politics

Nov_11_2008 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/128339 > (IsraelNN.com) Hamas is claiming close and ongoing ties with America's > upcoming Obama Administration, according to a report published Tuesday > in the Arabic-language newspaper Al-Hayat. The relationship was kept > under wraps until after the U.S. elections so as not to harm Obama's > election prospects. But that's just Hamas talking, right? They might be lying. To be fair, the Obama crew has denied it so far. OK. So let's put 2 and 2 together then... http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/194894.php > Six months ago Obama's foreign-policy adviser, Robert Malley, resigned > from the campaign. The resignation was due to Times of London reporting > that Malley had been meeting privately with Hamas leaders on a regular > basis - something that Obama had publicly pledged not to do. > > Now it appears Malley is back So apparently, this Malley guy wasn't booted for meeting with Hamas. He was booted for getting caught. Now that it doesn't matter any more, a week after the election, he's back as a senior policy advisor for Obama, meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. I find myself wondering if his resignation was on paper only. Clearly, it is true that Hamas met with an Obama representative during the campaign. The only questions left are how many meetings, how many representatives and what agreements were made? Incidentally, not that it matters much, but following the "is back" link at mypetjawa takes us here - http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=376A8A3B-62DD-407F-8D48-F38B2A63B96E Where it says > ... Robert Malley was raised in France. His lineage is noteworthy. His > father, Simon Malley (1923-2006), was a key figure in the Egyptian > Communist Party... I really hope this country hasn't gotten itself into some hot water... Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#ObamaHamas11Nov08

Nov_08_2008 This didn't take long... How do you tax someone who has no money? Put 'em to to work. http://change.gov/americaserves/ Yesterday - > Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by developing a > plan to require 50 hours of community service in middle school and high > school and 100 hours of community service in college every year. Note use of the word "require". Today - > Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by setting a goal > that all middle school and high school students do 50 hours of community > service a year and by developing a plan so that all college students who > conduct 100 hours of community service receive a universal and fully > refundable tax credit ensuring that the first $4,000 of their college > education is completely free. So which is it? A goal, or a requirement? Maybe this page can help us figure that out... http://change.gov/agenda/service/ (as-of today, at least) > Require 100 Hours of Service in College: Obama and Biden will establish a new > American Opportunity Tax Credit that is worth $4,000 a year in exchange for > 100 hours of public service a year. Note, once again, use of the word "require". When the military does that, we call it "the draft". Even with a $4,000 tax credit, how is this any different from conscription? Web site commentary - What's wrong with service anyway? That's $40/hour, you know. What does this have to do with "free speech"? Who is effected? http://www.reason.com/blog/show/129949.html > "...So who gets to decide what constitutes "community service"? Who gets to > decide which causes and organizations will be credit-worthy, and which ones > won't? > > Something tells me that you'd be more likely to get one of Obama's vouchers > by going door to door for one of ACORN's living wage campaigns than, say, > volunteering for a libertarian nonprofit organization that advocates against > things like government-mandated community service. ..." http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2008/11/taxing-people-with-no-money.html > Also, richer kids trying to get into top colleges will be the least > affected, as they are already volunteering at a level close to this, so most > of the burden of this tax will fall on the poor. Back to the change.gov web site, to repeat... > and fully refundable tax credit ensuring that the first $4,000 of their > college education is completely free. Does anyone really believe that the colleges aren't going to just go ahead and jack up their fees in order to absorb that new $4,000 floor the government is putting under the price of education? I kinda think that's how the market works. Supply, demand and price. People are paying what they can afford now. If you give them $4000, then they can afford $4000 more. What do you think happens to the market price? http://www.confederateyankee.mu.nu/ > "...Stripping the racial overtones from slavery by requiring all to > participate doesn't make it any less degrading. Involuntary servitude is > reprehensible in any guise..." Don't worry, though, it's only college kids (and middle school kids, and high school kids). Your freedom is safe, right? Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#UniversalVolunteering08Nov08

Nov_07_2008 In the past few days, my thinking on American freedom has undergone a paradigm shift. Until now, I apparently had an unconscious belief that America will *always* be free. On Tuesday, I think I was suddenly awakened to the fact that it's not true. America will be free only until someone comes along who is motivated and capable of constraining Liberty. Everything comes to an end sometime. Even American Freedom. I posted in facebook, when Pennsylvania was called on Tuesday that I think that the cradle of Liberty has just closed the lid on Liberty's coffin. I am afraid that our new President elect is both motivated and capable of constraining freedom. He has been grooming and preparing for that task for a long time. Since Tuesday though, I have realized that just as being free is not our destiny, neither is constraint. The future has not arrived. He's got a head start, but the coffin lid isn't shut yet and it doesn't need to close. Freedom can still be defended. Now is the time to act, not the time to surrender. Our last president didn't defend Freedom at home. While he was busy promoting Freedom in Iraq, he trampled on it here at home. He centralized power in ways that our next president will gladly exploit and extend. While he did that, I was mostly silent. What to do? That's the question. How did our founders know, without benefit of a crystal ball, that what they were doing was the right thing to do? Worth risking their lives and their families for... They knew because it was a simple choice between Freedom and opression and they believed in Freedom. How, now, do we defend freedom from threats in our own land? Washington is worthless. For the next 2 years, anyone in Washington with an (R) after their name is going to be treading water, just trying to keep their job. Even if they are sincerely motivated to defend Freedom (which I doubt), they won't be able to accomplish much. Ever since I read Napalitano, I've believed that the states are the key to the problem of Federal overreach. The states have a constitutional role as a check against Federal power. For my entire lifetime, and probably much longer, they have abdicated that role. I believe that the states need to be convinced to take up that role again. If not "the states", then at least Pennsylvania. The state problem is a smaller problem than the national problem. Therefore, easier to solve. I can influence Harrisburg more easily than I can influence Washington. Harrisburg can defend Pennsylvania's Freedom more effectively than I can. So I think that I need to change the direction of my information seeking. I need to focus more on learning about what's going on in Harrisburg than in Washington. The other states can fend for themselves, as long as they don't tread on me. If they don't want to be free, it's not my place to say they have to be. I also need to be more willing to say what I believe. You can't learn if you don't listen, but you can't teach if you don't talk. I need to believe that freedom is an idea that's worth talking about... Even outside the echo chamber of people who I already know agree with me. Pennsylvania needs to take a stand for Pennsylvanians. I need to help make that happen. Last thought before I close... Our individual salvation (whatever that is) doesn't depend on our collective salvation. That's wrong. Rather, if there is such a thing as collective salvation, it can only be realized through the actions of individuals. Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, Patrick Henry, John Adams... Individuals brought about the great American melting pot. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks... individuals brought about a national change by taking a stand for freedom. "Free at last", not "equal at last". Even the catastrophic Russian experiment with collectivism was brought about by individuals. We need a culture of the individual, not a culture of conformity. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#CoffinOfLiberty07Nov08

Nov_06_2008 http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/11/time_of_death_oct_3_2008.html > > My friends, government takes up almost 40% of our economy. Federal > regulations took up 2,620 pages in 1936, the middle of the New Deal and > after much of the depression-era banking regulation. In 2004 those > regulations took up 78,851 pages. Does that sound like a "free market" > to you? If there was any regulation loop-hole existing in those 78,851 > pages, it was put there on purpose by a legislator to help some cronies > (and political contributors) get rich. > Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#GOPDOA06Nov08

Nov_04_2008 Today, the lid on the coffin of American liberty swings closed. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#Election08

Oct_08_2008 Reagan video from a 1961 speech opposing Medicare. Watch this when time allows... http://astuteblogger.blogspot.com/2008/09/obamas-real-father-connecting-dots.html Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#ReaganVideo08Oct08

Sep_29_2008 First video was pulled down for copyright violations... Strange. I thought there was a "political speech" exception for copyright usage. Here's another one. http://www.kyleanneshiver.com/2008/09/29/another-fanniefreddieobama-video/ Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#AnotherVideo29Sep08

Sep_29_2008 Look into this later... Accurate? http://logisticsmonster.com/2008/09/26/puma-politics-the-wolf-is-actually-a-democrat/ Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#29Sep08

Sep_22_2008 "Cap and trade arrives in the Northeast: First carbon auction set for Thursday" http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=cap-and-trade-arrives-in-the-northe-2008-09-22 This should bring some jobs from NY, DE and NJ to PA. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#NorthEastCO2Auction22Sep08

Sep_19_2008 Wow! I'm surprised. I figured the Economist would be in Obama's corner.... http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12252991 Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#ObamaEconomist19Sep08

Sep_18_2008 "Individual salvation depends on collective salvation." ==> Barack Obama ... "Over one's mind and over one's body the individual is sovereign." ==> John Stuart Mill ... "Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference." ==> Jane Goodall ... "The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." ==> Friedrich Nietzsche ... "Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom." ==> Albert Einstein ... "Society does not consist of individuals but expresses the sum of interrelations, the relations within which these individuals stand." ==> Karl Marx ... "All our lives we fought against exalting the individual, against the elevation of the single person and long ago we were over and done with the business of a hero..." ==> Vladimir Lenin ... "Comrades! We must abolish the cult of the individual decisively, once and for all." ==> Nikita Khrushchev ... "The main plank in the National Socialist program is to abolish the liberalistic concept of the individual and the Marxist concept of humanity and to substitute for them the folk community" ==> Adolf Hitler ... "Individual salvation depends on collective salvation." ==> Barack Obama Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#Individual18Sep08

Sep_09_2008 Lawmakers are now cracking down on 3rd graders... http://www.kyw1060.com/pages/2934950.php?contentType=4&contentId=2719096 Alright, my child has complained about bullying at school and it's frustrating, but guess what? It wouldn't surprise me if other kids interpreted those same events differently. It's part of growing up. Learning boundaries. Does the government really need to make a law against normal child development? Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#Bullying09Sep08

Sep_06_2008 "When Did Freedom Become an Orphan" http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/09/when_did_freedom_become_an_orp.html Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#Freedom06Sep08

Sep_06_2008 http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/09/powerful_video_addressed_to_ob.html "Freedom... is always worth the price" Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#MrObama06Sep08

Sep_05_2008 http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html > From 1992 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Barack Obama > served as a professor in the Law School. He was a Lecturer from 1992 to > 1996. He was a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to 2004, during which time he > taught three courses per year. Senior Lecturers are considered to be > members of the Law School faculty and are regarded as professors, > although not full-time or tenure-track. Is it curious that a Lecturer/Senior Lecturer at the University of Chicago law school can work for 12 years without authoring a single paper for scholarly publication? http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=author%3A%22Barack+Obama%22+-2005+-2006+-2007+-2008&btnG=Search Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#ObamaPublications05Sep08

Sep_04_2008 I can't believe I'm actually monitoring blogs from Hillary Clinton supporters... http://texasdarlin.wordpress.com/ http://www.lynettelong.com/my_weblog/ http://justsaynodeal.com/index2.html http://logisticsmonster.wordpress.com/ http://riverdaughter.wordpress.com/ http://www.obamacrimes.com/ Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#Clinton4McCain04Sep08

Sep_04_2008 http://www.midnightbluesays.com/2008/09/tonight-i-was-witness-to-history.html Sarah Palin says -- > But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: > I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion - I'm going to > Washington to serve the people of this country So the GOP is escalating the rhetoric against the legacy media. They're going to war with the MSM at the same time as running the campaign. There's no way the dinosaurs are going to go quietly into the night after an "afront" like this remark. It's a bold GOP strategy. It will motivate the base. The question is how many independents will now be blacked out or misinformed in retalliation by the old media gate watchers. Forgetting about the (R) and (D) politics, this amplifies the old vs. new media aspect of the election. It's got to happen some time and old media is eventually going to lose. The outcome of this battle is far from certain though. It's a very interesting dynamic. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#NewMedia04Sep08

Aug_18_2008 After being foiled in their attempt to create a pre-election recession by talking down the US economy, the press redirects their assault to focus on the UK's economy... http://www.bytestart.co.uk/content/news/1_12/bcc-forecast-q2-2008.shtml I have no idea, but I wonder if the UK has a major election coming up in 12-18 months? Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#Recession18Aug08

Aug_18_2008 http://www.kyw1060.com/pages/2806173.php?contentType=4&contentId=2604870 > > The Environmental Protection Agency says idling vehicles spew nearly > 200,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the air each year. Now, one > local community is hoping to reduce that amount. > > Cherry Hill Township recently passed a resolution prohibiting gas and > diesel powered vehicles from idling longer than three minutes. > Whatever happened to separation of church and state? Not that CO2 emissions matter anyway, but if they really want to do something to reduce idling, how 'bout switching the traffic lights to "blink" during nights and week-ends? On one hand- compulsory idling, on the other "no idling allowed". That's government for you. I'd be willing to bet that more gas is wasted by vehicles sitting at worthless red-lights on lightly travelled roads than by occaisional idling, but government only knows how to make laws aimed at reducing freedom. Forget about laws that could solve problems (or non-problems) by expanding freedom. I wonder if anyone will remember who the people who passed this law are when the public finally learns that AGW is a myth? I wonder if it will be repealed when it turns out to be worthless. I doubt it. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#NoIdleNoFreedom18Aug08

Aug_18_2008 http://rickwarrennews.com/transcript/ (part 3 and 6, near the end) Obama: > ...I WANT TO BE PRESIDENT BECAUSE THAT'S THE AMERICA I BELIEVE IN AND I > FEEL LIKE THAT AMERICAN DREAM IS SLIPPING AWAY... McCain: > ...I WANT TO INSPIRE A GENERATION OF AMERICANS TO SERVE A CAUSE GREATER > THAN THEIR SELF INTEREST.... He's not quite as transparent as so many of his America-hating comrades, but apparently Obama thinks he needs to save America from itself. McCain wants to serve and inspire. Which idea sounds more like leadership? Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#Whybepresident18Aug08

Aug_18_2008 http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?secid=1501&status=article&id=303692639718141&secure=1&show=1&rss=1 > The reason is clear: Russia wants to control the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan > pipeline, the only non-Russian conduit that brings oil from the Caspian > Sea to Europe's thirsty market. To do so would give it unparalleled > control over Europe's economy. Anti-American Europe wants America to stop intervening in international affairs? Maybe this would be a good time to start. Maybe we should see how well Europe will do in dealing with Russia without our help. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#AmericanIntervention18Aug08

Aug_06_2008 http://townhall.com/columnists/AmandaCarpenter/2008/08/06/pelosi_reacts_to_gop_house_protest This is the stupidest frigging quote/cliche in the world. "We cannot drill our way out of this problem". It winds me up every time I hear or see that quote... First off, what does it even mean? Also, who says so? How do they know if we haven't tried? What's wrong with buying time to develop alternative technologies at more economical prices? I say the problem is about freedom, not price. Drilling might not solve the problem, but we're either moving towards a solution or away from one. Drilling is certainly a step in the right direction. A continued embargo maintains our inertia in the wrong direction. End the US oil embargo. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#PelosiOilEmbargo06Aug08

Aug_05_2008 "We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded." -- Barack Obama http://www.cato.org/raidmap/ Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#CatoRaidMap05Aug08

Aug_03_2008 Here's one I learned about in a facebook ad. I'll have to look it over. I might add this to the politics section of my webpage if it lives up to it's first impression: http://www.you2gov.com/ > We believe in the Power of the People. We built this site to enable you > to become more powerful, more informed, and more able to influence > government decisions that affect you. We provide the information and > tools to put regular citizens on a level playing field with powerful > special interests. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#You2Gov03Aug08

Aug_01_2008 These guys have the same reaction I did... Possibly the FBI drove Ivins to suicide with the same bullying tactics they used on Hatfill, then when he dies, they suddenly claim "we were about to charge him"... Awfully convenient that now they can claim "case closed" without going to the trouble of proving anything. Maybe he did it, but I'm not convinced. I'll wait to see what comes out in the wrongful death lawsuit that's sure to follow. http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/08/suicide_of_an_anthrax_suspect.html > Or maybe the FBI got the right guy. I don't know. I kind of hope they > did because I would rather find some semblance of justice achieved in > his suicide. Otherwise this becomes the tragedy of an innocent man > hounded to death by my government. And this reminds me, I don't think I posted on Hatfill when it happened. Isn't it ironic how the press has pretty much ignored his $5.8 million settlement with the government. I guess the legacy media didn't think it was worth their time, so they left it for the blogs to report that. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#Amerithrax01Aug08

Aug_01_2008 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080801/ap_on_re_us/wisconsin_shooting;_ylt=Arw13XTE3QboJFjV_LPewZBH2ocA What caught my attention isn't the story, although it is a tragic and distressing story. I'm posting here because of the accompanying photo though... == "AP Photo: This 2008 high school yearbook photo, provided by Lifetouch Photography, shows Tiffany Pohlson, 17, one... " == Lifetouch Photography is who did my son's annual daycare pictures, and I assume his upcoming school pictures. I'm not pleased to see them handing photos out to the press, even if the subject of the photo is deceased. Now I guess I'll have to read their paperwork and see what rights I've signed away by letting them photograph him. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#LifeTouch01Aug08

Jul_29_2008 http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/07/are_you_listening_president_ob.html I like this phrase --- "The legacy media" --- That's exactly right... Obsolete, rigid and intrusive, but we can't get rid of them. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#LegacyMedia29July08

Jul_27_2008 http://www.tuccille.com/blog/2008/07/eight-reasons-even-innocent-shouldnt.html "The Innocence Project: In more than 25% of DNA exoneration cases, innocent defendants made incriminating statements, delivered outright confessions or pled guilty". Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#KeepQuiet27July08

Jul_23_2008 Professor M' - I'm going to compute the answer to this hard problem. Professor O' - No you're not. It's too hard. Professor M' - Yes I will. Here's how.... Professor O' - No. We should just defund the compute resources. Professor M' - I'm going to solve it. Professor O' - No you're not. Professor M' - I will. Be patient. Professor O' - You won't. Too expensive. Power down the computer. Professor M' - I will. Hold your horses. Professor O' - You won't. Too complicated. Shut it down. Professor M' - I will. Professor O' - You won't. Power off. Power off! Power off!!!! Professor M' - I solved it. We can shut down the computer now. Professor O' - See. I told you so. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#Spin23July08

Jul_22_2008 Here's Craig Williams Political Courage Test http://www.votesmart.org/npat.php?can_id=102434 I don't agree with everything and he defers a little more than I'd like to the federal government, but definitely better than Sestak. Key pro's - o Victory in Iraq o Greatly Decrease funding to the UN o Support the line item veto o drill, drill, drill o Support the right to bear arms o Ban earmarks which are not openly debated and considered by the whole of Congress. Con's : -( o No support for the Fair Tax (though no opposition was stated either) o Support federal funding of pre-K programs. o Constitutional ammendment for gay marriage (Marriage is a state issue) o Increase federal funding for college education (Increased federal funds only lead to increased costs. That, and corporate tuition reimbursement, is why college tuitions outpace inflation.) Still, none of the con's are show-stoppers to me and the Pro's are very good. This is a candidate I can get behind. I was also thrilled to see that he responded to vote-smart.org. That is uncommon courage for an American politician. Williams' opponent, the encumbant, Joe Sestak, has refused to provide any responses (as of today) See here: http://www.votesmart.org/npat.php?can_id=58333 Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#22July08

Jul_19_2008 This blog was linked from climateaudit and looks interesting. I think I'll check in on it from time to time... http://globaladminlaw.blogspot.com/2008/04/gal-and-intergovernmental-panel-on.html And they link here - http://www.globalgovernancewatch.org/ Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#GlobalGovernance19July08

Jul_18_2008 http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?secid=1501&status=article&id=301272091590426&secure=1&show=1&rss=1 > Congress: Unwilling to allow any expansion of drilling in American > territory, Democrats are instead focused on changing American > lifestyles. It's consistent with the goals of the party that wants to > run everyone's lives. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#EnergyPolicy18July08

Jul_17_2008 http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=301100996715667 Craig Williams, running against Sestak for my district's congressional seat is in Alaska. Maybe he'll end the US Oil Embargo? Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#Williams4CongressDrill16Jul08

Jul_11_2008 50% of income earners pay 97% of the tax... http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2008/07/must-have-been.html And they want to raise taxes on the rich? That links here, which is also a worthwhile read... http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2007/04/a_nation_of_sla.html Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#Taxes11July08

Jul_11_2008 Well, after the 2007 Science blog awards, I said I'd never go back to the pharyngula sight, and I still won't. I thought I recognized the name PZ Myers though when I read it at Confederate Yankee. Mouseover on the link confirms my suspicion.... pharyngula it is... Apparently, free speech is OK for that guy, but not for the people he criticizes. I'm not interested enough to find out both sides of the story... I've already ignored that site. http://confederateyankee.mu.nu/archives/268306.php Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#Pharyngula11July08

Jul_10_2008 Not surprising, but reprehensible if true... http://www.redstate.com/blogs/bill_dupray/2008/jul/09/abc_news_asks_60_soldiers_who_theyll_vote_for_doesnt_report_the_54_for_mccain > ... > After a dissertation on McCain's trip and speech, ABC showed 5 GI's being > asked by Raddatz how they were going to vote in November; 3 for Obama and 2 > for Clinton .. No mention of the 54 for McCain. > ... Apparently, snopes is still investigating. Status: Undetermined. http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/raddatz.asp I think I found the ABC story in question... http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=4244798&page=1 The part about 3 for Obama and 2 for Hillary is true. She does say, "There were some McCain backers" and played a brief clip of one of them speaking, although I couldn't understand what he said. No indication that 54 out of 60 GIs asked were for McCain (assuming that part is true). The impression from the video is definitely that these well-informed soldiers are heavily in favor of the democrats. I'll keep an eye on the snopes link, but it's looking like ABC (other than Stossell on 20/20) gets added to the "Can't be trusted" list, along with the AP (Jamil Hussein and more), CBS (Rathergate) and the NY Times (Jason Blair and lots lots more). Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#ABCdeception10July08

Jul_07_2008 It's a shame when truth suffers by the heat of its defenders. This story about Saddam's yellowcake is more balanced than the American Thinker article I linked to yesterday. http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?secid=1501&status=article&id=300323577877918&secure=1&show=1&rss=1 The important points to me are: 1.) Should be news, but it's burried/ignored. 2.) Verifies that a Hussein run Iraq still harbored nuclear weapon ambitions. 3.) Contradicts the "no WMD" world view that the media has been promoting for 4 years. This doesn't prove the claim that Hussein was an "imminent" threat in 2003, but it does lend credibility to the idea that it was reasonable for the President to think he was. And while we're at IBD... http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?secid=1501&status=article&id=300324023809577&secure=1&show=1&rss=1 According to the Sunday Times in London, we have won the war in Iraq. It's too bad Jamil Hussein and the American media haven't bothered to tell us about it. They're still determined to surrender by December. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#YellowCakeAgain08July08

Jul_06_2008 It's the AP, so I will remain skeptical until it's independently verified by someone with credibility, but apparently, the last remnant of Saddam Hussein's (non-existant) nuclear program has now been dismantled. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107ap_iraq_yellowcake_mission.html While I think that americanthinker might be making a bigger deal out of this than it really is... http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/07/post_93.html http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/07/disconfirmations_disconfirmed.html I do think that if confirmed, this represents some level of vindication for President Bush. Saddam Hussein had a nuclear weapons program (or at least the AP says he did) and he possessed at least 550 metric tons of yellowcake in 2003 (or at least the AP says he did). It seems that the democrats and the press have either been misinformed or else misleading us with their incessant claims over the last 4 or 5 years that Saddam Hussein possessed no WMD programs. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#YellowCake06July08

Jul_03_2008 "Freedom Never Cries" -- Don't know who performs it. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2250012298729737781&q=freedom+never+cries&ei=iXJtSOqfDoqUrgKNpumdDw Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#FreedomNeverCries03July08

Jun_28_2008 When will congress end the US Oil Embargo? Not before July 4, it appears... http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2008/06/opec-congress-40-hearings-160-witnesses.html Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#OilEmbargo28June08

Jun_25_2008 "Was Iraq Worth It?" http://www.townhall.com/columnists/TonyBlankley/2008/06/25/was_iraq_worth_it Definitely worth reading. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#IraqWorthIt25June08

Jun_19_2008 I don't know much about this guy yet, but I know that Sestak is fatally flawed on Iraq and on global warming. I definitely can't vote for Sestak, so it's Williams or no one. So far, I like what I see. http://www.craigwilliamsforcongress.com/about.php Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#Congress19June08

Jun_18_2008 President Bush's speech... http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?secid=1502&status=article&id=298680042535248&secure=1&show=1&rss=1# > If congressional leaders leave for the Fourth of July recess without > taking action, they will need to explain why $4-a-gallon gasoline is not > enough incentive for them to act. And Americans will rightly ask how > high oil --- how high gas prices have to rise before the > Democratic-controlled Congress will do something about it. Drill here, drill now. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#DrillHereDrillNow18June08

Jun_13_2008 When will congress end the US oil blockade???? http://www.americansolutions.com/ http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?secid=1501&status=article&id=298251227631836&secure=1&show=1&rss=1 http://www.openmarket.org/2008/06/12/senate-democrats-on-energy-prices-throwing-gasoline-on-the-fire/ http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2008/06/senator-dodd-what-about-57-industries.html Oh wait... I remember... "We will energize America by achieving energy independence" ==> Nancy Pelosi, "100 hours", Nov 7 2006 ;-) ******************** * No food for oil! * ******************** Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#OilEmbargo13June08

Jun_12_2008 Another couple of names to go with Mann, Hansen, Schmidt, Jones, Thompson and Trenberth... Pacala and Socolow http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/prometheus/archives/climate_change/001456why_costly_carbon_is.html http://environmentalresearchweb.org/cws/article/futures/34156 Speaking of a 2004 (I think) paper in Science, an author says... > The purpose of the stabilization wedges paper was narrow and simple . we > wanted to stop the Bush administration from what we saw as a strategy to > stall action on global warming by claiming that we lacked the technology > to tackle it. The Secretary of Energy at the time used to give a speech > saying that we needed a discovery as fundamental as the discovery of > electricity by Faraday in the 19th century. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#ScientistsOrAdvocates12June08

May_29_2008 Google just told me about http://www.openmarket.org/ It's a liberty-blog from the Competetive Enterprise Institute. I've added it to my google reader and my my.aol.com reader. It looks promising. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#LibertyBlog29May08

May_06_2008 More on that "imminent" flu pandemic. Who gets treated and who doesn't? http://cbs4denver.com/seenon/pandemic.death.list.2.716684.html I wonder why this is such a useful story-line to the press. Government health-care? Convince people to voluntarily relinquish freedoms? I don't see their motive yet, but when something that hasn't happened in 40 years is constantly in the news from 2004 'til 2008, they've got to be using it to sneak something in under the radar. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#Imminent06May08

May_05_2008 > Elections: U.K. voters resoundingly rejected the Labour Party in local > elections last week. It was no capricious shift, but a citizen revolt > against trendy carbon and nanny-state taxes that empower only bad > government. http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=294621585202022 I wonder if we here in the US will do this the easy way or the hard way. We could look at the global warming facts and realize that the AGW hypothesis has been falsified by a decade of non-warming temperatures and we could look at the failed socialist policies in Europe leading to laissez faire revolutions from the voters, or... we can do it the hard way and see for ourselves. Hopefully, we're not all from Missouri. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#International05May08

May_04_2008 I just happened to notice a headline mentioning West Chester, PA when I was playing around with the igoogle RSS reader tonight. I followed the link, and at first glance, this appears to be a group that deserves some support.... I can't guess how many times I drove past the West Chester court-house on my way to Christopher's swim lessons in 2006 and wanted to get out of my truck and ask the anti-war protestors on the corner what the "h --- e --- double-hockey-sticks" they were thinking... It was *really* frustrating to have to drive past week after week and leave them unchallenged in their delusions. I am pleased, therefore, to learn that a group of counter-protestors has apparently joined the anti-war crew at the intersection starting about 9 months ago. The "Chester County Victory Movement" has now gotten coverage from a somewhat prominent war-blog. (which of course is how I learned about them) Hear's the flopping aces weblog about them... http://www.floppingaces.net/2008/05/04/west-chester-050308/ And that links to the group's weblog here... http://americansheepdogs.com/ It's interesting to see some local civics getting national exposure... Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#WestChesterVictoryMovement04May08

May_02_2008 "List of errors, distortion and exaggeration in IPCC AR4" http://www.climateaudit.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=176 Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#IPCCproblems02May08

Apr_09_2008 What happens when freedom surrenders to Tyranny? "Repression in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Executions and Population Relocation" Jacqueline Desbarats (circa 1990) http://jim.com/repression.htm > Desbarats estimates approximately one hundred thousand extrajudicial > executions, most occurring in the first two years after the fall of > Saigon. When our candidates talk about withdrawing from Iraq, whether they know it or not, I think this is what they mean... I can only guess that the 100,000 figure is more robust than the implausible fictions that The Lancet published when it tried to tamper with our elections in 2004 and 2006. Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#Surrender09Apr08

Apr_09_2008 Amazing! The AP actually wrote a story about an American hero. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. http://news.aol.com/story/_a/bush-honors-navy-hero-at-white-house/20080408171209990001 Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#APhero09Apr08

Mar_30_2008 http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/environment/2008-03-28-water-footprint_N.htm?csp=15 The U.N., possibly aware that recent cooling temperatures and polar ice growth spell a looming end to their ability to stampede the herd by crying "hot!", launches "dry!" the next step in its relentless fear and guilt campaign to usurp national sovereignty in the name of environmental "sustainability". Will someone remember the boy who cried wolf when the global-warming campaign is quietly discarded? We really need to withdraw from the U.N. Meanwhile, I can't tell for sure from the pretty-picture, but it looks like this year's minimum Global Sea Ice Area was the highest in 4, maybe 5 years.... http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/IMAGES/global.daily.ice.area.withtrend.jpg Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#EcoMongering30Mar08

Jan_15_2008 I hate to do it, but I guess I've got to give John McCain some serious thought. This is the second one of these tests that ranked him as the best match for my issue positions. 2008 President Selector http://selectsmart.com/president/2008.html Rankings: 1. Theoretical Ideal Candidate (100 %) 2. Alan Keyes (77 %) 3. John McCain (66 %) 4. Chuck Hagel (not running) (65 %) 5. Newt Gingrich (says he will not run) (64 %) 6. Tom Tancredo (withdrawn, endorsed Romney) (64 %) 7. Sam Brownback (withdrawn, endorsed McCain) (62 %) 8. Mitt Romney (62 %) 9. Ron Paul (62 %) 10. Duncan Hunter (61 %) 11. Kent McManigal (campaign suspended) (61 %) 12. Stephen Colbert (campaign halted) (60 %) 13. Fred Thompson (59 %) 14. Jim Gilmore (withdrawn) (57 %) 15. Rudolph Giuliani (54 %) 16. Mike Huckabee (53 %) 17. Tommy Thompson (withdrawn, endorsed Giuliani) (44 %) 18. Michael Bloomberg (says he will not run) (43 %) 19. Bill Richardson (withdrawn) (41 %) 20. Al Gore (not announced) (41 %) 21. Barack Obama (38 %) 22. Wesley Clark (not running, endorsed Clinton) (35 %) 23. Joseph Biden (withdrawn) (34 %) 24. Hillary Clinton (32 %) 25. Christopher Dodd (withdrawn) (32 %) 26. John Edwards (29 %) 27. Mike Gravel (25 %) 28. Dennis Kucinich (25 %) 29. Alan Augustson (campaign suspended) (21 %) 30. Elaine Brown (4 %) Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#CandidateRankings15Jan08

Jan_05_2008 This looks like it might be worth checking in on once in a while... http://neutralsource.org/ Link for this entry: http://home.ccil.org/~remlaps/weblog_2008/politics_index.html#NeutralSource05Jan08