barry did not speak out against human right abuses in China

November 17, 2009

Blagojevich trial update

November 18, 2009

Judge James Zagel denied Milorad’s request to delay the start of the trial. He wanted 3 months. Trial date remains June 3.

Earlier, Judge Zagel ok’d blago’s appearance on Celebrity Apprentice, which will air in March.

Judge granted the prosecution’s request to drop William Cellini from the trial. Cellini was connected to Blago by Christopher Kelly who committed suicide shortly after pleading guilty. The charges against Cellini: conspiracy to commit fraud, conspiracy to commit extortion and attempted extortion remain.

Blago’s brother Rob is also requesting a severance. No ruling yet.

That would leave Milorad all by himself.

The other two indictees of the original six – John Harris and Alonzo Monk (former Blago chiefs of staff) – have pleaded guilty and are cooperating with the prosecutors. As is barry pal and campaign fundraiser, convicted felon Tony Rezko.

NY newspaper offices & union searched by NYPD

November 18, 2009

barrymedia at work? Terrorism? ACORN? Fraud? Corruption? Organized crime? barry threats?

No idea.

Search warrants served by NYPD on the NY Times, NY Daily News, NY Post, El Diario and an unspecified labor union.

Reason: investigation into “business activity”.

Local media: “an investigation of the Newspaper and Mail Deliverers’ Union of New York”.

What is the NMDU?

Founded in 1901. 1,500 members. Deliver bulk newspapers for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News, The New Jersey Star-Ledger, New York Post, El Diario, America Oggi, The Jersey Journal and other papers.

It was an independent union until February 2009, when they voted to affiliate with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, joining the 14,000 Teamsters as part of the union’s Newspaper Division. Are officially Teamsters Local 1901 located in Long Island City.

No mention of how long the investigation has been ongoing or the exact target – though the NY Times mentioned interest in a single employee’s office in Queens.

Deputy Police Commissioner PAUL J BROWN: no comment.

DA ROBERT MORGENTHAU statement:

Today police officers executed search warrants obtained by the District Attorney’s office at locations including the offices of a number of print media organizations and a labor union.

The investigation solely concerns business activity and practice and is completely unrelated to the content of any publication. The investigation is continuing. We can offer no further information at this time.

NY Times spokeswoman: NYPD searched the office of an employee at College Point in Queens. NYT Company “not a target of the investigation”.

NY Post & Newspaper and Mail Deliverers’ Union: No comment.

NY Daily News and El Diario calls weren’t returned.

Source: CNN

Army suicides

November 17, 2009

Army suicides have increased from 197 last year to 211 so far this year.

Since January
Total: 211
Active duty: 140
Reserve & National Guard: 78

2008
Total: 197
Active duty: 140
Reserve & National Guard: 57

Why suicides in soldiers who have never been deployed?

Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen PETER CHIARELLI:

We still haven’t found any statistically significant causal linkage that would allow us to effectively predict human behavior. The reality is, there is no simple answer — each suicide case is as unique as the individuals themselves.

One would think improved psychiatric screening before folks are accepted into the Army and adequate treatment of the non-deployed soldiers would help bring down the numbers. Once deployed there is no way to predict – especially with the severity of injuries. And how do they know how many soldiers just stand up in the middle of battle?

But over the last couple of months the number of suicides are down.

GEN CHIARELLI: We attribute this reduction in the number of suicides to the many actions we have taken since February to inform and educate leaders and soldiers on this important issue.

Army Programs since March:

• Suicide prevention task force
• Day off from official duties to focus on suicide prevention.
• Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program, giving every soldier a mental assessment twice a year in the same style the Army tests soldiers for fitness.

Hard to believe that wasn’t already being done.

And for returning soldiers they tested face-to-face treatment vs online treatment.

Didn’t specify if online treatment included webcam interaction.

Younger like online – older face-to-face.

Decreased rates:
Ft Hood, TX (11), Ft Bragg, NC (6) and Fort Drum, NY (2).

Problem bases:
Ft Campbell KY (18), Fort Stewart, GA (10) and Schofield Barracks, HI (7).

Still have no way to predict.

GEN CHIARELLI: Everywhere I try to cut this and look at it to try to find out what the causal effect is, I get thwarted. And that’s why we think that we’ve got to look in its totality at a whole bunch of different issues, and it’s going to take time.

Also noted was the increase in the number of soldiers abusing drugs and alcohol on their return from combat zones. No specification whether it is limited to the wounded.

Would have been helpful if the article included a breakdown: age, male/female, married/single, with/without children, religion, length of service, injuries, history of mental health conditions and prior treatment/suicide attempts and a general comparison of suicide rates to civilian population (and other branches of the military).

Missing also from the article was the number of women raped in the military and what are the Army is doing to stop it.

Source: CNN

barry switches WH paintings according to visitors

November 16, 2009

This is pretty funny but not at all accidental. barry had his minions change the paintings in the room he meets with folks. Uncovered by Politico’s LAURA ROZEN. Not sure why she didn’t consult with the official WH photographer who has to have noticed it. Maybe she did and he refused to answer.

Evidently it started out as John Quincy Adams – son of president – Bush 2 – son of president.

Sometime after Inauguration: Abraham Lincoln,”The Peacekeepers”.

April: Switched out for a pastoral scene for the King of Jordan’s visit. (bottom photo below)

October: Peacekeepers for Speaker Pelosi.

November: Peacekeepers for Benjamin Netanyahu (top photo).

Politico

Would like to know what that little pix above barry’s hand was for King Jordan and what that little rock-looking thing was for Netanyahu. They also changed plants.

barry’s entire everything is based on smoke and mirrors – on political correctness and what would look the best on camera. Even barry sycophant, Roger Simon from Politico calls it a “presidency of stagecraft” – more than once.

Rachel Maddow laughs as if it was a coincidence.

Interesting comments by Presidential historian Michael Beschloss.

CNN paid $8M to get rid of Dobbs

November 17, 2009

Updated birth certificate posts/videos/lawsuits
NY Post: Dobbs exit due to birth certificate
O’Reilly: Lou Dobbs re: leaving CNN (video/text)

The NY POST is reporting CNN gave Lou Dobbs a $8M severance. Probably why it took so long for him to leave. He had 18 months to go on his $12M contract.

Dobbs had the audacity to mention the birth certificate and state media made good on their threat to fire those who did.

He maintained from the very beginning that he thought barry was born in Hawaii. What he questioned was why barry wasn’t releasing it. That of course got lost in the soundbites.

Post quotes Dobbs via Atlanta Journal Constitution:

What they do is their business. I tried to accommodate them as best I could, but I’ve said for many years now that neutrality is not part of my being.

I truly believe that it’s also a liberating moment for me.

Source: NY POST‘s MICHAEL SHAIN

Ignore new mammogram guidelines

November 17, 2009

Poll: 76% women disagree with guidelines

Secy Sebelius statement
Secy Sebelius & Ann Curry (video)

Updated x 3

How can any woman take seriously recommendations that include stopping breast self-exams?

• Breast cancer is the number one cancer (excluding skin cancer) in women
• Number two cause of cancer death (behind lung cancer)
• 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime
• 1 in 35 chance that it will be the cause of death
• 15% women 40-49 detect breast cancer through mammography

2009 estimates
192,370 women will be diagnosed
40,170 women will die

By age:

• 30 – 39: 1 in 233
• 40 – 49: 1 in 69
• 50 – 59: 1 in 38
• 60 – 69: 1 in 27

15% of women in their 40s detect breast cancer through mammography.

There are approximately 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the US.

Current mammogram recommendations:

American Medical Association: Age 40, every year
American Cancer Society: Age 40, every year
National Cancer Institute: Age 40 – every 1-2 years

The US Preventive Services Task Force has just changed their mammogram recommendations.

Note: there are no breast cancer specialists (or any cancer specialists) on the task force and their recommendations are “made for asymptomatic populations” and are “not disease—or individual—specific”. (*More info on the task force below.)

2002: age 40, every year
2009: Only ages 50-74 – every two years
Over 75 – no data.
Ages 40-49 should talk with their doctors.

Recommendation = reduced services + no need to be covered by insurance.

Timely, isn’t it?

And if the recommendations are followed – how many women will be diagnosed in 2010 and how many will die in 2011?

They also recommended against breast self-exams:

Because the USPSTF found adequate evidence that teaching self-examination is not associated with a decrease in breast cancer mortality rates, the task force recommends against teaching breast self-examination (BSE).

Why would they recommend against something that costs nothing?

Because of the unnecessary cost of false positives generated by self exams.

No mammogram + no BSE = no lumps = no unnecessary biopsy = no insurance payments

USPSTF estimates mammography prevents:

• 1 death for every 1,904 women age 40-49
  1 death for every 1,339 women age 50-59
  1 death for every 377 women ages 60-69

2 to 4 of every 1,000 mammograms find cancer/

80% of biopsies will not find cancer.

Chief Medical Officer American Cancer Society’s DR OTIS BRAWLEY:

With its new recommendations, the [task force] is essentially telling women that mammography at age 40 to 49 saves lives – just not enough of them.

=================
*Info on USPSTF:

Department of Health and Human Services –> Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality –>US Preventive Services Task Force

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ )

The health services research arm of HHS.

Health services research: how people get access to health care, how much it costs, and what happens to patients as a result of it..

Home to research centers that specialize in major areas:

• Quality improvement and patient safety.
• Outcomes and effectiveness of care.
• Clinical practice and technology assessment.

• Health care organization and delivery systems.
• Primary care (including preventive services).
• Health care costs and sources of payment.

• A major source of funding and technical assistance for health services research and research training at leading U.S. universities and other institutions.

• A science partner, working with the public and private sectors to build the knowledge base for what works—and does not work—in health and health care and to translate this knowledge into everyday practice and policymaking.

How AHQR helps people

US Preventive Services Task Force

USPSTF is an independent panel of experts in primary care and prevention that systematically reviews the evidence of effectiveness and develops recommendations for clinical preventive services [screening, counseling, and preventive medications].

MISSION:

1- Evaluate the benefits of individual services based on age, gender, and risk factors for disease;

2-Make recommendations about which preventive services should be incorporated routinely into primary medical care and for which populations;

3-Identify a research agenda for clinical preventive care.

Interesting associations.

FEDERAL PARTNERS:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Defense (DOD), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

MEMBERS:

Epidemiologist, Professor of Biomedical Informatic; Dean, College of Public Health, Professor, Community and Family Medicine; Director of the Division of General and Community Pediatrics; Director, Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Women’s Health Services Research; Medical Director, Preventive Care and Senior Investigator, Center for Health Studies, Group Health Cooperative; Medical Director and Chief Health Officer, HealthPartners (HMO); Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine; Professor, Geriatrics and Adult Development, Medicine, Health Policy; Dean and Professor, School of Nursing, Associate Director, Center for Healthcare Policy and Research; Dean, College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation; Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health; Professor of Medicine, Health Management, and Economics, Professor, Department of Medicine, Minneapolis VA Medical Center.

===============
Sources:
CNN’s Danielle Dellorto
American Cancer Society
Cleveland.com

Taitz re: sanction order “only violation I see is an abuse of power by the judge”

November 16, 2009

Updated birth certificate posts/videos/lawsuits

Orly Taitz’s comments re: Judge Land’s order for her to pay the $20K sanction.

TAITZ:

I filed an appeal on the judge’s order, I believe that it will be overturned.

I did not violate any rules. The only violation I see is an abuse of power by the judge.

Don’t know if she is responsible to pay while the appeal is pending.

Included in Land’s order was:

The United States Attorney is authorized and directed to collect the judgment as provided by law.

Source Ledger-Enquirer

Taitz’s comments to TPM

NY Post: Dobbs exit due to birth certificate

November 16, 2009

Updated birth certificate posts/videos/lawsuits
O’Reilly: Lou Dobbs re: leaving CNN (video/text)

The New York Post is reporting Lou Dobbs left CNN because of barry’s birth certificate. No way he walked away from $9M. There must have been some type of deal. [$8M] From his farewell address it seems pretty clear he’s planning on running for office. One also wonders if he plans on pursuing the birth certificate issue – he recently became Orly Taitz’s Facebook friend. Not sure what that entails.

NY Post:

But the beginning of the end really came in July, when CNN President Jonathan Klein told Dobbs’ staff in a memo to drop so-called birther stories about conspiratorial doubts that Obama was US-born, sources told The Post.

Goes back to Kitty Pilgrim’s mountain of lies and non-truths and CNN president Jon Klein’s flipflop from the birth certificate issue is a dead issue to Lou Dobbs speaks his mind.

According to the Post’s source:

They have been talking pretty regularly since then. And it’s been pretty bad.

And that Dobbs’ William Morris agent told Klein:

You’re unhappy, he’s unhappy. Let him go.

Here’s a chuckle. Another source:

Lou was polluting the CNN brand.

CNN polluted and corrupted itself. With gusto.

Who takes them seriously anymore?

FOX is just as corrupted. O’Reilly admitted he didn’t know where barry was born and that he could find out “tomorrow – if he cared”. And no one has gone after him about it. Just like Gibbs.

Three questions three days in a row and the mystery would be solved.

John King will take over Dobbs’ time slot in January.

—

Source: NY Post‘s MICHAEL SHAIN & DAVID K. LI

Gitmo detainees coming to Illinois?

November 16, 2009

Terrorists are coming to Illinois. Perhaps to visit relatives.

Gov Quinn, Sen Durbin and Mayor Daley are in favor of it.

Rep Kirk, who is running for barry’s old senate seat (so is Andy Martin) is opposed to it.

Says it will be:

ground zero for Jihadist terrorist plots, recruitment and radicalization.

[As home to Willis Tower]  we should not invite Al Qaeda to make Illinois its number one target.

The United States spent more than $50 million to build the Guantanamo Bay detention facility to keep terrorists away from U.S. soil. Al Qaeda terrorists should stay where they cannot endanger American citizens.

Thomson Correctional Center
150 miles west of Chicago
Maximum-security
1,600 cells
Almost empty

Monday visitors: DOJ, Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Gov Quinn.
No mention as yet of housing Guantanamo Bay terrorists.
Test public opinion barry’s out of the country so the poll numbers will be ready to tell him how to proceed.

215 terrorists left
5 going to NYC to be tried in civil court
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others

If purchased by Federal Bureau of Prisons = federal prison + Dept of Defense (terrorists)

Extra security measures would need to be added to make it “supermax”
“No inmate has ever escaped from the prison.”

They still don’t get it.

Why would they try to escape?

Their fellow “devout muslims” would have a concrete target – just like the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. And they wouldn’t have far to go. Chicago has the largest population of Arab Americans and the most radical mosque – the Bridgeview Mosque, which is run by the Muslim Brotherhood, which is funded by that progressive moderate state of Saudi Arabia. The very same country that produced 15/19 9-11 murderers.

The savages will have plenty of visitors, if allowed.

Guiliani: “Obama deciding that we’re not at war with terrorism any longer”

November 16, 2009

State of the Union

Mayor Rudy Guiliani speaks with John King about 9-11 murderers being tried in NYC. He thinks they should be tried in a military tribunal, that it’s an unnecessary risk and financial burden to NYC and an advantage to terrorists.

bangthenews

TRANSCRIPT

KING: The administration’s decision about how to bring alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four other alleged conspirators to justice is the subject of fierce legal and political debate. Some see the decision for trials in federal court as the right call, a transparent process, not far from where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center once stood. Others, though, are outraged, among them, the man who led New York City that fateful morning, Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Mr. Mayor, thank you for joining us.

GIULIANI: Thank you very much, John.

KING: You say this is the wrong call. The White House has gone back and said, wait a minute, he testified at the Moussaoui trial, and he said, among other things, quote, “I was in awe of our system. It does demonstrate that we can give people a fair trial, that we are exactly as we say we are. We are a nation of law. I think he’s going to be a symbol of American justice. If it was right for Mr. Moussaoui, why it is wrong now?

GIULIANI: Well, the reality is, we can be an example to everyone. And a military tribunal is certainly fair. It’s a great example to the rest of the world. The tradition for over 150 years has been to use those military tribunals. They were good enough for Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt in many, many cases. And in fact, the really strange thing about this decision is five of these terrorists are going to be tried in military tribunals anyway. So the reality is, this is an unnecessary — first of all, it’s an unnecessary advantage to give to the terrorists. I don’t know why you want to give terrorists advantages.

And secondly, it’s an unnecessary risk to the city of New York, which already has any number of risks. If it was necessary; if this were the only option, well, of course I’d be in favor of it, and of course the city would do everything it could, as it will, to try and make it safe.

KING: Well, the administration says those five going to military tribunals committed acts overseas against U.S. interests, and these that are going to go to trial in New York committed — planned an attack, of course, here in the United States. I want to go back to something else you said. Because I’m trying to make the distinction of things you’ve said in the past to where we are now. In 1993, you said at the World Trade Center trials in New York, “It should show that our legal system is the most mature legal system in the history of the world, that it works well, that it is the place to seek vindication if you feel your rights have been violated.”

The political question is, you know, what the White House is saying, well, Rudy Giuliani said, when Bill Clinton was president, a trial was OK. When George W. Bush was president, a trial was OK. But now that Barack Obama is president, it’s not.

GIULIANI: Well, that’s a — that’s an absolutely silly distinction that they’re making. A trial is OK. A military trial is OK. In the case of the World Trade Center under Bill Clinton, I’ve already said, in retrospect, as many have, that that was a mistake. To treat the 1993 bombing as if it were just a criminal act, just one of the 1,973 murders in the city of New York that year, was a big mistake.

So what — basically, the Obama administration is repeating the mistake of history. Many, many people have regarding that as a mistake, that it was treated just as a civilian act. It should have been treated as an act of war.

And it’s part of a bigger picture here, John. It’s part of — it’s part of Barack Obama deciding that we’re not at war with terrorism any longer.

So this is now treated as if it was an act of war, which it should be treated like.

Remember, he’s told us we can’t use the term “war on terror.” The only problem with that, John, is the terrorists haven’t stopped going to war with us. Maybe the Obama administration doesn’t think we’re at war with them, but they are very clear on the fact that they are at war with us.

So for many, many reasons, including the symbolic reasons, this should be tried in a military court, as an indication that we have learned, since 1993, after the attack on the World Trade Center, after the attacks in Africa, after the attack on the USS Cole after the attack on the World Trade Center, gosh, you’d think we’d learn that we’re at war.

KING: I want to show you the front page, here — I’m showing the New York Post today, the Sunday Post. “Under Siege” is one of the headlines, “Massive New York City Lockdown for 9/11 Trial.” You were the mayor of the city on that fateful day. Your voice was one of comfort to the people of New York City in the days and weeks after the attack. Do you think holding this trial there puts the people of New York City at risk?

GIULIANI: Well, I think…yes, of course it does. I remember when the African bombers were brought to New York when I was mayor of New York City. I was briefed on all of the additional risk that that would create for New York City.

That’s when I had to close areas around the federal courthouse and I had to close areas around city hall, for which I was severely criticized by the New York Times for making those closures, as if I wanted to keep people out of city hall. I did it on the advice of the FBI and the New York City Police Department because of the additional risk to city hall that was going to be created by the — by the terrorists that were going to be tried in New York City. This would be in the late 1990s, preceding September 11.

So anyone that tells you that this doesn’t create additional security problems, of course, isn’t telling you the truth. And the best indication of it is, just look at the additional security that’s going to be employed when this happens. That also happens to cost millions and millions and millions of dollars, all of which would be worth it if there was no other choice.

There is another choice. The choice is going to be utilized with regard to other terrorists, meaning military tribunals. It’s the more appropriate choice with regard to a recognition that we are at war with Islamic terrorists, something the Obama administration refuses to say.

KING: Let me ask you, then, why do you think your successor and your friend, Mike Bloomberg, has a somewhat different view? He said this, “It is fitting that 9/11 suspects face justice near the World Trade Center site where so many New Yorkers were murdered. The NYPD is the best police department in the world and it has experience dealing with high-profile terrorism suspects and any logistical issues that may come up degree the trials.”

Mike Bloomberg seems to think this is a good thing, that it’s fitting.

GIULIANI: Well, we have a difference of opinion on this. I — I agree completely with Mayor Bloomberg that this is the greatest police department in the world. And as I said, if it has to be tested, let’s test it. But let’s not add additional burdens to this.

And, of course, you can’t deny it’s going to create additional burdens. Because, as soon as we see these people deployed, we’re going to see additional security. And it’s going to cost millions and millions of dollars.

But beyond the risk to New York, I’m concerned about this fact that we no longer believe that we’re at war with Islamic terrorists when they’re at war with us. I see this whole decision-making as part of a piece with the failure to recognize the acts of Major Hasan as acts of Islamic terrorism, the failure to — to really make a decision quickly on Afghanistan.

My gosh, we’ve been waiting 2 1/2 months to make a military decision that you would think President Obama would be ready to make. I mean, after all, he criticized President Bush for not paying enough attention to Afghanistan. If it’s taking him 2 1/2 months to develop a military strategy for a war that’s been doing on for eight years, he can’t be paying too much attention to Afghanistan, either.

Meet the Press: Secy Clinton from Singapore

November 15, 2009

There is such a stark contrast between interviews done with Secy Clinton and barry. She is asked anything and answers off the cuff. He is asked pre-arranged questions and doesn’t answer anything. She looks and acts presidential and he acts like the chess club homecoming king.

Discussed: Closing Gitmo, 9-11 terrorists being tried in NYC (it seems she doesn’t agree with it), Afghanistan, China as banker, fiscal responsibility, negotiations and Sarah Palin.

TRANSCRIPT

=====================
GITMO – TRIALS IN NYC

GREGORY: But first, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is traveling in Asia with President Obama.  I spoke to her hours ago from Singapore. Secretary Clinton, welcome back to MEET THE PRESS.

SEC’Y HILLARY CLINTON: It’s great to talk with you from Singapore, David. Thank you.

GREGORY: Let me begin by something that’s very controversial back home, as you well know, the decision by the attorney general to transfer some of the high-profile prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, from the prison there, the self-proclaimed perpetrators of 9/11, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, and make them stand trial in New York.

As you know, the reaction has been fierce on Capitol Hill among mostly Republicans, but some Democrats too, saying that there’s no reason to give these prisoners the rights of the common criminal.  On the other side, you have Mayor Bloomberg of New York saying that it’s the right thing to do, to make them stand trial just a few, a few blocks away from where the World Trade Center stood.  Where do you stand on this?

SEC’Y CLINTON: Well, David, this was a very comprehensively examined decision that the attorney general and the Department of Justice and the Department of Defense reached in who would be tried in federal court, who would be in the military commission system that the Obama administration has revised.  And, you know, I’m not going to second guess any decision that the attorney general made. But I think it’s important that Mayor Bloomberg, that our law enforcement officials in New York, you know, all believe that New York City not only can handle this, but that it is appropriate to go forward in the very area where these people launched this horrific attack against us.

[Don't think she wants trials in NYC. Watch the anger in her face.]

You know, I was a senator from New York, and I, I want to see them brought to justice. The most important thing for me is that, you know, they pay the ultimate price for what they did to us on 9/11. And if the attorney general and, and veteran prosecutors think this is the best way to achieve that outcome, then I think that, you know, they should be given the, the right to move forward as they see appropriate.

GREGORY:  Do you agree with those who say that this exposes New York City to unnecessary risks of terrorism?

SEC’Y CLINTON: No.  And I think Mayor Bloomberg, the police commissioner Ray Kelly, these are, you know, people who put the interests of New York above all else, and they clearly believe that this can be handled in New York.  I have the greatest confidence in the law enforcement personnel and leadership in New York City. Obviously, it’s, it’s a very painful experience for families to have to go through.  That is something that, you know, pains me.  You know, but we are a, a nation of laws, and we have two different venues for holding these people accountable, the military commissions and our federal courts, and the individual decisions that the Justice Department and the Defense Department have made, along with the advice of veteran prosecutors, I, I think should be respected.

GREGORY:  When is a realistic deadline now for Americans to expect the prison at Guantanamo Bay to be shut down?

SEC’Y CLINTON: Well, I think as soon as possible.  But obviously, there are some challenges.  You know, I think that every American should understand that closing Guantanamo was a commitment that President Obama made.  It was very well received around the world, because Guantanamo had come to represent not the America that we all believe in and that we hold dear, our values and the way we behave. And so closing it is a commitment that the president made that he will follow through on.  The timing is kind of dependent upon how we answer all these other issues.

=================
AFGHANISTAN

GREGORY: Let me move on to another big issue, and that’s Afghanistan.  When we are going to hear the president’s decision about whether to send more troops?

SEC’Y CLINTON: I mean, the president is going to be making that decision when he is ready to announce it. I think he stopped at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska on his way to Asia, and I know that he told the troops there that he’s going to make a decision that will, you know, give them the support they need for the mission that he asks them to fulfill, and that he’s also going to make the case to the American public both to support the mission and, as always, to support our troops.

GREGORY:  Let me zero in on a key issue here.  And that, of course, is the issue of how many troops.  We know General McChrystal’s requesting 40,000 troops or perhaps more.  General Eikenberry, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, weighed in on this topic and it was reported on this week, as you well know.  This is what The Washington Post said on Thursday, and I’ll read it for you:

“The U.S. ambassador in Kabul sent two classified cables to Washington in the past week expressing deep concerns about sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan until President Karzai’s government demonstrates that it is willing to tackle the corruption and mismanagement that has fueled the Taliban’s rise.  …  The ambassador also has worried that sending tens of thousands of additional American troops would increase the Afghan government’s dependence on U.S. support at a time when its own security forces should be taking on more responsibility for fighting.”

It’s been reported that you actually support as many as 30,000 additional troops being sent to Afghanistan.  Obviously, Ambassador Eikenberry reports up to you.  What is your response to those cables and to that point of view?

SEC’Y CLINTON:  Well, David, of course I‘m not going to discuss any of the confidential advice that anyone has provided me or the president during this process.  But I think what you obviously know is that there are many different views about how best to work with the Afghan government.  And one of the points that we are stressing is that our goal is to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaeda.  That’s why we’re in Afghanistan.  It’s about our national security.

We do want to see the Afghans be able to defend themselves, which means being able to stand up a security force that is capable of fighting the Taliban, which is a part of the syndicate of terror that was basically inspired, funded and directed by al-Qaeda.  But we’re going to expect more from the Afghan government going forward, and we’ve got some very specific asks that we will be making.

GREGORY: Do you believe that President Karzai is an effective partner, a reliable partner, and that sending more U.S. troops would actually be effective?

SEC’Y CLINTON: Well, again, I believe that he has his strengths and he has his weaknesses.  Certainly, there are many improvements in Afghanistan over the last eight years.  But there has not been the kind of open, transparent, accountable government that stood against corruption, that delivered services to people that I think the people of Afghanistan are seeking and that we would all like to see for them. And particularly, we have some work to do to assist and mentor and train on Afghan security force.

You know, what I hear all the time from people in Afghanistan and reports from others who are talking on a regular basis to people across the country, is that the basic attitude in Afghanistan is they do not want to see a return of the Taliban.  That was a horrible period that they remember all too well.  They do want security.  They want a government that can protect them and can, you know, deliver at least services, whether it’s from the central government or the local district government.  They also want to make sure that we help them create a security force that can then take over.

You know, as one person memorably said, “Look, we want your help to enable us to defend ourselves, and then we want you to go.” Well, that’s a pretty good summary of what we want to do.  We want to get al-Qaeda, we want to disrupt, dismantle and defeat those who attacked us, and we want to be able to give the Afghans the tools that they need to be able to defend themselves. We’re not interested in staying in Afghanistan.  We’re not interested in any long-term, you know, presence there. We came to do a job, and unfortunately it wasn’t done over the last eight years.

GREGORY: Define the exit strategy, if that’s the president’s view.

SEC’Y CLINTON: I’m not going to define the president’s view and I’m not going to define the exit strategy from a mission that he hasn’t even yet announced to the American public.

And I guess I would just put this in a larger context with making these points, David.

Number one, I have traveled consistently for the last nine months.  I think I’ve been in more than 40 countries.  I’ve met with countless leaders.  I’ve done a lot of public diplomacy, getting out there, listening to people. 

I don’t think I can overstate how damaged our country was in the eyes of people around the world when President Obama took office. And we’ve been working very hard to just get us back to a point where, you know, we can have the kind of open, candid conversations that lead to decisions being made that will benefit the United States and, and move us toward goals like, you know, more peaceful, prosperous outcomes for us and–on many parts of the world.

Secondly, I think it’s important to underscore that we see the fight against al-Qaeda and the syndicate of terror in the security interests of the United States. I think that kind of got lost the last eight years, with a lot of talk about how it wasn’t important to get bin Laden; that, you know, we were there for some other reason.  No.  It’s critical to get those who attacked us. That what–that is what we are there for.  And what we are trying to do is to assess the best way forward so that we can go anywhere in the United States and anywhere in the world and say the same thing.

You have to understand that we believe this syndicate of terror is a threat not just to the United States and our friends and allies, but to Pakistan, Afghanistan and many others.

===============
CHINA as BANKER

GREGORY:  Let me turn to the issue of China, where you and, and the president head next.  The, the lead of a New York Times story out this morning about the president’s visit there says this:  “When President Obama visits China for the first time on Sunday, he will, in may ways, be assuming the role of profligate spender coming to pay his respects to his banker.” With that as the backdrop, with China holding so much U.S. debt, $2 trillion worth, what is your assessment of U.S.-China relations?

SEC’Y CLINTON:  Well, I think that our relations are on a positive, cooperative basis, with a comprehensive agenda that we are exploring together. Secretary Geithner and I co-chair the strategic and economic dialogue that we started this, this year because we didn’t want to just have an economic dialogue, we wanted to have a much more comprehensive engagement.  I think that there is evidence that there’s some positive results already.  The Chinese have stood with us in the sanctions against North Korea. The Chinese are part of the P5+1 effort to try to engage Iran on its nuclear program. We are seeing signs of, you know, a cooperative relationship.

Now, let me go, though, to the premise of your question.  When I ran for president, I started saying all the time, you know, that in effect we were seeding our fiscal sovereignty and that China was our banker. So it’s not news that that’s going to be in the papers on the eve of our visit to China.

We have to get back to fiscal responsibility.

It, it breaks my heart, David, that in 2001 we had a balanced budget and a surplus; and if we’d stayed on that path, we were heading toward eliminating our debt.  Well, here we are eight years later, thanks to wars that weren’t paid for, thanks to financial collapses and so many other crises that we inherited.  But the president understands clearly that, you know, we have to get back some control over time of our fiscal sovereignty.

GREGORY:  Can I ask you something different about China, which is in light of the fact that China has a robust espionage policy against the United States, that they are cooperating with Iran in international affairs, are they hurting our national security interests?

SEC’Y CLINTON: Well, look, we are, we are well aware of not just one country, but many countries that try to gain advantage not just politically and strategically, but commercially vis-a-vis our own country.  And we’re also well aware that many countries have relationships with those with whom we do not.  But I think it’s more significant that, you know, China signed on to our P5+1 statement in New York.  China has been at the table as we have been pushing Iran to fulfill what they agreed to in principle, to send out their low-enriched uranium so that it can be reprocessed elsewhere.  So I think it’s a much more complicated and mixed story.

[Here is where Secy Clinton differs from barry: realism not kumbayaism.]

But, you know, I, I travel on behalf of our country and I meet with leaders from all over the world ever day, and I have no illusions going into any meeting that anybody stands for America’s interests besides me.

The task is to look for where we can find common ground and common interests.

You know, it is significant that China signed on to the toughest sanctions ever against North Korea, because we worked very hard to make the case that those sanctions were not just something that America or South Korea or Japan wanted, but they were in the interests of China.  Similarly, in my conversations with Chinese leaders, I make it very clear that a nuclear-armed Iran will destabilize the region that produces the oil and the gas that China desperately needs and for which they have contracts.

So why wouldn’t we try to stabilize the region by preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons in the first place?  So that’s what diplomacy’s about.  I mean, you don’t–you start from the premise of what are you–what are your security interests, what is it that you wish to present; and how do you make the case that what you’re seeking is also in the interests of your counterpart.

================
SARAH PALIN

GREGORY: Before I let you go, you know, whenever I get a chance to talk to you I like to ask you about a little bit of politics.  And I know you’re over there in Singapore.

SEC’Y CLINTON:  I’m out of politics, David.  I’m out of politics.

GREGORY: You may not have heard, you, you, you may not have heard, but Sarah Palin has a new book out, and in it she writes this:  “Should Secretary Clinton and I ever sit down over a cup of coffee, I know that we would fundamentally disagree on many issues, but my hat is off to her hard work on the 2008 campaign trail.” Is this somebody you’d like to sit and have coffee with, and do you plan to read the book?

SEC’Y CLINTON: Well, I absolutely would look forward to having coffee.  I’ve never met her. And I think it would be, you know, very interesting to sit down and talk with her.  And I’ve got more than I could say grace over to read, but obviously in the next week there’s going to be a lot of attention paid to her book.  And I’m sure that, you know, I’ll see excerpts printed and, you know, snippets of interviews as I, you know, channel surf in, in Singapore and in Shanghai and in Beijing.  But, you know, I’m ready to have a cup of coffee.  Maybe I can make a case on some of the issues that we disagree on.

GREGORY: So maybe there’s a summit meeting here.  What do you think her brand of conservatism–how, how does that impact the Republican party?

SEC’Y CLINTON: I truly am out of commenting on, on politics.  That is something that is not appropriate for the secretary of state.  But I am an active observer and, you know, obviously these are questions that you and others are going to be asking.  And I look forward to hearing what people answer.

GREGORY: It was worth a shot.  Secretary Clinton, thank you very much.

SEC’Y CLINTON: Thanks, David.  Good to talk to you.

I would pay to see that chat over coffee.

Flight 1549 passenger book: Miracle on the Hudson

November 15, 2009

Video of the day: beaver stream?

November 15, 2009

I think this beaver should make the rounds starting with Countdown then Hardball.

1990 Miss America, veterinarian and CBS correspondent DEBBYE TURNER BELL gets an eyeful.

 

Flight 1549: David Letterman Show (2-10)

November 15, 2009

Another barry trip, another breach of protocol

November 15, 2009

Photos: OBAMAO

November 15, 2009

barry merchandise in China includes a bronze effigy because he’s “hot” and Oba Mao t-shirts, which the purveyor was told to stop producing.

Wonder why.

Comrade barry ObaMao

Itinerary includes sightseeing at the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.

He will also meet up with his brother Mark Okoth Obama Ndesandjo and his wife.

Popular for his youth and celebrity status not for his views on China

BARRY’S TEAM HAT – one size fits all, including Anita Dunn

CDC: H1N1 morbidity & mortality (11-15)

November 15, 2009

Updated H1N1 posts/symptoms/vaccine

CDC

H1N1: April through mid-October.

Illness:
Total 22 million
8 million children
12 million adults under 65
2 million over 65

Hospitalized:
Total 98,000
36,000 children
53,000 adults under 65
9,000 over 65

Total Deaths
Depending on analysis: 2,500 – 6,100
CDC going with 3,900
Pediatric deaths 540

“Normal” seasonal flu:
Hospitalized 200,000
Deaths 36,000

Approx 43 million doses of H1N1 vaccine have been distributed.

Meet barry’s brother: Mark Okoth Obama Ndesandjo

November 8, 2009′

US Army Bobsledders

November 15, 2009

Army bobsledders in Lake Placid, NY.

barry humor from Jay Leno

November 5, 2009

Seems the comics are turning on barry.

Jay Leno

Obama has said that his economic policy has saved or created one million new jobs…well one million and two if you count the new jobs he created for the Governors of Virginia and New Jersey.

Actually a lot of people are saying these Republicans vitories are a backlash against Obama’s policies…what policies?

What is Defence Research Establishment – Ottawa?

And why are they visiting our site?

 

Taitz isn’t planning on paying $20K sanction

November 14, 2009

Updated birth certificate posts/videos/lawsuits

I couldn’t find Taitz’s reaction to Judge Land’s final judgment on her site.

Here’s her comments per TPMmuckraker.

ORLY TAITZ:

[Chuckling] So he didn’t recuse himself?

Is she planning on paying up?

Are you kidding? Of course not. This is a form of intimidation.

I’ll go to the circuit court of appeals.

I’ll take this as high as I have to go

Taitz sanction must be paid to US Treasury

November 14, 2009

Updated birth certificate posts/videos/lawsuits
Final judgment order: Taitz must pay $20K
Taitz isn’t planning on paying $20K sanction

Judge Land had initially wanted to use Taitz’s $20k sanction for his own political purposes – to direct it to the National Infantry Fund at Fort Benning. However, the defendants’ lawyers (the government) say the sanction must be paid to the US Treasury.

Thanks to Jack Ryan.

View this document on Scribd

——

Final judgment order: Taitz must pay $20K

November 14, 2009

Updated birth certificate posts/videos/lawsuits

Well, it’s time for Orly Taitz to pay up – only she’s not planning on paying it.

And she said to the Ledger-Enquirer:

The only violation I see is an abuse of power by the judge.

It is absolutely ridiculous for her to be sanctioned $20K for a case that Judge Land chose to hear when he should have summarily discharged it and when his ruling had no bearing on whether the plaintiff had standing to bring the case.

Judge Land:

Orly Taitz has failed to pay the $20,000.00 sanction ordered by the Court on October 13, 2009. Accordingly, the Clerk is ordered to enter final judgment in favor of the United States of America and against Orly Taitz in the principal amount of $20,000.00. The United States Attorney is authorized and directed to collect the judgment as provided by law.

IT IS SO ORDERED, this 13th day of November, 2009.

This amount shall accrue interest from the date of entry of judgment at the rate of 0.36% per annum until paid in full.

I think the US Attorney is going to be collecting before interest gets a chance to accrue.

Thanks to Jack Ryan

View this document on Scribd

Don’t know how to combine the two.

View this document on Scribd

————

CAIR’s Nihad Awad: “I will never come to the conclusion that religion is the motive”

It’s curious which of the posts go missing.

November 6, 2009

Updated list of Fort Hood posts

Chris Matthews pretends he doesn’t know the motivation of the muslim murderer. And his guest was Nihad Awad is the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. He is a wad of lying crap. Watch closely what a very good liar he is. Only a few blinks, a turn of the head, and a single stutter give him away. His face was too evil to watch talk more than once and his words so clearly false I included the entire transcript.

barama does mention that his producers invited CAIR there for PC reasons. Watch and listen how barama just sits there and doesn’t go after him. This proves once and for all how in the bag barama is – and for all his claims of loving America – he is a coward. A coward who will sell out the injured and murdered at the hand of the terrorist just to save barry.

Chris Matthews, you disgust me.

I pray that none of the families or the injured saw this segment.

politicscentralx

MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL. The investigation into that massacre at Ft. Hood yesterday is still ongoing, and it’s unclear if religion was a factor in this shooting. But we do know that the shooting suspect, Nidal Malik Hasan, is a Muslim who was reportedly very upset about his pending deployment to Afghanistan. He did not want to go, never did want to go to that Middle East war front.

Do American Muslims have reason to fear a wave of hostility as a result of his shooting?

[Did American soldiers have reason to fear a muslim murderer in their midst. Stop with this muslim crap. Where are those American Muslims speaking up before things like this happen?]

NIHAD AWAD is the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which was quick to condemn the massacre.

Sir, it’s a difficult time and-it’s a difficult time. Yet this fellow, who’s the suspect in this case-he’s alive, by the way. Last night at this time, we thought he was dead because of the way the army was keeping the information. We’re trying to get information, and what we’re getting, piecemeal information of people saying he had said things-a fellow medical student in Bethesda out here nearby here said when he was training in 2007 and 2008, he made himself out to be a vociferous opponent of the war over there, our war over there.

He described-well, here he is. Here’s an audio interview, NBC interview which we did with the former classmate of Hasan’s at the Uniformed Services University, that’s a medical university, with Dr. Val Finnell. Let’s listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

DR. VAL FINNELL, UNIFORMED SERVICES UNIVERSITY CLASSMATE: He was very against the global war on terror and he equated with it a global war on Islam and was very vocal about that in the classroom environment and made it very well known, got into contentious arguments with people about it and became visibly upset when he was challenged on those very radical and controversial views, declaring (ph) himself to be a Muslim first and an American second.

[How in the hell was he allowed to stay in the Army? Think of the horror of the soldiers who had to sit across from him and the guilt they are feeling now for not being able to save their buddies from the muslim murderers' cowardly evil and blind hate.]

MATTHEWS: A Muslim first and an American second. What do you make of well, we don’t know-we have to assume the testimony is probably accurate. The person is probably not lying. It’s a question of putting it in context and understanding what motivated this killing yesterday. And we may not know that ever.

NIHAD AWAD, COUNCIL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS: Yes. And as we all know, we’re just getting bits and pieces and we cannot just piece it together until the investigation is over. And I hope that the investigators, who are trained to do this, will given (ph) the time. And as President Obama said last night, we’re going to get answers to every question.

But I’m really not happy to see that his religion is becoming the subject, when we have crimes committed against our soldiers and against our civilians inside the United States and outside the United States, and hardly (ph) the religion, if it plays (ph) by the motives of those who are committing these acts, it does not become the story in the United States press, except when he or she is a Muslim. And this is unfortunate. Even if this guy uttered the words “Allahu Akhbar” or “God is great”…

[Who the hell cares if you're happy or not. If you had any soul you would admit the truth. You are inflaming people by sitting there and lying. His religion is why the muslim murderer did what he did - and what he did was premediated murder of non-muslims in the name of Islam. And that is the truth whether it makes you happy or not.]

MATTHEWS: Right before the shooting.

AWAD: Yes. So what? I mean, he…

MATTHEWS: Well, what does that tell you?

AWAD: It tells me that this is an isolated incident by a disturbed individual. All the information we’re getting indicates that he is a disturbed individual.

[Aka a "devout muslim". It was a planned premeditated attack on unarmed non-Muslims by a muslim murderer in the name of Islam. You can sit and lie all you want but it is not going to change the facts.]

AWAD: And this also reminds me of the fact that, you know, Eric Rudolph was (INAUDIBLE)

MATTHEWS: Pardon me?

AWAD: Eric Rudolph, the abortion bomber…

MATTHEWS: Right.

AWAD: … he did that in the name of Christianity, and never (ph) Christianity or Christians became the subject of the press. So even if these people claim religious affiliation or a religious claim, I don’t think we should play into their hands. All these pieces of information are still coming out and I think it’s too…

MATTHEWS: Well, is it a very-is it a worthy effort to find out if religion was his motive? Is that OK with you? Is it OK to find it out?

[Who the hell cares if it's ok with him?]

AWAD: We have to find out how he thinks and what he did, but I will never come to the conclusion that religion is the motive, religion is the reason for that. I am a Muslim and…

[Well there it is. He will never come to the conclusion his fellow muslim was a murderer in the name of islam. Never. So what kind of open mind does he have? What is he doing here other than trying to save face and make the murderer out to be a victim? Nice try Mr CAIR. You showed your true colors.]

MATTHEWS: No, no. No one’s saying that-well, an idiot would say that a Muslim is a terrorist, but…

AWAD: Well, there are-there are people who (INAUDIBLE)

MATTHEWS: Well, that would be an idiotic position, because there’s a billion Islamic people in the world, OK? And that’s an idiotic statement.

AWAD: Well, you know-well, I’m glad-I’m glad-of course, you know, you’re one of the few.

[One of the few? He just exposed his own prejudice. And barama for a moment grew a spine.]

MATTHEWS: Well, don’t-don’t be patronizing with me. I-we’re aware we know what we’re talking about.

But, with these other statements, the Colonel-the retired Army Colonel Terry Lee, he said he worked with Hasan. And he said that he had frequent arguments with others in the armed services who support the wars, and he had tried to prevent his planning-his pending deployment in Afghanistan. He also, according to this, said Muslims should stand up and fight against the aggressor. And he was hoping very much that President Obama would have a different policy over there. By the way, a lot of people…

AWAD: Right.

MATTHEWS: … were hoping that Barack Obama would have a different policy about these wars.

AWAD: Definitely. And, also, that very statement that was relayed, that this Muslim doctor said, the one who relayed this information was not 100 percent sure that this is really the motivation when he said Muslims should-should stand up and fight the oppressors. I’m paraphrasing. He said, I’m not sure if he meant what he said. I think that’s also subject for investigation.

[Notice how barama said AGGRESSOR and Mr CAIR changed it to OPPRESSORS. Again his personal views leak out.]

MATTHEWS: Yes. But you know most people operate by Occam’s razor.

AWAD: Yes. Yes.

MATTHEWS: The most obvious motive is the one you start with. And this is a man who has made many-forget his religion.

AWAD: Right.

MATTHEWS: He has made many statements to many colleagues about his attitude toward this war, many statements about his feeling that Muslim-Islam is being attacked by the United States. These are public statements he’s made to other people.

He wasn’t hiding this. He gave away apparently some of his furniture the other day as sort of a preparation for this horror. Yelling out “God is great” right before he opened up with semiautomatic pistols, when you have a couple of them and you start shooting at people, and the first thing you say before you start doing it, “God is great,” a reasonable person would say, there is a connection between what you have said in terms of your religious belief and this incredible horror you’re undertaking. Isn’t that a reasonable connection to draw?

AWAD: Even if he was Christian and he said, “Jesus is Lord…”

MATTHEWS: And he began firing?

AWAD: … would-would the-a main Christian leader be brought to this program, or others, and be asked…

MATTHEWS: Oh, no, no, no. We want-look, you were invited because of the concern our producers have that people will draw will…

AWAD: Exactly.

MATTHEWS: No-assumptions like the idiot one I just described you to you a moment ago…

MATTHEWS: … Which is, all Islamic people are terrorists.

AWAD: And I agree. You know, we-we also receive complaints from soldiers in the U.S. military who are complaining about some-some-being taunted or discriminated.

[Are they being raped because of the way they look or being summarily discharged because of who they are - like women and gays in the military?]

MATTHEWS: I think-we will talk about that.

AWAD: Yes.

MATTHEWS: What is going on in that regard?

AWAD: There-there are a few. It is not like the biggest portion of the complaints that we receive, but there is a procedure of addressing these grievances within the military, and even in our society.

If it was the worst it can be, it should never justify a mass killing and heinous crime, like this guy did.

[Words. If he really believed that why did he say he will never come to the conclusion his fellow muslim was a murderer in the name of islam?]

MATTHEWS: Well, what do you feel? What is your feeling when you hear all this evidence? What is your feeling-not in terms of your role, leading an organization which is against discrimination of any kind.

AWAD: Right. Right.

MATTHEWS: But what is your feeling as an American sitting here listening to this and saying, my God, what happened to this man? How did he find his way into a role where he is treating people with post-traumatic stress syndrome, all day long, these horror stories coming into his heart and soul? And he is a man of Islamic background.

And it’s a war being fought against Islamic people. And he is treating many people who are in their own ways victims of that war, soldiers who had to fight and be involved in horrific situations. What does it say to you in your heart?

[In this part he is unable to control his body language. He looks down and to the left = lying.]

AWAD: It is a national tragedy. And when I saw this, I was feeling sick in my stomach when I saw this. And, [BLINK BLINK BLINK] immediately, we condemned it, [shakes head] because common complaint, that American Muslims do not speak up and out [looks down] against these crimes. We do. And I’m happy that we’re given the opportunity…

[The problem is you speak up only after these things happen. And when you do you refuse to tell the truth and say things like you will never come to the conclusion his fellow muslim was a murderer in the name of islam. And you shouldn't condemn it because of a "common complaint" - you should condemn it because it was an act of evil perpetrated on "fellow" Americans. Keep talking bro.]

MATTHEWS: But you didn’t do it for P.R. reasons, did you?

[Of course he did. And so did MSNBC.]

AWAD: No, no. I mean, sincerely, I offer condolences for the families who lost their loved ones.

[BLINK = LIE Look at the tilt of his head here. He is holding a great deal of anger and what he just said is an absolute lie. I'm sure the government is happy he is providing them plenty of footage. Watch what he says when he points to himself.]

MATTHEWS: Right.

AWAD: And I pray sincerely for God [looks down] to give speedy recovery for those who were injured in this attack. But, also, I remembered the thousands of Muslims who are continuing to serve in the U.S. military…and also the many headstones in Arlington National Cemetery that have crescents on them. Those people who have died and they have given their life to America, they should be honored also by disassociating…

[None of whom were murdered by his fellow devout muslim. And how many of them have been murdered by a Christian simply because they are non-Christians?]

MATTHEWS: You know what is frightening? The way in which religion has been brought into this.

[What's frightening is what the murderer did it solely because of his religion.]

MATTHEWS: When I hear stories about the people, as the planes were going into the World Trade Center, as they were hitting the buildings, and I hear stories that you could hear over the radio people screaming with delight, the terrorists themselves-they were thrilled that they could do this, they thought, for God. That’s scary. And that’s reality.

AWAD: Scary to me [BLINK] because they hijacked my faith. [points to self - and then stutters for the first and only time] And they-they-they have dealt a major blow to me, as an American Muslim, who loved America and who loved Islam.

[Your stutter says otherwise. And not a word about the nearly 3000 people murdered by those hijackers - including muslims. Just pointing to himself.]

MATTHEWS: Yes.

AWAD: This is a major blow to me.

MATTHEWS: Well, let’s all try to understand.

AWAD: But, also, we are a mature society. This is not the first incident that happened. And we have shown that, in times of crisis, we Americans, we show the best and finest of our qualities. We are unified, even in times of crisis.

MATTHEWS: I think-well said. I think we ought to have a system where a guy like this guy can raise his hand and say, I don’t want to go to Iraq or Afghanistan for a lot of good reasons. Please don’t send me.

AWAD: There are many people who have…

MATTHEWS: And maybe somebody you was being a little too discipline there. But, anywhere, thank you, sir.

AWAD: Thank you.

MATTHEWS: Thanks for coming in. Stay-please keep in touch.

Why? He’s already made up his mind. All you need to know about CAIR he said in one exchange.

AWAD: We have to find out how he thinks and what he did, but I will never come to the conclusion that religion is the motive, religion is the reason for that. I am a Muslim.

Sammy Sosa’s transformation

November 11, 2009

Charles Barkley & Jay Leno talking about Sammy

This is beyond bizarre.

Sammy Sosa has gone Jacko and bleached his skin – lips included – and he’s sporting green contact lenses. He denied having any medical condition for the depigmentation (like vitiligo) and says he’s just rejuvenating his skin.

His coming out party was the Latin Grammys on November 4.

(Kevork Djansezian/Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

There’s something more off than his skin, lips and eyes. He looks like a woman.

Here is what he said to ESPN Deportes:

SOSA:

I’m not a racist. (?)

What happened was that I had been using the cream for a long time and that, combined with the bright TV lights, made my face look whiter than it really is. I don’t think I look like Michael Jackson. I’m going to market it, I’m a businessman.

To Univision:

I have a cream that I put on at night before I go to bed, and it lightens the skin on my face a bit. But this has caused such a controversy that even I am surprised.

He said he was trying to repair sun damage from years of playing baseball. Problem being bleaching his skin of melanin is putting him at greater risk of sun damage.

Dermatologist DR OMEED MEMAR (who just looked at the pix):

He’s subjecting himself to a potential carcinogen (hydroquinone). He’s setting himself up for skin cancer for the rest of his life, because of the loss of pigmentation.

I see a man who has changed at least six shades of color in his skin Here you’re seeing almost like lipstick color, so this is most likely a lip tattoo, a permanent tattoo. I would consider that not treatment going from black to lighter color, or de-pigmented white.

That’s almost mutilation.

1989 with Texas, 2004 with the Cubs, this week in Las Vegas. (AP/Tribune/Getty)

Updated:

Sammy joked about endorsing the product but now it seems he might just do so. His spokeswoman Rebecca Polihronis won’t name the product and isn’t sure where he got it but said Sammy is pleased with the results. Good thing because once the pigment is gone – it’s gone.

POLIHRONIS:

He has been traveling all over the world. He could have met somebody anywhere. He is an actual ambassador for the Dominican Republic. He has been working with them to bring new businesses and help the unemployment rate in the Dominican.

If he feels it is of good quality, it may be something he will be endorsing and marketing in the United States in the near future.

More:

He has always been concerned with the way he looks. He is going through a rejuvenation process for his skin. Women have it all of the time. He was surprised he came out looking so white.

I thought it was a body double.

Part of (the photo appearance) is just the lighting. He said, ‘If you saw me in person, you would be surprised. When you see me in person, it is not going to seem like the picture.’

He can’t believe it is such a big deal.  Probably just bad timing going to an awards show.

It’s not bad timing – it’s permanent.

And he looks so peculiar, why would the company want him endorsing it?

Muslim murderer’s lawyer: client coherent, paralyzed (video)

November 13, 2009

Updated list of Fort Hood posts

CBS is reporting that the muslim murderer “cannot get up and walk” and that his “paralysis is likely from the waist down”. This according the mm’s civilian lawyer, retired military, Col John Galligan. mm is also complaining about intense pain in his hands and has “garbled speech”.  All of which cannot be confirmed by the hospital because the mm has demanded the hospital not release any information about his health.

Col Galligan was on The Early Show this morning and expressed his displeasure that Army CID charged his client (13 counts pre-medicated murder) without him present. There is no legal requirement, but one would think they would want to be extra careful.

Though I can see where the Army didn’t want to announce the charges and then have mm’s lawyer step up and comment.

HARRY SMITH:

Is he coherent?

COL GALLIGAN:

He is coherent.

SMITH:

Is he competent?

After stipulating that his response did not mean mm was mentally competent in the eyes of the law…aka mental disease or defect defense…GALLIGAN responded:

[He shows the] ability to relate with me. He understands who I am, we can talk, he knows what time it is. But, again, I was only there for an hour and I could tell at the end of that one-hour session I was kind of pushing the limits in terms of my ability to keep him fresh and alert in a discussion with me.

If in fact he is paralyzed on both sides from the waist down it is a spinal cord injury, which does not explain the “garbled” speech. And since the part of the video where they discuss mm paralysis is not on this video clip it’s hard to know what garbled means. Stroke/head injury vs medication vs lawyer covering his client’s admissions?

If muslim murderer did not commit murder in the name of allah – why isn’t his family shouting that in the media?

Greg Craig leaving WH, 9-11 murderers going to NYC to be tried

November 13, 2009

Greg Craig has become the designated face of barry’s failure with Gitmo so out he goes.

Truth is it’s all part of the grand plan. barry’s personal lawyer, campaign lawyer and DNC lawyer, Robert Bauer wanted to be chief WH lawyer and what he wants he gets. He knows the truth about barry. But that truth includes Bauer’s cover up of it, since he was directly involved in barry’s birth certificate lawsuits until the Department of Justice took over. He will be found just as guilty as barry.

In the meantime, there are two megalomaniacs in the WH with huge stakes if they get found out.

From CNN:

Democratic officials said Craig was ousted because of frustration among senior White House aides over his handling of the plans to close the prison atGuantanamo Bay. As the White House’s top lawyer, Craig was pivotal in advising Obama to sign an executive order during his first week in office promising to shut the prison by the end of January 2010.

I don’t recall seeing Craig out stumping with barry, do you? barry was the one who promised he would close Gitmo within a year.

More interesting wording:

In a politically embarrassing move that has frustrated some of the president’s liberal supporters, White House aides have since backed off that deadline, citing complex legal issues surrounding what to do with the approximately 200 terror suspects still detained at Guantanamo.

WH aides aren’t backing off. barry is and they are relaying the message. And they’re complex issues Bush and Chaney had warned about. And complex issues Secretary Clinton mentioned during the campaign.

It’s a failure of barry’s kumbayaism – not the WH counsel urging him to sign something he announced he was going to do.

Some administration officials privately believe Craig should have better anticipated the pitfalls. However, his supporters believe he is being used as a scapegoat and note he was not the only top official who supported the ironclad executive order.

The person who signed it is responsible. And each time they try to blame someone else for barry’s talk and no action it just highlights what barry hasn’t done and how weak he must be if he is able to be swayed so easily.

What happened to that superior judgment?

And here is the truth of the matter:

Craig was one of the lawyers defending then-President Bill Clinton during his impeachment trial. He became an early and active supporter of Obama in the Democratic presidential primaries, angering backers of then-Sen. Hillary Clinton. That is one of the reasons why allies of Craig are frustrated he is being replaced so early in the administration.

Coincident to this, Eric Holder is going to announce barry’s plans to bring the 9-11 murderer and several of his fellow killers to NEW YORK CITY to be tried in court, where they will be afforded Constitutional Rights.

Yes. barry will be setting precedence for terrorists. Once he gives one terrorist the rights and privileges that should only be afforded American citizens it’s over. And the very first thing the muslim murderers’ lawyers are going to do is ask for the confessions to be thrown out because of torture.

I’m sure the announcement was planned for when barry was in Asia but the insensitivity is beyond comprehension.

Appalling really.

8 days after a hate-filled Muslim terrorist murders 13 American soldiers and injures 29 more, he announces that another hate-filled Muslim responsible for 3000 murders will go on trial in NEW YORK CITY.

Let’s hope that’s why Craig is leaving. And let’s hope he gets an attack of conscience and comes clean about the oath and barry and Biden’s private conference with the Supremes.

Indians gone wild!

November 9, 2009

Preview of the healthcare debate.