Ground Zero; Another Vacation; Preempting Immigration Laws; Ground Zero Mosque; Our Mortgage Market

State Department: Maybe We'll Publish Remarks of Ground Zero Mosque Opponents, Too

The Weekly Standard writes: The State Department is finally explaining why it decided to publish on its affiliate website, www.america.gov, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg’s speech, which endorsed the building of the Ground Zero mosque two blocks from the site of an Islamist terrorist attack that claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 Americans. In an interview with THE WEEKLY STANDARD, State Department spokesman P. J. Crowley said the State Department does "not take a position" on the Ground Zero mosque but merely wanted to help people abroad "understand" the debate on the issue. [What ever happened to speaking to Americans?] http://weeklystandard.com/blogs/state-dept-defend-publishing-bloomberg-remarks-ground-zero-mosque
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Politics USA News opines: There they go again. For the fifth time since July, the first family has set plans to board Air Force One for a frilly vacation, a 10-day return trip to exclusive Martha's Vineyard where they are expected to stay at the 28-acre oceanfront Blue Heron Farm that rents for up to $50,000 a week. http://politics.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2010/8/11/obamas-plan-fifth-vacation-since-july.html
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How the Obama administration is preempting federal immigration law

Powerline Blog writes: Two days ago, the Washington Times reported that the union that represents rank-and-file field agents at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement unanimously passed a "vote of no confidence" for the agency's leadership. The National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 7,000 ICE agents and employees, stated that ICE has "abandoned" its core mission of protecting the public to support a political agenda favoring amnesty. The vote, by the Union's Council, was 259-0. Has this story made it into the mainstream media? Not to my knowledge.
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2010/08/026976.php
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Newsmax reports: Gov. David Paterson said Wednesday that developers of an Islamic cultural center that would include a mosque near ground zero have rejected his offer to help them find a different site. http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/US-Ground-Zero-Mosque-Paterson/2010/08/11/id/367268 
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And what does Volcker think?

Money News writes: “We are going to have to reconstruct the whole mortgage market,” the ex-Fed chairman told Smart Money.
“The mortgage market now is almost a wholly owned subsidiary of the U.S. government.”
That’s because Fannie, Freddie and other government agencies guarantee or own more than 90 percent of the mortgages originated since the financial crisis.
“Not much exists without the government running it. I don’t think that’s what we want,” Volcker said.
It’s clear Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac need to go. We don’t need these hybrid institutions. You don’t know whether they should be responsible to the government or to stockholders. It’s an unfortunate invention.” http://www.moneynews.com/StreetTalk/paul-volcker-fannie-freddie/2010/08/11/id/367229
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A New Hampshire Democrat has quit the state legislature after cracking a joke on Facebook about Sarah Palin’s death. Rep. Timothy Horrigan of Durham posted a comment Wednesday that a “dead Palin wd be even more dangerous than a live one” and she “is all about her myth & if she was dead she cdn’t commit any more gaffes.” Horrigan apologized Thursday and resigned. He is also discontinuing his re-election campaign.
http://dailycaller.com/2010/08/12/democrat-quits-nh-house-over-anti-palin-remark/ 
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