Monday, January 31, 2011

Common Sense Thinking is in such short supply

Rush has talked about this point often... the "law of unintended consequences." For example because corn is now being used for ethanol, the price of corn as a food product has gone up so fast that folks in poor countries can't afford to buy it anymore.

Then there's electric cars...and the fact that cold kills batteries....so in the winter people who need to go places are going to need that trusty gasoline-powered engine...

THen there's the Wind farms in the UK"

Story #4: Wind Farms in UK Generate Nothing in Cold Spell
RUSH: "Wind Farms Becalmed Just When Needed the Most." This is the UK Telegraph. "Wind farms in Britain generated practically no electricity during the recent cold spell, raising fresh concerns about whether they could be relied upon to meet the country’s energy needs. Despite high demand for electricity as people shivered at home over Christmas, most of the 3,000 wind turbines around Britain stood still due to a lack of wind. ... The failure of wind farms to function at full tilt during December forced energy suppliers to rely on coal-fired power stations to keep the lights on -- meaning more greenhouse gases were produced." That's the big concern, not that people don't die.

"Experts feared that as the Government moved towards a target of generating 30 per cent of electricity from wind -- while closing gas and coal-fired power stations -- cold, still winters could cause a problem in the future." Of course! You turn things like this over to the left, folks, and life expectancy plummets. It's just a shame. Try this. February 10th of last year, ABC News: "'Most of the jobs are going overseas,' said Russ Choma at the Investigative Reporting Workshop. He analyzed which foreign firms had accepted the most stimulus money. 'According to our estimates, about 6,000 jobs have been created overseas, and maybe a couple hundred have been created in the U.S.'" If you read through the story you'll find that $2 billion in stimulus money was spent on wind power in this country and it produced no jobs. It's a bust. All of this "green" technology stuff is a bust.

31 Jan, 2011, Monday: Rush Limbaugh headlines

--Regime of Pharaoh Obama Repeats Mistakes of Jimmy Carter
Like Carter did with Iran, Obama is bungling Egypt.

--Economics of the Egypt Uprising
The inflationary ripple effect of Ben Bernanke's QE2.
BG: Fed Policy Burns Down Middle East

--Bill Clinton to Davos: Democrats Lost Election to Rush Limbaugh
Ex-prez elevates your host at World Economic Forum.

--Obama Didn't Back Iranian Revolt, But Supports Muslim Brotherhood
He wouldn't meddle in Iran, but Egypt is different.

--Flashback: What Did Obama's Apologies in Cairo Buy for Us?
We take a look back at his big 2009 Cairo speech.

The Haney Project: Bonus Video
Three web-exclusive vignettes that you won't see on TV.

Stack of Stuff Quick Hits Page
» The Steelers Land in Dallas for the Super Bowl
» Study: Men Find Sexy News Anchors Distracting
» While Egypt Burned, Couric Sunned on Miami Beach
» Wind Farms in UK Generate Nothing in Cold Spell
» Scientists: Sleeping with Your Pets Can Kill You

--Two Stories on Electric Cars
Whatever you do, don't try to drive them in the winter.
WP: Electric Cars' Cold-Weather Shortcomings
AS: Paying More for Less Performance

--A Brilliant Point in 30 Seconds
Fewest words in shortest time have greatest impact.

31 Jan, 2010, Monday, SoS Clinton and Staff schedule

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/appt/2011/01/155613.htm

SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON

9:15 a.m. Secretary Clinton meets with the Assistant Secretaries, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

3:30 p.m. Secretary Clinton attends a meeting at the White House.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

6:30 p.m. Secretary Clinton meets with NATO Secretary General Rasmussen and Secretary of Defense Bob Gates, in Washington DC.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)


DS JAMES STEINBERG
Deputy Secretary Steinberg is on foreign travel in Africa, accompanied by Assistant Secretary Carson.

DS THOMAS NIDES
9:15 a.m. Deputy Secretary Nides joins Secretary Clinton’s meeting with the Assistant Secretaries, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

1:00 p.m. Deputy Secretary Nides attends a meeting at the White House.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

USAID ADMINISTRATOR RAJIV SHAH
2:00 p.m. Administrator Shah meets with Senator John Boozman at the Russell Senate Office Building.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

US FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS WILLIAM BURNS
Under Secretary Burns delivers remarks to the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Chiefs of Mission Conference, the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Chiefs of Mission Conference, the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Chiefs of Mission Conference, the Bureau of International Organizations Chiefs of Mission Conference, and the Bureau of African Affairs Chiefs of Mission Conference, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

Under Secretary Burns meets with Ambassador John Ordway, Charge d'Affaires in Kazakhstan, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

US FOR ECONOMIC, ENERGY AND AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS ROBERT HORMATS
5:00 p.m. Under Secretary Hormats meets with Ambassador to Portugal Allan Katz, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

6:00 p.m. Under Secretary Hormats delivers remarks at the Business Council for International Understanding’s reception for American Ambassadors to Europe and Eurasia, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington DC.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY HOST)

US OF STATE FOR DEMOCRACY AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS MARIA OTERO
Under Secretary Otero holds meetings with Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo Entwistle, Ambassador to Rwanda Symington, Ambassador to Nigeria McCulley, Ambassador to Yemen Gerald Feierstein and Ambassador to Turkey Ricciardone, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AS FOR SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIAN AFFAIRS ROBERT BLAKE
Assistant Secretary Blake leads the South and Central Asia Chiefs of Mission Conference in Washington DC.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AS FOR AFRICAN AFFAIRS JOHNNIE CARSON
Assistant Secretary Carson accompanies Deputy Secretary Steinberg on foreign travel in Africa through February 5.

AS FOR ECONOMIC, ENERGY AND BUSINESS AFFAIRS JOSE FERNANDEZ12:30 p.m. Assistant Secretary Fernandez meets with Michael Shifter, President of Inter-American Dialogue, and Peter Hakim, President-Emeritus of the Dialogue, in Washington DC.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

2:30 p.m. Assistant Secretary Fernandez meets with the U.S.-Brazil Business Council, in Washington DC.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AS FOR EUROPEAN AND EURASIAN AFFAIRS PHILIP GORDON
Assistant Secretary Gordon leads the European and Eurasian Affairs Chiefs of Mission Conference, in Washington DC.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

6:30 p.m. Assistant Secretary Gordon joins Secretary Clinton’s meeting with NATO Secretary General Rasmussen and Secretary of Defense Bob Gates, in Washington DC.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AS FOR OCEANS AND INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS KERRI-ANN JONES
Assistant Secretary Jones is on foreign travel to Central Asia through February 5.

AS FOR POPULATION, REFUGEES, AND MIGRATION ERIC SCHWARTZ
8:00 a.m. Assistant Secretary Schwartz participates in an interagency meeting on Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law, in Arlington, Virginia.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AS FOR WESTERN HEMISPHERE AFFAIRS ARTURO VALENZUELA
Assistant Secretary Valenzuela leads the Western Hemisphere Affairs Chiefs of Mission Conference in Washington DC.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AMBASSADOR-AT- LARGE TO MONITOR AND COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS LUIS CDEBACA
Ambassador CdeBaca delivers remarks to the Near Eastern Affairs Chiefs of Mission Conference and to the South and Central Asian Affairs Chiefs of Mission Conference, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE FOR GLOBAL WOMEN’S ISSUES MELANNE VERVEER
Ambassador Melanne Verveer attends a meeting at the White House.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE TO MUSLIM COMMUNITIES FARAH PANDITH
Special Representative Pandith speaks to Kean University students and the university community about her office’s global outreach work, in Union, New Jersey.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY HOST)

Special Representative Pandith delivers remarks at the “Give Bigotry No Sanction: NY Symposium Exploring Religious Freedom and Democracy,” at New York University.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY HOST)


PRESS BRIEFING SCHEDULE
1:15 p.m. Daily Press Briefing.

31 Jan, 2011, Monday, Schedules of President and VP

http://www.whitehouse.gov/schedule/president
10:00 am The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

11:10 am The President meets with senior advisors
Oval Office
Closed Press

http://www.whitehouse.gov/schedule/vice-president
1:00 pm The Vice President meets with Senator Bill Bradley at the White House
Closed Press
2:15 pm The Vice President meets with Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and Mark Ayers, President of the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO
Closed Press

Friday, January 28, 2011

Trust in Allah, but tie up your camel

That's a quote from The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, for anybody who thinks I'm making an insensitive religious type joke....

Mark Steyn filled in for Rush today, while Rush was filming one of his golf shows.

I had a cable guy come out to replace DirectTV, which did not get local channels out here in Cheyenne, WY, with Cable, which does. We had 3 tvs for him to hook up. Two of them work. Mine - the most important one - doesn't.

Of course, I'm mostly angry at myself because I left him alone while he did the work (he had to hook up a splitter through my internet line, also from this cable company) and then apparently never turned on the TV to make sure that the channels were coming in. And I never turned it on either while he was still here, just to make sure everything worked. But I didn't want to "insult" the guy by doublechecking things while he was here.

Stupid on my part.

So I come downstairs, ready to watch the rest of the Torrey Pines golf tournament...turn on the TV...and nothing, no signal.

Everything else works - my VHS plays, my DVD-R records... but no cable signal.

So of course the guy was long gone and when I tried to call the company I got a computerized voice which just went on and on and on...

So I need to chill out with a Pepsi and some hot buttered toast.

But there's the moral. Double-check everything, and if a workman gets annoyed and thinks that you're casting doubts on their proficiency, that's their problem. (In the same way, don't be annoyed when someone doublechecks your work, while you're still around to make fixes if you have to . IT's only common sense, and I sure as heck which I'd employed it earlier.)

Oh, so sensitive

A few days ago, Rush apparently imitated the Chinese language on his program for a few minutes. That's all he did. Now, he'd been criticizing the Chi-coms for years, and this apparently didn't engender any outrage from certain Asian Americans, but imitate the language and you deserve to lose your job!

Shaquille O'Neal did something similar a few years ago, and refused to apologize. He was "just making a joke."

We know Rush won't apologize, but will rather laugh at these super-sensitive indivuals - probably the same guys who get all offended if a TV station dares to show a Fu Manchu or Charlie Chan movie - despite the fact that Charlie Chan, a first-generation immigrant who spoke broken English - while his Americanized family spoke perfect English, was always the smartest man in the movie.

The lesson of those Chan movies - made in the 1930s and 40s mark you - was that just because someone didn't have a perfect grasp of English didn't mean that they were stupid, they could be, and in Chan's case was, extremely intelligent.

(Apparently Asian Americans were teased and called Charlie Chan when they were young, and grew to hate the name - but that's not Charlie Chan's fault. If Charlie Chan hadn't existed they would have been called something else. Just as white kids in Japanese schools are also teased. Japan may have a "polite culture" - but they've got bullying in schools just like every other culture. Seems to be a human trait.

28 Jan 2011, Fri: SoS and Staff schedule

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/appt/2011/01/155538.htm

SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON:
9:45 a.m. Secretary Clinton meets with Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

10:15 a.m. Secretary Clinton meets with Dr. Slaughter, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

11:15 a.m. Secretary Clinton holds a bilateral meeting with Colombian Vice President Angelino Garzón, at the Department of State.
(JOINT PRESS AVAILABILITY FOLLOWING BILATERAL MEETING AT APPROXIMATELY 11:50 A.M.)

12:30 p.m. Secretary Clinton meets with Indian National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

2:00 p.m. Secretary Clinton meets with Deputy Director of Policy Planning Derek Chollet, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

3:30 p.m. Secretary Clinton attends a meeting at the White House.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

DEPUTY SECRETARY JIM STEINBERG:
Deputy Secretary Steinberg is in Beijing, China for meetings with senior level officials on Friday.

Deputy Secretary Steinberg will continue to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (January 29-31), where he will lead the U.S. delegation to the African Union Summit and conduct bilateral and multilateral consultations with African leaders. Assistant Secretary Carson will accompany the Deputy Secretary. Click here for more information.

DEPUTY SECRETARY TOM NIDES:
Deputy Secretary Nides attends the Iraq Transition Senior Leaders’ Conference, hosted by CENTCOM at the National Defense University in Washington DC.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY CENTCOM)

USAID ADMINISTRATOR RAJ SHAH:
Administrator Shah attends the 2011 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

US FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS WILLIAM BURNS:
8:30 a.m. Under Secretary meets with Indian National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

10:30 a.m. Under Secretary joins National Security Adviser Donilon’s meeting with Indian National Security Adviser Menon, at the White House.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

12:30 p.m. Under Secretary Burns joins Secretary Clinton’s meeting with Indian National Security Adviser Menon, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

2:30 p.m. Under Secretary Burns accepts the credentials of Suriname Ambassador-designate Subhas-Chandra Mungra, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

3:30 p.m. Under Secretary Burns accepts the credentials of Hungarian Ambassador-designate Gyorgy Szapary, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

6:00 p.m. Under Secretary Burns meets with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

US FOR MANAGEMENT PATRICK KENNEDY:
Under Secretary Kennedy attends the Iraq Transition Senior Leaders’ Conference, hosted by CENTCOM at the National Defense University in Washington DC.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY CENTCOM)

US FOR ECONOMIC, ENERGY AND AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS ROBERT HORMATS:
Under Secretary Hormats attends the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

US OF STATE FOR DEMOCRACY AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS MARIA OTERO:
11:15 a.m. Under Secretary Otero joins Secretary Clinton’s bilateral meeting with Colombian Vice President Garzón, at the Department of State.
(JOINT PRESS AVAILABILITY)

1:00 p.m. Under Secretary Otero meets with Ambassador to Colombia Michael McKinley, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AS FOR SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIAN AFFAIRS BOB BLAKE:
10:50 a.m. Assistant Secretary Blake joins National Security Advisor Tom Donilon’s meeting with Indian National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon, at the White House.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

AS FOR INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION AFFAIRS ESTHER BRIMMER:
Assistant Secretary Brimmer meets with Roger Meece, UN Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Head of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AS FOR INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AFFAIRS WILLIAM BROWNFIELD:

Assistant Secretary Brownfield attends the Iraq Transition Senior Leaders’ Conference, hosted by CENTCOM at the National Defense University in Washington DC.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY CENTCOM)

AS FOR EAST ASIAN AND PACIFIC AFFAIRS KURT CAMPBELL:
Assistant Secretary Campbell travels to Hawaii, the Philippines and Singapore through January 29. Click here for more information.

AS FOR AFRICAN AFFAIRS JOHNNIE CARSON:
Assistant Secretary Carson travels to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to join Deputy Secretary Steinberg at the African Union Summit. Assistant Secretary Carson will then continue on foreign travel with Deputy Secretary Steinberg to Djibouti, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda and Ghana through February 5.

AS FOR NEAR EASTERN AFFAIRS JEFF FELTMAN:
Assistant Secretary Feltman attends the Iraq Transition Senior Leaders’ Conference, hosted by CENTCOM at the National Defense University in Washington DC.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY CENTCOM)

AS FOR ECONOMIC, ENERGY AND BUSINESS AFFAIRS JOSE FERNANDEZ:
Assistant Secretary Fernandez travels to Turkey through January 27. Click here for more information.

AS FOR ARMS CONTROL, VERIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE ROSE GOTTEMOELLER:
Assistant Secretary Gottemoeller participates in the opening week of the 2011 Session of the Conference on Disarmament through January 28 in Geneva, Switzerland. Click here for more information.

AS FOR DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS AND LABOR MICHAEL POSNER:
11:15 a.m. Assistant Secretary Posner joins Secretary Clinton’s bilateral meeting with Colombian Vice President Garzón, at the Department of State.
(JOINT PRESS AVAILABILITY)

12:45 p.m. Assistant Secretary Posner hosts a town hall meeting with the staff of the Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AS FOR POPULATION, REFUGEES, AND MIGRATION ERIC SCHWARTZ:
3:30 p.m. Assistant Secretary Schwartz meets with Roger Meece, Special Representative to the UN Secretary General, at the State Department.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AS FOR POLITICAL-MILITARY AFFAIRS ANDREW SHAPIRO:
Assistant Secretary Shapiro attends the Iraq Transition Senior Leaders’ Conference, hosted by CENTCOM at the National Defense University in Washington DC.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY CENTCOM)

AS FOR WESTERN HEMISPHERE AFFAIRS ARTURO VALENZUELA:
10:00 a.m. Assistant Secretary Valenzuela joins Vice President Biden’s bilateral meeting with Colombian Vice President Angelino Garzón, at the White House.
(MEDIA TO BE DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

11:15 a.m. Assistant Secretary Valenzuela joins Secretary Clinton’s bilateral meeting with Colombian Vice President Garzón, at the Department of State.
(JOINT PRESS AVAILABILITY)

4:00 p.m. Assistant Secretary Arturo Valenzuela provides a readout of the Secretary’s trip to Mexico, at the Council of the Americas in Washington DC.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE AND COORDINATOR FOR COUNTERTERRORISM DANIEL BENJAMIN:
Ambassador Benjamin travels to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar for meetings with civil society organizations, journalists and government officials through January 28.

AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE AND GLOBAL AIDS COORDINATOR ERIC GOOSBY:
10:00 a.m. Ambassador Goosby hosts a roundtable discussion with PEPFAR implementing partners, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

2:00 p.m. Ambassador Goosby participates in the U.S. Global Health Initiative Strategic Council Meeting, at the Peace Corps Building.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE FOR GLOBAL WOMEN’S ISSUES MELANNE VERVEER:
Ambassador Verveer attends the 2011 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

DIRECTOR OF POLICY PLANNING ANNE-MARIE SLAUGHTER:
9:30 a.m. Dr. Slaughter attends a meeting at the White House.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

3:00 p.m. Dr. Slaughter meets with Secretary Clinton, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF U.S. FOREIGN ASSISTANCE ROBERT GOLDBERG:
Deputy Director Goldberg attends the Iraq Transition Senior Leaders’ Conference, hosted by CENTCOM at the National Defense University in Washington DC.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY CENTCOM)

PRESS BRIEFING SCHEDULE:
2:00 p.m. There will be a Daily Press Briefing

28 Jan 2011, Fri: President and VP schedules

http://www.whitehouse.gov/schedule/president
9:30 am The President and the Vice President receive the Presidential Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

10:20 am The President addresses Families USA's 16th Annual Health Action Conference
Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
Open to pre-credentialed media

11:00 am The President and the Vice President receive the Economic Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

11:30 am The President meets with senior advisors
Oval Office
Closed Press

http://www.whitehouse.gov/schedule/vice-president
9:30 am The President and the Vice President receive the Presidential Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

10:00 am The Vice President meets with Vice President of Colombia Angelino Garzón
Closed Press
11:00 am The President and the Vice President receive the Economic Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

1:15 pm The Vice President holds a meeting to discuss the steps the Administration is taking to protect intellectual property rights, combat piracy, and prevent the proliferation of counterfeit goods
Roosevelt Room
Attorney General Eric Holder
Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke
Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President
Jack Lew, Director, Office of Management and Budget
Victoria Espinel, U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator
John Morton, Director, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Ambassador Phil Verveer, Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, U.S. Department of State
Carl Bass, President and CEO, Autodesk
John Lechleiter, President and CEO, Eli Lilly
Thomas Rothman, Co-Chairman and CEO, Fox Filmed Entertainment
Ajay Banga, President and CEO, Mastercard
Glen Barros, President and CEO, Concord Records
Paul Almeida, President, Department of Professional Employees, AFL-CIO
Ivan Seidenberg, Chairman and CEO, Verizon
Gigi Sohn, President, Public Knowledge
Aneesh Chopra, Chief Technology Officer of the United States
Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner of Food and Drugs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
David Kappos, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Alan Hoffman, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Vice President
Jason Furman, Deputy Director, National Economic Council
Pool Spray at the Top

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Everyone has to follow the laws, except....you, you and you.

I share this in its entirety.

Story #5: Obamacare Waivers Jump From 222 to 729

RUSH: "A week after Republicans announced plans to investigate waivers granted to organizations for healthcare reform provisions, President Obama’s health department made public new waivers for more than more than 500 groups." (laughing) What are we up to here? We gotta be pushing 800 companies, unions, and groups who have been given permission to ignore the new health care law. We heard about McDonald's. I love this story. All during the health care debate we kept hearing from the left what a rotten bunch of people McDonald's are because they don't pay their employees health insurance. So Obamacare passes, and McDonald's says, "You know what? We're gonna need an exemption from this or we're gonna have to fire a lot of people because we simply can't afford the health care provisions required in this bill." And it was an election year, so Obama, the regime, granted the waiver to McDonald's. The waiver, when anybody gets one, basically the government's saying, "Okay, the law doesn't apply to you." So another 500 waivers have been granted.

"The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is granting temporary waivers to organizations that would not be able to meet the reform law’s new requirement for annual coverage limits." We're gonna lower premiums, everybody was gonna get covered. The cost of care was gonna go down. Everybody was gonna get treatment. And now we find out that people need waivers because they can't meet the law's new requirement for annual coverage limits. "As of last week, HHS had granted waivers to 222 organizations --" I thought it was higher than that, but we'll go with that, this is The Hill. "Two hundred twenty-two organizations covering 1.5 million individuals. Though the number of groups receiving waivers has now more than tripled, the number of individuals covered by the waivers increased just 600,000 to 2.1 million. The law gives HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius the flexibility to grant waivers." And this "as the secretary shall determine." That phrase is throughout Obamacare, "as the secretary shall determine."

Why are they granting these waivers? I thought this law was the panacea. This law was gonna cover 32 million people that didn't have insurance, including those McDonald's employees and those Wendy's employees and those Walmart employees and those Burger King employees, and the Taco Bell employees. Now we find out those people had health care to one degree or another, and with the new law they can't afford to maintain the health coverage they're giving they're employee. They need an exemption, they need to be forgiven, they need to be told, "All right, the law doesn't apply to you." But we are told this is just temporary. Well, clearly, ladies and gentlemen, the evidence is there. This law is going to -- and by design -- if these waivers weren't granted, what would happen to these people? You would lose the health care that the president said, "If you like your health care coverage, you keep it. If you like your doctor, you keep him. If you like the coverage you got, if you like the plan you've got, why, nothing's gonna change." Well, yeah, unless you get a waiver. But what if the waivers weren't granted? What would happen to these people? They would have no health care, either that or McDonald's shuts down, one of the two.

What do you think McDonald's gonna do? The employee says, "All right, all right, I'd rather have a job without health care than health care and no job." Well, maybe some people would say that. Well, they wouldn't have, either, because McDonald's would go out of business, or come close to it. So the law is being touted by all these people as the panacea and it's clearly harmful, but these waivers are temporary. Obviously they're temporary because winning the future is all about winning in 2012, and after that all bets are off. So every day we continue to learn about the absolutely destructive characteristics of Obamacare each and every day, and that's why the polling data keeps showing more and more people oppose it, more and more people want it repealed. No matter how much Obama tries to sell it, no matter how much he talks about it or little in his health care or State of the Union speech, no matter what they've done, they cannot sell this to people. And that's healthy, folks, I'll tell you why. Because the root reason they can't is 'cause people don't want government in charge of this. Americans are not Europeans yet and don't want the government in charge of any of this, plain and simple.

Black people must never be served fried chicken

This is just ridiculous. I love fried chicken...well, as long as its Kentucky Fried Chicken, of course. Lots of people do. But apparently since there's a cliche that blacks like fried chicken and collard greens to the exclusion of all else, this food must never be served to them.

THat's apparently what Ricardo Sparks thinks, and instead of telling him to get a grip, Thomas Parham, the vice chancellor of student affairs, is saying, [words mine, meaning his!] "Yes, yes, it's so horrible and racist to try to serve blacks fried chicken on Martin Luther King day... we should have stuck with chicken ala king like we normally serve."

Pretty soon we won't be able to eat Mexican food on Cinco de Mayo, or Irish food on St. Paddy's Day, or Chinese Food on the day of the Chinese new year!

Rush
From the Los Angeles Times. Got that? From the Los Angeles Times, Nate Jackson, the Los Angeles Times: "A last-minute decision to serve fried chicken and waffles at a campus dining hall in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. was a regrettable choice and lacked sensitivity, UC Irvine officials acknowledged Wednesday." Again, Nate Jackson writing in the Los Angeles Times.

"A last-minute decision to serve fried chicken and waffles at a campus dining hall in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. was a regrettable choice and lacked sensitivity, UC Irvine officials acknowledged Wednesday. The meal was served at Pippin Commons on Jan. 17, the first day of UC Irvine's 28th annual Martin Luther King Jr. symposium. The theme of the three-day campus event was 'Uniting Our Voice for Change.' Past speakers have included Julian Bond, the late Dick Gregory and the late Yolanda King, the civil rights leader's daughter. The menu and a sign in the dining hall reading 'MLK Holiday Special: Chicken and Waffles' were pulled together at the last minute by a chef and other cafeteria staff members, said UC Irvine spokeswoman Cathy Lawhon. The culinary choices were made without any university oversight, Lawhon said.

"UC Irvine student Ricardo Sparks, the 20-year-old co-chairman of the university's Black Student Union, lodged a formal complaint with the administration. ... Thomas Parham, vice chancellor of student affairs, tried unsuccessfully to schedule a meeting with Sparks and another student who had filed a complaint, Lawhon said. Sparks said he had waited to respond until he rallied other students to attend to meeting. University officials said they are trying to set up a meeting with Sparks and other critics for next week. The chef has not been disciplined, Lawhon said, and it was unclear if any action would be taken in the future." Fried chicken and waffles, UC Irvine, story by Nate Jackson in the Los Angeles Times.

27 Jan, 2011, Thu, Rush headlines

--A Luggage Snafu on EIB One
The trip to Los Angeles took a bit longer than scheduled.

--Tuesday: SOTU Ratings Down, Golf Channel Ratings Break Record
Voila! Thanks to all for tuning into the right show.

--The Haney Project: Bonus Video
Three web-exclusive vignettes that you won't see on TV.

--Justice Brothers Hit Hollywood; UC Irvine MLK Day Meal Offends
Racist awards, racist meals and government takeovers.
Parody: The Justice Brothers on the Oscars

--Palin Zings Obama Speech: WTF
The perfect summary of Obama's State of the Union.

--Leftists Push Obama as Reagan
It's so absurd. Obama and the libs despise Reagan.

--Financial Guru Blasts Obama
Bloomberg guest calls him a dishonest prostitute.

--Date Night was a One-Night Stand
Couric asks the question and a Democrat answers.

--Decoding State-Run Media Propaganda on the Economy
They twist inside out to spin bad news for the Regime.

Stack of Stuff Quick Hits Page
» Global Warming: Record Snowfall in New York
» NAG Gang Unhappy with Bamster's State of Union
» Study: Abortion Doesn't Increase Mental Health Risk
» Judge Refuses to Recuse Herself in Emanuel Case
» Obamacare Waivers Jump From 222 to 729
» Bachmann Wasn't Looking at the Wrong Camera
» Photo: Katie Couric Rescues Snowbound Billionaire
» Now We Know What the "P" Stands for in PhD
» Levin Brothers Will Pay You to Buy Electric Cars
» Medicare Actuary Doubts Obamacare Savings
» New Regime Rules Will Cut Thousands of Coal Jobs
» States Explore Nullification to Combat Obamacare

--CBO, Bush Tax Cuts and the Deficit
An original EIB caller from the Sacramento days.

--Democrat Idiocy on Parade: Sheila Jackson Lee and VP Bite Me
And the left tells us Palin and Bachmann are dumb?

--Kucinich Sues Over an Olive Pit
Lib congressman wants 150 grand of social justice.

27 Jan 2011, Thu, SoS Clinton and her staff Schedule

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/appt/2011/01/155404.htm
SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON10:15 a.m. Secretary Clinton meets with President Obama at the White House.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

11:00 a.m. Secretary Clinton attends a meeting at the White House.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

1:00 p.m. Secretary Clinton officiates at a Swearing-In Ceremony for Ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

3:15 p.m. Secretary Clinton meets with students and teachers from Brazil participating in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Youth Ambassadors program, at the Department of State.
(POOLED PRESS COVERAGE)

5:15 p.m. Secretary Clinton delivers remarks at a Farewell Reception for Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

6:00 p.m. Secretary Clinton hosts a dinner for Indian National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

DEPUTY SECRETARY JIM STEINBERG
Deputy Secretary Steinberg travels to Asia and Africa through February 5. Click here for more information.

DEPUTY SECRETARY TOM NIDES
11:00 a.m. Deputy Secretary Nides attends a meeting at the White House.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

2:00 p.m. Deputy Secretary Nides meets with Deputy Director for U.S. Foreign Assistance Rob Goldberg, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

3:00 p.m. Deputy Secretary Nides meets with Ambassador to Yemen Gerry Feierstein, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

5:00 p.m. Deputy Secretary Nides attends a Farewell Reception for Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

7:00 p.m. Deputy Secretary Nides attends the Iraq Transition Small Group Dinner at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Washington DC.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY HOST)

USAID ADMINISTRATOR RAJ SHAH
Administrator Shah attends the 2011 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

US FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS BILL BURNS
10:00 a.m. Under Secretary Burns addresses the CENTCOM Commander’s Regional Ambassadors Conference, at the Cosmos Club in Washington DC.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

11:30 a.m. Under Secretary Burns meets with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

1:00 p.m. Under Secretary Burns attends the Swearing-In Ceremony for Ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

4:00 p.m. Under Secretary Burns attends a Farewell Reception for Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

5:00 p.m. Under Secretary Burns meets with Ambassador to Yemen Gerry Feierstein, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

6:00 p.m. Under Secretary Burns attends the Secretary’s dinner in honor of Indian National Security Adviser Menon, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

US FOR MANAGEMENT PATRICK KENNEDY
4:00 p.m. Under Secretary Kennedy attends a Farewell Reception for Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

US FOR ECONOMIC, ENERGY AND AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS ROBERT HORMATS
Under Secretary Hormats attends the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

US FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS JUDITH MCHALE
3:15 p.m. Under Secretary McHale joins Secretary Clinton’s meeting with students and teachers from Brazil participating in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Youth Ambassadors program, at the Department of State.
(POOLED PRESS COVERAGE)

4:00 p.m. Under Secretary McHale attends a Farewell Reception for Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

US OF STATE FOR DEMOCRACY AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS MARIA OTERO
10:30 a.m. Under Secretary Otero meets with Ambassador to Iraq James F. Jeffrey, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

3:00 a.m. Under Secretary Otero meets with Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

4:00 p.m. Under Secretary Otero attends a Farewell Reception for Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

5:00 p.m. Under Secretary Otero delivers remarks on the progress of environmental cooperation under the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), at the Organization for American States.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY HOST)

COUNSELOR AND CHIEF OF STAFF CHERYL MILLS
4:00 p.m. Counselor Mills attends a Farewell Reception for Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AS FOR SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIAN AFFAIRS BOB BLAKE
2:15 p.m. Assistant Secretary Blake meets with Gunnar Weigand of the European External Action Service, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

3:30 p.m. Assistant Secretary Blake will meet with Kyrgyz Republic Ambassador Muktar Djumaliev, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AS FOR INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AFFAIRS WILLIAM BROWNFIELD4:20 p.m. Assistant Secretary Brownfield meets with Paraguayan Ambassador Ayalde and NORTHCOM Commander Admiral James S. Winnefeld.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AS FOR EAST ASIAN AND PACIFIC AFFAIRS KURT CAMPBELL
Assistant Secretary Campbell travels to Hawaii, the Philippines and Singapore through January 29. Click here for more information.

AS FOR ECONOMIC, ENERGY AND BUSINESS AFFAIRS JOSE FERNANDEZAssistant Secretary Fernandez travels to Turkey through January 27. Click here for more information.

AS FOR EUROPEAN AND EURASIAN AFFAIRS PHIL GORDON
2:15 p.m. Assistant Secretary Gordon testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs on the recent events in Belarus, in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY SENATE)

AS FOR ARMS CONTROL, VERIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE ROSE GOTTEMOELLER
Assistant Secretary Gottemoeller participates in the opening week of the 2011 Session of the Conference on Disarmament through January 28 in Geneva, Switzerland. On Thursday, she delivers the opening statement for the United States at the conference’s first plenary session.

AS FOR OCEANS AND INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS KERRI-ANN JONES
Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones and Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Environment and Natural Resources Mark Linscott co-leads the fifth meeting of the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) Environmental Affairs Council (EAC), at the Organization of American States.
(OPEN PRESS COVERAGE FOR THE PUBLIC SESSION)

AS FOR POLITICAL-MILITARY AFFAIRS ANDREW SHAPIRO
11:45 a.m. Assistant Secretary Shapiro meets with VADM Mark Fox, Commander of the U.S. Naval Forces, Central Command (NAVCENT), at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AS FOR EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS ANN STOCK
3:15 p.m. Assistant Secretary Stock joins Secretary Clinton’s meeting with students and teachers from Brazil participating in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Youth Ambassadors program, at the Department of State.
(POOLED PRESS COVERAGE)

AS FOR WESTERN HEMISPHERE AFFAIRS ARTURO VALENZUELA
2:00 p.m. Assistant Secretary Valenzuela delivers a policy briefing to the International Broadcasting Board of Governors, at the Department of State. Contact WHAPress@state.gov for more information.

3:15 p.m. Assistant Secretary Valenzuela joins Secretary Clinton’s meeting with students and teachers from Brazil participating in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Youth Ambassadors program, at the Department of State.
(POOLED PRESS COVERAGE)

5:10 p.m. Assistant Secretary Valenzuela meets with the NORTHCOM Commander, Admiral James A. Winnefeld, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE AND COORDINATOR FOR COUNTERTERRORISM DANIEL BENJAMIN
Ambassador Benjamin travels to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar for meetings with civil society organizations, journalists and government officials through January 28.

AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE FOR GLOBAL WOMEN’S ISSUES MELANNE VERVEER
Ambassador Verveer attends the 2011 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

DIRECTOR OF POLICY PLANNING ANNE-MARIE SLAUGHTER12:30 p.m. Dr. Slaughter delivers remarks at an event on the first Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, Leading through Civilian Power, at the Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies, in the Kinney Auditorium.
(OPEN PRESS COVERAGE)

4:00 p.m. Dr. Slaughter attends a Farewell Reception in her honor, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

PRESS BRIEFING SCHEDULE:
1:15 p.m. Daily Press Briefing with Assistant Secretary Philip J. Crowley

27 Jan, 2011, Thu: Schedules of President and Vice President

http://www.whitehouse.gov/schedule/president
9:45 am The President and the Vice President receive the Presidential Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

10:15 am The President and the Vice President meets with Secretary of State Clinton
Oval Office
Closed Press

11:00 am The President meets with his national security team for his monthly meeting on Afghanistan and Pakistan
The Situation Room
Expected attendees include:

The Vice President
Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State
Eric Holder, Attorney General
Bill Daley, Chief of Staff
Tom Donilon, National Security Advisor
Denis McDonough, Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor
John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism
Jack Lew, Director, Office of Management and Budget
Ambassador Susan Rice, Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations
James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence
Leon Panetta, Director of Central Intelligence Agency
Rajiv Shah, Administrator, USAID (Via Videoconference)
Thomas Nides, Deputy Secretary of State
Neil Wolin, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (Via Videoconference)
General James Cartwright, Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan (Via Videoconference)
Ambassador Cameron Munter, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan (Via Videoconference)
Frank Ruggiero, Acting Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan
General James Mattis, Commander of CENTCOM
General David Petraeus, Commander, ISAF (Via Videoconference)
Vice Admiral Mike LeFever, Commader, Office of the Defense Representative to Pakistan (Via Videoconference)
Doug Lute, Special Assistant to the President for Afghanistan and Pakistan
Closed Press

12:45 pm The President and the Vice President meet for lunch
Private Dining Room
Closed Press

2:30 pm The President participates in a YouTube interview with Steve Grove
The Diplomatic Room
The event will also be livestreamed on whitehouse.gov/live
Pooled Press

http://www.whitehouse.gov/schedule/vice-president
9:45 am The President and the Vice President receive the Presidential Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

10:15 am The President and the Vice President meets with Secretary of State Clinton
Oval Office
Closed Press

12:45 pm The President and the Vice President meet for lunch
Private Dining Room
Closed Press

5:00 pm The Vice President attends a reception for the Democratic National Committee
Closed Press

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Why Arent our Students Better in Science?

The American culture does not value education, its as simple as that. You can get 100,000 people to watch two barely-.500 football teams play a bowl game, but ask them to watch a documentary on science...they dont' want to know.

Story #4: NYT: Few Students Show Proficiency in Science

RUSH: Let's take a look some of the other media response to the State of the Union show last night. Sheryl Gay Stolberg in the New York Times: "Obama Pitches Global Fight for US Jobs in Address -- President Obama challenged Americans on Tuesday night to unleash their creative spirit, set aside their partisan differences and come together around a common goal of outcompeting other nations in a rapidly shifting global economy. In a State of the Union address to a newly divided Congress, Mr. Obama outlined what he called a plan to 'win the future'..." By the way, let me translate that for you. "Win the future" is all about 2012 and his reelection, and I'm serious. "Win the future" has nothing to do with American competitiveness or American advancement.

"Win the future" is all about 2012. This outline was "a blueprint for spending in critical areas like education." See, you can't believe the stuff he says anymore. It's just mindless, like Jim DeMint said. Spending on education? I don't know if you're like me. I'm insulted when I hear we aren't spending enough on education. That's all I hear is we spend money on education! We are paying taxes out the wazoo for a whole bunch of stuff. We're spending property taxes, income taxes, I don't care what it is -- and every day we're insulted. "We need to increase our investments in education!"

No, we don't. "Investments" in education are not the problem. Right here, New York Times, a story today: "Few Students Show Proficiency in Science, Tests Show -- On the most recent nationwide science test, about a third of fourth graders and a fifth of high school seniors scored at or above the proficiency level, according to results released Tuesday. Only one or two students out of every 100 displayed the level of mastery that the federal panel governing the tests defines as advanced, the government said. ... The science tests, known as the National Assessment of Education Progress, were administered in early 2009 to about 308,000 fourth graders and eighth graders and 11,000 12th-graders.

"They tested students’ knowledge and abilities in the physical sciences, life science and earth and space sciences, the government said. Because the Education Department changed the test since it was last administered in 2005, the latest results cannot be used to determine whether science achievement has risen or declined in recent years." Well, that's clever. They changed the tests so we don't know if we're doing any better or not. How'd they change the test? Did they dumb it down like everything else the Education Department does or did they make it harder? "A higher proportion of fourth-grade students scored at or above the proficient level in New Hampshire -- 47 percent -- than in any other state.

"In Montana, 41 percent of eighth graders scored at or above proficiency ... The bipartisan panel..." Bipartisan panel? What bipartisan panel? The National Assessment of Education Bipartisan Panel? What does that look like? What the hell do you have a bipartisan panel for in an education? Well, holy moly! You know what education is? You know why these test results are going down? "Education" equals money-for-teachers. Education doesn't equal test scores. By the same token, "infrastructure" equals money-for-public sector-unions. It doesn't mean new roads and bridges. We already did that. We did a stimulus bill, and for what? Nearly a trillion dollars to "fix our crumbling roads and bridges," and here's two years later and the president's State of the Union calling for more, but we didn't fix it.

Where'd the money go? It got spent. Well, I'll tell you where: Money for public sector unions. Education: Money for teachers unions. That's how you translate this stuff. Anybody in their right mind knows we don't need to spend any more money on education. Or put another way: Everybody knows we're not short-changing education, and that's the implication in these speeches. "We need to invest more in our educatioooon." No! The assumption is we're not investing in our kids, and that's not true. Well (snorts), maybe it is true. We're investing in the teachers. Well, we're investing in the teachers unions, and that's a big difference. But how do you put together a bipartisan education panel?

A liberal, a conservative, an evolutionist and a creationist, a warmer and a denier, a union member and a nonunion member? Let me summarize this for you. We got Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times, "Obama Pitches Global Fight for US Jobs in Address." We need a blueprint for new spending in science and all of this, and we got a report here that says young skulls full of mush who excel at science are as rare in America as telephone booths, but it isn't because we're not spending enough money on them. This is not surprising to those of us who have followed education issues. But still, the results are depressing. Here's the obvious question, then, ladies and gentlemen.

We're spending all this money, we have been spending all this money for years, we've got the president calling for -- and we've had every president, by the way. It's nothing unique to Obama. Every president has exhorted us and our children to higher math scores and science scores. There's nothing new there. So the question is: If kids are not being taught and challenged in the sciences, what are they being taught? They've gotta be teaching them something in there. Well, okay, let's go down the list. Self-Esteem, Sex Education, Gym, Conflict Resolution, MTV 101, Sex Education, uhhh... Sex Education. Oh, yeah, polar bears, environmental destruction. We're teaching them a liberal political agenda. Exactly right. There are only so many hours in a schoolday and if they're not learning science, what are they learning?

That's right. Self-esteem! Self-esteem. "[E]ighth-grade students should be able to relate characteristics of air masses to global regions, and high school seniors should be able to evaluate two methods for helping to control an invasive species, the government said." Well, what is the most invasive species? The government is. The government is the most invasive species out there. Do you think that's being taught? Okay, let me... I'll put on my teacher hat. I think some of what we do here is teach. So let me put on my teacher cap here. "[S]eniors should be able to evaluate two methods for helping to control an invasive species," all right? For you students, I don't care how old you are, the most invasive species that we face today is the government. The next logical question is: How do you control this? How do you fight it? How do you stop this invasive species of government? It's very simple. It's called vote conservative.

If You Are Too Ill To Be On A Committe, Why Shouldn't You Be Removed?

Loretta Sanchez tried to have Arizona Rep Gabrielle Giffords removed from the HOuse Armed Services Committee "until she recovers from injuries after being shot in the head."

And apparently there was all kinds of outrage about this.

Why?

The woman isn't being fired from her job. But she will be in months if not years of rehab and I doubt if she's going to be able to attend these committee meetings for a year, so why not remove her? There's nothing "not-compassionate" about this. No compassion would be to fire her and take away her health insurance because she can't work.

But to replace her on a committee "until she recovers from injuries received" - that only makes good sense.

Story #6: Loretta Sanchez Tries to Throw Giffords Off Committee

RUSH: My friends, these Democrat women... I don't want to get in their way. "Behind closed doors, California Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez has proposed removing Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords from the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) until she recovers from injuries sustained after being shot in the head on Jan. 8 in Tucson, The Daily Caller has learned. The proposal sparked an outrage, according to those in the room -- including from those in Sanchez's own party. 'It's not appropriate,' Texas Democratic Rep. Silvestre Reyes. ... Reyes and Rep. Adam Smith of California put up most of the fight against Sanchez, and helped squash the idea. 'From a woman who memorialized her cat, you’d think she’d show a little more compassion for a woman shot in the face,' said one GOP aide, referring to Sanchez’s 2010 Christmas card that paid tribute to her late cat, Gretzky." Man, oh, man, oh, man, Loretta Sanchez wants to kick Gabrielle Giffords off of her committee, party of compassion. Don't get in her way.

26 Jan, 2011, Wed: SoS Clinton and Staff Schedule

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/appt/2011/01/155315.htm
SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON:
9:30 a.m. Secretary Clinton meets with the senior management team, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

11:00 a.m. Secretary Clinton holds a bilateral meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Judeh, at the Department of State.
(JOINT PRESS AVAILABILITY FOLLOWING BILATERAL MEETING AT APPROXIMATELY 11:35 A.M.)

1:30 p.m. Secretary Clinton holds a bilateral meeting with Sudanese Foreign Minister Ahmen Ali Karti, at the Department of State.
(CAMERA SPRAY PRECEDING BILATERAL MEETING)

4:30 p.m. Secretary Clinton attends a meeting at the White House.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

DEPUTY SECRETARY JIM STEINBERG:
Deputy Secretary Steinberg travels to Asia and Africa through February 5. Click here for more information.

DEPUTY SECRETARY TOM NIDES:
11:00 a.m. Deputy Secretary Nides meets with Representative Howard Berman, on Capitol Hill.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

12:15 p.m. Deputy Secretary Nides meets with Representative Nita Lowey, on Capitol Hill.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

2:15 p.m. Deputy Secretary Nides attends a meeting at the White House.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

USAID ADMINISTRATOR RAJ SHAH:
Administrator Shah attends the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

US FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS WILLIAM BURNS:
11:00 a.m. Under Secretary Burns meets with Turkish Ambassador Namik Tan, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

6:30 p.m. Under Secretary Burns delivers remarks at a reception in honor of Indian Republic Day, at the residence of Indian Ambassador Shankar in Washington DC.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY HOST)

US FOR ECONOMIC, ENERGY AND AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS ROBERT HORMATS:
Under Secretary Hormats attends the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

US OF STATE FOR DEMOCRACY AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS MARIA OTERO:
8:45 a.m. Under Secretary Otero hosts the global issues principals meeting, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

COUNSELOR AND CHIEF OF STAFF CHERYL MILLS:
12:30 p.m. Counselor Mills participates in a panel discussion on Haiti at the Council on Foreign Relations, in New York City.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AS FOR SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIAN AFFAIRS BOB BLAKE:
Assistant Secretary Blake delivers an address on U.S.-South Asian Relations at Syracuse University in New York.

AS FOR EAST ASIAN AND PACIFIC AFFAIRS KURT CAMPBELL:
Assistant Secretary Campbell travels to Hawaii, the Philippines and Singapore through January 29. Click here for more information.

AS FOR AFRICAN AFFAIRS JOHNNIE CARSON:
1:30 p.m. Assistant Secretary Carson joins Secretary Clinton’s bilateral meeting with Sudanese Foreign Minister Ahmen Ali Karti, at the Department of State.
(CAMERA SPRAY)

AS FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS PHILIP J. CROWLEY:
11:00 a.m. Assistant Secretary Crowley joins Secretary Clinton’s bilateral meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Judeh, at the Department of State.
(JOINT PRESS AVAILABILITY)

1:30 p.m. Assistant Secretary Crowley joins Secretary Clinton’s bilateral meeting with Sudanese Foreign Minister Ahmen Ali Karti, at the Department of State.
(CAMERA SPRAY)

AS FOR NEAR EASTERN AFFAIRS JEFFREY FELTMAN:
Assistant Secretary Feltman is on foreign travel to Tunisia through January 26. While there, he is meeting with government officials, political party leaders, and civil society advocates in order to convey U.S. support for the Tunisian people. Click here for more information.

AS FOR ECONOMIC, ENERGY AND BUSINESS AFFAIRS JOSE FERNANDEZ:
Assistant Secretary Fernandez travels to Turkey through January 27. Click here for more information.

AS FOR ARMS CONTROL, VERIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE ROSE GOTTEMOELLER:
Assistant Secretary Gottemoeller leads an interagency delegation to China for expert consultations on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty. She then travels to Geneva, Switzerland to participate in the opening week of the 2011 Session of the Conference on Disarmament through January 28.

AS FOR OCEANS AND INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS KERRI-ANN JONES:

4:30 p.m. Assistant Secretary Jones meets with Uzbekistan Ambassador Nematov, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AS FOR DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS AND LABOR MICHAEL POSNER:
Assistant Secretary Posner travels to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Click here for more information.

AS FOR POLITICAL-MILITARY AFFAIRS ANDREW SHAPIRO:
4:30 p.m. Assistant Secretary Shapiro joins Secretary Clinton at a meeting at the White House.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

AS FOR WESTERN HEMISPHERE AFFAIRS ARTURO VALENZUELA:
11:30 a.m. Assistant Secretary Valenzuela meets with the Council of American Ambassadors, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE AND COORDINATOR FOR COUNTERTERRORISM DANIEL BENJAMIN:
Ambassador Benjamin travels to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar for meetings with civil society organizations, journalists and government officials through January 28.

GLOBAL AIDS COORDINATOR AMBASSADOR ERIC GOOSBY:
3:00 p.m. Ambassador Goosby meets with Namibian Ambassador Martin Andjaba, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE FOR GLOBAL WOMEN’S ISSUES MELANNE VERVEER:
Ambassador Verveer attends the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

DIRECTOR OF POLICY PLANNING ANNE-MARIE SLAUGHTER:
8:00 a.m. Dr. Slaughter participates in a media roundtable moderated by Steve Clemons of the New America Foundation on the first Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, at the New America Foundation.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY HOST)



PRESS BRIEFING SCHEDULE:
2:30 p.m. Daily Press Briefing with Assistant Secretary Philip J. Crowley

26 Jan, 2011, Wed: President and Vice President Schedules

http://www.whitehouse.gov/schedule/president
9:00 am The President departs the White House en route Andrews Air Force Base
South Lawn
Pooled Press

9:30 am The President departs Andrews Air Force Base en route Green Bay, Wisconsin
Andrews Air Force Base
Travel Pool Coverage

11:35 am The President arrives in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Local Event Time: 10:35 AM CST
Austin Straubel International Airport
Open Press

12:35 pm The President tours Orion Energy Systems, Inc.
Local Event Time: 11:35 AM CST
Inc., Manitowoc, Orion Energy Systems, Wisconsin
Travel Pool Coverage

1:00 pm The President delivers remarks on the economy
Inc., Manitowoc, Orion Energy Systems, Wisconsin
Open Press

1:30 pm The President tours Skana Aluminum Company
Manitowoc, Skana Aluminum Company, Wisconsin
Travel Pool Coverage

2:50 pm The President tours Tower Tech Systems, Inc.
Inc, Manitowoc, Tower Tech Systems, Wisconsin
Travel Pool Coverage

4:10 pm The President departs Green Bay, Wisconsin
Austin Straubel International Airport
Open Press

6:00 pm The President arrives at Andrews Air Force Base
Andrews Air Force Base
Travel Pool Coverage

6:15 pm The President arrives at the White House
South Lawn
Open Press

http://www.whitehouse.gov/schedule/vice-president
11:45 am The Vice President discusses how the Administration is incentivizing investment in innovation and helping to lay the foundation for American competiveness in the 21st century
Greenfield, Indiana

26 Jan, 2011, Wed: Rush LImbaugh headlines

--Flat, Insulting State of the Union Draws Raves from State-Run Media
A night of boring political grandstanding and platitudes.

--Outrage Over Harmless Michelle Obama Furnace and Obesity Joke
This is just too hilarious. They really believe this!

--Regime: Oil for Brazil, But Not Us
Let's see what happens when gas hits 4 bucks a gallon.

--Libs Lambaste Bachmann Speech
So she looked at the wrong camera. She wasn't lying.

--Dingy Harry to Obama: Back Off!
Reid ticked over O's empty attack on earmarks.

--Audio Clip Game: Random Obama Speeches Sound Exactly the Same
We asked the Cookster to do a little experiment.

--Hollywood Crisis: No Oscar Nominees of Color This Year
The OOC weighs in on segregation in Hollywood.

Stack of Stuff Quick Hits Page
» New Home Sales in 2010 Lowest in 47 Years
» Lawmakers Turn to Dangers of Distracted Pedestrians
» Son, Family of Egyptian Dictator Flee to Britain
» NYT: Few Students Show Proficiency in Science
» Dennis Kucinich Sues Over Olive Pit in Sandwich
» Loretta Sanchez Tries to Throw Giffords Off Committee

--New FB Photo: Rush & Abbey
Watching the State of the Union so you didn't have to.

--Haney Project Portrays Your Host As a Bad Student... But Stay Tuned
There is much more to be seen in future episodes.

How Can You Know What the Left is Saying if You Don't Watch?

Today Rush advised people to watch his golf episode rather than than Obama's speech. He was publicizing his show, but he was also completely serious...and I think that's silly, as has been his advice over the years to not read the daily papers or keep in touch with the news because it will only depress people - they should just listen to his show and that's it.

Bad advice.

Rush is always criticizing Obama, criticizing the Dems, and if you listen to him only you might think that everybody in the country feels this way - except other Democratic politicians, of course - when in actual fact half the country feels th is way.

In order to find out what we have to fight against, we must pay attention to what the opposition is doing! Otherwise, we'll get caught by surprise when various things occur.

One thing I really, really wish the Tea Partiers and Republicans would do is to eliminate the practice of putting everything and the kitchen sink into bills, hidden, so that when the big bill passes, all these little things pass too. That's just not right. And it's part of transparency...which Obama promised. But its been politics as usual.

And our tax money goes to these researchers?

A group of researchers in England have concluded that the fact that most people live in warm homes...contributes to obesity.

How stupid is this? How stupid is this? How stupid is this!

Douglas Adams made it plain decades ago. The first men ran around saying when can we eat (they'd eat anything.) The next stage of men said what can we eat. (They were ready to shift from hunting to agriculture. Then came modern man and "Where shall we dine."

What's the cause of overweight? Jeez, I'm pretty sure it's because those people who are overweight eat too much and/or exercise too little. There is no mystery there. The point is, whose bloody business is it if someone likes to eat so much that they gain more weight than is thought attractive. It's their life. (The only reason why the government cares of course is because of health care. Overweight people will have more health problems - supposedly - than people who are not overweight.)

Anyway, here's what RUsh had to say about it. OF course it's not "our" tax money, as in we Americans, it's the Brit's tax money (although who knows, the US may be sending money over to British universities to do research - just like we send people over to Africa to study how men clean their genitalia after sex, or don't, even thought they may get AIDS...)

Story #5: Indoor Heating May Contribute to Obesity

RUSH: This is from the AllHeadlineNews.com website: "Access to home indoor heating may be contributing to the obesity problem in the United States, the United Kingdom and other developed countries, according to a new study. The University College London researchers said in a statement that reduced exposure to cold may impact the body’s ability to maintain a healthy weight. They said indoor heating minimizes the need for energy expenditure to stay warm and reduces the body’s capacity to produce heat. As more people in the developed world have indoor heating, the population is..."

Wouldn't the time for this story be to about a hundred years ago? Indoor heating could also be making us heavier? Yeah, if it contributes to obesity, being heavier would seem to be right in line with that. "'Increased time spent indoors, widespread access to central heating and air conditioning, and increased expectations of thermal comfort all contribute to restricting the range of temperatures we experience in daily life and reduce the time our bodies spend under mild thermal stress -- meaning we burn less energy,' lead researcher Dr. Fiona Johnson said in a statement. A report on the study is published in the journal Obesity Reviews." (laughing) Okay, it has just been said to me that all of this makes sense. People move faster when it's cold. Okay. Fine.

But then, if it makes sense, what is our next step? If all of this makes sense -- if indoor heating contributes to obesity, and if obesity is the number one problem facing the country's kids... (interruption) The next step is not to call Michelle Obama, because if you do that, your heating will be taken away from you. We're going to get government-regulated thermostats. Look, they're talking about indoor heating. Not a little or a lot, they're just talking about the existence. If you take this theory out to the logical conclusion, you have to get rid of furnaces. (interruption) Well, kids in the street don't have the problem. They don't have any indoor heating. They're already saving the planet by freezing out there. (chuckling) These people are dead serious. (interruption) Well, furnace tax, that could have been a setup to a furnace tax. Who knows?

25 Jan, 2011, Tues, Rush Limbaugh headlines

--Republicans Fall for Civility Trick, While Democrats Ramp Up Attacks
Date night? We're through the looking glass, folks.

--An Instant See, I Told You So: Ribbons for the Tucson Shooting
On this program, even the jokes come true.

-Caller to the Host: Let It Be, Man
Can't we all just get along, rich and poor, right and left?

--Explaining Democrats: They Hate Capitalism and They Love Power
Why do they do what they do when they know better?

-What Would Our Voters Do?
Republicans didn't get elected to sit next to Democrats.

-Common Enemy in DC: Tea Party
Make no mistake: The establishment sits together.

-Anti-American ChiCom War Song Played at White House State Dinner
ChiComs pull off a huge insult right under our noses.

Stack of Stuff Quick Hits Page
» Gallup Poll: Everything is Worse Than in 2008
» Bad News for Packers: Favre Picks Green Bay
» Obama's Environmental Czar Carol Browner Quits
» Illinois Supremes Put Emanuel Back on Ballot
» Indoor Heating May Contribute to Obesity
» Prices Drop, Housing Market Heads for Double Dip

-Turn Off Obama and Watch Haney
Counter programming to the State of the Union show.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

25 Jan, 2011, Sos Clinton and staff schedule

From: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/appt/2011/01/155266.htm

SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON:
9:15 a.m. Secretary Clinton meets with the Assistant Secretaries, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

10:30 a.m. Secretary Clinton holds a bilateral meeting with Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez, at the Department of State.

12:00 p.m. Secretary Clinton officiates at the Swearing-In Ceremony for Deputy Secretary Nides, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

1:00 p.m. Secretary Clinton meets with Secretary of Defense Bob Gates and National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, at the White House.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

3:00 p.m. Secretary Clinton holds a bilateral meeting with Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Saudabayev, at the Department of State.

9:00 p.m. Secretary Clinton attends President Obama’s State of the Union address, at the U.S. Capitol.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY CONGRESS)

DEPUTY SECRETARY JIM STEINBERG:
Deputy Secretary Steinberg travels to Asia and Africa through February 5.

DEPUTY SECRETARY TOM NIDES:
9:15 a.m. Deputy Secretary Nides joins Secretary Clinton’s meeting with the Assistant Secretaries, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

10:15 a.m. Deputy Secretary Nides speaks with Admiral Mike Mullen.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

12:00 p.m. Deputy Secretary Nides is sworn in by Secretary Clinton, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

5:00 p.m. Deputy Secretary Nides holds a budget meeting, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

PM Deputy Secretary Nides attends a reception for Chiefs of Diplomatic Missions prior to President Obama’s State of the Union address, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

USAID ADMINISTRATOR RAJ SHAH:
9:15 a.m. Administrator Shah joins Secretary Clinton’s meeting with the Assistant Secretaries, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

12:00 p.m. Administrator Shah attends Deputy Secretary Nides’ Swearing-In Ceremony, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

UNDER SECRETARY FOR MANAGEMENT PAT KENNEDY:
12:00 p.m. Under Secretary Kennedy attends Deputy Secretary Nides’ Swearing-In Ceremony, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

PM Under Secretary Kennedy attends a reception for Chiefs of Diplomatic Missions prior to President Obama’s State of the Union address, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

US FOR ECONOMIC, ENERGY AND AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS ROBERT HORMATS:
Under Secretary Hormats attends the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

US OF STATE FOR DEMOCRACY AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS MARIA OTERO:
Under Secretary Maria Otero delivers remarks at the Case Foundation.

CHIEF OF PROTOCOL AMBASSADOR CAPRICIA PENAVIC MARSHALL:
PM Ambassador Marshall hosts a reception for Chiefs of Diplomatic Missions prior to President Obama’s State of the Union address, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

9:00 p.m. Ambassador Marshall attends President Obama’s State of the Union address, at the U.S. Capitol.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY CONGRESS)

AS FOR SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIAN AFFAIRS BOB BLAKE:
Assistant Secretary Blake travels to Syracuse University in New York to deliver an address on U.S.-South Asian Relations.

AS FOR EAST ASIAN AND PACIFIC AFFAIRS KURT CAMPBELL:
Assistant Secretary Campbell travels to Hawaii, the Philippines and Singapore through January 29. Click here for more information.

AS FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS PHILIP J. CROWLEY:
10:30 a.m. Assistant Secretary Crowley joins Secretary Clinton’s bilateral meeting and joint press availability with Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez, at the Department of State.
(JOINT PRESS AVAILABILITY)

3:00 p.m. Assistant Secretary Crowley joins Secretary Clinton’s bilateral meeting with Kazakhistan Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev, at the Department of State.
(CAMERA SPRAY)

AS FOR NEAR EASTERN AFFAIRS JEFFREY FELTMAN:
Assistant Secretary Feltman is on foreign travel to Tunisia through January 26. While there, he is meeting with government officials, political party leaders, and civil society advocates in order to convey U.S. support for the Tunisian people. Click here for more information.

AS FOR ECONOMIC, ENERGY AND BUSINESS AFFAIRS JOSE FERNANDEZ:
Assistant Secretary Fernandez travels to Turkey through January 27. Click here for more information.

AS FOR EUROPEAN AND EURASIAN AFFAIRS PHIL GORDON:
10:30 a.m. Assistant Secretary Gordon joins Secretary Clinton’s bilateral meeting with Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez, at the Department of State.
(JOINT PRESS AVAILABILITY FOLLOWING BILATERAL MEETING)

AS FOR ARMS CONTROL, VERIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE ROSE GOTTEMOELLER:
Assistant Secretary Gottemoeller leads an interagency delegation to China for expert consultations on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty through January 26.

AS FOR OCEANS AND INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS KERRI-ANN JONES:
2:30 p.m. Assistant Secretary Jones meets with Canadian Environment Minister Peter Kent, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AS FOR DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS AND LABOR MICHAEL POSNER:
Assistant Secretary Posner travels to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Click here for more information.

AS FOR POPULATION, REFUGEES AND MIGRATION ERIC SCHWARTZ:
12:00 p.m. Assistant Secretary Schwartz meets with Dawn Calabia, Senior Advisor for Refugees International, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AS FOR POLITICAL-MILITARY AFFAIRS ANDREW SHAPIRO:
12:00 p.m. Assistant Secretary Shapiro attends Deputy Secretary Nides’ Swearing-In Ceremony, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

3:00 p.m. Assistant Secretary Shapiro joins Secretary Clinton’s bilateral meeting with Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Saudabayev, at the Department of State.
(CAMERA SPRAY PRECEDING BILATERAL MEETING)

AS FOR WESTERN HEMISPHERE AFFAIRS ARTURO VALENZUELA:
10:30 a.m. Assistant Secretary Valenzuela participates in Secretary Clinton’s bilateral meeting with Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez, at the Department of State.
(JOINT PRESS AVAILABILITY)

1:00 p.m. Assistant Secretary Valenzuela meets with Honduran Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Mario Canahuati, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

PM Assistant Secretary Valenzuela attends a reception for Chiefs of Diplomatic Missions prior to President Obama’s State of the Union address, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE AND COORDINATOR FOR COUNTERTERRORISM DANIEL BENJAMIN:
Ambassador Benjamin travels to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar for meetings with civil society organizations, journalists and government officials through January 28.

AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE FOR GLOBAL WOMEN’S ISSUES MELANNE VERVEER:
Ambassador Melanne Verveer launches the U.S. Government-hosted conference “Invest for the Future: Women Driving Economic Growth,” in Istanbul, Turkey through January 26. She also meets with non-governmental organization representatives, civil society leaders and local journalists. Click here for more information.

DIRECTOR OF POLICY PLANNING ANNE-MARIE SLAUGHTER:
9:15 a.m. Dr. Slaughter joins Secretary Clinton’s meeting with the Assistant Secretaries, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

12:00 p.m. Dr. Slaughter attends Deputy Secretary Nides’ Swearing-In Ceremony, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

PRESS BRIEFING SCHEDULE:
THERE WILL NOT BE A DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

25 Jan, 2011, Tues: Schedules of President and Vice President

President's Schedule: http://www.whitehouse.gov/schedule/president

9:30 am The President and the Vice President receive the Presidential Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

9:00 pm The President delivers the State of the Union Address
United States Capitol
Travel Pool Coverage

Vice President's Schedule
9:30 am The President and the Vice President receive the Presidential Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

Monday, January 24, 2011

24 Jan, 2011, Monday, Rush headlines

--Great NFL Championship Sunday
Obama's picks go down and a great Super Bowl awaits.

--State of the Union Show Preview
The platitudes will flow and government will grow.

--Who Incited the Walmart Shooting?
The liberals target Walmart with crosshairs on flyers.

--Gov't Can't Create or Save Jobs
It's always been smoke and mirrors from the regime.

--An Interview with an Independent
A fascinating talk with one of the valued independents.

"Healthy" Eating and Other Myths


Anger ensues when host bucks conventional wisdom.



UK Daily Mail: The Fruit and Vegetable Myth

--The Civility of Edward M. Kennedy
Ask Judge Bork about how liberals treat adversaries.

--Our Apologies to Rep. Eric Cantor
Gregory badgers him over Obama's birth certificate.

Stack of Stuff Quick Hits Page
» LaLanne Dies, Proving Exercise Can't Prevent Death
» Appeals Court Throws Emanuel Off Mayoral Ballot
» The Oprah Reveals Her Big Secret: A Half-Sister

--The Haney Project Goes to LA
El Rushbo heads to Los Angeles for Haney shooting.

Illinois Lawyers Continue To Get Rich (Emmanuel's fight to break the rules)

It's apparently a law in Chicago that a person can't run for Mayor of the city unless he's lived there for a whole year before the year in which he's trying to get elected.

That means Rahm Emmanuel doesn't match the criteria and does not belong on the ballot.

Of course, he's not going to take that sitting down, and is suing so that an exception can be made in his case. He'll probably win out, of ocurse. But consider the case of Obama, who won his Senate seat by evoking all the laws he could to get all his opponents off the ballot.

Ill. court throws Emanuel off Chicago ballot
CHICAGO – An Illinois appellate court on Monday threw former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel off the ballot for Chicago mayor because he didn't live in the city in the year before the election.

The decision cast doubt over Emanuel's candidacy just a month before the election. He had been considered the front-runner and had raised more money than any other candidate.

The court voted 2-1 to overturn a lower-court ruling that would have kept his name on the Feb. 22 ballot.

[ For complete coverage of politics and policy, go to Yahoo! Politics ]


Emanuel plans to appeal the matter to the Illinois Supreme Court. Early voting was set to begin on Jan. 31.

"I have no doubt that we will in the end prevail at this effort. This is just one turn in the road," Emanuel said, adding that the "people of the city of Chicago deserve the right to make the decision on who they want to be their next mayor."

Those challenging Emanuel's candidacy have argued that the Democrat does not meet the one-year residency requirement because he rented out his Chicago home and moved his family to Washington to work for President Barack Obama for nearly two years.

Emanuel has said he always intended to return to Chicago and was only living in Washington at the request of the president.

Emanuel is one of several candidates vying to replace Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, who did not seek a seventh term. Emanuel moved back to Chicago in October after he quit working for Obama to campaign full-time.

Before Monday's ruling, attorney Burt Odelson, who represents two voters objecting to Emanuel's candidacy, had little luck trying to keep Emanuel off the ballot.

The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners and a Cook County judge have both ruled in favor of Emanuel, a former congressman, saying he didn't abandon his Chicago residency when he went to work at the White House.

Odelson had said he planned to take the challenge to the state Supreme Court, if necessary.

"Have I stood down at all? No, I've been confident all along because that's the law. That's the way you read the law," Odelson told reporters Monday.

The three main other candidates running — former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, former schools President Gery Chico and City Clerk Miguel del Valle — have been critical of Emanuel during the race, calling him an outsider who doesn't know Chicago.

Emanuel appeared to have gotten a big boost last week when his campaign announced he raised more than $10 million and was endorsed by former President Bill Clinton during an event in Chicago.

A Chicago Tribune/WGN poll also released last week showed Emanuel with the support of 44 percent of those surveyed. The same poll found 21 percent of registered voters questioned prefer Braun, while 16 percent favor Chico and 7 percent support del Valle.

Del Valle said the appeal court's decision bodes well for the other candidates and voters who may have thought the race was a foregone conclusion because the amount of money Emanuel has raised.

"Now voters see there's an opportunity to look at the field and give candidates either a second look or in some cases a first look. People are going to pay more attention to the other candidates," del Valle said.

In its ruling the court said while Emanuel met the requirements to vote in Chicago, he did not meet the requirements to run for mayor because he didn't actually reside in the city for a year before Feb. 22.

"A candidate must meet not only the Election Code's voter residency standard, but also must have actually resided within the municipality for one year prior to the election, a qualification that the candidate unquestionably does not satisfy," according to the ruling.

The residency questions have dogged Emanuel ever since he announced his candidacy last fall. Emanuel tried to move back into his house when he returned to Chicago but the family renting it wanted $100,000 to break the lease and move out early. The tenant, businessman Rob Halpin, later filed paperwork to run for mayor against Emanuel, only to withdraw from the race a short time later.

More than two dozen people testified on the residency issue at a Chicago Board of Elections hearing in December. The three-day hearing got progressively stranger as attorneys gave way to Chicago residents who filed objections to his candidacy, including one man who asked Emanuel if he caused the 1993 siege at Waco, Texas.

Emanuel's lawyer said he is hopeful the state Supreme Court will take up the case, especially since the appeals court decision was not unanimous.

"I think the fact that there's a dispute within the appellate court certainly makes the case more enticing to the Supreme Court, but I don't speak for them," lawyer Mike Kasper said.

24 Jan, 2011, Mon, SoS Clinton and Staff Schedule

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/appt/2011/01/155141.htm

SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON:
Secretary Clinton is on foreign travel to Mexico accompanied by Assistant Secretary Valenzuela.

PRESS BRIEFING SCHEDULE:
1:15 p.m. Daily Press Briefing with Assistant Secretary Philip J. Crowley

24 Jan, 2011, Mon, Schedules of President and Vice President

http://www.whitehouse.gov/schedule/president

11:00 am The President, the First Lady and Dr. Biden deliver remarks at an event highlighting the Federal government’s support for military families
East Room
Open Press

12:00 pm Briefing by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs
James S. Brady Briefing Room
Open Press

4:30 pm The President meets with Secretary of Defense Gates
Oval Office
Closed Press

7:30 pm The President and the First Lady host a reception for new Members of Congress; the Vice President and Dr. Biden also attend
State Floor
Closed Press

http://www.whitehouse.gov/schedule/vice-president
No public schedule

Football: The Hypocrisy of CBSSportsonline

I live in Cheyenne, WY and have satellite TV...which means I don't get local TV channels which means I don't get to watch football on Sundays. So I have to keep track of the games via CBSSportsline's Gametracker.

Yesterday, Jay Cutler of the Bears came out of the game after one series in the second half, and stood on the sidelines for the rest of the game. Now, I don't know what the broadcasters were saying - if they pointed out immediately that he had a knee injury, but the comments on the Grametracker were all saying he'd pulled himself out, etc. (And of course his replacement, Caleb Hainie, played 100% better than Cutler had, even before the injury).

As soon as he came out, NFL players old and new were releasing tweets on twitter calling him gutless, a loser, etc.

Which no one needed to know about, except those who subscribed to these people's Twitter feeds, except CBSSports collected them all together and published them for everyone to see.

Now today it turns out that Cutler had a meniscus tear. (Or at least, his team doctors are telling people that, whether he does or not, just to take the heat off the guy. I wouldn't put it past them.)

But the thing is sports news today is 90% gossip, 10% news. Anytime an athlete college, or otherwise, is arrested for anything from jaywalking to drunk driving to robbery we hear about. Anytime coaches are arrested for driving drunk, we hear about it.

I can understand that sort of thing appearing on the garbage that is gossip boards, like "Yahoo news" , but on a serious site like CBS Sports, it has no place.

In any event, for CBS to fan the flames against Cutler (whom I've never liked ever since he forced a trade from Denver) one day, and say "Ha hah, turns out all those twitters didn't know what they were talking about the next." is inexcusable.

And we wonder today why young people - or indeed, most people - have no ability to think critically on any subject at all.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Let's Reform the US Justice System

It needs to be reformed, obviously, as there is case after case of people being wrong imprisoned. In such cases, the never-ending appeals and stuff may have their place.

But not in cases where over 40 eye-witnesses saw what the perpetrator did! In those cases, the trial should take about one day. "Yes, he killed 6 innocent people and wounded 18 more. Death penalty, to be carried out tomorrow."

But no. It's going to take years, apparently, before this loon (and I say that in a normal sense, not in a criminally insane sense) gets the death penalty.

With lawyers coining money on both sides the while.

Case in Giffords shooting likely to take years
It's a case that likely will take years to play out as it goes through the many phases of the criminal justice system: prosecutions by both federal and state authorities, proceedings over whether to move the case to a different venue, a possible insanity defense by Loughner and prosecutors' likely push for the death penalty.

The next step is an arraignment scheduled Monday afternoon in Phoenix for Loughner, who is accused of opening fire on a Giffords political event two weeks ago in a rampage that wounded 13 people and killed six others, including a federal judge and a 9-year-old girl born on Sept. 11, 2001.

Investigators have said Loughner was mentally disturbed and acting increasingly erratic in the weeks leading up to the shooting. If he pleads not guilty by reason of insanity and is successful, he could avoid the death penalty and be sent to a mental health facility instead of prison.

Paul Charlton, who worked as Arizona's U.S. attorney from 2001 to 2007 and isn't involved in the Loughner case, believes Loughner will likely mount an insanity defense. "Given what we know, that's going to be a defense," Charlton said.

"I don't see a lot of other viable defenses," said Michael Piccarreta, a Tucson lawyer who has practiced criminal defense in federal court for 30 years. "It appears the actual guilt or innocent of the shooting will not be difficult to prove, and his pre-shooting behavior seems to be a history of erratic behavior — issues of pre-existing mental illness."

Before the case even gets to trial, the court would have to decide whether Loughner is mentally competent to stand trial. If he isn't, he would be sent to a federal facility for a minimum of four months to see if they can restore his competency. It could be up to a two-month wait just to get him into one of those facilities.

"It could take a year, it could take a year and a half. It could take longer," Heather Williams, the first assistant federal public defender in Arizona, said of the time it will take to bring the case to trial. Her office didn't take the Loughner case because it had conflicts of interest.

One area that will help the pace of the case is the fact that it's a relatively simple investigation. While other high-profile cases have required a lengthy investigation to chase down leads and co-conspirators, authorities have said Loughner acted alone. Dozens of people witnessed the shooting and surveillance cameras captured it on tape.

Investigators say they have also seized writings from Loughner in which he used words like "I planned ahead," "My assassination" and "Giffords."

Loughner will face two cases — federal and state. The federal charges will cover the killing and attempted killings of U.S. government employees such as the judge and Giffords, while the state case will deal with the other victims, including the 9-year-old girl. Federal prosecutors are going first, as charges have yet to be filed in the state case.

Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall has the discretion to decide whether to seek the death penalty against Loughner in the state case, while the federal decision on whether to seek the death penalty rests with Arizona U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke and Attorney General Eric Holder, Charlton said. Prosecutors haven't signaled whether they would pursue the death penalty, but experts say all signs point toward that.

Federal law gives prosecutors a reasonable amount of time before trial to inform a defendant that they are seeking the death penalty, but there is no hard deadline for doing so.

Whether the case plays out in Arizona is up in the air. First, the case was moved to Phoenix from Tucson after all federal judges there recused themselves because their colleague was slain. Next, defense lawyers could ask that the case be moved out of Arizona by arguing that extensive negative publicity would make it impossible for Loughner to get a fair trial.

There was so much speculation that San Diego would ultimately be the home for the trial that federal authorities were prompted to issue a statement last week denying the reports and saying it's way too early in the case to discuss. The judge presiding over the case works out of San Diego, and Loughner's court-appointed lawyer, Judy Clarke, is based there as well.

Clarke has not responded to requests seeking comment. She is one of the top lawyers in the country for defendants facing prominent death penalty cases, having represented clients such as "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski and Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph. She has a reputation for working out plea deals that spare defendants the death penalty, as was the case for Rudolph and Kaczynski.

Piccarreta expects the trial to eventually be moved out of Arizona, because of people's connections to U.S. District Judge John Roll and Giffords.

"My personal view is that Arizona is still too close. Why risk a potentially unfair trial when you can move the matter outside of the state," Piccarreta said.

He later said, "They have moved cases out of the state with far less (media) exposure than this," noting that a 1981 trial into the killing of Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles was moved from Phoenix to San Diego.

Another dramatic scenario that could arise in a criminal case: Giffords testifying against Loughner. It's too early to know if that will happen, and Charlton said prosecutors have many other options for witnesses given that so many people were there when the shooting occurred.

"I suspect that there is sufficient evidence relating to who did what here. Not every witness would have to be called," Charlton said.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

22 Jan: Olberman Leaves MSNBC

Keith Olbermann gives abrupt goodbye to MSNBC show
NEW YORK – Keith Olbermann was MSNBC's most popular personality and single-handedly led its transformation to an outspoken, left-leaning cable news network in prime time. Despite that, he often seemed to be walking on a tightrope with his job. Friday night, it snapped.

Olbermann returned from one last commercial break on "Countdown" to tell viewers it was his last broadcast, and read a James Thurber short story in a three-minute exit statement. Simultaneously, MSNBC e-mailed a statement that "MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract." The network thanked him and said, "we wish him well in his future endeavors."

Neither MSNBC President Phil Griffin, Olbermann nor his manager responded to requests to explain an exit so abrupt that Olbermann's face was still being featured on an MSNBC promotional ad 30 minutes after he had said goodbye.

Olbermann was nearly fired in November, but instead was suspended two days without pay for violating an NBC News policy by donating to three political campaigns, including the congressional campaign of Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. He returned and apologized to his fans, but not the network.

MSNBC spokesman Jeremy Gaines insisted Olbermann's exit had nothing to do with the acquisition of parent company NBC Universal by Comcast, which received regulatory approval last week. That deal marked the exit of NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker, who saw Olbermann's value in turning around a once-unprofitable network, despite headaches the mercurial personality could sometimes cause his bosses.

"There were many occasions, particularly in the last 2 1/2 years, where all that surrounded the show — but never the show itself — was just too much for me," Olbermann said in his exit statement. "But your support and loyalty and, if I may use the word, insistence, ultimately required that I keep going. My gratitude to you is boundless."

Olbermann's father, Theodore, who was often cited when his son discussed problems in the health care system, died last March. His mother died the year before.

"A lot of people are trying to figure out if this was truly voluntary or not," said Adam Green, co-founder of BoldProgressives.org, which collected thousands of petition signatures urging Olbermann's reinstatement following last fall's suspension.

More in Entertainment
The New Royals: Insight on Prince William & Kate Middleton's wedding
Full coverage of the royal wedding on Yahoo! News
Complete entertainment coverageAfter Giffords was shot in the head on Jan. 8, Olbermann took to the air with an emotional editorial that night saying politicians and talk show personalities — including himself — need to swear off any kind of violent imagery so as not to incite anybody into acts like the Giffords shooting.

Olbermann's peripatetic career landed him at MSNBC eight years ago — his second prime-time stint on the network — with a humorous show counting down the day's top stories. That changed on Aug. 30, 2006, when Olbermann aired the first of a series of densely-worded and blistering "special comments," this time expressing anger at then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's criticism of opponents to the war in Iraq.

More anti-Bush administration commentary followed. Olbermann dropped any pretense of journalistic objectivity, and he became a hero to liberals battered by the popularity of Fox News Channel and its conservative commentators. Olbermann openly feuded with Fox, often naming personalities like Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck one of his "worst persons in the world" for some of their statements.

"Countdown" became MSNBC's most popular show. Instantly, a network that had often floundered in seeking a direction molded itself after Olbermann. Opinion was in, and MSNBC's prime-time lineup was filled out with Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell, who both had been subs for Olbermann when he was away.

Olbermann, before leaving the show with a final signature toss of his script toward the camera on Friday, thanked his audience for sticking with him. As was often his habit on Friday nights, he read a Thurber short story, this one titled "Scottie Who Knew Too Much" and published in 1940.

The story's final line: "It is better to ask some of the questions than to know all of the answers."

He thanked several people, including the late Tim Russert, but pointedly not Griffin or NBC News President Steve Capus.

He said he was grateful to the network that he was given time to sign off, noting that when he left ESPN in the 1990s, he was given 30 seconds — cut in half at the last minute to get in tennis results.

David Brock, founder and CEO of the liberal media watchdog Media Matters for America, said Olbermann "led the charge" against "conservative misinformation in prime time."

"Keith is an innovator and extremely talented broadcaster who showed there was a market for progressive views on cable news," Brock said. "I'm sure we'll be hearing more of him soon, and I eagerly await hearing of his next move."

The mood was different at Newsbusters, a website operated by the conservative Media Research Center: "You guys at Newsbusters should really break out the champagne and party," wrote one reader about Olbermann.

The Cornell graduate first became known for his work on ESPN's "Sportscenter," where he also cultivated a reputation for being talented but difficult to work with. His first MSNBC stint ended in the late 1990s when he quit, complaining his bosses were telling him to talk too much about President Bill Clinton's impeachment scandal.

MSNBC announced that O'Donnell, who had frequently filled in for Olbermann before starting his own 10 p.m. show, will take over Olbermann's time slot starting Monday. "The Ed Show," with Ed Schultz, will move to 10 p.m. Cenk Uygur of the Web show "The Young Turks" will fill Schultz's vacated 6 p.m. time slot.

Olbermann's plans are unclear. He signed a four-year contract with MSNBC two years ago; contract buyouts typically include noncompete clauses that keep a personality off TV for a period of time.

CNN has continued to struggle in prime time, most recently with a program in Olbermann's time slot hosted by Eliot Spitzer and Kathleen Parker. Bringing Olbermann on, however, would mean a dramatic shift in the network's determined nonpartisan stance, and there was no indication such a change was imminent.