the swine flu last month - June 09 - in Denver. They recuperated and are dong just fine; none of them died, was crippled, or relegated to wheelchairs for life, as happened to many of the people who got the Swine Flu vaccine -- watch the videos below.)

Part One:




Part Two:




Now I know that these folks are Liberals. I understand that they think that both the Bird Flu and now Swine Flu is a scam. They are not. They are very real with very real people getting really sick and really dying. We now have something like 6 cases right here in Martin Country Florida. Actually, here is the CDC update:

Alabama 477 cases 0 deaths
Alaska 272 cases 0 deaths
Arizona 947 cases 15 deaths
Arkansas 131 cases 0 deaths
California 3161 cases 52 deaths
Colorado 171 cases 0 deaths
Connecticut 1713 cases 8 deaths
Delaware 381 cases 0 deaths
Florida 2915 cases 23 deaths
Georgia 222 cases 1 death
Hawaii 1424 cases 3 deaths
Idaho 166 cases 0 deaths
Illinois 3404 cases 17 deaths
Indiana 291 cases 1 death
Iowa 165 cases 0 deaths
Kansas 204 cases 0 deaths
Kentucky 143 cases 0 deaths
Louisiana 232 cases 0 deaths
Maine 145 cases 0 deaths
Maryland 766 cases 4 deaths
Massachusetts 1370 cases 5 deaths
Michigan 515 cases 9 deaths
Minnesota 670 cases 3 deaths
Mississippi 252 cases 0 deaths
Missouri 76 cases 1 death
Montana 94 cases 0 deaths
Nebraska 313 cases 1 death
Nevada 467 cases 0 deaths
New Hampshire 247 cases 0 deaths
New Jersey 1414 cases 15 deaths
New Mexico 232 cases 0 deaths
New York 2738 cases 63 deaths
North Carolina 483 cases 5 deaths
North Dakota 63 cases 0 deaths
Ohio 188 cases 1 death
Oklahoma 189 cases 1 death
Oregon 524 cases 5 deaths
Pennsylvania 1960 cases 8 deaths
Rhode Island 192 cases 2 deaths
South Carolina 244 cases 0 deaths
South Dakota 45 cases 0 deaths
Tennessee 283 cases 1 death
Texas 5151 cases 27 deaths
Utah 988 cases 16 deaths
Vermont 59 cases 0 deaths
Virginia 327 cases 2 deaths
Washington 658 cases 7 deaths
Washington, D.C. 45 cases 0 deaths
West Virginia 243 cases 0 deaths
Wisconsin 6222 cases 6 deaths
Wyoming 111 cases 0 deaths
Territories
American Samoa 8 cases 0 deaths
Guam 1 case 0 deaths
Puerto Rico 20 cases 0 deaths
Virgin Islands 49 cases 0 deaths
TOTAL (55)* 43,771 cases 302 deaths

So Swine Flu nor Bird Flu are scams thought up by the Government to make a profit such as Global Warming. Yet I DO agree that these vaccines need to be tested FULLY before they are mandated for use. Right now Swine Flu is easily treated and most recover from it. There has only been 302 deaths nationwide. Yet we have to be prepared if it DOES mutate into something worse than it is now. I will also highlight the link for the WebMD Article that they are referring to. Be right back with that.
Peter

Sources:
Vegsource.com - VIDEO: Swine Flu & "60 Minutes"
Web MD - Swine Flu Vaccination May Target Schools

Swine Flu Shots Mandated at Schools

Health and Science Segment for Sunday 072609

Hey folks,

I just got done posting From the Emails for this Week and we learned that the folks over at vegsource.com are quite opposed to this. They provided a link to Web MD - Swine Flu Vaccination May Target Schools

Well, in this weeks Health and Science Segment, we are going to look at this article. Here it is.

Obama Administration Says H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine May Be Ready in October
By Todd Zwillich WebMD Health News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD July 9, 2009 --

Health officials are looking toward thousands of schools and day care centers to mount a possible mass vaccination program against the H1N1 swine flu this fall, government planners said Thursday.

The plan -- which still depends on unanswered questions of how easy a swine flu vaccine is to produce and how well it works -- could see tens of millions of doses targeted mainly at children beginning in October, Obama administration officials said.

OK so far so good. It is in the testing stages. But the wording here COULD be misleading. Read that again.

The plan -- which still depends on unanswered questions of how easy a swine flu vaccine is to produce and how well it works.

OK. Fine. But is it SAFE? Will the possible side effects of this new Vaccine be published and those taking it, or in this case the Parents of those taking this, be warned?

Swine flu has sickened an estimated 1 million Americans since it was first identified in the U.S. in the spring. Approximately 170 U.S. deaths have been reported.

Well according to the CDC that would be 302 deaths. But I do have to admit something. I keep hearing this One Million number of cases. Yet I find no proof of this. At any rate, this is still a MAJOR problem and we have to be vigilant.

The widely publicized outbreak was thought to have originated in Mexico. It sent health officials and manufacturers scrambling to produce a vaccine against H1N1 swine flu. Test lots of vaccine are soon to enter clinical trials to see how well the vaccine works in helping the body mount immune protection against the H1N1 swine flu virus and how many doses it might take to get that protection.

HOPEFULLY also the SIDE EFFECTS.

New infections continue across the U.S. this summer. Experts expect the virus to infect many more people in the fall, when flu viruses typically spread much more easily and outbreaks can take hold.

"Since the population that seems to be most affected is younger folks, school-aged kids, kids in day care centers, we may well partner with the schools, looking at those as possible sights for a vaccination program," said Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

At a meeting Thursday at the National Institutes of Health headquarters in Bethesda, Md., Sebelius urged state and local officials to "be prepared for the potential of a fall vaccination campaign."

Officials said they were planning on a voluntary vaccination program focusing on children, adults with underlying diseases, health care workers, and families of small children and infants.

"What we can't do is wait until October and then suddenly decide that we have very serious situation on our hands," Sebelius said.

Production of Swine Flu Vaccine

Five U.S. vaccine makers are ramping up production of an H1N1 swine flu vaccine. The vaccine is entering trials to test its effectiveness, and also to determine if it will have to be delivered in more than one dose.

Results of the trials are expected in August, said Anthony Fauci, MD, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. After that, companies are likely to start producing a vaccine with a plan to distribute doses by October.

"We're probably talking about tens of millions of doses in early October," Fauci said.

Bruce Gellin, MD, head of the National Vaccine Program at the Department of Health and Human Services, said companies could produce as much as 100 million doses of H1N1 swine flu vaccine. "This is, if all goes well," he said.

At the same time, epidemiologists are closely monitoring the Southern hemisphere, where flu season is in full swing. Flu viruses mutate easily, and scientists are watching to see if the current H1N1 virus undergoes genetic changes that make it easier to spread, more resistant to vaccine protection, or more lethal.

Officials are also trying to coordinate with state and local officials. They need to set up protocols for vaccine distribution, anti-viral drug distribution, and guidelines for closing schools where infected students are found.

Hundreds of schools across the nation closed for days or weeks at a time during the spring after students became infected with swine flu. In New York City, where the outbreak was particularly strong, 55 schools closed, 900 people were hospitalized, and more than 45 people died.

Officials still have not decided exactly which age groups will be recommended to get the vaccine. That decision is likely to come at the end of July when the federal Advisory Council on Immunization Practices meets in Atlanta.

Anne Schuchat, MD, who heads the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, told state and local officials to expect "a very busy fall."

"This is a time for aggressive planning, and I hope you recognize that we have a lot to plan for," she said.

Look folks, I do not get the flu shot. I nearly never get sick. I do not believe all that much in the necessity of it. But I understand those that do. I understand that some folks want as much protection as they can get from getting sick. That is natural.

I do not agree with the folks that think this is all a scam for profit. But I DO agree that we need to make sure that we do NOT have a repeat of the 70s. Perhaps just as important as is it effective, we need to make sure that it is safe.
Peter

Sources:
Web MD - Swine Flu Vaccination May Target Schools

IWA for Sunday 072609

It IS all his fault. It may have been what he wanted at that.

Hey folks,

It's Sunday, time to wrap things up with the IWA. I want you to picture this. You go away. Be it work, vacation, family visit, Whatever. Two men come and throw themselves against your door, seemingly attempting to force entry into your home. Your Neighbor sees this. Do you want them,

A- To put themselves in danger and go to investigate this themselves?
B- Ignore it?
C- Call the Cops?

Now lets say it is YOU. After having a previous break in, your front door is broken and difficult to open. You and the Driver of the Car that brought you home are trying to open it forcefully. You get in. The Police arrive and question you on what is going on. They tell you that they are responding to a call about a break in at your residence. You then,

A- Refuse to cooperate with them?
B- Insult the Police Officer who arrived and cause a huge commotion, FOLLOWING him as he is attempting to leave.
C- ID yourself and thank the Officer for responding. Then thank the Neighbor for looking out for you?

Come on folks. Be honest. Any one in their right mind would pick C, and C. But not our Idiot of the Week. No, our Idiot picked B, and A, AND B. Yes of course I'm talking about Professor Gates. A man who's entire Career it to point out and highlight Racism and Race discrepancies. He makes his money being a Race Baiter. So it is no surprise that he did want he did.

You all know the story. Even President Obama got involved calling the White Officer Stupid. As I told you before, he did a poor job attempting to, uh, "clarify" his remarks, but he did show us how he sees things.

Now our Idiot himself is saying that he is willing to "move on" from all this.

"I told the president that my principal regret was that all of the attention paid to his deeply supportive remarks during his press conference had distracted attention from his health care initiative," Gates said. "I am pleased that he, too, is eager to use my experience as a teaching moment, and if meeting Sergeant Crowley for a beer with the president will further that end, then I would be happy to oblige."

{Sigh} It was a teachable moment. It taught us that Obama is a Racist and that Professor Gates is nothing more than a full fledged Race Baiter. Now it turns out that he may have very well WANTED to be arrested to begin with. According to the AP- Gates says it's time to 'move on' from his arrest

It was a marked change in tone for Gates, who in the days following his arrest gathered up his legal team and said he was contemplating a lawsuit. He even vowed to make a documentary on his arrest to tie into a larger project about racial profiling.

So he was already working on a project that this incident just happened to coincide with? Just a coincidence?

In an e-mail to the Boston Globe late Friday, he said: "It is time for all of us to move on, and to assess what we can learn from this experience."

We already learned it Professor. We already learn it. Congratulations Professor Gates, you ARE the Idiot of the Week. What teachable moment would you care to enlighten us about next?
Peter

Sources:
AP - Gates says it's time to 'move on' from his arrest

Clinton a Stupid Schoolgirl, Obama defends healthcare proposal

As Obama attempts to destroy our Economy, Hillary is destroying our World standing.

Hey folks,

Did you catch this?

"She has made a spate of vulgar remarks unbecoming for her position everywhere she went since she was sworn in," North Korea's KCNA news agency quoted a foreign ministry spokesman as saying.

It said her comments earlier in the week that North Korean behavior such as a recent spate of missile launches was like an unruly child demanding attention "suggests she is by no means intelligent."

"We cannot but regard Mrs. Clinton as a funny lady as she likes to utter such rhetoric, unaware of the elementary etiquette in the international community.

"Sometimes she looks like a primary schoolgirl and sometimes a pensioner going shopping," the report added.

"It is our view that she can make even a little contribution to the implementation of the U.S. administration's foreign policy as secretary of State only when she has understanding of the world, to begin with."

The impoverished state insists that it is only trying to develop an atomic weapon to defend itself from what it considers as a hostile United States. North Korea.

{Laughing} Way to go Mrs. Clinton. Who called North Korea an unruly child. Uh Hillary, unruly children seldom have NUCLEAR WEAPONS! {Sigh} I'm so glad we elected Obama and Crew. The world loves us so much more.

Meanwhile, last night was nothing more than what I told you it would be. A Snake Oil Salesman trying to sell you on a bill of goods that will do the opposite of what he is claiming.

I'm not going to waste my nor your time posting the Video, or transcript of this stupid speech last night. He said what he has been saying all along. He is lying through his teeth. Either intentionally or out of complete ignorance. I did find this excuse interesting and of course completely bogus. Why the rush?

"I'm rushed, because I get letters every day from families that are being clobbered by health care costs," Obama said.

ABSOLUTE BULL!! Care to produce these letters? How about putting these letters in one pile and the letters OPPOSING Socialized Healthcare in another, and lets see which one is bigger shall we?

The truth is, he is rushing this because as I pointed out to you yesterday, the more of you that find out what is actually in this, the harder if not impossible, it will be for him to get it passed.

Then of course he claims, "this isn't about me." YES IT IS. It is ALL about Obama. It always has been. It is about Government controlling every aspect of your lives. It will be devastating to him if the Sane kill this thing, but unlike some of my friends on the Right, I doubt this will "be the end of Obama." He will just move on to another aspect of his agenda. Most likely Amnesty. The arrogance of Obama was also clear last night.

"This debate is not a game," he said. "This isn't about me - I have great health insurance and so does every member of Congress."

Rather he said, it was about ordinary Americans who had been forced to "shoulder the burden of a problem that Washington has failed to solve for decades."

"We will pass reform that lowers cost, promotes choice and provides coverage that every American can count on," he said.

"And we will do it this year."

WHOA! We will do it this year? What happened to August? YOU happened folks. KEEP IT UP! As for "I have great health insurance and so does every member of Congress." Then if your Socialized Healthcare plan is so GREAT, one would assume that you and Congress will be switching to it if you get it enacted? Of course they won't. They have GREAT Health insurance, but they do not want you to have the choice.

I agree with House Republican Leader John Boehner

"If they try to fix our healthcare system like they've tried to rescue our economy, I think we're in really, really big trouble," he said.

Ain't that the truth. {Laughing} Just like any other program Government runs. Folks, nothing new last night. It was as I said it would be. This is STILL alive. We need to kill it for good now. Keep doing what you are doing. They are getting the message. Even if they do not want to hear it. Who is going to win? Obama or YOU. That is totally up to you. 2010 is becoming a scary date for them. Let them know this will guarantee it will be.
Peter

Sources:
Washington Post - North Korea calls Clinton vulgar, unintelligent
Baltimore Sun - Obama makes case on health
BBC - Obama defends healthcare proposal

Obama's Socialized Healthcare Takeover Meeting Friction

The Sane do not want it.

Hey folks,

This is good news. However, do not be ready to jump for, or raise your hand in victory just yet. It seems that the more of YOU out there that learn about Obama's Socialized Healthcare grab, the more of you out there are letting these Morons, that Obama wants to just stamp it yes, know that this would not be beneficial for their further Political ambitions. In other words, some in the House and Senate are starting to get the message that if they vote this in, YOU will vote them out.

Henry Waxman pulled the Healthcare bill from the Energy and Commerce markup yesterday. What this means is that Nancy Pelosi has pulled the bill. They do not have the votes. The Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats went up to the White House yesterday afternoon to be strong-armed by Obama. They're going to be working with the White House to make another run at Obama's Socialized Healthcare. It is not dead yet. But it IS meeting some serious friction. They got the message YOU have been sending them. Yet like with Amnesty, remember how close they were with that? They're going to regroup. They are going to pretend to be addressing the public's concerns. They will get their stories straight. They will change and intensify, along with focusing their lies and rhetoric. They will come back for another run with Obama leading the way as you saw yesterday and you WILL see tonight with his FORTH Prime Time Televised Propaganda Spiel.

Even Harry Reid is starting to make excuses why they will not meet Obama's August Deadline. He said this.

"The goal is not deadlines, the goal is comprehensive healthcare reform."

Now you may have heard that it was the "Blue Dog Democrats" that are blocking this. That is PARTICALLY true. But as the House Democratic leader Steny Hoyer said, it is coming from "all directions."

"I want to make it very clear that there's progressives, Blue Dogs and everybody in between who have expressed concerns and we're working on that."

So what is the problem? The problem is YOU. YOU are learning what is actually in the Bill. You are learning the COST of all this. You are learning that either Obama is LYING or completely ignorant as to what is in the Bill. It CLEARLY states on page 16 that you will NOT be allowed to keep your own insurance and your own Doctors. Yet he keeps saying you can. When asked about this during a Blogger Conference call on Monday, Obama CLAIMED he had no idea that this was in there. He was asked this.

"Investor's Business Daily, they're saying that H.R. 3200 will make individual private medical insurance illegal. Is this true? Will people be able to keep their insurance and will insurers be able to write new policies even though H.R. 3200 is passed?"

Obama's response?

"You know, I have to say that I am not familiar with the provision you're talking about."

REALLY? Then he is completely and flat out lying, or he is completely incompetent. Yet yesterday with all this going on, he comes out and says that his Socialized Healthcare Plan was "closer than ever."

Tonight will be nothing more than a Snake Oil Salesman trying to sell you a bill of goods that will most likely do the OPPOSITTE of what he is claiming it will do. Nothing more, nothing less. It IS bad for the Country, and BAD for you. It WILL give the Government control over EVERY ASPECT of you life. I will repeat. This Bill WILL give the Federal Government control over EVERY ASPECT of your life.

AN old person that needs a costly operation? Nope. Give them drugs and let them die. Oh you smoke, No Healthcare for you. You drink? Nope. You are fat? Lose weight or else. You are pregnant? Well, depending on who you are, you make have assistance, or they make ask you to get an abortion. You want to do WHAT? No, no, no, THAT lifestyle choice can raise Healthcare Costs so you can not do it. It is illegal now. You get the point.

This is Socialized Medicine that will work out just like it does ANYWHERE else it has been tried. It will fail, destroying our Healthcare system that we have right now. Why does EVERYONE around the world come here for Healthcare? Because it is the BEST in the World. But not if Obama destroys it.

Yes, this is good news. Yes, it seems to be stalled right now. But NOW is not the time to celebrate. Now is the time to call, write, Email, whatever. Let them know that you are happy that they stalled this, but that they must finish the job. They must KILL the BEAST. Kill this bad Bill all together. Do not allow it to sleep and awaken later, DESTROY it now while it is sleeping. Make sure that they know, in a way that they can not ignore as you have been doing, that if they vote for this, you will vote them out. It really is just that simple.
Peter

CIT Bails Out CIT, No Government Needed

The Free Market Works

Hey folks,

So I've been telling you, along with some others, that Bush was wrong. Of course, we have been telling you Obama is worse. Leave the Free Market alone and it will fix itself. Will some business go out of business. Yup. Will some people that should have never had the home loans they had have to give up their homes? Yup. Would the economy go on? Yes.

Whenever there is a business that does not meet it's needs, one of two things happen. They find a way to fix themselves, or there is someone else out there that steps up and takes over. One car company goes under, three more step up. Or, another steps in and takes over the one failing. Banks? Same thing. Insurance companies? Same thing. ANY industry, same thing.

Enter Bush, and the Liberals that have taken it to multiples nearly unmeasurable, throwing free money around. OF COURSE there will be many that put their hand out to receive it, regardless of the consequences.

Was the economy in rough shape before bailout mania began? Yes. Would it have fixed itself? Yes. A lot faster than it will take for us to UNDO what the Government has done.

All we kept hearing from the "Experts" and our Government is we must do this now. The end of the finical world is coming and unless we bail them out, it will be a world collapse.

One company in trouble that the Government said no to, because they are not Unionized, is CIT. So they are facing certain bankruptcy. They are in dire straights. There is no hope other than the government coming in and saving them? WRONG!

According to the AP - CIT secures $3 billion financing from bondholders By STEVENSON JACOBS and DANIEL WAGNER, AP Business Writers Stevenson Jacobs And Daniel Wagner, Ap Business Writers – 52 mins ago

NEW YORK – Commercial lender CIT Group Inc. confirmed late Monday that it has secured a $3 billion bailout from its bondholders, averting an immediate bankruptcy filing and giving the company some breathing room to restructure its debt.

It's a new twist in the financial crisis: A major bank on the verge of a last-minute rescue — only this time the bailout isn't coming from the government. The deal marks the first time since the banking crisis erupted that private investors are stepping in to save a big financial firm without federal help or oversight.

As it SHOULD have been done all along. "Only the Government has the resources to Bailout Fannie and Freddie." WRONG. "The Government is the answer." WRONG. This or that industry is "To big to fail." WRONG. The Free Market WORKS.

The lifeline for CIT, whose clients include Dunkin' Donuts franchises and clothing maker Eddie Bauer, aims to sustain the company long enough for it to rework its heavy debt load, which includes $7.4 billion due in the first quarter of next year. It does not guarantee CIT will avoid bankruptcy.

CIT said the rescue includes a $3 billion secured term loan with a 2.5-year maturity, which will ensure that its small and midsized business customers continue to have access to credit. Term loan proceeds of $2 billion are committed and available immediately, with an additional $1 billion expected to be committed and available within 10 days.

They had a problem. Those that have an interest it the company stepped up and is helping to save the company. They are getting their "Bailout" and it will be available FAR faster than any Government Bailout. They do not have to kowtow to the Government for the Government is doing NOTHING to save them. This is the way it would have happened if those in Government, including President Bush, left it alone. We would not have opened the door for Obama and Crew to spend us into record dept while fixing NOTHING.

"With today's announcement, our board of directors, management team, advisors, and a steering committee of bondholders, who are lenders under the term loan financing, are now actively focused on a restructuring plan that will better position our company for the long term," said Jeffrey M. Peek, CIT chairman and CEO, in a statement.

Again, this is the way it has always happened, and should have remained the way, it always happens. Make it or not on your own. If we allowed Fannie and Freddie, GM, or any of the other Bailed out companies on their own, they would have gotten creative, or they would have gone under, with others picking up the slack. If they did go away, it would have been a lesson to others, do not do what they did.

But we didn't. We threw around a bunch of free money that saved them, for a bit, and in turn said, it's OK. But it's NOT OK for our children and their children who will be paying for all this. This guy kind of get's it.

Scott Talbott, top lobbyist with the Financial Services Roundtable, which represents CIT and other big financial firms, said the government's seeming pullback from the banking sector was a welcome sign.

"When the government steps in, you disrupt the market," he said. "That was necessary to restore liquidity but distorted the free-market system. Now the exit strategy is becoming clear."

No it wasn't necessary. It just wasn't. They would have failed, people, including some Senators and Obama himself would have lost some money, some people may have been hurt in the short term, but we would NOT be in the financial mess Obama and Crew put us in. We would be NOWHERE NEAR in as bad a shape we are in now.

CIT Bailing out CIT PROVES that it can be done, and should have been done all along. I repeat. The Free Market WORKS. If after this they still fail? Well, then they fail. But it did not cost Tax payers Billions or Trillions of dollars. And THAT is the way it should be. It really is, just that simple.


Be right back with the "From The Energy Front" Segment in just a second.
Peter

Sources:
AP - CIT secures $3 billion financing from bondholders

Waxman-Markey State By State Facts

From the Energy Front 072109

Hey folks,

You want to know how Waxman - Markey will effect you? Where do you live? I live in Florida. So what is the impact on Florida? What about where you live? I'm talking about FACTS. Not rhetoric. Not agenda drive and State controlled Media "experts" telling you what may happen. I'm talking about the FACTS by those that will be involved in the REALITY of this BAD BILL.

API, The American Petroleum Institute, has put together new Fact Sheets, State By State, to give you the resources and the real facts as to how this will DIRECTLY effect the State, and those that live there. As for Florida?

Waxman-Markey Bill: Florida State Fact Sheet

What about where you live? Take the time and check it out. The API State by State Fact Sheets, will help you to understand the reality of the direct impact this BAD BILL will have on the State where you live and on you.

As I keep saying to you folks, ignorance and Elections have consequences. We have to slow this madness down. We have to educate ourselves and get ready for 2010. We have to let those in Congress KNOW that WE ARE THE BOSS, and WE are learning what they are doing and WE are not happy. It's time that WE as Americans, become Americans again. Stand up and say "Enough is enough, leave our country alone. Stop the insanity," and we need to bring true leaders back into power. Leaders that KNOW it is the free market, Freedom in general, that keeps this country great. We need to remind them that it is OIL that drives our Economy.

Alternatives are great. But we can not afford to destroy the Economy in the hopes of a decade from now, being able to reduce SOME of our dependence on foreign oil. We need to let them know, we are all for Alternative Energy, WHEN AE is READY to take over and fuel every aspect of our lives as oil does now. But we are NOT ready to abandon that of which works, for a dream that not yet exists.

Get ready, get educated, and when the time comes, LET THEM KNOW NOW, that you WILL Vote. But let them know, it will NOT be for those in power that are destroying the very country that they were elected to SERVE. Let them know that a new dawn will truly rise, and they will not be part of it if they continue to go down the road they are on. They do not seem to care. MAKE THEM CARE. No more Arrogance, ignorance, or agenda driven insanity. Let both sides know, WE WANT TRUE LEADERS. Servants of the People, not those who wish to have the People serve them.
Peter

Enough Is Enough

From the Emails 071709

Hey folks,

Happy Friday to you. Remember, this is my Son's Birthday Weekend coming up so NO Big Sunday Edition this Week. Joshua will be 4 on Sunday. Imagine that? However, since it is Friday, we will go to the Emails. Yes, some of you have gotten the message. New Email opntalk@gmail.com. I repeat again, DO NOT USE THE OLD ONE. I will not get it.

Now, you all know, I have been talking about this for years. Check the Archives. I told you that this New Liberalism is a Quest for Tyranny. I pointed out to you their own words and actions. I warned you about how Hillary was a Dictator in waiting. Obama comes along and he makes Hillary look like Reagan. He is not a Dictator in waiting, he is a Dictator in RISING.

For years I have been warning you about this. That this very country is at stake. I have been telling you HOW it could indeed happen here. It is now, right in front of your eyes. An ignorant populace is of the things Dictatorships are made of. Some in this country are still standing and applauding Obama as he strips away their Freedoms and changes this country's very foundation. Out of ignorance or worse, they are embracing Tyranny.

So today, BG sent this in. This is from the American Thinker - Enough Is Enough By John Griffing July 16, 2009, Time to WAKE UP AMERICA. Time to wake up. Time to CHOOSE

Tyranny has sprung up from amongst us. President Obama has waged a blitzkrieg on American liberty, and, in only a short time, undercut the Constitution of the United States with a brazen arrogance that should shock Americans into action.

President Obama's unconstitutional salvo exceeds even the most intolerable indulgences of the Bush Administration. President Bush was often brash and improper in his use of certain mechanisms, but President Obama has moved quickly far beyond the realm of comparatively benign Presidential Signing Statements. When our new President can appoint "Czars" to rule entire sections of American life without electoral accountability or even Congressional confirmation, we have entered the unholy realm of Dictatorship.

Presidents have made special "czar" appointments in the past, to aid in addressing key social or policy issues. But President Obama has turned this capability into direct seizures of power, brazen and unchecked. Obama's czars have usurped the roles of elected officials, with power over an ever-increasing scope of society. Pay is decided by a Czar. What can or can't be said on the internet is decided by a Czar. And the power of regulating all aspects of American private life has been transferred from multiple congressionally audited regulatory agencies to the new Regulatory Czar, Cass Sunstein. The environment, healthcare, finance, and the economy will all fall under the control of this Regulatory Czar, a man who has stated,

A system of limitless individual choices, with respect to communications, is not necessarily in the interest of citizenship and self-government... Democratic efforts to reduce the resulting problems ought not be rejected in freedom's name.

There's even a "faith-based" Czar to handle church issues. Separation of church and state appears to be somewhat more flexible as long as Obama is in power.

But for a true outrage, consider new Czar of Science, John P. Holdren, who, in a stunning display of unabashed evil, has actively advocated "compulsory abortion":

There exists ample authority under which population growth could be regulated...It has been concluded that compulsory population-control laws, even including laws requiring compulsory abortion, could be sustained under the existing Constitution if the population crisis became sufficiently severe to endanger the society.

If that doesn't send a chill down your spine, consider his words, "All the children who are born, beyond what would be required to keep up the population to a desired level, must necessarily perish, unless room be made for them by the death of grown persons." Let that sink in: an American official supports forced abortion and the death of "grown persons." We know what that looks like. It has been official policy for years in Communist China.

Holdren defends his radical proposals with archaic scientific arguments revolving around the idea that too many people equal global poverty and hunger. But do not be fooled by the alleged "science" in support of "compulsory abortion." The issue is not whether the world population is exploding (an argument that has been completely discredited due to the fact that most western populations are shrinking.) The issue is whether or not government can force American women to kill their children.

Even pro-choice advocates should be outraged at the idea of bureaucrats ordering American women to turn their babies over to state butchers. And, despite Holdren's own personal belief that this wholesale slaughter can be justified "under the existing Constitution," the words, "No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process" make such a hollow justification meaningless.

All totalitarian regimes in history have one thing in common: population control. By controlling who conceives, government can mitigate the growth of ideas dangerous to their seizures of power. Families that teach American ideals can be gradually subdued until all Americans bow before the collective "we." How strange that liberty should end by the hands of a doctor with a vacuum and a scalpel. If this is not enough to wake the sleeping giant and arouse the fires of freedom, then we will surely perish as a nation.

Power is what Holdren and his pseudo-science is really all about. Holdren has long been a vocal supporter of a "planetary regime" to govern the affairs of the world. In his book, Ecoscience, Holdren wrote the words:

Such a comprehensive Planetary Regime could control the development, administration, conservation, and distribution of all natural resources, renewable or nonrenewable...The Planetary Regime might be given responsibility for determining the optimum population for the world....[i]

Holdren has elsewhere stated his goal of "de-developing" America. Obama's appointment of this Marxist militant says much about his true agenda.

Obama has done more to hasten America's demise than our enemies could have dreamed of doing. He must wake up every day with the words, "I can't believe I'm getting away with this" on his lips. His "change" is nothing less than the destruction of America as a free country. And there is nowhere to escape. America is the last stop in western civilization. Europe is in a state of economic decay, and has retreated into gated communities as an influx of Muslim colonials overspreads the European continent. France has 750 semi-sovereign Islamic kingdoms within its jurisdiction. If we lose freedom here, there will be nowhere left for the "tired, huddled masses, yearning to breathe free" to lay their heads.

Wake up America. Now is not the time to pat ourselves on the back for our racial sensitivity. We have proven that we are not a racist country, several times over. Now is the time to rise up against tyranny, before it consumes what is still left of the America we all know and love. Conservative, Liberal, black, and white must join hands against the despot that holds the freedom of generations in such contempt.

Every last man, woman, and child must take to the streets, or the last best hope of mankind will vanish for all time.

This is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT TRUE. It IS time to choose folks. It is time for you to decide if you are FOR America, Freedom, and Independence, or if you are FOR Tyranny and a Dictatorship. There is no more middle ground here folks. NONE! That is gone with a Vote that brought us the LWL in power, and a Vote to bring Obama into power. Now it's time to chose. Where do YOU stand?
Peter

LINK : American Thinker - Enough Is Enough By John Griffing July 16, 2009

NOTE: From the Emails is a Weekly Segment that appears, mostly, in the Friday edition of the OPNTalk Blog. If you would like, please feel free to Email any News, Comments, or whatever, to opntalk@gmail.com. Like always, you never know what you may see here.

Clinton Overshadowed by Obama, They Are Not Happy

Not all is peachy in Libland.

Hey folks,

Happy Thursday. You know, I was actually over at the Washington Post reading about the Capital Police shooting someone. Of course, what would that lead you to believe? Yup. Nope. It turns out it was just a traffic stop and the guy ran flashing a gun so they shot him. No big deal. But While I was reading it, I caught this headline from the LA Times - Hillary Clinton's star power overshadowed, analysts say

Really? By whom I could never guess. So of course I had to click over to it. It's by Paul Richter July 16, 2009

The Secretary of State has seen her debut months dominated by her boss, President Obama, as well as a White House inner circle that has strong ties to him, observers say.

{laughing} REALLY? This is a great piece. I will share it with you because you have to fully understand these people to fully appreciate this piece.

Reporting from Washington -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called Wednesday for a new "architecture of global cooperation" in a wide-ranging address aimed at raising her visibility as a chief voice of U.S. foreign policy.

Outlining her view of global relationships, Clinton said the administration's goal is to enlist more partners, including individuals and groups, as well as governments, in solving world problems.

OK so pretty standard so far.

"We will offer a place at the table to any nation, group, or citizen willing to shoulder a fair share of the burden," she said, speaking to an audience of experts at the Council on Foreign Relations.

OK.

Clinton reiterated the administration's positions on several key issues, including Iran and Middle East peace, without breaking new ground. She said that while the administration wanted talks with Iran, "the offer will not remain open indefinitely." Aides said Clinton has been eager to return to a full schedule of work after being largely sidelined for the last month by a broken elbow that forced her to cancel an overseas trip and other meetings. But some analysts believe that her problems extend beyond the injury, and that she has been overshadowed in her first six months as chief U.S. diplomat.

Iran? Why is the offer STILL open NOW? Of course, she will not answer that.

Though the former New York senator and first lady brought star power to her post, they say, the debut months of the administration's foreign policy have been dominated by her boss, President Obama, as well as a White House inner circle that has strong ties to him.

Some are NOT happy about that. This is where you have to KNOW these people as I do. This is where I need to help some of you to fully understand, not all is peachy in Libland.

Clinton has had to share the spotlight as well with other foreign policy heavyweights, such as Mideast envoy George J. Mitchell, Afghanistan-Pakistan representative Richard C. Holbrooke, and Vice President Joe Biden. Though administration officials insist that she is a major player in all top decisions, she has not been the leading voice so far on the urgent national security issues -- Iran, North Korea, Arab-Israeli peace, Afghanistan, Pakistan or Iraq.

No. They just keep shipping her away. Out of the MMD {Mainstream Media Drones} spotlight. That is reserved for Obama himself. I love this following statement.

"It's fair to say that in the first six months it's been a very Obama-centric policy," said David J. Rothkopf, a foreign policy specialist and author, and a former Clinton administration official. "Obama has brought a huge break with Bush and Cheney -- he is the foreign policy." He said Obama has also been surrounded by influential aides, such as chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, senior advisor David Axelrod and Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough, who have often appeared as spokesmen for the new foreign policy.

THAT IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS. He IS it. It is all about HIM. Not the country. Not YOU. HIM. It has and will always be about Obama to Obama. Now even some in the MMD are starting to realize this. They do not like that Hillary is being forced to be nothing more than a puppet. Actually, more like a pet.

State Department aides billed Wednesday's speech as a major foreign policy address and distributed excerpts in advance in an apparent effort to heighten interest.

It didn't work {Laughing}

State Department officials dismissed portrayals of Clinton as a secondary player.

Mascot, Pet, secondary player, whatever.

But some State Department officials have said there has been concern at the department that Clinton has not gotten enough credit for her efforts to date.

That's because it IS all about Obama. Obama's foreign policy is about Obama. Domestic Policy? Obama. Healthcare? Obama. Nothing else matters. Not to Obama, the Loons in Congress, or most of the Mainstream Media. Some are starting to get upset, and some Clintonites are becoming impatient with all this, but most are still clinging to that false hope of "The One." Obama. There can only be one. She ain't it, and that really ticks them off.

I told you why he was picking her. He was trying to make sure that she could not run in 2012. He was in essence throwing her a bone so she would allow him to play President and he would not have to worry about her. But with Obama doing her job, such as traveling the World on apology tour after apology tour, along with doing all the other posts jobs, Obama is not allowing her to do her's. She is just kept out of the way, and in essence, she is kept as nothing more than her name. No real power. No real job to do. This is all about Obama. Clinton? Clinton who?
Peter

Sources:
LA Times - Hillary Clinton's star power overshadowed, analysts say

Sotomayor Lying, Yet Will Be Confirmed

This is just a show.

Hey folks,

That's right. The Libs are doing what they do best. Congress is doing what they do best. They are putting on a pointless show. In the end, President Obama and the LWL {Left Wing Loons} will get what they want, Sotomayor will be confirmed. It doesn't matter that she is outright lying and completely making stuff up during these hearings. She is the chosen one, by THE chosen one.

Here is just a few examples that point out what I'm talking about. The Ricci case? Probably one of the biggest problems for her? No problem. She just lied about it. The Ricci {The Firefighters case that was just overturned} was decided on summary judgement. They didn't even publish the opinion. She claims? "the Ricci case was decided on precedent." But there is none. She can not even site the precedent. One of the reasons it was overturned. But that doesn't matter to those questioning and soon to confirm her.

When asked if she though empathy was something a Judge should rely on, if she shared Obama's view of a judge relying on what is in their heart, she said no.

"I wouldn't approach the issue of judging in the way the president does. Judges can't rely on what's in their heart. They don't determine the law. Congress makes the laws. The job of a judge is to apply the law."

REALLY?




The other "big issue?" Her Racial Remark?

She called the remark "a rhetorical flourish that fell flat."

"It was bad because it left an impression that I believed that life experiences commanded a result in a case, but that's clearly not what I do as a judge."

That's NOT what she said. She SAID THIS.

"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

There is no way to take that out of context. There is no way to say it meant something different than what it means. She tried though.

“I want to say up front, unequivocally and without doubt, I do not believe that any ethnic racial or gender group has an advantage in sound judging. I do believe that every person has an equal opportunity to be a good and wise judge regardless of their background or life experience.”

But she said the exact opposite.

"a wise Latina woman" NOT ANY wise Judge, "with the richness of her experiences" NOT REGARDLESS of life experiences, "would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male" NOT equal. BETTER.

She kept going back to "look at my record." 65 percent turn over rate? She is wrong 65 percent of the time on the law. But then again, she thinks that Judges DO make policy from the bench.

What about her association with La Raza? According the American Bar Association, Sotomayor is a member of the NCLR, which bills itself as the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S. La Raze means "The Race." Will anyone question her about them? Did you know that La Raza has connections to groups that advocate the separation of several southwestern states from the rest of America? Does she believe in that?

But again. None of this matters. Again this is nothing but a show. Even Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he could end up voting for her. But the problem is more and more Americans are realizing who and what Sotomayor is. I told you who and what she is long before most were even saying she was a possible choice. It's true, check the archives. But since a lot of VOTERS are learning the truth about her, they HAVE to put on this show. We were tough. We questioned her for two days, So on and so forth. But at the end of the day Obama wants, Obama gets.

Peter

Sources:
The Hearings
Sotomayor herself.

The Caspian Pipeline

Do WE really need this type of motivation?

Hey folks

In our "From the Energy Front" today, we learn about the Caspian Pipeline. Beautifully named Nabucco. What is the meaning behind the name? I'll tell you in just a second.

First what is it? It's a pipeline that will run 2,050-mile (3,300 kilometer) from the Caspian Sea across Turkey to Austria and involves investments of euro 8 billion ($10.26 billion), according to EU data.

What this does is completely leave out Russia {None to happy about it} and Iran. According to the LA Times - Turkey, EU countries to sign deal for pipeline to carry gas from Caspian, Mideast by SELCAN HACAOGLU, SUZAN FRASER, Associated Press Writers
2:02 AM PDT, July 13, 2009

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey and five European Union countries will sign a landmark agreement on Monday aimed at reducing Europe's reliance on Russian energy by running a gas pipeline from the Caspian Sea region to the EU via Turkey.

They should do it.

The United States, which is backing the Nabucco project alongside the EU, said it does not object to Russia's participation but claimed Iran should be excluded until it improves its ties with the West. Washington said the pipeline that will carry Central Asian and Mideast gas to Europe through Turkey and the Balkans would "help invigorate Europe" and strengthen U.S. allies.

The prime ministers of Turkey, Austria, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary will sign the intergovernmental deal to allow the Nabucco pipeline to cross their territory. It will be built by a private consortium.

Now get this statement.

"The most important word in Europe is energy security," said Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann ahead of the signing ceremony. "In the past supplies were taken for granted, but ... it is clear that those days are now over."

This is the way WE should be looking at OUR situation. Check out the links below for more in depth information on all this. What I want to share is this. This is from JoongAng Daily By Hoh Kui-seek. THIS is a GREAT piece.

“Nabucco,” short for “Nabucodonosor,” is one of Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi’s best-known operas. The story follows the Jews in exile in the days of Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar around 600 B.C.

The epic story of struggle, faith and the longing for a homeland by the Jewish slaves became a catharsis of nationalistic fervor to Italians dejected over the failure of their anti-Austria movement at the time of the opera’s Milan opening in 1842.

The opera’s most famous number, the “Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves,” starts with the words, “Fly, thought, on golden wings.” The song struck a similar responsive chord in the hearts of the audience in the Vienna State Opera in 2002.

Among the audience at that time were energy specialists from five partners of a natural gas pipeline project driven by an ambition to pump gas from the Caspian Sea to Austria via Turkey and the Balkans without crossing Russia. They named their pipeline project “Nabucco” over dinner after the performance.

The project’s aim - to diversify natural gas transport to address persistent energy concerns in Europe and energy dependance on Russia - mirrored the opera’s themes of freedom and longing for independence.

The 3,300-kilometer pipeline passing through Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria, at an estimated cost of 7.9 billion euros, or around $11 billion, is expected to pump as much as 31 billion cubic meters of gas from the Caspian Sea, if completed by 2015 as initially planned.

The new trans-Caspian gas route, together with the 1,768-kilometer Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline that pumps crude oil from the Caspian Sea will likely ease European dependence on Russia for energy supplies and delivery.

Russia not to happy.

Russia, which depends on national resource exports to finance its economy and restore its global power, was obviously none too pleased with the plan. It launched its own titanic pipeline project called the “South Stream” to channel Russian gas through Western Europe via the Black Sea, while buying up gas fields and sources to choke off potential gas supplies to the competing Nabucco line.

Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti carried an editorial mocking the trans-Caspian pipeline that bypasses Russia, suggesting that although the hymns of slaves are beautiful, they are nonetheless sad and hopeless.

But Russia’s playing hardball - it flexed its energy muscles by cutting off gas to shivering customers in the Balkans last winter - was what motivated European countries to brave the odds against rising energy prices, lack of suppliers and hefty financial costs to finally put the project back on track.

Today, Turkey hosts a key intergovernmental meeting to reach agreement on the five-nation pipeline. Round two of the energy war is set to begin.

So I ask again. Do we REALLY need this type of incentive? $4.00 a gallon of gas was not enough? We have the answer RIGHT NOW in our own country. USE OUR OWN RESOURCES. DRILL HERE, DRILL NOW! We would no longer be at the mercy of those that care only for profit. Those that do not like us. Those that would love to use energy as a weapon against us.

The EU got it. The Balkans most definitely got it. They are seeking Energy Security. Why can't we?
Peter

Source:
LA Times - Turkey, EU countries to sign deal for pipeline to carry gas from Caspian, Mideast
World Bulletin
JoongAng Daily - Europe’s energy war heating up

Feel Better About Our Economy

There are worst places.

Hey folks,

{Laughing} Welcome to the OPNTalk Blog's Big Sunday Edition. Glad you could make it. Yes, you can feel better about our economy. So says US News and World Report. There are 11 Places With a Worse Economy Than Ours.

When times are tough, one thing that tends to raise the spirits is knowing that somebody else has it worse. And as wretched as the U.S. economy seems, it's not as bad as in other regions.

So you can feel good that you have it bad. {Laughing} You could live in one of those 11 other places.

We should count ourselves lucky, though. The IMF expects at least 11 major parts of the world to have more severe economic contractions than the United State this year, including most of western Europe, Japan, Russia, and Mexico. Europe will still be stumbling along behind the United States next year, as well.

Yes folks, I'm in one of those moods. I'm a little ticked, a whole lot tired, and a bit giddy. So when I see something like this, it just makes me laugh.

Anyway, coming right up today?

Further Proof Obama Does Not Care About US Education or Poor
Sotomayor's Spin on Racist Comment Forming
Swine flu shots at school: Bracing for fall return
Beer Equal to Red Wine?
Your Government At Work: Michael Jackson
IWA for Sunday 071209

All that in a second. So, the other big news? Obama met with the Pope. {Sigh} They did not agree on Abortion or Stem Cells. REALLY? This is news? The biggest Anti-Life President in history doesn't agree with the POPE on Abortion? Or destroying Human Embryos? You don't say?

Well, the Pope gave Obama with a copy of a Vatican document on bioethics that hardened the church's opposition to using embryos for stem cell research, cloning and in-vitro fertilization. Obama said he would read it on the flight to Ghana.

So? This is not going to change Obama's mind. He doesn't care what the Pope thinks. The Pope is obviously not going to care what Obama thinks on these issues. So what's the point. All it was, was a photo opt for Obama.

Going to fill my cup and then we can get started. OH, by the way, on every post for a few, I will be posting the Note: New Email opntalk@gmail.com Remember, I no longer have your contact information and I will not get any new Emails on the old one. Use opntalk@gmail.com for any correspondence from this day forward.

Today's Coffee of the Day? New England Coffee "Hazelnut Creme" www.newenglandcoffee.com. Be right back.
Peter

Sources:
US News and World Report - 11 Places With a Worse Economy Than Ours
Fox News - The Pope Gives Obama Booklet on Bioethics in First Meeting

Further Proof Obama Does Not Care About US Education or Poor

Congress Rejects Successful DC Schools Program

Hey folks,

Obama said he wanted to do this. But he said he would wait until ALL in the program right now was out. Now Congress is about to. Terminate the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program.

Senate Appropriations Committee Terminates Opportunity Scholarship Program

WASHINGTON, July 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Led by Senior Illinois Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the full Appropriations Committee today moved to full Senate consideration a bill terminating the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program after the 2009-10 school year and reducing funds for those currently in the program.

"While this Congress and the Obama Administration took control in January promising they would restore sanity to Washington and reject business as usual, their actions on this program speak louder than their words," said Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform.

Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) offered facts and data to support the DC choice program while Subcommittee Chair Durbin stated inaccurately that the program does not work. Sen. Durbin also misquoted stats on DC's community of more than 90 highly impactful charter schools, calling for one fourth to close when, in fact, those charters are actually educating successfully children lagging behind when they come in.

"Sen. Durbin and others have one interest -- serving the national unions who are threatened by reform," remarked Ms. Allen.

Just ask GM that one.

The Center for Education Reform drives the creation of better educational opportunities for all children. CER changes laws, minds and cultures to allow good schools to flourish.

SOURCE: Center for Education Reform

Meanwhile he is going around the world talking about giving Muslim Lead Countries our Tax Payer's money to help educate their Females. But the poor in DC? I guess he really doesn't care.

You see folks, this is just another example of Obama and the Libs CLAIMING they care about the poor and downtrodden, but when the facts are in, it is ALWAYS them that are the most hurt with Lib policies.
Peter

NOTE: New Email opntalk@gmail.com

Sotomayor's Spin on Racist Comment Forming

Her defenders are trying.

Hey folks,

Are you buying? They REALLY want this idiot confirmed. They are attempting to spin her Racist comment and they are using her "record" to back up their allegations that she is not a Racist. There is a BIG problem with that though.

According to The Wall Street Journal - Sotomayor's Defense on 'Wise Latina' Comment Takes Shape By NAFTALI BENDAVID

WASHINGTON -- When Judge Sonia Sotomayor faces the Senate Judiciary Committee next week, she will finally get to explain before the cameras her comment that a "wise Latina" can often reach a better conclusion than a white man. That response could help determine whether her confirmation is smooth or rocky.

Despite the furor surrounding the remark -- which she made at a law school in 2001, among other occasions -- Judge Sotomayor hasn't been able to address it publicly since her nomination, because nominees typically don't speak out before their hearings.

She could if she wanted to. But she is waiting for the spin.

However, she did discuss it privately when she made the rounds of senators following her nomination. Based on those discussions, she is likely to say that her judicial record shows no hint of the bias or activism that critics see in the remark. She also is expected to defend the importance of diversity on the bench, while perhaps offering a nod to critics by calling her choice of words imperfect.

One BIG example is the Firefighter case that just got overturned.

"I asked her that question...and she was very direct," said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.). "She just said, '[Latina identity] is something that informs my experience, but I'm always going to look to judicial precedent, I'm always going to follow the rule of law.'"

Problem, she has been OVERTURNED 65 percent of the time. Apparently she is on the WRONG side of the "rule of law." 65 percent of the time.

Manuel Miranda, a former aide to Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee who is working against Judge Sotomayor's confirmation, said that "the whole race-bias issue" suggested by the remark will probably be the liveliest part of the hearing. "I think that's explosive, I think that's worthwhile, I think that's entertaining," Mr. Miranda said. "Then it becomes pretty boring."

Judge Sotomayor made the now-famous comment in a speech at the University of California, Berkeley, in which she noted that even great judges like Oliver Wendell Holmes had voted to uphold racial and sex discrimination.

"I would hope that a wise Latina woman, with the richness of her experiences, would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life," she said.

The White House initially argued that, as spokesman Robert Gibbs put it, "She'd say her word choice in 2001 was poor." But it soon emerged that Judge Sotomayor had used similar language on several other occasions.

Because she is a RACIST!

Sen. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.), a strong supporter of Judge Sotomayor, said she pointed out to him that several sentences later in the same speech, she observed that many white men had issued great opinions, including Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 case outlawing segregation in public schools.

{Laughing} So because she gave "Some White Men" a prop, she is not Racist?

Mr. Schumer made the argument that is likely to be Judge Sotomayor's chief response -- that her 17-year judicial record, including hundreds of rulings, shows no evidence of unfairness or tilting the scales in favor of minority groups, whatever she may have said in speeches.

"Paraphrasing Joe Friday, 'Just look at the record, folks,'" Mr. Schumer said.

Cases that clearly show Racist Bias and 65 percent turnover rate. OK. Let's look at that.

But many Republicans consider the comment biased on its face. Judge Sotomayor has told Republican senators her wording was "inadvertent" and "inartful," but they will press her hard at the hearing for a persuasive disavowal.

"I do think that based on her speeches and writings, that it will be essential that she convincingly assert that she will be impartial," said Sen. Jeff Sessions (R., Ala.), the Judiciary Committee's top Republican.

Democrats are certain to argue, if Judge Sotomayor doesn't, that conservative Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito cited their Italian-American backgrounds during their own confirmation hearings, to suggest their sensitivity to discrimination and sympathy for immigrants.

"Just based on her record, she is clearly not, as her opponents are saying, an activist," Ms. Gillibrand said. "She is someone who follows precedent, follows the rule of law and is very judicial in temperament."

But that really is NOT what her record shows folks. She is who and what she is. She is NOT the right person for the job. No matter how much they try to spin it.
Peter

Sources:
The Wall Street Journal - Sotomayor's Defense on 'Wise Latina' Comment Takes Shape

NOTE: New Email opntalk@gmail.com

Swine flu shots at school: Bracing for fall return

UPDATE: Swine Flu Update

Hey folks,

I'm still getting, well, before the Email Change, NEW EMAIL opntalk@gmail.com, from some of you wondering why I keep following this so closely. Here is why. Normal Flu has a season. When it turns warmer, it goes away to return during "Flu Season" then goes away again. Not with Swine Flu. It is still very much alive and is STILL Spreading. So what happens when actual "Flu Season" DOES come back around? Will it be more deadly? Will it spread MORE easily? Will it mutate to become something else? This is why it HAS to be watched. According to the AP - Swine flu shots at school: Bracing for fall return By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard, Ap Medical Writer – 1 hr 10 mins ago

WASHINGTON – U.S. swine flu vaccinations could begin in October with children among the first in line — at their local schools — the Obama administration said Thursday as the president and his Cabinet urged states to figure out now how they'll tackle the virus' all-but-certain resurgence.

"We may end up averting a crisis. That's our hope," said President Barack Obama, who took time away from the G-8 summit in Italy to telephone another summit back home — the 500 state and local health officials meeting to prepare for swine flu's fall threat.

No final decision has been made on whether to vaccinate Americans, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius stressed. That depends largely on studies with experimental batches that are set to start the first week of August — to see if they're safe and seem to work and to learn whether they require one or two doses.

But if all goes well, the federal government will buy vaccine from manufacturers and share it for free among the states, which must then "try and get this in the arms of the targeted population as soon as possible," Sebelius said.

First in line probably will be school-age children, young adults with risky conditions such as asthma, pregnant women and health workers, she said. Unlike regular winter flu, the swine flu seems more dangerous to these groups than to older people.

"Schools are natural places" to offer those vaccines, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said.

Go home and get schools, mayors and other community leaders to spread that message, Sebelius said.

"The last thing we want is millions of parents to be surprised" the day the get-your-kid-vaccinated-at-school note comes home, she said.

Schools do occasionally team up with local health officials for special flu vaccination clinics, but it's not common. More than 140 schools around the country scheduled flu vaccination days last fall, some providing free vaccine. Some vaccinated only students bearing parent consent forms; others opened their doors to entire families.

It will be a confusing fall, Sebelius acknowledged. Doctors' offices, clinics and even grocery stores will be in the midst of dispensing 100 million-plus doses of regular winter flu vaccine — and the swine flu vaccine, which will roll out slowly, will require at least one completely separate inoculation.

"We know a mass vaccination program of even modest scale will involve extraordinary effort on your part," Sebelius told state health workers.

She also announced $350 million in grants to help states prepare, money to be used partly to brace hospitals for a surge of demand from the truly sick and the well-but-worried.

"We want to make sure we are not promoting panic but we are promoting vigilance and preparation," Obama told the gathering.

State officials welcomed the funds but had more practical questions for the feds, starting with what they learned from the chaos when swine flu first burst on the scene last spring and schools around the country closed because of sick students.

Since then, the virus has infected an estimated 1 million Americans and still is spreading, remarkable considering influenza usually can't tolerate summer's heat and humidity.

"What I need from all of you is an idea of when it is best to close, when it is necessary to close and when it's not," said Belinda Pustka, superintendent of Texas' Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District.

"Closing school is a last resort not a first resort," Duncan stressed, but he said schools need to plan how they'll keep students learning if they do have to close for extended periods.

Pustka's schools posted assignments online. But Sue Todey of Wisconsin's Department of Public Education said that between rural geography and poverty, many students don't have the necessary Internet access and she's exploring using public television or old-fashioned sending home of paper assignments.

An even bigger problem: When schools close and working parents need to stay home — or any worker gets sick — too often, they don't get paid, said Paul Jarris of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. So they come to work, spreading infection.

"How are we going to assist people who don't have benefits?" he asked.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said she was working with the Labor Department to address that question, and she urged employers to allow telecommuting and make other provisions should swine flu hit their workplaces this fall.

Swine flu outbreaks in the fall are all but certain given its continued spread here — 50 outbreaks in children's summer camps so far — and abroad, with major problems in parts of the Southern Hemisphere.

What doctors can't predict is how bad it will be during the U.S. flu season, but Obama's team of heavy-hitters spent Thursday warning against complacency.

Even if swine flu proves no more deadly than regular winter flu, that kills 36,000 Americans a year — and with swine flu, teenagers and young adults are being disproportionately hit, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And both types could very well spread at the same time this fall.

"If it doesn't happen, we'll be fortunate," Sebelius added.

CDC Update Case count on their site?

Alabama 400 cases 0 deaths
Alaska 122 cases 0 deaths
Arizona 762 cases 11 deaths
Arkansas 42 cases 0 deaths
California 2461 31 deaths
Colorado 146 cases 0 deaths
Connecticut 1364 cases 6 deaths
Delaware 347 cases 0 deaths
Florida 1781 cases 7 death
Georgia 138 cases 0 deaths
Hawaii 722 cases 1 death
Idaho 115 cases 0 deaths
Illinois 3259 cases 14 deaths
Indiana 273 cases 0 deaths
Iowa 156 cases 0 deaths
Kansas 136 cases 0 deaths
Kentucky 130 cases 0 deaths
Louisiana 183 cases 0 deaths
Maine 107 cases 0 deaths
Maryland 686 cases 2 death
Massachusetts 1328 cases 4 deaths
Michigan 489 cases 8 deaths
Minnesota 634 3 death
Mississippi 188 cases 0 deaths
Missouri 68 cases 1 death
Montana 67 cases 0 deaths
Nebraska 215 cases 0 deaths
Nevada 327 cases 0 deaths
New Hampshire 237 cases 0 deaths
New Jersey 1289 cases 10 deaths
New Mexico 232 cases 0 deaths
New York 2582 cases 52 deaths
North Carolina 312 cases 2 deaths
North Dakota 58 cases 0 deaths
Ohio 147 cases 1 death
Oklahoma 150 cases 1 death
Oregon 403 cases 4
Pennsylvania 1794 cases 6 deaths
Rhode Island 177 cases 2 death
South Carolina 176 cases 0 deaths
South Dakota 34 cases 0 deaths
Tennessee 213 cases 0 deaths
Texas 4463 cases 21 deaths
Utah 953 cases 14 deaths
Vermont 50 cases 0 deaths
Virginia 306 cases 2 death
Washington 636 cases 4 deaths
Washington, D.C. 45 cases 0 deaths
West Virginia 179 cases 0 deaths
Wisconsin 6031 cases 4 death
Wyoming 99 cases 0 deaths
Territories
Guam 1 case 0 deaths
Puerto Rico 18 cases 0 deaths
Virgin Islands 15 case 0 deaths
TOTAL (54)* 37,246 cases 211 deaths

We need to keep watching this so we have ANY kind of hope in dealing with it if it DOES mutate. Diligence and readiness is key.
Peter

Sources:
AP - Swine flu shots at school: Bracing for fall return

NOTE: New Email opntalk@gmail.com

Beer Equal to Red Wine?

I don't think so.

Hey folks,

We're back. So my Wife is a Yogini. A Female who practices Yoga. I'm NOT a Yogi. {Male version} I never really had any interest in it whatsoever. Now do not get me wrong, I do not think it's stupid, or think anyone who practices Yoga is weird, or anything like that. There are PROVEN benefits to Yoga in a vast different areas of health. Just not my thing.

However, she was reading an article to me yesterday about drinking alcohol and those that practice Yoga. Should they? I was listening. No. Really. I was listening. {Smile} Then she said something that got my FULL attention. Although it is not frowned upon, many chose not to drink. Those that do, do so in moderation. Well, I agree with that. Everything in moderation. But then she said this. "Remember, a beer is just as good for you as a glass of wine."

WHAT? She read it again. So you know me. To the Computer I came. Is a glass of beer REALLY as good for you as a Glass of Red Wine? All the studies I have both done and seen over the years says the opposite. NOTHING beats a glass or two of Red Wine for your heart. In our Health and Science Segment this week, we will look at that statement. So I starting looking into this claim. The first thing I found was Time Out New York - Wine vs. Beer

Wine drinkers have reason to be cocky. “Red wine is higher in antioxidants than white wine or beer,” says registered dietitian Debra Waldoks. “Cabernet sauvignon is the highest.” Processed with the skin of the grapes, the reds have more tannin, a type of antioxidant also found in tea. White wine and beer (particularly dark beer) also contain antioxidants, but not to the extent of red wine.

Does Beer have ANY Benefit? According to Time Out.

Waldoks notes that beer may have one up on vino, however, as a recent study showed that it may help you on the calcium front. “That’s kind of a hot topic right now,” she says. “Beer might protect your bone density by allowing calcium to deposit in the bones.”

Then this. From BNET - Wine vs. beer vs. whiskey

I've heard that a glass or two of wine a day is good for your heart. But I simply hate the taste. Does a mixed drink, like a Manhattan, provide similar benefits?

--E.W., Portland, OR

Nope. Wine and whiskey may both produce a similar effect, but according to John Folts, Ph.D., a professor of medicine and nutritional science at the University of Wisconsin, only wine and beer contain flavonoids, a heart-protecting compound. The darker the booze, the higher the flavonoid content. "Red wine packs about eight times as many flavonoids as white wine," says Folts.

If you don't like wine, Folts recommends grape juice. Or, if you're looking for a buzz, choose a dark beer, which has up to three times the levels of flavonoids found in paler ales.

The Mayo Clinic states this. "Research studies on the heart-health benefits of red wine have reported mixed results." They also claim that "Other types of alcohol, such as white wine and beer, contain small amounts, too," however Red Wine seems superior.

With all this healthy talk, some say that it is also detrimental to your health in higher doses.

ScienceDaily (Mar. 10, 2009) — The largest study of its kind to evaluate the effect of red versus white wine on breast-cancer risk concludes that both are equal offenders when it comes to increasing breast-cancer risk. The results of the study, led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, were published in the March issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

So basically it goes back to everything in moderation. You can get some benefits from Beer, DARK Beer, and even Hard Liquor, but as the evidence points out, Red Wine is still King.
Peter

Sources:
Time Out New York - Wine vs. Beer
BNET - Wine vs. beer vs. whiskey
Science Daily - Red vs White
The Mayo Clinic- Heart Health

NOTE: New Email opntalk@gmail.com

Your Government At Work: Michael Jackson

I'm not kidding.

Hey folks,

You know I'm not Speaker Of the House Nancy Pelosi's biggest fan. But I HAVE to give her credit for this one. Did you know that some in the House ACTUALLY wanted to Honor Michael Jackson with a resolution. You REALLY can't make this stuff up. According to AP - Pelosi shuts down resolution on Michael Jackson By SUZANNE GAMBOA, Associated Press Writers Suzanne Gamboa, Associated Press Writers – Thu Jul 9, 3:41 pm ET

WASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shut the door Thursday to a resolution honoring Michael Jackson because debate on the symbolic measure could raise "contrary views" about the pop star's life.

WHY WOULD THEY EVEN CONSIDER THIS?? OK. MJ was a great performer and his contribution to the music industry and even Pop Culture can not be measured and will most likely NEVER again be duplicated. But in this country right now, we have trillions being spent, NOTHING solved. People losing their homes. No one can get loans. Unemployment at record highs, and a President taking over every Private Industry he can get his greedy little hands on. The House? They want to honor a Pop Star.

Lawmakers are free to use House speeches "to express their sympathy or their praise any time that they wish," said Pelosi, D-Calif. "I don't think it's necessary for us to have a resolution."

A resolution sponsored by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, cites some of the singer's charitable acts and proclaims him an American legend, musical icon and world humanitarian.

{Sigh} Why not just make him a Saint?

Even before Pelosi's comments, some Democrats said privately they did not support the resolution and a divisive debate would hurt House efforts to muster the votes for priorities such as health care and climate change.

{Laughing} Leave the Weird Little Pop Star alone, we have a Socialistic agenda to push.

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., who posted a video on YouTube calling Michael Jackson a "pervert" and a "pedophile," has pledged to do all he could to block the resolution.

Michael Jackson was acquitted in 2005 of charges that he molested a 13-year-old boy. Those allegations, and his admission that children slept in his bed at his home but nothing sexual occurred, have led some members of Congress to put distance between themselves and any formal honor for the entertainer.

"A resolution, I think, would open up to contrary views to — that are not necessary at this time to be expressed in association with a resolution whose purpose is quite different," Pelosi said at a Capitol Hill news conference where she discussed various legislative matters.

Unbowed, Jackson Lee said she will seek support from colleagues who thanked her when she introduced the measure June 26, one day after Michael Jackson died. She said honorary resolutions don't often "pass the next day."

"On this floor we elevate people and doing that we have to work to tell your story," she said after a House vote. But she would need support from Democratic leadership for the resolution to advance to the full House from the committee where it is now.

When members of the Congressional Black Caucus held a moment of silence in the House after Jackson died June 25, some lawmakers walked out of the chamber.

Jackson Lee has pledged that the resolution, now before the House Foreign Affairs Committee where she is a member, would come to the full House for debate. Such honorary measures normally move quickly from committee to the full House and pass on a voice vote.

But Jackson Lee's resolution was in trouble early. It drew only one co-sponsor, Rep. Diane Watson, D-Calif., and was not endorsed by other black caucus members.

From the stage at Jackson's memorial Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Jackson Lee hoisted a framed copy of the resolution.

So there you are. Pelosi did the right thing here. We have more important things to do in this country, than to waste time with a stupid and pointless resolution.
Peter

Sources:
AP - Pelosi shuts down resolution on Michael Jackson

NOTE: New Email opntalk@gmail.com

IWA for Sunday 071209

It's JUST a MOVIE. A dumb one at that.

Hey folks,

OK. "The dumb one" comment is just my opinion. But it being just a movie is fact. How many times have you gone to the movies and completely changed your deep seated beliefs in this or that? How many times have you said to yourself, "I want to see this movie because I think it will help change this or that?" Most likely never.

None do. Not Fahrenheit 911, An Inconvenient Truth, Passion of the Christ, none of these changed anyone's opinion or point of view. There were just movies. Not to mention there was no truth whatsoever in Gore's garbage. Passion of the Christ however, did invoke similar protests by Jews, the bottom line is it was just a writers interpretation of a set of facts or perceived facts.

Now at least these movies made no bones about attempting to sway one's opinion. However this one? {sigh} Really? What new movie is out there that is to sway your opinion on a big hot button issue? What movie did my Niece go see on Friday night? "Bruno."

Yes folks, our Idiot of the Week is all up in arms over this stupid comedy. I really dis-like what passes off as comedies these days. What is the problem with "Bruno?"

"Some people in the gay community will be as troubled as GLAAD is that the movie doesn't decrease homophobia,"

WHAT? Really? This movie was suppose to decrease Homophobia? It's a stupid movie. But according to the AP - GLAAD: `Bruno' reinforces negative gay stereotypes By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen, Ap Entertainment Writer – Fri Jul 10, 8:31 pm ET. GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios is in a tizzy.

LOS ANGELES – The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said Friday that "Bruno," the new film starring Sacha Baron Cohen, reinforces negative stereotypes and "decreases the public's comfort with gay people."

GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios, who saw the film Friday, said that "the movie was a well-intentioned series of sketches — some hit the mark and some hit the gay community pretty hard and reinforce some damaging, hurtful stereotypes."

It's a DUMB COMEDY!

In a style similar to his popular Borat character, Baron Cohen brings Bruno, a flamboyantly gay Austrian fashionista, into ridiculous situations with unsuspecting everyday people.

Universal Pictures, which released "Bruno," sought GLAAD's input on the film and invited staff members to advance screenings, Barrios said.

The organization "shared a number of concerns, and unfortunately, the scenes that we had the biggest concerns about remained in the film," Barrios said.

One such scene shows Bruno in a hot tub with his adopted infant son and two naked men involved in a sex act.

OK. THAT scene is more than I would care to see. But I would not care to see much of the "Jackass" movies either.

"Scenes like that don't help America understand the hundreds of thousands of gay families who get up every day, do the carpool then rush home to make dinner and be with their children," Barrios said.

Yeah, I'm good friends with one. She is like my Sister.

Similarly, the movie's mock marriage scene "doesn't help Americans understand the lives of gay couples who are denied the rights and protections of marriage in 43 states," he said.

{Sigh} Was it supposed to?

Universal Pictures maintains that "Bruno" is a satire that "uses provocative comedy to powerfully shed light on the absurdity of many kinds of intolerance and ignorance, including homophobia."

So their defense is the same as Rush uses. Pointing out absurdities by being absurd. But is this REALLY what this is taken as? Or is it taken as a dumb movie with some cheap laughs?

"While any work that dares to address relevant cultural sensitivities might be misinterpreted by some or offend others, we believe the overwhelming majority of the audience will understand and appreciate the film's inarguably positive intentions, which we've seen demonstrated whenever we have shown it," the studio said in a statement.

How? Just really curious. So some see the movie and go out and hug a Gay person? I don't get it.

Barrios said that while he believes the filmmakers had good intentions and that some moviegoers will see the satire, "some people in the gay community will be as troubled as GLAAD is that the movie doesn't decrease homophobia, but decreases the public's comfort with gay people."

Congratulations Mr. Barrios, for seemingly needing to rely on a DUMB Comedy to further your agenda is just completely idiotic. You are the Idiot of the Week. I guess I should start praying to Yoda, the Jedi Master, to bring about my well being, oh, wait, some already actually do that. {Smile}

See you all Tuesday
Peter

Sources:
AP - GLAAD: `Bruno' reinforces negative gay stereotypes

NOTE: New Email opntalk@gmail.com

They KNOW Global Warming is BS

But some of them want YOU to believe it.

Hey folks,

Yes. They know. They know that GW {Global Warming} is complete and utter BS {Uh, Bad Science}As I keep telling you, more and more REAL Scientists are coming out and calling GW or "Man-made Climate Change" what is it. A SCAM. Nothing to back it up. Nothing to PROVE the point the Man is killing the planet. NOTHING.

Now I started to go back into the archives here at the OPNTalk Blog and pull out the points I have been making and the PROVE to back them up, and you know what, WAY TO MUCH to re-post. Seriously. The evidence to the contrary of Global Warming is BLINDING. The fact there are still some that spout outdated talking points in the face of all the evidence to the contrary is mind boggling. Polar Bears, CO2 being a pollutant, the UN-fact of us even warming any more, ETC. Got some time? Check the archives. It's all there.

Just this part may I posted this. White House Counsel Memo On CO2 Myth, Green House Gases, The Economy. I said this.

"Not so fast though. As I told you before, more and more people are starting to question this. REAL Scientists are coming out by the droves and saying that CO2 is NOT a pollutant and there really is no MAN-MADE Global Warming at all. As a matter of fact, we are now in a cooling cycle.

Well, they are not alone, According to this memo that was brought to light by Senator John Barrasso, a Republican from Wyoming, during a CSPAN live hearing, the White House Counsel is now attempting to back pedal a bit. He was addressing this 9 page memo with the EPA administrator, Lisa Jackson.

That's right folks, the White House counsel put together a memo saying everything about CO2 is a myth, that there was no science in the formulation of this. They say that it was pure politics.

I have the memo. Here it is. Read it for yourselves.

See the Video of the exchange and the full Memo itself HERE.

Now the EPA's own Scientists are saying that it is completely Bogus. Not stopping Obama though. Not stopping the Kooks. Michelle Malkin had a GREAT piece about this last week.

The free market-based Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington (where I served as a journalism fellow in 1995) obtained a set of internal e-mails exposing Team Obama’s willful and reckless disregard for data that undermine the illusion of “consensus.” In March, Alan Carlin, a senior research analyst at the Environmental Protection Agency, asked agency officials to distribute his analysis on the health effects of greenhouse gases. EPA has proposed a public health “endangerment finding” covering CO2 and five other gases that would trigger costly, extensive new regulations of motor vehicles. The open comment period on the ruling ended this week. But Carlin’s study didn’t fit the blame-human-activity narrative, so it didn’t make the cut.

On March 12, Carlin’s director, Al McGartland, forbade him from having “any direct communication” with anyone outside his office about his study. “There should be no meetings, emails, written statements, phone calls, etc.” On March 16, Carlin urged his superiors to forward his work to EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, which runs the agency’s climate change program. A day later, McGartland dismissed Carlin and showed his true, politicized colors:

“The time for such discussion of fundamental issues has passed for this round. The administrator and the administration has decided to move forward on endangerment, and your comments do not help the legal or policy case for this decision… I can only see one impact of your comments given where we are in the process, and that would be a very negative impact on our office.”

Contrary comments, in other words, would interfere with the “process” of ramming the EPA’s endangerment finding through. Truth-in-science took a backseat to protecting eco-bureaucrats from “a very negative impact.”

In another follow-up e-mail, McGartland warned Carlin to drop the subject altogether: “With the endangerment finding nearly final, you need to move on to other issues and subjects. I don’t want you to spend any additional EPA time on climate change. No papers, no research etc, at least until we see what EPA is going to do with Climate.”

But, of course, the e-mails show that EPA had already predetermined what it was going to do – “move forward on endangerment.” Which underscores the fact that the open public comment period was all for show. In her message to the public about the radical greenhouse gas rules, EPA administrator Lisa Jackson requested “comment on the data on which the proposed findings are based, the methodology used in obtaining and analyzing the data, and the major legal interpretations and policy considerations underlying the proposed findings.” Ms. Jackson, meet Mr. Carlin.

The EPA now justifies the suppression of the study because economist Carlin (a 35-year veteran of the agency who also holds a B.S. in physics) “is an individual who is not a scientist.” Neither is Al Gore. Nor is environmental czar Carol Browner. Nor is cap-and-trade shepherd Nancy Pelosi. Carlin’s analysis incorporated peer-reviewed studies and, as he informed his colleagues, “significant new research” related to the proposed endangerment finding. According to those who have seen his study, it spotlights EPA’s reliance on out-of-date research, uncritical recycling of United Nations data, and omission of new developments, including a continued decline in global temperatures and a new consensus that future hurricane behavior won’t be different than in the past.

But the message from his superiors was clear: La-la-la, we can’t hear you.

In April, President Obama declared that “the days of science taking a back seat to ideology are over.” Another day, another broken promise. Will Carlin meet the same fate as inspectors general who have been fired or “retired” by the Obama administration for blowing the whistle and defying political orthodoxy? Or will he, too, be yet another casualty of the Hope and Change steamroller? The bodies are piling up.

Malkin is author of the forthcoming “Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks & Cronies” (Regnery 2009).

Meanwhile, Obama and Crew continue pushing their agenda. While some of Obama's OWN people are warning him not to base his Cap and Trade on non and or faulty science, he is flying around the world touting his agenda. He is not having much luck with it though. At the G8, China and India said "Screw You." As a matter of fact China went home. You know, they have people to kill and all. They do not have time to play games with the stupid American President. They are not going to put their Economy in jeopardy over a SCAM. They wouldn't mind if we do. But then again, Obama basically said they do not have to. Remember this?

"At a time when the economy worldwide is still deep in recession and we've seen a significant drop in global trade, I think we have to be very careful about sending any protectionist signals," Obama said in an Oval Office interview reported by The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post.

So he just excused others from doing their part to help save the planet, based on a bad economy. But YOU? The single Mom working two jobs? The young family just starting off. The Retired folks on a set income? SCREW YOU! You WILL pay higher energy costs. You WILL watch this "Kill The American Economy Bill," increase unemployment, and put unfair and completely unnecessary burdens on ALL Americans. To save the planet of course.

Folks, this is complete nonsense. They KNOW it is. They know there is no threat. But there IS a lot of power to be had. There IS a lot of control to be taken. There IS a lot of money to be made. This is what the whole "Green Movement" is all about. What it has ALWAYS been about. The truly sad thing? There are still many in this country that has bought into the SCAM.
Peter

Sources:
Michelle Malkin - EPA’s game of global warming hide-and-seek
OPNTalk - White House Counsel Memo On CO2 Myth, Green House Gases, The Economy
OPNTalk - Obama Excuses Others From "Global Warming" Due to Bad Economy

NOTE: Reminder, New Email opntalk@gmail.com

NEW EMAIL

IMPORTANT CHANGE

Hey folks,

An important Change has taken place here. DO NOT USE THE OLD EMAIL. We have a NEW Email here at the OPNTalk Blog. It is opntalk@gmail.com This is a very important change for all of you out there that want to send me stuff, my friends and family included. DO NOT USE THE OLD ACCOUNT. I WILL NOT GET IT!

OK. So here is what happened. The new version of Internet Explorer was downloaded. When this happened, it wiped out some of my constant logged in sites. MY Email was one of them. OK. No big deal. I tried to sign in again. Said incorrect Password. So I tried to get the password, never came in the Email. Then the information kept saying, "Does not match." Well, nothing has changed in about 9 years.

So after about 30 minutes trying to fix this, I called the folks at AOL. They told me this. "Aim is pretty much fictitious. It's a free service therefore there is no support and no way for them to log in. Just get a new Email." Basically, Screw you.

So again, new Email is opntalk@gmail.com Once again, new Email is opntalk@gmail.com Once again, DO NOT USE the old Email. I will not get it. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and I am looking forward to moving on from all this.

Tomorrow, I will be discussing the G8 summit and the fact it is starting to not look so good for the Chicken Little crowd. The Global Warming Scam, is starting to be called just that. Even the EPA is now saying that it is not real, that we are actually COOLING. Something I have been telling you for years. They are trying to deny their attempts to suppress the 900 plus page report DENOUNCING Global Warming, but they DID attempt to suppress it. All that coming up tomorrow when I have more time NOT arguing with AOL non-help people.

"From the Emails" will resume once you folks get the message and start sending in stuff at the NEW EMAIL opntalk@gmail.com

See you tomorrow.
Peter

Money Buys Comfort, Even in Prison

Why would this even be considered?

Hey folks,

Where is the money coming from? Why is this insanity even considered? Why the compassion? This really ticks me off a bit. According to Daily Finance - Madoff hires consultant to shop for best prison Tom Barlow Jul 6th 2009 at 12:30PM

Bernie Madoff is not going gentle into that good night of prison life. Instead, he has hired a top prison consultant to help him find the best possible joint in which to spend the rest of his life.

With want money, and why was that not seized and given to one of the families he ripped off?

Herb Hoelter, CEO of the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (NCIA), has provided the same service to other high-profile felons, including Ivan Boesky, Michael Milken and Sotheby's Alfred Taubman.

There is an ACTUAL BUSINESS? WHY??? Why is this allowed? Talk about ignorant, asinine, and pointless.

Madoff will certainly not be eligible for one of the country-club prisons, given the despicable nature of his crimes, but his team will want to be prepared with arguments why he should not be thrown into a hellhole with the worst of violent offenders, such as the Administrative Maximum facility in Florence, Colorado. I suspect that many of his victims, on the other hand, would be delighted to see him locked up with murderers, rapists, terrorists and Jew-hating white supremacists.

I'm one of them. What is with the compassion. They guy is a thief, he stole all the money some of the people he dealt with had, and lived the high life on their future. Why is he not deserving of being thrown in the worst hole we can find?

According to the London Times, the 150-year sentence Madoff received makes him ineligible for any of the Club Fed prisons. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons uses a "Security Point Total," which represents a prisoner's risk, to determine the level of security the prisoner requires. Depending on his number, Madoff could be assigned to facilities ranging from a minimum-security prison camp (as in Martha's Stewart's stretch at Camp Cupcake) to a "Supermax" facility.

So far, Madoff has spent his time in a maximum-security environment at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York. Hoelter said, "He has been incarcerated under very difficult conditions in these past months. Anywhere he goes is likely to be better than where he is now, unless they throw him into the Supermax . . . He will be able to get exercise. He will be able to do something that makes him productive. He may be able to tutor other inmates."

{Sigh} He should stay right where he is. Maybe the inmates THERE can tutor him.

At sentencing, the judge recommended that Madoff be sent to a low- or medium-security prison in the Northeast. However, this decision is left solely up to the Bureau of Prisons. Madoff will have Hoelter's recommendations to put forth if he's given a chance to make his case.

Which he shouldn't. He has had enough special treatment.

Boesky served his time at the Lompoc Federal Prison, aka Club Fed West. Mike Milken served 22 months at a minimum-security prison in Pleasanton, California. Taubman spent his nine and a half months at the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, Minnesota, getting medical care on the government dime. Taubman's book, Threshold Resistance, contains some prison advice Madoff may find useful, such as making friends, keeping a pleasant demeanor, and bringing reading material. I'd add one; don't try to start a cigarette investment fund. Eventually, someone will invest a shiv.

Look. Real simple. He's a crook. He deserves to be in JAIL. NOT a Country Club with restrictions. I would love to see him stay right where he is. he is not doing a few months. He is GONE. Locked up for the rest of his life, and he deserves to be where he is. Are these families going to live a comfy life after having their future stolen from them by someone they trusted? No. So he should have no comfy future either.
Peter

Sources:
Daily Finance - Madoff hires consultant to shop for best prison

Kill cap and trade before it kills growth

From the Energy Front 070609

Hey folks,

Happy Monday to you. Due to scheduling conflicts, "From the Energy Front" will now be posted every Tuesday, starting next week. There will be no Monday Post. Don't worry, most usually need two days to digest the Big Sunday Edition anyway. {Smile}

Today I'm turning over the "From the Energy Front" Segment to E. Thomas McClanahan, of the Kansas City Star. He did a great job in this piece that ran on the 4th. I have been telling you about all this and how bad Cap and Trade is going to be, but he makes it even easier for some to understand. So without any further comments, I really have nothing to add to this, here is Mr. McClanahan

Democrats say the cap-and-trade bill passed by the House last week will accelerate the transition to an energy-efficient economy. Loads of new “green” jobs will be created in the process.

President Barack Obama says this will be a “driver of economic growth.” Speaker Nancy Pelosi boiled it down even more: “Remember these four words for what this legislation means: jobs, jobs, jobs and jobs. Let’s vote for jobs.”

We pause now for a tactful silence. No need to jeer. The argument is silly on its face, although one might reasonably wonder how anyone could seriously believe this bilge.

What’s more interesting is the change in approach. Up to now, the usual rationale for a carbon cap is that, yes, it would involve economic pain, but we have to understand that the short-term costs would be far less than the dire, long-term consequences of doing nothing about global warming.

Now we’re told there won’t be any economic pain at all. Obviously, the two arguments are contradictory. In fact, Obama’s latest tack is refuted by statements he made earlier this year, when he remarked that under his cap-and-trade plan, “electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.”

How do you end up with a vibrant economy and lots of net job creation by forcing people to pay higher energy prices? Well, you don’t, and that’s why this measure is one of the biggest threats to the U.S. economy ever to emerge on Capitol Hill.

The legislation, which now goes to the Senate, would impose an overall limit on emissions of greenhouse gases. Industries would then buy and sell permits to emit carbon. Over time, the cap would become more restrictive, reducing CO2 emissions.

The whole purpose of the bill is to force people to pay more for energy. That won’t spur economic growth. It will retard it, by slowing the growth of consumer spending, which makes up the greatest share of the gross domestic product. The result will be lower output and fewer jobs.

The notion that cap-and-trade will do little harm came from a recent Congressional Budget Office analysis that pegged the bill’s annual cost in 2020 at a mere $175 for the average family. (Lower-income households would get a rebate reducing their energy costs by $40.)

The Heritage Foundation pointed out that incredibly the CBO study failed to include in its calculations the overall effect on economic growth. The bill would not only make energy prices go up, but — because energy costs raise production costs generally — it would make the prices of almost everything else rise as well.

Cap-and-trade would be a crippling, self-inflicted wound. Not only that, it would be futile: Without the cooperation of rapidly industrializing economies such as India and China — which say they have no intention of impeding their growth with carbon caps — anything the United States does will have little effect on overall global emissions.

Nor is it likely to work as its authors intend.

Like any commodity, the price of carbon permits will fluctuate, and those price movements could be violent. That will add even more uncertainty to the business of energy production.

In Europe, the recession has caused the price of carbon permits to plummet, lowering permit costs and the cost of using fossil fuels. That has undercut the competitiveness of solar, wind and other new technologies aimed at boosting conservation.

The House barely passed cap and trade — the vote was 219-212. The bill’s prospects in the Senate, fortunately, are grim because the same political dynamic that worked in the House won’t apply in the Senate.

As Jay Cost points out at the Real Clear Politics site, the New York and California delegations provided 26 percent of the support for cap and trade in the House. But in the Senate, those states together make up only 4 percent of the membership.

Thanks to the Senate’s rules, the measure will need at least 60 votes. If Republicans hang together and peel off a few Democrats, which seems likely, they can stop the bill dead in its tracks. For the sake of the economy’s health, they had better succeed.

To reach E. Thomas McClanahan, call 816-234-4480 or send e-mail to mcclanahan@kcstar.com.

See you all tomorrow.
Peter

Sources:
Kansas City Star - Kill cap and trade before it kills growth

Further Evidence Sotomayor Is a Racist

Preview for Sunday 070509

Hey folks,

Happy Sunday to you, and welcome to the Big, and I mean Big, Sunday Edition of the OPNTalk Blog this week. I hope you are all well. I am Sunburned. I'm not kidding. Me, Josh {My Son} and my Wife are all Sunburned. I hope you had a great Independence Day. We did.

We went to the "Freedom Fest" in Port St. Lucie Florida, went from there to a local Beach, and then went to a Private Fireworks display. A TWO HOUR LONG Fireworks Display. A GREAT time was hand by all, although we are now all paying for it today. {Smile}

OK. OK. I know. I know. Sarah Palin is out July 25 turning over the reigns to Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell. EVERYONE is speculating and theorising why. What is she planing to do now. So on. So Forth. I don't know. She has not come right out and said. Until she does? I will refrain from commenting on her decision.

But some things I DO want to talk about? Coming right up today?

Private Non-Profit Organizations Funding The News
Iran's Hope and Change
Florida Crist Can NOT Ask For Diversity
Lori Drew Conviction Tentatively Tossed
Bedwetting, Being Overweight linked to sleep apnea
Swine Flu Update 070509
IWA for Sunday 070509

ALL that in just a few minutes. Did you catch this? Like we really need more proof that Obama's pick for Supreme Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor is a full blown Racist? Here it is. According to the AP - Group Sotomayor belonged to sued over job tests

WASHINGTON – A civil rights group advised by Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor in the 1980s brought several discrimination lawsuits that sought to scrap the results of job tests because too few Hispanics scored well, according to new documents that are fueling GOP criticism of the judge.

The Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund represented Hispanic sanitation workers in New York City who wanted to stop white employees from getting promotions because, they argued, the qualifying exam unfairly disadvantaged minorities. The case unfolded as Sotomayor chaired the organization's board of directors' litigation committee, although there is no evidence that she had any role in the group's decision to participate in the lawsuits, or in formulating or drafting any of their legal arguments.

Still, the case bears strong similarities to a much-discussed case Sotomayor ruled on last year as a federal appeals court judge, which involved the reverse discrimination claims of white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., who sued after the city threw out its promotion test because too few minorities qualified. A panel she joined ruled against the white firefighters in the case, Ricci v. DeStefano. The Supreme Court reversed the decision last Monday.

OK. If the word Racist is to strong a word for you. Let's just say this is another example of her being on the wrong side of the Law more often than not. She has a 65 plus over turn rate. She is just NOT the right person for the job.

Anyway, as you can see, we are fully loaded and ready to go. Going to fill my cup, today's coffee, Eight O Clock,Whole Bean "Hazelnut." www.eightoclock.com. Be right back.
Peter

Sources:
AP - Group Sotomayor belonged to sued over job tests

Private Non-Profit Organizations Funding The News

Why have more Newspapers not gone under?

Hey folks,

So NYTs more layoffs. Readership is down to record levels. Some other Newspapers gone. Some others on their way out. Why are they still around?

I asked this question a while back. Why does anyone read this garbage anymore? Talking about the New York Times. They openly print FALSE information, make stuff up, print top secret information, put our Troops and America's safety at risk. They violate their own Ethics Policy, of which I even printed a year or so ago, on a daily bases. They and others, are NOT reporting the news. They are fabricating it in some cases, and some are still around.

The Rocky Mountain News, has closed its doors. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, has a Web-only operation. Several major newspapers are in bankruptcy. Some others on their way out? Boston Globe and San Francisco Chronicle. What about The New York Times? Well, we just discovered that they required a major cash infusion from Mexico’s richest businessman. Readership is going away. Even those with a stronger balance sheet are reeling against an advertising recession that saw newspaper revenue decline 17 percent last year and 25-30 percent in the first quarter of 2009.

Now in a normal free market, they lose readership, they go away. But as I just found out, they and many other news outlets are NOT operating in a free market. They are bought and paid for already. Not by their readership, but by PRIVATE organizations that allow them to simply report what they are told to.

The following is a report by David Westphal, Philanthropic Foundations:

Growing Funders of the News. Now it is 12 pages long printed, but I have decided to post the entire report here. You really need to read this to understand why what we are seeing is being allowed to happen. Journalism is dead. Long live the Corporate, State Run Media.

USC ANNENBERG SCHOOL FOR COMMUNICATION
Center on Communication Leadership & Policy
Research Series: July 2009

Philanthropic Foundations:
Growing Funders of the News
by David Westphal
Senior Fellow, Center on Communication Leadership & Policy
and Executive in Residence, Annenberg School for Communication
University of Southern California

Even those who were pessimistic a year ago at prospects for the American news business had to be taken aback by the swiftness of the decline that has occurred since then. A major newspaper, the Rocky Mountain News, has closed its doors. Another newspaper, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, has silenced its presses while maintaining a small, Web-only operation. Several major newspapers are in bankruptcy; others, such as the Boston Globe and San Francisco Chronicle, are threatened with closure. The New York Times required a major cash infusion from Mexico’s richest businessman. Even those with a stronger balance sheet are reeling against an advertising recession that saw newspaper revenue decline 17 percent last year and 25-30 percent in the first quarter of 2009.

It’s not just newspapers that are in trouble. Virtually every news operation of any kind is under stress on multiple fronts: a miserable economy, overleveraged balance sheets and the disruptive effects of the digital revolution. Tens of thousands of journalists have taken buyouts or been laid off. Washington bureaus and statehouse reporting corps have been shut down; foreign bureaus have been reduced to a fraction of their former size. NPR closed down most of its West Coast operation. The speed with which all of this has occurred has been mesmerizing, and it has led some to wonder how society’s essential information needs will be met. “When we had the meeting last year we saw a need,” said USC’s Geoffrey Cowan, one of the conveners. “But now we’re in a state of desperation. The collapse of the traditional economic model has increased both the need for nonprofit journalism, but also the receptivity toward it.”

Even as legacy news organizations struggle for survival, new information sources are springing up – often as one or two-person sites that provide news and information about communities, neighborhoods and topics of interest. In many cases, these sites have established that small-scale, Web-only operations can deliver robust news reports, with technology that provides far better two-way communication than has ever before existed. But for most of them, a sustainable business model has not yet emerged, principally because digital advertising has not proven it can support a news organization that looks anything like the ones Americans have come to know in the last half-century. This is hardly surprising, given the magnitude of the revolution at hand. But it presents the question of what will become of news and information until new models emerge.

Against that backdrop, the worlds of foundations and philanthropy are being looked to in unprecedented ways to serve as a firewall against the disappearance of critical news and information. To some extent the expectations are a mismatch: Even in its weakened state, the newspaper industry alone is a $35 billion-a-year enterprise, no match for a foundation world that also finds itself much diminished by a sliding stock market. But to a surprising degree, foundations are responding on multiple fronts, and there are indications that a much more robust reaction may be in the works. Alberto Ibargüen, who directs journalism’s most important funder, the Knight Foundation, says he’s been talking quietly for the last two years with some of the nation’s biggest foundations, and believes several of them may get into journalism funding in a significant way.

At somewhat smaller levels, the process of greater investment by foundations in journalism is well under way. It can be clearly seen in the world of investigative reporting, a singularly threatened and critical area of watchdog journalism. The Center for Public Integrity is once again thriving after a period of financial uncertainty, and is reporting unsolicited queries from potential funders. The Center for Investigative Reporting recently announced it would establish a California-oriented arm with a staff of about 10 producing state-related investigative reporting – the result of $2.4 million in foundation grants. Other state-oriented investigative sites are emerging, and so are local sites that are taking investigative reporting right to the grassroots.

Foundations are also moving into topical journalism in areas such as health, science and the arts. The Kaiser Family Foundation recently launched its Kaiser Health Service project, aimed at filling a growing void of national health coverage. Similarly, the California HealthCare Foundation is creating, with the University of Southern California Annenberg School of Journalism, a health reporting network focusing principally on California policy issues. In a different model, NGOs are using their existing information-gathering resources to establish journalism arms that convert academic-style reports into consumer-sized news products.

Community news Web sites are also getting into the act, soliciting foundation grants to support hybrid business models that rely on a combination of philanthropy and private-sector revenue. One of the most prominent community Web sites, the Voice of San Diego, has established science and environmental reporting positions, partly through foundation grants. Community foundation grants have already gone to dozens of local news sites, and a new $24 million Knight Foundation program aims to accelerate this trend.

How far this trend will go, or should go, cannot be predicted. Associated Press chief executive Tom Curley says foundations will likely play a small role in the digital revolution because entrepreneuers “are moving too fast to plug gaps.” He’s not alone. Almost to a person, participants in last year’s meeting cautioned that foundations could never play a dominant national role. But until a new business model emerges as a reliable source of news funding, the continuing decline in traditional news reporting is likely to tempt foundations to become part of the solution, if only on a stopgap basis. Said Orville Schell, director of the Asia Society’s Center on U.S.-China Relations: “I think because we are in such alarming times, when the media outlets on which the nation depends for news and information are simply melting away before our eyes like blocks of ice in the sun, it is probably true that more and more foundation and philanthropic money will begin to flow.”

Foundations: Increasingly a news and information player

The conventional wisdom about foundations and other philanthropy is that they simply will not be much of a factor as the news industry goes through the convulsions of the digital revolution. But some revision is in order. A growing number of foundations are getting into the business of supporting news-and-information nonprofits. That trend appears to be accelerating, and there’s some indication that major foundations may get into the act as well.

The Knight Foundation’s Alberto Ibargüen said he has spent the last two years being a “Johnny One Note” with other foundation presidents, arguing behind the scenes that they need to consider journalism as an emergency need in their grant programs. “I think it’s safe to say there’s a growing understanding you can’t run a democracy without a free flow of information,” said Ibargüen. After a series of meetings, with more to come, Ibargüen said he thinks it’s possible some major U.S. foundations will increase their funding of news and information projects, and others might do so for the first time.

A recent study by American University’s J-Lab found that foundations had contributed $128 million to community and investigative reporting nonprofits between 2005 and 2009. As director Jan Schaffer said, “One thing is clear: Philanthropic foundations are increasingly embracing the idea that journalism projects can be a funding fit.”

Norman Pearlstine, chief content officer at Bloomberg, said the notion makes sense to him. “I think there are some people – high net-worth individuals – who might want to acquire a newspaper and go the foundation route rather than operating it as a business,” he said. “I can also imagine community leaders saying, ‘It’s good to have a baseball team in town, but it’s also good to have a newspaper.’ It’s entirely possible this will happen.”

Investigative reporting

In a world without philanthropists and founda–tions, the practice of investigative reporting might not be long for this world. It’s expensive, it’s time-consuming, it has an unreliable payoff – and there’s no obvious free-market way to make sure it gets done in the new-media world. This is a message that seems to be getting through to funders. Somewhat to their surprise, three major investigative reporting nonprofits are on a roll. The Center for Public Integrity, ProPublica and the Center for Investigative Reporting are all seeing growing opportunities for nonprofit investigative work, and they are all hopeful about future funding.

In a scenario few thought possible, cold calls are sometimes coming from the opposite direction – from foundations wondering if they might play a role in financing investigative reporting. “One of the interesting things that’s happening is that the demise of media is occurring so quickly that it does have the attention of funders,” said Bill Buzenberg, who runs the Center for Public Integrity. “New funders have come to us – in part because they see what’s happening. They’re as worried as we are about the watchdog function.”

Investigative reporting held a center seat a year ago at the New York gathering on foundation-funded journalism. Joining Buzenberg were Robert Rosenthal, director of the Center for Investigative Reporting, and Paul Steiger and Richard Tofel of ProPublica. All three nonprofits have stepped up the pace of their work since then. The latest example is Rosenthal’s May unveiling of a California investigative reporting unit that will focus on education and other public policy issues in the nation’s largest state. With grants of $1.2 million each from the James Irvine Foundation and the William and Flora Hewitt Foundation, Rosenthal hopes to hire as many as 10 journalists to staff the new center. Rosenthal, who took over CIR in January 2008, says he also has seen a night-and-day transformation in the interest level of foundations. “One big difference has been that funders previously tended to fund the story,” he said. “Now they’re much more willing to be supportive of the core.” One clear sign of the groups’ success: The Associated Press recently announced it would disseminate the work of four top investigative nonprofits.

ProPublica’s Tofel says investigative reporting is emerging as one of the arenas many people agree must be preserved even as newspapers and other mainstream institutions decline. “I would identify investigative journalism and international reporting as the clearest cases here,” said Tofel. “But serious, analytical metro coverage may also be joining the list – and there could be more to come.”

CIR’s California operation is the latest example of investigating reporting units that are being established on a state or region-wide basis. Two other nonprofits, the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism and the New England Center for Investigative Reporting, are both up and running, and they hold the promise of a much larger collection of state and regional nonprofits focusing on watchdog reporting. In fact, Buzenberg and Rosenthal have already been discussing the possibility of bringing together all the state and regional operations in a network that could offer operational efficiencies and a common Web portal. Many of the investigative nonprofits gathered in New York in late June to talk about those and other issues.

Other new investigative reporting nonprofits are setting up shop. Arianna Huffington launched the Huffington Post Investigative Fund, a $1.75 million startup that will begin its existence looking into the economic crisis. Then there’s SpotUs, David Cohn’s trailblazing initiative to tap the crowd for both story ideas and dollars in the interest of producing investigative work.

Nonprofit investigative reporting sites are also showing up at the local level, with startups in Baltimore and Texas, among other locations. Where this is going is anyone’s guess, but it’s surely a mistake to assume we have seen the last of the new models. As evidence, consider the Goldwater Institute, a conservative think tank, which is advertising for an investigative reporter who will hunt for examples of wasteful government spending.

NGOs

The traditional model of foundation-funded journalism is simple: A foundation sends a check to a non-profit journalistic organization to support reporting and dissemination of the news. But these days it’s hardly the only model. Human Rights Watch is attempting something quite different. It’s leveraging an already robust network of fact-gatherers around the world by adding a small unit that converts its academic-type research into consumer-friendly news reports.

Carroll Bogert, Human Rights Watch’s associate director, said NGOs like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and others are in good position to use their expertise to become important news resources. But can Human Rights Watch muster the credibility needed to deliver the news even as it acts as advocate for human rights? Absolutely, says Bogert, “I would say that in general, we do much more than journalists do to assure we have the facts right.”

Bogert’s concern is actually a different one – and it’s something that might surprise journalists: Some of the nonprofit’s 75-80 researchers aren’t thrilled with the idea of seeing their work translated, in-house, into journalism. “Journalism to a lot of people means sloppy, it means fast,” said Bogert. “People are worried about whether that would change what we do.”

Not many approach this question from a better position than Bogert, who was a foreign reporter and editor at Newsweek before joining Human Rights Watch. And not many NGOs are better positioned to test their ability to morph into a news-providing role than this one, with staffers monitoring rights violations in 80 countries worldwide.

Bogert has hired a small group of journalists (mostly video and audio editors/producers) to convert the organization’s typically long, dry reports into video clips aimed at news consumers. A recent report documented how Hamas used the recent battle in Gaza as cover for attacking political opponents there.

While video reports such as this, which rely on the group’s in-depth research, are on the rise, Human Rights Watch had envisioned adding the journalism component at a more rapid pace. But the economic collapse has slowed things down. “The world I envisioned, in which NGOs took over more reporting responsibilities, I think it’s still the overall trendline,” said Bogert. “But it’s not going to happen as quickly.”
Thinking big (As in 10 digits)

Alex Jones has led one of the nation’s most prominent nonprofits, the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, for the past nine years. Like many, he doesn’t think the fundamental answer to the news media’s precipitous slide will be found in the largess of philanthropists and foundations. “The solution to what’s happening to news media these days is going to be a commercial one,” said Jones.

There are two exceptions, though, and one of them is a big one.

Jones wants one or more of the world’s richest people to establish a $2 billion endowment that would provide permanent funding for PBS’ “NewsHour.” “If Warren Buffett or a group of billionaires wanted to change the world, this is how they could do it,” he said. “It’d be one hour of prime viewing time for every television in the country. It would give the United States the genuinely high-quality TV news operation that it has never had.”

Jones’ other idea: He thinks community foundations and philanthropists should pay visits to their hometown newspapers and talk about how they might finance a city hall reporting position, or a school board reporter.

These are among the recommendations Jones makes in his new book, “Losing the News” (Oxford University Press). Jones said he is addressing the book to the American news consumer who sees traditional journalism receding but “doesn’t understand what’s happening or why.”

In my interview with Jones, I asked whether he was hoping to re-create a BBC-type operation in the United States. “No, no,” he said. “That would be a much bigger proposition. I’m just talking about one hour of terrific television a night. It would be able to attract the top broadcast journalists in the business.” And, Jones said, it would have a spillover effect on cable news, raising the bar for what the public demanded from national TV newscasts.

A $2 billion endowment would yield an annual budget of $100 million, he said, and would create a high-profile venue with sufficient “muzzle velocity” to become the gold standard for TV news. “It seems to me this is a way to make everything better,” he said. “It would bring high-quality news to people who would otherwise have a problem finding high-quality news.”

As for Jones’ other idea, he made it clear he thought philanthropists and foundations ought to invest in reporting positions in newspapers, not in new-media startups where the practice of fund-raising for specific reporting slots has already begun. (Joel Kramer’s MinnPost, for example, is raising money specifically to finance the work of media reporter David Brauer. And Firedoglake is trying to raise $150,000 to pay for the investigative reporting of Marcy Wheeler.)

Why, I asked, would he limit this to legacy media, when digital startups are already making it happen? “News requires not only the ability to come up with the reporting,” he said. “It requires having the right impact. That’s why I think it would be much better to save these institutions, if we can, that already have the power to deliver. And to fight the good fight with their institutional muscle.” Jones said endowing a reporting position would not be that expensive for many foundations and donors, and could result in immediate impact.

Neal Shapiro, president of New York’s Thirteen/WNET, also thinks foundations need to enlarge their thinking about the kind of resources journalism may need to fulfill its news-and-information mission. “I think they can be a (substantially bigger) player and in many ways they may have to be,” said Shapiro. “And yes, I do think public broadcasting is one area where you can produce quality journalism that has a tremendous reach. Foundations can play a bigger role here.”

Voices of skepticism

Although many see promise in the rise of philanthropy and foundation dollars going to the support of journalism, some are less impressed, arguing they’re a drop in the bucket compared to the money that will be generated by the private sector. A few fear that this money may get in the way of the innovation cycle needed to cure journalism’s ills.

Tom Curley, chief executive of the Associated Press, said foundation-funded efforts will be dwarfed by the rise of entrepreneurship. “If content gaps are being created or imagined, journalist entrepreneurs seem to be rising with many varied sources of funding,” he said. “I thought the foundation-funding idea was a naïve response last year and am more convinced of that. AP, for instance, would need $6 billion to endow its core agency operation. Entrepreneurs are moving too fast to plug gaps.”

New-media consultant Merrill Brown says the work that foundations are doing in supporting journalism is “noble and important… But it’s second-level important. It’s more important to get the advertising growing.” To some extent, Brown said, foundation-funded journalism becomes “a distraction for how journalism is going to thrive in the future.”

In looking to foundations, new-media startups are also confronting organizations that are having their own economic issues. Donald Kimelman, managing director of information initiatives for The Pew Charitable Trusts, says foundations, “like everyone else, are feeling the pain of the downturn. So it is tough to make the case for putting resources into a new area of interest, while cuts are being made in established areas of interests.”

In addition, an old truism about philanthropy hasn’t changed, says Peter Osnos, founder of Public Affairs Books. “Philanthropists get tired of funding things and they move on,” he said. “Philanthropy is not really a viable, long-term model… I don’t think the answer is a simple answer of philanthropy picking up the tab.”

The advice of Bill Kling, chief executive of American Public Media, the second-largest producer and distributor of public radio programming, is for foundations to stick with their traditional role of encouraging innovation. “Foundations can stimulate strong existing nonprofit news organizations to move more aggressively into new media. They can create some models of successful regional public media news organizations. And they can fund new experiments in content generation and dissemination. But, by and large the idea of ‘create a new foundation-funded model’ isn’t likely to be sustainable… I have yet to see a viable business model that gets you from start-up to significance in a time frame any foundation could sustain.”

Health funds its own news coverage

On June 1, the Kaiser Family Foundation launched Kaiser Health News, a major startup that could signal a wave of new foundation-supported news enterprises. In the health world, Kaiser will have company. The California HealthCare Foundation recently approved a $3.5 million program, partnering with USC’s Annenberg School of Journalism, that will provide news reporting on California health care policy issues. This model is certain to happen in other fields as well – the arts, science, environment, education – all arenas that have seen a fairly rapid decline in the news resources mustered by mainstream media.

The world of health is leading the way because it has two big advantages: very high consumer interest and, said Matt James, senior vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, “there are a lot of health funders.” James said he began to see a decline in the quantity and quality of health reporting in 2003 and 2004, when it also began showing up in the pool of candidates for Kaiser’s fellowship program. “We thought about changing the name to Kaiser Mid-Career Crisis Fellowship program,” he joked. Today, he said, evidence of the cutbacks is “absolutely dramatic. Health reporters don’t have the time, the resources, the travel time to do the good stories they’d like to do.”

So was born, at Kaiser, the idea of funding a health news service that would be at arm’s length from the Kaiser foundation and would partner with news organizations to provide coverage that might not otherwise make its way into the news-and-information sphere. With a staff operating mostly out of Washington, D.C., Kaiser Health News will spend an estimated $2 million this year, $2.3 million in 2010 and eventually $4 million to $5 million a year, with a full-time staff of 12 journalists. Laurie McGinley, a 28-year veteran of the Wall Street Journal, heads Kaiser Health News, which also has its own Web site. Meanwhile, Michael Parks, journalism professor at USC and former Los Angeles Times editor, is assembling an L.A.-based news team that will report primarily on California health policy issues.

This model, in which special-interest foundations establish news organizations that report on funders’ interest areas, traditionally has raised several concerns. For health-news consumers, there’s the question of whether the coverage is somehow shaped by the interests of the funder. For foundations, there’s the loss-of-control issue when a firewall is established between funder and news organization. “This is the first time we’ll be funding health information that we’re not really controlling,” said James.

That these issues have not been prominent in recent months may reflect the starkness of the potential alternative – a vast scaling back, at least in the short term, of health information that consumers need. Said James, “If nonprofits don’t find a way to invest in certain kinds of journalism, we’re not going to see that journalism anymore… I just don’t think there’s a model there anymore.”

Mark Smith, president and CEO of the California HealthCare Foundation, expects to see more such experiments and collaborations in the future. “I think the growing number of … projects stems from both sides: the increasingly desperate straits of traditional journalism, and the desire for foundations to influence events by influencing the media.”

Community news sites

One of the most promising forms of digital news is the community news site – oftentimes just one or two-person operations that chronicle slices of civic life in hometowns and neighborhoods. And one of the most promising hopes for these news models is the prospect that community and civic foundations might be part of their funding base. Like many things in journalism, this is one of those ideas that would have been laughed away even two years ago. But it’s happening with increasing frequency, and some think there’s an opportunity for significant growth. Peter Osnos is one of them. The long-term challenge to community news and information, he said, is to establish the position of news organizations as “indispensable civic assets.”

One reason this idea has promise is that the Knight Foundation is waging a significant effort to persuade community foundations that they need to start bankrolling news and information in their hometowns. In the first year of a five-year program, Knight put up $5 million to fund 21 news sites across the country, while participating foundations contributed $12 million. All told, Knight plans to spend $24 million over the life of the program. “We’re extremely excited about the possibilities here,” said Ibargüen. “Community foundations have billions and billions at their disposal. We think more and more of them are going to find that information has become one of their community’s core needs.”

There are already many examples of community foundations supporting local news sites, with grants big and small. Among the sites: the Gotham Gazette, Voice of San Diego, Twin Cities Daily Planet, MinnPost, Connect SW Alabama, St. Louis Beacon, Chi-Town Daily News, High Country News. Funders go by names like Berks County Community Foundation, the Boston Foundation, the Community Foundation of South Alabama, the Coral Gables Foundation, and so on.

In most cases, these nonprofit sites are receiving revenue from a variety of sources – not just from foundation grants. Many have coalesced around a hybrid model that includes foundation money, NPR-style memberships and advertising sales.

Orville Schell, one of the conveners at the 2008 meeting, said this hybrid style has the best chance of success. “What is needed in the media are forms of support that can be sustaining over the long haul, not just the short haul. This is not philanthropy’s strength.” New media operations that combine some private donations with revenue from the market “make more sense and may be more sturdy and more long-lived,” he said.

Foundations and for-profit news organizations?

One interesting question is whether for-profit news organizations might participate as community foundation recipients. Although tricky, it would not be impossible to set up a framework where foundation money could go to newspapers and broadcast newsrooms to support, for example, specific reporters. Since newspapers have already been beaten to the punch on this by digital journalists, it’s unclear whether they will get in this game. Charlotte Hall, former president of the American Society of News Editors, has already indicated a willingness to consider the idea. “I think one area worthy of more exploration is foundation support for some functions within existing newsrooms,” she says. “They already have an infrastructure, staff and broad audience to have impact.”

Paul Tash, publisher of the St. Petersburg Times, offers one schematic of how that might happen. The Times is in the unusual position of being owned by a nonprofit, the Poynter Institute. Profits from the newspaper (which are taxed just as at any other newspaper) are used by Poynter to support its training and research institute. “Here’s a hypothetical,” said Tash. “What if we gave to Poynter some part of our Web operation, and made that as an R&D project. A journalistic lab. Even gave some support to it from the St. Petersburg Times. Then Poynter might attract some philanthropic support for it. That, perhaps, could be a model.”

Victor Navasky, publisher emeritus of The Nation, contends that it’s in existing news organizations where foundation dollars can best be used. “The best potential lies in one-offs, rather than attempting to launch permanent, new enterprises,” he said, “and supporting existing institutions with track records.”

Photographer Susan Meiselas said the Magnum Photos agency, with which she is affiliated, has set up foundations in New York and London aimed at finding new ways to support documentary photographers. “There are new models to pursue,” she said, “including partnerships between organizations who have distinct roles in news or in-depth reporting which can be complementary.”

CONCLUSION

The uncertainty about philanthropy’s role in the news ecology of the future hasn’t gone away. Journalism needs long-term, reliable, sustainable funding, and foundations and wealthy donors often have something else in mind. Even so, foundation-funded journalism is likely to keep growing. Why? Because the reporting resources of mainstream news organizations are likely to continue receding. Syracuse University journalism professor Vin Crosbie says we may be entering a “Gray Age” of information, in which the news budgets of legacy media shrink much faster than new business models can be created. If so, the foundation-funded news wave may just be beginning.

I have a better solution. Take the lead from those in Media that are GROWING in readership, listenership, and viewership. TELL THE TRUTH. Report the facts and let the American people decide. It really is that simple. The reason the MMD {Mainstream Media Drones} are losing so fast is because the American people are NOT as stupid as they think they are. We are tired of agenda reporting and the MMD telling us what to believe. We want the NEWS. Not agendas passed off as news. We want the FACTS. Not fabrications, opinions, or interpretations. We want truth. Not lies and omissions.

However, as long as the MMD do not have to worry about you, the American consumer, they will continue to go down the road of State Run and agenda driven "reporting."

What is even more sad, is that there will still be some in this country that will continue to believe whatever the MMD tells them, and will continue to give them their hard earned money. Even though, as this report clearly points out, they do not need it. Think about it.
Peter

Sources:
Annenberg School for Communication - CCLP Report Details Growing Philanthropic Support for Journalism

Iran's Hope and Change

Talk about a new day in Iran?

Hey folks,

To this day, after a week and a half delayed condemnation by Obama about the Iranian Elections and protest thereafter, he STILL will not come out and say we will not have anything to do with Iran. He STILL wants to sit and talk with them.

Meanwhile in Iran.

A powerful cleric said Friday that Iran will put British Embassy staffers on trial for fomenting postelection turmoil, a step that would likely increase Iran's isolation and alienate Western nations that have been trying to keep options open with Tehran despite its crackdown on protesters.

Actually it was Ahmad Jannati, the Head of Iran's Guardians Council, who said this at Friday prayers in Tehran.

"In these incidents, their embassy had a presence, some people were arrested. Naturally they will be put on trial, they have made confessions."

The announcement fueled calls in Europe for tougher action against Tehran. Britain is pressing for members of the European Union to pull their ambassadors out of Tehran to protest the staffers' arrests last week.

The standoff is a test of how far Iran's clerical rulers are willing to go to shore up their position at home after the wave of protests — even if they risk wrecking possibilities for dialogue between Tehran and the West, a major policy goal of President Barack Obama that Tehran cautiously welcomed.

THEY DO NOT NOW, NOR WILL THEY EVER, WANT DIALOGUE WITH US! They want us DEAD. All this talk about the hope and change of Iran is idiotic. They are executing people as we speak.

Tehran, Iran, Jul. 03 - Iranian authorities on Thursday hanged six people in the holy city of Qom, central Iran, state media reported.

All six were hanged in a prison, the state-run news agency Fars reported. They were accused of drug trafficking.

Six people were hanged on Wednesday in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison, the state-run news agency ISNA reported, without identifying them. They were accused of murder.

Iranian authorities routinely execute dissidents on bogus charges such as armed robbery and drug trafficking.

Since the 12 June presidential election, millions of people have taken part in anti-government rallies in Tehran and other major cities, protesting the re-appointment of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad following the election which they believe was rigged. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on 19 June rallied behind Ahmadinejad and demanded protestors stop their action. Demonstrators have since directed their protests at the entirety of the clerical establishment, with chants of “death to Khamenei”.

How does Iran deal with, uh, Free Speech?

Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, a ranking cleric, on Friday said, "Anyone who takes up arms to fight with the people is worthy of execution."

Those who disturbed the peace and destroyed public property were "at war with God" and should be "mercilessly dealt with", Khatami said in a nationally televised sermon.

Evin Prison was built by the Shah’s regime as a modern security prison to house political dissidents, but it became the Islamic Republic’s most dreaded gulag and the site of thousands of political executions. Ward 209 is exclusively set aside for political prisoners.

Yeah, we should really talk to them. Right? They will change their ways as long as our King Hussein Obama smiles and tells them to. Right? Things are so much better in the world now that "The One," The almighty Obama has risen to power here in our country. {sigh} Great world changing speech. Great speech. However, I do not think they got the message.
Peter

Sources:
AP - Iranian cleric: British Embassy staff to be tried
Iran Focus - Six hanged in central Iran

Florida Crist Can NOT Ask For Diversity

Where is the Circus?

Hey folks,

Here is something you do not see everyday. A Republican Governor demanding diversity, and a State Supreme Court saying Screw You. The National Media ignoring it. I'm not kidding. According to the Sun Sentinel - Crist must fill court opening from original list, Supreme Court rules By Aaron Deslatte

Tallahassee Bureau

4:24 PM EDT, July 2, 2009

TALLAHASSEE - The Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Gov. Charlie Crist must fill a Central Florida appeals court opening from the original list of six nominees and can't reject the names because he wanted a more diverse slate of candidates.

All six are White.

The governor had demanded more racial diversity last December when he rejected a list of six white lawyers to fill a vacancy on the Fifth District Court of Appeal based in Daytona Beach. The vacancy was created by the December retirement of Judge Robert Pleus of Windermere.

Crist's move angered many in the legal community, who fear that allowing governors to reject names submitted by judicial nominating commissions would undermine checks and balances between the two branches of government.

Now I do understand the reason that these "Checks and Balances" are in place. To avoid what we have with Obama and Sotomayor. It is there to prevent a Governor from rejecting whom the Courts feel is the best qualified to put into place a Lackey. But as you can see here, it also creates a situation where the Governor can not over ride what the courts want. In this case, White people.

In March, Pleus asked the Supreme Court to order Crist to name his replacement from the commission's list.

The high court said Thursday the governor must do that -- but did not order it "because we believe the Governor will fully comply with the dictates of this opinion."

Crist said he was "disappointed" by the ruling – but that he'd comply.

"I remain committed to ensuring that the diversity of the people of Florida is represented in our judiciary," he said in a statement. "In respect to the court's decision, I look forward to interviewing and considering the nominees for the Fifth District Court of Appeal."

Pleus' lawyer, former Florida State University President Talbot "Sandy" D'Alemberte, said the governor's goals would be better served by appointing more diverse nominating panels and allowing the judicial screening process to work.

"We never thought that the governor was acting through bad motives; we just didn't think he had the power," D'Alemberte said. "It would undermine the whole system if he were allowed to substitute his judgment for that of the judicial nominating system."

The Florida Constitution says the governor "shall" fill court vacancies within 60 days of receiving up to six nominees from screening panels. This lessens the governor's ability to appoint political allies or cronies.

The Judicial Nominating Commission -- a group of lawyers, most appointed by Crist -- reviewed 26 candidates, including at least three black lawyers, and recommended four men and two women. The 10-member court is currently all white, with one woman member.

So why were the three {Out of 26?} Black Lawyers rejected? Where is the Justice Brothers? Where is the Circus? Where is the cries of Racism? Where is the Mainstream Media doing stories of how the poor Governor, who is seeking Racial Equality, being shut down by the State Supreme Court? Where is the outrage? Oh yeah, Gov. Crist is a Republican. He could not possibly be anything more than a Racist, bigoted, hate filled chauvinistic, Homophobe. Right?

Crist's decision also promoted a group of women lawyers to argue in a separate brief that gender diversity is also important -- and that no woman had been named to the Fifth DCA in 20 years.

Crist had asked the panel to add African Americans -- specifically citing Chief Circuit Judge Belvin Perry of Orange County. The panel refused, saying it didn't have that power. Last month, Crist's lawyer, Jason Gonzalez, said that "questions had been raised" about racial bias in the selection and that the governor hoped to "clear the air" by getting a new slate of names. But Crist's office never produced any proof of racial bias, a point several justices noted in a May hearing.

No proof? 4 WHITE Men. and two WHITE Women. Stories, Lawsuits, and daily news live broadcasts have been done for much less.

The court's unanimous ruling, written by recent Crist appointee Jorge LaBarga, concluded that the governor "is bound by the Florida Constitution to appoint a nominee from the [nominating commission's] certified list ... There is no exception to that mandate."

LaBarga added that "while we applaud the governor's interest in achieving diversity in the judiciary--an interest we believe to be genuine and well-intentioned -- the Constitution does not grant the Governor the discretion to refuse or postpone making an appointment."

{Laughing} Translation? Screw you, pick one that we want. Would it not be nice to see the MMD {Mainstream Media Drones} actually stand up for a REPUBLICAN Governor trying to do the right thing?
Peter

Sources:
Sun Sentinal - Crist must fill court opening from original list, Supreme Court rules

Lori Drew Conviction Tentatively Tossed

Do you think it was right?

Hey folks,

Back on December 09, 2007, I posted this. You Control Access To The Internet My whole point was to point out that it is YOUR responsibility to monitor what your kids are doing Online.

I was talking about 13 year old Megan Meier, who committed suicide after learning that the "Boy" she was talking to was not real. A women named Lori Drew was arrested and charged with Conspiracy and intentionally causing emotional harm while accessing computers without authorization. The Jury found her not guilty of the Felonies and now the Judge has Acquitted Lori Drew of Misdemeanor counts of accessing computers without authorization.

According to AOL News- MySpace Conviction Tentatively Tossed By LINDA DEUTSCH, AP
posted: (July 2)

A federal judge on Thursday tentatively threw out the convictions of a Missouri mother for her role in a MySpace hoax directed at a 13-year-old neighbor girl who ended up committing suicide.

U.S. District Judge George Wu said he was acquitting Lori Drew of misdemeanor counts of accessing computers without authorization but stressed the ruling was tentative until he issues it in writing. He noted the case of a judge who changed his mind after ruling.

Drew was convicted in November, but the judge said that if she is to be found guilty of illegally accessing computers, anyone who has ever violated the social networking site's terms of service would be guilty of a misdemeanor. That would be unconstitutional, he said.

"You could prosecute pretty much anyone who violated terms of service," he said.
Prosecutors had sought the maximum three-year prison sentence and a $300,000 fine, but it had been uncertain going into Thursday's hearing whether Drew would be sentenced.

Wu had given a lengthy review to a defense request for dismissal, delaying sentencing from May to go over testimony from two prosecution witnesses.

Wu said he allowed the case to proceed to trial when Drew was charged with a felony, but she was convicted only of the misdemeanor and that presented constitutional problems.

Drew's attorney Dean Steward said outside court that the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles should not have brought the charges in a case that originated in Missouri and was rejected by prosecutors there.

"Shame on the U.S. attorney for bringing this case. The St. Louis prosecutors had it right," Steward said. "The cynic in me says that (U.S. Attorney) Tom O'Brien wanted to make a name for himself or to keep his job."

O'Brien told a press conference that after prosecutors see the written ruling they will consider options, including an appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
"I'm proud of this case," he said. "This is a case that called out for someone to do something. It was a risk. But this office will always take risks on behalf of children."

Steward said the ruling should mark the end of Drew's criminal case.
"It's not the end of the road, it's the end of the chapter on the criminal side, which is pretty clearly the end," he said.

The parents of Megan Meier, the teenager who killed herself, were in court for the ruling. Later, her mother, Tina Meier, said that in spite of the disappointment, she felt that justice was done because "we got the word out."

Tina Meier said she is devoting her life to educating parents and teachers about potential threats to their children lurking in the Internet.

Much attention has been paid to Drew's case, primarily because it was the nation's first cyberbullying trial. The trial was held in Los Angeles because the servers of the social networking site are in the area.

Prosecutors say Drew sought to humiliate Megan by helping create a fictitious teen boy on the social networking site and sending flirtatious messages to the girl in his name. The fake boy then dumped Megan in a message saying the world would be better without her.

She hanged herself a short time later in October 2006 in the St. Louis suburb of Dardenne Prairie, Mo.

Drew was not directly charged with causing Megan's death. Instead, prosecutors indicted her under the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which in the past has been used in hacking and trademark theft cases.

Wu acknowledged in May he was concerned that sending Drew to prison for violating a Web site's service terms might set a dangerous precedent. Wu at the time noted that millions of people either don't read service terms, as happened in Drew's case.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that Drew violated MySpace service rules by setting up the phony profile for a boy named "Josh Evans" with the help of her then-13-year-old daughter Sarah and business assistant Ashley Grills. They posted a photo of a bare-chested boy with tousled brown hair.

"Josh" then told Megan she was "sexi" and assured her, "i love you so much."
Prosecutors believe Drew and her daughter, who was friends with Megan, created the profile to find out if Megan was spreading rumors about Sarah. Grills testified she received a message from Megan in mid-2006, calling Drew's daughter a lesbian.

Grills, who testified under a promise of immunity, allegedly sent the final, insulting message to Megan before she killed herself. Prosecutors said Megan sent a response saying, "'You are the kind of boy a girl would kill herself over.'"

Jurors decided Drew was not guilty of the more serious felonies of intentionally causing emotional harm while accessing computers without authorization. The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on a felony conspiracy charge.

I still retain my original question.

"OK, question. Did Tina Meier, Megan's Mother, know ANYTHING about what her daughter was doing? Did she know where her daughter was visiting online? Did she KNOW that this was happening? If not, WHY?"

I'm glad that Tina Meier said she is devoting her life to educating parents and teachers about potential threats to their children lurking in the Internet. I hope some good DOES come out of this horrible tragedy. I'm glad that the Judge did the right thing here. I HOPE you folks out there with kids, will let this be a lesson learned that YOU are responsible for what your kids are doing. Not just Online, but at all times.
Peter

Sources:
AOL News- MySpace Conviction Tentatively Tossed

Bedwetting, Being Overweight linked to sleep apnea

Health and Science for 070509

Hey folks,

You know, it's kind of like when you buy a new car. All of a sudden you see them EVERYWHERE. I will admit that I had no idea about Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), until I was diagnosed with it. Now, I find that it is FAR more common than I knew, and that it is far more dangerous than I ever thought.

I keep learning more and more about it and I found this interesting. According to Health.am - Bedwetting, being overweight linked to sleep apnea

Children who are overweight and wet the bed at night may have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), researchers report.

Both being overweight and wetting the bed are associated with the nighttime breathing disorder, they found. However, overweight and bedwetting are not associated with each other.

OK I have to admit something else. The whole overweight thing REALLY bothers me. I really have no idea why. But it does. Now I weighed in at 224 my last weight check. But I would not consider myself as all that over weight due to the fact Muscle weighs more than fat and I have far more muscle than I do fat. Now yeah, I have gotten a little soft in the middle having stayed away from the gym for three years. But I'm back and working at it.

For those of you who watch Pro Wrestling, you know who I'm going to talk about. For those of you who do not, you will just have to trust me on this. Batista. Batista is 300 pounds, without an OUNCE of fat on him. Now by standard charts, he would be considered Obese. But he is not. So the whole, "OH, you have OSA, you better loose some weight," to me, well, is too generic. Anyway, back to the article.

In a “case-control” study, Dr. Joseph G. Barone, of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey, and colleagues performed overnight sleep studies in 149 children between the ages of 5 and 15 with OSA, and 139 matched control children.

They combined that data with information from medical records, including age, gender, height, weight, frequency of bedwetting, history of snoring, diabetes, nasal allergies, and/or enlarged tonsils.

According to Barone and colleagues, there was a significant association between both bedwetting and overweight and OSA.

Bedwetting raised the likelihood of OSA more than fivefold and being overweight raised the likelihood of OSA more than fourfold. However, their associations are independent of each other, the researchers note.

Barone’s team suggests that doctors consider OSA in overweight children who wet the bed, especially when they display other symptoms of OSA or fail to respond to standard bedwetting treatment programs.

SOURCE: Pediatrics, July 2009.

So what this is saying is that if your kid wets the bed, they are MORE likely to have OSA than ones that are overweight? WHY? I'm honestly asking here. What is the connection between wetting the bed and OSA? The weight thing, although I feel strongly can be overused, I can also understand. More weight makes is easier for your airways to be cut off. But bedwetting? That was a new one for me, and now something else I will have to look into.

But folks, I want you to take this seriously. This is a SERIOUS condition. In sever cases, Strokes, heart failure, death, can occur. So if you, or any of your loved ones show ANY of these signs, PLEASE get them checked out and get them the help they need.
Peter

Sources:
Health.am - Bedwetting, being overweight linked to sleep apnea

Swine Flu Update 070509

UPDATE: Swine Flu still alive.

Hey folks,

Yes, the H1N1, AKA Swine Flu, is still alive and well. So to speak. Of course, I am still watching it. According to the Chicago Tribune - Actor Rupert Grint, Ron Weasley in 'Harry Potter' films, recovering from swine flu

LONDON (AP) — The agent for "Harry Potter" star Rupert Grint says the actor is recovering from a mild case of swine flu.

Grint plays the boy wizard's best friend Ron Weasley in the hit film franchise.

Christian Hodell of Hamilton Hodell management said Saturday that Grint took a few days away from the set of the latest film, but has now been able to return to work.

Here is your US CDC Update:

Alabama 330 cases 0 deaths
Alaska 60 cases 0 deaths
Arkansas 42 cases 0 deaths
Arizona 761 cases 10 deaths
California 1985 cases 21 deaths
Colorado 136 cases 0 deaths
Connecticut 1247 cases 6 deaths
Delaware 316 cases 0 deaths
Florida 1302 cases 5 death
Georgia 118 cases 0 deaths
Hawaii 616 cases 0 deaths
Idaho 92 cases 0 deaths
Illinois 3166 cases 13 deaths
Indiana 267 cases 0 deaths
Iowa 92 cases 0 deaths
Kansas 117 cases 0 deaths
Kentucky 130 cases 0 deaths
Louisiana 183 cases 0 deaths
Maine 82 cases 0 deaths
Maryland 591 cases 1 death
Massachusetts 1308 cases 3 deaths
Michigan 484 cases 7 deaths
Minnesota 576 1 death
Mississippi 161 cases 0 deaths
Missouri 65 cases 1 death
Montana 67 cases 0 deaths
Nebraska 111 cases 0 deaths
Nevada 301 cases 0 deaths
New Hampshire 224 cases 0 deaths
New Jersey 1159 cases 9 deaths
New Mexico 232 cases 0 deaths
New York 2499 cases 44 deaths
North Carolina 255 cases 2 deaths
North Dakota 57 cases 0 deaths
Ohio 120 cases 1 death
Oklahoma 128 cases 1 death
Oregon 366 cases 4
Pennsylvania 1748 cases 4 deaths
Rhode Island 158 cases 1 death
South Carolina 160 cases 0 deaths
South Dakota 29 cases 0 deaths
Tennessee 174 cases 0 deaths
Texas 3991 cases 17 deaths
Utah 920 cases 10 deaths
Vermont 49 cases 0 deaths
Virginia 191 cases 1 death
Washington 588 cases 4 deaths
Washington, D.C. 33 cases 0 deaths
West Virginia 154 cases 0 deaths
Wisconsin 5861 cases 4 death
Wyoming 81 cases 0 deaths
Territories
Puerto Rico 18 cases 0 deaths
Virgin Islands 1 case 0 deaths
TOTAL (53)* 33,902 cases 170 deaths

Be careful out there folks. Take the precautions you need to take and if you feel you may have the symptoms, get checked out.
Peter

IWA for Sunday 070509

I know some of you will hate this.

Hey folks,

I WAS seriously considering giving the Idiots the Week off due to Independence Day. I seriously considered not looking for one to award this week, in the spirit of unity and oneness. In the spirit of being TRUE Americans.

Then I saw this. Obama is going on yet another World Apology Tour and is going to sit down with President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia and talk about reducing our {theirs and our} nuclear weapons.

He will also meet with the Pope. Reason? Who knows. Then he will meet with other world Leaders to discuss Climate Change. {Sigh} He will wrap things up in Africa.

Meanwhile in the real world.

Vladimir Putin now Prime Minister of Russia is still attempting to bring back the good old USSR. Iran is continuing their Nuclear Quest. North Korea just fired another, up to about 7 or 8, rockets, showing their skills are improving. Uh, they HAVE nuclear Weapons. There was just a military coup in Honduras. Islamofascists are still trying to kill us. Let's not forget, our Economy sucks and he wants to put us in more dept.

"I think that there have been times over the last several years where U.S.-Russian relations were not as strong as they should be," Obama told state-owned Russia TV. "What I have said coming in is I want to press the restart button on relations between the United states and Russia."

Yeah, he told this to the State Run American Media also. Then they even misspelled RESET, or restart, whatever, in Russian. Could not even take the time to LEARN how to spell it?

Anyway, what does he hope to actually ACCOMPLISH this trip? Will he be visiting Israel? Nope. What about Britain knowing that they have citizens going on trial in Iran? Nope. What does he have to say about that? Not much.

No folks, this will end up being another Obama Apology Tour. Nothing more, nothing less. He will come across as EXACTLY what he is. Inexperienced, ignorant, and easily excused. He will NOT improve relations with those that want us dead. He will not change anyone's minds. He will FAIL completely while more important matters at hand will continue to be ignored.

Congratulations Mr. President. You ARE the Idiot of the Week. What you really need is a moment of clarity. A moment that you wake up and realize you are NOT your hype. You are NOT "The One." "The Messiah. "The bringer of peace to the world." "God." No Sir. You are an inexperienced little child attempting to PLAY President. You are FAILING Sir. You need to recognize this fact and actually DO something to protect this country and it's citizens. My biggest fear Mr. President is that the moment of clarity I speak of, will either never come, or it will come at the price of thousands of dead Americans.

However, in the Spirit of unity, let me help you prepare for your trip. Repeat after me. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Peter

Sources:
AP - Obama's trip: A mission to reshape US image

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day!

Let us NEVER forget, In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. This is the day we declared Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.

John Adams Wrote:

"The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more."

We have chosen July 4th, the date shown on the Declaration of Independence. We then and now, for now, have the Freedom OF Religion. The Freedom of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We should celebrate this day like no other as a Nation and we shalt never forget all those that have paid the ultimate price for that freedom. We ought not forget that we HAVE this freedom. We ought not EVER, willing allow these freedoms to be taken away. Not just from those outside, but from within also.

Have a Happy and SAFE Independence Day!
Peter

California IOUs To Go Nationwide?

From the Emails for Friday 070309

Hey folks,

Yes, this one is actually the Friday Edition. Happy Friday. You know, one of these weeks I might just do the entire week from the Emails. You folks out there find some great stuff. Today is no different.

Yes, I did see this. This is just completely unbelievable. Well, not unbelievable, but what I do not get is WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE? How can these Morons get away with this. Oh, TS pointed this out to me, by the way. The article is from CNN Money - Cash-poor California turns to IOUs

I will be commenting on this one. Here it is.

The Golden State is running short on cash so it is issuing IOUs to some contractors, agencies and taxpayers. By Tami Luhby, CNNMoney.com senior writer Last Updated: July 2, 2009: 6:07 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Here come the California IOUs.

Unable to meet its bills for the second time this year, the state started printing IOUs on Thursday. Some 28,750 IOUs worth $53.3 million will be issued initially, mainly for personal income tax refunds.

That's right folks. If you live in California, you work hard all year, and you are counting on your refund? Sorry. Your IOU is on it's way.

The IOUs helps the state controller stave off a deficit of nearly $3 billion for July. The state plans to send the IOUs to certain county agencies, small businesses and taxpayers owed billions of dollars.

The state's fiscal condition is disastrous. Officials passed a budget in February, but declining tax revenues have opened up a $26 billion deficit.

So why? Out of control spending and Liberal Loon policies. Some of which Obama and crew what to take Nationwide.

Lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger are locking horns over how to bridge the gap: The governor wants to use deep spending cuts and borrowing, and Senate Democrats are pushing tax increases and less-severe cuts.

Of course. That is the Left's main plan for ANYTHING. More taxes. They could not possibly spend LESS or cut idiotic policies. No. YOU better pay MORE.

Schwarzenegger on Wednesday declared a fiscal emergency, giving the legislature 45 days to address the crisis. He also ordered state workers to take a third furlough day every month.

On Thursday, however, it appeared progress had been made and a deal may be struck within days.

"It's time that we get this done. It's time that we move to a close quickly. It's going to take compromise," said Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, adding that a tax package proposed earlier by the Democrats is off the table.

The damage, however, is already being done. The IOUs will cost the state millions in interest and could hurt its bond rating. And California residents and businesses won't get paid on time.

But you know who will? More on that in a second.

"Unfortunately, the state's inability to balance its checkbook will now mean short-changing taxpayers, local governments and small businesses," state Controller John Chiang said last week.

It gets worse folks. Who needs small business anyway? They have NEVER been important to the Left. EVER. Even though Obama just said, "Big businesses were once small businesses." Not if they are KILLED before they get there Mr. President.

The IOUs can be redeemed at face value, plus 3.75% interest, by Oct. 2 or earlier if a budget deal is signed and the state has enough cash to cover them. Some banks and at least 25 credit unions have agreed to accept the IOUs. Bank of America, Chase, Citi and Wells Fargo have said they would accept the paper through July 10.

The last time the state had to issue IOUs was amid another budget crisis 17 years ago. It had to delay $2.8 billion in payments for five weeks starting in February after the governor and legislators failed to address a $42 billion deficit at that time. The two sides came to an agreement and Schwarzenegger signed it into law on Feb. 20.

Voters delivered a crushing blow to the state finances in May, when they rejected five ballot proposals that would have eased the budget strain.

Yeah, they said NO NEW TAXES, and NO MORE GOVERNMENT. So what is the reasonable alternatives? CUT WASTE and REDUCE spending. But they won't do THAT.

Things will only get worse if state officials don't come to an agreement soon. The cash shortfall widens to $6.5 billion in September. After then, even IOUs won't be enough, said Hallye Jordan, spokeswoman for the controller. The gap will hit $16.7 billion by October.

Who is affected

To save money for education and debt payments, Chiang plans to withhold $424 million that would go for state operations, primarily to vendors, as well as another $141 million in payments to small businesses.

Nearly $200 million in personal income and corporate tax payments would be delayed. Regional centers that provide services to those with developmental disabilities would get IOUs instead of $363 million, while the CalWorks welfare program wouldn't get $495 million right away.

The IOUs can have devastating effects on residents and companies, particularly small businesses.

Gloria Freeman runs Staff USA, which supplies medical staff for state prisons and other facilities. State contracts represent 80% of her business.

"I have already laid off 5 employees in preparation for IOUs," Freeman said in a statement Wednesday.

Now I was waiting to see if they said who was NOT effected. They didn't. So allow me. To recap:

People who get California IOUs?

Grants to aged, blind or disabled persons.
People needing temporary assistance for basic family needs.
People in drug prevention, treatment, and recovery services.
Persons with developmental disabilities.
People in mental health treatment.
Small Business Vendors.

People NOT effected and whom California pays in cash, and on time?

Legislators, legislative employees, and appointees.
University of California.
Public Employees’ Retirement System.
Judges.
Department of Corrections.
Health Care Services payments to Institutional Providers.

That's right folks, Grants to aged, blind or disabled persons, sorry tough luck. People needing temporary assistance for basic family needs? BASIC NEEDS? Screw ya. People in drug prevention, treatment, and recovery services. Keep doing your drugs. After all, you won't care about the economy while high. Besides, once we find a way to tax that, we'll need all the addicts we can get. Persons with developmental disabilities and people in Mental Health Treatment. Well, they do not know how bad off they are anyway. They are just a burden. They can wait. Small Business? Screw ya. You are to small for us to control anyway. Tough luck.

Legislators? Hell no. We are not giving ourselves IOUs. Are you nuts? We need to get paid. We are smarter than you and we are in charge of this, so you will continue to give US your money. You know, so we can spend it. University of California? Of course. We need our Indoctrination Centers to be funded with your money. We are not getting any younger. We need to raise the next crop of Socialist. Public Employees’ Retirement System? Of course. We are talking about OUR money you know. We also have to take care of our Lackeys. Judges and Department of Corrections? Of course. We need to pay those that lock up those that do not agree with us. Uh, we mean, we have to protect the public. Health Care Services payments to Institutional Providers? Of course. We have to take care of the Illegal Aliens.

After all, this is ALL YOUR FAULT ANYWAY. You are to stupid to do the right thing. Didn't you listen to Colon Powell? You WANT bigger Government and higher taxes. Didn't you listen to VP Biden? It's time to be patriotic and pay more taxes. Didn't you listen to Obama? Taxes and high Energy costs are GOOD. No. No, you stupid idiots. You DARED to block us from Dictating to you what is best for you. You really do not expect us to take pay cuts or cut our spending on pet projects did you? Here is your IOU. Trust us, were good for it.

Yes my friends in California. It is all your fault. Not the asinine out of control Liberal spending on FAILED policies. YOU. You voted to STOP the madness. So this is pay back to you. Imagine this on the National Level. 2010 is just around the corner. Get ready folks. You CAN slow the madness down.
Peter

Sources:
CNN Money - Cash-poor California turns to IOUs
Reuters Blog - Felix Salmon

Watch lists, guns and government

From the Emails 070209

Hey folks,

Happy Thursday. Here is yet another From the Emails. This is something you will NOT read about in the MMD. No. That would go against Obama and the Loons that want to BAN all Guns.

The following was sent in by DH. It's by Bob Barr, former Senator and Libertarian Presidential Candidate.

Watch lists, guns and government by Bob Barr
As published in The Atlanta Journal Constitution
Monday, June 29, 2009 at 9:00 AM

The secret government "Terrorist Watch List," reportedly already swelled to more than 1.1 million names, will have an addendum, if gun control advocates in Congress have their way. This new addendum — also to be cloaked in secrecy — would empower the U.S. Attorney General to deny a person the ability to exercise their Second Amendment rights to purchase a firearm.

While it is not surprising that some members of Congress are again using fear of terrorism to implement a gun-control agenda, the openly unconstitutional legislative language proponents are employing is troubling.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) is leading the effort in the Senate, while another well-known gun control advocate — Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) — is directing the House initiative. They have introduced identical bills — the "Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2009." This proposal would give the attorney general the power to unilaterally and in secret develop a watch list of persons believed to be unworthy of possessing a firearm or any explosive.

This new "dangerous terrorist" watch list would include names based not on hard evidence of criminal activity, but on nothing more than the subjective conclusion by the attorney general that a person is "appropriately suspected" (whatever that means) of engaging in some manner of assisting or preparing for acts of domestic or international terrorism. The American people would never be privy to what criteria might be employed by the attorney general to determine whether someone is an "appropriate suspect," and they would have no way of knowing why they might be denied the ability to purchase a firearm.

If a person were to be refused "permission" to purchase a firearm or explosive, and if they subsequently filed a lawsuit in federal court to find out why, the government still could keep such information secret. In other words, the attorney general could deny a U.S. citizen the ability to own a firearm, and never have to give the reason.

For legislators like Lautenberg and King, who apparently have absolute faith in unelected government officials to make the right decisions for the right reasons at the right times (and never be required to explain those decisions), one has only to consider the checkered history of post-9/11 "terrorist" watch lists to see the folly of such perspective. Stories abound of persons denied the ability to board a commercial aircraft, or greatly delayed in being allowed on board, for no reason other than their name erroneously appeared on some "watch list." Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), have been among this not-so-elite group.

A report earlier this year by the FBI's inspector general chronicled extensive internal problems with the terrorist watch list maintained by that agency. The IG found numerous examples of inaccuracies, incomplete entries, out-of-date information and inclusion of information "unrelated to terrorism." While the inconvenience of not being able to board an airliner for a business trip or a vacation can be a real headache, being refused the ability to purchase a firearm to protect one's life clearly raises the stakes.

The government already has remedies already at its disposal to keep firearms out of the hands of known or suspected terrorists. Under existing federal law, there are numerous categories of persons prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms; including persons in violation of immigration laws, convicted felons, illicit drug users and others. And if a person truly is a known or suspected terrorist, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — as the federal law enforcement agency primarily responsible for enforcing the nation's gun laws — certainly should be made aware of that information. We don't need a secret, anti-Second Amendment watch list to implement effective law enforcement in America.

LINK: The Bar Code

Remember the asinine "Right Wing Extremist Report? If you are not Pro-Death {Pro-Life} you may now be deemed a terrorist and with this new Law, be banned from owning a firearm. But could there be more to this?

I have started hearing some rumblings of people so fed up with our OUT OF CONTROL Government and their CLEAR quest for Tyranny, that they are starting to wonder if the only thing left is a NEW Civil War. I do not think we are there yet. But some are starting to wonder. Now the Obama Administration is talking about THIS? Dis-arm the populace so that this can not happen? I don't know. Kind of makes sense. However, this IS in a direct violation of the Constitution. But then again, Obama couldn't care less about the Constitution. He in as much said so.

Now I do not personally like Guns. I really don't. Guns do not scare me. Idiots with guns scare me. I really think that if you are to buy one, you should be required to be FULLY trained on safety and use. But I believe in the Constitution and the WISDOM of our Founding Fathers. I put more faith in them than I do in the crop of Idiots we have now attempting to rip the very foundation of this country out from right under of our feet.
Peter

Note: "From The Emails" is a weekly segment in the Friday edition of the OPNtalk Blog. If you care to send in News Articles, Comments, Stories, or anything else you may wish to share, please feel free to send it to opntalk@aim.com As always, you never know what you are going to see here.

Government Sanity

We need sanity brought back to Government.

Hey folks,

I'm serious. We are dying as a Country, our Rights are being striped away, and some in the ignorant populace are standing and applauding what they would normally be standing up against. We need a REHAUL of Government. We need the voices of the SANE heard. We need REAL hope and change. But it is ALL up to you.

Let's see what the Looney Left is up to today.

God be with those in Minnesota. A horrible Comedian, failed talk show host, and one that suffers from EAD {Explosive Anger Disorder} is now a Senator representing you. Yes folks, this guy is insane. It only took him and ACORN, and the LOONS in control of the Election 8 months to rig the win. According to the AP - Franken wins Minn. Senate race; Coleman concedes By BRIAN BAKST, Associated Press Writer Brian Bakst, Associated Press Writer – Tue Jun 30, 7:45 pm ET

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Al Franken ascended Tuesday from the ranks of former "Saturday Night Live" comedians to an even more exclusive club, outlasting Republican Norm Coleman in an eight-month recount and courtroom saga to win a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Franken's victory gives Democrats control of 60 seats in the Senate — the critical number needed to overcome Republican filibusters. When Franken is seated, which could come as early as next week, his party will have a majority not reached on either side of the aisle in some three decades.

"When you win an election this close, you know not one bit of effort went to waste," Franken said. "The way I see it, I'm not going to Washington to be the 60th Democratic senator, I'm going to Washington to be the second senator from Minnesota."

Yes AL, "you know not one bit of effort went to waste." ACORN did a wonderful job. Any SANE person can clearly see that YOU stole this. It went like this. Original Vote, Coleman won. Recount, Coleman wins. Recount, Al closer, but Norm wins. It was like "Coleman wins by 1000, no, 500, no 250, no, WAIT! Al wins by 315, OK THAT'S IT. Al wins." {Sigh}

Then this. You want to see what lies ahead for America under Obama Rule? According to the Mercury News - Calif. Senate fails to break budget deadlock By JUDY LIN Associated Press Writer Posted: 06/30/2009 11:50:13 PM PDT Updated: 07/01/2009 12:46:12 AM PDT

SACRAMENTO—The California Senate shut down at midnight Tuesday after failing to approve a stopgap plan to stave off the need for IOUs and ease the state's $24.3 billion budget deficit.

It is all the Liberal Lunatic Policies that has brought California to the place it is now. They can not afford to operate the way they have been any longer without drastic cuts, that the Libs REFUSE to cut. So you have what you have. A State, and if America adopts all this Lunacy, a country, BANKRUPT and shut down.

Then this. You LIKE the concept of Universal Healthcare? You like the concept of the Government deciding what is best for you? Obama as your new Doctor? They have not gotten there yet, but they are trying. Get this. This is from Bloomberg.com - Painkiller Limits Urged by FDA After Education Efforts Failed By Catherine Larkin

July 1 (Bloomberg) -- Tylenol, a 50-year-old staple of household medicine cabinets, and Vicodin, the most prescribed drug in the U.S., may face new restrictions because of the risk of liver damage tied to the ingredient acetaminophen.

Yep!

Outside advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted yesterday in favor of a ban on Vicodin, Percocet and other prescription medicines that combine acetaminophen with a narcotic. The panel also urged that Johnson & Johnson’s Tylenol be given in lower doses than now recommended and the extra- strength version be sold by prescription only.

Why?

Acetaminophen, an aspirin alternative used to reduce pain and fever, has been a leading cause of liver injury for more than a decade. The FDA proposed tough strategies to limit overdoses after education efforts failed, a sign that it is “taking a harder look at safety” under President Barack Obama than in previous administrations, said Les Funtleyder, a health- care analyst at Miller Tabak & Co., in New York.

“This is not a problem that arose overnight,” said Sandra Kweder, deputy director of the FDA’s Office of New Drugs, after yesterday’s meeting in Adelphi, Maryland. “There is probably not one thing that will reduce the trend of acetaminophen- related liver toxicity. We had taken some actions. They alone aren’t likely to be enough.”

OK. So because some people MISUSE the product that has help MILLIONS over the years, is now being talked about being done away with and made impotent. Because the Libs think you are to stupid to use the product correctly. Not to mention it will give Government more say in more Private Industries.

Acetaminophen overdose was linked to 458 deaths, 26,000 hospitalizations and 56,000 emergency-room visits annually from 1990 to 2001, according to the working group’s report. The drug is a leading cause of acute liver failure in the U.S.

WAIT! 1990 to 2001? What about LAST year? Any UPDATED NUMBERS? How many of them were due to those MISUSING the product? How many were Suicides?

Vicodin, sold by Abbott Laboratories, and its generic equivalents are the most popular drug in the U.S., with about 125 million prescriptions dispensed last year, according to IMS Health Inc., a data research company in Norwalk, Connecticut.

“You have to balance patient safety and treatment options,” said DeAnna DuBose, a spokeswoman for Abbott, in a telephone interview after the panel’s decision. “This particular combination has been around for 30 years. It has a long history of doctors prescribing it and feeling comfortable with it.”

Prescription combination drugs account for half of acetaminophen overdoses because patients intentionally take too much or don’t realize they shouldn’t take over-the-counter Tylenol at the same time, the FDA’s advisers said. Liver damage caused by acetaminophen has reduced the number of organs available for transplant, said panel member Robert Levine.

‘Best’ Prevention

Banning prescription combinations would offer “the best advantage that I’ve seen in preventing” liver injury, said Levine, a gastroenterology professor at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse.

Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc., which makes Percocet, looks forward to working with the FDA, Kevin Wiggins, a company spokesman.

“We introduced a lower-dose tablet, primarily to give physicians a choice for managing the drug with their patients,” Wiggins said yesterday in a telephone interview. “This has been looked at for a long time.”

Even if the FDA doesn’t ban Vicodin or Percocet, adding tougher warnings about liver risks or reducing the amount of acetaminophen they contain may shift demand to a competing painkiller developed by Bristol, Tennessee-based King Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Acura Pharmaceuticals Inc., based in Palatine, Illinois. The companies are waiting for FDA approval of Acurox, a short-acting oxycodone pill designed to deter abuse by causing unpleasant side effects if too much is taken.

So force people to move away from what WORKS, to a cheaper and less effective alternative? Does anyone else wonder if any of these morons have interest in Acura Pharmaceuticals Inc.?

Your Government at work. The Liberals, in their mind, the smartest people in the room, know that you are to stupid to know what is best for you. So to "Save on Healthcare Costs" they want to do away with something that has been around for decades to help people who may not be able to take Aspirin. My Wife is one of them. My Niece is another.

2010 is your opportunity folks. YOU have the power to bring Sanity back to Government. YOU have the power to FIRE some of these from the Looney Left and at least slow this insanity down a bit. They are out of control and they are taking us down a road we should never go.
Peter

Sources:
AP - Franken wins Minn. Senate race; Coleman concedes
Mercury News - Calif. Senate fails to break budget deadlock
Bloomberg.com - Painkiller Limits Urged by FDA After Education Efforts Failed