Scuttling Bush’s East European missile-defense plan

Fred Kaplan has a very good article on President Obama’s decision to scuttle the Bush administration’s proposed missile-defense system to be built in Poland and the Czech Republic:
The decision, which he announced this morning after completing a six-month review of the program, removes the biggest obstacle in U.S.-Russian relations—a step that could clear the way for cooperative measures on a wide range of international issues—without scrapping the general idea of some sort ofSource: Sisyphus RSS Feed

In Only A Few Weeks Another Obama Gitmo Official Resigns

Another Obama Gitmo Official Resigns: Who is Accountable Now?

Big Government

by Warner Todd Huston

Earlier this month Obama fired Greg Craig, his main counsel on matters concerning the Guantanamo Bay Facility. And this week Obama sheds another one of his GITMO team with the resignation of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense for Detainee Policy, Phillip Carter.

It appears that Obama’s GITMO team is being Source: Theodore's World RSS Feed

Calling Fox News Quality Control: Pie Charts Are Supposed to Add Up to One Hundred

As TPM reported earlier this week, FOX News management has said heads would roll for on-screen "errors" like running the cover of "Going Rouge" instead of the cover of "Going Rogue" in their programming.

So what quality control agent is doing their pie charts? They add up to 193%, dude. And Sandy points out that 70% of Republicans suffer from BACK PALIN: a pre-existing condition for sure.

Source: Crooks and Liars RSS Feed

ESR reads the source code: “This isn’t just a smoking gun…”

http://esr.ibiblio.org/?p=1447

From the CRU code file osborn-tree6/briffa_sep98_d.pro , used to prepare a graph purported to be of Northern Hemisphere temperatures and reconstructions.

;

; Apply a VERY ARTIFICAL correction for decline!!

;

yrloc=[1400,findgen(19)*5.+1904]

valadj=[0.,0.,0.,0.,0.,-0.1,-0.25,-0.3,0.,- 0.1,0.3,0.8,1.2,1.7,2.5,2.6,2.6,2.6,2.6,2.6]*0.75 ; fudge factor

if n_elements(yrloc) ne n_elements(valadj) thenSource: dispatches from TJICistan RSS Feed

feds pretending once more with airline industry

USAToday | For the third time in 16 years the federal government is forming a blue-ribbon panel to try to save the USA's troubled airline industry, which has racked up $58.5 billion in losses and shed 158,000 jobs this decade.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who has ordered up the panel, vows it won't be "just another advisory committee."
"I am not commissioning some report to fill space on my bookshelf," he wrote on his official blog on the department's website. "ThisSource: subrealism RSS Feed

Fist Bump

Photo Credit: Pvt. Jared N. GehmannSgt. Richard Grimsley greets a young Iraqi girl during a checkpoint patrol, in the Ma'dain region, located outside eastern Baghdad. Staff Grimsley, of Charleston, S.C., is a squad leader assigned to Troop A, 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. Prior to moving to the outskirts of eastern Baghdad, Troop A operated in the heart of Baghdad's Rusafa District.
tags Source: U.S. Torture and Atrocities RSS Feed

NJ Building Owner Convicted on Bribery Charge

TRENTON, N.J. (AP/ 1010 WINS) -- A New Jersey man who paid a municipal official $5,000 to get approval for an illegal apartment in a building he owned has been convicted of bribery.
A federal jury deliberated for about two hours Friday before convicting 49-year-old Herman Friedman. The Union City man faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he's sentenced March 3, although the actual sentence is likely to be less under federal sentencing guidelines.
Prosecutors said Source: Queens Crap RSS Feed

In other UK news: “Rain like this happens once every 1,000 years”

A bunch of illegally hacked UK e-mails storm the anti-scientific side of the blogosphere at the same time as an uber-extreme weather event hits Britain.  I guess when it rains, it pours — literally:

Forecasters said the rainfall was unprecedented. Britain’s Meteorological Office said a record 12.3 inches of rain fell in 24 hours in the area — the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the U.K….

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn told the BBC that flood defenses were meant toSource: Climate Progress RSS Feed

Obama Told Russian Leader ~ " US Constitution Is Dead"

Barack Obama meets with Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Singapore, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

OBAMA TELLS RUSSIAN LEADER....'US CONSTITUTION DEAD'

November 17, 2009

Fourwinds

One of the saddest Kremlin reports we’ve ever read stated that during President Obama’s meeting with PresidentSource: Theodore's World RSS Feed

Caffeinated Thoughts: Palin on Hannity

Number of comments: 2

This afternoon Governor Sarah Palin was on Sean Hannity’s Radio show for about 15-16 minutes. Talked the health care bill, the Obama administration, Ronald Reagan, made a reference to “lamestream media,” federal deficits, 2010 elections, government spending, political party machines, and 2012.

She

Source: BlogNetNews.com/Iowa RSS Feed

Poll: Tax Rich To Pay For Obama-Care

From a relentless Associated Press:

AP POLL: Tax the rich to pay for health bill

By Erica Werner, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON – When it comes to paying for a health care overhaul, Americans see just one way to go: Tax the rich.

That finding from a new Associated Press poll will be welcome news for House Democrats, who proposed doing just that in their sweeping remake of the U.S. medical system, which passed earlier this month and would extend coverageSource: Sweetness Light RSS Feed

David Obey Messes With Joe

“Outrageous… ludicrous mistakes.”

President Obama, February 24, 2009, justifying his “stimulus” plan to a joint session of Congress:

I know there are some in this chamber and watching at home who are skeptical of whether this plan will work. I understand that skepticism. Here in Washington, we’ve all seen how quickly good intentions can turn into broken promises and wasteful spending. And with a plan of this scale comes enormous responsibility to get it right.

Source: Red State RSS Feed

Kurtz Brings on Right Wing Talker to Play Concern Troll for Lou Dobbs

DOWNLOADS: (817)
PLAYS: (1394)

From Reliable Sources, Howard Kurtz hosts a panel discussion on Lou Dobbs departure from CNN. I guess Howard thinks bringing in bullying, right wing, Rush Limbaugh wanna-be hack Chris Plante to concern troll for Dobbs somehow made this panel "balanced". All it did was make it ridiculous.

Plante uses an extremely broad brush to throw around accusations of "liberal" media bias. Anyone think Campbell Brown who's married to Dan Senor is Source: Crooks and Liars RSS Feed

Reactions to deadly Woodside blaze

From the Village Voice:
This house, at 42-40 65th Street in Woodside, had been inspected twice by Buildings Department inspectors -- in 1990 and in 2004 -- in response to complaints that there were "extra rooms" in the basement. Inspectors did not find violations on either occasion...
The public has good reason to be skeptical of the inspectors' findings. From 2002 to the present, the city's Department of Investigations has arrested 37 Buildings Department employees on a varietySource: Queens Crap RSS Feed

Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.* Over.

Take a look at this picture. The man on the left is the President of the United States, otherwise known as the Leader of the Free World. The man on the right is the Emperor of Japan.

Would someone please give me a good – and by good I mean one I can stomach – why The One is bowing (yet again) before a foreign monarch (yet again) at an angle which – were it any steeper – would cause him to fall over on his fool head?

Sigh.

I’d write more, but right now I’mSource: Political Derby RSS Feed

Obama Bows Before The Emperor Of Japan

I’ll start this out by saying that I’m sure several of you are going to disagree with me.

Unlike conservatives, I was willing to give Obama the benefit of the doubt when he appeared to give a deferential bow to the King of Saudi Arabia. Perhaps it was just a rookie mistake, or the result of some bad advice from the protocol office.

But, this is starting to become a disturbing pattern:

How low will the new American president go for the world’s royalty?

This Source: Donklephant RSS Feed

is china headed toward collapse?

Politico | The conventional wisdom in Washington and in most of the rest of the world is that the roaring Chinese economy is going to pull the global economy out of recession and back into growth. It’s China’s turn, the theory goes, as American consumers — who propelled the last global boom with their borrowing and spending ways — have begun to tighten their belts and increase savings rates.
The Chinese, with their unbridled capitalistic expansion propelled by a system theySource: subrealism RSS Feed

50on50: Age = Influence?

_________________________________________________________________________________

Michael Schulder
CNN Senior Executive Producer

I was ready for my closing argument. The information I gathered from leading trial attorneys for my past two pieces added so much additional weight to the premise that the 18-49 year old audience demo is finished, I was ready to end it right here. But I asked one too many questions.

Age=Influence … Very Often

Source: AC360 RSS Feed

Congressman Shuler at WCU Full Event

Congressman Heath Shuler spoke to Students, Faculty and Staff at Western Carolina University yesterday and I broadcast it live in the Internet. I also recorded it, and here is a YouTube playlist of the event.
I've noticed that Congressman Shuler has been making the rounds, giving interviews to friendly media-types and showing up at events which promise to be overwhelmingly attended by members of his own party...or giving private audiences to groups that have to sendSource: Thunder Pig RSS Feed

The Iowa Republican: Republican Secretary of State Primary Looms

Up and down the ballot, Republicans have favorable matchups in next fall’s general elections. The top of Republican ballot will feature U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley and a gubernatorial candidate who will emerge from a hard fought primary to face the unpopular and weak incumbent governor, Chet

Source: BlogNetNews.com/Iowa RSS Feed

The Spirit of Ted Kennedy

The Spirit of Ted Kennedy
John Delloro August 26, 2009 (originally posted on www.laprogressive.com and Asian American Action Fund blogsite)
When I heard of Senator Ted Kennedy’s passing, I immediately thought of my father after his near-fatal road accident. His skull fractured with internal bleeding in his head sent him into violent fits and temporarily erased his memories of me. I had to hold him down onto the bed so that he would not hurt himself and pull out the tubesSource: Burning Cane RSS Feed

Nazli, Kelly & Bloomberg met with terrorist on Veterans Day

From NY1:
"I want to make sure that everybody in New York understands that the terrible tragedy at Fort Hood was an individual who snapped but it has nothing to do with religion," Bloomberg said.
Really? Well most media outlets are reporting that the guy had contact with Al Qaeda, attended the same mosque as the 9/11 terrorists and it's looking more and more likely that Hasan pre-meditated the attack and didn't just "snap".
From the Daily News:
Siraj Wahhaj was one ofSource: Queens Crap RSS Feed

First Sunday Remembrance without the sombre presence of Great War Veterans

Queen Elizabeth arrives at the Cenotaph with Prince Andrew, Prince William, Princess Anne, Prince Harry and the Duke of Edinburgh.

Members of the Royal family formed up to the left of the Cenotaph in Whitehall, Westminster, London, as part of the annual Remembrance Sunday service.

Her Majesty lays a wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday, followed by the Lord's Prayer during a Remembrance day service and parade in Whitehall, London, 8 November 2009.
Source: The Monarchist RSS Feed

Gallup: R+4 on the Generic Congressional Ballot.

(Via AoSHQ) Shift of eight points since July, which for Gallup represents the GOP ‘edging ahead.’ The current numbers are GOP/Democrats 48/44.  And 52/30 among independents.  And this represents registered voters, not likely ones.  Gallup tried to caveat this one every way that it could, but has to conclude:

Since Gallup regularly began using the generic ballot to measure registered voters’ preferences for the House of Representatives in 1950, it has been rare for Republicans Source: Red State RSS Feed

Caffeinated Thoughts: History, Historically Repeats Itself

Number of comments: 2

That is the key to history. Terrific energy is expended – civilizations are built up – excellent institutions are devised; but each time something goes wrong. Some fatal flow always brings the selfish and cruel people to the top and it all slides back into misery and

Source: BlogNetNews.com/Iowa RSS Feed

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10

Sony Ericsson has added a new handset to their Xperia range, with the launch of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is the first mobile phone from Sony Ericsson which is powered by Google Android, it comes with a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and a 4 inch capacitive touchscreen display. It also features an 8.1 megapixel camera with a built in LED flash, it will come with Google Android 1.6 and will have applications from the Android Market and from SonySource: British Blogs RSS Feed

The Creigh Deeds Strategy Embraced By 24 Blue Dogs!

Creigh Deeds, strategist for 2010 Blue Dog caucus
Yesterday we talked about how disgraceful Democratic coward Larry Kissell had decided to follow the Creigh Deeds strategy of alienating Democratic voters and keeping them from going to the polls. Maybe Kissell misses being a civics teacher. But last night Kissell wasn't the only Democrat to vote against the most important policy agenda put forward by Democrats. In the end, 39 Democrats were on the wrong side of the aisle and the wrongSource: DownWithTyranny! RSS Feed

Plan to Join Hands Against Oil Drilling Off Florida

If you’re on the west coast, and of course by that I mean from Naples to Pensacola (not California), listen up. An event to protest any efforts by Florida’s Republican legislators to sell out to oil interests and allow drilling in the Gulf of Mexico is planned for February, just before the legislative session begins. Hands Across the Sand will bring together people on Florida’s Gulf coast, and possibly the entire shoreline, to join hands in one long line of resistance. Literally.

Source: Pensito Review RSS Feed

Can this go on with little public support?

Is Brown right to acknowledge that the deployment might fail?

We are in for a glut of opinion polls in the coming days on the question of Britain’s continued presence in Afghanistan - the latest being on C4 last night from YouGov which had 73% wanting an immediate or early pull-out.

Today, according to the Telegraph, Mr. Brown is to make a key speech on the issue in which he will acknowledge that the British mission which has cost so many lives might not succeed. But,Source: Political Betting RSS Feed

Deep Thoughts from the Weekly Standard

Republican Party platform, 2012?

Sad to say, neoconservatism is clearly the dominant foreign-policy ideology of the Republican Party.  George H. Nash apparently has written that “We are all neoconservatives now.”  And after the strategic and political masterstroke the neocons produced in Iraq, who could blame the Republicans for doubling down with them?

So sometimes it’s good to stroll by the Weekly Standard blog, just to see what those folks are thinking about.

Source: Cato-at-liberty RSS Feed

Obama Wastes 25 years and 13 Billion Dollars

After 5 years of blogging every day, you come across all kinds of stories. Certain ones you're not terribly interested in, but feel they can't be ignored... and then the ones that aren't huge stories, but you can't stop thinking about them... This is one of those stories.
It succinctly illustrates all that's wrong with the Obama Presidency.
In 1982 the federal government decided to build a much needed storage facility for our country's nuclear waste. Until then (and to this Source: Blonde sagacity RSS Feed

It’s Still The Unemployment Driving The Electorate

What was driving the wave of elections in VA and NJ this week? The deteriorating jobs market was and is the driver, which is where the average American voter connects to the ‘economy’ in a visceral way. The crux of the Democrats’ problem with the voters is they have failed miserably on this matter.

I predicted all through the spring that the liberal belief in the fiction that government can spend and stimulate our economy would be their undoing. I noted people would see all this Source: The Strata-Sphere RSS Feed

USS New York, built with World Trade Center steel, sailing into New York harbor

I was lucky to see it sail past me on my way to work today.
(AP) A Navy assault ship built with steel from the fallen World Trade Center and named in honor of the city and state that were home to the twin towers is making its inaugural visit there.
The USS New York was scheduled to sail up the Hudson River Monday. The $1 billion ship was built in Louisiana with about 7.5 tons of World Trade Center steel melted down and used in the bow.
More...
Unfortunately, didn't have mySource: Eye On The World RSS Feed

Hoffman and Christie and Others Election Day

Robert Gibbs Downplays Tuesday's Election Results

.

Sean Hannity interviewing NY Congressional Candidate Doug Hoffman along with Fred and Jeri Thompson.

ACORN Aims to Tip New Jersey Election in Corzine's Favor

Fearing a potentially devastating Democratic loss, the highly controversial Association of Community Organizations for Reform NowSource: Theodore's World RSS Feed

homelessness rises, redefining living conditions for schoolchildren

Chicago Tribune | Maria Maior's son is a football-playing, skateboard-riding, Xbox-loving kid whose home reveals all the trappings of domesticity: a cushy sofa, big-screen TV, a framed poster of Brian Urlacher -- one of the 12-year-old's favorite football players. On most evenings, two big dogs curl up on the carpeting.
The scene could be lifted from any suburban subdivision -- except that it's located not in a den, but in a storage unit.
The boy moved into the 10-foot-by-25-footSource: subrealism RSS Feed

The Triumvirate of DUMB!

The Triumvirate of DUMB!
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
***********************************
Where are the “Grown-ups” in the Obama Regime? I look around and I see emotionally immature people traipsing about in the West Wing of the White House with the blessing of the uno numero socialist in America, President Obama. Then I look up the Hill to the Congress and I see Harry Reid over in the Senate, and I see Nancy Pelosi over in the House of Representatives -- and ISource: Faultline USA RSS Feed