The new leader of the free world; $25,000 or 1 year in jail if you don't pay health care fine; NJ principal unapologetic

1) The New Leader of the Free World: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to the UN General Assembly Nearly 62 years ago, the United Nations recognized the right of the Jews, an ancient people 3,500 years-old, to a state of their own in their ancestral homeland.  I stand here today as the Prime Minister of Israel, the Jewish state, and I speak to you on behalf of my country and my people. The United Nations was founded after the carnage of World War II and the horrors of the Holocaust. It was charged with preventing the recurrence of such horrendous events. Nothing has undermined that central mission more than the systematic assault on the truth (emphasis mine). Yesterday the President of Iran stood at this very podium, spewing his latest anti-Semitic rants. Just a few days earlier, he again claimed that the Holocaust is a lie. …And what of the Auschwitz survivors whose arms still bear the tattooed numbers branded on them by the Nazis? Are those tattoos a lie? One-third of all Jews perished in the conflagration. Nearly every Jewish family was affected, including my own. My wife's grandparents, her father?s two sisters and three brothers, and all the aunts, uncles and cousins were all murdered by the Nazis. Is that also a lie? …Yesterday, the man who calls the Holocaust a lie spoke from this podium. To those who refused to come here and to those who left this room in protest, I commend you. You stood up for moral clarity and you brought honor to your countries.  But to those who gave this Holocaust-denier a hearing, I say on behalf of my people, the Jewish people, and decent people everywhere: Have you no shame? Have you no decency (emphasis mine)?  A mere six decades after the Holocaust, you give legitimacy to a man who denies that the murder of six million Jews took place and pledges to wipe out the Jewish state.  What a disgrace! What a mockery of the charter of the United Nations (emphasis mine)! Perhaps some of you think that this man and his odious regime threaten only the Jews. You're wrong.  History has shown us time and again that what starts with attacks on the Jews eventually ends up engulfing many others.  This Iranian regime is fueled by an extreme fundamentalism that burst onto the world scene three decades ago after lying dormant for centuries.  In the past thirty years, this fanaticism has swept the globe with a murderous violence and cold-blooded impartiality in its choice of victims. It has callously slaughtered Moslems and Christians, Jews and Hindus, and many others. Though it is comprised of different offshoots, the adherents of this unforgiving creed seek to return humanity to medieval times. The struggle against this fanaticism does not pit faith against faith nor civilization against civilization.  It pits civilization against barbarism, the 21st century against the 9th century, those who sanctify life against those who glorify death (emphasis mine). See: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1116884.html 1a) Netanyahu Condemns U.N. for Allowing Ahmadinejad to Deliver Address Holding aloft evidence of Hitler's Final Solution, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday railed against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his denial of the Holocaust and scolded the United Nations for allowing Ahmadinejad to speak during its opening session of the 64th U.N. General Assembly.  With detailed reminders in hand of the war that sent 6 million Jews to their deaths in concentration camps, including construction blueprints for Auschwitz, Netanyahu took his turn at the dais to recall the agreement within the world body to create the Jewish state and express astonishment at what he witnessed a day earlier in that organization's great hall.  …The day before, President Obama also drew heavy applause when he declared that "America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements." Obama called for Palestinians to end their "incitement of Israel" as well, but that line did not trigger a response from the audience.  Beware, rulers of the world! He Who defends Israel will neither slumber nor sleep! See: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/24/netanyahu-condemns-allowing-ahmadinejad-deliver-address/ And: http://www.breitbart.tv/netanyahu-slams-u-n-for-giving-ahmadinejad-forum-have-you-no-shame/ 1b) Sarah Palin: Best Wishes for the Jewish High Holidays A speech was given at the United Nations General Assembly yesterday that was full of hateful anti-Semitic rhetoric. It was a shameful display before a body whose very charter is premised on the need for co-operation and harmony in pursuit of peaceful co-existence between nations. Such talk was especially abhorrent coming as it did during the Jewish High Holidays. The world community must speak with one voice in declaring anti-Semitism and all forms of intolerance and racism utterly unacceptable. There is no place in the community of peace-loving nations for those who traffic in hate or deny the terrible atrocity of the Nazi Holocaust. In this holy season, we join the Jewish people in the struggle to promote justice, harmony, and peace. May God bless them. See: http://www.marklevinshow.com/goout.asp?u=http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=139552073434 2) Obama, other leaders: Iran has secret nuke site PITTSBURGH – Bluntly confronting Iran, President Barack Obama and the leaders of France and Britain accused the Islamic republic Friday of clandestinely building an underground plant to make nuclear fuel that could be used to build an atomic bomb. "Iran is breaking rules that all nations must follow," Obama declared. "The size and configuration of this facility is inconsistent with a peaceful program," he said of the formerly secret site, warning of severe consequences if Iran does not come clean about its nuclear efforts and intentions. What “severe consequences”, Mr. Obama?   See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090925/ap_on_go_pr_wh/g20_summit_obama_iran 2a) Obama knew of Iran plant before U.N. assembly The Obama administration reportedly knew about the second secret Iranian uranium enrichment program prior to the United Nations meeting, yet the president chose to say nothing about the revelation, either during his address to the General Assembly or yesterday, when he chaired a Security Council session. A meeting between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council – the U.S., Britain, France, China and Russia – plus Germany is scheduled for Oct. 1 in Geneva.  The success of that meeting is now called into question by the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency's announcement today confirming the existence of Iran's new enrichment plant after receiving a letter from Iran Monday that confirmed the facility's existence. …Obama first learned of the plant as president-elect, before his inauguration Jan. 20, the officials said.  That Obama said nothing about the second Iranian enrichment plant gave the impression the administration was surprised by the disclosure, as suggested by a top headline on the Drudge Report that proclaimed under a photo of Obama, "Caught by surprise: Iran has second nuke plant."  Iran's second nuclear facility is reportedly built underground on a military base near Qom and is capable of handling up to 3,000 centrifuges. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=111027 3) $25,000 or 1 year in jail for failing to pay $1900 fine for not buying health insurance Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) received a handwritten note Thursday from Joint Committee on Taxation Chief of Staff Tom Barthold confirming the penalty for failing to pay the up to $1,900 fee for not buying health insurance. Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor and could face up to a year in jail or a $25,000 penalty, Barthold wrote on JCT letterhead. He signed it "Sincerely, Thomas A. Barthold." See: http://www.politico.com/livepulse/0909/Ensign_receives_handwritten_confirmation_.html?showall 3a) Openness and transparency go by the wayside: Democrats nix putting pre-vote health bill online WASHINGTON — Senate Finance Committee Democrats have rejected a GOP amendment that would have required a health overhaul bill to be available online for 72 hours before the committee votes. Republicans argued that transparency is an Obama administration goal. They also noted that their constituents are demanding that they read bills before voting. See: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jlMpJGn28kqCcgU-aGcYE_ZHW-ywD9AT460O0 3b) House Democrats considering insurance tax WASHINGTON – House Democrats are considering an insurance tax to help pay for their health care overhaul plan, even though such a funding scheme is bitterly opposed by labor unions that are among the party's most loyal constituencies. …The House Democratic plan calls for raising income taxes on upper-income people to pay for covering the uninsured. Baucus has instead proposed a tax on high-cost insurance plans worth more than $8,000 for an individual policy and $21,000 for family coverage. Proponents of the insurance tax, which President Barack Obama has endorsed, say it would help to lower health care costs by encouraging people to become more cost-conscious health care consumers. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090925/ap_on_go_co/us_health_care_overhaul 3c) GOP to block HHS confirmations until 'gag order' lifted Republicans are now threatening to block confirmation votes on key Health and Human Services nominees unless the department again allows Medicare plan providers to disseminate information about possible cuts to the program. The political standoff began Friday when the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced it would investigate Humana, a leading provider of the Medicare Advantage program. At issue was whether the firm violated federal laws when it mailed letters to beneficiaries urging them to press their lawmakers to vote against possible plan cuts, which the Senate Finance Committee's healthcare reform bill might authorize. Humana quickly cooperated with the investigation, but by Monday, CMS had directed all plan providers to cease and desist similar information campaigns. That move enraged Republicans, who quickly labeled the new rule a "gag order." See: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/60237-gop-to-block-hhs-confirmations-until-gag-order-lifted 4) NYC terror attack apparently was set for Sept. 11 DENVER – An Afghan immigrant wanted to carry out a New York City terror attack involving hydrogen peroxide bombs to coincide with the Sept. 11 anniversary before federal authorities foiled the plan, a U.S. prosecutor said Friday. Tim Neff told a federal judge that Najibullah Zazi "was in the throes of making a bomb and attempting to perfect his formulation." "The evidence suggests a chilling, disturbing sequence of events showing the defendant was intent on making a bomb and being in New York on 9/11, for purposes of perhaps using such items," Neff declared in arguing for Zazi's transfer to New York. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090925/ap_on_re_us/us_nyc_terror 5) Afghan war commander submits troop request WASHINGTON – The Pentagon's top military officer flew to Europe to talk to the commander in the Afghanistan war about how many troops he needs to turn around the faltering campaign. Two defense officials say Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen met Gen. Stanley McChrystal for a half day of talks Friday at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The U.S. commanders for NATO and the Middle East region also attended. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation. The officials say Mullen received McChrystal's report on how many troops he thinks he needs to defeat the insurgency. They declined to confirm what others have said privately for weeks — that McChrystal wants some 40,000 more troops. The officials say Mullen wanted a face-to-face talk with McChrystal to better understand what the warfront commander wants and why he wants it. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090925/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_us_afghanistan 6) N.J. Principal Unapologetic for Videotape of Kids Praising Obama, Parents Say The principal of a New Jersey elementary school where young students were videotaped singing the praises of President Obama is making no apologies for the videotape and says she would allow the performance again if she could, according to parents who spoke with her Thursday night. See: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/09/25/principal-nj-school-long-obama-supporter/