Thursday, April 30, 2009

Attempted Assault on The Dutch Royal Family

It appears that there was an attempted assault on the Dutch Royal Family. An unidentified man drove through a crowd likely trying to hit the bus the Royal Family was riding on. While he missed the bus, five people from the crowd are now dead.

Video embedded below. (from http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2009/04/attempted-regicide-in-netherlands.html#readfurther)



More at http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/04/30/netherlands.queen.car/?iref=mpstoryview.

Biden - 'Avoid Public Transportation'

Joe Biden said he would advise his family not to take public transportation for fear of the Swine Flu.

Video embedded below.



Gibbs does his best to 'clarify' Biden's comments. He does not do very well, but in all fairness I do not think he could have done much better given the comments.

Video embedded below.



There was some fear that members of the Obama's entourage had contracted the Swine Flu after showing some symptoms. They have since tested negative for the disease (http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/04/obama-staffer-s.html).

In other good news, scientists are saying that the Swine Flu may be relatively mild (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-swine-reality30-2009apr30,0,3821888.story?track=rss).

Past Related Posts:
Berman Post: Obama May Have Come in Contact With The 'Swine Flu'
Berman Post: United States Declares a Public Health Emergency For The Swine Flu
Berman Post: Swine Flu Patient Zero Found as WHO Raises Alert Level to Phase 5

Miss California (Carrie Prejean) Used in a Traditional Marriage ad

Carrie Prejean (Miss California) said she was happy to be championing a cause. To that end, she has just been used in a pro traditional marriage ad. Before seeing the ad, watch her appearance on the news this morning. The clip also goes through some of the 'unpleasantness' now surrounding and being thrown at her.

Video embedded below.



You can find the new ad at http://www.averimedia.com/criswell/marcom.

Past related posts:
Berman Post: Perez Hilton Calls Miss California (Carrie Prejean) a "Dumb B*tch", Was Thinking The thinking of the "C-Word"
Berman Post: Is The New Miss USA Pro-Gay Marriage?
Berman Post: Crowder Attacks Perez Hilton Over His Comments About Miss California
Berman Post: Miss California (Carrie Prejean) Happy to be Championing a Cause

Palestinian Sentenced to Death For Selling Land to an Israeli Company

A Palestinian man has been sentenced to death by hanging for selling land to an Israeli company. Such sales are considered treason. The prosecutor also said that the land was not his. Mahmoud Abbas (Palestinian Authority President) is expected not to give approval for the execution.

More at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1239710814492.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

US GDP Dropped 6.1% in The First Quarter of 2009

The GDP of the United States fell 6.1% during the first quarter of 2009. That was more than the expected drop of 4.7%. There is an obvious downside to a drop in our gross domestic product, but there is a more hidden consequence as well. The deficit projections (see Berman Post: Congressional Budget Office Project Higher Deficits For Obama'a Budget and Berman Post: Bush Deficit vs Obama Deficit - The Picture) are based on an assumed rate of economic growth or decline. Less growth or more decline and the projects are off. A smaller economy means less tax revenue. That means the deficit may be higher then currently projected. I have not seen any revised calculations yet, but we could be looking at a $2 trillion deficit for this year alone.

More at http://money.cnn.com/2009/04/29/news/economy/gdp/index.htm?postversion=2009042908.

Swine Flu Patient Zero Found as WHO Raises Alert Level to Phase 5

The earliest case of Swine Flu has been traced to a 5 year old in Mexico named Edgar Hernandez. He lives in the village of La Gloria in the state of Veracruz. It is likely he got the Swine Flu on April 2 (http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/28/swine.flu/index.html).

The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the alert level to 5. Phase 6 is the highest and designates a pandemic (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N29472619.htm).

There has been a confirmed death in the United States. It was a 23 month old child from Mexico city (Mexico). The death happened in Texas. It appears that the child's parents were going to the United States for treatment but did not get there in time. There may also have been some unrelated health issues that were related to the death (http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-swine-flu30-2009apr30,0,4696825.story).

Focusing on the most pressing aspect of this disease which may be impossible to prevent going pandemic, Janet Napolitano (Homeland Security Secretary) and Tom Vilsack (Agriculture Secretary) are ... trying to get people to stop referring to it as the Swine Flu and start calling it the H1N1 virus!?! Great prioritizing. Feeling safe yet? To be fair, this does not appear to be a priority, but it seems their efforts could be better spent (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N28343516.htm).

To keep up spirits, some are drawing faces on their protective face masks (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/swineflu/2009/04/29/swine-flu-face-mask-fashion-people-decorate-their-masks-in-a-bid-to-stay-positive-115875-21318544).

Past Related Posts:
Berman Post: Obama May Have Come in Contact With The 'Swine Flu'
Berman Post: United States Declares a Public Health Emergency For The Swine Flu

Obama Talks About The Tea Party Protesters

Obama mentioned the Tea Party Protesters on his 100th day as president at a town hall meeting in St. Louis.

Video embedded below. (from http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/21870.html)




Tea Party Protesters were there to great him. It was organized by StLouisTeaParty.com. The report says there were hundreds of Tea Party Protesters while only a about 15 Obama supporters.

Video embedded below. (from http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2009/04/hundreds-of-tea-party-protesters-greet.html)




I think we are going to start to see a lot of Tea Party Protests pop up to coincide with Obama visits.

Obama's First 100 Days

Today marks Obama's 100th day as President of the United States. It has become customary to review what the president has done at this marker. The tradition became embedded in our culture with Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first 100 days, but can be traced back to Napoleon Bonaparte's escape from exile to his defeat at Waterloo (even though that took 111 days) (http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/08599189453100).

My assessment of Obama's first 100 days is akin to a craps player having just thrown the dice. Let me explain. Obama has taken huge steps on both the foreign and domestic front. He has spent record amounts of money much of which has to be borrowed creating record deficits. Obama has gone on what seems to many to be an 'apology tour' seemingly kowtowing to our enemies while stiffing our friends. Of course I am being over broad and generalizing. The point is that this is all a craps shoot. There is a large potential upside, but there is also a significant amount of risk. It will take much longer to know just how this is all going to work out. My belief is that it is more likely we will see a downside then the upside, but the truth is that no one knows for sure. I do not see much of potential for a middle ground. We should all hope for the best outcome, but hoping will not make it come true. One hundred days is not enough time to make any final conclusions on outcomes.

Here is a nice run down of some of the foreign policy incidents -> http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2009/04/29/the-first-one-hundred-dayswhile-obama-slept.

The NRSC has put together an amazing video for Obama's first 100 days. As you would imagine, it is not very favorable.

Video embedded below.

Miss California (Carrie Prejean) Happy to be Championing a Cause

Miss California (Carrie Prejean) has continued to have a rough time since saying she believed in traditional marriage. She is taking it all in stride not sorry that she lost, and happy to have a cause (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/29/finding-her-new-cause).

The Miss California USA pageant tried to make her apologize and to not talk about her faith (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hqaiJFsWHetAYqxPzOogyAI_18HQD97QECDG0).

Alan Duncan (Senior Tory MP) made a joke about killing her. After calling Carrie Prejean a "silly b*tch", he said "If you read that Miss California is murdered you will know it was me" (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2396443.ece?OTC-RSS&ATTR=News).

Meanwhile, Perez Hilton has give Obama a pass despite the fact the Obama has the same view as Carrie Prejean (http://newsbusters.org/blogs/jeff-poor/2009/04/26/perez-hilton-gives-obama-pass-same-sex-marriage-blames-miss-california-co).

Even if she does not have a future in beauty pageants, which would be unfortunate, I think she will do just fine.

Past related posts:
Berman Post: Perez Hilton Calls Miss California (Carrie Prejean) a "Dumb B*tch", Was Thinking The thinking of the "C-Word"
Berman Post: Is The New Miss USA Pro-Gay Marriage?
Berman Post: Crowder Attacks Perez Hilton Over His Comments About Miss California

Why Did 'Air Force One' Buzz NYC

There are still questions regarding why the 'Air Force One' plane buzzed New York City (it only gets the official designation of 'Air Force One' when the president is on board but it is part of that fleet).

Why the need for a new photo? Granted photo technology has improved since the last shot, but 'Air Force One' has the same paint job. You would think the last picture would be sufficient for what ever they need it for. Many have pointed out that Photoshop would have been much cheaper.

The Photo op story has another problem. The F-16 is a single seat jet fighter. Who was taking the picture? Had a photo shoot been the mission, a different plane would have been much better suited. Along with using the wrong plane, the F-16 does not appear to get in the optimal position to take the picture. More at http://www.joeydevilla.com/2009/04/28/chris-taylor-on-the-air-force-one-fly-by. If they really wanted great shots of the 'Air Force One' plane flying around NYC, they should have widely publicized it so the public could have (and would have) participated. They would have had a lot more shots from a lot more angles.

If it was not for a photo op then what was the point? The notion that it was a training mission has been floated (http://gretawire.foxnews.com/2009/04/28/they-say-it-was-as-training-mission-hhm-the-cost-328000). Training mission?!? What were they training for, Independence Day (movie) style evasive flying through city buildings?

If it was not for a photo op and not part of a training mission, the best explanation left would be some sort of a site seeing tour for special guests or supporters. That really does not make much sense either. A regular helicopter tour could have easily been arranged for much cheaper and could have gone by relatively unnoticed.

Basically we are left with a sort of mystery. The only thing that seems certain is an impressive level of felony stupidity. I am leaning toward the photo op, but am still persuadable. They should release the pictures to let us see what we paid for.

The precise cost is now know. It cost the taxpayers $328,835. The break down is $300,658 for the larger plane's three hour flight, and $28,178 the two F-16 jets 1.8 hour flights. More at http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHJlkHaApn4o&refer=home.

Some people are poking fun at the price point; 'scaring the crap out of New Yorkers, priceless' (http://faustasblog.com/?p=11994).

Some are asking if Obama was on the plane. The notion comes from an apology on the official White House website which refers to the "Air Force One flight over New York" (http://michellemalkin.com/2009/04/29/whats-wrong-with-the-official-apology). The plane only receives the designation 'Air Force One' when the president is on board. If Obama was on board then it would be impossible for him to say that he did not know about it. I do not think that Obama would issues such a bold face, and likely easily discovered, lie. It is probably just a mistake on the website. Still, this point will likely be checked up on.

They apparently had another similar photo op planned for Washington DC. That is probobly the second worst place to surprise people with an unannounced low flying plane. Second to New York City of course, and for the same reason. More at http://www.rightpundits.com/?p=3827.

Some people are having fun with other potential, and equally as wise, fake photo ops (http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2009/04/in-wake-of-nyc-scare-additional-photo.html).

Past related post:
Berman Post: 'Air Force One' Buzzes NYC
Berman Post: More on The 'Air Force One' Photo-Op

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Obama Acknowledges Receiving Tea Bags

Obama told Representative Eric Cantor (House Republican Whip) that he has received Tea Bags in recent weeks. Sounds like the Tea Party Protesters are starting to get Obama's attention.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/21725.html (bottom of page two)

"There’s room for compromise. During the meeting, Cantor told Obama and the assembled congressional leaders that Americans are growing increasingly frustrated by the government’s size, scope and management decisions. Obama acknowledged that, in recent weeks, he has received tea bags from Americans upset by the government’s decision to spend trillions of dollars shoring up the economy."

Obama Snubs Sidwell Friends School?

Obama's two daughters go to Sidwell Friends school. Last weekend was the first 'Dollars for Scholars' benefit to take place while his kids were attending. It is an annual event where parents put 'stuff' up for action as part of the fundraiser. The Obamas reportedly donated "a signed copy of the Rolling Stone issue featuring the president and a signed copy of the January Vogue that featured the first lady". Some people were disappointed that something more personal was not offered such as the round of golf then President Clinton offered in 1996. The round of golf went for slightly less then $100,000. This year Chelsea Clinton offered to have a meal with someone in NYC.

I would rule this one a non-snub. The signed copies of the magazines will probobly bring in a decent amount of money, and the President has more important things to do with his time then auction it off for his daughter's school fundraiser.

More at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30425056.

The True Goal of Health Care 'Reform' - Socialized Medicine?

Representative Jan Schakowsky (D) seems to say that the goal of health care 'reform' is eliminating private insurance. Instead of reform, that sounds like a rather large stepping stone to socialized medicine.

Video embedded below.



For those who would argue that this is just one co-sponsor's opinion, it seems she has a rather powerful ally. That ally is President Obama. Listen to what he said in 2003. Yes, it is a long time ago, but he does not seem to have given any indication his mind has changed.

Video embedded below.



More at http://hotair.com/archives/2009/04/28/videos-the-real-goal-of-health-care-reform.

Arlen Specter Switches Parties, Now a Democrat

Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter changed parties this morning and is now caucusing with the Democrats. This gives the Democratic Caucus 59 seats and brings the Republicans down to 40. If Franken beats Coleman that will bring the Democrats to 60. Specter's reason is to allow him to run in the 2010 senate primary in Pennsylvania because he believes he would lose the republican one. Democrats, especially Obama, were very quick to welcome him into the fold.

I might be missing something, but this seems like good news for the Republicans. Specter indicated that his voting will not change. If the Democrats are seen to have a filibuster proof majority, then everything will be on their and Obama's shoulders more than it is already. It would be almost impossible to paint Republicans as obstructionist when they do not have the votes to obstruct. It is likely the amount of bipartisanship, which is only at the 'token' level now, will decrease. The Democrats were already going to get credit if their plans are successful. This move seems to guaranty they take the blame if their plans fail. Should they succeed the Democrats will maintain control anyways. If they fail, Specter can be knocked out in the midterm elections.

More at http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=31639, http://hotair.com/archives/2009/04/28/breaking-specter-becoming-a-democrat, and http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/senate/specter-to-switch-parties.html?hpid=topnews.

More on The 'Air Force One' Photo-Op

This whole thing was done to update a single photo (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090427/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_low_flying_plane_purpose). In order to get that one photo, not to mention scare the [insert expletive] out of New Yorkers, it reportedly cost more than $300,000 of taxpayer money.

It is unclear what would be worse, people not understanding the panic it would cause or knowing and doing it anyways. Well, the FAA knew and did it anyways. It gets worse. Somehow they made the leap from 'this is going to totally freak people out' to 'lets make sure to keep this a secret and punish anyone if they tell the public' (http://wcbstv.com/topstories/air.force.one.2.996457.html). Could they really have been so clueless as to think that no one would notice if they were not warned in advance? As uneasy and insensitive as it would have been had they let people know ahead of time, that would have been much preferable to the surprise.

While saying it was a 'Mistake', Obama ordered an investigation (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124093288256863979.html). I still find it hard to believe that no one bothered to let Obama know what was going on. If some 'heads roll' and soon, that would do a lot to convince me.

Here are some more videos of the event.

Videos embedded below. (from http://hotair.com/archives/2009/04/28/postscript-what-should-obamas-next-photo-op-be)






Here is Jon Stewart's take on this.

Video embedded below.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c
Mistakes on a Plane
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show
Full Episodes
Economic CrisisFirst 100 Days



In my last post on this (linked to at the bottom), I said that a helicopter would have been more appropriate. What I meant was if they wanted a presidential aircraft picture flying over down down NYC they should have gone with Marine One.

Past related post:
Berman Post: 'Air Force One' Buzzes NYC

Update (4/29/2009): More at Berman Post: Why Did 'Air Force One' Buzz NYC.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Netanyahu Playing Hardball with Obama? -> Iran First, Then Palestinians

It is not entirely clear, but it seems that Netanyahu (Israeli Prime Minister) is playing hardball with Obama. Netanyahu is pressing an Iran first policy. Nothing of any substance will happen with the Palestinian 'issue' (state, not state...) until Iran has been dealt with.

Obama's actions and statements show that he is more interested in dealing with the Palestinians then with Iran. Israel on the other hand, clearly are more concerned about Iran then the Palestinians. Yes, terrorism is a problem for Israel, but nothing even approaching the problems that a nuclear Iran would create.

Israel is in a win-win here. If they feel that dealing with the Palestinians is in their best interest nothing prevents them from doing so. If they feel it would be detrimental to their security then they can just point to the policy when pressured by Obama. As far as Iran goes, this policy does not prevent Israel from taking militarily action. It may also prod Obama into taking action against Iran that he may not want to.

Assuming this is Netanyahu's policy, he will stick with it, and Obama wants to deal with the Palestinians and not Iran, Obama would be stuck. His three choices then would be to change his own policy objectives and deal with Iran first, forget about his goals with the Palestinians, or undermine Netanyahu. Should he try to undermine Netanyahu and fail, or possibly even just the attempt, Obama risks alienating Israel. Alienating Israel and driving them to seek out another ally could be disastrous for the United States. As I said in Berman Post: Obama Approved a Large Turkish Arms Sale to Lebanon;

"If relations strain enough between the United States and Israel enough, they might start ally shopping. It would not surprise me in the least if both China and India have fueled planes warmed up on the runway with five billion dollars in the hold ready to race each other to Tel Aviv. It is hard to come up with a worse two country combination from the United State's dominance perspective then Israeli technology with Chinese or Indian manpower."

More at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/21/AR2009042103998.html and http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2009/04/023390.php.

This may not be Israel's new policy though. Danny Ayalon (Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister) denied the report. Ayalon said that they would deal with each issue as if the other issue did not exist. That the two issues were not linked in any way.

More at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710756583&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter.

That was not the end of the story. When asked about the policy, Hillary Clinton seemed to confirm that the original story was true.

More at http://hotair.com/archives/2009/04/27/clinton-cluelessness-confirmed and http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/23/AR2009042304060.html.

We will have to wait and see what happens to know if the first report was true and if Israel will stick with it.

Obama "I Jumped The Gun" (Referring to The Teleprompter)

At a speech at the National Academy of Sciences, Obama had a teleprompter snag. He "Jumped the gun" apparently getting ahead of his teleprompter. Obama had to wait a few seconds until the operator caught up.

Video embedded below. (from http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0409/obama_gets_ahead_of_prompter_3813cbcb-1e4a-44c6-b1e7-26017e7b70c2.html)



Past Teleprompter Posts:
Berman Post: Obama And The TelePrompter
Berman Post: Obama Has a Teleprompt Blunder on St Patrick's Day
Berman Post: BaracksTeleprompter.blogspot.com
Berman Post: Obama's Teleprompter Blunder on St Patrick's Day Was Actually a Joke?

China Confirms it Has Secretly Raised Its Gold Reserves

China has confirmed that it had secretly increased its gold reserves by 75% since 2003. The vice general secretary of the China Gold Association (Hou Huimin) is advising they increase their reserve by five times what they have now. China currently has about 1,054 tons. Huimin recommends increasing that number to 5,000 tons. This is not a good sign as far as the strength of the US dollar is concerned and has the potential for inflationary pressures.

More at http://www.financialpost.com/news-sectors/story.html?id=1530063.

'Air Force One' Buzzes NYC

'Air Force One' buzzed New York City today. Technically it was not Air Force One since the plane only receives that designation when the President is on board, but it was part of the Air Force One fleet. The plane, trailed by an F-16 jet fighter, flew as low as 150 feet off the ground.

As you would imagine, this caused mass panic and evacuations as people instantly thought back to 9/11. All this was done for a photo op. Did anyone think using a helicopter might be more appropriate? How about just warning people this was about to happen? Most people could not see the plane clearly enough to know that it was part of the Air Force One fleet. They just saw a rather large plane flying low to the ground. It was not a big leap to think 9/11 repeat, especially because this was taking place in New York City. This really takes a special kind of stupidity to think it was a good idea.

The Pentagon told local authorities but told them they could not share the information with the public. Seriously, did they think no one would notice? While they did tell some people, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he was not informed.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124084127590859371.html

""I'm annoyed -- furious is a better word -- that I wasn't told," Mr. Bloomberg said, calling the photo opportunity "ill considered" and "badly conceived." He added that the federal government's decision to stage such an event near the World Trade Center "defies good judgment." He added that if he had known about the decision he would have worked to get it reversed."

Director Louis Caldera (head of the White House Military Office) issued an apology around 4:30pm while claiming responsibility for ordering the photo op (http://wcbstv.com/local/military.jets.nyc.2.995375.html).

Video embedded below. (from http://www.nypost.com/seven/04272009/news/regionalnews/obama_plane_photo_op_startles_new_yorker_166470.htm)



Update:

President Obama is reportedly furious over this incident (http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/04/president-ob-28.html). Is that supposed to mean that no one told Obama about this despite the order coming out of the White House Military Office?

Here are some more videos. The first is a compilation of from different angles and likely different cameras. The second shows people running in the streets after evacuating their buildings thinking this was another terrorist attack.

Videos embedded below. (from http://hotair.com/archives/2009/04/27/smart-power-pentagon-freaks-out-new-york-with-low-altitude-fly-by)





Update (4/28/2009): More at Berman Post: More on The 'Air Force One' Photo-Op.

Immigration Rally in Union Square (NYC)

An immigration rally/protest took place this afternoon in Union Square (NYC). It appeared that approximately 20-30 people participated. This rally seemed to be more about drumming up attention for a larger protest taking place on May 1st then about pushing the message, which as you would expect they did as well. While most of the protester had a uniform message, there was one sign regarding the 'occupation of Haiti'.

Maybe I am missing something, but I do not understand why many of the signs were in Spanish. Is it a false assumption to think that the people they really need to convey their message to and convince are English speakers?

Pictures embedded below.

From 4-27-2009 Immigration Rally


From 4-27-2009 Immigration Rally


From 4-27-2009 Immigration Rally


From 4-27-2009 Immigration Rally


From 4-27-2009 Immigration Rally


From 4-27-2009 Immigration Rally


From 4-27-2009 Immigration Rally


From 4-27-2009 Immigration Rally



All the photos of the event are available at http://picasaweb.google.com/BermanPost.com/4272009ImmigrationRally#, though there are not many not embedded in this post.

Update (5/1/2009): Here is my post on the May Day immigration rally Berman Post: May Day Immigration Rally in Union Square (NYC).

Sunday, April 26, 2009

United States Declares a Public Health Emergency For The Swine Flu

The United States has declared a public health emergency for the Swine Flu. That sounds more dramatic than it actually is. It is more of a precautionary step which gives local and federal government agencies easier access to flu tests and medications to fight the Swine Flu. Roughly 12 million doses of the drug Tamiflu have been released. Tamiflu is one of the drugs the CDC believes effective against the Swine Flu.

More at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090426/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_swine_flu_emergency_1.

You can follow the spread of the disease by heading over to http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=p&msa=0&msid=106484775090296685271.0004681a37b713f6b5950&ll=32.639375,-110.390625&spn=15.738151,25.488281&z=5.

Past Related Posts:
Berman Post: Obama May Have Come in Contact With The 'Swine Flu'

John Murtha's Airport

John Murtha's (D) airport has almost everything it could possibly want, except for one important thing. If this video does not give you faith in responsible government spending, well, then you would be pretty smart.

Video embedded below. (from http://ace.mu.nu/archives/286486.php)

Founding Bloggers Submit a DMCA Counter Notice

CNN used copyright claims to remove embarrassing videos of one of their reporter's skewed Tax Day Tea Party interviews (Berman Post: CNN Using Copyright to Erase Embarrassing Roesgen Tax Day Tea Party Clips). Founding Bloggers sent a DMCA counter notice to YouTube last Thursday (April 23rd). YouTube's policy is to forward to counter notice on to the complaining party which in this case is CNN. CNN then has ten days to tell YouTube that they are filing an action in court to argue that it was a copyright violation or Youtube will repost the video.

As a TV news network, they rely on fair use. Even a win here could hurt CNN in the long run. If they do nothing, they may be sued for damages if it can be proved that they "knowingly materially misrepresent[ing] ... that material or activity is infringing."

Founding Bloggers has also posted a new longer video. I notice that in this new video they used a Fox News clip of that skewed interview, exactly what I did in the my last post on the subject.

Video embedded below.




More at http://copyrightsandcampaigns.blogspot.com/2009/04/founding-bloggers-v-cnn-counternotice.html.

Debt Day

Today is the day that the government spending exceeds the money you paid it with your taxes (Berman Post: Tax Freedom Day). From now until the end of the fiscal year (September 30), any money the government spends has to be borrowed or printed. This is the earliest Debt Day in history. To give some perspective, http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2009/04/023404.php notes that "from 2002 until now, it has fallen between July and September".

More at http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/04/24/happy-debt-day-government-run-cash-sunday-earliest.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Obama May Have Come in Contact With The 'Swine Flu'

A 'Swine Flu' outbreak is causing serious concern in Mexico. So far there are 20 confirmed deaths from it with just under 70 deaths suspected 'Swine Flu' casualties. Another 1,000 people are showing symptoms. When Obama went to Mexico he met a man named Felipe Solis who died the next day with flu related symptoms. It has not been confirmed if Solis had the 'Swine flu'. Robert Gibbs said that Obama is not in any danger. The disease has already been spotted in the United States. Texas, California, Kansas, and New York all have confirmed or suspected cases. What has people really concerned is the apparent human to human transition of the disease. It may be to late to stop the 'Swine Flu' from going pandemic (meaning a global epidemic). The CDC (Center for Disease Control) is saying that the flu drugs Tamiflu and Relenza seem effective against the 'Swine Flu'. Both drugs are stockpiled and they are ready to immediately deploy them where needed. The drugs must be taken early to be effective, within a few days of the symptoms appearing. Lets hope the death rate on this is low for the sake of the people who may not have access to the drugs.

More at http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aEsNownABJ6Q&refer=worldwide, http://hotair.com/archives/2009/04/25/cdc-its-too-late-to-contain-mexicos-swine-flu, and http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D97PNLSO0&show_article=1.

Billionth iPhone App Downloaded

It took Apple nine months of selling apps for their iPhone to crack the billionth download. A 13 year old named Connor Mulcahey from Weston (Connecticut) is credited with the one billionth download. The app he downloaded was 'Bump', a free contact information transfer app. Both the downloader and the downloaded app will receive benefits. Connor Mulcahey will get tens of thousands of Apple software and hardware and Bump Technologies (creators of 'Bump') will get a tremendous amount of publicity. Their website homepage currently sports whimsical line "The BumpTM heard round the world. Apple, thanks a billion!".

More at http://blog.wired.com/business/2009/04/billionth-iphon.html.

Anti-Turkey Protesters Condemn Obama

Anti-Turkey protesters Condemned Obama today in Union Square (NYC). It was a small protest with somewhere between 15 and 30 participants. There may have been more, but it was hard to distinguish them from the majority of people who were just at the park because it was a nice day. The protesters were there in remembrance of the Armenian Genocide (1915) but were upset that Obama broke his promise to recognize it as a Genocide.

There was also a "Jesus loves you" 'protester' who appeared to be alone. Another group was at the park offering "Free Hugs".

Pictures embedded below.

Anti-Turkey Protesters:

From 4-25-2009 anti-turkey protest


From 4-25-2009 anti-turkey protest


From 4-25-2009 anti-turkey protest


From 4-25-2009 anti-turkey protest


From 4-25-2009 anti-turkey protest


From 4-25-2009 anti-turkey protest


From 4-25-2009 anti-turkey protest


From 4-25-2009 anti-turkey protest


From 4-25-2009 anti-turkey protest


From 4-25-2009 anti-turkey protest


From 4-25-2009 anti-turkey protest


From 4-25-2009 anti-turkey protest


From 4-25-2009 anti-turkey protest



"Jesus loves you" 'protester':

From 4-25-2009 anti-turkey protest



"Free Hugs" group:

From 4-25-2009 anti-turkey protest


From 4-25-2009 anti-turkey protest


From 4-25-2009 anti-turkey protest



One Random girl just having some fun:

From 4-25-2009 anti-turkey protest



You can find all the picture I took today in Union Square (NYC) at http://picasaweb.google.com/BermanPost.com/4252009AntiTurkeyProtest#.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Russia Preparing to Invade Georgia?

Russia may be preparing to invade Georgia again (past recent invasion Berman Post: Russia Invades Georgia). Recent moves by Russia have given some the impression that they are preparing for something. They may not want to invade, but they at least seem content to give off the impression that it is a possibility. Should a war break out, Georgia's prospects for survival without outside intervention are even more bleak then they were the last go around. In case you did not read my post about that war and are not familiar with the their relative military prowess, in the last go around Georgia had virtually no chance.

More at http://ace.mu.nu/archives/286415.php, http://informationdissemination.blogspot.com/2009/04/russia-deploys-black-sea-fleet.html, and http://coldwar-warrior.blogspot.com/2009/04/russia-preparing-to-invade-georgia.html.

Crowder Attacks Perez Hilton Over His Comments About Miss California

Steven Crowder attacks Perez Hilton over his comments about Miss California (Berman Post: Perez Hilton Calls Miss California (Carrie Prejean) a "Dumb B*tch", Was Thinking The thinking of the "C-Word").

Video embedded below.




Related:
Berman Post: Is The New Miss USA Pro-Gay Marriage?

North Korea Can Now Launch Medium-Range Nuclear Missiles

Experts are now in quiet agreement that North Korea has miniaturised nuclear bombs enough to put them on medium-range missiles. That means that they can not reach the United States from their home land, but Japan and South Korea are easily within range. About that whole 'can not reach the USA yet', that will no longer be true soon enough. A few more "satellite" launches (Berman Post: North Korea Fires Missile, Berman Post: North Korea Releases Rocket Launch Video) and we will find our selves wanting a missile shield more than ever (Berman Post: Why we Need a Missile Shield).

More at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6155956.ece.

Olbermann to Hannity - $1,000 to Charity For Every Second That You Undergo Waterboarding

Hannity said on his show that he would under go waterboarding for charity. Then he said he would do it for the troops families. I could not tell if he was serious or trying to crack a joke. Olbermann is now calling him out. The pledge; $1,000 to a charity for every second Hannity is waterboarded. The only condition is that another networks' cameras are there to record (at least one more besides Fox News cameras). Olbermann then said he would double it if Hannity admitted he feared for his life.

I have no desire to see journalists get waterboarded. If you have such a desire there are a number of clips out their already. In is not pleasant, but it works (Berman Post: Waterboarding Worked). It is much more pleasant than sawing someone's head off or not knowing about another 9/11 style attack coming down the pipe. If Hannity wants to do it, fine. I would certainly understand if he did not want to undergo something that is designed to break a man in short order.

You can stop watching the video at 2:15.

Video embedded below. (from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/23/olbermann-calls-hannitys_n_190869.html)

Obama Approved a Large Turkish Arms Sale to Lebanon

Senior Israeli military officers were reportedly 'staggered' to learn that Obama had approved an arms sale to the Lebanese army from Turkey. The deal includes training from Turkish military instructors. Lebanon has repeatedly threatened Israel and promised to help Hizballah in a confrontation.

Israel was not warned about the deal before hand. Some in Israel believe the deal was meant to drive a wedge between Ankara (Turkey) and Tel Aviv (Israel). I really hope they are wrong. What could be the end game of creating tension between Israel and Turkey? If that had occurred on its own, then Israel might need to draw more heavily on the United States. Since it was in part fueled by Obama, it is hard to imagine Israel wanting to rely more heavily on us.

If relations strain enough between the United States and Israel enough, they might start ally shopping. It would not surprise me in the least if both China and India have fueled planes warmed up on the runway with five billion dollars in the hold ready to race each other to Tel Aviv. It is hard to come up with a worse two country combination from the United State's dominance perspective then Israeli technology with Chinese or Indian manpower.

More at http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=6039.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

'Autonomous Rotorcraft Sniper System', Think Unmanned Helicopter Sniper

Death from above just got extra personal. Combine an unmanned helicopter with a powerful rifle on a stabilized turret and you have the Autonomous Rotorcraft Sniper System. It is exactly what you think it is, an unmanned helicopter sniper. War really is becoming more like a game as a modified X-box controller is used for it. At $4 a shot it is a lot cheaper than a Hellfire missile. Hiding in a crowed becomes less effective for the terrorists when you do not have to take out the cluster to hit them. It can get off ten aimed shots a minute or one every six seconds. Just imagine what a cluster of these could do in a fire fight. Think of the deterrent effect of having one or two of these flying with a soldier on patrol.

Here are some stats.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/4313331.html

"










Vigilante 502 Unmanned Helicopter
+ Max Weight: 1100 pounds + Length: 26 feet + Rotor Diameter: 23 feet + Top Speed: 117 mph + Payload: 150 pounds + Fuel Capacity: 36 gallons + Flight Time: 6-plus hours









RND Manufacturing Edge 2000 Rifle
+ Cartridge: Lapua Magnum .338 + Weight: 14 pounds + Action: Gas-operated semiautomatic + Muzzle Velocity: 3000 feet per second with 250-grain bullet + Rate of Fire: Up to 10 carefully aimed shots per minute + Ammunition Cost: $4 per round










"

More at http://blog.wired.com/defense/2009/04/army-tests-new.html.

Lawrence Summers Caught Snoozing on The Job

Lawrence Summers (Director of the White House's National Economic Council) was caught apparently taking a nap during a meeting today involving Obama and credit card companies. Nodding off in a room while your boss is talking and the cameras are rolling is not the best timing. Especially when your boss is the President of the United States and the image will certainly rocket around the internet as well as likely make appearances on the late night shows.

Insert your own 'stimulus' joke here.

http://www.tmz.com/2009/04/23/barack-a-bye-baby-obama-advisor-nods-off


Barack Obama

Iran Tries to Pass Off Israeli Drone as Theirs, Fails

A photo of what was referred to as a new Iranian drone appears to be the same as a previously published picture of the Israeli Heron drone. The picture can no longer be found at the Iranian site.

If only their nuclear program was just a Photoshop phantom; but it is not.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1079075.html


"In an article run this week on the Maariv website, the photo used by Press TV of the Iranian drone is shown above a remarkably similar photo from Israel Aerospace Industries of the Heron 1 Israeli drone. The two photos appear to be exactly the same, with the angle of the shot and the clouds in the background identical in appearance.








Weighing in at well over a ton, the Israeli-made "Heron" drone is one of the largest UAVs in the world, at over 9 meters long with a wingspan of nearly 17 meters. It is intended for use in long-range tactical missions and can fly for over 30 hours at an altitude of over 6 miles."

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

The United Nations Support Collective Punishment? Believes it Affective?

All the quotes are from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/opinion/19long-1.html?_r=3&ref=opinion.

The article is about how to deal with a hostage situation centered around the recent difficulties with pirates. It starts by saying that there are generally two options, negotiate or a physical rescue.

"But there might be another way — an approach that could be run through the United Nations and that would be available both to governmental and nongovernmental authorities acting for the interned seamen."

A different way. A way that both governmental and nongovernmental authorities could use.

In the first situation the UN was asked to intervene by Nairobi who had citizens being held hostage in Somalia.

"Eventually, after long and heated internal discussion, the United Nations security team persuaded the United Nations country team that the most effective approach would be to use humanitarian aid and assistance as a lever to gain release of hostages."

How exactly would they use humanitarian aid as a lever?

"United Nations assistance was withheld from the Somali clan or region by which or in which hostages were being held until those hostages were released."

Translation, they used collective punishment. More on the how soon.

"In every case there was a release, and in no case were hostages harmed or ransom paid."

Not much to explain here. The collective punishment was 100% successful at saving the hostages while not paying the hostage takers.

What exactly did they do?

"In 1995, for example, the water supply for Mogadishu, the capital, was shut off by the United Nations humanitarian agencies until a hostage who worked for another aid organization was released. On the first day of the shutoff, the women who collected water from public distribution points yelled at the kidnappers; on the second day they stoned them; on the third day they shot at them; on the fourth day, the hostage was released."

Translation, they cut off the water supply to the capital city and refused to turn it back on until the hostage was released. It took four days of a United Nations caused drought of sorts until the innocent bystanders could not take it any more. The women needed water so badly that they took hostile and violate action against the kidnappers.

This was not an isolated occurrence of collective punishment by the United Nations. The next example involves French hostages.

"After demonstrating that the hostages were alive, the pirates demanded $1 million in ransom. I responded that the United Nations would suspend all civic improvement in the region — education, animal husbandry, vaccination, water projects. The aid would resume when the hostages were released."

This actually goes a step beyond collective punishment. Collective punishment involves punishing innocents along with the perpetrators. What the United Nations did here was punish the family and friends of the perpetrators, not the perpetrators themselves.

"This drove a wedge between the pirates and their home clan, the Darod. Clan elders put pressure on the pirates. After several weeks, the Frenchmen were released to me in return for resumption of all United Nations humanitarian aid."

The plan worked as they expected it would. Punishing the clan led to the clan pressuring the pirates to release the hostages.


As is put so nicely over at http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/33418_United_Nations_Hypocrisy_Writ_Large, imagine how the United Nations would react if Israel used these tactics to free Gilad Shalit. Hypocrisy?

Obama Now Supports The Colombia Free Trade Agreement

It appears that Obama has reversed his position on the Colombia Free Trade Agreement and is now in favor of it. I never really understood why the Democrats did not support this in the first place. Free trade agreements in general are a good idea, but this one in particular was a no brainer. As the article nicely points out, we already had a one way free trade agreement. All this agreement does is further open their markets to our exports. Our markets were already open to their exports. Obama may still face some difficulty getting this passed over the opposition of his party.

More at http://hotair.com/archives/2009/04/22/obama-reversing-himself-on-columbian-trade-pact.

Let me take this post to also comment on how Obama dealt with some of the anti American leaders and diatribes. Going to a summit like that, you really can not help shaking the hands of some people you would rather not. That said, the huge smile or other more personal gestures are not required and were probobly inappropriate. Receiving the book was also unavoidable. When someone hands you a book, you really have no way of knowing what is in it. After understanding what the book was all about, I think Obama should reciprocate in kind; as in send a book to Chavez. You also do not need to sit through a 50 minute anti American diatribe. I have not had a chance to read the transcript of what exactly was said, but if it is inline with some of the commentary I have seen, Obama could have walked out. In brief summation, not everything that happened can or should be blamed on Obama, but he should have handled some things differently.

Former CNN Reporter O'Connor on Roesgen - 'She Crossed A Journalistic Line'

Former CNN reporter Eileen O'Connor commented on Susan Roesgen skewed Tax Day Tea Party interview (Berman Post: Follow up to CNN's Susan Roesgen Skewed Tax Day Tea Party Protest Interview). There is talk about how hiding her (Berman Post: Susan Roesgen 'Takes a Break') and trying to erase it (Berman Post: CNN Using Copyright to Erase Embarrassing Roesgen Tax Day Tea Party Clips) is the wrong way to handle this. O'Connor also takes a glancing shot at Rick Santelli for his famous rant (Berman Post: Rick Santelli Catch up) before taking it back provided he was/is a commentator instead of a reporter.

Video embedded below. (from http://www.aim.org/on-target-blog/ex-cnn-star-roesgen-crossed-a-journalistic-line)

Is The New Miss USA Pro-Gay Marriage?

No doubt in part to all the controversy around Carrie Prejean's (Miss California) thoughts on gay marriage (Berman Post: Perez Hilton Calls Miss California (Carrie Prejean) a "Dumb B*tch", Was Thinking The thinking of the "C-Word"), Miss USA (Kristen Dalton) was ask for her opinion. Jump to 2:20 for her answer. My thoughts under the video.

Video embedded below.



It seemed like a rather political answer, a punt or buck pass if you will. That description is not meant as a condemnation of her. She is in the difficult position of offending a group of people regardless of her answer, so to avoid offense she avoids answering. She did not come out and support same sex marriage, nor did she appose it. The answer can be viewed as at least supporting civil unions, but you really can not read much more into it.

David Buckner Returns to Beck (Does Not Pass Out This Time)

The last time David Buckner was on Glenn Beck's show he passed out on live television (Berman Post: Beck Proves to Much For Guest - Faints). He went back to complete the segment. No incidents this time.

Video embedded below.

Obama Snubs Netanyahu?

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is no longer planning on attending the AIPAC summit. The first wave of stories indicated that he canceled once he knew Obama would not meet with him during the summit. Netanyahu plans on sending a video message, and has asked Israeli President Shimon Peres to attend the conference.

More at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710729317&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull.

The second wave of stories said that Netanyahu does not want to meet with Obama until after his policy review. The policy review is set to conclude after the AIPAC summit is over.

More at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710711860&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/Printer.

My gut feeling on it is that the first story is probobly the truth and the second was an attempt to save face. Why Obama would not want to meet with Netanyahu, especially in the context of having already met some rather 'unsavory' leaders, is something I do not really have an answer for. At least not any that seem both plausible and would not depress me.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Waterboarding Worked

Waterboarding worked. According to the CIA the technique helped thwart a planned 9/11 style attack on Los Angeles. People are free to quibble about the morality of using enhanced interrogation. People can debate if the terrorists are entitled to any protections at all, and if that should even matter. You can even talk about if instead of interrogating people we just handed them a wad of cash and sent them on their way, would they would stop sawing the heads off of their prisoners. The effectiveness of enhanced interrogations however seems no longer up for debate as the CIA is confirming that it does work, and well at that.

http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=46949

"Before he was waterboarded, when KSM was asked about planned attacks on the United States, he ominously told his CIA interrogators, “Soon, you will know.”

According to the previously classified May 30, 2005 Justice Department memo that was released by President Barack Obama last week, the thwarted attack -- which KSM called the “Second Wave”-- planned “ ‘to use East Asian operatives to crash a hijacked airliner into’ a building in Los Angeles.”
...
Indeed, before the CIA used enhanced techniques in its interrogation of KSM, KSM resisted giving any answers to questions about future attacks, simply noting, ‘Soon you will know.’”

After he was subjected to the “waterboard” technique, KSM became cooperative, providing intelligence that led to the capture of key al Qaeda allies and, eventually, the closing down of an East Asian terrorist cell that had been tasked with carrying out the 9/11-style attack on Los Angeles.
"

Captured Pirate in Manhattan Court

The captured pirate from the US-flagged Maersk Alabama stand off (Berman Post: Americans Captured by Pirates, Freed by SEALs/Marines: "US-flagged Maersk Alabama") is not in a Manhattan court. It is the first piracy case in US courts in over 100 years. The judge ruled that the pirate will be tried as an adult. The five charges could result in Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse (the pirate) spending the rest of his life in prison.

More at http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/04/21/2009-04-21_is_somali_pirate_that_helped_hijack_maersk_alabama_an_adult_or_just_a_kid_hearin.html.

Al-Qaeda Training Kids to be Suicide Bombers

Iraqi security forces have broken up the 'Birds of Paradise' cell. The cell consists of four kids all under the age of 14. The terrorists hoped that the young children would be able to avoid the attention of security forces. As sick as it would be if the terrorists were using 14 year old children, note the 'under the age of 14' for this group of indoctrinated youngsters. This is not the first time terrorists have used kids, and they are not above using mentally disabled people either.

More at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article6135887.ece.

Janet Napolitano - "Crossing The Border is Not a Crime Per se"

US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said that "crossing the border is not a crime per se. It is civil.". She said this in a context in which she was referring to sneaking across the boarder, not legal immigration. Well, "In fact, pursuant to 8 U.S.C. 1325, crossing the border illegally is a crime--a misdemeanor for the first offense and a felony for the second and subsequent offenses" (http://www.steinreport.com/archives/012406.html).

More at http://michellemalkin.com/2009/04/21/janet-napolitano-said-what.

Wind Flow Affecting Home Runs in New Yankee Stadium?

There were 20 home runs in the first series at the new Yankee Stadium. That is a record for an opening series at a new stadium. Some think that record could be a result of the wind flow through it. There are of course other potential factors, mostly human. That is the relative skills of the pitchers and batters. A westerly wind is specifically what could be at play here. It will take more games and some serious number crunching to find out if the wind is a significant factor. Until then it is just something to keep in the back of your mind.

Video embedded below. (from http://www.accuweather.com/news-weather-features.asp?#extremes)

Monday, April 20, 2009

Ahmadinejad Sparks Walk Out at 'Racism Conference' After Calling Israel 'Cruel And Repressive Racist Regime'

In what should come as no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention to this, the UN's 'Durban II' conference on racism was a forum to denounce Israel. The United States pulled out of the conference and did not attend it (Berman Post: US to Pull Out of UN's 'Durban II': "UN's 'Durban II'"), after looking like it would not (Berman Post: $900 Million for Gaza?).

Australia was among those that boycotted the conference (http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/releases/2009/fa-s090419.html), as did Germany (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jQw60Mb0-dZwXSMTfTWaPLiGbqhwD97LOEDO0), Netherlands (http://www.expatica.com/nl/news/dutch-news/Netherlands-refuses-to-attend-UN-racism-conference_51744.html), Sweden (http://www.thelocal.se/18946/20090418), and New Zealand (http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2346841/NZ-won-t-attend-racism-conference).

When the Holocaust denying Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Israel of being "cruel and repressive racist regime" set up on the "pretext of Jewish suffering" (you know, from the Holocaust which he does not believe happened) on Holocaust remembrance day (which is today), Western Delegates walked out. Diplomats from more than 30 countries walked out.

Before that Ahmadinejad's speech had been interrupted by protesters wearing colorful clown hair/wigs who threw soft red balls at him. It did not appear that any hit him. The clip shows both.

Video embedded below. (from http://www.whnt.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-un-un-racism-conference,0,125788.story)



More at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6132972.ece and http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1172069/Dozens-diplomats-storm-UN-race-conference-Iranian-president-condemns-Israels-cruel-regime--Holocaust-Remembrance-Day.html.

Officially the US administration called the speech "vile and fed racial hatred" but also said that it did not preclude talks between the US and Iran(http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3704059,00.html).
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