Blog @ MoreWhat.com

Obama’s ’signature domestic policy goal’ on healthcare sounds familiar. Familiar enough that no one has to tell you Bill and Hillary Clinton had this as their flagship policy in the nineties. It was a collosal failure. And if it is again that will be a good thing. We simply cannot afford the price. If supporters claim we cannot afford not to then we have the double whammy here. We can’t afford to do this and we can’t afford not to.

Aside from the massive cost of a bill that is supposed to rein in the massive cost of healthcare what the liberal administration and majority in Congress want to do is grab the power to compel you to do what they want in every aspect of your life. If you think this is just repeating the alarms on conservative talk radio think again.

The liberals claim they want to protect you from the financial industry and Wall Street. So what do they do? They continue the bailouts started in the last administration to gain power over that industry rather than simply enforcing existing regulation.

They want you to drive ‘green’ cars. Even though the free market has spoken to the tune of every car maker being totally in the red or bankrupt due to falling sales. The government has bought into US automakers to gain control over what you drive.

They want to tax the energy you use, the food you eat and healthcare you cannot afford in order to take control of your life through dangerously expensive government programs. And President Obama is looking for Republican support for his healthcare takeover.

If the American public allows this to happen they deserve what they get. And then amnesty will happen and the selling of America will just about be complete. Unless you do something about it with your family, friends, neighbors and anyone else you know. This will take a massive public outrage to turn around. But if you don’t do it now you may not get another chance.

Sound alarmist? Maybe so but it may have sounded that way when Paul Revere did his famous ride. But who was sorry he did besides the British? The current situation and how it turns out will determine whether or not we are a nation of sheep.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Obama looks for Republican healthcare backing
Reuters - Kim Dixon -

WASHINGTON, July 16 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Thursday sought to convince Republicans to support overhaul of the US healthcare industry, his signature domestic policy goal, as the measures moved on a fast-track through …

Pelosi Statement on June Job Numbers
07/02/2009

Washington, D.C. — Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement on unemployment numbers for June issued today by the Department of Labor.

“Today’s unemployment numbers are another reminder of the years of failure to invest in making Americans the most highly educated and innovative workforce in the world—and years of delay on affordable health care and the clean energy jobs and industries that will sustain our economy for years to come. In full partnership with President Obama, Congress must continue to strengthen and transform America’s economic foundation and improve our competitiveness, and we must do so in a fiscally responsible way.

“We took the first critical step by passing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act earlier this year. Economists tell us unemployment numbers would be worse without the Recovery Act, but that is no consolation for the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs. Last week, the House passed a comprehensive energy solution that will create millions of clean energy jobs, and we will reform our health care system to lower costs for America’s families and businesses.

“This is a time for bold, bipartisan action because Americans who are losing their jobs, homes and health care cannot afford to wait.”

Once again Speaker Pelosi you are wrong. Unemployment numbers are not a reminder of anything about the quality of the American workforce. There has been no failure to invest in education. The cost of education continues to rise and this nation spends more and more each year for less and less in terms of results. American students compared to their global counterparts continue to flat line or decline while the cost per student continues to rise and be financed by the American taxpayer.

Years of delay on affordable healthcare has nothing to do with unemployment either. But it does have something to do with politics and interfering with free market solutions that would make the industry competitive. Medicare, Medicaid and the countless additions beyond the initial intentions for coverage including illegal immigrants and any other mandated requirements have led to out of control spending by government on healthcare. You drive up costs by requiring insurance companies to include your mandates. The only jobs you create are cottage industries that only serve to increase adminstrative costs which account for a third of what we spend on health. And you have enough Obama audacity to demand we reform the healthcare you are desperately trying to destroy.

Clean energy jobs and industries are just a few examples of this decade’s popular political terms designed to provide an excuse for more government interference in the private sector. Industries do not become viable or remain viable by government mandate. You cannot will something to happen by government decree and expect it to be successful. If a product or service is brought to market and has a worthwhile benefit consumers will pay for it. It will succeed or fail on its own merits not because you decide it is something we should do.

Out of control spending was started during the last Bush administration and Obama is quite satisfied to continue with it. There is a rumor that the White House wants to initiate a second stimulus. The first one is not working and you want to start another. Please explain how that is intelligent?

You and President Obama continue to make statements about transparency and accountability. An example of how little there is can be found in your own press release presented here. You make claims but offer no evidence. Just like Obama keeps spawning new websites which claim to offer transparency and accountability yet no details are offered in evidence. Little charts and tables with categories and associated dollar amounts are useless. What you need to show is how much money was given to whom and what were the results specifically. In other words, show me the checks, who signed them, what they paid for and, for instance, how many jobs were created. But just telling us how many jobs were created does nothing. We need proof. Good luck with that.

As a parting note, the claim at the end of your press release that we cannot wait is political-speak for do it now, don’t think about it. Only fools accept those terms. And the evidence related to the claims made by this post’s author will be offered when Speaker Pelosi presents her evidence. Fair is fair.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

As early as June 8, 2009 a formal restart of the shamnesty movement will occur in the Obama White House. At least one report confirms what most of us already knew. Shamnesty will once again be the top issue in Washington later in 2009. But you had better get your opposition strategy activated long before then as it may only be a matter of 60 liberal votes along with any mindless RINOs that decides the issue if pressure is not applied starting now. 2010 is not far off and we all know politicians like only one thing better than getting elected. That is getting re-elected. And a vote for shamnesty is just one more reason to throw the bums out.

Immigration reform could emerge again in the fall
By Steve Stoddard and J. Taylor Rushing
Posted: 05/25/09 09:31 AM [ET]

Senate Democrats may be close to 60 votes on a measure that would represent the first step towards immigration reform under President Obama.

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act is a concept dear to Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin’s (D-Ill.) heart, and while health care reform may get this summer’s headlines in Washington, the DREAM Act may be a sleeper.

The Dream Act has been around for a while and like the shamnesty defeat in the summer of 2007 it has been shot down once. Together with yes votes on bailouts any member of Congress voting for shamnesty risks defeat in 2010 unless they are secure in a liberal saturated district willing to open all borders and ignore the rule of law.

All the Dream Act does is give illegals one more reason to violate the law and enter this country without lawfully engaging the process. Rather than offer an unnecessary carrot to break the law, Congress should encourage and assist the executive branch or law enforcement with the stick they need to eliminate illegal immigration. This is not a call to abolish immigration but illegal immigration. There is a big difference. But liberals for open borders and unregulated immigration prefer to label those opposed to illegal immigration as xenophobic. Yes, there is no shortage of liberal labels to muddy the water on issues.

So far it is no surprise that Arlen Specter, RINO extraordinaire and now GOP defector, will support whatever the Democrats propose. Other notable RINO looking Senators are Lugar, Lott and Wicker.

It will be tougher this time than the last to defeat shamnesty. But that is not reason for concern but increased effort and attitude.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

WASHINGTON D.C. — Utah Rep. Rob Bishop is at the center of the call for an investigation into Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

Bishop says an investigation is the only way to get to the truth of the whole Pelosi-CIA issue. He sponsored a resolution to set up a special committee. The House voted down whether to consider that resolution on a 252-172 vote Thursday.
Funny how minority party requests for investigation of allegations made by the majority party’s Speaker of the House are called ‘distractions’ by the opposition but the majority party’s similar requests for investigation of minority party members is characterized as noble.
Congressman Steny Hoyer, D-Md., called the move by republicans an attempt to misdirect the American people.

“The Republican Party has been pursuing a policy of distraction,” he said. “It does not serve our country to have the kind of politics practiced that we saw today on the floor of the House.”
Below is the resolution sought by Rep Rob Bishop to investigate Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. At the time of this post, the resolution but not the roll call vote was available on the House website.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 470

Raising a question of the privileges of the House.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 21, 2009

Mr. BISHOP of Utah submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules

RESOLUTION

Raising a question of the privileges of the House.

Whereas the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, a Representative from California, served from 1997 to 2002 as Ranking Democratic Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence;

Whereas Representative Pelosi currently serves as Speaker of the House, a position of considerable power and influence within the Congress;

Whereas title 3 of the United States Code designates the Speaker of the House as third in line of succession to the Presidency;

Whereas Speaker Pelosi has publicly challenged the truthfulness of what she and other congressional leaders were told by Central Intelligence Agency officials about the agency’s use of enhanced interrogation techniques on suspected terrorists;

Whereas in an MSNBC interview on February 25, 2009, Speaker Pelosi stated, `I can say flat-out, they never told us that these enhanced interrogation techniques were being used’;

Whereas Speaker Pelosi’s public statements allege a sustained pattern of deception by government intelligence officers charged by law with informing Congress about the agency’s activities;

Whereas when asked at a press conference on May 15, 2009, widely reported by the news media, `Madame Speaker, just to be clear, you’re accusing the CIA of lying to you in September?’ Speaker Pelosi stated, `Yes’;

Whereas during the same press conference the Speaker subsequently stated, `So yes, I’m saying they are misleading, the CIA was misleading the Congress’ and further, `they mislead us all the time’ and `they misrepresented every step of the way’;

Whereas in a memorandum to CIA employees released publicly on May 15, 2009, Leon Panetta, the CIA Director, stated, `It is not our policy or practice to mislead Congress. That is against our laws and our values. As the Agency indicated previously in response to Congressional inquiries, our contemporaneous records from September 2002 indicate that CIA officers briefed truthfully on the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, describing the enhanced interrogation techniques that had been employed’;

Whereas national and international media reports on this controversy have damaged the reputation of the House by raising questions about whether the effectiveness of congressional oversight may have been undermined through false or misleading statements by intelligence officials; and

Whereas in order to safeguard the reputation of the House it is imperative to reconcile as soon as possible the aforementioned contradictory statements by Speaker Pelosi and CIA Director Panetta: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That–

(1) a Select Subcommittee of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence shall be established to review and verify the accuracy of the Speaker’s aforementioned public statements;

(2) the Select Subcommittee shall be comprised of four members of the full committee, two appointed by the chairman of the committee and two by its ranking minority member;

(3) The subcommittee shall have the same powers to obtain testimony and documents pursuant to subpoena authorized under clause 2(m) of rule XI of the Rules of the House; and

(4) the Select Subcommittee report its findings and recommendations to the House not later than sixty calendar days after adoption of this resolution.

A little public service announcement from Blog @ MoreWhat.com is offered via this post. Most of you are probably aware that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has been at the center of a controversy that initially focused on the longstanding debate over EIT or enhanced interrogation techniques and other more highly charged descriptions like ‘torture’ or the most referenced technique in the news known as ‘waterboarding.’ Those on one side of the debate characterize their position as one of moral high ground which only seeks to defend the US from terrorism based on what have long been our guiding principles and values that do not allow torture. Their opponents submit this is a thinly veiled attempt to engage in a political witch hunt shielded by lofty rhetoric designed to give the appearance that it is merely a search for justice.

Recently on the subject of waterboarding it was disclosed in the news that there are members of the armed forces and others who are subjected to waterboarding as part of their training. It was also reported that Col Oliver North is one who disclosed that he was waterboarded during his training. The obvious purpose of the training would be to prepare one for the circumstance that if captured they would be exposed to such methods by their captors. The point of mentioning this should be obvious. For all the noise made about EIT, specifically waterboarding, it would appear those in the ‘business’ are quite familiar with its widespread use and the likely probability they would experience it if captured by the enemy.

Speaker Pelosi has made claims the CIA lied to her or mislead her in briefings she attended as far back as 2002. A common opinion on the entire matter suggests Pelosi had a bit of a meltdown on realizing that her party’s intent to prosecute individuals who used EIT may cause her problems if it were learned that she did not oppose the use of EIT based on prior knowledge from briefings and the like or worse that she approved of them in the past.

Those on the other side of the debate gave Speaker Pelosi an easy out after her claims against the CIA. Simply provide proof of your allegations or present a public apology to the CIA and the matter will go away. Simply put she declined the escape route and holds to her original argument. When a call for an ethics investigation of Pelosi was defeated by her party, the Democrats, it begs the question of how serious the Dems really are on matters of ethics.

Nancy Pelosi is well known for her statements calling the previous majority of the GOP and the former Bush Administration the ‘culture of corruption.’ She has lauded her own party and herself as the New Direction for America and champions of ethics since the 2006 midterms. As recently as the first quarter of 2008 Speaker Pelosi has proclaimed herself and her party as leaders in ethics. The only noticeable result has been the addition of the Office of Congressional Ethics. With the information provided in the remainder of this post, readers are invited to take Pelosi up on her claim that the public is invited to participate in this process. Information and links are provided to get you started including press releases, legislation and the OCE.

Speaker Pelosi’s press release related to the OCE legislation:

Pelosi Statement on House Passage of Major Ethics Reform

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke on the House floor tonight in support of a landmark ethics reform bill establishing an outside, independent Office of Congressional Ethics. The resolution passed by a vote of 229 to 182. Below are the Speaker’s remarks, as prepared:

“Mr. Speaker, today, the New Direction Congress takes another step forward in ethics reform by making Congress more open and more accountable to the American people. By doing so, we continue to strengthen Americans’ faith in the institution of Congress.

“Since the Ethics Committee was first constituted in 1967, the House has set increasingly higher standards of conduct to guide Members because public office is a public trust.

“Just last year, on the first day of the New Direction Congress, the House implemented new and sweeping changes to the gift and travel restrictions.

“Last September, we also passed the historic Honest Leadership and Open Government Act—historic lobby reform that is now the law of the land.

“Today, the New Direction Congress will—for the first time—open the ethics process up to the participation of our fellow citizens, which will make this institution more accountable to the American people. I welcome their assistance.

“I commend Mr. Capuano and all of the Members of the Task Force for their service to the House. Congressman Capuano led this effort in a way that was bipartisan and sensitive to this institution’s history and traditions. The resulting legislation will greatly improve the ethics process.

“As someone who served on the Ethics Committee for six years, I have a full understanding of the burdens its Members bear. I also have a deep respect for those who have served on the Committee, both past and present. The recommendations before the House will only serve to assist them in their efforts.

“Adopting the Capuano Task force recommendations will provide the public—and the House—with the assurance that credible allegations of wrongdoing will be addressed by the Ethics Committee in a timely manner. It will also bring an additional measure of transparency to the ethics enforcement process.

“It creates this transparency without compromising the House’s constitutional prerogative to discipline its Members, without interfering with the work of the Ethics Committee, and without altering the substantive rules governing the conduct of the Committee’s deliberations.

“I fully recognize that bringing non-Members into the enforcement mechanism is not just a step forward, but also a significant departure from the traditions of the House. To those who have concerns, I pledge that I will work closely with the Republican Leader to ensure that we jointly appoint to the new Office of Congressional Ethics intelligent and honest men and women who understand the importance of non-partisan behavior and the compelling need to act fairly to protect the interests of the public, the House, and its Members.

“Finally, Mr. Speaker, I pledge that the House Leadership will closely monitor the work of the new Office of Congressional Ethics and continually review all reasonable proposals intended to guarantee the highest ethical conduct and a more effective and transparent ethics process. If additional changes are required, we will propose them.

“The panel proposed today is a reasonable step forward, which is why it has the support of leading reform groups, including Common Cause and U.S. PIRG. It responds to the needs of the House and the demands of public. It will restore confidence in our ability to carry out our constitutional duty to discipline ourselves and increase respect for the legislation that we produce. I urge its adoption.”

Here is a link to House Resolution 895 which establishes the OCE or Office of Congressional Ethics.

Here is a link to the Roll Call Vote for the legislation which was not a slam dunk at 229-182.

But the best part is the OCE website and the text offered here as well on how to submit information to the OCE

How to Submit Information to the OCE

The OCE will accept and review information concerning allegations within its jurisdiction.

The following information should be included in any submission:

(1) the name, address, telephone number and e-mail address, if any, of the person submitting the information, and the organization s/he is affiliated with, if any;

(2) the full name of the subject of the allegation;

(3) the date(s) the alleged conduct occurred;

(4) a concise statement of facts (or, the source of the information in the event that the person submitting the information does not have first-hand knowledge of the facts);

(5) the law, regulation or rule allegedly violated, if known;

(6) if applicable, name(s) and contact information for any potential witness(es);

(7) if applicable, copies of any documents related to the allegation; and

(8) a signed declaration acknowledging that section 1001 of title 18 United States Code (popularly known as the False Statement Act) applies to the information provided. A copy of the False Statements is available on the OCE’s website and can be provided on request.

All information will be reviewed by the OCE; however, submitting information does not trigger an investigation. The decision to begin an investigation (preliminary review) lies solely with the Board.

This blog encourages readers to submit information to the OCE. Do you suppose they would investigate Nancy Pelosi if enough members of the public submitted information to the OCE? It is recommended that anyone submitting to the OCE follow their instructions carefully and do so in a respectful manner. But by all means submit.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

A Republican Congressman is given credit for initiating a move in the House to investigate claims of Nancy Pelosi that the CIA misled her on enhanced interrogation techniques during briefings in 2002. The Democrats in the House can be given credit for defeating the measure in order to protect Pelosi from the truth. Other accounts in the news suggest the GOP is not done chasing this illusive disclosure. But what demonstrates the real nonsense surrounding the missteps by the first woman Speaker of the House in United States history is her own words as immortalized in many press releases from her time as the leading House Democrat.

Below the news stories presented here are press releases from Nancy Pelosi touting her manufactured concern about ethics. She pounded the idea of a New Direction for America she claimed was the mandate from the public after Dems defeated the GOP in midterm elections in 2006. Among the never ending diatribe from this Speaker of the House was a constant reminder that Washington would be transparent, there was an end to a culture of corruption and that liberals had passed the strongest ethics legislation in a generation. Why Rep Rob Bishop needed to introduce a measure to investigate Pelosi when there is a mechanism for this within Congress seems to indicate what one might expect. Pelosi was talkin’ stupid since the beginning and only now do her words place her in serious jeopardy. But the outcome in Congress reported here only demonstrates that Dems will talk ethics but not conduct themselves in an ethical manner.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Democrats block probe of Pelosi

Boston Globe -
House Democrats today rebuffed the latest bid by Republicans to pummel Speaker Nancy Pelosi over what she knew about waterboarding and her accusations that the CIA misled her. The House voted 252-172 to block a GOP measure that would have created a …

House rejects probe into Pelosi CIA claims

The Associated Press -
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats on Thursday defeated a Republican push to investigate House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s claims that the CIA misled her in 2002 about whether waterboarding had been used against terrorism suspects. The House voted 252-172 to …

House Rejects Call for Investigation of Pelosi’s CIA Comments

CQPolitics.com - ?27 minutes ago?
By Bennett Roth and Alan K. Ota, CQ Staff The House rejected a Republican resolution to investigate Speaker Nancy Pelosi ’s assertions that the CIA misled her during a 2002 classified briefing on interrogation techniques. The debate over the resolution …

Bishop fails in seeking Pelosi probe

Deseret News -
By Lee Davidson Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, unsuccessfully attempted Thursday to convince the House to order an investigation into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s claims that the CIA lied to her about whether it used torture. He introduced a resolution …

GOP will keep pushing for Pelosi investigation

FOXNews -
by Mosheh Oinounou House Republicans will continue to push for an investigation into Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s intelligence briefings despite failing Thursday to muster the necessary support for the effort. “I would expect to see more resolutions like …

The Pelosi Papers……

For Immediate Release
09/14/2007

Pelosi Statement on President Signing Landmark Lobbying and Ethics Bill into Law

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement this afternoon after President Bush signed into law the Honest Leadership, Open Government Act of 2007:

“Last November, the American people spoke clearly for change in the way business is done in Washington. And with the toughest lobbying and ethics reform in a generation signed into law today, we have delivered that change.

“The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 meets Americans’ demand for high ethical standards, transparency, disclosure, and accountability.

“Among many stringent provisions, it requires unprecedented levels of disclosure on the interactions between lobbyists and legislators; it bans gifts from lobbyists and limits privately-funded travel; it ends the pay-to-play scheme known as the ‘K Street Project’; and it closes the revolving door between Congress and lobbyists.

“Honest leadership is not a partisan goal. It is the key to putting the interests of all Americans ahead of the special interests.”

For Immediate Release
01/31/2007

Pelosi Announces Special Task Force on Ethics Enforcement

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi with Minority Leader John Boehner announced today a special task force on ethics enforcement. The task force will report to the House by May 1 to consider whether the House should create an outside enforcement entity, based on examples in state legislatures and private entities.

“In the first days of 110th Congress, a bipartisan majority passed landmark reforms to restore accountability, honesty, and openness to the House of Representatives,” Pelosi said. “We broke the link between lobbyist and legislators and set our country back on a path to fiscal discipline. These strong rules are significant steps toward honest leadership; enforcing these rules is critical to ensuring every Member of Congress lives up to the highest ethical standard.”

The Members of the task force are:

* Congressman Michael Capuano (D-MA), Chairman
* Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX)
* Congressman Dave Camp (R-MI)
* Congressman Dave Hobson (R-OH)
* Congressman Marty Meehan (D-MA)
* Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA)
* Congressman Todd Tiahrt (R-KS)
* Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN)

For Immediate Release
01/05/2007

Pelosi Statement on Passage of Ethics Reform and Pay-As-You-Go Budget Rules

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the passage of Congressional ethics reform and pay-as-you-go budget rules.

“House Democrats got straight to work this week by passing the toughest Congressional ethics reform in history. We have broken the link between lobbyists and legislation: banning gifts and travel from lobbyists and organizations that retain or employ them, banning travel on corporate jets, shutting down the K Street project, subjecting all earmarks to the full light of day, and reinstating the strict rules of pay-as-you-go budgeting.

“But these reforms are just our first steps. In the coming months, we will propose legislation to close the revolving door between government officials and lobbying firms and shine a light on lobbyists’ efforts to influence legislation. We will also require a bipartisan task force to report out recommendations on the creation of an outside entity to uphold the highest ethical standards here in the House.

“Honest leadership is not just a partisan goal. It is the key to putting the interests of all Americans ahead of the special interests. It is what the American people sent us here to do, and House Democrats are proud to have taken serious and substantive steps to ensure Congress governs with the highest ethical steps.”

For Immediate Release
11/27/2006

Pelosi: Democrats’ First Order of Business in the New Congress Will Be Ethics Reform

“Democrats will pursue an aggressive legislative agenda during the first days of the new Congress that serves the public interest rather than the special interests. An integral part of restoring integrity to Congress is ensuring that legislative decisions are made for the common good. The People’s House should not be an auction house, with legislation being sold to the highest bidder. For that reason, the first order of business will be ethics reform.

“The American people have continued to pay the price for the Republican culture of corruption – through a complex prescription drug bill that explicitly prohibits the government from negotiating lower prices due to intense lobbying from the pharmaceutical industry and billions of dollars in giveaways for large oil companies that were already raking in record profits.

“The Democratic ethics package will break the link between lobbyists and legislation, where well-connected special interests write legislation that cost consumers more at the pharmacy and gas pump.

“The American people want greater integrity in Washington, and Democrats pledge to make this the most honest, ethical and open Congress in history.”

By LAURIE KELLMAN –

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid became the latest Democrat to stray into rhetorical trouble Tuesday, botching statements on three subjects in one news conference — including the fragile health of the chamber’s most senior members.

The Nevada Democrat reported that one of them, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., was absent because he was receiving a new round of treatment for his brain cancer. Asked if the cancer was in remission, Reid replied, “As far as I know, it is, yes.”

Kennedy’s office refused to confirm Reid’s comments or make any statement in response, the public silence a classic Washington disavowal.

Biden speaks at Wake Forest - does not disclose nuclear launch codes
Christian Science Monitor -
By Jimmy Orr
05.18.09
Good news for Vice President Biden’s office! The Veep successfully delivered the commencement address at Wake Forest University without disclosing top secret information.

Biden discloses undisclosed location for Vice-Presidents but really did not since his office ‘clarified’ what he said, or meant, or was supposed to say or not or something. This is the person and mechanism one heartbeat away from being President.

And the next person a couple of breaths from the Oval Office is Fancy Nancy. That is the name Mike Huckabee gave his poem about the current Speaker of the House of Representatives. Biden and Pelosi both suffer from loose lips. Something that would not be a characteristic sought for Commander-in-Chief in these United States.

But then this country’s voters saw fit to elect Barack Obama as President. Granted, plenty of voters did not vote for the current President but enough did to place him in the White House.

Sure, these stories are quite amusing but lose that appeal when one considers the situation after a few chuckles and realizes this is no laughing matter. We’re in trouble. And those currently charged with resolving the trouble do not ease the associated concern on the future of these United States.

The purpose of this post was to share a little political humor and then present the question of how did we get here and what are we going to do about it?

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

President Obama looks more like a politician these days than a Messiah. The notion that Democrats have the uncanny ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory is finding support in various news reports and other current stories these days. All is not well within in the Democratic party as the White House and the Congressional majority struggle to cement their agenda in the face of internal opposition and a media focus pointing to difficulties within the GOP.

Obama may produce a self-inflicted wound with his handling of the interrogation photo fiasco. Likewise Pelosi has lost whatever credibility she may have had by mishandling questions on what she knew and when on matters related to ‘enhanced interrogation techniques.’ Now Dems are pushing against detainees being released in the US. Does it get any better than this? And health care along with other liberal agenda items will not be slam dunks as they have been viewed since the inauguration of America’s first black and white President this past January.

Sure, their will be no socialized medicine and the health care industry will solve the rising cost and uninsured problems for Obama. Just like the Clinton’s solved all this in the nineties.

Maybe the current economic problems along with political turmoil and worldwide disarray will cause widespread improvements across the board for the entire planet. But it certainly won’t be anything but a bumpy ride regardless of what happens. And the best part for the US is that liberals own the consequence of success or failure by virtue of getting what they wished for….. the majority status as a political party.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

The reporters being held in North Korea and facing trial, for who knows what, work for Al Gore? Senate Dems, as mentioned above, have legislation to block detainee transfers to the US. The health care kabuki dance rages on.

SEOUL, South Korea - Two U.S. journalists arrested near North Korea’s border with China on accusations of illegal entry and “hostile acts” will be tried by Pyongyang in early June, state media said Thursday.

Laura Ling and Euna Lee, reporters for former Vice President Al Gore’s San Francisco-based Current TV media venture, were detained March 17 while reporting on North Korean refugees living in China.

WASHINGTON — New legislation by Senate Democrats would fund the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but it would block the transfer of any of the detainees to the United States.

The move to sidestep a political minefield is a rebuff to President Barack Obama, whose promise to close the Guantanamo facility within a year of taking office has run into Republicans and Democrats opposed to bringing accused terrorists onto U.S. shores.

WASHINGTON — The White House scrambled to unify Democrats behind a single health care appeal Wednesday — lower costs, plenty of choice — amid concerns Republicans could scare votes away with images of a ghastly system run by bureaucrats. A key senator pushed to enforce an offer from care providers to trim $2 trillion in costs over the next decade.

Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., said he wanted to build cost-saving mechanisms the industry is devising into sweeping health care overhaul legislation his committee is writing.

Time magazine has a piece titled, ‘How Waterboarding is Drowning Pelosi.’ The Wall Street Journal has one called, ‘Pelosi’s Self-Torture.’ Here are some other fun headlines about the skull that is numb.

Obligatory Queen Nancy Calls CIA Liars Post (Stop the ACLU)

Nancy Pelosi Didn’t Know Anything, She Swears (Vivir Latino)

How Waterboarding is Drowning Nancy (Time, another shot)

Politico notes even Steny Hoyer isn’t ‘rushing to support’ Pelosi’s claim

Pelosi Digs in Deeper (Kansas City Star)

Here’s a newsflash for ya Nancy!! If you did know you’re lying now. If you didn’t know you are incompetent and not properly discharging your duties as an elected official. Everybody knew or is lying now or also incompetent.

How about a video?

Stanford Matthews
Morewhat.com

As with any issue or controversy everyone is entitled to their opinion and there is no shortage of them in the story on interrogation techniques. Now the silly or embarrassing display of public officials scurrying to distance themselves from additional stories on who knew about the technique known as waterboarding and its use in the GWOT serves as just one more example of the stupidity of politics.

The holier than thou attitude and often expressed disdain toward Bush administration officials who approved the technique for use in terrorist interrogations and the call for punishment of those involved is being replaced by the Washington two-step or side step now that most politicians are viewed as knowing about it in advance along with those they previously condemned.

Throughout the history of war or other armed conflict on this planet it is probably fair to state that all involved from any country or group from time to time have chosen to act in ways we would under other circumstances view as objectionable. It could further be stated that most choose to look the other way or dismiss these actions as the ends justifying the means. Not unlike the questions posed of the type where one’s family members will be killed if information leading to their rescue is not gleaned from a suspect. The accompanying dilemma is whether the ordinary citizen would agree to unpleasant options for extracting the aforementioned ‘information’ from the suspect. If asked under these circumstances it is typically anticipated that most people would succumb to the pressure and act in questionable ways to save the lives of those in peril.

The argument to the contrary that we do or should always act in morally correct ways is generally reserved for a time when such circumstances are not present and we are free to respond like the angels we view ourselves to be.

Using accounts of the never ending battle of good or evil as a tool for gaining advantage in partisan politics has a long and storied history. It appears the outcome of this episode of we’re good and you’re bad will end the way it always does. With everyone accusing others or defending themselves ending up wiping the crap or ‘evidence’ from their clothing in public view. Nancy Pelosi and Jane Harman are most likely not the only ones who will look foolish for accusing others of bad behavior.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

The chart said that at the first briefing, on Sept. 4, 2002, Ms. Pelosi, then the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, and Representative Porter J. Goss, the committee’s Republican chairman, were given a “description” of the interrogation methods that “had been employed” against a prisoner, Abu Zubaydah.

On Friday, the speaker issued a statement defending her previous account.

“Of the 40 C.I.A. briefings to Congress reported recently in the press, I was only briefed once, on Sept. 4, 2002, as I have previously stated.” She said she was “briefed on interrogation techniques the administration was considering using in the future” and that the techniques were determined to be legal.

A top aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi attended a CIA briefing in early 2003 in which it was made clear that waterboarding and other harsh techniques were being used in the interrogation of an alleged al-Qaeda operative, according to documents the CIA released to Congress on Thursday.

Pelosi has insisted that she was not directly briefed by Bush administration officials that the practice was being actively employed. But Michael Sheehy, a top Pelosi aide, was present for a classified briefing that included Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), then the ranking minority member of the House intelligence committee, at which agency officials discussed the use of waterboarding on terrorism suspect Abu Zubaida.

Back when Pelosi and crew tried to replace the State Dept against the wishes of President Bush liberals praised the action of defying US foreign policy in favor of ‘hangin’ with state sponsors of terrorism. President Obama and SoS Clinton continued that agenda in the first 100 days of the new Administration. So how’s that workin’ out so far?

Iranian President Causes Uproar with Anti-Israel Speech
By Edward Cody
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, April 20, 2009; 1:57 PM

PARIS, April 20 — In a defiant speech, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad argued before a United Nations anti-racism conference Monday that Israel is a “paragon of racism,” founded on what he called “the pretext of Jewish sufferings” during World War II.

The comments, a hard-edged version of Ahmadinejad’s often-repeated anti-Zionist views, prompted several dozen European diplomats to walk out of the opening session of the week-long Geneva meeting, which the Obama administration and eight other Western nations already were boycotting.

Can’t we all just get along?  The United Nations strikes again. (or strikes out)

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

This is all quite typical. Governor Blagojevich (indicted recently on 16 counts) is accused of trying to sell the then vacant seat of former Senator Barack Obama. Blago denied everything and said he would be cleared of any wrongdoing. Now Rep Jesse Jackson Jr is being investigated by the feds to determine if he offered cash to Blago for the seat. And a Congressional ethics panel (referred to below as ‘preliminary’) has been ’scrutinizing’ Jackson’s possible role in the Blago saga.

This must be just one more story no politician wants. First, no politician wants investigations by law enforcement or Congressional bodies focusing on politicians. It is sometimes messy and always raises public interest in cleaning up government as well as putting the media spotlight on anyone who gets ‘nabbed’. And it doesn’t matter what party they’re in because they all know both sides have crooks.

Second, in this case, President Obama does not want any more focus on corrupt Illinois politics since most of his crew hails from those origins. The Ted Stevens’ case and the new AG’s effort to throw out the verdict and remove all charges probably has more revelations to come. And it really does nothing for Stevens or the GOP.

The Congressional ethics panel probably felt compelled to move since there already was a federal investigation and they want to appear concerned. But will a preliminary Congressional ‘probe’ uncover anything? After prosecutorial misconduct in the Stevens’ case is it such a stretch to suspect members of Congress may try to influence the outcome of any inquiry?

This may fall in the same category as complaints about voter fraud, lobbyists or mafeasance by any party involved. Some noise is made and perhaps a scapegoat or two are offered as sacrificial lambs then it is on to business as usual in Washington. You didn’t really expect Obama to fix this stuff did you? And as long as we’re at it, what about self-proclaimed reformer and sometime ‘maverick’ John McCain? During the campaign in 2008 and before both candidates were claiming they would clean up Washington. Just like Speaker Pelosi claiming the last bogus ethics legislation would clean up the town.

Anyone looking to buy a bridge or swampland in Florida can contact the people mentioned above for more details. Until then some excerpts and links on the JJJ story are provided below for your reading pleasure.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Probe into why Blago expected campaign cash for JJJ appointment
Southtown Star -
By Natasha Korecki and Fran Spielman, Sun-Times News Group
Federal authorities have asked US Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-2nd) why former Gov. Rod Blagojevich believed he would get campaign cash in exchange for appointing Jackson to President Obama’s …

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.: Feds step up inquiry
Chicago Tribune -
By Jeff Coen and John Chase | Tribune reporters
Federal authorities have questioned a former chief of staff to ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich and other cooperating witnesses about an attempt by friends of Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. to raise funds for Blagojevich …

Ethics Panel Focuses On Rep. Jesse Jackson
Washington Post -
A congressional ethics panel is investigating Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) after allegations last year that some of his associates had discussed helping then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich with fundraising if Blagojevich agreed to appoint Jackson to the seat …

Jackson Jr. Says He’s Cooperating With Ethics Probe
Washington Post -
By Ben Pershing
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) acknowledged Wednesday that he is the subject of a preliminary ethics investigation into his relationship with indicted former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich and his efforts to win appointment to the …

Jesse Jackson Jr.: ‘I have done nothing wrong’
Chicago Sun-Times -
BY NATASHA KORECKI
Federal Courts Reporter US Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., whose efforts to secure President Obama’s vacant US Senate seat are being scrutinized in a congressional inquiry, said today “I have done nothing wrong,” and is confident the matter

Jackson Again Denies Wrongdoing, Gets Vote of Support from Davis
Chicago Public Radio -
In a statement, Jackson says he’s eager to answer questions about his bid to land a Senate appointment from now-indicted former Governor Rod Blagojevich. But Congressman Danny Davis, a Chicago Democrat, says he doesn’t know what else Jackson has to say …

Nancy Pelosi seems downright excited about praising Caesar Chavez on the anniversary of his birth. She also seems to be reaffirming her support of illegal immigration and shamnesty with her press release that celebrates the life and times of Caesar Chavez.

At one time the author of this blog was impressed by Chavez also. That was with the idealism of youth and taking things at face value. It appeared to me then that this was a man who saw some people being treated unfairly and made it his life’s work to correct that injustice. Long ago I learned that upon further review, just like instant replay in football, situations are not always as they seem (at first).

Pelosi sings the praise of Chavez and the liberal mantra to help the little guy and right the wrongs of society. It’s lefty-speak for simply ripping people off a different way. Just like Chavez was instrumental in shamnesty in his own time, when undocumented workers threatened his own ambitions he fought to have it stopped.

It has nothing to do with correcting injustice. It has to do with fooling people into believing they are being helped when it is just another scam artist wanting their piece of the action.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

03/31/2009

Pelosi Statement on 82nd Anniversary of Cesar Chavez’ Birthday

Washington, D.C. - Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today in honor of the 82nd anniversary of Cesar Chavez’ birthday on March 31st:

“Cesar Chavez taught us that dignity and sacrifice can inspire a people and bring about change. He famously believed that ‘to suffer for someone in greater need was human.’ It is this belief, along with his struggle on behalf of America’s farm workers, that makes Cesar Chavez an American hero.

“Cesar Chavez devoted his life to improving the working and living conditions of America’s farm workers. His efforts for fair wages, pension benefits, and medical coverage have improved the lives of thousands of families.

“In his honor, last year Congress passed the Cesar Estrada Chavez Study Act, authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the sites associated with the life of Cesar Chavez and the farm labor movement. To celebrate his commitment to our nation’s farm workers, we expanded the Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs, allowing the sons and daughters of our farmers to get an early start on their education.

“Today, on Cesar Chavez’ birthday, we renew our commitment to his fight for equal rights and fair working conditions. Our efforts in Congress to bring justice and opportunity to all are the continuation of his work, and his legacy is remembered by millions.”

Chavez, Organized Labor and Shamnesty

The UFWA during Chávez’s tenure was committed to restricting immigration. César Chávez and Dolores Huerta fought the Bracero Program that existed from 1942 to 1964. Their opposition stemmed from their belief that the program undermined U.S. workers and exploited the migrant workers. Their efforts contributed to Congress ending the Bracero Program in 1964. In 1973, the UFW was one of the first labor unions to oppose proposed employer sanctions that would have prohibited hiring undocumented immigrants. Later during the 1980s, while Chávez was still working alongside UFW president, Dolores Huerta, the cofounder of the UFW, was key in getting the amnesty provisions into the 1986 federal immigration act.

On a few occasions, concerns that undocumented migrant labor would undermine UFW strike campaigns led to a number of controversial events, which the UFW describes as anti-strikebreaking events, but which have also been interpreted as being anti-immigrant. In 1969, Chávez and members of the UFW marched through the Imperial and Coachella Valleys to the border of Mexico to protest growers’ use of undocumented immigrants as strikebreakers. Joining him on the march were both Reverend Ralph Abernathy and U.S. Senator Walter Mondale.[9] In its early years, Chávez and the UFW went so far as to report undocumented immigrants who served as strikebreaking replacement workers, as well as those who refused to unionize, to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

The Bracero Program

Even though the United States had made use of migrant Mexican labor in its agricultural sector since the early 1900s, such labor tended to be both migratory and seasonal with many workers returning back to Mexico in the winter. The situation changed with the involvement of the United States in WWII that created a massive labor shortage in all sectors of the economy with the withdrawal of much of the nations active labor force into the various armed services. The extreme labor shortage forced a change in immigration policy for the United States that resulted in development of the Bracero Program in conjunction with Mexico. The Bracero Program was a guest worker program that ran between the years of 1942 and 1964. Over the twenty-two year period, The Mexican Farm Labor Program, informally known as the Bracero Program, sponsored some 4.5 million border crossings of guest workers from Mexico (some among these representing repeat visits by returned braceros).

Mexico and WWII

Five items are listed at Wiki about Mexico’s contribution to WWII. The most significant being an expeditionary air force squadron named Escuadron 201 with limited duty during the closing year of the war.

Obama Census Plan: No Illegal Alien Left Behind (Michelle Malkin)

Taking a stand against the open-borders agenda (Michelle Malkin) 

Pelosi says she is not to be blamed for the AIG bonus amendment. She also says it is a matter of ‘ fact and record.’ If that is the case Nancy, provide the fact and record rather than asking people to take your ‘word’ or look for it themselves. If you do not provide the proof why should anyone believe you?

Don’t blame me on AIG, Pelosi says
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking at her weekly presser this morning, says she had nothing - nothing — to do with Chris Dodd’s AIG amendment.

But the better part of all this distraction from the real problems is liberals attacking each other. Pelosi blames everyone else for the AIG bonus flap. Even the current White House is blamed by Dodd and Pelosi. Yet it seems Pelosi indicated Dodd was wrong on what happened with his amendment. They can’t all be right but they can all be wrong.

Pelosi: Don’t Blame Us for AIG Mess
By Ben Pershing

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) pushed back strongly today at the suggestion that she or her fellow House Democrats might deserve any blame for the AIG bonus controversy, insisting that the real fault lay with the Bush administration and — to a lesser extent — the Senate and the White House.

If Pelosi is blaming the Senate, the White House, past and present and Bernanke then then is she agreeing with some reports which point to Secretary Tax Cheat of the Treasury Tim Geithner as authoring the bonus portion of the funding for AIG?

Pelosi Blames Bernanke Over AIG Bonus Fiasco
By COREY BOLES

WASHINGTON — House of Representatives Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke deserves at least part of the blame for American International Group Inc. executives receiving $165 million in bonuses at taxpayer expense.

Speaking at a press conference Thursday, Rep. Pelosi said it was the Fed that initially provided financial assistance to the beleaguered insurance giant in September, with little involvement from congressional lawmakers.

“The announcement was made by the chairman of the Fed [it] would be making this big infusion of cash into AIG without any prior notification to us,” Rep. Pelosi said. “We didn’t even know [the Fed] had that kind of money…That’s when it all started.”

The two items that provide the glare from these stories is that Pelosi, Obama and the rest of those in the majority are dead wrong when they claim government operations, especially Congress, are transparent and they are taking focus off the real target of properly attending to this nation’s economic problems and policy decisions.

They would do this because they are screwing up worse than those they want to blame for the problems. The growing ‘backlash’ against those charged with leading our country will reach the tipping point if matters don’t improve soon. The apathetic nature and short memory of the public at large will hold them (politicians) responsible above the culpability of any other participants if the madness does not subside.

But there are so many politicians guilty of some misdeed related to economic scandals of late that doing the right thing requires some political careers to be destroyed. Who will be first?

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Look beyond the bogus bonus smokescreen (Michelle Malkin)