Justice Denies the Uighurs … For Now The Supreme Court cannot release them here, but what about the president?

(Compiler's note: It is a long, but must read article. So click on the title above and read the original article. We are going to hear more of this.)

By Andrew C. McCarthy

Courts ought to butt out of how the administration disposes of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. They are not defendants; they are held “as enemies under the laws of war.” And besides, as the Supreme Court held after World War II, it “is inherent in the executive power to control the foreign affairs of the nation.”

What about the Geneva Conventions, you say? Forget it: They don’t create any enforceable rights for these detainees, and federal judges have no business entertaining claims based on them — including claims rooted in the Conventions’ Common Article 3, which has no bearing on this situation. And don’t tell us about how U.S. statutory law might help the detainees. Gitmo is part of Cuba; it’s not sovereign U.S. territory. The judicial power to enforce U.S. law “does not have extraterritorial application and therefore does not apply to petitioners at Guantanamo Bay.” There is, moreover, nothing in the U.S. Constitution that entitles these aliens to relief — on that, a conservative-leaning panel of the D.C. Circuit had it just right when it reversed that bleeding-heart, Clinton-appointed district judge.

Sound familiar? You must figure I’ve dusted off a copy of Dick Cheney Does the Imperial Presidency — or maybe that I’m reading from some relic those Constitution-shredders in the Bush Justice Department left behind.

I am actually reading from the brief submitted to the Supreme Court last week by Pres. Barack Obama’s Justice Department. As the DOJ announced, in what’s becoming its weekly contribution to the Friday Night Embarrassing News Dump, the brief sets forth the administration’s opposition to the Uighurs, Chinese nationals held at Gitmo who are claiming a right to be released in the United States. .....

.... Justice does not make a single reference to Section 1182(a)(3). That’s the provision in which Congress bars from admission any alien who has been affiliated with a terrorist organization or has had terrorist paramilitary training. In this litigation, that would be checkmate, so why not invoke it? Very simply: Because while Section 1182(f) is a limitation on the power of the court, Section 1182(a)(3) is a limitation on the power of Obama. The administration does not want to acknowledge any such limitations — doubtless because, as the brief asserts, “the Executive” is still “encouraging other countries to participate in resettlement efforts.”

Neither the Supreme Court nor Congress is going to like this game. The administration is telling the justices that Congress has rendered them powerless to order the Uighurs’ release in the United States, yet DOJ refuses to acknowledge that Congress has also rendered the president powerless to release them here. Obviously, the administration is engaging in this sleight of hand because President Obama still intends to resettle at least some of these trained terrorists in the United States. Inspiring other countries to be reciprocally suicidal is Obama’s only real chance to honor his reckless commitment to close Gitmo by January.

Somebody on Capitol Hill should ask Attorney General Holder why his department held back from making its best argument to the Supreme Court.

Reporter To Gibbs: How Much Was The President's Tax-Funded Date Night?

Islam and Muslims: History of Oppression, Violence, and Fanaticism

Dr. Sami Alrabaa

Have you ever pondered what has been the contribution of Islam and Muslims to the world civilization until now? The answer is very evident and straightforward: oppression, violence, discrimination, and fanaticism. These negative immoral values have been an essential part of Islam since its inception.

Here is the evidence. Muhammad, the leader of Muslims claimed that he was a “prophet,” and in the name Allah, he ordered his followers to kill the “infidels,” non-Muslims; in particular, Jews and Christians.

While Judaism and Christianity were spread peacefully under sacrifices by followers of Moses and Jesus

, Islam was spread under the threat of the sword: “Submit to Islam, otherwise you’ll be killed.” Islam considers non-Muslims the enemies of Allah. For more details, check out Understanding Muhammad by Ali Sina.

Also in the name of Allah, Muhammad urged his followers to conquer the world and force its people to convert into Muslims. Muslims call all this “Futuhat” (opening). The Muslim conquest was bloodier much worse than “colonialism.” The British and French colonialists never forced people to renounce their local faiths. For further details, check out Islamic Jihad by M.A. Khan.

After Muhammad’s death, four of his staunchly contemporary followers took over, called the Caliphs, or “Al Khulafa’ Al Rashidun” (the rightly guided successors) as Muslims prefer to call them. Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman, and Ali, all of them were murdered by fellow Muslims in bitter fights for the leadership of the rising Muslim empire. ....

North Korea's Kim moves to anoint youngest son as heir

SEOUL - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has told top officials to pledge loyalty to his youngest son, signaling his anointment as heir to the family dynasty that has ruled since the state's founding, a lawmaker and South Korean media said on Tuesday.

Romney to Obama: Stop Apologizing to America's Critics

WASHINGTON -- Republican Mitt Romney, seen as a likely contender for the White House in 2012, scolded President Obama on Monday for apologizing to America's critics in the global arena. ....

U.S. census sparks feud over the counting of illegal immigrants

In a high-stakes battle that could affect California's share of federal funding and political representation, immigrant activists are vowing to combat efforts by a national Latino clergy group to persuade 1 million illegal immigrants to boycott the 2010 U.S. census. ....

Chinese students laugh at Geithner

.... "Chinese assets are very safe," Geithner said in response to a question after a speech at Peking University, where he studied Chinese as a student in the 1980s.

His answer drew loud laughter from his student audience, reflecting scepticism in China about the wisdom of a developing country accumulating a vast stockpile of foreign reserves instead of spending the money to raise living standards at home. .....

Soldiers shot by Muslim convert

(KATV-TV, Little Rock) At a briefing this afternoon, Little Rock police chief Stuart Thomas identified the suspect as Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad, 24, of Little Rock ....

Don't mess with Savage! U.K. home secretary quits

(WorldNetDaily.com) In the wake of scandal over personal use of taxpayer funds and her controversial ban of talk-radio host Michael Savage, British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith will resign ...

Arpaio Goes Head-to-Head with Feds

by Fox News

The Feds are investigating Sheriff Joe Arpaio for possible civil rights violations, and Monday, the Sheriff announced he's going to put the Obama administration under the microscope.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio is asking the Justice Department to investigate the Obama administration -- specifically the Department of Homeland Security, which is led by former Arizona governor, Janet Napolitano.

Arpaio believes he's being unfairly targeted. The sheriff's attorney delivered an 8-page letter to the head of the Justice department, saying the investigation into his department's practices stems from a political agenda and lawyers acting improperly.

The letter details the events surrounding a routine March audit by Homeland Security with senior MCSO officials. No lawyers were present -- and the sheriff says that auditors then shared their information with Civil Rights Division attorneys.

"We are defending ourselves. I'm defending our office, my constitutional authority to enforce all the laws," said Arpaio.

The sheriff called the interaction between the Department of Justice and Homeland Security an orchestrated scheme to acquire documents and testimony. ....

Poll: Most Oppose Closing Gitmo

by USAToday

Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to closing the detention center for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay and moving some of the detainees to prisons on US soil, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds.

By more than 2-1, those surveyed say Guantanamo shouldn't be closed. By more than 3-1, they oppose moving some of the accused terrorists housed there to prisons in their own states.

The findings underscore the difficult task President Obama faces in convincing those at home that he should follow through on his campaign promise to close the prison in Cuba, especially in the absence of a plan of where the prisoners would go.

In many parts of the world, however, Gitmo has become a symbol of US arrogance and abuse, and Obama has cited its closure as a way to lay the foundation for better relations. He is scheduled to deliver a major address aimed at the Muslim world on Thursday from Cairo.

It is one of the few subjects on which most Americans side with the views of the Bush administration over its successor.

"Coming up on eight years after Sept. 11, fear remains, and fear is politically potent," says political scientist Paul Freedman of the University of Virginia, who studies public opinion. "When it comes to the issue of terrorism … people are inclined to err on the side of that fear." ....

Pakistani Cleric Suspected in Deadly Indian Attack Ordered Freed

by LA Times

A court in Lahore, Pakistan, today ordered the release of a firebrand Islamic cleric with alleged links to the deadly attacks in Mumbai, India, last year, sparking an angry rebuke from Indian officials that Pakistan is not committed to meting out justice to militants.

Hafiz Saeed, head of a charity that international organizations have said is tied to the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which Saeed founded, had been held under house arrest, though he had not been publicly charged or indicted.

Lashkar-e-Taiba has been blamed for engineering and carrying out the attacks on Mumbai, India's commercial capital, that killed 166 people last November.

The United Nations regarded Saeed's charity, Jamaat ud-Dawa, as a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba, which was formed 20 years ago to fight Indian rule in the Himalayan region of Kashmir. Many believe that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency played a critical role in the group's formation.

The order to free Saeed drew a harsh response from the Indian government.

"We are unhappy that Pakistan has not shown the degree of seriousness and commitment it should have to bring to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks," Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram told reporters. ....

Obama says Iran's energy concerns legitimate

LONDON -- President Barack Obama reiterated that Iran may have some right to nuclear energy _ provided it takes steps to prove its aspirations are peaceful.

In a BBC interview broadcast Tuesday, Obama also restated plans to pursue direct diplomacy with Tehran to encourage it to set aside any ambitions for nuclear weapons it might harbor. ....

Arkansas jihad killer went to Yemen seeking to study with jihadist imam

from Jihad Watch

A well-placed source has told me that Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, who shot one soldier and wounded another at an Arkansas military recruiting station yesterday, went to Yemen hoping to study with a jihadist imam, Yahya Hajoori. I haven't yet been able to find out know if he actually studied directly with Hajoori, or with one of his students.

Remember that in August 2008, six Americans were arrested in Yemen. They attended a mosque in Germantown, Pennsylvania that sponsored "students" to go to Yemen to study with the jihadist Sheikh Muqbil -- and after he passed away, with Yahya Hajoori. This was the mosque attended by Howard Cain, the bank robber and killer of Police Officer Stephen Liczbinski.

More exclusive information here.

The 31-Year-Old in Charge of Dismantling G.M.

WASHINGTON — It is not every 31-year-old who, in a first government job, finds himself dismantling General Motors and rewriting the rules of American capitalism.

But that, in short, is the job description for Brian Deese, a not-quite graduate of Yale Law School who had never set foot in an automotive assembly plant until he took on his nearly unseen role in remaking the American automotive industry. .... he has emerged as one of the most influential voices in what may become President Obama’s biggest experiment yet in federal economic intervention. ....

U.S. officials raise alarm about new Venezuelan missiles

Venezuela's recent purchase of the most lethal shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles in the Russian arsenal is sharpening U.S. concerns that parts of President Hugo Chávez's massive weapons buildup could wind up in the hands of terrorists or guerrillas in neighboring Colombia. ....

GM to get $30.1 billion more in federal aid for bankruptcy

By Sharon Silke Carty

DETROIT — The U.S. government will invest an additional $30.1 billion in General Motors (GM) to finance its bankruptcy reorganization to be filed Monday, President Obama's auto task force said in a statement.

The government, which already has provided $20 billion in aid, says this will be the end of the taxpayers' financial support of GM..... bailout

Gitmo case highlights challenge facing Obama

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - A session of the Guantanamo war crimes court that began Sunday will likely show the difficulties President Barack Obama faces in changing the system and closing the prison by January. ....

Civil unrest to hit this summer? Black unemployment rate reaches depression level of 15 percent

With unemployment hitting 10 percent, the United States may be headed into a summer of civil discord not seen since the late 1960s, Jerome Corsi's Red Alert reports.

Unemployment in March and April remained 20 percent higher in states won by Democratic candidate Barack Obama in last fall's presidential election than in states won by Republican presidential candidate John McCain, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics

. ....

Obama solicitor general supports Saudis' immunity in 9/11 lawsuit Brief seeking to deny Americans access to court remedies for attack

The Obama administration has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to protect Saudi Arabia and four of its princes from being held accountable for their alleged role in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the United States that killed almost 3,000 Americans, according to a report in Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

Through its solicitor general, Elena Kagan, the Obama administration has asked that the Saudis be held immune under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, or FSIA, even though there is ample U.S. evidence of complicity by the Saudi government and the named princes in support of al-Qaida's terrorist attack.

While the FSIA generally protects a sovereign state, there are exceptions under which its provisions can be invoked. Such interpretations are left largely to the courts to determine.

Families of the 9/11 victims, however, have expressed outrage over the Obama administration's filing. They regard the action as undermining the continuing fight on terror.....

Lawmaker joins push to up cost of drilling

A powerful congressional chairman has joined a growing number of Democrats who want to sharply increase the cost of drilling leases that the government provides on federal lands, a move vigorously opposed by Big Oil and Republicans. ....

What Obama's Cyberplan Means For Business

Digital Threats Mark New Front in Nation's Security

from The Online News Hour

.... Al-Qaida and other terrorist groups have spoken of their desire to unleash a cyber-attack on our country, attacks that are harder to detect and harder to defend against. Indeed, in today's world, acts of terror could come not only from a few extremists in suicide vests, but from a few key strokes on the computer, a weapon of mass disruption.

JEFFREY BROWN: Just last April, The Wall Street Journal reported the U.S. electrical grid had been hacked. It said cyber-spies probed the power system and planted software to cause disruptions.

Another report said the Pentagon's Joint Strike Fighter program was struck, but officials insisted the breach was nothing serious.

Overall, the Defense Department reported 360 million attempts to penetrate its data networks last year, up from six million in 2006. And cyber-damage has cost $100 million over six months. Add to that rising threats to the private sector, including losses from identity theft and monetary scams, and the president said, it's clearly time for urgent action. ....

A New Red Line For Iran

By Graham Allison

The Iranian nuclear challenge was transformed on President George W. Bush's watch. Events in Iran have advanced faster than the policy community's thinking about the problem. The brute fact is that Iran has crossed a threshold that is painful to acknowledge but impossible to ignore: It has lost its nuclear virginity.

Over the past eight years, the United States has insisted that Iran would never be allowed to develop the capability to enrich uranium, as that could be used to build a nuclear bomb. Three unanimous U.N. Security Council resolutions demanded that Iran "suspend all enrichment-related activities." That was a worthy aim. Technically, mastery of enrichment is the brightest red line short of nuclear weapons. Israelis have called it the "point of no return." .....

Jihad terror on American soil: Muslim kills soldier, wounds another at Arkansas military recruiting center

from Jihad Watch

"Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad -- a 24-year-old Little Rock resident formerly known as Carlos Bledsoe -- faces a first-degree murder charge and 15 counts of engaging in a terrorist act..."

"Suspect arrested in Arkansas recruiting center shooting," from CNN, June 1 (thanks to Don):

(CNN) -- An Arkansas man was arrested Monday in connection with a shooting at a Little Rock military recruiting center that killed one soldier and wounded another, authorities said.

Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad -- a 24-year-old Little Rock resident formerly known as Carlos Bledsoe -- faces a first-degree murder charge and 15 counts of engaging in a terrorist act, Little Rock Police Chief Stuart Thomas said. The terrorist counts stem from the shots fired at an occupied building.

The soldier who was killed was identified as Pvt. William Long, 24, of Conway, and the wounded soldier is Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula, 18, of Jacksonville, Thomas said....

Although military officials initially believed that the shooting was a random act, Thomas said police think the shooter acted alone "with the specific purpose of targeting military personnel."...

Thomas said police recovered three guns from Muhammad's black Ford SUV: an SKS semi-automatic rifle, a .22-caliber rifle and a pistol....

Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad had "political and religious motives." -- so says "Shooter, Victims Identified in West LR Shooting," from KATV7.com, June 1 (thanks to Benedict).

The Detainee Shell Game

The revelation last weekend that the United States is increasingly using foreign intelligence services to capture, interrogate and detain terrorist suspects points up an uncomfortable truth about the war against Islamist terrorists. Demands to raise legal standards for terrorist suspects in one arena often lead to compensating tactics in another arena that leave suspects (and, sometimes, innocent civilians) worse off. ....

NKorea prepares long-range missile launch

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea has transported its most advanced missile, believed to be capable of reaching Alaska, to a launch site on its west coast near China, news reports said Monday.

The reclusive communist country was also reportedly bolstering it defenses and conducting amphibious assault exercises along its western shore, near disputed waters where deadly naval clashes with the South have occurred in the past. ....

Interpol Chief Seeks Police Alliance to Fight Piracy Off Somalia

PARIS — While warships pursue pirates around the Horn of Africa, the secretary general of Interpol, Ron Noble, is pressing for a global alliance of criminal investigators to hunt the bandits by examining the money trail of million-dollar ransoms. ....

Congress to Obama: Gitmo Plan Before Gitmo Money

Members of Congress from both parties clamored Sunday for President Obama to develop a plan for dealing with the suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay if he intends to fulfill his promise to close its prison by early 2010. ....

Better cybersecurity through acquisition key part of White House report

The biggest difference between the Obama administration and the Bush administration's strategies to address federal cybersecurity weaknesses has little to do with technology itself.

Uncle Jay Explains the News: Transform

FBI planning a bigger role in terrorism fight

Bureau agents will gather evidence to ensure that criminal prosecutions of alleged terrorists are an option. The move is a reversal of the Bush administration's emphasis on covert CIA actions. ....

A Closer Look at the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Forces

By Michael Webster:

Protecting America against terrorist attack are the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Forces, or JTTFs, our nation's front line fighting terrorism: JTTF (much like their prey the terrorist) they consists of small cells of highly trained, locally based, passionately committed volunteers. However, in the case of JTTF they also have professional investigators, analysts, linguists, SWAT experts, and other specialists from dozens of U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies from all over the U.S.

According to the FBI when it comes to investigating terrorism, they do it all: chase down leads, gather evidence, make arrests, provide security for special events, conduct training, collect and share intelligence, and respond to threats and incidents at a moment's notice.....

Airlift of 3,000 Secret Servicemen to Cairo to secure Obama speech to Muslims

US president Barack Obama has not yet decided whether his historic speech reaching out to the Muslim world will be delivered on June 4 from a lecture hall at Al Azhar University in Cairo or its main mosque, DEBKAfile's Middle East sources report. If the second, his address will take place in the presence of Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, the Sunni Muslim world's greatest religious authority. In any event, Al Azhar is the most eminent school of Islamic learning in the world and the US president therefore expects its impact to far outweigh his first address to Muslims from Istanbul.

His arrival from a meeting with Saudi King Abdullah in Riyadh on June 3 is planned to add extra weight to Obama's dramatic outreach to Muslims, since the king officiates as Custodian of the Holy Places to Islam.

Radical Muslims will therefore have all the more reason for rejecting it.

Giant transports have been landing at Cairo airport, unloading a fleet of armored vehicles, White House helicopters, counter-terror weapons and the vanguard of the 3,000 Secret Service officers backed by CIA and FBI personnel who will secure the US president during his stay in Egypt. Cairo will soon be in turmoil as forces are deployed from a command center at the American Embassy to control sections of downtown Cairo, with guard posts on the Nile River's banks, the international airport, main railway terminals and approaches to the city.

Some 30,000 Egyptian security personnel including army units stationed in Cairo have been placed on special duty until the American president leaves. Their names and those of the welcoming party at Al Azhar University were submitted to the US presidential security center.

Obama is due to land in Cairo Thursday at 10 a.m., drive to the Abidin Palace to meet President Hosni Mubarak and proceed from there to Azhar University. His convoy will be escorted by vehicles equipped with sensors for detecting firearms and explosives and covered by Marine helicopters overhead.

Until the last minute, the president's routes to the university have been withheld from Egyptian security authorities as a safeguard against leaks to hostile elements.

Johstown PA companies share in mulitmillion dollar contracts: Murtha gets his name associated with it

(Compiler's note: Congressman Murtha still gathering contributions to his bid for office using our tax money. See a part of the process at work below.)

By DAN DiPAOLO

JOHNSTOWN — Local business leaders gathered at the Pasquerilla conference center Friday morning for the announcement of $110 million in contract awards.

Defense companies Concurrent Technologies Corp., (CTC), Johnstown Welding Fabrication Industries (JWFI), DRS Technologies and Martin-Baker America were among those receiving contracts.

The announcements came as U.S. Rep. John Murtha opened the public portion of the Showcase for Commerce at the War Memorial Arena.

Woodlands II on the Creek? You're On Notice.

(Compiler's note: Want to bet this one will not last long? Please click on the title above and read the entire article and the notes of the growing sounds of "marching" Marines in Texas.)

So today, just a few scant days after Memorial Day, we get James Ragland's column about vet Frank Larison, who is in trouble with his HOA at Woodlands II on the Creek for having the temerity to ... (have Marine Corps stickers on his car). ....

Frank Larison's homeowners association in Woodlands II on the Creek has threatened to tow his car if he doesn't remove the decals on the back windshield, including the Marine Corps emblem and a diamond-shaped 1st Marine Aircraft Wing insignia. ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5dD4PAgfng

Obama promises Arabs Jerusalem will be theirs

Official: President said Palestinian state with holy city capital 'in American interest' .... Nimer Hamad, Abbas' senior political adviser.

"Abu Mazen (Abbas) heard from Obama and his administration in a very categorical way that a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital is in the American national and security interest," Hamad said. ....

The Incredible Shrinking Clintons

(Compiler's note: A very interesting read on political leadership.)

Big Brother asks: 'Do you have a flush toilet?' Mandatory Census survey inquires about citizens' difficulty undressing, bathing

(Compiler's note: This advanced information is an absolutely must read. It makes me mad just to think about what they will try to "force" on the American people. Somebody please show me the authority for such a required survey by any level of government, let alone our federal government. This will simply NOT stand. They simply have NOT been given this power by the American people -- see The Constitution of the United States.)

By Chelsea Schilling

The federal government

is forcing 3 million Americans to disclose sensitive, personal information about finances, health and lifestyle in a 14-page survey – including questions about availability of household flush toilets and difficulty with undressing and bathing.

The 2009 American Community Survey, an annual supplement to the decennial Census, asks about residents' personal relationships and whether a home has hot and cold running water, a flush toilet, bathing facilities, appliances and phone services. It also asks how many rooms are in a home and what vehicles are used at each household.

The new questionnaire asks respondents what they pay for electricity, gas, water and sewer every month and whether residents receive food stamps.

Question 16 asks, "About how much do you think this house and lot, apartment, or mobile home would sell for if it were for sale?"

Respondents are required to disclose costs associated with rent or mortgage, annual real estate taxes on and fire, hazard and flood insurance expenses.

For each person in the household, the questionnaire asks for citizenship status, education level, whether that person attends private or public schools. It also features questions about health coverage, hearing and vision impairment and physical, mental or emotional conditions.

It asks if residents "have difficulty dressing or bathing" or "doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor's office or shopping" or whether they have difficulty making decisions. Respondents must indicate if they have served in the military, their current marital status and whether they have been married or given birth to children in the last 12 months. The Census Bureau claims its question is used as a "measure of fertility" and is used to "carry out various programs required by statute, including … conducting research for voluntary family planning

programs."

The letter asks where residents worked last week and whether they drove a car, rode a bus, subway railroad, ferryboat, taxicab or bicycle to get there. It then asks what time they left for work and how long their commute lasted.

Respondents are also required to disclose their place of employment, duties and income.

While many recipients may consider the questionnaire to be tedious and meddling, the Census Bureau warns that citizens are required by law to complete it and may be fined as much as $5,000 for willfully refusing. While an individual may feel uneasy about answering each question truthfully, the fine for filing false information can be as much as $500.

The Census Bureau estimates that the form takes an average of 38 minutes for each household to complete.

While the U.S. Constitution allows Americans to be counted for purposes of taxation and political representation, Jim Harper, a privacy expert at the Cato Institute, told the New York Post the survey is "a classic example of mission creep over the decades – this constitutional need to literally count how many noses are in the United States has turned into a vast data-collection operation."

Rep. Ron Paul blasted the government for spending "hundreds of millions of dollars" on the survey and called the questionnaire "insulting" in his Texas Straight Talk column.

"The questions are both ludicrous and insulting," he wrote. "The survey asks, for instance, how many bathrooms you have in your house, how many miles you drive to work, how many days you were sick last year, and whether you have trouble getting up stairs. It goes on and on, mixing inane questions with highly detailed inquiries about your financial affairs. One can only imagine the countless malevolent ways our federal bureaucrats could use this information. At the very least the survey will be used to dole out pork, which is reason enough to oppose it."

Paul continued, "The founders never authorized the federal government to continuously survey the American people. More importantly, they never envisioned a nation where the people would roll over and submit to every government demand. The American Community Survey is patently offensive to all Americans who still embody that fundamental American virtue, namely a healthy mistrust of government. "

This Country is Failing Because President Obama is Succeeding

(Compiler's note: Absolutely must read.) by RUSH LIMBAUGH: Ladies and gentlemen, Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, has warned all of us to be very, very careful how we say what we say about the Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. I want to apologize for shouting in my latter parts of that opening monologue. I will admit here to just being frustrated as I can be. We're watching the greatest economy in the world crumble right before our eyes. Every promised fix is failing right before our eyes. We have thrown trillions of dollars that no doubt cannot be tracked at all of these failing industries and the industries continue to fail and get worse. We have authorized a Porkulus bill of near $1 trillion to get shovel-ready projects going, to get the economy going, it's not working. There's no new employment to report out there, unemployment at 25-year high last month. None of it is working. And what angers me is I think this is by design. Nobody in their right mind, I don't care, liberal, socialist, communist, everybody with half a brain knows that what is being done right now to fix the economy doesn't fix an economy. But it does a lot of other things. It empowers the people who are spending the money. It keeps the people who are the supposed recipients of the money impoverished. It keeps them nervous, it keeps them on edge. Those people are happy and very, very comforted that the government is trying to do something. And so far it hasn't worked and so Obama said, "We're working on this, you ain't seen nothing yet," so they're going to be content to sit there and wait for more assistance to come and it won't come because it cannot come. This economy is simply too large as it was to be supported by a single entity, the United States government. It simply cannot be. The math doesn't work; the ideology doesn't work; the philosophy doesn't work; the theory doesn't work. So, yes, I was angry, and I still am. This is the equivalent of a huge insult to my intelligence and to yours. It isn't working. It can't work. It will not work. It will fail. As I scour the Internet for show prep or as I occasionally listen to the television news, I hear more and more people referring to my comment "I hope he fails," referring to the president, still being very upset about this, "Oh, what a dumb political comment that was," people are saying, "how silly, how stupid, that's really going to bring moderates to the cause, right, because everybody, when they hear Limbaugh say, 'I hope Obama fails,' they think that Limbaugh wants the country to fail." Now, let me say something to you right here and right now. And look at me. It's this: Virtually everybody -- I don't care whether they're conservative, liberal, independent, moderate, or Martian -- virtually everybody who heard my comment, "I hope Obama fails," knows exactly what I meant. There is not a sane person in this country who genuinely believes I want this country to fail. Ladies and gentlemen, this country is failing because President Obama is succeeding. I don't care how you choose to measure it. There is no hope on the horizon for a job. There is no hope on the horizon for renewed prosperity. There is no hope on the horizon for economic growth. It's not there. It's been promised. It has been said that the only entity that can guarantee all the things I just mentioned is the federal government. The federal government has thrown trillions of dollars at failing entities, industries, and they're still failing and getting worse. President Obama's policies will not fail in one regard: They will not fail in impoverishing and enslaving more and more Americans the longer his policies succeed. This that is happening to us, all of us at this moment, unemployment, record high since 25 years ago, one out of seven homes being foreclosed on, the automobile business basically bankrupt after trillions of dollars in bailouts now owned by Obama, Wall Street is an abject mess, the state of California is bankrupt, the state of New York soon will be. All of these places are talking about raising taxes further on people, which will reduce the number of people who are able to hire other people -- in other words, create jobs. This is the exact kind of success I wanted to fail. And everybody who heard me say it knew exactly what I meant. It is being used by people on our side of the aisle who are scared to death of conservatives. It is being used by them to say that I'm driving moderates away. It's being used by people on the left to say that I want America to fail, when everybody in their brain knows exactly what I meant, just as everybody with a brain, everybody with a modicum of education knows that what President Obama is doing will not do what he promises, will not do what he says, it will not revive this economy. We are soon going to be approaching the one-year mark. In fact, the first stimulus package occurred over a year ago. And it was offered by President Bush, and it was rebate checks for the American people. This was to help us buy things. And then some months later there was a second installment of this same rebate plan, checks from the federal government. And then came, as we approached the one-year anniversary of the beginning of massive bailouts starting with TARP, then to the auto companies, and Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the mortgage industry. A year, my friends, if stimulating these industry sectors with this amount of money has only made it worse, at what point does somebody have the guts to stand up and say, "Stop it. It has failed. It isn't working, and it shows no signs of working," and everybody with a brain, with a modicum of education, knows it can't work. It never has worked throughout the history of human civilization. It's unsustainable whether it be the mental health hospital in Sacramento, whether it be the economy of the state of California, whether it be the automobile industry, whatever government takes on outside of the government sphere, outside of its constitutional role, whatever it takes on that's in the private sector, with the intention of fixing it, only gets worse. In fact, so do the things they do fix that they think are legitimately theirs to fix. They create the war on poverty; it's worse than ever in terms of percentages. They create the great Great Society and all of these programs which have featured an $11 trillion transfer of wealth over the past 30 years or so, and these problems have not been abated, they have not been solved, they have not been reduced; they exist. It could be said that the federal government's involvement in the massive welfare state has served to destroy families, minority families, because the government took over the role of the father. The father no longer had to hang around because the government was there every week or month or however often the checks come. So it isn't working. This kind of failure is exactly what I wanted to avoid. I was hoping that Obama would not succeed in further destroying the United States economy. So there he is, in the middle of a bankrupt state, telling people there they ain't seen nothing yet to rounds of applause and the standing ovation from, of course, the wealthy Hollywood elites.

END TRANSCRIPT

Birth certificate issue No. 1 at Fox News Obama eligibility most talked about topic on news website

Federal advisory board: Bring privacy laws up to 21st-century speed

The Privacy Act of 1974 has been outstripped by technology and does not provide agencies with appropriate guidance in handling personal information or individuals with adequate safeguards to their privacy, according to a federal advisory board. ....

Robert Gates: The Bureaucrat Unbound

(Compiler's note: A long, but interesting read.)

By JOE KLEIN

A few weeks ago, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates trooped up to Capitol Hill to answer questions about the new Pentagon budget. This is an unseemly spectacle under the best of circumstances. Even reasonable members of Congress have been known to empretzel themselves shamelessly, attempting to defend weapons the Pentagon doesn't want or need, but which provide jobs for their constituents. Usually, they win, too. It is just too difficult for a Secretary of Defense to argue against shiny new weapons systems with subcontractors in 46 states, even if they are fantastically over budget and designed to counter a missile threat that the Soviets never perfected 30 years ago.

But this is a different year, and Gates is a different sort of Defense Secretary. He warned the legislators that each decision was "zero sum." Any money that went to things he didn't want would come out of programs necessary to support the troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Read "Can Robert Gates Tame the Pentagon?) ....

Cybersecurity report said to offer few details

The Obama administration's release Friday of a report on the state of the federal government's cybersecurity posture will not offer specific recommendations for action, sources who reviewed the document .... The report lacks any mandates for heavy-handed Internet regulation, but it states the government has the ultimate responsibility to protect all IT networks ....

Taliban's Foreign Support Vexes U.S

By YOCHI J. DREAZEN

WASHINGTON -- U.S. officials recently concluded that the Afghan Taliban may receive as much money from foreign donors as it does from opium sales, potentially hindering the Obama administration's strategy to rehabilitate Afghanistan by stopping the country's drug trade.

Gen. David Petraeus, who oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said in a recent interview that the Taliban has three main sources of funding: drug revenue; payments from legitimate businesses that are secretly owned by the armed group or that pay it kickbacks; and donations from foreign charitable foundations and individuals. ....

Video shows Taliban hit in Afghan strikes -Petraeus

By JoAnne Allen

WASHINGTON, May 29 (Reuters) - A video of air strikes in early May in western Afghanistan supports the U.S. military's assertion that most of the casualties were Taliban fighters, the top U.S. commander for the Afghan war said in an interview airing on Friday. ....

More centrifuges said in operation

TEHRAN | President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran has boosted its capacity to enrich uranium, another sign of anti-Western defiance by the leader seeking re-election in a vote next month.

Mr. Ahmadinejad said last month that Iran had 7,000 centrifuges at its uranium enrichment facility in Natanz in central Iran. The figure marked a significant boost from the 6,000 centrifuges announced in February. In his latest comments, reported by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency on Thursday, he did not give a specific new figure. ....

Black Panthers had wielded weapons, blocked polls

By Jerry Seper

Justice Department political appointees overruled career lawyers and ended a civil complaint accusing three members of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense of wielding a nightstick and intimidating voters at a Philadelphia polling place last Election Day, according to documents and interviews.

The incident - which gained national attention when it was captured on videotape and distributed on YouTube - had prompted the government to sue the men, saying they violated the 1965 Voting Rights Act by scaring would-be voters with the weapon, racial slurs and military-style uniforms.

Career lawyers pursued the case for months, including obtaining an affidavit from a prominent 1960s civil rights activist who witnessed the confrontation and described it as "the most blatant form of voter intimidation" that he had seen, even during the voting rights crisis in Mississippi a half-century ago.

The lawyers also had ascertained that one of the three men had gained access to the polling place by securing a credential as a Democratic poll watcher, according to interviews and documents reviewed by The Washington Times.....

Defense contractor with ties to Murtha suspended

By DAN NEPHIN and PETE YOST

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania defense contractor who got millions of dollars in congressional earmarks from Rep. John Murtha has been blocked from doing business with the Navy amid allegations of fraud.

Word of the suspension came during an annual defense contractor trade show in Johnstown, Pa., the heart of Murtha's congressional district. Seven of the world's largest defense contractors, who have been among the veteran Pennsylvania Democrat's biggest campaign contributors over the years, are helping to bankroll this week's "Showcase for Commerce."

During a brief news conference Friday at the trade show, Murtha turned aside questions about the suspension of Kuchera Defense Systems Inc., a family-run business that has supported him with $60,000 to his campaign and to his political action committee since 2002. ....

Straight from the Communist’s Mouth

(Compiler's note: Seems to me this man has it pegged. Absolutely must read.)

By Cary Wesberry

Direct from Pravda in Russia. America is descending into Marxism:

It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American decent into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people.

True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past century, especially the past twenty years. The initial testing grounds was conducted upon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was. But we Russians would not just roll over and give up our freedoms and our souls, no matter how much money Wall Street poured into the fists of the Marxists.

Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and betters.

First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas then the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their “right” to choke down a McDonalds burger or a BurgerKing burger than for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our “democracy”. Pride blind the foolish.

Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different “branches and denominations” were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more then happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the “winning” side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the “winning” side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in America.

The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America’s short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more then another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Wiemar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe.

These past two weeks have been the most breath taking of all. First came the announcement of a planned redesign of the American Byzantine tax system, by the very thieves who used it to bankroll their thefts, loses and swindles of hundreds of billions of dollars. These make our Russian oligarchs look little more then ordinary street thugs, in comparison. Yes, the Americans have beat our own thieves in the shear volumes. Should we congratulate them?

These men, of course, are not an elected panel but made up of appointees picked from the very financial oligarchs and their henchmen who are now gorging themselves on trillions of American dollars, in one bailout after another. They are also usurping the rights, duties and powers of the American congress (parliament). Again, congress has put up little more then a whimper to their masters.

Then came Barack Obama's command that GM's (General Motor) president step down from leadership of his company. That is correct, dear reader, in the land of "pure" free markets, the American president now has the power, the self given power, to fire CEOs and we can assume other employees of private companies, at will. Come hither, go dither, the centurion commands his minions.

So it should be no surprise, that the American president has followed this up with a "bold" move of declaring that he and another group of unelected, chosen stooges will now redesign the entire automotive industry and will even be the guarantee of automobile policies. I am sure that if given the chance, they would happily try and redesign it for the whole of the world, too. Prime Minister Putin, less then two months ago, warned Obama and UK's Blair, not to follow the path to Marxism, it only leads to disaster. Apparently, even though we suffered 70 years of this Western sponsored horror show, we know nothing, as foolish, drunken Russians, so let our "wise" Anglo-Saxon fools find out the folly of their own pride.

Again, the American public has taken this with barely a whimper...but a "freeman" whimper.

So, should it be any surprise to discover that the Democratically controlled Congress of America is working on passing a new regulation that would give the American Treasury department the power to set "fair" maximum salaries, evaluate performance and control how private companies give out pay raises and bonuses? Senator Barney Franks, a social pervert basking in his homosexuality (of course, amongst the modern, enlightened American societal norm, as well as that of the general West, homosexuality is not only not a looked down upon life choice, but is often praised as a virtue) and his Marxist enlightenment, has led this effort. He stresses that this only affects companies that receive government monies, but it is retroactive and taken to a logical extreme, this would include any company or industry that has ever received a tax break or incentive.

The Russian owners of American companies and industries should look thoughtfully at this and the option of closing their facilities down and fleeing the land of the Red as fast as possible. In other words, divest while there is still value left.

The proud American will go down into his slavery with out a fight, beating his chest and proclaiming to the world, how free he really is. The world will only snicker.

Stanislav Mishin

Cartels use kids to breach U.S. border

Drug cartel members are using a variety of fronts and subterfuges - from fake tamale stands to child decoys - to gather intelligence about enhanced U.S. border security and exploit weaknesses to send in people and drugs, according to a new report obtained by The Washington Times. ....

When politics rules medicine Government rationing of medical services reality in some states

from WorldNetDaily

WASHINGTON – As the Obama administration and the Democratic Congress move to provide government-controlled health care on a national level, similar experiments in some states suggest medical care can take a backseat to politics and bureaucratic red tape – resulting in even urgent, life-saving treatments being denied while so-called "preventive services" get priority.

Oregon, for example, has become the first government in the world to draw up a formal procedure for rationing health care, shifting priorities away from life-saving measures to more politically popular treatments, Health Care News reports.

The state health care program for low-income people ranks treatments for various diseases and conditions in order of priority. If a treatment ranks 504 or lower on the scale, no treatment will be authorized.

Some of the ailments that will not be covered include such serious conditions as vocal cord paralysis or deformities in one's upper body and limbs. However, therapy for youthful conduct disorder, pathological gambling, mild depression and mood disorders are covered.....

Are tea partiers the new 'terrorists'? Blogger claims he received visit from FBI after sending letters to lawmakers

By Chelsea Schilling

A tea party protester claims he was investigated as a terrorist by the Joint Terrorism Task Force of the FBI after he sent letters to his representatives criticizing the government for spending money he says the U.S. does not have.

Steve Shirk, a Tea Party Patriots blogger who attended the Atlanta Tea Party, said he began a letter-writing campaign in September 2008 to representatives, senators and the White House to express his frustration with what he considers to be irresponsible spending. He said he sent his letters through the official government websites with identifying information and indicated that he was offering his political opinion about pending legislation or governmental policy.....

Guess who Census banned as 'partners' Agency seeks out ACORN, but 'blacklists' other groups

(Compiler's note: An absolutely must read document.)

By Bob Unruh

The U.S. Census Bureau, reflecting what apparently is becoming a political position that involves more than one federal agency, has listed "hate groups," "law enforcement" "and "anti-immigrant groups" among those that would be refused permission to become a partner with the 2010 Census.

The news comes in a series of documents obtained by Judicial Watch under the Freedom of Information Act about the census operations.

WND previously reported when the Department of Homeland Security released an "extremism" report that warned local law enforcement officers nationwide to watch out for "potential terrorists" including those who:

• Oppose abortion
  
  
• Oppose same-sex marriage
  
  
• Oppose restrictions on firearms
  
  
• Oppose lax immigration laws
  
  
• Oppose the policies of President Obama regarding immigration, citizenship, and the expansion of social programs
  
  
• Oppose continuation of free trade agreements
  
  
• Are suspect of foreign regimes
  
  
• Fear Communist regimes
  
  
• Oppose a "one world" government
  
  
• Bemoan the decline of U.S. stature in the world
  
  
• Are upset with loss of U.S. manufacturing jobs to China and India, and more

At the time, a lawyer pursuing a lawsuit against Department of Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano over the "extremist" report said he was not reassured by her later promise to "reword" the document.....

....The Obama administration has downplayed ACORN's involvement, saying the organization with which Obama worked earlier in his political career, would be allowed to "recruit" census workers.

But the documents show that ACORN also is an "executive level" partner with the ability to "organize and/or serve as a member on a Complete Count Committee."

The census documents regarding ACORN also show the organization also signed up to "encourage employees and constituents to complete and mail their questionnaire; identify job candidates and/or distribute and display recruiting materials; appoint a liaison to work with the Census Bureau; provide space for Be Counted sites and/or Questionnaire Assistance Centers, sponsor community events to promote participation in the 2010 Census."

The documents also show the Census Bureau wants ACORN to teach other organizations about the process, Judicial Watch said.

"Given its history of illegal activity and fraud, ACORN should be nowhere near the 2010 Census," said Fitton. "And shame on the Obama Commerce Department for continuing to demonize conservatives by lumping together law enforcement and anti-immigration groups with 'hate groups.' This discriminatory policy raises First Amendment concerns. Indeed, these documents provide further evidence that the Obama administration is politicizing the 2010 Census."

U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, meanwhile, has called for congressional hearings into ACORN's finances that apparently includes a procedure called a "forensic audit."

Founder of U.S. Muslim charity jailed 65 years for funding Hamas

Dallas Morning News) Two founding members of what was once the largest Muslim charity in America have been sentenced to 65 years in prison for funneling millions of dollars to Hamas ...

Sonia Sotomayor 'La Raza member' American Bar Association lists Obama choice as part of group

By Joe Kovacs

As President Obama's Supreme Court nominee comes under heavy fire for allegedly being a "racist," Judge Sonia Sotomayor is listed as a member of the National Council of La Raza, a group that's promoted driver's licenses for illegal aliens, amnesty programs, and no immigration law enforcement by local and state police.

According the American Bar Association, Sotomayor is a member of the NCLR, which bills itself as the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S.

Meaning "the Race," La Raza also has connections to groups that advocate the separation of several southwestern states from the rest of America.

Over the past two days, Sotomayor has been heavily criticized for her racially charged statement: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."....

Marine Aviator's Memorial Day Wave Off

(Compiler's note: A must read for all American Patriots. Semper Fidelis.)

"The consciousness of having discharged that duty which we owe to our country is superior to all other considerations." --George Washington

Every week, the greatest challenge I face as editor of The Patriot Post is determining which subject among all the current news and policy issues concerning liberty and constitutional integrity should be the target of an essay. I mention this because deep into this week's treatise and just a few hours ahead of deadline, I received a message from one of our Patriot readers that offered a far more powerful perspective on where we are as a nation than anything I'd been writing.

That message was from Mike McGinn, and began: "Only under the administration of a former 'community organizer,' a product of the corrupt Chicago political machine, who never served a day of his life in uniform, could a 20-year retired Marine Corps Officer be prohibited from visiting the Arlington National Cemetery resting place of his father, a 30-year retired Marine Corps Officer with distinguished combat service, on the most hallowed of days for our fallen and deceased military servicemen and women -- Memorial Day."....

Krauthammer: Sotomayor's Nomination Centers On 'Identity Politics' & Empathetic Justice

Something Terrible Has Happened to Michael

(Compiler's note: A must read. You're not likely to see all this in the standard media. And I don't know that Congressman John Murth is involved. Click on the title to read the details.)

by Joan Swirsky

....Travesty of Justice

But there are rare instances in which a member of our military is punished for doing what he was trained to do – subdue or, if necessary, kill the enemy. This is what happened.....

There are those who believe that Michael (1LT Michael Behenna ) was “sacrificed” for political reasons. Is it possible that the motive for failing to provide the exculpatory information had anything to do with our military’s desire to be able to tell the Iraqi government that they had convicted an officer, the better to actualize some kind of quid pro quo arrangement or smooth over some ruffled feathers? ....

First Jihadi Cell of 2009 Busted In the United States – What Does It Mean?

Dr. Walid Phares

.... it should be a stark reminder that we – as a nation – are still under attack, eight years after the September 11th massacres. And if we are under attack, it only means that we are still at war, a real one, not a “man-made disaster.”....

These arrests, added to all previous arrests tell us one thing: The Jihadists are still at war with America and all other democracies. They haven’t stopped, they will continue to try, citizens or not, of all ethnic background, united under one ideology, protected by our Laws and taking full advantage of our wrong debate on national security. If we don’t see them as an “army” spreading across the country and if we do not educate our public as much as needed about them, one day and despite the bravery of our law enforcement people, one cell will not be stopped. Hopefully that day won’t come.