Coburn: ObamaCare Will Divide And Bankrupt America

I concur.  Coburn made the statement as he delivered the Repulican weekly address. 

Sen. Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican and personal friend of President Obama’s, on Saturday took a highly public stand against the president’s health care plan and against his intentions to “ram” a bill through Congress, warning that such a move will “divide and bankrupt America.”

Coburn, chosen as the Republican lawmaker to deliver the party’s regular weekend address to the nation, cautioned Obama against supporting the use of “reconciliation,” a legislative maneuver Democrats could execute to pass a bill through the Senate with 51 votes instead of the 60 usually required to overcome a filibuster.

The senator, himself a physician, said that the day-long health care meeting Thursday between Democratic and Republican leaders, hosted by the president, had been the beginning of a true exchange of ideas that he said have been missing for much of the last year.

“If the president and the leaders in Congress are serious about finding common ground they should continue this debate, not cut it off by rushing through a partisan bill the American people have already rejected,” Coburn said.

Congressional Republicans have played the last week brilliantly.   They shined at the health care summit; Lamar Alexander was a perfect choice as a lead-off before ObamaReidPelosiCare’s death by a million paper cuts as each Republican shredded it in front of its authors.  Another brilliant move was selecting Coburn for the weekly address.  He is a doctor, he is well-liked and folksy and a friend of Obama’s.   This one had to hurt Barry.

Norfolk DA Orders Inquest Into ’86 Bishop Shooting

As evidence that Amy Bishop intentionally shot her brother mounts, the Norfolk County District Attorney has ordered an inquest. 

Investigators have discovered evidence they say suggests Amy Bishop may have purposely shot her brother with a 12-gauge shotgun in 1986, prompting Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating yesterday to initiate a judicial inquest into the death, which had been ruled accidental.

Keating said his investigators enlarged crime scene photos and, next to 12-gauge ammunition in Bishop’s bedroom, found a news article that chronicled a crime spree similar to Bishop’s actions on the day of her brother’s death. He said the story could reflect Bishop’s intent.

Bishop took her father’s shotgun on Dec. 6, 1986, and loaded it in her bedroom before fatally shooting her 18-year-old brother in the kitchen of the family’s Braintree home. She then ran to an auto dealership, where she held two workers at gunpoint and demanded a car.

Keating declined to identify the news article or publication. A search of news reports published at the time shows that two weeks earlier, the parents of the actor who played Bobby Ewing on the popular television show “Dallas’’ were killed by an assailant wielding a 12-gauge shotgun, who then held up a car dealership, stole a pickup truck, and fled.

Sound familiar?

The inquest will be conducted by a judge with subpoena power and based on the judge’s findings, the D.A. will decide whether to impanel a grand jury.  Don’t expect to see Bishop in a Massachusetts courtroom anytime soon, though.  She’s got some unfinished business to tend to in Alabama.

Beautiful: Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Crazytown) Evacuated From Niger By Nemesis Blackwater

Well lookie here.  Alan “The GOP wants you to die” Grayson was evacuated from Niger by the very same military contractors he rants about and at one time made a living off of suing.

Mother Jones via Daily Caller

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), who made his substantial fortune by suing military contractors and later lambasted them as a lawmmaker, was indeed evacuated from Niger by personnel working for Xe Services (the private security empire formally known as Blackwater), his spokesman confirms.

Earlier today I reported on the testimony of Fred Roitz, an executive vice president at Xe, at today’s Senate Armed Service Committee on Blackwater subsidiary Paravant. In his prepared remarks, he stated: “Xe Services, through its subsidiary Presidential Airways, provides aviation support and medevac services to Defense Department personnel in Africa. Just last week, our personnel evacuated a congressman from Niger during civil unrest.”

The thanks Grayson gives to those who rescued him?

I also asked Jurkowski whether the experience had changed Grayson’s thinking on the use of private military firms. Jurkowski replied: “The Congressman does not deny that there is admirable work being done by some employees of private contractors.  However, he stands by his criticism of companies who have been found to cheat the American people, defraud our government, and unnecessarily risk the lives of members of our military, all in the name of making a profit.”

Translation: Thank you very little, eeevil Blackwater.

New Home Sales Sink To Lowest Numbers On Record

Even with the first-time home buyer credit of $8,000 sales have tanked.  The problem is two-fold.  First, millions of Americans are holding off on making such major financial moves in this horrible economy.  They are unsure of their job security, unsure if their taxes will increase and unsure if home values will continue drop – all valid reasons for holding off.  Second, it is very difficult – some might say next to impossible – to qualify for a mortgage these days.  The banks have gone from one extreme where anything goes to another where middle class Americans are being shut out of the housing market due to unrealistic debt to income ratio requirements, limits on  investment accounts such as 401Ks for reserves and stringent new rules with regards to credit scores.  Add all of the above to the fact that millions remain unemployed and there you have it.

The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that new home sales dropped 11.2 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual sales pace of 309,000 units, the lowest level on records going back nearly a half century. The big drop was a surprise to economists who had expected sales would rise about 5 percent over December’s pace.

While winter storms were partly to blame, home sales have fallen for three straight months despite sweeping government support. Economists were already worried that an improvement in sales in the second half of last year could falter as various government support programs are withdrawn.

“There is no doubt that January and February are going to be messy months for housing, given the severe weather conditions, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that the housing sector has taken another big step back, even with the government aid,” Jennifer Lee, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets, said in a research note.

January’s weakness was evident in all regions except the Midwest, where sales posted a 2.1 percent increase. Sales were down 35 percent in the Northeast, 12 percent in the West and almost 10 percent in the South.

The drop in sales pushed the median sales price down to $203.500. That was down 5.6 percent from December’s median sales price of $215,600, and off 2.4 percent from year-ago prices.

But keep on working on health care, Barry – because that is so vital to the economy.

Obama’s Numbers Sink To Unprecedented Lows

Unprecedented.

Gallup has Obama’s approval at 49% with 43% disapproving.

Selzer and Company and Rasmussen show a similar downward trend.

President Obama’s approval ratings have hit an all-time low, indicating that the White House faces a tough job as it tries to gather support this week for both a jobs bill and a revised health-care bill.

A new poll from Iowa-based Selzer and Company shows that since November, Obama’s approval rating among Iowa independents dropped sharply from 48 to 38 percent — reaching its lowest level yet.

Similarly, Rasmussen Reports’ latest release of its nightly automated tracking poll yesterday showed that the number of people who “strongly approve” of the president’s performance reached an all-time low of 22 percent, down from a high of 45 at the beginning of his presidency.  At the same time 41 percent “strongly disapprove” of his performance, with remaining voters falling in between.

“Overall the president’s numbers have been between the mid and upper 40s since around Thanksgiving — they tend to get a little lower when health care becomes the primary focus, as it is now,” said Scott Rasmussen, founder of Rasmussen Reports. “The health-care debate has overall captured a lot of people’s frustration … I think people are concerned that the president would like the government to assume an even greater role in the economy than now, and it’s firing up voters.”

Meanwhile, Bam continues to bleed idepependents.   

The new Iowa poll focused how independents feel about Obama.

“This is quite a precipitous drop, there is a loss of confidence — a sense among people that they drank the Kool-Aid, and now there’s a real sense of disappointment,” said Ann Selzer, president of Selzer and Company, which conducted the latest study of Iowa independents.

“His overall job approval rating is at 46 from a high of 68, and has been under 50 percent for some time now. He’d already lost whatever Republican support he had. He is holding onto some Democratic support, there are some people who are still holding out hope, but it’s really the independents who have changed their minds,” continued Selzer. “They’re not tied to any one party, and here in Iowa you are judged not only on what you do but on how what you do is being talked about.”

Otherwise rational thinking people who were swept up in the wave of Hope and Change are coming out of the ether and waking up to reality that they were duped.  You know what emotion almost always follows embarrassment?  Anger.  Not good for Obama.  Not good for Democrats this fall.

Bishop Blame Game: Delahunt, Former Braintree Chief Start Pointing Fingers

Steel cage match, Hack edition.

“Bill Delahunt should know the facts a lot more before he shoots his mouth off,” retired Braintree police Chief John Polio said. “I was hoping that Delahunt would take the high road. But he does what he often does and took the low road.”

Don’t we know it.   

Delahunt, the Bay State congressman who formerly served as Norfolk district attorney, broke his silence on the Bishop case yesterday and stood by his office’s handling of the 1986 shooting death of Bishop’s 18-year-old brother, Seth.

[…]

If an arrest had been completed and charges of assault with a dangerous weapon had been filed . . . the district attorney’s office . . . would have requested psychiatric evaluation of Miss Bishop. We can speculate what that might have revealed,” Delahunt said.

The shooting was ruled accidental, but reports showing she fled the house wielding a shotgun and menaced two men, including a car dealer from whom she allegedly demanded a getaway car, remained hidden until last week.

“I thought we handled it appropriately, given the information we had,” Delahunt said.

Polio was having none of it.

Polio, 87, said he “never ordered Amy Bishop released” from custody following the shooting and claimed that decision was made by the head of detectives, Capt. Theodore Buker, who has since died.

In a written statement, Polio said he believes all Braintree police reports were either turned over to the lead investigator, State Police Detective Brian Howe, or withheld by Buker. He also said his understanding was the probe was taken over by Howe and the district attorney. Delahunt said Howe claims he’s never seen the reports.

Even if Delahunt himself did nothing wrong, this press is not good for his already poor chances of winning reelection in November.  I predict he will be making an announcement that he wants to spend more time with his good buddy Hugo and announce his retirement plans before Easter.

Diversity At All Costs In The Case Of The Ft. Hood Jihadist

These newly released details will make your blood boil.

WASHINGTON – Army superiors were warned about the radicalization of Major Nidal Malik Hasan years before he allegedly massacred 13 soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, but did not act in part because they valued the rare diversity of having a Muslim psychiatrist, military investigators wrote in previously undisclosed reports.

An obvious “problem child’’ spouting extremist views, Hasan made numerous statements that were not protected by the First Amendment and were grounds for discharge by violating his military oath, investigators found.

***

In searching for explanations for why superiors did not move to revoke Hasan’s security clearances or expel him from the Army, the report portrays colleagues and superiors as possibly reluctant to lose one of the Army’s few Muslim mental health specialists.

The report concludes that because the Army had attracted only one Muslim psychiatrist in addition to Hasan since 2001, “it is possible some were afraid’’ of losing such diversity “and thus were willing to overlook Hasan’s deficiencies as an officer.’’

“Several of his supervisors explicitly mentioned Hasan’s potential to inform our understanding of Islamic culture and how it relates to the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan,’’ the investigators found.

In one classroom incident not previously described by the Army – which parallels another episode around the same time that has received press attention – Hasan gave a presentation in August 2007 titled “Is the War on Terrorism a War on Islam: An Islamic Perspective.’’

But the presentation was “shut down’’ by the instructor because Hasan appeared to be defending terrorism. Witnesses told investigators that Hasan became visibly upset as a result.

“The students reported his statements to superior officers, who took no action on the basis that Major Hasan’s statements were protected by the First Amendment,’’ the investigation found. “They did not counsel Hasan and consider administrative action, even though not all protected speech is compatible with continued military service.’’

Everyone was afraid of the repercussions of being perceived as religious bigots so Hassan was allowed to continue with his radical behavior.  Why wasn’t anyone afraid of the repercussions of doing something to stop Hassan before it was too late?

Hmmm. Sestak Offered Federal Job To Drop Primary Challenge Against Snarlin’ Arlen

Me thinks the White House doesn’t have a lot of confidence in turncoat, Arlen Specter.

As is often the case with primary challengers, party officials attempt to convince the upstart to drop out of the race to avoid a politically costly battle in the run up to the general election.  Sestak revealed Thursday, possibly by accident, that the Obama White House engaged in a little quid pro quo offering him a federal position if he would do them the small favor of dropping out of the race.  More from the Philadelphia Inquirer:

The disclosure came during an afternoon taping of Larry Kane: Voice of Reason, a Sunday news-analysis show on the Comcast Network. Sestak would not elaborate on the circumstances and seemed chagrined after blurting out “yes” to veteran news anchor Kane’s direct question.

“Was it secretary of the Navy?” Kane asked.

“No comment,” Sestak said.

D’oh!

Specter is currently leading Sestak in the polls, but the my guess is the White House does not want a bloody, drawn-out battle between two of its own to provide (more) ammo to Pat Toomey, who leads in match-ups against either of the Democrats.

More Heartache For Husky Blogger: Joseph Stack Had BDS, Hated The Catholic Church, Hated Capitalism, Hearted Communism

Twice in less than a week’s time the Husky Blogger’s hopes have been dashed as two psycho killers just don’t fit the tea-bagging, racist, homophobic profile he longs to find in every such instance.  The latest example gone bad is Joseph Stack – the man who intentionally flew a plane into an Austin, Texas office building filled with federal IRS employees today. 

Stack in his own words:

As government agencies go, the FAA is often justifiably referred to as a tombstone agency, though they are hardly alone. The recent presidential puppet GW Bush and his cronies in their eight years certainly reinforced for all of us that this criticism rings equally true for all of the government. Nothing changes unless there is a body count (unless it is in the interest of the wealthy sows at the government trough). In a government full of hypocrites from top to bottom, life is as cheap as their lies and their self-serving laws.

***

My introduction to the real American nightmare starts back in the early ‘80s. Unfortunately after more than 16 years of school, somewhere along the line I picked up the absurd, pompous notion that I could read and understand plain English. Some friends introduced me to a group of people who were having ‘tax code’ readings and discussions. In particular, zeroed in on a section relating to the wonderful “exemptions” that make institutions like the vulgar, corrupt Catholic Church so incredibly wealthy. We carefully studied the law (with the help of some of the “best”, high-paid, experienced tax lawyers in the business), and then began to do exactly what the “big boys” were doing (except that we weren’t steeling from our congregation or lying to the government about our massive profits in the name of God). We took a great deal of care to make it all visible, following all of the rules, exactly the way the law said it was to be done.

***

The communist creed: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.

The capitalist creed: From each according to his gullibility, to each according to his greed.

There, there Husky Blogger.  Surely there must be a new Tea Party-Stormfront connection lingering out there just waiting to be unearthed by your favorite fishy race detective.

Left-Wing Nutty Professor Updates: Braintee Police Reports Found, D.A. Says She Should Have Been Charged, Bishop Went Moe Green At IHOP

The Braintree mayor says the missing police reports were found with a retired Braintree cop.

Braintree Mayor Joseph Sullivan said the missing files were found with an unnamed, retired Braintree police captain.

Read the reports here

The name of this police captain must be released and any possible connections to the Bishop family need to be investigated.

Current Norfolk County D.A., William Keating, says police should have at minimum charged Bishop with assault with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Keating said last night the reports indicate Bishop, then 20, at a minimum could have been prosecuted for assault with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm after she told cops she shot a hole in the chest of her only sibling, Seth Bishop, 18, with the family’s shotgun on Dec. 6, 1986.

But Keating said the statute of limitations has expired on those charges, as well as manslaughter based on reckless conduct.

In 2000, Bishop was charged with assault and battery after she pulled a Moe Green at the IHOP in Peabody.

Bishop was charged with assault and battery for a March 2002 incident, in which an enraged Bishop unleashed a profanity-laced tirade against a mother whose child got the last booster seat at the Peabody International House of Pancakes, according to a Peabody police report.

She yelled “I am Amy Bishop” and then punched the frightened mother in her head. When police questioned Bishop, she claimed to be the victim, the report stated.

Prosecutors asked that Bishop, who received probation, take anger management classes. It is unclear if she did.

If the classes were a condition of her probation she would have been required to take the classes and to provide documentation to her probation officer or be found in violation.

She was a menace in her former Newton, MA and Huntsville, AL neighborhoods as well.

During the mid-1990s, when the couple lived in Newton, they called the cops twice – once to report a “suspicious vehicle idling in front of the home,” and again when Anderson complained about an unruly MBTA bus driver who he claimed nearly ran him down.

In Huntsville, neighbor Sherry Foley, 63, recalled that Bishop wrangled with another neighbor over a barking dog.

“Amy Bishop got all bent out of shape because she said his dogs were barking and disturbing her,” Foley said. “She would call him every hour on the hour. They weren’t even his dogs.”

This self-absorbed, paranoid, abusive, dangerous woman has been terrorizing innocent people since at least 1986.  How she was able to procure a job in an academic environment after the 2002 incident is going to be yet another question of which the families of Bishop’s victims deserve an answer.