Between an expensive stimulus package and questionable appointees, President Barack Obama may have kept the nation divided in controversy rather than uniting it. Now that the Obama has been in the office long enough to make some real changes, do you have any second thoughts about how you voted in the Presidential election?
Source: Soda Head (Vote here)
The majority either didn’t vote for Obama or regret it!
End of opinion piece by Hossein Bastani:
We now end up at the place we predicted six months ago: the Bush Administration, without having made any progress in holding
"transparent" presence in Iran, is out of power. In exchange, reports are published about secret talks between Iran and America, held in other
countries, revolving around strategic issues such as the nuclear case, the Middle East crisis, and ?both sides' security dilemmas and promises are made about further talks among both countries' diplomats.
Of course, one cannot in principle be opposed to talks. In reality, the talks should have begun much earlier and their success certainly would benefit both countries as well as the entire region.
The benefits of such talks, however, are wholly unrelated to the fact that Mr. Obama's administration cannot disregard the impact of the "timing" of holding talks with Tehran on Iran's internal political developments.
Currently, fewer than five months remain until the presidential election in Iran. To Ahmadinejad's advantage, election campaigns are getting off ground exactly as the Obama Administration which promised to hold talks with Tehran takes charge. In this circumstance, there is no doubt that "resolving the three-decade Tehran-Washington crisis" would be a huge winning card in Mr. Ahmadinejad's deck ahead of the upcoming election.
Certainly, Mr. Obama has the right to follow whatever method conducive to his own country to begin talks with Tehran. However, he and his diplomats must keep in mind that if this issue turns into a catalyst in the next five months for Ahmadinejad's reelection, the Iranian people will hold the Obama Administration accountable for anything that might transpire in the next four years.
The Democratic administration's indirect interference in the Iranian election would not only harm both countries' interests, but also in the long-run add to the height of the "wall of mistrust" that exists among Iranians and Americans to its highest imaginable level.
Source: ROOZ
As we said, Obama’s empathitic talks with Iran would only empower Ahmadinejad.
In a speech to the Security Council during a session on Iraq, US envoy Susan Rice reiterated charges of Iranian support for terrorism and attempts to develop nuclear weapons, saying the United States sought an end to both policies.
"It is unfortunate that, yet again, we are hearing the same tired, unwarranted and groundless allegations that used to be unjustifiably and futilely repeated by the previous administration," Iran's envoy Mohammad Khazaee said in a letter to the council's president, Japanese Ambassador Yukio Takasu.
"Instead of raising allegations against others, the United States had better take concrete and meaningful steps in correcting its past wrong policies and practices vis-a-vis other nations, including the Islamic Republic of Iran."
US policy "will seek an end to Iran's ambition to acquire an illicit nuclear capacity and its support for terrorism," Rice told the 15 council members.
Obama, Rice and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have said repeatedly that Washington would use all tools, including direct talks, to deal with Iran's nuclear programme, which Tehran says is for peaceful purposes.
Iran has reacted cautiously, saying it was open to fair talks while demanding fundamental changes in US policy.
Source: Waikato Times
You can not play nice and empathize with Islamic Terrorists.
A top-level team from the Hollywood movie industry traveled to Iran on a non-government mission, for a weekend of cultural and creative exchange meetings, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Friday.
"I can confirm that a group of Academy members ... are currently in Iran" on a "completely private initiative for educational and creative exchange and with no political agenda," AMPAS director of communications Leslie Unger told AFP.
She confirmed Iranian media reports saying the delegation included AMPAS president Sid Ganis, former president Frank Pierson, actress Annette Bening and producer William Horberg.
"The Academy group did receive visas and is currently in Tehran," Unger said.
Iranian media said the AMPAS group would hold a series of meetings Saturday and Sunday in Tehran.
US-Iranian diplomatic relations were severed 30 years ago after Iran's Islamic revolution, and the rift has been further aggravated since Tehran controversially revived its nuclear program.
But Washington and Tehran have been showing tentative policy shifts after US President Barack Obama earlier this month said his administration would be ready in coming months to hold a "face-to-face" talk with Tehran.
Source: Iran Focus
It’s Hollyweird. What else is there to say?
From 1/17/2009:
A senior Iranian cleric called for the shooting of the Israeli foreign minister in a speech before worshippers. Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati said during Friday prayers that he wanted someone to shoot Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and denounced President-elect Barack Obama's search for a family pet.
"Every time the picture of this woman is shown, I really wish that somebody would expend a bullet on her," he said according to the Associated Press. Jannati is the head of the powerful Iranian Council of Guardians which ensures the government remains true to the principles of the Islamic revolution.
Jannati also criticized Obama during his sermon. "The world is on a slope of collapse. One is shocked when a president (Obama) sits, smiles and says 'my concern is to find a dog for my daughter.' Shame on you and those who voted for you," he said.
Source: al bawaba
We were told the world would love us if Obama was elected.
The United States is willing to talk to Iran and offer it a choice between "pressure and isolation" or "meaningful incentives," US Vice President Joe Biden said on Saturday. "We will be willing to talk to Iran, and to offer a very clear choice: continue down the current course and there will be continued pressure and isolation; abandon the illicit nuclear programme and your support for terrorism and there will be meaningful incentives," Biden said, according to AFP.
The new US administration of President Barack Obama is "reviewing" Iran policy, Biden told an audience of foreign leaders and other officials in a major foreign policy address at the annual Munich Security Conference. "The Iranian people are a great people, and Persian civilisation is a great civilisation," Biden said.
"But Iran has acted in ways that are not conducive to peace in the region or to the prosperity of its own people; its illicit nuclear programme is but one of those manifestations."
US-Iran relations have been frozen for three decades.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for tougher sanctions against Iran if Obama's new diplomatic efforts fail to convince Tehran to change its ways. "We need to be ready for tougher sanctions," she said, with Biden listening in the audience. "It is a must to stop Iran having nuclear weapons."
Source: al bawaba
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashavi on Wednesday recommended the new US administration to abandon the "carrot and stick policy" and avoid threatening others. According to IRNA, he urged the Obama administration to observe the rules of negotiations, one of them being the mutual respect.
“If by the sticks they mean the sanctions then it should be noticed that those are useless as figures showed that the volumes of Iran's trade have increased under difficult conditions,” Qashqavi said. Asked if Tehran had any plans for holding talks with the US, the spokesman said Iran’s position in this connection was announced by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the day before.
In his address to the people who gathered in Tehran’s Azadi Square on February 10 to celebrate the victory anniversary of the Islamic revolution, the Iranian leader said, “The new US administration has announced that it wants to make changes and proceed the path to dialogue; it’s very clear that the real changes should be fundamental and not tactical. Obviously, the Iranian nation welcomes true changes. The Iranian nation is ready for talks but the talks should be in a fair atmosphere on mutual respect.”
Source: al bawaba
Appeasement and trying to understand islamic terrorists doesn’t work. they consider it a sign of weakness and time to get aggressive. We should abandon the ”carrot and stick policy” for a big stick policy.
Let me say this as plainly as I can: by August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end.
As we carry out this drawdown, my highest priority will be the safety and security of our troops and civilians in Iraq. We will proceed carefully, and I will consult closely with my military commanders on the ground and with the Iraqi government. There will surely be difficult periods and tactical adjustments. But our enemies should be left with no doubt: this plan gives our military the forces and the flexibility they need to support our Iraqi partners, and to succeed.
After we remove our combat brigades, our mission will change from combat to supporting the Iraqi government and its Security Forces as they take the absolute lead in securing their country. As I have long said, we will retain a transitional force to carry out three distinct functions: training, equipping, and advising Iraqi Security Forces as long as they remain non-sectarian; conducting targeted counter-terrorism missions; and protecting our ongoing civilian and military efforts within Iraq. Initially, this force will likely be made up of 35-50,000 U.S. troops.
Through this period of transition, we will carry out further redeployments. And under the Status of Forces Agreement with the Iraqi government, I intend to remove all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011. We will complete this transition to Iraqi responsibility, and we will bring our troops home with the honor that they have earned.
Source: White House blog
On the withdrawal of all troops from Iraq, President Obama is following the 2011 deadline set by President Bush and the Iraqi government.
And with the Bush/Iraqi government agreement, US troops can no longer conduct combat missions without Iraqi approval and must be accompanied by Iraqi police or troops. So any “combat” troops could be said to be training or supporting Iraqi troops. Obama can use any timetable and still say he met his deadline for removing “combat” troops.
So why the absolute maybe deadline of Aug. 31, 2010 for removing combat troops?
The Obama regime needs to appease their antiwar anti-american base. That is you Democrat Underground.
But unfortunately the absolute maybe deadline tells the Islamic extremists they just have to wait and they can gain power in Iraq again.
Liveblogging from summit:
The Vice President and his team are in Philadelphia this morning for the first meeting of the Middle Class Task Force, with a focus on a green jobs as a pathway to a strong middle class. Greg Nelson from the White House Office of Public Liaison is attending the meeting and will be filing updates throughout the day.
12:50 p.m.: First presentation is from John Podesta from the Center of American Progress, then it will be Fred Krupp from the Environmental Defense Fund and Van Jones from Green for All. You can check out Krupp's presentation and handout, as well as a video from Jones.
1:01 p.m.: Van's message is about providing opportunity and hope, and the moral responsibility to make sure this green wave is one that lifts all boats -- "a green economy that MLK would be proud of." The way to do that, he says, is to make sure green jobs crop up not just in rural and suburban areas, but in urban areas, too. To great applause: "There is a moral principle to green the ghetto first ... to give young people the chance to put down that handgun and pick up a caulking gun."
The Krupp handout talks about LED lamps, APUs, high performance windows, solar energy and hog waste.
Current penetration rates of CSP (Concentrating solar power) in the United States are near zero because existing large scale plants account for just 419 MW of power compared to a total U.S. installed electricity generating capacity of 1,758,346 GWh in 2007 (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2008 and Edison Electric Institute, 2008). Just 9% of the electricity generated in the United States came from renewable energy sources (6.4% hydroelectric and 2.5% other) and 91% was produced by other sources (50.5% coal, 18.3% natural gas, 3.3% oil, and 19% nuclear) (World Bank, 2008). Therefore just 2.5% of U.S. electricity was produced by a combination of geothermal, wind, photovoltaic, and CSP technologies. In fact, in 2006, only 1% of the nation’s energy supply was generated from solar power (Energy Information Administration, 2008a).
In 2006, total solar collector shipments for all types of solar collectors in the United States increased 29% from the previous year (Energy Information Administration, 2007).
Source: White House blog
Source: Krupp handout (pdf)
How does LED lights help build a strong middle class and create long term jobs? The handout talks about all minerals and components needed to build an LED light and implies that it creates tickle down jobs. I looked at the chart and saw energy of each item in the first two columns and how much energy is saved over a regular light bulb? Click on the picture to enlarge.
Energy efficient windows do save money and energy but how do they help build a strong middle class and create long term jobs?
Auxiliary Power Units to run the A/C for 18 wheelers while parked does save money and energy but how do they help build a strong middle class and create long term jobs?
Solar farms like wind farms take up a lot of land. The sun is not 24/7 but the energy need is 24/7. You need regular generators running 24/7 as backup. You needs a lot of new transmission lines. And how do they help build a strong middle class and create long term jobs?
How does how the way we handle hog shit help build a strong middle class and create long term jobs?
The Obama administration has begun the process of rescinding sweeping new federal protections that were granted in December to health-care workers who refuse to provide care that violates their personal, moral or religious beliefs.
The Office of Management and Budget announced this morning that it was reviewing a proposal to lift the controversial "conscience" regulation, the first step toward reversing the policy. Once the OMB has reviewed the proposal it will be published in Federal Register for a 30-day public comment period.
The move marks the latest challenge to the Obama administration's attempt to find more of middle ground on issues related to abortion. President Obama has said repeatedly he hopes those on both sides of the issue can work to reduce the number of abortions by preventing unwanted pregnancies and by offering support to women who do get pregnant and want to continue their pregnancies.
That approach has already been tested. Obama angered abortion opponents when he lifted restrictions on federal funding for international family planning groups that promote abortion. The next closely watched decision will be whether Obama lifts federal restrictions on federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research.Source: Washington Post
Should the Obama regime be allowed to trash a person’s religious freedoms by requiring healthcare workers to assist a mother who chooses to kill her preborn son or daughter?
If the Obama regime is “open and honest” and has a 30-day public comment period, please write the OMB and President Obama that you object to this change in policy.
Media conglomerate EW Scripps Co (SSP.N) will close the Pulitzer Prize-winning Rocky Mountain News after failing to lure qualified buyers, as the industry endures a painful and prolonged economic downturn.
The 150-year-old Denver newspaper will run its final edition today, but employees will remain on the Scripps payroll through April 28.
U.S. Sen. John Kerry predicted "this won't be the last in this unfortunate trend in the newspaper business" and pledged to "take a hard and close look" in his capacity as chairman of a committee on communication, technology and the Internet.
Source: Reuters
In the pre-internet days, people got their news from the big 3 TV channels, radio (non-talk shows) and newspapers.
Then as now, both parties told half truths and outright lies. But then the democrat’s half truths were rarely challenged but the republican’s half truths were usually challenged. Now when a democrat says republicans are starving school children when the education budget only increases 4%, talk radio and the internet tell the public the truth in minutes of the half truths being told. Democrats hate it that their half truths are not being taken as fact. They think fairness doctrine will give their half truths legs again.
And many newspapers ran with the democrat half truths but the public are now questioning the content of newspapers. Another reason for newspapers decline is that sadly people don’t read as much as they use to. And finally, greedy unions have made it so newspapers lose money.
07-665 Pleasant Grove V Summum ruling:
Pioneer Park (Park), a public park in petitioner Pleasant Grove City(City), has at least 11 permanent, privately donated displays, including a Ten Commandments monument. In rejecting the request of respondent Summum, a religious organization, to erect a monument containing the Seven Aphorisms of Summum, the City explained that it limited Park monuments to those either directly related to the City’s history or donated by groups with longstanding community ties. After the City put that policy and other criteria into writing, respondent renewed its request, but did not describe the monument’s historical significance or respondent’s connection to the community. The City rejected the request, and respondent filed suit, claiming that the City and petitioner officials had violated the First Amendment’s Free Speech Clause by accepting the Ten Commandments monument but rejecting respondent’s proposed monument. The District Court denied respondent’s preliminary injunction request, but the Tenth Circuit reversed. Noting that it had previously found the Ten Commandments monument to be private rather than government speech and that public parks have traditionally been regarded as public forums, the court held that, because the exclusion of the monument was unlikely to survive strict scrutiny, the City was required to erect it immediately.
In sum, we hold that the City’s decision to accept certain privately donated monuments while rejecting respondent’s is best viewed as a form of government speech. As a result, the City’s decision is not subject to the Free Speech Clause, and the Court of Appeals erred in holding other-wise. We therefore reverse.
Source: US Supreme Court ruling (PDF)
Every day the 1st congress was debating the 1st amendment freedom of religion clause, their day started with a prayer from the congressional chaplain.
The US Supreme Court was correct in saying governments didn’t have to allow monuments with differing views to existing monuments. There are representations of the Ten Commandments all over the US Supreme Court Building. The photo is Moses and the Ten Commandments on the US Supreme Court building. However some say Moses is holding the Bill of Rights. If that was true, why are they written in Hebrew?
Award-winning Princeton University Physicist Dr. Will Happer declared man-made global warming fears “mistaken” and noted that the Earth was currently in a “CO2 famine now.” Happer, who has published over 200 peer-reviewed scientific papers, made his remarks during today’s Environment and Public Works Full Committee Hearing entitled “Update on the Latest Global Warming Science.”
“Many people don’t realize that over geological time, we’re really in a CO2 famine now. Almost never has CO2 levels been as low as it has been in the Holocene (geologic epoch) – 280 (parts per million - ppm) – that’s unheard of. Most of the time [CO2 levels] have been at least 1000 (ppm) and it’s been quite higher than that,” Happer told the Senate Committee.
“Earth was just fine in those times,” Happer added. “The oceans were fine, plants grew, animals grew fine. So it’s baffling to me that we’re so frightened of getting nowhere close to where we started,” Happer explained. Happer also noted that “the number of [skeptical scientists] with the courage to speak out is growing” and he warned “children should not be force-fed propaganda, masquerading as science.”
Source: US Senate
I am surprised the Socialist Congress of America would allow a heretic to the Church of Global Warming speak at a church meeting. Sen. Boxer in her opening statement detailed the qualifications of the believers speaking and just an acknowledgment that Dr. Happer was going to speak during the committee's update on the latest global warming science.
Who determined what the ideal temperature is?
H.J.RES.5
Title: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second article of amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as President.
Source: Thomas (LOC)
We know this will not pass but that doesn’t stop the Socialist Congress of America from hoping.
The President said he wanted to protect our children from health hazards and developmental disabilities caused by environmental toxins. This commitment to reducing mercury emissions is a step in the right direction for future generations around the globe. As a side note, I also just wanted to say how exciting it is to be able to discuss this, and I am looking forward to seeing all of the wonderful things to come from the new whitehouse.gov.
Source:White House blog
Protect our children from environmental toxins like mercury by mandating a mercury hazard of CFL light bulbs.
There have been numerous articles that say when a CFL is broken get the kids out of the room immediately because of the mercury.
End of opinion piece by Hossein Bastani:
In a speech to the Security Council during a session on Iraq, US envoy Susan Rice reiterated charges of Iranian support for terrorism and attempts to develop nuclear weapons, saying the United States sought an end to both policies.
A top-level team from the Hollywood movie industry traveled to Iran on a non-government mission, for a weekend of cultural and creative exchange meetings, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Friday.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashavi on Wednesday recommended the new US administration to abandon the "carrot and stick policy" and avoid threatening others. According to IRNA, he urged the Obama administration to observe the rules of negotiations, one of them being the mutual respect.
Let me say this as plainly as I can: by August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end.
Liveblogging from summit:
The Obama administration has begun the process of rescinding sweeping new federal protections that were granted in December to health-care workers who refuse to provide care that violates their personal, moral or religious beliefs.
Media conglomerate EW Scripps Co (SSP.N) will close the Pulitzer Prize-winning Rocky Mountain News after failing to lure qualified buyers, as the industry endures a painful and prolonged economic downturn.
07-665 Pleasant Grove V Summum ruling:
Award-winning Princeton University Physicist Dr. Will Happer declared man-made global warming fears “mistaken” and noted that the Earth was currently in a “CO2 famine now.” Happer, who has published over 200 peer-reviewed scientific papers, made his remarks during today’s Environment and Public Works Full Committee Hearing entitled “Update on the Latest Global Warming Science.” 
H.J.RES.5 
The President said he wanted to protect our children from health hazards and developmental disabilities caused by environmental toxins. This commitment to reducing mercury emissions is a step in the right direction for future generations around the globe. As a side note, I also just wanted to say how exciting it is to be able to discuss this, and I am looking forward to seeing all of the wonderful things to come from the new whitehouse.gov.
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