THE MORAL DANGER OF GLOBAL WARMING

By Philip Stott

"Global warming represents the latest doom-laden 'crisis,' one demanding sacrifice to Gaia for our wicked fossil-fuel-driven ways. But neither history nor science bolsters such an apocalyptic faith.

Our so-called 'crisis' is neither a product of current observations nor of projections.

But does it matter if global warming is a 'crisis' or not? Aren't we threatened by a serious temperature rise? Shouldn't we act anyway, because we are stewards of the environment?

Herein lies the moral danger behind global warming hysteria. Each day, 20,000 people in the world die of waterborne diseases. Half a billion people go hungry. A child is orphaned by AIDS every seven seconds. This does not have to happen. We allow it while fretting about 'saving the planet.'

What is wrong with us that we downplay this human misery before our eyes and focus on events that will probably not happen even a hundred years hence?" Read more.

Philip Stott is an Emeritus Professor from the University of London, UK. For the last 18 years he was the editor of the Journal of Biogeography.

Look to Mars for the truth on global warming

National Post
Lawrence Solomon

"Climate change is a much, much bigger issue than the public, politicians, and even the most alarmed environmentalists realize. Global warming extends to Mars, where the polar ice cap is shrinking, where deep gullies in the landscape are now laid bare, and where the climate is the warmest it has been in decades or centuries.

'One explanation could be that Mars is just coming out of an ice age,' NASA scientist William Feldman speculated after the agency's Mars Odyssey completed its first Martian year of data collection. 'In some low-latitude areas, the ice has already dissipated.' With each passing year more and more evidence arises of the dramatic changes occurring on the only planet on the solar system, apart from Earth, to give up its climate secrets.

NASA's findings in space come as no surprise to Dr. Habibullo Abdussamatov at Saint Petersburg's Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory. Pulkovo -- at the pinnacle of Russia's space-oriented scientific establishment -- is one of the world's best equipped observatories and has been since its founding in 1839. Heading Pulkovo's space research laboratory is Dr. Abdussamatov, one of the world's chief critics of the theory that man-made carbon dioxide emissions create a greenhouse effect, leading to global warming.

"Mars has global warming, but without a greenhouse and without the participation of Martians," he told me. "These parallel global warmings -- observed simultaneously on Mars and on Earth -- can only be a straightline consequence of the effect of the one same factor: a long-time change in solar irradiance."

The sun's increased irradiance over the last century, not C02 emissions, is responsible for the global warming we're seeing, says the celebrated scientist, and this solar irradiance also explains the great volume of C02 emissions.

"It is no secret that increased solar irradiance warms Earth's oceans, which then triggers the emission of large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. So the common view that man's industrial activity is a deciding factor in global warming has emerged from a misinterpretation of cause and effect relations."

Dr. Abdussamatov goes further, debunking the very notion of a greenhouse effect. "Ascribing 'greenhouse' effect properties to the Earth's atmosphere is not scientifically substantiated," he maintains. "Heated greenhouse gases, which become lighter as a result of expansion, ascend to the atmosphere only to give the absorbed heat away."

The real news from Saint Petersburg -- demonstrated by cooling that is occurring on the upper layers of the world's oceans -- is that Earth has hit its temperature ceiling. Solar irradiance has begun to fall, ushering in a protracted cooling period beginning in 2012 to 2015. The depth of the decline in solar irradiance reaching Earth will occur around 2040, and "will inevitably lead to a deep freeze around 2055-60" lasting some 50 years, after which temperatures will go up again.

Because of the scientific significance of this period of global cooling that we're about to enter, the Russian and Ukrainian space agencies, under Dr. Abdussamatov's leadership, have launched a joint project to determine the time and extent of the global cooling at mid-century. The project, dubbed Astrometry and given priority space-experiment status on the Russian portion of the International Space Station, will marshal the resources of spacecraft manufacturer Energia, several Russian research and production centers, and the main observatory of Ukraine's Academy of Sciences. By late next year, scientific equipment will have been installed in a space-station module and by early 2009, Dr. Abdussamatov's space team will be conducting a regular survey of the sun.

With the data, the project will help mankind cope with a century of falling temperatures, during which we will enter a mini ice age.

"There is no need for the Kyoto Protocol now. It does not have to come into force until at least 100 years from no w," Dr. Abdussamatov concluded. "A global freeze will come about regardless of whether or not industrialized countries put a cap on their greenhouse- gas emissions."

A PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN

For an insight into the inner workings, behind-the-scenes manipulation by the UN and International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on global warming, read: The hurricane expert who stood up to UN junk science.

"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule." -- H.L. Mencken

Immigration bill moves to tighter enforcement

"The chief House proponents of a path to citizenship for illegal aliens yesterday also embraced stricter enforcement, arguing they need to move that direction if they hope to pass a bill this year.

They introduced a new immigration overhaul that still grants almost all illegal aliens a path to citizenship, but would also speed up the requirement that they learn English, make them leave the country before they can start the path to citizenship, and make the entire program turn on the government showing it is making progress on border security and interior law enforcement.

With Democrats now in control in the House, the bill marks the first step in a renewed push to get immigration reform passed and says much about how far the debate has come since Congress deadlocked last year and the elections intervened.

'The third time is the charm. The planets are finally aligned to get this done,' said Rep. Jeff Flake, Arizona Republican, who is joining Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, Illinois Democrat, in sponsoring the bill."

Washing Feet Endangers Students, School Says

"If Jesus washed his disciples' feet at a Georgia college in 2007, he'd likely be accused of 'hazing.'

That's the position a Christian ministry at Savannah State University has found itself in, after it washed the feet of its new members. The campus ministry Commissioned II Love (C2L) was also accused of 'harassing' students by sharing their faith.

Washing of feet is a symbolic gesture of servitude in the Christian faith, following the example of Jesus, who washed the disciples' feet during their last meal before his crucifixion, as recounted in the New Testament gospel of John .

The Christian group says the foot washing ritual 'serves as a symbol of purity, a charge to share the gospel, and an act of service to others ... [it] is not a condition of gaining membership, status, or acceptance into C2L or holding an office.'

The explanation appears in a lawsuit brought by C2L against SSU after the group was suspended for 'harassment' and 'hazing.'

The SSU student handbook defines hazing as follows: 'to subject a student to an activity which endangers or is likely to endanger the physical health of a student, regardless of a student's willingness to participate in such activity.' " Full story.

Who knew? Who knew the washing of feet posed such danger?

“If men of wisdom and knowledge, of moderation and temperance, of patience, fortitude and perseverance, of sobriety and true republican simplicity of manners, of zeal for the honour of the Supreme Being and the welfare of the commonwealth; if men possessed of these other excellent qualities are chosen to fill the seats of government, we may expect that our affairs will rest on a solid and permanent foundation.” —Samuel Adams

Democrats fear Fred Thompson...and should

By Mark M. Alexander

Beyond the field of announced GOP candidates with questionable conservative pedigrees, there is a potential suitor on the horizon who could close the wide breach between Republicans and conservatives. Fred Thompson, the former Republican Senator from Tennessee, is perhaps America's brightest and most capable prospect for President in 2008. Continue...

Palestinian handouts

By Linda Chavez

One year ago, the United States and the European Union decided to cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority after Palestinians elected Hamas, a U.S. and E.U.-designated terrorist organization, to lead their government. Now, it turns out, Western sources, including the U.S. government, have actually put more money into the West Bank and Gaza since Hamas took over than in previous years. Read more...

Fighting a war with 535 generals

"Get ready for the invasion of the armchair generals. With 535 Capitol Hill generals struggling to define every aspect of when and how our troops in Iraq may be deployed, timetables for their withdrawal and specific requirements for how, when and against whom they may strike, the challenge of winning the war in Iraq is about to get a whole lot tougher."

Ethanol isn't worth getting pumped up about, but oil shale might be

By Ed Feulner

"Winter is barely behind us, and gasoline prices are already rising. Worse, experts predict more price increases are right down the road.

This poses two problems. First, higher energy prices mean families have less to spend on other necessities. Second, most of the money we spend for fuel ends up overseas, often supporting countries that don't wish us well.
To solve the first problem, we need to solve the second........." More.

"W" Opting Out
By Robert Novak

Close friends of Fred Thompson say his wife Jeri is urging him to take the plunge later this year and run for the Republican presidential nomination. The former senator from Tennessee and current actor on "Law & Order," in private conversation, makes it clear that he is seriously interested in launching a candidacy that has attracted extraordinary attention over the last two weeks. More...

Israel military ready to spend up to $1 billion to resupply

WorldTribune.com

JERUSALEM — Israel has approved a military resupply effort to prepare for any war over the next year.

Officials said the government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has approved a major military program to replenish munitions and supplies consumed in the war with Hizbullah in 2006. They said the cost of the multi-year program has not been set. More details.

Israel intelligence: Iran forming Hamas-led Palestinian army

WorldTribune.com

JERUSALEM — Israel's intelligence community has determined that Iran launched a crash program to form a Hamas-led Palestinian army.

"Officials said Iran has been training up to 500 Hamas operatives as combat commanders and soldiers. They said the Hamas fighters would serve as the core of any Hamas-led Palestinian Army over the next year." Read more.

Al Qaida fighters from Iraq holed up in Lebanon refugee camp

WorldTribune.com

NICOSIA — The Lebanese Army has laid siege to a Palestinian refugee camp where up to 200 Al Qaida operatives were located.

The Al Qaida agents were said to belong to the group, Fatah Al Islam. Officials said Fatah Al Islam contained Palestinian and other operatives who were trained and financed by Syria and fought against the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq.

Officials said the Lebanese Army has sent reinforcement to the Naher Bared refugee camp near Tripoli. They said the operation was meant to capture Syrian-sponsored Al Qaida operatives alleged to have participated in a campaign to topple the government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora.

"There are suspects in the camp and the army has been ordered to capture them," a Lebanese security source said." Full story.

U.S. forces redeploying, reducing presence in major Iraq cities

WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — The U.S.-led military coalition has been redeploying throughout Iraq.

"A report said the U.S.-led MultiNational Force-Iraq has been moving forces and bases throughout Iraq amid the strengthening of the Iraq Army and police, Middle East Newsline reported. The Defense Department said U.S. and other coalition partners have reduced their troop presence in major Iraqi cities.

The report said coalition forces would be deployed in a minimum number of strategically-located forward operating bases and convoy support centers. The Pentagon said the U.S. military has been negotiating with the Iraqi government for an Iraq Army takeover of the bases being evacuated.

The report said that over the next few months Iraqi combat units would be expanded as well as refitted and retrained. The Pentagon said the initiatives would add more than 60,000 personnel to the Iraqi security forces during 2007.

At this point, the Interior Ministry would require 32,000 new police annually to replenish their ranks. The National Police would be expanded to 10 brigades.

The coalition has been funding the training and equipping of 30,000 soldiers to increase combat manpower levels to 110 percent. The Iraqi government plans to increase the size of the Iraq Army by 24,000 soldiers in an effort to enhance operational and tactical flexibility. The report said this would enable the retraining and refitting of battle-weary units.

The U.S. military has completed its goal in training and equipping 188,300 members of the police and security forces, the report said. The force has been further expanded to 194,800 amid reports of militia influence and corruption." Full details.

D.C. Con

OpinionJournal
The great non-state of Columbia.

"If you've visited the District of Columbia, you may have seen the license plates declaring 'taxation without representation.' This isn't a gripe about taxes, which they love in D.C. It's a complaint about the District's lack of seats in Congress. The rest of the country might have more sympathy if D.C.'s politicians were seeking representation according to the U.S. Constitution." Read on.

Republican Rx GOP alternatives to HillaryCare

OpinionJournal
BY KIMBERLEY A. STRASSEL

"It's been mostly doom-and-gloom days for Republicans--a lost majority, Iraq, U.S. attorneys, soul-searching over just what happened to the party of Reagan. So it's worth noting a new intellectual debate that's rumbling to life in the party wings, one that could signal whether the GOP is capable of rediscovering its free-market principles." Read on.

ENJOY

Encouraging Response to 'The Next Conservatism'
By Paul M. Weyrich and William S. Lind

The Next Conservatism is not yet a movement but it may be on its way to becoming one. Senators and Members of Congress are coming to see that the supposed conservatism of the Republican Party is inadequate, both intellectually and politically. It neither motivates the grassroots nor comes to grips with the problems facing our country…

Dems Accused of Using Troops as 'Bargaining Chip' for Pork -- 03/21/2007

"As the House prepares to debate legislation Thursday that would authorize more funding for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan - and set a September 2008 end-date for funding - conservative analysts condemned what they said was excessive 'pork spending' in the bill.

The U.S. Troop Readiness, Veteran's Health, and Iraq Accountability Act would allocate $103 billion in additional funding for military operations, and to care for wounded troops. But it also contains $21 billion in so-called 'pork spending.'

Several appropriations are under fire, including:"

Read on.

"An unlimited power to tax involves, necessarily, a power to destroy; because there is a limit beyond which no institution and no property can bear taxation." -- John Marshall

WE JUST NEED TO TALK TO THEM - RIGHT?

Hamas TV Shows 4-Year-Old Girl Vowing Suicide Bombing
Jerusalem - Hamas television broadcast a video dramatization on Wednesday in which the four-year-old daughter of female suicide bomber vows to do what her mother has done. The child is an actress, but the point was clear...

OF COURSE THEY DID

Did Mexico Influence Arrest of Border Agents?
A government watchdog group wants to know whether the Mexican government influenced the decision by federal prosecutors to go after two ex-border agents who shot a Mexican suspected of smuggling drugs into the country...

HOW LONG CAN YOU HOLD YOUR BREATH?

Algore wants to have an "immediate freeze" on CO2 emissions. How I wish he would shut his yap.

Gore Outlines Grand Plan on Climate Change
(CNSNews.com) – If global warming activist Al Gore has his way, Americans may face tougher vehicle emission standards, a freeze on carbon emissions, a moratorium on coal, a ban on incandescent light bulbs, a government requirement that corporations disclose carbon emissions to shareholders, ratification of an international treaty to reverse global warming – and a carbon tax...

Is Bush Blind, Naive, or Just a Quitter?

Opinion Journal has an editorial today, "The real goal of Congress's subpoena assault is to cripple the Bush Presidency" which can be read here.

The "destroy the Bush presidency" campaign has been ongoing and put into action quite sometime ago. Hasn't GW been aware of this before now. He seems to be digging in his heels now on the Alberto Gonzalez kerfuffle, but even this has been handled poorly (from a PR perspective) from the get-go.

This administration is and has been woefully inept at communicating with the public. Other than his steely resolve on the Iraq war (although he here to has not communicated his position well and not nearly often enough to the public) he has not given the us the impression that he is willing to stand up and fight over issues. A man whom is not willing to defend himself, is not worthy of being defended by others in my humble opinion.

Ohhhh ..... if only we could have a "true leader of men."

Obama Linked to Anti-Hillary Ad

Democrats Refuse to Talk about Tax Hikes on CNBC

'On the Money' couldn't find a Democratic representative to explain why the party wants to raise taxes – but did explain why it's a bad idea for the economy.

By Amy Menefee
Business & Media Institute

As CNBC’s Melissa Francis explained, Democrats want to raise your taxes – but they don’t want to tell you about it.

“President Bush’s tax cuts expire in 2010, and if the Democrats get their way, America’s taxes will jump more than $2.1 trillion over the next 10 years.” More...

ABC Chavez Interview Fawns over 'Intelligent,' 'Passionate' Dictator

Though Chavez has called Bush a 'devil' and seized foreign assets, 'Good Morning America' preview shows Barbara Walters claiming Chavez 'does like this country.'

By Dan Gainor
Business & Media Institute


Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez “does like this country” and is “passionate,” “dignified,” “intelligent” and loves coffee.

That’s the conclusion of an ABC exclusive interview with a man who has threatened to shut off oil to the United States and who even human rights groups criticize for his abuse of power. Read on.

Edwards Claims His Mega-Mansion is Carbon Neutral

Presidential candidate promotes carbon caps for business, but carbon 'offsets' for himself.

By Dan Gainor
Business & Media Institute

Continue...

The Real Inconvenient Truth - Politico.com

By: Sen. Jim Inhofe

"When the old gray lady says it's over, it's over.

The New York Times -- nearly a year late -- is finally recognizing the scientific reality regarding fears of a man-made climate catastrophe. On March 13, a landmark article stated 'scientists argue that some of (former Vice President Al) Gore's central points are exaggerated and erroneous.'

It appears we are all skeptics now.

It's about time the Times joined the growing chorus of scientists criticizing the alarmism. Even the United Nations, despite all the media hoopla, halved its estimates for sea level rise since 2001 and reduced man's impact on the climate by 25 percent in a recent report. A separate U.N. report last year found that emissions from cows do more to drive global warming than C02 from cars." More.

We Can't Afford to Follow Al Gore

Call for massive legislation ignores reality of global energy consumption and plight of the world's poor.

Business & Media Institute

"Now that Al Gore has won an Oscar for “An Inconvenient Truth,” he headed to Capitol Hill to perform before an even more important crowd: lawmakers who could pass legislation that would make energy unaffordable for many Americans." Read on.

Rudy Giuliani: 'We Will Be on Offense' Against Terrorists

"Former U.S. attorney and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani told political supporters at a fundraising stop in Texas that he would continue the fight against terrorism and never give up until the 'job is done' if elected president." Read on.

John Bolton: Military Force Needed to Stop Iran

"President Bush's former envoy to the United Nations says using military force against Iran would be preferable to allowing the country to acquire nuclear weapons." Read on.

Sen. Barbara Boxer Using Gore Hearing to Raise Money

"Sen. Barbara Boxer is using Al Gore’s appearance Wednesday before her Environment and Public Works Committee to help raise money for her 2010 election campaign.

In an e-mail, the California Democrat asked supporters to sign an online thank-you card to Gore 'for his many years of leadership and hard work,” which she said she would give to Gore when he testifies on global warming.

Beside the link for signing the thank-you card is a 'contribute today” link enabling users to make online donations to Boxer’s campaign.

The e-mail is 'inappropriate, coming close to an ethical line” because it suggests a link between a congressional hearing, legislative action and campaign donations, campaign finance watchdog Melanie Sloan, executive director of the Center for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington, told California’s Contra Costa Times." Read more.

Al Gore Refuses to Hear GOP Opening Statements

"Former Vice President Al Gore apparently will brook no skepticism. Given the opportunity to testify about global warming before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday, Gore decided to arrive late, so he wouldn't have to suffer through the Republicans' opening statement." More details.

Gore Won't Behave By Senate Rules

"The following release was posted Tuesday night to the web log of Senator James Inhofe:

From behind the scenes on Capitol Hill: Former Vice President Al Gore, despite being given major preferential treatment, has violated the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee’s (EPW) hearing rules." Read on.

The Blame-America-First Crowd

By Michael Barone

'They always blame America first.' That was Jeane Kirkpatrick, describing the 'San Francisco Democrats' in 1984. But it could be said about a lot of Americans, especially highly educated Americans, today.

In their assessment of what is going on in the world, they seem to start off with a default assumption that we are in the wrong. The 'we' can take different forms:

Read more.

Saudis Plan Beachfront Hotel in Israel

"A Saudi Arabian prince is in discussions to build a beachfront hotel in, of all unlikely places, Tel Aviv."

Russia Shows Signs of Dissatisfaction With Iran -- 03/19/2007

"Moscow - In two moves likely to increase pressure in Iran, Russia is moving towards launching an international uranium enrichment center and towards greater cooperation with the United States over nuclear fuel."

Israel Pledging Harsh Response to Terrorists
Jerusalem – Israel is pledging a harsh response to terror attacks, following the claim of the new Palestinian unity government that it has a right to continue “resistance” against Israel. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice questioned on Monday what P.A. Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh (Hamas) meant by the word “resistance,” which Israel considers a euphemism for terrorism...

Conservatives Decry ‘Double Standard’ in Justice, Media
Some conservatives don’t mind that Republicans have been under fire for legal, ethical and moral mishaps, but they are concerned that Democrats may be getting away with the same types of misconduct. “Corruption is bipartisan, always has been,” one government watchdog told.......

Strange Headline of the Day

'We want this baby polar bear dead' say animal rights lobby
- theDaily Mail

Who needs nukes?

The U.S. for starters.
BY BRET STEPHENS

The new Palestinian government still hasn't recognized Israel.

BY KHALED ABU TOAMEH

The Surge May Be Working

By David Aikman
TOWNHALL.COM

Four months after the U.S. announced a surge of troop reinforcements into Baghdad and other Iraqi cities previously given up for lost by the Iraqi government and the U.S., there is evidence of success.

Though there is still plenty of violence in the Iraqi capital and throughout the country, it is considerably less than before the surge began. More important, in neighborhoods where the new U.S. policy of entering and staying has taken place, more stores are being opened and once-feared militants have gone to ground.

Iraq is not going to be pacified overnight and there is great danger of a slide back to the deterioration of previous months if the momentum is not maintained. In the U.S., congressional Democrats continue their push for an end to military funding in Iraq. But it is the opponents of the surge policy who should now be on the defensive about Iraq, not the advocates.

FOR THE RECORD: VICTORY IS THE ONLY ANSWER

“There’s something about diplomats, no matter how brilliant, that leads them to see a world that never existed, and most likely never will... The past results achieved by the grand master of diplomacy were often disappointing. [Henry] Kissinger attempted to tame the Soviet Empire by constructing ‘detente,’ which probably extended the life of the Communist superstate by a decade or more; it took Ronald Reagan to bring it to an end. Kissinger attempted to negotiate peace between Israel and its enemies, thereby spinning out a grand illusion—the misnamed ‘peace process’ —that has created a cottage industry for negotiators but an expanded war for the citizens of the region... It is eerie to watch Condoleezza Rice evince the same frame of mind today, 28 years later. No matter how much evidence of Iran’s determination to destroy or dominate us, no matter how many times Khamenei or Ahmadinejad leads the chant of ‘Death to America,’ no matter how many American fighters and Iraqi citizens are killed as a result of Iranian support for the terrorists, she and the Kissingers of this world continue to convince themselves that things are getting better, that Iran shares our goals for peace in the region, and that if we only make one more generous offer, the whole unpleasant situation will work out for the best. It is not so. They are not like us, and they do not share our dreams. Diplomacy will not tame them. Only our victory will.” —Michael Ledeen

IT'S ALL TOO CONFUSING

“From the Iraq war to Hurricane Katrina, to the ‘global warming crisis,’ little if any of the ongoing discussion is being conducted between two parties with honest concerns for the best avenue by which to address the situation. Instead, the Left invents outlandish accusations, which are then incessantly echoed by its media lackeys. Those on the Right attempt to refute and debunk these accusations with facts, but often find their arguments falling on deaf ears. Eventually, the issue at hand becomes entangled in vast concocted webs of conspiracy and malfeasance, all of George Bush’s doing, of course. As a result of this process, no public interest is served. Worse yet, those who have access to the truth, and who really want the conversation to revert back to a discussion of the facts, find themselves increasingly frustrated and marginalized as the contest is diverted from truth to the realm of political horse races.” —Christopher Adamo

ABOUT WALTER REED

“Democrats have leapt on reports of mold, rats and bureaucratic hurdles at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as further proof of President George Bush’s failed war policies. To the contrary, the problems at Walter Reed are further proof of the Democrats’ failed domestic policies—to wit, the civil service rules that prevent government employees from ever being fired. (A policy that also may account for Robert Byrd’s longevity as a U.S. senator.) Thanks to the Democrats, government employees have the world’s most complicated set of job protection rules outside of the old East Germany. Oddly enough, this has not led to a dynamic workforce in the nation’s capital. Noticeably, the problems at Walter Reed are not with the doctors or medical care. The problems are with basic maintenance at the facility. Unless U.S. Army generals are supposed to be spraying fungicide on the walls and crawling under beds to set rattraps, the slovenly conditions at Walter Reed are not their fault. The military is nominally in charge of Walter Reed, but—because of civil service rules put into place by Democrats—the maintenance crew can’t be fired. If the general ‘in charge’ can’t fire the people not doing their jobs, I don’t know why he is being held responsible for them not doing their jobs. You will find the exact same problems anyplace market forces have been artificially removed by the government and there is a total absence of incentives, competition, effective oversight, cost controls and so on. It’s almost like a cause-and-effect thing.” —Ann Coulter

ON THE DEMOCRATS 'PAYGO' SYSTEM

“[The Democrats’ PAYGO] rules require that whenever the House or the Senate legislatively expands mandatory spending—mostly for entitlements—or reduces taxes, the hit to the budget must be offset by a cut in other mandatory spending, or an increase in other taxes... Paygo was deliberately fashioned in order to make opponents of tax hikes into villains for blocking new entitlements; it also makes it harder to avoid tax hikes and trim government spending. And it lets defenders of discretionary spending off the hook—since under the House paygo rule, increases in discretionary spending do not need to be offset at all. Paygo is a way of diverting attention from the wisdom taught by Milton Friedman: The true burden of government is what it spends—not what it takes in taxes.”

—Stephen Entin,
Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation

CONTRAST THIS

According to a new poll of some 5,000 Iraqis conducted by Britain's Opinion Research Business:

"49 per cent of those questioned preferred life under Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to living under Saddam, while 26 per cent said things were better in Saddam's era, 16 per cent said they were as bad as each other and the rest did not know or refused to answer. . . .

A surprise was that only 27 per cent believed they were caught up in a civil war."

Interestingly, the Financial Times reports:

"The malaise gripping the European Union as it approaches its 50th birthday this week is highlighted in a new poll which shows that 44 per cent of citizens think life has got worse since their country joined the club. . . .

The FT/Harris poll, conducted in the EU's five biggest countries and the US, found that only 25 per cent of the Europeans questioned felt life in their country had improved since it joined the EU."

(Hat tip to James Taranto, Opinion Journal)

The media discover Al Gore's environmental exaggerations and hypocrisy.

“The specter our well-meaning liberal friends refuse to face is that their policy of accommodation is appeasement, and appeasement does not give you a choice between peace and war, only between fight or surrender. We are told that the problem is too complex for a simple answer. They are wrong. There is no easy answer, but there is a simple answer. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right, and this policy of accommodation asks us to accept the greatest possible immorality.” —Ronald Reagan

"“[T]he people are not to be disarmed of their weapons. They are left in full possession of them.” —Zacharia Johnson

"The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God."

-President John F. Kennedy

"Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants. Indeed, these two sciences run into each other. The divine law, as discovered by reason and the moral sense, forms an essential part of both." -- James Wilson

The One Party Rule
By Rich Galen
Starting today, every Republican should repeat the Democrats' mantra: Giving one party control of both the Congress and the Administration is just…too…dangerous...

Surge is 'so far, so good'

Skeptics Call Gore's Movie Science Fiction

"In response to former Vice President Al Gore's Academy Award-winning documentary, 'An Inconvenient Truth,' climate change skeptics called the film a 'sci-fi disaster' movie.

'Al Gore put global warming on the map,' said Marlo Lewis, senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, at a Capitol Hill press conference on Friday. He called 'An Inconvenient Truth' the 'most..."

China Edging US in Espionage, Author Says

"Washington - Chinese espionage directed against the United States has met with 'total success for China' and 'total failure' for America's own intelligence operations, said..."