Morning Posting.
- Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity Japan 5.1 and Indonesia 5.0! More info here.
- Japan : For the most accurate info on the nuclear disaster go to : Paul Langley's Nuclear History Blog.Here.
- Obama administration 'awards' $5 million in “performance bonuses” for Food Stamp Sign Up .(JW).In its quest to promote taxpayer-funded entitlement programs, the Obama Administration has actually rewarded one state with a $5 million bonus for its efficiency in adding food-stamp recipients to already bulging rolls.It’s part of the administration’s campaign to eradicate “food insecure households” by improving access and increasing participation in the government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Incidentally, the program was recently changed to SNAP to eliminate the stigma that comes with a name like food stamps. Just a few months ago the federal agency that administers the program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), launched a multi-million-dollar initiative to recruit more food-stamp participants even though the number of recipients has skyrocketed in the last few years.This week Oregon officials bragged that the USDA has given the state $5 million in “performance bonuses” for ensuring that people eligible for food benefits receive them and for its “swift processing of applications.” The money comes on the heels of a separate $1.5 million award from the feds for making “accurate payments of food stamp benefits to clients.” So welfare recipients are clients? .It marks the fifth consecutive year that Oregon has been “recognized” by the federal government for “exceptional administration” of the entitlement program, according to the announcement posted on the state’s Department of Human Services web site. The state official who runs SNAP assures that her staff will “continue working very hard to exceed expectations” so that Oregonians can “put healthy foods on their table quickly.”Could this be why the number of food-stamp beneficiaries in Oregon has increased dramatically in the last few years? Since 2008 the state has seen a 60% boost in the number of food-stamp recipients, which means that more than 780,000 people (one out of five Oregonians) get groceries compliments of Uncle Sam.As if this weren’t bad enough, the feds are also giving the state a two-year grant to test an “innovative approach” to the food-stamp “client eligibility review process.” This will make it even easier for people to get food stamps because it grants state officials a waiver that allows them to grant the benefit without interviewing the candidate.Hmmmm......."Creating Jobs is our priority"?Read the full story here.
- Solyndra: What the President Knew and When He Knew It.(BigGovernment).Until now the Solyndra scandal only reached the White House in the guise of e-mails from staffers fretting about the political implications of the disastrous bankruptcy and how it would reflect on the President’s “Winning the Future” rhetoric.Until now, the Solyndra scandal was a circumstantial log of White house visits by a big Obama donor who also was the failed solar company’s chief investor (those visits occurring right before a half-billion dollar loan guarantee was awarded by Obama’s Dept. of Energy).Until now, the White House’s direct involvement in the Solyndra scandal appeared to be over-zealous operatives looking to speed-up the loan so Vice President Biden could have a nice photo-op at the doomed solar firm.
Now, we know much more.
According to an investigation by the Los Angeles Times, President Obama was warned nearly a year ago that Energy Secretary Stephen Chu’s department was not rigorous enough in vetting loan recipients and they ran the risk of funneling federal money to companies that shouldn’t receive it, or didn’t need it. And the warnings came from the President’s top economic advisers Lawrence Summers and Timothy Geithner.Summers and Geithner also warned about the overall risks involved in relying so heavily on pumping federal stimulus money into unproven programs and technologies which would not have any lasting positive effect on the moribund economy and the stagnant job picture in America.
The divisions foreshadowed a question that has emerged since Solyndra’s bankruptcy: Was the program’s vetting process thorough enough? The disagreements also spotlighted an issue that has confronted Obama since he took office: What is the appropriate role of the government in stimulating the private marketplace?Skeptics, noting that taxpayers could now be on the hook for $527 million the federal government loaned Solyndra, said the administration would have been better off making greater use of market incentives, not individual company loan guarantees.“It was completely predictable that there would be a colossal failure among the bets,” said one person familiar with the internal debate.
The meeting took place in the White House last October.
Now that we know what the President knew, and when he knew it, it’s instructive to look at how his administration reacted to the information provided by the President’s top economic geniuses. The White House ignored their advice and doubled-down on the risky and fruitless endeavor of “investing” in unproven companies like Solyndra.Here are the key actions by the White House since hearing the advice from Summers and Geithner about the risks of the President’s policy:
Within months of the fateful meeting, the DOE restructured the Solyndra loan allowing the tax-payers to take the back seat to private investors if any money were to be paid back. This move appears to be unlawful according to Rep. Cliff Stearns of the House Energy Committee.
In the President’s State of the Union in January 2011, Mr. Obama lectured lawmakers on the importance of “Winning the Future” and implored them to send our country further into debt by “investing” in more “green technologies” like Solyndra.
Just today the Dept. of Energy announced a $737 million loan guarantee for a Nevada solar project in direct contradiction to the Treasury Secretary’s advice.Yes, now we know what the president knew and when he knew it. Unfortunately, it appears the president didn’t learn anything from it.Hmmmm......Any CEO working this way would have been fired and prosecuted a long time ago.Read the full story here.
- White House seeks more Pentagon budget cuts, these would increase the U.S. unemployment rate of over 9 percent by 1 percent.(Reuters).By Andrea Shalal-Esa. WASHINGTON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - The White House is seeking an additional $25 billion in long-term Pentagon budget cuts after deciding to exempt spending on programs for military veterans, a top U.S. defense consultant said on Wednesday.New guidance from the Office of Management and Budget calls for the Defense Department to find $489 billion in spending cuts, up from the previous total of $464 billion, said Loren Thompson, chief operating officer of the Lexington Institute.Thompson, citing multiple sources in the military and industry, said the move followed a realization by Obama administration officials that cutting the budget of the Department of Veterans Affairs would be politically untenable."It appears that the White House is making a political calculation that there will be less election fallout from cutting weapons programs than from cutting veterans' benefits," Thompson said.Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta will discuss budget cuts for the first time on Thursday with heads of the military's geographic commands as well as other senior Pentagon military and civilian leaders."This going to be a wide-ranging discussion on budget priorities," Pentagon spokesman George Little said. "The secretary is very interested in hearing from the combatant commanders their views on where savings need to be found."He said the military commanders would be briefed on current budget realities, followed by "a free-flowing discussion to solicit ideas from them on where we might find savings.""It is, I think, the first time in a major forum that the secretary has set down in a concerted way with the combatant commanders to solicit their input on the budget."Thompson said military service leaders were beginning to band together to pressure Panetta to resist what they considered "draconian cuts."The budget cut deliberations are being closely watched by U.S. weapons manufacturers, who have already begun laying off workers at arms plants around the country after a decade of strong growth in defense spending.President Barack Obama and Congress reached an agreement in August to reduce national security spending by $350 billion over 10 years, as estimated by congressional budget officials.Measured against the Obama's proposed budget for fiscal 2012, the agreement translates into cuts of about $464 billion, a sum that would increase to $489 billion under the revised budget guidance from the White House, Thompson said.The August agreement mandates additional cuts in defense spending of $600 billion if a congressional "super committee" does not agree on further cuts in spending by year's end.Panetta has said that cuts of that magnitude -- about $1 trillion over the next decade -- would increase the U.S. unemployment rate of over 9 percent by 1 percent.In a letter to lawmakers dated September 15, White House Budget Director Jack Lew warned that the additional cuts could jeopardize national security and should be avoided.He said defense spending could be cut by 15 to 25 percent from the level projected for fiscal 2013, depending on whether Obama decided to exempt military personnel funding.That would "almost certainly" result in furloughs of large numbers of civilian workers, cuts in training, force reductions and dramatic cuts in weapons purchases, Lew said."In short, there could be significant impacts on major military capabilities and on our ability to execute the current national security strategy," he wrote. "It is critical to avoid triggering additional deep cuts in defense and non-defense programs." Hmmmm......If he really wanted to destroy America's Super power status......would he do anything different?Read the full story here.
- Judicial Watch Releases Special Report “The Rebranding of ACORN”.(JW).Judicial Watch, the public interest organization that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released “The Rebranding of ACORN,” a special report on the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) network, following an extensive investigation of the organization’s transformation into various “spinoffs” and affiliated organizations.
The ACORN-affiliated groups existing today are ACORN in all but name. These groups tend to occupy ACORN’s former offices, are staffed in many cases with former ACORN employees, and remain committed to ACORN’s mission. Overall, Judicial Watch has documented 17 ACORN-affiliated organizations in the following states/regions: Arizona, Arkansas, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New England, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington.
Among the conclusions of Judicial Watch’s special report:
- ACORN lives on in the form of numerous state entities and in such affiliated organizations as Affordable Housing Centers of America (AHCOA), The Advance Group, The Black Institute, and Project Vote. In the words of Bertha Lewis, former chief executive officer of ACORN, “… these entities are carrying on ACORN’s work of organizing low- and moderate-income folks… [We have created] bullet-proof community-organizing Frankensteins that they’re going to have a very hard time attacking.”
- Tens of millions of dollars in ACORN’s funds and other assets are still unaccounted for. The attorney general’s office for the state of Louisiana and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, as well as Judicial Watch, continue to investigate what happened to these missing resources.
- Judicial Watch discovered that the Obama administration continues to bankroll ACORN and its affiliates in defiance of the federal government’s funding ban. For example, on March 1, 2011, ACORN Housing Corporation - renamed Affordable Housing Centers of America (though it retained the same headquarters and many of the ACORN officers) - received a $79,819 grant from the Obama Department of Housing and Development (HUD).
- ACORN’s Project Vote, President Obama’s former employer, remains active in trying to register a “Food Stamp Army” of voters on public assistance to re-elect Obama and other leftist candidates. In Colorado, for instance, Judicial Watch uncovered documents proving that ACORN/Project Vote successfully pressured Colorado officials into implementing new policies for increasing the registration of public assistance recipients during the 2008 and 2010 election seasons. After the policy changes, the percentage of fraudulent voter registration forms from Colorado public assistance agencies was four times the national average. Evidence suggests the Obama Justice Department might be partnering with Project Vote in this campaign.
At its peak, ACORN had over 400,000 members and 1,200 chapters in more 100 cities. Linked to serious scandals involving misuse of taxpayer funds, embezzlement, intimidation tactics, employee abuse, questionable hiring tactics, and fraudulent voter registrations, ACORN’s corrupt activities finally caught the attention of the American public and members of Congress, the final blow coming after explosive journalist videos were released showing ACORN employees advising undercover reporters on how to evade immigration, housing, and child prostitution laws, as well as taxes.
After the videos “went viral,” in October 2009, Congress passed and President Obama signed into law the Defund ACORN Act which effectively prohibited the federal government from funding “ACORN and any ACORN-related affiliate.” ACORN subsequently filed for bankruptcy on November 2, 2010. However, long before its bankruptcy filing, ACORN’s leadership implemented a plan to ensure the survival of ACORN as independent state corporations and affiliated organizations. The Judicial Watch report provides details on the individual organizations and their officers.
“As this report clearly shows, rumors of ACORN’s demise are vastly overstated. ACORN and its partner in crime Project Vote are both alive and well and operating across the country,” said Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton. “Given the corrupt activities of these organizations, there is no question they pose a threat to clean and fair elections in 2012. And the fact that the Obama Justice Department will take no action to address the corrupt activities of ACORN and its thinly disguised spinoffs is a scandal in and of itself.” . Barack Obama served as the Illinois executive director of the ACORN partner Project Vote in 1992. His campaign paid more than $800,000 to an ACORN organization to help “get out the vote” in his successful primary campaign against then-Sen. Hillary Clinton in 2008. In November 2007, then-Senator Obama addressed ACORN and thanked the organization for its work: “I’ve been fighting alongside ACORN on issues you care about my entire career. “Even before I was an elected official, when I ran Project Vote voter registration drives in Illinois, ACORN was smack dab in the middle of it, and we appreciate your work.”Hmmmm.........Read the full story here.
- Massachusetts Man Plotted to Blow Up Pentagon, U.S. Capitol Using Model Plane, Feds Say.(Fox).A 26-year-old Massachusetts man was arrested Wednesday and accused of plotting to blow up the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol using large remote-controlled aircraft laden with explosives, as well as attempting to assist Al Qaeda in attacking U.S. troops overseas.Rezwan Ferdaus of Ashland, Mass., was arrested Wednesday in Framingham after undercover FBI agents delivered weapons Ferdaus allegedly sought for the alleged plan. The stash included what he thought was 25 pounds of C-4 explosives, as well as three grenades and six fully-automatic AK-47 assault, a press release from the Department of Justice reads.Ferdaus was arrested after he took the the materials and locked them in his storage unit, according to an affadavit that says the storage unit was rented under a false name in June.The public was never in danger from the explosives, as undercover agents monitored the alleged plot and kept up frequent contact with Ferdaus, the press release read. More than 30 federal, state and local agencies in the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force worked together in the operation, including police departments in Worcester, Ashland and Framingham and the ATF.In recorded conversations, Ferdaus said he planned to attack the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol using aircraft similar to “small drone airplanes” that were guided by GPS equipment, the affidavit said. The plan called for three remote-controlled aircraft to carry out the attacks, along with six other gunmen divided into two teams, with Ferdaus coordinating the operation.In May, Ferdaus traveled from Boston to Washington, D.C., to take photos of the Pentagon and Capitol for surveillance. He planned to launch the C4-filled aircraft from sites at the East Potomac Park, authorities allege, and an F-86 Sabre remote-controlled aircraft was delivered to Ferdaus’ storage facility in August.Authorities say they gave Ferdaus multiple opportunities to back out of the plot, as they told him it would likely kill women and children. But Ferdaus never wavered in his plan, the affidavit said."I just can't stop; there is no other choice for me," he allegedly said.Ferdaus, who is a Northeastern University graduate with a degree in physics, is accusing of beginning in early 2010 a plot to bring violent “jihad” against the U.S, who he described as "enemies of Allah."He also supplied eight mobile phones to undercover FBI agents who he thought were recruiters for Al Qaeda, authorities said. The phones were modified to be used as electrical switches for IEDs, and Ferdaus thought they could be used to kill American soldiers, the affidavit said. Ferdaus also allegedly made a training video to demonstrate how to make more the weapons.Ferdaus said “that was exactly what I wanted,” when he was told one of the devices killed three U.S. soldiers and injured four to five others in Iraq in June, authorities said.Ferdaus faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of providing material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, up to 20 years for a charge of attempting to destroy national defense premises. He also faces a five-year minimum mandatory prison sentence and up to 20 years if convicted of attempting to damage and destroy U.S.-owned buildings with explosives.He was expected to appear Wednesday afternoon in federal court in Worcester, Mass."I want the public to understand that Mr. Ferdaus' conduct, as alleged in the complaint, is not reflective of a particular culture, community or religion," said Carmen Ortiz, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. "In addition to protecting our citizens from the threats and violence alleged today, we also have an obligation to protect members of every community, race and religion against violence and other unlawful conduct."Hmmmm......"I want the public to understand that Mr. Ferdaus' conduct, as alleged in the complaint, is not reflective of a particular culture, community or religion".Yup:"a plot to bring violent “jihad” against the U.S, who he described as "enemies of Allah.".Read and see (Video) the full story here.
- Ambassador John Bolton: Foreign Policy After Obama.(BigPeace).Tonight on the Secure Freedom Radio: Has the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen finally uncovered the truth about Pakistani intelligence services (ISI) and its connection with known terrorist groups? Former US Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton has a forthright discussion with Frank on the topic. Adm. Mullen admitted that the ISI has obvious connections with dangerous terrorists in Afghanistan and have even nurtured the Taliban. Although little of this information was novel news, most people were still shocked by the specificity of what he said. Adm. Mullen even acknowledged the fact that the ISI was party to the attack on the NATO and US headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan. Ambassador Bolton also shares his thoughts on Obama’s UN speech this past week and how he sees it more as an “election” speech rather than one developing new policy. Moreover, in order to gain more of the Jewish vote, Obama’s speech tried to retract his past adverse policy towards Israel and its allies. The United States’ foreign policy truly is worst after two and a half years of Obama leadership.Hear the full interview here.
- Herman Cain: Black community 'brainwashed' into voting for Dems.(Politicalticker).Washington (CNN) - The one African-American running for the GOP presidential nomination said Wednesday the black community was 'brainwashed' for traditionally siding with liberal politicians."African-Americans have been brainwashed into not being open minded, not even considering a conservative point of view," Cain said on CNN's "The Situation Room" in an interview airing Wednesday between 5-7 p.m. ET. "I have received some of that same vitriol simply because I am running for the Republican nomination as a conservative. So it's just brainwashing and people not being open minded, pure and simple."Cain went on to explain that his interactions with African Americans led him to be optimistic about his own chances with the demographic. "This whole notion that all African-Americans are not going to vote for Obama is not necessarily true," Cain said.He continued, "I believe a third [of African-Americans] would vote for me, based on my own anecdotal feedback. Not vote for me because I'm black but because of my policies."Read the full story here.
- Obama Says He Can't Fix Immigration on His Own,blames Republicans and Congress.(ABC).Facing weakening support among Hispanics, President Barack Obama expressed deep frustration Wednesday over what he called an inaccurate and damaging perception that he can fix the nation's flawed immigration system on his own."This notion that somehow I can just change the laws unilaterally is just not true," Obama said during a White House roundtable targeting Hispanic voters, a key constituency for the president's re-election campaign.The president said comprehensive immigration reform continues to be a "top priority" for his administration. But he blamed Republicans in Congress for failing to join Democrats in supporting legislation that would address the flow of foreigners into the U.S. and deal with illegal immigrants already in the U.S."Only a few years ago, you had some Republicans who recognized that we needed to fix our immigration system," Obama said, noting that his predecessor, George W. Bush, was among them. "Right now you do not have that kind of leadership coming from the Republican Party."While Obama has made little progress on comprehensive immigration legislation, he has pushed Congress to pass the Dream Act, which would provide a route to legal status for college students and service members brought to the country as children. The bill passed the House last year when it was controlled by Democrats but was blocked by Senate Republicans."I think there's been a great disservice done to the cause of getting a Dream Act passed and getting comprehensive immigration passed by perpetrating the notion that somehow by myself I can go and do these things," Obama said. "We have to pass bills through the legislature and then I can sign it."The burgeoning Hispanic population, Obama said, means it will only be a matter of time before the country sees a strong Latino candidate for president or vice president."I am absolutely certain that within my lifetime we will have a Latino candidate that will be very competitive and may win," Obama said. The president spent more than 30 minutes taking questions submitted online. In addition to inquiries on immigration, moderators asked the president questions on his $447 billion jobs bill, U.S. policy toward Cuba and the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, the law that defines marriage as between one man and one woman.While the White House backs legislation repealing DOMA, Obama said he does not believe there are enough votes in Congress to overturn the law.Hmmmm.....Leading America or destroying the Constitution?Read the full story here.
- Hillary Clinton Warns Against Even Symbolically Recognizing Jerusalem As Capital Of Israel.(NYSun).Secretary of State Clinton, in a sharp departure from her stance when she was a senator, is warning that any American action, even symbolically, toward recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel must be avoided for the reason that it would jeopardize the peace process.Her warnings were issued in a brief she has just filed with the Supreme Court — in which she is arguing that a law she voted for when she was Senator is unconstitutional because it could require the U.S. government to give to an American citizen born at Jerusalem papers showing the birthplace as Israel.The law requiring the government to issue such documents on request passed the Senate unanimously at a time when Mrs. Clinton was a member. But Presidents Bush and Obama have taken the position that the law infringes on the president’s prerogatives in respect of foreign policy. Mrs. Clinton is being sued by an American youngster, Menachem Zivotofsky, who was born at Jerusalem in 2002 to American parents who want his birthplace to be listed on his passport as Israel.In addition to citing the peace process as the excuse for not issuing the birth document the Congress wants issued, Mrs. Clinton’s brief adds a new twist to the story of the White House photos first disclosed last month by the New York Sun. The story involved the discovery that even while the White House was fretting over the requirement to list Jerusalem, Israel, as Master Zivotofsky’s birthplace, the White House’s own website was featuring a series of pictures from Vice President Biden’s 2010 trip to the Jewish state and identifying the pictures as showing him at “Jerusalem, Israel.” The Sun queried whether the Zivotofsky case really rose to constitutional proportions, since the White House on its own website treated Jerusalem as being in Israel.Five days later, the White House removed “Israel” from each of the Biden pictures, without announcing the deletion. The State Department also quietly deleted “Israel” from references to “Jerusalem, Israel” on numerous official documents on its own website, dating from the Bush administration.Mrs. Clinton’s brief alleges that any American action that “symbolically or concretely” signals it recognizes Jerusalem being in Israel would “critically compromise the ability of the United States to work with Israelis, Palestinians and others in the region to further the peace process.” The brief contends that American policy is to remain neutral over all sovereignty issues, leaving them to negotiations, and that the U.S. thus “does not recognize Palestinian claims to current sovereignty” in the West Bank or Gaza either.It is that latter statement that requires further revision to the Biden photos on the White House website. Two of the photos from Biden’s trip show him meeting with Palestinian officials in the “Palestinian Territories.”The proper reference is to “territories” – the word used in U.N. Resolution 242, the foundational document of the “peace process,” which did not affix the adjective “Jordanian” or “Arab” or “Palestinian” to the territories, nor require that “all of the” territories be relinquished by Israel, but rather left an unspecified portion to be traded for a defensible peace. America has never assigned that land to the “Palestinians” and maintains that only negotiations can create Palestinian sovereignty there.So far, Israel has made three offers of a Palestinian state, and the Palestinians rejected all three. They currently refuse to negotiate a fourth, unless Israel concedes the 1949 armistice lines as the basis of a Palestinian state before negotiations begin — while rejecting on their own part any recognition of a Jewish state, defensible borders, or an “end of claims” agreement.If an adjective is necessary, the term Israel uses is “disputed territories.” Palestine was designated by the League of Nations in 1922 as the national home of the Jewish people. In response to Arab opposition, Britain’s Peel Commission in 1937 proposed two states, which the Jews accepted and the Arabs rejected. In 1947, the Arabs rejected the UN two-state proposal, and Jordan illegally occupied a portion of Palestine in the ensuing war that the Arabs commenced.That occupation ended in 1967, when Jordan joined a new war against Israel and lost the land it unlawfully held. The UN thereafter adopted Resolution 242 as the basis for peace, under which any Israeli withdrawal, and the extent thereof, is subject to the establishment of “secure and recognized boundaries.” Hence it is a contradiction of the neutrality principle asserted in the Clinton brief for the adjective “Palestinian” to be affixed to the territories prior to a negotiated agreement.If the Obama administration believes in the neutrality principle it is asserting in the Supreme Court — and that the mere mention of “Jerusalem, Israel” on its website, or putting “Israel” on an individual’s passport, would violate that principle – the question will arise as to whether it will also scrub also the references to the “Palestinian” territories.If it does not treat both situations the same, the Supreme Court may legitimately question whether the Clinton brief is asserting the true reason for the administration’s adamant opposition to the designation of “Israel” in the passport of Master Zivotofsky.Hmmmm.....How deeply does the Obama regime 'love' the Jews exactly?Read the full story here.
- Obama’s Rosh Hashanah Greeting Makes Veiled Reference To Arab Spring.(WZ).To me it seems pretty obvious he talking about the “Arab Spring,” especially when you read his speech on the Arab uprisings, which uses the same phrases as the line I highlighted below in his Rosh Hashanah message.Hello, everybody. Shana Tova.
The days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are a time for repentance and reflection. An opportunity to reaffirm our friendships, renew our commitments, and reflect on the values we cherish.As the High Holidays begin, we look back on all the moments during the past year that give us reason to hope. Around the world, a new generation is reaching for their universal rights. Here in the United States, we’ve responded to our challenges by focusing on the things that really matter — friendship, family, and community.Read and see the full story here.More here.
- Fury at 'Third Reich indoctrination' plan for EU citizenship lessons in every school.(BlacklistedNews).Source: UK Express.
CHILDREN could be forced to attend compulsory lessons in “European citizenship” under draconian plans drawn up by Euro-MPs in Brussels, it emerged last night.In a move likened to Nazi indoctrination, the European Parliament wants pupils as young as five to be taught about EU “benefits” and encouraged to behave as “good Europeans”.MEPs also want a network of specialist “European schools” across the EU to “encourage the emergence of European citizenship from a very young age”.And they are demanding that lessons on the history and institutions of the EU are included in the national curriculum. The extraordinary diktat from Brussels was condemned as a propaganda drive designed to brainwash youngsters into supporting an EU superstate.This is a proposal for more EU propaganda in our schools and the sort of indoctrination of children that was carried out by the Third Reich.Plans for the lessons were set out in a report from a committee of MEPs and backed by a vote in the European Parliament on Tuesday, although angry Tory MEPs voted against the plan.The news comes just as a Eurocrat stormed off BBC show Newsnight after being called an idiot five times.MEP Emma McClarkin, Tory education spokesman in the European Parliament, said: “This looks like a licence to force-feed pupils a very one-sided, starry-eyed version of what the EU is and does for its people.“We fear it will be a carte blanche to push the federalist agenda that is so close to the hearts of the Eurocrats. When you are targeting youngsters and their education, that amounts to political interference; when you are talking about pushing propaganda at children, that is a little sinister.“The setting of education policy should remain firmly within the hands of member states.“What children need to know about Europe is that there is a range of views. As well as supporters of the European project, there are many political parties that see it as costly, inefficient, bureaucratic and self-serving.”The proposals were drawn up by French MEP Jean-Marie Cavada, whose report calls for an expansion of the current 14 “European Schools” as well as integration of their ideals into national education.He said: “The European Schools have proven effective in terms of language learning and inter-culturalism.“They will become a model of inspiration for national school systems to promote the emergence of a European identity from an early age.”Tory MP Peter Bone said: “If the proposal was to teach the history of the EU by detailing how the institutions are riddled with corruption and have brought our financial system to the brink of collapse, I’d be quite happy.“Unfortunately, that isn’t the history the Eurocrats want to teach."“This is a proposal for more EU propaganda in our schools and the sort of indoctrination of children that was carried out by the Third Reich. It must be kept out of our schools.”Hmmmmm......'New World order' Anyone?Read the full story here.
- Obama’s DOE Mulls $6.5 Billion In “Green Energy” Loans To Create 283 Jobs,Which comes out to almost $23 million per job.(Investors) — The Department of Energy is set on Thursday to announce whether nine federal loan guarantees amounting to $6.5 billion for green energy projects will get final approval.The number of full-time, permanent jobs they would create? According to the DOE’s own figures, a grand total of 283. That is nearly $23 million per job.It’s also a drop in the bucket toward the five million green jobs President Obama promised as a candidate in 2008.It’s not clear how many of the loans will get approved. The DOE refused comment prior to the Thursday announcements.In the last week, the DOE has approved three loans totaling $624 million and creating 110 permanent jobs. But two other big loan projects totaling nearly $2 billion reportedly fell through.Jerry Taylor, senior policy analyst for the free-market Cato Institute, says the whole program shows that the federal government should not be picking private-sector winners and losers."It's a lot of money for very few jobs if you do the math," Taylor said. "If nobody in the private sector is willing to invest their capital, that's a pretty good signal."Read the full story here.
- Air Force Cheers General who stood up to Obama Administration.(BarackNow).Hundreds of Airmen and at least one other General applauded the actions of Air Force General William Shelton, who told a congressional committee back on September 15th that the White House attempted to get him to change his testimony about the potential threat to national security relative to the plans of a company called LightSquared. Gen. Shelton's view was that if LightSquared was granted the bandwidth it was requesting, its technology would encroach upon the GPS bandwidth necessary for military communications operations.
Military.com is reporting that Shelton was given resounding support by his colleagues and hundreds of Airmen at a recent forum:
During a forum of senior officers at the Air Force Association conference in Washington on Wednesday, the moderator complimented Shelton for giving his "unvarnished" testimony before Congress.The applause of hundreds of Airmen and others broke out, interrupted only when Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz interrupted to make a comment of his own.Schwartz acknowledged Shelton's candid testimony in the face of the purported White House pressure."Will Shelton, I salute your courage."The White House has reportedly said it offered only guidance to Shelton. Meanwhile, the House Science, Space and Technology Committee has launched an investigation into contacts between administration officials and LightSquared, according to the website NextGov.com.The committee's chairman Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas, and the six other Republican lawmakers allege the administration sought to muzzle and soften the testimony Shelton and other experts on how the planned multibillion-dollar network could interfere with GPS receivers, according to the report.It seems like everywhere you look these days, there's a hunger for true leadership.Read the full story here.
- Obama's buddy Turkey ‘offered Syria support’ if Muslim Brotherhood given posts.(AlArabiya).Ankara, meanwhile, asked Damascus to offer the Muslim Brotherhood government posts in exchange for Turkey’s support in ending rallies in Syria, an offer rejected by Assad, officials and diplomats said.The plan, which would have required that at least a quarter of ministerial positions went to the currently banned organization, was initially mooted over the summer.“In June, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered, if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad ensured between a quarter and a third of ministers in his government were members of the Muslim Brotherhood, to make a commitment to use all his influence to end the rebellion,” a Western diplomat told AFP.“The head of the Syrian state refused such a proposal,” said the diplomat, who did not want to be named.A European diplomat, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that such a request had been sent to the Syrian leadership.“The Turks proposed at first that the Muslim Brotherhood occupy four major ministries and explained that they are part of the political components of this country,” the diplomat said.The Muslim Brotherhood has been banned in Syria since the rise of the Baath Party to power in 1963. They unsuccessfully tried to organize the population against Assad’s father and predecessor, Hafez, who brutally repressed a 1982 revolt in the city of Hama, leaving around 20,000 dead.On Aug. 9, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu delivered a written message to Assad from President Abdullah Gul, who belonged to organizations close to the Muslim Brotherhood before forming Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party “We hope that some measures will be taken in the coming days to end the bloodshed and open the way to a process for political reform,” Davutoglu said at Ankara airport upon his return from the one-day trip to Syria last month.At the time, Davutoglu spent six and a half hours in talks, half of them one on one with the Syrian leader.During those talks, he “called for the return of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria,” a Syrian official with knowledge of the talks said.“President Assad told him that as individuals they could certainly come back and enjoy Syrian nationality, but never as a party, because they have a religious foundation which is incompatible with Syria's secular character.”Syria is home to 22 million people from different sects and religions. The majority of its inhabitants are Sunni Muslims, and it has a substantial Christian minority, but the country is ruled by the Alawite minority, a branch of Shiite Islam.Assad’s rejection of Turkey’s proposal led to a dramatic worsening in ties between the two countries, and on Aug. 28, Gul said Ankara had “lost our confidence” in the Syrian regime.More recently, during a meeting with a delegation representing Christian associations in the Middle East, Assad said, according to several news outlets, that he “refused that Ottomanism would replace Arabism, or that Ankara would become the decision-making centre of the Arab world. ”Hmmmmm......Turkey.....Erdogan......MuslimBrotherhood....OBAMA......Egypt......anyone else getting the same idea?Read the full story here.
- Egypt - Coptic church attack leaves at least one guard dead.(Bikyamasr).CAIRO: Security sources on Thursday afternoon said that a drive-by shooting in Fayoum, about an hour south of Cairo, left at least one security guard dead.The attack apparently was outside the church’s kindergarten.Details of the attack on the Rouda Church in the town are still murky, but according to one witness nearby, the attackers drove past the church and opened fire, in what is the most recent attack that could spark renewed fears of sectarianism in Egypt.“I just heard the gun shots and saw that one guard was on the ground in obvious pain,” said Mona, a witness nearby.In recent years, sectarianism has been reportedly on the rise, with both religious groups clashing in numerous towns and villages across Egypt, but often the fights are unrelated to religious identity and are not a result of religious tension.Experts say it is only after both parties discover the other is either Christian or Muslim does the fight become sectarian.However, Mona said that it is “obvious that the church was attacked because it was Christian. I hope it doesn’t grow.”Read the full story here.
- US ambassador in Syria blocked in opposition office.(AlArabiya).The American ambassador in Syria, Robert Ford, was blocked inside a building by pro-regime demonstrators on Thursday after he arrived at the office of an opposition member, the latter said.Hassan Abdelazim told AFP that “nearly 100 protesters” tried to break into his office as the U.S. envoy arrived for a meeting.Ambassador Ford was still in the office two hours later waiting for security forces to arrive so he could leave under their protection.Meanwhile, Syria accused the United States on Thursday of inciting violence against its security forces and said it would confront what it described as attempts to interfere in its domestic affairs.“Recent statements from American administration officials...clearly indicate that the United States is involved in encouraging armed groups to practice violence against the Syrian Arab Army,”Read the full story here.
- More: A Foreign Ministry statement said U.S. envoy’s convoy stoned.Supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hurled rocks and tomatoes at U.S. ambassador Robert Ford’s convoy as he visited an opposition figure in Damascus on Thursday and Syria accused Washington of inciting violence and meddling in its affairs, as Ankara asked Damascus to offer the Muslim Brotherhood government posts in exchange for Turkey’s support.Assad’s crackdown on six months of pro-democracy protests has envenomed relations with the United States, which has imposed fresh sanctions and rallied world pressure on Syria.President Barack Obama took office in 2009 pledging to engage in dialogue with Damascus and named Ford as ambassador.“Two embassy cars were damaged,” said a witness, who asked not to be identified, adding that the demonstrators were chanting “Abu Hafez (father of Hafez),” a nickname for Assad, according to Reuters. The diplomats were visiting Hassan Abdelazim, a centrist politician who has demanded an end to Assad’s crackdown as a condition for any opposition dialogue with the president.Ford was already inside the building when about 200 Assad supporters attacked the embassy vehicles with large rocks and street signs with concrete bases. Embassy staff inside the vehicles were not harmed. Police later extracted the convoy.The Syrian government said that once they were alerted to the confrontation, authorities “took all necessary procedures to protect the ambassador and his team and secure their return to their place of work.” There was no immediate comment from the State Department in Washington.Soon after the incident, the Syrian Foreign Ministry issued a statement accusing the United States of “encouraging armed groups to practice violence against the Syrian Arab Army.”The attack was the second on U.S. diplomats since protests erupted in March. Assad supporters assaulted the U.S. embassy in July after Ford visited the flashpoint city of Hama, winning cheers from protesters who later faced a tank-led crackdown.Ford, who has angered Syria’s rulers by cultivating links with the grassroots opposition, has also visited a protest hotspot in the southern province of Deraa, ignoring a new ban on Western diplomats travelling outside the Damascus area.Two weeks ago he and several other Western envoys attended the wake of a prominent activist.Ford arrived in Damascus in January, filling a diplomatic vacuum since Washington withdrew his predecessor in 2005. Obama had hoped the gesture would help convince Assad to reconsider his alliance with Iran and with Islamist militant groups.Western powers are pushing for a United Nations resolution condemning Syria, although opposition from Russia and China means this is unlikely to impose immediate sanctions.“The U.N. Security Council cannot stay quiet any longer facing the daily crimes being committed against the population by the Syrian regime,” French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said. “We want to warn the Syrian regime. We want it stop the terror and repression.”Haitham al-Maleh, a Syrian opposition leader who is visiting France and meeting French government officials, said that during a stop in Geneva this week he had urged the U.N. Human Rights Council to prepare a file on Assad and his aides for a possible prosecution by the International Criminal Court.Source.
- Egypt: What statistics say about the role of religion in politics and society.(Bikyamasr).By Bassem Sabry.CAIRO: A recently released poll that was originally conducted in June by the Egyptian Cabinet’s Information And Decision Support Center (IDSC) was, to say the least, a very interesting numerical, statistical and sociological exercise. The poll aimed to investigate the attitudes of Egyptians with regards to religion, both on a social and a political level. While some might debate and dispute the sample, its suitability, the research methodology and the overall findings as many normally would, the numbers seem to be neither too shocking nor surprising, at least for me personally.To begin with, 73% of the sample described the Egyptian society as generally religious. 71% also said that they pray regularly, while 26% said that they only pray intermittently. Interestingly, 76% said that for a person to be of good manners and noble character, he “must” be religious, a clear indication of the prevalence of the belief that good character mainly emanates from religious practice and faith, with implications on the selection of political candidates of course among other things. Of particular interest, however, is the statistic that claimed that 83% of the sample believed that religion is a private matter and that every person should be free to choose his own religion. Conversely, a whopping 76% said they are against removing the religion-specifying section in the national ID card, while 16% said they are for such removal, an issue of thorny debate in recent times.Socially, 62% of the same sample said they do not have friends of a different religion, with 51% saying that a person’s religion does not affect whether or not they would be a likely friend, and 48% said they would rather their close friends be of the same religion. Furthermore, 87% said they would not mind having a neighbour of a different religion. Of the sample, 69% also said they would not mind buying from a shopkeeper or vendor of a different religion, while 30% were apparently against the idea, another topic that was often discussed in the debate over nature the relations between Muslims and Christians. Moving on, only 38% said they did not see any discrimination between Muslims and Christians in the workplace, and an overwhelming 82% believe that the State does not discriminate between the two major faiths in Egypt. A very significant 78% believed that there were no problems between Muslims and Christians, while 19% believed there were indeed such problems, and 32% of the sample believing such problems were actually on the rise in the recent period. Interestingly, and I might say not unexpectedly, 50% believed that “foreign entities” were behind such unrest and sectarian violence. But even more interestingly, 43% believed that the previous regime was actually behind the recent incidents of sectarian violence.Politically, and possibly the most critical section of the poll, 48% believed that religious clerics and guides should not have tried to direct the Egyptian electorate to vote in a particular way on the recent constitutional amendments referendum, while 29% believed it was actually right of them to do so. There was a massive outcry by those who wished to strike down the amendments and write an entirely new constitution all together when some religious clerics called for the affirmation of the amendments by arguing it was in the best interest of Islam, or that it was a religious duty to do so. A further 46% also believed that religious clerics have the right to discuss political issues in general, while 31% were clearly opposed to the idea. Moreover, 65% have insisted that they will not be affected by the preference of religious clerics for a particular presidential or parliamentary candidate.But here is where it gets even more interesting. 39% said they would possibly vote for religious clerics if they would run for political office. While the number falls under totaling half of the sample, it remains very significant. And with the Parliamentary elections coming, 60% said they would vote for a parliamentary candidate of a different religion, while 37% said that they wouldn’t. Also, quite non-shockingly, 80% of Egyptians “agreed” that laws should crafted and based on the “edicts and texts” of the Quran (I have not seen the question, but I understand it was in the form of “do you agree or not agree”). In addition, 43% agreed that it is okay for a political party to come from a religious background or group, while an ironically equal 43% were totally against the idea, showing a clear line of demarcation between the two equal sides of Egyptian opinion on such political parties as the Muslim Brotherhood’s FJP or the Salafi “Nour” Party. And in line with many other estimates, 35% were supportive of the Muslim Brotherhood, 21% were against the brotherhood, while 25% were neutral. As for the Salafis, 41% believe the stereotypical negative view of Salafis that is prevalent in the media, while 40% did not buy into the stereotype.Finally, 58% said they would vote for a presidential candidate of a different religion normally if he was the better candidate, while 36% said that they wouldn’t.There are many ways to interpret these findings, assuming that we choose to believe in their representativeness and significance. For example, it can be easily argued there is somewhat of an equal divide between those of a stronger conservative nature and more of a liberal one, perhaps more accurately describing the latter group as a rather a “less conservative” one instead. It could be said that the findings demonstrate the somewhat famous strong distrust of Egyptians towards foreign entities (major countries, international organisations, etc…) and their “agendas”, as well as a strong distrust of the previous regime and particularly the Ministry of Interior. One could also argue that there is a significant, though not overwhelming, preference for social homogeneity and a certain discomfort towards social diversity.But one thing no one can ever disagree on, and remains the most essential point of interest, is that these numbers confirm what a long line of formal and informal polls and surveys of varying professionalism have been concluding invariably: the role of religion in shaping the general and socio-political mindset of Egyptians is absolutely central, critical and all-pervading. Any attempt at approaching, affecting or even changing the political ideals and directions of Egyptians that fails to emanate or at least align itself in a manner that does not seem to be in conflict with the core teachings of religion is most likely doomed to failure.Hmmmm....."Religion surely the 'opium of the people'.Read the full story here.
- Two Egyptian girls hospitalized after FGM operation.(Bikyamasr).CAIRO: Two Egyptian girls suffered massive blood loss after traditional birth attendants (daya) performed female genital mutilation (FGM) on them in Fayoum, an hour south of Cairo.The emergency room at the General Hospital in the town received the two girls and gave them blood transfers and stitched them up to close the bleeding.Doctors at the hospital called the police, who questioned the father of the two girls, but refused to tell of the daya or press charges.FGM is banned in Egypt and any doctors or medical staff involved in the operation could lose their medical license and face time in prison.Egypt banned the practice in June 2007, after an 11 year-old-girl died on an operation table at a private clinic in Minya, south of Cairo.Bedour Ahmed Shaker was given an excessive dose of anesthetics and never woke up, reports stated. The father of the child had sued the doctor for medical malpractice, but he himself was not liable in front of the law. Al-Azhar, the Sunni world’s top authority on Islamic law, came out the same year and banned the practice, saying that Islam is “innocent of such practices,” a first in the organization’s history after it had taken a neutral stance toward the practice for years.Coptic Pope Shonouda soon followed the Islamic clerks footsteps, saying that the Bible mentions no such practice and it should be banned.According to the World Health Organization an estimated 100 to 140 million girls and women worldwide are currently living with the consequences of FGM. 90 million of those women live in Africa.Hmmmmm.....Read the full story here.
- Interpol puts Gaddafi son on most-wanted list.(Ynet).Interpol has put ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's son al-Saadi on the equivalent of its most-wanted list and says he was last seen in Niger.The international police agency said in a statement Thursday that it has issued a red notice for al-Saadi Gaddafi, based on a request by the opposition authorities who overthrew Gaddafi last month.Interpol says the notice was based on accusations that al-Saadi Gaddafi, who is 38, misappropriated property and engaged in "armed intimidation" when he headed the Libyan Football Federation.He was also a Special Forces commander and is the subject of a United Nations sanction for commanding military units involved in repression of demonstrations.Read the full story here.
- Saudi woman driver's lashing 'overturned by king'.(BBC).Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has overturned a court ruling sentencing a woman to 10 lashes for breaking a ban on female drivers, reports say.The ruling, although not officially confirmed, was tweeted by a Saudi princess and reported by AP news agency citing an unnamed official.The woman, named as Shema, was found guilty of driving in Jeddah in July.The sentence came two days after the king announced women would be allowed to vote for the first time in 2015."Thank God, the lashing of Shema is cancelled. Thanks to our beloved king," tweeted Princess Amira al-Taweel, wife of Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal."I am sure all Saudi women will be so happy." Two other women are due to appear in court later this year on similar charges, reports say. In recent months, scores of women have driven vehicles in Saudi cities to put pressure on the monarchy.Jedda-based journalist Maha Akeel said the initial court ruling had gone against the general trend, with police stopping few Saudi women drivers."It seems the official stand is to ignore those women... and let the public slowly get used to to the idea of women driving before making it official," she told the BBC."So far, the reaction has been positive. Most of the people have no problem."There was cause for optimism, both in terms of the right to drive and participation in wider, political society, she added.Read the full story here.
- Egyptian Christian Girl Banned From School For Not Wearing a Veil.(Aina).By Mary Abdelmassih. A Christian girl was prevented for over a week from entering her school in Beni Mazar, Minya province, because she refused to wear a veil. "The school management described her as 'flaunt' for not covering her hair," said Coptic activist Nader Shoukry, who uncovered the story."Coptic students were forced to obey for fear of the school management's threats," said Mr. Wagdy Halfa, the attorney for the girl, "except for 14-year-old Ferial Sorial Habib, whose family refused this decision because it is inconsistent with religious freedom and a blatant Islamization of education."Ferial was prevented from entering her school by the social worker, Ms. Ola Abdel Fattah, for eight consecutive days.Her father went to school on September 17 to protest this decision, but the school filed a police complaint against him on charges of libel and defamation.Mr. Wagdy Halfa, the student's attorney, said the school administration of Shaikh Fadl Secondary School, a public school in Bani Mazar, had sent a warning to Christian students compelling them to wear a head dress, similar to the Hijab, and not to reveal their hair, otherwise they would be refused entry to school.Ferial's father filed a formal complaint with the state attorney and another with the Department of Education of Bani Mazar, stating the school has turned into a "hotbed of militants" and has acted out of its legal scope by forcing on students what is not specified by law or in the educational guidelines. He asked the authorities to investigate this incident.According to attorney Halfa schools are only allowed to choose the color of the uniform. He warned of the seriousness of the incident as it confirms the Islamist program to take control of the education system and impose the veil on Christian women.Activist Nader Shoukry recalls a similar incident which took place in 2010 in a secondary school for girls in Ayat, Guiza province. In that case human rights organizations which stand against the Islamization of education took the matter up, which was investigated and those responsible were transferred from their posts.Appearing on Coptic TV Channel on September 25, Halfa said "the school is ready to allow the student to go back to school but only on an 'amicable' basis and not through 'administrative prosecution,' but her father and I objected.""This is a matter that cannot kept quiet or resolved by 'reconciliation.'" said Shoukry, "It has to be taken up by rights organizations."Said Abdalmaseeh, director of the Egyptian Center for Development and Human Rights, presented a complaint yesterday to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Education, calling on them to legally respond to the school's actions, to allow the Coptic student to attend school, and issue instructions to all schools that wearing the veil is optional and not mandatory.The Zurich-based European Union for Coptic Human Rights Organizations has sent a formal request to the Egyptian Minister of Education, demanding an investigation of the Bani Mazar school incident.Hmmmm.....welcome to the 'new' Egypt, next covering up the Sphinx?Read the full story here.
- She's Gonna Blow: Canary Island Evacuated Amid Volcano Fears.(Spiegel).Thousands of tiny earthquakes have rattled the island of El Hierro since this July. But recently the tremors have grown stronger, prompting concern from officials, who fear that a volcano on El Hierro, one of the Canary Islands, could be about to erupt. On Wednesday, more than 50 residents and tourists staying at the base of the volcano were evacuated, and 11,000 locals nearby were advised to stock up on water, medicine and flashlights in case of an emergency. Some 8,000 tremors have been registered on the island since July 19, according to the Spanish National Geographic Institute (IGN). Though most of the quakes occurred at sea and were too minor to be felt, they have been increasing in intensity, with one reaching a magnitude of 3.4 on the Richter scale early on Wednesday morning.Though officials don't expect a full eruption on the 268-square-kilometer (103-square-mile) island, they hope to protect people from rocks and debris that could spew out of its volcano. Most of the residents evacuated found shelter with relatives, while a number of tourists were accommodated in a student dormitory."We were having some wine yesterday evening when the Civil Guard told us to leave the house because we were too close to the mountain," German tourist Tüngen Maier, 62, told the news agency Agence France-Presse. The man and his wife said they planned to relocate to the nearby island of Tenerife for the rest of their holiday. "This is too dangerous. We cannot stay," he said.To further prepare for a potential eruption, Spanish officials were said to be considering the construction of emergency accommodations for some 2,000 people. Spanish Defense Minister Carme Chacón also traveled to the island to oversee emergency preparations, and authorized the transport of several dozen soldiers to the island who could aid in further evacuations.Read the full story here.
