Political Digest April 28, 2010

I post articles because I think they are of interest. Doing so doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree with every—or any—opinion in the posted article. It doesn’t mean that I don’t agree with then either. I have to say all this to give some of my critics the benefit of the doubt, assuming they are thick, rather than deliberately taking things the wrong way.

I will be traveling 4/28 through 5/5, and will have little or no time and little or no computer access, so there will be few or no daily digests. I will leave a few things of interest to post on the blog.

Threat on my life for “I’m Tired”?
http://electionink.com/showthread.php/596-What-White-America-Refuses-To-Admit-About-Capitalism./page5
May have to scroll down. “Iceberg” (without the courage to identify himself by name as I do in my posts), describes himself as an “Ultra-Liberal Progressive” who wants to euthanize me. Excerpt: Robert A. Hall is just another belligerent old racist. The subversive racist diatribe trobbins just submitted in Obama's house is nothing short of blasphemy. I am proud to say that I support legislation to euthanise (sic) any of these degenerate beasts who purport to be "American Patriots".

Is this not a threat on my life?

I’m a “racist” how? Was it my $100 contribution to a black candidate for Congress, Allen West? Or my promotion of the books of the brilliant economist, Dr. Thomas Sowell, who happens to be black? But a black bigot calling you a racist is supposed to be an argument-stopper, especially when delivered with a whiff of menace. It is wearing thin, though.

“Strong and bitter words indicate a weak cause.”- Victor Hugo (conservatives would do well to remember this.)

More Violent Threats and Foul-Mouthed Hate
http://www.newsrealblog.com/2010/04/26/more-violent-threats-and-foul-mouthed-hate/
Excerpt: My pal Tabitha Hale at FreedomWorks compiled this four minute video montage of some of the violent and hateful messages the organization receives from angry leftists. Among the threats and vitriol:

Must read: Filtering History by Thomas Sowell
http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2010/04/27/filtering_history
Excerpt: The kind of thinking that produced a passing misconception about me has, unfortunately, produced much bigger, much longer lasting, much more systematic and more poisonous distortions about the United States of America. Slavery is a classic example. The history of slavery across the centuries and in many countries around the world is a painful history to read-- not only in terms of how slaves have been treated, but because of what that says about the whole human species-- because slaves and enslavers alike have been of every race, religion and nationality. If the history of slavery ought to teach us anything, it is that human beings cannot be trusted with unbridled power over other human beings-- no matter what color or creed any of them are. The history of ancient despotism and modern totalitarianism practically shouts that same message from the blood-stained pages of history. But that is not the message that is being taught in our schools and colleges, or dramatized on television and in the movies. The message that is pounded home again and again is that white people enslaved black people.

Undocumented individuals make hospital discharge difficult
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/04/undocumented-individuals-hospital-discharge-difficult.html#more-43673
Excerpt: Mr. M is in his fifties. He speaks Spanish. He is an undocumented immigrant from Central America. He came to the U.S. to seek employment, and send money home to his family. He has no family here that can help care for him when he’s ready to be discharged from the hospital. Unfortunately, three months ago, he had a big stroke. He was paralyzed on his right side. He couldn’t swallow, walk, or use his hand. He could barely speak. He’s been in the hospital all that time. This won’t surprise you, but he doesn’t have health insurance.... We can’t keep him in the hospital forever, though it feels like that to the intern on my team (the one whose job it is to round on Mr. M every day, examining him and formulating his ‘daily plan’). There has to be somewhere he can go, right? If he had a home or family nearby, of course we’d send him there. But he doesn’t. So, our discharge planners have investigated doing the ultimate: sending him home–to his native country. (THIS IS WHY ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS THE BANE OF OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM! This case is scary. Mr. M was getting 3-times-weekly "free" dialysis even before his hospitalization. He's been hospitalized for 3 months. If they actually send him "home," medical airfare alone will run about $50,000 (don't even consider regular air service: these doctors would be sued by every interest group you can think of before Mr. M even got on the plane). Sadly, he still won't get the care he needs when he gets home. Who do you suppose will have to pay for all this compassionate treatment? You and me, friend. That $50 grand is only the capstone. I spent about one month hospitalized back in 2000. My hospital bill alone came to more than a quarter million dollars, not including the greedy doctors and evil surgeons who saved my life (God bless'em, every one!). The economics is like this: If the hospital and doctor don't make enough money to stay in business, THEY AREN'T THERE the next time we need them. The only thing they can do is pass the costs of those who can't/won't pay on to the rest of us who can/will. Even if we have to do it indirectly through our taxes, it still comes out of our pockets. This one man, Mr. M--who shouldn't have been here to begin with--will end up costing his community close to a million dollars. It isn't right. We've got to control the borders. RP)

Undocumented Workers
I have compassion for Mr. M, above. I also have compassion for the millions of black, brown and yellow kids who have died from Malaria because we panicked and banned DDT, for the Gays hanged and women stoned in Iran, and for the blacks who have starved under black rule in Zimbabwe, all at the behest of American Liberals, who care not at all. But anyone who thinks we shouldn’t control the borders and enforce the immigration laws you should invite illegal immigrants to come live in your house—as many as want to—the open door policy. Promise that whatever they cannot afford in food and healthcare from doing “jobs Americans won’t do” you will make up. Promise you will pay for the children’s education, all costs. And you can’t place a limit. If you already have 50 and another 25 want to move in, fine. You house will just be a small scale of what America will be like with no enforced immigration laws. If you support an open door policy, you should try it first and bear the costs before you force it on others. And if you say no, you are a racist.

The Notebooks of Lazarus Long
http://www.angelfire.com/or/sociologyshop/lazlong.html
I was a strong Science Fiction fan in my younger days; still enjoy the occasional novel between reading history, economics and political books. My all time favorite author was Robert Heinlein (it was a thrill when he called me once to talk about a political campaign—I haven’t washed that ear since). In his best novel, Time Enough for Love, his hero lays out some great guidelines for life in these notebooks. Click on “Intermission” for the first section, then “Second Intermission.” Lazarus Long (and presumably Heinlein) was a secular conservative-libertarian, if I read these right.

Vietnam, in sadness but not in shame
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/apr/26/sanders-vietnam-in-sadness-but-not-in-shame/
America's more than 1.5 million Vietnamese-Americans this week will mourn the 35th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the Republic of [South] Vietnam. Defying conventional wisdom, many will remember and honor the bravery and sacrifice of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. They want recognition for the heroic struggle that South Vietnamese troops put up against overwhelming odds after the withdrawal of American forces and the cutoff of U.S. military aid. Fortunately, a new group of revisionist scholars is setting the record straight, even in the face of the long history of American media and academic malfeasance on the Vietnam disaster. The mourners also will recall the enormous loss of life and suffering — "the bloodbath" which, again, conventional wisdom has tried to deny — that followed Saigon's fall. Thousands died in "the Vietnamese gulag," communist "re-education camps" where Prime Minister Pham Van Dong publicly admitted that more than 1 million people had been imprisoned. Few but the Vietnamese remember that in addition to the 255,000 boat people who reached the shelter of the miserable refugee camps, thousands drowned at sea, often refused entry by neighboring countries. That is not in any way to minimize the enormous loss of life and the sacrifice of Americans in what was a noble if tragic struggle. But it is an effort to retell the whole story of "Vietnam" for fellow Americans, particularly younger generations who have grown up amid a vast media and pseudo-scholarly distortion of facts. The remembrance also glories in the thousands of young Vietnamese now serving with distinction in the U.S. armed forces. Unfortunately, in Vietnam itself, the oppression continues unabated. The communist regime persecutes religious and ethnic minorities, and in its own ham-handed way, attempts to stamp out political dissent. An endlessly feuding politburo guides the one-party state — so enmeshed in petty personal rivalries and ideological confusion that it publicly arrested the Communist Party official newspaper editor after he wrote an anti-Chinese editorial. And, since 1995, when Sens. John McCain of Arizona and John Kerry of Massachusetts — both veterans of the war — pushed for U.S. diplomatic recognition without quid pro quos, official Washington has obfuscated the true nature of the regime. U.S. policy has naively and ignominiously sought favor with Hanoi through economic and trade concessions in a fruitless effort to promote political liberalization.

Climate Change and the dinosaurs
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/04/26/climate-change-and-the-dinosaurs/#more-18928
Excerpt: Despite being located in the Arctic Circle, Svalbard was home to numerous species of dinosaur and was typically characterised by warm, shallow seas and swamps. But the research team, led by Dr Gregory Price of the University of Plymouth, found evidence in fossils and carbonate materials preserved in marine rocks in the region of a transient shift to cooler glacial conditions around 137 million years ago. Dr Price said: “At certain times in the geological past, the world has been dominated by greenhouse conditions with elevated CO2 levels and warm Polar Regions, and hence, these are seen as analogues of future global climate. But this research suggests that for short periods of time the Earth plunged back to colder temperatures, which not only poses interesting questions in terms of how the dinosaurs might have coped, but also over the nature of climate change itself.”

More Global Warming Profiteering by Obama Energy Official
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/more-global-warming-profiteering-by-obama-energy-official/?singlepage=true
Surprising? I’m hardly surprised. Excerpt: Surprising documents made available to this author reveal that Assistant Secretary of Energy Cathy Zoi has a huge financial stake in companies likely to profit from the Obama administration’s “green” policies. Zoi, who left her position as CEO of the Alliance for Climate Protection — founded by Al Gore — to serve as assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy, now manages billions in “green jobs” funding. But the disclosure documents show that Zoi not only is in a position to affect the fortunes of her previous employer, ex-Vice President Al Gore, but that she herself has large holdings in two firms that could directly profit from policies proposed by the Department of Energy.

Texas Medical Association: Stop the Medicare meltdown
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/04/stop-medicare-meltdown.html#more-43880
Excerpt: For the past decade, physicians have had to live with the uncertainty of a potential Medicare cut. However, nothing has topped the gut-wrenching events of the past four months. Four times since Jan. 1 physicians have waited and worried about a Medicare payment cut. First came the potential cut of more than 21 percent starting Jan. 1. Congress postponed it until March 1. Then until April 1, and now through June 1. Twice in the past four months, the steep cuts actually took effect. The March cut lasted one day. The April cut lasted 14. Each time Congress stepped in only to delay the cuts — never to fix the problem. Twice this year, CMS has held payments because of congressional inaction. These constant payment disruptions create an administrative catastrophe for our practices. The continued uncertainty complicates our ability to make decisions for our practices. Many physicians are postponing equipment purchases or taking on more patients or staff because we simply cannot plan in this environment. Others are opting out of Medicare or choosing not to take any new Medicare patients. Meanwhile, senior citizens, people with disabilities, and military families are left without a doctor of their choice. It was hard enough on physicians to worry about Medicare cuts year to year — now it’s month to month. We are frustrated, worried, and not sure what the future holds for our patients or our practices. We are the foundation of any health care system. The government simply cannot build a new health care system if the foundation of Medicare is crumbling. Add your name to the Stop the Medicare Meltdown petition.

Pension Bomb Ticks Louder
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303695604575181983634524348.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_opinion
The collapse will start in the Democrat-run cities, as the entitled riot when promised entitlements can no longer be paid by a productive economy bled dry by mob rule. Democracy must be something more than the unproductive/less fortunate/government employees banding together to use their votes to take property from the productive (money is property) and transfer it to themselves until the system collapses. Excerpt: The time-bomb that is public-pension obligations keeps ticking louder and louder. Eventually someone will have to notice. This month, Stanford's Institute for Economic Policy Research released a study suggesting a more than $500 billion unfunded liability for California's three biggest pension funds—Calpers, Calstrs and the University of California Retirement System. The shortfall is about six times the size of this year's California state budget and seven times more than the outstanding voter-approved general obligations bonds. The pension funds responsible for the time bombs denounced the report. Calstrs CEO Jack Ehnes declared at a board meeting that "most people would give [this study] a letter grade of 'F' for quality" but "since it bears the brand of Stanford, it clearly ripples out there quite a bit." He called its assumptions "faulty," its research "shoddy" and its conclusions "political." Calpers chief Joseph Dear wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle that the study is "fundamentally flawed" because it "uses a controversial method that is out of step with governmental accounting standards." Those standards bear some scrutiny.

Five myths about green energy
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/23/AR2010042302220.html
Excerpt: Americans are being inundated with claims about renewable and alternative energy. Advocates for these technologies say that if we jettison fossil fuels, we'll breathe easier, stop global warming and revolutionize our economy. Yes, "green" energy has great emotional and political appeal. But before we wrap all our hopes -- and subsidies -- in it, let's take a hard look at some common misconceptions about what "green" means….Robert Bryce is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. His fourth book, "Power Hungry: The Myths of 'Green' Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future," will be out Tuesday, April 27.

Health Care's History of Fiscal Folly
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703709804575202563381275260.html
Excerpt: The Affordable Care Act—otherwise known as ObamaCare—isn't the first attempt to expand health insurance coverage in America. Before Washington passed its law, a number of states took smaller-scale cracks at the job—each of which proved far more expensive than planned. As the nation dives further into debt, the destabilizing fiscal effects of those programs don't bode well for how ObamaCare will shape the U.S. budget. As spectacular failures go, it's hard to do worse than Tennessee. This early state attempt to dramatically increase health coverage, dubbed TennCare, started off promisingly. In 1994, the first year of its operation, the system added half a million new individuals to its rolls. Premiums were cheap—just $2.74 per month for people right above the poverty line—and liberal policy wonks loved it. The Urban Institute, for example, gave it good marks for "improving coverage of the uninsurable or high-risk individuals with very limited access to private coverage." At its peak, the program covered 1.4 million individuals—nearly a quarter of the state's population and more than any other state's Medicaid program—leaving just 6 percent of the state's population uninsured. But those benefits came at a high price. By 2001, the system's costs were growing faster than the state budget. The drive to increase coverage had not been matched by the drive to control costs. Vivian Riefberg, a partner at consulting firm McKinsey & Company, described it as having "almost across the board, no limits on scope and duration of coverage." Spending on drug coverage, in particular, had gone out of control: The state topped the nation in prescription drug use, and the program put no cap on how many prescription drugs a patient could receive. The result was that, by 2004, TennCare's drug benefits cost the state more than its entire higher education program. Meanwhile, in 1998, the program was opened to individuals at twice the poverty level, even if they had access to employer-provided insurance. In other words, the program's costs were uncontrolled and unsustainable. By 2004, the budget had jumped from $2.6 billion to $6.9 billion, and it accounted for a quarter of the state's appropriations.

Jones apologizes for joke about Jewish merchant
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/04/jones-apologizes-for-joke-abou.html?wprss=44
I heard this joke years ago, have told it. My take was it was -anti terrorist, not against the Jewish tie salesman. But in the Land of the Perpetually Offended, anything is grist for the PC mill. Excerpt: National security adviser Jim Jones has apologized for telling a Jewish joke last week. The joke -- about a Jewish salesman who refuses to give water to a member of the Taliban -- has been making the rounds via e-mail for more than a month. It was not clear how Jones came across it, or decided it would be a good idea to add it to his speech at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. In his statement of apology, issued Monday through the White House, Jones said it was just "off the cuff."

Talks continue as GOP senators block advance of financial overhaul bill
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/26/AR2010042601969.html?wpisrc=nl_politics
High risk indeed. The public wants to stick it to Wall Street, doesn’t realize how easily that “sticking” can be passed to them in higher loan and banking costs, decreased IRAs and 401Ks. In the economy, we are all “the man.” Excerpt: Republicans voted unanimously Monday to block an effort to overhaul financial regulations from reaching the Senate floor, pledging to hold out for significant changes to the bill even as they acknowledged the political risk of appearing to obstruct a popular cause.

Democrats' young voter problem
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/morning-fix/democrats-young-voter-problem.html?wprss=thefix
Young voters had to learn for themselves that voting for a charismatic Socialist just because it felt good to vote for a black guy was a bad idea. Same thing they discovered in Zimbabwe. Excerpt: Less than 24 hours after President Barack Obama announced his plan to re-build the coalition that helped elect him in 2008, new numbers from Gallup suggest one of the pillars of that foundation is decidedly shaky. Less than one in four voters aged 18-29 described themselves as "very enthusiastic" about the 2010 midterm election. Those numbers compare unfavorably to voters between 50 and 64 (44 percent "very enthusiastic"), 65 and older (41 percent "very enthusiastic") and 30 to 49 (32 percent "very enthusiastic"). "The fact that voters under age 50 -- and particularly those under 30 -- are less enthusiastic about voting this year is not a new phenomenon," wrote Gallup's Frank Newport. "Voter turnout typically skews older." While the data is in keeping with traditional voting patterns, it makes obvious the difficulty facing the White House as they seek to reconstruct the combination of young voters, independents and African Americans who helped propel Obama into the White House. Looking back at exit polls from the last three presidential races, it's clear that the story is not how young people comprised larger and larger segments of the electorate but rather how much more Democratic they voted between 2000 and 2008. (I don’t believe I’ve missed an election I could vote in—maybe once a local primary. But in High School, I was thought weird because I was interested in politics, history and poetry, not sports and cars.)

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) on Free Trade
http://blog.heritage.org/2010/03/03/guest-blogger-rep-henry-cuellar-d-tx-on-free-trade/
A Democrat who gets it. Alert the Unions for a DINO hunt. Excerpt: For two decades, the word “trade” has been a dividing force in Congress. Its supporters, like me, see trade as a boon to our economy. As the free leader of the world, the U.S. is also one of the largest trading nations, supporting millions of American workers and millions of American jobs. Increased trade is good for America. In the past decade, U.S. exports have nearly doubled to $2 trillion a year. More exports from the U.S. can increase production of American-made products, spurring and stabilizing local jobs while supporting small business and increasing consumer choice. In my home state of Texas, over 20,000 small and medium-size businesses rely on exporting goods and 1 in 5 manufacturing jobs relies on trade.

Will federal govt. ever enforce our immigration laws?
http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/26/will-federal-govt-ever-enforce-our-immigration-laws/?hpt=T2
From Progressive CNN? Excerpt: So Arizona passes a tough law against illegal immigration and suddenly they get Washington's attention. One poll finds 70 percent of Arizona voters support the new law... hey, maybe we better do something too. So like the lemmings they are when they smell a chance to score political points... and some of them need a lot of help with the midterms approaching - there is talk now of rushing immigration reform through Congress. President Obama called the Arizona law "misguided." What is misguided, Mr. President, is the federal government's refusal to enforce the laws already on the books. Read the Arizona law... parts of it are word-for-word the same as the federal laws - which continue to be ignored. Now we'll hear all sorts of blathering from our Washington gerbils about the need for a new federal law. There will be press conferences, interviews, committee hearings, draft legislation, polling... all the usual carnival acts that accompany any hot-button issue in Washington, DC.

Sharpton, other activists compare Arizona immigration law to apartheid, Nazi Germany and Jim Crow
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/04/26/2010-04-26_rev_al_plans_immig_rally.html
Left out the Rape of the Sabine Women. And Tawana Brawley. Excerpt: New York activists, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, compared Arizona's new immigration law to apartheid, Nazi Germany and the Jim Crow South - and vowed to shut it down with mass protests. "We will bring Freedom Walkers to Arizona just like Freedom Riders went to the deep south 50 years ago," Sharpton said yesterday. Standing with local clergy, elected officials and a leader of the Hispanic Federation, Sharpton said he would mobilize people from across the country to march in Arizona - and get arrested, if necessary - to stop the controversial new law. "We cannot sit by and allow people to be arbitrarily and unilaterally picked off as suspects because of the color of their skin," Sharpton said.

Illegal aliens riot in Arizona; Media silent
http://www.examiner.com/x-2684-Law-Enforcement-Examiner~y2010m4d26-Illegal-aliens-riot-in-Arizona-Media-silent
Inciting violence? Who knew Rev. Al was in the tea Party? Excerpt: Arizona, now home to about a half-million illegal aliens, was invaded by Rev. Al Sharpton and his minions who decided to play racial politics with the public safety of American citizens. The man to whom reporters rush for soundbites was there to protest the state's news law to fight illegal immigration. Sharpton, who commands the attention of so many members of the mainstream news media, is notorious for whipping up fury and then disappearing when destruction -- even death -- occurs. Short memories appears to be a prerequisite for being a news reporter or else these denizens of America's newsrooms are intentionally ignoring Rev. Al's modus operandi. For example, in Brooklyn, New York, Sharpton started a protest against Korean store owners. The store owners were being singled out by Sharpton and his goons because their businesses were located in a predominately black neighborhood. For weeks protesters marched and yelled epithets against the Korean families. The protest became so heated that a grocery store owner was beaten to death. Now, Rev. Sharpton has set his sights on Arizona's new immigration enforcement law, a law supported by 70 percent of the state's residents including the membership of the Arizona Sheriffs Association. At one rally, what the media characterized as a “small riot” broke out as police attempted to escort away a supporter of the bill who had come under attack from opponents. A number of protesters began throwing objects at the supporter and his police escorts.

ABC: 'Mostly Peaceful' Immigration Protests vs. 'Very Ugly' Tea Party Rallies
http://www.mrc.org/biasalert/2010/20100426060932.aspx
Excerpt: On Saturday's Good Morning America, reporter Mike Von Fremd downplayed the violence of protesters against Arizona's new immigration law. He spun, "Riot police were called in to try and control demonstrators protesting outside the capital. Most were peaceful. A handful threw bottles at police and were arrested." Yet, ABC derided March's Tea Party rallies as "very ugly," despite the fact that there were no arrests.

CBS Again Focuses on Victims in Arizona: 'Many Feel the Sting of Racism in New Law'
http://www.mrc.org/biasalert/2010/20100427015953.aspx
Excerpt: For the second consecutive weeknight, the CBS Evening News on Monday framed Arizona’s new anti-illegal immigrant bill around the fears and charges of its supposed victims. With “ANGER & ANXIETY” on screen below video of signs hostile to the new law (“LAND OF THE FREE! REALLY?” and a Swastika sign with “Achtung! Papers Please”), Katie Couric teased: “Anger in Arizona against a new law allowing police to make you prove you’re in the country legally” – followed by a man who impugned supporters: “They’re just focusing on us because we’re brown.”

The US is Not "Like Nazi Germany"
http://plumwoodroad.blogspot.com/
Oh, Brother. I just heard a radio sound bite of some anti-anti-illegal immigration protester claiming that America is like Nazi Germany: We are putting up a border fence in Arizona and storm troopers are demanding to see people's papers. The easy explanation would be to point out that in Nazi Germany those things were done to keep people in -- in Arizona they are being done to keep people out. That's a significant difference right there, but also an over-simplification itself. It is commonly agreed that The United States is a nation of immigrants. What is seldom stated is legal immigrants. For over two hundred years in all parts of the world -- people have left their homes, their extended families, their possessions and moved to the New World of the United States. Those huddled-masses built this nation. An immigrant today doesn't just join us, but in a real sense joins them, too.

Obama’s Racist Southern (Hemisphere) Strategy
http://www.newsrealblog.com/2010/04/27/obamas-racist-southern-hemisphere-strategy/
Excerpt: For 40 years the “Southern Strategy” has been a staple of liberal political history. The story goes that Republicans under Nixon got tough on crime in order to appeal to racist white Southerners– who apparently would have been okay with rising rape and murder rates as long as rednecks were the primary suspects. But now, Obama and the Democrats are doing precisely what they accuse (mostly dead) Republicans of having done. They are deliberately picking a fight over immigration reform and fanning fears of cops stopping people for LWL–Living While Latino– in order to fire up the base and make Hispanic voters afraid to vote Republican. Harry Reid is blatantly pushing for the issue because he needs Latino voters to show up in droves for him to have any chance of winning; and Obama would love to have the issue for the next 2 years, if need be, to help with his re-election– though he’d MUCH rather have 12 million new voters! The President was pretty open about it:

The Next Empire
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/04/the-next-empire/8018/
Excerpt: All across Africa, new tracks are being laid, highways built, ports deepened, commercial contracts signed—all on an unprecedented scale, and led by China, whose appetite for commodities seems insatiable. Do China’s grand designs promise the transformation, at last, of a star-crossed continent? Or merely its exploitation?

Obama(doesn't)care Taking Surprise Hits
http://townhall.com/columnists/DavidLimbaugh/2010/04/27/obamadoesntcare_taking_surprise_hits
Excerpt: As President Barack Obama is attempting to steamroll yet another enormous policy change through Congress against the best interests of Americans, we would be well-advised to keep abreast of the frauds that are already being exposed about Obamacare. Last week, reality dealt Obamacare twin blows -- not that Obama will care. An analysis inside his own administration and a report from New York state shed the grim light of reality on this monstrosity before its Draconian provisions have even gone into effect. Economic experts at the Health and Human Services Department issued a report last week, conveniently after Obamacare was shoved through, finding that though more people will end up with health insurance (many of them against their will, of course), costs are going to increase. Shocker.

Cartoonist Molly Norris Erases 'Draw Muhammad' Gag
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpps/news/cartoonist-molly-norris-draw-muhammad-gag-dpgoha-20100426-fc_7252284
Jihadist terror silences another. Free speech is slipping away. Excerpt: In more fallout around the decision by Comedy Central to censor an episode of "South Park" that contained comedic depictions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, a cartoonist has now censored herself . Seattle artist Molly Norris originally posted on her website a cartoon showing many different objects – including a purse, a domino, a coffee cup and a spool of thread – claiming to be a likeness of Muhammad. Norris said that May 20 would be the first annual "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day" and created a fictional group, Citizens Against Citizens Against Humor, to sponsor the event. She dedicated the illustration to Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of "South Park." She sent the illustration to some bloggers and talked to a local radio host, saying "it's a cartoonist's job to be non-PC." Now Norris has backed off from that position. She no longer has the illustration on her website and she claims responses to the idea were overwhelming. Instead she has a drawing of herself, with various word balloons containing her feelings about the incident, including "I said that I wanted to counter fear and then I got afraid." But she may have started something she can't stop. Others have taken up the cause of "Everybody Draw Muhammed Day."

Joke—not that funny, though
An atheist passes a priest and shouts "Jesus is a lie!" He then passes a Jew and shouts "God is a lie!" He then passes a Muslim Imam and shouts, "Good day Sir!"

French Muslim man hits back in polygamy row
http://www.expatica.com/fr/news/french-news/french-muslim-man-hits-back-in-polygamy-row_62638.html
The Tiger Defense. And we complain about immigrants with one family on welfare. Excerpt: A Muslim butcher who could be stripped of his French passport over allegations of polygamy hit back on Monday, insisting that he had not broken the law. Lies Hebbadj, an Algerian-born 35-year-old, has been at the centre of a political storm since last week when his wife complained that she had been fined for driving while wearing her "niqab" full-face veil. The woman has refused to pay the fine and Hebbadj has taken her defence. Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux suggested the man could lose his French passport, saying he was believed to have four wives who had borne him 12 children and that each was receiving welfare benefits. But Hebbadj called a news conference on Monday to contend that, while he has several mistresses, he had not engaged in polygamy, which is illegal in France. "As far as I know, it is not forbidden to have mistresses in France, nor is it forbidden under Islam," said Hebbadj, who runs a halal butcher shop in the western city of Nantes. "Maybe under the Christian faith, but not in France," he added.

Congress Urged to Drop Evangelist From Event
http://www.aolnews.com/politics/article/muslim-group-wants-franklin-graham-booted-from-capitol-hill-prayer-event/19454971
Excerpt: A Muslim civil liberties group urged Congress to disinvite evangelist Franklin Graham from a prayer event, just days after the Pentagon booted the minister from another gathering because of his anti-Islam remarks. Graham is scheduled to attend the congressional National Day of Prayer event on Capitol Hill on May 6. He was to have led services at the Pentagon the same day but was told last week that he was no longer welcome after Army leaders decided his comments that Islam is a "very evil and wicked religion" were a problem. Graham refused to back down, saying on Fox News that Muslims were "enslaved" by their beliefs.

AZ State Capitol Vandalized
Arizona immigration law: Vandals leave Swastikas, beans at Capitol
http://commonamericanjournal.com/?p=13602
Must have been a Tea Party. Left wouldn’t do this.

Risk grows that Israel will go alone to take out Iranian nukes
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Risk-grows-that-Israel-will-go-alone-to-take-out-Iranian-nukes-92138599.html
Excerpt: The growing rift between the Obama administration and Israel, coupled with the administration’s failure to rein in Tehran’s nuclear program, has increased the chances that the Israelis will eventually launch an attack on Iran, experts said.

This day comes
You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than live as slaves. -Winston Churchill