More Pirate Attacks, Tax Breaks that are Not, Tea Parties, 'Spirituality' for Kids

"I get so tired of hearing people say, ‘The government gave me blah, blah, blah.’ Give me a break! Where do you think the government got the money? They got it from you. The government giving you something is like you giving yourself a transfusion from your right arm to your left arm, with 90 percent of your blood dripping out on the floor." John Hagee 1) French nab 11 pirates as threats mount on US ships MOMBASA, Kenya – A pirate gang that staged an abortive attack on a second U.S. ship loaded with food aid said Wednesday they were singling out American vessels and would kill their crews. French forces detained 11 other hijackers in a high-seas raid. Pirates fired grenades and automatic weapons at the cargo ship Liberty Sun, but its American crew successfully blockaded themselves inside the engine room. The ship was damaged in Tuesday's attack but escaped and was heading to Kenya under U.S. Navy guard. A pirate whose gang attacked the ship said Wednesday that his group was targeting American ships and sailors. "We will seek out the Americans and if we capture them we will slaughter them," said a 25-year-old pirate based in the Somali port of Harardhere who gave only his first name, Ismail. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090415/ap_on_re_af/piracy 2) Anti-tax protesters turn out for dreaded April 15 FRANKFORT, Ky. – Protesters began gathering at state Capitols and in neighborhoods and town squares across the country Wednesday to kick off a series of tax-day protests designed to echo the rebellion of the Boston Tea Party. Demonstrators said they're steamed about government spending since President Barack Obama took office. The rallies were being held everywhere from Kentucky, which just passed tax increases on cigarettes and alcohol, to South Carolina, where the governor has repeatedly criticized the $787 billion economic stimulus package Congress passed earlier this year. Large protests also were expected in California and New York. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090415/ap_on_bi_ge/tax_day_protests 3) At tax time, cases like Geithner's raise pointed questions Reporting from Los Angeles and Washington -- The Treasury secretary, who oversees the IRS, initially didn't pay all his taxes. Neither did five other top nominees for the Obama administration or their spouses. Now, as tonight's tax deadline looms, some Americans are rhetorically asking: What would have happened to me if I had done the same thing? See: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-geithner-tax15-2009apr15,0,6763028.story 4) Pass the stimulus, and unemployment will never go above 8% …Yesterday he asked Robert Gibbs about a report that the Obama administration released in January—which showed what could happen to the unemployment rate if their world saving stimulus package was not passed (graph on page 5). Here are the highlights:  1) By their own estimation, the stimulus isn’t working as planned: The administration’s own estimates said that if the stimulus would pass, the unemployment rate would never rise above 8%. Its peak would be around 7.9% around the end of the year. Well…It’s at 8.5% already, and most economists seem to it’s getting worse before it gets better. See: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/blog/stu/ 5) Obama extends tax relief to 'working families' President Obama announced a five-fold, tax-cut plan Wednesday and vowed to simplify the "monstrous" tax code that baffles most Americans.  "We start from the simple premise that we should reduce the tax burden on working people," said Mr. Obama, on the deadline day for filing 2008 tax returns.  Yeah, enjoy your $13, which will decrease to $8 in January… The president also likened himself to a typical U.S. worker, saying he will end tax breaks for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans "so that folks like me are paying the same rates that the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans paid when Bill Clinton was president." Mr. Obama's salary as president is $400,000 a year. Yeah, people who make more than $400,000 don’t work for their money, do they?  See: http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/15/obama-offer-relief-taxpayers/ 6) 'Spirituality for Kids' class draws fire "What does greater satisfaction bring?" she asks. Matthew replies: "Spiritual power!" Zucker asks him where the power comes from? "Your inner light," the boy answers. And where is that light found? "In your heart," he says. The exchange is part of "Spirituality for Kids," a class offered in several Los Angeles public elementary schools during the day or after school. Created by a leader of the Los Angeles-based Kabbalah Centre International, a spiritual and educational organization, the program is promoted as a nondenominational effort to teach children to make wise choices. See: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-schools-kabbalah14-2009apr14,0,3061945.story

Radicals on Right, Russian Citizen Has Seen this Movie Before, Iran, NK, Texas Gov

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” C.S. Lewis Don’t forget to attend a T.E.A. Party tomorrow! See http://taxdayteaparty.com/ 1) Federal agency warns of radicals on right A footnote attached to the report by the Homeland Security Office of Intelligence and Analysis defines "rightwing extremism in the United States" as including not just racist or hate groups, but also groups that reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority.  "It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single-issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration," the warning says. See: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/14/federal-agency-warns-of-radicals-on-right/ And: http://www.thelibertypapers.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/hsa-rightwing-extremism-09-04-07.pdf 2) Gov. Perry Backs Resolution Affirming Texas’ Sovereignty Under 10th Amendment I guess that would make him an extremist then… “I believe that our federal government has become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of our citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state,” Gov. Perry said. “That is why I am here today to express my unwavering support for efforts all across our country to reaffirm the states’ rights affirmed by the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I believe that returning to the letter and spirit of the U.S. Constitution and its essential 10th Amendment will free our state from undue regulations, and ultimately strengthen our Union.” See: http://governor.state.tx.us/news/press-release/12227/ 3) Victor Saw This in Soviet Russia CALLER: Well, what concerns me, Mr. Limbaugh, is that, in my opinion, there's nothing less than essentially a takeover of the country. I've seen all of this before. I've seen the playbook. I actually have a Ph.D. in philosophy, and I started in college and Marxist and Leninist philosophy. And what's happening here, the left is playing by the same book of rules that the Soviet Socialist Republic has lived for nearly 80 years. And very, very few people in this country recognize what's actually taking place. See: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_041409/content/01125112.guest.html 4) Peres: Israel Prepared to Strike Iran “[Iranian president Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad recruits forces against us, but there are also forces against him,” Israeli President Shimon Peres warned Sunday, according to a report in the Jerusalem Post.  “What happened in Egypt created a fierce opposition and we must unify all his opponents -- the Sunnis and the Europeans, as well as those afraid of nuclear weapons and terror,” the Israeli leader said.  Peres tempered his saber-rattling remarks by adding that he hoped President Barack Obama’s call for dialogue with Ahmadinejad would be heeded.  More ominously, however, he advised that if such talks don’t soften the Iranian president’s approach, “we’ll strike him.” See: http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/peres_israel_iran/2009/04/13/202469.html 5) U.S. may drop key condition for talks with Iran WASHINGTON - The Obama administration and its European allies are preparing proposals that would shift strategy toward Iran by dropping a longstanding American insistence that Tehran rapidly shut down nuclear facilities during the early phases of negotiations over its atomic program, according to officials involved in the discussions. See: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30202638/ 6) NKorea to quit talks, reopen nuclear plants SEOUL (AFP) – North Korea announced Tuesday it would quit six-nation nuclear disarmament talks and restart its atomic weapons programme in protest at the UN's condemnation of its rocket launch. The communist nation said Security Council discussion of the launch, which it insists sent a satellite into orbit, was "an unbearable insult" to its people. Hours later, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said its inspectors had been ordered to leave the country as Pyongyang prepared to reactivate its nuclear facilities. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090414/wl_asia_afp/unnkoreamissilenuclear;_ylt=AqMO8snt1p0.3P.IpDuGs4Z34T0D 7) Somali pirates seize two more ships Seems like a profitable business model, since no one is stopping them… See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090415/ts_nm/us_somalia_piracy;_ylt=AnQz0xavN2.BANFMYeIzO6l34T0D 8) NY Gov. Paterson to introduce gay marriage bill See: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5grygnggpvdxoXHz6K6u0f9CUtsPQD97IFURO0

Somali Pirates are Muslims, DHS on Guard Against 'Right Wing Extremists', Traditional Values Over?

1) The Somali Pirates are Really Muslims, just as they were 200 years ago… The United States tried to play nice with the Barbary pirates and even inked a few treaties. That language, too, has a striking ring. The Barbary States were Muslim, as is Somalia.  …Eventually, though, Americans felt humiliated paying off a bunch of knife-sucking thugs in blousy pants. That’s what led to the Barbary Wars, first in 1801 when Jefferson became president, and again in 1815, when James Madison sent the United States Navy to shell the Barbary Coast. The battles became the stuff of legend — “the shores of Tripoli” in the Marine Hymn — and were critical in developing the nation’s young Navy. See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/weekinreview/12gettleman.html?ref=africa 1a) Somali Insurgents Fire at U.S. Congressman During Visit to Mogadishu See: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,514935,00.html 2) Homeland Security on guard for 'right-wing extremists' Returning U.S. military veterans singled out as particular threats WASHINGTON – A newly unclassified Department of Homeland Security report warns against the possibility of violence by unnamed "right-wing extremists" concerned about illegal immigration, increasing federal power, restrictions on firearms, abortion and the loss of U.S. sovereignty and singles out returning war veterans as particular threats. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=94803 …So, if you disagree with Obama on amnesty for illegals or stand up for the Second Amendment, you are branded a "rightwing extremist" by the Department of Homeland Security and become the subject of scrutiny by some 850,000 local and state law enforcement personnel. See: http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=94799 3) Ahmadinejad: Iran now has the ability to produce nuclear fuel Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Saturday that Iran now controls the entire cycle for producing nuclear fuel with the opening of a new facility to produce uranium pellets. See: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1077726.html 4) Obama officials working against Netanyahu? Rallying Congress for fear Israeli PM will bypass White House JERUSALEM – In anticipation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington next month, the Obama administration has been briefing Congress on its position regarding establishing a Palestinian state, according to informed Israeli diplomatic sources.  The sources said Obama's team fears Netanyahu may try to rally support in Congress against the president's policies, prompting the White House to act first by detailing for members of Congress Obama's positions regarding a Palestinian state and freezing Jewish construction in the West Bank. The White House is stressing that it holds Israel's security paramount but that Obama believes establishing a Palestinian state is crucial for Middle East peace. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=94601 5) Critics say U.S. lawmakers erred by meeting with Castro brothers WASHINGTON -- Two former Cuban political prisoners and congressional backers of the U.S. embargo against Cuba Thursday lambasted a Congressional Black Caucus visit to Havana for overlooking the plight of dissidents on the island. Republican Reps. Chris Smith of New Jersey and Frank Wolf of Virginia said they've been trying to visit with political prisoners, but have twice been blocked from visiting Cuba by the Castro government. They were filing a third request Thursday. ''The Cuban government routinely denies lawmakers who have criticized its human rights record any access to the country itself,'' Smith told reporters. ``But for members of Congress who signal they will be docile, it rolls out the red carpet.'' See: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/992309.html 6) Glenn Beck - Schumer: traditional values are 'over' See: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/23945/ 7) Minn. court declares Franken leading vote-getter ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Minnesota court confirmed Monday that Democrat Al Franken won the most votes in his 2008 Senate race against Republican Norm Coleman, who had already announced plans to appeal the decision. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090414/ap_on_go_co/minnesota_senate

Pirates, Group Talks with Iran, ACORN to crash TEA parties, TARP now in Insurance

1) FBI joins effort in hostage standoff with pirates

NAIROBI, Kenya – FBI hostage negotiators joined U.S. Navy efforts Thursday to free an American cargo ship captain held captive on a lifeboat by Somali pirates. A U.S. destroyer and a spy plane kept a close watch in the high-seas standoff near the Horn of Africa, and more U.S. ships were dispatched to the area. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090409/ap_on_re_af/piracy 1a) U.S. military already prepared with battle plans for Somalia pirates, say intelligence sources Retired U.S. Ambassador Robert Oakley, who was special envoy to Somalia in the 1990s, said U.S. special operations forces have drawn up detailed plans to attack piracy groups where they live on land, but are awaiting orders from the Obama national security team. See: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/04/09/2009-04-09_us_military_prepared_for_battle_with__somalia_pirates.html 1c) Analysis: Hillary warned there'd be days like this

For the second time in four days and with less than three months in office, President Barack Obama has received the "3 a.m. phone call" that Clinton warned about. In their bitter presidential contest, Clinton suggested that her young rival was not ready for a national security crisis. 

...Upon returning from his first European trip Wednesday—at about 3 a.m.—he got word that a U.S.-flagged cargo ship was in the hands of Somali pirates. The seafaring hostage takers were holding a 20-member crew, all Americans. Historians said it was the first time in 200 years pirates had taken control of an American-flagged vessel.

See: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D97EJ4S00&show_article=1 2) Obama playing nice with communist dictators... Fidel Castro to Congressional Black Caucus members: 'How can we help President Obama?' How's this for hope and change: U.S. officials flying to Cuba, not to interrogate prisoners at Guantanamo Bay but to meet with the Castro brothers in order to ease the 50-year tensions between the two nations. Greg Adams of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana confirmed that the three members of the Congressional Black Caucus met with Castro, who handed the communist torch to his brother Raul in early 2007. Cuban state television is expected to release more details of the meeting tonight, Adams said. See: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/04/congressional-caucus-members-meet-with-the-castro-cousins-in-cuba.html 3) Iran says running 7,000 enrichment centrifuges TEHRAN, April 9 (Reuters) - Iran is now running 7,000 uranium enrichment centrifuges, a senior official said on Thursday, an announcement likely to increase Western concerns about the Islamic Republic's disputed nuclear plans. See: http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKDAH95156720090409 3a) US to attend group nuclear talks with Iran WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration said Wednesday it will participate directly in group talks with Iran over its suspect nuclear program, marking another shift from former President George W. Bush's policy.  State Department spokesman Robert Wood said the United States would be at the table "from now on" when senior diplomats from the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany meet with Iranian officials to discuss the nuclear issue. The Bush administration had generally shunned such meetings. See: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D97EDOA00&show_article=1   4) ACORN to crash Tax Day tea parties? Activist group plans rallies, blasts 'gripe fest by bunch of conservatives' With only one week left before citizens in 2,000 U.S. cities take to the streets in protest of government spending this Tax Day, will ACORN and the Huffington Post crash the party?  ACORN spokesman Charles Jackson told WND his group will be rallying on the same day. "ACORN is going to be engaged in a series of rallies across the country on April 15 in support of the priorities outlined in President Obama's first budget – investments in education, health care, and getting Americans back to work," Jackson said. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=94297 4a) ACORN to Play Role in 2010 Census The U.S. Census is supposed to be free of politics, but one group with a history of voter fraud, ACORN, is participating in next year's count, raising concerns about the politicization of the decennial survey. See: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/03/17/lawmakers-concerned-role-acorn-census/ 5) Treasury to extend TARP to life insurers: report Great! Now Geithner can take over insurance companies too! NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department plans to extend the Troubled Asset Relief Program to certain life insurers, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The Treasury is expected to announce within the next several days the inclusion of life insurers that are bank holding companies or own a thrift, the Journal reported on its website. See: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN0749421220090408 6) AP Newsbreak: Obama looks at climate engineering WASHINGTON (AP) - The president's new science adviser said Wednesday that global warming is so dire, the Obama administration is discussing radical technologies to cool Earth's air. John Holdren told The Associated Press in his first interview since being confirmed last month that the idea of geoengineering the climate is being discussed.  One such extreme option includes shooting pollution particles into the upper atmosphere to reflect the sun's rays. Holdren said such an experimental measure would only be used as a last resort. See: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D97EG5200&show_article=1 7) Osteens: Obama doing great job, loves the Lord An example of total lack of discernment, but then, consider the source...someone who isn’t sure Jesus is the only way (see Joel Osteen's previous interview with Larry King) can’t be trusted to make any right spiritual judgements. Joel Osteen: Well, it matters to me. It matters to me that I know he loves the Lord, and I think it's important that he has convictions from his faith. So to me, it matters when I'm making my personal decisions. See: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/08/lkl.osteens/index.html

US Not at War with Islam? Geithner to Oust More Execs, TSA Detains Ron Paul Official

“No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.” - Ronald Reagan    

“Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.” - Ronald Reagan 

  1) Obama tells Turks that US is not at war with Islam   ANKARA, Turkey – Barack Obama, making his first visit to a Muslim nation as president, declared Monday the United States "is not and will never be at war with Islam."   ...Obama recognized past tensions in the U.S.-Turkey relationship, but said things were on the right track now because both countries share common interests and are diverse nations. "We don't consider ourselves Christian, Jewish, Muslim. We consider ourselves a nation bound by a set of ideals and values," Obama said of the United States. "Turkey has similar principals."    See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090406/ap_on_re_eu/eu_obama And: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D97CVOMG0&show_article=1 2) Geithner May Oust Executives at Banks Needing ‘Exceptional’ Aid April 6 (Bloomberg) -- Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said he’s prepared to oust executives and directors at banks that require “exceptional” assistance from the U.S. government.  “If in the future, banks need exceptional assistance in order to get through this, then we will make sure that assistance comes,” while ensuring taxpayers are protected, Geithner said yesterday in an interview on the CBS “Face the Nation” program. “Where that requires a change in management and the board, then we will do that.” See: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aMWnzAPdYvl8&refer=worldwide   3) Bombings in Baghdad kill 33 people, police say   The explosions come amid a period of relative calm in most of Iraq, where violence has dropped by more than 90 percent. But with U.S. forces drawing down their operations under a plan by President Barack Obama to remove combat troops from the country by Aug. 31, 2010, some U.S. military and Iraqi government officials have privately expressed concerns about an increase in violence.   See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090406/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq   4) TSA detains official from Ron Paul group The Transportation Security Administration is investigating the detention and harassment of a Ron Paul organization official by airport screeners, an incident that was caught on tape at a St. Louis airport. …On the tape, Mr. Bierfeldt is asked repeatedly where he works, where he obtained the money and why he was in St. Louis.  In each instance, Mr. Bierfeldt asked whether he was required by law to answer the questions.  "You want to play smartass, and I'm not going to play your f--ing game," the TSA official said. See: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/06/tsa-detains-official-from-ron-paul-group/ 5) Authorities: Pilot of stolen plane captured after going on the run WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The pilot of a small Cessna 172 aircraft reported stolen from a Canadian flight school has been captured, authorities said.  The pilot reportedly stole a small Cessna 172 aircraft from a Canadian flight school, flew hundreds of miles across the Midwest, landed on a dirt road in Missouri late Monday and took off on foot, federal officials said. Federal, state and local authorities launched a manhunt for the pilot, who was identified by the FBI as Yavuz Burke, 31, a native of Turkey who became a Canadian citizen last year. He was formerly known as Adam Leon, though officials did not indicate a reason for the name change. See: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/04/06/stolen.plane/ 6) Good news: Pharmacists win battle in 'conscience' rights case Court rejects officials' attempt to 'trample' faith-related protections Pharmacists in Illinois have been granted a victory in their legal battle over their right of conscience, according to the American Center for Law and Justice, an organization dedicated to protecting constitutional rights.  The state circuit court in Springfield has issued a temporary restraining order against the governor of Illinois, barring him from enforcing a 2005 administrative regulation that forced pharmacies to dispense Plan B and other abortion-inducing drugs. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=94156 7) An ‘alarmist’ (what some have called me) foresaw earthquake… Italy muzzled scientist who foresaw quake ROME, April 6 (Reuters) - An Italian scientist predicted a major earthquake around L'Aquila weeks before disaster struck the city on Monday, killing dozens of people, but was reported to authorities for spreading panic among the population.  The first tremors in the region were felt in mid-January and continued at regular intervals, creating mounting alarm in the medieval city, about 100 km (60 miles) east of Rome. See: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L6566682.htm

Government Control of the Internet, A 'Nuclear Free World', NY Times Refuses to Report on ACORN

1) The Cybersecurity Act of 2009: Government Control of the Internet… A pair of bills introduced in the U.S. Senate would grant the White House sweeping new powers to access private online data, regulate the cybersecurity industry and even shut down Internet traffic during a declared "cyber emergency."  Senate bills No. 773 and 778, introduced by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.V., are both part of what's being called the Cybersecurity Act of 2009, which would create a new Office of the National Cybersecurity Advisor, reportable directly to the president and charged with defending the country from cyber attack.  A working draft of the legislation obtained by an Internet privacy group also spells out plans to grant the Secretary of Commerce access to all privately owned information networks deemed to be critical to the nation's infrastructure "without regard to any provision of law, regulation, rule or policy restricting such access." …First, the White House, through the national cybersecurity advisor, shall have the authority to disconnect "critical infrastructure" networks from the Internet – including private citizens' banks and health records, if Rockefeller's examples are accurate – if they are found to be at risk of cyber attack. The working copy of the bill, however, does not define what constitutes a cybersecurity emergency, and apparently leaves the question to the discretion of the president. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=93966 2) NKorea rocket fizzles, US says; Obama urges action UNITED NATIONS – The U.S. and its allies sought punishment Sunday for North Korea's defiant launch of a rocket that apparently fizzled into the Pacific, holding an emergency U.N. meeting in response to the "provoctive act" that some believe was a long-range missile test. President Barack Obama, faced with his first global security crisis, called for a international response and condemned North Korea for threatening the peace and stability of nations "near and far." Minutes after liftoff, Japan requested the emergency Security Council session in New York. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090405/ap_on_re_as/as_nkorea_missile 3) Obama outlines sweeping goal of nuclear-free world PRAGUE – Declaring the future of mankind at stake, President Barack Obama on Sunday said all nations must strive to rid the world of nuclear arms and that the U.S. had a "moral responsibility" to lead because no other country has used one. …Few experts think it's possible to completely eradicate nuclear weapons, and many say it wouldn't be a good idea even if it could be done. Even backward nations such as North Korea have shown they can develop bombs, given enough time. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090405/ap_on_go_pr_wh/eu_obama 4) Financial Industry Paid Millions to Obama Aide WASHINGTON — Lawrence H. Summers, the top economic adviser to President Obama, earned more than $5 million last year from the hedge fund D. E. Shaw and collected $2.7 million in speaking fees from Wall Street companies that received government bailout money, the White House disclosed Friday in releasing financial information about top officials. See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/04/us/politics/04disclose.html?_r=1&partner=MYWAY&ei=5065 5) ACORN Closely Tied to Obama Administration, NY Times ‘Stands Down’ on the Story According to MonCrief, New York Times reporter Stephanie Strom was getting close to documenting a story directly linking the Obama campaign to ACORN through the "Project Vote" organization. Barack Obama worked for "Project Vote" in the 1990s. There is speculation that "Project Vote" did a number of illegal things last November during the voter registration process. Strom was allegedly zeroing in on the situation.  But the Times' investigation suddenly stopped dead, prompting a call from Strom to MonCrief, her source. A voicemail from Strom was left on Oct. 21, 2008:  "Hi, Anita, it's Stephanie. I've just been asked by my bosses to stand down. ... They want me to hold off on coming to Washington. Sorry, I take my orders from higher up." See: http://townhall.com/columnists/BillOReilly/2009/04/04/the_mighty_acorn 6) South Carolina Gov Refusing Stimulus Money On Friday, just before the Obama administration’s deadline, Mr. Sanford became the last governor to certify that he would accept some stimulus money, but declared that he would not accept the $700 million largely designated for education unless the legislature agreed to use a similar amount to pay down the state’s debt. (He did, however, accept most of the remaining $2.1 billion for Medicaid, transportation and other uses. Only Mr. Sanford and Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska have rejected the education money.) See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/04/us/politics/04sanford.html?_r=2&hp 7) Abortion is a blessing and abortionists are doing holy work, says Anglican priest The new Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massacusetts, has given a sermon describing abortions as a "blessing" for the women who undergo them. The Rev Katherine Hancock Ragsdale also thinks that the people who run abortion clinics are "heroes" and even "saints". Ms Ragsdale, speaking in Birmingham, Alabama, said that "when a woman becomes pregnant within a loving, supportive, respectful relationship; has every option open to her; decides she does not wish to bear a child; and has access to a safe, affordable abortion - there is not a tragedy in sight - only blessing." See: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/damian_thompson/blog/2009/04/02/abortion_is_a_blessing_and_abortionists_are_doing_holy_work_says_anglican_priest 8) Leaving Michigan Behind: Eight-year population exodus staggers state RUSH: This is from the Detroit News. Headline says it all: "Leaving Michigan Behind: Eight-Year Population Exodus Staggers State.' -- Outflow of skilled, educated workers crimps Michigan's recovery. The state loses a family every 12 minutes, and the families who are leaving -- young, well-educated high-income earners -- are the people the state desperately needs to rebuild." Why are they leaving? Snerdley, where are they leaving? Jennifer Granholm. In the last two to three decades, could somebody name for me what party governed Michigan for the vast majority of the past 20, 30 years? What party governed Detroit for as long back as anybody can remember? Democrats. A teachable moment here. In this whole story there's not one mention of high taxes. There's not one mention of high taxes here. Crumbling education, crumbling infrastructure, crime, and now the government taking over General Motors -- so more Democrats running that industry. See: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_040309/content/01125104.guest.html And: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090402/METRO/904020403/&imw=Y

Energy Tax: $2000/year, Federal Hate Crimes Bill Introduced in House, Guns in Mexico are NOT from US

1) Energy costs being bumped $2,000 per household Researcher says tax could be biggest levy ever in the U.S. The vice president for an energy research center says the administration of President Barack Obama is working now on what could end up being the biggest levy ever in the history of the United States, a tax that is expected to cost $2,000 per household. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=93778 2) Budgets Approved, With No G.O.P. Votes See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/03/us/politics/03budget.html?ref=todayspaper 3) Federal workers may get bigger raises WASHINGTON — Despite President Obama's call for federal employees to "do their part" and accept smaller-than-usual pay raises, Congress is considering a budget that could spend an additional $1.3 billion or more on pay for civilian federal workers. See: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-04-03-government-pay-raises_N.htm 4) Fannie, Freddie Bonuses Total About $210 Million In a compensation program that has drawn angry protests from lawmakers, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac expect to pay about $210 million in retention bonuses to 7,600 employees over 18 months, according to a letter from the mortgage companies' regulator. See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123876318076986497.html 5) Federal hate crimes bill introduced in House  Measure lets feds prosecute bias-motivated violence Legislation that would allow the federal government to prosecute bias-motivated violence against LGBT people was introduced Thursday in the U.S. House. Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), chair of the House Judiciary Committee, introduced the legislation, H.R. 1913. As of Friday, the bill had 42 co-sponsors. The legislation would allow the Justice Department to assist in the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes committed against LGBT people that result in death or serious injury. The federal government could lend its assistance to local authorities or take the lead in cases if local officials are unwilling or unable to prosecute the cases. See: http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24830 6) The Myth of 90 Percent: Only a Small Fraction of Guns in Mexico Come From U.S. EXCLUSIVE: You've heard this shocking "fact" before -- on TV and radio, in newspapers, on the Internet and from the highest politicians in the land: 90 percent of the weapons used to commit crimes in Mexico come from the United States. -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said it to reporters on a flight to Mexico City. -- CBS newsman Bob Schieffer referred to it while interviewing President Obama. -- California Sen. Dianne Feinstein said at a Senate hearing: "It is unacceptable to have 90 percent of the guns that are picked up in Mexico and used to shoot judges, police officers and mayors ... come from the United States." -- William Hoover, assistant director for field operations at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, testified in the House of Representatives that "there is more than enough evidence to indicate that over 90 percent of the firearms that have either been recovered in, or interdicted in transport to Mexico, originated from various sources within the United States." There's just one problem with the 90 percent "statistic" and it's a big one: It's just not true. In fact, it's not even close. The fact is, only 17 percent of guns found at Mexican crime scenes have been traced to the U.S. …The exaggeration of United States "responsibility" for the lawlessness in Mexico extends even beyond the "90-percent" falsehood -- and some Second Amendment activists believe it's designed to promote more restrictive gun-control laws in the U.S. …"Reporter after politician after news anchor just disregards the truth on this," Cox said. "The numbers are intentionally used to weaken the Second Amendment." See: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2009/04/02/myth-percent-guns-mexico-fraction-number-claimed/ 7) Running out of ammunition …The shortage is the result of a confluence of events, industry observers say: a run on guns by consumers since the election of President Barack Obama, more ammunition being sent to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the increased cost of raw materials needed to make bullets. "In the first three months of the year, we've already sold what we typically sell in an entire year," said Rex Gore, owner of Black Wing Shooting Center in Delaware. Sales now are limited to a few boxes at a time, depending on the caliber, he said. "We've never seen anything like this before," Gore said. "We've had spikes in demand before with other administration changes, after 9/11 and when people were preparing for Y2K, but nothing like this. See: http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/04/02/ammo_shortage.ART_ART_04-02-09_A1_82DEC41.html?sid=101 8) Russia's Medvedev hails 'comrade' Obama LONDON (AFP) - - Russia's Dmitry Medvedev hailed Barack Obama as "my new comrade" Thursday after their first face-to-face talks, saying the US president "can listen" -- even if little progress was made on substance. The Russian president contrasted Obama as "totally different" to his predecessor George W. Bush, whom he blamed for the "mistake" of US missile shield plans fiercely opposed by Moscow. See: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20090403/twl-russia-us-g20-diplomacy-missile-7e07afd.html 9) Worries Rise as North Korea Nears Missile Launch President Barack Obama increased pressure on North Korea to halt moves toward a weekend test of a long-range ballistic missile, warning Pyongyang on Friday that a launch would be "provocative" and wouldn't go unpunished. U.S. defense officials said, however, there were no signs North Korea was curtailing its test and was instead making final preparations for the rocket shot, which could come as early as Saturday -- despite intensified diplomacy and increasingly strong objections from Mr. Obama and the U.S.'s Asian allies. See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123880166885488565.html 10) Democrats Try to Bully Coleman… Coleman faces hot seat even if he wins Even if Norm Coleman pulls off a long-shot legal victory in the extended Minnesota Senate race, Democrats are vowing to make him wish that he hadn’t. See: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/20835.html 11) U.S. News' Bonnie Erbe Argues Abortion is a 'Good Decision' in a Recession See: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/colleen-raezler/2009/04/02/u-s-news-bonnie-erbe-argues-abortion-good-decision-recession 12) Iowa Supreme Court legalizes gay marriage See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090404/ap_on_re_us/iowa_gay_marriage

The 'New World Order', Netanyahu: Stop Iran, or I Will, Stimulus Now Equals Entire 2008 GDP

1) House approves $3.6 trillion budget blueprint WASHINGTON – The Democratic-controlled House approved a budget blueprint drawn to President Barack Obama's specifications Thursday and the Senate hastened to follow suit after administration allies rejected alternatives from liberals and conservatives alike. The vote in the House was 233-196, largely along party lines, for a $3.6 trillion plan that includes a deficit of $1.2 trillion. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090403/ap_on_go_co/congress_budget 2) 'Stimulus' tab: $12.8 trillion and climbing: Amount nearly equals value of everything produced in U.S. in 2008 WASHINGTON – The federal government and the Federal Reserve have committed $12.8 trillion in spending so far to bailouts and "stimulus" packages – an amount nearly equal to the value of everything produced in the U.S. in 2008. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=93686 3) G-20 gives $1 trillion to fight global crisis LONDON – World leaders pledged $1.1 trillion in loans and guarantees to struggling countries and agreed Thursday to crack down on tax havens and hedge funds — but failed to reach sweeping accord on more stimulus spending to attack the global economic decline. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090402/ap_on_re_eu/g20_summit 4) Lawmakers Have Long Rewarded Their Aides With Bonuses Capitol Hill bonuses in 2008 were among the highest in years, according to LegiStorm, an organization that tracks payroll data. The average House aide earned 17% more in the fourth quarter of the year, when the bonuses were paid, than in previous quarters, according to the data. That was the highest jump in the eight years LegiStorm has compiled payroll information. See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123854799133476409.html 5) To Chagrin of Republicans, Compensation Bill Passes See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/us/politics/02pay.html?ref=todayspaper 6) U.S. Plans Key Role In Naming GM Board: Washington Post: Obama Administration Will Have Heavy Influence Over The Automaker's Leadership The president said Monday that "the United States government has no interest in running GM." But in practice it is already exerting tremendous influence over it, a situation that has triggered fierce debate over how much power the government should wield over the companies that it aids. See: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/04/01/politics/washingtonpost/main4909701.shtml 7) Gordon Brown Calls for ‘New World Order’ It all sounds wonderful and pleasant, and even biblical, but this is what the Bible warned would happen in the end times, and this is the philosophy and methodology that will set the stage for the antichrist.   See: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1166182/Brown-DOES-God-calls-new-world-order-sermon-St-Pauls.html 8) Obama issues warning as North Korea readies rocket WASHINGTON – As North Korea fueled a multistage rocket Thursday for its threatened satellite launch, President Barack Obama promised a "stern" response and Japan vowed to press for an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council. Senior U.S. defense officials said that trailers and vehicles carrying rocket propellant were in place at North Korea's coastal launch site and that fueling had begun. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090403/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_nkorea_missile 9) APRIL 1st MARKS 30th ANNIVERSARY OF THE IRANIAN REVOLUTION: How did Washington miss it? Netanyahu understands Iran threat today, does Obama? Do they understand the eschatology — or End Times theology — held by the current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and how such deeply-held religious beliefs are driving Iranian foreign policy and military doctrine? Do they understand that Iran’s current leaders believe they have been chosen by God to bring about the end of the world, that this is why they are hell-bent on acquiring or building nuclear weapons? See: http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2009/04/01/april-1st-marks-30th-anniversary-of-the-iranian-revolution-how-did-washington-miss-it-will-we-miss-it-again/ 10) Netanyahu to Obama: Stop Iran—Or I Will See: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200903u/netanyahu 11) U.S. says will push hard for Palestinian statehood The United States will push hard for Palestinian statehood despite a new rightist government in Israel but anticipates a rough road ahead, a U.S. official said on Thursday. See: http://in.news.yahoo.com/137/20090403/760/twl-u-s-says-will-push-hard-for-palestin.html 12) Pakistani militant poses growing threat to US Mehsud is now seen as posing one of the greatest threats to President Barack Obama's push to stem Pakistan's slide toward instability and turn around the war in Afghanistan, analysts and officials said. For years, the U.S. had considered him a lesser threat than some of the other Pakistani Taliban, their Afghan counterparts and al-Qaida, because most of his attacks were focused inside Pakistan, not against U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan. Pakistani officials said the U.S. has changed its view in recent months as Mehsud's power has grown and concerns mounted that increasing violence in Pakistan could destabilize the nuclear-armed ally. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090401/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan 13) Fraken and Coleman Race in Minnesota Still Not Decided… See: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/20785.html

Obama Determining YOUR salary, Will He Fire Bank CEOs next?, Climate Bill, North Korea, Pakistan

“It only stands to reason that where there's sacrifice, there's someone collecting the sacrificial offerings. Where there's service, there is someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master.” Ayn Rand “Government ‘help’ to business is just as disastrous as government persecution...the only way a government can be of service to national prosperity is by keeping its hands off.” Ayn Rand 1) Beyond AIG: A bill to let Big Government set your salary It was nearly two weeks ago that the House of Representatives, acting in a near-frenzy after the disclosure of bonuses paid to executives of AIG, passed a bill that would impose a 90 percent retroactive tax on those bonuses. Despite the overwhelming 328-93 vote, support for the measure began to collapse almost immediately. Within days, the Obama White House backed away from it, as did the Senate Democratic leadership. The bill stalled, and the populist storm that spawned it seemed to pass.  But now, in a little-noticed move, the House Financial Services Committee, led by chairman Barney Frank, has approved a measure that would, in some key ways, go beyond the most draconian features of the original AIG bill. The new legislation, the "Pay for Performance Act of 2009," would impose government controls on the pay of all employees -- not just top executives -- of companies that have received a capital investment from the U.S. government. It would, like the tax measure, be retroactive, changing the terms of compensation agreements already in place. And it would give Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner extraordinary power to determine the pay of thousands of employees of American companies. See: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Beyond-AIG-A-Bill-to-let-Big-Government-Set-Your-Salary-42158597.html 2) Wall Street Bets Obama Will Fire Bank CEOs Next Says CNBC Reporter After General Motors (NYSE:GM) Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner was forced out by President Barack Obama, Wall Street is betting bank CEO firings will be the next shoe to drop.  CNBC’s New York Stock Exchange floor reporter Bob Pisani told viewers of CNBC’s March 30 “Street Signs” the market’s actions, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) dropping as much as 300 points, are reflect, in part,that the government is going to force bank CEOs out as they did with Wagoner. See: http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2009/20090330160548.aspx 3) Contracts Now Seen as Being Rewritable Contracts everywhere are under assault. The depth of the recession and the use of taxpayer dollars to bail out companies have made it politically acceptable for overseers to tinker with employment agreements.  …Across the country, Vallejo, Calif., just got permission in bankruptcy court to tear up its contracts with firefighters and other workers. In Stockton, the city manager is studying whether to follow Vallejo’s lead. See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/31/business/economy/31contracts.html?ref=todayspaper 4) Democrats Unveil Climate Bill The Waxman-Markey bill, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, emerges at a time when many Americans, and their representatives in Congress, are wary of wide-ranging environmental legislation that could raise energy costs and potentially cripple industry. The bill, a version of a so-called cap-and-trade plan, also comes as the Environmental Protection Agency is about to exert regulatory authority over heat-trapping gases under the Clean Air Act. See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/us/politics/01energycnd.html?_r=1&hp 5) Is There a War on the Term 'War on Terror' "I haven't gotten any directive about using it or not using it. It's just not being used," said Clinton during a briefing with reporters aboard her plane to the Hague to attend an international conference on Afghanistan.   "The administration has stopped using the phrase and I think that speaks for itself," she said at a different point during her trip. "Obviously." …The story began after the Washington Post's Al Kamen obtained an e-mail from an official in the Office of Security Review, Dave Reidel, saying that, "This Administration prefers to avoid using the term 'Long War' or 'Global War on Terror' (GWOT). Please use 'Overseas Contingency Operation.' " See: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/03/is-there-a-war.html 6) Pakistani Taliban threatens attack on White House ISLAMABAD – Pakistan's Taliban chief claimed responsibility Tuesday for a deadly assault on a police academy, saying he wanted to retaliate for U.S. missile attacks on the militant bases on the border with Afghanistan. Baitullah Mehsud, who has a $5 million bounty on his head from the United States, also vowed to "amaze everyone in the world" with an attack on Washington or even the White House. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090401/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan 7) North Korea Threatens War Against Japan Over Missile (Update4) March 31 (Bloomberg) -- North Korea’s government vowed to wage war against Japan if Japanese defense forces try to shoot down a missile that the communist nation says will carry a communications satellite. See: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=aoXwM34Au.xI&refer=japan 8) New Israeli PM says 'extremist Islam' trying to destroy his country "In order for there to be peace, our Palestinian allies and partners also have to fight terrorism," he said. "They must bring up their children in the spirit of tolerance and peace. In the last two decades, six heads of government in Israel have failed to achieve a peace settlement, but they were not at fault. I say to the leaders of the Palestinian Authority: If you really want peace, then peace can be achieved. "We don't want to control another people," Netanyahu said of Israel's military control of Palestinian territory, which dates to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. "We don't want to control the Palestinians. In a final a settlement, the Palestinians will have all the rights to rule themselves except those which threaten Israel's ability to protect itself." See: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/03/31/israel.new.prime.minister/ And: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090401/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_politics 9) Insurgent Threat Shifts in Pakistan KABUL, March 30 -- The brazen occupation of a Pakistani police academy Monday by heavily armed gunmen near the eastern mega-city of Lahore was the latest indication that Islamist terrorism, once confined to Pakistan's northwest tribal belt, now threatens political stability nationwide. See: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/30/AR2009033000098.html

Obama Perilous Legal Pick, Russia Antagonizing Canada, Bank Forced into TARP

1) OBAMA'S MOST PERILOUS LEGAL PICK JUDGES should interpret the Constitution according to other nations' legal "norms." Sharia law could apply to disputes in US courts. The United States constitutes an "axis of disobedience" along with North Korea and Saddam-era Iraq.  Those are the views of the man on track to become one of the US government's top lawyers: Harold Koh.  President Obama has nominated Koh -- until last week the dean of Yale Law School -- to be the State Department's legal adviser. In that job, Koh would forge a wide range of international agreements on issues from trade to arms control, and help represent our country in such places as the United Nations and the International Court of Justice.  It's a job where you want a strong defender of America's sovereignty. But that's not Koh. He's a fan of "transnational legal process," arguing that the distinctions between US and international law should vanish. See: http://www.nypost.com/seven/03302009/postopinion/opedcolumnists/obamas_most_perilous_legal_pick_161961.htm 2) Warships set sail ahead of N. Korean rocket launch SEOUL, South Korea – Japanese, South Korean and U.S. missile-destroying ships set sail to monitor North Korea's imminent rocket launch, as Pyongyang stoked tensions Monday by detaining a South Korean worker for allegedly denouncing the North's political system. North Korea says it will send a communications satellite into orbit between April 4 and 8. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090331/ap_on_re_as/as_nkorea_missile 3) Russia, China cooperate on new currency proposals: (more on getting rid of that pesky US dollar) Russia and China are coordinating proposals on a new global currency that could replace the US dollar as a reserve currency to prevent a repeat of the global economic crisis, the Kremlin said on Monday.  "We have received proposals from our colleagues in China, detailed proposals," President Dmitry Medvedev's top economic adviser Arkady Dvorkovich said. "Our positions are very similar.  "We have similar positions on the development of the international financial architecture," he told reporters.  Ahead of the Group of 20 summit in London later this week, the Kremlin has published a raft of proposals to overhaul the global economic order, including plans for a supra-national currency that could replace the US dollar. See: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.7e6cab4fec704a0fdd135ecdac00673b.9c1&show_article=1&catnum=0 4) Canada says will defend its Arctic: (Russia continues to become militarily antagonistic…) The Canadian government on Friday reaffirmed its Arctic claims, saying it will defend its northern territories and waters after Russia earlier announced plans to militarize the North. See: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.92e661444313b232e8931de00c29c73b.3a1&show_article=1 5) German Chancellor Won’t Give In to U.S. Pressure, New York Times Reports March 30 (Bloomberg) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel won’t give in to U.S. pressure to increase economic stimulus spending, stressing that overspending could plant the seeds for a new crisis, she told the New York Times in an interview. See: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=akG.AozphHLo&refer=germany 6) Rise of sea levels is 'the greatest lie ever told' …But if there is one scientist who knows more about sea levels than anyone else in the world it is the Swedish geologist and physicist Nils-Axel Mörner, formerly chairman of the INQUA International Commission on Sea Level Change. And the uncompromising verdict of Dr Mörner, who for 35 years has been using every known scientific method to study sea levels all over the globe, is that all this talk about the sea rising is nothing but a colossal scare story.  Despite fluctuations down as well as up, "the sea is not rising," he says. "It hasn't risen in 50 years." If there is any rise this century it will "not be more than 10cm (four inches), with an uncertainty of plus or minus 10cm". And quite apart from examining the hard evidence, he says, the elementary laws of physics (latent heat needed to melt ice) tell us that the apocalypse conjured up by Al Gore and Co could not possibly come about. See: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/christopherbooker/5067351/Rise-of-sea-levels-is-the-greatest-lie-ever-told.html 7) Job Losses From Obama Green Stimulus Foreseen in Spanish Study March 27 (Bloomberg) -- Subsidizing renewable energy in the U.S. may destroy two jobs for every one created if Spain’s experience with windmills and solar farms is any guide. See: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a2PHwqAs7BS0 8) Bank forced to participate in TARP The U.S. Treasury told, not asked, U.S. Bank to participate in the program, which is a Darwinian attempt to “synthesize” weaker banks into stronger banks through consolidation, Davis said at the forum, held at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans in Minneapolis. U.S. Bank (NYSE: USB) sold $6.6 billion in preferred stock with warrants to the U.S. Treasury in November through its capital purchase program. See: http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2009/02/16/daily17.html 9) Centrue Bank president resigns: Atlas Shrugs… Don Davis, president of Centrue Bank in St. Louis, has resigned because his income will be severely restricted by new federal limitations on bank executives. See: http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2009/03/23/daily12.html

Obama Takeover of GM, North Korea, Ammo Shortage

1) GM CEO Wagoner to step down at White House request DETROIT – General Motors Corp. Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner will step down immediately at the request of the White House, administration officials said Sunday. The news comes as President Barack Obama prepares to unveil additional restructuring efforts designed to save the domestic auto industry. …Wagoner, 56, has repeatedly said he believed it was better for him to lead GM through its crisis, but he has faced sharp criticism on Capitol Hill for what many lawmakers regard as years of missteps, mistakes and arrogance by the Detroit Three automakers. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090330/ap_on_bi_ge/gm_wagoner What?!?!? How can that be constitutional? Oh, I forgot, that document is just a rag anyway… 2) Obama order worries speech groups Free speech advocates from across the political spectrum are accusing President Barack Obama of impinging on First Amendment rights and are gearing up to take their case public.  At issue is an unprecedented directive that Obama — who has long railed against lobbyists as the personification of a corrupt Washington culture — issued last week barring officials charged with doling out stimulus funds from talking to registered lobbyists about specific projects or applicants for stimulus cash. …“And that is unconstitutional, because it takes a class of people and says that they are not worthy to petition the government,” Wenhold said, adding that his group will hold a Tuesday news conference to highlight the First Amendment impact of the rule. “It just goes too far,” he said, asserting “if anybody is paying attention, they should be wondering ‘is my group next?’ If they take the right to petition the government away from one class of people, who is going to be next?” See: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20580.html 3) Gates: U.S. Not Prepared to Respond to North Korea Missile Launch The United States can do nothing to stop North Korea from breaking international law in the next 10 days by firing a missile that is unlikely to be shot down by the U.S. or its allies, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday. Appearing on "FOX News Sunday," Gates said North Korea "probably will" fire the missile, prompting host Chris Wallace to ask: "And there's nothing we can do about it?" "No," Gates answered, adding, "I would say we're not prepared to do anything about it." Gates said while he doesn't think North Korea has the capability yet to shoot off a long-range nuclear-tipped missile, "I don't know anyone at a senior level in the American government who does not believe this technology is intended as a mask for the development of an intercontinental ballistic missile." Gates conceded that North Korea will likely get away with thumbing its nose at the international community by test-firing the missile. He also said that six-party talks aimed at curbing Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions have been largely fruitless. "It's very troubling," Gates said. "The reality is that the six-party talks really have not made any headway anytime recently." See: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/03/29/gates-prepared-respond-north-korea-missile-launch/ 4) Fear of new regs drives gun, ammo shortage CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Concern that the Obama administration could impose a new ban on some semiautomatic weapons is driving worried gun owners to stockpile ammunition and cartridge reloading components at such a rate that manufacturers can't meet demand. …"You know there's something wrong when I've got little old ladies coming in buying 5,000 rounds of .22 shells," Holtz said. See: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hHN8azPdktiyq5rfkevDE2rauhnwD977SAKG0

Climate Change Plan Shifts World Economy, The 'Give Act', Christians 'bizarre and judgmental'

1) U.N. 'Climate Change' Plan Would Likely Shift Trillions to Form New World Economy

A United Nations document on "climate change" that will be distributed to a major environmental conclave next week envisions a huge reordering of the world economy, likely involving trillions of dollars in wealth transfer, millions of job losses and gains, new taxes, industrial relocations, new tariffs and subsidies, and complicated payments for greenhouse gas abatement schemes and carbon taxes — all under the supervision of the world body. See: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,510937,00.html 2) More on Mandatory Volunteerism… Expanded Americorps has an authoritarian feel With almost no public attention, both chambers of Congress in the past week advanced an alarming expansion of the Americorps national service plan, with the number of federally funded community service job increasing from 75,000 to 250,000 at a cost of $5.7 billion. Lurking behind the feel-good rhetoric spouted by the measure’s advocates is a bill that on closer inspection reveals multiple provisions that together create a strong odor of creepy authoritarianism. The House passed the measure overwhelmingly, while only 14 senators had the sense and courage to vote against it on a key procedural motion. Every legislator who either voted for this bill or didn’t vote at all has some serious explaining to do. …To begin with, the legislation threatens the voluntary nature of Americorps by calling for consideration of “a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people.” It anticipates the possibility of requiring “all individuals in the United States” to perform such service – including elementary school students. The bill also summons up unsettling memories of World War II-era paramilitary groups by saying the new program should “combine the best practices of civilian service with the best aspects of military service,” while establishing “campuses” that serve as “operational headquarters,” complete with “superintendents” and “uniforms” for all participants. It allows for the elimination of all age restrictions in order to involve Americans at all stages of life. And it calls for creation of “a permanent cadre” in a “National Community Civilian Corps.” See: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/Expanded-Americorps-has-an-authoritarian-feel-41889742.html 3) Congresswoman: Hands off dollar! Wants ban on U.S. use of any foreign currency A member of Congress is warning the Obama administration to keep its hands off the U.S. dollar's status as the world's international currency.  U.S. Rep. Michelle Bachmann, R-Minn., has introduced a resolution that would bar the U.S. from recognizing any other currency than the dollar as its reserve currency. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=93086 4) Tancredo: Clinton aids Obama's 'war on guns' Criticizes her claim U.S. at fault in Mexican drug violence …"The guns that are sold in the United States, which are illegal in Mexico, get smuggled and shipped across our border and arm these terrible drug-dealing criminals so that they can outgun these poor police officers along the border and elsewhere in Mexico," she [Clinton] said.  "So we've got to help out here. We can't stand by and say, Well, you know, you guys just do the best you can, when we, unfortunately, are the market for drugs, when a lot of the money is laundered in the United States back into the hands of the drug kingpins, and when the weapons have come from our country. So I think recognizing the co-responsibility is just stating the obvious," Clinton said.  Tancredo said that's just wrong, and Clinton knows it.  "The heavy weaponry is not coming from the U.S.," he said, citing the Mexican military as a source for drug cartels for automatic weapons, as well as gun dealers throughout South and Central America. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=93096 5) Abortion Industry Needs "Pride" Movement: Brown University Bioethicist and Author March 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The abortion industry needs a "pride" movement, similar to that of the immensely successful homosexualist movement, a prominent US bioethicist says. Jacob M. Appel, an author, professor at Brown University and graduate of Harvard Law, wrote on the website "Opposing Views," that "the moment is ripe - more than ripe - for an Abortion Pride Movement." Really??? See: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032602.html 6) Matthews: Does Palin Think McCain is the 'Anti-Christ?' The protrayal of mainstream Christian faith as ‘bizarre and judgmental’. Look how far we’ve come… An offended Chris Matthews, on Thursday night's "Hardball," was so shocked by Sarah Palin's claim that there wasn't anybody to pray with on the McCain campaign, that he hurled multiple insults Palin's way, calling her, "a little scary," and asked if Palin thought McCain was, "the Anti-Christ?" Matthews was appalled by Palin's recent revelation that she had trouble finding someone to pray with before her vice presidential debate and the MSNBC host worried such talk about "The Deity in a political environment," wasn't "normal."  Matthews' guest panelists also joined in the fray as the Washington Post's Lois Romano declared, "I think it's bizarre and I think it's judgmental," and Mother Jones magazine's David Corn cackled it was "mean and catty." RNC chair Michael Steele was also knocked for a recent profession of faith, as Matthews blurted: "Why does everything sound like the '700 Club,' with this party now? I mean everything seems to be a religious discussion." See: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/geoffrey-dickens/2009/03/26/matthews-does-palin-think-mccain-anti-christ 7) Limbaugh's Ratings Surge Coincides with White House Attacks See: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/brent-baker/2009/03/26/limbaughs-ratings-surge-coincides-white-house-attacks

More on Global Currency, 'The Give Act', Militia Profiling

1) More calls for global currency… UN panel touts new global currency reserve system A UN panel of expert economists pressed Thursday for a new global currency reserve scheme to replace the volatile, dollar-based system and for coordinated steps by rich countries to stimulate their economies. On the monetary front, Stiglitz, the 2001 Nobel economics laureate, told a press conference here there was "a growing consensus that there are problems with the dollar reserve system.  He noted that such a system was "relatively volatile, deflationary, unstable and (had) inequity associated with it."  "Developing countries are lending the United States trillions dollars at almost zero interest rates when they have huge needs themselves," Stiglitz noted. "It's indicative of the nature of the problem. It's a net transfer, in a sense, to the United States, a form of foreign aid."  This week, China's central bank chief Zhou Xiaochuan suggested the dollar could be replaced as a reserve currency by an International Monetary Fund (IMF) basket comprising dollars, euros, sterling and yen, saying it would not be easily influenced by individual countries. See: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.18e9e5692442aa61d7510553b5ffc14e.8b1&show_article=1 1b) Glenn talks with Congresswoman Bachmann (about many things, but world currency comments are below) CONGRESSWOMAN BACHMANN: What that means is all of the countries in the world would have a single currency. We would give up the dollar as our currency and we would just go with a one world currency and now for the first time we're seeing major countries like China, India, Russia, countries like that calling for a one world currency and they want this discussion to occur at the G20. So I asked both the treasury secretary and the Federal Reserve chair if they would categorically denounce this. The reason why is because if we give up the dollar as our standard and commingle the value of a dollar with the value of coinage in Zimbabwe, that dilutes our money supply. We lose control over our economy and economic liberty is inextricably entwined with political liberty. Once you lose your economic freedom, you've lost your political freedom and then we are no more as an exceptional nation as we always have been. So this is imperative. Well, what happened, the day after I asked that question for the treasury secretary, secretary Geithner went before the council on foreign relations and the same subject came up. After that meeting after he categorically denounced it to me, he said to the council on foreign relations he would be open to this proposal of a single currency, of expanding the international monetary funds' special drawing down rates. That's what they're called. And this created a huge firestorm which the value of the dollar literally tumbled upon his words when he said that. See: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/196/23295/ 2) More on “The Give Act”, now assigned a new HR Bill number (HR 1444) A proposal in Congress to study whether "mandatory" service should be required of all young people in the United States has suddenly disappeared from a bill that would reauthorize other national service programs such as AmeriCorps. But the plan has appeared in another bill at just about the same time.  WND reported more than a week ago on a plan in the U.S. House of Representatives to determine whether "a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people" should be developed across the United States. But the language that was included in H.R. 1388 suddenly disappeared.  At about the same time, H.R. 1444 by U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., appeared and was assigned to the House Committee on Labor and Education.  The bill, under Section 4 (b)6, states: “Whether a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people could be developed, and how such a requirement could be implemented in a manner that would strengthen the social fabric of the Nation and overcome civic challenges by bringing together people from diverse economic, ethnic, and educational backgrounds.” See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=93015 3) Now banks don’t want government money and are trying to return TARP funds as fast as they can. Can you blame them? Banks Paying Back the TARP Billions: Bad for the Economy? "I think the general principal is that if you're on the TARP list at a later date, it may hamper your ability to raise funds or to compensate your employees, so get off that list as quickly as you can," he said.  Last week, officials at Bank of America, Citigroup and JP Morgan criticized the proposed bonus tax, arguing that it was unfair and could lead the firms to lose talented employees. See: http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=7173568 4) YouTube star summoned to White House? The man who created two phenomenally successful "We The People" YouTube videos urging Americans to stand up against Congress and reclaim their republic now – or perhaps lose it forever – reportedly has been summoned to the White House by President Obama to discuss the subject matter of the short films. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92999 5) Fox News: Are You Profiled as a Militia Member? See: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,510325,00.html 5b) Report Links Conservative Groups to Domestic Terrorism? …The report linked conservative groups to domestic terrorism and cited as suspicious those individuals who may have bumper stickers for third-party political candidates such as Ron Paul, Bob Barr and Chuck Baldwin.  It further warned law enforcement to watch out for individuals with "radical" ideologies based in Christian views, such as opposing illegal immigration, abortion and federal taxes. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=93067 6) WJC blasts UNHRC religious criticism resolution The World Jewish Congress (WJC) on Friday strongly condemned the previous day's passage in the United Nation Human Rights Council of a resolution calling "defamation of religion" a human rights violation. See: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1237727553553&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull 7) FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU U.S.-backed forces infiltrated by terrorists? JAFFA, Israel – Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah organization suspects its U.S.-backed militias and official intelligence service have been infiltrated by the rival Hamas terrorist organization, according to PA sources speaking to WND. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=93018 8) Green is the new red…more folly in the name of green: Spokane residents smuggle suds over green brands SPOKANE, Wash. – The quest for squeaky-clean dishes has turned some law-abiding people in Spokane into dishwater-detergent smugglers. They are bringing Cascade or Electrasol in from out of state because the eco-friendly varieties required under Washington state law don't work as well. Spokane County became the launch pad last July for the nation's strictest ban on dishwasher detergent made with phosphates, a measure aimed at reducing water pollution. The ban will be expanded statewide in July 2010, the same time similar laws take effect in several other states. …Among other states that have banned or are banning phosphates in dishwasher detergent are Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Michigan, Vermont, Minnesota, Illinois, Massachusetts and New York. A bill on Capitol Hill would impose a nationwide ban. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090328/ap_on_re_us/bootleg_detergent

'Mandatory Youth Service Bill Advances, States' Rebellion Pending, Space Storm

1) 'Mandatory youth service' bill advances: House version commissions panel to consider 'volunteer' requirement  Congress appears ready to pass an Obama administration plan that could create mandatory public service requirements for all American youth, fulfilling a campaign promise.  The bill, HR 1388: The Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act, otherwise known as the "GIVE Act," has already passed the House by a vote of 321-105.  On Tuesday, the Senate voted closure on the motion to proceed by a margin of 74-14 in a move that makes its ultimate passage likely.  The bill, promoted by the Obama administration as a means of encouraging America's youth to participate in voluntary community service, has received little scrutiny from Congress or the public.  Yet, a version of the bill in the House proposes to establish a Congressional Commission on Civil Service tasked with determining whether a mandatory service requirement for all young people in America could be developed and implemented, though it is not clear that provision will survive a conference committee. Moreover, an amendment to the bill introduced by Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., one of the bill's 37 co-sponsors in the House, appears to severely restrict the First Amendment by prohibiting the youth participating in the program from attempting to influence legislation, organize or engage in protests, petitions, boycotts or strikes. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92902 2) States' Rebellion Pending Our Colonial ancestors petitioned and pleaded with King George III to get his boot off their necks. He ignored their pleas, and in 1776, they rightfully declared unilateral independence and went to war. Today it's the same story except Congress is the one usurping the rights of the people and the states, making King George's actions look mild in comparison. Our constitutional ignorance -- perhaps contempt, coupled with the fact that we've become a nation of wimps, sissies and supplicants -- has made us easy prey for Washington's tyrannical forces. But that might be changing a bit. There are rumblings of a long overdue re-emergence of Americans' characteristic spirit of rebellion. Eight state legislatures have introduced resolutions declaring state sovereignty under the Ninth and 10th amendments to the U.S. Constitution… …The eight state legislatures that have enacted 10th Amendment resolutions deserve our praise, but their next step is to give them teeth. See: http://townhall.com/columnists/WalterEWilliams/2009/03/25/states_rebellion_pending 3) Space storm alert: 90 seconds from catastrophe IT IS midnight on 22 September 2012 and the skies above Manhattan are filled with a flickering curtain of colourful light. Few New Yorkers have seen the aurora this far south but their fascination is short-lived. Within a few seconds, electric bulbs dim and flicker, then become unusually bright for a fleeting moment. Then all the lights in the state go out. Within 90 seconds, the entire eastern half of the US is without power. A year later and millions of Americans are dead and the nation's infrastructure lies in tatters. The World Bank declares America a developing nation. Europe, Scandinavia, China and Japan are also struggling to recover from the same fateful event - a violent storm, 150 million kilometres away on the surface of the sun. It sounds ridiculous. Surely the sun couldn't create so profound a disaster on Earth. Yet an extraordinary report funded by NASA and issued by the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in January this year claims it could do just that. See: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20127001.300-space-storm-alert-90-seconds-from-catastrophe.html?full=true 4) FNC's Morris Contends Obama Wants Bank Package to Fail It is one thing - as Rush Limbaugh has been vilified for - to say you have a desire for the president to fail, but what about accusing the president of wanting his own policies to fail? That's what Fox News Channel's Dick Morris said on the March 25 broadcast of "Your World with Neil Cavuto." According to Morris, those who are criticizing Obama for his spending, including Daniel Hannan, who represents South East England for the Conservative Party, made famous by a YouTube video eviscerating Keynesian politics, are missing the point. Obama wants to worsen the economic conditions to expand the powers of government according to Morris. See: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/jeff-poor/2009/03/26/fncs-morris-contends-obama-wants-bank-package-fail 5) GOP gloves off for budget brawl House Republicans have begun unveiling detailed alternatives to President Barack Obama’s policies — a concerted effort to push back against Democratic efforts to label them “the Party of No.”  On Wednesday, it was a housing plan. Thursday, it will be a big, TV-friendly stack of budget blueprints, “The Republican Road to Recovery.” That’s to match the president’s own platitudinous budget title, “A New Era of Responsibility.”  The House Republicans’ budget document, provided to POLITICO ahead of its release, makes sure no one can miss the point: Each chapter begins “The Republican Plan,” and each section is divided into “The President’s Budget” and “Republicans’ Solution.” House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said the housing proposal that he rolled out with eight other House Republicans on Tuesday was “in response to the administration — and the president himself, who continues to say that Republicans don’t have any ideas.” See: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20509.html 6) Glenn Beck: 98% of Obama's budget through..except He has now spent more than even most critics including me could have possibly imagined. We have the largest deficits in our history by far locked in for the next 10 years and now this from ABC News: On a conference call with reporters, budget director Peter Orszag indicated that while 98% of the budget markups in the House and Senate are on par with the administration's budget blueprint, some campaign trail promises may get left on the cutting room floor like... wait for it, wait for it. Let me give you a second just to guess. 98% of the things that he wanted and he promised are in the budget. That means of every 50 things he wants, he's only not able to get one. What's that one thing? What's that one thing he really wants, he really, really cares about that he's not going to be able to get? Wait for it. Remember he wants it so very much. Give you a second to think. Time's up. Oh, what is free milk? No, sorry. While 98% of the budget markups quoting from ABC News in the House and Senate are on par with the administration's budget blueprint, some campaign trail promises may get left on the cutting room floor like middle class tax cuts. What?  See: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/23229/ 7) Glenn Beck: Finland vs. Estonia: Freedom vs. Socialism I mean it. It's not like there's 50 years of evidence to look at and say socialism doesn't really work, I mean unless, unless you count let's say a recent interview with Mart Laar. He is the former president of Estonia. He made the following statement, quote: In 1939 it was hard to find two more similar countries as Finland and Estonia. They are very similar in language, culture and living standards. Our economies were more or less the same. Then in 1940 Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union and Finland successfully protected its independence.  So now what does it look like at the end of a 50-year period of communism in Estonia and relative freedom in Finland? There are over 5 million people in Finland, now less than 2 million in Estonia. The average female in Finland lived almost five years longer. The average male in Finland lived more than seven years longer. Astonia's infant mortality rate was four times that of Finland. Finland's GDP was almost nine times that of Estonia. GDP per capita was three times as high in Finland. And in Estonia there were only 25 telephones for every 100 people, less than half the amount in Finland. Personally I think these are all a coincidence. I mean, I don't see any patterns here at all. By the way, Estonia freed up their economy and now it is rated as the 12th most economically free country in the world. Since then they average 6% GDP growth per year. That average is higher than our growth rates during the dot-com boom. But you know what we should do? We should totally try socialism out. I mean, what could possibly go wrong? See: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/23185/

John Galt AIG Resignation Letter, Reid fast-tracking health overhaul, China, NK, Extinction?

1) ‘John Galt’ Speaks in Resignation Letter to AIG: excerpts below It is with deep regret that I submit my notice of resignation from A.I.G. Financial Products. I hope you take the time to read this entire letter. Before describing the details of my decision, I want to offer some context: I am proud of everything I have done for the commodity and equity divisions of A.I.G.-F.P. I was in no way involved in — or responsible for — the credit default swap transactions that have hamstrung A.I.G. Nor were more than a handful of the 400 current employees of A.I.G.-F.P. Most of those responsible have left the company and have conspicuously escaped the public outrage. …My guess is that in October, when you learned of these retention contracts, you realized that the employees of the financial products unit needed some incentive to stay and that the contracts, being both ethical and useful, should be left to stand. That’s probably why A.I.G. management assured us on three occasions during that month that the company would “live up to its commitment” to honor the contract guarantees. …You’ve now asked the current employees of A.I.G.-F.P. to repay these earnings. As you can imagine, there has been a tremendous amount of serious thought and heated discussion about how we should respond to this breach of trust. As most of us have done nothing wrong, guilt is not a motivation to surrender our earnings. We have worked 12 long months under these contracts and now deserve to be paid as promised. None of us should be cheated of our payments any more than a plumber should be cheated after he has fixed the pipes but a careless electrician causes a fire that burns down the house. See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/25/opinion/25desantis.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=todayspaper 2) EU presidency: US stimulus is 'the road to hell' BRUSSELS (AP) -- The head of the European Union slammed President Barack Obama's plan to spend nearly $2 trillion to push the U.S. economy out of recession as "the road to hell" that EU governments must avoid. The blunt comments by Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek to the European Parliament on Wednesday highlighted simmering European differences with Washington ahead of a key summit next week on fixing the world economy. See: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/EU-presidency-US-economic-apf-14737788.html 2a) Fed begins move that could sink dollar: Economists warn government subsidizing purchase of its debt NEW YORK – The Federal Reserve began today to buy longer-term U.S. Treasury securities in a move some economists believe will end up "monetizing" the dollar, a process that could inflate the amount of money in circulation and cause serious devaluation of the currency on world markets. The move comes the same day U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner told the Council on Foreign Relations that the U.S. is "open" to a proposal by China to replace the dollar as the world's reserve currency with a "super-currency" to be created by the International Monetary Fund, or IMF. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92836 2b) W.H. allies target moderate Dems Americans United for Change (AUC), the labor-backed organization that has produced a steady stream of pro-White House ads, is going up on the air Wednesday in 11 states and Washington, D.C. The goal is to push Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and members of a new group of centrist Democrats to get behind a spending blueprint that many of them have already criticized. See: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20471.html 3) Reid open to fast-tracking health overhaul WASHINGTON – Majority Leader Harry Reid indicated Wednesday he's willing to move sweeping health care legislation through the Senate with a procedural maneuver that would block a GOP filibuster. The prospect of the controversial tactic has already ignited Republicans' ire, and key Senate Democratic chairmen have said they don't want to do it. Reid, D-Nev., took a different position on a conference call with reporters. "I think it's something we need to consider," Reid said. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090326/ap_on_re_us/health_overhaul_reid 4) FedEx Threatens to Cancel Jet Orders  Package-Delivery Company Puts Boeing Order in Question Over Bill to Make Unionizing Easier FedEx Corp. is threatening to cancel the purchase of billions of dollars worth of new Boeing Co. cargo planes if Congress passes a law that would make it easier for unions to organize at the package-delivery company. See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123791678454427343.html 5) Pentagon questions growing Chinese military power WASHINGTON (AP) - China is increasing its military power more rapidly and developing new "disruptive technologies" that are shifting the military balance in its region and possibly beyond, a new Pentagon report said. …"However, much uncertainty surrounds China's future course, particularly regarding how its expanding military power might be used," said a summary of the report obtained by The Associated Press. See: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D97543T81&show_article=1&catnum=0 6) Clinton: NKorea plan to fire missile 'provocative' MEXICO CITY – Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday warned North Korea that firing a missile for any purpose would be a "provocative act" that would have consequences. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090326/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_nkorea_missile 7) Headed toward extinction? World depopulation — rather than overpopulation — is the troublesome trend that should concern the entire planet. …Yes, human population is still growing in some places dramatically so. But at the same time, a strange new phenomenon is spreading around the globe, one whose very existence contradicts the deepest foundations of our modern mind-set. Darwinism presupposes, and modern biology teaches, that all organisms breed to the limit of their available resources. Yet starting in the world's richest, best-fed nations during the 1970s,and now spreading throughout the developing world, we find birthrates falling below the levels needed to avoid long-term, and in many instances, short-term, population loss. The phenomenon has spread beyond Europe and Asia to Latin America. …As the number of women of reproductive age falls in country after country, world population is acquiring negative momentum and thus could decline even if birthrates eventually turn up. Societies around the globe need to ask why they are engaging in what biologists would surely recognize in any other species as maladaptive behavior leading either to extinction, or dramatic mutation. See: http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/03/headed-toward-e.html 8) Postal chief says post office running out of money See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090325/ap_on_go_ot/postal_woes   9) 'Spy plane' to find energy waste in UK A council spent £30,000 on a plane and thermal imaging cameras to identify firms that were wasting money through energy loss. See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/norfolk/7960201.stm