Uncategorized

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Uncategorized

Durbin toys with a new idea

December 4, 2007 by

-By Michael M. Bates

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) is really, really concerned these days about toy safety. So, as the Dickster is wont to do when he’s really, really concerned, he brought his massive intellect to bear in reaching a solution. This was plainly a time for creative, original, innovative, out of the box ideas. Think, think, think. By Jove, he’s got it! More money for a government agency.

Durbin is backing a heavy increase in funding for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, known as the CPSC. That agency is responsible for regulating toys, along with about 15,000 other product categories.

The Chicago Tribune reported Durbin’s support for more money with the headline “Durbin has gift for kids, parents – Senator’s bill offers $7 million to hire more toy inspectors.” In the mainstream media, you see, big government is a gift, bestowed on us by compassionate and charitable types like Dick Durbin.

Created in 1972, the CPSC was mandated to, among other charges, ‘protect the public against unreasonable risks of injury from consumer products.” Unsurprisingly, “unreasonable” wasn’t defined.

The Illinois senator wants to see staffing levels at CPSC increased. When the agency was activated, it had roughly twice as many employees as it does now.
Continue reading “Durbin toys with a new idea”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Society/Culture - Thomas Brewton - Uncategorized

Socialist Seers

December 4, 2007 by

-By Thomas E. Brewton

The cloudy crystal ball of socialist intellectuals must be, not just cleaned, but consigned to the trash heap.

Most commentators blame corporate greed and poor judgment for the subprime mortgage meltdown and the resulting squeeze in the financial community.

In reality, excessive Federal spending on the socialist welfare-state inaugurated by the New Deal, and the Federal Reserve’s over-expansion of the money supply to fund it, are the proximate causes for today’s financial mess. Without excessive money in the system, neither greed nor imprudence enters the picture.

Today’s mess could not have developed had President Roosevelt not deliberately devalued the dollar and repudiated gold payment clauses for the currency and Federal debt in the 1930s, while centralizing control of the Federal Reserve system in the Federal Reserve Board to facilitate Federal deficit spending.

As I have written frequently over the past couple of years, the Federal Reserve is an example of the inherent weakness of entrusting planning for the entire economy to a small group of intellectuals. See Financial Hurricane Ahead for a partial list of those postings.

Alan Greenspan and Ben Bernanke, the two most recent Federal Reserve Board chairmen, are intelligent and talented men. But no individual, or small group of individuals, can assemble in real time all of the relevant data on economic conditions, process it, and comprehend it in a timely way to manage the entire economy. Picture an ant trying to build the pyramids solo.
Continue reading “Socialist Seers”

00Publius Contributor - News - Podcasting - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

Join us for the Voice of Liberty Podcast Network

December 4, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Publius’ Forum in Audio? That’s right, folks, you can hear the same sort of content on our podcast that you read every day here on Publius’ Forum by clicking over to The Voice of Liberty Podcast Network each and every Monday morning for our newest episode.

The Voice of Liberty Podcast Network is the collaborative effort of John McJunkin of Avalon Podcasting, Andrea Shea-King of the Radio Patriot, Ken Marrero of The Blue Collar Muse, and myself, Warner Todd Huston of Publius’ Forum.

I hadn’t mentioned this on Publius’ Forum much because I wanted to see how it was going to work out. But, I feel gratified with the finished product of the 5 podcasts we have done thus far. Here is the synopsis for episode #5:

In episode #5, Warner Todd Huston asks whether Americans can voluntarily give up their rights. Andrea Shea-King delivers some straight talk about communism and liberalism. Ken Marrero reminds us that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. And host John McJunkin wraps up the episode with reason number 4 in his 50-part weekly series, “Why Mrs. Clinton Will Never Be President.”

John McJunkin of Avalon Podcasting has been the tech guy behind this collaborative effort. Here is how he describes our venture:

The world is changing – the Internet has increasing sway over political opinions, and it’s time for the conservative side of the world to leverage it in order to influence people. The right-wing blogosphere is sailing along at full steam and has largely counterbalanced any advantage that the left presumed would accrue to them by blogging. The one area that remains wide open for the right to step in and dominate is the audio-only podcast, which is very similar to another medium that we own – talk radio. The difference is that anyone and everyone can do it, just like blogging. As a matter of fact – we like to think of audio podcasting as “verbal blogging” if you will. We are going to “promote conservative American values and principles” just like it says in our masthead. We invite you to join us each week for 20-30 minutes of punditry and opinion from the right.

So, please do add our Voice of Liberty podcast main page to your blogroll and visit us each and every Monday for our newest episode.

http://www.voiceoflibertypodcast.com/

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

Blaming Verizon Phone Co. for a Dog’s Death?

December 3, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The media are ever inventive in their attacks on capitalism, to say the least, and this one is as inventive as they come. Apparently Stu Bykofsky, columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News, thinks that cell service giant Verizon Wireless is somehow at fault for the death of a doggy. Or, if not guilty for the actual killing of the creature, Stu imagines that Verizon is somehow guilty of aiding and abetting those who killed the kidnapped pup of getting away with the horrid act.

How is it that, as far as Bykofsky is concerned, Verizon is the guilty party in this kidnapping/killing of Edna the Beagle? Because Verizon wants to charge a fee to ferret out cell phone records so that police can track the ransom call to the dog’s owner, that’s why. So, because a capitalist company wants a fee to access records, the Philly Daily News is set to accuse Verizon of aiding and abetting dog torture, kidnapping and the beast’s ultimate killing. Talk about emotionalism run amuck! This story and Bykofsky’s silly reaction to it is a perfect example of the logical disconnect the left has between common sense and their hatred of capitalism. And, sadly, to the left, not even the death of a puppy is to be free of being used as an ideological weapon.

Apparently, last Halloween, Edna’s owner, Bill Whiting, accidentally allowed his lovable little pup to run out the door as kids stood outside his door trick-or-treating that night. The next day, Whiting put up posters for the lost dog when it had not returned. 10 days later he got a call on his cell phone from two young boys who claimed to have the dog. They wanted $600, they said, and to prove they had Edna, the two boys hurt the dog to cause it to yelp so that Whiting could hear his pet.

They told Whiting to meet him at midnight somewhere (a location Whiting could not understand) but he demurred — obviously worried over his own safety. When Whiting shied from their demands the boy on the phone hurt the dog some more, then exclaimed that he just wanted to kill the dog instead. At that point the line went dead.

After Whiting hung up the phone he called the Philadelphia police who termed the crime one of extortion.

At 3AM, a second call came to Whiting’s landline (the contact number on the dog’s tags) and the boy said he had killed the dog. Whiting has since heard nothing from the boys or the dog.

That’s the story. Now here is the absurd take on the aftermath that Bykofsky had in the pages of the Philly Daily News. But, before we get into that, I have to highlight a bit of PCism that is ridiculous for its earnest desire not to connect “black kids” to a story concerned with kidnapping, torture, killing, and general lawlessness. So, instead of saying the kids sounded black, the story contains this gem of a description of the vernacular used by the kidnappers:

Continue reading “Blaming Verizon Phone Co. for a Dog’s Death?”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Islam - Islamofascism - Media Bias - News - Race - Security/Safety - Selwyn Duke - Society/Culture - Uncategorized

Muslims Attack Michael Savage: The Battle Between Taquiya and Talk Radio

December 3, 2007 by

By Selwyn Duke

You will have to forgive me, but I have a difficult time taking the war against Moslem extremists seriously. No, I haven’t become the latest in a line of anti-American quislings who say the war is “all about oil” or that Islamism is not a threat. It’s just that I have trouble mustering enthusiasm for overseas ventures when we allow the enemy’s fifth column to operate virtually unopposed on our shores.

I’m talking about the odious Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a group that could be the legal arm of al-Qaeda. Although CAIR’s machinations usually go unmentioned by the mainstream media, for quite some time now it has been training its sights on anyone who would tackle the Islamic threat with manly strength. It has carried out campaigns against National Review magazine, radio personality Paul Harvey, the producers of the television program 24, and many others who dare say the sultan has no clothes. And now it is targeting award-winning radio talk show host Michael Savage.

CAIR has been pressuring Savage’s advertisers to pull their spots from his show, and I’m dismayed to learn that some businesses have capitulated to their demands. Among these cowardly companies are AutoZone, TrustedID, OfficeMax, Citrix Systems Inc., and JCPenny. I will have them know that as long as they dance with the Devil and boycott Savage’s show, I will boycott them and encourage others to follow suit. And I have a very long memory.

It’s not surprising that business would kneel at the altar of political correctness, as it worships mammon. And, in truth, many people – the good, the bad and the ugly – use their economic clout to try to effect social change; why, some on my side in the culture war are boycotting Ford because it supports the homosexual lobby. But I really have to wonder if these companies know to whom they’re kowtowing. Let’s take a closer look at CAIR.
Continue reading “Muslims Attack Michael Savage: The Battle Between Taquiya and Talk Radio”

00Publius Contributor - 2nd Amendment - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Founders - History - Judges - Media Bias - Military - News - Patriotism - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

New York Times Hopes For SCOTUS Gun Grab

December 2, 2007 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

The “paper of record” once again makes like a broken record with another prosaic call to take away guns from the average American. The New York Times again displays its complete disregard of the Constitution in an editorial titled, “The Court and the Second Amendment”, claiming our founding law is out of date and doesn’t “confront modern-day reality.” In another editorial filled with extreme language, untrue definitions and arrogance, and cementing its reputation against self-defense and American principles, the Times addressed the recent decision by the Supreme Court to soon take on the DC Gun banning reversal case. Hitting all its best low notes and filled with propaganda laced verbiage, the Times again made the case that you, Mr. and Mrs. America, are too stupid and filled with bloodlust to be trusted with a firearm… quite despite that musty, stupid old, out of date Constitution thingie.

It’s hard to believe such a small editorial can have so many lies, distortions and misconceptions but the Times really packed them into this rant. Nearly every paragraph has something that is either incorrect technically, or just plain propagandistic. I’ll take each paragraph one at a time here:

By agreeing yesterday to rule on whether provisions of the District of Columbia’s stringent gun control law violate the Second Amendment to the Constitution, the Supreme Court has inserted itself into a roiling public controversy with large ramifications for public safety. The Court’s move sowed hope and fear among supporters of reasonable gun control, and it ratcheted up the suspense surrounding the court’s current term.

The Supreme Court “inserted itself into a roiling public controversy,” New York Times? Like most cases, this one came TO them, the SCOTUS didn’t go out to actively seek this case. And, notice the soft selling of their attempts to advocate for a reversal of the Constitutional right by calling the issue a “public safety” issue? No, it is a rights issue, not a “public safety” issue, Times, and you know it. By trying to reframe this debate as a “safety” issue, you are purposefully trying to pretend it has nothing to do with your plans to eliminate a Constitutionally guaranteed right to self-protection. It is also amusing that you call your gun grabbing “reasonable.” I am sure that totalitarians everywhere, in every age termed their desires to disarm the public “reasonable” before they undertook that outrage. It was quite a smooth propaganda effort there, though, Times, so props for trying to hide behind misleading language. I am sure your attempts at subterfuge might fool some.

Continue reading “New York Times Hopes For SCOTUS Gun Grab”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Islam - Islamofascism - Media Bias - Nancy Morgan - News - Security/Safety - Uncategorized

Two Muslim Feminists

December 2, 2007 by

-By Nancy Morgan

They don’t call themselves feminists. They don’t belong to any groups or organisations. They don’t claim victim status, and they aren’t members of NOW or CodePink. They don’t have big bucks or political backing. They don’t have the ear of the media or the establishment press. They most assuredly don’t have the backing of the plethora of established human rights, civil rights or women’s rights groups who claim to be the voice of the underdogs and the champions of the oppressed.

All they have is their own experiences, their passion and their voices, which are raised in unison against the religion of Islam.

Meet Wafa Sultan: She was born and raised in Syria. She is one of the lucky ones who, though indoctrinated in Jew hatred, the Koran and the Arab version of ‘history,’ was able to emigrate to the U.S. and become a citizen in 1989.

To Wafa, Islam is not a religion of peace. It is evil. Mohammed was an evil man who proclaimed himself the voice of God. His word was law and he fashioned it according to his whims and enforced it at the point of a sword. Wafa condemns all of Islam. Not just the terrorists. Wafa calls the religion of Islam a “brainwashing machine” for 1.3 billion people. It is only because she was born Muslim that Wafa can get away with condemning Islam. If Americans dare to criticise the “religion of peace” they would be branded “Islamophobes” and shunned for not paying proper obeisance to alternate cultures.
Continue reading “Two Muslim Feminists”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

NY Anchorman Replies to my Piece on His Resignation

December 2, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Remember this one about New York One TV’s anchorman, Gary Anthony Ramsay?

Gary Anthony Ramsay, an anchorman for NY1 News, has resigned this week over his efforts to damage Rudy Giuliani’s bid for the White House by commenting on the Bernard Kerik situation under a false name on the air. It appears that Ramsay called into an episode of the station’s call-in show “The Call” and claimed his name was “Dalton from the Upper East Side” before going off on his rant against Giuliani associate Kerik. Looks like Mr. Ramsay couldn’t keep his journalistic integrity in force long enough to give his own name and stand by his own opinion and it has cost him his TV job.

Well, he has sent me a nice little email letting me know just how wrong I was. He does make one great mistake in his email, however. He assumes I am a “reporter.” I have never claimed to be a “reporter.” I am an essayist and editorialist. I do not “report the news” as Mr. Ramsay imagines. I talk about the issues of the day and mean my efforts to support my ideological positions on the news. I make no claims to be a “reporter,” nor has Mr. Ramsay ever heard of or read that I have made such a claim

In any case, without further adieu and in the interest of fair play, here is Mr. Ramsay’s letter to me:

Mr.Huston.

This is Gary Anthony Ramsay, the ex NY1 anchor who left the station after the incident you described in your article. Its an article NOT a report since it seems clear to me that you didn’t really do any reporting on this matter yourself. You just cut and pasted it into your cute little “look real” journal. It also seems clear that you did not hear the clip of the exchange between me and the host. But like the true modern day journalist you claim to be, you just ran with what you saw someone else write, didn’t make any phone calls yourself or double check facts.

There lies the base of my anger. Nowadays it seems that if you tell a lie long enough and loud enough people take it for truth. Which was what was happening on that show before I called.

Continue reading “NY Anchorman Replies to my Piece on His Resignation”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - News - Uncategorized - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Can Teamsters Clean up Own Act? Obviously Not

December 2, 2007 by 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

There is an old joke of a gingerbread man who was running away from a hungry farmer and came to a river. A fox told him he could help the cookie man get across the river and away from the farmer. The cookie asked if the fox would eat him after they crossed, but the fox said he wouldn’t because “he only wanted to help” the gingerbread man. So, the living cookie agreed and sat atop the fox’s nose as they swam across the river. As soon as they got to the other side, the fox ate the cookie man because, after all, the fox is a fox and cannot be trusted.

This little folk tale is a mirror of real life, only in this case the fox is the unions and the gingerbread cookie’s fate is that of the worker under the union thug’s thumb and this tale is a perfect allegory to the situation in Chicago with a corrupt Teamsters union being expected to investigate and punish one of their own corrupt locals.

The fox guarding the hen house is also a fine allegory for this situation.

The full story is at the Chicago Tribune, but here is the key paragraph:

The recommendation came in a sweeping call by the anti-corruption unit for an in-depth look at wrongdoing and mob ties among Chicago-area Teamsters locals. But the group’s report, which was never made public, was rejected by Teamsters officials.

In other words, the union was supposed to take the recommendations of this anti-corruption unit but decided to ignore the report issued from that very unit in their desire to safeguard their own corrupt pals.

Go read the whole mess over at the Trib, but you’ll find that the Teamsters don’t give a hoot about cleaning up their own corruption.

It is also interesting that the union pointed to the existence of the anti-corruption unit as evidence that they were, indeed, cleaning things up. Of course, if you just ignore the report and go on with business as usual, are you cleaning anything up?

Uh, no would be the answer to that.

Just more evidence that the union isn’t interested in lawful operations.
Continue reading “Can Teamsters Clean up Own Act? Obviously Not”

2nd Amendment - Democrats/Leftists - Education - Uncategorized

Hahvahd Crimson’s Gun Screed Eviscerated

December 2, 2007 by

** Now with Update**

A fellow named Mike Zucker sent me his great Fisking of the latest half sentient, anti-gun screed released by Harvard’s Crimson school paper. I thought I’d pass it along as it gave me quite a chuckle.

Here is a link to the Crimson piece if you’d like to read it ahead of time:
Pulling the Trigger.

So, here is Mr. Zucker’s reply. Enjoy…

Re: Opinion – Pulling the Trigger

Crimson Staff:

Oh ye idealistic neophytes. Evidently 1) proper use of the English language to communicate, and 2) verification of facts are concepts that may be missing from your curriculum. You collectively (how ironic!) call this an education in jounalism. Journalism – at least in bygone days – included a pursuit of the truth. It was the journalists’ mission statement! You have much to learn in your journey of life. A genuine lust for truth is a far greater virtue. A genuine education is paramount – blind trust can be dangerous.

As you so eagerly pledge, pursuant to your webpage (http://www.thecrimson.com/info/about.aspx) and quoted below for your reference:

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF THE CRIMSON MAKES A MISTAKE IN A STORY?

In the event that we run something that is factually inaccurate, we are eager to correct the error. When a correction is necessary, it will run in a corrections box on page two. Please e-mail Managing Editor Javier C. Hernandez (jhernand@fas.harvard.edu) about corrections.

Please eagerly publish these corrections to facts:

  1. Contrary to at least one implied allegation in your article, guns are not sentient.
  2. Guns are not ‘responsible’ for murder (or any other sentient behavior). The (sub) human behind the gun pulling the trigger is the only thing responsible for such unsanctioned act. Guns are as much ‘responsible’ for murder as the spoon is responsible for Rosie being fa… overweight;
  3. The alleged uselessness of a handgun for hunting is not relevant to your chosen topic of discussion (please identify, in the Second Amendment, any reference to hunting); perhaps a review of government tyranny in light of Stalin’s Russia, Hitler’s Germany, or Pol-Pot’s Cambodia, and accompanied with interviews of each tyrants’ victims and opinions of this subject may be more apropos;
  4. Handguns are not built ‘expressly to kill another human being.’ If this statement were true, the implication of your assertion may be interpreted to mean that every pull of every trigger of every handgun would result in a human death. Clearly this assertion is not factual;
  5. Handguns, like all firearms, are designed only to expel a projectile at a relatively predictable velocity along a relatively predictable trajectory;
  6. Yes, more legislation! Indeed, that is the answer!!!

    7. Continue reading “Hahvahd Crimson’s Gun Screed Eviscerated”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

Erin Burnett Calls Bush AND Angela Merkel a ‘Monkey’ on Morning Joe

November 30, 2007 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

**With Video**

On MSNBC’s Morning Joe, back on Monday, Erin Burnett let loose with her real feelings and laid it on the line right on the air, calling President Bush a “monkey” during a business news piece about the Nicolas Sarkozy visit to China.

During the news piece, Burnett said that she couldn’t see how anyone “could not have a man-crush on that man,” in an apparent allusion to French President Sarkozy. The video on the screen at the time was a shot of president Bush and Nicolas Sarkozy walking side by side, with Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel just behind them. After her “man-crush” comment, Burnett made quick to say that she didn’t mean “the monkey” and that she meant “the other one.”

This caused Joe Scarborough and his co-hosts to wonder what the heck she was talking about? “The monkey? Who’s the monkey. What’s she talking about,” Scarborough asked.

After the crew kept asking her who the “monkey” was, Burnett then compounded her gaff by acting as if she thought they were talking about chancellor Merkel. “Why would you be talking about Angela Merkel like that? I don’t understand,” she bumbled in a failed attempt at humor.

Joe was nearly indignant at that one saying, “Now she’s attacking Merkel, she’s our ally in a time of war.”

Naturally, they all treated it as a big joke, but it really was a reveling episode, telling us all how Erin Burnett feels about allies and our own president.

Check out this video:

Jeeze, not much bias there, eh?

Transcript Follows:

Continue reading “Erin Burnett Calls Bush AND Angela Merkel a ‘Monkey’ on Morning Joe”

00Publius Contributor - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Immigration/Immigrants - Media Bias - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Taxes - The Law - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

Santa Cruz Sheriff Says Illegals Aren’t ‘Criminals’?

November 30, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The AP has used the somewhat heartwarming tale of an illegal alien who found an American boy and his mother suffering from a car accident in the Arizona desert and stayed with them until help arrived as an excuse to plead that illegals aren’t “criminals” and should somehow be given a break. The AP tried to pin this wild leap in logic on Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada, but they offer no quote marks around the sentence, so it is hard to say if the Sheriff really said that or the AP was extrapolating and putting words in the Sheriff’s mouth. Still, that this one illegal did something morally right even while he was breaking our laws, does not erase all the illegalities and law breaking that every other illegal immigrant has done over the last 30 years. Nor does it erase the fact that this particular illegal was breaking the law even as he was nice enough to help the little boy and his mother.

Here is the tale:

PHOENIX (AP) — A 9-year-old boy looking for help after his mother crashed their van in the southern Arizona desert was rescued by a man entering the U.S. illegally, who stayed with him until help arrived the next day, an official said.

The 45-year-old woman, who eventually died while awaiting help, had been driving on a U.S. Forest Service road in a remote area just north of the Mexican border when she lost control of her van on a curve on Thanksgiving, Sheriff Tony Estrada said.

The van vaulted into a canyon and landed 300 feet from the road, he said. The woman, from Rimrock, north of Phoenix, survived the impact but was pinned inside, Estrada said.

Her son, unhurt but disoriented, crawled out to get help and was found about two hours later by Jesus Manuel Cordova, 26, of Magdalena de Kino in the northern Mexican state of Sonora. Unable to pull the mother out, he comforted the boy while they waited for help.

As night came on, Mr. Cordova built a fire to keep them warm and stayed with the boy until a couple of hunters spotted them and called for help. Cordova was taken into custody by Border Patrol agents and slated for return to his country.

OK, it was nice that Mr. Cordova had that pang of conscience enough to stay by this helpless child. It is possible he saved the boy’s life, and if he didn’t really save his life he certainly comforted the poor, scared kid through the trauma which may or may not have made the whole mess less of a trauma on him. For that Mr. Cordova deserves warm congratulations for his efforts and the knowledge that he did the right thing by the child.

But he doesn’t deserve a free pass into our country.

Here is how the AP ends their story (My Bold):

Continue reading “Santa Cruz Sheriff Says Illegals Aren’t ‘Criminals’?”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Taxes - Uncategorized - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Unions Trying to Force Higher Property Taxes in Florida

November 30, 2007 by

Why are so many people fooled by unions? It is because unions care about the little guy they are told. It is because unions are supposed to be against the “rich,” or so gullible people are led to believe. Well, here is another case that proves the lie to that claim.

Realtors and business groups in Florida are squaring off against big labor unions in an attempt to pass a property tax cut amendment in the Sunshine state. The labor unions oppose this legislation because they claim it would “cost” local governments and schools “$12.4 billion in lost revenue over the next 5 years.” Why are they worried about that so-called loss? Because it might cause cities and schools to cut some deadwood jobs and that means union jobs cut.

In other words, to save union jobs in our bloated local governments and to save the jobs in failing schools, unions are trying to INCREASE taxes on EVERYONE.

Once again, unions prove how much they are out to help “the little guy.” This time by trying to tax him out of his home.

Nice going unions.

00Publius Contributor - Budget - Google - Media Bias - News - Scott Cleland - Society/Culture - Technology - Uncategorized

Senators Kohl/Hatch write FTC on Google-Doubleclick merger — conclude Google has market power

November 30, 2007 by

-By Scott Cleland

The top Senators overseeing antitrust matters, Senate Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Ranking Republican Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT), wrote a strong letter to the FTC urging serious scrutiny of the Google-DoubleClick merger (see pasted copy of the letter at the bottom of this article).

Having testified before their Senate Subcommittee in opposition to the merger September 27th, I was gratified to learn of the subcommittee’s serious bipartisan concern about the merger and also their very strong grasp of the potential anti-competitive issues arising from the merger.

There are three big takeaways from the letter.

First, the Subcommittee defines the relevant market as Internet advertising: “…combining these two companies’ leading positions in these two forms of Internet advertising could cause significant harm to competition in the Internet advertising marketplace.”
Continue reading “Senators Kohl/Hatch write FTC on Google-Doubleclick merger — conclude Google has market power”

00Publius Contributor - Religion - Society/Culture - Thomas Brewton - Uncategorized

Total Truth

November 30, 2007 by

-By Thomas E. Brewton

A very tough standard for our relationships with God.

In the Old Testament, God was exacting when affronted by disobedience to his commands and, especially, by efforts to hide that disobedience from Him.

Pastor Steve Treash used the Book of Joshua, chapters 6 and 7, as his text for the Sunday sermon at Black Rock-Long Ridge Congregational Church (North Stamford, Connecticut). These chapters recount the famous assault and conquest of Jericho, one of the first victories of the Israelites after their entry into the Promised Land.

All went according to God’s word to Joshua, except for one important detail:

[Jericho] and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury. (Joshua 6:17-19)

But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things ; Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the LORD’s anger burned against Israel. (Joshua 7:1)

Having conquered Jericho, Joshua turned his attention to the town of Ai, expecting an easy victory. Instead,
Continue reading “Total Truth”

00Publius Contributor - Congress - Frank Salvato - GOP - History - News - Patriotism - Society/Culture - Uncategorized

Henry Hyde: A True Statesman and a Constitutional Steward

November 29, 2007 by

-By Frank Salvato

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.” – Congressional Oath of Office

One of the greatest responsibilities bestowed upon elected officials is that of constitutional stewardship. While each elected official has a duty to represent his constituents in a faithful manner, each swears an oath to support and defend the Constitution. We, the citizens of this Republic, through democratic elections, entrust this responsibility to those we elect and expect them to abide by the tenets mandated by the Constitution and to honor their oath to preserve it for future generations. Few have executed that oath more fully than Congressman Henry J. Hyde of Illinois.

Politics in the United States circa 2000 has evolved into what can be legitimately described as a cauldron of special interest narcissism. More often than not, those elected to office are more committed to their political parties and personal political well-being than they are to faithfully representing their constituencies. Because of this manipulation, the massaging of the truth – political spinning – has become acceptable; it has become status quo. While every elected official condemns the manipulation of truth in the political arena very few actually disassociate themselves from the practice. Where, it is said, there is honor among thieves, it would seem that there is little, if any, among America’s political class.

It was for his refusal to compromise neither his oath of office nor the trust of his constituents that Henry Hyde stood out amongst his counterparts in Congress. I can say this because Mr. Hyde served as my congressman for many years and I am proud to have voted for him.

Professionally, his door was always open to his constituents, his attention toward their concerns genuine in nature. Where most politicians view their constituents as entities to “handle,” Mr. Hyde served his constituents as a realist, helping when he could and explaining the intricacies of tough situations and providing guidance and assistance when he couldn’t effect the desired outcome regarding their concerns.
Continue reading “Henry Hyde: A True Statesman and a Constitutional Steward”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

CNN’s GOP Debate Becomes Democrat Showcase

November 29, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The CNN YouTube debate was a sham with planted Democrat operatives posing as “spontaneous” YouTube questioners — one of them being an official Hillary Campaign operative — and a post debate coverage full of apologies and further spin against the candidates all of which ended up being a showcase for CNN’s leftism placed on full display. It isn’t called the Clinton News Network for nuthin’ it appears.

In one instance with the post debate coverage, not only does CNN try their best to muddy Fred Thompson’s stance on the Confederate flag but to accompany the piece they use a picture that makes the candidate look ashamed of himself or pensive, cementing the fact that CNN is trying their best to flavor Thompson’s flag stance as a “bad” thing for him. This is one of the most manipulative articles I’ve seen this election cycle thus far, shameful for its slant and subtle enough that many won’t recognize it for the anti-Thompson spin that it truly is. But, in many ways, this CNN presentation is a perfect example of the sort of spin that CNN specializes in making the lie to their claims of being purveyors of “news.” They are, instead, purveyors of spin designed to harm GOP candidates — in this case Thompson.

In the entry titled, “Romney, Thompson criticize Confederate flag,” this particular piece on the Political Ticker section of CNN’s website fashions itself as a claim that both Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson “criticized” the Confederate flag during the YouTube, BoobTube debate on Tuesday evening. However, Romney is barely mentioned in the body of the piece with the focus being mostly on Fred Thompson. And, in that focus, CNN distorts Thompson’s position badly.

They begin with Thompson’s initial reply to the YouTuber who asked the question about where the candidates stood on the flag issue.

But Thompson added that, “as far as a public place is concerned, I am glad that people have made the decision not to display it as a prominent flag, symbolic of something, at a state capitol.”

But the Confederate flag in South Carolina’s state capital is in a very public place — located on the Statehouse grounds along Gervais Street in Columbia, next to the Confederate Soldier Monument.

CNN then goes on to remind us that, “On Nov. 6, Thompson held a campaign event on the Statehouse grounds, just yards from the flag.”

CNN is clearly trying to make it seem as if Thompson didn’t know that the Confederate flag does fly in a “public” place at the South Carolina state capitol. Thompson clarified to CNN that the memorial over which the CS flag flutters there is acceptable as far as he is concerned.

Continue reading “CNN’s GOP Debate Becomes Democrat Showcase”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - History - News - Society/Culture - Thomas Brewton - Uncategorized

Distorting Plato

November 29, 2007 by

-By Thomas E. Brewton

The “common good,” Democrats’ current campaigning slogan, is a new name for the same old attack upon the moral virtues championed by Plato and Aristotle.

Academic propagandists of atheistic materialism have warped Plato’s dialogues into a formulaic skepticism aimed at discrediting Western civilization’s Judeo-Christian heritage.

A couple of illustrative examples:

A classic that used to be on most college reading lists illustrates the negative aspects of public opinion, the hook upon which liberals hang their demand for elimination of the electoral college and selection of the President solely by popular vote.

Plato’s short dialog, The Apology, recounts Socrates’s address to the Athenian assembly that was to decide whether his fate was to be death or exile. The democratic assembly, 501 Athenians chosen randomly by lot, and thus a good representation of public opinion, had already convicted Socrates of talking to young people in ways said to be subversive to the Athenian city-state.
Continue reading “Distorting Plato”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

CNN ‘Apologizes’ for Allowing Hill Shill in GOP Debate

November 29, 2007 by 1 Comment

Remember the scene in “The Blues Brothers” where Jake Blues (John Belushi) was on his knees in front of Carrie Fischer pleading with her that all the things he did to her wasn’t his fault. His ending line was something like, “I swear to GOD, it wasn’t my fault!” Keep that in mind when watching this gee-we-didn’t-know apology from CNN for having a Hillary Campaign shill in the GOP debate last night!

Well, do you believe that the Clinton News Network didn’t know they had a Hill shill in the GOP debate??

Do, ya, huh?

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Media Bias - Military - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

Hillary Plant in Republican CNN YouTube Debate?

November 28, 2007 by 6 Comments

General Keith Kerr who appeared as a “spontantous” questioner on CNN’s YouTube Republican Debates hosted by Anderson Cooper is a member of the Hillary Clinton campaign. But this was not mentioned upfront, Kerr treated as a regular, spontaneous questioner. Shouldn’t that have been made clear to the audience? Or does CNN think it’s OK to sandbag the GOP candidates with a Hillary operative without mentioning it?

In fact, he was so interesting to the CNN folks that they not only had his YouTube video question but he was there in person to ask follow up questions.

Here is the information about General Kerr’s efforts for the Hillary Clinton campaign:

Clinton Campaign Announces Launch Of LGBT Americans For Hillary Steering Committee

On the eve of the 38th anniversary of Stonewall, Hillary for President announced the formation of “LGBT Americans for Hillary,” a national steering committee of over 65 leaders in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Members of the steering committee include LGBT elected officials, activists from national LGBT and Democratic Party political groups as well as leaders from the worlds of business, entertainment and sports. This leadership committee will work with the campaign on several areas including political outreach, communications, policy advice and counsel, and fundraising….

At the tail of the info about this Hillary committee is a list of those who have joined Hillary’s efforts:

LGBT Americans For Hillary Steering Committee Members (Committee In Formation)*:

(Among the many members is…)

Keith Kerr, retired Colonel., U.S. Army; retired Brigadier General, California National Reserve

And, what does this endorsement mean? According to Hillary’s website:

* Members of LGBT AMERICANS FOR HILLARY have endorsed Hillary Clinton for President in their individual capacity. The names of past or present affiliations are included to assist in identifying the individuals listed and do not indicate any endorsement by that group or organization.

So, what do you all think? Was this a stealth Hillary shill by CNN?

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Judges - Media Bias - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

Exploiting Justice O’Connor’s Tragedy for Political Points

November 28, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

I have to say, this little L.A.Times editorial really takes the cake for insensitivity. It should receive some sort of award for being one of the most gauche pieces I’ve seen from the extreme leftists masquerading as “journalists” for a long, long time. Yes, the Times deserves condemnation for exploiting someone’s tragedy to make a mere political point. In “Sandra Day O’Connor’s loss, and ours,” the Times laments that because of the former Justice’s husband’s Alzheimer’s disease, Sandra Day quit the bench so we lost her to the court and that loss has resulted in the court being “radically tilted to the right.” Imagine exploiting John O’Connor’s disease like this? If a Republican had written this editorial, imagine the hate that would be spewed against him?

This is really a shocking editorial.

From Arizona last week came the sad news that John O’Connor, husband of former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, has grown romantically attached to another patient in an Alzheimer’s facility where both live. For Justice O’Connor, the pain of watching her husband drift away must at some level be balanced by the notion that his new relationship brings him some measure of happiness and peace. Their son reported she was gratified that her husband “was relaxed and happy and comfortable living here.”

Undeniably this is sad news but is it something we need to know? Is it our business that this man’s brain disabling disease has caused his unknowing infidelity? Shouldn’t this be left in the realm of personal family tragedy not open for public consumption? Where is the public’s need to know here? But wait until you see where the L.A.Times takes this story…

John O’Connor’s fading connection stands as a reminder of the capriciousness of this tragic disease and, in this case, of its consequences not just for the O’Connor family but for the nation.

Their loss is our loss? How is that, you wonder?

Continue reading “Exploiting Justice O’Connor’s Tragedy for Political Points”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - News - Uncategorized - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Five Reasons Why Congress Should Enact a National Right to Work Law

November 28, 2007 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Here are five reasons why forced association with unions breeds corruption and why right to work laws are good to stem that coercion.

  1. Freedom to Associate Also Means Freedom Not to Associate – The average man on the street, as well as constitutional scholars, understands that any genuine personal right should include the freedom to refrain from exercising that right.
  2. Right to Work Bolsters Job Creation, Personal Income Growth – In addition to freeing millions of Americans from the yoke of forced union dues, a national Right to Work law would at the same time help to improve our nation’s economy.
  3. Right to Work’s Benefits Reach Citizens at All Income Levels – In addition to protecting the freedom of association and promoting economic development, Right to Work laws are an anti-poverty program with a proven record of success.
  4. Passage of a National Right to Work Law Would Eliminate All Forced-Dues Politicking by Private-Sector Union Bosses – Not passing a national Right to Work law means not only that American workers will be denied a brighter economic future. It also means that millions of private-sector workers will continue to be forced to contribute to political candidates they do not wish to support.

  5. A National Right to Work Law Would Reduce Union Corruption – The incestuous relationship between forced union dues and corruption was captured perfectly by the late U.S. Sen. John McClellan (D-Ark.): “Compulsory unionism and corruption go hand in hand.” McClellan was referring to the corruption inherent within labor organizations that depend on the forced tribute of workers.

Check out the National Institute for Labor Relations Research, a great organization with tons of info available on their website.
Continue reading “Five Reasons Why Congress Should Enact a National Right to Work Law”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Thomas Brewton - Uncategorized

Paul Krugman: Social Magician

November 28, 2007 by

-By Thomas E. Brewton

Mr. Krugman waves his magic wand and presumes to banish future difficulties for Social Security.

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, in his November 16 piece, tells us:

But the “everyone” who knows that Social Security is doomed doesn’t include anyone who actually understands the numbers. In fact, the whole Beltway obsession with the fiscal burden of an aging population is misguided.

As Peter Orszag, the director of the Congressional Budget Office, put it in a recent article co-authored with senior analyst Philip Ellis: “The long-term fiscal condition of the United States has been largely misdiagnosed. Despite all the attention paid to demographic challenges, such as the coming retirement of the baby-boom generation, our country’s financial health will in fact be determined primarily by the growth rate of per capita health care costs.

First, while it’s true that Medicare and Medicaid will become the largest drain on Federal funds in coming decades, it’s not true that concern about Social Security in misguided. That’s analogous to saying that, compared to a category 7 hurricane, a tornado is no problem, because its total devastation is confined to a smaller area.
Continue reading “Paul Krugman: Social Magician”

00Publius Contributor - 2nd Amendment - Congress - Constitution - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - History - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - The Law - Uncategorized - Warner Todd Huston

Voluntarily Giving up Rights — Boston’s Outrage Against the Constitution

November 27, 2007 by 5 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

The recent outrage against Constitutional liberty by the Boston Police raises some very interesting questions. Can we voluntarily give up our Constitutional rights? Further, can government legally violate our rights even if we ask them to do so? These are questions that we all need to consider before allowing police into our homes, invited or no.

Last week The Boston Globe reported that the Boston police are about to launch a program in “high-crime neighborhoods” where a roving band of policemen will walk door-to-door and ask parents if they have permission to search the home for guns. These police squads intend to conduct searches without warrants, claiming that the invitation by the homeowner is all they need to commence the search.

Like all steps down the road to tyranny, the pavement here is being laid by folks with good intentions, officials who are, after all, only trying to “help” the community. The Commissar of Police, Edward Davis claims that he is giving the folks of Boston “an option” for what to do about gun violence in the city. The cops “ask permission” to enter and supposedly only do so when given the OK. They also target specific homes that have been fingered as troublesome by neighbors and other intelligence sources.

Some community leaders are professing their faith in this new program that is patterned after one instituted, but later abandoned, by the St. Louis police. Boston’s community leaders seem ready to give this a try because the program is supposed to be spurred by community interaction and tips to the Boston PD. It is interesting and instructive, however, to note that some reports about the demise of the St. Louis program claim that one of the reasons they shut it down there was because the St. Louis PD began to rely more on their own intelligence and less on community tips. Meaning, the community was no longer involved and the police there began to act as if it was solely their own resources that should support the program.

It seems the St. Louis PD shut down their program before it got completely out of hand, but the shift from a program based on community involvement to one that relied solely on the supposed powers and authorities of the police is an indication of where the program would have, must have, ended up — as an out of control program run by storm-troopers who imagined they had the right to kick down the door of any home they felt the desire to target.

In any case, whether the people of Boston allow police to roam through their homes or not, this is a clear violation of civil rights, illegal search and seizure laws, and the very Constitution itself. It is also a violation of principles that the Founders held dear, namely that man has certain unalienable rights that government cannot violate, no matter what. Apparently the Boston police don’t much care about such rights.

But you should.
Continue reading “Voluntarily Giving up Rights — Boston’s Outrage Against the Constitution”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Frank Salvato - Islam - Islamofascism - Media Bias - Military - News - Religion - Society/Culture - Uncategorized

Multiculturalism Exposes the US to Terrorism

November 27, 2007 by

-By Frank Salvato

The people of the United States, for all practical purposes, like to believe we are fair-minded. We believe that everyone should get a fair shot. Most of us believe that if you work hard you should get ahead. Many of us have even embraced the ever advancing multiculturalism counter-culture, which is completely antithetical to the concept of E Pluribus Unum; “Out of many, one.” With regard to the latter, vindication has come to those of us who believe we are fair-minded while being opposed to the “Balkanization” the United States.

It would seem that in our nation’s quest to prove to the world that we are inclusive and tolerant we have, literally, allowed those who want to kill us into some of the most sensitive areas of our government, areas where they put our national security at risk.

In two recent and separate instances, individuals linked to terrorism organizations have been allowed to rise to important positions within the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency. In addition the Inspector General for the United States Agency for International Development has issued a report that states:

“…policies, procedures, and controls are not adequate to reasonably ensure against providing assistance to terrorists…[ USAID’s] policies or procedures do not require the vetting of potential or current USAID partners.”

The USAID internal audit came in the aftermath of a fierce gunbattle between Hamas and al Fatah terrorists at the Hamas administrated Islamic University in Gaza. After the battle, large caches of weapons and ammunition were displayed, recovered from inside the university. The Islamic University in Gaza received more than $140,000 in funding from USAID. Hamas is a State Department designated terrorist organization.

Continue reading “Multiculturalism Exposes the US to Terrorism”

00Publius Contributor - Congress - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Taxes - Uncategorized - Vince Johnson

Are Global Warming Tax Breaks in the Works?

November 27, 2007 by

-By Vince Johnson

The IRS currently allows various tax breaks designed to encourage citizens to invest in various products and technologies that will conserve energy derived from natural gas, oil and coal. Some examples of these tax breaks are listed below: (Quoted from the Sierra Club web page)

Hybrid vehicle tax credit: this credit varies by make and model, but can be up to $3,000.
Home energy efficiency tax credit: up to $500 for home improvements designed to make your home more energy efficient, such as new windows or a more efficient heating/cooling system.
Residential solar and fuel cell tax credit: up to $2,000 for installation of a solar electric, solar water heating, or fuel cell system. Any excess credit can be carried forward one additional year.
Energy subsidy exemption: Any rebates or incentives you receive for energy conservation measures, directly or indirectly, from utilities are not counted as taxable income.

There are many more similar tax breaks, but those listed above will be sufficient to illustrate the need for similar tax credits and allowances designed to encourage people to prepare for the oncoming devastation that will be caused by Global Warming. The unquestionable certainty of this oncoming disaster is based upon scientific studies and reports made by the United Nations, hundreds of respected and well educated authorities on climatology and meteorology, front page coverage as approved by the influential editors of the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Denver Post, Atlanta Constitution and the Oregonian.

In light of the overwhelmingly unanimous clamor about Global Warming, it has therefore become appropriate and judicious to suggest that Congress instruct the IRS to make some critically important modifications in the Tax Code as listed below: (And do so before it is too late!)

Allow up to $150 tax credit for FEMA approved books and educational materials advising families how to prepare for the impact of Global Warming. (At present, no such books are available, but it is reasonable to assume many are currently being rushed to the printers with all possible dispatch.)
Continue reading “Are Global Warming Tax Breaks in the Works?”