Saturday, May 30, 2009

First President in US History to Have Voted to Filibuster a Supreme Court Nominee Now Hopes for Clean Process

First President in US History to Have Voted to Filibuster a Supreme Court Nominee Now Hopes for Clean Process
"In January 2006, then-Sen. Obama joined 24 colleagues in a futile effort led by Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., to filibuster the Supreme Court nomination of now-Justice Samuel Alito.
On January 29, 2006, Mr. Obama told George Stephanopulos on 'This Week' that he would 'be supporting the filibuster because I think Judge Alito, in fact, is somebody who is contrary to core American values, not just liberal values, you know. When you look at his decisions in particular during times of war, we need a court that is independent and is going to provide some check on the executive branch, and he has not shown himself willing to do that repeatedly.'"

NASA - New Solar Cycle Prediction

NASA - New Solar Cycle Prediction: "The 1859 storm--known as the 'Carrington Event' after astronomer Richard Carrington who witnessed the instigating solar flare--electrified transmission cables, set fires in telegraph offices, and produced Northern Lights so bright that people could read newspapers by their red and green glow."

Backlash grows against Obama's preventive detention proposal

Backlash grows against Obama's preventive detention proposal
"The backlash against President Obama's extraordinary proposal for indefinite 'preventive detention' -- already widespread in the immediate aftermath of his speech -- continues to grow. On Friday, Sen. Russ Feingold sent a letter (.pdf) to Obama which, while praising some aspects of his speech, vowed to hold hearings on his detention proposal, and in the letter, Feingold rather emphatically highlighted the radical and dangerous aspects of Obama's approach"

Facts and myths about Obama's preventive detention proposal

Facts and myths about Obama's preventive detention proposal
"(1) What does 'preventive detention' allow?
It's important to be clear about what 'preventive detention' authorizes. It does not merely allow the U.S. Government to imprison people alleged to have committed Terrorist acts yet who are unable to be convicted in a civilian court proceeding. That class is merely a subset, perhaps a small subset, of who the Government can detain. Far more significant, 'preventive detention' allows indefinite imprisonment not based on proven crimes or past violations of law, but of those deemed generally 'dangerous' by the Government for various reasons (such as, as Obama put it yesterday, they 'expressed their allegiance to Osama bin Laden' or 'otherwise made it clear that they want to kill Americans').
That's what 'preventive' means: imprisoning people because the Government claims they are likely to engage in violent acts in the future because they are alleged to be 'combatants.'"

Ted Rall: It’s increasingly evident that Obama should resign

Ted Rall: It’s increasingly evident that Obama should resign
"Obama has officially reneged on his campaign promise to acknowledge the Armenian genocide. When a president doesn’t have the nerve to annoy the Turks, why does he bother to show up for work in the morning?"

This is from a hyper-lefty!
Is the "love" waining?

Friday, May 29, 2009

Major Grand Rapids arts groups suffer state cuts - Grand Rapids Movies, Music, Events and Entertainment – MLive.com

Major Grand Rapids arts groups suffer state cuts - Grand Rapids Movies, Music, Events and Entertainment – MLive.com: "Some $286,000 was stripped from MCACA's budget in May in an effort to deal with the state's growing deficit for the 2009 fiscal year."

Lions ranked worst NFL franchise

Lions ranked worst NFL franchise
"Adam Schein of Sirius NFL Radio and Fox Sports has ranked every NFL franchise according to a cumulative score from eight categories: owner, front office, head coach, coaching staff, quarterback, offense, defense and intangibles.
The Lions finished dead last"

"...pumped five more bullets......"

Lucianne.com News Forum - Thread: "Confronted by two holdup men, pharmacist Jerome Ersland pulled a gun, shot one of them in the head and chased the other away. Then, in a scene recorded by the drugstore's security camera, he went behind the counter, got another gun, and pumped five more bullets into the wounded teenager as he lay on the floor."

Read the comments.

How much money do West Michigan school administrators make?

How much money do West Michigan school administrators make?
"Contract disputes have put teacher salaries into the spotlight in recent years, but rarely discussed are the salaries of school administrators.
Administrators' pay seems to have risen dramatically over the last five years.

Five years ago there were 65 area school employees making more than $100,000. Today that figure is 165, with four of them topping $200,000.
It's not just superintendents or even their deputies. Press education reporter Dave Murray has talked to area school districts to find why these salaries have risen so much.
Find his results in Sunday's Grand Rapids Press or on mlive.com/grand-rapids."

Bond Vigilantes Confront Obama as Housing Falters

Bond Vigilantes Confront Obama as Housing Falters
"Treasuries have lost 5.1 percent in their worst annual start since Merrill Lynch & Co. began its Treasury Master Index in 1977."

HOA Asks Vet to Remove Bumper Stickers

HOA Asks Vet to Remove Bumper Stickers: "Frank Larison is a disabled veteran with more than 14 years of service, including more than a year of combat duty in Vietnam.
The 58-year-old former Marine now finds himself under attack by his Dallas homeowners association for displaying seven decals on his vehicle supporting the Marine Corps."

Editorial: Scammers love us, so be careful


Editorial: Scammers love us, so be careful
"Apparently, scam season is moving from a springtime and holiday thing to a year-round profession"

Wait a minute!
Hold on here.... where's THE REST OF THE STORY?
What about the biggest scam EVER!
From government?
They promise "give us ever increasing amounts of you money and we'll make life better for you"?
And they keep on returning with the same old, same old "we're out of your money but if you will just give a little more, things will be GREAT"!

Area unemployment rates drop slightly

Area unemployment rates drop slightly
"In Muskegon and Ottawa counties, the number of those listed as unemployed dropped but so did the number of those having jobs. It is not immediately known whether the drop in April unemployment rates is due to an improved job market or a case of frustrated job seekers dropping out of the labor force altogether."

The lack of curiosity among Chronicle reporters is stunning.
No mention of those who have left our county to find jobs in other more employer friendly places.
No interview (or even any interest, I'd bet) of local employers asking what might be done to improve their business and job market.

Nothing 'cept the same old "things are bad......but it's not Jenny's fault!.... or Barry's either!"

West Michigan students showcase environmental work

West Michigan students showcase environmental work
"'Some people just mow their yard without caring what plants they're mowing down,' Charles said. 'They could mow down the lupine and hurt the Karner Blue butterfly. We don't want to see that butterfly go extinct.'"

These poor kids have been brainwashed in the same manner the Islamic madrasah's brainwash their children.
Though our kids only want to kill capitalism and our way of life.

From Golden State to 19th-century backwater

From Golden State to 19th-century backwater
"Imagine a state that considers itself progressive, cutting edge, the envy of the world.
Imagine a state with the globe's fifth largest economy.
Imagine a state, population 37 million, with more wealthy people than practically any other spot on earth. Imagine a state that once had by far the best public infrastructure in America and a voting public that was deeply committed to its premier institutions.
Now imagine that state so cash-strapped, because of decades of anti-tax revolts and irresponsible, unfunded, spending mandates, that it can't pay even its basic bills"

Stimulus projects bypass hard-hit states

Stimulus projects bypass hard-hit states
"In Michigan, for example — where years of economic tumult and a collapsing domestic auto industry have produced the nation's worst unemployment rate — federal agencies have spent about $2 million on stimulus contracts, or 21 cents per person."

An Open Letter to GM President Obama

An Open Letter to GM President Obama
"With the UAW owning 20%, only 11% of GM will remain in the hands of private investors of any stripe. In effect, GM will have been nationalized, putting Barack Obama in charge."

Obama’s European Energy Vacation

Obama’s European Energy Vacation
"Turns out there really is a downside to forcing the marketplace to shift to energy sources that are less economical than those currently used. Spain, which instituted a green jobs program a decade ago, found this out the hard way.

A study by researchers at King Juan Carlos University found that 2.2 jobs were destroyed for every green job created through government mechanisms, and those green jobs are rarely permanent"

Thursday, May 28, 2009

U.S. Inflation to Approach Zimbabwe Level


U.S. Inflation to Approach Zimbabwe Level,
"The U.S. economy will enter “hyperinflation” approaching the levels in Zimbabwe because the Federal Reserve will be reluctant to raise interest rates, investor Marc Faber said......
“The problem with government debt growing so much is that when the time will come and the Fed should increase interest rates, they will be very reluctant to do so and so inflation will start to accelerate.”"

“The Associated Press called it: GM is set to enter popular parlance as ‘Government …

“The Associated Press called it: GM is set to enter popular parlance as ‘Government …: "As the New York Times recently asserted (welcome!), we can blame GM’s sclerotic corporate culture for their abject failure to create a complete line of compelling/profitable vehicles. The idea that the United States government will reform GM’s way of being and reverse the curse is completely preposterous. It’s like asking a cocaine dealer to sponsor a crack addict.”"