Remembering September 11

September 11, 2009 marks the eighth-year anniversary of 9/11, with memorial events and tributes taking place in New York City and other areas to honor and remember the victims of September 11, 2001, in remembrance of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon that killed thousands of innocent men, women and children.

Whether or not you are able to attend commemoration activities at Ground Zero or in your local communities, take a few moments and say a prayer for the victims of 9/11 and the families left behind without the people they love. I still remember where I was and what I was doing at the time the attacks occurred and I’m sure you do too, and we will never forget what happened on Tuesday, September 11, 2001 for as long as we live.

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AP: Obama’s ‘Oversimplifications and Omissions’

[HT:AP?!!]

In his health care speech Wednesday night, President Obama cast himself as a truth-teller combating “bogus claims” and “misinformation” about his big government health care plan. “If you misrepresent what’s in the plan, we will call you out,” Obama warned his critics.

But within hours, the Associated Press had “fact-checked” the President’s speech and found the Fact-Checker-in-Chief is guilty of misrepresenting a few facts himself. AP writers Calvin Woodward and Erica Werner said the President uttered “a variety of oversimplifications and omissions,” and used “only-in Washington accounting” to claim his plan would not add “one dime” to the deficit.

Excerpts:

OBAMA: "Nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have."

THE FACTS: That's correct, as far as it goes. But neither can the plan guarantee that people can keep their current coverage. Employers sponsor coverage for most families, and they'd be free to drop insurance in favor of the cheaper government fee for doing so, leaving only the government plan for their employees.

The Congressional Budget Office analyzed the health care bill written by House Democrats and said that by 2016 some 3 million people who now have employer-based care would lose it because their employers would decide to stop offering it.

In the past Obama repeatedly said, "If you like your health care plan, you'll be able to keep your health care plan, period." Now he's stopping short of that unconditional guarantee by saying nothing in the plan "requires" any change.
...

OBAMA: "Don't pay attention to those scary stories about how your benefits will be cut. ... That will never happen on my watch. I will protect Medicare."

THE FACTS: Obama and congressional Democrats want to pay for their health care plans in part by reducing Medicare payments to providers by more than $500 billion over 10 years....Although wasteful spending in Medicare is widely acknowledged, many experts believe some seniors almost certainly would see reduced benefits from the cuts. That's particularly true for the 25 percent of Medicare users covered through Medicare Advantage.
...

OBAMA: Requiring insurance companies to cover preventive care like mammograms and colonoscopies "makes sense, it saves money, and it saves lives."

THE FACTS: Studies have shown that much preventive care — particularly tests like the ones Obama mentions — actually costs money instead of saving it....

He also promised to overhaul the nation's health care system without adding "one dime" to the deficit.

By conventional arithmetic, Democratic plans would drive up the deficit by billions of dollars...

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image toon - 1st hcare = Oby zapping people who think hcare's ok as is

'TOUCH OF GREATNESS' in 'REMARKABLE' Speech About 'RE-BRANDING'' Obama as 'CENTRIST'

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Some very friendly assessments of President Barack Obama's health care address Wednesday night to a joint session of Congress, most gathered from the quick analysis in the short time between Obama and the Republican response:

• ♦ MSNBC's Keith Olbermann hailed it as “a broad and forward thinking speech” with “a touch of greatness.” (MP3 audio)
• ♦ On ABC, George Stephanopoulos saw “a pretty remarkable speech” and suggested “this is very close to President Obama's heart.” (MP3 audio)
• ♦ Chuck Todd, on NBC, insisted the address was “about re-branding the President himself as a centrist and a pragmatist.”
• ♦ CNN's David Gergen lamented Obama's lost opportunity: “Had he given this speech three months ago, when there was a glow about his presidency, I think he could have swept the country...”
• ♦ [UPDATE] Newsweek's Jonathan Alter, during a 11:15 PM EDT edition of MSNBC's The Ed Show, celebrated: “The great news tonight is this bill is on track for passage. Historic change is coming to the United States.” (MP3 audio)

More complete quotes from Wednesday night, September 9:

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Obama's Health Care Speech and the MSM

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"Media must expose Obama’s calculated lying, scare tactics"

Alexandria, VA – Media Research Center President Brent Bozell issued the following statement this morning demanding the media report President Obama's lies, distortions and exaggerations delivered in his speech on health care reform last night:

"Barack Obama will not stop committing serial dishonesty with the American people until the media expose his false figures and bogus exaggerations for what they are: fraudulent scare tactics.

"Last night Obama told a litany of lies. He said the total cost of his health reform would be $900 billion over ten years, but even the government-run Congressional Budget Office found it would cost $1.6 trillion. He claimed his reform would not cover illegal immigrants or abortions, but nothing in any of the Democrat bills requires citizen verification and several organizations including the National Right to Life Committee have shown exactly how federal funds would be used to pay for abortion-on-demand. He knows these are lies and he tells them because he is confident the left wing 'news' media will let him get away with it.

"Worst still, Obama used these lies to play on Americans greatest fears and vulnerabilities. He warned that more people would die unless we passed his sweeping plan and threatened that our country's economic pulse would weaken with American businesses closing. And still, the media let him get away with it.

"This must stop. The media must expose Obama's calculated scare tactics and lying on 'reform.' Failing to do so gives him a green light to lie and cry wolf about whatever he wants, whenever he wants. And it will aid in the most radical government takeover ever attempted in America."

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CNN's Polling Before and After Obama Speech Skewed Democratic

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CNN/Opinion Research Corporation’s poll on President Obama’s health care speech to Congress on Wednesday significantly oversampled Democrats. The pollsters interviewed 427 Americans before and after their speech- only 18% were Republicans, while 45% were Democrats.

CNN’s senior political correspondent Candy Crowley detailed the poll’s results on Anderson Cooper 360 less than an hour after the President delivered his speech on Wednesday evening, and the following morning on the American Morning program.

CNN.com’s home page touted how the poll “finds big swing after Obama speech” [see graphic at right], while the article about the poll itself ran with the headline, “CNN Poll: Double-digit post-speech jump for Obama plan.”

Update: MRC President and NewsBusters Publisher Brent Bozell released the following statement regarding the CNN poll:

"CNN has no business airing a ‘poll’ that is straight partisan reaction from those already in the can for ObamaCare. Caveat or no caveat, CNN was dead wrong to run this and on national television proclaim,

‘We have important numbers here.’

It is an embarrassment that their news directors deemed it newsworthy to begin with. This network simply cannot be trusted to cover this hugely important story fairly."

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[HT:PF]

The following was posted at Facebook late Wednesday evening:

After all the rhetoric is put aside, one principle ran through President Obama’s speech tonight: that increased government involvement in health care can solve its problems.

Many Americans fundamentally disagree with this idea.

We know from long experience that the creation of a massive new bureaucracy will not provide us with “more stability and security,” but just the opposite. It's hard to believe the President when he says that this time he and his team of bureaucrats have finally figured out how to do things right if only we’ll take them at their word.

Our objections to the Democrats’ health care proposals are not mere “bickering” or “games.” They are not an attempt to “score short term political points.” And it’s hard to listen to the President lecture us not to use “scare tactics” when in the next breath he says that “more will die” if his proposals do not pass.

In his speech the President directly responded to concerns I’ve raised about unelected bureaucrats being given power to make decisions affecting life or death health care matters. He called these concerns “bogus,” “irresponsible,” and “a lie” -- so much for civility. After all the name-calling, though, what he did not do is respond to the arguments we’ve made, arguments even some of his own supporters have agreed have merit.

In fact, after promising to “make sure that no government bureaucrat .... gets between you and the health care you need,” the President repeated his call for an Independent Medicare Advisory Council -- an unelected, largely unaccountable group of bureaucrats charged with containing Medicare costs. He did not disavow his own statement that such a group, working outside of “normal political channels,” should guide decisions regarding that “huge driver of cost ... the chronically ill and those toward the end of their lives....” He did not disavow the statements of his health care advisor, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, and continuing to pay his salary with taxpayer dollars proves a commitment to his beliefs. The President can keep making unsupported assertions, but until he directly responds to the arguments I’ve made, I’m going to call him out too.

It was heartening to hear the President finally recognize that tort reform is an important part of any solution. But this concession shouldn’t lead us to take our eye off the ball: the Democrats’ proposals will not reduce costs, and they will not deliver better health care. It’s this kind of “healthy skepticism of government” that truly reflects a “concern and regard for the plight of others.” We can’t wait to hear the details on that; we look forward to working with you on tort reform.

Finally, President Obama delivered an offhand applause line tonight about the cost of the War on Terror. As we approach the anniversary of the September 11th attacks and honor those who died that day and those who have died since in the War on Terror, in order to secure our freedoms, we need to remember their sacrifices and not demonize them as having had too high a price tag.

Remember, Mr. President, elected officials work for the people. Forcing a conclusion in order to claim a “victory” is not healthy for our country. We hear you say government isn’t always the answer; now hear us -- that’s what we’ve been saying all along.

- Sarah Palin

image toon - 1st hcare = NHS mess stories but US still considering

Pak Taliban kill schoolchildren

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PESHAWAR, Pakistan – Taliban militants on Tuesday shot dead four schoolchildren and wounded six others in an apparent sectarian attack in a remote tribal town in northwest Pakistan, officials and residents said.

The students were going to school in Atmankhel town of Orakzai district when the militants opened fire, killing four boys and wounding six others...

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Petition Against Cheney With Only 150 Signatures in a Year Draws AP Coverage

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Ill will against former Vice President Dick Cheney still runs high in some circles.

So high, in fact, that when the University of Wyoming decided to name an international student center after him, Suzanne Pelican began circulating a petition against it last year. One year later, that petition has earned 150 signatures and an Associated Press story.

One hundred fifty signatures in a year? That must be some kind of organizing.

Hat tip to Gay Patriot who comments:

Wow, we got thrice that in an afternoon at a Tea Party in Santa Monica, one of the most left-wing bastions in the Golden State. And we didn’t have a an AP report from that grassroots protest leading Yahoo!’s news.

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By the Book: How Democracies Perish

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I discovered Jean Francois Revel quite by accident. While researching anti-American organizations that support terrorist groups, I came across a thin volume entitled simply, Anti-Americanism. Written by a respected French intellectual, it is the rarest of works, examining and condemning the reflexive and unjustified anti-Americanism found in the European and particularly the French press. It is a clear and biting indictment of the unreason of the popular press and of the totalitarian left.

"But democracy can defend itself only very feebly; its internal enemy has an easy time of it because he exploits the right to disagree that is inherent in democracy. His aim of destroying democracy itself, of actively seeking an absolute monopoly of power, is shrewdly hidden behind the citizen's right to oppose and criticize the system.

"Paradoxically, democracy offers those seeking to abolish it a unique opportunity to work against it legally. They can even receive almost open support from the external enemy without its being seen as a truly serious violation of the social contract.

"The frontier is vague, the transition easy between the status of a loyal opponent wielding a privilege built into democratic institutions and that of an adversary subverting those institutions. To totalitarianism, an opponent is by definition subversive; democracy treats subversives as mere opponents for fear of betraying it principles.

"Exaggerated self-criticism would be a harmless luxury of civilization if there were no enemy at the gate condemning democracy's very existence. But it becomes dangerous when it portrays its mortal enemy as always being in the right. Extravagant criticism is a good propaganda device in internal politics.

"But if it is repeated often enough, it is finally believed. And where will the citizens of democratic societies find reasons to resist the enemy outside if they are persuaded from childhood that their civilization is merely an accumulation of failures and a monstrous imposture?"

- Jean Francois Revel, How Democracies Perish

Revel's regard for the US was unclouded by naive romanticism. He judged us fairly, took stock of our strengths and weaknesses and found us admirable... [snip]

Ultimately, the America we love lives or dies because of the action or inaction of its citizens. Revel reminds us of the terrible responsibility of that citizenship, as we face a battle for survival, against ourselves.

[Highly Recommended > ]

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Visas for Cubans but not Hondurans

Still on the wrong side of history

The Obama administration's war against Honduran democracy continues. On Thursday , the United States of America cut off aid to Honduras for following their own laws.

Now, our State Department has expanded visas to Cuba while denying them to Honduras.

The blog Mere Rhetoric explains:

The new Honduras guidelines mean you can only acquire a visa on an emergency basis, compared to the new Cuba rules which allow unlimited family travel. A few days ago the administration announced that they were looking to restrict visas to Honduras even further. Because the Cuban government is so much more democratic and legitimate than the entirety of the duly-elected and constitutionally-prescribed Honduran state.

[For shame.]

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On a related note, Fausta Wertz has a roundup and pictures from the "Anti-Chavez Day" of demonstrations across Latin America...

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Teenage Unemployment Rate at an All-Time High: NYT Blog COMMENTERS need Explain Why

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Yesterday's Employment Situation Report from Uncle Sam's Bureau of Labor Statistics had lots of dismal news.

One of the bigger disappointments, but sadly not one of the bigger surprises, is that the teenage unemployment rate reached an all-time seasonally adjusted high of 25.5%.

People who know even a little bit about economics should understand why, but an oddly titled (Oh What a Time to Be Young!) New York Times blog by Catherine Rampall took a pass on realistically trying to explain it.

Luckily, the Internet format allows readers to make up for the oversights of posters:

Undoubtedly due to minimum wage increases. I don’t know of a single business that kept on as many teenage workers when the minimum wage increased. -- Josh

Higher minimum wages will kill job prospects for the young. In 27 years of business I never paid just the minimum wage, but now I have to in California. It costs way too much to train someone before they become productive; it’s just not worth it and now I am much more likely to cut my losses with a slow learner rather than train them more. -- Jon A

.... This happens every time they increase the minimum wage; teenagers are laid off and their wages are spread around to pay the remaining workers’ higher wages. The first full month of the new minimum wage, 150,000 teens lose their job. It is a sadly predictable result of liberal policy. -- Vitalis

Wow. The kids are applying for unemployment* instead of just going back to school and studying. Free is free. When I was in school, I never considered applying, even though I could have. -- Cathy

[* Hook 'em on government dependence early and you'll have 'em for life.]

The federal minimum wage was increased to $5.85 on July 24, 2007; to $6.55 on July 24, 2008; and to $7.25 on July 24, 2009. In July 2007, teenage unemployment was at 15.1%. By August 2008, it was at 19.2%. Now we're at 25.5%.

I'd say there's a correlation, and that the press isn't willing to make it. The minimum wage is a favorite of the left, no matter how many kids and low-skilled adults it throws out of work. Supporting minimum-wage increases is considered one of the things the late Sen. Ted Kennedy "got right."

I don't see how.

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'60 Minutes' Promotes $27-Billion Leftist 'Fraud' Efforts Against Chevron

One-sided segment uses misleading footage, biased sources and omits key points to perpetrate scheme by Ecuadoran government, friend of Obama.

When $27 billion is at stake, some companies would pay big bucks to win a PR battle, but one side of an environmental lawsuit doesn’t have to, since CBS is pushing its position for free.

On CBS’s May 3 “60 Minutes,” correspondent Scott Pelley, who once compared global-warming skepticism to Holocaust denial, gave the plaintiff of a $27-billion frivolous lawsuit against Chevron a public relations victory with his report.

Pelley’s report featured a suit filed by the Amazon Defense Coalition, a group described as “eco-radicals,” who are trying to squeeze $27 billion from Chevron "on behalf of 30,000 villagers", although there are only 48 named plaintiffs.

Pelley left out everything from huge problems in the Ecuadorian courts to the close ties the lead attorney has with a prominent former U.S. senator – President Barack Obama...

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Weather record leaves us cold

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If you’ve been of the opinion that the weather in Winnipeg has never been so bad — you’re right. Environment Canada says that Winnipeg will set a local record today for nine consecutive months of below-seasonal temperatures.

"You’ve never had nine consecutive months of below-seasonal temperatures before,"

meteorologist Alyssa Charbonneau said this morning.

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image toon - grn msm bias = MSM = going to die from warming and cold

GOP missing a big issue

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What on earth is the Republican Party thinking? Or rather, what is it foolishly ignoring? The Obama administration has handed Republicans and conservatives a huge club with which to pound their Democrat opponents.

That's right, Bubba, a Democrat administration has put a freeze on Social Security cost of living increases...

[Relax; only Republicans are evil - when Dems put it to the little guy it's for their own good - so no story there...]

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'Socialist': The new N-word

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Socialist. It's the new N-word. So know when you call Barack Obama a "socialist," the rest of us [?] are thinking: "There goes a racist."

How do we know this? Well, the administration and our media tell us so...

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POLL: 51% Say Congress is Too Liberal, 22% Say It’s Too Conservative

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14% say the ideological balance of Congress is about right and 12% are not sure.

Middle income earners are more likely than others to see Congress as too liberal. Among those who earn between $40,000 and $100,000 a year, 64% hold that view.

President Barack Obama is seen as politically liberal by 77% of voters nationwide.

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THE IMPLOYMENT SHIFT

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Women held 49.83 percent of the nation's 132 million jobs in June and they're gaining the vast majority of jobs in the few sectors of the economy that are growing, according to the most recent numbers available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

At the current pace, women will become a majority of workers in October or November. From December 2007 to June 2009:

• Men have lost 74 percent of the 6.4 million jobs erased since the recession began in December 2007.
• Men have lost more than 3 million jobs in construction and manufacturing alone.

The only parts of the economy still growing -- health care, education and government -- have traditionally hired mostly women. The gender transformation is especially remarkable in local government's 14.6 million-person workforce:

• Cities, schools, water authorities and other local jurisdictions have cut 86,000 men from payrolls during the recession.
• These same organizations have added 167,000 women to their payrolls, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Equality in workforce numbers reflects a long-term cultural change pursued by the left for decades, and likely to continue given the female majority currently attending our colleges and universities...

[Not to worry, the harm being done is to men.]

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Obama's EPA plans fewer toxic cleanups

[Hisory]

For years, the Bush administration was criticized for not cleaning up enough of the nation's most contaminated waste sites. The Obama administration plans to do even less.

In Obama's first two years in office, the Environmental Protection Agency expects to begin the final phase of cleanup at fewer Superfund sites than in any administration since 1991, according to budget documents and agency records. The EPA estimates it will finish construction to remove the last traces of pollution at 20 sites in 2009 and 22 sites in 2010.

During the eight years of the Bush administration, the agency finished construction at 38 sites on average a year.

Environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and some Democratic lawmakers who highlighted how little the Bush administration did on hazardous waste cleanups are now silent.

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image toon - 1st = 9/11 REMEMBERED

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