Prayer Day No-Show, Biting Hands that Fed Him, Symbolism Over Substance: Budget Cuts, Stress Tests

1) Obama to be prayer day no-show President Obama is distancing himself from the National Day of Prayer by nixing a formal early morning service and not attending a large Catholic prayer breakfast the next morning.  All Mr. Obama will do for the National Day of Prayer, which is Thursday, is sign a proclamation honoring the day, which originated in 1952 when Congress set aside the first Thursday in May for the observance. See: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/06/prayer-day-no-show/ 2) Obama bites rich hands that fed him For a politician who sometimes got accused of playing class warfare, candidate Barack Obama sure made a lot of well-to-do friends during the 2008 campaign.  The big question now is whether President Barack Obama can keep them.  One striking, if little-noted, trend of the past presidential election was that Obama won the affluent vote — those making more than $200,000 annually — with 52 percent. Moving down the income scale a bit, he and John McCain essentially tied among those making between $100,000 and $200,000.  In 2008, exit polls showed the percentage of voters earning more than $100,000 had jumped to a historic high of 26 percent, compared with just 9 percent in 1996. Obama’s strong showing among this bloc reversed a decades-old pattern in which the more money someone made, the more likely he or she was to vote Republican.  But these voters are not being repaid for their support — more like the other way around.  Beyond the obviously wealthy voters, people who in many places are no more than upper middle class find themselves targeted to pay for a wide range of Obama policies aimed at leveling the economic playing field. See: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/21973.html 3) Republicans Deride Obama's $17B Proposed Cut in Federal Spending WASHINGTON -- The ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee said Thursday he's not impressed by President Obama's proposal to cut $17 billion out of the federal budget. Appearing on FOX News, Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., said it's important to place the $17 billion figure in the context of the president's $3.4 trillion budget. "It's as if you took a teaspoon of water out of the bathtub while you left the spicket on at full speed," he said. See: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/06/white-house-official-obama-cut-programs-save-b-budget/ 3a) Obama touts $17 billion 'lot of money' budget cut Obama said his cuts would amount to $17 billion — in a budget totaling well over $3 trillion for the fiscal year that begins in October. He's estimating the government's red ink will still be about $1.2 trillion, down only slightly from this year's all-time record. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090508/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_budget

4) Results of 'stress tests' of 19 financial firms

The Federal Reserve, issuing the long-awaited results of its "stress tests" for banks, found nine of the firms are stable enough that they need no additional capital.

Among the 10 banks that need to raise more capital, Bank of America Corp. needs by far the most — $33.9 billion. Wells Fargo & Co. needs $13.7 billion, GMAC LLC $11.5 billion, Citigroup Inc. $5.5 billion and Morgan Stanley $1.8 billion. The banks will have until June 8 to develop a plan and have it approved by their regulators. If they can't raise the money on their own, the government said it's prepared to dip further into its bailout fund (translation, “takeover fund“, comment mine). See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090508/ap_on_bi_ge/us_banks_stress_tests And: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Results-of-stress-tests-of-19-apf-15173941.html?.v=4 5) Not all Brits are whiny liberals, Michael Savage He's been placed on a list along with almost a dozen Islamist nutjobs, including Yunis Al-Astal, the leader of the Islamist terrorist group Hamas, which has murdered hundreds of Palestinians and Israelis. There are also some old school white extremists linked to violent organisations, such as former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard Stephen Donald and a couple of Russian skinhead leaders. Savage, a slightly more forthright version of Richard Littlejohn or Jon Gaunt, sits oddly at ease with this crowd. I'm not against banning people from this country. But there's a difference between banning men who incite violence and those who simply have views liberals find offensive. A big difference.  …What must the Americans, who inherited our political freedoms and built a great nation out of them, think of Britain today? We're a joke. Mr Savage, I can only apologise and offer you some belated British hospitality. If you do ever manage to sneak in, come to dinner with me and my wife. In Haringey. I won't tell the neighbours.  See: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/edwest/blog/2009/05/07/not_all_brits_are_whiny_liberals_michael_savage 5a) Jacqui Smith's latest disaster: Banned U.S. shock jock never even tried to visit Britain - now he's suing See: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1177428/Jacqui-Smiths-latest-disaster-Banned-U-S-shock-jock-tried-visit-Britain--hes-suing.html 6) GOP probes 'extremism' report's origins House Republicans demanded Wednesday that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano detail how the controversial "right-wing extremism" report was compiled, using a rare legislative maneuver that ensures that the Democrats must take a public stand - one way or another. …House Republicans filed their request under the chamber's Rule XIII, Clause 7 - called "a resolution of inquiry" - which will force the Homeland Security Committee to vote within 14 legislative days on the Republican request. The request covers all documents relating to the intelligence assessment titled "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment."  The panel is required to vote on the resolution in an up-or-down vote and send it to the floor within the time period, stating that the request for information has been reported favorably or unfavorably. See: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/07/gop-seeks-explanation-of-extremism-report/ 7) Report: Obama’s Master Plan for the Middle East President Obama’s major proposed alteration in the Saudi peace plan is for Arab countries to grant citizenship to approximately five million Arabs who are descendants of former Israelis while allowing them the right to move to a new Palestinian Authority country. The Saudi plan calls for them to be allowed to immigrate to Israel, a suggestion that virtually every Israeli leader categorically rejects. President Obama also reportedly told the king that he wants the United Nations flag raised over holy sites in eastern Jerusalem, where the PA would have total sovereignty under the Saudi plan. …Obama's team has moved ahead at high speed on all tracks, including proposals for direct negotiations with Syria and diplomatic initiatives towards Iran, and it has put the ball in the court of Israel and the Arabs to accept his proposals and show that they want to reach an agreement. See: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/131215 8) Hostile bloggers facing fines, jail? A new proposal in Congress is threatening fines and jail time for what it calls "cyberbullying" – communications that include e-mails and text messages that "cause substantial emotional distress."  The vague generalities are included in H.R. 1966 by California Democrat Linda Sanchez and about a dozen co-sponsors.  But it already is being condemned as unconstitutional, unrealistic and probably ineffectual.  At Wired.com, in a report labeled "Threat Level," writer David Kravets criticized the plan to demand "up to two years in prison for those whose electronic speech is meant to 'coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress.'" See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=97257 9) 'Conscience' shield vital, many caregivers say (05-05) 22:47 PDT San Francisco -- Kim McAllister, a Bay Area nurse for 31 years, knows she can recuse herself from a medical procedure with which she has a moral conflict. If a patient wants an abortion or if McAllister sees an end-of-life decision she might question, she can discreetly find another nurse who would help the patient in the way the patient seeks.  But, like many Catholics, evangelicals and others, McAllister now worries that an Obama administration proposal to repeal "conscience" protections for health care workers will imperil her rights. See: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/05/06/MNQQ177V1L.DTL

Madman Theory of the Presidency (More on Chrysler Thug Politics), Fight Hate Crimes Bill, GPS Census

1) A Government Controlled by Thugs… New Allegations Of White House Threats Over Chrysler Creditors to Chrysler describe negotiations with the company and the Obama administration as "a farce," saying the administration was bent on forcing their hands using hardball tactics and threats. Conversations with administration officials left them expecting that they would be politically targeted, two participants in the negotiations said. …The sources, who represent creditors to Chrysler, say they were taken aback by the hardball tactics that the Obama administration employed to cajole them into acquiescing to plans to restructure Chrysler. One person described the administration as the most shocking "end justifies the means" group they have ever encountered. Another characterized Obama was "the most dangerous smooth talker on the planet- and I knew Kissinger." Both were voters for Obama in the last election. One participant in negotiations said that the administration's tactic was to present what one described as a "madman theory of the presidency" in which the President is someone to be feared because he was willing to do anything to get his way. The person said this threat was taken very seriously by his firm (emphasis mine). The White House has denied the allegation that it threatened Perella Weinberg. Last week Obama singled out the firms that continue to oppose his plan for Chrysler, saying he would not stand with them. Perella Weinberg says it was convinced to support the plan by this stark drawing of a line between firms that have the president's backing and those that did not. They didn't want to be on the wrong side of Obama. Privately, administration officials have expressed confidence that other firms will switch sides for this reason. These allegations add to the picture of an administration willing to use intimidation to win over support for its Chrysler plans--and then categorically deny it. See: http://www.businessinsider.com/new-allegations-of-white-house-threats-over-chysler-2009-5 1a) Chrysler Creditors Lose Fight For Secrecy They have been vilified on message boards and called greedy speculators, criminals and vultures. President Obama says he "does not stand with them." They have received death threats (emphasis mine). They're the hedge funds opposed to the Chrysler reorganization, who desperately tried to keep their identities secret to all but the federal bankruptcy court judge overseeing the case. But the judge, Arthur Gonzalez, isn't buying it. Tuesday, he ruled that the group had until 10 a.m. Wednesday to reveal their identities. The group, which describes itself as the group of creditors that did not have to take federal bailout money under the Troubled Asset Relief program, is trying to block the Obama administration's proposed reorganization of Chrysler. In court documents Tuesday, attorneys for the so-called "non-TARP" creditors, who own $300 million of secured debt, said intensifying pressure and name calling by the government threatened to harm them if their identities became public. …The Chrysler sale "improperly attempts to extinguish their property rights without their comment," the hedge funds said in a court filing Monday. "The court should not permit a patently illegal sales process to go forward." See: http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/05/chrysler-bankruptcy-tarp-business-autos-chrysler-update.html 2) War bill omits funds for Gitmo closure Good news for a change! House Democratic leaders bucked the White House on Monday by unveiling a war spending bill that does not fund President Obama's plan to close Guantanamo Bay prison camp and requires the administration to submit a progress report with specific performance benchmarks for the escalated mission in Afghanistan.  Bowing to strong Republican criticism, House leaders rejected Mr. Obama's request for $81 million to close the detention center at the U.S. Navy base on Cuba, saying the White House lacks a plan to safely relocate the roughly 240 terrorist suspects held on the island. See: http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/05/war-bill-omits-funds-for-gitmo-closure/ 3) Another DHS Report on “Extremists” WASHINGTON — The same Homeland Security Department office that categorized veterans as potential terrorists issued an earlier report that defined dozens of "extremists" ranging from black power activists to abortion foes. The report was nixed within hours and recalled from state and local law enforcement officials.  Whites and blacks, Christians and Jews, Cubans and Mexicans, along with tax-hating Americans were among several political leanings listed in the "Domestic Extremism Lexicon" that came out of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) in late March. …Rep. Peter T. King, New York Republican and ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said the report "causes further concern that Congress needs to get to the bottom of exactly how DHS determines what intelligence products to distribute to law enforcement officials around the country." See: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/05/homeland-pulled-back-extremism-dictionary/ 4) Outraged at 'Pedophile Protection Act (AKA Hate Crimes Bill)? Here's a way to fight back, kill bill in U.S. Senate WASHINGTON – Opponents of a "hate crimes" bill in the U.S. Senate that would provide special protections for pedophiles are organizing an unprecedented effort to kill the legislation with an avalanche of letters to individual senators in the next week.  Janet Porter, WND columnist and president of Faith2Action, today announces her campaign to send thousands of letters to every senator by overnight delivery.  For only $10.95, any member of the public can send letters to all 100 senators, individually addressed and "signed" by the sender. The letters will ask for a written response and call for opposition to the bill, including by filibuster if necessary. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=97149 5) Phantom Air Farce Pictures The $328,835 snapshots of an Air Force One backup plane buzzing lower Manhattan last week will not be shown to the public, the White House said yesterday.  "We have no plans to release them," an aide to President Obama told The Post, refusing to comment further.  The sole purpose of the secret photo-op, which sent thousands of New Yorkers running for cover, was to take new publicity shots of the presidential jet over the city.  "The photos . . . are classified -- that's ridiculous," Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., said.  The photos have not technically been "classified," a White House aide said, but they are being kept from public view. See: http://www.nypost.com/seven/05052009/news/regionalnews/phantom_air_farce_pictures_167671.htm 6) Banned by U.K., Savage hits back Radio talk star blocked from visits, along with terrorists, neo-Nazis Talk radio host Michael Savage is considering legal action against Britain's top homeland security official after she released today a list grouping him with terrorists and neo-Nazi murderers banned from entry because the government believes their views might provoke violence. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=97127 7) 124 congressman demand audit of Federal Reserve A bill calling for the comptroller general of the United States to audit the private Federal Reserve is gaining widespread support in Congress, as 124 representatives have added their names to its growing list of co-sponsors. As WND reported, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, introduced in February H.R. 1207, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009, a bill requiring that an audit of both the Fed's Board of Governors and the Federal Reserve Banks be completed and reported to Congress before the end of 2010.  Paul was joined at the time of introduction by 11 other Republican and Democratic co-sponsors – but now that number has multiplied. Since its introduction, 113 additional U.S. representatives have added their names. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=97079 8) Census GPS-tagging your home's front door According to an online Yahoo program, the Global Position System coordinates for the White House, probably one of the best-known publicly-owned buildings in the world, are 38.898590 Latitude and -77.035971 Longitude. And since you know that, it's no big deal for the White House to know the coordinates for your front door, is it?  Some people think it is, and are upset over an army of some 140,000 workers hired in part with a $700 million taxpayer-funded contract to collect those GPS readings for every front door in the nation.  The data collection, presented as being in preparation for the 2010 Census, is pinpointing with computer accuracy the locations and has raised considerable concern from privacy advocates who have questioned why the information is needed. They also are more than a little worried over what could be done with that information.  Enhancing those concerns is the recent decision in the Obama administration to have White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in an oversight role over the census, which will control a reapportionment of congressional seats and could be used to solidify to a stranglehold a single political party's control over the nation, its budget, military and future. See: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=97208

More on Legalized Theft, Tax "Loopholes", Arrogant Schakowsky, "Wiping Israel Out of Existence"

1) Congress leery about Obama's plan on tax loopholes WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama promised sternly on Monday to crack down on companies "that ship jobs overseas" and duck U.S. taxes with offshore havens. It won't be easy. Democrats have been fighting — and losing — this battle since John F. Kennedy made a similar proposal in 1961. Obama's proposal to close tax loopholes was a reliable applause line during the presidential campaign, but it got a lukewarm response Monday from Capitol Hill. …Lost revenue isn't the only problem, Obama says. He contends the current system gives companies an incentive to invest overseas rather than creating jobs in the U.S. "It's a tax code that says you should pay lower taxes if you create a job in Bangalore, India, than if you create one in Buffalo, N.Y.," Obama said Monday. How about lowering taxes HERE, then?! Then companies will want to do business here. What you are proposing is DOUBLE taxation! Taxation abroad AND at home! See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090505/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_taxes 2) Obama Makes Creditor to Chrysler an Offer it Can’t Refuse: More on Legalized Theft White House Denies Claims of Threat to Chrysler Creditor Recent comments by a lawyer representing Chrysler’s dissident debtholders alleging that Steven Rattner, the White House’s auto task force chief, “directly threatened” to wreck the reputation of the investment firm Perella Weinberg Partners if it continued to oppose the Obama administration’s reorganization plan have been picking up steam in the blogosphere. …Chrysler’s secured lenders argued that the $6.8 billion of the carmaker’s debt that they hold must be repaid before junior creditors. In a statement on Thursday, the group — then numbering about 20 firms — said that while they had proposed accepting 60 cents on the dollar as repayment, their offer was rebuffed. The administration’s offer to those debtholders was 29 cents on the dollar. Mr. Lauria said that his clients’ most recent offer to the government, made Thursday, was for a settlement of about 50 cents on the dollar, a proposal that a person briefed on the matter said involved $2.5 billion of repayment, including $500 million to minority debtholders. The government, which had given the dissident investors until 6 p.m. on Wednesday to make an acceptable offer, rejected the plan. See: http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/white-house-perella-weinberg-deny-claims-of-threat-to-firm/?hp And: http://blog.heritage.org/2009/05/01/chryslers-creditors-and-offers-you-cant-refuse/ 3) Worries Rise on the Size of U.S. Debt …Already, in the first six months of this fiscal year, the federal deficit is running at $956.8 billion, or nearly one seventh of gross domestic product — levels not seen since World War II, according to Wrightson ICAP, a research firm.  Debt held by the public is projected by the Congressional Budget Office to rise from 41 percent of gross domestic product in 2008 to 51 percent in 2009 and to a peak of around 54 percent in 2011 before declining again in the following years. For all of 2009, the administration probably needs to borrow about $2 trillion.  The rising tab has prompted warnings from the Treasury that the Congressionally mandated debt ceiling of $12.1 trillion will most likely be breached in the second half of this year (emphasis mine). …China has lent immense sums to the United States — about two-thirds of its central bank’s $1.95 trillion in foreign reserves is believed to be in United States securities — but it has begun to voice concerns about America’s financial health. See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/business/economy/04debt.html?ref=todayspaper 4) Illinois’ Own Democrat Representative Schakowsky Comments on Government Run Healthcare: SCHAKOWSKY: And next to me was a guy from the insurance company who then argued against the public health insurance option, saying it wouldn't let private insurance compete, that a public option will put the private insurance industry out of business and -- (cheers and applause) My single pickup was, he was right. The man was right. I -- I -- here's what I told him. I said, "Excuse me, sir, the goal of health care reform is not to protect the private health insurance industry." (cheers and applause) And I am so confident in the superiority of a public health care option that I think he has every reason to be frightened. RUSH: Here is a congresswoman from Illinois, Jan Schakowsky, basically saying we are going to get rid of private insurance and the private health care industry in toto, we're going to do it. So yeah, you wait till they start micromanaging how much your doctor can get charged and what illnesses you're going to get treated for, what's covered. It's not going to be pretty. See: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_050409/content/01125113.guest.html 5) Iranian Army General Commander Ataollah Salehi: It Will Take Us 11 Days "To Wipe Israel Out of Existence" General Ataollah Salehi, general commander of the Iranian army: "The truth is that Israel does not have the courage to attack us. If we are subjected to any attack by Israel, I do not think we will need more than 11 days to wipe Israel out of existence." See: http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP233809 5a) Gingrich: Obama setting up Israel confrontation Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) accused the Obama administration of setting up a confrontation with Israel, and encouraged the U.S. to more strongly back the Mideast state. "They are systematically setting up the most decisive confrontation that we've ever seen," Gingrich told the Jerusalem Post (emphasis mine).  "There's almost an eagerness to take on the Israeli government to make a point with the Arab world," the potential presidential candidate said. "The threats we are faced with are far more catastrophic than any of our leaders are willing to talk about," Gingrich said during his address Sunday before the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference. See: http://briefingroom.thehill.com/2009/05/04/gingrich-obama-setting-up-israel-confrontation/ 6) Strife in Pakistan Raises U.S. Doubts Over Nuclear Arms WASHINGTON — As the insurgency of the Taliban and Al Qaeda spreads in Pakistan, senior American officials say they are increasingly concerned about new vulnerabilities for Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, including the potential for militants to snatch a weapon in transport or to insert sympathizers into laboratories or fuel-production facilities. But the United States does not know where all of Pakistan’s nuclear sites are located, and its concerns have intensified in the last two weeks since the Taliban entered Buner, a district 60 miles from the capital. The spread of the insurgency has left American officials less willing to accept blanket assurances from Pakistan that the weapons are safe.  Pakistani officials have continued to deflect American requests for more details about the location and security of the country’s nuclear sites, the officials said. See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/world/asia/04nuke.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper 7) New Onerous Restrictive Ordinances Targeting Churches In Dupage County, IL (my home county) …which will have the effect of eliminating small Churches.  See: http://www.illinoisfamily.org/content/img/f34357/letterfrompastorstewartruch-1.pdf 8) Montana Asserts Sovereignty Over Federal Gun Control Laws Gov. Brian Schweitzer has signed into law a bill that aims to exempt Montana-made guns from federal regulation, adding firepower to a battery of legislative efforts to assert states’ rights across the nation. “It’s a gun bill, but it’s another way of demonstrating the sovereignty of the state of Montana,” Democrat Schweitzer said. …The measure is one of many introduced by state lawmakers across the nation seeking to confront what some see as a federal overreach into state matters that will be extended with the national stimulus plan.  Along with the gun bill, Montana legislators are considering a resolution that affirms the 10th Amendment principle that the federal government only has those powers that are specifically given to it by the U.S. Constitution. “The whole goal is to awaken the people so that we can return to a properly grounded republic,” Rep. Michael More, R-Gallatin Gateway and the Montana resolution’s sponsor, said at a House committee hearing Wednesday. See: http://www.helenair.com/articles/2009/04/16/legi/top/65st_090416_statesrights.txt 9) France captures 11 suspected Somali pirates PARIS (Reuters) - France intercepted 11 suspected Somali pirates on Sunday after they mistook a French naval ship for a commercial vessel and started heading toward it in preparation for an attack, a Defense Ministry spokesman said. Oops! That could go on a show called “Somalia’s Dumbest Criminals”.  See: http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5421QE20090503?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&rpc=22&sp=true

More Back-Door Fairness Doctrine, Government Motors, Israel, Iran, Pakistan, Stolen Nitrate Fertilizer

1) 31 horsemen of talk radio's apocalypse? (More on Back-Door Fairness Doctrine) The Federal Communications Commission has announced the roster of a new advisory committee on "diversity" in communications, a move many critics have warned would mark the beginning of government regulation of talk radio and a reinstallation of the "Fairness Doctrine" by another name.  As WND reported, a think tank headed by John Podesta, co-chairman of Obama's transition team, mapped out a strategy in 2007 for clamping down on conservative talk radio by requiring stations to be operated by female and minority owners, which the report showed were statistically more likely to carry liberal political talk shows.  Therefore, the report concluded, the best strategy for getting equal time for "progressives" on radio lies in mandating "diversity of ownership" without ever needing to mention the former FCC policy of requiring airtime for liberal viewpoints, known as the "Fairness Doctrine." Now, Michael J. Copps, acting chairman of the FCC has announced that the "Commission's Advisory Committee on Diversity for Communications in the Digital Age" will meet at the FCC headquarters on May 7 with a purpose closely paralleling step one of Podesta's plan for "balancing" talk radio. …And President Obama, while he has eschewed support for the "Fairness Doctrine" by name, has made statements in speeches and on the White House website that read as through they were taken directly from Podesta's plan for using "diversity" to make radio more "fair." See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=96797 2) GM Offers U.S. a Majority Stake General Motors Corp. outlined a new turnaround plan that would leave the U.S. government controlling the auto maker, as it set up a showdown with bondholders that could determine whether the company lands in bankruptcy court.   Under the plan, GM is asking the Treasury Department for an additional $11.6 billion in loans, on top of the $15.4 billion it has already received. It envisions giving the government at least half ownership of the company as payment for half of the loans. At the same time, GM said it would use stock instead of cash to pay off half the $20.4 billion it owes a United Auto Workers fund to cover retiree health care. That stock would leave the union owning about 39% of GM. …So, when the deal is completed, GM will be 89 percent owned by the government and the union. See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124083476254259049.html#mod=todays_us_nonsub_page_one And: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=96419 3) U.S. sending missiles to Arab states Concern over potential Israel-Iran conflict cite The United States quietly is providing advanced Patriot missile systems and other defensive technologies to Arab countries in the Persian Gulf in anticipation of any retaliatory response from Iran should Israel launch a military strike against its nuclear facilities, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=96762 4) Gaza militants fire mortar shells on Israel Gaza City - Palestinian militants fired a volley of mortar shells at Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Palestinian and Israeli sources said. …Israeli police said two shells landed in an uninhabited area, without causing any casualties or damage. The attack followed air strikes by Israeli warplanes on Friday against two smuggling tunnels along Gaza's border with Egypt after militants fired a rocket at Israel. Militants in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip have fired about 200 rockets at Israel since the end of Israel's massive offensive against the impoverished territory in December and January, according to the Israel army. See: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=123&art_id=nw20090502103424276C482637 5) Taliban terror holds 2,000 villagers as human shields TALIBAN militants who have seized swathes of North West Frontier Province in Pakistan have inflicted a reign of terror on villagers, landowners and the police, using kidnapping, looting, pillaging and murder to impose their will. See: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6211511.ece 6) Iranian jets 'hit' Iraqi Kurd areas Iranian helicopters have attacked three Kurdish villages in northern Iraq in an apparent cross-border raid targeting Kurdish separatists, according to an Iraqi Kurdish border guard official. .."After the (initial) attacks, three Iranian helicopters attacked these areas again. "This is the first time they have used helicopters." …The air raid, if confirmed, would be the first by the Iranian air force on the region. See: http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2009/05/200952122842742602.html 7) Petraeus: Next Two Weeks Critical to Pakistan's Survival Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command, has told U.S. officials the next two weeks are critical to determining whether the Pakistani government will survive, FOX News has learned. "The Pakistanis have run out of excuses" and are "finally getting serious" about combating the threat from Taliban and Al Qaeda extremists operating out of Northwest Pakistan, the general added. But Petraeus also said wearily that "we've heard it all before" from the Pakistanis and he is looking to see concrete action by the government to destroy the Taliban in the next two weeks before determining the United States' next course of action, which is presently set on propping up the Pakistani government and military with counterinsurgency training and foreign aid. See: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/30/petraeus-weeks-critical-pakistans-survival/ 8) 1,000 Pounds of Nitrate Fertilizer Stolen in Alabama; Police Searching for Burglars Burglars targeted a Tuscumbia business early Thursday morning. What's most alarming is what the thieves took from business. The stolen property is potential dangerous material. Approximately 1,000 pounds of high-grade nitrate fertilizer was taken from Greens Keepers on Gann Boulevard in Tuscumbia. The company handles fertilization and weed control for residential and commercial lawns. The owner, John Wagner, says he's been in business for twelve years and nothing like this has ever happened. …Wagner worries that having the large amount of fertilizer in the wrong hands could lead to something very dangerous. "It could potentially be made into a bomb," says Wagner. See: http://www.whnt.com/news/shoals/whnt-fertilizer-stolen-from-greens-keepers,0,2442663.story

More Back-Door Fairness Doctrine, NPR Drops ALL Religious Programming, 'Fast-Tracking' Healthcare, Gov Steals from Banks, Hate Crimes Bill in Senate

“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” - Winston Churchill 1) FCC Announces May 7 'Diversity Committee' Meeting - Behold a New 'Fairness' Doctrine Behold one of the new "Fairness" Doctrines - "media diversity" - coming soon to a radio station near you.   President Barack Obama's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released the names of the thirty-one members of their Advisory Committee On Diversity For Communications In The Digital Age. This May 7 gathering is made up of a laundry list of left-wing grievance groups, with a smattering of radio and television companies included to break up the monotony.  Not a single conservative organization is taking part in this Commission - more than a dozen Leftist groups are. A little ironic for a "diversity" panel, is it not? Chairing the meeting is Henry Rivera, a former FCC Commissioner who was (and presumably still is) a strong proponent of the Censorship Doctrine, also mis-known as the "Fairness" Doctrine. …On February 26, Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin - one of the myriad past "Fairness" Doctrine champions - sponsored an amendment, passed via a 57-41 Party-line vote, which forces the FCC to "take actions to encourage and promote diversity in communication media ownership and to ensure that broadcast station licenses are used in the public interest."   …They truly believe the former is the only possible explanation for the latter. The existence of Laura Ingraham, Monica Crowley, Tammy Bruce and other un-white males in the talk radio universe fails to persuade them. Neither does the ratings argument - thems that get the ratings get the airwaves. Conservatives have listeners; liberals do not. …According to the Left, these white male station owners don't put conservatives on the air because they make them money, they put them on the air because they are conservatives. The anti-free speech/anti-free marketeers remain as always steadfastly impervious to facts. See: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/seton-motley/2009/04/23/fcc-anounces-diversity-committee-meeting-chaired-pro-fairness-doctrine And: http://www.benton.org/node/24636 1a) NPR axes Christian radio programs In 1985, National Public Radio (NPR) adopted a policy stating that member stations had to provide "nonsectarian, non-political, noncommercial" educational programming. But in February 2009, the wording was changed to say: "NPR Member Stations shall provide ONLY [emphasis added] nonsectarian, non-political, noncommercial educational content on all broadcast channel(s) and related media distribution platforms such as member partners that use the NPR member brands."   The rule, which takes effect May 1, means that any NPR stations carrying religious programming must cease and desist that programming as of that date. In explaining its decision in a similar matter, PBS -- another federally funded media outlet -- says it "places a high value on presenting diverse perspectives, as opposed to rigidly adhering to any single political or religious point of view." Allowing such programming, it continues, "would cause the public's trust in PBS to erode, along with the value of the brand." See: http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=510936 2) Dems reluctant (yeah, right) to use reconciliation for healthcare Despite their decision to arm themselves with a partisan weapon to move health reform through the Senate with a simple majority, senior Democrats continue to insist they will pull the trigger only if their hands are forced. This week, the House and Senate will debate — and probably pass — a $3.5 trillion budget that will include reconciliation provisions that will enable Democrats to pass their health reform legislation with just 51 votes, not the 60 usually needed to pass major bills in the upper chamber.   House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democrats insist that reconciliation be made available as a means to advance health reform, one of President Obama’s biggest domestic priorities, to prevent GOP senators from obstructing the effort. See: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/dems-reluctant-to-use-reconciliation-for-healthcare-2009-04-27.html And, they did pass that $3.4 TRILLION budget with the ‘reconciliation’ provision built in… See: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/29/house-passes-trillion-budget-boosting-obamas-agenda/ 3) FACT CHECK: Obama disowns deficit he helped shape WASHINGTON – "That wasn't me," President Barack Obama said on his 100th day in office, disclaiming responsibility for the huge budget deficit waiting for him on Day One. It actually was him — and the other Democrats controlling Congress the previous two years — who shaped a budget so out of balance. And as a presidential candidate and president-elect, he backed the twilight Bush-era stimulus plan that made the deficit deeper, all before he took over and promoted spending plans that have made it much deeper still. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090429/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_fact_check_obama 4) Obama Says Chrysler Holdout Lenders Speculated on U.S. Bailout April 30 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama said Chrysler LLC lenders who turned down his buyout offers are a “small group of speculators” who forced the automaker into bankruptcy. Today, an anonymous group of 20 Chrysler lenders calling itself the “Committee of Chrysler Non-Tarp Lenders” said in a statement they’d been treated worse than junior creditors during negotiations in violation of “long-recognized legal and business principles.” They said they were owed $1 billion. Legalizing theft does not make it moral. Welcome to government shakedown.  …Chrysler’s dissident lenders have on their side the “absolute priority” bankruptcy rule, which holds that value must be distributed according to the legal priorities of the stakeholders. What riled the group that put out the statement today was the fact that junior creditors, consisting of a workers healthcare trust, would get equity in a new Chrysler entity while they would not. See: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=anOtOhu3yDyU&refer=news And: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/30/AR2009043004141.html 5) Hints That Gitmo Detainees May Be Held on U.S. Soil WASHINGTON — As many as 100 detainees at the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, could end up held without trial on American soil, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates suggested Thursday, a situation that he acknowledged would create widespread if not unanimous opposition in Congress. See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/01/us/politics/01gitmo.html?ref=todayspaper 6) Former Federal Prosecutor Andrew McCarthy's Letter to Attorney General Holder The invitation email (of April 14) indicates that the meeting is part of an ongoing effort to identify lawful policies on the detention and disposition of alien enemy combatants -- or what the Department now calls “individuals captured or apprehended in connection with armed conflicts and counterterrorism operations.” I admire the lawyers of the Counterterrorism Division, and I do not question their good faith. Nevertheless, it is quite clear -- most recently, from your provocative remarks on Wednesday in Germany -- that the Obama administration has already settled on a policy of releasing trained jihadists (including releasing some of them into the United States). Whatever the good intentions of the organizers, the meeting will obviously be used by the administration to claim that its policy was arrived at in consultation with current and former government officials experienced in terrorism cases and national security issues. I deeply disagree with this policy, which I believe is a violation of federal law and a betrayal of the president’s first obligation to protect the American people. Under the circumstances, I think the better course is to register my dissent, rather than be used as a prop. ...Moreover, in light of public statements by both you and the President, it is dismayingly clear that, under your leadership, the Justice Department takes the position that a lawyer who in good faith offers legal advice to government policy makers—like the government lawyers who offered good faith advice on interrogation policy—may be subject to investigation and prosecution for the content of that advice, in addition to empty but professionally damaging accusations of ethical misconduct. Given that stance, any prudent lawyer would have to hesitate before offering advice to the government.  ...The Obama campaign smeared Guantanamo Bay as a human rights blight. Consistent with that hyperbolic rhetoric, the President began his administration by promising to close the detention camp within a year. The President did this even though he and you (a) agree Gitmo is a top-flight prison facility, (b) acknowledge that our nation is still at war, and (c) concede that many Gitmo detainees are extremely dangerous terrorists who cannot be tried under civilian court rules. Patently, the commitment to close Guantanamo Bay within a year was made without a plan for what to do with these detainees who cannot be tried. Consequently, the Detention Policy Task Force is not an effort to arrive at the best policy. It is an effort to justify a bad policy that has already been adopted: to wit, the Obama administration policy to release trained terrorists outright if that’s what it takes to close Gitmo by January. See: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_050109/content/01125109.guest.html 7) Obama Repeats Leftist Blogger Myth on Churchill and "Torture" RUSH: President Obama, in his press conference last night -- all of a sudden, and for the first time -- cited a world leader with respect. And that would be Winston Churchill. After showing disrespect to Winston Churchill for most of his term so far, President Obama cited the great Winston Churchill as a beacon for a nation like ours to show that we should not torture. Even, Obama said, when Britain was being bombed to smithereens, Churchill refused to compromise the moral values of Great Britain. He didn't torture captured Nazi prisoners. Obama doesn't know this. He's getting this from a left-wing blogger, as so much of the Drive-By Media gets their information from left-wing bloggers. It is pretty well known that in British-occupied Germany after World War II, the Brits treated captured German soldiers pretty harshly. They starved them, big psychological mistreatment. It's just an absolute myth that the Brits and Churchill never, quote, unquote, "tortured."   See: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_043009/content/01125107.guest.html 8) Justice Souter Announces Retirement WASHINGTON – Justice David Souter is planning to retire after more than 19 years on the Supreme Court, giving President Barack Obama his first chance to fill a vacancy on the high court. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090501/ap_on_go_su_co/us_scotus_souter_retiring And: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/01/AR2009050101200.html?hpid=topnews 9) Guns bought this year could outfit 2 armies Report cites surge that coincided with last year's election Guns purchased legally in the United States this year could outfit two armies – and not just any armies, the armies of China and India, according to new government reports cited by a website for sport-shooting enthusiasts. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=96677 10) Kennedy brings 'hate crimes' into Senate Matches House-approved plan to crack down on biblical teachings A bill that would provide federal money to train law enforcement officers to identify and criminally prosecute speech and thought offensive to homosexuals has been introduced into the U.S. Senate, matching a House-approved bill that critics fear will be used to crack down on biblical teachings.  The proposal, from Democratic Sens. Edward Kennedy and Patrick Leahy, aligns with H.R. 1913, which was approved in the U.S. House yesterday.  It denies protections to classes of citizens such as pastors, Christians, missionaries, veterans and the elderly that would be granted to homosexuals and those with gender issues. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=96730 11) Another high profile suicide…Clinton-era appointee dead in apparent DC suicide WASHINGTON -- An attorney who served in the Clinton administration was found dead Thursday in an apparent suicide at his Washington law office. Kilpatrick Stockton LLP, an Atlanta-based firm, confirmed in a statement that attorney Mark Levy had died. See: http://www.miamiherald.com/772/story/1026115.html

Good Riddance to Arlen Specter, Takeovers Continue in Banking and Auto, Criminal TARP

1) Arlen Specter Leaves Democratic Party Veteran Sen. Arlen Specter announced Tuesday his intent to switch from the GOP to the Democratic Party, earning him the support of President Obama in next year's re-election campaign. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Tuesday Obama will raise money and campaign for Specter if asked. Despite winning election to the Senate five times as a Republican, Specter has jumped ship faced with the prospect of a strong challenge from conservative Pat Toomey in the GOP primary and Pennsylvania trending Democratic. "I have found myself increasingly at odds with the Republican philosophy and more in line with the philosophy of the Democratic Party," he said at a news conference, adding "I am not prepared to have my 29 years' record in the United States Senate decided by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate." The switch puts Democrats within one vote of a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Democrats currently hold 56 seats in the Senate, and two independents typically vote with the party. Republicans have 41 seats.  Decided by the electorate? YOU ARE AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, SENATOR SPECTOR!!!!! YOUR RECORD BY DEFINITION IS DECIDED BY THE ELECTORATE!!! Good riddance to you sir.  See: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/28/source-specter-intends-switch-political-parties/ 2) TARP, the Criminal Enterprise?  Is the whole TARP plan a criminal enterprise? Sounds farfetched, I suppose. But after reading about Special Inspector General Neil Barofsky’s report, it may well be that TARP is just one big criminal problem.  Listen to this: Barofsky’s investigators reported Monday that they have opened 20 criminal probes into possible securities fraud, tax-law violations, insider-trading, and mortgage-modification fraud related to TARP. Yup, those are criminal probes. Barofsky is the special IG overseeing the bailout program. And for some reason the mainstream media refuses to report this on the front pages where it belongs. …By the way, one of Barofsky’s recommendations is for Treasury to abandon its whole plan of buying toxic assets from banks and investors. The IG’s report also notes that what started last October as a single-purpose $750 billion effort to buy toxic securities has morphed into twelve separate programs that cover up to $3 trillion in direct spending, loans, and loan guarantees. In other words, TARP is nearly equal in size to the entire federal budget..” (emphasis mine) …Think about this: TARP, which is now linked to substantial criminal activity, has ballooned to the size of a second federal budget and represents the biggest government-directed intrusion into the economy in history — vastly bigger than the New Deal. And not only is there TARP for banks, insurance companies, and non-bank financial institutions, but also for GM, Chrysler, and various auto suppliers, and perhaps soon enough for credit cards, newspapers, and other sectors of the economy. This is why I believe the era of democratic free-market capitalism is coming to an end. It is being replaced by state-directed corporatism on a grand scale. This is central planning that goes way beyond the American tradition. See: http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=M2FjZWMyZDA2OGEyNWFmNWQ0OWFiZjQzMTcxNDYwZmM= 3) BofA, Citi may need to raise more capital The takeovers continue… WASHINGTON – Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp. will need to raise more capital based on preliminary results of their government-run "stress tests" — unless they succeed in appealing the findings, according to two people familiar with the matter. The banks are making their arguments to regulators, said these people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they have been ordered not to discuss it. Among their points could be that regulators don't fully understand the banks' operations, they said. But the companies face an uphill battle in convincing Fed officials, who privately released the results Friday, that the results are wrong, analysts said. They noted that the tests are supposed to be rigorous enough for the results to be widely accepted. …Banks deemed to have enough capital may learn whether they'll be permitted to repay billions of dollars the government injected into them last fall, analysts and officials said. Most large banks have said they want to repay the money to escape executive compensation limits and other obligations (emphasis mine). Permitted to repay???? See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090428/ap_on_bi_ge/us_banks_stress_tests 4) Takeover of Auto Industry… …Chrysler cleared a major hurdle over the weekend by reaching a new deal with the UAW that would give the union a 55 percent stake in the company. Chrysler will use equity instead of cash to fund at least 50 percent of its $10.6 billion obligation to a union-run health care trust, and the trust would get a seat on the board.

Yeah, that’ll work well. Give Chrysler to the unions.  

See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090428/ap_on_bi_ge/us_chrysler

4a) See, I Told You So: Obama Gives UAW the Majority Stake in Chrysler RUSH: Today, ladies and gentlemen, the Wall Street Journal has the dirty details. Fifty-five percent of Chrysler owned by the United Auto Workers, 35% owned by President Obama, common shares, which means voting, 39% of General Motors owned by the United Auto Workers, the rest owned by President Obama. See: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_042809/content/01125108.guest.html 5) More bailouts…this time on second mortgages… Administration is set to expand housing aid plan See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090428/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_housing 6) FAA Memo: Feds Knew NYC Flyover Would Cause Panic Threatened Federal Sanctions Against NYPD, Secret Service, FBI & Mayor's Office If Secret Ever Got Out See: http://wcbstv.com/topstories/air.force.one.2.996457.html 7) Most Americans oppose interrogation probe: poll WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Most Americans oppose a U.S. congressional investigation into harsh interrogation methods used on terrorism suspects during the Bush administration, a poll said on Tuesday. A CBS News/New York Times poll found that 62 percent of Americans do not think Congress should hold hearings to investigate the treatment of detainees, about the same proportion as in a similar poll in February. See: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE53R4PC20090428?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews&rpc=22&sp=true 8) Where Will the Swine Flu Go Next? Influenza viruses are unpredictable because they are able to mutate so rapidly. That capacity enables them to jump easily from species to species, infecting not only pigs and people but also horses, seals, cats, dogs, tigers and so on. An avian virus responsible for the 1918 pandemic jumped first from birds to humans, then from humans to swine (as well as other animals). Now, and not for the first time, pigs have given a virus back to humans. …Influenza pandemics have occurred as far back in history as we can look, but the four we know about in detail happened in 1889, 1918, 1957 and 1968. The mildest of these, the so-called Hong Kong flu in 1968, killed about 35,000 people in the United States and 700,000 worldwide. Ordinary seasonal influenza, in comparison, now kills 36,000 Americans a year, because the population has a higher proportion of elderly people and others with weak immune systems. (If a virus like the Hong Kong flu hit today, it would probably kill more people for the same reason.) See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/opinion/28barry.html?_r=1

Former CIA Director Rails Against Dems Who 'Didn't Know' About Interrogation, Swine Flu, Planes in NY?

1) Security Before Politics This article is excellent and a must-read so I am going to post much of it here… Since leaving my post as CIA director almost three years ago, I have remained largely silent on the public stage. I am speaking out now because I feel our government has crossed the red line between properly protecting our national security and trying to gain partisan political advantage. We can't have a secret intelligence service if we keep giving away all the secrets. Americans have to decide now. A disturbing epidemic of amnesia seems to be plaguing my former colleagues on Capitol Hill. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, members of the committees charged with overseeing our nation's intelligence services had no higher priority than stopping al-Qaeda. In the fall of 2002, while I was chairman of the House intelligence committee, senior members of Congress were briefed on the CIA's "High Value Terrorist Program," including the development of "enhanced interrogation techniques" and what those techniques were. This was not a one-time briefing but an ongoing subject with lots of back and forth between those members and the briefers (emphasis mine). Let me be clear. It is my recollection that:  -- The chairs and the ranking minority members of the House and Senate intelligence committees, known as the Gang of Four, were briefed that the CIA was holding and interrogating high-value terrorists.  -- We understood what the CIA was doing.  -- We gave the CIA our bipartisan support.  -- We gave the CIA funding to carry out its activities.  -- On a bipartisan basis, we asked if the CIA needed more support from Congress to carry out its mission against al-Qaeda. …Circuses are not new in Washington, and I can see preparations being made for tents from the Capitol straight down Pennsylvania Avenue. The CIA has been pulled into the center ring before. The result this time will be the same: a hollowed-out service of diminished capabilities. After Sept. 11, the general outcry was, "Why don't we have better overseas capabilities?" I fear that in the years to come this refrain will be heard again: once a threat -- or God forbid, another successful attack -- captures our attention and sends the pendulum swinging back. There is only one person who can shut down this dangerous show: President Obama. …The suggestion that we are safer now because information about interrogation techniques is in the public domain conjures up images of unicorns and fairy dust. We have given our enemy invaluable information about the rules by which we operate. The terrorists captured by the CIA perfected the act of beheading innocents using dull knives. Khalid Sheik Mohammed boasted of the tactic of placing explosives high enough in a building to ensure that innocents trapped above would die if they tried to escape through windows. There is simply no comparison between our professionalism and their brutality (emphasis mine).  See: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/24/AR2009042403339.html 2) Swine flu epidemic enters dangerous new phase MEXICO CITY – The swine flu epidemic entered a dangerous new phase Monday as the death toll climbed in Mexico and the number of suspected cases there and in the United States nearly doubled. The World Health Organization raised its alert level but stopped short of declaring a global emergency. The suspected number of deaths rose to 149 in Mexico, the epicenter of the outbreak with nearly 2,000 people believed to be infected. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090428/ap_on_he_me/med_swine_flu What makes me suspicious is that in early articles it was noted that this virus has avian, swine, and human genetic material. Now, that is no longer mentioned. It is merely referred to as the “swine flu.” Avian, swine, and human genetic components don’t just get together by happenstance. I suspect this is a designer virus. Others suspect terrorism also; see: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=96299.  3) Quake jars already-nervous Mexico City residents See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090428/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_mexico_earthquake 4) Plane stupid: Mayor Bloomberg outraged over military photo-op involving low-flying presidential jet Juse plane dumb. A perfect storm of idiocy led to a frightening 9/11 flashback for thousands of New Yorkers Monday when a jumbo jet and an F-16 fighter jet buzzed lower Manhattan without warning.  A "furious" Mayor Bloomberg denounced the dunces who dreamed up the stunt - and the NYPD officials and bureaucrats who never told him about it.  By day's end, an obscure City Hall deputy named Marc Mugnos, who makes $60,000 a year, was taking the fall for not telling Bloomberg that the low-flying planes were coming. He was reprimanded.  But there was plenty of blame to go around. …"It's like someone coming up to you, sticking a gun to your head for 15 seconds, walking away and hearing 20 minutes later it was an undercover cop posing for a photo," said Wall Street worker Bill Privett. See: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/04/27/2009-04-27_plane_stupid_mayor_bloomberg_outraged_over_military_photoop_involving_lowflying_.html 5) Palestinians don't accept Israel as 'Jewish state' PA president issues harsh remarks days before meeting with Obama TEL AVIV, Israel – Just days before he is scheduled to meet President Obama in Washington, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas today declared his U.S.-backed organization will not recognize Israel as a Jewish state.  "Jewish state, what is that supposed to mean?" Abbas asked in a speech before student delegates of his Fatah party.  "You can call yourselves as you like, but I don't accept it, and I say so publicly," he said. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=96282

Dems Knew, Obama Legal Team Limiting Defendants Rights, Gov Takeover of GM, Rebellion Brewing

1) Hot doc: Cheney's request to declassify intel from 'torture' Former Vice President Dick Cheney is asking the Obama administration to declassify two documents on intelligence obtained from the so-called enhanced interrogation program that critics have decried as torture, according to a copy of his request obtained by POLITICO. See: http://www.politico.com/blogs/joshgerstein/0409/Hot_doc_Cheneys_request_to_declassify_intel_from_torture_.html 1a) Democrats Supported CIA's 'Enhanced Interrogation' Techniques, Says House GOP Leader (CNSNews.com) – House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said the “enhanced interrogation” techniques used on terror suspects--described in declassified Justice Department memos released by the Obama administration last week--had approval from congressional leaders in both parties.    Boehner also said that making the complete report public would show “the bigger picture” of how America was kept safe from terrorist attacks.   The memos that have been released reveal that only three top al Qaeda terror suspects, including 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed (KSM), were ever waterboarded. Information obtained from KSM, according to one of the memos, allowed the U.S. government to stop a planned terrorist attack in Los Angeles. See: http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=47104 2) Obama legal team wants to limit defendants' rights WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is asking the Supreme Court to overrule a 23 year-old decision that stopped police from initiating questions unless a defendant's lawyer is present, the latest stance that has disappointed civil rights and civil liberties groups. While President Barack Obama has reversed many policies of his Republican predecessor, George W. Bush, the defendants' rights case is another stark example of the White House seeking to limit rather than expand rights. See: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gsdBeBfQ1PJTCFWgQGQw0vp6U30QD97ONB3G3 3) GM Is Becoming a Royal Debacle It's good to be the king -- until you start tripping over your own robe. So King Barack the Mild is finding as he tries to dictate the terms of what amounts to an out-of-court bankruptcy for Chrysler and GM. He wants Chrysler's secured lenders to give up their right to nearly full recovery in a bankruptcy in return for 15 cents on the dollar. They'd be crazy to do so, of course, except that these banks also happen to be beholden to the administration for TARP money. Kingly prerogative also conflicts with kingly prerogative in the case of GM's unsecured creditors, who are the sticking point in agreeing to a turnaround plan by the drop-dead date of June 1. His retainer, Steven Rattner, has delivered word that the king's pleasure is that these unsecured creditors give up 100% of their claims in return for GM stock. It may also be the king's pleasure, he advised, to convert at some point the government's own $13 billion in bailout loans into GM stock. …They've already seen that the rights and privileges of shareholders are not worth diddly when the king is throwing his prerogatives around. He dispensed with the services of GM chief Rick Wagoner, though the king owned not a single share of GM stock at the time. His minions communicated the king's pleasure that GM consider discontinuing its GMC brand, maker of pickups and SUVs that offendeth the royal eye -- though these vehicles earn GM's fattest profit margins. See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124035637935940943.html 4) Barney Frank: Marijuana, Internet Gambling O.K. for Americans, but not ‘Total Freedom’ in Financial Matters (CNSNews.com) – Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) told CNSNews.com Thursday that, if it were up to him, Americans would be completely free to smoke marijuana and gamble on the Internet -- but they shouldn’t be allowed “total freedom” in their financial decisions because those risky decisions might adversely affect others. Guess what, Barney??? Without economic freedom, there IS NO FREEDOM.  See: http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=47107 5) In GOP base, a 'rebellion brewing' …But outside Washington, the reality is very different. Rank-and-file Republicans remain, by all indications, staunchly conservative, and they appear to have no desire to moderate their views. GOP activists and operatives say they hear intense anger at the White House and at the party’s own leaders on familiar issues – taxes, homosexuality, and immigration. Within the party, conservative groups have grown stronger absent the emergence of any organized moderate faction.  There is little appetite for compromise on what many see as core issues, and the road to the presidential nomination lies – as always – through a series of states where the conservative base holds sway, and where the anger appears to be, if anything, particularly intense.  "There is a sense of rebellion brewing," said Katon Dawson, the outgoing South Carolina Republican Party chairman, who cited unexpectedly high attendance at anti-tax “tea parties” last week.  That same sense is detectable in New Hampshire, where Union Leader publisher Joseph McQuaid – a stalwart of the base – warned in a column last weekend that the push for same-sex marriage in the state legislature was really about “forcing society to embrace and give positive reinforcement to their lifestyle and agenda in our schools and in every other area of public life imaginable.” See: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/21677.html 6) Book Chavez Gave to Obama Is Used as Core Text on Many College Campuses Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez wasn't the first to discover the book he gave to President Obama last week in an attempt to ease diplomatic tensions — college students in the U.S. have been turning its pages for years. The 317-page "Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent" has been identified on the syllabi of at least 20 U.S. colleges and universities since 2003, and it's been taught for decades on American campuses. The virulently anti-American book tells how for 500 years Europe and then the U.S. exploited Latin America, leaving it impoverished and governed by corrupt leaders. See: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517784,00.html 7) 100 days in office, coronated Messiah Arms outstretched, he wears crown of thorns on his brow On his 100th day in office, President Obama will be "crowned" in messianic imagery at New York City's Union Square.  Artist Michael D'Antuono's painting "The Truth" – featuring Obama with his arms outstretched and wearing a crown of thorns upon his head – will be unveiled on April 29 at the Square's South Plaza. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=96138

Swine Flu, Chinese Muslims from Gitmo to Settle in US, Witch Hunt for 'Torturers', Cap-and-Trade Tax

1) Outbreak in Mexico, U.S. tied to new swine flu Source of unique virus a mystery; CDC announces additional case in Calif. The unique strain of swine flu found in California and Texas has been connected to the deadly flu that has broken out in Mexico, killing as many as 61 people, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has confirmed.  The strain has never been seen before and is raising fears of a possible pandemic across North America. …It first looked mostly like a swine virus but closer analysis showed it is a never-before-seen mixture of swine, human and avian viruses. …Mexico canceled classes for millions of children in its sprawling capital city and surrounding area on Friday. …The U.S. cases are a growing medical mystery because it's unclear how they caught the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said none of the eight people were in contact with pigs, which is how people usually catch swine flu. And only a few were in contact with each other. …Still, health officials said it's not a cause for public alarm. Worldwide, seasonal flu kills between 250,000 and 500,000 people in an average year. Plus, testing indicates some mainstream antiviral medications seem to work against the new swine virus. See: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30386163/ 1a) Related: Travel advisory warns of severe respiratory illness in Mexico See: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/04/23/respiratory-illness-flu-mexico.html 2) U.S. plans to accept several Chinese Muslims from Guantanamo Reporting from Washington -- The Obama administration is preparing to admit into the United States as many as seven Chinese Muslims who have been imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay in the first release of any of the detainees into this country, according to current and former U.S. officials. See: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gitmo-release24-2009apr24,0,7979465.story 3) Conservative reps. want Napolitano out House Republicans are calling on Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to step down or be fired in the wake of a controversial department memo that has sparked indignant battle cries from conservatives and some veterans.  “Singling out political opponents for working against the ruling party is precisely the tactic of every tyrannical government from Red China to Venezuela," said Texas Rep. John Carter, a member of the party's elected leadership who has organized an hour of floor speeches Wednesday night to call for Napolitano's ouster. “The first step in the process is creating unfounded public suspicion of political opponents, followed by arresting and jailing any who continue speaking against the regime.” See: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/21606.html 3a) Homeland Security replacing intel official The head of the Homeland Security agency responsible for a controversial report that suggested veterans were being recruited to commit terrorist acts in the U.S. is being replaced by a former FBI and CIA official.  Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced in a statement late Thursday afternoon that the White House intends to nominate Philip Mudd as undersecretary for intelligence and analysis. Mr. Mudd is a 24-year career FBI official, who currently serves as the associate executive assistant director of the bureau's national security branch. …which is just symbolism over substance. Ultimately Napolitano should resign, but the report really came with Obama’s blessing. Don’t tell me he didn’t know what his DHS secretary was doing.   See: http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/24/homeland-security-replaces-veterans-report-agency-/ 4) McCain: Torture Probe Will Be A "Witch Hunt" Sen. John McCain warned that a pursuit for charges against Bush administration officials who helped design harsh interrogation tactics used on terrorist suspects would turn into a "witch hunt." …On Wednesday, McCain and Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., sent President Obama a letter expressing strong concern over his decision to leave the door open to the possible prosecution of officials who crafted controversial Bush administration policy on detainee interrogations.  "Pursuing such prosecutions would, we believe, have serious negative effects on the candor with which officials in any administration provide their best advice, and would take our country in a backward-looking direction at a time when our detainee-related challenges demand that we look forward," the letter said. See: http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/04/23/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry4963412.shtml 5) To get votes, Waxman offers cap-and-trade breaks Green says Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., who heads the panel, is trying to entice him into voting for the bill by giving some refineries favorable treatment in the administration’s “cap and trade” system, which is expected to generate hundreds of billions of dollars over the coming years. Under the plan, companies would pay for the right to emit carbon dioxide, but Green and other lawmakers are angling to get a free pass for refineries in their districts. …While Shimkus acknowledged that closed-door negotiating was “just a way of doing business” in Congress, he said offering emission allowances for votes may take the process beyond ethical boundaries. See: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/To-get-votes-Waxman-offers-cap-and-trade-breaks_04_24-43592342.html 5a) Dingell grills Gore Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) didn't give his friend Al Gore a free pass when he questioned the former VP during his House testimony today. "Cap and trade is a tax, and it's a great big one," Dingell said.  He pushed Gore to explain why adopting cap-and-trade wouldn't lead to the same failures Europe encountered with such policies. And he pushed the former VP to explain why America should make such a sacrifice when other big polluters are not. See: http://briefingroom.thehill.com/2009/04/24/dingell-grills-gore/ 6) The slow takeover…Treasury lends $2 billion more to General Motors WASHINGTON – Taxpayers invested another $2 billion in General Motors Corp. this week as the struggling auto giant continued efforts to restructure and avoid bankruptcy cour See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090424/ap_on_bi_ge/us_auto_bailout 7) Bank industry to hear results of 'stress tests' …When senior White House adviser David Axelrod was asked in an interview last week with The Associated Press about a separate plan to buy up banks' assets, he replied, "Let's see what happens once the stress tests are done and the capital needs of banks are determined."  A draft report from top regulators said the government may end up acquiring a significant ownership stake in banks, according to an article Friday in The Wall Street Journal. However, the draft report from the Financial Stability Oversight Board says U.S. ownership of individual firms "is not an objective," and that any such occurrence would be temporary, the Journal said. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090424/ap_on_bi_ge/us_banks_stress_tests 8) Obama touts plan to change college loan system The administration has pushed for federal financial aid to go directly to students, not to banks that lend money to students. Obama said he wants to eliminate the "middle men" lenders that he says add inefficiency to the system — a move he said could open classrooms to 8.5 million more students. Let’s see. We’ve got the banks already. Yeah, let’s just take this sector over directly too. None of this middle man stuff.   See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090424/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_college_costs 9) China parades naval might BEIJING: China paraded its warships and nuclear submarines on Thursday in an unprecedented display of maritime might attended by 14 other nations to mark the 60th anniversary of its navy.  Fifty-six Chinese subs, destroyers, frigates, missile boats and planes were displayed off the eastern port city of Qingdao just weeks after tensions flared following a naval stand-off with the United States in the South China Sea.  The review -- only the fourth to take place since 1949 and the first on such a large and international scale -- was opened by two of China's nuclear-powered submarines, the first time in history they have been unveiled to the public. See: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4440663.cms 10) Defiant Taliban Forces Advance To Within 60 Miles of Islamabad ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 23 -- Taliban forces consolidated control of two northwestern Pakistan districts and sent patrols into a third Thursday, stepping up their defiance of a government peace deal and raising fears of further advances by violent Islamists who are now within 60 miles of this capital city. See: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/22/AR2009042200863.html 11) State threatens locals: Marry 'gays' – or else Attorney general: 'We must live by and follow what the courts decide' …However, a letter sent to county recorders by the Alliance Defense Fund says Miller is forgetting completely about "one of the most foundational rights and liberties we enjoy as Iowans" … "the right of conscience."  "This right is based upon the simple truth that it is wrong to force anyone to violate his or her conscience," said the letter, also from the Iowa Family Policy Council.  …"This policy allows an employee who does not wish to violate his or her own conscience by issuing a marriage license to a same-sex couple to abstain and allow the transaction to be performed by someone who is willing to do it," he said. "Forcing them to participate in offensive acts contrary to their deeply held beliefs in order to remain employed is unconstitutional. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=95919 11a) Connecticut Gov. Rell Signs Gay Marriage Bill Both the House and the Senate spent hours yesterday debating Senate Bill 899, which passed only after an amendment was added that provides an exemption to groups who object to same-sex marriage on religious grounds. See: http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hcu-gaymarriage-0423,0,664738.story

Congress Knew About Interrogations, Freddie Mac Official Dead, Sebelius Stalled

1) CIA Confirms: Waterboarding 9/11 Mastermind Led to Info that Aborted 9/11-Style Attack on Los Angeles

(CNSNews.com) - The Central Intelligence Agency told CNSNews.com today that it stands by the assertion made in a May 30, 2005 Justice Department memo that the use of “enhanced techniques” of interrogation on al Qaeda leader Khalid Sheik Mohammed (KSM) -- including the use of waterboarding -- caused KSM to reveal information that allowed the U.S. government to thwart a planned attack on Los Angeles.

See: http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=46949

1a) Hill Briefed on Waterboarding in 2002 In September 2002, four members of Congress met in secret for a first look at a unique CIA program designed to wring vital information from reticent terrorism suspects in U.S. custody. For more than an hour, the bipartisan group, which included current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), was given a virtual tour of the CIA's overseas detention sites and the harsh techniques interrogators had devised to try to make their prisoners talk.  Among the techniques described, said two officials present, was waterboarding, a practice that years later would be condemned as torture by Democrats and some Republicans on Capitol Hill. But on that day, no objections were raised. Instead, at least two lawmakers in the room asked the CIA to push harder, two U.S. officials said.  "The briefer was specifically asked if the methods were tough enough," said a U.S. official who witnessed the exchange. See: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/08/AR2007120801664.html And: http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/23/boehner-cia-methods-no-secret-hill/ 1b) Congress Knew About the Interrogations Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair got it right last week when he noted how easy it is to condemn the enhanced interrogation program "on a bright sunny day in April 2009." Reactions to this former CIA program, which was used against senior al Qaeda suspects in 2002 and 2003, are demonstrating how little President Barack Obama and some Democratic members of Congress understand the dire threats to our nation. George Tenet, who served as CIA director under Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, believes the enhanced interrogations program saved lives. He told CBS's "60 Minutes" in April 2007: "I know this program alone is worth more than the FBI, the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency put together have been able to tell us." …It was not necessary to release details of the enhanced interrogation techniques, because members of Congress from both parties have been fully aware of them since the program began in 2002. We believed it was something that had to be done in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to keep our nation safe. After many long and contentious debates, Congress repeatedly approved and funded this program on a bipartisan basis in both Republican and Democratic Congresses (emphasis mine). See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124044188941045415.html 2) Police investigating death of Freddie Mac official VIENNA, VA. – The chief financial officer of Freddie Mac, one of the mortgage giants at the heart of the nation's financial meltdown, was found dead in his basement early Wednesday morning in what police said was an apparent suicide. David Kellermann, 41, apparently hanged himself in his suburban Washington home, said a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation. He asked not to be identified because the investigation was ongoing. …That relationship has been tense and stressful, with Kellermann working long hours, a colleague said. Freddie Mac executives recently battled with federal regulators over whether to disclose potential losses on mortgage securities tied to the Obama administration's housing plan, said a person familiar with the deliberations who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090422/ap_on_bi_ge/us_freddie_mac_official_dead 3) GOP Stymies Vote on Sebelius President Obama will have to wait a bit longer to round out his Cabinet. Senate Republicans refused today to allow a confirmation vote on his health secretary nominee Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D-Kan.). She is the last Cabinet member awaiting Senate approval.  At the start of the session today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) proposed taking a vote after five hours of debate. But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) objected, arguing that lawmakers needed more time to consider her "fairly contentious" selection.  A handful of Republicans have complained about Sebelius' support for abortion rights and her failure to report the full extent of campaign contributions she received from a physician who performs abortions. See: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/04/23/gop_stymies_vote_on_sebelius.html And: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090423/ap_on_go_co/us_sebelius_hhs Indeed, “Sebelius received almost $40,000 in campaign contributions tied to Dr. George Tiller through 2002 — a figure she was forced to revise after Operation Rescue challenged her initial $12,400 total. Sebelius said it was an ‘inadvertent omission.’” See: http://www.sba-list.org/site/apps/nlnet/content.aspx?c=ddJBKJNsFqG&b=4186739&content_id={A1B3E441-E6AA-45EF-9BA3-51691B1F58EB}&notoc=1 4) Judiciary Committee greenlights 'hate crimes' Members refuse to protect Christian pastors from charges Members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee today rejected an opportunity to protect Christian pastors who preach the biblical condemnation of homosexuality and approved on a 15-12 vote a "hate crimes" bill that supporters admit could be used to bring charges against religious leaders.  The bill, H.R. 1913, now will be considered by the full House of Representatives. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=95923 5) Fuzzy Math The GOP took some heat when they called out the $3,100 extra tax dollars per year American households would have to pay when Cap & Trade is implemented. The MIT professor who worked on the study said the GOP was lying -- predictably liberal bloggers and left media like Keith Olbermann picked up on this and made fun of the GOP by mocking them as mathematicians. Turns out it was the MIT professor who was the idiot, after admitting to a 'boneheaded excel spreadsheet' mistake, and wouldn't you know it---the actual number is even higher than the GOP's estimate. See: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/24433/ 6) Is Obama campaign cash quashing eligibility suits? FEC shows more than $1 million paid to top law firm since election President Obama may be using campaign funds to stomp out eligibility lawsuits brought by Americans, as his campaign has paid more than $1 million to his top lawyer since the election.  According to Federal Election Commission records, Obama For America paid $688,316.42 to international law firm Perkins Coie between January and March 2009. The campaign also compensated Perkins Coie for legal services between Oct. 16, 2008 and Dec. 31, 2008 – to the tune of $378,375.52.  Robert Bauer of Perkins Coie – top lawyer for Obama, Obama's presidential campaign, the Democratic National Committee and Obama's Organizing for America – is the same Washington, D.C., lawyer defending President Obama in lawsuits challenging his eligibility to be president. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=95772

More on "The Give Act", Torture Memos, Spending Cuts that are Not, More Obama Admin Corruption

1) Obama urges citizens to undertake national service WASHINGTON – Calling on Americans to volunteer, President Barack Obama signed a $5.7 billion national service bill Tuesday that triples the size of the AmeriCorps service program over the next eight years and expands ways for students to earn money for college. "What this legislation does, then, is to help harness this patriotism and connect deeds to needs," said Obama, a former community organizer in Chicago. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090422/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_national_service 1a) New law to 'manage' 8 million 'volunteers' WND reported when the bill began its quick trip through Congress, and its original language called for a study of how best to implement a mandatory national service program for citizens of the United States (emphasis mine).  Later the language was dropped from that bill, only to appear at the same time in another legislative proposal. That plan, H.R. 1444, now is in committee. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=95674 2) Obama open to torture memos probe, prosecution WASHINGTON – Widening an explosive debate on torture, President Barack Obama on Tuesday opened the possibility of prosecution for Bush-era lawyers who authorized brutal interrogation of terror suspects and suggested Congress might order a full investigation. Less than a week after declaring it was time for the nation to move on rather than "laying blame for the past," Obama found himself describing what might be done next to investigate what he called the loss of "our moral bearings." See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090422/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_interrogation_memos 2a) Cheney: Release interrogation success stories Argues techniques such as waterboarding yielded crucial results for U.S. …"One of the things that I find a little bit disturbing about this recent disclosure is they put out the legal memos, the memos that the CIA got from the Office of Legal Counsel, but they didn't put out the memos that showed the success of the effort," Cheney said. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=95730 And: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8009571.stm 3) Obama’s Spending vs Obama’s Spending Cuts — in Pictures See: http://blog.heritage.org/2009/04/20/obamas-spending-vs-obamas-spending-cuts-in-pictures/ 4) Key Obama Climate Change Exchange Being Swayed by Top U.N. Officials A greenhouse gases trading system funded with the support of then-Illinois State Sen. Barack Obama, which is likely to play a major role in his $650 million cap-and-trade initiative, lists five present or former top-ranking U.N. officials on its advisory board who've had enormous influence over climate change matters -- including one who received $1 million from a convicted South Korean lobbyist. The most controversial figure of the five, Maurice Strong, was one of former Secretary General Kofi Annan's key aides at the U.N. for years until the Iraq Oil-for-Food scandal forced him to leave. Since then Strong has lived mostly in China. Calls to the exchange for comment about Strong's role, and that of other U.N. figures, were not returned. See: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/20/key-obama-climate-change-exchange-swayed-officials/ 5) EXCLUSIVE: Senator's husband's firm cashes in on crisis On the day the new Congress convened this year, Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation to route $25 billion in taxpayer money to a government agency that had just awarded her husband's real estate firm a lucrative contract to sell foreclosed properties at compensation rates higher than the industry norms. See: http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/21/senate-husbands-firm-cashes-in-on-crisis/ 6) Janet Napolitano said what? “And yes, when we find illegal workers, yes, appropriate action, some of which is criminal, most of that is civil, because crossing the border is not a crime per se. It is civil. But anyway, going after those as well.” ENTRY WITHOUT INSPECTION IS A CRIME: In fact, pursuant to 8 U.S.C. 1325, crossing the border illegally is a crime–a misdemeanor for the first offense and a felony for the second and subsequent offenses. But of course, ignoring or mischaracterizing the law is a very convenient way for those in power to avoid the laws they find most inconvenient. Sadly, statements such as these are also a signal that Americans will have to wait a long time before their government articulates any credible immigration enforcement policy. See: http://michellemalkin.com/2009/04/21/janet-napolitano-said-what/ 7) Obama chief Axelrod sells 'astroturfing' firm Inventor of artificial 'grassroots' efforts dismissed tea parties as fake White House senior adviser David Axelrod – who has dismissed the April 15 tea parties as "astroturf" rather than grassroots events" – stands to profit $3 million over the next five years from selling his interest in ASK Public Strategies, a Chicago public relations firm he created that many credit with having invented "astroturfing."  The term "astroturfing" refers to a practice in which a public relations firm or a corporation artificially creates an impression of grassroots support for a cause or concern. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=95744 8) The Richer-Is-Greener Curve In my Findings column, I explain how researchers have discovered that, over the long term, being richer often translates into being greener. Many environmental problems get worse as a country first industrializes, but once it reaches a certain level of income, the trend often reverses, producing a curve shaped like an upside-down U. It’s called a Kuznets curve (in honor of the economist Simon Kuznets, who detected this pattern in trends of income inequality). See: http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/the-richer-is-greener-curve/ 9) Miss California: God was testing me Contestant loses pageant crown after answering 'gay' marriage question At Sunday night's Miss USA pageant, contestant Carrie Prejean was asked the one question she dreaded most, "Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage; do you think every state should follow suit?" Her answer, which suddenly has made her the center of both praise and scorn, included the words, "In my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised and that's how I think it should be – between a man and a woman." See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=95656