Uncategorized

Medical Marijuana In New Jersey

New Jersey is poised to approve the use of medical marijuana, making it the 14th State in the nation to approve marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Having grown up in New Jersey, I have to say I’m surprised that it happened there.  But they are taking steps, at least for now, to see that it doesn’t get ‘out-of-control’ like it has in California, where a doctor will write you a prescription if you have a headache or have trouble sleeping and, you’ll then be allowed to grow your own. For personal use only of course.

link: New Jersey Assembly Approves Medical Marijuana |  Medical Marijuana States and Guidelines

Media, War On Terror

Churches Under Attack In Malaysia

What is God to some is Allah to others. That is unless you live in a country like Malaysia, a country that is 60% Muslim. There is a problem with reconciling the religion of peace with firebombing churches.

There was a court case over the use of the word Allah, and in printing bibles in the local language where the word God was replaced with the word Allah. Both were banned in Malaysia. Although the court came down on the side of the Christians, lifting the ban on using the name Allah and using it in their bibles, ‘many Muslims’ are fanatically intolerant of it. Nine churches have been attacked since Friday, seven of those by firebomb.

The church caters mostly to Christians from eastern Sabah and Sarawak states, who worship in the Malay language and use the word “Allah” to describe God.

Many Muslims are angry about a Dec. 31 High Court decision overturning a government ban on Roman Catholics’ using “Allah” to refer to their God in the Malay-language edition of their main newspaper, the Herald.

The ruling also applies to the ban’s broader applications such as Malay-language Bibles, 10,000 copies of which were recently seized by authorities because they translated God as Allah. The government has appealed the verdict.

That the government is appealing the verdict is way more than ‘many Muslims.’ Seems to me that religious intolerance is institutional and built-in in Malaysia.

Makes one wonder where else such radicals exist. Maybe not our Secretary of Homeland Security, but normal-thinking people might. People not infected with Political Correctness like Janet Napolitano and the Associated Press.

For the AP to characterize this as racial tensions would be like saying that Muslims are like the Klu Klux Klan. As if that is better than calling it what it really is, religious-based terrorism.

link: Church attacks in Malaysia deepen racial tension

Florida, Politics

Alex Sink Needs Help, So Here It Is

Khavari to Alex Sink: Here’s All the Help You Need to Oversee the State Board of Administration

Miami, FL Jan. 11 — Noted economist Farid Khavari, a Democratic candidate for Florida governor, has gained national attention for his plan to create a state-owned bank in Florida.

Today he responded to Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink’s recent call for additional oversight of the State Board of Administration (SBA). Sink is also a Democratic candidate for governor.

“The simplest way to eliminate dubious investing by the State Board of Administration is to shine light on every deal. Simply post all documents relating to every transaction on a website. For each deal, show who is selling it, how many other deals they have sold the SBA, what fees the seller is earning, who is buying, who approves it, how many other deals they have done with this seller, and so on, together with a summary of the amount invested and the terms.

“Now who would buy a bunch of derivatives from a company in the Cayman Islands for $650 million, where over half of the money was lost? Who would ignore pages and pages of warnings and buy junk ever again, when people could see what is going on? Thousands of ordinary people with common sense would keep an eye on the SBA for you, all for free,” Khavari said.

“I agree that Alex Sink, Bill McCollum and Charlie Crist, as the three trustees of the SBA, do need plenty of help. On their watch tens of billions of dollars were lost. The people of Florida will have to pay thousands of dollars per person in higher taxes if we can’t get the SBA back on track.” McCollum is Attorney General and a Republican candidate for governor. Crist is governor and a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate.

“In a good year, the SBA’s goal was to earn about 7.5%. Last year their goal was to lose less than 50%. Creating the Bank of the State of Florida could provide the SBA with a guaranteed 10% per year yield,” Khavari said. “This would save hundreds of millions in investment bankers’ fees alone.”

Khavari’s campaign is based on his economic plan involving the creation of one million new private sector jobs in Florida – without subsidies, reducing insurance costs by 30%, and the creation of the Bank of the State of Florida. Using ordinary fractional reserve rules, the bank would pay 6% for savings and provide 2% mortgages as well as low cost financing for state and local governments and Florida businesses, while earning billions per year for the state treasury.

Farid A. Khavari, Ph.D. is an economist and author of nine books, including Environomics. His latest book, Toward a Zero-Cost Economy, is available in stores or for free download at his website, www.khavariforgovernor.com.

Judiciary, Politics, War On Terror

Obama All Around The Edges Of The War On Terror

The President made some progress in verbalizing the war that we’re in against Islamic extremism. In his stunning (not really) speech about the panty-bomber, he had to finally admit that we are at war outside of Iraq and Afghanistan.

But, despite using the war term, he is still content on handling it as a law enforcement instead of a military issue.

He fell short by naming al-Qaeda as our enemy. In reality, the enemy is much wider than al-Qaeda. It consists 100% of Islamic extremists who bastardize the religion of Islam as an excuse to rule the world by killing non-believers. al-Qaeda is merely the tip of the spear.

If he were to get serious, he would use the M word, as in Muslim extremists, to correctly characterize our enemy. And they are not only our enemy. They are the enemy of the rest of the civilized world. We all know that not all Muslims are the enemy. But we also know that Muslim extremists are the enemy. Period.

His  Political Correctness infection projects his weakness and vulnerability in effectively prosecuting this war. The enemy is laughing at him in their caves and safe houses all over Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Nigeria, Sudan, London, Amsterdam, Madrid, Paris, Indonesia, and Dearbornistan.

To get serious, he needs to call a spade a spade. He needs to change his tactic of using the Justice Department and the civilian criminal justice system to deal with captured terrorists.

Using his Justice Department to prosecute our CIA for doing their best has, no doubt, played a part in what Obama calls the ‘systemic failure’ that led to the  attack on flight 253.  CNN described it as a ‘failed attack.’ Take off the blinders.  In fact, it was a successful attack. By the grace of God and passengers on board, what failed was the detonation of the bomb.

He was right to say that the buck stops with him. But labeling it as a systemic failure is what he must do to avoid holding anyone accountable with their job.

He could start by removing the current head of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano,  who said that the system worked perfectly. (a Brownie/Bush flashback from Katrina) Her credentials for the Cabinet position of Director of Homeland Security include representing Anita Hill in the harassment case to prevent Clarance Thomas from ascending to the Supreme Court. And becoming Arizona Attorney General in 1998, she focused on consumer protection issues and improving general law enforcement. Are we beginning to see why she was Obama’s pick for the position now? I don’t know about you, but I look at consumer protection and homeland security differently.

Obama needs to maintain Club Gitmo as the repository for the captured terrorists, under military control and within the military tribunal justice system. Those on the Left, including Obama, say that Gitmo has to be closed because it serves as a recruiting tool for the enemy. So what. Our being alive serves as a recruiting tool for the enemy, so they need to get over it. Here’s a clue, Obama ran on the platform of closing Gitmo and giving that dog squeeze the protection of our Constitution.  Two weeks ago, Northwest Airlines flight 253 was nearly incinerated. Maybe al-Qaeda didn’t get the memo? News flash: Club Gitmo wasn’t open when al-Qaeda bombed the USS Cole, or the World Trade Center (both times), or the Kobar Towers in the eighties and nineties.

Obama now admits we are at war. As our Commander In Chief, it’s  about time he grows a spine and acts like it.

Politics, Uncategorized

aSide Order

Parody: KSM sings “New York, New York”

audio LINK

Big H/T to Rush Limbaugh for making this one available on his website.

Loan Modification Program isn’t working as intended.

NYT 1/1/2010: The Obama administration’s $75 billion program has done more harm than good.

The Market Ticker 11/29/2009: Not only that, but it’s a scam.

Another potion from the carnival barker.

Wait until they get their hands on your health care.

A comet gets eaten by the sun.

Economy, Media, Politics

Shucking And Jiving In Washington

The contortions and obfuscations of facts and history as relates to this administration and its attempt to railroad health care  legislation upon all of America is laughable. Well, it would be funny if it weren’t so serious.

What’s worse is how the media gives it all a pass. Unfortunately for America, the media watchdog died last year.

Events of the last two days epitomize the shucking and jiving I’m talking about.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, for two days in a row, refused to reconcile the barring of C-SPAN from these final and all important deliberations to show the American people the openness that Obama promised when he was a candidate. Obama said on eight occasions he would use C-SPAN cameras ‘so the American people can see what the choices are.’ But Gibbs did it by saying he already answered the question and, that there has been a lot of open discussions. See the transcripts HERE. They’re out of this world.

Then there is the response of Speaker Pelosi, when asked about President Obama’s rejection of C-SPAN’s specific request and his promise to use C-SPAN while on the campaign trail and in Presidential debates. She flat-out laughed in the reporter’s, and your face. Saying ‘There are a number of things he was for on the campaign trail.’ And it gets better, or worse. She adds ‘there’s never been a more open process.’ What was impressive about that statement is that she said it with a straight face.

No doubt the administration is circling the wagons here. Betraying the public trust is not a trivial matter.  Question is, are we seeing acts of desperation, or is the Democratic leadership showing its true colors?

links: White House: We will NOT discuss broken C-Span promise | Pelosi on ObamaCare: There’s never been a more open process evah

Media, Pensacola, Politics

Today's Special, The Healthcare Legislative Coup

The greatest story never told is the letter that Brian Lamb, the founder, Chairman, and CEO of C-SPAN, sent to President Obama Dec. 30, 2009, requesting to ‘allow the public full access, through television, to legislation that will affect the lives of every single American’ via C-SPAN cameras. The subject of his request is the final stages of deliberations to propose a health care bill to send to the President.

Imagine having to request this of the President, since while he was appealing for our votes as a candidate, he said all such deliberations would be on C-SPAN for all to see. And America fell for it.

Obama pledged during a presidential debate in January 2008 that he would be ”bringing all parties together, and broadcasting those negotiations on C-SPAN so that the American people can see what the choices are.”

If the shoe were on the other foot, the media would be up in arms 24/7 calling for impeachment or some such nonsense. It would be front-page, above the fold. But since it isn’t, you have to get the news from the new media, the blogosphere.

No mention of it on CNN. MSNBC is more creative. They disguise the story by putting it at the bottom or the nut of the story. A story that has two titles, neither of which say a word about C-SPAN or Brian Lamb or transparency in the titles.

The New York Times has a small article in the dead tree version far from the front page and said this . . .

The C-SPAN television network is calling on congressional leaders to open health care talks to cameras — something President Barack Obama promised as a candidate.

Instead the most critical negotiations on Obama’s health plan have taken place behind closed doors, as Republicans repeatedly point out. In a Dec. 30 letter to House and Senate leaders released Tuesday, C-SPAN chief executive Brian Lamb asked for negotiations on a compromise bill to be opened up for public viewing, as Democrats work to reconcile differences between legislation passed by the two chambers.

None of the above media, the ones the Obama referred to as the real news media, offered the letter itself that Lamb sent if it was mentioned at all. Same with our local paper. Not enough space to print it? Not enough bandwidth to link to it? The White House wouldn’t approve if they did?

Here it is:

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi

Speaker, United States House or Representatives

The Honorable Harry Reid

Majority Leader, United States Senate

The Honorable John Boehner

Minority Leader, United States House of Representatives

The Honorable Mitch McConnell

Minority Leader, United States Senate

Dear Speaker Pelosi:

Representative Boehner:

Senator Reid:

Senator McConnell:

As your respective chambers work to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate health care bills, C-SPAN requests that you open all important negotiations, including any conference committee meetings, to electronic media coverage.

The C-SPAN networks will commit the necessary resources to covering all of these sessions LIVE and in their entirety. We will also, as we willingly do each day, provide C-SPAN’s multi-camera coverage to any interested member of the Capitol Hill broadcast pool.

Since the initial introduction of the America’s Affordable Health Care Act of 2009 in the House and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in the Senate C-SPAN has televised literally hundreds of hours of committee hearings, mark ups and floor debate on these bills for the public to see. And importantly, we have archived all of this video for future generations to study in the C-SPAN Video Archives.

President Obama, Senate and House leaders, many of your rank-and-file members, and the nation’s editorial pages have all talked about the value of transparent discussions on reforming the nation’s health care system. Now that the process moves to the critical stage of reconciliation between the Chambers, we respectfully request that you allow the public full access, through television, to legislation that will affect the lives of every single American.

We hope you will give serious consideration to this request. We are most willing to employ the latest digital technology to make the cameras, lights and microphones as unobtrusive as possible.

Please contact me if I can answer any questions.

Sincerely,

Brian Lamb

We are witness to a coup to remake America into something that, if given the chance, America would not want or vote for. And the President, the Democrat majority in Congress, and the media are so far, carrying it out successfully.

Politics

Our Open, Transparent Congress At Work

Keeping Republicans locked out of anything to do with their so-called health care reform has been the modus operandi from the beginning. Funny how definitions change from one administration to the next. Open means closed. And bi-partisan means we’ll create the legislation and you’ll vote for it.

Well, there’s that and there’s the lying about Republicans not having a plan or suggestion of their own, from the President on down the liberal chain. According to David Bender, since H.R.3400 doesn’t have a government option, then it’s not really a plan. Translation, if it isn’t socialism, then it can’t work, nor does it exist.

The latest scheme for Obamacare . . .

The Talking Points Memo website reported Monday that Democrats in both the House and Senate are saying the process will likely follow the path of the House taking up the Senate-passed legislation, amending it and sending it back to the Senate, which will have to pass it again. “This process cuts out the Republicans,” a House Democratic aide told TPM, indicating the congressional majority intended to make sure the Republican minority would “not have a motion to recommit opportunity.”

link: Democratic Leaders Plan Secret Health Reform Deliberations

Uncategorized

Global Warming Update

1 Comment

Winter Could Be Worst in 25 Years for USA…
CHILL MAP…
3 Deaths Due To Cold in Memphis…
PAPER: GAS SUPPLIES RUNNING OUT IN UK…
Vermont sets ‘all-time record for one snowstorm’…
Iowa temps ‘a solid 30 degrees below normal’…
Seoul buried in heaviest snowfall in 70 years…
Historic ice build-up shuts down NJ nuclear power plant…
Beijing — coldest in 40 years…
Miami shivers from coldest weather in decade…

Media, MRIOTD, War On Terror

John Brennan Wins M.R.I.O.T.D. Award

Guantanamo Bay, affectionately called Club Gitmo, was home for over 600 terrorists that were captured on the battlefield in Iraq, Afghanistan and a few other choice places on earth.

Over the years, around 500 of them were released to their home countries for imprisonment and/or ‘rehabilitation,’ or just plain released as no longer being a threat or of use from an intelligence standpoint. Terrorist rehabilitation recidivism rate for the so-called less dangerous hasn’t been good, which should tell the administration (including the Bush administration) that sending these people to terrorist charm school does not work. The hundred or so that remain at Club Gitmo are the worst of the worst. That’s why they’re still there.

John Brennan, adviser to the president on counter-terrorism.

Most of those that remain are from Yemen. A country so poisoned by al-Qaeda that our embassy there was just closed for security concerns. Feeling warm and fuzzy and secure now?

So where are the security concerns with sending this dog squeeze back to Yemen?

According to John Brennan, the assistant to the president for homeland security and counter-terrorism, sending them back to Yemen isn’t a problem. Today on CNN’s “State of the Union” show, he said . . .

“We are making sure that we don’t do anything that’s going to put Americans at risk,” Brennan said. {emphasis added}

Sorry, anyone with our national security in mind would conclude that sending these folks back to Yemen is doing way more than ‘anything’ to put us at risk.  Now, I don’t blame him for trying to get that trash back to where it came from. But if doing that has the potential for making us less safe, then Obama’s judgment comes to question.

Further, Brennan says the ‘unique incident’ on Northwest Airlines flight 253 from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Detroit, Michigan won’t affect the process of closing the Guantanamo facility.

That unique incident CNN described as a ‘failed attack.’ Take off the blinders.  In fact, it was a successful attack. By the grace of God and passengers on board, what failed was the detonation of the bomb.

The Lunch Counter awards John Brennan, the assistant to the president for homeland security and counter-terrorism, the Most Ridiculous Item Of The Day award. We don’t do runner-ups. But if we did, it would go to CNN.

related links:

Belly up to the counter. Politics are on the menu and Ross is on the grill.