Right Wing News

This week, I'm going to be on vacation and so I'm going to have the following passel of guest bloggers filling in for me beside of my regular co-bloggers, Dr. Melissa Clouthier, Van Helsing from Moonbattery, and McQ from QandO.

Mon
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Cassy Fiano
William Teach from Pirate's Cove
Little Miss Attila
Ron Coleman from Likelihood of Success

Tue
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Cassy Fiano
Sharon Soon from GOPUSA Northeast
William Teach from Pirate's Cove
Skye from Midnight Blue

Wed
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Katie Favazza
William Teach from Pirate's Cove
SarahK from mountaineer musings
Kathleen McKinley from RightwingSparkle

Thurs
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Jeff Gannon - A Voice of the New Media
Ed Driscoll
William Teach from Pirate's Cove
Little Miss Attila

Fri
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Sister Toldjah
Little Miss Attila
Likelihood of Success
Danny Carlton from JackLewis

CG
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Gina Cobb
Doubleplusundead
Sarahk from mountaineer musings
Michael Illions from GOPUSA Northeast

Right up the road in Durham. WRAL - Prosecutor: Couple's Crimes Related To Cult

A Durham couple charged with kidnapping, rape and assault was involved with a satanic cult, a prosecutor said Monday.

Joy Johnson and Joseph Craig appeared at a bond hearing Monday. A judge set Craig's bond at $590,000, but refused a prosecution request to increase Johnson's bond from $270,000 to $500,000.

Prosecutors said a man and a woman met Craig through a shared interest in Satan worship, but the pair never consented to physical abuse.

Craig shackled his victims to beds, kept them in dog cages and starved them inside his Albany Street home, prosecutors said. He was charged with beating the man with a cane and a cord and with raping the woman.

Sick. But, wait, this should come as no surprise

Johnson, who was third vice-chair of the Durham County Democratic Party and vice-chair for the Young Democrats, was charged with two counts of aiding and abetting. Prosecutors said she knew her husband planned the crime and watched as they were committed.

She has resigned her positions with the Democratic Party, said state Sen. Floyd McKissick, D-Durham.

Johnson also resigned her position as office manager for the Durham People's Alliance.

The Durham People's Alliance is a far left progressive group. I don't think the rest really needs to be commented on, do you?

Crossed at Pirate's Cove

Let me tell you the story of a remarkable American and Navy Veteran, Rich Davis. He is the founder of a pro-troop, pro-American organization called the Chester County Victory Movement (American Sheepdogs) based in West Chester, Pa.

His one man 'support the troops' rally has blossomed into a grassroot organization populated with exceptional Americans who publicly show their support for our troops.

This is the story of Rich Davis and the Chester County Victory Movement.

Intrigued? Read more of the story at MidnightBlue and American Sheepdogs

This video has been entered into the RNC convention's American Neighbor Video Contest

To start off, as many of you have already read, Obama threw Wes Clark, if not under the bus, at least into the bumper

"As he's said many times before, Senator Obama honors and respects Senator McCain's service, and of course he rejects yesterday's statement by General Clark," said Obama campaign spokeman Bill Burton.

Is this what the Hope 'n Change xPress will bring us throughout the campaign? Some Obama supporter comes out, says something nasty, gets the talking point out there for all to see, then Obama, who really needs to wash the blood and gore off his bus at this time, runs them over, then reaps the benefit of the nastiness while attempting to keep his hands clean? Democrats do not seem to want to blame Obama at all, yet blamed Bush for the actions of a few low level military members at a prison in Iraq.

But Clark won't back down (Politico)

There are many important issues in this Presidential election, clearly one of the most important issues is national security and keeping the American people safe. In my opinion, protecting the American people is the most important duty of our next President. I have made comments in the past about John McCain's service and I want to reiterate them in order be crystal clear. As I have said before I honor John McCain's service as a prisoner of war and a Vietnam Veteran. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands and millions of others in Armed Forces as a prisoner of war. I would never dishonor the service of someone who chose to wear the uniform for our nation.

John McCain is running his campaign on his experience and how his experience would benefit him and our nation as President. That experience shows courage and commitment to our country - but it doesn't include executive experience wrestling with national policy or go-to-war decisions. And in this area his judgment has been flawed - he not only supported going into a war we didn't have to fight in Iraq, but has time and again undervalued other, non-military elements of national power that must be used effectively to protect America But as an American and former military officer I will not back down if I believe someone doesn't have sound judgment when it comes to our nation's most critical issues.

Now, let's look seriously at the issue. Does being in the military and being a POW give McCain "executive ability?" No. Not by itself. He sure doesn't have the experience like some others who almost started World War III with the Russians. But, you add that to his long service in government, and it certainly gives him a hell of a lot more then Senator Neophyte, who, according to Wes Clark, is not ready, because he has no experience wrestling with national policy or go-to-war decisions. Funny how that works, eh?

Now, as pointed out in the comments, the Democrats thought John Kerry's 4 months in Vietnam was enough to give him executive ability. But McCain's doesn't. What I want in a president is someone who will lead, who has vision, knows how to work with others, and looks mostly toward what is best for the people, not what they think is best for the people.

Update:  Bob Dole blasts Sir Wesley

 Dole, the 1996 Republican presidential nominee, said that Clark's statement was "beyond comprehension" and his "absurd remarks signal further erosion in our nation's political discourse. He should have stayed in bed Sunday morning.

"It's unfortunate that a former general who ran for the presidency on his own war record thinks it appropriate to attack a distinguished veteran and former prisoner-of-war in this way. Sen. McCain's entire life has been devoted to public service. His achievement and experience constitute unparalleled qualification for America's highest office."

A while back in Washington, I was approached modestly by a man named Jim Edwards, who asked if he could tell me a little about his organization, NumbersUSA. I soon realized that this was a group I had supported and whose emails I still regularly receive, so I was happy to find out more about it.

Jim, also known as Dr. James R. Edwards, Jr., I found out later, is a leading consultant of NumbersUSA, adjunct fellow at the Hoover Institute, author, and prominent public policy expert whose writings have been published by the New York Times, National Review Online, the Washington Times, and (my absolute favorite magazine) Human Events. For one with such an impressive resume, I found Jim to be astonishingly humble, good-natured, and approachable.

Jim explained to me that NumbersUSA, organized in 1997, is a "grassroots, nonpartisan organization that organizes around the issue of immigration." With over half a million activists throughout the country, the group has been making an increasing impact on both local and federal legislation. In fact, NumbersUSA "played a large part in stopping McCain-Kennedy," and since then has grown significantly.

Currently, a major goal of the organization is to help pass the Secure America with Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act through Congress, which was introduced, surprisingly, by Democrat Congressman Heath Schuler from North Carolina. The SAVE Act is a fair and practical response to the problem of illegal immigration which, as Jim stated, "is geared at closing down the jobs magnet" that attracts foreigners to enter the U.S. illegally by targeting the employers who hire them with firm penalties. Employers would further be mandated to confirm that all their workers are legally eligible for their jobs.

Most recently, NumbersUSA is asking concerned citizens to learn about the SAVE Act, call their Congressmen to get this bill on the floor, and send them a free fax to stress your concern. Jim emphasized that the issue of illegal immigration has become a "bipartisan issue," and the bill has been "picking up cosponsors from both parties," such as Senators Mark Pryor (D-AR) and David Vitter (R-LA).

Offering some statistics that should raise an eyebrow or two, Jim then revealed that

Our immigration flow, historically, has been an average of 250,000 per year from 1776 to 1976. Now, however, we've taken in over a million immigrants each year, and this accounts only for legal immigration.

Futher, he cited Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation:

When you take into account all the taxes that immigrant -legal and illegal - households pay vs. the entitlements/public benefits they receive, the average is a subsidy of $20,000 a year.

Cause for concern, anyone?

Nonetheless, Jim and the rest of NumbersUSA seem hopeful about their efforts.

The best strategy to do something about this issue by small, incremental steps; change incentives so more illegals leave on their own, and fewer enter.

He explained that while the group is pro-immigration, it believes that immigration should be legal and regulated in a way that could still be handled by Americans and our government. I whole-heartedly agree with him here, as the U.S. is a sovereign nation that - like any other nation - has every right to decide who it allows to reside within its borders; clearly, it should do this in a way that our communities can accommodate and that doesn't overburden our society. And perhaps mostly importantly, it should do so in a way that is fair and just, in keeping with our laws and sovereignty.

If Americans are smart, we will care enough to educate ourselves about the issue of immigration and take action to protect our nation's borders. Thanks to NumbersUSA, "taking action" can now even be accomplished with the click of a button - literally. With the ingenious system they've set up, which they call the "Action Buffet," anyone interested can set up a free, personal account where they have the opportunity to contribute in multiple ways:

• Stay informed with the latest news and legislation about the issue
• Send free automatic, pre-written faxes to your legislators
• Call your legislators about specific items of action
• Locate and/or attend town hall meetings and public appearances by legislators
• Donate to the cause

The Action Buffet, which can be customized by its users, makes it almost inexcusable for concerned citizens not to take action. And it has been impressively successful thus far. Through the system, according to Jim, supporters "have delivered incredible numbers of faxes and even shut down the phone lines at Capital Hill last summer." But the goal of NumbersUSA is still far from being achieved; more help is needed and more support from Congress is vital if we are ever to significantly impact this critical issue.

I, for one, am grateful to NumbersUSA and activists like Jim Edwards for making my job a few steps easier. And if Americans in favor of immigration the lawful way were all to spend a few minutes a week sending faxes or making calls, there is no question that Congress would have to her our voices and legislate accordingly. Is this too much to ask of America's citizens and their representatives?

Cross-posted from Conservatives with Attitude!

Educational standards in moonbattery-addled Britain aren't what they once were:

A British high school student received credit for writing nothing but a two-word obscenity on an exam paper because the phrase expressed meaning and was spelled correctly.

The exam question was "Describe the room you are sitting in." The student's answer was "F--- off."

"It would be wicked to give it zero because it does show some very basic skills we are looking for, like conveying some meaning and some spelling," [examiner Peter] Buckroyd was quoted as saying. "It's better than someone that doesn't write anything at all."

Buckroyd said the student would have received a higher mark if the phrase had been punctuated.

Keep that in mind while preparing your cheat sheets, students!

On tips from Lyle, Burning Hot, and Frank W. Cross-posted at Moonbattery.

The Heritage Foundation takes a look at what Obama promises for taxes should he be elected and what that means:

Obama's tax plan has two major components. First, he promises to end the Bush tax cuts, allowing the top two tax rates to return to 36% and 39.6%. Second, he promises to end the Social Security payroll tax cap for incomes above $250,000. Individuals making more than $250,000, therefore, would face a 15.65% tax rate from payroll taxes in addition to a top income tax rate of 39.6% for a combined tax rate over 56%. Individuals living in cities or states with high taxes such as New York City or California would have tax rates approaching 70%, levels not seen since Jimmy Carter was in office.

This from a man who claims to want to ensure that he puts policies in place to help the economy. Instead, higher taxes, especially in the range being talked about here, have three effects.

One - tax avoidance. People effected by high taxes are going to try every legal means, such as tax shelters, to avoid paying taxes on their earnings.

These gimmicks both reduce investment and economic growth in an attempt to avoid punitive taxation. Some individuals will attempt to transfer their compensation from wages to capital gains since capital gains would only be taxed at 25%. Others might try to incorporate so they could pay business taxes instead of income taxes. All of these schemes divert resources away from wealth creation and to lawyers and accountants who implement these schemes.

Two - Income flight. Money and capital will be moved to overseas location where it is taxed at a much lower rate.

Visiting Britain recently, French President Nicols Sarkozy remarked that France's high taxes had driven so many French to London that it had become the seventh-largest French city. Obama-sized tax rates would drive many creative Americans to Canada and London as well.

Or Ireland. Capital is going to seek a friendly tax climate for investment.

Three - Unemployment. When investment slows, the economy slows. And when the economy slows, the fastest way to effect the bottom line is to reduce headcount.

Currently only six of the top 30 industrial nations have combined local and national tax rates above 55%. The average unemployment rate rate for those countries is 7.35%. Under Obama's plan, the top marginal tax rate would exceed 60%, which means only Hungary would have a more punitive tax rate. Hungary's 2006 unemployment rate was 7.5%.

Couple that plan with the Obama plan to impose "windfall taxes" on the oil companies (for which the consumer will pay at the pump), biofuel mandates (for which the consumer will pay higher food prices) and and a carbon tax (for which the consumer will pay as well) and you have all the makings of an economic disaster.

Why would you be a bad guy in Texas? Everyone owns a gun and people really, really like to use them. Dave from Ace's blog has been watching this case, as have I. He explains what happened:

To recap: Joe Horn, a resident of Pasadena Texas observed two men (illegal aliens as it happens), burglarizing a neighbor's home, and he called 911.

He spent some time on the phone with the 911 dispatcher, waiting for law enforcement to arrive.

They didn't, and he grabbed a shotgun and went out to confront them.

According to the transcript, the 911 operator repeatedly urged Joe to stay inside and wait for law enforcement. Joe waited a while, then said 'he did not believe it would be right to let the burglars get away'.

"Well, here it goes, buddy," Horn can be heard telling the operator. "You hear the shotgun clicking and I'm going."

He went out, told em to stop. They didn't. And he shot both of them, in the back.

There's the "stand your ground" provision. If it justifies him leaving the house to face them down, it's not so much an exemption from the duty to retreat as an affirmative right to advance. And how was deadly force "immediately" necessary if it could have been prevented just by sitting tight? He's got the shotgun and he's watching them; if they try to come in his house, they'll never know what hit them. Eh, whatever. It's not worth parsing the statutes too finely since ultimately it's in a (grand) jury's hands and they're not going to send an old man to jail for shooting two felons caught in the act, whatever the felony and time of day.

One would think that a few instances like this would be a major deterrent to crime. Move to DC, it's safer to be a criminal there.

Cross-posted at Dr. Melissa Clouthier

There is one good reason for BHO to put Shrillary on the ticket. When his administration inevitably comes under fire for corruption and gross incompetence, he can defend himself be screaming about both racism and sexism, like Baltimore's Mayor Sheila Dixon.

Dixon, who has the extreme good fortune to be both black and female, has been called to account for passing out government contracts and $millions in tax breaks to her friends. But her defense is ironclad:

I think there is sexism and racism … It covers the gambit.

That does cover the gambit. Even the Obamessiah can only use racism to fend off criticism and overcome resistance. But with Shrillary on board, he'll have both sides of the liberal brain covered.

On a tip from V the K. Cross-posted at Moonbattery.

See, what I meant about the ugly choices? Marrying Rosie O'Donnell can't last long. It's the ending that makes it all worthwhile.

Cross-posted at Dr. Melissa Clouthier

What's happening in New York City this balmy summer day? The city bustles but there is little building going on ground zero. Prices are sky-rocketing. Government officials are wrangling (imagine that):

In a report to New York governor David Paterson, Mr Ward said: "The schedule and cost estimates of the rebuilding effort that have been communicated to the public are not realistic."

He said developers and government agencies would set new "clear and achievable timelines" by the end of September.

Mr Ward said the earliest rebuilding estimates in the wake of the 9/11 attacks were not truthful, referring to them as "emotional dates".

My initial response to the Twin Towers going down was that we should rebuild as quickly as possible. Get it done and show the world what America is made of tough stuff. Nothing keeps us down and all that.

Given that the Left operates like 9/11 didn't happen and ignores the consequences of unchecked Islamofascism and feels the threat is exaggerated (see here, here, or just watch CNN) a huge dirt hole seems to be an appropriate reminder. Put up 2,000+ markers where the people died and be done with it. Let every person look and ponder what happens when bad ideologies triumph (at least temporarily).

As an added bonus, there should be flat screens replaying the Towers going down with video of our soldiers hunting and killing terrorist scum. It's "raw", I know, but there's a simple elegance to my plan don't you think? As an added bonus: It's cost effective.

UPDATED:

Rachel Lucas reminds us why we need constant reminders of the consequences of Islamofascism:

Dear Britain: the more you apologize for stupid shit like this, the more you will be apologizing in the future for ever more innocuous "offenses." You will never be done with it, you will never be able to satisfy these people until you utterly BEND TO THEIR WILL, and you will apologize yourselves right into cultural oblivion as Islam slowly but very, very surely mows you down with its "outrage" and your proclivity to be doormats. Very impressive. Your dead and dying grandfathers and grandmothers, who stood up to the last set of fascist assholes when most of your neighbors didn't - they must be so proud.

Cross-posted at Dr. Melissa Clouthier

Hello RWN readers,

Let me take this time to introduce myself: I'm Skye, blog mistress of MidnightBlue and a contributor at Flopping Aces. I want to take a moment to thank John Hawkins for inviting me to guest post on Right Wing News today. I've been a fan of RWN for a number of years, and to have the opportunity to post on this remarkable website makes me all kinds of happy! Also, I would like to say hello to the brilliant commenters of RWN, especially CavalierX.

Just yesterday, over at MidnightBlue, I was bemoaning the silence on the outsourcing our energy products. Today, I discover all it not lost - that there is oil that can be stamped 'Made in America'.

BEULAH, N.D. -- Oscar Stohler was raised in a sod house in western North Dakota and ranched there for nearly seven decades. He never gave much thought to what lay below the grass that fattened his cattle.

A humble beginning for this newly minted millionaire.

In less than a year, Stohler and his wife, Lorene, 82, have become millionaires from the production of one well on their land near Dunn Center, a mile or so from the sod home where Oscar grew up. A second well has begun producing on their property and another is being drilled -- all aimed at the Bakken shale formation, a rich deposit that the U.S. Geological Survey calls the largest continuous oil accumulation it has ever assessed.

These are the jobs most Americans are not allowed to do thanks to decades of successful shunning of our natural resources by Green activists.

You can read the rest of this great story HERE

In the Democrat Corner:

DNC Prostest Will Be Behind A Fence:

The fence around the public demonstration zone outside the Democratic National Convention will be chicken wire or chain link, authorities revealed in U.S. District Court today.

That may allow protestors to be seen and heard by delegates going in and out of the Pepsi Center during the convention.

But the American Civil Liberties Union and several advocacy groups have filed an amended complaint to their lawsuit against the U.S. Secret Service and the city and county of Denver that says protestors and demonstrators may have their First Amendment rights violated by security restrictions

Perhaps after the Convention, the protesters can organize an 'Experience the DNC Fence' tour similar in style to the current Experience Gitmo tour.

In the Republican Corner:

An Exponential Leap in Technology

"This year, the Republican National Convention planning team is much more focused on using new media to get the party's message out, said Matt Burns, director of communications for the convention."

"The Republican convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul this year has a YouTube channel and has launched a YouTube video contest to attract Internet users."

"In addition, USTREAM.TV has formed a partnership with the Republicans to stream video live. Burns said recent progress in video streaming technology will make it easier to provide live coverage of the convention to online users."

"In addition, the convention has a Twitter account and FaceBook page and MySpace pages- and has launched an interactive online forum known as CONVENTIONiNSIDER where visitors can ask questions about planning in Minneapolis/St. Paul."

"The Republican convention team also said a Spanish language Web site is under development, and that video and streaming in Spanish would occur."

In fairness, the DNC is also hosting a video contest which is sponsored by the Denver Film Society and the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs entitled Cinemocracy. This weekend my big plan is to submit a video to this contest.

Chris Satullo, writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, penned an opus to the "Blame America" groupies:

Put the fireworks in storage. Cancel the parade.

Tuck the soaring speeches in a drawer for another time.

This year, America doesn't deserve to celebrate its birthday. This Fourth of July should be a day of quiet and atonement.

For we have sinned.

We have failed to pay attention. We've settled for lame excuses. We've spit on the memory of those who did that brave, brave thing in Philadelphia 232 years ago.

We have sinned? Or is this just a public projection of the writers personal fears and doubts.

Two Terror Alerts regarding Iran have come to my attention:

1. Iran announces plans to dig thousands of graves in anticipation of an attack on its soil.

Iran is to dig 320,000 graves in border districts to allow for the burial of enemy soldiers in the event of any attack on its territory, a top commander said today. In implementation of the Geneva Conventions ... the necessary measures are being taken to provide for the burial of enemy soldiers," the Mehr news agency quoted General Mir-Faisal Bagherzadeh as saying.

"We have plans to dig 15,000 to 20,000 graves in each of the border provinces or a total of 320,000," the general said, adding that some of them would be mass graves if necessary.

Mr Bagherzadeh said Iran was keen to "reduce the suffering of the families of the fallen in any attack against our country ... and prevent any repetition of the long and bitter experience of the Vietnam War".

2. Iran Could Have Nuclear Weapons in 6 Months

The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency Mohamed ElBaradei, said Iran could create a nuclear weapon in six months. Yes, this is the same guy that a couple of months ago said we have a few years before Iran would have that capability.

ElBaradei spoke on Al-Arabiya television on June 20, discussing Iran's nuclear program, and the potential for the Middle Eastern country to produce a nuclear weapon.

Could it be that last year's NIE was a LIE? Now the IAEA Chief is restating Iran's capability to make a nuclear weapon within 6 months instead of several years.

As one of the supposed anti-science conservatives liberals are always yammering on about, I was glad when President Bush vetoed the increase in federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. I wrote about adult stem cell success stories, and since June of last year, there have been even more exciting treatments:

• A middle aged man in Colorado had his bone marrow cells harvested, multiplied in the lab and then injected into his back.

  "I think this is the beginning of a new era of surgery," [Dr. Christopher Centeno] said. "We usually take out the offending piece but do nothing to repair the small damage we just created. This allows you to do both."



• A study published in Canada shows how adult stem cells can help slow the progression of Lou Gehrig's disease:

  "We were able to measure a prominent effect on stem cell mobilization and found no adverse effects in the patients," said [Dr. Neil] Cashman. "There have been many misgivings in using stem cell stimulators in ALS patients but now we know we can safely do this. This is an important first step in providing a new treatment for ALS."



• Headline: Autologous Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation After Immunosuppressive Therapy Effective and Safe in Multiple Sclerosis
  

  What that means is that doctors in France took MS patients, suppressed their immune system, injected them with their own bone marrow cells and found:

  "All patients appeared to respond to treatment", reported Dr. Ionova. Improvement was seen in 62.3%, and stabilisation occurred in 37.7% of patients. Progression after improvement occurred in 7.1% and progression after stabilisation in 11.8% of patients.

  There were no deaths during the course of the study.

  Out of 26 patients included in the quality-of-life analysis, 24 exhibited a response and preserved a good quality of life during the follow-up. No unexpected treatment-related adverse events were observed.

  As Bioethics.com notes, "This confirms other studies."



• Researchers in Australia have found that patients with Parkinson's disease respond positively to the injection of adult stem cells:

  The Griffith University study published in the journal Stem Cells found that adult stem cells harvested from the noses of Parkinson's patients gave rise to dopamine-producing brain cells when transplanted into the brain of a rat.

  The debilitating symptoms of Parkinson's such as loss of muscle control are caused by degeneration of cells that produce the essential chemical dopamine in the brain.

  It's also important to note that they have tried the same experiment with embryonic stem cells, only it resulted in the "formation of tumours or teratomas in the host rats..."



• Two Canadians suffering from a rare form of lung disease were treated with their own "gene-modified stem cells" in an experimental procedure:

  "These enhanced stem cells are given in a heart catheterization suite, and lodge in the lung where it is hoped they will stimulate the repair and regeneration of blood vessels in the lung," explained Dr. Galipeau, Associate Professor of Medicine and Oncology at McGill University.

  This procedure has cured laboratory rats with pulmonary hypertension, and this study in Canadian volunteers afflicted with pulmonary hypertension seeks to assess the safety of this type of stem cell treatment.

That is just five examples of many. There are articles showing that adult stem cells may "may force Crohn's disease into retreat", they can "improve healing of fractures," and "are already giving some patients a new lease on life."

But what of the embryonic stem cell? What about the issue that helped catapult Claire McCaskill into Jim Talent's Senate Seat? You remember Michael J. Fox, don't you? He helped Missouri liberals amend the state constitution with his commercial for Senator McCaskill.

According to "the head of the UK National Stem Cell Network," embryonic stem cell research is a flop:

Despite his own reservations that stem cell work may not live up to its hype, Lord Patel said he was hopeful of finding treatments for serious diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson's, motor neurone disease and even disorders such as Alzheimer's.

"Are there any signs that this could happen? Yes there are, particularly in animal experiments that suggest this might be possible," Lord Patel said.

"In terms of embryonic stem cell therapy, there is currently no such therapy that is available in a large number of patients.

A recent Journal of the American Medical Association study done by "Richard K. Burt, M.D., of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and colleagues" found, according to LifeNews.com, that adult stem cells are currently working with over 70 diseases.

Things are going so well on the adult stem cell side, that scientists are now able to manipulate stem cells still in the brain and pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced recently that they would invest in adult stem cell research to help with "diabetes-induced retinal damage, a leading cause of blindness."

When you look at the landslide of success found in adult stem cell research and compare it to the lack of success on the embryonic side, you really have to ask who is the anti-science party. The science is on our side.

Cross posted at All American Blogger, where you can find other great original articles.

The Washington Post is reporting that along with Christopher Dodd and Kent Conrad, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama got a sweeter than normal deal on his mortgage:

The freshman Democratic senator received a discount. He locked in an interest rate of 5.625 percent on the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, below the average for such loans at the time in Chicago. The loan was unusually large, known in banker lingo as a "super super jumbo." Obama paid no origination fee or discount points, as some consumers do to reduce their interest rates.

Compared with the average terms offered at the time in Chicago, Obama's rate could have saved him more than $300 per month.

Nice. I wonder if everyone could get as sweet a deal as that. I'm not talking about the guy trying to scrape together a couple hundred thousand for a house. I talking about other richy-rich folks. Would they get the same deal as a former state senator who made it to the show?

Nope:

In Obama's case, he received a lower rate than the average offered at the time in Chicago for similarly structured jumbo loans. He secured his final mortgage commitment on June 8, 2005, and during that week, rates on similar loans for which information is available averaged 5.93 percent, according to HSH Associates, which surveys lenders. Another survey firm, Bankrate.com, placed the average at 6 percent.

"It's certainly safe to say that this borrower did better than average," said Keith Gumbinger, an HSH vice president, noting that consumer rates vary widely. "It's a good deal."

I'm sure the Obamatons will excuse this as nothing out of the ordinary, even though "The Obamas had no prior relationship with Northern Trust when they applied for the loan." Sure, usually you get a better deal than the people who have been banking there for years. That's how it works.

See, the bank didn't really treat him an differently than anyone else:

Unlike Countrywide, where leaked internal e-mails documented a special discount program for friends of chief executive Angelo Mozilo, Northern Trust says it has no formal program to provide discounts to public officials. Loan officers may consider a borrower's occupation when establishing an interest rate, the bank said.

They just consider the occupation of United States Senator the same way they would, say, dog-catcher, or airline pilot. Oh, and then there is this:

Since 1990, Northern Trust employees have donated more than $739,000 to federal campaigns, including $71,000 to Obama, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Probably nothing to that either.

Next big speech for Barack: "I will never question anyone's mortgage, and I condemn anyone who does!"

Cross posted at All American Blogger, where you can find other great original articles.

I don't know how many times I saw the video in this post while I was in the Navy. It is a very important part of U.S. Naval history. Not once in all those viewings did I ever hear anyone claim that John McCain was responsible for the fire.

Now I have. A Free Republic user warned of a smear campaign by Lane Anderson of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Lane, he said, was making the claim that John McCain started the USS Forrestal fire.

After a little searching, I found this:

More important than marital issues is his competance in military matters. Google {USS Forrestal Fire John McCain} to learn more about the pilot that lost five planes and set a supercarrier on fire!

Lane

If you click the link, you can see it is Lane Anderson.

Say what you want about John McCain, but he didn't start the Forrestal Fire. Via the Chief of Naval Information:

It is not a story about just a few individuals. Or ten. Or twenty. Or fifty. It is the story of hundreds of officers and enlisted men who were molded by disaster into a single cohesive force determined to accomplish one mission: Save their ship and their shipmates.

It is the story of the acts of heroism they performed-acts so commonplace, accomplished with such startling regularity, that it will be impossible to chronicle all of them. It will be impossible for a very simple reason:All of them will never be known.

Lt. Cmdr. Robert "Bo" Browning one of the pilots due for launch with many others, he was seated in the cockpit of his fueled and armed Skyhawk; the plane was spotted way aft, to port. Lt. Cmdr. John S. McCain III said later he heard a "whooshy" sound then a "low-order explosion" in front of him. Suddenly, two A-4s ahead of his plane were engulfed in flaming jet fuel -- JP-5 -- spewed from them. A bomb dropped to the deck and rolled about six feet and came to rest in a pool of burning fuel.

The awful conflagration, which was to leave 132 Forrestal crewmen dead, 62 more injured and two missing and presumed dead, had begun.

I thought that the left had reached rock bottom when they made the claims that McCain had it easy in the Hanoi Hilton and collaborated with the enemy. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I am.

Blaming him for the death of 132 sailors is so far out there that it is beyond imagination.

Cross posted at All American Blogger, where you can find other great original articles.

Who's a big sweety? Who's a big sweety? Yes you are! Yes you are!

Muslims outraged at police advert featuring cute puppy sitting in policeman's hat

A postcard featuring a cute puppy sitting in a policeman's hat advertising a Scottish police force's new telephone number has sparked outrage from Muslims.  

Tayside Police's new non-emergency phone number has prompted complaints from members of the Islamic community.

The choice of image on the Tayside Police cards - a black dog sitting in a police officer's hat - has now been raised with Chief Constable John Vine.

The advert has upset Muslims because dogs are considered ritually unclean and has sparked such anger that some shopkeepers in Dundee have refused to display the advert.

It's no wonder Muslims are always so angry, if they cannot take joy in a puppy.

 Little Green Footballs

Crossed at Pirate's Cove

One of the problems with fighting back against the disciples of anthropogenic global warming, and other silliness such as 9/11 Twooferism and Progressivism, is having to respond to them using rationality and facts and figures, which they then dismiss as being created by Big Oil, or whoever and/or whatever the current villain is. Bret Stephens at the Wall Street Journal easily links the feelings based idiocy and the real facts regarding AGW - Global Warming as Mass Neurosis

Last week marked the 20th anniversary of the mass hysteria phenomenon known as global warming. Much of the science has since been discredited. Now it's time for political scientists, theologians and psychiatrists to weigh in.

What, discredited? Thousands of scientists insist otherwise, none more noisily than NASA's Jim Hansen, who first banged the gong with his June 23, 1988, congressional testimony (delivered with all the modesty of "99% confidence").

But mother nature has opinions of her own. NASA now begrudgingly confirms that the hottest year on record in the continental 48 was not 1998, as previously believed, but 1934, and that six of the 10 hottest years since 1880 antedate 1954. Data from 3,000 scientific robots in the world's oceans show there has been slight cooling in the past five years, never mind that "80% to 90% of global warming involves heating up ocean waters," according to a report by NPR's Richard Harris.

The Arctic ice cap may be thinning, but the extent of Antarctic sea ice has been expanding for years. At least as of February, last winter was the Northern Hemisphere's coldest in decades. In May, German climate modelers reported in the journal Nature that global warming is due for a decade-long vacation. But be not not-afraid, added the modelers: The inexorable march to apocalypse resumes in 2020.

This last item is, of course, a forecast, not an empirical observation. But it raises a useful question: If even slight global cooling remains evidence of global warming, what isn't evidence of global warming? What we have here is a nonfalsifiable hypothesis, logically indistinguishable from claims for the existence of God. This doesn't mean God doesn't exist, or that global warming isn't happening. It does mean it isn't science.

He goes on to point out that so much about AGW is belief, or, as he should have wrote it, Belief with ye olde capital B.

To me, it is not so much that global warming hasn't happened, and won't happen again. It has. It will. It will also get cool again. Climate change does happen. But, the Disciples of Gore desperately want to believe that it is all Man's fault, for so many of the reasons mentioned here at Right Wing News, at my site, around the Interwebz, and in the WSJ article. Funny how, despite the actual increase of CO2 output, the temperature portion of the climate, real temps, not models, have remained pretty much stagnant for 10 years, eh?

Ann Althouse wonders where the kids are. Makes me think about the book Where The Wild Things Are. Our neighborhood is full of kids, yet good luck finding evidence of them. Where are they?

Swimming--in public pools or in pools in the back yard. Summer camp. There are camps for everything and since playing stick ball with make-shift bases isn't part of the modern world, a child goes to a camp organized by adults, supervised by teenagers and it kills a couple birds with one stone. Children and teenagers, occupied! Wii--We bought one two weeks ago and I've been beaten in baseball, bowling, boxing, and my Mii has been beaten severely in tennis, though I have yet to play. My children have created a Wii community filled with mutant beings. It's great fun to make your dad bald, short, fat, with strange facial hair, a unibrow, pink cheeks, disco shades and eye shadow. Don't forget the moles. Cartoons. Come on! They are a summer staple. Yes, your children sit like mindless blobs of protoplasm absorbing what little mental nutrition can be extracted from these worthless shows. On the plus side, mom blogs in peace! Trampolines--Nothing says summer like working up a sweat engaging in repetititve bouncing activities. It's therapeutic. Down side--intracranial injuries. Eh, our generation rode bikes without helmets and skateboards without elbow pads, they'll be fine.

Kids are doing lots of stuff, just not the stuff that puts them in the public square or their own backyards much. Have you watched the news? No, most bloggers don't watch the news. Do blog readers watch the news? Well, if you watched Greta VanSusteren, last night, you saw children, young women, young men and families who were bludgeoned to death by a rampaging psycho. Oh, and then there were the three or four young women who were raped and killed 1) by relatives 2) while jogging 3) while taking a bath. My husband and I were talking about implanting a GPS device in my daughter. I kid you not. Evidently, we're not the only ones with this train of thought. For now, it looks we'd have to settle for cell phones.

The point is that parents don't feel free to let their kids roam like we did when we were kids. At five or six, we'd walk a couple streets over to play (walking through yards). At eight or nine, we'd be outside for hours until dinner time. I think my mom locked us out. Not now. Parents must observe children non-stop. Or they're working and gone. Or their neighbors aren't at home. What if something happened?

It might not be rational. In fact, upon researching it, it looks like it's not rational:

Research has shown that between 40 and 150 incidents of child abduction murder occur each year, which is less than one half of one percent of the murders committed nationally.

[Katherine M. Brown, Robert D. Keppel, Joseph G. Weis, and Marvin E. Skeen. CASE MANAGEMENT for Missing Children Homicide Investigation. Olympia, Washington: Office of the Attorney General, State of Washington, and U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, May 2006, page 1.]

797,500 children (younger than 18) were reported missing in a one-year period of time studied resulting in an average of 2,185 children being reported missing each day.
203,900 children were the victims of family abductions.
58,200 children were the victims of non-family abductions.
115 children were the victims of "stereotypical" kidnapping. (These crimes involve someone the child does not know or someone of slight acquaintance, who holds the child overnight, transports the child 50 miles or more, kills the child, demands ransom, or intends to keep the child permanently.
[Andrea J. Sedlak, David Finkelhor, Heather Hammer, and Dana J. Schultz. U.S. Department of Justice. "National Estimates of Missing Children: An Overview" in National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, October 2002, page 5.]

Cross-posted at Dr. Melissa Clouthier

But the way I read it, the impact of speculation is such that any obvious steps we take toward energy independence (drilling, alternate fuels, conservation, efficient vehicles) will affect prices much more quickly than one might expect if supply and demand were the only variables involved.

(Yes; I got the schedule mixed up; I thought I was posting today instead of Monday. So that's what I shall do, and my apologies to Mr. Hawkins.)

Cross-posted at Little Miss Attila.

It looks like there really are two Americas. Blacks have their own country, with its own national anthem, as Denver discovered when René Marie performed the Black National Anthem at an official city event yesterday.

At least one councilman was sane enough to object:

This is the State of the City address. It's not an NAACP convention.

Marie was invited by moonbat mayor John Hickenlooper, who says he thought she was going to sing the real anthem. But he also says:

She blended the two songs together. She was trying to make an artistic expression of her love for the country. She did not intend to make a political statement or anything.

Nah, no political statement here. Nothing but love for the country. The Dems have found the right mayor to serve as master of ceremonies for their convention circus.

The song known as the Black National Anthem is "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," by James Weldon Johnson. Marie lifted her voice and sang the first verse, which ends on an ominous note about marching on "till victory is won," evidently over the white man.

If the militant, race-obsessed blacks who are on the verge of taking over the White House can have their own religion, why not their own national anthem?

Hat tip: Slapstick Politics; on a tip from mega. Cross-posted at Moonbattery.

Read Christopher Hitchen's article and then come back and vote. His conclusion:

I apply the Abraham Lincoln test for moral casuistry: "If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong." Well, then, if waterboarding does not constitute torture, then there is no such thing as torture.

Cross-posted at Dr. Melissa Clouthier

Investor's Business Daily brings us the latest from probably the worst Majority Leader the Senate has seen in a very long time:

The Dr. No of the drill-nothing Congress tried to deflect the issue of rising gas prices Monday by telling Fox Business News that there are costs we should worry about besides those stemming from Democratic inaction. Our guilt is supposed to replace our anger. "Coal makes us sick," Reid said, "oil makes us sick, it's global warming, it's ruining our country, it's ruining our world, we've got to stop using fossil fuel . . . ."

In this case, he's partially right - we all know that in a perfect world, we'd be using something else - an alternative. But this isn't a perfect world and our energy needs aren't going to stand still as we try to develop alternatives. So we have to deal with and use what is available now and exploit it.

The problem is, "Dr. No" isn't just against petroleum and coal, but he's also against the use of very clean nuclear energy.

Instead Reid is invested in using "vapor ware" and convinced that our problem is we haven't thrown enough money at it. And, of course, once we do, everything will by hunky dory.

Even if we tripled our current output from wind, solar and geothermal, they'd produce just 2.2% of our current energy needs.

But even if we had the technology and it could fulfill the need, Reid forgets about the movement he and others have supported over the years:

The irony here is that it's environmentalists and Democrats who often stand in the way of alternative energy. Reid needs to talk to Ted Kennedy and John Kerry about their opposition to a wind farm off Cape Cod because it might spoil their view.

A 500-megawatt, 20,000-acre wind farm scheduled for Valley County, Mont., was stopped by environmentalists who complained that 400-foot turbines would disturb a nearby wilderness area.

The Sunrise Powerlink solar-energy project in Southern California is being fought because of a 150-mile, $1.5 billion high-voltage line connecting desert-based solar panels with the urban customers of San Diego Gas & Electric.

Not only have nuclear power plants, drilling and petroleum refineries been stopped by the environmental movement, so-called clean energy projects have been stopped in their tracks as well - aided and abetted by the likes off Harry Reid. He has no solutions, only road-blocks. And the candidate he supports is no better:

Agreeing with Reid is his party's presidential nominee, Sen. Barack Obama. In a primary debate in Nevada, Obama pledged: "I will end the notion of Yucca Mountain because it has not been based on the sort of sound science that can assure the people of Nevada that they're going to be safe."

If you're concerned with the future of our energy supply, you need to consider the fact that the present Congressional leadership hasn't a clue nor a desire to do what is necessary to ensure our energy supply in the near future. Couple that with an Obama presidency and we're looking at a lack of foresight that will economically effect us for decades to come.

This is a critical aspect of the coming election and people need to really dig into the plans on each side and make this a major issue for the voter. They need to demand specifics which will ensure the energy supply, even if that means coal and petroleum short-term with nuclear coming on-line and then the integration of alternative sources as they become technologically available and viable.

Using planes as bombs worked so well on September 11, Muslim terrorists just might try it again:

Private jets could be hijacked and used as "vehicle bombs" to target the public, the Government's anti-terror chief has warned.

Due to current lax security at small airports, such attacks would be "relatively simple" to orchestrate, according to Lord Carlile of Berriew in report on how the UK is dealing with the terror threat.

In related news:

Students are being encouraged to learn how to fly planes in a project by the University of Salford. Eighty students from the University — mostly from Muslim, black and minority ethnic backgrounds — have flown a glider or trainer aircraft as part of the scheme.

The project — titled Festival of Flight — is opening doors and opportunities for students who have felt excluded from the world of flight due to their race and also aims to ground stereotype views of young people from black and ethnic backgrounds.

Crows Rozaidah Abd Rahman, who's learning how to fly (and reassuringly even knows how to land):

Great moments are born from great opportunities. Festival of Flight will continue to give more opportunities like this to aspiring Muslim youth who have the passion, not just to fly but also to achieve their dreams in any other walk of life.

What kind of great moments and great opportunities? What kind of dreams? Ms. Abd Rahman continues:

The 9/11 and 7/7 tragedies have deterred the spirits of many young people, especially Muslims.

9/11 and 7/7 were really tough on Muslims. No doubt many were crestfallen at the disappointingly low body counts.

Somewhere in Phoenix, an FBI agent named Kenneth Williams is tearing out his hair.

Lenin said capitalists would sell the ropes used to hang them. Moonbats will provide Muslims with free ropes, and use taxpayer funds to teach them how to make nooses.

On tips from essemess. Cross-posted at Moonbattery.

A big thank you to John for inviting me to post. Without further adieu, here goes:

Love Thy Neighbor, the Farmer
Finally! Someone is connecting the dots on how to please both lovers of the free market and lovers of the market. This Motley Fool piece is a great look at Wal-Mart and others who are embracing local produce.

Produce in the U.S. travels an average of 1,500 miles to get to consumers' kitchens, and the company says that through "better logistics planning, better packing of trucks, and local sourcing, Wal-Mart expects to save millions of food miles each year" with its commitment to local fruits and veggies.

Read: Wal-Mart saves money getting the goods and that savings trickles down to the customer. And for those who don't care about Wal-Mart saving any dough:

Buying local produce reduces carbon footprints. It means eating food that's fresh and in season for one's own region. It's a very natural way of doing things. And, of course, there's a sense of accountability and community

Plus, many believe that eating fruits and vegetables that occur naturally in your region has incredible health benefits. Everyone wins!

Why More Jews Won't Be Voting Democrat This Year
Jennifer Rubin's column in the Jerusalem Post does a great job of presenting a complicated, rich history in a succinct and approachable way. Sadly still, far too few Jews in America will look at this and think: John McCain is the better man for the job.

Vast Majority of Iraq Benchmarks Satisfactory
There's a new Iraq report out with very good news, but leave it to the AP to spin undeniable progress into a negative story. The lede for this piece outright ignores the very facts which make the issue newsworthy.

Holy Conundrum Batman!
Partially because it has an incredible headline and partially because I'm obsessed with and utterly freaked out by The Dark Knight, this piece struck me. I hadn't the James Dean comparison laid out quite like this before, and it's interesting to compare the situations. It's a few pages to get all the way through, but it's worth digging through for some of the dirt:

"This is a true psychopath, a remorseless, incredibly evil character. But when he's on screen, you cannot take your eyes off him. And when he's off screen, you can't wait till he reappears on screen."

Read it. You know you want to. Also, click here to view a few minutes of the movie that have been leaked online.

That's all for now. Thanks again, John, for letting me help out.

This post has been cross-posted at Elocutio, my blog on Townhall.com that I swear I haven't forgotten.

We're right in the middle of a feisty yet dreadfully dull election season -- seriously, with patriot Obama and his patriot wife, I feel like I'm watching an endless loop of The Hope for Change Chronicles of Pretend Patriotism, where the story is stale, the acting is painful, and we're all just commiserating over how bad life will be when those people on the television run the world - kinda like the sixth season of 24, but with even more politically correct appeasement. I've already decided on the Whatevs vote for President, Whatevs being the Bad Republican, because socialism has, so far, killed more people than illegal immigration and campaign finance reform combined (I think). So I've checked out already, wake me in November if there's something good on television. I still check the headlines every day and read the funny political stuff (I didn't give a rat's toenail about politics until I learned about political humor) to stay informed, basically so I'll know what the heck Frank is talking about most of the time.

Today I came across this Telegraph headline and about peed my pants in shock:

Barack Obama: National Rifle Association campaigns to keep him out of White House

Um, thanks, Captain Obvious, for your amazing insight. But of course I couldn't stop reading, because the headline itself made me laugh.

America's gun lobby is to launch an expensive advertising campaign this autumn designed to stop Barack Obama winning the presidential election.

I would have thought they'd try to stop the pro-gun candidate. Under Obama's picture, they have a cute little description.

Mr Obama was careful to state his support for gun ownership but he is also a supporter of a ban on semi-automatic weapons

Ok, so Obama is all for Americans owning revolvers, most shotguns, and bolt-action rifles. That cuts out about eighty percent of the guns in our household. Good thing I carry a .38 special, or I'd have to get a new carry gun.

Mr Obama was careful after that ruling to state his support for gun ownership but he is also a supporter of a ban on semi-automatic weapons, most concealed weapons, and a limit on the number of handguns bought to one a month.

Most concealed weapons. So... maybe a Swiss Army knife? Or is that too weapony? Toothpicks are dangerous if you conceal them, and if someone attacks you with a 2x4, you should definitely not have the ability to remove his splinters, because that might hurt someone.

The significance of the campaign for Mr Obama is two-fold. It is likely to entrench opposition to his candidacy among white working class voters in the Appalachian region, who overwhelmingly supporter (sic) his opponent Hillary Clinton during the primary elections.

Typical white people. (The answer to your question is no, that never gets old.)

However, Robert Gibbs, Mr Obama's communications secretary, said: "We think we'll get the votes of plenty of gun owners, and gun owners will have a home with the Obama campaign."

If by "gun owners," Mr. Gibbs means "musket owners," he might be on to something.

SarahK blogs about TV at Snark Raving Mad and other stuff at mountaineer musings. She's married to Frank J. and has three cats and a dog, all of whom could totally pwn Patton.

Now that Sen. Barack Obama has become the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee for president, the media and punditocracy has focused their attention on the veepstakes. Speculation about Obama's running mate reveals an enormous deficiency in the Democrats' standard bearer. Most suggest that Obama needs someone with a military background, such as retired General Wesley Clark or Sen. James Webb to "balance the ticket."

However, it would take military men like George S. Patton or Douglas MacArthur to make up for Obama's shortcomings on national security. I find it amusing that Democrats find no hypocrisy in essentially turning over the responsibility for the country's defense to a vice president after having so loudly complained about Dick Cheney's influence in such matters over the past seven years.

Obama touts the fact that he was against the invasion of Iraq from the start. However, when Congress authorized President Bush to take military action in 2002, only the extreme left-wing fringe of the Democratic Party was opposed. Obama may claim that he was prescient about the difficulties of such an endeavor, but it was more likely that he was merely parroting the statements of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakhan and William Ayers who see America's military as a symbol of oppression and imperialism.

In his recent role as a commencement speaker stand-in for ailing Sen. Ted Kennedy, Obama exhorted the graduating seniors to serve their country in a variety of ways and professions but failed to mention the U. S. military as an option. Obama has not once risen to the defense of America's men and women in uniform against the lies and smears coming from his Democratic Party colleagues and supporters. It took Obama nearly a year to speak out about MoveOn.org's attack ad on General David Petraeus, the architect of the stunning turnaround in Iraq. Obama has not even bothered to visit Iraq since 2006.

Obama applauded the misguided and overreaching Supreme Court decision that gave constitutional rights to foreign terrorists held at Guantanamo and diminished the power of the president during wartime. In a recent speech Obama spoke of bringing a gun to a knife fight, yet he was only talking about campaigning, not foreign policy. In the international arena, Obama has pledged to send diplomats instead of soldiers to challenge regimes seeking nuclear weapons and supporting terrorists.

While Obama tries to cast himself as the second coming of John F. Kennedy, it is important to note that the Soviet Union perceived the successor to President Dwight Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander during World War II as weak. The botched Bay of Pigs operation encouraged Soviet aggression around the world, including building of the Berlin Wall and the placement of missiles in Cuba.

There is no doubt that Barack Obama desires the presidency, but does he want to be Commander in Chief? It is clear to all that he lacks the experience to command the most envied and feared military in the history of the world, but voters should question if he has the will to do so.

What makes anyone believe that President Barack Obama would send bombers or troops to fight those he has more in common with than the bitter Americans who cling to their God and guns he swore an oath to protect?

You can read more from Jeff here.

At some point or another, I bet we have all played the whisper a rumor game. That's where you start with some sort of legitimate story, whisper it to one person, who repeats it to another, and so on around the circle, till it gets back to you, and you get to marval how much it has changed. I think Kevin Drum has been playing, as he somehow ends up with this

YOU AND YOUR CELL....All modern cell phones are equipped with GPS capability that allows your location to be tracked within a few meters at all times. Question: does the federal government have access to this tracking information without a warrant? The ACLU filed a Freedom of Information request to find out but the feds refused to respond. So now they've joined with the EFF and filed a lawsuit:

They do? They are all equipped with GPS capability? Damn! That's news to me. I rarely mention my business, but, I have been in wireless since 1994, and, let me tell you, if they all had GPS capability, we would be using it to make money, such as marketing it to parents to keep track of their kids and employers to keep track of their employees. I know of one employee at another carrier who was toasted by GPS, though. However, it was because of the tracker on the company vehicle, not the phone.

What can be done is track by tower and pinpoint reasonably close, depending on certain factors. So, somehow, in the overblown world of Liberals, this

The ACLU filed the FOIA request in November following media reports that federal officials were using Americans' cellular phones to pinpoint their locations without a warrant or any court oversight, the groups said. Some government officials at the time said they did not need probable cause to obtain tracking information from mobile phones. In addition, the reports said some federal law enforcement agents had obtained tracking data from wireless carriers without any court oversight.

became "all modern cell phone are equipped with GPS capability." It's the same kind of weirdness and wackiness, otherwise known here in the 'sphere as "Barking Moonbat Syndrome," that led to Trutherism, Bush wanting to kill all Black people in New Orleans, and the belief that giving phone call info to the government that included only phone numbers was domestic spying. Among their thousands of conspiracy theories.

As a sidebar, it is funny that Liberals want to invest enormous amounts of power in the hands of the federal government, which is full of liberals, then have coniptions when that power supposedly corrupts.