CO2 driven global warming is not supported by the data

Subject: txt grn -
CO2 -- many seek to regulate it, legislate it, tax it, capture it, sequester it, cap it, trade it or otherwise control it. And they who do would have us risk nothing less than worldwide economic destruction based on the theory that not doing so will inevitably lead to catastrophic global warming.

But one need only study the past two centuries of climate history to conclude that CO2 simply does not drive global warming.... [snip]

Figure 3. Oscillating anomaly in deg C for Hadley Centre data.

The above plot clearly shows the following shifts in mean global temperatures:

Global cooling by 0.71 deg C from 1878 to 1911, for 33 years.

Global warming by 0.53 deg C from 1911 to 1944, for 33 years.

Global cooling by 0.48 deg C from 1944 to 1976, for 32 years.

Global warming by 0.67 deg C from 1976 to 1998, for 22 years.

In addition to the data above that show cooling and warming phases of mean global temperature anomalies, there exist supporting documents that describe the climate of those periods in the media:

For the global cooling from 1878 to 1911, the headline in The New York Times on 24-Feb-1895 was PROSPECTS OF ANOTHER GLACIAL PERIOD.

For the global warming from 1911 to 1944, the headline in The New York Times on 15-May-1932 was Melting Polar Ice Caps to Raise the Level of Seas and Flood the Continents

For the global cooling from 1944 to 1976, the headline in Newsweek on 28-April-1975 was The Cooling World.

[snip]

Science is about the data. Science is not about consensus or authority.

The linear global warming of the last century was similar to that of two centuries ago. The oscillating warming by 0.67 deg C from 1976 to 1998 is as natural as the oscillating cooling by similar amount from 1878 to 1911. From Figure 4, there is no shift in mean global temperature anomaly in the last century as a result of CO2 emission. None.

CO2 driven global warming is not supported by the data.

Girma Orssengo, MASc, Ph.D.

[Long, boring, much of it over my head - you know; serious science.]

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Cash for Clubbers

Congress's fabulous golf cart stimulus

We thought cash for clunkers was the ultimate waste of taxpayer money, but as usual we were too optimistic. Thanks to the federal tax credit to buy high-mileage cars that was part of President Obama's stimulus plan, Uncle Sam is now paying Americans to buy that great necessity of modern life, the golf cart... [snip]

The federal credit provides from $4,200 to $5,500 for the purchase of an electric vehicle, and when it is combined with similar incentive plans in many states the tax credits can pay for nearly the entire cost of a golf cart. In South Carolina, sales of these carts have been soaring as dealerships alert customers to Uncle Sam's giveaway.

"The Golf Cart Man" in the Villages of Lady Lake, Florida is running a banner online ad that declares: "GET A FREE GOLF CART. Or make $2,000 doing absolutely nothing!"

You can't blame a guy for exploiting a government backed scam... [snip]

This golf-cart fiasco perfectly illustrates tax policy in the age of Obama, when politicians dole out credits and loopholes for everything from plug-in cars to fuel efficient appliances, home insulation and vitamins.

Democrats then insist that to pay for these absurdities they have no choice but to raise tax rates on other things—like work and investment—that aren't politically in vogue. If this keeps up, it'll soon make more sense to retire and play golf than work for living.

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California appears poised to be first to ban power-guzzling big-screen TVs

ubject: txt grn cali engry -

Reporting from Sacramento - The influential lobby group Consumer Electronics Assn. is fighting what appears to be a losing battle to dissuade California regulators from passing the nation's first ban on energy-hungry big-screen televisions.

On Tuesday, executives and consultants for the Arlington, Va., trade group asked members of the California Energy Commission to instead let consumers use their wallets to decide whether they want to buy the most energy-saving new models of liquid-crystal display and plasma high-definition TVs.

"Voluntary efforts are succeeding without regulations," said Doug Johnson, the association's senior director for technology policy. Too much government interference could hamstring industry innovation and prove expensive to manufacturers and consumers, he warned.

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image toon grn melting snowman silly looking

Did You Know...

Subject: txt msm bias libs intl owg mny -

"I said that population, when unchecked, increased in a geometrical ratio; and subsistence for man in an arithmetical ratio." Thomas Malthus, 1798

"The battle to feed humanity is over. In the 1970s, the world will undergo famines. Hundreds of millions of people are going to starve to death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now. Population control is the only answer." Paul Ehrlich, in The Population Bomb, 1968.

Human Population Growth Since 1750

Source: United Nations.

World grain production increase from 1960 to 2000: 270%.

Percentage of world population living in poverty and hunger in 1960: 50%.

Today: 13%.

Source: Thomas R. DeGregori, American Council on Science and Health.

[That's can't be right; everything's getting worse, everyone knows that...]
.

How to take down a great power

Subject: txt hstry -
Unlike Augustus or Caligula, Lucius Aurelius Commodus was not an emperor who made a strong impression on modern consciousness. Until the release of the film Gladiator, a heavily fictionalized version of his reign, most Americans had never heard of him.

Commodus' failings became evident soon after he ascended to the imperial purple. Having no background in foreign policy, he effectively set it aside, allowing his father's achievements to unravel.

We look back at the Roman epoch with a sense of relief. We've learned so much since then. No longer do we consider our leaders to be gods among men. No longer do we hand them unearned and meretricious awards and prizes. We don't turn on and destroy members of previous administrations.

We don't tolerate incompetent and corrupt sycophants in high office. We've learned to recognize disorders such as pathological narcissism and assure that the victims do not gain high office. Any president who placed his prestige on the line with an athletic contest would be laughed to scorn.

And as for political bloodshed, that kind of savagery has no place in a modern democracy. Any party that called for the assassination of an opposing leader -- say, George W. Bush -- would simply be run out of the public sphere. Unlike the Romans, we all understand the concept of consequences, that what goes around comes around.

Don't we?

Under Commodus the leadership of Rome rotted away. The fault of those who opposed him and did not rid themselves of him sooner.

So here is today's history lesson: If you don't like history be warned that you are living it...

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Island of fiscal sanity - in Michigan

It's well known that the State of Michigan is on life support from the federal government. The situation is hopeless. Thousands are lining up for "Obama Cash." The state budget is a mess. State police have been laid off and school funding reduced.

But, amidst the calamity, to the absolute horror of tax and spend democrats there is a shining example of conservative, republican, common-sense management: Oakland County.

It's just had it's triple A bond rating reaffirmed:

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson announces that Wall Street has reaffirmed the county’s coveted AAA Bond Rating.

The AAA Bond Rating is difficult to retain in the current economy. Only about two dozen of the nation’s 3,000 counties have the AAA rating.

“The county will continue to adhere to its historically strong budget and management practices which have resulted in ample financial flexibility that positions the county well to manage current economic challenges,”

Moody’s says.

Patterson, in the mid 1990's, reformed Oakland County's employee health and retirement plans and privatized many services,

So don't tell the voters there that the only choices in tough times are higher taxes or cuts in services. Oakland county voters know better.

It could be called the Miracle of Oakland County if it were ever reported by the major media, but as usual success contrary to the liberal line doesn't seem to be 'news worthy'.


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Woody Harrelson claims he mistook photographer for zombie

Woody Harrelson defended his clash with a photographer at a New York airport Wednesday night as a case of mistaken identity -- he says he mistook the cameraman for a zombie.

The TMZ photographer filed a complaint with police claiming the actor damaged his camera and pushed him in the face at La Guardia Airport, according to an airport spokesman.

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image toon - 1st hcare = Dems no read or believe bill - vote for

POLL: 83% Say Congress Should Post Bills Online For All To Read Before Voting On Them

Subject: txt 1st hcare reps crpt 1st othr -
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds only six percent (6%) of voters disagree with this approach while 10% are not sure.

Of those who favor posting congressional bills in their final form on the Internet, 64% say they should be available to the public two weeks or more before Congress votes and 29% favor posting bills one week before a vote. Just four percent (4%) think three days before a congressional vote is soon enough. [which is the current 72-hours proposal - good enough for three percent of us]

Here there is no partisan disagreement: eighty-five percent (85%) of Republicans, 76% of Democrats and 92% of voters not affiliated with either party favor such postings. [but it won't be done anyway]

Right now, Republicans in the House are trying to force a vote on a measure that would require that pending bills be posted online for three days before that chamber votes on them.

Democrat party leaders are fighting the bill which they view as a GOP 'delaying tactic', despite these results suggesting that an overwhelming majority of voters consider such procedures as little more than common sense.

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Senate Democrats use tricks to pull a fast one on health care reform

Subject: txt 1st hcare -
The Associated Press is reporting that a group of Senate Democrats intend to slide a fast one by the American taxpayer. The Senators hope to win quick approval of a bill that will boost Medicare payments to doctors by hundreds of billions of dollars and will try to do so by using a legislative ploy that all but eliminates public discussion over the issue.

The significance of this tactic is that the Baucus Health Reform bill was drafted with the provision that there would be cuts to Medicare payments to doctors. That is a primary reason that the Congressional Budget Office found that the bill would reduce the deficit. Of course, there were other reasons to consider carefully the assumptions that the CBO used to give the Baucus Bill a pass, but the cuts in payments should always be suspect since Congressmen routinely include this promise in bills to meet budget constraints and later cut that provision after the bill passes and public scrutiny and opposition dies down.

The fact that the Senate is jumping the gun and trying to boost these payments should be seen as a sop to the medical profession. Senate Democrats must realize they will need to "buy off" doctors to get the bill passes. They are buying off, or co-opting, the opposition with our dollars.

Leaders in this effort include Senate Majority leader Harry Reid and Debbie Stabenow (Michigan). A spokesman for Reid disclosed that this ploy was developed in consultation with the House Democrats and the White House. This seems to have the signature of Rahm Emanuel-who knows quite well how to manipulate the levers of power in Congress and knows all the tricks in the book.

A commendation should go to for at least publicizing this stunt. Where is the rest of the media? Where is the promise of transparency we were promised in 2008?

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"DEMAND TRANSPARENCY - POST BILL ON WEB "


Senate-Reid: http://reid.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm
YOUR Senator: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

or: Speed Message them with your personal distribution list...

and as always, pass it on...

contact-template

House Demcrats Go Nuclear on Obamacare

Subject: txt 1st hcare -
House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) held a hearing this morning to certify that H.R. 3200 -- the main House Obamacare bill which was the subject of all the town hall rage in August -- has met all requirements to pass as a “budget reconciliation” measure.

Under reconciliation, the bill can be passed by a simple majority vote in the Senate -- just 51 votes -- and will be given preferential treatment on the House floor as well. The Dems have apparently invoked the “nuclear option” to shut out Republicans and ensure the bill is passed before the end of the year.

The bill certified for “reconciliation” is the Ways & Means version of H.R. 3200 that was passed out of committee before the August break, and before it was read aloud at town hall meetings across the country and blasted by voters across the country.

It contains all of the horrors previously exposed: federal funding of abortion, coverage for illegal aliens, comparative effectiveness, healthcare rationing, deep cuts to Medicare. Everything the American people overwhelmingly reject.

No amendments were allowed at the hearing and no debate. Rangel told Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.), the ranking Republican on the committee, that he would not have preferred to do it this way, but leadership -- i.e., Speaker Pelosi -- forced his hand.

While the media cameras are focused on Harry Reid’s office door, the House of Representatives has made it possible for H.R. 3200 to pass the Senate with 51 votes. It is still possible that Senator Reid won’t choose to use reconciliation in the Senate, but the odds against it are infinitesimal.

H.R. 3200 could see a floor vote in the next two weeks, or the first week of November. If it passes, the House it goes to the Senate and can pass there with 51 votes.

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[Then >


"NO RECONCILIATION - DEMAND TRANSPARENCY"


House-Pelosi: http://speaker.house.gov/contact/
YOUR Congressman: https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml

or: Speed Message them with your personal distribution list...

and as always, pass it on...

contact-template

image toon - Hcare not dead yet

[NOT DEAD YET]

[It's your money, your health, your liberty - it's now or never]

.

Russia warns US on missile defense

Subject: txt intl nsec -
Moscow - A top Russian diplomat suggested Thursday that the U.S. should not talk with non-NATO nations about a prospective missile shield, Russian news agencies reported. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov's remarks appeared to reflect concern over the idea that Western-leaning neighbors such as Ukraine or Georgia, Russia's foe in a war last year, could potentially host U.S. missile defense facilities...

[that was the whole idea]

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Obama loosens missile technology controls to China

Subject: txt nsec intl -
President Obama recently shifted authority for approving sales to China of missile and space technology from the White House to the Commerce Department -- a move critics say will loosen export controls and potentially benefit Chinese missile development.

The president issued a little-noticed "presidential determination" Sept. 29 that delegated authority for determining whether missile and space exports should be approved for China to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke...

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U.S. reverses stance on treaty to regulate arms trade

Subject: txt nsec intl owg -
The United States reversed policy on Wednesday and said it would back launching talks on a treaty to regulate arms sales as long as the talks operated by consensus, a stance critics said gave every nation a veto.

The decision, announced in a statement released by the U.S. State Department, overturns the position of former President George W. Bush's administration, which had opposed such a treaty on the grounds that national controls were better.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States would support the talks as long as the negotiating forum, the so-called Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty, "operates under the rules of consensus decision-making." [snip]

[Right. Like the EUNuchs have followed that rule in their forced-implementation of the EU Constitution aka Lisbon 'treaty'? {"Ireland {'s refusal} cannot speak for the EU"}

Another chip away at our sovereignty.]

The proposed treaty is opposed by the U.S. think tank Heritage Foundation, which said last month that it would not restrict the access of "dictators and terrorists" to arms but would be used to reduce the ability of democracies such as Israel to defend their people...

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image toon c-art = nsec gwot = New seal of defense budget = 1 arrow

Turkey: 32 suspects arrested in plots on Israeli, US targets

Subject: txt gwot -
As if to send out a much-needed reminder of the mutual security interests between Ankara and Jerusalem following an apparent downturn in relations, it was reported Thursday that Turkish authorities had arrested 32 suspected al-Qaida terrorists on suspicion of planning attacks on NATO, US and Israeli targets.

According to a report by the state-run agency Anatolian, which was cited by Reuters, the suspects were caught in raids in eight provinces.

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon praised the arrests and said they proved Ankara's commitment to the war on terror...

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'Syrian long-range missiles in Lebanon'

Subject: txt gwot israel -
Syria has transferred nearly a quarter of its long- and medium-range missile arsenal to Hizbullah, the Kuwaiti al Jarida reported on Thursday.

According to the report, security sources in Jerusalem told the paper that the missiles, now held by Hizbullah, could hit every part of Israel.

Iranian and Syrian officers were reportedly training the Hizbullah operatives in using the new missiles and in operating early warning systems intended to alert the group of Israeli jets.

[The consequences of perceived weakness - aggression. Is there any questions as to where all this is leading?]

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image toon gwot nsec owg = Iran = mother of all suicide bombers

They didn' lynch just Limbaugh

Subject: txt bdd vals libs bbro sclm -
A liberal media lynch mob dragged Rush's dream out into the public square and hung it by the neck until it was dead while the likes of Sharpton and Jackson laughed and cheered...

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So Much for the Post-Racial America

So Much for the Post-Racial America
I'm hunkered down on some projects and just heard about the phony attacks on Rush by the race-hustlers extraordinaire, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. I know Rush has big shoulders and he'll handle it just fine. But everytime one of these stories comes up, which is all too often, I can't help but think it says a lot more about us than whoever happens to be in the cross-hairs.

Why do Sharpton and Jackson have careers? Why aren't they shown the door for serial racism and dishonesty? Why does anyone give a damn what they say? Why does the press treat them like they matter when they're a walking, talking parodies?

Rush treats people in the Martin Luther King aspiration that the content of one's character is what matters, not the color of one's skin. Yet, in the media narrative, he's somehow the one who's got a race issue — and the guys who trade on race, live and breathe it 24/7, are held up as our public conscience. The Left calls this "progress." I call it perversion.

There's only one way this nonsense ever goes away: When we say "enough!" and tell the race-baiters their time is up. It's too much of an industry, so it probably won't happen tomorrow. But the Sixties ideal is crashing and burning before our very eyes, and I think it'll take a lot of its warped obsessions down with it.

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Liberty on the Line

Since when is wanting to buy a football team a matter for the House floor?

When Sheila Jackson Lee took the floor of the House this week to criticize Rush Limbaugh in an attempt to block his bid for purchasing the NFL's St. Louis Rams, I wasn't the only one confused as to the appropriateness of the venue. Even Congresswoman Lee stated, "This is not a government issue." Then why was she wasting taxpayer time and money discussing an explicitly private-sector matter?

Because liberals love nothing more than involving themselves into arenas in which they have no knowledge, while desperately wanting to appear righteous. But I wasn't overly concerned with her choice of venue. I was frightened by her choice of words... [snip]

When a government representative can stand on the floor of our most respected chamber and use phrases like "not the kind of owner the NFL needs," "standards of integrity," and "do the right thing" when discussing a private citizen, a shiver runs down my spine. T

If Limbaugh isn't an acceptable "kind of owner," then who is exactly?

Is it the place of a public employee to judge what "kind of owner" a business should have? Also, to what "standards of integrity" is she referring? Limbaugh has never committed a crime. He pays his taxes fully. He gives mountains more to charity than President Obama or nearly all Democrats. What question of integrity?

If a private citizen can't say what he wants and spend his own money how he wants, while not breaking any rules, our nation's founders would not recognize their creation. Maybe the "right thing" Ms. Lee is searching for is for the NFL to have owners that don't lean "right."

The reality is that it's not a big jump from Ms. Lee's position in the House to a legislator saying that a teacher who doesn't believe in unionization is "not the kind of educator our schools need."

Or a doctor who doesn't agree with single payer healthcare is described as "not the kind of physician our hospitals need."

Or a small business owner who speaks out against exorbitant corporate taxes is deemed "not the kind of entrepreneur our economy needs."

Or...

Suddenly, the "standards of integrity" and the ones doing "the right thing" are distinguished by a distant and relativistic judge.

Once again, this is not the liberty our founders intended.

[More, Recommended > ]

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Special Report: The Left's Character Assassination Campaign Against Rush Limbaugh

Subject: txt extra othr msm bias action - libs -
Vicious personal attacks, distortions of his quotes, outright lies and fabrications.

Those are the three major tactics the Left has deployed in its campaign of character assassination, Media Research Center's Tim Graham illustrates in a brand-new special report: "A Rush to Ruin: The Left’s Character Assassination Campaign Against Rush Limbaugh."

You can click here for the PDF version.

[Again: not a particular fan of 'Rushbo' {as not a fan of fighting fire with napalm} - but what we've just witnessed isn't just anathema to free speech but a danger to us all. If you feel otherwise or are simple unaware of what just transpired, please scan the PDF {lots of quotes, images} before dismissing this as a trivial tiff between mediaites - it's an ominous example of our self-professed professional media as political weapon - Recommended]

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Dollar to Hit 50 Yen, Cease as Reserve, Sumitomo Says

Subject: txt mny -
Tokyo - The dollar may drop to 50 yen next year and eventually lose its role as the global reserve currency, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp.’s chief strategist said, citing trading patterns and a likely double dip in the U.S. economy. ''The U.S. economy will deteriorate into 2011 as the effects of excess consumption and the financial bubble linger,'' said Daisuke Uno at Sumitomo Mitsui, a unit of Japan’s third- biggest bank.

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First hard stimulus data finds only 30,000 jobs 'saved or created'

Subject: txt mny -
The first direct stimulus reports showed that stimulus contracts saved or created just 30,083 jobs, prompting more Republican criticism of the $787 billion package. The data posted Thursday was the result of the government's initial attempt at counting actual stimulus jobs.

Obama administration officials said it exceeded their projections... [?]

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Former CBO Chief Calls Obama Administration Fiscal Policies ‘Laughable’

Subject: txt mny -
A former congressional budget chief called the Obama administration’s claims to fiscal responsibility ''hypocritical'' and ''laughable,'' noting in particular the mounting unemployment numbers (9.8 percent nationwide) despite the $787-billion stimulus plan enacted in February that he said was poorly designed... [ya think?]

''A minority (under $300 billion) of the near trillion-dollar bill cut taxes, and very little cut marginal tax rates,'' ... ''The result was no real improvement in economic incentives.''

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[I.e., they're all about safety nets {which they control} instead of job creation.]
.

Endangering People to Protect Fish

CALIFORNIA
A major food supplier to the nation and the world faces threats from those who seek to limit California's Central Valley farmland water supply

California, the nation's largest producer of fruits, nuts, vegetables, livestock and dairy products, ranks fifth in the world as a supplier of food and agricultural commodities. The state provides more than half of the nation's fruits, nuts and vegetables using more than 25% of California's landmass for agricultural production. The Central Valley accounts for more than half of that area.

Yet, this vibrant industry and major food supplier to the nation and the world faces threats from recent, accelerated efforts by Left wing politicians, government agencies, and extremist environmental groups who seek to limit the Central Valley farmland water supply.

Using claims of questionable veracity and arguing for protection of endangered species, they are, in truth, part of a carefully orchestrated attempt to control the nation's food supply. If they succeed, our economy, civil liberties, the American way of life and national security would be dramatically weakened... [snip]

The most wide-ranging environmental law in the United States, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was instituted in 1973 to "protect imperiled species from extinction as a consequence of economic growth and development and inadequate conservation."

It has provided the foundation for federal government intrusion in the Central Valley. No other government mission overrules the ESA's objective of protecting endangered species. It can even close military bases and training facilities. A 1982 ESA amendment went so far as to block economic considerations from being taken into account when designating a threatened or endangered species.

A series of court orders in the late 1990s and early 2000s essentially ruled the ESA a mandate to place a designated plant or animal species above human needs.

These judicial interpretations have handed the federal government a vehicle to control private, state and local property. The ESA enables the U.S. government to prohibit property owners from using their own land with no reimbursement provided for its disuse and reduced value.

Instead, the government's overriding responsibility is to protect a species, while the landowner is saddled with unproductive property subject to 'customary taxation'. ESA 'violations' carry steep fines in excess of $50,000 and imprisonment of up to one year. Rewards are issued to individuals who report violators... [snip]

Conclusion

For nearly 20 years, California's water availability has been precariously tied to decisions made by bureaucrats and politicians using the power of the Endangered Species Act. The effects of the far-reaching ESA could ultimately lead to the destruction of one of the most fertile valleys in the world, the reduction of the nation's food supply and greater dependence on foreign food sources that don't meet high U.S. food standards.

The use of this overriding legislation that mandates federal control of our nation's land and water is representative of the overall trend in this country of increased government intrusion into the lives of its citizens.

That a statutory decree exists that can override human suffering in the service of preserving animal habitats is a serious indictment of our government's commitment to preserve liberty and the American way of life.

[More, including the "Role of Nancy Pelosi", Highly Recommended > ]

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Poll: Mexicans say Mexican-Americans Owe Loyalty to Mexico Over U.S.

Subject: txt immig -
Nearly 70 percent of Mexicans surveyed said that Mexican-Americans – including those born in the United States – owe their primary loyalty to Mexico, not the U.S., according to a Zogby poll commissioned by the Center for Immigration Studies.

When asked ''Should the primary loyalty of Mexican-Americans be to Mexico or to the U.S.?'' 68.8 percent of respondents in Mexico said that it should be to Mexico...

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POLL: Most Say U.S. Government Policies Encourage Illegal Immigration

Subject: txt immig -
U.S. voters want aggressive action to restrict illegal immigration, but they don’t think immigrants should bear the brunt of the enforcement efforts on their own. Most say the federal government and those hiring illegal immigrants also need to be brought into the discussion.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 56% say the policies of the federal government encourage people to enter the United States illegally. Only 27% disagree, and 17% are not sure.

Republicans and unaffiliated voters overwhelmingly believe that federal policies encourage illegal immigration. Thirty-two percent (32%) of Democrats agree, but 41% do not...

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FLASHBACK:

Beware of Ideological Teamism
"Ideological teamism" refers to people's desire to belong to a team representing that they want to believe, which corrupts their judgment in determining what to believe... "

image toon - 1st fnn mny immig -
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image toon - 1st fnn hcare - Rebuilding per reconciliation = the hard part

A DANGEROUS SECRET TO THE BAUCUS HEALTH BILL

Subject: txt 1st hcare
The Baucus bill severely undermines the employer rationale for offering insurance. Economist Michael Tanner of the Cato Institute points out two main reasons:

• The Baucus bill would substantially increase the costs of coverage -- for example by requiring rich benefits packages and coverage for Americans with pre-existing conditions at far less than their actual expense; at some point, employers will decide that the appeal of offering insurance as a tool for recruiting and retaining employees no longer compensates for its soaring cost.
• The bill is based on perverse incentives that no one is even discussing -- the subsidies it offers to citizens are so rich that if companies were to drop their plans, the majority of workers would get the same lavish coverage - and extra cash in their paychecks to boot.

"Those two factors will change the equilibrium," ... "With the government providing huge credits, employers will feel a lot less guilty about dumping their plans."

In fact, the Baucus bill is practically inviting employers to do just that: It imposes a fine of just $400 per employee on companies that shed their plans.

So what happens if corporate America exits the health care field?

• The foundation of the Baucus bill would pretty much collapse.
• Upper-middle-class earners, who today make $65,000 and up, would suffer the equivalent of a huge tax increase.
• And the extra revenue the government would collect from those families wouldn't remotely pay for the millions of relatively low earners who would absorb big subsidies in lieu of the premiums their employers now pay.

The corporate exodus from health care would mean that the Baucus plan, far from reducing the deficit, would actually increase it, perhaps sharply, says Fortune.

[We've been warned.]

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POLL: Most Want Middle-Class Tax Cut Over Changes To Health Care

Subject: txt 1st hcare =
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that most voters continue to favor middle class tax cuts over spending more money for health care reform.

Thirty-three percent (33%) of voters say new spending for health care reform is more important. But 54% rate middle class tax cuts as the priority over more health care spending. Thirteen percent (13%) aren’t sure.

Moreover, Fifty-nine percent (59%) are opposed to paying more in taxes to provide universal health care, up five points since May, and favor putting a provision in the health care plan that would prohibit any new taxes, fees or penalties on families who make less than $250,000 a year.

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THE SPEAKER FLOATS A MIDDLE-CLASS TAX HIKE

Nearly every European country that has passed national health care has also eventually imposed a value-added tax, and it's foolish to think the United States will be different

Candor about taxes is rare in Washington, so when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi admits that Democrats may have to impose a huge new tax on the middle class to fund their spending ambitions, believe her, says the Wall Street Journal.

Speaking with PBS's Charlie Rose on Monday, Pelosi mused publicly about the rising possibility of enacting a value-added tax, or VAT, as part of broader tax reform.

"Somewhere along the way, a value-added tax plays into this," ... "Of course, we want to take down the health care cost, that's one part of it. But in the scheme of things, I think it's fair to look at a value-added tax as well."

• The allure of a VAT for politicians is that it applies to every level of production or service, rakes in piles of money, and is largely hidden from those who ultimately pay it -- namely, consumers.
• With a $9 trillion 10-year budget deficit, $4 trillion in spending in fiscal 2010 alone, and a $1 trillion (at a minimum) health care entitlement in the wings, Pelosi knows that not even the revenue from the expiration of the lower Bush tax rates in 2011 will cover the bills.

Pelosi is the second prominent Democrat to call for a VAT in recent weeks. Pelosi and Podesta argue a new tax is necessary to address the nation's exploding financial liabilities, as if those liabilities exploded on their own...

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image toon - mny = Oby's money tree orchard

CBS Cheers ‘Rebel Republican’ Olympia Snowe for Supporting ObamaCare

Subject: txt 1st hcare msm -

“Democrats can claim a smidge of bipartisan support and that’s because of one yes vote from one rebel Republican....When Olympia Snowe cast the lone Republican vote for the Senate Finance bill, she reaffirmed her place as a power player on Capitol Hill.”

This January, Snowe joined Democrats to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and was one of only two Republican senators to support President Obama’s stimulus package.

[The sad thing is she could have effectively killed it: if you recall the Specter brouhaha one of the unintended consequences was bills in committees need one minority vote to get out of committee.

That's the 'service' Snowe's 'power play' provided.]

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image toon - crpt hcare reps libs - Snow Flaked

MANDATORY HEALTH INSURANCE: LESSONS FROM MASSACHUSETTS

Subject: txt 1st hcare -
While the reform seems to have reduced the number of uninsured, it has also created incentives for costs to rise even faster:

• Massachusetts' expenditures on its health care initiative have been discounted by 50 percent, thanks to matching funds from the federal government [I.e., your money], which has encouraged a rapid increase in state expenditures.
• Growing burdens on businesses have meant that an increasing number are choosing to steer their employees into the state-subsidized system rather than provide health insurance themselves.

The case of Massachusetts offers cautionary lessons for the United Sates as the Obama administration seeks wide-ranging reforms that move more in the direction of mandatory health insurance...

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STUDY SHOWS PROBLEMS CAUSED BY NHS CARE

Subject: txt 1st hcare -
A study by Britain's National Health Service shows up to one in 50 hospital patients requires additional treatment for problems caused by previous NHS care.

• In 68 percent of the cases, patients suffered a reaction after surgery or a medical procedure because problems had been missed.
• In 29 percent of cases, the patient suffered an adverse reaction to drugs and in 2 percent, there were "misadventures" during surgical or medical care.
• In 1 percent, the patient was involved in an adverse incident relating to medical equipment.

And the study only deals with serious complications that require re-hospitalization...

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image toon - 1st hcare = Probable side effects to socialized medicine

A Defense Bill Should Be About Defense — Not Liberal Social Policies

Subject: txt 1st hcare gwot nsec -
Guest blog post by Rep. Mike Pence (Ind.)

Throughout my nearly nine years in Congress, I have been downrange with our troops every year in Afghanistan and Iraq. I also supported every defense authorization bill that came before the U.S. House of Representatives.

Therefore, it was with a heavy heart yesterday that I joined 130 of my House Republican colleagues in breaking that personal tradition and opposed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010.

The reason? The Democrat majority cynically included hate crimes provisions in the bill that threaten the very freedoms of speech and religion that draw our soldiers into the uniform of this nation.

I find it unconscionable that we would erode the freedoms for which our soldiers wear the uniform in a bill that is designed to provide resources those soldiers need to get the job done and come home safe.

It is simply wrong to use a defense bill as a vehicle for divisive liberal social policies that are wholly unrelated to our country’s national security. By doing so, Democrats in the majority, with the assent of this administration, are piling liberal social priorities onto the backs of our soldiers.

And as far as the hate crimes provisions themselves are concerned, they are unnecessary and antithetical to our First Amendment traditions... [snip]

Under this hate crimes legislation, any pastor, preacher, priest, rabbi, or imam who may give a sermon out of their moral traditions about sexual practices could presumably be found to have aided, abetted or induced in the commission of a federal crime, as defined by current federal law.

The provisions added to this legislation threaten religious freedom by criminalizing thought. It is simply wrong to further criminalize thought and chill religious expression of Americans.

Let us remember why they put on the uniform. Let us remember what our soldiers are fighting: they fight to defend freedom. It is [an insult] to America when Democrats pass liberal social policy on the backs of our troops.

A defense authorization bill ought to be about the national defense.

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Amid terror threat, Dems chip away at Patriot Act

Subject: txt gwot nsec -
Byron York of the Washington Examiner focused attention on an unfolding story the liberal media doesn't want to highlight.

Some key parts of the Patriot Act are set to expire in December. Since the Democrats didn't really favor a War on Terror, their preference for the civil liberties of terrorist suspects over the civil liberties of future terrorist victims is becoming clear.

Even roving wiretaps, a widely accepted, common-sense feature of the Patriot Act, have come under question. At a Sept. 23 committee hearing, Sen. Al Franken, the newest member of the committee, challenged the constitutionality of such wiretaps, and in the process left an Obama Justice Department official -- who supports the law -- muttering in frustration.

That official, Assistant Attorney General David Kris, tried to explain to Franken that the law allows, and the courts have held, that investigators can wiretap a suspect based on a specific description of that suspect's activities, even if investigators don't know his name.

Franken, who pointed out that he is not a lawyer, was unimpressed. "That's what brings me to this," he said, pulling a copy of the Constitution from his coat pocket. He read aloud the Fourth Amendment re: unreasonable searches...


Kris seemed taken aback. "This is surreal," he said under his breath.

Indeed it was. Maybe Franken was serious, and maybe he was just clowning around. But it didn't make for an enlightening exchange -- or bode well for the Patriot Act.

Now the committee is down to the business of crafting an actual bill to reauthorize the act. Republicans believe they can beat back some of the more sweeping changes, but they are under no illusions about the Democratic majority's power to chip away at the government's ability to fight terrorism.

"I'm very worried that we could end up weakening the act, when we should be considering what we can do to make it stronger."

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Overstaying Their Welcome

Subject: txt immig - gwot - nsec -
But for too many politicians, and even ordinary folks, support for border security is a cop out, a substitute for thinking about the overall immigration problem, only part of which has anything to do with our border with Mexico.

One vital issue that is neglected because of this tunnel-vision on border fences is visa overstays. The Dallas jihadist shows how important this is; I suspected he was an overstayer, and the Dallas Morning News confirmed [snip]

The brothers lived in a Santa Clara, Calif., apartment with an older relative until February 2008, when a small fire forced them to move. Smadi told his apartment manager, Joe Redzovic, that the family had come to America for a better life.

And when local cops checked on the Jordanian jihadist after an arrest earlier this month for not having a driver's license or insurance, they had no idea was an illegal alien... [snip]

So, are we getting serious about completing US-VISIT, the check-in/check-out system for foreign visitors? Of course not. This from a reader who works for a firm that worked on US-VISIT:

The outgoing part of USVISIT (Phase 2) – that would be the part that matched passports as people left, to make sure a) there was a record of them entering the US legally; b) the records showed that they had indeed left on or before the date stated on their entry papers; and c) that officials could compile lists of those who had NOT left on time so that they could be tracked – has never been funded...

We go round and round with the consulting firm each year, wondering if the Congress would fund the outgoing part of USVISIT – to no avail. They’ve finally dropped technical support for Phase 1, as they see no hope for funding for Phase 2...

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image toon - gwot nsec - Oby's neutered guard dog poodle

Prominent ‘Moderate’ Islamic Leader Linked to Terror

Subject: txt islm -
Qatar’s Al-Qaradawi Center, which aims to direct its "moderation" towards "politicians and economists," train imams, and show the "huge difference between terrorism and jihad," is named for a scholar who has advocated killing Americans.

"The Islamic Movement should consider itself at the 'beck and call' of every Islamic Cause and respond to every cry for help wherever that cry may come from. It should stand with Eritrea in its jihad against the unjust Marxist Christian regime . . . It should stand by Sudan against the treacherous Christian racist rebellion . . . It should support the Muslims of Philippines against the biased Christian regime . . It should also help the Muslims of Kashmir in their struggle against Indian imperialism . . . Hamas is an embodiment of the Palestinian people's belief in its Muslim and Arab origins, and that jihad will be carried on by pure hands and clean hearts until victory is achieved with the Will of Allah."

"Conquest through da'wa [proselytizing], that is what we hope for. We will conquer Europe, we will conquer America! Not through sword but through da'wa."

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All Campus Free Speech Is Acceptable - Except About Islam

Subject: txt edu - islm -
As yet more evidence that American campuses have become, in Abigail Thernstrom's apt description,

"islands of repression in a sea of freedom,"

St. Louis University has demonstrated that that free speech on campuses begins and ends according to how well that speech conforms to existing political orthodoxies.

The University's College Republicans and Young America's Foundation had invited conservative author David Horowitz to deliver a speech entitled, "An Evening with David Horowitz: Islamo-Fascism Awareness and Civil Rights," and university administrators, once again choosing to avoid a close examination of radical Islam, canceled Horowitz's planned appearance.

Their decision seems to belie the University's own feckless contention, in its "Policy Statement on Demonstrations & Disruption," that it

"encourages students, faculty and staff to be bold, independent, and creative thinkers," and that "fundamental to this process is the creation of an environment that respects the rights of all members of the University community to explore and to discuss questions which interest them, to express opinions and debate issues energetically and publicly"

There are troubling issues here, putting aside the basic question of fairness of denying certain students, with certain political beliefs, the opportunity to invite speakers to campus to share their views. Horowitz's speech was cancelled (and he has appeared, by his own account, on more than 400 campuses in the past), not because it might contain speech that was demonstrably false or even incendiary, but because some individuals might be ‘offended'...

[It's getting worse - Highly Recommended > ]

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THE MESSAGE OF DOLLAR DISDAIN

Subject: txt intl mny -
With U.S. debt set to exceed 100 percent of gross domestic product in 2011, it's no wonder people are looking for alternative ways to preserve wealth...

Unprecedented spending, unending fiscal deficits, unconscionable accumulations of government debt: These are the trends that are shaping America's financial future.

Even with the optimistic economic assumptions implicit in the Obama administration's budget, it's a mathematical impossibility to reduce debt if you continue to spend more than you take in:

By the end of 2019, according to the administration's budget numbers, our federal debt will reach $23.3 trillion -- as compared to $11.9 trillion today. To put it in perspective:

• U.S. federal debt was equal to 61.4 percent of GDP in 1999.
• It grew to 70.2 percent of GDP in 2008 (under the Bush administration).
• It will climb to an estimated 90.4 percent this year and touch the 100 percent mark in 2011.
• The projected federal debt will continue to equal or exceed our nation's entire annual economic output through 2019.

Source: Judy Shelton, "The Message of Dollar Disdain," Wall Street Journal, October 14, 2009.

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Obama The Impotent: A Dangerous Delusion

Subject: txt reps libs bbro sclm bbro -
A meme is forming in the popular consciousness that Barack Obama is a do-nothing president. This meme is a dangerous fantasy: Obama is doing much, and much that is destructive to both our economic health and our national security.

The Obama administration has vowed to "reset" our relations with strategic adversaries like Russia -- a country which has been gobbling up and threatening its smaller democratic neighbors. Obama is equally proud of his "outstretched hand" to declared enemies like Iran, which for years provided the Iraqi insurgents with the munitions to kill American soldiers, and which recently has been shooting its own people in the streets. Meanwhile, loyal allies like Poland and the Czech Republic are sold out and left defenseless when Obama reneged on the long-planned deployment of anti-missile systems in Eastern Europe.

The administration's disastrous economic stewardship has destroyed the dollar. Countries all over the world are reportedly preparing to ditch the dollar as the reserve currency; experts warn of a global shift away from a dollar-centric world economy. Here at home, Obama's economy continues to hemorrhage jobs, with unemployment now nudging near 10 percent -- 17 percent if you count those who have given up looking for work altogether, or those who have had to take part-time work because they can't find full-time employment. Obama's budget and stimulus package, packed with pork and political paybacks, have exploded the deficit to a ruinous and record $1.4 trillion

No, far from being a do-nothing president, Obama is in fact a busy body of the worst sort: He is bombing the moon instead of Iran's nuclear facilities; he deploys himself to Europe to help bring the Olympics to Chicago, but fails to deploy the troops necessary to win the war in Afghanistan.

And it is our children who will pay the price for all of this -- they will live with a maniacal Islamist regime blackmailing the free world with nuclear weapons; they will struggle to pay this enormous and disgraceful debt that Obama is shoveling onto their backs...

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TAKING THE NATIONAL DEBT SERIOUSLY

The interest on the national debt makes our future unstable

• As of Sept. 30, 2009, the national debt was almost $12 trillion and interest on that debt was $383 billion for the year, according to the Treasury Department's Bureau of the Public Debt.
• The Congressional Budget Office on Oct. 7 estimated the 2009 budget deficit to be almost $1.4 trillion (about 10 percent of GDP).
• In August, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) estimated total government revenues at about $2 trillion; the revenue estimate included $904 billion from individual income taxes.
• This means the cost of interest alone on the debt represented more than 40 cents of every dollar that came in from individual income taxes.

Left unchecked, this destructive deficit-debt cycle will leave the White House and Congress with either having to default on the national debt or instruct the Treasury to run the printing presses into a policy of hyperinflation.

It is against this background that Washington is now working to add health care entitlements of record breaking cost...

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image toon - mny = USam's empty pockets getting deeper

POLL: Most Want Government To Sell Amtrak, GM and Chrysler

bject: txt mny auto -
Amtrak and the ownership stakes in General Motors and Chrysler can go, as far as voters are concerned.

Just 28% say the government should retain ownership of the Amtrak rail service for a long time. Fifty-seven percent (57%) think the government should sell Amtrak to private investors as soon as possible. Fifteen percent (15%) aren’t sure.

Voters feel even more strongly that the government should sell off its ownership stakes in General Motors and Chrysler.

Seventy-six percent (76%) say the government should sell its ownership of the auto companies to private investors as soon as possible. Only 11% disagree and think the government should retain its shares of GM and Chrysler for a long time. These views remain virtually unchanged from June.

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image toon - sclm bbro auto = Oby does-doesn't want to direct car companies

Gore On The Grill

An inconvenient truth Al Gore can't bear, one that seals the case against his claim

The United Kingdom's High Court in London determined that An Inconvenient Truth contains "alarmist and exaggerated" content which can only be legally shown to school children if accompanied by a warning regarding the film's blatant "political brainwashing."

In his ruling, Judge Michael Burton said the "apocalyptic vision presented in the film was politically partisan and thus not an impartial scientific analysis of climate change."

Judge Burton mandated the creation of the detailed instructor's guide which is now required to be used by teachers in the U.K. in conjunction with classroom viewings of the movie. In its introduction, the guide states:

"...in parts of the film, Gore presents evidence and arguments which do not accord with mainstream scientific opinion."

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CBO Says Climate Bill Will Hurt Not Help Economy

Subject: txt grn engry -
The director of the Congressional Budget Office warned the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that proposed climate change legislation would impose "significant costs" on America's GDP and employment. That’s not exactly what proponents had promised.

According to CBO chief Douglas Elmendorf, the Waxman-Markey bill passed in the House last June would reduce GDP and equate to the average household annual costs of up to $925. Hardly the “cost of a postage stamp” promised by the White House.

And the CBO director admitted that even those figures may be severely understated:

"The uncertainties are very large, even for 2020, and they get larger over time”

He identified one of the uncertainties of “the cost of reducing carbon emissions” as just “how readily the economy can move" in response, admitting that the CBO is only "guessing the rate."

The highest accounting authority in the land is only guessing the rate used in its cost analysis of the proposed largest tax-hike in history?

Wow hardly covers it.

['Insanity' works better. If we're dumb enough to allow this we deserve the consequences - but our children?]

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imag toon - grn engry - C&T pills: over 47M bought it

Government Behavioral Control Through Health Care

Subject: txt hcare lbrty -
North Carolina is about to become the second state to penalize its employees for being obese, with government workers who are overweight to pay more for their health insurance.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 63% are opposed to making overweight government workers pay more for health coverage.

A number of states penalize smokers already, but Alabama in January of this year became the first state to charge overweight employees more for their health insurance coverage...

[And within the same year is joined by a second.

Any remaining question as to how government control of health care will evolve? A: At the expense of your liberties.

Next up, meat eaters. Then high risk takers: mountain climb? hang glide? ride a motorcycle?

The list only expands, so it will eventually get to what's important to you...]

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AP Howler: Snowe, Not Palin, Is 'Real GOP Maverick'

[Right. And running a 'moderate', say, someone like McCain, is the path to electoral victory. There's a reason the Left is so interested and full of advice on what would be 'good' for the GOP...]


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Why people like Palin

She isn’t another summa cum laude graduate from Princeton like Sonia Sotomayor. She doesn’t strike anyone as an academic, or even draw upon her education during interviews with the media in order to impress upon people her knowledge and insights. That's what makes her so alluring to millions of Americans, and a fair share of Canadians, in the first place.

What makes her so popular is that she doesn't impress people with her five different institutions of education, or how many books she has written on Russian foreign policy. No, she manages it by what she accomplishes and, equally important to the vast majority of Americans, how and why she does so.

It doesn’t matter whether she 'finished' one term in office as Governor, or if she looked lost in one interview, or even that her book will likely be panned by elitist reviewers. Her supporters continues among the same people who aren’t going anywhere soon: the average American with 2 cars, and 3 or more kids, football practice during the week, hunting and fishing on the weekends, and the “down home” family values that seem to say “we’re not perfect, but we’re trying”.

You can’t buy that kind of “in” with the people. It has to come naturally, and that’s why Sarah Palin fits the bill.

[Which is why the left is so dreadfully afraid of her, as evidenced by the ceaseless ludicrous attacks.]

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Sen. Kerry: ‘Too bad’ Gov. Sarah Palin didn’t go missing

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. John Kerry must have been channeling his inner Letterman:

“Too bad, if a governor had to go missing it couldn’t have been the governor of Alaska. You know, Sarah Palin."

The Democratic-centric crowd laughed.


[The fear continues...]

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