23 May 2008
News and Comments - 05/23/08
Posted by Joy Bischoff under: What's News .
If the world were a logical place, men would be the ones who ride horses sidesaddle.
20 Comments so far...
Jesse Says:
23 May 2008 at 1:12 am.
Ouch, good point with the side saddle thing.
Jesse Says:
23 May 2008 at 1:15 am.
The last sentence I printed here makes me so mad I want to punch someone. So it isn’t the total answer, it is a big part of one and better than Congress who are all sitting on their fat butts not doing a @#$% things about it.
Tap federal lands for oil, BLM urges
The answer to rising fuel prices may lie under millions of acres of federal land, mostly in the West, that for a variety of reasons are off limits to oil and natural-gas development, according to the Bureau of Land Management.
A BLM inventory of public lands released Wednesday shows 279 million acres of untapped resources throughout the United States. Those areas contain an estimated 31 billion barrels of oil and 231 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
“If we want to lower the cost of energy, we must be willing to use our own energy resources as part of a balanced and rational energy policy,” Stephen Allred, assistant secretary of the interior, said in a conference call with reporters.
The report found 60 percent of federal lands that have potential for oil and natural gas are closed to leasing, mostly as a result of congressional or administrative mandates.
The report drew sharp criticism from a leading member of Congress for oversimplifying the nation’s energy woes.
Cameron Says:
23 May 2008 at 8:15 am.
Thank goodness, finally…
U.N. chief: Myanmar to admit all aid workers
CNN) — Myanmar’s ruling junta agreed Friday to “allow all aid workers regardless of nationalities” into the country to help cyclone survivors, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said.
The decision came after the U.N. chief met for over two hours with the junta’s leader, Senior Gen. Than Shwe.
“He has taken quite a flexible position on this matter,” Ban said.
International aid groups have criticized Myanmar for letting few relief workers into the country despite the passage of three weeks and the severity of the storm, which the U.N. says killed more than 130,000 and left more than 2 million homeless.
Ban said the general made the statement “in front of many senior generals,” convincing him that he would keep his word.
Details of the decision were not immediately clear, though a government official familiar with the decision said Myanmar will not allow foreign boats or helicopters into the country.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/05/23/myanmar/index.html
Angela Rogin Says:
23 May 2008 at 8:33 am.
Jesse, you are right. The comment about over simplifying the problem is idiotic. What has congress done about the problem? Refused to allow domestic drilling. We need to all point out to our congressmen that we are holding them responsible.
Cameron Says:
23 May 2008 at 8:59 am.
U.S. Stocks Retreat on Housing, Energy Concern; Ford Slumps
By Eric Martin
May 23 (Bloomberg) — U.S. stocks fell, extending the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s biggest weekly retreat since February, on concern a worsening housing recession and rising energy costs will prolong the slump in corporate profits.
Ford Motor Co. declined for a sixth straight day after the second-biggest U.S.-based automaker said consumers are buying fewer trucks as fuel prices climb to records. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. led declines among retailers as crude headed for its third weekly gain and economists predicted a report will show sales of existing homes tumbled to an all-time low in April.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index slipped 5.65 points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,388.7 at 9:37 a.m. in New York. The Dow lost 50.48, or 0.4 percent, to 12,575.14. The Nasdaq Composite Index sank 11.85 to 2,452.73. Three stocks dropped for each that rose on the New York Stock Exchange.
“Housing prices are still falling, and that’s a big issue for this market,” David Joy, who helps oversee about $160 billion as chief market strategist at RiverSource in Minneapolis, said in a Bloomberg Television interview. “There’s clearly a negative wealth effect associated with falling home prices. Until we get some stability in housing prices consumers are going to be under pressure.”
The Dow average has lost 3.2 percent this week, while the S&P 500 has tumbled 2.5 percent and the Nasdaq has retreated 3 percent.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a.Pl4n0GQBhk&refer=home
Sharon Anderson Says:
23 May 2008 at 11:00 am.
Travel alert at the border.
‘Trouble at the border? I had no idea!’
In another case of politicians not having a clue what’s really going on in this country, an interesting exchange took place in Washington this week. Three Democrat legislators spoke to reporters about what they claim is “anti-immigrant coverage” by conservative media outlets. Apparently, they think floods of illegal aliens crossing into America and the crime and violence at the border are just overblown incidents developed by conservatives to attack our neighbor to the South.
After they spoke, the Democrats were asked if they realized that the State Department had issued a “travel alert warning Americans about military-like ‘combat’ along the southern U.S. border in Mexico, where Americans are being kidnapped and murdered.” None of the legislators knew about it.
Reps. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) and Hilda Solis (D-CA) also spoke to Cybercast News Service and said “they had no knowledge of the travel alert but were aware of the volatility along the U.S. southern border.”
Volatility? Americans are being killed and yet all these liberals want to do is pander! The State Department alert states that “violent criminal activity fueled by a war between criminal organizations struggling for control of the lucrative narcotics trade continues along the U.S.-Mexico border.” Although the alert states that the attacks are primarily aimed at “members of drug trafficking organizations, Mexican police forces, criminal justice officials, and journalists,” the alert goes on to state that “foreign visitors and residents, including Americans, have been among the victims of homicides and kidnappings in the border region.”
In the Cybercast News Service interview, Rep. Solis expressed her concern about “the murder of women” but added, “I’m more concerned about people having their civil rights violated here.” More concerned about the civil rights of law-breaking illegal aliens than Americans being the targets of violence and murder? Just exactly what country do you represent?
Benjamin Says:
23 May 2008 at 11:21 am.
Sharon, sounds like things are seriously getting out of hand. What concerns me is that a situation can’t be properly addressed and handled if the government is not willing to admit and expose the problem. If they spend their time in denial and concerned about favorite pet projects like SPP, then we are screwed because they won’t want the facts interfering with their plans.
E.E. Says:
23 May 2008 at 1:11 pm.
I’m probably being paranoid but I hate to see agreements between China and Russia about anything nuclear. I know it is only for energy but that can change.
China, Russia sign bln-dlr nuclear deal: official
BEIJING - China and Russia on Friday signed a one-billion-dollar deal to expand a nuclear energy facility in the Asian nation, a Russian official said.
“We have completed negotiations on construction of a uranium enrichment factory,” Sergei Kiriyenko, head of the Russian nuclear agency Rosatom, told reporters in Beijing.
He was speaking during a visit to Beijing by new Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who is on his first foreign trip since taking office this month.
The deal will include construction of a fourth block of a nuclear facility that enriches uranium in China as well as the delivery of partially enriched Russian uranium, Kiriyenko said.
“The contract is worth more than one billion dollars, about 500 million dollars for construction and another 500 million for delivery of uranium,” Kiriyenko said.
E.E. Says:
23 May 2008 at 1:12 pm.
Sharon, that really is pretty shocking stuff about the border. This should be headline news but we all know why it isn’t.
M.G. Says:
23 May 2008 at 1:39 pm.
The chatter about McCain and his three guests this weekend has been big on pro Romney sites. People like the fact that Huckabee wasn’t invited and think that is significant. I watched a news video just now that says he was invited but couldn’t come because he has an event in Alaska. I bet he would have cancelled that in a heart beat if Romney wasn’t going to be there. Huckabee wants to be VP almost as much as he hates Mitt.
Cameron Says:
23 May 2008 at 3:33 pm.
Romney launches PAC to help GOP candidates
By Chris Good
Posted: 05/22/08 11:00 AM [ET]
Romney launches PAC to help GOP candidates
Former Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney has launched a political action committee to support Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and other GOP candidates.
“America is at a crossroads,” Romney stated. “If we are to remain a leader in the world, we must be prepared to tackle the numerous challenges ahead of us with the same innovation and spirit that has made us the envy of the world. Together with the candidates we support, and the help of the American people, we can embrace solutions that will create a strong economy, strong families and a strong military.”
The Free and Strong America PAC aims to get “conservative Republicans” elected. McCain heads a list of featured candidates, which also includes Reps. Tom Feeney (Fla.), Michele Bachmann (Minn.), Tom Price (Ga.), Connie Mack (Fla.) and Joe Knollenberg (Mich.), as well as Dean Andal, who is running against Democratic Rep. Jerry McNerney in California’s 11th district, and Keith Fimian, who is seeking to replace retiring GOP Rep. Tom Davis in Virginia’s 11th district.
Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, has appeared at campaign events with McCain, and has said he would gladly joint the senator on the GOP ticket. He has been invited to spend the weekend with McCain, along with Florida Gov. Charlie Christ and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, two other possible vice presidential candidates
“The PAC will support candidates running for all levels of office in the current 2008 cycle, starting at the top of the ticket with Republican presidential candidate John McCain,” the PAC said in a statement.
http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/romney-launches-pac-to-help-gop-candidates-2008-05-22.html
Pickles Says:
23 May 2008 at 3:40 pm.
M.G. I was hoping McCain was smart enough to know what a disaster the Huckster would be. Darn. But maybe McCain will figure out why Huck isn’t really coming and realize having someone that petty wouldn’t be good in a VP. If Mitt is VP then I will get excited about the election again.
SGS Says:
23 May 2008 at 6:00 pm.
Cameron, I too saw this email, but with how things are at this point (violence inside our own border, oil surging out of control, no rein in federal spending and so on…), I am beginning to think Ron Paul’s crowd has it right — that we need to revolt! It seems to me that we are running out of time, and we might not have time to put conservative people in the right positions at high levels. With those people in the right places, it will still take them many years to change the mindset of an average American. Try to say something about “forbidden” topics, like Social Security, and you get an idea of this mindset. I am not sure even Mitt Romney, if he was the one who win this time around, instead of McCain, could make the needed changes fast enough. So, to really shake things up, and quickly, we may need to have the revolution against federal government itself.
In any case, if I was not sure about voting for McCain, I know more and more with passing days that I won’t vote for him. He is NOT the right man for the job, howsoever and whatsoever, particularly with the current issues we are seeing. He will only make things worst. Remember, there are more than two parties; we may want to start looking at other parties.
SGS Says:
23 May 2008 at 6:02 pm.
Oh yes, here is the link of Mitt’s new PAC, as pointed out by Cameron. It still is a worthwhile organization for us to look at: https://www.freestrongamerica.com/
Matt Says:
23 May 2008 at 7:27 pm.
I checked out the link SGS. Whether or not we support McCain, it is still good for conservatives to find grounds to connect on. I doubt I can bring myself to support him but I’m not sure if he picks Mitt as a running mate.
Benjamin Says:
23 May 2008 at 7:45 pm.
This has got to be one of the dumbest things she has ever done:
Clinton sparks uproar with Kennedy assassination comment
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Hillary Clinton triggered a firestorm on Friday after bringing up the 1968 assassination of Senator Robert Kennedy to justify her decision to prolong her long-shot White House campaign.
A day after a top supporter suggested Clinton was getting desperate and she compared a row over voided primaries in Michigan and Florida to the crisis in Zimbabwe, the former first lady sent new shock waves through the race.
Clinton told a newspaper board in South Dakota she could not understand calls for her to quit, arguing that history showed that some past nominating contests had gone on into June.
“My husband (Bill Clinton) did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary, somewhere in the middle of June, right?” Clinton said in an interview with the Argus Leader newspaper editorial board.
“We all remember, Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California, I don’t understand it,” Clinton said.
Obama spokesman Bill Burton condemned the remarks.
“Senator Clinton’s statement before the Argus Leader editorial board was unfortunate and has no place in this campaign,” he said.
Clinton appeared to reference the Kennedy killing, at the end of the 1968 Democratic presidential race, to show that previous Democratic nominating contests have stretched well into June.
Jeezer Says:
23 May 2008 at 7:48 pm.
So is she going to have him assassinated so she gets the nomination or will she wait and see if she gets the nod for VP and then is in office before she has him assassinated? JK (maybe)
Benjamin Says:
23 May 2008 at 7:50 pm.
McCain picks former Reagan official to head VP search
By J. Taylor Rushing
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has tapped a former Reagan administration official to head his campaign’s search for a vice presidential nominee.
Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) told The Hill that Arthur Culvahouse, who was Reagan’s White House counsel from March 1987 to January 1989, will be helping McCain vet candidates and develop a list.
Alexander and Culvahouse have known each other for decades and both have connections to former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker (R-Tenn.).
“It’s Arthur B. Culvahouse, that’s who’s heading the search,” Alexander said.
Culvahouse refused to comment to The Hill, as did the McCain campaign.
“John McCain is heading his search committee, and other than that we don’t talk about it,” said Charlie Black, a top McCain adviser.
Cavetrollhead Says:
23 May 2008 at 11:14 pm.
As far as supporting McCain, Matt, what if Obama is the only viable alternative. I am really torn. An Obama- nation is scary. I am still sticking to my frog boiling point with the republican party for now but hanging tough is hard right now.
T. Fan Says:
23 May 2008 at 11:50 pm.
Cave, since Matt didn’t answer, I will tell you that I have struggled a little with this but from what I am seeing about how things work, Obama will have to stay somewhat in the guidelines of the Establishment and what they want to happen. At the highest levels there isn’t a lot of difference in the parties. They won’t let Obama get out of Iraq until they want out of Iraq, etc. So the radical social positions he takes like on gay marriage, will be carefully watched by the republicans and it will make conservatives bond together more and be stronger to fight the liberal agenda. If it is McCain, he will put in a lot of the liberal agenda mostly unchallenged.
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