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Selected News For May 2 – May 8

This thread is for the busy bees of S&L to post news items we might otherwise miss.

If you do post an article, please follow these guidelines as much as possible:

  • Please try to stick to the format described in the first of these weekly editions here.
  • Do not post a link without noting the source, the headline and a brief excerpt from the article.
  • Remember to link to the original source for each item you post.
  • Avoid articles from blogs or hugely popular sites like the Drudge Report, since most people will presumably see such material elsewhere.
  • Any articles that fit under the topic of a recent thread should be posted there.
  • Remember to excerpt heavily. Posting less than a third of the article, is a good rule of thumb.

Posts of articles that do not follow these guidelines are susceptible to being edited or deleted.

 

This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Saturday, May 2nd, 2009 at 12:00 am. You can leave a response.

51 Responses to “Selected News For May 2 – May 8”

  1. U NO HOO
    May 2, 2009 at 8:51 pm

    http://www.adn.com/news/politi.....81355.html

    Derby winner owned by Bill Allen’s son

    Published: May 2nd, 2009 04:30 PM
    Last Modified: May 2nd, 2009 04:39 PM

    The 50-to-1 longshot that won Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, Mine That Bird, is one of the horses bought by the son of former Veco boss Bill Allen in a buying spree of thoroughbreds using the money the family got from the sale of Veco.

    Mark Allen’s Double Eagle Ranch of Roswell, N.M., has a number of race horses, including a stud once partly owned by former Sen. Ted Stevens, So Long Birdie. Mark Allen and a business partner in New Mexico bought Mine That Bird, a two-year-old relative of So Long Birdie, for $400,000 last year.

    Bill Allen is the central figure in Alaska’s political corruption scandal. He pleaded guilty two years ago Monday to bribing Alaska politicians, but in a plea deal, won immunity for Mark and other members of his family. Bill Allen, still a witness in possible future cases, has not been sentenced.

    On the witness stand in the Ted Stevens trial last year, Bill Allen explained what Mark had done: he had paid off a legislator. Allen didn’t name the legislator, but when former Rep. Bev Masek pleaded guilty to conspiracy in March, she admitted accepting “several thousand dollars” from a relative of Bill Allen as a bribe for spiking a bill that would raise oil taxes.

    A felony conviction would have prevented Mark Allen from getting a license to own race horses.

    When Allen and his three children sold Veco to the international engineering company of CH2M Hill in 2007, Mark Allen pocketed about $30 million, about the same as his two sisters, according to sales documents.

  2. caligirl9
    May 3, 2009 at 12:29 am

    From the LA Times Godspeed, Jack.

    Jack Kemp, all-star quarterback, politician, father, dead of cancer, 73

    Jack Kemp, the all-star college and pro quarterback who went on to serve nine House terms, as secretary of Housing and Urban Development and as Robert Dole’s VP running mate on the 1996 Republican presidential ticket, died this evening.

    Kemp also ran his own unsuccessful presidential campaign in 1988 against Ronald Reagan’s vice president, George H.W. Bush, who would go on to appoint Kemp as his HUD secretary.

    The cause of death was cancer. He was 73 years old and had allowed his office to release the news of his terminal illness only in early January. But there were no details of treatment or what type, only word that he would continue his charitable activities.

    Moments ago, the Kemp family released a statement:

    Jack Kemp passed peacefully into the presence of the Lord shortly after 6 o’clock this evening, surrounded by the love of his family and pastor, and believing with Isaiah, “My strength and my courage is the Lord.”

    During the treatment of his cancer, Jack expressed his gratitude for the thoughts and prayers of so many friends, a gratitude which the Kemp family shares.

    Funeral details were incomplete tonight and expected to be released Sunday.

    Kemp’s condition had been declining rapidly since the announcement and friends knew the end was near for the devoted politician and father. He was famed fondly for predictably breaking off Friday business meetings to fly overnight to watch his two boys, Jeff and Jimmy, also quarterbacks, play college or pro football on the weekends.

    “So sad,” said Karl Rove, longtime Republican strategist, in a cellphone text message.

    The troubled GOP could have used the friendly, empathetic and well-spoken southern Californian in its national rebuilding now. Kemp was known as a bleeding heart conservative for his interest in social issues and bettering the lives of average citizens. And he was well-liked by teammates, both the athletic and political kind.

    A West Los Angeles native and graduate of celebrity-strewn Fairfax High School, until last year Kemp was probably the most famous politician to attend Occidental College. No longer…

    http://latimesblogs.latimes.co.....-dies.html

  3. proreason
    May 3, 2009 at 11:26 am

    White House admits Obamy lied that he has already “created over 150,000″ jobs. From FactCheck.org:

    Fantasy Jobs?

    At President Obama’s April 29 news conference, he claimed that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has “already saved or created over 150,000 jobs.” Wait a minute. Isn’t the number of jobs actually plummeting?

    According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the economy lost more than 1.3 million jobs in the two months after he took office, and it has probably lost at least another half-million in April. The day after Obama spoke, the Department of Labor announced that another 631,000 workers (seasonally adjusted) had filed new claims for unemployment insurance the previous week.

    So what 150,000 jobs was Obama talking about?

    It turns out the president’s claim is really an estimate of what his economic advisers think the stimulus bill is doing, and not based on any evidence of its actual effects.

    We asked the White House for substantiation of Obama’s claim, and a spokesman responded that the figure comes from a recent estimate by the Council of Economic Advisers…

    So when the president said his stimulus bill “already saved or created” those jobs, he was just giving an estimate produced by his own economic advisers at the White House. …there’s very little hard data on where the money is being spent, let alone how many jobs may have resulted from the legislation…

    http://tinyurl.com/ddjj8f

    So let’s review:

    - first you make up some employment predictions to justify bankrupting multiple generations
    - then you report to the country that the numbers you made up are acrually happening

    In other words, the Moron now bases his new lies on the “solid foundation” of his old lies.

    By his own logic, proreason personally has saved 150 MILLION jobs. But don’t thank me. Anointing me king will suffice quite handsomely.

  4. Confucius
    May 3, 2009 at 11:39 pm

    A Study In Lunacy, courtesy of the Associated Press:

    Senators: Pick next justice from outside judiciary

    By Douglass K. Daniel, Associated Press Writer

    WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama’s search to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter should extend beyond the current roster of federal judges, senators from both political parties said Sunday.

    “I would like to see more people from outside the judicial monastery, somebody who has had some real-life experience, not just as a judge,” said Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee that will hold hearings when Obama makes his nomination. …

    When he was discussing the qualities he would seek in Souter’s successor, Obama said last week he wanted someone with empathy for average Americans. Conservatives fear that means the president would consider “judicial activists” for the seat. …

    “I would like to see, certainly, more women on the court. Having only one woman on the Supreme Court does not reflect the makeup of the United States. I think we should have more women. We should have more minorities,” Leahy said.

    Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, a committee member who last week switched from the Republican to the Democratic Party, suggested someone in the mold of a statesman or stateswoman, and said he could imagine a nominee who was not a lawyer, if that person had the right credentials.

    “I would like to see somebody with broader experience,” Specter said. “We have a very diverse country. We need more people to express a woman’s point of view or a minority point of view, Hispanic or African American … somebody who’s done something more than wear a black robe for most of their lives.” …

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

    How about competence? Or maybe someone who isn’t a tax cheat?

    As of today, Specter and Leahy are in a dead heat as to who is the dumbest senator of them all. (It would be a three-way tie, but Obama’s no longer a senator.)

    Personally, I would like to see a senator who isn’t an idiot . . . or a lawyer.

    • U NO HOO
      May 6, 2009 at 10:05 pm

      “Personally, I would like to see a senator who isn’t an idiot . . . or a lawyer.”

      Maybe an English major who can diagram a law?

  5. canary
    May 4, 2009 at 5:30 am

    Washington, wants to see Pakistan fight the Taliban, not talk to them.

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

    Taliban attack convoy, threatening Pakistan deal
    By ZARAR KHAN, Associated Press Writer Zarar Khan, Associated Press Writer
    1 hr 29 mins ago

    ISLAMABAD – Taliban militants attacked an army convoy Monday in a northwestern region covered by an increasingly fragile peace pact, killing one soldier and dealing another blow to an agreement seen in the West as a capitulation to extremists.

    The Swat peace deal and Islamabad’s patchy attempts to fight surging militancy will feature in

    *talks between Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and President Barack Obama later this week in Washington. Zardari is expected to ask for more money..*

    Washington has said it wants Pakistan to fight the militants, not talk to them..**

    Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan claimed responsibility for attack….
    “Why do you think we should remain silent if they come heavy on us? … We will attack them too,” he told The Associated Press.***

    The proximity of the district to the capital of Islamabad raised alarms domestically and abroad. Several thousand have fled the area.

    The military has so far complied with the agreement by not launching operations in Swat, but on Sunday it accused the insurgents of “gross violations” of the deal by looting and attacking infrastructure. At least three security officials have been reported killed in recent days.

  6. BillK
    May 4, 2009 at 4:49 pm

    It’s funny, the media keeps reporting this as if it were a new story every few weeks.

    No agenda there…

    From CNN, this time:

    Ammo hard to find as gun owners stock up

    AURORA, Colorado (CNN) — Gun shops across the country are reporting a run on ammunition, a phenomenon apparently driven by fear that the Obama administration will increase taxes on bullets or enact new gun-control measures.

    “In the last two months it’s gotten very, very difficult to find ammunition,” says Richard Taylor, manager of The Firing Line, a gun shop and shooting range in the Denver, Colorado, suburbs.

    “There are a lot of rumors floating around that the present government would like to increase taxes on ammunition. I think [there is] just a lot of panicked buying going on.”

    While campaigning for the White House, Obama supported re-enacting the now-expired ban on assault weapons. But there is no indication that the administration will take up that measure — or any other gun-control initiative –anytime soon.

    Nonetheless, some gun owners aren’t taking any chances.

    Two weeks ago, The Firing Line was forced to impose a four-box-per-customer limit on ammo. Before that, the shop was selling 10,000 rounds of 9 mm handgun ammunition a day.

    Some calibers of ammunition have been unavailable for months.

    “Currently no .380 ammunition — I haven’t seen any for about four months … .38 special, it’s been at least a couple of months,” Taylor says. “It’s just that there’s been a huge demand and it’s far outweighed supply right now.”

    Taylor says plenty of people are still coming to the range to shoot, but are gun owners hoarding ammo?

    “People are buying cases or whatever they can get their hands on and putting it away, absolutely,” he says. “The only way that this shortage can have to do with it is that people are buying and hoarding.”

    Karl Roos, a physician, stopped by the range to do some shooting with his Smith and Wesson .357-caliber Magnum, using some rounds from his personal stock of ammo.

    “I have yet to see .38 special or .357 Magnum ammunition on the shelf. The stuff I’m shooting I’ve had for several years. I just haven’t seen it for the last several months,” says Roos, who adds he is always on the lookout for fresh sources of ammo. “As I’m doing the rounds of the local stores that carry ammunition, if I see something on the shelf I’ll buy it.”

    “I’m not too worried about things being banned or anything like that,” he says. But he notes that many of his fellow gun enthusiasts are scared: “There’s definitely a lot of fear.”

    Jim Minardi, a gun dealer in Lakewood, Colorado, says only a few people are actually hoarding. But they are buying up so much ammo that there isn’t much left on the shelves.

    “The minority of our customers are stockpiling ammunition,” Minardi says. “The majority are standard shooters buying what they can.”

    Wal-Mart is one of the largest ammo dealers in the United States. In an e-mail exchange, a Wal-Mart spokesman confirmed that ammo sales have been brisk.

    “Some Wal-Mart stores have experienced an increase in demand for guns and ammo and for those locations, we are working closely with suppliers to replenish shelves,” says William C. Wertz, the discount chain’s divisional director for public affairs and government relations. “In some situations where demand is high, so that we can better serve all customers, we will place a limit on the amount of a product that can be purchased.”

    “It’s no different with ammo than other products (toilet paper, batteries, etc.) that may be in short supply for one reason or another.”

    Each year U.S. ammo manufacturers make about 8 billion rounds, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry. Current production data won’t be in until late May, but the foundation expects the numbers to be way up.

    “In order to keep up with demand for ammunition, manufacturers are working at full capacity, 24-7,” says Ted Novin, an NSSF spokesman. “Currently demand for ammunition is outpacing supply.”

    Novin says he believes the reason is clear.

    “The increase in demand for firearms and ammunition is largely attributable to gun owner concerns regarding the current political climate,” says Novin, referring to the Obama administration and the Democrat-controlled Congress.

    “Many of the lawmakers in power have a long history of supporting legislation that violates the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans,” Novin adds. “Gun owners recognize this and are reacting accordingly.” …

    http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/05/.....index.html

    Funny how one person’s “buying at case prices” is another’s “hoarding.”

    It makes you wonder whether the approach the administration will take is to consider owning more than a certain amount of ammo as “hoarding”…

    After all, we can’t have ammunition makers being a bright spot in the economy now, can we?

    • canary
      May 5, 2009 at 7:12 am

      Walmarts just told me this new policy, so glad it’s true. They were still out, though. lol
      Share the safety!.
      “In some situations where demand is high, so that we can better serve all customers, we will place a limit on the amount of a product that can be purchased.”

      NRA has a new article that Nancy Pelosi HR 45 has snuck in some last minute gun control comi legislation for a federal law. It’s bad.

      I guess in June is still when they will hear 17 states try and get fed bill passed that put in for ammo being marked to be tracked, and the cost will go from penny’s to dollars a bullet.

    • wardmama4
      May 7, 2009 at 1:31 pm

      HR45 is stalled in committee just like last year – Rep Rush’s homage to a murdered kid – does nothing toward increasing the sentences of criminals, most especially repeat offenders who use illegally obtained guns to murder – but does infringe on the 2nd Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens – has no co-sponsors this year.

      With the National attitude and polling having done a big change in regards to guns and most especially gun-control laws – I don’t think it is going any where.

      Canary you might be interested in the new Montana bill just passed and signed – (summary) what is made in MT, bought in MT and stays in MT is not subject to Federal Laws.

      http://tinyurl.com/d5atsa

      and we are still looking for ammo – just might have to go to a gun show to stock up hoard purchase some ammo to go target shooting – I am so glad that this particular sport gets almost no mention at all.

    • 12 Gauge Rage
      May 8, 2009 at 11:17 pm

      People wouldn’t be stockpiling ammo if Obama didn’t have such a poor Second Amendment track record. Many believe that he hasn’t given up his gun grabbing ways but is only putting that agenda on hold until a more opportune time. So I can certainly understand the mass suspicion gun owners have. Buy it when you can because yes, ammo is getting harder to find unless you special order it and then there still is a wait.

  7. BillK
    May 4, 2009 at 4:54 pm

    Just a quick reminder of our future, from the Times of London:

    Democrat joker Al Franken to hand Obama control of Senate

    By Sarah Baxter

    A COMEDIAN who had a walk-on part in the Rutles film spoof of the Beatles is poised to deliver a 60-seat super-majority to the Democrats in the Senate as President Barack Obama consolidates his grip on the levers of power.

    Al Franken, 57, a satirist turned Democrat politician, is expected to be proclaimed the winner of the protracted race for the US Senate in Minnesota, in time to give Obama a free hand to appoint a Supreme Court replacement for retiring Justice David Souter without fear of Republican blocking tactics.

    If Franken wins, Obama will hold an unassailable majority after Senator Arlen Specter’s sudden defection from the Republicans to the Democrats last week. A 60-seat majority would deprive the Republicans of the ability to scupper appointments and legislation by filibustering.

    Norman Coleman, the Republican former senator, last week asked the Minnesota supreme court to count an extra 1,359 ballots, but his own side has all but conceded that Franken will win. “Most of us think that is going to happen,” said Paul Ryan, a Republican congressman.

    Hillary Clinton, Obama’s surprise choice for secretary of state, has been mooted as a wild card appointment to the Supreme Court, but she would have to abandon any remaining presidential ambitions – an unlikely prospect.

    Franken, a former presenter on Air America, the left-wing radio station, has been uncharacteristically quiet during the six-month recount. He holds a 312-vote lead over Coleman out of a total of nearly 3m.

    Tad Devine, a Democrat consultant and friend of Franken, warned that his party’s softly-softly tactics would not continue indefinitely.

    “Our side has not kicked into gear yet,” he said. “There has been a deliberate strategy not to make a big deal of the recount but if it drags on into the summer, we could raise the stakes and force the race to a conclusion.” ^#133;

    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/t.....211481.ece

    Nothing we don’t already know, but further proof of how the Democrats can swoop in and steal an election with not one word of protest from even the “we must count every vote” folks.

  8. caligirl9
    May 4, 2009 at 6:40 pm

    Perhaps there is indeed hope for America … from the SF Chron liberal cat box liner.

    College Republicans stand their ground

    The College Republicans student club set up a table on the San Francisco State University quad, offering information about and speaking out against the Fairness Doctrine, which would require broadcasters to provide balanced and fair views of an issue.

    Though the doctrine was eliminated in 1987, there is some talk of reinstating it. Conservative groups – like the College Republicans – oppose that move because the doctrine could curb conservative talk-radio shows.

    James Kincaid, president of the San Francisco State College Republicans, and three other club members were gathering signatures for a petition to stop the Fairness Doctrine when Jacob Barcena, a junior studying music, stopped by to ask a few questions.

    “What do you do beyond ruffling feathers on campus?” he asked.

    At San Francisco State, which has a long and storied history of activism and a diverse and liberal student body, the College Republicans stand out. While the scene at the table last month was tame, some of the group’s past events have been anything but: A bake sale to support a wall at the Mexico border, an anti-terrorism rally that invited students to throw a shoe at a Hamas flag and a victory party for George W. Bush’s re-election in 2004 all drew heated protests.

    Going too far?

    Members of the College Republicans say such high-profile events help spread their conservative message. But students from some campus groups say the Republicans go too far with their events and disrespect others.

    “I’d like to see the school re-establish that line between making a political statement and defaming someone’s religious, sexual or moral beliefs,” said Anthony Aboujaoude, president of the San Francisco State Muslim Student Association.
    But after a March 2008 lawsuit settlement, in which a federal court found the California State University system violated the First Amendment rights of the group, campus administration is taking a hands-off approach.

    San Francisco State’s College Republicans group was formed in 2003 and has nearly 300 members. It is part of a national group with 45 charter groups in California. “We’ve done a good job of establishing ourselves on campus and opening up political dialogue,” said Leigh Wolf, a former president of the group. “In the ’60s, left-of-center students wanted a place on this campus, and now it’s the opposite.”

    In the past, the College Republicans held political forums and debates, but because of lackluster participation, the group scratched that approach, Wolf said. Today, it favors more in-your-face events.

    At a February event, the College Republicans invited students to throw a shoe at the Hamas flag, a sign of disrespect in Muslim culture. Some students protested the event, and two nonstudents, were arrested.

    ‘Misguided patriots’

    “They’ve been known to stir people up on campus,” said Coby Obiesie, a senior coordinator for the Black Student Union on campus. “They are the misguided patriots of America.”

    In March 2006, the College Republicans held a bake sale to raise funds for the Border Fence Project, which supports building a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border. They had a makeshift wall around their table and dressed in fatigues to resemble border patrol agents. A protest over the bake sale turned violent, and Kincaid suffered minor head injuries after being hit by a glass bottle.

    “I’m pretty sure they knew it (the event) was going to make people angry,” said David Verdin, a member of the student group La Raza.

    Nonetheless, the group has become a model for College Republicans, said Michael Antopolis, administrative vice chairman of the national group. “We encourage clubs to follow the example of the S.F. State College Republicans,” Antopolis said.

    And one club – the College Democrats – is trying to live with its political rival. In recent years, the two groups have co-hosted events such as political debates and a 9/11 memorial.

    “They’ve done things that I don’t necessarily agree with, but I think they’re important to the campus and provide important political dialogue,” said Renee Darner, president of the College Democrats.

    In 2007, the College Republicans organized an anti-terrorism rally that involved stepping on homemade flags of Hezbollah and Hamas. Some student groups complained that the group was disrespecting a flag that carried the word “Allah” on it. The school investigated.

    The university found that no rules had been broken and did not pursue further action. But the College Republicans sued the California State University system, alleging a violation of First Amendment rights.

    Favorable decision

    The court found in favor of the group, and, as a result, the California Education Code was amended to make it clear that “civility” could not be grounds for student discipline. The court also required the university system to pay the group, its president and vice president each $100, as well as $41,000 in legal fees.

    “Disagreements, expression, exploration of ideas and debate are in fact central to universities – and activities highly valued at S.F. State,” university spokeswoman Ellen Griffin said in an e-mail. “We teach our students to aspire to civil and responsible free speech that reflects tolerance, mutual respect and values of equity and social justice.”
    Kincaid, the group president, says the Republicans have every right to be on campus. “We are not going to be intimidated.”

    http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/.....16U07M.DTL

    I know this story doesn’t sound like a big deal, but I applaud the efforts of these young patriots speaking out in a liberal wackjob city like San Francisco.

    And why is it that Republicans are almost always accused of “defaming” the rights of others? Hey Hamas-lovers, did that little protest hit a bit too close to home? Were those cupcakes too delicious for the AB-540 students (who no doubt attend SF State) to pass up on?

    What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. If groups like La Raza, etc. can do their thing, the College Republicans have the same right. I wish there’d been a chapter at SJSU when I attended from 1998 to 2000. It might be a good enough reason to go to grad school there if I could be part of the chapter LOL What’s another student loan? LOL

  9. BillK
    May 5, 2009 at 1:18 am

    Some good news, for a change, from a thoroughly depressed AP:

    Student Wins Suit After Teacher Says Creationism ‘Superstitious Nonsense’

    SANTA ANA, Calif. — A federal judge ruled that a public high school history teacher violated the First Amendment when he called creationism “superstitious nonsense” during a classroom lecture.

    U.S. District Judge James Selna issued the ruling Friday after a 16-month legal battle between student Chad Farnan and his former teacher, James Corbett.

    Farnan sued in U.S. District Court in 2007, alleging that Corbett violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment by making repeated comments in class that were hostile to Christian beliefs.

    The lawsuit cited more than 20 statements made by Corbett during one day of class, all of which were recorded by Farnan, to support allegations of a broader teaching method that “favors irreligion over religion” and made Christian students feel uncomfortable.

    During the course of the litigation, the judge found that most of the statements cited in the court papers did not violate the First Amendment because they did not refer directly to religion or were appropriate in the context of the classroom lecture.

    But Selna ruled Friday that one comment, where Corbett referred to creationism as “religious, superstitious nonsense,” did violate Farnan’s constitutional rights.

    Farnan is not interested in monetary damages, said his attorney, Jennifer Monk of the Murrieta-based Christian legal group Advocates for Faith & Freedom.

    Instead, he plans to ask the court to prohibit Corbett from making similar comments in the future. Farnan’s family would also like to see the school district offer teacher training and monitor Corbett’s classroom for future violations, Monk said.

    There are no plans to appeal the judge’s rulings on the other statements listed in the litigation, she said.

    “They lost, he violated the establishment clause,” she told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “From our perspective, whether he violated it with one statement or with 19 statements is irrelevant.”

    In making his decision, Selna wrote that he tried to balance Farnan’s and Corbett’s rights.

    “The court’s ruling today reflects the constitutionally permissible need for expansive discussion even if a given topic may be offensive to a particular religion,” the judge wrote.

    “The decision also reflects that there are boundaries. … The ruling today protects Farnan, but also protects teachers like Corbett in carrying out their teaching duties.”

    Corbett, a 20-year teaching veteran, remains at Capistrano Valley High School. …

    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,518864,00.html

    But look at some of the other statements the teacher made that were dismissed as “just free speech”:

    In a ruling last month, the judge dismissed all but two of the statements Farnan complained about, including Corbett’s comment that “when you put on your Jesus glasses, you can’t see the truth.”

    Also dismissed in April were comments such as, “Conservatives don’t want women to avoid pregnancies — that’s interfering with God’s work” and “When you pray for divine intervention, you’re hoping that the spaghetti monster will help you get what you want.“

    No bias there.

  10. BillK
    May 5, 2009 at 1:23 am

    This is an interesting one.

    From TMZ (sorry, everyone):

    Allred Goes into Labor War with OctoMom

    Gloria Allred just announced what her new fight with OctoMom Nadya Suleman is about — she wants to make sure the octobabies are gonna get paid for being her miniature cash cows.

    Allred’s mystery client is a former child star named Paul Peterson, who’s also the president of “A Minor Consideration” — a company that protects the rights of child actors.

    Peterson said he filed a petition in Orange County to appoint a guardian for the estate of the octobabies — to make sure Nadya doesn’t waste all the money she makes from constantly selling them out.

    Allred said she also sent a letter to the California Division of Labor Standards & Enforcement, to investigate whether or not OctoMom has violated laws set up to protect “child performers.”

    http://www.tmz.com/2009/05/04/.....h-octomom/

    Good for Peterson – let’s actually support Allred on this one.

    (If you don’t remember Peterson, he played Jeff Stone on The Donna Reed Show.)

    • caligirl9
      May 5, 2009 at 4:03 pm

      There are times I think Gloria Allred is a big buttinski.

      Not this time. Those children deserve protection and I don’t mean protection from their mother, a selfish person who has only one thing on her mind: extending HER 15 minutes of fame she gained on taxpayer’s dollars.

      I sure hope that California is taking its share of her ill-gotten gains, including making HER pay for her hospitalization and that of the babies.

      Too bad there wasn’t an accidental spay done at the time of the c-section.

  11. badcrow
    May 5, 2009 at 3:51 pm

    WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF A WHITEHOUSE DIRECTED CENSUS?

    Just got a visit from Obammy’s census team. He was a kindly older gent who passed me a slip of paper to inform me that I must, by law (U.S. Code, Title 13, sec., 9,141,193, 214, and 221 and title 44, sec., 2108) answer ALL questions submitted, or be prosecuted. In his hand was a small GPS, mapmaking device. I politely questioned him about it and he informed me that he was gathering the locations of addresses–with GPS coordinates. I asked him why the “G” needed to have precise GPS coordinates of all the addresses on our street. (The same technology used by our military to call missile strikes in on our enemies.) He said he didn’t really know, he was just doing his part time job, which ended in a couple of weeks.

    Why does the Obammy Whitehouse need to have the GPS coordinates of individual citizen addresses? How will this information be used? Will other government agencies have access to this information? Will it be used by law enforcement? ACORN?
    How can citizens be sure that their confidentiality will be protected when evidence of the egregious misuse of Gov’t information occurs on a daily basis?
    I was always under the impression that the only thing a census taker needs to ask is “How many people are here?” What other questions are they asking and why? What guarantee can they give us as citizens that this info will not be misused!
    I and many others in this area have legitimate concerns about this current census. What are the intentions of the Gov’t in gathering this type of information. Most folks around here (ordinary average Americans by the way…) see irresistable potential for abuse and have NO faith in the assertion made by the “G” that this info will remain confidential.
    So what are they up to? Besides redistricting, which we knew about already.

    • proreason
      May 5, 2009 at 8:27 pm

      In Nazi Germany, there was a big effort to discover where all the Jews lived. That information was necessary to improve the safety of the German people, for which, of course, everybody was grateful beause the Leader was leading them out of the wilderness of the prior 20 years. They knew it was true because the Leader told them so.

      Of course, this is totally different. For example, our wilderness was only 8 years long, and our dear Leader has no animosity whatsoever to any minority group. Other than veterans, people who make money, and white people who conspire to hold down other races.

    • 12 Gauge Rage
      May 8, 2009 at 11:29 pm

      Why mark out where we live with a GPS unit? Wouldn’t a mark on our foreheads or right hand be more efficient? I swear, every day I see my country becoming more Orwellian in nature. Will we soon have Thought Police or be forced to attend a session of Two Minutes of Hate?

  12. BillK
    May 5, 2009 at 6:17 pm

    Today’s latest example in the “Democratic politicians and Union members are about as far from ‘getting it’ as possible” game, from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

    Kohl lobbies to keep Chrysler plant open in Kenosha

    By Rick Romell

    Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) lobbied a key Treasury Department official Tuesday to keep the Chrysler engine plant in Kenosha running.

    Kohl protested Chrysler’s plans to build a new engine in Mexico rather than Kenosha at the same time the financially troubled company seeks billions in government bailout money.

    Kohl’s meeting with Steven Rattner, Treasury’s lead adviser on restructuring the auto industry, came during a closed session of the Senate Banking Committee. Kohl later released a statement describing his remarks.

    “It’s galling that a company that came here, hat in hand, to plead for taxpayer money to survive would turn around and move jobs out of the country,” he said. “There is no place that Chrysler will find better skilled workers than they have in Wisconsin, and it’s important for the people making these decisions to understand that.”

    In a bankruptcy court filing last week, Chrysler disclosed that it plans to stop making engines in Kenosha, where 800 people work. Other elected officials and union leaders have sharply criticized the decision, saying, as Kohl did, that Chrysler essentially will be using government money to move jobs out of the country.

    http://www.jsonline.com/business/44370847.html

    The key quote here is:

    a company that came here, hat in hand, to plead for taxpayer money to survive

    They tried, but in part because of the higher expenses of doing business in the United States, they failed.

    As a man who was once a businessman (yes, Kohl’s Department Stores were his before he sold off the chain years ago), he knows all too well that after the Fiat deal goes through Chrysler ceases to exist as anything but a nameplate.

    The other part, as promised:

    Auto workers rally to save Kenosha plant

    By Thomas Content

    Kenosha — Hundreds of auto workers rallied Monday evening to urge the Obama administration and executives at Fiat and Chrysler to reverse a decision to close the Kenosha engine plant.

    The closing was signaled last week by Chrysler in court documents filed as part of the automaker’s bankruptcy proceeding.

    In response, local leaders vowed a long fight to keep the factory open.

    “We have a fight, and it’s an uphill grade,” Kenosha County Executive Jim Kreuser told more than 300 people gathered at the United Auto Workers union hall. “I’m here to tell you we are down but we are not out.”

    The rally sought to build on outrage voiced Friday by political leaders after they learned of the decision by Chrysler to end engine production in Kenosha. Chrysler has decided to build the new line of engines at factories in Trenton, Mich., and Saltillo, Mexico.

    Until Friday, Chrysler had never closed the door officially on building the new engines in Kenosha, union workers at the plant said.

    “They were stringing us along, and it was starting to feel like ‘No,’ ” said Brian Prill of Kenosha, who’s worked at the plant for 34 years. “But they never officially said ‘No.’ ”

    In a letter to President Barack Obama Monday, Gov. Jim Doyle, Kreuser and Kenosha Mayor Keith Bosman asked that Chrysler’s bankruptcy plan be amended to build the new engine in Kenosha or allow the plant to remain open to produce something else.

    “Taxpayers understand being asked to loan Chrysler $12 billion to help them survive this economic downturn,” the governor and local leaders said in the letter. “But Wisconsin workers will not understand having to sacrifice their jobs to a foreign plant.”
    Signs and cheers

    Workers carried signs saying “U.S. $$$ for U.S. Jobs” and “Keep Kenosha Open.”

    They cheered when Kreuser said the company’s math doesn’t add up: Chrysler plans to close eight factories in the United States but not shut any of its three plants in Mexico. The auto maker also plans to open one more in Mexico to make engines – work that had been promised to Kenosha when union members approved contract concessions in 2006. …

    http://www.jsonline.com/business/44328942.html

    Why do I somehow suspect that the cost of building a new factory plus some years’ worth of labor and benefits costs for the Mexican workers is stil much, much less that that required by the current UAW contract?

  13. BillK
    May 5, 2009 at 6:21 pm

    Welcome to Fantasy Land.

    From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

    Wind power is job creator in tough times, governors say

    By Thomas Content

    Midwestern governors on Tuesday endorsed a national renewable energy standard that they said would stimulate creation of more manufacturing jobs in the Midwest.

    A poll conducted for the American Wind Energy Association and released at the association’s annual conference in Chicago found that voters back a national mandate to require 25% of the nation’s electricity to come from renewable sources by 2025.

    The poll, which has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points, found bipartisan support for the renewable power standard, said Denise Bode, AWEA chief executive, with 86% of Democrats, 71% of independents and 62% of Republicans backing 25% renewable power by 2025.

    Bode and four Midwestern governors spoke on a conference call on the opening day of the wind industry’s annual conference, which is taking place as Congress is debating energy legislation including a renewable energy mandate and measures aimed at boosting the nation’s transmission grid.

    Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle pointed to the job-creation taking place in Wisconsin Rapids, a town hit hard by cutbacks in the paper industry, with the expansion of Energy Composites Inc., a supplier to the wind industry.

    “Initially they’re hiring 400 people, and hope to be going to 1,000 people that will be building blades” for wind turbines, Doyle said.

    “This really is what we really are all talking about and we hope it’s repeated hundreds and hundreds of times over,” he said.

    Wind power development is expanding in Wisconsin and across the Midwest, and states hit hard by cuts in the manufacturing sector need to look at options other than the traditional industries like automobile assembly, said Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

    Granholm said auto-industry suppliers need to retool toward renewable energy to help convert the region “from the Rust Belt to the Green Belt.”

    “The bottom line for us is about jobs,” she said. “I tell people in Michigan whenever you hear the words ‘climate change’ or ‘global warming,’ think ‘jobs for Michigan.’ ” …

    http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/.....77927.html

    Of course it means jobs – any time the Government forces people to do something without any regard whatsoever to costs, efficiency or function, it “creates jobs.”

    Of course it kills tens of thousands of jobs, too.

    Funny how the Governors’ statements never actually do the math in terms of net jobs, nor the damage to families that will occur when the cost of everything in the marketplace jumps dramatically.

    • Diane
      May 6, 2009 at 9:38 am

      During college, I spent a couple of summers working for a contractor research firm that dealt primarily with energy issues. Just outside of town – Pleasanton, California – there was a windmill farm of just the type they’re talking about here. You could see it quite easily from Interstate 580, and one of the things people first noticed about it was that most of the windmills weren’t turning. The reason was simple – they kept breaking down. This is not unreasonable. These are generators that stand out in the elements. Of COURSE they’re going to break down. I don’t remember the exact figures, but one of my bosses did a cost analysis of wind power and found it several times more expensive than most other forms of power generation, almost entirely because of the down-time from breakage and the truly humongous maintenance bills.

      I guess when Mr. Obama said he was going to make energy costs “skyrocket”, he wasn’t just whistling Dixie.

    • Odie44
      May 6, 2009 at 10:28 am

      BillK – Diane —

      Great article on Vestas (Danish company) – the largest windmill producer in America, last month in Forbes.
      I am a gentleman and will not ask your age ;) – but one of the issues that hurt windmills was the support, then lack of support in the tech to keep them going, primarily due to gov subsidies and cost of oil.

      Millions were poured into the tech in the 70’s, namely due to the oil crisis – and a 2-3 cent subsidy was imposed to match or beat the cost of natural gas, coal and oil. Currently the cost, net net is 7.4 cents for coal, 9.6 cents for nuclear, 8.2 cents for natural gas – and 7.1 cents for windmills

      The biggest issue is EPA lawsuits concerning placement and local – just 4 years ago a windmill farm was stopped in northern California- due to the “adverse effects on seagulls”.

      Its not exactly a black and white issue – but I am a fan of windmill technology, due to its net, net cost – advancements in the past 10 years and viability in America – because we are the windiest country on the planet.

      Whats ironic about the issue – is the Midwest would have to build a grid from the Great Plains or Great Lakes (where winds are viable) – at a cost of $2 million per mile, which is where they are claiming these jobs will come from – but again – the EPA leads the lawsuit front due to people not wanting them built in their backyards – (though I happen to find them prettier to look at than a smoke stack) so it will be nothing more than a boondoggle.

      Here’s another kicker that this article doesnt discuss – GE makes windmills also, but has been out teched by Vestas – so are clearly looking for another handsome payout, via the government to build these windmills – hence their willingness to be Bambi’s lapdog. Since Immelt can’t run a business in the free market – he is doing the liberal dance… get the gov to pay for the tech and materials, whereas Vestas has put up millions in investments for the past 35 years (even going bankrupt in the early 90’s due to cheap gas), in that free market way.

      http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2.....rrior.html

  14. BillK
    May 5, 2009 at 11:16 pm

    From a disturbed AP:

    Elizabeth Edwards to Oprah: Loving John ‘Complicated’

    CHICAGO — Elizabeth Edwards tells talk show host Oprah Winfrey that it’s a “complicated question” if she still is in love with her husband, former presidential candidate and U.S. Sen John Edwards, after his admitted affair.

    In an episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to air Thursday, Winfrey asks Edwards, “Are you still in love with him?”

    Edwards responds, “You know, that’s a complicated question,” in an excerpt provided in advance to The Associated Press by Harpo Productions.

    Winfrey also asks Edwards, “Is it a day by day thing?” And Edwards says, “Neither one of us is out the door so I guess it’s day by day, but maybe it’s month by month.”

    The talk-show host visited the Edwards family at the Chapel Hill, N.C., home where the couple live with their children, Cate, Jack and Emma Claire. Winfrey interviewed Elizabeth Edwards about her relationship with her husband, his affair and her battle with terminal cancer. The interview will appear on Winfrey’s television show and there will be a companion piece in the June issue of “O” magazine.

    Elizabeth Edwards’ memoir “Resilience” is to be published this month.

    A Harpo spokeswoman said the only caveat to the interview was that Winfrey could not mention John Edwards’ mistress, videographer Rielle Hunter, by name. Winfrey also spoke with John Edwards, however excerpts of his interview were not provided. …

    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,518922,00.html

    Yet were it not for the National Enquirer (!), we’d know none of this…

  15. BillK
    May 6, 2009 at 12:44 am

    How can you not love her?

    From the Anchorage Daily News:

    Palin firm on refusing some stimulus cash

    By Sean Cockerham

    Alaska legislators argue Gov. Sarah Palin is overstating the strings attached to federal stimulus money she’s planning to reject. But Palin isn’t backing down and said she still won’t take the $28.6 million for energy programs.

    The co-chairs of the state Senate Resources Committee sent Palin a letter Monday urging her to accept the funds, which could go for uses including energy efficiency grants, retrofitting buildings for less energy use and replacing streetlights with LED bulbs that use less electricity and last longer.

    It’s the only piece of the $931 million federal stimulus package Palin is turning down, saying she doesn’t want the money because it requires a state energy code.

    Anchorage Republican Sen. Lesil McGuire, one of the lawmakers who wrote the governor, said in an interview that Palin herself set a goal of Alaska receiving 50 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2025.

    “And then to come back and reject the implementation of an energy saving code the building community hasn’t rejected and that other states are readily adopting, I think it sends a hypocritical message,” McGuire said.

    Palin spokeswoman Sharon Leighow said the governor’s primary concern with the funds is that she believes energy codes should be a local government decision that considers local needs — not a state mandate

    “We shouldn’t have to change our local laws to accept more of this federal package, as the feds already control much of our young state, thus prohibiting our opportunities to responsibly develop,” Palin said in an e-mail.. …

    http://www.adn.com/palin/story/783397.html

    No wonder the left is scared stiff of this woman.

    (Hint: When your enemies tell you what you should do to win future elections, they don’t really have your best interests at heart…)

    • Liberals Make Great Speedbumps
      May 6, 2009 at 9:35 pm

      BillK,

      I really do like Gov. Palin but I’m not too impressed by her rejecting $28M out of $931M. I don’t know the specifics I admit, but on the surface it doesn’t sound like something to “crow” about.

  16. BillK
    May 6, 2009 at 2:29 am

    From our friends at Reuters, rarely has a headline been so succint:

    GM details plans to wipe out current shareholders

    By Kevin Krolicki

    DETROIT, May 5 (Reuters) – General Motors Corp (GM.N) on Tuesday detailed plans to all but wipe out the holdings of remaining shareholders by issuing up to 60 billion new shares in a bid to pay off debt to the U.S. government, bondholders and the United Auto Workers union.

    The unusual plan, which was detailed in a filing with U.S. securities regulators, would only need the approval of the U.S. Treasury to proceed since the U.S. government would be the majority shareholder of a new GM, the company said.

    The flood of new stock issuance that could be unleashed has been widely expected by analysts who have long warned that GM’s shares could be worthless whether the company restructures out of court or in bankruptcy.

    The debt-for-equity exchanges detailed in the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission would leave GM’s stock investors with just 1 percent of the equity in a restructured automaker, ending a long run when the Dow component was seen as a bellwether for the strength of the broader U.S. economy.

    GM shares closed on Tuesday at $1.85 on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock would be worth just over 1 cent if the first phase of GM’s restructuring moves forward as described.

    Once GM has issued new shares to pay off its debt to the U.S. government, bondholders and its major union, it said it would then undertake a 1-for-100 reverse stock split.

    Such a move would take the nominal value of the stock back to near where it had been before the flood of new shares. But in the process, GM’s existing shareholders would see their stake in the 100-year-old automaker all but wiped out.

    The automaker said it expected to draw another $2.6 billion from the U.S. Treasury before a June 1 deadline set by the Obama administration for it to reach agreements with all of its key stakeholders. …

    http://www.reuters.com/article.....2220090505

    Mr. Obama, America’s stock holders thank you for all your wonderful work.

  17. BillK
    May 6, 2009 at 2:32 am

    Destroying private equity, part two (also from Reuters):

    Judge approves bidding procedures for Chrysler

    By Emily Chasan and Chelsea Emery

    NEW YORK (Reuters) – A U.S. bankruptcy judge approved bidding procedures for the rapid sale of most of Chrysler’s assets, over objections from a group of lenders who called the accelerated timetable an “absurdity.”

    Judge Arthur Gonzalez, who is overseeing Chrysler’s bankruptcy case in Manhattan, said late on Tuesday, the proposed procedures were “appropriate and necessary” given that there is evidence that “there is an urgent need for the deal to be consummated.”

    The U.S. automaker, which filed for bankruptcy in New York on April 30, had asked for permission for a quick sale of most of its assets to a new company held by Italy’s Fiat SpA, a United Auto Workers union-aligned healthcare trust and the U.S. and Canadian governments.

    “Time is not our friend here,” said Corinne Ball, Chrysler’s bankruptcy attorney, at the hearing. “Preservation of value means moving ahead of this sale.”

    The company’s net cash balance has fallen to $260 million, from $1.34 billion over the last three months, said Robert Manzo, of Capstone Advisory Group, which is advising Chrysler.

    The ruling came over the objections of a lender group, which had asked the court to block Chrysler’s efforts to sell itself, or modify its bidding process to make it more competitive. They said the current sale procedures preclude anyone but the government from being able to bid on Chrysler’s assets.

    But courtroom testimony demonstrated that “the bidding procedures are intended to encourage bidding from any interested party,” said Judge Gonzalez. …

    http://www.reuters.com/article.....8B20090506

    That will teach people to invest in private businesses…

  18. canary
    May 6, 2009 at 3:02 am

    Michelles Obama appearacne on Sesame Street is best experienc yet

    [From the Associated Press:]

    Michelle Obama captivates glittery crowd in NYC

    By Jocelyn Noveck, AP National Writer
    Tue May 5

    NEW YORK – She’s already conquered Britain, France and Germany. On Tuesday, it was time for Michelle Obama to conquer New York.

    ” Mrs. Obama capped her first visit to New York as first lady with an appearance before a glittery crowd at Time magazine’s annual Time 100 gala, honoring its 100 “Most Influential People.” There, she mixed sparkle with substance, introducing the administration’s proposal to give $50 million to innovative nonprofit groups.

    And it was a powerful crowd that stood to applaud her entrance, including fellow honorees Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters and her cohorts from “The View,” …etc. more name dropping etc. etc..

    “The idea is simple: Find the most effective programs out there and then provide the capital needed to replicate their success in communities around the country,” the first lady said.

    “By focusing on high-impact, results-oriented nonprofits, we will ensure that government dollars are spent in a way that is effective, accountable and worthy of the public trust.”

    As the swine flu outbreak demonstrates, she said, “we know now that we cannot wall ourselves off from issues that are challenging our neighbors.”

    “This new policy recognizes that America’s future is intricately linked to the rest of the world, that the threats facing the global community know no borders, and no single country can tackle them alone,” Mrs. Obama said.

    It sounded, though, like the highlight of her day — and to take her at her word, perhaps even her life as first lady so far — was the appearance with Elmo and Big Bird.

    “I never thought I’d be on ‘Sesame Street’ with Elmo and Big Bird and I was thrilled,” she told the crowd at the mission. “I’m still thrilled. I’m on a high.”

    “I think it’s probably the best thing I’ve done so far in the White House.”

    [ http://tinyurl.com/cmwbrn ]

    • Barbie
      May 6, 2009 at 5:36 pm

      “I think it’s probably the best thing I’ve done so far in the White House.”

      No, MO HO, THAT will happen the day you leave the WH.

  19. BillK
    May 6, 2009 at 9:25 am

    How do you avoid generating news about the size of a “Tea Party” crowd?

    Simple – just don’t count them!

    From the (Madison) Wisconsin State Journal:

    Should have been estimate of crowd at Capitol rally, documents show

    By Jason Stein

    Capitol Police and Gov. Jim Doyle’s administration didn’t follow their own policy on releasing crowd estimates at an April 15 rally that protested government spending and taxes, documents show.

    At the time, Department of Administration spokeswoman Linda Barth said the Capitol Police had ended a past practice of estimating the size of crowds during protests.

    But documents released to the Wisconsin State Journal on Tuesday show that Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs issued a policy on March 5 — just a month before the protest — that required police to include in their reports “estimates of the number of people in attendance” during special events such as protests.

    The “Tea Party” rally at the Capitol criticized Democrats such as Doyle and President Barack Obama and proposals to raise state and federal taxes.

    Barth said Tuesday that a crowd estimate was not done for that rally because Capitol Police didn’t have “someone with the training and skill set to do it.” She said Tubbs recommended that crowd estimates be done in a March 5 special events plan “in the event that someone becomes trained.”

    The day of the protest, police officers on the scene said a crowd estimate would be provided by Barth. But Barth said then no estimate would be released, saying Capitol Police have not done such estimates since at least August 2008. …

    http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/latest/449985

    Wow – how handy!

    Anyone want to place a bet on whether someone is “trained” by the time the next lefty protest is held there?

  20. Rusty Shackleford
    May 6, 2009 at 10:31 am

    Barth said Tuesday that a crowd estimate was not done for that rally because Capitol Police didn’t have “someone with the training and skill set to do it.”

    It’s no wonder that nobody knows how to friggin COUNT. The school system is so screwed up that in-between nap time and “feel good about yourself” lessons, somehow math is excluded or has been taken out of the budget entirely.

    Way to go.

    On the other hand, if it was a lefty-type of demonstration, 50 people somehow becomes a “throng” or a “huge gathering” or even a “massive number of people” in the MSM.

    I think we’ve just decided to be pathetic and ignore the obvious.

    • Odie44
      May 6, 2009 at 10:37 am

      Maybe Barrth can come up to speed with Google maps satellite imagery. Or addition…

    • proreason
      May 6, 2009 at 5:02 pm

      It looks like PajamaMedias final estimates are 935,000.

      They were based on estimates sent in by the organizers.

      Other than some national anti-war rallies in the 60’s and 70’s, the Tea Parties were probably the largest single-day, single-purpose political demonstrations in the country.

      So naturally, the media would portray them as minor isolated gatherings of kooks.

  21. BillK
    May 6, 2009 at 4:29 pm

    Wow – you mean it’s not a walk in the park?

    From a “Look at Palin’s screwed up family” AP:

    Bristol Palin calls teen motherhood ‘hard work’

    But 18-year-old daughter of Sarah Palin calls 4-month-old Tripp ‘a blessing’

    By Mike Celizic

    Campaigning against teen pregnancy on the TODAY show Wednesday, Bristol Palin, 18-year-old daughter of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, told Matt Lauer that a baby “is not just an accessory on your hip. This is hard work.” But she called her 4-month-old son Tripp “not a mistake at all. He’s a blessing.”

    Bristol, her baby, and her father, Todd Palin, were visiting the TODAY show to promote the Eighth Annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. The event is sponsored by the Candie’s Foundation, for which Bristol has signed on as a national spokeswoman in the battle to fight teen pregnancy in the United States.

    Near the end of the interview, Lauer asked Todd Palin whether his daughter is sending a mixed message by talking about the joys of being a mother while telling other teens not to do it.

    “It’s kind of a fine line that we’re walking on,” Alaska’s “First Dude” said. He described her job with the foundation as “sharing Bristol’s experience with other teenagers — sharing the mistake she made a year ago,” and helping other girls to learn from it. …

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30597615/

    See, it’s a “mixed message” because Bristol didn’t describe it as a living Hell.

    Or, if you read between the lines, it’s a “mixed message” because she didn’t describe it as a horrible mistake and, more importantly, didn’t say that she should have had an abortion donated to embryonic stem cell research.

    (I seriously believe that will be the next step the Federal Government takes – abortions will become tax deductible as a “donation” to embryonic stem cell research – finally putting a price on what what a human life is worth.)

    Got it.

    • Liberals Make Great Speedbumps
      May 6, 2009 at 9:44 pm

      “abortions will become tax deductible as a “donation” to embryonic stem cell research”

      That is truly horrific. Even more disturbing is my ability to see this administration thinking nothing of actually trying to implement it.

    • pdsand
      May 8, 2009 at 1:32 pm

      That’s the whole reason I thought the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research was a great idea. Because right now I know women who’ve considered donating eggs and such things to research because it pays so fantastically well. I just know that once the federal government starts funding embryonic stem cell research, some of that federal money will find its way into the pockets of the “donors”. Basically, the government will be paying women, and probably handsomely, to have abortions.

  22. caligirl9
    May 6, 2009 at 10:13 pm

    Some remarks about illegal aliens from one of the candidates for governor of California, and it sure ain’t Democratic candidates Moonbeam (former governor and current AG Jerry Brown, God help us!), Newsom or Villagrosa, the kings of sanctuary cities making those remarks! From SF Gate politics blog about Republican candidate Meg Whitman.

    She’s doomed after making remarks like this in California, where we just lurve our illegals!!!

    Whitman: “Prosecute illegal aliens..in all of our cities.”

    GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman — who has in the past appeared to support federal funding for programs for the children of undocumented immigrants — said Wednesday that “we have to prosecute illegal aliens and criminal illegal aliens in all of our cities, in every part of California.”
    Whitman made the comments about illegal immigration and the issue of sanctuary cities to reporters prior to an appearance at the Moscone Center.
    Whitman was questioned on her comment this week on Neil Cavuto’s Fox TV show, regarding sanctuary cities. She told the Fox host that in San Francisco, “there is an ordinance on the books that protects illegal aliens and criminal illegal aliens. We have to stop that.”
    Asked how as governor she would do that, Whitman said: “Of course, immigration law is a federal law…we need to work with the federal government to actually change those laws in San Francisco.”
    “We have to prosecute illegal aliens and criminal illegal aliens in all of our cities, in every part of California …which is consistent with federal immigration law.”
    Whitman’s observations Wednesday come on the heels of a recent interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, in which she spoke about her support for federal spending for the children of undocumented immigrants. She said in that interview that “whether they’re legal or illegal, those benefits go to chldren. And we have to protect the children.” …

    http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/.....&tsp=1

    [PLEASE remember to excerpt. -- SG]

  23. BillK
    May 7, 2009 at 9:10 am

    Martin Sheen just can’t pass an opportunity to take a swing at even dead Republicans.

    From WENN:

    Sheen Turned Down ‘Boring’ Political Role

    Former West Wing president Martin Sheen turned down the chance to become a real-life politician because he “couldn’t bear sitting in meetings all day”.

    The actor, who played President Josiah ‘Jed’ Bartlet in the hit drama series, is a longtime political activist but turned down the chance to get involved in government himself in 2006.

    Members of the Democratic Party in Ohio asked Sheen to run for the U.S. Senate in the state, but the star declined the offer. …

    http://us.imdb.com/news/ni0775160/

    But here’s the clincher:

    Sheen adds, “We already had an old actor in national politics, and it didn’t work out so well. He shall remain nameless.“

    Wow – what a class act.

    • Barbie
      May 7, 2009 at 9:18 am

      What do you expect from a man who fathered and raised the likes of scum-son Charlie?

  24. Rusty Shackleford
    May 7, 2009 at 9:26 am

    By his not becoming a real politician, America has (fortunately) dodged a bullet.

  25. Icarus
    May 7, 2009 at 1:31 pm

    Hostile bloggers facing fines, jail?
    Proposal ‘comes close to making it federal offense to log onto Internet’

    http://www.worldnetdaily.com/i.....geId=97257

  26. caligirl9
    May 7, 2009 at 2:14 pm

    Bravo!! From today’s local liberal puppy puddle pad target, the SJ Merc. If you have time, check out the comments on the Merc’s website. Even though this area is infected with raging liberals, the comments thus far have been “Right on!!” No pun intended, this is not a right or left issue. It’s about responsibility and accountability.

    Oh wait maybe that is a “right or left” issue … silly me! Off to work now, when I have work I take it!

    Americans want it all, provided somebody else pays for it
    By Victor Davis Hanson
    Posted: 05/06/2009 04:54:58 PM PDT

    Today’s Americans inherited the wealthiest nation in history — but only because earlier generations learned how to feed, fuel, finance and defend themselves in ways unrivaled elsewhere.

    Lately we have forgotten that and instead seem to expect others to do for us what we used to do ourselves.

    Take our plentiful, cheap and safe food supply. Long ago, Americans struggled to create farmland out of swamp, forests and deserts, and built dams and canals for irrigation to make possible the world’s most diverse and inexpensive agriculture.

    Now in California — the nation’s richest farm state — the population is skyrocketing toward 40 million. Yet hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland this year are going out of production, and with them thousands of jobs.

    Why? In times of chronic water shortages, environmentalists have sued to stop irrigation deliveries in order to save threatened two-inch-long delta fish that need infusions of fresh water diverted from agricultural use. And for both environmental and financial reasons, we long ago stopped building dams in the Sierra Nevada and canals to find sources of replacement irrigation water…

    http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_12310363

    For those unfamiliar with the Hoover Institution, it’s a think tank on the campus of Stanford University, dedicated to research in domestic policy and international affairs.

    [PLEASE remember to excerpt. -- SG]

  27. Al Morone
    May 7, 2009 at 8:38 pm

    1984 is here. California Democrat Sanchez wants to imprison bloggers who offend her:
    http://www.wired.com/threatlev.....-bloggers/
    http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/.....1:H.R.1966:
    So long, freedom of speech.

  28. proreason
    May 7, 2009 at 8:49 pm

    It can’t get any more explicitly criminal than this. From Larry Kudlows interview with the lawyer who represents the Chrysler Bondholders in the National Review Online:

    Gangster Government: An Interview with Tom Lauria

    …KUDLOW: All right, let me go on. Regarding the issue of the bondholders themselves, has this Team Obama — Rattner and Bloom and so forth — have they violated constitutional principles by trampling on contract rights of the bondholders?

    LAURIA: Well I think they’ve done so flagrantly. I don’t think that there’s any question about it. They have cooked up a scheme to try to end run contractual and statutory priority.

    And you know I got to tell you, I wouldn’t be dismayed about this — so much of it was a private party and private parties try things in deals and negotiations and litigations all the time. But I think when a branch of the government that is charged with enforcing the Constitution, I think intentionally and knowingly tries to get around the law in order to advance what I think are political interests over clear contractual and legal interests, I think that’s a real problem. And I do think it calls into question the Constitution….

    http://kudlow.nationalreview.com/

    Chicago mobsters, running our country.

    If they can ignore contract law, they can and will ignore any laws they choose.

    So now we are a nation with laws, but the laws are ignored willy nilly at the whim of the TMCC (The Moron’s Criminal Cabal).

    Like Venezuala.

  29. bullforever
    May 7, 2009 at 10:58 pm

    Montana passes Gun Rights Law
    http://lornakismet.wordpress.c.....eedom-act/

    Governor just signed. This ought to play out quite interestingly. Way too much info even to excerpt. I am interested to see how the Fed reacts, particularly, as described in the article, this puts Dear Leader between a rock and a hard place where action could result in succession, and inaction paves the way for other States to take back what is rightfully thiers under the 9th and 10th amendments.

  30. caligirl9
    May 8, 2009 at 9:56 am

    An Associated Press story by way of LA’s NBC station. Yeppers, this will stop ‘em.

    California-Mexico Border to Get Virtual Fence

    Federal officials say they’re ready to begin building a new “virtual fence” along the U.S.-Mexico border. The first towers holding sensors, cameras and communications gear to detect drug smugglers and illegal immigrants will be built along 53 miles of Arizona’s border with Mexico. Towers on the remaining 320 miles of the state’s southern border will follow…

    http://www.nbclosangeles.com/n.....Fence.html

    Yeah sure. I’ll believe it when I see it. And how are those sensors going to stop illegals from entering? They will probably just smile as they run past the cameras … the article doesn’t say anything about increasing Border Control agents …Now if there was some sort of electric current involved… ZAP!!!

  31. proreason
    May 8, 2009 at 1:09 pm

    Kyle-Anne Shiver says it as good as Anne Coulter says it. No punches pulled:

    Suckers United for Change

    Now that we’re more than 100 days into the Obama presidency, the handwriting is on the wall regarding our new leader’s game plan for America. Spend other people’s money like a drunken sailor. Let every enemy on the planet know there’s a wimp in the White House. Let every ally know the wimp in the White House will do nothing to help them when push comes to shove. Let the 50 states know there’s a power coup in play that strips them of constitutionally guaranteed liberties. Let every company know that neither they nor their non-union employees are safe from Chicago-Way thugs and their mouthpieces in the media. Let the 300 million American citizens know that the rule of law, applied equally to all, is about to be replaced by special favoritism in the form of “empathy.”

    All in all, one would need to be a numbskull not to see banana republic written all over the current administration and its intent.

    If asked for a word to describe an Obama voter, there is only one that any sentient person could offer: SUCKER.
    …

    http://www.americanthinker.com.....hange.html

    Wow. Just wow.

    • MinnesotaRush
      May 8, 2009 at 10:38 pm

      Timing is everything. Make sure ya’ catch the AP piece below. It clangs the bell (for the how-many-ith time?) on some of the points Kyle-Anne Shiver’s speaking of in this piece.

      And the beat (will) goes on …

  32. MinnesotaRush
    May 8, 2009 at 10:30 pm

    Oh, oh! Somebodys gonna be in trouble over at the AP!

    “Son says US has ordered Demjanjuk to surrender”

    By M.R. KROPKO, AP
    Fri May 8, 9:26 PM EDT

    “Immigration agents served suspected Nazi guard John Demjanjuk on Friday with a notice to surrender to an immigration office in Cleveland, his son said — the latest volley in a more than 30-year legal battle over Demjanjuk’s citizenship.

    Demjanjuk, of Seven Hills in suburban Cleveland, faces deportation to Germany.

    Anyone subject to a deportation order would be considered a fugitive by federal authorities if he or she failed to surrender by the stated time, according to Julie Myers, assistant secretary of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the latter part of the Bush administration.”

    So o-blah-blah had a “federal fugitive” at his coronation. The auntie whose been ordered to leave twice .. two court orders!

    Gosh .. and not weeks later, the phony Holder said, “This is an administration that takes the law seriously”. Yeah righhhhht! Unless it pertains to you or yours.

  33. caligirl9
    May 8, 2009 at 11:53 pm

    Is this for real? From Time.com.

    My $4,500 Lemon: Taking the Feds Up on Cash For Clunkers

    …The news flash is “asset.” Thanks to the cash-for-clunkers program cooked up in Congress, our 2001 Honda Odyssey may actually be worth something — up to $4,500 if we trade it in on a new, more efficient vehicle. That works out to nearly a dollar per dent, scratch, stain and tear…

    …However, prodded by crafty old John Dingell of Michigan, dean of the House of Representatives, Uncle Sam has selected me to stimulate the economy by buying a new car. This program will pay me to do it…

    http://www.time.com/time/natio.....cnnpartner

    Is this just a delusional feature story or is this an actual way to give away money? (Still isn’t enough to help me buy something better than a 1998 Mustang with 163K miles … unless a job comes with the $4500 …

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