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Police in China's far west have launched a crackdown on terrorism and stepped up a hunt for suspects who took part in deadly ethnic riots there four months ago, the regional public security ministry said Tuesday.

An internal congressional report questioning the ability of the Secret Service to continue fulfilling its duties was leaked to the Boston Globe. The report says the Secret Service is strained by a drastic increase in threats to President Obama, coupled with deep budget cuts. Snip ---- Talking Points Memo noted that Ronald Kessler, the author of a recently released book on the Secret Service's protection of U.S. presidents, recently said that threats against President Obama are up 400 percent from the number of threats levied against former President George W. Bush, while the size of the agency's staff has only...

In the great tradition of Washington's solving vaporous problems, Congress is moving on Net Neutrality legislation, while the FCC is also working on the very same issue with an eye to regulate and eventually strangle free speech on the internet. Net Neutrality, for those who have better things to worry about, is a proposal for the government to regulate internet service providers to force them to give the same priority to all types of data (i.e. an email transmission must be treated the same as a song download). The battle lines are drawn according to self-interest: content providers such as...

When inflation hits, every dollar in your bank account is worth less each day. Deflation is just the opposite: You put your feet up and watch your money grow in value. The latter is what is happening now to America's seniors. And politicians think they should not have to stand for it. The other day, the federal government announced that for the first time since cost-of-living adjustments were begun in 1975, Social Security recipients will not get an annual raise in their monthly checks. This decision is not the result of a fit of fiscal austerity or a sadistic desire...

Forty-four days before he assumed the office, Barack Obama went on Meet the Press and spoke of shovel ready projects that were supposedly awaiting a job stimulus plan: "When I met with the governors, all of them have projects that are shovel ready, that are going to require us to get the money out the door, but they've already lined up the projects and they can make them work. And now, we're going to have to prioritize it and do it not in the old traditional politics first wave. What we need to do is examine what are the projects...

Already, President Obama has been compared to a Colonial Despot and Richie Cunningham. But you can't understand anything about his leadership until you know, that if nothing else, Obama is a Player (or, ‘playa,' if you will). For those who don't know, the movie, "How to Be a Player," with Bernie Mac and Bill Bellamy, explains the game. Players have a ‘steady' (a faithful, trusting girlfriend or wife) and then all their other girls on the side. Using deceit and flattery, the Player tries to balance all his love affairs at once. For Obama, the American people are his ‘steady'...

Here is video of MSNBC's Chuck Todd saying President Obama went "against his instincts" in going to Copenhagen to lobby for Chicago to get the 2016 Olympics. Todd said the White House's instincts were to "not buckle under the pressure" from Chicago friends to get personally involved in lobbying for Chicago to get the Olympics. . . . (VIDEO)

H1N1 swine flu has killed 28 pregnant women in the U.S., raising the level of concern among obstetricians and CDC investigators. The 28 women who died were among about 100 pregnant women who required intensive care because of severe H1N1 swine flu disease. "Doctors around the country have never seen this kind of thing before," CDC respiratory disease chief Anne Schuchat, MD, said today at a news conference. "What we are seeing is quite striking." The CDC has never before tracked the impact of flu on pregnant women. Although flu is a known risk both to a pregnant woman and...

With growing pressure for decisions on life-or-death issues in Afghanistan and Iran, this morning the White House announced that President Obama will soon travel to…Copenhagen. Obama will be in Denmark for just a few hours -- he leaves this Thursday and returns Friday -- which is just enough time to make a pitch for Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympic Games. He'll be following First Lady Michelle Obama, who is also going to Copenhagen as part of the promote-Chicago team. Here is the White House press release:.....

Afghanistan could sink into a quagmire if more troops are not sent, but it's a wait and see for Obama while he hits the sunday shows, hits the links and laughs it up with Dave...... Here's a commentary from Foxnews Brit Hume...

email sent to me about an hour ago. No I didn't watch his majesty, I decided to work on my houseplants instead and build a shelf ----------------- I just finished laying out my plan for health reform at a joint session of Congress. Now, I'm writing directly to you because what happens next is critical -- and I need your help. Change this big will not happen because I ask for it. It can only come when the nation demands it. Congress knows where I stand. Now they need to hear from you. Add your voice: Ask your representatives...

<p>Two out of three Americans who watched President Barack Obama's health care reform speech Wednesday night favor his health care plans — a 14-point gain among speech-watchers, according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation national poll of people who tuned into Obama's address Wednesday night to a joint session of Congress.</p>

Firestorm Erupted As Critics Charge White House With Indoctrination. A presidential video address to the nation’s school children erupted into a firestorm of controversy after the White House disseminated an activities list which, among other things, called for grade students to “write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president.” The president is poised to deliver an address to the nation’s students on September 8th. According to a press release issued by the White House on Wednesday, the speech stresses the “importance of taking responsibility for [students] success in school.” But, in preparing for the academic...

Obama Is Fast Losing White Voters' Support His approval ratings with the crucial bloc have plunged since April. Strategists say the healthcare debate is largely to blame, but that's not the only reason. The Obama family returns from Camp David. It's unclear whether President Obama's ratings slip is based on policy or personal issues. (Ron Sachs / Pool Photo / September 6) Graphic: Poll results By Peter Wallsten September 7, 2009 Reporting from Washington - After a summer of healthcare battles and sliding approval ratings for President Obama, the White House is facing a troubling new trend: The voters losing...

DALLAS — Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Thursday that politics did not influence the decision to spend millions of dollars in stimulus money on little-used border checkpoints while passing over higher-priority projects. Members of Congress have asked for answers after The Associated Press showed that the Obama administration did not follow its internal priority list when handing out money to repair border stations nationwide.

The eye-opener here concerns Obama's first job out of college. In his autobiography, "Dreams from My Fathers", Barack Obama writes of taking a job after graduating from Columbia University in 1983. He describes his employer as A consulting house to multinational corporations" in New York City, and his functions as a "research assistant" and "financial writer" In fact he was recruited by Business International Corporation that was continuously being accused of as a CIA front company. Wikipedia, an independent source, supports this, The company has been identified as cover organization for the Central Intelligence Agency, e.g. see Lobster Magazine, and...

Sarah Palin can grab voters' attention whenever she wants, but they're not ready to put her in the White House – not by a long shot. If the 2012 presidential election were held today, and Palin was the GOP candidate, she’d get wiped out by President Obama, a new Marist poll showed Tuesday. Only 33% of registered voters would go for Palin compared to Obama’s 56%, with 11% undecided. Obama would pull in 92% of Democrats and Palin would get 73% of Republicans. The President would clean Palin’s clock among amost all voting groups. Independents would go 49% to 34%...

President Obama's lies in Montana were the most egregious falsehoods since Bill Clinton said "I did not have sexual relations with that woman". The current President was asked how the government is going to pay for the $1 trillion in new health care expenditures under HR 3200. Watch the video here. Part of the President's answer included blaming a previous administration. Oh no, he's not blaming Bush again, is he? Well, as it turns out, the previous administration was Bill ("depends on what the meaning of is is") Clinton's. The current President claims that we can save $60 billion per...

WASHINGTON – A swastika was found Tuesday painted on a sign outside Rep. David Scott's district office, an act the Georgia Democrat said reflects an increasingly hateful and racist debate over health care and should serve as a reminder for people to tone down their rhetoric. Scott's staff arrived at his Smyrna, Ga., office Tuesday morning to find the Nazi graffiti emblazoned on a sign bearing the lawmaker's name. The vandalism occurred roughly a week after Scott was involved in a contentious argument over health care at a community meeting. Scott, who is black, said he also has received mail...

Wisconsin Senator Kohl gives a 6-minute talk on health care reform, not mentioning tort reform, but noting that rumors about health reform aren't necessarily true.Sen. Herb Kohl video

While ideas get kicked around quite often for new types of nuclear reactors, development has rarely progressed to commercialization. It seems we just don’t have enough invested in nuclear to see the process through. The “very high-temperature reactor” is one of these ideas — a potentially more stable nuclear reactor that runs hotter than current designs, allowing it to be more efficient.

More than 200 Jewish extremists have reportedly entered al-Aqsa Mosque, positioning themselves inside the holy site, allegedly to perform religious rituals. According to a statement released by the Al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage, the incursion was "significant". The foundation has called on Muslims, Arabs and all Palestinians to take action in support of the mosque. The attack comes amidst Tisha B'Av, also known as "The Ninth of Av" -- a Jewish fasting day in commemoration of the destruction of the two Temples. The occasion falls on the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, which usually coincides with...

This is a 100% TRUE story about a question I posed to Janice Okubo and the Director of Health for the State of Hawai’i, along with the Registrar of Vital Statistics... ..and this just happened YESTERDAY. Coincidence? That's why I call YESTERDAY: The Day I Asked a Question and Got The MOTHER of All Answers 1) An Original Birth Record is what most people have 2) An Amended Original Birth Record is the exact same thing except it’s issued to adoptees–their original is then sealed and only opened on court order. Legally, it’s treated and accepted as an EQUAL to...

The conspiracy theorists who have claimed for more than a year that President Obama is not a United States citizen have found receptive ears among some mainstream media figures in recent weeks. Despite ample evidence to the contrary, the country’s most popular talk radio host, Rush Limbaugh, told his listeners on Tuesday that Mr. Obama “has yet to have to prove that he’s a citizen.” Lou Dobbs of CNN said that Mr. Obama should do more to dispel the claims. Larry King, also of CNN, asked guests about it. Chris Matthews debated it with guests on MSNBC, and “NBC Nightly...

Bad idea. I sympathize with him wanting to protect CNN from negative press but the surest way to feed a conspiracy theory, needless to say, is to try to suppress it. This is like Roger Ailes issuing a communique ordering Fox News not to cover 9/11 Truth. What is he hiding? TVNewser has learned CNN/U.S. president Jon Klein sent an email to a handful of “Lou Dobbs Tonight” staffers last night regarding the coverage of the so-called birthers and the validity of Pres. Obama’s birth in the U.S. In part, Klein writes, “It seems this story is dead- because anyone...

Let’s try a thought experiment. When I say “victory,” what do you think of? Do you think of winning the World Series? Do you picture that famous photo of the U.S. Sailor kissing the pretty girl in Time Square as WWII ended? Do you just imagine “winning” at whatever contest is at hand? It is likely that even if you don’t picture a particular thing, at the very least your initial emotional response is a warm feeling of worthy accomplishment and an assumption of gaining the accolades that accompanies victory. It is less likely that upon hearing or seeing the...

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows that 30% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-eight percent (38%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -8 (see trends). Just 25% believe that the economic stimulus package has helped the economy. The Presidential Approval Index is calculated by subtracting the number who Strongly Disapprove from the number who Strongly Approve. It is updated daily at 9:30 a.m. Eastern (sign up for free daily e-mail update). Updates also available on Twitter. Overall, 49%...

Among those on television who've been covering the sudden public resurgence of the Birther movement -- but in a much more responsible way than Lou Dobbs -- is MSNBC's Chris Matthews. The other day, he beat up pretty badly on Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif., who's a co-sponsor of the "Birther bill" that would require future presidential candidates to provide proof of their natural-born citizenship. Thursday, he hosted Watergate burglar turned radio host G. Gordon Liddy, who's fallen under the Birthers' sway. Liddy himself looked decidedly unwell, and sounded out of sorts -- even Matthews seemed to realize that making him...

<p>Per Bret Baier on Fox News...Rahm Emmanuel says House will vote on Health Care before the August recess but Senat[e] will not.</p>

For the last week the OCCE (Orange County Conservative Examiner) has plowed through many of the complaints and reports on Obama’s birth certificate. Like many Americans we felt that despite the partisanship of our leaders that no Democrat or Republican would let someone run for the highest office in the land that was unconstitutionally unqualified. There is a reason they’re called vital records. However, to the OCCE does surprise and chagrin we found merit to the claim and disappointment that the POTUS has thumbed his nose at Americans want reassurance. Despite the zealots that are involve there are points that...

Israeli leaders say they're bewildered by the Obama administration's "obsession" with West Bank settlement growth. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was recently quoted asking/grumbling, "What do they want from me?" His aides told reporters and American Jewish leaders that Washington's position on settlements is "childish," "stupid" and "delusional" and that the Obama team should "come to its senses." A settler prays between destroyed structures demolished by IDF troops in the West Bank outpost of Maoz Esther. Photo: AP I don't think that Netanyahu and his aides are genuinely perplexed or mystified by the administration's demand that Israel stop all settlement construction...

Somewhere in the dark unknown blotch that is North Korea, there is a young man bent beneath a heavy burden. He is dozens of pounds underweight, fed on corn and salt, hunched over at the waist. His teeth are turning black, and several have already fallen out. He suffers from diarrhea and fever. Every so often, he watches as the camp guards shoot disobedient prisoners in the head. Sometimes, he watches as camp doctors lead young pregnant women into a room where they perform forced abortions. The young man will die before he hits 50; he'll be lucky to make...

The United States voiced concern Wednesday about rising tension between China and Vietnam in the South China Sea as a senator led calls to boost US seapower faced with Beijing's growing military.

NEW YORK (AP) — Sarah Palin's decision to step down as Alaska governor was driven in part by her wish to help Republican candidates across the country, associates say. But in New Jersey and Virginia, both of which have competitive governors' races this year, the prospect of a visit from the party's 2008 vice presidential nominee has so far drawn a muted response from the GOP contenders in both states. In Virginia, a historically conservative state where Obama became the first Democratic presidential candidate since 1964 to win, Republican Bob McDonnell said Tuesday his campaign had had conversations with the...

Sarah is now unelectable on a national stage. The “quitter” specter will hang around her neck like “swimmer” does to Ted Kennedy. You’ll be able to spot the realistic, clear thinking conservatives because they see and admit this early so we can put it behind us get on with identifying the candidates who can win in ‘12. BTW - This doesn’t rule out a tangential private career ala Newt or a run for a House or Senate seat (although I don’t know where at this point) but as a national candidate she is toast. That so many conservatives can’t see...

Just disregard everything I said, and everything my fellow Democrats said since March 2003 about Iraq.....

Three new polls are out, and all convey the same message: Progress in Washington has stalled, partly because President Obama is more popular than his policies. Take the CBS News/New York Times poll, which gave the president an overall approval rating of 63 percent. Obama gets just shy of 60 percent approval on foreign policy and terrorism, his strongest issues. His economic rating is holding up reasonably well (57 percent approval), even though the prevailing sentiment is that the president's economic policies have not yet had much effect. On health care, Obama's ratings are less than 50 percent. Many Americans...

China has given its word to the United States that it is "deeply committed" to implementing tough new nuclear sanctions against North Korea, a senior US official said Friday. The official also said that as part of the effort to put a straitjacket on Pyongyang after its latest nuclear test and missile launches, Washington had set up an inter-agency team to coordinate the sanctions with other nations.

. In 1798, during the Quasi-war with France, Congress, with President John Adams’s support, passed the Sedition Act. Outraged by attacks on her husband, Abigail Adams supported the act, which was opposed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, among others. “Let us not establish a tyranny,” wrote an alarmed Alexander Hamilton to an ally in Congress. Indeed, the Sedition Act, an obvious violation of the First Amendment, made a permanent blot on Adams’s presidency. Here is part of its text: “If any person shall write, print, utter or publish, or shall cause or procure to be written, printed, uttered or...

A New York Times/CBS News poll released Saturday that showed broad bipartisan support for President Obama’s health care reform, over-sampled Obama voters compared to McCain voters, critics say. The poll, administered June 12-16, found that 72 percent of respondents favored the creation of a government health-insurance plan that would compete with private insurers. It also said 50 percent of respondents thought the government would do a better job providing medical coverage than private insurers, up from 30 percent in 2007; and that 59 percent thought the government would be better at holding down costs, up from 47 percent two years...

Shown on Fox News this morning. link in url

They signal economic impatience. A still-impressive 65 percent of Americans in this new ABC News/Washington Post poll approve of Obama's job performance. But there's been a retrenchment in the expectation that his stimulus plan will improve the economy -- and, consequently, a halt in what had been steadily improving views of the nation's direction.

WASHINGTON – The White House says President Barack Obama has been "moved" by the television images of people in Iran taking to the street in protest.

U.S. civil rights leaders said yesterday that an increase in hate crimes committed in recent years against Hispanics and people perceived to be immigrants "correlates closely" to the nation's increasingly contentious debate over immigration. Hate crimes targeting Hispanic Americans rose 40 percent from 2003 to 2007, the most recent year for which FBI statistics are available, from 426 to 595 incidents, marking the fourth consecutive year of increases. The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund issued a report that faulted anti-immigrant rhetoric in the media and mobilization of extremist groups on the Internet. The conference said that some groups...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – President Barack Obama said he would press home his "tough diplomacy" towards Iran whatever the result of its electoral tumult and warned US meddling in Tehran's politics would backfire.

Officials with Clear Channel Outdoor, which calls itself the world's largest outdoor advertising company, have joined two other large billboard providers in rejecting four simple words asking the question, "Where's The Birth Certificate?" Media buyers for WND have confirmed the company refused to accept a request to purchase billboard space for a campaign that is the brainchild of Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of WND, who believes it is essential to force Obama to produce hard evidence that he is, indeed, a "natural born citizen" as the Constitution requires. He has called upon Americans to donate money to...

In a new overture to Iran, the Obama administration has authorized U.S. embassies around the world to invite Iranian officials to Independence Day parties they host on or around July 4th. A State Department cable sent to all U.S. embassies and consulates late last week said that U.S. diplomats could ask their Iranian counterparts to attend the festivities, which generally feature speeches about American values, fireworks, hot dogs and hamburgers. The notice, sent on Friday, said that the posts "may invite representatives from the government of Iran" to the events, a State Department official said Tuesday, quoting from the document....

WASHINGTON – On both economic and national-security fronts, President Barack Obama is giving ground and crossing swords with political allies. Caught in the worst economic downturn in generations, Obama has had to temper his stance on trade and lower his expectations for trimming charitable tax breaks for the wealthy and for taxing greenhouse-gas polluters. He's not the first president to be pulled toward the political center after being elected. But the recession and two wars abroad put him in a particularly tough spot — with smaller margins for error. With the deficit mushrooming, lawmakers in both parties are worrying more...

Many scientists say we have global warming. They point to some exceptionally hot years and other evidence. Many climatologists are now making the case for global cooling as well. Record low temperatures and record high snowpacks the past 2 years, and decreasing solar activity appear to be their key arguments. This article will not take sides. After reading this brief article you will have enough knowledge to decide for yourself. Climate history is fascinating stuff ! Reading this will give you a solid understanding of Earth's main climate history that is currently known and proven. With this knowledge you can...

The Pakistani government on Sunday urged people stranded by a military offensive against Taliban militants in the Swat valley to try to get out. Many civilians are believed to still be inside Mingora, the main town in Swat, after the army launched an offensive more than a week ago to stop the spread of Taliban influence. "I appeal to the people of Mingora and other parts which are under aggression, as soon as they get an opportunity, the curfew is relaxed, they should come out," Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik told reporters.