Crossposted from Flopping Aces

Readers will recall that we’ve warned time and again that global warming alarmist’s first target is the U.S. economy.

Here’s more proof in a report from ABC’s Jake Tapper:

January 31, 2008 9:26 AM

Former President Bill Clinton was in Denver, Colorado, stumping for his wife yesterday.

In a long, and interesting speech, he characterized what the U.S. and other industrialized nations need to do to combat global warming this way: “We just have to slow down our economy and cut back our greenhouse gas emissions ’cause we have to save the planet for our grandchildren.”
At a time that the nation is worried about a recession is that really the characterization his wife would want him making? “Slow down our economy”?

I don’t really think there’s much debate that, at least initially, a full commitment to reduce greenhouse gases would slow down the economy….So was this a moment of candor?

Save the planet so our grandchildren can live in poverty? Is that the deal? Clinton went on to talk about how other countries would have to join us in this effort, but do we really believe that nation’s like China, Brazil and Mexico will all of a sudden begin start living up to the international agreements they sign?

And of course we know that GOP candidate McCain is also an adherent to the global baloney frenzy.

McCain has frequently said that “even if we are wrong” about global warming (McCain’s position in short video), we will be leaving our children a cleaner world. Yep… even if McCain is wrong our children will be living in poverty?

No thanks!

also:

Obama – The Great Unifier?

One thing about John McCain, you know what you get with him if you vote for or against him. But with Barack Hussein Obama you know absolutely nothing. He makes grandiose speeches about being a uniter, someone who would cross party lines to work together but in reality the man is anything but. He is the most partisan liberal in the Senate, as of 2007 that is.

The National Journal rates Senators on their voting records every year and numbers them according to those same voting results. From most liberal to most conservative. In Obama’s first year in the Senate he was rated the 16th most liberal. 2006 he was the 10th, and in 2007 he took the prize. The number one most liberal in the United States Senate.

(more…)

Crossposted from Red Maryland

It’s a bit on the stale side newswise, but I wanted to bring their withdrawal up this evening to discuss the impact their absence from their respective party races could have.

Let’s start with John Edwards. Once again he was denied the brass ring as he was in 2004. But this time I don’t think he’ll get the consolation prize (such that it was) of being number 2 on the ticket. If you look at how he campaigned on the theme of “soup line America” (even in his concession speech, which now serves as the remainder of his campaign site), I can’t see him on the stump as the Democrat’s running mate. Personally I don’t think Obama would pick him and my money is on Bill Richardson getting the nod if Hillary’s nominated.

But more importantly, where do his votes go? He got a solid plurality of the white male vote in South Carolina, and that’s your average union person. But many of those Rust Belt states don’t vote until later in the campaign and by then it may be a fait accompli.

A big deal was made in Iowa about 70% of the vote going against Hillary but I think the Edwards vote will accrue to Hillary for two reasons: first, I think most of the anti-Hillary vote had already pretty much abandoned John after Iowa when they saw Barack Obama was the stronger candidate; secondly, the race card that Bill and Hillary Clinton dealt in South Carolina will rake in the chips among the lunchbucket set in the Rust Belt. Those may be the states that Bill hits heavily after Super Tuesday because there’s a lot of unionistas who fondly recall the “good days” when Bill was in office. Many of them would be all for the “two for the price of one” idea.

The Democrat polls are tightening a bit in some states but Hillary should prevail nevertheless.

As if the conservative movement didn’t have enough issues, Rudy Giuliani got out of the race and backed John McCain, and in a glowing manner to boot. How about this passage by Michael D. Shear from the Washington Post:

The presidency requires someone with a “clear vision” about the challenges that the country faces, Giuliani told a room packed with television cameras. It requires a person with “will” and “perseverance” to get things accomplished for the country, said the former New York mayor.

“Obviously, I thought I was that person,” Giuliani joked. “The voters made a different choice.”

And then, Giuliani spoke the words that should warm McCain’s heart and help fill his campaign coffers.

“John McCain is the most qualified candidate to be the next commander in chief of the United States,” Giuliani said, moments after officially withdrawing. “He is an American hero, and America could use heroes in the White House. He is a man of honor and integrity, and you can underline both ‘honor’ and ‘integrity.’”

Rudy was getting around 10% in Super Tuesday states before he exited. If you figure that 60-70% of Rudy’s votes will go to McCain, that’s an extra 2 to 4 points which Mitt Romney or the fading Mike Huckabee have to make up against the Republican nominee of the Fourth Estate Party and I simply don’t see that happening.

More alarmingly to me, I’ve already noticed a trend among voting states where the Democrats have more total votes than the Republicans, and this trend is sure to continue if McCain keeps building his lead and conservative Republicans feel more and more abandoned by the process. They’ll show their displeasure by blowing off Election Day.

In turn, that apathy may hit close to home. If the conservatives on the Eastern Shore decide to forgo the primary, it may boost Wayne Gilchrest’s chances at staving off the twin challenges of Andy Harris and E.J. Pipkin. Judging by our September straw poll, Fred Thompson was a clear favorite among local voters and those voters also liked Andy Harris (note that this was prior to E.J. Pipkin’s entry into the race.) With the Reagan-style presidential hopefuls gone, Harris, and to a lesser extent Pipkin, will have to figure out some way to motivate their charges on February 12.

Crossposted from Conservative Thoughts.

I know the holocaust is an important topic that we should teach at every opportunity. I think this instance is just a little over the top. A float of dead bodies in the middle of a parade filled with dancing is probably the wrong forum for this issue.

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – A Carnival float with a pile of model dead bodies commemorating the Holocaust is causing unease before the lavish parades in Rio de Janeiro this weekend.

The Viradouro samba organization, or school, plans to feature the grim display when it marches in the Sambadrome parade strip on Sunday, despite objections from a local Jewish group.

“Really, it makes no sense addressing this theme with drums and dancing girls,” said Sergio Niskier, president of the Israelite Federation in Rio de Janeiro state, referring to the slaughter of Jews by Nazi Germany in World War Two.

“There are still survivors of that horror who have the marks of that tragedy on their skin,” he said.

Rio’s Carnival is famed for the parades by samba schools with glitzy floats and costumes and street parties where costumed revelers drink and dance all night.

The elaborately decorated floats are a key part of each samba school’s presentation, along with thousands of dancers and drummers led by near naked Carnival queens.

Update:

Brazil Judge Bans Carnival Float Depicting Naked Holocaust Victims

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — A judge issued an order Thursday prohibiting a Rio samba group from parading during carnival with a float depicting naked bodies of Holocaust victims. (more…)

by Haider Ajina

Iraqi Security Forces Gain in Capability

BAGHDAD — Iraqi security forces increasingly demonstrate their professionalism and willingness to step up to protect the Iraqi people, a spokesman for Multinational Corps Iraq told reporters Sunday.

During a briefing in Baghdad , Navy Rear Adm. Gregory J. Smith pointed to numerous signs of progress in training and equipping the Iraqi army and police forces and the greater role these forces now play in Iraq ’s security.

“We continue to see examples of the increasingly professionalized Iraqi security forces stepping up to protect their people,” he said.

Smith noted the gains being made by soldiers, police officers and groups such as “The Awakening” and concerned local citizens. For example, last week in Karmah, an Iraqi army unit discovered two critical stockpiles that together included more than 2,500 pounds of homemade explosives.

“The Iraqi army, being on the ground and among its people, saved an unknown number of lives with this find,” Smith said.

In a similar incident, Iraqi soldiers operating northeast of Ramadi responded to a tip from a local citizen and recovered a stockpile of plastic explosives, rocket and mortar rounds, detonating cords and ammunition.

“These finds happen every day, and … in every corner of Iraq ,” Smith said. “As Operation Phantom Phoenix continues, we are seeing Iraq ’s commitment to its security forces produce real results.

Meanwhile, Iraqi security forces continue to grow and increase in capability, Smith said.

More than 1,800 new police officers recently graduated from the National Police Training Center in Numaniyah, Smith noted. The officers received individualized, specialized instruction and education, with some focusing on anti-terrorism operations and others in investigations.

“These officers will enrich and expand the capabilities of their nation’s security forces,” Smith said. “All of these officers have pledged their loyalty to the united, democratic Iraq . They have expressed their commitment to all the people of Iraq . And they have bravely chosen to stand with those who want a better tomorrow instead of violence and anarchy offered by Iraq ’s enemies.”

In addition, more than 2,000 newly trained police officers have graduated from the Habbaniyah Police Training Center in Anbar province since it opened in June, Smith said. That school offers three specialized schools: one in convoy operations and street survivability, another train-the-trainer school designed to equip the Iraqi police to educate and lead on their own, and an officers’ transition integration program.

“These capabilities matter and are having positive effects in the lines of Iraqi citizens,” Smith said.

Iraq’s enemies are responding to this new capability with ever-more-desperate attacks, he said. He pointed to two incidents last week in Mosul and Tikrit, in which 15-year-olds were exploited to carry out murder-suicides.

“Children are not only humanity’s future, they are the most innocent and vulnerable among us,” Smith said. “We have a trust to care for them, to raise them up as good citizens. Al Qaeda is instead trying to brainwash children … with hate and death. We see a stark contrast between those who are building a strong, secure and peaceful society and those who seek to create a culture of violence, hate and despair.”

My Comment,

The Multinational Forces representative of the Polish forces in Iraq announced that the Iraqis are ready to take over Diwaniah by June and that all Polish forces may be out of Iraq by October. The Polish Military spokes person said that the Iraqi forces have received training and developed the skills needs to take over security in Diwaniah. There has also been talk about Iraqis taking over Anbar province soon. Remember Anbar province the bastion of Alqida and the Batthisits and the then most Anti American province in Iraq . Thanks to the efforts of our men and women who served and serving in Iraq , and willing Iraqis that this tremendous progress is happening.

Crossposted from Flopping Aces

So Edwards is quitting:

Democrat John Edwards is exiting the presidential race Wednesday, ending a scrappy underdog bid in which he steered his rivals toward progressive ideals while grappling with family hardship that roused voters’ sympathies, The Associated Press has learned.

The two-time White House candidate notified a close circle of senior advisers that he planned to make the announcement at a 1 p.m. EST event in New Orleans that had been billed as a speech on poverty, according to two aides. The decision came after Edwards lost the four states to hold nominating contests so far to rivals who stole the spotlight from the beginning — Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.

The former North Carolina senator will not immediately endorse either candidate in what is now a two-person race for the Democratic nomination, said one adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity in advance of the announcement.

And now we wonder where his supporters go to now? Michelle Malkin has a graph of the South Carolina exit polls:

Which means it comes down to Democrat white males. Where do they go? Michelle thinks Obama but I disagree. Those white males were usually the angry union types who wanted to stick it to big corporations and I do not see them moving to Obama.

But either way, Silky is gone….finally.

UPDATE:

Giuliani also quits White House race

SIMI VALLEY, California (Reuters) – Republican Rudy Giuliani abandoned his failing U.S. presidential bids on Wednesday, narrowing the race to two main candidates on each side before next week’s nomination voting in more than 20 states.

Giuliani, the one-time front-runner who finished a distant third in Florida’s Republican primary on Tuesday, traveled to California to endorse Arizona Sen. John McCain in a Republican battle against former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

“Today I am officially announcing my withdrawal as a candidate for president of the United States,” Giuliani said at the Ronald Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley before a televised Republican presidential debate.

also:

Don’t Panic About Global Warming

Here is a very short concise rundown of why the “science” of man-made global warming is not settled from The Climate Skeptic:

A longer 9 minute version is here.

Crossposted from Conservative Thoughts.

A British Muslim, or should I say Islamic extremist, planned to behead a British soldier just so he could film it and post his little propaganda piece on the internet. Barbaric!

Notice the media in both the headlines and first paragraph on this story failed to mention the perpetrators religion but highlighted the victim’s. Why does the MSM insist on protecting Islam from itself? The method of murder gave away that information immediately.

LEICESTER: A man has pleaded guilty to a plot to kidnap and kill a Muslim soldier in the British army by cutting off his head, a court was told yesterday.Parviz Khan, a 37-year-old Briton, pleaded guilty this month to a series of charges including the beheading plot, which was foiled by police and the MI5 security service a year ago.

Media had been barred from reporting Khan’s plea until today when a trial of two other men opened in Leicester. News of the plot leaked to the media last year, prompting parallels with Al Qaeda hostage killings in Iraq.

Prosecutor Nigel Rumfitt told the jury Khan was “a man who has the most violent and extreme views” and who wanted to get physically involved in acts of terrorism. “He was enraged by the idea that there were Muslim soldiers in the British army, some of them Muslims from The Gambia in west Africa.”

Khan decided to kidnap such a soldier with the help of drug dealers operating in Birmingham. The victim was to be seized while enjoying a night out and bundled into a car, Rumfitt said. (more…)

Maryland State Delegates Ana Sol Gutierrez (D-Montgomery) and Victor Ramirez (D-Prince George’s) are leading the creation of a “New Americans Caucus”, allegedly designed “to respond to the multiple and various needs of the new Americans living in Maryland ”. Nothing could be further from the truth. Rather than helping new legal immigrants to our state, this dynamic duo is continuing their quest for unlimited tax dollars and political support for the growing Hispanic illegal alien community in Maryland .

Their unrelenting support of illegal alien drivers’ licenses, taxpayer funded in-state tuition, day laborer centers and social services, voiding of housing and loitering codes, sanctuary cities, dismissal of federal warrants for illegals, and millions in tax dollars for the illegal aliens’ non-profit of choice, CASA of Maryland, makes this new caucus quite suspect. What an insult to the attempt to compare this bogus group with Maryland ’s officially sanctioned Black, women’s and veterans’ caucuses.

Del. Gutierrez, despite her multiple college degrees, is seemly incapable of opening a dictionary and discovering that there is an actual difference between “legal immigrant” and her “illegal alien” clientele. Gutierrez needs to sever her umbilical cord with CASA (Central American Solidarity and Assistance) of Maryland and instead begin to focus on the needs of the voting citizens of Montgomery County . Similarly, Del. Ramirez would be wise to abandon his plan to institute in-state tuition for illegal aliens, which will jeopardize Maryland college slots for his deserving African American and other student citizens in his district.
(more…)

Crossposted from Red Maryland

The Daily Times doesn’t want you to wait in line for your drivers’ license. Isn’t that sweet. The bottom line is that the Real ID act is a minor inconvenience and worth the price of helping to protect the sovereignty of our nation.

Do we want illegal aliens voting in Maryland elections? Without Real ID, that is exactly what we are getting. Go to your county Elections Board. If you present a valid Maryland license or ID, that is all you need. Yet, illegals are permitted those under the current law. The requirements to vote are clear, yet no proof of citizenship is necessary.

The Daily Times argues that being forced to obtain a copy of your birth certificate (at a cost of $15) in order to obtain a drivers’ license is simply too onerous. Of course, a tax increase on Salisbury residents (as the “Tilghman Times” refused to critically examine) that amounts to hundreds of dollars is perfectly OK.

I am honestly perplexed at the arguments made by our local newspaper. While it is no secret that I am no fan of their editorial policy, I never would have accused them of supporting illegal immigration or of being anti-American, until today. The paper will of course argue that this was not their argument. Perhaps … but it is surely the result.

MY KIND OF DAUGHTER

Little Melissa comes home from first grade and tells her father that they learned about the history of Valentine’s Day. “Since Valentine’s Day is for a Christian saint and we’re Jewish,” she asks, “Will God get mad at me for giving someone a valentine?” Melissa’s father thinks a bit, and says, “No, I don’t think God would get mad. Who do you want to give a Valentine to?” “Osama Bin Laden,” she says. “Why Osama Bin Laden,” her father asks in shock. “Well,” she says, “I thought that if a little American Jewish girl could have enough love to give Osama a Valentine, he might start to think that maybe we’re not all bad, and maybe start loving people a little bit. And if other kids saw what I did and sent Valentines to Osama, he’d love everyone a lot. And then he’d start going all over the place to tell everyone how much he loved them and how he didn’t hate anyone anymore.” Her father’s heart swells and he looks at his daughter with new found pride. “Melissa, that’s the most wonderful thing I’ve ever heard.”
(more…)

Crossposted from Conservative Thoughts.

ENJOY!!!!!!

Code Pink members came down to Miami to convince Cuban exiles that Luis Posada Carriles deserves to be prosecuted for his alleged role in the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner, which killed 73 people.

Cuban exiles, many who consider Posada a hero, did not allow them to hold a press conference.

THE HOWARD COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT

by James H. Lilley

Any cold-blooded murderer hoping for a free pass for his crime should pray that his case be heard in the Howard County Circuit Court. Having a Capital Offense tried before a Judge and Jury in Howard County, Maryland is the equivalent of winning the Power Ball and Mega Millions drawings on successive nights. Certainly your odds of winning those lotteries in consecutive drawings would be greater than having a death sentence handed down in Howard County. If you don’t believe it, ask Brandon Morris. Morris executed Corrections Officer Jeffrey Wroten while effecting his escape from a Western Maryland hospital. But, today Judge Joseph Manck saw fit to spare him the death penalty he so much deserved, and sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Looking back on Manck’s record as a judge, I’m surprised that he didn’t award Morris 10 millions dollars for the inconvenience caused by bringing him to trial, and set him free.

Manck offered several reasons for sparing Morris’ life and, par for the course, they were as lame as the judicial system has become. Of course, he said he wanted to spare the victim’s family from having to face years of appeals. The family countered by saying they didn’t care if they had to face endless years of appeals, Morris deserved the death sentence, and the court failed to do its job. Tracey Wroten, wife of the victim, said the decision to live through the appeals process should rest with the family, not the judge. Washington County Prosecutor, Charles Strong agreed with Tracey Wroten, and said that although the Prosecutor’s in this case did their jobs, the court failed the Wroten family. Next, Manck brought out the crying towel, and began the sad tale of Morris’ horrible life. Poor Brandon led a terrible life, being abused and left to fend for himself. So, instead of fighting back and making something of himself, he chose a life of crime and became a career criminal.

America has become a society of excuses, and Morris just followed along with the others who refuse to accept responsibility for their own lives. Today, we have excuses for everything from poor grades, to bad driving habits and rape and murder. Just point the finger at someone else, or blame society as a whole. I know men, black and white, who led terrible lives as children, and were abused and abandoned, but today they are successful businessmen. Why? Because they had the courage to fight for themselves and chose not to follow the sheep, and whine a never-ending list of excuses for their failures.

Of course, I’m sure Judge Joseph Manck would also claim that he knew nothing of Morris’ actions during his trial. Morris continually gave the finger to the victim’s family and friends, and mouthed obscenities to law enforcement officers. At one point he also gave the finger to TV cameras, hoping to give the viewing audience a show of his sentiments for the victim and the judicial system. Morris’ body language, and his punk smirk everyday said he’d gladly kill another law enforcement officer if the opportunity presented itself. By sparing his life, Manck pinned another thug badge of honor on Morris. This thug badge of honor was earned with the blood of an innocent man, and that blood now stains the hands of Judge Manck and the Howard County Circuit Court.

Brandon Morris will never walk the streets a free man again, but he should be facing a dark hole six feet under the ground. He should be sitting on death row, waiting to hear the door open, and having someone coldly tell him, “It’s time.” Brandon Morris is like so many others who butcher innocent men, women and children—a cruel, calculating killer. And, like them, he deserved to die.

Crossposted from Flopping Aces

How dare we demand that those who come to our country and want to become American citizens learn to speak English! How dare we!

According to McCain that is:

McCain stood in the middle of the GOP cloakroom and yelled at several of his Senate colleagues because they deigned to have a vote — to have a vote — on Inhofe’s “English As the National Language” amendment to the 2006 immigration bill. He accused conservatives of being “divisive” and “insulting” Latinos for suggesting that immigrants ought to learn this language. He was nasty and unhinged. About 10 staffers witnessed this. He delighted in telling the conservative senators there that they were destroying the party with these efforts. This is what Santorum is talking about. He had antipathy for social and cultural conservatives’ efforts.

Man, the guy is an embarrassment.

It’s an insult to tell those who want to live here to learn our freaking language? Amazing.

also:

Tension on the Floor During Bush’s State of the Union Address

Wouldn’t you like to know what Teddy is telling Obama?

From the Associated Press: So close, yet so far away—and so bitter.
Rival Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama came within a foot of each other just before President Bush’s State of the Union speech Monday night and managed not to acknowledge each other, and certainly not touch.

Clinton, clad in scarlet, crossed the aisle between their seats on the House floor and reached out a hand to greet Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the Democratic icon whose endorsement she had courted only to lose it to Obama.

Kennedy shook her hand while Obama, wearing a dark suit and standing between the two, turned away.

The rivals then retreated to their seats, only the aisle and four senators between them.

It was the latest chapter in the increasingly nasty fight between the two leading candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination and capped a dramatic day.

Hours earlier, Obama received the endorsements of Kennedy and Caroline Kennedy, the brother and daughter, respectively, of President John F. Kennedy. They were joined by Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., the senator’s son.

On his way out of the chamber, Bush shook hands with Obama. The president and Clinton did not shake hands.

The only Republican senator still running, John McCain of Arizona, skipped the address to campaign in Florida.

Earlier in the day Senator Kennedy endorsed Obama and said: “Through Barack, I believe we will move beyond the politics of fear and personal destruction and unite our country with the politics of common purpose,” Mr Kennedy said.

Do you suppose Kennedy is warning Obama to stay out of Fort Marcy Park?

Delegate Ron George (District 30, Republican) has reintroduced legislation to prohibit illegal aliens from receiving a Maryland driver’s license. According to Delegate George on the Bruce Elliott Show this morning, the number of out-of-country license applications has surged from an average of 1,054 a month to 2,000 a week!

Vehicle Laws – Proof of Legal Presence Act of 2008 currently has 58 co-sponsors (21 Democrats and 37 Republicans) and is reported to have an excellent chance of passing the House of Delegates, but it must get through the House Judiciary Committee first.

Please contact members of the House Judiciary Committee as well as your own state representatives and ask them to support House Bill 288. Note that eight members of the House Judiciary Committee are bill sponsors. Delegate Emmett Burns (District 10, Democrat) and Delegate Steve DeBoy (District 12A, Democrat) are also among the sponsors. Thank them for their support!

House Judiciary Committee

Joseph F. Vallario, Jr. (410) 841-3488 Chair
Samuel I. Rosenberg (410) 841-3297 Vice Chair
Curtis S. Anderson (410) 841-3291
Benjamin S. Barnes (410) 841-3046
Jill P. Carter (410) 841-3283
Frank M. Conaway, Jr. (410) 841-3189 Bill sponsor
Kathleen M. Dumais (410) 841-3052
Donald H. Dwyer, Jr. (410) 841-3047 Bill sponsor
William J. Frank (410) 841-3793 Bill sponsor
Kevin Kelly (410) 841-3404 Bill sponsor
Benjamin F. Kramer (410) 841-3485
Susan C. Lee (410) 841-3649
Gerron S. Levi (410) 841-3101
Susan K. McComas (410) 841-3272 Bill sponsor
W. Anthony McConkey (410) 841-3406 Bill sponsor
Victor R. Ramirez (410) 841-3340
Todd L. Schuler (410) 841-3526
Christopher B. Shank (410) 841-3636 Bill sponsor
Luiz R. S. Simmons (410) 841-3037
Michael D. Smigiel, Sr. (410) 841-3555 Bill sponsor
Kriselda Valderrama (410) 841-3210
Jeffrey D. Waldstreicher (410) 841-3130
(more…)

Crossposted from Red Maryland

Donna Edwards is the progressive saint of the FSP folks. They are touting her new “stakeout” ad against Al Wynn. Watch it below. Edwards films Wynn departing the office of big nuclear power company and shows the other “big corporate special interests” that fund Wynn. However, note the Sierra Club and League of Conservation Voters endorsement logos at the end of the ad.

The Sierra Club and LCV are big players in the constellation of progressive advocacy groups National Review contributor Byron York documented in his book The Vast Left Wing Conspiracy. One of York’s major arguments is that the left’s commitment to campaign finance reform and law is purely notional. The left’s largest financiers like George Soros, championed campaign finance reform because they saw it as a tool to hamper rich evil Republicans. York points out many many instances of campaign finance shenanigans on the left. The point being, that the left and their special interests are on the side of the angels and not subject to the rules.

PolitickerMD’s coverage of Al Wynn’s FEC complaint against Donna Edwards reveals that she might be another example of what York noted in his book.

In a letter to the FEC, Lori Sherwood, the congressman’s campaign manager, wrote, “Based on my examination of various records and documents I believe the Donna Edwards for Congress Committee has received substantial assistance by way of unreported, in-kind contributions from organizations who profess to have operated independently of the Edwards Campaign.”

In a lengthy complaint, Sherwood claimed that as executive director of the social justice organization the Arca Foundation, Edwards was “responsible for administering and overseeing grants that are awarded and distributed” by the group – grants that go to some of her campaign’s biggest supporters.

“By way of example and not limitation, the Arca Foundation contributed $100,000.00 in grants to the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) from 2004-2006,” Sherwood said.

“That after having been intimately involved in the award of an Arca grant to the LCV, Donna Edwards was appointed to the Board of Directors of the League of Conservation Voters,” she continued. “After receipt of grant money from Ms. Edward’s group and her appointment to the LCV Board, LCV endorsed Donna Edwards for Congress in 2006 and 2008.” Sherwood goes on to allege that the “LCV and its principals contributed over $15,000.00 to the Edwards campaign through its board members, employees, and the LCV PAC.”

The complaint also alleges other non kosher relationships with other progressive organizations like EMILY’s List and Friends of the Earth.

EMILY’s List Executive Director Ellen Moran denounced Wynn’s complaint saying:

“EMILY’s List is proud to stand with Donna Edwards, a champion for women and families and a leader we know will bring the kind of change the voters of Maryland’s 4th District so desperately want. It is a sad indication of Rep. Wynn’s desperation that he resorts to launching specious attacks against non-profit community groups, environmentalists and organizations representing workers and women’s rights.”

And so we come to the left’s excuse for everything. Its okay to violate campaign finance laws because their special interests are the good special interests, Therefore, the rules don’t apply to them and to point out that discrepancy is bad form. Special interests are special interests no matter where their money goes.

Nothing may come of the allegations and honestly I don’t have a dog in this the Democratic primary. I lived in the 4th in Wynn’s earlier terms and I can’t say I was represented well by him back then.

However, Donna Edwards is a tool of special interests just as she paints Al Wynn to be. True, if she is elected you probably won’t have to stake her out at a corporate lobbying firm. You will find her at the lobbying offices of the special interest groups: Sierra Club, NOW, SEIU, LCV, and ACORN.

I wonder what Edwards and the FSP folks think about ACORN, a group implicated in vote fraud and cited by the NLRB for illegally firing its employees who deigned to form a union.

But they are progressive special interests so they couldn’t possibly be a bad influence on our politics.

Crossposted from conservative thoughts

I think at this point his strategy to put all his eggs in the Florida basket has failed. Florida has a two-man horse race between Romney and McCain with Guiliani is a distant third. His campaign is running out of money. He never was a serious consideration for conservatives anyway; He is much to liberal on nearly ALL issues that conservatives care about.

Los Angeles Times Blog:

Rudy Giuliani appears to be pondering an end to his long pursuit of the Republican presidential nomination.

In a meeting in the back of his chartered plane en route to St. Petersburg, Fla., a short while ago, the onetime, longtime GOP front-runner told a small group of reporters, including The Times’ Louise Roug: “The winner of Florida will win the nomination.”

[…]
Giuliani’s campaign, which led in national polls when it began and stayed there for many months, is showing signs of serious financial fatigue. This month his top staffers are foregoing their paychecks so the maximum amount of money can be invested to salvage his political fortunes in the Sunshine State, which was where Giuliani’s late-state strategy was to kick into high gear.

Crossposted from Flopping Aces

While I do not like the fact StrategyPage does not cite sources, I cannot argue with what they are stating in this “war so far” article. In fact, it is pretty close to the mark. War is Hell, but we are working through that Hell with extremly low casualties and amazing progress in the Arab/Persian culture where corruption and Dark Age politics rule. We suffered 3500 dead, with 1/3 of that caused by accidents, which combine to be 33-35,000 casualties total (even minor injuries count as “casualties”). This from a force of 1.4 million gives, at worse case, a little more than a 3% casualty rate with a 0.3% death rate over 5 YEARS. Technically, I am safer in Iraq than in Detroit, Chicago, Washington DC, LA, and Paris!!! Hell, I am safer there than in my bathtub!

AQ, Iran, and Islamofascists the world over have lost repeatedly and only assisted us in the end in creating an Iraq which rejects the islamofascist (Sunni and Shia) ‘ideals’. However, the Iraqis had to witness what they would get under these regiems. After tasting the horror of radical Islam, the Iraqis universally regected it. Iraq is now the first Arab nation to actually try and combat centuries of a true culture of corruption. They are the first to have free and open elections repeatedly. They are the first to have the beginnings of a oil profit sharing policy with their people. They are the first Arab country where being an officer or NCO in the army is not a place of privledge, but of hard work and sacrifice. Even Germany did not understand that until after WWI. England took even longer to get it.

Yet we are still called failures and our leadership “incompetent”

From StrategyPage.com:

January 28, 2008: Because of Saddam’s continued support of terrorists, weapons of mass destruction and bad behavior in general, the U.S. invaded Iraq. Using three divisions, the country was conquered in three weeks. Britain had done the same thing in 1941 with three divisions, and also took Baghdad in less than three weeks. But in 1941, the British went in because Iraq had declared itself an ally of Nazi Germany. After deposing the pro-German Sunni Arab politicians, the Brits simply installed a pro-British Sunni Arab strong man.

When the U.S. led coalition ousted Iraqi troops from Kuwait in 1991, most observers, including media pundits, missed a very important detail. The U.S. has gotten Arab nations to join the operation only because of a promise not to invade Iraq itself. This was no secret at the time, and was a reflection of Arab politics. That is, the Sunnis must be in charge, especially in Iraq, which is considered the front line for the defense of the Arab world from Iran.

In 2003, the U.S. removed the Sunni Arabs from power, and declared that democracy, and majority rule, would prevail. That was anathema to the Iraqi Sunni Arabs, who feared retribution from the Kurds and Shia Arabs. In addition, there was the money angle. The Sunni Arabs had been keeping a disproportionate share of the oil wealth for themselves, and had been doing so for decades. In order to avoid poverty and prison, the Sunni Arabs began a terror campaign against the coalition (mainly U.S. and British) troops. In early 2004, they allied themselves with al Qaeda, and Islamic terrorists in general. Al Qaeda saw the invasion of Iraq as an attack on their heartland, and an opportunity to defeat the United States, and the West in general.

The basic U.S. strategy in Iraq was, historically, sound. You help the locals get organized so they can take care of themselves. That means elections and help to rebuild local institutions. But there’s never a guarantee that will work. The U.S. Marines were in Haiti for nearly 30 years (from 1914), and the country still reverted to dictatorship and poverty when the marines left. This exposes a truth that many refuse to acknowledge. Fixing countries isn’t easy. The “civil society” that we in the West take for granted, cannot just be conjured up. The harmonious relationships that enable some democracies to work, are not a given. Those relationships often require a lot of bad habits to be changed. This is not easy. Just check a history book.

Iraq, and most of the countries in the Middle East, are broken. They have been for a long time. We in the West have generally ignored it, because there were no workable solutions that were easily available. Then came the latest wave of Islamic terrorism. This got worse, until September 11, 2001, and then the prospect of mass murder in our own backyard became a reality. But at that point, the West became divided over the solution. Do we keep treating the terrorists as a police problem, and wait them out? That is known to work. But the threat of even deadlier terrorist attacks made more dramatic moves attractive to many, especially in the United States. That resulted in Iraq, confronting the Arab problems up close and personal. It ain’t pretty. But unless the Arab problems are solved, the ugly aftereffects will still be there, and so will the threat of mass murder on the street where you live. The war on terror, and the war in Iraq, are all part of a struggle within Islam. Do we keep on with the same pattern of rebellion and repression, or do we try developing a civil society. Until the Iraqis decided what kind of country they wanted to live in, the war went on.

The anarchy that followed the American conquest of Baghdad was quickly accepted for what it was, spontaneous revenge against the Sunni Arab dictatorship and the thieves that ran it. Things settled down for a while, until the Sunni Arabs began the terror campaign to drive the Americans out, intimidate the Shia Arabs, and regain control of the country. These were all high-risk undertakings, and all failed. But not until after four years of terror, and over 100,000 dead Iraqis, did the Sunni Arabs admit defeat.

After the coalition took over, there was no more Iraqi police force or army. That’s because the Saddam era security forces were recruited mainly for loyalty to Saddam, and the Sunni Arab minority. Before Saddam was ousted , the active duty army consisted of about 250,000 troops. Some 40 percent of these were the elite Republican Guard. Nearly all the army officers, and most of the NCOs, were Sunni Arabs. In the Republican Guard, everyone was Sunni Arab, as this outfit was, in effect, Saddam’s “royal guard” and his main defense against a revolt by the army. The other 150,000 troops were mainly Sunni and Shia draftees, although there were Kurd and other minorities (Turks, and several Christian groups). At the time of the invasion, about 100,000 reservists (men who had done their conscript service recently) had been recalled to active duty. There were another 600,000 or so reservists who could have been called up. But many of these were Shia Arabs, and Saddam didn’t want to see lots of armed Shia, in uniform or not.
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A little boy wanted $100 for a new bike very badly and prayed for
weeks, but nothing happened. Then he decided to write God a letter
requesting the $100.00. When the postal authorities in Annapolis
received the letter to God, they decided to send it to Gov. O’Malley.

O’Malley was so amused that he instructed his secretary to send the
little boy a $5.00 bill thinking this would appear to be a lot of money to
a little boy. The child was delighted with the $5.00 bill and sat
down to write a thank-you note to God, which read:…..

Dear God: Thank you very much for sending the money. However, I
noticed that for some reason you sent it through Annapolis , MD and
O’Malley deducted $95.0 0 in taxes!

Crossposted from Red Maryland

From today’s Annapolis Capitol:

More than 100 people are at work on the final draft report of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change.

Though a small but vocal group of conservative activists charges that the input of all those people isn’t affecting much. Rather, they say a consulting firm, the Center for Climate Strategies, is calling the shots and pushing Maryland to adopt a plan that’s a carbon-copy of plans passed by other states.

Meanwhile, officials with the state and the center are quick to defend the work as being timely and crucially important.”We decided to work with them because they have staff with a lot of expertise on these issues,” said state environment Secretary Shari T. Wilson, who also serves as chairman of the climate commission. “They bring to the table the ability to inform us about what different cities, states and countries are doing.”

The disagreement started with frustration over the commission’s interim recommendations in November, to slash carbon-dioxide emissions in the state and promote energy efficiency.

Then, global-warming critics were galled to find out the center is controlled by another group that makes no bones about its environmental advocacy.

Mark Newgent of Baltimore has written extensively about the center and the climate commission on the Red Maryland blog as well as on his personal blog. He said Maryland is getting a raw deal by “essentially farming out its policy discussions to an advocacy group.”

Mr. Newgent said he’s not sold on the idea that humans are causing global warming. He also said he thinks the commission’s process wasn’t carried out in a forthright manner.

“I’m nitpicking at the process because we’re supposed to have transparent and open government,” he said.

He said he is further irritated by the fact that when he filed a Public Information Act request for documents about the center and the commission, the Maryland Department of the Environment told him he’d have to pay $1,381.40 to get copies.

David K. Kyle of Pasadena once ran for the state Senate as a Republican, and now he’s a “conservative independent,” he said. He, too, said he doesn’t like what he’s hearing about the climate commission and the center.

He said he laments that the commission didn’t entertain discussions about global-warming science. There are too many questions about global warming to jump into coming up with ways to combat it, he said.”

Their mind was already made up,” he said.

Maryland has not paid for the center’s work. When the center works with states – 25 and counting – it often brings its own funding.

That’s what has some activists concerned – they say that funding comes from left-wing organizations and colors the process.

The center’s Executive Director Thomas D. Peterson didn’t say who is funding the work in Maryland, but said the donors don’t influence the work that’s being done.”

We take the objectivity of our work very seriously,” Mr. Peterson said.

To ensure the report’s objectivity, he said donors must give the money with “no strings attached” and that there are enough funding sources so that no one source controls a majority of the money.

He said the private funding is needed because many states have an interest in developing climate plans but don’t have the money to pay for it.

“Most states are broke,” he said. “It’s very difficult for states to mobilize funding for new initiatives if they’re not mandated and fully funded.”

Paul Chesser, a North Carolina activist who has been working to discredit the center on behalf of the conservative John Locke Foundation, said the center is putting on a repeat performance in state after state.

“They’re all the same policy ideas,” he said.Mr. Peterson said his staff has come up with more than 300 possible ways states can reduce greenhouse gases. Each state typically picks about 50 that will work best based on their sources of emissions.

The state commissions “want to learn from what other states have done, but they want to do something that is tailor-made to their state,” he said.

Ms. Wilson, the state environment secretary, said tapping into the center’s expertise helped speed up the commission’s process.

Ms. Wilson said the allegations that the center pushes its own ideas on the commission are false.

It’s not clear whether the concerns about the center will have any effect on state lawmakers, who will consider several bills that include one of the key recommendations of the climate commission.

The central focus will be on the Global Warming Solutions Act, which would require the state to slash emissions and set up a cap-and-trade program for major sources of greenhouse gases.

The bill faces an uncertain future. It died without action last year, and so far this year, it hasn’t gained the public support of the governor or the leaders of the Senate or the House of Delegates.

Mr. Newgent, the blogger from Baltimore, acknowledges there’s likely nothing that can be done about the center’s consulting deal. But he thinks the Global Warming Solutions Act can be stopped.

“I hope it’s not too late,” he said.

Also:

Scandalous

When Judge Joe Manck resigned his position as an Anne Arundel County judge last year, it was a day for celebration. For years, we watched as this creep handed down light sentences to some of the most vile creatures ever to walk the streets of this county. Recall, Bill O’Reilly’s crew once showed up at Manck’s house after he gave a child molester 4 months for sexually abusing his eight year old daughter. Likewise, Manck’s indifference to criminal behavior likely cost a Florida woman her life back in August.

When I heard that Judge Manck would be hearing the case involving Brandon Morris, the thug who brutally murdered a corrections officer, I immediately questioned what the chief judge in Howard County could be thinking. I realize that Howard County got stuck with this case as a result of a change of venue. Still, one would have thought The Honorable Diane O. Leasure would have exercised more common sense than to tap ome of the most soft judges in the history of jurisprudence. No doubt, her flawed decision to allow Manck to hear this case, despite his well publicized leniency, was troubling on its face.
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Last year, I tracked a number of bills in the General Assembly and logged roll call votes for our local representatives on key issues. The worksheets I prepared were distributed at the May meeting of the Patapsco Valley Republican Club when Corey Stottlemyer, then political director for the Maryland Republican Party, presented a legislative wrap-up. I am preparing similar worksheets for the 2008 legislative session, and I need your help!

More than 1,000 bills will make their way through the General Assembly in the next few months. I can’t possibly examine them all. If a bill is of interest to you, please let me know. If it’s of interest to you, it will in all likelihood be of interest to others as well. I want to capture as many “bills of interest” as possible. I am particularly appealing to those of you who regularly read newspapers and/or listen to talk radio. Tell me what folks are talking about! I don’t need specifics, just the general subject.

Here’s the list so far:

HB105 Creation of a State Debt – Prince George’s County – CASA Multi-Cultural Service Center
HB288 Vehicle Laws – Proof of Legal Presence Act of 2008
HB351 Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act
SB112 Criminal Procedure – Undocumented Immigrants – Prohibition on Pretrial Release
SB169 Maryland’s Marriage Protection Act (Constitutional Amendment)
SB235 Creation of a State Debt – Prince George’s County – CASA Multi-Cultural Service Center
SB290 Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act
SB34 Election Law – Voter Registration – Proof of Citizenship
SB40 Higher Education – Prohibition on Illegal Aliens from Receiving In-State Tuition Status
SB52 Task Force to Study the Cost of Illegal Aliens in Maryland
SB84 State Government – Public Benefits and Services – Illegal Aliens
SB93 Vehicle Laws – Drivers’ Licensing of Illegal Aliens – Restrictions

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Crossposted from Red Maryland

Gee, who would have ever thought that Thornton money might be inefficiently spent?

Money sent to school systems under a landmark funding law is not being used for specific programs that help low-performing students, according to a new report by a child welfare advocacy group that wants lawmakers to tell school systems exactly how to spend the funds.

State and local education officials criticized the report, saying it was agenda-driven and failed to take into account across-the-board gains in student performance.

The analysis by Advocates for Children and Youth found that despite the 2002 law known as Thornton — which was intended address inequities in education with a $1.3 billion increase in state aid to public schools — two of Maryland’s three largest school systems are spending less money on programs for low-performing students than they did before the law was passed.

Now, I will give you that Thornton is a very unusual issue, when you consider that it was a large, statewide money redistribution system phased in without a revenue source.

But this speaks also to the concept of funding public education in a general sense. I for one have been very critical about the ever increasing demand for funding for public schools. Not because we shouldn’t be funding public education, but because we have no idea whether or not existing public education funds are being spent responsibly or efficiently. One of my longstanding criticisms of Anne Arundel Superintendent Kevin Maxwell is the fact that Maxwell insists that only more money can fix our county schools. He rarely, if ever, talks about the need to evaluate existing programs and existing programmed funds in order to see if we are getting the best bang for the buck.

While the story may not provide the best picture regarding the efficiency of Thornton dollars, it does show how much objective and subjective research can be to determine the utility of education dollars already spent. Our leaders owe it to us to study current spending patterns, determine their success, and determine their value to the taxpayer before they commit to throwing good money after bad just to score political points with the MSTA…