Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Only in America - Jokester ?!?!?!
Obviously, sentiment must be different in Washington State.
Is any one amazed that this guy is still working?...
Is any one amazed that this guy is still working?...
The Associated Press's David Ammons has this story:
" OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- An oral surgeon who temporarily implanted fake boar tusks in his assistant's mouth as a practical joke and got sued for it has gotten the state's high court to back up his gag.
Dr. Robert Woo of Auburn had put in the phony tusks while the woman was under anesthesia for a different procedure. He took them out before she awoke, but he first shot photos that eventually made it around the office."
Politicians - John Edwards
The "H" word.
I'm thinking there will soon be a law to outlaw it's use.
Would that surprise you?...
I'm thinking there will soon be a law to outlaw it's use.
Would that surprise you?...
Fred Siegel discusses John Edwards:
"What’s not adult is when Edwards, speaking to citizens as if they were children, hypocritically argues that he joined Fortress to learn more about the connections between financial markets and poverty."
Immigration - And Crime
This clearly belongs in a "Wake Up America" category...
Renee E. Taylor writes at FamilySecurityMatters.com:
"But when it comes to the simple act of driving, it’s more difficult to discern how large the problem actually is, because we actually do not know how many illegal aliens really are in the country at any given time. But to give you an idea of the seriousness of the situation, approximately one-fourth of road accident fatalities in Eastern Shore, Virginia in 2002 were attributed to Hispanic drivers. Of those, nearly three-fourths had no insurance, nearly all the cars were registered to other drivers, 93% of the cars had out-of-state license plates, and the number of injuries per accident was approximately 50% higher than the average statewide."
Outsourcing - Please say it isn't so
So, how does this sound to you?...
At WorldNetDaily.com, Jerome R. Corsi discovers
"The Orange County Superior Court in California is outsourcing the processing of traffic tickets to a California company that sends the information through a Nogales, Mexico, subsidiary, raising public concerns of identity theft and complaints of language problems that allegedly lead to months of administrative errors in processing paperwork."
Ethanol - Food for Fuel
I always liked this Ronald Reagan quote.
This writer applies it to the current idea of using ethanol as fuel...
This writer applies it to the current idea of using ethanol as fuel...
Ray Nothstine writes in the Christian Science Monitor. He begins:
"Ronald Reagan once said that the most terrifying words in the English language are, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." His one-liner immediately comes to mind when looking at the problems behind the federal government's campaign to boost production of corn-based ethanol with a massive 51-cent-per-gallon subsidy."
Population - $3500 for a newborn
I see this as the ultimate "conundrum".
Increasing the birth rate seems necessary to sustain aging populations; while, at the same time, larger populations will consume more natural resources...
Increasing the birth rate seems necessary to sustain aging populations; while, at the same time, larger populations will consume more natural resources...
This is by Victoria Burnett in the International Herald-Tribune:
"The Spanish birth rate has plunged over the past 20 years as young Spaniards opted to have fewer children and began families later in life, partly, some sociologists say, because high housing prices keep many at home until their early 30s."
Population - Canada's Birth Rate
Low birth rates seem to be a world-wide issue.
I know this website is promoting an agenda, but it doesn't diminish what looks to be a cause for concern...
I know this website is promoting an agenda, but it doesn't diminish what looks to be a cause for concern...
At LifeSite.net, Elizabeth O'Brien writes:
"Studies predict that the rapidly changing demographics within the nation will take a large toll on the economy and burden the health care system. As a result, the situation has become a cause for major concern throughout Canada. The change will also place a heavy burden on the labor force and all taxpayers, who will be forced to support the aging generation. Nevertheless, any proposed solutions continue to avoid the key issues of contraception or abortion "
Monday, July 30, 2007
The Iraq War - Whoaa! What's this?
Try to guess what newspaper this was in...
Noel Sheppard of NewsBusters.org found this:
"In war, sometimes it's important to pick the right adversary, and in Iraq we seem to have done so. A major factor in the sudden change in American fortunes has been the outpouring of popular animus against Al Qaeda and other Salafist groups, as well as (to a lesser extent) against Moktada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army.
These groups have tried to impose Shariah law, brutalized average Iraqis to keep them in line, killed important local leaders and seized young women to marry off to their loyalists. The result has been that in the last six months Iraqis have begun to turn on the extremists and turn to the Americans for security and help. The most important and best-known example of this is in Anbar Province, which in less than six months has gone from the worst part of Iraq to the best (outside the Kurdish areas). Today the Sunni sheiks there are close to crippling Al Qaeda and its Salafist allies. Just a few months ago, American marines were fighting for every yard of Ramadi; last week we strolled down its streets without body armor."
"How much longer should American troops keep fighting and dying to build a new Iraq while Iraqi leaders fail to do their part? And how much longer can we wear down our forces in this mission? These haunting questions underscore the reality that the surge cannot go on forever. But there is enough good happening on the battlefields of Iraq today that Congress should plan on sustaining the effort at least into 2008."
Roswell Explained? - You decide
Just in case you're a UFO believer...
SpiritDaily.com seems an unlikely site for this information:
"A tantalizing explanation is now brought to our attention by investigative journalist Nick Redfern.
In a fascinating, heavily-documented book called Body Snatchers of the Desert, Redfern marshals page after page of facts indicating that the Roswell crash involved not UFOs or extraterrestrials but a secret military program to develop high-altitude balloons that were fashioned after Japanese 'fugo' aircraft. Remember, this is 1947 -- immediately after the war, and immediately after we confiscated Japanese laboratories. Indeed, the Air Force later changed its explanation of the crash debris to specifying a weather balloon -- which indeed the debris resembled."
The Iraq War - An IBD Editorial
I'm a firm believer that more knowledge of history would serve most of us well...
In this IBD editorial, J.R. Dunn reminds us of a few things:
"The coalition has left the treadmill in which one step of progress seemed to unavoidably lead to two steps back. It requires some time to discover the proper strategy in any war.
A cursory glance at 1943 would have given the impression of disaster: Kasserine, in which the German Wehrmacht nearly split Allied forces in Tunisia and sent American GIs running; Tarawa, where over 1,600 U.S. Marines died on a sunny afternoon thanks to U.S. Navy overconfidence; and Salerno, where the Allied landing force was very nearly pushed back into the sea.
But all these incidents, as bitter as they may have been, were necessary to develop the proper techniques that led to the triumphs of 1944 and 1945.
Someday, 2006 may be seen as Iraq's 1943. It appears that Gen. David Petreaus has discovered the correct strategy for Iraq: engaging the Jihadis all over the map as close to simultaneously as possible. Keeping them on the run constantly, giving them no place to stand, rest or refit. Increasing operational tempo to an extent that they cannot match, leaving them harried, uncertain and apt to make mistakes."
The Iraq War - One General's Opinion
He sounds reasonably optimistic on an issue that is a difficult as they come...
I found this in an interview with General John M. Keane at the National Review.com. :
"Because all the schools are open. The markets are teaming with people. Some operating at full capacity; some not quite there because of the level of violence in their neighborhood and some of the construction that was being done, but nonetheless a steady improvement. Government services are being administrated in the neighborhoods and again some of that is uneven because of the nature of the government of itself, but nonetheless there is an attempt to provide essential services to the population where in ‘06 there were none.
And so those atmospherics are real, and I have spoken to hundreds of Iraqis in those neighborhoods and almost to a person they believe the security situation is improving. They want Americans to stay with the Iraqis to help protect them, and in the neighborhoods where the violence took place in ’06. They almost tremble at the thought of that ‘06 violence. You can hear it in their voices when they talk about what that meant to them and their children."
Politicians - and Earmark Reform
If this represents reform, I have a bridge to sell you.
But, maybe it's LESS than before.
(Oops, I lost my mind for a moment)...
But, maybe it's LESS than before.
(Oops, I lost my mind for a moment)...
PorkBusters.com has the latest:
"The House of Representatives has quite the sense of humor when it comes to commemorating our nation's founding. This year, they've decided to celebrate that great year by making 1,776 earmark requests for Defense appropriations.
As such things tend to do, a spreadsheet of the requests reached me, so scroll down to view all 1,776 in their pork-laden glory. The first table summarizes the total number of earmarks requested by each member (congratulations Congressman Young --- you win!), and the second table provides the detail (such as it is) for each request."
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Immigration - the backyard borders
In Blaine, Washington, it's government vs. government.
Keep in mind that somehow, we are paying for much of this...
Keep in mind that somehow, we are paying for much of this...
The Associated Press's Curt Woodward has the story:
"Herbert and Shirley-Ann Leu were thinking landscaping, not politics, when they built an 85-foot-long concrete wall in their backyard.
But their yard happens to run along the U.S.-Canadian border _ a situation that has put the Leus in the middle of a property rights battle, led the Bush administration to fire its own hand-picked border caretaker, and given rise to a legal dispute over the extent of presidential authority."
The Middle East - Neverending Story?
If we can't remember our mistakes, we are doomed to repeat them.
I'm thinking, "Here we go again"...
I'm thinking, "Here we go again"...
Here's Victor Davis Hanson in the National Review:
"Past presidents and statesmen as diverse as Madeleine Albright, James Baker, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Brent Scowcroft have weighed in with various remedies to our supposed blunders in the Middle East since September 11.
Apparently, Americans are supposed to forget these supposedly brilliant strategists’ dismal records of dealing with Middle East terrorism, Islamic radicalism, and murderous dictators. However, their three decades of bipartisan failure helped bring us to the present post-9/11 world.
So before the United States abandons its present policies in Iraq and Afghanistan, we should at least recall the past record — which may be best summed up as the ying of Democratic appeasement and the yang of Republican cynicism."
He calls them "Tubist Americanos"
I guess this called a "broadside".
I'll let the author tell it...
I'll let the author tell it...
R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. writes at AmericanSpectator.com:
"The debate was sponsored by CNN and what is called YouTube, which is essentially an agglutination of home videos filmed for and by that preposterous mass of shut-ins who sit in their underwear day and night glued to the Internet. Over a dozen of these sad sacks filmed their mainly ignorant questions, and a CNN talking head then directed the inquiries to those Democrats who aspire to the responsibilities of a Roosevelt or a Kennedy. The questions bespoke the questioners' gloom or indignation or narcissism or infantile stupidity, and occasionally all of the above. Not one of the questioners struck me as a normal American."
The Middle East
I read this as a guarantee that the next skirmish will be rife with complaints about Israeli attacks on innocent civilians.
I can't imagine even the most incurable optimist thinking this will ever end...
I can't imagine even the most incurable optimist thinking this will ever end...
The blog is "From Beirut to the Beltway". Here's part of one of the posts:
"Speaking of Hizbullah's missiles, AP and Haaretz say the majority of these rockets are being moved to densely populated villages.
Hezbollah guerrillas have moved most of their rockets in south Lebanon among civilians in villages, an apparent attempt to avoid detection by Israel and U.N. troops, Israeli military officials said Sunday… Last summer, many of Hezbollah's rocket batteries were located in unpopulated rural areas, where the guerrillas dug networks of tunnels and fortifications, the officials said. But the army's new intelligence indicates that those positions have now largely been abandoned in favor of populated villages, which provide better cover for the group's activities. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject. (AP)"
Politicians - Eliot Spitzer
Don't these politicians know by now that eventually everything gets exposed?...
In the New York Daily News, Michael Goodwin says he will never forget:
"In the fall of 1998, Eliot Spitzer was winning the race for attorney general. I was the Daily News Editorial Page editor, and my colleagues and I had pressed Spitzer about the source of millions of dollars he was spending on the race. He told us, as he told election officials, that he had taken out personal bank loans. Days before the election, Spitzer confessed to another newspaper that his father really was the source of the money."
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Immigration - It's going to be a long road
The federal government says "A" and the local government says "B", so the contractor says it's unconstitutional.
Meanwhile, they may not be building the roads.
This seems to be an issue that everyone wants fixed, as long as doesn't affect them personally...
Meanwhile, they may not be building the roads.
This seems to be an issue that everyone wants fixed, as long as doesn't affect them personally...
Ben Smith reports in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
"One of Georgia's biggest road-building companies says it won't bid on any more Gwinnett County contracts — for now — as a result of a new county policy meant to crack down on illegal immigrants."
The Fog of War
The fog of war, and many agendas.
This is apparently a big mess...
This is apparently a big mess...
At NewsMax.com, Philip V. Brennan reports the story to date:
"If you haven't noticed, the tragic farce of a government prosecution of its case against the Haditha Marines being played out at the Marine Corps base at Camp Pendleton is beginning to look like a chapter out of 'Alice in Wonderland.'
All that's needed to complete the picture is a Mad Hatter. But before it's all over, we can expect him to show up as a government witness. As the Article 32 hearings (the equivalents of a grand jury proceeding) progress, the government's case gets, in Alice's words, 'curiouser and curiouser.'"
Politicians - Some get caught
You might remember George Galloway.
The media gave him favorable coverage during his U.S. visits.
Apparently, the truth occasionally DOES come out in the end...
The media gave him favorable coverage during his U.S. visits.
Apparently, the truth occasionally DOES come out in the end...
Christopher Hitchens writes at Slate.com:
"This raises two quite serious questions. The first is the extent to which the Iraqi Baath Party was able to purchase direct influence among Western politicians: George Galloway has been a hysterically extremist political thug for a long time, but others more supposedly 'respectable,' including some important Russian and French politicians and diplomats, may have been sweetened and suborned in the same way. The second has to do with a purely moral issue. The 'il for Food' program was the means by which the most vulnerable people in Iraq—the children, the sick, and the aged—were supposed to be protected from the effect of sanctions aimed at the regime. To have profited from its abuse or its diversion is therefore somewhat worse than to have accepted a straight-out bribe or inducement from Saddam Hussein. It is to have stolen directly from the neediest and the weakest, in order to finance a propaganda campaign that in turn blamed the West for the avoidable sufferings of Iraqis between 1991 and 2003."
Well Intended Tires
I would hope there is a lesson learned here.
"Well intended" doesn't play well when damage is the result...
"Well intended" doesn't play well when damage is the result...
The Army News Service's Lindy Dinklage reports:
"'In 1972, a number of organizations with good intentions dropped about two million tires in the Atlantic Ocean in an effort to build the world's largest man-made reef,' said Chief Warrant Officer Shane Sherrad, vessel master for the LCU-2017, El Caney. 'In reality, nothing grew, and the tires began to drift, damaging the existing reefs on either side of the man made reef. Our job was to figure out how to recover the tires in order to protect the other reefs.'
Some of the hundreds of thousands of tires lining the ocean bottom have begun to wash up on local shores and into existing marine life, making them a hazardous presence on the ocean floor."
Freedom of Speech ?
I like Internet freedom; however, I don't like this.
Our freedoms are often our Achilles heel...
Our freedoms are often our Achilles heel...
Leander Schaerlaeckens writes for United Press International:
"Terrorists in all three of the recent botched terrorist attacks -- the London car bombs, the JFK airport fuel line and the Fort Dix military base in New Jersey -- were inspired by jihadist Web sites, according to MEMRI.
Carmon said that there are countless Web sites, like the one with a caption atop its main page saying 'Kill Americans everywhere,' that are hosted by American servers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Texas, Minnesota, Washington and New Jersey.
He also cited two Web sites hosted by Google, one by Yahoo and one by Microsoft and claimed that they circulate military guidelines used in training fighters and making dirty bombs. The Web sites are also used for indoctrination and the dissemination of information, religious texts and videos, according to Carmon."
Hillary Clinton - Government for everything
In my humble opinion, "free enterprise" is much better than "another politically influenced bureacracy"...
From an Investors Business Daily editorial:
"Clinton's proposal — introduced Thursday in the Senate — would give states $28 billion over five years to incorporate the nation's 120,000 preschools now run in firms, churches and storefronts into a government-run system. The former Goldwater girl has come a long way from the western ways and neighborhood values she once embraced.
Her universal preschool idea is sparking heated debate over the back fence and in policy circles. The question is basic: How much control should the government have in raising and teaching our young children?
It's Clinton's sharp tack to the left, arguing that government should take over small, independent preschools that make this super-nanny proposal reminiscent of her ill-fated single-payer health plan."
In Our Schools - "Tolerance" ?
Home schooling, anyone?...
At CitizenLink.org, Candi Cushman discusses "tolerance":
"Which is what the Montgomery County public school district claims it’s promoting by introducing a pro-gay curriculum in all of its middle and high schools this fall.
The new curriculum describes homosexuality as 'innate' and exposes kids to propaganda like this statement: 'It took a while for me to figure out that I am bisexual. I’ve had great relationships with men and with women,' according to copies of the curriculum posted at www.mcpscurriculum.com."
Politicians - and their families
Just in case you missed this...
I found this at TMZ.com:
"TMZ has learned that Vice President Al Gore's son has been formally charged with possession of marijuana and prescription drugs."
Politicians - and the people they employ
I could be wrong, but to me, politics seems to attract certain types of people...
Casey Ross reports in the Boston Herald:
"A presidential campaign source told the Herald that Garrity created phony badges and directed subordinates to use them to project an image of security on the campaign trail. The source said the badges were employed to strong-arm staff and reporters at campaign venues."
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Something Big is Coming
Or, perhaps it's already here {smile} ...
At LasVegasNow.com, George Knapp is the Chief Investigative Reporter. He reports:
"A photo of a new building under construction at Area 51 has raised tantalizing possibilities for the civilian researchers who dabble in such topics. No one can say for certain what the building will be used for, but aviation historian Peter Merlin says the one thing we can say is that it's one big hangar.
'It probably measures 275 feet by 600 feet. It's no larger than hangars at other bases, but it certainly is the largest at Area 51,' Peter Merlin said.
Satellite photos confirm Area 51 already has two dozen hangars, including some less than two years old. So what's going on out there?"
Politicians - Harry Reid
And they're the ones that called for "reform"...
In the Chicago Sun-Times, Robert Novak discusses the reports:
"When Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid picked up his ball and went home following his staged all-night session last week, he saved from possible embarrassment one of the least regular members of his Democratic caucus: Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska. Reform Republican Sen. Tom Coburn had ready a defense authorization bill amendment to remove Nelson's earmark funding a Nebraska-based company whose officials include Nelson's son. Such an effort became impossible when Reid pulled down the bill.
That Reid's action would have this effect was mere coincidence. He knew that Sen. Carl Levin's amendment to the defense bill mandating a troop withdrawal from Iraq would fall short of the 60 senators needed to cut off debate, and planned from the start to pull the bill after the all-night debate, designed to satisfy anti-war zealots, was completed. But Reid also is working behind the scenes with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to undermine transparency of earmarks and prevent open debate on spending proposals such as Nelson's."
Politicians - Following the Earmarks
Another sad example of political ethics (read hanky-panky)
I'm not surprised...
I'm not surprised...
The story is at The Crypt's Blog on Politico.com:
"What's a paltry one million dollars to a member of Congress?
Well, apparently not enough to know if an organization about to receive that big block of cash actually exists. "
Politics - and our "sitcom attention span"
Our attention spans are short, we don't seem to learn from history, and the politicians exploit both behaviors.
I think I have that right...
I think I have that right...
So, I agree with Frank Salvato at the American Chronicle:
"It’s becoming quite the gamble. Once again, Democrats in Congress – led by Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi – are betting that the Sitcom Attention Span (SAS) of the American people will save their hides, this time from their dismal performance during the first six-month in control of the House and Senate. But as the old adage goes, fool me once, shame on you. . ."
Table Scraps In Seattle
Does this mean you can't slip them to your dog?
On a more serious note, I understand the idea of recycling. I'm just not sure I like the government involved at this level...
On a more serious note, I understand the idea of recycling. I'm just not sure I like the government involved at this level...
In the Seattle Times, Sharon Pian Chan reports:
"Starting in April 2009, all single-family homes will be required to subscribe to food-waste recycling, a program that is now optional through the yard-waste collection program. A variety of containers will be available for different rates. Prices have not been set."
The Media - No high marks here
This lengthy article goes deep into the media's influence and prejudices.
It uses the recent Duke lacrosse team case as the example...
It uses the recent Duke lacrosse team case as the example...
Rachel Smolkin writes in the American Journalism Review:
"Many in the media jettisoned caution--and the presumption of innocence--in their coverage of an alleged rape by Duke lacrosse players, and were too slow to correct the record as the case unraveled. But some journalists distinguished themselves with skeptical and incisive reporting."
Terror - We must keep fighting
Here's a bit of common sense.....
The New York Post's Ralph Peters writes:
"Islamist terrorism is about the catastrophic, self-inflicted failure of the Muslim world of the greater Middle East. It's their bad, not ours. They're humiliated, jealous, hateful, stunningly incompetent - and angry about it. And the situation isn't about to change.
We'll face Islamist terror for decades to come. Although only the military can lead this fight, terrorism is like crime in the sense that we'll never eliminate it entirely. But (also as with crime) that doesn't mean it isn't worth reducing terrorism as much as we can.
Does the fact that rapes still occur mean that we should stop arresting rapists? Does our failure to stop all murder mean we should let murderers run wild? Of course not. You nail every criminal you can and make the world safer. But it will never be perfectly safe.
Same with terror."
Global Warming - When Physics Trumps Hysteria
Here's a nice reasonable article explaining Global Warming.
Unfortunately, it probably won't get widely noticed because it's too factual, not to mention quite logical...
Unfortunately, it probably won't get widely noticed because it's too factual, not to mention quite logical...
Michael R. Fox, Ph.D. writes at GrassRootInstitute.org:
"It seems more logical that natural forces are still at work with warming and cooling our climate. For example, Fred Singer and Dennis Avery pointed out in their book Unstoppable Global Warming that over the past 1,000,000 years in climate observations, there have been about 600 periods of warming, and we can surmise from these cycles that among them are about 599 periods of cooling."
Cape Wind - the story so far
Now, this is what I call a heavyweight fight.
And rest assured, there's probably much more to this story...
And rest assured, there's probably much more to this story...
Kermit Patterson tells it at FastCompany.com:
"'It's a war of attrition,' says Gordon. 'They're trying to wear us down and make us run out of money.'
Gordon has spent millions on lawyers, lobbyists and consultants, but two of his most powerful weapons are his own determination and salesmanship. When Walter Cronkite, a longtime resident of Martha's Vineyard, recorded radio ads against the wind farm, Gordon picked up the phone. 'We're renting a summer house in Nantucket and he gets on the phone and cold calls Walter Cronkite,' recalls Gordon's wife Meg. 'The next thing I know, I'm out buying a box of candy for Jim to bring to his house.' He convinced Cronkite to keep an open mind, and the newsman asked the alliance to pull his ads.
Gordon also has proven to be a savvy political operator. When the Democratic convention came to Boston in 2004, somebody distributed a bogus press release claiming that a contractor had refused to work with Cape Wind. Gordon hired a forensic computer expert from Kroll Security who, armed with two court orders, traced the phony release to the home of a staff member of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound. Gordon sued the staffer and won a $15,000 judgment, which Cape Wind -- not to let a good publicity opportunity slip by -- donated to a charity that helps needy families pay energy bills."
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Young People and the News
Some parts of this article are a bit disheartening, maybe even scary...
At TownHall.com, Tony Blankley discusses the news awareness of today's young people:
"Projecting all these trends and habits out into the near future -- it is not a very pretty picture. The politicians of tomorrow will be made up of well-informed former Teenage Republicans and well informed whatever their liberal counterparts are called struggling to make the great arguments of democracy to a general public that will make today's general electorate look like a nation of Oliver Wendell Holmeses.
A broadly ignorant public degrades a citizenry into a mob, and induces politicians to descend to demagogy. A fool and his vote are soon parted.
It would seem that my generation (the boomers) is the first since the rise of mass literacy to fail to pass on to our children the zest for news reading as a requisite for good citizenship.
Perhaps it is not the boomers parenting habits that are to blame. Perhaps it is induced by the good times that we have enjoyed as a nation these several decades. Perhaps it will take brutal and sustained hard times to get the news attention of our Tivoing, iPoding young urban professionals. Harrumph!"
Politicians and the Media - Cut from the same cloth
This seems like a surreal version of politicians lying and the media going along with it...
Michael Medved explains at TownHall.com:
"Anyone who reads major newspapers or watches TV news would naturally assume that on Thursday, July 2nd, the House of Representatives took a fateful vote to end the Iraq War and to withdraw US troops.
As a matter of fact, the House voted for nothing of the kind, and the public distortions by both parties and all major media demonstrate the shameful gamesmanship on all sides when it comes to Iraq policy."
This Day in History - 1969
And a disgustingly sad day, I might add...
In the Boston Herald, Howie Carr remembers:
"Ted Kennedy pulled an all-nighter last night - how ironic is that? There must be something about Ted Kennedy and all-nighters on July 18, because it was 38 years ago tonight that he pulled another one.
At Chappaquiddick.
Will Teddy’s Senate office issue a statement today about the anniversary of his 1969 drive off the bridge? They used to. But you know the Kennedy bumkissers would prefer to ignore this day which will live in his infamy."
This Day in History - 1969
Incident on Chappaquiddick Island...
This is from History.com:
"Shortly after leaving a party on Chappaquiddick Island, Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy of Massachusetts drives an Oldsmobile off a wooden bridge into a tide-swept pond. Kennedy escaped the submerged car, but his passenger, 28-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne, did not. The senator did not report the fatal car accident for 10 hours."
In Our Schools - Eastern Michigan University
How smart were these people?...
This is reported by the A.P.'s Jeff Karoub in the San Diego Union-Tribune:
"Three Eastern Michigan University administrators, including the president, have been forced out, months after top school officials were accused of covering up the rape and slaying of a student by publicly ruling out foul play."
In Our Schools - Touro College
In the world of political correctness, I guess this is called subsidizing your income...
Laura Italiano reports for the New York Post:
"For at least four years, a pair of greedy college administrators pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from former students who wanted to change F's into A's on their Touro transcripts, prosecutors charge.
But the accusations get even worse. The two administrators are also charged with awarding fictitious degrees to 'graduates' who had never once stepped foot in any of the New York-based international college's 29 locations."
Monday, July 16, 2007
So, what did really happen?
I'm thinking we'll never really know.
It's hard to imagine this ending with a factually correct conclusion...
It's hard to imagine this ending with a factually correct conclusion...
This snippet from the Republican-American website is what caught my eye:
"But Lt. Col. Ware said Iraqis have a powerful motive to lie because the United States pays $2,500 to the families of innocent Iraqi civilian killed by U.S. forces."
Sunday, July 15, 2007
The Media - 5 year old news?
Quality reporting from our former main stream media...
Mark Finkelstein reports at NewsBusters.com:
"A terrorist website releases a tape of Osama Bin Laden, claiming it's new. And how do the MSM react? By rushing to air it, or in the case of wire services like AP, trumpet it in print. As of 6:30 A.M. EDT this morning, the AP story Bin Laden Appears in New al-Qaida Video was featured on Drudge.
There's only one problem. A senior Bush administration official informs this NewsBuster that:
'intelligence agencies have determined the video was previously aired as a portion of a longer show first on MBC TV (Middle East broadcast station) on April 17, 2002.'"
The Media - Their bias is known
The polls are showing it.
The media's bias undermines their creditibility to the point where everything should be questioned.
Perhaps, the public marketplace will eventually fix this.
If readership continues to decrease and their money dries up, they may change their ways.
We can only hope...
The media's bias undermines their creditibility to the point where everything should be questioned.
Perhaps, the public marketplace will eventually fix this.
If readership continues to decrease and their money dries up, they may change their ways.
We can only hope...
From the polling firm, Rasmussen Reports:
"By a 39% to 20% margin, American adults believe that the three major broadcast networks deliver news with a bias in favor of liberals. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 25% believe that ABC, CBS, and NBC deliver the news without any bias.
Similar results are found for CNN and National Public Radio (NPR). By a margin of 33% to 16%, Americans say that CNN has a liberal bias. The nation’s adults say the same about NPR by a 27% to 14% margin."
The Media - Biased in favor of who?
It's pretty clear in this example...
Thomas Lifson writes for the American Thinker:
"One the most comic aspects of liberal media bias is the well-established pattern of identifying politicians caught up in scandal by party only when they are Republicans. Democrats rarely if ever are identified by party. The past week supplies a good example courtesy of the New York Times and AP, arguably the two organizations which do the most to shape national political coverage."
Friday, July 13, 2007
"Live Earth" Concerts - Deceitful?
The "Live Earth" concerts are discussed here, along with some realities that seem indisputable...
This blogger, Roy Spencer, is a principal research scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He writes:
"It is a matter of simple physics and basic economics that, no matter how much you think the world will warm in the future, there is nothing substantial we can do about it without new energy technologies. The global demand for energy is simply too great."
John Stossel vs. Robert Kennedy, Jr.
I found this entertaining, including some of the comments...
At NewsBusters.org, Brad Wilmouth discusses a part of Neil Cavuto's Show:
"On Wednesday's Your World with Neil Cavuto, FNC's Cavuto hosted both ABC's John Stossel and environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to discuss Kennedy's charge, from the stage of Saturday's "Live Earth" concert in New Jersey, that the ABC anchor, as well as Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, have been "lying" about global warming and are "toadies" for corporations."
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
J.D. Pendry 2006, Ret Sgt. Major US Army
Sgt. Major Pendry has some very strong opinions...
In his open letter at FrontPageMag.com, he seems to have touched almost everyone:
The Clintons - whatever it takes
I'm thinking of a delicatessen.
I'm thinking of the luncheon meat display.
I'm thinking of a round pink even textured luncheon meat.
It's baloney!...
I'm thinking of the luncheon meat display.
I'm thinking of a round pink even textured luncheon meat.
It's baloney!...
Peter Nicholas, in the L.A. Times:
"Hillary Rodham Clinton looked enviously at her husband's malted milkshake at a roadside ice cream shop. Then, unable to resist, she dipped in a plastic spoon. Sitting side by side at the counter, cooing over the array of flavors, the Clintons seemed the picture of marital bliss, like any other husband and wife team that just happened to be running for president once again.
Elsewhere during nearly three days of campaigning across Iowa, the couple hugged, touched and whispered in each other's ears. He would pat her back. She would touch his arm. In the Fourth of July parade in Clear Lake, they marched along holding hands, fingers interlocked."
Politicians - Hillary Clinton
A tangled web.
You have to read the U.K. news to learn about it...
You have to read the U.K. news to learn about it...
Philip Sherwell, in the U.K. Telegraph:
"Hillary Clinton's chief strategist has been accused of illegally monitoring the emails of a former business associate who started a rival company, according to a lawsuit filed in New York last week.
Mark Penn, a polling guru who secretly advised Tony Blair on tactics to win over traditional Tory voters before the 2005 general election, has denied the allegation.
The case is the latest example of how Mr Penn's high-profile business dealings are threatening to embarrass the Democratic presidential front-runner.
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His dual role - as Sen Clinton's adviser and chief executive of the public relations company Burson-Marsteller - is hampering her campaign to woo the trade union support crucial for any Democrat seeking the party nomination."
Only in America - 28 miles of fence
After reading this, I'm almost speechless.
It's looks like a lot of people will make a lot of money with questionable results (at best).
Hopefully, I'm wrong...
It's looks like a lot of people will make a lot of money with questionable results (at best).
Hopefully, I'm wrong...
Joseph Richey writes a special report for Corp Watch:
"The subsidiary that makes these weapons -- Boeing Integrated Defense Systems Unit -- will try to achieve what previous border surveillance programs like America's Shield Initiative, Border and Transportation Security Network, and others have failed to do so far: create a mix of infrastructure, technology and personnel that will make the border impermeable.
The minimum cost of setting up the system is estimated at $1 million a mile but that figure does not include the ongoing costs of maintaining the infrastructure and staffing it.
SBInet will go beyond just the physical construction. 'Virtually every detail is being outsourced from the government to private contractors,' says California Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman. 'The government is relying on private contractors to design the programs, build them, and even conduct oversight of them.'
The federal government's role will be limited to actual apprehension, which remains, for now, the domain of trained U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. (Although that too may change if the U.S. Congress accepts a proposal by DynCorp to deploy 1,000 private agents for border patrol duties, under a separate contract.)"
Politicians - Harry Reid
Looks like, same old, same old, to me...
In the L.A. Times, Chuck Neubauer and Tom Hamburger write:
"Incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid vows to make reform of congressional earmarks a priority of his tenure, arguing that members need to be more transparent when they load pet projects for their districts into federal spending bills.
But last year's huge $286-billion federal transportation bill included a little-noticed slice of pork pushed by Reid that provided benefits not only for the casino town of Laughlin, Nev., but also, possibly, for the senator himself.
Reid called funding for construction of a bridge over the Colorado River, among other projects, 'incredibly good news for Nevada' in a news release after passage of the 2005 transportation bill. He didn't mention, though, that just across the river in Arizona, he owns 160 acres of land several miles from proposed bridge sites and that the bridge could add value to his real estate investment.
Reid denies any personal financial interest in his efforts to secure $18 million for a new span connecting Laughlin with Bullhead City, Ariz."
Politicians - Rick Santorum
The former Senator says "they don't think like we do".
I think that applies to the terrorists, AND our Senators...
I think that applies to the terrorists, AND our Senators...
From an interview with Hugh Hewitt:
"I’ve got to tell you, I’m very disappointed, and disappointed in all four of those, my former colleagues. They should know better. In fact, they do know better. They know that this is a very serious threat, they know that if we are to withdraw our troops and stop resisting their attempts to conquer that region of the world, that they will soon end up on our doorstep. If we didn’t learn anything from the events of 9/11, certainly the Islamists’ attempts of attacking our European allies, particularly the UK, should give us some pause that these people will prey on weakness. They saw the transition of power from Tony Blair to Gordon Brown, and they saw the appeasement of the Brits of trying to, you know, get out of the Middle East and get the troops withdrawn. And so what was their response? They stepped up their terror attacks. I mean, you have to understand, they don’t think like we do. They don’t see people reaching out saying let’s work and compromise, and let’s try to find meaningful middle ground as anything but weakness. They will exploit that weakness by going after you. And so learn lessons. Don’t learn the lessons you learned growing in your own neighborhood, because they’re not growing up in those neighborhoods. They’re growing up in very different neighborhoods with very different worldviews, and responses to different stimuli. We need to understand that, and we need to react accordingly."
Politicians - Exposing themselves
This writer is quite fun to read.
He is usually serious, but here is his humorous side...
He is usually serious, but here is his humorous side...
In the Chicago Sun-Times, Mark Steyn discusses our Senate:
"On the eve of Independence Day, the people of this great republic declared their independence from the United States Senate under the stirring battle-cry, 'No legislation without explanation!' The geniuses who'd cooked up the 'comprehensive' immigration bill's 'grand bargain' behind the scenes in the pork-filled rooms had originally planned to ram it through in 48 hours before Memorial Day. And, right to the end, the bipartisan Emirs-for-life of Incumbistan gave the strong impression they regarded it as an affront to be required by the impertinent whippersnappers of the citizenry to address the actual content of the legislation."
Politics - in France
I'm betting this is only the tip of the iceberg...
At TimesOnline.com, John Follain writes about French politics:
"In the latest episode of a saga that split France’s last conservative government and threatens to divide the new one, Michèle Alliot-Marie, the interior minister, is to be questioned over what she knew about a plot to smear Nicolas Sarkozy three years ago in an apparent attempt to prevent him from becoming president.
A retired spymaster, General Philippe Rondot, claimed last week that he had revealed to Alliot-Marie, who was then defence minister, the details of the alleged conspiracy to blacken Sarkozy’s name.
Loyal as she then was to President Jacques Chirac and the prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, who both loathed Sarkozy, she allegedly failed to warn him that he was the target of an effort to discredit him.
The claim came at the end of a dramatic week in which a power struggle won long ago by Sarkozy over de Villepin culminated in raids on the former prime minister’s office and home, prompting speculation that he might be charged with a criminal offence in spite of his insistence that he had done nothing wrong."
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Self-esteem - and our new adults
I'm pretty much in agreement with this writer...
Bob Lonsberry thinks we're creating flawed future generations:
"The idiocy of social engineering in the classroom is again bearing catastrophic results.
Here’s how we know. A group of five university professors has evaluated more than 16,000 personality profiles of college students gathered over the last 24 years. What they’ve discovered is that today’s young people have dramatically different self-concepts than the two generations which preceded them.
And the differences aren’t good."
Global Warming - Models trump measurements
If you're believing the global warming hype, this might give you pause...
In Canada's National Post, Lawrence Solomon reports:
"Amazingly, the hypothetical results from climate models have trumped the real world measurements of carbon dioxide's longevity in the atmosphere. Those who claim that CO2 lasts decades or centuries have no such measurements or other physical evidence to support their claims.
Neither can they demonstrate that the various forms of measurement are erroneous.
'They don't even try,' says Prof. Segalstad. 'They simply dismiss evidence that is, for all intents and purposes, irrefutable. Instead, they substitute their faith, constructing a kind of science fiction or fantasy world in the process.'"
Global Warming - Eco-Hypocrisy
Why am I not surprised?...
At NewsBusters.org, Lynn Davidson has this story:
"As NewsBusters noted, in June Rolling Stone published a “green” issue that still didn't please the enviro-left. Well, now Radar Online exposed the magazine's founder and publisher Jann Wenner's not-so-green lifestyle which contrast with his ecological stunts and stances.
Radar's July 3 article and July 6 update about Wenner's high-living, carbon-spewing lifestyle which is filled with globe-spanning Gulfstreams, big SUVs, lending his evil Global Warming Inducing Death Plane to high-profile friends (like John Kerry) and staffers ferrying lunches back and forth should really tick the green crowd off. Oh, and he doesn't even recycle. Bad environmentalist, bad!"
Article - The jobs Britons won't do
This should get us thinking because it's probably the same here in the U.S. ...
Mark Steyn writes in the Orange County Register:
"Some 40 percent of Britain's practicing doctors were trained overseas – and that percentage will increase, as older native doctors retire, and younger immigrant doctors take their place. According to the BBC, 'Over two-thirds of doctors registering to practice in the UK in 2003 were from overseas – the vast majority from non-European countries.' Five of the eight arrested are Arab Muslims, the other three Indian Muslims. Bilal Abdulla, the Wahhabi driver of the incendiary Jeep and a doctor at the Royal Alexandra Hospital near Glasgow, is one of over 2,000 Iraqi doctors working in Britain.
Many of these imported medical staff have never practiced in their own countries. As soon as they complete their training, they move to a Western world hungry for doctors to prop up their understaffed health systems: Dr. Abdulla got his medical qualification in Baghdad in 2004 and was practicing in Britain by 2006. His co-plotter, Mohammed Asha, a neurosurgeon, graduated in Jordan in 2004 and came to England the same year.
When the president talks about needing immigrants to do 'the jobs Americans won't do,' most of us assume he means seasonal fruit pickers and the maid who turns down your hotel bed and leaves the little chocolate on it. But in the United Kingdom the jobs Britons won't do has somehow come to encompass the medical profession."
Border Security - in the U.K.
Sound familiar?...
I found this in a U.K. Telegraph editorial:
"For example, it emerged yesterday that thousands of student visas are issued each year to foreign applicants who then fail to take up their university or college places. Yet the visas allow them to stay in this country quite legitimately for three years.
Given that nearly 400 of these missing students hail from Pakistan, the country with which most terrorist plots inevitably have some connection, this is disturbing."
Psychology - About Human Nature
In case you were wondering about such things....
I found this article by
Alan S. Miller Ph.D. and Satoshi Kanazawa Ph.D. at PsychologyToday.com:
"Ten Politically Incorrect Truths About Human Nature"
Monday, July 09, 2007
Global Warming - About that Ice
But, in spite of the conflicting evidence, the Global Warming "bands" play on. Go figure!
And where's the investigative wing of our media on this?...
And where's the investigative wing of our media on this?...
In the Ottawa Citizen, David Warren reports:
"...I have also been glancing at polls that suggest that such 'experts,' together with the government bureaucracies that have most to gain from encouraging them, and the media that want a good scare story, have done a poor job of ramming global warming down our throats. The great majority of North Americans, at least, simply do not believe them.
As well they might not, for various reasons I have given in previous columns. The main point being, among the intelligent but uneducated, that weather forecasters with billion-dollar computer assemblies are so often wrong about the day after tomorrow. Why would they be right about the next 100 years?"
In Our Courts - Caterpillar Corp.
I understand the anger that provokes this; however, I don't understand how Caterpillar can be held responsible.
It looks like an attempted "money grab" to me...
It looks like an attempted "money grab" to me...
Roxana Popescu describes the case in the Seattle Times:
"Cindy and Craig Corrie, the woman's parents, allege Caterpillar violated human rights and committed war crimes by knowingly selling its equipment to the Israeli army, which used the bulldozers to raze Palestinian homes and endanger people. Rachel Corrie was run over by a bulldozer driven by an Israeli soldier as she tried to block a home from demolition."
The Economy - J.C. Watts vs. Paul Newman
I'm with J.C. Watts on this...
Former Congressman J.C. Watts writes at ReviewJournal.com:
"Predictably, I also heard Newman attack the administration on the economy. That's right out of the Democrat playbook. Demagogue the economy and invoke class warfare. Any acknowledgment of a robust economy includes the assertion that only 'the rich' are benefiting. Newman, who has read a lot of scripts in his lifetime, was faithful to the Democrat script.
But I was talking with a friend just the other day who commented on the fact that he resides on the opposite end of the financial scale from the likes of Paul Newman, yet his humble portfolio is 'sizzling' in this economy, as I recall his description.
Sizzling, indeed. If Bill Clinton were president today, I have no doubt the media would proudly trumpet this era as the 'Clinton Economy' and extol the glories of the Clinton economic team every chance they got.
Criticizing this administration on this economy is a sham. The truth is, that's one of the things Bush has done pretty well. The economy is strong, the Dow Jones is at a record high, inflation is down. Deficits are down to their lowest level in many years. More than 5.5 million new jobs created over the past three years. Our economy is rolling.
Be honest, Democrats and media. If you are going to refer to Iraq as 'Bush's war,' then you are honor-bound to refer to the marketplace today as 'Bush's economy.'
Democrats don't want to acknowledge the strong economy, because that would detract from their message and their full intent to raise your taxes. In fact, today's economic boom is due entirely to the tax relief George Bush and the Republican Congress enacted after his election."
The United Nations - On the job?
They have a new secretary-general.
Here's a snapshot of how they're doing...
Here's a snapshot of how they're doing...
This is being reported in The Peninsula in Qatar:
"When Resolution 1701 was adopted, Israel urged the Security Council to deploy international forces or monitors along the Lebanese-Syrian border to prevent such weapons deliveries. Intimidated by threats of attacks on U.N. troops, the council refused. The result is that Syria and Hezbollah once again are positioned to rain missiles on Israeli cities, to wage war on the Lebanese government or to assault the foreign troops deployed in southern Lebanon."
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Global Warming - Higher then than now!
Why do I think this is all a money making scam?
The second quoted paragraph is the kicker for me...
The second quoted paragraph is the kicker for me...
In an article posted at Breitbart.com I found these quotes:
"Scientists who probed two kilometers (1.2 miles) through a Greenland glacier to recover the oldest plant DNA on record said Thursday the planet was far warmer hundreds of thousands of years ago than is generally believed."
...
"They also indicated that during the last period between ice ages, 116,000-130,000 years ago, when temperatures were on average 5 C (9 F) higher than now, the glaciers on Greenland did not completely melt away."
The Media - the Associated Press
Here's an example of how our media operates.
It seems to make "whisper down the lane" look more accurate...
It seems to make "whisper down the lane" look more accurate...
John writes on the PowerLine Blog:
"We've written about the fact that the wire services employ stringers in Iraq, and elsewhere in the Middle East, who are of doubtful reliability at best. Worse, these stringers sometimes have a political agenda. As a result, the 'news' that the Associated Press reports as fact has sometimes turned out to be based on little more than rumor, or to be fabricated altogether.
The latest example comes from Bob Owens, who sums up the story at Pajamas Media. On June 28, the AP reported that 20 decapitated bodies had been found in a village near Salman Pak, southeast of Baghdad. If you read the fine print, though, it turned out that the story was based on reports from two anonymous 'police officers'--one from Baghdad and one from Kut, some 75 miles from the scene of the alleged atrocity. It was apparent on the face of the AP story that these officers' claims were hearsay, at best.
Owens details how the story was re-told in subtly different ways by news outlets that picked up the AP account. The Washington Post, for example, 'actively obfuscated the distant locations of the anonymous police sources, and instead merely allowed that the came from 'separate commands.' The Post account also rewrote the story in such a way that it appears that there were three anonymous police sources.'"
The Media - the Washington Post
To put it mildly, I am deeply suspicious of our media.
Apparently, this blogger has similar thoughts, and has taken the time to do some research on the Washington Posts use of Iraq civilian casualty statistics.
It appears that they don't even read their own newspaper.
Anyway, if correct, the results are quite revealing...
Apparently, this blogger has similar thoughts, and has taken the time to do some research on the Washington Posts use of Iraq civilian casualty statistics.
It appears that they don't even read their own newspaper.
Anyway, if correct, the results are quite revealing...
I found this on the Back Talk blog:
"These numbers, which are all over the place, are simply ridiculous. The Washington Post reporters clearly have no sophistication in these matters. The mistake they make -- and it is a huge mistake to make if you are attempting to measure a trend -- is to compare figures that are based on different methodologies."
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Who is right here?
Or, in other words, does the newspaper's right, the individual's right to privacy, or the public right to know take preference?
I'm thinking there will be at least one law suit real soon...
I'm thinking there will be at least one law suit real soon...
At CNSnews.com, Nathan Burchfiel reports:
"An Ohio newspaper's decision to publish the non-public records of concealed carry permit holders drew a strong response, and one gun rights advocacy group published personal but public information about the newspaper's editor.
The Sandusky Register on June 24 published the names, ages and home counties of the almost 2,700 concealed carry permit holders in its circulation area. Ohio gun laws restrict public access to concealed carry records but allow the media to access them."
Pardons vs. Pardons
I'm sure the former main stream media won't have anything like this to say...
This Investors Business Daily editorial discusses some differences:
"Then there are the Bill Clinton pardons. Those now screaming about the leniency granted to Libby surely forget that Clinton issued 140 pardons on his last day in office. Many are questionable, to say the least."
Opinion Polling - What gives?
When it comes to opinion polling, I'm lost.
In the U.K. and the U.S. things seem pretty good; but, everyone seems dissatisfied. I guess we'd have to look at the verbage of the questions being asked and see if they somehow influence the answers...
In the U.K. and the U.S. things seem pretty good; but, everyone seems dissatisfied. I guess we'd have to look at the verbage of the questions being asked and see if they somehow influence the answers...
Here's an excerpt from a Chuck Colson article about Tony Blair:
"Blair leaves 10 Downing Street with the dubious distinction of having been the 'most unpopular Labour Prime Minister of modern times.' Last November, his approval rating sank to 26 percent.
In other words, Blair is less popular than the Labour leaders who presided over Britain’s economic collapse of the 1970s: when inflation ran as high as 24 percent a year and the British economy was paralyzed by frequent strikes.
In contrast, Blair’s tenure saw the 'longest uninterrupted period of [economic] growth in 200 years,' not to mention the end of the 'troubles' in Northern Ireland."
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Politicians - John & Elizabeth Edwards
If this article is right, Chris Matthews is sneaky, Ann Coulter has been quoted out of context, Bill Maher can say things without consequences, the Edwards don't communicate, and the media spins to suit their agenda.
Wow!...
Wow!...
I saw this in several places but this article by David Sanders in the Arkansas News tells it best:
"John Edwards has taken his campaign to new depths. Presidential candidates drowning in desperation do stupid things.
Surely you've heard about how Ann Coulter, the conservative fire-breather who makes a living saying things discerning people keep to themselves, was apparently set up by Chris Matthews and the Edwards' campaign.
Halfway through his cable news program on which Coulter was a guest, Matthews announced that Elizabeth Edwards, wife of candidate John, was on the phone with a message for Coulter: You've hurt our feelings, so quit attacking my husband.
Mrs. Edwards was supposedly upset by Coulter's comments on a network morning show the day before. The anchor had asked Coulter about a prior disparaging characterization of Mr. Edwards' sexuality. Coulter claimed that she'd only jokingly referred to Mr. Edwards as a 'faggot.'"
Warren Buffet's Tax Knowledge is Questionable
Or is the agenda more important?
Sadly, the media published this all as if it were true.
Shouldn't they be fact-checking like IBD did...
Sadly, the media published this all as if it were true.
Shouldn't they be fact-checking like IBD did...
Investors Business Daily did some math:
"Billionaire Warren Buffet, sage of Omaha, is a man we admire as an investor. He's done a brilliant job of ferreting out value from stocks that are out of favor. He's made many people rich, and that's a noble thing. But when he mounts a political dais at a $4,600-a-plate fundraiser for Sen. Hillary Clinton, and begins saying things that just can't be true, we start to wonder why.
Buffett told Clinton's supporters he makes $46 million a year in income, but is taxed only at 17.7%. Meanwhile, he claims, his secretary pays 30% in taxes, and the rates for others who work for him are as high as 39.7%.
...
Sounds unjust, if true. But we don't know what tax system Buffett is looking at. It certainly isn't the one we use here in the U.S. We went to the IRS' Web site and used its tax calculator. We put in various incomes, from $50,000 to $350,000 a year — the latter being quite a bit for a secretary to make in Omaha.
...
Here's what we found: At $50,000, the IRS asks for 13.5% of your income. At $75,000, it's 17.3%. You can keep going all the way to about $350,000 before you're in spitting distance (28.4%) of what Buffett's secretary supposedly pays."
