CNN reports that "former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who came under fire from some conservatives for endorsing Dede Scozzafava in next week's special Congressional election in New York, is now backing Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman. Gingrich made the announcement via Twitter shortly after the Republican Party nominee Scozzafava announced she was releasing supporters from their commitment to back her. 'Scozzafava dropping out leaves hoffman as only anti-tax anti-pelosi vote in ny 23 Every voter opposed to tax increases support doug hoffman,' Gingrich wrote on Twitter." Tweet
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Liberal Maternity Leave Laws Backfiring On Women In Britian
According to the London Telegraph the laws in Britain, meant to protect female employees, say "that women can take a year of maternity leave after having a baby, receiving 90 per cent of their average pay for six weeks then a further 33 weeks on the Statutory Maternity Pay of £117.18 a week, under legislation brought in by Tony Blair in 2003." Nichola Pease, deputy chairman and former chief executive of JO Hambro Capital Ltd, part of Credit Suisse Group, said international companies were put off hiring women because Britain offers new mothers a year off work compared with 12 weeks in the US.
"We have got to be realistic and make sure the protection around women doesn't end up backfiring," Pease told a parliamentary hearing into sexism in the financial sector. "That is actually one of my greatest worries."
"A year is too long and sex discrimination cases that run into the tens of millions are ridiculous," Pease said.
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French Court Convicts Scientology And Its French Leader Of Fraud
The AFP reports that "French judges fined the Church of Scientology almost a million dollars on Tuesday for fleecing vulnerable followers but stopped short of banning the group from operating in France. Scientology's Celebrity Centre and its bookshop in Paris, the two branches of its French operations, were ordered to pay 600,000 euros (900,000 dollars) in fines for preying financially on several followers in the 1990s. Alain Rosenberg, the French leader of a movement best known for its Hollywood followers Tom Cruise and John Travolta, was handed a two-year suspended jail sentence and fined 30,000 euros on the same charge of fraud." Tweet
Two Chicago Muslims Arrested For Planning To Attack Danish Paper That Published Mohammed Cartoons
The Chicago Tribune reports that two Chicago men were arrested for their role in a conspiracy to attack the offices of Jyllands-Posten, the first newspaper to publish the Mohammed cartoons in 2005 that elicited the barbaric response from the Islamic world. Tweet
ADF Petitions Supreme Court To Hear New Ten Comandments Case
A petition for certiorari was filed Wednesday with the U.S. Supreme Court to appeal the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in Haskell County Board of Commissioners v. Green. In the case, the Court of Appeals held that a display of a Ten Commandments monument on the lawn of the county courthouse in Stigler, Oklahoma, violated the Establishment Clause. The Alliance Defense Fund filed the petition to have the case heard by the Supreme Court. “Americans shouldn’t be forced to abandon their religious heritage simply to appease someone’s political agenda,” said ADF Senior Counsel Kevin Theriot. “There is no wall of separation between our religious heritage and the public square. Thomas Jefferson’s ‘wall’ protected the church from government control, not the public square from references to America’s religious heritage. Such public acknowledgments do not create a constitutional crisis. If they did, we’d have to sandblast many walls and monuments in Washington, D.C., including the walls of the Supreme Court.”
The ADF explains "that In March 2006, the American Civil Liberties Union, on behalf of one offended individual, filed suit to remove a Ten Commandments monument located on the Haskell County Courthouse lawn. The lawn includes memorials to the Choctaw Indian Tribe, World War II veterans, Vietnam War veterans, Korean War veterans, and settlers buried in unmarked graves, among others. In August 2006, a federal district court judge ruled that the presence of the monument was constitutional. The ACLU appealed that decision to the 10th Circuit, which reversed the lower court ruling. In the petition for review filed in Haskell County Board of Commissioners v. Green, ADF attorneys wrote, 'Circuit courts need this Court’s guidance on the proper analysis to apply to monuments passively acknowledging religion’s historical significance that are part of historical displays on government grounds. Otherwise, these cases will continue to be decided on irrelevant facts like those that led to the finding of unconstitutionality in this case: age of the monument, how quickly it was challenged, whether it is displayed by a small or large town, and the personal religious views of the government officials who allowed it.'"
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President Signs New Federal Hate Crimes Law As Part Of Defense Authorization Bill That Is Controversial For Its Inclusion Of Sexual Orientation
President Obama has made the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act the law of the land. It was signed as part of the the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act. President Obama said in a statement that "through this law, we will strengthen the protections against crimes based on the color of your skin, the faith in your heart, or the place of your birth. We will finally add federal protections against crimes based on gender, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation... And prosecutors will have new tools to work with states in order to prosecute to the fullest those who would perpetrate such crimes. Because no one in America should ever be afraid to walk down the street holding the hands of the person they love. No one in America should be forced to look over their shoulder because of who they are or because they live with a disability."
Some Christian leaders took issue with the new law. American Family Association President Tim Wildmon warned that the new law "creates a kind of caste system in law enforcement, where the perverse thing is that people who engage in non-normative sexual behavior will have more legal protection than heterosexuals. This kind of inequality before the law is simply un-American." The Alliance Defense Fund blasted the "hate-crimes" bill, calling it "another nail in the coffin of the First Amendment." ADF Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley said that "ADF has clearly seen the evidence of where 'hate crimes' legislation leads when it has been tried around the world: It paves the way for the criminalization of speech that is not deemed 'politically correct.'"
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Larry David Urinates On Jesus In "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
I certainly understand why Christians would be offended by this. On the other hand, I also recognize that it is meant as a parody of the news stories we sometimes hear of people seeing the face of Jesus or the Virgin Mary in an old grilled cheese sandwich. In the course of the episode the family that owns the photo believes that his urine that splashed right under the eye of Jesus is a tear and that a miracle has occured.
However, I find this to be cowardly. Larry David knows that many in the Christian community will respond with nothing more than private disgust. They will not burn down buildings in wild and violent riots, they will not go on murderous rampages. If Larry David wants to be more than a just a comedian coward picking an easy target that he knows he can get away with offending, he should have an episode that somehow works in the image of Islam's Prophet Mohammed. That is the way he should go about showing that he is an equal opportunity offender, willing to attack the religious icon even of the Islamic community for comedic purposes knowing the response they had to the Danish cartoons.
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Iran Rejects Nuclear Deal With West
The L.A. Times reports that "Iran's response Thursday to a proposed deal to transform its controversial nuclear material into fuel for a medical reactor is 'inadequate,' a senior Western diplomat said, adding that it failed to address key United States and European concerns about Iran's nuclear intentions. Iran answered the proposal to temporarily move most of its enriched uranium to Russia and France to be further refined and shaped for use in a medical reactor after a delay of nearly a week and a flurry of contradictory signals. The proposal would have depleted Iran's stockpile of nuclear fuel below the threshold necessary for making a single nuclear bomb, possibly creating diplomatic breathing room for a broader agreement between Tehran and those worried about its atomic research program. But according to the diplomat, Iran wants to send its uranium abroad in smaller batches over an undetermined stretch of time rather than the lump transfer by year's end outlined under the proposal offered by International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei. Such a change would allow Iran to quickly replenish its stock. Further disappointing the West, Iran did not submit a formal written response as expected, the diplomat said. Instead, Iran's envoy to the atomic energy agency, Ali Ashgar Soltanieh, described the offer to ElBaradei." Tweet
Two Shot And Wounded At L.A. Synagogue
The Jerusalem Post reports that a "gunman shot and wounded two men in the parking garage of a San Fernando Valley synagogue early Thursday, and Jewish schools and temples were put on alert in case it was not an isolated attack. Two men in their 40s were shot in the legs near the Adat Yeshurun Valley Sephardic Orthodox synagogue in North Hollywood, Deputy Police Chief Michel Moore said. The men, both members of the synagogue, had arrived in separate cars for the morning service shortly before 6:30 a.m. (1330 GMT) when the gunman approached one and, without speaking, shot him and the other man, Moore said. The men were hospitalized in good condition." Tweet
Pelosi Unveils 1,990-Page House Health Care Bill
The AP reports that "Democrats issued a statement saying their 1,990-page measure 'lowers costs for every patient' and would not add to federal deficits. They put the cost of coverage at under $900 billion over 10 years, a total that excludes several items designed to improve benefits for Medicare and Medicaid recipients and providers, as well as public health programs and more." Oh boy, only $900 billion! How exciting! I am sure that is going to help bring down our already historic deficits. Further, will somebody please explain to me what business Congress has passing a 1,990-page bill in the first place? This is government gone wild!
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Europe Thinks Obama Is Dithering: Der Spiegel Editorial Says "Obama Must Provide Better Leadership On Afghanistan"
Everybody thought that Obama would be the global citizen who would bring about a new day in international relations. So far Europe is actually unimpressed with the current American President. A recent Rueters report has already declared that French Presiden Nicolas Sarkozy is shifting his gaze away from Washington, "finding it much tougher to deal with Washington than he had anticipated and is recalibrating his policies accordingly." To read this article visit http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-43390720091023
Now comes a Der Spiegel editorial that says "Europe expects leadership" from Obama, as they are disappointed that they are not getting it: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,658037,00.html
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Michigan Democrat: Pelosi "Not Happy With Me" For Working To Get Abortion Funding Out Of Health Care Bill
The Hill reports that "Rep. Bart Stupak said Speaker Pelosi is not pleased with his effort to change abortion-related provisions in the healthcare bill being crafted by the House.During an interview on C-SPAN's 'Washington Journal' show, Stupak (D-Mich.) said he is undeterred in trying to ensure that taxpayer dollars do not pay for abortions. Stupak, who opposes abortion rights, acknowledged that some in his party are upset with his public campaign to change the bill. 'The Speaker is not happy with me,' Stupak said." Tweet
Man Dressed As KFC's Colonel Sanders Tricks His Way Into UN To Pose For Photo Op With The President Of The General Assembly
The Telegraph reports: "Dressed in the fast food icon's familiar white suit and black bow tie, the actor evaded tight security to gain access to the restricted areas of the complex. He even posed for a photograph with Ali Treki, the new president of the UN General Assembly, before the alarm was raised and he was ejected... As part of its campaign to promote a new menu range, KFC is 'lobbying' the UN for the fictional Grilled Nation to be accepted as a member state. The fast food giant has written to Mr Ki-moon personally asking for grilled chicken lovers to be be represented at the assembly, in a letter dismissed by Mrs Montas as 'absolutely void.' A spokesman for Dr Treki, a former Libyan foreign minister, denied that he held a meeting with the Colonel Sanders impersonator, claiming that he only shook his hand out of courtesy during the incident on Thursday. The actor, named by KFC as Robert Thompson, also posed for photos in the main General Assembly hall beneath the UN logo. The real Colonel Sanders died in 1980, half a century after devising the 'secret recipe' of herbs and spices that is still used for cooking chicken in KFC restaurants today."
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Key US House Committee Approves Iran Sanctions Bill
The Jerusalem Post reports that "Congressional sanctions on Iran cleared another hurdle Wednesday as a key committee approved legislation to block refined petroleum from reaching Teheran.The bill was first sponsored by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman, who didn't move on the legislation until now in order to give the Obama administration's diplomacy time to work. The committee's lopsided voice vote approval of the measure, which has 330 co-sponsors, was an indication of Congress's growing impatience with Iranian maneuvering. Three other committees now need to weigh in on the measure before it goes to a full House vote, but Berman said Wednesday he would do 'everything in my power' to make sure the timeline for the legislation's approval was not stretched out and indicated it could pass by the beginning of next year. The Senate is also set to move on similar legislation. 'This legislation seeks to target Iran's ongoing dependence on refined petroleum imports. It is not a magic bullet, but it will - at least - force the Iranians to think twice about continuing to flout the will of the international community,' he said ahead of the committee vote. Berman noted that previous Iran sanctions legislation 'has been ignored by every administration,' but that this bill would require the administration to report to Congress all activities that would trigger sanctions." Tweet
Schwarzenegger Veto Message Secretly Flips Off Lawmaker That Yelled "Kiss My Faggot Ass" At The Governor
You just can't trust MSNBC to get their story straight. This anchor says that the California lawmaker yelled "you lie." Everyone knows that was in fact yelled by Congressman Joe Wilson at Obama. What the California lawmaker yelled was "kiss my faggot ass" among other profanities. Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Here is the video of how Governor Schwarzenegger was rudely treated by a room full of Democrats, and how he was heckled by Democratic lawmakers including Tom Ammiano:
And just in case you did not know, California lawmaker Tom "kiss my faggot ass" Ammiano refused to apologize for his rude and crude heckling.
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Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Harry Reid: “Joe Lieberman Is The Least Of Harry Reid’s Problems.”
What's with the third person stuff?
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Hoffman Vs. Scozzafava Might Split The Republican Vote In New York's 23rd
Fred Thompson is here in an ad backing Hoffman.
Newt Gingrich is standing behind the less conservative candidate Scozzafava:
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Joe Lieberman Promises To Join A Filibuster Of The Public Option If It Comes Before The Senate
Politico reports that "Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said Tuesday that he’d back a GOP filibuster of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s health care reform bill. Lieberman, who caucuses with Democrats and is positioning himself as a fiscal hawk on the issue, said he opposes any health care bill that includes a government-run insurance program — even if it includes a provision allowing states to opt out of the program, as Reid has said the Senate bill will. 'We're trying to do too much at once,' Lieberman said. 'To put this government-created insurance company on top of everything else is just asking for trouble for the taxpayers, for the premium payers and for the national debt. I don’t think we need it now.'" Tweet
Monday, October 26, 2009
Gallup: "Conservatives Maintain Edge As Top Ideological Group"
Gallup reports that "conservatives continue to outnumber moderates and liberals in the American populace in 2009, confirming a finding that Gallup first noted in June. Forty percent of Americans describe their political views as conservative, 36% as moderate, and 20% as liberal. This marks a shift from 2005 through 2008, when moderates were tied with conservatives as the most prevalent group." Tweet
AP FACT CHECK: Health Insurer Profits Not So Fat
The AP reports:
"Quick quiz: What do these enterprises have in common? Farm and construction machinery, Tupperware, the railroads, Hershey sweets, Yum food brands and Yahoo? Answer: They're all more profitable than the health insurance industry. In the health care debate, Democrats and their allies have gone after insurance companies as rapacious profiteers making 'immoral' and 'obscene' returns while 'the bodies pile up.' Ledgers tell a different reality. Health insurance profit margins typically run about 6 percent, give or take a point or two. That's anemic compared with other forms of insurance and a broad array of industries, even some beleaguered ones. Profits barely exceeded 2 percent of revenues in the latest annual measure. This partly explains why the credit ratings of some of the largest insurers were downgraded to negative from stable heading into this year, as investors were warned of a stagnant if not shrinking market for private plans. Insurers are an expedient target for leaders who want a government-run plan in the marketplace. Such a public option would force private insurers to trim profits and restrain premiums to compete, the argument goes. This would 'keep insurance companies honest,' says President Barack Obama. The debate is loaded with intimations that insurers are less than straight, when they are not flatly accused of malfeasance. They may not have helped their case by commissioning a report that looked primarily at the elements of health care legislation that might drive consumer costs up while ignoring elements aimed at bringing costs down. Few in the debate seem interested in a true balance sheet. But in pillorying insurers over profits, the critics are on shaky ground."
To look at some of the specific claims debunked by the Associated Press visit http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091025/D9BI4D6O1.html.
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Senator McCaskill Likens Glenn Beck To Voldemort: "He Who Shall Not Be Named"
To see the video for yourself visit http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/checker.aspx?v=Gd6Uuz8z8z. Tweet
14 Americans Killed In Afghanistan
The AP reports that "helicopter crashes killed 14 Americans on Monday—11 troops and three drug agents—in the deadliest day for the U.S. mission in Afghanistan in more than four years. The deaths came as President Barack Obama prepared to meet his national security team for a sixth full-scale conference on the future of the troubled war." Tweet
Obama Plays As Much Golf In Nine Months As Bush Did In Almost Three Years
Politico reports that "President Barack Obama has only been in office for just over nine months, but he's already hit the links as much as President Bush did in over two years. CBS' Mark Knoller — an unofficial documentarian and statistician of all things White House-related — wrote on his Twitter feed that, 'Today - Obama ties Pres. Bush in the number of rounds of golf played in office: 24. Took Bush 2 yrs & 10 months.'" Tweet
61% Of Americans Think Obama Did Not Deserve The Nobel Peace Prize
Gallup reports that the "majority of Americans do not believe President Barack Obama deserved to win the Nobel Peace Prize (61%), but the public is split in its personal reaction to the announcement. Asked if they are “glad” Obama received the prize, 46% of Americans say yes and 47% say no... The USA Today/Gallup poll conducted about a week after the announcement did not ask Americans whether they believe that the award may ultimately be deserved, or whether it was appropriately given in anticipation of the potential of the Obama administration's peace efforts. The central question simply asked whether Obama 'deserved' the award, and found Americans by roughly a 2-to-1 margin saying no rather than yes." Tweet
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Iraq Blasts Kill At Least 147
The Washington Post reports that "twin car bombs that devastated three government buildings and killed at least 147 people Sunday underlined a new strategy in Iraq's contest for power ahead of January elections: spectacular blows aimed at destroying faith in Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's ability to secure the country as the U.S. withdraws, officials and residents said... 'This is unbearable; this is criminal,' said Mahmoud al-Fahmawi, an ambulance driver who collected jaws, a heart and other body parts from the scene. 'God didn't order jihad as this. Jihad is not killing or bombing innocents.'" Unfortunately, the jihadist car bombers who disagree with al-Fahmawi do believe that this is precisely jihad. For the sake of the future of all good men, I hope that the savage jihadist murderers are replaced with the likes of this ambulance driver throughout the Islamic world. Tweet
Israeli Police Accuse Hamas Of Inciting Jerusalem Riots While Arab MKs Side With Rock-Throwing Rioters
The Jerusalem Post reports "after security forces clashed on Sunday with Muslim rioters on the Temple Mount and elsewhere in east Jerusalem, police blamed Hamas and the Islamic Movement for once again inciting Israel's Arab population to violence in the capital. 'Throughout the day, very large groups of Arab residents of east Jerusalem and other Israeli Arabs have come to the area at the encouragement of the Islamic Movement,' Police Chief Commissioner Insp.-Gen. David Cohen told reporters. 'I urge them (the Islamic Movement) to show restraint and not to incite.' Cohen went on to say that police would deal with all rioters on the Temple Mount as well as the inciters 'with a strong hand.' Police also released a separate statement blaming Hamas for inciting violence in a bid to "disrupt order on the Temple Mount."
Meanwhile, Arab members of the Knesset are siding with the enemies of Israel. The Jerusalem Post reports that "Israeli Arab MKs blamed Israel for the escalation in tensions, as they had done during previous clashes. MK Ahmed Tibi (United Arab List-Tal) said that Israel had 'broken the law,'... UAL-Ta'al MK Taleb a-Sanaa said that Israel was provoking 'a billion Muslims' and sparking unnecessary riots by allowing 'extremist elements to defile the mosque.'"
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Fatah-Led PA Admits It Tortures Prisoners
IsraelINN.com reports that "the Palestinian Authority, led by the Fatah party, admitted to a British newspaper that its security forces commonly use torture on prisoners, as charged by the Hamas terrorist organization. The PA is heavily funded by overseas contributions as well as taxes collected for it by the Israeli government." Tweet
Columbia University Journalism Students Knock "Fox News And Hannity" In Hip-Hop Song For Media Ethics Class Project
The future members of tomorrow's mainstream media:
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Hamas Leader Khaled Meshal: "Jerusalem's Fate Will Be Decided With Jihad And Resistance, And Not Negotiations"
Ha'aretz reports that "following a conflagration of violence at Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Sunday, Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal declared that 'Jerusalem's fate will be decided with jihad (holy war) and resistance, and not negotiations.'" Tweet
Ranking Members Of House Foreign Affairs Committee Calling On Obama To Quash Goldstone Report
The Jerusalem Post reports that "Democratic and Republican foreign affairs leaders in the US Congress are calling on the Obama administration to quash the Goldstone Report. A non-binding resolution introduced on Friday by Rep. Howard Berman (D-California), the chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Ileana Ross-Lehtinen (R-Florida), the committee's ranking Republican, 'calls on the president and the secretary of state to strongly and unequivocally oppose any further consideration of the 'Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict' and any other measures stemming from this report in multilateral fora.' Also signing on as sponsors were the Middle East subcommittee's chairman and ranking member, Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-New York) and Dan Burton (R-Indiana)." Tweet
Founder Of Human Rights Watch Robert Bernstein Accuses It Of Anti-Israel Bias
The London Times reports that "Robert Bernstein, the founder of Human Rights Watch, one of the world’s leading human rights organisations, accused the New York-based group of anti-Israeli bias yesterday. Mr. Bernstein turned on the organisation he created in 1978 in a New York Times opinion piece questioning the group’s work in the Middle East... Human Rights Watch has battled charges of anti-Israeli bias for many years. The Israeli Government said last month that the group had sunk to a 'new low' when it emerged that the its senior military analyst was an avid collector of Nazi memorabilia. Human Rights Watch suspended Marc Garlasco, an American, who said his hobby was inspired by a German grandfather who had been conscripted into Hitler’s Army. "
To read the New York Times op-ed visit http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/opinion/20bernstein.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=rights%20watchdog&st=cse.
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Washington Times: Obama Appointee Edward Chen A "Judicial Radical"
To read the article for yourself visit http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/25/another-judicial-radical/. Tweet
Approximately 40 House Dems Prepared To Block Obamacare From Coming ToThe Floor Should The Bill Subsidize Abortion
The Hill reports that "approximately 40 House Democrats are prepared to block healthcare reform legislation from coming to the floor should the bill include federal subsidies for abortions, said Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) Friday. Stupak, who is conservative on social issues, told CNS News that he has organized the voting bloc to support his amendment that would strip the abortion provisions from the legislation. House Rules Committee chairwoman Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), according to Stupak, said that there is 'no way' her panel would provide a vote for his amendment. The group of 40 would join House Republicans in voting against procedural measure that would draft rules for debating the bill on the House floor. Passage of the measure is necessary for the House to hold a floor vote. 'There’s about 40 like-minded Democrats like myself -- we’ll try to take down the rule,' Stupak said. 'If all 40 of us vote in a bloc against the rule -- because we think the Republicans will join us -- we can defeat the rule. The magic number is 218. If we can have 218 votes against the rule, we win.' With 177 Republicans in the House, Stupak would need at least 41 Democrats to cross the aisle and vote against the rule. Stupak's amendment was originally defeated by the House Energy and Commerce Committee during mark-up." Tweet
Israeli Police Storm Jerusalem's Temple Mount To Stop Arab Rock Throwing
The AP reports that Israeli forces stormed the Temple Mount Sunday "firing stun grenades to disperse hundreds of stone-throwing Palestinian protesters in a fresh eruption of violence at the most volatile spot in the Holy Land. A wall of Israeli riot police behind plexiglass shields closed in on the crowd, sending many protesters — overwhelmingly young men — running for cover into the black-domed Al-Aqsa mosque. The mosque is one part of the compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. Dozens of protesters remained holed up inside the mosque for several hours, occasionally opening shuttered doors to throw objects at police."
The Jerusalem Post reports that nine "police officers and a foreign reporter were lightly wounded Sunday during clashes between security forces and Arab rioters in the capital. Police were forced to enter the Temple Mount twice during the the day of fierce rioting, and were met by a hail of rocks and a firebomb... Police said the disturbances began when officers were accompanying a group of tourists up to the mount. According to police, several Muslim youngsters were caught on video preparing to cause trouble; gathering rocks to throw and pouring oil onto the ground to hinder the access of security forces and the visitors. Following the discovery, police reinforcements stormed the mount, and were pelted with stones and a fire bomb by the young rioters. The rioters were dispersed with stun grenades and rubber bullets, and a tense calm was briefly restored to the area. Security forces ascended the mount for a second time when Arab youths began hurling rocks just as police officers were talking to the Waqf in a bid to convince some 100 Muslim youths, who had been involved in the earlier violence, to come out of the Aksa Mosque, where they had holed themselves up. Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said the officers had promised not to arrest them if they came out. Police didn't enter the mosque, but throughout the day those inside occasionally opened the shuttered doors to throw various objects, such as chairs, at the security forces. The youths eventually left peacefully and the compound was closed, police said on Sunday evening... In total, 18 Arab rioters were arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct and violence against police officers. Among them were Ali Abu Sheikha, of the Islamic Movement's northern branch, and Khatem Abd al-Kader, holder of the Jerusalem dossier in Fatah, who was banished from the Old City earlier in October on charges of inciting riots."
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