Obama’s University Thesis

Ok, this one, like so many others, piss me off to no end! Here is a guy that wrote his thesis never once thinking it would someday become a political hot-potato. At least we can read his thesis, and people can get a look into what makes the guy tick.  

THE SAME CANNOT BE SAID ABOUT OBAMA! HIS THESIS IS JUST ONE OF THE THINGS HE KEEPS A SECRET FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

Any Democrat that uses McDonell’s thesis against him is only proving what we Conservatives have known for years, that Democrats are hypocrites and liars!

Gio-

Governor’s Race Erupts Over McDonnell’s Past Views

The Virginia governor’s race ignited Monday over Republican Robert F. McDonnell’s 20-year-old graduate thesis: Democrats assailed him in e-mail blasts and interviews for what he wrote about working women, homosexuals and “fornicators,” and McDonnell tried to explain his views to crucial moderate and female voters.

Entire article here.

Obama And His Court Jester

What do you do when the presidents poll numbers continue to go South? And what do you do when the presidents huge gamble on Obamacare reform is fast becoming an embarrassment? And finally, what do you do when the previous Vice President calls out Obama for persuing actions against CIA agents that were trying to protect us from the enemy?

You tell your National Security advisor to come up with something that has the illusion of making the president look good. This article is a complete farce!

Gio-

Obama more successful on terrorism -security adviser

WASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) – The United States is having more success fighting terrorism under President Barack Obama partly because of his “radically different” approach to foreign policy, National security adviser Jim Jones said on Monday.

In an interview with ABC News, Jones said Obama’s efforts to reach out to world leaders and improve relations with law enforcement agencies had made it easier to track and kill terrorists than during the Bush administration.

“We have better human intelligence. We know where the terrorists are moving,” Jones told ABC.

“Because of the dialogue and the tone of the dialogue between us and our friends and allies … the trend line against terrorism is positive,” he added.

Jones spoke a day after former Vice President Dick Cheney said he has serious doubts about the extent to which Obama understood and is prepared to do what is needed to defend the United States from attack.

Complete article here.

Compensation Question For Obama

Even I understand in a recession that pay raises will have to be cut, so I only want one answer out of Obama… With the 2% raise he approves of in this article for Federal employees, do the employees also get the 2.4% COLA on top of the raise?

Here’s why I’m asking… There are going to be millions of Senior Citizens that won’t be getting a COLA in their SS Checks for the next two years. If they find out that the employees get a raise and a COLA, they may storm the White House in their wheelchairs and walkers.

Gio-

Obama Curbs Federal Pay Increases

By JONATHAN WEISMAN

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama blocked large pay raises slated for tens of thousands of federal employees Monday, overriding statutory formulas to hold pay increases to 2% in 2010.

Invoking the “national emergency” declared after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the president said in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that under pay formulas set in 1990, federal employees with pay levels set according to comparable local wages are set for average pay increases of 18.9%.

White House officials say the declaration was routine. Ever since Congress passed the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act in 1990, presidents have been invoking the emergency clause to hold down pay increases due under the formula that mandates wages comparable to local pay levels.

That has created a yawning gulf. If Mr. Obama did nothing, the comparability formula would dictate a 16.5% pay increase, on top of the 2.4% cost of living increase.

That would be a $22.6 billion hit to the ailing federal budget in 2010. Cost of living adjustments alone were to boost pay by 2.4% for most federal employees.

Citing his right in an emergency to use an alternative formula, the president said he will keep the pay increases to 2%, the level he called for in his budget earlier this year.

“With unemployment at 9.5 percent in June to cite just one economic indicator, few would disagree that our country is facing serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare,” Mr. Obama wrote. “The growth in Federal requirements is straining the Federal budget. Full statutory civilian pay increases costing $22.6 billion in 2010 alone would put even more stress on our budget.”

Instead, the 2% pay raise will cost taxpayers $2.7 billion next year.

Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, expressed disappointment with the decision, noting the military is slated for wage increases of either 2.9% or 3.4%. Congress is still finalizing the 2010 budget.

“NTEU recognizes that it has been a very difficult year for the economy,” she said. “However pay parity is an important and accepted principle and reflects the reality that civilian and military workers both contribute strongly to our country and deserve the same percentage pay increase.”

Write to Jonathan Weisman at jonathan.weisman@wsj.com

Obama’s Unions

Who rides roughshod over the Labor Unions in the USA?

If you guessed the Democrats and the Obama administration, you win! Check out this next piece about the Attorney General of Nevada, a pawn for Senator Harry Reid, and marching orders to the Union to ‘stand-down and retreat’.

Gio-

AG to AFL-CIO: Back off so stimulus money can get where it’s going

By Jon Ralston · August 27, 2009 · 5:15 PM

Related files

• See AG letter to AFL-CIO

A couple of days after the AFL-CIO, apparently shilling for Democratic legislators, tried to stop energy stimulus money from being spent by the Gibbons administration, the attorney general’s office has sent the umbrella union group a stinging letter. The missive essentially says the AFL misinterpreted a health insurance provision and should not delay the program. The AFL-CIO announced today it is backing off.

And once again it appears as if the Democrats and their allies tried to delay stimulus money from being spent. The AG letter is at right.

Illegals Get Obamacare!

Congressional Research Agency Confirms Illegal Aliens Will Get Health Benefits Under House Bill

H/T to stalwart patriot and member of Giovanni’s World, Steve.

 Last Tuesday, the Congressional Research Service (CRS), which is the non-partisan “research arm” of the United States Congress, issued a report that concludes that illegal aliens will be able to receive benefits under the House health care bill (H.R. 3200) through two major loopholes. (See CRS Report and FAIR Press Release, August 26, 2009).

According to its own website, CRS is a legislative branch agency that provides Congress with “policy and legal analysis” that is authoritative, objective and accurate. (CRS website). The latest CRS report validates what FAIR has been saying for the past month and a half — that illegal aliens will be able to receive taxpayer-funded health benefits under the House health care bill. (See FAIR’s Legislative Updates, July 20, 2009; July 27, 2009 and August 3, 2009).

The House bill creates an “exchange” and “all individuals,” which would include illegal aliens, are eligible to participate in the exchange. Anyone who participates in the exchange, and does not otherwise have health insurance, can either enroll in the public option plan created by the House bill or enroll in a private insurance plan. Accordingly, the first loophole that provides illegal aliens with health insurance is the ability for illegal aliens to freely enroll in the taxpayer-subsidized public option. According to CRS, “H.R. 3200 does not contain any restrictions on non-citizens — whether legally or illegally present, or in the United States temporarily or permanently — from participating in the Exchange.” (CRS Report). Accordingly, illegal aliens can enroll in the public option, courtesy of the American taxpayers, to meet their health insurance needs. (See CNN.com, August 2009).

The second major loophole is the failure to require any meaningful verification procedure for taxpayer-subsidized insurance credits. Under the House bill, individuals who buy private insurance through the Exchange may receive an affordability credit to offset the cost of insurance. This credit is ostensibly limited to individuals lawfully present in the U.S., but CRS (like FAIR) notes the complete absence of any provision in the House bill that requires verification of eligibility for the affordability credits. Without such a mechanism, there is nothing in the bill that will prevent illegal aliens from receiving this taxpayer subsidy to buy private health insurance.

These conclusions by CRS should eliminate any remaining doubt about whether illegal aliens will receive health benefits under the bill. As a result of this report, President Obama can no longer characterize the concerns about the illegal alien health care loophole under the bill as “misinformation.” (See FAIR’s Legislative Update, August 24, 2009 and FAIR’s Health Care Podcast, August 24, 2009). In addition, Members of Congress can no longer claim the bill prevents coverage for illegal aliens, and the media can no longer suggest this concern is a “myth.” (See FAIR’s House bill summary and Townhall.com, August 27, 2009).

Copied directly from the…

The Federation for American Immigration Reform or FAIR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tax the Rich!

People vote with their feet.

This is what results when taxes on the rich are increased beyond what they are already paying.

Currently, Americans making $171,550 to $372,950 are at the 33% federal income tax bracket. Those making $372,950 and above are at the 35% bracket. [For source, go HERE.]

The wealthiest Americans — the top 1 percent — pay 35% of all taxes in America. The not rich — half of all Americans — pay only 4% of the taxes. By some estimates, a full 43% of all Americans pay no federal taxes at all because of the many exemptions, deductions and refundable credits (read: free money) of the revenue code.

But the super-rich are not stupid. They also have the means to be very mobile. As illegals migrate to America to escape poverty in their home countries, super-wealthy Americans are leaving.

~Eowyn

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More US wealthy opt to surrender their citizenship

David Bain – August 17, 2009 – http://www.wealth-bulletin.com/rich-life/rich-monitor/content/1054959505/_

As offshore havens comply with transparency demands, a growing number of ultra-wealthy Americans are handing back their passports

Private client lawyers and relocation specialists are reporting a surge in wealthy Americans living abroad who are prepared to give up their citizenship to avoid the scrutiny of US tax authorities.

Although such a move means they have to pay an exit tax, lawyers say this is a price people have become more willing to pay this year, now the fall in asset values has reduced the size of the imposition.

Jay Krause, a partner at private-client specialist law firm Withers, said: “The number of inquiries from US citizens wanting to expatriate from their citizenship has increased rapidly in the last year.”

The level of interest is set to increase following the tax disclosure deal between the US Government and UBS of Switzerland, involving the names of 5,000 alleged US tax evaders being handed over to the authorities. The UK concluded a tax deal with Liechtenstein last week.

Because of this, many ultra-wealthy individuals who have chosen to become stateless now cruise outside coastal waters in their mega-yachts in the belief that if they stay on the move, tax authorities will not be able to catch up with them. One analyst who did not want to be named, has estimated the number of stateless tax evaders amounted to a few thousand.

This implies the quantity of money outside the grasp of global tax authorities could be trillions of dollars.

Under US tax laws, the worldwide income of any US citizen or resident is subject to tax. The US is the only country in the world that requires its citizens to stump up, no matter where they live.

Krause said current economic conditions are making it more conducive for Americans to contemplate paying exit tax demands from the US Internal Revenue Service. “The mark-to-market provision in the Exit Tax from the IRS is a big incentive,” he said.

In the final months of the Bush administration, the US Government introduced a package of tax reforms that included an amendment to the exit tax on US citizens and long-term green card holders who expatriate the US.

The tax allows US citizens and permanent residents wanting to renounce citizenship or permanent residency to pay a one-off income tax on gains over $600,000 (€420,000). All assets beyond this amount are valued at mark-to-market.

The exit tax allows a clean break from the US tax system from the date of expatriation without imposing the previous 10-year period after expatriation where tax rules used to apply – another big incentive, say lawyers.

One of the other benefits of the amended exit tax is that a former US citizen who has expatriated will be able to travel to the US without his income becoming taxable. Under the previous exit tax this was not possible.

Krause said many people looking to give up US citizenship are accidental Americans. These are either those born in America when their non-citizen parents might have been living there for a short period, or the offspring of an American parent living abroad. Both categories qualify automatically for US citizenship.They may not take up a US passport, but they will still be subject to US taxes unless they expatriate. “More and more accidental Americans are looking at the fall in asset prices in the last year and taking up the option to expatriate,” said Krause.

Official figures on US expatriate cases reported by the IRS every quarter show about 90 people giving up their citizenship in the first half of 2009.

But one prominent lawyer, who did not want to be named, said: “There has been for some time a view that the IRS has been under-reporting these numbers.”

The IRS denies this. Some argue the figures are more or less meaningless. John Gaver, who edits right-leaning website Action America, said in an article published on the site: “What these lists fail to show is the vast and increasing numbers of wealthy US citizens who are just ‘dropping out’ – taking all of their wealth and leaving the US without renouncing. They just disappear off the US tax rolls and appear on some other country’s tax rolls.”

Anecdotal evidence also suggests there has been a surge of inquires from Americans looking at taking up citizenship of another country.

Christian Kälin, a partner at residence and citizenship planning consultancy Henley Partners, said his firm has had a big rise in such inquiries.

He said: “Tax reasons might be the biggest reason why US citizens will want to drop their passports, but security issues will also influence their decisions.

“For example, we saw a huge surge in inquires from US citizens contemplating acquiring an alternative passport after the Mumbai killings.”

The terrorist attacks in Mumbai last November targeted Americans among other foreigners.

Kälin said citizenships of the Caribbean Islands and western European countries prove to be the most popular for ex-American passport holders.

He said: “St Kitts and Nevis is the favourite alternative citizenship option for US citizens. Many will also be looking at Austrian citizenship, but it costs the most.”

St Kitts and Nevis is favoured for its perceived security, while Austria is one of the few European countries where it is possible to purchase citizenship.

Typically, it will cost $400,000 to secure a St Kitts and Nevis passport, whereas Austrian citizenship might run into several million euros.

Negative Bank Deposit Interest Rates

This is ominous.

~Eowyn

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Bankers watch as Sweden goes negative

By Andrew Ward and David Oakley – August 27 2009 – http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5d3f0692-9334-11de-b146-00144feabdc0.html?&nclick_check=1

For a world first, the announcement came with remarkably little fanfare.

But last month, the Swedish Riksbank entered uncharted territory when it became the world’s first central bank to introduce negative interest rates on bank deposits.

Even at the deepest point of Japan’s financial crisis, the country’s central bank shied away from such a measure, which is designed to encourage commercial banks to boost lending.

But, as they contemplate their exit strategies after the extraordinary measures of the past two years, central bankers will be monitoring the Swedish experiment closely.

Mervyn King, the Bank of England governor, has hinted he may follow the Swedish example as the danger of a so-called liquidity trap, where cash remains stuck in the banking system and does not filter out to the wider economy, is an increasing concern for the UK.

Hoarding is exactly what happened in Japan earlier this decade when the Bank of Japan implemented quantitative easing between 2001 and 2006.

Japanese banks refused to lend, in spite of central bank stimulus, because of fears over the dire state of the economy.

If this continues to happen in other economies, central bankers may be left with little choice but to follow the Swedish example. John Wraith, head of sterling rates product development at RBC Capital Markets, says: “The success of the UK’s quantitative easing experiment hinges a lot on whether the banks will use the extra money they are getting for lending to individuals and businesses.

“If there is no sign of this over the next few months, then the Bank of England might consider a negative interest rate. In essence, it is a fine on banks that refuse to lend.”

In the UK, for example, nearly £140bn has been injected into the economy through central bank purchases of government bonds and corporate assets, mainly from the commercial banks.

However, since the QE project was launched on March 5, a lot of this money, which in theory should be used by the commercial banks for lending to businesses and individuals, has ended up at the Bank of England in reserves.

Commercial bank deposits have risen from £31bn in early March to £152bn at the end of July – the latest figure.

This in itself is not a problem as the banks could be using this big increase in their reserves to step up their lending to the private sector. The more the banks have in reserves, the more they are allowed to lend.

However, there is no sign yet that they are using their much bigger reserves to lend on. The latest money supply figures for lending are still fairly anaemic.

It is why Mr King did not rule the possibility of negative interest rates when asked about the Riksbank model this month following the unveiling of the quarterly inflation report. “It’s an idea we will certainly be looking at, whether the effectiveness of our asset purchases could be increased by reducing the rate at which we remunerate reserves,” he said. His comments are one reason why yields on short-dated UK government bonds have fallen to record lows and why sterling has been under pressure in the currency markets.

Initially, Mr King gave QE six months before it would start taking effect. That time limit is up next week. If there are no signs in the money supply numbers, particularly in the key M4 lending excluding financial institutions, then the policy may start to look a distinct possibility.

In Europe, the European Central Bank is considered less likely to introduce negative interest rates.

This is because it has maintained higher official rates than other banks and used money market operations to act as a stimulant instead. For example, it offered commercial banks unlimited funds for one year at the end of June.

But it does have the same problem as the Bank of England in assessing the success of its policy. Like the UK, commercial bank deposits at the ECB have shot up in the past few months.

At this stage, the US also seems unlikely to introduce the policy as there has been little debate on the matter and no hints from policymakers about it being an option.

At the Riksbank, which now has a deposit rate of minus 0.25 per cent, the most vocal advocate of the policy is deputy governor Lars Svensson, a world-renowned expert on monetary policy theory and a close associate of Ben Bernanke, chairman of the US Federal Reserve, since they worked together at Princeton University.

According to the minutes of the Riksbank’s July meeting, Mr Svensson dismissed the “zero interest rate mystique” that had “exaggerated the problems” associated with zero or sub-zero rates.

“There is nothing strange about negative interest rates,” he said.

Henrik Mitelman, chief fixed income strategist at SEB, the Swedish bank, said that the negative deposit rate, combined with a cut in the repo rate to an historic low of 0.25 per cent, sent a powerful signal to the market that the Riksbank intended to keep rates close to zero until economic recovery was well under way. “What the Riksbank did was very brave. They decided to see if markets could cope with it and the markets have.”

Carl Milton, fixed income analyst at Danske Bank in Stockholm, cautions that the Riksbank decision was not as pioneering as some have portrayed. The Bank routinely keeps its deposit rate 50 basis points lower than the repo rate to regulate liquidity in the market, he says. When the repo rate was cut to 0.25 per cent, the deposit rate was automatically forced into negative territory. “It was not something put in place to punish banks or to force them to lend,” he says.

Moreover, Swedish banks make relatively little use of the central bank deposit facility, limiting the impact of negative rates.

But by breaking the taboo surrounding sub-zero rates, the Riksbank may have set an important precedent that others could use to greater effect. Don Smith, economist at Icap, says: “Sweden’s policy is certainly very interesting. We will have to wait and see what happens there. This is certainly a very unusual policy, but these are very unusual times.”

Media Lies About Ted Kennedy

The great George Orwell wrote that "At 50, everyone has the face he deserves"

Last weekend’s orgiastic press coverage of Ted Kennedy’s funeral made me want to throw up.

So, it’s a relief to read Brent Bozell’s refutation of the MSM’s lies about Ted Kennedy on townhall.com.

Here’s a synopsis . To read the full article, go HERE.

~Eowyn

………….

MSM’s Lie #1: TK was loved by the American people, which the MSM then use to justify its effusive coverage. For example, CBS anchor Harry Smith said: “He [TK] bore the unspeakable grief and overwhelming hopes of a nation.”

The Truth: This suggests a popularity that simply did not exist. The last time Gallup polled nationally on Kennedy (in February of 2008), his favorable rating stood at 40 percent, his unfavorable a whopping 48 percent. Even earlier this month, with the news of his mortal illness known by all, still his favorables according to CNN could not climb past 51 percent.

MSM Lie #2: Ted Kennedy was a great bipartisan leader. His was “a life that was able to bring friends and enemies together,” said CBS anchor Maggie Rodriguez.

The Truth: It is simply not true to suggest that Kennedy was committed to bipartisanship. What did he do to help Nixon with Vietnam? Reagan with tax cuts? Bush 41 with Clarence Thomas? Clinton with welfare reform? Bush 43 with Iraq?

Sen. Kennedy was smart enough and pragmatic enough to reach across the aisle to get deals done — but only to the degree that they advanced his agenda. He worked across the aisle to ensure the never-ending growth of federal taxes and spending, consistently opposing American foreign policy abroad while working tirelessly to defeat conservative nominations and initiatives at home.

And when he felt it necessary to wear brass knuckles, he did so. Conservatives (especially) will quickly recall his initial floor speech in 1987 against Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork:

“Robert Bork’s America is a land in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens’ doors in midnight raids, schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution, writers and artists would be censored at the whim of government…”

MSM’s Lie #3: Ted Kennedy was a great legislator

The Truth: The networks cast every law Kennedy passed as an achievement. This is true — if you’re a liberal. It’s the opposite if you’re a conservative.

Edward M. Kennedy was a liberal’s liberal. His supporters can cheer his intense commitment to a leftist agenda. His opponents can — and should — respect his dogged refusal to compromise on that philosophy. But his detractors (which, let us remind ourselves, outnumbered his supporters) also found his leftist agenda destructive. And the national news media are doing a great disservice by omitting that from their Camelot narrative.

Still Sinking

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 41% of America’s voters Strongly Disapprove vs. 30% Strongly Approve of the way that WeeWee Obama is performing his role as President. This gives Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -11.

The index is calculated by subtracting the number who Strongly Disapprove from the number who Strongly Approve.

Also, 29% of American voters are confident that Congress knows what it’s doing when it comes to the economy. If Americans could vote to keep or replace the entire Congress, 57% would throw out all the legislators and start over again. Just 25% would vote to keep the Congress.

For the entire Rasmussen article, go HERE.

~Eowyn

Memo To McCain: Shut Up!

Two people would make me very happy if they would take a vow of silence starting right NOW!… Barack Obama and John McCain.

Gio-

McCain Whacks Cheney: Torture Violated Law And Helped The Terrorists

Dick Cheney 2012

In a strong pushback against claims made by former Vice President Dick Cheney, Sen. John McCain insisted on Sunday that the use of torture on terrorism suspects violated international law, didn’t work, and actually helped al Qaeda recruit additional members.

“I think the interrogations were in violation of the Geneva Conventions and the convention against torture that we ratified under President Reagan,” said the Arizona Republican. “I think these interrogations, once publicized, helped al Qaeda recruit. I got that from an al Qaeda operative in a prison camp in Iraq… I think that the ability of us to work with our allies was harmed. And I believe that information, according go the FBI and others, could have been gained through other members.”

The senator, appearing on CBS’ Face the Nation, offered his assessment just hours after Cheney defended the use of torture during an interview with Fox News Sunday. Host Bob Schieffer pushed McCain to explain how it was that an al Qaeda member had told him that the use of torture helped them recruit.

Relaying a conversation that he and Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R-S.C.) had with a jailed “high-ranking member of al Qaeda,” McCain replied that pictures of detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib had allowed the terrorist organization “to recruit thousands of young men.”

And yet, despite acknowledging that the use of torture was counter-productive and in violation of international law — laws that have been ratified by the United States — McCain still insisted that the Obama Justice Department was wrong to launch an investigation into the matter.

“I believe the president was right when he said we ought to go forward and not back,” he said. “I worry about the morale and effectiveness of the CIA. I worry about this thing getting out of control and us harming our ability to carry out the struggle we are in with radical Islamic extremism.”

“For us now to go back,” McCain added. “I think would be a serious mistake.”

Out Of The Frying Pan…

…And into the fire.

How Obama handles this is going to be VERY interesting. Think back when this country was up in arms because president Bush, and every liberal in the country (including John McCain) wanted to pass “Immigration Reform” which turned out to be amnesty. Now think back and recall who stopped it in it’s tracks… yep, it was “We The People”. Obama has so many wanting his political head already, so it’s going to be interesting to see how he handles this one. I’m betting he screws it up. It’s what he’s good at!

As an aside… I am very suspicious about the ‘500 groups’ number claimed below. Plus, I think most of this letter or whatever it’s supposed to be is worthless. I think it’s a wonderful tool that law enforcement has to move illegal criminals off of our streets and back to their home country where they can commit all the crime their Country allows. Not here!

Gio-

500 groups urge Obama to halt immigration police program

A letter to the president says local enforcement of federal immigration laws has led to racial profiling and civil rights violations.

By Anna Gorman

August 30, 2009

A coalition of advocacy groups sent a letter to President Obama last week demanding that the administration end a program that allows local police to enforce federal immigration law.

The program, known as 287(g), deputizes police to turn over suspects or criminals to immigration authorities for possible deportation.

Immigrant rights groups said the program has led to civil rights violations and racial profiling.

“Racial profiling and other civil rights abuses by the local law enforcement agencies that have sought out 287(g) powers have compromised public safety, while doing nothing to solve the immigration crisis,” the letter states. “The program has worked counter to community policing goals by eroding the trust and cooperation of immigrant communities and diverted already reduced law enforcement resources from their core mission.”

The letter was sent by the National Immigration Law Center and includes signatures by more than 500 local and national groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. Organizations have planned vigils, marches and news conferences this week to raise awareness about their criticisms.

In July, the Department of Homeland Security announced an expansion of 287(g) and some changes, including a new agreement that all participating agencies must sign. The agreement requires that police agencies focus their efforts on criminals who pose a threat to public safety, with less emphasis on those who commit minor crimes.

Since the announcement, administration officials have repeatedly defended 287(g), saying the cooperation between local and federal law enforcement improves public safety by resulting in the detention and deportation of illegal immigrants with criminal records. They have said the changes make the program more uniform and fair.

“There are many instances in which close coordination and cooperation between federal and state law enforcement agencies to address serious immigration enforcement issues makes a ton of sense,” Homeland Security Assistant Secretary John Morton said recently. “That is why we are making important changes to the 287(g) program to recognize and address some of the concerns.”

anna.gorman@latimes.com

I Agree With Glenn Beck

I sometimes wonder if trying to communicate with anybody on the left is worth the time or energy. For me it’s a toss-up… ‘tooth getting pulled or arguing with a lefty’ … see what I mean?

Anyway, Glenn Beck has done something that no other opinionated talking head has ever done… he’s convinced me to engage the enemy. In the old days (sounds funny doesn’t it) I would simply laugh at their stupidity and go on with my life as if they were merely a gnat to be swatted away when I found the time. And this my dear friends is what this post is all about… engaging the enemy!

The other night I spent about 30 minutes wandering around the Huffington Post blog, something I write about quite often. But this time was a little different than the other visits I have made. This time I jumped in to the fray and posted a question to some supposed highly edumacated elitist know-it-alls, and guess what happened? Ok, you guessed the first part correctly, they did call me all manner of names. Other than calling me the “F’ing spawn of Satan”,a direct quote, there was something else that happened that doesn’t happen much on those blogs, they shut-up.

It took them a while to recover, but even when they did recover they never really got to a point where they could answer me honestly, or factually. So here’s my advice to everyone that get’s on-line to learn about what’s happening in our country… spend a little time each day with the enemy. Nah, I’m not suggesting we get all mushy and start asking for hugs from people we don’t like, or exchange Christmas gifts, what I’m asking is much simpler…. ask them questions. Below you will see a list of questions that Glenn had come up with, which I dutifully copied right off his website (I’m sure he won’t mind) and posted below. Read through them when you get the chance. You can use all of these questions, or just some of them, or come up with your own. Just make sure it’s a question that they haven’t seen before, this will help to confuse them. Here’s the goal… I really don’t give a rats rear-end if the people that always comment on those posts think about the questions or if they even answer them, those are not the people we are aiming our arrows (questions) at.

There are many more people that read blogs than those that comment on a blog. Using some rough numbers from my blog, I’m going to say that for every 8-10 people that leave comments, there are at least 1,500 others that simply read. Those are the people we aim for, the read-only bloggers! Now extrapolate that out on a site like the Huffpo where they get hundreds of people leaving comments, and we are probably talking tens of thousands of people that will end up reading your question/s. The idea is to put that question in their minds, so with a little luck and some divine inspiration, a light bulb will be turned on and they suddenly “get it”.

So the next time you get a little tired of preaching to the choir, go to a lefty site and ask them some hard to answer questions about their country, their president, their government, their Constitution, and their futures.

Use this list or come up with your own…

Why do we need a civilian force?

Who is posing a threat to us?

Who will this “force” be made up of?

Who is the real enemy?

Does the president know of a coming event? If not, who builds an army against an unrecognized enemy?

Why won’t the media get off their butts and look into these radicals in the White House? And into this civilian army?

Why does the FCC have a diversity “czar”?

Who is Mark Lloyd and how does he plan to “balance” the airwaves?

Will he bring back the Fairness Doctrine or worse?

Cass Sunstein once said he wants to balance the Internet; is that next?

Will broadcasters who leave the airwaves be allowed to go to satellite or Internet without government regulation?

Is there any place (that has a mass audience) where the government wont regulate free speech?

Why does it seem every member of the Obama advisory team hates capitalism, unless those companies (like G.E.) are in bed with the administration?

If Lloyd has his way, stations who don’t comply to the governments definition of the “public interest” will have to pay a massive fine — that helps support public broadcasting:

What will be the definition of “public interest”?

Who defines “public interest”?

Why should it be balanced? Because it’s public airwaves? (Well, there are public roads that go by my house and I don’t count how many Republicans and Democrats are driving on them)

Who is “surrounding” the President in the White House?
 
Do any of the President’s advisers have criminal records?
 
Are the President’s advisers working to better the country or their own ideals?
 
Who are the anti-capitalists in Washington?
 
What roles do they have in crafting bills?
 
What was “STORM”? What happened to the founders, where are they now?
 
What qualifications must one have to be a Presidential adviser?
 
What is the difference between a community organizer and a community activist?
 
Do the czars have power?
 
Should a communist have the ear of the President of the United States?
 
What role did the Apollo Alliance play in crafting bills?
 
Does the President know the co-founder of the Weather Underground is a board member of the Apollo Alliance?
 
How many people in the administration are connected to the movement for a democratic society?
 
What role does George Soros play… CONSTITUTIONALLY?

Our unfunded liability for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid is close to $100 trillion. Is there any way to pay for these programs without bankrupting America?
 
We are in so much debt, why spend more borrowed money on cap-and-trade and healthcare programs before we stop the flow of red-ink?
 
The stimulus package funneled billions of dollars to ACORN. How does giving billions of dollars to ACORN stimulate the economy?
 
If it was so important for congress to pass the stimulus bill before they even had time to read it why has only a fraction of the stimulus money been spent 6 months later?
 
Bush said he had to abandon free market principles in order to save them, how exactly does that work?
 
Why won’t members of Congress read the bills before they vote on them?
 
Why are citizens mocked and laughed at when they ask their congressman to read the bills before they vote on them?
 
Was the cash-for-clunkers program meant to save the earth or the economy? Did it accomplish either?
 
How did Van Jones, a self-proclaimed communist become a special advisor to the president?
 
Did President Obama know of Van Jones’ radical political beliefs when he named him special advisor?
 
The Apollo Alliance claimed credit for writing the stimulus bill—why was this group allowed to write any portion of this bill?
 
If politicians aren’t writing the bills and aren’t reading the bills, do they have any idea what these 1000 page plus bills actually impose on the American people?
 
If the ‘public option’ health care plan is so good why won’t politicians agree to have that as their plan?
 
If town hall meetings are intended for the politicians to learn what’s on our mind—why do they spend so much time talking instead of listening?
 
Politicians are refusing to attend town hall meetings complaining, without evidence, that they are scripted. Does that mean we shouldn’t come out and vote for you since every campaign stop, baby kiss and speech you give is scripted?
 
Why would you want to overwhelm the system?
 
Is using the economic crises to rush legislation through congress what Rahm Emanuel meant when he talked about “not letting a crises go to waste”?
 
What are the czars paid? What is the budget for their staffs/offices?

The Venezuela Model

BFF Obama and Chavez

Thus far, WeeWee Obama and the Dems have used the following tactics against conservative protesters:

• Call them “Astroturf,” i.e., phony protesters (White House spokesman Robert Gibbs).
• Call them “unAmerican” (Nancy Pelosi).
• Call them “evil-mongers” (Harry Reid).
• Urge fellow Americans to snitch on them, and….tada! — the perennial fall-back option…
• Call the protesters RACIST!

Venezuela is one move ahead of WeeWee. There, protesters are now being accused of attempting “rebellion” against President-for-life (isn’t that an oxymoron?) Hugo Chavez’s government, which means they will be arrested, charged, and tried as criminals.

Wonder how long it will take the White House to adopt the Venezuela model?

For the news article on Venezuela, go HERE.

~Eowyn

Charles Rangel, Tax Cheat

Rangel is the corpulent one on, appropriately, the left.

More “do as I say, not as I do” liberal hypocrisy:

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), Chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, “amended” his 2007 financial disclosure form—to the tune of more than a half-million dollars in previously unreported assets and income. The real figure may be as high as $780,000, because Congress’s ethics rules only require its members to report their finances within broad ranges.

This discovery brings Rangel’s net worth for 2007 to somewhere between $1.028 million and $2.495 million, while his previous statement came in at $516,015 and $1.316 million.

Not bad for someone whose congressional annual salary is $ 174,000 (2009 figure), don ‘t you think? LOL

The income and assets the congressman “forgot” to disclose include:

• Checking accounts at the federal credit union with a balance somewhere between $250,001 and maybe as high as $500,000.
• Sizable investment accounts at JP Morgan, Merrill Lynch, Oppenheimer and BlackRock.
• Vacant properties in Glassboro and southern Jersey, two of which Rangel  failed to pay property taxes, according to the county clerk’s office.
• Stocks worth $1,001 to $15,000 in Yum Brands, the conglomerate that runs the KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Long John Silver’s chain restaurants.
• Portfolio stake in PepsiCo of an undisclosed sum, estimated to be anywhere from $15,001 to $50,000.

In addition, Rangel is currently under investigation for the following:

• His use of four rent-stabilized apartments at New York City’s tony Lenox Terrace.
• Soliciting donations with his official letterhead for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at City College of New York, which was built with a $1.9 million earmark.
• Failure to report $75,000 in income from a rental villa at the beachfront Punta Cana Yacht Club, in the Dominican Republic.

To read the original news article, go HERE.

H/t resolute GiovanniWorld member Steve!

~Eowyn

You Go, Bachmann!

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-Minn), zings a heckler at a health-care town hall meeting in Lake Elmo, Minn.

~Eowyn

Reid Tells Paper To Drop Dead

A recent pic of Democrat Senator Harry Reid

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 57% would vote to replace the entire Congress and start all over again.

Here’s one reason why:

Harry Reid (D-Nevada), senator and majority leader of the Senate, is running for re-election. But things are not going well for him. The latest poll shows that he trails his leading opponent by double digits.

Last Wednesday, in a meet-and-greet at a Chamber of Commerce lunch in Las Vegas, Reid made this threat to a member of the Las Vegas Review Journal (LVRJ), Nevada’s largest newspaper: “I hope you go out of business.”

Malice is defined as wishing another ill. Reid is a deeply malicious small man.

Aren’t you liberals just proud that he’s one of your leaders?

~Eowyn

………………

Enough is enough, Harry: Stop the childish bullying

Sherman Frederick – August 30, 2009 – http://www.lvrj.com/opinion/56171937.html

This newspaper traces its roots to before Las Vegas was Las Vegas.

We’ve seen cattle ranches give way to railroads. We chronicled the construction of Hoover Dam. We reported on the first day of legalized gambling. The first hospital. The first school. The first church. We survived the mob, Howard Hughes, the Great Depression, several recessions, two world wars, dozens of news competitors and any number of two-bit politicians who couldn’t stand scrutiny, much less criticism.

We’re still here doing what we do for the people of Las Vegas and Nevada. So, let me assure you, if we weathered all of that, we can damn sure outlast the bully threats of Sen. Harry Reid.

On Wednesday, before he addressed a Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Reid joined the chamber’s board members for a meet-‘n’-greet and a photo. One of the last in line was the Review-Journal’s director of advertising, Bob Brown, a hard-working Nevadan who toils every day on behalf of advertisers. He has nothing to do with news coverage or the opinion pages of the Review-Journal.

Yet, as Bob shook hands with our senior U.S. senator in what should have been nothing but a gracious business setting, Reid said: “I hope you go out of business.”

Later, in his public speech, Reid said he wanted to let everyone know that he wants the Review-Journal to continue selling advertising because the Las Vegas Sun is delivered inside the Review-Journal.

Such behavior cannot go unchallenged.

You could call Reid’s remark ugly and be right. It certainly was boorish. Asinine? That goes without saying.

But to fully capture the magnitude of Reid’s remark (and to stop him from doing the same thing to others) it must be called what it was — a full-on threat perpetrated by a bully who has forgotten that he was elected to office to protect Nevadans, not sound like he’s shaking them down.

No citizen should expect this kind of behavior from a U.S. senator. It is certainly not becoming of a man who is the majority leader in the U.S. Senate. And it absolutely is not what anyone would expect from a man who now asks Nevadans to send him back to the Senate for a fifth term.

If he thinks he can push the state’s largest newspaper around by exacting some kind of economic punishment in retaliation for not seeing eye to eye with him on matters of politics, I can only imagine how he pressures businesses and individuals who don’t have the wherewithal of the Review-Journal.

For the sake of all who live and work in Nevada, we can’t let this bully behavior pass without calling out Sen. Reid. If he’ll try it with the Review-Journal, you can bet that he’s tried it with others. So today, we serve notice on Sen. Reid that this creepy tactic will not be tolerated.

We won’t allow you to bully us. And if you try it with anyone else, count on going through us first.

That’s a promise, not a threat.

And it’s a promise to our readers, not to you, Sen. Reid.

Sherman Frederick (sfrederick@reviewjournal.com) is publisher of the Review-Journal and president of Stephens Media.

The Enemy

Whenever I have a few extra minutes I like to go to the sites the enemy likes to hang out at. Many people can’t stand reading what get’s posted at those sites so they don’t go to them as I do. I think this is a mistake. If you’re going to defeat your enemy, you must study and know your enemy. Tonight I found a posting that I’m going to forward to Glenn Beck, he can then take any action he deems appropiate.

I found the comment at The Huffington Post, which happens to be one of my favorite haunts when I’m looking for insight into the enemies mind. Sure there are other even more radical sites like The Daily Kos, but I choose not to go there because it’s nothing more than a few thousand 9 year olds that like to see who can use the most vulgarity.

Without further ado….

The thread is “As Sponsors Flee, The Glenn Beck Show Gets More And More Awesomely Bonkers” by Jason Linkins 

So obviously the subject is about Glenn. Here’s the general feel of most of the postings under this thread. Granted, this guy comes right out with….

huffposeur I’m a Fan of huffposeur I’m a fan of this user 17 fans 
remember that t-shirt in the 1970s? (i’m speaking to the minority here who were not born during clinton’s first term in office) it said JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE PARANOID DOESN’T MEAN THEY’RE NOT OUT TO GET YOU

which do you think will come first? reinstatement of the fairness doctrine or glenn beck experiencing a little, um, mishap on the way home from work?

how long will he be allowed to say what he’s been saying? voice like his must be silenced

i think the civilian national defense force should get to work and wash this man right out of our hair.

    Reply    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:49 PM on 08/29/2009

This is exactly what we keep warning people about, but too many people have a “oh they don’t mean it, their just kids”.

Wake up folks, times are getting dangerous!

Gio-

P.S.  Here’s a funny one. Somebody on the very same thread is calling Congresswoman Michele Bachmann a Communist. I spit sweet tea all over my monitor when I read that one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good For Your Soul

15-year-old Mark Vincent sings Puccini at Australia’s Got Talent

~Eowyn

They’re On To Obama

Only 4% of Israeli Jews see Obama as pro-Israel, according to a Smith Research poll taken this week on behalf of The Jerusalem Post.

Do you think Israelis have a better sense of President WeeWee than Americans? (Sadly, American Jews are still deluded.)

For the whole story, go HERE.

Did you know that WeeWee picked “Renegade” as his Secret Service code name? [Here’s the source.]

The word “renegade” has two meanings, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:

1. a deserter from one faith, cause, or allegiance to another.
2. an individual who rejects lawful or conventional behavior.

And did you know that 2 Thessalonians 2:3 and John 17:12 refer to the Anti-Christ as the Son of Perdition or the Man of Sin?

~Eowyn

ObamaOrcs Counterattack On Sept. 13

Just as thousands of taxpayers from across the nation are planning to descend on Washington, D.C., to take their fight against excessive spending, bailouts, growth of big government and soaring deficits to the front door of the U.S. Capitol – “Obamacare” proponents have responded with a well-funded counterattack scheduled for the following day.

In a major movement unaffiliated with – but inspired by – Fox News’ Glenn Beck’s 9-12 Project, called the National Taxpayer Protest, thousands of Americans are answering the call and booking travel arrangements to make their voices heard at Capitol Hill on Sept. 12.

Robert Reich, former Labor secretary for President Bill Clinton, called for yet another “march on Washington” on Sept. 13 in support of including a public option in Obama’s health “reform.”

“If enough people feel that’s the best way for their voices to be heard, and can’t be heard in any other way, then we march,” he said in Politico’s Arena.

Reich encouraged public option proponents to “make a racket.”

He wrote, the “first step is to be very loud and very vocal: Write, phone, e-mail, your congressional delegation and the White House. Second step: Get others to do the same. Third step: Get voters in Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, and other states where Blue Dog Dems and wavering Senate Dems live, and have them make a hell of a fuss. Fourth step: March on Washington.”

Health-care proponents have created a Facebook group with more than 2,000 members to help organize the counterattack.

Dick Armey, chairman of FreedomWorks, one of the groups organizing the Sept. 12 event, said in a newsletter, “It’s no coincidence he picked the day after our event to try and organize his – Reich, allied with the likes of MoveOn.org, the AFL-CIO, and the other usual suspects on the Left, are trying to overshadow and drown out our event and its limited government message.”

According to Politico, Reich insists that he suggested Sept. 13 because “that’s a Sunday, and it’s also Grandparents Day. I’ve just become a grandparent, and I’m worried as hell about the kind of world my little granddaughter is inheriting.”

But Armey isn’t buying that explanation. He said “liberals are doing everything they can to derail our event and water down its impact.”

“With a war chest that some are estimating is in excess of $150 million, we have to take their threat very seriously,” Armey said. “The only way we will be able to win is through real grass roots.”

He warned that after Reich’s “call to action,” the media will surely keep score and note the “conservative limited government presence” on Sept. 12 versus the turnout on the next day.

“The good news is that the Left’s dirty money can’t beat good-old-fashioned grass roots,” Armey wrote. “Let’s overwhelm them, sending a message loud and clear to Obama and the liberal establishment, by having at least twice the crowd on 9-12 that they will have the following day.”

Several organizations have united to help organize the the National Taxpayer Protest’s descent on the Capitol, including: Freedom Works, Grassfire/ResistNet, Tea Party Patriots, National Taxpayers Union, Club for Growth, Americans for Tax Reform, Young Americans for Liberty, Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights, Our Country Deserves Better, Campaign for Liberty, Leadership Institute, Free Republic, Young America’s Foundation, the National Association of Rural Land Owners and Smart Girl Politics.

For the rest of this WND article, go HERE.

~Eowyn