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Selected News Items For Nov 21 – Nov 27

This thread is for the busy bees of S&L to post articles that demonstrate the distortions and biases of our establishment media.

To make the articles as readable as possible, please use the format described here.

And:

  • Only post ‘hard news’ from establishment media outlets.
  • Avoid editorials and ‘thought pieces,’ unless they are truly newsworthy.
  • Eschew ‘major news’ items that most people will likely have seen elsewhere.
  • Articles that fit under the topic of a recent thread should be posted as a comment there.

  • Post only as much as is absolutely necessary from the original article.

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This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Saturday, November 21st, 2009 at 12:00 am. You can leave a response.

56 Responses to “Selected News Items For Nov 21 – Nov 27”

  1. canary
    November 21, 2009 at 5:07 am

    Obama blocks federal court win by families of 241 U.S. soldiers murdered
    by Iran
    The Boston Globe: Adding insult to infamy
    By Bryan Bender Nov 14 2009

    On Veterans Day,…the unveiling of a new memorial to local soldiers lost overseas, including her son Michael, one of the 241 servicemen killed in the bombing of the US Marine barracks in Lebanon in 1983.

    … many consider the first major terrorist attack against the United States.

    …federal judge ruled in 2007 that Iran was liable for $2.65 billion in damages to be shared by 150 families seeking restitution, …

    But now, the Obama administration is going to court to try to block payments from Iranian assets that the families’ lawyers want seized, …

    In a little-noticed filing in federal court, the Justice Department is arguing that giving the money to the victims “can have significant, detrimental impact on our foreign relations,…The Obama administration’s position is a blow….

    “Two branches are supporting [the families’] position and the executive branch is directly trying to undermine them,’’ said David J. Strachman,….

    …Royce C. Lamberth, chief judge of the US District Court in Washington who ruled in favor of the Beirut families, wrote in a Sept. 30 opinion ….
    … – most notably from Iranian funds held by the US government before the two countries severed diplomatic relations in 1979…

    But Fay maintains that he has identified as much as $2 billion worth of seizable Iranian assets, including securities held in a vault in New York
    that he said a senior US official has testified under oath is owned by Iran.

    Another source of funds he previously identified is an office tower in Manhattan, estimated to be worth $1 billion, that was among properties seized Thursday by federal prosecutors who assert they are owned by a foundation that is a front for the Iranian government.

    The Justice Department declined to comment further on the Administration’s position,…

    http://www.boston.com/news/loc.....ew_hurdle/

    • wardmama4
      November 21, 2009 at 12:45 pm

      And if you were to change Obama Administration to Bush Administration and Iran to Israel – this would be a front page, above the fold story.

      What a crock – The Administration has no right what-so-ever to block this – it is a done deal.

      I find more reasons every day to dislike this POTUS, his Administration and the msm.

      They are all out to destroy America. God Help America.

    • proreason
      November 21, 2009 at 2:38 pm

      There is no end to the cabal’s depravity.

      Who can look at what they have done and conclude anything other than that they are bent on destroying the United States of America.

    • Rusty Shackleford
      November 24, 2009 at 6:47 pm

      Yet another telling incident that screams to the American people what Obama is. A muslim first and always.

      He has extended his middle finger to us at every opportunity; His anger and hatred toward us is apparent though the cause of it will always be a mystery.

      I think the MSM is slowly starting to catch on though. Verrrrry slowly. This last trip to Asia was reported as an abject failure by everyone in the “news”. No one had anything good to say about it.

      So, that’s a start, anyway.

  2. canary
    November 21, 2009 at 5:45 am

    The Wall Street Journal: Banished at Turtle Bay : A U.N. critic has her credentials stripped.

    … Anne Bayefsky. The Toronto native is an expert on human-rights law and an accredited United Nations observer…

    Ms. Bayefsky’s sin was a two-minute talk she delivered at the U.N. earlier this month after the General Assembly had issued a resolution endorsing the Goldstone Report, which levels war crimes charges at Israel for defending itself in the face of Hamas’s rockets.

    “The resolution doesn’t mention the word Hamas,” she said….”

    … Whereupon she was summarily stripped of her U.N. badge and evicted from the premises. “The Palestinian ambassador is very upset by your statement,” Ms. Bayefsky says the U.N. security chief told her. Journalist Matthew Russell Lee tells us that he heard the ambassador asking whether U.N. security had “captured” Ms. Bayefsky.

    http://online.wsj.com/article/.....24530.html

  3. Confucius
    November 21, 2009 at 8:53 am

    From the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

    Disparity claims in gifted programs to be studied

    By Olympia Meola
    November 18, 2009

    RICHMOND, Va. — Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has asked the Virginia Department of Education to examine claims of racial disparities among students in gifted education programs in Virginia.

    While African-Americans make up 26 percent of the statewide student population, 12 percent of students identified as gifted are black, according to Education Department statistics.

    Hispanics make up 9 percent of the student population and 5 percent of students identified as gifted.

    Asians make up 5.5 percent of the statewide student population and 11 percent of students identified as gifted.

    The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People recently brought the apparent disparity to Kaine’s attention because he is reviewing changes to regulations governing gifted education in public schools. …

    “I think it is very important for divisions with gifted programs . . . to tackle hard issues of the diversity, not only of their student bodies but their staff,” Kaine said.

    He asked state education officials, with assistance from the Regional Educational Laboratory Appalachia, to analyze disproportionately low representation of minority students in gifted education. …

    Arthur G. Almore, education chairman for Chesterfield County’s NAACP, was displeased with Kaine’s decision to launch a study. He said he wanted to see changes included in the regulations.

    NAACP members wanted to see “more holistic types of assessments” and better data on screening, identification and placement criteria, among other things. …

    http://www2.timesdispatch.com/.....06/306392/

    The NAACP and Governor Kaine (D) must truly be color-blind. Otherwise they’d see the big yellow stain in their thesis.

    One more thing. WTH are “more holistic types of assessments”?

    • TwilightZoned
      November 21, 2009 at 2:29 pm

      In the school district where I live, there is Plan B for gifted. Why? To qualify minority students. White students must meet a near 130 IQ while minorities, black, are judged by other criteria (social & “talent”) along with meeting a much lower IQ to qualify.

      From the FL State Plan for Gifted (2009 Draft)
      II. Identification level
      a. General intellectual ability; performance at the 96th percentile on a group ability measure (e.g. COGAT, Otis-Lennon, Naglieri, et al.)
      b. Teacher composite rating scores at the 80th percentile or higher.
      c. Consideration of low-income and ELL students who score within the top 10% of comparable groups.

      Keep in mind the same district also lowered the borderline IQ for Intellectual Disabilities (mental retardation) by 10 points because too many black children were qualifying for ESE. Guess both of these tactics qualify as “more holistic assessment” and part of the contributing factors in the ever declining public education system.

    • Petronius
      November 21, 2009 at 2:47 pm

      The search for “more holistic types of assessments” means that we cannot consider the scientific explanation that intelligence and temperament are rooted in racial genetics and evolutionary history.

    • proreason
      November 21, 2009 at 6:06 pm

      Aside from intelligence, memorizing multiplication tables instead of rap lyrics seems to help.

    • TerryAnne
      November 23, 2009 at 12:00 pm

      No biggie; Kaine is on his way out soon enough. Hopefully, McDonnell won’t stand, fall for, or condone this kind of crap.

    • take_no_prisoners
      November 23, 2009 at 12:59 pm

      The response should be: It can be explained on the same basis as racial disparities in the school sports teams. That is, different cultures emphasize different priorities which is why asians are over-represented in the gifted student programs and blacks are over-represented in the gifted athlete programs (which is what varsity sports are, after all).

    • Liberals Demise
      November 24, 2009 at 1:02 pm

      Make room for Ebonics ……. dat be wha dey yappin bout!!

  4. wardmama4
    November 21, 2009 at 12:49 pm

    I am glad to hear this, of course not widely reported in the msm – and sort of understand the Jan 2010 date – but come on – it could be ordered now – not about 12 weeks from now.

  5. proreason
    November 21, 2009 at 8:03 pm

    Another mega-stealth tax that nobody has told you about yet.

    Dick Morris discovered it.

    http://www.dickmorris.com/blog...../#more-674

    Basically, this scam works by forcing the states to pay for covering Medicaire for people up to 150% of the poverty level. Since states can’t print money like the United States of Obamy, the states will have to raise taxes hugely to do so. This allows PelosiReaperObamyCare to seem more “cost effective” than it is. The blame for the taxes will fall on the governors.

    Just one of the infinite number of ways your government betters have devised for squeezing more cash out of you so that they can live in splendor and remain in power forever.

  6. snix
    November 21, 2009 at 8:07 pm

    Not that it’s any surprise, but the Senate has voted for cloture, which means their health reform bill now moves to the floor for debate.

    All the Democrats and “Independents” voted for it — including Lieberman. No Republicans did.

    • Steve
      November 22, 2009 at 8:09 pm

      Should we call this vote ‘Cash For Cloture? Or maybe, in view of how they got Landrieu on board, the ‘Louisiana Purchase’?

      In any case it’s another ‘Saturday Night Special.’ –Cheap and dangerous.

      Though, come to think of it, it’s anything but cheap.

  7. ptat
    November 22, 2009 at 7:42 am

    We just had the Majority Leader of the United States of America’s Senate say, with all the gravitas of a chihuahua, in front of millions of people: “This bill will finally free Americans from the fear of illness and death.” Freed from fear of illness and death!! By a bill!! He should be the laughing stock of the nation! While I am sure stupid things have been said by previous Majority Leaders, this has got to rate in the top five. This is one of the most powerful men in America? Dark times, my friends, dark times….

  8. canary
    November 22, 2009 at 6:17 pm

    AP: Iran begins war games to protect nuclear sites
    By Nasser Karimi Nov 23 2009

    TEHRAN, Iran – Iran on Sunday began large-scale air defense war games aimed at protecting its nuclear facilities…
    It said the five-day drill will cover an area a third of the size of Iran…

    “We are sure they are not able to do anything against us since they cannot predict our reaction,” Hajizadeh was quoted as saying by the Guard’s official Web site, Sephahnews.

    “If their fighter planes could escape from Iran’s air defense system, their bases will be hit by our devastating surface-to-surface missiles before they land,” he said.

    His comments were apparently in response to the delay in the delivery from Russia of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles,…
    Iran complains that the delay is apparently the result of Israeli and U.S. pressure.

    Commenting on this week’s war games, a senior Obama administration official urged Iran to engage with the international community.

    “We would prefer that the Iranian regime follow through on their offer to engage,” said Ellen Tauscher, the U.S. undersecretary of state for arms control and international security…”It is more important for them to build confidence with the international community,” she said….

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....5ic3BzdG9y

    Obama urging Iran’s missiles to engage with the international community and build their confidence up?

  9. canary
    November 22, 2009 at 7:14 pm

    [From the Associated Press:]

    RI bishop asked Kennedy in 2007 to avoid Communion

    By Ray Henry Nov 22 2009

    EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A month of harsh words between Rep. Patrick Kennedy and a strident critic, Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin, escalated Sunday when the bishop acknowledged asking Kennedy not to receive Holy Communion because of the Democratic lawmaker’s support for abortion rights.

    The bishop’s attempt…a few months after the death of his father, Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts. Tobin told The Associated Press that the younger Kennedy, who has been in and out of treatment for substance abuse, has been acting “erratically.”

    Their dispute began in October when Kennedy criticized the nation’s Catholic bishops for threatening to oppose an overhaul of the nation’s health care system…

    Tobin said he felt Kennedy made an unprovoked attack on the church and demanded an apology…
    “The point is, because of his obstinate … public support of abortion,… ” Tobin said.

    The feud escalated after Kennedy told The Providence Journal in a story published Sunday that Tobin instructed him not to receive Communion. Kennedy also claimed the bishop had told diocesan priests not to give him communion, an allegation that Tobin denied.

    For example, …Sebelius.. a Catholic Democrat who supports abortion rights, should stop taking Communion until she changes her stance. Sebelius is now President Barack Obama’s secretary of Health and Human Services.

    “If you’re required (by the church) to make everybody follow your Catholic role, then nobody would vote for Catholics…” the former governor told

    Cuomo ….two positions a politician can take: They can oppose church doctrine outright or, as he did, accept church teachings personally but refuse to carry them into the public arena…

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....op_kennedy

  10. canary
    November 23, 2009 at 3:59 am

    Janet Napolitano, while thanking Mexico, became dazed & confused, claiming the US has swift justice & punishment for those that harm our brave men & women.

    Teen pleads guilty in Border Patrol agent killing
    By Elliot Spagat Nov 20, 2009

    SAN DIEGO – A 17-year-old pleaded guilty Friday to killing a Border Patrol agent who was shot eight times while chasing suspected illegal immigrants in the mountains east of San Diego.

    “Today’s guilty plea makes it clear that those who harm our brave men and women in uniform will be swiftly brought to justice and punished,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said.

    “Our work on this case is not yet done,” U.S. Attorney Karen Hewitt said.

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....agent_shot

  11. canary
    November 23, 2009 at 4:15 am

    AP: Gaps for consumers in Democrat health care bills
    By Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar Nov 23 2009

    WASHINGTON – ….Many middle-class families who’d now be required to buy coverage would still find the premiums a stretch, even with government aid. A new federal fund to provide temporary coverage for people with health problems would quickly run out of cash….

    Both bills would require all Americans to carry health insurance, with government help to make premiums more affordable.

    “For the first time, we’re going to allow American consumers to be involved in a buyers’ market for health insurance,” said Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., ..

    But the bill could still leave consumers feeling a little cheated.

    Some who remain uninsured might be people who’d rather pay a fine than comply with a mandate to get coverage. But for others, federal subsidies won’t go far enough…

    For example, a family of four headed by a 45-year-old making $66,000 a year would still have to pay about 10 percent of its income for health insurance, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

    That’s after government help of about $4,500 and doesn’t count the cost of deductibles and co-payments.

    Finally, a temporary safety net for people with health problems has a hole.
    …. But the budget office estimates that the money would be used up before the end of 2011.

    “… the adequacy of the underlying coverage is going to emerge as a much bigger issue,” said Drew Altman, president of the Kaiser Foundation, a nonpartisan research center. “That is going to put policymakers in an unenviable position.”

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....zdQ–

  12. canary
    November 23, 2009 at 4:44 am

    WNDU: St. Joseph soldier dies in Afghanistan

    A St. Joseph soldier has died while serving in Afghanistan, according to our reporting partners at the Herald Palladium and the Associated Press.
    Nov 22, 2009

    25-year old Army Spc. Daniel A. Frazier died on November 19 while serving in Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom. His body returned to the U.S. Saturday at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

    Stay with NewsCenter 16 for the latest on this story.
    http://www.wndu.com/hometop/he.....25362.html

  13. OneAmericanCitizen
    November 23, 2009 at 10:24 am

    The Superbower
    Whenever Obama’s not talking about himself, it’s like he’s wandered off-message.

    By Mark Steyn

    My radio pal Hugh Hewitt said to me on the air the other day that Barack Obama “doesn’t know how to be president.” It was a low but effective crack and I didn’t pay it much heed. But, after musing on it over the last week or so, it seems to me frighteningly literally true. I don’t just mean social lapses like his latest cringe-making bow, this time to Their Imperial Majesties, the Emperor and Empress of Japan — though that in itself is deeply weird: After the world superbower’s previous nose-to-toe prostration before the Saudi King, one assumed there’d be someone in the White House to point out tactfully that the citizen-executives of the American republic don’t bow to foreign monarchs. Along with his choreographic gaucherie goes his peculiar belief that all of human history is just a bit of colorful backstory in the Barack Obama biopic — or as he put it in his video address on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall:

    “Few would have foreseen on that day that a united Germany would be led by a woman from Brandenburg or that their American ally would be led by a man of African descent.”

    Tear down that wall . . . so they can get a better look at me!!! Is there no one in the White House grown-up enough to say, “Er, Mr. President, that’s really the kind of line you get someone else to say about you”? And maybe somebody could have pointed out that Nov. 9, 1989, isn’t about him but about millions of nobodies whose names are unknown, who lead dreary lives doing unglamorous jobs and going home to drab accommodations, but who at a critical moment in history decided they were no longer going to live in a prison state. They’re no big deal; they’re never going to land a photoshoot for Vanity Fair. But it’s their day, not yours. It’s not the narcissism, so much as the crassly parochial nature of it.

    Is it the only template in the White House speechwriters’ computer? “Few would have foreseen at the Elamite sack of Ur/Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow/the assassination of the Archduke Franz-Ferdinand/the passage of the Dubrovnik Airport Parking Lot Expansion Bill that one day I would be standing before you talking about how few would have foreseen that one day I would be standing before you.”

    Some years ago, when Ellen DeGeneres came out as a lesbian and ensuing episodes of her sitcom grew somewhat overly preoccupied with the subject, Elton John remarked: “Okay, we know you’re gay. Now try being funny.” I wonder if Sir Elton might be prevailed upon to try a similar pitch at the next all-star White House gala: Okay, we know you’re black. Now try being president. But a few days later Obama dropped in on U.S. troops at Osan Air Base in South Korea for the latest episode of The Barack Obama Show (With Full Supporting Chorus). “You guys make a pretty good photo op,” he told them.

    Hmm. Do I detect a belated rationale for the Afghan campaign?

    Probably not. The above are mostly offences against good taste, but they are, cumulatively, revealing. And they help explain why, whenever the president’s not talking about himself, he sounds like he’s wandered vaguely off-message. The other day, for example, he told Fox News that “if we keep on adding to the debt . . . people could lose confidence in the U.S. economy in a way that could actually lead to a double-dip recession.”

    That’s a great line — but not from a guy who plans to “keep on adding to the debt” as a conscious strategy. This is the president who made “trillion” the new default unit of federal budgeting, and whose irresponsibility is prompting key players around the world to consider seriously whether it’s time to ditch the dollar’s role as global reserve currency. But Obama’s much vaunted “bipartisanship,” to which so many “moderate” conservatives were partial a year ago, seems to have dwindled down to an impressive ability to take one side of an issue in his rhetoric and another in his actions.

    Which brings us to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of 9/11. He’d been brought before a military commission, and last December indicated he was ready to plead guilty, and itching for the express lane to the 72 virgins.

    But that wasn’t good enough for Obama, who in essence declined to accept KSM’s confession and decided to put him on trial in a New York courthouse. Why? To show “the world” — i.e., European op-ed pages and faculty lounges — that America would fight terror in a way “consistent with our values,” and apparently that means turning KSM into O. J. and loosing his dream team on the civilian justice system. But, having buttered up Le Monde and the BBC and many of his own lefties by announcing that Mohammed would get a fair trial, Obama then assured NBC that he’d be convicted and was gonna fry.

    So it’s like a fair trial consistent with “our values” except for the one about presumption of innocence? If the head of state declaring you guilty and demanding the death penalty doesn’t taint the jury pool, it’s hard to see what would. The KSM circus is not, technically, a “show trial”: He could well be acquitted. But, even if he is, he’s unlikely to be strolling out a free man like Frank Sinatra beating the rap in Robin and the Seven Hoods and standing on the courthouse steps to sing “My Kind of Town (Manhattan Is)” — although I wouldn’t entirely rule it out: In a world in which the self-confessed perpetrator of the bloodiest act of war on the American mainland in two centuries is entitled to a civilian trial, all things are possible. The other day, the attorney general, Eric Holder, promised us that it would be “the trial of the century” — and he said it like it’s a good thing. Why would you do that?

    So how’s it playing with its intended audience? Alas, the world moves on. Not being George W. Bush may be enough to impress the 2009 Nobush Peace Prize committee in Oslo, but it’s old news everywhere else. America’s enemies have figured out that the Superbower is their best opportunity since the Seventies; and for America’s friends, the short version of the hopeychangey era to date is last week’s cover story at the London Spectator showing an empty suit in the Oval Office over the headline “The Worst Kind of Ally.”

    Hang on, wasn’t that title retired with Bush? Well, no. Apparently, he routinely called up prime ministers hither and yon and kept them in the picture and up to speed. Obama doesn’t have time for any of that: When he stiffed Poland on missile defense, he got Hillary to phone it in. The Poles, bless ’em, declined to take her call. In Delhi, meanwhile, they’re horrified by Obama’s performance in China. America’s enemies smell weakness, and our allies feel only the vacuum of U.S. leadership. About himself, the president speaks loudly. For America, he carries a small twig.

    — Mark Steyn, a National Review columnist, is author of America Alone. © 2009 Mark Steyn

    http://article.nationalreview......amp;w=MQ==
    November 21, 2009 7:00 AM

    • TerryAnne
      November 23, 2009 at 12:39 pm

      Awesome article!! If Mark Steyn didn’t hit that nail firmly on the head, I don’t know what will/does.

    • Rusty Shackleford
      November 24, 2009 at 6:39 pm

      He says it all so clearly, so eloquently, so perfectly.

      Mark is brilliant and a definite asset in the information war against Obama.

  14. BannedbytheTaliban
    November 23, 2009 at 11:14 am

    Another prime example of the wonders of socialism:

    Ventures a drain on states, localities

    By Dennis Cauchon, USA TODAY
    Government-owned businesses that generate revenue for states and cities have taken a sharp turn downward and now are draining money from many struggling governments, a USA TODAY analysis found.
    States and cities operate hundreds of such enterprises — power companies, sewer systems, betting parlors, subways and more — that earned more than $120 billion in profits during the 1990s.

    These businesses started losing money in 2006 and are on track to lose $3.5 billion nationwide this year, according to an analysis of data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

    This reversal is adding to the financial squeeze state and local governments are suffering because of a 6.7% drop in tax collections during 2009. Governments are raising taxes, hiking utility rates or cutting budgets to cope.

    …A bad economy reduces electricity use and water consumption — bad news for cities that depend on utility profits to fund fire, police and other services. San Antonio, which gets nearly 30% of its budget from a city-owned power company, will see its take slashed this year by $38 million to $251 million.

    http://www.usatoday.com/news/n.....sing_N.htm

    So when a private business fails only the employees and owners foot the bill. When government “companies” fail, we all suffer. Spread the misery around, quintessential socialism. I wish I could run a business that forces people to buy my product or set prices without competition. The best part is that they raise the rates when people actually conserve energy and water resources. Seems kind of counter to the religion of global warming. Do you suppose they will lower those rates and taxes when the economy picks up? Yeah, me neither.

    • proreason
      November 23, 2009 at 12:54 pm

      Dick Morris pointed out in a recent article that one of the tricks to keep the “cost” (ha ha) of ObamyPelosiReaperCare under $1 trillion is to offload medicaire expense onto the states. And since states can’t print money (only Obamy can do that), they will inevitably have to raise taxes hugely.

      Bankruptcy coming to a state near you soon.

  15. TerryAnne
    November 23, 2009 at 12:57 pm

    AP (through MSNBC)
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34.....alth_care/

    Schumer: Dems can go it alone on health care
    Lawmaker says his party will push reform bill with or without GOP support

    WASHINGTON – A leading Senate Democrat said Monday his party is determined to push through a health care overhaul bill, President Barack Obama’s top domestic issue, with or without support from opposition Republicans.

    “We prefer to go at it with Republicans if we can reach compromises in some areas,” said Sen. Charles Schumer. “But we’re not going to not pass a bill.”

    Obama campaigned on a promise to overhaul health care in the United States — the only developed country that does not have a comprehensive national health care plan. Nearly 50 million of the country’s more than 300 million people are uninsured. The government provides coverage for the poor and elderly, but most Americans rely on private insurance, usually received through their employers.

    —
    “But we’re not going to not pass a bill.”

    Well, you’re right on one thing; you’re going to ram it down our throats.

    50 million people? Are the uninsured like Gremlins; do they multiply when they get wet or eat after midnight?

    • proreason
      November 23, 2009 at 1:13 pm

      “Nearly 50 million of the country’s more than 300 million people are uninsured”

      as opposed to “Nearly 50 million…have no health care”, which of course is a lie. Everybody in this country has health care.

      Choosing to speak about insurance rather than medical care exposes the Big Lie better than anything else.

  16. BillK
    November 23, 2009 at 5:57 pm

    If you didn’t see the S&M performance masquerading as entertainment on ABC last night, there’s this report from the Associated Press:

    ABC says it has received complaints on Lambert

    NEW YORK – ABC says more than 1,500 people have called to complain about Adam Lambert’s sexually charged performance at the American Music Awards.

    The network characterized the response as “moderate.” Before his performance, Lambert said that he wanted to break down a double standard that existed where female performers are often sexually provocative while men don’t do it that often. …

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....tv_lambert

    Among other things, while a female dancer was positioned above him with her legs spread, Lambert reached up and grabbed her outfit in the vaginal area and tugged at it.

    There’s no way ABC would have ever shown that had it been a performer that was not widely known to be gay.

    Until ABC yanks it, you can watch Lambert do the vaginal grab at 3:00 and kiss a man at 3:29 here:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9fATzGwFJY

    • BillK
      November 23, 2009 at 10:39 pm

      It gets better.

      From MSN:

      Lambert calls edit of his AMA performance discriminatory

      Adam Lambert’s guy-on-guy kiss during his performance of “For Your Entertainment” at Sunday night’s American Music Awards followed in the footsteps of the famous Britney Spears-Madonna kiss at the 2003 Video Music Awards.

      But after Lambert kissed his male keyboard player, Tommy Ratliff, and pushed a male dancer’s face up to his crotch, the network removed those controversial moments before airing the show’s West Coast feed.

      “If it’s edited, that’s discrimination,” Lambert told “Access Hollywood” before he knew his performance would be tailored to be more conservative.

      “There is a little bit of discrimination going in this country,” he told the celebrity news outlet. “There’s a big double standard: Female pop artists have been doing things provocative like that for years, and the fact that I’m a male, and I’ll be edited and discriminated against could be a problem.”

      The lip-lock between Spears and Madonna helped lay the foundation for Katy Perry to find a hit song in last year’s “I Kissed a Girl,” and Lady GaGa to speak out about being bisexual without much backlash. But, as Lambert points out, Americans may be less comfortable with expressions of same-sex physicality among men. …

      http://music.msn.com/music/art.....ews=443487

      No, Mr. Lambert – the problem is your performance on a program that wasn’t as far as I know meant to be rated TV-MA.

      I hope parents know by now not to let their children watch any awards show, as celebrities become more and more enamored of gaining headlines through the use of shock than by displaying actual talent.

  17. BillK
    November 24, 2009 at 1:32 am

    No wonder the left is ramping up their attacks.

    From Fox News and the Associated Press:

    Palin Draws Thousands to Book Signing at Fort Bragg

    Sarah Palin drew a crowd of over 4,000 on Monday to her book signing at Fort Bragg, though the former Alaska governor kept her appearance from turning into the kind of “political platform” that some military officials were concerned about.

    Palin did not give a speech during her three-hour stop at the North Carolina Army base, apparently living up to her pledge to tone down the event after Fort Bragg officials expressed concern that the visit could prompt grandstanding against the Obama administration.

    “It was just a peaceful crowd — orderly, no one making any strange comments that I know of,” a Fort Bragg official told FoxNews.com. The official said close to 4,500 people showed up, many braving the cold and rain as they waited for hours to meet the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee. The official said about 500 people had to be turned away when Palin had to leave.

    “It was a very excited crowd,” the official said. …

    http://www.foxnews.com/politic.....ort-bragg/

  18. canary
    November 24, 2009 at 12:28 pm

    Political: Dobbs mulls White House bid
    Alexander Burns Nov 24 2009

    Former CNN host Lou Dobbs fueled already rampant speculation about his political future Monday, sending the clearest signals yet that he’s mulling a bid for president —

    Less than two weeks after announcing his departure from the cable network — and after a series of interviews in which Dobbs encouraged speculation about his political plans — the anchorman known to fans as “Mr. Independent” finally made his presidential ambitions explicit on former Sen. Fred Thompson’s radio show Monday.

    Asked if he might make a run at the White House in 2012, Dobbs answered flatly: “Yes is the answer.”

    Buchanan added: “I think he can win.”

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/politi.....vcw–

  19. proreason
    November 24, 2009 at 4:09 pm

    Blood Cuddler. Obama doctine in full flower:

    Navy SEALs Face Assault Charges for Capturing Most-Wanted Terrorist

    Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And three of the SEALs who captured him are now facing criminal charges, sources told FoxNews.com.

    The three, all members of the Navy’s elite commando unit, have refused non-judicial punishment — called an admiral’s mast — and have requested a trial by court-martial.

    Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named “Objective Amber,” told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it.

    Now, instead of being lauded for bringing to justice a high-value target, three of the SEAL commandos, all enlisted, face assault charges and have retained lawyers….

    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,576646,00.html

    So, a manical killer bloodies his lip and says his captors did it, and SEALS go on trial.

    That says it all, doesn’t it?

    This country simply cannot survive under this regime. No way.

  20. wirenut
    November 24, 2009 at 4:54 pm

    PRO, The tar is warming and the feathers have been plucked. We’ll see who gags on a teabag. Only the shameless.

  21. proreason
    November 24, 2009 at 5:43 pm

    FANTASTIC NEWS. Angelina Jolie think the Moron is a Turd.

    http://hotair.com/archives/200.....ist-phony/

    This absolutely confirms my judgement. Maybe if I send her a link to S&L, she’ll start answering my emails.

    (Bonus: she’s squabbling with Brad……she doesn’t “respect” his politics.)

    Things are finally looking up for ol’ proreason.

  22. Rusty Shackleford
    November 24, 2009 at 7:08 pm

    Obama reveals his REAL intentions in Afghanistan

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....fghanistan

    From the AP:

    Obama to unveil plan to add troops in Afghanistan

    By ANNE GEARAN, AP National Security Writer – 16 mins ago

    WASHINGTON – War-weary Americans will support more fighting in Afghanistan once they understand the perils of losing, President Barack Obama declared Tuesday, announcing he was ready to spell out war plans virtually sure to include tens of thousands more U.S. troops.

    That one statement speaks volumes. “understand the perils of losing”.

    To me, this means that his original intent was, and may still be, to pull out while saving face for himself. However, it smells a lot of the possibility that he has been hammered soundly by the military leaders about what pulling out means. why it should not and must not be done and why going after the terrorists is more important than ever.

    I’m sure he hates the whole idea because he likes to fight with meaningless words, rather than picking up a piece and standing a post. Coward that he is. And what’s worse, he’s a sniveling little whiny but clever coward.

    He is expected to make his case to the nation in a Tuesday night speech, even as the military completes plans to begin sending in reinforcements in the spring.

    Eight years after the Sept. 11 attacks led the U.S. into Afghanistan, Obama said it is still in America’s vital national interest to “dismantle and destroy” al-Qaida terrorists and extremist allies. “I intend to finish the job,” he said.

    Heh, he has no idea what a “job” is.

    Obama said he would announce after Thanksgiving his decision on additional troops, and military, congressional and other sources said the occasion would be a Tuesday night televised speech laying out his plans for expanding the Afghan conflict — and then ultimately ending America’s military role.

    ….”and I’m not doing this because my poll numbers are in the toilet…and heading for the sewer….fast…..No, I’m doing this because I (once again) want to invite the conservative radical right-wing teabaggers to dissect everything I say and translate it so it can be understood”

    Indeed, every time he appears on TV, he takes a hit in the polls. So, I’m all for it. I don’t watch anyway, I prefer old reruns of ADAM-12, they’ll be on at the same time.

    Republican critics have been pressing him for months to decide on a next step in Afghanistan, but Obama has said repeatedly he was more concerned with making a decision that was right rather than quick.

    And that he needed to focus every waking moment on ramming the healthcare bill through congress while simultaneously making it look as though he had no influence by jetting off on a junket to Asia. Which went so well. It was a space filler by design and he had no interest in going whatsoever except to look cool in the big blue jet and shiny Italian suits.

    Neither he nor his advisers has detailed an exit plan, but the strategy he is expected to describe next week would include specific dates that deployments could be slowed or stopped if necessary, a senior military official said. The official and others spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision was not final.

    In other words, the contingency plan is to FAIL. Once he convinces himself that “escalation is the wrong path” he will reverse course and make a hasty retreat with arrows in his ass the whole way.

    With U.S. combat deaths climbing on Obama’s watch and more than half the American public opposed to escalation, the president seemed to acknowledge Tuesday that he has a lot to explain.

    yes, I’m dying to hear his “explanation”: “Bush’s fault”?”, “He inherited the problem”?, “Rush was being mean”? Yeah…tell us all about it, Barry. I DON’T CARE!

    And, “more than half of the American public opposed to escalation”? ????? OK…so….back to the skewed polling numbers/how they ask the questions and who they asked them to.

    And here’s another hot one:

    Returning to a campaign theme, Obama said the Afghan effort had been starved for resources and attention during the Bush administration and he intended to finish the war.

    OK, so once again, the lack of troops is Bush’s fault. Surprise, surprise.

    Then the money statement:

    To that end, much of the White House discussion during months of deliberations has centered on how the U.S. would end its military role.

    BINGO!!!!

    Military officials have said Obama is choosing one of the least risky options he was presented, but one still expected to lead to increased U.S. casualties without guarantee of success.

    No guarantee of success. He doesn’t like “victory” remember…reminds him of the Japanese surrendering on the USS Missouri in 1945. Such a hard thing to stomach, yes. Poor Barry.

    I ask you, MISTER president: What are the two options in a war? If you said “not winning and losing” you no longer need to be president. GTFO

    And the increase in US casualties is his ace in the hole for justifying pulling out when he “determines it cannot be won”. “Finish the job” is just like “hope” and “change”. He chose those words precisely to be ambiguous because he thinks the conservatives will get a “hell yeah” kind of sense of it as in: “go in there and win.” While it won’t offend the liberals because to them it means, “get out..and get out quick”.

    He’s a real tool, this guy.

  23. Rusty Shackleford
    November 25, 2009 at 7:51 pm

    Poliitco–Everything Obama does is “unprecedented”

    The White House’s unprecedented use of ‘unprecedented’

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/politi.....tico/29896

    Carol E. Lee Carol E. Lee – Wed Nov 25, 12:54 am ET

    The Obama White House is addicted to the “unprecedented.”

    Perhaps it was a sign when President Barack Obama sat down in January to record his first weekly address and announced: “We begin this year and this administration in the midst of an unprecedented crisis that calls for unprecedented action.”

    What has followed is declaration after declaration of “unprecedented” milestones. Some of them are legitimate firsts, like the president’s online town hall at the White House in May.

    But others the president wins merely on a technicality, and several clearly already have precedents.

    The White House’s announcement of its unprecedented — “a first by an American president visiting China” — town hall meeting with students in Beijing, for instance, drew a collective eye roll in certain circles back home, namely among former aides to President George W. Bush, who had already been grumbling about Obama’s carefree application of “unprecedented.”

    “I think I attended a town hall with President Bush in China,” former Bush adviser Karen Hughes quipped with a laugh, recalling a 2002 Bush speech in Beijing at which he took questions from the audience. “I thought: Were they asleep? Or were they dreaming? I remember standing and watching President Bush engage in a town hall that I believe was televised.”

    President Bill Clinton also took questions from Chinese students at an event during a trip to the country in 1998, then did a radio call-in show in Shanghai the next day.

    The White House’s characterization of Obama’s Beijing town hall mirrored the description staff gave Obama’s address to students on the first day of school, which the Education Department called “historic.” Yet President George H.W. Bush delivered an address to students, as did President Ronald Reagan. Maybe it was the streaming online video of Obama’s speech to students that was unprecedented?

    Either way, for a president whose approach to exaggerated critiques of his administration is to “call ‘em out” and who has made an issue of forcing corporate America to expose the fine print, one wonders whether his use of “unprecedented” would pass his own litmus test.

    I would say more like “un-president-ed”

    However, when I start reading more and more articles in the MSM that are somewhat critical of the boy, I can’t help but hope this is change I can believe in. Tonight, even CBS was criticizing where and how congress plans on getting money.

    So maybe the pendulum has reached the end of it’s swing and is in the null phase just before it starts to swing the other way….maybe.

  24. sheehanjihad
    November 26, 2009 at 1:39 am

    To all posters, past and present…and of course, the vaunted Steve Gilbert….

    Have a very Happy Thanksgiving! I do hope all of you have a chance to spend today with people you love….and think of our troops “over there” who are giving us this opportunity. The deserve the “thanks” for what they are “giving” us.

  25. canary
    November 26, 2009 at 6:06 am

    The Washington Post Hezbollah official indicted on weapons charge
    By Spencer S. Hsu Nov 25, 2009

    A Hezbollah political official and his son-in-law sought this year to smuggle 1,200 machine guns from the United States to the militant Islamist group via Syria, according to indictments made public Tuesday against 10 men in federal court in Philadelphia.

    Hassan Hodroj and Dib Hani Harb, both of Beirut, were among four men accused of conspiring to support Hezbollah,… list of terrorist groups, U.S. Attorney Michael L. Levy of Philadelphia said.

    Harb, Moussa Ali Hamdan of Brooklyn and Hasan Antar Karaki of Beirut were also charged …., with Hamdan acting as a U.S.-based conduit to a confidential government witness based in Philadelphia.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....03448.html

  26. Liberals Demise
    November 26, 2009 at 8:42 am

    From: Otis Willie PIO American War Library (Yahoo Military Groups)

    ——————Father Upset Over Sons Denial—————————

    By Katie Nilsson

    ROCKFORD (WREX) – Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signs a new bill, that helps servicemen and women hurt in the war. But a local dad is upset and says the law is unclear, after finding out his son doesn’t qualify.

    The bill says service members deployed after September 11th of 2001 can apply for state grants, if they’re injured. The confusion, is over when those injuries happen, and what makes soldiers eligible.

    Bill Graves’ son Lucas joined the Army in 2004. In 2006 he was sent over to Iraq, then was sent back to Afghanistan in 2008. During his second tour overseas, he hurt his hand when an improvised explosive device went off. Bill heard about this new law signed by Governor Pat Quinn over the weekend, and thought his son would be eligible. “It came across as they were taking care of Illinois veterans and actually they’re not.”

    The bill makes servicemen and women hurt in the war eligible for a $5,000 grant from the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund.

    But Major Brad Leighton says, since it just became a law, people hurt before the bill was signed, don’t qualify. “It’s a good thing going forward but it does not cover those going back to September 11th and the reason for that is, is the money is just not there.

    Bill understands the state has money problems, but still feels like it should take care of vets. “Obviously people are trying to set up programs for them, they want to take advantage of it and the veterans should take advantage of any program given to him but again, here’s another thing where people go to apply, and it isn’t what they say it is.”

    Sergeant Graves does have full use of his hand now. He’s in Alabama, and doesn’t get out of the service until 2010. *********END**********
    http://www.wrex.com/Global/story.asp?S=11561561

    Why bother to have something for the Veterans if it does not include “ALL” Veterans since 9/11/01.
    To exclude anyone is a poor excuse and needs to be examined again.

  27. BillK
    November 26, 2009 at 7:08 pm

    The little surprises in the health care plan are starting to come out.

    From Fox News:

    Plan to Restrict Health Accounts Will Hurt the Disabled, Critics Warn

    By Judson Berger

    Families with special-needs children and people with chronic illnesses stand to lose hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in tax benefits under proposed health care reform legislation, critics say, warning that a plan to cap the amount of money people can put into special “flexible spending” health accounts will have “cruel” and “unintended consequences.”

    The Senate and House health care bills both include a revenue-raising provision that would cap at $2,500 the amount of money workers can put into flexible spending accounts. The accounts, used by millions, allow workers to store pre-tax dollars to cover out-of-pocket health care expenses during the year.

    Many employers set a cap on contributions at about $5,000, according to Save Flexible Spending Plans, a group formed by benefits providers over the summer to lobby against the changes. Federal government workers are subject to a $5,000 limit, and most state governments impose a $3,000-$6,000 cap. But legally there is currently no cap across the board.

    The change is projected to bring in about $15 billion over the next decade by limiting the pre-tax dollar savings, but critics say it could have devastating effects on families that rely on flexibile spending accounts to pay for health care expenses that are not covered by their insurance policies.

    “It’s really become kind of a revenue grab rather than good sound health policy,” said Jody Dietel, chief compliance officer for WageWorks, a company that helps administer the accounts. She is also executive director of Save Flexible Spending Plans.

    Dietel said her group has succeeded in convincing Congress not to eliminate the accounts altogether, an idea that was floated, but is still pushing to raise the cap to $5,000. The group also wants the Senate bill to make sure the cap is adjusted for inflation. …

    http://www.foxnews.com/politic.....tics-warn/

    Once again, the lie is put to Mr. Obama’s “keeping your current health care plan” statement.

    The administration’s position on this is clear:

    The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities suggested eliminating the accounts altogether when the health care reform debate was kicking into high gear over the summer.

    “FSAs encourage the overconsumption of health care, which runs directly counter to a critical goal of health care reform,” the group said in a study, arguing that other health care reform provisions that limit out-of-pocket expenses would make FSAs less important anyway.

    Read: It’s the government, not you that determines what health care spending is “necessary.”

    Those of you who don’t fit the government’s definitions can just go slink off into a corner and die, or live an otherwise miserable life. You’re just not that important.

    The push for the cap came from the Senate Finance Committee, and the cap eventually made its way into both the full House and Senate bills. A representative for Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., could not be reached for comment.

    Indeed, why should he be available? It’s not like he or the rest of the Democrats actually give a damn about people.

  28. BillK
    November 26, 2009 at 7:14 pm

    From an overjoyed Associated Press:

    China Vows to Dramatically Slow Emissions Growth

    BEIJING — China promised Thursday to slow its carbon emissions, saying it would nearly halve the ratio of pollution to GDP over the next decade — a major move by the world’s largest emitter, whose cooperation is crucial to any deal as a global climate summit approaches.

    Beijing’s voluntary pledge comes a day after President Barack Obama promised the U.S. would lay out plans at the summit to substantially cut its own greenhouse gas emissions. Together, the announcements are building momentum for next month’s meeting in Copenhagen.

    But environmental experts warned that China’s plan does not commit it to reducing emissions — and that they will in fact continue to increase, though at a slower rate.

    With the United States now offering specifics — reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020 — China seemed to follow its lead.

    China pledged Thursday to cut “carbon intensity,” a measure of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product, by 40 to 45 percent by 2020, compared with levels in 2005. Beijing also said Premier Wen Jiabao will take part in the Copenhagen meeting.

    “There’s no question their carbon emissions would continue to grow under this scenario,” said Charlie McElwee, an international environmental and energy lawyer based in Shanghai. “This isn’t by any means an agreement by China to either cap, much less reduce, the amount of its carbon emissions. It’s only slowing down the rate at which emissions are growing.”

    If China did nothing and its economy doubles in size as expected in coming years, its emissions would likely double as well. Thursday’s pledge means emissions would only increase by 50 percent in such a scenario.

    Environmental groups and leaders largely welcomed China’s move.

    “Before Copenhagen, we desperately need this good news,” said Yu Jie, head of policy and research programs for The Climate Group China, a non-governmental group. She described China’s 45 percent target as “quite aggressive.” …

    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,577127,00.html

    So the bigger question is why the ChiComs are bothering…

    See, this should quiet those right-wing conspiracy theories about those “fake” emails…

    • proreason
      November 26, 2009 at 7:31 pm

      Countries with rapidly growning economies naturally reduce their omissions as a % of GDP.

      They aren’t reducing emission per capita or net emissions. They are reducing emisions relative to the GDP, because the GDP is increasing far more rapidly than the emissions.

      It’s a function of GDP. It has little if anything to do with the rate of emissions.

      They are promising something that will happen anyway. It’s unavoidable.

  29. BillK
    November 26, 2009 at 7:35 pm

    From MyFoxDC.com:

    Web Site Publishes 9/11 Pager Messages

    By Lily Fu

    Messages that people sent each other via pagers during the Sept. 11 attacks were released Wednesday by the non-profit activist group WikiLeaks.

    The messages were sent by first responders, victims of the attack as well as family members checking on their loved ones.

    “We’re under another ‘terrorist’ attack in New York City at the World Trade buildings!!!” said one message sent at 9:11 a.m. “It’s horrible. Two planes crash into the top floors of each building.”

    “Honey wanted to tell you how much I love you,” another message said. “I was a little worried. I don’t want to lose you now that I got you back. You mean everything to me. You have my whole heart and life. I love you so much.”

    “Life is changing — so are our plans — call me when you get a chance,” a third message said.

    The WikiLeaks 9/11 page indicates that half a million pager messages will be posted from 3 a.m. EST on Nov. 25 until 3 a.m. EST on Nov. 26. The messages cover the 24-hour period surrounding the Sept. 11 attacks. WikiLeaks said that the intent of the project was to document history. “The archive is a completely objective record of the defining moment of our time. We hope that its entrance into the historical record will lead to a nuanced understanding of how this event led to death, opportunism and war,” it said on its Web site .

    USA Mobility, a pager company, told MSNBC that it was troubled to see that the messages had been intercepted and published. It writes that a WikiLeaks spokesperson said the messages were given to the group anonymously. …

    http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/new.....9193766412

    Gee, I wonder what the ideology of WikiLeaks is?

    We hope that its entrance into the historical record will lead to a nuanced understanding of how this event led to death, opportunism and war

    Enough said.

  30. BillK
    November 26, 2009 at 7:44 pm

    How soon until Mr. Obama throws Israel under the bus again?

    From a deeply sympathetic Associated Press:

    Palestinians Appeal to U.S. to Put Pressure on Israel

    RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinians appealed to the United States on Thursday to raise pressure on Israel, saying an Israeli plan to halt new construction in the West Bank was insincere.

    Yasser Abed Rabbo, a top presidential adviser, said he hopes U.S. envoy George Mitchell can bring about what he called “a real peace process” that would halt all settlement construction. Mitchell is expected in the region soon in his latest attempt to bring the sides back to the negotiating table.

    On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a 10-month halt to new construction in West Bank settlements as a step toward restarting Mideast peace negotiations.

    The Palestinians swiftly rejected the plan because it did not include a building freeze in Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem, the sector of the city they want as the capital of a future state, and because it would not apply to some 3,000 homes already under construction.

    “Netanyahu’s declaration yesterday doesn’t signal any intention of Israel to go through a genuine and serious peace process because it doesn’t include a serious settlement freeze,” Abed Rabbo said. …

    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,577131,00.html

    Those sneaky Israelis!

    As a reminder:

    Israel captured east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it, a step no nation has recognized. Trying to cement its claim, Israel built new quarters around east Jerusalem, where 180,000 Israelis now live. Palestinians denounce them as settlements, but Israel considers them neighborhoods.

    You know, the war in which Israel was attacked?

  31. BillK
    November 26, 2009 at 7:46 pm

    From the Cuba lovers at the Associated Press:

    Cuba Launches Military Exercises Designed to Guard Against U.S. Invasion

    HAVANA — Cuba’s armed forces launched three days of intense military exercises across the island Thursday, a mobilization that state-controlled media says is designed to guard against an American invasion.

    Americans focused on a U.S. military assault more likely are thinking about how President Barack Obama will pursue war in Afghanistan — not Cuba. But the siege mentality of the Cold War hasn’t faded on the island, where the communist government continues to warn about imperialist aggression and the menace from the north.

    The exercises, which run through Saturday, are the first since President Raul Castro took over from his brother Fidel in February 2008 — and since relations between Havana and Washington began to thaw somewhat under Obama.

    The U.S. leader has loosened financial and travel restrictions on Cuba. The two countries have begun negotiations on restarting direct mail service, and there is talk of future cooperation on counter-narcotics and disaster relief, among other things.

    More than the specifics, officials on both sides speak of a new tone between Havana and Washington that has made further progress a possibility. …

    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,577124,00.html

    Of course there’s no way Mr. Obama would ever invade Cuba, unless perhaps they threatened to convert from Communism to a market economy.

  32. BillK
    November 26, 2009 at 7:50 pm

    And so it begins.

    From Fox News:

    Maryland Could Adjust State Insurance Plan to Meet Mammography Guidelines

    By Sharmina Manandhar

    Maryland may update its state-provided insurance plan to reduce coverage for mammograms, based on new and controversial recommendations released by a federal panel last week.

    The Maryland Health Insurance Plan, which covers high-risk individuals unable to get health insurance from other sources, usually follows the recommendations by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, said Rex Cowdry, executive director of the Maryland Health Care Commission.

    The task force last week recommended that women should have routine mammography every two years starting at age 50 instead of having it yearly at age 40. In a report published last week in the medical journal, “Annals of Internal Medicine,” the USPSTF also recommended against teaching women self-breast examination, citing anxiety and unnecessary tests and treatments caused by false alarms.

    The task force, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, is an independent panel of experts in primary care and prevention, but does not include any breast surgeons or oncologists. The recommendations, which came amid the health care debate in Congress, have led to speculation that the government and the insurance companies might stop covering the preventive service.

    Cowdry said changes to the state plan, if any, won’t be effective until July 1.

    However, the guidelines could affect future policies, he said.

    “If we are going to spend 16 percent of the GDP wisely, we will have to follow where the evidence leads,” Cowdry said, referring to the nation’s health care spending. …

    http://www.foxnews.com/politic.....uidelines/

    See? Why was anyone concerned?

    What’s a few hundred thousand dead women if it saves millions of dollars?

  33. BillK
    November 26, 2009 at 8:00 pm

    Once again, Republicans trash their own.

    From Fox News:

    From ‘Rogue’ Politician to Best-Selling Author: Defining Sarah Palin’s ‘It Factor’

    By Allison McGevna

    While Sarah Palin is hardly the first politician to release a memoir, in many ways, the enthusiastic response to the former Alaska governor’s “Going Rogue: An American Life” boasts a story like no other.

    Since the announcement of its impending release months ago, numbers for “Going Rogue” have been remarkable. Harper Collins initially announced a first printing of 1.5 million copies, half a million more than the first printing of Hillary Clinton’s long-anticipated memoir, “Living History.” But by last Friday, just three days after its release, the publisher announced it would increase those numbers by 1 million.

    By Tuesday morning, the Associated Press, which had assigned a whopping 11 reporters to fact-check the book, announced that it had sold 700,000 copies in its first week alone, trailing the first-week sales of Bill Clinton’s “My Life” by just 200,000 units. And if sales weren’t telling enough, Palin’s appearance on “Oprah” in support of “Rogue” earned the talk-show giant her highest ratings in two years.

    Indeed, in just a week alone, it seems Palin’s already massive celebrity has soared to even greater heights. At just 44 years old, with less than two years in the national political spotlight, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee is the politician of whom America cannot seem to get enough.

    So what is it about Palin — a less-than-one-term former governor from Alaska — that makes her such a star?

    “Sarah Palin is a celebrity by virtue of her meteoric rise to fame,” says Fraser Seitel, a public relations professor and managing partner of the communications firm Emerald Partners. “Celebrity sells in this country, and she has the ‘it factor’ that makes people watch her. She is controversial, and controversy sells. And she is a firebrand; she has many qualities that make her incredibly appealing.”

    But controversy and strong convictions aren’t all that set her apart, says image expert Marian Salzman, president of Euro RSCG Worldwide Public Relations. “Sarah Palin’s packaging is sublime. Her appearance has had an extraordinary effect on her popularity. …

    http://www.foxnews.com/enterta.....ns-factor/

    The standard dismissal of Palin as a packaged flash in the pan – then the Republicans jump in:

    But while Palin will always be a draw due to her appearance, Republican strategist Steve Castleton says she has to further hone her arguments if she wants to be a potent political force.

    “What gets her in the door is that she is eye candy,” Castleton said. “She is using her appearance to get shows and notoriety, something Hillary didn’t have the option to do. Hillary couldn’t be on the cover of a magazine in running shorts, but Hillary did have her politics and her comments to stand on, which is what Palin will need if she is going to go on and be successful as a politician.

    “People will go see her because she is gorgeous, but they will only vote for her if she has substance. Is she the kind of leader to whom America can turn in the wake of tragedies and wars, or will she be spending too much time on her hair and her outfit? She will need to show that she is prepared and knowledgeable and has a strong team behind her.”

    Remind me again why the GOP hasn’t seen a single dime from me since 2004?

  34. BillK
    November 26, 2009 at 8:16 pm

    Remember, education is their primary concern.

    Uh, yeah.

    From the Boulder, CO Daily Camera:

    Boulder Valley teachers reject contract offer, again

    By Vanessa Miller

    Teachers across the Boulder Valley School District have voted to reject a contract offer that included a 1 percent cost-of-living raise, meaning the possibility of a strike continues.

    Boulder Valley School District administrators were hoping that an impasse with the teachers’ union was finally over, after months of stalled negotiations. But those hopes were dashed Friday evening, when the union announced that its members rejected the tentative agreement.

    The rejection of the school district’s offer — which included a 1 percent pay raise, extra teacher work days and additional stipends for some employees — extends the longest impasse over teacher compensation in recent Boulder Valley history.

    “In rejecting this offer again, the members are saying they refuse to be the district’s last priority,” union President Melissa Tingley said in a news release. “They want the new school board to work with them to ensure that the district keeps its high quality teachers who are key to student achievement.”

    In September, the teachers’ union threatened to strike if the district didn’t show movement toward a “professional salary schedule,” which would have increased starting pay and rewarded teacher education. Teachers have picketed outside schools, called in sick in groups, leafleted the community about their cause and “worked to contract,” meaning they quit working after class.

    Union leaders turned down the 1 percent pay raise in September, but they decided to put it to a vote of the 1,500-some members last week when district officials made it clear they weren’t going to improve their offer, Tingley said.

    “Teachers and district employees are angry and frustrated,” Tingley said. “This year’s contract negotiations were filled with disrespect and ultimatums. The collaborative process that we once enjoyed in this district has been destroyed.” …

    http://www.dailycamera.com/sch.....i_13835978

    While thousands of those who pay their salaries go unemployed, teachers reject a raise.

    Nice.

    A 1 percent cost of living raise. Despite the fact that – whoops! – the cost of living fell this year.

    “I think this sends a message that teachers aren’t willing to settle for a take-it-or-leave-it offer,” Peoples said. “We want to be considered higher on the budget priority scale.”

    Perhaps teachers need to take a look outside their insular worlds and see what’s actually going on in the world for once.

    Nah…

  35. BillK
    November 27, 2009 at 9:35 am

    From an indignant Los Angeles Times:

    Guerrilla stings of ACORN don’t meet standards of journalism

    By James Rainey

    It’s been two months since a couple of young political guerrillas made a splash with a series of hidden-camera videos about the liberal social service organization ACORN.

    Now agents provocateurs James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles have released their latest installment via the Internet and Sean Hannity’s program on Fox News, with the promise that there could be more to come.

    Fans of O’Keefe and Giles — and they have many on the political right — describe them as heroes. They win cheers at conservative gatherings. Hannity said last week that they deserved a journalism award.

    The duo certainly has caused a stir — and raised questions about an organization that in the past had received substantial government funding — but, sorry folks, please don’t call this journalism.

    That profession has been under considerable attack and retrenching in the face of daunting economic forces, but it still attempts to live by a set of standards. That includes getting a fair representation of all sides.

    Giles and O’Keefe have made no bones about living by a different code. Giles, 20, advised a recent leadership conference for young conservatives on how to take down liberal groups. “Above all, attack, attack, attack,” she urged the enthusiastic crowd. “Never defend.”

    O’Keefe, 25, told the Washington Post that he had grown furious at ACORN (Assn. of Community Organizations for Reform Now) after viewing a YouTube video of workers from the group breaking off the locks of foreclosed homes and barging inside. He said in an interview that the deception involved in video stings is warranted if it exposes what he believes are greater evils.

    Armed with that zeal and a hidden video camera, O’Keefe and Giles visited a series of ACORN offices this summer, with the scantily clad young woman presenting herself as a prostitute and O’Keefe often posing as her boyfriend.

    The duo presented ACORN employees with outlandish scenarios, including one about starting a house of prostitution with underage immigrant girls and then hiding the source of the income so O’Keefe could one day use some of the money to run for political office.

    I wrote a couple of months ago that “no mitigating factors can explain away the behavior of pathetically accommodating ACORN workers (some since terminated) captured on some of the video.” The employees went along with the unsavory and illegal proposals. As I wrote: “Here’s how to conceal your prostitution income! How about cutting your taxes by claiming those underage immigrants as dependents!” I reach the same conclusion today that I did then: “Not pretty.”

    The coverage of the ACORN “stings” has centered on the videos and replies from the organization. ACORN leaders argued that the interactions were taken out of context and that mitigating events were edited out of the final videos.

    As has been noted previously, the response from ACORN employees was not so uniformly compliant as the videographers have implied. Workers in a couple of offices called police after the stings to report, or inquire how to handle, the unusual visitors. An employee at an Inland Empire ACORN office responded by spinning out a wild fantasy of her own (describing how she murdered her ex-husband), suggesting she had played the undercover players.

    Despite all that, anti-ACORN activists previously have insisted that none of the organization’s employees demonstrated any qualms about the corrupt proposals. Yet last week, in the newest ACORN video, O’Keefe shows an employee at one of the group’s L.A. offices and says he “wouldn’t offer us any help.” (When I asked about the apparent discrepancy, O’Keefe claimed that even this worker’s actions were equivocal.)

    Who knows what we might find — either damaging or benefiting ACORN’s image — if we could see the unedited video of these encounters? The raw material could be posted on YouTube for all to see. …

    http://www.latimes.com/news/lo.....974.column

    Where are the calls for 60 Minutes to post their raw material for all to see?

    How about the raw interview material from Katie Couric’s interview with Sarah Palin?

    Did Dan Rather interview Mr. Bush on the National Guard piece?

    Didn’t think so.

  36. Liberals Demise
    November 27, 2009 at 4:17 pm

    From:
    Otis Willie PIO American War Library (Yahoo Military Groups)

    SHAMEFUL: 16,000 UNPROCESSED FILES OF VETS WITH THE V.A.

    By Dr. Laurie Roth
    November 27, 2009
    NewsWithViews.com

    We are apparently still at war with our troops and veterans when they come home from war. Apparently it is not enough for them to bravely fight for their country and to come back mangled and needing major help. For decades now the VA (Veterans Administration) has grown into a disorganized, unaccountable monster of non- representation to our vets in dire need of treatment. It has become an unbelievable, bureaucratic nightmare.

    This week my blood pressure went through the roof when I interviewed Dick Phenneger a retired businessman and vet who had reviewed thousands of pages of veterans documents only to discover an enormous, not talked about sea of betrayal to our troops, not just recently but several decades back. He found and verified among other things that a Detroit regional office turned in 16,000 pieces of unprocessed mail and 717 unprocessed documents that had been sent to storage without any review. In another investigation many documents were actually found in shredding bins not in one office but several regional offices. The VA has a habit of saying “we don’t have your records.” NOW WE CERTAINLY KNOW WHY!

    It also came to my horrified attention that Veterans are required to complete a 23 page application with endless details required for even the most basic disability and loss. As we speak, according to Phenneger’s exhaustive and accurate research http://www.veteranservicestransparency.org even the application process to get help (before the VA often loses the file), is a quagmire of legal documents and forms designed to confuse and discourage. Just think of a sick or injured vet trying to get help with the VA and finding an absurd amount of paperwork just to begin the process of getting help.

    Then like many thousands, finding that they have lost your file and turned you down for care again and again. I found in my review of this topic that a good chunk of those that are homeless, you know that homeless, drunk looking long haired vet hanging out under the bridge, we just assume is a Viet Nam Vet….well guess what, most of them had their applications for help turned down by the VA. For others the YES for getting help was so long in waiting that their life was in ruins anyway.

    Just when I thought I was losing it, it got even worse. The VA has set up an internal award system where they actually award employees who “dispose” of claims rapidly. Phenneger found in his digging that this causes in most cases an automatic denial of veteran’s first claim and in most cases a denial for a second or third attempt for help. The records from hell speak for themselves! 70% of claims taken to the Veterans Claims Court are sent back to VA for more work or to be redone. Isn’t that special? Turn a claim down so you can build a big bonus. Money talks and service apparently rots!

    As is typical bureaucracy that is out of control and poorly run, most the big shot leaders think things are just fine. Michael Walcoff, the VA Deputy Undersecretary for Benefits talks about needing a system in place that holds employees accountable. There is apparently no accountability to give medical attention desperately and quickly needed by our vets.

    It is sadly and vividly clear that the VA needs a total overhaul and confrontation by the Department of Defense and congress! We all must have a zero tolerance policy for anything but speedy and clear treatment offered to our Vets. They must also redesign the application to a sane 5 or under pages, not 23 pages of idiot legal documents and forms, designed to blow off Vets.

    Under Dick Phenneger’s fine leadership, Veteran Services Transparency inc. http://www.veteranservicestransparency.org plans to inform the public about this betrayal and problem that has been building for years with the VA and explore solutions and action. They intend to expose those who are responsible, provide supporting documents and explore many solutions including lawsuits if necessary. They intend to send a letter and demand that those who destroyed veteran claims be held accountable and those who allowed such conduct be terminated. If they do not get an acceptable response within 10 days legal action will be initiated with their supportive law firm DLA Piper.

    When a service person takes an oath to serve their country, takes heat and comes home battered, they expect and need real care that was promised to them not autocratic bull rot, turn downs and delays!!! This cannot stand. We owe much more to our troops!

    http://www.newswithviews.com/Roth/laurie191.htm

    ***
    I have been saying here on this site (S&L) than one only needs to look at the Veterans Administration to see what Obama Health Scare would look like and how efficient it would be. The proof is here………..need there be more?

    We Veterans have paid in full and this is our reward.
    Be afraid……….Be very afraid!!

  37. bronzeprofessor
    November 27, 2009 at 5:50 pm

    NYT “Conservative” who called Palin a “cancer” and anti-intellectual writes hard-hitting, deeply intellectual column about what he learned from Bruce Springsteen!

    From the oh-so serious and gravitas-laden Palin-hater, David Brooks:

    The Other Education By DAVID BROOKS
    Published: November 26, 2009

    Like many of you, I went to elementary school, high school and college. I took such and such classes, earned such and such grades, and amassed such and such degrees.

    But on the night of Feb. 2, 1975, I turned on WMMR in Philadelphia and became mesmerized by a concert the radio station was broadcasting. The concert was by a group I’d never heard of — Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Thus began a part of my second education…

    We don’t usually think of this second education. For reasons having to do with the peculiarities of our civilization, we pay a great deal of attention to our scholastic educations, which are formal and supervised, and we devote much less public thought to our emotional educations, which are unsupervised and haphazard. This is odd, since our emotional educations are much more important to our long-term happiness and the quality of our lives.

    I feel so betrayed. I thought David’s crusade against Sarah Palin was based on his worship of the Obama “brain trust” and all those Ivy League degrees. Now all of a sudden it seems his Ivymania has dissipated, and he has discovered the value of ….. “common-sense conservatives”? Could it be? Will he apologize to Gov. Palin any time soon for calling her an under-educated and incurious “cancer”?

    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11.....ks.html?em

    Bobby

  38. Liberals Demise
    November 26, 2009 at 9:13 pm

    That is why LD sleeps with a weapon and my “crib” is more secure than than the “Peoples House” without all the glitz and Storm Troopers!

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