Iran, Politics, United Nations

Iran's Nuclear Program Revisited

It wasn’t that long ago that Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was portraying the United Nation’s IAEA, and the New York Times, as confirming that Iran does not have a nuclear weapons program. Remember, it was reported to have stopped about the time we entered Iraq militarily, 2003?

It doesn’t jibe with today’s headlines on the subject.

U.N. council imposes new sanctions on defiant Iran
Iran defiant over new UN nuke sanctions
ElBaradei urges Iran to clarify atom arms allegations

In U.N, diplospeak, it’s blah blah blah blah

There were 14 votes in favor, none against and one country, Indonesia, abstained. Previous sanctions resolutions were adopted unanimously in December 2006 and March 2007, but council envoys said Monday’s message to Iran was a strong one.

That and, it depends on what the meaning of ‘strong’ is.

Iran denounced the current and previous resolutions as violations of international law and said they only harmed the 15-nation Security Council’s standing.

You can see where this is going.

Politics, Uncategorized

Governor Crist's Crime Prevention Priorities

Governor Charlie Crist has run out of money. So, as part of his proposed 2008-09 fiscal budget, Crist called for the transfer of more than $740 million from various trust funds to the state’s general revenue fund. This includes $5 million of the $7 million Crimestoppers Trust Fund in Manatee County. Both the Manatee Crimestoppers and Manatee County Sheriff are against Crist’s plans to take that funding for the state’s general revenue fund saying it ‘will hurt its ability to curb crime through anonymous informants.’

About the program in Manatee County, Steve Rowland, president of Crimestoppers in both Manatee County and statewide said this about the governor’s plans.

‘It really hurt us to see that the governor would come after our program,’ said Steve Rowland, president of Crimestoppers in both Manatee County and statewide. ‘A program that is proven to improve our safety and security by getting criminals and drugs off the street.’

Since the 1970s, Crimestoppers has provided an avenue for citizens to call in anonymous tips to law enforcement to report criminal activity, Rowland said.

Any tip that generates an arrest can lead to a reward of as much as $1,000.

Over the years, Rowland said, tips coming in through Crimestoppers have led to $44 million in drugs seized, $16 million in property recovered and 24,000 arrests.

A compelling reason not to cut the program, which is the way Crimestoppers and the sheriff portray the consequences of the governor’s request. However, the governor’s office says

taking the $5 million would still leave $2 million in the trust fund, allowing Crimestoppers to continue to operate at its current funding level.

If the governor’s response is correct, then Manatee ought to be able to continue to do well the ‘same as last year’ funding. If crime goes out of control, then maybe they need the National Guard instead. If we are to believe Sheriff Brad Steube and Crimestoppers, that it will be like removing a tool to fight crime, and will hurt their ability to fight it ‘through anonymous informants,’ then it seems the governor has his crime fighting priorities upside down.

And if this doesn’t work, how long before Governor Crist looks for more and higher taxes?

related link: Bradenton Herald

Media, Pensacola, Politics, Uncategorized

What Recession?

1 Comment

Who better to comment on the financial misdeeds of President Bush (who he affectionately calls the ‘shrub’) than Air America Radio investor and talk show host Mike Papantonio?

According to Papantonio, Bush has this economy in ‘a full-blown recession.’ Actually, he is hoping the economy goes into a recession, or at the very least convince you that the economy actually is in a full-blown recession.

Probably not as good a record as say, Air America Radio, but here are some facts about our economy that the rabid left either ignores or lies about.

Since losing 4 million jobs after the combined effects of the Clinton recession that Bush inherited, and the attacks on 9/11, and devastating hurricanes, that snake-bit president has presided over 54 months of continuous job growth, creating over 8.3 million jobs since August 2003.

Despite all the catastrophic spending the economy of this country has so-far withstood (war and hurricanes), deficit spending is below 1.5% of GDP. That’s lower than the average of the last 40 years.

In true liberal fashion, this significant bit of dishonesty with smoke and mirrors is this statement that we are in “a full-blown recession”. The lesson here is simply this. The economy is still growing. Only in liberalspeak can they both be happening at the same time.

This claim of a recession employs the flawed liberal logic that an increase is a cut. Even the left-leaning Christian Science Monitor has to admit that the economy has grown by “1.4 percent for the calendar year, whereas the economy normally posts growth of 3 percent or so.” In other words, because it did not GROW as much as it has in the past (another fact Papantonio ignores), it must be a full-blown recession.

The unemployment rate was 5 percent in December. This is below the average of each of the past four decades. Of course this must be bad news.

Real after-tax personal income per person has increased over $2,800 – or 9.6 percent – during this snake-bit administration. The truth is the poor are actually getting richer.

And, if you are happy with the price of gas and food nowadays, you can thank the environmentalist movement, and wimpy politicians who won’t stand up to them, for preventing us from using our own resources while making the problem worse with bio-fuels.

related links: Pensacola News Journal | Christian Science Monitor | The White House | Bureau of Economic Analysis

Media, Pensacola

DuPont Responds To Spelter Case

Not since last October, in the Pensacola News Journal, have you heard about the Spelter, W.Va. class action case taken by local Air America Radio Host and attorney Mike Papantonio. And that was the press release about the Levin-Papantonio firm winning a $196 million lawsuit against E.I. DuPont. It has grown since then. Just yesterday the company issued a public response to the class action lawsuit.  And the $127 million in attorneys fees.  This was somehow missed by the local paper.

Dupont’s response is summarized . . .

“The court’s decision to include biennial chest CT scans in the medical monitoring program is particularly troubling. CT scans are not recommended for such medical monitoring because the risks of harm, including risks of cancer due to radiation exposure, outweigh any benefits. This determination is supported by a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The trial evidence showed that neither the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, nor any other authoritative medical screening authority, recommends CT scans for screening asymptomatic patients. The court’s rulings, which adopt a plan that includes regular CT scans, ignore the consensus of the medical community.

“The court also erred in estimating the cost of the medical monitoring program at $130 million. Plaintiffs’ counsel presented a grossly inflated cost projection as justification for a larger award of attorneys’ fees. This estimate is based on implausible and inflated assumptions and forecasts about medical costs and participation rates for the class members. This projection overestimates the reasonable expected cost of the program by many tens of millions of dollars. DuPont‘s funding obligations will be based on the actual cost of the program, not plaintiffs’ unrealistic estimate.”

And the wrap-up of the total damages at this point goes like this.

On Monday, Bedell approved $127 million in attorneys fees and nearly $8 million in litigation costs, which will be taken from the overall award of $381 million.

related link: Daily Report

2008 Election, Media, Politics, War On Terror

Are These Real Democrat Flip-Flops?

Sure looks like it to me. And, let me catch my breath that this comes from the Washington Post. The WaPo lists 5 each from Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton.

For example . . .

Special interests In January, the Obama campaign described union contributions to the campaigns of Clinton and John Edwards as “special interest” money. Obama changed his tune as he began gathering his own union endorsements. He now refers respectfully to unions as the representatives of “working people” and says he is “thrilled” by their support.

and

NAFTA In a January 2004 news conference, Clinton said she thought that “on balance [NAFTA] has been good for New York and good for America.” She now says she has “long been a critic of the shortcomings of NAFTA” and advocates a “time out” from similar trade agreements.

Interesting that the title of the piece is ‘Top Obama Flip-Flops’ when there are five each on Obama and Clinton. So who ever accused the WaPo of being fair and balanced anyway?

related links: Top Obama Flip-Flops | Democrats Equally Adept at Shifting Positions

h/t Hip Hop Republican

2008 Election, Media, Politics

McCain’s Troubles, Are McCain’s Troubles

A level of media attention is being focused on commentators on the political Right like Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter (How’s that for a ticket?), assigning blame to them for, allegedly, hurting the candidacy of John McCain. That, and the notion that people like Rush are driven to criticize McCain because McCain doesn’t tow his line. Both just a bit preposterous.

The issue isn’t that McCain doesn’t run in lock-step with conservatives. The issue with Rush and Ann, including myself, is that McCain and others (including the President) continue to say McCain is a conservative when, on the whole, he is not. It is dishonest to label him a conservative while appealing for conservatives’ votes.

“Right-wing pundits hurting McCain”

I don’t see it as the pundits are hurting McCain. What is happening here is the pundits are exposing McCain’s record. In that vein, I see it as McCain hurting himself. Hurting himself in two ways. First by his stance on the following: Gitmo, rights for enemy combatants, gang of fourteen, McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy, voted against tax cuts before he would (presumably) vote for their extension, for starters. And second, by telling us and anyone who would listen, that he is a conservative.

Making the pundits to be the reason, instead of McCain himself, for hurting McCain is to miss or ignore all of the above.

He’d still be better for this country than either of the democrat wannabes. But it is his ‘reaching out,’ to further liberal principles, that is causing McCain’s troubles. Continue reading McCain’s Troubles, Are McCain’s Troubles →

2008 Election, Media, Politics, Uncategorized

McCain History, Switching Political Party

It ended up not happening, but in 2001, a few weeks before Jumping Jim Jeffords killed the republican majority by changing his party affiliation to Independent, Sen. John McCain considered switching parties when John Weaver, McCain’s chief political strategist, made overtures to key democrats.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was close to leaving the Republican Party in 2001, weeks before then-Sen. Jim Jeffords (Vt.) famously announced his decision to become an Independent, according to former Democratic lawmakers who say they were involved in the discussions.

In interviews with The Hill this month, former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and ex-Rep. Tom Downey (D-N.Y.) said there were nearly two months of talks with the maverick lawmaker following an approach by John Weaver, McCain’s chief political strategist.

Sen. McCain was testing the waters in 2001, and, by his voting and legislative record, has been building that liberal ‘base’ ever since.

If you are looking for a conservative to lead the party, this is just another thing to consider, and ignored by the mainstream media, on how conservative Senator McCain really is. Switching political party does not sound like something a ‘conservative’ would even entertain.

related link: Democrats say McCain nearly abandoned GOP

2008 Election, Politics, Uncategorized

Is McCain Conservative Because He Says He Is?

For weeks now, Sen. John McCain is taking every opportunity to tell anyone who will listen how he is a political conservative. His campaign will say it. If you have to tell someone that you are conservative then you are not a conservative.

After getting the endorsement of Gov. Schwarzenegger, CNN fawns over the moderate direction of the Republican party, citing Giuliani and Schwarzenegger as evidence that McCain is attracting moderates like them.

“McCain’s gains have come primarily among liberal and moderate Republicans as well as GOP voters under the age of 50,” Holland said. “Among liberals and moderates, McCain’s support doubled from 25 percent to 50 percent in the last two weeks. McCain also gained 29 points among GOP voters under 50 years old.”

We are witness to the intentional re-branding of the republican party.  Where liberal and moderate republicans are called conservative, and conservatives are the ‘far right’ and ‘out of the mainstream.’ Just a small group to be marginalized.

‘There are people out there that talk about reaching across the aisle, but he has shown the action, over and over again,’ Schwarzenegger said.

McCain does more than reach across the aisle Governor. John McCain sits in their seat on major issues most dear to conservatives. Is that what conservatives do? Do conservatives just adopt liberal ideals in order to get along or are they guided by principles much larger than any political party?

His fellow Arizonans don’t think he is conservative.

“We do not consider him a conservative at all,” says Rob Haney, a Republican Party chairman in McCain’s home district. The candidate’s bus, the Straight Talk Express, should be renamed, Haney says: “We call it the Forked Tongue Express around here. He’ll lie about anything.”

related link: Recent John McCain History

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