There Goes The Neighbourhood

Obama’s security strategy falls short By Clive Crook Financial Times May 30 2010 19:56 The administration of Barack Obama sees its new National Security Strategy – a statement the White House sends Congress from time to time – as a work of great importance, a radical departure from its predecessor’s thinking. It is neither; nor, for that matter, is it a strategy. Ordinarily, one might be unconcerned. A document is just a document, after all: actions are what count. The worrying thing is that the US president and his team seem so deluded about what they have produced. I might be prejudiced. To judge the content of the statement, you have to overlook the way it is expressed, which is not easy. It was run through a management-speak machine. It emerged, repetitious and full of misprints, with added verbiage and reduced intellectual content. Then it was put through a second time. Imagine 50 pages of this: “To prevent acts of terrorism on American soil, we must enlist all of our intelligence...

Global Cooling - from a volcano.  The answer - pollute more, warm us up. In June 1991, the massive eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines rocked the Pacific region and led to a global drop in temperature. "That volcano produced enough ash and aerosols that were injected into the atmosphere that cooled the globe for up to, I think, 2 degrees centigrade for several years," said Peter La Femina, Assistant Professor of Geoscience at the Pennsylvania State University. [...] Meanwhile, Katla has the whole range of magmatic compositions from basalt to rhyolite, which are richer in silica. "So it has the ability to be much, much more explosive," he said. However, the effect of these gases in the years following their release into the atmosphere are much more complex than just straight cooling. "Not only did we have global cooling, but there was actually some warming during the Northern Hemisphere winters," said La Femina.                 volca...

The end of the world as we know it, or simply silly writers ... It doesn't really matter does it - whether it is one or two volcanos that will erupt and do what decades and centuries of man made pollution didn't do - inextricably alter our environment and end (if this is to be believed) life as we know it and change how we look at life and the future. All that pollution we are emitting - global warming - may be necessary to prevent another deep ice age. Funny. Scientists Issue Ominous Warning About Second Iceland Volcano ‘Katla!’ May 28th, 2010 - 12:15 am ICT by Angela Kaye Mason - May 27 (THAINDIAN NEWS) According to scientists, a second volcano in Iceland, known as ‘Katla’ is close to failure, and this could cause world wide catastrophe similar to that in the movie, “The Day After Tomorrow”. As Eyjafjallajokull began erupting, scientists were already warning that this event could trigger an eruption of nearby Katla, which would have repercussions of epic proportions. In the f...

Bill Maher - not funny, not bright, and not terribly useful unless you are looking for examples of idiots and fools on parade. He made a statement that lines up as one of the most racist and ignorant statements I have heard or read in, well, I don't think anything has come close - HBO's Bill Maher: "I thought when we elected a black president, we were going to get a black president. You know, this [BP oil spill] is where I want a real black president. I want him in a meeting with the BP CEOs, you know, where he lifts up his shirt where you can see the gun in his pants. That's -- (in black man voice) we've got a 'motherfu**ing problem here?' Shoot somebody in the foot." idiots

House Votes to Allow ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Repeal By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN and CARL HULSE The New York Times May 27, 2010 WASHINGTON — The House voted Thursday to let the Defense Department repeal the ban on gay and bisexual people from serving openly in the military, a major step toward dismantling the 1993 law widely known as “don’t ask, don’t tell.” The provision would allow military commanders to repeal the ban. The repeal would permit gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military for the first time. It was adopted as an amendment to the annual Pentagon policy bill, which the House is expected to vote on Friday. The repeal would be allowed 60 days after a Pentagon report is completed on the ramifications of allowing openly gay service members, and military leaders certify that it would not be disruptive. The report is due by Dec. 1. The House vote was 234 to 194, with 229 Democrats and 5 Republicans in favor, after an emotionally charged debate. Opposed were 168 Republicans...

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer abruptly suspends state's attorney general from illegal immigrant law defense May 28, 2010 11:22 pm The Los Angeles Times A sudden new twist in the ongoing rhetorical and legal struggle over Arizona's tough new law to round up illegal immigrants. Late Friday night as the Memorial Day weekend began, Arizona's Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, in effect, suspended the state's Democratic attorney general from defending the new law in upcoming legal challenges. The measure, known as S.B. 1070, is due to take effect this summer and, among other things, allows local police under federal guidelines to check the immigration status of people they stop. The governor's abrupt action against Terry Goddard, her likely Democratic opponent in this fall's gubernatorial election, came after months of disputes between the two and at the end of a long day of legal maneuvering in both Arizona and the nation's capital. As the state's chief lawyer, Goddard ...

So the question is - do other scholarships ask about citizenship?  Can a person (illegal) get scholarships without showing proof of citizenship?  If so, is this not discriminatory against citizens? I would like to renounce my citizenship so I can apply - because apparently the majority of available funds don't ask for proof, if they even ask at all.  The illegal is already getting IN-STATE tuition rates, unlike my costs if I was to move to Arizona and apply at ASU, I would be OUT-OF-STATE and pay A LOT MORE.  I suppose I should tell the admissions at ASU that I am an illegal alien from California. Calif. College Offers Scholarship to Illegal Immigrants By Jana Winter Published May 28, 2010 FOXNews.com A public community college in California has set up a scholarship fund for immigrant students — including illegal immigrants. The $2,500 scholarship has sparked anger by some, including at least one lawmaker who is threatening to cut off federal funding to the school. O...

Transparency.  Great.  Let the US be transparent to all the enemies we have, let Obama sing the praises of such transparency - except domestically.  When it comes to things that happen here - let us not be so transparent.  We are doing this, says the administration, to show the world how transparent we are.  Dear World - we were more transparent than any of you 10 years ago, 20 years ago - forget needing to be more ... you need to be more transparent.  Yet, Obama like most liberals believes the US is the enemy of peace and we are the secret society (perhaps that is why there has been increased wiretapping, information gathering, and domestic spying in the last 20 months).    Regardless, doing this to encourage China to be transparent is utterly naive and imbecilic and if the individual claims to be a scientist at Atomic Scientists, who argues this case - he is a fool as well as naive and imbecilic. U.S. reveals size of nuclear arsenal 8:36pm ...

Wait, the Rockers will have to stay away from Massachusetts as well as Arizona!!  Great.  Let's see if they do, or if they are truly hypocritical fools. Mass. Senate passes crackdown on illegal immigrants May 27, 2010 05:56 PM By Noah Bierman and Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff With one lawmaker citing President Lincoln's respect for the rule of law, the Massachusetts Senate passed a far-reaching crackdown this afternoon on illegal immigrants and those who would hire them, going further, senators said, than any immigration bill proposed over the past five years. In a surprising turn of events, the legislation replaced a narrower bill that was passed Wednesday over the objections of Republicans. The measure, which passed on a 28-10 vote as an amendment to the budget, would bar the state from doing business with any company found to break federal laws barring illegal immigrant hiring. It would also toughen penalties for creating or using fake identification documents, and explicit...

So close the deficit by CUTTING SPENDING.  Not by taxing the rich MORE than you are already. N.Y. Assembly Looks at Millionaire's Tax Wednesday, 26 May 2010, 1:53 PM EDT MYFOXNY.COM STAFF REPORT MYFOXNY.COM - New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is reportedly pitching a plan for an increased "millionaire's tax" aimed at 75-85 thousand New Yorkers making $1 million or more a year. Political columnist Fred Dicker , who appeared on Wednesday's Good Day New York, says Silver secretly proposed a $1 billion tax hike on the highest income earners to Gov. Paterson. The plan would jack up a current millionaires tax another 11-percent . The current "millionaire's tax" actually starts affecting people who have incomes over $200,000. High income tax earners would pay more than 13-percent of their salary in local taxes. The highest one percent of income earners account for about 36 percent of all state taxes. The state is trying to close a $9.2 billion defici...

President Obama will skip Memorial Day visit to Arlington National Cemetery By Anne E. Kornblut and Ed O'Keefe Washington Post Staff Writers Friday, May 28, 2010 President Obama is skipping the traditional Memorial Day visit to Arlington National Cemetery, a move that has dismayed some veterans -- and comes at a sensitive moment in the administration's relationship with the military. Instead of speaking at Arlington, as he did last year and as most presidents have done, Obama will appear at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery outside Chicago, the White House said. Vice President Biden will take his place at Arlington, the most prestigious military cemetery in the country and home to Section 60, a large burial ground for soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. [To read the rest of the article, click on the title link]  

Sestak statement on Clinton deal By: Susan Ferrechio Chief Congressional Correspondent 05/28/10 2:36 PM EDT The statement from Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pa., about the White House Counsel’s Office report on his allegations that the Obama administration offered him a “high-up” federal job in exchange for not entering the Democratic Senate primary against Sen. Arlen Specter: “Last summer, I received a phone call from President Clinton. During the course of the conversation, he expressed concern over my prospects if I were to enter the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate and the value of having me stay in the House of Representatives because of my military background. He said that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel had spoken with him about my being on a Presidential Board while remaining in the House of Representatives. I said no. I told President Clinton that my only consideration in getting into the Senate race or not was whether it was the right thing to do for Pennsylvania working fami...

Amazing bit of wordsmithing, but that is exactly what is happening. War on the military-industrial complex By: Timothy P. Carney Examiner Columnist May 28, 2010 If your family spent a majority of its disposable income on groceries, and you were looking to tighten your belt, you might start by taking a scalpel to your grocery budget. If Republicans are serious about reining in our out-of-control federal spending, they ought to start with the spending item that takes up 56 percent of our discretionary spending -- defense. Conservatives, in their much-needed attacks on federal overspending, too often give the Pentagon a pass. For the budget of fiscal 2011, taxpayers are spending $708 billion on defense. Maybe it seems unpatriotic to criticize our military spending. Maybe it seems like you're not supporting the troops to look for defense cuts. But as a tribute to our soldiers, sailors and airmen this Memorial Day weekend, let's start dismantling the military-industrial complex that...

A Birthright? Maybe Not. George Will Sunday, March 28, 2010 WASHINGTON -- A simple reform would drain some scalding steam from immigration arguments that may soon again be at a roiling boil. It would bring the interpretation of the 14th Amendment into conformity with what the authors of its text intended, and with common sense, thereby removing an incentive for illegal immigration. To end the practice of "birthright citizenship," all that is required is to correct the misinterpretation of that amendment's first sentence: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside." From these words has flowed the practice of conferring citizenship on children born here to illegal immigrants. A parent from a poor country, writes professor Lino Graglia of the University of Texas law school, "can hardly do more for a child than make him or her an American...

I Feel Your Pain, Unless You're From a Different Race LiveScience.com charles Q. Choi livescience Contributor livescience.com – Thu May 27, 12:12 pm ET Normally when you see or imagine someone else in pain, your brain experiences a twinge of pain as well. Not so when race and bias come into play, scientists now find. Intriguingly, people respond with empathy when pain is inflicted on others who don't fit into any preconceived racial category, such as those who appear to have violet-colored skin. "This is quite important because it suggests that humans tend to empathize by default unless prejudice is at play," said researcher Salvatore Maria Aglioti, a cognitive and social neuroscientist at the Sapienza University of Rome in Italy. Scientists asked volunteers in Italy of Italian and African descent to watch short films showing either needles penetrating a person's hand or a Q-tip gently touching the same spot. At the same time, they measured brain and nervous syste...

FOXNews.com - May 27, 2010 Counterterror Adviser Defends Jihad as 'Legitimate Tenet of Islam' The president's top counterterrorism adviser on Wednesday called jihad a "legitimate tenet of Islam," arguing that the term "jihadists" should not be used to describe America's enemies. The president's top counterterrorism adviser on Wednesday called jihad a "legitimate tenet of Islam," arguing that the term "jihadists" should not be used to describe America's enemies. During a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, John Brennan described violent extremists as victims of "political, economic and social forces," but said that those plotting attacks on the United States should not be described in "religious terms." He repeated the administration argument that the enemy is not "terrorism," because terrorism is a "tactic," and not terror, because terror is a "state of...

....  everything can cause cancer - wait, we all have cancer cells in our bodies so nothing causes cancer, rather it flips the switch that turns cancer production on.  Or something like that. In any case, a new study -  sunscreen causes cancer. Some Sunscreens Accelerate Cancer, Research Says Monday, May 24, 2010 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- New research show that some popular brands of sunscreen may actually accelerate skin cancer, instead of protecting your skin. For years, experts have been telling people to apply and reapply sunscreen, especially when facing the sun's harmful rays. According to a new study by the Environmental Working Group released Monday, almost half of the most popular sunscreen contain ingredients that could actually speed up cancer. Those like Ashley Rolling, who said she uses sunscreen religiously, said despite the new research, she will continue using the product. "I don't know how much I believe that, I mean, have they tested the study thoroughly or ...

Ok, so I initially believed it was a good policy.  Now we find out more, and I have to change my mind - it is a bad policy. US troops won't be used to stop illegal immigration: US May 26 03:50 PM US/Eastern AFP US National Guard troops being sent to the Mexican border will be used to stem the flow of guns and drugs across the frontier and not to enforce US immigration laws, the State Department said Wednesday. The clarification came after the Mexican government urged Washington not to use the additional troops to go after illegal immigrants. President Barack Obama on Tuesday authorized the deployment of up to 1,200 additional troops to border areas but State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters, "It's not about immigration." He said the move was "fully consistent with our efforts to do our part to stem, you know, violence, to interdict the flow of dangerous people and dangerous goods -- drugs, guns, people." He said the extra troops would be ...

When is a holiday not a vacation, but instead is a weekend break?  Obamas take a weekend break from Washington By Michael D. Shear Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, April 25, 2010; A10 ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Don't call it a vacation, the White House says. It's a "getaway," or a "weekend away" or maybe just a "break." [Absolutely - it isn't a vacation - look Bush took a break every so often, and it is necessary given the pressures of the office - why not.  I only wish Democrats had stopped attacking him daily for all his VACATIONS and realized that reality is never far away when you are president.] Whatever you call it, President Obama and the first lady made it clear to their staffs that there would be no interviewing of Supreme Court nominees or big briefing books in advance of long meetings. Instead, the Obamas took a step off the Washington treadmill from the moment they arrived here. They chowed down on some North Carolina barbecue and esca...

Good policy.  We need more than 1200 but that is a great start.  Perhaps wrongly used, but it will be a good start. Obama sending 1,200 troops to Mexico border May 25, 2010 Reuters .WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will deploy up to 1,200 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexican border and request $500 million for enhanced border protection, an administration official said on Tuesday. The troops will provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support, intelligence analysis, immediate support to counternarcotics enforcement and training capacity until Customs and Border Patrol can recruit and train more officers and agents to serve along the frontier. The funds will be used to enhance technology at the border and share information and support between law enforcement agencies as they target illegal trafficking in people, drugs, weapons and money. The immigration issue has been a subject of intense focus in Washington, with Obama calling for comprehensive...

... and we have a community organizer in charge. We are in trouble. Dear American People: I realize that only 42% of you support Obama, according to very recent polling, but dear lord, when you elect a president do NOT, please, DO NOT think domestic.  The domestic issues will resolve themselves and sort out, eventually - THINK globally, think international crisis after crisis after crisis.  Please.  And a community organizer is wholly unqualified to handle these concerns.  Worse, the lack of experience makes the world a much more dangerous position given the fact that most of the world holds us in such contempt. Stocks drop after euro slumps, Dow falls below 10K Tuesday May 25, 2010, 1:39 pm EDT NEW YORK (AP) -- The Dow Jones industrials plunged below 10,000 Tuesday after traders dumped stocks on expectations that the world economy will weaken in the coming months. The Dow fell about 190 points in afternoon trading. It has fallen about 1,330 points, or nearly 12 perc...

In Europe the cultural belief ... well, actually it is more like a cultural truism was that you were not the sum of what you did, rather you were the sum of what you didn't do ... the vacations, the free time spent twiddling and dwiddling and wasting whatever time you had was in truth, not wasting or dwiddling, it was your time to simply be.  In several European countries, one is paid not for one's product, but for simply being.  You work 12 weeks, you are off 12 weeks, you work 12 weeks and you are off 12 weeks and you work 4 weeks and ... and you rather enjoy that schedule.  Well, it failed Europe, but Obama wants it here, and he has begun his change .... Private pay shrinks to historic lows By Dennis Cauchon, USA TODAY May 25, 2010 Paychecks from private business shrank to their smallest share of personal income in U.S. history during the first quarter of this year, a USA TODAY analysis of government data finds. At the same time, government-provided benefits — from So...

So says the Governor of the State of Massachusetts.  Amazing what constitutes sedition today.  Democrats have reminded us nearly every week how unpatriotic everyone who opposes Obama is, and now they are also guilty of sedition. Of course the guy modified his statement later - who wouldn't given the ... problems he would have if he didn't.  All of the Democrats in the last 12 months who have called opposition to Obama unpatriotic, racist, and sedition, have later modified their statements.  When Republicans said something was unpatriotic - it was not opposition that was questionable, it was motives and purpose.  Besides that - no one ever said opposing Bush was unpatriotic.  No one from the government - go find it and check.  One of those stories that was built on stories built on lies.  But that doesn't matter - not when you have the certainty of your faith - Obama. Patrick says Obama critics are 'almost at the level of sedition' May 24, 2010 03...

The end of a series, of a constant - where one man stood out and above, and did what had to be done.  In a way it is quite fitting that the series ends as Mr. Obama proclaims a new world order.  Jack is over and done, finished and gone, and as hard as Mr. Obama will try, and he will try - he cannot end American exceptionalism, and because he will fail, Jack will be back - even if it is only on the big screen. 24

On top of the federal taxes coming our way, the state will raise taxes.  tax tax tax tax.  Never met a tax they didn't like! California Democrats unveil tax-increase package 7:25pm EDT Reuters SAN FRANCISCO, May 24 (Reuters) - Democratic lawmakers in California unveiled a plan on Monday for nearly $5 billion of tax and fee increases to help fill the state government's $19.1 billion budget gap. The plan by state Senate Democrats would raise $4.9 billion by raising California's vehicle registration fee, suspending corporate tax breaks scheduled to begin next year and boosting the state's tax on alcoholic beverages. Democrats control both chambers of the state's legislature and have said they would seek new revenue to help plug the shortfall. Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, by contrast, has ruled out tax increases and is relying largely on deep spending cuts in his plan for balancing the state's books. He has called for $12.4 billion of cuts and would sc...

A brilliant way to raise billions.  Tax the oil companies and then force the oil companies to clean it up. Almost as if it was all planned - a way to raise taxes and further the compromise the economic system.  It is amazing.  Control of the financial sector when it happens to present a blunder of extraordinary proportions.  It is amazing how this administration seems to be there to clean up these messes by imposing new regulations and control, and increasing our taxes - taxes that impact the poor more than anyone else. Oil tax increase would help pay to clean up spills May 24 04:20 PM US/Eastern By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Responding to the massive BP oil spill, Congress is getting ready to quadruple—to 32 cents a barrel—a tax on oil used to help finance cleanups. The increase would raise nearly $11 billion over the next decade. The tax is levied on oil produced in the U.S. or imported from foreign countries. The revenue goes to ...