Clown headed to Senate after dubious recounts

Well, it’s now official.  Minnesota Democrats have stolen the election to seat a genuine idiot in the US Senate.  Here’s you’re new Senator Minnesotans.

And just to remind everyone, Coleman was ahead before the dubious, repeated recounts that finally “found” enough votes to put the clown on top. Here are some of the questionable votes that show just how fraudulent the recount was.

Do we now have an Axis of American Marxists?

Yesterday, Bill Smith posted here on the situation in Honduras where the leftist President Manuel Zelaya was deposed through a valid, legal, constitutional process.  Our own President now stands shoulder to shoulder with other leftist heads of state in the Americas, like Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro.  Smith has a great follow-up post here that explains the removal of Zelaya was no military coup, as President Obama labeled it, but a concerted effort by the Legislative and Judicial branches of the Honduran gov’t that used the military to carry out their consitutional orders to remove the President.

In light of Obama’s response, his choice of friends, and his efforts to nationalize American industry and distribute our wealth, I think we can now consider him an official member of the Axis of American Marxists.

On Race, the Slog Goes On

by George Will on Townhall.com

WASHINGTON — Although New Haven’s firefighters deservedly won in the Supreme Court, it is deeply depressing that they won narrowly — 5-4. The egregious behavior by that city’s government, in a context of racial rabble-rousing, did not seem legally suspect to even one of the court’s four liberals, whose harmony seemed to reflect result-oriented rather than law-driven reasoning.

The undisputed facts are that in 2003 the city gave promotion exams to 118 firemen, 27 of them black. The tests were prepared by a firm specializing in employment exams and were validated, as federal law requires, by independent experts. When none of the African-Americans did well enough to qualify for the available promotions, a black minister allied with the seven-term mayor warned of a dire “political ramification” if the city promoted from the list of persons (including one Hispanic) that the exams identified as qualified. The city decided that no one would be promoted, calling this a race-neutral outcome because no group was disadvantaged more than any other.

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So you think you’ll like Obamacare?

This guy probably did too…but then he fell ill.  Unfortunately for him, he’s already living with Obamacare, Canada-style.  Take a look and see how well this system really works and what we have to look forward to if it ever passes.

Think again if you’re a supporter of the the President’s health care plan!

Death by Obamanomics?

by Irwin M. Stelzer in The Weekly Standard

Death by a thousand cuts. Or in the case of the efficiency of the U.S. economy, by at least four: energy policy, health care policy, trade union resurgence, and fiscal madness.

Start with energy. The world is awash in it. The wind blows and the sun shines, at least some times and somewhere. Oil and gas wells gush, and substantial oil- and gas-rich areas have never even been explored. Coal abounds. Nuclear power can be had at a cost. So why has Barack Obama made energy policy one of his three top priorities — education and health care are the other two — in a country in which inexpensive energy has produced the world’s most productive agriculture, a population capable of navigating America’s huge spaces in air-conditioned comfort, and permitted the substitution of energy-plus-brain-power for back-breaking labor?

One problem is that oil is largely in the hands of very bad actors. Still another is that almost all sources of energy have significant impacts on the environment: solar panels consume acres of space; wind machines are considered eye sores by those who can spot them; oil, natural gas and coal emit CO2, responsible for claims that the globe is warming; nuclear power generates long-lived and dangerous waste.

Some of these problems are soluble, although not without cost. Domestic producers of natural gas tout their product as a substitute for petrol in trucks, busses and other vehicles. Progress is apparently being made in developing cars and trucks that run on at least partly on batteries. The efficiency of vehicles is being increased, albeit in response to inefficient government edicts rather than to more efficient price signals. Never mind that the infrastructure for these various gasoline substitutes has not been developed, and that the cost of these technologies exceeds that of the gasoline-fuelled internal combustion engine by a good margin. They must be listed in the possible column. That’s the good news.

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EPA, Obama ignore science to pass tax hike

Though the MSM and even Fox News spent the last few days broadcasting near 24-hour coverage of the death of a washed-up pop star, there were real news stories to be covered.  The same day the US House passed the job-killing Waxman-Markey tax hike disguised as a climate bill, the Competitive Enterprise Institute released a draft report by EPA researcher Alan Carlin that had been suppressed by the agency’s top brass.  We now have the full report available and it’s damning to the EPA and, by extension, to the President.

Three days prior to releasing the draft, CEI had published four internal EPA emails that show the agency’s was motivated by politics to ignore science that undermines global warming alarmists’ propaganda.  Emails from an EPA bureaucrat forbidding Carlin to speak to anyone about his findings and another that basically informs Carlin his research is being ignored for political reasons are especially damning.  The same bureaucrat, Al McGartland, followed up his previous emails with the statement, “I don’t want you to spend any additional EPA time on climate change.”

I seem to recall President Obama making the claim that he would restore science to its rightful place, or something along those lines.  But here we have professional bureaucrats, who serve his administration, placing politics over science.  Obama’s pledge to maintain the “most transparent administration in history” is broken (again) in the same breath.  And once again, the MSM drops the ball to keep the American people uninformed of the failings of the President’s administration.  Searches of CNN, MSNBC, ABC News, and NBC News for “Alan Carlin” reveal none of these networks have made any attempt to cover this story.  Of the major news networks, only CBS covered the story in a timely manner.  Though it aired a story on the report today, even Fox News ignored the story in the beginning.

Carlin points out that his research was performed under such severe time constraints that errors may exist in his findings, but goes on to say “What is actually noteworthy about this effort is not the relative apparent scientific shine of the two sides but rather the relative ease with which major holes have been found in the GHG/CO2/AGW argument.”  He concludes the EPA’s choice to depend on third-party research based on questionable science to stake its position on global warming is a mistake.

He notes the hyp0thesis that Global Warming is man-made, or even occuring, violates basic scientific principles because observable data fails to conform to the supposition.  According to Carlin, “The most reliable sets of global temperature data we have, using satellite microwave sounding units, show no appreciable temperature increases…”  His report challenges the practice of ignoring other “major potential causes” of Global Warming in models the EPA depends on to support its position, stating that said practice likely overstates the importance of the impact of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.

Carlin notes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s AR-4 report, heavily leaned on by the EPA to support its position, is outdated and that global temperatures have actually decreased even while CO2 levels and emissions have increased.  He also points out that empirical evidence invalidates crucial assumptions in the IPCC report.  Another glaring problem ignored by the EPA is recent scholarly work that indicates some of the IPCC’s data was invalid.

So if observable data doesn’t support the EPA’s position, and clear evidence the agency is suppressing findings that contradict its position exists, and that evidence strongly suggests the agency was pressured to conform its findings to the political will of the President’s administration, what can we conclude?

It’s becoming obvious the only place science has in the Obama administration is to support his political position.  If science doesn’t support that position, such findings will be buried and the administration will attempt to silence the authors of any such report.  Upon her confirmation by the Senate to lead the EPA, Lisa Jackson said “As Administrator, I will ensure EPA’s efforts to address the environmental crises of today are rooted in three fundamental values: science-based policies and programs, adherence to the rule of law, and overwhelming transparency.”  At least two of the three “fundamental values” were abandoned in the suppression of this report.

I’m including Administrator Jackson’s contact information at the EPA and encourage any and everyone to contact her office by phone, email and snail mail to let her know we recognize what’s going on and we don’t like it.  She and the President have used the agency to further the political agenda of Obama in an effort to push through the massive tax hike known as “Cap and Trade.”  You can also contact the White House to let them know we know what Obama’s up to and be sure to contact your Senators and demand they vote against Cap and Trade.

Lisa Jackson, EPA Administrator Mailing address: USEPA Headquarters Ariel Rios Building 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N. W. Mail Code: 1101A Washington, DC 20460 Email: jackson.lisa@epa.gov Phone: 202-564-4700

This administration may well be the most dishonest, opaque, and devious ever to occupy the White House.  Let them know we’re not fooled.

In Honduras, Freedom Restored

ARRA News – The story out of Honduras is that the people of that stalwart little country have now taken it into their own hands to preserve their democracy in the most courageous action since they established their constitutional republic nearly three decades ago. Just as former Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales prepared to seize full power in direct violation of the nation’s Constitution, the military leadership – with the backing of the people – removed him from power.

Unfortunately, Barak Obama, after encouraging the Zelaya coup with his complicit silence, has now condemned the people’s move to uphold their Constitution and preserve their freedom. And, as expected, the mainstream media has joined Mr. Obama in censuring the restoration of democracy by censoring the full story. Yet, what actually occurred in Honduras is a case study in the survival of freedom against the most oppressive odds.

Earlier this year, in the face of strong public opposition, Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales declared that he would stage a referendum to have the country’s constitutional term limits law overturned, thereby allowing him to remain indefinitely in power. The people of Honduras had adopted the single, four-year–term limit as part of their Constitution in January of 1982. Significantly, the term limits provision is one of only eight “firm articles,” out of 375. By law, cannot be amended.

The Supreme Court of Honduras declared the Zelaya referendum unconstitutional, his own Liberal Party came out in strong opposition, and the public overwhelmingly opposed his power grab. Despite this, Zelaya, a leftwing politician with strong ties to Cuba’s Castro and Venezuela’s Chavez, scheduled the referendum for Sunday, June 28. At midnight, Wednesday, June 24, the strong-arm president gave a televised speech accusing his opposition of promoting “destabilization and chaos” by attempting to thwart his unconstitutional referendum.

As the situation in Honduras continued to deteriorate, the Zelaya’s attorney general called for his ouster; his Defense Minister resigned; he fired the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for stating that he would refuse to send out troops to put down public protests; the chiefs of the army, navy, and air force resigned; and the country’s Supreme Court ordered the nation’s army and police not to support the unconstitutional referendum.

Through all of this, Barack Obama abetted the Zelaya power grab through his calculated silence. Yet, the brave people of Honduras – enduring almost unfathomable duress – stood firm in support of their Constitution and the term limits embodied in it. Now that the will of the people has triumphed over tragedy, we believe the time has come for Mr. Obama to concede the defeat of his partner and policy, and for the U.S. media to support those who, putting principle above personal safety, have let freedom ring. We applaud the Freedom Fighters of neighboring Honduras. [Source by ALG News]

Why Adultery is Political Suicide

by Steve Chapman on Townhall.com

By now, it’s clear that Mark Sanford has about as much of a future in politics as he does in sumo wrestling. His confession of adultery was all it took to demolish any hopes he had of running for president — and perhaps even to force him to step down as governor of South Carolina. But why?

After all, we’ve had presidents who are revered by posterity despite being unreliable husbands. Hardly anyone even remembers now that Franklin Roosevelt had a mistress, that Dwight Eisenhower may have had one, or that John Kennedy had several.

In the intervening decades, we’ve also become far more aware of just how common such behavior is among officeholders — not only Gary Hart, Bill Clinton and Rudy Giuliani but lesser-known mayors, governors, congressmen and water commissioners. Nowadays, finding that a politician breached his marital vows is about as surprising as learning that a professional athlete failed a drug test. If Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi can overcome their guilt, why not Sanford?

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House passes huge middle-class tax hike

By a 219-212 vote, eight Republicans and 211 Democrats, passed today what Democrats titled “Cap & Trade.”  According to The Heritage Foundation, HR 2454 will cost a family of four $2979 per year by taxing energy consumption, increased production costs that will be passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices, and adverse economic impacts such as lost jobs and lower GDP.  Though concerned citizens jammed the switchboards of their representatives yesterday to fight against what is really the Democrats’ new “Energy Tax,” our elitist elected officials ignored their constituents’ pleas and protests to push through this huge tax increase that will surely cripple an already ailing economy.

Though President Obama campaigned on the promise of a middle class tax cut, he’s a principal backer of this economy-killing tax.  The Wall Street Journal points out that the 95% of Americans the President promised a tax cut will be the hardest hit by this latest Democratic plan to seize a bigger portion of our paychecks.  Forget for a minute that what Obama calls a tax cut doesn’t deserve that moniker.  The President claims what he dubs a tax cut will save American households only $500-$1000–nowhere even close to the costs those Americans will incur if HR 2454 passes the Senate and is signed into law.

What the President and his Democratic allies are perpetrating is a huge con job on the American people.  They hand you somewhere between $500 and $1000, while picking your pocket for $3000–smiling and laughing all the while.  That’s the worst part.

Heritage notes that “Climatologist Chip Knappenberger crunched the numbers and found that even the strictest version of Waxman-Markey would reduce projected global temperatures by just 0.044ºC by 2050.”  Less than one degree if the Democrats got everything they want and it all works the way they claim.  Both of which are doubtful. 

Less than one degree!  How much of the polar ice cap will that save?  How many heat related illnesses and deaths will that avoid?

The fact is, there will be virtually no change to the effects of global warming and Obama and his Democratic pals in Congress know it.  This entire bill is a ruse they’ve created for one purpose and one purpose only–to raise taxes.  It’s one big con and we, the American people, are the marks.

Contact your Senators, and keep contacting them to make sure this bill dies in the Senate.  We cannot afford the Democrats’ tax increase, regardless what name they give it.

Endless Love

by Jonah Goldberg on Townhall.com

Huzzah! Thanks to a few pointed questions from the press corps at a White House news conference, the long Obama captivity of the media is at an end. The Hotline, an inside-the-Beltway tip sheet, proclaimed June 23 “The Day the Love Ended.”

The New York Daily News’ Michael Goodwin celebrates the press corps’ ability to channel the mood of the country: “By peppering the President with forceful questions … and by challenging some of his slippery answers, reporters captured the changing tone in the country. Like the end of a real honeymoon, blind infatuation is giving way to a more accurate view of reality.”

“The press corps gets it,” Goodwin writes. “For Obama, the hard part begins now.”

Swamis and carnival contortionists who can fit their bodies into a Happy Meal box could learn something from the press about flexibility, given its ability to effortlessly pat its own back.

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