Constitution butchers prevail; Fox (Dodd) in the henhouse; A rift with Israel; Glenn Beck Hates Jesus?

1) The House vote on the Slaughter Solution: Update: Constitution-butchers prevail, 222-203 Update 2:13pm Eastern. Ok, the vote is happening right now. House GOP source: “House voting NOW. A ‘yes’ vote on the previous question is a vote to authorize Speaker Pelosi to use the Slaughter Solution to ram ObamaCare through the House without an up-or-down vote. A ‘no’ vote on the PQ [previous question] is a vote against the Slaughter Solution. ” Update 2:26pm Eastern. Final vote 222-203 with six not voting. Remember in November. See: http://michellemalkin.com/2010/03/18/the-house-vote-on-barring-the-slaughter-solution-waiting/ 1a) Dems defeat GOP effort to force separate vote on Senate health bill: …All Republican lawmakers who voted opposed the measure, which had the effect of ending the GOP’s effort to force a vote. They were joined by 28 Democrats, who broke with party members on the vote. 222 Democrats supported the measure, though, meaning enough to proceed. Three members of both parties did not vote. Republicans had hoped for the separate vote to get Democratic lawmakers on record on the Senate bill, which includes some provisions on abortion, excise taxes, and other issues that House lawmakers find distasteful. As this stand[s], Democrats plan a vote on a rule on Sunday that would make changes to the Senate-passed bill while deeming the original legislation to have passed the House. See: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/87683-dems-defeat-gop-effort-to-force-separate-vote-on-senate-health-bill 1b) Bachmann: We Won't Obey 'Illegitimate' Health Care Bill Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is going a step beyond simply pledging to fight efforts to pass the health care bill -- she's openly pronouncing that people should personally declare it unconstitutional and defy it, depending on how it ends up getting passed. At a rally at the Minnesota State Capitol on Saturday, Bachmann declared illegitimate the potential route that House Democrats could take to pass the health care bill. She was specifically railing against a parliamentary tactic by which the House could skip voting on the Senate bill by declaring it passed as part of the reconciliation bill. Bachmann pronounced this to be taxation without representation. "They have just started a revolution -- and they did it (emphasis mine)," said Bachmann. "But mark my words, the American people aren't gonna take this lying down," Bachmann later said. "We aren't gonna play their game, we're not gonna pay their taxes. They want us to pay for this? Because we don't have to. We don't have to. We don't have to follow a bill that isn't law. That's not the American way, and that's not what we're going to do." Bachmann continued. "Because it's one-party rule now in Washington, D.C. Their Chicago tactics, their Chicago friends, twisting Democrats' arms, threatening their own team members with ethics charges and a submission. This handful of people thinks they can enforce their will on 300 million Americans? They're not gonna do that. This is dictatorial, what they are doing (emphasis mine). We are not compelled to follow a non-law just because Obama and Pelosi tells us we have to. …This approach goes beyond the conventional nullification position, which argues that states should have the power to interpose themselves against the federal government. In this case, Bachmann is calling for a individuals to commit civil disobedience against the law -- which should be very interesting to watch, if it really does come to that, and a sitting member of Congress leads citizens in breaking the law (emphasis mine). Michele Bachmann, you are a true patriot. See: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/bachmann-were-not-going-to-obey-health-care-law----we-dont-have-to-video.php 1c) Mark Levin: We will sue over health-care trick Action prepared to be filed 'the moment the House acts' A lawsuit has been prepared by the Landmark Legal Foundation to be filed as soon as – and if – members of the U.S. House use a trick that has been dubbed the "Slaughter rule" to advance President Obama's vision of socialized health care in the United States. The action was announced today by Mark R. Levin, the president of the foundation, who said the use of the so-called "deem and pass," "self-executing," or "Slaughter rule" to enact H.R. 3590 would result in an immediate legal challenge. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=128773 1d) Idaho first to sign law aimed at health care plan BOISE, Idaho – Idaho took the lead in a growing, nationwide fight against health care overhaul Wednesday when its governor became the first to sign a measure requiring the state attorney general to sue the federal government if residents are forced to buy health insurance. Similar legislation is pending in 37 other states. …"The ivory tower folks will tell you, 'No, they're not going anywhere,' " he told reporters. "But I'll tell you what, you get 36 states, that's a critical mass. That's a constitutional mass (emphasis mine)." Last week, Virginia legislators passed a measure similar to Idaho's new law, but Otter was the first state chief executive to sign such a bill, according to the American Legislative Exchange Council, which created model legislation for Idaho and other states. The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit group promotes limited government. "Congress is planning to force an unconstitutional mandate on the states," said Christie Herrera, the group's health task force director. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100318/ap_on_go_co/us_health_overhaul_states 1e) Nearly One-Third of Doctors Could Leave Medicine if Health-Care Reform Bill Passes, According to Survey Reported in New England Journal of Medicine (CNSNews.com) - Nearly one-third of all practicing physicians may leave the medical profession if President Obama signs current versions of health-care reform legislation into law, according to a survey published in the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The survey, which was conducted by the Medicus Firm, a leading physician search and consulting firm based in Atlanta and Dallas, found that a majority of physicians said health-care reform would cause the quality of American medical care to “deteriorate” and it could be the “final straw” that sends a sizeable number of doctors out of medicine. More than 29 percent (29.2) percent of the nearly 1,200 doctors who responded to the survey said they would quit the profession or retire early if health reform legislation becomes law. If a public option were included in the legislation, as several liberal Senators have indicated they would like, the number would jump to 45.7 percent (emphasis mine). See: http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/62812 1f) Cahill bashes state -- and national -- health care reform law State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, an independent candidate for governor, today offered a wide-ranging and scathing criticism of the state’s universal health care law, saying it is bankrupting Massachusetts and will do the same nationally, if a similar plan is passed in Congress (emphasis mine).  "If President Obama and the Democrats repeat the mistake of the health insurance reform here in Massachusetts on a national level, they will threaten to wipe out the American economy within four years (emphasis mine),” Cahill said in a press conference in his office. See: http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/03/cahill_bashes_s.html 1g) Limbaugh prompts healthcare calls, ties up House phone lines House phone lines were nearing capacity on Tuesday as conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh encouraged fans to call in their objections on healthcare legislation. The House e-mail system was also deluged in what the House’s technology office called “a very significant spike” in traffic. The office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) sent out a system-wide advisory to member offices at 2 p.m. Tuesday, warning them of the dramatic increase in traffic. “Our phone system is nearing capacity,” said Jeff Ventura, spokesman for the CAO. “It got critical enough whereby we notified all systems’ administrators throughout the House that the phone systems are overloading.” …While Ventura said the CAO didn’t have specific numbers of how many calls the House was receiving, he did say that it would have to be “an extraordinary volume” in order for it to clog the system. See: http://thehill.com/homenews/house/87123-healthcare-calls-deluge-house-phone-lines 1h) Clinic: Woman championed by Obama eligible for aid CLEVELAND – A woman championed as the Obama administration's emblem for health care reform does not have to choose between her home and her health, according to officials at the Ohio hospital where she is being treated. With a self-reported annual income of about $6,000, Natoma Canfield is a prime candidate for financial aid in the form of Medicaid — the federal health care program for low-income and disabled people — or charitable assistance. And the Cleveland Clinic said it has no intention of putting out a lien on Canfield's house — or letting the billing process interfere with her treatment. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100317/ap_on_he_me/us_health_care_ohio_woman 2) The takeover continues…Dodd unveils sweeping financial regulation plan WASHINGTON – A new Democratic Senate bill to tame the financial markets would give the government new powers to break up firms that threaten the economy, force the industry to pay for its failures and create an independent consumer watchdog within the Federal Reserve. …The bill would create a powerful nine-member Financial Stability Oversight Council, chaired by the treasury secretary, to look out for the systemwide health of the financial sector and to stop financial firms from becoming "too big to fail." The council could place large, interconnected financial institutions under the supervision of the Federal Reserve. And it would have the authority to approve the breakup of large complex companies if they pose a threat to the nation's financial system. Dodd drafting new financial regulation! How ironic! That’s like asking the fox to guard the henhouse. …Like the House bill, Dodd's proposal would create a mechanism to shut down large, failing firms, with shareholders and unsecured creditors bearing the losses. Management also would be removed. The costs of such a shutdown would be covered by a $50 billion fund financed by the largest financial firms. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100315/ap_on_bi_ge/us_financial_overhaul 3) U.S., U.K. Move Closer to Losing Rating, Moody’s Says March 15 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. and the U.K. have moved “substantially” closer to losing their AAA credit ratings as the cost of servicing their debt rose, according to Moody’s Investors Service. The governments of the two economies must balance bringing down their debt burdens without damaging growth by removing fiscal stimulus too quickly, Pierre Cailleteau, managing director of sovereign risk at Moody’s in London, said in a telephone interview. Under the ratings company’s so-called baseline scenario, the U.S. will spend more on debt service as a percentage of revenue this year than any other top-rated country except the U.K., and will be the biggest spender from 2011 to 2013, Moody’s said today in a report. “We expect the situation to further deteriorate in terms of the key ratings metrics before they start stabilizing,” Cailleteau said. “This story is not going to stop at the end of the year. There is inertia in the deterioration of credit metrics.” See: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601068&sid=a0a8xAghPS8I 3a) Moody's fears social unrest as AAA states implement austerity plans: The world's five biggest AAA-rated states are all at risk of soaring debt costs and will have to implement austerity plans that threaten "social cohnesion", according to a report on sovereign debt by Moody's. The US rating agency said the US, the UK, Germany, France, and Spain are walking a tightrope as they try to bring public finances under control without nipping recovery in the bud. It warned of "substantial execution risk" in withdrawal of stimulus. "Growth alone will not resolve an increasingly complicated debt equation. Preserving debt affordability at levels consistent with AAA ratings will invariably require fiscal adjustments of a magnitude that, in some cases, will test social cohesion," said Pierre Cailleteau, the chief author. "We are not talking about revolution, but the severity of the crisis will force governments to make painful choices that expose weaknesses in society," he said. See: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/7450468/Moodys-fears-social-unrest-as-AAA-states-implement-austerity-plans.html 4) PROMISES, PROMISES: Is gov't more open with Obama? WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal agencies haven't lived up to President Barack Obama's promise of a more open government, increasing their use of legal exemptions to keep records secret during his first year in office. An Associated Press review of Freedom of Information Act reports filed by 17 major agencies found that the use of nearly every one of the law's nine exemptions to withhold information from the public rose in fiscal year 2009, which ended last October. Among the most frequently used exemptions: one that lets the government hide records that detail its internal decision-making. …Major agencies cited that exemption at least 70,779 times during the 2009 budget year, up from 47,395 times during President George W. Bush's final full budget year, according to annual FOIA reports filed by federal agencies. Obama was president for nine months in the 2009 period. See: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100316/D9EFLQB80.html 5) 5th state exempts guns. Is Washington noticing? A fifth state – South Dakota – has decided that guns made, sold and used within its borders no longer are subject to the whims of the federal government through its rule-making arm in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and two supporters of the growing groundswell say they hope Washington soon will be taking note. South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds has signed into law his state's version of a Firearms Freedom Act that first was launched in Montana. It already is law there, in Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming, which took the unusual step of specifying criminal penalties – including both fines and jail time – for federal agents attempting to enforce a federal law on a "personal firearm" in the Cowboy State. According to a report in the Dakota Voice, the new South Dakota law addresses the "rights of states which have been carelessly trampled by the federal government for decades." "As the federal government has radically overstepped is constitutional limitations in the past year or so, an explosion of states have begun reasserting their rights not only with regard to firearms, but also in shielding themselves against government health care, cap-and-trade global-warming taxes, and more," the report said. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=128035 6) US Israel criticism ignites firestorm in Congress WASHINGTON – The Obama administration's fierce denunciation of Israel last week has ignited a firestorm in Congress and among powerful pro-Israel interest groups who say the criticism of America's top Mideast ally was misplaced. Since the controversy erupted, a bipartisan parade of influential lawmakers and interest groups has taken aim at the administration's decision to publicly condemn Israel for its announcement of new Jewish housing in east Jerusalem while Vice President Joe Biden was visiting on Tuesday and then openly vent bitter frustration on Friday. …"It's hard to see how spending a weekend condemning Israel for a zoning decision in its capital city amounts to a positive step towards peace (emphasis mine - NO KIDDING!)," said Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan. He complained that the administration was attacking a "staunch ally and friend" when it should be focusing on the threat posed by Iran's nuclear problem. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100316/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_us_mideast_israel 7) US, Russia clash over startup of Iran nuke plant MOSCOW – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and her Russian counterpart clashed openly Thursday over the planned launch this summer of Iran's first, Russian-built nuclear power plant, highlighting a split in views over how to steer Iran away from nuclear weapons. Clinton did not criticize the long-delayed project directly but said the Obama administration is opposed to the timing of the nuclear plant's startup. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced the summer startup plans on Thursday, shortly after Clinton arrived for a two-day visit. …Putin's announcement adds another complication to the already long list of issues on which Clinton and her Russian hosts don't agree. Clinton is seeing Putin on Friday. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100319/ap_on_re_eu/eu_clinton_russia 8) Why Does Glenn Beck Hate Jesus? When Glenn Beck told listeners of his radio show on March 2 that they should "run as fast as you can" from any church that preached "social or economic justice" because those were code words for Communism and Nazism, he probably thought he was tweaking a few crunchy religious liberals who didn't listen to the show anyway. Instead he managed to outrage Christians in most mainline Protestant denominations, African-American congregations, Hispanic churches, and Catholics--who first heard the term "social justice" in papal encyclicals and have a little something in their tradition called "Catholic social teaching." (Not to mention the teaching of a certain fellow from Nazareth who was always blathering on about justice...) Love the tone of THIS article. The author apparently forgot that it was JUDAS who was always blathering on about giving to the poor…oh, and the author also forgot about those pesky commandments about not stealing or coveting…but GOOOO Glenn Beck! He also managed to bring the National Council of Churches--once a powerful umbrella organization for Christian churches--out from hibernation, in the form of a withering response from leader Peg Chemberlin. Progressive evangelical leader Jim Wallis, taking a page from his conservative counterparts, is calling for Christians to boycott Beck's shows. Not on your life, Jim Wallis! Like I said previously, this social justice crap is A CANCER in the Church. See: http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010/03/14/why-does-glenn-beck-hate-jesus/ 9) Banished! City forbids Bible studies in homes The city of Gilbert, Ariz., has ordered a group of seven adults to stop gathering for Bible studies in a private home because such meetings are forbidden by the city's zoning codes. The issue was brought to a head when city officials wrote a letter to a pastor and his wife informing them they had 10 days to quit having the meetings in their private home. The ban, however, prompted a response from the Alliance Defense Fund, which filed an appeal with the city as the first step in its campaign to overturn a provision it describes as illegal. "The interpretation and enforcement of the town's code is clearly unconstitutional, " said Daniel Blomberg, a member of the litigation team for ADF. "It bans 200,000 Gilbert residents from meeting in their private homes for organized religious purposes – an activity encouraged in the Bible, practiced for thousands of years, and protected by the First Amendment." See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=127793