Five key House lawmakers—including the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus—have called on the Obama Administration to step up its commitment to combating global AIDS.

In a letter to the president, Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., and other House members expressed concerned that “continued rapid roll out of AIDS treatment is endangered in Africa” and said the White House needed to dramatically ramp up funding in the Fiscal Year 2011 budget. A similar letter, from a bipartisan group of U.S. senators, is expected to go to the White House later this week.

Despite broad support in Congress for expanding the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), demonstrated in last year’s reauthorization of that program as the Lantos-Hyde Act, “we will fail to meet its promise if the current funding trends continue,” the lawmakers wrote. In addition to Lee, the House letter was signed by Reps. Henry Waxman, Donald Payne, John Conyers, and Eliot Engel.

“Without expanded funding beyond these 2-3 percent rate increases, it will be incredibly difficult to substantially expand access to treatment, roll out promising prevention programs, train new health workers, or care for the millions of orphans,” as the Lantos-Hyde Act mandates, the letter states. “In order to get back on track with the authorization levels in Lantos-Hyde, we urge you to commit $7.5 billion for bilateral AIDS programs and $1.75 billion for the Global Fund in your fiscal year 2011 budget request.” The letter also calls on Obama to provide $650 million for bilateral tuberculosis programs and $924 million for malaria.

On the policy front, the lawmakers urge two related steps:

*Ensure that the provision in PEPFAR calling for the training of an additional 140,000 health workers is properly enacted, i.e., that those are “truly additional, fully-trained health professionals” and

*Offer to host the next replenishment conference of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria next year, as a “strong signal to the international community” that the US is committed to the “stability and success” of the Fund.

Click below to read the full letter.

FY11 Letter to President on global AIDS budget

ATTENDED FORUM—From left Nita Lowey, Ted Kaufman, Joseph         Lieberman, Binyamin Netanyahu, Henry Waxman, Lindsey Graham,
Howard Berman and Susan Davis
_____________________________________________________________
WASHINGTON, D.C  (Press Release)– Congresswoman Susan Davis of San Diego recently attended the 2009 Saban Forum in Israel which brought together leading policymakers from America and Israel to discuss U.S.-Israel relations and the critical issues facing the Middle East.

The U.S delegation also included former President Bill Clinton, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Independent Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Democratic Senator Ted Kaufman of Delaware, and Democratic Reps. Nita Lowey of New York and fellow Democratic Congress members from California Howard Berman, Henry Waxman, and Jane Harman.

The Israeli participants were Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Kadima leader Tzipi Livni, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) director Yuval Diskin and Director of Military Intelligence General Amos Yadlin.

“This was an incredible opportunity to engage in a dialogue on issues that are critical to the national security of both the United States and Israel,” said Davis, a member of the House Armed Services Committee.  “It is these dialogues that will help lead to a lasting peace in the Middle East.”

The issues discussed ranged from the Iranian threat to Syria to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Part of the three-day conference was a trip to Ramallah on the West Bank for a meeting with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.  The delegation witnessed the progress being made on the economic and infrastructure developments and improved security in Ramallah.

The conference was sponsored by the Saban Center for Middle East Policy.  Founded in 2004, the center works to promote policy dialogue between Israel and the U.S.

*
Preceding provided by Congresswoman Susan Davis

EPA to Regulate All Aspects of American Life

Krauthammer: EPA Move May Bring a ‘Revolution on the Administration’s Hands’

“Look, it’s blackmail, a way of saying to Congress: ‘either you do cap-and-trade or we’re gonna do cap, no trade. We’re gonna regulate every aspect of American life.’ This is – if the EPA now has in its power – perhaps it will when acted over time – to intrude into every aspect of American life.” -Charles Krauthammer

The EPA Steps In To Regulate Greenhouse Gases In Case Of Cap And Trade Failure

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
December 8, 2009

Read Full Article Here

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A top Democratic lawmaker predicted on Wednesday that the government will be involved in shaping the future for struggling U.S. media organizations.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, saying quality journalism was essential to U.S. democracy, said eventually government would have to help resolve the problems caused by a failing business model.

Waxman, other U.S. lawmakers and regulators are looking into various options to help a newspaper industry hurt by the shift in advertising revenues to online platforms.

Tweaks to the tax code to allow newspapers to spread losses over a greater number of years, providing a nonprofit structure to allow for public and foundation funding, and changes to antitrust laws are being considered by lawmakers and policymakers.

“Eventually government is going to have to be responsible to help and resolve these issues,” Waxman told a conference hosted by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on the future of journalism.

Free Press, a public interest group, said the search for solutions to the crisis in journalism should be premised on the idea that news-gathering is a public service, not a commodity.

Waxman’s “indication that government has a role to play is both bold and soberly sensible,” said Free Press Policy Director Ben Scott on the sidelines of the FTC conference.

At the Federal Communications Commission, officials are embarking on a quadrennial review of the state of U.S. media. The study, which is mandated by Congress, seeks to determine whether current rules should be changed to allow for a more vibrant media industry serving a diverse audience.

via reuters.com

Seperated at birth

First Obama and his progressive band of loons started attacking peaceful tea party protesters for using their first amendment rights. Then we learned that Obama Czars, Cass Sunstein and Mark Lloyd, loved socialism and believed the government should push forward a “net-neutrality” bill…so we could be more like Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela. Then Obama’s Mao-loving communications czar, Anita Dunn, tried to silence Fox News by claiming that the cable news network was not a “real news organization” because they attack Obama and his socialist policies.

Obama was elected mainly with the help of the alphabet-media. They gave Obama the golden ticket of the “free pass” because, like them, he is a liberal. The alphabet-media failed to investigate anything tied to Obama. So thanks to them, we have the problems of a President Obama.

The liberal media is dying fast. Liberal newspapers are going out of business because nobody believes in anything they report. People are tired of receiving the left-leaning cover-up that allowed Obama to be elected. People are getting their news from other media sources, like bloggers and online content, and this is taking away the profits from the liberal media.

Don’t worry liberal media. The Democrats will bail you out. They must support their way of putting out liberal lies, by any means necessary.

Libtard, and rat-boy twin, Henry Waxman (that’s the idiot behind cap-and-trade) says the government will be involved in shaping the future of  U.S. media organization. Again, the government, and Democrats in particular, will bailout companies with taxpayer dollars instead of letting the free market take it toll. We have been down this road with insurance giants, banks, investment firms and unions. All we received was the bill.

Reuters reports:

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, saying quality journalism was essential to U.S. democracy, said eventually government would have to help resolve the problems caused by a failing business model.

Waxman, other U.S. lawmakers and regulators are looking into various options to help a newspaper industry hurt by the shift in advertising revenues to online platforms.

Tweaks to the tax code to allow newspapers to spread losses over a greater number of years, providing a nonprofit structure to allow for public and foundation funding, and changes to antitrust laws are being considered by lawmakers and policymakers.

“Eventually government is going to have to be responsible to help and resolve these issues,” Waxman told a conference hosted by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on the future of journalism.

Just what we need. More bailouts for Obama’s liberal pals. Again, being a friend of Obama can be very rewarding. Asks the unions, Wall Street, banks and automakers how it pays to be friends of Obama and receive a bailout.

Obama is taking over banks, the auto industry and Wall Street. In the crosshairs is health care, education and the news media. If it looks like Socialism and walks like Socialism…it must be…Progressive!

The good new is that everything the government touches, ends up costing the taxpayers trillions. Look at the USPS, Medicare and Medicaid. This will just end up being another liberal entitlement program that bankrupts the country a little faster.

16 – 40 BILLION dollars per year are spent on developing new drugs.  The advantages are new better medicines that work for all of us.  However if someone has a reaction then the Attorney’s circle around like vultures ready to pounce.  Yes it is horrible when someone reacts badly to a new drug.  Drug companies are really trying to help!  Helping people can be extremely profitable.  The profits are taxed (excessively) but still taxed so the government gets more than it’s share.

If and when our new socialized medical system is put in place who is going to risk getting sued, taxed or worse jailed for the development of new medicines for any of us.  Congress is promising once again the regulations of the profits that a company will be allowed to earn.  Congress Waxman even  demanded to know what these company expense were.  (It really isn’t any of his business)  However he placed this burden on only this type of company. Seems odd that Congressman Henry Waxman didn’t ask for a detailed public accounting of his donors.

Would you want to work in a company that at any point might cost you your life savings or jail for the product you produce?  Congress must add Torte reform and let the market decide on the cost of drugs.  This won’t happen under the current Obama Administration because government in this case always knows best.  Come on, lets keep out free market system. President Obama’s Cabinet members are working at controlling not only which medicines will be produced but who gets them.  Which states will pay more and which (future Voters) will pay less.

Martha Stewart spent some time in jail for knowing which drug was about to be denied approval by the FDA.  Which members of Obama’s Cabinet have this same information?

We would all like to be healthy and enjoy a good life.  Drugs help that along.  In the case where any single person chooses to use any medicine this must be done at their own risk.  Drug companies really are trying to help people in general.   It’s time for congress and President Obama to stop demonizing them.

We have the best medical system in the world.  People from all over the world are trying to get to America to use our system.  Here comes the Change that Candidate Obama promised.  What will you do when all your meds have to come from Mumbai, Sweden or the local witch doctor?

None, zero, zip, nada. Not a single member of the alphabet-media crew are reporting a single story about ”ClimateGate.” Maybe some of you haven’t heard of “CllimateGate” because nobody, except Fox News, is reporting it. ClimateGate is the results of a hacker, or whistle-blower, releasing hundreds of e-mails showing global warming scientist hiding, lying and deleting information that proves global warming/climate change is a myth. Liberal global-warming truthers are all enraged that their “cause” has been busted.

The reason MSNBC isn’t reporting “ClimateGate” is because their parent company, General Electric, will greatly benefit from Obama’s green economy wishes. If cap-and-trade is passed into law, GE will reap billions of dollars in contracts. It really does pay to be pals of Obama. Ask GE’s CEO Jeff Immelt who is also an economic adviser to Obama. See a pattern?

A few Republicans in the House and Senate have taken notice of “ClimateGate” and are calling for investigations. I guess Obama and the liberals didn’t hear about it, since they hate Fox News, and Obama wants to move forward with a climate deal.

Transcript From Inhofe Radio Interview Monday, November 23, 2009

Senator Inhofe: This is a huge issue and of course we have the Gitmo issue and we have the, of course, cap-and-trade is now taking a new turn.  Jed, if I could…

Jed Babbin: Yeah.

Senator Inhofe: Would you let me make one sentence?

Jed Babbin: Please.

Senator Inhofe: This is out of a speech that I made, Melanie, back on the floor of the Senate, and it was repeated, John Gizzi picked it up and put it in Human Events. This was 4 years ago, in talking about the science, cooking the science. I said I would discuss the “systematic and documented abuse of the scientific process by which an international body that claims it provides the most complete and objective science assessment in the world on the subject of climate change, the United Nations IPCC.”  Now that was four years ago; so we knew they were cooking the science back then, and you’ve been talking about the, you know, what’s happened recently with the bloggers coming up with what they did, what they…

Jed Babbin: Let me interrupt you there Senator, because I think that’s a really important point.  Ladies and gentlemen, if you haven’t followed that story, what Senator Inhofe’s talking about, in Britain, a blogger got into some of the official government records about climate change and how the measurements were being taken to show…

Melanie Morgan: And the politics behind it.

Jed Babbin: And the – well but they were basically saying, “Oh yea, hey, let’s make it look like Jim so-and-so did that, and let’s help him cook the books, and let’s change the data…”

Melanie Morgan: And “let’s beat up those who don’t agree with us.”

Jed Babbin: Yea, but it’s all a huge fraud! I mean, Senator, am I exaggerating?

Senator Inhofe: No you’re not.  If you remember, mine was the hoax statement, and that was, what, five years ago I guess.

Jed Babbin: Well, we ought to give you a big pat on the back for being …

Melanie Morgan: Yea, you deserve an an ‘atta boy, and now you are finally being vindicated.

Senator Inhofe: Well, on this thing, it is pretty serious. And since, you know, Barabara Boxer is the Chairman and I’m the Ranking Member on Environment and Public Works, if nothing happens in the next seven days when we go back into session a week from today that would change this situation, I will call for an investigation.  ‘Cause this thing is serious, you think about the literally millions of dollars that have been thrown away on some of this stuff that they came out with.

Melanie Morgan: So what will you be calling for an investigation of?

Senator Inhofe: On the IPCC and on the United Nations on the way that they cooked the science to make this thing look as if the science was settled, when all the time of course we knew it was not. 

Jed Babbin: Should somebody stop further spending on this until we get this investigation, Senator?

Senator Inhofe: Well, I don’t know how you do that, though, ‘cause we’re not the ones that are calling the shots.  The interesting part of this is it’s happening right before Copenhagen.  And, so, the timing couldn’t be better. Whoever is on the ball in Great Britain, their time was good.

Melanie Morgan: Well, Senator, thank you very much for coming back and handling a little bit, a tiny little bit of heat from the kitchen.

Senator Inhofe: Okay.

Jed Babbin: Thanks very much Senator.

Senator Inhofe: Thanks, you bet.

Jed Babbin: Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma on the Environment Committee over there, and one of the real fighters.

Melanie Morgan: He certainly is…

All this is being reported and yet Obama goes out and speaks about a climate bill.

US President Barack Obama said Tuesday the world has moved “one step closer” to a “strong operational agreement” on climate change at next month’s Copenhagen summit after his talks with Indian and Chinese leaders.

Hey Obama! Wake up and put your golf clubs down. The global warming/climate change hoax has been discovered. The gig is up and it’s time to stop beating the “Earth is dying due to man” routine.

The reason to why the other members of the alphabet-media are not reporting “ClimateGate” is simple. All of them are run by liberals and they never report real news. Plus, it goes against one of Obama’s pet project. Spreading the wealth.

It’s time for Obama, Al Gore, Barbara Boxer, John Kerry, Henry Waxman and every other liberal “global warming truther” to confess. Admit that global warming/climate change is a myth, hoax and total fraud.

JERUSALEM (Press Release)– On Thursday, November 12,  Israel took another step in the country’s long history of solidarity with the United States and global victims of terror as international diplomats, U.S. and Israeli politicians and religious leaders unveiled a monument dedicated to the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Commissioned and built by the Jewish National Fund-USA/Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (JNF-USA/KKL), the memorial depicts the World Trade Center and Pentagon through sculpture and landscape architecture.  Designed by award-winning Israeli artist E. Weishoff, a 30-foot high bronze sculpture is composed of a waving American flag transformed into a memorial flame.  It rests on a gray granite base, part of which is from the original Twin Towers.  The sculpture is surrounded by a circular, crater-like plaza and reflection area tiled in stone.  The Jerusalem monument is one of the first major international memorials to 9/11 and the only site outside of New York to recognize the names of every victim of the attack.

The vast plaza which includes the names of those fallen as well as amphitheater-style benches along the interior that provide visitors with space for viewing and reflection was funded by the Bronka Stavsky Rabin Weintraub Trust. “This poignant Living Memorial on behalf of the victims of 9/11 helps demonstrate the shared commitment of two great democracies that battle terrorism – Israel and the United States,” said Carmi Schwartz, nephew of Ms. Stavsky Rabin Weintraub.  “This testament to the solidarity shared by the U.S. and Israel goes beyond lip service to unite these nations and their allies in the global fight against the destructive forces of humanity.”

“My wife died just a few days before 9/11,” related Edward Blank, New York resident and donor of the bronze American flag sculpture, “and then the whole world was sent reeling by the events of that day.  I was looking for a meritorious way to recognize the many feelings I was having, and this memorial was the perfect fit.”

Dignitaries from Israel and around the world attended the dedication ceremony at Arazim Park in Jerusalem, including U.S. Ambassador to Israel James Cunningham, ambassadors and diplomats of other nations whose citizens fell victim to 9/11, including Canada, Mexico, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands, U.S. Congressmen Henry Waxman and Erik Paulsen, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Israeli cabinet minister Benny Begin, families affected by 9/11 and other distinguished guests including well over 100 Americans that made the journey especially for the ceremony.

IDF Brig. General (Ret.)Dov Shefi, whose 34-year-old son Hagay was murdered on 9/11 while addressing a conference of bankers at the Windows of the World restaurant on the 106th Floor of Tower 1, addressed the ceremony.  “Since September 11^th, 2001 not only the entire world has changed but the lives of 3000 families have been changed from white to dark-black. We lost our joy and we have never stopped mourning our loved ones,” he said.   “Today’s inauguration ceremony of this important memorial symbolizes the identification of the State of Israel, of J.N.F. and the donors, with the thousands of families of the victims of September 11th throughout the world, with the United States and with the City of New York.”

“Set against the magnificent backdrop of Jerusalem, the Living Memorial will be a moving site from which to mourn the victims of 9/11 as well as consider the thousands of victims of terrorism worldwide,” said Russell F. Robinson, Chief Executive Officer of JNF. “This should be a place for visiting dignitaries – presidents, prime ministers, ambassadors, and citizens of the world – to come together to remember, reflect and heal. More than anything we hope that this Living Memorial will remind us to reaffirm our commitment to tolerance, the unity of mankind and democracy.  “Jerusalem is a battleground of civilization but also a place of hope,” continued Robinson. “The memorial is situated in Jerusalem’s green belt; what better place to show that civilization won?”

*
Preceding provided by Jewish National Fund

Remember Saturday’s all day spectacle where Pelosi finally sneaked through the House health care bill in the dead of night only by allowing the Stupak-Pitts Amendment to be voted on, which banned federal funding for abortions and gave Pelosi just enough votes to pass the overall health care bill on a squeaker 220-215 vote?

Well, guess what? That bit of Kabuki theater was only so much lip service on Pelosi’s part, now that they’ve rammed the Affordable Health Care for America Act through by conning the pro-life Democrats into voting for it, Pelosi and the rest of the pro-abortion crowd have every intention of stripping out the Stupak-Pitts language during the House-Senate conference committee. In other words, they lied to their fellow Democrats.

Waxman Says ‘No Guarantee’ Amendment Prohibiting Abortion Funding Will Be Retained in Final Version of Health Care Bill

House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) says there is “no guarantee” that an amendment approved by the House on Saturday that prohibits federal funding of abortion in the health care bill will be retained in the final version of the bill. The bill must still go through a House-Senate conference committee and could be stripped out there.

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said during floor debate on the bill Saturday that he doubts the amendment will survive the conference committee.

The amendment in question was sponsored by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.). It was approved by a vote of 240 to 194 shortly before the House voted 220 to 215 late Saturday to approve the full health care bill. Sixty-four Democrats voted for Stupak’s amendment. Both Waxman and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) voted against it.

The amendment would prohibit federal funds from paying for any part of any health insurance plan that covers abortion. Stupak told CNSNews.com in a video interview posted on Oct. 23 that he had organized a group of about 40 Democrats who would vote to kill the health-care bill if Speaker Pelosi did not allow a straight up-or-down vote on his amendment when the health bill came to the House floor.

Pelosi finally consented to this request and instructed the House Rules Committee to approve a vote on Stupak’s amendment in the wee hours of Saturday morning—the same day the bill came up for a vote.

During debate on the bill on the House floor Saturday afternoon, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R.-Ohio) said he believed the Democratic leadership had relented and allowed a vote on Stupak’s amendment only because they needed more votes to pass the bill itself. Boehner said he doubted the amendment would be included in the final version of the bill that emerges from a House-Senate conference committee.

“The only reason this amendment is allowed to be offered is in order to secure enough votes to try to move this bill through the floor today,” said Boehner. “And I have my doubts about whether this language if it passes has any chance of ever being in the final version of this bill.”

Senior Democrat is ‘confident’ that Stupak amendment will be stripped

A House Democratic leader said Monday she’s “confident” controversial language on abortion will be stripped from a final healthcare bill.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the Democrats’ chief deputy whip in the House, said that she and other pro-abortion rights lawmakers would work to strip the amendment included in the House health bill that bars federal funding from subsidizing abortions.

“I am confident that when it comes back from the conference committee that that language won’t be there,” Wasserman Schultz said during an appearance on MSNBC. “And I think we’re all going to be working very hard, particularly the pro-choice members, to make sure that’s the case.”

The amendment, offered by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), won the support of Republicans and dozens of centrist Democrats in the House, but revealed a deep divide in the Democratic caucus over abortion.

Sixty-four Democrats voted for Stupak’s amendment, without which the House healthcare bill would not have won final passage in a 220-215 vote.

See also:
Stupak-Pitts Pro-life amendment vote today on House floor
The Man Who Made Pelosi Cry ‘Uncle’
Abortion Rights Activists Say Stupak-Pitts Amendment Would Hurt Women’s Rights
“Do we live in a theocracy?”: Pro-Abortion Reaction to Stupak Amendment is Fierce
ACLJ Applauds Passage of Pro-Life Stupak/Pitts Amendment – Only Bright Spot in Flawed Health Care Bill in U.S. House
House Healthcare Bill’s Abortion Provisions Anger All Sides
Health care bill dead on arrival in the Senate?

So, assuming that this Democrat dream of unaffordable socialized medicine ever makes it through the Senate, which I have serious doubts about, it’ll be interesting to see if the Stupak-Pitts language does indeed get stripped out of the final conference committee version of the bill.

/and if it does get stripped out of the final bill, will the pro-life Democrats in the House stand up for their principles and vote against it?

Opinion Essay;

Anti-abortion Democrats were given a false promise from the House leader that the government health reform bill would not fund abortions unless the pregnancy was due to rape or incest and in cases when the womens life was in danger. The Huffington post reported that this amendment to the bill was a big win for U.S. Catholic Bishops. I wonder if we truly ‘won’ anything at all Considering that as Catholics we value each life in pregnancies equally, and this Bill considers one life (the mother) to be of greater importance than the fetus. If this was not enough for the Catholic Bishops to take pause in declaring a victory, Fox News reported that this amendment may not make it past the upcoming negotiations between the House and Senate if the Senate can pass their own health care bill. When you read the article below, take note that Rep. Henry Waxman, D-California is the Chairman of United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which has broad influence with everything that occurs in the House of Representatives. Although closer than ever before to stop public funding of abortions, this should be seen as a small victory as it still needs to be negotiated out between the Senate and the House. The final bill that will be presented to both is a long way and Planned Parenthood is already stating that by passing this amendment it is punishing women who get pregnant. Excerpt of the Fox news report is below.

Republicans Question Abortion Agreement in Effort to Stop Health Care Momentum Nov 07, 2009 4:36 PM EST

House Minority Leader John Boehner, who has vowed to do all he can to derail President Obama’s health care overhaul, sought on Saturday to cast suspicion on an abortion agreement that helped secure the support of several moderate Democrats. The agreement, reached late Friday, allowed Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., and other abortion opponents to insert tougher abortion restrictions into the legislation during debate on the House floor. But Boehner accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of secretly promising Democratic supporters of abortion rights that the restrictions that would strengthen a ban on federal funding to end pregnancies would not make it into the final version of the health care bill. Boehner made the move in part to give pause to Democratic opponents of abortion whose votes are needed to pass the legislation. Boehner asked Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., whether he could guarantee the restrictions would remain in the bill. Waxman said he could not make that guarantee because it would be up to the Senate and House negotiators if the legislation advanced that far.

For the full story click below.
http://politics.foxnews.mobi/quickPage.html?page=21292&content=25410621&pageNum=-1

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• House Vote on Health Care: Here’s What to Watch For (blogs.wsj.com)
• LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report 11/10/09 (deaconforlife.blogspot.com)

Congressman Lloyd Doggett, Democrat of Texas:

To help cover huge medical bills in Bastrop, Texas, they hold a Main Street pancake supper, an American Legion auction. Essential health care shouldn’t depend on the kindness of strangers, the goodness of neighbors, and certainly not the just say “No” of Republicans or the weak tea parties brewed up by the insurance lobby.

Now, belatedly, they offer a scheme as skimpy as a hospital gown. They do nothing to help seniors. Their proposal is inefficient, ineffective, and wasteful. Masquerading as reform, their bill authorizes insurers to continue denying coverage for pre-existing health conditions, such as acne or a C-section. Republican obstructionism has, itself, become a giant pre-existing condition to any meaningful change.

This is a typical old time Republican medicine show–do a little for 5% of the uninsured, do nothing for the other 95% and leave the portion of American families uninsured largely unchanged. The only thing they propose more of is more insurance policy loopholes. Freedom? The only freedom they offer is the freedom to go broke from medical debts – the leading cause of personal bankruptcy.

Original album cover

(left to right: John Rent-a-Baby Shadegg, Joseph My-Ass-Is-Teabagger-Grass Cao, Michele Batshit I-Got-Lei’ed Bachmann, Eric The Token Cantor, John Boohoo Boehner)

From Wonkette:

SUPER-IMPORTANT BREAKING NEWS ALERT DING DING DING: John Boehner just pronounced “hyperbole” as “hyperbowl,” and everyone laughed, the end.

From The New York Times:

Some lawmakers today used live props — infants and young children — to help make their arguments about health care as they take to the House floor on Saturday.

…snip…

Representative John Shadegg, Republican of Arizona, held up the tiniest prop so far, a little girl called Maddie, 7 months old, whom he introduced as the daughter of a staff member. After saying he wished she were his grandchild, Mr. Shadegg apparently began channeling the infant’s hopes and dreams for the future of health care:

“Maddie likes America because we have freedom here, and Maddie believes in patient choice health care. She has come here to say she doesn’t want government to take over health care. She wants to keep her plan. [...."]

…snip…

Representative Henry Waxman, Democrat of California, conceded that the baby was quite remarkable, as was the ventriloquist act.

From THE MINNESOTA INDEPENDENT:

Shortly before health care reform passed the House Saturday night, Rep. Michele Bachmann rose to speak against the bill wearing a Hawaiian lei around her neck.

Bachmann’s comments:

The American people overwhelmingly reject the government takeover of our health care. Last Friday a couple from Hawaii decided the time was so short they needed to get on a plane, come to Washington, to beg their representative to vote no — from Hawaii. What sacrifices freedom-loving Americans are making to get their government’s attention. And how big our government has gotten. They brought me this beautiful, precious lei and I’m reminded that the one who created this lei also created our freedom. Are we so insensible to the high cost our forebearers paid to purchase our freedom? Tonight, would we foolishly bargain those freedoms away? The American people, our forebearers, generations yet unborn are crying out to us tonight, for us to preserve their freedoms. Vote no on the government takeover of health care.

Both of Hawaii’s Members of Congress voted yes on the bill.

(Video at link)

By the way, kids, if you work for an employer for 20 hours a week or more in Hawaii, your employer must provide health insurance for you. Maybe someone should tell Batshit I-Got-Lei’ed Bachmann.

There’s a reason why Eric the Token Jew Cantor is trying to hide. It’s the same reason Joseph Cao is stuck in John Rent-a-Baby Shadegg’s headlock while forced to wear a target on his shirt. From The Washington Post:

In the tumult of cheers that erupted when Democrats in the House of Representatives reached the required 218 votes to pass the health care reform bill Saturday night, a member who had been waiting for that moment then cast his vote, and dashed the prediction of House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) that no Republican would support it.

Freshman Rep. Joseph “Ahn” Cao (R-La.) said becoming the only one of the 177 Republicans in the House to back the bill was a vote of “conscience” that would help the poor and uninsured in his district.

Cantor, in charge of rallying Republicans against Democratic proposals, had been by Cao’s side when the voting started. As the two men chatted, they kept looking upward at the tally displayed on the wall high above them.

While neither man or their staffs has said what the two discussed, it became clear that Cao would not vote until after the Democrats had reached the required 218 to pass the bill. But once the Democrats reached that threshold on their own and started cheering, Cao cast his vote, one of the last five members to do so. Cantor stood and walked away, while Rep. Michael Honda (D-Calif.) crossed over from the Democratic side of the chamber to shake the hand of the only Republican to back the health care reform bill.

[Cao] had become the first Vietnamese-American elected to Congress in a stunning victory in December in a heavily Democratic district.

White House aides had spoken several times to Cao in the days before the vote. But Cao, a devout Catholic who considered becoming a priest before turning to law, had largely ruled out backing the bill because of provisions that would allow abortions under programs created under the bill, although taxpayer funding would not directly be used.

But after a group of Democrats opposed to abortion successfully pushed Friday for a vote that would essentially bar new health programs created under the House bill from offering abortions, Cao said he called the White House on Friday night to say he would consider backing the bill. By Saturday, he found himself on the phone with President Obama.

…snip…

“Today, I obtained a commitment from President Obama that he and I will work together to address the critical health care issues of Louisiana including the FMAP crisis and community disaster loan forgiveness, as well as issues related to Charity and Methodist Hospitals,” he said in a statement. “And, I call on my constituents to support me as I work with him on these issues.”

The soft-spoken Cao, 42, had occasionally bucked his party in his first year in Congress, backing the Democratic-pushed resolution to condemn Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) for shouting “you lie” during Obama’s speech on health care in September and also a bill unpopular among Republicans to extend federal hate crimes laws to gays. His decisions may reflect his conscience, but also the reality that if is to win reelection, he must lean to the left in a district that voted 75 percent for Obama in 2008. Congressional Democrats are already planning to campaign aggressively against him next year, and they said Saturday’s vote would not change those plans.

Funny thing happened on the way to the Pharmacy. When I went to the subway stop, I was greeted by a police officer and his sniffy dog. I asked the officer if it would be okay to take his picture w/ the Hollywood & Highland metro stop sign in view. He graciously assented. Isn’t it adorable?

Doggy didn’t think I noticed when he sniffed my backpack. “Just doin’ my job, sir.” He’d say, but it would sound like “Arf!” I took this pic this very morning on the way to Plaza Pharmacy at USC. One of the few pharmacies that will perform compounding. I was prescribed 100 mg erythromycin. So they have to buy big bottles of powdered erythro and pour it into a machine that measures perfect 100mg capsules. What happened to the good old days when everybody used triple beam scales? If it was good enough for my grandfather, well it’s good enough for me. Hell, we used it for other purposes, I won’t lie, but I’m not Bill Maher, living in a world of limited consequences for my behavior. So I’ll just leave it at that. The point I’m meandering my way toward is that the copay for these 100mg capsules of a drug that’s older than God, so to speak was a whopping $25! Ridiculous. Give me a prescription for 500 mg capsules and I’ll pay 2 and a half bucks. I can compound them myself. I do own a pill cutter. Cut in half, the pill equals 250, into quarters 125mg. Break a teeny-weeny bit off that quarter and Voilà! I’ve got my 100 mg pill!

Anyway on the way home, Russell the Sap buys a necklace from a woman on the subway. I drop my wallet, unknowingly and then miss my stop. Before checking carefully that I have everything, I bolt out the door at the next stop. I wait for the train to take me one stop home. It’s a long ride, let me tell you. I rush home. Cancel both of my debit cards. (Who has credit anyway?) Two minutes after making my online appointment for a new driver’s license, I get a call from X. She has found my wallet! Tomorrow Robin and I have to drive out to Van Nuys to pick it up. Damn! Freaky how things work out? I hope it’s not a scam, or a set up. I don’t want to die in a car trunk being forced to make withdrawals at gun point. I wouldn’t be able to comply, so they’d have to drive me out to the LAX airport parking lot and snuff me there, like in Jackie Brown.

I guess watching all those YouTube videos is freaking me out. All these nutjob right wingers calling Nancy Pelosi, Nazi Pelosi and phraseology like ‘rag heads.’ It makes me want to pack a suitcase and repatriate to France. When I look at Minority Leader Beohmer’s YouTube site, it makes me want to vomit. Americans have degenerated into slack-jawed troglodytes. You should read the commentary to some of his 30 second videos. Can you blame me if I want to go back to the land of my birth? They say the per capita income is $34,000/year. Wow! That’s a raise for me and my wife! Some right-wing woman with a hint of a French accent started laying into Obama, claiming he was trying to follow to French model of economics? What model is that, Madame? Oh, national health care! Oh and don’t forget, worker rights! God forbid that management be forced to negotiate in good faith with the workers they exploit!

Love thy neighbor

I hate bigots. This guy on YouTube was complaining that “mexicans don’t want to assimilate.” Why the hell should they? America stole this big chunk of land from Mexico. I’m just talking about California now. Let’s not go into the way we stole Texas, or New Mexico or forced them to sell us Arizona at gunpoint. Then the fascist neocons wonder why so many come here. It’s absurd. I guess if the immigrants spoke French, it wouldn’t be much of a problem. N’est-ce pas? If it were the other way around, these right-wing nut jobs would be doing anything and everything to cross that border; those very same Minute Men, and other fascists at large who call themselves patriots!

Obama greets the returning dead troops, the first president to do so, and the right-wing tries to demonize him over that. Now they’re trying to make hay over the Fort Hood massacre. Excuse me, but everybody on that base signed up for the honor to die for their country. This was not a terrorist attack and to call it one makes a mockery of all the dead in New York and Northern Virginia who were really killed by terrorists, not some random wacko! Have you seen Bill O’Reilly’s latest screed of filth? Making hay over this tragedy. It’s despicable. Loathsome. I’m done. Wait a minute! Bless you, Congressman Henry Waxman, where ‘er you may be!

There is a discussion of the Performance Rights Act (PRA) scheduled for November 17 on Capitol Hill.  Among the invited participants are National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) President/CEO Gordon Smith and Joint Board Chair/Commonwealth Broadcasting President/CEO Steve Newberry, as well as representatives of label-backed pro-royalties group musicFIRST.

Of course, there are two members of Congress not invited who would like to attend and add their own views to the mix: Reps. Mike Conaway (R-TX) (pictured) and Gene Green (D-TX). The two radio supporters  have penned a missive to  House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) asking to participate in the dialogue.

Here is an excerpt from that letter I found on RadioInk:

Green and Conaway write, “We are the lead sponsors of H. Con. Res. 49, the ‘Local Radio Freedom Act,’ a resolution supported by more than 250 of our House colleagues that opposes any new financial burdens on local radio broadcasters. We have serious concerns that legislation imposing a new royalty on local radio stations, particularly in this economic climate, will be tremendously harmful to radio stations and their employees, local communities that rely on radio, and recipients, such as charities and nonprofits, that receive free airtime for their causes.”

They go on to cite the inclusion of Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA), a proponent of the new royalties, and other House members not currently on the judicial committee as a precedent for their inclusion. I’m sure that the recent Neilsen studies, showing that radio has a greater audience than the Internet, will add some fuel to the fire on both sides. The musicFIRST people will see an even bigger pot of gold to shoot for at the end of their legislative rainbow, while our side has more solid proof of the reach and value of airplay.

Just take a look at Business Insider’s Chart of the Day for a great visual representation of the numbers from the study. For more depth, there is also an interview on Media Life with Lorraine Hadfield, managing director of global radio measurement at The Nielsen Company, about “why radio remains ubiquitous, why listening is higher at work than at home, and why not everyone has an iPod.”

With newly verified data showing radio to reach 77%  of adult listeners (64% for the Internet), we have a clear illustration of how pervasive radio is. Our medium continues to hold the crown as the number one discovery mechanism for music, something the labels are well aware of.

Image: Mike Conaway / Public Domain: Govt.

Soon after the U.S. House adopted a resolution to denounce the Goldstone Report, the Israeli Army chief of staff threatened a new offensive against Gazan civilians. We can officially say that there are at least 344 Neo-Con’s in the lower house of Congress.

Tuesday, the U.S. House voted to approved a resolution denouncing the Goldstone Report, the fact-finding mission endorsed by the U.N. Human Rights Council which found the Israeli government and Hamas committed war crimes during Operation Cast Lead. The so-called “conflict”—better known as the ‘U.S.-Israeli Gaza Massacre’—resulted in over 1,400 Palestinian and 13 Israeli deaths, the ‘wanton destruction‘ of almost 40,000 Gazan homes and left tens of thousands homeless. Of the nearly 1,200 dead non-combatants, hundreds were children.

The Gaza Massacre began less than two months after Israel broke a four-month ceasefire between it and Hamas. While Americans and the rest of the world were anointing so-called “change” to lead the world, Israel Defence Forces (I.D.F.) raided Gaza in the middle of the night, killing six Hamas  forces.

H.R. 867, a resolution “calling on the president and the secretary of state to oppose unequivocally any endorsement or further consideration of the ‘Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict’”,  passed with 344 ‘yeas’ and 22 voting ‘present’.

Of the war criminal coddlers voting ‘yea’ were 179 Democrats and 130 Republicans. Of the so-called ‘liberals’ in the Congressional Progressive Caucus voting ‘yea’ included: Barney Frank (D-MA), Robert Wexler (D-FL), Alan Grayson (D-FL), Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Henry Waxman (D-CA), Charlie Rangel (D-NY), Bobby Rush (D-IL), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jose Serrano (D-NY), Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Corrine Brown (D-FL), Phil Hare (D-IL), Danny Davis (D-IL).

(Notice the three common states shared by all but Mr. Frank. Can you say ‘in the pocket of the Israel Lobby’? Or ‘K Street whore’ for Mr. Grayson?)

Of the 36 ‘nays’ was Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), who dissented: “Almost as serious as committing war crimes is covering up war crimes, pretending that war crimes were never committed and did not exist.

“Because behind every such deception is the nullification of humanity, the destruction of human dignity, the annihilation of the human spirit, the triumph of Orwellian thinking, the eternal prison of the dark heart of the totalitarian.” (2:22):

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the House Majority Leader, called the GoldStone Report  “unfair, unbalanced and inaccurate” in support of the resolution co-sponsored by Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (D-FL) the two senior members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Associated Press reports.

“AIPAC, in concert with every mainstream pro-Israel organization in the United States, supports this important resolution,” said Josh Block, a spokesman for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Glenn Kessler reported at The Washington Post last week.

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), who headed the opposition to the resolution, said it should’ve been opposed because “it suppresses inquiry” which he says is a “hallmark of democratic societies”. This is true as a truly democratic society is one where individuals have a role in the decision-making processes in process to the degree to which the decision affects them. For such processes to exist, people must have the freedom to effectively scrutinize—through “inquiry”—all individuals and bodies of authority which assert power and use force. Democracy does not exist in U.S. politics. Nor does it exist in Israel’s.

Mr. Ellison called on his colleagues to read the Report—D.C.-talk for ‘you’re voting based on lobbyists, not facts’. The Israel Lobby is among the strongest in Washington, D.C.

He stated the resolution “goes against President Obama’s foreign policy direction”, but facts prove the contrary. On top of an overt willingness to enable Israel’s war crimes, Mr. Obama has actively covered-up violations of international law by the Bush Administration to not hinder his own.

Covering up U.S.-Israel war crimes

While taking a stand on future uses of torture by the U.S., Mr. Obama refuses to invalidate the “torture memos” used by the Bush Administration to justify its violations of the Convention Against Torture and the Geneva Conventions. An inspector general’s report recently found the Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.) covered up murder, performed mock executions on detainees, and threatened to rape and kill their wives and children on top of using the “Enhanced Interrogation Techniques”—called “torture” and “illegal” any place away from the memos of the White House Office of Legal Counsel.

Today, the Obama Administration was “disappointed” with an Italian court convicting 23 Americans—including 22 C.I.A. agents—tried in absentia for the 2003 illegal kidnapping of Osama Mustafa Hassan, a Muslim cleric, in Milan. The agents shipped the imam off to be tortured repeatedly until 2007 in Egypt—a loyal client-state of the U.S., whose 28-year dictator Mr. Obama  recently called a “force for stability and good“.

The day after banning torture, Mr. Obama ordered airstrikes in Pakistan using unmanned drones without a declaration of war from Congress—airstrikes with U.N. human rights investigators say “may violate international law”. Citing Jane Mayer at The New Yorker on October 19, Kelley B. Vlahos wrote that the Obama Administration has taken the Bush Administration’s Predator drone program and “jacked it up with steroids” as “the number of Obama-authorized strikes in Pakistan equals the sum launched by the Bush Administration—in the last three years of his tenure”.

Over the last three years, only 14 of the nearly 700 killed by U.S. drones have been militants. For every terrorist killed, nearly 49 civilians are murdered. Knowing this, “only six of the forty-one C.I.A. drone strikes conducted by the Obama Administration in Pakistan have targeted al-Qa’ida”. Ms. Mayer reported.  Targeting non-combatants is exactly what international humanitarian law focuses on condemning.

In the two wars Mr. Obama has been leading in 2009, 886 civilians were killed in Afghanistan from February to July [.pdf] and 2,629 in Iraq from February to August, Brian Doherty posted at the Reason blog. (h/t: Angela Keaton)

Ha’aretz, a mainstream Israel daily publication, reported Mr. Obama “surprised” Israeli President Shimon Peres’ recent gala with a recorded message calling the U.S.-Israel relationship “a bond that is much more than a strategic alliance”—calling Israel an “extraordinary example how courage and perseverance help shape the future”.

Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the U.N., “promised that the United States will continue to stand by Israel as a loyal friend in the fight against the Goldstone Report”, Johnathan Lis reported at Ha’aretz.

The watered-down 575-page report found Israel “terrorized” Palestinians during the Gaza Massacre earlier this year. Israel “used disproportionate force, deliberately targeted civilians and used Palestinian civilians as human shields”, the fact-finding mission concluded.

The Report is the result of a fact-finding mission sponsored by the U.N. Human Rights Council that was headed by self-proclaimed Zionist Judge Richard Goldstone of South Africa. The Report that if the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority don’t conduct independent investigations into war crimes committed by the (I.D.F.) and Hamas during Israel 22-day massacre of Gazans, facts found should move to international bodies—the U.N. Security Council, the International Criminal Court at The Hague.

Enabling new unlawful threats of force

Gabi Ashkenazi, chief of staff of the Israeli Army “threatened a new offensive against the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, suggesting attacks on civilian targets”, Press TV reports, adding: “He said the Israeli army could be fighting in cities, mosques, hospitals, schools and even kindergartens, blaming the indiscriminate warfare and a likely targeting of civilians on Palestinian resistance fighters.” The manufactured cause pushed is that Hamas is “hiding weaponry in public buildings and residential areas”.

The U.S.-Israel-Egypt blockade on Gaza has transformed it in a de facto concentration camp. “Most food products and other goods, including construction material desperately needed to rebuild Gaza’s infrastructure devastated by Israeli bombing during the war in January, are forbidden,” as Mel Frykberg regularly reports at Inter Press Service.

Barely able to access food, water, goods to make a living that is most regularly of what’s smuggled through tunnels, Israel acts as if Gazans are ignoring their hunger and poverty to build up a force to challenge Israel—with whom Mr. Obama, in continuity with decades-old U.S. rejectionist policy to supply and blindly throw full support behind the I.D.F., has “a bond that is much more than a strategic alliance”.

Ms. Rice is leading the push by the Obama Administration and Israel for the U.N. General Assembly to block a hearing on the Goldstone Report to reach the U.N. Security Council (UNSC), al Jazeera reports (2:32):

‘Neo-Con’ is a bipartisan word

The Report will most likely reach the UNSC and the U.S. knows this. The Administration is just displaying continuity reinforced by Congress in preparation for the inevitable veto of any resolution to condemn Israel’s war crimes—as the U.S. has done routinely for decades, being a permament member with such power on the UNSC.

Given Mr. Obama’s support for the Gaza Massacre, denouncement of the Goldstone Report and continued military welfare to Israel larger than that to any other nation-state in the world, it would be no surprise were the U.S. to support Israel once again “fighting in cities, mosques, hospitals, schools and even kindergartens” and using legal and illegal weaponery from the U.S. to do so.

Gideon Levy, Ha’aretz columnist, wrote an article last weekend titled, “America, Stop Sucking Up to Israel,” saying of Mr. Obama’s rhetoric—parallel to all prior U.S. presidents who never cut back on coddling or military welfare for Israel—that “a persuasive speech won’t persuade anyone to end the occupation” of Palestine, adding:

Before no other country on the planet does the United States kneel and plead like this. In other trouble spots, America takes a different tone. It bombs in Afghanistan, invades Iraq and threatens sanctions against Iran and North Korea. Did anyone in Washington consider begging Saddam Hussein to withdraw from occupied territory in Kuwait?

But Israel the occupier, the stubborn contrarian that continues to mock America and the world by building settlements and abusing the Palestinians, receives different treatment. Another massage to the national ego in one video, more embarrassing praise in another.

Now is the time to say to the United States: Enough flattery. If you don’t change the tone, nothing will change. As long as Israel feels the United States is in its pocket, and that America’s automatic veto will save it from condemnations and sanctions, that it will receive massive aid unconditionally, and that it can continue waging punitive, lethal campaigns without a word from Washington, killing, destroying and imprisoning without the world’s policeman making a sound, it will continue in its ways.

“It’s simply impossible to imagine that sort of harsh and blunt critique being voiced by any establishment political commentator or national politician in the U.S.,” Glenn Greenwald writes at Salon. “In fact, one finds the exact opposite trend of the one Levy advocates.”

“The U.S. is unwilling merely to demand from Israel a cessation of activity which is illegal in the eyes of the entire world and destructive to American interests,” he adds:

Any decent human being would react with horror and disgust at such a report [as the Goldstone Report] and demand a full investigation and accountability. But the members of Congress in both parties—predictably—are doing the opposite:  they’re condemning the report itself, demonizing those who prepared it, and demanding that investigations be suppressed.  As Levy says, why would Israel ever feel constrained to stop any of its behavior when it knows that the U.S. Government is unwilling and/or unable to do anything but subserviently cheer it on?…

As this highly revealing exchange between Hillary Clinton and Pakistani journalists over the meaning of “terrorism” reflects, nothing destroys our efforts to improve our image in the Muslim world as these blatant double standards do (blatant, that is, to virtually everyone outside of the U.S. and much of Western Europe).  Even Iran’s dissident leaders point to America’s double standards on Israel to justify their own government’s conduct.  It’s so obvious as to require no explanation that we cannot and will not be taken seriously in our campaigns against “terrorism” and “war crimes” when we are not only willing, but eager, to exempt ourselves and Israel from those sermons.  But after some initial, impressive steps from Obama, we are continuing to do that as much as ever, probably to Israel’s detriment and certainly to our own.

Alexander Cockburn, editor and publisher of Counterpunch, tells the story of then-U.S. President George W. Bush asking his father, Fmr. U.S. President George H.W. Bush, in August 2006,”Dad, what’s a ‘Neo-Con’?”

Asked whether or not he wanted “names or a description”, the sitting president asked for a description.

“I’ll give it to you in one word,” Mr. Bush, the father, replied to his son. “Israel.”

This week, we received a head-count of at least 344 Neo-Con’s in the U.S. House of Representatives to go along with the war criminal in the Oval Office.

RELATED:

• Chomsky’s Lectern: Palestine and the Region in the Obama Era—The Emerging Framework (Video)
• U.S. to ‘Continue Standing By Israel’ War Crimes ‘as Loyal Friend’
• Norman Finkelstein on the U.S.-Israel Relationship (Video)
• Norman Finkelstein on the U.N. Report Finding Israel ‘Terrorized’ Palestinians and Committed War Crimes in Gaza Massacre (Video)
• Nobel Committee: War is Peace
• Obama Agrees to Continue Covering Up Israel Nukes
• VIDEO: Citizens Arrest Attempt of Former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert in San Francisco
• Amnesty Int’l Report: U.S.-Israel Gaza Massacre — 22 Days of Death and Destruction
• Israel and the US (Video)

Ever since I co-wrote my inaugural submission to MSNBC’s First Read blog, “The Secret Life of WH Bees” (see next post), I’ve gone on to write for the blog many other times.  It’s one of the rare outlets I’ve had in my career with NBC News to do some actual reporting.  You can take a look at my contributions below:

“At CPAC, Coulter takes her shots”
<http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/03/01/1815365.aspx>

“June 3 First Thoughts” (co-wrote with Senate producer Ken Strickland)
>> scroll down to Sotomayor on “Latina” and “abortion.”
<http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/firstread/archive/2009/06/03/1951436.aspx>

“House Energy GOP questions Sebelius on health care”
<http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/24/1976177.aspx>

“LaHood says ‘Clunkers’ has the cash”
<http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/08/19/2037933.aspx>

“Admin. warns of swine flu in schools”
<http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/08/24/2043672.aspx>

“DNC to the RNC: ‘Get your mop on!’”
<http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/10/19/2103164.aspx>

“Administration weighs housing credit”
<http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/10/20/2104169.aspx>

Alan Greenspan found a flaw in the model. What happens when you find a flaw in yours? Do you keep going with the old model as long as you can, right up to the point at which you experience your own local equivalent of the global financial crash? Or do you somehow try to extricate yourself from the model and defect from your own point of view? This second possibility is clearly much harder than just keeping on going, but then it might also be, in the long run, less damaging.
Let’s face it, Greenspan didn’t ‘find’ a flaw – the flaw was foisted upon him by events spiralling out of his control. Had he queried himself sooner, the rest of us might have been less impacted by his last minute flaw-finding.
Churchill is supposed to have said ‘There is nothing wrong with change, if it is change in the right direction. To improve is to change; to be perfect is to have changed often.’
So how do we do it – how do we defect from our own framework of thought? I think a starting point might be to use the perspective of grid-group cultural theory to entertain the possibility that what we take to be the objective truth is often only one of several ways of understanding the situation, and that our assembling of the data and framing of the ‘problem’ is conditioned by these different ways of understanding at least as much as by the ‘facts’ of the matter. In the case of Greenspan he could have looked at his views on deregulation and said ‘how much of this is to do with what an Individualist bias (as opposed to Hierarchical, Fatalist or Egalitarian bias) would say?’
You can read more about this at A way of trying not to fool yourself and at Why did no one see it coming?

REP. HENRY WAXMAN: The question I have for you is, you had an ideology, you had a belief that free, competitive — and this is your statement — “I do have an ideology. My judgment is that free, competitive markets are by far the unrivaled way to organize economies. We’ve tried regulation. None meaningfully worked.” That was your quote.

You had the authority to prevent irresponsible lending practices that led to the subprime mortgage crisis. You were advised to do so by many others. And now our whole economy is paying its price.

Do you feel that your ideology pushed you to make decisions that you wish you had not made?

ALAN GREENSPAN: Well, remember that what an ideology is, is a conceptual framework with the way people deal with reality. Everyone has one. You have to — to exist, you need an ideology. The question is whether it is accurate or not.

And what I’m saying to you is, yes, I found a flaw. I don’t know how significant or permanent it is, but I’ve been very distressed by that fact.

REP. HENRY WAXMAN: You found a flaw in the reality…

ALAN GREENSPAN: Flaw in the model that I perceived is the critical functioning structure that defines how the world works, so to speak.

REP. HENRY WAXMAN: In other words, you found that your view of the world, your ideology, was not right, it was not working?

ALAN GREENSPAN: That is — precisely. No, that’s precisely the reason I was shocked, because I had been going for 40 years or more with very considerable evidence that it was working exceptionally well.

South Carolina’s namby-pamby has flipped-for-the-flopper John Kerry.  Chris Matthew’s left leg must all atwitter!

Yes, John Kerry, I'd Follow You Anywhere!

Starving for attention?  Longing for something to believe in? Outclassed by his own governor’s peccadillos, Lindsey has charted a new path in the Senate, the self-truth and to tell it boldly! Sponsored by American Eco-Terrorists, “Hungry” Henry Waxman and “Peep Show”  Edward “Lark” Markey

Ed Markey, Voyeur, Has a Vision of the Future.

We have come here to EAT you!

Lindsey Graham has taken the page from Arlen “the Defector” Spector and come out of the closet. 

As a dog to vomit, Senator Graham invites America to their own global feast of fools sponsored by Cap & Trade liberals. Henry “I hate this goddamned country” Waxman and Edward “Milquetoast” Markey must be precipitously desperate for their jointly sponsored pledge of American Anathema to call out a partisan patsy in support of their hatefilled tax-and-cripple, economically stifling proposal, Cap & Trade.

Why the rush, Senatross Graham?  Is McCain vying to replace the scion of West Virginia’s, senile Senaturd Byrd?  Surely, Senatard Byrd’s keen, ischemic grasp of portent, global matters was not shushed by Kennedy’s overdue demise.  Alas, Senatorial Numina.

RINO’s have no shame–their shame became our sham and this Congress is THE Congress of mediocrity.  Americans know who you are, where you are and where you should be.  Term limits, it’s not a law, it’s a remedy. 

You guys need to be gone, we are going to help you with that.

Thanks to MM for the photo, with attribution, take a read here:

http://michellemalkin.com/2009/10/08/ugh-mccain-company-melting-on-cap-and-tax/

This 1774 quote from Ben Franklin speaks as well today as 235 years ago:

“The ordaining of laws in favor of one part of the nation, to the prejudice and oppression of another, is certainly the most erroneous and mistaken policy. An equal dispensation of protection, rights, privileges, and advantages, is what every part is entitled to, and ought to enjoy.” –Benjamin Franklin, Emblematical Representations, 1774

California has long been a thorn in the side of civility and now threatens to degrade civilization, at least in North America.  With 37 million residents, California is a national resource hog of gluttony, excess and ostentatiousness.  According to a recent column by Paul Harris of The Guardian, “…California may be the eighth largest economy in the world….” Without describing what economy that might be, Harris goes on at length about the desperate and desolate circumstances confronting America’s loadstone:

…the eighth largest economy in the world, with a population of 37 million. If it was an independent country it would be in the G8. And if it were a company, it would likely be declared bankrupt.

Despite such portentousness from a state in calamity, the abject arrogance of California’s electorate continually foists the very worst of their culture to national office in offence of America.  With the likes of Henry Waxman, hellbound in his delusional fixations on cutting edge eco-terroristic trendiness for Cap & Trade, or Madame Pelosi of Congressional Airlines, gadlfy and part-time U.S. Representative, what California offers is a self absorbed consumer state, a state without means, out of credit and possessed of unlimited demands.  With 53 out of 435 total U.S. Representatives, California makes up 12% of the House of Representatives.  Texas is the next most populous state with 32 Representatives or roughly 60% California’s clout–about 7% of the House of Representatives compared with California’s 12%.

California does not represent most of the United States yet insists on compelling their far left, extremist ideals.  One state out of 50, that is 2% for math impaired liberals, is demanding that 49 other states subsidize their failed consumer economy and provide a socialist health and welfare program for anyone, legal citizens or residents along with the Californistas.  So many ardent neosocialists brandish large numbers of uninsured in the hope of persuading the majority of folks to bear the burden of the uninsured folks.  One day the number is 50 million, another day 37 million but on any day, the law of liberal numbers (always exaggerated) is more-or-less about the population of California.  To be honest, I do not care what happens to Marguerita and her unborn child or her other seven bastards born on California soil.  It is a California problem, pure and simple.  California can send Marguerita back to Mexico along with the Mexican national flags they raised on U.S. Post Offices!

In the Central Valley town of Merced, house prices have crashed by 70%. Two Democrat politicians have asked for their districts to be declared disaster zones, because of the poor economic conditions caused by foreclosures.

What does this have to do with folks in Kentucky or Rhode Island?  Where is the disaster?  This sort of credibility problem demeans everyone.  An earthquake is a disaster, like a tornado, hurricane, forest fire, volcano, floods, but having real estate values equalize in a downturn economy is not a disaster.  After hearing the lambasting and excoriation heaped on FEMA and Bush, I think the federal government needs to turn its back on future aid.  New Orleans always floods, it is below sea level.  The very foolishness of the federal government rebuilding in an area where hurricanes are a fact of life, flooding is expected and in some parishes, the high ground is 1 foot above sea level.  Likewise, California is an agricultural economy with interspersed periods of prosperity from technology.  California requires new money and that money has to come from outside California.  Many folks are not waiting for that money to come to them, they are leaving California and migrating to the money.

Between 2004 and 2008, half a million residents upped sticks and headed elsewhere. By 2010, California could lose a congressman because its population will have fallen so much – an astonishing prospect for a state that is currently the biggest single political entity in America.

Of that half million residents, Harris does not distinguish between legal and illegal ‘residents’ and the implication or imputation of the effect on California’s Congressional element can only be an improvement for the other states.  If a congressman has to go, flip a coin and between Waxman and Madame, the degree of improvement for California will be negligible either way, less evil does not comport as more better.

Congresswoman Diane Watson cannot speak well enough of her mentor, Fidel Castro, his communistic regime and formidable nationalist health plan with his unique public option.  Watson represents her district in all of its essence.  Here are some mementos of Watson’s constituency, the would be beneficiaries of her nationalist sponsored federal/public health and welfare benefits:

 BAM! No.  That’s Emeril’s signature.  BAMN.com is a California anomaly, the acronym meaning By Any Means Necessary.  For illegal aliens, they have mastered liberal lingo and amoral relativisms with what are probably union made protest signs demanding their illegal alien rights.  Notice they emphasize FIGHT?  Why fight?  Why not go through the ordinary process of immigration and become an American citizen?  These are voices and faces of liberals, California Democrats.

Where was ACORN on May Day?  Or was this part of Los Angeles district mapped out for LaRaza?  Not to worry, perennial rabble rouser Francine Busby is always ready to register non-English speaking illegal aliens, you don’t need no stinking green card to put Ms. Busby into the seat formerly held by convicted felon Duke Cunningham–a real pride-of-California guy in his own right.

 Democracy, California style.  Thanks to Obama, the race card is just about worn out though liberals will flaunt it at slightest opportunity to stifle dissent.  Racism is tossed out, either way, as an offense or a defense as the situation or opportunity presents.  Somtimey, part-time Californian Cynthia McKinney pulled her racist card one time too many and found herself being escorted out of her Congressional appointment with a hired gun from Georgia, home state to neo-racist, undistinguished ex-president Jimmy Carter. The race card still works, reportedly, in Atlanta.

Feminist Californian, Senator Boxer offered a wee bit

of intimacy as part of her campaign paraphernalia.  These probably would not have worked Hillary but Boxer seems to have an appointment for life.  BTW, do not refer to Senator Boxer as Ma’am, it insults her accomplishments–she insists on being called Senator!

California’s Ambassador to Cuba Fidel Castro-Carter has been an inspiration along with Che’ and assorted tropical patriots including Hugo Chavez. 

Texas land holder and California native, Cindy Sheehan, has offered to fill in for Madame Pelosi and/or Senator Dianne Feinstein when not suffering and fasting for her various causes. 

 Whether working the streets with Reverend Al Sharpton or basking in the warmth of a Jesse Jackson photo op, Cindy is passionate and prepared to speak truth to power!

California Cindy’s arch nemesis has moved on, busy with tending his library and writing memoirs, the new administration has taken the California challenge!  Grass roots California activists turned out in 1,000’s, 10’s of thousands, to celebrate Los Angeles’ diversity during a May Day demonstration.

Would be socialist health insurance beneficiaries showed their solidarity by demanding their rights to participate in the profits earned by terrorist regimes.  For profit, tax paying capitalistic competitive enterprises OWE Californians an entitlement, they now their rights!

If you can’t beat ‘em, then join ‘em.

Mr. Harris describes desperate conditions, conditions nearly as deplorable as life south of the border.

…unemployment rate has soared to more than 12%, the highest figure in 70 years.

…the collapse of the housing bubble has impoverished millions and kicked tens of thousands of families out of their homes.

Los Angeles now has a poverty rate of 20%. Other cities across the state, such as Fresno and Modesto, have jobless rates that rival Detroit’s.

…agree to a deal that cuts billions of dollars from education and sacks 60,000 state employees. Some teachers have launched a hunger strike in protest.

California’s schools are ranked 47th out of 50 in the nation. Its government-issued bonds have been ranked just above “junk”.

Unburdened by environmental concerns,Californian developers built vast suburbs beneath perpetually blue skies. Entire cities sprang from the desert, and orchards were paved over into playgrounds and shopping malls.

The tidal wave of foreclosures and repossessions that burst the state’s vastly inflated property bubble first washed ashore here. “We’ve been hit hard by foreclosures.

…in the Central Valley town of Mendota… now has an unemployment rate of 38%. That is expected to rise above 50% as the harvest ends and labourers are laid off.

California’s attorney-general, Jerry Brown, recently sued one county government for not paying enough attention to global warming when it came to urban planning.

California has the AUDACITY, the unmitigated gall to essentially control the government of the United States?  Madame Pelosi traipses about in her government supplied airliner at a cost some estimate to be in excess of $7 million per year.  Henry Waxman would jump on the Algore eco-band wagon, global this or global that and bill everyone in America with the single most expensive tax increase in the U.S. History? 

I don’t think so.

It is far past time to tell California and Californians to take care of their own damned domestic affairs, particularly in respect of illegal immigrants. 

Mr. Harris regales with “California has a special place in the American psyche. It is the Golden State: a playground of the rich and famous with perfect weather. It symbolises a lifestyle of sunshine, swimming pools and the Hollywood dream factory.”

Mr. Harris, I don’t see it that way.  I see California as a socialist enclave with a large population of communists, unionists, needy, demanding, illegal alien migrant workers and an insatiable demand for goods and services at someone else’s expense.  I do not share that “California dream,” instead I share a California contempt; Contempt for the villains, aliens, ne’er do wells and welfare scourge that show up for May Day parades and hate my country.

I see California as a place that installed one of the most vile women in American history to the House of Representatives.  And California keeps on and on, electing people to national office who hate America. 

You know what California means to others? How about a short list of luminaries:  Tookie, there was a cause celebrity, a Nobel Prize candidate for literature, no less.  Danny Glover?  Is he Chavez’s ambassador to California?  Sean ’sweetie boy’ Penn?  As Madonna about him! Alec “wax my chest’ Baldwin?  What a lady’s man–maybe a man’s man in hiding but one day we can all hope to see Alec follow celebrity footsteps and make Al-Franken look less an idiot.  Senator Lieberman might have to move back to Connecticut, just in case Alec rents a bungalow there.

How about your Crystal Cathedral?  Now there’s an inspiration to ecumenism.  Not enough inspiration from Rev. Dr. Schuller?  How about Gray Davis?  If there was a litmus test for California, Governor Davis may be the mark.  Did California ever actually recover from that debacle?  How many times was he elected to office?

Marriage, between a man and a woman.  That was the law.  It is the law. The case has been tried, appealed, tested and ignored.  Only in California would you see such a temper tantrum, a hissy fit of vile incivility, a spectacle of indecorousness.

Have you ever looked at a California income tax return?  How many pages does it take to convert a simple revenue adminstration function into a graduate program in social and socialist engineering. 

California has tried nearly every whim and fancy that has come along.  From Charles Manson cults to Schuller’s mockery of the Gospel, if there is some quirky way to see something, some perverse perspective on the ordinary, it probably came from California.

You see, California does not represent anyone or any other place but California.  California and their elected government looks at the rest of the U.S. as a market for their junk, Apple anything, silicon whatever, garish movies, it all means money coming into California from somewhere else. 

Even produce is getting loaded with union this or union that, migrant worker entitlements, environmental everything.  There are other places that grow produce.  Having illegal aliens picking and harvesting produce is an employment engagement, it does not confer one damned right or entitlement to anything more than wages accepted for work performed.  And most emphatically, alien laborers have no damned standing to take down a U.S. flag and desecrate it, to hoist a Mexican or any other flag on a U.S. flag pole in any manner superior to the U.S. flag and delivering babies on U.S. soil does NOT confer citizenship to illegal non-resident aliens!

While the downturn in the economy has been worldwide, California does seem to be greatly affected, similar to Michigan and Ohio.  Government intervention will not remedy the recession, it never has, it only prolongs recovery. 

Term limits.  Term limits will compel a return to civility in this country.  These career politicians will be gone and an opportunity for real representation may become more plausible.  For now, California is stuck with what it has.  You keep doing what you’re doing, you will keep getting what you are getting.  Until California changes their disgusting representation, they cannot represent me.  Surely, hopefully, there just have to be real life Americans still living in California.  Come on folks, you had Reagan as a governor before he was the best President of the 20th century.  Put some new folks in office!

 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/04/california-failing-state-debt