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The Obama Timeline: Part II

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Harconen
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« Reply #90 on: July 31, 2009, 05:51:36 pm »



Although ABC pledged that its “Prescription for America” special would be objective, the audience consisted only of people who dislike the current health care system and want change. All 164 hand-picked guests said they felt the system needed to be changed. Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett tells the audience, "I want to emphasize that the president has not seen the questions ahead of time"—which prompted laughter. Columnist Michelle Malkin points out that Obama’s audience was “filled with backroom players and a supporting cast of socialized medicine activists and ideologues.” Questions came from people like Jason Rosenbaum (a Washington lobbyist for national health care), a member of the Service Employees International Union (which contributed heavily to Obama’s campaign), and Debby Smith (a cancer patient who volunteers for Obama’s Organizing for America group and has worked on various Obama projects). The “town hall meeting” was anything but, stacked as it was with promoters of Obama and national health care. [3707]

 

The Business and Media Institute examined the ABC specials and reported afterward that very little time was allotted for audience questions, with Obama giving inordinately lengthy and broad answers that often failed to answer the questions with any specificity. Overall, the programming was as predicted: one long infomercial for Obama’s national health plan, with ABC doing its best to prevent opposing viewpoints. [3613, 3707]

 

Few Americans watched the ABC specials promoting Obama’s health care agenda. Even ABC itself, which was accused of giving Obama free time for an “infomercial,” had criticisms. ABC’s Jake Tapper and Karen Travers comment, “President Obama struggled to explain today whether his health care reform proposals would force normal Americans to make sacrifices that wealthier, more powerful people—like the president himself—wouldn’t face.” Obama refused to promise that he would not try to get that special care for his own family members, saying if “it’s my family member, if it’s my wife, if it’s my children, if it’s my grandmother, I always want them to get the very best care.” ABC’s Charles Gibson asks Obama why people should support a program without knowing the details or what limitations will be placed on their care. Obama responds by saying that Americans “know they’re living with the devil, but the devil they know instead of the devil they don’t.” (In other words, Americans will have to trust his judgment.) Obama did his best to avoid direct answers to many questions. When a woman talked about the difficulty her 100-year-old mother had getting a heart pacemaker, Obama replied, “We’re not going to solve every single one of these very difficult decisions at end of life. Ultimately that’s going to be between physicians and patients.” (Obama’s answer still left viewers wondering whether his plan would ration care to the elderly.) Ultimately, Obama provided few details or reassurances—just more sales pitch: “We have to have the courage and the willingness to cooperate and compromise in order to make this happen. And if we do, it’s not going to be a completely smooth ride, there’s going to be times over the next several months where we think health care is dead, it’s not going to happen but if we keep our eye on the prize… then I’m absolutely convinced that we can get it done this time.” [3606]

 

An Iranian blogger describes the massacre of demonstrators in Tehran’s Baharestan Square (which is fast becoming Iran’s “Tiananmen Square”). More than 10,000 Basij militia members (many hired from outside Iran) take position in the square; army helicopters fly overhead; the streets swarm with military forces, plainclothes police, and other security forces; “the shooting has started;” “A girl is shot and the police is not allowing to let them help;” “In Baharestan we saw militia with axe choping people like meat—blood everywhere—like butcher.” Innocent people are bludgeoned and axed to death. Women are specific targets, sometimes thrown to their deaths from pedestrian bridges to the pavement below. Obama’s response is to “see how the situation plays out,” as he makes frivolous public statements like, “…there are sets of international norms and principles about violence,” “the international community is watching,” and “…there is a peaceful path that will lead to stability and legitimacy (of the Iranian regime) and prosperity for the Iranian people. We hope they take it.” The more Obama makes inane statements while doing nothing, the more the Iran leaders believe they can get away with anything. (They certainly do not fear a “strongly worded letter of condemnation” from the United Nations” or a scolding from Obama made through Jimmy Carter.) [3605]

 
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« Reply #91 on: July 31, 2009, 05:52:16 pm »



In an interview with the Washington Times, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich is bluntly critical of the Obama administration, discusses the future of the Republican Party, and suggests ways to turn the nation around from the “fantasy wing of the American left.” Gingrich states, “You need to have a national movement that focuses not on the presidency. It focuses on 513,000 elected offices, because this is a very densely, freely elected society, and you can’t get the changes just from the top.” A “tri-partisan” coalition of conservatives, independents and moderate liberals can then build “a red, white and blue majority.” Gingrich predicts that “Barring some extraordinary change in the economy” Republicans are “going to have a relatively good election in 2010 because high taxes, big government (and) politically corrupt systems don’t lead to economic growth.” He charges, “The biggest characteristic of the left-wing machine… is that they’re doing so many destructive things in parallel simultaneously that it disperses the opposition. Their goal, almost like Lyndon Johnson in ‘65, is to try to ram through as much bad stuff as they can as fast as they can before the natural conservatism of the country rebounds and rights the system.” (Democrat strategist James Carville, despite having written a book titled 40 More Years: How the Democrats Will Rule the Next Generation, warns fellow Democrats that Republicans could take back the Senate in 2010. “Republicans are hoping 2010 is the new 1994,” says Carville in a fundraising e-mail to Democrats, “But heck, they don’t need eight new senators. If they gain just one or two, it’s going to be that much easier for them to scuttle vital legislation.”) [3583, 3586]

 

On June 25, an organization called Health Care for America Now (HCAN) marches on the Capitol to demand “universal health care.” As columnist Michelle Malkin points out, HCAN is no “grassroots” organization. “The ground troops won't have to march very far,” writes Malkin. “HCAN, you see, is no heartland network. It is headquartered at 1825 K Street in Washington, D.C.—smack dab in the middle of Beltway lobby land.” HCAN, which has a $40 million budget, is funded by powerful unions and wealthy leftists like George Soros. HCAN is aligned with ACORN (Obama’s favorite leftist voter registration fraud group). The HCAN/ACORN goal is not so much a national health care system, it is frightening voters into demanding it as a way of getting additional socialist politicians elected. The strategy follows that promoted by Saul Alinsky in his book Rules for Radicals; convince gullible Americans that there is a disaster (a “health care crisis”) and use that deceit to persuade them to vote for someone for whom they would not ordinarily vote (Democrat Socialists). Thousands of union members join in the rally, no doubt pleased that Obama is considering exempting them from taxes on employer-provided health insurance—while taxing non-union workers. [3531, 3592, 3593]

 

Investor James Rogers, expecting the value of the U.S. dollar to decline, says that the Canadian dollar is one of the strongest currencies. “I’ve got out of my pounds. I will be getting out of my (U.S.) dollars soon,” states Rogers, who also suggests investing in commodities. “I’d rather be a farmer than a stockbroker for the next couple of years. No one you went to school with became a farmer… so we have a shortage of farmers.” [3590]

 

The death of entertainer Michael Jackson on June 25 gives the media ample reason to fill air time, allowing stories about the Iranian demonstrations, cap-and-trade legislation, and rising unemployment to be barely reported. [3595, 3634]

 

Kelly Greenwell, a city council member in Hawaii, asks Obama to consider sending terrorists from Guantanamo to the Aloha state—not to be imprisoned ion the island, but to have full freedom. “We have forgiven the people who bombed Pearl Harbor,” says Greenwell. “I think if we want to be known as a place of love and aloha, this is a place to express it.” He adds, “We can’t continue to live in a culture of fear that has been perpetuated because of political reasons.” (Although many might consider Greenwell’s proposal ludicrous, Obama has already released four former Guantanamo terrorist detainees on the island of Bermuda.) [3596]

 

Harold Koh is confirmed by the Senate (62–35) as State Department Legal Advisor. Koh is a “transnationalist,” who advocates international law superseding U.S. laws. (As an example, if the United Nations supports same sex marriages and opposes the death penalty, Koh argues that the United States should do so as well.) Koh also believes that Islamic Shari’ah law should be allowed into U.S. courts, and believes the war on terror is “obsessive.”  Five Senate Republicans (Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, Richard Lugar, Mel Martinez, and George Voinovich) are unable to muster up the courage to vote against Koh, despite the fact that most Americans would oppose his nomination if they knew of his legal philosophies. [3618, 3619, 3620]

 

By June 25 at least 450 demonstrators have been arrested in Iran; some sources say the count is in the thousands. The outside world will never know of all the crimes committed by the Iranian government. The United Nations—which would likely not hesitate 30 minutes to condemn Israel for actions it might take to defend itself from terrorists—does nothing in response to the abuse of protestors in Tehran by Iranian hired thugs. [3614]

 

The June 25 online edition of Germany’s Der Spiegel states, “…Obama wants to stimulate the economy but instead he accelerates America’s decline. The needed billions are not being borrowed, but printed.” Obama follows economic advisor Lawrence Summers “like a dog,” it continues, and “Summers uses the money-printing-machine as a weapon. …Eventually, America, the world power, must pay the price for that, and in consequence America might loose her grip on the world. …The world’s confidence in America has terribly suffered therefore fewer foreigners buy America’s new government bonds. Hence, the Federal Reserve Bank prints money in order to buy them itself.” “The American Dollar lost about 40 percent against the Euro since 2000. The greenback will drop further and even lose its prestige. In view of this financial blast wave the anchor currency of the world could be torn off the world’s financial grounds. If this happens the world will dance on the waves. In retrospect people will probably say: America fought the financial crises by preparing a currency crisis.” [3667]

 
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« Reply #92 on: July 31, 2009, 05:52:59 pm »



Obama’s pick to head the federal Communications Commission (FCC), Julius Genachowski, is confirmed by the Senate. Although Genachowski told Senators he does not support a reinstatement of the “Fairness Doctrine,” he is likely to do his best to “rein in” conservative talk radio hosts by applying the “local rule” more strictly than did his predecessors. [3628]

 

AtlasShrugs.com’s Pamela Geller reports that a caller to Mark Levin’s July 25 radio show tells of attending a health care forum sponsored by the pro-Latino lobbying organization La Raza (“the race”). One speaker at the conference purportedly stated, America does not need health care reform, but Latino immigrants need health care reform.” The caller relates that someone from the office Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) pledged that “the useless barriers of citizenship would not be in this bill.” Other statements at the conference included, “Latino children need health care more than whites,” “We want to make sure we take care of barriers like verification, but we can streamline programs to the more affluent,” “Useless treatments for the elderly can be gone because we don’t need to spend money for people who are going to die anyway,” and “you must go into your communities, use words like ‘streamline,’ use phrases like ‘all workers’ and ‘all families” because “if the American people find out that this bill is about giving health care to non-citizens, they will rise up against it.” (Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Sotomayor is a member of La Raza.) [3633]

 

It is reported that China is paying $16 per barrel to Iraq for 550 million barrels of oil. In mid-2008, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) led a group of Democrats who pressured the Bush administration to cancel oil contracts that had previously been awarded to Exxon, Chevron, Shell, BP, and others. (Apparently the Democrats did not like the idea of “blood for oil”—so the Chinese ended up getting it instead of Americans.) [3616, 3617]

 

It is reported that the Obama administration is working to establish communications with Hizbullah—the terrorist group responsible for the attack on the U.S. Marine barracks in 1981 that killed several hundred American Marines. [3621]

 

On June 26 the Wall Street Journal notes that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is determined to win approval of the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade global warming tax bill (the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009), regardless of the negative effect the legislation will have in American businesses and families. Playing games with Congressional Budget Office (CBO) cost estimates, Pelosi and her fellow Democrats stress emphasize only the direct first year tax costs of the legislation, deceitfully ignoring that the taxes and fees are raised from year to year, and their impact on prices. Even the CBO’s figures include the caveat, “The resource cost does not indicate the potential decrease in gross domestic product (GDP) that could result from the cap.” In other words, only the cost of the initial taxes are factored into the CBO estimates—they do not include the monumental damage that cap-and-trade will do to the economy as a whole. The Journal points out that “The hit to GDP is the real threat in this bill. The whole point of cap and trade is to hike the price of electricity and gas so that Americans will use less. These higher prices will show up not just in electricity bills or at the gas station but in every manufactured good, from food to cars. Consumers will cut back on spending, which in turn will cut back on production, which results in fewer jobs created or higher unemployment. Some companies will instead move their operations overseas, with the same result.” A Heritage Foundation study estimates that the cost of the legislation will average $1,870 for a family of four, rising to $6,800 by the year 2035. Republicans were defeated y Democrats in their attempts to suspend the new taxes if gas reaches $5 per gallon, electricity rates increase 10 per cent or more, or the unemployment rate reaches 15 per cent. Regardless of how much the global warming tax hurts Americans, therefore, Democrats insist on retaining it. (Al Gore, who has millions of dollars invested in businesses related to “global warming,” will make billions because of the passage of the Waxman-Markey legislation.) [3582, 3622]

 
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« Reply #93 on: July 31, 2009, 05:53:39 pm »



Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel, meets with Obama at the White House. At a joint news conference Obama comments, “I would suggest that (Iran’s President) Mr. Ahmadinejad think carefully about the obligations he owes to his own people. And he might want to consider looking at the families of those who’ve been beaten or shot or detained.” (Obama seems unable to comprehend that if Ahmadinejad cares so little about the citizens of his own country that he orders them shot and axed in the streets of Tehran he certainly cares less about surviving family members—or the opinion of an American president.) Merkel states, “Iran cannot count on the world turning a blind eye”—when it has so far done just that. Obama states the obvious, “There is no doubt that any direct dialogue or diplomacy with Iran is going to be affected by the events of the last several weeks. We don’t yet know how any potential dialogue will have been affected until we see what has happened inside of Iran.” (What has happened inside Iran is the brutal killings of perhaps hundreds of Iranian citizens who want freedom and democracy.) “The clock is ticking,” adds Obama, “at a fairly rapid clip.” (That is precisely what Ahmadinejad is counting on everyone watching the clock while he continues his nuclear program unabated.) [3716]

 

With Ahmadinejad’s plan to obtain nuclear weapons regardless of what the rest of the world thinks, his use of paid foreign terrorists to kill his own citizens as they demonstrate, and his clear disinterest in negotiating with the determined-to-negotiate-at-all-costs Obama, former Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton writes in a Wall Street Journal editorial that it may be time for Israel to strike Iran and take out its nuclear facilities. Bolton notes that “Tehran isn’t going to negotiate in good faith” anyway. He points out that “Unfortunately, the Obama administration has a ‘Plan B,’ which would allow Iran to have a ‘peaceful’ civil nuclear power program while publicly ‘renouncing’ the objective of nuclear weapons. Obama would define such an outcome as ‘success,’ even though in reality it would hardly be different from what Iran is doing and saying now.” That leaves “Those who oppose Iran acquiring nuclear weapons… with only the option of targeted military force against its weapons facilities.” Bolton concludes, “Otherwise, be prepared for an Iran with nuclear weapons, which some, including Obama advisers, believe could be contained and deterred. That is not a hypothesis we should seek to test in the real world. The cost of error could be fatal.” Obama seems willing to take the risk. [3717]

 

Successful investor Marc Faber warns that massive inflation is on the way. The Federal Reserve Board, which causes inflation by increasing the nation’s money supply, has been in existence since 1913. Since then, the U.S. dollar has lost 95 per cent of its buying power. “It took 100 years to lose 95 per cent (but) I think the next 94 per cent loss in purchasing power will happen very quickly,” says Faber. Many disagree with Faber and others who warn of inflation, and do not see it as a threat. That, however, may simply indicate that its eventual arrival may be sudden and drastic; the government cannot continue to print money without causing inflation—it is not a matter of if, but when. [3604]

 

On June 26, North Korea states that it “will never give up its nuclear deterrent… and will further strengthen it” if the United States remains hostile. In response to a U.S. pledge to defend South Korea, state-run newspapers in Pyongyang warn that is “asking for the calamitous situation of having a fire shower of nuclear retaliation all over South Korea.” [3601]

 

An environmental study that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suppressed because it conflicted with the Obama administration’s “global warming” energy tax plans is made public. The study argues that the EPA is incorrectly relying on outdated information and is ignoring new data related to the continuing decline in global temperatures, the impact of ocean cycles and solar cycles, and satellite information. Sam Kazman, chief counsel for the Competitive Enterprise Institute, states, “While we hoped that EPA would release the final report, we’re tired of waiting for this agency to become transparent, even though its Administrator has been talking transparency since she took office. So we are releasing a draft version of the report ourselves, today.” [3677, 3678]

 

It is reported that Michelle Obama wants a “bigger role” in supporting her husband’s political agenda. Communications chief Camille Johnston tells the Washington Post, “Her desire is to step out more and have deliverables. It’s about things that are coming up that we want to be a part of: child nutrition reauthorization act, prevention and wellness for healthcare reform.” Obama attends Rahm Emanuel’s daily staff meetings, and her press secretary is with Robert Gibbs at his daily press briefings. (Some argue that Michelle Obama is gearing up for her own political career, as did Hillary Clinton—but one assumes that no one would dare make that point in front of Obama.) [3609]

 

After South Carolina Governor Sanford “disappeared” for a few days (it was later learned he had flown off to meet with a woman in Argentina) Senator John Kerry (D-MA) stated on June 24, “Too bad if a governor had to go missing it couldn’t have been the governor of Alaska. You know, Sarah Palin.” The juvenile remark prompts Palin—Obama’s possible opponent in 2012—to respond on June 26. “Then Senator John Kerry… makes this joke saying, ‘Aw shoot, of all the governors in the nation who disappeared, too bad it couldn’t have been that governor from Alaska… But the way he said it, he looked quite frustrated and he looked so sad. I just wanted to reach out to the TV and say, ‘John Kerry, why the long face?’” [3610]

 
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« Reply #94 on: July 31, 2009, 05:54:53 pm »



Although Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) had previously stated that the House Judiciary Committee, which he chairs, would consider investigating the activist group ACORN, he is pressured not to proceed. Conyers tells the Washington Times, “The powers that be decided against it,” but refuses to name names. Attorney Heather Heidelbaugh, who has been documenting ACORN’s fraudulent and illegal activities, asks, “If the chair of the Judiciary Committee cannot hold a hearing if he wants to, (then) who are the powers that he is beholden to? Is it the (House) leadership, is it the White House, is it contributors? Who is ‘the power’?” (Testimony by Heidelbaugh at a March 19 hearing had prompted Conyers to consider holding ACORN hearings. The pressure to cancel an ACORN investigation is certainly related to Obama’s decades-long association with the leftist organization. When ACORN was investigated by Congress in 1996–1997, substantial irregularities and abuses were uncovered. (Conyers’ wife Monica, a member of the Detroit City Council, pleads guilty to felony bribery charges on June 26. Conyers states he did not know his wife was accepting bribes. A substantial number of news stories about the events neglect to mention the party affiliation of the Conyers.) [3611, 3657, 3726]

 

Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA), who thought he could boost his chances of reelection in 2010 by leaving the Republican Party and following the Obama/Democrat parade, finds his popularity plummeting. A Franklin & Marshall College poll released on June 25 shows Specter’s good/excellent approval rating dropping from 52 per cent (in March) to 34 per cent (in June). Only 40 per cent of Pennsylvanians say he deserves reelection, down from 28 per cent. [3680]

 

Obama states, “We don’t yet know how any potential dialogue will have been affected until we see what has happened inside of Iran.” [3640]

 

During the evening of June 26 the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (the Waxman-Markey bill), which will impose burdensome cap-and-trade regulations and fees on the economy in the interest of “preventing global warming,” passes in the House of Representatives by a vote of 219–212. The enormous bill—essentially a national energy tax—is rushed through in time for legislators to go on their July 4th vacations. (It is unlikely that any legislator read the bill, which contains more than 1,200 pages.) Eight Republicans vote for the bill and 44 Democrats vote against it. (The eight Republicans are Mary Bono Mack, Mike Castle, Mark Kirk, Leonard Lance, Frank LoBiondo, John McHugh, Dave Reichert, and Chris Smith.) Considerable pressure is needed from Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to get it passed. Pelosi states, “We passed transformational legislation which takes us into the future.” Sponsor Edward Markey (D-MA) says, “It has been an incredible six months, to go from a point where no one believed we could pass this legislation to a point now where we can begin to say that we are going to send President Obama to Copenhagen (to attend a global warming conference) in December as the leader of the of the world on climate change.” Republicans are quick to criticize the bill, emphasizing that it will destroy jobs, raise prices, and do nothing to affect the climate. Congressman Brian Bilbray (R-CA) says sarcastically, “I look forward to spending the next 100 years trying to fix this legislation.” House minority leader John Boehner (R-OH) states, “This is the biggest job killing bill that’s ever been on the floor of the House of Representatives. Right here, this bill. And I don’t think that’s what the American people want.” Boehner stalled passage of the bill for hours by reading 300 pages of amendments—that few Congressmen had read and even fewer likely understood. Obama praised his fellow Democrats for taking a “bold and necessary step.” The legislation is likely to have a more difficult time in the Senate, even though the Democrats have 60 votes and can prevent a filibuster. The legislation will destroy jobs—although no one can be certain how many or how soon—and more than a few Senators will think twice before risking their careers simply because Al Gore believes in man-caused global warming. The more economic damage the legislation causes, the more Democrats will lose their bids for reelection. [3612, 3615, 3631, 3758]

 

An evaluation of the Waxman-Markey bill by Americans for Tax Reform estimates that the legislation will dramatically increase the national debt, with the average American family’s share exceeding $116,000 by the year 2035. And according to the latest global satellite data, the earth’s average temperature has dropped .74 degrees Fahrenheit since Al Gore’s film, An Inconvenient Truth, was released, and Americans need not look far to find areas that have had record cold temperatures in the summer of 2009. [3643, 3763]

 
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« Reply #95 on: July 31, 2009, 05:57:37 pm »



A person claiming to have a certified copy of Obama’s original Kenyan birth certificate places it for sale on the Internet site eBay, as item number 160344928067. The eBay site then repeatedly removes the listing as the seller (colmado_naranja) adds it back. (The founder of eBay, billionaire Pierre Omidyar, is an Obama supporter and member of the “President’s Commission on White House Fellowships.” Omidyar was also a student at Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii, which Obama attended.) The seller states that he (or she) traveled to Mombasa, Kenya to obtain the certified copy, and remarks, “Kenyans were amused at how gullible Americans could be when it came to obvious things like the fact that Kenyans overtly admit to Barack Jr.’s Kenyan birth, yet the Americans continue to believe that they know better.” Most people are skeptical of the claim that the seller has a certified copy of a Kenyan birth certificate for Obama, either because they do not believe he was born in Kenya or because they do not believe the Kenyan hospital or the Kenyan government would allow the release of the document. Investigators have traveled to Kenya to obtain the birth certificate but encountered resistance from authorities. [3623, 3624, 3651, 3659, 3686, 3687, 3688, 3723, 3724]

 

“Inspired” by Obama’s speech in Cairo, Egypt the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) launches a “Share the Quran” campaign to distribute copies of the Quran to 100,000 local, state, and national leaders, as well as members of the media and individuals “…who shape public opinion or determine policy.” (Obama used the phrase “holy Quran” four times in his June 4 address, including the statement, “As the Holy Quran tells us, ‘Be conscious of God and speak always the truth.’ That is what I will try to do—to speak the truth as best I can, humbled by the task before us, and firm in my belief that the interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart.”) [3627]

 

Former Federal Reserve Board governor Frederic Mishkin states, “We’re really worried about a fiscal train wreck, and we know that if fiscal policy becomes unsustainable, no central bank in the world can keep inflation under control… But unless we see the federal government get serious, Congress and the Obama administration, thinking about long-run fiscal sustainability, that creates a real problem for the Fed.” [3632]

 

In a Wall Street Journal editorial, former prime minister of Spain (1996–2004) José Maria Aznar writes of the protests in Iran, “This is no time for hesitation on the part of the West. If, as part of an attempt to reach an agreement on the Iranian nuclear program, the leaders of democratic nations turn their backs on the dissidents they will be making a terrible mistake. President Obama has said he refuses to ‘meddle’ in Iran’s internal affairs, but this is a poor excuse for passivity. If the international community is not able to stop, or at least set limits on, the repressive violence of the Islamic regime, the protesters will end up as so many have in the past—in exile, in prison, or in the cemetery. And with them, all hope for change will be gone. To be clear: Nobody in the circles of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei or Ahmadinejad is going to reward us for silence or inaction. On the contrary, failing to support the regime’s critics will leave us with an emboldened Ahmadinejad, an atomic Iran, and dissidents that are disenchanted and critical of us. We cannot talk about freedom and democracy if we abandon our own principles… Delayed public displays of indignation may be good for internal political consumption. But the consequences of Western inaction have already materialized. Watching videos of innocent Iranians being brutalized, it’s hard to defend silence.” [3635]

 

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin refuses a full-page ad (and the $7,168.0 fee) soliciting assistance in gathering evidence to prove whether Obama was born in Hawaii. The classified advertising manager, Cyd Kamakea, states, “I spoke to my publisher and unfortunately we cannot accept the ad because it is political.” (Newspapers routinely accept political advertising.) [3636]

 

The Obama administration purportedly tells the Palestinian Authority (PA) it will put an end to all Israeli construction in the West Bank. An unnamed PA source states, “The U.S. assured us that for the first time since 1967, we are going into a period where there will not be allowed a single construction effort on the part of the Israelis in the settlements, including in Gush Etzion, Maale Adumum and eastern Jerusalem. The U.S. used to differentiate between natural grown and adding new communities. Not anymore. No construction will be allowed, not even natural growth.” (Obama has no legal basis for telling Israel it cannot expand in the West Bank any more than the Israeli government can tell Americans where they can and cannot build homes.) A group called the Syrian Committee for the Liberation of the Golan states it may attack Israel and capture the Golan because Israel has refused to turn over the land; Israel has assembled tanks at the Syrian border to defend against an attack. [3637, 3638, 3663]

 

Obama aide David Axelrod says on NBC’s June 28 Meet the Press broadcast that a second “stimulus bill” is not out of the question. “Let’s see in the fall where we are, but right now we believe what we have done is adequate to the task. If more is needed, we’ll have that discussion.” Axelrod tells ABC News’ George Stephanopolous “We are also mindful of the fact that the nuclear weapons in Iran and the nuclearization of that whole region is a threat to that country, all countries in the region, and the world. And we have to address that. We can’t let that lie.” To many, Axelrod’s statement is the first admission by the Obama administration that Iran already has nuclear weapons and is not simply working on developing them. [3639, 3653]

 

Obama’s United Nations ambassador, Susan Rice, appears on CBS’ Face the Nation and states, “Legitimacy obviously is in the eyes of the people. And obviously the government’s legitimacy has been called into question by the protests in the streets. But that’s not the critical issue in terms of our dealings with Iran.” In other words, Obama doesn’t care if the Iranian government is legitimate or if the Iranian people are ruled by thugs who order them butchered in the streets—as long as he can work a deal with the mullahs on nuclear weapons and get a Nobel Peace Prize. Iranian President Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are likely amused by Obama’s inaction. He could be working with other nations to freeze their billions of dollars in assets to put pressure on them, and instead does nothing but beg for a “dialogue.” Rice also comments that Iran must decide whether to end its nuclear program or “face increased isolation and pressure,” yet the Obama administration is doing nothing to contribute to isolation or pressure. [3649, 3650, 3653]

 

Although he roundly criticized opponent John McCain during the campaign for suggesting employer-provided health insurance might need to be taxed as part of any health care reform, Obama has left the option open for his national health care plan. Aide David Axelrod states on June 28, “There are a number of formulations and we’ll wait and see. The important thing at this point is to keep the process moving, to keep people at the table, to the keep the discussions going. We’ve gotten a long way down the road and we want to finish that journey.” Taxing health insurance would break Obama’s campaign promise, “I pledge that under my plan, no one making less than $250,000 a year will see any type of tax increase. Not income tax, not capital gains taxes, not any kind of tax.” Obama ran several campaign ads criticizing McCain’s plan. One stated, “…taxing health benefits for the first time ever… taxing health care instead of fixing it. We can’t afford John McCain.” (McCain’s plan was to tax employer-paid health insurance while also providing a tax credit.) Obama advisors Peter Orszag and Jason Furman both support such a tax. [3642]

 

The president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, coordinates an illegal referendum to scrap the nation’s constitution and make it possible for him to remain president for life. After the Honduran Supreme Court rules against Zelaya, he leads a mob to the military installation where the ballots (printed for Zelaya in Venezuela by Hugo Chavez) were stored. Zelaya is arrested and exiled to Costa Rica on June 28. Zelaya’s actions were in direct violation of the Honduran constitution and he was warned by his Supreme Court and attorney general not to proceed. Strangely, the Obama administration sides with Zelaya—and against the citizens of Honduras and democracy—saying it will not recognize any other leader. Obama states he is “deeply concerned by reports coming out of Honduras regarding the detention and expulsion of president Mel Zelaya” and asks Hondurans to “respect democratic norms”—yet it is Zelaya who violated his constitution. (Meanwhile, Hugo Chavez places the Venezuelan armed forces on alert.) In the Middle East, Obama sides with Iran’s corrupt leaders by doing nothing to support the citizens who seek liberty; in Central America, Obama acts against the citizens of Honduras by siding with a leader who is attempting to thwart the constitution. The media refers to the Honduran event as a coup (coup d’etat), which is a sudden (and often violent) unconstitutional deposition of a legitimate government. The action in Honduras was not a coup; it was a legal removal of a president who acted in defiance of the nation’s constitution. (Arguably, Zelaya was attempting a coup by acting in defiance of his nation’s constitution.) Honduran citizens congregate by the thousands to celebrate the arrest of Zelaya, happy to have rid themselves of a Chavez-style thug. (Although Obama took what seemed like an eternity to utter any string words of condemnation against the brutal treatment of demonstrators in Iran, he stated his support for Zelaya within hours of his arrest and deportation.) [3644, 3645, 3650, 3655, 3666, 3709, 3714, 3735, 3768]

 
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« Reply #96 on: July 31, 2009, 05:58:36 pm »



Honduran citizens are outraged over Obama’s support of Zelaya, who they consider a puppet of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez. Accuracy in Media’s Cliff Kincaid quotes one Honduran, who wrote, “It’s not a new fact to the international media what are Chavez intentions over Central and South America. And we in Honduras don’t want that. We don’t want to go back to socialism or communism. We still believe very strongly in our democracy and very strongly in our freedom… We should be an example to Central American countries as well as South American countries who have not yet been influenced by Chavez,” and “I’d also like to say that I am shocked by Mr. Obama’s comments. Doesn’t he know Mr. Zelaya is allied with Chavez? Doesn’t he know that Mr. Zelaya wants to do in Honduras what Chavez did in Venezuela, Morales has done in Bolivia, Correa has done in Ecuador, Ortega in Nicaragua, as well as what Castro has dine in Cuba?” (Obama likely does know, and supports Zelaya anyway.) Another Honduran wrote, “How is it possible that other governments support a liar, a corrupt man, a ‘Chavez wannabe,’ as he is called in some articles, who also has strong links to the drug dealing business? It’s amazing. They have made him a martyr. We keep writing and writing and thankfully some people have responded. We now see articles in the Washington Post, Miami Herald, New York Post, Wall Street Journal to name a few, in favor or our actions and understanding it wasn’t a coup. And to tell you the truth, they should have done this before! He was out of control. I’m asking you, what more can we do? How can we get more people to believe that what we did was the right thing? Have you seen his speeches? Do you notice how incoherent he is? Do you see how he lies? For us it is so obvious, and that is what I wonder… how is it possible that people so well-prepared, so educated like the people in the U.N. and the U.S. government believe him? How come they are now on the same side of Hugo Chavez? Hugo Chavez talking about democracy? It’s unbelievable. And it hurts.” [3769]

 

Michael Ledeen, Freedom Scholar at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and author of The Iranian Time Bomb and The War Against the Terror Masters, states it is futile for Obama to attempt to deal with the Iranians, saying “We’re never going to get a deal with Iran. Every president from Jimmy Carter through George W. Bush and now to Obama has tried to strike some kind of bargain with Iran, and they’ve all failed. So I don’t see why anybody would imagine that they could succeed now… Iran’s been at war with the United States for 30 years, and Iranians have been killing Americans all over the world all that time. They are killing Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere as we speak.” As for Obama, Ledeen states, “He hasn’t done anything to help the Iranian people. He’s been dragged kicking and screaming to the point where he’s finally condemned the repression, but that’s it.” Ledeen also warns that Israel may strike Iran if the United States does nothing to stop its nuclear ambitions. “They’ve said as soon as they get a nuclear weapon, they’re going to test it on Israel, so that’s a pretty big threat. I expect the Israelis to eventually attack the Iranian nuclear facilities if the rest of the world doesn’t find some other way to do it.” [3646]

 

On June 29, the Supreme Court rules (5–4) in favor of firefighters in New Haven, Connecticut who were denied promotions only because they were white. The city of New Haven had denied them promotions because they scored highest on examinations but no blacks did well enough to earn the promotions. Justice Anthony Kennedy states, “Fear of litigation alone cannot justify an employer’s reliance on race to the detriment of individuals who passed the examinations and qualified for promotions.” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, in dissent, states that the white firefighters “understandably attract this court’s sympathy. But they had no vested right to promotion. Nor have other persons received promotions in preference to them.” (Although no one has a “right to a promotion,” employees certainly have a right to expect that the results of exams for which they studied will not be ignored solely because of race. Columnist Charles Krauthammer points out that Ginsberg’s dissent “…in effect, grants a vested right to promotion—to African-Americans, simply because of their race—and makes the frustration of that specious right the basis for denying promotion to white (and Hispanic) firefighters who had objectively qualified for promotion.) Ginsburg expresses concern over “the starkly disparate results” of the tests, in which 17 of 41 whites and 2 of 18 Hispanics scored high enough for promotions, but none of the 22 blacks did. It is not the fault of the firefighters who scored well that others did not. Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor was a member of the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that ruled against the white firefighters. Sotomayor has been strongly criticized for her decision in the case. Sotomayor has been reversed in four of her six decisions that were appealed to the Supreme Court. Author Thomas Sowell points out that “Judge Sotomayor has certainly been on the federal bench long enough (to serve on the Supreme Court), but is being reversed four out of six times a sign of a job well done? Would longevity be equated with qualifications anywhere else? Some sergeants have been in the army longer than some generals but nobody thinks that is a reason to make those sergeants generals. Performance matters. And Judge Sotomayor’s performance provides no reason for putting her on the Supreme Court.” [3641, 3644, 3708]

 
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« Reply #97 on: July 31, 2009, 05:59:20 pm »



Obama hosts a “gay pride” celebration at the White House and tells lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) supporters he “will continue to be a champion” for their agenda, will work to repeal the “Defense of Marriage Act,” and eliminate the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy for gays in the U.S. armed forces. Obama’s statement quickly prompts criticism from many, including Pastor Ken Hutcherson of Washington’s Antioch Bible Church. Hutcherson comments, “There's absolutely no truth in anything he said, from beginning to the end,” and “I think this president has a disdain for anyone who disagrees with anything about him—don’t just limit it to Christians and conservatives. Brother, this man doesn’t like anyone who doesn’t think he’s the smartest man in the world.” [3676]

 

On June 29—in time for Independence Day—documents gathered by “citizen grand juries” are delivered to the White House, FBI, various members of Congress, and the Supreme Court. The citizen grand jury indictments claim that Obama is ineligible to serve as president. The documents, called “presentments,” also accuse Obama of fraud and treason. (It is believed that Part I of The Obama Timeline was included in the presentments.) The Secret Service, after three hours of discussions with members of the American Grand Jury who delivered the documents in person, reluctantly accepted them. (The Justice Department refused to be served with its documents.) [3689, 3690, 3701]

 

It is reported that six supporters of Iran presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi were hanged by Iranian authorities on June 29. One protestor states, “The regime wants the world to think they have won. Don’t believe it. Even if this regime is about to collapse, they would not let anybody know until their final hour.” (The day before, Obama stated, “I’ve made it clear that the United States respects the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran and is not interfering with Iran’s affairs.”) [3685]

 

Reporters pounce on press secretary Robert Gibbs as it becomes clear that Obama’s national health care plan may involve taxes on those who earn less than $250,000 per year. Gibbs is asked on June 29, “(Obama) said, I am not going to raise taxes on anyone making under $250,000. Is that pledge still active?” Gibbs responds, “We are going to let the process work its way through. We’re going to let the process work its way through. All right?” Gibbs is prodded several times, but avoids any direct admission that Obama is breaking his pledge. Reporters accuse the administration of a “bait and switch” tactic; Gibbs deflects the accusations. [3661]

 

Commenting on the agreement to remove all U.S. combat troops from Iraq’s urban centers on June 30, former Vice-President Dick Cheney states, “I hope the Iraqis can deal with it. At some point, they have to stand on their own, but I would not want to see the U.S. waste all the tremendous sacrifice that has gotten us to this point.” Cheney warns, “…there is still a continuing problem. One might speculate that insurgents are waiting as soon as they get an opportunity to launch more attacks.” [3654]

 

On June 30, the Minnesota Supreme Court rules in favor of former Saturday Night Live comedian Al Franken, making him the state’s junior Senator And giving Democrats 60 votes in the Senate (counting Independent Joe Lieberman and Socialist Bernie Sanders). Although 60 votes would allow Democrats to stop any Republican filibuster, with Senators Kennedy and Byrd are elderly and in ill health, the likelihood of having all 60 Democrats present for a vote is minimal. On election night, Franken trailed incumbent Norm Coleman by 725 votes. Throughout the recount, lawyers for the Democrats managed to force the counting of additional votes for Franken, while challenging votes fro Coleman. With 1,350 absentee ballots ‘found” in heavily-Democrat counties, Franken took the lead. Franken was aided by having the Secretary of State in his corner—which was the result of several years of work by the party to get those election-controlling positions filled by Democrats—and the knowledge that few judges are willing to rule in favor of tossing out ballots, regardless of how tainted they might be. (ACORN and MoveOn.org were among the organizations that supported the “Secretary of State Project,” a leftist political plan to elect as many Democrats to Secretary of State positions as possible—knowing that those individuals control the election process in each state. Minnesota’s Secretary of State, Norm Ritchie, publicly credited the organization with helping him win his election in 2006, with the statement, “I want to thank the Secretary of State Project and its thousands of grass-roots donors for helping to push my campaign over the top.” Ritchie’s State Canvassing Board then helped Franken win by ruling against Coleman in dispute after dispute.) [3656, 3682, 3705]

 
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« Reply #98 on: July 31, 2009, 06:00:52 pm »



A “Where’s the Birth Certificate?” billboard ad is placed on I-35 in Waco, Texas. [3660]

Reports surface of a man wrongly sent to prison who had to spend an additional six years behind bars because Judge Sonia Sotomayor his appeal based on a technicality. Jeff Deskovic’s attorney had been told by a court clerk that his appeal had to be mailed by a certain date. It turned out that the appeal had to be received by the court by that date. Judge Sotomayor—nominated by Obama for the Supreme Court because of her empathy—showed none in denying Deskovic’s appeal. The dismissal stated that the mailing mishap did not “rise to the level of an extraordinary circumstance.” Because of the clerk’s misinformation and the court’s dismissal of the appeal, Deskovic languished in jail for six more years, until DNA testing proved his innocence and set him free. Deskovic states that “…a high-minded moral standard is what we, as a society, should expect and seek from all our judges, especially a Supreme Court justice. But considering that we are talking about a lifetime appointment to the nation’s highest court, we should see if, in practice, her rulings reflect that. A review of her record in my case shows that Sotomayor’s practice does not live up to her promise. All seven of my appeals were turned down. Two stops along the way were in Sotomayor's courtroom.” [3662]

 

The North Korean ship being tailed by U.S. Navy vessels turns around and heads back to the communist nation. The ship was suspected of transporting weapons or missile parts, in violation of United Nations resolutions. [3699]

 

Judge Richard H. Zoller, overseeing a case involving an ACORN worker accused of violating election laws, tells prosecutors to after ACORN as well. The worker, trying to meet the quota for voter registrations required by ACORN, even registered himself three times. It is illegal to pay workers based on how many voter registrations they can collect. The employee’s attorney states, “ACORN should be charged, not my client.” [3681]

 

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, a daily jogger, tells Runner’s World magazine she would beat Obama in a race. “I betcha I’d have more endurance. My one claim to fame in my own little internal running circle is a sub-four marathon. What I lacked in physical strength or skill, I made up for in determination and endurance.” (Palin’s comment prompts many to wonder if she could best Obama politically in November 2012.) [3671]

 

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« Reply #99 on: July 31, 2009, 06:01:22 pm »



July 2009

 

On July 1, the first copies of Larry Sinclair’s book Barack Obama & Larry Sinclair, ****, Sex, Lies & Murder? are shipped. Sinclair alleges that he and Obama shared crack **** and homosexual activities in the back of a limousine on November 6, 1999. The activities continued the next day at a Comfort Suites motel in Gurnee, Illinois. Sinclair states he discussed those events with Donald Young, a gay choir director of Obama’s church. Young was murdered on December 23, 2007. [1242, 3668, 3669]

 

It is reported that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was surprised when Obama started talking tougher about Iran. Clinton had been urging Obama to toughen his stance, but apparently did not expect him to follow his advice. One source states, “It was a happy surprise. It was echoing the line the secretary had been pushing for a couple of days.”

[3670, 3672]

 

A group of scientists sends an open letter to Congress arguing that “the sky is not falling” and alarmism about global warming is just that—alarmism. The letter states, “The sky is not falling; the Earth has been cooling for ten years, without help. The present cooling was NOT predicted by the alarmists’ computer models, and has come as an embarrassment to them. The finest meteorologists in the world cannot predict the weather two weeks in advance, let alone the climate for the rest of the century. Can Al Gore? Can John Holdren? We are flooded with claims that the evidence is clear, that the debate is closed, that we must act immediately, etc, but in fact THERE IS NO SUCH EVIDENCE; IT DOESN'T EXIST. The proposed (cap-and-trade energy tax) legislation would cripple the US economy, putting us at a disadvantage compared to our competitors. For such drastic action, it is only prudent to demand genuine proof that it is needed, not just computer projections, and not false claims about the state of the science.” [3691, 3692, 3693]

 

Vice  President Joe Biden visits Wattsburg, Pennsylvania’s Seneca High School to talk about the stimulus legislation and draws a crowd of only about 100 people. [3679]

 

Luckily for Obama, a report on health care by John Stossel is pulled from ABC programming to make room for more coverage of the death of entertainer Michael Jackson. Stossel, a reporter who is known for his common-sense explanations of issues and showcasing of the advantages of liberty and capitalism over collectivism, had prepared a special called “Canadian Health Care: The End of Innovation?” In the unseen program (which may eventually be aired at a future date), Stossel focuses on the unintended consequences of a national health care system. He states, “When the government takes over, many critics say that you may not get the care and breakthroughs you need to save your life.” Canadian-born Sally Pipes, of the Pacific research Institute, warns, “The only way (the Obama administration) can get costs down under a government-run system is to control the amount of money that is spent on healthcare.” American citizens “…are going to have denied care, lack of access to the latest technology, and long waiting lists, just like people do in Canada and Great Britain.” [3673]

 

Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh warns that Obama would not be averse to changing the U.S. Constitution to allow him to serve more than two terms. “I wouldn’t be at all surprised if in the next number of years there is a move on the 22nd Amendment,” says Limbaugh. “I wouldn't put it past Obama to be plotting right now how to serve beyond 2016, and I think (that’s the reason for the) way he’s reacting to what's happening in Honduras. They’ve got a constitution. They’re a democratically elected set of officials down there, and you had a guy running the country, Mel Zelaya, who was just going to basically rip that country’s democracy to shreds and the country moved in to stop him from doing it. And Obama sides with the guy who wanted to rip up the constitution.” [3674]

 

On July 1, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs is made uncomfortable by correspondents Chip Reid and Helen Thomas, who question him about pre-selected questions for Obama’s town hall meeting on health care. Thomas tells Gibbs, “We have never had that in the White House. I’m amazed that you people… call for openness and transparency.” Thomas later tells CNS News, “"Nixon didn’t try to do that. They couldn’t control (the media). They didn’t try that. What the Hell do they think we are, puppets? They’re supposed to stay out of our business. They are our public servants. We pay them. I’m not saying there has never been managed news before, but this is carried to fare-thee-well - for the town halls, for the press conferences. It’s blatant. They don’t give a damn if you know it or not. They ought to be hanging their heads in shame.” [3694, 3695]

 
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« Reply #100 on: July 31, 2009, 06:03:47 pm »



The network Obama loves to hate, Fox News Channel, broadcasts all 10 of the top-rated cable news shows in the second quarter of 2009. Obama may be driving viewers to Fox, because of the obsequious coverage he gets on the other networks. [3675]

 

It is reported that Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor, was actively involved with the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund in campaigning against President’s Supreme Court nominee, Robert Bork. [3697]

 

On the evening of July 1, several hundred demonstrators gather outside the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem to protest Obama’s continuing efforts to tell Israelis where they can and cannot build new homes. Sponsoring the protest is the Jewish National Front, which releases the statement, “We decided to launch a campaign against the president of the United States and to say that Barack Hussein Obama is bad for the Jews. From the moment that he entered the White House, we have been feeling anti-Semitism and hatred toward Israel. We have a number of plans, among which are demonstrations in the U.S. and protests in front of the consulate and homes of the ambassadors.” [3729]

 

Based on documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), it is learned that Saddam Hussein told the FBI after his capture that he misled the world into believing he had weapons of mass destruction to keep Iran at bay. Hussein considered Iran a bigger threat to his regime in Iraq than the United States, and did not expect that President Bush would commit to more than a limited attack. [3696]

 

A Rasmussen poll shows Obama’s Presidential Approval Index at –2 on July 2. The figure represents the percentage of people polled who “strongly approve” of his performance (33 per cent) minus the percentage who strongly disapprove (35 per cent).

[2693]

 

It is announced that Bill Clinton will hold a fundraiser for Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, in her bid to defeat Senator Kristen Gillibrand in the 2010 New York primary. Gillibrand is endorsed by Obama. (Gillibrand was selected by Governor David Paterson to fill the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton when she became Secretary of State.) [3706]

 

On July 2 the stock market plunges on news that 467,000 jobs were lost in June, raising the nation’s unemployment rate to a 26-year high of 9.5 per cent. In some states, the rate exceeds 10 per cent. (The “underemployment rate,” which tracks the unemployed and those working part-time because they cannot find full-time employment reaches 16.5 per cent.) Obama unconvincingly calls the 467,000 jobs lost in June a “sign of recovery” because more than that were lost in May. Stuart G. Hoffman, chief economist at PNC Financial Services, states, “The numbers are indicative of a continued, very severe recession. There’s nothing in here to show that the economy and the market are pulling out of the grip of recession.” Since Obama was sworn in, more than 2.7 million jobs have been lost—despite the $787 billion “stimulus package,” which Obama argued would keep unemployment from rising more than 8 per cent. (The average number of hours worked per week also declined, as employers require less employee overtime.) The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is shrinking, partly because the stimulus bill contained very little stimulus, but mostly because business is afraid to expand or hire. Obama is repeating the mistakes made by Franklin D. Roosevelt during the depression of the 1930s—raising taxes, spending money the government doesn’t have, and interfering so much with private industry that business owners are afraid of what the federal government will do next. That insecurity prompts inactivity. Capitalists, fearful that Obama is bent on destroying capitalism, are not about to spend money when they are not sure what the next new tax or regulation might be. Contributing to the fear are the massive federal deficit spending and the expectation that Obama’s cap-and-trade global warming taxes and regulations—and health care reform—will add tremendous costs to their operations. Investor’s Business Daily states, “America needs jobs, but its businesses can’t create them as long as they remain under the thumb of a high-taxing, runaway-spending, overregulating, entrepreneur-smothering Big Government.” Some might argue that Obama is reaping what he sowed—after repeatedly telling Americans how terrible things were, they can hardly be faulted for believing him and saving and reducing their debt rather than spending.  [3704, 3711, 3713, 3721]

 

The Washington Examiner reports that the Washington Post developed and promoted a “Washington Post Salon” program selling access to “Obama administration officials, Congress members… and other select minds.” The meetings would be held at the home of Washington Post CEO Katherine Weymouth, and would allow guests to “Interact with key Obama administration and Congressional leaders…” The cost of being a “guest” is $25,000. White House officials deny involvement. The Washington Post later states that its flyer announcing the first event on July 21 (“Health-Care reform: Better or Worse for Americans?”) was merely a “draft” that was inadvertently released. The program is cancelled after word of it spread on the Internet. [3718, 3719, 3720]

 
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« Reply #101 on: July 31, 2009, 06:04:49 pm »



North Korea test fires four short-range missiles. The missiles have a range of less than 62 miles; incapable of reaching Japan, they are nevertheless capable of striking U.S. Navy vessels in the area. [3715]

 

It is disclosed that the Democrats’ cap-and-trade global warming bill passed by the House (and awaiting action by the Senate) includes a provision for cash assistance in the form of “energy stamps” for low-income Americans to help them cope with rising energy prices. Inasmuch as the Democrats state that their legislation will cost an average family only $175 per year in higher energy costs, it would be unnecessary to provide a complicated and expensive new bureaucracy to provide an estimated 65 million people with “energy stamps.” (The “energy stamp” program would be larger than food stamps or Medicaid in terms of the number of people “served.”) Clearly, the Democrats know that Obama’s energy plan will not be creating millions of “high-paying green jobs”—or they would not have to worry about 65 million Americans having trouble paying their heating and electricity bills. [3712, 3713]

 

In a July 2 interview Obama says he is “deeply concerned” about continuing unemployment and is focusing on both short-term and long-term solutions to the nation’s economic problems. (Many Americans were led to believe the stimulus bill was supposed to be the solution.) [3725]

 

Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) becomes the sixth co-sponsor of Congressman Bill Posey’s (R-FL) bill (H.R. 1503) requiring that presidential candidates provide documentation proving they meet the eligibility requirements. [3722]

 

On July 3 Sarah Palin announces she will resign as governor of Alaska on July 25. Palin quotes General Douglas MacArthur, saying “We are not retreating; we are advancing in another direction.” By resigning, Palin can devote time to a national campaign—if that is her plan—and can put an end to nuisance lawsuits Democrats have been filing in an effort to harass and bankrupt her. (The frivolous lawsuits and ethics complaints have also cost Alaskan taxpayers millions of dollars in legal expenses.) Palin says, “Political operatives descended on Alaska last August, digging for dirt. The ethics law I championed became their weapon of choice. Over the past nine months I’ve been accused of all sorts of frivolous ethics violations—such as holding a fish in a photograph, wearing a jacket with a logo on it, and answering reporters’ questions.  Every one—all 15 of the ethics complaints have been dismissed. We’ve won! But it hasn’t been cheap—the State has wasted thousands of hours of your time and shelled out some two million of your dollars to respond to “opposition research”—that’s money not going to fund teachers or troopers—or safer roads. And this political absurdity, the “politics of personal destruction” …Todd and I are looking at more than half a million dollars in legal bills in order to set the record straight. And what about the people who offer up these silly accusations? It doesn’t cost them a dime so they’re not going to stop draining public resources—spending other peoples’ money in their game.” [3727, 3728, 3731, 3747]

 

An FBI spokesman confirms that there is no truth to rumors that Sarah Palin is a target of a corruption investigation. Special Agent Eric Gonzalez states, “There is absolutely no truth to those rumors that we’re investigating her or getting ready to indict her. It’s just not true.” Palin issues a statement, “How sad that Washington and the media will never understand; it’s about country. And though it’s honorable for countless others to leave their positions for a higher calling and without finishing a term, of course we know by now, for some reason a different standard applies for the decisions I make.” Some of the unfounded rumors can be traced to a leftist Alaskan blogger, whose libelous and fabricated stories were repeated by the Huffington Post, MSNBC, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. [3750, 3751]

 

Yukiya Amano, the incoming head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), states that he does not “see any evidence in IAEA documents” that Iran is working on nuclear weapons. [3745]

 
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« Reply #102 on: July 31, 2009, 06:05:21 pm »



On July 3, North Korea test fires two additional missiles. [3730]

 

Bashar al-Assad, president of Syria, invites Obama to Damascus. Al-Assad states, “We would like to welcome him in Syria, definitely. I am very clear about this.” Since 1979, Syria has been classified by the United States a state sponsor of terrorism; considering Obama’s eagerness to meet with any leader without pre-conditions, financing terrorist activities will likely not prevent him from meeting with Al-Assad. (The headquarters of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad are in Damascus. Weapons from Iran pass through Syria on their way to Hizbullah terrorists. Some speculate that Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction were shipped to Syria as the U.S. Armed Forces assembled for the 2003 invasion.) [3733, 3734]

 

As many as 2,000 TEA (Taxed Enough Already?) party tax protests are held on July 4 in over 1,200 cities across America. Organizers are also planning a National Taxpayer Protest for September 1- through 12; thousands are expected to attend in the nation’s capital. [3702, 3703, 3759, 3760]

 

As Americans celebrate their Independence Day and Obama heads to Russia, Iran hangs 20 people “convicted of drug trafficking.” Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, with the Iranian Human Rights organization, states, “34 people have been executed in Iran in the past four days, and 26 of the executions have taken place in Tehran. There is no doubt that these executions are meant to spread fear among the people and suppress further the pro-democracy movement in Iran. Several thousand people have been arrested following the last three week’s demonstrations in Iran. Many of them are in danger of torture, forced confession and execution. The world community, UN, EU and all countries with diplomatic ties with Iran must do whatever they can in order to stop the bloodshed started by the Iranian regime. The world must act now, before it is too late. We also ask the world community to support the legitimate demands of the Iranian people and not to recognize results of the recent Iranian election.” [3746]

 

CBSNews.com files a story about the tea party protests, going out of its way to give the story an anti-Republican slant. The article emphasizes, “While many of the signs at the protests blame President Barack Obama for government overspending, the people CBS News talked to were just as upset with Republicans.” The article eagerly states that conservative Republicans “desperately need” a “united front,” and quotes Politico’s Andy Barr: “You talk to a number of Republican strategists in Washington and they are all looking for ways to kind of grab that energy and put it into campaigns. So far they haven't done it.” A story allegedly about thousands of Americans protesting high taxes, massive deficit spending, and trillions added to the national debt is transformed by CBS into a criticism of conservative Republicans. In general, mainstream media coverage of the tax protests was minimal. (At the same time, ratings for CBS, NBC, and ABC have been less than stellar, and the networks find themselves having to fight harder for advertising revenue.) [3739, 3764]

 

It is reported that the Obama administration is opposed to financial sanctions to be discussed at the upcoming G8 summit, which other nations are supporting in response to the Iranian government’s brutal treatment of demonstrators. (Obama would apparently rather do nothing in response to the killing of protestors than risk upsetting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the ayatollahs.) [3732]

 

By July 5, the clip of White House correspondents Chip Reid and Helen Thomas attacking press secretary Robert Gibbs on the issue of Obama being fed pre-selected questions at his “town hall meeting” on health care is missing from the press briefing play list on YouTube.com. The index includes June 26 and July 2 but omits the embarrassing July 1 exchange (which the “most transparent administration” apparently believes no Americans need to view). [3694, 3695, 3752, 3753]

 

On July 5, a White House official says the Obama administration might implement a new U.S.-Russian nuclear arms treaty without Senate approval—even though Senate ratification of all treaties is required by the U.S. Constitution. The existing Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) expires December 5. One issue of concern to Russia is the planned U.S. missile defense system installation for Poland and the Czech Republic. As columnist Caroline Glick points out, “…while in Moscow Obama plans to abandon U.S. allies Ukraine and Georgia and agree to deep cuts in U.S. missile defense programs. In exchange, Moscow is expected to consider joining Washington in cutting back on its nuclear arsenal just as the likes of Iran and North Korea build up theirs. Of course, even if Russia doesn't agree to scale back its nuclear arsenal, Obama has already ensured that the US will slash the size of its own by refusing to fund its modernization. Of course, even if Russia doesn’t agree to scale back its nuclear arsenal, Obama has already ensured that the U.S. will slash the size of its own by refusing to fund its modernization.” [3754, 3770]

 
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It is reported that the Obama administration has pressured Israel Aerospace Industries to withdraw from a partnership with a Swedish company to sell fighter jets to the Indian Air Force. [3756, 3770]

 

Vice-President Joe Biden implied on the July 5 broadcast of ABC’s This Week that the Obama administration might not stand in the way of an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Biden states, “Israel can determine for itself—it’s a sovereign nation—what’s in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else. Whether we agree or not. They’re entitled to do that. Any sovereign nation is entitled to do that. But there is no pressure from any nation that’s going to alter our behavior as to how to proceed.” Israel does not, however, have the in-flight refueling capabilities of the U.S. military; if it sends bombers to Iran they would have to cross Iraqi air space. Although Obama cannot prevent Israel from attacking Iran, he can prevent it from violating Iraqi air space. Any attack on Iran would therefore be a suicide mission for Israeli pilots who would not have the fuel to return home if were forced to fly around Iraq. To the issue of possibly standing in the way of a military strike, Biden responds to George Stephanopolous, “I’m not going to speculate, George, on those issues, other than to say Israel has a right to determine what’s in its interests, and we have a right and we will determine what's in our interests.” [1684, 3757, 3761]

 

In a statement that is certain to give few Americans comfort in the economic abilities of the new administration, Biden also says on This Week. “The truth is, we and everybody else misread the economy… we misread just how bad the economy was. So the second question becomes, did the economic package we put in place, including the Recovery Act, is it the right package given the circumstances we’re in? And we believe it is the right package.” Biden would not rule out a second stimulus bill, saying, “I think it’s premature to make a judgment.” (Some of the federal funds from the $787 billion stimulus bill are being spent on operating summer school sessions—clearly not a way to create new jobs for unemployed Americans, but a way to reward teachers unions for supporting Obama.) [3762, 3765]

 

The day after Biden’s appearance on This Week, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly states, “I certainly would not want to give a green light to any kind of military action (by Israel against Iran).” [3767]

 

Attorney Mario Apuzzo paces a full-page ad in the Washington Times on July 6, with the headline “Obama is NOT an Article II Natural Born Citizen and therefore is Not Eligible to be President.” Apuzzo references Article II of the U.S Constitution (“No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption if this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President”) and The Law of Nations, Vattel, 1758, Chapter 19, Section 212 (“natural-born citizens, are those born in the country, of parents who are citizens”). The ad is paid for by Charles F. Kerchner, lead plaintiff in Kerchner et al vs. Obama & Congress et al. [3741, 3742, 3749]

 

Congressman Eric Cantor (R-VA) states it may be time for another stimulus bill—but one based on tax cuts rather than federal spending. “I don’t think there’s any question that our priority over the next month should be this economy,” Cantor tells reporters. “We stand ready and willing to stand with the president and produce a bill that will generate results.” In response to Biden’s comment that the administration “misread the economy,” Cantor says “They didn’t misread the economy. …What they did is miswrote the stimulus bill and got the prescription wrong. …The first attempt at a stimulus bill did not stimulate the economy.” [3766]

 

A Rasmussen poll shows Obama’s Presidential Approval Index at –3 on July 7. The figure represents the percentage of people polled who “strongly approve” of his performance (33 per cent) minus the percentage who strongly disapprove (36 per cent). [2693]

 

A Rasmussen poll shows Obama’s Presidential Approval Index at –5 on July 8. The figure represents the percentage of people polled who “strongly approve” of his performance (32 per cent) minus the percentage who strongly disapprove (37 per cent). [2693]

 

A Rasmussen poll shows Obama’s Presidential Approval Index at –8 on July 9. The figure represents the percentage of people polled who “strongly approve” of his performance (30 per cent) minus the percentage who strongly disapprove (38 per cent). [2693]





 
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