Political Digest for April 23, 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

Easter Quote

Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime. --Martin Luther

Guest Post: Atlas Shrugged Movie Review

http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2011/04/movie-review-guest-post.html

Black Panthers gearing up for "National Day of Action"

http://www.examiner.com/law-enforcement-in-national/black-panthers-gearing-up-for-national-day-of-action

Excerpt: The New Black Panther Party, a group described by many as being the largest organized anti-Semitic and racist Black militants in America, has used troubling language to describe several of the events scheduled to be held Saturday, April 23, in New York City, Washington, DC and about 40 other cities across the United States during its "National Day of Action. The leaders of the NBPP have stated that opposing Jews and "Zionism" is one of the "pressing issues" they wish to address, among myriad other social and political issues. Its leadership has also made threats of militant action in some cities, with one NBPP leader recommending that children attending the Philadelphia event wear bicycle helmets and another claiming that "we are trained and ready here in Killadelphia," according to officials with the Anti-Defamation League in New York City. The group's organizers are calling the April 23 "Day of Action" its most ambitious endeavor since the Million Youth March of 1998, which ended with clashes with police in Harlem after a series of anti-Semitic and racist speakers took the podium.

Two Western Photojournalists Killed in Libya

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/04/20/journalists-reportedly-killed-libya/

Excerpt: Two western photojournalists were killed and several others were seriously injured in Libya Wednesday while covering battles between Muammar al-Qaddafi's forces and anti-government rebels, Human Rights Watch confirmed to Fox News. Tim Hetherington -- who was nominated for an Oscar this year with co-director Sebastian Junger for "Restrepo," a documentary about U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and Chris Hondros, a New York-based photographer for the Getty agency -- were reportedly killed in the volatile city of Misrata.

Syria experiences 'Good Friday massacre'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/8468949/Syria-experiences-Good-Friday-massacre.html?om_rid=Mqh-D0&om_mid=_BNsdrFB8agOw8Z

Excerpt: Mr. Assad responded to growing popular pressure by lifting Syria’s draconian 1962 emergency laws. But the president’s apparently conciliatory gesture failed to signal a softening of the regime’s determination to crush dissent. Across the country, protesters spilling out of mosques were met with live ammunition, sometimes within minutes of Friday prayers ending. In Damascus, the capital, and towns and cities to the east, west and south, every attempt to challenge the regime was met with the same remorseless vengeance. By dusk, there were fatalities reported from nine separate demonstrations. Up to 54 people were killed, according to a Daily Telegraph tally of reports by Syrian activists, witnesses and doctors. (Thousands walking unarmed into what they must know is harm’s way. How many of your friends and neighbors would do that? This has been going on for a month or more. It represents the best hope we will have at any time in the foreseeable future to get a Syrian government that doesn’t owe its soul to Iran, that might give up supporting terror, might even be able to make a peace. What are we doing to support them? Dithering. Again. Or, should I say “still?” Ron P.)

Hope and change? A national gloom descends over Obama’s America

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100084817/hope-and-change-a-national-gloom-descends-over-obama%E2%80%99s-america/

Excerpt: You know things are really going badly for the White House when even The New York Times, the most powerful bastion of liberalism in America, is warning the president he is in serious trouble. Today’s New York Times/CBS News poll makes devastating reading for Barack Obama’s advisers, showing the nation’s mood at its lowest level for two years: Americans are more pessimistic about the nation’s economic outlook and overall direction than they have been at any time since President Obama’s first two months in office, when the country was still officially ensnared in the Great Recession, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. Amid rising gas prices, stubborn unemployment and a cacophonous debate in Washington over the federal government’s ability to meet its future obligations, the poll presents stark evidence that the slow, if unsteady, gains in public confidence earlier this year that a recovery was under way are now all but gone…

Folding our nuclear umbrella

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/apr/28/folding-our-nuclear-umbrella/

Excerpt: Bad as Obama policies are for America, they are equally dangerous for friends who have relied for decades on the U.S. nuclear umbrella as a foundation of their own national security strategies. As Washington’s capabilities decline and as it narrows the circumstances when it will use nuclear weapons, allies are asking hard questions about whether the U.S. nuclear umbrella will continue to provide the protection it has previously.

University of Iowa Professor Tells College Republicans to “F” Off

http://theiowarepublican.com/home/2011/04/20/university-of-iowa-professor-tells-college-republicans-to-%E2%80%9Cf%E2%80%9D-off/

The class of the Left, creating a climate of violence and hatred. ~Bob. Excerpt: A University of Iowa professor felt the need to reply to a blast email by the College Republicans on Monday morning. Ellen Lewin, a professor of Anthropology and Gender, Women’s & Sexuality Studies in the Department of Gender, Women’s & Sexuality Studies, sent a vulgar response to a College Republican email about the group’s, “Conservative Coming Out Week.” The College Republican email, which was sent to the entire University of Iowa Community, had been approved by a number of university officials before being sent out. Lewin responded to email by writing, “#*@% [F-Word] YOU, REPUBLICANS” from her official university email account. Natalie Ginty, a University of Iowa Student and Chairwoman of the Iowa Federation of College Republicans, demanded an apology from Lewin’s supervisors. “We understand that as a faculty member she has the right to express her political opinion, but by leaving her credentials at the bottom of the email she was representing the University of Iowa, not herself alone,” Ginty wrote to James Enloe, the head of the Department of Anthropology.

Uncle Jack

http://www.sleepingdogtv.com/reel/Uncle-Jack.aspx

A nicely-done WWII story. I lost my Uncle Vern in B-17s, his only mission, on December 24, 1944. He was a ground ordinance officer, volunteered to fly with the 487 Bomb Group in the largest raid of the war. They were jumped by German fighters. His plane came down behind our lines in Belgium. I talked to the navigator, who got out. ~Bob.

The Seriousness Primary

http://townhall.com/columnists/michaelgerson/2011/02/18/the_seriousness_primary

Excerpt: President Obama's 2012 budget is the numerical embodiment of his State of the Union address -- both being systematic distractions from the main, current tasks of governing. His plan includes, according to Yuval Levin, editor of National Affairs, "no entitlement reform, no tax reform, no significant spending reform, indeed no meaningful change of direction of any sort." All the elements of a status quo budget are present. A dependence on rosy economic assumptions to lower deficit projections. The deferral of two-thirds of deficit reductions until after 2016, when the ex-president is safely writing his third autobiography. The symbolic cuts in minor programs, attempting to obscure a national debt that will double on his watch (if he's re-elected), then triple by the end of the decade. Political courage, it's said, is contagious. But Obama is cured. His political immune system is a wonder of nature ... Another frontrunner is Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana, who has come closest to providing an intellectual and political strategy for successful entitlement reform. His recent address at CPAC, delivered with characteristic Coolidge-like coolness, was the most important Republican speech of recent years -- the only one worth reading aloud to little conservatives around the hearth fire.

New Black Panther Party Action Day April 23, 2011

http://dayofactionmovement.org/

Excerpt: Whereas, we have declared, in Unity, that we are dissatisfied and ready for complete constructive change- which is Revolution. Therefore, our demand is an immediate, non-negotiable demand for Power, Human Rights, Freedom, Justice, Equality and Self Determination for Black Peoples. Our demand is for a Nation and world of our own, with Africa as our Free and Independent motherland. All of the above must be achieved by any means necessary. All forms of enemy imposed and self- imposed oppression be identified, attacked and neutralized at once. Therefore, on Saturday April 23rd, we are taking vigilantly to the streets, the projects, the police stations, the homeless shelters, courthouses, the State and City Capitols, morgues, jails, and anywhere our people or injustice can be found, in order to shake and rattle them to life.

New Christian Convert from Islam Murdered in Somalia

http://www.compassdirect.org/english/country/somalia/article_111281.html

Wonder where they got the nutty idea that anyone who leaves Islam should be killed? Oh, yeah, from Mohammad. ~Bob. Excerpt: Two Muslim extremists in Somalia on Monday (April 18) murdered a member of a secret Christian community in Lower Shabele region as part of a campaign to rid the country of Christianity, sources said. An area source told Compass two al Shabaab militants shot 21-year-old Hassan Adawe Adan in Shalambod town after entering his house at 7:30 p.m. “Two al Shabaab members dragged him out of his house, and after 10 minutes they fired several shots on him,” said an area source who requested anonymity. “He then died immediately.” The militants then shouted “Allahu Akbar [God is greater]” before fleeing, he said.

Tunisia: Country Fears Spread Of Fundamentalism

http://www.ansamed.info/en/news/ME.XEF45590.html

Excerpt: Tunisia is fighting a political and ideological battle at the same time, about the State's secularity. Everybody seems to agree on the issue, at least in words, but there are some hardly visible developments that are reason for concern. It doesn't take much to get the attention and to worry most Tunisians - and not only the young people - who thought that everything would change for the better after the 'Jasmine revolution'. But now that are faced with the potential explosion of a form of Islam that does not seem to be moderate at all, with which the religious parties are flirting while they are making preparations for a long electoral season.

Obama To Give Libyan Rebels $25 Mln In Aid, But No Weapons

http://www.agi.it/english-version/world/elenco-notizie/201104202000-cro-ren1087-obama_to_give_libyan_rebels_25_mln_in_aid_but_no_weapons

And that will free up money to buy weapons. ~Bob. Excerpt: Obama plans to provide Libya's rebels with up to $25 million's worth of aid, but not weapons. The U.S.
 President plans to provide the Libyan rebels in Benghazi with up to $25 million in urgent aid, explicitly excluding weapons.

Muslims rally at Tennessee Capitol to protest legislation

http://www.wbir.com/news/article/166796/2/Muslims-rally-at-Tennessee-Capitol-to-protest-legislation

Excerpt: The gathering, which was put together by mosques and Muslim civic groups around the state, comes in response to legislation that originally criticized Shariah, the basic set of Muslim religious laws governing everything from warfare and criminal punishments to prayer preparations and family matters. The first version of the bill, which was written by an Arizona organization critical of Islam, labeled Shariah "a legal-political-military doctrine and system" that requires its followers to support the overthrow of the United States government. Several Muslims who turned out Tuesday said that is a distortion.

Royal wedding: Muslim group's Abbey protest blocked

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13125846

Excerpt: The group, Muslims against Crusades, was behind a poppy-burning protest on Armistice Day. Officers said talks were continuing on whether protests at other nearby locations would also be blocked. The English Defence League had said it would hold a counter- demonstration if permission were granted. ... Police have already begun searching central London for explosives. Officers are scouring every inch of the route to Westminster Abbey, while dogs have also been checking bins and lamp-posts for bombs.

Revelations of a failed teenager suicide bomber

http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/201104/3196146.htm?desktop

Excerpt: "Taliban used to stop us as we went to school and told us there was no point studying," he said. "They said nothing's better than paradise and you can earn that by killing non-believers." "They prayed all the time and read the Koran so I thought they were good people."

Three Afghans held for disrespecting Qur’an

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=429456&version=1&template_id=41&parent_id=23

Excerpt: Three people have been arrested as officials probe claims that a paper mill in Afghanistan recycled copies of the Holy Qur’an into toilet paper, the attorney general’s office said yesterday. Around 1,000 angry demonstrators, some throwing stones, held a protest on Monday at the mill on the outskirts of Kabul, leaving the building partially destroyed. (Huh. I didn't know they used toilet paper. ~Bob.)

Quote

It may be true that you can't fool all the people all the time, but you can fool enough of them to rule a large country. --William J. Durant

Scientists Often Pigeonholed by Political Debates

http://judithcurry.com/2011/04/13/scientists-often-pigeonholed-by-political-debates/#more-2926

Excerpt: Prof. MULLER: No, I didn’t. I have created a new project here in Berkeley – we call it Berkeley Earth – that is doing a reexamination of the global warming issue. We are addressing all of the issues that have been raised – all the legitimate issues that have been raised by the people called the skeptics. And there are some legitimate issues there. Because we listen to the skeptics, we got misclassified as a skeptical group. We’re no more skeptical than any other scientist should be skeptical. CONAN: Do you find that, though, there is a lot of ideology in this business? Prof. MULLER: Well, I think what’s happened is that many scientists have gotten so concerned about global warming, correctly concerned I mean they look at it and they draw a conclusion, and then they’re worried that the public has not been concerned, and so they become advocates. And at that point, it’s unfortunate, I feel that they’re not trusting the public. They’re not presenting the science to the public. They’re presenting only that aspect to the science that will convince the public. That’s not the way science works. And because they don’t trust the public, in the end the public doesn’t trust them. And the saddest thing from this, I think, is a loss of credibility of scientists because so many of them have become advocates. (Although linked through Dr. Judith Curry’s site, this is a partial transcript of an NPR interview of Prof. Muller, UC Berkeley by Neil Conan. It was made shortly after Prof. Muller was called to testify before Congress about Global Warming and Climate Change. During his testimony, Prof. Muller emphasized several times that they had only completed 2% of the required work and that the preliminary results—which were all he had—weren’t conclusive of anything. All sides of the AGW debate are now screaming for Muller’s blood. The “Crichton book” he refers to in the interview is State of Fear by Michael Crichton, 2004. --Ron P.)

Orange County's Misguided Award

http://www.investigativeproject.org/2782/orange-county-misguided-award

Excerpt: He has wished for "the implementation of Sharia [Islamic law] in all areas" of society, said Muslims can never accept homosexuality and predicted God's wrath on America for its support of Israel. Now, Muzammil Siddiqi is about to be honored by Orange County, Calif.'s Human Relations Commission. Siddiqi "has steadfastly worked with other faith leaders to build understanding of the great commonality that exists between all religions, despite the political clashes that can drive wedges between them," an announcement from the board says. Siddiqi is among "amazing individuals and groups who have made extraordinary human relations contributions to Orange County!"

Texas snatches 1,000 high-paying eBay jobs from California

http://www.examiner.com/county-political-buzz-in-san-diego/texas-snatches-1-000-high-paying-ebay-jobs-from-california?CID=examiner_alerts_article

Excerpt: On a recent trip to Los Angeles, Texas governor, Rick Perry, met with wealthy business types to boost the number of companies doing business in the Lone Star State. The trip paid off as eBay, formerly run by Meg Whitman, agreed to tax incentives in exchange for relocating to Texas. The average salary for these “green economy” jobs is $122,500 and they would have made California’s progressive peddlers very happy. Austin City Council members referred to the coup as “green software programming jobs” that will provide sustained economic growth in the state. The Internet giant eBay says they will employ approximately 1,000 new workers at their new location.

Ariz. amendment clears ranchers from illegal immigrant suit

http://www.kgun9.com/story/14478744/new-arizona-law-prevents-illegals-from-suing-for-money?redirected=true

Excerpt: Two Arizona ranchers found guilty of abusing illegal immigrants may now be off the hook, thanks to a new law signed Tuesday by Governor Jan Brewer. Roger Barnett and Casey Nethercott were ordered to pay hefty fines for what they did in 2004. And in Nethercott's case, it cost him his ranch near Douglas. In 2006, Arizona voters passed a constitutional amendment to prevent anyone in the country illegally from collecting punitive damages in a legal case, no matter what happens to them. Just weeks ago, lawmakers passed a bill to make that amendment retroactive to January 1, 2004. The penalties were also nullified. Barnett insists he did the right thing back in 2004. when he encountered a group of 16 illegal immigrants on his sprawling Cochise County ranch.

FCC chairman to broadcasters: We’re running out of spectrum, can we have some of yours?

http://dailycaller.com/2011/04/21/fcc-chairman-to-broadcasters-were-running-out-of-spectrum-can-we-have-some-of-yours/#ixzz1KBy1PGIB

Excerpt: There is concern that the proposed auctions will not be voluntary because the FCC is asking for 120 megahertz of spectrum after broadcasters already gave up 108 megahertz of spectrum less than two years ago, Wharton said. The electromagnetic spectrum may not be visible to the eye but many Americans use it every day. Television stations and smart phones are some of the devices that rely on the invisible resource. The FCC wants broadcast companies to voluntarily auction off their unused parts of the spectrum to wireless companies like AT&T and Verizon, whose products have exploded in use in the last three years. Broadcasters would receive a portion of revenue from selling the spectrum. Three incentive auction bills have been introduced in Congress and are currently in committee. (Maybe I’m stupid, but if there’s a great potential market for these “unused frequencies,” why do the current licensees need the government to “auction” them off? Why not just offer them for sub-lease/license? Not only would this be much quicker, probably less expensive to the sellers, and far less expensive to the public, it fits much better with our free market economy. Of course, in a “command” economy, where everything is done because the government wills it…. And, what is the plan for 3 years from now, when all these frequencies are also used up? Ron P. )

Obama says new task force will examine gas prices

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110421/ap_on_el_ge/us_obama

Considering how fast the government spends money, I'd say taxes take advantage of people for short-term gain. ~Bob. Excerpt: President Barack Obama said Thursday that the Justice Department will try to "root out" cases of fraud or manipulation in oil markets, even as Attorney General Eric Holder suggested a variety of legal reasons may be behind gasoline's surge to $4 a gallon. "We are going to make sure that no one is taking advantage of the American people for their own short-term gain," Obama said at a town-hall style meeting at a renewable energy plant in Reno.

Malaysian boot camp for "effeminate" schoolboys draws outrage

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110421/lf_nm_life/us_malaysia_bootcamp

Muslims versus Gays--which side is more politically-correct? ~Bob. Excerpt: A Malaysian state's move to send 57 schoolboys with "effeminate tendencies" to a boot camp aimed at counseling them on masculine behavior has angered rights groups in the Southeast Asian country. The four-day camp, which ended on Thursday, included religious lectures, visiting local mosques and aerobics workouts. "They have crossed the line...we are disgusted and offended that a child's feminine traits or behavior is seen as being something that is evil and that should be purged," said Ivy Josiah, a child's rights campaigner and executive director of the Malaysian rights group, Women's Aid Organization.

Make the Rich Pay!

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/265263/make-rich-pay-victor-davis-hanson

Excerpt: The rich and the poor are not separated across an impenetrable barrier. The president’s $250,000 line in the sand is actually quite fluid. Most of those who make incomes above it did not do so ten years ago — and they won’t, on average, 10 years hence. The income of well-off professionals and small-business people fluctuates widely as they ascend, peak, and descend in earnings — given factors such as health, age, and uncertainty in employment and business. It would be more accurate to say that raising taxes on the better-off is a sort of punishment for those who break into the top brackets for a few short years and try to be careful to save what they make and not spend what they don’t. The super-rich pay in taxes a far smaller percentage of their income than do the well-off. ... The IRS, for example, reported that the 400 richest Americans paid only 17 percent in federal income tax. A corporation like General Electric — run by Obama pal Jeffrey Immelt — paid no income taxes at all on its $14.2 billion in worldwide profits. Nearly half of American households pay absolutely nothing in federal income tax. ... If the president wishes to raise revenue, he might first close loopholes. That would ensure that those who owe taxes actually pay them. He could start with his own Cabinet. Treasury secretary Timothy Geithner, who oversees the IRS, at one point did not pay his Social Security and Medicare taxes and took improper writes-offs. Attorney General Eric Holder, the nation’s top law-enforcement official, did not pay long-overdue property taxes on a house he co-owned until recently chided to do so by the media. The husband of Labor secretary Hilda Solis had overdue tax liens on property that went back 16 years. Cabinet nominee Tom Daschle withdrew from consideration due to past unpaid taxes.

SOU professor presents global warming counter-argument

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110421/NEWS/104210327

Excerpt: Roden, who in his 20 years at SOU has been researching redwood tree rings as an indicator of climate change in the past millennium, notes that our climate has gone through radical changes over vast spaces of time, all without man-caused greenhouse gases. Roden notes that concentrations of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, today is 440 parts per million in the atmosphere, but in the Jurassic period was a vastly more dense 700,000 ppm, "yet the planet wasn't more than 20 degrees warmer." This is because the gas has a ceiling at which it doesn't increase heat from trapped sunlight, he says. (…) The job of university professors is to present all sides of any scientific argument, he says. "Students enjoy that. They're not so myopic they only want to hear one side," says Roden. (I'm pretty sure the "700,000 ppm" in the excerpt should have been 700 ppm; otherwise, we'd have had a 70% CO2 atmosphere. --Ron P.)

Iranian leader rebuffs Ahmadinejad over official’s dismissal

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/iranian-leader-rebuffs-ahmadinejad-over-officials-dismissal/2011/04/20/AFwFttDE_story.html?hpid=z10

Excerpt: It is rare for Khamenei, who generally supports the government’s policies, to step in and modify the president’s decisions. In a keynote speech marking the beginning of the Iranian new year in March, Iran’s supreme leader publicly praised the government for implementing bold economic changes. The controversy over the key ministry post has flared against a backdrop of public tension about what high-ranked officials described as the growing influence of Ahmadinejad’s closest aide, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, in the country’s affairs. Semiofficial news media have reported that the 52-year-old aide played a central role in Moslehi’s dismissal.

Chavez-style Economics Fail Miserably in Bolivia

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/evos-travails/?singlepage=true

Excerpt: Bolivia’s decline reflects the utter and complete failure of Chávez-style economics. Morales is a prominent disciple of the Venezuelan dictator, and he has closely followed Hugo’s playbook. He has weakened the rule of law, undermined democracy, and nationalized a significant portion of the economy while seeking to implement an ambitious land-redistribution agenda. Bolivia has the second-largest natural-gas reserves in South America. Yet Morales nationalized the industry in 2006, with predictably negative consequences. Last summer, the president of the Bolivian Chamber of Hydrocarbons told the Financial Times that his country’s natural-gas reserves were shrinking “because there have not been any significant investments in the past five years.”

LA Times Front Page Celebrates Law Enforcement Submission to Islam

http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2011/04/la-times-front-page-celebrates-law-enforcement-submission-to-islam.html

Excerpt: But according to a high-ranking source within the Department of Justice, who spoke exclusively to Pajamas Media on the condition of anonymity, Sheriff Baca, a long-time supporter of CAIR, was probably already in on the joke. The joke is that a number of leaders of Islamic organizations (all of whom publicly opposed the King hearings on Muslim radicalization) were about to be indicted on terror finance support charges by the U.S. attorney’s office in Dallas, which had been investigating the case for most of the past decade. But those indictments were scuttled last year at the direction of top-level political appointees within the Department of Justice (DOJ) — and possibly even the White House.

Cases Target Illegal Labor

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703838004576275302248212630.html?mod=djemITP_h

Excerpt: The federal government deepened its crackdown on employers of illegal immigrants, charging the owners of one restaurant chain with hiding the employment of hundreds of undocumented immigrants and launching a criminal probe into the practices of another chain. On Wednesday, federal agents descended on 15 locations of Chuy's Mesquite Broiler in California and Arizona, arresting the owners and the chain's outside bookkeeper and detaining 40 suspected illegal immigrants.

Obama's Likability Gap--Obama today is different than the 2008 candidate.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704658704576275061542909404.html?mod=djemITP_h

Excerpt: The Barack Obama we've been seeing lately is a different personality than the one that made a miracle run to the White House in 2008. Obama.2008 was engaging, patient, open, optimistic and a self-identified conciliator. Obama.2011 has been something else—testy, petulant, impatient, arrogant and increasingly a divider. Never forget: That historic 2008 victory came with 52.9% of the total vote and 52% of independent voters. David Axelrod recently noted "how small the margin for error is."

Agents Speak Out Against 'No Apprehension' Policy

http://cis.org/kephart/border-agents-speak-out

Excerpt: In a strange confluence of news surrounding the activities of the Border Patrol, the agents are speaking out quite loudly – through the conduit of local law enforcement that has repeatedly challenged Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano's claims that the "border is as secure as it has ever been." Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever and Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu made news that agents in the field are back-channeling complaints to the two sheriffs that they are being told from somewhere high in Customs and Border Protection not to do their jobs fully. Instead, they are to turn around those attempting illegal entry and "scare" them back across the border in order to keep apprehension numbers down – the same numbers the Obama administration is using to justify an unsubstantiated claim that the border is secure and thus the country ready for amnesty. The accusations are harsh, and denied by the administration. Yet I had been hearing these same comments for months myself but lacked sufficient proof to go public. Meanwhile, a few days ago Senators Kyl and McCain released a tougher border plan than the one issued during campaigning last year. The plan includes redeploying the National Guard (the Obama deployment lasted only a few months); more Border Patrol; more money for prosecutions and deportations; reimbursing localities for immigration enforcement expenses; interoperable communications and other technologies; double layer fencing in some areas; and more Border Patrol stations. The total cost: $350 million.

Nevada Sen. John Ensign to resign

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/nevada-sen-john-ensign-to-resign/2011/04/21/AFdIJsKE_blog.html?wpisrc=al_national

Why don't folks like Charlie Rangel ever take the hint? ~Bob. Excerpt: Embattled Nevada Sen. John Ensign (R) announced Thursday night that he will resign from office in early May, a move that comes amid an ongoing ethics investigation into his conduct. “While I stand behind my firm belief that I have not violated any law, rule, or standard of conduct of the Senate, and I have fought to prove this publicly, I will not continue to subject my family, my constituents, or the Senate to any further rounds of investigation, depositions, drawn out proceedings, or especially public hearings,” Ensign said in a statement posted on his website. “For my family and me, this continued personal cost is simply too great.”

Gates says Obama has approved use of armed Predator drones for the first time in Libya

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gates-says-obama-has-approved-use-of-armed-predator-drones-in-libya/2011/04/21/AFy72vJE_story.html

Don't worry, folks, it's just a NATO no-fly zone. ~Bob. Excerpt: President Barack Obama has approved the use of armed drones in Libya, authorizing U.S. airstrikes on ground forces for the first time since America turned over control of the operation to NATO on April 4. It also is the first time that drones will be used for airstrikes since the conflict began on March 19, although they have routinely been flying surveillance missions, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters at a Pentagon briefing Thursday.

Obama sees his approval ratings drop after launching 2012 reelection bid

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/157099-obamas-approval-ratings-drop-consistently-since-reelection-announcement

Excerpt: High gas prices and continued anxiety about the economy have taken their toll on President Obama’s approval ratings, which have dropped consistently since the president announced he is running for a second term. Since Obama announced on April 4 with a low-key email and video address to supporters, the president's numbers have gone down in every poll conducted during that period.

Video: Is Donald Trump really a Republican?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/the-fast-fix/?video=100

Universal health care? ~Bob.

Leftwing Hatred Targets Sarah Palin's Son

http://www.gopusa.com/theloft/2011/04/21/leftwing-hatred-has-new-target-sarah-palins-son/

Excerpt: While those on the left (including the media) love to blame conservatives for "vitriol," heated rhetoric, or just about anything else, it may come as a shock to know that some of the most disgusting and hate-filled writings come from those very people who say we should all just get along. The latest target is Sarah Palin's son Trig who was born with Down syndrome.

14 year old Tricia Willoughby speaks at Madison, Wisconsin Tea Party 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFpeF4X7Ubo

U.S. taxpayers guarantee $2.1b loan to German firms

http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/2011/04/us-taxpayers-guarantee-21b-loan-german-firms

Excerpt: A federal subsidy program with consistently poor marks on transparency and accountability has just announced its largest ever award: a $2.1 billion loan guarantee to a German-owned solar power company. The Solar Trust of America, the U.S.-based joint venture of two German companies, says the subsidized project will create 1,000 construction jobs and 220 permanent jobs in the desert where the new solar power plant will be built. Maybe so, but there are plenty of reasons to question the efficacy of this government job creation project -- including the fact that the key components of the plant will be built by robots.

Obama Claims Air Pollution from Coal ‘Creating Asthma for Kids Nearby’

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-claims-air-pollution-coal-creating

Not his fault. He just has the dumbest teleprompter in captivity. ~Bob. Excerpt: President Barack Obama claimed that coal could create "the kinds of air pollution" that is "creating asthma for kids," in speaking at a town hall event in Annandale, Va., on Tuesday. However, the National Institutes of Health says that “the exact cause of asthma isn’t known” and that “asthma is different for each person.”

Almost 10 Years After 9/11, U.N. Still Grappling to Define Terrorism

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/almost-10-years-after-911-un-still-grapp

Excerpt: As the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks approaches, the United Nations is no closer to reaching a universal definition of terrorism than it was in 2001 – or indeed than it was five years before then, when negotiations first began on drafting a comprehensive convention on international terrorism. The main hurdle, then as now, is the insistence by the bloc of Islamic states that any definition of terrorism should leave a loophole for “resistance” against foreign occupation. The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which was established in 1969 with “liberating” Jerusalem as its primary focus, is unwilling to give ground on the issue as many of its governments believe that doing so would be tantamount to betraying the Palestinian cause. (Thank goodness they started debating this issue in 1996. Ron P.)

Westboro Baptist Church Goes To Mississippi – And Loses

http://thehayride.com/2011/04/westboro-baptist-church-goes-to-mississippi-and-loses/

On Saturday USMC Staff Sgt. Jason Rogers, who was killed in action in Afghanistan April 7, was buried in Brandon, Mississippi. ... And in fact when Sgt. Rogers’ body returned to Brandon it was greeted by hundreds, or perhaps even thousands, of well-wishers who gathered at the roadside to honor the fallen You see, the troglodytes from Westboro Baptist Church had threatened to spew their poison at Sgt. Rogers’ funeral. But the Westboro mob wasn’t on the scene, and Sgt. Rogers was laid to rest without incident – thank God. Why weren’t there protestors? Planning ahead by the locals, as it turns out. From an Ole Miss sports message board, a tidbit of information … A couple of days before, one of them (Westboro protestors) ran his mouth at a Brandon gas station and got his arse waxed. Police were called and the beaten man could not give much of a description of who beat him. When they canvassed the station and spoke to the large crowd that had gathered around, no one seemed to remember anything about what had happened. Rankin County handled this thing perfectly. There were many things that were put into place that most will never know about and at great expense to the county. Most of the morons never made it out of their hotel parking lot. It seems that certain Rankin county pickup trucks were parked directly behind any car that had Kansas plates in the hotel parking lot and the drivers mysteriously disappeared until after the funeral was over. Police were called but their wrecker service was running behind and it was going to be a few hours before they could tow the trucks so the Kansas plated cars could get out. A few made it to the funeral but were ushered away to be questioned about a crime they might have possibly been involved in. Turns out, after a few hours of questioning, that they were not involved and they were allowed to go on about their business.

Israel's Sudan Attack and Arms Smuggling

http://www.investigativeproject.org/2787/israel-sudan-attack-and-arms-smuggling

Excerpt: Sudan claims that Israel was behind an April 5 missile strike on a car in Port Sudan that killed a top Hamas terror operative. Two men were incinerated in a Hellfire missile attack that evening, including Abdul-Latif Ashkar, a senior member of the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing. Jonathan Schanzer, vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, writes that Ashkar was reportedly a founder of Hamas' "aid and logistics department." Hamas denied any connection to either of the dead men, but Palestinian sources contradicted this. The Palestinian Ma'an News Agency reported that Ashkar was the successor to senior Hamas terror operative Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, who was assassinated in Dubai last year, presumably by Israel. The Sudanese claim to be victims of Israeli aggression. But since seizing power in 1989, the Islamist dictatorship there has collaborated with Iran. Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps helped deliver military assistance and training to Khartoum. Last year, Sudanese opposition media reported that Iran runs a weapons factory in Sudan which provides arms to Hamas.

Supreme Court Urged to Decide Case Involving Roadside Crosses in Utah

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/supreme-court-urged-decide-case-involvin

Excerpt: The case dates to 2005, when an atheist group sued the Utah Highway Patrol and the Utah Transportation Department, arguing that roadside memorial crosses honoring fallen state troopers constitute a state establishment of religion. The memorials are fully funded and maintained by a private organization, the Utah Highway Patrol Association. In December 2010, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit agreed with the atheists and reversed a lower-court ruling. The federal appeals court said that privately funded crosses erected on public land were an unconstitutional state endorsement of Christianity.

Fukushima Daiichi Open and Update Thread #5

http://bravenewclimate.com/2011/04/23/fukushima-open-thread-5/

Excerpt: The problems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant continue to be worked on, with no short-term resolution in sight. Here are eight recent notable happenings, compiled from various sources (see list below): (It has been a while since we had an update on the Fukushima reactors. Surprisingly little has happened in the meantime, other than continued hype from the MSM, though even they seem to have tired of the game. Though this may not be finally resolved and cleaned up for several years, slow but steady progress has been, and continues to be, made to fully control all elements of the problems. Currently, plans call for a 3 to 9 month plan to put all reactors into “cold shutdown,” followed by decommissioning and decontamination of all parts of the reactors, their containments, and housing. The “exclusion zone” around the area is mostly precautionary, and will likely be reduced as soon as practical. Under heading #6, there is a 27-slide presentation on the accident up to the present that is worth looking at. Ron P. )

Violence in another McDonalds almost kills customer

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ec0_1303444048

Excerpt: Here is another fine example of the trend of violence in fast food restaurants. Two females beating the hell out of a patron, while several employees stand by and watch. One male manages to provide the facade of assistance to the victim in this brutal attack.

Asteroid and Meteors on the Way, NASA Says 'Stay Calm'

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/04/21/asteroid-and-meteors-on-the-way-nasa-says-stay-calm/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl7%7Csec3_lnk3%7C57670

Excerpt: NASA officials are more likely to grumble in private that Apophis is the cosmic clod that just won't go away. "We are confident it will be a non-issue," said Don Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near Earth Object Program Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Apophis looms in the public's imagination for good reason. In February, Russian scientists made a more-dire-than-necessary prediction: that Apophis, named for the Egyptian god of Chaos, would blast the planet to borscht in 25 years. Perhaps in the grip of Apophic apoplexy two years earlier, Russia had announced mission plans with the intent to deflect the rock away from Earth. That approach was criticized for fear it might actually have the opposite effect. Also, the French proposed sending a group of solar sails toward Apophis to reflect radiation at it, hoping to change its course.

Jurassic President

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/jurassic-president/?singlepage=true

Excerpt:  I’ve read discussions about President Obama for the last two years — is he a villain or a fool? Both or neither? The answers vary and make for heated debate, but sooner or later we have to admit neither covers all facts. For instance, neither villain nor fool covers his odd, time-displaced “Sputnik” moments: his obsession with unionized labor, or his fascination with trains, or his commitment to the SALT treaty, or his view of Cleveland as a cutting edge technological center, or his odd certainty that cars getting eight miles per gallon throng our highways. All through the last two years, I’ve been sure this was all a movie I’d seen before. I was right.

Pakistan Top Court Upholds Acquittals in Notorious Rape Case

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/22/world/asia/22pakistan.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

Excerpt: A three-member bench of the Supreme Court, led by Justice Shakirullah Jan, upheld a decision by the Lahore High Court and acquitted five of the accused in a judgment that rested on flaws in the prosecution’s account of the rape and discrepancies in Ms. Mukhtar’s statements during initial investigations. The five men who were acquitted have been jailed for years already in connection with the rape, which occurred in 2002, and are expected to be released this week. The sixth, Abdul Khaliq, is to complete a life sentence. Ms. Mukhtar was raped on the orders of the village council in Meerwala, a dusty farming village in Punjab Province in a case that jolted the country and ignited international outrage. (Be careful not to be trampled by the parade of demonstrating liberals and feminists in our streets to protest this decision. I think I heard both of them were on their way to Boston on a motorcycle. Ron P. )

U.S. Ramps Up Airdrops to Forces in Afghanistan

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703461504576230602684196740.html?mod=djemITP_h

Sounds a bit like Khe Sanh. ~Bob. Excerpt: The U.S. military, using Google Earth and disposable parachutes, is escalating its airdrops to troops in isolated outposts, to avoid exposing ground convoys to ambushes and roadside bombs. Around-the-clock Air Force drops of ammunition, fuel, food and water have doubled annually since 2006, reaching 60 million pounds of supplies last year. The airdrops have taken on a new urgency with the surge in U.S. forces to almost 100,000 troops and the intensified threat from hidden explosives, which are often placed along known supply routes. Such booby-traps killed 268 American troops last year, up 60% from 2009, according to the Associated Press.

California Dreamin'—o​f Jobs in Texas: Hounded by taxes and regulations, employers in the once-Golden State are moving East.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704570704576275051374356340.html?mod=djemITP_h

Excerpt: It wasn't your usual legislative hearing. A group of largely Republican California lawmakers and Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom traveled here last week to hear from businesses that have left their state to set up shop in Texas. "We came to learn why they would pick up their roots and move in order to grow their businesses," says GOP Assemblyman Dan Logue, who organized the trip. "Why does Chief Executive magazine rate California the worst state for job and business growth and Texas the best state?" The contrast is undeniable. Texas has added 165,000 jobs during the last three years while California has lost 1.2 million. California's jobless rate is 12% compared to 8% in Texas.

Jury to decide if pastor can protest at Dearborn mosque

http://detnews.com/article/20110421/METRO/104210459/Terry-Jones-won%E2%80%99t-pay-bond--jury-to-weigh-protest

What, does he think the First Amendment runs in Muslim communities? Silly Kuffer~! ~Bob. Excerpt: A jury on Friday will weigh whether a Quran-burning pastor can legally carry out plans that day to protest at the Islamic Center of America mosque. Florida Pastor Terry Jones expressed frustration over the prospect this afternoon, telling 19th District Judge Mark Somers that "it will be a problem" if the trial stretches on so long that he can't carry out the 5 p.m. demonstration against radical Islam. The trial before Somers is to begin about 8 a.m.

Bombs found near Indonesia church; 19 arrested

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_INDONESIA_BOMB_ARRESTS?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=HOME

Didn't get the "Islam is a religion of peace" memo. ~Bob. Excerpt: Terror suspects arrested Thursday led police to a 150-kilogram (330-pound) bomb buried beneath a gas pipeline near a church just outside Indonesia's capital, officials said. Senior security minister Djoko Suyanto said he believed Islamic militants had been plotting an attack ahead of Easter celebrations, and the U.S. embassy urged Americans to be vigilant.

Donald Trump's Eminent-Domain Empire

http://townhall.com/columnists/michellemalkin/2011/04/22/donald_trumps_eminent-domain_empire

Excerpt: Don't be fooled by The Donald. Take it from one who knows: I'm a South Jersey gal who was raised on the outskirts of Atlantic City in the looming shadow of Trump's towers. All through my childhood, casino developers and government bureaucrats joined hands, raised taxes and made dazzling promises of urban renewal. Then we wised up to the eminent-domain thievery championed by our hometown faux free-marketeers. America, it's time you wised up to Donald Trump's property redistribution racket, too. ... Too many mega-developers like Trump have achieved success by using and abusing the government's ability to commandeer private property for purported "public use." Invoking the Fifth Amendment takings clause, real estate moguls, parking garage builders, mall developers and sports palace architects have colluded with elected officials to pull off legalized theft in the name of reducing "blight." Under eminent domain, the definition of "public purpose" has been stretched like Silly Putty to cover everything from roads and bridges to high-end retail stores, baseball stadiums and casinos.