Get Paid to Look at Porn

The Washington Times is reporting that employees viewing porn while working for the National Science Foundation (NSF) are costing the U.S. taxpayers a pretty penny. While it's none of my business whether anyone looks at online porn, it is my business when it's being done with my money. Believe me. While I've never gone online to see it, there have been times (mostly in my younger years) I've been the one to rent the video in anticipation of a fun night.

The NSF is a federal agency that gives out billions of tax dollars every year for scientific research grants. The problem of surfing the Internet for porn increased six-fold last year and has forced the inspector general who oversees wasteful spending within the agency to switch gears. The IG has had to cut back drastically on fraud and wasteful spending investigations in order to address the problem. Recovery of wasted tax dollars has also taken a back burner.

A recent request for more staff has been made by the IG to Congress. The request also asks for more funding to properly address the problem.

The number of cases and investigations wasn't revealed, but The Times obtained some information as to just how pervasive of a problem this is at the federal agency through a Freedom of Information Act filing. Wait until you see how our tax dollars are being spent, folks.

One senior executive spent at least 331 days looking at porn and chatting with nude or partially-nude women. He went completely undetected. That's almost a whole frickin' year! My guess is that the other 34 days in the year were probably spent on vacation with his family away from his work computer. Wait...it gets better.

When this sleazeball was finally caught, he retired. His reason for doing all of this on our dime? He did it for these poor overseas women in order for them to make a living. What a humanitarian! Give that man the Nobel Peace Prize! Unbelievable.

Oh...and the cost to you and I for his online strokefests? Between $13,800 and $58,000 according to investigators.

The NSF is wholly funded by the U.S. taxpayers to the tune of approximately $6 billion as of 2008. The foundation gives grants to various groups and universities for scientific research. Some of the projects that have been funded through the NSF include genome mapping of the potato and space exploration with powerful new telescopes. The agency has about 1,200 career employees.

The foundation's inspector general provided documents to The Times that show that 10 investigations were closed last year, up from three in 2006. Seven cases were reported in 2007. Of the 10 last year, seven involved online porn. And that doesn't count the pending cases.

Leslie Paige, a spokeswoman for the nonpartisan watchdog Citizens Against Government Waste, called the situation "inexcusable."

"What kind of oversight is there when they have to shift people from looking at grant fraud to watch for people looking at pornography?" she said.

Foundation spokeswoman Dana Topousis said officials have enacted more rigorous computer training and tightened controls to filter out inappropriate Internet addresses from the sites employees can access from their work computers. Why wasn't this done from the start? Guess it makes too much sense.

The foundation's inspector general uncovers scientific misconduct that can force the return of misused grant money to the government but told Congress it was diverted from that mission by the porn cases.

The office was unable to immediately provide an estimate of how much money the projected decline in investigative recoveries will cost taxpayers. According to congressional reports, overall investigative recoveries by the watchdog agency totaled more than $2 million for the year ending March 31.

The porn problem at the NSF came to light in short summaries by the inspector general during a semiannual report submitted to Congress. The report caught the attention of Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee. Grassley immediately launched an inquiry that brought some unwanted media attention. Not enough if you ask me.

More than 120 investigative documents submitted to The Times do not include internal investigations conducted without the help of the inspector general's office. In other words, it's been going on a hell of a lot more than anyone knows.

"The employees who were investigated were disciplined in one way or another," Ms. Topousis said, adding that she could not comment on individual disciplinary actions.

Last year, one employee paid an undisclosed sum after investigators found that in June of 2008, hundreds of pornographic sites had been visited. The employee got a 10-day suspension. Wow! That's harsh!

Another employee in a different case was caught with hundreds of pictures, videos and even PowerPoint slide shows containing pornography. Asked by an investigator whether he had completed any government work on a day when a significant amount of pornography was downloaded, the employee responded, "Um, I can't remember," according to records. Ah...the Hillary Clinton Whitewater defense.

The employee also said that friends sent him the pornographic files, that he never planned on viewing them and that he never got around to deleting the files, a claim one official later called "simply not believable." Finally! Someone without blinders on!

Suspended for 10 days, the employee unsuccessfully appealed the decision after arguing that it was too harsh. Other employees were terminated.

Another employee who stored nude images of herself on her computer told investigators she mistakenly had downloaded the pictures. She received counseling and was told to adhere to the foundation's policies on computer use. Translation: Don't do that again, young lady. Boy, I'd be shaking in my boots!

The foundation is hardly the only government agency to be embarrassed by disclosures about employees looking at pornography at work.

The inspector general for the Securities and Exchange Commission noted in a report last fall that it had recently conducted three investigations into employees who misused government computers to view pornography.

At the time of the report, one employee had been fired and another suspended, while disciplinary action against a third was pending.

Time to stop all the sticky government keyboards, folks!

ACORN's $50M Real Estate Empire

I've never been to New York City. A place I've wanted to see just once in my life, New York has come to be known for one thing in recent years: high taxes and rent. From acquaintances I have who have lived there, it's not a place you can live in on a shoestring budget.

Enter everyone's favorite corrupt organization, ACORN. The New York Post is reporting that ACORN and some of its affiliates have become the owners of many low- and moderate-income housing units. The estimated worth of the real estate holdings is at least $50 million. How frickin' nice. Not only have they helped countless number of people scam the American taxpayers, but they've managed to build a real estate empire to rival Donald Trump using our tax dollars.

New York ACORN and a whole web of affiliates own or manage almost 1,500 housing units across three of New York's five boroughs. Estimated income from those units? $5.7 million from rents, fees, and profits from sales. Why were they even getting ANY tax dollars at this rate?

Generically-named nonprofits, holding companies, and development funds are given the task of managing these properties. Entities named 385 Palmetto Street Housing Development Fund and the Mutual Housing Association of New York (MHANY) are able to function without exposing any ties to the national ACORN conglomerate. Pretty slick, huh?

Since its inception in 1987, MHANY has accumulated more than 80 homes and apartment complexes across Brooklyn. MHANY reaped approximately $2.5 million in 2007 according to state and federal filings reviewed by the Post.

The revenue generated by these housing units helps support at least 18 local ACORN affiliates. Most of these affiliates are headquartered at 2-4 Nevins Street in Brooklyn, an address shared with the Working Families Party, a progressive group of grassroots community organizers. The group backs such causes as public education for all regardless of where they grow up, healthcare for all, and the green agenda. Sounds like an ACORN wannabe if you ask me.

Among the 18 plus affiliates is the New York ACORN Housing Company. Last week, this was one of the groups busted in an undercover video giving shady advice to two people posing as a pimp and a prostitute.

Local ACORN housing companies share a president, Hazel Desant, an executive director, Ismene Speliotis, and identical boards.

ACORN reports no compensation for the board members, although it disclosed that 10 directors -- all except Desant -- hold leases in ACORN-owned buildings ranging in value from $5,900 to $11,000 annually. I wonder how many people in New York would LOVE to have those rent rates.

Six of the directors owed a total of $8,700 in rent as of June 2008, according to the agency's most recent filing. Speliotis reported an annual salary of $60,773 in 2007.

A spokesman for the organization once represented in court by Obama said that the properties were acquired through city, state, and federal housing programs, and, therefore have no real resale value. Oh really??? Someone in New York should point this out the next time they want to sell one of their buildings. All this tells me is that ACORN used OUR money to buy these properties, but we don't get one dime of any revenue generated. What a bunch of crooks.

"New York ACORN Housing is one of the top providers of managers of affordable housing in this city or anywhere in the United States," spokesman Jonathan Rosen said.

"The Bloomberg administration has turned to New York ACORN housing again and again to help realize the city's vision of developing more affordable housing for New York's working families." This statement makes me wonder what's in it for Bloomberg. Let's face reality. His one goal in this life is to make money. Period.

New York ACORN Housing Company owns or manages several ACORN properties, including four multi-family dwellings in East Harlem and two sparkling new Brooklyn housing complexes.

Since 2000, ACORN has managed an 85-unit housing complex in the Mott Haven section of The Bronx, one of the poorest communities in the country. Over half the population receives some form of assistance. So not only did we most likely pay for the complex itself, but we're also most likely paying the rent for the residents of this apartment building.

ACORN has proven time and again that they'll manipulate the system to access the money paid by those who work their fingers to the bone. These people seem to have no scruples whatsoever.

If an investigation of ACORN comes to fruition, I suggest that they let Sheriff Joe Arpaio lead it.

Connecting More Dots: SEIU

The other day, I posted a timeline, courtesy of World Net Daily, that showed the relationship between ACORN and the current occupant of the White House. It sparked my interest, so I decided to do some more research online. The corrupt dealings of this administration just keep coming and coming and coming...

Glenn Beck has done a stellar job of reporting the corruption by the organization who receives millions of OUR tax dollars every year. In fact, I feel that Beck should be sharing a Pulitzer Prize with the two undercover filmmakers who videotaped all the crap that has come to light in recent weeks.

Beck has recently called the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), headed by president Andy Stern, the sister organization of ACORN. If they are the sister organization, this is a relationship that is more incestuous than any from the hills of Appalachia.

Recently, the SEIU has made the news by using thug tactics at Tea Party protests across the country. Intimidation and physical force are their weapons of choice.

While we now know about the ties between the Oval Office and ACORN, what about the ties between ACORN and the SEIU?? Let's take a look.

The Union Label Blog has connected the dots. Keep in mind that while being associated with ACORN, the SEIU has the ear of BHO.

SEIU Locals 100 and 880 share the same address: 1024 Elysian Fields Avenue in New Orleans. Just up the street is the ACORN office at 1016 Elysian Fields Avenue. Wouldn't be that far to walk, eh?

The unions are to file disclosure statements regarding finances with the Department of Labor. According to Local 880's 2005 financial filings with the DOL, there's been some closed-door dealings going on. Loans and payments have been made to ACORN-run organizations.

• A loan receivable from SEIU Local 100, which started the year at $11,500 and ended the year at only $500—a note shows the loan wasn’t repaid in cash, but rather “reduced to in-kind service”
• “Gifts” totaling $151,694 to the L880 Political Action Committee, which is run out of ACORN’s Louisiana office
• Local 880 received $36,425 as a “contractual fee” from the L880 Political Action Committee
• Representational activities included $6,388 in non-itemized payments to the Chief Organizer Fund (Chief Organizer is Rathke’s title for most of his positions) at ACORN’s office and $66,870 in non-itemized payments to Citizens Consulting Inc., ACORN’s multi-use organization
• $177,430 paid to Citizens Consulting for “Accounting and Administrative Support” and non-itemized transactions for “General Overhead”
• $10,102 paid to Citizens Consulting for “Union Administration”

Local 100's financial filings reveal even more corruption.

• $8,098 in overhead paid to Citizens Consulting
• $9,523 paid to the “Peoples Equipment Resource Corp,” which is registered to Rathke at ACORN’s headquarters
• $6,300 to the Elysian Fields Corporation
• Accounts payable records show $73,984 to the Elysian Fields Corporation; $34,241 to Citizens Consulting; $13,795 to the Fifteenth Street Corporation; and $9,072to the 4415 San Jacinto Corporation—all of which are run out of ACORN’s New Orleans headquarters
• Loans payable included its original $11,500 debt to Local 880 and $8,907 to the Association for the Rights of Citizens—a group run by Local 880 and ACORN.48 Loans to these two organizations were reflected as early as 2000, with as much as $47,000 of money from members in Local 880 being used to support its less-successful sibling.

ACORN appears to have been hired by the SEIU to assail Wal-Mart for not unionizing their employees because the SEIU headquarters sent two installments totaling $500,000 to the "Wal-Mart Organizing Project." The checks were sent to 1016 Elysian Fields Avenue in New Orleans: ACORN's Big Easy Office.

Kevin Mooney at the Washington Examiner had more information that had been posted at The Other McCain. A 2007 LM-2 (financial disclosure form) shows SEIU Local 880, which is active in Illinois and Minnesota, donated $60,118 to ACORN for “membership services.” Organized labor has kicked it back in the form of gifts and grants to ACORN totaling $2.4 million, the LM-2’s reveal.

When Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) decided to cut the pay of home health workers by two dollars an hour during the state's last budget crisis, saving $74 million. These workers are SEIU members. What was the union's reaction? They pressured the Obama administration to withhold $6.8 billion in stimulus funding in retaliation. In fact, SEIU representatives were invited by Obama to negotiations between federal and state government officials that were held via a conference call. Why is a union being asked to participate in negotiations between government officials when they hold no such position? A SEIU spokeswoman later defended the call as "an example of transparency." Yeah...right.

How does this tie to the White House other than the ACORN link? Obama appointed Craig Becker, the associate general counsel of Andy Stern's SEIU, to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Becker is radical on the issue of unions, and his opinions are very well known within the political circle.

Mr. Becker wants to implement his radical unionism on the American capitalist society. In a 1993 Minnesota Law Review article, written when he was a UCLA professor, he explained that traditional notions of democracy should not apply in union elections. He wrote that employers should be barred from attending NLRB hearings about elections, and from challenging election results even amid evidence of union misconduct. He believes elections should be removed from work sites and held on “neutral grounds,” or via mail ballots. Employers should also be barred from “placing observers at the polls to challenge ballots.”

More extraordinary, Mr. Becker advocated a new “body of campaign rules” that would severely limit the ability of employers to argue against unionization. He argued that any meeting a company holds that involves a “captive audience” ought to be grounds for overturning an election. If a company wants to distribute leaflets that oppose the union, for example, Mr. Becker said it must allow union access to its private property to do the same.

With all of this political favortism coming to the surface, how can Dear Leader distance himself from ACORN and SEIU when he is chin-deep in the muck?

Someone's getting thrown under the bus.

Obama and ACORN: A Timeline

World Net Daily has done an excellent job of outlining Dear Leader's ties to the corrupt organization known as ACORN. While most of us have always known that he's been capitulating to their every whim, this article really ties it all together nicely and shows just how far BHO has been willing to let ACORN stick it in.

Click here for the entire article.

1990s: Obama meets ACORN

ACORN, or the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, first noticed Obama when he was organizing on the far south side of the city with the Developing Communities Project. A March 2, 2008, Los Angeles Times article by Letta Tayler and Keith Herbert, titled "Obama Forged Path As Chicago Community Organizer," explored Obama's pre-law school days as a community organizer in Chicago and his efforts to build a partnership with Chicago's "Friends of the Parks."

"Obama's task was to help far South Side residents press for improvement," the Times article explained.

1993: Woods Foundation

In 1993, Obama joined the board of the Woods Foundation, a non-profit foundation which declares its goal to "increase opportunities for less advantaged people and communities by giving money primarily to not-for-profit groups involved in housing, the arts and other areas." Obama served along with Bill Ayers and remained on the board until 2002.

Pajamas Media reports that during Obama's time there, ACORN received grants of $45,000 (2000), $30,000 (2001), $45,000 (2001), $30,000 (2002) and $40,000 (2002) from the Woods Fund.

1994: Buycks-Robinson v. Citibank

As WND reported, in 1994, Obama, a graduate of Harvard Law School then fresh from his Project Vote! experience, represented ACORN in the Buycks-Roberson v. Citibank Federal Savings Bank case, in which ACORN pressed for Citibank to make more loans to marginally qualified African-American applicants "in a race neutral way."

After obtaining a settlement in the Citibank litigation, ACORN used its subsidiary organization ACORN Housing, a nationwide organization with offices in more than 30 U.S. cities, to push the group's radical agenda to get subprime home buyers mortgages under the most favorable terms possible.

1995: ACORN attorney in Illinois lawsuit

In 1995, Obama was hired as a lawyer for ACORN in a major lawsuit. As a lawyer with civil-rights law firm Davis Miner Barnhill & Galland, he sued the state of Illinois on behalf of ACORN to implement the federal "motor voter" law.

Also in 1995, as WND's Jerome Corsi reported, Bill Ayers co-founded the Chicago Annenberg Challenge with a $50 million grant program for the Chicago public schools. Ayers selected Obama to be the first chairman of the board of the Annenberg Challenge, a position Obama held for eight years, until 2003, a period during which Ayers remained active with the Challenge.

In his Wall Street Journal article, Stanley Kurtz wrote that the Annenberg project funneled money to through various far-left community organizers, including ACORN.

Obama's FIght the Smears website claims Obama "never organized with ACORN"

1996: New Party ties

As WND reported, newspaper evidence shows Obama was a member of the New Party, which sought to elect members to public office with the aim of moving the Democratic Party far leftward to ultimately form a new political party with a socialist agenda. While running for the Illinois state Senate in 1996 as a Democrat, Obama actively sought and received the endorsement of the New Party, according to confirmed reports during last year's presidential campaign.

Barack Obama pictured in New Party publication (Courtesy New Zeal blog)

According to Democratic Socialists of America documents, the New Party worked with ACORN to promote its candidates.

1997-2004: Illinois state senator

Obama meeting with ACORN leaders as an Illinois Senate candidate

In 1997, Obama became an Illinois state senator. ACORN national board member Toni Foulkes bragged of ACORN's long-standing relationship with Obama prior to his election in the 2003-2004 issue of Social Policy.

2005: U.S. senator

In 2005, Obama became a U.S. senator.

2007: From Obama's own mouth ...

He was asked, "If elected president of the Unites States, would you agree, in your first 100 days, to meet with the delegation of representatives from these various community organizations that campaigned for community values? Could they count on you in your first 100 days to sit down with them?"

Obama responded, "Yes. But let me even say before I even get inaugurated, during the transition, we're going to be calling all of you in to help us shape the agenda. We're going to be having meetings all across the country with community organizations so that you have input into the agenda for the next presidency of the United States of America."

2008: ACORN endorses Obama

On Feb. 21, 2008, the Acorn Political Action Committee endorsed Obama over Hillary Clinton during the 2008 primaries.

During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama and his running mate, Joe Biden, insisted they had nothing to do with ACORN after the inner-city advocacy group became engulfed in controversy over voter-registration fraud.

But in August 2008, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that the Obama campaign paid $832,598.29 to ACORN "offshoot" Citizens Services Inc. for "get out the vote" projects from Feb. 25 to May 17.

The newspaper revealed that Obama's payments to CSI for services were unusual: "For example, CSI received payments of $63,000 and $75,000 for advance work. Excluding the large payments to CSI, the average amount the Obama campaign spent with other organizations was $558.82 per check on more than 1,200 entries classified as advance work."

Anita Moncrief, former ACORN insider

According to the report, Citizens Services Inc. is headquartered at the same address as ACORN's national headquarters in New Orleans. A 2006 ACORN publication describes Citizen Services Inc. as "ACORN's campaign services entity."

2009: Criminal case against ACORN

According to the results of a congressional investigation done in July, ACORN was found to be rife with criminal activity.

A report from the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform states that ACORN "has repeatedly and deliberately engaged in systemic fraud. Both structurally and operationally, ACORN hides behind a paper wall of nonprofit corporate protections to conceal a criminal conspiracy on the part of its directors, to launder federal money in order to pursue a partisan political agenda and to manipulate the American electorate."

Since 1994, ACORN has received more than $53 million in federal funds, according to the report.

"Under the Obama administration, ACORN stands to receive a whopping $8.5 billion in available stimulus funds. Operationally, ACORN is a shell game played in 120 cities, 43 states and the District of Columbia through a complex structure designed to conceal illegal activities, to use taxpayer and tax-exempt dollars for partisan political purposes, and to distract investigators. Structurally, ACORN is a chess game in which senior management is shielded from accountability by multiple layers of volunteers and compensated employees who serve as pawns to take the fall for every bad act," the report said.

So there you have it. BHO may be calling ACORN's recent exposure a travesty, but make no mistake about it. He agrees with and has supported every illegal activity this organization has been a part of.

Birds of a feather...

Cap and Trade: A Post from Bungalow Bill

We're finding out more and more what earmarks were garnered in the Wacky-Marxist bill known as cap and trade. Bungalow Bill has done an excellent job here. It complements my earmark posts very well.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Moderates in Congress Were Paid Off With Campaign Contributions For Cap And Trade Support: Steve Driehaus and Other Democrats Sell America Out for $2,000

The Politico reports liberal Democrats in the House of Representatives bought the votes of moderates the night before the cap and trade vote. Tens of thousands of dollars were obviously used to pay off moderate Democrats who were initially opposed to cap and trade legislation according to the Federal Election Commission.

From the Politico:

Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) doled out $28,000 to reps who eventually voted yes on June 24, two days before the big vote -- on a day when House leaders were doing some heavy-duty arm-twisting.

Clyburn recipients who voted for the bill included a who's-who of battleground district Dems: Steve Driehaus, D-OH ($2,000); Martin Heinrich, D-NM ($2,000); Suzanne Kosmas, D-Fla. ($4,000); Betsy Markey, D-Colo. ($2,000); Carol Shea-Porter, D-NH ($2,000), Baron Hill, D-Ind. ($2,000); Alan Grayson, D-Fla. ($2,000); Leonard Boswell, D-Iowa ($2,000); Jim Himes, D-Conn. ($2,000); Mary Jo Kilroy, D-OH ($2,000); Kurt Schrader, D-Ore. ($2,000); Jerry McNerney, D-Calif. ($2,000) and Tom Perriello, D-Va. ($2,000).

On the other hand, Clyburn also gave at least $14,000 to Democrats who voted no despite his pressure: Mike Arcuri, D-NY ($2,000); Marion Berry, D-Ark. ($2,000); Bobby Bright, D-Ala. ($2,000); Chris Carney, D-Penn. ($2,000); Chet Edwards (D-Tx.), Travis Childers , D-Miss. ($2,000); Parker Griffith, D-Ala. ($2,000) and Harry Mitchell, D-NM ($2,000).

The same pattern held true for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who gave $4,000 to yes-voting Ohio Democrat Zack Space and the same amount to no-voting Chris Carney.

House Energy and Commerce Henry Waxman gave at least $16,000 to yes-voters on June, 25, FEC records show.

A Waxman campaign spokesman said the payouts were part of the usual "end-of-quarter activity."

Well, there’s proof moderates stand for absolutely nothing and will sell out their own country for just a few thousand dollars. Remember when more American factories move overseas causing more job losses thanks to cap and trade that people like Mary Jo Kilroy sold these Americans out for $2,000. This is criminal!

Remember all of these names at election time!!!

Soldier Fired for Questioning Obama's Eligibility

This story has gotten a lot of play in recent days. Major Stefan Cook, who was to be deployed to Afghanistan, refused to go based on his allegation that Obama is not eligible to be commander-in-chief. His orders were rescinded, but events have taken a Chicago-thug turn.

From worldnetdaily.com:

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BORN IN THE USA?
Pentagon orders soldier fired for challenging prez
Army warrior terminated from job after questioning Obama eligibility

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Posted: July 15, 2009
3:08 pm Eastern

By Chelsea Schilling and Joe Kovacs
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

Dr. Orly Taitz

The Department of Defense has compelled a private employer to fire a U.S. Army Reserve major from his civilian job after he had his military deployment orders revoked for arguing he should not be required to serve under a president who has not proven his eligibility for office.

According to the CEO of Simtech Inc., a private company contracted by the Defense Security Services, an agency of the Department of Defense, the federal government has compelled the termination of Maj. Stefan Frederick Cook.

Cook's attorney, Orly Taitz, wrote in her blog that Simtech CEO Larry Grice said he would try to find another position within the company for Cook, but nothing is currently available.

The Department of Defense does contracting in the general field of information technology/systems integration, at which Cook, a senior systems engineer and architect, was employed until taking a military leave of absence on July 10 in preparation for his deployment to Afghanistan.

"Grice told plaintiff, in essence, that the situation had become 'nutty and crazy,' and that plaintiff would no longer be able to work at his old position," Taitz wrote.

Grice made clear that it was Defense Security Services that had compelled Simtech to fire Cook, Taitz wrote.

According to the report, Grice told Cook "there was some gossip that 'people were disappointed in' the plaintiff because they thought he was manipulating his deployment orders to create a platform for political purposes."

The Simtech CEO then discussed Cook's expectation of final paychecks, without any severance pay, and wished the soldier well.

Messages left with Grice's office had not been returned at the time of this report.

"A federal agency (such as the Department of Defense, acting through the Defense Security Services Agency) clearly violates the Whistleblower Protection Act if it takes or fails to take (or threatens to take or fail to take) a personnel action with respect to any employee or applicant because of any disclosure of information by the employee or applicant that he or she reasonably believes evidences a violation of a law, rule or regulation; gross mismanagement; gross waste of funds; an abuse of authority; or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety," Taitz wrote.

"What has happened in the present case of Stefan Frederick Cook is that a federal agency appears to have taken action against Stefan Frederick Cook's private employer, Simtech, Inc., which is a closely held corporation owned and operated by members of a single family, who are as much victims of the Department of Defense's heavy-handed interference with plaintiff Cook's private-sector employment as is plaintiff Cook himself."

As WND reported, Taitz confirmed to WND the military rescinded Maj. Cook's impending deployment orders.

"We won! We won before we even arrived," she said with excitement. "It means that the military has nothing to show for Obama. It means that the military has directly responded by saying Obama is illegitimate – and they cannot fight it. Therefore, they are revoking the order!"

She continued, "They just said, 'Order revoked.' No explanation. No reasons – just revoked."

A hearing on the questions raised by Maj. Stefan Frederick Cook, an engineer who told WND he wants to serve his country in Afghanistan, is still scheduled for July 16 at 9:30 a.m.

Join the petition campaign to make President Obama reveal his long-form, hospital-generated birth certificate!

"As an officer in the armed forces of the United States, it is [my] duty to gain clarification on any order we may believe illegal. With that said, if President Obama is found not to be a 'natural-born citizen,' he is not eligible to be commander-in-chief," he told WND only hours after his case was originally filed.

"[Then] any order coming out of the presidency or his chain of command is illegal. Should I deploy, I would essentially be following an illegal [order]. If I happened to be captured by the enemy in a foreign land, I would not be privy to the Geneva Convention protections," he said.

The order for the hearing in the federal court for the Middle District of Georgia from U.S. District Judge Clay D. Land said the hearing on the request for a temporary restraining order would be held Thursday.

Cook said without a legitimate president as commander-in-chief, members of the U.S. military in overseas actions could be determined to be "war criminals and subject to prosecution."

He said the vast array of information about Obama that is not available to the public confirms to him "something is amiss."

"That and the fact the individual who is occupying the White House has not been entirely truthful with anybody," he said. "Every time anyone has made an inquiry, it has been either cast aside, it has been maligned, it has been laughed at or just dismissed summarily without further investigation.

"You know what. It would be so simple to solve. Just produce the long-form document, certificate of live birth," he said.

Cook said he was scheduled to report for duty today to deploy to Afghanistan as part of President Obama's plan to increase pressure of insurgent forces there.

He told WND he would be prepared for a backlash against him as a military officer, since members of the military swear to uphold and follow their orders. However, he noted that following an illegal order would be just as bad as failing to follow a legal order.

Before news of the orders being revoked were reported, MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann tonight called Cook a "jackass" and Taitz a "conwoman," as he labeled both of them the "worst persons in the world." He flayed the soldier as "an embarrassment to all those who have served without cowardice."

Named as defendants in the case are Col. Wanda Good, Col. Thomas Macdonald, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Obama, described as "de facto president of the United States."

According to the court filing, Cook affirmed when he joined the military, he took the following oath: "I, Stefan Frederick Cook, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the president of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to the regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

However, he later took the following officer oath: "I, Stefan Frederick Cook, having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of Major do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God."

According to the claim, "Plaintiff submits that it is implicit though not expressly stated that an officer is and should be subject to court-martial, because he will be derelict in the performance of his duties, if he does not inquire as to the lawfulness, the legality, the legitimacy of the orders which he has received, whether those orders are specific or general."

The military courts offer no option for raising the question, so he turned to civilian courts to consider "a question of paramount constitutional and legal importance: the validity of the chain of command under a president whose election, eligibility, and constitutional status appear open to serious question."

"Barack Hussein Obama, in order to prove his constitutional eligibility to serve as president, basically needs only produce a single unique historical document for the Plaintiff’s inspection and authentication: namely, the 'long-form' birth certificate which will confirm whether Barack Hussein Obama was in fact born to parents who were both citizens of the United States in Honolulu, Hawaii, in or about 1961," explains the complaint.

Taitz said she will attend the hearing to amend the temporary restraining order to an injunction because more members of the military have joined the cause.

"We are going to be asking for release of Obama's records because now this completely undermines the military. It revoked this order, but it can come up with another order tomorrow. It can come up with orders for other people," she said. "Am I going to be flying around the country 1,000 times and paying the fees every time they issue an order?"

Defendant Col. Wanda Good filed a motion to dismiss the plaintiff's action for a temporary restraining order "for lack of jurisdiction" today.

"This case no longer presents a live case or controversy, nor does Major Cook have standing to pursue his claim," it states, "therefore, the Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over his claims and they should be dismissed."

It continued, "The Commanding General of SOCCENT has determined that he does not want the services of Major Cook, and has revoked his deployment orders. .. Without mobilization orders, Major Cook lacks standing to pursue his claims."

But Taitz said the issue "must be resolved immediately," and she will continue working to ensure Obama proves he is eligible for office.

"We're going to be asking the judge to issue an order for Obama to provide his vital records to show he is legitimately president," she said. "We're going to say, we have orders every day, and we'll have revocations every day. This issue has to be decided."

She said there cannot be any harm to the president if he is legitimately holding office.

"If he is legitimate, then his vital records will prove it," Taitz said. "If he is illegitimate, then he should not have been there in the first place."

Asked what this decision means for every other serviceman who objects to deployment under a president who has not proven he is eligible for office, Taitz responded:

"Now, we can have each and every member of the military – each and every enlistee and officer – file something similar saying 'I will not take orders until Obama is legitimately vetted.'"

Multiple questions have been raised about what that would mean to the 2008 election, to the orders and laws Obama has signed and other issues, including whether he then is a valid commander-in-chief of the military.

The mystery letter

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs refused to confirm the authenticity of the alleged Jan. 24, 2009, letter from President Obama to his purported place of birth, Kapi'olani Medical Center. His remarks begin at the 55:27 mark of the press briefing. (Click photo to view)

Obama has maintained he was born in Hawaii, and at least one hospital, Honolulu's Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children, claims it received a letter from the president declaring his birth there.

As WND reported, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs refused to confirm that the letter which was used by the hospital to solicit donations is, in fact, a real correspondence.

When WND exposed doubts about the authenticity of the letter because it was created with HTML computer code and had no presidential or White House seal, the hospital which for nearly six months proudly declared Obama was born at its facility commenced an active cover-up, hiding that White House letter from its original webpage and refusing to confirm such a letter actually exists.

WND also reported that just within the last week, at least two reports have cited Obama's birth in Kenya. Wikipedia also was found to have been reporting on Obama's birth in Kenya, before a series of scrubs placed his birth in Honolulu.

And that came on the heels of several online information sites changing the president's supposed birthplace from one hospital in Hawaii to another, after WND broke the news of the letter said to be from the White House.

Barack Obama states in this purported letter from him on what appears to be White House stationery that he was born at the Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children in Honolulu. The letter was posted by the medical center for nearly six months on its website and used for fundraising before electronically hidden once WND disclosed it was not an actual paper letter, but merely HTML coding. The hospital and White House now refuse to confirm that a real document even exists.

The question over Obama's eligibility now also is being raised on billboards nationwide.

"Where's The Birth Certificate?" billboard in Pennsylvania

The billboard campaign follows an ongoing petition campaign launched several months ago by WND Editor and Chief Executive Officer Joseph Farah.

The billboards are intended to raise public awareness of the fact that Obama has never released the standard "long-form" birth certificate that would show which hospital he was born in, the attending physician and establish that he truly was born in Hawaii, as his autobiography maintains.

WND has reported on dozens of legal challenges to Obama's status as a "natural born citizen." The Constitution, Article 2, Section 1, states, "No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President."

Some of the lawsuits question whether he was actually born in Hawaii, as he insists. If he was born out of the country, Obama's American mother, the suits contend, was too young at the time of his birth to confer American citizenship to her son under the law at the time.

Other challenges have focused on Obama's citizenship through his father, a Kenyan subject to the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom at the time of his birth, thus making him a dual citizen. The cases contend the framers of the Constitution excluded dual citizens from qualifying as natural born.

Complicating the situation is Obama's decision to spend sums estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to avoid releasing a state birth certificate that would put to rest all of the questions.

The "Certification of Live Birth" posted online and widely touted as "Obama's birth certificate" does not in any way prove he was born in Hawaii, since the same "short-form" document is easily obtainable for children not born in Hawaii. The true "long-form" birth certificate – which includes information such as the name of the birth hospital and attending physician – is the only document that can prove Obama was born in Hawaii, but to date he has not permitted its release for public or press scrutiny.

Oddly, though congressional hearings were held to determine whether Sen. John McCain was constitutionally eligible to be president as a "natural born citizen," no controlling legal authority ever sought to verify Obama's claim to a Hawaiian birth.

Cap and Trade Earmarks: Big Names and Big Bucks

I started going through the congressionally-directed earmarks in the House Interior and Environment Appropriations passed through the Wacky-Marxist debacle. A lot of names were repeated throughout, so I focused my attention on them. Then, I decided that I'd show what some of the more well-known names in the House got earmarked.

There's really not any particular order to these, but I'll try to get some sort of arrangement going as I type.

If you see a project with an asterisk (*), that means that the earmark was co-sponsored by more than one member of the House. I'm putting the whole dollar amount of the earmark rather than splitting it because I feel that no matter how many co-sponsors there were, they are all equally culpable.

Some members got Congressionally-directed and Presidentially-directed. If the project was Presidentially-directed (that means they kissed Barry's butt), the project will be marked [PD].

And awaaaay we go!!!

Jim Moran (D-VA) - Number of earmarks: 11 - Total: $7,675,000

• *Water Research Foundation, Denver, CO -- $1,700, 000
• *Water Environment Research Foundation, Alexandria, VA -- $2,000,000
• National Biosolids Partnership, Alexandria, VA -- $750,000
• *National Park Service, Chesapeake Bay Gateways -- $400,000
• Rappahanock River National Wildlife Refuge, Warsaw, VA, Bower's Property -- $500,000
• City of Alexandria, VA - water reuse project -- $ 500,000
• City of Alexandria/Arlington County -- Four Mile Run infrastructure improvements -- $500,000
• City of Falls Church, VA -- Fort Ward Park preservation -- $75,000
• National Park Service, McLean, VA - Fort Hunt NCO quarters restoration -- $250,000
• [PD] James Campbell NWR -- $500,000

David Obey (D-WI) - Number of earmarks: 8 - Total: $7,965,000

• City of Abbotsford, WI - water treatment infrastructure -- $1,000,000
• City of Park Falls, WI - sewer infrastructure -- $550,000
• Village of Athens, WI - wastewater treatment facility upgrades -- $1,000,000
• Village of Stetsonville, WI - publice drinkng water system -- $1,000,000
• Bayfield County, Washburn, WI - Bayfield Historic Courthouse Restoration -- $150,000
• National Park Service, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Bayfield, WI - Apostle Islands lighthouse restoration -- $2,000,000
• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI - Ice Age Scenic Trail -- $265,000
• *Ice Age Park and Trail Foundation, Cross Plains, WI - Ice Age Natural Scenic Trail -- $2,000,000

Norm Dicks (D-WA) - Number of Earmarks: 7 - Total: $7,191,000

• Jefferson County Department of Commercial Development, Townsend, WA - Port hadlock wastewater system -- $500,000
• City of Tacoma - downtown sustainable storm drainage system -- $1,146,000
• West Sound Utility District, Port Orchard, WA - reclaimed water distribution system -- $165,000
• Sound Experience, Port Townsend, WA - Schooner Adventures Restoration -- $180,000
• USGS Washington Water Science Center, Tacoma, WA - Hood Canal Dissolved Oxygen Study -- $200,000
• Cascade Land Conservancy, Seattle, WA - Regional Urban Forestry Restoration Project -- $1,000,000
• *University of Washington, Seattle, WA - Puget Sound Ecosystem Research Initiative -- $4,000,000
  

Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) - Number of Earmarks: 3 - Total: $ 3,000,000

• *Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, San Francisco, CA - Angel Island State Park Immigration Station Hospital Rehabilitation -- $1,000,000
• [PD] Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument -- $1,000,000
• U.S. Geological Survey - South San Francisco Bay Salt Ponds Restoration -- $1,000,000

Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) - Number of Earmarks: 2 - Total: $13, 500,000

• *National Rural Water Association, Duncan, OK -- $13,000,000
• City of Newport, RI - UV disinfection system improvements -- $500,000

John Murtha (D-PA) - Number of Earmarks: 2 - Total: $1,193,000

• Tri-County Joint Municipal Authority, Fredrickstown, PA - water treatment infrastructure -- $393,000
• Municipal Authority of the City of Lower Burrell, PA - Wildlife Lodge Road sanitary sewer -- $800,000

John Sarbanes (D-MD) - Number of Earmarks: 2 - Total: $900,000

• *National Park Service - Chesapeake Bay Gateways -- $400,000
• *Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, Baltimore, MD - Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail -- $500,000

Edward Markey (D-MA) - Number of Earmarks: 1 - Total: $500,000

• City of Malden, MA - Citywide lead water service replacement -- $500,000

Bart Stupak (D-MI) - Number of Earmarks: 3 - Total: $3,880,000

• [PD] Ottawa National Forest - Great Lakes/Great Lands -- $1,500,000
• *The Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research, Inc., St. Simon's Island, GA - Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research -- $1,000,000
• Keweenaw National Historic Park, Calumet, MI - Keweenaw National Historic Park Union Building -- $1,380,000

James Oberstar (D-MN) - Number of Earmarks: 2 - Total: $1,750,000

• [PD] Chippewa/Superior National Forests - Minnesota Wilderness -- $750,000
• Grand Rapids Public Utility Commission, Grand Rapids, MN - wastewater facility improvements -- $1,000,000

Nita Lowey (D-NY) - Number of Earmarks: 3 - Total: $1,167,000

• The Friends of the Mozartina Musical Arts Conservatory, Tarrytown, NY - Tarrytown Music Hall Restoration -- $150,000
• Westchester Joint Water Works, Mamaroneck, NY - water main rehabilitation -- $517,000
• City of White Plains, NY - drinking water transmission line -- $500,000

Ok, folks. That's it for today's episode. I keep making typos, and my eyes feel like sandpaper. Don't worry...I'll keep at this!

Here a Czar, There a Czar, Everywhere a Czar Czar...

The Obama administration continues to skirt the legislative confirmation process by appointing "czars". How appropriate coming from a Communist. Yes, czars have been in use by both parties for decades, but every time we turn around, Barry is appointing someone to advance his Socialist/Marxist/Communist agenda without having to be confirmed by Congress. The count is now up to 33.

What can these people do that their confirmed counterparts can't? Why do they have to have their posts specifically created by the almighty Leader? This morning on Fox & Friends, an interesting fact was brought up: Russia had 18 czars in 300 years. Barry wasn't about to be outdone.

We get bits and pieces about the newest "czar" only when the MSM deems it worthy of letting Americans know. We know about Feinberg, but here are some I didn't even know were in existence. The list comes from Investor's Business Daily.

• Green jobs czar. This post is held by Van Jones. Officially he is Obama's special adviser for enterprise and innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Jones was a founder and leader of Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement. The group, now disbanded, had Marxist, Leninist and Maoist influences.

Jones admitted that he became a communist and radical after the officers accused of using excessive force on Rodney King were acquitted. He's supposedly a reformed anti-capitalist, but not everyone is convinced.

• TARP czar. Herb Allison is assistant secretary of the Treasury for financial stability. There's nothing alarming in his background, but there should be concerns about the position he's filling.

• Great Lakes czar. Cameron Davis is a special adviser overseeing the EPA's Great Lakes restoration plan. He's president of the Chicago-based Alliance for the Great Lakes conservation group.

• Science czar. John Holdren is an ideologue who frets over global warming (junk science) and is a pessimist (in 1980 he thought the world was running out of natural resources) and misanthrope (he's favored population control).

• Climate czar. Before Todd Stern was appointed, he was a senior fellow at the left-wing Center for American Progress. His empty rhetoric on global warming can hardly be distinguished from that of Al Gore.

• Car czar. Ed Montgomery, a University of Maryland dean, economist and a Labor Department deputy secretary in the Clinton administration, is director of recovery for auto communities and workers. He's no raving leftist, but he is discharging a duty the government should never have.

• Guantanamo closure czar. Danny Fried has the duty of overseeing the closure of the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay. The longtime diplomat has to navigate the fulfillment of Obama's promise to shut down Gitmo, a promise that helped get Obama elected but was always foolish.

• Faith-based czar. Dare we say that Joshua DuBois, director of the Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, is a community organizer? The 26-year-old pastor worked for Democratic Congressmen Rush Holt of New Jersey and Charles Rangel of New York.

• Urban affairs Czar. The White House has a director of urban affairs — Adolfo Carrion Jr. — but no czar for rural affairs. What does that say about how this administration values country folks?

• Regulatory czar. Obama wants to fill this post with Cass Sunstein, the Harvard law professor who has suggested "that animals should be permitted to bring suit, with human beings as their representatives," against people in our civil court system. Sunstein would likely do a fine job of regulating the country into paralysis.

The checks and balances set forth by the Founders have been voided and thrown off balance. Time to get back to the principles that worked so well for all these years.

Where's the "czar" to protect the Constitution?

John Murtha: This Little Piggy Went to Capitol Hill...

I would hope and pray that people in this district WAKE THE *&@# UP and vote this clown out!

From Roll Call comes this article about His Royal Fatness. I'm just going to post the whole article as they have done a superb job.

Murtha Earmarks Funded Garment Company’s Sonar Project

By Paul Singer
Roll Call Staff

July 7, 2009, 12 a.m.

For the past several years, Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) has funneled more than $3 million in earmarks to a company in his district to build an underwater “swimmer detection” sonar system for the Navy to use to protect its docks and ships.

But the company, KDH Defense Systems, sews bulletproof vests. It had never built a sonar system and had no expertise in sonar engineering. The sonar project was to be the first product of a new “startup” company.

Documents indicate the company did have a plan — which never came to pass — to partner with other local defense contractors close to Murtha, and it also had the assistance of a lobbying firm that employed both Murtha’s brother and his former appropriations aide.

The firm ultimately ended up hiring a British company to do the engineering, fell into a dispute, lost its original military customer and by the end of last year had completed a prototype, which the company president said would have to be re-engineered before it can be produced in any quantity.

Murtha spokesman Matt Mazonkey said the project achieved its goal.

“This program was a research and development effort, not procurement, and a prototype was delivered, was tested and now is the property of the U.S. government,” he said. “KDH did develop and provide a sonar system, which was tested successfully by the government in December 2008.”

But court records suggest the prototype has had a troubled history.

In October 2004, Dave Herbener, president of KDH Defense Systems, made a presentation at a meeting convened by the Defense Department about his proposed “underwater intrusion detection system.”

According to slides of that presentation, Herbener said he already had a $1 million earmark for 2005 “supported by Congressman John P. Murtha ... funding is earmarked for KDH Systems.”

In the 2008 appropriations bill, Murtha secured $2.4 million for KDH for a “waterway threat detection sensor system,” and a 2006 press release from his office indicates that he also secured an earmark for KDH in the 2007 appropriations bill for a “waterfront perimeter detection system.” Murtha’s office offered no details about the total amount earmarked for this system.

In an e-mail to Roll Call on Monday, Herbener said KDH only received about $1.5 million for the sonar project, with the remaining funding going directly to other contractors.

KDH had no expertise in sonar systems. Herbener — a former employee of defense giant Lockheed Martin — founded a company in 2003 called KDH Defense Systems to sew bulletproof vests. In April 2004, KDH signed a $2 million contract with the Navy to sew the vests — though the company did not yet have a manufacturing facility.

But Herbener did have a strong background in radar. “My work with Lockheed included significant design, manufacture, and testing experience of sophisticated weapon systems with a primary focus on radar. It is my nearly 20 years of experience with Lockheed that helped me to develop our T3 Sonar,” he told Roll Call.

But when asked “Do you know how to develop a sonar system?” by a lawyer in a court case last fall, Herbener responded, “No, I do not.”

He also had a lobbying firm — KSA Consulting, which included Kit Murtha, the Congressman’s brother, and Carmen Scialabba, the Congressman’s former Appropriations Committee aide, as lobbyists on the KDH account. Herbener told Roll Call: “KSA Consulting has provided marketing and related services to KDH. KSA introduced KDH to Congressman Murtha.”

Herbener’s October 2004 slides for the swimmer detection project indicated that KDH was “teamed with” two other Pennsylvania companies with close connections to Murtha, Kuchera Defense Systems and Coherent Systems International — also a KSA client.

An attorney for Kuchera said “they have never teamed with KDH on any projects.” Herbener told a federal court that Coherent dropped out days after the initial contract was signed.

Kuchera and Coherent have received millions of dollars in earmarks from Murtha. Kuchera was raided by the FBI in January, reportedly as part of an investigation into the company’s government contracts. Coherent is party to a federal case in Florida alleging that other subcontractors skimmed from Coherent earmarks.

Herbener ended up hiring a British sonar company called Curtis Technology to develop the electronics for the underwater sonar, a relationship that dragged through a series of delays and disputes until Herbener finally filed suit in federal court in Pennsylvania in May 2008.

In testimony in that case last September, Herbener explained that the sonar project was not actually a project of KDH Defense Systems — it was a separate company that he established in 2005 called KDH Electronic Systems. That company “is a startup,” Herbener testified. “We were hoping this sonar system would be our first product.”

In September, Herbener told the court, “The program in general has gone waylaid.” Disputes with Curtis Technology led to repeated delays, and the original customer — the U.S. Navy — “has pretty much given up on us and they’ve moved on,” buying a similar system from a competitor company.

KDH shifted to an Army contract with the U.S. Special Operations Command when the procurement official overseeing the project moved from the Navy to the Army, Herbener said. But because of concerns about the project, “they’ve refused to reward the contract to us and we’re on the verge of running out of funding,” he testified.

Working with Curtis and other contractors, KDH managed to construct a prototype, but Herbener told the court: “The current prototype is a prototype. It’s not intended to be built in any kind of quantities.”

“Ultimately, to have a production system, we would most likely change out components, hardware, probably rearrange components, maybe redesign,” he said.

Herbener told Roll Call on Monday: “The situation with Curtis has definitely slowed down our progress. I am most confident that if the Curtis issues had not arisen, our sonar system would have been produced and in full operation by now.”

But he also said that the protype has been successfully tested four times and that KDH is continuing to make progress on the sonar system. Herbener said he has hired a new subcontractor and that “as funding permits we firmly believe we can field an end item production system in short order — possibly 3 to 6 months.”

Another Cap and Traitor

A few days after the hideous Waxman-Markey bill (Cap and Trade) passed the House of Representatives, I did a post on some of the special favors some received in exchange for their supportive votes. A lot of people got REALLY mad after reading it. Well, here's another one.

It seems that Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) of Toledo wanted a new federal power authority similar to the Bonneville Power Administration in Washington State that would allow for lending to renewable energy and economic development projects in Ohio and other Midwestern states. How much did good ol' Marcy get for her project in exchange for her "yea"?? Drumroll please......$3.5 BILLION. The project was tucked into the 310-page amendment that was made public just hours before debate and a final vote were to begin.

Miss Kaptur trumpeted her handiwork on her congressional Web site. She said the new federal authority would bring new economic development to Ohio and the struggling Great Lakes region and would also ensure "regional equity" with other parts of the country that already have such programs.

"The federal government has been subsidizing infrastructure and economic development in other parts of the country since the New Deal. Now, it's our turn," she said. "With the Midwest taking the brunt of the economic crisis, my priority was to bring our region additional tools to create jobs and promote energy independence."

The provision empowers the Energy and Commerce departments to recommend to Congress the final structure of the new federal lending authority. In the meantime, the provision authorized $25 million in startup money in 2010.

Although the program would benefit his home state, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, also of Ohio, criticized the provision during a more-than-hourlong speech Friday evening. He said an Ohio-based power authority was unneeded because electricity already flows well through Ohio without a new federal power authority.

Although political favors are nothing new on either side of the aisle, those who were flat out bribed for their vote on Waxman-Markey have no business being on Capitol Hill. Hey Marcy!!! Hasta la vista!!!

Cap and Trade: The Price of a Sell Out

While surfing my usual haunts in cyberspace, I came upon this article from keenobserver.blogtownhall.com. OMG!!! It was posted on Tuesday, but, of course, we heard nothing from the slobbering, leg-tingling MSM about this. It details what some of those who voted for this travesty got in return for voting to support the largest tax to be introduced to the American people yet.

Changing her vote from "nay" to "yea" was Debbie Halvorson (D-IL). She swore up and down that she would "never cave in to pressure from Obama to vote yes on cap and trade." Shortly, after a brief conversation with Barry..."I had a nice chat with the President this morning, and I'm fine with the bill." One of two things happened at that "chat": Chicago thuggery politics or she was promised pork for her district beyond anything she imagined. Nonetheless, she needs to go if she can't stand on principle.

Next, Henry "The Nostrils" Waxman, co-sponsor of the bill (or should I say DRAFT that was voted on) cornered Alan Grayson (D-FL) who comes from a Republican area in Central Florida. It is Grayson's first (and hopefully last) term in the House. After a spirited discussion, Grayson got a "pledge of support" from Waxman in exchange for his vote. What was behind Door Number One? $50 million pledged to a new proposed hurricane research facility in Orlando, which just happens to be part of Grayson's district. BUH-BYE!!!

John McHugh (R-NY) was next to put his tail between his legs and promise his support "in the name of bipartisanship". He's up for Secretary of the Army, so he won't be back in Congress. Thank Heaven for small favors, and pray for the Army.

Blue dog Democrat Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) went from adamantly decrying the measure to an enthusiastic thumbs -up after being promised a seat at the table when joint negotiations begin on a final version should it pass the Senate. Time to weed out THAT yellow rose!

From a heavily-industrialized part of Ohio, Tim Ryan (D-OH) went against his constituency and voted "yea". He said that without this hideous legislation, we would continue to be energy-dependent on those who want to "fly airplanes into our buildings." Guess what? They still want to do that, you twit! I say we tell them to pound salt and DRILL FOR OUR OWN!!! Let's see if any earmarks make it to Northeastern Ohio.

Also from the Buckeye State, John Boccieri (D-OH) voted against what his district of Canton wanted and put his vote in the "yea" column. Boccieri told of waiting in long gas lines as a child (Carter years) and "this bill reduces foreign oil imports." Didn't anyone tell him that the oil companies are predicting having to mothball their domestic refineries and up refined oil import levels? Maybe he's been promised earmarks or a job should the Republicans win in 2010. Whatever he may have been promised, he's got to go.

By Thursday evening (June 25), Pineapple Princess and company were still 22 votes short for Friday's vote. Obama decided to invite a group of rookie Democrats, who had sworn to their constituents to stand up and vote "no", to the White House luau to tell them how he understands that they have to run every two years. They then get a call from Rahm "The Fisherman" Emanuel, who advises them that if they vote the wrong way, there will be no support (i.e. party funding) from the White House. Kinda sounds like bribery, eh? Well, that put 10 more votes into Pelosi's lap.

At 3 a.m. Friday morning (June 26), the 325-page addendum was tacked on. In it, the agriculture area undecideds were promised federal subsidies on ethanol and "sweeteners" for fertilizer production. Conservative Democrats struck deals on farming offsets and CO2 allowances. The coal states were promised that the cap and trade energy tax would be postponed until 2020. Even then, they left enough loopholes to allow western coal industries to not have to scale back their emissions.

According to the piece, Pelosi checks Patrick Kennedy (D) out from a drug rehab hospital at about 8 a.m. Friday morning so he can vote on this measure . The vote is set for noon, but Pelosi postpones it until 7 p.m. when she finds she's still short.

In the late afternoon of Friday, June 26, Obama calls Republicans elected from heavily-Democratic areas and tells them that if they vote "yea", the Democrats won't run anyone against them in 2010. In addition, the majority of their state's pork will be diverted to their home districts for whatever they want to use it for. Presto chango!!! These were the last eight votes needed to make the Pineapple Princess happy.

To the Democrats who joined most Republicans in voting against this piece of garbage legislation: Thank you for seeing it for what it is and voting on the side of the American people.

To those who voted "yea": We here in the blogosphere won't let people forget. I hope selling your souls to this regime was worth it. Maybe you can think about it when you're no longer a member of Congress.

“A government big enough to give you anything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.” -- Thomas Jefferson

I Warned You, Mr. Murtha!!!

I'm still seething over last night's passage of the Cap and Trade mess in the House of Representatives. Now, I am on a mission to see that my representative, John P. Murtha, will never occupy the seat that he has held for 18 (not a typo) terms. This is the poster boy for term limits.

Murtha represents the 12th Congressional District here in Pennsylvania, which includes Johnstown and Altoona areas. Everywhere you travel in this area, you will see many buildings and roads bearing his name. Why don't they just rename Johnstown "Murthaland"?These areas are democratic strongholds largely due to the fact that many early residents were coal miners and belonged to the union. And we know that the unions aren't in bed with Republicans nearly as often as Democrats! I'd almost venture a guess to say that if most of the people in this district had to choose between a million-dollar check or voting Democrat, they'd still be poor and unemployed.

Old Johnny Boy really raised the hackles of most Americans who really had no idea who he was when he called our brave soldiers "murderers" for the incident in Haditha. Murtha claims that innocent civilians were killed by our Marines before any facts or testimony were presented. Well, being a former Marine, you would think Jack would have a little more RESPECT for the military. Guess not. Yet he chairs the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee and, if he gets hacked off at the military, he has a lot of say as to whether or not they get funding. Isn't that special???

Even more special: Murtha's nephew, Robert C. Murtha Jr., just received a $4 million no-bid no-competition contract from the Department of Defense for his company, Murtech. What does Murtech do? Warehousing. That's it. A lot of the offices in the building are unoccupied and its reception area is unmanned. Many days, you can see only a handful of cars in the parking lot, and no trucks pull up to the 10 loading bays. One of Bobbo Murtha's contracts came through PMA, a Jack Murtha-associated lobbying group now at the center of a federal investigation for corruption in earmarking and influence peddling. Better yet....Robert C. Murtha Sr. (John's brother) runs a highly-successful lobbying group, KSA, that specializes in (drumroll please)....DEFENSE CONTRACTS FROM THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE. Nepotism at its very finest!

By the way, have you received a "Thank You" note from dear Jack for the stimulus money for the John P. Murtha-Cambria County Airport? You didn't know? Let me tell you what you kind folks have done. In the stimulus package passed by Congress earlier this year, $800,000 of that is going to be spent to pave the backup runway at Jacko's airport. Pretty cool, huh? Recently, the Washington Post had an article about the airport after a reporter visited there. On the day of the reporter's visit, four passengers lined up to catch a flight, and those passengers were outnumbered by seven security staff members and supervisors, all who wore uniforms and gloves to screen the six pieces of luggage. After all that hard work, they all got a three-hour break because no flights, private or commercial, came in or took off. During the week, three commercial flights leave the airport -- all bound for Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC. In the past decade, this airport of all airports has received $200 million in federal funds, and Murtha is credited with securing at least $150 million of that. It's been dubbed "The Airport to Nowhere".

John Murtha is definitely one of the most corrupt members of Congress, yet the people of the Johnstown area keep electing him based on his ability to bring money into the area. Nevermind that he's not creating a lot of jobs in what has been a depressed area since the coal mines shut down. He's just securing funding for already established projects that usually bear his name.

Coming from a region rich in coal and coal-mining history, I would almost think for a nanosecond that he would've voted against Cap and Trade. Then I wake up and I'm still in the nightmare known as the 12th Congressional District.

Walpingate: Fired to Avoid Embarrassment?

This is from worldnetdaily.com. They've been doing a great job of following what should be one of the leading stories on the news but isn't.

Inspector general fired to avoid embarrassing Obamas?
Report cites his dedication to investigating AmeriCorps

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Posted: June 24, 2009
11:05 pm Eastern

© 2009 WorldNetDaily

Gerald Walpin

A new report reveals that there is substantial evidence that Inspector General Gerald Walpin was fired from his post where he was investigating AmeriCorps funding to avoid embarrassment for President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle.

The report is from Byron York at the Washington Examiner. On his blog, he wrote he interviewed a Republican member of the board for the Corporation for National and Community Service, the overseer for AmeriCorps, a favorite program for the Obamas.

The report said the board discussion was revolving around the St. HOPE program in California, which has been given hundreds of thousands of federal dollars and used it for, among other things, washing cars for Obama friend and Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson.

The board member told York Walpin opposed an agreement that would require a return of only part of the allegedly misused money and leave Johnson open to receiving more federal dollars.

"Walpin told board members at the meeting that he wanted to issue some sort of public statement to the effect that there should be more investigation of the St. HOPE matter," York reported.

"He said, 'I feel so strongly about this that today I am going to issue a statement to the press calling for further investigation,'" the member said, York reported. "The board members all caught that."

The report said that was distressing for the board because of AmeriCorps' high profile and the fact it was a favorite program for the Obamas and was in line to receive some of the $5.7 billion from the new Serve America Act.

"In the midst of that, here was the agency's inspector general saying he might re-open an investigation into an embarrassing episode involving hundreds of thousands of mis-spent dollars and a politically prominent supporter of the president," the report said.

"We did not need any press out there on this St. HOPE matter, which was already settled," the board member told York.

Ultimately the FBI was contacted and asked to look into the St. Hope scenario, and the White House issued a statement that Walpin was confused and disoriented at the meeting and that was why he was being dismissed.

"But there is no doubt that, whatever the other reasons, the board feared that a revival of a scandal they thought was in the past would be embarrassing to the newly-prominent AmeriCorps," the report said.

At Hot Air.com, the comment was that Walpin "was anything but confused and disoriented."

"It looks from this account that Walpin did his job too well for the CNCS and the Obama administration," said the report.

On the website's forum page, one participante said, "Walpin was confused. He forgot that things now work the Chicago way."

Walpin is asking for a hearing on his dismissal and as WND reported, Sen. Charles Grassley has demanded records on Walpin's job performance and any documents related to the Corporation's dealing with Johnson and related issues.

Also as WND reported, an FBI investigation has been launched into the St. HOPE affair, now that allegations have surfaced in the Sacramento Bee from Rick Maya, former executive director with St. HOPE, suggesting a member of the charter school's board had deleted e-mails from Johnson during the federal investigation.

"All of this suggests that the purported White House mistreatment of independent inspectors general is a scandal that might have real legs," writes an editorial in the Washington Times. "As well it should."

Radio host Rush Limbaugh further accused the administration of breaking the law by firing Walpin, attributing it to "political cronyism" and declaring, "Alberto Gonzales as attorney general fired a couple of U.S. attorneys. He took hell for it. This is bigger. Inspectors general are supposed to be completely above politics."