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So the House passed the Waxman-Markey climate-change bill. In political terms, it was a remarkable achievement. But 212 representatives voted no. A handful of these no votes came from representatives who considered the bill too weak, but most rejected the bill because they rejected the whole notion that we have to do something about greenhouse gases. And as I watched the deniers make their arguments, I couldn't help thinking that I was watching a form of treason — treason against the planet.... The fact is that the planet is changing faster than even pessimists expected: ice caps are shrinking, arid...

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Bernie Madoff sentenced to 150 years......coming through the wire now (heard on Fox News)....

The United States Supreme Court Has Overturned Sotomayor Once Again In Ricci V. Destefano SOTOMAYOR HAS NOW HAD SEVEN OF HER DECISIONS GO BEFORE THE HIGH COURT, AND THE COURT AGREED WITH HER REASONING ONLY ONCE   Ricci v. Destefano 530 F.3d 87 (2008) - Reversed 5-4Riverkeeper, Inc. v. EPA, 475 F.3d 83 (2007) -- Reversed 6-3 (Dissenting: Stevens, Souter, Ginsburg) Knight v. Commissioner, 467 F.3d 149 (2006) -- Upheld, But Reasoning Was Unanimously Faulted Dabit v. Merrill Lynch, 395 F.3d 25 (2005) -- Reversed 8-0 Empire Healthchoice Assurance, Inc. v. Mcveigh, 396 F.3d 136 (2005) - Upheld 5-4 (Dissenting: Breyer,...

“I love America. That’s why it has to be destroyed.“ The quotation cited above comes from a liberal character in the 2008 satirical comedy “An American Carol.” David Zucker’s film skewered the American political left for its arrogance and its hypocrisy. Sadly, one can easily see President Obama or some member of his administration expressing a similar oxymoronic sentiment to explain its peculiar and destructive policies. Obama seems intent upon destroying the American love affair with the automobile by crippling the auto industry and laying waste to the larger economy. If no one can afford to drive a car, it...

The Government’s ‘equality’ watchdog is recruiting 14 and 15-year-olds for its second annual summer camp. The camp, called Our Space, will consist of a few days in the Lake District with outdoor activities and “modules to discuss diversity, equality and rights”. The camp is being organised by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), the body which recently funded a leading homosexual lobby group to write a guide for employers on how to deal with religious workers. The same watchdog gave an atheist group £35,000 last year which was used to fund another set of guidance which told employers that...

The stars are not twinkling bright this summer. Hollywood's movie studios, hopeful that marquee-name actors would push their summer box-office receipts to record levels, are finding that the heavyweights aren't winning over audiences like they used to. With all but a couple of big-budget films already opened, the summer of 2009 is shaping up to be one of the worst on record for Hollywood's A-list talent.

A small, private college in North Carolina is asking creditors to be patient as it tries to raise money to pay nearly $1 million in past-due bills. Greensboro College, with 1,300 students,already has cut salaries 20 percent and a week ago was told to pay an $8,000 electric bill or lose power, The News & Record of Greensboro reported Sunday. Next, a sheriff's deputy brought a summons to small claims court to the college telling officials to appear because of an overdue office supply bill of $1,245. The 161-year-old liberal arts college also owed $136,889 for cafeteria service, $13,388 for...

The Government’s ‘equality’ watchdog is recruiting 14 and 15-year-olds for its second annual summer camp. The camp, called Our Space, will consist of a few days in the Lake District with outdoor activities and “modules to discuss diversity, equality and rights”. The camp is being organised by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), the body which recently funded a leading homosexual lobby group to write a guide for employers on how to deal with religious workers. The same watchdog gave an atheist group £35,000 last year which was used to fund another set of guidance which told employers that...

Ok, I don't usually wade into the entire "global warming" schism on this board, preferring to write about it on Musings instead. But this is going to hit the economy, and as such I'm compelled to do so. You have to be living under a rock to not know that The House passed an "energy bill" late Friday that includes what amounts to a carbon tax via so-called "cap and trade." Let's first define what this is - "Cap and Trade" is a taxation system when what you do (commercially) that causes carbon dioxide to be emitted into the atmosphere...

....the American president is willing to engage in negotiations with Iran’s illegitimate regime. Barack Obama responded to the violence in Tehran by returning the American ambassador to Syria, whose leader Bashar Assad was the first to congratulate Ahmadinejad for his fraudulent “victory.” Obama stammers when he needs to defend democracy and human rights, unless we are dealing with Hamas’ right to openly try to exterminate the State of Israel or the right of Muslim fanatics to produce nuclear Advertisement bombs with no interruptions.

The Court has held that Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (08-205) will be reargued on Wednesday, September 9 at 10 a.m. The Court has issued the following written order: “The parties should address the following question: ‘For the disposition of this case, should the Court overrule either or both Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce and the part of McConnell v. FEC which addresses the facial validity of Section 203 of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002?’

Michael Jackson weighed just 8st 1oz when he suffered a fatal heart attack on Thursday, according to newspaper reports. Quoting leaked post-mortem results, The Sun said the 5ft 10 singer's body was "severely emaciated" and his stomach contained nothing more than partially dissolved pills. Despite having a punishing rehearsal schedule for his upcoming concerts, Jackson was understood to be eating once a day - which could explain his weight. The paper also claimed to have seen notes that said Jackson's hair had fallen out and that his face was covered in plastic surgery scars. Several of his ribs were allegedly...

Michael Jackson weighed just 8st 1oz when he suffered a fatal heart attack on Thursday, according to newspaper reports. Quoting leaked post-mortem results, The Sun said the 5ft 10 singer's body was "severely emaciated" and his stomach contained nothing more than partially dissolved pills. Despite having a punishing rehearsal schedule for his upcoming concerts, Jackson was understood to be eating once a day - which could explain his weight. The paper also claimed to have seen notes that said Jackson's hair had fallen out and that his face was covered in plastic surgery scars. Several of his ribs were allegedly...

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court ruled Monday that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge. New Haven was wrong to scrap a promotion exam because no African-Americans and only two Hispanic firefighters were likely to be made lieutenants or captains based on the results, the court said Monday in a 5-4 decision. The city said that it had acted to avoid a lawsuit from minorities. The ruling could alter employment practices nationwide, potentially limiting the circumstances in which...

Just called Castle's office. I asked if he read the bill. He said most of the bill was out. The 300 pages that came out the night before he did the best he could do to read it. (but implying he didn't finish reading it) We need to help pass a law to STRIP THE PENSION OF CONGRESSMAN who don't fully read bills.

The region had the nation's biggest percentage jump in 2008, and the number this year through April is up 75% despite a 2005 rule overhaul aimed at curbing filings by those who would benefit unfairly. Going legally broke has made a big comeback -- especially in the Los Angeles area -- despite a mid-decade revision to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code intended to curb filings. The number of Southern Californians seeking bankruptcy protection nearly doubled in 2008 from 2007 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court's seven-county California Central District, by far the biggest increase in the nation. Bankruptcy is still booming. Personal...

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran has ordered an inquiry in to the "suspicious" death of Neda Soltan, the woman shot by government militiamen during a protest in Tehran. The President sent a letter to the chief of Iran's judiciary, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, requesting a serious investigation to help to identify and prosecute “the elements” behind the killing earlier this month. “Given the many fabricated reports around this heartbreaking incident and the widespread propaganda by the foreign media... it seems there is clear interference by the enemies of Iran who want to misuse the situation politically and tarnish the clean...