Cuba and Venezuela could host Russian bombers, Iran, Other Stories

1) Report: Cuba, Venezuela could host Russian bombers

Russia could use bases for its strategic bombers on the doorstep of the United States in Cuba and Venezuela to underpin long-distance patrols in the region, a senior air force officer said Saturday. See: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.9776268a25e75ad5b44b4d87e8a32a02.4a1&show_article=1 And: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090314/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_bombers_cuba 2) America is irritating the rest of the world with its current fiscal practices. Remember in the last post that China was “worried” about our spending? Now notice the following quotes from the article cited below: “But officials remained cool to a U.S. push for more coordinated government spending to stimulate economies”; and “Germany, which has been the most outspoken critic of the U.S. push for more spending, said that fixing the financial system has to come first.” See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090315/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_britain_g20_finance_ministers 3) Iranian president declares his country a space and nuclear power TEHRAN, March 13 (RIA Novosti) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Friday that pressure from Western powers trying to keep Iran in economic isolation have in fact spurred the country to become a space and nuclear power.  "Had you not been bad-tempered and blocked the way, the Iranian nation would not have been present in space, and would not have become a nuclear power," Fars news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying at the inauguration ceremony of a natural gas deposit in the Bushehr province. See: http://en.rian.ru/world/20090313/120554424.html 4) The White House Misfires on Limbaugh …Was it smart politics and good policy? No. For one thing, it gave the lie to Barack Obama's talk about ending "the political strategy that's been all about division" and "the score-keeping and the name-calling." The West Wing looked populated by petulant teenagers intent on taking down a popular rival. Such talk also shortens the president's honeymoon by making him look like a street-fighting Chicago pol instead of an inspirational, unifying figure. The upward spike in ratings for Rush and other conservative radio commentators shows how the White House's attempt at a smackdown instead energized the opposition. Did it do any good with voters not strongly tied to either party? I suspect not. With stock markets down, unemployment growing, banks tottering, consumers anxious, business leaders nervous, and the economy shrinking, the Obama administration's attacks on a radio talk show host made it seem concerned with the trivial. See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123682426946303905.html 5) Louisiana Governor Rejects Unemployment Stimulus Money See: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/03/13/jindal-to-reject-98-million-less-than-sanford-perry/ 6) Clinton middle school students get condoms as part of health fair giveaway Clinton middle school parents were in for awkward conversations Thursday night after some students got condoms as part of a school health fair giveaway. "I kind of freaked out," said a Clinton seventh-grade girl, adding she was so shocked and embarrassed when she pulled a condom out of a goodie bag that she dropped it. "I turned to my friend and said, 'What do I do with this?' and I gave it to someone. I wasn't going to keep it."  The Ryan Medical Center, a health care provider located in the school, handed out the bags as part of an HIV/AIDS awareness program. See: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/03/12/2009-03-12_clinton_middle_school_students_get_condo.html

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1) China “worried” about US Treasury Holdings

BEIJING (AP) - China's premier expressed concern Friday about its massive holdings of Treasuries and other U.S. debt, appealing to Washington to safeguard their value, and said Beijing is ready to expand its stimulus if the economy worsens. Premier Wen Jiabao noted that Beijing is the biggest foreign creditor to the United States and called on Washington to see that its response to the global slowdown does not damage the value of Chinese holdings. "We have made a huge amount of loans to the United States. Of course we are concerned about the safety of our assets. To be honest, I'm a little bit worried," Wen said at a news conference following the closing of China's annual legislative session. "I would like to call on the United States to honor its words, stay a credible nation and ensure the safety of Chinese assets." See: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090313/D96T37FO0.html And: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090313/ap_on_bi_ge/as_china_us_economy 2) ACORN and MoveOn Now Targeting Moderate Democrats… Republicans hammered Barack Obama over his connection to ACORN during last year’s election, but now ACORN is taking a swing at some Democrats — with the help of liberal activists at MoveOn.org.  The role reversal arises out of the groups’ anger at moderate House Democrats who opposed a housing bill that has more generous bankruptcy rules for people facing foreclosure.  Next week this coalition will begin airing TV ads criticizing House Democrats who voted against the measure, which would for the first time give judges the authority to restructure home mortgages — a procedure known as a cramdown.  The House last week voted 234-191 to pass the housing bill with the bankruptcy provision, but 24 Democrats, mostly moderates, voted against it. ACORN, a coalition of housing activists, has made this measure a top priority in the new Congress. See: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19913.html 3) Centrist Dems dodge labor bill Eleven Democratic senators and 22 Democratic House members who cosponsored the 2007 version of EFCA — or “card check,” as its opponents call it — have steered clear of the version unveiled this week by Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.) and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). 

In the midst of a recession, moderate Senate Democrats don’t want to tie themselves to legislation that’s been billed as bad for business. But they don’t want to distance themselves from the legislation, either, for fear of alienating their loyal supporters in labor.

See: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19918.html

4) Where using embryonic stem cells leads… Use aborted foetus organs in transplants, urges scientist Kidneys and livers from aborted foetuses could be given to the desperately ill and ease the organ donor shortage, a leading scientist has claimed.  Professor Sir Richard Gardner, an Oxford University stem cell expert, said foetal tissues may offer a more realistic solution to the lack of organs than other technologies being developed.  But the proposal has horrified pro-life and Christian groups, who say it is 'morally abhorrent', and raises the prospect of abortions being timed to suit transplant patients. See: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1161085/Use-aborted-foetus-organs-transplants-urges-scientist.html 5) Obama’s New ‘Council on Women’ Seen As Vehicle to Promote Feminist Agenda White House (CNSNews.com) – President Barack Obama on Wednesday created a new bureaucracy to deal with women’s health, domestic violence and economic security. But some conservatives fear the new council will actively promote the feminist agenda in the government. See: http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=44925 6) Do you hate the rich? What's the point? This country has convinced itself that you can have it all. But you can't; you can only have one or the other.  We can hate the rich and want them to go broke or we can want them to prosper so they can pay for all our free stuff. See: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/22662/ 7) For those of us in Illinois…let’s move out! Illinois income tax rate may rise by 50% TRIBUNE UPDATE: Gov. Pat Quinn today acknowledged he plans to raise income taxes in the wake of a Chicago Tribune story that he is considering a 50 percent increase on individuals. He declined to confirm details in the Tribune report, which said he is looking at raising the personal income tax from 3 percent to 4.5 percent as well as increasing personal exemptions. See: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-quinn-tax-hike-13mar13,0,7352846.story

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1) Texas gov. rejects stimulus money for unemployment

HOUSTON – Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced Thursday he turned down $555 million of federal stimulus funding that would expand the state's unemployment benefits, saying the money would have required the state to keep paying for the expanded benefits after the stimulus money ran out. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090313/ap_on_re_us/stimulus_texas 1a) Pelosi dodges chance to end automatic pay raises See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090313/ap_on_go_co/congress_pay 1b) Obama's honeymoon bliss fading The most optimistic say Obama and Democrats in Congress will face a political backlash unless the economy improves by Election Day 2010. See: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obama-honeymoon-fades-2009-03-11.html 2) 'Deep concern' Obama ready to talk to Hamas Terrorist group calls for murder of Jews, destruction of Israel JERUSALEM – There is deep concern among Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah organization that the U.S. government has changed its attitude toward Hamas and may be ready to end the terrorist group's isolation, a senior PA negotiator told WND. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=91441 2a) Should we let Iran go nuclear? Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also dismissed his American counterpart’s desire for direct talks, saying they could only happen if the U.S. abandons her “satanic, coercive and aggressive ways.”  Yet even as the leaders of Iran talk about annihilating Israel and the U.S., and feverishly try to build, buy or steal nuclear weapons, a growing chorus of “experts” in the U.S. foreign policy community are actually suggesting a nuclear-armed Iran might not be such a terrible thing. See: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/22566/ 2b) Taliban say Obama's call on moderates "illogical" KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taliban on Tuesday turned down as illogical U.S. President Barack Obama's bid to reach out to moderate elements of the insurgents, saying the exit of foreign troops was the only solution for ending the war. Obama, in an interview with the New York Times, expressed an openness to adapting tactics in Afghanistan that had been used in Iraq to reach out to moderate elements there. "This does not require any response or reaction for this is illogical," Qari Mohammad Yousuf, a purported spokesman for the insurgent group, told Reuters when asked if its top leader Mullah Mohammad Omar would make any comment about Obama's proposal. "The Taliban are united, have one leader, one aim, one policy...I do not know why they are talking about moderate Taliban and what it means?," See: http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE5291GQ20090310 3) Birds of a feather? Newsweek bails out Air America Left-leaning radio network strikes deal to broadcast news magazine's show See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=91523 4) Survey: Less Than 1 Percent of Young Adults Hold Biblical Worldview This is the reason for God’s coming wrath… See: http://www.christianpost.com/Society/Polls_reports/2009/03/survey-less-than-1-percent-of-young-adults-hold-biblical-worldview-10/

Dick Durbin's Letter to Me

Dick Durbin’s Response to Me, Received Today Via E-mail  (see March 2 post for my original letter) Notice he does not respond at all to my original question about his bill (attached to the DC Voting Rights Bill) which directs the FCC to "promote diversity in communication media ownership and to ensure that broadcast station licenses are used in the public interest" and is essentially the Fairness Doctrine through the back door. “March 12, 2009 Dear Mr. and Mrs. Ward: Thank you for contacting me regarding the Fairness Doctrine. I appreciate hearing from you and share your opposition to this standard.  In February of 2009, I voted for an amendment to the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009 prohibiting the FCC from reinstating the Fairness Doctrine. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) implemented the Fairness Doctrine in 1949 to serve two purposes; to ensure broadcasters cover issues of public interest on the airwaves, and to guarantee a space where contrasting viewpoints could be expressed. In 1987, the FCC abolished the Fairness Doctrine arguing that the growth in the number and the variety of broadcasters along with first amendment concerns made the measure obsolete.  I believe that, due to the technological advances and the growth in the number of broadcasters using the public airwaves, the Fairness Doctrine is no longer necessary.  Thank you again for contacting me. Please feel free to keep in touch. Sincerely,  Richard J. Durbin United States Senator  RJD/tr”

1) ‘Manchurian Candidate’ Starts War on Business: Kevin Hassett

March 9 (Bloomberg) -- Back in the 1960s, Lyndon Johnson gave us the War on Poverty. In the 1970s, Richard Nixon launched the War on Drugs. Now that we have seen President Barack Obama’s first-year legislative agenda, we know what kind of a war he intends to wage.  It is no wonder that markets are imploding around us. Obama is giving us the War on Business. Imagine that some hypothetical enemy state spent years preparing a “Manchurian Candidate” to destroy the U.S. economy once elected. What policies might that leader pursue?  He might discourage private capital from entering the financial sector by instructing his Treasury secretary to repeatedly promise a brilliant rescue plan, but never actually have one. Private firms, spooked by the thought of what government might do, would shy away from transactions altogether. If the secretary were smooth and played rope-a-dope long enough, the whole financial sector would be gone before voters could demand action. See: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&refer=columnist_hassett&sid=amhpOT5rlR1Y 1b) Why The Founding Fathers Would Want Obama's Plans to Fail

Obama and Pelosi, along with their most ardent supporters, are the types to see a crisis, like our current economic mess, as a “great opportunity,” as the president put it last Saturday. They are the types, after a long period out of power, to attempt to use that “great opportunity” to push through far-reaching changes in national policy that had only a tangential connection, if at all, to the crisis at hand. And they are the types the Founding Fathers wanted to stop.

See:http://www.dcexaminer.com/politics/Why-The-Founding-Fathers-Would-Want-Obamas-Plans-to-Fail-40992107.html

1c) Congress approves massive $410B spending bill See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090311/ap_on_go_co/congress_spending 2) 9/11 defendants: 'We are terrorists to the bone'   SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Five men charged in the Sept. 11 attacks mock U.S. authorities and proclaim themselves "terrorists to the bone" in a war crimes court filing released Tuesday.   See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090310/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_guantanamo_sept11_trial 2b) Detainees Say They Planned Sept. 11 The five detainees at Guantánamo Bay charged with planning the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have filed a document with the military commission at the United States naval base there expressing pride at their accomplishment and accepting full responsibility for the killing of nearly 3,000 people. See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/us/10gitmo.html?_r=4&hp 3) More on the Murdering of Human Embryos "What he did in his executive order yesterday was open the door to the creation of embryos, whether by cloning or by other technologies, specifically for research in which they would be killed, creating new human life. And all an embryo is, a human embryo is an early stage of life. You and I were once embryos as we were adolescents and children. It's just a stage of development. So this opens the door for human beings for research in which they are destroyed and that's just contrary to the basic principles not only of the Judeo-Christian moral tradition but of the American tradition that says each of us as human beings throughout our lives has dignity and worth and cannot be reduced to the mere status of an object or disposable research material. …By the way, there was something I think very disturbing about the president's speech yesterday. He said that he was opposed to reproductive cloning, and a lot of people took that to mean that the president was against cloning in general. But he's not. In fact, he's not against cloning at all. He's in favor of using cloning technology to create new human embryos, human beings that would be destroyed in research. What he's opposed to is permitting those embryos to live. By reproductive cloning, he just means a ban on implantation once the cloning is complete, the human embryo is created and it's there. He wants them to be used in research and destroyed but not implanted. That's not opposition to cloning." See: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/196/22532/ And: http://townhall.com/columnists/DavidLimbaugh/2009/03/10/the_orwellian_presidential_bully_pulpit 4) More Heat in China: Officials: US ship in China spat was hunting subs WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy ship that got into a scrape with five Chinese vessels last weekend in the South China Sea was looking for threats such as submarines — presumably Chinese — in waters that China claims as its own, defense officials acknowledged Tuesday. The United States maintains that the unarmed USNS Impeccable was operating legally in international waters when it was surrounded and harassed by the Chinese. Beijing responded hotly to a U.S. protest over Sunday's incident, and neither nation is backing down, even as they prepare for a much-anticipated first meeting between President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao next month. …Analysts also noted that the incident, capping a string of provocations in the South China Sea, comes as China nears announcement that it will expand its naval capabilities. China this week also unveiled its plans for a nearly 15 percent increase in defense spending this year. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090311/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_china_incident 5) Franken sees 'light at end of tunnel' on Minn race Democrat Al Franken said Tuesday he sees "a light at the end of the tunnel" and expects to be seated as Minnesota's next senator. The former "Saturday Night Live" comic and liberal satirist traveled to Washington for meetings, including the Senate Democratic Caucus lunch. Emerging from the weekly gathering, Franken told reporters he had been asked to give an update to the caucus on his protracted battle with Republican Sen. Norm Coleman. See: http://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2009/03/10/franken_sees_light_at_end_of_tunnel_on_minn_race

1) US protests 'harassment' by Chinese vessels

WASHINGTON – Chinese ships surrounded and harassed a Navy mapping ship in international waters off China, at one point coming within 25 feet of the American boat and strewing debris in its path, the Defense Department said Monday. The Obama administration said it would continue naval operations in the South China Sea, most of which China considers its territory, and protested to China about what it called reckless behavior that endangered lives. At one point during the incident Sunday the unarmed USNS Impeccable turned fire hoses on an approaching Chinese ship in self defense, the Pentagon said. At another point a Chinese ship played chicken with the Americans, stopping dead in front of the Impeccable as it tried to sail away, forcing the civilian mariners to slam on the brakes. …Pentagon officials said the incident followed "increasingly aggressive" acts by Chinese ships against the Impeccable on Wednesday and Saturday and against the USNS Victorious surveillance ship on Thursday while it operated in the Yellow Sea. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090310/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_china_incident 2) N. Korea warns intercepting 'satellite' will prompt counterstrike+ PYONGYANG/BEIJING, March 9 (AP) - (Kyodo)—North Korea warned Monday that any move to intercept what it calls a satellite launch and what other countries suspect may be a missile test-firing would result in a counterstrike against the countries trying to stop it.  "We will retaliate (over) any act of intercepting our satellite for peaceful purposes with prompt counterstrikes by the most powerful military means," the official Korean Central News Agency quoted a spokesman of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army as saying.  If countries such as the United States, Japan or South Korea try to intercept the launch, the North Korean military will carry out "a just retaliatory strike operation not only against all the interceptor means involved but against the strongholds" of the countries, it said. …The United States, Japan and South Korea have said that even if Pyongyang calls the launch a missile test, it would violate existing U.N. Security Council resolutions. See: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D96Q4L200&show_article=1 3) Pelosi Backs Talk Radio Regulations: More on Back-Door Fairness Doctrine House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is supporting legislation that will force the Federal Communications Commission to “promote diversity” on the airwaves – a move many see as a stealth effort to regulate conservative-dominated talk radio without bringing back the controversial Fairness Doctrine.  Pelosi, D-Calif., has thrown her support to an amendment in a Senate bill that directs the FCC to explicitly “take actions to encourage and promote diversity in communication media ownership and to ensure that broadcast station licenses are used in the public interest,” according to CNS News.  The amendment has become known as the Durbin amendment, after its sponsor, Senate Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin, D-Ill.  “Certainly, I support Mr. Durbin in most things,” Pelosi told CNS News. “Diversity in media ownership is very, very, important.” See: http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/pelosi_durbin_amendment/2009/03/08/189685.html 4) Memo to President Obama: First Things First, Please Welcome to the Barack Obama bear market. On Inauguration Day, the official beginning of the era of “hope” and “change,” the Dow stood at 8,281. On Friday, it closed at 6,626 – the fastest drop for any president in more than 90 years. Given his track record so far on economics, no wonder Obama wants to talk about health care instead. But before Americans decide to trust the President to “reform” the greatest and most innovative health care system in the world, they might want to take a look at the Administration’s approach to addressing the nation’s most pressing crisis. What policies have Obama and his team presented to reassure the markets and offer the promise of stabilization and renewed growth?  The short answer: None. Rather, the Obama team has inadvertently (one hopes) followed a course that has succeeded only in depressing the market by spooking Wall Street and heightening the climate of fear. See: http://townhall.com/columnists/CarolPlattLiebau/2009/03/09/memo_to_president_obama__first_things_first,_please 5) Eligibility issue sparks 'edit war': Wikipedia blocks users from posting criticism of Obama A WND article reporting yesterday that Wikipedia had been scrubbing President Obama's biography of criticism has resulted in an "edit war" on the website in which a large number of users were barred from posting on key issues, including any mention of challenges to Obama's eligibility.  Ultimately, administrators at Wikipedia, the online "free encyclopedia" mega-site written and edited by its users, entirely locked Obama's page so that only top editors could make changes to the entry – and only if a change is supported by a consensus of editors. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=91257

1) Source: Obama to reverse limits on stem cell work (Translation: Your Tax Dollars Will Now Fund the Murdering of Human Embryos) WASHINGTON – Reversing an eight-year-old limit on potentially life-saving science, President Barack Obama plans to lift restrictions Monday on taxpayer-funded research using embryonic stem cells. The long-promised move will allow a rush of research aimed at one day better treating, if not curing, ailments from diabetes to paralysis — research that crosses partisan lines, backed by such notables as Nancy Reagan and the late Christopher Reeve. But it stirs intense controversy over whether government crosses a moral line with such research. Obama will hold an event at the White House to announce the move, a senior administration official said Friday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the policy had not yet been publicly announced. Embryonic stem cells are master cells that can morph into any cell of the body. Scientists hope to harness them so they can create replacement tissues to treat a variety of diseases — such as new insulin-producing cells for diabetics, cells that could help those with Parkinson's disease or maybe even Alzheimer's, or new nerve connections to restore movement after spinal injury. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090307/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_stem_cells What this article doesn’t say is that equal or better advances have been made with non-embryonic stem cells found in cord blood… 2) The Assault on Rush Continues… WASHINGTON – A Democratic official rebuked conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh on Friday for suggesting a health care proposal will be named in memory of Sen. Edward Kennedy, who is battling brain cancer. On his radio show, Limbaugh said President Barack Obama's proposed health care revisions will be championed by "the liberal lion Teddy Kennedy." Limbaugh has been at the center of a partisan dispute since telling a conservative group last month that he hoped Obama's economic policies would fail. Democrats have accused Republicans of letting Limbaugh be their de facto leader, which GOP officials deny. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090307/ap_on_go_co/limbaugh_kennedy 2b) Congressman Frank Blames Foreclosures on Mr. Lim-baugh See: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_030609/content/01125113.guest.html Well, I also hope his policies fail. They are destructive for the Republic and for every kind of liberty.  3) Minn. high court rejects Franken's Senate request The Minnesota Supreme Court on Friday blocked Democrat Al Franken's petition for an election certificate that would put him in the U.S. Senate without waiting for a lawsuit to run its course. The decision means the seat will remain empty until the lawsuit and possible appeals in state court are complete. Republican Norm Coleman's lawsuit challenging Franken's recount lead is at the end of its sixth week, and both sides expect it to last at least a few more weeks. See: http://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2009/03/06/minn_high_court_rejects_frankens_senate_request

1) FDIC Could Be Insolvent This Year

“A large number” of bank failures may occur through 2010 because of “rapidly deteriorating economic conditions,” Bair said in the letter. “Without substantial amounts of additional assessment revenue in the near future, current projections indicate that the fund balance will approach zero or even become negative.”  The FDIC last week approved a one-time “emergency” fee and other assessment increases on the industry to rebuild a fund to repay customers for deposits of as much as $250,000 when a bank fails. The fees, opposed by the industry, may generate $27 billion this year after the fund fell to $18.9 billion in the fourth quarter from $34.6 billion in the previous period, the FDIC said. Smaller banks are outraged over the one-time fee, which could wipe out 50 percent to 100 percent of a bank’s 2009 earnings, Camden Fine, president of the Independent Community Bankers of America, said yesterday in a telephone interview (emphasis mine). See: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=alsJZqIFuN3k This is a shakedown and power grab!!!!! I wonder if this has anything to do with the banks that said, “Thanks but no Thanks” (See previous posts). Do ‘ya think???? 2) Russian scholar says US will collapse — next year “MOSCOW – If you're inclined to believe Igor Panarin, and the Kremlin wouldn't mind if you did, then President Barack Obama will order martial law this year, the U.S. will split into six rump-states before 2011, and Russia and China will become the backbones of a new world order. Putin, the former president who is now prime minister, has likened the United States to Nazi Germany's Third Reich and blames Washington for the global financial crisis that has pounded the Russian economy.”   Well, I kind of agree with him on that one… See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090304/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_us_the_end_is_near 3) Senate Republicans force delay on spending bill WASHINGTON – Senate Republicans, demanding the right to try to change a huge spending bill, forced Democrats on Thursday night to put off a final vote on the measure until next week. The surprise development will force Congress to pass a stopgap funding bill to avoid a partial shutdown of the government. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090306/ap_on_go_co/congress_spending 4) GLENN BECK: Obama’s Budget Is a Loaded Weapon Aimed at You See: http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/03/04/beck_obama_budget/ 4a) China Now More Capitalist than America STRASZHEIM: China has treated capital better than we have for a decade. There is no tax on gains held short term or long term -- KUDLOW: Wow. STRASZHEIM: -- in the Chinese market. KUDLOW: Wow! STRASZHEIM: Zero, the tax rate is zero. See: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_030509/content/01125108.guest.html 5) More on the Palestinian State Palestinian Arabs will never accept the existence of a Jewish state on any of the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Nor are they willing to abandon their belief, indoctrinated for decades, that all of Israel is "occupied territory." Simply put, if Israel shrinks to one downtown square in Tel Aviv the Palestinian Arabs will still not be satisfied.” See: http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/03/if_obama_abandons_israel_what_1.html 5a) Obama's Iran Crisis: It's arriving faster than he thinks.   We've never held out much hope for those talks, which would inevitably be complicated and protracted. Mr. Obama is already trying to lure Russian help on Iran by offering to trade away hard-earned missile defense sites in Eastern Europe. Russia's President claims to be unimpressed. And now it turns out that the rate at which Iran's nuclear programs are advancing may render even negotiations moot.” See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123612623865424027.html 5b) 'Israel seriously considering Iran military op' Israel is seriously considering taking unilateral military action to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, according to a report by top US political figures and experts released Wednesday.  The report also says Israel's time frame for action is growing shorter, not only because of Iranian advances, but because Teheran might soon acquire upgraded air defenses and disperse its nuclear program to additional locations.  The report, "Preventing a Cascade of Instability," was put out by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP). It also argues that international sanctions against Iran need to be intensified urgently for the engagement the Obama administration is planning with Teheran to be effective. See: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1236103158937&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter

1) Rush Job: Inside Dems' Limbaugh plan

"The administration is enabling me,” he wrote in an e-mail to POLITICO. “They are expanding my profile, expanding my audience and expanding my influence. An ever larger number of people are now being exposed to the antidote to Obamaism: conservatism, as articulated by me. An ever larger number of people are now exposed to substantive warnings, analysis and criticism of Obama's policies and intentions, a ‘story’ I own because the [mainstream media] is largely the Obama Press Office.” See: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19596.html See also: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/scott-whitlock/2009/03/04/msnbcs-david-shuster-badgers-ron-paul-even-you-wont-slam-rush   Yes, the government is demonizing a private citizen/member of the press. That’s a great idea for advancing the cause of freedom…oh, I forgot - they’re not interested in advancing the cause of freedom. They’re interested in taking freedom away.  2) 'U.S. plans to pledge $900 million for Gaza' “The United States plans to pledge more than $900 million to help rebuild Gaza after Israel's offensive against Hamas and strengthen the Palestinian Authority, a U.S. official said on Monday.  The money will be channeled through UN and other bodies and will not be distributed via the militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans to make the announcement next week at a Gaza donors conference in Egypt.” See: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1066381 Rush Limbaugh’s comment: “But clearly President Barack Obama wants a Palestinian state, and he is going to give Hamas $900 million in an effort to bring that about. It's one of the most starkly anti-Israel positions our government has taken.” See: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_030409/content/01125104.guest.html 3) Iran: Israeli nuclear sites within missile range “Iran's military chief warned Israel Wednesday that its nuclear facilities are within range of Iranian missiles, the latest message from Tehran that it will strike back if attacked.” See: http://townhall.com/news/world/2009/03/04/iran_israeli_nuclear_sites_within_missile_range   4) Obama Lied, the Economy Died “The other difference is that Bush didn't lie about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. He merely was mistaken. Whereas Obama told a whopper when he claimed that he is not for bigger government. As he said last week: ‘As soon as I took office, I asked this Congress to send me a recovery plan by Presidents Day that would put people back to work and put money in their pockets, not because I believe in bigger government -- I don't.’”

Bush wasn’t mistaken. “Nonexistent” yellowcake uranium was moved from Iraq to Canada (See: http://www.bloggernews.net/116579). But the rest of the above article is good.  

5) National Chairperson for the Communist Party of America Praises Obama

See: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/22279/?ck=1

1) Obama Defends Tax Hikes

See: http://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2009/03/03/top_obama_officials_defend_tax_hikes_as_necessary Again, takes hikes, even on “the wealthiest of Americans” HAVE NEVER CAUSED ECONOMIC RECOVERY. NEVER! But, hey, if we try it just one more time, I know it’ll work this time! 1a) Economy would be recovering, except for Obama policies “Chapter and verse, a Wall Street Journal editorial makes a convincing case that the economy actually would be recovering were it not for the anti-growth policies being pursued by the Obama administration.” See: http://townhall.com/blog/g/8e31b41d-ab6d-40d5-ad3f-7af7591e76f5?comments=true&commentsSortDirection=Descending And: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123604419092515347.html And: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/22187/ “In completely unrelated news, Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" sold more copies in 2008 than any other year since its release in 1957. You know what, there's been -- there could be a lot of book burnings that people are just taking it off the shelf and just burning it. Americans -- I'm quoting from the article -- Americans are flocking to buy and read "Atlas Shrugged" because there are uncanny similarities between the plot line of the book and the events of our day, says Yaron Brook, executive director of the Ayn Rand Center For Individual Rights.” See: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/22226/ 2) Banks Say Thanks, But No Thanks “If you had any doubts about the impact and effectiveness of the $700 billion TARP funding approved by Congress last year (which I opposed), look no further than the growing list of banks that are choosing to opt out of the program and give the money back. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported yesterday that TFC Financial Corp. has joined Northern Trust and Iberiabank Corp. as financial institutions who are staying clear of the government's Troubled Asset Relief Program.  The way TCF Chief Executive Bill Cooper views it:  ‘I don't want to be part of the new regulatory regime that's growing up around TARP. Congress is now talking about putting their oar in the water on just about everything we do. That puts us at a competitive disadvantage.’” See: http://townhall.com/blog/g/f6651e03-566c-46d9-8e8e-20e2ea83df73?comments=true&commentsSortDirection=Descending 3) Clinton: US to support Palestinian state JERUSALEM (AP) — “Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the U.S. will ‘vigorously’ pursue the creation of a Palestinian state. Clinton is making her first visit to the Mideast as the top U.S. diplomat. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, she said pursuit of a peace agreement that includes a Palestinian state ‘seems inescapable.’” See: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jYWGHTcH7n6ITHFwuTfQzyzEy8lgD96MIALG0 Further, “Asked about Netanyahu, Clinton acknowledged the possibility of disagreements with any Israeli government and made clear the U.S. would push forward with its efforts to forge a peace deal that includes the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.” See: http://townhall.com/news/world/2009/03/03/us_inescapable_movement_to_palestinian_state That has NEVER worked. Palestinians don’t want land - they want Israel obliterated as they have continually stated. But hey, if we try it just one more time, I know it’ll work this time!   4) The Pakistani Time Bomb “The Council's report says that "we (presumably America) are running out of time to help Pakistan change its present course toward increasing economic and political instability, and even ultimate failure."  The Council is concerned that Pakistan is unable to curtail al-Qaida, which operates openly in many parts of Pakistan, and the Taliban, which recently took over Swat, a region the size of Delaware. About 3,000 Taliban managed to fight off 12,000 Pakistani troops, forcing Islamabad into a truce.  The Pakistani government agreed to a very dangerous compromise that allows the region to be governed according to Shariah law. In effect, this was a capitulation to the Taliban that greatly increased their stature among the militant tribes along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. This now puts the U.S. military at greater risk along their vulnerable eastern flank and endangers their supply route that must go through part of that territory from the Khyber Pass. It has also left a safe haven for the leaders of al-Qaida.” See: http://www.hallindsey.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=333&Itemid=1

Letter to Dick Durbin: Re: Back Door Fairness Doctrine

Please consider sending the following letter to Dick Durbin, or paste it into his "contact me" link at : http://durbin.senate.gov/contact.cfm ______________________________________ March 2, 2009 Senator Dick Durbin 525 South 8th St.Springfield, IL 62703 Senator: We are aware that, in spite of the recent passing of the Broadcaster Freedom Act, you have personally proposed an amendment, as an attachment to the DC Voting Rights Bill, that would order the Federal Communications Commission to “promote diversity in communication media ownership and to ensure that broadcast station licenses are used in the public interest.” While on the surface appearing to be all about “fairness,” be advised, Mr. Senator, that a growing number of your constituents, including we the undersigned, recognize this as anything but. Rather, we understand that this is a sly but purposeful attempt to eventually impose, albeit by other means, the effects of the Fairness Doctrine itself—namely the restriction of any free speech expressing opposition to, or criticism of, the viewpoints of your (Democrat) party, especially as it currently flows over the airwaves of conservative talk radio. Please remember, Senator, that you are a public servant, elected to represent the voice of your constituents and, above all, protect our Constitutional rights. We are outraged that you have proposed an amendment which would give government the power to legislate in such a way as to interfere with our 1st Amendment Right of Free Speech. And we would like an immediate response to this letter, explaining why you have done so. Should we continue to see you devoting your time in Washington to looking for ways to grow government, subsequently restricting the rights and freedoms of Americans through the penalization of free market principles, we will do everything in our power to see that you lose your Senate seat in the next election. Sincerely,

Back Door Fairness Doctrine, No Conscience Allowed for Doctors

1) More on Back Door Fairness Doctrine "We already know Barack Obama sure doesn't like the likes of talk radio titans like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. Yet, he's always been careful to say he opposes the Fairness Doctrine. He'd rather go about it in a different way. And, get his old homestate senator, Dick Durbin, to do his bidding. The Senate overwhelmingly approved a measure to prevent the Fairness Doctrine from being reinstated today, yet also agreed to urge the Federal Communications Commission to increase "diversity" on the airwaves. President Obama wrote a letter to the FCC when he was Illinois senator saying action must be taken to increase minority ownership in print and broadcast media. Conservative watchdogs have argued using government to do this is a "backdoor" version of the Fairness Doctrine." See: http://townhall.com/blog/g/fdc1fafd-6d58-45b1-b016-bf3f5ee8c860?comments=true&commentsSortDirection=Descending 2) President Obama's $1 Trillion Tax Hike Plan "Looking to fund an ambitious healthcare program and put more money in the hands of the poor and the non-working, President Barack Obama wants wealthier Americans and businesses to pay nearly $1 trillion in higher taxes over the next decade." See: http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/obama_huge_tax_hike/2009/02/26/186115.html Glenn Beck’s comments on the above: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/22078/ Rush’s comments on the above: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_022609/content/01125106.guest.html 2a) And: Gingrich raps Obama for 'big-government' budget "Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is labeling President Barack Obama's $3.6 trillion budget plan a "higher-tax, weaker-economy, fewer-jobs" blueprint that should trigger the most crucial policy debate since 1980. The leading Republican said he he actually agrees with much of Obama's rhetoric, but that there's a 'gap between the words and reality.' …But the Georgian also said, 'The problem with the overall budget is that it's a job-killing budget.'" See: http://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2009/02/27/gingrich_raps_obama_for_big-government_budget 3) AP Source: Obama to rescind Bush abortion rule WASHINGTON – "President Barack Obama wants to roll back a Bush administration rule that has become a flash point in the debate over a doctor's right to refuse to take part in abortions. The regulation, instituted in the last days of the Bush administration, strengthened job protections for doctors and nurses who refuse to provide a medical service because of moral qualms. A Health and Human Services official said Friday the administration will publish notice of its intentions early next week, opening a 30-day comment period for advocates on both sides, medical groups and the public." See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090227/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/abortion_rule 4) Government to Own 36% of Citibank "The U.S. government will exchange up to $25 billion in emergency bailout money it provided Citigroup Inc. for as much as a 36 percent equity stake in the struggling bank, greatly increasing the risks to taxpayers as voter unhappiness about the broader bailout program rises." See: http://townhall.com/news/business/2009/02/27/citigroup_reaches_aid_deal_with_government