In case you didn't know yesterday the FED is announced that it would start to buy billions of dollars of our own debt, it's called "quantitative easing."
This is from the Wall Street Journal: The Federal Reserve, in a dramatic effort to rev up a "disappointingly slow" economic recovery, said it will buy $600 billion of U.S. government bonds over the next eight months to drive down interest rates and encourage more borrowing and growth.
Many outside the Fed, and some inside, see the move as a 'Hail Mary' pass by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. He embraced highly unconventional policies during the financial crisis to ward off a financial-system collapse. But a year and a half later, he confronts an economy hobbled by high unemployment, a gridlocked political system and the threat of a Japan-like period of deflation, or a debilitating fall in consumer prices.
Full Article Here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703506904575592471354774194.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEADNewsCollection
Another good article about it is at The Blaze: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/the-feds-big-gamble-heres-what-could-go-wrong/
So what are the headlines today?
Oil hits six-month peaks on falling dollar, Fed move
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.8ae3f888847f9e99244653ecde440932.3f1&show_article=1
Stock futures up sharply after Fed meeting
Stock futures point to gains despite bigger than expected jump in jobless claims
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Stock-futures-up-sharply-apf-3673030832.html?x=0
U.S. dollar printing is huge risk -China c.bank adviser
Nov 4 (Reuters) - Unbridled printing of dollars is the biggest risk to the global economy, an adviser to the Chinese central bank said in comments published on Thursday, a day after the Federal Reserve unveiled a new round of monetary easing
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTOE6A301Q20101104
Germany Concerned About US Stimulus Moves
http://www.cnbc.com/id/39968918
'We're Greece' in a Few Years: Sen. Gregg
http://www.cnbc.com/id/39983968
Oh and by the way Gold is up $26 dollars today
END THE FED
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Laugh Or Cry?
God Help us. Here we have the difference between the people that went to the Glenn Beck Rally and the morons that went to the Stewart/Colbert rally. Its on display everywhere people.
Stewart/Colbert Rally-Goers: Obama Is Not a Keynesian, He’s an American!
Stewart/Colbert Rally-Goers: Obama Is Not a Keynesian, He’s an American!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Marco Rubio A Moderate?
You might have already seen Marco Rubio, who is running for senate in Florida, flip-flop over the Arizona Immigration Law. At first he was against it then supposedly he was for it. But did you know that he also voted to bring a cap and trade bill to Florida while he was in the Florida congress?
To be completely honest I was for Rubio from the start as early blog post shows but my mind began to change once I saw him give a speech at a tea party event I attended. At first I say him underneath a canopy cutting up with friends or family, I don't really know but then he came on stage and his whole demeanor changed. He dodged questions with typical politician charm giving no straightforward answers just tea party feel good talk. Then as the months went by he began coming out on what I would call the wrong side of some very important issues then flip-flopping on them. I gave him the benefit of the doubt again, still planning on voting for him. But having found out that he supported and voted for a cap and trade scheme here in Florida was the last straw. I had finally seen Marco Rubio for what he was a moderate republican riding on the coattails of the tea party movement long enough to get elected senator. I urge everyone to look into Alexander Andrew Snitker the libertarian candidate for senator of Florida. Here is his website: http://snitker2010.com/
Also below is the article about Rubio's cap and trade votes with links provided. Either we are sick and tired of Politicians like Rubio or we are not and we get what we deserve. I am afraid this politician is a Crist wearing conservative clothing.
Florida Cap and Traders!
Submitted by letushope on Thu, 10/21/2010 - 11:48
in Current Events
http://dailypaul.com/node/147239
If you know someone who's on the fence with Rubio or Crist please share this with them.
Cap and Trade is coming to Florida (if we don’t stop it)! And you are likely to be sending one of the men who made that possible to our United State Senate seat. Yes I am talking about Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist.
If you’ve completely made up your mind on Rubio or Crist, there’s nothing I can say in this letter to change your mind. And that’s okay, but I hope you will read this anyway because there is still time to fight back the Florida Legislature that passed (nearly unanimously / both Republicans and Democrats) HB 7135.
If you’re still reading thank you. I’ve spent the last two weeks reading nearly a thousand pages of cumbersome Florida records and many Committee reports navigating my way to a deeper understanding of what we are facing.
The timeline begins in 2001 it’s a long and tiresome story, so I’m picking it up from 2006 when Florida Legislature passed (among other things) SB 888; which created the Florida Energy Commission. The Commission was authorized to shape Florida’s long term and near term energy issues. The following year (2007) the report identified 85 strategic goals that included a cap and trade system and a variety of grants, mandates and nudges towards a GREENER Florida.
That report can be read here:
http://www.floridapipeline.org/Documents/FECReport122007Final.pdf
Rubio’s vote FOR SB 888 can be seen here:
http://www.flsenate.gov/cgi-bin/view_page.pl?Tab=session&Submenu=1&FT=D&File=session/2006/Senate/bills/votes/html/hSB08880503061121.html
Interestingly enough… all but one person voted in favor of this Commission.
2008 brought about legislation that provides for nearly all of the Commission’s goals as outlined in the 2007 report. HB 7135 simply called Energy provided section 403.44 Florida Climate Protection Act and it’s just as sweet and rosy as what we’ve seen on the National stage. The full text of the Bill can be read here, the Climate Protection Act starts on page 142 (not 42):
http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2008/House/bills/billtext/pdf/h713503er.pdf
Rubio’s vote for HB 7135 can be seen here:
http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/floorvote.aspx?VoteId=9068&BillId=39607&SessionId=57
Of course, Crist signed each of these Bills into Law, so they are both Cap and Traders!
This is cut and paste directly from the law and it’s just the first few sections…
403.44 Florida Climate Protection Act.--
(1) The Legislature finds it is in the best interest of
the state to document, to the greatest extent practicable, greenhouse gas emissions and to pursue a market-based emissions abatement program, such as cap and trade, to address greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
(2) As used in this section, the term:
(a) "Allowance" means a credit issued by the department through allotments or auction which represents an authorization to emit specific amounts of greenhouse gases, as further defined in department rule.
(b) "Cap and trade" or "emissions trading" means an administrative approach used to control pollution by providing a limit on total allowable emissions, providing for allowances to emit pollutants, and providing for the transfer of the allowances among pollutant sources as a means of compliance with emission limits.
This is a press release from The Pew Center on Global Climate Change.
On June 25, 2008, Governor Charlie Crist signed into law House Bill 7135, enacting several new energy and climate change policies. The policies include the Florida Climate Protection Act, which authorizes the Department of Environmental Protection to develop an electric-utility greenhouse gas (GHG) cap-and-trade program. Pending legislative approval of the final plan, the cap-and-trade program may begin operation as soon as January 1, 2010.
http://www.pewclimate.org/node/6020
This is another link that provides a detail of the impact of this legislation:
http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2008/House/bills/analysis/pdf/h7135.ENRC.pdf
I have not found where the 2010 Legislature has taken any further actions regarding Cap and Trade, I will continue to look. But I felt this information had to be shared. If I'm reading all of this right, the framework has been established, but not the actual law to madate this.
To be completely honest I was for Rubio from the start as early blog post shows but my mind began to change once I saw him give a speech at a tea party event I attended. At first I say him underneath a canopy cutting up with friends or family, I don't really know but then he came on stage and his whole demeanor changed. He dodged questions with typical politician charm giving no straightforward answers just tea party feel good talk. Then as the months went by he began coming out on what I would call the wrong side of some very important issues then flip-flopping on them. I gave him the benefit of the doubt again, still planning on voting for him. But having found out that he supported and voted for a cap and trade scheme here in Florida was the last straw. I had finally seen Marco Rubio for what he was a moderate republican riding on the coattails of the tea party movement long enough to get elected senator. I urge everyone to look into Alexander Andrew Snitker the libertarian candidate for senator of Florida. Here is his website: http://snitker2010.com/
Also below is the article about Rubio's cap and trade votes with links provided. Either we are sick and tired of Politicians like Rubio or we are not and we get what we deserve. I am afraid this politician is a Crist wearing conservative clothing.
Florida Cap and Traders!
Submitted by letushope on Thu, 10/21/2010 - 11:48
in Current Events
http://dailypaul.com/node/147239
If you know someone who's on the fence with Rubio or Crist please share this with them.
Cap and Trade is coming to Florida (if we don’t stop it)! And you are likely to be sending one of the men who made that possible to our United State Senate seat. Yes I am talking about Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist.
If you’ve completely made up your mind on Rubio or Crist, there’s nothing I can say in this letter to change your mind. And that’s okay, but I hope you will read this anyway because there is still time to fight back the Florida Legislature that passed (nearly unanimously / both Republicans and Democrats) HB 7135.
If you’re still reading thank you. I’ve spent the last two weeks reading nearly a thousand pages of cumbersome Florida records and many Committee reports navigating my way to a deeper understanding of what we are facing.
The timeline begins in 2001 it’s a long and tiresome story, so I’m picking it up from 2006 when Florida Legislature passed (among other things) SB 888; which created the Florida Energy Commission. The Commission was authorized to shape Florida’s long term and near term energy issues. The following year (2007) the report identified 85 strategic goals that included a cap and trade system and a variety of grants, mandates and nudges towards a GREENER Florida.
That report can be read here:
http://www.floridapipeline.org/Documents/FECReport122007Final.pdf
Rubio’s vote FOR SB 888 can be seen here:
http://www.flsenate.gov/cgi-bin/view_page.pl?Tab=session&Submenu=1&FT=D&File=session/2006/Senate/bills/votes/html/hSB08880503061121.html
Interestingly enough… all but one person voted in favor of this Commission.
2008 brought about legislation that provides for nearly all of the Commission’s goals as outlined in the 2007 report. HB 7135 simply called Energy provided section 403.44 Florida Climate Protection Act and it’s just as sweet and rosy as what we’ve seen on the National stage. The full text of the Bill can be read here, the Climate Protection Act starts on page 142 (not 42):
http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2008/House/bills/billtext/pdf/h713503er.pdf
Rubio’s vote for HB 7135 can be seen here:
http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/floorvote.aspx?VoteId=9068&BillId=39607&SessionId=57
Of course, Crist signed each of these Bills into Law, so they are both Cap and Traders!
This is cut and paste directly from the law and it’s just the first few sections…
403.44 Florida Climate Protection Act.--
(1) The Legislature finds it is in the best interest of
the state to document, to the greatest extent practicable, greenhouse gas emissions and to pursue a market-based emissions abatement program, such as cap and trade, to address greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
(2) As used in this section, the term:
(a) "Allowance" means a credit issued by the department through allotments or auction which represents an authorization to emit specific amounts of greenhouse gases, as further defined in department rule.
(b) "Cap and trade" or "emissions trading" means an administrative approach used to control pollution by providing a limit on total allowable emissions, providing for allowances to emit pollutants, and providing for the transfer of the allowances among pollutant sources as a means of compliance with emission limits.
This is a press release from The Pew Center on Global Climate Change.
On June 25, 2008, Governor Charlie Crist signed into law House Bill 7135, enacting several new energy and climate change policies. The policies include the Florida Climate Protection Act, which authorizes the Department of Environmental Protection to develop an electric-utility greenhouse gas (GHG) cap-and-trade program. Pending legislative approval of the final plan, the cap-and-trade program may begin operation as soon as January 1, 2010.
http://www.pewclimate.org/node/6020
This is another link that provides a detail of the impact of this legislation:
http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2008/House/bills/analysis/pdf/h7135.ENRC.pdf
I have not found where the 2010 Legislature has taken any further actions regarding Cap and Trade, I will continue to look. But I felt this information had to be shared. If I'm reading all of this right, the framework has been established, but not the actual law to madate this.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Oath Keepers Update: Baby Returned to Parents
Update:
Baby Cheyenne returned to parents after Rochester hearing: Parents can't comment, but dad happy after hearing protested by Oath Keepers
By Aaron Sanborn
Friday, October 15, 2010
DOVER — Exiting Rochester Family Court into the midst of roughly 100 protesters on Thursday, Johnathan Irish clearly had something to smile about.
The court had just held a hearing on the future of Cheyenne, the infant daughter of Irish and Stephanie Taylor, who was taken into the custody of the New Hampshire Division of Children, Youth and Families shortly after her birth on Thursday, Oct. 7.
Neither would comment about the hearing's outcome, citing state confidentiality laws.
"I would love to comment, but we can't," Taylor said.
However, Irish used a smile to indicate the hearing's outcome.
"A picture's worth a thousand words. What's a smile worth?" he asked.
Prior to Thursday's hearing, Irish denied DCYF claims that Cheyenne could be in danger.
The Epsom couple's case has made national headlines in the last few days because of the Oath Keepers connection that was referenced in affidavit.
About 100 people gathered in front of the Strafford County Superior Court on Thursday to protest a reference that was made to the Oath Keepers organization in an affidavit related to the local child custody case.
The Oath Keepers, are a group that pledges to defend the Constitution and to oppose government tyranny.
They group was referenced in a DCYF affidavit as a political affiliation of Irish.
Those who attended Thursday's protest were outraged that an affiliation with the Oath Keepers would be mentioned in an affidavit related to a child custody case.
The affidavit for the case is sealed and Oath Keepers only provided the excerpt of the affidavit that referenced them. That excerpt allegedly states, "The Division (DCYF) became aware and confirmed that Mr. Irish associated with a militia known as the, "Oath Keepers," and had purchased several different types of weapons, including a rifle, handgun and Taser."
"This is not just a child custody case, it's about the First Amendment," said Oath Keepers founder and President Stewart Rhodes.
Rhodes and the Oath Keepers issued a demand letter to DCYF on Thursday asking for the removal of Oath Keepers from the affidavit.
"We wouldn't be here and this wouldn't be a national issue if our name wasn't in there," he said.
Maggie Bishop, the director of DCYF, has gone on record saying that allegations that the state seized the newborn girl over her father's political affiliations don't reflect the division's policies.
Bishop has declined to discuss the specifics of the case because of confidentiality requirements.
The newborn, Cheyenne, was taken by DCYF officials hours after her birth last Thursday at Concord Hospital.
It has been reported that the DCYF affidavit stated there was a lengthy history of domestic violence between Irish and the baby's mother.
Rhodes said he wasn't concerning himself with the child custody case; his concern is strictly about his group being associated with the case. He fears that people will be hesitant to join the group after hearing about this case.
Rhodes said he would file a lawsuit if the organization's name isn't removed from the affidavit.
"This is a very important case," he said. "We can't have a precedent set that allows them to list people's affiliations whenever CPS (child protective services) comes to your doorstep."
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101015/GJNEWS_01/710159937/-1/fosnews
Baby Cheyenne returned to parents after Rochester hearing: Parents can't comment, but dad happy after hearing protested by Oath Keepers
By Aaron Sanborn
Friday, October 15, 2010
DOVER — Exiting Rochester Family Court into the midst of roughly 100 protesters on Thursday, Johnathan Irish clearly had something to smile about.
The court had just held a hearing on the future of Cheyenne, the infant daughter of Irish and Stephanie Taylor, who was taken into the custody of the New Hampshire Division of Children, Youth and Families shortly after her birth on Thursday, Oct. 7.
Neither would comment about the hearing's outcome, citing state confidentiality laws.
"I would love to comment, but we can't," Taylor said.
However, Irish used a smile to indicate the hearing's outcome.
"A picture's worth a thousand words. What's a smile worth?" he asked.
Prior to Thursday's hearing, Irish denied DCYF claims that Cheyenne could be in danger.
The Epsom couple's case has made national headlines in the last few days because of the Oath Keepers connection that was referenced in affidavit.
About 100 people gathered in front of the Strafford County Superior Court on Thursday to protest a reference that was made to the Oath Keepers organization in an affidavit related to the local child custody case.
The Oath Keepers, are a group that pledges to defend the Constitution and to oppose government tyranny.
They group was referenced in a DCYF affidavit as a political affiliation of Irish.
Those who attended Thursday's protest were outraged that an affiliation with the Oath Keepers would be mentioned in an affidavit related to a child custody case.
The affidavit for the case is sealed and Oath Keepers only provided the excerpt of the affidavit that referenced them. That excerpt allegedly states, "The Division (DCYF) became aware and confirmed that Mr. Irish associated with a militia known as the, "Oath Keepers," and had purchased several different types of weapons, including a rifle, handgun and Taser."
"This is not just a child custody case, it's about the First Amendment," said Oath Keepers founder and President Stewart Rhodes.
Rhodes and the Oath Keepers issued a demand letter to DCYF on Thursday asking for the removal of Oath Keepers from the affidavit.
"We wouldn't be here and this wouldn't be a national issue if our name wasn't in there," he said.
Maggie Bishop, the director of DCYF, has gone on record saying that allegations that the state seized the newborn girl over her father's political affiliations don't reflect the division's policies.
Bishop has declined to discuss the specifics of the case because of confidentiality requirements.
The newborn, Cheyenne, was taken by DCYF officials hours after her birth last Thursday at Concord Hospital.
It has been reported that the DCYF affidavit stated there was a lengthy history of domestic violence between Irish and the baby's mother.
Rhodes said he wasn't concerning himself with the child custody case; his concern is strictly about his group being associated with the case. He fears that people will be hesitant to join the group after hearing about this case.
Rhodes said he would file a lawsuit if the organization's name isn't removed from the affidavit.
"This is a very important case," he said. "We can't have a precedent set that allows them to list people's affiliations whenever CPS (child protective services) comes to your doorstep."
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101015/GJNEWS_01/710159937/-1/fosnews
Monday, October 11, 2010
State snatches baby when dad accused of being 'Oath Keeper'
**This Story Comes From WorldNetDaily Take it with a grain of salt until more is known about the situation. However Please, please read this all, it is very important information**
By Bob Unruh
© 2010 WorldNetDaily
A 16-hour-old newborn was snatched from her parents by authorities in Concord, N.H., after social services workers alleged the father is a member of Oath Keepers.
The organization collects affirmations from soldiers and peace officers that they would refuse orders that violate the U.S. Constitution, in light of what they perceive as the advance of socialism in the U.S.
The father, Johnathon Irish, told WND that the affidavit signed by Child Protective Service worker Dana Bicford seeking government custody of newborn Cheyenne said the agency "became aware and confirmed that Mr. Irish associated with a militia known as the 'Oath Keepers.'"
Irish, in an interview with WND, said officers and other social services workers ordered him to stand with his hands behind his back, frisked him and then took his daughter from him and his fiancé at Concord Hospital where the baby had been born.
He told WND that other issues cited by authorities included an allegation of child abuse, which he assumed pertained to an incident weeks earlier in which one of his fiance's older sons allegedly was struck by a babysitter.
He said both he and his fiancé had been cleared by authorities in that investigation.
Kathleen Demaris, a spokeswoman for the state agency, refused to comment.
Stewart Rhodes, the founder of Oath Keepers, expressed alarm when contacted by WND, describing the agency as a "chilling monster" that could "come get kids."
On his website, he confirmed the affidavit, along with other allegations, cites Irish's interest in Oath Keepers as a reason to separate the newborn from her parents.
"Yes, there are other, very serious allegations. Out of respect for the privacy of the parents, we will not publish the affidavit. … But please do remember that allegations do not equal facts – they are merely allegations," he said.
"But an even more fundamental point is that regardless of the other allegations, it is utterly unconstitutional for government agencies to list Mr. Irish's association with Oath Keepers in an affidavit in support of a child abuse order to remove his daughter from his custody," Rhodes said.
"Talk about chilling speech! If this is allowed to continue, it will chill the speech of not just Mr. Irish, but all Oath Keepers and it will serve as the camel [nose] under the tent for other associations being considered too risky for parents to dare," he continued. "'Don't you dare associate with such and such group, or you could be on 'the list' and then child protective services might come take your kids.'"
He noted that the state made no allegation that Oath Keepers is "criminal" or that Irish was committing a crime with his affiliation.
Oath Keepers posted a video by George Heminger, who identifies himself as an independent journalist, who was interviewing Irish by telephone:
Editor's Note: The recording is unedited and includes objectionable language.
We are not advocating or planning imminent violence, which is the established line where free speech ends and criminal behavior begins," Rhodes continued said. "Neither is Oath Keepers a militia, for that matter. However, EVEN IF WE WERE, that also would not be a valid reason to take someone's child away. Private militias just like other voluntary associations, are not illegal, and it is not a crime to associate with them.
"To the contrary, we have an absolute right, won by the blood of patriots, and protected by our First Amendment, to freely associate with each other as we d--- well please so long as we are not advocating or planning imminent violent or directly harming our children (and no, teaching them 'thought crimes' like 'All men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,' or that those who swear an oath should keep it, does not count – at least not yet)," he said.
"A parent associating with a militia is not engaged in child endangerment and is not evidence of child endangerment," he said.
A promise
Oath Keepers' members promise not to obey any order "to disarm the American people," conduct warrantless searches, "detain American citizens as 'unlawful enemy combatants,'" work to impose martial law, invade or subjugate any state, blockade American cities, put Americans in detention camps or "make war against our own people."
That such circumstances could develop has been suggested by the government itself, in an earlier DHS document that cautioned about the possibility of violence from a variety of "extremists," a label that apparently now is being applied to Irish.
WND reported when a Department of Homeland Security report warned against the possibility of violence by unnamed "right-wing extremists" and singled out returning war veterans as particular threats. The report characterized the extremists as people with concerns about illegal immigration, increasing federal power, restrictions on firearms, abortion and the loss of U.S. sovereignty.
The report, "Right-wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment," dated April 7, 2009, stated "threats from white supremacist and violent anti-government groups during 2009 have been largely rhetorical and have not indicated plans to carry out violent acts."
However, the document, first reported by talk-radio host and WND columnist Roger Hedgecock, went on to suggest worsening economic woes, potential new legislative restrictions on firearms and "the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks."
The report from DHS' Office of Intelligence and Analysis defined right-wing extremism in the U.S. as "divided into those groups, movements and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups) and those that are mainly anti-government, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration."
Read Full Article: http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=213149
**Statement From Oath Keepers Founder Stewart Rhodes:**
UPDATE : 10/07/2010 10.53PM PST -- We have confirmed that the affidavit in support of the order to take the child from her parents states ,along with a long list of other assertions against both parents, that “The Division became aware and confirmed that Mr. Irish associated with a militia known as the Oath Keepers.” Yes, there are other, very serious allegations. Out of respect for the privacy of the parents, we will not publish the affidavit. We will leave that to Mr. Irish. But please do remember that allegations do not equal facts -- they are merely allegations (and in my experience as a criminal defense lawyer in small town Montana I saw many allegations that proved to be false).
But an even more fundamental point is that regardless of the other allegations, it is utterly unconstitutional for government agencies to list Mr. Irish’s association with Oath Keepers in an affidavit in support of a child abuse order to remove his daughter from his custody. Talk about chilling speech! If this is allowed to continue, it will chill the speech of not just Mr. Irish, but all Oath Keepers and it will serve as the camel under the tent for other associations being considered too risky for parents to dare. Thus, it serves to chill the speech of all of us, in any group we belong to that “officials” may not approve of. Don’t you dare associate with such and such group, or you could be on “the list” and then child protective services might come take your kids.
Note that there is no allegation that Oath Keepers is a criminal organization or that Mr. Irish, in the context of his association with Oath Keepers, is committing any crime.
Neither is Oath Keepers a militia, for that matter. However, EVEN IF WE WERE, that also would not be a valid reason to take someone’s child away. PRIVATE MILITIAS, JUST LIKE OTHER VOLUNTARY ASSOCIATIONS, ARE NOT ILLEGAL, and it is not a crime to associate with them. To the contrary, we have an absolute right, won by the blood of patriots, and protected by our First Amendment, to freely associate with each other as we damn well please so long as we are not advocating or planning imminent violence or directly harming our children (and no, teaching them “thought crime” like “All men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,” or that those who swear an oath should keep it, does not count -- at least not yet).
Read all Here: http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2010/10/07/oath-keepers-statement-about-video-titled-government-agents-seize-oath-keepers-new-born-from-hospital/
By Bob Unruh
© 2010 WorldNetDaily
A 16-hour-old newborn was snatched from her parents by authorities in Concord, N.H., after social services workers alleged the father is a member of Oath Keepers.
The organization collects affirmations from soldiers and peace officers that they would refuse orders that violate the U.S. Constitution, in light of what they perceive as the advance of socialism in the U.S.
The father, Johnathon Irish, told WND that the affidavit signed by Child Protective Service worker Dana Bicford seeking government custody of newborn Cheyenne said the agency "became aware and confirmed that Mr. Irish associated with a militia known as the 'Oath Keepers.'"
Irish, in an interview with WND, said officers and other social services workers ordered him to stand with his hands behind his back, frisked him and then took his daughter from him and his fiancé at Concord Hospital where the baby had been born.
He told WND that other issues cited by authorities included an allegation of child abuse, which he assumed pertained to an incident weeks earlier in which one of his fiance's older sons allegedly was struck by a babysitter.
He said both he and his fiancé had been cleared by authorities in that investigation.
Kathleen Demaris, a spokeswoman for the state agency, refused to comment.
Stewart Rhodes, the founder of Oath Keepers, expressed alarm when contacted by WND, describing the agency as a "chilling monster" that could "come get kids."
On his website, he confirmed the affidavit, along with other allegations, cites Irish's interest in Oath Keepers as a reason to separate the newborn from her parents.
"Yes, there are other, very serious allegations. Out of respect for the privacy of the parents, we will not publish the affidavit. … But please do remember that allegations do not equal facts – they are merely allegations," he said.
"But an even more fundamental point is that regardless of the other allegations, it is utterly unconstitutional for government agencies to list Mr. Irish's association with Oath Keepers in an affidavit in support of a child abuse order to remove his daughter from his custody," Rhodes said.
"Talk about chilling speech! If this is allowed to continue, it will chill the speech of not just Mr. Irish, but all Oath Keepers and it will serve as the camel [nose] under the tent for other associations being considered too risky for parents to dare," he continued. "'Don't you dare associate with such and such group, or you could be on 'the list' and then child protective services might come take your kids.'"
He noted that the state made no allegation that Oath Keepers is "criminal" or that Irish was committing a crime with his affiliation.
Oath Keepers posted a video by George Heminger, who identifies himself as an independent journalist, who was interviewing Irish by telephone:
Editor's Note: The recording is unedited and includes objectionable language.
We are not advocating or planning imminent violence, which is the established line where free speech ends and criminal behavior begins," Rhodes continued said. "Neither is Oath Keepers a militia, for that matter. However, EVEN IF WE WERE, that also would not be a valid reason to take someone's child away. Private militias just like other voluntary associations, are not illegal, and it is not a crime to associate with them.
"To the contrary, we have an absolute right, won by the blood of patriots, and protected by our First Amendment, to freely associate with each other as we d--- well please so long as we are not advocating or planning imminent violent or directly harming our children (and no, teaching them 'thought crimes' like 'All men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,' or that those who swear an oath should keep it, does not count – at least not yet)," he said.
"A parent associating with a militia is not engaged in child endangerment and is not evidence of child endangerment," he said.
A promise
Oath Keepers' members promise not to obey any order "to disarm the American people," conduct warrantless searches, "detain American citizens as 'unlawful enemy combatants,'" work to impose martial law, invade or subjugate any state, blockade American cities, put Americans in detention camps or "make war against our own people."
That such circumstances could develop has been suggested by the government itself, in an earlier DHS document that cautioned about the possibility of violence from a variety of "extremists," a label that apparently now is being applied to Irish.
WND reported when a Department of Homeland Security report warned against the possibility of violence by unnamed "right-wing extremists" and singled out returning war veterans as particular threats. The report characterized the extremists as people with concerns about illegal immigration, increasing federal power, restrictions on firearms, abortion and the loss of U.S. sovereignty.
The report, "Right-wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment," dated April 7, 2009, stated "threats from white supremacist and violent anti-government groups during 2009 have been largely rhetorical and have not indicated plans to carry out violent acts."
However, the document, first reported by talk-radio host and WND columnist Roger Hedgecock, went on to suggest worsening economic woes, potential new legislative restrictions on firearms and "the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks."
The report from DHS' Office of Intelligence and Analysis defined right-wing extremism in the U.S. as "divided into those groups, movements and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups) and those that are mainly anti-government, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration."
Read Full Article: http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=213149
**Statement From Oath Keepers Founder Stewart Rhodes:**
UPDATE : 10/07/2010 10.53PM PST -- We have confirmed that the affidavit in support of the order to take the child from her parents states ,along with a long list of other assertions against both parents, that “The Division became aware and confirmed that Mr. Irish associated with a militia known as the Oath Keepers.” Yes, there are other, very serious allegations. Out of respect for the privacy of the parents, we will not publish the affidavit. We will leave that to Mr. Irish. But please do remember that allegations do not equal facts -- they are merely allegations (and in my experience as a criminal defense lawyer in small town Montana I saw many allegations that proved to be false).
But an even more fundamental point is that regardless of the other allegations, it is utterly unconstitutional for government agencies to list Mr. Irish’s association with Oath Keepers in an affidavit in support of a child abuse order to remove his daughter from his custody. Talk about chilling speech! If this is allowed to continue, it will chill the speech of not just Mr. Irish, but all Oath Keepers and it will serve as the camel under the tent for other associations being considered too risky for parents to dare. Thus, it serves to chill the speech of all of us, in any group we belong to that “officials” may not approve of. Don’t you dare associate with such and such group, or you could be on “the list” and then child protective services might come take your kids.
Note that there is no allegation that Oath Keepers is a criminal organization or that Mr. Irish, in the context of his association with Oath Keepers, is committing any crime.
Neither is Oath Keepers a militia, for that matter. However, EVEN IF WE WERE, that also would not be a valid reason to take someone’s child away. PRIVATE MILITIAS, JUST LIKE OTHER VOLUNTARY ASSOCIATIONS, ARE NOT ILLEGAL, and it is not a crime to associate with them. To the contrary, we have an absolute right, won by the blood of patriots, and protected by our First Amendment, to freely associate with each other as we damn well please so long as we are not advocating or planning imminent violence or directly harming our children (and no, teaching them “thought crime” like “All men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,” or that those who swear an oath should keep it, does not count -- at least not yet).
Read all Here: http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2010/10/07/oath-keepers-statement-about-video-titled-government-agents-seize-oath-keepers-new-born-from-hospital/
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Gold Hits New High
By Frank Tang
NEW YORK Tue Oct 5, 2010 3:25pm EDT
(Reuters) - Gold jumped nearly 2 percent on Tuesday, its biggest one-day rise since May, resuming its march to record highs as the dollar tumbled and currency market volatility ignited safe-haven buying.
Silver surged 3 percent to a 30-year high and platinum group metals also rallied with the entire commodities complex, after the Bank of Japan said it would pump more funds into the country's struggling economy and keep interest rates virtually at zero.
Moves by countries around the world toward easier money indicate "not only the amount of liquidity that has been put into the system will remain, but there is a high likelihood of significant level of liquidity being added into the system," said Frank McGhee, head precious metals trader at Integrated Brokerage Services.
McGhee said expected monetary easing in the United States will result in major devaluation on the dollar, which benefits gold.
Spot gold rose $25.30, or 1.9 percent, to $1,340.50 an ounce at 2:59 p.m. EDT, off an intra-day high of $1,341.20, its seventh record in the past eight sessions. U.S. gold futures for December delivery settled up $23.50 at $1,340.30 an ounce.
The dollar .DXY tumbled to a near nine-month low against a basket of six major currencies, pressured by broad-based demand for the euro.
The usual inverse relationship between gold and dollar has showed signs of strengthening of late. The 25-day correlation between the metal and the U.S. currency has increased to a negative 0.5, the strongest inverse link since May.
Brazil on Monday doubled a tax on foreign investors buying local bonds in an attempt to curb a currency rally that has turned into an issue in the South American country's presidential race.
On charts, gold's two-percent rally on Tuesday lifted prices above its upper resistance of a rising channel which started back in July.
But some traders said gold's upside could be limited. They noted slower physical demand, a third straight outflow of funds from the world's biggest gold ETF and improved demand for U.S. equities, which rallied 2 percent on Tuesday.
BNP Paribas analyst Anne-Laure Tremblay said the euro may see a correction later this year on deflation risks in the euro zone, and added that stronger risk appetite could favor equities and other assets besides gold.
PARABOLIC GOLD?
Integrated Brokerage Services' McGhee said gold's sharp rallies are starting to turn parabolic, and that could trigger a price correction.
"It's almost impossible to pick a level when it will run out of steam. When it does, it will turn around very quickly, because it has nothing to support from a technical standpoint," McGhee said.
Demand for physical gold retreated as prices rose again. Buying in main gold consumer India was muted as the weaker rupee pressured local buyers.
Holdings of the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, New York's SPDR Gold Trust, declined for a third session, while those of the largest silver ETF, the iShares Silver Trust dipped from record highs.
Silver surged nearly 4 percent to $22.83 an ounce, near its 30-year high at $22.87. Silver continued to outperform gold, with the number of ounces of silver needed to buy an ounce of gold slipping to a one-year low at around 59. (Graphic: link.reuters.com/hun72k)
Platinum, buoyed by strength in gold, hit a 4-1/2 month high at $1,699 an ounce and was trading up 1.6 percent at $1,691.50, while palladium rose 3.2 percent to $575.50.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67F05920101005
NEW YORK Tue Oct 5, 2010 3:25pm EDT
(Reuters) - Gold jumped nearly 2 percent on Tuesday, its biggest one-day rise since May, resuming its march to record highs as the dollar tumbled and currency market volatility ignited safe-haven buying.
Silver surged 3 percent to a 30-year high and platinum group metals also rallied with the entire commodities complex, after the Bank of Japan said it would pump more funds into the country's struggling economy and keep interest rates virtually at zero.
Moves by countries around the world toward easier money indicate "not only the amount of liquidity that has been put into the system will remain, but there is a high likelihood of significant level of liquidity being added into the system," said Frank McGhee, head precious metals trader at Integrated Brokerage Services.
McGhee said expected monetary easing in the United States will result in major devaluation on the dollar, which benefits gold.
Spot gold rose $25.30, or 1.9 percent, to $1,340.50 an ounce at 2:59 p.m. EDT, off an intra-day high of $1,341.20, its seventh record in the past eight sessions. U.S. gold futures for December delivery settled up $23.50 at $1,340.30 an ounce.
The dollar .DXY tumbled to a near nine-month low against a basket of six major currencies, pressured by broad-based demand for the euro.
The usual inverse relationship between gold and dollar has showed signs of strengthening of late. The 25-day correlation between the metal and the U.S. currency has increased to a negative 0.5, the strongest inverse link since May.
Brazil on Monday doubled a tax on foreign investors buying local bonds in an attempt to curb a currency rally that has turned into an issue in the South American country's presidential race.
On charts, gold's two-percent rally on Tuesday lifted prices above its upper resistance of a rising channel which started back in July.
But some traders said gold's upside could be limited. They noted slower physical demand, a third straight outflow of funds from the world's biggest gold ETF and improved demand for U.S. equities, which rallied 2 percent on Tuesday.
BNP Paribas analyst Anne-Laure Tremblay said the euro may see a correction later this year on deflation risks in the euro zone, and added that stronger risk appetite could favor equities and other assets besides gold.
PARABOLIC GOLD?
Integrated Brokerage Services' McGhee said gold's sharp rallies are starting to turn parabolic, and that could trigger a price correction.
"It's almost impossible to pick a level when it will run out of steam. When it does, it will turn around very quickly, because it has nothing to support from a technical standpoint," McGhee said.
Demand for physical gold retreated as prices rose again. Buying in main gold consumer India was muted as the weaker rupee pressured local buyers.
Holdings of the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, New York's SPDR Gold Trust, declined for a third session, while those of the largest silver ETF, the iShares Silver Trust dipped from record highs.
Silver surged nearly 4 percent to $22.83 an ounce, near its 30-year high at $22.87. Silver continued to outperform gold, with the number of ounces of silver needed to buy an ounce of gold slipping to a one-year low at around 59. (Graphic: link.reuters.com/hun72k)
Platinum, buoyed by strength in gold, hit a 4-1/2 month high at $1,699 an ounce and was trading up 1.6 percent at $1,691.50, while palladium rose 3.2 percent to $575.50.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67F05920101005
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Good Article
Super-rich investors buy gold by ton
By Laura MacInnis
GENEVA Mon Oct 4, 2010 1:13pm EDT
(Reuters) - The world's wealthiest people have responded to economic worries by buying gold by the bar -- and sometimes by the ton -- and by moving assets out of the financial system, bankers catering to the very rich said on Monday.
Fears of a double-dip downturn have boosted the appetite for physical bullion as well as for mining company shares and exchange-traded funds, UBS executive Josef Stadler told the Reuters Global Private Banking Summit.
"They don't only buy ETFs or futures; they buy physical gold," said Stadler, who runs the Swiss bank's services for clients with assets of at least $50 million to invest.
UBS is recommending top-tier clients hold 7-10 percent of their assets in precious metals like gold, which is on course for its tenth consecutive yearly gain and traded at around $1,314.50 an ounce on Monday, near the record level reached last week.
"We had a clear example of a couple buying over a ton of gold ... and carrying it to another place," Stadler said. At today's prices, that shipment would be worth about $42 million.
Julius Baer's chief investment officer for Asia is also recommending that wealthy investors park some of their assets in gold as a defensive stance following a string of lackluster U.S. data and amid concerns about currency weakness.
"I see gold as an insurance," Van Anantha-Nageswaran said. "I recommend 10 percent as minimum in portfolios and anything more than that to be used for trading purposes, to respond to short-term over-bought or over-sold signals."
ULTIMATE BUBBLE?
Billionaire financier George Soros, echoing comments from investment guru Warren Buffett, last month described gold as the "ultimate bubble" because it is costly to dig up and has no real value except its market price.
But a rising price for the precious metal has in itself generated more and more demand from investors looking for a way to hedge against a fresh recession. Gold bears no yield and is uncompetitive in an environment of rising interest rates.
The uneasy outlook for inflation, hard currencies and global growth has triggered a five-fold increase in a physical gold fund launched by Pictet one year ago, the Swiss private bank said.
UBS's Stadler said the precious metal has become a staple of investors' portfolios, despite questions about whether it makes for a smart long-term investment.
"If you talk to ultra-high net worth individuals, that level of uncertainty has never been higher in the last two, three, four years," he said. "If they ask me, 'Is inflation going up or are we entering a deflationary cycle?,' I don't know. But obviously nobody knows."
Anthony DeChellis, managing director of Credit Suisse's Americas private banking unit, said at the Reuters summit in New York that clients are more interested in capitalizing on the rise in gold prices than using the precious metal as a safe-harbor investment.
"They're asking, 'If it's a bubble, how far can I ride that bubble,'" he said. "I cannot say we've seen a spike in gold interest, but there's an interest in the phenomenon of it."
Full Article Here: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6932NR20101004?pageNumber=1
By Laura MacInnis
GENEVA Mon Oct 4, 2010 1:13pm EDT
(Reuters) - The world's wealthiest people have responded to economic worries by buying gold by the bar -- and sometimes by the ton -- and by moving assets out of the financial system, bankers catering to the very rich said on Monday.
Fears of a double-dip downturn have boosted the appetite for physical bullion as well as for mining company shares and exchange-traded funds, UBS executive Josef Stadler told the Reuters Global Private Banking Summit.
"They don't only buy ETFs or futures; they buy physical gold," said Stadler, who runs the Swiss bank's services for clients with assets of at least $50 million to invest.
UBS is recommending top-tier clients hold 7-10 percent of their assets in precious metals like gold, which is on course for its tenth consecutive yearly gain and traded at around $1,314.50 an ounce on Monday, near the record level reached last week.
"We had a clear example of a couple buying over a ton of gold ... and carrying it to another place," Stadler said. At today's prices, that shipment would be worth about $42 million.
Julius Baer's chief investment officer for Asia is also recommending that wealthy investors park some of their assets in gold as a defensive stance following a string of lackluster U.S. data and amid concerns about currency weakness.
"I see gold as an insurance," Van Anantha-Nageswaran said. "I recommend 10 percent as minimum in portfolios and anything more than that to be used for trading purposes, to respond to short-term over-bought or over-sold signals."
ULTIMATE BUBBLE?
Billionaire financier George Soros, echoing comments from investment guru Warren Buffett, last month described gold as the "ultimate bubble" because it is costly to dig up and has no real value except its market price.
But a rising price for the precious metal has in itself generated more and more demand from investors looking for a way to hedge against a fresh recession. Gold bears no yield and is uncompetitive in an environment of rising interest rates.
The uneasy outlook for inflation, hard currencies and global growth has triggered a five-fold increase in a physical gold fund launched by Pictet one year ago, the Swiss private bank said.
UBS's Stadler said the precious metal has become a staple of investors' portfolios, despite questions about whether it makes for a smart long-term investment.
"If you talk to ultra-high net worth individuals, that level of uncertainty has never been higher in the last two, three, four years," he said. "If they ask me, 'Is inflation going up or are we entering a deflationary cycle?,' I don't know. But obviously nobody knows."
Anthony DeChellis, managing director of Credit Suisse's Americas private banking unit, said at the Reuters summit in New York that clients are more interested in capitalizing on the rise in gold prices than using the precious metal as a safe-harbor investment.
"They're asking, 'If it's a bubble, how far can I ride that bubble,'" he said. "I cannot say we've seen a spike in gold interest, but there's an interest in the phenomenon of it."
Full Article Here: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6932NR20101004?pageNumber=1
Taxed Enough Already
This is where the progressives running our government want to take America. Your last chance to stop it may well be in November. Please vote!
Subject: Current European Tax Rates
(our friends in Italy report that their's is around
65%...which includes ‘income tax’ and
‘Value Added Tax' = VAT )
Current European Tax Rates:
United Kingdom
Income Tax: 50%
VAT: 17.5% TOTAL: 67.5%
France
Income Tax: 40%
VAT: 19.6% TOTAL: 59.6%
Greece
Income Tax: 40%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 65%
Spain
Income Tax: 45%
VAT: 16% TOTAL: 61%
Portugal
Income Tax: 42%
VAT: 20% TOTAL: 62%
Sweden
Income Tax: 55%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 80%
Norway
Income Tax: 54.3%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 79.3%
Netherlands
Income Tax: 52%
VAT: 19% TOTAL: 71%
Denmark
Income Tax: 58%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 83%
Finland
Income Tax: 53%
VAT: 22% TOTAL: 75%
If you've started to wonder what the real costs of socialism are going to be,
once the full program in the United States is in place, take a look at the
table. As you digest these mind-boggling figures, keep in mind that, in spite
of these astronomical tax rates, these countries are still not financing their
social welfare programs exclusively from tax revenues! They are deeply mired in
public debt of gargantuan proportions. Greece has reached the point where its
debt is so huge it is in imminent danger of defaulting. That is the reason the
European economic community has intervened to bail them out. If you're
following the financial news, you know Spain and Portugal are right behind
Greece .
The United States is now heading down the same path. The VAT tax in the table
is the national sales tax that Europeans pay. Stay tuned because that is
exactly what you can expect to see this administration proposing after the fall
elections. Theinitial percentage in the United States isnt going to be anywhere
near the outrageous numbers you now see in Europe . The current outrageous
numbers in Europe didnt start out as outrageous either. They started out as
miniscule-right around the 1% or 2% --where they will start out in the United
States .
It is the notion here that with hard work and perseverance, anybody can get
ahead economically. Do you think that can ever happen with tax rates between
60% and 80%? With the government taking that percentage of your money, your
life will be exactly like life in Europe . You will never be able to buy a
home. You will never buy a car. You will never send your children to college.
Lets not shuffle the battle cry of the socialists under the rug either. Its
always the same cry. Equalize income. Spread the wealth to the poor (whoever
they are). Level the economic playing field. Accomplish that and everything
will be rosy.
Its time to take a really hard look at reality. Greece is a perfect example.
Despite the socialism system that has ruled that country for decades, with a 65%
tax rate, they are drowning in public debt, would have defaulted without
hundreds of billions in bailout money, and still. . .20% of their population
lives in poverty. What has all that socialism money bought, besides ultimate
power for the politicians running the show? Do you think these people are
"free"? They are slaves to their economic "system."
Hopefully, something will be done about this soon - - please vote in
November!!!!
Subject: Current European Tax Rates
(our friends in Italy report that their's is around
65%...which includes ‘income tax’ and
‘Value Added Tax' = VAT )
Current European Tax Rates:
United Kingdom
Income Tax: 50%
VAT: 17.5% TOTAL: 67.5%
France
Income Tax: 40%
VAT: 19.6% TOTAL: 59.6%
Greece
Income Tax: 40%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 65%
Spain
Income Tax: 45%
VAT: 16% TOTAL: 61%
Portugal
Income Tax: 42%
VAT: 20% TOTAL: 62%
Sweden
Income Tax: 55%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 80%
Norway
Income Tax: 54.3%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 79.3%
Netherlands
Income Tax: 52%
VAT: 19% TOTAL: 71%
Denmark
Income Tax: 58%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 83%
Finland
Income Tax: 53%
VAT: 22% TOTAL: 75%
If you've started to wonder what the real costs of socialism are going to be,
once the full program in the United States is in place, take a look at the
table. As you digest these mind-boggling figures, keep in mind that, in spite
of these astronomical tax rates, these countries are still not financing their
social welfare programs exclusively from tax revenues! They are deeply mired in
public debt of gargantuan proportions. Greece has reached the point where its
debt is so huge it is in imminent danger of defaulting. That is the reason the
European economic community has intervened to bail them out. If you're
following the financial news, you know Spain and Portugal are right behind
Greece .
The United States is now heading down the same path. The VAT tax in the table
is the national sales tax that Europeans pay. Stay tuned because that is
exactly what you can expect to see this administration proposing after the fall
elections. Theinitial percentage in the United States isnt going to be anywhere
near the outrageous numbers you now see in Europe . The current outrageous
numbers in Europe didnt start out as outrageous either. They started out as
miniscule-right around the 1% or 2% --where they will start out in the United
States .
It is the notion here that with hard work and perseverance, anybody can get
ahead economically. Do you think that can ever happen with tax rates between
60% and 80%? With the government taking that percentage of your money, your
life will be exactly like life in Europe . You will never be able to buy a
home. You will never buy a car. You will never send your children to college.
Lets not shuffle the battle cry of the socialists under the rug either. Its
always the same cry. Equalize income. Spread the wealth to the poor (whoever
they are). Level the economic playing field. Accomplish that and everything
will be rosy.
Its time to take a really hard look at reality. Greece is a perfect example.
Despite the socialism system that has ruled that country for decades, with a 65%
tax rate, they are drowning in public debt, would have defaulted without
hundreds of billions in bailout money, and still. . .20% of their population
lives in poverty. What has all that socialism money bought, besides ultimate
power for the politicians running the show? Do you think these people are
"free"? They are slaves to their economic "system."
Hopefully, something will be done about this soon - - please vote in
November!!!!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Global Climate Change Nazis
‘No Pressure’: New Environmental Campaign Glorifies Eco-Fascism
by Meredith Jessup
The latest anti-global warming campaign aimed at getting people around the world to reduce their carbon footprint has backfired. Big time.
The people behind the “10:10″ campaign, a movement encouraging people to reduce their carbon consumption by 10 percent in 2010, have been forced to pull their controversial new advertisement from the internet after widespread public outcry. The gruesome 4-minute ad depicts global warming skeptics being literally blown to pieces after their tree-hugging friends insist they’re under “no pressure” to modify their carbon consumption.
While the video’s message may have backfired, many point out that it gives a scary glimpse into the mind of today’s global warming alarmists. With its “No Pressure” campaign, writes the UK’s Telegraph, “the environmental movement has revealed the snarling, wicked, homicidal misanthropy beneath its cloak of gentle, bunny-hugging righteousness.”
For more on the environmentalists’ use of disturbing public service announcements, check out Ed Driscoll’s blog where he looks at some other famous examples of “eco-insanity.” (h/t Zombie)
From: TheBlaze.com
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/no-pressure-new-environmental-campaign-glorifies-eco-fascism/
by Meredith Jessup
The latest anti-global warming campaign aimed at getting people around the world to reduce their carbon footprint has backfired. Big time.
The people behind the “10:10″ campaign, a movement encouraging people to reduce their carbon consumption by 10 percent in 2010, have been forced to pull their controversial new advertisement from the internet after widespread public outcry. The gruesome 4-minute ad depicts global warming skeptics being literally blown to pieces after their tree-hugging friends insist they’re under “no pressure” to modify their carbon consumption.
While the video’s message may have backfired, many point out that it gives a scary glimpse into the mind of today’s global warming alarmists. With its “No Pressure” campaign, writes the UK’s Telegraph, “the environmental movement has revealed the snarling, wicked, homicidal misanthropy beneath its cloak of gentle, bunny-hugging righteousness.”
For more on the environmentalists’ use of disturbing public service announcements, check out Ed Driscoll’s blog where he looks at some other famous examples of “eco-insanity.” (h/t Zombie)
From: TheBlaze.com
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/no-pressure-new-environmental-campaign-glorifies-eco-fascism/
You Know What Day It Is
by Meredith Jessup
Last week, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took his plans for education reform to the Oprah show to unveil a new public/private venture in the Newark school district. This week, the governor is taking his case to the state level, introducing a number of tough-love reforms aimed at improving classroom achievement in the Garden State.
On Tuesday, Gov. Christie announced new plans to tie classroom achievement to pay increases and career advancement for teachers, redefining the standards for teacher performance and moving away from a seniority- or tenure-based system. In its place, Christie hopes to implement a more top-to-bottom overhaul of New Jersey classrooms.
“We cannot wait. Your children are sitting in these classrooms today. We cannot wait to make it better,” Christie told the local CBS affiliate’s Marcia Kramer.
Unqualified teachers will feel the lash. The governor is demanding that teachers in kindergarten through fifth grade actually pass tests in reading and math in order to be certified.
“It might lead to the firing of teachers and principals who hurt our children,” Christie said.
Christie’s planned reforms include prohibiting salary scales based on seniority and awarding tenure and pay raises based on classroom performance.
“We are paying a fortune for something that is not giving our children the hope and the feeling that their tomorrow can be better than their future,” Christie said.
While a number of educational experts applauded the governor’s actions, a spokesman for the NJ Education Association condemned the plan, claiming Christie was “trying to implement education reform without any input from educators.”
“He is with excellence in education for everyone by prioritizing teachers — their brilliance, their art and their skills. We will dramatically improve the quality of education of our kids in New Jersey, particularly those most in need,” said Derrell Bradford, director of Excellent Education for Everyone.
From The Blaze: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/gov-christies-we-cannot-wait-to-reform-education/
Last week, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took his plans for education reform to the Oprah show to unveil a new public/private venture in the Newark school district. This week, the governor is taking his case to the state level, introducing a number of tough-love reforms aimed at improving classroom achievement in the Garden State.
On Tuesday, Gov. Christie announced new plans to tie classroom achievement to pay increases and career advancement for teachers, redefining the standards for teacher performance and moving away from a seniority- or tenure-based system. In its place, Christie hopes to implement a more top-to-bottom overhaul of New Jersey classrooms.
“We cannot wait. Your children are sitting in these classrooms today. We cannot wait to make it better,” Christie told the local CBS affiliate’s Marcia Kramer.
Unqualified teachers will feel the lash. The governor is demanding that teachers in kindergarten through fifth grade actually pass tests in reading and math in order to be certified.
“It might lead to the firing of teachers and principals who hurt our children,” Christie said.
Christie’s planned reforms include prohibiting salary scales based on seniority and awarding tenure and pay raises based on classroom performance.
“We are paying a fortune for something that is not giving our children the hope and the feeling that their tomorrow can be better than their future,” Christie said.
While a number of educational experts applauded the governor’s actions, a spokesman for the NJ Education Association condemned the plan, claiming Christie was “trying to implement education reform without any input from educators.”
“He is with excellence in education for everyone by prioritizing teachers — their brilliance, their art and their skills. We will dramatically improve the quality of education of our kids in New Jersey, particularly those most in need,” said Derrell Bradford, director of Excellent Education for Everyone.
From The Blaze: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/gov-christies-we-cannot-wait-to-reform-education/
Monday, September 27, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
No Freedom of Speech in America
Do we have freedom of speech in America? Do we have a right to peaceably assemble? You be the judge.
What would you do in a situation like this? A word of advice: Think about it now!!!
So what would you do? Stand there and watch? Some did.
Make a joke of it? Some did that to.
Or would you do something like this when you witness an abuse of power?
The answer is yours.
We have to take into account that the above is only a 10 minute or so clip and without knowing the whole facts it is hard to make a sound judgement. But we also have to take into account that some people in a position of power abuse that power, to the extremes, and what are we to do under such circumstances? Power corrupts and absolute power . . .
There may come a time in this country when we are going to need our best police officers on the side of the american citizens, on the side of common sense, and on the side of the Constitution and not on the side of whatever bogus law can be conjured up. Let us remember that slavery was once "Legal" in this country. Did that make it right? Once in this country, by "law" if a slave escaped up north you had to return them if asked, where they would be beaten, or killed upon your compliance of the "law". Does that make it right?
Please go and check out the organization below and their TEN ORDERS WE WILL NOT OBEY. Number 10 states: We will NOT obey any orders which infringe on the right of the people to free speech, to peaceably assemble, and to petition their government for a redress of grievances.
There would have been no American Revolution without fiery speakers and writers such as James Otis, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, and Sam Adams “setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.”
Tell your cop friends to go and check them out and have them sign that oath if they think it worthy.
http://oathkeepers.org/oath/
http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2009/03/03/declaration-of-orders-we-will-not-obey/
Also from their website: Tyrants know that the pen of a man such as Thomas Paine can cause them more damage than entire armies, and thus they always seek to suppress the natural rights of speech, association, and assembly. Without freedom of speech, the people will have no recourse but to arms. Without freedom of speech and conscience, there is no freedom.
Therefore, we will not obey or support any orders to suppress or violate the right of the people to speak, associate, worship, assemble, communicate, or petition government for the redress of grievances.
What would you do in a situation like this? A word of advice: Think about it now!!!
So what would you do? Stand there and watch? Some did.
Make a joke of it? Some did that to.
Or would you do something like this when you witness an abuse of power?
The answer is yours.
We have to take into account that the above is only a 10 minute or so clip and without knowing the whole facts it is hard to make a sound judgement. But we also have to take into account that some people in a position of power abuse that power, to the extremes, and what are we to do under such circumstances? Power corrupts and absolute power . . .
There may come a time in this country when we are going to need our best police officers on the side of the american citizens, on the side of common sense, and on the side of the Constitution and not on the side of whatever bogus law can be conjured up. Let us remember that slavery was once "Legal" in this country. Did that make it right? Once in this country, by "law" if a slave escaped up north you had to return them if asked, where they would be beaten, or killed upon your compliance of the "law". Does that make it right?
Please go and check out the organization below and their TEN ORDERS WE WILL NOT OBEY. Number 10 states: We will NOT obey any orders which infringe on the right of the people to free speech, to peaceably assemble, and to petition their government for a redress of grievances.
There would have been no American Revolution without fiery speakers and writers such as James Otis, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, and Sam Adams “setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.”
Tell your cop friends to go and check them out and have them sign that oath if they think it worthy.
http://oathkeepers.org/oath/
http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2009/03/03/declaration-of-orders-we-will-not-obey/
Also from their website: Tyrants know that the pen of a man such as Thomas Paine can cause them more damage than entire armies, and thus they always seek to suppress the natural rights of speech, association, and assembly. Without freedom of speech, the people will have no recourse but to arms. Without freedom of speech and conscience, there is no freedom.
Therefore, we will not obey or support any orders to suppress or violate the right of the people to speak, associate, worship, assemble, communicate, or petition government for the redress of grievances.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Happy Anniversary
WE THE PEOPLE:
On this day, September 17, 1787 the Constitution of the United States was signed by thirty-nine brave patriots.
On this day, September 17, 1787 the Constitution of the United States was signed by thirty-nine brave patriots.
The U. S. Constitution is the oldest constitution still in active use in the world today and is the oldest Federal constitution in existence. Let us once again start to read it and study it so we have a better understanding of the Miracle that took place through that hot summer in Philadelphia 1787.
"On every question of construction, let us carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text, or invented against it, conform to the probable one in which it was passed." Thomas Jefferson
"The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon." George Washington
"Governments, in general, have been the result of force, of fraud, and accident. After a period of six thousand years has elapsed since the creation, the United States exhibit to the world the first instance, as far as we can learn, of a nation, unattacked by external force, unconvulsed by domestic insurrections, assembling voluntarily, deliberating fully, and deciding calmly concerning that system of government under which they would wish that they and their posterity should live." James Wilson
"I have so much faith in the general government of the world by Providence that I can hardly conceive a transaction of such momentous importance as the framing of the Constitution. . . should be suffered to pass without being in some degree influenced, guided, and governed by that omnipotent, omnipresent, and beneficent Ruler in whom all inferior spirits live and move and have their being." Benjamin Franklin
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Anti-Tax Protesters Put On List Of Terror Threats
Lawsuit planned after protesters put on terror list
By Andrew Conte, Mike Wereschagin and Brad Bumsted
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
An activist who believes he was improperly included on a state terror threat list said this morning he is preparing a federal lawsuit.
"When people's civil rights are trampled it's a federal issue," said Gene Stilp of Harrisburg, who holds a Virginia law license but does not practice as an attorney.
Gov. Ed Rendell, speaking Downtown this morning, said he does not believe activists' Constitutional rights were violated.
The statement was a reversal from what he said yesterday. Asked in Harrisburg on Tuesday whether monitoring activists was "tantamount to trampling" on their Constitutional rights, he said: "I would say so."
Rendell said he is "deeply embarrassed" by the disclosure that state Homeland Security officials included information about protesters on what was supposed to be a list of possible terrorist threats.
"Being embarrassed doesn't cut it," Stilp said.
The list, which included information on public hearings that opponents of Marcellus gas drilling might attend, was sent to drilling companies.
Stilp said he believes he was among those monitored, based on Rendell's comment that a 25-foot inflatable "pink pig" Stilp takes to rallies was included in the monitoring.
"The pig! They were after the pig," Rendell said Tuesday. "That pig is what makes Harrisburg a very special place."
Stilp owns the pig and frequently displays it at the Capitol at protests over what he sees as government excesses.
Stilp said an outside investigation is warranted, by the attorney general or federal authorities.
The state paid a Philadelphia-based nonprofit $125,000 to compile the list as part of the state Homeland Security's federally mandated mission to protect public infrastructure.
The list included a Washington County meeting that Rendell attended to discuss Marcellus shale gas drilling, a screening of a documentary on the industry, a rally supporting Rendell's education budget and anti-tax protesters who took an inflatable pig to Harrisburg.
Homeland Security officials distributed the list in a security bulletin to government and law enforcement officials — including Pittsburgh City Council members — as well as universities and gas drilling companies.
City Councilman Doug Shields said he was "flabbergasted" about the bulletin he received by e-mail last week.
"The governor was outraged. I'm outraged. I'm glad this was put an end to, but we will be seeking answers. ... There will be requests of information from the state government for an explanation of who these people are, who made the decision to essentially engage in espionage and who is behind it."
Shields said he wants to see the financial statements of York-based Institute Of Terrorism Research And Response, a registered nonprofit, according to state records.
"Am I on a list somwehere? Am I on someone's dossier?" Shields said.
"If there's a list I hope we're all on it," said Councilwoman Theresa Smith.
Rendell said he "should have been notified" about the contract, but that it didn't warrant firing Homeland Security director James Powers. It was a "cumulative responsibility" and it would do no good to "make him a scapegoat," Rendell said.
The state will not renew its one-year contract with the Institute of Terrorism Research and Response when it expires in October, Rendell said.
The nonprofit, which has offices in Washington and Jerusalem, provides "actionable intelligence briefings" and "threat and hazard monitoring," among other services, according to its website.
"We maintain confidentiality with our clients, and we respect that confidentiality," said Mike Perelman, co-director of the institute.
The gas industry has to know of physical threats to its workers and equipment, but it supports people's right to discuss the issues, said Kathryn Klaber, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry trade group in Cecil.
"Where we have to be vigilant, I believe, is ... if infrastructure is being targeted and the safety of employees and the communities we operate in are at risk," Klaber said.
Drilling industry opponents said they pose no danger. Barbara Pribila, 45, a founder of the anti-drilling Lincoln Place Action Group, said she never considered herself a rebel — and certainly not a threat to homeland security.
"I thought this was a free country and I was allowed to have my own opinion," Pribila said. "Now what, you're going to watch me and every move I make? That's not right."
By Andrew Conte, Mike Wereschagin and Brad Bumsted
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
An activist who believes he was improperly included on a state terror threat list said this morning he is preparing a federal lawsuit.
"When people's civil rights are trampled it's a federal issue," said Gene Stilp of Harrisburg, who holds a Virginia law license but does not practice as an attorney.
Gov. Ed Rendell, speaking Downtown this morning, said he does not believe activists' Constitutional rights were violated.
The statement was a reversal from what he said yesterday. Asked in Harrisburg on Tuesday whether monitoring activists was "tantamount to trampling" on their Constitutional rights, he said: "I would say so."
Rendell said he is "deeply embarrassed" by the disclosure that state Homeland Security officials included information about protesters on what was supposed to be a list of possible terrorist threats.
"Being embarrassed doesn't cut it," Stilp said.
The list, which included information on public hearings that opponents of Marcellus gas drilling might attend, was sent to drilling companies.
Stilp said he believes he was among those monitored, based on Rendell's comment that a 25-foot inflatable "pink pig" Stilp takes to rallies was included in the monitoring.
"The pig! They were after the pig," Rendell said Tuesday. "That pig is what makes Harrisburg a very special place."
Stilp owns the pig and frequently displays it at the Capitol at protests over what he sees as government excesses.
Stilp said an outside investigation is warranted, by the attorney general or federal authorities.
The state paid a Philadelphia-based nonprofit $125,000 to compile the list as part of the state Homeland Security's federally mandated mission to protect public infrastructure.
The list included a Washington County meeting that Rendell attended to discuss Marcellus shale gas drilling, a screening of a documentary on the industry, a rally supporting Rendell's education budget and anti-tax protesters who took an inflatable pig to Harrisburg.
Homeland Security officials distributed the list in a security bulletin to government and law enforcement officials — including Pittsburgh City Council members — as well as universities and gas drilling companies.
City Councilman Doug Shields said he was "flabbergasted" about the bulletin he received by e-mail last week.
"The governor was outraged. I'm outraged. I'm glad this was put an end to, but we will be seeking answers. ... There will be requests of information from the state government for an explanation of who these people are, who made the decision to essentially engage in espionage and who is behind it."
Shields said he wants to see the financial statements of York-based Institute Of Terrorism Research And Response, a registered nonprofit, according to state records.
"Am I on a list somwehere? Am I on someone's dossier?" Shields said.
"If there's a list I hope we're all on it," said Councilwoman Theresa Smith.
Rendell said he "should have been notified" about the contract, but that it didn't warrant firing Homeland Security director James Powers. It was a "cumulative responsibility" and it would do no good to "make him a scapegoat," Rendell said.
The state will not renew its one-year contract with the Institute of Terrorism Research and Response when it expires in October, Rendell said.
The nonprofit, which has offices in Washington and Jerusalem, provides "actionable intelligence briefings" and "threat and hazard monitoring," among other services, according to its website.
"We maintain confidentiality with our clients, and we respect that confidentiality," said Mike Perelman, co-director of the institute.
The gas industry has to know of physical threats to its workers and equipment, but it supports people's right to discuss the issues, said Kathryn Klaber, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, an industry trade group in Cecil.
"Where we have to be vigilant, I believe, is ... if infrastructure is being targeted and the safety of employees and the communities we operate in are at risk," Klaber said.
Drilling industry opponents said they pose no danger. Barbara Pribila, 45, a founder of the anti-drilling Lincoln Place Action Group, said she never considered herself a rebel — and certainly not a threat to homeland security.
"I thought this was a free country and I was allowed to have my own opinion," Pribila said. "Now what, you're going to watch me and every move I make? That's not right."
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Just In Case You Were Wondering
I have often heard people quoting the Declaration of Independence and both inalienable and unalienable have been used. So just in case you were wondering, as I was, which one is the correct one, here is your answer.
The question is often asked, "Is the word in the Declaration of Independence unalienable or is it inalienable?"
The final version of the Declaration uses the word "unalienable." Some earlier drafts used the word "inalienable," which is the term our modern dictionaries prefer. The two words mean precisely the same thing.
According to The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style from Houghton Mifflin Company:
The unalienable rights that are mentioned in the Declaration of Independence could just as well have been inalienable, which means the same thing. Inalienable or unalienable refers to that which cannot be given away or taken away.
Here is a listing of known versions of the Declaration, showing which word is used:
The Declaration on parchment, now in the Department of State: unalienable
The Declaration as written out in the corrected Journal: unalienable
The Declaration as printed by Dunlap under the order of Congress: unalienable
The draft of the Declaration in the handwriting of Jefferson now in The American Philosophical Society, in Philadelphia: inalienable
The Declaration in the handwriting of Jefferson now in the New York Public Library: inalienable
The draft of the Declaration in the handwriting of Jefferson now in the Massachusetts Historical Society, in Boston: inalienable
The copy in the handwriting of John Adams of the "Rough draught" of the Declaration, now at the Massachusetts Historical Society: unalienable
In a footnote in "The Declaration of Independence: A Study in the History of Political Ideas" by Carl Lotus Becker, published 1922, we learn:
The Rough Draft reads "[inherent &] inalienable." There is no indication that Congress changed "inalienable" to "unalienable"; but the latter form appears in the text in the rough Journal, in the corrected Journal, and in the parchment copy. John Adams, in making his copy of the Rough Draft, wrote " unalienable." Adams was one of the committee which supervised the printing of the text adopted by Congress, and it may have been at his suggestion that the change was made in printing. "Unalienable" may have been the more customary form in the eighteenth century.
http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/unalienable.htm
The question is often asked, "Is the word in the Declaration of Independence unalienable or is it inalienable?"
The final version of the Declaration uses the word "unalienable." Some earlier drafts used the word "inalienable," which is the term our modern dictionaries prefer. The two words mean precisely the same thing.
According to The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style from Houghton Mifflin Company:
The unalienable rights that are mentioned in the Declaration of Independence could just as well have been inalienable, which means the same thing. Inalienable or unalienable refers to that which cannot be given away or taken away.
Here is a listing of known versions of the Declaration, showing which word is used:
The Declaration on parchment, now in the Department of State: unalienable
The Declaration as written out in the corrected Journal: unalienable
The Declaration as printed by Dunlap under the order of Congress: unalienable
The draft of the Declaration in the handwriting of Jefferson now in The American Philosophical Society, in Philadelphia: inalienable
The Declaration in the handwriting of Jefferson now in the New York Public Library: inalienable
The draft of the Declaration in the handwriting of Jefferson now in the Massachusetts Historical Society, in Boston: inalienable
The copy in the handwriting of John Adams of the "Rough draught" of the Declaration, now at the Massachusetts Historical Society: unalienable
In a footnote in "The Declaration of Independence: A Study in the History of Political Ideas" by Carl Lotus Becker, published 1922, we learn:
The Rough Draft reads "[inherent &] inalienable." There is no indication that Congress changed "inalienable" to "unalienable"; but the latter form appears in the text in the rough Journal, in the corrected Journal, and in the parchment copy. John Adams, in making his copy of the Rough Draft, wrote " unalienable." Adams was one of the committee which supervised the printing of the text adopted by Congress, and it may have been at his suggestion that the change was made in printing. "Unalienable" may have been the more customary form in the eighteenth century.
http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/unalienable.htm
Monday, September 13, 2010
I believe It, Do You?
So not only are we going to have U.S. trained Mexican drug dealers fighting our border agents with U.S. weapons that we have supplied to Mexico but now we are going to sell arms to Saudi Arabia? Someone tell me I forget: How many 9/11 hijackers were Saudis? And this deal comes right after 9/11? Doesn't make sense to me. I am no nut job conspiracy theorist but this stinks!!!
All in the name of saving jobs. This president is unreal. Call you Congressmen and tell them to vote this down today!!!!
U.S. preparing massive arms deal for Saudi Arabia, defense official says
By Barbara Starr,
CNN Pentagon Correspondent
Washington ((CNN) -- The Obama administration is preparing to notify Congress of plans to sell $60 billion of military equipment to Saudi Arabia, according to a U.S. defense official.
The official, who would not be identified because the proposal has not yet been sent to Congress, described the deal as "enormous."
"We believe this is the largest of its kind in history," the official said.
Congress would have to approve the deal.
The proposed package includes 84 newly manufactured F-15/SA fighter aircraft; 70 upgraded aircraft, 70 Apache helicopters, 72 Black Hawk helicopters, and 36 AH-6 Little Bird helicopters. A number of bombs and missiles also are in the deal, including the Joint Direct Attack Munition, a satellite-guided bomb, as well as a laser-guided Hellfire missile variant and some advanced targeting technology.
The Saudi arms effort is in large part directed at providing a modernized capability against Iran.
"This gives them a whole host of defensive and deterrent capabilities," the official explained.
The official emphasized that nothing in the sale would change the qualitative edge that Israel seeks to maintain. A point reiterated by State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley.
"Suffice it to say that at the core of our policy is making sure that, you know, there is stability in the region and part of that stability is making sure that Israel has what it needs ... to be able to provide for its own security," Crowley said Monday. "So the United States would do nothing that would upset that -- the current ... balance in the region."
The Obama administration hopes to send the proposed package to Capitol Hill no later than next week. The official emphasized it's not clear yet whether the Saudis would follow through to buy all of the weapons and aircraft in the package because they are continuing to evaluate their own financial concerns.
Boeing Corp. has told the administration that if the entire package is sold, 77,000 company jobs would be "involved," but there was no calculation on how many new jobs might be created over the five- to 10-year period of potential delivery, according to the official.
The official also indicated the United States is discussing with the Saudi government additional sales of a ballistic missile defense system and more modern warships.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/09/13/us.saudi.arms.deal/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29
All in the name of saving jobs. This president is unreal. Call you Congressmen and tell them to vote this down today!!!!
U.S. preparing massive arms deal for Saudi Arabia, defense official says
By Barbara Starr,
CNN Pentagon Correspondent
Washington ((CNN) -- The Obama administration is preparing to notify Congress of plans to sell $60 billion of military equipment to Saudi Arabia, according to a U.S. defense official.
The official, who would not be identified because the proposal has not yet been sent to Congress, described the deal as "enormous."
"We believe this is the largest of its kind in history," the official said.
Congress would have to approve the deal.
The proposed package includes 84 newly manufactured F-15/SA fighter aircraft; 70 upgraded aircraft, 70 Apache helicopters, 72 Black Hawk helicopters, and 36 AH-6 Little Bird helicopters. A number of bombs and missiles also are in the deal, including the Joint Direct Attack Munition, a satellite-guided bomb, as well as a laser-guided Hellfire missile variant and some advanced targeting technology.
The Saudi arms effort is in large part directed at providing a modernized capability against Iran.
"This gives them a whole host of defensive and deterrent capabilities," the official explained.
The official emphasized that nothing in the sale would change the qualitative edge that Israel seeks to maintain. A point reiterated by State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley.
"Suffice it to say that at the core of our policy is making sure that, you know, there is stability in the region and part of that stability is making sure that Israel has what it needs ... to be able to provide for its own security," Crowley said Monday. "So the United States would do nothing that would upset that -- the current ... balance in the region."
The Obama administration hopes to send the proposed package to Capitol Hill no later than next week. The official emphasized it's not clear yet whether the Saudis would follow through to buy all of the weapons and aircraft in the package because they are continuing to evaluate their own financial concerns.
Boeing Corp. has told the administration that if the entire package is sold, 77,000 company jobs would be "involved," but there was no calculation on how many new jobs might be created over the five- to 10-year period of potential delivery, according to the official.
The official also indicated the United States is discussing with the Saudi government additional sales of a ballistic missile defense system and more modern warships.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/09/13/us.saudi.arms.deal/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Finally Someone Besides Me Said It
Facebook users 'are insecure, narcissistic and have low self-esteem'
Using Facebook is the online equivalent of staring at yourself in the mirror, according to a study.
Those who spent more time updating their profile on the social networking site were more likely to be narcissists, said researchers.
Facebook provides an ideal setting for narcissists to monitor their appearance and how many ‘friends’ they have, the study said, as it allows them to thrive on ‘shallow’relationships while avoiding genuine warmth and empathy.
The findings, published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behaviour And Social Networking, also suggested that those with low self-esteem also checked their Facebook pages more regularly than normal.
This may not be altogether surprising as it is widely thought, however contradictory it may appear, that narcissism is linked to a deep-rooted lack of self-esteem.
Read More: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1310230/Facebook-users-narcissistic-insecure-low-self-esteem.html
Using Facebook is the online equivalent of staring at yourself in the mirror, according to a study.
Those who spent more time updating their profile on the social networking site were more likely to be narcissists, said researchers.
Facebook provides an ideal setting for narcissists to monitor their appearance and how many ‘friends’ they have, the study said, as it allows them to thrive on ‘shallow’relationships while avoiding genuine warmth and empathy.
The findings, published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behaviour And Social Networking, also suggested that those with low self-esteem also checked their Facebook pages more regularly than normal.
This may not be altogether surprising as it is widely thought, however contradictory it may appear, that narcissism is linked to a deep-rooted lack of self-esteem.
Read More: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1310230/Facebook-users-narcissistic-insecure-low-self-esteem.html
Monday, September 6, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
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