Friday, June 25, 2010
Judge notes that Obama admin manipulated experts’ opinions in 'report'
Subject: txt hots engry -
Judge Martin Feldman’s preliminary injunction against the deep-water drilling moratorium noted the dissents of experts who said that the Obama Administration “misrepresented” their opinions when the moratorium was announced. Feldman notes that
“[the experts] envisioned a more limited kind of moratorium, but a blanket moratorium was added after their final review, they complain, and was never agreed to by them.”
Speaking for himself and the seven other experts who disagree with the drilling moratorium, engineer Ken Arnold said that
“We believe as a group that the moratorium as written and as being implemented today actually has the effect of decreasing safety.”
The reason is that there are huge risks to shutting down deep-water wells that are currently functioning...
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Networks Ignore Misleading Obama Report on Drilling Moratorium and Opposition of Experts
Subject: txt hots msm bias - engry -
All three network news shows on Tuesday skipped a report that the majority of experts consulted by the Obama administration opposed the government's plan to halt deepwater oil drilling for six months.
Only Special Report With Bret Baier covered the story. [As usual.]
FNC reporter James Rosen noted a federal judge's decision to overturn the plan:
"The judge also rebuked the Obama administration for filing a quote 'misleading misrepresentation' in the case by suggesting an expert panel supported the moratorium when a majority of its members do not."
ABC's World News, CBS's Evening News and NBC's Nightly News (as well as Good Morning America, Early Show and Today) all highlighted the ruling, but none of them mentioned the opposition from a majority of the panel...
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FLASHBACK >
MSNBC's false narrative on Judge's offshore drilling moratorium ruling
Subject: txt engry msm -
The judge owned more stock in onshore drilling concerns that would have benefited from a moratorium...
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McChrystal Told the Truth
Subject: txt hots gwot nsec islm -
The military is finally telling the unvarnished truth about President Obama's dysfunctional national security team.
Oddly, Gen. Stanley McChrystal and his inner circle chose to dish dirt to a reporter for Rolling Stone, a decidedly left-wing publication that portrays the U.S. military negatively and knows as much about counter-insurgency as a 4th grader. The article that brought down the career special-operations soldier throws in the "F-word" several times, not as a quote, but to describe the author's own views.
Not included in the story is an ongoing dispute between the White House and its generals that shows why McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan, had grown so frustrated.
The debate centers on when exactly troops will begin leaving Afghanistan. Every time a Pentagon figure, such as Gen. David Petraeus, the overall region commander, testified that Obama's July 2011 withdrawal date does not mean the U.S. is abandoning Afghanistan, there was a White House official saying the opposite.
The result is a badly mangled message to Afghan troops and villagers who think America is going to leave them to the mercies of the Taliban, which shows no mercy.
Thus, McChrystal's counter-insurgency strategy of winning over the population cannot possibly succeed as long as the White House undercuts it.
Recall, this is an administration that eschews even using the words war or victory or winning...
[Highly Recommended > ]
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Media Praise Obama's 'Brilliant' Handling of McChrystal Controversy
Subject: txt hots gwot msm -
President Obama's decision to relieve General Stanley McChrystal of command in Afghanistan and replace him with General David Petraeus was met with a chorus of praise in the media, as anchors and pundits on CBS, NBC, CNN, and MSNBC all sang in unison that it was a "brilliant" move. [Audio available here]
During live special coverage leading up to the announcement in the 1PM ET hour on CBS, White House correspondent Chip Reid proclaimed: "it sounds like a pretty brilliant decision really." At the same time on NBC, correspondent Jim Miklaszewski described it as a "stunning development" and added "at a quick glance, almost brilliant." Minutes later, White House correspondent Chuck Todd declared: "politically, in this town, it's going to be seen as a brilliant choice by the President."
Over on CNN, moments after Obama finished speaking, anchor Wolf Blitzer remarked that it was a "major moment for this president" and later observed: "a very brilliant move to tap General Petraeus."
[What 'talking points news'?]
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TWOFER:
Subject: txt hots gwot msm -
MSNBC Looks to Lefty Ed Schultz for Reaction on Obama's 'Brilliant' Firing of McChrystal
Only 70 minutes after Barack Obama explained his decision to fire General Stanley McChrystal, Wednesday, MSNBC turned to leftist host Ed Schultz for analysis. Schultz gushed that the decision proved that the President is "brilliant on the basics." He enthused,
"Well, as commander in chief, I think it's probably President Obama's finest hour," because it displayed toughness.
Host Tamron Hall knocked McChrystal, referencing his role in the investigation of Army Ranger Pat Tillman's death. She derided, "So, we know that McChrystal has a lot of, if you will, Xs on his report card."
[Is that why Obama chose him, because of such alleged 'x's'?]
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Ed Schultz Tries to Blame McChrystal, Appointed by Obama, on... Bush
Far-left MSNBC ranter Ed Schultz just can't let facts get in the way of his rank partisanship and liberal propagandizing. His latest whopper, that Gen. Stanley McChrystal was "another problem [President Obama] inherited from the Bush administration," was blatantly untrue, and just earned him a "pants on fire" rating from Politifact.com.
Politifact, which has busted up other untruths propagated by media liberals, noted a valuable lesson for liberals and Democrats: "not everything can be blamed on President Bush." Indeed.
Not only did President Obama not "inherit" McChrystal's command from the previous administration, he "effectively sacked the general in charge to create a vacancy that he then proceeded to fill with McChrystal as his fix-it man," notes Politifact.
We applaud the folks at Politifact for checking Schultz's inane rantings. Welcome to our world!
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MoveOn.org Removes 'General Betray Us' Ad From Website
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In a classic example of liberal hypocrisy, the far-left leaning, George Soros-funded group MoveOn.org has removed its controversial "General Betray Us" ad from its website.
For those that have forgotten, shortly after General David Petraeus issued his report to Congress in September 2007 concerning the condition of the war in Iraq and the success of that March's troop surge, MoveOn placed a full-page ad in the New York Times with the headline, "General Petraeus or General Betray Us?"
Now that President Obama has appointed Petraeus to replace the outgoing Gen. Stanley McChrystal to lead the war effort in Afghanistan, the folks on the far-left that castigated Petraeus when he worked for George W. Bush are praising his choice as 'brilliant'.
With that in mind, the ad, which has been at MoveOn's website for years, was unceremoniously removed on Wednesday as reported by our friends at Weasel Zippers:
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FLASHBACK >
Kucinich targets First Amendment rights of energy firm employees
Subject: txt lbrty engry bdd libs -
Evidence continues piling up that contemporary liberal Democrats have but one response to political speech with which they disagree – they seek to use government power to censor it. 
The latest example comes from Rep. Dennis “The Menace” Kucinich, D-OH, who has filed an amendment to the DISCLOSE Act being debated today in the House of Representatives to kill the First Amendment political speech rights if employees work for energy firms seeking to explore and drill for oil and natural gas in the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.
Apparently Kucinich has not read the First Amendment...
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Buying Government Dependency
Subject: txt lbrty sclm mny bbro -
"[T]he long night of rule by the most reactionary groups on the political spectrum has ended... we extended and deepened our mass connections, we contributed to the historic victory in 2008, we enhanced our presence and visibility, and we increased our membership. We didn't grow as much as we would have liked, but we have a firm foundation on which to increase our size, visibility and readership of our publications in the period ahead. Provided, of course, that we further build and unite the working class based coalition that came together to elect President Obama."Sam Webb, Chair of the Communist Party USA, June 3, 2010.
Increase in federal payments to individuals (current dollars), from 2000 to 2008:
Data source: US Statistical Abstract, Table 462.
- All payments to individuals: 73%
- Social Security old age & survivors: 44%
- Low income home energy: 78%
- Social Security disabled: 92%
- Unemployment assistance: 105%
- Veterans' education benefits: 120%
- Medicare supplementary health insurance: 165%
- Student assistance (other than veterans' ed.): 197%
- State children's health insurance: 466%
- Public assistance payment where child credit exceeds tax liability: 4,105%
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"Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have ... The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases. "Gerald Ford, 1974 address to Congress
Dems: We’re not bound by president’s tax vow
Subject: txt mny tax econ libs crpt -
Democrats are looking at the possibility of raising taxes on families below the $250,000-a-year threshold promised by President Barack Obama during the election. The majority party on Capitol Hill does not feel bound by that pledge, saying the threshold for tax hikes will depend on several factors, such as the revenue 'differences'...
“You could go lower, too — why not $200,000?” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). “With the debt and deficit we have, you can’t make promises to people..."
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Networks Snoozing on Hoyer Suggesting Dems Won't Vote to Continue Bush Tax Cuts for Middle Class
Subject: txt tax msm -mny -
Yesterday I wrote about the Washington Post burying its story on House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer saying that congressional Democrats were not wedded to President Obama's 2008 campaign pledge to not raise taxes on anyone earning less than $250,000 per year.
Asked about those remarks at yesterday's White House press briefing, Robert Gibbs said he had not seen the comments and would "be happy to look at and try to get a response after this [briefing]."
Hours later, The Hill newspaper's Alexander Bolton filed a story that noted it's not just Hoyer who's staking out this position:
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Media-Backed Obama Mortgage Program Flops
Subject: txt mny econ tax bbro sclm msm -
Obama's home loan modification program was talked up by the bailout-friendly news media as a potential "ray of light" for struggling homeowners.
But on June 21, Associated Press reported the mortgage assistance program is "falling flat."
ABC, CBS and NBC haven't mentioned the new figures since AP reported them...
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IRS Blocks 10% of First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credits After Audits
Subject: txt bbro mny tax -
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Death tax cometh
Subject: txt bdd vals tax - libs -
The federal death tax is coming for more Americans, a well-placed Capitol Hill source tells The Post. The tax will jump to 55 percent next year on all estates [including small businesses, which frequently need be liquidated to pay the taxes] valued at $1 million and up -- unless lawmakers can reach a compromise to raise the threshold amount or cut the rate, or both.
But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is telling his Republican colleagues that he cannot support such a compromise...
[Arguably the most despicable tax we have {inarguable in itself, but we've so many other disgusting taxes...]
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CA School District Banning Teacher’s Posters
[HT:S(T)L]
Two days ago, I posted “CA Schoolboard Finds Teacher’s Pro-America Posters Offensive” — on the case of the Poway School District in San Diego asking a Math teacher in a high school to take down posters he had put up in his classroom. The posters included such offensive phrases as ”One Nation Under God” and ”In God We Trust.” Here’s the YouTube video:
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Iowa Congressman Makes No Apologies for His Comments About Obama Favoring Minorities
Subject: txt gdd vals other 2010 vals -
Iowa Rep. Steve King said he is performing a public service by accusing President Obama of favoring blacks over whites. "I'm standing up against something that is or could become racism," King told FoxNews.com on Wednesday.
The Iowa Republican said he didn't misspeak when he told a nationally syndicated radio show on Monday that President Obama favors blacks over whites.
King told the G. Gordon Liddy show that Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder repeatedly demonstrate an unjust preference toward minorities...
[Finally, spine.]
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California universities consider adopting the T-word: tuition
Subject: txt cali edu - tax -
California's public universities are now inching closer to using the word they've long viewed as taboo: tuition. Unlike schools in every other state, California's public campuses in effect have banned official use of the word -- despite that students pay most of their education costs.
The state's master plan for higher education, which in 1960 established separate roles for the University of California, California State University and the community colleges, also declared that the public institutions "shall be tuition free to all residents"...
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PAINFUL HEALTH CARE LESSONS FROM MASSACHUSETTS: HEALTH CARE EXCHANGES
Subject: txt hcare -
How did health care costs in Massachusetts get so big?
A major reason is that health care exchanges reward people for working less and earning less, says Shawn Tully, a senior editor-at-large with CNN.money.
Data is lacking on how damaging these perverse incentives are in practice. But it's clear in Massachusetts that low-to medium-earning families often suffer financially if they get a raise, work overtime, move to a higher paying job -- or if a spouse rejoins the workforce, says Tully.
For example:
- A family earning $33,000 pays no premium at all under Commonwealth Care.
- But if their pay goes to $46,000, they're obligated to contribute about $2,400.
- That's an effective tax rate of 18.5 percent on that $13,000 raise.
- A pay increase of $44,000 to $46,000 is mostly erased by higher premiums alone.
The federal bill is plagued by the same weakness. For example:
- A $55,000 earner contributes $4,400 a year towards insurance.
- At $65,000, the bill is $6,300; so the family is paying a "tax" of $1,900 or 19 percent on that $10,000 raise.
After payroll taxes, those Americans would face a marginal rate of around 35 percent, a number that's heretofore been the territory strictly for high-earners, says Tully...
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58% Favor Repeal of the Health Care Bill
Subject: txt hcare poll:
For the second week in a row, 58% of Likely U.S. Voters favor repeal of the national health care plan adopted into law by Congress in late March. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds 36% oppose repeal.
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Japanese Told More Sleep Means Less Global Warming
Subject: txt grn - fnn -
More warming madness: The Japanese government has begun urging citizens to go to bed and get up an hour earlier to reduce their carbon footprints
Now, sending couples to bed earlier under the guise of saving the planet might actually save something else entirely – Japanese culture. You see, the nation is battling a growing populace decline -- Japan's population is estimated to have shrunk by 75,000 last year, which is 1.46 times the 2008 decrease.
Then again, even were the unintended consequence of this nutty idea to be a much-needed spike in Japanese babies, government greenies would surely consider the new arrivals to be carbon-breathing, meat-eating, procreating, pet loving, shelter demanding and energy wasting parasites.
Now that’s something the people should definitely sleep on.
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[Scam: there's big bucks involved.]
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House Passes DISCLOSE Act - With Exemptions
The House has passes the campaign finance reform bill known as the DISCLOSE Act by a vote of 219 to 206. 217 Democrats and two Republicans voted for the measure.
The DISCLOSE Act, or the Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections Act, requires corporations to disclose top donors in their political ads - but not labor unions or political advocacy organizations...
[The added 'exemptions'.]
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The New Breed of Republican
Tim Scott, who is black, received a whopping 69% of the run off vote for representative against Paul Thurmond, the white son of the late Senator Strom Thurmond (D for most of his life-SC), a man who symbolized and represented the ugly segregationist south. Given the make up of the district he represents, according to the South Carolina Star Tribune, Scott
is now poised to become the nation's first black GOP congressman since 2003.
Scott, 44, owns an insurance business and became the first black Republican in the South Carolina Legislature in more than a century when elected two years ago. (snip)
Scott grew up in poverty in North Charleston, his parents divorcing when he was 7. His mother, Frances, worked 16 hours a day raising Scott and a brother and Scott regularly introduce her at campaign events.
Scott also credits a mentor with helping him turn around his life at a time he was in danger of flunking out of high school. He said John Moniz, a conservative entrepreneur who ran a Chick-fil-A, changed his outlook on life. (snip)
"This race is not really about winning the election," Scott told about 200 people gathered for a victory party in a North Charleston hotel. "It's about finding a way to bring us together so our country leads the world in every way possible."
And Nikki Haley, a woman whose parents emigrated from India, who won the Republican run off election for governor of South Carolina, has a good chance of besting her white male Democrat opponent in the general election.They both won their elections on the strength of their ideas which appealed to the voters, less so on their skin color/gender/ethnic backgrounds, all matters which the Democrats so consciously chose to identify candidates.
So, which attitude is more representative of this country? Hopefully, the former.
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People Trust Facebook and Google More Than They Trust The Media
A new study found significantly more people trust tech giants Apple, Google, and Microsoft than they do traditional media.
Adding insult to injury, the relatively new social networking website Facebook is even more trusted than the media which 88 percent of respondents said they had little to no trust for.
[Ouch.]
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