Free Republic

Latin music ‘tends to make us move a little bit ourselves,’ says ObamaWASHINGTON - The White House became "La Casa Blanca" on Tuesday, celebrating Hispanic musical heritage with a South Lawn concert and such guests as Gloria Estefan, George Lopez, the Bachata music group Aventura, Jose Feliciano and more. President Barack Obama said Latin music, while hard to define because it comes in so many forms — from salsa to merengue and Bachata to reggaeton — speaks to everyone in a language they can all understand. "It moves us, and it tends to make us move a little bit ourselves,"...

Yesterday, the so called Doctor Fix failed in the Senate. This was the measure that would stop Medicare cuts set to go into effect next year. The measure would have cost $247 billion over the next ten years. Harry Reid wanted to pass it on its own mostly in order to not have the cost be included in the final health care bill. The AMA was strongly behind the measure and the Democrats were hoping to get them aboard health care reform. Thirteen Democrats joined all the Republicans to defeat the measure.

A former Clinton State Department official named Nigel Purvis laid out the extremely detailed blue-print for passing climate-treaties without Senate approval in a paper he wrote entitled "Paving the Way for U.S. Climate Leadership: The Case for Executive Agreements and Climate Protection Authority.” written in April 2008. That document is attached to this email, and can also be downloaded directly from [link to www.rff.org] -- It is worth noting that Mr. Purvis is now an Obama aid. The paper written by Mr. Purvis explores “whether some international agreements are inherently treaties under the Constitution, or whether the President and Congress...

Tennessee is urging 49 other states to come together and create a "joint working group between the states" to combat unconstitutional federal legislation and assert state rights. Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen signed HJR 108, the State Sovereignty Resolution on June 23. According to the Tenth Amendment Center, the resolution created a committee to form a joint working group between the states to enumerate the abuses of authority by the federal government and seek repeal of imposed mandates. State Rep. Susan Lynn recently wrote a letter to the other 49 state legislatures, inviting them to join the group and warning that...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GOODLAND HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM MDT THURSDAY. THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. SNOWFALL REPORTS OF 4 TO 5 INCHES WERE RECEIVED WEDNESDAY EVENING WEST OF VONA ACROSS KIT CARSON COUNTY AND NEAR KIRK IN SOUTHWEST YUMA COUNTY. SNOW, HEAVY AT TIMES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS BEFORE DIMINISHING WITH ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES EXPECTED. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THURSDAY MORNING ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 6 TO 8 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ACROSS WESTERN KIT CARSON...

"Propaganda is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. If the means achieves the end then the means is good.........the new Ministry has no other aim than to unite the nation behind the ideal of the national revolution." Joseph Goebbels President Obama is a bully, he doesn't like being questioned or crossed. Like most of the bullying kind, if you disagree with him he will go after you with personal attacks full guns blaring. Just look at some examples of the people who have crossed the President and got smack down by the Bully-in-Chief or his...

CNN: 51% disagree with the messiah, 48% do: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/10/20/cnn-poll-half-the-country-disagrees-with-obama-on-issues/ RASMUSSEN: The messiah loses on 10 out of 10 issues. GOP increased its lead in 9 out of 10 categories since last month. But particularly note the Health Care, Social Security, Economy, and Taxes numbers. Does the Democratic Party feel like demonizing their opponents on health care rationing some more? http://www.rasmussenreports.com/scoreboards/by_the_numbers2/by_the_numbers HARRIS INTERACTIVE POLL: Majorities of Americans give the messiah Negative Ratings on his Handling of 12 Major issues. Among the lowest are unemployment, the federal deficit and the war in Afghanistan. http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/pubs/Harris_Poll_2009_10_19.pdf

CHARLESTON -- The governor of the country's second-largest coal-producing state is angling for a sit-down with President Barack Obama over his administration's stance on climate change and its pursuit of cap-and-trade legislation. West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin told The Associated Press on Tuesday that his state has a role to play as the nation considers cutting climate-affecting energy sources. Carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere, and coal releases that gas when burned. The White House wishes to curb carbon emissions and reduce the use of fossil-derived fuel, though that goal also dovetails with the push to replace foreign oil...

There's something the Democratic lawmakers who are pushing cap-and-trade legislation don't want the public to know. The controversial climate-change legislation winding its way through Congress will impose a massive new national gas tax on the American people. We discovered this by analyzing what the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill would do to gas prices and what Americans spend on gasoline, diesel and jet fuels. We found that cap-and-trade legislation will levy a $3.6 trillion gas-tax increase that will impact every American and important segments of our economy. Americans travel more than 200 million vehicle miles each month, and annually we spend nearly...

Sending Anita Dunn—who is probably not enjoying her proverbial 15 minutes of fame—out onto the north lawn of the White House to attack Fox News is serving its purpose. The responsibility for determining which of the national news networks are legitimate and which ones are not is something the founders did not include in the executive powers section of the Constitution. One might even argue that the inclusion of the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights is a pretty clear sign they thought that giving any part of the federal government the power to do so would not, to...

For the first time since he took over in the White House, Americans don't see eye to eye with President Barack on the important issues, according to a new national poll. But the CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey does indicate that a majority approve of how Obama's handling his duties as president. According to the poll, which was released Tuesday, 48 percent of people questioned say that they agree with Obama on the issues that matter most to them, with 51 percent saying no. That's a switch from April, when 57 percent said they agreed with the president on important issues,...

Patriotic music belted from speakers Monday afternoon ... The Western Slope Conservative Alliance and other local conservative groups staged demonstrations at all four corners on city sidewalks to again voice opposition to nationalized health care reform. Alliance members have gathered at least six times since summer to stage rallies, the most recent protests near Grand Junction City Hall and the Federal Building. the group gathers at the intersection because it is near the Alpine Bank building offices of Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., and Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., has an office around the corner at the Federal...

"Benefit" is not the correct word, as Cap and Trade will not be a net benefit to any state, being a direct tax on productivity and business in the name of warding off the scam of man-made global warming. That being said, the Waxman-Baucus Bill, Waxman (D-MA) and Baucus (D-CA), will aid special interests in Massachusetts and California more than it will special interests from other states. A little noticed Environmental Protection Agency analysis shows that the pending climate-change bill in Congress would particularly benefit the states represented by its primary authors. The analysis, obtained by The Washington Times, shows...

Earth: An environmental writer mainstreams an idea floating around the green fringe — save the earth by population control and give carbon credits to one-child families. Are we threatened by the patter of little carbon footprints? New York Times environmental writer Andrew Revkin participated in an Oct. 14 panel discussion on climate change with other media pundits titled "Covering Climate: What's Population Got To Do With It?" People who need people they are not. In a recently rediscovered book, "Ecoscience: Population, Resources, Environment," co-authored with Malthus fans Paul and Anne Ehrlich, Holdren wrote that families "contribute to general social deterioration...

Politics: Move over, John McCain and Olympia Snowe. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is fast becoming the Democrats' favorite Republican as he partners with John Kerry to push cap-and-trade through the Senate. Earlier this year, eight Republican congressmen made it possible for Waxman-Markey, the 1,400-page job- and economy-killing cap-and-trade legislation, to barely pass the House of Representatives. At the time it seemed dead on arrival in the Senate if it was brought up there this year. Once again, as with their medical plan, the Democrats seek to better the odds by putting a GOP hood ornament on a Democratic clunker....

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it was the victim of fraud Monday after a group claiming to represent the organization said the Chamber had switched its position on climate change. A Chamber of Commerce spokesman said he broke up a group holding a fake press briefing at the National Press Club stating that the Chamber now supports the science of climate change and stringent legislation to curb greenhouse gas emissions. He said the group used a chamber emblem at the briefing. The spokesman said the Chamber hasn't questioned the science of climate change but rather some of...

Since taking office as the President of the United States, President Obama has encountered crisis after crisis. His next major crisis will be oil prices. Since taking office as the President of the United States, President Obama has encountered crisis after crisis. His next major crisis will be oil prices. If you listen to this White House this President has faced and solved more major crisis than any former President has faced during the 1st year of their Presidencies. People are getting tired of the boy who cried wolf and beginning to wonder if maybe some of these so called...

Population growth is the real driver for higher greenhouse gas emission, so why don't more mainstream solutions start there? Andrew Revkin, an environmental reporter for The New York Times and author of the paper's Dot Earth blog, warns that the math is pretty depressing. There are about 6.8 billion people on the planet today, a number projected to get to 9 billion by 2050. Americans, the world's greatest per-capita emitters of greenhouse gas emissions, produce about 20 tons of the stuff per person, per year. If we were to cut that in half, as emissions rose with the quality of...

According to most conservatives in South Carolina, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has officially gone over to the dark side. Under the guise of 'bipartisanship,' Graham has signed on to one of the left's most ambitious plans to impose a socialist agenda in America - government control of the formerly free market through implementation of cap-and trade, the 1,400 plus page Waxman-Markey bill approved earlier this year by the House.   The main (scientifically unproven) premise of cap and trade is that the earth is melting and government must step in to save the world. Of course, it will be expensive,...

Tom Borelli October 15, 2009 Nike, Starbucks and Other Team Up With the Left to Sell Cap-and-Trade Every day we have an opportunity to vote with our wallets by letting companies know there is a price to pay for colluding with those who oppose our values. "Yes We Can!" the slogan used by then-Senator Obama during last year’s presidential campaign – is now being used by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) to launch a last ditch effort to jumpstart cap-and-trade legislation in the Senate. Graham and Kerry’s commentary, “Yes We Can (Pass Climate Change Legislation)” published in...

Now that the Senate Finance Committee has approved its health care bill, it’s a good time to step back and take a look at the long term consequences should its provisions be enacted into law. The bill prohibits insurance companies from refusing coverage to people with pre-existing conditions and from charging sick people higher premiums. [1] It attempts to offset the costs this will impose on insurance companies by requiring everyone to purchase coverage, which in theory would expand the pool of paying policy holders. However, the maximum fine for those who refuse to purchase health insurance is $750. [2]...

Now that the Senate Finance Committee has approved its health care bill, it’s a good time to step back and take a look at the long term consequences should its provisions be enacted into law. The bill prohibits insurance companies from refusing coverage to people with pre-existing conditions and from charging sick people higher premiums. [1] It attempts to offset the costs this will impose on insurance companies by requiring everyone to purchase coverage, which in theory would expand the pool of paying policy holders. However, the maximum fine for those who refuse to purchase health insurance is $750. [2]...

Harper's inconvenient truth The prime minister knows cap-and-trade is wrong for Canada and bad for Canadians. He should say it By LORRIE GOLDSTEIN, ASSOCIATE EDITORPrime Minister Stephen Harper is too clever by half on global warming. Politically, he's taken the smart position -- Canada will match whatever U.S. President Barack Obama does. That's not only clever, but true. We have to match what the U.S. does because it's our major trading partner. The problem is with the centrepiece of Obama's plan -- creating a U.S. cap-and-trade market in carbon dioxide emissions into which Canada will be sucked, along with the...

Now that the Senate Finance Committee has approved its health care bill, it’s a good time to step back and take a look at the long term consequences should its provisions be enacted into law. The bill prohibits insurance companies from refusing coverage to people with pre-existing conditions and from charging sick people higher premiums. [1] It attempts to offset the costs this will impose on insurance companies by requiring everyone to purchase coverage, which in theory would expand the pool of paying policy holders. However, the maximum fine for those who refuse to purchase health insurance is $750. [2]...

The ranking Republican on the Senate's energy committee on Saturday signaled she could vote for a revised version of Democrats' forthcoming cap-and-trade bill. In an interview to air Sunday on C-SPAN, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) explained she would "keep her mind open" during debate over the hotly contested carbon-reduction proposal, a version of which has already passed the House. The Alaska Republican also suggested she could vote for the final bill if it expands domestic oil drilling and better funds nuclear power. "When you see changes to the land coming about ... what is causing the loss of...

According to most conservatives in South Carolina, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has officially gone over to the dark side. Under the guise of 'bipartisanship,' Graham has signed on to one of the left's most ambitious plans to impose a socialist agenda in America - government control of the formerly free market through implementation of cap-and trade, the 1,400 plus page Waxman-Markey bill approved earlier this year by the House. The main (scientifically unproven) premise of cap and trade is that the earth is melting and government must step in to save the world. Of course, it will be expensive, but...

A new video from the Center for Freedom and Prosperity Foundation details the effect that a Value-Added Tax, recently proposed by Nancy Pelosi as a way to pay for unfunded liabilities, would have on the American economy. Very, very well done.

In case news of the dramatic costs to you and your family in the healthcare “reform” proposals circulating through Congress hasn’t scared you enough, another unprecedented tax lurks under the radar. It will punish you every time you flip on a light switch or start your car. In June, the House of Representatives narrowly passed the Waxman-Markey energy bill, which aims to increase investment in renewable energy and slash carbon emissions by 17 percent by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050. In early October Senators John Kerry and Barbara Boxer unveiled the Senate’s version of the bill. It is even...

The Culver City Council on Monday unanimously approved a moratorium to halt drilling in the Inglewood Oil Field until next August, by when city officials hope to have drafted a new ordinance that ensures the public’s safety and welfare. The new moratorium will extend one that expires Oct. 8 by 10 months, until Aug. 23, 2010. Plains, Exploration & Production Company, the primary operator of the oil field, has already sent four notices of intent to drill new wells to the State Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources, even though the oil company agreed with the Los Angeles County...

Given that we’re spending billions of stimulus dollars to rebuild our highways, it makes sense to think about what we’ll be driving on them. For years to come, most of what we drive will be powered, at least in part, by diesel fuel or gasoline. To fuel that driving, we need access to oil. The less use we make of our own reserves, the more we will have to import, which leads to a number of harmful consequences. That means we need to drill here and drill now.

Given that weÂ’re spending billions of stimulus dollars to rebuild our highways, it makes sense to think about what weÂ’ll be driving on them. For years to come, most of what we drive will be powered, at least in part, by diesel fuel or gasoline. To fuel that driving, we need access to oil. The less use we make of our own reserves, the more we will have to import, which leads to a number of harmful consequences. That means we need to drill here and drill now. We rely on petroleum for much more than just powering our vehicles:...

Governor Daniels warns the pursuit of "green jobs" and alternative fuels could send energy costs soaring without helping the environment. Daniels' administration has emphasized production of ethanol, biodiesel and other alternative energy sources. But the governor told a conference of industrial energy customers at IUPUI it's an "illusion, or even fantasy" to believe green energy can replace fossil fuels completely. "This isn't policy; this is arithmetic," Daniels says. "We could be the fastest growing state in wind power for the next 25 years, and I hope we are. At that point, it may be somewhat meaningful, but it will not...

The CBO just scored the house version of cap and trade. A House-passed bill that targets climate change through a cap-and-trade system of pollution credits would slow the nation's economic growth slightly over the next few decades and would create "significant" job losses from fossil fuel industries as the country shifts to renewable energy, the head of the Congressional Budget Office told a Senate energy panel Wednesday. CBO Director Douglas W. Elmendorf emphasized that his estimates contained significant uncertainties and "do not include any benefits from averting climate change," but his message nevertheless contrasted sharply with those of President Obama...

As an entrepreneur and resident of Ohio I am used to swimming upstream. Ohio's economy never actually recovered from the 2001 recession. We have been hemorrhaging jobs and population for over a decade. Except for two nuclear power stations and some tiny "green energy" pilot projects, our state is powered by coal fired power plants dotting our lakes and rivers. With our energy intensive manufacturing economy there are few places in the country which will be more affected by Cap and Trade legislation than Ohio. Short of a nuke-wielding dictator threatening to wipe us off the map, it is hard...

Executive Summary The massive energy-regulating bill (H.R. 2454) the House of Representatives passed in June 2009 is now before the Senate. Though the cap-and trade program has received most of the media and public attention surrounding Waxman-Markey, the rest of the bill (at least 628 pages) could create economic harm just as great as cap-and-trade. Without cap-and-trade, H.R. 2454 might still be the most far-reaching, counterproductive package of new taxes, transfers and obstacles to economic growth and liberty ever assembled in one bill. The bill affects so many facets of energy and the economy that simply summarizing its major provisions...

Sarah Palin fans can expect to see a new Palin political organization surface as her memoir, “Going Rogue: An American Life,” hits the shelves next month. The New York Post reported this week that Palin’s new group will be called “Stand Up For Our Nation.” (News Corp. owns both the Post and The Wall Street Journal.) Crawford, who is treasurer of Palin’s existing political-action committee, SarahPAC, refused to provide any details about the new organization’s purpose or structure.

Those angry town hall meetings are back. Last night, at a forum at Furman University, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham was pilloried by protesters for his decision to back Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and for his support for climate change legislation. During the 75-minute event, one man told Graham he had “betrayed” conservatism and made a “pact with the devil” by working with Democrats, and asked when the senator planned to change parties. . . . . . Maybe what really ticked off the conservatives was when Graham argued that the problem should be addressed as soon as...

Periodically, a Republican senator is seized with desire to be the front man for the Democrats' latest regulatory monstrosity in Washington. Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina is now in the throes of this pathological urge, which usually appears just when defeat seems imminent for a big-government scheme like the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade energy bill. Democrats and their liberal buddies in the mainstream media need only whisper the magic word "bipartisanship" and soon enough along comes a gullible GOPer to take the bait. Graham made clear in a Sunday New York Times op-ed written with Sen. John Kerry, D-MA, that he...

Over the next five years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) plans to make climate change its “highest priority.” According to its new “Action Plan” released last month, the branch of the U.S. Department of Interior charged with protecting fish, wildlife and plants will focus first and foremost on the global weather. “Climate change must become our highest priority,” the plan said. “Consequently, we will deploy our resources, creativity and energy in a long-term campaign to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and safeguard fish, wildlife and their habitats.” The Fish and Wildlife Service said it plans to “reach out to...

I would like to extend warm birthday wishes to Margaret Thatcher today. Baroness Thatcher continues to remain a role model to many people, particularly women, around the world. Her career is a collection of "firsts." She was the youngest female Conservative Party member to stand for election in history, she was the first woman to hold the title Leader of the Opposition, and she was the first woman to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. As Prime Minister, she took an active role in defending economic freedom and democratic ideals. Her push to privatize British industry and lower tax...

Lindsey Graham is at it again, playing the same game he learned from his good friend John McCain. When will Republicans in Congress realize that they always get a raw deal when they attempt to reach "bi-partisan" agreements with Democrats? One would think Senator Graham would have already learned the nearly disastrous lesson of his support for amnesty in 2006, but a dual op-ed with John Kerry from Sunday on the Waxman-Markey Cap and Trade bill shows that he has not. The worst thing Graham does is agree that man made global warming exists and is a problem. "First, we...

The surprise endorsement of climate-change legislation by a leading Senate Republican has jump-started the languishing proposal but also has raised the prospect that it will include two major items that environmentalists dislike: more nuclear power and more offshore oil drilling. In an op-ed published Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina joined with Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the chamber's leading Democratic advocate of climate legislation, to promote a bipartisan plan to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. They proposed a compromise that reduces U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions - which are widely considered to contribute to climate change - through a market-based "cap and...

"His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population." - Nobel Peace Prize Committee of the Norwegian Parliament announcing the award to Barack Obama of the 2009 Nobel Prize for Peace. It's not about Barack Obama. It's about the United States of America and its role in history and in the world. The unambiguous message of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee of the Storting, Norway's parliament, is candidly stated in the public announcement of...

So the Senate gets something done. But now it gets interesting. The Senate bills are very theoretical (see Kerry's bill, for example). The House bill is nuts and bolts - counting watts in chandeliers. The conference committee is going to result in a hugely different bill than either house passed. Will the House pass it? No, according to the Minority Whip folks: I asked the question directly, and was told that members previosuly voting for it will not repeat that mistake. Here's the audio:

A major new report confirms the worst fears of many: Health care reform will raise the costs for most Americans—by about 18% on average. That is on top of existing inflation of health coverage. Once the plan is fully phased-in (by 2019), a typical family of four would pay an extra $4,000 each year. When combined with existing inflation, costs would rise from today’s $12,300 annual average to $25,900. Of that 111% increase, $9,600 is due to existing factors uncorrected by the legislation, and $4,000 due to additional costs created by the legislation. For single persons, the differential is projected...

Obama White House to 60,000,000 Anglers: We Don't Need You Obama White House takes on 60,000,000 American anglers. (Hawaii Leisure) A recently released White House document could result in the closures of sport fishing in salt and freshwater areas.Shimano reported: Feds to 60 Million American Anglers: We don't need you A recently published administration document outlines a structure that could result in closures of sport fishing in salt and freshwater areas across America. The White House created an Interagency Oceans Policy Task Force in June and gave them only 90 days to develop a comprehensive federal policy for all U.S....

The New York Times reports that several high profile and long time staffers to Miss Boxer’s (sorry Senator Boxer, Barbie hate’s when you forget that) Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) have resigned since she took over. The most recent resignation is Joe Goffman. Goffman is one of the leading experts on environmental legislation and was key member of the EPW in 1989-90 when the Senate passed amendments to the Clean Air Act establishing a cap-and-trade system on sulfur dioxide pollution. Sources on and off Capitol Hill told the New York Times that responsibilities were being passed to junior staff...

Just when you thought things couldn't possibly get any worse (from The Times)... The Obama administration is considering outbidding the Taliban to persuade Afghan villagers to lay down arms as it struggles to find a new approach to a war that is fast losing public and congressional support. Didn't we send troops to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban? Now the Obama administration is wanting to legitimize yet another terrorist group: Apart from training more Afghan troops, the focus has shifted to accepting a political role for the Taliban, while also trying to weaken them by winning some over. Once again,...

Dozens Rally Against NJ School's Obama Song BURLINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS) ― About 70 protesters let their voices be heard outside a school in New Jersey where students sang praise of President Barack Obama. Members of anti-tax Tea Party groups and others joined outside B. Bernice Young School in Burlington Township Monday to denounce what they believe was political indoctrination of students. The school houses children in kindergarten through second grade. The school began getting attention from conservative commentators last month after a video surfaced of a group of second-graders singing a song that praised Obama last school year. Protesters...

I've always believed in the existence of monsters. During my 20 years as a cop in NYC, I met quite a few of them, many of whom may still be doing time in prisons around the country. However, they were the garden-variety type of monsters; murderers, rapists, armed robbers and other assorted thugs. But there's another, even lower, level of criminal that exists in communities all across America, even in some of our churches. The creature I'm referring to is the pedophile. A few years ago, I received a 6-page letter in the mail from a woman in East Cambridge,...