April 8-10, 2009
Apr 08 06:00 It's Official: CBC Hearts Communists
Apr 08 08:09 Obama Administration: Let's Threaten Our Israeli Allies
Apr 08 08:52 Time's Running Out
Apr 08 10:12 Arne Duncan's Questionable Honesty
Apr 09 04:44 How To Go Toe-To-Toe With Barney Frank
Apr 09 05:44 Myriam Marquez Asks ALL the Right Questions
Apr 10 04:43 Correcting Mr. Schumacher
Apr 10 04:05 Cap & Trade Notes
Apr 10 11:29 Tea Parties: Gateway to Independents?
It's Official: CBC Hearts Communists
It shouldn't surprise anyone to find out that the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) 'hearts' communism. Thanks to this article , though, we have official proof of that:
Key members of the Congressional Black Caucus are calling for an end to U.S. prohibition on travel to Cuba, just hours after a meeting with former Cuban president Fidel Castro in Havana.It isn't surprising that a former Black Panther would have much in common with Castro, especially after considering this information from the Black Panthers' Platform :
"The fifty-year embargo just hasn't worked," CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee (D-Ca.) told reporters this evening at a Capitol press conference after returning from a congressional delegation visit to Cuba. "The bottom line is that we believe its time to open dialogue with Cuba."
Lee and others heaped praise on Castro, calling him warm and receptive during their discussion. But the lawmakers disputed Castro's later statement that members of the congressional delegation said American society is still racist.
"It was quite a moment to behold," Lee said, recalling her moments with Castro.
"It was almost like listening to an old friend," said Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Il.), adding that he found Castro's home to be modest and Castro's wife to be particularly hospitable. "In my household I told Castro he is known as the ultimate survivor," Rush said.
We want full employment for our people.That's a document that Fidel himself would be proud of. Well, except that he's squashed people who've dared demand things of their Cuban government. Still, it's accurate to say that Fidel hasn't objected to his thugs taking over businesses, which seems to be the goal of the Black Panthers' platform. Coming to think of it, it doesn't sound that dissimilar to Obama's TARP takeover.
We believe that the federal government is responsible and obligated to give every person employment or a guaranteed income. We believe that if the American businessmen will not give full employment, then the technology and means of production should be taken from the businessmen and placed in the community so that the people of the community can organize and employ all of its people and give a high standard of living.
Barbara Lee is notorious for being the only person in either house of Congress who voted against the war resolution for Afghanistan. Even Dennis Kucinich voted for it. That's why nothing proceeding from her mouth surprises me. That's why it isn't surprising that she "heaped praise on Castro, calling him warm and receptive during their discussion."
Just because Fidel's kept dissidents locked in prisons for disagreeing with him doesn't mean he isn't capable of great warmth, right? Who cares that some of those dissidents have been imprisoned for several decades? All Fidel did was flash the CBC a smile and he was miraculously transformed into a man of warmth.
Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Ca.) said Castro was receptive to President Obama's message of turning the page in American foreign policy. "He listened. He said the exact same thing" about turning the page "as President Obama said," said Richardson. Richardson said Castro knew her name and district. "He looked right into my eyes and he said, 'How can we help? How can we help President Obama?'"What magnamity on Fidel's behalf! He's such a caring man that he wants to help President Obama. What munificence! Having such proof of Fidel's big-heartedness just sends a tingle down my leg.
Seriously, these droppings disgust me. The article doesn't suggest that the CBC said a thing about Fidel's imprisoning of dissidents or the harsh treatment they receive. Nothing in the article suggests that they did anything other than lavish praise on a ruthless dictator.
Freedom-loving people everywhere should be repulsed by the CBC's behavior. In fact, repulsive is a mild adjective considering the things Fidel's done to people who did nothing more than disagree with him.
In the spirit of bipartisanship, I'm offering this trade: Fidel can keep the CBC's delegation if Fidel liberates the dissidents being kept in his hotels of death.
UPDATE: Ed has more on the Democrats' asskissing here .
Posted Wednesday, April 8, 2009 10:25 AM
Comment 1 by KT D at 08-Apr-09 02:37 PM
You make some valid points. I was also annoyed by Rep. Richardson's absolute praise of Fidel, especially--as you mention here--when there are still 'dissidents' stuck in prison or worse. Yet, while I don't think over-the-top praise nor Fidel's approval were necessary in the recent discussions, I do think the trade embargo is an issue worthy of reexamination. I watched an interesting video on the recent Cuba-U.S. talks at newsy.com. It gives a few different opinions/sources and is worth watching:
http://www.newsy.com/videos/u_s_cuba_removing_the_wall/
Comment 2 by eric z. at 08-Apr-09 05:03 PM
Gary, are you saying they harbor anti-American views, or are engaging in anti-American activities, as in something an UnAmerican Activities committee should investigate? Or do you not go that extreme, and leave that level of hardball discourse to the more outspoken reaches of the House of Representatives?
Comment 3 by Gary Gross at 08-Apr-09 11:20 PM
Eric, Don't hear what I didn't say. If pressed, however, I'd say that their behavior didn't live up to the principles of our Founding Documents.
For elected representatives to talk about a man who despises individual liberty as a "great man of warmth" isn't talking how the Founding Fathers would've talked.
Perhaps you can tell me what American tradition Fidel was following when he imprisoned people for simply disagreeing with him or for writing about what his regime was doing?
The Founding Fathers literally wrote the book on thirsting for freedom. What proof do you have that Fidel thirsts for freedom?
At the heart of Americanism is the thirst for freedom. By that standard, yes, Bobby Rush, Barbara Lee & the rest of these useful idiots didn't measure up to the best of Americanism.
Comment 4 by Kieran Adams at 20-May-10 09:16 PM
Fidel Castro would always be an icon of history evethough he is against the U.S.-`.
Comment 5 by Shower Radio ` at 11-Oct-10 05:17 PM
Fidel Castro may not be a hero for western countries but he did a good job in providing subsidized medical care in Cuba~*~
Obama Administration: Let's Threaten Our Israeli Allies
The Obama administration's intentions towards Israel is crystal clear and disturbing. According to this Haaretz article , the Obama administration is planning on publicly confronting the newly-minted Netanyahu government:
In an unprecedented move, the Obama administration is readying for a possible confrontation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by briefing Democratic congressmen on the peace process and the positions of the new government in Israel regarding a two-state solution.The Obama administration's pro-Arab bent is painfully apparent and disgusting. It appears as though everyone that thinks it's in the United States' interests to afflict Israel while comforting Hamas (to the tune of $900,000,000), Hezbollah and the "moderate factions" of the Taliban has been hired by Obama's State Department or been picked to be President Obama's VP. Here's what VP Biden said during a CNN interview:
The Obama administration is expecting a clash with Netanyahu over his refusal to support the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
In recent weeks, American officials have briefed senior Democratic congressmen and prepared the ground for the possibility of disagreements with Israel over the peace process, according to information recently received. The administration' blockquote Congress.
United States Vice President Joe Biden told CNN on Tuesday he did not think that Israel's new government would order a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. "I don't believe that Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu would do that. I think he would be ill-advised to do that," Biden told the U.S. network's reporter Wolf Blitzer.This question needs to be asked of this administration: Why are they so friendly to terrorists bust hostile towards allied democracies? Doesn't the Obama administration believe in giving carrots to our allies? Doesn't this administration believe in giving terrorists a healthy taste of the United States' stick?
Thus far, I haven't seen proof that this administration's national security priorities are the right priorities. Thus far, I've seen abundant proof that their priorities are as wayward as Jimmy Carter's priorities were.
There are signs that this is part of the Obama administration's campaign against Israel and against their critics here stateside. This article is written in a serious tone but its content is laughable:
In America's struggle against the extremists and terrorists epitomized by Al Qaeda, the strategic imperatives are to divide the enemy and neutralize their base. Fortunately for the United States and its allies, the new American president understands how to do that-and is uniquely suited to accomplish the mission.Joe Conason isn't a journalist. He's a cheap political hack :
From 1978 to 1990, he worked as a columnist and staff writer at The Village Voice.Does that sound like the history of someone who's qualified to write about national security issues? Let's get serious.
In The Free Voice of Labor], a 1980 documentary movie about the Yiddish anarchist newspaper Freie Arbeiter Stimme (or Free voice of labor), a young Joe was interviewed. His grandfather Joseph Cohen served as the paper's editor for a number of years and Conason may have been an intern for them.
From 1990 to 1992, Conason was "editor-at-large" for Details magazine. In 1992, he became a columnist for the New York Observer, a position he still holds.
He served as investigative editor for The American Prospect.
In 1992 Conason wrote an article for Spy magazine naming Jennifer Fitzgerald and Jane Morgan as women who allegedly were having affairs with George H. W. Bush, using Linda Tripp as a source.
Conason was a regular guest and a guest host on The Al Franken Show, where he had the distinction of being the only guest with two theme songs. He made an appearances every Friday as a commentator, as well as co-judging with Al their weekly quiz show Wait, wait, don't lie to me.
It wouldn't be surprising to find out that Mr. Conason is a willing participant in The Call :
The vast new left-wing conspiracy sets its tone every morning at 8:45 a.m., when officials from more than 20 labor, environmental and other Democratic-leaning groups dial into a private conference call hosted by two left-leaning Washington organizations.It's my opinion that this coalition of crazies is running interference while the Obama administration attempts to threaten the Israeli government into not defending itself against Iran's threats of annihilation. It's also my opinion that the Obama administration's foreign policy is governed more by a desire to be liked than by its desire to keep the United States and her democratic allies safe.
The "8:45 A.M. call," as it's referred to by members, began three weeks ago, and it marks a new level in coordination by the White House's allies at a time when the conservative opposition is struggling for a toe-hold and major agenda items like health care reform appear closer than ever to passage.
The call has helped attempts to link the Republican Party to radio host Rush Limbaugh, and has served as the launching ground for attacks on critics of Obama's policy proposals. It springs from a recognition of what was lacking in the Clinton years, said Jennifer Palmieri, the senior vice president for communications at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, one of the groups hosting the call.
"[CAP President John] Podesta's and my experience was in the White House during the Clinton years, and we didn't have a coordinated echo chamber on the outside backing us up," she said. "There's a real interest on the progressive side for groups to want to coordinate with each other and leverage each other's work in a way I haven't ever seen before."
Until I see a change of direction by this administration, I'll operate from the assumption that they'll have as disastrous of a national security record as Jimmy Carter's.
Posted Wednesday, April 8, 2009 8:17 AM
Comment 1 by Joe Heasley at 16-Apr-09 01:52 AM
It is a great country we live in that allows all of us to speak our views, and have forums to publish them in. Even fools that swaddle themselves in the ready-made hate mongering antics of a weak minded group of political poor losers who betray their ignorance of world affairs...as displayed in this article, in this forum.
Time's Running Out
Steve Gottwalt, my adopted State representative, has laid out the time crunch that's about to hit the Minnesota legislature in his latest e-letter update. Here's the first important part of the picture:
As of midnight tonight (Tuesday night), your State Legislature is officially in recess for the Easter/Passover break. We will reconvene in a House Floor session at noon next Tuesday. Tuesday, April 14th, is also the second deadline for committees to pass policy bills that met the March 27th deadline. The next deadlines follow soon after: By April 16th, all omnibus finance bills (large collections of individual spending bills) must pass in their respective House or Senate divisions. By April 22nd, all omnibus finance and tax bills must be sent to their respective House or Senate floors for consideration. House/Senate conference committees then have until May 7th to approve final, compromise versions of the omnibus finance and tax bills , and send them to the floor for final votes. The final bills that pass off the floor are sent to Governor Pawlenty for his consideration. The constitutional deadline for ending this legislative session is midnight, May 18th.When the legislature reconvenes, there will be little over a month before the constitutional deadline of midnight, May 18th. Considering the fact that none of the omnibus bills haven't been put together, much less been debated, voted on and sent to conference committees, why should Minnesota's taxpayers trust that the DFL's haphazard leadership team will get their work done in an orderly fashion?
More importantly, why should Minnesota's taxpayers trust that the DFL's haphazard leadership team will pass bills that address the right priorities?
Steve writes here of a genuine concern for GOP legislators:
As you can see, with only six weeks remaining in the 2009 session, we have a tremendous amount of work to do! We still face the largest budget deficit in state history ($6.4 billion), and have yet to pass a single bill that helps balance the budget. There is deep concern this compressed timeframe is setting the stage for hasty passage of huge omnibus bills, and pressure-cooker face-offs between the majority Democrats and Governor Pawlenty.If the DFL leadership wants a high profile fight with a popular governor over whether to pass massive tax increases, that's a fight that Gov. Pawlenty and the GOP leadership should welcome because it's a fight that the DFL won't win. It's a fight that they'll get beaten up over.
If the DFL was wise, which I haven't seen proof of, they'd abandon their hardline stance on job-killing tax increases. They'd listen to the St. Cloud Area Economic Development Partnership's recent testimony:
Representatives from our St. Cloud Area Economic Development Partnership (The Partnership) today testified before the House Bioscience and Workforce Development Policy and Oversight Committee, pointing out that corporate taxes are the "number one" challenge in trying to attract and grow jobs for our area. State Economist Tom Stinson, has advised us that business tax increases "would not be helpful" to Minnesota's economic recovery.Why won't the DFL leadership accept as truthful "The Partnership's" testimony that high corporate taxes are stifling Minnesota's private sector job creation capabilities? We have to assume that the DFL leadership doesn't trust them because they're opposed to lower corporate tax rates.
This portion of Steve's e-letter lays things out perfectly:
In fact, by freezing state spending at its current level for the coming two-year cycle, we could cover $3 billion of the projected deficit. It is possible for Minnesota to live within its means without the severe "cuts" some have threatened and many fear. We need to set good priorities, and take advantage of the many good ideas that have surfaced for doing things better.Perhaps there are legitimate reasons why freezing state spending isn't plausible but I haven't heard of one yet. Until I do, I'm going to operate under the assumption that freezing state spending is a viable, desirable option in balancing Minnesota's FY2010-2010 budget.
I've said before that prioritize is the longest four-letter word in the DFL's dictionary . They haven't given me reason to change my thinking on that. I'm not holding my breath that they'll change, either.
If the DFL wants to play political games with Minnesota's taxpayers, that's their right. I wouldn't recommend it, though, because Minnesota's taxpayers aren't in a 'business-as-usual' mood right now.
Posted Wednesday, April 8, 2009 8:52 AM
No comments.
Arne Duncan's Questionable Honesty
It's impossible for me to take Arne Duncan's statements seriously. I'm not the only person that's finding it difficult to trust Secretary Duncan's statements. David Harsanyi's column indicates that he's finding it difficult trusting Secretary Duncan's statements:
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan argues that we have an obligation to disregard politics to do whatever is "good for the kids."Let's remember that this administration refused to veto the omnibus bill that ended the DC Voucher Program :
Well then, one wonders, why did his Department of Education bury a politically inconvenient study regarding education reform? And why, now that the evidence is public, does the administration continue to ignore it and allow reform to be killed?
When Congress effectively shut down the Washington, D.C., voucher program last month, snatching $7,500 Opportunity Scholarship vouchers from disadvantaged kids, it failed to conduct substantive debate (as is rapidly becoming tradition).
Then The Wall Street Journal's editorial board reported that the Department of Education had buried a study that illustrated unquestionable and pervasive improvement among kids who won vouchers, compared with the kids who didn't. The Department of Education not only disregarded the report but also issued a gag order on any discussion about it.
Is this what Duncan meant by following the evidence?
REP. DAVID R. Obey (Wis.) and other congressional Democrats should spare us their phony concern about the children participating in the District's school voucher program. If they cared for the future of these students, they wouldn't be so quick as to try to kill the program that affords low-income, minority children a chance at a better education. Their refusal to even give the program a fair hearing makes it critical that D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) seek help from voucher supporters in the Senate and, if need be, President Obama.If there's anything I get more upset about than politicians cheating the children most in need of help, it's politicians cheating the children most in need of help, then telling those children's parents that they're doing their utmost for the children.
Last week, the Democrat-controlled House passed a spending bill that spells the end, after the 2009-10 school year, of the federally funded program that enables poor students to attend private schools with scholarships of up to $7,500. A statement signed by Mr. Obey as Appropriations Committee chairman that accompanied the $410 billion spending package directs D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee to "promptly take steps to minimize potential disruption and ensure smooth transition" for students forced back into the public schools.
That's ALMOST the ultimate in moral bankruptcy.
This is the ultimate in moral bankruptcy:
The Department of Education had buried a study that illustrated unquestionable and pervasive improvement among kids who won vouchers , compared with the kids who didn't. The Department of Education not only disregarded the report but also issued a gag order on any discussion about it.This is proof that Democratic politicians won't hesitate in selling out underprivileged children in exchange for the education lobby's campaign contribution and GOTV assistance. If anything makes my blood run cold, this is it. There's no excusing this behavior or this policymaking.
Another disturbing portion of this tragedy is what David Harsanyi found out about the depths of the Obama administration's dishonesty:
When I had the chance to ask Duncan , at a meeting of The Denver Post's editorial board Tuesday, whether he was alerted to this study before Congress eradicated the D.C. program, he offered an unequivocal "no." He then called the WSJ editorial "fundamentally dishonest" and maintained that no one had even tried to contact him, despite the newspaper's contention that it did, repeatedly.Mr. Duncan is either a liar or an idiot or both. Furthermore, it's inconceivable to think that President Obama didn't know about this scholarship program because some of the children receiving this scholarship attend the same school as his daughters:
When I called The Wall Street Journal, I discovered a different, that is, meticulously sourced and exceedingly convincing, story, including documented e-mail conversations between the author and higher-ups at his office.
We would like Mr. Obey and his colleagues to talk about possible "disruption" with Deborah Parker, mother of two children who attend Sidwell Friends School because of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. "The mere thought of returning to public school frightens me," Ms. Parker told us as she related the opportunities, such as a trip to China for her son, made possible by the program. Tell her, as critics claim, that vouchers don't work, and she'll list her children's improved test scores, feeling of safety and improved motivation.It's appalling that the first African-America president would turn his back on inner-city children by exiling them to violence-riddled public schools. If President Obama doesn't insist that this program gets re-instated in the FY2010 budget, then we'll know that he cares more about the NEA's campaign contributions than he cares about inner-city children.
I'm asking thoughtful conservatives to join with me in criticizing, AND ridiculing, the Obama administration for abandoning such a successful government program. It's time that we told this administration and this president that his doublespeak won't be tolerated.
It's time that we told him he must abandon his education policies, not abandon underprivileged children.
Posted Wednesday, April 8, 2009 10:19 AM
Comment 1 by eric z. at 08-Apr-09 04:55 PM
Is there any link that you'd have to offer to this allegedly sidetracked report? Is it available online? Would you post a link in a comment if you have one?
How To Go Toe-To-Toe With Barney Frank
Anyone who's heard of Harvard Law School student Joel Pollak's run-in with Barney Frank are likely calling him a hero. I certainly am, especially after I watched Greta's interview of him last night:
