Saturday, October 24, 2009
Relationship With France Has Gotten Worse Under The Global Citizen Barack Obama
Rueters reports that "French President Nicolas Sarkozy, initially dubbed Sarko the American for his pro-U.S. stance, is finding it much tougher to deal with Washington than he had anticipated and is recalibrating his policies accordingly. Stung by perceived snubs from U.S. President Barack Obama and encouraged by the growing importance of the G20, Sarkozy is increasingly reaching out to non-aligned states in an effort to extend France’s international influence. He has forged especially close ties with Brazil, is seeking alliances in central Asia and is intensifying his activities in the Middle East, using multi-billion dollar military and civilian nuclear trade deals as his calling card. These initiatives are being played out against a discordant tone in Franco-American relations. This lack of harmony does not constitute a crisis, but is nonetheless raising eyebrows." Tweet
House Health Care Bill Exceeds $1 Trillion
The AP reports that "health care legislation taking shape in the House carries a price tag of at least $1 trillion over a decade, significantly higher than the target President Barack Obama has set, congressional officials said Friday as they struggled to finish work on the measure for a vote early next month. Democrats have touted an unreleased Congressional Budget Office estimate of $871 billion in recent days, a total that numerous officials acknowledge understates the bill's true cost by $150 billion or more. That figure excludes several items designed to improve benefits for Medicare and Medicaid recipients and providers, as well as public health programs and more, they added." Tweet
Friday, October 23, 2009
Pelosi Says That Questioning Constitutionality Of Individual Mandates Is Not A "Serious” Question
To listent to the audio for yourself visit http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/checker.aspx?v=GdSU2GZu8z. Tweet
ME Mother In Ad: "After...Legalized Gay Marriage, Our Son Came Home And Told Us The School Taught Him That Boys Can Marry Other Boys"
MCT News Service reports that "a year ago, Robin and Robb Wirthlin went to Riverside Wesleyan Church in Sacramento, Calif., to warn Californians about what they feared might happen if gay marriage remained legal in the state.The Mormon couple from Massachusetts, who also were featured in television advertisements in California, said they were horrified after gay marriage was legalized in their own state. They said their 7-year-old son came home from school and told them his teacher had read 'King and King,' a fairy tale about two princes who wed. Now the Wirthlins are carrying the same message on television ads in Maine, where voters will decide the fate of gay marriage in their state on Nov. 3. The Maine vote is the first in the nation on same-sex marriage since Californians voted to reject gay marriage last November. The vote overruled a decision by the California Supreme Court, which had legalized gay marriage. So California's long fight over same-sex marriage has moved temporarily to New England, where many of the same players are slugging it out, often using the same strategies that worked so well for opponents in the Golden State." In an ad, Robin Wirthlin looks into the camera and says: "After Massachusetts legalized gay marriage, our son came home and told us the school taught him that boys can marry other boys." Her husband adds: "We tried to stop public schools from teaching children about gay marriage, but the courts said we had no right to object to pull him out of class." Tweet
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Russians Violating SALT Treaty
The Washington Times reports that "Republicans in the Senate are gearing up to battle the Obama administration over the high-priority plan to finish a new arms-control treaty with Russia before the end of the year. Sen. Jon Kyl, Arizona Republican and No. 2 Republican Senate leader, recently identified a key issue that is likely to complicate the administration's plan: Russia for years has been violating the current Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which is set to expire Dec. 5. Mr. Kyl said in a Senate floor speech Oct. 19 that Russia's development of a new multiple-warhead RS-24 missile that was tested as recently as May 2007 violates the current treaty." Tweet
Israeli Supreme Court: Security Overrides Arab Travel Rights
IsraelINN.com reports that "A three-member Supreme Court panel ruled on Thursday that the authorities are permitted to impose travel restrictions upon Arabs in order to protect lives – but said other methods must be considered. The panel included Chief Justice Dorit Beinisch and Judges Eliezer Rivlin and Ayala Procaccia." Tweet
Likud Minister Livnat Apologizes For Supporting Gaza Pullout
Ynetnews.com reports that Israeli Minister Limor Livnat of the Likud party has apologized for supporting the evacuation of all settlers and soldiers from Gaza in 2005. "I ask that you forgive me for voting in favor of the disengagement from Gaza," the Culture and Sport Minister said Thursday during a meeting with the former residents of the settlement bloc in the Strip. Tweet
ADL Blasts Spain For Excluding West Bank Israeli University From Solar Competition
The Jerusalem Post reports that "one of the largest American Jewish advocacy organization blasted as unfair and unjustified the Spanish government's decision to exclude Israel's Ariel University Center of Samaria from the Solar Decathlon Europe. The exclusion of the West Bank academic institution could not be justified as a broader European policy or in the context of EU treatment of 'universities elsewhere in the world in areas [the EU deems] occupied,' according to a statement issued the New York-based Anti-Defamation League on Thursday." The Jerusalem Post further reports that according to the ADL "there is no policy of noncooperation with Israeli institutions in the West Bank, some of which have received funding from the 'EU Framework Programme for R&D.'" The American Jewish anti-discrimination group also listed other universities "in occupied areas that have received EU support." Tweet
John Bolton: "The Danger Of Obama's Dithering: His foreign policy brings to mind Jimmy Carter, Or Perhaps Ethelred The Unready"
John Bolton argues that "taken together, weakness and indecisiveness have proved historically to be a toxic combination for America's global interests. That is exactly the combination we now see under President Obama." To read the full article visit http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-bolton18-2009oct18,0,4090854.story?track=rss. Tweet
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
MSNBC Anchor Calls Jesse Jackson "The Reverend Al Sharpton"
For a guy who mistakenly said on TV that he wants to cut Obama's nuts off, Jesse Jackson seems to take this anchor's mistake pretty seriously:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
I wonder what the reaction would be if a Fox News anchor made the same mistake? Tweet
Qassam Rocket From Gaza Explodes In Israeli Agricultural Zone
Ynewnews reports that "a Qassam rocket fired Wednesday evening from the northern Gaza Strip exploded in an agricultural zone near a southern Israel kibbutz. No injuries or damages were reported in the latest attack." Tweet
Treasury Set To Cut Executive Pay By %90 For Companies That Recieved Bailout Funds
Bloomberg reports that "the Obama administration will order seven companies that received the most government assistance to cut salaries of top executives by 90 percent on average, a person familiar with the situation said. The Treasury Department’s announcement will come this week, the person said on condition of anonymity. Total compensation, including bonuses and other benefits, for the 25 highest-paid executives must be reduced by about 50 percent, the person said." Tweet
49 Out Of 50 States Have Fewer Jobs Since Stimulus Passed
According to the data, 49 States and the District of Columbia have lost jobs since stimulus was enacted. Only North Dakota has seen net job creation following the February 2009 stimulus. While President Obama claimed the result of his stimulus bill would be the creation of 3.5 million jobs, the Nation has already lost a total of 2.7 million – a difference of 6.2 million jobs. To see how stimulus has failed your state, visit http://www.republicans.waysandmeans.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=150826. Tweet
Charges Brought Against Massachusetts Jihadist
Rueters reports that "U.S. federal prosecutors have charged a Massachusetts man with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, alleging he and co-conspirators traveled to the Middle East seeking training, discussed attacking a shopping center, and distributed videos promoting holy war. Tarek Mehanna, 27, from Sudbury, Massachusetts, was arrested at his home on Wednesday morning, officials said. 'Mehanna and the co-conspirators had multiple conversations about obtaining automatic weapons and randomly shooting people in a shopping mall, and that the conversations went so far as to discuss the logistics of a mall attack, including coordination, weapons needed and the possibility of attacking emergency responders,' the U.S. Justice Department said." Tweet
WSJ On "Britian's Double Take" On The Goldstone Report
To read this WSJ opinion piece about Britian's position on the Goldstone Report visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB40001424052748704322004574475560854872736.html. Tweet
Ahmadinejad Denies The Holocaust And Warns Europeans Of The Zionists: "They Cling Like Ticks"
To read the transcript of the anti-semitic rant for yourself visit http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/2247.htm.
To see a video of the speech with English subtitles visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2247.htm.
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Former CIA Director Michael Hayden: "Obama Wrong To Release Interrogation Memos"
To read the recent article by Michael Hayden visit http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/19/hayden.interrogation/index.html. Tweet
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Gallup: Support For Marijuana Legalization At All-Time High
Gallup reports that "Gallup's October Crime poll finds 44% of Americans in favor of making marijuana legal and 54% opposed. U.S. public support for legalizing marijuana was fixed in the 25% range from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, but acceptance jumped to 31% in 2000 and has continued to grow throughout this decade... The highest level of support for decriminalizing the use of marijuana today is seen with self-described liberals, among whom 78% are in favor. In contrast, 72% of conservatives are opposed. Moderates are about evenly divided on whether the use of marijuana should be legal, although they tilt against it (51% vs. 46%)." Tweet
Democrats Lock Republicans Out Of Committee Room
The Hill reports that "Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) locked Republicans out of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee room to keep them from meeting when Democrats aren’t present.Towns’ action came after repeated public ridicule from the leading Republican on the committee, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), over Towns’s failure to launch an investigation into Countrywide Mortgage’s reported sweetheart deals to VIPs. For months Towns has refused Republican requests to subpoena records in the case. Last Thursday Committee Republicans, led by Issa, were poised to force an open vote on the subpoenas at a Committee mark-up meeting. The mark-up was abruptly canceled. Only Republicans showed up while Democrats chairs remained empty." Tweet
Palestinian Calls Tony Blair A "Terrorist"
The Jerusalem Post reports that "Palestinian guards in Hebron stopped a man who hurled abuse at EU special Mideast envoy Tony Blair on Tuesday, Israel Radio reported. The man, who Reuters reported was carrying a bag, yelled at Blair, calling him 'a terrorist.' The man also shouted, 'He is not welcome in the land of Palestine,' according to Reuters." Not welcome in the land of Palestine? Yet people wonder why there is a conflict with Israel? It's because the enemies tof the Jewish State view Israel in the same way this man views Tony Blair, not welcome in the "land of Palestine" from the river to the sea.
There never was a Palestinian state, and it is the enemies of Israel that make it very easy to understand why it is unlikely there will or should be one in the near future.
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House Health Care Bill Under $900 Billion
Reuters reports that "House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Tuesday new estimates showed a healthcare overhaul drafted by Democrats would reduce the U.S. budget deficit over 10 years and cost less than $900 billion." Reduce the budget deficit because it only costs a mere $900 billion? That's like buying another expensive dress and then saying you "saved money because it was on sale." You did not save anything because you did not need to buy it in the first place. Tweet
New York Times: "Painful Mideast Truth: Force Trumps Diplomacy"
To read this article about force trumping diplomacy when it comes to the Israeli-Arab conflict visit http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/world/middleeast/20mideast.html?_r=1&hp. Tweet
Geert Wilders To Speak At Temple University Despite Calls From Muslims That He Be Banned
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that "a controversial Dutch politician with anti-Islamic views will be allowed to speak at Temple University this evening despite calls by Muslims that he be prevented from giving an address on campus. Geert Wilders, a member of the Dutch parliament, has called for a halt to the immigration of Muslims to the Netherlands and a ban on the Quran. On Friday, he was allowed to visit Britain after a court ruled that a government prohibition against his presence was unjust. He called the court ruling 'a victory for the freedom of speech.' During his British visit, according to multiple news accounts, Islamists protested outside where Wilders spoke, holding placards that read: 'Islam Will Dominate the World' and 'Sharia for the Netherlands.' They also chanted, 'Free speech go to hell.'" Tweet
Jake Tapper To Robert Gibbs: Why Is It "Appropriate For The White House To Decide That A News Organization Is Not One?"
The following exchange took place between White House correspondent Jake Tapper and Robert Gibbs:
Tapper: It’s escaped none of our notice that the White House has decided in the last few weeks to declare one of our sister organizations “not a news organization” and to tell the rest of us not to treat them like a news organization. Can you explain why it’s appropriate for the White House to decide that a news organization is not one –
(Crosstalk)
Gibbs: Jake, we render, we render an opinion based on some of their coverage and the fairness that, the fairness of that coverage.
Tapper: But that’s a pretty sweeping declaration that they are “not a news organization.” How are they any different from, say –
Gibbs: ABC -
Tapper: ABC. MSNBC. Univision. I mean how are they any different?
Gibbs: You and I should watch sometime around 9 o’clock tonight. Or 5 o’clock this afternoon.
Tapper: I’m not talking about their opinion programming or issues you have with certain reports. I’m talking about saying thousands of individuals who work for a media organization, do not work for a “news organization” -- why is that appropriate for the White House to say?
Gibbs: That’s our opinion.
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Monday, October 19, 2009
%93.5 Of Jewish Israelis Think Goldstone Report Is Biased, While Only %5 Of Arab Israelis Do Not Believe Israel Committed War Crimes
Arutz Sheva reports that "seventy-nine percent of Israel's Jewish public disagrees with the Goldstone report's claim that the IDF committed war crimes in Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, according to a new survey by Tel Aviv University. Only 5% of the Arab sector disagreed with the war crimes claim. The poll found that Israeli Jews familiar with the Goldstone report's main conclusion were almost unanimous in the opinion that the report was biased against the IDF: 61% of the Jews were aware of Goldstone's major finding, and 93.5% of these believed the report was biased. This opinion crossed political lines between Right and Left." Tweet
Christopher Hitchens: "Why Wait To Disarm Iran?"
In his newest article Hitchens argues that "there's no possible advantage in waiting until Tehran has nukes." To read this article visit http://www.slate.com/id/2232860/?from=rss. Tweet
Marijuana Federalism: New Obama Federal Marijuana Policy In Line With Constitution
The AP reports that "federal drug agents won't pursue pot-smoking patients or their sanctioned suppliers in states that allow medical marijuana, under new legal guidelines to be issued Monday by the Obama administration. Two Justice Department officials described the new policy to The Associated Press, saying prosecutors will be told it is not a good use of their time to arrest people who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state law. The guidelines to be issued by the department do, however, make it clear that agents will go after people whose marijuana distribution goes beyond what is permitted under state law or use medical marijuana as a cover for other crimes, the officials said."
I part from many of my fellow conservatives to commend Obama for this action. What it does is allow for marijuana policy to be decided by individual states. It shows respect for legislation passed by the individual states regarding marijuana.
In 2005, the Supreme Court actually ruled in favor of the Bush administration in Gonzalez v. Raich by holding that Congress’ Commerce Clause authority includes the power to prohibit the local cultivation and use of marijuana in compliance with California law. The majority opinion was written by Justice John Paul Stevens. The facts were, as Justice Stevens explained, that Diane "Monson cultivates her own marijuana, and ingests the drug in a variety of ways including smoking and using a vaporizer." Angel "Raich, by contrast, is unable to cultivate her own, and thus relies on two caregivers, litigating as 'John Does,' to provide her with locally grown marijuana at no charge... On August 15, 2002, county deputy sheriffs and agents from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) came to Monson’s home. After a thorough investigation, the county officials concluded that her use of marijuana was entirely lawful as a matter of California law. Nevertheless, after a 3-hour standoff, the federal agents seized and destroyed all six of her cannabis plants." The Court essentially ruled that "the CSA is a statute that regulates the production, distribution, and consumption of commodities for which there is an established, and lucrative, interstate market. Prohibiting the intrastate possession or manufacture of an article of commerce is a rational (and commonly utilized) means of regulating commerce in that product." Therefore, under the interstate commerce clause, the federal law trumps the state laws on this issue. Even Justice Antonin Scalia concurred in judgment with the majority of the Court, agreeing with the outcome but taking issue with "the doctrinal foundation on which that holding rests."
However, it is my opinion, as well as that of Justice Clarence Thomas, that the majority was abusing and misusing the Commerce Clause, stretching it far away from its original purpose and intent, using it to allow Congress to override constitutional state laws that legitimately belong within the realm of individual state legislative power. Justice Thomas explained that the intent of the Framers that authored the Commerce Clause was indeed to empower "Congress to regulate the buying and selling of goods and services trafficked across state lines." However, in James "Madison’s notes from the Constitutional Convention, The Federalist Papers, and the ratification debates, the term 'commerce' is consistently used to mean trade or exchange–not all economic or gainful activity that has some attenuated connection to trade or exchange." He emphasizes that Diane Monson and Angel Raich "neither buy nor sell the marijuana that they consume. They cultivate their cannabis entirely in the State of California–it never crosses state lines, much less as part of a commercial transaction. Certainly no evidence from the founding suggests that 'commerce' included the mere possession of a good or some purely personal activity that did not involve trade or exchange for value. In the early days of the Republic, it would have been unthinkable that Congress could prohibit the local cultivation, possession, and consumption of marijuana." In fact, Justice Thomas rightly declares "that Diane Monson and Angel Raich use marijuana that has never been bought or sold, that has never crossed state lines, and that has had no demonstrable effect on the national market for marijuana. If Congress can regulate this under the Commerce Clause, then it can regulate virtually anything–and the Federal Government is no longer one of limited and enumerated powers." It is this dissenting opinion which actually remains loyal to the Constitution.
The Obama administration's motives in parting from the Bush-era policy is not loyalty to the original meaning of the Commerce Clause. The Obama administration's justification is rather that federal lawyers prosecuting individual marijuana users who are in compliance with state law is not a "good use of their time." The fact remains, however, that this move by the President does in fact fall in line with opinion of Justice Thomas, an opinion I find to be the more accurate reflection of the Constitution's text and history. It is for this reason, and not because I have made a value judgment about how federal prosecutors should spend their time, that I support the administration's decision. The marijuana that those like Monson and Raich were using in compliance with California law was not being cultivated or used for the purpose of commerce between the states. As such, the federal government should know its role and stop its interference in this area.
Furthermore, Jonathan H. Adler is professor of law at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He writes that so long as we assume the guidelines are as they have been reported, it "is a positive step toward a more rational drug control policy and greater respect for state-level policymaking. The Justice Department has to set prosecutorial priorities, as there are more federal crimes on the books than federal prosecutors can ever hope to prosecute. The aim should be to focus federal resources in those areas where there is a distinct federal interest, or where the federal government has a comparative advantage of state and local law enforcement... California should be free to set its own marijuana policy, but the federal government retains an interest in preventing California’s choice from adversely affecting neighboring states. Ideally, the federal government would treat marijuana like alcohol, retaining a federal role in controlling illegal interstate trafficking but leaving each state entirely free to set its own marijuana policy, whether it be prohibition, decriminalization, or somewhere in between. Fourteen states have already decriminalized medical marijuana to some degree. Were the federal government to allow states even greater autonomy, I suspect more would follow."
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WSJ's Daniel Henninger: "A Decadent Nobel"
Henninger writes that the Nobel "is about political decadence." To read the article visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB40001424052748704107204574473543586270418.html. Tweet
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