Health And Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius - "We Have a Lot of Reeducation to do"

"Reeducation"; Democracies do not 'reeducate' or 'indoctrinate'. When the people know and are afraid of what is actually true as has been repeatedly proven true, trying to convince them of the opposite is can also more simply be described as a lie; the the former two have much more sinister undertones. Here you have a prominent supporter describing what they are going to do in totalitarian terms.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2010/08/sebelius-time-for-reeducation-on-obama-health-care-law.html

"With a number of polls showing a sustained level of opposition to the Democrats’ health care reform efforts more than five months after passage, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the Obama administration has “a lot of reeducation to do” heading into the midterms.
...
With several vulnerable House Democrats touting their votes against the bill, and Republicans running on repeal, Sebelius said “misinformation given on a 24/7 basis” has led to the enduring opposition nearly six months after the lengthy debate ended in Congress.

“So, we have a lot of reeducation to do,” Sebelius said."

Obama Addresses The Nation on The End of The Combat Mission in Iraq

Video embedded below.

Obama's Top Education Official Urged Government Employees to Attend a Sharpton's Counter Rally to Beck's Restoring Honor Rally

Beyond being wholly inappropriate it puts the lopsided attendance (3k for Sharpton, Hundreds of Thousands for Beck) in more context. Speaking of the massive crowd at Beck's rally, see the photo's compiled by Beck and his people at http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/44980.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Education-secretary-urged-his-employees-to-go-to-Sharpton_s-rally-651280-101839293.html

"President Obama's top education official urged government employees to attend a rally that the Rev. Al Sharpton organized to counter a larger conservative event on the Mall.

"ED staff are invited to join Secretary Arne Duncan, the Reverend Al Sharpton, and other leaders on Saturday, Aug. 28, for the 'Reclaim the Dream' rally and march," began an internal e-mail sent to more than 4,000 employees of the Department of Education on Wednesday.
...
Although the e-mail does not violate the Hatch Act, which forbids federal employees from participating in political campaigns, Education Department workers should feel uneasy, said David Boaz, executive vice president of the libertarian Cato Institute.

"It sends a signal that activity on behalf of one side of a political debate is expected within a department. It's highly inappropriate ... even in the absence of a direct threat," Boaz said. "If we think of a Bush cabinet official sending an e-mail to civil servants asking them to attend a Glenn Beck rally, there would be a lot of outrage over that.""

Past Restoring Honor Rally posts:
Berman Post: Beck's Restoring Honor Rally (LiveStream)
Berman Post: Aerial Crowd Picture of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally
Berman Post: Overhead Shot of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally
Berman Post: Airplane Photos of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally
Berman Post: CNN Really Screws up Title Box For Beck at His Restoring Honor Rally
Berman Post: Obama's on Beck's Restoring Honor Rally - 'I Did Not Watch it' And 'Beck Just Stirring up People's Anxieties'
Berman Post: Media Coverage of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally vs Martin Luther King, Jr.
Berman Post: Bill Press - 'Talking About God is Not Appropriate At The Lincoln Memorial Because it is Sacred'

Oval Office Gets a Makeover

Here is what it looks like now. Note that tax payer money was not used in the redecorating.

Pictures embedded below. (via)

Bill Press - 'Talking About God is Not Appropriate At The Lincoln Memorial Because it is Sacred'

So many problems in such a short clip. Someone has to tell Bill Press what 'Sacred' means. Also, he should read the two speeches that made the spot sacred; though given the reference to God in those speeches he may change his opinion on them.

Video embedded below.



Past Restoring Honor Rally posts:
Berman Post: Beck's Restoring Honor Rally (LiveStream)
Berman Post: Aerial Crowd Picture of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally
Berman Post: Overhead Shot of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally
Berman Post: Airplane Photos of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally
Berman Post: CNN Really Screws up Title Box For Beck at His Restoring Honor Rally
Berman Post: Obama's on Beck's Restoring Honor Rally - 'I Did Not Watch it' And 'Beck Just Stirring up People's Anxieties'
Berman Post: Media Coverage of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally vs Martin Luther King, Jr.

One in Six Americans Now Enrolled in Government Anti-Poverty Programs

Over 50 million Americans are now enrolled in government anti-poverty programs. That is a record high and shows how bad our economy is doing.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-08-30-1Asafetynet30_ST_N.htm

"Government anti-poverty programs that have grown to meet the needs of recession victims now serve a record one in six Americans and are continuing to expand.

More than 50 million Americans are on Medicaid, the federal-state program aimed principally at the poor, a survey of state data by USA TODAY shows. That's up at least 17% since the recession began in December 2007."

Wine-Sipping Cattle

A good steak and a nice glass of wine sound like a good meal to a lot of people. Now you can have them 'blended' together with cattle who have wine in their feed.

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2010/08/27/con-wino-cows.html

"Angus cattle in British Columbia's Okanagan region are being fed red wine with their grain, and chefs say it makes the beef taste unique.

The idea is the brainchild of Janice Ravndahl of Kelowna's Sezmu Meats. Ravndahl said the beef produced in the wine and cattle areas of the region has an enhanced flavour, the marbling is finer and the fat tastes like candy."

City of Beaverton to Celebrate Mexican Independence, Did Not Celebrate American Independence

You have to head over to this site to hear the events coordinator get absolutely destroyed.

Obama Discovers New Reason Politicians Should Avoid Umbrellas

For more then half a century, politicians have tried to avoid being filmed or photographed with an umbrella. The reason was to avoid comparisons with 'peace in our time' Neville Chamberlain. Come to think of it though; if not for the public disdain for appeasement Obama might not mind the sort of appeasements-ish 'negotiate until we are blue in the face and you have already done what ever it was you wanted to do in the first place that we did not want you to do' comparison. Well, he would probably disagree with my imputed likely outcome of his negotiating style; but we will see visa-vi Iran soon enough. Does anyone think we are going to convince Iran to drop their nuke program. I digress.

The reason, shown in a photo, comes to you through Drudge by way of Instapundit to Althouse; which also just screams 'what if Bush did it'.

Picture embedded below.




In that same post Althouse includes the less then confidence inspiring juxtaposition of Obama and Putin, and shows that while Obama did not pull it off it is possible to look cool with a bike.

Pictures embedded below.

Media Coverage of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally vs Martin Luther King, Jr.

http://dailycaller.com/2010/08/29/what-theyre-saying-about-the-828-rally (Bold Mine)

Media:

"“Conservative commentator Glenn Beck and tea party champion Sarah Palin appealed Saturday to a vast, predominantly white crowd on the National Mall to help restore traditional American values and honor Martin Luther King’s message.” — Associated Press
...
“Meanwhile, many in the predominantly white crowd bent over backward to insist that they are not racists and to note that the crowd was courteous, despite heat and density.” — James Hohmann, Politico

“Beck says he and his overwhelmingly white followers ‘are the inheritors and protectors of the civil- rights movement.’” — Ben Adler, Newsweek

“Though the audience at the event was overwhelmingly white, many of the speakers were African-American, including a woman who sang a song about unity.” — Brian Montopoli, CBS

“Claiming the legacy of the nation’s Founding Fathers and repeatedly evoking civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., the speakers at the ‘Restoring Honor’ rally exhorted a vast and overwhelmingly white crowd to concentrate not on the history that has scarred the nation but instead on what makes it ‘good.’” — Philip Rucker & Carol Morello, Washington Post

“A relatively dense and overwhelmingly white crowd stretched from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial out past the Washington Monument.” — Mark Benjamin, Salon.com"


Martin Luther King, Jr.:

"“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” — Martin Luther King, Jr."


Past Restoring Honor Rally posts:
Berman Post: Beck's Restoring Honor Rally (LiveStream)
Berman Post: Aerial Crowd Picture of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally
Berman Post: Overhead Shot of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally
Berman Post: Airplane Photos of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally
Berman Post: CNN Really Screws up Title Box For Beck at His Restoring Honor Rally
Berman Post: Obama's on Beck's Restoring Honor Rally - 'I Did Not Watch it' And 'Beck Just Stirring up People's Anxieties'

Chris Matthews (MSNBC) - "Suppose The Democrats Win in Pennsylvania With Sestak, And I Hope They do"

Video embedded below.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Ohio Lawyer Suspended For Billing More Than 24 Hours in a Day on Three Different Occasions

Billing for more hours then there are in a day is a pretty big give away that you have been over billing. This lawyer did it three times.

http://www.abajournal.com/weekly/article/ohio_lawyer_suspended_for_billing_more_than_24_hours_a_day

"An Ohio lawyer has been suspended for overbilling local courts for her representation of poor clients, submitting bills for more than 24 hours a day on three different occasions.

The lawyer, Kristin Ann Stahlbush of Toledo, will be suspended for two years, with the second year stayed if she completes a one-year probationary period, the Legal Profession Blog reports.

According to an Ohio Supreme Court opinion (PDF) issued Tuesday, Stahlbush billed the courts in Lucas County for more than 24 hours a day on at least three different days, and more than 20 hours a day on five other occasions."

Victory is The Only Option

Just in case people have short memories, this clip shows which side was pushing for victory and which side was pushing for surrender; thankfully those on the side of victory prevailed.

Video embedded below.

GOP Takes Unprecedented 10-Point Lead on Generic Ballot

Exactly how unprecedented is this GOP 10-point lead on Gallup's generic ballot; it is double the most they have ever had previous to this month.

Picture embedded below.



"The Republican leads of 6, 7, and 10 points this month are all higher than any previous midterm Republican advantage in Gallup's history of tracking the generic ballot, which dates to 1942. Prior to this year, the highest such gap was five points, measured in June 2002 and July 1994. Elections in both of these years resulted in significant Republican gains in House seats."

Obama's on Beck's Restoring Honor Rally - 'I Did Not Watch it' And 'Beck Just Stirring up People's Anxieties'

Video embedded below.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Past Restoring Honor Rally posts:
Berman Post: Beck's Restoring Honor Rally (LiveStream)
Berman Post: Aerial Crowd Picture of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally
Berman Post: Overhead Shot of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally
Berman Post: Airplane Photos of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally
Berman Post: CNN Really Screws up Title Box For Beck at His Restoring Honor Rally

Chris Christie (R) Fires Education Commissioner Bret Schundler For Deceiving Him on 'Race to The Top' Presentation

Christie (R) defended him and attack the federal government, able to forgive a simple mistake. Deceit on the other hand was not, and cannot, be tolerated. That is what led to his firing; though Christie's critic of the federal government still holds.

http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20100827/UPDATES01/100827035/BREAKING-Gov-Christie-fires-Schundler-over-Race-to-the-Top-grant-gaffe

"Christie had defended Schundler on Wednesday and blamed the U.S. Education Department for considering form over substance. Christie said this week that Schundler gave the federal government the missing information during a meeting in Washington this month. But a video released Thursday by the federal Education Department shows that wasn't the case.

"I was extremely disappointed to learn that the videotape of the Race to the Top presentation was not consistent with the information provided to me by the New Jersey Department of Education and which I then conveyed to the people of New Jersey," Christie said in a statement Friday. "As a result, I ordered an end to Bret Schundler's service as New Jersey's Education Commissioner and as a member of my administration."

In an interview at his Jersey City home Friday, Schundler responded that he gave the governor's staff the right story."

CNN Really Screws up Title Box For Beck at His Restoring Honor Rally

Picture embedded below.



In case you missed any the person on the screen was Beck, not "Sarah" Palin (they spelled her wrong) who ran for Vice President (not President).

Past Restoring Honor Rally posts:
Berman Post: Beck's Restoring Honor Rally (LiveStream)
Berman Post: Aerial Crowd Picture of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally
Berman Post: Overhead Shot of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally
Berman Post: Airplane Photos of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally

Airplane Photos of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally

Pictures embedded below.

The pictures are from CBS news who estimate an attendance of 87,000; ludicrous. Meanwhile, Sharpton’s counter rally drew 3,000; or as CBS news will probably estimate, 4,000,000.

Past Restoring Honor Rally posts:
Berman Post: Beck's Restoring Honor Rally (LiveStream)
Berman Post: Aerial Crowd Picture of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally
Berman Post: Overhead Shot of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally

Protesters Head to Sea Over Obama Administration’s Fishing Regulations

If a group of people board boats to protest Obama while he is on vacation and the media does not breathlessly cover it as they did with Sheehan/Bush did it ever really happen? Of course, though some people are hoping the rest of us will not notice it; or is it since they are not protesting Bush they are somehow less newsworthy?

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1277171

"Around noon, at least 20 fishing vessels began circling Vineyard Haven’s harbor, blasting their air horns and displaying banners to protest President Obama’s restrictions on commercial fishing that they say threaten their livelihood.

Two U.S. Coast Guard Zodiac boats intercepted the flotilla of protesters minutes out from the president’s vacation paradise, but were keeping their distance and have so far made no attempt to stop the fishermen either physically or by radio."

Pentagon Grants Five States Waivers From MOVE Act

Let me cut through the weeds really quickly. The Move act was designed to prevent a repeat of having 17,000 soldiers not having their votes counted because being over seas putting their lives on the line to defend us, their ballets could not get back in time. None of the waivers should have been granted and it is truly sad that politicians are not doing everything to make sure are troops overseas are able to vote.

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/outrage-pentagon-grants-five-states-waivers-from-move-act

"In Washington, politicians always like to release bad news on a Friday, as fewer people notice. Today, the Pentagon announced that it had granted the waiver requests of five states seeking to escape requirements to protect military voters.

I have written previously here at PJM that all waiver requests should be denied. Unfortunately, if you are an overseas servicemember from Delaware, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, or Washington, the protections in the MOVE Act aren’t going to apply to you this year. And if you are from one of the states who still aren’t in compliance with MOVE — like Colorado, Wisconsin, or Alaska — don’t be surprised if you get scant help from Attorney General Eric Holder.
...
Calls to Bob Carey, the director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP), were not returned in time for this article, but a spokesman told me that these waivers are in compliance with the MOVE Act standards.

FVAP never published the waiver requests prior to today — including the Hawaii request received back on March 24, 2010. Many state officials, such as Massachusetts Secretary of State Bill Galvin, made no mention whatsoever of the waiver requests on their websites.

Given that few things could make Americans angrier than another 17,000 lost votes from soldiers — as happened in 2008 — the secrecy was understandable."

'Racist Tea Party Blogger' Actually a Democratic Donor

The truth just keeps getting in the way of the media's false 'ignorant racist tea party protester' theme.

Video embedded below.



"Luckily Think Progress was somehow able to profile the guys life, well almost at least. They unfortunately left out the part where Majors donated thousands of dollars to the DNC, which the Daily Beast reported:

According to OpenSecrets.org, he’s donated about $15,000 to Democrats since 2000, including a $10,000 donation to the DNC in 2000, a $500 donation to Howard Dean in 2003, and a $1,000 donation to John Kerry in 2004. His only recent contribution to a Republican candidate was $250 in 2002 to retired Rep. Jim Kolbe, then lone openly gay Republican in Congress.

Which would of been good to know. Honest mistake probably. Really, who would ever have thought that a political donation history would be relevant in determining someone’s political leanings? Doubt they needed it anyway. After all, if you’ve ever seen a guest of Countdown, then you know that nobody is more credible than a ‘largely unknown blogger,’ especially the if the name is Ezra Klein."

Obama on The End of Combat Operations in Iraq; no Mention of Bush Nor Victory, Plenty of "I"s

You only have to watch for the firs 40 seconds or so and you will see the theme.

Video embedded below.



"Barack Obama had an opportunity to at least share a little credit for the close of combat operations in Iraq with George W. Bush, who wrote the plan for drawing down American troops in Iraq that Obama has followed to the letter, rather than go for Obama’s repeatedly promised all-out 16-month retreat plan from 2007. If his weekly address is any indication, the American electorate will have to wait for some other opportunity for its Chief Executive to show a little class. Try to count all of the self-references as Obama sprains his shoulder through overly enthusiastic backpatting
...
Total mentions of Bush: zero. Total mentions of victory: zero. Total mentions of “I” in speech: six, including the three in the excerpt above."

Terror Suspect a Former Canadian Idol Contestant

You can stop looking for a punch line, because the headline is not a joke. Here is his audition to prove it.

Video embedded below.



"His name is Khuram Sher and apparently he's the third wheel in a pretty serious domestic terror plot in Canada:

Two other alleged members of the group police believe were trying to form a local terrorism cell appeared in an Ottawa court Thursday.

Hiva Alizadeh, 36, is charged with conspiracy, committing an act for terrorism purposes and providing or making available properties for terrorism purposes.

The tall, thin Alizadeh appeared in court wearing a bushy beard and glasses, with a knitted skull cap and an open-neck checked shirt.

Misbahuddin Ahmed is charged with conspiracy and other unspecified terrorism charges. Ahmed, who was born in 1983 and stands about five feet, 10 inches tall, wore a dark, neatly trimmed beard and a beige pullover in court.

One has to wonder what the real crime was here: singing Avril Lavigne or plotting to blow up infidels?"

Amateur Ghost Hunter Looking For a 'Ghost Train' Struck And Killed by a Real Train

http://www.wistv.com/global/story.asp?s=13055036

"A man who was with about a dozen people who were looking for a legendary "ghost train" in Iredell County was hit by a locomotive and killed early Friday morning.

The incident happened on a train trestle at 2:45 a.m. near the 900 block of Buffalo Shoals Road.
...
The sheriff said the incident coincided with the anniversary of a train wreck that occurred at the same location in 1891."

Harvesting Energy From Mist in Humid Regions

You could say the technology is almost pulling electricity out of thin air. Of course it would be more accurate to say it was pulling the electricity out of 'moistened' air. Scientist discovered the that water droplets in the atmosphere can become charged when they brush up against dust particles or other liquids. They are working on a way to pull the electricity out of the air effectively and if they are successful such a device could compliment solar panels on your house.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/08/hygroelectric-power

"Originally, scientists believed that water droplets in the atmosphere were electrically neutral, and remained that way even after brushing up against charges on dust particles and other liquids. However, Galembeck discovered in a series of lab experiments that water droplets do in fact pick up a charge.

He used particles of silica and aluminum phosphate, both of which are common dust particles in the air, and found that they become increasingly charged as the amount of water vapor in the air increases. “This was clear evidence that water in the atmosphere can accumulate electrical charges and transfer them to other materials it comes into contact with,” said Galembeck.

It could be possible to harvest this “hygroelectricity” from the air in regions that experience high humidity, such as the tropics. To jump-start this industry, Galembeck’s team is already testing metals to see which might be of most use in capturing atmospheric electricity on hygroelectric panels."

Overhead Shot of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally

Picture embedded below.



This shot is pulled back further then the first Aerial Crowd Picture of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally That picture cuts out a substantial amount of people. Same problem as the last though with the low resolution and trouble judging crowd density. The trees are also blocking a substantial number of people. Still, this would seem to bolster 500k being the low end of the estimate.

The 'Google-Bomb redirect' failed.

Aerial Crowd Picture of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally

Picture embedded below. (via)



The photo's lack of resolution makes it hard to guess the number of people at the rally because it is hard to judge the crowd density. That said; the previous high end of the range was 500,000, this picture would indicate that could be the new low.

Update: Second Overhead Shot of Beck's Restoring Honor Rally (zoomed out further)

EPA Rejects Calls to Ban Lead in Ammo

This is a big victory for second amendment supporters who used the comment period lambaste the idea. The comment period was was supposed to last until the end of October, but it took just two days before the EPA said; 'enough already; we are not going to do it'. Such a regulation would have dramatically increased the cost of ammo for civilian shooters. On top of that the environmental impact they were trying to prevent was negligible anyways because civilian shooters predominantly use ranges who then collect the lead.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/08/27/epa-rejects-calls-ban-lead-ammo-fishing-tackle

"The Environmental Protection Agency has denied a petition filed by environmental activists seeking to ban lead in ammunition and fishing tackle, saying such regulation is beyond the agency's authority.

The agency's decision, announced Friday shortly after FoxNews.com published its report on the issue, sided with hunters and fishermen who had argued that the such regulations weren't allowed under the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976.

"EPA is taking action on many fronts to address major sources of lead in our society, such as eliminating childhood exposures to lead," the agency said in a written statement. "However, EPA was not and is not considering taking action on whether the lead content in hunting ammunition poses an undue threat to wildlife.""

http://hotair.com/archives/2010/08/27/epa-on-lead-ammunition-ban-never-mind

"It is an important victory, mainly from the EPA’s own admission that ammunition is outside their jurisdictional reach. Otherwise, this just brings an issue to the end it inevitably faced sooner or later. Had the EPA pursued this in this electoral cycle, they would have risked inspiring a bipartisan effort to defund the agency, which a Republican House may do anyway to stop enforcement of their ridiculous carbon-dioxide endangerment finding."

Reason.tv - How Obama Revived The Freedom Movement

Video embedded below.

Russian Submarines Hunting Down British Vanguard (Subs)

This is just the latest example in a long string that the 'Bear' is trying to shake off its 'drowsiness' and return to the status as a major force on the world stage.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/7969017/Russian-subs-stalk-Trident-in-echo-of-Cold-War.html

"A specially upgraded Russian Akula class submarine has been caught trying to record the acoustic signature made by the Vanguard submarines that carry Trident nuclear missiles, according to senior Navy officers.

British submariners have also reported that they are experiencing the highest number of "contacts" with Russian submarines since 1987.

If the Russians are able to obtain a recording of the unique noise of the boat's propellers it would have serious implications for Britain's nuclear deterrent. Using its sophisticated sonar, the Akula would be able to track Vanguards and potentially sink them before they could launch their Trident D4 missiles."

Georgia Man Wins Right to Keep Flying American Flag at Home

Sanity restored...

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/08/27/georgia-man-wins-right-flying-american-flag-home

"A Georgia man has won the right to fly the American flag outside his home after getting sued for failing to remove the 16-foot flagpole from his front lawn, MyFoxAtlanta.com reported.

Ron Tripodo of Canton, Ga., was embroiled in a costly legal dispute with the Bridgemill Homeowners Association over the flagpole, displayed prominently in his front yard for over a year.

"I got a letter saying, 'Take your flag down. You can put it in your backyard' and I just refused to do it," Tripodo, a former Army Reservist, told the TV station.

The homeowners association, which claimed the flagpole was an "obstruction," reportedly sued Tripodo for $25 each day the flag flew in his front yard -- a charge that totaled $32,000.

A Cherokee County judge, however, dismissed the lawsuit this week, freeing Tripodo from having to pay any fines."

Beck's Restoring Honor Rally (LiveStream)

Video embedded below.

"A Synanym is a Word You Use in Place of One You Can't Spell"

They should have used a Synonym for 'Synanym'.

Picture embedded below.

Obama Administration Halts Prosecution of Alleged USS Cole Bomber

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/26/AR2010082606353.html

"The Obama administration has shelved the planned prosecution of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the alleged coordinator of the Oct. 2000 suicide attack on the USS Cole in Yemen, according to a court filing.

The decision at least temporarily scuttles what was supposed to be the signature trial of a major al-Qaeda figure under a reformed system of military commissions. And it comes practically on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the attack, which killed 17 sailors and wounded dozens when a boat packed with explosives ripped a hole in the side of the warship in the port of Aden.

In a filing this week in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the Justice Department said that "no charges are either pending or contemplated with respect to al-Nashiri in the near future.""

Reason.tv - Wheat, Weed, And ObamaCare: How the Commerce Clause Made Congress All-Powerful

Video embedded below.

The Institute for Justice: A Formidable Band of Libertarian Litigators Take on Tyrannical Government

Video embedded below.

Chuck Norris Approves

Video embedded below.

Palestinians Torch Cars in Jerusalem Because ... Jews Walked Near a Mosque

And America is the intolerant one?!?

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE67P08V

"Palestinians torched half a dozen vehicles in East Jerusalem on Thursday and threw stones and firebombs at Israeli police after Jewish settlers approached a mosque, local residents and police said.

There were no reported injuries in the incident in the volatile Silwan neighbourhood, where tensions have flared between Palestinians and a small group of settlers who have moved there in the past two decades.

Local residents said settlers tried to reach a spring, which religious Jews view as a biblical site, by crossing through a mosque courtyard.

Israeli police said Palestinians then took to the streets in violent demonstrations, throwing rocks and firebombs at police and vehicles, burning six cars."

Wedding Photo Goes Very Wrong

Video embedded below.

Alan Simpson (Co-Chair of Obama's Debt Panel) - Social Security is a "Milk Cow With 310 Million Tits"

Alan Simpson has since apologized for the 'anguish' he caused.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/08/25/news/economy/alan_simpson_fiscal_commission/index.htm

"In his email to Carson, which was sent Monday night, Simpson said he is defending Social Security, not trying to undermine it, and referred her to information showing the program's long-range shortfalls.

He went on: "I've made some plenty smart cracks about people on Social Security who milk it to the last degree. You know 'em too. It's the same with any system in America. We've reached a point now where it's like a milk cow with 310 million tits! Call when you get honest work!""

Make Phone Calls From Gmail

http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/call-phones-from-gmail.html (and)

"Gmail voice and video chat makes it easy to stay in touch with friends and family using your computer’s microphone and speakers. But until now, this required both people to be at their computers, signed into Gmail at the same time. Given that most of us don’t spend all day in front of our computers, we thought, “wouldn’t it be nice if you could call people directly on their phones?”

Starting today, you can call any phone right from Gmail.

Calls to the U.S. and Canada will be free for at least the rest of the year and calls to other countries will be billed at our very low rates. We worked hard to make these rates really cheap (see comparison table) with calls to the U.K., France, Germany, China, Japan—and many more countries—for as little as $0.02 per minute.

Dialing a phone number works just like a normal phone. Just click “Call phone” at the top of your chat list and dial a number or enter a contact’s name."

More at http://www.google.com/chat/voice.

Obama on Iraq Question - "We're Buying Shrimp, Guys. Come On."

Video embedded below.

Odysseus' Palace Discovered in Ithaca; Proves Homer True

Homer's Odysseus may have just been prove true, at least in part. No skeletons of a cyclops have been found, but a palace that fits the story and description perfectly has been.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/7962445/Greeks-discover-Odysseus-palace-in-Ithaca-proving-Homers-hero-was-real.html

"But despite the fantastical details in the Greek epic, a team of archaeologists has claimed the tale is anchored in truth - and that they have discovered his home on the island of Ithaca, in the Ionian sea off the north-west coast of Greece.

Nearly 3,000 years after Odysseus returned from his journey, the team from the University of Ioannina said they found the remains of an extensive three-storey building, with steps carved out of rock and fragments of pottery. The complex also features and a well from the 8th century BC, roughly the period in which Odysseus is believed to have been king of Ithaca.

The location "fits like a glove" with Homer's description of the view from the fabled palace, the archaeologists claim."

Chris Christie (R) Rips Feds For Not Fixing Clerical Error Costing New Jersey $400 Million For School Funding

The brilliance here is that Christie turns a mistake his administration made into another example of the problem with the federal government.


Video embedded below.

Fire Tornado Sweeps Through Brazil

Video embedded below.

Operation: Iota Cracker

With "at least dozens of people" signed up, in a few days some of you will be attending Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor Rally. The media will be out in force looking to cast dispersions on the rally. We have seen it before, and seen them try to erase history to cover up the skewed reporting. They are also not beyond editing videos to 'prove' a false point. This time around there will be another force to contend with. I am not speaking of the poorly executed fifth column CrashTheTeaParty.org people. I am referring to the New Black Panthers.

They came back on the national radar with the voter intimidation incident in Pennsylvania during the 2008 election. Charges were brought against the Democratic Committee member and credentialed poll watcher which were dismissed by Obama's Justice Department. That led to an inquiry, accusations of a covered it up, and the resignation of Christian Adams (DOJ Attorney).

In the firestorm that ensued New Black Panther Party Chairman Malik Zulu Shabazz (a man who praises Osama Bin Laden and Taliban) was interviewed by Mediaite's Tommy Christopher He promised that he would be at Beck's Restoring Honor Rally. Geraldo (Fox News) interviewed him as well along with many others; but the message remained fairly consistent.

The impetus of this post is to help you know what to do if you are one of the people confronted by the New Black Panthers, and the clue is in the title (Operation: Iota Cracker). No matter what you do they will almost certainly call you a racist just for showing up. Of course you are not racist; they are the ones with comments and policies that discriminate against white people and cast dispersions on Jews. When they accuse you of being racist, pull out a cracker (a chip could suffice in a pinch but cracker is preferable) and offer it to them. The cracker is a prop references to Samir Shabaz's 'I hate white people, every Iota of a Cracker I hate em' and other incendiary/racist remarks where he goes on to explain that for black people to be free they are going to have to kill white people and their babies (jump to 10:45 in the clip). The reason for the visual prop is that the media will show the confrontation but may try to edit out or voice over what you have to say. They have to explain to their viewers though why people are waving crackers around. If they do not the viewers curiosity will hopefully be peaked enough to research it for themselves, while the network gets pounded for skewed reporting.

Beck has asked people not to bring political signs or anything that would deter from the peaceful message of the rally. I do not believe bringing a cracker to be in violation of that request. It goes without saying, but just to be clear, do not offer crackers to random black people; that would be racist. The type of cracker you use might matter. It is almost laughable, but I can imagine reports on how 'the fact that the person used a Saltine / Lay's Barbecue chip / Wheat Thin proves that they are racist'. If that concerns you, you can take a few different types of crackers that have different shapes and colors.

What ever you do, cracker in pocket or not, be sure to video tape any encounter in full. Nothing is more effective to protect and counter skewed reporting and false accusations than a complete video of the event in question.


See past Black Panthers and Tea Party Protest coverage.

Turtle Thinks You Should be Ashamed of Yourself

Picture embedded below.

DNA Tests Suggest Hitler Had Jewish And African Roots

This is not the first 'Hitler was part Jewish' claim; but may be among the more factually based (as apposed to conjecture). The story has obvious hooks; the man was what he most despised. Even without the Jewish or African link, the theme would still hold. Hitler's view of the Aryan Race was tall, blue eyed, blond haired individuals. Hitler was short with dark hair and dark eyes.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/world-war-2/7961211/Hitler-had-Jewish-and-African-roots-DNA-tests-show.html

"Saliva samples taken from 39 relatives of the Nazi leader show he may have had biological links to the “subhuman” races that he tried to exterminate during the Holocaust.

Jean-Paul Mulders, a Belgian journalist, and Marc Vermeeren, a historian, tracked down the Fuhrer’s relatives, including an Austrian farmer who was his cousin, earlier this year.

A chromosome called Haplogroup E1b1b1 which showed up in their samples is rare in Western Europe and is most commonly found in the Berbers of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, as well as among Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews.
...
It is not the first time that historians have suggested Hitler had Jewish ancestry.

His father, Alois, is thought to have been the illegitimate offspring of a maid called Maria Schickelgruber and a 19-year-old Jewish man called Frankenberger."

PJTV: Terrorized Enough Already: Tea Party Activists Expose Holes on America's Southern Border

Video embedded below.

Obama Bans Over 100,000 Rifles From US Civilian Markets

The reasons are laughable. The only serious conclusion that can be drawn is that Obama is actively working against increasing the supply of legal firearms to responsible citizens. This is far from Obama going house to house at taking people's guns, but it does seem a step toward restricting a civilian's ability to exercise their second amendment right.

http://volokh.com/2010/08/18/obama-bans-over-100000-rifles (via)

"According to The Korea Times, the Obama administration has blocked efforts by the South Korean government to sell over a hundred thousand surplus M1 Garand and Carbine rifles into the United States market. These self-loading were rifles introduced in 1926 and 1941. As rifles, they are especially well-suited to community defense in an emergency, as in the cases of community defense following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Along with AR-15 type rifles, the M1 rifles are the quintessential firearms of responsible citizenship, precisely the type of firearms which civic responsibility organizations such as the Appleseed Project teach people how to use.

According to a South Korean official, “The U.S. insisted that imports of the aging rifles could cause problems such as firearm accidents. It was also worried the weapons could be smuggled to terrorists, gangs or other people with bad intentions.”
...
Legally, it is indisputable that the guns are importable. Being over 50 years old, the rifles are automatically “Curios and Relics” according to federal law. 27 CFR section 478.11. Accordingly, they are by statutory definition importable. 18 USC section 925 (e)(1). Notwithstanding the law, the Obama administration has the ability to pressure the South Korean government to block the sale of the guns.

President Obama was elected on the promise that he supported individual Second Amendment rights. His administration’s thwarting of the import of these American-made rifles is not consistent with that promise."

More at http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/08/it-begins-obama-bans-gun-sales-in-us

Paterson (D) - "Race to the ___" (Whoops)

If you talk on camera long enough, you are bound to slip up at some point. Some people's mistakes are more comical then others...

Video embedded below.

Jupiter Gets Smacked; Amateur Astronomer Video

On the short clip it appears a tiny little flash, but given the size of Jupiter that small dot of light likely shows the release of an amount of energy hard to comprehend.

Video embedded below.

Ultimate Screen Focusing Attire

Picture embedded below.

Federal Judge Blocks Funding For Embryonic Stem Cell Research

http://hotair.com/archives/2010/08/23/federal-judge-blocks-funding-for-embryonic-stem-cell-research

"Here’s the opinion, which is mercifully short. In a nutshell: Every year as part of the budget, Congress passes something called the Dickey-Wicker amendment that blocks federal funds for research in which a human embryo is destroyed. When Obama took office, he lifted Bush’s famous executive order from 2001 limiting money for embryonic stem-cell research and told NIH to create new guidelines that would comply with Dickey-Wicker while also expanding funding. What NIH came up with were rules that said money can’t go to research in which embryos are destroyed but can go to research on stem-cell lines derived from killed embryos. In other words, no federal funding for step one in the process, the killing of the embryo, but federal funding for the rest of the process is okay. The question for the court: Does that policy violate Dickey-Wicker? If an embryo was destroyed some time ago and its stem-cell line is still being replicated, is it okay to give money to scientists researching that line or does that constitute “research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed”?

The answer: Yep, it violates Dickey-Wicker. When Congress banned funding for “research,” it didn’t mean step two is okay but not step one."

100-mph Crash Caught on Tape

The fact that this guy did not die on impact is incredible.

Video embedded below.



"The 19-year-old Mason, Ohio, man reportedly was speeding at more than 100 mph when he hit a guardrail, went airborne and slammed into an overpass. The car broke into three pieces and threw him from the wreckage. The dashboard-mounted camera in a police cruiser caught the spectacular crash that left Eden in critical condition and shut down an Ohio freeway for more than six hours this morning.

“He went down into the median, into the grass, hit the guardrail, went airborne and the car hit the center post of the bridge and literally exploded into three main pieces,” Mark Riley, who witnessed the crash, told WTDN-TV."

Where’s My Congressman?

Video embedded below.

Time Announces New Version of Magazine Aimed at Adults

Video embedded below.

Milton Friedman - Lesson of The Pencil

Video embedded below.

Tornado Hunter

Picture embedded below.

Jason Levin (Creator of CrashTheTeaParty.org) Resigns

Jason Levin, the creator of CrashTheTeaParty.org, was under investigation. This appears to be a 'you can not fire me because I quit' resignation.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/08/20/tea-party-crasher-resigns-getting-ax

"The Oregon teacher who declared his mission to “dismantle and demolish” the Tea Party movement resigned before getting the ax, a school spokeswoman told FoxNews.com.

“He resigned earlier this week, on Monday,” Maureen Wheeler of the Beaverton School District said. “He resigned in lieu of termination.”

Wheeler said Levin learned the results of the district’s investigation and resigned. She would not comment on those investigative results."

Fort Hood Massacre Classified as "Workplace Violence"

Terrorist; what terrorist? It was just a work place misunderstanding that caused a guy (can not use his name for fear people will recognize it as Muslim) who shouted "Allahu Akbar!" as he was shooting, shared a spiritual adviser with some of The 9/11 hijackers, said 'infidels should have their throats cut', tried to contact Al Qaeda, said "we love death more then you love life", and declared himself a 'Soldier of Allah' on his business card.

http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/203679.php

"I haven't read the full Fort Hood report, but if the various news reports are accurate then it seems that the DOD investigation focuses on workplace safety issues and the disclosure of mental health problems rather than the obvious -- WTF was a guy in contact with a known terrorist leader doing in the military in the first place?

Some reports suggest that the FBI is going to be more forthcoming in sharing information about who it investigates with the military, but the media stories that I'm reading tend to throw in that fact way down in the story [the last paragraph from the AP here] which seems, to me, like evidence that they wish to continue the narrative that Nidal Hasan was a lunatic like any other lunatic and divert our attention from the plain facts of the case -- that he was inspired to jihad by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's Anwar al-Awlaki.

To construe Fort Hood as anything other than an act of terrorism is to whitewash one of the worst cases of terrorism since 9/11."

More at http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/08/obama-administration-classifies-fort-hood-massacre-as-workplace-violence.

Past related posts:
Berman Post: Massacre at Fort Hood - 12 Dead, 31 Wounded
Berman Post: Fort Hood Shouted "Allahu Akbar!" Before Shooting
Berman Post: Kimberly Munley Credited With Stopping The Fort Hood Attack
Berman Post: Hasan Shot The Wounded as They Lay on The Floor
Berman Post: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is Not Contagious
Berman Post: Hasan Shared a Spiritual Adviser With Some of The 9/11 Hijackers
Berman Post: Obama vs Bush - Reaction to Fort Hood Shooting
Berman Post: CNN Interviews 'Revolutionary Muslims' Who Believe Fort Hood Attack Was Justified
Berman Post: Hasan Said 'Infidels Should Have Their Throats Cut'
Berman Post: Hasan Tried Contact al Qaeda, US Officials Were Aware
Berman Post: "Going Muslim"
Berman Post: Hasan is Conscious, Talking, And 'Lawyered up'
Berman Post: Obama's Speech at The Fort Hood Memorial (Complete Speech)
Berman Post: Should The Baby in The Womb of One of The Fort Hood Casualties Count as the 14th Casualty?
Berman Post: Hasan - "We Love Death More Then You Love Life!"
Berman Post: Hasan Charged With 13 Counts of Murder
Berman Post: Hasan Said he Was a 'Soldier of Allah' on His Business Card
Berman Post: Mark Todd Now Credited With Ending Hasan's Rampage
Berman Post: 'Thank You George Laura Bush' - From HillBuzz
Berman Post: Picture of George And Laura Bush With a Wounded Fort Hood Soldier
Berman Post: Israeli TV Jokes About Some Americans Being Unwilling to Label Hasan a Terrorist
Berman Post: Hasan is Permanently Paralyzed From the Chest Down
Berman Post: No Mention of Hasan Nor Any Islamic Motivation in 86 Page Report of The Attack

Most Complicated Clock Ever

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/07/pl_backstory_timemachine

"I think, therefore I am. Those are the words (in French) inked in quill by the world’s first literate robot, assembled in 1774 from some 600 components by Swiss watchmaker Pierre Jaquet-Droz. And while Marie Antoinette appreciated its philosophical sense of humor, the humanoid automaton ran afoul of the Catholic Inquisition. Accused of heresy, the machine — fashionably accoutred in silk pantaloons and a velvet jacket — spent several months in a Spanish prison.

How’s a modern mecha to compete with that kind of history? Execs at Jaquet-Droz — now a luxury watch brand owned by Swatch Group — have the answer: Double the number of parts and quadruple the ambition. Rather than retracing the past by writing the same stock phrase as its ancestor, the new automaton harnesses an unprecedented level of mechanical complexity to … write the time on a piece of paper.

It’s harder than it sounds, and it took the better part of a decade to combine Swiss-quality timekeeping with the ability to write 1,440 different numeric phrases “by hand.” But now, when the assemblage is triggered, 1,530 steel and aluminum components, including 50 cams, 9 belts, 120 bearings, and 27 springs, launch into Rube Goldberg-like action."

Video embedded below.

Philadelphia Requiring Bloggers to Pay $300 For Business License

This is not a $300 tax for money earned while blogging; this is a $300 fee for considering a small website a business requiring a business license. It does not seem to matter that the site was never intended as a money making venture; nor has it taken in anywhere near the $300 they are asking for.

Seriously; what kind of coverage do they think this is going to get on the web.

http://citypaper.net/articles/2010/08/19/blogging-business-privilege-tax-philadelphia (via)

"For the past three years, Marilyn Bess has operated MS Philly Organic, a small, low-traffic blog that features occasional posts about green living, out of her Manayunk home. Between her blog and infrequent contributions to ehow.com, over the last few years she says she's made about $50. To Bess, her website is a hobby. To the city of Philadelphia, it's a potential moneymaker, and the city wants its cut.

In May, the city sent Bess a letter demanding that she pay $300, the price of a business privilege license.
...
She's not alone. After dutifully reporting even the smallest profits on their tax filings this year, a number — though no one knows exactly what that number is — of Philadelphia bloggers were dispatched letters informing them that they owe $300 for a privilege license, plus taxes on any profits they made.

Even if, as with Sean Barry, that profit is $11 over two years."

Obama's 'Top Priorities' Now at Least 16

I posted a list of Obama's thirteen 'Top Priorities' a week back. Ed Morrissey has now extended that list to 16; with the possibility of a bunch more.

http://hotair.com/archives/2010/08/17/obamateurism-of-the-day-337

"Knoller lists thirteen other “top priorities” besides the economy, border security, job creation, so the official count is 16. I suspect, though, that Knoller may have given up counting after finding “free trade agreements” on the list. After all, that’s one of the few on the list that Obama can accomplish on his own, and we’ve yet to see him come up with one that originated with his administration."

Chlorophyll That Uses Infrared Light

One more example of how resourceful and resilient life is. Living below other organisms that absorb all the visible light, this organism adapted to use light in the infrared light.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/08/infrared-chlorophyl

"A new kind of chlorophyll that catches sunlight from just beyond the red end of the visible light spectrum has been discovered. The new pigment extends the known range of light that is usable by most photosynthetic organisms. Harnessing this pigment’s power could lead to biofuel-generating algae that are super-efficient, using a greater spread of sunlight than thought possible.
...
The newfound pigment, dubbed chlorophyll f, absorbs light most efficiently at a wavelength around 706 nanometers, just beyond the red end of the visible spectrum, researchers report online August 19 in Science. This unique absorbance appears to occur thanks to a chemical decoration known as a formyl group on the chlorophyll’s carbon number two. That chemical tweak probably allows the algaelike organism that makes chlorophyll f to conduct photosynthesis while living beneath other photosynthesizers that capture all the other usable light."

Seal of Approval

Picture embedded below.

Galactic Supervolcano

Puts anything that could ever happen on earth, or in our solar system, to shame.

Picture embedded below.



"Volcanic eruptions can wreak as much havoc in space as on Earth, a new image of galaxy M87 reveals. The black hole at the galaxy’s center is spewing gas and energetic particles in what researchers call a “galactic supervolcano,” and suppressing the formation of hundreds of millions of new stars.

The new photo shows clouds of gas that glow in X-ray light (blue) surrounding the galaxy from observations taken by the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and jets of radio emission (red) from observations from the Very Large Array of radio telescopes in New Mexico. Under normal circumstances, the hot gas would cool and fall toward the galaxy’s center, ultimately congealing and igniting the birth of new stars.

But in M87, which lies about 50 million light-years away, jets of energetic particles produced by the galaxy’s central black hole suppress the formation of new stars. The jets lift up the cooler gas near the center of the galaxy at supersonic speeds, producing shock waves in the galaxy’s atmosphere. These plumes of gas contain as much mass as all the gas within 12,000 light-years of the center of the galaxy cluster M87 belongs to. All that gas could have turned into hundreds of millions of stars if the cosmic volcano had given it a chance, researchers say."

Bush Welcomes Troops Home at DFW Airport

Video embedded below.

Unemployment Spreads

Video embedded below.

Obama Seeks Reimprisonment of Lockerbie Bomber

He should never have been released in the first place; even if the 'compassionate grounds' was not fixed. He should go back to prison. If they will be able to get him; I am not holding my breath.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100820/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_lockerbie_anniversary

"The Obama administration asked Friday that the only person convicted for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 be returned to a Scottish prison.

John Brennan, President Barack Obama's counterterrorism adviser, told reporters accompanying the vacationing leader that the U.S. has "expressed our strong conviction" to Scottish officials that Abdel Baset Al-Megrahi (AHB'-dehl BAH'-seht AH'-lee ahl-meh-GRAH'-hee) should not remain free. The comments came on the first anniversary of Al-Megrahi's release."

A Cool Barbecue

Picture embedded below.

Appellate Court Rules Congress Can Withhold Funding From ACORN

This overrules a lower court decision I criticized at the time.

http://rightwingnews.com/2010/08/new-court-decision-congress-can-withhold-acorn-funding

"Looks like ACORN lost another round in court last week. New York's 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed a lower court's decision to re-instate Congressional funding of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) ruling that halting funding did not violate the group's rights."

More at http://volokh.com/2010/08/13/acorn-decision-explained.

First DNC Midterm ad Attacks ... Bush (Big Choices)

Someone should tell the Democrats that Bush has not been president for a while. He is also polling better then Obama in battle ground areas...

Video embedded below.

Cop Threatens a Man With Rape in Jail?

the question mark for if this guy was actually a cop. If he was, this conduct is unacceptable.

Video embedded below. (via)

Beach Blogging

If you were wondering what the destination of the road trip was...

Picture embedded below.



(sorry for the cell phone quality pic; will post a higher quality picture later)

"Pet Area in Rear"

On a mini road trip and had to make a rest stop for some of the people in the car. Saw this sign when we parked; the rest area for people was also a rest area for pets.

Picture embedded below.

Official Gmail Video Chat Plugin For Linux

Now your more tech savvy friends (or non conformists) have an official Gmail video chat plugin for their Linux machines. Then again; if they were in the more tech savvy category they likely long ago found a work around or have been using a different service.

http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/use-linux-now-you-can-video-chat-too.html

"If you’ve been wanting to use voice and video chat on Linux (our top video chat request), then we have good news for you: it’s now available! Visit gmail.com/videochat to download the plugin and get started. Voice and video chat for Linux supports Ubuntu and other Debian-based Linux distributions, and RPM support will be coming soon."

Large Companies Prepare For 9% Increase in Costs Under ObamaCare as Supporters Drop 'Cost Saving' Promise

Critics of ObamaCare seem to have been proven correct once again.

Video embedded below.



http://hotair.com/archives/2010/08/19/oh-my-new-lefty-obamacare-message-drops-promise-of-cost-cutting-vows-to-improve-law

"This one’s for you, Missouri!

Key White House allies are dramatically shifting their attempts to defend health care legislation, abandoning claims that it will reduce costs and deficit, and instead stressing a promise to “improve it.”…

The confidential presentation, available in full here and provided to POLITICO by a source on the call, suggests that Democrats are acknowledging the failure of their predictions that the health care legislation would grow more popular after its passage, as its benefits became clear and rhetoric cooled. Instead, the presentation is designed to win over a skeptical public, and to defend the legislation — and in particular the individual mandate — from a push for repeal…

The presentation also concedes that the fiscal and economic arguments that were the White House’s first and most aggressive sales pitch have essentially failed…

The presentation’s final page of “Don’ts” counsels against claiming “the law will reduce costs and deficit.”

The powerpoint comes from a lefty shop called the Herndon Alliance, which “partners” with ObamaCare shills like the AFL-CIO, SEIU, MoveOn, etc."

Operation Iraqi Freedom Ends

At the end of the month we will still have 50,000 troops advisers and people who can/will give assistance in Iraq. Despite that, Operation Iraqi Freedom has officially ended ... Successfully; despite the best efforts and misguided intentions of predominantly Democrats and liberals in the earlier stages of the conflict.

http://blog.heritage.org/2010/08/19/hooah-surge-heroes-end-operation-iraqi-freedom

"Operation Iraqi Freedom ends on your watch!” exclaimed Col. John Norris of the the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, as the final U.S. combat brigade crossed into Kuwait from Iraq early this morning.
...
By the end of August the United States will still have about 50,000 troops in six brigades in Iraq. These “advise and assist brigades” will be primarily tasked with training Iraqi troops with the ultimate goal of all U.S. troops out of Iraq by December 31st, 2011.

The successful end of Operation Iraqi Freedom is a complete vindication of President George Bush’s surge strategy and Gen. David Petraeus’ and Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno’s implementation of it. Credit should also be given to President Barack Obama who had the courage to completely abandon his reckless campaign rhetoric and eventually embrace an adult policy on the issue."