Confessions of a Recovering Talk Show Host

Prestigious law firm sues burger joint over smell | Washington Examiner

2010-10-15T08:51:00.001-05:00

Prestigious law firm sues burger joint over smell | Washington Examiner: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

It's a classic David and Goliath story: A white-shoe law firm staffed with hundreds of D.C.'s most-powerful lawyers has moved to shutter a hamburger eatery on the grounds that the lawyers didn't like the aroma of cooking meat wafting into their offices.

So far, Goliath is winning.

D.C. Superior Court Judge John Mott ordered the restaurant, Rogue States on Connecticut Avenue near Dupont Circle, to shut down its grill this week. Neighboring law firm Steptoe & Johnson had sued the restaurant, saying the firm's employees suffered nausea, watery eyes and headaches from Rogue States' fumes.

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Prestigious-law-firm-sues-burger-joint-over-smell-1214765-104991844.html#ixzz12R2LTH3i

I'd say this is a bit extreme. However, I do have a little related story

When I worked at KSAL in Salina, there was a nearby burger stand called the Cozy Inn. Cozy burgers were a lot like White castles, with the onions fried right in. The aroma was legendary.

We had a rule at the station that no bags of cozy burgers were allowed in the building. And if you walked inside the store instead of using the walk up window, you were not allowed back in the building..

So maybe this suit is not completely without merit. ;)

An Israeli right-winger throws a shoe at an image of US President ... - Yahoo! News Photos

2010-10-12T08:34:00.000-05:00

An Israeli right-winger throws a shoe at an image of US President ... - Yahoo! News Photos: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

As if we needed one, here is another reminder that this president is no friend of Israel.

Chocolate Covered Bacon | Uncrate

2010-10-12T08:11:00.001-05:00

Chocolate Covered Bacon | Uncrate: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

I love bacon. And I love chocolate. Does that mean they go great together? I do know that salt enhances the flavor of chocolate. And bacon is salty.

What do you think?

Sun Chips Bag to Lose Its Crunch - WSJ.com

2010-10-06T10:23:00.000-05:00

Sun Chips Bag to Lose Its Crunch - WSJ.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Frito-Lay, the snack giant owned by PepsiCo Inc., says it is pulling most of the biodegradable packaging it uses for its Sun Chips snacks, following an outcry from consumers who complained the new bags were too noisy.

This story is just too good to pass by. Yet another case of the greenies falling on their faces.

I'm back?

2010-10-06T10:00:00.002-05:00

I don't know why, but I'm getting the bug again.

The restaurant was fun, but in the end, probably a bad idea. I guess it just wasn't meant to be.

I do like my job at Alorica, and it appears I am good at it. But something is missing in my life.

Maybe I just need to vent. And maybe, this is the the venue. Or is it?

It seems that the blog craze may be over. Things have moved on to the social networks like Twitter and Facebook. I have my accounts in those places. And I am still active on Facebook. But it was fun posting stories here and commenting on them.

It won't always be hard core politics. Sometimes, it will be fun stuff. But when I have free time, I think we will post some stuff. And if anyone cares to comment, you will be welcome to do so.

Who am I fooling? I don't even know if anyone will read this blog after all this time. After all, I am no longer on the radio, not even Internet radio. But if you do care enough to read, thank you. And let's enjoy the ride together.

Introducing, The Steve Forman Grill

2009-10-01T09:58:00.003-05:00

Now that I have quit the Internet radio show, I have decided to become an inventor. And inspired by my namesake,George Foreman (He does spell his name wrong), I've come up with the new Steve Forman Grill.

The neat thing is, the top rack makes a great bun warmer.

Health Care Reform - Rasmussen Reports™

2009-09-28T07:10:00.000-05:00

Health Care Reform - Rasmussen Reports™

All of you who showed up at all the town hall meetings, tea parties, and 9/12 rallies should be proud of the work you have done.Look at the results of this poll...

Just 41% of voters nationwide now favor the health care reform proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. That’s down two points from a week ago and the lowest level of support yet measured.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 56% are opposed to the plan.

I find this to be even more stunning...

For the first time ever, a slight plurality of voters now express doubt that the legislation will become law this year. Forty-six percent (46%) say passage is likely while 47% say it is not. Those figures include 18% who say passage is Very Likely and 15% who say it is Not at All Likely. Sixty percent (60%) are less certain.
Isn't it time for the president to admit that this isn't the "change" that America wanted?

The Washington Independent » Huckabee in St. Louis: Get America Out of the U.N.

2009-09-28T06:52:00.000-05:00

The Washington Independent » Huckabee in St. Louis: Get America Out of the U.N.

I don't agree with everything Mike Huckabee says, but I agree with this from St. Louis...

ST. LOUIS — Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.), speaking to a very friendly dinner crowd at the “How To Take Back America” conference, said that he’d “nearly had an Elvis moment” watching this week’s United Nations general assembly sessions and spoke about pulling out of the world organization altogether.

“It’s time to get a jackhammer and to simply chip off that part of New York City,” said Huckabee, “and let it float into the East River, never to be seen again!” That remark got him a standing ovation, and Huckabee went on to suggest de-funding the U.N. entirely.
“It’s time to say enough of the American taxpayer’s dollar being spent on something that may have been a noble idea, but has become a disgrace!” said Huckabee. “It has become the international equivalent of ACORN and it’s time to say enough!”

Huckabee continued, suggesting that the U.N. be handed over to one of the nations that attacked America. “Let’s end the diplomatic excesses that these people enjoy,” he said. “Let any country that is willing to spend the money that the United States is hosting–let them have it. Give it to the Saudis and let these diplomats suck the sand out of the Saudi desert for a few summers and see if that’s where they’d like to go, and make their ridiculous speeches.”

I just wonder if we can make the U.N. take our president with them when they leave.

Mich. woman warned to get license for babysitting kids until school bus arrives - On Deadline - USATODAY.com

2009-09-26T08:52:00.000-05:00

Mich. woman warned to get license for babysitting kids until school bus arrives - On Deadline - USATODAY.com

We are told that government does many things "for the children." Well, how does this fit in...

A Michigan woman who lives in front of a school bus stop says the state is threatening her with fines and possibly jail time for babysitting her neighbors' kids until the bus comes, WZZM reports.

Lisa Snyder of Middleville, Mich., says she takes no money for watching the three children for 15-40 minutes each day so that the neighbors can get to work on time.

Here is the excuse the bureaucrat at DHS uses for the action...

A DHS spokesperson tells the station that it has no choice but to comply with state law, which is designed to protect Michigan children.

We have to protect kids from a nice lady who wants to help her neighbors? Only in government can this be logical.

Saturday Mail Service Getting the Sack - Kiplinger.com

2009-09-26T08:41:00.000-05:00

Saturday Mail Service Getting the Sack - Kiplinger.com

Let's see if I have this straight. We can't deliver the mail in a cost efficient manner, but we can deliver health care?

There’ll be no more Saturday delivery of mail, come 2011 or so. The U.S. Postal Service is serious about cutting back to a Monday to Friday schedule -- a plan that the USPS figures will save the cash-strapped agency at least $3 billion a year.

Congress will grudgingly go along, though not till after the 2010 elections. Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle are reluctantly coming to the conclusion that USPS cost cutting and much higher postal rates can’t bail the service out of the deepening hole it’s in. They know that rate hikes will only accelerate the inexorable erosion of mail volume.

Let's look at the bright side. Maybe you bills will start coming a little later.

Back on the Wagon?

2009-09-23T14:02:00.002-05:00

OK, it happened today. I went down to do my show as always. But things weren't right. The board was so messed up again, I just couldn't even function.

I love to take calls. Why? Because, even I get tired of hearing my own voice. (That is also why I have been playing so much audio over the past few weeks.) I want to hear your views, get your take. That is also why I love Twitter and Facebook so much. But that is another story.

So, I got frustrated, and decided to call it a day early. Now I have a decision to make. Do we struggle to work through the "technical" issues there, or do we try to find other ways of communicating.

I have been neglecting this blog for months, because I left recovery and went back to doing a daily show. Maybe I should just go back to using this blog, and the social networks. Maybe I should find another way to broadcast an audio show. Maybe I should just concentrate on building the barbecue business.

This will take some prayer. And advice from friends like you won't hurt, either. Whatever happens, I will treasure the friendships this show has led to. So, please keep in touch.

My Race is the Best Race - Associated Content

2009-07-20T09:44:00.000-05:00

My Race is the Best Race - Associated Content

We have all this race tension being caused by the bigoted Democrats in American. It is getting on my nerves all this tiptoeing around the subject that we are doing. I will admit it, MY RACE IS THE BEST RACE. Yep I said it and now I will make my case and prove my point.

We carved out a once wonderful country from the wilderness that was America. Hell before that we turned Europe into a civilized continent. My race invented writing and ways to teach it. We invented schools and made them better and better until the liberals got control and started their brainwashing campaign.

I love this blog post. Make sure you read the whole thing before making a judgement.

CNSNews.com - HHS Secretary Announces Additional $350 Million for States to Combat Swine Flu, Which Is ‘No More Lethal Than Seasonal Flu’

2009-07-16T06:35:00.000-05:00

CNSNews.com - HHS Secretary Announces Additional $350 Million for States to Combat Swine Flu, Which Is ‘No More Lethal Than Seasonal Flu’

(CNSNews.com) – Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recently announced that an additional $350 million is available to help states and territories prepare for the 2009 flu season – including swine flu, which Sebelius described as “no more lethal than the seasonal flu.”

“With flu season around the corner, we must remain vigilant and do all we can to prepare our nation and protect public health,” said Sebelius. “These grants will give states valuable resources to step up their flu preparedness efforts.”

Queen Kathleen, doing to America what she did to Kansas.

Walter E. Williams : EPA Cover-Up - Townhall.com

2009-07-15T09:57:00.000-05:00

Walter E. Williams : EPA Cover-Up - Townhall.com

Here's what I wrote in last year's column titled "Global Warming Rope-a-Dope" (12/24/2008): "Once laws are written, they are very difficult, if not impossible, to repeal. If a time would ever come when the permafrost returns to northern U.S., as far south as New Jersey as it once did, it's not inconceivable that Congress, caught in the grip of the global warming zealots, would keep all the laws on the books they wrote in the name of fighting global warming. Personally, I would not put it past them to write more." On June 28, 2009, the House of Representatives, by a narrow margin (219-212), passed the Waxman-Markey bill. The so-called "cap and trade" bill has been sold as a system for cutting greenhouse gas emissions in the struggle against global warming. There's a full-court press on the U.S. Senate to pass its version of "cap and trade."

America is being scammed by its own government.

Bloomberg Slams Hillary: She Stabbed NYC In Back | PoliJAM Blog

2009-07-14T10:37:00.000-05:00

Bloomberg Slams Hillary: She Stabbed NYC In Back PoliJAM Blog

Let's face it. Hillary never really cared about her "home state" of New York.

Has the ‘Stimulus’ Stopped ‘Creating or Saving’ Jobs? - Jeff_Emanuel’s blog - RedState

2009-07-14T08:46:00.000-05:00

Has the ‘Stimulus’ Stopped ‘Creating or Saving’ Jobs? - Jeff_Emanuel’s blog - RedState

Anyone who remembers, say, his campaign pronouncement that a Kansas tornado had left “ten thousand dead” and “an entire town destroyed” (the 2007 storm actually killed twelve people) knows that President Barack Obama (D-IL) hasn’t been one to worry about playing fast and loose with a few facts or numbers.

However, his dogged refusal to deviate from his standard talking point of “150,000 jobs created or saved” by the $787,000,000,000.00 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (also known as the “stimulus package,” or, my personal favorite, “Porkulus”) is beginning to lend itself to more than a little head-scratching by observers.

It is the new math. It doesn't matter what answer you come to if the "work" looks impressive.

Topeka Mayor Bill Bunten back to work after hospitalizations - KFSM

2009-07-14T07:59:00.000-05:00

Topeka Mayor Bill Bunten back to work after hospitalizations - KFSM

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Topeka Mayor Bill Bunten has returned to work, after being hospitalized twice in the past month.

The two-term mayor was back at work Monday. The 79-year-old had been away from his work for about a month while battling pneumonia.

Bunten was hospitalized on June 16 with pneumonia and a rapid heart rate. He was readmitted from June 23 to 25.

Welcome back Mr. Mayor. It will be nice to disagree on policy with you again. :)

Technology Review: Blogs: arXiv blog: How to stage a revolution

2009-07-13T09:37:00.000-05:00

Technology Review: Blogs: arXiv blog: How to stage a revolution

How to stage a revolution

A new mathematical model reveals the tactics that a small number of interlopers can use to seize power
How is it possible for a small number of newcomers to displace a well-established group of leaders?

That's not just question for military organisations wanting to overthrow governments but of political parties controlling national debates, new products displacing well-established market leaders and flocking birds following leaders to new food sources.

Interesting stuff.

Cure for a grey, gloomy Sunday morning

2009-07-12T10:05:00.001-05:00

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Cure for a grey, gloomy Sunday morning

2009-07-12T10:03:00.001-05:00

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere

2009-07-12T08:32:00.000-05:00

Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Sunday shows that 28% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-five percent (35%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of –7 (see trends).

And the beat goes on for this one term disaster of a president.

EXCLUSIVE: Palin to stump for conservative Democrats - Washington Times

2009-07-11T12:01:00.000-05:00

EXCLUSIVE: Palin to stump for conservative Democrats - Washington Times

ANCHORAGE, Alaska Brushing aside the criticisms of pundits and politicos, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said she plans to jump immediately back into the national political fray — stumping for conservative issues and even Democrats — after she prematurely vacates her elected post at month's end.

The former Republican vice-presidential nominee and heroine to much of the GOP's base said in an interview she views the electorate as embattled and fatigued by nonstop partisanship, and she is eager to campaign for Republicans, independents and even Democrats who share her values on limited government, strong defense and "energy independence."

Go Sarah! Maybe, just maybe, we can bring back the Constitution as law.

Science Czar John Holdren denies the ‘right of women to choose?’ - Moe_Lane’s blog - RedState

2009-07-11T11:39:00.000-05:00

Science Czar John Holdren denies the ‘right of women to choose?’ - Moe_Lane’s blog - RedState

It is often argued that the right to have children is so personal that the government should not regulate it. In an ideal society, no doubt the state should leave family size and composition solely to the desires of the parents. In today’s world, however, the number of children in a family is a matter of profound public concern. The law regulates other highly personal matters. For example, no one may lawfully have more than one spouse at a time. Why should the law not be able to prevent a person from having more than two children?

This should scare you. It does me.

American Thinker Blog: If one of those CFL light bulbs breaks...

2009-07-11T11:29:00.000-05:00

American Thinker Blog: If one of those CFL light bulbs breaks...

Those curly CFL light bulbs that we all will be forced to adopt are incipient environmental disasters. Should a table or floor lamp be knocked over by a dog or child, for instance, if the bulb breaks, you have a mercury contamination problem, one that requires great care in cleaning up.

Writing in the Washington Times, Terrence Jeffrey exposes some of the contradictory advice the EPA is offering:

The first section is titled: "What Never to Do With a Mercury Spill." It says: "Never use a vacuum cleaner to clean up mercury (but see the 'What to Do if a Fluorescent Light Bulb Breaks' section below for more specific instructions about vacuuming broken fluorescent light bulbs). The vacuum will put mercury into the air and increase exposure."

But the EPA also tells us:

But what if a fluorescent bulb breaks on the wall-to-wall carpet where your toddler crawls? What then? Suddenly, it is OK to use a vacuum on a mercury spill.

You got that straight??? Me neither.

U.S. President Barack Obama (C) and France's President Nicolas ... - Yahoo! News Photos

2009-07-09T21:34:00.001-05:00

U.S. President Barack Obama (C) and France's President Nicolas ... - Yahoo! News Photos

Wonder what will happen when Michelle sees this?

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere

2009-07-09T10:23:00.000-05:00

Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows that 30% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-eight percent (38%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of –8. The President’s Approval Index rating has fallen six points since release of a disappointing jobs report last week (see trends).

This is the result when hope and change leaves you hoping to find change in your couch cushions.

Obama grilled about Honduran prez drug links

2009-07-09T09:57:00.000-05:00

Obama grilled about Honduran prez drug links

A congressman from Michigan is grilling President Barack Obama about his open advocacy for the ousted president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, including whether the U.S. knew of Zelaya's alleged narcotics trafficking.

Zalaya was taken by members of the Honduras military from his home on June 28 and put on a plane to Costa Rica. They accused him of attempting to violate their own nation's constitutional limitation to one term for a president.

While President Obama has condemned the action as a "coup," the military quickly stood down and in place of Zalaya a member of his own political party was named by legislators to replace him.

Now I am beginning to understand why Obama is such a Zelaya supporter.

CNSNews.com - Congressmen Who Vote for Government-Run Health Care Agency Should Be Its First Customers, Legislation Says

2009-07-09T08:49:00.000-05:00

CNSNews.com - Congressmen Who Vote for Government-Run Health Care Agency Should Be Its First Customers, Legislation Says

(CNSNews.com) – Rep. John Fleming (R-La.) introduced a bill Monday that urges members of Congress who vote to create a government-run health insurance agency to give up their own comprehensive health insurance plans to join the new the public option they advocate for others.

The bill, H. Res. 615, says members of Congress who vote for a government-run health care bureau should become the inaugural customers of government-run health-care.

I like this idea, but it doesn't have a chance. Congress will never subject themselves to what they expect us to do.

Spread Freedom? Not So Much by Jonah Goldberg on National Review Online

2009-07-09T08:28:00.000-05:00

Spread Freedom? Not So Much by Jonah Goldberg on National Review Online

The Obama Doctrine is finally coming into focus.

It’s been hard to glean its form because for so long it seemed the president’s most obvious guiding principle was “not Bush,” particularly when it came to the Iraq War. Indeed, his anti-Bush stance has led him to stubbornly refuse to say the war has been won or to admit that he was wrong to oppose the surge. In the past, this unthinking reflex has caused Obama to take some truly repugnant positions. In July 2007, Obama said that he would order U.S. forces out of Iraq as quickly as possible, even if he knew it would lead to an Iraqi genocide. This makes Obama the first president in modern memory to have suggested that causing a genocide would be in America’s national interest.

Obama himself insists that he’s guided by nothing other than a cool-headed pragmatism. Indeed, Obama has a grating habit of describing any position not his own as “ideological,” as if his is the only sober, practical understanding of the problems we face. Just days before he was inaugurated, he gave a speech in Baltimore in which he proclaimed, “What is required is a new declaration of independence, not just in our nation, but in our own lives — from ideology and small thinking, prejudice and bigotry — an appeal not to our easy instincts but to our better angels.”

Is this the "Change" America voted for? As far as I am concerned, keep the change.

revtwt

2009-07-08T10:19:00.000-05:00

revtwt

The economy is shaping up to be Barack Obama's Katrina. If President George W. Bush was blamed for his slow response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 -- there was plenty of blame to go around, of course, but the disaster was on Bush's watch--then Obama will get the blame for his slow response to the current recession. The difference, of course, is that Katrina afflicted a city and a few states, while the recession afflicts the whole country.

Unemployment is 9.5 percent and rising fast, certain to go higher than 10 percent. And what is the federal government doing about it? Not much. And so House Republican Leader John Boehner makes a good point when he asks, "Where are the jobs?"

On Sunday, Vice President Joe Biden said that the Obama administration had "misread" the economic indicators. So what are they likely to do about it? More of the same--which is to say, not much.

Right on the money.

Weather Watch: The Ring of Fire - KTKA.com

2009-07-08T08:53:00.000-05:00

Weather Watch: The Ring of Fire - KTKA.com

While weather models are not perfect, we do tend to bank on them a little more when they show consistency. Weather models have been quite consistent lately at showing some possible changes in our anticipated heat wave. Weather models are alluding to the possibility that the hottest “actual” temperatures may stay just south and west of the 49 Viewing Area through the upcoming weekend. In return, we may have higher thunderstorm chances; some strong.

There is some great information in this post. If Alex is right, we could be in for quite a weekend.

Pickens Plan Looking for It’s Second Wind

2009-07-08T08:38:00.000-05:00

Pickens Plan Looking for It’s Second Wind

Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens who in 2007 unveiled plans to build a 4,000-megawatt wind farm that would power 1.3 million homes by his estimates has now temporarily shelved the project due to tight credit markets and low natural gas prices.

Pickens who started an expensive ad campaign that eventually cost him $60 million thought that oil prices which soared from $61 a barrel in early 2007 to $145 in July 2008 would continue it's upward trend or at least remain above $100 which made his plan seem viable. But there were problems with his plan as he was relying on a source of energy that is unpredictable and he thought that Texas would be eager to gbuild transmission lines to use the energy his turbines generated.

Yet as someone who made his fortune in the oil business Pickens should have known better than to put his faith in ever rising energy prices. Did he forget when oil crashed to $10 a barrel in 1998? Also for some inexplicable reason Pickens didn't see the glut in natural gas as depressing prices throwing another wrench into his plan.

Maybe Pickens isn't such a genius after all. And he didn't have much luck stealing the Kansas basketball coach for Oklahoma State either.

Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere

2009-07-08T08:35:00.000-05:00

Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that 32% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-seven percent (37%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of –5.

The number who strongly disapprove inched up another point to the highest level yet measured to date and the overall Approval Index is at the lowest level yet for Obama.

Can 2012 come soon enough?

Miller: Investigation to be public | CJOnline.com

2009-07-07T10:32:00.000-05:00

Miller: Investigation to be public CJOnline.com

Police Chief Ron Miller said Monday he believes it is important that a full account of a 2008 shooting, which involved four off-duty Topeka police officers, be made public.

An administrative investigation by the Topeka Police Department, including a reenactment of the night’s events, will take place after the case makes its way through the courts, Miller said.

“Because it has received so much publicity over the last year and a half, and there are so many stories out there that may not be factual,” Miller said, “a factual accounting of what occurred would be in the best interest of the officers, the police department, the city of Topeka and the community itself.”

Chief Miller is the best. I am pleased he has taken a personal interest in this case. And I am confident the facts will all come out in the end.

Gerald Celente: Obamageddon | Project World Awareness

2009-07-07T10:15:00.000-05:00

Gerald Celente: Obamageddon Project World Awareness

Scary stuff. But I believe we may be headed in this direction.

The Cost of Controlling The Press

2009-07-07T08:40:00.000-05:00

The Cost of Controlling The Press

Barack Obama's White House is spending more than $80,000 a week to staff its old and new media offices. Add the price of speechwriters and the White House communications tab reaches nearly $100,000 a week, or nearly $5 million a year-and that is for salaries alone.

Based on the coverage the President has garnered so far, it is money well spent.

What a country!

The Pentagon's Wasting Assets | Foreign Affairs

2009-07-06T09:17:00.000-05:00

The Pentagon's Wasting Assets Foreign Affairs

The military foundations of the United States' global dominance are eroding. For the past several decades, an overwhelming advantage in technology and resources has given the U.S. military an unmatched ability to project power worldwide. This has allowed it to guarantee U.S. access to the global commons, assure the safety of the homeland, and underwrite security commitments around the globe. U.S. grand strategy assumes that such advantages will continue indefinitely. In fact, they are already starting to disappear.

All according to plan for an administration that wants to turn this country into a third rate power, just to be "fair."

CNSNews.com - White House Won’t Reveal How Much Michelle Obama’s European Vacation Cost Taxpayers

2009-07-06T08:51:00.000-05:00

CNSNews.com - White House Won’t Reveal How Much Michelle Obama’s European Vacation Cost Taxpayers

(CNSNews.com) – America may be in the midst of a deep recession, and the nation may be facing unprecedented deficit spending and debt, but the White House will not reveal the cost to taxpayers of the European vacation that first lady Michelle Obama and the president’s two daughters, Malia and Sasha, took last month.

And you were expecting them to cut back like the rest of us have had to?

Global Warming: Won't get fooled again

2009-07-06T08:39:00.000-05:00

Global Warming: Won't get fooled again

Dr. Alan Carlin, an employee of the EPA since 1971, has made public his “Comments on Draft Technical Support Document for Endangerment Analysis for Greenhouse Gas Emissions under the Clean Air Act” that an EPA director blocked because it was inconvenient to their pre-determined outcome. Carlin’s study casts down upon almost every aspect of global warming alarmism and on the EPA’s “endangerment finding” regarding carbon dioxide.

The document is about 100 pages long and most of you won’t have time to read it. Fortunately, Dr. Carlin included an excellent executive summary which I’ll further condense for you here:

Before you buy into the AlBore/BHO lies about global warming, you need to read this.

Stimulus plan not working politically either | Washington Examiner

2009-07-06T08:35:00.000-05:00

Stimulus plan not working politically either Washington Examiner

When President Obama signed his stimulus into law in February, Democrats issued grave warnings of the price Republicans would pay for their opposition to the bill.

“Americans will hold House Republicans accountable for ‘just saying no’ to the largest tax cut in American history and saving and creating three to four million jobs,” said Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who also serves as head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

There are still about 140 million jobs still left in the country, so taken in the broadest possible sense, Democrats have exceeded their promise on the “save” end of the equation. It’s hard in the face of recent unemployment numbers, though, to suggest that the "create" part is doing so well

I think I have been "stimulated" quite enough, thank you. I want my money back.

Conservatives4Palin.com: Krauthammer: Romney is the Next Guy In Line

2009-07-03T11:00:00.000-05:00

Conservatives4Palin.com: Krauthammer: Romney is the Next Guy In Line

On prospective GOP candidates for 2012:

Romney really is the frontrunner. He has done himself well. He is a grown-up. He knows economics. He's trusted on that.

There is also a tradition among Republicans of nominating the next in line, as we did with George Bush, Sr. in 1988, Dole in '96, and McCain in '08, sort of the last grown-up who was left over from the last campaign.

Krauthammer might be right about Romney. But I wish he wouldn't dismiss Palin so quickly. She might be the breath of fresh air we need in 2012.

What Say To A $200 Rise In Your Power Bill? - Right Wing News (Conservative News and Views)

2009-07-03T10:41:00.000-05:00

What Say To A $200 Rise In Your Power Bill? - Right Wing News (Conservative News and Views)

Just remember what Obama said: Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket. And, that is exactly what someone in the know thinks will happen

Imagine your power bill going up by $200 a month.

Progress Energy spokesman Mike Hughes said Thursday that it's a possibility under President Barack Obama's energy plan that narrowly passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week.

Let's be honest and call it what it is...an energy tax.

President Obama Wrong Again - HUMAN EVENTS

2009-07-03T08:01:00.000-05:00

President Obama Wrong Again - HUMAN EVENTS

It took the Obama administration eight days to figure out whether Iranians being gunned down for protesting a fraudulent election and demanding basic civil liberties deserved to be acknowledged by the President of the United States. It took the O-Team less than eight hours to side with Cuba’s Fidel Castro, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega over the ouster of Manuel Zelaya in Honduras.

As we now have come to expect, Mr. Obama got it wrong again -- but this time nobody noticed. The U.S. news media, preoccupied with the sudden demise of Michael Jackson, ignored the event in Central America. For those who care about things more important than the passing of a “pop-music legend,” here’s the rest of the story.

I still think we need to investigate whether or not the Big O had anything to do with the death of Michael Jackson. You see, the media was actually starting to question the messiah on some things. So, he needed a diversion. And MJ came to his rescue.

I'm just saying.

IBDeditorials.com: Editorials, Political Cartoons, and Polls from Investor's Business Daily -- Coming Soon: The Nightmare From Up There

2009-07-03T07:57:00.000-05:00

IBDeditorials.com: Editorials, Political Cartoons, and Polls from Investor's Business Daily -- Coming Soon: The Nightmare From Up There

In his recent speech to the American Medical Association, President Obama counseled Americans to beware "dire warnings about socialized medicine and government takeovers; long lines, and rationed care; decisions made by bureaucrats and not doctors."

Unfortunately for the president, there are a few Cassandras whose warnings are worth heeding. Chief among them are the millions of Canadians who have received substandard care at the hands of a government-run health system.

Before America emulates the Canadian model with a new trillion-plus-dollar health plan, it's worth examining whether government-run systems are all they're cracked up to be. As a Canadian by birth, I can assure you they're not.

This is something you should read before supporting Obamacare.

U.S. June payrolls fell 467,000, jobless rate rises - Yahoo! Finance

2009-07-02T07:53:00.000-05:00

U.S. June payrolls fell 467,000, jobless rate rises - Yahoo! Finance

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. employers cut 467,000 jobs in June, far more than expected, while the unemployment rate rose to 9.5 percent, the government said on Thursday in a report that showed a labor market continuing to struggle with a deep recession.

The June job losses were more than 100,000 greater than the 363,000 consensus of Wall Street economists polled by Reuters and broke a four-month trend of moderation in job losses.

The Labor Department data showed that in April and May, 8,000 fewer jobs were lost than previously reported. The May job losses were revised downward to 322,000, while the April losses were revised upward to 519,000.

So, how is that stimulus working out for you, Mr. President?

Helen Thomas, Chip Reid Question White House Control of Media | NewsBusters.org

2009-07-02T07:48:00.000-05:00

Helen Thomas, Chip Reid Question White House Control of Media NewsBusters.org

The press corps might be starting to sour on Barack Obama’s administration.

At a press conference today, Helen Thomas and CBS’s Chip Reid got into it with Robert Gibbs over how the administration has been prepackaging media events.

First Reid asked why the questions for Wednesday’s town hall on healthcare were being preselected. After Gibbs tried to dodge that question a few times, Thomas became involved, saying, “We have never had that in the White House. I’m amazed that you people … call for openness and transparency.”

Thomas said that the administration was trying to control the media, and she pointed out how they coordinated questions with the Huffington Post at a press conference. Thomas is not the first journalist to question the White House’s coordination with the Huffington Post. The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank also took the White House to task for the coordination.

Could the honeymoon between the media and the Big O finally be over? We can pray.

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Obamateurism of the Day

2009-07-02T07:32:00.000-05:00

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Obamateurism of the Day

Hey, what do Helen Thomas and Chip Reid know? Both of them accused the White House of staging a phony town hall on health care yesterday, before the event began. Robert Gibbs couldn’t contain his incredulousness, repeatedly replying that the press should wait to judge the event, and that he was absolutely positive that the questions for Barack Obama would contain dissent from his policies.

The Washington Post report on the “town-hall event” shows how clumsily Obama faked it:

In the stage-managed event, questions for Obama came from a live audience selected by the White House and the college, and from Internet questions chosen by the administration’s new-media team. Of the seven questions the president answered, four were selected by his staff from videos submitted to the White House Web site or from those responding to a request for “tweets.”

When Helen Thomas starts to turn on the President, watch out. She is about as "left" as they come.

Hot Air » Blog Archive » CA Dem leader: Why do we allow free speech to terrorize politicians?

2009-07-01T10:50:00.000-05:00

Hot Air » Blog Archive » CA Dem leader: Why do we allow free speech to terrorize politicians?

This would be great satire, except that California’s Speaker of the Assembly, Karen Bass, was foolish enough to say it — and believe it. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Bass responded to a question about conservative talk radio by calling show hosts terrorists, and openly wondering why we allow people to call politicians and give their opinions (via The Corner):
How do you think conservative talk radio has affected the Legislature’s work?

The Republicans were essentially threatened and terrorized against voting for revenue. Now [some] are facing recalls. They operate under a terrorist threat: “You vote for revenue and your career is over.” I don’t know why we allow that kind of terrorism to exist. I guess it’s about free speech, but it’s extremely unfair.

This is the way the left thinks. They don't often admit it, but this idea is more common than they would like to admit.

YouTube - EXCLUSIVE: Sneak Peak Audio to New Anti-Obama TV Ad

2009-07-01T10:38:00.000-05:00

YouTube - EXCLUSIVE: Sneak Peak Audio to New Anti-Obama TV Ad

This ad is right on the money.

Israeli government 'under assault' from U.S.

2009-07-01T10:01:00.000-05:00

Israeli government 'under assault' from U.S.

The composition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is "under assault" by the U.S. and Europe, says a top minister in the Israeli government.

"It seems there is a coordinated assault between the U.S. and some European countries to remove Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and his party and to replace them with the Kadima party," the minister said.

The minister spoke on condition his name be withheld due to possible political fallout from his comments. He said he was expressing his belief and does not have any proof of possible U.S.-European collusion to influence the composition of the Israeli government.

Wait a minute. When it comes to Iran, the policy of Obama is not to get involved. But Obama has a whole different set of rules? More proof that Obama is Antisemitic.

Thanks to President Obama Federal Abstinence Education Funding Expires Today

2009-07-01T09:52:00.000-05:00

Thanks to President Obama Federal Abstinence Education Funding Expires Today

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Today marked the end of federal funding of abstinence education under the Title V Abstinence Education Program and the CBAE (Community Based Abstinence Education). Before he took over the White House, President Barack Obama made it clear he would cut abstinence funding.

In Obama's FY 2010 Proposed Budget, the president called for eliminating the funding for abstinence education, which has been successful in helping teenagers make positive decisions.

Instead, Obama called for at least $164 million in funding for contraceptive-only education, which will likely go to pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood.

For those of you who voted for Obama because McCain wasn't pro-life enough, this is what you voted for.

Romney Urges Republicans to 'Stand Up' to Obama's Policies - Political News - FOXNews.com

2009-07-01T09:36:00.000-05:00

Romney Urges Republicans to 'Stand Up' to Obama's Policies - Political News - FOXNews.com

Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney called on Republicans to "stand up" to President Obama and his policies on the economy, health care and energy, in a wide-ranging interview with FOX News.

At a time when Republicans desperately are searching for a unifying leader and message, and Democrats add to their ranks in Congress, the former Massachusetts governor and 2008 presidential candidate took a no-excuses attitude toward his party.

"I think Republicans have to stand up and make it very, very clear that we run the risk as a nation of having the entire world lose confidence in the currency of the United States and that would lead to something worse than a recession -- that would lead to an extraordinary slowdown globally that would hurt us more than any other," Romney told FOX News Tuesday evening.

It's about time somebody with an R next to their name stood up to this joke of a president.

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Video: Press corps now openly laughing at Obama’s backtracking on taxes

2009-07-01T09:23:00.000-05:00

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Video: Press corps now openly laughing at Obama’s backtracking on taxes

It’s a laugh riot, isn’t it? Actually, they might be laughing more at Gibbs’s feeble way of ducking the question than The One’s looming broken promise, but in Gibbs’s defense, what’s he supposed to say? Obama pounded McCain for wanting to pay for health care by taxing benefits, rode into D.C. promising Change, and now he’s going to eat a crap sandwich by reversing himself because it turns out personal charisma doesn’t work on hard economic numbers. So Axelrod and company have to go out and face the firing squad and “explain” via stuttering half-answers why Barry O lied about this last year. It’s a political microcosm of Obama’s economic M.O.: They borrowed political capital by pledging “no new taxes” to win the election and now down the road the bill’s finally come due.

Maybe the media is starting to get it? But are they willing to report it? I have my doubts.

Don Surber » Blog Archive » The price of U.S. silence

2009-07-01T09:18:00.000-05:00

Don Surber » Blog Archive » The price of U.S. silence

Jerusalem Post: “6 Mousavi supporters reportedly hanged.”

Politics ends at the water’s edge, so I am not criticizing President Obama for his silence for the first 10 days regarding the attempt to rebel against the Iranian election. I am sure he has his reasons.

I do ask for an explanation.

The Jerusalem Post report is disturbing, although it did note: “Speaking after Iran’s top legislative body upheld the election victory of incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, sources in Iran told this reporter in a telephone interview that the hangings took place in the holy city of Mashhad on Monday. There was no independent confirmation of the report.”

I do blame Obama for what is happening in Iran. The fact is, he is more of a Muslim than an American. His actions (or inaction) speaks as loud as his words (or lack of them).

Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere

2009-07-01T09:06:00.000-05:00

Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere

Fifty-six percent (56%) of Americans say they are not willing to pay more in taxes and utility costs to generate cleaner energy and fight global warming.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, taken since the climate change bill was passed on Friday, finds that 21% of Americans are willing to pay $100 more per year for cleaner energy and to counter global warming. Only 14% are willing to pay more than that amount.

More data showing that the American public is starting to get it. Will the media every catch up?

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Canada - the new tax haven?

2009-06-30T10:51:00.000-05:00

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Canada - the new tax haven?

Bermuda and the Cayman Islands may have some competition for Barack Obama’s vitriol over tax havens if Canada keeps on its low-business-tax course. The Harper government in Ottawa has quietly dropped its corporate tax rate and has pressed the provinces to do the same in order to get to a low combined tax rate for businesses. American companies pressed by the threat of the Obama administration to tax overseas profits have begun to notice:

In a clear indication that Canada is starting to be considered a low-tax place to do business, Tim Hortons Inc. announced Monday plans to shift its base of operations from Delaware to Canada for tax purposes.

It is looking like if we want to survive as free men and women, we have 2 choices. We can move to Texas, or we can move to Canada.

Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere

2009-06-30T10:34:00.000-05:00

Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 31% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-three percent (33%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -2. That matches the lowest level yet recorded (see trends).

Over the past two weeks, the Presidential Approval Index has stayed in a narrow range between +2 and -2. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of Democrats Strongly Approve while 60% of Republicans Strongly Disapprove.

More interesting poll data. We will tell you what it means on today's show.

THEPATRIOTJOURNAL.COM

2009-06-30T09:01:00.000-05:00

THEPATRIOTJOURNAL.COM

The American Dream to me and I hope most Americans is what is laid out in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness pretty much sum it up. The key word is liberty. What is life without liberty? What kind of happiness can you pursue without liberty? The founding fathers most of all wanted liberty, to conduct their affairs how they saw fit without a distant government oppressing them. As I sit here tonight, I have this awful feeling that I think is similar to what the founding fathers had. I am sickened to think that a distant government is slowly taking my liberties away, slowly making life harder for all of us for the advancement of itself. The defiance of this government against the will of the people and the complicity of apathy from those that know better is not only making me sick but making me fearful. The founding fathers knew that they were going to make huge sacrifices to achieve what they did and that more than likely they were going to end up at the end of a rope. The odds were against them heavily to succeed. They were afraid for their lives. I am starting to feel afraid not only for my way of life, but for my life period. We are all going down a road that if not corrected is going to end up very badly for America. If this problem cannot be corrected in a civil manner it will be corrected in an uncivil manner. That is why I am afraid.

This is a very well written blog post. I share his fears.

BYE-BYE, BABYLON [Ralph Peters]

2009-06-30T08:58:00.000-05:00

BYE-BYE, BABYLON [Ralph Peters]

OUR effort in Iraq passed a major milestone today: Our troops are leaving the cities.

Advisers remain in place. Joint patrols will still occur. And our forces will wait nearby to respond to Iraqi calls for support. But the last of the bases and US-only outposts within Iraq's urban centers will be vacated.

Terrorists have already begun testing the new security arrangements. Iraqi forces won't always pass with flying colors.

Yet this situation seemed a pipe dream not so long ago: Iraq's security forces, serving an elected government, assume primary responsibility for the good order of their own country.

We all recall the delighted leftist claims that Iraq had entered a hopeless civil war. Wrong. That Iraqis preferred al Qaeda to us. Wrong. That Shia militias represented the people. Wrong. And that Iran would seize control. Wrong again.

So, the Bush policy worked. But will he get credit in the main stream media? I think we all know the answer to that.

Obama Increasing Aid to Jordan, Other Muslim States - Politics & Government - Israel News - Israel National News

2009-06-30T08:54:00.000-05:00

Obama Increasing Aid to Jordan, Other Muslim States - Politics & Government - Israel News - Israel National News

(IsraelNN.com) In the latest in a recent series of increased American assistance efforts for Arab and Muslim states, U.S. President Barack Obama has allocated an additional $150 million to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The regimes leading Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, the United Arab Emirates and even Saudi Arabia have all benefited from recent American policy shifts.

Yet another sign that Obama is throwing Israel under the bus.

American Thinker Blog: 'Blacks in survey say race relations no better with Obama'

2009-06-29T11:06:00.000-05:00

American Thinker Blog: 'Blacks in survey say race relations no better with Obama'

Advice: Don't put your faith in polls, but don't ignore them either. Historically, pollsters contradict each other and continually favor Democrats. Nor do I believe in polls that show massive liberal leads and speedily close in just before an election. My take? In two words: unscientific spin.

But what can we learn from the numbers game? For starters, if partisan pollsters can't hide cracks, then we know the Democrats are in trouble. The Obama-first network CNN states:

Ninety-six percent of African-Americans approve of how Obama is handling his presidency, according to a CNN/Essence Magazine/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Thursday.

This is an interesting piece. We'll chat about it on today's show.

Court rules for white firefighters over promotions

2009-06-29T09:55:00.000-05:00

Court rules for white firefighters over promotions

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court has ruled that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge.

New Haven was wrong to scrap a promotion exam because no African-Americans and only two Hispanic firefighters were likely to be made lieutenants or captains based on the results, the court said Monday in a 5-4 decision. The city said that it had acted to avoid a lawsuit from minorities.

The ruling could alter employment practices nationwide, potentially limiting the circumstances in which employers can be held liable for decisions when there is no evidence of intentional discrimination against minorities.

Well, it looks like the wise Latina wasn't so wise after all. This is good news for the firefighters, and better news for those opposing Sotomayor.

Why stagflation is coming - Washington Times

2009-06-29T09:00:00.000-05:00

Why stagflation is coming - Washington Times

Both the money supply and federal spending have increased at breathtaking rates over the past year, unprecedented in peacetime. The policy decisions made by the Federal Reserve Board and Congress virtually assure we will enter a period of 1970s-like stagflation.

The recovery, when it comes, will combine slow economic growth, unusually long un- and underemployment, stagnating real incomes, rising interest rates and inflation. There is little that policymakers, having made colossal mistakes, can do to prevent such an outcome. However, there are steps that can be taken to shorten the period of stagflation and return to an era of robust economic growth, good jobs and stable asset and consumer prices.

I don't believe either party has the will to take the steps needed to avert this future. So, get ready for a long, slow, painful recovery.

The Weekly Standard

2009-06-29T08:37:00.000-05:00

The Weekly Standard

We stand on a promontory gazing at the bleached beauty of the Judean Desert. We could be looking at hills on the moon with a few human outcroppings: just down and to the left is the village of Anatot, birthplace of the prophet Jeremiah. Eleven miles to the west we see Jerusalem, with the Mount of Olives -- where tens of thousands of Jewish graves were desecrated during the Jordanian occupation of Jerusalem (1948-1967) -- standing guard; we see Ramallah, seat of the “Palestinian government,” twelve miles to the northwest; Jericho, eighteen miles to the east; and not far beyond it, Jordan. At night, the lights of Amman are visible, twinkling. Below us, a sheer drop, is Wadi Kelt, a great fissure in the summer-barren hills that fills and floods with the winter rains to tinge the desert landscape green.

Across the wadi is Mitzpeh Hagit, an “illegal outpost “named for a daughter of Kfar Adumim murdered by a Bedouin terrorist as she hiked in the crevice ten years ago. “This is a response of settlers to terror murders,” says our host, one of the original eighteen settlers of Kfar Adumim. “We don’t rush out to seek revenge by murdering in return. We respond to it and honor the murdered by establishing outposts in their names.” It doesn’t look like much. How many live there, I want to know. He shrugs. Not enough. But behind us Kfar Adumim bustles with life.

This is the history of Israel, taking desert and bringing it back to life. The Arabs in the region have never done that. Israel should get it over with and annex all the land, and go on from there.

Michelle Thinks She Was Elected Empress - Warner_Todd_Huston’s blog - RedState

2009-06-29T08:04:00.000-05:00

Michelle Thinks She Was Elected Empress - Warner_Todd_Huston’s blog - RedState

The Washington Post had an interesting article on June 25 headlined, “A First Lady Who Demands Substance.” I think it was meant to highlight that fact that Michelle Obama is more than a mere first lady but is a strong, substantive person — which is, by the way, without question. Unfortunately, though, it ended up revealing a Michelle Obama that is an angry, arrogant, martinet that isn’t aware that “first lady” is an honorary title that has no proper, Constitutional role and is not an elected position with legal, legitimate powers of its own.

The story penned by Lois Romano comes on the heels of Michelle’s dismissal of her chief of staff, Jackie Norris, who was replaced by 61-year-old Susan Sher. Apparently, this switch is supposed to mark the arrival of the new Michelle Obama, the one that will have “impact” at the “fulcrum of power and policy.” To pursue this new “power” Michelle has hired a full-time speech writer and has told her staff to think “strategically.”

Impact? Power? Strategically? I have but one question: who elected you to this “power,” Michelle? I also have an answer: no one.

The power grab by this couple is scary. With the Bush's, the idea that God placed them in power kept them humble. But with the Obama's, it is just the opposite.

YouTube - Video Comparison: Obama on Iran versus Reagan On Poland

2009-06-26T08:59:00.000-05:00

YouTube - Video Comparison: Obama on Iran versus Reagan On Poland

Amazing contrast between two presidents...

What You May Not Know About Speaker Pelosi's National Energy Tax | Republican Leader John Boehner

2009-06-26T08:48:00.000-05:00

What You May Not Know About Speaker Pelosi's National Energy Tax Republican Leader John Boehner

Washington, Jun 26 - Speaker Pelosi’s national energy tax is going to raise electricity prices, increase gasoline prices, and ship American jobs overseas to countries like China and India. This, we know.

It would be a bureaucratic nightmare overseen by a confusing web of government agencies that would take and redistribute trillions of dollars from family budgets and workers payrolls. This, we also know. Even Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) admitted in the Washington Post this morning that: “The truth is, nobody knows for sure how this is going to work.” How encouraging.

But what don’t we know? Here are some facts you may not know about Speaker Pelosi’s national energy tax:

This bill is just plain scary. Contact your member of Congress and make sure to let them know that you want them to vote no.

Draft Israel & Palestine

2009-06-26T08:34:00.000-05:00

Draft Israel & Palestine

The 1844 census of Jerusalem found 7120 Jews…5760 Muslims…3390 Christians.

In 1869, Mark Twain wrote of the emptiness of the land, of traveling all day without seeing a human being on the roads or in the countryside.

Mark Twain wrote of Arab sloth and filth and flies.

In the 1880s, Americans forced Indians from their land to resettle Indian land with whites. Many Indians had to be killed.

This fact list is a must read for anyone who is concerned about the Middle East. Why don't the politicians in Washington get it?

Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere

2009-06-26T08:10:00.000-05:00

Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford cheated on his wife, lied to his family and staff, decided to get away from his children on Father’s Day and disappeared from the country without making arrangements for the execution of his duties in an emergency.

So what do South Carolina voters think of their governor? A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of voters in the state finds that 55% say Sanford is about as ethical as most politicians. Another 18% say he’s more ethical than his peers, and only 18% say his ethical standards are lower than those for most pols.

This poll shows the sad state of our society. A true revival is needed in America.

Holy Ark Announcement Due on Friday - Travel - Israel News - Israel National News

2009-06-25T11:19:00.000-05:00

Holy Ark Announcement Due on Friday - Travel - Israel News - Israel National News

(IsraelNN.com) Ethiopian church leader says Friday, June 26, marks the right time to unveil the Biblical Ark of the Covenant, which he says has been hidden in his church for centuries.

Abuna Pauolos, Patriarch of The Ethiopian Orthodox Church, was in Rome this week to meet with Pope Benedict XVI. While there, he told reporters that the time had come to reveal before the world the Holy Ark. He said that the holy container has been in the custody of his church for hundreds of years.

Really? I'd be interested in learning more about this.

RealClearPolitics - Could Australia Blow Apart the Great Global Warming Scare?

2009-06-25T10:04:00.000-05:00

RealClearPolitics - Could Australia Blow Apart the Great Global Warming Scare?

As the US Congress considers the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill, the Australian Senate is on the verge of rejecting its own version of cap-and-trade. The story of this legislation's collapse offers advance notice for what might happen to similar legislation in the US—and to the whole global warming hysteria.

Since the Australian government first introduced its Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) legislation—the Australian version of cap-and-trade energy rationing—there has been a sharp shift in public opinion and political momentum against the global warming crusade. This is a story that offers hope to defenders of industrial civilization—and a warning to American environmentalists that the climate change they should be afraid of just might be a shift in the intellectual climate.

Keep up the fight, friends. This is a battle we can win.

No Show Today

2009-06-25T07:47:00.002-05:00

There will be no new Steve Forman Show today. I have other commitments which will keep me out of the studio. But I will on Twitter and Facebook on and off all day, to comment on what is going on. Listen to a repeat of yesterday's show at noon Central time, right after the Deb Goodrich Show.

Sen. Kerry jokes: ‘Too bad’ Gov. Sarah Palin didn’t go missing - BostonHerald.com

2009-06-24T17:44:00.000-05:00

Sen. Kerry jokes: ‘Too bad’ Gov. Sarah Palin didn’t go missing - BostonHerald.com

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. John Kerry must have been channeling his inner Letterman yesterday.

The Bay State senator was telling a group of business and civic leaders in town at his invitation about the “bizarre’’ tale of how South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford had “disappeared for four days’’ and claimed to be hiking along the Appalachian Trail, but no one was really certain of his whereabouts.

“Too bad,’’ Kerry said, “if a governor had to go missing it couldn’t have been the governor of Alaska. You know, Sarah Palin.’’

The Democratic-centric crowd laughed.

And of course, Kerry will get a free pass for this. But there is no media bias.

SPACE.com -- Sun's Output Increasing in Possible Trend Fueling Global Warming

2009-06-24T09:59:00.000-05:00

SPACE.com -- Sun's Output Increasing in Possible Trend Fueling Global Warming

In what could be the simplest explanation for one component of global warming, a new study shows the Sun's radiation has increased by .05 percent per decade since the late 1970s.

The increase would only be significant to Earth's climate if it has been going on for a century or more, said study leader Richard Willson, a Columbia University researcher also affiliated with NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

The Sun's increasing output has only been monitored with precision since satellite technology allowed necessary observations. Willson is not sure if the trend extends further back in time, but other studies suggest it does.

"This trend is important because, if sustained over many decades, it could cause significant climate change," Willson said.

Wait a minute here! Are you trying to tell us the Sun is responsible for heating the Earth??? What a concept!!!

Just don't tell AlGore. This would ruin his whole week.

Newsmax.com - Dick Morris: Obama's Healthcare Plan Will Lead America To 'Catastrophe'

2009-06-24T09:55:00.000-05:00

Newsmax.com - Dick Morris: Obama's Healthcare Plan Will Lead America To 'Catastrophe'

Political analyst and best-selling author Dick Morris tells Newsmax it's vital that Americans stop President Barack Obama's programs from "destroying our country."

He also says Obama has "dismantled" the war on terror — and warns that he's taking the U.S. toward a healthcare system where "healthcare is not delivered to anybody."

Remember, this is coming from Bill Clinton's main guy. This isn't Carl Rove speaking. I think we should heed his warning.

How Green Is a Nudist Vacation? - Green Inc. Blog - NYTimes.com

2009-06-24T09:36:00.000-05:00

How Green Is a Nudist Vacation? - Green Inc. Blog - NYTimes.com

With summer upon us, how many green vacationers’ fancies will turn to thoughts of nudism?

Going without clothes on beaches and other vacation spots is commonly called naturism — a description that implies helping the planet, as some practitioners claim to be doing.

Spending more time with nothing on stems waste and pollution in all sorts of ways, according to an article by Kathy Blanchard on The Naturist Society’s Web site.

“Living more hours naked each day results in a dramatic drop in my laundry, which in turn reduces my water and energy use (along with my related bills),” Ms. Blanchard wrote. “It also reduces the amount of soap I release, in my case, into the Puget Sound.”

Have the lunatics on the left gone completely over the edge? I think we all know the answer to that one.

Obama had Pakistani roommates and traveled to Pakistan | I Hate the Media - Fun with Liberal Media Bias

2009-06-24T08:50:00.000-05:00

Obama had Pakistani roommates and traveled to Pakistan I Hate the Media - Fun with Liberal Media Bias

It’s not surprising that the President’s personal narrative on the campaign trail didn’t include this item:

He had very good friends Pakistani friends and roommates in college and traveled to Pakistan where he learned to cook the native foods and came to appreciate the great Urdu poets.

We can only assume that story was buried along with his middle name until the campaign was over and it was safe to bring them again.

We didn't elect the first black president (after all, that was Clinton). No, we elected the first Muslim president. Can Sharia law be far behind???

Mass. is housing homeless in motels

2009-06-24T08:33:00.000-05:00

Mass. is housing homeless in motels

MASSACHUSETTS (WPRI) - A record number of families are being put up in motels in Massachusetts. High unemployment and the rising number of home foreclosures is the reason the state is taking this action.

Housing Massachusetts’ homeless is costing tax payers around $2 million per month. It costs an average of $85 per night to have families, including nearly 1000 children, stay in motels.

Maybe we should all move to Massachusetts and become homeless.

YouTube - NEW RNC TV AD "Bipartisan"

2009-06-24T07:21:00.000-05:00

YouTube - NEW RNC TV AD "Bipartisan"

This is a new ad from the Republican National Committee. I'd love your thoughts on it.

US wants to drop drug charges against millionaire - Yahoo! News

2009-06-23T10:48:00.000-05:00

US wants to drop drug charges against millionaire - Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON – Federal prosecutors cited problems with evidence Monday when they asked a judge to drop charges against a Chinese-Mexican businessman accused of importing large amounts of methamphetamines to the United States.

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan lambasted prosecutors at a hearing on the request to dismiss the indictment against Zhenli Ye Gon, saying, "I'm not pleased at all with anything I've heard from the United States government."

When Ye Gon was arrested in 2007 in Wheaton, Md., authorities said they had seized more than $205 million in U.S. drug profits from his Mexico City mansion. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration called it the largest drug-related cash seizure in history.

Since then, one witness has recanted and another has refused to testify, prosecutor Paul Laymon told the judge.

Laymon insisted the "overwhelming reason" that they were asking for a dismissal was because of their relationship with the Mexican government, without elaborating in open court.

Even after a private discussion, the judge seemed unimpressed and ordered a further hearing on the case next week.

I bet you are shocked and surprised by this, aren't you?

BillingsGazette.com :: Crowd protests cap-and-trade proposal

2009-06-23T10:43:00.000-05:00

BillingsGazette.com :: Crowd protests cap-and-trade proposal

With a bullhorn in his right hand and a "no cap and trade" sign in his left, Frank DeVries was getting the word out.

"Too many Americans are standing by and letting this happen," DeVries said after a rally Monday evening to protest against proposed regulation of greenhouse gases.

DeVries and about 250 others gathered in Amend Park for the "hot-air tour" that landed in Billings. Americans for Prosperity hosted the event, complete with its red hot-air balloon and free food, to spread the message about the pitfalls of cap and trade.

The proposal would set limits on carbon dioxide released. Companies that pollute less than the cap would be allowed to trade their unused capacity to companies that overpollute.

People aren't buying in to the global warming lie anymore. And we will keep screaming about the fraud until this tax bill dies.

The American Spectator : Boxing With Barbara, Liz, and the Latina

2009-06-23T10:10:00.000-05:00

The American Spectator : Boxing With Barbara, Liz, and the Latina

"Do me a favor, can you say 'senator' instead of 'ma'am'? It's just a thing. I worked so hard to get that title, so I'd appreciate it. Thank you."
-- Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) to Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh of the Army Corps of Engineers

"Quit apologizing and never call me anything but Elizabeth again. Also, make sure you correct anyone who attempts to call me by any other name but Elizabeth. Are we clear on this? Like I said, it's a hot button for me. And please don't call the office and not leave a message. My colleague told me you called while I was away at the Ladies' room. I do sometimes leave my desk."
-- Elizabeth Becton, scheduler/office manager for Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) in an e-mail to a lobbyist.

"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."
-- Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor in remarks at the Judge Mario G. Olmos Law and Cultural Diversity Lecture at the University of California, Berkeley.

It's about the power, stupid. That's before you even get to the finer gradations of gender and race..

The power grab by this administration is just plain scary.

Netanyahu-Mitchell talks on settlements canceled | Israel | Jerusalem Post

2009-06-23T10:02:00.000-05:00

Netanyahu-Mitchell talks on settlements canceled Israel Jerusalem Post

A much anticipated meeting Thursday in Paris between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US Mideast envoy George Mitchell has been canceled, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

Instead, Defense Minister Ehud Barak will be going to the US on Monday to meet with Mitchell. It will be Barak's second visit to Washington this month.

The Netanyahu-Mitchell meeting was expected to deal with the lingering settlement construction dispute between Jerusalem and Washington, and attempt to find a formula on the matter that would be satisfactory to both sides.

According to diplomatic officials, the meeting was canceled because both sides needed more time to prepare.

Translation: Bibi isn't going to bow to the idol of BO.

CNSNews.com - Obama’s Repeated Golf Outings During War and Recession Garner Little Criticism

2009-06-23T09:09:00.000-05:00

CNSNews.com - Obama’s Repeated Golf Outings During War and Recession Garner Little Criticism

(CNSNews.com) – President Barack Obama has gone to the golf course at least 11 times since he took the oath of office a little more than six months ago--three rounds were played during the late January, 12-day holiday Obama took with his family in Hawaii; one at Andrews Air Force Base; and seven at Ft. Belvoir Golf Course, including a round on Sunday, Father’s Day, with Vice President Joe Biden...

...Despite ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, ongoing violence in Iran, and an economy that Obama has described as the worst since the Great Depression, the president has golfed multiple times in the past several weeks--on April 26, May 16, May 25, May 31, June 7, June 9, June 14 and June 21.

Obama’s golf outings have generated favorable reports from the media, in contrast to his predecessor, George W. Bush.

Hey, CNS News. Were you expecting anything less from our mainstream media friends?

France Sarkozy Burqas

2009-06-23T09:07:00.000-05:00

France Sarkozy Burqas

PARIS (June 22) - President Nicolas Sarkozy said the Muslim burqa would not be welcome in France, calling the full-body religious gown a sign of the "debasement" of women.
In the first presidential address to parliament in 136 years, Sarkozy faced critics who fear the burqa issue could stigmatize France's Muslims and said he supported banning the garment from being worn in public.

I don't know if I would go as far as Sarkozy. But I understand what he is saying, and his point has some merit. Of course, I could never see our president saying anything like that. He might insult one of his Muslim friends.

Palestinian Kindergarteners Graduate, Do 'Victory Dance' Around IDF Bodies!

2009-06-23T08:56:00.001-05:00

Palestinian Kindergarteners Graduate, Do 'Victory Dance' Around IDF Bodies!

In case you can't make it out, those children on the left are carrying a model of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem while circling IDF soldiers on the ground!

Presumably the Hamas cretins in charge of this brainwashing were worried that the eliminationist undertones might be too subtle. Which begs the question: was this held at a UN-funded educational center or at one of the ones that the Europeans have poured millions into:

Oh yeah, this is the religion of peace. I almost forgot. Sick, sick, sick.

100 wasteful, wacky projects included in the President’s “stimulus” program | I Hate the Media - Fun with Liberal Media Bias

2009-06-23T08:49:00.000-05:00

100 wasteful, wacky projects included in the President’s “stimulus” program I Hate the Media - Fun with Liberal Media Bias

Oklahoma’s Republican Senator Tom Coburn is tight with a dollar. His dollar. Your dollar. Everybody’s dollar. He’s come up with a list of “stimulus” projects that fritter away your hard-earned taxes.

The Senator didn’t compile this list on his own. He collected stories from local newspapers that questioned how stimulus dollars were being spent on projects in their areas.  

Here are some of the wasteful, wacky projects scheduled for funding in the “stimulus” program:

Just try to read this without shaking your head. It can't be done.

Hey BO supporters: Is this the hope and change you voted for???

Harry Smith's Tail-Between-The-Legs Question To Obama | NewsBusters.org

2009-06-23T07:50:00.000-05:00

Harry Smith's Tail-Between-The-Legs Question To Obama NewsBusters.org

Pres. Obama told Harry Smith that "I would not want just a calm, passive dog. I want a dog with a little bit of spirit." Maybe so when picking a family pet. But when it comes to the media, PBO apparently prefers a lapdog. Witness Smith's tail-between-the-legs performance that won him a huge smile from the prez.

More proof that the mainstream media is nothing more than a lap dog for this President. It will take alternative media to bring down this very dangerous man.

US: Settlement freeze includes east J'lem | Israel | Jerusalem Post

2009-06-23T07:37:00.000-05:00

US: Settlement freeze includes east J'lem Israel Jerusalem Post

Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem are included in the US demand that Israel halt "settlement" construction, including for natural growth, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told The Jerusalem Post during a press briefing on Monday.

"We're talking about all settlement activity, yes, in the area across the line," he said, referring to neighborhoods in Jerusalem over the Green Line, or pre-1967 armistice line, in response to a question on where America's calls to halt construction in the settlements would be applied.

Israel should give back land the day after the United States gives California back to Mexico. Build on Bibi.

Christians barred from sidewalk handouts at Arab festival (OneNewsNow.com)

2009-06-22T11:06:00.000-05:00

Christians barred from sidewalk handouts at Arab festival (OneNewsNow.com)

DETROIT, MI - A federal judge has denied an evangelical group's request for permission to hand out Christian literature on sidewalks at an Arab festival in Dearborn, Michigan.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds denied Anaheim, Calif.-based Arabic Christian Perspective's request for a temporary restraining order. The group describes itself in its court filing as "a national ministry established for the purpose of proclaiming the Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ to Muslims ...(that) travels around the country attending and distributing Christian literature at Muslim festivals and mosques."

A lawyer for the group said it would seek a permanent injunction against the city of Dearborn. "It's not over," said Robert J. Muise of the Thomas More Law Center, an Ann Arbor-based Christian rights advocacy group.

Seems to me there is a double standard developing here. And Christians always seem to get the short end of the stick. Hope these people will fight for their free speech rights.

Humor as a Weapon | Defense of the Republic

2009-06-22T10:02:00.000-05:00

Humor as a Weapon Defense of the Republic

Ridicule and humor are weapons of the media.

Why not employ them ourselves? We have Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. We can start by creating jokes about ACORN. The stupider the better. Is that a word?

This blogger has a great point. We should be using all the tools the other side used against us.

Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere

2009-06-21T11:49:00.000-05:00

Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Sunday shows that 32% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-four percent (34%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -2. That’s the President’s lowest rating to date and the first time the Presidential Approval Index has fallen below zero for Obama (see trends).

And the "messiah"'s fall from grace continues.

YouTube - Michael Savage - Obama is Asking to Be Kicked Out of Office!!! H.R. 1388 To Be Mandatory!!!

2009-06-20T05:02:00.000-05:00

YouTube - Michael Savage - Obama is Asking to Be Kicked Out of Office!!! H.R. 1388 To Be Mandatory!!!

Folks, you better listen to this Michael Savage clip. It will send chills down you spine.

Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere

2009-06-19T08:45:00.000-05:00

Rasmussen Reports™: The Most Comprehensive Public Opinion Data Anywhere

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows that 34% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-three percent (33%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of +1. Only once (two weeks ago) has his rating been lower (see trends).

We will keep tracking this. I am encouraged at this point.

U.S. Deploys Missile Defense System Around Hawaii - Political News - FOXNews.com

2009-06-19T07:32:00.000-05:00

U.S. Deploys Missile Defense System Around Hawaii - Political News - FOXNews.com

The United States says it has deployed anti-missile defenses around Hawaii, following reports that North Korea is preparing to fire its most advanced ballistic missile in that direction to coincide with the U.S. Independence Day holiday next month.

Last week, the communist regime vowed to bolster its nuclear arsenal and threatened war to protest U.N. sanctions in the wake of its May 25 nuclear test. It conducted its first nuclear test in April, and there are suspicions it is preparing for a third.

The US needs to do more than this. They need to make it clear that any missile shot in our direction will be answered by turning North Korea into a glass parking lot. That is the one thing they might understand.

Michelle Malkin » The Obamacare horror story you won’t hear

2009-06-19T07:28:00.000-05:00

Michelle Malkin » The Obamacare horror story you won’t hear

The White House, Democrats, and MoveOn liberals are spreading health care sob stories to sell a government takeover. But there’s one health care policy nightmare you won’t hear the Obamas hyping. It’s a tale of poor, minority patient-dumping in Chicago — with First Lady Michelle Obama’s fingerprints all over it.

This is the column you need to read before you think about supporting the Obamacare program.

Don Surber » Blog Archive » Political humor done right

2009-06-19T07:20:00.000-05:00

Don Surber » Blog Archive » Political humor done right

This is yet another story the mainstream media is covering up...

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Murder in the White House - Fly Widow Interview

http://www.colbertnation.com/

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Stephen Colbert in Iraq

Big Victory!!!

2009-06-18T20:35:00.002-05:00

Good news for Mr. Tim Latham, the Lawrence High School teacher who was fired for his political beliefs. Thanks to the pressure put on by students, parents, and the general public, Mr. Latham has gotten his job back.

Here is a letter from Latham's attorney...

June 18, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Perry, KS. Caleb Stegall issued the following statement today on behalf of his client,
Tim Latham, in the wake of this afternoon’s decision by Superintendent Weseman that:
“Having considered all information submitted … I find that there were
inconsistencies in the evaluation process. Because of my commitment to
the highest standards, I conclude that Mr. Latham’s teaching contract with
the District should, and will be continued for 2009-2010.”
With this ruling, Mr. Latham has been fully vindicated and, I am pleased to announce,
will be returning to his old teaching post at Lawrence High School next year. This
represents a tremendous victory for free speech, for the open and robust exchange of
ideas, and for the American form of self-government. Mr. Latham’s victory
demonstrates that where there is government abuse, ordinary citizens in America still
have recourse to civic engagement and the mechanisms of self-government to correct
those abuses. Today is a day the Lawrence community ought to take great pride in, and
the bulk of the credit goes to Mr. Latham’s students who—contrary to the common
characterizations of today’s youth as cynical and apathetic—took it upon themselves to
engage the process and fight for what they valued.
Mr. Latham said of the ruling: “I couldn’t be more pleased with this outcome. While I
am happy to have this behind me, and look forward to returning to LHS next fall, I will
always be grateful to my students for actually putting what I teach into practice.”
Available for further contact and questions:
Caleb Stegall
504 Plaza Drive
Perry, KS 66073
785.597.5777 or 785.220.2253

The GOP Can Stop ObamaCare - WSJ.com

2009-06-18T07:58:00.000-05:00

The GOP Can Stop ObamaCare - WSJ.com

It's extremely unlikely that Republicans will be able to pass their own health-care plan in this Congress. But in politics you can't beat something with nothing, so it is critical that the GOP offers an alternative to President Barack Obama's government-run monstrosity.

Americans will listen more closely to Republicans if they make empirical and specific arguments against Mr. Obama's attempted government takeover of the nation's health system. But they must also offer proposals that families, small-businesspeople and health-care providers will applaud.

This is hopeful news from a man who knows how the system works.

Morning Bell: Accelerating Us Off a Cliff » The Foundry

2009-06-17T10:23:00.000-05:00

Morning Bell: Accelerating Us Off a Cliff » The Foundry

Speaking to House Democrats at their Kingsmill Resort & Spa retreat last month, President Barack Obama defended his economic stimulus plan, claiming: “[We] are not going to get relief by turning back to the same policies that for the last eight years doubled the national debt and threw our economy into a tailspin. … If you’re headed for a cliff, you’ve got to change direction.” Our public policy definitely needs a change in direction. But the Obama Administration’s budget is not a change in direction. Instead, it is a foot on the accelerator taking us off that cliff

The conclusion from this piece. Bush was bad for our economy, and Obama is worse. I think I can agree with that.