Tuesday, March 31, 2009

The day’s top political news:

Sen. Kerry makes push for tighter gun control

The United States does not need to send troops to the border in response to Mexico's drug war, nor is Mexico in danger of becoming a failed state, law enforcement officials told a congressional panel.

Witnesses testifying before members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in El Paso on Monday urged the lawmakers to bolster law enforcement in the region, increase aid to Mexico and push it to reform institutions whose weaknesses have been exposed by their struggle with drug-trafficking gangs.

At Monday's hearing, committee Chairman Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said he had been shocked to see killings and beheadings "just a stone's throw across the Rio Grande from where we're sitting this morning."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6350856.html

Obama's aunt becomes symbol in immigration debate
 DENISE LAVOIE

Barack Obama's Kenyan aunt lost her bid for asylum more than four years ago, and a judge ordered her deported. Instead, Zeituni Onyango stayed, living for years in public housing.

Now, in a case that puts the president in a tough position both personally and politically, Onyango's request is being reconsidered under a little-used provision in U.S. immigration rules that allows denied asylum claims to be reheard if applicants can show that something has changed to make them eligible.

"If she goes back to Kenya, she is going to be much more in the limelight, and that, in and of itself, could put her at a greater risk.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090331/D97902N80.html

Exclusive: Biden Daughter Cocaine Video Was a Setup

The video purporting to show Vice President Joe Biden's daughter Ashley snorting cocaine was preplanned by a man trying to get rich selling the tape, RadarOnline.com has learned exclusively.

The man, who is apparently a friend of Ashley's, even bought the cocaine and the hidden camera, our investigation has uncovered.

The Vice President has been one of this country's leading warriors in the fight against drugs and helped create the Drug Czar post. But scandal exploded around him in the past few days when RadarOnline.com uncovered that a man was hawking a tape that shows a cocaine-snorting woman who looks identical to Biden's 27-year-old daughter.

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2009/03/exclusive-biden-daughter-cocaine-video-was-setup

Opinion:
Gingrich on our nuclear threat

I  served in the war no one acknowledged: the Cold War.

It was a time in which B-47 crews such as the one to which I was assigned, crawled dutifully into underground vaults and studied the details of the missions we would fly in the event of war with the Soviets.

The other wing on my base was already flying much the same missions they would be called on to fly at a time of actual combat.  Two of my group of nine – a pilot and an observer, were transferred to the other wing.  A couple of years after I cleared the base, they were shot down by Sovite Migs.  Four crewmembers died, my friends were captured and held prisoner in Moscow for about a year and a half.

All of this made a potential for war and combat very real for us all.

Now we face potential threats from North Korean missiles, from Iranian nukes, not to mention the Chinese.

Now, Newt Gingrich discusses the threat.

Buddy

http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/grigrich_emp_weapon/2009/03/29/197257.html?promo_code=2A89-1
 
A Single Nuke Could Destroy America
Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen

A sword of Damocles hangs over our heads. It is a real threat that has been all but ignored.

On Feb. 3, Iran launched a “communications satellite” into orbit. At this very moment, North Korea is threatening to do the same. The ability to launch an alleged communications satellite belies a far more frightening truth. A rocket that can carry a satellite into orbit also can drop a nuclear warhead over any location on the planet in less than 45 minutes.

Far too many timid or uninformed sources maintain that a single launch of a missile poses no true threat to the United States, given our retaliatory power.

A reality check is in order and must be discussed in response to such an absurd claim: In fact, one small nuclear weapon, delivered by an ICBM can destroy the United States by maximizing the effect of the resultant electromagnetic pulse upon detonation.

An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is a byproduct of detonating an atomic bomb above the Earth’s atmosphere. When a nuclear weapon is detonated in space, the gamma rays emitted trigger a massive electrical disturbance in the upper atmosphere. Moving at the speed of light, this overload will short out all electrical equipment, power grids and delicate electronics on the Earth’s surface. In fact, it would take only one to three weapons exploding above the continental United States to wipe out our entire grid and transportation network. It might take years to recover from, if ever.

This is not science fiction. If you doubt this, spend a short amount of time skimming the Report of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse Attack from April 2008. You will come away sobered.

Even as the new administration plans to spend trillions on economic bailouts, it has announced plans to reduce funding and downgrade efforts for missile defense. Furthermore, the United States’ reluctance to invest in a modern and credible traditional nuclear deterrent is a serious concern. What good will a bailout be if there is no longer a nation to bail out?

Fifty years ago, it was not Sputnik itself that sent a dire chill of warning around the world; it was the capability of the rocket that launched Sputnik. The rocket that lofted Sputnik into orbit also could have served as an ICBM.

Yet for all its rhetoric, the Soviet Union was essentially a rational power that recognized the threat of mutual destruction and thus never stepped to the edge.

The world is different today. Intercontinental range missiles tipped with nuclear weapons in the hands of leaders driven by fanaticism, leaders that support global terrorism, leaders that have made repeated threats that they will seek our annihilation . . . can now at last achieve that dream in a matter of minutes.

Those who claim that there is little to fear from Iran or North Korea because “at best” they will have only one or two nuclear weapons ignore the catastrophic level of threat we now face from just “a couple” of nuclear weapons.

Again: One to three missiles tipped with nuclear weapons and armed to detonate at a high altitude — to achieve the strongest EMP over the greatest area of the United States — would create an EMP “overlay” that triggers a continent-wide collapse of our entire electrical, transportation, and communications infrastructure.

Within weeks after such an attack, tens of millions of Americans would perish. The impact has been likened to a nationwide Hurricane Katrina. Some studies estimate that 90 percent of all Americans might very well die in the year after such an attack as our transportation, food distribution, communications, public safety, law enforcement, and medical infrastructures collapse.

We most likely would never recover from the blow.

Two things need to be done now and without delay:

1. Make clear in the strongest of terms that, if either Iran or North Korea launches a rocket on a trajectory headed toward the territory of the United States, we will shoot it down. The risk of not doing so is beyond acceptable. And if they construe this as an act of war, so be it, for they fired the first shot. The risk of sitting back for 30 minutes and praying it is not an EMP strike is beyond acceptable, beyond rational on our part.

2. Funding for EMP defense must be a top national priority. To downgrade or halt our missile defense program, which at last is becoming viable after 25 years of research, would be an action of criminal negligence.

Surely, with such a threat confronting us, a fair and open debate, with full public access and the setting aside of partisan politics, is in order. In the meantime, a policy must be stated today that we will indeed shoot down any missile aimed towards the United States that is fired by Iran or North Korea. America’s survival, your survival, and your family’s survival might very well depend on it.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. William Forstchen is the author of "One Second After," an account of a town struggling to survive after an EMP weapon is used against the United States. 
 
The day’s top blogs:

First, an overview

1.

My parents taught me to read every word of any contract I signed. Obviously Congress doesn't follow that rule.

ANN JORDAN

Already we have Congress' frantic backlash from the AIG bonuses, which were in fact authorized by specific language buried deep in the stimulus bill that gave AIG its handout.

Now we have more dynamite buried in the GIVE Act (H.R. 1388), already passed in a whirlwind by the House and being fast-tracked in the Senate. The GIVE Act reauthorizes the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973, and also includes many more new programs encouraging Americans to volunteer and "give back" to their country. Who could object to this?

Yet, there are disturbing clauses which could change the institutions of this country in unprecedented ways. For example, the House version of the bill, in Section 6104, directs a committee to study: "The effect on the Nation, on those who serve, and on the families of those who serve, if all individuals in the United States were expected to perform national service or were required to perform a certain amount of national service.

2.

Now accepting nominations for the honorary Christopher Dodd Sleaze-o-crat™ awards

The Washington Times broke a story today that could put the nail in the coffin of the political aspirations of Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT). It is simply the latest in what the New York Post calls Dodd's "cavalcade of scandal."

There are two takeaways: (a) the level of apparent backscratching and self-enrichment in Washington has reached epidemic levels; and (b) now that they are in power, Democrats have immunized themselves from prosecution by slow-rolling ethics complaints and hamstringing FBI investigations whenever possible.

3.

President Obama tried to steal the census (here) and that didn't work. Folks caught on too fast, and so did Judd. There's a lot of money, power and politics tied to that census. Obama is sending in his thug army.

ACORN to Help with 2010 Census... Are you kidding me?

Bob Eberle

If you saw Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck voting at a polling location near you, they were probably registered by an ACORN volunteer.

This corrupt organization has faced lawsuit after lawsuit claiming the group is responsible for massive voter fraud.  What did the group do after that? They moved on to "help" people break the law by breaking into locked-down, foreclosed homes and encouraging the evicted home owners to continue living in the homes, even though they could not pay the bills. Now, this group will be helping with the 2010 census.

Here's a little refresher on this group regarding foreclosed homes:

So, people who got into homes they couldn't afford and don't pay their bills are not only encouraged by ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) to remain in their homes, they are also being aided by ACORN to do so. Check this out:

As Fox News reports, ACORN "signed on as a national partner with the U.S. Census Bureau in February 2009 to assist with the recruitment of the 1.4 million temporary workers needed to go door-to-door to count every person in the United States."

Just how accurate do you think this census is going to be with ACORN involved? Much is at stake with the new census. As I wrote last month in "U.S. Census Becomes Focus of Latest Power Grab", Obama already is looking to exert more control over the census. The census not only determines congressional allocation, but it also provides the raw data by which government spending is allocated on everything from roads to schools.

ACORN has been accused of voter fraud, embezzlement, and more... and yet this is a group that the federal government wants helping with the census?

"It's a concern, especially when you look at all the different charges of voter fraud. And it's not just the lawmakers' concern. It should be the concern of every citizen in the country," Rep. Lynn A. Westmoreland, R-Ga., vice ranking member of the subcommittee for the U.S. Census, told FOXNews.com. "We want an enumeration. We don't want to have any false numbers."

The news story quotes an ACORN spokesman, Scott Levenson, as saying that ACORN "has not been charged with any crime." Levinson adds, "ACORN is committed to a fair and accurate count." Does anyone actually believe that?

In order to carry out the census, a large number of volunteers are needed. But what is not needed is help from an organization that claims to be non-partisan but goes out of its way to support left wing candidates and causes. ACORN should not be anywhere near the census process.

Atlas Shrugs: ACORN: OBAMA'S CRIMINAL GANG TO "HELP" WITH CENSUS

Now the complete articles:

1.

My parents taught me to read every word of any contract I signed. Obviously Congress doesn't follow that rule.

ANN JORDAN

Already we have Congress' frantic backlash from the AIG bonuses, which were in fact authorized by specific language buried deep in the stimulus bill that gave AIG its handout.

Now we have more dynamite buried in the GIVE Act (H.R. 1388), already passed in a whirlwind by the House and being fast-tracked in the Senate. The GIVE Act reauthorizes the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973, and also includes many more new programs encouraging Americans to volunteer and "give back" to their country. Who could object to this?

Yet, there are disturbing clauses which could change the institutions of this country in unprecedented ways. For example, the House version of the bill, in Section 6104, directs a committee to study: "The effect on the Nation, on those who serve, and on the families of those who serve, if all individuals in the United States were expected to perform national service or were required to perform a certain amount of national service. (6) Whether a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people could be developed, and how such a requirement could be implemented in a manner that would strengthen the social fabric of the Nation and overcome civic challenges by bringing together people from diverse economic, ethnic, and educational backgrounds."

Shall we and our children then be "required" to perform national service? How can that requirement be "mandatory?"

It is one thing for schools to require community service, as many do now, since students have the option to attend another school or to home school. However, if enacted on a national level, such "mandatory service" is no longer voluntary, but in fact would be either conscription or involuntary servitude.

Service which is not freely given from the heart is no longer service but an imposition by an exterior force -- in this case, our government.

There is also language in the House bill (Section 115) which requires private schools to include their students in these programs and requires private school teachers to take training so that they can "carry out the objectives" of the bill.

In California, homeschoolers are registered as private schools which might mean that even those who opt out of the school system could not opt out of this requirement.

We must cease casually passing bills which no one has read. It has already cost us more money than most of us can conceive of. But it could be worse. It could cost us our freedoms.

I urge you to read H.R. 1388 for yourself, and contact your Congressional representatives.

Ann Jordan, a Sonoma County resident, is a stay-at-home mom who is considering home schooling her children.

2.

Now accepting nominations for the honorary Christopher Dodd Sleaze-o-crat™ awards

The Washington Times broke a story today that could put the nail in the coffin of the political aspirations of Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT). It is simply the latest in what the New York Post calls Dodd's "cavalcade of scandal."

There are two takeaways: (a) the level of apparent backscratching and self-enrichment in Washington has reached epidemic levels; and (b) now that they are in power, Democrats have immunized themselves from prosecution by slow-rolling ethics complaints and hamstringing FBI investigations whenever possible.

I'd like to nominate the following Dodd activities for our annual Sleaze-o-crat™ awards, hosted by David Hasselhoff. Take a gander at these, you peons! You think you'd ever be able to get away with these? Fat chance, losers. This kind of legal force field is only available to our royalty in Washington!

Estimated take: $70,000: the amount of money Dodd saved on sweetheart mortgage deals offered by Countrywide co-founder Angelo Mozilo. Countrywide ended up imploding through its billions in troubled, minimally undewritten mortgage loans, which helped to touch off the entire financial meltdown. Dodd has never publicly released complete documentation of the loans, despite promising to do so nearly a year ago.

Estimated take: $80,000: the amount of mortgage, fees and taxes paid by accused inside-trader Edward Downe Jr.. Downe paid half the fare of the Washington, DC condo that Dodd live in, but reportedly used it "rarely." The subsidy ended when feds came calling on Downe.

Estimated take: $160,000: the amount of money Dodd received in 2006 from AIG's troubled Financial Products division (AIG-FP). It was AIG-FP that played a central role in the meltdown of the financial system and Dodd -- along with House counterpart Barney Frank -- stonewalled every attempt at reining in the insanity.

Estimated take: $180,000:the amount Dodd profited on a 10-acre, waterfront home purchased with Downe and one of Downe's real-estate buddies. Each bought a third of the property during a huge runup in Irish real-estate prices, but Dodd was able to buy out Downe's friend eight years later at a "substantial" profit.

Estimated take: $400,000: the approximate value of the pardon Dodd secured for Downe by going directly to Bill Clinton during the 2001 "Filene's Basement Pardon Sale" ($400,000 estimated based upon the amount Hugh Rodham -- Hillary's brother -- reportedly secured for the pardon of Glenn Braswell.

Estimated take: $800,000: the amount of money Dodd financed under two very sweetened mortgage deals at rates not available to non-Washington royalty. Countrywide was one of the largest funnels of subprime mortgage sewage to Fannie Mae; it played a central role in destroying a variety of financial institutions that held stakes in GSEs like Fannie and Freddie.

Estimated take: $218,000,000: the amount of bonuses AIG executives collected after Dodd slipped a back-scratching provision into legislation that would protect the payments. Dodd's evasiveness regarding his actions on the bonuses stink to high heaven; he's blamed them on everything from the Treasury Department to a bug in Turbotax (oh wait, that was Tim Geithner).

And the winner is... no one. We're all the losers as long as the Democrats in power tolerate a rampant culture of criminality.

* * *

Note: These figures are estimated. Your profits may vary if you are an elected Democrat and as big a sleazebag as Dodd, Rangel, Frank, Feinstein and the rest of the Democrat Culture of Criminality.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.ae71a038e9b3b47af4f0e9eac9598fd8.2b1&show_article=1

 Following atheist trend, Britons seek 'de-baptism'
More than 100,000 Britons have recently downloaded "certificates of de-baptism" from the Internet to renounce their Christian faith.

The initiative launched by a group called the National Secular Society (NSS) follows atheist campaigns here and elsewhere, including a London bus poster which triggered protests by proclaiming "There's probably no God."

"We now produce a certificate on parchment and we have sold 1,500 units at three pounds (4.35 dollars, 3.20 euros) a pop," said NSS president Terry Sanderson, 58.

John Hunt, a 58-year-old from London and one of the first to try to be "de-baptised," held that he was too young to make any decision when he was christened at five months old.

The male nurse said he approached the Church of England to ask it to remove his name. "They said they had sought legal advice and that I should place an announcement in the London Gazette," said Hunt, referring to one of the official journals of record of the British government.

So that's what he did -- his notice of renouncement was published in the Gazette in May 2008 and other Britons have followed suit.

Michael Evans, 66, branded baptising children as "a form of child abuse" -- and said that when he complained to the church where he was christened he was told to contact the European Court of Human Rights.

The Church of England said its official position was not to amend its records. "Renouncing baptism is a matter between the individual and God," a Church spokesman told AFP.

"We are not a 'membership' church, and do not keep a running total of the number of baptised people in the Church of England, and such totals do not feature in the statistics that we regularly publish," he added.

De-baptism organisers say the initiative is a response to what they see as increasing stridency from churches -- the latest last week when Pope Benedict XVI stirred global controversy on a trip to AIDS-ravaged Africa by saying condom use could further spread of the disease.

"The Catholic Church is so politically active at the moment that I think that is where the hostility is coming from," said Sanderson. "In Catholic countries there is a very strong feeling of wanting to punish the church by leaving it."

In Britain, where government figures say nearly 72 percent of the population list themselves as Christian, Sanderson feels this "hostility" is fueling the de-baptism movement.

Theologian Paul Murray at Durham University disagrees. "That is not my experience," he said, but concedes that change is in the air.

"We are in an interesting climate where Catholicism and other belief systems have moved into the public, pluralist arena, alongside secularists," he said.

De-baptism movements have already sprung up in other countries.

In Spain, the high court ruled in favor of a man from Valencia, Manuel Blat, saying that under data protection laws he could have the record of his baptism erased, according to a report in the International Herald Tribune.

Similarly, the Italian Union of Rationalists and Agnostics (UAAR) won a legal battle over the right to file for de-baptism in 2002, according to media reports. The group's website carries a "de-baptism" form to facilitate matters.

According to UAAR secretary Raffaele Carcano, more than 60,000 of these forms have been downloaded in the past four years and continue to be downloaded at a rate of about 2,000 per month. Another 1,000 were downloaded in one day when the group held its first national de-baptism day last October 25.

Elsewhere, an Argentinian secularist movement is running a "Collective Apostasy" campaign, using the slogan "Not in my name" (No en mi nombre).

Sanderson hopes rulings in other European countries will pave the way for legal action in Britain, since European Union directives require a level of parity among member states' legislation.

"That would be a good precedent for us to say to the British Information Commissioner: Come on, what's your excuse?" said Sanderson.

The bus-side posters that hit London in January sp orted the message: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."

The scheme was in response to pro-Christian adverts on buses directing passers-by to a website warning those who did not accept Jesus would suffer for eternity in hell.

Comedy writer Ariane Sherine, mastermind of the British bus campaign that saw a copycat version in Barcelona and other cities, said she backs the "de-baptism" movement but insisted the two initiatives were separate.

Sanderson meanwhile remains resolute. "The fact that people are willing to pay for the parchments shows how seriously they are taking them," he said.