Posts
Monday, August 10, 2009
Craigslist ads recruiting 'Obamacare' lobbyists 'Help pass Obama's health care reform! Earn $325-$550 per week!'
By Chelsea Schilling
Amid accusations of insurance companies and the Republican Party deploying "Astroturf mobs" of health reform opponents, help wanted ads are appearing on Craigslist that offer to pay citizens between $9 and $16 an hour to lobby for the passage of Obama's health care.
The ads are being posted by the Fund for the Public Interest, which describes itself as "a national nonprofit organization working to increase the visibility, membership and political power of the nation's leading environmental and progressive groups."
One Sacramento Craig's List ad declares, "Help pass Obama's health care reform! Earn $325-$550 per week!"....
Obama law tab up to $1.4 mil 'Grassroots army' contributions being used to crush eligibility lawsuits?
By Chelsea Schilling
President Obama may be using his political action committee funds to stomp out eligibility lawsuits brought by Americans, as he has paid more than $1.35 million to his top lawyer since the election.
Obama for America, Obama's 2008 political campaign, merged with the Democratic National Committee in January and is now known as Organizing for America. The grassroots army that some refer to as "Obama 2.0" is still collecting financial contributions.
Federal Election Commission records for "Obama for America" show that the lobby organization has paid international law firm Perkins Coie exactly $1,352,378.95 since the 2008 election. ....
Expert: Watch loyalty, not certificate of birth Cites Obama's references to Islam, denial of America's Christianity
By Bob Unruh
A constitutional expert says the arguments over the definition of "natural born" citizen – a constitutional requirement for any occupant of the Oval Office – should be resolved by looking at how God instituted governments and where the person's loyalties lie.
Herb Titus, a one-time vice presidential candidate considered an expert on the U.S. Constitution, says it probably was up to the electors from the 50 states or members of Congress to make certain President Obama is a "natural born" U.S. citizen.
There is available when Congress votes on the acceptance of the Electoral College results an opportunity for those with questions to object, but that process was not used in the 2008 election.
Since then, a multitude of lawsuits have challenged Obama's eligibility to hold the highest office because of concerns over his place of birth and parentage.The U.S. Constitution requires a president to be a "natural born" citizen.
But Titus said probably the most important factor in the argument should be the president's loyalties.
"The reason for the concept of natural born citizens is so a country can't just throw you out willy-nilly," Titus told WND. "Your citizenship is in God's sovereign decision-making. You were born of certain parents.
"If you follow that kind of reasoning, Obama cannot be a natural-born citizen, even if he's born in Hawaii," because of his parents, he said. "One was Kenyan and one American."
More important, he told WND, is where Obama's loyalties lie.
"Did he write a book about his mother?" Titus asked.....
Iran leaders pave way for messianic 'Mahdi' 5th annual confab brings together politics, religion, apocalyptic endtimes visions
by WorldNetDaily
Iran last week held a multi-day conference, bringing together politicians, mullahs, students – Shiite and Sunni alike – to plot what can be done on this earthly plane to hasten the coming of the anointed one, a messianic, endtimes personage known as the Mahdi.
It wasn't a conference covered by the western press.
But Joel Richardson, author of the new book, "The Islamic Antichrist," conducted interviews with participants of this year's conference, as well as previous conferences, which have been held for the last five years – all in a bid to lay the groundwork for an apocalyptic vision of the day Muslims will rule the world.
"For the past five years, the Iranian religious and political leaders have annually gathered together for two days in the city of Qom for what is called 'The International Conference of Mahdism Doctrine,' sponsored by the Bright Future Institute," explains Richardson in a WND commentary today. "The purpose of the Bright Future Institute is 'to introduce Imam Mahdi to the world' and 'to pave the ground for his reappearance' and as [President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad stated at last year's conference, 'help bring all of humanity to the knowledge of the true savior of mankind, Imam al-Mahdi.'"
Each year a growing number of Sunni Muslims and Christians join the predominantly Shiite hosts. This year, 400 articles were presented and 40 were selected for presentation. After the completion of the conference each year, the conference papers are published in book form and also placed on the Bright Future website.
"The theme of the conference this year was 'the Society and government which prepares the ground for the appearance [of the Mahdi]: Missions and Strategies,' explains Richardson, whose controversial book has skyrocketed up the best-sellers list since it debuted last week. "Each year, a special tribute is also paid to 30 key individuals who are recognized as being particular bright lights in the ongoing effort to spread the knowledge of the Mahdi worldwide. These 30 are known as 'the Helpers of the Mahdi.'"
Says Savyon and Y. Mansharof, an Iranian scholar: "From the establishment of the Islamic Regime in 1979 to Ahmadinejad's rise to power in August 2005, Mahdism had been a religious doctrine and a tradition that had no political manifestation. The political system operated independently of this messianic belief and of the anticipation of the return of the Mahdi. It was only with Ahmadinejad's presidency that this religious doctrine has become a political philosophy and taken a central place in politics."
"Mahdism is now increasingly being used as a political tool by appealing to the religious and nationalistic tendencies of various Muslims groups," says Richardson, who believes the striking similarities between Quranic and traditional Muslim depictions of the Mahdi suggest he could well be one in the same as the one known in Christian circles as "the Antichrist."
A presenter at last year's conference, Dr. Mariam Tabar, asserted that the "military capabilities of the future Mahdist state depend on Islamic governments in the here and now acquiring abilities to stand against the enemies of the imam [al-Mahdi]." Iran, of course, is attempting to become a nuclear power. ....
Congressional jets may be scrapped
The new congressional jets may be getting scrapped.
After an uproar over a proposed purchase of new executive jets for use by senior government officials, including members of Congress, the top Defense appropriator in the House has offered to eliminate funding for the planes – but only if the Pentagon, which operates the jets, agrees.
“If the Department of Defense does not want these aircraft, they will be eliminated from the bill,” Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), the chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommitee said Monday evening. .....
Obama faces tough choices on Afghanistan
Yet it would be even harder to turn down. Having sacked David McKiernan, the previous military commander in Afghanistan, and replaced him with David McChrystal, Mr Obama is beholden to the thinking on the ground. Gen McChrystal, an expert in the troop-intensive ways of fighting counter-insurgencies, is readying a much-awaited assessment report, which is expected to include a request for at least another 10,000 troops. In fact, there are credible rumours that Gen McChrystal could even be planning to ask for as many as 20,000 to 30,000 more. Any such request would be likely to get the backing of David Petraeus, the head of Central Command, which oversees Afghanistan, and author of the counter-insurgency troop surge in Iraq.
It would also meet with the approval of most experts, who point out that the ratio of troops to population in Afghanistan is too low to guarantee success. The history of counter-insurgencies also suggests it takes 12 to 14 years to succeed. Given the shifting nature of the Bush administration’s efforts in Afghanistan, 2009 should be dated as year one of the counter-insurgency, rather than year eight.
All of which will put Mr Obama in a quandary. As the US troop presence grows, so too does the cost of America’s efforts in Afghanistan. .... There are no easy exit strategies from the policy Mr Obama has embraced. ....Governors oppose DoD emergency powers
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| A bipartisan pair of governors is opposing a new Defense Department proposal to handle natural and terrorism-related disasters, contending that a murky chain of command could lead to more problems than solutions. Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas (R), chairman of the National Governors Association, and Vice Chairman Gov. Joe Manchin (D) of West Virginia penned a letter opposing the Pentagon proposal, which they said would hinder a state's effort to respond to a disaster. Current law gives governors control over National Guard forces in their own states as well as any Guard units and Defense Department personnel imported from other states. The letter comes as the Pentagon proposes a legislative fix that would give the secretary of Defense the authority to assist in response to domestic disasters and, consequently, control over units stationed in an affected state. "We are concerned that the legislative proposal you discuss in your letter would invite confusion on critical command and control issues, complicate interagency planning, establish stove-piped response efforts, and interfere with governors’ constitutional responsibilities to ensure the safety and security of their citizens," Douglas and Manchin wrote to Paul Stockton, assistant secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and America's Security Affairs. "One of the key lessons learned from the response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 was the need for clear chains of command to avoid duplication of effort and to ensure the most effective use of response resources," the governors wrote. Though the Pentagon has said the legislative fix would increase the number of Defense Department personnel available to respond to disasters, Douglas and Manchin expressed skepticism, arguing that current law already allows the Pentagon to order personnel to key areas inside the U.S. A similar fix was removed from the Defense Department appropriation measure in conference committee for fiscal 2009. A Pentagon spokesman did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. |
Alternatives for the U.S. Should Mexico Face the ‘Worst Case Scenario’ (Part One of Five)
Glynn Custred
The effect of a collapse of the nation of Mexico, or even the further weakening of the Mexican state, poses hazards for the United States that no American government could ignore.
A Page from Barack Obama’s Diary – Making My List and Checking It Twice...If You’re Naughty, Watch Out!
by Pam Meister
Many people are worried that Rahm, David and I might be creating an enemies list in order to more effectively silence my critics. To quote bitter clinger Sarah Palin, you betcha!
Air Force Used Twitter to Track NYC Flyover Controversy
from FoxNews
WASHINGTON — As the Pentagon warns of the security risks posed by social networking sites, newly released government documents show the military also uses these Internet tools to monitor and react to coverage of high-profile events.
The Air Force tracked the instant messaging service Twitter, video carrier YouTube and various blogs to assess the huge public backlash to the Air Force One flyover of the Statue of Liberty this spring, according to the documents.
And while the attempts at damage control failed — "No positive spin is possible," one PowerPoint chart reads — the episode opens a window into the tactics for operating in a boundless digital news cycle.
This new terrain has slippery slopes, though, for the military. Facebook, MySpace and other social media sites are very popular among service members, including those in Iraq and Afghanistan who want to keep in touch with friends and family. The sites are also valued by military organizations for recruiting or communicating with other federal agencies.
But posting information on these interactive links makes it vulnerable to being lost or stolen by the enemy, according to Pentagon officials. On Thursday hackers shut down Twitter for several hours, while Facebook had intermittent access problems — an indication of the shortcomings of relying on these services. ....
U.S. Commander Warns Taliban Getting Stronger
The Wall Street Journal
FOXNews.com
The U.S. commander in Afghanistan warns of rising casualties and says the U.S. must increase the number of troops in populated areas.
The Taliban have gained the upper hand in Afghanistan, the top American commander there said, forcing the U.S. to change its strategy in the eight-year-old conflict by increasing the number of troops in heavily populated areas like the volatile southern city of Kandahar, the insurgency's spiritual home.Gen. Stanley McChrystal warned that means U.S. casualties, already running at record levels, will remain high for months to come.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, the commander offered a preview of the strategic assessment he is to deliver to Washington later this month, saying the troop shifts are designed to better protect Afghan civilians from rising levels of Taliban violence and intimidation. The coming redeployments are the clearest manifestation to date of Gen. McChrystal's strategy for Afghanistan, which puts a premium on safeguarding the Afghan population rather than hunting down militants.
Gen. McChrystal said the Taliban are moving beyond their traditional strongholds in southern Afghanistan to threaten formerly stable areas in the north and west.
The militants are mounting sophisticated attacks that combine roadside bombs with ambushes by small teams of heavily armed militants, causing significant numbers of U.S. fatalities, he said. July was the bloodiest month of the war for American and British forces, and 12 more American troops have already been killed in August.
"It's a very aggressive enemy right now," Gen. McChrystal said in the interview Saturday at his office in a fortified NATO compound in Kabul. "We've got to stop their momentum, stop their initiative. It's hard work."
Continue reading by clicking here.
Click here for recent Fox News interview with Gen. Jim Jones (national security adviser to the Pres. Obama)
Quick! Tell Us What KUTGW Means
By STEPHANIE RAPOSO
Kate Washburn didn’t know what to make of the email a friend sent to her office with the abbreviation “NSFW” written at the bottom. ....The confusion has given rise to a number of resources that provide English translations for terms like WRUD (“What are you doing?”) and TTYL (“Talk to you later”)—among them independent Web sites like NetLingo.com and UrbanDictionary.com and corporate ones like LG Mobile Phones’ DTXTR.com. Textapedia, a pocket guide to texting terms released last year, is sold in over 4,000 stores nationwide. NetLingo reports a 391% increase in the number of unique visitors over the past five years, while UrbanDictionary says it saw a 40% jump in its unique visitors last June from June 2008. ....
Hamas talks peace in English, promotes destruction of Israel in Arabic
Well, war is deceit, after all. "Hamas spinning Western media, study says: Islamic group talks peace in English, promotes destruction of Israel in Arabic," by Aaron Klein for WorldNetDaily, August 9 (thanks to all who sent this in):
JERUSALEM – A new study asserts Hamas is engaging in a "spin" effort of phony rapprochement with Israel in order to continue engaging with the West, while its leaders are explaining in Arabic they are still seeking the Jewish state's destruction and denying any real accommodation with Israel."Hamas is conducting a 'smile spin' for the West, particularly the United States. Its main objectives are to ease its political isolation, improve its position vis-à-vis the Palestinian Authority and get funds to rebuild the Gaza Strip," concludes the study by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at Israel's Center for Special Studies. "For the Palestinians, [Hamas] stresses that its fundamental anti-Israeli pro-terrorism strategy remains unchanged."
The study quotes liberally from multiple recent Hamas interviews to U.S. and British news media outlets and compares those statements to Hamas rhetoric to the Palestinians during the same period.
Khaled Mashaal, the overall chief of Hamas, was interviewed in Damascus two weeks ago by the Wall Street Journal. During the interview, Meshaal told the newspaper his group is willing to agree to an immediate reciprocal cease-fire with Israel as well as a prisoner exchange for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
Meshaal claimed Hamas and other Palestinian organizations would be ready to cooperate with any American, international or regional effort to find a "just solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict," end so-called Israeli occupation and allow the Palestinian people their "right to self-determination."
In a separate interview with the British Economist, Ahmed Yousef, Hamas' chief political adviser in Gaza, was quoted as stating, "Hamas is very close on recognition of Israel … We show all sorts of ideological flexibility on this."
Yousef, who conducts regular interviews with WND, told the Economist that should the Palestinian people choose the so-called two-state solution, Hamas "would not object."
Yousef tried to minimize the importance of the Hamas charter, which calls for the murder of Jews and destruction of Israel. He stated, "We don't use it. Why should we change it when we never use it?"...
Ten Questions Politicians Won’t Answer
The past week’s debate about health care has shown that in Washington the only things more stubborn than facts are politicians who evade them. In spite of a torrent of independent analyses showing that the so-called health-care “reform” bills moving through Congress will dramatically increase the deficit and cause millions of Americans to lose their health insurance, the politicians leading the effort have steadfastly refused to consider that their ideas and policies, rather than the character of their critics, may be flawed. At the same time, the politicians writing the bill still refuse to answer basic questions about how it will be paid for and how it will affect patients.
The American people have good reason to be concerned. ....
Criminal investigation into CIA treatment of detainees expected
Evidence challenges claim over Obama's birth address Father in bachelor pad while mom left islands
AP to distribute Soros-funded 'journalism' Slammed as 'lapdog on leash sworn in advance to left-wing causes'
The Associated Press is delivering to its subscribing 1,500 American newspapers content, it has emerged, penned by groups with financing from philanthropist George Soros and another far-leftist billionaire who not only campaigned for President Obama but also topped donor lists to groups like ACORN and MoveOn.org.
The AP announced last month it will allow its subscribers to publish free of charge work by four nonprofit groups, the Center for Public Integrity, the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University, the Center for Investigative Reporting and ProPublica.
Controversial Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., a friend of President Obama who was embroiled in a recent national race scandal, sits on the board of ProPublica. The group defines itself as "an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest."
ProPublica was founded with a $10 million yearly grant from Herbert and Marion Sandler, the former chief executives of the Golden West Financial Corporation, which was one of the nation's largest mortgage lenders and savings and loans. The Sandlers last year sold their business to the Wachovia Corporation for about $26 billion, a deal which valued their personal shares at about $2.4 billion.
The Sandlers are major donors to the Democratic Party and are top funders of ACORN, MoveOne.org, the American Civil Liberties Union and other far-leftist groups like Human Rights Watch.
In 2008, the Sandlers were behind two controversial California Political Action Committees, Vote Hope and PowerPac.org, which spent about $5 million in pro-Obama ads in that state. The two groups were run by the Sandler's son-in-law, Steve Phillips, the former president of the San Francisco School Board.
The journalistic integrity of the Sandler-backed ProPublica, however, has been repeatedly called into question.
A report by the Capital Research Center concluded ProPublica "churns out little more than left-wing hit pieces about Sarah Palin and blames the U.S. government for giving out too little foreign aid.". ...
