In this edition: –Hillary Clinton running for NY governor? –New York Times hires a former Saddam Hussein soldier as a reporter –Weird voter registration gimmicks in Indiana –Heidi Montag endorses John McCain –Jogging for homeless people? –A man stops traffic in LA by taking wheelchair up freeway ramp –Pamela Anderson and Rick Salomon finalize their divorce
related link: Trailer Park Lawmakers Don’t Ask Questions
Nine months ago, the United Nations warned that they could no longer afford to feed the worlds hungry to the same extent as before because of rising prices of the basic foodstuffs. The alleged solution to alleged man-made global warming, more bio-fuels, is drawing focus to the unintended consequences of higher cost of all food world-wide.
Giving new meaning to the phrase ‘food fight,’ Sir John Holmes, the undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs at the United Nations says rioting could spread around the world over food, as has happened in Egypt. Egypt? Who knew that Egypt is a poor and undeveloped country? He told a conference in Dubai . . .
that rising prices would spark unrest across vulnerable nations. Average prices have risen 40 per cent across the world in less than a year.
The security implications should also not be underestimated as food riots are already being reported across the globe.
Current food price trends are likely to increase sharply both the incidence and depth of food insecurity.
related links: Food riots could spread, UN chief warns | Biofuel, A Liberal Record Of Failure
One only has to see this campaign ad that Sen. Barack Obama is running in Pennsylvania to get an idea of his grasp on economics as it relates to the price of gasoline. Obama labels oil company profits as ‘windfall profits’ and something that needs to be taxed, ostensibly, to gain ‘energy independence.’ The fact that Sen. Obama calls a modest 10% profit margin a ‘windfall profit,’ something to be attacked with the tax hammer, calls to attention his ignorance in economic principles, running a business, and capitalism. It also shows his willingness to mislead and misinform Pennsylvanians.
Increasing taxes on a corporation to, ostensibly, bring prices down is not only wrong thinking from an economic perspective, but to characterize Exxon’s 10% profit margin as ‘windfall profits’ is dishonest and/or shows his ignorance where economics is concerned. Playing to the dumb masses is what liberals do. It is named appropriately though, ‘Nothing’s Changed.’
Given the chance, both he and Hillary would only make gas prices at the pump higher and the country more dependent on foreign oil than ever before. Increasing supply is not on their agenda. That is one thing you can count on.
The SCOTUS decided to allow a safe haven for Rep. William (Dollar Bill) Jefferson (D-La) to conduct illegal activity by refusing to hear an appeal by the FBI.
Hiding behind the ’speech or debate’ clause of the Constitution creates a safe haven for criminal behavior. Who thinks that was the intention of the founding fathers?
related link: The Godfathers In Congress | Court Declines FBI Jefferson appeal | Best Defense Is A Good Admission?
Ever notice how politicians in both parties always want to spend more on education at all levels? There never, never seems to be enough money. After all, spending more on education is a feel-good type exercise. It makes our caring-karma glow and helps politicians get re-elected. But what good does it do our children? Why are we not seeing positive results there? Could it be because of the K-Mart (no offense to K-Mart) mentality of educating our children. That is to say, quantity rather than quality, like the editor writes. . .
The problem at the bigger, higher-profile institutions like the University of Florida and Florida State University is that they have been trying to handle too many students with increasingly tight budgets.
Yes, the budgets have risen in total dollars, but not enough to offset the rising costs of providing high-quality education to growing numbers of students.
Time is long overdue to expect more for our money which is already ‘invested’ into educating our children, and to dispel this blank-check, or bottomless-pit theory that if we just spend more money on education that we will get bright and educated children. We’ve had bright and educated children in our history with much smaller expenditures than what we are seeing today.
In financing education in Florida, the lottery shell-game that we all bought into years ago ‘has come home to roost.’ And while some politicians are quick to trash BIG OIL, BIG PHARM, BIG INSURANCE, and BIG ENERGY on costs, where in the world are they on BIG EDUCATION? The assumption that spending more money because costs are rising, instead of addressing the rising cost is where we lose focus on the important thing, teaching our children to be bright, productive, and able to think and reason on their own.
To borrow an overused phrase and campaign slogan, it’s time for change we can believe in. It’s time for politicians to step up and attack the ‘rising cost’ factor like they are so quick to do with other industries, instead of the taxpayers’ wallet. But first, they have to come to terms with their biggest obstacle, BIG LABOR, teacher’s unions.
related link: PNJ editorial, No free lunch on tuition
Things just keep getting curiouser and curiouser. Today it is Democratic Reps. Jim McDermott of Washington, who earned the moniker ‘Baghdad Jim’, David Bonior of Michigan and Mike Thompson of California, going on an all expenses paid junket to Iraq in October of 2002 to meet with Saddam Hussein over a year before the war began. And not one of them knew that the trip was financed by Saddam Hussein.
Are we to think that these three anti-war Democrats did not know who was paying for the trip, since they were not? ‘Plausible deniability’ dictates not to be so curious as to inquire who is picking up the tab. Take the free ride to Saddam’s palace. Take the opportunity to accuse the President of lying to the American people. And let’s not forget, all the free propaganda material Saddam can use.
I’m reminded of the words of James Carville, then attack dog and political adviser to President Clinton, when Clinton Inc. was smearing Paula Jones as ‘trailer park trash.’ Of Paula Jones, he said something like ‘that’s what you get when you drag a dollar bill through a trailer park.’ The analogy fits when applied to these three, Baghdad Jim McDermott, David Bonior and Mike Thompson. Drag a dollar through their office and they’re yours. They’ve apparently been conditioned to not ask questions.
Of the lawmakers . . .
None was charged and Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said investigators “have no information whatsoever” any of them knew the trip was underwritten by Saddam.
That’s one issue. Then there’s what they said while in Baghdad. Baghdad Jim told ABC, from Baghdad, that “the president of the United States will lie to the American people in order to get us into this war.” But wait, there’s more! He said this on Iraqi TV . . .
“We are three veterans of the Vietnam War who came over here because we don’t want war. We assert from here that we do not want the United States to wage war on any peace-loving countries. As members of Congress, we would like diplomatic efforts to continue so as not to launch any aggression. We will visit children’s hospitals to see the negative impact of the sanctions imposed on Iraq. We hope that peace will prevail throughout the world.”
related link: US: Saddam paid for lawmakers’ Iraq trip | The Baghdad Democrats
Nothing but heroic courage and selfless sacrifice to celebrate today. Not the fact that the total war casualties reached 4000. Seems like only yesterday that the media was all pumped up for the 500th. Then the 1000th.
Militarily, this war has proven to be the most successful war, especially considering the global scale of the enemy, in history. Actually, the total casualties is 7,000. The first 3,000 were unarmed civilians.
One can only imagine how much lower the count would have been, and how much closer to being able to leave Iraq we would have been if the other half of the country did not choose to abandon the war in mid-stream.
Flashback to this time last year, when Gen. Petraeus wrote a ‘Letter To The Iraqi People.’ This was when the planned surge operation was about to begin. It looks like the Iraqi people took him at his word because the Iraqi people have done and are doing what he asked of them even to this day. They are turning in the insurgents and isolating them from their neighborhoods so they can be taken out. And its a good thing. Unfortunately, the left would rather abandon the Iraqi people for political expediency. Doesn’t it make sense to finish the job now instead of letting Iraq regress into a safe house/country for terrorists where we’ll have to go back and start all over, only this time with a much more dug in, armed and deadly enemy? If casualty numbers are of any concern to the Left, then they know the best option is to finish this one out and not leave, only to return to start from scratch.
related link: Iraq: The Real Story by Oliver North
Last week, mass tort lawyer Richard (Dickie) F. Scruggs, who squeezed hundreds of billions of dollars from tobacco companies, pleaded guilty to trying to bribe a state court judge in Mississippi. This, concerning a mass tort scam on insurance companies over Hurricane Katrina victims and his fees. His son, David Zachary Scruggs, reached a plea agreement today with federal prosecutors who had charged him with a role in a conspiracy to bribe a state court judge.
Is this part of a ‘design to dismantle the plaintiffs bar’ as has been suggested, or simply a matter of law enforcement? Kudo’s to the judge who did not take the bribe.
Are you as shocked as this white guy to learn what goes on in some, I hope very very few, black churches on Sunday? From Barack Obama’s former minister and still ‘spiritual leader’ spewing political and racial hatred, to a church in Harlem that tore Obama to shreds, from the pulpit. Is is painful to hear. I don’t care if you read The Lord’s Prayer on Sunday and spew that political and racial hatred, it doesn’t qualify to be the tax exempt entity it is supposed to be. Question is, how is it that THESE churches still have tax exempt status? Not to mention how damaging it is to the life and spirit of generations of black children being exposed to this kind of hatred.
Always on top of things Brian Ross of ABC News, finds that Hillary was in the White House on ‘blue dress day.’ But Brian, where’s the cigar?
Stuff White People Like. Hilarious blog. Covers many subjects that might answer some questions about white people. Helpful information for people of all races.
According to the Telegraph.co.uk, not everyone in Iran is as loony as their president. Two thirds of Iran’s population is under 30 years old. Iran has an annual inflation rate of 20 percent. With a tightly controlled media, the blogosphere and the Internet represent the only ‘free press’ in Iran. It’s only free though until the government finds you and shuts you down.
If a democratic government presided over this disaster, it would be swept from office. The young are a vital constituency; two thirds of the country’s 70 million people are under 30. They are bitterly aware that Iran floats on a sea of natural wealth, boasting the second largest reserves of oil and natural gas in the world. With oil prices exceeding $100 a barrel and no fewer than 130 billion barrels lying beneath Iran’s mountains and deserts, there is no excuse for decades of economic failure.
Like Iraq, there are a lot of people in Iran that are not hostile to freedom, liberty and the United States. The demographics in Iran will force the current political situation there to change. A change that includes the ‘west,’ that includes joining this century, that includes prospering in a world economy. Including a change from the ways and means of their current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The only question is when.
Unlike the situation in Iraq in 2003, there are, or soon will be, enough Iranians to make a change in their government peacefully. That’s the best case scenario. That could not and did not happen in Iraq under Saddam Hussein.
Good luck in the elections Iran.
related link: Iran can only wait and pray