Politico reports that "the House of Representatives passed a sweeping climate-change bill Friday – a major victory for President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that left Republicans fuming about a 'national energy tax' they said would exacerbate the nation’s economic woes. The vote was extremely close – 219-212, with eight Republicans voting yes and 44 Democrats voting no." A 300 page amendmnet was added into the already massive bill at 3AM Friday. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) delayed the roll call vote by reading page-by-page through the 300-page managers’ amendment Democrats had added. Boehner picked out the bill’s most obscure language and went on pontificating about what it might – or might not – mean. Republicans laughed along with him and roared with applause when he was done.
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Friday, June 26, 2009
House Passes Global Warming "National Energy Tax" Bill, Heads To Senate
House Holds Moment Of Silence For Michael Jackson, Republican Asks For Moment Of Silence For Jobs That Will Be Lost By Global Warming Bill
To watch the moment of silence the House of Representatives took today to recognize Michael Jackson's death, visit http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2009/06/26/house_holds_moment_of_silence_for_michael_jackson.html.
I am not sure whether the Republican Congressman's request for a moment of silence was in direct response to the moment of silence held on behalf of Michael Jackson, but if it is, that is a brilliant political gimick. Naturally, the House did not end up holding a moment of silence for the jobs they will destroy:
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Fatah Broadcasts Graphic Images Of Hamas Torture
Palestinian Media Watch reports that "on the second anniversary of the Hamas military takeover of Gaza, PA (Fatah) TV broadcast a public Fatah event held in the presence of senior Fatah leaders, which focused on intense vilification of Hamas. This included the showing of a graphic video of Hamas members brutally beating a Fatah member in Gaza. The screams of the victim can be heard in the video, along with others calling 'Allahu Akbar' (Allah is Great)."
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John Bolton: "The Mullahs Must Go"
Former Ambassador the United Nations John Bolton writes in the Los Angeles Times that "the only answer is regime change." John Bolton is also a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the author of "Surrender Is Not an Option." Bolton argues that we "have missed a huge opportunity because of Obama's error (and that of his predecessors), but the continuing threat of Iranian nuclear weapons and support for international terrorism make the imperative of regime change no less compelling. The Iranian people will continue their opposition no matter how inconvenient it is for Obama's hoped-for negotiations. We should support them, and not just by rhetoric."
To read the whole article visit http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-bolton26-2009jun26,0,5709858.story.
Also, protestors all over Iran are being asked to let green balloons float in the air:
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Senior Iranian Cleric Ayatollah Ahmed Khatami: Punish "Leaders Of The Riots, Who Were Supported By Israel And The U.S., Strongly And With Cruelty"
ABC reports on "the latest sign that the regime is not bending," reporting that "Ayatollah Ahmed Khatami, a senior cleric, said during nationally broadcast Muslim sermon on Friday that the government should punish 'leaders of the riots, who were supported by Israel and the U.S., strongly and with cruelty.' In his sermon at Tehran University, Khatami also accused foreign journalists of false reporting on post-election Iran. He alleged that an icon of the protests, Neda Agha Soltan, was killed by protesters, not Iranian security forces quelling unrest... Basij militiamen have broken up even small groups of people walking together to prevent any possible gathering. Still, dozens of friends and relatives of Soltan managed to pay tribute Friday, arriving at Tehran’s Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in groups of two and three, uttering brief prayers, placing flowers on Soltan’s grave and then leaving, witnesses said."
Khatami, a member of the powerful Assembly of Experts, said the judiciary should charge the leading “rioters” as “mohareb” or one who wages war against God. “They should be punished ruthlessly and savagely,” he said. Under Iran’s Islamic law, punishment for people convicted as “mohareb” is execution.
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Obama Says Iran Is Ruthless And Violent And He Doesn't "Take Mr. Ahmadinejad’s Statements Seriously About Apologies”
This is the kind of language the President should have been using from day one: Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
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Russia Says That Iranian Election Was "An Exercise In Democracy"
Reuters reports that "Group of Eight powers were divided on how to respond to Iran's disputed election on Thursday, with hosts Italy pushing for a strong condemnation of violence and Russia calling the vote 'an exercise in democracy.'... Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made clear that Russia was not prepared to sign up to a G8 statement condemning Iran's handling of the election. 'No one is willing to condemn the election process, because it's an exercise in democracy,' Lavrov told reporters."
"Isolation is the wrong approach ... Engagement is the key word," Lavrov said.
Every American should be aware of the fact that Russia is a central player in the pro-Iran axis which threatens global security and crushes the aspirations of freedom-loving Iranians.
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Thursday, June 25, 2009
The Wall Street Journal On The Democrat Cap And Trade Bill Which "Is Likely To Be The Biggest Tax In American History"
The Wall Street Journal writes an article entitled "The Cap and Tax Fiction" about "Democrats off-loading economics to pass climate change bill." The Wall Street Journal wants Americans to know "that those Members who vote for this climate bill are voting for what is likely to be the biggest tax in American history" and that "even Democrats can't repeal that reality." To read the whole article explaining why this is this case, visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124588837560750781.html.
Here is related article from the WSJ. The article is entitled "The Climate Change Climate Change" and discusses how "the number of skeptics is swelling everywhere." See http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124597505076157449.html to read this article.
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Michael Jackson Dies At 50 Of Cardiac Arrest
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
People actually gathered outside the UCLA hospital where Michael Jackson was pronounced dead. Whatever you think of his music and talent, this was not a man to idolize in any way.
People are being slaughtered on the streets of Iran as a yearning to oppose tyranny is being crushed by Islamic fascists, yet the media focuses on Michael Jackson. Congress is on the verge of passing a "cap-and-trade" bill that would hurt business and raise energy costs and taxes, yet the media grant non-stop coverage to the death of Michael Jackson. North Korea holds a massive anti-American rally and threatens nuclear war, yet the media pays all its attention to Michael Jackson. The Democrats are pushing for a complete overhaul of our medical system with a government plan that would cost trillions of dollars, yet the media goes on covering the passing of Michael Jackson. Is their something wrong with this picture and with our culture in general?
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Dr. Steve Parente Testifies Before Congress On $4 Trillion It Would Cost Over 10 Years To Cover "Nearly" All Without Health Insurance
Dr. Steve Parente is a health economist from the University of Minnesota and a principal in a health care consultancy, HSI Network LLC. His areas of expertise are health insurance, health information technology and medical technology evaluation. At the University of Minnesota, he is the Director of an MBA specialization in the medical industry and a professor in the finance department with an adjunct appointment at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.
He told a Senate Subcommittee during a health hearing that "there are two things people most want to know from these proposals. One, how many uninsured will be covered? Two, what will it cost the nation in one year and in ten years? HSI estimates, like CBO’s recent results, find there is no free lunch to expand health insurance coverage. Our early assessment of the Senate Finance committee proposal shows a 74% reduction in the uninsured with a 10 year cost of $2.7 trillion using public option plan modeled after the Massachusetts Connector. We also modeled an FEHBP version of the public plan and got a cost of over $1.3 trillion, but with a 30% reduction in the uninsured. CBO scored the Kennedy Bill last week at approximately a 30% reduction for 1 trillion over ten years. Using the ARCOLA model, we found nearly everyone would be covered if all elements of the Kennedy bill were enacted at a ten year cost of 4 trillion. That 4 trillion estimate over 10 years assumes a public option plan with Bronze, Silver and Gold levels in the proposed insurance exchange with a subsidy for premium support that is income-adjusted and calibrated for assistance at the Silver level. The Silver level is equivalent of PPO plan with medium levels of generosity, something with 15% coinsurance rate, manageable copays and average level of access to physicians and hospitals. We accounted for the public plan being reimbursed at 10% above Medicare reimbursement, which is also 10% below commercial insurance premiums."
Remember to take into account that often the cost estimates turn out to be substantially lower than the actual costs of the government program. That was exactly the case with Bush's prescription drug benefit for senior citizens. These numbers are staggering. America simply cannot afford this price tag. Bankrupting America should not be on any politician's agenda, but it seems to be the central issue for the Democratic Congress and White House.
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UC Santa Barbara Professor Who Sent An E-Mail To Students Holocaust Images Alongside Images Of Palestinian Completely Cleared By The University
Haaretz reports that "a committee at a California university has cleared a professor who sent an email comparing Israel's policies in Gaza to the Holocaust. Officials at the University of California, Santa Barbara, sent a letter Wednesday to sociology professor William I. Robinson saying the committee had closed the matter. In January, Robinson offended some students and others with an e-mail to his 'Sociology of Globalization' class that juxtaposed grisly photos from the Nazi era with a recent Gaza offensive." The L.A. based pro-Israel advocacy group StandWithUs blasted the move, saying the the university "has blurred the lines between education and peddling of propaganda."
"It is unfortunate that students will continue to be victims of partisan indoctrination and misinformation," said Roz Rothstein, director and founder of StandWithUs, which filed the original complaint against Robinson.
Robinson has even had the arrogance of demanding an apology from the University. This professor of sociology is trying to push his extremist anti-Israel views on his students. Comparing the Holocaust to Israeli actions in Gaza is both a trivialization of the horrors that were the Holocaust and a complete distortion of both the historical and current reality. And the response of UC Santa Barbara is that they could not care less.
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North Korea Threatens Nuclear "Fire Shower" If Provoked And Holds Massive Anti-American Rally
Reuters reports that "North Korean troops will respond to any sanctions or U.S. provocations with 'an annihilating blow,' one senior official vowed—a pointed threat as an American destroyer shadowed a North Korean freighter sailing off China's coast, possibly with banned goods on board." The Guardian reports that North Korea "threatened to retaliate with a nuclear 'fire shower' if it is attacked by the US and warned it would expand its nuclear arsenal, a month after it carried out a controlled nuclear explosion in defiance of the UN security council. The regime used the 59th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean war to step up its threats against the US, whose navy is tracking a North Korean vessel off the Chinese coast that is suspected of carrying weapons."
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Obama Unwilling To Pledge That If His Own Family Were To Get Sick He Would Only Use Government Provided Health Plans
ABC reports that "President Obama struggled to explain today whether his health care reform proposals would force normal Americans to make sacrifices that wealthier, more powerful people — like the president himself — wouldn’t face. The probing questions came from two skeptical neurologists during ABC News’ special on health care reform, 'Questions for the President: Prescription for America,' anchored from the White House by Diane Sawyer and Charles Gibson. Dr. Orrin Devinsky, a neurologist and researcher at the New York University Langone Medical Center, said that elites often propose health care solutions that limit options for the general public, secure in the knowledge that if they or their loves ones get sick, they will be able to afford the best care available, even if it’s not provided by insurance. Devinsky asked the president pointedly if he would be willing to promise that he wouldn’t seek such extraordinary help for his wife or daughters if they became sick and the public plan he’s proposing limited the tests or treatment they can get. The president refused to make such a pledge, though he allowed that if 'it’s my family member, if it’s my wife, if it’s my children, if it’s my grandmother, I always want them to get the very best care.'"
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Mousavi Reports That 70 Professors Who Met With Him Were Immediately Arrested
The L.A. Times reports that "Iran's leading opposition figure, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, launched a lengthy broadside against the Iranian leadership and state-owned media in comments published today on his website as authorities arrested 70 university professors who had just held a meeting with Mousavi. The former prime minister, in comments apparently delivered Wednesday to the professors and posted on one of his websites today, accused Iran's supreme leader of not acting in the interests of the country and said a dramatic change for the worse had taken place in Iran. He slammed state-controlled broadcast outlets, which have intensified a media blitz against the West, and alleged that recent unrest over the disputed June 12 elections was the work of Iran's international antagonists... Hundreds have been arrested for allegedly taking part or inciting disturbances, including 70 members of the Islamic Society of University Professors, who were arrested after they met with Mousavi on Wednesday afternoon. Their whereabouts are unknown, according to Kalameh.ir, Mousavi's website."
"The leadership's support for the government under normal circumstances is helpful," Mousavi said about Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "However, if the leadership and the president are the same, it will not be in the interests of the country."
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Comedian Paul Rodriguez Blasts Government For Shutting Down Vital Water Pumps That California Farmers Need In Order To Protect A Two Inch Fish
Paul Rodriguez is fighting the good fight to help farmers keep their farms growing food in California in the face of pumps being turned off to protect an endangered fish. Jobs are in jeopardy and farms may completely go out of business if the government continues this policy of shutting off vital pipes to fertile California farms in order to protect a tiny fish.
Rodriguez takes aim at Obama saying that this has not only "changed my political point of view; it has changed everyone around me. We have always been lifelong devoted Democrats. I supported Mr. Obama. You know, I'm part of the 'I love you, Mr. Obama' group. But that patina is starting to fade. I want my lover to call me. There's 80,000 of us over here hoping to get some precipitation here." This is environmentalism gone wild. The well being of human beings should not be sacrificed at the altar of environmental purism. The loss of human jobs and livelihoods should come before the lives of some fish.
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Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Governor Mark Sanford: "I've Been Unfaithful To My Wife"
Watch and witness any hopes of "Sanford 2012" being slowly crushed before your eyes. Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
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Militiamen Beat Down Protesters Outside Parliament In Teheran
The Jerusalem Post reports that "large contingents of Iranian security personnel brandished clubs, fired shots into the air and used tear gas to force back hundreds of people who, defying the regime's calls for a halt to protests, gathered outside parliament on Wednesday. Armored vehicles moved in to arrest the demonstrators, 'shoving them in like livestock,' according to a source in Teheran. Mir Hossein Mousavi, the defeated presidential candidate who says the June 12 vote was rigged, has not been seen since last Thursday and is widely believed to be in hiding. But the protests were organized through his official Web site, and he has previously sent messages urging the demonstrators to continue their rallies."
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NYT: "Documents Back Saudi Link to Extremists"
The New York Times reports that "documents gathered by lawyers for the families of Sept. 11 victims provide new evidence of extensive financial support for Al Qaeda and other extremist groups by members of the Saudi royal family, but the material may never find its way into court because of legal and diplomatic obstacles. The case has put the Obama administration in the middle of a political and legal dispute, with the Justice Department siding with the Saudis in court last month in seeking to kill further legal action. Adding to the intrigue, classified American intelligence documents related to Saudi finances were leaked anonymously to lawyers for the families. The Justice Department had the lawyers’ copies destroyed and now wants to prevent a judge from even looking at the material... [T]he thousands of pages of previously undisclosed documents compiled by lawyers for the Sept. 11 families and their insurers represented an unusually detailed look at some of the evidence. Internal Treasury Department documents obtained by the lawyers under the Freedom of Information Act, for instance, said that a prominent Saudi charity, the International Islamic Relief Organization, heavily supported by members of the Saudi royal family, showed 'support for terrorist organizations' at least through 2006. A self-described Qaeda operative in Bosnia said in an interview with lawyers in the lawsuit that another charity largely controlled by members of the royal family, the Saudi High Commission for Aid to Bosnia, provided money and supplies to the terrorist group in the 1990s and hired militant operatives like himself. Another witness in Afghanistan said in a sworn statement that in 1998 he had witnessed an emissary for a leading Saudi prince, Turki al-Faisal, hand a check for one billion Saudi riyals (now worth about $267 million) to a top Taliban leader. And a confidential German intelligence report gave a line-by-line description of tens of millions of dollars in bank transfers, with dates and dollar amounts, made in the early 1990s by Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz and other members of the Saudi royal family to another charity that was suspected of financing militants’ activities in Pakistan and Bosnia. The new documents, provided to The New York Times by the lawyers, are among several hundred thousand pages of investigative material obtained by the Sept. 11 families and their insurers as part of a long-running civil lawsuit seeking to hold Saudi Arabia and its royal family liable for financing Al Qaeda. Only a fraction of the documents have been entered into the court record, and much of the new material is unknown even to the Saudi lawyers in the case." Tweet
Wall Street Journal: "Mahmoud's Friends: Russia, Hamas, And The Turks, Of All People."
To read this article about some of the key players that form part of the pro-Iranian axis visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124580586602845075.html. The article largely focuses on the fact that "Russia leads the pro-regime axis," but makes mention of other "assorted foreign consorts."
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81% Say Palestinians Must Recognize Israel's Right To Exist In Any Peace Agreement
Rasmussen reports that "eighty-one percent (81%) of U.S. voters agree with Israeli President Benjamin Netanhyahu that Palestinian leaders must recognize Israel s right to exist as part of a Middle Eastern peace agreement. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just seven percent (7%) disagree and say this should not be a requirement for a peace agreement. Twelve percent (12%) are not sure. But only 27% believe it is even somewhat likely that Palestinian leaders will make such a concession. Only six percent (6%) say it is very likely."
The 12% that disagree with such an obvious proposition must be Jew-haters. How can you disagree that any future peace deal must include Israel's right to exist? To disagree with that you would have to believe Israel has no right to exist. That would mean that 12% of Americans are off their rocker.
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Barney Frank Wants Condo Loan Rules To Be Relaxed
Were Congressmen Barney Frank and Anthony Weiner in a coma as the mortgage crisis unraveled recently and dragged down the whole economy with it? Part of the problem was that government was encouraging faulty mortgages to those without the proper credit and those loans served as the foundation for the secondary markets.
This is not to say government alone was at fault. The banks were at fault for lending to those that could not afford the loans, the borrowers were at fault for taking loans that were above their means, and Wall Street was at fault for mortgage-backed securities that were based on subprime loans. But apparently you have to be a Congressman to not learn from your mistakes.
Reuters reports that "two U.S. Democratic lawmakers want Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to relax recently tightened standards for mortgages on new condominiums, saying they could threaten the viability of some developments and slow the housing-market recovery, the Wall Street Journal said. In March, Fannie Mae (FNM.N)(FNM.P) said it would no longer guarantee mortgages on condos in buildings where fewer than 70 percent of the units have been sold, up from 51 percent, the paper said. Freddie Mac (FRE.P)(FRE.N) is due to implement similar policies next month, the paper said. In a letter to the CEO's of both companies, Representatives Barney Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, and Anthony Weiner warned that a 70 percent sales threshold 'may be too onerous' and could lead condo buyers to shun new developments, according to the paper. The legislators asked the companies to 'make appropriate adjustments' to their underwriting standards for condos, the paper added."
To think that Barney Frank is the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee is scary.
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U.S. Drone Attack On Taliban Funeral Kills At Least 60
The New York Times reports that "an airstrike believed to have been carried out by a United States drone killed at least 60 people at a funeral for a Taliban fighter in South Waziristan on Tuesday, residents of the area and local news reports said... The United States carried out 22 previous drone strikes this year, as the Obama administration has intensified a policy inherited from the Bush administration."
Kudos to the Obama administration for this one. Whoever authorized this drone attack did the right thing.
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Wall Street Journal On "The Pursuit Of John Yoo"
The Wall Street Journal writes that "this month a federal judge in San Francisco ruled that a civil suit filed by convicted terrorist Jose Padilla can proceed against former Justice Department lawyer John Yoo for violating the terrorist's rights. Mr. Yoo is one of those who wrote memos laying out the legal parameters for aggressive interrogation of al Qaeda captives. If Mr. Yoo can be sued, why couldn't Obama officials also be held liable for their advice if there's an attack on their watch?" The Wall Street Journal writes that this is "exactly the kind of lawsuit that the political left, including State Department nominee Harold Koh, has encouraged against Bush Administration officials."
The Journal points out that the outgoing dean of Yale Law School, a man who is "perhaps the most prominent legal critic of Bush interrogation policies" and "once referred to President Bush as the 'torturer in chief'" has been nominated by Obama to be State Department legal adviser.
To read this important article in its entirety visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124580586602845075.html.
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Highlights From Obama Press Conference
Fox News's Major Garrett asks Obama why it took him so long to say that he Iranian government's actions are appalling. Obama refuses to answer an NBC reporter's question asking for the President to spell out consequences the Iranian government will face due to its human rights violations:
ABC's Jake Tapper presses Obama on health care:
The Huffington Post gets its blogger called on at today's press conference:
Obama is asked about the economy and says Americans are "more optimistic than facts alone would justify."
Obama is asked about his smoking bill which further regulates the tobacco industry and whether it will help him kick his own smoking habit:
Politico reports that a couple of surprising words were missing from President Barack Obama’s 55-minute news conference on Wednesday: “Iraq” — and “Afghanistan.” Also MIA: “Korea,” “Pakistan,” “soldiers,” “surge” and “war” — as well as the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.
Obama made no mention of these topics in his opening statements and reporters did not ask about any of them either.
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Monday, June 22, 2009
Freelance Journalist Kayvon Biouki From Teheran: "In A Way, It's A Revolution In Progress"
Freelance journalist Kayvon Biouki told FOX News' Shepard Smith on Monday that his sources said a general strike of private businesses was planned across the country on Tuesday. He said he did not know if any government entities were planning on participating.
"The genie is out of the bottle," Biouki said.
"I don't think that there is a stop to all of this," Biouki said. He said he anticipated protests continuing until conservative forces give in, either by holding new elections or otherwise surrendering. "By the look of things, it doesn't seem that the conservatives are going to back down. And at the same time it doesn't seem that people, Mousavi supporters, and all those who oppose the Iranian system in one way or another, those aren't going to back down from this either," he said.
"In a way, it's a revolution in progress."
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Obama Actually Defends Bush When Reporter Says That Bush Feels Like Some Of What Obama Has Done Is "Treacherous"
Media bias so glaring that even Obama needs to rein it in:
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Sarkozy: Burqa "Will Not Be Welcome On The Territory Of The French Republic"
The Telegraph reports that in a speech at the Palace of Versailles, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that the head-to-toe Islamic garment for women was not a symbol of religion but a sign of subservience for women. "The burka is not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience," he told members of both parliamentary houses gathered for his speech. He added: "It will not be welcome on the territory of the French republic."
The Telegraph reports that 65 French MPs have appealed "for a parliamentary commission to examine whether Muslim women who cover themselves fully in public undermine the secular tradition in France as well as women's rights. The MPs represent parties ranging from the Communists to Mr Sarkozy's UMP. The call won instant support from members of Mr Sarkozy's centre-Right government but was opposed by the Socialists, the main opposition party."
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PA To Free Hundreds Of Hamas Detainees
The Jerusalem Post reports that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has decided to free hundreds of Hamas members in PA prisons in the West Bank. Officials said that the decision is aimed at paving the way for the resumption of reconciliation talks between Abbas's Fatah faction and Hamas.
Israel has no peace partner, and has never had a peace partner. What Israel does have is an enemy bent on her destruction. News every day will continue to demonstrate that.
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Wolfowitz: U.S. Should Reach Out To Moussavi
"I would certainly find out if he (Moussavi) wants a conversation," former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "If he doesn't, I certainly wouldn't push it. But I would make it clear that the phone is an open line."
"I understand the concern about meddling in a way that seems to label the opposition as American tools, but the opposition made it very clear they want support from the world," said Wolfowitz, who is currently a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
Wolfowitz called Moussavi a "very brave man," saying, "He is resisting. He is putting his life at risk."
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Christopher Hitchens Slams Obama In His Article About "Persian Paranoia" In Always Blaming The West
Christopher Hitchens writes that Obama can take a "noninterventionist position" but that he must "be aware that nothing will stop the theocrats from slandering you for interfering anyway. Also try to bear in mind that one day you will have to face the young Iranian democrats who risked their all in the battle and explain to them just what you were doing when they were being beaten and gassed." To read this interesting article be sure to visit http://www.slate.com/id/2221020/?from=rss.
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Video Of Protestors Taking On Iranian Riot Police On June 20th
CONTENT WARNING: Here is another recent video of an Iranian student being killed by the Basijis.
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NY Times: "White House Changes The Terms Of A Campaign Pledge About Posting Bills Online "
"Changes the terms" is the New York Times equivalent of "lies." The New York Times reports that "during the presidential campaign, Barack Obama promised that once a bill was passed by Congress, the White House would post it online for five days before he signed it. 'When there’s a bill that ends up on my desk as president, you the public will have five days to look online and find out what’s in it before I sign it, so that you know what your government’s doing,' Mr. Obama said as a candidate, telling voters he would make government more transparent and accountable. When he took office in January, his team added that in posting nonemergency bills, it would 'allow the public to review and comment' before Mr. Obama signed them. Five months into his administration, Mr. Obama has signed two dozen bills, but he has almost never waited five days. On the recent credit card legislation, which included a controversial measure to allow guns in national parks, he waited just two."
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Proposed Arizona Bill To Criminalize Illegal Immigration On State Level As "Trespassing," Allowing For Local Enforcement
A proposed Arizona bill would prohibit state, county or local public officials from adopting policies that limit full enforcement of federal immigration law, or creating what are known as "sanctuary cities." Republican State Senator Russell Pearce says his bill would erase "sanctuary policies" that restrain local police involvement in immigration enforcement. The bill would also require police to verify a person's immigration status if there's reasonable suspicion about someone's status. The bill would expand Arizona trespassing law to allow local authorities arrest people who sneak into the country illegally. It has already passed the AZ Senate.
The proposed bill reads in part:
"Cooperation and assistance in enforcement of immigration laws
A. No official, agency or personnel of this state or county, city or town of this state may adopt a policy that limits the enforcement of federal immigration laws to the full extent permitted by federal law. For any legitimate contact made by such officials, agencies or personnel where reasonable suspicion exists regarding the immigration status of a person, a reasonable attempt shall be made to determine the immigration status of the person. If the person who is arrested is an alien, the person's immigration status shall be verified with the federal government pursuant to 8 United States Code section 1373(c). If the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States and this state or a local governmental entity elects not to prosecute the person for a violation of state or local law, the person shall be transferred to the custody of the United States immigration and customs enforcement or the United States customs and border protection. If an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States is acquitted of any violation of state or local law, is discharged from imprisonment or pays any fine imposed, the alien shall be transferred immediately to the custody of the United States immigration and customs enforcement.
B. Except as provided in federal law, officials, agencies or personnel of this state and counties, cities and towns of this state may not be prohibited or in any way be restricted from sending, receiving or maintaining information relating to the immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual or exchanging that information with any other federal, state or local governmental entity for the following official purposes:
1. Determination of eligibility for any federal, state or local public benefit, service or license that is restricted in whole or in part on the basis of immigration status.
2. Verification of any claim of legal domicile if legal domicile is required by law or contract.
3. Confirmation of the identity of any person who is detained.
C. A person may bring an action in superior court to challenge any official, agency or personnel of this state or county, city or town of this state that adopts or implements a policy that limits the enforcement of federal immigration laws to the full extent permitted by federal law. If there is a judicial finding that an entity has violated this section, the court may order either of the following:
1. That the person who brought the action recover court costs and attorney fees.
2. That the entity pay a civil penalty not to exceed an amount equal to five thousand dollars for each day that the policy has remained in effect after it has been found to be in violation of this section. END_STATUTE
The bill would would also contain the following language:
"Trespassing by illegal aliens; assessment; classification
A. In addition to any violation of federal law, it is unlawful for a person who is a citizen of any country other than the United States to enter into or be on any public or private land in this state if, at the time of the commission of the offense, the person is in violation of 8 United States Code section 1325.
B. For a first offense, the arresting authority has discretion to transfer the person to the federal agency with jurisdiction or refer the person for prosecution.
C. A violation of this section is a class 1 misdemeanor, except that a second or subsequent violation is a class 4 felony. The person is not eligible for suspension or commutation of sentence or release on any basis until the sentence imposed is served.
D. In addition to any other penalty prescribed by law, the court shall order the person to pay jail costs and an additional assessment in the following amounts:
1. At least five hundred dollars for a first violation.
2. Twice the amount specified in paragraph 1 of this subsection if the person was previously subject to an assessment pursuant to this subsection.
E. A court shall collect the assessments prescribed in subsection D of this section and remit the assessments to the department of public safety, which shall establish a special subaccount for the monies in the account established for the gang and immigration intelligence team enforcement mission appropriation. Monies in the special subaccount are subject to legislative appropriation for distribution for gang and immigration enforcement and for county jail reimbursement costs relating to illegal immigration.
F. Notwithstanding subsection C of this section, if the person violates this section while in possession of any of the following, the violation is a class 2 felony:
1. A dangerous drug as defined in section 13-3401.
2. Precursor chemicals that are used in the manufacturing of methamphetamine in violation of section 13-3404.01.
3. A deadly weapon or a dangerous instrument, as defined in section 13-105.
4. Property that is used for the purpose of committing an act of terrorism as prescribed in section 13-2308.01."
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Iran's Revolutionary Gaurds Say They Will Crush Protestors
Bloomberg reports that "Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the security forces will crush further protests over the disputed presidential vote, as the country’s elections supervisory body acknowledged some balloting discrepancies. 'The saboteurs must stop their actions' or face 'the decisive and revolutionary action of the children of the nation in the Revolutionary Guards, the Basij, and other security and military forces, to put an end to the chaos,' the state-run Mehr news agency cited the Revolutionary Guards as saying today in a statement. Police attacked hundreds of protesters with tear gas and fired shots into the air as they broke up a rally in central Tehran’s Haft-e-Tir square shortly after the Guards’ warning, the Associated Press said. The 125,000-strong Guards, tasked by Iran’s clerical rulers with protecting the Islamic Revolution, have their own ground, air and sea forces. Club-wielding members of the Basij volunteer militia, which is linked to the Guards, have played a role in suppressing the protests against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's" rigged June 12 election victory.
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Sunday, June 21, 2009
Iranian Protestors Yelling "Marg Bar Khamenei," Or "Death To Khamenei"
Here is more video from recent protests in Iran:
Toward the end of the following video a protester is shot by Basiji gunmen:
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Murder Of Young Iranian Female Protestor In Iran Rallying Cry For Protestors
WARNING: The following is a graphic video of the woman after she is shot:
The following is more video of this gruesome killing. VERY STRONG WARNING: The following video of the killing is so gruesome I could not watch the whole thing. If you decide to watch this, brace yourself.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1149602027692&ref=nf
This was the rally she was at when the violence broke out:
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McCain On Iran: We Have To Be "On The Right Side Of History"
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Here you can see a Meet The Press discussion about whether Obama is taking the right tone in response to the Iranian protests:
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Unemployment Reaches 11.5% In California
The Los Angeles Times reports that "California's unemployment rate in May hit 11.5% -- its highest level in more than three decades -- but the pain of losing work isn't being shared equally between the sexes... Out of every four jobs lost nationwide since the recession began in December 2007, three have been lost by men. Some experts have dubbed the phenomenon a 'mancession.'"
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Obama To Iran: "Stop All Violent And Unjust Actions"
Obama directly addressed the Iranian government for the first time: "The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost. We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people. The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights. As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion. Martin Luther King once said - 'The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.' I believe that. The international community believes that. And right now, we are bearing witness to the Iranian peoples’ belief in that truth, and we will continue to bear witness."
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Iranian Security Forces Clash With Thousands Of Teheran Protestors Chanting "Death To The Dictator!"
The Washington Post reports that "Mir Hossein Mousavi, who charges that he was cheated of victory in the June 12 presidential election, told supporters in southwestern Tehran that he was 'ready for martyrdom' and vowed to continue his protest movement despite a warning from Iran's supreme leader Friday against further demonstrations." Listen in some of the videos as protesters chant "marg bar dictator," or "death to the dictator."
WARNING: The first of the compilation of videos below shows the bloody murder of an innocent protester in Teheran.
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