Tuesday, May 31, 2011

I Did Not Have Twitter Relations With That Woman...

Well it is technically the wrong scandal, but it brings back so many memories.


Consider me skeptical, but this is not the response of an innocent man seeking to clear his good name.

Why is it politicians are only interested in getting back to work for the people when they are looking to deflect inquiry into their misdeeds. True, Wienergate remains alledged, but more interviews like this will only add fuel to the fire. If he were so interested in the work of the people he would have been discussing Clarence Thomas conflict of interest instead of dropping his drawers and playing the role of unofficial congressional photographer.


Please bookmark!

Cool Teddy Roosevelt Picture of the Day

 Awesome, just awesome.



Please bookmark!

Herman Cain Train Music Video

I dedicate this one to Unlikely Hospitalist.



Please bookmark!

The Month in Review

After a busy April, we at Pundit Press had an exciting May.  We started off with a blast (and so did Osama bin Laden to the skull). We're at 184 subscribers, 123 Twitter subscribers, and 113 followers. So without further ado...

Number of articles written in April: 369 articles
Most written in one day: 57 (May 2)

Most articles by author-

Thomas Ferdousi- 146 articles
Aurelius- 123 articles
Mr. K- 54 articles
Unlikely Hospitalist- 35 articles
Danny R Butcher- 4 articles
Kaptain Krude- 4 articles
Dr. Owens- 4 articles
Dr. White- 2 articles
Eric Dondero- 1 article
Fenway_Nation- 1 article
Joe C.- 1 article

In the month of April, Pundit Press received 163,555 pageviews, a 21% increase and our biggest moth yet!

The top articles of the month:

1. Obama Speech Transcript, May 1st about Osama bin Laden Death, by Thomas with 19,569 views, or 12% of the views

2. Unconfirmed: Osama bin Laden Death Photo (WARNING, EXTREMELY GRAPHIC) | UPDATE: Confirmed to be FAKE, by Aurelius with 8,031 views, or 5%

3. Death Photo of Osama bin Laden's Son Hamza (GRAPHIC), by Aurelius with 6,957 views or 4.3%

4. Photos of Osama bin Laden Mansion Hideout, by Thomas with 6,738 views, or 4.1%

5. Watch Obama Speech Live, May 1, 2011, by Aurelius with 6,259 views, or 3.8%

6. Death Photos of Unidentified Men in Osama bin Laden Compound Leaked (WARNING, GRAPHIC), by Aurelius with 6,219 views, or 3.8%

7. EPA to Use New Regulations to Prohibit Hydraulic Fracturing?, by Unlikely Hospitalist with 5,915 views, or 3.6%

8. California DoT Nixes Public Display of American Flag, Calls it "Impermissible Public Expression," by Aurelius with 5,449 views, or 3.3%

9. Video- LSU Student Attempting to Burn Flag Chased Away by Patriots Chanting "Go to Hell, Hippie," by Aurelius with 4,646 views, or 2.8%

10. Where Was Osama bin Laden Killed?, by Aurelius, with 4,514 views, or 2.8%

11. Liberal Commenters on ThinkProgress: Allen West a "Lawn Jockey," "Uncle Tom," "Token Black Bagger," by Aurelius with 4,012 views, or 2.5%

12. Arnold Schwarzenegger Divorce, by Thomas with 3,728 views, or 2.3%

13.  Article on Lara Logan Rape, by Aurelius with 3,592 views, or 2.2%

14. Vote in Our Poll: 2012 GOP Nomination, by Thomas with 2,801 views, or 1.7%

15. Obama Speech on Middle East Transcript, May 19, 2011, by Aurelius with 2,187 views, or 1.3%

16. Osama bin Laden Shot in Head by CIA, by Thomas with 2,090 views, or 1.3%

17. Live Video: Watch Netanyahu Speech to Congress, by Thomas with 2,026 views, or 1.2%

18. Full Obama Speech Video on Osama bin Laden's Death, May 1, 2011, by Aurelius with 1,531 views, or .9%

19. YES! Osama bin Laden Dead, by Aurelius with 1,522 views, or .9%

20. Why is Arnold Schwarzenegger Getting a Divorce?, by Aurelius with 1,506 views, or .9%

21. Fake Osama bin Laden Picture Leaked (With Picture), by Aurelius with 1,413 views, or .9%

22. Video- Netanyahu's Entire Speech to Congress, May 24, 2011, by Aurelius with 1,406 views, or .9%

23. Watch Obama Speech in Ireland Live (Streaming), May 23, 2011, by Aurelius with 1,392 views, or .9%

24. Bin Laden Killed by Navy Seals, by Thomas with 1,382 views, or .8%

25. NY-26 Special Election Results, by Mr. K with 1,344 views, or .8%

26. NASA-Funded Group Caught Doctoring Global Warming Data, by Aurelius with 1,297 views, or .8%

27. Pictures of Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami March 11, 2011, by Aurelius with 1,292 views, or .8%

28. Picture of "Water Gun" Behind Dead Man in Osama bin Laden Compound (Graphic), by Aurelius with 1,154 views, or .7%

29. Video: Stephen Harper Victory Speech, by Thomas with 1000 views, or .6%


Top Contributor of the Month-

For coming in a solid third in articles written, Mr. K is the top contributor in the month of May


Those that linked to Us:

Instapundit
Hot Air
Michelle Malkin
Ann Coulter
Gateway Pundit
Linkiest
Director Blue
WCBM
Pirate's Cove

Tomb of the the unknown blogger (for anyone we missed)


Notes-

- Pundit Press welcomes Danny R. Butcher, from the acclaimed site High Plains Pundit, to the team
- Joe wrote an entire article
- This month contained the highest number of articles with 1,000+ hits
- Ann Coulter was gracious enough to link to us twice this month
- Osama bin Laden is dead!

Please bookmark!

What If Weiner Is Guilty?

Everyone has written about the "Weinergate" scandal this past Memorial Day weekend, with the exception of me, because I was actually working and all the aforementioned articles contain nothing but pure political speculation by both sides.

So what am I writing about right now?

On what the consequences should be if Congressman Weiner is guilty.

Voters expect their Representatives and Senators to not only represent them in Washington, but to do so with no personal, or political scandals. Florida's 16th congressional district punished two consecutive Representatives for disturbing sexual scandals, and rightfully so.

We don't expect angels in Congress, but we do demand fidelity.

The Queens area Congressman, if guilty of what he's accused of, should follow the example of Congressman Chris Lee (R-NY) by resigning immediately and sparing his constituents of further embarrassment because of his own immoral pursuits on Twitter.

There's nothing more or less to add to the debate.

What say you?

Watch White House Press Briefing Live Video



Video clips at Ustream

Please bookmark!

Gates: Obama Keeping bin Laden Pictures Secret Because of "Photoshop" Fear

Defense Secretary Robert Gates stated today that one of the main reasons why President Barack Obama has decided not to release death photos of terrorist Osama bin Laden is because he fears that the pictures will be photoshopped and used against the United States.
Mr. Gates
Mr. Gates stated that the President believes that, should the photos be released, they will quickly be "misused" in order to drive anti-American sentiment in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Gates stated:
"One of the things that I think concerns Secretary [of State Hillary] Clinton and I is the risk not only of the pictures themselves inflaming people who were bin Laden's adherents and radical extremists, but we were also worried about the potential for manipulation of those photos and doing things with those photos that would be pretty outrageous in terms of provoking a reaction that might in fact put our troops at greater risk in both Iraq and Afghanistan."
He continued later:
"The primary reason I think that the president made the decision he did was not only to protect our troops, but also to protect other Americans who are living abroad -- our civilians, our diplomats and others -- because if these photos were misused, then the danger of them inflaming reaction we considered to be very real.  I think it was the right decision. I realize the desire for closure on the part of a lot of folks who...suffered losses on 9/11, and since then at the hands of this guy, and before. But I think this was the right decision in this case."
Gates further added:
"I have gotten from friends all over the country copies of the picture that was this iconic picture taken in the Situation Room while we were watching the operation. And they have been photoshopped in every way you can imagine, including putting you know, coming after the royal wedding, one of these had all of us in one of these big, wide-brimmed hats from the wedding. Another had various football players seated at the table that had been photoshopped in."
Whether or not the pictures will be leaked or released remains to be seen, even though the President has assured Americans that the pictures will not get out.  These new statements by Gates add a new layer of depth to the conversation.

Please bookmark!

Watch Obama Speech/Announcement Live (Streaming Video), May 31, 2011

Update- The speech is apparently over.

President Obama reportedly is about to make a "personnel announcement" at around 1:15EST. Watch below:



Streaming live video by Ustream

Please bookmark!

VA Pastor Told to Remove Jesus' Name at Memorial Service or Else be Banned

Pastor Scott Rainey planned to deliver a prayer at a Memorial Day ceremony yesterday.  There was only one problem:  that prayer mentioned Jesus.

To the vast majority of Americans, saying the name Jesus during a prayer would not only be all right, but almost required. However, the Dept. of Veterans Affairs and the Houston National Cemetery, and cemetery director Arleen Ocasio, found the name offensive and moved quickly.

“Our national cemeteries are places for all veterans of all beliefs,” Ocasio wrote in a letter to Mr. Rainey. “We cannot be exclusive at a ceremony meant to be inclusive for all our nation’s veterans.” She added that he had to remove the name of Jesus, "or he would not be allowed to pray."

She wrote in reference to the last line of Rainey's prayer: “in the name of Jesus Christ, the risen Lord.”

Rainey was shocked by the letter and Ocasio's demands. “I have never said a prayer in my life where I didn’t end it by saying ‘in the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, amen,’” he stated.

Mr. Rainey quickly got an attorney, Jeff Mateer, to defend his right to free speech.  Mr. Mateer stated:
“It is very clear that a pastor has a right as a private citizen to speak his mind freely and not have the government censor or edit the content of his speech.  Our veterans fought and many died for our religious freedom and to have it stripped away under the façade of inclusiveness is the height of offense to those who have served our country.”
In the short term, U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes has ruled that the Dept. of Veterans Affairs and the Houston National Cemetery cannot order Mr. Rainey to remove the name of Jesus from a religious ceremony.
Deemed Offensive
She wrote that such an order violated the First Amendment.

Yet there are lawyers out there who support the cemetery's actions. Attorney Geoff Berg stated, “Asking him to be more inclusive is exactly what she should do.  That’s the American way. This is a country without a specific religion.”

Please bookmark!

Kloppenburg to Concede Wisconsin Supreme Court Race

And now for the day that we've all been waiting for, it appears that JoAnne Kloppenburg finally got the memo that she was losing in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. She is expected to concede about this time today.

Kloppenburg had called for a recount after the election results showed he 7,000 votes behind incumbent justice David Prosser. This is just under the maximum vote percentage to allow a state-funded recount. Kloppenburg's campaign expected to gain votes in one particular county that never materialized.

Now Politico is reporting that Kloppenburg is going to leave the race, despite her earlier calls to continue the recount. This would leave the conservative/Republican faction on the Wisconsin Supreme Court with a majority. This will be important in the court case sure to follow regarding the public sector union law.


A Democratic source emails that the long aftermath of a charged judicial race in Wisconsin is finally ending today.

JoAnne Kloppenburg will announce at 11 a.m. Central that that she's not going to contest the results of the recount in court, the source says.

Democrats had initially seen the recount as a remedy to doubts about one county's late results, but as those doubts faded it was increasingly seen as a costly distraction from intense recall campaigns on both sides of the aisle.

Game over.

Please bookmark!

Go Figure: Obama Played Golf on Memorial Day, Utterly Disrespecting our Fallen Soldiers

In 2003, President George W. Bush gave up his beloved game of golf.  His reasoning was simple:
"I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal. I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander-in-chief playing golf. I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them."
Fast-forward eight years.  The United States is still in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as being involved in a "non-kinetic" conflict in Libya.  President Obama, however, doesn't mind as much as his predecessor.  In fact, he's played golf 70 times in his two-and-a-half years as President.

Is his choice to play golf while we are at war the wrong one?  Probably, but it is certainly up for debate.  However, his choice to play golf this Monday, Memorial Day, the day that the United States of America honors the hundreds of thousands that have died in service of our country, is most certainly the wrong one.  Worse, it is utterly disrespectful and shockingly unpresidential.

Consider where President Obama was yesterday morning: at Arlington paying his respect to troops.  It was, and always is, a solemn occasion.  Now tell me, how could the President conceivably think that hopping a plane from Arlington to a golf course was the right way to honor our troops?

So while ceremonies where taking place across the country, while battle-hardened veterans were weeping for their lost friends, while prayers were given at tombstones and 21-gun salutes were sounding in all 50 states, our Commander in Chief was screaming, "Fore!"
Utterly shameful.

Please bookmark!

Qaddafi Appears on TV: 'I Will Not Leave'

Rumors have swirled around Libyan dictator Muommar Qaddafi that he may be ready to seek a peace deal with the rebels. However, if his public comments are any indication, he may not be.




This comes as he meets with the President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, and appeared on Libyan state television:

"Col. Gaddafi called for an end to the bombings to enable a Libyan dialogue," Zuma's office said in a statement. "He emphasized that he was not prepared to leave his country, despite the difficulties."

Zuma also said Gaddafi's personal safety "is a concern" -- a reference to NATO strikes which have repeatedly hit the Libyan leader's Bab al-Aziziyah compound and other locations used by the Libyan leader and his family.

And with the news he's hiding in hospitals, his time is running out.

Cross-posted at WorldThreats.

Please bookmark!

Extend Robert Mueller's Term

Washington is debating today whether FBI Director Robert Mueller's ten-year term, which is currently due to expire on September third, should be extended another two years to maintain continuity in America's national security team.

Most Senators, who have the final word over all Presidential appointments and nominations, are supporting the call to extend Mr. Mueller's extension because we're living "in extraordinary times," while others are unsure whether its really a good idea to give Mueller an exemption that was put in place for a reason.

So what should lawmakers do?

With the vital positions of Secretary of Defense; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Director of the CIA all turning over to brand new men within the next couple of months, I believe we cannot afford to have our entire national defense aparatus staffed with four new guys on top.

One guy has to stay. And who better than Robert Mueller; the man who came in the exact same week as the 9/11 attacks and who transformed America's leading domestic crime fighting agency into one that operates across the entire world in order to prevent future terrorist attacks on our nation.

Mueller's term should be extended by two years. He has earned it.

What say you?

Fifty Killed in Yemen Protest

At least fifty people have been killed since Sunday in the deteriorating situation in Yemen. The country at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula has seen increasing violence, including the takeover of one town by al Qaeda-linked extremists.

Now it appears that the situation is boiling out of control:
The UN said reports indicated that those in Taiz had been killed by "Yemeni army, Republican Guards and other government-affiliated elements who forcibly destroyed the protest camp in Horriya Square using water cannons, bulldozers and live ammunition".

Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has urged all parties to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, saying that the "bloodshed must stop".

"Such reprehensible acts of violence and indiscriminate attacks on unarmed civilians by armed security officers must stop immediately. Further violence will only yield more insecurity and move the country further away from a resolution to this political crisis," she said.

The situation is one step away from a civil war.

Cross-posted at WorldThreats.

Please bookmark!

The Jewish Vote In 2012

With President Obama's endorsement of returning Israel's borders to 1967 levels, which has infuriated our Jewish allies, political analysts are attempting to figure out what impact, if any, this will have in the upcoming 2012 Presidential election.

I believe next year's election could be very good for Republicans.

The Democratic Party has won the Jewish vote in twenty-two straight elections, even though the Republican Party has historically been friendlier to Jewish interests than Democrats, who have run candidates like Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.

In fact, the Presidency of Jimmy Carter left such a bad taste in the mouth of Jewish voters, that Reagan came within points of winning a plurality in 1980.

Which is what I believe will happen next year.

President Obama's history of hostility towards Israel and Jewish interests is bad enough, but his endorsement of the 1967 borders in coordination with the rightward drift of younger Jews will help the next Republican for President gain, and I firmly believe this, close to 30% of the vote.

Start watching for signs, because Jewish voters are going to mass exodus into the GOP.

What say you?

Battle of the Douchebags: KKK Counters Westborough Soldier Funeral Protests

I'm not sure who I hate more. This interesting video comes via Breitbart:



Please bookmark!

Monday, May 30, 2011

Video- Hamza Ali al-Khateeb Tortured, Killed, and Mutilated by Syrian Gov't

You want proof that Syrian "leader" Bashar Al-Assad is a monster?  Just take a look at what his thugs did to a thirteen-year-old (warning, graphic):


Please bookmark!

Shale Gas: Will France Hold Sway?

Last week Governor Cuomo issued an executive order requiring the Department of Environmental Conservation to take into account the the natural gas well blowout that occurred in April resulting in chemical laced water contaminating a Pennsylvania Creek. This has been highly touted in the media. What was overlooked by many was the additional requirement that the Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS) be released on July 1st.

In the memo sent Friday to Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joseph Martens, Director of State Operations Howard Glaser ordered the department to complete an on-site inspection of the Bradford County, Pa. gas well, and to include any information from the site in the DEC's environmental review of hydrofracking.

Glaser also asked for a second draft of that review, called the Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement, to be "completed for issuance by July 1, 2011," marking the first hard deadline placed on the DEC's hydrofracking study since it was launched in July 2008.

Newly appointed Commissioner Martens previously said the new draft guidelines would be completed “by the end of summer,” but it seems Cuomo was not happy with that squishy deadline and has decided to give the DEC a metaphorical kick in the rear. No one really knows where Cuomo comes down on the issue of drilling, but this is certainly a good omen for those who support drilling in the state.

This comes on the heels of a statement by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, whose report is expected this month and the UK Parliament Energy and Climate Committee report supporting the development of natural gas drilling in the UK stating, among other things, that natural has did not pose a significant threat to the safety of fresh water aquifers.

In the end it is irrelevant what the NY DEC has to say about hydrofracking. The report from the UK Parliament means nothing when it comes to the veracity of the opposition. There is nothing, it seems that will be able to assuage the doubts and skepticism of the anti-fracking crowd. Except, perhaps, France.

France has a very significant shale gas reserve estimated at 28 trillion-30 trillion cubic meters. Initially very excited about exploiting this energy source, under pressure from environmental groups have placed a moratorium on shale gas exploration and drilling that is set to expire in June when two studies are expected to be made public regarding the safety and economic impacts of shale gas exploration. The preliminary information is promising!

For a remarkable astute observation see the post by Nick Grealy who operates the blog No Hot Air and will be introducing a new blog ShaleGasinfo.euon June 1st. He sees it as increasingly obvious "that France is going to play a big role in gaining public acceptance of shale in Europe."

France is held in high regard in places like Bucks County PA, upstate New York, the Upper West Side of Manhattan etc, where the opposition to shale has been loudest. On places like West 96th Street, a few blocks from Josh Fox of Gasland's main residence, they hold up France's shale ban as vindicating.

He raises some question's to those who see French shale as being dead and asks them to think again.

A report from the French Senate, written by Senator Houel, who represents the Seine-et-Marne, where the Paris Basin gas is located raises some pointed questions regarding the current ban in place.

Celui-ci souligne ainsi que l’enjeu énergétique, qui entre dans les trois piliers du développement durable (protection de l’environnement, développement économique, progrès social), n’est pas suffisamment pris en compte par le texte tel qu’adopté par l’Assemblée nationale.

This underlines how the energy issue, which involves three pillars of sustainable development (environmental protection, economic development, social progress), is not sufficiently taken into account by the text as adopted by the National Assembly.

Mr. Grealy adds in scathing commentary:

Wise words that we should use. Environmental protection and carbon reduction are only one of the three pillars. Gas can reduce carbon by 50 to 70%, but not by 100%, and even nuclear, CCS and renewables don't do that either. Gas does have substantial advantages however in economic development and social progress. Social progress is certainly the Achilles Heel of the NIMBY brigade. Much of the opposition in places like Pennsylvania comes from the weekend residents or drop ins who choose to act like organic goatherd/ peasants compared to the local permanent population who have never had an option but to live like peasants. (emphasis mine)

As I read this I wonder if he has visited the Cooperstown or Finger Lakes region of upstate New York? These are the specious arguments that dominate local town boards in the area.

The summer of 2011 will be bring to a head the arguments both for and against hydraulic fracturing. Will our elected representatives be willing to trump political pressure and do what is right? The actions of Sen Jim Seward (R/C/I-Oneonta) would argue otherwise.

Please Bookmark!

Video- DNC Chair: Republicans Think Illegal Immigration is Illegal!

Here's your daily dose of stupid:


Please bookmark!

Born to be Wild: Wasilla Style

Sarah Palin meeting with folks during the annual Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally in honour of our fallen and missing soldiers:
I don't know all the reasons for why Mrs. Palin was attending the annual Rolling Thunder rally yesterday afternoon, but I have a feeling they were genuine and not politically centered. She might be a shrewd politician, but she also respects our veterans more than to use them, or their supporters, as a photo-op.

And to take a line from Bill O'Reilly's playbook: anyone who brings attention to our soldiers, especially those who served and died in Viet Nam, are patriots and deserve our credit for being so.

What say you?

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Climate Change Believers and Harold Camping Followers All Believe the End is Near

There is a funny thing about true believers in climate change and the followers of Harold Camping. Coming from opposite sides of the philosophic spectrum they both believe that the end is near and it doesn't matter what anyone else says about it.

The fact that May 21 came and went without incidence is irrelevant, just move the date back. The same is true with global warming zealots. Coldest winter on record, global warming. Hottest winter on record, global warming. Paucity of hurricanes, global warming. Plethora of hurricanes, global warming. Drought, global warming. Wet, global warming.

In the end it is all about faith. At least mine allows for something better than we have now....

Please bookmark!

Did President Obama Chew Gum at Joplin Memorial Service?

You be the judge:


To donate to victims in Joplin (and those effected by storms), visit the Red Cross.

Please bookmark!

Obama Admin. to Spend $500 million on Initiative to "Deal with" Kindergarteners Who Can't Sit Still

The Obama Administration has planned a new, $500,000,000 project:  an "early learning initiative designed to deal with children as young as five who can’t sit still in a kindergarten classroom."

What does the Administration mean by "deal with?"  It is not clarified, but in the near future it is assumed that kids will be studied extensively.

According to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who has performed various studies on elementary-aged children, a new study is desperately needed because:
“A number of children [in my experiments] were missing the social and developmental skills which would allow them to sit in a classroom or play with others or listen to a teacher for any period of time.”
In other words, instead of saving the $500,000,000 or using it to help people effected by natural disasters in the United States, the government is going to do an extensive study on why five-year-olds fidget.
Apparently need to be dealt with
Big Government continues:
One of the likely unintended consequences of this study will be that blame will be placed—not on the curriculum of Kindergarten classrooms or on teachers and administrators who have unrealistic expectations for children—but squarely on the brains of those children who do not meet their requirements for “Kindergarten readiness”. Increasing numbers of normal children will be diagnosed with disorders such as ADHD, and then prescribed medications to make them sit still, shut up, and listen. This would tragically absolve the school of its responsibility in the problem.

And what about those children who really are deficient or behind in their development? The government can save their time and money on this conundrum, too. Parents are primarily responsible for training their children. Part of that training includes regulating diet, sleep, and exercise, essential foundations for proper brain functioning. The other essential part of that training includes discipline: creating a template of relating to adult authority that requires reasonable obedience and respect. Far too many parents are ignorant, lax, or neglectful in this regard.

Solution number two: parents need to step up their efforts to train their children. It isn’t the government’s job to prepare children for their education. If the government needs to do anything, it’s to support parental rights and encourage economic conditions that allow more parents to stay home with their children so that they can do their job raising and training their children.

I’ll take that $500 million. I can put it to much better use.
Please bookmark!

Syrian Military Surrounds Protest Towns

The Syrian military is attempting the same tactic that it has been using for the last month. According to sources in the country, the army is surrounding towns that are centers of anti-regime protests. The army has done this before in Deraa, leading to the deaths of hundreds as tanks fired indiscriminately into crowds, as well as the arrests of thousands.

Now it comes down to Rastan and Talbisa, near the Lebanese border.

The two towns attacked on Sunday are close to Homs, the site of some of the largest demonstrations in recent weeks.

Tanks encircled Rastan and troops began firing heavy machine-guns in the streets of the town, an eyewitness told Reuters news agency.
Map

One unconfirmed report said at least two people were shot dead by military checkpoints set up outside Rastan, and others said that scores of tanks were being used, with helicopters flying overhead.

The protests keep going even despite the massacres and large round-ups. Unfortunately, the Syrian military shows no upper-level defections yet.


Please bookmark!

Qaeda Seizes Yemeni Town

As if the news coming from Yemen isn’t scary enough, it appears to be getting worse. Just several days after armed tribesmen took over an army camp, it appears that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has taken over an entire town in southern Yemen.

There is talk that the evacuation of the town by the Yemeni military was intentional:

But opponents said President Ali Abdullah Saleh had given up the town to stoke fears of a militant takeover.

Even if that was the case, Yemen appears just several steps away from either another civil war or becoming a new Somalia:
“About 300 Islamic millitants and Al Qaeda men came into Zinjibar and took over everything on Friday,” a Zinjibar resident told Reuters.

However, one military unit was reported to have refused to surrender and was now surrounded, reports said.
The United States better figure out a policy quick.

Cross-posted at World Threats.

Please bookmark!

A Call for Contributors

Pundit Press is slowly growing, in case you didn't hear. That's why we're asking for those that read the site and think that they should be heard if they would like to write for our blog. Your level of participation is up to you-- an article a day, an hour, or per week. It's a no-pay but rewarding experience.

We're looking forward to your response.

Send all inquiries to punditpress-at-gmail.com.

Please bookmark!

House Barely Stands With War in Afghanistan

Pro-War in Afghanistan forces were barely able to defeat Congressman James McGovern's amendment on Thursday afternoon, which if passed, would have required withdrawal efforts from the vital country to be more pronounced and larger this Summer than what even President Obama is prepared to order.

The amendment was supported by nearly the entire Democratic Caucus and two dozen Republican Congressmen, while 207 Republicans stood strong against the proposed amendment - joined by only eight courageous Democratic lawmakers (Dan Boren included) - who had the guts to stand against their own party's base.

I am demoralized as hell by this vote.

Our men and women in uniform, who we'll all honour tomorrow, are making significant progress in Afghanistan, especially in the Helmand and Kandahar Provinces, but it just seems that few Americans really care about winning the fight we're currently engaged in for our future security.

If we (the pro-War in Afghanistan forces) don't continue to publicly support the fight, we will witness another South Vietnam - where our soldiers fought like hell to win, but the Congress and the people subverted their efforts in the end, which resulted in the slaughter of millions of our allies.

What say you?

EPA Administrator Feels the anti-fracking Rage!

A few days ago I commented on the statement by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson concerning the relative safety of hydraulic fracturing. “I am not aware of any proven case where the fracking process has affected water, although there are investigations ongoing." It was an honest response to what was certainly an expected question.

Needless to say this bit of honesty has not been well received by the 'just say no' crowd who have vociferously derided the comments. Until a few days ago Ms. Jackson was the darling of the environmental left for her work at the EPA regulating energy resources. What a difference a day makes.

Several days ago before the House Oversight and Government Affairs Committee EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson answered questions under oath concerning natural gas drilling:

Jackson said natural gas creates less air pollution than other fossil fuels “so increasing America’s natural gas production is a good thing.”

She said Congress told the EPA to study the relationship between fracking and drinking water.

“We are doing that, with input from technical experts, the public and industry,” she said.

“In the meantime, EPA will step in to protect local residents if a driller jeopardizes clean water and the state government does not act.”

Under questioning from a Pennsylvania Republican, Jackson said she was “not aware of any proven case where the fracking process itself” had affected water.

Jackson said natural gas creates less air pollution than other fossil fuels “so increasing America’s natural gas production is a good thing.”

She said Congress told the EPA to study the relationship between fracking and drinking water.

“We are doing that, with input from technical experts, the public and industry,” she said.

“In the meantime, EPA will step in to protect local residents if a driller jeopardizes clean water and the state government does not act.”

Under questioning from a Pennsylvania Republican, Jackson said she was “not aware of any proven case where the fracking process itself” had affected water.

Since her disclosure many have turned a complete 180 degrees to deride her in no uncertain terms a the devil incarnate! Her disclosure has "caused a very nasty, and very telling, uproar among the radical extremists of the anti-fracking industry. Ms. Jackson is being called vulgar names, accused of all manner of unethical activities, accused of being "paid off" and subjected to demands that she resign - and those are the mild attacks. The harder-core of the movement is calling her a "whore" and stating that she should be stalked and threatened, frightened into submission to their way of thinking - all because she offered her honest scientific opinion (she is a chemical engineer) under oath. Just some examples of the nastiness the anti-frackers are sending her way on Facebook:

These are from her facebook page:

Alexander Lotorto: You're a shill for the fracking industry.

Laura Johnson: Fracking is dangerous. Your recent report is nothing but a pack of lies to delight Republican shills for the gas industry. Have you sold us out?

Gabrielle Price: RESIGN RESIGN RESIGN. T. BOONE PICKENS SHILL.

Mike King: Dear Administrator Jackson, while the EPA is completing its crucial and can't-come-soon-enough study on the environmental and health effects of natural gas hydrofracking, please consult some of the countless resources that already evidence such adverse effects, starting was the documentary film, "Gasland." Unless you think unpaid inte......rviews with real people whose lives have been turned upside down by fracking is propanganda and has no validity, then your statements to Congress on Tuesday about no "proven case" of drinking water pollution is unjustifiable.

Emma Peel: lisa Jackson is the biggest sell out. Really Lisa...You don't see much do you! The head of the Environmental Protection Agency told a House committee Tuesday that she favored natural gas production and said she didn't know of any “proven case” in which hydraulic fracturing had affected drinking water.

Cindy Barg: Lisa P. Jackson...you are utterly despicable and I say that from the bottom of my heart, shame on you!

These are from Gasland Facebook page:

Michael Dixon: I don't know how she speaks with that big oil tit stuffed in her mouth...

Jane Abrams: She was bought and sold years ago!

Jon Venusti: Someones getting jerked off

Rick Tamburo: This is just the beginning. When does the civil unrest begin. This issue needs a Vietnam War style march . I rather get oil from a bunch of terrorist on the other side of the earth that give my money to these homegrown terrorist !!! I'll bet they're not fracking in Tom Corbetts neighborhood !

Colleen Anne Menzies: all the above comments are spot on. This lisa jackson would be paid off or if not threatened with losing her job or maybe her life. these same multinationals go into other countries under the banner freedom and democracy to obtain that countries natural resources ie. Oil.....But they are doing it for themselves they want freedom to do whatever
they want to OUR environment and leave us with a toxic environment and bad health - i dont see any democracy here - they walk over everyone so they can make billions. Its a dam disgusting world we live in. Heaven help my kids and grand kids!
This is sick!

Shawn Porter: When you have your head up your ass, you really have no idea what else might be happening in the world around you.

Joyce Christine: disgusting gas ho! is what comes to my mind... DISGUSTING...how does she sleep at night

Fredricka Kulicke: What a worthless pile of crap she is!!!

Troy J. Gould: Let's see the bitch live next to a well for 1 year! Corporate cox sucker parasite, look at her eyes, chick wood, for paper monies! Coprorate postitude!

Les Bacsujlaky: Corporate whore!

Perhaps the most telling comment comes from Mike Spencer who openly calls for the stalking and intimidation of an appointed government official for truthfully giving her scientific opinion on a subject under her purview:

Mike Spencer: Find where they live and play and make their lives miserable, make them jump at every bump in the night, Let them know what they are doing is wrong no matter what the oligarchs tell them. People like this women only repeat what they are fed and couldn't come up with an original idea if their life depended on it and is exactly the type the oligarchs like to employ.

"I find this whole thing very, very telling of the type of people involved in the anti-fracking industry, and the depths of depravity to which they are willing to go. These people are scary, and I have no trouble thinking they might very well be capable of violence.

There is more to be written about this story, about how the anti-fracking industry has now adopted a stance totally consistent with all definitions of extremist movements, and I will be writing another article soon about this very thing."

H/T Chris Salmon TechnologiesPlease bookmark!

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Massive Oil Find in Texas

A series of domestic oil finds may be able to increase American oil production by up to 25% in the next decade. Of course there is controversy over the method to extract this sea of fuel-- hydraulic fracturing (Unlikely Hospitalist will love this one).

But it appears well worth it.

“It’s the one thing we have seen in our adult lives that could take us away from imported oil,” said Aubrey McClendon, chief executive of Chesapeake Energy, one of the most aggressive drillers. “What if we have found three of the world’s biggest oil fields in the last three years right here in the U.S.? How transformative could that be for the U.S. economy?”

Drill, baby, drill!

Please bookmark!

Turncoat Nation!


Please bookmark!

Weiner's Wiener Makes a Cameo? What a dick?

Twitter is abuzz with the idea that Rep Anthony Wiener (D-New York) sent a photo tweet of his package to a self described type A Seattleite. Who know if it is true, but some reputable folks are putting their name behind it.

Stacy McCain wonders about the authenticity of Weiner's Wiener and Who is Gennette Nicole Cordova? As always he is on top of things and has lots of updates.

Doug Ross plugs the Gennette Nicole Hole.

Meanwhile Big Government why Rep Weiner cares what time it is in Seattle.

And Big Journalism wonders why Anthony Weiner would selectively edit himself?


Twitter hashtag #WeinerGate is the place to go for up to date news and entertainment!

Update #1 The Lonely Conservative has lots of links and a round up!

Update #2 No Sheeples Here has a must see photoshop. There is really nothing left to say!
Please bookmark!

Obligatory Keith Olbermann Calls FoxNews an Enemy of Democracy on the First Episode of his New, Shitty Show

Enjoy and vomit:



Please bookmark!

The Best Under-the-Radar Conservative Sites- Today: Libertarian Republican

We here at Pundit Press love our fellow bloggers and we're always looking for a way to give back. We've started an on-going series to highlight our favorite under-the-radar sites on the internet.  And no, I don't mean "under the radar" like, "dude, that site is so under the radar, the man will never bring it down!" I mean "under the radar" as in, "even though that site is under the radar of most readers, it is still great."

Today's spotlight: Libertarian Republican
With biting commentary on the world today and a sophistication that most sites fail to grasp, Libertarian Republican has fulfilled a niche on the internet.

So... go check them out!

Former UtR Conservative Sites:

Reaganite Republican
The Lonely Conservative
High Plains Pundit
Pirate's Cove

Please bookmark!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Rudy Giuliani Leads in New National Poll

Well, go figure:
A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation national poll shows the former New York City mayor atop the slow-forming Republican primary field.
The survey shows Giuliani getting 16 percent of independents and Republicans, with nominal frontrunner Mitt Romney a point behind at 15 percent.

Sarah Palin gets 13 percent.

Neither Palin nor Giuliani are sure things for the 2012 election, and their perches in the new poll — the first taken by the news organization since Mike Huckabee, Mitch Daniels and Donald Trump bowed out — speak to how wide-open the race is.

Palin, the former Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential nominee, has increasingly sent signals that she might jump in, and is launching a bus tour on Sunday that will take her to New Hampshire for the first time since the 2008 race.

Please bookmark!

Obama and Foreign Policy; The Rest of His Speech

In his controversial talk at the State Department, President Obama was expected to discuss the “Arab Spring”. However, after much White House discussion, a decision was made to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as an unwelcome surprise for Prime Minster Netanyahu, immediately before his visit to the White House. The assertions that the “1967 borders” should be the basis for “peace”, that borders would be discussed before other issues, the omission of any demands on the Palestinians, including recognition of a Jewish state, incitement to violence, and the influx of millions of Palestinians to the Jewish state, are now recognized as having making matters worse.

The last minute inclusion of material regarding Israel meant that most of the speech was ignored.. But there is much in the rest of President Obama’s State Department speech that also needs to be examined, since our President once again shows himself to be naive and poorly informed on issues related to the “Arab Spring”. Some observations follow.

1. With respect to Islamic terror, President Obama is obsessed with pinning the entire responsibility on Al Qaeda, while ignoring the much larger strategic threat posed by revolutionary Islamism This war is not against Al Qaeda; it is against militant Islam, of which Al Qaeda is one part. A basic tenet of this administration is that al-Qaida is the enemy because they were the ones who attacked America in 2001. In his speech after the killing of Osama Bin Laden, he couldn’t say the words Al Qaida too many times.

The emphasis on Al Qaeda served an important function for Obama in the election campaign of 2008, when Obama in effect distinguished between Al Qaida and all other types of revolutionary Islam.. At that time, for purposes of campaigning and demonizing the opposition, he could oppose the invasion of Iraq, and he could support engagement with Iran and other elements of radical Islam as long as he could pretend that only Al Qaeda was the enemy. This also allowed him to avoid the trap of being labeled a pro-appeasement dupe.

Yet this is a war against radical Islam. The clear strategic threat is posed by revolutionary Islamism, which includes Iran, Syria, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Muslim Brotherhood, Turkish groups, and others, all serious threats to the US and our allies. Some are terrorist groups, others are nations that sponsor terrorist groups. To narrow the focus to Al Qaeda is to encourage those who claim the war on terror is simply fear mongering. It is most certainly not. There are significant numbers of persons who wish to kill those of us who are not Muslim

Let us be clear. As Barry Rubin has pointed out, while Al Qaida may be fading, Iran is marching toward nuclear weapons and the systems to deliver them. Hezbollah all but controls Lebanon, Hamas controls Gaza and will likely end up controlling the West Bank, the Muslim Brotherhood will probably control Egypt, and Turkey is moving toward Iran and away from he West.

2. In his speech, Obama stated his support for democracy. Using impressive language, he supported "free speech, the freedom of peaceful assembly, the freedom of religion, equality for men and women under the rule of law, and the right to choose your own leaders—whether you live in Baghdad or Damascus, Sanaa or Tehran." President Obama has high hopes for the “Arab spring.” This is to say the least confusing when one examines how the US under the current administration has dealt with the important issues of the area.

AS Matthew Brodsky indicates, in Tehran Obama supported the regime and not the people after fraudulent elections and the murder of Iranian protesters two years ago. The beginning of the so-called Arab spring occurred two years ago in the streets of Tehran. We remember the killing of Neda Agha-Soltan, a young woman dying in the streets of Teheran, her death captured on video by bystanders. Where was the exercise of those rights then?. And what about the opposition within Iran? They know that they were neglected by Obama when it mattered, and so they don’t trust anything that he says.

To automatically welcome change in the Arab world is not a prudent path. The cliché is "be careful what you wish for". We got rid of the Shah and got the Ayatollahs. We got rid of Mubarak, a pro-American autocrat, and now we will get an anti-American autocrat. I harbor no illusions about Muammar Qadaffi, but after Qadaffi's 42 years in power, what comes next? It matters.

3. Iran is one of the most important threats in the region, but it filled a minor role in the speech. Today Iran is the chief sponsor of terror, and is working feverishly on an illicit nuclear program. Not only Israel, but most Arab nations, are concerned about Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Iran’s rulers now know that Obama can be ignored without consequence. Nothing in his speech will change that perception.

4. In Damascus, the citizen opposition currently being massacred on the streets are calling for the same universal rights as Obama. And yet our president has failed to call for regime change in Syria, The Assad regime is Iran's partner and as pointed out by Brodsky, is "a perfect example of the failure of the White House's engagement strategy".

In his speech, Obama said, "President Assad now has a choice: He can lead that transition or get out of the way." Doesn’t our President understand that Assad has made his choice? Bashar Assad now knows that Obama’s words mean nothing. Plus what must Assad’s opponents in the street think when Obama says to them "Our message is simple: If you take risks that reform entails, you will have the full support of the United States." Full support? To what is he referring? Over 1000 Syrian citizens have been murdered in the streets. In what way has the US given them “full support”?

No one wants war. However, it is critical to distinguish between the entities that start wars and those that act to defend themselves from the consequences of the hostile actions of others. It is not the US that is instigating war. To try to avoid war by appeasing aggressors simply delays the inevitable, and increases the human cost.

Poland did not initiate the war with Germany in 1939. The US was not the party to start a war with Japan in 1941. Czechoslovakia was a passive victim of French and British perfidy, forced to surrender to Germany in 1938. With respect to radical Islam, this is 1938 all over again. To claim, as some have, that the “war on terror” was simply a Bush plan to achieve political aims, or a war for oil, is absurd. Michael Moore, Code Pink, and the other paranoid conspiracy thinkers, blame America. They are wrong.

Obama has done a terrible job in his prosecution of US foreign policy. He has undermined our allies. He has, “engaged with” and befriended our enemies. He has flattered and bowed to autocratic dictators, while humiliating our friends.

This will not cost him the election in 2012; that will be decided on the issues of unemployment, and which party scares voters more on the future of Medicare.

But the legacy of Barack Obama, and whether he will be judged by the chroniclers of history to be wise or foolish, will be determined by how he handles foreign policy issues; it is these that currently threaten the survival of the free world. Right now, the major issue facing America is Islamic jihad, and the threats it poses to America and to our allies.

I predict that Obama will exceed the record of Jimmy Carter as a failed President. He has proven himself to be dangerously narcissistic, uninformed, and unwise. He is a victim of hubris, of a narrow ideology that has been thoroughly discredited, and of an unwillingness or inability to ask what is in the best interests of our great nation. We need better.



Please bookmark!

UK Scientists: Obama "Obsessed with his Street Cred"

Members of the Royal Society in the United Kingdom stated yesterday that President Barack Obama was obsessed with his perception of "street cred" and that he intentionally avoids things to keep it high.

This comes after Mr. Obama snubbed the group, an organization of world-leading scientists, when they planned on awarding him the King Charles II medal.  The medal is given out only in "extraordinary circumstances" to leaders who "made an outstanding contribution to furthering scientific research in their country."

Sources also stated that the group was "deeply offended."

According to a source in the British government:
“The Royal Society was really keen to do something with Obama and they expected him to be very honoured by the medal. Instead they received a very short response from his people saying that it would be better for him to visit a state school. The inference they took from that was that he was more interested in cultivating his street cred than in building links with British scientists.”
The "street cred" referred to was what the President did instead of meeting with scientists, which was hang out with students at a London school.
"Obsessed with street cred"
The Telegraph continues:
But Mr Obama’s aides responded to the invitation with a “very short” note in which they said the president would rather spend time at a south London state school.

Mr Obama visited The Globe Academy in Southwark with David Cameron, the Prime Minister, on Tuesday.

The two leaders swapped a number of high-fives with pupils before rolling up their sleeves for a game of table tennis against two schoolboys.

Please bookmark!

Perry on 2012 Run: “I’m Going to Think About It”

Texas Governor Rick Perry may indeed run for President in 2012, as shown by his recent comments.
Perry
More from Statesman:
“I’m going to think about it” after the legislative session ends Monday, Perry said. He added, “But I think about a lot of things.”

For years, Perry has said that he would not run for president and that he had no interest in the job. He has often said that he has said no to the presidential question in as many ways as he could.
But he and his advisers have inched closer to saying he may run all week, following the announcement that Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels would not enter the GOP field. A couple of days ago, he told Greta Van Susteren on Fox News that a run was tempting.

Many conservatives have called on Perry to enter a field which could have room for a social and fiscal conservative with Perry’s energy and charisma. And, intentionally or not, the governor has set himself up for a run over the last couple of years, making a Texas/Washington contrast the focus of his 2010 re-election and writing a book called “Fed Up! Our Fight to Save America From Washington.”
Perry was asked about the presidency during a press conference to hail a voter-identification law that he has signed into law.

The presidential talk began when a reporter asked Perry for his reaction to the fact that the Hispanic Republican Conference of Texas, a group of state legislators, endorsed him for president on Thursday.

“I don’t make a lot of anything dealing with that until we get past the Monday deadline for this legislative session,” Perry said. “That’s our focus. I appreciate everybody’s interest. All of us know that the work at hand is the most important thing we have to do in getting this balanced budget finalized and passing pieces of legislation like this.”


Please bookmark!

Ignoring Pawlenty

Everyone likes former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.

His electoral and gubernatorial records is very impressive for somebody from Minnesota, while his courage to take on ethanol subsidies in Iowa and support American intervention in Libya has won him over some people who considered him boring and uninteresting.

But he's still being ignored by most Conservatives and Republicans.

Why?

Because the 2012 Republican base is acting a lot like the 2008 Democrat base: looking for the charismatic choice that will excite us next year instead of the substantive choice that will effectively lead us in two, which creates a situation where we are going against our historical roots of picking substance over style.

Republican voters in Iowa and New Hampshire will be heading to the polls in eight months to hopefully elect America's next President, but that is only going to occur if they focus on serious candidates who can win in 2012, and be able to govern in 2013.

That candidate, I believe, is Tim Pawlenty. But the main message, regardless of who our nominee is, stands strong: we cannot follow the Democrat lead in going for charismatic politicians instead of substantive leaders.

America needs leadership; not cheerleaders.

What say you?

Yemen Faces Civil War as Tribes Take Army Camp

Yemen is facing another civil war as the country teeters. Tribesmen formerly allied with dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh have turned on the government and have reportedly seized an army camp. This comes as at least 100 people have been killed in the newest week of fighting. Yemeni jets have bombed rebel positions and Saleh shows no sign of stepping down as he promised.

The protests are continuing, and perhaps growing:

In Sanaa, tens of thousands of people gathered after Friday prayers for what they said would be a “Friday of Peaceful Revolution” against Saleh, releasing white doves and carrying the coffins of about 30 people killed in clashes this week.

And the possibility of violence is increasing:

“We are now in mediation and there has been a ceasefire between the two sides … But if Ali Abdullah Saleh returned (to fighting) then we are ready. We are steadfast and victorious,” Sadeq al-Ahmar told protesters in “Change Square.”
“We wanted it (revolution) to be peaceful but Saleh, his sons and his clique wanted war. We will not leave them the opportunity to turn it into a civil war. There is mediation going on now,” Ahmar told Reuters.

Unless Saleh is removed by some in his inner circle, a civil war is almost inevitable.

Cross posted at World Threats.

Please bookmark!

America's Budget at Standstill

The United States Congress is at a standstill on our 2012 fiscal budget: Democrats are refusing to introduce their own plan, Republicans are being stonewalled on theirs and President Obama's so unserious that not one member of his party supported it Wednesday.

Fun times in Washington.

With everyone politically dug in deep, and the President lacking all creditability, nothing will get done until both sides admit some unfortunate facts, and yes, compromise.

Fact #1: Entitlements accounted for over sixty percent of government spending in last year's budget, which means we spend three times more in handouts than we do in protecting those who receive the handouts. It doesn't need to be said, but the sacred cow must be slayed.

Fact #2: Government revenues must be raised to help eliminate our budget deficit, but by encouraging job creation and fostering economic development through corporate tax reductions to revive our economy to pre-recession receipts of $2.7 trillion.

Fact #3: American citizens expect their elected representatives to stay at work and craft a budget worthy of passage, and as such Congress should remain in constant session in Washington until a budget deal is reached; no vacations.

Congress passed on making the tough choices in 2010 for political reasons, and now some are hoping to exploit tough choices for political reasons, which only leaves the public annoyed and frankly dispirited.

This has to end now.

What say you?

Where's the Outrage?

In the best line of a lackluster campaign Bob Dole challenged the voters who were swallowing the liberal line of the Corporations Once Known as the Mainstream Media.  At the time they were carrying the water for Bill Clinton in the 1996 election.  By that time Mr. Clinton’s Bimbo Eruptions and complete lack of ethics had become common knowledge but the unengaged in fly-over country were lapping up the Clinton mantra “Character Doesn’t Matter” and preparing to not vote in droves.
Today we face a crisis that is more pertinent to the beating heart of American liberty than whether or not the President is or is not a morally challenged serial abuser of women or what “is” means.  Today we again face a challenge that was also presented to us by Mr. Clinton twelve years ago when he waged in an unconstitutional wag-the-dog air war against Yugoslavia that even some of his supporters speculated was more about diverting attention from his Oval Office escapades than anything else. 
This re-run of Clinton’s war by decree prompts this writer to ask: Who has the right to commit America to war?  Who has the right to send our soldiers into harm’s way?  Does America go to war by the act of Congress or by the whim of the Executive?
In this matter, which strikes at the heart of the American Experiment no one in Congress, except Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich, two polar opposites from the right and the left, had the integrity to ask these questions.  The media totally abdicated its watchdog role.  This is a matter that should be at the forefront of the consciousness of the American people.  We should have risen up and demanded an explanation.  But instead, since our Congressional leaders ignored it and the media treated the only two elected officials who did speak out as if they wore aluminum hats, our fellow citizens hit the mental snooze button, and rolled over to watch a reality show so they could ignore reality.
On March 19, 2011 President Obama’s administration declared war on Libya by launching 112 Tomahawk missiles at targets within the country.  I say the administration declared war because the United States Congress was not consulted.  Congressional leaders weren’t even advised of these acts of war until 90 minutes before the bombs started falling.  And this was not really consultation. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said “I wouldn’t call it consultation as much as laying it out.”  He [President Obama]had spent time consulting with the U.N. and the Arab League but he couldn’t be bothered with consulting the United States Congress?  Which brings me back to the quote from Bob Dole, “Where’s the outrage?”
The Constitution in Article One Section Eight ever wary of giving the executive too much power gave Congress the exclusive power to declare war.  Ever since Harry Truman decided for domestic political reasons to call a war in Korea that cost 54,229 American lives a Police Action our Presidents have followed the guns and butter policies of peace at home and war abroad.  However; Johnson, Bush I, and Bush II  sought and received Congressional approval before committing America to war in all but name.  Only “Where is the Outrage” Clinton presumed to have the power to wage war by Executive Order. 
Today we are faced with an out of control administration that believes it can involve America in a war on the whim of the executive instead of the act of Congress.  They pointed towards the War Powers Act as a fig leaf to cover their actions.  This administration is headed by a lawyer and filled with lawyers, and yet they presumably did not know that the War Powers Act specifically says, “The constitutional powers of the President as Commander-in-Chief to introduce United States Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, are exercised only pursuant to (1) a declaration of war, (2) specific statutory authorization, or (3) a national emergency created by attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces.”  And it is clear that not one of the three circumstance explicitly named by the Act applied to the situation of our attack upon Libya. 
The President has said he doesn’t need Congressional Approval, Corporations Once Known as the Mainstream Media repeats that the President has the authority, and the Justice Department says the president has all the authority he needs for the war in Libya. 
However, due to President Obama’s clear circumvention of Congressional approval and his egregious and erroneous appeal to the War Powers Act, I am stating categorically that his attack upon Libya is an abuse of executive power and an unconstitutional action.  This is not my opinion alone.  Many Americans from constitutional law experts to his own liberal Democrats are beginning to say the same thing, which brings me back to the quote from Bob Dole, “Where’s the outrage?”
If this is a blatant abuse of power and an unconstitutional act leading to war I also say this rises to the level of an impeachable offense.  In this I find myself standing for the first time with the most liberal Democrats.  And in another departure from tradition I am also in agreement with Vice President Joe Biden when he said, “launching an attack without congressional approval is an impeachable offense.”   No matter what the administration says, no matter what the media says, we the people need to hold those who would violate the constitutional limitations of our government to account or they will continue to transgress the limits and do whatever they want.
In another quote that seems as relevant today as it was fifteen years ago Senator Dole asked, ''When do the American people rise up and say, 'Forget the media in America! We're going to make up our minds! You're not going to make up our minds!' This is about saving our country!''
Dr. Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion for Southside Virginia Community College.  He is the author of the History of the Future @ http://drrobertowens.com View the trailer for Dr. Owens’ latest book @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ypkoS0gGn8 © 2011 Robert R. Owens dr.owens@comcast.net  Follow Dr. Robert Owens on Facebook.

Newest Psychosis: 'Facebook Depression'

As if life for emo teenagers wasn't troubled enough, now we have a whole new dilemma for the social networking generation.

Call it 'facebook depression.'

That's right, that thing that you use to find a few old friends but instead get barraged by 5,000 people you never want to talk to (or friend) is causing rampant depression. It's almost sickly sweet:

"If I’m just like sad or something and just kind of chillin’ at home and I see pictures of people having a party I’m like oh that's awesome… like I’m not there... that's kind of depressing,” explained high school student Elizabeth Kisch. But Kisch also says she doesn't take Facebook too seriously.

“It's very easy to compare yourself to others when you just see what they show in their Facebook page which may or may not match reality,” explained Dr. Ken Ensroth, a child and adolescent psychiatrist.

And how do you know if your child is becoming an unstable egomaniac?

So how do parents know if their child is slipping into a "Facebook Depression." Dr. Ensroth says parents need to talk to their children, ask questions, and look for signs they're not happy.

“Stomach aches, lot of headaches... I’m sick I don't want to go to school... low energy... fatigue… trouble sleeping,” he explained.

Wow.

Please bookmark!

Just 12% of Israelis Consider Obama Pro-Israel

While the debate over President Obama's recent Middle East speech is being debated here at home, it has made a big wave in Israel. Pundits stateside are considering how the speech and policy shift will affect the American Jewish vote-- which overwhelmingly went to Barack Obama in 2008.

It appears that Obama would not fare too well in Israel:

When asked in the poll whether they saw Obama’s administration as more pro-Israel, more pro-Palestinian or neutral, just 12 percent of Israeli Jews surveyed said more pro-Israel, while 40% said more pro-Palestinian, 34% said neutral and 13% did not express an opinion.

It also showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's approval at 51%.

Please bookmark!