News for social, fiscal & national security conservatives who believe in God, family & the USA. We seek to uphold the rights granted by God & guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, traditional family values, "republican" principles / ideals, transparent & limited government, free markets, liberty & individual freedom. The ARRA News Service is an outreach of the Arkansas Republican Assembly. However, all content approval rests with the Editor. While varied positions are reported, our beliefs & principles remain fixed. No revenue is generated by this blog, no paid ads accepted and no payments for articles. Note the posted Fair Use doctrine. -- Editor: Dr. Bill Smith [OzarkGuru] - editor/arranewsservice.com (Published Since July, 2006)
Today in Washington D. C. - Dec 7, 2009 - Reid's Bill: Senors to Lose Medicare Dollars - Wonder if Death Panels are next?
The Senate resumed consideration of the Reid substitute amendment to H.R. 3590, the vehicle for Democrats’ health care reform bill. There was a vote today on an an amendment from Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH), which would prohibit funding new spending programs out of savings from Medicare and instead direct those funds to making Medicare solvent, and an amendment from Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) that would create a satisfaction survey for the new government-run insurance exchanges under the Democrats’ bill. The Democrats voted the amendment down.
Considering the Greg Amendment to protect medicare for seniors, we now see clearly that under Reid's health care bill, Medicare is not protected and can be raided to fund other health care programs. The Government says this account is going to go broke and now the Democrat Senators vote to allow Grandma's and Grandpa's medicare dollars to be taken for use for people under 65. How do you like this seniors? What's next? Democrats also said their would be no death panels. With increasing numbers of seniors to be soon 65 (baby boomers) and money being taken from medicare for others, do you really believe there are no planned "death panels?"
Yesterday, the Senate also rejected amendments from Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and John Ensign (R-NV). Lincoln's amendment to limit the pay of health insurance company executives failed by a vote of 56-42, Ensign's amendment to limit plaintiff’s attorney fees in medical malpractice lawsuits failed by a vote of 32-66.
Senate majority Leaders Harry Reid spoke from the Senate floor and proceeded to lie and to use false comparisons from the podium. Remember, the Republicans have offered ealth care proposals which the Democrats voted down. Remember the Democrats refused to include Republicans in their closed door sessions on health care. Note that it was Republican Congresses that passed both major Civil Rights legislation. You can listen to Reid's disgraceful performance in the video - ->
President Obama visited Capitol Hill again yesterday to "arm twist"Democrat senators to back Harry Reid’s health care reform bill. But, as Bloomberg reports today, “Seven days of debate that stretched through the weekend have left Senate Democrats no closer to passing legislation" to take over "the U.S. health-care system.”
Indeed, it seems that very little came of the weekend session or Obama’s urging of senators to pass a bill. According to The New York Times, “President Obama exhorted Senate Democrats on Sunday to put aside their differences and seize their moment in history by passing landmark health legislation. But senators said he did not mention sticky issues like abortion or a new government-run insurance plan.” The Times points out, “Senator Bob Casey, Democrat of Pennsylvania, said Mr. Obama had emphasized ‘the importance of health care reform to our economy.’ But he added, ‘the president did not take any questions and did not get into specifics where there are disputes.’” Obama left shortly after the meeting and did not give any public remarks, nor did he take questions from reporters. The coordinated reaction from Democrats seemed limited to an odd press conference featuring Reid alone.
This is in marked contrast to the meeting Obama held with House Democrats hours before that chamber narrowly passed its version of health care reform. At the time The AP reported, “House Democratic leaders say President Barack Obama . . . inspired their party to pass health care legislation.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others held a press conference right after the visit, and Obama himself said to reporters on his way out, “I urge members of Congress to rise to this moment. Answer the call of history and vote yes for health insurance reform for America.”
But in the Senate yesterday, there was nothing of the sort, indicating that Democrats are in the same position they began the week in, with their caucus divided over funding for abortion in the bill and the creation of a government-run insurance program. It seems the only thing Democrats got out of this week was a series of votes putting them on the record in favor of half a trillion in Medicare cuts, $120 billion in cuts to Medicare Advantage, and $42 billion in cuts to home health services.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell explained the position Democrats are in on this health care bill which hasn't changed from from last Monday: “[W]hat we all know is going on here is there is a total disconnect between the inside the Beltway lobbyists who cut their own special deals and the American people, who are speaking loudly, to all of us, in all of the surveys, saying, ‘Please stop this thing.’” Americans want real reform, not Medicare cuts, tax hikes, and premium increases. The Senate needs to scrap this bill and start over, just as it should have done two weeks ago. Tags:government healthcare, Harry Reid, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Dick Morris supported Ad #3 to protect American health care paid for by The League of American Voters and running across the country. Tags:Dick Morris, government healthcare, Government-Run Health Care, videoTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
TownHall in at a new blog Penetrating Insights Into The Obvious are reporting about a new Obama poster sweeping across America. At this point it not certain if this is good old fashioned satire or for real. However, it may be a form of satire that in deeds becomes real. We will let the readers decide report back on if they have seen any of the signs posted across America. The alleged article copied below as an image may not be available for every. The image to the right referenced in the article is available to down load as a 11" x 17" version. Also be sure to check out the image of American Exceptionalism.
The article begins:
This past week all across America -- from Marietta, Georgia to Davenport, Iowa to Beverly Hills, California -- sightings of the newest poster featuring President Barack Obama have been made. Simultaneously, many have become convinced that the poster's inscrutable label, TWAP, stands for The Worst American President.
In what may well appear an ominous sign for President Obama, the posters have appeared on many un-leased stores, highlighting the devastating effect the recession has had on commercial real estate and small businesses across the county, the sector which most often leads the way out of bad economic times. . . . [Read More]
Update Jan 21, 2011: As expected the image is no longer available at the identified link. Do you suppose the TWAP objected. Tags:Barack Obama, Obama, poster, The Worst American President, TWAP, Penetrating Insights Into The Obvious, Townhall blogTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
When the "Greatest Generation" passed through North Platte, Nebraska during WWII, they got a hug and a handshake, homemade cakes and cookies, and a moment of respite and prayer provided by thousands of volunteers from the surrounding communities. This spirit of service is vital to America today. . . .
Tags:military, Nebraska, North Platte, video, warTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Since history today often omits the truth and fails to warn about the danger and the damage that may be created by our enemies when our leaders are weak in addressing foreign threats, it seems appropriate that we remember December 7th "A Day in Infamy . . ." Follows is a post By SJA: Early on the afternoon of December 7, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his chief foreign policy aide, Harry Hopkins, were interrupted by a telephone call from Secretary of War Henry Stimson and told that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor ... at about 5:00 p.m., following meetings with his military advisers, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt calmly and decisively dictated to his secretary, Grace Tully, a request to Congress for a declaration of war ... he had composed the speech in his head after deciding on a brief, uncomplicated appeal to the people of the United States rather than a thorough recitation of Japanese perfidies, as Secretary of State Cordell Hull had urged.
President Roosevelt then revised the typed draft - marking it up, updating military information, and selecting alternative wordings that strengthened the tone of the speech ... he made the most significant change in the critical first line, which originally read, "a date which will live in world history" ... Grace Tully then prepared the final reading copy, which Roosevelt subsequently altered in three more places.
On December 8, at 12:30 p.m., "FDR" addressed a joint session of Congress and the Nation via radio ... the Senate responded with a unanimous vote in support of war; only Montana pacifist Jeanette Rankin dissented in the House ... at 4:00 p.m. that same afternoon, President Roosevelt signed the declaration of war ... his "Day Of Infamy" speech is as follows:
To the Congress of the United States:
"Yesterday, December seventh, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
The United States was at peace with that nation, and at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with it's Government and it's Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing the American island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.
It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.
Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack on Malaya.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island.
And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.
Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.
As Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.
But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounded determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.
I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December seventh, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire."
--President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, December 8, 1941.
*Information taken from the U.S. National Archives --sja
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Tags: Franklin Roosevelt, Japan, Pearl Harbor, United States, war, WWII
Support The SEALs: Drop the Unfair and Outrageous Charges NOW!
Support The SEALS:DEMAND THE GOVERNMENT BACK OFF THE PROSECUTION OF THE NAVY SEALS, WHO CAPTURED THE TERRORIST THAT MURDERED U.S. CONTRACTORS. It was 2004: Fallujah, Iraq. Four civilian U.S. contractors were transporting supplies for a catering company. They were ambushed, killed, their bodies burned and dragged through the streets, then hung from a bridge on the Euphrates River. A NAVY SEAL TEAM captured one of the military's "most wanted" terrorists, the one responsible for the heinous crime.
Now four (4) of our bravest and finest are facing prosecution because the scumbag terrorist claimed he got a bloody lip while in their custody. SO-2 Petty Officer Second Class Matthew McCabe is accused of punching the terrorist, and is also charged with dereliction of duty for "failing" to safeguard the murderer. SO-2 Petty Officer Jonathan Keefe and SO-1 Julio Huertas are being charged with dereliction of duty and making false statements. The prisoner alleges that he was punched in the face by McCabe, but it isn't clear if the injury occurred while he was in custody or when he was captured. Please note: He was not water-boarded. He was not interrogated aggressively. He was not electro-shocked or tasered. His fingernails were not pulled out. Nor was he boiled in oil, or whatever other torture he may deserve. He most certainly was not shot, burned, mutilated, nor hung from a bridge. He got a bloody lip. My take is it was self inflicted in order to cause trouble for his captors.
The military brass however, is so wimpy due to the political correctness of the current "nicey, nicey, culture" they run for cover should the "i's" not be dotted nor the "t's" crossed. No one has noticed that the SEAL TEAM brought the guy in. He was captured, not shot. He is alive. Is the real message here that they should have not taken him alive and saved everyone a lot of trouble? This is not only an outrage, it is insane. I appeal to you not to let this pass without taking action. This situation is not normal, and it is not sane. Did I forget to tell you it was INSANE? This kind of situation requires intervention. This requires you to do your part to make sure that the government backs off from the prosecution of our sailors.
These men are being prosecuted because they did their job and because they did it well. This is what they are supposed to do. Our soldiers and sailors are the men and women that have kept terrorists at bay for eight years. These are the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for you and your families. These are the men and women who have the enemy on the run right now so that you can sleep peacefully at night. These are the men and women being shot at, blown up, injured and killed, and they are shooting back at the enemy to defend you against terrorists that would otherwise be in your town, shooting at you, taking your loved ones hostage and beheading them. The prosecution of our Sailors for the alleged action against a terrorist is madness.
Do not let this pass without a letter, email, fax, telephone call, to your senator, your representative, the President and the Secretary of Defense to tell them to back off the prosecution of these Navy SEALS. You cannot sit down with your family at Thanksgiving Dinner, without doing something about this. Are Americans sitting down to eat a peaceful Thanksgiving Dinner, while these men are being prosecuted for doing the job they were sent there to do? There's the line in the sand. Which side of it are you on? If you let this go without taking the legal actions necessary to defend your fighting men and women, YOU will have joined those that do the bidding of your enemies. Do not let that happen. Tell the Government to back-off now! Be loud. Be clear. Be effective! Tags:Courts Martial, Seals, terrorists, US NavyTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
December 4 is the new record for earliest snowfall for the city (the previous record was set last year on December 10). According to Chris McKinney, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Houston, it has never snowed two years in a row. In fact, snow is so rare in Houston that it has only snowed 33 times since 1895.
Tags:global warming, Houston, NRO, photo, snowballsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Unemployment Game Show: Are You *Really* Unemployed?
Fromhttp://Mint.com - Are you *officially* unemployed? The reported rate actually excludes millions of jobless Americans. H/T Steve Foley - The Minority ReportTags:DOL, game, humor, unemployed, unemployment, videoTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The following post may demonstrate why Sen. Harry Reid appears desperate to force the Senate to pass his version of nationalized health care. His polling numbers are in the toilet - again! Like others in positions of power who have proven to be unpopular, Reid is either trying one last big action hoping to gain favor (which he will not get), or he is deliberately pursuing action to hurt the American people. How is that the Democratic Party is allowing losers like Reid and Pelosi lead their efforts in the Senate and House?
------------ by Eric Odom: Harry Reid appears to be quickly losing support across the silver state. Democrats have got to be shaking after seeing these new numbers coming out of Las Vegas.
Nevadans aren’t warming up to Sen. Harry Reid, despite plenty of early advertising designed to boost his image, a new poll shows.
Just 38% of respondents said they had a favorable opinion of the Democratic Senate majority leader, the same percentage as in October and 1 point higher than in August.
The survey of 625 registered Nevada voters by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research suggests the promotional bombardment that Reid launched more than six weeks ago has yet to hit its target.
“I’d be worried,” said Michael Franz, an assistant professor at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, who studies political advertising. “I’d stop if I had aired ads for two or three weeks and it wasn’t moving the needle.”
As a former Nevadan, this makes perfect sense to me. You see, back when Harry Reid successfully ran his “independent like Nevada” campaigns, Nevadans were flourishing. The economy was strong, everyone was living in a new home and jobs were plentiful.
Now, Harry Reid is running ads claiming to be the “most powerful” Senator Nevada has ever had. Which leads many to question his ability, as the most powerful Senator, to find solutions. He has, instead, championed big government legislation that does little more than expand the size of government, expand the deficit and strip Americans of their liberty. That doesn’t go over well in a state like Nevada. And it doesn’t appear to be going over well with the voters. Tags:Harry Reid, Nevada, pollTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Gilbert Baker Wins Straw Poll for Arkansas GOP Nomination for U.S. Senate [Updated]
ARRA News Service[Original Post: 12/5/09 5:45 PM] - Today, in Hot Springs, Arkansas, the Republican Party of Arkansas held a leadership conference at the Arlington Hotel with an estimated 3000 people attending various events. Announced Republican candidates were spoke to the attendees. Later a ceremonial straw poll was held for the announced candidates running for the US. Senate. Seven of the announced GOP candidates for the Arkansas Republican nomination for U.S. Senate participated in the straw poll.
Arkansas voters attending the RPA Leadership Summit GOP could register and vote in the straw poll. Participants were required to pay $15 for a ticket to vote unless they acquired one free from a candidate who had purchased the ticket. Over 700 people participated in the straw poll [more than 1,300 tickets were sold]. Gilbert Baker took the top spot with 35% of the vote and Curtis Coleman was second with 33% of the vote. Updates from various wire services (12/06/09): Today's THV: Colonel Conrad Reynolds was third with 23% of the votes. Tom Cox received 4% of the votes; Senator Kim Hendren and Fred Ramey both came in with 2%. Buddy Rogers received 1%.
----------- The City Wire: Stanley Reed and Jim Holt, who have mentioned an interest in the race, did not participate in the straw poll. The candidates each gave 7 minutes speeches, with Baker touting recent poll numbers, which have shown him to be competitive or leading U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., in a general election match-up. “I’m proven and battle tested,” he said. “I will raise the money to beat Blanche Lincoln and move Arkansas from a liberal Democrat [seat] to a conservative Republican one.”
Coleman called the national debt “a clear and present danger” stressing that the “cost of government has gotten too big because government has gotten too big.” “We must reduce the cost of government by reducing the size of government,” said Coleman. “We don’t need a government that lives within its means. We need a government that lives within our means.”
Conrad Reynolds stressed a theme of “restoring a voice” to Arkansans, Conrad Reynolds delivered a confident speech on what he will do as the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate. “We want to wipe the slate clean in Washington D.C. and here in Arkansas,” Reynolds said. “We must select the right candidate to restore our voice in Washington D.C.,” Reynolds said, adding that he didn’t think Republicans needed to make a decision early and that party insiders shouldn’t be afraid of a tough primary fight. “They want you to follow a path of least resistance. Arkansans do not want to replace a politician with another politician,” he emphasized. Reynolds stressed his military experience and lack of political experience as assets to his campaign.
----------- Jason Tolbert,The Tolbert Report has posted his video interviews of the Baker, Coleman and Reynolds after the RPA's Straw Poll.Tags:2010, Arkansas, Conrad Reynolds, Curtis Coleman, Gilbert Baker, Hot Springs, Republican Party of Arkansas, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Real Americans Likely To Be Adversely Affected By Dems Health Care Bill
As Democrats keep the Senate in session for another weekend of debate on Reid substitute amendment to H.R. 3590 - their $2.5 trillion 2,074-page health care reform bill, many in Washington are looking at the debate as a horse race or political power story, forgetting that real Americans across the country will be adversely affected if this bill passes.
Yesterday, 57 Democrats voted to preserve $120 billion is cuts to Medicare Advantage in their health care bill. Prior to that, the Senate voted 51-47 for an amendment from Sen. John Thune (R-SD) to strike the CLASS Act, a new entitlement in the Reid bill which some Democrats have called “a Ponzi scheme of the first order.” However, the amendment needed 60 votes for approval, so it was not approved.
Yesterday, The Washington Post ran a front-page story looking at Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s attempts to push through his health care bill. The story focused solely on process and Democrat vote-counting (and managed to not quote a single Republican). Indeed, the interest among many inside the Beltway, especially in the press has been on horse race issues, with little discussion of the impact the Democrats’ health care bills could have on Americans.
In fact, no less than The New York Times reports from Caribou, Maine, “As they are across the nation, Medicare patients and nurses in this town in northern Maine are anxiously following the Congressional debate because its outcome could affect Medicare’s popular home health benefit in a big way. The legislation would reduce Medicare spending on home health services, a lifeline for homebound Medicare beneficiaries, which keeps them out of hospitals and nursing homes.” Indeed, The Times notes, “Under the legislation, home care would absorb a disproportionate share of the cuts. It currently accounts for 3.7% of the Medicare budget, but would absorb 10.2% of the savings squeezed from Medicare by the House bill and 9.4% of savings in the Senate bill, the Congressional Budget Office says.”
Lisa Harvey-McPherson, president of Eastern Maine Home Care, told the NYT, “Our staff are scared . . . but it’s our patients who will pay the price if Congress makes the cuts in home care.” And Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) added, “Deep cuts to home health care would be completely counterproductive to our efforts to control overall health care costs . . . Home care and hospice have consistently proven to be cost-effective and compassionate alternatives to institutional care.”
Democrats will have another opportunity today to show whether they are going to plow ahead with $42 billion in cuts to home health benefits when Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE) offers a motion to return the bill to committee and strike those cuts. Americans would do well to note if Democrats again defend major cuts in a bill that polls continually show the country wants them to oppose.
While Republicans remain committed to real health care reform without the Federal Government taking over 1/6 of the American Economy, They remain shutout of any comprehensive discussion and on proposed amendments. On the Democrat side, most appear willing to sell out the medical profession and American Citizens. The question is the degree to which they are willing to go. Here are some of the recent comments regarding their positions on compromise: “Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), One Of The Leading Proponents Of The Public Insurance Option, Warned Friday Evening That He Is ‘Done’ Compromising With Moderates And Will Not Accept Any Further Changes To The Provision.”(“Sen. Brown: I’m ‘Done’ With Compromising On Public Option,” Roll Call, 12/4/09)
However, Lincoln appears willing to vote for the bill if she get her amendment to the Senate health-care bill approved that would reduce tax breaks on insurance company executives’ pay. In a statement issued by her office, Lincoln, D-Ark., said the plan would not dictate what a business pays an employee, but it would reduce the maximum amount that an insurance company can deduct from its taxes for compensating executives from $1 million annually per executive to $400,000.
“Among Those In The Meeting Was Sen. Joe Lieberman, A Connecticut Independent, Who Has Said He Would Filibuster The Bill If A Government Option Was Included. He Left The Meeting Early And Said His Position Hadn't Altered. ‘Generally Speaking, I Didn't Hear Anything That Changes My Mind,’ Lieberman Said.”(“Dems Seeking Compromise On Public Insurance Option,” The Associated Press, 12/4/09)
SEN. MARY LANDRIEU (D-LA):“I Don't Favor A Government-Run National Public Option … I Could Be Open To Either A Fallback Or A Public Option That Plays On The Same Playing Field As Private Business....Something Like That I Could Maybe Consider If It Meant A Deal At The End."(“Democrats Pose Health Bill Hurdle,” The Wall Street Journal, 11/6/09)
SEN. BEN NELSON (D-NE): “I Don't Want A Big-Government, Washington-Run Operation That Would Undermine The ... Private Insurance That 200 Million Americans Now Have.”(“Senate Democrats At Odds Over Health Care Bill,” The Associated Press, 11/22/09) Tags:government run, Harry Reid, health care, US Senate, democrats, public option, private insuranceTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Ken Blackwell, Contributing Author: Ex-White House counsel Greg Craig thought it was a good idea to transfer Elián Gonzalez from the arms of his loving family in Miami into the arms of Fidel Castro. Transfer Elián from Florida to Cuba. Bad idea. Attorney General Janet Reno thought she might have to prove her toughness by transferring dozens of women and children from a Waco cult headquarters to eternity. Really bad idea.
But Eric Holder’s plan to transfer Khalid Sheikh Mohammed from Guantánamo Bay to Manhattan for a civilian trial is surely liberals’ worst idea. KSM and his cohorts had agreed to plead guilty before a military tribunal, accept a sentence of death, and speedily rendezvous with their 72 ladies-in-waiting.
This offer of way out for the administration was not good enough for Attorney General Eric Holder. He insists on trying the terrorists before a civilian jury in federal court, just a few hundred yards from Ground Zero. Next to martyrdom and a free trip to paradise, this has to be the terrorists’ wildest dream. No turbaned genie ever appeared out of Aladdin’s lamp to grant three greater wishes than these. KSM to Genie: One, I want to exploit my status as mass murderer; Two, I want to inflict even greater pain and suffering on the families of those thousands whom I’ve murdered; Three, I want to make my trial a magnet for my brother jihadists throughout the world.
Eric Holder’s decision to try the terrorists in Manhattan may not be simply the worst decision of this administration, it bids fair to stand with Dred Scott and Roe v. Wade as being among the three worst decisions in American history. Congress has the power to prevent this farce from going forward. Congress must spare us this travesty. Congress must act. Phyllis Schlafly has reminded us—serious student of the Constitution that that she is—that Congress has the power to restrict the appellate jurisdiction of the federal judiciary. Very true. But Congress has a power that would provide even more immediate relief: That power is the power of the purse.
We need to move quickly to deny Mr. Holder’s Justice Department any federal funds to transfer or try any of the Guantánamo detainees apart from military tribunals. President Obama is on record as approving those military tribunals. As a senator in 2006, he even voted for the measure that established those tribunals. Of course, he is now on record backing up his besieged Attorney General. We would actually be doing Mr. Obama a great favor by having Congress override his hasty and reckless Attorney General. I think the President would secretly heave a sigh of relief if Congress would prevent this gross error from going forward. It’s vitally important that the people’s representatives speak on this point. It’s why we have checks and balances.
We should have a good chance of prevailing on a cutoff of federal funds for civilian trials of terrorists. How many Members of Congress would relish the prospect of having to explain on the campaign trail next year why they voted to spend a minimum of $75 million a year on security for the New York show trials? Especially, voters will object when Guantánamo Bay was built with taxpayer funds for precisely such trials. I believe we’d have good prospects of winning on such a proposition. But even if we don’t carry this amendment, we would certainly have a vote that would be of intense interest to American voters as they approach the 2010 elections next fall The ins and outs of the health care debate, cap and trade (tax and trade to insiders), and the stimulus require voters to pay the strictest attention as lawmakers wade through numerous 2,000+-page legislative behemoths. But a vote Up or Down on Holder’s Manhattan Transfer has a marvelous clarity. Let’s get clear. ----------------- Mr. Ken Blackwell is a conservative family values advocate. He submitted this article to the ARRA News Service Editor which also appears in his Townhall. Blackwell is a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission and is a senior fellow at the Family Research Council and American Civil Rights Union.Tags:9-11, Eric Holder, Gitmo, Islamic terrorist, Islamist, Ken Blackwell, New York, US CongressTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Phyllis Schlafly: The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights announced in November that it will investigate whether colleges illegally discriminate against women by admitting less qualified men. This is only the latest in a decades-long campaign by the feminist lobby to sell the false propaganda that girls are cheated all through the education system, K through 12.
Colleges used to have a male-female ratio of about 60-40, and suddenly, we've discovered that it's close to 40-60. Colleges don't like this change; men don't like it; women don't like it; but the feminists are bragging about it and plan to use their clout in the government bureaucracy and in the Democratic Party to maintain it.
One of the causes for this dramatic shift is that colleges perceive applications by women to be better than those by men. Another cause seems to be that men don't seem to be as eager to get a college education as women.
We see the results in the granting of degrees. Women receive 58% of bachelor's degrees in four-year colleges, 62% in community colleges, and graduate degrees are headed in the same direction. Those who worry about the continuation of American exceptionalism are concerned because, if they have the courage to face reality, they know that women and men follow different paths both in and after college. Many more men than women drop out before graduation, and women receive only about a fifth of bachelor's degrees in engineering, physics, or computer science.
After college, men and women make different choices, too. Women don't take the risks necessary for business start-ups or for business ownership, or choose the social isolation of technical laboratories, in anywhere near the proportion of men.
But why is it that women knock at the college admissions office with higher high-school grade-point averages, better essays, and even a bigger variety of extracurricular activities than men? Fewer boys manifest significant interest in academic achievement or aspirations to walk through the doors that a college degree can open. Even the Wall Street Journalcalls this the "boy mystery" that "nobody has solved." We should respond with the famous line attributed to Sherlock Holmes, it's "elementary, my dear Watson."
We can even claim a double entendre for the word elementary. The reason is obvious, and the causes originated in elementary school. The ultra-feminist American Association of University Women (AAUW) issued a report in 1992 called "How Schools Shortchange Girls." It claimed "findings" that teachers focused their attention on boys, neglected girls, and discouraged girls from taking important math and science courses.
The AAUW report was a lie that started real discrimination against boys and young men plus government spending to address a non-existent problem. The AAUW report was fully debunked by researcher Christina Hoff Sommers, who proved that feminist claims that girls are shortchanged in school are "riddled with errors" and not "published in peer-reviewed professional journals."
Elementary schools are not only ruled by females; they are dominated by feminists who make school unpleasant for boys from the get-go. Fewer than ten percent of elementary school teachers are men, giving boys the distinct impression that school is not for them.
Elementary school teachers used to understand that boys will be boys, but teachers now look upon boys as just unruly girls. Feminists manifest hostility to males and to masculine traits such as competitiveness and aggressiveness, and instead reward typical female behaviors such as non-assertiveness and group cooperation.
Schools cannot make gender go away by pretending that boys do not have an innate masculinity, or by trying to suppress it with ridiculous zero-tolerance punishments, banning sports such as dodge ball and tag, and allowing only playground games without winners. Five- and six-year-old boys are not as able or willing as little girls to sit quietly at a desk and do neat work with pencil and paper. Even worse is the appalling fact that first-grade kids are not taught how to read phonetically, and the assigned stories are mostly about topics of interest to girls not boys.
It's no wonder that boys are more likely to have academic or behavior problems, repeat a grade, get suspended, be enrolled in special education programs, or become involved in drugs, alcohol or crime. Little boys make the calculation that school (and college) is not an environment where they want to remain. The solution to the college 40-60 male-female problem is certainly not to let the feminist bureaucrats force colleges to admit an even higher percentage of women. One solution is for colleges to be told (by regulation or statute) that a 50-50 male-female ratio is not, by definition, "sex discrimination." Tags:liberalism, men, Phyllis Schlafly, universities, WomenTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
A great friend, conservative radio host, and blogger, Duane Lester is running an All American Christmas contest on his blog - All American Blogger. It has about $200 worth of prizes, including:
Both autographed copies are signed “From one All American to Another.” I'm also giving away a year long membership to Rush 24/7. Click to learn the rules for this CHRISTMAS contest.Complete Registry before December 15, 2009 Tags:Christmas, 2009, contest, Duane LesterTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tags:Lap Dogs, Nancy Pelosi, political cartoon, William WarrenTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Jarrett Chronicles: Corruption – The Chicago Way
Check out this five part series on Valerie Jarrett that was just released from the Americans for Limited Government Research Department.
Valerie Jarrett’s Grove Parc Fiasco: The Rich Got Richer: “In 1987, U.S. District Judge Marvin Aspen had appointed Habitat to oversee construction of all public housing in Chicago as part of the historic Gautreaux case, which found that the CHA had failed for decades to integrate housing. At first, Habitat’s job was to desegregate housing by building “scattered site” units in more affluent white neighborhoods across the city. But the effort had little impact. The company built about 1,800 units, mostly in lower-income Hispanic neighborhoods before the program ended.”
Valerie Jarrett’s Underwater Demolition: Cataloging Failure: Mayor Daley was displeased when Jarrett lost Spiegel, a catalog company which had operated warehouses in Chicago for 88 years. Daley wanted a more aggressive effort from the Department of Planning and Development. The company wanted to relocate its old warehouses. Her department proposed six sites, but Spiegel found all of them to be deficient. The best site was covered with 20 to 30 feet of water. Jarrett promised that the site could be filled-in in time to meet Spiegel’s deadline, but the company did not believe it.
Valerie Jarrett and Cecil Butler: Partners in Slime: Cecil Butler started managing the Lawndale Restoration, a low-income community in 1974. In 1995, Cecil Butler received a $51 million loan, backed by the state, to renovate Lawndale Restoration. In 1999, Valerie Jarrett’s Habitat formed an LLC with Butler’s Boulevard Management. In 2000, Cecil Butler hired the Habitat Company to manage Lawndale Restoration.
The Valerie Jarrett Health Care Plan: In 2004, Jarrett’s Habitat Company violated the Family and Medical Leave Act by terminating an ill employee. David Burnett had been employed with Habitat for fourteen years. His boss had no problems with him until late 2003 when Burnett began to have symptoms of prostate cancer.
Valerie Jarrett’s Cronies See “Green”: It appears that Jarrett tried to get a contract for Allison Davis, Obama’s former boss. In 1996, Habitat was overseeing the redevelopment of Cabrini Green. Habitat seemed to favor a plan from MCL/ASD LLC. This partnership was the creation of Dan McLean of MCL Development Corporation and Allison Davis. Davis went on to become a major fundraiser for Obama.
Tags:ALG, Chicago politics, corruption, The White House, Valerie JarrettTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Don’t Kill The Recovery, Mr. President - Stop The Spending!
Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families: The president got some much-needed good news this morning. The unemployment rate has dropped – it’s now just 10%, down from 10.2%. This is an early and hopeful sign of recovery, and that’s a great Christmas present for many Americans. But this good news is happening in spite of the policies coming out of the White House and Congress, and because of the institutions and individuals the president frequently criticizes – businesses and entrepreneurs.
We reported yesterday that the White House hosted a jobs summit. No critics were invited, and no one who was there was willing to tell the president how jobs are created. We looked around and to the best of our knowledge, no on had the audacity to stand up to the president and tell him how he could help create jobs without spending a dime. No one stood up and said:
“Mr. President, take cap and trade off the table. Take healthcare ‘reform’ off the table. Take card check off the table. All of these big government programs will make it necessary to raise taxes down the road, which creates tremendous uncertainty for small business owners and entrepreneurs.”
Unfortunately, no one at the White House is willing to sacrifice their leftwing ideology in order to get Americans back to work. In fact, it’s worse than that. By the end of the day, the administration and its allies in Congress were advocating a new tax on stock transactions and voting to permanently reinstate the death tax at a whopping 45%.
So, once again, they’ve fallen into the socialist trap that higher taxes and more government create wealth and prosperity, when in reality Big Government and high taxes consume wealth and destroy prosperity. The U.S. economy is very resilient, and it is doing its best to move forward one step at a time in spite of all the uncertainty. But the major tax hikes and massive spending that Obama, Reid and Pelosi are planning for the years ahead will kill the recovery.
Stop The Spending! America is going broke. The national debt now exceeds $12 trillion and is growing at rates unmatched since WWII. We’ve amassed massive unfunded promises to guarantee future entitlement benefits, which, added to liabilities like debt, total nearly $57 trillion. If Congress does not address this issue, it won’t be long before every penny of the federal budget will be used just to pay for interest on the debt and entitlement spending.
There would be no money for critical priorities like national defense, homeland security and medical research. The dollar would lose its status as the primary international reserve currency, meaning that everything that is traded internationally, such as food and oil, would increase in price. Deficits choke the investment needed to create jobs. And our biggest bankers – countries like China and Saudi Arabia – are hardly friends.
Leaders of both political parties have been reluctant to acknowledge the severity of this issue and to take the necessary action to curtail spending. Congress’ paralysis comes at great cost to our children and grandchildren. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) has an idea to address our growing fiscal crisis that deserves consideration.
The Securing America’s Future Economy Commission Act (SAFE – H.R. 1557) would establish a bipartisan commission to look at all federal spending -- constitutionally mandated expenditures, entitlement programs, tax policy, and more. The Commission, modeled after the federal base closing process, would hold public meetings across the country to hear from the American people and then develop a series of recommendations to improve the nation’s financial health. Then Congress would be required to vote up or down on the panel’s proposals.
Congress has shown itself to be incapable of tackling overspending, and it will take a mechanism with teeth to ensure action. SAFE has more than 100 co-sponsors, yet the congressional leadership has failed to bring this critical measure to the floor for a vote. Click here to see if your representative is co-sponsoring the SAFE Act. Then call Congress at 202-224-3121 and urge the leadership to act in the best interest of the country. Tags:American jobs, jobs, Campaign for Working Families, federal spending, Gary Bauer, unemploymentTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
By (black) Unhyphenated American, Support Lloyd Marcus. Lloyd is the singer/composer of the national American Tea Party Anthem featured on many you-tube videos and travels performing & speaking. http://www.LloydMarcus.com Tags:2010, Lloyd Marcus, TEA PartiesTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Today in Washington D. C. - Dec 4, 2009 - Democrats Vote For $460 In Medicare Cuts; Violates Obama's Promise
The Senate resumed consideration of the Reid substitute amendment to H.R. 3590, the vehicle for Democrats’ health care reform bill. Votes are possible later today on more amendments.
Also yesterday, the Senate voted 61-39 to adopt an amendment from Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) to include preventive services for women in the bill but voted 41-59 to reject one from Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) on the same issue.
The AP reported yesterday, “Senate Democrats closed ranks Thursday behind $460 billion in politically risky Medicare cuts at the heart of health care legislation, thwarting a Republican attempt to doom President Barack Obama's sweeping overhaul.” Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell explained earlier today, “We’ve now had a very clarifying vote on the Senate floor about the direction that our friends on the other side intend to take our health care system. Yesterday, all but two of them voted to preserve nearly half a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicare, the health care program for seniors.” Among the cuts Democrats voted to preserve is $135 billion from hospitals serving seniors, $40 billion from home health agencies, $15 billion from nursing homes, and nearly $8 billion from hospices.
A key component of the cuts Democrats voted for yesterday is $120 billion cut from Medicare Advantage. As Sen. McConnell noted, “they expressly voted to violate the President’s pledge that seniors who like the plans they have can keep them … Because you can’t cut $120 billion from a benefits program without cutting benefits. The Congressional Budget Office has been crystal clear on this. When asked about the effect these cuts would have on Medicare Advantage, the director of the CBO was unequivocal. He said that ‘approximately half’ of Medicare Advantage benefits will be cut for nearly 11 million seniors enrolled in this program under this bill.”
In fact, a Democrat senator admitted that these cuts would mean Democrats are breaking Obama’s promise about Americans being able to keep the coverage they have. Bloomberg reported last night, “Should Congress scale back the program, ‘We’re not going to be able to say “if you like what you have, you can keep it,”’ said Senator Bob Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat. “And that basic commitment that a lot of us around here have made will be called into question.”’” Further, the Bloomberg story notes, “A Kaiser Family Foundation poll released last month found that 60 percent of seniors said they would be better off if Congress didn’t change the health-care system . . . .” Americans want Congress to reject this 2,000-page bill stuffed with Medicare cuts and tax increases and start over. Senators would do well to listen.Tags:government healthcare, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Today in Washington D. C. - Dec 3, 2009 - Is Obama's Jobs Summit Simply A PR Stunt, A Political Event, Or What?
The Senate reconvened ; and resumed consideration of the Reid substitute amendment to H.R. 3590, the vehicle for Democrats’ health care reform bill. The Senate will vote on an amendment from Sens. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and one from Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), both concerning health services for women. Then the Senate will vote on an amendment from Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) designed to give Democrats cover for their cuts to Medicare. As Sen. McConnell explained this morning, that amendment will still allow the cuts to go forward.
Following that vote, though, senators will have the opportunity to actually prevent Medicare cuts with a vote on the McCain motion to recommit the bill to committee and have it reported back without the half trillion dollars in Medicare cuts.
Today’s big news is that the White House will be hosting a “jobs summit” ostensibly to bring people together to brainstorm ideas on how to create jobs, a month after the unemployment rate topped 10%. But ABC News asks the most important question today, “Is the White House jobs summit an event that will spur tangible actions or simply a glorified public-relations stunt? . . . With the country dealing with its highest unemployment rate in 26 years, the administration is under pressure to get Americans back to work. . . . The jobs summit, announced a week after the Bureau of Labor Statistics said unemployment reached 10.2 percent, is the administration’s latest effort to do just that, but some critics say it’s little more than a publicity stunt. ‘We’re not going to get anything useful out of it,’ said Peter Morici, professor at the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business. The president and his treasury secretary, Tim Geithner, ‘really don’t know what to do,’ Morici said.”
And many people may recall that the AP reported when the jobs summit was first announced, “President Barack Obama says creating jobs isn’t the goal of a coming White House forum on jobs and economic growth.” So what is the point, then? Will the summit spend any time examining the Obama administration’s last effort on jobs, the $787 billion stimulus bill that failed to prevent 10% unemployment, spends money on golf carts, turtle tunnels, and dubious research projects, and reports funds going to non-existent congressional districts? And today, we find out from The Washington Post, “Reports from stimulus recipients show that a sizable sum has gone to federal contractors in the Washington area who are helping implement the initiative -- in effect, they are being paid a hefty slice of the money to help spend the rest of it.”
Or maybe it’s a political event? The Wall Street Journal editorializes today, “we’ll leave [politics] to the White House experts who today will stage a ‘jobs summit.’ We’ll go out on a limb and predict nothing of substance will come of this event—except maybe cheerleading for a second stimulus—though it does reveal the deepening political panic over the unemployment rate that rose to 10.2% in October and might stay high long enough to affect the 2010 election.” ABC adds, “Bill Dunkelberg, chief economist for the National Federation of Independent Business, echoed that criticism of the administration’s efforts, dubbing the jobs summit ‘a political show.’ Dunkelberg gave the administration a ‘D’ on creating new jobs. ‘There’s been a lot of money spent and authorized, but it really hasn’t been very effective at delivering job creation,’ he told ABC News’ business correspondent Betsy Stark.”
If the Obama administration really wants to promote job creation, they might want to reconsider the wisdom of pushing harmful legislation in Congress such as a government takeover of health care that features nearly $500 billion in tax increases and climate legislation that features a slew of new energy taxes and regulations.
House Leader Boehner will host a roundtable discussion with leading economists and GOP leaders today his office at the Capitol at 11:00 AM to discuss job-threatening policies moving through Congress that are creating uncertainty for small businesses, the engine of job creation in America. At the conclusion of the meeting, Boehner and meeting participants will hold a media availability to recap discussions. Tags:employment, job summit, Obama administration, The White House, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Conn Carroll, Morning Bell, The Heritage Foundation: When President Barack Obama was trying to sell his $787 billion economic stimulus plan to the American people, there was no louder cheerleader for the plan than Mark Zandi of Moody’s Economy.com. Zandi confidently produced scientific tables purporting to prove that for every $1 the Obama administration gave to states, GDP would grow by exactly $1.36. Zandi later produced an analysis claiming that Obama’s stimulus would create 2.2 million jobs.
But as millions of Americans now know all too well, Zandi was very, very wrong. President Obama’s stimulus has completely failed to create any jobs and instead has witnessed more than 4 million jobs lost in 2009. Commenting on the state of the U.S. economy, Zandi now tells USA Today: “It’s getting increasingly unusual that we’re not seeing a hiring kick set in.”
If Zandi and his allies on the left want to figure out why the economy is not creating any jobs, they need to put down their failed Keynesians formulas and talk to real business owners and executives. Executives like Dan DiMicco, CEO of steelmaker Nucor Corp, who told the Wall Street Journal: “Companies large and small are saying, ‘I am not going to do anything until these things — health care, climate legislation — go away or are resolved.’” Or Porta-King CEO Steve Schulte who tells USA Today his company is not investing because “proposals in Congress to tackle climate change and overhaul health care would raise costs.” These businessmen have every right to be worried. As we’ve detailed before, the Senate Health Bill currently being debated in the Senate would be a disaster for the U.S. economy:
Kills Jobs: All told, the Reid Bill raises taxes by $370.2 billion over the next ten years with many of those taxes starting to be collected this year with unemployment at 10.2% and rising. Worse, the bill includes a job killing employer mandate which taxes companies for hiring people. Specifically, companies with more than 50 employees that do not offer a health plan approved by federal bureaucrats will be forced to pay a $750 per employee job tax.
Hurts Small Businesses: The Reid Bill acknowledges it is terrible public policy for small businesses and tries to address this problem by including a “small business tax credit” to minimize the impact of the job killing employer mandates and regulation-caused increases in private health insurance premiums. But the tax credit only lasts two years and largely excludes small business owners, small businesses with high-average payrolls, and firms with 25 or more workers. Essentially, after all exclusions, the only eligible firms are those firms with 10 or fewer workers as well as those with low-income workers—the least likely to offer coverage even with a significant price reduction.
Hurts Poor:The Reid Bill’s employer mandate is especially punitive on poor families. Firms that hire an employee from a low-income family who qualify for an insurance subsidy are charged a tax penalty of $3,000. So a company could save $3,000 by hiring, say, someone with a working spouse or a teenager with working parents, rather than a single mother with three children. Worse, companies only have to pay $750 an employee instead of $3,000 if one quarter of employees are low-income. This creates a situation where, if a company has a lot of low-income workers, they can actually save money by dropping their health plan and just dumping all their employees into the federal exchange at their own expense.
It is way past time for a new direction. Yesterday, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) outlined a seven point common sense plan for job creation here at the Heritage Foundation. Item number 1: “Halt Any Proposed Rule or Regulation Expected to Have an Economic Cost, Result in Job Loss, or Have a Disparate Impact on Small Businesses.” As Cantor explained in his speech, that means a merciful end to Obamacare. Tags:American jobs, jobs, recovery, economy, Eric Cantor, Harry Reid, Morning Bell, Obamacare, stimulus, The Heritage FoundationTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by The Wire, Washington Insider Report: The mystery surrounding the White House “gate crashers” continues to grow – and with it so do doubts as to what really happened before, during, and since the unsettling episode. One thing is certain, however: the full truth has not yet been told. And, in fact, the “misstatements” continue to multiply.
First, the Obama staff contended that the couple was entirely unknown to anyone at the White House, and no one had any inkling who they might be. Then came the 2005 picture of a beaming Barack Obama posing with the lovely Salahi twosome, and that story evanesced.
Next came the news that Mr. Salahi, in fact, shared a very unique affinity with Mr. Obama – i.e., their mutual enthusiasm for the Hamas terrorist regime. That story, of course, was dropped by the mainstream media quicker than a Jeremiah Wright sermonette.
And finally, came the official Obama White House Blame Game laying it all at the feet of the Secret Service: they had failed their President and their country. Of course, being sworn to secrecy, the Secret Service has resolutely refused to utter a single word in its own defense. Nor, as Obama aides know, will it ever.
But truth will out. And as one decorated Secret Service agent who served under four presidents told The WIRE in strictest anonymity: “It is not now, nor has it ever been the job of the Secret Service to run around at White House social functions ‘carding’ the guests. Whatever went wrong at that party, it had nothing to do with the Secret Service failing to do its job. Someone is covering something up.”
What that “something” is remains to be seen. But, InqWIREing Minds now know, thanks to the Washington Post’s Roxanne Roberts, that top White House staffers knew the couple was not on the guest list as early as 7:35 in the evening. Which raises several vital questions: Why didn’t they have them removed? … How much earlier than that did they know? … and, Why the continuing cover-up? Tags:gate crasher, Obama administration, The White HouseTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
William Warren: Tags:climategate, global warming, global warming hoax, political cartoon, William WarrenTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Senate resumed consideration of the Reid substitute amendment to H.R. 3590, the vehicle for Democrats’ health care reform bill. Votes are possible today on the McCain motion, a motion to recommit the bill to committee and have it reported back without the half trillion dollars in Medicare cuts, and the amendment from Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) concenring health services for women. Yesterday, the Senate voted 97-0 to confirm Jacqueline Nguyen to be district judge for the Central District of California.
Months after General Stanley McChrystal first made his request for more troops in Afghanistan, President Obama finally laid out his strategy in a speech at West Point last night. The president will order 30,000 more troops to the country to “target the insurgency and secure key population centers” and “train competent Afghan security forces.”
Speaking on the Senate floor this morning, GOP Leader Mitch McConnell said, “I support the President’s decision to follow the advice of Generals Petraeus and McChrystal in ordering the same kind of surge in Afghanistan that helped turn the tide in Iraq.” And the Los Angeles Times writes today, “In some ways, Obama’s new tack borrows directly from the ‘surge’ that his predecessor, George W. Bush, launched in Iraq in 2007 . . . .”
Yet the White House seems to have avoided making this comparison. Obama is facing serious problems with the left wing of the Democrat party, as The New York Times noted: “[S]everal senior Democrats took sharp exception to the president’s plan, illustrating the deep divide in the party over the conflict.” The Times described the reaction from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as “noncommittal” and pointed out that “the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, a close ally of the president, said he was not yet ready to render judgment.” And, the NYT writes, “Other Democrats quickly weighed in against the troop increase, making it clear they were prepared to break with the president.”
It’s obvious that Obama doesn’t want to remind those in his party who dislike his decision to follow the advice of his generals that he is continuing many of former President George W. Bush’s policies in the Middle East. Perhaps that’s why he spent so much time attacking Bush policies in his speech last night.
It may also explain why Obama and his aides spent a lot of time emphasizing timelines and when the surge forces could begin to withdraw. As the L.A. Times notes, “where Bush’s escalation came wrapped in promises that U.S. forces would remain in Iraq until victory was achieved, no matter what the cost, Obama’s troop buildup is all about exit strategies . . . .” But last night Obama said, “Just as we have done in Iraq, we will execute this transition responsibly, taking into account conditions on the ground.” And The Wall Street Journal reports, “A year from now, the administration plans to assess progress in the war and decide how quickly to withdraw the 30,000 troops in the surge.”
Conditions on the ground are the right criteria to judge how quickly American forces can withdraw. General David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough this morning that transitioning to Afghan control based on conditions on the ground is important to focus on. And Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reportedly told a Senate panel this morning, “I do not believe we have locked ourselves into leaving.”
As Sen. McConnell also said today, “Once we achieve our objectives — an Afghanistan that can defend itself, govern itself, control its borders, and remain an ally in the war on terror — then we can reasonably discuss withdrawal, a withdrawal based on conditions, not arbitrary timelines.” Hopefully, the administration will stick with that plan and not let political considerations get in the way. Tags:Afghanistan, Barack Obama, troop surge, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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ARRA News Service [Original Post: 12/5/09 5:45 PM] - Today, in Hot Springs, Arkansas, the Republican Party of Arkansas held a leadership conference at the Arlington Hotel with an estimated 3000 people attending various events. Announced Republican candidates were spoke to the attendees. Later a ceremonial straw poll was held for the announced candidates running for the US. Senate. Seven of the announced GOP candidates for the Arkansas Republican nomination for U.S. Senate participated in the straw poll. 
A great friend, conservative radio host, and blogger, Duane Lester is running 
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