Monday, May 31, 2010
Administration attempt to corral Sestak out of line
The Seattle Times editorial board says the Obama administration's attempt a year ago to entice Rep. Joe Sestak not to run for the Senate was arrogant and wrong, even if it was not illegal.
IT may not have broken the law for the White House to offer a position of influence to Rep. Joe Sestak. Robert Bauer, White House counsel, argued in a memo Friday that the offer was just politics. But it was certainly a style of politics that showed little respect for the Democratic voters of Pennsylvania.
The main events happened a year ago. The longtime Republican senator from Pennsylvania, Arlen Specter, had just declared himself a Democrat, joining the majority party in the Senate.
President Obama was happy about that, and eager to support him, but it was not clear that Pennsylvania Democrats were. Many preferred a new congressman, the former three-star Navy Adm. Joe Sestak, who was making it known that he would challenge Specter to be the party's senatorial nominee.
And so President Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, called on his old employer, Bill Clinton, to approach Sestak. Clinton offered the Pennsylvania congressman a slot on a presidential panel — no pay, but a presumption of influence — if Sestak would remain a congressman, and not challenge Specter.
Sestak, to his credit, said no.
Set aside whether the offer was illegal. In any case, it was an attempt to shelter a longtime senator from the challenge of a less-seasoned politician by enticing the congressman to go away. It was an attempt to deny voters a choice.
Under the American electoral system, primary voters do not get that many choices — and this was a good choice.
In his memo, Bauer argued that for power brokers to talk potential challengers into backing down is not illegal and has been done many times before.
To ears in Washington, D.C., that may sound like a killer argument. Outside the Beltway it sounds like an arrogant political class protecting one of its own.
IT may not have broken the law for the White House to offer a position of influence to Rep. Joe Sestak. Robert Bauer, White House counsel, argued in a memo Friday that the offer was just politics. But it was certainly a style of politics that showed little respect for the Democratic voters of Pennsylvania.
The main events happened a year ago. The longtime Republican senator from Pennsylvania, Arlen Specter, had just declared himself a Democrat, joining the majority party in the Senate.
President Obama was happy about that, and eager to support him, but it was not clear that Pennsylvania Democrats were. Many preferred a new congressman, the former three-star Navy Adm. Joe Sestak, who was making it known that he would challenge Specter to be the party's senatorial nominee.
And so President Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, called on his old employer, Bill Clinton, to approach Sestak. Clinton offered the Pennsylvania congressman a slot on a presidential panel — no pay, but a presumption of influence — if Sestak would remain a congressman, and not challenge Specter.
Sestak, to his credit, said no.
Set aside whether the offer was illegal. In any case, it was an attempt to shelter a longtime senator from the challenge of a less-seasoned politician by enticing the congressman to go away. It was an attempt to deny voters a choice.
Under the American electoral system, primary voters do not get that many choices — and this was a good choice.
In his memo, Bauer argued that for power brokers to talk potential challengers into backing down is not illegal and has been done many times before.
To ears in Washington, D.C., that may sound like a killer argument. Outside the Beltway it sounds like an arrogant political class protecting one of its own.
The Sestak Smell Test
Daniel Foster - NRO
Kane asks "It was big right?" Sestak replies, "Let me "no comment" on it."
"Was it high-ranking?" Kane asked. Sestak said yes.
That was February. Since then, Sestak has mostly "no commented." But as recently as last Sunday, he confirmed: "I was offered a job, and I answered that."
Contrast that with the White House memo, which says that Sestak was considered only for non-compensated "advisory positions" and that he had no direct contact with White House officials.
But Sestak confirms to Kane that the White House offered him a job, or at least he fails to disabuse Kane of that notion in his affirmative answer. And note Sestak assents that he was offered a high-ranking federal job. Each word here is important.
There are more than 60 boards, commissions and committees that at one time or another have advised the president. Most are not considered "high-ranking" administration positions, nor upgrades from a House seat, let alone a seat in the Senate. Besides, though vague on details, both the White House memo and Sestak use the words "Advisory Board," of which there are only two currently active: The Economic Recovery Board and the Intelligence Advisory Board. Sestak is no economist, so the most logical conclusion to draw from the White House memo — that "By virtue of his career in public service, including distinguished military service, Congressman Sestak was viewed to be highly qualified to hold a range of advisory positions. . .while holding his House seat" — is that Sestak was being considered for the Intelligence Advisory Board. The only problem with that option, as the NYT reported, is that Sestak could not have retained his House seat while serving.
In short, it appears that there is no "advisory position" in existence that Sestak would 1) be qualified for and 2) consider preferable to a Senate run and 3) allow him to retain his House seat. Which brings us to the word "job." Sestak uses it himself, not "position" or "role" or "advisory capacity" or anything else. Federal jobs pay (just ask Derb). Jobs bring clout. Jobs open up, in the language of the White House memo, "alternative paths to service" (read: power) that could give a man second thoughts about a Senate run. Could this just be sloppy language from Sestak? Maybe, maybe not.
UPDATE: Larry Kane gives a behind-the-news blow-by-blow off the question that set this whole business off, and reveals he was prompted to ask the question after two reliable sources told him the White House had "dangled a high level job offer to Sestak, to give a clear path to Senator Specter for the nomination." If only we knew those sources.
A tip of the cap to White House counsel on preparing a memo that, on its face, would appear to let a bit of air out of charges of wrongdoing. But some of it just isn't scanning.
Let's look back at what Rep. Sestak told local TV host Larry Kane in February.KANE: "Were you ever offered a federal job to get out of this race?"Later Kane asks again, "Was there a job offered to you by the White House?" to which Sestak nods and replies "yes, someone offered it."
SESTAK: "Yes."
KANE: "Was it secretary of the Navy?"
SESTAK: "No comment"
Kane asks "It was big right?" Sestak replies, "Let me "no comment" on it."
"Was it high-ranking?" Kane asked. Sestak said yes.
That was February. Since then, Sestak has mostly "no commented." But as recently as last Sunday, he confirmed: "I was offered a job, and I answered that."
Contrast that with the White House memo, which says that Sestak was considered only for non-compensated "advisory positions" and that he had no direct contact with White House officials.
But Sestak confirms to Kane that the White House offered him a job, or at least he fails to disabuse Kane of that notion in his affirmative answer. And note Sestak assents that he was offered a high-ranking federal job. Each word here is important.
There are more than 60 boards, commissions and committees that at one time or another have advised the president. Most are not considered "high-ranking" administration positions, nor upgrades from a House seat, let alone a seat in the Senate. Besides, though vague on details, both the White House memo and Sestak use the words "Advisory Board," of which there are only two currently active: The Economic Recovery Board and the Intelligence Advisory Board. Sestak is no economist, so the most logical conclusion to draw from the White House memo — that "By virtue of his career in public service, including distinguished military service, Congressman Sestak was viewed to be highly qualified to hold a range of advisory positions. . .while holding his House seat" — is that Sestak was being considered for the Intelligence Advisory Board. The only problem with that option, as the NYT reported, is that Sestak could not have retained his House seat while serving.
In short, it appears that there is no "advisory position" in existence that Sestak would 1) be qualified for and 2) consider preferable to a Senate run and 3) allow him to retain his House seat. Which brings us to the word "job." Sestak uses it himself, not "position" or "role" or "advisory capacity" or anything else. Federal jobs pay (just ask Derb). Jobs bring clout. Jobs open up, in the language of the White House memo, "alternative paths to service" (read: power) that could give a man second thoughts about a Senate run. Could this just be sloppy language from Sestak? Maybe, maybe not.
UPDATE: Larry Kane gives a behind-the-news blow-by-blow off the question that set this whole business off, and reveals he was prompted to ask the question after two reliable sources told him the White House had "dangled a high level job offer to Sestak, to give a clear path to Senator Specter for the nomination." If only we knew those sources.
They Could Have Picked Up A Newspaper
The story from the White House is that they simply sent Bill Clinton to see if Joe Sestak was serious about running for Senate.
Well, buzz about him as a possible Senate candidate had been around since the preceding November. The Los Angeles Times, November 26, 2008:The Northeast’s dwindling cast of Senate Republicans has Democrats circling Arlen Specter’s seat in Pennsylvania, convinced the party is well-positioned to make a competitive race out of the 2010 election . . . Others considered in the mix include Rep. Joe Sestak, who is sitting on $3 million in campaign funds.So we’re to believe that at some point, Rahm Emanuel said, “Hey, there’s a two-term Democratic congressman who’s sitting on $3 million and who has been rumored to be interested in running for Senate since last year who’s making noises about taking on a cranky 80-year-old five-term incumbent whose popularity is tanking. Hey, let’s send a former president to see if he’s bluffing.”
Obama declares June is LGBT pride month, on Memorial Day Weekend
Quoted below, in full, is one answer to the previous question of "Who is Barack Obama?" A man intent on forcing his idea of "rights" on the rest of us, who oppose overwhelmingly the re-definition of marriage and family. A man who, on the weekend we honor those who have given their lives in actual battle on real enemy lines in true danger from deadly enemies, both foreign and domestic, decides to announce this farcical tribute to imagined heroes in a symbolic fight of dubious importance. So, is he equating Veteran's giving of their lives, literally, to that of gay pride activists "giving" their lives figuratively? I believe the answer is Yes. Barack Obama sees a man dying of HIV/AIDS as equal to that of a man gunned down on Normandy or a young soldier blown to bits by an IED in Iraq.
Barack Obama Says:
This(men giving their lives in battle)
Equals =
This(men mocking God in the name of tolerance)
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
May 28, 2010
Presidential Proclamation--Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month
As Americans, it is our birthright that all people are created equal and deserve the same rights, privileges, and opportunities. Since our earliest days of independence, our Nation has striven to fulfill that promise. An important chapter in our great, unfinished story is the movement for fairness and equality on behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. This month, as we recognize the immeasurable contributions of LGBT Americans, we renew our commitment to the struggle for equal rights for LGBT Americans and to ending prejudice and injustice wherever it exists.
LGBT Americans have enriched and strengthened the fabric of our national life. From business leaders and professors to athletes and first responders, LGBT individuals have achieved success and prominence in every discipline. They are our mothers and fathers, our sons and daughters, and our friends and neighbors. Across my Administration, openly LGBT employees are serving at every level. Thanks to those who came before us the brave men and women who marched, stood up to injustice, and brought change through acts of compassion or defiance we have made enormous progress and continue to strive for a more perfect union.
My Administration has advanced our journey by signing into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which strengthens Federal protections against crimes based on gender identity or sexual orientation. We renewed the Ryan White CARE Act, which provides life saving medical services and support to Americans living with HIV/AIDS, and finally eliminated the HIV entry ban. I also signed a Presidential Memorandum directing hospitals receiving Medicare and Medicaid funds to give LGBT patients the compassion and security they deserve in their time of need, including the ability to choose someone other than an immediate family member to visit them and make medical decisions.
In other areas, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a series of proposals to ensure core housing programs are open to everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. HUD also announced the first ever national study of discrimination against members of the LGBT community in the rental and sale of housing. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services has created a National Resource Center for LGBT Elders.
Much work remains to fulfill our Nation's promise of equal justice under law for LGBT Americans. That is why we must give committed gay couples the same rights and responsibilities afforded to any married couple, and repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. We must protect the rights of LGBT families by securing their adoption rights, ending employment discrimination against LGBT Americans, and ensuring Federal employees receive equal benefits. We must create safer schools so all our children may learn in a supportive environment. I am also committed to ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" so patriotic LGBT Americans can serve openly in our military, and I am working with the Congress and our military leadership to accomplish that goal.
As we honor the LGBT Americans who have given so much to our Nation, let us remember that if one of us is unable to realize full equality, we all fall short of our founding principles. Our Nation draws its strength from our diversity, with each of us contributing to the greater whole. By affirming these rights and values, each American benefits from the further advancement of liberty and justice for all.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2010 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month by fighting prejudice and discrimination in their own lives and everywhere it exists.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.
BARACK OBAMA
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Who is Barack Obama?
Who is Barack Obama? Vanderleun writes in the American Digest that Obama's life is "less documented than the undocumented Democrats oozing across our southern borders." Is his administration "one that sees no foreign enemies, only domestic ones"? "I don't tell, so you don't ask," seems to be the agreement Obama has with the dominant liberal media. In this brilliant piece of writing, Vanderleun suggests that one can only understand Obama by looking at what he and his minions do in the present. He concludes that "this leader who cannot lead is the fruit of our more than fifty years of downward drift and rising degeneracy." What will it take for us to wake up?
Of beauty and God's love
Long anticipated beauty finally opened up this morning on the south side of the house. Two beautiful orange poppies burst forth, feeling safe now to show their incomparable beauty. No cosmetics (photoshopping) needed. To the naked eye they appear totally orange, except for the blue interior; but the camera reveals splotches of yellow, reflecting the sun, no doubt.
One has to be in the presence of beauty in order to notice it. If we don't walk in their midst, caring for them, we miss the revelation of their beauty. If we don't open ourselves to God's love, we miss His healing, guiding power. The poppy's beauty is fleeting; God's love is omnipresent. There is more beauty after this beauty fades. We won't see it though, unless we seek it; unless we open ourselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If we seek, we will find.
Bill Clinton: "I'm back! Did ya miss me?"
Clinton's Role in Sestak Controversy Stirs Questions About His and White House Motives
Like an aging sports star who can't stay away from the game, Bill Clinton's direct role in the firestorm over President Obama's job offer to a lawmaker for a political favor has raised questions about whether the former president was used and abused by a cynical administration or whether he took advantage of the White House to burnish his legacy.
At the behest of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Clinton tried last summer to persuade Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak to abandon his primary challenge to Sen. Arlen Specter by offering an executive branch post.
But in perhaps a sign of Clinton's fading influence, Sestak turned the offer down and whipped Specter in the primary last week.
"It's very clear that President Clinton doesn't want to leave politics but more importantly that the White House wanted some sort of plausible deniability," Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who is calling for an FBI investigation, told Fox News on Friday. (from FoxNews.com)
Like an aging sports star who can't stay away from the game, Bill Clinton's direct role in the firestorm over President Obama's job offer to a lawmaker for a political favor has raised questions about whether the former president was used and abused by a cynical administration or whether he took advantage of the White House to burnish his legacy.
At the behest of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Clinton tried last summer to persuade Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak to abandon his primary challenge to Sen. Arlen Specter by offering an executive branch post.
But in perhaps a sign of Clinton's fading influence, Sestak turned the offer down and whipped Specter in the primary last week.
"It's very clear that President Clinton doesn't want to leave politics but more importantly that the White House wanted some sort of plausible deniability," Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who is calling for an FBI investigation, told Fox News on Friday. (from FoxNews.com)
Saturday, May 29, 2010
"offering alternative paths to service"
Well, it is now front page news in the Denver Post. Tribune Company writer Peter Nicholas dutifully reports the results of a "White House investigation" into alleged bribery attempts made by the White House. The White House version is "Don't worry, citizens, we were only commiting acts of kindness:" "offering alternative paths to service to candidates weighing bids for public service."
We've got a long three day weekend ahead of us, folks. Let's not let this die, as the White House hopes, by its release of its investigation at the beginning of this long weekend. Who will be the next Woodward and Bernstein? Sean Hannity seems to be the one media person bird-dogging this story. Sean was also all over the Rev. Wright and Bill Ayres connections to community organizer Barry Obama.
Was the White House smart to enlist the services of world class liar ("I did not have sex with that woman, Miss Lewinsky") Bill Clinton? At the behest of Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, Clinton made the phone call to Pennsylvania Congressman Sestac. Are we going to settle for the White House version of events? No! There must be a Special Prosecutor, as there was in Watergate.
Trivia question: do you know who was an assistant to the Special Prosecutor in the Watergate case? Fred Thompson.
We've got a long three day weekend ahead of us, folks. Let's not let this die, as the White House hopes, by its release of its investigation at the beginning of this long weekend. Who will be the next Woodward and Bernstein? Sean Hannity seems to be the one media person bird-dogging this story. Sean was also all over the Rev. Wright and Bill Ayres connections to community organizer Barry Obama.
Was the White House smart to enlist the services of world class liar ("I did not have sex with that woman, Miss Lewinsky") Bill Clinton? At the behest of Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, Clinton made the phone call to Pennsylvania Congressman Sestac. Are we going to settle for the White House version of events? No! There must be a Special Prosecutor, as there was in Watergate.
Trivia question: do you know who was an assistant to the Special Prosecutor in the Watergate case? Fred Thompson.
Friday, May 28, 2010
"Search for answers everywhere. We will be the key!"
Cliff Stewart has been writing about the alleged White House bribery offers (using Bill Clinton as the bribe-offerer) to keep a candidate (Congressman Sestac) in Pennsylvania from challenging incumbent Senator Arlen Spector, who was (unsuccessfully) favored by the White House. Our country has been down a road similar to this one in the Watergate scandals beginning in 1972. I hope publishers will allow new Woodward and Bernsteins to emerge and replicate what was journalism's finest hour in my lifetime. It will help if "We the people" demand to know the truth, which will once again set our country free.
Oh, by the way: Denver Post writer Michael Riley has written about a similar offer made to candidate Andrew Romanoff here in Colorado, to try to persuade Romanoff not to challenge incumbent Michael Bennett. We the people should get the opportunity to ask these candidates for specifics, as they campaign for our votes this year. Ultimately, though, a special prosecutor will need to be appointed, as in Watergate. Attorney General Holder will not appoint one without tremendous pressure from the press and the people. Likewise, the slimy chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, Senator Leahy of Vermont, is not likely to agree to hold hearings unless the pressure from a free press and a free people becomes overwhelming.
As the music on the Glenn Beck show says, "Search for answers everywhere. We will be the key!"
Oh, by the way: Denver Post writer Michael Riley has written about a similar offer made to candidate Andrew Romanoff here in Colorado, to try to persuade Romanoff not to challenge incumbent Michael Bennett. We the people should get the opportunity to ask these candidates for specifics, as they campaign for our votes this year. Ultimately, though, a special prosecutor will need to be appointed, as in Watergate. Attorney General Holder will not appoint one without tremendous pressure from the press and the people. Likewise, the slimy chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, Senator Leahy of Vermont, is not likely to agree to hold hearings unless the pressure from a free press and a free people becomes overwhelming.
As the music on the Glenn Beck show says, "Search for answers everywhere. We will be the key!"
Vote for this man. He needs a "steady job."
Do you think voter dissatisfaction is limited to America's dissatisfaction with Democrats? If so, you would be wrong! The man who is favored to win tomorrow's mayoral election in Reykjavik, Iceland is using humor and satire to make fun of the politicians who have joined with bankers (sound familiar?) to ruin Iceland's economy. Jon Gnarr is a popular radio host and comic. He says he is running because the mayor's office "has a very nice desk," and he "needs a steady job." Michael Casey writes about Mr, Gnarr's "Best Party" campaign in today's Wall Street Journal.
I find Gnarr's candidacy refreshing and attractive. A politician who does not b.s. us and who does not take himself too seriously would be a most welcome change here in America, too.
I find Gnarr's candidacy refreshing and attractive. A politician who does not b.s. us and who does not take himself too seriously would be a most welcome change here in America, too.
Muslim killing continues on minority Ahmadhi sect in Pakistan
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Suspected Islamist militants attacked two mosques packed with hundreds of worshippers from a minority sect in eastern Pakistan on Friday, holding hostages and battling police, officials and witnesses said. Some 80 people died, and dozens were wounded in the worst attack ever against the Ahmadi sect.
White House Asked Bill Clinton to Urge Sestak to Drop Out of Senate Race
(From FoxNews.com)
The White House asked former President Bill Clinton to talk to Rep. Joe Sestak about the possibility of obtaining a senior position in the Obama administration if he would drop out of the Democratic primary race against establishment-backed Sen. Arlen Specter, the Obama administration will say in a report to be released Friday morning, Fox News has confirmed.
The report, by the White House Counsel's office, will describe the Clinton conversations as informal and unhinged from any precise job offer since, as a former president, Clinton could not guarantee Sestak anything.
The conversations with Sestak were initiated by Clinton at the behest of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. Emanuel was Clinton's political director when he was president. Clinton had promoted Sestak to vice admiral and made him his director of defense policy. Sestak was a loyal and tireless supporter of Hillary Clinton's run for the presidency in 2008.
The report will be released one day after President Obama said the White House would issue a formal explanation that should answer questions about Sestak's allegation of a job offer and insisted "nothing improper" happened. On the same day, Clinton had lunch with Obama.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has also said nothing improper happened, but refused to elaborate when asked repeatedly about the charge at Thursday's briefing.
Sestak, who did not drop out and won the race against Specter last week, repeated his allegation in an interview on Sunday, but also declined to elaborate.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who has been leading the charge for more details on the allegation, said he hopes Obama's pending response "will detail what conversations were had with Congressman Sestak."
"If what the president said is true and nothing 'improper' took place, Adm. Sestak's credibility will be called into significant question," Issa said in a statement. "If the president's response is insufficient or contradicted, the situation will only escalate."
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Ted Haggard Announces Announcement
Ted Haggard's publicist said today that the ousted founder of New Life Church will announce plans for his future at a press conference at his Colorado Springs home Wednesday morning.
Haggard's spokesman said he would make a "surprising" and "groundbreaking" announcement with his family.
Ted Haggard and his wife Gayle on April 29 incorporated a new church, St. James, sited at their home at 1865 Old Ranch Road.
At the time, Ted Haggard said it was done for accounting purposes as the couple managed dual speaking careers. However, Haggard did tell the Colorado Springs Gazette that he likely would return to ministry one day and wouldn't rule out that St. James would one day be a real church.
Haggard was founder and senior pastor at the New Life megachurch for 25 years until revelations about his relationship with a male prostitute and allegations about illegal drug purchases led to what he has called his exile in Arizona.
"Excommunicated from his church, Ted disappeared into obscurity for the next two years," spokeswoman Amy Prenner said in a press release. "Now, after three and a half years, Ted is back with a surprising announcement."
The Haggards held two prayer meetings at their home in November, which attracted more than 100 people each time — overflow crowds for the couple's living room and even their second venue, the barn.
Ted Haggard has a probable announcement of a new ministry or church. Since it is well known that he has incorporated last month, what could be the big deal? I think the big deal could be that Ted Haggard wants to minister to people, and that some people, as many as a hundred, want him to minister them. Is it time to let Ted Haggard alone to his own life? Has he and his wife suffered or been punished enough? When will it be enough? For those of us that believe in God and follow Jesus, is there a possibility of restoration from such a fall as Haggard had? If you fell from such a place would you expect God to lift you out of the pit you put yourself in? How far does the grace of God extend? The answer is: far enough to reach you, I hope.
To Whom should we turn for solutions?
There is an article by Jeremy Meyer in today's Denver Post that just knocked my socks off. The article cites a survey of 24,000 U.S. students at 70 high schools. The survey shows that 95% of students admit that they have "participated in some form of cheating, whether tests, plagiarism, or copying homework! The conducter of the survey said the students justified their cheating.
The article goes on to say that some "educational psychologists" (here we go again) say that they "fear high-stakes tests and grade-point averages that determine college acceptance are leading students to cheat." Okay, secular psychologists, by that line of reasoning, then does that mean that there should be no high standards that we expect the little darlings to strive for? The article cites yet another study that concludes that "cheating in high school is a significant predictor of lying and cheating across a wide range of adult situations." We needed a study for this conclusion?
As soon as I finished reading this article I sat down with my sons. I told them that we expect them to try hard, but that if they try their hardest and do their homework to prepare, and still do not achieve a high score, we will be proud of them anyway for preparing and trying hard. Greg told me that he did not know how to proceed once with a math problem, so he just wrote in "blah, blah, blah" on the answer sheet to that particular problem.
I showed the boys the Denver Post article, where it says if you convince yourself that it is okay to cheat on one thing, then you are likely to cheat in other areas of your life, too. I told them that there is a solution: that God is always with us, always willing to forgive us, and if we learn to trust God, He will show us how to behave properly in any situation. I warned them that they might have to keep on asking God to forgive them, because it is just our human nature to keep making the same mistakes over and over. If they finally learn to just let go of behaviors that are not working well for them, and trust God to show them a better way, He will always be willing to do that.
I asked Greg if he knew of a better solution to that math problem. He said, "I could just leave it blank, and then tell the teacher that I don't understand how to do that problem." I agreed with Greg that his idea was a good one, but I also know of our sinful nature, and that we need to keep asking forgiveness and learn to trust God to show us The Way.
The article goes on to say that some "educational psychologists" (here we go again) say that they "fear high-stakes tests and grade-point averages that determine college acceptance are leading students to cheat." Okay, secular psychologists, by that line of reasoning, then does that mean that there should be no high standards that we expect the little darlings to strive for? The article cites yet another study that concludes that "cheating in high school is a significant predictor of lying and cheating across a wide range of adult situations." We needed a study for this conclusion?
As soon as I finished reading this article I sat down with my sons. I told them that we expect them to try hard, but that if they try their hardest and do their homework to prepare, and still do not achieve a high score, we will be proud of them anyway for preparing and trying hard. Greg told me that he did not know how to proceed once with a math problem, so he just wrote in "blah, blah, blah" on the answer sheet to that particular problem.
I showed the boys the Denver Post article, where it says if you convince yourself that it is okay to cheat on one thing, then you are likely to cheat in other areas of your life, too. I told them that there is a solution: that God is always with us, always willing to forgive us, and if we learn to trust God, He will show us how to behave properly in any situation. I warned them that they might have to keep on asking God to forgive them, because it is just our human nature to keep making the same mistakes over and over. If they finally learn to just let go of behaviors that are not working well for them, and trust God to show them a better way, He will always be willing to do that.
I asked Greg if he knew of a better solution to that math problem. He said, "I could just leave it blank, and then tell the teacher that I don't understand how to do that problem." I agreed with Greg that his idea was a good one, but I also know of our sinful nature, and that we need to keep asking forgiveness and learn to trust God to show us The Way.
Muslim ethnic cleansing still a problem
Kurds today appear to grasp this equation: If there is no place for Jews in the Middle East, there is not likely to be a place for Kurds either. The ongoing religious and ethnic cleansing of the “Muslim world” may be the biggest story journalists are not telling, political leaders are not highlighting, and human-rights activists are not protesting.
Ancient Middle Eastern Christian communities — e.g., Copts, Maronites, Chaldeans — are under assault, virtually powerless, their numbers shrinking in Egypt, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Pakistan, and elsewhere. Somewhat more attention — though little meaningful action — has focused on the plight of the Darfurians of Sudan and the Baha’i of Iran.
This quote by author Clifford May from National Review Online highlights the truth that the media are AFRAID to report actual news when it is in direct conflict with their own worldview agenda. Muslims are murdering and oppressing their own minorities while claiming special minority status and privilege here in the US and the West. Say all you want about Islam as the "religion of peace" or the percentage of "moderate Muslims" in the world, that does not erase the blood stains and suffering of the people that are regularly persecuted in the name of a God that condones lies and murder and genocide. Read this entire article about the current plight of the Kurds and their history of oppression at the hands of the "religion of peace" and banish your ignorance to hell where it belongs. It is true now as it was true for Nazi Germany and for Communist Russia that we, as a free people, have the obligation upon us to not look away from the atrocities and to deal with them and expose them as what they are, pure evil.
Ancient Middle Eastern Christian communities — e.g., Copts, Maronites, Chaldeans — are under assault, virtually powerless, their numbers shrinking in Egypt, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Pakistan, and elsewhere. Somewhat more attention — though little meaningful action — has focused on the plight of the Darfurians of Sudan and the Baha’i of Iran.
This quote by author Clifford May from National Review Online highlights the truth that the media are AFRAID to report actual news when it is in direct conflict with their own worldview agenda. Muslims are murdering and oppressing their own minorities while claiming special minority status and privilege here in the US and the West. Say all you want about Islam as the "religion of peace" or the percentage of "moderate Muslims" in the world, that does not erase the blood stains and suffering of the people that are regularly persecuted in the name of a God that condones lies and murder and genocide. Read this entire article about the current plight of the Kurds and their history of oppression at the hands of the "religion of peace" and banish your ignorance to hell where it belongs. It is true now as it was true for Nazi Germany and for Communist Russia that we, as a free people, have the obligation upon us to not look away from the atrocities and to deal with them and expose them as what they are, pure evil.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Leaving Islam? - Group advertises on NY buses
NEW YORK(Fox News.com) --
The questions on the ads aren't subtle: Leaving Islam? Fatwa on your head? Is your family threatening you?
A conservative activist and the organizations she leads have paid several thousand dollars for the ads to run on at least 30 city buses for a month. The ads point to a website called RefugefromIslam.com, which offers information to those wishing to leave Islam, but some Muslims are calling the ads a smoke screen for an anti-Muslim agenda.
Pamela Geller, who leads an organization called Stop Islamization of America, said the ads were meant to help provide resources for Muslims who are fearful of leaving the faith.
"It's not offensive to Muslims, it's religious freedom," she said. "It's not targeted at practicing Muslims. It doesn't say 'leave,' it says 'leaving' with a question mark."
Geller said the ad buy cost about $8,000, contributed by the readers of her blog, Atlas Shrugs, and other websites. Similar ads have run on buses in Miami, and she said ad buys were planned for other cities.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials said Geller's ad was reviewed and did not violate the agency's guidelines.
"The religion in question would not change the determination that the language in the ad does not violate guidelines," MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz said Wednesday.
All ads are screened, MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said. Most are reviewed by the company that handles the MTA's advertising opportunities, but some are sent to the MTA for ultimate approval.
The agency had received no complaints since the ads went up on May 14, MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said. The 30 or so buses with the ads pass through all five boroughs of the city.
Faiza Ali, of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the ads were based on a false premise that people face coercion to remain with Islam. She said Muslims believe faith that is forced is not true belief.
"Geller is free to say what she likes just as concerned community members are free to criticize her motives," Ali said.
Geller has a history of speaking out against Muslims, and the ads are "a smoke screen to advance her long-standing history of anti-Muslim bigotry," Ali said.
Geller said she had no problem with Muslims, but was working to "maintain the separation of mosque and state." She is also among those speaking out against the building of a mosque and cultural center near ground zero.
Impeachment Basics
From The U.S. Constitution:
Section 4 - Disqualification
The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.
Impeachment(definition)
Impeachment, in the U.S. and Great Britain, proceeding by a legislature for the removal from office of a public official charged with misconduct in office. Impeachment comprises both the act of formulating the accusation and the resulting trial of the charges; it is frequently but erroneously taken to mean only the removal from office of an accused public official. An impeachment trial may result in either an acquittal or in a verdict of guilty. In the latter case the impeached official is removed from office; if the charges warrant such action, the official is also remanded to the proper authorities for trial before a court. Source:FWE
From Wikipedia:
Section 4 - Disqualification
The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.
Impeachment(definition)
Impeachment, in the U.S. and Great Britain, proceeding by a legislature for the removal from office of a public official charged with misconduct in office. Impeachment comprises both the act of formulating the accusation and the resulting trial of the charges; it is frequently but erroneously taken to mean only the removal from office of an accused public official. An impeachment trial may result in either an acquittal or in a verdict of guilty. In the latter case the impeached official is removed from office; if the charges warrant such action, the official is also remanded to the proper authorities for trial before a court. Source:FWE
From Wikipedia:
Impeachment in the United States is an expressed power of the legislature that allows for formal charges against a civil officer of government for crimes committed in office. The actual trial on those charges, and subsequent removal of an official on conviction on those charges, is separate from the act of impeachment itself.
Impeachment is analogous to indictment in regular court proceedings, while trial by the other house is analogous to the trial before judge and jury in regular courts. Typically, the lower house of the legislature will impeach the official and the upper house will conduct the trial.
At the federal level, Article Two of the United States Constitution (Section 4) states that "ThePresident, Vice President, and all other civil Officers of the United States shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors." The House of Representatives has the sole power of impeaching, while the United States Senate has the sole power to try all impeachments. The removal of impeached officials is automatic upon conviction in the Senate.
ABC News: All 7 Republicans on Senate Judiciary Committee Ask AG Holder to Appoint Special Prosecutor to Look Into Alleged Sestak Job Offer
In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder today, all seven Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee "urge the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate Congressman Joe Sestak's claim that a White House official offered him a job to induce him to exit the Pennsylvania Senate primary race against Senator Arlen Specter."
The seven – Sens. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Orrin Hatch of Utah, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Jon Kyl or Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, John Cornyn of Texas and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma – allege that the offer would appear to violate federal criminal laws, including 18 U.S.C. 600, which prohibits promising a government position “as consideration, favor, or reward for any political activity” or “in connection with any primary election or political convention or caucus held to select candidates for any political office.”
The seven – Sens. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Orrin Hatch of Utah, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Jon Kyl or Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, John Cornyn of Texas and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma – allege that the offer would appear to violate federal criminal laws, including 18 U.S.C. 600, which prohibits promising a government position “as consideration, favor, or reward for any political activity” or “in connection with any primary election or political convention or caucus held to select candidates for any political office.”
CNN’s John King suggested to Axelrod that such a job offer “marches up into the gray area, perhaps into the red area of a felony. It is a felony to induce somebody by offering them a job.”“If such things happened they would constitute a serious breach of the law,” Axelrod told CNN, “and when the allegations were looked into there is no evidence of such a thing"That was not enough for the Republican Senators, who wrote to Holder that they “do not believe the Department of Justice can properly defer to White House lawyers to investigate a matter that could involve ‘a serious breach of the law.’ The White House cannot possibly manage an internal investigation of potential criminal misconduct while simultaneously crafting a public narrative to rebut the claim that misconduct occurred.”Assistant Attorney General Ronald Welch last week told Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., that a special counsel is not needed; the Republican Senators are asking for Holder to reconsider that decision, though they suggest he could also refer the matter to the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section or the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
-Jake Tapper, ABC News
Congressman: White House Job Offer to Sestak May Be an 'Impeachable' Offense
From Foxnews.com)
Rep. Joe Sestak's allegation that the White House offered him a job to drop out of the Pennsylvania Senate primary race against Arlen Specter is a crime that could lead to the impeachment of President Obama, Rep. Darrell Issa said.
But the decision by the Pennsylvania congressman not to elaborate on a so-called deal also could become a political problem as Sestak tries for the U.S. Senate seat.
The White House reportedly is going to formally address the allegation in the next few days. In the meantime, Issa, R-Calif., is one of many inside and outside Washington who want the Democratic Senate primary candidate to explain in detail what offer the White House made.
"It's very clear that allegation is one that everyone from Arlen Spector to Dick Morris has said is in fact a crime, and could be impeachable," said Issa, who is threatening to file an ethics compliant if Sestak doesn't provide more details about the alleged job offer.
Sestak, a former vice admiral in the Navy, first alleged in February that the White House offered him a high-ranking position in the administration last summer if he would sit out the primary against Specter, who won the backing of the White House and state Democratic leaders for switching parties.
The allegation is considered one of the factors that helped him defeat Specter, who was viewed as unscrupulous in doing whatever he could to keep his seat, including changing his party to win White House support for an uphill re-election battle.
But now, Sestak has to go into the general election, where his opponent, former Republican Rep. Pat Toomey, is willing to use the topic as referendum on both Sestak's and Obama's credibility.
"Congressman Sestak should tell the public everything he knows about the job he was offered, and who offered it," Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey said in a written statement. "To do otherwise will only continue to raise questions and continue to be a needless distraction in this campaign."
And Democratic Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, a close ally of the president, said Sestak can't continue to lay out the charge without backing it up.
"At some point, Congressman Sestak needs to make it clear what happened," he said.
Issa said this allegation is bigger than the Senate race.
"For Joe Sestak, he can dance around it and he may or may not be a senator," he said. "But for the White House, this problem's not going away. Adm. Sestak is in fact a very reliable source."
Ann Marie McAvoy, a former federal prosecutor, said the White House could have a problem on its hands depending on what the facts show.
"If they were simply offering him a job because they thought he was a qualified person for it and there was no request made that he in essence drop out of the race, it would be different," she told Fox News. "This is why there really needs to be an in depth investigation. There needs to be witness interviews and so on to figure out what happened, who said what, what were the other circumstances surrounding it."
Issa has called on the Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor but Attorney General Eric Holder has said that won't be necessary.
"We assure you that the Department of Justice takes very seriously allegations of criminal conduct by public officials," Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich told Issa in a letter. "All such matters are reviewed carefully by career prosecutors and law enforcement agents, and appropriate action, if warranted, is taken."
Weich said a special prosecutor won't be needed because the Justice Department "has a long history of handling investigations of high level officials professionally and independently, without the need to appoint a special counsel."
But McAvoy said any allegation of wrongdoing shouldn't be left to the Justice Department to decide.
"Someone in the administration had this conversation which means that would be the person mostly likely who committed the crime if there is a crime," she said. "So you have the people who are representing the people who potentially committed the crime are making the determinations as to whether anything wrong happened. That's not the way it's supposed to happen."
Issa compared any potential cover-up to the Watergate scandal of the Nixon era.the White House Tuesday of a cover up similar to the Watergate scandal.
"It's not about what was done wrong. It's about the cover up," Issa told Fox News. "And right now, there's a cover up going on at the White House 10 weeks after the allegation."
Rep. Joe Sestak's allegation that the White House offered him a job to drop out of the Pennsylvania Senate primary race against Arlen Specter is a crime that could lead to the impeachment of President Obama, Rep. Darrell Issa said.
But the decision by the Pennsylvania congressman not to elaborate on a so-called deal also could become a political problem as Sestak tries for the U.S. Senate seat.
The White House reportedly is going to formally address the allegation in the next few days. In the meantime, Issa, R-Calif., is one of many inside and outside Washington who want the Democratic Senate primary candidate to explain in detail what offer the White House made.
"It's very clear that allegation is one that everyone from Arlen Spector to Dick Morris has said is in fact a crime, and could be impeachable," said Issa, who is threatening to file an ethics compliant if Sestak doesn't provide more details about the alleged job offer.
Sestak, a former vice admiral in the Navy, first alleged in February that the White House offered him a high-ranking position in the administration last summer if he would sit out the primary against Specter, who won the backing of the White House and state Democratic leaders for switching parties.
The allegation is considered one of the factors that helped him defeat Specter, who was viewed as unscrupulous in doing whatever he could to keep his seat, including changing his party to win White House support for an uphill re-election battle.
But now, Sestak has to go into the general election, where his opponent, former Republican Rep. Pat Toomey, is willing to use the topic as referendum on both Sestak's and Obama's credibility.
"Congressman Sestak should tell the public everything he knows about the job he was offered, and who offered it," Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey said in a written statement. "To do otherwise will only continue to raise questions and continue to be a needless distraction in this campaign."
And Democratic Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, a close ally of the president, said Sestak can't continue to lay out the charge without backing it up.
"At some point, Congressman Sestak needs to make it clear what happened," he said.
Issa said this allegation is bigger than the Senate race.
"For Joe Sestak, he can dance around it and he may or may not be a senator," he said. "But for the White House, this problem's not going away. Adm. Sestak is in fact a very reliable source."
Ann Marie McAvoy, a former federal prosecutor, said the White House could have a problem on its hands depending on what the facts show.
"If they were simply offering him a job because they thought he was a qualified person for it and there was no request made that he in essence drop out of the race, it would be different," she told Fox News. "This is why there really needs to be an in depth investigation. There needs to be witness interviews and so on to figure out what happened, who said what, what were the other circumstances surrounding it."
Issa has called on the Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor but Attorney General Eric Holder has said that won't be necessary.
"We assure you that the Department of Justice takes very seriously allegations of criminal conduct by public officials," Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich told Issa in a letter. "All such matters are reviewed carefully by career prosecutors and law enforcement agents, and appropriate action, if warranted, is taken."
Weich said a special prosecutor won't be needed because the Justice Department "has a long history of handling investigations of high level officials professionally and independently, without the need to appoint a special counsel."
But McAvoy said any allegation of wrongdoing shouldn't be left to the Justice Department to decide.
"Someone in the administration had this conversation which means that would be the person mostly likely who committed the crime if there is a crime," she said. "So you have the people who are representing the people who potentially committed the crime are making the determinations as to whether anything wrong happened. That's not the way it's supposed to happen."
Issa compared any potential cover-up to the Watergate scandal of the Nixon era.the White House Tuesday of a cover up similar to the Watergate scandal.
"It's not about what was done wrong. It's about the cover up," Issa told Fox News. "And right now, there's a cover up going on at the White House 10 weeks after the allegation."
Coalition On Revival - A Worldview Resource
I have relied upon certain people's efforts very much and would like to highlight one once in a while, so that more people know of their great work. The Coalition On Revival was started by Jay Grimstead .
In 1984 God led Dr. Jay Grimstead to call together 112 national Christian leaders to form a united, spiritual army willing to help mobilize the Body of Christ around four tasks:
- To rally around the “mainstream basics” and create
17 Biblical Worldview Documents which would outline the Church’s biblical tasks in various areas of life such as law, government, economics, education, the media, science, the arts, and outline a biblical view of evangelism, discipleship, helping the hurting, pastoral renewal, and so on. - To hold up the inerrant Bible as a plumb line by which to measure ourselves and the Church and to hold each other mutually accountable to live in obedience to that Bible in the belief that the Lordship of Christ and Matthew 18:1 5-17 are non-optional for all Christians.
- To function as a “united catalyst” and model by which the greater Body of Christ may be encouraged to operate in practical unity globally and in each local area in ways now considered inconceivable by most Christian leaders.
- To offer the Church-at-large models, pathways, plans, and documents from our consensus wisdom about how to impact every area of life with the Biblical Worldview as stated in these consensus documents. We can thus begin rebuilding our civilization on the principles of the Bible as a united, spiritual “Allied Army” of Christian leaders from every denomination and organization which cares to unite in such an effort.
The COR website has some great material on it, including papers detailing a Biblical Worldview for Law, Government, Politics and Sociology, Education, Economics, Arts and media and many other such documents, which are available to download in pdf format. The most helpful of these documents is one entitled "42 Worldview Essentials," which is a great list of essentials of a Christian Worldview. So go check out what they are saying and teaching and support them the best way you can!
Immigration problems in the UK - fake marraiges
An illegal marriage operation run by a Government-licensed immigration adviser has been uncovered by a Sky News investigation.
Jayesh Patel was secretly filmed making a bogus marriage possible by supplying a groom from Slovakia to an undercover researcher from India whose student visa was about to expire.
Slovakia is part of the EU and therefore, had the woman married the groom, she would have been eligible to apply for permanent UK residency.
Mr Patel advised the couple they could pretend they were living together by setting up bank accounts in joint names.
He also offered to obtain the couple's certificate of approval to marry from the Home Office.
His fee for managing the operation and supplying the groom was £12,000.
Mr Patel, who is director of Yana Immigration UK Ltd, introduced the bride and groom at a restaurant in Wembley, west London.
Also present was an intermediary - "Neil" - who found the groom for Mr Patel.
Neil told our researcher there was little chance she would be caught as the UK Border Agency rarely checks up to make sure suspect marriages are genuine.
"They will visit your home one or two times. If you are lucky, they won't visit at all. Because many of my clients, they never visit," he explained.
Neil also advised our researcher to take pictures of herself and the groom to suggest they were in a relationship, and for the groom to leave his clothes at her home.
"Take one photo together and keep it with you. Keep his number in your phone and keep some clothes with you always. If anyone is coming for a visit you can say: 'He's gone for a while.'
"You get a passport after three years. Once you get the approval from the Home Office, you get the visa."
When confronted by Sky News, Mr Patel and 'Neil' claimed they don't arrange sham marriages. The groom refused to comment.
There has been an increase in suspected bogus marriages since the House of Lords declared that preventing two people from getting married breaches the Human Rights Act, even if one of them is in the UK illegally.
Facilitating or taking part in a sham marriage is illegal under the Asylum and Immigration Act.
Immigration minister Damian Green said: "This Government is committed to striking at the heart of illegal immigration and tackling those who break the rules.
"I have asked for the information gained by Sky News to be provided to the UK Border Agency so that if there is sufficient evidence of a crime having been committed those involved can be brought to book.
"At the same time I have asked the Immigration Services Commissioner, who regulates immigration advisers, to investigate these alleged breaches.
"She has assured me that she will investigate these matters fully and take any appropriate action."
Could anything good come out of...Iran?
From J. Lee Grady, Charisma Magazine, in today's Fire In My Bones:
An Iranian evangelist says a spiritual awakening of unprecedented magnitude is occurring behind the scenes in a nation known for its terrorism.
A vibrant New Testament church is thriving in Iran, in spite of brutal persecution under Ahmadinejad's regime.
An Iranian evangelist says a spiritual awakening of unprecedented magnitude is occurring behind the scenes in a nation known for its terrorism.
A vibrant New Testament church is thriving in Iran, in spite of brutal persecution under Ahmadinejad's regime.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
America's 10 most corrupt capitalists
A short and bittersweet article by Barry Ritholtz about the most corrupt capitalists in America and the one thing they all have in common....Goldman Sachs!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Remember Daniel Pearl, but not like this
This week the President signed into law the Daniel Pearl Press Freedom Act. The Act basically is a commitment to "watch out" for countries that violate freedom of the press, adding an extra couple of questions to a survey of human rights violators.
The new law will require that the State Department’s annual human rights reports on countries to include a description of freedom of the press in each nation and identification of countries where they were violations of press freedom. For countries where there are severe violations, the reports are to determine whether the governments participated or condoned them and what actions they have taken to preserve the safety and independence of the media, and to ensure prosecution of individuals who attack or murder journalists. (WSJ)
Daniel Pearl was a journalist reporting from the Middle East who was kidnapped and beheaded by Khalid Sheik Mohammed back in 2002. His beheading was broadcast via the Internet and literally millions have watched the video. And what do we do in response? Name a weak, toothless law after Daniel Pearl. So with the whole Pearl family and friends gathered, Obama gets yet another opportunity at a press conference while signing the legislation into law. Meanwhile, Khalid Sheik Mohammed sits in jail, with American lawyers at his beck and call and Eric Holder just really chomping at the bit to let KSM have it in a court of law, which is a privilege not afforded to Daniel Pearl. What this all says is, "Watch out you terrorists, or we'll report you to all the watchdog groups we know, maybe even the UN!" I propose a Biblical solution to all of this, that the next close shave Khalid Sheik Mohammed gets would be the John the Baptist special. He doesn't deserve even that. How is this scum not being dealt with? Where is the collective outrage? Can you hear that? IT'S DANIEL PEARL'S BLOOD CRYING FROM THE GROUND!
The new law will require that the State Department’s annual human rights reports on countries to include a description of freedom of the press in each nation and identification of countries where they were violations of press freedom. For countries where there are severe violations, the reports are to determine whether the governments participated or condoned them and what actions they have taken to preserve the safety and independence of the media, and to ensure prosecution of individuals who attack or murder journalists. (WSJ)
Daniel Pearl was a journalist reporting from the Middle East who was kidnapped and beheaded by Khalid Sheik Mohammed back in 2002. His beheading was broadcast via the Internet and literally millions have watched the video. And what do we do in response? Name a weak, toothless law after Daniel Pearl. So with the whole Pearl family and friends gathered, Obama gets yet another opportunity at a press conference while signing the legislation into law. Meanwhile, Khalid Sheik Mohammed sits in jail, with American lawyers at his beck and call and Eric Holder just really chomping at the bit to let KSM have it in a court of law, which is a privilege not afforded to Daniel Pearl. What this all says is, "Watch out you terrorists, or we'll report you to all the watchdog groups we know, maybe even the UN!" I propose a Biblical solution to all of this, that the next close shave Khalid Sheik Mohammed gets would be the John the Baptist special. He doesn't deserve even that. How is this scum not being dealt with? Where is the collective outrage? Can you hear that? IT'S DANIEL PEARL'S BLOOD CRYING FROM THE GROUND!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Let's shine some light on union thugs!
In November, will it be tea parties versus unions? Both were very active in primary elections las week. John Fund notes in the May 21 Wall Street Journal that so far the media has scrutinized the tea party people far more than it has the unions.
For example, have you heard anything in the media about the SEIU (government and healthcare workers) chartering nine busloads of protesters to go to the Washington D.C. house of Greg Baer, a lawyer for Bank of America, to scream and yell and wave their union placards? Only his teenage son was home, locking himself in a bathroom for fear of the union goons. The mob of 500 were protesting Bank of America's role in bank foreclosures. Andy Stern, the recently retired head of SEIU was the most frequent guest at the Obama White House last year.
The media has largely ignored SEIU's close ties to the discredited group ACORN, and also pays little attention to union violence. For example, did you know about union thugs beating up tea party supporter Kenneth Gladney in St. Louis? They were especially angry that Gladney, an African American, would support the tea party movement, and called him the "n" word while beating him.
For example, have you heard anything in the media about the SEIU (government and healthcare workers) chartering nine busloads of protesters to go to the Washington D.C. house of Greg Baer, a lawyer for Bank of America, to scream and yell and wave their union placards? Only his teenage son was home, locking himself in a bathroom for fear of the union goons. The mob of 500 were protesting Bank of America's role in bank foreclosures. Andy Stern, the recently retired head of SEIU was the most frequent guest at the Obama White House last year.
The media has largely ignored SEIU's close ties to the discredited group ACORN, and also pays little attention to union violence. For example, did you know about union thugs beating up tea party supporter Kenneth Gladney in St. Louis? They were especially angry that Gladney, an African American, would support the tea party movement, and called him the "n" word while beating him.
Scientists have created the first synthetic cell!
Robert Lee Hotz writes about it in the May 21 Wall Street Journal. The synthetic cell is completely controlled by man-made genetic instructions. "This is literally a turning point in the relationship between man and nature," said one molecular biologist who was not involved in the project. The cell can reproduce. It is the birth also of an entire new field of scientific study called synthetic biology.
Applications are already being pursued in areas of industrial biology to breed industrial life forms that can secrete fuels, vaccines, and other commercial products. Politicians are already jumping on the issue: hearings will be held next week in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where politicians will no doubt grandstand as only they know how to do.
E.coli and yeast cells helped in the development of the complete genome. The creators of the cell wrote their names into the cell's chemical DNA code, along with three "apt quotes from James Joyce and others." The article did not say what those quotes were, but I'm curious. How about you?
Applications are already being pursued in areas of industrial biology to breed industrial life forms that can secrete fuels, vaccines, and other commercial products. Politicians are already jumping on the issue: hearings will be held next week in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where politicians will no doubt grandstand as only they know how to do.
E.coli and yeast cells helped in the development of the complete genome. The creators of the cell wrote their names into the cell's chemical DNA code, along with three "apt quotes from James Joyce and others." The article did not say what those quotes were, but I'm curious. How about you?
Several problems with renewable energy
I am all in favor of renewable energy. Yet there are a number of problems that need to be addressed: new grid to handle all the new electrictiy, private property rights for the owners of the land for all the new power lines to install, and the one no government official will talk about...
All of these new technologies, from wind turbines, the new grid, to solar panels etc need colossal amounts of rare earth minerals to manufacture and install. And guess who owns 97% of all the rare earth minerals on earth?....China! And they have an official policy of exporting less rare earth minerals each year than the year before.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare_earth_element
A Toyota Prius has about 200 lbs of rare earth minerals. A new large wind turbine has over 2 tons of rare earth minerals. Does it make any more sense to leave one source of energy - petroleum - which we require large quantities of from unreliable sources who often hate us to another source of energy - renewable energy via electricity? This makes the US completely dependent on one country China, who owns 2 trillion dollars of our debt and has us by the ying yang (pardon the pun) in relation to the rare earth minerals to even build this new industry.
This is a story worth following and especially if new sources of rare earth minerals can be found that the Western World can access in a friendly fashion.
All of these new technologies, from wind turbines, the new grid, to solar panels etc need colossal amounts of rare earth minerals to manufacture and install. And guess who owns 97% of all the rare earth minerals on earth?....China! And they have an official policy of exporting less rare earth minerals each year than the year before.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare_earth_element
A Toyota Prius has about 200 lbs of rare earth minerals. A new large wind turbine has over 2 tons of rare earth minerals. Does it make any more sense to leave one source of energy - petroleum - which we require large quantities of from unreliable sources who often hate us to another source of energy - renewable energy via electricity? This makes the US completely dependent on one country China, who owns 2 trillion dollars of our debt and has us by the ying yang (pardon the pun) in relation to the rare earth minerals to even build this new industry.
This is a story worth following and especially if new sources of rare earth minerals can be found that the Western World can access in a friendly fashion.
"uncoordinated jerks"
Richard Fernandez, writing at Belmont Club: "It’s easy to believe the dysfunction is real. Faced by the linked yet separate crises in the Middle East and in Northeast Asia the Obama administration is acting like it was shot through the central nervous system, acting in uncoordinated jerks. The alliances with Korea and Japan and the special relationships with Israel and Britain lie almost forgotten like neglected toys on the floor of a spoiled child distracted by his latest bauble. Gone are the heady prospects of Grand Bargains with the Muslim world kicked off by dramatic speeches in Cairo. Gone is the idea of a swift drawdown from Iraq; or of a comprehensive solution in the Middle East. Gone is the promise of catching Osama Bin Laden. Gone is the notion that Europe, which once hated America because of George Bush, would turn like a blossoming rose to Obama. In their place are half-finished begun threads without closure: a growing Hezbollah menace in Lebanon; a defiant Iran; a belligerent North Korea; a buffoonish but menacing Chavez; a drug war on the southern border; an Eastern Europe with the shadow of the Russian bear growing ever longer across it."
Friday, May 21, 2010
Iatrogenic
I just got a call from my psychologist wife. "Bob, have you ever heard of the word iatrogenic?" It sounded faintly familiar, but I couldn't recall specifically, so I went to the dictionary and read the definition to her: "Caused by medical treatment: said especially of symptoms, ailments or disorders induced by drugs or surgery." "Yes!" she said, "and add the word therapy to that list of inducers."
Then she explained that increasingly she is finding she can be of most help to her clients by undoing what they have been taught by therapists! For example, today a mom told her that the best thing that ever happened to her family was when Colleen told them to ask their school to take off one of the goals of their child's "Individualized Educational Plan." You see, their son had become a narcissistic little brat. One of the goals of the plan had been to increase his self esteem. The mother requested that be taken off the plan.
Narcissism now almost gone. No longer a "child-centered" family. Parents, not the child, now in charge.
Then she explained that increasingly she is finding she can be of most help to her clients by undoing what they have been taught by therapists! For example, today a mom told her that the best thing that ever happened to her family was when Colleen told them to ask their school to take off one of the goals of their child's "Individualized Educational Plan." You see, their son had become a narcissistic little brat. One of the goals of the plan had been to increase his self esteem. The mother requested that be taken off the plan.
Narcissism now almost gone. No longer a "child-centered" family. Parents, not the child, now in charge.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Dow drops almost 400 Points, 900 points over the last month
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks got pummeled Thursday, with the Dow, Nasdaq and S&P 500 losing enough to fall into "correction territory" - marked by a drop of more than 10% off the rally highs. Worries that the European debt crisis and slump in the euro might spark a second leg down for the global economy fueled the selling, extending the recent declines.The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) fell 376 points, or 3.6%, closing just above its lows.The Nasdaq (COMP) fell 94 points, or 4.1% and the S&P 500 (SPX) declined 43 points, or 3.9%.The market had cut losses in the afternoon as the euro gained ground against the dollar, but stocks reversed course and ended just above their lows after the Wall Street reform bill cleared a key hurdle in the Senate that all but assures its passage.
As mentioned, the last month saw a drop of over 900 points. (Chart from CNNmoney.com) This basically erased all of the gains of this year to date. (If I were a squirrel, I'd hide my nuts!)
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