Thursday, December 31, 2009
Ralph Peters: "Iran Deadline Just Plain Dead"
Ralph Peters reminds us the Obama administration's Iran deadline is today and that it is "just plain dead." To read the full article visit http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/day_of_reckoning_hHNtbO7IbHnphV3rxxYZ8N. Tweet
Montana Supreme Court Upholds Physician-Assisted Suicide
NPR reports that the "Montana Supreme Court upheld a lower court's decision that nothing in state law bars physician-assisted suicide so long as the decision is made by a mentally competent, terminally ill adult who ultimately decides whether or not to end his life. The Montana attorney general had appealed a lower court ruling, arguing that physician-assisted suicide was against 'public policy.'"
The state's supreme court said: "We find nothing in Montana Supreme Court precedent or Montana statutes indicating that physician aid in dying is against public policy. The 'against public policy' exception to consent has been interpreted by this Court as applicable to violent breaches of the public peace. Physician aid in dying does not satisfy that definition. We also find nothing in the plain language of Montana statutes indicating that physician aid in dying is against public policy. In physician aid in dying, the patient-- not the physician--commits the final death-causing act by self-administering a lethal dose of medicine."
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Washington Examiner's David Freddoso: "More Guns, More Crime? Not In 2009"
David Freddoso writes that the stories "of skyrocketing gun sales dominated the headlines earlier this year, with the number of gun-purchase background checks in the first six months of 2009 soaring 25 percent over the same period in 2008. Yet as the NRA points out today, murder in the U.S. has plummetted to a 46-year low (with the largest year-over-year drop since the 1960s) even as gun ownership has risen to an apparent all-time high. Meanwhile, across the pond, gun crime in Britain has risen 89 percent since the UK banned guns in 1997. Some may jump too far in there conclusions, but we can at least say this: There is no evidence from the U.S. experience this decade that higher rates of gun ownership lead to more crime, nor from the British experience this decade that fewer guns translate to less crime." Tweet
Federal Judge Says Televised Trial About Constitutionality Of California's Proposition 8 Possible
The Washington Post reports that the "federal judge presiding over an upcoming trial on California's same-sex marriage ban says he is considering seeking permission to broadcast the proceedings. The governing body for federal courts in Western states last week approved a pilot program that would for the first time allow cameras in civil trials being decided by judges. Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker said in an order issued Wednesday that he wants to record or webcast a Jan. 6 pretrial hearing as a test run for the trial, in which he'll consider a constitutional challenge to California's voter-approved gay marriage ban, known as Proposition 8. Lawyers representing sponsors of the ban, approved by voters in 2008, have said they oppose having the trial broadcast outside the courtroom." Tweet
CBS: New Jersey Assembly Won't Take Lead On Gay Marriage Bill
CBS 3 reports that the "head of the New Jersey Assembly will ask lawmakers in his chamber to vote on a bill to legalize gay marriage only if the state Senate passes it first. The decision, announced Thursday afternoon by Joseph Roberts, a Camden Democrat who supports gay marriage, is the latest step in a tumultuous bid to get lawmakers to pass the law before Jan. 19, when a new governor takes office. Advocates for the law say there is still a chance they will succeed, but Roberts' decision to give the issue to the Senate shows that the push isn't gaining much momentum at a crucial moment. With neither the Assembly nor the Senate ready to take a vote, the bill is, in the words of one Senate leader, 'in limbo at best.' Four states — Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts and Vermont — recognize same-sex marriage. A law to do so in New Hampshire goes into effect Friday. A similar bill is also pending in Washington, D.C. Most states have constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage." Tweet
FrontPage's Man Of The Year: Glenn Beck
To read the list from Front Page Magazine visit http://frontpagemag.com/2009/12/31/frontpages-man-of-the-year-by-david-forsmark/. Tweet
ABC News: "I'm Alive," Says Yemen Radical Jihad Cleric Anwar Awlaki Despite U.S. Attack
ABC News reports:
A week after U.S. and Yemeni officials said the radical Yemen cleric Anwar Awlaki may have been killed in a U.S.-backed Christmas eve air strike, a Yemeni journalist says Awlaki has surfaced to proclaim, "I'm alive." "He said the house that was attacked was two or three kilometers away from him and he was not there," the journalist, Abdulelah Hider Shaea, told ABC News. He said he talked to Awlaki on the phone and recognized his voice from previous interviews. One week ago, officials said the Christmas Eve attack had targeted a suspected meeting of al Qaeda leaders in Rafd, a mountain valley in eastern Shabwa province.
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Hamas Prime Minister Haniyeh Addresses Crowd By Calling Israeli-Arab Member Of The Knesset's Cell Phone
The Jerusalem Post reports that "Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch asked Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz on Thursday to put MK Taleb A-Sanaa to trial for supporting a terror organization. Aharonovitch was referring to a demonstration at the Erez Crossing into the Gaza Strip earlier in the day, during which Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh addressed those present by calling Sanaa's cellular phone." Tweet
Rasmussen: 58% Favor Waterboarding Of Plane Terrorist To Get Information
Fifty-eight percent (58%) of U.S. voters say waterboarding and other aggressive interrogation techniques should be used to gain information from the terrorist who attempted to bomb an airliner on Christmas Day. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 30% oppose the use of such techniques, and another 12% are not sure. Tweet
Dick Cheney Blasts Obama's Response To Attempted Terror Attack: Obama "Trying To Pretend We're Not At War"
“[W]e are at war and when President Obama pretends we aren’t, it makes us less safe,” Cheney said in a statement to POLITICO. “Why doesn’t he want to admit we’re at war? It doesn’t fit with the view of the world he brought with him to the Oval Office. It doesn’t fit with what seems to be the goal of his presidency — social transformation — the restructuring of American society.”
Here is Cheney’s full statement:
"As I’ve watched the events of the last few days it is clear once again that President Obama is trying to pretend we are not at war. He seems to think if he has a low-key response to an attempt to blow up an airliner and kill hundreds of people, we won’t be at war. He seems to think if he gives terrorists the rights of Americans, lets them lawyer up and reads them their Miranda rights, we won’t be at war. He seems to think if we bring the mastermind of Sept. 11 to New York, give him a lawyer and trial in civilian court, we won’t be at war.
“He seems to think if he closes Guantanamo and releases the hard-core Al Qaeda-trained terrorists still there, we won’t be at war. He seems to think if he gets rid of the words, ‘war on terror,’ we won’t be at war. But we are at war and when President Obama pretends we aren’t, it makes us less safe. Why doesn’t he want to admit we’re at war? It doesn’t fit with the view of the world he brought with him to the Oval Office. It doesn’t fit with what seems to be the goal of his presidency — social transformation — the restructuring of American society. President Obama’s first object and his highest responsibility must be to defend us against an enemy that knows we are at war."
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Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Hamas Leader Khaled Mash'al In A Teheran Mosque: We Will Drive Them Out Of The West Bank And All Of Palestine
MEMRI TV provides the following excerpt from an address by Hamas Leader Khaled Mash’al,which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on December 15, 2009: "The resistance on the land of Palestine will be victorious and will drive those Zionists out of our land. We have driven them out of Gaza, even if they continue to besiege it. We will drive them out of the West Bank and all our Palestinian land, Allah willing."
To see more visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2316.htm.
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Qatar TV Friday Sermon About Jews: "Treachery Is In Their Nature, Betrayal Is In Their Character"
MEMRI TV provides the following excerpts from a Friday sermon delivered in Doha, which aired on Qatar TV on July 17, 2009:
The land of Palestine is blessed and sacred in the eyes of all religions, but the distorted Judaism is claiming it for itself. The [Jews] say that Jerusalem belongs to them, and that it is their religious heritage, which they cannot give up. In their distorted Torah, God said to Israel: "To your seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the Great River," which is the Euphrates. These are the borders they would like for their state – and they allude to these [rivers] with the two blue stripes on their flag. For them, it is a matter of religion, on which they cannot compromise, even if they conceal it with peace initiatives, whenever they are gripped by fear, are in the throes of some catastrophe, or are trying to pull the wool over someone's eyes. They should be awarded no protection or security. Treachery is in their nature, betrayal is in their character, and deception has been their way since ancient times. As for the Crusades – despite its great differences with Judaism, and its accusations that the Jews killed Jesus, the fundamentalist Crusaders believe that the Jews have a right to Palestine, and that Jesus, son of Miriam, will be resurrected in Palestine, and will lead them to victory over the infidels, by which they mean the Muslims. They believe that the establishment of the state of Israel is a prerequisite for the resurrection of Christ. This accounts for the Crusader positions, which are always biased toward that foundling Jewish state, from when they helped to establish it and to this day. They act, first and foremost, out of religious belief, and out of the hatred that they inherited from the Crusades.
To see it for yourself visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2317.htm.
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Pew: The Most Religious State In America Is...Mississippi
The Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life "used polling data to rank religiosity "on four measures: the importance of religion in people's lives, frequency of attendance at worship services, frequency of prayer and absolute certainty of belief in God. Mississippi stands out on all four, and several other Southern states also rank very high on the measures."
To see how the how the states rank according to each of the four measures in an interactive graphic, a full "state-by-state religious commitment analysis," visit http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=504.
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Senator Feinstein: "Guantanamo Detainees Should Not Be Released To Yemen At This Time”
The Hill reports that the "senior Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee wants no more Guantanamo Bay detainees released to Yemen in the wake of a Christmas Day terrorist attack hatched in that country. 'Guantanamo detainees should not be released to Yemen at this time,' Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said in a statement. 'It is too unstable.' Feinstein’s warning comes just nine days after the Department of Justice announced the most recent transfer of 12 detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Afghanistan, Yemen and Somaliland. Six of the 12 were transferred to the government of Yemen. An al Qaeda wing in Yemen claimed responsibility for last week’s attempted bombing of the Northwest Airlines flight headed to Detroit. The organization known as al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula said the plot was retaliation for U.S. assistance to Yemen’s military, which has launched air strikes on safe house and training camps in recent weeks that killed as many as 60 al Qaeda members. In addition, two of the planners behind the Christmas Day bombing plot had been released to Saudi Arabia from Guantanamo Bay in 2007 and ended up rejoining terrorist ranks in Yemen, according to a report by ABC News’s Brian Ross. Feinstein joins a chorus of Republicans who have issued warnings about the release of detainees in the aftermath of Friday’s attempted attack on the passenger jet. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) on Tuesday sent a letter to President Barack Obama asking him to halt the transfer of six Guantanamo detainees to Yemen given the danger they realize that country now poses." Tweet
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
AP's Jennifer Loven: Obama Administration's Response To Terror Attempt "Raised Disturbing Questions About Presidential Response In A Time Of Crisis"
Jennifer Loven writes an AP analysis piece that says the the Obama administration's "claim that 'the system worked' after a failed aircraft bombing wasn't quite as jolting as President George W. Bush's 'Brownie, you're doing a heckuva job' when New Orleans was sinking under deadly Hurricane Katrina. But both raised disturbing questions about presidential response in a time of crisis...Amid those questions, administration officials’ repeated statements Sunday that 'the system worked' were jarring. They made it sound like the administration doesn’t get it, like it is paying too much attention to political fallout and too little to public fears...For Obama, still short of one year in office, his narrative, critical or otherwise, isn’t set yet. Nonetheless, rumblings keep resurfacing about emotional distance, even coldness. Whether it’s Wall Street bonuses or terrorist near-disaster, people wonder whether he feels as they do or ever acts out of passion." Tweet
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani Warns Egypt Against An Israeli Attack On His Country And Says Iran Will Respond By Attacking U.S. Bases
Ynetnews.com reports that "Lebanon's al-Nahar reported Tuesday that Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani warned Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak against an Israeli attack on his country. Larijani told Mubarak that if Israel dared to attack its nuclear facilities, Iran would launch a counterattack on Israel and all US bases in the country, as well as countries of the Gulf region. The two leaders met nine days ago. al-Nahar's report cites 'diplomatic sources in Beirut' as saying that Larijani had asked Mubarak to convey his message to a number of Gulf States the latter was visiting. According to the report Mubarak did indeed convey the message to leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, who fear Iranian aggression within their boundaries. Larijani stressed that Iran intended to retaliate only against American bases used against it, the report says, and therefore urged the states to ask the US not to use bases situated on their territory to attack the Islamic Republic." Tweet
Reason TV On The "Worst Decade" In Politics
Reason TV may have missed the 1860's, because that was a pretty bad decade. As for this decade being the "worst decade ever," I am not sure it qualifies for that at all. But that does not make this video entertaining nonetheless. Tweet
Iran Warns Britain It Will "Get Slapped In The Mouth" If It Issues Statements In Support Of Protesters
The BBC reports that "Britain has been given a warning by Iran's foreign minister that it will 'get slapped in the mouth' if it does not 'stop the nonsense'. Manouchehr Mottaki responded after UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband hailed the 'great courage' of Iranians who staged opposition protests on Sunday. Iran says the clashes, which resulted in at least eight people being killed, were inspired and aided by the West. The UK ambassador is being summoned by Iran to receive a formal complaint. Mr Mottaki said the protesters 'should not be encouraged by a few... statements by certain countries'. He added:'They should not pin their hopes on them. Britain will get slapped in the mouth if it does not stop its nonsense.'" Tweet
Yemen's Foreign Minister Says That Hundreds Of Al Qaeda Terrorist Are Planning Attacks From Yemen
The TimesOnline reports that Hundreds of al-Qaeda militants are planning terror attacks from Yemen, the country’s Foreign Minister said today. Abu Bakr al-Qirbi appealed for more help from the international community to help to train and equip counter-terrorist forces. His plea came after an al-Qaeda group based in Yemen claimed responsibility for the failed Christmas Day airliner bomb plot. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, alleged to be behind the attempt to blow up an American-bound aircraft, spent time in Yemen with al-Qaeda and was in the country only days before the failed attack. Dr al-Qirbi said: 'Of course there are a number of al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen and some of their leaders. We realise this danger. They may actually plan attacks like the one we have just had in Detroit. There are maybe hundreds of them — 200, 300.'" Tweet
Rep. King Calls For Military Tribunal For Abdulmutallab
The AP reports that the "leading Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee says the Nigerian man accused of attacking an airliner as it approached Detroit should be tried by a military tribunal rather than a civilian court. Rep. Peter King of New York said Tuesday it will be more difficult for authorities to get useful information from the suspect if he is given the legal rights afforded to defendants in civilian courts, including the right to a lawyer. The suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, has been charged in federal court with trying to detonate the device as the plane approached Detroit last Friday. The device burst into flames instead, according to authorities, and he was subdued by passengers." Tweet
Monday, December 28, 2009
New Absurd TSA Regulation Being Announced On A Jet Blue Flight In Effect Until December 30th
Jeffrey Goldberg comments on the TSA regulation stating that "Passengers must remain seated for the final hour before landing. During that time, they may not have access to their carry-on baggage or hold personal items on their laps" by asking the following: "But what about their underwear? Can they have access to their underwear, which is where our latest would-be Muslim martyr apparently hid his bomb? And why can't we have access to our laptops, if they've already been screened? By the way, these rules, the Washington Post says, are in effect only until December 30th. In January, you see, the jihad is over. That, or the TSA needs until December 30th to properly promulgate a formal set of inane new rules, to add to the inane rules currently in place. Here's an alternative suggestion for the Obama administration: Focus on capturing and killing Islamist terrorists overseas. By the time they get to the airport, it is, generally speaking, too late."
To read what Christopher Hitchens had to say visit http://www.slate.com/id/2239935/?from=rss.
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Israel Says Iran Is Close To Having Nuclear Weapons
The VOA reports that "Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak says Iran is moving quickly toward the 'point of no return.' Speaking behind closed doors to the parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Barak said Iran will have the technology to build a nuclear bomb by early next year and could produce one in 2011. Cabinet Minister Yuval Steinitz is a former chairman of the committee. 'Iran is trying to gain nuclear weapons. And if nothing serious, nothing dramatic will be done by the West, it will get there in a year or two,' he said." Tweet
Al Qaeda Group Claims Bomb Attempt
The Wall Street Journal reports that "Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the branch of the extremist group based in Yemen, appeared to claim responsibility for the Christmas Day attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound jet, ratcheting up worry about the organization's expanding reach and potency. The group said it provided the Nigerian suspect in the attempted bombing, identified by U.S. officials as Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalab, with 'a technically advanced device,' according to a statement issued by the group Monday and posted on several Web sites routinely used by Islamic militants. The statement said the device failed to detonate because of an unspecified technical fault. Like other statements from the group in the past, it couldn't definitively be verified." Tweet
Fox News: At Least 15 Killed By Iranian Security Forces
Fox News reports that "at least 15 people were killed during massive anti-government protests in Tehran when opposition supporters clashed with security forces in the streets, Iranian state television reported Monday." Tweet
Napolitano Now Says That Terror Prevention "Failed Miserably"
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Here you can see the two comments side by side:
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White House Strongly Criticizes Israel For Building In East Jerusalem
The Daily mail reports that "Israeli plans to build nearly 700 new apartments in east Jerusalem sparked tough criticism from the United States this morning...Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a slowdown in West Bank settlement construction several weeks ago in hopes of bringing the Palestinians back to the negotiating table. But the order did not include construction in east Jerusalem. 'We make a distinction between the West Bank and Jerusalem. Jerusalem is our capital and remains such,' said government spokesman Mark Regev. The Housing Ministry said it had approved a total of 692 new apartments in three existing Jewish neighborhoods already inhabited by tens of thousands of people."
"The United States opposes new Israeli construction in east Jerusalem," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a statement, calling the city a "permanent status issue" to be resolved through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.
"Neither party should engage in efforts or take actions that could unilaterally pre-empt, or appear to pre-empt, negotiations," he said. "Rather, both parties should return to negotiations without preconditions as soon as possible."
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Abdulmutallab: More Like Me In Yemen On The Way To Jihad
ABC News reports that "Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, charged with the attempted Christmas Day bombing of Northwest Airlines flight 253, told FBI agents there were more just like him in Yemen who would strike soon. And in a tape released four days before the attempted destruction of the Detroit-bound Northwest plane, the leader of al Qaeda in Yemen boasted of what was planned for Americans, saying, 'We are carrying a bomb to hit the enemies of God.' Yemen has become a principal al Qaeda training ground and the accused suicide bomber told the FBI he was trained for more than a month in Yemen, given 80 grams of a high explosive cleverly sewn into his underpants, undetected by standard security screening."
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Sunday, December 27, 2009
Congressman Peter King Blasts Napolitano For Saying The "System Worked"
Politico reports that "Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) rebuked Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano Sunday for saying that the botched terrorist attempt to blow up an Amsterdam-Detroit airline flight Friday demonstrated that 'the system worked.'"
“The fact is the system did not work, and we have to find a bipartisan way to fix it. He made it on the plane with explosives and detonated the explosive," King said on CBS's "Face the Nation." "If that had been successful, the plane would have come down and we would have had a Christmas Day massacre with almost 300 people murdered."
Peter King is the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee. He also said it is "important for the president or the secretary to be more out there and reminding people just how real this threat was and how deadly it is. For the first three months of this administration, they refused to use the word terrorism."
“This is a teaching moment," he went on. "And I believe that he or the secretary or the vice president or the attorney general should be out there reminding the American people that this shows how deadly this enemy is, this shows how real this threat is, and how we have to do whatever we can to protect the American people.”
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Alliance Defense Fund Attorneys Help Secure Free Speech For NC Pro-Life Student
The ADF reports that officials "at Randelman High School have responded positively to a letter sent by attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund on behalf of a student whose pro-life message had been censored. The student, Brianna Cardwell, was participating in the Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity sponsored by Stand True Ministries. 'Pro-life students shouldn’t be punished for expressing their beliefs,' said ADF Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman. 'Brianna was simply exercising her constitutionally protected right to free speech but was censored by school officials fearful of urban legends regarding the so-called ‘separation of church and state.’ In reality, silencing pro-life students simply because they want to exercise their First Amendment rights in a non-disruptive manner is unconstitutional.' On Oct. 20, Cardwell wore a T-shirt with the word 'abortion' crossed out. She also passed out fliers during non-instructional time to her classmates that explained her pro-life views. The assistant principal told her that she could no longer distribute the fliers and would have to keep her jacket on to cover up her T-shirt. She also confiscated the fliers and said that Cardwell’s T-shirt and fliers were 'offensive' and violated the 'separation of church and state.' When Brianna tried to get her fliers back the next day, school officials refused. The assistant principal responded to a Nov. 24 letter from ADF by giving the fliers back to Cardwell and telling her that she would be able to wear her T-shirt and distribute the fliers in the future." Tweet
WSJ: "Bombing Suspect Left Life Of Comfort For A Radical Turn"
The Wall Street Journal writes about the child of privelege turned Islamic terrorist. The WSJ reports that with "a prestigious education and luxury apartment in London, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's life until mid-2008 reflected his lofty status as the son of a prominent Nigerian banker. After graduating from a prominent London university that June, however, Mr. Abdulmutallab soon began showing signs of trouble." To read the rest of this article visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126187511080506063.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLETopStories. Tweet
Iowa Gay Marriage Opponents Pushing For Constitutional Amendment To Let Voters Decide
The AP reports that opponents "of Iowa's gay marriage law are promising to push hard during the 2010 legislative session for a vote on a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex unions. Bryan English of Iowa Family Policy Council ACTION says pro-marriage supporters plan to be at the state Capitol en masse on Jan. 12 when Gov. Chet Culver delivers his Condition of the State address to a joint session of the General Assembly with Iowa Supreme Court justices present. He says the occasion will mark the first time that all three branches of state government are together since a unanimous Supreme Court ruled April 3 that a state law defining marriage as between one man and one woman was unconstitutional, clearing the way for same-sex marriages in Iowa."
Iowa is a state in which an activist Supreme Court mandated gay marriage by judicial fiat. It is an example of the Court imposing policy upon the people rather than upholding and enforcing the law as intended. It is an example of judicial usurpation of the legitimate rights of the legislature and people to decide issues of policy, such as whether marriage should be defined as a traditional union between man and woman or should be expanded to now include homosexual couples as well. The only way to allow the issue to return to its legitimate domain is by putting a Constitutional amendment to the people for a vote, and it is for this reason that I support the effort to do so.
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Official Says That The United States Knew About The Christmas Day Airline Terrorist For Two Years
Fox News reports that earlier "Saturday, it was revealed the U.S. reportedly had known for at least two years that the suspect could have terrorist ties. " An official briefed on the terrorist attempt on the Detroit-bound aircraft "said that the suspect has been on a list that includes people with known or suspected contact or ties to a terrorist or terrorist organization. The intelligence database that Abdulmutallab is part of is described as containing people who have 'loose ties or links to extremists,' Fox News has learned. Any person in this database is someone who as of yet rises to threat level of no-fly lists or other more serious screenings. Multiple law enforcement officials identified Abdulmutallab as a Nigerian national who was reportedly an engineering student at London's University College. On Saturday, police in the U.K. were searching a number of locations in connection to the suspect, while authorities met with a Nigerian banker that may be the father of the suspect." Tweet
More Stimulus Money Going To Waste In Texas
The Dallas Morning News reports that Texas "received millions of federal dollars from the economic-stimulus package to help poor Texans cut their energy bills, but by the end of last month, just seven homes had been weather-treated under the program. The state has spent $1.8 million of $163 million available over the past four months, with most of it going to administrative costs, such as the salaries of state workers." Tweet
Iranian Security Forces Kill Nephew Of Opposition Leader Mousavi
The AP is now reporting that the dead in Iran "included a nephew of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, according to Mousavi's Web site, Kaleme.ir. The clashes were sure to deepen antagonism between the government and a reform movement that has shown resilience in the face of repeated crackdowns."
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Iranian Security Forces Kill At Least Four In Teheran
The AP and Jerusalem Post report that fierce "clashes broke out between opposition supporters and security forces in Teheran Sunday, according to witness reports. On Saturday, a reformist Web site reported similar clashes in the center of the Iranian capitol. The Rah-e-Sabz site had said forces including the Revolutionary Guard and paramilitary Basij forces confronted demonstrators and broke the windows of cars that were honking horns in protest. Iran is marking the first 10 days of the Islamic month of Moharram, a time of mourning rituals for a revered Shi'ite saint."
The Telegraph reports that the "Jaras website said protesters died in clashes between opposition supporters and security forces in the capital, without giving details. 'Three of our compatriots were martyred and two were injured in clashes. The reporter who was on the scene said these three were directly shot at by military forces,' said the website. It said the clashes took place near College bridge in the middle of Enghelab street. It said a fourth protester was also killed near Vali Asr intersection on Enghelab. 'The people are carrying the body of this martyr and are shouting slogans,' it said citing eyewitnesses."
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Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano: Failed Terror Attack Thwarted By Passengers Shows "The System Worked"
Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano was on CNN saying that the "system worked" even though an Islamic terrorist with flammable material was able to board a plane and was stopped by civilian passengers on that plane. If certain things "worked" after the terrorist was subdued by the passengers, that is well and good. But I do not think the government should be taking credit for the actions of heroic passengers that thwarted the attack, and I am not sure this act of terrorism which was avoided in large measure by the acts of civilians aboard the plane that was the intended target is a stellar example of the sytem working. To see the video for yourself visit http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2009/12/27/napolitano_on_failed_terror_attempt_the_system_worked.html. Tweet
Islamists Claim Killing Of Russian Priest For Insulting Islam
The AFP reports that an "Islamist militant group based in Russia's North Caucases has claimed the killing last month of an Orthodox priest who was an outspoken critic of Islam. 'One of our brothers who has never been to the Caucases took up the oath of (former independent Chechen president Doku Umarov) and expressed his desire to execute the damned Sysoyev,' said a statement on the Kavkazcenter.com website. Daniil Sysoyev, 35, was killed on November 20 when masked gunman walked into Saint Thomas's church in southern Moscow and shot him four times. Doku Umarov emerged as the leader of the remaining active rebel movements in the North Caucases in 2007 and is considered enemy number one in the region by Russian authorities. The statement on the Kavkazcenter.com website, which is often used by militants, accused Sysoyev of writing several pamphlets insulting Islam. It warned 'those in the future who defame Islam and insult the religion of Allah will suffer the fate as Sysoyev.' Sysoyev, who was criticised by Muslim organisations for his statements on Islam, had reportedly contacted Russian security services several times over threats." Tweet
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Mark Steyn: "Obamacare Is The Fast-Track To A Permanent Left-Of-Center Political Culture"
To read this important opinion piece by Mark Steyn visit http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YjU5OTJmODE4MGM5YmNiZDEyZDU5ZWU3NThhYjdmNGY. Tweet
WSJ: "Judges Gone Wild"
The Wall Street Journal explains the Supreme Court case of Caperton v. Massey, which "set out a new standard requiring judges to recuse themselves if there is a 'probability of bias' in a case. That was a marked departure from historical standards, which required a judge to step off primarily when he had a direct financial interest." This has already led Michigan to define "judicial bias down." To read more about this visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704240504574585754116196202.html. Tweet
The Wall Street Journal On John "Kerry Of Teheran"
The Wall Street Journal editorial correctly writes:
John Kerry lost the Secretary of State sweepstakes to Hillary Clinton, but that hasn't lowered his diplomatic ambitions. The Journal reported Thursday that the Senate Foreign Relations Chairman is mulling a trip to Iran, and with the blessing of the Obama Administration. If the mullahs had any sense, they'd send him a government plane. Beset by almost daily demonstrations by a democratic opposition that has been growing despite beatings and arrests since the stolen June election, Mr. Kerry would arrive from Washington to show the Iranian people that at least someone still favors the regime. He would be the most senior American to visit Tehran in 30 years and his trip would convey legitimacy that the dictatorship is especially eager to have at the current moment. The Kerry mission would also look like a panicky effort to persuade the Ayatollah Ali Khamanei to accept the increasingly plaintive U.S. offers of engagement. Mr. Obama has set the end of this month as his latest deadline for progress on nuclear talks before he says he'll seek tougher sanctions against Iran at the U.N. But if a year of personal Presidential letters and Administration entreaties hasn't worked, why would a Senatorial trip? The regime would probably exploit the visit for its own domestic purposes, perhaps adding to its P.R. coup by releasing to Mr. Kerry the three hapless American hikers it has promised to put on trial for having "suspicious aims" as they wandered across the border with Iraq. The Iranians who need support now are the democrats in prison, in the streets, and increasingly in the mosques as the regime loses its legitimacy even among many clerics. Please do them no more harm, Senator.
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WSJ: "All Is Not Calm Over Decorations"
The Wall Street Journal reports on the controversies that have taken place throughout the country regarding holiday displays. To read the article visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126161471097003539.html. Tweet
Chinese Dissident Recieves 11 Year Jail Sentence For "Subversion"
Bloomberg reports that "Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo will appeal his 11 year prison sentence for subversion, Hong Kong’s Ming Pao Daily News reported today, citing his wife. Liu, 53, hopes he will be the last person in China imprisoned for expressing personal views, the Chinese-language newspaper cited his wife, Liu Xia, as saying. The former Columbia University visiting scholar was also stripped of his political rights for two years by the Beijing First Intermediate People’s Court yesterday, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Liu helped organize Charter 08, an open letter that urged the Chinese government to hold direct elections and allow freedom of assembly. The Hong Kong paper today carried the full text of his sentence." Tweet
Friday, December 25, 2009
CBO Rebuts Democratic Claims On Medicare
Bloomberg reports that the "Congressional Budget Office challenged claims by health-care overhaul proponents that Medicare savings in Senate legislation would help finance expanded coverage and postpone the bankruptcy of the medical program for the elderly. The nonpartisan agency said the $246 billion it projected the legislation would save Medicare can’t both finance new programs and help pay future expenses for elderly covered under the federal program. Nor could those savings be used to extend the solvency of Medicare, set to run out of money in 2017, the budget office said in a letter to Senate Republicans. 'What we’ve seen is a colossal manipulation” by Democrats 'of the accounting scores of CBO' and the independent actuary of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, said Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, the Republican who requested the analysis from CBO. He called the letter 'a potential game-changer.' The estimated Medicare savings in the legislation overstate 'the improvement in the government’s fiscal position,' the CBO said in the letter. 'The true increase in the ability to pay for future Medicare benefits or other programs would be a good deal smaller,' the budget office said." Tweet
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Milton Freidman In 1978 Discussing The Economics Of Health Care And Increasing Government Intervention
In light of the Senate passing their version of the health care bill, I thought a classic video of Milton Freidman discussing the economics of medicine and dangers of government intervention was timely and worth posting:
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Legal Scholars John Yoo And Erwin Chemerinsky Debating The Legality Of Holding Enemy Combatants At Gitmo
This is an old debate, but still worth posting:
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Senior House Dem: Kill The Senate Health Reform Bill And Start Over
The Hill reports the "Senate's healthcare bill is fatally flawed, a senior Democrat atop a powerful committee said on Wednesday. Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), the chairwoman of the House Rules Committee and co-chairwoman of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, said that the Senate's bill is so flawed that it's unlikely to be resolved in conference with the bill to have passed the House. 'The Senate health care bill is not worthy of the historic vote that the House took a month ago,' Slaughter wrote in an opinion piece for CNN's website. Slaughter argued that while the House bill is far from perfect, the Senate bill's exclusion of a public option, along with abortion funding restrictions and other measures, make the bill undeserving of a vote. Specifically, Slaughter said, the Senate bill would charge seniors higher premiums, would fail to nix health insurers' antitrust exemption and would not go far enough in extending coverage to people in the U.S." Tweet
Controversy Over Atheist Display That Mocks Religion In Illinois State Capitol
CBS reports: A conservative activist and Illinois comptroller candidate was escorted from the Illinois State Capitol building Wednesday when he tried to remove a sign put up by an atheist group. William J. Kelly announced Tuesday that he planned to take down the sign put up by the Freedom from Religion Foundation, and on Wednesday, he tried to make good on his plan. But Kelly said when he turned the sign around so it was face down, state Capitol police were quick to escort him away. Illinois Secretary of State's office spokeswoman Henry Haupt said Kelly was escorted from the rotunda by state Capitol police, who briefly detained him, wrote an incident report, and directed him to leave the building... [K]elly called the sign "hate speech," and said he does not believe it is appropriate for a sign that "mocks" religion to be placed next to a Christmas tree and also near a nativity scene. "I don't think the State of Illinois has any business denigrating or mocking any religion," Kelly said, "and I think that's what the verbiage on the sign was doing." The sign reads: "At the time of the winter solstice, let reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is just myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds." The sign was also on display at the Capitol at this time last year. The group says it filed for a permit to post the display in response to the state's decision to put up the nativity. But Kelly said he believes the problem is not only the verbiage of the sign, but also its proximity to the Christmas tree. "The fact that sign was immediately in front of the tree, I found that to be disturbing because any family and any child would run up to that tree with a smile on their face, and they would immediately see that sign," Kelly said. Haupt said Kelly had been advised not to return to the state Capitol for the rest of the day on Wednesday. The Madison, Wis.-based Freedom from Religion Foundation has placed the sign in several state Capitol buildings across the country. As to Kelly's claims that the sign mocks religion, foundation co-President Dan Barker said: "He's kind of right, because the last couple of sentences do criticize religion, and of course, the beginning is a celebration of the winter solstice."
The sign is there to mock religion and religious people, and the organization which sponsors the sign openly admits the purpose of the sign is to mock people of faith. This sign should not be allowed in the Capitol building. It is not the fault of the religious that those "free from religion" have no holidays and nothing to celebrate. But their lack of ability to celebrate anything at all should not be an excuse to rudely mock all religions in the Capitol building, and to place the sign right near a nativity scene. It's a matter of common decency. Christmas trees, nativity scenes, Chanukah menorahs, or other religious symobls appear in these sorts of places in conjunction with religious holidays that many citizens celebrate. They are not there to mock or denigrate other religions or atheists at all. There is no equivalence between religious holiday symbols and a sign with a message meant to disparage many of the citizens of Illinois as being without "reason" whose hearts are hardened and minds enslaved. It is literally a display of both arrogance and rudeness.
Imagine the sign said this: "At the time of Christmas, let the one truth prevail. There is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, heaven and hell. There is a world to come. Those who have not seen the light of Christianity believe in myths and superstitions that harden hearts and enslave minds." How long do you think that kind of a sign would last? I don't think it would last twenty seconds, and rightfully so. Now, pray tell, how is this sign any different than the one that now stands in the Illinois Capitol building?
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Senate Votes For "Massive Increase" In Debt Ceiling
The AP reports that the "Senate voted Thursday to raise the ceiling on the government debt to $12.4 trillion, a massive increase over the current limit and a political problem that President Barack Obama has promised to address next year. The Senate's rare Christmas Eve vote, 60-39, follows House passage last week and raises the debt ceiling by $290 billion. The vote split mainly down party lines, with Democrats voting to raise the limit and Republicans voting against doing so. There was one defection on each side, by senators whose seats will be on the ballot next year: GOP Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio and Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana. "I would not support raising the debt ceiling because Congress has not adopted a credible process to restrain spending and eliminate red ink," Bayh said a statement after the vote. The bill permits the Treasury Department to issue enough bonds to fund the government's operations and programs until mid-February. The Senate will vote again on the issue Jan. 20. Obama must sign the measure into law to prevent a market-rattling, first-ever default on U.S. obligations."
The federal government, all three branches under the control of the Democratic party, has piled up a staggering record $1.4 trillion deficit for 2009.
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Senator Tom Coburn: "This Congress Will Be Remembered For Its Arrogance, Corruption And Stupidity"
To read Republican Senator Tom Coburn's article visit http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/12/24/voting_against_government-run_health_care_99671.html. Tweet
Hamas Terrorists Say They Are Ready For More Fighting
Reuters reports that Abu Ubaida, spokesman for Hamas's armed wing, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, said late on Wednesday from the cover of an orchard in the Gaza Strip that "if any battle is imposed on us, we are ready with all our manpower and equipment to confront any Zionist war, any crime and any attack regardless of scale." He also said that "we have the right to use any weapon that we deem suitable and we have the right to get into (Gaza) any weapon that we see as appropriate in the ongoing battle with the occupation," the term Hamas often uses to describe all of Israel. Tweet
Satire On "Imaginary Savings" In Health Care Bill
To see for yourself visit http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/checker.aspx?v=GdaGeueueu. Tweet
9/11 Suspects Meeting To Lay Out Strategy For New York Trial
The Washington Post reports that "Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four co-defendants accused of organizing the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks are meeting to plot legal strategy in advance of their transfer to New York and are learning as much as possible about criminal procedure in U.S. federal court, according to sources familiar with the detainees' deliberations. While the five men wanted to plead guilty in a military commission earlier this year to hasten their executions, sources now say that the detainees favor participating in a full-scale federal trial to air their grievances and expose their treatment while held by the CIA at secret prisons. The sources, who cautioned that the detainees' final decision remains uncertain, spoke on the condition of anonymity because all communications with high-value detainees are presumptively classified." Tweet
Yemen Says Fort Hood-Linked Imam Awlaki May Have Been Killed In Raid
Rueters reports that a "Yemeni air raid may have killed the top two leaders of al Qaeda's regional branch on Thursday, and an American Muslim preacher linked to the man who shot dead 13 people at a U.S. army base may also have died, a Yemeni security official said. Nasser al-Wahayshi, the Yemeni leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and his Saudi deputy, Saeed al-Shehri, were believed to be among more than 30 militants killed in the dawn operation in the eastern province of Shabwa, said the official, who asked not to be identified. U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki may also have died in the air strike which targeted a meeting of militants planning attacks on Yemeni and foreign oil and economic targets, he said. If all the deaths are confirmed, the air strike would appear to have struck a severe blow against AQAP, seen as the most dangerous regional offshoot of Osama bin Laden's network. 'Anwar al-Awlaki is suspected to be dead,' the official said of the cleric who was on the run in Yemen, where he was on the government's most-wanted list of terrorist suspects." Tweet
Alan J. Kuperman Of The University Of Texas At Austin In The New York Times: "There’s Only One Way To Stop Iran"
Alan J. Kuperman argues that the only way to stop Iran from attaining nuclear weapons at this point is for military action in the form of airstrikes. To read this important article visit http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/24/opinion/24kuperman.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1. Tweet
Democrat Congressman Stupak Says That He Has Been Offered "Hush Money" By The Democrat Leaders
To listen to Congressman Stupak for yourself, visit http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/checker.aspx?v=GdaGeuZuaG. Tweet
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Fort Hood Killer Hasan Asked Radical Islamic Cleric Awlaki In First E-mail If It Was Okay To Kill American Soldiers
ABC News reports that in "an interview published on Al Jazeera's Web site, radical Muslim cleric Anwar al Awlaki says that Maj. Nidal Hasan, charged with killing 13 in last month's Fort Hood massacre, asked for guidance about killing American military personnel in his very first e-mail. Awlaki claims that Hasan initiated the e-mail correspondence with a message on Dec. 17, 2008. 'He was asking about killing U.S. soldiers and officers,' says Awlaki. 'His question was is it legitimate [under Islamic law].' The Al Jazeera questioner asks for confirmation that Hasan forwarded this query nearly a year before the shooting. Hasan and Awlaki exchanged as many as 18 e-mails in the year prior to the shooting. As ABC News had previously reported exclusively, Hasan had discussed martyrdom with Awlaki, asking when jihad is appropriate, and whether it is permissible if there are innocents killed in a suicide attack. Hasan also told Awlaki he looked forward to seeing him in the afterlife and sharing non-alcoholic wine." Tweet
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
South Carolina Attorney General To Look Into Bribes In Health Care Deal
WCBD-TV Charleston reports that "South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster said Tuesday that he intends to organize his counterparts in different states to investigate dealmaking that sealed a final compromise on federal health care legislation. McMaster was asked by South Carolina Senators Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint review how Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson was able to spare his state higher Medicaid costs as the Democrat held out for perks for his state in the mammoth bill. McMaster said the language of the Nelson provision appears to give the State of Nebraska a permanent exemption from paying the Medicaid expenses all other states in the nation will be required to pay. 'In other words, if this amendment stands, taxpayers from South Carolina and other states will be paying the bills for the increase in Nebraska’s Medicaid population,' said McMaster. The Nelson provision is unusual in that there is not cut off date or phase out. Many provisions in federal law have a sunset date—say 2, 5, 10, or even 20 years—but this provision will continue in perpetuity. McMaster said that Attorney General Rob McKenna of Washington State has agreed to join the effort. He also said he intended to consult other attorneys general to for a group that would explore legal options. 'In my judgment,' said McMaster, 'Democrats and Republicans alike from every state in the union should be outraged by this deal.'" Tweet
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