1) Government TV climate ad is propaganda... Environmental Wackos
2) Deserted shopping mall bleak symbol of Fed bailout... Obama/Economy/Stimulus
3) Kerry becomes all-around adviser to Obama... Obama/Anti Troops
4) NATO Allies Wait on Obama, Afghan Election to Make Decision on Troops... Obama/Anti Troops
5) Record recession for UK economy... UK/Economy
6) Tea Party Cand. To File Ethics Complaint vs. Grayson... Liberal/Ethics
7) Obama's Columbia thesis excerpt surfaces... Hoax/Obama
8) Twin Blasts in Baghdad Kill 155, Injure Scores... Obama/Iraq War
9) Israeli Police Storm Jerusalem Holy Site... Judism/Islam/Israel



1) Government TV climate ad is propaganda... Environmental Wackos
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/janetdaley/100014424/government-tv-climate-ad-is-propaganda/

October 22nd, 2009


The government is trying to terrify you. That is the only possible interpretation of its latest television advertising campaign on the supposed dangers of global warming. Whether or not you accept the scientific premises behind the “bedtime story” advert which is now to be investigated by the Advertising Standards Authority after attracting over 350 complaints from the public, there is no question that it is propaganda in the strict technical sense of the word.

That is to say, it is an attempt by the state to manipulate opinion and evoke emotional reactions without offering argument or evidence for its case. It accepts uncritically the most extreme rendition of the anthropogenic global warming narrative as if it were entirely uncontentious and presents it in the most sentimentally evocative possible way (ie as a threat to one’s own children and to defenceless creatures generally). It uses the techniques once associated with totalitarian societies not to persuade (which is what advertising properly does) but to coerce: to create fear and guilt. And to what purpose? Without offering constructive argument or serious explanation of the options, we can only assume that this is a campaign designed to browbeat the public into accepting any new restrictions or “green” taxes which government may choose to impose. Fortunately, it seems that ordinary people still have the independence of mind to know when they are being bullied.













2) Deserted shopping mall bleak symbol of Fed bailout... Obama/Economy/Stimulus
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091021/ts_nm/us_usa_fed_bailout

Oct 21, 2009
OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) – A $29 billion trail from the Federal Reserve's bailout of Wall Street investment bank Bear Stearns ends in a partially deserted shopping center on a bleak spot on the south side of Oklahoma City.

The Fed now owns the Crossroads Mall, a sprawling shopping complex at the junction of Interstate highways 244 and 35, complete with an oil well pumping crude in the car park -- except the Fed does not own the mineral rights.

The Fed finds itself in the unusual situation of being an Oklahoma City landlord after it lent JPMorgan Chase $29 billion to buy Bear Stearns last year.

That money was secured by a portfolio of Bear assets. Crossroads Mall is the only bricks and mortar acquired through bailout. The remaining billions are tied up in invisible securities spread across hundreds, if not thousands, of properties.

It is hard to be precise because the Fed has not published specifics on what it now owns. The only reason that Crossroads Mall has surfaced is that it went into foreclosure in April.

Noah Diggs, who had just successfully concluded a search for work here as a shop assistant, was surprised and somewhat alarmed to learn the U.S. central bank now owned the property.

"That is a bad thing, right?" he said, surveying the empty parking lot on a rainy morning in early October.

Public anger over the bailout of rich Wall Street bankers has evolved into wider opposition toward government intrusion into the private sector, complicating President Barack Obama's efforts to reform financial regulation and healthcare.

The controversial action to save Bear Stearns in March 2008 was defended as less damaging for the U.S. economy than letting it fail. The merit of this argument was underscored in September 2008 when rival investment bank Lehman Brothers foundered, sparking a global financial panic.

But paper losses to the Fed on the Bear Stearns rescue stood somewhat above $3 billion at the last quarterly valuation in June, contributing to the disquiet that has hardened political opposition toward granting the Fed any more power.

This was a central part of Obama's proposed financial reform rules that he says would prevent in the future the kind of systemic failure that sent financial markets and the economy into a tailspin last year.

Part of the public concern stems from the sheer scale and complexity of the bailouts and what they will eventually cost taxpayers, with the assets shrouded in oddly named limited liability companies held by the New York Federal Reserve Bank, one of the 12 regional Fed banks in the U.S. central banking system.

On top of Bear Stearns, the Fed lent $60 billion to prop up insurance giant American International Group a few days after Lehman went under, and is also standing behind over $400 billion of assets owned by Citigroup Inc and Bank of America Corp.

In fairness, the Bear Stearns losses so far are relatively small compared to the size of the overall portfolio, or indeed the Fed's current overall balance sheet of $2.1 trillion.

THE CHALLENGE FACING THE FED

But a drab shopping mall illustrates the wider challenge of extricating the Fed from its foray into private finance, especially in commercial real estate where sinking property values raise the threat of big loan losses.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has called commercial real estate loans a "serious problem," and another Fed official has warned they could undermine a hoped-for economic recovery.

"What the Fed and banks have said they are worried about is a new wave of losses on commercial real estate and here is an example of an early adopter in the Fed's portfolio," said Lou Crandall, chief economist at Wrightson ICAP in Jersey City, New Jersey.

"The fact that the thing was written so that the Fed does not have the oil rights is just classic. Not that that is the Fed's fault," he said.

Crossroads Mall, half-empty after anchor stores Macy's, JC Penney, Montgomery Ward and Dillard's all pulled out, was brought out of foreclosure in April with $77 million in debt, according to Ann Marie Randolph at the Oklahoma County Sheriff's office. It is now up for sale for $24 million.

Paul Ravencraft, an investment broker with Price Edwards and Co. in Oklahoma City retained by the Fed to sell the property, said the current sales climate was tough.

"Financing will be difficult, and it will probably require a lot of equity," he said.

Losses are potentially at taxpayer's expense because the Fed generally makes a fat annual profit running the country's payments system and other operations, and any losses reduce how much it can pay out to the U.S. Treasury, and hence taxpayers.

The Fed's $29 billion bailout of Bear Stearns was secured by a portfolio of Bear assets that included $5.5 billion in commercial loans, including the note on Crossroads Mall that went into default.

A big part of the portfolio -- $16.4 billion at the end of June -- consists of debt issued by government-owned agencies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which continue to pay out.

But the value of the commercial loan holdings has already been written down to $4.4 billion.

In part, this decline in value is because two other pieces of the Bear Stearns collateral -- Extended Stay Hotels, and the GrandStay Residential Suites Hotels in Oxnard, California -- have sought court bankruptcy protection.

Extended Stay owes the Fed almost $900 million, consisting of $153 million in commercial mortgage-backed securities and $744 million in junior mezzanine debt, while GrandStay won Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with a bit under $10 million in debt.

Joseph Sholder, the Santa Barbara lawyer acting for GrandStay, was startled to discover that the lender who had tried to take control of the property was the Federal Reserve.

Court papers simply identified GrandStay's creditor as Maiden Lane Commercial Mortgage Bank Securities Trust-2008.

The Fed created a special vehicle called Maiden Lane to hold the assets on its balance sheet pledged against the Bear loan. Maiden Lane is the name of the lower Manhattan street behind the New York Fed's building.

However, Sholder said that on reflection, he really should not be so surprised by the news of the Fed's involvement.

"They seem to have their finger in every pie," he said.












3) Kerry becomes all-around adviser to Obama... Obama/Anti Troops
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g-zmEocnc3j0X4t6JkhRLj2MT1bQD9BFPKI80

Oct 21, 2009
WASHINGTON — He's not president, a Cabinet member or ambassador, but Sen. John Kerry has ascended to the unofficial role of President Barack Obama's global adviser on key issues that could reshape the nation's image around the world.

Mediating Afghanistan's presidential election vaulted Kerry from the already prominent chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee into the most exclusive circle around a new president who is juggling but has not resolved a variety of domestic and foreign policy matters. Beyond policy, Kerry knows how Washington works.

Kerry and Obama also share a political pedigree. Both were mentored by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who died in August.

"Obviously, Sen. Kerry is somebody who has a broad range of experience and an in-depth knowledge of issues, ranging form energy and climate change to health care to foreign policy," said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. "I think it's that experience and insight that (Obama) certainly greatly values."

That cannot be overstated. Obama made his debut on the national stage at the 2004 presidential convention at which Democrats nominated Kerry to challenge George W. Bush's bid for a second term. Obama's speech electrified the party and the convention. It was the first time many Americans had heard of the young Illinois state senator.

"I'm here because of you," Obama wrote Kerry on the January day he was sworn in as the nation's first black president. The note is framed and hangs on Kerry's Senate office wall.

And now, Obama is leaning on Kerry to help shape his foreign policy. The two men met at the White House on Wednesday just hours after Kerry returned from Afghanistan, where he played a crucial role in persuading President Hamid Karzai to accept a runoff vote after a fraud-plagued presidential election.

"I really tried to be the utility, you know, hitter or fielder at the time," Kerry, his voice hoarse and hip sore after an overnight flight home, said Wednesday in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press in his Senate office.

The meetings with Karzai, he said, were intensely emotional and played out over "a lot of days, a lot of evenings, a lot of meals, a lot of tea."

Karzai, Kerry said, felt deeply that he had won the election and that he was being insulted for trying to have a democratic process. Kerry could relate.

"Do I understand the day after an election where you think you've won, or you have votes that weren't counted or something? Been there, done that," Kerry said. He talked to Karzai about his own loss to George W. Bush in 2004 and about the 2000 election, in which the Supreme Court called the contested election for Bush.

"It helped him see that ... every country's gone through its difficult races," Kerry said.

Kerry's plane touched down at home around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday. By lunchtime, he was advising Obama at the White House. Kerry says he advised the president to know the outcome of the Afghan elections before sending more troops there.

"I mean, who's your defense minister?" Kerry said. "Do you have a good defense minister who's going to help coordinate the Afghan forces with your troops or do you have a political appointee who doesn't know anything about what he's doing? These things matter."

Kerry brushed off a questions about how it felt to be the de facto secretary of state, saying he and the woman who holds that position worked together as a team the whole time. Hillary Rodham Clinton talked to Karzai by phone while Kerry spent face time with him.

Still, observers said, Kerry's role as a presidential adviser on so many major domestic and foreign policy issues is unusual. Earlier this year, for example, Kerry helped reopen talks with Syria in a meeting in Damascus for President Basher Assad. He'll lead a delegation to Copenhagen in December for climate talks and sponsored the Senate bill to reduce carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050. Then there's his hefty role on Obama's top legislative priority — rewriting the nation's health care policy.

David Gergen, director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University, said traditionally the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee "stays at home and goes quietly on fact-finding missions.

"It's extremely rare that any president calls on an individual outside the executive branch to do as much representative work and diplomacy as Sen. Kerry," said Gergen, who served as an adviser to four presidents.

If Clinton leaves her position during the Obama administration, Gergen added, Kerry "would be on everyone's short list and probably right at the top of it as a potential successor."

So would Kerry be interested if Clinton leaves the post while Obama is still in office? Fatigue and three rounds of questions did not knock Kerry off his answer, three times, that he's "very happy" as a committee chairman in a Democratic-run Congress under a Democratic president "that I worked very hard to help get into office."

If he ever had any doubts about his Senate role, an old mentor may have set them aside. Aboard the Mya, Kennedy's sailboat, in August 2008, the stricken older senator noted that Kerry stands at the same point in his career as Kennedy, when he bowed out of the 1980 presidential race and returned to the Senate.

According to a Senate official with knowledge of the conversation, Kennedy told Kerry that he has decades of Senate service ahead of him if he wants it, and that without presidential ambition, no one can question Kerry's motives.

Still, Kerry has his hands in so many international issues that it's easy for some to forget that he's not part of the Obama administration.

Earlier Wednesday, Gibbs slipped during an off-camera briefing and called Kerry, "Secretary Kerry." Gergen did the same thing during a telephone interview.

"I'm famous for making one or two slips in my public life," Kerry said with a weary smile. "So I wouldn't take that too seriously."












4) NATO Allies Wait on Obama, Afghan Election to Make Decision on Troops... Obama/Anti Troops
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2009/10/23/mcchrystal-brief-nato-defense-ministers-afghan-war/

October 23, 2009
As the Obama administration continues to debate whether to send additional troops to Afghanistan, the defense secretary presses NATO members who said they will not send soldiers while awaiting final election results "because the legitimacy of the Afghan government is key."

President Obama's reluctant strategy in Afghanistan seems to be breeding reluctant allies, as several NATO nations have hedged their commitment to the war until the Obama administration makes a decision on troop levels.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and his top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, pressed NATO ministers Friday to send more troops and civilian aid to the war.

Gates said Friday he was "heartened" by the allies' commitment to the 8-year-old war, even as the Obama administration mulls whether to order tens of thousands more U.S. troops to the fight, as recommended by McChrystal.

But Gates said the president's decision is still two or three weeks away, signaling that the administration could be waiting until the November runoff election between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and challenger Abdullah Abdullah. Now other allies are following that lead.

Dutch Defense Minister Eimert Van Middelkoop said the Netherlands, with 2,160 troops in Afghanistan, is awaiting the final election results "because the legitimacy of the Afghan government is key," as well as a decision by the Obama administration.

"I think most countries are waiting for the American decisions," van Middelkoop said at a meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia, of the defense ministers of the 28 NATO countries.

NATO countries have committed an estimated 68,000 troops to Afghanistan.

Danish Defense Minister Soeren Gade said allies won't increase troop levels until they're assured the government in Kabul is committed to the NATO goals.

"I think whoever is going to send more troops to Afghanistan will put up some conditions," said Gade, whose country has 690 soldiers in Afghanistan.

"They need to see the new Afghan president and say: 'If we send more troops to your country, you have to deal with this, this and this.' We have to make sure the new government in Afghanistan are committed to their job before we send any more troops to Afghanistan."

Germany's defense minister, Franz Josef Jung, said he too doesn't expect his country to increase its troop numbers in Afghanistan when the soldiers' mandate from the German parliament comes up for renewal in December. The existing mandate allows the deployment of a maximum of 4,500 soldiers, and Germany currently has just over 4,200 troops in Afghanistan.

NATO's apparent reluctance to commit more troops before Obama defines the U.S. strategy -- or, the results of the runoff election -- came on the heels of Australia's decision not to keep troops in Afghanistan "a day longer than is necessary."

Australia's defense minister, John Faulkner, testifying Wednesday before a government committee before flying to Slovakia for the NATO summit, said he had no immediate plans to draw down his country's troop strength there. Australia has about 1,550 troops in Afghanistan -- the largest contribution of any country outside NATO.

But, Faulkner said Australian troops were focused on training an Afghan National Army brigade in Uruzgan province "so they can take the responsibility for security in the province," Faulkner said. "That objective, that focus, won't change."

"I don't want to see Australian troops in Afghanistan a day longer than is necessary," Faulkner said.

He did not indicate whether he was considering a recommendation by McChrystal that NATO allies contribute thousands of troops to the Afghan effort.

Gates said he will prod NATO for more economic and security aid to Afghanistan while trying to sidestep the simmering international debate over sending more troops to the fight.












5) Record recession for UK economy... UK/Economy
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8321970.stm

23 October 2009
The UK economy unexpectedly contracted by 0.4% between July and September, according to official figures, meaning the country is still in recession.

It is the first time UK gross domestic product (GDP) has contracted for six consecutive quarters, since quarterly figures were first recorded in 1955.

But the figures could still be revised up or down at a later date, because this figure is only the first estimate.

GDP measures the total amount of goods and services produced by a country.

The pound fell sharply after the figures were released, reflecting the fact that many observers had expected the UK to have grown during the quarter.

It was down 1.7% against the dollar, at $1.6323, and down 1.9% against the euro, at 1.0859 euros.

Quarterly growth of 0.2% had been expected in the figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), although expectations had been tempered by recent figures showing no growth in retail sales in September, and a 2.5% decline in industrial output in August.

The unexpected decline in the services sector was the key factor behind the drop, with the distribution, catering and hotels sector performing particularly badly.

The UK economy's reliance on the service sector, and financial services in particular, may be the reason why it is still in recession when partners such as France and Germany exited in the second quarter of this year.

The economy contracted 5.2% compared with the same period last year, which was marginally better than the record figure of 5.5% in the previous three months.

It has now contracted 5.9% from its peak before the recession began.

The worse-than-expected GDP figures are likely to make the Bank of England consider extending its policy of quantitative easing.

Quantitative easing is the central bank's policy of printing money and using it to buy bonds from banks and other companies to help stimulate the economy.



'Awful'

The £175bn already announced for the quantitative easing programme will have been spent by next month, so the third quarter GDP number will be important in deciding whether to extend it.

Indeed, at the Bank's current rate of spending, it is expected to have spent the whole £175bn in the next week.

As the next Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, at which quantitative easing decisions are taken, is not until 4 November, that would leave it with a week with no extra cash to pump into the economy.

The figures were "awful with no positive news" according to James Knightley at ING.

"This clearly suggests that the likelihood of an expansion in quantitative easing by £50bn or so over the next quarter is rising, although [it] is not a foregone conclusion."

Former MPC member Professor David Blanchflower said the negative GDP figures should not have been a surprise.

"There's been very little sign among firms that things were very much better," he told the BBC.

"The public seems to have some more confidence - they seem to have believed the talk about green shoots, but actually the data haven't really looked that way at all."

Intervention needed

Analysts said it is worrying that the decline has continued despite the stimulus measures that the government and the Bank of England have introduced.

"Continued intervention - including help for businesses to access finance, and incentives to promote investment - is still needed," said David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce.

"Above all else, business confidence must be nurtured to ensure that recovery is not further delayed."

'Deeply disappointing'

Chancellor Alistair Darling said he had never expected to see growth before the end of 2009.

"Our job is to support the economy as we come through towards recovery," he said.

"[Growth] will come - I'm confident about that - and I'm confident that businesses and people generally will begin to see a difference, but it will take time."

Shadow chancellor George Osborne described the figures as "deeply, deeply disappointing".

"There are many millions of people who will be deeply concerned to see that Britain is still in recession six months after France and Germany came out of recession," he told the BBC.

"It destroys the myth that Britain was better prepared."

Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable said the figures were "a cold blast of realism".

"We've had a lot of talk recently based on a booming stock exchange and prices of luxury houses in London that somehow this problem was at an end, and it isn't," he said.

One of the measures expected to be a particular help in the final quarter of the year is the change in VAT.

The rate of VAT is due to return to 17.5% from 15% at the beginning of January and consumers are expected to step up their purchasing ahead of that increase.













6) Tea Party Cand. To File Ethics Complaint vs. Grayson... Liberal/Ethics
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2009/10/tea-party-cand-to-file-ethics-complaint-vs-grayson.html

Oct 22, 2009
The campaign chief for a Lake County-based Tea Party candidate challenging U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson said that they plan to file an ethics complaint against the firebrand freshman Democrat over a recent website he set up to honor those who died for lack of health insurance.

Republican critics say the website linked to Grayson's own campaign Internet site, and that violates House rules because it means he's using it to aid his bid for re-election.

Patricia Sullivan, a stay-at-home-mom and activist, sent out a press release announcing her plans to file the complaint this morning (see below). She's one of a growing number of lesser-known candidates who are expected to run against Grayson in a potentially crowded GOP primary next year.

Sullivan's campaign chief Wayne LeClaire said they plan to file the complaint as early as today.

Meanwhile national leaders show no intention of letting this issue drop.

National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Andy Sere just sent out a note to reporters, pointing to Sullivan's complaint, and to a Politico.com story that indicates the House majority leader's office had not signed off on the poster he brought to the House floor promoting the site, but merely gave him a casual comment about it not likely breaking any rules.

Grayson spokesman Todd Jurkowski just said the Politico.com story is wrongfully implying that Grayson sought out some sort of official approval from the House majority office, and he says that's not the case. Jurkowski said that he only fielded a question from someone in that office about who paid for the website, but nothing more was discussed.

Jurkowski says Grayson is indeed seeking feedback about the rules on this one from the House Ethics Committee and the House Administration Office, as well as the congressman's Federal Elections Commission lawyer.
"Congressman Grayson personally read all the rules and regulations (he is an attorney after all) and determined this was not a violation," Jurkowski wrote in an e-mail.

Here's Sullivan's press release:

Patricia Sullivan, a resident of the 8th Congressional District of Florida, a mom, and a candidate for Alan Grayson's seat, will be filing a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics against Representative Alan Grayson.

According to the House Ethics Manual, Grayson's activities on the House floor yesterday were in direct violation of rules of conduct and ethics found on pages 38, 123, 127, 131, and 176.

As a Mom, Patricia has learned to apply swift correction to bad behavior. She will be filing a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics later today. It is her hope and desire that the OCE will forward the complaint to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.

If the committee sees fit to censure the violations of Representative Grayson, perhaps the residents of the 8th Congressional District will no longer be subject to the constant embarrassment they have endured over the last few months.

It is time for Representative Grayson to be held accountable for his wreckless behavior.














7) Obama's Columbia thesis excerpt surfaces... Hoax/Obama
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/10/obamas_columbia_thesis_excerpt.html

October 23, 2009
CORRECTION: In a blog post today I wrote about a report on a thesis that President Obama produced while at Columbia and provided a quote from that about the Constitution. My source for that was Michael Ledeen at PJM. Since then I have not been able to verify the claim at any source other than Ledeen and one obscure blog that was Mr. Ledeen's source. I now believe the story is totally false and Mr. Ledeen has also just recently stated that he will pull the story. I regret that I jumped the gun and did not verify this as fully as is is now evident I should have.

---------------------------------

Denis Keohane added this to the comments section:


Note the timelines on these comments.

The first comment in the thread was at 9:13, almost immediately after the initial post with the story. The times on the comments do not reflect the real time here on the East Coast where I write, but they do properly show intervals. By 9:59, three quarters of an hour later by time stamp, I (DenisK), the author, have already posted that I have doubts that the story I picked up from Michael Ledeen's blog was real and I was having trouble verifying it from other news sources. In the interim and afterward, I tried without success to contact Mr. Ledeen (but did get through to PJM with my concerns) and to find any news source connecting Joe Klein to a supposed thesis. Rush Limbaugh started to reference the Ledeen claim on his radio show, and believing in abject shame that he picked it up from my post at AT, I immediately e-mailed him and stated that I was the AT author, that I could not verify Ledeen's claim, checked Ledeen's source and found it to be satire and that he should back away from a story that was in all likelihood totally bogus. If you go to the transcripts of Rush's show, you will find that he backed off the story within minutes of talking about it! Immediately after that I posted in the comments again at AT (11:42 a.m.) with a correction stating that Ledeen had inadvertently taken a satire seriously and that I had taken Ledeen's post seriously and the story was bogus. Not long after that Mr. Ledeen posted a link at the top of his blog post to an apology he offered for the mistake, and he also personally contacted Joe Klein and apologized.

Yes, CommonSense, bad mistakes, very much including mine. However, how quickly did we seek to correct them? Mr. Ledeen, Rush Limbaugh and PJM and the blog post author here at AT all posted corrections or backed off the story or both within hours or less. Was that the case with the major media and many on the left with the fake Limbaugh quotes, or the fake TANG documents about Bush, or Jesse McBeth, or...as you write this:

"Have you all no shame? As the president he deserves that much."

CommonSense, have you ever in the last several years heard the totally bogus claim that "Bush lied" about Iraq, and who has climbed down on that false charge? On the left it was just keep repeating the lie until it is believed! That's the difference.
---------------------------------
Michael Ledeen at PJM reports on President Obama's Columbia college thesis, of which ten whole pages were made available to Joe Klein. The paper was entitled "Aristocracy Reborn," and Obama wrote this about the Constitution:

"... the Constitution allows for many things, but what it does not allow is the most revealing. The so-called Founders did not allow for economic freedom. While political freedom is supposedly a cornerstone of the document, the distribution of wealth is not even mentioned. While many believed that the new Constitution gave them liberty, it instead fitted them with the shackles of hypocrisy."


What on earth does this President have to do to get the media coverage he so richly deserves!

In the Virginia Governor's race, Republican candidate Robert McDonnell wrote a graduate thesis twenty years ago that could be politically damaging to his campaign. That decades old thesis has been covered by the Washington Post on August 30 and again on September 1. It has been reported on in some depth across the spectrum of media outlets from NPR to US News to the CS Monitor to FOX and on and on!

Or maybe a decades old claim that the U.S. Constitution didn't give early Americans liberty but fitted them with the shackles of hypocrisy doesn't deserve some questions, like what did you mean by that and when and how did your thoughts change -- if they did?












8) Twin Blasts in Baghdad Kill 155, Injure Scores... Obama/Iraq War
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,569470,00.html

October 26, 2009


BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi officials said at least 155 people were killed and 540 others wounded when twin car bombs that appeared to target government buildings in downtown Baghdad during rush hour exploded, marking the country's deadliest attack in two years.

The powerful blasts went off less than a minute apart Sunday in parking lots near the headquarters of the Baghdad provincial administration and the Ministry of Justice building.

There were so many wounded that even civilian cars were pressed into service to bring the casualties to area hospitals.

"I strongly condemn these outrageous attacks on the Iraqi people, and send my deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones," said President Obama in a statement released Sunday.

"These bombings serve no purpose other than the murder of innocent men, women and children, and they only reveal the hateful and destructive agenda of those who would deny the Iraqi people the future that they deserve. These attempts to derail Iraq's progress are no match for the courage and resilience of the Iraqi people, and their determination to build strong institutions."

Obama said the U.S. remains committed to stand with Iraqis and help them "build greater peace and opportunity."

Secretary Hillary Clinton expressed her condolences: "I want to personally express my heartfelt condolences to the victims of today's savage attacks in Baghdad and for the tragic loss of so many Iraqi lives. I strongly condemn the bombings at the Iraqi Ministry of Justice and the headquarters of the Baghdad Provincial Administration."

"These despicable terrorist attacks seek to undermine the impressive progress that Iraq has made towards stability and self-reliance. They will not succeed. They will not deter Iraqis from administering justice based on the rule of law and carrying out their legitimate responsibilities in governing Baghdad," said Clinton.

In a joint statement released Sunday, Ambassadors Christoper Hill and General Ray Odierno condemned the Baghdad bombings.

"These despicable terrorist attacks serve no legitimate purpose. They will not deter Iraqis from administering justice based on the rule of law and carrying out their legitimate responsibilities in governing Baghdad. At this crucial time leading up to national elections, we call upon all Iraqis to work together to combat all forms of violence and attempts at intimidation," the ambassadors said.

They promised to work with the Iraqi government to make sure that those responsible for the bombings are "pursed and brought to justice in accordance with Iraqi law."

"We will continue to support the people and government of Iraq in fighting terrorism. We mourn the senseless loss of life and extend our condolences to the victims' families, friends, and community."

While violence has dropped dramatically in the country since the height of the sectarian tensions, such bombings like Sunday's demonstrate the precarious nature of the security gains and the insurgency's abilities to still pull off devastating attacks in the heart of what is supposed to be one of Baghdad's most secure areas.

In August, coordinated blasts against two ministries killed more than 100 people.

Sunday's explosions went off less than a minute apart near two prominent government institutions — the Ministry of Justice and the headquarters of the Baghdad provincial administration — in a neighborhood that houses a number of government institutions such as the Ministry of Labor.

The area is just a few hundred yards from the heavily protected Green Zone that houses the U.S. Embassy as well as the offices of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

An official with the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad said two American security contractors were injured in the blast, but could not provide details about who they worked for, including whether they were associated with the Embassy, or the nature of their injuries.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to release the information.

U.S. security contractors could be seen at the site of the explosions helping the wounded.

Iraqi police and Interior Ministry officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, gave the death toll.

The explosions were caused by car bombs aimed at government institutions, said Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Mousawi, spokesman for the city's operations command center. He added that it was not known whether they were homicide attacks.

"They are targeting the government and the political process in the country," al-Mousawi told The Associated Press.

Yasmeen Afdhal, a 24-year-old employee at the Baghdad provincial administration, said that after the first blast, dozens of employees began fleeing the building.

"The walls collapsed and we had to run out," said Afdhal, who was not injured in the explosion. "There are many wounded, and I saw them being taken away. They were taking victims out of the rubble, and rushing them to ambulances."

Black smoke could be seen billowing from the area where the blasts occurred, as emergency service vehicles sped to the scene. Even civilian cars were being used to transport the wounded to hospitals, al-Mousawi said.

A Shiite member of the Baghdad Provincial Council, Mohammed al-Rubaiey, said at least 25 members of the provincial council staff were killed in the blasts and that the wounded were still being taken to the hospital.

"This is a political struggle, the price of which we are paying," he said. "Every politician is responsible and even the government is responsible, as well as security leaders."

The explosions were just a few hundred yards from Iraq's Foreign Ministry which is still rebuilding after massive bombings there in August killed about 100 people. The bombings were a devastating blow for a country that has seen a dramatic drop in violence since the height of the sectarian tensions in 2006 and 2007.

Such attacks near prominent government institutions come as Iraq is preparing for January elections.













9) Israeli Police Storm Jerusalem Holy Site... Judism/Islam/Israel
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,569471,00.html

October 25, 2009


ERUSALEM — Israeli forces stormed Jerusalem's holiest shrine Sunday, firing stun grenades to disperse hundreds of stone-throwing Palestinian protesters in a fresh eruption of violence at the most volatile spot in the Holy Land.

A wall of Israeli riot police behind plexiglass shields closed in on the crowd, sending many protesters — overwhelmingly young men — running for cover into the black-domed Al-Aqsa mosque. The mosque is one part of the compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary.

Dozens of protesters remained holed up inside the mosque for several hours, occasionally opening shuttered doors to throw objects at police. The Israeli forces did not enter the building, and the protesters eventually left peacefully and the compound was closed, police said. There were no serious injuries.

Israel's national police chief, David Cohen, accused a small group of Muslim extremists of trying to foment violence — echoing a charge made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu two weeks ago.

"The police will act with a strong hand against anyone who disrupts order on the Temple Mount and against those incite to riot," Cohen said.

Religious and nationalist sentiment connected with the site have made it a flashpoint for violence in the past. A visit in 2000 by Ariel Sharon, then an Israeli opposition leader, helped ignite deadly clashes that escalated into violence that engulfed Israel and the Palestinian territories for several years. Sharon was subsequently elected prime minister.

Sunday's clashes were the most intense in the past month of unrest around the compound. Frictions in recent weeks have stemmed largely from rumors among Palestinians about Israeli plans to allows Jews to pray at the site or to dig under the compound and harm the Muslim buildings there.

Israel has carried out numerous archaeological digs in nearby areas, but says the work does not threaten the compound. Two weeks ago, Netanyahu angrily dismissed accusations that Israel is trying to sabotage Muslim holy sites as "baseless" lies.

In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority condemned the Israeli police action.

"Jerusalem is a red line that Israel should not cross," said Nabil Abu Rdeneh, spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas.

Muslim leaders had urged their followers to gather at the compound early Sunday in response to what they said was a planned "Jewish conquest."

Israeli police said the protesters hurled a fire bomb and poured oil on the ground to make the forces slip. Around midday, small groups of youths were seen darting in and out of nearby alleyways in Jerusalem's Old City, throwing stones and bottles at police, who responded with more stun grenades. Many protesters masked their faces with white T-shirts or black-and-white checkered keffiyeh headdresses.

A total of 25 protesters suffered light to moderate injuries after being struck by batons or inhaling gas, said Ameen Abu Ghazaleh, head of the Palestinian Red Crescent's ambulance service. In addition, an Australian journalist covering the clash was struck in the face by a rock and lightly wounded, Israeli police said.

Nine police officers were also lightly wounded and 18 protesters were detained, police said. The Palestinian president's adviser on Jerusalem affairs, and a leader from Israel's Islamic Movement were arrested for alleged incitement, police said.

The disputing claims to the hilltop compound in Jerusalem's Old City lie at the heart of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. It is revered as the holiest site in Judaism, home to the biblical Temples.

It also is the third-holiest site in Islam, after the Saudi cities of Mecca and Medina, and believed to be the place where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. At the center of the compound is the famous golden cap of the Dome of the Rock.

The site has been under Israeli control since 1967, but is administered by a Muslim religious body known as the Waqf. The compound is opened for several hours a day to allow tourists and Jews to visit, though only Muslims are allowed to pray there.

The Palestinians seek to make east Jerusalem — including the holy compound — the capital of a future independent state, while Netanyahu says he will never share control of the holy city.

Israel's crackdown drew condemnations from throughout the Muslim world. The head of the 57-nation Islamic Conference warned that any provocative act at Al-Aqsa "would bear grave consequences," while the Arab League called on the U.N. to "stop the Israeli aggressions."

Egypt said it had instructed its ambassador in Israel to urge the government to refrain from actions with "negative repercussions" for the region.

The Islamic militant Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, called on Palestinians to rise up against Israel and urged Arab countries that have ties to Israel to sever them. "The real battle begins again," spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said.