Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Poised to step down, Sen. Mel Martinez spending campaign money


BY BETH REINHARD AND LESLEY CLARK
breinhard@MiamiHerald.com


U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez announced eight months ago that he would not seek reelection but has continued to spend campaign donations on consultants, staff, air fares, meals, cellphones and purchases at the Senate gift shop.

Federal Election Commission records show Martinez has spent $147,642 since his Dec. 2 announcement. He also returned $419,051 to his contributors, with $456,200 remaining in the account as of June 30.

Federal law gives officeholders wide latitude to spend campaign donations on anything related to their election or in connection with their official duties.

``My general advice is, `contributors beware,' '' said Paul Ryan, an election law expert at the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington-based watchdog group. ``The door is close to wide open for what federal officeholders can do with the money in their coffers.''

Martinez's campaign treasurer, Tampa accountant Nancy Watkins, said the senator has adhered to federal law.

``It has to be for the campaign or official business,'' said Watkins, whose firm has received thousands of dollars from Martinez's campaign for accounting services in recent months. ``There's no conversion for personal use, and we don't have any of that going on here.''

Martinez's decision to step down has paved the way for one of Florida's most hectic and unpredictable election cycles in decade. The senator initially pledged to finish his term but last week said he was quitting.

Thousands of campaign dollars in recent months went to pay caterers and restaurants, including $2,549 at the Pour House, a Washington sports bar; $591.85 for catering at the officers' club at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa; $247.14 at the Oceanaire seafood restaurant in Washington, and $197.72 at Le Coq Au Vin in Orlando.

Watkins said Martinez held a holiday party for his congressional staff at the Pour House. She said she did not know the circumstances of the other restaurant and catering bills but suggested they could be for meetings with visiting constituents, fellow senators or campaign staff.

``Yours and my tax dollars don't pay for those things,'' Watkins said.

The campaign spent $425 at the Senate gift shop on Dec. 8 and another $215.75 on Jan. 12. Watkins said the purchases were likely flag pins, key chains or other souvenirs that bear the seal of the Senate and are given to constituents, friends and donors.

The report also shows money taken out of the account for ``petty cash'' -- $300 on Dec. 30 and $233.49 on March 16. Watkins said the money was for inexpensive items, like a roll of stamps or office supplies. Martinez also continues to pay a campaign employee's salary and overhead to wind down his election account, which Watkins compared to ``a battle ship, it takes six months to turn around.''

Some of the expenses were left over from political activities and contracts begun before Martinez announced that he would not run again. Political consultant Tre' Evers of Consensus Communications in Orlando said a Jan. 2 payment of $16,450 was the last of four installments for campaign fundraising in 2008.

``Sen. Martinez was raising money because it takes a lot of money to run a Senate race, and he was planning to make a final decision on whether he would do it later on,'' Evers said. ``It's what everybody does.''

Other vendors that received hundreds of dollars from the campaign include American Express for credit card bills, AT&T Mobility for cell phone services, Chicago-based Restaurant Associates for food and beverages, Aristotle International in Washington for software, Advanced Network Solutions of Orlando for Internet access and technical support, and CVC Productions of Windermere for audio-visual services.

Tallahassee lobbyist Brian Ballard, who was among the dozens of donors who received campaign refunds in late December, said he wasn't concerned about how Martinez spent the money left in his account.

``I have all the faith in the world in him,'' said Ballard, who got a $2,300 check back. ``I was happy to give the money to him, and when he decided he wasn't going to run I was happy to get it back.''

The main restriction on federal campaign donations is that they can't be spent on personal use, such as a home mortgage, school tuition or funeral expenses. Any spending that occurs because of a campaign or public office is ``considered permissible,'' says the FEC's campaign guide.

Federal officeholders may also spend campaign contributions on family travel to an event that relates to their public offices. And they can donate money to charities, political parties or candidates. Martinez gave about $50,000 in June to a slew of Republican members of Congress, including Gov. Charlie Crist, the front runner to replace him in 2010.

Martinez's early exit puts Crist in the unusual position of appointing someone to serve the last 17 months of his term at the same time he is seeking the job himself. Potential candidates include former U.S. Attorney Bob Martinez, former Secretary of State Jim Smith, and George LeMieux, Crist's former chief of staff.

Last year, Martinez paid a $99,000 fine to the Federal Elections Commission for accepting donations that exceeded the legal limits and for other violations in his 2004 campaign. The senator's campaign said the violations were ``inadvertent.''





.

The Lamb of God


29The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

30This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.

31And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.

32And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.

33And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

34And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.



John 1: 29-34.


.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Cleaning up. Greening up. And a new Web site.


Cleaning up. Greening up. And a new Web site.


Mayor Luke Ravenstahl continued today with his second of five planned "sweeps" of key neighborhoods needing to be "redd-up" in advance of The Pittsburgh Summit.

"Next to Downtown, Mount Washington will be probably the second most-visited area," said Ravenstahl Monday, during a press conference overlooking the Pittsburgh skyline near the intersection of Shiloh Street and Grandview Avenue. "We want to make sure that it's presentable."

On July 23 the mayor surveyed the Downtown area around the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, where leaders of the G-20 nations will meet Sept. 24-25 to discuss the global economy.

The city has already delivered new trash cans in Mount Washington, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. The Mount Washington Community Development Corp. has asked to have streetlights installed, rickety fences repaired and security cameras posted along Grandview Avenue.

The city's Redd-Up Campaign crew has shifted from daylight to nights to work unimpeded by traffic. Along with Downtown and Mount Washington, the crews are also addressing concerns in Oakland, the Strip District and the South Side. Those are the neighborhoods that city leaders expect to be most visited by the hundreds of international government staff and thousands of journalists attending the conference.

County Executive Dan Onorato will conduct a similar tour along the Pittsburgh International Airport corridor Wednesday. At that time, the Pittsburgh G-20 Partnership will unveil the images for signs and banners that -- from light posts, buildings and shop windows around the region ñ will welcome the world to Pittsburgh.

The city and county, with the help of several volunteer organizations, also are planning a clean-up "blitz" on Saturday, Sept. 12, in communities throughout the region.



Other "Clean and Green" Efforts Already Underway
The Convention Center's "front door" is already undergoing some intensive greening. A $152,000 grant from the Colcom Foundation to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy will cover the cost of planting 39 small maple, magnolia and zelkova trees at the corner of Penn Avenue and 10th Street, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

John F. Rohe, Colcom's vice president of philanthropy, said the grant aims to give the busy corner "color and definition" for images that will be seen via international and national news media. The Colcom Foundation -- a Pittsburgh G-20 Partner — focuses, through strategic grant-making, on environmental sustainability and natural resource preservation.



"Eds and Meds" Website Launches for Delegates, Media
Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) — all Pittsburgh G-20 Partnership Underwriters -- have launched a collaborative Web site to help tell the story of Western Pennsylvania's transformation into a thriving center of medical and high-tech research and development. The new site, G20 Pittsburgh 2009 The Power of Three, offers a wealth of background resources about cutting-edge programs at CMU, Pitt and UPMC; powerful collaborations among the three entities; and start-up companies that have grown out of Pittsburgh's universities.

The three institutions will host 10 tours on Sept. 21 for credentialed news media and delegates attending The Pittsburgh Summit. Focal points will include the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the Center for Global Health and the Entertainment Technology Center. Additional information about tour registration is available here.


Compiled by Bonnie Pfister for the Pittsburgh G-20 Partnership

Sources: Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's office; County Executive Dan Onorato's office; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Pittsburgh-Tribune Review; Colcom Foundation; http://edsmedspittsburgh.org/.
.
Source: https://www.pittsburghg20.org/Articles/081009.aspx#Eds

North American Leaders Pledge Action on Swine Flu, Economy, Security

North American Leaders Pledge Action on Swine Flu, Economy, Security
By Kent Klein
Guadalajara, Mexico
10 August 2009



Mexican President Felipe Calderon,(C)US President Barack Obama (L) and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper talk before NAFTA summit, 10 Aug 2009


The leaders of the United States, Canada and Mexico have concluded their brief summit by pledging more cooperation to fight the swine influenza A-H1N1 virus and illegal drug cartels as well as to strengthen the North American economy. As VOA's Kent Klein reports from Guadalajara, Mexico, U.S. President Barack Obama also gave a spirited defense of his policy toward Honduras.

President Obama, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper have left Guadalajara with a promise to work together to prepare for the next swine flu outbreak, expected later this year.

Mr. Harper said the three nations can build on their previous efforts. "The excellent cooperation among our three countries was effective in helping to manage the initial outbreak, and we will continue our cooperative efforts," he said.

President Obama said greater cooperation is imperative throughout North America. "With science as our guide, we resolve to continue taking all necessary preparations and precautions to prepare for the upcoming flu season, and protect the health of our people. This challenge transcends borders, and so must our response," he said.

The three leaders also concentrated on boosting the regional economy, which has suffered in the global recession. Mr. Obama promised aggressive and coordinated action to restore economic growth.

The president and the Canadian prime minister reaffirmed their support for Mexican President Calderon's war against illegal drug cartels.

But Mr. Obama pressed his Mexican counterpart to be careful to observe human rights. "I have great confidence in President Calderon's administration, applying the law enforcement techniques that are necessary to curb the power of the cartels, but doing so in a way that is consistent with human rights," he said.

Mr. Calderon responded, through a translator, that he is most concerned about the right of Mexican citizens to walk the streets in safety. "The struggle, the battle, the fight against organized crime is precisely to preserve the human rights of the Mexican people," he said.

President Obama downplayed disagreements with Canada over the "Buy American" provision of the U.S. economic stimulus plan. Mr. Obama said the clause has not endangered the billions of dollars in commerce between the world's two biggest trading partners.

All three leaders reaffirmed their support for democracy in Honduras and called for the return of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted in a coup on June 28.

Mr. Obama responded angrily to criticism of U.S. involvement in efforts to restore Mr. Zelaya to power. "The same critics who say that the United States has not intervened enough in Honduras are the same people who are always saying that we are always intervening, and Yankees need to get out of Latin America. You cannot have it both ways," he said.

Prime Minister Harper then defended U.S. policy. "If I were an American, I would be really fed up with this kind of hypocrisy. The United States is accused of meddling, except for when it is accused of not meddling," he said.

The North American summit also served as a prelude to the G-20 summit of major and developing economies, set for September in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the October summit on climate change in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Mr. Harper is scheduled to visit the Washington in September, and he agreed to host the next North American summit in Canada next year.
.

India and Japan Earthquakes

USGS: huge earthquake hits in Indian Ocean
The Associated Press - Foster Klug - ‎1 hour ago‎
WASHINGTON — US officials on Monday reported that a huge 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck in the Indian Ocean and issued a regional tsunami watch for India, ...

Read More :http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gvma3zHnDkJYMang5K_RFgDoOqNQD9A0A8Q81


Related:
Magnitude 6.6 Quake Hits Japan; Tsunami Strikes Coast Bloomberg
Tsunami warning after earthquakes in Japan and Andaman Islands Melbourne Herald Sun
Tsunami watch issued for five countries canceled CNN
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Strong earthquake shakes Japan
Times Online - Richard Lloyd Parry - ‎1 hour ago‎
Japanese authorities cancelled a tsunami warning early this morning after initiating the alert following a strong earthquake off the coast south-west of ...

Read More: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6790817.ece

Related:
Strong Quake Felt in Tokyo Wall Street Journal
Japan earthquake Suomen Kuvalehti
Earthquake Hits Southwest Area of Tokyo Japan KSFY

.

DEADLY DOCTORS

DEADLY DOCTORS
O ADVISERS WANT TO RATION CARE

By BETSY MCCAUGHEY


Emanuel: Believes in withholding care from elderly for greater good.

Last updated: 1:13 am

July 24, 2009 Posted: 1:03 am

July 24, 2009



THE health bills coming out of Congress would put the decisions about your care in the hands of presidential appointees. They'd decide what plans cover, how much leeway your doctor will have and what seniors get under Medicare.


Yet at least two of President Obama's top health advisers should never be trusted with that power.


Start with Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, the brother of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. He has already been appointed to two key positions: health-policy adviser at the Office of Management and Budget and a member of Federal Council on Comparative Effectiveness Research.
Emanuel bluntly admits that the cuts will not be pain-free. "Vague promises of savings from cutting waste, enhancing prevention and wellness, installing electronic medical records and improving quality are merely 'lipstick' cost control, more for show and public relations than for true change," he wrote last year (Health Affairs Feb. 27, 2008).


Savings, he writes, will require changing how doctors think about their patients: Doctors take the Hippocratic Oath too seriously, "as an imperative to do everything for the patient regardless of the cost or effects on others" (Journal of the American Medical Association, June 18, 2008).
Yes, that's what patients want their doctors to do. But Emanuel wants doctors to look beyond the needs of their patients and consider social justice, such as whether the money could be better spent on somebody else.


Many doctors are horrified by this notion; they'll tell you that a doctor's job is to achieve social justice one patient at a time.


Emanuel, however, believes that "communitarianism" should guide decisions on who gets care. He says medical care should be reserved for the non-disabled, not given to those "who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens . . . An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia" (Hastings Center Report, Nov.-Dec. '96).


Translation: Don't give much care to a grandmother with Parkinson's or a child with cerebral palsy.


He explicitly defends discrimination against older patients: "Unlike allocation by sex or race, allocation by age is not invidious discrimination; every person lives through different life stages rather than being a single age. Even if 25-year-olds receive priority over 65-year-olds, everyone who is 65 years now was previously 25 years" (Lancet, Jan. 31).

.
.

Pelosi and Hoyer Speak Out Against Town Hall Disruptions

August 10, 2009 10:22 AM

Posted by Anna Aulova


(CBS/AP)House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, have written an op-ed for USA Today discussing the latest town hall disruptions, which they argue should not impede health care reform.


Deeming the protests "un-American" because they disrupt meetings between congresspeople and their constituents, Pelosi and Hoyer both expressed their unfavorable views of the incidents.


Protesters at some town hall meetings have drowned out congresspeople and caused unrest and even violence. They have offered slogans such as "Tyranny!" "Just say no!" and "No Obama Care."


Congresspeople home for their August recess have been confronted by protesters around their homes and offices. The Washington Post reports Rep. Baron P. Hill had so many incoming calls and visitors that his phone lines became jammed. He has been holding clandestine meetings with constituents to avoid any major disruptions and allow everyone to speak freely without protesters shouting over them.


"These disruptions are occurring because opponents are afraid not just of differing views — but of the facts themselves. Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American. Drowning out the facts is how we failed at this task for decades," Pelosi and Hoyer write. "The dialogue between elected representatives and constituents is at the heart of our democracy and plays an integral role in assuring that the legislation we write reflects the genuine needs and concerns of the people we represent.


" They go on to reiterate the importance of passing health care reform as soon as possible and not allowing the "ugly campaign" to hinder the progress of extending health coverage to millions of Americans.


Reform would provide citizens with better choice, stability, lower costs, and better quality, Pelosi and Hoyer write, adding that "people must be allowed to learn the facts" about health care.


They write that despite the disruptions, congresspeople will make their best efforts to hear the concerns of their constituents and explain any legislation in full detail.


"We are confident that our principles of affordable, quality health care will stand up to any and all critics," write Pelosi and Hoyer.





.

Air Force used Twitter to track NY flyover fallout


FILE -- In this photograph released by the White House, one of the president's official planes flies over the Statue of Liberty in New York in this undated photograph. (AP Photo/The White House)


Air Force used Twitter to track NY flyover fallout
By RICHARD LARDNER (AP) – 9 hours ago

WASHINGTON — As the Pentagon warns of the security risks posed by social networking sites, newly released government documents show the military also uses these Internet tools to monitor and react to coverage of high-profile events.

The Air Force tracked the instant messaging service Twitter, video carrier YouTube and various blogs to assess the huge public backlash to the Air Force One flyover of the Statue of Liberty this spring, according to the documents.

And while the attempts at damage control failed — "No positive spin is possible," one PowerPoint chart reads — the episode opens a window into the tactics for operating in a boundless digital news cycle.

This new terrain has slippery slopes, though, for the military. Facebook, MySpace and other social media sites are very popular among service members, including those in Iraq and Afghanistan who want to keep in touch with friends and family. The sites are also valued by military organizations for recruiting or communicating with other federal agencies.

But posting information on these interactive links makes it vulnerable to being lost or stolen by the enemy, according to Pentagon officials. On Thursday hackers shut down Twitter for several hours, while Facebook had intermittent access problems — an indication of the shortcomings of relying on these services.

The Marine Corps' computer network blocks users from accessing social media sites, which service officials say expose "information to adversaries" and provide "an easy conduit for information leakage."

The Marines recently made its ban official. And that prohibition might extend to other parts of the military pending a top-level review ordered in late July by Deputy Defense Secretary Bill Lynn.

In a widely distributed memo, Lynn said the so-called "Web 2.0" sites are important tools but more study is needed to understand their threats and benefits.

Air Force officials are already aware of the potential benefits.

According to the Air Force One documents released through the Freedom of Information Act, a unit called the Combat Information Cell at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida monitored the public fallout from the April 27 flight and offered recommendations for dealing with the fast-breaking story.

Formed two years ago, the cell is made up of as many as nine people who analyze piles of data culled from the Internet and other sources to determine whether the Air Force's message is being heard.

The presidential plane took off for New York from Andrews Air Force in Maryland accompanied by two F-16 jet fighters. The purpose of the flight, which wasn't publicly announced, was to get new photos of the specially modified Boeing 747 with the statue in the background.

The mission quickly became a public relations disaster as panicked New Yorkers, fearing another 9/11-style attack, emptied office buildings. In the aftermath, Louis Caldera, director of the White House military office that authorized the flight, was fired.

The Combat Information Cell's first assessment of the event said "Web site blog comments 'furious' at best." Local reporting of the flyover was "very critical, highlighting scare factor," it added.

A Twitter search revealed a rate of one "tweet" per minute about a pair of F-16s chasing a commercial airliner. A tweet is a text message of up to 140 characters delivered to the author's subscribers, who are known as followers.

Media coverage over the next 24 hours "will focus on local hysteria and lack of public notification," the cell predicted. "Blogs will continue to be overwhelmingly negative."

"Damage control requires timely counter-information," but the opportunity for that had passed, the assessment said. The cell recommended acknowledging the mistake and ensuring it didn't happen again.

Another update on April 28 said the story was still "reverberating, surprisingly resilient." The tweet rate had grown to three per minute and the words "New York" had been pushed into Twitter's high-frequency topic category. Videos of the event posted on YouTube had been viewed more than 260,000 times, it said.

By April 30, the story had faded, the cell reported. The blogs were still very critical, but it was the White House, not the Air Force, that was taking the heat, the assessment for that day said.

The other dominant news story at the time was public concern over the spread of swine flu. According to the documents, the same Air Force cell suggested there may be an opportunity to turn the tide. "Government involvement in this incident could be used to frame expected handling of H1N1 outbreak," one of the PowerPoint charts reads.

A Utah Air National Guard unit, the 101st Information Warfare Flight in Salt Lake City, was also monitoring the social sites. "To say that this event is being beaten like a dead horse is an understatement," reads an April 28 e-mail from the unit to other Air Force offices. "Has really taken off in Web. 2.0."

Both the 101st and the Combat Information Cell are attached to the 1st Air Force, which is based at Tyndall and is in charge of guarding U.S. airspace.

1st Air Force spokesman Al Eakle explained that the command had no role in planning or coordinating the Air Force One flight. But the units tracked social networks and blog traffic "to obtain what lessons we might learn so as not to repeat them in the future." The assessments were sent to the command's leadership so they'd know how the public was reacting, he added.

John Verdi of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington said gray zones can emerge while monitoring social networking sites because viewing and participating is based on trust.

"Lots of times individuals upload private or sensitive information that they expect to share with their friends or family and not the whole Internet world," Verdi said. "It would certainly be a major problem if the government were accessing that information under false pretenses."

Paul Bove, an Air Force digital media strategist, said service personnel are instructed not to do that. Nor are they to use aliases or represent a position that's beyond the scope of what they do.

"We always tell people, 'Stay in your lane and don't talk about something that you're not qualified to talk about,'" Bove said.

The issue of aliases is at the heart of a complaint stemming for the Army Corps of Engineers' performance in New Orleans before and after Hurricane Katrina.

On Tuesday, Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., asked the Pentagon inspector general to examine allegations that Corps employees posed as ordinary citizens and posted comments on a New Orleans web site defending the organization from criticism following the disaster.

Jon Donley, former editor of NOLA.com, said in a June 9 affidavit that there were as many as 20 registered users who developed a pattern of not only defending the Corps, but at times being "overtly abusive" to any critics. He said he was able to trace their posts to a Corps Internet address.

Ken Holder, a spokesman for Corps' New Orleans District, said it will cooperate with any investigation.

On the Net: 1st Air Force: http://www.1af.acc.af.mil/index.asp



.

Patience in Suffering


7Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

8Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

9Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

10Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

11Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

12But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.


James 5:7-12.
.

Sunday, August 09, 2009

A Million Flee Typhoon in China


Rescuers aided a man stranded by flooding as Typhoon Morakot approached Shanghai on Sunday.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: August 9, 2009



Filed at 10:28 p.m. ET


Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The Hotel Chin Shuai lay collapsed in floodwater during typhoon Morakot in Chihpen, southeastern Taiwan, on Sunday.



BEIJING (AP) -- A powerful typhoon toppled houses, flooded villages and forced nearly 1 million people to flee to safety on China's eastern coast before weakening into a tropical storm Monday.

Named Morakot, the storm struck after triggering the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years, leaving dozens missing and bringing down a six-story hotel. It earlier lashed the Philippines, killing at least 22 people.

Morakot, or emerald in Thai, slammed into China's Fujian province Sunday afternoon as a typhoon carrying heavy rain and winds of 74 miles (119 kilometers) per hour, according the China Meteorological Administration. At least one child died after a house collapsed in Zhejiang province.

By early Monday, the storm packed winds of 52 miles per hour (83 kilometers per hour) and churned at about 6 mph (10 kph), it said.

Hundreds of villages and towns were flooded and more than 2,000 houses collapsed, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

People stumbled with flashlights as the storm enveloped the town of Beibi in Fujian in darkness, Xinhua said. Strong winds uprooted trees or snapped them apart, while farmers used buckets to catch fish swept out of fish farms by high waves.

Village officials in Zhejiang rode bicycles to hand out drinking water and instant noodles to residents stranded by deep floods, while rescuers tried to reach eight sailors on a cargo ship blown onto a reef off Fujian, Xinhua reported.

About 1 million people were evacuated from China's eastern coastal provinces.

Morakot hit Taiwan late Friday and crossed the island Saturday causing the worst flooding in half a century.

Authorities used helicopters to drop food Monday at a mountainous village in southern Kaohsiung county, which was hit by a massive landslide. Official Yang Chiu-hsing said rescuers failed to reach the 1,300 villagers because bridges and roads were damaged by floods.

Taiwan's Disaster Relief Center said Morakot killed 12 people and another 52 were missing, including 14 people whose makeshift home was swept away. Two policemen were washed away while helping to evacuate villagers in southeastern Taitung county.

The government set up a task force to coordinate relief work in the worst-hit counties in the south, where many towns and villages remained inundated by floodwaters, officials said.

In Japan, meanwhile, Typhoon Etau slammed into the western coast Monday. Nine people were killed in raging floodwaters and landslides and nine others were missing, police said.

In the northern Philippines, the death toll from Morakot rose to 22 Monday with 18 injured and four missing, including three European tourists who were swept away.

------

Associated Press writers Annie Huang in Taipei, Jim Gomez in Manila, and Shino Yuasa in Tokyo contributed to this report.
.
.

Hundreds Hurt in 11-Hour California Prison Riot

By SOLOMON MOORE
Published: August 9, 2009


LOS ANGELES — Rioting inmates smashed and burned a large California prison on Saturday night and Sunday morning, injuring 250 prisoners and hospitalizing 55.

The 11-hour riot, at the Reception Center West at the California Institution for Men in Chino, about 40 miles east of Los Angeles, broke down along racial lines, with black prison gangs fighting Latino gangs in hand-to-hand combat, the authorities said.

No prison employees were injured, no deaths were reported, and no inmates escaped, state officials said. But 10 of the 33 prisons in the state system were put on lockdown to prevent unrest from spreading. Those 10 were in the southern part of the state.

Damage to the 1,300-inmate medium-security prison was “significant and extensive,” said a spokesman, Lt. Mark Hargrove. One housing unit was virtually destroyed by fire, Lieutenant Hargrove said. The other housing areas were so badly damaged that they were uninhabitable, he said, so some inmates were being temporarily housed in tents while others were sent to alternate prisons.

With more than 150,000 inmates, the California prison system is one of the most crowded in the nation, with many of its facilities holding more than double the number of inmates they were designed for. A federal three-judge panel ruled last week that crowding and poor health care caused one avoidable inmate death each week and that the system was “impossible to manage.”

Lieutenant Hargrove said prisoners had smashed windows, torn down gates and used whatever they could to battle one another in the riot.

“Inmates broke out glass and used shards as knives,” he said. “They used pieces of metal, wood, whatever they could break off the walls, pipes.”

The Chino prison is trying to put into effect a 2005 Supreme Court decision that prohibits automatic and systematic racial segregation of prison inmates after more than three decades of racial separation in the corrections system.

Lieutenant Hargrove said that inmates could now opt out of segregation and that a growing number of black, Latino and white prisoners shared cells, increasing racial tensions in the prison.

“All races had injuries,” Lieutenant Hargrove said of the weekend riot. “But there are a greater number of injuries among Hispanic and black inmates. And we did have another incident that occurred in May, a riot between blacks and Hispanics, and this may be associated with that incident.”

Prison officials said they were still questioning inmates to understand what set off the uprising. They said no demands or complaints had been directed at the guards.

Inmates in one of seven 200-man housing units began brawling around 8:20 p.m. Saturday, officials said. Overwhelmed guards set off an alarm and retreated as unrest spread.

Thirty minutes later, a crisis response team of about 80 guards arrived, but the chaos inside prevented them from entering. Guards watched as prisoners constructed barricades of broken bunk beds, desks and other furniture and clashed in the prison yards and on rooftops.

As inmates tired on Sunday and fighting died down, guards re-entered the prison and reasserted control, officials said, staving off sporadic attacks from prisoners throwing scrap metal and glass.

Lieutenant Hargrove said that the entire prison was being treated as a crime scene and that new charges would probably be filed against prisoners who participated in the violence, which was mainly between inmates.

In its order last week, the court directed the state to come up with a plan to reduce its prison population by 40,000 inmates within two years. Attorney General Jerry Brown, a possible candidate for governor next year, said he would probably appeal the ruling.

Barry Krisberg, the president of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency in Oakland, said the riot illustrated the many problems plaguing the state prison system, including growing cost overruns and pending cuts.

“There are proposals to eliminate all programs including reducing visiting days for inmates participating in programs,” Mr. Krisberg said. “But if you isolate these men from their families and cut down even the most basic educational and counseling programs, you’re going to create more idleness, and this is what happens.”

A version of this article appeared in print on August 10, 2009, on page A9 of the New York edition.
.
.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/us/10prison.html?hp
.
.

When is it right to Protest?



Val Butsicaris of Taylor, Mich., center, confronts Representative John D. Dingell over health care.



Amateur video captures two men in an altercation as a crowd shouts "You work for us!" and "Hear our voice!" at the entrance to a health care town hall meeting in Ybor City, Fla.



South Koreans demanding the release of Journalists Lee and Ling held in N. Korea.



Demonstration in Tehran against the results of Iran's presidential election.


It's good for people to protest in Iran and in S. Korea?

But, not in the U.S.A.?

Things are really skewed when people in third world countries are encouraged to protest;
while in the home of the free people who don't agree with the administration's Progressive Agenda are called mobs, and disruptive opponents.

How long will it be before the American opponents to the planned changes are considered domestic terrorists?

.


Arsenio.
.

Health care heats up town-hall meetings

By Ian Urbina

NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE
2:00 a.m. August 8, 2009

The bitter divisions over the overhaul of the nation's health care system have exploded at town-hall meetings over the past few days as members of Congress have been shouted down, hanged in effigy and taunted by crowds. In several cities, noisy demonstrations have led to fistfights, arrests and hospitalizations.

Democrats have accused the protesters of being organized by conservative lobbying groups such as FreedomWorks, while Republicans have responded that the protests are an organic response to the Obama administration's health care restructuring proposals.

There's no dispute, however, that most of the shouting and mocking is coming from opponents of those plans. Many of those opponents have been encouraged to attend by conservative commentators and Web sites.

“Become a part of the mob!” said a banner posted yesterday on the Web site of talk-show host Sean Hannity. “Attend an Obama Care Townhall near you!”

The exhortations don't advocate violence, but some urge opponents to be disruptive. “Pack the hall,” said a strategy memo circulated by the Web site Tea Party Patriots that included instructions to “rock-the-boat early in the Rep's presentation.” It added, “Yell out and challenge the Rep's statements early.

“Get him off his prepared script and agenda. Stand up and shout and sit right back down.”
The memo was obtained by the liberal Web site ThinkProgress. Its author, Robert MacGuffie, a founder of the conservative Web site Right Principles, confirmed that the memo was legitimate.
In response, liberal groups and the White House have also started sending supporters instructions for countering what they say are the organized disruptions.

A volatile mix has resulted. In Mehlville, Mo., St. Louis County police officers arrested six people Thursday night, some on assault charges, outside a health-care-and-aging forum organized by Rep. Russ Carnahan, a Democrat. Opponents of change, organized by the St. Louis Tea Party, apparently clashed with supporters organized by the Service Employees International Union outside the middle school gym.

That same day in Romulus, Mich., Rep. John Dingell, a veteran Democrat, was shouted down during a health care meeting by a rowdy crowd of foes of health care overhaul, many crying, “Shame on you!” A similar scene unfolded in Denver on Thursday when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California visited a homeless clinic there.

In a statement yesterday, Dingell, 83, deplored those trying to “demagogue the discussion” but said he wouldn't be deterred. “As long as I have a vote, I will not let shouting, intimidation or misinformation deter me from fighting for this cause,” he said.

The tenor of some of the debates has become extreme. Pelosi has accused people at recent protests of carrying signs associating the Democratic plan with Nazi swastikas and SS symbols, and some photographs showing such signs have been posted on the Web. On Thursday, talk-show host Rush Limbaugh said the administration's health care logo was itself similar to a Nazi symbol.

Yesterday, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Anti-Defamation League released statements criticizing the comparison.

“It is preposterous to try and make a connection between the president's health care logo and the Nazi Party symbol, the Reichsadler,” said Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

On Thursday, top White House aides tried to bolster Senate Democrats during a lunch meeting, arming the lawmakers with tips for avoiding disastrous town-hall meetings.

“If you get hit, we will punch back twice as hard,” said deputy White House chief of staff Jim Messina, according to an official who attended the meeting.

Earlier in the week, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs compared the scenes at health care forums to the “Brooks Brothers brigade” in 2000 – a reference to the protests that disrupted the vote count in Miami during the presidential election battle between George W. Bush and Al Gore. Portrayed at the time as local protesters, many were Republican staff members flown in from Washington.

One of the week's most raucous encounters occurred Thursday in the Ybor City section of Tampa, Fla., where about 1,500 people attended a forum held by Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Kathy Castor. When the auditorium at the Children's Board of Hillsborough County reached capacity and organizers had to close the doors, the scene descended into violence.

As Castor began to speak, scuffles broke out as people tried to push their way into the meeting room. Parts of her remarks were drowned out by chants of “Read the bill! Read the bill!” and “Tyranny!” as a video recording of the meeting showed. Outside the meeting, there were competing chants of “Yes, we can!” and “Just say no!”

Some of the protesters told local reporters they had been urged to come by a local activist group promoted by conservative radio and television host Glenn Beck. Others said they had received e-mail messages from the Hillsborough County Republican Party that urged people to speak out against the plan and offered talking points.

Elsewhere, there was similar discontent.

At an Aug. 1 appearance at grocery store in Austin, Texas, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, a Democrat, was drowned out as he tried to speak on health care change. One opponent had a mock tombstone with Doggett's name on it.

Last week, a protester hanged an effigy of Rep. Frank Kratovil Jr., D-Md., during a rally opposing health care change. This week, Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C., said he had received a death threat about his support of health care changes.

Support for Obama's approach to health care has dropped in the polls, and the White House sought to address some oft-repeated claims.

Among them: Will Medicare benefits be cut? Will government bureaucrats ration care? Will the elderly get progressively less care and then have euthanasia presented as an option?

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius answered: No, no and no.

She said the administration wants to save money in Medicare by eliminating unnecessary procedures and hospital readmissions, among other things, but that there is no desire to eliminate needed benefits. She contended that insurance companies already ration care and that Obama wants to give doctors more control, not less.

As for the euthanasia claim: “Nothing could be less true. . . . That is just not part of the conversation,” Sebelius said.

The rumor has become widespread and seems to stem from a provision in the House bill that would require Medicare to pay for direct consultations with health care professionals. Sebelius noted that no one would be required to use the benefit and said it would help many families.


The Associated Press contributed to this report.
In the Union-Tribune on Page A1

Source:
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/aug/08/1n8health235058-health-care-heats-town-hall-meetin/?uniontrib

PROGRESSIVES THINK THE PROTESTS ARE MANUFACTURED


PROGRESSIVES THINK THE PROTESTS ARE MANUFACTURED


By Jon Christian Ryter
August 9, 2009
NewsWithViews.com

Wall Street Journal writer John Fund wrote an www.opinionjournal.com piece the other day noting that the "...White House is clearly worried about the opponents of its health care plan who are showing up at town-hall meetings with members of Congress. It took an extraordinary step of issuing a three-minute video rebuttal to a Drudge Report item that featured a 2007 clip of Barack Obama supporting the 'elimination' of private health insurance over time after a government plan is introduced. Later in the day, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs called the health care protesters a form of 'manufactured' anger. Democratic National Committee spokesman Brad Woodhouse went further and called them 'angry mobs of rabid rightwing extremists.'"

Let's face it. This is one time the media spinmeisters can't win the public relations debate. Why? Because those agitated rightwing extremists in "...limes and pinks and Brooks Brothers suits" who showed up at the health care town halls wearing Dockers and short sleeve sport shirts; or dresses, shorts and tank tops and flip-flops represent about 80% of the People of the United States. The protesters, in this instance, were not the minority voices of the voting public, they were the voting public. (And, the White House can't steal enough ACORN votes next year to overrule the will of the People who clearly intend to fire a bunch of Congressmen and Senators.) Let's hope they remember they are voting out the idiots who voted for the stimulus bills, and the idiots who nationalized the auto industry, and the idiots who voted for a socialist healthcare bill. Sadly, the arrogant fools on Capitol Hill who see themselves as demigods haven't yet disambiguated the message from the Tea Parites or the message from the healthcare town halls. Maybe it will translate better when the voters say, "You're fired!" Isn't that nice...everyone gets to play Donald Trump next November.

When the political issues are not so clearly defined, the politicians and their partners in the mainstream media can play the smoke and mirrors shell game and fool the weak-minded people that fiction is truth and truth is whatever they say it is. But, with the whole country vehemently opposed to the theft of the healthcare industry by greedy, corrupt politicians in bed with America's Marxists and healthcare lobbyists who come to dinner with pockets full of money, the American people are fed up.

Far left Californian Sen. Barbara Boxer, whose re-election campaign war chest will be filled by lobbyists who want to make sure their clients are sitting at the feast-laden universal healthcare table when the gratuities are doled out, told MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews that the media needed to "...take a look at what's going on here." Boxer apparently believes that the American people won't mind if their health care is doled out in dribbles while their children wait weeks or months to visit to the pediatrician when they get sick; or that the elderly won't object to being denied healthcare because old age is eventually terminal anyway.

Even though the Tea Party protests earlier this year were spontaneous, Boxer insisted that the healthcare protests were "...all planned. It's to hurt our president," she said, "and it's to change the Congress." For once a liberal may have actually got something right. The American people are boiling mad. They fully intend to change Congress in 2010. Boxer was right. For a liberal Senator, being right once in 18 years is better than average for the left. The American people intend to change Congress in 2010, and even more in 2012. The people of the United States do not intend to become the Soviet Union of the West. And, they do not intend to let Barack Obama become the Marxist dictator he sees when he looks in the mirror every morning.

The White House joined the fray once they saw that, universally, the American people were opposed to the government's single payer healthcare plan (that is now referred to simply as the "public option.") The White House and the far left House and Senate leadership—and the mainstream media—are using Obama's talking points "manufactured protest" to characterize the reaction of the American people from Florida to Washington State, and from Bangor, Maine to San Diego, California as being fabricated by the Republican Party and/or lobbyists for the healthcare industry who want to continue gouging policyholders with escalating insurance premiums and partially paid claims.

Gibbs, like Chris Matthews, referred to the healthcare protesters as the "Brooks Brother brigade," making it obvious where the talking points originated. When Sen. Arlen Specter [D-PA] together with Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, held a health care town hall in Philadelphia on August 3, they were booed by a bipartisan audience. One woman in the audience told Specter and Sebelius: "I look at this healthcare plan and I see nothing that is about health or care..." (the audience starts applauding.) "...What I see is a bureaucratic nightmare, Senator. Medicaid is broke. Medicare is broke. Social Security is broke. And you want us to believe that a government that can't even run a cash for clunkers program is going to run one-seventh of our US economy? No, sir! No.!" So, let me ask—now, does this sound like a woman who was paid by the healthcare industry as their shill? Or, that's she's a "rented" protester? No, sir! No! She's nobody's shill. She's an angry American. And, by God, before November, 2010, every liberal politician in America is going to know what an angry American looks like and sounds like...and just how much damage they can do to a worthless, graft-sucking politician!

Congressman Lloyd Doggett [D-TX] encountered the same reaction to the "public option" when he tried to sell government healthcare to his constituents. Congressman Frank Kratovil [D-MD] was hung in effigy by his constituents. Fourth term Congressman Tim Bishop [D-NY] was harassed so badly that he had to be escorted from the town hall site by the police.

The liberal website, Think Progress wrote a blog-post accusing the conservative advocacy groups, Americans For Prosperity and Freedom Works of organizing the "right wing harassment strategy, which they added was "..often marked by violence and absurdity." White House press secretary Gibbs suggested that protesters may have come via AFP's 13-state bus tour. Think Progress said that the DNC had a 10-page memo from a Connecticut activist that was evidence that there was a well-coordinated national campaign by the Republicans to protest healthcare. That, of course, is not true since, at the highest levels of politics, the money Mafia that fund both parties are in bed with each other.

And, finally, former Gore-Lieberman 2000 campaign manager Donna Brazile said that the Dockers' crowd that shows up on all of the videos (instead of the Brooks Brothers crowd that simply does not exist in any of the videos) were "rented" organizers. Brazile told the media that the town hall protests were the result of "...a well-organized group of lobbyists who are paying people to go out. They're renting organizers," she said adding, as if to -self confirm the validity of her statement, "The left has done it. Now, they're doing it. This little band of protesters are trying to stop [Congress] from doing [its] job. They know they can't win the debate, so they want to shut down the conversation." Asked by the media for proof, Brazile admitted she had none, adding, "I've seen this dance before." Of course she has. She's helped choreograph it in every Democratic political photo op for at least two decades where the boys in Washington needed interested spectators that simply didn't exist..

Almost every member of Congress has faced angry crowds in town hall settings when they attempted to convince their constituents that rationed healthcare for all Americans is not as bad as the Canadians make it sound.

In Tampa, Florida Congresswoman Kathy Castor [D-FL] and African American Florida State Representative Betty Reed held a health care town hall at the Children's Board of Hillsborough County. Eight hundred Tampa residents showed up, but only 200 were admitted. Many of them were members of SEIU who actually sponsored the town hall. The rest were senior citizens or those who were not carrying signs and placards opposing Obama's healthcare "reform." Four union goons sent to help the Congresswoman by frightening the opposition to silence by sheer brawn, attempted to exclude anyone opposed to universal healthcare from their meeting.

Halfway through Castor's unsuccessful attempt to convince her constituents that Obama's socialized medicine would be good for America, a fight broke out. One audience member said to Castor, "you won't let the people speak." Someone in the audience shouted, "Why won't you let the people speak?" Castor ignored those who disagreed with her, talking over them when they spoke. Union members pushed those with opposing views away from the doors, closing them. As the doors closed, someone inside the room said: "Tyranny!" Others shouted: "Read the bill! Read the bill!" Others began shouting, "Hold it outside! Hold it outside!" since 75% of those who came to voice their views were now locked out.

Many of those in the room were senior citizens. Most were typical middle class people, the type of person standing in front or behind you when you go to vote. The air suddenly turned ugly, like a violent, dark thunder storm where ground-strike lightning precedes the rain. A man shouted: "Bulls**t!" Others began chanting "You work for us!" and "Hear our voice!" It was at that point that the union goons began to push the protesters out of the room, closing the door. In the scuffle, one man in a short sleeve green shirt was accosted by three union thugs. His shirt was literally torn from his body. Tampa police, with orders to do so from Castor, locked the doors so the protesters could not enter. Castor took that opportunity to skip out of the building without fielding the questions of those to came to aire their grievances with their Congresswoman.

This is not how a Republic woks. This is how a communist state operates. The voters in the 11th Congressional District of Florida elected Castor in 2006 with 70% of the vote. They re-elected her in 2008 with 72%. With that vote, they surrendered their right to free speech in the 11th Congressional District. Hopefully the voters will correct that oversight in Nov., 2010.

Across the nation Democrats who had scheduled healthcare town halls to give their constituents the "good news" that they were going to get the public option (i.e., anal roto-rootering) that would theoretically allow them to keep what they have if they want to keep their private insurance plan, or switch to the government's universal healthcare plan, either staged "Congressman friendly" town halls by hand-picking the attendees from local labor unions friendly with the White House, or simply canceling them. The protests are genuine. They are not "Republican." They are nonpartisan. And, most of all, they didn't begin with Obama's healthcare reform program. Nor did they start with "cash for clunkers," which has angers millions of Americans. It began with the President George W. Bush's $700 billion bailout for banks when all that was needed to solve the financial crisis in 2008 was to change the Fed's "mark to market" rule that would free up local banks to loan money. It was that simple to solve. And, it still is. But the longer Obama tinkers with the economy, the harder the problem is going to be to fix. But, as history has proven over and over again, you can't fix the economy by robbing the taxpayers and recycling their money to the welfare crowd—whether those receiving the grand gratuities are poor or rich.

America's politicians should have paid attention when the first spontaneous Tea Parties were held across the country on April 15. And, if not then, on Memorial Day or on Independence Day because on July 4, the dye was cast. On Nov. 2, 2010, the non-partisan People intend to fire every Congressman and Senator who [a] personally failed to read the legislation they voted to enact, [b] voted for any of the stimulus bills, [c] voted to seize control of any car company or bank, or [d], voted to seize the American healthcare industry and convert the United States into a communist nation.

The Obama Administration is so desperate to steal control of your healthcare that the White House website issued this statement: "There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there...These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can't keep track of all of them here at the White House, we're asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov."

The last leader that took used approach to limit free speech thorugh intimidation in the privacy of the homes of the citizens was Adolph Hitler. In a Republic, we have a right to free thought, free speech, and the right to discuss our ideas, our dislikes and our fears in the public square. And, government, according to the 1st Amendment of the Constituion is obligated to listen to our complaints—and properly address them. And, not by using Gestapo tactics designed to intimidate people into silence. The White House's attempt to stifle free speech is not only a violation of the Constitution, it's an impeachable offense.
.


..

Sean Hannity, Carrie Prejean, others splash through San Diego

August 8, 8:41 AM
San Diego Community Issues Examiner
Alberto Vargas



Riding an increasingly rising tide of conservatism that is strongly reverberating nationwide, Sean Hannity, along with Mark Levin, Brian Bilbray, Carrie Prejean, and Leann Tweeden, among others, swept through San Diego on Friday at the Cricket Wireless Amphiteater in Chula Vista.

Being one of eight nationwide Freedom Concerts set for 2009, musical acts like Billy Ray Cyrus, Michael W. Smith, Lee Greenwood, and The Charlie Daniel’s Band, took to the stage, honoring America and the heroes who fight and die to keep us safe.

Also in attendance was Rick Roberts, local radio personality, well-known conservative, and one of the many critics voicing outrage over President Obama’s increasingly arrogant and dismissive approach to those who dare question his policies and political intentions.

Made glaringly obvious by the town-hall style meetings that have gone awry across the country, Democrats and in particular those on the far left (secular progressives, liberals) who seek to unquestionably embrace everything Obama proposes are faced with a collapsing power base not very long ago attained. The power they so much salivated over and proudly snatched during the most recent elections is now slipping from their hands.

Former president Bush and his policies, though very unpopular on his way out, both with conservatives and liberals, is beginning to look increasingly more palatable in comparison to our current president and his decisions.

President Obama has not set out to unify the nation. In fact, the nation, it seems, has not been more strongly divided in quite a long time. Those who’ve supported the president, whether policy makers like Nancy Pelosi or those in the general public, tend to be suffering from the same blindness he suffers, which is brought upon by an incomprehensible level of arrogance and detachment from “real” Americans.

Pelosi recently mocked the town hall Americans voicing their opinions as “astro turf” rather than “grass roots.” Couldn’t she just respectfully agree to disagree? Is the mocking of concerned Americans, from an elected public official, necessary and politically intelligent? Maybe she feels she is untouchable.

For these kinds of reasons, the nation, one could argue, is now engaged in a political civil war. Yet, sadly what seems to most accurately reflect the nature of those on the left is hostility and intolerance. Coming from a former Democrat (now an Independent) and someone who voted for President Clinton – TWICE! – and even Al Gore, it’s obvious that the Democratic Party, which once stood for the working class, for family, for tradition, and the constitutional right of freedom of speech, has been hijacked by hostile special interest groups, which aim to silence others’ voices. http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-11974-San-Diego-Community-Issues-Examiner~y2009m8d7-A-reflection-Metallica-freedom-of-speech-and-the-growing-power-of-our-government

The key word here is “hostile.” Whether it’s in the vast and growing blogosphere, television, or magazines, the voices from the left are consistently reverberating with hostility, intolerance, anger, hatred even, and arrogance. What has become of the democratic party?

They tend to ridicule – like no doubt they will this writer and this article – anyone who stands in opposition to their views. They aim to defame and discredit the conservative individual, using “hypocrisy” as their preferred weapon. Imperfect Christians who tend to be fully aware of their human vulnerabilities, yet seek to please God and country are painted as religious radicals, zealots, and un-American.

Carrie Prejean who today said on the Sean Hannity show, “It’s okay to be conservative. It’s okay to believe in traditional family values,” has been mercilessly dragged through the mud, yet gladly she remains strong; in fact, stronger than before.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsnB_Rz_sy0&feature=player_embeddedhttp://

<param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tsnB_Rz_sy0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1">


Leftists increasingly engage in discourse, not with civility, dignity, discipline, and respect for other Americans with differing views, but belittlement, mockery, and defamation.

This, ultimately, will be their demise. The American people will stand for this no longer. Republicans? A disappointing group of individuals who meekly hold their finger up in the air to see which way the wind is blowing, so that they can follow accordingly, better wake up and stand for something, or they too will find themselves on the outside looking in.

Ultimately, God and love of country must prevail. Those that ridicule, debase, mock, and seek to deconstruct that which is good and replace it with moral relativism, are arrogantly unaware that they’re sewing the seeds of everyone’s demise, including their’s.

You're more than welcome to voice your opinion now. Please prove us wrong in doing so, using civility, throughtfulness, respect, dignity, and constructive dissent, if that's what you choose.


For more info: http://www.760kfmb.com/
.
Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-11974-San-Diego-Community-Issues-Examiner~y2009m8d8-Sean-Hannity-Carrie-Prejean-others-splash-through-San-Diego

.

Saturday, August 08, 2009

A Great Economic Depression is Coming!



Are you ready?

This may lead into the Mark of the Beast showdown



Tim Walsh (SDA) says a Great Depression is coming soon

(Below are notes taken from a presentation he gave recently)

I attended the presentation today, Nov. 8, 2008, at the _____________ SDA church by Tim Walsh, CEO of epipeline. He reportedly has many years of managing tech companies, and does a lot of work for the US government, and has had numerous security clearances and insider contacts with Washington DC officials, thus he does not widely talk about what is coming to America. In fact, he told us he was called into the pentagon recently during the Georgia crisis when Russia invaded. Tim is the husband of Brenda Walsh, who hosts "Kidstime" on 3 ABN.

His talk today was entitled, "The Financial Crisis...Is the World trapped?" These are my notes from his talk--it is very sobering.

This is what is expected to occur in the next few weeks and months--a great depression. The world-wide markets almost collapsed 6 times in the past few months--almost totally evaporated!

All the world's debt far exceeds all the assets in the world. There is 1400 trillion dollars of world debt, but only 53 trillion dollars of world GNP (Gross National Product). The stock market has lost 8.3 trillion in past year. The true amount wiped out of 401K's this year is 5 trillion dollars.

Alan Greenspan said to lenders to give a lot of credit no matter what. In 2004 they started running out of buyers, so they increased the subprime lending & hedge funds to keep the economy going. Many bought into this--401K's, pensions, foreign governments. The leverage was 100:1 ($100 debt to $1 asset). In late 2005? things started collapsing, huge losses, $700 trillion dollars. In 2006 governments realized this huge problem and hired experts to try to find a solution, but haven't been able to. Then in 2007 the credit crunch hit--institutions didn't trust each other, were afraid the other institution would go bankrupt & so wouldn't lend to each other. In Aug. 2007 "Northern Rock" ? bank in England went bankrupt. In Feb. 2008 England nationalized banks.

This became the biggest crisis for the National Security Council here & abroad. The G-7 countries (The 7 largest economic nations) met. They said we have a crisis. Behr Sterns went bankrupt. Mar. 13, 100's of trillions of leverage w/ Behr Sterns & ----? In Aug. Donald Trump said the banks have no money! Housing & commercial projects are frozen--no money. The Velocity of money (money changing hands) in Nov. 07 was the slowest in history. Congress passed the stimulus check legislation to try to get our economy going.

We are now in the world's largest deflationary period in history. Huge decline in values. All leaders in the world of cities, states, countries are all worried whether they will even be around in 6 months. All governors have now been told not to have any press conferences telling of their dire circumstances. The government has now given 950 billion dollars to cities & states to try to keep them afloat. This is money that was not voted on/approved by us. They have also given billions to General Motors and Goodyear. There are 2000 companies asking for financial help, and saying that they are faced with laying off 40% of their employees. Large commercial companies told by Paulson to come directly to him for help. 250 billion. China called for a new world currency in Aug. 08 when our legislatures delayed on the 750 billion bail-out package, devaluing the dollar. Our economy is still melting down. From 8/08 to 9/22/08 trillions of $ have evaporated. There is virtually no money in the banks. Read 9th volume of the Testimonies, p. 11: "We are living in the time of the end. The fast-fulfilling signs of the times declare that the coming of Christ is near at hand....Great changes are soon to take place in our world, and the final movements will be rapid ones."

Many countries' markets are open only 50% of the time to try to keep the markets from falling so low--Russia is one of them. The Russian Mob is going broke. The destruction of demand for products is the largest in the world. World-wide shipping is down 47 1/2 %--almost half of the ships are sitting idle. (And railroads) Tens of thousands of factories in China have been shut down this year. The economists and governments don't see any turn-around. Rev. 18:11 "And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore." The G-7 & the G-20 consulted 2 weeks ago, and plan to meet again for a world-wide meeting in November in the U.S. Every leader in the world is frightened to death. This meeting is all about how to do stimulus packages world-wide to stimulate the economy.

OUR LIFE AS WE NOW KNOW IT IS OVER. We will have to learn that we can get by on just 4 things--shelter, food, clothing, and a bath. There will be virtually no credit available. The party is over. We have used credit and have been spoiled. We must now live simply. Many will lose their homes.

Production by General Motors is down 45%, Volvo trucks down 96%. (25% is beyond depression levels.) The # of people looking for work is 11.8%, this will double. There will be 1930's unemployment levels. Business for restaurants is down 50%, dry cleaners 45%. There were 106,000 people & businesses filing for bankruptcies last month--the highest in history. Paulson said last week that we are now in a deep recession. Mr. Walsh said we are going into a depression, and estimates the stock market will drop 4000 points. There will be a lot of collective anger in our country and in the world. 9Testimonies p. 13: "Those who hold the reins of government are not able to solve the problem of moral corruption, poverty, pauperism, and increasing crime. THEY ARE STRUGGLING IN VAIN TO PLACE BUSINESS OPERATIONS ON A MORE SECURE BASIS." This depression is expected to last 10-15 years. He suggests you put your 401K's into safe treasury bills, money market accounts, CD's. He suggests to read the book by Jim Rogers, who on 10/10/08 said we are headed for a "massive inflation holocaust". There has been a big decline in the value of the dollar, and the government is now printing lots of dollars.

There will be a scarcity of agricultural commodities--FOOD! There will be a scarcity of many things--if you need a replacement for the engine of your snow blower, you might not get it, etc.

Read Rev. 10:8-10 and study the 2520 year prophecy which our pioneers taught. (He showed a copy of their early 1844 poster).

There will be a major shortage of food. There will be martial law. If this happens in the city where you are, stay safe where you are. Don't try to get home to your family for 2-3 days when things are calmer. You may be killed if you get near a mob. Have each family member prepared to stay safe where they are for 2-3 days. He believes there will be rationing and then they will dictate where you can spend your money.

Be calm, study the prophecies with others, and when unbelievers see your calmness (because you know how this ends) they will come to you for guidance. Matthew 24: 12, 13, 14

A 10,000 foot financial tidal wave is coming. Read Daniel 11:40, 41, 43; and Rev. 13:17, 18. This is where we are. Another 7-9 million people are expected to lose their homes. 30 million homes are now worth less than what the owners owe.
You need to be thinking as a family of a plan as to how you will survive.
Sept 9, 2008 the Pope issued a statement calling for Sunday worship.

Read CW 41 p.1. We are to be students of prophecy. He believes we are near the 4th angel of Revelation. Read Prov. 28:19 and Prov. 3:9,10. Matthew 24.

end of notes

( Mr. Walsh’s presentation has only been offered at two previous venues. )


=====================================================

Should we make preparations for lack of food during the Sunday laws?

Satan is quoted here . . .

"Through my vicegerent, I will exalt myself. The first day will be extolled, and the Protestant world will receive this spurious sabbath as genuine. Through the nonobservance of the Sabbath that God instituted, I will bring His law into contempt. The words, 'A sign between Me and you throughout your generations,' I will make to serve on the side of my sabbath.
"Thus the world will become mine. I will be the ruler of the earth, the prince of the world. I will so control the minds under my power that God's Sabbath shall be a special object of contempt. A sign? I will make the observance of the seventh day a sign of disloyalty to the authorities of earth. Human laws will be made so stringent that men and women will not dare to observe the seventh-day Sabbath. For fear of wanting food and clothing, they will join with the world in transgressing God's law. The earth will be wholly under my dominion." {Prophets and Kings 184.1,2}

This is clearly telling us that some Sabbath keepers will be lacking food during the Sunday laws. If we make preparations now, by storing food and having a garden, we will not suffer as much physical strain during the Little Time of Trouble.

"When power is allied with wickedness, it is allied to Satanic agencies, and it will work to destroy those who are the Lord's property. The Protestant world have set up an idol sabbath in the place where God's Sabbath should be, and they are treading in the footsteps of the Papacy. For this reason I see the necessity of the people of God moving out of the cities into retired country [places,] where they may cultivate the land and raise their own produce. Thus they may bring their children up with simple, healthful habits. I see the necessity of making haste to get all things ready for the crisis." --Letter 90, 1897. {Country Living 21.1}

There is a crisis coming and we need to get ready for the Satanic attacks, both spiritually and bodily. Lacking food and housing will be a great problem during that time. If we have a mortgage, we may lose our home after a short while since we cannot spend money at that time. Some of us will have to join others in their homes that are free and clear from mortgages.
Now, we are told that we do not need to worry about our food during the Great Time of Trouble, as we will be fed by God through his agents, angels or ravens. At this time the plagues will be falling and everyone’s destiny will have been decided.

Here are some resources you may wish to use in your search for info on food and housing:

http://www.mountainmediaministries.org/ Independent SDA group with DVD’s and CD updates

http://www.backwoodshome.com/ Primitive living ideas

http://www.lehmans.com/ Tools and supplies. Amish

http://www.beprepared.com/ Food in #10 size cans for 7-10 year storage of freeze dried or dehydrated

http://www.survivalacres.com/ Food in #10 size cans for 7-10 year storage


Some foods can last a long time right off the grocery store shelves, such as pasta and canned sauce, 20 lb bags of rice, white flour, sugar, beans and lintels, peanut butter, shortening for greasing pans. Wheat berry can be purchased in large bags and will last for years, and can be found at your county coop, and when needed, it can be ground into flour using a mill, like that at beprepared.com. For making bread, one can purchase freeze dried yeast in bulk for later usage. Freeze dried food is tastier than dehydrated. When storing up seeds to use in later years, only open pollinated seeds or heirloom seeds should be purchased. See http://www.seedsavers.org/ http://www.rhshumway.com/ Most seeds available are only good for one growing season.
Water is another necessity. If you have a well, spring or creek nearby this will be helpful. Otherwise, one may have to store up drinking water. A good water purifier is the Big Berkey, found on-line at beprepared.com.
.

(Excerpt)


.

Pilot dead and seven injured as a Bangkok Airways plane crashes into a control tower in Thailand

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tuesday, August 4th 2009, 9:44 AM

Getty

Rescue workers inspect a Bangkok Airways airliner after stormy weather forced the plane off the runway and into the control tower at Thailand’s Samui airport.
.


BANGKOK — A passenger plane skidded off the runway and crashed into a building after landing on the Thai resort island of Samui on Tuesday, killing the chief pilot and injuring at least seven people including foreign tourists.
The Bangkok Airways flight landed in stormy weather and hit the airport's old air traffic control tower, which had been converted into a fire station, said Kanikka Kemawutanond, director-general of the Department of Civil Aviation. The co-pilot and six tourists were hurt.
"The heavy damage was at the front of the plane where the pilot was. It looks like he suffered from the impact," police Maj. Col. Sayan Sartsri said.
The co-pilot, who was stuck in the aircraft for more than two hours, was among the last evacuated from the stricken plane. Television footage showed rescue workers pulling him from the aircraft and into an ambulance on the runway.
Kannikka, who earlier reported that 34 people were injured, said only seven were hospitalized while others sustained bruises and shock.
Samui, located 298 miles (480 kilometers) south of Bangkok, is an island in the Gulf of Thailand popular with foreign tourists.
Puttipong Prasartthong-Osoth, managing director of Bangkok Airways, said the foreign passengers included nationals of Italy, Spain, Switzerland, France, Germany, Great Britain and Israel.
He said four passengers — two Britons, one Italian and one Swiss — suffered broken legs, while two other Britons suffered less severe injuries. The co-pilot also had leg injuries.
Kanikka said the ATR72-500 twin-turboprop had 68 passengers, two pilots and two crew members on board and was flying from Krabi, another popular resort area in southern Thailand.
"Initial reports indicated that the weather was bad with heavy rain and wind. We do not know what the pilot did or did not do that led to the incident at this point and I would rather not speculate," she said.
Puttipong said the chief pilot had 19 years of experience.
In 1990, a Bangkok Airways turboprop crashed into a coconut grove short of the airport during heavy rain, killing all 37 people on board.
The French-Italian manufactured ATR72 has been involved in a number of incidents in recent years.
One in South Korea skidded off the runway while landing at the resort island of Jeju in 2006, injuring six people. Two years earlier, an ATR72 of Thai Airways had to make an emergency evacuation of passengers when its front landing gear collapsed during a landing in northern Thailand.
A Cambodian airliner slipped off a runway and got stuck in the mud near the ancient temples of Angkor in 2001. And in 1994, a Chicago-bound American Eagle ATR-72 crashed in northern Indiana, killing all 68 people aboard.

Related News
Articles
'Missing' Iraq War pilot may have survived crash - family
Flight delays drop, but not at NYC airports
Bomb scare at NYC LaGuardia Airport evacuates terminal
9/11 families to get day in court
Co-pilot in doomed Buffalo plane mulled skipping flight
Flying the unfriendly skies
Fighter jet crashes inside NATO base in southern Afghanistan


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/08/04/2009-08-04_pilot_dead_and_seven_injured_in_.html#ixzz0NcVY8HWF

.

Helicopter, small plane collide, crash in Hudson River near Hoboken

BY Rich Schapiro, Wil Cruz and Alison Gendar DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Updated Saturday, August 8th 2009, 1:22 PM

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/08/08/2009-08-08_helicopter_crash_near_new_jersey_.html#ixzz0NcUdXCLN



Coast guard vessels comb the Hudson River after a helicopter and small plane collided, then crashed near Hoboken Saturday.



A midair collision sent a small plane and a tourist helicopter spiraling into the Hudson River on Saturday, killing at least one person as witnesses watched in disbelief.

The victim's body was found in the water off 14th St. following the crash on a clear, sunny afternoon, police sources said.

Coast Guard ships, police divers and helicopters joined in the desperate hunt for survivors from the two downed aircraft.

There were five passengers and a pilot on the tour helicopter, operated by Liberty Helicopters, sources said. It was unclear how many people were aboard the Piper PA-32 plane.

"I heard a noise, looked up, and seen a small plane and a helicopter just going down," recounted eyewitness Richard Martyn, who watched the crash from a West Side bike path.

"It was like a muffled boom," he said. "I'm still shaking."

The single-engine plane was registered to a Pennsylvania company and departed from Teterboro Airport, a police source said.

The tower at Newark Airport reporting losing contact with the plane at noon over the Hudson, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Arlene Salac.

Witnesses said the plane's left wing clipped the chopper's rotor, sending both aircraft plunging into the Hudson.

Eyewitness Scott Reynolds, 42, said the helicopter seemed to explode after the collision above the New Jersey side of the river.

"There was a white puff," said the Florida tourist. "It looked like the rotors just exploded, like something hit him."

Vern Brownell, a private pilot from Hoboken, N.J., said there was a huge bang - "like a cannon" - before the helicopter and the plane dropped like stones into the river.

"I looked over and saw two aircrafts falling from the sky," he said.

The single-engine plane "lost its wing" in the crash, he said, before spiraling into the water.

Rescue ships responded quickly to the crash site, where rescue efforts were hampered by spilled fuel oil that turned the river even murkier.

The chopper's propeller separated from its body as the helicopter plunged into the water, according to one witness.

"I just looked up, and I saw parts of the propeller in the air," said eyewitness Alanna Duffy, 29. "They were mangled."

Ambulances, fire trucks and police vehicles sped to the scene just south of 14th St. near Pier 54.

.