Anyone (like Barack Obama) entertaining ideas of western democracies establishing friendly relations with the radicals of the Islamic world should watch this video.While watching the inflammatory rhetoric of the speaker, remember that this is not a Jihadists from Iran but a professor.
Tags: Islamic terrorist, jihad, Jihadist, terrorist, terrorist threat, video To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Mexican Drug Cartels Present In Three Arkansas Cities
Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor have voted FOR amnesty for illegals. During the election year, Pryor voted AGAINST amnesty. Who knows how he will vote next time. Note the following:
Mexican Drug Cartels Present in Three Arkansas Cities
Tags: amnesty, Blanche Lincoln, drug cartel, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, illegal aliens, KARK 4, Little Rock, Mark Pryor, Mexican To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Mexican Drug Cartels Present in Three Arkansas Cities
KARK 4 News : Apr 21, 2009 - Violent Mexican drug cartels have been making headlines in recent weeks. And now comes word that the Department of Justice reports cartel organizations exist in 230 American cities.
Of alarming note for Arkansans is that three cities on the list are in the Natural State: Little Rock, Fort Smith and Fayetteville.
U.S. Senator Mark Pryor says coordination of counternarcotics enforcement among every level of government is critical in order to combat drug smuggling across the border and cartel infiltration of U.S. cities.
He held a Senate hearing Tuesday, entitled “Counternarcotics Enforcement: Coordination at the Federal, State and Local Level,” where Arkansas State Drug Director, Frances Flener, testified about the state’s current drug environment and the effectiveness of counter-drug programs.“The drugs and violence in Mexico are a national, state and local problem. That’s why combating this problem requires law enforcement -- at every level of government -- working together,” Pryor said. “It’s evident that fostering cooperation and information-sharing works, and that we must bolster these resources to really get a grip on drug trafficking and use.”Pryor said there is common agreement that programs fostering a coordinated approach are effective, including the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program. The HIDTA program enables law enforcement to assess drug trafficking problems and design specific initiatives to reduce production, manufacture, transportation, distribution and chronic use of drugs. Four counties in Arkansas -- Washington, Benton, Pulaski and Jefferson -- have the HIDTA designation. Pryor recently included an amendment in the Senate’s Budget Resolution to increase the funding and counties that can participate in the program.
In her testimony, Flener said, “One of the HIDTA program’s most important contributions to the nation has been the partnerships it has nurtured among participating agencies. This has led to the leveraging of resources and sharing of intelligence through a regional coordinated approach.”
Pryor is chairman of the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on State, Local and Private Sector Preparedness and Integration.
Tags: amnesty, Blanche Lincoln, drug cartel, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, illegal aliens, KARK 4, Little Rock, Mark Pryor, Mexican To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
We Cannot Borrow and Spend our Way to Prosperity
U.S. Rep. John Boozman, 3rd Dist-AR: Last Sunday was Debt Day for the 2009 fiscal year. Debt day is the Day the government starts paying for federal spending by borrowing money rather than using its revenue. This means that all of the money spent from Washington the rest of this year will either be borrowed from other countries or borrowed from future generations, in turn increasing our federal debt dramatically.It is no secret that the American people are facing a very tough economic climate. Families and small businesses are cutting back on expenses, and millions of Americans have lost their jobs. As retirement accounts dwindle and economic uncertainty continues, many across our nation are looking to the government for leadership during this difficult time.
Instead of supplying real solutions, there has been out-of-control spending by the Democrats through the stimulus package that passed in February increasing the debt by $1 trillion, and the $400 billion omnibus spending bill that only funds the government for seven months. Both bills were passed by Congress and signed into law forcing our children and grandchildren to foot the bill.
Most recently, the President proposed a budget that will dramatically increase the amount of debt in America. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the President’s budget will produce $9.3 trillion in deficits over the next ten years. The national debt will double in eight years, and by 2012, the American people will be paying $1 billion per day in net interest. Members from both parties have declared that the policies are unsustainable.
Sadly, the total debt incurred by the nation as a result of Congress and the Administration will cripple America’s future. The debt per capita is currently about $35,000 and in just eight years it will be $70,000. There are only 111 million federal taxpayers in America. At the rate of spending by this Congress in its first 100 days, congressional leaders have put each taxpayer in debt at the rate of $1,400 a week. Our children and grandchildren will be forced to bear an unprecedented burden as a result of the first 100 days of President Obama’s Administration. Doubling the debt is no solution.
The American people know that we can’t borrow and spend our way back to prosperity. The path to our economic recovery starts with fiscal responsibility in Washington. I believe that the federal government should follow the example set by our nation’s families – tighten the budget and eliminate wasteful spending. The future of America depends on it.
Tags: Arkansas, congressman, debt, federal spending, John Boozman, National Debt To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Today in Washington D. C. - April 30, 2009 - A Former GITMO Terrorist May Soon Be Your Neighbor
The Senate will begin consideration of S. 896, a housing bill, which will also provide more money and borrowing authority to the FDIC. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) will offer an amendment that would add a provision known as “cramdown” to the measure. Cramdown would allow bankruptcy judges to alter mortgage contracts of people who are in foreclosure. A vote on the amendment is expected at 2:30. It will require 60 votes for approval.
The Senata also will vote on Thomas Strickland to be assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife, with a vote later in the afternoon.
Also, yesterday, the Senate voted 53-43 to approve the conference report for the $3.5 trillion budget resolution, S. Con. Res. 13. All Republicans and four Democrats voted against the budget.
Yesterday, Attorney General Eric Holder gave a speech in Berlin about the administration’s plans to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. Holder admitted that closing Guantanamo will be ‘one of the most daunting challenges’ he will face. Most Americans realize: closing Guantanamo is not a good option if no safe alternatives exist. Holder did not indicate was what the administration has determined to do with the 240 detainees at Obama's January deadline for closing Guantanamo.
Reporting on the speech, The Washington Post acknowledged that European leaders “have been slow to respond to his pleas for help in emptying the detention center.” The Post also notes, “Holder said the Obama administration has cleared about 30 prisoners for release as soon as U.S. officials can find places to send them.” With the news channels focusing on Chrysler, the flu, and former GOP senators; little is being addressed related to the closing of GITMO. Here are some things worth noting:
· AG Eric Holder speech on Gitmo in Berlin yesterday acknowledged that GITMO is well run and that the decision to close is largely about symbolism (though he then claims that leaving it open makes us less safe).
· In the Q&A session, Holder joked that they might put detainees in hotels.
· On a much more serious matter, Holder would not rule out cooperating with international tribunals investigating US officials over torture allegations from terrorists.
· The Washington Post reported today, “Holder said the Obama administration has cleared about 30 prisoners for release as soon as U.S. officials can find places to send them.” How many of these people will show up in Iraq or Afghanistan, as others released from Gitmo have done?
· At a Senate hearing today, Sec. Gates acknowledged that they may release detainees into the U.S. AG Holder still has not responded to a letter Sen. Sessions sent him “asking him what legal authority the administration has to release detainees who have participated in terrorist-related activities into the United States.”
One can hardly fathom the the new lows we are achieving in America. Soon a former GITMO Terrorist detainee may be your neighbor. Such a country - only in America!
Tags: Eric Holder, GITMO, Housing Bill, terrorist, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Senata also will vote on Thomas Strickland to be assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife, with a vote later in the afternoon.
Also, yesterday, the Senate voted 53-43 to approve the conference report for the $3.5 trillion budget resolution, S. Con. Res. 13. All Republicans and four Democrats voted against the budget.
Yesterday, Attorney General Eric Holder gave a speech in Berlin about the administration’s plans to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. Holder admitted that closing Guantanamo will be ‘one of the most daunting challenges’ he will face. Most Americans realize: closing Guantanamo is not a good option if no safe alternatives exist. Holder did not indicate was what the administration has determined to do with the 240 detainees at Obama's January deadline for closing Guantanamo.
Reporting on the speech, The Washington Post acknowledged that European leaders “have been slow to respond to his pleas for help in emptying the detention center.” The Post also notes, “Holder said the Obama administration has cleared about 30 prisoners for release as soon as U.S. officials can find places to send them.” With the news channels focusing on Chrysler, the flu, and former GOP senators; little is being addressed related to the closing of GITMO. Here are some things worth noting:
· AG Eric Holder speech on Gitmo in Berlin yesterday acknowledged that GITMO is well run and that the decision to close is largely about symbolism (though he then claims that leaving it open makes us less safe).
· In the Q&A session, Holder joked that they might put detainees in hotels.
· On a much more serious matter, Holder would not rule out cooperating with international tribunals investigating US officials over torture allegations from terrorists.
· The Washington Post reported today, “Holder said the Obama administration has cleared about 30 prisoners for release as soon as U.S. officials can find places to send them.” How many of these people will show up in Iraq or Afghanistan, as others released from Gitmo have done?
· At a Senate hearing today, Sec. Gates acknowledged that they may release detainees into the U.S. AG Holder still has not responded to a letter Sen. Sessions sent him “asking him what legal authority the administration has to release detainees who have participated in terrorist-related activities into the United States.”
One can hardly fathom the the new lows we are achieving in America. Soon a former GITMO Terrorist detainee may be your neighbor. Such a country - only in America!
Tags: Eric Holder, GITMO, Housing Bill, terrorist, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Stop Spending Our Future - #LibHippos #statebooks #Heritage #teaparty #teaparty #sgp
| Stop Spending Our Future - STOP Stop Spending Our Future - The Crisis Stop Spending Our Future - When I Grow Up | Stop Spending Our Future: Our children deserve to inherit prosperity, not debt. The root of our current economic crisis is over-spending. Politicians have spent beyond Americans' means; they have subsidized private citizens and companies to do the same. Over the last years and decades, as personal and public savings rates plummeted, we lived it up: buying, borrowing and gambling our future away. The spending spree has now caught up to us and our nation faces tough economic times. The party is over and the hangover is fierce. But rather than aspirin and a shower, politicians have prescribed whiskey -- and strong whiskey at that. In just a few months, they have managed to spend more than $3 trillion of your dollars. With nothing to show for it, they now want more. It is easy to spend today and to borrow from the future. It takes strength—even courage—to make the tough choices and to say that the spending spree must stop. If you are one of the millions of Americans who believes that our children deserve to inherit prosperity and not debt, then join us. |
Tags: bailouts, children, economy, future, government, inflation, Politics, recession, spending, stimulus, Stop Spending Our Future, tax day, taxes, tea party, videos To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Senate Subcommittee to Consider Amnesty
Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Refugees, will hold a hearing tomorrow, April 30, at 2:00 p.m. entitled, "Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2009, Can We Do It and How?"
Senator Schumer has packed the witness panel with individuals hopelessly biased in support of amnesty. While there is one witness, Kris Kobach, who is a friend of true immigration reformers, the remaining witnesses represent "a who's who" of the open borders lobby and big business interests who want to import cheap labor.
Your calls today and Thursday are especially important because La Raza has organized a grassroots lobbying effort to coincide with the Senate Subcommittee hearing this week. This nationwide effort will include phone calls, and, according to our best information, will culminate with marches on May 1st to demand amnesty.
Call your Senators and Representative today, you can make sure Congress hears from the American people and not just special interests. In 2007, true immigration reformers defeated "comprehensive" amnesty with a firestorm of calls to Congress. The Senate needs to hear from you that the American people still oppose amnesty. Contact your senators! Contact your representatives! Tell them you oppose any effort to pass any "comprehensive" amnesty bill.
Tags: amnesty, Charles Schumer, illegal aliens, illegal immigration, LaRaza To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Senator Schumer has packed the witness panel with individuals hopelessly biased in support of amnesty. While there is one witness, Kris Kobach, who is a friend of true immigration reformers, the remaining witnesses represent "a who's who" of the open borders lobby and big business interests who want to import cheap labor.
Your calls today and Thursday are especially important because La Raza has organized a grassroots lobbying effort to coincide with the Senate Subcommittee hearing this week. This nationwide effort will include phone calls, and, according to our best information, will culminate with marches on May 1st to demand amnesty.
Call your Senators and Representative today, you can make sure Congress hears from the American people and not just special interests. In 2007, true immigration reformers defeated "comprehensive" amnesty with a firestorm of calls to Congress. The Senate needs to hear from you that the American people still oppose amnesty. Contact your senators! Contact your representatives! Tell them you oppose any effort to pass any "comprehensive" amnesty bill.
Tags: amnesty, Charles Schumer, illegal aliens, illegal immigration, LaRaza To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Ronald Reagan Warned Us About Harry Reid [Video]
| Our Country PAC - television ad opposing Senator Harry Reid's re-election campaign for 2010. Of all the members of Congress who are up for re-election in 2010, Senator Harry Reid is by far the most culpable for the out-of-control federal spending, taxpayer-funded bailouts and push for higher taxes. As Senate Majority Leader he has pushed through trillions of dollars in new spending, ran up our national debt, pushed for tax increases and cut sweetheart deals with lobbyists in order to push through federal bailouts. |
Tags: Harry Reid, Our Country PAC, political ad, Ronald Reagan To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Specter of a Super Majority
| Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: The following political cartoon serves as our final word on Arlen Specter self-inflicted political suicide. Instead of retiring with grace, he created a no win situation. Neither the Republicans or Democrats trust him. He insulted his own Pennsylvania (PA) supporters and the PA GOP. And the PA Democrats are glad to see his demise. Unlike, Sen. Joe Lieberman who stood his ground and said "well if I don't fit in the Democratic Party, I will fight for my seat as an Independent and stand for the same positions for which I have always stood." The result - he won. However, Specter, a RINO, has both lost respect and is now hung on the Democrat trophy wall. Historically, as William Warren illustrates, Specter will be remembered as modern day Judas. | By William Warren: |
Tags: Arlen Specter, Barack Obama, Judas, political cartoon, RINO To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Today in Washington D. C. - April 29, 2009
Update: House passes hate-crimes bill, 249-175 Added gender, sexual orientation and disability to the category of hate crimes. Christians may be facing future prosecution for opposing homosexual activities. Pedophilia (abuse of children by adults) added as a protected class. The bill goes to the Senate where it is expected to be passed. President Obama supports bill. Republican Study Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-GA) said: “This bill undermines our fundamental constitutional principle of equal justice under the law. Every American life deserves equal justice, regardless of race, gender, or sexual preference. Yet this legislation says violent crime against one person is more deserving of justice than a crime against another. Apparently Democrats agree with Orwell on this matter: all are equal, but some are more equal than others.”
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Senate will begin consideration of the conference report on the $3.5 trillion fiscal 2010 budget resolution, S. Con. Res. 13. A vote on adoption of the conference report is expected late this afternoon or this evening.
Yesterday, the Senate voted 65-31 to confirm Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Also yesterday, the Senate passed S. 386, a bill to crack down on financial fraud.
The House will be voting today on the H.R. 1913, the so-called hate crimes bill.
Attorney General Eric Holder is in Germany today where he is attempting to get European leaders to agree to take some terrorist detainees from the Guantanamo Bay facility, according to the AP. Holder is also scheduled to give a speech in Berlin today about Guantanamo.
Americans remain skeptical of the administration’s hasty decision to close Guantanamo without a plan for what to do with the dangerous detainees housed there. This was confirmed by a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll (see question 20a), which shows that 50% of respondents disapproved of this decision.
Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell says Americans deserve answers; what exactly is to happen to these detainees when the deadline for closing the facility arrives next January. Other of questions remain about proposals to release terrorist-trained detainees into American neighborhoods. Sen. McConnell listed others:
Tags: domestic terrorists, Eric Holder, federal budget, GITMO, hate crimes, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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Senate will begin consideration of the conference report on the $3.5 trillion fiscal 2010 budget resolution, S. Con. Res. 13. A vote on adoption of the conference report is expected late this afternoon or this evening.
Yesterday, the Senate voted 65-31 to confirm Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Also yesterday, the Senate passed S. 386, a bill to crack down on financial fraud.
The House will be voting today on the H.R. 1913, the so-called hate crimes bill.
Attorney General Eric Holder is in Germany today where he is attempting to get European leaders to agree to take some terrorist detainees from the Guantanamo Bay facility, according to the AP. Holder is also scheduled to give a speech in Berlin today about Guantanamo.
Americans remain skeptical of the administration’s hasty decision to close Guantanamo without a plan for what to do with the dangerous detainees housed there. This was confirmed by a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll (see question 20a), which shows that 50% of respondents disapproved of this decision.
Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell says Americans deserve answers; what exactly is to happen to these detainees when the deadline for closing the facility arrives next January. Other of questions remain about proposals to release terrorist-trained detainees into American neighborhoods. Sen. McConnell listed others:
- What is the legal basis for bringing these terrorist-trained detainees to the United States, given that Federal law specifically forbids the entry of anyone who endorses or espouses terrorism, has received terrorist training, or belongs to a terrorist group?
- Can the Administration guarantee the safety of the American people, particularly in the neighborhoods where these terror-trained detainees will live?
- What will their status be? Will they be allowed to stay here permanently? Will they be eligible for citizenship?
- Will they receive or be eligible to receive taxpayer funding?
- What threat do these men pose of returning to terrorist activities and what threat assessments have been conducted to evaluate whether these men will attack U.S. troops on the battlefield or Americans at Embassies abroad?
Tags: domestic terrorists, Eric Holder, federal budget, GITMO, hate crimes, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Waxman's cap-and-tax bill delayed
by John Ruberry, Marathon Pundit: The extreme left of the Democratic Party, emboldened by the election of Barack Obama, has been pushing a so-called climate bill, often called cap-and-trade, which the Republicans call cap-and tax. But some Democrats, particularly those from northern industrial states, have balked at supporting what Rep. John Dingell of Michigan calls a "great big" tax. And that's exactly what it is.
Rep. Henry Waxman represents a district that includes Beverly Hills, the type of place where impractical ideas such as cap-and-trade are the rage. But Beverly Hills is not America, and Waxman, the author of the cap-and-trade bill, is learning this fact, as the Wall Street Journal reports:
Related posts:
Obama's proposed $3,600 per-family-energy tax
Senate passes anti-cap and trade amendment
The defanging of New Deal lion Dingell
Tags: business, California, CAP, cap-and-trade, congress, economy, energy, energy tax, environment, Henry Waxman, John Dingell, Marathon Pundit, news, Politics, Tax, Trade To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Rep. Henry Waxman represents a district that includes Beverly Hills, the type of place where impractical ideas such as cap-and-trade are the rage. But Beverly Hills is not America, and Waxman, the author of the cap-and-trade bill, is learning this fact, as the Wall Street Journal reports:
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman delayed until next week further action on his big climate bill, amid sharp divisions among committee Democrats.Remember: Cap-and-tax. And unless you live like the Unabomber did in Montana, you will pay this tax.
The delay indicates that the House Democratic leadership is having difficulty rounding up votes to move the bill forward, amid disagreements over which industries and regions of the country should bear the burden for cutting greenhouse-gas emissions. Democrats from industrial and coal-dependent states have expressed concerns that the climate bill would sharply raise energy costs and hurt the economy in their states.
"The hearings have spurred productive discussions between members on the legislation, which are continuing this week," Rep. Henry Waxman (D, Calif.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in a memo to members.
Mr. Waxman and Energy Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D, Mass.), had scheduled to mark up the American Clean Energy and Security Act this week. The main provision of the bill would mandate major greenhouse-gas-emission cuts and require emitters to buy and sell the right to emit gases such as carbon dioxide. It would also require a rising percentage of power to come from renewable-energy sources.
Related posts:
Obama's proposed $3,600 per-family-energy tax
Senate passes anti-cap and trade amendment
The defanging of New Deal lion Dingell
Tags: business, California, CAP, cap-and-trade, congress, economy, energy, energy tax, environment, Henry Waxman, John Dingell, Marathon Pundit, news, Politics, Tax, Trade To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Scare Force One
Photo via TexasFred: Why Air Force One was over NYC for a photo-op! - - ->by Gary Bauer: Around 10:00 AM yesterday morning, panic hit New York City as a low-flying jumbo jet was seen circling lower Manhattan as it was trailed by Air Force fighter jets. Buildings were ordered to evacuate and thousands poured into the streets as the nightmares of 9/11 were made real once again.
But as it turns out, it was all just a photo-op for the Obama White House, which did a terribly poor job of informing local authorities of the event. One New York politician said, “In New York of all places, not to warn the public that one of the largest jets in the country tailed by a fighter jet is going to fly low over their community defies logic and really borders on being either cruel or very, very stupid.”
It’s not very often that I agree with Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), but he nailed it. Not only was the fly over “very, very stupid,” but it once again demonstrates the degree to which this administration is operating in a pre-9/11 mindset. Why should jumbo jets circling lower Manhattan bother anybody? This White House is clueless.
The White House Military Office director issued an apology for “any distress the flight caused.” Evidently, the Defense Department wanted to update its photo file of Air Force One against scenic backdrops of America’s most famous landscapes. This event was meant to capture Air Force One with the Statue of Liberty in the background.
I want to give the good folks at the Pentagon the benefit of the doubt here. My best guess is that previous photos included the Twin Towers in the background. But why couldn’t someone use computers to “photo shop” the desired image? That would have made far more sense in this case, and spared the people of New York City a great deal of anxiety. Not to mention the waste of taxpayer money and – gasp! – the carbon emissions for this photo op. If the Bush White House had done something this stupid, we would have heard about it forever. But look for this “gaffe” to fade away quickly.
Tags: Air Force, Air Force One, Gary Bauer, government spending, New York City, Obama administration, photo-op To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
RINO Leaves GOP - Arlen Specter Goes Democrat
Update: Washington D.C. - National GOP Chairman Michael Steele released the following additional statement this evening:
RINO: "I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans" -Arlen Spector
MSNBC News is reporting that Veteran Republican Sen. Arlen Specter disclosed plans Tuesday to switch parties, bringing Democrats closer to the 60-vote supermajority they need to push Barack Obama's agenda through the Senate. '"This is a painful decision," said Specter at a Tuesday afternoon news conference. "I know that I'm disappointing a lot of my friends and colleagues...the disappointment runs in both directions." . . . [Veteran GOP Sen. Specter switches parties]
AP reports: " Specter, 79 and seeking a sixth term in 2010, conceded bluntly that his chances of winning a Pennsylvania Republican primary next year were bleak in a party grown increasingly conservative. . . . "I have found myself increasingly at odds with the Republican philosophy and more in line with the philosophy of the Democratic Party," he said at a news conference. He added, "I am not prepared to have my 29 years' record in the United States Senate decided by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate." . . [Specter switches to Democrat,]
Politicol reports:
Tags: Arlen Specter, Democrat, John Cornyn, Michael Steele, Mitch McConnell, NRSC, Republican, RINO, RINO Hunting, RNC Chairman To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
First - Specter claimed it was philosophical - and pointed his finger of blame at Republicans all over America for his defection to the Democrats. He told us all to go jump in the lake today. I'm sorry, but I don't believe a word he said. Arlen Specter committed a purely political and self-serving act today. He simply believes he has a better chance of saving his political hide and his job as a Democrat. He loves the title of Senator more than he loves the party - and the principles - that elected him and nurtured him.HARRISBURG - Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the following statement after hearing the news regarding Senator Arlen Specter's decision to leave the GOP:
Second - and more importantly - Arlen Specter handed Barack Obama and his band of radical leftists nearly absolute power in the United States Senate. In leaving the Republican Party - and joining the Democrats - he absolutely undercut Republicans' efforts to slow down Obama's radical agenda through the threat of filibuster.
Facing defeat in Pennsylvania's 2010 Republican primary due to his left-wing voting record, and an end to his 30 year career in the U.S. Senate, he has peddled his services - and his vote - to the leftist Obama Democrats who aim to remake America with their leftist plan.
As recently as April 9th, Senator Specter said he would run in the Pennsylvania primary next year as a Republican. Why the sudden change of heart? Clearly, this was an act based on political expediency by a craven politician desperate to keep his Washington power base--not the act of a statesman. His defection to the Democrat Party puts the Democrats in an almost unstoppable position to pass Obama's destructive agenda of income redistribution, health care nationalization, and a massive expansion of entitlements.
Arlen Specter has put his loyalty to his own political career above his duty to his state and nation.
I am deeply disappointed in Senator Arlen Specter's decision to leave the Republican Party, as he has benefited from the support of our Party for many years. It is apparent that he chose to act in his own self-interest and put his political ambitions first. The Republican Party has room for conservatives and moderates because we are the Party of ideas.-------------------
I, like many of my fellow Pennsylvania Republicans, took Senator Specter at his word when he said that he would not switch parties, and I believe he owes every Republican who has supported him over the last three decades an apology. I would urge Senator Specter to do the right thing and proactively return any and all campaign contributions he has received in recent months to run as a Republican in the upcoming election. I am sure that most, if not all, of these donors would not have supported a Democrat candidate. . . .
RINO: "I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans" -Arlen Spector
MSNBC News is reporting that Veteran Republican Sen. Arlen Specter disclosed plans Tuesday to switch parties, bringing Democrats closer to the 60-vote supermajority they need to push Barack Obama's agenda through the Senate. '"This is a painful decision," said Specter at a Tuesday afternoon news conference. "I know that I'm disappointing a lot of my friends and colleagues...the disappointment runs in both directions." . . . [Veteran GOP Sen. Specter switches parties]
AP reports: " Specter, 79 and seeking a sixth term in 2010, conceded bluntly that his chances of winning a Pennsylvania Republican primary next year were bleak in a party grown increasingly conservative. . . . "I have found myself increasingly at odds with the Republican philosophy and more in line with the philosophy of the Democratic Party," he said at a news conference. He added, "I am not prepared to have my 29 years' record in the United States Senate decided by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate." . . [Specter switches to Democrat,]
Politicol reports:
Senate Republican leaders are pushing back hard against the notion that their party is to blame for Sen. Arlen Specter’s defection to the Democrats. "This is not a national story. It is a Pennsylvania story," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky told reporters in a news conference following Tuesday’s GOP policy luncheon.Michael Steele, Chairman, Republican National Committee (RNC) in a released statement said: "Some in the Republican Party are happy about this. I am not. Let's be honest-Senator Specter didn't leave the GOP based on principles of any kind. He left to further his personal political interests because he knew that he was going to lose a Republican primary due to his left-wing voting record. Republicans look forward to beating Sen. Specter in 2010, assuming the Democrats don't do it first."
Texas Sen. John Cornyn, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said that Specter — who spoke at the lunch — had been “very candid to acknowledge that this was nothing more, nothing less than political self-preservation.” . . . McConnell said Specter told him of his decision late Monday, and that Specter had said he decided to make the switch because he couldn't win reelection as a Republican or an independent. . . . [GOP leaders... ]
Tags: Arlen Specter, Democrat, John Cornyn, Michael Steele, Mitch McConnell, NRSC, Republican, RINO, RINO Hunting, RNC Chairman To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Teleprompter Experiences Teleprompter Discomfort
The Teleprompter (Barack Obama) experienced slight discomfort with his closest advisor, his teleprompter. The Teleprompter jumped ahead of his teleprompter during a speech at the National Academy of Sciences Monday morning. Video follows! The audience kindly responded with a quiet laugh which is rumored to have earned them special federal funding for nanotechnology research to reduce TD (teleprompter discomfort) and improve bonding a speaker to the visual feed from a teleprompter.
Tags: Barack Obama, gaffe, political satire, teleprompter, video To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tags: Barack Obama, gaffe, political satire, teleprompter, video To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Obama Administration: A 9/10 Security Mindset
By Conn Carroll, Morning Bell: Yesterday the citizens of New York and New Jersey who lived through 9/11 were witness to an ominous flashback. A massive aircraft, trailed closely by an F-16 fighter jet, descended towards the city and flew so close and low to Manhattan skyscrapers that office building windows rattled. Fortunately this was not a terrorist attack, but a poorly thought out photo-op by White House Military Office Director Louis Caldera. Before being appointed by President Barack Obama to his current post, Caldera most recently served on the board of directors for the failed bank IndyMac, which is currently under investigation by the federal government for fraud. This breach of common sense is all too typical of the Obama administration’s approach to national security. Just 99 days into office, Obama’s performance has already raised serious questions about his national security strategy.Apologizer in Chief: In his first 100 days in office, President Barack Obama completed two whirlwind tours of Europe and Latin America. His message on both continents was simple: America has made many mistakes in the past, but we’re now ready to listen to others and be more flexible. It was a hugely popular message, particularly when he criticized or apologized for America. But the results were paltry. The problem with this type of “engagement” is that, at some point, foreign leaders begin to see it (correctly) as pandering. President Obama’s apologies for U.S. policies are interpreted in North Korea, Iran, and Venezuela not as an honest act of attrition that should elicit reciprocity from them, but rather as an apology demanding more concessions from the United States.
Gutting the Defense Budget: While the numbers for the FY 2010 defense budget are debatable, President Obama’s 10-year budget blueprint is crystal clear: in every year beyond FY 2010 there will be negative real growth for the defense budget. The deep cuts will come in procurement programs for systems like the F-22 and the next generation Navy destroyer. The decisions were driven not by national security needs but by a desire to rein in Pentagon spending. Projected Administration defense budgets over the next five years may underfund defense spending by over a trillion dollars.
Defining Missile Defense Down: The President approved a cut of roughly 15 percent of the Pentagon’s missile defense budget and abandoned deploying defenses in Western Europe. In addition, the White House failed to obtain any meaningful response from the U.N. Security Council on ballistic missile launches by Iran and North Korea. With Pakistan teetering on the edge, the ballistic missile threat has not diminished; in fact it is growing.
Detainee Dithering: The Obama administration continues to send mixed signals about how America will detain our enemies in what they now call “Overseas Contingency Operations.” The recent partial release of CIA memos was particularly unhelpful and betrays a complete lack of a coherent administration detainee strategy.
Border Blunders: Is it a crime to enter the U.S. illegally? Have terrorists routinely entered the United States through Canada, including the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 attacks? Are our veterans a threat to national security? Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has been an absolute disaster since she took office. She should face tough questioning from Senate Judiciary Committee next week.
There have been some bright spots for the Obama administration in national security. President Obama has largely continued to implement the strategic course laid out by the Bush Administration in Iraq and Afghanistan. But even there, the left is pressuring the White House to change course.
Other Obama Admin News On Deck:
Tags: 9-11, Barack Obama, Heritage Foundation, Morning Bell, national security, Obama administration To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Today in Washington D. C. - April 28, 2009
Today the Senate began consideration of the nomination of abortion activist Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to be Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Up to eight hours of debate is scheduled. Also, at noon, the Senate will vote on final passage of S. 386, a bill to crack down on financial fraud (yesterday's vote to invoke cloture).
Last night, House and Senate Democrats announced (without elected Republican input) an agreement on a conference report for the fiscal 2010 $3.5 trillion budget. The bill is expected to be voted on in both the Senate and the House tomorrow. Fast tracking at its worst! The Democrats announced their deal on a conference report which to no one’s surprise includes language, known as reconciliation instructions, to prevent filibusters on major health care reform. The AP explains, “Most importantly, the measure would allow [President] Obama’s health plan to pass the Senate by a simple majority instead of the 60 votes that are needed for plenty of other legislation.”
Despite Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad’s (D-ND) opposition to using reconciliation and his assurances that “I am going to argue strenuously against it in conference committee,” the reconciliation instructions were included anyway. In fact, Conrad, who chaired the conference committee, according to Politico, was the deciding vote on whether to include reconciliation in the budget. A majority of each chamber’s conferees is needed to agree to the conference report, and the Senate went in with Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) supporting reconciliation and Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) opposed, leaving the decision to Conrad. Apparently Conrad’s principled objections to using reconciliation didn’t withstand the pressure from Democrat leaders to give themselves a tool to bypass Republicans on health care.
Sen. Judd Gregg, ranking Republican on the Budget Committee, was not pleased with this turn of event:. “‘I can understand shaking Hugo Chavez’s hand, but I can’t understand embracing his politics ... cutting down the minority,’ said Sen. Judd Gregg in a pointed allusion to Obama’s encounter with the Venezuelan strongman at the recent Summit of the Americas,” Politico reports. Also unhappy with the self-proclaimed fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats, “the New Hampshire Republican — once Obama’s choice for secretary of commerce — went on to lecture Blue Dog Democrats for allowing themselves to be ‘bamboozled’ and treated as ‘rubes’ by the White House” and agreeing to a budget awash in a sea of red ink.
As previously reported might happen, the Democrats in the reconciliation process stripped amendments adopted in the Senate to protect the people. Scrapped was the amendment by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) designed to hold President Obama to his promise not to raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 per year and a key amendment from Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE) to prohibit the use of reconciliation to pass a carbon cap-and-trade bill. Both amendments had been adopted with more than 60 votes. So the Cap-and-trade tax bill can proceed (be rammed through the Senate without the protection of thoughtful discussion, oversight and negotiation).
Future Long Term Economic Forecast: Big Spending and Higher Taxes on the horizon. Americans will experience the severity of the promised "Change" including less money for higher priced goods and services from a growing number nationalized industries and service providers.
Tags: DHHS, economic forecast, federal budget, Kathleen Sebelius, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Last night, House and Senate Democrats announced (without elected Republican input) an agreement on a conference report for the fiscal 2010 $3.5 trillion budget. The bill is expected to be voted on in both the Senate and the House tomorrow. Fast tracking at its worst! The Democrats announced their deal on a conference report which to no one’s surprise includes language, known as reconciliation instructions, to prevent filibusters on major health care reform. The AP explains, “Most importantly, the measure would allow [President] Obama’s health plan to pass the Senate by a simple majority instead of the 60 votes that are needed for plenty of other legislation.”
Despite Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad’s (D-ND) opposition to using reconciliation and his assurances that “I am going to argue strenuously against it in conference committee,” the reconciliation instructions were included anyway. In fact, Conrad, who chaired the conference committee, according to Politico, was the deciding vote on whether to include reconciliation in the budget. A majority of each chamber’s conferees is needed to agree to the conference report, and the Senate went in with Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) supporting reconciliation and Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) opposed, leaving the decision to Conrad. Apparently Conrad’s principled objections to using reconciliation didn’t withstand the pressure from Democrat leaders to give themselves a tool to bypass Republicans on health care.
Sen. Judd Gregg, ranking Republican on the Budget Committee, was not pleased with this turn of event:. “‘I can understand shaking Hugo Chavez’s hand, but I can’t understand embracing his politics ... cutting down the minority,’ said Sen. Judd Gregg in a pointed allusion to Obama’s encounter with the Venezuelan strongman at the recent Summit of the Americas,” Politico reports. Also unhappy with the self-proclaimed fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats, “the New Hampshire Republican — once Obama’s choice for secretary of commerce — went on to lecture Blue Dog Democrats for allowing themselves to be ‘bamboozled’ and treated as ‘rubes’ by the White House” and agreeing to a budget awash in a sea of red ink.
As previously reported might happen, the Democrats in the reconciliation process stripped amendments adopted in the Senate to protect the people. Scrapped was the amendment by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) designed to hold President Obama to his promise not to raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 per year and a key amendment from Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE) to prohibit the use of reconciliation to pass a carbon cap-and-trade bill. Both amendments had been adopted with more than 60 votes. So the Cap-and-trade tax bill can proceed (be rammed through the Senate without the protection of thoughtful discussion, oversight and negotiation).
Future Long Term Economic Forecast: Big Spending and Higher Taxes on the horizon. Americans will experience the severity of the promised "Change" including less money for higher priced goods and services from a growing number nationalized industries and service providers.
Tags: DHHS, economic forecast, federal budget, Kathleen Sebelius, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Obama’s Top Ten Accomplishments - His First 100 Days - Satire
H/T to First Conservative for the following satirical post: As we approach the blessed milestone of President Obama’s first 100 days in office, it is time for a look back at His top accomplishments. The President began his term by expressing concern about the sheer number of problems faced by the nation and has since taken drastic action to exacerbate each.
One can’t call the President a liar for not attempting to keep his word. However, what many simply thought was campaign rhetoric, turns out to be the actual set of Obama objectives. Should the liberal media ever analyze campaign positions and discuss implications of certain proposals, the country could have a reasoned discussion over which would be the better candidate. Unfortunately, emotional rhetoric seems to carry modern elections and America will have to endure. This past election cycle was determined by the chill going up Chris Mathews’ leg.
For now, as we hit the 100 day mark, it is appropriate to look back at the damage the President has done to the country, and to be fair, look at His accomplishments, including:
10. Entering the oval office through the window – in an attempt to display his super human powers, the President attempted to enter the Oval Office through a window. Photographers that captured the incident are still being sought.
9. Getting the teleprompter equipment through European customs – Transporting this much stuff required the White House to procure a dispensation against trafficking in performance equipment. Europeans don’t’ like a lot of American hardware flowing through their nations, so they were suspicious of this much equipment and technical support personnel. All ended well, though when the Obama ‘roadies’ made good friends with those that the President was apologizing to.
8. Closing Guantanamo – To payback his lunatic leftist supporters, President Obama signed an executive order closing the Guantanamo detention center within the first few hours of his Presidency. While the world’s loons rejoiced, an unnamed reporter inadvertently asked where the prisoners were to be taken. Obama staff then realized that their jobs required actually doing work and not simply telling others what to think.
7. Keeping Biden gaffes to a minimum – Since the election, the Vice President has been held in an undisclosed, secure location – As the VP once referred to his boss as “Barack America” Biden is not to be let loose on the public. Look for Biden to reappear sometime in early 2011 to kick off the next Presidential campaign by taking attention away from the President’s failures.
6. Bribing media to keep questions easy – and to keep them waiting at their dinner bowls for the next scrap of misinformation thrown to them by Robert “Soft Shoe” Gibbs. Some journalists however, have been trained to act independently, such as CNN’s Susan Roesgen. She has received her invitation to the President’s Press Dinner and will get something other than held-over chicken in wine sauce.
5. Finding people to work with Geithner – This is an ongoing task and has proved a bit more challenging than originally thought. Prior to being appointed Treasury Secretary, Geithner didn’t think he should have to pay the same kind of taxes employers pay on their workers. (Democrats typically think they are better people than the rest of us and should be able to leave the distasteful task of paying taxes to evil conservatives.) When the firestorm finally subsided, Obama made the decision not to appoint anyone else that had not paid their taxes. Accordingly, no Democrat has been identified that fulfills that requirement.
4. Taking no position on the use of enhanced interrogation – Or.. rather… taking all the positions at once. After telling security workers they were safe, the President heard from his nut-job supporters and took another stance without rejecting his first position. Threatening to prosecute those that successfully prevented further loss of American life after 9/11 has successfully shut down one of the last pieces of government apparatus that accomplished its objectives.
3. Establishing a position as a living saint – The President has used his oratory skills to keep approval numbers up while keeping the economy down. This by itself should be considered a miracle. But given the state of public education – maybe not.
2. Redistributing wealth – Obama successfully set the expectation that Joe the plumber will receive a CEO bonus. Unfortunately, due to His 2010 inflation this might be true. After all, he didn’t promise how much his inflation tax would cost.
1. Fooling most taxpayers into thinking they’ll get a tax cut - Putting all the pieces together, President Obama has masterfully woven media ignorance and compliance together with the lack of education on how a free economy functions, to create the illusion that the middle classes will receive a tax cut. Tax rates for middle class folks will modestly decline, but the price for their lunch salads will go through the roof. By structuring it this way, the lettuce pickers will be blamed for rising prices and not the President.
Tags: Barack Obama, First 100 Days, First Conservative, political satire, Top Ten Accomplishments To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
One can’t call the President a liar for not attempting to keep his word. However, what many simply thought was campaign rhetoric, turns out to be the actual set of Obama objectives. Should the liberal media ever analyze campaign positions and discuss implications of certain proposals, the country could have a reasoned discussion over which would be the better candidate. Unfortunately, emotional rhetoric seems to carry modern elections and America will have to endure. This past election cycle was determined by the chill going up Chris Mathews’ leg.
For now, as we hit the 100 day mark, it is appropriate to look back at the damage the President has done to the country, and to be fair, look at His accomplishments, including:
10. Entering the oval office through the window – in an attempt to display his super human powers, the President attempted to enter the Oval Office through a window. Photographers that captured the incident are still being sought.
9. Getting the teleprompter equipment through European customs – Transporting this much stuff required the White House to procure a dispensation against trafficking in performance equipment. Europeans don’t’ like a lot of American hardware flowing through their nations, so they were suspicious of this much equipment and technical support personnel. All ended well, though when the Obama ‘roadies’ made good friends with those that the President was apologizing to.
8. Closing Guantanamo – To payback his lunatic leftist supporters, President Obama signed an executive order closing the Guantanamo detention center within the first few hours of his Presidency. While the world’s loons rejoiced, an unnamed reporter inadvertently asked where the prisoners were to be taken. Obama staff then realized that their jobs required actually doing work and not simply telling others what to think.
7. Keeping Biden gaffes to a minimum – Since the election, the Vice President has been held in an undisclosed, secure location – As the VP once referred to his boss as “Barack America” Biden is not to be let loose on the public. Look for Biden to reappear sometime in early 2011 to kick off the next Presidential campaign by taking attention away from the President’s failures.
6. Bribing media to keep questions easy – and to keep them waiting at their dinner bowls for the next scrap of misinformation thrown to them by Robert “Soft Shoe” Gibbs. Some journalists however, have been trained to act independently, such as CNN’s Susan Roesgen. She has received her invitation to the President’s Press Dinner and will get something other than held-over chicken in wine sauce.
5. Finding people to work with Geithner – This is an ongoing task and has proved a bit more challenging than originally thought. Prior to being appointed Treasury Secretary, Geithner didn’t think he should have to pay the same kind of taxes employers pay on their workers. (Democrats typically think they are better people than the rest of us and should be able to leave the distasteful task of paying taxes to evil conservatives.) When the firestorm finally subsided, Obama made the decision not to appoint anyone else that had not paid their taxes. Accordingly, no Democrat has been identified that fulfills that requirement.
4. Taking no position on the use of enhanced interrogation – Or.. rather… taking all the positions at once. After telling security workers they were safe, the President heard from his nut-job supporters and took another stance without rejecting his first position. Threatening to prosecute those that successfully prevented further loss of American life after 9/11 has successfully shut down one of the last pieces of government apparatus that accomplished its objectives.
3. Establishing a position as a living saint – The President has used his oratory skills to keep approval numbers up while keeping the economy down. This by itself should be considered a miracle. But given the state of public education – maybe not.
2. Redistributing wealth – Obama successfully set the expectation that Joe the plumber will receive a CEO bonus. Unfortunately, due to His 2010 inflation this might be true. After all, he didn’t promise how much his inflation tax would cost.
1. Fooling most taxpayers into thinking they’ll get a tax cut - Putting all the pieces together, President Obama has masterfully woven media ignorance and compliance together with the lack of education on how a free economy functions, to create the illusion that the middle classes will receive a tax cut. Tax rates for middle class folks will modestly decline, but the price for their lunch salads will go through the roof. By structuring it this way, the lettuce pickers will be blamed for rising prices and not the President.
Tags: Barack Obama, First 100 Days, First Conservative, political satire, Top Ten Accomplishments To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Muslim Demographics and Mark Steyn Revisted - #CALH
| Muslium Demographics: Islam will overwhelm Christendom unless Christians recognize the demographic realities, begin reproducing again, and share the gospel with Muslims. |
| ICYMI last year: Mark Steyn on the Rise of Muslim in America & the Middle East: Video |
Tags: America, Canada, Christians, demographics, Europe, France, Germany, illegal immigration, jihad, Mark Steyn, Muslims, Russia, Sharia law, United States To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Nancy Pelosi the Queen of Torture
By Bill Smith / Ozark Guru: Nancy Pelosi knows what torture is because she has been practicing it for years. You might be saying, wait a minute, isn't she the the "Speaker" against torture at least with respect to what allegedly was used against the enemy combatants who brutally attacked and killed Americans and sought to destroy our American way of life. Don't be distracted by her pathological ability to adjust the truth to something that it is not or to shield the truth from shinning forth.Let's define of the word torture using the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
Noun: 1 a: anguish of body or mind : agony b: something that causes agony or painFor this discussion, let's forget the extreme view that would tear down the fabric of America while claiming self-righteous indignation in seeking the truth about a physical torture of people that had planned, aided or assisted in either potential attacks or the 9-11 attack our country which and killed almost 3000 people. Have we forgotten the deaths would have been far more if the planes had hit the World Trade towers an hour later, or if the planes had hit the center of the Pentagon or had hit another locations in D.C.? Also, let's forget the extreme fringe that believes that their own government is behind everything bad in our country and blew up the World Trade Towers instead of terrorists flying the airplanes that many of us observed hitting the buildings.
2: the infliction of intense pain (as from burning, crushing, or wounding) to punish, coerce, or afford sadistic pleasure
3: distortion or over refinement of a meaning or an argument: straining
Let's focus on Nancy Pelosi. First, note her recent episode of pathological adjustment of truth, wherein she attempts to divert attention from herself by boldly claiming she knew nothing about the use of enhanced interrogation techniques and then buffets her claim by stating that she could not recall being told that the the enhanced interrogation techniques were or would be used. Well, most of us know this is not the truth.
Consider the following article by The Women On the Web which addresses this situation and the reaction of at least one person who was present with Nancy Pelosi in 2002 during briefings by the CIA :
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appears to be on the defensive over what exactly she knew — and when she knew it — about the Bush administration’s "enhanced interrogation" techniques. The California Democrat befuddled some reporters, Republicans and others last week when she gave what Politico says were some "convoluted answers" to reporters about the interrogations. Now Republicans have jumped at the chance to pummel Pelosi’s insistence that she didn’t know what was going on. CIA Chief Porter Goss said she must be suffering from "amnesia" — since he was with her in 2002 when they were briefed by the CIA on the techniques.Now back to Nancy Pelosi and her use of torture. Note the definition of the word "torture" included "anguish of body or mind: agony" and "distortion or over refinement of a meaning or an argument: straining." While Pelosi may not as yet be pulling out fingernails in the basement of Congress, she has become a master in the use of these other two definitions of the word torture. Her extreme actions, her ridiculous self-proclamations, her bullying of the members of her own party, her tyrannical exclusion of the elected members of the minority party, and her constant declarations of lies as truth and distortion of truth. All of these bring anguish to the mind and hearts of Americans and definitely distorts and "over refines" the meaning of any argument. Pelosi has been wielding the whip of torture via her tongue and via the authority of her position as Speaker of the House. A gracious women she is NOT. She is not even a voice of propaganda for the liberal cause because even liberals know she cannot be trusted. In deeds, words, and actions, Nancy Pelosi is the Queen of Torture.
Goss wrote over the weekend: "I am slack-jawed to read that members claim to have not understood that the techniques on which they were briefed were to actually be employed; or that specific techniques such as ‘waterboarding’ were never mentioned. It must be hard for most Americans of common sense to imagine how a member of Congress can forget being told about the interrogations of Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed. In that case, though, perhaps it is not amnesia but political expedience." . . .
While it may not matter what Republicans think of Pelosi, it does matter that American voters do not trust her. One month ago, Rasmussen Reports that "60% of U.S. voters now have an unfavorable opinion of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, including 42% Very Unfavorable and that a growing number of her doubters seem to be fellow Democrats." Abuse and torture yield these kind of results from free-thinking people. And these results are presently polar opposite of the ratings for President Obama.
There is a growing dissent with Pelosi not only among Democrats in general but more importantly among House Democrats who have been forced to endure Pelosi's torturous ways. Bowing and scrapping by once joyous party members to the Queen Speaker does not bode well for future favorable support of the Obama administration. She has outworn her welcome as Speaker of the House by her lack of graciousness and her torturous ways. For the good of the country, it is time for a favorably nod to a more "enlightened" and sanguine" person to be the Speaker. It is time for Nancy Pelosi, the Queen of Torture, to be removed as Speaker of the people's House.
Tags: CIA, Gitmo, House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, Ozark Guru, Torture To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Today in Washington D. C. - April 27, 2009
The Senate resumes consideration of a bill to crack down on financial fraud, S. 386. Around 5:30, the Senate will vote on cloture on the bill. If cloture is invoked, the Judiciary committee substitute amendment will be agreed to and a vote on final passage will occur at noon on Tuesday.
Confirmation: Tomorrow - Tuesday --the Senate will begin up to 8 hours of debate on the nomination of abortion advocate Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. While the President is itching to fill the final seat in his Cabinet, with Gov. Sebelius, she did little to help her cause last week by vetoing a popular Kansas bill on women's health. By rejecting SB 218, a proposal that passed by wide margins in the House (82-43) and Senate (25-11), Sebelius proved just how beholden she is to the radical abortion industry. She blocked nominal changes to the state's health policy, including: an adjustment to the state's partial-birth abortion ban, a provision allowing women who survive a botched late-term abortion to bring civil suits against the doctors responsible, and new language to be included in the information mothers receive before an about abortion, namely that it "will terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique living human being."
Tony Perkins, Director of the Family Research Center, identified that:
On Wednesday, the Senate is expected to move into more muddy water and take up the conference report on the fiscal year 2010 budget. Later in the week, housing bills could come to the floor.
National Security: After spending a week discussing the possibilities of investigating or even prosecuting people for working to protect the country from terror attacks, it’s a bit ironic to see the administration going to such efforts to close Guantanamo Bay and release some of its detainees into the U.S.
President Obama has ordered the Guantanamo Bay facility closed and with only 270 days to go it appears the administration still has no plan as to what it will do with all 200+ detainees. However, it appears that they have figured out what to do with some of them. According to the AP, “The Obama administration is edging toward taking some prisoners to the U.S., most likely to Virginia.” The Los Angeles Times wrote on Friday, “Administration officials also believe that settling some of them in American communities will set an example, helping to persuade other nations to accept Guantanamo detainees too.”
However, other countries have resisted accepting detainees. The AP notes, “Some European leaders argue that if the detainees are to be released anywhere, it should be in the United States. . . . As many as 60, if freed, cannot go back to their homelands because they could face abuse, imprisonment or death.” And The New York Times reported last week, “David H. Remes, a lawyer for 16 Yemeni detainees, said it appeared that many of the men might remain in American custody. ‘Unless President Obama reconsiders his decision to close Guantánamo,’ Mr. Remes said, ‘the Yemeni detainees would have to be brought to the U.S. and put in some sort of prison.’”
On Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Holder is scheduled to give a speech in Germany discussing Guantanamo, possibly to urge European leaders to accept some detainees. But there has yet to be any public discussion of the rationale for releasing some detainees into the United States. Sen Mitch McConnell is troubled by that fact and said on Friday,
Politico in an article "McConnell blasts Obama foreign policy" characterized McConnel' s remarks:
Tags: Barack Obama, Budget, Gitmo, Kathleen Sebelius, Mitch McConnell, terrorists, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Confirmation: Tomorrow - Tuesday --the Senate will begin up to 8 hours of debate on the nomination of abortion advocate Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. While the President is itching to fill the final seat in his Cabinet, with Gov. Sebelius, she did little to help her cause last week by vetoing a popular Kansas bill on women's health. By rejecting SB 218, a proposal that passed by wide margins in the House (82-43) and Senate (25-11), Sebelius proved just how beholden she is to the radical abortion industry. She blocked nominal changes to the state's health policy, including: an adjustment to the state's partial-birth abortion ban, a provision allowing women who survive a botched late-term abortion to bring civil suits against the doctors responsible, and new language to be included in the information mothers receive before an about abortion, namely that it "will terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique living human being."
Tony Perkins, Director of the Family Research Center, identified that:
Sebelius said that she couldn't support the changes to the late-term abortion ban because they were "unconstitutional," a notion that's ridiculous on its face since the modifications would have made Kansas compatible with federal law. Meanwhile, the Governor's ally, notorious abortionist George Tiller, is getting quite a return on his $35,450 direct investment in Sebelius's political career. If the state legislature can't find another two votes to override Sebelius, her veto will be good for his business. Fewer restrictions on Tiller's shop means more abortions, and in turn, bigger profits with which to buy the support of politicians like Sebelius.ACT NOW - Voice your concern on Sebelius nomination: 1) sign the Family Research Council petition to Senate leaders Harry Reid (D-NV) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY). ; and 2) Contact your senators! Tell them you want a NO vote on the confirmation of radical pro abortionist Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as Secretary of Heath and Human Services.
. . . Sen. Jim DeMint added . . . "the overwhelming majority of Americans oppose the late-term abortions of babies who can survive on their own... Gov. Sebelius's veto... is an insult to Americans who respect human dignity," he said. "This is a clear example of the Governor's extreme pro-abortion agenda that should disqualify her from leading our nation's health agency."
On Wednesday, the Senate is expected to move into more muddy water and take up the conference report on the fiscal year 2010 budget. Later in the week, housing bills could come to the floor.
National Security: After spending a week discussing the possibilities of investigating or even prosecuting people for working to protect the country from terror attacks, it’s a bit ironic to see the administration going to such efforts to close Guantanamo Bay and release some of its detainees into the U.S.
President Obama has ordered the Guantanamo Bay facility closed and with only 270 days to go it appears the administration still has no plan as to what it will do with all 200+ detainees. However, it appears that they have figured out what to do with some of them. According to the AP, “The Obama administration is edging toward taking some prisoners to the U.S., most likely to Virginia.” The Los Angeles Times wrote on Friday, “Administration officials also believe that settling some of them in American communities will set an example, helping to persuade other nations to accept Guantanamo detainees too.”
However, other countries have resisted accepting detainees. The AP notes, “Some European leaders argue that if the detainees are to be released anywhere, it should be in the United States. . . . As many as 60, if freed, cannot go back to their homelands because they could face abuse, imprisonment or death.” And The New York Times reported last week, “David H. Remes, a lawyer for 16 Yemeni detainees, said it appeared that many of the men might remain in American custody. ‘Unless President Obama reconsiders his decision to close Guantánamo,’ Mr. Remes said, ‘the Yemeni detainees would have to be brought to the U.S. and put in some sort of prison.’”
On Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Holder is scheduled to give a speech in Germany discussing Guantanamo, possibly to urge European leaders to accept some detainees. But there has yet to be any public discussion of the rationale for releasing some detainees into the United States. Sen Mitch McConnell is troubled by that fact and said on Friday,
The question remains, as it does with all detainees held at Guantanamo: does their release make America safer? Surely the administration will not release these terrorist-trained detainees onto the streets of a U.S. community before providing to Congress the legal rationale for doing so, and a guarantee of safety for American citizens.
Can the administration assure the American people that releasing men trained in terrorist training camps into American society poses no danger to our citizens? To date, they have not done so. There’s a reason U.S. law prohibits the entry of anyone trained in a terrorist camp. Why that law would be ignored to bring terrorist-trained detainees into American cities has not been answered by this administration.
Politico in an article "McConnell blasts Obama foreign policy" characterized McConnel' s remarks:
In a major broadside . . . McConnell ripped into Obama on a variety of fronts — his Hugo Chavez handshake, his vow to shutter Gitmo and, above all, his decision to release Bush-era memos outlining harsh interrogation methods used on terror suspects and possible congressional probes into the issue.Weakening our tools of intelligence through an investigation of the intelligence community and other key decision makers would, by definition, make that pledge impossible to fulfill. It would also serve to divide us, I fear, at a time when we must continue to present a united and determined front to our enemies... In my view, the commander in chief has an obligation to unify the country while we are at war and at risk. Looked at in this context, attacking each other on these issues is not only counterproductive, it’s dangerous.In a broader philosophical vein, the leader took issue with Obama's promise to change the country's relationship with Cuba, Iran and other longtime adversaries.The rush to initiate ‘fresh starts’ with old adversaries or to find quick solutions to the many complex problems we face is not always advisable when it comes to advancing our long-term interests, or in preserving and strengthening alliances or our relationships with allies’
Tags: Barack Obama, Budget, Gitmo, Kathleen Sebelius, Mitch McConnell, terrorists, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Cap and Trade: A Great Big Tax
| Chairman Emeritus of Energy and Commerce Committee, John Dingell (D-MI), calls cap and trade as it is: Nobody in this country realizes that cap and trade is a tax, and its a great big one. |
Tags: CAP, cap-and-trade, energy, energy tax, John Dingell, Tax, Trade To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Obama Pushing Treaty To Ban Reloading
Gun Owners of America: -- Even BB guns could be on the chopping block -- Remember CANDIDATE Barack Obama? The guy who “wasn’t going to take away our guns”? Well, guess what? Less than 100 days into his administration, he’s never met a gun he didn’t hate.A week ago, Obama went to Mexico, whined about the United States, and bemoaned (before the whole world) the fact that he didn’t have the political power to take away our semi-automatics. Nevertheless, that didn’t keep him from pushing additional restrictions on American gun owners.
It’s called the Inter-American Convention Against Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials. To be sure, this imponderable title masks a really nasty piece of work. First of all, when the treaty purports to ban the “illicit” manufacture of firearms, what does that mean?
1. “Illicit manufacturing” of firearms is defined as “assembly of firearms [or] ammunition ... without a license....” Hence, reloading ammunition -- or putting together a lawful firearm from a kit -- is clearly “illicit manufacturing.” Modifying a firearm in any way would surely be “illicit manufacturing.” And, while it would be a stretch, assembling a firearm after cleaning it could, in any plain reading of the words, come within the screwy definition of “illicit manufacturing.”
2. “Firearm” has a similarly questionable definition. “[A]ny other weapon” is a “firearm,” according to the treaty -- and the term “weapon” is nowhere defined. So, is a BB gun a “firearm”? Probably. A toy gun? Possibly. A pistol grip or firing pin? Probably. And who knows what else.
If these provisions (and others) become the law of the land, the Obama administration could have a heyday in enforcing them. Consider some of the other provisions in the treaty:
* Banning reloading. In Article IV of the treaty, countries commit to adopting “necessary legislative or other measures” to criminalize illicit manufacturing and trafficking in firearms. Remember that “illicit manufacturing” includes reloading and modifying or assembling a firearm in any way. This would mean that the Obama administration could promulgate regulations banning reloading on the basis of this treaty -- just as it is currently circumventing Congress to write legislation taxing greenhouse gases.
* Banning gun clubs. Article IV goes on to state that the criminalized acts should include “association or conspiracy” in connection with said offenses -- which is arguably a term broad enough to allow, by regulation, the criminalization of entire pro-gun organizations or gun clubs, based on the facilities which they provide their membership.
* Extraditing US gun dealers. Article V requires each party to “adopt such measures as may be necessary to establish its jurisdiction over the offenses it has established in accordance with this Convention” under a variety of circumstances.
We know that Mexico is blaming U.S. gun dealers for the fact that its streets are flowing with blood. And we know it is possible for Mexico to define offenses “committed in its territory” in a very broad way. And we know that we have an extradition obligation under Article XIX of the proposed treaty. So we know that Mexico could try to use the treaty to demand to extradition of American gun dealers.
Under Article XXIX, if Mexico demands the extradition of a lawful American gun dealer, the U.S. would be required to resolve the dispute through “other means of peaceful settlement.” Does anyone want to risk twenty years in a sweltering Mexican jail on the proposition that the Obama administration would apply this provision in a pro-gun manner?
* Microstamping. Article VI requires “appropriate markings” on firearms. And, it is not inconceivable that this provision could be used to require microstamping of firearms and/or ammunition -- a requirement which is clearly intended to impose specifications which are not technologically possible or which are possible only at a prohibitively expensive cost.
* Gun registration. Article XI requires the maintenance of any records, for a “reasonable time,” that the government determines to be necessary to trace firearms. This provision would almost certainly repeal portions of McClure-Volkmer and could arguably be used to require a national registry or database.
ACTION: Contact your senators! Urge them to oppose the Inter-American Convention Against Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials. You may also use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center to send your Senators the pre-written e-mail message. See also: GOA's CIFTA Treaty Analysis
Tags: Barack Obama, GAO, Gun Owners of America, treaty, banning reloading, CIFTA, United States, Mexico To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Social Security Trust Fund
by Kerby Anderson, Point of View: Although politicians talk about the Social Security "trust fund," the reality is that it is neither. There was no "trust" and there is really is no "fund." Each Congress has spent the surpluses that were supposed to be set aside for when the baby boom generation began to retire.Economist Kevin Hassett has found something else. The surpluses that once fed this imaginary trust fund are now gone. Due to the current recession, the fund is now negative. Payroll receipts are down because fewer people are working. Essentially, the trust fund has gone into the red about ten years ahead of schedule. The latest government numbers confirm this. This year, it is estimated that Social Security will take in $654 billion in payroll taxes and pay out $662 billion in benefits and expenses. That is a shortfall of $8 billion.
The response from the Social Security Administration is that even though there is a shortfall, Social Security is not running a deficit. It turns out that the interest the government owes itself for borrowing (and spending) the surpluses will provide an additional revenue stream. So even though there is a shortfall, Social Security isn't running a deficit . . . yet.
While all of this is true, some members of Congress are starting to object to this accounting sleight-of-hand. And all this does is postpone the inevitable. By the next decade, the bulk of baby boomers will have begun their retirements. The only way to have been able to fund the millions of boomer retirees, would be to have a real trust fund not a fictitious one. Each year Congress spent the money in the trust fund. And now a recession has removed any last pretense of there being money for future retirees.
I don't think most Americans really care whether the Social Security trust fund is technically broke. They just want to know if their Social Security will be there for them. The reality is that each year, more retirees will be drawing on funds that aren't there. For some reason, no one in the administration will tell you the truth. I just did. I'm Kerby Anderson, and that's my point of view.
Tags: congress, Kerby Anderson, Point of View, social security, trust fund To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Breaking News: Mexican Flu Outbreak Alert - No Border Security
Received a heads up form ALIPAC which is tracking news and CDC concerning a possible Flu pandemic breaking out in Mexico. At this time, there is no indication of any additional border security being implemented to protect the lives of US citizens. Checking wire and news sources revealed that the White House is closely following the outbreak in the United States and President Barack Obama has been informed.Reuters reported that a strain of flu never seen before has killed up to 60 people in Mexico and also appeared in the United States, where eight people were infected but recovered. Mexico's government said at least 20 people have died of the flu and it may also be responsible for 40 other deaths.
Various wire service are reporting that The Geneva-based World Health Organization said tests showed the virus from 12 of the Mexican patients was the same genetically as a new strain of swine flu, designated H1N1, seen in eight people in California and Texas. Howevever, an analysis by the Center for Desease Control showed the disease is a mixture of swine, human and avian viruses. Mexico reported 1,004 suspected cases of the new virus, including four possible cases in Mexicali on the border with California.
World Health Organization said it was in daily contact with U.S., Canadian and Mexican authorities and had activated its command and control center for acute public health events. Most of the dead were aged between 25 and 45, a health official said. It was a worrying sign as seasonal flu can be more deadly among the very young and the very old but a hallmark of pandemics is that they affect healthy young adults.
The CDC said it will issue daily updates here
Tags: border control, Canada, CDC, Center for Disease Control, fluorescent light, Mexico, pandemic, swine flu, United States, World Health organization To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Reagan on Terrorism
| Wish we had Reagan back again - I slept comfortable at night! Now, I fear our own government, And consider the present situations in the world; for example, nukes could fall into the hands of the Taliban in Pakistan. Again, none of these would have happened with Reagan. |
Tags: Ronald Reagan, Taliban, terrorism To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Obama to Control Internet
Senate bill would give President Obama authority over all networks. Sens. Jay Rockefeller. D-WV, and Olympia Snowe, R-MN introduced the Cybersecurity Act of 2009 (SB773), which would permit the White House to declare a "cybersecurity emergency" and shut down or limit Internet traffic in any network the president declares "critical." A companion bill (SB778), creates the new "cybersecurity czar" to take his place among the troubling number of similarly named posts in this administration.If the Cybersecurity Act of 2009 passes, the president will have authority to shut down Internet traffic for "national security." The bill's language also allows the commerce secretary to "access all relevant data" on those "critical" networks "without regard to any provision of law, regulation, rule, or policy restricting such access." The bill as currently written provides zero structural oversight over the proposed broad new executive branch powers. Thus, President Obama would also have access to digital data from industries including banking, communications and even the energy grid. Under the bill there would be a cybersecurity czar inside the White House. So far this isn't being reported much outside of business circles. If George W. Bush had sought this kind of authority the ACLU would have rightly gone nuts; where are they now? [Full Story - by James G. Lakely, San Francisco Chronicle " Don't put feds in charge of the Internet"]
Tags: Barack Obama, cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Act 2009, Czar, internet, networks To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Harvard Chaplain Approves Death Sentence For Converting From Islam - #CALH
H/T to William Murray,Chairman Religious Freedom Coalition for this heads up on an situation identified earlier this month at Harvard University: Imagine the outrage if a Christian chaplain called for even mild discipline of those who violate the tenants of Christianity. It would be on the front page of every newspaper in America. But when the Muslim chaplain at Harvard University said the death penalty was "appropriate" for those converting from Islam, the media showed no interest at all. Muslim students at Harvard who disagreed with the chaplain refused to give their names out of fear of the "Islamic community." [Read Full Story: The Harvard Crimnson: "Chaplain’s E-mail Sparks Controversy"]
Tags: chaplain, conversion, Harvard University, Islam, Islamic law, William J. Murray To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tags: chaplain, conversion, Harvard University, Islam, Islamic law, William J. Murray To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!