Archive for October, 2010

Christopher C. Horner

Vested Interests Digging Deep to Doom California’s Prop 23

by Christopher C. Horner

My eye-opening experience with Enron revealed to my surprise just how it is that certain interests actually drive Big Green, and make otherwise inconceivable policy ideas into threats and often even reality. The revelation was such that it left me shaking my head in wonder as to how the (now suddenly) obvious, at least seeing how it escapes the interest of at least the establishment press cheerleading the same agenda: when you rob Peter to pay Paul, you are guaranteed the enthusiastic support of Paul.

enron

In fact — as I learned regarding Enron’s and BP’s pet projects, “carbon cap-and-trade” and related ‘green jobs’ schemes all designed to make uneconomic investments in windmills etc. pay off — sometimes the entire enterprise is Paul’s idea.

So it is that we see with deep pocketed gents now scrambling to protect their bets on uneconomic investments and rent-seeking schemes, by supporting the campaign to defeat Proposition 23 in California. Prop 23 would delay California’s climatically meaningless but economically suicidal state-level adoption of Kyoto agenda, called AB 32. Oddly, there is no condemnation of these bags of money being thrown at killing a ballot initiative, despite the opprobrium heaped upon those few who have dared venture in to help the “Yes” campaign.

This is a shame, for the question Cui bono? is so readily answered simply by scanning the growing list of those digging deep to make sure the ‘green’ gravy train of wealth transfers isn’t derailed (regardless of the fairly obvious economic consequences if they are successful, which in a rational world would be of great interest to a watchdog press).

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Pamela Geller

Obama’s Campaign Contribution Records Scrubbed Clean

by Pamela Geller

I appeared on David Asman’s show on Fox Tuesday evening to discuss the hypocrisy of the Obama gang’s new fallacious attack on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, projecting Democrat crimes on unsuspecting decent organizations. The whole episode showed up the incredible hypocrisy of Obama and the Democrats, and their callous indifference to the will of the people.

Obama and the Democrats claim that the Chamber of Commerce has been funding Republican candidates using foreign money. But as I show in great detail in my book The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration’s War On America (Simon & Schuster), in 2008 Obama’s FEC records were full of donations from people with obviously fake names, and other questionable material. (In contrast, McCain’s were squeaky clean.)

The Obama campaign website even featured a drop-down box enabling donors to specify from what country they were donating. All the donor had to do was check a box certifying that he was legally eligible to make a donation. There was no safeguard in place to make sure that foreign nationals did not donate from these countries, in flagrant defiance of the federal law forbidding candidates from receiving foreign donations.

obama foreign donations

Obama’s campaign received donations from the world over: the Virgin Islands, Vienna, The Hague, Madrid, London, Geneva, Tokyo, Bangkok, Turin, Paris, Munich, Madrid, Roma, Zurich, Moscow, Milan, Singapore, Beijing, Switzerland, Toronto, Vancouver, Dublin, Panama, Berlin, Geneva, Buenos Aires, Prague, Nagoya, Budapest, Barcelona, Sweden, Taipei, Hong Kong, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, Zurich, Ragusa, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Uganda, Mumbai, Tunis, Zacatecas, St. Croix, Mississauga, Lima, Copenhagen, Dubai, Jeddah, Kabul, Cairo, and many others.

Worst of all, Obama’s campaign received contributions from Hamas-controlled Gaza (documentation here) and lied about refunding those jihad donations.

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Kurt Schlichter

The VFW’s Suicide PAC(t)

by Kurt Schlichter

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) has doubled-down on failure.

Ignoring the growing protests of its outraged members, the supposedly “independent” VFW Political Action Committee (VFW-PAC) has issued a new statement refusing to back off on the disgraceful set of endorsements that have threatened the venerable and (at least at the local level) respected organization with destruction.


The short version: “Our members are partisan morons who ought to sit back and let us decide what’s good for them.”  The long version:

VFW-PAC Stands By Endorsement Process

WASHINGTON, DC, Oct 13,2010 – The VFW-PAC was established in 1979 by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) as a separate, nonpartisan organization charged with the single task of working in Congress to support candidates who have taken responsible positions on issues involving national defense and legislation pertaining to the nation’s veterans.

An eleven member Board of Directors reviews and establishes the criteria used for the endorsement process each election cycle. This cycle the Board chose a methodology for endorsement that was used successfully in years past; grading an incumbent’s support by the position taken on critical issues of importance to the VFW. Therefore, thirteen roll call votes in the House of Representatives and nine votes in the Senate that aligned with VFW priority goals were selected to grade the support of incumbent members of Congress. The bar was set high, as a Senator must have voted in concert with the VFW position on 7 of 9 votes and a Representative 10 of 13 to receive the VFW-PAC endorsement. If a member of Congress failed to make the grade, the Board would consider a challenger for that Congressional seat. The Board would also consider candidates running for open seats. Both challengers and open seat candidates would have to state in writing their position on VFW priority goals.

There are a few races out of 356 endorsed candidates in both the House and Senate, where emotions are running high, that are getting a lot of attention. In some cases there are veterans and even VFW members running against Congressional incumbents endorsed by the VFW-PAC. It would not only be unfair, but contrary to VFW-PAC By-Laws to disregard the incumbent’s record of support and endorse another candidate. The VFW-PAC will not abandon those in Congress that have supported issues of critical importance to our nation’s security and veterans.

In the political endorsement arena, there will always be party loyalists and individuals that will not agree with the VFW-PAC decision. The Board respects their position and appreciates their activism in support of the candidate of their choice. The VFW-PAC endorsement is not designed to tell people how to vote; but to point out who has demonstrated support for veterans and America’s security.

The VFW-PAC disagrees with those who claim the endorsement process is skewed, flawed, or unfair.

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Tom Fitton

Is Scandal-Ridden Rahmbo Chicago’s Next Mayor?

by Tom Fitton

Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel left his job at the White House last week to run for Mayor of Chicago.

Rahm Emanuel CEOs

According to The Washington Post:

President Obama… announced his highest-level changing of the guard, naming a longtime aide of few words, Pete Rouse, to replace on an interim basis the irrepressible Rahm Emanuel as chief of staff.

In an East Room event attended by senior staff and Cabinet members, Obama called Emanuel, who resigned to begin an expected run for mayor of Chicago, someone “I could count on day and night to get the job done.”

Obama might have added, “at all costs.” Given that the liberal media will gloss over Rahm’s record in the Obama White House, just as they did when he was installed there, let’s take a look at his terrible record of corruption.

After all, Emanuel didn’t earn the nickname “Rahmbo” for being a mild-mannered shrinking violet. He served as Bill Clinton’s chief money-man at a time when the Clinton campaign was corrupted by foreign money. He defended the “worst of the worst” Clinton scandals, and, in fact, earned his reputation as a ruthless political combatant by fiercely defending President Clinton in the Monica Lewinsky investigation. (Notably, Emanuel also served on the board of Freddie Mac when the company was involved in fraudulent activity.)

The bottom line is that when the Clintons’ dirty work needed to be done, Emanuel did it and apparently without question.

And that didn’t change under Obama.

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Publius

Thursday Open Thread: Jena-Auerstedt Edition

by Publius

Today, in 1806, Napoleon won the twin battles of Jena-Auerstedt, resulting in the subjugation of the Kingdom of Prussia. Most impressive was the Battle of Auerstedt, where French Marshal Davout defeated a force of close to 70,000 Prussians with around 1/3 the force.

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Chris Muir

The Mask.

by Chris Muir

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MRC TV

Eyeblast Hits The Street: Reactions To Ridiculous Projects Packed Into The Stimulus Bill

by MRC TV

Yesterday, Eyeblast.tv hit the streets in Alexandria, VA to talk to some people about their thoughts on whether some little-known programs that were jam-packed into the $787 billion stimulus package passed by the Obama Administration actually were intended to better the economy.

The absurdities include: $3.4 million for a turtle tunnel in Tallahassee, FL. A total of 22 bathrooms in Mark Twain National forest that carried a price tag of $21,000 each ($462,000 total). A genital-washing program in Africa that ran the taxpayers $800,000. Fifty-five thousand ($55,000) in Wichita, Kansas to spay and neuter pets. A total of $356,000 to research how children understand and perceive foreign accents. A whopping $550,000 for a skate park in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. And finally, a bridge connecting two Microsoft campuses costing $11 million (like Microsoft can’t afford that themselves).

As the unemployment rate sits at 9.6%, here is what people thought about the ‘economy-stimulating’ and ‘job creating’ projects:

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Jim Hoft

Barbara Boxer Approved Code Pink Trip to Fallujah to Donate $600,000 to Extremists

by Jim Hoft

So would aiding and abetting terrorists to kill US soldiers qualify as behavior unbefitting of a sitting US senator?

On October 12, Scott Swett at the American Thinker reported that Senator Barabara Boxer (D-CA) along with Representatives Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) and Henry Waxman (D-CA) secured diplomatic courtesy letters that allowed anti-American Code Pink activists to travel to Fallujah, Iraq. The radicals traveled to Fallujah in late 2004 to donate $600,000 worth of humanitarian aid to the people who had just killed 51 Americans and wounded 560 more earlier that month. Operation Phantom Fury in Fallujah was the heaviest US urban combat since the Vietnam War.

After the report was published at American Thinker the article was deleted at Islam Online.
But, thanks to the internet archive a copy of the article is still available:

The article says that Code Pink:

“Secured diplomatic courtesy letters from US Senators Barbara Boxer of California and Raul Grijalva of Arizona and Congressmen Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and Henry Waxman of California.”

Swett reported on how Barbara Boxer and Code Pink assisted terrorists in Iraq:

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Reason TV

Reason.tv: Boondoggle in the Motor City – Detroit’s Train to Nowhere

by Reason TV

Detroit has become a place Hollywood directors come for great wreckage shots. One quarter of the city’s 140 square miles are deserted. Detroit public school students boast the nation’s worst reading scores, the products of a corruption-ridden school system that recently flirted with bankruptcy. Detroit bested Baltimore in 2009 to take the dreaded “murder capital” title. It may also be the worst place in the country to have a heart attack: prepare to wait half an hour for an ambulance.

In a town lacking essential services, what do local leaders and federal politicians have in mind for helping the city? What’s needed to hoist Detroit back to its 1950 heyday, when it was America’s fourth largest city, with more than double its current population?

Why, light rail, of course!

The Motor City is moving ahead with a plan to build a 9.3-mile light rail line that will run from downtown Detroit to the edge of the suburbs. It’ll cost an estimated $500 million. Three-quarters of the bill will be paid by federal taxpayers, with the rest picked up by a consortium of foundations and businesses.

If built, the project will end up on the Mackinac Center’s list of government-subsidized white elephants touted as “crucial to Detroit’s comeback,” its “rebirth,” and pivotal to “turning things around.” In reality, it’ll just be another train to nowhere, much like Detroit’s existing light rail line, the unfortunately named “People Mover,” which operates at 2.5% of capacity.

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Mike Flynn

Exclusive: Court Document Details Congressman’s Past Spousal Abuse

by Mike Flynn

Ohio Democrat Congressman Charlie Wilson was first elected to Congress in the Democrat wave year of 2006. Prior to that, he had been a long-time member of the Ohio state legislature, first elected to the Ohio House in 1996 and the Ohio Senate in 2004. (One of his four grown sons succeeded him in the legislature and is currently an Ohio State Senator.) He was also married for 27 years to his wife, Clara. The marriage ended in divorce in 1990.

BigGovernment has obtained a trial brief filed by Mrs. Clara Wilson prior to the formal divorce proceedings. The brief was filed November 9th, 1990. The brief is part of the public record and was obtained at Belmont County Court House in Ohio.  (Other documents related to the divorce are sealed.) The brief, which is posted below, is shocking and details very serious allegations of spousal abuse. It states that the grounds of divorce are “extreme cruelty.”

Here are relevant parts of the brief. Pay attention to the highlighted excerpts:


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Kurt Schlichter

The VFW ‘Leadership’ Tries To Avoid Responsibility for the Endorsement Scandal That Threatens the Organization’s Future

by Kurt Schlichter

In the wake of the tsunami of protests from its members over the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) endorsement of a slew of anti-military incumbents, the VFW’s “leadership” has issued a new statement trying to calm the furor and, in doing so, has further embarrassed itself.  You see, to them, the problem isn’t that the VFW allowed its good name to be tarred by supporting candidates like the one who literally partied with Hanoi Jane Fonda.


No, the problem is that you, the veterans, are just too stupid to understand how it’s not the leadership’s fault that this happened on their watch:

Comrades,

The angry tone and tenor of the telephone calls and messages being received at national headquarters make it clear that many of our members are not cognizant of the fact that VFW National By-Laws clearly stipulate that the VFW Commander-in-Chief is not authorized to direct or otherwise attempt to introduce his control over the VFW PAC. Furthermore, no membership dues or donations made to the VFW or VFW Foundation are used for the VFW PAC.

As you know, the recent endorsements by the PAC are the subject of much controversy. Unfortunately, many questions have been raised regarding VFW’s involvement in the endorsement process and the integrity of the organization as a whole. Regrettably, many of our members and supporters are disappointed and have misdirected their anger toward the VFW as having lost its purpose.

Comrades, we cannot sit idly by while a great organization is being disparaged and maligned, even unintentionally. It is vitally important that you take a direct role in alleviating this current flood of criticism by reminding members and supporters that:

– The VFW PAC was created by the VFW members and not by VFW national leaders. 2/3 of the delegates of the 80th VFW National Convention (1979) voted to establish PAC as a standing committee.

– VFW By-Laws stipulate that VFW leadership does not direct PAC activities and that the VFW convention is the governing body of the organization. As such, it is only the delegates at the convention that can determine the continuation of the PAC.

– Encourage VFW members to get involved in their VFW Posts and to exercise and further direct their concerns to convention delegates so that there can be an informed debate on the existence of the PAC.

If I know my vets, they are plenty “cognizant” of when they are being fed a bunch of crap.

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Tom Fitton

Court Denies Access to Fannie/Freddie Political Records

by Tom Fitton

Judicial Watch recently suffered a temporary setback in its pursuit of records related to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s political contributions. On September 30, 2010, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled, in effect, that the Obama administration may keep the records of these two government-controlled enterprises secret.

freddie-mac-seo-suicide

Here is the statement I offered to the press in response:

This [ruling] shows that the Obama Administration’s commitment to transparency is a big lie. It is incredible that taxpayers are on the line for at least $400 billion, yet cannot access one document from these agencies under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit against the Federal Housing Financial Authority (FHFA) to force the agency’s compliance with a FOIA request, which Judicial Watch submitted on May 29, 2009.

According to Judicial Watch’s motion filed on March 5, 2009, Fannie and Freddie are no longer private enterprises, and therefore their records should be subject to FOIA law:

Until they were seized by FHFA in September 2008, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were private corporations with independent directors, officers, and shareholders. Since that time, however, FHFA, a federal agency subject to FOIA, has assumed full legal custody and control of the records of these previously independent entities. Hence, these records are subject to FOIA like any other agency records.

The court agreed, in large part, with Judicial Watch’s principle arguments, but in the end ruled in favor or the Obama administration in what could perhaps be described as a “split decision.”

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Andrew  Marcus

Jan Schakowsky Faces Joel Pollak – Full Report

by Andrew Marcus

Below is our full-length report on last Sunday’s Candidates’ Forum with Democrat representative, Jan Schakowsky, and her challenger, Republican Joel Pollak.


As you can see from the video, Jan Schakowsky’s campaign greets our challenging questions on Health Care, Israel, and Ms. Schakowsky’s support for the Democratic Socialists of America, with evasion, derision, and borderline harassment.

Despite the fact that we were attending as credentialed media, the Schakowsky camp insisted that we were “trackers,” out to “get Joel Pollak elected.” While we are admittedly not fans of Representative Schakowsky’s positions on many issues, we were not paid to be there by any campaign or party. As challenging as it is for the Schakowsky camp to accept, we are merely citizen-journalists who are not afraid to ask the questions that the so-called mainstream media have failed to ask – questions such as where in the Constitution does Congress have the authority to force Americans to purchase a product or service? Is it inappropriate for American Progressives to take part in organizing flotillas against Israel, in support of Hamas? Who are the Democratic Socialists of America, and what is Democratic Socialism?

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Jeff Dunetz

New Poll: American Jews Are Moving Away From Obama

by Jeff Dunetz

American Jews, 78% of whom voted to make Barack Obama president are continuing to move away from Obama and his policies. According to a survey conducted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) , 51% of Jews approve of the way Obama is doing his job. While that number may seem high keep in mind that the AJC poll conducted in March 2010, showed the president with a 58% approval.

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As expected, there is an uncomfortableness with Obama based on his Middle East Policies (although they still support his efforts), but surprisingly, many of the President’s economics policies are not popular with the Jewish community.
Approve of the way Obama is handling:

  • The Economy 45% approve (51% disapprove)
  • Health Care 51% approve (46% disapprove)
  • Homeland Security 62% approve (33% disapprove)
  • Gulf oil spill  53% approve (42% disapprove)
  • The Iran nuclear issue 43% approve (46% disapprove)

Also surprising is the fact that American Jews support the controversial Arizona law to curb illegal immigration:

  • A new law in Arizona gives police the power to ask people they’ve stopped to verify their residency status. Supporters say this will help crack down on illegal immigration. Opponents say it could violate civil rights and lead to racial profiling. On balance, do you support or oppose this law? Support 52% Oppose 46%
  • Do you approve or disapprove of the Obama Administration’s handling of U.S. -Israel relations? The last poll conducted in March reported a 55% approval, that number today has slipped to 49%. During that same period support of the way Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is handling US-Israel relations has grown from 57% to 62%.
  • Not that Jews are ready to leap into the laps of the GOP, when asked if they think the country would be better off if the Republicans controlled Congress, or if the Democrats controlled Congress? Republican 33%, Democrat 57%

The Most Important Issues to the Jewish Community are the same as those of the general population the economy.

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Robert  Higgs

New Survey Confirms that Regime Uncertainty Is Spooking Investors

by Robert Higgs

Writing for CNBC’s “Behind the Money,” John Melloy describes the findings of a recent survey of investors:

Institutional investors fear a government policy mistake far more than inflation, terrorism, a housing double dip, a weak dollar, poor earnings or any other potential risk to the economy, according to a survey of 100 mutual fund, hedge fund and pension fund managers by Citigroup Global Markets.

“Government Policy Missteps” garnered more than a third of the participants’ votes as their biggest fears in the quarterly survey, ahead of the more than 15 percent who cited “Protectionism,” which is also strongly-tied to the actions of the Administration and Congress.

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Last week, I had occasion to speak to several wealthy investors, each of whom attested to the apprehensions associated with regime uncertainty. Most of them seem convinced that the Fed is in the process of destroying the dollar, but none of them has a firm expectation about what will replace it as an international reserve currency. Many see no good prospects for domestic investment at present, except in certain commodities. Needless to say, perhaps, such an outlook by investors does not portend a robust recovery from the current recession, if indeed it is compatible with any recovery at all.

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Publius

Wednesday Open Thread: Hare Edition

by Publius

A great ad against Rep. Phil “I don’t worry about the Constitution” Hare.

Wayne Crews

Antitrust: America’s Unfortunate Export

by Wayne Crews

Scholars, journalists, bureaucrats and lawmakers persist in viewing the body of antitrust law as serving the public interest. They still believe in monopolies apart from the ones governments deliberately create.

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New reports show that the remedy imposed upon Microsoft by European authorities to force it to cough up Internet browser market share show questionable results so many years after Explorer’s heyday.  The rise of competitors like Firefox and Chrome likely would likely have occurred regardless, and the dominance of the PC is somewhat less of a concern anyway in today’s mobile wireless and iPadded world.

A better question is why we tolerate governments—larger than any company they regulate—interfering so blatantly in competitive enterprise, denying consumers the superior market responses to the “monopolistic” behavior they claim to be addressing. When governments intervene, “competitors” get to relax. They don’t necessarily have to hustle quite as much anymore.

Antitrust might more fruitfully be characterized as a form of corporate welfare, more hurtful than helpful to its alleged consumer beneficiaries. But it’s great for rivals.

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Chris Muir

Shell Games.

by Chris Muir

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Publius

Democrat Governor Candidate Poses With Pic Calling Bush an ‘International Terrorist’

by Publius

From WMTW.com in Maine:

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Libby Mitchell apologized Monday night for a photograph showing her with a picture calling President George W. Bush an “international terrorist” and laughing.

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In a statement, Mitchell said, “After seeing this picture for the first time tonight, I regret the possible disrespect it may show to the office of the president. I am very sorry for having posed with this item.”

The controversy surfaced during a gubernatorial debate at Bangor High School when Republican Paul LePage accused Mitchell of being a hypocrite and disrespectful to the president.

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Joel B. Pollak

Jan Schakowsky on Latest Bank Bailout Passed by Congress: ‘I Don’t Know What It Is’

by Joel B. Pollak

Yesterday, at a candidate forum in Chicago held by the American Muslim Task Force, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) was asked point-blank about H.R. 3808 (the Interstate Recognition of Notarizatons Act).

Her answer reveals exactly why Americans are frustrated with Congress, and why incumbents like her are in trouble:

“I don’t know what it is.”


There’s really no excuse!

H.R. 3808 would make states recognize documents notarized in other states. It has drawn wide criticism, since many banks have recently admitted that they have been using people called “robo-signers” to sign hundreds of documents without reading them. That is partly why Bank of America and other banks have halted foreclosures in the past few days.

H.R. 3808 could theoretically allow abuses of the foreclosure process to happen more easily. Yet it passed unanimously and without debate in both the House and the Senate, because nobody bothered to read it or object to it.

Unlike the ObamaCare legislation, H.R. 3808 is not thousands of pages long. In fact, it is less than one page long.

Yet almost nobody, Republican or Democrat, bothered to examine it or to think about its possible effects.

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