Monday, May 31, 2010

Larwyn's Linx: Pearls on Green Velvet #Memorial

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email. You can also install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget.

Nation

Pearls on Green Velvet: Doc Zero
Standing with Heroes: AT
He Will Not Rest: AWG

Versus America: Doc Zero
Obama can't find time for Gov. Brewer: RWN
Connecting Dots for Etheridge: NCTPR

Economy

Californians split on AZ law? Well, no, actually: RWN
Is Bubba playing the anti-union card?: RWN
"Little-Noticed" is the New "Unexpected": LegalIns

Unions Protesting Churches in California: BigGovt
If a picture is worth a thousand words...: NiceDeb

Climate & Energy

Top PR firm for BP tied to Rahm Emanuel: WashExam
Global Cold Wave May Be Looming — This Time, the Science Is Good: PJM
The real reason the oil still flows into the Gulf of Mexico?: JoAnneMor

Media

What Memorial Day Means to a Veteran: AT
Dems interested in gays and spending, not Afghan war: WashExam
Wake-up Call for Peggy Noonan: Powers

Covering Obama, press encounters Nation of Islam: York
Those Folks at the Daily Caller Sure Have a Good Sense of Humor: Malkin
Pre-Obituaries in the MSM: A Idea Whose Time Has Come: Driscoll

Court Destroyed Evidence That Landrieu's Phones Were Working Fine, Just As O'Keefe Suspected: Ace
Rolling Thunder, 2010: Malkin

World

Free Gaza Movement & The Flotillas: Jawa
Up to 19 dead as Israel storms Gaza aid: SMH
Turkey warns Israel of 'irreparable consequences', recalls ambassador: Hurriyet

Never Give Up Your Weapons: AT
Obama delivers "a resounding slap around the face" of Israel: BrutHon
Bloomberg submits: Sanctions 9/11 Mega-Mosque: BigGovt

SciTech

Pacific volcano erupts near Marianas islands, spews ash thousands of feet: WashExam
Think acupuncture's a hoax? Think again: CNet
Verizon's tiered LTE plans fuel 'sticker shock' debate : NetWorld

Cornucopia

Memorial Day Vignettes: Ace
Lt John Finn, RIP: Former Spook
Pretty sure this tacks on an extra five centuries: Kaching

Image: Weekend of Remembrance.
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Soccer Dad

QOTD: Comment on the confrontation between the U.S. Secret Service and the Nation of Islam:

"Now, imagine if you will, a bank executive has his/her own large personal security force and uses it to intimidate and keep a bunch of crazed SEIU members off his/her lawn. I wonder what the top news story of the day would be."


Sunday, May 30, 2010

Sweet: Census workers report being hired and fired repeatedly to inflate official employment numbers

Politifi spots an intriguing report in The New York Post that points to blatant falsity in the 'official' employment numbers. Census employees are hired, fired, then hired again to exploit a loophole in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' methodology: it counts every job offer of one hour or more over the course of a single month. And double- and triple-counting is perfectly legit in the BLS formulations.

...[Former Census worker] Naomi Cohn... told The Post that she was hired and fired a number of times by Census. Each time she was hired back, it seems, Census was able to report the creation of a new job to the Labor Department.

...Each month Census gives Labor a figure on the number of workers it has hired. That figure goes into the closely followed monthly employment report Labor provides. For the past two months the hiring by Census has made up a good portion of the new jobs.

Labor doesn't check the Census hiring figure or whether the jobs are actually new or recycled. It considers a new job to have been created if someone is hired to work at least one hour a month.

...Here's a note from a Census worker -- this one from Manhattan:

John: I am on my fourth rehire with the 2010 Census... I have been hired, trained for a week, given a few hours of work, then laid off. So my unemployed self now counts for four new jobs.

I have been paid more to train all four times than I have been paid to actually produce results. These are my tax dollars and your tax dollars at work.

A few months ago I was trained for three days and offered five hours of work counting the homeless. Now, I am knocking (on) doors trying to find the people that have not returned their Census forms. I worked the 2000 Census. It was a far more organized venture.

And here's another:

John: I worked for (Census) and I was paid $18.75 (an hour) just like Ms. Naomi Cohn from your article... I worked for about six weeks or so and I picked the hours I wanted to work. I was checking the work of others. While I was classifying addresses, another junior supervisor was checking my work.

In short, we had a "checkers checking checkers" quality control. I was eventually let go and was told all the work was finished when, in fact, other people were being trained for the same assignment(s)... I was re-hired about eight months later and was informed that I would have to go through one week of additional training.

On the third day of training, I got sick and visited my doctor. I called my supervisor and asked how I can make up the class. She informed me that I was 'terminated.' She elaborated that she had to terminate three other people for being five minutes late to class.

I did get two days' pay and I am sure the 'late people' got paid also. I think you would concur that this is an expensive way to attempt to control sickness plus lateness. I am totally convinced that the Census work could be very easily done by the US Postal Service.

When I was trying to look for an address or had a question about a building, I would ask the postman on the beat. They knew the history of the route and can expand in detail who moved in or out etc. I have found it interesting that if someone works one hour, they are included in the labor statistics as a new job being full...

Put simply, the U.S. Postal Service could easily have performed all of the functions of the Census.

But that would be cost-effective, efficient and accurate, factors that are antithetical to the aims of the Obama administration and Democrats in general.


Linked by: Curmudgeonly & Skeptical. Thanks!

L'Affaire Sestak: Anyone wondering why White House counsel Greg Craig inexplicably resigned last year? And Deputy Counsel followed on May 7th?

Eagle-eyed commenter A.G. assembles another piece of the Sestak-White House puzzle.

I think that we can probably infer from your timeline that the job offer (Navy Sec.) to Sestak was made sometime between early February, 2009 to, at or around, March 26, 2009- contrary to what the White House and Sestak claimed last Friday that the offer was sometime "last summer". Sestak likely turned down the offer and told them he would stay in the race, so then Obama nominated Mabus. Any offer by the White House to Sestak after March 26 would've been predicated upon Mabus stepping down or being replaced -- possible, but less likely.

A possible related note: I have no idea whether this is relevant to your timeline at this point, but it might be, so I'll throw it out there: The White House Counsel at the time the job offer was made to Sestak was Gregory Craig. Robert Bauer, a former Democrat election lawyer, who wrote the Sestak legal memorandum released last Friday, now holds the position.

Rumors started leaking last summer -- less than half a year on the job -- that the highly experienced Yale Law grad Gregory Craig was already on his way out, and were reported in many media outlets (WaPo, WSJ, etc.). On July, 22, 2009 White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina denied the rumors, "Sounds like typical Washington parlor games to me. These rumors are wrong." (WaPo), and denied it again to the WSJ a month later...

...In September, Craig told a group of three people, which included the president, that he was thinking of resigning (according to Politico). He then announced his resignation in November, with Politico reporting that, "[H]is decision was unrelated to the difficulties in closing Guantanamo Bay prison or other policy issues." Politico also reported that, "Craig said he could 'think of many ways in hindsight that I could have better served the president' but declined to be more specific."

So, who knows Craig's specific reason for resigning, but inquiring minds might want to know...

One more data point: in news you definitely could have missed, White House Deputy Counsel Daniel J. Meltzer resigned earlier this month:

...Among other things, Mr. Meltzer played a leading role in the administration’s efforts to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and related policies affecting terrorism detainees.

He was also the White House’s main contact with the Justice Department’s powerful Office of Legal Counsel, which evaluates whether proposed policies would be lawful...

Fascinating.

Anyone willing to bet that our beloved investigative pro journalists at the "newspaper of record" will diligently research these matters?


A Newsreel From the Very Near Future

Universal International News, in conjunction with the Obama administration, presents Government Newsreel number 903.

Under cover of darkness, GM's top secret new vehicle -- the 2012 Buick Bureaucrat -- arrives at the New York Auto Show. Powered entirely by green energy sources, this beautiful Buick turns heads as it hits a top speed of 200 feet per minute.

Not to be outdone, Chrysler's luxurious Dodge Deficit offers a unique eight-door design, which means your entire family will arrive in style at the soup kitchen.

Good news at the National Healthcare Service: President Obama has promised to airlift hundreds of doctors from Cuba later this month to address the long lines in hospitals. Government officials have also promised to remedy medical priorities that currently place undocumented citizens at the front of the line.

And more positive news on the economic front: the rate of unemployment increases has slowed, moving from 17.1% to 17.4%, a tenth-of-a-percent less than analysts had predicted! Proof positive that Stimulus Seven is working!

As for financing the $45 trillion national debt, great progress this week as leaders from Brazil, Russia, India and China have agreed to meet next month in Beijing. Topic one will be answering President Obama's request to buy more Treasury Bills.

Blackouts continue to plague the industrial Northeast as wind production farms have missed their quotas for the third month in a row. The Department of Energy promises to find new green energy sources by 2013 that should help alleviate the troublesome outages.

The velvet cloak of night did not stop President Obama from introducing his new volunteer corp uniforms. The new cadre combines elements of ACORN, Organizing for America, Change.gov, the SEIU and Americorps into a single, cohesive unit! First job on the list: internal national security to ensure safety for all Americans!

Lastly, a well-deserved comeuppance for hate-speech specialists Michelle Malkin and Glenn Reynolds. They were convicted last week of 800 counts of inciting hatred and violating FTC blogging rules; their punishment: 20 years in Leavenworth. Hate-mongers beware: expect internal security forces to be knocking on your doors shortly!

Join us next week for more approved news stories, only from Universal International News, the patriotic channel!


Larwyn's Linx: Skipping Arlington to spend Memorial Day with Farrakhan

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email. You can also install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget.

Nation

Who skipped Arlington to spend Memorial Day with Farrakhan?: Atlas
Giving thanks for those who made the ultimate sacrifice: Malkin
Quick Notes: Obama’s oil spill press conference: AnBlackCon

Kagan removed Constitutional law as Harvard requirement: Patterico
King Barack the Verbose: Steyn
The Vanities of the Bonfire: Cold Fury

Economy

IRS Asked to Review Unions’ Political Donations: RWN
2% solution and collapse of the budget process: Hewitt
Obama, ACORN and Stealth Socialism: MonCrief

Wise Guys: The End of Free-Market Capitalism: AT
LA Official to Obama: Oil Drilling Moratorium 'Will Kill Us': GWP
A Continent of Lies and Broken Promises: ZH

Climate & Energy

How Fannie Mae Chief got Cap-and-Trade Patent: BigGovt
Are Climate Alarmists losing the Mainstream Media?: AT
Deepwater Oil Spill - The LMRP Attempt, the 'Press Conference', etc.: OilDrum

Media

Obama, The Thin-Skinned President: Wehner
What our media taught me: Hanson
If you're going to criticize Texas' new social studies curriculum, you'd better quote it. : Althouse

How the liberal mind works: Cashill
Why are some Lefties so worried about an Obama impeachment?: RWN
Interview with Rush Limbaugh: Army of One author Zev Chafets: Driscoll

Curtis Sliwa comes to Andrew Cuomo event dressed as king to mock 'coronation': BlogProf
Maher: Obama Not Acting Like A "Real Black" President: RCP
Billy's Last Ride: CBullitt

World

Taliban using chem weapons against U.S. troops?: GWP
The Grand Jihad Has Arrived: GoV
The Gaza Flotilla: Showboating for Hamas: Rosett

SciTech

Starting up in the iPad garage: Edgelings
Navy to use dolphins, sea lions to protect sub base: Exurban

Cornucopia

Memorial Day: the Warriors Among Us
Stories Shared to Honor Heroes on Memorial Day: BMW
Competence is its own reward: CFB

Image: The Oil Drum.
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Flopping Aces Memorial Day Weekend Post

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Is there a true 'nuclear option' to seal the Gulf spill?

Word has it that the Soviets used tactical nuclear weapons to seal similar leaks back in the day.

Komsomoloskaya Pravda, the best-selling Russian daily, reports that in Soviet times such leaks were plugged with controlled nuclear blasts underground. The idea is simple, KP writes: 'the underground explosion moves the rock, presses on it, and, in essence, squeezes the well’s channel.'

Yes! It’s so simple, in fact, that the Soviet Union, a major oil exporter, used this method five times to deal with petrocalamities. The first happened in Uzbekistan, on September 30, 1966 with a blast 1.5 times the strength of the Hiroshima bomb and at a depth of 1.5 kilometers. KP also notes that subterranean nuclear blasts were used as much as 169 times in the Soviet Union to accomplish fairly mundane tasks like creating underground storage spaces for gas or building canals.

These kinds of surgical strikes to shut off underground leaks, however, were carried out only five times, with the last one occuring in 1979. And there was only one misfire, near Kharkov, Ukraine, where a nuclear blast was unable to stanch a gas leak.

Happily, with a track record like that, "the chances of failure in the Gulf of Mexico are 20%," KP writes. "The Americans could certainly risk it."

KP must be unfamiliar with the American strain of Leftist moonbats, who would sooner reduce an entire continent to a subsistence-level existence than allow the use of modern technologies like, say, DDT. As for nukes? The Leftists would rather nuke an American city than risk the life of an American Eel.


Updated Timeline: The Sestak Bribe and the White House Coverup

The contradictions between Congressman Joe Sestak's account of a job offer and the belated, official White House response are, in a word, stunning. The controversy isn't dying down and it won't be going away. In fact, I suspect it has only just begun.

13 February 2009: Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter votes for the controversial $787 billion Stimulus package, leading to an outcry by Pennsylvania voters and Republicans nationwide. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that both before and after the vote, Specter is courted as a Democratic convert by Gov. Ed Rendell and Vice President Joe Biden.

Sometime between February and July 2009: A member of the White House staff (possibly Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel) offers Rep. Joseph Sestak (D-PA), who is running against incumbent Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA), an unspecified job in return for him dropping out of the race. The rationale: the White House believes Specter has a better chance of winning against a GOP contender than Sestak.

26 March 2009: President Obama announces his intent to nominate Ray Mabus to be Secretary of the Navy.

28 April 2009: After months of speculation, Specter switches to the Democrat Party.

30 May 2009: "Sestak to challenge Specter"

Congressman Joe Sestak (D) plans to ignore White House and DSCC pressure and will shortly announce his primary challenge to US Senator Arlen Specter (D). TalkingPointsMemo.com reports "is privately telling supporters that he intends to run for Senate." In support of the report, TPM quoted Sestak's sister and campaign employee: "He intends to get in the race." TPM also produced a scan of handwritten note from Sestak to a supporter in which the Congressman wrote: "I am writing you as especially dear supporters to let you know I intend to run for the US Senate." Meanwhile, State Representative Bill Kortz (D) -- a retired steelworker -- says he plans to also continue his primary run against Specter. While Sestak is positioning himself to the left of the incumbent former Republican, the pro-life and pro-gun rights Kortz is positioning himself to the right of Specter.

22 July 2009: White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina denies rumors that White House Counsel Greg Craig is 'on his way out' as sources report that Craig has 'clashed with others in the inner circle over various matters.'

9 November 2009: After months of official denials, White House Counsel Greg Craig tenders his resignation, stating "his decision was unrelated to the difficulties in closing Guantanamo Bay prison or other policy issues."

18 February 2010: Apparently unaware that job offers by an administration in exchange for political favors are illegal, Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) readily admits that he was offered a job to drop out of the Senate primary race with Arlen Specter during an interview with Philadelphia TV newscaster Larry Kane.

Were you ever offered a job to get out of this race? (The contest against Arlen Specter)... Sestak didn’t flinch .

Yes,” he answered.

“Was it Navy Secretary?”, I asked.

“No comment.”

He proceeded to talk about staying in the race but added that “he was called many times” to pull out... Later, I asked, “So you were offered a job by someone in the White House?

He said, “Yes.” ...When the taping stopped, Joe Sestak looked surprised.

18 February 2010 15:45: After calling the White House for its reaction and receiving the word that they would respond 'shortly', Kane breaks the story on KYW news radio. Kane later related on his website that he was stunned the White House took so long to respond. As "the question was being asked, Joe Sestak never hesitated. In a split second, he just said, 'yes.'"

19 February 2010 06:45: At 6:45AM, 15 hours later, a Deputy Press Secretary calls Kane and says, "You can say the White House says it’s not true."

9 March 2010: MSNBC reports that Sestak did confirm receiving an offer for the Secretary of Navy job ("it completely reconfirms it") in an interview with Joe Scarborough:

Scarborough: "Your name came up because of this offer for you to run the Department of Navy if you'd get out of the race in Pennsylvania. Did you feel there was a connection there when the President made that offer to you?"

Sestak: "You know, it's interesting... Something happened last July before I got in the race, and I never got asked about it and someone asked me. And, you know, I answered it honestly, I just said 'yes'. But it didn't go beyond that and actually and Joe, I don't think I should."

10 March 2010: Rep. Darrell Issa, the top Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee sends a letter to the White House Counsel Robert Bauer. The letter requests information regarding the Sestak job offer including: (a) which White House staffers communicated with Sestak about the Senate race; (b) which positions, if any, were offered to reward Sestak for dropping out of the race; (c) what investigations, if any, did the White House undertake to determine whether criminal activity took place; and (d) does the White House expect to refer the matter to the Department of Justice? Issa issues a 18 March 2010 deadline for a reply by the White House counsel.

16 March 2010: Peppered by questions from reporters, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs issues the following statement: "I’ve talked to several people in the White House. I’ve talked to people who have talked to others in the White House. I’m told that whatever conversations have been had, are not problematic. I think Congressman Sestak has discussed that this is – whatever happened is in the past and he is focused on this primary."

18 March 2010: No reply is received by Issa.

22 Mach 2010: Issa issues a second request along with an adivsory that further silence on the matter would result in a request to the Attorney General to appoint a special prosecutor. A second deadline is issued by Issa of 5 April 2010.

5 April 2010: No reply is received by Issa to his second request. During a press conference, Robert Gibbs is asked by a CNS News reporter whether the White House would endorse the appointment of a special prosecutor, given the 5 April deadline. Gibbs ignores the question and instead references his 16 March remarks.

6 May 2010: White House Deputy Counsel Daniel J. Meltzer resigns.

18 May 2010: Sestak defeats Arlen Specter in the Democrat Pennsylvania primary race for U.S. Senate.

25 May 2010: 'Sestak Awkwardly Dodges Questions About Alleged White House Job Offer':

Senate hopeful Joe Sestak joined Senate Democrats at their weekly caucus lunch today, where he was grilled by CNN producer Ted Barrett about his claim that the White House once offered him a job to get him out of the Pennsylvania primary...

"The question is what job was offered to you and by whom? Because David Axelrod said last night that it would be illegal if you were offered a job. So who offered you the job?" asked Barrett, who towers over Sestak by a foot or more.

"I have nothing to say on the matter. I've answered," Sestak offered.

"Do you think this will go away, though, or this will not be a liability for you?" Barrett pressed.

Sestak seemed visibly rattled, but continued to pivot away from the questions.

26 May 2010: All seven Republican members of the the Senate Judiciary Committee request that the Department of Justice appoint a special prosecutor to probe the Sestak allegations.

27 May 2010: Inexplicably, Former President Bill Clinton meets with President Obama, ostensibly to discuss the oil spill.

27 May 2010: Inexplicably, the White House contacts Joe Sestak's brother and campaign manager Richard in preparation for the "official statement" it would soon release.

28 May 2010: Bill Clinton ignores questions regarding his interactions with Joe Sestak.

28 May 2010: 14 members of the House of Representatives send a letter to FBI Director Robert Mueller requesting that the FBI conduct a probe of criminal conduct.

28 May 2010: The White House finally issues a memo describing its review of discussions related to Sestak. It claims that Bill Clinton acted as a cutout between Rahm Emanuel and Joe Sestak and no substantial job offer was mentioned.

Contradictions between the White House and Sestak accounts

The following contradictions exist between the official White House account and the original Sestak interview:

• White House: "White House staff did not discuss these options with Congressman Sestak."
&bull: Sestak: Replied "Yes" to the question "you were offered a job by someone in the White House?"

• White House: "It has been suggested that discussions of alternatives to the Senate campaign were improperly raised with the Congressman. There was no such impropriety. "
• Sestak: Replied "Yes" to the question "Were you ever offered a job to get out of this race?

• White House: "It has been suggested that the Administration may have offered Congressman Sestak the position of Secretary of the Navy in the hope that he would accept the offer and abandon a Senate candidacy. This is false."
• Sestak: Replied "No comment" to the question "Was it Navy Secretary?", when a simple "No" would have sufficed. In a separate interview, MSNBC says that Sestak did confirm the offer of the Secretary of the Navy position.

"If proven, the reported actions of the Obama administration are clear violations of three federal laws. The impact and fallout from documented violations, as well as the refusal of the Holder Justice Department to appoint a Special Counsel to investigate this matter, have the potential to eclipse the Watergate scandal of the early 1970’s – it is that serious."

[i] 18 U.S.C. § 600: Whoever, directly or indirectly, promises any employment, position, compensation, contract, appointment, or other benefit, provided for or made possible in whole or in part by any Act of Congress, or any special consideration in obtaining any such benefit, to any person as consideration, favor, or reward for any political activity or for the support of or opposition to any candidate or any political party in connection with any general or special election to any political office, or in connection with any primary election or political convention or caucus held to select candidates for any political office, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

18 U.S.C. § 211: Whoever solicits or receives, either as a political contribution, or for personal emolument, any money or thing of value, in consideration of the promise of support or use of influence in obtaining for any person any appointive office or place under the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both. Whoever solicits or receives anything of value in consideration of aiding a person to obtain employment under the United States either by referring his name to an executive department or agency of the United States or by requiring the payment of a fee because such person has secured such employment shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than one year, or both. This section shall not apply to such services rendered by an employment agency pursuant to the written request of an executive department or agency of the United States.

18 U.S.C. § 595: Whoever, being a person employed in any administrative position by the United States, or by any department or agency thereof, or by the District of Columbia or any agency or instrumentality thereof, or by any State, Territory, or Possession of the United States, or any political subdivision, municipality, or agency thereof, or agency of such political subdivision or municipality (including any corporation owned or controlled by any State, Territory, or Possession of the United States or by any such political subdivision, municipality, or agency), in connection with any activity which is financed in whole or in part by loans or grants made by the United States, or any department or agency thereof, uses his official authority for the purpose of interfering with, or affecting, the nomination or the election of any candidate for the office of President, Vice President, Presidential elector, Member of the Senate, Member of the House of Representatives, Delegate from the District of Columbia, or Resident Commissioner, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.


Hat tips: Homeland Security U.S. and MSNBC's Morning Joe. Linked by: Gateway Pundit, Dan Riehl, Strata-Sphere, Nice Deb and Creative Minority Report. Thanks!

Welcome to Venezuela: FTC Proposes Federalizing Newspapers, and Killing off Blogs

Writing at Business Insider, Jeff Jarvis describes the next stage of the administration's systematic obliteration of the Constitution: federalizing newspapers and killing blogs. The Federal Trade Commission has posted its "potential policy recommendations to support the reinvention of journalism", which is not only an unprecedented federal overreach, but truly a repudiation of the First Amendment itself.

Consider what Jarvis calls 'the iPad tax' -- a 5% fee on all consumer electronics -- which is intended to raise $4 billion a year. That money would be spent on government-funded news.

The Implications of Government-Funded News...

...are well nigh horrifying. Not only does the FTC propose "circling the wagons" around old media -- The New York Times, The Washington Post and the like -- the financial lifeline supplied by the federal government would also serve as a leash. If you thought old media was aligned with the mission of the Democrat Party before, just wait until it's dependent upon the feds for salaries and benefits.

The FTC Suggests Killing Blogs to Bolster Newspapers...

...through a series of bizarre policy recommendations that are predicated upon the following conclusion:

[N]ewspapers have not yet found a new, sustainable business model, and there is reason for concern that such a business model may not emerge. Therefore, it is not too soon to start considering policies that might encourage innovations to help support journalism into the future..

By "journalism", the FTC means "newspapers" and by "encourage innovations" the FTC means stifle competition. Among the FTC's suggestions:

• Tightly limit what search engines and news aggregators (like Drudge Report) are allowed to report;

• Potentially define certain kinds of news reports as "proprietary facts" rather than events in the public domain;

• Rather than protect consumers against price-fixing (one of its missions), the FTC rallies around antitrust exemptions for newspapers that could help them monopolize news distribution;

• Redistributing wealth from individual taxpayers to old media, which would serve to bolster the coffers of newspapers while simultaneously reducing journalistic independence and truly creating a "state-run media".

Sinister

Jarvis concludes that the real problem with the FTC's position "is the alignment of the legacy institutions of media and government. Here, the internet is not the salvation of news, journalism, and democracy. It’s the other side."

I think Jarvis is naive: this is nothing less than a sinister, diabolical effort to shred the First Amendment and create a state-run media complex designed to report only what the government wants reported.

This is an utterly ominous development and one that should remind readers why this President embraces dictators like Hugo Chavez. He seems to envy the control that dictators exercise over their subjects.

And he seeks to emulate them.


Linked by: Maggie's Farm. Thanks!

Larwyn's Linx: Why did the White House contact Joe Sestak’s brother?

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email. You can also install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget.

Nation

Why did the White House contact Sestak’s brother?: Malkin
Amnesty or doing nothing are not our only options: RWN
Joe Sestak Is Lying -- Or Protecting a Felon: GWP

GOP moves to repeal ObamaCare: GWP
Sestak was ineligible for job Clinton offered: York
Sympathy for Obama: AT

Economy

Motives for the DC Bank Protests: BigGovt
The Unprecedented Intensity of the YouCut Movement: PJM
Bankruptcy talk spreads among Cali muni officials: Reuters

How to Cripple the Free Economy: AT
Comp of teacher who complained to Christie: $100K+: BlogProf
Big blunder cost NJ teachers years of goodwill: NJ

Climate & Energy

Obama Revises History: Power Line
Enemy of the States: AT
BP buses in 400 fake workers for Obama's fake photo op: Ace

Media

The James Asher School of Journalism: Corner
Obama, Sestak, and the MIA MSM: Driscoll
Just how big is Instapundit?: Pressfield

Four Political Disasters and the Media's Role: RWN
Bloggers Beware – They’re Coming After You!: BigGovt
Moronic PBS Host: Most Terrorists are Christians: RWN

World

The End of Democratic Socialism: AT
The Liberal Trilemma: AT
AYFKM? Honduras To Sue State Of Arizona Over SB1070: LogMon

Deadly Silence at the DMZ: Asia Times
How to Stop the Ground Zero Mega-Mosque: PJM
Brennan Unfit to Protect Anyone from Jihadists: HNN

SciTech

NASA Accused of Stalling on FOIA Disclosure: Times
Symantec pushes security to Android, iPhone: CNet
Facebook rival launched in Pakistan after 'blasphemous' Prophet images published: Telegraph

Cornucopia

Stop, drop & roll. Or, just run around screaming: Exurban
Cambodian 'jungle woman' flees back to wild: Telegraph
Of Mice and Men -- Your Choice: Dewey

Image: American Digest.
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Feed Your ADHD.

Friday, May 28, 2010

#BPCares

BP's global public relations unit is trying to make up for the spill by bringin' the funny.

@bpTerry just asked a scientist why there are so many crows in the south. Turns out they are seagulls. It was AWKWARD. #bpcares

If you've ever wanted to take a dump in the ocean, now is your chance. #whynot? #bpcares

What a gorgeous day! The ocean is filled with the most beautiful rainbows! #yourewelcome #bpcares

I know we have it bad, but our hearts go out to whoever does PR for AT&T. #noservice #bpcares

Can we just start calling it the oilcean and move on please? #bpcares

@bpTerry just ran into the grabass room all excited and sincerely asked, "Why don't we just call Captain Planet!?" - he has great weed, ok?

This horrible spill wouldn't be happening in the gulf of AMERICA! Arizona knows what I'm talking 'bout!! #fistpound #bpcares

Of course, bp cares about the fishing industry as well. Now, all tuna from the gulf coast comes pre-packaged in oil. #you'rewelcome #yum

We are dedicated to helping the wildlife in the gulf. Any birds that need cleaning must report to 287 Quartemain St, Baton Rouge, LA 70801.

BTW, Top Kill is also our xbox live handle if anyone wants to play some red dead redemption. #bpcares #rddallday

New solution: Everybody drive your cars into the gulf with your gas caps open! You'll get a full tank and we'll only charge $20 cash!

At this rate, someone's going to get a job offer from SNL.

State of Illinois rolls over, plays dead

How do Democrats address a broken economy? They play 'let's pretend'.

State lawmakers sent Gov. Pat Quinn a spending framework for the state budget before departing on Thursday.

But in their budget proposals, lawmakers did not address the fundamental problem afflicting state finances - state expenses are far outpacing the amount of money the state is receiving.

But don't worry, Illinois-ians (puh!), your beloved Democrat governor says that a 33% tax increase is just what the doctor ordered!

Sheila Weinberg, CEO of the watchdog Institute for Truth in Accounting, said the budget package passed by lawmakers is not only irresponsible - it's illegal.

Weinberg believes the General Assembly should not be able to pass unpaid bills from one fiscal year to the next... Illinois has about $6 billion in overdue bills to state vendors, according to the State Comptroller's Office.

So if you're one of the many unfortunate and unpaid suppliers to Illinois, don't worry: the state legislature could very well decide to pay you in 2011 or thereabouts.

On Thursday, the Illinois Senate did not vote on a proposed $4 billion borrowing plan with proceeds going to the state's five public employee pension systems... Lawmakers don't have to borrow funds to make the pension contribution, but using $4 billion from state revenues to go toward state pensions would cause serious cash-flow problems in other areas of state government, such as education and human services.

Illinois is borrowing to pay off its current debts, which is somewhat akin to paying off a credit card with another credit card.

Legislators who pull this kind of crap at any level of government should be thrown in a shark tank. Where the sharks have frickin' laser beams on their heads.


Can't You Feel the Powerful Thrusts of the Obama Recovery?

Market Recap: DJIA Suffers Worst May Performance in 70 Years: "...stocks finished the month of May with a resounding thud... disappointing reports on consumer spending and Chicago-area business activity only served to exacerbate the bleak mood. In fact, the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 7.9% for the month, marking its worst May performance since 1940..."

Housing Starts: check out the green shoots.

Endless Unemployment (aka "Welfare"): "...the government just passed yet another $79 billion stimulus bill, extending unemployment benefits and restoring expired tax breaks. The net cost to the deficit: around $30 billion. This really is a drop in the bucket: so far in fiscal 2010, the US budget has already spent over $107 billion on unemployment benefits, and $30 billion is less than the government raises in one of its three biweekly coupon auctions. On the other hand, when Obama next wonders why nobody in America works any more, he may want to reevaluate that 6 million unemployed people in the US are now encouraged to be on government payrolls for two years."

Chicago PMI (Purchasing Manager's Index) Shows Economy Getting Crushed: Prices Paid, Backlogs, Employment And Inventories At 2010 Lows - The monthly measure of U.S. business conditions, based on surveys of purchasing managers, is disastrous.

ObamaCare in action: California health insurers raising rates 12% to 23% to prepare for DemCare: "Small businesses across the country are getting hammered by rising medical insurance costs. Blue Shield of California is jacking up rates as much as 76%..."

"We don't have that money," said Ann Terranova, a San Francisco financial planner who is dropping Blue Shield for herself and two employees after learning that their annual premium would jump to more than $19,000 a year from $11,000...

"Our margins will dwindle to nothing," said Bill Thomas, chief executive of U.S. Technical, an engineering firm in Fullerton. "It's the beginning of the end."

Hopefully that's an apt description of the Democrat Party.


Linked by: American Digest. Thanks!

Larwyn's Linx: The Worst Press Conference Since 'I Am Not A Crook'

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email. You can also install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget.

Nation

Worst Press Conference Since 'I Am Not A Crook': Wizbang
Obama dodges, but Sestak questions won't go away: York
The new cleaning ladies of leftism: AT

CA GOP Senate Primary Down to Wire: AmPower
Our unsecured southern border and the next 9/11: RWN
Does AZ's new law make policing harder?: PJM

Economy

Shame: Nine GOP Reps Supporting Union Bailout: RWN
Tax Extenders Bill is Irresponsible and Dangerous: Foundry
Why Faculty Unions Could Destroy Our Universities: MTC

Will SEC Charge the Right People with Fraud?: AT
Heartache! Kanye And Michael Moore To Boycott AZ: RWN
Hillary: 'The rich are not paying their fair share': Politico

Climate & Energy

MMS Chief Out: ‘Heckuva Job, Lizzie!’: RedState
NASA's 40-year greenhouse gas coverup: ClimateRealists
'It's a totally awesome time to double gas taxes!': BlogProf

Media

The Stench of Elitism Hung Heavy in the Air: Zombie
Dunkirk Conservatism: Spectator
Trillion dollar deficits and the press: Why it's Paul Krugman's fault: AT

Despot-in-Training: Politician calls for registering journalists: RWN
The Atlantic has a mess on its hands: LegalIns
The Endgame of Class Warfare: AT

World

North vs. South Korea: How Bad Could It Get?: PJM
We're too broke to be this stupid: Steyn
French Strikes Are Already Breaking Out, And Austerity Has Barely Been Mentioned Yet: Insider

Bringing a case against Arizona: Volokh
Rahm Emanuel Heckled by Israelis While Touring Old City of Jerusalem: GWP
The World's Gold Supply Runs Out: Telegraph

SciTech

Security FUD In Action: Not Windows' Fault, Nope, Not at All: LinuxToday

Cornucopia

Old Guard Soldiers Put 'Flag In' At Arlington National Cemetary: Jawa
Lori Obama: iOTW
GM Grows A Ponytail (For Cancer Patients): GM's Place

Image: Barking Crayon.
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Second Opinion


Thursday, May 27, 2010

Illegal Immigration By the Numbers

240,000: the number of illegal immigrant sex offenders in the United States, a "conservative" estimate according to a study by the Violent Crime Institute. Over the 88-month study, illegal aliens were responsible for an estimated 960,000 violent sex crimes in the U.S.

4-10,000,000: the number of illegal aliens who crossed into the United States in 2005, bringing with them 5.6 to 11.2 million pounds of cocaine and 34.3 to 68.6 million pounds of marijuana. As many as 19,500 aliens originated in countries identified as state sponsors of terror, according to the Department of Homeland Security. This figure includes members of Hezbollah who have already entered the United States across the southwest border; and agents of Venezuela, which is providing falsified documentation for entry into the U.S. illegally.

$2,200,000,000: the amount spent on food assistance programs for illegal aliens including food stamps, WIC, free school lunches, etc. each year.

$2,500,000,000: the amount spent on Medicaid for illegal aliens annually.

$3,000,000,000: the approximate annual federal spending to house non-U.S. citizens in federal prisons, which represents roughly 30% of the prison population according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Most of non-citizen prison population is comprised of illegal aliens.

$12,000,000,000: the amount spent each year on primary and secondary public education for children in the U.S. illegally, many of whom cannot speak English.

$17,000,000,000: the amount spent each year on primary and secondary public education for American-born children of illegal aliens, known as 'anchor babies'.

$11-22,000,000,000: the amount spent on welfare for illegal aliens by state governments each year.

$50,000,000,000: the amount spent annually on providing welfare and social services to illegal aliens by federal taxpayers.

$200,000,000,000: the amount of "suppressed American wages" caused by illegal immigration and lax policies such as H-1B programs.

What are the true costs of illegal immigration to American citizens? In hard dollar terms, it's hundreds of billions -- all of which could be better used elsewhere, especially in these tough economic times.






Get Rich Quick the Easy Chuck Schumer Way

Want to get rich, but don't have any talent, discipline or energy? My name's Chuck Schumer and I can show you how to become incredibly wealthy and powerful even if you're a complete dumbass like me.

Step one: try never to hold a real job... just keep getting yourself elected, no matter what it takes, until you make it to the U.S. Senate.

Step two: when your political party takes power, invite the powerful Wall Street hedge fund billionaires to a swanky dinner and make a few veiled threats about regulation.

Step three: if your experience is anything like mine, you'll immediately triple your "campaign donations".

Now, here's where the magic happens. Step four: get one of your loyal staffers a job at a powerful Beltway firm. Now she can (1) lobby Congress on behalf of hedge funds, and (2) raise money for you from hedge funds.

Start publicly praising her recruitment by the lobbying firm so she'll get clients immediately. When I used this approach with my staffer, she'd registered seven private equity or hedge fund firms as clients in only a matter of months.

Step five: now threaten a huge overhaul of financial regulations. That'll keep the hedge funds hopping -- and contributing to your campaign, big-time. Check this out: Democrats received nearly $12 million in 2008 alone and I got a nice $20 grand 'contribution' through my ex-staffer!

What do the hedge fund billionaires get? Just take care of 'em with beneficial legislation, letting them snuff out smaller competitors. If the little people get hurt with more Wall Street scams and less transparency, so what? I'm rich, b***hes!

Oh, as an aside, be sure and tune in next week, when I'll show you how to cure baldness with the Do-it-Yourself Hair Plug Kit, the Easy Chuck Schumer Way!


Based upon: Schumer's racket: Lobbyists and hedge funds

Obama counterterror adviser helpfully offers Koranic instruction to Muslim clerics: killing one million civilians isn't your religious duty, really

We're in the very best of hands.

FOXNews.com, May 27, 2010

Counterterror Adviser Defends Jihad as 'Legitimate Tenet of Islam'


The president's top counterterrorism adviser on Wednesday called jihad a "legitimate tenet of Islam," arguing that the term "jihadists" should not be used to describe America's enemies.

During a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, John Brennan described violent extremists as victims of "political, economic and social forces," but said that those plotting attacks on the United States should not be described in "religious terms."

He repeated the administration argument that the enemy is not "terrorism," because terrorism is a "tactic," and not terror, because terror is a "state of mind" -- though Brennan's title, deputy national security adviser for counterterrorism and homeland security, includes the word "terrorism" in it. But then Brennan said that the word "jihad" should not be applied either.

"Nor do we describe our enemy as 'jihadists' or 'Islamists' because jihad is a holy struggle, a legitimate tenet of Islam, meaning to purify oneself or one's community, and there is nothing holy or legitimate or Islamic about murdering innocent men, women and children," Brennan said...

...Brennan argued that it would be "counterproductive" for the United States to use the term, as it would "play into the false perception" that the "murderers" leading war against the West are doing so in the name of a "holy cause."

"Moreover, describing our enemy in religious terms would lend credence to the lie propagated by Al Qaeda and its affiliates to justify terrorism -- that the United States is somehow at war against Islam," he said.

Of course, back in the pretty blue-green world we like to call Earth, Stratfor Research reports that yet another respected Islamic scholar has advised Muslims worldwide that -- wait for it... -- killing one million American women and children is their religious duty.

...In the May 23 al-Malahim interview (his first with AQAP), al-Awlaki not only said he was proud of the actions of [terrorists] Hasan and Abdulmutallab, whom he referred to as his students, but also encouraged other Muslims to follow the examples they set by their actions. When asked about the religious permissibility of an operation like Abdulmutallab’s, which could have killed innocent civilians, al-Awlaki told the interviewer that the term “civilian” was not really applicable to Islamic jurisprudence...

"...the American people in its entirety takes part in the war, because they elected this administration, and they finance this war.” In his final assessment, al-Awlaki said, “If the heroic mujahid brother Umar Farouk could have targeted hundreds of soldiers, that would have been wonderful. But we are talking about the realities of war,” meaning that in his final analysis, attacks against civilians were permissible under Islamic law. Indeed, he later noted, “Our unsettled account with America, in women and children alone, has exceeded one million. Those who would have been killed in the plane are a drop in the ocean.”

...While this line of logic is nearly identical to that historically put forth by Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, the very significant difference is that al-Awlaki is a widely acknowledged Islamic scholar. He speaks with a religious authority that bin Laden and al-Zawahiri simply do not possess.

Brennan's incoherent remarks come on the heels of another first for a U.S. "intelligence" official. In a February speech, he referred to Jerusalem by its Arabic name, Al-Quds.

"In all my travels the city I have come to love most is al-Quds, Jerusalem, where three great faiths come together," Brennan said at an event co-sponsored by the White House Office of Public Engagement and the Islamic Center at New York University and the Islamic Law Students Association at NYU.

With leaders like this, who needs to worry about sleeper cells?


Hat tip: Dan from New York. Linked by: Michelle Malkin. Thanks!

Larwyn's Linx: Issa Utters the 'I' Word

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email. You can also install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget.

Nation

Issa Utters the 'I' Word: Pundette
Americans Fleeing Border Invasion: AT
Ground Zero Imam: 'I Don’t Believe in Religious Dialogue': PJM

ObamaCare by any other name: Doc Zero
Look who’s behind the White House/Sestak stonewall: Malkin
'They run the unions for the benefit of the Party': SISU

Economy

Census Used to Fudge Employment Numbers: RWN
Christie to teacher: 'Don't like budget? Find a new job': Hot Air
Christie: We're Not Raising Taxes: WCBS-TV

Another Sham Stimulus Bill: AT
Moody’s: U.S. Spending Risks Credit Rating: RWN
Obama tells GOP that DemCare will reduce the debt: GWP

Climate & Energy

Environmentalists with Oil on Their Hands: AT
'It Could Be 24 Years Before Deepwater Gusher Ends': Insider
Reuters: BP may have stopped the leak: Insider

Media

Obama Judicial Nominee Says Sexual Sadists Deserve Lighter Sentences: NewsBusters
Nina Easton: What I saw at the SEIU thug protest at that banker’s home: Hot Air
Why Is the Washington Post Afraid to Use the Words 'Muslim' And 'Honor Killing' In The Same Article?: Chesler

Radical Royalty - Obama's Federal Reserve Pick - Sarah Bloom Raskin: NewZeal
The FCC's Covert Mission to 'Balance' Broadcast Media Ownership: AT
Mr. Creepy, 'Reporter': LegalIns

World

9/11 families fight sharia “party place” at Ground Zero: Malkin
Confirmed: National Guard Troops, Who Will Be Unarmed, Won’t Be Used to Stop Illegal Immigrants: GWP
Free Gaza Travel Guidebook For Pro-Hamas Freedom Flotilla: Mere Rhetoric

‘We’re Going to Bring Your Racism Down’ – Stand With Arizona, May 29th!: RWN
The China that can say 'No': IBD
US money supply plunges at 1930s pace as Obama eyes fresh stimulus: Telegraph

SciTech

British researcher cracks crypto problem: ZDNet
It's Official: Apple Is Now Worth More Than Microsoft: Insider
This is Weird… Typing “MichelleMalkin.org” Sends You to White House Website?: GWP

Cornucopia

For the Squids and More Squid Stuff: Denny
Sex and the City 2: Feminist Hawks? Accused of Being Anti-Islam: RWN
How Obama got into Harvard: Cashill

Image: Pupista.
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: AmericaSpeakingOut.

QOTD: "The Left dreams of rendering the Second Amendment null and void, if they can amass sufficient political capital. The First Amendment could be hammered into a donut, with inconvenient bloggers and talk radio hosts thrown down the hole at its center. There are sanctuary cities where immigration law can be flouted with impunity. No one will be allowed to evade ObamaCare, except the ruling class it was never meant to inconvenience." -- Doctor Zero