Bowing to the Japanese, Civilian Courts, and ACORN Investigations

The following was presented in the Los Angeles Times......

How low will he go? Obama gives Japan's Emperor Akihito a wow bow

November 14, 2009 | 3:38 am

How low will the new American president go for the world's royalty? [First he bowed to the Saudi King. No other head of state felt compelled to do more than shake hands, by the way.....]

This photo will get Democrat President Obama a lot of approving nods in Japan this weekend, especially among the older generation of Japanese who still pay attention to the royal family living in its downtown castle. Very low bows like this are a sign of great respect and deference for a superior. [Meanwhile, he gave Queen Elizabeth a clap on the back......he isn't even attempting to hide who he really is.....]

John Steele Gordon writes: "President Obama goes abroad apologizing for the supposed sins of a country that defended and extended freedom around the world at a staggering cost in lives and treasure and then grovels before the man whose country has yet to apologize for the Rape of Nanking.

"Could someone in the Chief of Protocol’s Office at the State Department please tell Barack Obama that heads of state do not bow to other heads of state? And for the head of state of the country founded on the idea that “all men are created equal,” that goes double.

"As my mother used to say, “Pardon me while I throw up.”

In the words of a friend of mine: "All I'm saying is that, [regarding his failure to salute or put his hand over his heart at appropriate times, or this bowing down] you'd think he'd be emotionally intelligent enough to know the value of either gesture to the Americans who decide his approval rating and, by the way, his chances for reelection. I guess it's just SO distasteful to him that he can't bring himself to even ACT like a Patriot."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Worst Decision by a US President in History – by David Horowitz

Even one of the founders of the New Left in the 60's, David Horowitz, has declared that one decision by Barack Obama is the "Worst Decision Ever" by a US President.

He writes: The Obama administration has taken a giant step in its march to throw in the towel in the war against radical Islam. On FoxNews this morning, Peter King said of the decision to try the soldiers of al-Qaeda — who by their own account have no country but their cause — as civilians

“may be the worst decision by a U.S. president in history.”

It certainly is. It sends a signal to terrorists everywhere to attack civilians.

The administration is justifying its decisions on the grounds that because the 9/11 attackers targeted civilians they should be tried as civilians. This makes no sense unless you are a Democrat who believes that the “holy war” that Islamic jihadists have formally declared on us is no different from the acts of isolated individuals who have decided to break the law. This is the approach to the war on terror that John Kerry championed in 2004. Now that Americans have had the poor judgment — the suicidally poor judgment — to make a leftist their president, this is the strategy our nation is set to pursue.

The decision to try the jihadists in a civilian court is also a decision which will divulge America’s security secrets to the enemy since civilian courts afford defendants the right of discovery. It is also a propaganda gift to Islamic murderers who will turn the courtroom into a media circus to promote their hatred against the Great Satan — a hatred shared by their apologists at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the pro-Castro Center for Constitutional Rights who have pioneered the campaign against Guantanamo and whose influence in the Obama Administration is pervasive. (BTW, The newly appointed lawyer for the president is the husband of Obama’s recently departed Maoist communications director Anita Dunn.)

Dick Morris reports: As he flew to Asia on Saturday, President Obama told the media in Alaska that he opposes a congressional investigation into the Fort Hood massacre, saying that we must "resist the temptation to turn this tragic event into political theater." Yet, even as he was posturing against political theatrics, he had just decided that the prosecution of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed would proceed on the greatest of public stages -- New York City.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Army Chief of Staff, Gen. George Casey uttered the following twisted thought: “What happened at Fort Hood was a tragedy, but I believe it would be an even greater tragedy if our diversity becomes a casualty here.” [What has become a tragedy here, in my opinion, is that we are treating a terrorist act as a simple act of a confused, demented man. He was demented by the call of Jihad, and he and his ilk threaten the safety of all of us "infidels". Perhaps we should not bar Muslims from the privilege of joining our military, but we definitely should rid our services of those who, as Hasan did, actually have "soldier of Allah" on his business card.]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Besides the fact that giving the Gitmo terrorists a civilian trial in NYC will force us to divulge our secrets to the world, allow the terrorists to shout out in court to the cameras more Jihad directions, and tie up the streets of NYC and the courts of the USA, the proceedings, as described by Kevin McCullough, are "an unnecessary move on the part of the administration to try these particular four terrorists at all. They have all confessed, and even bragged, on the record, of their exploits and parts played in the single worst moment in America's history. With on-the-record confessions, the seeking of the death penalty was insured through military tribunal. What New Yorkers are now left with after the administration's move are mere words that Holder will "seek" the death penalty. And President Obama added his "assurance" that they would receive "the most exacting form of justice" possible. Yet if that was a foregone conclusion, why must he give assurances? Congressman Peter King pledges to fight with all his might for the next 45 days to overturn this amazing mistake." Following is a video concerning President Obama's once held beliefs regarding a military trial for Mohammed. It's short, but telling. http://www.breitbart.tv/bombshell-uncovered-obama-statement-ksm-will-get-full-military-trial/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mike Allen reports: TOKYO — Trying to reassure allies and rivals, President Barack Obama billed himself Saturday as "America’s first Pacific president," promising the nations of Asia "a new era of engagement with the world based on mutual interests and mutual respect." Turning tough, Obama also said that the U.S. "will not be cowed by threats" from North Korea, which he said for decades "has chosen a path of confrontation and provocation." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ronald Reagan once said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

Man-caused Disasters, the EPA, ACORN and Jobs

Looks as though the President forgot something, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Veterans Day this time - from Lucianne.com In case the photo does not come through, President Obama has his hands clasped down low (with a Lie To Me kind of smile), while every other person is either saluting or putting their hands on their hearts...... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Federal prosecutors took steps Thursday to seize four U.S. mosques and a Fifth Avenue skyscraper owned by a nonprofit Muslim organization long suspected of being secretly controlled by the Iranian government. Isn't this about time?!!

In what could prove to be one of the biggest counterterrorism seizures in U.S. history, prosecutors filed a civil complaint in federal court against the Alavi Foundation, seeking the forfeiture of more than $500 million in assets.

The assets include bank accounts; Islamic centers consisting of schools and mosques in New York City, Maryland, California and Houston; more than 100 acres in Virginia; and a 36-story glass office tower in New York. Parents lined up in their cars to pick up their children at the schools within the Islamic Education Center of Greater Houston and the Islamic Education Center in Rockville, Md. No notices of the forfeiture action were posted at either place as of late Thursday.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Neil Braithwaite opines: "In her first testimony before Congress back in March of this year, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano laid the groundwork for the Obama administration's new "politically correct" Homeland Security doctrine. Without ever mentioning "terrorist" or "terrorism" during her testimony, Secretary Napolitano put forth the politically correct term for those two words: "man-caused disaster." Defining the term as "nuance" to the German news site Spiegel Online, Secretary Napolitano further stated, "...it demonstrates that we want to move away from the politics of fear toward a policy of being prepared for all risks that can occur." The "T"-word has been off limits by the Obama administration ever since.

President Obama is willfully surrendering America's safety for the sake of political correctness and tolerance. This comes on the back of his selfish ambition to become the savior of the world, the consequences of which are leaving America more vulnerable to attack at home and abroad on every front, be it financial or military.

Terrorist organizations are taking advantage of President Obama's perceived weakness and ignorance. But the truly ignorant are our political leaders -- and they should know better -- not to mention the left-wing media and the millions of duped Americans who have turned a blind eye and deaf ear to reality as they play in concert with President Obama's insidious plan to weaken and socialize America."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Breitbart confirms: The World Council of Churches on Thursday called on churches around the world to ring their bells 350 times during the Copenhagen climate change summit on December 13 as a call to action on global warming.

The leading council of Christian and Orthodox churches also invited places of worship for other faiths to join a symbolic "chain of chimes and prayers" stretching around the world

Meanwhile Kim Strassel reports that Dr. Alan Carlin, "a 37-year agency veteran [in the EPA], was muzzled earlier this spring. Dr. Carlin offered a report poking holes in the science underlying the theory of manmade global warming. His superior, Al McGartland, complained the paper did "not help the legal or policy case" for Team Obama's decision to regulate carbon, told him to "move on to other issues," and forbade him from discussing it outside the office."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matthew Vadum writes that "activist group and organized crime syndicate ACORN has a constitutional right to defraud the people of the United States it claims in a federal lawsuit. Actually, the lawsuit, filed with the assistance of the allegedly terrorist-funded Center for Constitutional Rights, doesn't use the word fraud, but that's what it amounts to because ACORN argues in the document that it has a right to taxpayer dollars.

Legal scholar Hans A. von Spakovsky of the Heritage Foundation flatly rejects the argument that the Constitution prevents Congress from doing the right thing. "The bill of attainder clause has never been read to prevent Congress from defunding an organization or a corporation whose employees engage in criminal conduct, and it has rarely been invoked by the modern Supreme Court," he writes.

According to ACORN the cutoff happened not because hidden-camera videos showed Americans the corruption-plagued group's predilection for crime but because a vast right-wing conspiracy hoodwinked lawmakers.

With Congressman Nadler, conflicts abound. As chairman of the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on the Constitution, civil rights, and civil liberties, he may have to investigate ACORN in the not-too-distant future, yet he came up with the novel bill of attainder argument within days of the undercover prostitution sting videos surfacing in September. He's listed as one of five co-counsel representing ACORN in the new action.

Needless to say, Nadler never explained how failing to appropriate funds for a notorious group involved in racketeering violates American liberties.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Isn't it just great that our President, who despite pronouncements to the contrary has not been able to create or save jobs (except those in the government), has come up with a great plan? He, the college professor - oh, is he President now? - will hold a Jobs Forum to study how to create jobs. "We'll gather CEOs and small-business owners, economists and financial experts, as well as representatives from labor unions and nonprofit groups, to talk about how we can work together to create jobs and get this economy moving again." In other words, they will ... talk.

As the Washington Examiner points out: Obama's forum announcement came within days of something else -- an avalanche of media reports about the fraudulent data behind the claim that a million jobs were created or saved. As The Examiner's Mark Hemingway reported in a Beltway Confidential post headlined "The return of lies, damned lies and stimulus jobs," journalists across the country examined Obama stimulus job claims and found them full of what appeared to be purposeful misrepresentations in at least 13 states.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank You For Your Service!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LuLvlp1Pao This video giving thanks is worth watching.

We give heartfelt thank yous to our amazing Veterans, who have given us so much throughout American history. We truly are the land of the free BECAUSE of the brave! Be sure to thank any veterans you know or see for their service to our country, on this our Veterans Day.

Health Care, Ft. Hood'

• News from NOAA: The average October temperature of 50.8°F was 4.0°F below the 20^th Century average and ranked as the 3^rd coolest based on preliminary data.
• For the nation as a whole, it was the third coolest October on record. The month was marked by an active weather pattern that reinforced unseasonably cold air behind a series of cold fronts. Temperatures were below normal in eight of the nation's nine climate regions, and of the nine, five were much below normal. Only the Southeast climate region had near normal temperatures for October.
• -----------------------------------------------------------
  

By Ryan J. Donmoyer and Kristin Jensen

Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Insurers such as WellPoint Inc. and Blue Cross Blue Shield and drugmakers are redoubling their efforts to fight proposals to overhaul the U.S health-care system, adding another obstacle as legislative hurdles mount.

The insurers oppose competition from a new government-run program that’s included in both the House and Senate plans. The trade group representing drugmakers such as Pfizer Inc. says a House provision to allow the government to negotiate drug prices for Medicare would cost tens of thousands of jobs.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From the American Family Association comes the low down on the AARP: The AARP claims to be all about representing the interests of seniors, but when it comes to health care reform, they are selling seniors down the river to line their own pockets.

The AARP has endorsed the gargantuan PelosiCare bill that just passed the House, despite the fact the bill proposes more than $400 billion in cuts to Medicare, which is certain to lead to rationing, inferior care and "death panels" for vulnerable senior citizens.

Why? As they say, follow the money. PelosiCare will also cut Medicare Advantage by $170 billion. Medicare Advantage allows seniors to purchase private insurance with their Medicare payments, but these cuts will drive many of these seniors into inferior Medigap plans.

AARP has a vested interest in seniors being driven out of Medicare Advantage into Medigap plans because AARP makes a fortune in royalty fees from Medigap plans. More than one-half of its $1.1 billion budget comes from such royalty fees, and Medigap plans make up the biggest share of this royalty revenue by far.

The more seniors are forced out of Medicare Advantage into Medigap plans, the more money AARP makes. In other words, under PelosiCare, seniors lose but AARP wins - big time.

Even the Washington Post noted the conflict of interest on Oct. 27, when it said, "Democratic proposals to slash reimbursements for...Medicare Advantage are widely expected to drive up demand for private Medigap policies like the ones offered by AARP."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The December Copenhagen Treaty on Climate has two stated goals:

• Transfer wealth from Industrial Nations (The United States) to Developing Countries.
• Dictate energy use and consumption to Industrial Nations (The United States)

Now, just so we are clear...

• Goal Number One is Global Socialism
• Goal Number Two is a Global Dictatorship
• Lord Christopher Monckton, the former advisor for science policy to former British Prime Minister, and former President Ronald Reagan ally, Lady Margaret Thatcher, believes that if the U.S. signs any climate treaty coming out of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December, it could subject the United States to a global dictatorship.
  "This treaty of Copenhagen, which is going to be negotiated by the states' parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December, is going to...establish for the first time in human history a global government," he warns.

• Gary Kreep, Executive Director
  United States Justice Foundation

• ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• The Weekly Standard takes a look at Fort Hood's Hasan and his June 2007 50-slide presentation to senior Army doctors to see if we can unravel this mystery. According to the Washington Post, Hasan was “supposed to discuss a medical topic during” the presentation, but instead “he lectured on Islam, suicide bombers and threats the military could encounter from Muslims conflicted about fighting wars in Muslim countries.”
  

  On page 11, Hasan included this quote:

  “It’s getting harder and harder for Muslims in the service to morally justify being in a military that seems constantly engaged against fellow Muslims.”

• Interestingly, Hasan’s words were echoed by al Qaeda cleric Anwar al Awlaki in his post (now offline) praising Hasan’s shooting spree. Awlaki said Hasan “is a man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against its own people.”

• Many of the slides include quotes from the Koran, including those that justify both defensive and offensive jihad against the unbelievers. In fact, the slides are mostly standard jihadist fare.

  On slide 35, Hasan explained that earlier Koranic verses were peaceful and “Muslims were not permitted to defend themselves/fight. There (sic) only job was to deliver the message (peaceful verses).”

  But after the Muslim emigration to Mecca, “Self defense was allowed” and “Then offensive fighting was allowed.” As a result, “Later verses abrogated former ie: peaceful verses no longer apply.”

• [And yet many still cling to the mantra that his Food Hood "incident" had nothing to do with those who would believe it would honor Allah to kill us "infidels".]
• ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• From Big Hollywood comes news of a terrific new UTube Channel: Here’s a little mid-week scare courtesy of the 4thgraders4obama YouTube Channel. (Don’t waste your time — I searched high and low and no luck finding the 4thgraders4bush YouTube Channel.) Yes, you read that right, an entire portal filled with nearly a dozen videos devoted to nine and ten year-olds singing, speaking and in general, getting awfully excited over a politician on the brink of having us all long for the good old days.
  

Health Care Bill, Ft. Hood, and Peaceful Muslims

From: Mutiny in Scrutiny? [Jeffrey H. Anderson] - [Or - keep the faith! This isn't over yet.]
It was always clear that the real health-care battle would be in the Senate. But what would have been shocking eight months ago is to hear that it would take until November for the Democrats to pass a bill even in the House. It would have been even more shocking to have heard that, even after a full-court-press by the White House, the bill would pass by only five votes — meaning that if just three of the 435 members had changed their minds, it would have changed the bill's fate. And it would have been shocking to have heard that 39 Democrats would jump ship.

The House bill has passed — barely and belatedly — and it is now dead. Nothing like it will ever pass the Senate. The question now is whether anything will, now that the voters have spoken in New Jersey and Virginia — and now that the exceedingly narrow margin in the House will likely invite even greater scrutiny of that which is being proposed.

[We must keep up our good work through Tea Parties, blogs, emails and letters, and meet-ups at the Capitol such as that successful last-minute one last week which was initiated by Rep. Michele Bachmann of MN. Tens of thousands of Americans put aside their lives to make a last minute trip there.]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The New York Post's Editorial states: World leaders past and present will be in Berlin today for the 20th anniversary of the fall of communist repression's most visible symbol: the 112-mile concrete wall that split the city for more than a quarter-century. Conspicuously absent: the president of the United States, Barack Obama. Obama's folks say he's too busy to accept German President Angela Merkel's invitation to attend today's festivities It's pathetic that Obama won't be there -- and telling, as well.......

The Cold War, in this view, is an irrelevant historical relic -- an example of American paranoia and fear-mongering prolonging a conflict that could have been resolved with warm-and-fuzzy speechmaking and the soft-pedaling of political differences.

Gone, it seems, are the days when America championed freedom, led by presidents whose oratory was matched by commitment and determined action.

It's not only shameful -- but dangerous.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Does the name William Jefferson, of New Orleans, ring a bell with you? Authorities found about $80,000 in his freezer. The Times Picayunne is reporting that Jefferson was "found guilty on Aug. 6 of 11 of 16 corruption counts, including soliciting bribes, depriving citizens of honest service in their representative, money laundering and racketeering. The charges revolved around a series of schemes in which Jefferson, who took a keen interest in African affairs as a member of Congress and was on good terms with heads of state and other influential figures on the continent, sought to help American businesses secure business deals in West Africa in exchange for payments to shell companies held in the name of his wife, his daughters and his brother, Mose. Prosecutors on Friday night issued a memorandum recommending that former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson be sentenced to between 27 and 33 years in prison. The prosecution's sentencing memorandum suggests that Jefferson, who served 18 years in Congress, may have hidden resources and "poses a significant risk of flight,'' and ought to be immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service after sentencing at the Alexandria, Va., courthouse.

"As to his flight risk, the government asserted that despite being in bankruptcy, Jefferson may have sufficient hidden resources and contacts in Africa to try to make his escape between sentencing and being remanded to prison if he has the opportunity.

"According to the memorandum, "law enforcement agents learned of several wire transfers from offshore territories into U.S. financial accounts that were either controlled by the defendant or whose proceeds were made available for his benefit.'' [And here I thought only Republicans can be rascals....]
NOW word comes that it is Jefferson's replacement in the House of Representatives who is the only [RHINO] Republican to vote for the health care bill which passed on Saturday night.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We watched our President finally get to the business of the Fort Hood massacre, only after discussing his interface with Native American Indians, and giving a "shout out" [whatever that is - not honor, I would guess] to an incorrectly described Medal of Honor winner [it was a Medal of Freedom recipient, and it makes one wonder if he knows the difference.] In so doing, he looked devoid of emotion or indignation. Jennifer Rubin mused: "But let’s be blunt, the affected “cool” of the president is getting rather creepy as a style of governance. This was on display in an unfortunate and highly visible way this week. The president’s bizarrely inappropriate remarks after learning of the Foot Hood massacre left one puzzled, if not downright troubled. He not only didn’t seem to grasp the gravity of the situation; he didn’t seem emotionally connected to the appalling events." I will add that in this case, with all the facts not yet known by him, he at least did not say that someone involved acted "stupidly". He did infer that we Americans must not think that being an Islamic-practicing Muslim bent on terrorism had anything to do with this act, for it is a religion of peace, don't we know. Just a reminder: our President has noted in a speech that " America is one of the largest Muslim nations on earth." (We are 80th on that list.)
NBC Commentators even wrote in shock at the President's "lack of protocol, sensitivity, or even awareness of the pain the nation was feeling at that moment roughly two hours after the drama began."
A report from Texas tells of a neighbor of this man who was visited one last time on the morning of the shootings. This is what he told her: "I'm going to do good work for God." A man yells, "Allah Akbar" before unloading his weapon, after posting repeatedly on pro-terrorist web-sites for months, and had been ranting about not being forced to serve in Iraq nor Afghanistan because he objected to the purposes of the U.S. Military in those regions, but his connections to terrorism were not to be "considered," said Kevin McCoullough.

Analogous to "acting stupidly", our President, in his Saturday radio address, discussed this man and his acts as fact, forgetting that in our country one is innocent until proven guilty. It seems to me that the President of the United States has prejudiced the jury..... isn't he a brilliant lawyer?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the L.A. Times: In response to Thursday's shooting, mosques around the U.S. denounced the violence and implemented a range of overt and subtle security measures. In the Los Angeles area, Islamic groups contacted law enforcement officials, who stepped up patrols of mosques and Muslim community centers. Awad's Washington-based group, known as CAIR, noted that it had launched an anti-terrorism petition drive and a TV ad campaign against religious extremism, and coordinated an anti-terrorism fatwa, or religious ruling, condemning extremism and terrorism. In Dearborn, Mich., home to a large Arab and Muslim community, Kassem Allie received a call Friday from a TV news reporter. Allie, a member of the board of trustees at the Islamic Center of America, called the shooting an act of "maniacal brutality."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Investor's Business Daily weighed in on the War On Terror: The Fort Hood terrorist is being portrayed as an "anomaly," an "aberration," a "lone wolf." Sadly, he's just one of many examples of jihadist traitors in the ranks of the military.

Together they form a dangerous Fifth Column, and the Pentagon — thanks to institutionalized political correctness — is doing next to nothing to root them out .

Instead, brass are actively recruiting Muslim soldiers — whose ranks have swelled to more than 15,000 — and catering to their faith by erecting mosques even at Marine headquarters in Quantico, Va. More, they're hiring Muslim chaplains endorsed by radical Islamic front groups, who convert and radicalize soldiers.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the category of "you must see it for yourself in order to believe it" - From the House Committee on Ways and Means comes a letter from Dave Camp (R-MI) from the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) confirming that the failure to comply with the individual mandate to buy health insurance contained in the Pelosi health care bill (H.R. 3962, as amended) could land people in jail. The JCT letter makes clear that Americans who do not maintain “acceptable health insurance coverage” and who choose not to pay the bill’s new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.

In response to the JCT letter, Camp said: “This is the ultimate example of the Democrats’ command-and-control style of governing – buy what we tell you or go to jail. It is outrageous and it should be stopped immediately.”

Key excerpts from the JCT letter appear below:

“H.R. 3962 provides that an individual (or a husband and wife in the case of a joint return) who does not, at any time during the taxable year, maintain acceptable health insurance coverage for himself or herself and each of his or her qualifying children is subject to an additional tax.” [page 1]

- - - - - - - - - -

“If the government determines that the taxpayer’s unpaid tax liability results from willful behavior, the following penalties could apply…” [page 2]

- - - - - - - - - -

“Criminal penalties

Prosecution is authorized under the Code for a variety of offenses. Depending on the level of the noncompliance, the following penalties could apply to an individual:

• Section 7203 – misdemeanor willful failure to pay is punishable by a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.

• Section 7201 – felony willful evasion is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years.” [page 3]

[Who knows by now just what was and wasn't in the final bill that was passed, for we had no time to read it all.......]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do you ever wonder about what the typical law-writing, important day in Congress looks like? Well, here's a clue: "Nothing else need to be said. This is one of their THREE DAY WORK WEEKS that we all pay for. I am ready to start from the beginning by voting out all elected officials and not letting any of them stay in office for more than two terms. No more lifelong healthcare, retirement, voting in their own pay raises, taking perks on our taxes, etc.

The AP distributed a terrific photo of our Congress in action, using their computers:

House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk, pictured standing, far right, speaks while colleagues Rep. Barbara Lambert, D-Milford and Rep. Jack F. Hennessy, D-Bridgeport, play solitaire Monday night as the House convened to vote on a new budget. (AP)

The guy sitting in the row in front of these two... he's on Facebook, and the guy behind Hennessy is checking out the baseball scores."

The Health Care Bill

We’re the baddest of the bad
The cool of the cool
I’m Barack
I rock and rule.

These lyrics? They are part of about 10 more love songs to our new President, made and produced by various schools across this country....
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So I said to him, "Barack, I know Abe Lincoln, and you ain't Abe Lincoln."

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence.
You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.

......Abraham Lincoln
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the Wall St. Journal comes the "other side of the story" regarding President Obam's statement that the AMA endorses his health care plan. "Unmentioned by Mr. Obama was that 20 other physician groups came out against his health-care takeover yesterday, which they wrote "will threaten patient access and harm quality." Led by the American College of Surgeons, these doctors argued the Senate's bill "will do little to fix" health care's "underlying problems, and may make them worse." The letter was signed by groups representing neurological and orthopaedic surgeons, urologists, anesthesiologists, gynecological oncologists and others." In fact, only about 17% of America's doctors choose to be members of the AMA.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Weekly Standard reports that: On September 24, Speaker Nancy Pelosi told THE WEEKLY STANDARD that she was "absolutely" committed to putting the text of the final House bill online for 72 hours before the House votes:

TWS: Madam Speaker, do you support the measure to put the final House bill online for 72 hours before it's voted on at the very end?

PELOSI: Absolutely. Without question.

But tonight, when asked if Speaker Pelosi will leave the bill online for 72 hours after we see what's in the rule, Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly replied in an email: "No; [the] pledge was to have manager’s amendment online for 72 hours, and we will do that."

Apparently Pelosi's agreement to leave the "final" bill online "at the very end" of the process wasn't such a straightforward pledge. [What a shock....]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SEIU and the President

Are we on the way out of the dark tunnel on this election day?


Leadership: What are we to make of a White House visitors list that includes 22 swiftly scheduled appointments with a union boss at a time when Gen. Stanley McChrystal can't get face time with the commander in chief? This is a good question from Investors Business Daily. They add that: it didn't intend to make this easy. Instead of just releasing all the logs, the White House released only a partial list. It asked the media and public to play a guessing game of "name that visitor." If an inquiry was made and the White House had a record, it would be confirmed.

The list reveals visits from activists, left-wing foundations, the feminist lobby, union bosses and noted anti-capitalists whose ideas would put the U.S. economy into the ground. The list also shows the White House had little exposure to policymakers on the frontlines of some of the most important decisions the president must make.

In the former category, there's Service Employees International Union boss Andy Stern, who told the Wall Street Journal that if the power of persuasion didn't work, then the persuasion of power would have to do. The records show Stern had 22 meetings, many face-to-face with the president, more than anyone else known so far. Stern might as well borrow a White House bedroom.

“The persuasion of power” - from Michelle Malkin's book:

Asked about his organizing philosophy, Andy Stern summed it up this way: “[W]e prefer to use the power of persuasion, but if that doesn’t work we use the persuasion of power.”

Stern and his shock troops have bullied companies from private equity firms to Burger King to food management company Aramark, who have resisted SEIU’s attempts to organizer their workers.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Big Hollywood reports that the indoctrination of our children starts early and insidiously [my words]. "Add one more soldier to the Left’s war on Fox News: Oscar the Grouch. Last week, in a re-broadcast of an episode that originally aired two years ago, Oscar starts his own news network, GNN (Grouchy News Network). An irate viewer calls in to berate him that the news is not grouchy enough: “I am changing the channel. From now on I am watching ‘Pox’ News. Now there is a trashy news show.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rich Lowry reports that "in his first year in office, Barack Obama has visited more foreign countries than any other president. He has touched ground in 16 countries, easily outpacing Bill Clinton (three) and George W. Bush (11). It's an itinerary befitting a "citizen of the world." But there's one stop Obama won't make: He has begged off going to Berlin next week to attend ceremonies commemorating the fall of the Berlin Wall".

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Immigration and Amnesty

As Lucianne Goldberg stated: Voters showed they weren't racists last November. This
November they show they aren't socialist.


As we've known, one of the next shoes to fall in the Democrat attempt to control our country is the bill on immigration. Even CNN's Lou Dobbs agrees with the put-down by Republican John Boehner, for the bill contains the following provisions:
1) Illegals will get legal status within 24 hours of application, even if the background check is not yet done
2)We citizens will pay for the attorneys who are assisting the illegals
3) Z Visas will be temporary, but can be renewed indefinitely
4) Amnesty will be given even to gang members if they only say they don't want to be in a gang any longer
5) No back taxes will be assessed
6) We will pay to Mexico a large amount of our money, to make it more inviting for Mexicans to stay in Mexico
7) Our 800 mile border fence will be cut to 200 miles
8) Illegals will be allowed to pay instate tuition at our colleges
9) These illegals will cut into line in front of those who have been waiting many years to do it legally
10) Amnesty will be given to those who have at least once been kicked out of our country and have reentered - illegally
11) English will not be required for 9 years
12) These now-illegals will receive earned income credit, though they will not be assessed back taxes
All of this will effectively shut down our court system, effectively opening the door of our country even wider. Should this bill not be called the I'll Vote Democrat Forever Bill? Never mind the harm it would do to our country and what we stand for. This information has been available for many months. It's nice that Lou Dobbs finally found it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fox News reports: In its latest attempt to portray Democrats' reform package as an unwieldy expansion of federal government in the health care sector, the House Republican Conference circulated what it called a list of ''new boards, bureaucracies, commissions and programs' created in the House health care bill. House Republicans claimed Monday that the health care reform bill pushed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi would create a whopping 111 new ''federal bureaucracies.''

The Democrats give them a new name: ''demonstration projects.
Among some of the new agencies, the list cites a Health Insurance Exchange; the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation; the Public Health Investment Fund; the Public Health Workforce Corps; an Assistant Secretary for Health Information; the Food and Drug Administration Office of Women's Health; grant programs for alternative medical liability laws, infant mortality programs and other issues; and about 100 other government-sponsored creations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More than 10,000 people turned out Monday night for a North Houston Tea Party Patriots gathering. As you may know, Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota has invited concerned citizens to gather at the Capitol this Thursday to meet their government representatives face-to-face. Indications are that many more than anticipated are leaving their homes and jobs in order to go to Washington to stop this health care bill from passing.
“The American people spoke loud and clear at town hall meetings all across the country throughout August. But, it would appear that Congress didn’t hear a word they had to say. The Democrats’ latest health care proposal unveiled late last week may be packaged a little differently, but it’s the same old bad bill as before. “I urge all Americans to come to Washington this Thursday. Come and meet up with your Representative and tell them that you want to control your health care.”
Why is this important? Well, for an example, notice this quote:

"We are going to have to, if you're very old, we're not going to give you all that technology and all those drugs for the last couple of years of your life to keep you maybe going for another couple of months. It's too expensive, so we're going to let you die."

--ROBERT REICH, truth teller

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Those Peaceful Muslims in London

Visit: http://www.snopes.com/photos/politics/muslimprotest.asp, as Snopes says this is all true, and that our media won't cover it because they don't want to "offend" anyone! We truly need for God to bless America. Now there is news that Muslims forsee Sharia law in England, complete with the Queen in a burqua and
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We have been hearing of the Democrats' newest scheme, opting-out provisions for states. As Ann Coulter states:

The most important fact about the "opt out" scheme allegedly allowing states to decline government health insurance is that a state can't "opt out" of paying for it. All 50 states will pay for it. A state legislature can only opt out of allowing its own citizens to receive the benefits of a federal program they're paying for.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Latest news is that with a covert raise in income tax from 35% to 45%, the "millionaire" tax, the deletion of Bush's tax cuts, the state taxes, the health care taxes, et al, the top tax rate will maybe go from the current 35% to 60%. I will assume here that, as in the state of New York, which has seen their tax revenues plummet following the raise in taxes there, many Americans will stop working so hard and/or will retire to keep from donating so much to those who won't work.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Deputy Director of the Office of Public Engagement, Buffy Wicks, is now aiding the Obama Administration in "calling out" what data they don't want to be aired by way to tv ads, etc. In other words, they will be threatening action against those who do so.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Weekly Standard reports: as 60 Minutes reported last week, Medicare fraud is rampant and has now replaced the cocaine (ahem) business as the major criminal activity in South Florida. Both 60 Minutes and the Washington Post report that Medicare fraud now costs American taxpayers roughly $60 billion a year. That may sound like a lot of money, but surely it pales next to the extraordinary profits of private insurance companies, right? Well, let's see....Well, let's see.... Last year, the profits of the ten largest insurance companies in America were just over $8 billion -- combined. No single insurance company made even five percent of what Medicare reportedly loses in fraud.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

House Minority Leader John Boehner and other Republicans asked the Joint Economic Committee to draw up another chart the ObamaCare Chart.

To the average American, it looks like a maze that they'll have to navigate before receiving medical care. AND IT IS -- the parts in white already exist, and the colored boxes are the new entities, offices, requirements, reports, and subsidies the Democrats' bill would create.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mike Adams, a college professor and columnist writes that :Glenn Beck gets it. He understands something I’ve been seeing and writing about as a columnist for the last seven years. He understands that the downfall of America will not come from the outside. It will come from the inside. It will happen because we failed to pass on to our children the values that made our nation great – and to remind them to pass those values on to their children.

America is More Conservative Now

For the first time in the Obama presidency - according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll conducted Oct. 22-25, fifty-two percent say the country is on the wrong track compared to 36 percent who say it is headed in the right direction.
----------------------------------------------------------
As reported by the UK Telegraph, this week’s striking Gallup poll on political ideology is further confirmation that the United States is in essence a conservative nation, which has ironically become even more conservative under Barack Obama. According to Gallup, 40 percent of Americans describe their political views as conservative, 36 percent as moderate and 20 percent as liberal. This is the first time conservatives have outnumbered moderates in America since 2004.

-----------------------------------------------------------

theospark.net/2009/09/video-7-lies-in-under-2-minutes.html Here is a video of our President promising so much to us Americans. Watch, and see how you think he is doing so far.....

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm going to have all the negotiations around a big table. We'll have the negotiations televised on C-SPAN, so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents and who are making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies."

— Barack Obama, August, 2008
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CBS's "60 Minutes" ran a not-to-be-missed expose of something that the Center for Health Transformation has been warning about for months: The unbelievable amount of fraud taxpayers are footing the bill for in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. And now, if the Democrats have their way, the government will be giving even more of our money to those who defraud.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And isn't this a twisted logic? Nancy Pelosi, when asked about the increase in taxes that will result from the loss of the "Bush" tax cuts upon their expiration date, stated that it will not be a tax increase, "it is the elimination of a tax decrease that was there". So - that won't result in a tax increase, Ms. Pelosi? Just asking.....
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just as more evidence is being presented that William Ayers, not Barack Obama, is most likely the author of Dreams From My Father, the Obama hand picked PResident of the National Endowment for the Arts has declared Obama to be the most powerful writer since Julius Caesar, and the only President since Teddy Roosevelt to actually write his own books. The jury is out, I believe.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thomas Sowell, a premier writer and thinker of our times (who happens to be black), and one of my personal favorites, has written an article titled "Dismantling of America" He ends with these words: "Nothing so epitomizes President Obama's own contempt for American values and traditions like trying to ram two bills through Congress in his first year-- each bill more than a thousand pages long-- too fast for either of them to be read, much less discussed. That he succeeded only the first time says that some people are starting to wake up. Whether enough people will wake up in time to keep America from being dismantled, piece by piece, is another question-- and the biggest question for this generation".

Government and Gardasil

It's getting plain scary! Here's a look at just one government-pushed health care plan and how it has worked:

Regarding the government push (and consequent propping up of sales to Merck) to vaccinate our girls against HPV to keep them safer while having sex [ is that what we want?], it has been reported by Merck's own doctor that "To date, 15,037 girls have officially reported adverse side effects from Gardasil to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). These adverse effects include Guilliane Barre, lupus, seizures, paralysis, blood clots, brain inflammation and many others. The CDC acknowledges that there have been 44 reported deaths."

Merck's Dr. Harper has stated that a girl is more likely to die from an adverse reaction to Gardasil than from cervical cancer.
One thing we know about Gardasil is that each three-dose treatment costs $360, which has helped Merck a lot.
26 million vaccinations after its debut, Gardasil will have no effect on the rate of cervical cancer in the U.S. HPV, the infection that Gardasil can prevent, is rare, usually heals itself, and testing and treatment in the U.S. are very effective in keeping cervical cancer a rare event.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From DKTV: Transcript: From Barack Obama: "Now, to the non-Democrats who may be watching today -– (laughter) -– I want everybody to know we believe in a strong and loyal opposition. I believe in a two-party system where ideas are tested and assumptions are challenged — because that’s how we can move this country forward. But what I reject is when some folks decide to sit on the sidelines and root for failure on health care or on energy or on our economy. (Applause.) What I reject is when some folks say we should go back to the past policies when it was those very same policies that got us into this mess in the first place. (Applause.)" "Another way of putting it is when, you know, I’m busy and Nancy’s busy with our mop cleaning up somebody else’s mess –- we don’t want somebody sitting back saying, you’re not holding the mop the right way. (Applause.) Why don’t you grab a mop, why don’t you help clean up. (Applause.) You’re not mopping fast enough. (Laughter.) That’s a socialist mop. (Laughter and applause.) Grab a mop –- let’s get to work." [ The disingenuousness and duplicity of this man and this speech boggles my mind..... We really can't believe a thing he says...... Just as one for instance, if he believe in a strong and loyal opposition where ideas are tested and assumptions are challenged, just why is he trying to destroy Fox News? And just when will he be made to take responsibility for all his own actions?]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At the Corespondents Dinner: Good evening, everybody. (Applause.) I would like to welcome you all to the 10-day anniversary of my first 100 days. (Laughter.) I am Barack Obama. Most of you covered me. All of you voted for me. (Laughter and applause.) Apologies to the Fox table." [And so it goes]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pay Czar and Opinionated Democrats

Deborah Soloman of the Wall St. Journal writes:
The U.S. pay czar will slash compensation for the 25 highest-paid employees at seven firms receiving large sums of government aid and demand a host of corporate-governance changes at those firms, according to people familiar with the matter. Kenneth Feinberg, the Treasury Department's special master for compensation, will lower total compensation for 175 employees by an average of 50%, these people said. As expected, the biggest cut will be to salaries, which will drop 90% on average. But while the overall levels will fall, some executives will still walk away with large paychecks. For instance, several Bank of America Corp. employees will still receive compensation totaling millions of dollars. At the same time, Mr. Feinberg will demand a series of corporate-governance changes at the firms, including splitting the positions of chairman and chief executive officer; requiring boards of directors to create a committee to assess risk, and eliminating staggered boards.

Some of the toughest pay restrictions will come at the financial-products unit of American International Group Inc., which has been blamed for the firm's near-collapse. No employee within that unit will receive compensation of more than $200,000, people familiar with the matter said.

The companies under Mr. Feinberg's authority are AIG, Bank of America, Citigroup, General Motors Co., GMAC Inc., Chrysler Group LLC and Chrysler Financial.

For several weeks, Mr. Geithner himself was making decisions such as whether a certain employee could collect a pension payment.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The White House has attempted to further prevent Fox News' access to the White House by declaring that of the five networks who actually pay for press conferences, only four of them were to be allowed to interview Executive Pay Czar Ken Feinberg. Fox News was prohibited. In a move to make all America proud, and also to keep themselves from being Obama's next target, the other four networks said that either all five networks would have the interview, or there would be no interview! The White House caved....

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Democrats are an opinionated bunch. You know, the other side, they just kinda sometimes do what they're told. Democrats, y'all thinkin' for yourselves." Barack Hussein Obama

I feel personally offended by this, as I, as well as all good Tea Partyers, do think for myself. I was one of the first to write to the snitch line of Obama to turn in a "fishy" statement on the health care bill - Barack Hussein Obama's descriptions of the bill. I haven't heard back from him as yet.

“What we’re going to do is we’re going to be pragmatic instead of ideological. We are going to try to bring people together rather than push them apart. We are going to make sure that we listen to other people’s ideas.”

-Obama

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DON'T WE HAVE A CONSTITUTION THAT WAS WRITTEN TO PREVENT TYRANNY BY OUR GOVERNMENT? This action sets up future controls on all American businesses and boards, already being discussed by some.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recent analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office clearly demonstrates the incredible fiscal irresponsibility being exhibited by this Congress. According to their studies, the federal government ran a $1.4 trillion deficit through the first 11 months of FY 2009 and the national debt now stands at $11.77 trillion, a $3.1 trillion or 35.8% increase since Democrats took control of Congress in 2007. To get an indication of how dramatically this administration has changed our government’s spending habits; take a look below at the surplus/deficit figures over the period 2001-2010.

*Source: White House Office of Management and Budget (2009-2010 estimated)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's an interesting quote from Ron Bloom, Obama's Car Czar: “Generally speaking we get the joke. We know that the free market is nonsense. We know that the whole point is to game the system, to beat the market, or at least find someone who will pay you a lot of money because they’re convinced that there is a free lunch. We know this is largely about power, that it’s an adults only, no limit game. We kind of agree with Mao that political power comes largely from the barrel of a gun. And we get it that if you want a friend, you should get a dog.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The White House has attempted to further prevent Fox News' access to the White House by declaring that of the five networks who actually pay for press conferences, only four of them were to be allowed to interview Executive Pay Czar Ken Feinberg. Fox News was prohibited. In a move to make all America proud, and also to keep themselves from being Obama's next target, the other four networks said that either all five networks would have the interview, or there would be no interview! The White House caved....
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Health Insurance, Fox News, and the Pay Czar

Susan Crabtree reports that "Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) locked Republicans out of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee room to keep them from meeting when Democrats aren’t present.

Towns’ action came after repeated public ridicule from the leading Republican on the committee, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), over Towns’s failure to launch an investigation into Countrywide Mortgage’s reported sweetheart deals to VIPs [as in Senator Chris Dodd, among others].
For months Towns has refused Republican requests to subpoena records in the case. Last Thursday Committee Republicans, led by Issa, were poised to force an open vote on the subpoenas at a Committee mark-up meeting. The mark-up was abruptly canceled. Only Republicans showed up while Democrats chairs remained empty. Issa’s spokesman said the Democrats readily acknowledged to Republicans that they changed the locks in retaliation to the videotape of the Democrats’ absence from the business meeting even though committee rules allow meetings to be taped".
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
House Democrats are looking at re-branding the public health insurance option as Medicare, an established government health care program that is better known than the public option. Well, isn't that just a great idea? The government which has run Medicare into near bankruptcy wishes to provide care to 30 million more citizens...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Barone clearly describes the current health care mess concerning the insurance companies - and the reason the White House reacts as it does. He wrote: "The health insurance companies were on board, too. Until, that is, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus presented his bill requiring them to cover anyone who applies but exacting only small fines from healthy individuals who decide not to buy insurance until they get sick. Since this looked like a quick road to bankruptcy, the health insurers' lobby commissioned a study that pointed out, correctly I think, that the Baucus bill would increase the cost of insurance to those who already have it.
So the health insurers have been denounced by White House spokesmen and Democratic congressional leaders as foul fiends and gougers of working families. Prominent Democrats have been talking about revoking insurance companies' exemption from the antitrust laws (granted so that small firms would have access to data needed to compete with the giants). Translated into Chicagoese: Nice little insurance company you got there. Too bad if something happened to it.
The same treatment is being given to Fox News, which according to White House spokesmen, "is not a news organization." "Other news organizations, like yours," Obama consigliere David Axelrod told ABC News, "ought not to treat them that way."
Maybe Obama thought everyone in Washington would be his great friend. Having encountered un-Chicago-like dissent and disagreement, he has responded with classic Chicago brass knuckles. We'll see how far this kind of thuggery gets him".
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From Mark Tapscott: [In a meeting with several doctors groups, the doctors were told] If the doctors would drop their demand for medical malpractice lawsuit reforms and support Obamacare, Reid would quickly move the $247 billion bill to spare them from scheduled cuts in Medicare reimbursement.

And if the doctors refuse?"Without the freeze, doctors would see their Medicare payments drop by 21 percent next year and by 40 percent by 2016," according to the Hill. Cuts of that magnitude would force many doctors to stop treating Medicare patients, and push others to retire early or stop practicing medicine entirely.

That makes the headline of today by Robert Pear even more interesting: Democrats lost a big test vote on health care legislation on Wednesday as the Senate blocked action on a bill to increase Medicare payments to doctors at a cost of $247 billion over 10 years. The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, needed 60 votes to proceed. He won only 47. And he could not blame Republicans. A dozen Democrats and one independent crossed party lines and voted with Republicans.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Very rarely did we communicate through the press anything that we didn't absolutely control" so stated White House Communications Director Anita Dunn. [Yet another Obama minion has fully described her usefulness to this Administration..... Ms. Dunn made the statement back in January while a participant at the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development conference in the Dominican Republic.
She was describing the "program" they used during the election campaign of Obama....
Yes, this is the same Anita Dunn who pronounced to a graduating class of high school students that Mao is one of her favorite philosophers, the Mao who murdered 70 million people. Since a high school education is not what it once was, I wonder if the students actually know the dark side of Mao, as Dunn quoted him as saying, "You fight your war, I'll fight mine". His philosophy was successful, but the full story should have been told. As it stands, those students must think that she admires all about Mao.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And from New Zealand: The eco-pawprint of a pet dog is twice that of a 4.6-litre Land Cruiser driven 10,000 kilometres a year, researchers have found. Victoria University professors Brenda and Robert Vale, architects who specialize in sustainable living, say pet owners should swap cats and dogs for creatures they can eat, such as chickens or rabbits, in their provocative new book Time to Eat the Dog: The real guide to sustainable living. [Can government intervention be far behind?]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Washington Times reports: The White House has told Congress it will reject calls for many of President Obama's policy czars to testify before Congress - a decision senators said goes against the president's promises of transparency and openness and treads on Congress' constitutional mandate to investigate the administration's actions.

Sen. Susan Collins, Maine Republican, said White House counsel Greg Craig told her in a meeting Wednesday that they will not make available any of the czars who work in the White House and don't have to go through Senate confirmation. She said he was "murky" on whether other czars outside of the White House would be allowed to come before Congress.

Miss Collins said that doesn't make sense when some of those czars are actually making policy or negotiating on behalf of Mr. Obama.

"I think Congress should be able to call the president's climate czar, Carol Browner, the energy and environment czar, to ask her about the negotiations she conducted with the automobile industry that led to very significant policy changes with regard to emissions standards," Miss Collins said at a hearing Thursday that examined the proliferation of czars.

In a letter last week to Miss Collins, though, Mr. Craig explained that the White House is not trying to circumvent Congress.

"We recognize that it is theoretically possible that a president could create new positions that inhibit transparency or undermine congressional oversight. That is simply not the case, however, in the current administration," Mr. Craig wrote.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

News Alert!

As I reported earlier: an aide to Sen. Harry Reid said that current debates may be irrelevant because an entirely different version might be inserted into an unrelated House tax bill, HR 1586. That’s the measure that levies a 90 percent tax on bonuses given to executives of firms that receive bailout money. Among other things, this could be a way of getting around the constitutional requirement that all tax bills originate in the House.

Now we learn that hidden in the bill is the wording that the government can step in to dictate salaries and taxes for ANY American company which "poses a threat" to the financial health of America.

More Government Shenanigans

Ben Shapiro writes, in part: Obama's belief in America's unexceptionalism -- his view that America's government, not her people, is the formative force in her values; his view that the American people bear the stain of racial, sexual and military guilt; his view that America must abandon her scrupulous adherence to equality of opportunity in favor of equality of result, traditional morals in favor of alternative ethics, and liberty of enterprise in favor of redistributionism -- that set of beliefs is antithetical to what makes America great.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anita Dunn, the White House spokesperson actually put in charge, salary and all, of watching Fox News all day long, had a bad day recently, as reported by Glenn Beck. After accusing Fox News of unfair reporting, a watchdog found out that Anita happens to be a fan of Chairman Mao -- who happens to be a fan of killing tens of millions of people. Glenn plays the audio of Anita as she talks to a class of graduating high school students about her 'favorite political philosopher' and the life lessons they can take from him. [After the exposure of her admiration of Mao, Anita has tried to make us believe that she was using irony in her speech. Watch the UTube video to come to your own conclusion. She, by the way, is the spouse of one of Obama's lawyers.... Anita has been unwilling or unable to call Glenn's red phone to point out just what she thinks is a lie].
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From Terry Jeffrey: The most revelatory passage in the so-called "plain English" version of the health care bill that the Senate Finance Committee approved on Tuesday (without ever drafting the actual legislative language) says that in the future Americans will be offered the convenience of getting their health insurance at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

This is no joke. If this bill becomes law, it will be the duty of the U.S. secretary of health and human services or the state governments overseeing federally mandated health-insurance exchanges to ensure that you can get your health insurance at the DMV.

You will also be able to get it at Social Security offices, hospitals, schools and "other offices" the government will name later.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jillian Bandes points out that: Members of Congress can choose from five different health care plans, while forcing the rest of us onto their government plan, and have access to both the VIP Bethesda Naval Hospital and a reserved spot Ward 72 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, an elite division usually reserved for military members. Their everyday medical concerns can be taken care of at a doctors office located inside of Congress. Their premiums are the same as those of insurance plans with half the benefits, and the plans last til their Medicare begins.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dick Morris informs us that :If your household income is $66,000 a year, slightly above the national average, Obama’s health care bill will require you to spend 12 percent of your income -- about $8,000 a year or almost $700 a month -- to buy health insurance before you get any federal subsidy.

Even those making less will have to reach deep into their meager resources to satisfy Obama’s statutory requirement. Families scraping by on only $44,0000 a year will have to pay 7 percent of their income (about $3,000) on insurance. Even those making just $33,000 will have to ante up 4.5 percent of their income (about $1,500) for health insurance. Even those making just $33,000 will have to ante up 4.5 percent of their income (about $1,500) for health insurance. The required payments reach so far down the scale that those who are living at the federal poverty level of $22,000 will have to shell out 2 percent of their totally inadequate incomes ($440) for insurance. That Obama is charging premiums to those living at or on the border of poverty is absolutely incredible!