Netanyahu Endorses Palestinian State?, Genachowski and Media Censorhip, $1800/Year for Your Neighbor's Healthcare

1) Netanyahu endorses Palestinian independence JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endorsed a Palestinian state beside Israel for the first time on Sunday, reversing himself under U.S. pressure but attaching conditions such as having no army that the Palestinians swiftly rejected. A week after President Barack Obama's address to the Muslim world, Netanyahu said the Palestinian state would also have to recognize Israel as the Jewish state — essentially saying Palestinian refugees must give up the goal of returning to Israel. With those conditions, he said, he could accept "a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state." …Netanyahu also came under criticism from within his own government — a coalition of religious and nationalistic parties that oppose Palestinian independence.  Zevulun Orlev, a member of the Jewish Home Party, which represents Jewish settlers and other hard-liners, said Netanyahu's speech violated agreements struck when the government was formed. "I think the coalition needs to hold a serious discussion to see where this is headed," he told Israel Radio. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090615/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians 2) Pushback sought against talk radio censorship Coalition says coming hearing on FCC nominee critical The chief of a coalition set up to fight attacks on America's First Amendment rights has issued a warning that Tuesday will be a pivotal point in the history of free speech, as the Senate Commerce Committee is scheduled to hold a confirmation hearing for Julius Genachowski.  President Barack Obama's longtime pal is his pick to be chief of the Federal Communications Commission, but is causing nightmares among the U.S. talk radio industry members because of his views.  Syndicated talk radio host Roger Hedgecock of San Diego, who was picked by members of the American Radio Free Speech Foundation to be the chief of its Don't Touch My Dial campaign, said censorship, racial quotas for radio stations, and other new demands from the government are inevitable if Genachowski is confirmed. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=100929 3) How to Stop Socialized Health Care It was a sobering breakfast with one of the smartest Republicans on Capitol Hill. We can fix a lot of bad stuff President Barack Obama might do, he told me. But if Mr. Obama signs into law a "public option," government-run insurance program as part of health-care reform we won't be able to undo the damage. I'd go the Republican member of Congress one further: If Democrats enact a public-option health-insurance program, America is on the way to becoming a European-style welfare state. To prevent this from happening, there are five arguments Republicans must make. The first is it's unnecessary. Advocates say a government-run insurance program is needed to provide competition for private health insurance. But 1,300 companies sell health insurance plans. That's competition enough. Second, a public option will undercut private insurers and pass the tab to taxpayers and health providers just as it does in existing government-run programs. For example, Medicare pays hospitals 71% and doctors 81% of what private insurers pay. Who covers the rest? Government passes the bill for the outstanding balance to providers and families not covered by government programs. This cost-shifting amounts to a forced subsidy. Families pay about $1,800 more a year for someone else's health care (emphasis mine) as a result, according to a recent study by Milliman Inc. It's also why many doctors limit how many Medicare patients they take: They can afford only so much charity care. Third, government-run health insurance would crater the private insurance market, forcing most Americans onto the government plan. Fifth, the public option puts government firmly in the middle of the relationship between patients and their doctors. If you think insurance companies are bad, imagine what happens when government is the insurance carrier, with little or no competition and no concern you'll change to another company. See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124467554761003983.html 4) 23 State Attorneys General To Attorney General Holder: "No Semi-Auto Ban" On June 11, the top law enforcement officials of nearly half the states signed a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, expressing their opposition to reinstatement of the federal ban on semi-automatic firearms.  "We share the Obama Administration's commitment to reducing illegal drugs and violent crime within the United States. We also share your deep concern about drug cartel violence in Mexico. However, we do not believe that restricting law-abiding Americans' access to certain semi-automatic firearms will resolve any of these problems," the letter said.  The 23 state Attorneys General, in alphabetical order, by state, are:  Arkansas – The Honorable Dustin McDaniel Alabama - The Honorable Troy King Colorado - The Honorable John W. Suthers Florida - The Honorable Bill McCollum Georgia - The Honorable Thurbert E. Baker Idaho - The Honorable Lawrence G. Wasden Kansas - The Honorable Steve Six Kentucky - The Honorable Jack Conway Louisiana - The Honorable James D. Caldwell Michigan - The Honorable Mike Cox Missouri - The Honorable Chris Koster Montana - The Honorable Steve Bullock Oklahoma - The Honorable W.A. Edmonson Nebraska - The Honorable Jon Bruning Nevada - The Honorable Catherine Cortez Masto New Hampshire - The Honorable Kelly A. Ayotte North Dakota - The Honorable Wayne Stenehjem South Carolina - The Honorable Henry McMaster South Dakota - The Honorable Lawrence Long Texas - The Honorable Greg Abbott Utah - The Honorable Mark L. Shurtleff Wisconsin – The Honorable J.B. Van Hollen Wyoming - The Honorable Bruce A. Salzburg See: http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=4971 5) Palin: David Letterman 'pathetic' Sarah Palin called David Letterman “pathetic” Tuesday after the CBS “Late Show” host said the Alaska Republican governor sports a “slutty flight attendant look.”  “What a commentary there,” Palin said of the comment during an interview on conservative host John Ziegler’s Los Angeles-based radio show. “That’s pretty pathetic, good ole David Letterman.”  In a follow up to Palin’s weekend trip to New York, Letterman’s “Top Ten” list on Monday featured “highlights of Sarah Palin’s trip to New York.” Number two on the list was “bought makeup at Bloomingdale’s to update her ‘slutty flight attendant’ look.” See: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0609/23536.html 6) Defying sanctions, NKorea vows to make more nukes SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea responded to new U.N. sanctions with more defiance, promising Saturday to step up its nuclear bomb-making program by enriching uranium and threatening war on any country that dares to stop its ships on the high seas. The North's threats were the first public acknowledgment that the reclusive communist nation has been running a secret uranium enrichment program. Suspicions of the program touched off the latest nuclear crisis in 2002. …North Korea also warned that any attempted blockade by the U.S. and its allies would be regarded as "an act of war and met with a decisive military response." See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090613/ap_on_re_as/as_koreas_nuclear 7) Top Sunni lawmaker killed outside Baghdad mosque BAGHDAD – The moderate leader of the largest Sunni bloc in parliament was assassinated Friday after delivering a sermon at a Baghdad mosque, a killing that could set back efforts to reconcile differences between the two Muslim sects before national elections. …The brazen daylight shooting in a heavily guarded area raised fresh concerns about the ability of Iraqi forces to maintain security with U.S. forces withdrawing from cities by the end of the month.  See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090612/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq 8) Election battles turn into street fights in Iran TEHRAN, Iran – Opponents of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad clashed with police in the heart of Iran's capital Saturday, pelting them with rocks and setting fires in the worst unrest in Tehran in a decade. They accused the hard-line president of using fraud to steal election victory from his reformist rival. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090613/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran_election