The Senator's Humble Beginning
Rising Star Barack Obama Is Resolutely Down to Earth
By Mark Leibovich
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 24, 2005; Page C01
There's nothing exotic or complicated about how phenoms are made in Washington, and, more to the point, how they are broken.
"Andy Warhol said we all get our 15 minutes of fame," says Barack Obama. "I've already had an hour and a half. I mean, I'm so overexposed, I'm making Paris Hilton look like a recluse."
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Happy Birthday to "The One"
Unfortunately "The Big O's" birthday is one day shy of mine. Otherwise I am sure he would of invited me to his $5Million fundraiser yesterday, and given me my $1000 fuel subsidy and perhaps a lap dance from his wife. (She does have the booty to boogie, you have to admit.)
But the reason for today's blog entry is this: Take a look at the yellow tape. Ya see behind the yellow tape are regular folk. (OK, maybe not so regular as they adore the toilet paper Obama wipes with, but bear with me here..)
The "regular" folk are just that. "Regular." On the other side of that yellow tape are the big spenders, rich folk, etc. who have an agenda. (AKA they want somethin for somethin.) These are the folks who shelled out $28,000 to have a picture taken with the "One" (I still call him the "Big O and Hilliary, (who?) the Big C)
These folks are what Obama needs and wants. The ones behind the tape in Walmart clothing are backdrop and make for a great picture. Don't ya think?
So instead of beating the drum on all the changes in "The Big O's" positions on issues, I thought I'd share my thought on this one pic and how I "seen" it...
Saturday, August 02, 2008
The One....
Yes it has been a while since I posted on this blog. I wanted to wait and let all the "bs" fall through the cracks. Now it seems to be re-bubbling up.
"The One" has promised free whipped cream in all hot chocolate from now but is now waffling...and on drilling for oil of all things.
The Dems calls an end to Congress for the Summer and the Repubs continue on with no lights, no camera. Will anything appear on YouTube?
I am delighted to see the back and forth..especially from Juan McAmnesty/aka John McCain. I hope it isn't too late. I think it Obama's election to lose and McCain's to help him lose it. (Although I am all set with seeing Britney and/or Paris Hilton is another ad. May I suggest Monika Lewinsky? Before anything I want to have a three way pro wrestling steel cage match with Obama, Rev. Jackson (aka father of a gal out of wedlock) and Rev. Sharpton (the felon).
I am sure the "n" words would fly.
How is it that President Bush has higher ratings than the Democratically controlled Congress?
How will Oliver Stone's movie about George W do weeks before the election?
Will McCain go to the podium in full military gear and repeat the same..."reporting for duty.."
We have not heard a peep from Hilliary. Or for Bill. The silence is interesting.
Now the Sunday talk shows flash up with short pieces on potential vice Presidential running mates. While I had once thought this was just a bread and butter type of thing, it is actually quite important, in wake of McCain stating that he would be in one term. My choice for McCain is Romney. He has the financing, would make a great President and can make more verbal fights to the Obama campaign. He's polished and has no issues in his family. But who knows....maybe Obama will choose Ray Nagin, the Mayor of New Orleans...What the heck happend to him anyway?
Lots happening and I am back in blog land....hope you enjoy. I shall try to blog at least once a week.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
the politics of the price of oil
The politics and speculation over the price of oil continues. Both John (Juan) McAmnesty/McCain and Barack Hussein-Obamadamadoo/Obama both have offered their miracle solutions to this problem. An editorial in the Wall Street Journal sure reiterates much of what has been said from those in the know. Here is a copy of that editorial:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121426475050198395.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121426475050198395.html
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Tear down this wall.............
June 12 was the 21st anniversary of that famous
speech by President Ronald Reagan.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
week ending mumblings.....
So Senate Democrats want the Government to determine just how much profit is too much for oil companies and to tax them with a "windfall profits tax."
This borders on acting outside of the Constitution. It also reads like what was once done in a place called the Soviet Union.
From the Wall Street Journal....
"California won't drill for the estimated 1.3 billion barrels of recoverable oil off its coast because of bad memories of the Santa Barbara oil spill – in 1969.We won't drill for the estimated 5.6 billion to 16 billion barrels of oil in the moonscape known as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) because of – the caribou.
In 1990, George H.W. Bush, calling himself "the environmental president," signed an order putting virtually all the U.S. outer continental shelf's oil and gas reserves in the deep freeze. Bill Clinton extended that lockup until 2013. A Clinton veto also threw away the key to ANWR's oil 13 years ago.Our waters may hold 60 trillion untapped cubic feet of natural gas. As in Brazil, these are surely conservative estimates."
Meanwhile, China is reportedly drilling for oil some 60 miles off the Florida coast.
From today's Boston Herald..
This borders on acting outside of the Constitution. It also reads like what was once done in a place called the Soviet Union.
From the Wall Street Journal....
"California won't drill for the estimated 1.3 billion barrels of recoverable oil off its coast because of bad memories of the Santa Barbara oil spill – in 1969.We won't drill for the estimated 5.6 billion to 16 billion barrels of oil in the moonscape known as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) because of – the caribou.
In 1990, George H.W. Bush, calling himself "the environmental president," signed an order putting virtually all the U.S. outer continental shelf's oil and gas reserves in the deep freeze. Bill Clinton extended that lockup until 2013. A Clinton veto also threw away the key to ANWR's oil 13 years ago.Our waters may hold 60 trillion untapped cubic feet of natural gas. As in Brazil, these are surely conservative estimates."
Meanwhile, China is reportedly drilling for oil some 60 miles off the Florida coast.
From today's Boston Herald..
The Gallup Poll reported last month that 57 percent of the American people favor oil and gas exploration in offshore waters and wilderness areas now off-limits. But politicians of both parties seem determined to whine about oil at $130 a barrel without doing a thing to increase supply.
Environmentalists have succeeded in selling the false proposition that exploration risks unacceptable pollution.
Our nation may refuse to produce certain oil, but it produces unlimited hogwash. Large amounts of oil and natural gas are produced off Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and in state waters off California. There hasn’t been a major offshore spill since the 1969 incident off Santa Barbara, Calif., that gave birth to the modern anti-drilling movement. Hurricanes roar through production areas in the Gulf of Mexico without spilling oil.
Locked up offshore is at least an 11-year supply of crude oil plus an 18-year supply of natural gas. Every other nation with offshore reserves happily drills for them. A Chinese outfit is exploring, on behalf of Cuba, areas only 60 miles from the Florida coast.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska could contain a 17-month supply of crude all by itself. But environmentalists weep for alleged damage to caribou and other wildlife habitat. More hogwash. That refuge is the size of Maine; all production areas together would fit in Logan Airport.
Not enough oil to justify the risk? Then tackle the vast oil shale formations of Colorado, Wyoming and Utah, which contain a 278-year supply that should start being profitable at $70 per barrel - also off-limits.
The Democrats are hopelessly advocating - unsuccessfully so far, thank heavens - a production-suppressing “windfall” profits tax.
Yet John McCain, while open to some offshore exploration, in January said he opposed drilling in the Arctic refuge.
Why? “As far as ANWR is concerned, I don’t want to drill in the Grand Canyon, and I don’t want to drill in the Everglades. This is one of the most pristine and beautiful parts of the world.”
This unwarranted aesthetic sensitivity helps condemn motorists to $4 gasoline. Voters will not put up with bipartisan fecklessness much longer.
Bush lied people died......
A week or so ago, Senator John Rockefeller IV of West Virginia, chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence released the report on pre-war Iraq intelligence.
The press release :
Senate Intelligence Committee Unveils Final Phase II Reports on Prewar Iraq Intelligence
-- Two Bipartisan Reports Detail Administration Misstatements on Prewar Iraq Intelligence, and Inappropriate Intelligence Activities by Pentagon Policy Office --
Contact: Wendy Morigi (202) 224-6101Thursday, June 5, 2008
Washington, DC -- The Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, and a bipartisan majority of the Committee (10-5), today unveiled the final two sections of its Phase II report on prewar intelligence. The first report details Administration prewar statements that, on numerous occasions, misrepresented the intelligence and the threat from Iraq. The second report details inappropriate, sensitive intelligence activities conducted by the DoD’s Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, without the knowledge of the Intelligence Community or the State Department.
“Before taking the country to war, this Administration owed it to the American people to give them a 100 percent accurate picture of the threat we faced. Unfortunately, our Committee has concluded that the Administration made significant claims that were not supported by the intelligence,” Rockefeller said. “In making the case for war, the Administration repeatedly presented intelligence as fact when in reality it was unsubstantiated, contradicted, or even non-existent. As a result, the American people were led to believe that the threat from Iraq was much greater than actually existed.”
“It is my belief that the Bush Administration was fixated on Iraq, and used the 9/11 attacks by al Qa’ida as justification for overthrowing Saddam Hussein. To accomplish this, top Administration officials made repeated statements that falsely linked Iraq and al Qa’ida as a single threat and insinuated that Iraq played a role in 9/11. Sadly, the Bush Administration led the nation into war under false pretenses.
“There is no question we all relied on flawed intelligence. But, there is a fundamental difference between relying on incorrect intelligence and deliberately painting a picture to the American people that you know is not fully accurate.
“These reports represent the final chapter in our oversight of prewar intelligence. They complete the story of mistakes and failures – both by the Intelligence Community and the Administration – in the lead up to the war. Fundamentally, these reports are about transparency and holding our government accountable, and making sure these mistakes never happen again,” Rockefeller added.
The Committee’s report cites several conclusions in which the Administration’s public statements were NOT supported by the intelligence. They include:
Ø Statements and implications by the President and Secretary of State suggesting that Iraq and al-Qa’ida had a partnership, or that Iraq had provided al-Qa’ida with weapons training, were not substantiated by the intelligence.
Ø Statements by the President and the Vice President indicating that Saddam Hussein was prepared to give weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups for attacks against the United States were contradicted by available intelligence information.
Ø Statements by President Bush and Vice President Cheney regarding the postwar situation in Iraq, in terms of the political, security, and economic, did not reflect the concerns and uncertainties expressed in the intelligence products.
Ø Statements by the President and Vice President prior to the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate regarding Iraq’s chemical weapons production capability and activities did not reflect the intelligence community’s uncertainties as to whether such production was ongoing.
Ø The Secretary of Defense’s statement that the Iraqi government operated underground WMD facilities that were not vulnerable to conventional airstrikes because they were underground and deeply buried was not substantiated by available intelligence information.
Ø The Intelligence Community did not confirm that Muhammad Atta met an Iraqi intelligence officer in Prague in 2001 as the Vice President repeatedly claimed.
Additionally, the Committee issued a report on the Intelligence Activities Relating to Iraq conducted by the Policy Counterterrorism Evaluation Group and the Office of Special Plans within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. The report found that the clandestine meetings between Pentagon officials and Iranians in Rome and Paris were inappropriate and mishandled from beginning to end. Deputy National Security Advisor Steve Hadley and Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz failed to keep the Intelligence Community and the State Department appropriately informed about the meetings. The involvement of Manucher Ghobanifer and Michael Ledeen in the meetings was inappropriate. Potentially important information collected during the meetings was withheld from intelligence agencies by Pentagon officials. Finally, senior Defense Department officials cut short internal investigations of the meetings and failed to implement the recommendations of their own counterintelligence experts.
Today’s reports are the culmination of efforts that began in March 2003, when, as Vice Chairman, Senator Rockefeller initially requested an investigation into the origin of the fraudulent Niger documents. In June 2003, he was joined by all Democrats on the Committee in pushing for a full investigation into prewar intelligence, which was eventually expanded by the Committee in February 2004 to include the five phase II tasks.
The Committee released its first report on July 9, 2004, which focused primarily on the Intelligence Community’s prewar assessments of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction programs and links to terrorism. Those findings helped lay the foundation for some of the intelligence reforms enacted into law in late 2004.
In September 2006, the Committee completed and publicly released two sections of Phase II: The Use by the Intelligence Community of Information Provided by the Iraqi National Congress; and Postwar Findings About Iraq’s WMD Programs and Links to Terrorism and How They Compare with Prewar Assessments.
In May 2007, the Committee released the third section of Phase II: Prewar Intelligence Assessments About Postwar Iraq.
Separately, in early 2007, the Pentagon Inspector General released its own report on the intelligence activities conducted by the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy and also concluded that those activities were inappropriate.
###
The report is here: http://intelligence.senate.gov/080605/phase2b.pdf
I have read the entire report and have a slightly different read on this report...
In regard to "Bush lied" about what his intelligence agencies were telling him about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein....
on Iraq's nuclear weapons program, the president's statements "were generally substantiated by intelligence community estimates.."
On biological weapons, production capability and mobile labs, the president's statements "were substantiated by intelligence information.."
On chemical weapons "substantiated by intelligence information"...
On weapons of mass destruction, "generally substantiated by intelligence information.."
On Saddam Hussein's ties and support for terrorist groups.."were substantiated by intelligence information.."
There are many more examples. The bottom line: the reliance on bad intelligence reports. The Bush administration did speak with exaggaration at times and failed to plan or prepare us for just how difficult the Iraq war would be.
The press release :
Senate Intelligence Committee Unveils Final Phase II Reports on Prewar Iraq Intelligence
-- Two Bipartisan Reports Detail Administration Misstatements on Prewar Iraq Intelligence, and Inappropriate Intelligence Activities by Pentagon Policy Office --
Contact: Wendy Morigi (202) 224-6101Thursday, June 5, 2008
Washington, DC -- The Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, and a bipartisan majority of the Committee (10-5), today unveiled the final two sections of its Phase II report on prewar intelligence. The first report details Administration prewar statements that, on numerous occasions, misrepresented the intelligence and the threat from Iraq. The second report details inappropriate, sensitive intelligence activities conducted by the DoD’s Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, without the knowledge of the Intelligence Community or the State Department.
“Before taking the country to war, this Administration owed it to the American people to give them a 100 percent accurate picture of the threat we faced. Unfortunately, our Committee has concluded that the Administration made significant claims that were not supported by the intelligence,” Rockefeller said. “In making the case for war, the Administration repeatedly presented intelligence as fact when in reality it was unsubstantiated, contradicted, or even non-existent. As a result, the American people were led to believe that the threat from Iraq was much greater than actually existed.”
“It is my belief that the Bush Administration was fixated on Iraq, and used the 9/11 attacks by al Qa’ida as justification for overthrowing Saddam Hussein. To accomplish this, top Administration officials made repeated statements that falsely linked Iraq and al Qa’ida as a single threat and insinuated that Iraq played a role in 9/11. Sadly, the Bush Administration led the nation into war under false pretenses.
“There is no question we all relied on flawed intelligence. But, there is a fundamental difference between relying on incorrect intelligence and deliberately painting a picture to the American people that you know is not fully accurate.
“These reports represent the final chapter in our oversight of prewar intelligence. They complete the story of mistakes and failures – both by the Intelligence Community and the Administration – in the lead up to the war. Fundamentally, these reports are about transparency and holding our government accountable, and making sure these mistakes never happen again,” Rockefeller added.
The Committee’s report cites several conclusions in which the Administration’s public statements were NOT supported by the intelligence. They include:
Ø Statements and implications by the President and Secretary of State suggesting that Iraq and al-Qa’ida had a partnership, or that Iraq had provided al-Qa’ida with weapons training, were not substantiated by the intelligence.
Ø Statements by the President and the Vice President indicating that Saddam Hussein was prepared to give weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups for attacks against the United States were contradicted by available intelligence information.
Ø Statements by President Bush and Vice President Cheney regarding the postwar situation in Iraq, in terms of the political, security, and economic, did not reflect the concerns and uncertainties expressed in the intelligence products.
Ø Statements by the President and Vice President prior to the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate regarding Iraq’s chemical weapons production capability and activities did not reflect the intelligence community’s uncertainties as to whether such production was ongoing.
Ø The Secretary of Defense’s statement that the Iraqi government operated underground WMD facilities that were not vulnerable to conventional airstrikes because they were underground and deeply buried was not substantiated by available intelligence information.
Ø The Intelligence Community did not confirm that Muhammad Atta met an Iraqi intelligence officer in Prague in 2001 as the Vice President repeatedly claimed.
Additionally, the Committee issued a report on the Intelligence Activities Relating to Iraq conducted by the Policy Counterterrorism Evaluation Group and the Office of Special Plans within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. The report found that the clandestine meetings between Pentagon officials and Iranians in Rome and Paris were inappropriate and mishandled from beginning to end. Deputy National Security Advisor Steve Hadley and Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz failed to keep the Intelligence Community and the State Department appropriately informed about the meetings. The involvement of Manucher Ghobanifer and Michael Ledeen in the meetings was inappropriate. Potentially important information collected during the meetings was withheld from intelligence agencies by Pentagon officials. Finally, senior Defense Department officials cut short internal investigations of the meetings and failed to implement the recommendations of their own counterintelligence experts.
Today’s reports are the culmination of efforts that began in March 2003, when, as Vice Chairman, Senator Rockefeller initially requested an investigation into the origin of the fraudulent Niger documents. In June 2003, he was joined by all Democrats on the Committee in pushing for a full investigation into prewar intelligence, which was eventually expanded by the Committee in February 2004 to include the five phase II tasks.
The Committee released its first report on July 9, 2004, which focused primarily on the Intelligence Community’s prewar assessments of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction programs and links to terrorism. Those findings helped lay the foundation for some of the intelligence reforms enacted into law in late 2004.
In September 2006, the Committee completed and publicly released two sections of Phase II: The Use by the Intelligence Community of Information Provided by the Iraqi National Congress; and Postwar Findings About Iraq’s WMD Programs and Links to Terrorism and How They Compare with Prewar Assessments.
In May 2007, the Committee released the third section of Phase II: Prewar Intelligence Assessments About Postwar Iraq.
Separately, in early 2007, the Pentagon Inspector General released its own report on the intelligence activities conducted by the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy and also concluded that those activities were inappropriate.
###
The report is here: http://intelligence.senate.gov/080605/phase2b.pdf
I have read the entire report and have a slightly different read on this report...
In regard to "Bush lied" about what his intelligence agencies were telling him about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein....
on Iraq's nuclear weapons program, the president's statements "were generally substantiated by intelligence community estimates.."
On biological weapons, production capability and mobile labs, the president's statements "were substantiated by intelligence information.."
On chemical weapons "substantiated by intelligence information"...
On weapons of mass destruction, "generally substantiated by intelligence information.."
On Saddam Hussein's ties and support for terrorist groups.."were substantiated by intelligence information.."
There are many more examples. The bottom line: the reliance on bad intelligence reports. The Bush administration did speak with exaggaration at times and failed to plan or prepare us for just how difficult the Iraq war would be.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
in Memoriam Tim Russert
Yes I am one of those political junkies who tapes and watches each of the Sunday talk shows.(I thank Sirius for helping me with the audio feeds for my long commutes...otherwise I'd never be able to dedicate 4 plus hours of political talk...)
One of my favorite hosts was Tim Russert. He was one of the most respected. Took it and gave it right back.
You will be missed.
This is his last interview.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25137286/
Hilliary is history.....(or toast)
I think this New York Post headline pretty much describes
it perfectly.
Instead of having this video......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMs-p5y6cvo
we have this video....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pPV1yd7sQg&NR=1
(one of my favorite speeches describing B. Hussein-Obama's campaign..)
One of my favorite TV personalities from MSNBC (Mess NBC) Tucker Carlson made a great point...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOnHxCtbh-8&feature=related
Tucker figures it out...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcjP91w9xn0&feature=related
I miss Tucker Carlson's show....
Saturday, May 31, 2008
"H' Day approacheth....
Well this is the weekend when the Dems and/or Howard Dean decide what to do with this B. Hussein Obama vs. Hilliary "Rotten" Clinton (aka the Big C) election debate....
meanwhile the party goes on the Clinton jet....
Where do you suppose Bill is "is?"
Think we will see a kinder gentler Hill?
I think the viper is induced by an amber colored beverage ready to pounce....
Times are tough for the Clintons...having made well over 100 million in the past 8 years or
so and now Hill has bills totalling 30 mill that leaves 70 mill or so.....
She may have to get a paper route or (gulp) a part time job at Walmart.......ohhh the pain....
Monday, May 26, 2008
another opinion on our gas price crisis
By Bill O'Reilly for BillOReilly.com Thursday, May 22, 2008
Next time you give your credit card to the gas guy and sign away another $60 or so, consider that both political parties have sold you out. For decades, no President or Congress would confront that fact that corrupt third-world countries control most of the world's oil supply and those nations are definitely not looking out for us.In the 1970s, when poverty-stricken Brazil began a massive investment in sugar-based ethanol, the United States shrugged and did little research into alternative fuel. But when OPEC choked the Carter administration, leading to long gas lines, plenty was said about weaning the USA off foreign oil. Nothing was done.Presidents Reagan, Bush the Elder, Clinton and Bush the Younger, all did little. There was no big push to conserve oil or to find another way to fuel the nation.So now we're paying for their sins and, truth be told, some of our own as well. American liberals still don't want to drill in the Arctic Circle, still don't want more nuclear power (something that saves France and Sweden), and still oppose expanding refining capacity.Conservatives still won't support government-mandated vehicle fuel efficiency, tighter controls on commodity speculators, and stricter oversight on American oil companies that are exploiting world tension.And, sadly, we the people are not cutting down on our energy consumption. With that kind of performance, expect more pain ahead. The oil companies will continue to make more profit than any business in the history of mankind, OPEC will continue to raise the price of oil, and China and India will continue to buy cartel oil at almost any price. Both John McCain and Barack Obama promise to convene a kind of Manhattan Project to fast track alternative energy development. Since the situation is now desperate, I believe those guys. But economically viable alternative energy is years away and fraught with danger. Just a year ago, some of us thought corn-based ethanol was the answer. But be careful what you wish for. Converting corn to fuel has caused food prices to rocket. You see, corn is used to feed livestock, so when the price of corn goes up, so does the cost of meat and poultry.Meanwhile, Brazil would like to sell us some of their sugar-based ethanol. But Congress has imposed a tariff on it in order to help American farmers who, of course, are now paying record prices for oil. Is this a mess or what?Here is the tough love solution:
All American made vehicles must get 30MPG by 2010 or pay a major tax surcharge to the government.
Oil and commodity speculators must put up 50% of their transactions in cash. That would weed out some of the gamblers who are manipulating the market.
American oil companies must supply the federal government with a written explanation every time they raise the price of gas and oil.
Americans would be asked to cut back at least 10% on leisure driving and not to buy gas at all on Mondays.There is little we can do about OPEC as long as China, India and others are willing to pay what the traffic will bear. But here at home we can send powerful messages to the auto, gas, and commodities industries. If we don't get tough, our enemies, along with greedy Americans, will drive oil prices so high a worldwide depression will ensue.Which, by the way, is exactly what the terrorists want.
Next time you give your credit card to the gas guy and sign away another $60 or so, consider that both political parties have sold you out. For decades, no President or Congress would confront that fact that corrupt third-world countries control most of the world's oil supply and those nations are definitely not looking out for us.In the 1970s, when poverty-stricken Brazil began a massive investment in sugar-based ethanol, the United States shrugged and did little research into alternative fuel. But when OPEC choked the Carter administration, leading to long gas lines, plenty was said about weaning the USA off foreign oil. Nothing was done.Presidents Reagan, Bush the Elder, Clinton and Bush the Younger, all did little. There was no big push to conserve oil or to find another way to fuel the nation.So now we're paying for their sins and, truth be told, some of our own as well. American liberals still don't want to drill in the Arctic Circle, still don't want more nuclear power (something that saves France and Sweden), and still oppose expanding refining capacity.Conservatives still won't support government-mandated vehicle fuel efficiency, tighter controls on commodity speculators, and stricter oversight on American oil companies that are exploiting world tension.And, sadly, we the people are not cutting down on our energy consumption. With that kind of performance, expect more pain ahead. The oil companies will continue to make more profit than any business in the history of mankind, OPEC will continue to raise the price of oil, and China and India will continue to buy cartel oil at almost any price. Both John McCain and Barack Obama promise to convene a kind of Manhattan Project to fast track alternative energy development. Since the situation is now desperate, I believe those guys. But economically viable alternative energy is years away and fraught with danger. Just a year ago, some of us thought corn-based ethanol was the answer. But be careful what you wish for. Converting corn to fuel has caused food prices to rocket. You see, corn is used to feed livestock, so when the price of corn goes up, so does the cost of meat and poultry.Meanwhile, Brazil would like to sell us some of their sugar-based ethanol. But Congress has imposed a tariff on it in order to help American farmers who, of course, are now paying record prices for oil. Is this a mess or what?Here is the tough love solution:
All American made vehicles must get 30MPG by 2010 or pay a major tax surcharge to the government.
Oil and commodity speculators must put up 50% of their transactions in cash. That would weed out some of the gamblers who are manipulating the market.
American oil companies must supply the federal government with a written explanation every time they raise the price of gas and oil.
Americans would be asked to cut back at least 10% on leisure driving and not to buy gas at all on Mondays.There is little we can do about OPEC as long as China, India and others are willing to pay what the traffic will bear. But here at home we can send powerful messages to the auto, gas, and commodities industries. If we don't get tough, our enemies, along with greedy Americans, will drive oil prices so high a worldwide depression will ensue.Which, by the way, is exactly what the terrorists want.
the Nancy Pelosi Democratic Plan.....
Dated: Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Contact: Brendan Daly/Jennifer Crider, 202-226-7616
Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on news reports that the price of oil has skyrocketed to more than $70 a barrel:
“As Americans pay almost 90 percent more to fill their gas tanks since President Bush took office, oil companies continue to reap gigantic profits and oil executives receive astronomical compensation. Record prices, record retirement packages, and record profits are just the latest example of the wealthy few benefiting at the expense of hard-working Americans under the Bush Administration.
“The Republican Rubber Stamp Congress has passed two energy bills, costing taxpayers $12 billion for giveaways to big oil companies. But the Republican bills clearly have done nothing to lower gas prices, as the price of a barrel of oil has settled above $70 a barrel – the highest price in our history. Even the Chairman of the Federal Reserve agrees that gas prices are decreasing the purchasing power of American families and depressing the U.S. economy.
“Democrats have a plan to lower gas prices, taking America in a new direction that works for everyone, not just the few. Our plan would empower the Federal Trade Commission to crack down on price gouging to help bring down skyrocketing gas prices, increase production of alternative fuels, and rescind the billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies, tax breaks, and royalty relief given to big oil and gas companies.”
Madam Speaker, your party has been in power for well over 18 months now. When is your "plan" going to take effect? I have a call into your office and await your reply.
Contact: Brendan Daly/Jennifer Crider, 202-226-7616
Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on news reports that the price of oil has skyrocketed to more than $70 a barrel:
“As Americans pay almost 90 percent more to fill their gas tanks since President Bush took office, oil companies continue to reap gigantic profits and oil executives receive astronomical compensation. Record prices, record retirement packages, and record profits are just the latest example of the wealthy few benefiting at the expense of hard-working Americans under the Bush Administration.
“The Republican Rubber Stamp Congress has passed two energy bills, costing taxpayers $12 billion for giveaways to big oil companies. But the Republican bills clearly have done nothing to lower gas prices, as the price of a barrel of oil has settled above $70 a barrel – the highest price in our history. Even the Chairman of the Federal Reserve agrees that gas prices are decreasing the purchasing power of American families and depressing the U.S. economy.
“Democrats have a plan to lower gas prices, taking America in a new direction that works for everyone, not just the few. Our plan would empower the Federal Trade Commission to crack down on price gouging to help bring down skyrocketing gas prices, increase production of alternative fuels, and rescind the billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies, tax breaks, and royalty relief given to big oil and gas companies.”
Madam Speaker, your party has been in power for well over 18 months now. When is your "plan" going to take effect? I have a call into your office and await your reply.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Memorial Day
Memorial Day was first called Decoration Day. It was a day set aside for us to honor those who died preserving the Union in the Civil War. It was called Decoration Day for the act of decorating the graves of dead soldiers with flowers. On May 5, 1868 General John Logan, National Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, officially proclaimed Decoration Day, in his General Order No. 11. It was first observed on May 30, 1868. General Order No. 11 went on to state that: We are organized, comrades, as our regulations tell us, for the purpose among other things, "of preserving and strengthening those kind and fraternal feelings which have bound together the soldiers, sailors and marines who united to suppress the late rebellion." What can aid more to assure this result than cherishing tenderly the memory of our heroic dead, who made their breasts a barricade between our country and its foe? Their soldier lives were the reveille of freedom to a race in chains, and their deaths the tattoo of rebellious tyranny in arms. We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. All that the consecrated wealth and taste of the nation can add to their adornment and security is but a fitting tribute to the memory of her slain defenders. Let no wanton foot tread rudely on such hallowed grounds. Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.
It is unknown when Decoration Day first became Memorial Day. The Holiday was first celebrated by the people of Waterloo, New York on May 5, 1866 and then again on May 5, 1867. It could be that Decoration Day and Memorial Day were celebrated concurrently in different parts of the North for many years until World War I. The South refused to acknowledge May 30th honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I. On June 19th, 1926 by joint resolution, U.S. Congress authorized and directed the Secratary of War to accept a tablet commemorating the designation of May 30th as Memorial Day. At that time Memorial Day was made a National Holiday and changed from honoring those who died fighting just the Civil War to honoring all Americans who died fighting in all our wars. In May 1966, President Lyndon Johnson officially declared Waterloo, N.Y. as the birthplace of Memorial Day.
Since 1971 Memorial Day is now celebrated by law on the last Monday in May. That year Congress passed the National Holiday Act, P.L. 90-363 to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays.
Since the late 1950’s the 1,200 soldiers of the U.S. 3rd Infantry Brigade place small American flags at each of the 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery on the Thursday before Memorial Day. They then patrol the cemetery 24 hours a day during the Memorial Day weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing.
Since December 2000 in an effort to help Americans remember the true meaning of Memorial Day the "National Moment of Remembrance" asks that at 3P.M. local time all Americans pause for a moment of silence in remembrance and respect.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
race in America
a thought provoking piece by Pat Buchanan....of which I can't agree more.....
"Barack says we need to have a conversation about race in America?
Fair enough. But this time, it has to be a two-way conversation. White America needs to be heard from, not just lectured to. This time, the Silent Majority needs to have its convictions, grievances and demands heard. And among them are these:
First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known.
Wright ought to go down on his knees and thank God he is an American.
Second, no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the '60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream.
Governments, businesses and colleges have engaged in discrimination against white folks -- with affirmative action, contract set-asides and quotas -- to advance black applicants over white applicants.Churches, foundations, civic groups, schools and individuals all over America have donated time and money to support soup kitchens, adult education, day care, retirement and nursing homes for blacks.
We hear the grievances. Where is the gratitude??Barack talks about new 'ladders of opportunity' for blacks.
Let him go to Altoona and Johnstown, and ask the white kids in Catholic schools how many were visited lately by Ivy League recruiters handing out scholarships for 'deserving' white kids? Is white America really responsible for the fact that the crime and incarceration rates for African-Americans are seven times those of white America? Is it really white America's fault that illegitimacy in the African-American community has hit 70 percent and the black dropout rate from high schools in some cities has reached 50 percent?
Is that the fault of white America or, first and foremost, a failure of the black community itself?
As for racism, its ugliest manifestation is in interracial crime, and especially interracial crimes of violence. Is Barack Obama aware that while white criminals choose black victims 3 percent of the time, black criminals choose white victims 45 percent of the time?
Is Barack aware that black-on-white rapes are 100 times more common than the reverse, that black-on-white robberies were 139 times as common in the first three years of this decade as the reverse?
We have all heard ad nauseam from the Rev. Al about Tawana Brawley, the Duke rape case and Jena. And all turned out to be hoaxes. But about the epidemic of black assaults on whites that are real, we hear nothing.
Sorry, Barack, some of us have heard it all before, about 40 years and 40 trillion tax dollars ago."
"Barack says we need to have a conversation about race in America?
Fair enough. But this time, it has to be a two-way conversation. White America needs to be heard from, not just lectured to. This time, the Silent Majority needs to have its convictions, grievances and demands heard. And among them are these:
First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known.
Wright ought to go down on his knees and thank God he is an American.
Second, no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the '60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream.
Governments, businesses and colleges have engaged in discrimination against white folks -- with affirmative action, contract set-asides and quotas -- to advance black applicants over white applicants.Churches, foundations, civic groups, schools and individuals all over America have donated time and money to support soup kitchens, adult education, day care, retirement and nursing homes for blacks.
We hear the grievances. Where is the gratitude??Barack talks about new 'ladders of opportunity' for blacks.
Let him go to Altoona and Johnstown, and ask the white kids in Catholic schools how many were visited lately by Ivy League recruiters handing out scholarships for 'deserving' white kids? Is white America really responsible for the fact that the crime and incarceration rates for African-Americans are seven times those of white America? Is it really white America's fault that illegitimacy in the African-American community has hit 70 percent and the black dropout rate from high schools in some cities has reached 50 percent?
Is that the fault of white America or, first and foremost, a failure of the black community itself?
As for racism, its ugliest manifestation is in interracial crime, and especially interracial crimes of violence. Is Barack Obama aware that while white criminals choose black victims 3 percent of the time, black criminals choose white victims 45 percent of the time?
Is Barack aware that black-on-white rapes are 100 times more common than the reverse, that black-on-white robberies were 139 times as common in the first three years of this decade as the reverse?
We have all heard ad nauseam from the Rev. Al about Tawana Brawley, the Duke rape case and Jena. And all turned out to be hoaxes. But about the epidemic of black assaults on whites that are real, we hear nothing.
Sorry, Barack, some of us have heard it all before, about 40 years and 40 trillion tax dollars ago."
the Muslin terrorist situation
I read an interesting entry in a blog by a former outstanding Boston talk show host, Moe Lauzier.
"A man, whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II, owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism. "Very few people were true Nazis," he said, "but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories."
We are told again and again by "experts" and "talking heads" that Islam is the religion of peace, and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the spectra of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.
The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor-kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers.
The hard quantifiable fact is that the peaceful majority, the "silent majority," is cowed and extraneous.
Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant.
China's huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.
The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering sadist Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet.
And, who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were "peace loving"?
History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points: Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence. Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany, they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.
Peace-loving Germans, bJapanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late.
As for us who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts; the fanatics who threaten our way of life.
Lastly, anyone who doubts that the issue is serious and just deletes this email without sending it on is contributing to the passiveness that allows the problems to expand. So, extend yourself a bit and send this on and on and on! Let us hope that thousands, world wide, read this and think about it, and send it on - before it's too late. "
Emanuel Tanay, M.D.Dr. Emanuel Tanay, MD Wayne State UniversityAnn Arbor, Michigan A clinical professor of psychiatry at the Medical School, Dr. Emanuel Tanay MD is a well-known forensic psychiatrist who has been an expert witness in many famous cases, such as the trials of Jack Ruby, Ted Bundy, Sam Sheppard, and Robert Garwood. He is licensed to practice in Ohio and Georgia, as well as Michigan. Dr. Tanay has served as an officer or committee member of many professional organizations, such as the Michigan Psychiatric Society, the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, the American Psychiatric Association (APA), and others. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and of the American Board of Forensic Psychiatry and a distinguished fellow of the APA and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFC).
A Holocaust survivor himself, he coauthored a book about the survivors of the Holocaust and was asked by the German government to consult on just compensation for the Holocaust survivors. Dr. Tanay has served on several journal editorial boards, authored many publications, and presented countless times on forensic medicine. His efforts have also produced many awards and commendations from groups such as the Michigan State Medical Society, APA, the Detroit Institute of Technology, and AAFC, among others.
"A man, whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II, owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism. "Very few people were true Nazis," he said, "but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories."
We are told again and again by "experts" and "talking heads" that Islam is the religion of peace, and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the spectra of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.
The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor-kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers.
The hard quantifiable fact is that the peaceful majority, the "silent majority," is cowed and extraneous.
Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant.
China's huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.
The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering sadist Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet.
And, who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were "peace loving"?
History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points: Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence. Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany, they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.
Peace-loving Germans, bJapanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late.
As for us who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts; the fanatics who threaten our way of life.
Lastly, anyone who doubts that the issue is serious and just deletes this email without sending it on is contributing to the passiveness that allows the problems to expand. So, extend yourself a bit and send this on and on and on! Let us hope that thousands, world wide, read this and think about it, and send it on - before it's too late. "
Emanuel Tanay, M.D.Dr. Emanuel Tanay, MD Wayne State UniversityAnn Arbor, Michigan A clinical professor of psychiatry at the Medical School, Dr. Emanuel Tanay MD is a well-known forensic psychiatrist who has been an expert witness in many famous cases, such as the trials of Jack Ruby, Ted Bundy, Sam Sheppard, and Robert Garwood. He is licensed to practice in Ohio and Georgia, as well as Michigan. Dr. Tanay has served as an officer or committee member of many professional organizations, such as the Michigan Psychiatric Society, the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, the American Psychiatric Association (APA), and others. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and of the American Board of Forensic Psychiatry and a distinguished fellow of the APA and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFC).
A Holocaust survivor himself, he coauthored a book about the survivors of the Holocaust and was asked by the German government to consult on just compensation for the Holocaust survivors. Dr. Tanay has served on several journal editorial boards, authored many publications, and presented countless times on forensic medicine. His efforts have also produced many awards and commendations from groups such as the Michigan State Medical Society, APA, the Detroit Institute of Technology, and AAFC, among others.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Kennedy dynasty comment....
Read an interesting comment in regard to my blog on the "Kennedy dynasty."
...A terrific talk radio topic: should a career politician's past sins be cleansed because of a cancer diagnosis? Kennedy killed a young woman with his car. Has that now been erased from history?Certainly, tactful boundaries ought to exist when it comes to discussion of a US Senator with cancer. Your comments?
...A terrific talk radio topic: should a career politician's past sins be cleansed because of a cancer diagnosis? Kennedy killed a young woman with his car. Has that now been erased from history?Certainly, tactful boundaries ought to exist when it comes to discussion of a US Senator with cancer. Your comments?
price of gasoline
We have all been hurting with the increasing price of gas. Some blame President Bush. (O.K. most do. Others blame Congress.) So, I decided to research this price gouging story Both sides of the political isle are to blame for this neglected issue, along with the oil barons. While the refining of oil has been improving, the number of refineries has been dropping. In 1982 there were 301 refineries producing 17.9 million barrels of oil per day. Today, 149 refineries are producing 17.4 million barrels of oil per day. The United States, alone, consumes 20.7 million barrels of oil per day. While refining capacity is not the only factor in the price of gas, there has not been a refinery built since 1976. Why? Building a refinery is very expensive. There are many environmental restrictions. Many don't want a refinery in their neighborhood. So where to build? The solution? It would take many years to build new refinery. One company, the Arizona Clean Fuels company has been trying to build one since 1998. Seven years later they obtained a permit. The plants location was changed twice because of environmental restrictions and land disputes. The refinery is projected to have a $3.7 billion total price tag. The EIA recorded per-barrel profits of $5.29 in 2006; at that rate, the 150,000-barrel-per-day refinery would need to operate for almost 13 years before its profits outweighed the cost of building it.In short, the reason for not adding more refineries is straightforward: It's hard, and it's expensive. The reason that we have so few in the first place is more complicated. In the 1980s and 1990s, there was a surplus of refining capacity. Then, over the course of two decades, half of the plants shut down. In 2001, Oregon senator Ron Wyden presented to Congress a report arguing that these closings were calculated choices intended to increase oil company profits. Fewer refineries means less product in circulation, which means a lower supply-to-demand ratio and more profit. Wyden's report cites internal memos from the oil industry implying that this reduction was a deliberate attempt to curtail profit losses. The economic pressures of oversupply could have led to plant closings even without a more calculated decision, of course. In 2005, the head of the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association testified at a House hearing that the rate of return on investment in refining averaged just five and a half percent from 1993 to 2003. So what is your solution?
Sources
Porter, Adam. "Global refinery shortage shifts power balance." BBC News. 2 Oct. 2005.Mouawad, Jad. "No New Refineries in 29 Years? There Might Well Be a Reason." The New York Times. 9 May 2005.Schoen, John W. "U.S. refiners stretch to meet demand." MSNBC. 22 Nov. 2004.Reynolds, Sarah. "East County oil refinery will move." Yuma Sun. 5 Feb. 2008.Associated Press. "Arizona refinery permit took seven years, Senate told." 14 Jul. 2006.Wyden, Ron. "The Oil Industry, Gas Supply and Refinery Capacity: More Than Meets the Eye." 14 Jun. 2001.109th United States Congress. "Petroleum Refineries: Will Record Profits Spur Investment in New Capacity?" House Subcommittee on Energy and Resources. 19 Oct. 2005.
Sources
Porter, Adam. "Global refinery shortage shifts power balance." BBC News. 2 Oct. 2005.Mouawad, Jad. "No New Refineries in 29 Years? There Might Well Be a Reason." The New York Times. 9 May 2005.Schoen, John W. "U.S. refiners stretch to meet demand." MSNBC. 22 Nov. 2004.Reynolds, Sarah. "East County oil refinery will move." Yuma Sun. 5 Feb. 2008.Associated Press. "Arizona refinery permit took seven years, Senate told." 14 Jul. 2006.Wyden, Ron. "The Oil Industry, Gas Supply and Refinery Capacity: More Than Meets the Eye." 14 Jun. 2001.109th United States Congress. "Petroleum Refineries: Will Record Profits Spur Investment in New Capacity?" House Subcommittee on Energy and Resources. 19 Oct. 2005.
the Kennedy "dynasty"
It is sad to read when anyone has a terminal illness. It was sad to hear of Senator Ted Kennedy's probable terminal illness. It is not sad to keep hearing all these wonder alcolades about Senator Ted Kennedy and the Kennedy "Dynasty." Let's recap. Let's start in 1969.
Meet Mary Jo Kopechne. July 20, 1969 as a 1967 Delmont 88 was being pulled from a channel (Poucha Pond) in Chappaquiddick. As young and beautiful Mary Jo Kopechne suffocated inside the Delmont 88... Ted swam to his own safety. Ted fled to his posh hotel room, then to sleep never bothering to call the local authorities. A science teacher and 15 year old boy fishing from the "Dike Bridge" found the car in the morning. He pled guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and received a suspended sentence of two months. How long do you think you or I would of served?
Now read about the "Ted Kennedy Fun Room."
In the Summer of 1989 Kennedy and fellow Senator Chris Dodd were having lunch at famous Washington D.C. restaurant La Brasserie. Kennedy requested the attendance of waitress Carla Gaviglio. According to the Washington Times "When she put in an appearance in their private retreat - 'The Teddy Kennedy Fun Room' - the Massachusetts senator picked her up and heaved her onto a table. The crystal candlesticks and champagne glasses shattered as he grabbed her again and flung her on top of Dodd. "Then Kennedy threw himself on top of the woman. The waitress implored Mr. Kennedy to 'Get off me!'
"Another waitress entered to find 'things all tipped over and Kennedy was on top, [the waitress] was in the middle and Dodd was on the bottom.' At that point the sandwich was disassembled."
There are numerous other similar stories. One from a friend who had the "honor" of waiting on Ted's table.
Meet Pam Kelley. (top right photo) Pam Kelley’s family lived in Hyannisport near the Kennedys. Her older sister Kim was the longtime girlfriend of Bobby Kennedy, Jr., a heroin addict. She became David Kennedy’s girlfriend in the summer of 1973, and spent time with him in Colorado. The couple returned to Massachusetts, and decided to go over to Nantucket to meet Joe, then age 20. On Monday morning, before they were to catch the ferry, they decided to go for a final swim. Joe borrowed a jeep to go out to the jetty. This is Pam’s description of what happened next, from “The Kennedys: An American Drama,” by Peter Collier and David Horowitz: “We were all sort of standing up in the jeep. Joe was cutting through the woods, spinning the jeep in circles. We were yelling and laughing and acting crazy. There was a rest area on the other side of the highway and Joe started to cross over to it. He didn’t see this station wagon heading toward us until the last minute. Joe swerved and we hit a ditch with our tires on the right side, breaking the jeep’s axle and flipping us. We held on to the roll bar for a couple of flips and then had to let go. Me and David were right together… in the air. I remember tumbling and seeing David’s face. I hit the ground. When I tried to get up, nothing happened.”
She was paralyzed. She would never walk again. Joe Kennedy, too, paid a price for his Teddy-like driving. A judge who had been a Harvard classmate of his late uncle and namesake Joe Jr. suspended his driver’s license. When David was in the hospital recovering from his own fractured vertebrae, he was introduced to morphine. Soon he too was a junkie, like his older brother Bobby. In 1984, David would be dead of a drug overdose at the Brazilian Court in Palm Beach. Joe Kennedy is now retired from politics, at least temporarily. Many years ago, on the beach at Hyannisport on the Fourth of July, he set one of his sons on fire with some illegal fireworks. No charges were filed. In 2005 Joe made headlines again:
She was paralyzed. She would never walk again. Joe Kennedy, too, paid a price for his Teddy-like driving. A judge who had been a Harvard classmate of his late uncle and namesake Joe Jr. suspended his driver’s license. When David was in the hospital recovering from his own fractured vertebrae, he was introduced to morphine. Soon he too was a junkie, like his older brother Bobby. In 1984, David would be dead of a drug overdose at the Brazilian Court in Palm Beach. Joe Kennedy is now retired from politics, at least temporarily. Many years ago, on the beach at Hyannisport on the Fourth of July, he set one of his sons on fire with some illegal fireworks. No charges were filed. In 2005 Joe made headlines again:
From The Boston Herald Aug 31, 2005
Paralyzed victim of Joe K crash: Skinflint won't helpBy Laurel J. Sweet and Maggie Mulvihill Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - Updated: 07:42 AM EST Joseph P. Kennedy II, who built upon his family fortune with a lucrative career of his own since leaving politics, allegedly told a Hyannis mother he left paralyzed for life in a car crash 32 years ago that he is ``broke'' and won't be her financial crutch any longer.
``I'm broke. I work for a non-profit. I'm not a bottomless pit,'' the chairman of Citizens Energy Corp. and former congressman allegedly told Pamela Burkley, whom he knew in their star-crossed youth on Cape Cod as Pam Kelley – his late brother David's girlfriend.
Kennedy denies through his lawyer that he made the remarks.
Though she acknowledges Kennedy, 52, has thrown some $50,000 her way over the years, Burkley, 50, told the Herald, ``I feel like he thinks I'm a piece of trash sitting in a wheelchair.''
The divorced mother of a 16-year-old girl said she earns $57,000 a year as executive director of the Cape Organization for Rights of the Disabled and suffers from recurring bladder cancer. ``I'm realizing my body is starting to give out on me,'' she said.
``I just want to live my life and plant my plants, play with my dogs and watch my daughter grow up. As I age, I'm getting nervous and less independent. And I'm tired.''
Steve Kidder, a friend and attorney for Kennedy, said Burkley's portrayal of slain U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy's son as cold and uncaring is wrong.
``The quote that she is attributing to Joe simply did not happen,'' Kidder responded emphatically.
In a statement released to the Herald through Kidder, Kennedy said, ``I have a very strong sense of responsibility for Pam and her circumstances. I have helped Pam many, many times over the years, and Pam knows I will continue to do so in the future.''
Burkley netted $668,000 from an insurance policy on the Jeep Kennedy flipped Aug. 13, 1973, snapping her spine and injuring five other teens heading to a Nantucket swimming hole.
The middle-class daughter of a builder and a real estate agent told a reporter at the time: ``There's no way I'd be able to spend that money if I lived to be 102.'' She decided not to sue.
But just eight years later, her trust fund was gone, invested in a house, medical expenses and land in Kezar Falls, Maine.
Kennedy was found guilty of driving to endanger and fined $100. A fawning judge told him, ``Use your illustrious name as an asset to do a lot of good.''
In the years since, Burkley struggled with depression, thoughts of suicide, and battled drugs and booze.
``Once I got sober,'' she said, ``I just flew. And I'm so proud of that and what I've done for myself, my community and my family. That's what I've spent the last 32 years doing and I don't see him owning any of this.''
Kennedy, meanwhile, has continued to live well.
Kennedy is the owner of nearly $2 million in real estate, including a rambling six-bedroom colonial in Brighton assessed this year by city officials at $741,600. In April 2003 he also took out a $1 million loan to purchase a 1,800-square-foot condo in an exclusive waterfront gated community in Key Largo, Fla., for which he and his wife, his former congressional aide Beth Kelly, paid $1.275 million, public records show
In addition, Kennedy owns two boats – a top-of-the-line, 35-foot fishing vessel he moors in Florida, and a 22-foot white sloop he keeps on Cape Cod, records show.
Entities related to his Citizens Energy Corp. paid him more than $400,000 in 2003, the last year for which records are available.
Paralyzed victim of Joe K crash: Skinflint won't helpBy Laurel J. Sweet and Maggie Mulvihill Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - Updated: 07:42 AM EST Joseph P. Kennedy II, who built upon his family fortune with a lucrative career of his own since leaving politics, allegedly told a Hyannis mother he left paralyzed for life in a car crash 32 years ago that he is ``broke'' and won't be her financial crutch any longer.
``I'm broke. I work for a non-profit. I'm not a bottomless pit,'' the chairman of Citizens Energy Corp. and former congressman allegedly told Pamela Burkley, whom he knew in their star-crossed youth on Cape Cod as Pam Kelley – his late brother David's girlfriend.
Kennedy denies through his lawyer that he made the remarks.
Though she acknowledges Kennedy, 52, has thrown some $50,000 her way over the years, Burkley, 50, told the Herald, ``I feel like he thinks I'm a piece of trash sitting in a wheelchair.''
The divorced mother of a 16-year-old girl said she earns $57,000 a year as executive director of the Cape Organization for Rights of the Disabled and suffers from recurring bladder cancer. ``I'm realizing my body is starting to give out on me,'' she said.
``I just want to live my life and plant my plants, play with my dogs and watch my daughter grow up. As I age, I'm getting nervous and less independent. And I'm tired.''
Steve Kidder, a friend and attorney for Kennedy, said Burkley's portrayal of slain U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy's son as cold and uncaring is wrong.
``The quote that she is attributing to Joe simply did not happen,'' Kidder responded emphatically.
In a statement released to the Herald through Kidder, Kennedy said, ``I have a very strong sense of responsibility for Pam and her circumstances. I have helped Pam many, many times over the years, and Pam knows I will continue to do so in the future.''
Burkley netted $668,000 from an insurance policy on the Jeep Kennedy flipped Aug. 13, 1973, snapping her spine and injuring five other teens heading to a Nantucket swimming hole.
The middle-class daughter of a builder and a real estate agent told a reporter at the time: ``There's no way I'd be able to spend that money if I lived to be 102.'' She decided not to sue.
But just eight years later, her trust fund was gone, invested in a house, medical expenses and land in Kezar Falls, Maine.
Kennedy was found guilty of driving to endanger and fined $100. A fawning judge told him, ``Use your illustrious name as an asset to do a lot of good.''
In the years since, Burkley struggled with depression, thoughts of suicide, and battled drugs and booze.
``Once I got sober,'' she said, ``I just flew. And I'm so proud of that and what I've done for myself, my community and my family. That's what I've spent the last 32 years doing and I don't see him owning any of this.''
Kennedy, meanwhile, has continued to live well.
Kennedy is the owner of nearly $2 million in real estate, including a rambling six-bedroom colonial in Brighton assessed this year by city officials at $741,600. In April 2003 he also took out a $1 million loan to purchase a 1,800-square-foot condo in an exclusive waterfront gated community in Key Largo, Fla., for which he and his wife, his former congressional aide Beth Kelly, paid $1.275 million, public records show
In addition, Kennedy owns two boats – a top-of-the-line, 35-foot fishing vessel he moors in Florida, and a 22-foot white sloop he keeps on Cape Cod, records show.
Entities related to his Citizens Energy Corp. paid him more than $400,000 in 2003, the last year for which records are available.
Meet Martha Moxley. Fifteen year old Martha Moxley's only mistake in life was being the neighbor of Michael Skakel, nephew of Robert F.Kennedy. Martha Moxley was beaten to death with a golf club by Michael Skakel. It took 27 years for "socialite" to be brought to justice.
Meet William "Kennedy" Smith. In 1991, Smith was tried and acquitted on a charge of rape. He was represented by prominent Miami-based criminal defense attorney Roy Black. The trial attracted extensive media coverage because of the prominence of the Kennedy family.
The incident began on the evening of March 30, 1991, when Smith, then 30 years old, was in a bar (named Au Bar) in Palm Beach, Florida in the company of his uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy, and his cousin Patrick Kennedy. Smith met a 29-year-old woman, Patricia Bowman. Patrick became acquainted with Michelle Cassone, another young woman who was at the bar. The four of them then went to a nearby house owned by the Kennedy family. Smith and Bowman went for a walk along the beach. She alleged that Smith raped her; Smith testified that the sex was consensual. At a criminal trial later that year, Smith was acquitted of all charges against him. In 2004, a former employee of the Center for International Rehabilitation, Audra Soulias, alleged that Smith had sexually assaulted her in 1999, and brought a civil action against him. Smith denied her charges, calling them "outrageous" and saying that "family and personal history have made me unusually vulnerable to these kinds of charges" and resigned from the CIR. On January 5, 2005, the court dismissed Soulias's lawsuit.
In the same time period, it was reported that Laura Hamilton was paid a large sum of money by Smith in an out-of-court settlement. Laura Hamilton charged that Smith "often improperly touched her" and "gave unwanted massages." A draft complaint states, "Dr. Smith continued to rub Ms. Hamilton's belly, inched his hand below her waist, and stuck his tongue in her ear.
The incident began on the evening of March 30, 1991, when Smith, then 30 years old, was in a bar (named Au Bar) in Palm Beach, Florida in the company of his uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy, and his cousin Patrick Kennedy. Smith met a 29-year-old woman, Patricia Bowman. Patrick became acquainted with Michelle Cassone, another young woman who was at the bar. The four of them then went to a nearby house owned by the Kennedy family. Smith and Bowman went for a walk along the beach. She alleged that Smith raped her; Smith testified that the sex was consensual. At a criminal trial later that year, Smith was acquitted of all charges against him. In 2004, a former employee of the Center for International Rehabilitation, Audra Soulias, alleged that Smith had sexually assaulted her in 1999, and brought a civil action against him. Smith denied her charges, calling them "outrageous" and saying that "family and personal history have made me unusually vulnerable to these kinds of charges" and resigned from the CIR. On January 5, 2005, the court dismissed Soulias's lawsuit.
In the same time period, it was reported that Laura Hamilton was paid a large sum of money by Smith in an out-of-court settlement. Laura Hamilton charged that Smith "often improperly touched her" and "gave unwanted massages." A draft complaint states, "Dr. Smith continued to rub Ms. Hamilton's belly, inched his hand below her waist, and stuck his tongue in her ear.
Meet Michael Kennedy. In 1997, the news broke that Michael Kennedy was having an affair with the family's former babysitter. Allegedly, the affair had begun three years before when the babysitter was a fourteen-year-old teenager, and Kennedy was placed under investigation for statutory rape. However, the babysitter did not cooperate with prosecutors. Shortly after the scandal began, Michael Kennedy and his wife separated. After the affair, Michael Kennedy checked himself into a rehab center for alcoholics. Michael Kennedy was the head of his brother Joseph's non-profit organization, Citizen's Energy Corporation. He also helped organize Edward M. Kennedy's re-election campaign against Mitt Romney in 1994. Michael Kennedy died at the end of 1997 in a skiing accident in Aspen, Colorado. He was skiing with several other members of the Kennedy family when he hit a tree while they were playing football on skis. Kennedy was not wearing a helmet or other safety equipment, and was reportedly filming the football game on a camcorder.
Meet Patrick Kennedy. Patrick J. Kennedy became the youngest member of the Kennedy political family to hold elected office in 1988, when he won election to the Rhode Island State Assembly at age 21. On May 4, 2006, Kennedy crashed his 1997 Ford Mustang convertible into a barricade on Capitol Hill at 2:45AM. An official who was not on the scene said the congressman had appeared intoxicated when he crashed his car, but Kennedy claimed that he was merely disoriented from prescription medications Ambien and Phenergan.Anonymous sources are alleged to have seen Kennedy drinking at the nearby Hawk & Dove bar prior the accident. Kennedy also stated to officers that he was "late for a vote." However, the last vote of the night had occurred almost six hours earlier. The standard field sobriety test was not administered. Kennedy was driven home by an officer.
On May 5, 2006, Kennedy admitted he has an addiction to prescription medication and announced he would be re-admitting himself to a drug rehabilitation facility at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota where he has sought treatment for prior addictions. He has stated that he has no recollection of the car crash. On May 8, 2006, Kennedy got a show of support when he was endorsed by the Rhode Island Democratic Party.On June 5, 2006 Kennedy was released from drug rehab.
After being asked if he expected any special treatment from authorities, Kennedy expressed that he hoped they would treat him as if he "were an African-American in Anacostia".On June 13, 2006, Kennedy made a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of prescription drugs.He was sentenced to one year probation and a fine of $350. Two of the three charges (reckless driving and failure to exhibit a driving permit) were dismissed. He was also ordered to attend a rehabilitation program that includes weekly urine tests, twice-weekly meetings with a probation officer, near-daily Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and a weekly meeting of recovering addicts .
In an earlier incident, on April 15, 2006, Kennedy was driving a Ford Crown Victoria registered to the "Friends of Pat Kennedy Inc" on Turnpike Avenue in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. As Patrick attempted to turn left into the CVS parking lot, his vehicle was "broadsided" by a Nissan Maxima driven by off duty Coast Guard warrant officer Thomas Guthlein who was attempting to make a right turn into the same parking lot. Portsmouth Rhode Island police did not issue a citation to either driver. One woman who witnessed the accident has expressed her opinion that Kennedy was impaired. Guthlein is quoted in the New York Daily News as saying 'I never really got that close to him ... It was just a regular traffic accident'. Kennedy has acknowledged being treated for cocaine use during his teenage years and sought treatment for an OxyContin addiction in 2006.
In 2000, Kennedy was accused of pushing a security guard at LAX. City prosecutors ultimately decided not to bring criminal charges against him and he paid an undisclosed civil settlement to the alleged victim almost two years later.
In 2000, Atlantic Navigation Company of Mystic, CT, claimed that a boat they rented to Kennedy was found abandoned off Martha's Vineyard and required $28,000 to repair.
The same year, the Coast Guard was dispatched to Kennedy's yacht after he and his date *(former Channel 7 News anchor Caterina Bandini, became embroiled in an argument on his yacht off Martha's Vineyard.
In 2003, Kennedy drew fire from his critics when he said that "I have never worked a fucking day in my life."
In 2007, the Kennedy camp stated that they will retain $6,600 in donations from fugitive Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu. Kennedy is one of the few Democrats not to return or donate these contributions. This is a controversial action because of the allegation that Hsu has been using his personal funds to unfairly influence Washington.
On May 5, 2006, Kennedy admitted he has an addiction to prescription medication and announced he would be re-admitting himself to a drug rehabilitation facility at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota where he has sought treatment for prior addictions. He has stated that he has no recollection of the car crash. On May 8, 2006, Kennedy got a show of support when he was endorsed by the Rhode Island Democratic Party.On June 5, 2006 Kennedy was released from drug rehab.
After being asked if he expected any special treatment from authorities, Kennedy expressed that he hoped they would treat him as if he "were an African-American in Anacostia".On June 13, 2006, Kennedy made a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of prescription drugs.He was sentenced to one year probation and a fine of $350. Two of the three charges (reckless driving and failure to exhibit a driving permit) were dismissed. He was also ordered to attend a rehabilitation program that includes weekly urine tests, twice-weekly meetings with a probation officer, near-daily Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and a weekly meeting of recovering addicts .
In an earlier incident, on April 15, 2006, Kennedy was driving a Ford Crown Victoria registered to the "Friends of Pat Kennedy Inc" on Turnpike Avenue in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. As Patrick attempted to turn left into the CVS parking lot, his vehicle was "broadsided" by a Nissan Maxima driven by off duty Coast Guard warrant officer Thomas Guthlein who was attempting to make a right turn into the same parking lot. Portsmouth Rhode Island police did not issue a citation to either driver. One woman who witnessed the accident has expressed her opinion that Kennedy was impaired. Guthlein is quoted in the New York Daily News as saying 'I never really got that close to him ... It was just a regular traffic accident'. Kennedy has acknowledged being treated for cocaine use during his teenage years and sought treatment for an OxyContin addiction in 2006.
In 2000, Kennedy was accused of pushing a security guard at LAX. City prosecutors ultimately decided not to bring criminal charges against him and he paid an undisclosed civil settlement to the alleged victim almost two years later.
In 2000, Atlantic Navigation Company of Mystic, CT, claimed that a boat they rented to Kennedy was found abandoned off Martha's Vineyard and required $28,000 to repair.
The same year, the Coast Guard was dispatched to Kennedy's yacht after he and his date *(former Channel 7 News anchor Caterina Bandini, became embroiled in an argument on his yacht off Martha's Vineyard.
In 2003, Kennedy drew fire from his critics when he said that "I have never worked a fucking day in my life."
In 2007, the Kennedy camp stated that they will retain $6,600 in donations from fugitive Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu. Kennedy is one of the few Democrats not to return or donate these contributions. This is a controversial action because of the allegation that Hsu has been using his personal funds to unfairly influence Washington.
With all the corruption and influence meddling, is this the wonderful great American family deserving of such praise? Many are penning columns admiring the Kennedy brothers and what they stood for. There is no question he is an insider. He has 46 years of experience and service. But at what price?
Monday, May 05, 2008
Marty B is back.....
Marty B is back......
The gloves are off........
but I prefer this wrestling match...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9ovpY_Xoqc
nice float....Obama taking a bite of white meat..aka Hilliary.....but he must worry about all the "trans" fats in her arse...
Happy 5th of May....the new pending Holiday in the U.S. of Mexico...
Meanwhile back on the campaign trail...
Chelsea packs 'em in....
So let me see if I got this straight.....Hilliary had travel gate, Vince Foster, a lying cheating husband, has always, up to the end of Bill's Presidency, lived in public housing (including the White House) until leaving the Presidency....then making millions off of speeches praising his infidelity......Obama has a pastor that is a racist......had a neighbor that was a terrorist...and has a wife that is recently proud to be an American....while both having silver spoons growing up deprived with Ivy League educations (a mind is a terrible thing to waste)......
McCain is a war hero, has a wife who has the largest Budweiser distributorship in the country, has a temper and made an appearance (along with the other two bozo's) on American Idol and the WWE Monday Night Raw show.....
Meanwhile Billy Carter....I mean Jimmy...(they all end in "y" and I get confused)
visits terrorists and encourages their forgiveness for mass murders....
ahhhhhhhh what a wonderful world!
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