Political Digest for March 21, 2011

I post articles because I think they are of interest. Doing so doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree (or disagree) with every—or any—opinion in the posted article. Help your friends and relatives stay informed by passing the digest on.

Resources

For those who want further information about the topics covered in this blog, I recommend the following sites. I will add to this as I find additional good sources.

http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2011/03/resources-for-opinion-leaders-who.html

Why Bomb Gaddafi?

Because he has killed his own people? Saddam killed 100 times more of his own people, and then State Senator Obama opposed taking action against him. Mao killed some 60 million of his own people and the Obamas honored him with a Mao-ornament on the White House Christmas Tree. Reagan bombed Gaddafi a little bit after he killed Americans, and the left reacted like he had attacked Bambi. Is it because he has oil? Iraq has more oil, and people like Obama kept chanting "no blood for oil." Conclusion: Obama bombed Gaddafi because he was a piker at killing his own people, thus not a danger he had to bow to.

A flippant beginning to another war

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/03/flippant-beginning-another-war

Excerpt: "Today I authorized the armed forces of the United States to begin a limited action in Libya in support of an international effort to protect Libyan civilians." The wording is striking because it recalls the "Authorization of the Use of Force," in Iraq -- an authorization that Congress provided. It was not a unilateral action by the President, like today's "authorization" was. It seems pretty clear to me that the Constitution does not give the President the authority to start an offensive war with no Congressional approval.

Candidate Obama agreed with me. Here he is in 2007: The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.

French jets resume Libya sorties

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12798568

Excerpt: Col Muammar Gaddafi says Libya will fight a "long war" after Western air strikes against his forces to protect rebel-held areas. Military officials are said to be assessing the damage after at least 110 missiles were fired by the US and UK. After an attack by French planes, some 14 bodies were lying near destroyed military vehicles outside the rebel-held city of Benghazi, Reuters says. The head of the Arab League has criticised the bombardments. His comments are significant because the Arab League's support for the no-fly zone was a key factor in getting UN Security Council backing for the resolution authorising the move. "What is happening in Libya differs from the aim of imposing a no-fly zone, and what we want is the protection of civilians and not the bombardment of more civilians," said Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa. (This will not end well for the West, regardless of the ending for Gaddafi. ~Bob.)

Liberal Democrats in uproar over Libya action

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/51595.html

Excerpt: A hard-core group of liberal House Democrats is questioning the constitutionality of U.S. missile strikes against Libya, with one lawmaker raising the prospect of impeachment during a Democratic Caucus conference call on Saturday. Reps. Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.), Donna Edwards (Md.), Mike Capuano (Mass.), Dennis Kucinich (Ohio), Maxine Waters (Calif.), Rob Andrews (N.J.), Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas), Barbara Lee (Calif.) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.) “all strongly raised objections to the constitutionality of the president’s actions” during that call, said two Democratic lawmakers who took part. Kucinich, who wanted to bring impeachment articles against both former President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney over Iraq — only to be blocked by his own leadership — asked why the U.S. missile strikes aren’t impeachable offenses. (A gift to Obama, making him look more centrist as he moves into the 2012 campaign. ~Bob.)

Next up: Yemen's weakened president abandoned by own tribe

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110320/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_yemen

Notice how the liberals despise the military until they want to bomb somebody? Given that Al Qaeda is very active there, which side will Obama bomb? The world waits. ~Bob. Excerpt: The U.S.-backed president of Yemen suffered a devastating political blow on Sunday when his own powerful tribe demanded his resignation, joining religious leaders, young people and the country's traditional opposition in calls for an end to his three decades in power. Massive crowds flooded cities and towns around the impoverished and volatile nation, screaming in grief and anger as they mourned dozens of protesters killed Friday when President Ali Abdullah Saleh's security forces opened fire from rooftops on a demonstration in the capital.

Some Obama Milestones

http://pajamasmedia.com/tatler/2011/03/19/some-obama-milestones/

Excerpt: Barack Obama has now been responsible for firing more cruise missiles than all other Nobel Peace prize winners combined. He’s still in 2nd place for number of Arab deaths caused (and 3rd place for Muslim deaths) behind Yassir Arafat and Mikhail Gorbachev. (But he's only had his finger on the trigger for two years--give him time.)

Excellent satire: Our Dear Leader Speaks

http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2011/03/our-dear-leader-speaks.html

Excerpt: I speak to you today with a heavy heart and a light mind, to bring you up to date on the problems of the day facing my administration. These burdens, left by the former resident of the Oval Office, affect me deeply. There is a tragedy in Japan. That was not my fault. There is a developing disaster in Libya. Everyone knows that it is not nice to kill your own citizens (without good reason). Therefore, I have ordered the TSA to look into a no-fly zone there. That proud motto, “If anybody can keep people on the ground, it’s the TSA” has reflected this agency's impressive record. I hear that Iran has ships in the Mediterranean Sea. I am not concerned. We have ships in the Straits of Hormuz. Fair is fair. They are also having trouble with street demonstrations. I have asked Andy Stern to consult with them on the problem. It may be simply a question of fringe benefits - like democracy in, say, Wisconsin....

Funny: Top 10 Obama Leisure Activities

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=42381

Amid America’s economic doldrums and as world events careen out of control, President Obama will not let a crisis deter him from unwinding. This same President, advising the American people how to deal with the financial crisis, once said, “If you’re a family trying to cut back, you might skip going out to dinner, you might put off a vacation.” Here are the Top 10 Obama Leisure Activities:

Dying to Establish Islam

http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2011/03/dying-to-establish-islam.html

Excerpt: Below is a video of Amir Abdel Malik of the Muslims Students Association leading his audience in the pledge of allegiance. The Islamic pledge of allegiance, that is — don’t expect anything about liberty and justice for all in this one — the text is straight out of the Muslim Brotherhood oath.

The two-trilli​on-dollar mistake, Take Two

http://hotair.com/archives/2011/03/19/the-two-trillion-dollar-mistake-take-2/

Hey, I make errors in my checkbook, too. But never more than a couple of billion. ~Bob. Excerpt: Christine Romer and Peter Orszag have been gone for months, but in some ways it’s as if they never left … especially in math. For the second time in eighteen months, the Obama administration has been caught making a $2-trillion error in its deficit projections, this time attached to its latest budget proposal. The CBO yesterday released a report showing that the White House far overstated economic growth and blew the whistle yet again on ObamaCare projections:

The Leadership Equation

http://www.jdpendry.com/2011/03/20/the-leadership-equation/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+JDPendry+%28JDs+Bunker%29

Excerpt: When George Bush was the President, the assertion put forth by a powerful mass media was that because of his abhorrent leadership the United States lost the respect of other nations. We were convinced that he was a poor communicator and that was his great weakness. It is comforting to know, now that we have been gifted with hope and change, that we are turning that around. Unlike those who hold the nation’s ear, I am not afraid to admit that there is much that I do not know. It is a thought that hopefully keeps me grounded. What I do know is that the people who steer world opinion via our mass media do not possess anymore knowledge than me or the average man and woman in our blessed nation and a far cry less common sense. Many of them actually know far less than the rest of us. They also do not have a greater ability than anyone else to think critically. They are gifted only with an above average ability to orate from scripts and Teleprompters, but that is where the difference ends. We will do well to focus on what is said rather than how well it is said. Those who earn great paychecks to lead us from Washington are also not smarter or better thinkers than the rest of us.

Petrobras gets permit for U.S. deep waters

http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Resource-Wars/2011/03/18/Petrobras-gets-permit-for-US-deep-waters/UPI-87891300453143/#ixzz1H9xj5I3L

Excerpt: Washington has given Petrobras America Inc. permission to start oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico, a regulator said. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement gave Petrobras approval to use a floating production storage offloading facility at its Cascade-Chinook project in the Gulf of Mexico. The approval marks the first time FPSO technology will be used in U.S. waters of the Gulf of Mexico. (Another outrage. American companies are forbidden to drill in the Gulf or anywhere else, but Petrobras has carte blanche. Why?..........because George Soros is heavily invested in Petrobras. No doubt BHO has a secret agreement w. his billionaire supporter that includes a hefty % of the profits that will accrue to Soros. Isn't this a form of economic treason against the financial interests and national security of the U.S.?? If not, then how could this be described? --DH)

SEIU Hit with RICO Lawsuit, Blames Hunton and Williams and...Koch Brothers

http://biggovernment.com/libertychick/2011/03/20/seiu-hit-with-rico-lawsuit-blames-hunton-williams-and-koch-brothers/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BigGovernment+%28Big+Government%29

Excerpt: After years of being harassed by the purple people beaters, one company has finally said ENOUGH. In a press release issued Thursday, Sodexo USA announced that the company has filed a civil lawsuit against the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act., accusing the union of engaging in an “illegal campaign of extortion.” The lawsuit representing Sodexo is Hunton & Williams – the same firm SEIU and its allies have accused of launching a “dirty tricks” campaign against them in retaliation for their anti-Chamber of Commerce campaigns.

UK: Press Complaints Commission Investigates Melanie Phillips' Spectator Blog

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/mar/18/pcc-melanie-phillips-spectator-blog

Excerpt: A Melanie Phillips blogpost on the Spectator website which referred to the "moral depravity" of Arab "savages" is being investigated by the Press Complaints Commission. The online comment piece, headlined "Armchair barbarism", focused on media coverage of the murder of five members of a Jewish family in the West Bank settlement of Itamar by Palestinian militants earlier this month. "The moral depravity of the Arabs is finding a grotesque echo in the moral bankruptcy and worse of the British and American 'liberal' media," wrote Phillips. "Overwhelmingly, the media have either ignored or downplayed the atrocity – or worse, effectively blamed the victims for bringing it on themselves, describing them as 'hard-line settlers' or extremists.

Japan: There's No Food, Tell People There's No Food

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8392549/Japan-crisis-Theres-no-food-tell-people-there-is-no-food.html

 Excerpt: The unshaven man in a tracksuit stops his bicycle on the roadside and glances over his shoulder to check that he is unobserved. Satisfied, he reaches quickly into the sludge-filled gutter, picks up a discarded ready-meal and stuffs it into a plastic carrier bag. In another time, another place, Kazuhiro Takahashi could be taken for a tramp, out scavenging for food after a long night on the bottle. In fact, he is just another hungry victim of Japan’s tsunami trying to find food for his family. “I am so ashamed,” says the 43-year-old construction worker after he realises he has been spotted. “But for three days we haven’t had enough food. I have no money because my house was washed away by the tsunami and the cash machine is not working.”

Sharia Law Gains Foothold in US—Federal Judge Upholds Government Funding of Islam

http://www.thomasmore.org/qry/page.taf?id=119&_function=detail&sbtblct_uid1=877&month=01&year=2011

Excerpt: Last week, Judge Lawrence P. Zatkoff, a federal district court judge in Michigan, dismissed a constitutional challenge to the U.S. Government’s bailout of AIG, which used over a hundred million dollars in federal tax money to support Islamic religious indoctrination through the funding and promotion of Sharia-compliant financing (SCF). SCF is financing that follows the dictates of Islamic law. The challenge was brought by the Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and co-counsel David Yerushalmi, on behalf of Kevin Murray, a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraqi War. TMLC filed a notice of appeal immediately after the ruling and will be seeking review of the decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of TMLC, commented: “Judge Zatkoff’s ruling allows for oil–rich Muslim countries to plant the flag of Islam on American soil. His ruling ignored the uncontested opinions of several Sharia experts and AIG’s own website, which trumpeted Sharia-compliant financing as promoting the law of the Prophet Mohammed and as an ‘ethical product,’ and a ‘new way of life.’ His ruling ignored AIG’s use of a foreign Islamic advisory board to control investing in accordance with Islamic law.” (This is a real mindblower. First off, if Jewish, Catholic, Quaker, Mormon, etc, churches wanted to get gov't money to support their ideas of how banking has to be done in some particular way related to their founding religious documents, they'd never get an inch off home plate, much less to first base. Secondly, the judge ended up saying the actual amount of funds used, $153 million, was just too small to be worth noting in a lawsuit. Really? Sure, in comparison to the billions thrown around, it's small change. That's not the point. The point is separation of church and state has become pretty rigid in our society, no ten commandments on the courthouse steps, hell, no Christmas, just "winter holiday". And the ACLU jealously guards us all against the faintest taint of government somehow supporting religion. Yet it's OK for Muslims to influence how banking is done according to the precepts of their religious law and use federal funds to do it? It doesn't matter how minor the actual funding is, the point is that it's the nose of the camel under the tent. And that is one camel we don't ever want to see any of in our tent. If no other religion gets federal money for their goals, then absolutely Islam should not either. --Del)

Shame: Ignoring Death Threats to Wisconsin Politicians Is Media Bias

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lee-stranahan/shame-ignoring-death-thre_b_835805.html

Three questions for you. Do you think of Republicans and the Tea Party as dangerous, violent extremists? Do you think the Wisconsin protests over GOP Governor Scott Walker's move to strip public sector employees of collective bargaining were peaceful? Do you scoff at the right wing notion that mainstream media like the New York Times, the TV networks and NPR have a liberal media bias against the conservatives? If you answered 'yes' to all three of those questions, then let me ask you one more...Why isn't the mainstream media talking about the death threats against Republican politicians in Wisconsin? Try to set aside whatever biases or preconceptions you might have for a moment and ask yourself why death threats against politicians aren't considered national news, especially in the wake of the all too fresh shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and other bystanders. And there hasn't just been one death threat, but a number of them. Here's an example and it's real. According to Wisconsin State Department of Justice, authorities have found a suspect who admitted to sending the following email: I want to make this perfectly clear. Because of your actions today and in the past couple of weeks I and the group of people that are working with me have decided that we've had enough. We feel that you and your republican dictators have to die. (Since this editorial came out, there have been some articles that have gone through exhaustive lists of the kinds of threats and violence that accompanied the three weeks of protests in Wisconsin. As the writer below, an independent liberal, says, the almost total ignoring of these acts by the main media is a very bad, a truly shameful thing. Contrast this against the single event of a crazy guy shooting a woman legislator and the media and pundits instantly blaming Right Wing rhetoric (as if there's never been Left Wing rhetoric). There is no comparison to the amount and intensity of the data to be found in Wisconsin, yet there was pretty much silence from everyone except of course Fox News and some conservative blogs. My position is as always... no dual standard for reporting and opining. This situation shows how wide the gulf is between standards for reporting conservative abuses versus liberal abuses. Now Japan and Libya have taken over the air waves, and rightly so. But the demonstration of media bias seen about Wisconsin should impress everyone. --Del)

A Scorecard Of Negatives, A Menace To Our Future

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/566223/201103161903/A-Scorecard-Of-Negatives-A-Menace-To-Our-Future.htm

Excerpt: By any rational standard, Barack Obama gets an F for job performance and should — on that basis alone — either resign or be voted out ASAP before he does further harm. Obama is a strange man who often seems not to be paying attention. Does he have a second job and work for America only part time? Is he real or virtual? Other nations no longer look to America's mysterious president for leadership. "President Obama stands mostly mute at the sidelines like a perfectly groomed mannequin," reports Matthew d'Ancona of the U.K.'s Telegraph. So faint and fumbling is Obama that even his hard-core lefty colleagues are forced to avert their eyes in embarrassment. An exasperated Richard Cohen at the Washington Post blurted out the truth regarding the president: "Like a picture hung in the sun, he fades over time."

The Guilt-Free Record of George Soros

http://www.sorosmonitor.com/absolutenm/templates/news.aspx?articleid=33&zoneid=1

Interesting quotes from the progressive heroes. ~Bob. Excerpt: I am basically there to--to make money. I cannot and do not look at the social consequences of--of what I do.? George Soros, commenting on being blamed for the financial collapse of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan and Russia. ?He can move world financial markets simply by voicing an opinion or destabilize a government by buying and selling its currency? [W]hen he saw cracks in the Asia boom, he began selling the currency in Thailand. Traders in Hong Kong followed suit, triggering a financial crisis that plunged much of Asia into a depression. (?George Soros,? 60 Minutes interview transcript, December 20, 1998)

Hamas fires dozens of mortars at Israel

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110319/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians

Quick! The kuffer are busy with Japan and Libya. Resume the "peace process." ~Bob. Excerpt: Palestinian militants in Gaza fired more than 50 mortar shells into Israel on Saturday, the heaviest barrage in two years, Israeli officials said, raising the prospect of a new Mideast flareup. Also Saturday, Hamas police beat reporters and news photographers covering a rally in Gaza City, drawing a stiff condemnation from the reporters' association. Israel invaded Gaza two years ago to put a stop to daily rocket barrages by Gaza militants, and Saturday's exchange showed how the conflict could quickly spiral out of control. Gaza's Hamas rulers are thought to be trying to avoid another Israeli invasion, after the last one caused widespread damage, killed more than 1,400 and left the territory under blockade, but Hamas claimed responsibility for some of the mortar rounds. A Hamas official was killed and four civilians were wounded when Israel hit back with tank fire and air strikes, said Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Adham Abu Salmia.

Walking By Faith - The Jacob Romo Testimony

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKaoRDKSvQo

Excerpt: For those who haven't seen it, a 7 1/2 min video containing the powerful testimony of how Marine Jacob Romo's life was changed on February 11, 2011, while serving in Afghanistan. He lost both of his legs and broke his right arm after stepping on an IED (Improvised Explosive Device). Hear his testimony about this event and what makes him carry on...

The Week That Was: 2011-03-19 (March 19, 2011)

http://www.sepp.org/the-week-that-was.cfm...

Excerpt: The dominant news this week was the disastrous earthquake that hit northeastern Japan, the destructive tsunami, and the focus of the American popular press on the unfolding developments at damaged Japanese nuclear reactors while largely ignoring the tremendous human suffering. At last report, over 10,000 are dead or missing with the number expected to climb as search operations continue, the livelihood of tens of thousands destroyed, tens of thousands are without homes, basic sanitation, and power. Yet to the American popular press, from “conservative” Bill O’Reilly to the “liberal” New York Times, the most pressing concern was the “threat” of a nuclear catastrophe – no matter how remote. As TWTW reader William Westmiller, who is experienced in radio and TV broadcasting, states: “in journalism if it bleeds it leads, but if it radiates it fascinates.” Equally disappointing is that many journalists cited comments from anti-nuclear pressure groups while not bothering with comments from nuclear engineers and similar experts. Though not all, many of the reports, pronouncements by anti-nuclear groups, and comments by politicians play on the scientific ignorance of the general population concerning nuclear energy. Although it is premature for a thorough analysis, a tentative review of what happened is useful for evaluating various reports and comments on modern nuclear power from uranium.

A Senator’s Shadow Family

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/nyregion/20turanos.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

Excerpt: But the person who oversaw the construction — and browbeat the contractors — is State Senator Carl Kruger, an Albany power broker and Democratic moneyman whose official residence is at his sister’s, two miles away. The tangled ties among Mr. Kruger, the doctors and their mother — long a topic of gossip and speculation in the insular neighborhood and nearby political precincts — were thrust into view this month when the senator and the older Turano brother were among eight men charged in what the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York described as “a broad-based bribery racket.” For more than 25 years, Mr. Kruger and the Turanos of Mill Basin have forged the most unconventional of domestic arrangements — at once public and opaque, widely whispered about and poorly understood. The Turanos are variously described by friends, neighbors and colleagues as the senator’s social acquaintances, lovers or surrogate relatives.

Farrakhan to Obama - "Who the hell do you think you are?"

http://www.hapblog.com/2011/03/who-hell-do-you-think-your-are.html

Excerpt: "I warn my brother do you let these wicked demons move you in a direction that will absolutely ruin your future with your people in Africa and throughout the world...Why don't you organize a group of respected Americans and ask for a meeting with Qaddafi, you can't order him to step down and get out, who the hell do you think you are? (I do believe it was Farrakhan who first labeled Obama as the Messiah. Now it seems that the Messiah has fallen out of grace. MasterGuns. At least he didn't call him "uppity." ~Bob.)  

Fukushima Nuclear Accident – Why I stay in Tokyo

http://bravenewclimate.com/2011/03/20/why-i-stay-in-tokyo/

Excerpt: Thousands have left Tokyo recently in a panic about the perceived radiation threat. If you ask any one of them to precisely articulate what the threat consists of, they will be unable to do so. This is because they actually don’t know, and because in fact there is no threat justifying departure, at least not from radioactivity (*).They flee because they have somehow heard that there is a threat – from the media, their embassies, their relatives overseas, friends, etc. These sources of information, too, have never supplied a credible explanation for their advisories. But they have managed to create a mass panic, leading to thousands of people wasting their money on expensive air fares, disrupting their professional lives, their children’s education, and the many other productive activities they were going about. (Written by a German national living in Tokyo, the author makes clear the costs of abandoning posts to those around them who have to stay. He also includes a chart with radiation readings for the past few days up to current. The chart is hard to read, but it appears to me to say the readings are fairly steady in the range of 6 to 8 micro-Sieverts/hour—which I’ve probably spelled wrong—and just for contrast, he then points out that background radiation in downtown London is about 30 to 35 micro-Sieverts/hour, six or seven times higher than in Tokyo. Thank you, media, for keeping us all so well informed. Ron P.)

Anti-war protesters arrested near White House

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_war_protest

Excerpt: More than 100 anti-war protesters, including the man who leaked the Pentagon Papers, were arrested outside the White House in demonstrations marking the eighth anniversary of the U.S.-led war in Iraq. The protesters, some shouting anti-war slogans and singing "We Shall Not Be Moved," were arrested Saturday after ignoring orders to move away from the gates of the White House. The demonstrators cheered loudly as Daniel Ellsberg, the former military analyst who in 1971 leaked the Pentagon's secret history of the Vietnam War that was later published in major newspapers, was arrested and led away by police. In New York City, about 80 protesters gathered near the U.S. military recruiting center in Times Square, chanting "No to war" and carrying banners that read, "I am not paying for war" and "Butter not guns." (They probably forgot Bush isn't President anymore. --Larry W.)

NC Man Convicted for Making and Selling His Own Silver Coins

http://visiontoamerica.org/story/nc-man-convicted-for-making-and-selling-his-own-silver-coins.html

Excerpt: Bernard von NotHaus, 67, was convicted today by a federal jury of making, possessing, and selling his own coins, announced Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Following an eight-day trial and less than two hours of deliberation, von NotHaus, the founder and monetary architect of a currency known as the Liberty Dollar, was found guilty by a jury in Statesville, North Carolina, of making coins resembling and similar to United States coins; of issuing, passing, selling, and possessing Liberty Dollar coins; of issuing and passing Liberty Dollar coins intended for use as current money; and of conspiracy against the United States.

Global Warming Alarmism Continues To Backfire

http://blogs.forbes.com/jamestaylor/2011/03/16/global-warming-alarmism-continues-to-backfire/

Excerpt: The roots of the alarmists’ credibility problem go back at least to the 1970s. President Obama’s chief science advisor, John Holdren, claimed in 1971 that humans were causing a global cooling crisis. Holdren wrote, “the reduced transparency of the atmosphere to incoming light” due to human industrial and agricultural activities, “is said to be responsible for the present world cooling trend — a trend of about .2C in the world mean surface temperature over the past quarter century.” (…) The same religionists who have led the charge regarding an asserted global warming crisis were the very same individuals who led the charge regarding an asserted global cooling crisis. And not only were the same people leading the charge, but they were naming the same alleged cause (human industrial activity) and the same alleged consequences (more drought, extreme weather, crop failures, etc.). Perhaps the alarmists’ errant prior claims of a global cooling crisis could be overlooked if their current global warming predictions were faring any better. But their global warming claims are failing just as spectacularly. (…) If a stockbroker keeps advising people to buy stocks that subsequently drop sharply in value, people eventually stop listening to the stockbroker. Similarly, there are only so many times global warming alarmists can falsely cry “wolf!” before people stop reacting with alarm.

Unions Join In Challenging EPA

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/566397/201103171834/Unions-Join-In-Challenging-EPA.htm

Excerpt: It was one thing when those greedy tools of the rich, Republicans and conservatives, stood in opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency's regulation of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as well as its tightening of ozone and mercury standards in violation of sound science and congressional intent. After all, they were interested only in ravaging the earth for fun and profit. Now unions and some of the Democrats they support are demanding the EPA be reined in. As we've learned from Wisconsin, hell hath no fury like a union in fear of losing jobs, benefits and, most important, union dues. (…) It didn't help when a report from bank Credit Suisse last September said the EPA's mercury rule alone could lead to the closure of nearly 18% of the nation's coal-fired generating capacity. This rule is based in part on claims of linkages between mercury and autism that have been thoroughly debunked.

Citing pension costs, Costa Mesa, Calif., plans to lay off nearly half its employees

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/citing-pension-costs-costa-mesa-calif-plans-to-lay-off-nearly-half-its-employees/2011/03/18/AB1y68x_story.html

Excerpt: Nearly half the city workers in Costa Mesa received layoff notices last week. Street sweepers. Firefighters. Mechanics. Payroll clerks. Animal control workers. In all, about 210 of the city’s 472 employees, many of whom have worked there for decades. On Thursday, as the notices were being handed out, one maintenance worker committed suicide by jumping from the city hall roof. “It’s like they decided to blow up the city,” said Billy Folsom, 58, a mechanic who got a pink slip. “It’s devastating.” (The collapse starting at the fringes. This will grow. ~Bob.)

Leadership from Gov. Kasich

http://townhall.com/columnists/lindachavez/2011/03/18/leadership_from_gov_kasich/page/full/

Excerpt: Once in a blue moon, you find a politician willing to do the right thing even if it means his popularity will plummet. Recently elected Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio, has announced a new budget for his cash-strapped state, and voters are none too happy. Polls show his approval rating at 40 percent, less than three months after he assumed office. Ohio's budget is more than $8 billion in the red, thanks to a poor economy, overspending by Kasich's predecessor, and an unfriendly business environment that has pushed jobs out of state. Ohio has lost 400,000 jobs in the last four years alone. And, like other states that received money from the 2009 federal stimulus, that money saved mostly public-sector jobs -- and on a temporary basis only. Now, school districts and other state and local agencies propped up by federal dollars will have to make do on their own. But what is different about Kasich's approach is that he's doing more than cutting spending -- he's out trying to sell his plan to a skeptical public. He could have simply released his budget, held a press conference, and then got down to the work of twisting legislators' arms. Instead, he took his plan on the road, holding a big public forum in which voters could ask questions in person or on Twitter. And he did it in his characteristic hard-charging, upbeat style. He's shown that he's willing to lead on this issue.

When even Cuomo attacks NY's spending disease without tax hikes, the game has completely changed

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/03/when-even-cuomo-attacks-nys-spending-disease-without-tax-hikes-ga

Excerpt: With public employee unions mounting desperate struggles to preserve excessively generous compensation and benefits in Wisconsin, Ohio, California, and a growing list of other states, check out this video that illustrates what is happening in New York where Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo is showing genuine leadership:

So, Shailagh Murray, when did you start dickering with Biden for a job?

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/03/so-shailagh-murray-when-did-you-start-dickering-biden-job

Excerpt: Isn't this interesting! Today we learn that Vice President Joe Biden's new communications director will be Shailagh Murray of The Washington Post. At the Post, Murray covered politicians like ... Vice President Joe Biden. She becomes the second journalist to depart a mainstream media institution to flak for Biden. The previous occupant of the position Murray will move into next month was Jay Carney, the former Time Magazine heavy who recently became President Obama's press secretary.

Curiously, it was the Post, not Biden, that first broke the news of Murray's approaching move to the right-hand of the man who is one heart beat away from the presidency. And the Post sounded rather proud of Murray's move.

Good luck explaining this Biden gaffe, Shailagh

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/03/good-luck-explaining-biden-gaffe-shalaigh

Didn't get Obama's "New Civility" memo. ~Bob. Excerpt: Speaking at a Democratic fundraiser last night in Philadelphia, Vice President Joe Biden compared Republicans trying to get federal spending under control to people who blame rape victims for their plight.