{"id":422037,"date":"2010-03-12T19:38:08","date_gmt":"2010-03-12T23:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/?p=32474"},"modified":"2010-03-12T19:38:08","modified_gmt":"2010-03-12T23:38:08","slug":"rahm-emanuel-%e2%80%9cchicago-style%e2%80%9d-hit-man-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/422037","title":{"rendered":"Rahm Emanuel \u201cChicago-style\u201d Hit Man + More"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_32475\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"width: 231px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-32475  \" style=\"margin-right:5px;\" title=\"EricMassa_2010-03-12-digest\" src=\"http:\/\/papundits.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/03\/ericmassa_2010-03-12-digest2.jpg?w=221&#038;h=306\" alt=\"Eric Massa\" width=\"221\" height=\"306\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">What other dirt does Emanuel have on Democrats?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong><a rel=\"tag\" href=\"http:\/\/patriotpost.us\/\" >The Patriot Post<\/a> Digest<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>The Foundation<\/h2>\n<p>&#8220;[A] good moral character is the first essential in a man.&#8221; &#8211;George  Washington<\/p>\n<h2>Government &amp; Politics<\/h2>\n<h3>Massa Pile of Corruption<\/h3>\n<p>Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) is currently the star of an ongoing  ethics scandal that presents quite the dilemma for political analysts.  The question is: What are Democrats up to while Massa tries to convince  us to believe his story?<\/p>\n<p>The congressman resigned Monday in the wake of an investigation by  the House Ethics Committee for inappropriate comments he made to a male  staffer on New Year&#8217;s Eve, along with allegations of similar misconduct  over the last year. Given that he&#8217;s been in Congress for only a year,  that&#8217;s not a great report card. For his part, Massa claims he&#8217;s merely  the victim of political warfare by Democrat leaders who wanted him  ousted before he could register the &#8220;deciding vote&#8221; on health care  reform.<\/p>\n<p>If Massa&#8217;s claim is even partially true, it signals a redoubling of  &#8220;Chicago-style&#8221; political assassination efforts \u00a0 &#8230; \u00a0\u00a0<span id=\"more-32474\"><\/span> by the Obama  administration to ensure passage of their holy grail, health care  legislation. Massa claimed that Rahm Emanuel, the Anointed One&#8217;s Chief  of Staff and left-hand arm-twister, accosted him in the showers of the  congressional gym last November. &#8220;I&#8217;m sitting there showering, naked as a  jaybird,&#8221; he recounted, &#8220;and here comes Rahm Emanuel, not even with a  towel wrapped around his tush, poking his finger in my chest, yelling at  me because I wasn&#8217;t gonna vote for the president&#8217;s budget.&#8221; While we  wouldn&#8217;t put such an act past Emanuel, we also note that, mercifully,  there were no witnesses to the alleged encounter. Predictably, the White  House denied the allegation.<\/p>\n<p>Massa asked, &#8220;Do you know how awkward it is to have a political  argument with a naked man?&#8221; No, we honestly don&#8217;t know. Then again, we  also don&#8217;t know about <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2010\/03\/10\/nyregion\/10massa.html\" >tickle  fights<\/a> among (supposedly) grown men.<\/p>\n<p>Our take is that Massa is both a liar and a creep, notwithstanding  the administration&#8217;s goals, which are even creepier. Certainly, one less  &#8220;no&#8221; vote on ObamaCare doesn&#8217;t hurt, as far as the executive branch is  concerned. No doubt House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Frutopia) is also  pleased. However, such potential skullduggery does lead us to wonder  what other sorts of dirt Obamanites have on other &#8220;undecided&#8221; Democrats  should they fail to cooperate.<\/p>\n<p>The downside of this strategy, however, is that the Dem-wits really  can&#8217;t afford many more high-vis scandals. Over the course of just the  last two weeks, for example, three prominent Democrats have managed to  rain considerable shame upon their party. In addition to Massa&#8217;s  disgrace, New York Gov. David Paterson, under scrutiny for interfering  in a domestic violence investigation, announced that he would end his  re-election campaign, and veteran Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) was forced  to resign as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee because of  numerous ethics violations. Add these to the stack of sleaze amassed by  the Demos just since the Chosen One assumed office, and it amounts to a  dismal track record for a party that claimed it would &#8220;clean up  corruption&#8221; and stop &#8220;business as usual&#8221; in Washington.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats won the House from Republicans in 2006 in large part by  highlighting GOP scandals. Evidently, what went around appears to be  coming back around &#8230; and how!<\/p>\n<h3>From the &#8216;Non Compos Mentis&#8217; File<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;[W]e have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it,  away from the fog of the controversy.&#8221; &#8211;House Speaker Nancy Pelosi  (D-CA), confirming that too much Botox can kill brain cells<\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t believe us? See the <a href=\"http:\/\/patriotpost.us\/perspective\/2010\/03\/11\/pelosi-pass-the-bill-to-find-out-whats-in-it\/\" >video<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>The BIG Lie<\/h3>\n<p>On Monday, Barack Obama declared, &#8220;Our cost-cutting measures mirror  most of the proposals in the current Senate bill, which reduces most  people&#8217;s premiums.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) disagreed, albeit indirectly: &#8220;Anyone who  would stand before you and say, &#8216;Well, if you pass health care reform  next year&#8217;s health care premiums are going down,&#8217; I don&#8217;t think is  telling the truth.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>See the <a href=\"http:\/\/patriotpost.us\/perspective\/2010\/03\/11\/durbin-calls-obama-a-liar\/\" >video<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Regulatory Commissars: Pulling the Corker Out of the Bottle<\/h3>\n<p>Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) stunned his Republican colleagues by working  with Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D-CT) this week  to breathe new life into Democrats&#8217; financial &#8220;reform&#8221; package. Feeling  pressure from his right, however, Corker has since pulled out of the  deal, which Dodd is now pushing without him.<\/p>\n<p>The House version of the bill, crafted by Massachusetts liberal  Barney Frank, was recently considered dead in the Senate, and for good  reason. It included a $4 trillion bailout provision for rickety  financial institutions that would make TARP the official policy of the  federal government. No more bankruptcies, no more survival of the  fittest &#8212; both characteristics of a free market. Instead, the  government would be allowed to manipulate the markets on the backs of  taxpayers. This bill would also create the Consumer Financial Protection  Agency (CFPA), a massive new federal bureaucracy that would have the  power to oversee and ultimately regulate not only financial  institutions, but also virtually any organization that deals with  consumers.<\/p>\n<p>Corker, a freshman senator with an American Conservative Union rating  of 83, should have joined his colleagues in the first place and let the  bill die in negotiations. Instead, he worked with Dodd to keep the CFPA  alive. His office stated that he doesn&#8217;t support the bailout provision,  but he did in fact vote for the TARP-bank bailout in 2008. Wall Street  likes the bailout provision, because it coats big firms with Teflon to  keep them from failing under almost any circumstances. It&#8217;s a good thing  that Corker, who has received $3 million in campaign funds from the  finance industry since taking office in 2007, reconsidered when he did.  Still, he shouldn&#8217;t have put himself in that position in the first  place.<\/p>\n<p><!-- [ADV|ELPPromo] --><\/p>\n<h3>Health Care and Student Loans?<\/h3>\n<p>Senate Democrats want to attach a provision to the health care  reconciliation bill that would allow the government essentially to take  over all student loan lending in the country. Democrats are having  enough problems passing health care on its own, and this latest  parliamentary trick could shake up the delicate vote balance. The  student-lending bill would federalize all higher education lending and  would thus cause the loss of tens of thousands of private sector jobs.  Senators representing states where those jobs stand to be lost are now  wavering on whether they can support health care with this completely  unrelated provision attached to it. What a shame.<\/p>\n<p>The student-lending bill doesn&#8217;t stand much chance of passage on its  own. The $67 billion that the White House claims will be saved by the  legislation is more than offset by $77 billion in new costs. That figure  is a <em>lowball<\/em> estimate as it doesn&#8217;t take into account the rate  of student loan defaults or accurately figure new spending increases  over time. Worst of all, virtually no one in the Senate has seen this  bill, and the public isn&#8217;t aware of the details, let alone the fact that  it may become law without much debate.<\/p>\n<p>In related news, according to <a href=\"http:\/\/cdn.rollcall.com\/media\/44110-1.html\" >Roll Call<\/a>, &#8220;The  Senate Parliamentarian has ruled that President Barack Obama must sign  Congress&#8217; original health care reform bill before the Senate can act on a  companion reconciliation package.&#8221; We&#8217;ll soon see how Democrats plan to  work around this legal obstacle.<\/p>\n<h3>New &amp; Notable Legislation<\/h3>\n<p>Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) announced a measure that would cut  Congress&#8217;s salary by 5 percent in 2011. It has 21 cosponsors so far,  and, if passed, it would save taxpayers $4.7 million. Granted, that&#8217;s a  drop in the bucket considering the deficits we&#8217;re facing these days, but  it would be an important symbolic step for Congress to recognize the  economic woes being felt in the private sector. The House voted against  an automatic pay raise in 2009 and 2010, but it hasn&#8217;t taken an actual  cut in pay since 1933.<\/p>\n<p>The Senate <a href=\"http:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/s\/ap\/20100310\/ap_on_bi_ge\/us_jobless_aid_taxes\" >voted  62-36 Wednesday<\/a> to extend jobless benefits and temporary business  tax breaks. Six Republicans and all but Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska  voted for the bill, which will add about $130 billion to the deficit  over the next 18 months. The GOP &#8220;yes&#8221; votes were mostly the usual  suspects, Christopher Bond (MO), Susan Collins (ME), Lisa Murkowski  (AK), Olympia Snowe (ME), David Vitter (LA) and George Voinovich (OH).<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) proposed an amendment last week to block the  White House&#8217;s arbitrary seizure of over 10 million acres of land in nine  Western states. The land was designated as &#8220;monuments&#8221; under a  questionable application of the Antiquities Act of 1906, in order to  prevent resources development. DeMint pointed out that during times of  economic stress, the government should be freeing up resources for  development, not locking them up. Unfortunately, most of his colleagues  disagreed. His amendment was defeated 58-38.<\/p>\n<p>Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) introduced the &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/assets.theatlantic.com\/static\/mt\/assets\/politics\/ARM10090.pdf\" >Enemy  Belligerent, Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act of 2010<\/a>,&#8221;  which would provide for military, rather than civilian, detention of  terrorism suspects. The bill is ostensibly a response to the Christmas  Day undi-bomber incident, in which the perpetrator was read his Miranda  rights. It permits detentions based on &#8220;the potential intelligence value  of the individual,&#8221; or &#8220;such other matters as the President considers  appropriate.&#8221; That&#8217;s a lot of uncomfortable leeway. Furthermore, the  military would have the power to detain high-value detainees  indefinitely &#8220;without criminal charges and without trial for the  duration of hostilities against the United States or its coalition  partners in which the individual has engaged, or which the individual  has purposely and materially supported.&#8221; Given that Obama&#8217;s Homeland  Security team views right-wingers as threats, one wonders just where  this could lead. With &#8220;friends&#8221; like McCain&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Finally, in a bid to put their big-spending past behind them (or at  least make a good campaign statement), the House GOP adopted a  unilateral one-year ban on earmarks Thursday. To paraphrase Ben  Franklin, that&#8217;s a good promise &#8230; if you can keep it.<\/p>\n<h2>National Security<\/h2>\n<h3>On the Warfront With Jihadistan<\/h3>\n<p>As the Long War continues, both expected and unexpected targets were  picked off by various American and allied forces this week. In Pakistan,  Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that Maulana Faqir Mohammed, a top  Pakistani Taliban commander, was probably killed last weekend after  helicopters hit a building in Pakistan&#8217;s Mohmand region, killing at  least 16 Taliban militants. Although Malik could not confirm Mohammed&#8217;s  death, he was quoted as saying, &#8220;We had real-time intelligence that  Faqir Mohammad was in a meeting with another commander, Qari  Zia-ur-Rehman, in the hideout at the time of the attack.&#8221; If true, we  got two jihadis for the price of one. Meanwhile, the good hunting  continued on Wednesday as U.S. missile strikes killed at least 12  militants near Pakistan&#8217;s Afghan border.<\/p>\n<p>Also this week, Pakistani officials claimed that an American, Adam  Gadahn, a 31-year-old who has appeared in al-Qa&#8217;ida videos urging jihad  against the West, had been captured. U.S. defense officials said they  had received no indication of any such arrest, and by Friday, Pakistani  officials were backing away from the story. Gadahn, who grew up in  Riverside County, California, before converting to Islam at a nearby  Orange County mosque is the first American charged with treason since  1952, and the U.S. government is offering $1 million for information  leading to his capture.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, on Monday, a Pennsylvania woman named Colleen LaRose, but  known to authorities as &#8220;Jihad Jane&#8221; (not to be confused with Hanoi  Jane), was charged in federal court with using the Internet to recruit  jihadis to carry out murders and other violent attacks overseas. One of  her targets was Lars Vilks, an artist who had exercised his free speech  rights by drawing a cartoon of the &#8220;prophet&#8221; Muhammad. The indictment  alleges that LaRose received orders to murder someone in Sweden, and to  do so in such a way that it would frighten &#8220;the whole Kufar  [non-believer] world.&#8221; It also states that LaRose agreed to commit the  murder, and that her appearance and American citizenship would help her  blend in and carry it out.<\/p>\n<p><!-- [ADV|WayToWealth] --><\/p>\n<h3>Maj. Gen. Harding: Obama&#8217;s Backup TSA Pick<\/h3>\n<p>Nearly 14 months in, the Obama administration still lacks a leader at  the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). After months of  dithering, back in September Obama first selected Errol Southers to head  the agency, but Southers withdrew in January after Republicans  threatened to continue a hold on his nomination. Republicans&#8217; biggest  issues with Southers were his lying to Congress about having unlawfully  accessed FBI records to spy on his ex-wife&#8217;s boyfriend and his  unyielding stance on unionizing TSA employees, a move that could have  impeded flexibility in a time of national crisis. Southers also drew  fire for his categorization of &#8220;Christian identity oriented&#8221; groups as  the <a href=\"http:\/\/patriotpost.us\/perspective\/2010\/01\/12\/tsa-nominee-warns-of-right-wing-terrorists\/\">largest  threat to our national security<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, however, Obama nominated retired Army Maj. Gen. Robert A.  Harding for the post. Harding, a former head of the Defense Intelligence  Agency, brings a 33-year military career to the table. The president  was &#8220;confident that Bob&#8217;s talent and expertise will make him a  tremendous asset&#8221; to the TSA. So far Republicans are receptive, which  makes us wonder why Obama didn&#8217;t pick Harding in the first place.<\/p>\n<h3>Profiles of Valor: U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Elliot Ackerman<\/h3>\n<div>\n<div id=\"attachment_32476\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"width: 110px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-32476  \" style=\"margin-left:5px;\" title=\"Ackerman_2010-03-12-digest-valor\" src=\"http:\/\/papundits.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/03\/ackerman_2010-03-12-digest-valor1.jpg?w=100&#038;h=148\" alt=\"Ackerman\" width=\"100\" height=\"148\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ackerman<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>On November 10, 2004, then-2nd Lt. Elliot Ackerman of the United  States Marine Corps led a platoon into Fallujah &#8212; at that time, still a  hotbed of insurgent activity. The platoon&#8217;s mission was to establish a  foothold from which the battalion would then clear the city. As the  Marines pushed into the city, enemy fighters attacked from all sides.  Twice in the early fighting, Ackerman risked himself to pull wounded  Marines to safety, and then organized their evacuation. As the battle  raged, however, the vehicle sent to evacuate the wounded couldn&#8217;t find  their position, so Ackerman again headed into the open and risked what  his citation called a &#8220;gauntlet of deadly enemy fire&#8221; to direct the  vehicle to the Marines.<\/p>\n<p>Later in the battle, Ackerman and his team were working to clear a  building when he saw some of his Marines exposed on a rooftop. He  ordered them down, but took their place to mark targets for American  tanks. Under a barrage of enemy fire, he suffered shrapnel wounds in his  leg but continued to direct both the attack and four medical  evacuations. For his bravery and leadership, Ackerman was awarded the  Silver Star. Semper Fi!<\/p>\n<h2>Business &amp; Economy<\/h2>\n<h3>Income Redistribution: You Paid for It<\/h3>\n<p>Executive salaries reach $500,000, hourly fees top $600, and millions  of your dollars are propping it all up. Welcome to the underworld of  the environmental industry. According to Richard Pollock of <a href=\"http:\/\/pajamasmedia.com\/blog\/breaking-activist-green-lawyers-billing-u-s-millions-in-fraudulent-attorney-fees\/?singlepage=true\" >Pajamas  Media<\/a>, &#8220;environmental activist groups have surreptitiously received  at least $37 million from the federal government for questionable  &#8216;attorney fees&#8217;&#8221; related to lawsuits that &#8220;had nothing to do with  environmental protection or improvement.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Since 2000, nine national environmental groups have filed the  astounding number of 3,300 lawsuits, most based on &#8220;alleged procedural  failings of federal agencies&#8221; rather than &#8220;substance or science.&#8221; Not  only has Uncle Sam doled out the millions, but Washington has &#8220;neither  tracked nor accounted for&#8221; any of the outgo. Wyoming attorney Karen  Budd-Falen, who helped uncover the fraud, says the $37 million is just  the &#8220;tip of the iceberg,&#8221; estimating the actual number is in the  hundreds of millions.<\/p>\n<p>Interestingly, according to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/blogs\/beltway-confidential\/Saving-the-planet-is-a-profitable-enterprise-60299737.html\" >Washington  Examiner<\/a>, compensation for the top 10 paid environmental executives  ranges from $308,000 to $496,000. Pajamas Media notes that of the $3.4  million that environmental PACs have given in federal campaign  contributions since 2000, approximately 87 percent was to Democrats.  Coincidence? We think not.<\/p>\n<p>Eco-activists aren&#8217;t the only ones greening themselves with your  money. It seems Wake Forest University is using a $71,623 federal &#8220;we  must rescue the economy now&#8221; stimu-less grant to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mcclatchydc.com\/2010\/03\/08\/89974\/stimulus-funds-pay-for-monkey.html\" >study  the effects of cocaine<\/a> on a specific neurotransmitter in addicted  monkeys. The economic benefit? Apparently a job &#8220;saved.&#8221; For the record,  we believe taxpayer dollars already fund too much monkey business in  Washington; there&#8217;s certainly no need to fund it anywhere else.<\/p>\n<h3>CBO Contradicts White House on Budget (Again)<\/h3>\n<p>As monkeys and tree-huggers eat at the government trough, the  Congressional Budget Office (CBO) predicts that Barack Obama&#8217;s proposed  budget will hike the national debt by more than the mind-numbing sum of  $9.7 trillion over the next 10 years &#8212; far more than the already  astounding $8.5 trillion the White House predicts. Naturally, the  Democrat-led CBO blames the ballooning deficit on the Bush tax cuts  while simultaneously claiming the proposed health care takeover will be  deficit-neutral.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s get this straight: passing a trillion-dollar government-run and  taxpayer-funded health care plan won&#8217;t add to the deficit, but  restoring to Americans trillions of dollars in saving, investing and  spending power somehow did? Whose money is it, anyway?<\/p>\n<p><!-- [ADV|TaxEvaderStamp] --><\/p>\n<h3>Federal Pay vs. Private Sector Pay<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/news\/nation\/2010-03-04-federal-pay_N.htm\" >USA  Today<\/a> recently conducted a survey comparing average salaries of  private sector employees to those of federal employees. Guess who did  better? If you said the public sector worker, go to the front of the  class.<\/p>\n<p>First of all, many federal workers are covered by civil service  rules, making them nearly impossible to fire and difficult to layoff. On  top of that, based on 2008 data, the typical federal worker is paid 20  percent more than one in the private sector in the same occupation. The  median salary for a federal employee is $66,591, while that of a private  sector employee is $55,500, a difference of $11,091 &#8212; before adding  benefits such as medical insurance, sick days and holidays, pensions and  the like. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, benefits  averaged $40,785 per federal employee versus $9,882 per private worker.  Add these to the USA Today figures and the average in total compensation  for each is $107,376 versus $65,382, a whopping 64 percent difference  of $41,994.<\/p>\n<p>The difference in salaries is greatest in the public relations  occupations. The widest spread, $44,169, was for public relations  managers, with the federal employee receiving $132,410, compared to  $88,241 for his private sector counterpart. The next largest difference  was $41,045 for broadcast technicians.<\/p>\n<p>So if you want a job that pays well, has great benefits and offers  little chance of being laid off, the federal government is the employer  for you &#8212; that is, until it runs out of other people&#8217;s money.<\/p>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/papundits.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/03\/idealjob_2010-03-12-digest-cartoon.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-32477\" title=\"IdealJob_2010-03-12-digest-cartoon\" src=\"http:\/\/papundits.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/03\/idealjob_2010-03-12-digest-cartoon.jpg?w=475&#038;h=327\" alt=\"Ideal Job\" width=\"475\" height=\"327\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<h3>Mortgage Plans<\/h3>\n<p>The Obama administration plans to force mortgage lenders to allow  homeowners behind on their payments to sell for less than they owe.  Known as short sales, these transactions are &#8212; or used to be &#8212; few and  far between for one obvious reason: the lender loses money. In this  election year, however, the administration is more concerned with  garnering the votes of the five million households at risk of  foreclosure.<\/p>\n<p>Under the plan, real estate agents would assess the value of the  property, which would not be disclosed to the homeowner. If the  homeowner receives an offer equal to or greater than that value, the  lender must accept. In addition, the lender will receive $1,000 and the  homeowner will pocket $1,500 for &#8220;relocation assistance.&#8221; One of the  stated benefits of the program is that these woe-is-me homeowners &#8212;  people who willingly borrowed well beyond their means (yes, we  understand this isn&#8217;t always the case) &#8212; would suffer a lesser blow to  their credit than if they had lived through foreclosure. Of course, that  will come at the expense of taxpayers.<\/p>\n<h3>Administration Delays Oil Drilling<\/h3>\n<p>In 2008, then-Senator Barack Obama risked the ire of his leftist  comrades when he championed offshore drilling as an opportunity to free  America from dependence on foreign oil; he shrewdly hedged his bets in  order to lure centrists and other undecideds into his camp. However, as  with so many other issues, Obama&#8217;s campaign promises are proving  worthless.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the fact that Americans favor offshore drilling by a 2 to 1  margin, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has used every tool in his  bureaucratic box to hinder it, including extending the public comment  period before beginning the drilling program, voiding existing contracts  for onshore drilling in Utah and announcing the delay of the offshore  program until 2012. This program would have created 1.2 million real  jobs per year and not doing it will cost the U.S. $2.36 trillion over  the next 20 years. Surprise! Economic recovery is <em>not<\/em> the real  agenda of this administration.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"4\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Culture &amp; Policy<\/h2>\n<h3>Around the Nation: Politicizing the Census<\/h3>\n<p>The one thing we can count on from Census 2010 is controversy. What  began 220 years ago as a <a href=\"http:\/\/patriotpost.us\/document\/the-constitution-of-the-united-states-of-america\/\" >constitutionally  mandated count<\/a> for proportional representation has morphed over  time into a method for divvying out federal funds targeted to specific  groups based on the information asked as part of our decennial census.<\/p>\n<p>The 10 questions asked on this year&#8217;s short form certainly do more  than just account for the number of citizens. Citizens are asked about  age, race, gender, whether we own or rent our homes, and personal  identifying information such as name and telephone number.<\/p>\n<p>Ironically, accounting for race made sense only because the nation  once counted certain residents as 3\/5 of a person &#8212; a compromise  wrought to balance Northern and Southern interests over the question of  numbering slaves. While the <a href=\"http:\/\/patriotpost.us\/document\/amendments-11-27-to-the-constitution-of-the-united-states\/\" >14th  Amendment<\/a> ended that practice, the question remains as a vestige of  a society not quite colorblind. In response, some plan to answer the  race question with &#8220;American.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Factor in the advertising campaign which suggests people should reply  to get &#8220;their fair share&#8221; of federal goodies, and the possibility of  same-sex couples identifying themselves as married regardless of whether  the state they live in allows same-sex marriage, and it&#8217;s clear that  the Census is becoming less about proportion and more about politics.<\/p>\n<h3>Judicial Benchmarks: 9th Circuit Approves of Pledge<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;A federal appeals court in San Francisco has ruled that the phrase  &#8220;under God&#8221; in the Pledge of Allegiance is constitutional,&#8221; reports the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnsnews.com\/news\/article\/62655\" >Associated Press<\/a>.  Atheist Michael Newdow had filed suit in 2004, claiming his daughter  shouldn&#8217;t be required to say the Pledge at school. However, his daughter  and her mother, from whom Newdow is separated, are Christians who don&#8217;t  object to the Pledge, and the U.S. Supreme Court threw out the case  saying Newdow didn&#8217;t have standing. He refiled on behalf of other  parents, but, in a 2-1 ruling, a Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals  panel rejected his argument that the phrase &#8220;under God&#8221; violates the  separation of church and state. Yes, the Ninth Circuit. Amazing, isn&#8217;t  it?<\/p>\n<h3>Climate Change This Week: China and India Join Agreement<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;China and India formally agreed Tuesday to join the international  climate change agreement reached in December in Copenhagen, the last two  major economies to sign up,&#8221; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2010\/03\/10\/science\/earth\/10climate.html\" >The  New York Times<\/a> reports. Though Xie Zhenhua, vice-chairman of the  powerful National Development and Reform Commission, admitted that there  are disagreements over the cause of warming, he said, &#8220;As far as  governments around the world are concerned, as the existence and long  term development of climate change will cause great damage to mankind,  it is better to believe that it is happening than that it isn&#8217;t.&#8221; He  added, &#8220;We should take scientific measures to avoid these problems  happening.&#8221; Shoot first, ask questions later.<\/p>\n<p>More than 100 countries have signed the accord, which calls for  limiting the rise in global temperatures to no more than 3.6 degrees  Fahrenheit beyond pre-industrial levels. It sounds so easy &#8212; if we can  all just agree that the temperature shouldn&#8217;t get any higher, we&#8217;ll save  the planet.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, <a href=\"http:\/\/uk.reuters.com\/article\/idUKTRE6272RA20100308?sp=true\" >Reuters<\/a> reports, &#8220;Loopholes in the United Nations climate treaties could  actually amount to an increase in global climate-warming emissions, and  the chance to rein in temperatures may be slipping away, a draft  European Union report showed.&#8221; Bummer.<\/p>\n<h3>This Week&#8217;s &#8216;Alpha Jackass&#8217; Award<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;I guess what we all underestimated was the degree, the depths of  dishonesty, and dirtiness, and cynicism to which the climate change  denial movement would be willing to stoop to advance their agenda.&#8221;  &#8211;Michael Mann, author of the dirty, dishonest and cynical &#8220;hockey  stick&#8221; graph showing a recent spike in warming<\/p>\n<h3>Second Amendment: Guns For Dummies<\/h3>\n<p>Federal authorities at the ATF recently intercepted a large shipment  of rifles labeled &#8220;toys&#8221; in Tacoma, Washington, that it claimed &#8220;could  have had far-reaching and potentially devastating ramifications if they  had gotten into the hands of individuals who wanted to do harm in the  American population.&#8221; Could the weapons seizure have prevented a  shooting rampage across the nation? Perhaps &#8212; except for one problem.  The guns <a href=\"http:\/\/pajamasmedia.com\/blog\/agents-of-incompetence-atf\/?singlepage=true\" >actually  were toys<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Apparently, the ATF thought there was no limit to the widespread  damage these mostly plastic Airsoft BB guns could have inflicted upon  hapless Americans. The lightweight plastic BB ordnance fired by such  heavy artillery may actually sting or leave welts on bare skin if fired  at close range. Undeterred by such an obvious blunder, the agency <em>justified<\/em> its seizure by declaring the toy BB guns could be converted into real,  fully automatic machine guns &#8212; which is true, if virtually all of the  toy&#8217;s parts were replaced with real machine gun parts from a real  weapon. The same holds true for any other toy being converted to the  real thing from scratch, like toy pickups or spaceships. The old adage  never to attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by  stupidity continues to be true, especially when it comes to bureaucratic  bungling. Perhaps in the future, the ATF could refer to Guns for  Dummies to help them identify real weaponry.<\/p>\n<h3>To Keep and Bear Arms<\/h3>\n<p>A burglar had the surprise of his life when he broke into a  soon-to-be Marine&#8217;s home in Delhi Township, Ohio. In the middle of the  night, Kevin Boyle noticed that his door had been opened and quickly  confronted the suspect. After warning him not to move, Boyle noticed him  pull out what appeared to be a gun and raise it towards him.  Fortunately, he had his own .45 caliber handgun ready.<\/p>\n<p>Boyle fired two shots at the suspect and ran to get behind the corner  wall for protection. He immediately called the police for help. The  suspect took off to escape in the woods. It appears a car was waiting to  pick him up. He remains on the run, and there is no evidence that he  was struck by the bullets.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m glad no one got hurt, including him. He probably thought he  could get in for a quick little burglary and luckily I was ready to keep  myself safe,&#8221; said Boyle, who is two months away from leaving for  Marine training camp. We&#8217;d call that successful early training.<\/p>\n<p><!-- [ADV|KeyLime] --><\/p>\n<h3>And Last&#8230;<\/h3>\n<p>One of the biggest questions on Capitol Hill these days is whether  the Democrats have the votes to pass health care legislation. Speaker  Nancy Pelosi claims she does, but political analyst <a href=\"http:\/\/online.wsj.com\/article\/SB10001424052748703701004575113292688090292.html\" >Michael  Barone<\/a>, for one, doubts it. One bit of evidence supporting his  conclusion is reported by National Journal&#8217;s Congress Daily: &#8220;House  Rules Chairwoman Louise Slaughter is prepping to help usher the  healthcare overhaul through the House and potentially avoid a direct  vote on the Senate overhaul bill, the chairwoman said Tuesday. Slaughter  is weighing preparing a rule that would consider the Senate bill passed  once the House approves a corrections bill that would make changes to  the Senate version.&#8221; In other words, House members would vote for a  rule, not a bill, which, to a party that thinks the American people are  behind them, makes perfect sense.<\/p>\n<p>Slaughter is the congresswoman who, two weeks ago, told the sad tale  of a woman wearing her dead sister&#8217;s dentures, which she interpreted as a  call for Congress to commit a hostile takeover of one-sixth of the  economy. It was a bit of a leap, we know.<\/p>\n<p>As to her current machinations, House Republican Leader John  Boehner&#8217;s office came up with a clever moniker: &#8220;The Slaughter  Solution.&#8221; Indeed, not only would this &#8220;solution&#8221; slaughter the checks  and balances provided by the Constitution, but it would almost guarantee  that Democrats get slaughtered at the polls in November. And wouldn&#8217;t  that be a shame!<\/p>\n<p>Read more excellent articles at <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"http:\/\/patriotpost.us\/\" >The Patriot Post<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Filed under: <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/111th-congress\/'>111th Congress<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/politics\/democrats\/barry-soetoro-aka-barack-hussein-obama\/'>Barry Soetoro (aka Barack Hussein Obama)<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/politics\/conniving-politicians\/'>Conniving Politicians<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/politics\/democrats\/demo-gogues-democrats-politics\/'>Demo-gogues<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/politics\/liberals\/'>Liberals<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/politics\/marxists\/'>Marxists<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/news-and-views\/'>News and Views<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/politics\/political-prostitutes\/'>Political Prostitutes<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/politics\/politicians-for-the-destruction-of-america\/'>Politicians for the Destruction of America<\/a> Tagged: <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/tag\/annie\/'>Annie<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/tag\/the-patriot-post\/'>The Patriot Post<\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/gocomments\/papundits.wordpress.com\/32474\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/comments\/papundits.wordpress.com\/32474\/\" \/><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/godelicious\/papundits.wordpress.com\/32474\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/delicious\/papundits.wordpress.com\/32474\/\" \/><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/gostumble\/papundits.wordpress.com\/32474\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/stumble\/papundits.wordpress.com\/32474\/\" \/><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/godigg\/papundits.wordpress.com\/32474\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/digg\/papundits.wordpress.com\/32474\/\" \/><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/goreddit\/papundits.wordpress.com\/32474\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/reddit\/papundits.wordpress.com\/32474\/\" \/><\/a> <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/stats.wordpress.com\/b.gif?host=papundits.wordpress.com&#038;blog=174708&#038;post=32474&#038;subd=papundits&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What other dirt does Emanuel have on Democrats? The Patriot Post Digest The Foundation &#8220;[A] good moral character is the first essential in a man.&#8221; &#8211;George Washington Government &amp; Politics Massa Pile of Corruption Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) is currently the star of an ongoing ethics scandal that presents quite the dilemma for political [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4200,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-422037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4200"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=422037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422037\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=422037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=422037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=422037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}