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Holy Sh@t, what did you do America??
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April 7th, 2009, 09:42 PM
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#201 (permalink)
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EF Top Dog
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Disrespectful
Quote:
Barack Obama rejects Normandy trip to avoid offending Germany
Barack Obama, concerned about offending Britain and Germany, rebuffed strenuous attempts by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France to persuade the new American president to make a trip to Normandy this week.
By Toby Harnden, US Editor, and Henry Samuel in Paris
Last Updated: 10:12PM BST 02 Apr 2009
White House officials travelled to France at the start of March to discuss a visit by Mr Obama to Omaha Beach, the site of the American Cemetery, established in 1944 just after D-Day and where 9,387 American personnel are buried. Among them is Theodore Roosevelt Jr the eldest son of the 26th US President.
French officials and senior American military officers walked with White House staff through the cemetery discussing how the two presidents might follow the same route. But even before their trip, the White House had decided that Mr Obama would not travel there this week.
"It wasn't going to happen," said an American official in Washington. "We went through the motions to placate President Sarkozy but giving special treatment to France was not on our agenda.
"During this trip, we wanted to maintain a balance between the British, German and France". A White House spokesman in London declined to comment. Last month, White House officials briefed that a Normandy visit had been considered but it had not been logistically possible.
Mr Obama will arrive in Strasbourg on Friday for the Nato summit. He will hold a meeting with Mr Sarkozy and a brief press appearance in Strasbourg and then fly to Baden-Baden to do exactly the same with Chancellor Merkel of Germany. He will then fly to Prague on Saturday.
Mr Sarkozy is said by French officials to be piqued that Gordon Brown became the first European leader to meet Mr Obama and was then lavished with praise by him at a 50-minute joint press conference in London on Wednesday.
The French president tried unsuccessfully to meet Mr Obama before he was sworn in after the G20 summit in Washington last November, even stationing a French military plane on 24-hour standby nearby to whisk him to Chicago should the then US president-elect change his mind.
He had also hoped Mr Obama would agree to a meeting before attending the G20 summit in London on April 3. The French had suggested that Mr Obama fly from London to Normandy on Friday morning for a stop before the Nato summit. Instead, he is going directly to Strasbourg.
According to French reports, Mr Obama was to visit the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial at Colleville-sur-mer, just north of Omaha Beach. The pair were apparently to have dined at the nearby chateau de Bénouville in Caen.
The White House rejected the offer, but Mr Sarkozy's most senior aide said Mr Obama had agreed to come back in June for the 65th anniversary of the June 6th 1944, D-Day landings. A White House spokesman declined to comment on whether Mr Obama would travel to France in June.
"This will allow for a longer conversation and a more ambitious bilateral visit," said Claude Gueant, the secretary general of the Elysée Palace, last week.
He denied any strains and said the two held an hour-long videoconference, which the Elysée hyped up as a "mini-summit", on the economic crisis.
"Relations between the presidents are excellent and very productive," he said. "Mr Sarkozy is not courting Mr Obama," he said.
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Barack Obama rejects Normandy trip to avoid offending Germany - Telegraph
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April 9th, 2009, 10:04 PM
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#202 (permalink)
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EF Top Dog
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Here we go with AMNESTY for the ILLEGALS   
Quote:
Sources: Obama to move ahead on immigration refor
(CNN) -- The White House is planning to start addressing the nation's immigration system as early as May, two senior administration officials said Thursday.
A fence separates the United States from Mexico in the U.S. Border Patrol's Yuma Sector in San Luis, Arizona.
A fence separates the United States from Mexico in the U.S. Border Patrol's Yuma Sector in San Luis, Arizona.
President Obama will rely on a bipartisan, diverse group of experts to help build the framework for legislation, the officials said.
One official noted that immigration will not be "on the same track" as other key initiatives like health care and energy, and "nobody's promising legislation or a vote this year."
There are roughly 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States. In addition to making a way for some of them to stay in the country legally, CNN has learned the Obama administration wants to remove incentives to enter the U.S. illegally, beef up border security and work with Mexico to cut down on illegal immigration.
Meanwhile, the administration is dismissing suggestions that taking on immigration this year will put pressure on Obama's already ambitious domestic agenda. Video Watch how the immigration fight is shaping up »
Moving forward on immigration would fulfill another campaign promise. The president acknowledges that tackling this issue will be challenging.
In March, at a town hall meeting in California, Obama said immigration is an emotional and controversial issue that "people get riled up politically about."
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* Commentary: Enforce laws vs. hiring illegal immigrants
He added: "People who have been here for a long time and put down roots here have to have some mechanisms over time to get out of the shadows."
Even before the debate begins, Rep. Steve King, R-New York, is throwing the first punch, saying: "President Obama's amnesty plan is a dangerous path for our nation that will sacrifice the rule of law."
As a senator, Obama supported immigration legislation backed by President Bush, which would have increased funding and improved border security technology, improved enforcement of existing laws, and provided a legal path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants.
He also voted to authorize construction of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said Thursday that Congress was willing to work with Obama on comprehensive immigration reform.
"We must solve the immigration issue and we can, even in these difficult economic times. I believe there is a real chance of passing comprehensive reform this year, and the Senate panel on immigration will begin a series of meetings and hearings later this month with an eye towards meeting that goal," said Schumer, the chairman of the Senate subcommittee on immigration.
But is the political climate right for immigration reform to be brought up given the struggling economy?
Marisa Trevino, who runs the blog LatinaLista.net, said there's simply "never going to be a good time" for immigration reform.
Trevino argues that immigration is tied to economic growth -- and therefore timely.
"It's not going to be popular with some people, but I think this actually is a good time to bring it up because immigration is tied so closely with our economy and what drives economic growth is economic development."
It's a point that one long-time immigration attorney agrees with.
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"The immigration lawyers community really believes that it's long overdue. ... There are actually many economic studies and reports that confirm that there's a stimulus benefit to immigration reform," said Laura Danielson, who is the chairwoman of the immigration department at the firm of Fredrikson & Byron.
"There's a lot to be said for the fact that immigrants stimulate our economic growth, particularly those already living here, who are hiding in the shadows [undocumented workers] who would be able to buy homes and come out in the open and work more effectively by perhaps starting businesses," she added.
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Sources: Obama to move ahead on immigration reform - CNN.com
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April 9th, 2009, 10:17 PM
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#204 (permalink)
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EF Top Dog
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Obama's Brown Shirts
Quote:
Obama's Paid 'Volunteers'
These aren't the volunteers I used to know. In fact, they're rewarded quite handsomely. Nice gig. Free room and board, tuition and agitprop and community organizing experience. Sweet deal.
Under the guise of promoting volunteerism, President Obama and congressional Democrats have created a massive government program that will push their agenda.
The legislation that Obama is about to sign will triple the size of the existing AmeriCorps program over the next eight years to 175,000 people. The idea is to enlist so-called volunteers to focus on education, health care, clean energy, and veterans.
The expansion will cost nearly $6 billion over the next five years. But contrary to Obama’s claim that the program will promote volunteerism, it is in fact another massive government employment program. The volunteers, who are between the ages of 18 and 26, will receive $11,800 a year to cover their living expenses and another $5,350 toward college costs or student loans, for a total of $17,500.
That is $3,526 more than if those who sign up for the volunteer program were hired by private companies or local governments to provide the same services and were paid the minimum wage. Meanwhile, the federal civilian workforce is being increased by more than 13 percent.
“We’re talking about a government program that will hire a quarter of a million, supposedly as volunteers that we pay,” Sen. Jim DeMint, chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, tells Newsmax. “That will be the 14th largest employer in the world, assuming the federal government can actually manage this thing.”
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JammieWearingFool
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April 9th, 2009, 10:22 PM
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#205 (permalink)
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EF Top Dog
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With the most powerful Navy in the world, these are the people that hold us hostage at this moment in history
Quote:
From The Folks Who Brought You Blackhawk Down
April 9, 2009
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April 9th, 2009, 10:29 PM
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#206 (permalink)
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EF Top Dog
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Smart decisions made by those in higher education is the exception and not the rule
Quote:
University won't award Obama degree
By ANDY BARR | 4/9/09 7:23 PM EDT
Arizona State University will not award President Barack Obama an honorary degree when he speaks at commencement on May 13.
The university decided against awarding Obama the degree because it is customarily awarded for “lifetime achievement,” ASU spokeswoman Sharon Keeler told POLITICO.
“It’s normally awarded to someone who has been in their field for some time,” she said. “Considering that the president is at the beginning of his presidency, his body of work is just beginning.”
Obama was invited by the university to be its commencement speaker and accepted the invitation in March. But a separate six-member committee that determines the awarding of honorary degrees did not nominate him to receive such a degree.
Keeler said that while one committee invites speakers, a separate committee votes on who will receive an honorary degree. Typically, the committee that awards honorary degrees acts first, followed by the committee that invites the recipient. But in Obama’s case, he was invited without the honorary degree committee selecting him.
The panel has not addressed whether to award Obama an honorary degree, and may not vote on the matter before the president speaks at ASU.
“Our process is different,” Keeler said. “He has to go through the nominating committee, and I don’t know if there is sufficient time for that to happen.”
Obama will receive an honorary degree from Notre Dame when he delivers the university’s commencement speech May 17, as is customary for all the school’s commencement speakers.
ASU does not have plans to award any more honorary degrees during the course of the academic year, though Keeler said the school could potentially to do so.
Among the school’s recent honorary degree recipients are Chinese vice minister of education Wu Qidi and J. Craig Venter, a scientist credited with developing high-volume genome sequencing
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University won't award Obama degree - Andy Barr - POLITICO.com
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April 10th, 2009, 05:24 AM
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#207 (permalink)
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Right-Wing Wacko
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Quote:
Originally Posted by linemanpaul
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Is it just me, or has the crackdown on companies who hire illegals stopped? I remember reading about lots of big busts during 2008, but I have not seen a single story in 2009.
Considering the makeup of congress, I think any amnesty bill that comes along now is pretty much a no-brainer that it will pass.
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April 10th, 2009, 08:37 PM
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#208 (permalink)
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EF Top Dog
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Four decades later the man is still a Genius 
Quote:
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
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April 12th, 2009, 05:36 PM
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#209 (permalink)
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EF Top Dog
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Many Reps to the United States Navy!!   
Quote:
Hostage captain rescued, 3 pirates killed
(CNN) -- U.S. forces killed three pirates Sunday and rescued cargo ship Capt. Richard Phillips, held hostage in a lifeboat since Wednesday, after seeing him in "imminent danger," a senior defense official told CNN.
Capt. Richard Phillips, right, stands with U.S. Navy Cmdr. Frank Castellano after Phillips' rescue Sunday.
The official contradicted earlier reports that the captain jumped into the water off Somalia on Sunday.
Three of the pirates on the lifeboat with Phillips were shot and killed, the official said. A fourth pirate was aboard the nearby USS Bainbridge negotiating Phillips' fate when the shootings occurred, he said.
Phillips was uninjured and in good condition after his rescue at 7:19 p.m. (12:19 p.m. ET), according to a senior U.S. official.
Phillips has contacted his family and received a routine medical exam, the U.S. Navy Central Command said in a statement.
Alison McCall, a spokeswoman for Maersk, owner of the Alabama, read a statement from Phillips' family to reporters:
"The Phillips family wants to thank you all for your support and prayers. They have felt the caring and concern extended by the nation," McCall said. "This is truly a very happy Easter for the Phillips family." Video Watch spokeswoman read statement from Phillips' family »
Phillips offered himself as a hostage after the pirates stormed the U.S.-flagged ship Wednesday morning, according to Maersk. The pirates retreated to the lifeboat with Phillips, leaving the Alabama with its crew.
Phillips tried to escape by diving off the 28-foot, covered lifeboat Thursday night, but one of the pirates dove into the Indian Ocean to retrieve him.
Maersk Line Limited, owner of the Maersk Alabama, issued a statement saying it was informed at 1:30 p.m. Sunday by the U.S. government that he had been rescued. John Reinhart, president and CEO, called Phillips' wife, Andrea, to tell her the good news.
Maersk Alabama crew members, who guided the ship to Kenya over the weekend, were "jubilant" when they received word of the rescue, the statement says.
"He's a leader of men. He's a brave and courageous man. He persevered through difficult times," Reinhart said.
He said he talked with Phillips after his rescue, and that he asked Phillips whether he had a message for the news media.
"He said ... 'The heroes are the Navy, the SEALs, and those who brought me home,' " Reinhart said. Video Watch Massachusetts Maritime Academy celebrate rescue »
A man who answered the door at Phillips' home in Underhill, Vermont, on Sunday afternoon told CNN's Stephanie Elam that the family had known the news for hours. He said details would have to come from Virginia, apparently referring to Maersk's home base in Norfolk. Video Watch community's reaction to Phillips' rescue »
At the White House, President Obama issued a statement saying he is "very pleased that Capt. Phillips has been rescued and is safely on board the USS Boxer."
"His safety has been our principal concern, and I know this is a welcome relief to his family and his crew," Obama's statement said. "We remain resolved to halt the rise of piracy in this region. To achieve that goal, we must continue to work with our partners to prevent future attacks, be prepared to interdict acts of piracy and ensure that those who commit acts of piracy are held accountable for their crimes.
On Saturday, the FBI launched a criminal investigation into Wednesday's hijacking of the U.S.-flagged cargo ship by Somali pirates, two law enforcement officials told CNN. The probe will be led by the FBI's New York field office, which is responsible for looking into cases involving U.S. citizens in the African region, the officials said.
Snippets of information started to emerge Saturday about how the Maersk Alabama's crew managed to retake the ship after it was hijacked by pirates Wednesday about 350 miles off the coast of Somalia in the Indian Ocean.
The Alabama reached port in Mombasa, Kenya, on Saturday. Crew members aboard the freed cargo ship described how some of their colleagues attempted to "jump" their pirate captors.
A scuffle ensued and one of the sailors stabbed a pirate in the hand in the battle to retake the container ship, one of the sailors told CNN.
Crew members smiled broadly as they stood on the ship's deck under the watchful eyes of security teams. Although the crew was kept away from the media, CNN's Stan Grant got close enough to ask crew members what happened after the pirates climbed aboard the ship.
One crew member said he recalled being awakened around 7 a.m. as the hijacking began. View a timeline of the attack and its aftermath »
"I was scared," Grant quoted the man as saying.
Some of the crew managed to hide in a secure part of the Alabama as the pirates stormed the ship, the sailor said.
As the sailors described their clash with the pirates, a crew member pointed to one shipmate and said, "This guy is a hero. He and the chief engineer, they took down the pirate. ... He led him down there to the engine room, and then they jumped him."
The shipmate added that he stabbed the pirate's hand and tied him up.
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"Capt. Phillips is a hero," another crew member shouted from the deck of the freed ship.
Maersk CEO Reinhart told reporters Saturday that the crew will stay on board in Mombasa while the FBI conducts an investigation.
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Hostage captain rescued, 3 pirates killed - CNN.com
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April 12th, 2009, 05:59 PM
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#210 (permalink)
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EF Top Dog
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April 12th, 2009, 07:54 PM
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#211 (permalink)
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Fish Focker
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April 12th, 2009, 08:25 PM
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#212 (permalink)
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Right-Wing Wacko
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Quote:
Originally Posted by linemanpaul
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Also, hats off to Capt. Richard Phillips.
He offered himself up as hostage to save his crew. And he tried to escape twice, the second time successfully.
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April 12th, 2009, 08:29 PM
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#213 (permalink)
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EF Top Dog
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wil
Also, hats off to Capt. Richard Phillips.
He offered himself up as hostage to save his crew. And he tried to escape twice, the second time successfully.
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Correct as always, many reps his way also!!!   
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April 12th, 2009, 08:57 PM
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#214 (permalink)
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EF Top Dog
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Lets see how the non Judeo Christian Obama handle his Muslim Brothers??
Quote:
Somali pirates vow revenge over comrades' killings
By Abdiqani Hassan
BOSASSO, Somalia, April 12 (Reuters) - Somali pirates threatened revenge on Sunday after two separate hostage-rescue raids by foreign forces killed at least five comrades, raising fears of future bloodshed on the high seas.
The latest raid by U.S. forces on Sunday that saved an American hostage and one by France last week have upped the stakes in shipping lanes off the anarchic Horn of Africa nation where buccaneers have defied foreign naval patrols.
"The French and the Americans will regret starting this killing. We do not kill, but take only ransom. We shall do something to anyone we see as French or American from now," Hussein, a pirate, told Reuters by satellite phone.
"We cannot know how or whether our friends on the lifeboat died, but this will not stop us from hijacking," he said.
Sea gangs generally treat their captives well, hoping to fetch top dollar in ransoms.
The worst violence has been an occasional beating.
"We shall revenge," said another pirate, Aden, in Eyl village, a pirate lair on Somalia's eastern coast.
Some fear the U.S. and French operations may make the modern-day pirates more like their more fearsome forbearers.
"The pirates will know from now that anything can happen. The French are doing this, the Americans are doing it. Things will be more violent from now on," said Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya-based East African Seafarers Assistance Programme.
"This is a big wake-up to the pirates. It raises the stakes."
PIRACY ESCALATION
Piracy is lucrative business in Somalia, where gangs have earned millions of dollars in ransoms, splashing it on wives, houses, cars and fancy goods.
After a wane in business early this year, pirates have struck back. They presently hold more than a dozen vessels with about 260 hostages, of whom about 100 are Filipino.
Eyl, Haradheere and other pirate havens along the Indian Ocean coastline have come back to life with the windfall of successful operations.
Somalia's anarchy -- whose 18 years of civil war have given sea gangs assault rifles, grenade launchers and little central control -- has long been ignored by world powers.
The saga over the capture of cargo ship captain Richard Phillips has thrown international attention on the long-running piracy phenomenon that has hiked up insurance costs on strategic waterways where warships now patrol.
"Killing three out of thousands of pirates will only escalate piracy," said Sheikh Abdullahi Sheikh Abu Yusuf, spokesman of the moderate Islamist group Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca. (Additional reporting by Andrew Cawthorne in Nairobi and Abdi Sheikh and Abdi Guled in Mogadishu; Writing by Jack Kimball; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Jon Boyle)
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UPDATE 1-Somali pirates vow revenge over comrades' killings | Deals | Regulatory News | Reuters
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April 12th, 2009, 09:14 PM
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#215 (permalink)
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EF Top Dog
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Some video of the press conference about the rescue, and Obama's non action in the rescue
C-SPAN Video Library
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April 12th, 2009, 09:19 PM
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#216 (permalink)
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EF Top Dog
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The sillier side of this crisis
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April 12th, 2009, 09:32 PM
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#217 (permalink)
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EF Top Dog
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Charles Krauthammer, right again
Quote:
It's Your Country Too, Mr. President
By Charles Krauthammer
Friday, April 10, 2009; Page A17
In his major foreign policy address in Prague committing the United States to a world without nuclear weapons, President Obama took note of North Korea's missile launch just hours earlier and then grandiloquently proclaimed:
This Story
It's Your Country Too, Mr. President
"Rules must be binding. Violations must be punished. Words must mean something. The world must stand together to prevent the spread of these weapons. Now is the time for a strong international response."
A more fatuous presidential call to arms is hard to conceive. What "strong international response" did Obama muster to North Korea's brazen defiance of a Chapter 7 -- "binding," as it were -- U.N. resolution prohibiting such a launch?
The obligatory emergency Security Council session produced nothing. No sanctions. No resolution. Not even a statement. China and Russia professed to find no violation whatsoever. They would not even permit a U.N. statement that dared express "concern," let alone condemnation.
Having thus bravely rallied the international community and summoned the United Nations -- a fiction and a farce, respectively -- what was Obama's further response? The very next day, his defense secretary announced drastic cuts in missile defense, including halting further deployment of Alaska-based interceptors designed precisely to shoot down North Korean ICBMs. Such is the "realism" Obama promised to restore to U.S. foreign policy.
He certainly has a vision. Rather than relying on America's unique technological edge in missile defenses to provide a measure of nuclear safety, Obama will instead boldly deploy the force of example. How? By committing his country to disarmament gestures -- such as, he promised his cheering acolytes in Prague, ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
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Really, now. How does U.S. ratification of that treaty -- which America has, in any case, voluntarily abided by for 17 years -- cause North Korea to cease and desist, and cause Iran to turn nukes into plowshares?
Obama's other great enthusiasm is renewing disarmament talks with Russia. Good grief. Of all the useless sideshows. Cut each of our arsenals in half and both countries could still, in Churchill's immortal phrase, "make the rubble bounce."
There's little harm in engaging in talks about redundant nukes because there is nothing of consequence at stake. But Obama seems not even to understand that these talks are a gift to the Russians for whom a return to anachronistic Reagan-era START talks is a return to the glory of U.S.-Soviet summitry.
I'm not against gift-giving in international relations. But it would be nice to see some reciprocity. Obama was in a giving mood throughout Europe. While Gordon Brown was trying to make his American DVDs work and the queen was rocking to her new iPod, the rest of Europe was enjoying a more fulsome Obama gift.
Our president came bearing a basketful of mea culpas. With varying degrees of directness or obliqueness, Obama indicted his own people for arrogance, for dismissiveness and derisiveness, for genocide, for torture, for Hiroshima, for Guantanamo and for insufficient respect for the Muslim world.
And what did he get for this obsessive denigration of his own country? He wanted more NATO combat troops in Afghanistan to match the surge of 17,000 Americans. He was rudely rebuffed.
He wanted more stimulus spending from Europe. He got nothing.
From Russia, he got no help on Iran. From China, he got the blocking of any action on North Korea.
And what did he get for Guantanamo? France, pop. 64 million, will take one prisoner. One! (Sadly, he'll have to leave his bridge partner behind.) The Austrians said they would take none. As Interior Minister Maria Fekter explained with impeccable Germanic logic, if they're not dangerous, why not just keep them in America?
When Austria is mocking you, you're having a bad week. Yet who can blame Frau Fekter, considering the disdain Obama showed his own country while on foreign soil, acting the philosopher-king who hovers above the fray mediating between his renegade homeland and an otherwise warm and welcoming world?
After all, it was Obama, not some envious anti-American leader, who noted with satisfaction that a new financial order is being created today by 20 countries, rather than by "just Roosevelt and Churchill sitting in a room with a brandy." And then added: "But that's not the world we live in, and it shouldn't be the world that we live in."
It is passing strange for a world leader to celebrate his own country's decline. A few more such overseas tours, and Obama will have a lot more decline to celebrate
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washingtonpost.com
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April 13th, 2009, 03:44 AM
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#218 (permalink)
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EFPD SWAT Stallion
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kudos to the navy..well done...
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April 15th, 2009, 09:52 PM
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#219 (permalink)
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EF Top Dog
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If this report from DHS is bupkees? than why is Janet Napolitano forced to defend it's release??
Quote:
Napolitano stands by risks report
Top Democrat says he's 'dumbfounded'
By Audrey Hudson (Contact) and Eli Lake (Contact) | Thursday, April 16, 2009
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Wednesday that she was briefed before the release of a controversial intelligence assessment and that she stands by the report, which lists returning veterans among terrorist risks to the U.S.
But the top House Democrat with oversight of the Department of Homeland Security said in a letter to Ms. Napolitano that he was "dumbfounded" that such a report would be issued.
"This report appears to raise significant issues involving the privacy and civil liberties of many Americans - including war veterans," said Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, in his letter sent Tuesday night.
The letter was representative of a public furor over the nine-page document since its existence was reported in The Washington Times on Tuesday.
In her statement Wednesday, Ms. Napolitano defended the report, which says "rightwing extremism" may include groups opposed to abortion and immigration, as merely one among several threat assessments. But she agreed to meet with the head of the American Legion, who had expressed anger over the report, when she returns to Washington next week from a tour of the U.S.-Mexico border.
"The document on right-wing extremism sent last week by this department's Office of Intelligence and Analysis is one in an ongoing series of assessments to provide situational awareness to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies on the phenomenon and trends of violent radicalization in the United States," Ms. Napolitano said in her statement.
"I was briefed on the general topic, which is one that struck a nerve as someone personally involved in the Timothy McVeigh prosecution," Ms. Napolitano said.
Ms. Napolitano insisted that the department was not planning on engaging in any form of ideological profiling.
"Let me be very clear: We monitor the risks of violent extremism taking root here in the United States. We don't have the luxury of focusing our efforts on one group; we must protect the country from terrorism whether foreign or homegrown, and regardless of the ideology that motivates its violence," Ms. Napolitano said.
"We are on the lookout for criminal and terrorist activity but we do not - nor will we ever - monitor ideology or political beliefs. We take seriously our responsibility to protect the civil rights and liberties of the American people, including subjecting our activities to rigorous oversight from numerous internal and external sources."
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Napolitano stands by risks report - Washington Times
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April 15th, 2009, 10:02 PM
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#220 (permalink)
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EF Top Dog
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Excellent rebuttal of the DHS "Rightwing Extremist" list from a True American Patriot
Quote:

14 April 2009
Lieutenant Colonel Allen B West (US Army, Retired)
Greetings fellow South Florida riders, South Floridians, and Americans, here we are for another monthly installment of our Wheels on the Road political assessment. Just have to tell you, I am freaking mad as hell and implore you all to not take this anymore. If this means I shall be castigated as a “right wing extremist” so be it.
Today I received an email containing a story on the US Department of Homeland Security unclassified report, dated 7 April, titled, “Right-wing extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment”.
Now most of the mainstream media is reporting about a stupid new dog in the White House, Portuguese water dog, who cares.
I have just finished reading Secretary Napolitano’s office declaring that, “the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks”.
As well, this report cites, “returning veterans possess combat skills and experience that are attractive to right-wing extremists, who will attempt to recruit and radicalize veterans in order to boost their violent capacities”.
Align these statements with Barack Hussein Obama’s intentions to have wounded war veterans use private health insurance and you see the contempt this administration holds for those who protect and defend this Republic. We have an administration which declares we cannot call radical Islamic terrorists “enemy combatants”. We can no longer speak of a war on terror, only overseas contingency operations. However, this administration issues a report demonizing our heroic vets as potential terrorists and extremists!
Perhaps those Navy SEAL snipers should be made aware that they are considered potential terrorists because of the skills they exhibited to save an American citizen. Oh by the way, a citizen held hostage by Muslim pirates, can you say Barbary? Jefferson sent the US Marines, what shall dear fearful leader Obama do?
Back to the report which contains countless references singling out returning war veterans as particular threats.
Not only that, this report admonishes law enforcement to watch out for individuals with “radical” ideologies based on Christian views such as opposing illegal immigration, abortion, and federal taxes. Indeed, this report decries anyone who is concerned about illegal immigration, increasing federal power, restrictions on firearms, abortion, and the loss of US sovereignty. In other words this means anyone holding conservative principles in opposition to left wing liberal socialist policies is a threat.
I am happy to be in that category. I am an American and shall not cower from this insidious accusation, shall you?
“The high volume of volume of purchases and stockpiling of weapons and ammunition by right-wing extremists in anticipation of restrictions and bans in some parts of the country continue to be a primary concern to law enforcement”, this means you, law abiding citizens of America. In the 1930s Adolf Hitler outlawed private gun ownership, and the rest is history.
Shall we live under this type of overt tyranny and become nothing more than economic slaves and subjects? I am angry about the attacks on Americans who work hard and succeed, why not empower us, not create a dependent entitlement class?
This report uses race baiting by suggesting that the election of an African-American president “is proving to be a driving force for right-wing extremist recruitment and radicalization”. No, his asinine socialist economic policies, apologetic and appeasing words about our America, and his cowering to the Islamic world are the cause for our concern.
The fact that in less than 80 days we have seen countless “Czars” being created, $500 billion in government spending, North Korea missile launch, pirate attacks against US shipping, and amateurish actions of our president ranging from inept cabinet selections to abject incompetence (his inability to speak more than 3 minutes without a teleprompter) are the reasons for our angst.
I am also angry at my fellow members of the Republican Party, supposed leadership, who have not exhibited the courage and conviction to stand against this administration. It is appalling to me that the most prevalent voices are those of talk radio hosts. Who are the leaders in the Republican Party?
To them I simply say, “Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way”. If I must stand alone, so be it, but these crazed liberals shall not suppress our Freedom and Liberty.
Tomorrow is tax day, and there are many “Tea Parties” planned across America. I implore all of you to stand up tomorrow and send a clear message.
Our own government has declared us the enemy; never in my life did I believe this could happen in my Country. How did we get to this point?
There is no doubt that we are now fighting against a fascist regime that seeks to silence our voice. What shall the history books say of us? What shall we leave to our children and grandchildren as a legacy of this Republic? Now is the time to fight back and I encourage all of you to do so, do not be afraid, our forefathers were not.
America is heading towards a tumultuous 2009 and there shall indeed be a Constitutional crisis. I do not care about any “historic moment”. So far this Obama administration has insulted us overseas, called us a “nation of cowards” here at home, and now has declared open war against those who stand in opposition.
We have true enemies who seek to destroy our Country; drug cartels, illegal immigrants, radical Islamic ideologues, Muslim terrorists at sea, and rogue Nations such as North Korea. It seems we can now add our own federal government to that list.
America, it stops here, join me and do not run away intimidated by Obama, Holder, Napolitano, Reid, Pelosi, Frank, Soros, Moveon.org, and ACORN.
Steadfast and Loyal,
LTC(R) A B West
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