Great news: Congress Discovers Exciting New Ways to Earmark
HotAir.com
Maybe I’ve been wrong all along. Maybe it really is time for a third party.
Though Mr. Kirk and other Republicans thundered against pork-barrel spending and lawmakers’ practice of designating money for special projects through earmarks, they have not shied from using a less-well-known process called lettermarking to try to direct money to projects in their home districts…
Lettermarking, which takes place outside the Congressional appropriations process, is one of the many ways that legislators who support a ban on earmarks try to direct money back home.
In phonemarking, a lawmaker calls an agency to request financing for a project. More indirectly, members of Congress make use of what are known as soft earmarks, which involve making suggestions about where money should be directed, instead of explicitly instructing agencies to finance a project. Members also push for increases in financing of certain accounts in a federal agency’s budget and then forcefully request that the agency spend the money on the members’ pet project…
[A] New York Times review of letters and e-mail to government agencies from members of Congress shows that the practice is widespread despite the fact that both President George W. Bush and President Obama have issued executive orders instructing agencies not to finance projects based on communications from Congress.
London is home to organizational arm of Hamas in Europe
Atlas Shrugs
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
From: Pamela Geller
London is home to organizational arm of Hamas in Europe Jihadwatch hat tip Roy BHamas is a jihad terrorist group, but to disallow it a presence in London would be “Islamophobic,” now, wouldn’t it? “London is home to Hamas hub, says Israel,” from AFP,
JERUSALEM — Israel’s defence ministry has accused a London-based Palestinian centre of “terror-affiliated activities” and being the organisational arm of the militant Islamic Hamas movement in Europe.Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and advocates violent opposition to the Jewish state, is designated by the European Union as a terrorist organisation.
An Israeli defence ministry statement issued on Tuesday said that the Palestinian Return Centre in Ealing, north London, organises conferences in Europe at which it plays taped speeches by Hamas leaders who are banned from entering the EU.
“The centre is involved in initiating and organising radical and violent activity against Israel in Europe, while delegitimising Israel’s status as a nation among the European community,” the statement said.
Stalled From The START
PersonalLiberty.com
December 28, 2010 by Ben Crystal
If there were any doubts as to President Barack Obama’s religious affiliations, then this past Wednesday ought to roast them like chestnuts in an open fire. With assistance from the more pliable Republican spines in the Senate, Obama handed the Russian military machine one whopper of a Christmas gift.
Carrying through on his campaign promise (for once), Obama managed to push the New START treaty through the just-ended lame-duck session of the Senate. To hear Obama and the treaty’s backers tell the tale, New START will ensure a lasting peace across the planet. However, a perusal of the treaty’s provisions reveals that peace remains far from guaranteed; and may have gotten a lot more expensive — for us.
According to Senator John Kerry:
“…we move the world a little out of the dark shadow of nuclear nightmare…”
Outside Chernobyl — to which nuclear nightmare might the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts be referring? The reason huge swaths of the planetary rabble have never been subjected to a nuclear nightmare is that one nation — the United States — has been willing and able to invest in and maintain a deterrent arsenal.
Examination of New START calls to mind the warnings at some national parks: “Please don’t feed the bears.” In the case of the Russians, Obama has made what he considers a diplomatic gesture. The problem is that the Russians look at diplomatic gestures the way ursines look at roast beef sandwiches: “Nice sandwich. I wonder if we can get the whole arm.”
A Very “Bad Day” For an American
TownHall.com
Complaining could be the bane of a columnist. Most of what we do is observe other people and tell them what they’re doing wrong. Despite that I want to share with you a “horrible” day.
Recently, my wife and I went to a UCLA basketball game. I was already in a grumpy mood, having to get dressed and go out on a rainy Sunday night. UCLA had just returned from a heartbreaking loss at Kansas during which they showed signs that this year’s team was on the rebound from last year’s disappointing season. But they just blew this game amidst a truly poor outing. The 9th ranked women’s team would have likely fared better. Like the rest of the crowd, we left the arena early in a very dejected frame of mind.
When we arrived home, we found that the power was out in our neighborhood. In Los Angeles, a little rain wreaks havoc. We always enter our house through the garage and never use a house key, but without any power our garage door wouldn’t open, and we had neglected to take our house key with us. We spent a few moments in our driveway, wistfully looking at our lovely but powerless house that we couldn’t enter. Ultimately, we were able to contact our house-sitter who thankfully had a key. The 30 minute round-trip drive proved to be a waste as we returned to home to find the power restored. On top of that, I found that my article had not been posted by my editor, meaning it wouldn’t be available per normal on Monday. With that, I wondered what would be the next shoe to drop.
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