Pic of the Day

Secret papers reveal Senate 'talks' between Obama and Blagojevich

Where there's one lie, there's lots and lots more.

Sections of court papers filed by scandal-scarred former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich that were mistakenly made public show a deeper involvement by President Obama in picking his Senate successor and call into question the president's public statements on the case.

According to passages in the papers filed Thursday by Blagojevich's lawyers -- which were blacked out under a judge's order but made visible by a computer glitch -- Obama, then president-elect, spoke directly to the disgraced governor on Dec. 1, 2008

But just one week later -- on the day Blagojevich was indicted -- Obama told reporters flatly, "I had no contact with the governor or his office, and so we were not -- I was not aware of what was happening."

Blagojevich sends not-so-subtle message to Obama

And the plot thickens.

Rod Blagojevich finally made good on a promise: He put President Barack Obama right in the middle of Blagojevich's own political corruption case.

And now it's finally clear why, from the moment of Blagojevich's arrest in December 2008, White House spinners loudly portrayed our former Gov. Dead Meat as some drooling, raving lunatic.

A lunatic is not to be believed, and Dead Meat will continue to be characterized as such by Obama defenders. But raving lunatics care little for their own survival. And in an amazing defense motion filed Thursday, Blagojevich proved once again that he is quite sane.

He wants Obama to testify in his federal criminal case. The feds allege that Blagojevich conspired to sell off Obama's old U.S. Senate seat, among other charges.

N.Korea seizes S.Korean assets, warns of war

Ruh roh...

North Korea seized South Korean-owned assets at a mountain resort Friday, warning that the two countries were on the brink of war over the sinking of a warship on their disputed border.

The communist state also declared that highly symbolic cross-border tours to the scenic Mount Kumgang resort had been halted for good, accusing South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak of pursuing "confrontation" with the North.

The action comes amid high tension over the sinking of a South Korean warship last month that left 46 sailors dead.

"The situation has reached such extreme phase that it is at the crossroads of a war or peace, much less thinking of the resumption of the tour," a North Korean state agency said.

Justice Thomas Disappoints

A rather flippant comment concerning the Presidents eligibility to hold the office.

Video HERE.

Overwhelmingly, Americans see Obama inviting attack

Not by any means a major poll by recognition, startling and intuitively correct results nonetheless.

Some 200 million-plus Americans – almost two of three in a new poll – believe that the United States is more likely to be targeted in an attack – either by a hostile military or a terrorist organization – because of the policies of President Barack Obama.

A majority also disagree with his newly announced policy against using nuclear weapons against those nations or groups that would attack the U.S. with biological or chemical weapons of mass destruction.

Citing the possibility of either a terrorist attack or a military assault on the U.S. shores, the poll, the first national assessment to address the issue, asked, "Do you think the current policies of the Obama administration are making it more or less likely that the U.S. will suffer such an attack?"

Forty-six percent responded much more likely and another 13.6 percent what somewhat more likely. Only about 28 percent said somewhat less likely or much less likely.

Mann sues: Minnesotans say “Go ahead. Make my day”

Remember this video? Well Michael Mann is suing for defamation.

The defendants reply:“Minnesotans 4 Global Warming hope Mann will proceed with his lawsuit so that the legal discovery process will force exposure of data and methods Mann has still not released and that the official whitewash inquiries refuse to investigate.”

I agree, bring it on "Mannbearpig".

The election of NO!

Interesting

Thirty-four of 39 school budgets in the county were defeated.

School districts spending plans were massacred at the polls during the annual school elections Tuesday as voters used the ballot box to vent their frustrations about higher taxes.

According to unofficial results at press time, only five of 39 school district budgets were passed, a 12 percent approval rate, the lowest this decade and possibly longer.

The only other time this decade that fewer than half the budgets failed was in 2006 when only 17 of 39 budgets won approval.

'South Park' Creators Could Face Retribution for Depicting Muhammad, Website Warns

A radical Islamic website is warning the creators of "South Park" that they could face violent retribution for depicting the Prophet Muhammad in a bear suit during an episode broadcast on Comedy Central last week."We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo Van Gogh for airing this show," the posting reads. "This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them."

Reaching by phone early Tuesday, Abu Talhah al Amrikee, the author of the post, said he wrote the entry to "raise awareness." He said the grisly photograph of van Gogh was meant to "explain the severity" of what Parker and Stone did by mocking Muhammad.

"It's not a threat, but it really is a likely outcome," al Amrikee said, referring to the possibility that Parker and Stone could be murdered for mocking Muhammad. "They're going to be basically on a list in the back of the minds of a large number of Muslims.

Sure as he!! sounds like a threat to me.

FDA should regulate salt, panel says

More nanny statism on parade.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration should regulate the amount of salt that can be added to foods to help Americans eat less sodium, an influential federal panel said on Tuesday.

Because Americans get most of their sodium from processed and restaurant foods, it is not enough to simply tell them to eat less salt and regulation of the food industry is needed, the Institute of Medicine said.

The FDA is already putting together measures to do this, the Washington Post reported.

Top two Al-Qaeda in Iraq chiefs killed: Iraqi PM

Great news if it pans out.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on state television on Monday that the two leading Al-Qaeda figures in the country had been killed north of the capital Baghdad.

Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayub al-Masri were killed in Salaheddin province by Iraqi intelligence agents who had been given US assistance, Maliki said, showing pictures of both men before and after their deaths.

CONFIRMED

Poll: Americans' confidence in the federal government at a 50-year low, 80 percent are wary

Forget all the ridiculous spin by the MSM, this IS the Tea Party movement in a nutshell.

WASHINGTON (AP) — America's "Great Compromiser" Henry Clay called government "the great trust," but most Americans today have little faith in Washington's ability to deal with the nation's problems.

Public confidence in government is at one of the lowest points in a half century, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center. Nearly 8 in 10 Americans say they don't trust the federal government and have little faith it can solve America's ills, the survey found.

The survey illustrates the ominous situation President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party face as they struggle to maintain their comfortable congressional majorities in this fall's elections. Midterm prospects are typically tough for the party in power. Add a toxic environment like this and lots of incumbent Democrats could be out of work.

UK Points the Way

At 40%, we're heading in this direction.

In many parts of the country more than two thirds of children are born out of wedlock, according to shocking official figures. The statistics reveal that the number of births to single mothers and unmarried couples is set to exceed 50 per cent across Britain in the next five years. Critics pounced on the figures as evidence of deteriorating family values since the election of Labour, which has scrapped recognition of marriage in the tax system.

Out of wedlock: the incidence of children being born to single mothers or unmarried couples is on the rise In 1997 the proportion of births outside marriage was just 36.7 per cent. By 2008 - the latest year for which figures are available - this had risen to 45 per cent - 30 per cent born to unmarried cohabiting couples and 15 per cent born to single mothers.

The damning figures, from the Office for National Statistics, show that in some areas it has become the norm for children to be born outside wedlock. In Knowsley, near Liverpool, 68.5 per cent of children were born outside marriage in 2007; the highest in the country. The figure is on course to exceed 75 per cent by 2014.

Anybody old enought to remember when this actually carried a social stigma?

Gadhafi urges support for 'wise' and 'peaceful' Obama

You can judge a man's character by those that praise him...

SIRTE, Libya: Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has urged global support for the “peaceful” policies of “wise” US President Barack Obama in his pursuit of a world without nuclear weapons.

“I appeal to everyone to give Obama time and to support his policies, as long as his program remains peaceful,” Gadhafi told a gathering late Thursday in a huge tent erected in the desert near the eastern coastal city of Sirte.

He was speaking during commemorations marking the anniversary of the bombing by American planes on April 15, 1986, of Tripoli and the eastern city of Benghazi which killed 41 people, including Gadhafi’s adoptive daughter.

Pic of the Day

After an oxygen tank exploded and crippled their service module, the Apollo 13 astronauts were forced to abandon plans to make the third manned lunar landing. The extent of the damage is revealed in this grainy, grim photo, taken as the service module was drifting away, jettisoned only hours prior to the command module's reentry and splashdown. An entire panel on the side of the service module has been blown away and extensive internal damage is apparent. Visible below the gutted compartment is a radio antenna and the large, bell-shaped nozzle of the service module's rocket engine. On April 17, 1970 the three astronauts returned safely to Earth.

Harry Reid

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid must pick up far more support from crossover Republicans and independents to win re-election, according to a new poll that shows him losing to the GOP front-runner in a full-ballot election with eight contenders and a "none of these candidates" option.

The survey of Nevada voters commissioned by the Review-Journal shows Reid getting 37 percent of the vote compared with 47 percent for Republican Sue Lowden, who would win if the election were today, while the slate of third-party and nonpartisan candidates would get slim to no backing.

The latest Mason-Dixon poll for the first time measured Reid's and Lowden's support in a full general election test instead of in a head-to-head or three-way matchup to see how much of the vote the record number of Senate candidates on the Nov. 2 ballot would siphon off from the Democratic incumbent and the top GOP challenger, pollster Brad Coker said.

Jobless claims rise for second straight week

Now the only question is how the White House and MSM will spin this as "good news".

WASHINGTON (AP) - The number of newly laid off people signing up for unemployment benefits rose sharply for the second straight week, suggesting that jobs are still hard to come by even as the economic recovery gains traction.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that first-time requests for jobless benefits rose by 24,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 484,000, the highest level since late February. Economists were predicting claims would fall.

Army officer won’t accept Obama as chief

The Army may be forced to court-martial a lieutenant colonel who refused to deploy to Afghanistan because he considers orders from President Barack Obama to be illegal, military officials told NBC News on Tuesday.

Army doctor Lt. Col. Terry Lakin believes Obama does not meet the constitutional requirements to be president and commander-in-chief because Lakin believes the president was not born in the United States. A video with statements from Lakin on the subject was released by the right-wing American Patriot Foundation.

Lakin refused to report to Fort Campbell, Ky., for deployment to Afghanistan, but instead went to the Pentagon. There on Monday he was confronted by his brigade commander, Col. Gordon Roberts, and informed he could face court martial, and his Pentagon building pass and government laptop computer were seized.

Wanna bet it never reaches a "court martial".

Update: Don't ya just hate it when I'm right.

Pic of the Day

Obama bowing to yet another Communist.

Incomes Down During Obama's Tenure

Not the change you were looking for?

Real personal income for Americans - excluding government payouts such as Social Security - has fallen by 3.2 percent since President Obama took office in January 2009, according to the Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis.

For comparison, real personal income during the first 15 months in office for President George W. Bush, who inherited a milder recession from his predecessor, dropped 0.4 percent. Income excluding government payouts increased 12.7 percent during Mr. Bush's eight years in office.

"This is hardly surprising," said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, an economist and former director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. "Under President Obama, only federal spending is going up; jobs, business startups, and incomes are all down. It is proof that the government can't spend its way to prosperity."

Air Force's Mystery X-37B

...The U.S. Air Force is on the verge of showcasing a new and long-sought after spaceflight capacity with its X-37B space plane, but it will do so on a space mission that's cloaked in secrecy.

What the X-37B mission truly portends is in the eye of the beholder, from a game-changing tool to hone military hardware to a provocative harbinger of things-to-come in terms of space warfare.

Now ready for an Atlas boost into Earth orbit from Florida on April 20, the reusable robotic X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) is a small space shuttle-like craft. The craft will wing its way into Earth orbit, remain aloft for an unspecified time, then high-tail its way back down to terra-firma – auto-piloting down to a landing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, or at neighboring Edwards Air Force Base as back-up.

Democrats in Congress Sink to Historic Low

Very shortly expect them to enter severe panic mode.

WASHINGTON -- The Democratic Party's favorability rating dropped to an all-time low of 41 percent in the Gallup poll -- the latest worrisome indicator in an election cycle that has the party sweating.

The rating is a percentage point below the Republican Party's score, which has climbed over the last year as the GOP dug in its heels against President Obama's agenda.

The Democrats' bad numbers are five points below the party's worst previous favorability rating, recorded in 2005, and represents the worst rating in 18 years of surveys.

The poll comes after a separate survey last week showed Republicans passing Democrats on the "generic" ballot test, where Americans state the party of the candidate they plan to vote for in their congressional districts -- a rarity in the poll's 60-year history.

Coroner Dies at 94

He "is not just merely dead, but really most sincerely dead". Size certainly does not equal longevity. Godspeed Mr. Raabe

Vladimir Putin to head investigation into Polish president's death

What a tremendous blow to Poland who I consider our single greatest ally in Eastern Europe. Every American should lament this most terrible tragedy.

That being said, Expect Putin to protect Russia from any possible responsiblity great or small.

Russia says Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will personally head the investigation into an aeroplane crash that killed Poland's president.

A total of 96 people were on board the plane that crashed near the western Russian city of Smolensk, all of whom are believed to be dead.

Polish president Lech Kaczynski was on board the Russian-built Tupolev 154 jet when it went down in heavy fog near a military airport.

Russian authorities have already said they suspect pilot error in the crash, near Smolensk, in Western Russia.

There are reports the jet made several attempted landings before the crash.

Bart Stupak to Retire

Due to his health care vote, he will likely be taken care of by the powers that be for life.

Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak, the congressman who led anti-abortion rights Democrats in the House during health care negotiations, will retire this year, CBS News has learned. He is expected to announce his plans later this morning.

Had Stupak sought re-election, he would have faced challengers from both the left and the right backed by interest groups angered by Stupak's health care vote.

Rumor has it Bwarney Fwank as well.

New Jobless Claims Rise to 460,000

Gotta love the recovery!

The number of newly laid-off workers seeking unemployment benefits rose last week, a sign that jobs remain scarce even as the economy recovers.

The Labor Department said first-time claims increased by 18,000 to a seasonally adjusted 460,000. That's worse than economists' estimates of a drop to 435,000, according to a survey by Thomson Reuters.

The report covers the week that includes the Easter holiday, and a Labor Department analyst said seasonal adjustment for that week can be difficult since the Easter holiday occurs in different weeks each year.

Wouldn't the Easter "Holiday" reduce claims?

New States Join Courtroom Revolt Against ObamaCare

As Hannity would say "let not your heart be troubled", the battle over socialized medicine has just begun.

Five more U.S. states have now joined the attorneys general of a dozen other states in a lawsuit aimed at toppling the federal government’s new health care law.

The states assert that portions of the health care legislation signed into law by President Obama on March 23 amounts to constitutional overreach that infringes on the right of states and individuals to manage their own affairs.

"We welcome the partnership of Indiana, North Dakota, Mississippi, Nevada and Arizona as we continue fighting to protect the constitutional rights of American citizens and the sovereignty of our states," said Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum in a statement.

“On behalf of the residents in Florida and the states joining our efforts, we are committed to aggressively pursuing this lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary to prevent this unprecedented expansion of federal powers, impact upon state sovereignty, and encroachment on our freedom,” McCollum continued.

Tax Woes

I have been working on taxes all morning. I'm getting freekin hammered!. It is getting more difficult every moment to save and improve. Supporting the 50% of people that pay NO taxes is taking it's toll.

I've got 11 yr old twins to send to college, yet making an exceedingly decent living, to put money away for them and retirement is almost impossible.

I have not bought a new car in 25 years, I have not bought a new piece of furniture in 10. Other then food and groceries/gas we spend nothing on ourselves yet I still manage to crank 20% away for the kids. NOT NEAR ENOUGH!

I beginning to believe, with what I have saved, the best route is to live off the government teat and take it easy. After all, why bust my a$$ when I can skate and do just as well.

And this is the reason I'm pi$$ed.

Poseur in Chief

If nothing else, I have come to realize that Barack Hussein Obama is the most disingenuous President of the Twentieth Century, possibly ever.

Disagree with him or not, the man is a consumate liar. He makes Bill Clinton look positively virtuous by comparison.

That is all.

Dead Politician Walking

SEARCHLIGHT -- U.S. Sen. Harry Reid launched his re-election campaign Monday with a sentimental send-off from his hometown of Searchlight, cheered on by more than 100 close supporters.

"We love you Harry," friends, neighbors and longtime Democratic Party backers shouted from inside the Searchlight Nugget where 86-year-old owner Verlie Doing and former U.S. Sen. Richard Bryan stood by Reid to help start his bid for a fifth term.

Pretty darn pathetic considering that the Tea Party in Searchlight drew close to 10,000 people just a week or so ago.

David Shuster Suspended Indefinitely

So being a small minded, biased political shill for the left was not a problem but heaven forbid he job shop.

MSNBC's David Shuster has been suspended from MSNBC "indefinitely" according to a spokesperson.

The action was taken this morning by MSNBC president Phil Griffin after it was revealed that Shuster had taken part in a pilot for CNN.

Shuster's MSNBC contract expires in December. Over the weekend, an MSNBC executive told TVNewser's Gail Shister, anything less than a suspension "sends a message from management that this is OK."

Idiotic Headline/Quote of the Week

Michael Steele Says He and Obama Have 'Slimmer Margins of Error' Because of Their Race.

He couldn't be more wrong. It's predominantly because of race that they are afforded such deference in spite of their demonstrable incompetence.

Is it any wonder why both are such ardent supporters of affirmative action?

Rasmussen: Tea Party 48% Obama 44%

Not the crazy, wild eyed seditious lynch mob the MSM has been portraying to us eh...

On major issues, 48% of voters say that the average Tea Party member is closer to their views than President Barack Obama. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 44% hold the opposite view and believe the president’s views are closer to their own.

Not surprisingly, Republicans overwhelmingly feel closer to the Tea Party and most Democrats say that their views are more like Obama’s. Among voters not affiliated with either major political party, 50% say they’re closer to the Tea Party while 38% side with the President.

He Is Risen

Support for Obamacare Continues to Erode

Appears that the rest of America is finally waking up.

Fifty-three percent of Americans say they disapprove of the new reforms, including 39 percent who say they disapprove strongly. In the days before the bill passed the House, 37 percent said they approved and 48 percent disapproved.

Republicans and independents remain opposed to the reforms, and support has dropped some among Democrats. Now 52 percent of Democrats approve of the new reforms, a drop from 60 percent just before the bill was passed by Congress…

Even though the president and Democratic leaders have repeatedly pointed out that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office called the reform package a deficit-reducer, six in 10 Americans still think the new health care reforms will increase the budget deficit. Just 13 percent think the reforms will decrease the deficit and another 15 percent expect no effect.

Good Friday: Our Lord Sacrificing His Life for The Sins of Man

Obama Hits New Low

If a CBS poll has him this bad, look out.

Last week, President Obama signed historic health care reform legislation into law --but his legislative success doesn't seem to have helped his image with the American public.

The latest CBS News Poll, conducted between March 29 and April 1, found Americans unhappier than ever with Mr. Obama's handling of health care - and still worried about the state of the economy.

President Obama's overall job approval rating has fallen to an all-time low of 44 percent, down five points from late March, just before the health bill's passage in the House of Representatives. It's down 24 points since his all-time high last April. Forty-one percent of those polled said they disapproved of the president's performance.

Sea Ice INCREASING at an Alarming Rate in Arctic

Don't you just hate it when the facts don't fit the prevailing narrative.

Steven Goddard and Anthony Watts:

Barring an about face by nature or adjustments, it appears that for the first time since 2001, Arctic Sea ice will hit the “normal” line as defined by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) for this time of year.

More Voters Than Ever View Obama as a ‘Partisan Democrat’

Partisan is as partisan does...

A new Rasmussen Report survey shows that 56 percent of likely voters believe President Obama is governing like a partisan Democrat, up three points since last month and currently at the highest level since he took office in January 2009. The week after his inauguration, only 39 percent felt this way.

Only 28 percent of voters questioned said that Obama is governing on a bipartisan basis, tying the lowest levels measured from last month, with 16 percent not sure.

Sick Day

Can barely read the news let alone report on it. Will do my best if I find something interesting.

Wednesday Funny

ADP : 23,000 private-sector jobs were shed in the U.S. in March. Expectations were for a gain of 50,000

Hope springs eternal as do the "Green Shoots"

Following the data, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures dropped 29 points, while Standard & Poor's 500-share futures fell 4 and Nasdaq Composite futures lost 5. Prior to the report, Dow futures were down 2, while S&P futures edged down less than one point and Nasdaq futures slipped 4. Changes in futures don't always accurately predict early market moves after the opening bell.

In March, the U.S. private sector lost 23,000 jobs, according to an estimate from payroll giant Automatic Data Processing. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had expected to see private payrolls increase by 50,000. In February, private-sector employment decreased by only 20,000. Many investors had been hoping to see positive numbers on Wednesday, two days ahead of the government's key non-farm payroll report.

Home Prices Down Again

Considering that home value/equity is by far the greatest constituent of personal wealth in this country, this is very bad news.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The market seems to have pulled the rug out from under housing industry hopes for a sustained early recovery.

After a five-month run-up in home prices starting last spring, prices have now fallen for four consecutive months, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index of 20 cities, a gauge of market values, released Tuesday.

In January, prices were down 0.4%, compared with December and have fallen 0.7% from a year earlier.

"The rebound in housing prices seen last fall is fading," said David Blitzer, chairman of the Index Committee at Standard & Poor's. "Fewer cities experienced month-to-month gains in January."

Tuesday Funny

Story nHERE.

Jarrett on Health Care: ‘Business Will Come Out Way Ahead’

Funny that business doesn't feel that way.

The White House’s chief business liaison defended the new health-care law against corporate complaints over.

White House senior adviser and business liaison Valerie Jarrett said Sunday that the more than $2 billion in writedowns announced by companies anticipating higher benefits costs “is nothing compared to the enormous financial benefits to those very same companies by health insurance reform.” Speaking on ABC News’s “This Week,” Jarrett said the administration is “taking a number of measures that will dramatically reduce the cost [to] business. So on balance, business will come out way ahead, and that was one of the president’s objectives.

Quote of the Day

Conservative columnist Andrew Breitbart disputed accounts that tea party activists in Washington shouted racial epithets at black members of Congress amid the health care debate, although he didn’t provide any evidence.” – AP.

WTF?

Wishing You a Joyous Palm Sunday

Dems Threaten Congressional Show Trials After US Companies Leak Real Damage of Obamacare

Late last week several US corporations leaked how the democrat’s health care bill will kill their businesses. The radicals in Congress were not pleased that these corporations would go public with this devastating information. In response, democrats threatened to call for Congressional show trials to publicly humiliate these corporations. The Wall Street Journal reported:

It’s been a banner week for Democrats: ObamaCare passed Congress in its final form on Thursday night, and the returns are already rolling in. Yesterday AT&T announced that it will be forced to make a $1 billion writedown due solely to the health bill, in what has become a wave of such corporate losses.

This wholesale destruction of wealth and capital came with more than ample warning. Turning over every couch cushion to make their new entitlement look affordable under Beltway accounting rules, Democrats decided to raise taxes on companies that do the public service of offering prescription drug benefits to their retirees instead of dumping them into Medicare. We and others warned this would lead to AT&T-like results, but like so many other ObamaCare objections Democrats waved them off as self-serving or “political.”

Sensitive aren't they.

Separated at Birth?

By now everone knows the story of Bill Sparkman. You remember, the nutcase who was found dead in a secluded rural cemetery with the word “Fed” scrawled on his chest and a rope around his neck. The liberal media went crazy blaming every conservative news source imaginable for "inciting this terrible hate crime. Well, inevitably it was proven that he had killed himself and concocted this "hate crime" hoax as part of an insurance scam to benefit his surviving son.

Well, one thing that has seemed to fly under the radar....his amazing resemblance to Glenn Beck, weird.

Friday Funny

Story HERE.

Florida unemployment reaches 12.2 percent

I don't think this was the "change" they were hoping for.

Florida's unemployment rate jumped to 12.2 percent in February, the highest since the state began tracking such data in 1970.

The previous record of 11.9 percent was set in May, 1975 in the aftermath of the '73-'74 recession. Economists believe that unemployment was far higher for the state during the Great Depression, when the national jobless figure reached as high as 25 percent.

Personal Income Drops Across the Country

Doesn't bode well for increased tax revenues.

Personal income in 42 states fell in 2009, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

Nevada's 4.8% plunge was the steepest, as construction and tourism industries took a beating. Also hit hard: Wyoming, where incomes fell 3.9%.

Incomes stayed flat in two states and rose in six and the District of Columbia. West Virginia had the best showing with a 2.1% increase. In Maine, Kentucky and Hawaii, increased government benefits, such as unemployment insurance and Social Security, offset drops in earnings and property values.

Nationally, personal income from wages, dividends, rent, retirement plans and government benefits declined 1.7% last year, unadjusted for inflation.

Castro lauds US health care reform passage

Perhaps the best indicator yet of the huge folly that has transpired.

It perhaps was not the endorsement President Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress were looking for.

Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro on Thursday declared passage of American health care reform "a miracle" and a major victory for Obama's presidency, but couldn't help chide the United States for taking so long to enact what communist Cuba achieved decades ago.

"We consider health reform to have been an important battle and a success of his (Obama's) government," Castro wrote in an essay published in state media, adding that it would strengthen the president's hand against lobbyists and "mercenaries."

Initial jobless claims drop more than expected

WASHINGTON — New claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week as layoffs ease and hiring slowly recovers.

But most of the drop resulted from a change in the calculations the department makes to seasonally adjust the data, a Labor Department analyst said. Excluding the effect of those adjustments, claims would have fallen by only 4,000.

All told, more than 11.1 million people are claiming unemployment benefits, the department said.

More smoke and mirrors.

February new-home sales at 308,000 annual rate

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Sales of new homes in the U.S. fell slightly in February - the fourth straight monthly drop - to yet another record low. New-home sales slipped 2.2% to an annual pace of 308,000, seasonally adjusted, which is the lowest rate since the government began tracking the data in 1963, according to the Commerce Department.

And folks like myself who are the ones who buy new homes and have been buying their own health insurance for years are now going to be paying double. That oughta help.

It is and Always Has Been about Control

Rep. Dingell Says ObamaCare Will Eventually ‘Control the People'

Scary Video HERE.

January existing home sales drop 0.6 percent

The non-recovery recovery...

Sales of existing homes fell for a third straight month in February, pushing sales down to the lowest level since last July. There is concern that the fragile housing rebound could falter, making it harder for the overall economy to recover.

The National Association of Realtors said Tuesday that sales of previously occupied homes dropped 0.6 percent in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.02 million.

The weakness in sales depressed prices with the median home price dropping almost 2 percent from a year ago to $165,100.

Soros Eyes Secretaries

Just remember, if it isn't close they can't cheat.

History's most notorious Georgian-turned-Russian, the politically astute Joseph Stalin once remarked, "The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything."

The lesson has not been lost on the increasingly notorious Hungarian-cum-American George Soros.

A group backed by Soros is gearing up to steal the 2012 election for President Obama and congressional Democrats by installing left-wing Democrats as secretaries of state across the nation. From such posts, secretaries of state can help tilt the electoral playing field.

Read the whole thing, it's a worthy read.

Bad news for Obama in CNN weekend survey results

The price we pay for being a Republic as opposed to a straight Democracy. Had it been the latter, Obamacare would have never passed. That being said, a democratically elected representative republic is still the best system yet devised on this earth. If we as citizens are pi$$ed off enough we can kick the ba$tards out in a short 7 months and I happen to believe that our memory is barely long enough to do just that. Pandora's box has been opened, but unlike it's mythological Greek counterpart, this one can be closed, and with extreme prejudice.

CNN's Opinion Research surveyors were hard at work over the weekend during the final hours of the successful push to win House approval of the Senate version of Obamacare. The results of the CNN/OR survey are out and they point to the most vivid reality of the Obamacare victory - 219 House Democrats were willing to flout the clear majority of Americans on this issue.

Here are the major initial points of interest in the CNN/OR results:

· 59% oppose the Democrats’ health care bill, while only 39% favor it.

· 70% say the federal budget deficit will go up under the Democrats’ health care bill; only 12% believe it will go down.

· 56% say the bill creates “too much government involvement in the nation's health care system,” 28% say about the right amount, while 16% say not enough.

· 62% say they'll pay more for medical care under the Democrats’ health care bill.

· 47% say they and their families will be worse off under the Democrats’ health care bill; 33% say things will be about the same, and only 19% think they’ll be better off.

Unemployment Rate at 20%

And if you think Obamacare won't confound this fact, I've got some prime land in the Florida Everglades to sell you.

According to a recent Gallup survey of underemployment (the "true" unemployment number) via Zerohedge, we are now at 20% underemployment and heading higher if this chart is indicative of anything. Apparently Gallup surveyed 20,000 people over 30 days and this is what they came up with.

Regardless if it's not consistent with the Department of Labor's official numbers, it's nonetheless quite frightening.

Bad Day

Nuff said.

Obama Bats 1000...Negatively

Like Jimmy Carter, Obama is the perfect reverse barometer.

Ask the Kansas Jayhawks, Obama’s curse continues. As if anyone cared to begin with Obama made a show of filling out another NCAA tournament bracket this year; he picked Kansas to win it all, Kansas loses in the second round to Northern Iowa. The man has quite a string going when it comes to driving the death nail into someone’s coffin.

I’m sure this will be pointed out to death, but first we had the failed bid for the Olympics in Chicago. The media was sure that the Obama factor would weigh heavy on the Olympic committee’s mind, it did, it just had the opposite affect from what most thought would happen. Obama flies to Copenhagen to wrap up the bid for Chicago and they get ousted in the first round. Strike One.


Then came the stuff that really mattered, elections; two governor’s races in Obama territory and newly founded Obama territory. Obama made campaign appearances in both New Jersey and Virginia; the GOP takes home the prize in both races. Strike two and three. Hey, shouldn’t he be out?

Yet Another New Low

23% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-four percent (44%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -21. That matches the lowest Approval Index rating yet recorded for this President.

Overall, 43% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance. That also matches the lowest level yet recorded for this President. Fifty-six percent (56%) disapprove.

Obama's past "abyssal" rating low was at 0. It now resides at -1.

The abyssal rating as you remember is the Presidents total approval (43%) compared to his strong disapproval (44%).

Acorn on Brink of Bankruptcy, Officials Say

Devil by any other name...

BALTIMORE — The community organizing group Acorn, battered politically from the right and suffering from mismanagement along with a severe loss of government and other funds, is on the verge of filing for bankruptcy, officials of the group said Friday.

Acorn is holding a teleconference this weekend to discuss plans for a bankruptcy filing, two officials of the group said. They asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the news media.

Over the last six months, at least 15 of the group’s 30 state chapters have disbanded and have no plans of re-forming, Acorn officials said. The California and New York chapters, two of the largest, have severed their ties to the national group and have independently reconstituted themselves with new names. Several other state groups are also re-forming outside the Acorn umbrella, and will not be affected if the national organization files for bankruptcy.

Obama the Neo-Com

While reflecting on the fact that Obama now has a higher "strongly dissaprove" number a year after being sworn in than Bush had at the end of his Presidency (44-O/43-B); A term that the MSM used irreverently to describe the Bush administration came to mind. That was was neo-con, a term meaning new conservative.

Well since we can't depend on anyone in the MSM to apply the same scrutiny to the Obama administration, I've got one . It's NEO-COM. If you haven't figured out already it means new communist and it's a perfect fit.

Pass it on.

Friday Funny

Obama Hits Yet Another Unprecedented Low

For the first time in his young Presidency, Obama has crossed over into negative territory in the Real Clear Politics approval poll average.

RCP Average 3/3 - 3/17 -- 47.3 47.8 -0.5
FOX News 3/16 - 3/17 900 RV 46 48 -2
Gallup 3/15 - 3/17 1547 A 46 48 -2
Rasmussen Reports 3/15 - 3/17 1500 LV 45 55 -10
Pew Research 3/10 - 3/14 1500 A 46 43 +3
NBC News/Wall St. Jrnl 3/11 - 3/14 1000 A 48 47 +1
Associated Press/GfK 3/3 - 3/8 1002 A 53 46 +7

Rules Panel Dem To Vote Against Bill

Obama picks one up yesterday loses one today....

A key House Dem has begun informing party leaders he plans to vote against health care legislation both on the House floor and in the rules committee, on which he sits.

Rep. Michael Arcuri (D-NY), a sophomore Dem who had a tougher-than-expected re-election bid in '08, has told the Dem caucus he will vote against the bill.

He becomes the 3rd member, along with Reps. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) and Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), to have switched from supporting the first bill, in Nov., to opposing the Senate version.

Black people must leave, NJ Walmart announcer says

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) -- A Walmart store announcement ordering black people to leave brought chagrin and apologies Wednesday from leaders of the company, which has built a fragile trust among minority communities.

A male voice came over the public-address system Sunday evening at a store in Washington Township, in southern New Jersey, and calmly announced: "Attention, Walmart customers: All black people, leave the store now."

Shoppers in the store at the time said a manager quickly got on the public-address system and apologized for the remark. And while it was unclear whether a rogue patron or an employee was responsible for the comment, many customers expressed their anger to store management.

I'll lay odds this was either a disgruntled employee, a race baiter, or some other liberal twit with a grudge attempting to harm Walmart.

Conyers gets court-appointed lawyer for appeal

Getting something for nothing is the psychological underpinning of the liberal mentality.

DETROIT — Former Detroit councilwoman Monica Conyers is relying on a court-appointed lawyer to pursue an appeal of her prison sentence for corruption.

That means the public will pick up the tab, even though Conyers' husband John is a Michigan congressman who's paid $174,000 a year.

Monica Conyers signed an affidavit declaring she can't afford a lawyer. Steve Fishman, the attorney who negotiated her guilty plea, says she has no money.

An appeal of her 37-month prison sentence has been assigned to Douglas Mullkoff of Ann Arbor. Conyers was sentenced last week for a bribery conspiracy.

Rasmussen: Generic Congressional Poll

Republican candidates have now stretched their lead over Democrats to 10 points in the Generic Congressional Ballot, their biggest lead ever in nearly three years of weekly tracking. The GOP has been leading on the ballot for months.

The new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 45% would vote for their district’s Republican congressional candidate while 35% would opt for his or her Democratic opponent. Voter support for GOP congressional candidates increased slightly from last week, while support for Democrats fell two points.

If this doesn't scare the crap outta the Health Care fence sitters, nothing will.

Hoyer: Americans don't care about process of health care legislation

What this Democrat hack as well as many of his fellow Domocrats fail to understand is THE PROCESS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE SUBSTANCE.

Do you think any American is going to make the distinction [between process and substance of the bill]? I don't think that any American...any real American out there will make the distinction between the two," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D - MD) told reporters today when asked if he was concerned of a voter backlash should Democrats follow through in using the "self-executing" rule on the House floor that would "deem" the Senate version of the health care legislation passed in the House without members actually voting on the actual health care bill but a rule instead.

Mr. Hoyer took a Machiavellian tone this afternoon to explain that he believes Americans care more about the fact that a health care bill passes than the procedural motions that are used to get it passed.

Pic of the Day

"US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (L) talks with new mothers and their babies during a healthcare reform event on March 15, 2010 on Capitol Hill in Washington.

This is one little girl that knows.

"Alice" Rocks, "Green Zone Bombs"

Alice in Wonderland" easily wins weekend race, earning $116M, "Green Zone" not so much.

"Green Zone" is the last drama set to be released by a major studio related to the Iraq war, and Hollywood is undoubtedly grateful for it after the picture, directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Matt Damon, opened to just $14.5 million domestically and $9.7 million overseas.

It's the latest in a string of flops that include "Body of Lies," "The Kingdom" and "Stop-Loss." Even "The Hurt Locker," while not a major disappointment given its low budget, is the lowest- grossing best picture Oscar winner in recent history.

U.S., U.K. Move Closer to Losing Rating, Moody’s Says

Drunken sailors tend to this problem...

March 15 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. and the U.K. have moved “substantially” closer to losing their AAA credit ratings as the cost of servicing their debt rose, according to Moody’s Investors Service.

The governments of the two economies must balance bringing down their debt burdens without damaging growth by removing fiscal stimulus too quickly, Pierre Cailleteau, managing director of sovereign risk at Moody’s in London, said in a telephone interview.

Under the ratings company’s so-called baseline scenario, the U.S. will spend more on debt service as a percentage of revenue this year than any other top-rated country except the U.K., and will be the biggest spender from 2011 to 2013, Moody’s said today in a report.

"Insulted" by Israel, U.S. scrambles to save talks

"I'll take how can we pi$$ off another strategic ally for $2000 Alex."

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel's relationship with the United States, a defining feature of the troubled Middle East, was under severe strain as diplomats scrambled on Saturday to save newborn U.S.-brokered peace talks with the Palestinians.

A senior U.S. official predicted "a dicey period here in the next couple days to a couple of weeks" as Palestinians demanded the reversal of a new Israeli settlement plan and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, which includes pro-settler parties, reacts to unusually blunt criticism from Washington.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Israel's behavior "insulting" after it approved 1,600 new homes last week at a settlement in the Jerusalem area on the very day Vice President Joe Biden was there to set a seal on relaunched negotiations.

Biden told Reuters on Friday he believed Netanyahu was

sincere in seeking a deal to give the Palestinians a state and that the premier understood that Israel had "no alternative."

Pic of the Day

Stupak Slams His Own Democratic Party

Posturing or principle? We shall see.

According to Stupak, that group of twelve pro-life House Democrats — the “Stupak dozen” — has privately agreed for months to vote ‘no’ on the Senate’s health-care bill if federal funding for abortion is included in the final legislative language. Now, in the debate’s final hours, Stupak says the other eleven are coming under “enormous” political pressure from both the White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.). “I am a definite ‘no’ vote,” he says. “I didn’t cave. The others are having both of their arms twisted, and we’re all getting pounded by our traditional Democratic supporters, like unions.”

Stupak says he also doesn’t trust the “Slaughter solution,” a legislative maneuver being bandied about on Capitol Hill as a way to pass the Senate bill in the House without actually voting on it. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me,” he says. “I don’t have a warm-and-fuzzy feeling about what I’m hearing.”

Stupak notes that his negotiations with House Democratic leaders in recent days have been revealing. “I really believe that the Democratic leadership is simply unwilling to change its stance,” he says. “Their position says that women, especially those without means available, should have their abortions covered.” The arguments they have made to him in recent deliberations, he adds, “are a pretty sad commentary on the state of the Democratic party.”

Pelosi faces ethics probe over potential Massa coverup

Kinda hard to clean up the swamp when your knee deep in muck yourself.

House Republicans are pushing hard for an investigation into Speaker Nancy Pelosi's handling of accusations that ex-Rep. Eric Massa sexually harassed a male staffer, putting Democrats in a politically dangerous position.

The House voted 402-1 to refer to the ethics committee a demand put forward by GOP leaders that the panel ask Democratic leaders about how they responded to sexual harassment allegations against Massa.

The move came a day after the ethics panel quietly dropped its probe into Massa, a freshmen New York Democrat. Massa resigned Monday amid allegations he groped male staffers in his office. In interviews Massa said aides had misinterpreted tickling and other horseplay. The ethics panel closed the case because it has no jurisdiction over former members, but the GOP wants the 10-member, bipartisan committee to start a new investigation into the Democratic leadership's handling of the matter.

Record budget deficit

Preview of coming attractions.

WASHINGTON, March 11 (UPI) -- The U.S. government in February spent $211 billion more than it took in, setting a record budget deficit for a month.

The U.S. Treasury released data Wednesday saying figures from last month indicate the federal government will probably pass the annual deficit record of $1.4 trillion set in the last fiscal year.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told a House of Representatives subcommittee the deficit spending is aiding economic recovery efforts but also is "unsustainably high."

Obama Revisits Low Water Mark

The harder he pushes, the more intense the pushback...

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that 22% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-three percent (43%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -21. That matches the lowest Approval Index rating yet recorded for this President.

Overall, 43% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance. That, too matches the lowest level yet recorded for this President. Fifty-six percent (56%) disapprove.

Idiotic Quote of the Day

Nancy Pelosi commenting on Obamacare:"We have to pass the Healthcare Bill so you can find out what is in it." Video HERE.

66% Of Independents Say Obama Is To Their Left

He better hope this improves significantly as no one has ever come close to winning with these kind of numbers.

Independents:
Oppose Obama's handling of the economy by 2-to-1. Among those with strong opinions, disapproval soars to 6-to-1 — 30% vs. 5%.
On health care, 53% disapprove vs. 23% who approve. 35% say Obama’s doing an unacceptable job vs. just 9% who give him an A.
55% have a dim view of Obama on the budget. Just 17% who like his work. They strongly disapprove 34%-6%.

Cleaver: Obama doesn't have the votes to pass health care reform

No surprise as "The One" wouldn't be out busting the bushes if he had the votes.

Congressman Emanuel Cleaver said today on KCUR's "Up to Date" that President Barack Obama doesn't have the votes to pass health care reform in the U.S. House.

"We're not at 217," Cleaver said, referring to the number needed to pass the bill.

Later, the three-term Democrat from Kansas City said the passage number could be 216 given vacancies in the House.

The count today, Cleaver said, is about 201 health care supporters.

Obama’s New ‘Poverty’ Measurement

One thing at which the left absolutely excels, creating and maintaining a permanent poverty class.

This week, the Obama administration announced it will create a new poverty-measurement system that will eventually displace the current poverty measure. This new measure, which has little or nothing to do with actual poverty, will serve as the propaganda tool in Obama’s endless quest to “spread the wealth.”

Under the new measure, a family will be judged “poor” if its income falls below a certain specified income threshold. Nothing new there, but, unlike the current poverty standards, the new income thresholds will have a built-in escalator clause: They will rise automatically in direct proportion to any rise in the living standards of the average American.

The current poverty measure counts absolute purchasing power — how much steak and potatoes you can buy. The new measure will count comparative purchasing power — how much steak and potatoes you can buy relative to other people. As the nation becomes wealthier, the poverty standards will increase in proportion. In other words, Obama will employ a statistical trick to ensure that “the poor will always be with you,” no matter how much better off they get in absolute terms.

Cool Pic of the Day

This image of a "crying glacier" is from a melting glacier in the Arctic ice cap of Norway. Even though it's more than a year old, I had not seen it before so I thought many of my readers had not either.

It is no more culturally significant than "seeing" an image of the Virgin Mary in your Raisen Bran, but, is nonetheless pretty neat.

Saturday Funny

Congressional estimates show grim deficit picture

The administration can tweak the employment figures to reflect a somewhat less bleak picture than reality. Thankfully for the CBO they can't do much to blue sky the deficit numbers.

WASHINGTON -- A new congressional report released Friday says the United States' long-term fiscal woes are even worse than predicted by President Barack Obama's grim budget submission last month.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicts that Obama's budget plans would generate deficits over the upcoming decade that would total $9.8 trillion. That's $1.2 trillion more than predicted by the administration.

The agency says its future-year predictions of tax revenues are more pessimistic than the administration's. That's because CBO projects slightly slower economic growth than the White House.

Victoria Jackson Knows

Can't believe I missed this but thanks to Jawa I found it.

Worth watching. Video HERE.

Three States Sue EPA Over Global Warming Ruling

Time is on our side and AGW proponents know it. The longer this can be dragged out the better chance that the truth will be exposed. And like Obamacare, they're doing everything in their power to ram in down our throats post haste.

The bitterly contested fight in Washington over global warming and pollution is also taking hold at the state level.

The Environmental Protection Agency, which is threatening to regulate carbon emissions if Congress won’t, is facing legal heat from states that say new regulations will kill jobs at the worst possible time.

Texas, Alabama and Virginia, all led by Republican governors, have filed petitions since December, when the EPA ruled that greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide endanger human health, clearing the path for the agency to issue mandatory regulations to reduce them.

As the EPA grapples with the lawsuits, Congress is trying to block the agency from acting without congressional approval. Sen. John Rockefeller, D-W.Va., introduced legislation Thursday calling for a two-year suspension of potential EPA regulations.

Broader U-6 Unemployment Rate Increases to 16.8% in February

And now the real story.

The U.S. jobless rate was unchanged at 9.7% in February, following a decline the previous month, but the government’s broader measure of unemployment ticked up 0.3 percentage point to 16.8%.

The comprehensive gauge of labor underutilization, known as the “U-6″ for its data classification by the Labor Department, accounts for people who have stopped looking for work or who can’t find full-time jobs. Though the rate is still 0.6 percentage point below its high of 17.4% in October, its continuing divergence from the official number (the “U-3″ unemployment measure) indicates the job market has a long way to go before growth in the economy translates into relief for workers.

The 9.7% unemployment rate is calculated based on people who are without jobs, who are available to work and who have actively sought work in the prior four weeks. The “actively looking for work” definition is fairly broad, including people who contacted an employer, employment agency, job center or friends; sent out resumes or filled out applications; or answered or placed ads, among other things.

Roberts Retirement....Even Drudge Scammed

Many of you regulars are now well aware of the shoddy blogmanship by Radar Online. I neglect to give them a highlight because they don't deserve the deference.

This article, however, does.

The fact here is the absolute HUGE and SERIOUS (spelled correctly) ramifications of this story had it been factual.

There is no single retirement, bar Obama himself, that would have the national repercussions of this story had it been true.

The soul of any great rumor is the magnitude of it's import, in that respect this was a gem. Blame only those that perpetuated it and not those that were initially concerned.

Stark Raving Mad (UPDATED and Bumped)

This ought to provide some pretty decent entertainment.

California Rep. Pete Stark — a controversial lawmaker who has a history of volatile comments about Republicans — is now chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, automatically moving up from the second slot after New York Democrat Charles Rangel relinquished his gavel Wednesday morning.

It would take an affirmative action of the House to remove Stark and replace him with another member of the Ways and Means Committee, according to aides familiar with House operations.

Stark, one of the chamber's most liberal, partisan and pugnacious members, has had his own recent run-in with the ethics committee, exhibiting bizarre behavior during an investigation that ultimately cleared him of any wrongdoing.

Update:Second Ways and Means boss ousted; Levin replaces Stark

This the second time in as many days that I've had to recant previous posts because the Democrats (ie. Pelosi) can't get their sh!t together. Heaven help us.

Hurricane Katrina victims to sue oil companies over global warming

Any judge worth his salt should dismiss (terminate) this suit with extreme prejudice and fine the plaintiffs and attorneys for bringing this nonsensical turd in the first place.

The class action suit brought by residents from southern Mississippi, which was ravaged by hurricane-force winds and driving rains, was first filed just weeks after the August 2005 storm hit.

"The plaintiffs allege that defendants' operation of energy, fossil fuels, and chemical industries in the United States caused the emission of greenhouse gasses that contributed to global warming," say the documents seen by the AFP news agency.

The increase in global surface air and water temperatures "in turn caused a rise in sea levels and added to the ferocity of Hurricane Katrina, which combined to destroy the plaintiffs' private property, as well as public property useful to them."

Update: Judge Rules Lawsuit Brought by Hurricane Katrina Victims Against Oil Companies For Causing "Global Warming" Can Move Forward. Well, so much for that shot at Judicial lucidity.

Tuesday Funny

Crazy Uncle Charlie Won't Budge

I hope he stays, you can't buy this kind of negative publicity.

Pelosi spoke to The Hill after Rangel denied reports he would leave his perch at the top of one of the House's most powerful committees.

As he emerged from the meeting, Rangel was asked whether he is still chairman. His response: "You bet your sweet life!"

He then said Pelosi told him not to say "a damn thing" about the meeting.

Update: Or NOT.

Now It's NASA Fudging the Numbers

Great way to screw up a stellar reputation.

The "Climategate" scandal, which broke in November 2009, revealed what many skeptics had privately suspected. Prominent climate scientists at the University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit (CRU) had collaborated to keep data out of skeptics' hands, subverted the peer review process, and used questionable methods to construct the temperature record on which the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel Climate Change (IPCC) based its recommendations.

Now a new "Climategate" scandal is emerging, this time based on documents released by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in response to several Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) suits filed by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI). The newly released emails further demonstrate the politicized nature of climate science, revealing a number of questionable practices that cast doubt on the credibility of scientific data provided by NASA.

Obama's Drop

Barack Obama now has a negative approval rating in every state he flipped from the Bush column to his in 2008. In each of those places his level of support is now in the 44-46% range. It's probably a good thing he doesn't have to run for reelection this year. He can only hope things start turning around for him once the midterms are in the rear view mirror, much as they did for Bill Clinton.

Not to mention several Red states.

McCain Being Mcain

Video of McCain refusing to comment on whether Obama is or is not a Socialist.

Monday Funny