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"With 3 percent of the world's oil reserves, the U.S. cannot drill its way to energy security," then-presidential nominee Barack Obama wrote on his campaign website in 2008. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) stated, "All told, the U.S. has only 1.6 percent of world's known oil supply." And in the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) added, "The math is simple: America has just 3 percent of the world's oil reserves, but Americans use a quarter of its oil." The President, Ms Pelosi and their Democratic party followers are lying, Republican Senator Inhofe, ranking member of the Senate Committee on...

It recently came to light that individuals employed by ACORN have been apparent accomplices with regard to the conduct of alleged criminal activities. Surprisingly, it was the investigative ingenuity of ordinary citizens who brought this information to the attention of the public. As a Member of Congress, these relevations are of interest to me in that ACORN is the beneficiary of substantial federal funding. As the former Attorney General of my state of California, this story is of great concern to me for an entirely different reason. Ironically, it is those who revealed the alleged illegal acts, rather than the...

The Obama White House has deliberately placed favored Washington institutions of the Bush years in its crosshairs, a sign of an escalating battle between the Democratic administration and some of the city's pre-eminent power players. In recent days, the administration has attacked the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the insurance industry for opposing key administration objectives, has criticized the nation's largest banks and financial firms for outsized executive pay, and has tried to delegitimize the Fox News Channel by mocking its objectivity. "When you're on their side, it's all OK, but if you're not, they rain hell down on you,"...

If the academic year gets pushed deeper into summer, as President Obama is advocating, the grumbling will not be limited just to students and teachers who will be forced to spend more days in school. Critics say the president's call for a longer academic calendar and a shorter summer vacation will bring on a host of unintended consequences -- including increased costs for school systems, major cuts to the nation's hotel and tourism industries, and a serious blow to summer camp operators. Obama says kids in the U.S. spend too little time in the classroom, putting them at a disadvantage...

Vice President Joe Biden proclaimed success beyond expectations Thursday for the $787 billion economic stimulus, but his glowing assessment overlooks many of the program's problems, including delays in releasing money, questionable spending priorities and project picks that are under investigation.

Just watch and LISTEN to the video. You won't believe it. Manning Speaks Out Against the "Mack Daddy"

"July 21/09: The US Senate votes 58-40 in favor of S.Amdt 1469, the Levin-McCain amendment to strip $1.75 billion for 7 F-22As out of the Senate’s FY 2010 defense budget. The additional funds had been inserted in committee, just as the recently-passed FY 2010 House defense budget proposal contains $369 million in initial funding for 12 more F-22s.The vote was heavily determined by state lines, with 40/50 states voting coherently. Both Republicans voted “yea” to F-22 funding removal in AZ, SC and WY. Both Democrats voted against the amendment in CA, CT, HI, NM, and WA. John Kerry [D-MA], who...

SC against abortion for mentally challenged rape victim 22 Jul 2009, 0517 hrs IST, IANS NEW DELHI: In a significant judgement, the Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed a Punjab and Haryana High Court ruling that had allowed authorities to force a mentally challenged rape victim to undergo an abortion. A bench of Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan scrapped a July 17 verdict of the high court ordering medical termination of the pregnancy of 19-year-old mentally challenged, unwed and orphan girl Radha (name changed), raped by a staff of the government shelter home in Chandigarh. The bench, which also included Justice...

So to serve the state is a humbling responsibility, because I know in my soul that Alaska is of such import, for America’s security, in our very volatile world. And you know me by now, I promised even four years ago to show MY independence… no more conventional “politics as usual”. And we are doing well! My administration's accomplishments speak for themselves. We work tirelessly for Alaskans. We aggressively and responsibly develop our resources because they were created to be used to better our world... to HELP people... and we protect the environment and Alaskans (the resource owners) foremost with...

HOBBS, N.M. — Renewable energy will be the focus of the 2009 energy conference presented by the New Mexico Center for Energy Policy beginning at 9 a.m. April 14 at the Lea County Events Center. The all-day conference, “The Making of Energy Policy: Where Are We Going? Part II,” features U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., as keynote speaker. It’s a follow-up to the 2008 conference, which featured now-retired U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. Among those who will introduce conference sessions is U.S. Rep. Harry Teague, D-N.M.

IAF drops Russia from $1 bn deal Russia is set to lose a billion dollar (Rs 48,000 crore) defence deal for midair refuellers, signalling a break in its over 50-year-old monopoly as India’s preferred military supplier. The former communist giant has clearly lost favour with the Indian military, as the air force has decided not to field any more Russian Ilyushin-78 refuellers to keep fighter jets airborne for considerably longer periods by tanking them up during flight. After operating Il-78 tankers for almost six years, the Indian Air Force has said the Russian platform does not meet its requirements and...

CHICAGO, May 16 (UPI) -- Three U.S. telemarketing firms accused of making misleading "robocalls" about expiring car warranties must stop the practice, a court says. The Federal Trade Commission announced Friday that a U.S. District Court in Chicago issued a restraining order demanding that three companies accused of aggressively making automated calls to sell auto warranties across the country cease the pitches, The New York Times reported. "For the first time in months, millions of New Yorkers and people across the country will finally have some relief from these annoying calls with potentially thousands saved from falling into this scam,"...

Critics are calling it unpatriotic to abandon the "Freedom Tower" name for an iconic skyscraper rising at ground zero. Former Gov. George Pataki gave the 1,776-foot tower its name in a speech two years after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. He says the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is "outrageous" for deciding to call the tower One World Trade Center.

On the Right and Left, the saga of Gordon Brown's Washington visit continues to run and run here in the US. Fox News's Glenn Beck has just upped the ante by displaying the address of the British Embassy on screen and urging his 2.2 million viewers to write to tell the British people: "They don't suck. We appreciate them." Or something like that. At the liberal end of the spectrum, Jon Stewart of the Daily Show is joining in the mirth. Like Beck, he gets much mileage out of the Obama present of a box set of DVDs, in return...

In my exclusive interview with Barack Obama airing tomorrow on This Week, the president-elect told me that fixing our economy over the long term will require sacrifice from every American and scaling back some of his campaign promises. "Our challenge is going to be identifying what works and putting more money into that, eliminating things that don’t work, and making things that we have more efficient. But I’m not suggesting, George, I want to be realistic here, not everything that we talked about during the campaign are we going to be able to do on the pace we had hoped,"...

Associated Press - link only

Some troubling e-mails following my article "First Amendment 101 – Whoopie’s Lesson," in which I attempted to clarify for Whooopie Goldberg – co-host of ABC’s “The View” – some of the finer truths regarding the establishment clause, has prompted me to expand the tutorial for her (and for those who suggested I ought to do more research before commenting on such “nuanced” and “complicated” matters as the first amendment). From the top. The oft-alluded to “separation of church and state” clause exists nowhere in the federal Constitution. (This should be a booming “well, duh” factoid by now). Thomas Jefferson’s use...

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/border_security/border_patrol/bp_videos/

WASHINGTON – A controversial one-year program allowing Mexican trucks to travel deep into the United States will be extended for two more years, federal officials announced Monday. John H. Hill, administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, said the extension would allow for the collection of more data to determine whether Mexican trucks can operate safely in the United States. Opponents quickly denounced the move, which some had been expecting despite their protests that the program poses a danger on U.S. highways. Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, accused U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary...

A software engineer, the owner of a miniature golf course and nine other men, many from Central Florida, traveled to Polk County to have sex with a child, deputies said. Deputies with the Polk County Sheriff's Office arrested the 11 men on charges of soliciting sex from a child through the Internet during Operation Paladin -- a two-week online sex sting in which investigators, posing as a 14-year-old girl, used chat rooms and instant messaging programs to lure the men to a location in Polk County. ... Rick Nieves, 22, of Orlando, Extreme UpholsteryRobert Cirone, 42, of Lakeland, unemployedFarhan Mujahid,...

Results of N.H. Primaries Each link will take a minute or two to load.Scroll on town for total votes and percentages. http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/nh/nh_primary_gop_results_by_town/ For those who think Hillary was up to shenenanigans check out the towns where she won. http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/nh/nh_primary_gop_results_by_town/

In running for president, Mr. Bush's use of religious language was a careful, studied process. Initially, he was uncomfortable about talking publicly about his faith. "I view my religion as very personal," he told me in 1999, fidgeting in his chair in the governor's office in Austin. "I want people to judge me on my deeds, not how I try to define myself as a religious person of words." Mr. Bush hired speechwriter Michael Gerson, a graduate of evangelical Wheaton College, and he slowly invested his boss' speeches with words and phrases that resonated with Protestants. Mr. Rove enlisted the...

Rumor circulating on the Fred08 blog that there is going to be a major "surprise" announcement coming this morning. Perhaps an NRA endorsement or a major political figure?

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Republican White House hopeful John McCain said he wants "a crash program" in civilian and military schools that emphasizes language and creates a "new specialty in strategic interrogation" so the nation never feels the need for torture. McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war who suffered mistreatment, talked about the new proposal at a Columbia campaign stop Saturday. McCain said he wanted to create an Army Advisory Corps of 20,000 soldiers to act as military advisers and a new Office of Strategic Services to fight terrorists. He said he wanted them to pursue "a crash program in...

I tend to agree with one of our local talk show hosts who recently stated that while Rudy might be able to fool enough people during the primaries that he isn't all that liberal, you can bet when he goes up against Hillary she is going to make sure everybody knows his dirty little secret that most of the media including Fox News is trying to white-wash. I am what is known as a Social Conservative. I voted for President George W. Bush twice and do not regret either vote even though he has disappointed me and even though I...

Video at link...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2007 – U.S. goals for progress in Iraq have not changed, but the timeline has been set back in order to achieve those goals, President Bush said here today. Bush said the original goal of turning security control over to Iraqis in all 18 of the country’s provinces by November has been delayed because progress has been slower than originally estimated. Still, he said, Iraqi control of the country’s provinces is an important step in denying al Qaeda and other extremist groups’ free movement in the region. “I believe it's worth it for the security of...

Former American football star O.J. Simpson has been charged with eight offences, including kidnapping and armed robbery, court documents showed Tuesday. Simpson, an iconic sports star who was dramatically acquitted of brutally murdering his ex-wife and her friend 12 years ago, is to appear in court in Las Vegas on Wednesday for an arraignment hearing. The charges against Simpson and three other men were detailed in a criminal complaint filed by Nevada prosecutors in Clark County on Tuesday, following the fallen icon's arrest on Sunday in connection with an alleged armed robbery. Simpson and the men have been charged with...

(Some taps fail spot tests for cleanliness) Wisconsin beer lovers who belly up to the bar for an ice cold tap aren't always being served the fresh draft they're paying for and instead are getting mouthfuls of unwelcome bacteria.Brewers, both big and small, say Wisconsin bars and restaurants - including downtown hot spots - aren't cleaning their beer lines as they should, leading to a buildup of bacteria that "infects" and spoils tap beer. "They actually can be very, very dirty, to the point that you'd be shocked," said Dan Carey, the brewmaster for the New Glarus Brewing Co. in...

WASHINGTON – Immigration officials sharpened their message a day after being coy about whether they would agree to halt enforcement raids during the 2010 census. “We won't entertain any request to scale back our efforts,” Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Kelly Nantel said Friday. Census officials had planned to speak with immigration agents about curbing enforcement during the population count, the Census Bureau's second-ranking official said in an interview earlier this week. Raids during the population count would make an already distrustful group even less likely to cooperate with government workers who are supposed to include them in the headcount,...

this week’s cover story of Der Spiegel-- titled "Baghdad Babylon: SPIEGEL-Reporter with U.S. Soldiers in the Iraq War," provided an unexpectedly upbeat assessment of the current surge strategy in Iraq. For three weeks in July, Der Spiegel reporter Ullrich Fichtner and his photographer traveled across Iraq under the auspices of the U.S. military to get a first-hand impression of the situation on the ground. Online, the 15-page in-depth Iraq trip article titled "The Hellish Peace" is only available to Spiegel subscribers: During an online-chat yesterday about his recent trip to Iraq, Ullrich Fichtner provided the following assessments: "I think that...

WASHINGTON – The House threw its weight yesterday behind a Senate-approved ban on the use of cruel, inhuman and degrading interrogation techniques – a major defeat for President Bush that raises pressure on the White House to reach a compromise on the measure. Democrats were joined by 107 Republicans in the 308-122 vote, which instructed House members to adopt the Senate ban during conference committee negotiations over a Defense Department spending bill. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., who has recently clashed with the White House over Iraq policy, proposed the instruction. Advertisement "We cannot torture and still retain the moral high...

WASHINGTON – Lawmakers voted yesterday to cut federal aid to education for the first time in a decade as the House narrowly passed a spending bill that would freeze or cut back a wide variety of domestic programs. The $602 billion measure includes education, health research, and medical and job training programs. After years of budget increases, the measure essentially imposes a 1 percent cut to programs funded at lawmakers' discretion, providing $142.5 billion for them. The rest of the bill's funding represents mandatory payments, chiefly for the Medicare and Medicaid programs. AdvertisementThe cuts in the bill, a compromise between...

First the DNC tries to legally threaten a poster to the Free Republic website - claiming that the poster defamed DNC chairman Howard Dean. Next thing ya know, Howard Dean and the DNC are being sued for defamation and discrimination by a former employee - claiming among other things that Dean discriminates against gays and violated the “D.C. Human Rights Act�. [Hat-tip: CourthouseNews]One word: Karma.

Thanks to Kalam, he can now fight, standing Jaya Menon Posted online: Saturday, May 05, 2007 Tamil Nadu bus conductor lost his legs in an accident, a letter to Kalam on experiment led to new lease of life Chennai, May 4: For P Thangamarimuthu (38), both of whose legs were amputated after an accident more than three years ago, it’s virtually a fresh lease of life. And the person who gave him new hope was none other than President A P J Abdul Kalam. The two had never met before. But Thangamarimuthu, formerly a conductor in a government transport bus,...

China could have military edge by 2010 2007/4/25 LONDON, AFP China's rapid beefing up of its military might should give it the edge over Taiwan for the first time by 2010, Jane's Defense Weekly said Tuesday. China announced last month a 17.8-percent rise in military spending to US$45 billion for this year -- a boost aimed at making its forces capable of a quick, decisive invasion of Taiwan while deterring US intervention, the authoritative magazine said. "China is working hard to transform its Vietnam War-era defense establishment into a credible regional military power with a new generation of indigenous equipment,...

BHUBANESWAR, India (Reuters) - India carried out a successful test on Thursday of its longest-range ballistic missile, the Agni III, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead more than 3,000 km (1,900 miles), scientists said. Defence analysts say the Agni III is primarily designed to counter the military strength of China, which also has nuclear weapons, while shorter-range versions of the missile have been developed with long-time rival Pakistan in mind. The launch of the longest-range Agni, which means "fire" in the Sanskrit language, came after a failed test last July when the missile plunged into the Bay of...

WASHINGTON - Pet food contaminated with an industrial chemical may have sickened or killed 39,000 cats and dogs nationwide, based on an extrapolation from data released Monday by one of the nation’s largest chains of veterinary hospitals.

South African Navy Commissions Charlotte Maxeke (Source: ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems; issued March 14, 2007) EMDEN/HAMBURG/KIEL, Germany --- On March 14, 2007, the South African Navy commissioned the submarine “Charlotte Maxeke” at Emden-based Nordseewerke GmbH (NSWE), a company of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems AG (TKMS). This submarine is an ultra-modern submarine of the German 209/1400mod Class. During commissioning ceremony the boat which was christened as S102 on May 4, 2005, got the new name “Charlotte Maxeke.” The boat is the second of a total of three submarines which the South African government ordered from the German Submarine Consortium in 2000. The consortium...

The U.S. government conducted a series of secret war games in 1999 that anticipated an invasion of Iraq would require 400,000 troops, and even then chaos might ensue. In its "Desert Crossing" games, 70 military, diplomatic and intelligence officials assumed the high troop levels would be needed to keep order, seal borders and take care of other security needs. The documents came to light Saturday through a Freedom of Information Act request by the George Washington University's National Security Archive, an independent research institute and library. "The conventional wisdom is the U.S. mistake in Iraq was not enough troops," said...

This is a report from the Keep Arkansas Legal Meeting, Saturday October 8th at the Fletcher Library. Keep Arkansas Legal is a Central Arkansas group dedicated to stopping illegal immigration. We mainly discussed the effects of illegal immigration on Arkansas. Sharon told stories of how illegals who are supposed to do lawn work end up trashing the place. We all talked about ways to get people’s attention about this issue. Topics include the Mexican Consulate in Little Rock, Aztlan, in-state tuition for illegals, welfare for illegals, and population congestion. Brent gave us all a DVD about how socialism is destroying...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- 40/29 News, along with its media partners, The Morning News and Magic 107.9FM, are hosting a gubernatorial debate tonight (October 4th). For viewers not in the Fort Smith or Fayetteville markets, the debate will be livestreamed online at thehometownchannel.com. Republican candidate Asa Hutchinson and Democratic candidate Mike Beebe will answer questions from a media panel. The media panel will consist of Craig Cannon of 40/29 News, who will also serve as moderator. Joining Cannon on the panel will be Regional Editor for The Morning News Brenda Blagg and News Director for Magic 107.9FM Jess Smith. The two...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2006 – Families of the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, are not happy about the unit’s 46-day extension in Iraq, but they are accepting it well and the Army has many systems in place to support them while their loved ones are deployed, the unit’s rear detachment commander said today. “The families don’t particularly like it, but they have understood all along that this was a possibility,” said Army Maj. Tony Perry, commander of the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division’s Task Force Ready. “The families also realize the importance of supporting their soldier and the mission they...

State courts say that Colorado teachers unions do not have to follow a new rule that empowers members to choose whether to fund union political causes. A favorable decision from the U.S. Supreme Court in the coming session could aid in restoring union members' rights. In August, the Colorado Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers filed a complaint against Secretary of State Gigi Dennis for issuing the campaign rule. Denver District Court Judge John McMullen enjoined the rule from applying to the teachers unions. On Thursday the Colorado Court of Appeals upheld the temporary injunction. On Monday, pending...

Facts from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about wolves in Park County and northwest Wyoming include: There are at least 75 wolves in at least nine packs in Park County. Two additional packs are suspected but they haven't yet been confirmed. Final cattle depredation numbers won't be available until the end of the year. Wolf numbers this year have increased in Wyoming... There are about 143 wolves in Yellowstone Park in 14 packs. There's about 166 wolves in Wyoming outside Yellowstone Park in 17-20 packs. Idaho has about 650 wolves in 70 packs. Numbers from Montana this year are...

The Democratic congressman running against Republican Secretary of State Ken Blackwell in the Ohio governor’s race said the state’s job-loss problem is not caused by high taxes or regulation, but by not having abortion on demand. He made the statement on Wednesday. The Democratic congressman who made this statment? Liberal candidate Ted Strickland, who is trying to paint Blackwell as an extremist for being pro-life. But his comments raise the question: Who is the extremist here? When Strickland was asked what he would do in his first 100 days to help create jobs, his reply was essentially to replace Ohio...

WASHINGTON - In a new sign of mounting strain from the war in Iraq, the Army has extended the combat tours of about 4,000 soldiers who would otherwise be returning home, defense officials said Monday. The 1st Brigade of 1st Armored Division, which is operating in the vicinity of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, will be kept in place for several weeks beyond its scheduled departure, the officials said. The officials spoke only on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been formally announced by the Pentagon. The brigade's home base is in Germany. The soldiers' families were...

Sean Hannity visited Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. Hannity's lecture included the time he tricked Paul Begala with the quotes John Kerry made supporting invading Iraq. He also spoke about facing the evil of our time in the same way we had to face Hitler. Hannity did many impersonations of Bill Clinton and talked about how the democrats had lost the South. He briefly talked about his disagreements with Repubicans on the issues of over-spending and illegal immigration. His ending statement was that in times of war, we need the right people in power. During Q/A session, most of the...

JONESBORO, AR - Gubernatorial candidates Mike Beebe (D) and Asa Hutchinson (R) will face off in a debate tonight at Arkansas State University's Fowler Center in Jonesboro. But two other gubernatorial hopefuls, Independent candidate Rod Bryan and Green Party candidate Jim Lendall, plan to travel to Jonesboro to protest their exclusion from the 7 p.m. debate. Tonight's forum begins at 7 p.m. and will be moderated by KAIT News anchor Diana Davis. KAIT will also broadcast the event live via streaming video on KAIT8.com. The debate will be aired on a tape-delay basis on KAIT beginning at 9 p.m. The...

SAN FRANCISCO Extending beyond the skullduggery that pried loose people's private phone records, Hewlett-Packard Co. investigators hunting for a boardroom leak shadowed the company's directors and tried to install snooping software on at least one reporter's computer, according to published reports. While the additional surveillance reported by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal may provoke more indignation about HP's probe, the tactics aren't likely to shift the focus of the inquiries into whether the company and its investigators broke any laws in their quest to identify the boardroom leaker. Authorities and politicians remain primarily concerned about the...