DEDICATED TO EXPOSING DISINFORMATION AND PROPAGANDA AND TO PROMOTING UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS - WITH SHARP ANALYSIS AND BLUNT COMMENTARY. NO ADS. NO TIP-JAR. JUST THE TRUTH.
Northern Virginia is the bastion of liberalism. That so many turned out and waiting for hours is a very good sign that we can turn things around in 2010!
The Home Secretary's husband has said sorry for embarrassing his wife after two adult films were viewed at their home, then claimed for on expenses.INSTEAD OF AIDING THE ENEMY BY BANNING PRO-EUROPEAN EUROPEANS - LIKE GEERT WILDERS - MAYBE THE HOME SECRETARY SHOULD STAY HOME AND TAKE CARE OF HER HUBBY'S SEX NEEDS...
Richard Timney, who is also Jacqui Smith's parliamentary aide, said he understood why people might be angry.
Ms Smith said she "mistakenly" claimed for a TV package when billing for a web connection and would repay the cash.
Downing Street said she had done the "right thing" by quickly rectifying the "inadvertent mistake".
The Home Secretary is already under investigation by the parliamentary commissioner for standards over her use of the second homes allowance.
Mr Timney said outside the couple's home in Redditch, Worcestershire: "I'm really sorry for any embarrassment I have caused Jacqui.
"I can fully understand why people might be angry and offended by this. Quite obviously a claim should never have been made for these films, and as you know that money is being paid back."
BBC political correspondent, Gary O'Donoghue, said a source told him Ms Smith was "livid and shocked" when she found out about the films. He said he was told Ms Smith was not at home when they were viewed and said she had no intention of resigning over the matter.
Mr O'Donoghue said he was told Ms Smith had given her husband a "real ear-bashing". "All money claimed for the television package will be paid back in full" Jacqui Smith, Home Secretary
The two films, which cost £5 each, were viewed on 6 and 8 April 2008 at Jacqui Smith's constituency home in Redditch.
The claim was also said to include two viewings of the film Ocean's 13 - at £3.75 each - and an additional £3.50 to watch the film Surf's Up.
A Downing Street spokesman said Ms Smith was doing a great job as Home Secretary and would not let the expenses issue detract from her determination to protect the public.
No Givens As Obama Steps Onto World StageBHO's fellow Democrats are in damage-control mode, and blaming GWB too:
After 69 days in which international issues have taken a back seat to attempts to rescue the economy at home, President Obama takes the world stage this week as a wildly popular figure among the people of Europe, but one who faces a difficult task in selling his plans to the continent's leaders.
[...]
But if the U.S. president thought his popularity would cause foreign governments to fall quickly into line behind a new American leadership, experts warn, he could be in for a rude awakening....
...[R]eplacing Bush with Obama has not erased the substantial disagreements that remain between the United States and Europe.This blaming-Bush line is wearing thin. The current President has to step up to the plate and stop whining about his predecessor. In fact, such whining is decidedly adolescent.
"That's an invitation to disillusionment," said Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "These are complicated times. There's an anger in the world . . . about how people think our country has helped create these problems. The president has to lift heavily to get us over the Bush hurdle."
One of the Tories' biggest donors is giving £100,000 to the UK Independence Party after becoming disillusioned with David Cameron's line on Europe, it was reported today.GOOD FOR WHEELER!
Spread-betting millionaire Stuart Wheeler said he now doubted the Conservative leader would honour his commitment to hold a referendum on the EU's controversial Lisbon Treaty.
The paper said that Mr Wheeler now intended to vote for Ukip - which campaigns for withdrawal from the EU - in the European parliamentary elections in June, although he would continue to support the Tories in the local and general elections.
'The EU is doing so much damage to our economy and our way of life that I can no longer vote Conservative at the European elections,' he told The News Of The World.
'The Conservatives - though perhaps more Euro-sceptic than Labour - just wish no one would talk about the EU so that they can win the general election in peace.'
He said that his doubts had been heightened by the tone of recent remarks by Mr Cameron.
'My doubts about his commitment to doing anything effective were increased this week when I was told that he had got 70 Conservative MPs together and told them the EU issue did not matter,' he said.
Gov. David A. Paterson and leaders of the Legislature have reached a deal to temporarily raise taxes on New York’s highest earners in order to close the state’s yawning budget deficit, lawmakers and officials involved in the talks said on Saturday.THESE RICH PEOPLE EARN THIS MONEY. IT'S THEIRS. THE STATE DOESN'T HAVE A RIGHT TO MORE OF IT BECAUSE THEY SPEND TOO DAMN MUCH, AND ARE OWNED BY THE UNIONS.
The new plan, which would expire after three years, would represent the largest income tax increase in recent state history, significantly larger than the surcharges imposed from 2003 to 2005, when the state last faced a major recession.
The plan would raise $4 billion a year by creating two new tax brackets, the highest one affecting those who earn $500,000 or more. If approved by rank-and-file lawmakers in the Assembly and State Senate, the tax increases would be a major victory for unions and liberal advocacy groups and a signal of the new balance of power in Albany, where Democrats won control of both houses of the Legislature and the governor’s office in last year’s election.
Although the proposed tax has been called a “millionaires’ tax,” it would affect those with incomes starting at $300,000, who would be taxed at a rate of 7.85 percent. The highest bracket would carry a tax rate of 8.97 percent — the same as New Jersey’s current highest rate.
"The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money."
UPDATED AT THE BOTTOM!PAPER: FRIEND OF BIDEN'S DAUGHTER SHOPPING TAPE OF HER ALLEGEDLY DOING COCAINE...
SHOCK CLAIM: Vice President's Daughter Caught Up In Scandal?
RTWT.I believe the year was 1999. It was either September or October. I was a junior at Tulane University ready to start yet another fantastic year of college. I, being in a fraternity that sat right across from an all girls dorm, was very excited at the prospect of a new crop of freshman girls. One of those girls? None other than Ashley Biden.
I never paid it any mind. And I would imagine most people at the school didn’t. I just remember meeting her and someone telling me she was the daughter of Senator Joe Biden. I can even recall that first meeting. She was extremely attractive and definitely dressed to “party.” I’ll never forget the short shorts she always used to wear. And boy could she party. She just had a way about her. A cute face, sick body, and a charm that people were definitely attracted to.
Every single time I saw this girl out she was hammered. I’m not quite sure as to her sexual history at Tulane, but rumors have it that threesomes were common and that drug use was rampant.
A Hizbullah member of Lebanon's Parliament will hold a rare meeting with British parliamentarians in London this week, the group announced Saturday.
The visit follows an announcement by Britain's Foreign Office last month that it has contacted Hizbullah's political wing in an attempt to reach out to its legislators.
It said its ultimate aim is to encourage the group to abandon violence and play a constructive political role in the deeply divided country.
A Hizbullah statement issued Saturday says Hussein Hajj Hassan was invited by a number of British legislators to take part in a political meeting of parliamentarians to discuss "regional issues."
It said he would be traveling to London on Sunday.
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THEY WOULDN'T LET DUTCH MP GEERT WILDERS IN, BUT THEY LET THIS SCUM IN.A major spring blizzard shut down major highways and paralyzed the Southern Plains as residents of Oklahoma and Texas prepared for up to a foot of snow, freezing 45-mile-an-hour winds and huge snowdrifts. Schools and government offices were closed, and hundreds of travelers were stranded by the storm, which left some areas under a coat of ice.REPEAT: "The snowfall was expected to be unprecedented for this time of year ..."
The snowfall was expected to be unprecedented for this time of year in Oklahoma, and the National Guard was called out in the Texas Panhandle, where snowdrifts as high as 11 feet and up to a foot of snowfall were predicted before the storm moves on Saturday.
a blizzard dumped more than 2 feet of snow in parts of the Plains on Saturday.AP:
Crews with snowplows struggled to clear roads in Oklahoma, where a foot of snow fell.
The blizzard cut power, stranding drivers and prompted governors in Kansas and Oklahoma to issue disaster declarations.
Blizzard warnings in effect until this afternoon for parts of the Texas Panhandle have stranded people indoors and left highways closed. Forecasts predict the northeastern part of the Panhandle to be the most affected Saturday morning, with spots of blowing snow and winds of up to 30 mph.BLIZZARDS IN AMERICA'S HEARTLAND IN SPRING. (MORE HERE.)
THIS IS HARDLY THE STUFF GLOBAL WARMING IS MADE OF...The Philippines have relaxed a security cordon around Abu Sayyaf rebels who have threatened to behead one of three Red Cross hostages seized in January.BBC:
At least 800 soldiers have pulled back on the southern island of Jolo. "We are giving them a breathing space where they feel they're safe to negotiate," said Philippine Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno.
The rebels said they would kill one of the hostages if the cordon around them was not fully removed by 31 March.
In rare public appeal, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross Jakob Kellenberger asked Philippine officials to consider the demands made by the Islamist militants. He also called on the kidnappers not to harm the hostages - Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba - who were seized on 15 January. Mr Kellenberger said Red Cross staff were in the Philippines to do humanitarian work, and that nothing whatsoever could be achieved by hurting them.
The Abu Sayyaf has a history of beheading captives.
Yemeni security forces have clashed with militants linked to Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network. Four policemen are reported to have died during an operation against the militants in Jaar, in Abyan province in the south of the country. Officials said it was launched in response to attacks by the insurgents on government forces. Correspondents say the town is a stronghold of militants who return to Yemen after fighting abroad.BBC:
Pakistan's army says troops backed by artillery and helicopter gunships have killed 26 militants in an attack near the Afghan border.WHAT DO ALL OF THESE CONFLICTS HAVE IN COMMON?
The army said the battle took place in Mohmand, North-West Frontier Province, said to be a hub for Taleban militants. Earlier, Pakistan's president said his country would not allow use of its soil for terrorist activity. It came after the US said elements in Pakistan's ISI military intelligence were still supporting the Taleban.Adm Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a CNN interview on Friday night the ISI had links with militants on both Pakistan's borders with Afghanistan and India.
Earlier on Saturday, the Taleban destroyed 12 parked trucks laden with supplies for Nato personnel in Afghanistan - the latest in a series of similar attacks - near Peshawar, capital of North-West Frontier Province.
Climate: Czech President Vaclav Klaus once called global warming a new religion, a Trojan horse for imposing a global tyranny worse than communism. Details about the Copenhagen Conference prove how right he was.
The first of three marathon negotiating sessions designed to hammer out the details of the Copenhagen Accord on climate change to be signed in December began on Sunday, March 29, in Bonn, Germany. From what we know, it will be a surrender to tyranny as significant as another negotiated 71 years ago.
A 16-page informational note obtained by Fox News outlines the goals and agenda of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a body paving the way to Copenhagen with good intentions. Behind this alphabet soup is a list of ideas and talking points for what the U.N. calls an "ambitious and effective international response to climate change."
We're not sure how effective it will be, but it's certainly ambitious as it seeks to reorder the world economy in a de facto repeal of the Industrial Revolution. Under the supervision of the U.N., free trade would die, industries that survived could be relocated across borders, and we would have mandatory carbon offsets and cap-and-trade imposed on a global scale.
... Writing in the Financial Times recently, Czech President Vaclav Klaus said: "As someone who lived under communism for most of his life, I feel obliged to say that I see the biggest threat to freedom, democracy, the market economy and prosperity now in ambitious environmentalism, not communism."
Klaus told the Cato Institute recently that "environmentalism is a religion" that accepts global warming on faith and seeks to exploit it to reshape the world and economic social order.
Its commandments are now being written. The U.N. will be its temple and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon its high priest.
THE POSTMODERN LEFT WOULD HAVE YOU BELIEVE THAT INDUSTRIALIZATION IS BAD - AND AGW IS JUST THEIR LATEST REASON WHY.
THE ENEMIES OF PROGRESS IN THE THIRD WORLD ARE FIRST WORLD "PROGRESSIVES".
SHEESH: AFRICA DOESN'T EVEN SHOW UP ON THE CARBON MAP!Beverly Person (Band of Mothers) has been keeping me up to date on the campaign against Bill Ayers. Today it's about Naperville High School's invitation to this terrorist nutcase to speak at an assembly of their students.
A confessed and unrepentant domestic terrorist, and accused cop killer has been invited to speak to high school students about social justice.
Did you catch that? I'll repeat: A confessed and unrepentant domestic terrorist, and accused cop killer has been invited to speak to high school students about social justice.
Beverly's (and many others) campaign against this event is showing signs of success. I have already made my calls, it's your turn.
Superintendant Leis 630-420-6311
Mayor Piatell 630-420-6018
Here's the story: Terrorist visits Naperville:NAPERVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT 203
Message sent - 3/27/2009
Statement regarding proposed Ayers visit to NNHS
We have received numerous emails and phone calls regarding the proposed visit of UIC professor Dr. Bill Ayers to speak with Naperville North High School students next month, with permission from their parents.While we firmly believe in exposing students to a wide variety of speakers and opinions, offering them the chance to experience different viewpoints and the opportunity to hone their critical thinking skills (one of the tenants of our mission), please know that we would never invite anyone who advocates violence. Our understanding is that Bill Ayers does not, although this point is being actively debated by several who have contacted us. In addition, administrators from other school districts who have heard his presentation to students, have indicated that Ayers focuses on students being involved in social justice.
Given the interest this has stirred in the community, and the strong emotion and anger that is being expressed, we are currently reviewing this decision and are also exploring options for changing the venue. For those who have expressed concern over funding this, it should be noted that Dr. Ayers was never being paid for this visit.
Once a decision has been made, we plan to update parents of Naperville North students on this issue via Talk203.
Alan Leis, Superintendent of Schools
Naperville School District 203
It is our responsibility and duty to hound-dog treasonous ingrates like Bill Ayers - to their graves.
UNBEFREAKINGLIEVABLE:Yep, these "progressives" are ready to burn any of their own who is even slightly heretical.Why Will No One Defend Marty Peretz? [Jonah Goldberg]
One of the more interesting aspects of that JournoList thing is that none of the Heathers will really come to his defense.
Jonathan Chait, who comes across as the most grown-up, mostly just points to the bad form of trash talking in the man's absence. But you can at least tell his heart's in the right place.
Anyway, here's the "money quote" from Peretz that nearly all of the Heathers feel is "f***ing racist" and proof that he's a "Crazy-A** Racist":
"Well, I am extremely pessimistic about Mexican-American relations, not because the U.S. had done anything specifically wrong to our southern neighbor but because a (now not quite so) wealthy country has as its abutter a Latin society with all of its characteristic deficiencies: congenital corruption, authoritarian government, anarchic politics, near-tropical work habits, stifling social mores, Catholic dogma with the usual unacknowledged compromises, an anarchic counter-culture and increasingly violent modes of conflict. Then, there is the Mexican diaspora in America, hard-working and patriotic but mired in its untold numbers of illegals, about whom no one can talk with candor."The "near-tropical work habits" line is unfortunate. But is this whole thing really so beyond the pale? If it is, no wonder it's hard to have that long-overdue conversation about race people keep talking about.
But it's pretty clear that racism — real or alleged — isn't the real issue.
These guys hate Marty, hate TNR (no doubt in part because some of them couldn't get jobs there), and are willing to use racism against their own the same way they use it against conservatives: as a branding tool against heretics.
Personally, I don't feel the need to carry a lot of water for Martin Peretz (nor The New Republic, which has hardly been kind to me recently). I don't think we've ever met, though we did talk on the phone once over a decade ago. I've zinged him quite a bit about his over-the-top support for Al Gore over the years, too. But I'm really quite surprised no one will defend the man from the charge that he's a "f***ing racist." Not just a racist, mind you but a f***ing one.
The man has devoted decades of his life to keeping the flagship liberal publication afloat. He's at the center of the liberal-academic-journalistic establishment. And yet where are his defenders?
I mean, doesn't this silence amount to shocking ingratitude from lots and lots of people who owe their careers to the man?
Shouldn't the alumni of TNR — and they are not lacking for outlets to express themselves — mount something of a defense?
Fascinating stuff.
These are the people we have given the keys to the kingdom; these are the people who are attempting a Presidential power grab unprecedented in American history.
(Tribune photo by Zbigniew Bzdak / March 5, 2009)
Before its portfolio of bad loans helped trigger the current housing crisis, mortgage giant Freddie Mac was the focus of a major accounting scandal that led to a management shake-up, huge fines and scalding condemnation of passive directors by a top federal regulator.
One of those allegedly asleep-at-the-switch board members was Chicago's Rahm Emanuel—now chief of staff to President Barack Obama—who made at least $320,000 for a 14-month stint at Freddie Mac that required little effort.
As gatekeeper to Obama, Emanuel now plays a critical role in addressing the nation's mortgage woes and fulfilling the administration's pledge to impose responsibility on the financial world.
Emanuel's Freddie Mac involvement has been a prominent point on his political résumé, and his healthy payday from the firm has been no secret either. What is less known, however, is how little he apparently did for his money and how he benefited from the kind of cozy ties between Washington and Wall Street that have fueled the nation's current economic mess.
More on the tragic Montana plane crash-
Picture provided by the Montana Standard shows a small, single-engine plane bursting into flames in Holy Cross Cemetery on the outskirts of Butte, Montana. US investigators are searching for clues after a small plane taking children to a ski trip crashed in a cemetery in the state of Montana, killing 14 people on board.
(AFP/The Montana Standard/Martha Guidoni)
Family of Irving 'Bud' Feldkamp, Owner of the Nation's Largest Privately Owned Abortion Chain, Dies in Montana Plane Crash.
Christian News Wire reported:Some of you may have seen the major news story of the private plane that crashed into a Montana cemetery, killing 7 children and 7 adults.What a tragedy.
But what the news sources fail to mention is that the Catholic Holy Cross Cemetery owned by Resurrection Cemetery Association in Butte - contains a memorial for local residents to pray the rosary, at the 'Tomb of the Unborn'. This memorial, located a short distance west of the church, was erected as a dedication to all babies who have died because of abortion.
What else is the mainstream news not telling you? The family who died in the crash near the location of the abortion victim's memorial, is the family of Irving 'Bud' Feldkamp, owner of the largest for-profit abortion chain in the nation.
The plane went down on Sunday, killing two of Feldkamp's daughters, two sons-in-law and five grandchildren along with the pilot and four family friends. The plane, a single-engine turboprop flown by Bud Summerfield of Highland, crashed into the Catholic cemetery and burst into flames, only 500 ft. from its landing destination. All aboard were killed.
May they rest in peace.
The latest reports of an alleged IAF strike on a Hamas arms convoy in Sudan draw attention to an arms network running from Iran, via the Persian Gulf and Yemen to Sudan, Egypt, and Hamas-ruled Gaza. The existence of this network has been noted by analysts in the past. It forms part of a larger, overt, close relationship maintained by both Iran and Hamas with the regime of Omar al-Bashir in Khartoum.Sudanese minister: US carried out raid
The bombing of a convoy of trucks that was reportedly carrying weapons bound for the Gaza Strip through Sudan during Operation Cast Lead was carried out by American aircraft, according to Sudanese State Minister for Highways Mabrouk Mubarak Saleem.Olmert hints at Sudan strike: 'No place Israel can't reach'
Saleem, who spoke to Al Jazeera on Thursday, was quoted by Israel Radio as having said that the death toll in the bombing was much higher than initial reports, and stood at 800 people. He also claimed that the trucks were filled with people, and did not contain weapons.
According to a CBS News report, 39 people were killed when IAF warplanes bombed the convoy and all 17 trucks were destroyed.
In what could be interpreted as a veiled threat to Iran and a hint at an alleged far-reaching IAF air strike on a convoy of weapons bound for the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday asserted that "Israel has never had stronger deterrence than it has gained in the last few years. Those who need to know are aware that there is no place that Israel can't reach."
THE FREE MARKET IS ALSO THE BEST WAY TO CREATE AND DISTRIBUTE WEALTH FAIRLY.Posted at 4:39 pm by Glenn ReynoldsWORK? “More than three decades of research shows that a focus on effort—not on intelligence or ability—is key to success in school and in life.” Hey, I’ve got an idea — why don’t we organize society so that it rewards hard work! We could even see that people who work harder and do better make more money! And then their efforts would pay off in more general societal prosperity, making life better for everyone! And we could . . . Naaaah.
STOCKHOLM (AP) - The Swedish Arts Council says it has named a Palestinian organization that promotes children's reading as the 2009 winner of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for Literature.They don't even say what they published! Okay, I'm sure there's something, but then one can only wonder what it really is that they're giving a prize for. Lies are certainly one of those things. Politicized storytelling is another.
The annual award is the world's largest children's book award and includes a cash prize of 5 million kronor ($620,000). It is named after late Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren.
The Palestinian Tamer Institute For Community Education was awarded for its work to promote reading on the West Bank and in Gaza. Tuesday's citation honored its "unusual breadth and versatility."
Each year it organizes a national reading campaign, including discussions about literature, drama and writing activities.
The prize will be handed out by Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria in a ceremony on June 2.
