Registered?
Commenting on WE Blog now requires you to be a Kansas.com member. Use the links above to register, if you haven't already, or to log in.Contact us
Follow us
Daily Archives
-
Recent Comments
- Jed on Let immigrants run
- Regular on Open thread 11/23
- Regular on Open thread 11/23
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/23
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/23
- Freebird1971 on Open thread 11/23
- Freebird1971 on Open thread 11/23
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/23
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/23
- Freebird1971 on Open thread 11/23
228 Comments
Foreign Policy “Experience”
by Thomas Sowell
Now that the Democrats have recovered from the shock of Governor Sarah Palin’s nomination as the Republican’s candidate for vice president, they have suddenly discovered that her lack of experience in general– and foreign policy experience in particular– is a terrible danger in someone just a heartbeat away from being President of the United States.
For those who are satisfied with talking points, there is no need to go any further. But, for those who still consider substance relevant, this is an incredible argument coming from those whose presidential candidate has even less experience in public office than Sarah Palin, and none in foreign policy.
Moreover, if Senator Barack Obama is elected, he will not be a heartbeat away from the presidency, his would be the heartbeat of the president– and he would be the one making foreign policy.
But the big talking point is that the Democrats’ vice-presidential nominee, Senator Joe Biden, has years of foreign policy experience as a member, and now chairman, of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
That all depends on what the definition of “experience” is.
Before getting into that, however, a plain fact should be noted: No governor ever had foreign policy experience before becoming president– not Ronald Reagan, not Franklin D. Roosevelt, nor any other governor.
It is hard to know how many people could possibly have had foreign policy experience before reaching the White House besides a Secretary of State or a Secretary of Defense.
The last Secretary of War (the old title of Secretaries of Defense) to later become President of the United States was William Howard Taft, a hundred years ago. The last Secretary of State to become President of the United States was James Buchanan, a century and a half ago.
The first President Bush had been head of the C.I.A., which certainly gave him a lot of knowledge of what was happening around the world, though still not experience in making the country’s foreign policy.
Senator Joe Biden’s years of service on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is even further removed from foreign policy experience. He has had a front-row seat as an observer of foreign policy. But Senator Biden has never had any real experience of making foreign policy and taking the consequences of the results.
The difference between being a spectator and being a participant, with responsibility for the consequences of what you say and do, is fundamental.
You can read books about crime or attend lectures by criminologists, but you have no real experience or expertise about crime unless you have been a criminal or a policeman.
Although I served in the Marine Corps, I have no military experience in any meaningful sense. The closest I ever came to combat was being assigned to photograph the maneuvers of the Second Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
That was photographic experience, not military experience. If someone gave me a policy-making job in the Pentagon, I wouldn’t have a clue.
The fact that Senator Joe Biden has for years listened to all sorts of people testify on all sorts of foreign policy issues tells us nothing about how well he understood the issues.
Out of the four presidential and vice-presidential candidates this year, only Governor Palin has had to make executive decisions and live with the consequences.
As for Senator Obama, his various pronouncements on foreign policy have been as immature as they have been presumptuous.
He talked publicly about taking military action against Pakistan, one of our few Islamic allies and a nation with nuclear weapons.
Barack Obama’s first response to the Russian invasion of Georgia was to urge “all sides” to negotiate a cease-fire and take their issues to the United Nations. That is standard liberal talk, which even Obama had second thoughts about, after Senator John McCain gave a more grown-up response.
We should all have second thoughts about what is, and is not, foreign policy “experience.”
http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2008/09/03/foreign_policy_experience?page=1
BlueJay,
You find me scary? I don’t blame you!
If I had said half the mean, vulgar, and outright nasty lies about someone that you have me, I would probably be scared of meeting that person too!
The problem is that some of you liberals have been so mean and nasty that I don’t think you can meet anyone in person anymore because you are so ashamed, not scared.
Oh well.
For someone who spends so much time trying to tell me how scared I am or paranoid I am you seem to be the only one admitting to how scared you are.
The way you act, someone would think it a miracle that you survived as many encounters with me as you have.
Idiot.
Call me on my cell when you get off work today.
Chas
Posted September 24, 2008 at 12:41 am | Permalink
Library Issue >>>>
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/us/politics/03wasilla.html
Policy
Although The Wichita Eagle is not responsible for the content of the comments on this blog and has no obligation to monitor them, it reserves the right to remove any comments that are threatening, libelous, obscene or otherwise objectionable. Please refrain from personal attacks and using other posters’ nicknames.
Report possible comment violations to weblog@wichitaeagle.com.
I’m a genius, I know who did this to our economy. Who? you ask… Al Qaeda.
They went around buying home they couldn’t afford, knowing full well that it would do this. And since Bin Laden has stakes in AIG, he’ll double his funding in the aftermath.
Those guys are sneaky.
LET THE COLLAPSE HAPPEN.
I didn’t watch Bushs’ bs last night, but can we finally not blindly follow this clown? He’s a friggin fear monger. He should be scared. I’m thinking gallows for the traitors.
The Oracle of Omaha thinks that the US taxpayers will end up making money off the proposed bailout.
————–
“I am betting on the Congress doing the right thing for the American public and passing this bill,” Buffett said on cable channel CNBC today. “I certainly have a vote of confidence in Goldman and vote of confidence in Congress.”
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke are pushing Congress to quickly approve the proposal to remove illiquid assets from the banking system. Buffett is buying a stake in New York-based Goldman after three of the investment bank’s biggest competitors collapsed or were forced into emergency sales.
“I think the Treasury will pay back the $700 billion and make a considerable amount of money,” Buffett said, adding that if he had $700 billion on the government’s terms to buy distressed assets, he would. “Unfortunately, I’m tapped out.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aRef_DUx6AcU&refer=worldwide
There are only a couple of months until the election that will decide the next President of the United States.
The person elected will be the president of ‘all’ Americans, not just the Democrats or the Republicans – so, it is time we all come together, Democrats and Republicans alike, in a bipartisan effort for all America:
If you support the policies and character of Barack Obama, please drive with your headlights on during the day.
If you support John McCain please drive with your headlights off at night.
Your choice will make the difference.
I dunno, Hank…I think it’s pretty stupid when Palin goes around talking about political or military action against Russia because of Georgia. She doesn’t seem to have much common sense…and no amount of experience can make up for the basic lack of common sense.
Russia ain’t some rag-tag Arabs based in caves. They’re the real deal. And Bushs’ fake Texan machismo, “bring it on” bullsh.it won’t do with those guys. They have nukes in Venezuela now.
Can you dig it?
And monkey, …ah nevermind.
Palin loves Georgia’s peaches and the Braves. She protect them to our death.
Who wants to meet you or any con like you Nathan?
Nobody I know.
I’ve never lied on you. It’s easier and much more productive using the painful truth!
I read the following this morning..and it actually seems to make sense. Of course, it will never happen..but it makes sense to me..
That’s right. I’m totally against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.
Instead, I’m in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a ‘We Deserve It Dividend’.
To make the math simple, let’s assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+.
Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up..
So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that equals $425,000.00.
My plan is to give $425,0 00 to every person 18+ as a ‘We Deserve It Dividend.’
Of course, it would NOT be tax free. So let’s assume a tax rate of 30%.
Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes. That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam.
But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket. A husband and wife has $595,000.00.
What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?
Pay off your mortgage – housing crisis solved.
Repay college loans – what a great boost to new grads
Put away money for college – it’ll be there
Save in a bank – create money to loan to entrepreneurs.
Buy a new car – create jobs
Invest in the market – capital drives growth
Pay for your parent’s medical insurance – health care improves
Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean – or else
Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.
If we’re going to re-distribute wealth let’s really do it…instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00
If we’re going to do an $85 billion bailout, let’s bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!
As for AIG – liquidate it.
Sell off its parts. Let American General go back to being American General. Sell off the real estate.
Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.
Here’s my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn’t.
Sure it’s a crazy idea that can “never work.”
But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party!
How do you spell Economic Boom?
I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion ‘We Deserve It Dividend’ better than the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC.
And remember, The Family plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned
instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.
Sounds like a plan!
Jesus was a liberal.
Raptor,
I posted the same thing yesterday, and it was pointed out to me that the math was wrong. Each person would receive $425. Since I, like you, copy & pasted the information flying around via email, I’ll let you do the math.
Something else I noticed last night. What’s with the $85 billion? I thought this was to be a $700 billion bailout. Just who is getting that additional $615 billion?
Now Hank leads with crap from Thomas Sowell,
clearly a man of the say anything school. To wit:
“As for Senator Obama, his various pronouncements on foreign policy have been as immature as they have been presumptuous.
“He talked publicly about taking military action against Pakistan, one of our few Islamic allies and a nation with nuclear weapons.”
Uh huh. Except he didn’t say that, o bullsh*tter.
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN0132206420070801
He talked about taking action against Al Queda targets IN Pakistan. Considering the resurgence of the Taliban and Al Queda in the western part of Pakistan, that is not unreasonable if our ALLIES are unable or unwilling to take action themselves (and to their credit, they have been trying to take action, and paying a frightful price for it) our country should step up. One can argue that Obama’s words were reckless because he indicated that he would consider doing so without express permission from the government of Pakistan, but the words did not include taking military action against the country and government of Pakistan.
“Barack Obama’s first response to the Russian invasion of Georgia was to urge ‘all sides’ to negotiate a cease-fire and take their issues to the United Nations. That is standard liberal talk, which even Obama had second thoughts about, after Senator John McCain gave a more grown-up response.”
OK, let’s parse what old Thomas had to say here. First, Obama was reckless with Pakistan because they are our allies and they have nuclear weapons. Now Obama is using standard liberal talk (almost certainly translated as “appeasement”) with regards to Russia’s actions. Never mind the fact that Russia is still a nuclear power. Never mind the fact that no one thinks there was anything we could do to stop Russia’s actions against Georgia (and newsflash, I agree with the Bush Adminstration’s actions to get aid to the people there). So, how is talking tough about Pakistan “reckless” but talking tough about Russia “grown-up”? There may be nuance there, but Sowell doesn’t provide it. It is clear that what he did instead was cherry pick examples to make Obama as scary as possible.
Thomas Sowell is a partisan shill. That explains entirely the content of his column, not actual concerns about foreign policy.
Well damn. I think I will just go back to bed. Looked like a good idea at the time…
PreD — That would be $85 Billion for AIG, and $700 Billion in addition…
HLP
Posted September 25, 2008 at 6:16 am | Permalink
Call me on my cell when you get off work today
======================================================
Wow, you mean like everybody? Hey, folks, party on Hanks cell this afternoon!!!
Seriously, though, Hank has a point: The current president had no foreign experience ( except maybe illegals), and look what he did to the world.
Good morning Mr Walker!
The key word was ‘work’. That leaves out the undesirables. Seriously though, call me if you have my number!
$700 BILLION EH?
How about they leverage those original “assets” 10x and the actual price tag will be trillions?
Yeah, that’s more like it.
Farrier is coming this morning, going to be busy for a while.
Gonna get your hooves trimmed Hank? :D
Hey McCain is on live making a speech.
In New York?
And he doesn’t even have his cape on!
John, the economy is sinking! Only you can save it by ducking your debate with Senator Obama! Get to DC while there is still time!
I expected him to finish yesterday with, ‘Live, from New York!’
Turns out he wasn’t doing a SNL skit!
Billions to Fanny and freddy. Billions for AIG. 700 billion to wall street. Now 25 billion to the auto industry.
This is the end folks. The money train is pulling out of the station. Everyone has their hand out. We are going bankrupt. How much will the US go for in the fire sale?
Could this be the lead up to the Amero? Will Canada buy off on it?
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080925/NEWS03/809250376/-1/NLETTER01&source=nletter-news
KABUL, Afghanistan — NATO says Pakistani troops fired at their helicopters patrolling eastern Afghanistan. No damage was reported.
In a statement Thursday, NATO says its helicopters did not cross into Pakistan’s airspace and that they were shot at near Tanai district of Khost province.
The shooting follows a number of alleged incursions by U.S. aircraft into Pakistan from Afghanistan in recent days. A drone believed to be operated by the CIA crashed inside Pakistan on Wednesday.
HEADLINE: Internet Set to Die?
Intro to uber regulated Internet 2!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv6rQ0U01Yc&eurl=http://www.infowars.com/?p=4841
The Revolution Will Not Be Organized
The revolution will not be organized,
the revolution will not be organized.com,
the revolution will not be Yahoo Grouped, Meetuped,
downloaded, uploaded, QWERTY’d, or blogged.
The revolution will not be handled by webmasters,
think-tankers, authors of policy position papers,
authors of anti-policy position papers,
secretaries, executives, executive assistants,
insiders, whistle-blowers, informants, counter-informants,
committees or sub-committees.
Your neighbor with excellent leadership qualities
will not lead you into, through, or out of the revolution.
The revolution will not be inspired, instigated, managed
or controlled by him, her, or them.
The revolution will not be organized.
No matter if you eat at McDonald’s and can barely walk,
no matter if you drive an S.U.V. and rarely walk,
no matter if you were public school indoctrinated,
vaccinated, humiliated, ostracized, terrorized, minimized,
no matter if you live in a house owned by BofA,
no matter if you eat cat food, dog food,
Puppy Chow for your inner child,
no matter if you shop at Salvation Army, Saks, TJ Maxx,
when the Cold Hand of Power touches you,
it touches revolution.
They will come to chip you, rape you,
tell you you are theirs, imprison you in FEMA camps
because you spoke out,
because you doubted the official story,
because you looked with your own eyes,
spoke from your own heart.
They will come for you in black uniforms, black helmets,
swinging black batons, symbols of the New Authority,
and you will say,
“No, my children and I will not come with you.”
You will say no — not because Charlie Sheen
inspired you one night on FOX News
to look more closely at falling towers.
You will say no — not because Alex Jones
led you through the darkness with a bullhorn.
You will say no — not because Howard Zinn
handed you the Book of Truth on a silver platter.
You will say no because you are your own
star of truth shining the way.
At your unique hour, in the dark,
beneath a burning paper currency moon,
the Cold Hand of Power will touch you and revolt you.
At your unique hour,
when they come for you because you asked questions,
because you did not lower your eyes,
because you did not bow down,
at your unique hour,
in your unique circumstance,
you will find yourself in the grip of a courage
you have not known but which you are.
You will stand in front of black helmets with invisible faces,
and you will say,
“No, my children and I will not come with you.”
Daughters and sons of revolutionaries,
blood burning for freedom,
eyes set toward tomorrow,
each of you alone in the darkness,
beneath tender constellations burning gold and silver,
each of you will remember the path to take
when the Cold Hand of Power comes for you,
each of you will make your way without direction or encouragement,
as those before you made their way without direction or encouragement,
forging history, embracing destiny.
You will not march in file.
You will not march.
The revolution will not be organized.
In your darkest hour,
beneath the burning moon,
you will pledge allegiance to the truth,
as those before you pledged allegiance to the truth.
The truth cannot be organized.
“The Revolution Will Not Be Organized”
written by Jock Doubleday
September 24, 2008
Concerning Obama and Biden:
A countryman between two lawyers is like a fish between two cats.
Benjamin Franklin
US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, & printer (1706 – 1790)
“Intro to uber regulated Internet 2!”
——–
bush would tell you it’s all the intertubes. / sarcasm
Internet2 has been used widely in colleges for many many years. Advanced technology — faster, safer. What do you see as a downside? I don’t understand your “regulated” comment.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-1955
They’ll tell you what is acceptable to view on the web. Any web site that is deemed “inappropriate” will be excluded from your viewing pleasure. That’s what I don’t like it about Internet 2.
But you can download a movie in minutes!
http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/LawPolitics/story?id=4889745&page=1
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/ir/ir_expense.htm
Interest only payments on the debt, fiscal year 2008. The bailout should add another 36 billion per year.
Fiscal Year Total $431,270,863,309.37
MORE
http://mediamonarchy.blogspot.com/2008/06/internet-is-dead-long-live-internet2.html
PreD — That would be $85 Billion for AIG, and $700 Billion in addition…
Yes, Chas. Obviously the email hasn’t been updated to the current financial crisis. I’m not sure my calculator will calc in the gazillions.
Okay, somebody tell me WHY we’re bailing out these companies.
Okay, somebody tell me WHY we’re bailing out these companies.
======
So the Government can own your mortgage and credit card debt….make you feel warm and fuzzy doesn’t it…. :( Let em’ burn!
It’s not a bail out, it’s a bank heist.
welcome debtor’s prisons. there you go, invest in prison construction.
If this Kessler guys articl that Limbaugh went through is right the gubernmint stands to make a freaking fortune.
Trillions in profits.
I wish I could find the article so I could go back through it and better understand the reasoning.
I’m posting my thoughts concerning the “suspension” of the campaign by Senator McCain here, given that there is no thread specific therefor.
First: As neither candidate is a member of the committee involved in the negotiations of the deal, as a practical matter the only reason either needs to be in D.C. (absent the invitation from President Bush) is to vote on the bill in the Senate.
Second: There is another reason for both to be in D.C. right now, but it really has nothing to do with negotiating a plan that will pass in the Senate and the House; rather, it is to lobby recalcitrant members of the respective political parties to vote for the bill implementing the agreed “plan”.
Third: While personal attendance at the meeting in the White House technically is not needed for this, it is not a bad idea for the candidates for the Presidency to be briefed on the current status of the negotiations, and the shape of any proposed legislation, so each will know what is happening, what has happened, and what is likely to happen, as the effects of whatever is passed will affect the next administration.
Fourth: The above do not, in my opinion, give any rationale that is reasonable for postponing the first debate scheduled for tomorrow evening absent a scheduled vote in the Senate on any agreed legislation.
Fifth: The request by the McCain campaign to postpone reminds me of a basketball coach calling a time out to break the momentum of the opposing team on a scoring run. Sorry for the sports analogy, but the crisis has caused a momentum shift in the polls in favor of Senator Obama. One way to try to stop it would be to postpone the debate, clothing Senator McCain as someone doing the “nation’s business”. I don’t think it will work myself, but I am not psychic, so I cannot say whether others will see this as do I.
Sixth: there is apparently some indication that questions will be asked in the first debate on the crisis, rather that the “foreign policy” stated theme. While I understand why this may be, the debate should be limited to the announced theme, which should give both candidates a forum about this.
Seventh: Neither candidate will be able to broker a deal different from that which is being worked out at the present by those directly and properly, by virtue of their positions on the appropriate congressional committees, by those members of Congress working with the officials from the administration.
Heckler, it is my thought without reading the cited piece that the only way the government stands to make “trillions” is if: 1) there is no more than market value paid for the assets to be purchased; and 2) the underlying loans, etc., are paid in full, together with sufficient interest thereon to fully cover the costs of the treasury securities that will need to be sold to raise the necessary capital to do the rescue/bailout.
VT
As it was explained to me your #1 is dead on. The amount paid for the assets would be well below current market value. And your #2 is the big IF.
Apparentlly only a small portion of the mortages in these securities are even in default.
….and we are not “purchasing” the securities but buying “controlling interest”. The securities are not necessarily value-less. It’s just that nobody wants them. (some would say that’s the same thing).
Two liberal groups – one of them directed by a brother of the Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean – will begin running a graphic attack advertisement Thursday morning raising questions about Senator John McCain’s health. Showing vivid and unflattering images of the fresh scar that appeared on Senator McCain’s face immediately after his last operation for melanoma skin cancer eight years ago, the commercial ends with a screen headline that reads, “Why won’t John McCain release his medical records?”
NOthing to see here folks. There is no collusion between Howard Dean and his brother.
Well, so they have asserted. And if I am asked to take them at their word, then so should the republican connections be taken at their word. That will never happen. All of you know it. Don;t defend it. Revel in it. And I shall pay no attention to the calls to take this as anything but a shot from the Democratic Party, and Howrd Dean.
Those of you who think either party gives a damn about you other than as a pawn against the other, please remove your blinders and take a real hard look. Just as Clinton verbally pandered left, but in reality, governed more towards the middle. It;s all a freakin smoke screenn. THe parties could give one whit about you.
“THe parties could give one whit about you.”
All the more reason to vote for CYNTHIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
VT
Try this.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122230704116773989.html?mod=todays_us_opinion
…from the Dept of DOH!!!!!!!
“The securities are not necessarily value-less. It’s just that nobody wants them. (some would say that’s the same thing).”
“All the more reason to vote for CYNTHIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Sorry, I’ll pass. At this time, my vote, though technicall “wasted” will be for the write in candidate “none of the above”
Heckler, thanks for the link. Of course, the author’s model is only as accurate as the assumptions it contains. For example, he states the assumption of a 50% impairment on the subprimes; it would be interesting to see the results of running the number on a different impairment figure or figures, such as 60% impairment, etc.
To me, the real trick here is to get some “good with the bad”. It will be interesting to see if the holders of “good” do cave as assumed.
Anyone know why the One is threatening to bust up the teachers union? I thought they supported him…
If there is indeed a bipartisan agreement on the bailout/rescue plan in the Congress, it looks like the afternoon meeting at the White House won’t be necessary, and Sen. McCain may resume campaigning (and debating).
“If there is indeed a bipartisan agreement on the bailout/rescue plan in the Congress, it looks like the afternoon meeting at the White House won’t be necessary, and Sen. McCain may resume campaigning (and debating).”
Yep. I agree.
Unless the Senate vote is scheduled for the time of the debate I see no conflict in the two issues.
“Unless the Senate vote is scheduled for the time of the debate I see no conflict in the two issues.”
Since the Democrats are in charge, and Obama wants the debate to go on, shouldn;t be a scheduling problem.
Nasty Vengeful Democrats
Connecticut Dems Circulate Censure Resolution on Lieberman
HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut Democrats, angry that Sen. Joe Lieberman is campaigning for the Republican presidential candidate and criticizing his own party’s nominee, agreed Wednesday to circulate a resolution to censure the veteran politician but won’t consider acting on it until after Election Day.
The state party’s central committee Wednesday agreed to send copies of the resolution to every Democratic town committee in the state. The resolution condemns Lieberman for speaking at the Republicans’ convention and backing John McCain.
Party officials said the group plans to get input from the town officials and revisit the issue in December.
“When we have someone who is our elected senator, as a Democrat, standing in front of not only a national, but an international audience, speaking in support of Sen. McCain, it was the final straw for me personally,” said Audrey Blondin, a 30-year party veteran who helped to put together the resolution.
Lieberman was re-elected to the Senate as an independent after losing the Democratic primary in 2006 to businessman Ned Lamont. While he calls himself an “independent Democrat” in the Senate, he remains a registered Democrat and has said he has no plans to change his party affiliation.
Lieberman was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2000 and ran for the party’s presidential nomination in 2004.
Lieberman and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont have been caucusing with Democrats in Washington, giving the party control of the Senate with what is effectively a 51-49 majority — even though each party has 49 members. Democrats, in turn, have made Lieberman chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Blondin said Lieberman’s speech at the Republican National Convention, in which he praised McCain and criticized Democrat Barack Obama, convinced her that state Democrats needed to take a stand.
“Our point is not that Joe should in some way be prohibited from supporting McCain or speaking at the National Republican Convention. That’s not the issue,” Blondin said. “The issue is, he’s a Democrat. And Joe, in our opinion, needs to reconsider membership in our party.”
Lieberman, speaking earlier Wednesday to a radio station, said that he was surprised by the move to censure him.
“Honestly, I thought that was the kind of thing that happened only in the former Soviet Union. I understand that people are unhappy, but, you know, I’m doing something that I really believe,” Lieberman told WICH-AM. “I thought in this country you don’t get punished for that. So, I hope that in the end, my colleagues will understand and life will go on either way.”
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/25/connecticut-dems-circulate-censure-resolution-on-lieberman/
Wow, the Democratic party trying to censure someone who ran as an independent. I guess independence isn;t welcome in the Democratic Party. ALthough I say, Hey Joe, go ahead and register as a Republican, or one of the smaller parties. If you have left the Democratic Party, leave it for good. Don;t give them the numerical advantage in senate.
av, I think the current financial crisis will enter into the debate under its effect on our foreign relations, can’t divorce the bucks form foreign policy.
When we take the Senate and House in overwhelming numbers next month, Lieberman will be crushed like the bug he is.
Stupid plick.
Phantom, I agree that it will; after all, global economy, etc. plays right into foreign policy.
From the crazy religious file:
Christians at Christian university take a break from their courses on moral to make a racist statement by burning an effigy of Obama.
NEWBERG, Ore. – Officials of a small Christian university say a life-size cardboard reproduction of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was hung from a tree on the campus, an act that outraged students and school leaders alike.
George Fox University President Robin Baker said a custodian discovered the effigy early Tuesday and removed it. University spokesman Rob Felton said Wednesday that the commercially produced reproduction had been suspended from the branch of a tree with fishing line around the neck.
Taped to the cardboard cutout of the black senator from Illinois was a message targeting participants in Act Six, a scholarship program geared toward increasing the number of minority and low-income students at several Christian colleges, mostly in the Northwest.
The message read, “Act Six reject.”
More at:
http://www.kansas.com/wireupdates/story/539919.html#recent_comm
Can you feel the Christian love? Maybe they can join the Muslims when they burn effigies of Uncle Sam or the American flag?
Raptor–
I made a mistake and actually read your idiotic post.
Dude, 200 million is 2 x 10 to the 8th. 85 billion is 8.5 x 10 to the 10th. 10 to the 10th minus 10 to 8th equals 10 to the 2nd or 100.
8.5 x 100 = 850 dollars.
Campbell Brown, once again, nails it.
FREE SARAH PALIN!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyzYEMjiGxY&feature=related
Maybe they can join the Muslims when they burn effigies of Uncle Sam or the American flag?
====
Sounds like BlueJay’s kind of folks!
Mary,
Are you talking about when Palin was addressing the hypothetical question of “if” Georgia was a member of NATO she would support military action defending them?
If that is what you are talking about, then you are the one with no common sense.
“FREE SARAH PALIN!”
It’s probably better for the McCain campaign if they do NOT let her talk.
Can you imagine Palin talking to Putin?
In CBS Interview, Palin Cites ‘Victory’ in Iraq
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/25/AR2008092502171.html?hpid=topnews
“Asked why the location of her state enhances her foreign policy credentials, Palin said: “Well, it certainly does because our– our next-door neighbors are foreign countries. They’re in the state that I am the executive of.”
Couric followed up: “Have you ever been involved with any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?”
“We have trade missions back and forth,” Palin said. “We — we do– it’s very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where — where do they go? It’s Alaska. It’s just right over the border. It is — from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to — to our state.” ”
————–
Palin: “They’re in the state that I am the executive of.”
Russia and Canada are “in the state that [Palin is] the executive of”?
Mary,
How was Jesus a liberal? I must have missed his policy speech on how Ceaser should take more money from people to redistribute to others.
Could you please explain?
Maggotpunk
Posted September 25, 2008 at 2:01 pm | Permalink
From the crazy religious file:
Christians at Christian university take a break from their courses on moral to make a racist statement by burning an effigy of Obama.
NEWBERG, Ore. – Officials of a small Christian university say a life-size cardboard reproduction of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was hung from a tree on the campus, an act that outraged students and school leaders alike.
***********************************
Wow. Hungry for a little Christian bashing there? Can;t you feel Doug’s love? HAHHAHA
First, there are many times and reasons that nonChristians go to Christian college. For one, their parents made them. THere are others.
Second, “an act that outraged students and school leaders alike.
Sounds like, other than your bashing of Christians and christian “love’ you and the school are on the same page. Bet that hurts.
Yes Cosmos, how else do you think Obama came up with the 57 states number?
Maggotpunk,
Join the Muslims? Last I checked it was the liberals like BlueJay burning the American flag.
Yep, the McCain campaign should NOT let Palin answer questions.
The two re terrorism were shallow, and very canned. The best way to stop terrorism is with intelligence, and cooperation from foreign countries.
No answer re voting for Young and Stevens?
No thoughts about the bailout, except add McCain’s provisions? Which are about the same as Obama’s provisions.
‘Palin takes questions from press corps for first time’
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/25/palin-takes-questions-from-press-corps-for-first-time/
Reid to Renew Oil Shale Ban, Deny Americans Vast Energy Resources During Economic Crisis
We’ve just been alerted that despite House Democrats relenting on extending bans on offshore drilling and oil shale in the continuing resolution (CR) appropriations bill, Democrat Senate Leader Harry Reid has decided to sneak an extension of the oil shale ban through as Congress fights over the financial bailout. Oil shale in America’s West is estimated to hold be between 800 billion and 2 trillion barrels of oil — that is more than three times the proven oil reserves in Saudi Arabia alone.
Here is the text of Reid’s proposed new ban on oil shale, that he is trying to add as an amendment to the CR or move seperately as a “stimulus” package, or we should say an anti-stimulus package if this is included.
Sec 1602 continues ban on oil shale. The language follows:
SEC. 1602. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, including section 152 of division A of H.R. 2638 (110th Congress), the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009, the terms and conditions contained in section 433 of division F of Public Law 110–161 shall remain in effect for the 19 fiscal year ending September 30, 2009.
It would be an insult to all Americans if Senate Democrats worked to bailout Wall Street while damaging our future prosperity by banning development of vast energy reserves in oil shale.
http://demint.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=JimsJournal.Detail&Blog_ID=9a2397c9-e8a5-2da3-c8a3-2cd5fe8fa96b
“Sec 1602 continues ban on oil shale.”
Can anybody enlighten us, as to whether we have the technology to extract Shale Oil as of yet?? I thought I had read somewhere, that we dont have the technology yet… But I dont know for sure…
littlejohn whines:
“Wow. Hungry for a little Christian bashing there? Can;t you feel Doug’s love? HAHHAHA
First, there are many times and reasons that nonChristians go to Christian college. For one, their parents made them. THere are others.
Second, “an act that outraged students and school leaders alike.
Sounds like, other than your bashing of Christians and christian “love’ you and the school are on the same page. Bet that hurts.”
Oh, you know who did it then? It makes sense that those who go to a Christian college and must affirm that they are Christian must clearly be non-Christian. I know dishonesty is a fundy virtue but put aside your religion for a moment and accept the facts.
http://www.georgefox.edu/admission/undergrad/apply/honor_statement.pdf
And every student in the college was personally approved by a pastor as being a good Christian.
http://www.georgefox.edu/admission/undergrad/apply/ugpersref.pdf
I certainly wouldn’t qualify because I’m not some sort of racist who likes to do mock lynchings like in the South, the hotbed of fundamentalism.
“Can anybody enlighten us, as to whether we have the technology to extract Shale Oil as of yet?? I thought I had read somewhere, that we dont have the technology yet… But I dont know for sure…”
I believe it takes more energy to extract than what gain be gained. Never mind the huge ecological problems.
Oil Shale-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_shale
Another leftist lie exposed. Obamanation is running a misleading radio ad on the issue of useless, unethical embryonic stem cell research — falsely accusing Sen. McCain of voting against it. The ad, which features a mother of a child with juvenile diabetes, also ignores how successful, ethical adult stem cell research provides the most hope for patients. In fact, 14 of 15 Type 1 diabetes patients became insulin free after the adult stem cell treatments, as published in JAMA in 2007. (Gullible diabetes groups were duped into diverting funds away from this adult stem cell program, which actually produced a cure for Type 1 diabetes, by greedy, unethical lobbyists pushing for ESCR – people like Michael J. Fox, who is still at it.)
Eleven children ranging in age from 1 to 17 were left at hospitals Wednesday under Nebraska’s unique safe haven law, which allows caregivers to legally abandon uninjured children of any age.
“Anybody toting guns and stripping moose don’t care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks.”
. . . Florida Democrat “congressman” Alcee Hastings, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, attempting to rally minorities against Gov. Palin by equating gun ownership or hunting with racist apathy, in a panel discussion sponsored by the National Jewish Democratic Council
[Hastings is a racist, anti-second-amendment, baby-hating leftist with a 100% pro-abortion voting record, who therefore supports Planned Parenthood’s racist targeting of the black race for population reduction through an profitable abortion rate 3 times higher.]
Ahh, Parkay, one of the resident fundies, can’t help but display the typical dishonesty apparent in all fundies. Hastings was referring to Palin, as was quite evident by the quote. Hastings was clearly not referring to all gun owners but Palin, who refers to herself as a gun toting moose hunter.
I’d ask you to be honest next time Parkay but dishonesty comes with the territory of being a fundy.
Maggotpunk,
How do we know it was a student or group of students from the school?
It could have been someone from off campus placing it there.
What we do know, is that the faculty and students have spoken against this act and condemn it.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/09/racial_incident_rattles_george.html
“NEWBERG — Students and campus leaders at George Fox University denounced the hanging of a life-size cardboard cutout of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama on campus, vowing to work together to fight racism and intolerance.”
”
President Robin Baker, standing with dozens of Act Six students and student leaders in front of a packed auditorium Wednesday morning, urged students to show the incident has no place in Christian ideals.
“We absolutely cannot hate those around us and say we love God,” he said. “It is not possible.
“Yesterday was not a good example of what it means to follow Jesus,” he said.
Quoting the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln, Baker said the university has long had difficulties recruiting students of color, and his dream has been to help create a university that “more broadly represents the kingdom of God.”
BLANKLEY: Media covering for Obama
Obama remains unknown
Tony Blankley
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Comment
OP-ED:
The mainstream media have gone over the line and are now straight out propagandists for the Obama campaign. While they have been liberal and blinkered in their worldview for decades, in 2007-08 for the first time, the major media are consciously covering for one candidate for president and consciously knifing the other. This is no longer journalism — it is simply propaganda. (The American left-wing version of the Volkischer Beobachter cannot be far behind.) And as a result, we are less than seven weeks away from possibly electing a president who has not been thoroughly and even half way honestly presented to the country by our watchdogs — the press.
The image of Barack Obama that the press has presented is not a fair approximation of the real man. They have consciously ignored whole years in his life, and showed a lack of curiosity about such gaps that bespeaks a lack of journalistic instinct. Thus, the public image of Mr. Obama is of a “Man who never was.” I take that phrase from a 1956 movie about a real life WWII British intelligence operation to trick the Germans into thinking the Allies were going to invade Greece, rather than Italy, in 1943. Operation “Mincemeat” involved the acquisition of a human corpse dressed as a Maj. William Martin, R.M. and put into the sea near Spain. Attached to the corpse was a brief-case containing fake letters suggesting that the Allied attack would be against Sardinia and Greece.
To make the operation credible, British intelligence created a fictional life for the corpse — a letter from a lover, tickets to a London theater, all the details of a life — but not the actual life of the dead young man whose corpse was being used. So, too, the man the media has presented to the nation as Mr. Obama is not the real man.
The mainstream media ruthlessly and endlessly repeats any McCain gaffes, while ignoring Obama gaffes. You have to go to weird little Internet sites to see all the stammering and stuttering that Mr. Obama needs before getting out a sentence fragment or two. But all you see on the networks is an eventual one or two clear sentences from Mr. Obama. Nor do you see Mr. Obama’s ludicrous gaffe that Iran is a tiny country and no threat to us. Nor his 57 American states gaffe. Nor his forgetting, if he ever knew, that Russia has a veto in the United Nations. Nor his whining and puerile “come on” when he is being challenged. This is the kind of editing one would expect from Goebbels’ disciples, not Cronkite’s.
More appalling, NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” suggested that Gov. Sarah Palin’s husband had sex with his own daughters. That scene was written with the assistance of Al Franken, Democratic Party candidate for Senate in Minnesota. Talk about incest.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen.Barack Obama, D-Ill., greets supporters before his speech in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina on September 21, 2008. (UPI Photo/Nell Redmond)
But worse than all the unfair and distorted reporting and image projecting, is the shocking gaps in Mr. Obama’s life that are not reported at all. The major media simply has not reported on Mr. Obama’s two years at Columbia University in New York, where, among other things, he lived a mere quarter mile from former terrorist Bill Ayers— after which they both ended up as neighbors and associates in Chicago. Mr. Obama denies more than a passing relationship with Mr. Ayers. Should the media be curious? In only two weeks the media has focused on all the colleges Mrs. Palin has attended, her husband’s driving habits 20 years ago and the close criticism of Mrs. Palin’s mayoral political opponents. But in two years they haven’t bothered to see how close Mr. Obama was with the terrorist Ayers.
Nor have the media paid any serious attention to Mr. Obama’s rise in Chicago politics — how did honest Obama rise in the famously sordid Chicago political machine with the full support of Boss Daley? Despite the great — and unflattering details on Mr. Obama’s Chicago years presented in David Freddoso’s new book, the mainstream media continues to ignore both the facts and the book. It took a British publication, the Economist, to give Mr. Freddoso’s book a review with fair comment.
The public image of Mr. Obama as an idealistic, post-race, post-partisan, well-spoken and honest young man with the wisdom and courage befitting a great national leader is a confection spun by a willing conspiracy of Mr. Obama, his publicist David Axelrod and most of the senior editors, producers and reporters of the national media.
Perhaps that is why the National Journal’s respected correspondent Stuart Taylor has written that “the media can no longer be trusted to provide accurate and fair campaign reporting and analysis.” That conspiracy has not only photo-shopped out all of Mr. Obama’s imperfections (and dirtied up his opponent Mr. McCain’s image), but it has put most of his questionable history down the memory hole.
The public will be voting based on the idealized image of the man who never was. If he wins, however, we will be governed by the sunken, cynical man Mr. Obama really is. One can only hope that the senior journalists will be judged as harshly for their professional misconduct as Wall Street’s leaders currently are for their failings.
Tony Blankley is a syndicated columnist.
As Blankly say so aptly “who is this man we will be voting or against?” Do we know Obama as well as we know Sarah Palin?
“How do we know it was a student or group of students from the school?”
Hmmm, incident takes place at a Christian school and a message concerning a plan by the school to provide funding for low income students. So naturally one should conclude it was space aliens. Brilliant job Nathan, I’m glad you aren’t a police detective. I suppose next you’ll tell me the Klan isn’t a Christian group but a bunch of Jews hiding under masks to make Christians look bad.
LOL! An rambling op-ed by,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Blankley
Biden with all of his foreign policy experience did it again.
——————————
CINCINNATI, OH — Big, long, dense speech from Joe Biden on McCain’s foreign policy today, which I’ll parse a little more in depth soon. But first, one face-off between Biden and the facts that, once again, the facts seem to have won.
Criticizing McCain for opposing negotiations with Iran, Biden said even the Bush administration now favors such talks — which Obama has long supported.
“After seven years, in which our senior diplomatic personnel were not allowed to make a single contact with Iranians, the Bush administration realized the absurdity of its own policy and sent our leading diplomat to Iran,” he said. “The Assistant Secretary of State as he went to Tehran, sat down at the instruction of the President of the United States.”
It sounds great for Obama and Biden that the president came around to something so close to their position on talks with Iran; trouble is, the event Biden described never actually happened.
In point of fact, the one “meeting” that has taken place was in Geneva, Switzerland, when Under Secretary of State William Burns sat in on a discussion between Iranian representatives and the other “P5 +1? political directors involved in nuclear talks. The meeting, while a first, was not a negotiation; Burns was there merely as an observer, and had no formal role or talks with the Iranians.
So, point by point: Burns was not sent to Tehran; he did not go to Tehran; and there was no such instruction from the President
———————-
Just a small gaff. Switzerland – Iran – close. Poor Joe is still struggling with foot in mouth disease.
Maggotpunk,
Space Aliens? Um… I thought that was what you and your scientists buddies believe could have seeded life here on Earth.
Yawn
Marty Fufkin
Posted September 25, 2008 at 1:47 pm | Permalink
Nasty Vengeful Democrats
Connecticut Dems Circulate Censure Resolution on Lieberman
HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut Democrats, angry that Sen. Joe Lieberman is campaigning for the Republican presidential candidate and criticizing his own party’s nominee, agreed Wednesday to circulate a resolution to censure the veteran politician but won’t consider acting on it until after Election Day.
==========================================================
The Democrats really do Eat Their Own Kind!
Yesterday, it was Obama eating Biden. Today, it was a Demoshark feeding frenzy on Lieberman.
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/23/obama-chides-biden-for-off-message-interview/
Obama Chides Biden for Off-Message Interview
by FOXNews.com
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
“Space Aliens? Um… I thought that was what you and your scientists buddies believe could have seeded life here on Earth.”
Not really, but it’s still a lot more plausible than your absurd notion that the Earth is 6,000 years old.
And Clinton was eating Obama today:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gvk5TToGlACsmoM3rS0swIBcMzOgD93DA43G1
Bill Clinton: I won’t dump on McCain
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Clinton says if Democrats want someone to dump on John McCain, he’s not the guy.
Some members of his party have been complaining that Clinton has not been enthusiastic enough in his support for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, who defeated Clinton’s wife in the primary campaign, and heaping too much praise on McCain.
And Clinton was eating Obama some more:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/09/bubba_and_obama_still_tense.html?nav=rss_blog
-On experience, Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain: “The experience issue, at least in the Democratic primary, was virtually irrelevant to people . . . maybe prior public service and hard effort, making hard decisions, maybe doesn’t amount to anything.”
-On the Palin pick: “I think that she and her husband and their kids come cross gutsy, spirited and real. . . . I think it’s best to say that Senator McCain looks like he knew what he was doing. He picked somebody who gave him a lot of energy, a lot of support.”
-Clinton said of McCain: “I like him and I admire him.” He went on to note that the Arizona senator had helped him normalize relations with Vietnam and fight the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Kosovo.
More of the Democrats Eating Their Own!
Check out the Clinton/McCain photo. Good Buddies!
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/09/bill-clinton-he.html
The Times’ Bob Drogin also was there, and he reports, that Clinton was effusive in his introduction, saying he was “personally profoundly honored” and “profoundly grateful” that McCain showed up.
Maggotpunk,
The point is that the students and faculty at that school have clearly said that is not what the school believes in and that they condemn what happened.
More of the Democrats Eating Their Own!
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/p-j-gladnick/2008/09/25/leftwing-blogosphere-enraged-over-bill-clintons-defense-mccain-debate-
Clinton’s statement today to Chris Cuomo on ABC’s Good Morning America defending John McCain’s request for a debate delay until after the financial bailout crises is resolved. Here are a couple of things that Bill Clinton said that drove the left absolutely bonkers:
We know he didn’t do it because he’s afraid because Sen. McCain wanted more debates.
…I presume he did that in good faith since I know he wanted — I remember he asked for more debates to go all around the country and so I don’t think we ought to overly parse that.
FRIENDLY, INTELLIGENT DEMOCRAT PEOPLE FROM THE DAILY KOS:
This caused a firestorm of anger at both the Daily Kos and the Democratic Underground. So just how angry is the leftwing blogosphere with Bill Clinton? You can get an idea by reading this sampling of comments posted at the Democratic Underground:
SHUT THE HELL UP BILL!!! I can’t stand his ass anymore.
the reality is that his presidency was All About Bill, he screwed interns and progressive values with equal abandon, and he ushered in Republican control of all three brances of the government.
What “Jewish Holidays” was he talking about on Larry King,He said he would campaign for Obama after. The Jewish Holidays, WTF message is he trying to send. This is a man that knows exactly what his words are and mean.
Bill Clinton is a black hole that runs on egotism. I am so sick of tired, old act. Don’t go away mad, Bill. Just go away.
Obama grant being probed
$100,000 DEAL | State to charity: What happened to garden money, other cash?
September 25, 2008
BY CHRIS FUSCO AND DAVE MCKINNEY
Obama’s $100K Grant for a Garden Never Built
A group headed gy Kenny B. Smith (top right) was awarded a state grant by then-state Sen. Barack Obama to create a botanic garden in Englewood. Plans now call for the city to take back the garden site because the project never happened. Attorney General Lisa Madigan is investigating.
(Keith Hale/Sun-Times/AP)
A $100,000 state grant for a botanic garden in Englewood that then-state Sen. Barack Obama awarded in 2001 to a group headed by a onetime campaign volunteer is now under investigation by the Illinois attorney general amid new questions, prompted by Chicago Sun-Times reports, about whether the money might have been misspent.
The garden was never built. And now state records obtained by the Sun-Times show $65,000 of the grant money went to the wife of Kenny B. Smith, the Obama 2000 congressional campaign volunteer who heads the Chicago Better Housing Association, which was in charge of the project for the blighted South Side neighborhood.
Smith wrote another $20,000 in grant-related checks to K.D. Contractors, a construction company that his wife, Karen D. Smith, created five months after work on the garden was supposed to have begun, records show. K.D. is no longer in business.
Attorney General Lisa Madigan — a Democrat who is supporting Obama’s presidential bid — is investigating “whether this charitable organization properly used its charitable assets, including the state funds it received,” Cara Smith, Madigan’s deputy chief of staff, said Wednesday.
In addition to the 2001 grant that Obama directed to the housing association as a “member initiative,” the not-for-profit group got a separate $20,000 state grant in 2006.
Madigan’s office has notified Obama’s presidential campaign of the probe, which was launched this week. But Obama’s actions in awarding the money are not a focus of the investigation, Smith said.
Questions about the grant, though, come as spending on local pet projects has become an issue in Obama’s campaign against John McCain.
Obama and Kenny Smith announced the “Englewood Botanic Garden Project” at a January 2000 news conference at Englewood High School. Obama was in the midst of a failed bid to oust South Side Democratic Rep. Bobby Rush for a seat in Congress. The garden — planned near and under L tracks between 59th Place and 62nd Place — fell outside of Obama’s Illinois Senate district but within the congressional district’s borders.
Obama vowed to “work tirelessly” to raise $1.1 million to help Smith’s organization turn the City of Chicago-owned lot into an oasis of trees and paths. But Obama lost the congressional race, no more money was raised, and today the garden site is a mess of weeds, chunks of concrete and garbage. The only noticeable improvement is a gazebo.
In a previous interview, Smith said the state grant money was legitimately spent, mostly on underground site preparation.
But no one ever took out construction permits required for such work, city records show. And a contractor who Smith said did most of the work told a reporter all he did was cut down trees and grade the site with a Bobcat.
Citing the garden’s failure to take root, NeighborSpace — an umbrella group for dozens of community gardens citywide — moved Sept. 9 to return the site to the city. Its action followed a July 11 Sun-Times report on the grant.
Obama spokesman Michael Ortiz said Wednesday the senator’s staff in Washington will monitor the Madigan probe and an additional review under way by Gov. Blagojevich’s administration to make sure “the taxpayer funds allocated for the construction of the garden are recuperated from CBHA if the agencies determine that the funds were not properly spent.” Obama’s goal is to ensure the site “be used in a way that benefits the community and that any taxpayer dollars allocated are spent wisely,” Ortiz said.
The relationship between Smith and Obama dates to at least 1997, when Obama wrote a letter that Smith used to help the housing association win city funding for an affordable-housing development near the garden site. Plans called for more than 50 homes; a dozen ultimately were built.
Smith also has donated $550 to Obama campaign funds.
The Sun-Times learned about Karen Smith’s involvement in the project through an Aug. 12 Freedom of Information Act response from a lawyer for Blagojevich¹s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The department, according to the lawyer, had ³discovered² 52 pages of ³additional documents² ommitted from an initial response in May to a Sun-Times¹ Freedom of Information Act request about the grant.
Neither Smith nor his wife has been accused of any wrongdoing. Smith and his lawyer did not return repeated calls seeking comment.
In an interview in July, Smith said he was never able to raise the money needed for the garden. But the state grant awarded by Obama was spent properly, he said, on the underground work, with most of the work done by a contractor whose name Smith got wrong.
The Sun-Times tracked down the contractor, Rodolfo Marin, in Austin, Texas, where he now lives.
“What I was hired for was: Clean up the area and cut the trees — that’s all,” Marin said. He said he rented a Bobcat — a sort of small bulldozer — for the project.
And how much did Smith pay him? “If he spent about $3,000 with me, that was too much.”
————————————–
It’s amazing what can be found when you start turning the rocks over. The press won’t do it so the public will have to.
The Daily Kos is also quite angry with Bill Clinton as you can see:
he has now put his legacy and his wife’s future on the line with his comments this week…people will look back and place a lot of blame on him…otherwise Obama wins and Clinton is sent into the dust bowl of history…
now Bill clinton is hiding behind his freindship with McCain as cover for not attacking him. Would he be so charitable if Hillary were the nominee? i think not. The sooner we get both Clintons off the national stage, the better off we all are. I for one intend to rally New Yorkers to defeat Hillary in the next Senate race. Hers ad Bills type have seen their best days, and we should put them out to pasture. We all saw the real side of Bill Clinton during the primaries. He is a two faced little coward who once did some good things for the country, but that was then. What exactly has he done for anyonre lately besides side with Hillary in dragging down the Democratic party? besides, if he is the great all-knowing and powerful campaign person, why didnt Hillary win? Give me a break!!!!
There is a Theme of Hate and Vicious Cannibalism going on right now in the Democrat party.
Scary, and not a pretty site!
Gosh, with friends like Bill Clinton,
Obama doesn’t need enemies!
Hey, where’s Heelary?
Haven’t seen her in the news campaigning for Obama lately.
Maybe she’s been busy at church.
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said that “nobody mentioned McCain” during the several-hour-long meeting on the $700 billion market rescue plan…
“He’s been irrelevant to the process. He remains to be,” said Frank. “I was afraid that his dropping in here, like Andy Kaufman’s Mighty Mouse—’here I am to save the day’—I thought that would slow things down. I didn’t see any sign of our Republican colleagues paying any attention to him whatsoever.”
Franks went on. “Nobody mentioned him. The man’s irrelevant to the whole process. No Republican mentioned his name. I’m the only one who raised his name. They winced when I did,” he said.
Politico.com
Hillary? Has anyone seen Michelle?
I guess the One doesn’t need to drag her around anymore since he has the angry black vote sewed up.
The One is working on the bitter clingers now.
Flying under the radar: Has anyone else noted the foreign media is reporting firefights between US-Afganistani and Pakistani forces along the Afgan border? The new president in Pakistan has promised repulsion of any intruders into their territory (ie. US forces in “hot persuit”) and it seems US helicopters have experienced warning shots before. The above comes from the BBC and the CBC, whose countries have infantry on the ground in Afganistan.
“COURIC: Why isn’t it better, Governor Palin, to spend $700 billion helping middle-class families struggling with health care, housing, gas and groceries? … Instead of helping these big financial institutions that played a role in creating this mess?
PALIN: Ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health care reform that is needed to help shore up the economy– Oh, it’s got to be about job creation too. So health care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions.”
Reducing taxes has to accompany tax reductions! Brilliant Sarah!
Chas
Posted September 25, 2008 at 4:47 pm | Permalink
“Sec 1602 continues ban on oil shale.”
Can anybody enlighten us, as to whether we have the technology to extract Shale Oil as of yet?? I thought I had read somewhere, that we dont have the technology yet
=============================
The Canadians have no objection to getting oil from tar sands at over one million barrels per day.
Of course, they don’t have all the foo foo environmentalists like those in the U.S. throwing lawsuits at them every second of the day either.
“The point is that the students and faculty at that school have clearly said that is not what the school believes in and that they condemn what happened.”
Nobody was ever making the claim that it was a policy of the school. Clearly not all the students condemn it because it was some of those morally superior Christians who created the effigy and burned it.
“The Canadians have no objection to getting oil from tar sands at over one million barrels per day.”
Wow, an entire nation has a unanimous position on the massive deforestation, air and water pollution in order to get the oil from the sands, and it’s all in favor. I’d love to know where you dragged your conclusion from?
Maggotpunk,
“Clearly not all the students condemn it because it was some of those morally superior Christians who created the effigy and burned it.”
Proof?
Maggotpunk,
And so what?
#
sursum
Posted September 25, 2008 at 6:12 pm | Permalink
Flying under the radar: Has anyone else noted the foreign media is reporting firefights between US-Afganistani and Pakistani forces along the Afgan border? The new president in Pakistan has promised repulsion of any intruders into their territory (ie. US forces in “hot persuit”) and it seems US helicopters have experienced warning shots before. The above comes from the BBC and the CBC, whose countries have infantry on the ground in Afganistan.
===============================
I think the Pakistanis should have an introduction to the AC-130 gunship and have it spray the area they are standing on with a few thousand rounds.
Might bring the Pakistanis back to reality.
“Oh, it’s got to be about job creation too. So health care reform and reducing taxes – and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions.”
David when you have the appropriate pause as it was said it is easy to understand the sentence. She said it had to be about reducing taxes, job creation, health care reform and oh BTW reining in spending has to accompany the tax reductions.
Nathan, with deductive reasoning like yours if America were ever to get attacked from people in Afghanistan you’d invade Iraq. Oh wait….
Oh . . . My . . . GOD!
Bill O’Reilly says this:
I do talk radio. And most talk radio is conservative-dominated, kool-aide drinking idiots.
Idiots.
Screaming at you “this [bailout] is socialism . . . ” “It’s Clinton’s fault!”
It’s Clinton’s fault? The guy hasn’t been in office for eight years.
It’s Bush’s fault. It happened on Bush’s watch.
. . . .
They’re rich! These guys. These right-wing liars. Hey, you’re gonna get it [the bill], not them.
Walk away from these liars. These right-wing liars. They’re not looking out for you.
You got corruption on the right. And who pays for it? You do.
At 7 and a half minutes into the video, Gov. Palin is prayed over to protect her from witches…
http://sensico.wordpress.com/2008/09/24/palins-church-video-of-palin-praying-with-witch-hunter/
Now if someone will pray over John McCain to stop reoccurrence of his cancers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHvJPGnkQxE
Maggotpunk,
It makes the most sense that it probably was a student or students from the school. However, you simply assert it as truth when it has yet to be proven.
That is my point.
Either way, my much larger point is that the super majority of the students and the administration is opposed to what happened.
Yet you posted the article in one of your typical efforts to attack Christianity.
This was not an example of how Christianity is bad, a perfect example of some idiots doing something offenive.
Ah.. it sounded like Palin was just reeling off the talking point words she’s being trained to use, rather than answering the question.
Multi-nic’d Regular posted September 25, 2008 at 6:39 pm
“The Canadians have no objection to getting oil from tar sands at over one million barrels per day.
Of course, they don’t have all the foo foo environmentalists like those in the U.S. throwing lawsuits at them every second of the day either.”
———
Like Sen. John “foo foo environmentalist” McCain?
‘McCain and Obama Stand United on Canada’s Oil Sands’
http://www.desmogblog.com/mccain-and-obama-stand-united-on-canadas-oil-sands
‘Top 10 Facts About the Alberta Oil Sands’
http://www.desmogblog.com/top-10-facts-canada-alberta-oil-sands-information
As I already pointed out, foo foo environmental terrorists like cosmos are against anything that might help the the U.S. become free of foreign oil.
Look at the blog cosmos references, one of the loudest squawkers and whiners of environmental terrorism besides the Sierra Club, the other litigious whiner.
Sobering observations from Carl Bernstein:
“Indeed, no presidential nominee of either party in the last century has seemed so willing to endanger the country’s security as McCain in his reckless choice of a running mate. He is 72 years old; has had four melanomas, a particularly voracious form of cancer; refuses to release his complete medical records.
Three of our last eleven presidents (and nine of all 43) have come to office unexpectedly in mid-term from the vice presidency: Truman, who within days of FDR’s death was confronted with the decision of whether to drop the atom bomb on Japan; Lyndon Johnson, who took the oath in Dallas after JFK’s assassination; Gerald Ford, sworn in following the resignation of Richard Nixon. A fourth vice president, George H.W. Bush, briefly exercised the powers of the presidency after the near-assassination of Ronald Reagan.
Given that history, what does John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin — the cavalier, last-minute process of her selection and careless vetting; and her over-briefed, fact-lite performance since — reveal about this military man who has attested to us for years that he is guided by his personal code of honor? “Two things I will never do,” McCain told me, “are [to] lie to the American people, or put my electoral interests before the national interest”…”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carl-bernstein/the-palin-pick—-the-dev_b_129373.html
Multi-nic’d Regular posted September 25, 2008 at 7:22 pm
“As I already pointed out, foo foo environmental terrorists like cosmos are against anything that might help the the U.S. become free of foreign oil.”
——–
Since I strongly support ideas such as in the report tasked by the Pentagon,
http://www.oilendgame.com/ReadTheBook.html
multi-nic’d has called all of the people who support those ideas “foo foo environmental terrorists”.
Such as George P. Shultz and Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, who wrote the forewords in the report.
What the flock does Regular care about the price of gas?
He never leaves his house.
Much to the appreciation of those Wichitans who know him . . .
How would you know CapnAmerica?
Raptor thinks that an 8.5 billion dollar bailout = 45,000 dollars for every American adult.
In fact, it’s 450 dollars for every American adult.
See, it’s that “not all CONs are stupid people but all stupid people are CONs” thing again.
It makes winning against those kind of odds very difficult.
It seems like maybe more like 4 K per taxpayer… or more..
But take heart..”the fundamentals of the US economy are strong” – J. McCain
USA Per Capita Bailout Costs
“The $700 billion financial system bailout has so far stabilized the financial markets. That part is hard to debate. The long term effects, the path, and the implications are, of course, up for debate. The questions in many discussions this weekend were what the real costs would be and whether or not these institutions should be allowed to fail.
So, one issue we wanted to consider, was what exactly does this translate to on a per individual in the U.S. In 2006, there were more than 133.9 million individual tax returns and the total number of tax returns including corporations, employment taxes, and more came to more than 168.8 million. We decided to use the larger number of 168.8 million as a representation for the entire tax system rather than just individuals, since the larger number of roughly $2.5 trillion collected was only about half of the total collections from individuals. After all, we are all in the same soup on bailouts here.
The $700 billion bailout translates to roughly $4,147.00 per filer. If you wanted to use just the individual tax filings, you would come up with more than $5,200.00. That is the price of saving Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG, Bear Stearns, Lehman, Countrywide, and other failed financial institutions via assisted mergers and other bailouts. We haven’t even gotten to the other failures which are waiting in the wings.”
http://www.247wallst.com/2008/09/usa-per-capita.html
Those pesky zeros……
Welcome to socialism folks!
Brought to you by the “anti-government regulation” Cons.
Mary,
You and your liberal friends should be rejoicing. Socialism is your goal is it not?
#
CapnAmerica
Posted September 25, 2008 at 7:51 pm | Permalink
Raptor thinks that an 8.5 billion dollar bailout = 45,000 dollars for every American adult.
In fact, it’s 450 dollars for every American adult.
See, it’s that “not all CONs are stupid people but all stupid people are CONs” thing again.
It makes winning against those kind of odds very difficult.
—————————-
Predestined posted the identical post yesterday and made the same mistakes.
Are you saying that Predestined is one of the stupid their Crapn?
What an odd thing to suggest.. that anyone should be rejoicing in this near collapse of the global economy. It shows what a warped image you have of liberals.
Not even the foreign financiers who will inherit world economic leadership now that Bush’s anti-regulation appointees that sabotaged the US economy are rejoicing.
But again, it is a perfect plan in the long term. bankrupt the country, then turn it over to the Democrats…
their = there
What are you worried about, Nathan? Isn’t your retirement secure?
And SHOW PROOF please, of where I said I want America to have a socialist form of government. Obviously that’s what YOU want, seeing how you’ve supported the Bush regime and non regulation for 8 yrs. Is he still your hero?
BTW, Do we have victory in Iraq yet? Are all the terrorists gone now? Is it mission accomplished still?
“The $700 billion bailout translates to roughly $4,147.00 per filer. If you wanted to use just the individual tax filings, you would come up with more than $5,200.00. That is the price of saving Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG, Bear Stearns, Lehman, Countrywide, and other failed financial institutions via assisted mergers and other bailouts. We haven’t even gotten to the other failures which are waiting in the wings.”
/www.247wallst.com/2008/09/usa-per-capita.html
And the figure of a trillion dollars is beginning to be heard in this story.
I guess since the little babies may be paying for this when they grow up.. your figure of $450 per capita may be more correct..
Nathan…the only person I know that loves to watch the destruction of his own country and gladly accepts it.
Mary, Nathaniel knows nothing about “liberals” or what liberals think and believe. He has created a straw man in his head that he can mock and rail against, in my opinion. It’s sad, really.
#
DavidB
Posted September 25, 2008 at 8:25 pm | Permalink
And the figure of a trillion dollars is beginning to be heard in this story.
I guess since the little babies may be paying for this when they grow up.. your figure of $450 per capita may be more correct..
================================
If you don’t want this, then you should go with the McCain/Republican plan, which is to make the companies borrow the funds to get themselves re-oriented.
Mary,
The only person I know who lives on a lake, has an airplane on her own private landing stip and hanger on her home, who is constantly adding more to her home yet talks about how bad she has it because of Tiahrt.
Isn’t your retirement secure?
If you actually paid any attention to the history of the situation you would see that Bush wanted to fix this Clinton problem when he first took office.
Unfortunately the Democrats had been bought off and were all about giving the minorities homes regardless of the costs later down the road.
This is what happens when the Democrats plans of simply trying to give everyone a home by practically forcing banks to give them loans, finally catch up to them.
DavidB,
You seem to be quite familiar with what a Strawman argument is because you have no problem using them:
“What an odd thing to suggest.. that anyone should be rejoicing in this near collapse of the global economy. It shows what a warped image you have of liberals.”
It is sad, really, that while you condemn me for using a strawman you fail to see that you are doing the same thing.
Even if you use the 2007 estimated US population of 301139947:
700,000,000,000 / 301139947 = 2324.50
A far cry from $450.
Those pesky zeros! Math is HARD!
Mary,
Talk about drinking the kool-aid! Are you still using the “mission accomplished” crap?
God Bless you liberals. What you lack in truth you make up for in spades with consistency.
Last night, the President of the United State (or rather the pathetic excuse of a man that holds that title) spoke and predicted doom on this country.
His words are no small force in themselves in making the situation worse. Particularly since under his time in office much of our debt has come to be owned by other countries.
He has told us that the only thing we have to fear is everything. The “man” is a traitor to this country and its people.
Excuse me, when did I say I have it bad? Proof please, Nathan.
The fact that you attempt to blame this on Clinton is absolutely hysterical. Your boy has been on watch the last 8 years, dear. The Republicans are the ones who have always fought any government regulation of anything…now we all are affected by the greed and incompetance of the Bush regime and his corporate friends who have always had him in their pockets.
You really love this don’t you, Nathan? Is it your country you hate or just Americans in general?
BTW, Have we achieved victory in Iraq? Are the terrorists all gone? Why don’t you just answer my questions? Too scared?
“giving the minorities homes”? Oh this is a problem caused by people of color! Now I get it!
Gawd, where did THAT fiction come from? What a vivid imagination!
BlueJay,
Have you listened to half the crap Obama has said about how bad things are?
So which is it?
You attack McCain for trying to say the fundamentals are strong, you attack Bush for saying things are dire, and meanwhile Obama is out there saying the same damn stuff about how dire the economy is.
Typical double standard from you liberals.
Mary_Caruso
Posted September 25, 2008 at 8:39 pm | Permalink
Excuse me, when did I say I have it bad?
=================================
No, you don’t have it bad and you’re just whining and b@tching because you can although you can’t figure out why you whine and b@tch – perhaps because you just like doing it.
“Mary,
Talk about drinking the kool-aid! Are you still using the “mission accomplished” crap?”
Are you going to just keep answering the question with more questions, Nathan? What is it you’re too scared to admit?
Mary,
Maybe if you actually stuck around to defend the crap you post longer than 5 minutes you would know exactly what I am talking about.
You said that you were worse off because of Tiahrt.
How exactly are you worse off because of Tiahrt was my question to you which you never answered.
Mary,
Are you actually going to stick around to defend the crap you post tonight?
I am surprised you are still here!
Forgive me for not wasting my time with a real response to all your questions when I figured you wouldn’t respond anyhow.
Reg…so you’re not going to bitch about what’s happening to our country?
“Have we achieved victory in Iraq?”
What do you think victory means? When we have significantly scaled back our forces in Iraq and the Iraqi government is able to function and survive without a strong US military presence, I would call that victory.
Do I think we are close? Yes.
“Are the terrorists all gone?”
They never will be. Have we significantly hurt them and destroyed much of their ability to wage any kind of successful offensive campaign against us? Yes.
“Why don’t you just answer my questions?”
Why don’t you ever answer mine?
“Too scared?”
Nope. Are you?
#
Mary_Caruso
Posted September 25, 2008 at 8:45 pm | Permalink
Reg…so you’re not going to bitch about what’s happening to our country?
——————–
Nope. It was foreseeable and was seen as a problem a decade ago.
B@tching never solved anything.
“You said that you were worse off because of Tiahrt.”
I don’t remember saying that, but I suppose it’s true. His victory against SCHIPS has affected my work and my family has been personally affected by gun violence which he promotes with his stand on gun control…so I’ve answered your quesstion…now, you answer mine.
Mary,
The Democrats control both the House and the Senate and have done so for over a year.
What exactly have they done besides hide from any real solutions?
Why are you not more upset with them for not doing anything for over a year now?
When the congressmen were told by Paulson how bad the situation is, one congressman there said it was like the air was sucked out of the room.
This is a possible crisis not seen since the Great Depression. If that is a load of crap… well, you must know your crap!
This could domino world-wide and people would suffer for years if not decades. And remember, this is a “possible fix”, not a sure thing
This is a crisis of historic proportions. And for all this time, as this was becoming known in the upper echelons, Bush kept saying thing are fine… this did not happen overnight. They KNEW!
Senator Obama has been been quite consistent in his view of the economy’s poor state.
What a perfect time for two presidential candidates to debate the issues of the day.
Mary,
So why do you have a gun in your home? Why do you go shooting?
If guns are so damn bad?
Tiahrt doesn’t support gun violence either. He supports gun rights for those of us who actually believe in the 2nd Amendment.
How exactly has what Tiahrt done in regard to SCHIPS affected your work?
Please explain.
“What do you think victory means? When we have significantly scaled back our forces in Iraq and the Iraqi government is able to function and survive without a strong US military presence, I would call that victory.”
So in other words, we are pretty far away from “victory” in Iraq. With the cost of the war and now the bailout…how do you think it will affect YOUR life? Are you better off because of Bush’s leadership the last 8 yrs? Do you want 8 more years of the same? How do you think McCian will be any different than Bush?
Mary,
And since we are talking about how “gun violence” has effected your family, just what exactly happened?
I could be wrong, but I thought someone was accidently shot in your family.
How the hell is that gun violence?
bush SHOULD have called for courage and measured response.
Like say FDR did?
But NO bush dumped gasoline on the fire.
All so his well heeled friends are the FIRST outta the fire with their fortunes intact.
I don’t have a gun or an airplane..they belong to my husband and I don’t use them.
I have shot a gun but I believe in strict gun control. I don’t see how one negates the other.
You asked me how I’m worse off because of Tiahart and I told you.
Now do you think your life is better or worse because of the Bush administration and the Republican policies?
Mary,
Actually, most of the country in Iraq has been turned back over to the Iraqi military to control.
The Marines are already making plans to start phasing out and some of those forces over to Afghanistan.
We have been discussion significant troop reductions over the next couple of years as well.
Even Obama has had to admit that the surge was a success now and that things have significantly improved.
Seems like “victory” is just around the corner.
No civil war yet like you liberals were screaming about either.
When anyone dies by a gun, it’s violent.
I’ve told what happened many times and don’t care to get into it.
Mary,
You are married. Your assessts are shared.
Why do you allow your husband to keep a gun in the home when you have such strong feelings about how bad they are?
Last I checked, you are always quoting that John Hopkins study about how much more dangerous it is for you to have a gun in the home.
So why do you?
“No civil war yet like you liberals were screaming about either”
I agree as long as we stay there…but when we leave it will be a different story. I hope I’m wrong, BTW…I get no pleasure from being right in these situations, unlike some people who don’t mind watching people suffer if it means they’re right.
You know my husband, Nathan…do you REALLY think I can I tell him to do anything or control him in anyway? He’s not like your dad. LOL
Mary,
So am I right or wrong? Was it an accident or not?
Being careless and accidently shooting someone is not gun violence. Talk about being less than honest.
Besides, he inherited his gun from his dad, who served in WWII. It’s an army issued 45.
Mary,
So while you sit here on this blog preaching about how bad guns are and how much more dangerous having one in the home is you can’t even convince your husband of it?
Perhaps you need to focus on your own home before you start preaching to others about theirs.
I think they call it Hypocrisy.
Example HUD has oversight of loan applications, which apparently were not actually reviewed…
These are Bush’s people:
One office is responsible for the Federal Housing Administration; mission: regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Jackson first joined the Bush Administration in June 2001 as the Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. As Deputy Secretary, Jackson managed the day-to-day operations of HUD, … He was nominated by President George W. Bush on January 28, 2004 to take that position on a permanent basis, and was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on March 31, 2004.
Before him : Melquíades Rafael “Mel” Martínez (born October 23, 1946) is currently the junior United States Senator from Florida and served as General Chairman of the Republican Party from November, 2006 until October 19, 2007. Previously, Martinez served as the 12th Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President George W. Bush.
Read about disgraced HUD chief Alphonso Jackson here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphonso_Jackson
BUSH’S PEOPLE.
It is gun violence when someone dies by a gun….and yes, I had two friends who were murdered execution style by an ex-con with a gun.
BTW, he just got out on parole for the 4th time.
Mary,
Sound like a nice gun, he should destroy it so that your home will be a safer place.
LOL! If anyone knows hypocrisy, it’s you Nathan!!
You STILL refuse to answer my question! Let’s take the focus off of me for awhile.
Do you think you’re better off or not for the last 8 yrs?
I tell you what, Nathan…why don’t YOU convince him to destroy it? LOL!
Mary,
So if your friends had been murdered with a knife would you hate them too?
With your logic, anytime anyone is killed by anything it will be violence.
Get electricuted with a faulty tool? Table saw violence!
Get killed in a car crash? Automobile violence!
Slip and fall down the stairs and die? Stair violence!
Mary,
Of couse I am better off. I have a better job. I have progresed in the Marine Corps in both rank and job. Many of my friends have all been blessed with many great things in their lives as well.
He was just looking for a reason to call you a name… he likes his labels. It simplifies a complex world for him.
Mary,
Why would I convince him to destroy a perfectly good gun?
News Flash: House Republican walk out of the bailout conference, splitting with Bush. Talk about your lame duck…
Mary_Caruso
Posted September 25, 2008 at 9:08 pm | Permalink
It is gun violence when someone dies by a gun….and yes, I had two friends who were murdered execution style by an ex-con with a gun.
BTW, he just got out on parole for the 4th time.
=================================================================
Government just keeps releasing criminals. All the more reason to take reasonable steps to defend yourself and your family.
It’s good to know that someone is better off because of the incompetant Bush administration…I guess as long as we continue the war you’ll have job security.
So how’s your cost of living?…No increases in your gas cost, rent costs, food costs?
Have any savings or investments you might be a little worried about? Are you able to qualify to buy a house?
I guess the lyric “freedoms just another word for nothing left to lose” is true. You ARE blessed!
OBAMA SUPPORTERS SUPPORT AHMADINEJAD!
Code Pink met for 2 hours with AHMADINEJAD today!
Activists Talk Love, Not War, With Iranian President
by FOXNews.com
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Activists from the radical anti-war group CodePink met with the president of Iran in New York on Wednesday, pitching a “peace park” and investment in a bicycle maker as ways to patch relations between the U.S. and the Islamic republic.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in New York to address the U.N. General Assembly, met with CodePink co-founders Jodie Evans and Medea Benjamin and about 150 peace activists at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.
At the meeting, Ahmadinejad said that he would make sure Benjamin could get a visa to visit Iran.
Benjamin has offered public support of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and has spoken out against U.S. sanctions against Cuba. She is also the co-founder of Global Exchange, a group that organizes tours of Venezuelan neighborhoods and Chavez-supporting media outlets.
Evans has given a total $4,600 to the Obama campaign and $1,000 to former Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich.
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/25/activists-talk-love-not-war-with-iranian-president/
Mary,
I will have job security even when the war is over.
Of course gas costs more, how that is Bush’s fault? I don’t know. There are many facotrs involved in that and plenty of blame to go around.
Food and rent have gone up, sure. But I don’t blame Bush for that. Food and rent go up regardless.
Buy a home? Lord no. My credit sucks and only now do I have a much more stable income. Then again, with the way they were handing out loans, maybe I would have! LOL
I am blessed because Christ is my Lord and Savior, I have wonderful parents, and great friends.
I’m better of in the last 8 years too, in many ways, not just financially.
Obama and Clinton by the way, are also better off in the last 8 years, especially financially!
We’re going to have to do more of these lunch strategy meetings.
I so enjoyed one today. A good time with good people.
“Government just keeps releasing criminals. All the more reason to take reasonable steps to defend yourself and your family.”
Yeah, and it’s because of people like you and the NRA that criminals have such easy access to guns.
It would have been harder for Albert Jones to kill my friends if he had a knife, Nathan…they might have even had a fighting chance.
Hey I have an idea…why don’t we all just own nuclear weapons so we can defend oursleves against the terrorists and evil countries that want to destroy us? LOL
Why does your credit suck, Nathan? I thought you were a responsible adult!
“I’m better of in the last 8 years too, ”
Time to pay up for that!
“If money isn’t loosened up, this sucker could go down,” President Bush declared Thursday as he watched the $700 billion bailout package fall apart before his eyes, according to one person in the room.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/26/business/26bailout.html?hp
So you have no intention of living the American dream? The one you have fought so valantly for?
I must say, if you had a family to support…you might be feeling a little hopeless right now, Nathan. Just the idea of what this world may be like for my grandkids makes me depressed.
As it is, life is much easier when you only have to worry about feeding, housing, and clothing yourself.
Mary,
Might have had a fighting chance?
No offense, but if he killed them execution style they didn’t bother to put up a fight at all.
To be killed that way they would have had to have submitted themselves to him without any fight. Just sat there and died.
Unless he walked up behind them when they were not looking?
I don’t know the whole story, but you always have a fighting chance, only that “chance” can be differenct sizes depending on the circumstances.
You’re right Nathan, you DON’T know the whole story…and it’s easy to assume you’d do it different when you’ve never been in that situation.
Mary,
I am living the American Dream right now! As I said, I am blessed.
If I had a family to support? I can think of many “ifs” and I have many friends who do have families to support and they are not feeling hopeless. Well, there might be one, but it has nothing to do with Bush and more to do with his getting a girl pregnant with no job.
Mary,
That is why I am prepared. I practice self defense. When something happens to me, my family, or someone else, I will have practiced or will know what to do instead of just sitting there and being killed.
GOOD catch David!
From David’s link (DO click it)
“Mr. McCain was at one end of the long conference table, Mr. Obama at the other, with the president and senior Congressional leaders between them. Participants said Mr. Obama peppered Mr. Paulson with questions, while Mr. McCain said little. Outside the West Wing, a huge crowd of reporters gathered in the driveway, anxiously awaiting an appearance by either presidential candidate, with expectations running high.”
And THIS is why John McCain cannot be bothered with debate tomorrow?
bush is only worried about his already destroyed legacy.
The Republicans? Despicable. Beneath contempt. They care about NOTHING but greed.
And people like you want to take away my ability to be much more effective at defending myself.
So tell me Mary, for someone so concerned with people having a fighting chance, why do you oppose concealed carry?
I see the hopelessness every day. My older patients who have worked hard all their lives only to get sick, lose their job, and along with it their health benefits. Skyrocketing healthcare costs that no one can afford. Elderly people living on fixed incomes who can’t afford the cost of healthy food or heating their homes. Single moms trying to get by the best they can and then one thing goes wrong, like the car breaking down, and it’s a disaster that snowballs for them.
I can go on and on…
I’VE been lucky so far…but everyday my life is touched by those who aren’t as fortunate as I’ve been.
Maybe I’ll come live in your world, Nathan..where evrything is sunshine and roses and Jesus loves everyone..I’m getting burned out on the real one.
“I will have practiced or will know what to do instead of just sitting there and being killed”.
You can’t always control the outcome, Nathan…and you’re living in a fantasy world if you think you can.
Why DO you think I oppose CC, Nathan?
Mary,
And if you talk to a Police Officer you will get the same type of cynical attitude about how everyone is a criminal, bad, etc…
You work in a job where you are surrounded by those people. It won’t matter who the President is, you will still work with those people.
Everything in my life is far from roses and sunshine. I simply choose to see the good things and be happy with them rather than the bad and be miserable.
Nathan, you need to get a girlfriend. You spend WAY too much time on the computer.
Good night, I have to get up early and this has been an incredible waste of my time.
Mary,
I never said I could control the outcome.
However, if a fire breaks out in your home and you have no idea where a fire extinguisher is, how to use one if you found it, or how to get out of your home, or if your kids know what to do if you can’t get to them…
vs
Knowing where safety equipment is at, knowing how to use it, teaching your kids what to do…
You can greatly improve your chances of survival by taking simple steps in life to be prepared in many things, not just in protecting your life.
Mary: I posted the other day, a comparison of murders in 3 cities on the Great Lakes all with about the same population. Chicago with 500-700, Detroit with 400-500 and Toronto with 40-60 murders a year. Guess which city has very strict hand gun controls? Not banned, just well controlled. Hmmm…….
Mary_Caruso
Posted September 25, 2008 at 9:27 pm | Permalink
“Government just keeps releasing criminals. All the more reason to take reasonable steps to defend yourself and your family.”
Yeah, and it’s because of people like you and the NRA that criminals have such easy access to guns.
===============================================================
Just how exactly did the NRA make it easier for the criminal to get a gun?
What a surprise! CIties that have a lot of murders try to control weapons! You think firemen cause fires because you always find to the two together?
More evidence of the economic meltdown:
Three new government reports highlighting the economy’s weakness. Sales of previously owned homes fell 11.5 percent in August compared with the corresponding month last year, and median home prices fell 6 percent, to $221,900.
Weekly applications for unemployment benefits grew 32,000, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 493,000, partly because of hurricanes Gustav and Ike, according to the Labor Department. Factory orders fell 4.5 percent in August, twice the expected rate.
Predestined
Posted September 25, 2008 at 7:29 am | Permalink
Raptor,
I posted the same thing yesterday, and it was pointed out to me that the math was wrong. Each person would receive $425. Since I, like you, copy & pasted the information flying around via email, I’ll let you do the math.
Huh? $850,000,000,000 / 301,139,947 (2007 pop.)= $2822.60
DavidB
Posted September 25, 2008 at 10:02 pm | Permalink
What a surprise! CIties that have a lot of murders try to control weapons!
=====================================================================
Cities that ban guns or restrict them from law-abiding citizens have high crime rates.
VIOLENCE >>>>
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/violence
Violence is violence… accidental or otherwise…
DavidB I think the $400+ figure is based on the AIG bailout of $85 Billion…
The other figure you list seems to be based on the $700 Billion bailout….
Does that help with the numbers??
So much for Party Unity!
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/06/30/report-bill-clinton-tells-friends-obama-can-kiss-his-butt/
Report: Bill Clinton Tells Friends Obama Can Kiss His Butt
by FOXNews.com
Monday, June 30, 2008
As Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were kissing and making up last Friday, Bill Clinton might have had other ideas, according to a report in The (London) Telegraph.
The paper reports that even as the former president and the current presumptive Democratic nominee prepare to meet to make their own amends, Bill Clinton reportedly told close friends Obama can “kiss my ass” to get his support.
Date line June 30 Hank?
Even slow people can see from this graph, the massive increase in housing prices started in 1999, increased at an unprecedented rate (that means really fast), then peaked in early 2006.
What goes up so fast, cannot be sustained.
We are back down to the housing prices of 2002. Which is still 28% higher then the housing prices of 9 years ago in 1999, when the price hyper-inflation started.
http://mysite.verizon.net/vodkajim/housingbubble/
Had the hyper-inflation continued, then nationwide house prices would be well over $300,000, as compared to $206,500 as of Q2 2008.
(See the spreadsheet link from the graph for more detail.s)
That’s right, to DemoRats, anything said more then 3 days ago, doesn’t count.
Heck, don’t even bother lookin at the national sales data.
If you want one measure of how better off you are today, then in 2000, look at the Tax Assessment notice for your house!
What’s the Assessed Value today vs 8 years ago?
Fess up DemoRats, I’d love to hear how much your OWN house price has dropped from 2000 to today.
Dang, look at this funny line showing housing prices going up in Sedgwick county!
http://realestate.wichita.edu/draft/research/homeprice_Sedg_ann.asp
YOU MUST BE MUST WORSE OFF WITH BUSH AS PRESIDENT!
Hmmm, the increase in Assessed Value last year in Sedgwick county was 3%!
http://www.sedgwickcounty.org/appraiser/
Approximately 215,000 real property value notices have been mailed for 2008. Of the approximate 215,000 value notices, 151,555 are classified as residential. Of these, 112,653 or 74% increased in value, 3,834 (3%) decreased in value, and 35,068 (23%) remained the same. The median increase for residential properties is 3%.
YOU MUST BE MUST WORSE OFF WITH BUSH AS PRESIDENT!
$85,000 TO $117,200 Median Sales prices climb from 2000 to 2007!
http://www.sedgwickcounty.org/appraiser/home_values2008.pdf
YOU MUST BE MUST WORSE OFF WITH BUSH AS PRESIDENT!
Interest Rates down from 1997 to 2008, and housing prices are up!
http://www.sedgwickcounty.org/appraiser/home_values2008.pdf
“YOU MUST BE MUST WORSE OFF WITH BUSH AS PRESIDENT!”
Yup, the whole country agrees.
Except for the greed mongers who live on the misery of others.
JR, are you unable to answer the question or at least address it in a meaningful way? You sound like a cartoon.
If you own a house, how much higher is your Assessed Value in 2008 as compared to 2000?
Never mind, you can’t even afford that PC you’re using.
Good night; Good luck; God bless —-
Whatever you conceive God to be!!
Blessings ALL!!!
Especially on a pivotal debate Friday nite!!
So mote it be!!
Hello friends!
We’re proud to inform you that PixProfit(dot)com is hiring right now.
Online job takes not much efforts.
We have no such thing as “working hours”, thus you can work with our portal when you have free time.
The job is simple – you need to type in the images you see.
The payment is from $1 for every 1000 images.
We pay from $0.5 every weekend via PayPal.
Best workers have bonuses and better job opportunities.
Start working with us this week and have better job opportunity in a two weeks.
If you have any questions do not hesitate to ask, contact the administrator.
Spare a few minutes to visit PixProfit(dot)com