Putin is Russia's Most Powerful Man. Any Questions?

Financial Times today reported that Russian Prime Minister may run for President in 2012. Wow. Who could of seen this coming? I'm just saying?

President Dmitriy Medvedev has attempted to carve out a political image that is distinguishable from Putin's, his predecessor. He recently has indicated that Russia's government would be more open and accessible under his administration than under Putin's. As has been widely reported, Putin is a former KGB man and although he does not desire a resurgence of the old Communist Party he clearly desires a more authoritarian, centralized government than Mr. Medvedev.

Like many of the nations of the Middle-east, Russia is a nation whose population does not know how to take advantage of a true republican or democratic form of government. Russians are more comfortable under a stronger government that takes more responsibility for the basic needs of it's citizens. Many Russians, especially older ones, are unhappy with the rampant crime and runaway mega-capitalism and perceived lost of national prestige that existed during Boris Yeltsin's administration. They are therefore happier with Putin and Medvedev in charge, where Russia is once again flexing it's muscles abroad as well as nationalizing some of it's private industry.

My prediction: While he will not claim the title, I believe that Mr. Putin will do everything he can in order to garner the same level of power that the Czars ("Kings") had in order to create, in his eyes, an orderly, powerful and peaceful united Russia.

ACORN Contradictions in Tax-Evasion/Prostitution Advice Scandal.

Jim O'Keefe released a video through www.biggovernment.com that shows himself and a young, attractive woman disguised as a pimp and prostitute trying to get advice from a pair of ACORN "community organizers" on how to buy a house in order to lodge over a dozen young females from El Salvador. During the conversation, the undercover couple let the following "facts" be known to the ACORN workers:

1. Their business was prostitution.
   
2. They would be housing 13 young women from El Salvador.
3. They weren't paying income taxes.
4. If they were to start paying taxes, what should they claim in terms of income, occupation and dependents.

The response from the ACORN representatives is truly stunning. They tell the undercover couple that they can file under the classification of "Performing Arts". They tell them that since the 13 young girls don't have Social Security numbers, don't worry about them. They completely ignore the implication that the girls are probably illegal aliens, that they are underage, and that they will be working in their "business". The advice received concerning how to avoid paying taxes given is "Don't file." Even though the undercover couple indicate that their annual income would be about $96,000, they are told to declare $9,600 in income since they are probably doing mostly a cash business.

If it weren't as grotesque as I've just described it, this would be hilarious. But it gets better.

On Wednesday, ACORN spokesman Scott Levenson said "The portrayal is false and defamatory and an attempt at 'gotcha' journalism." The national headquarters also stated that there would be no further comment until they saw the "entire" video. This notwithstanding the "entire" video is currently available for download at www.biggovernment.com right now and has been since September 5th.

On Friday it was reported by ACORN Maryland chapter leader Stuart Katzenberg that the two employees were fired because "they did not meet ACORN's standard of professionalism." Whoa. I though ACORNs position was that the video was misleading, "false and defamatory". Yet two employees were fired? Seems contradictory to me.

Oh wait, it get's even better! (Or sicker, depending on your point of view.) Fox News is now reporting that in addition to the Baltimore office being "stung" by Jim O'Keefe and Hannah Giles, they managed to pull the same stunt off at an ACORN office in Washington, D.C. as well. In this NEW tape Lavernia Boone, an ACORN "mortgage consultant" and Sherana Boone, an ACORN "housing employee" (are they related?) allegedly give the undercover couple similar advice as the Baltimore office did.

So... I think we've got some contradictions here.
ACORN believes the videotape is "false and defamatory" and yet two "community organizers" lost their jobs because of their "unprofessional standards". ACORN would also have you believe that the Baltimore employees were part-time temporary help and that no senior staffers were in the office at the time. This is clearly intended to get people to believe that the situation was unique to "Tonya" and "Shira" at the Baltimore office and that they were acting beyond ACORN rules and regulations. And yet... here comes the DC video! And what advice does the DC office give? The exact same advice as in Baltimore. To wit; lie on your taxes, tell the kids to shutup, keep your prostitution business low-key or somebody will get nosey and call "Fox".

"Healing Parks" and America's 9/11

I opened the Arizona Republic this morning and on the front page, there was a photograph of a fireman helping to set up a "healing field", which is a large field with thousands of U.S. flags in it on white poles. Each flag, in this case, represents a life lost on 9/11/2001 as a result of the infamous jihadist attacks against the United States.

Since Americans have such short memories, I remind you that on 9/11/2001 that 2,974 innocents were killed when 19 Islamic jihadists intentionally flew two hi-jacked airliners into the New York World Trade Center, one hi-jacked airliner into the Pentagon building. One additional airliner was hi-jacked but the passengers rose up against the hijackers and the aircraft ended up crashing into a farmer's field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

I do not understand healing fields. I don't need healing. I don't desire healing. I expect that those who lost loved ones in those attacks don't really want healing as much as they want justice. When Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941, Americans may have planted flags in fields. But what was far more important is that Americans enlisted in our armed services. Our industrial might began building vast numbers of tanks, bullets, rifles, helmets, warplanes and warships. Our President informed Congress that "we would win through to the absolute victory, so help us God."

I will be healed when the governments that supported this horrendous act are held responsible for the "stateless" persons that perpetrate these crimes of terror against "soft targets". I will be healed when the world recognizes that no person can be "stateless" and that if the nationality of a terrorist perpetrator is determined, that nation will be held to account. I will be healed when any nation or group of people is made to understand that the price for committing acts of terror is far too high in terms of the suffering that will be levied upon their homeland.

Update to Baltimore ACORN Faux pas.

Oh yeah, one more thing...

Where the hell is the main-stream media on this? At 6:19 PM Eastern today (September 10th, 2009), the following news organizations were NOT reporting this story, even though it actually broke on www.biggovernment.com last Saturday:

1) www.msnbc.msn.com
2) www.abcnews.go.com
3) www.cbsnews.com
4) www.nytimes.com
5) www.latimes.com

Only Fox News is running with this story, largely through the efforts of the Glenn Beck show (5PM Eastern), who in turn got this information from Andrew Breitbart's new website www.biggovernment.com. That's one heckuva scoop, Mr. Breitbart.

Other than that, most of the other news outlets that had picked up on the story were blogs and smaller local news sites (Phoenix, Baltimore, both were Fox affiliates).

And the politicians and left elites are wondering why those of us who are either moderate or conservative have only the radio and Fox News to inform us about very serious issues like this one.

ACORN Offers to Help Setup a Brothel.

Wow. I thought I'd seen it all...

Then I see a video on www.biggovernment.com that shows two young white students posing as a prostitute and her pimp in trying to use ACORNs consulting services to secure a loan to purchase a house. The video completely speaks for itself and every American should be casting severe distrust against this organization.

ACORN responding by saying that the video was "false and defamatory" and an attempt to "smear" their organization. False? How? This was a video of two of their employees providing the following advice:
1) Run a prostitution brothel under the IRS classification of "Performance Arts".
2) Avoid paying taxes by using the following tactic: "Don't file."
3) Continue to assist with tax form preparation even when the couple states that they will also have numerous young girls from El Salvador working for them "in the trade" and living in the house.

What should have happened at that point is that the ACORN employees (or representatives or whatever) demand the couple's identification or even make a citizen's arrest. What this couple were "pretending" to setup was a child pornography/sex slave operation working out of the house that ACORN was going to assist them in purchasing with falsified tax documents.

And President Obama wants to use these same people to collect 2010 census information and funnel them 8.9 billion dollars?!?

I agree with Glenn Beck. This is not a Democrat/Republican issue. This is a corruption issue. And it is clear that ACORN and the politicians that support/protect them are about as corrupt as it gets.

Gross Intrusion of Government into Our Lives.

cnet.com just reported that Congress has apparently been working behind the doors to draft a little-known piece of legislation (S.773) that would effectively permit the President to seize control of private-sector during a "cyber-security" emergency.

The sponsors of the bill, notably Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) explained that this bill provides a capability to the President that is functionally similar to the power President Bush evoked to ground all airborne aircraft in the wake of the September 11th, 2001 attacks. As an example, this would give the President the ability to respond to a cyber-attack directed from or against a network that controls an electrical power grid.

My VERY FIRST QUESTION: Why in the name of all that is HOLY would computers that actually CONTROL an electrical grid would be accessible from the Internet? Any critical system like that should NOT be connected to the Internet. Most military systems use an INTRAnet that is not accessible from outside. Critical infrastructure systems should be segregated from the internet in a similar manner.

My VERY SECOND QUESTION: If President Bush (43) had suggested this there would be a huge outcry from the media and general public. So where's the liberal media on this one? Near silence.

My VERY THIRD QUESTION: Once the mechanism is in place, how would we prevent any administration from abusing it to disrupt the business of a company that is opposing the administration in any manner?

My recommendation: Get any critical system computers OFF the internet. Then President Obama and his Democrat cronies won't NEED to pass this tremendous and gross intrusion of government into the private-sector.

More about ObamaCare: August 27, 2009

ITEM 1:
According to a Fox News report, both ABC and NBC news are refusing to run a national ad critical of Pres. Obama's health care reform plan. The ad was created by the League of American Voters, which describes themselves as a "national non-partisan and 501(c)4 non-profit organization created to keep our elected officials in Washington and across the nation accountable." The ad features a neurosurgeon who admonishes that the current health care reform plan will affect the U.S. industry much like the rapidly failing public single-payer systems in both the United Kingdom and Canada. Quotes from important newspapers scroll across the screen, proclaiming dire consequences if the current plan is enacted into law.

An ABC News spokesperson responded to criticism for this decision by stating that "The ABC Television Network has a long-standing policy that we do not sell time for advertising that presents a partisan position on a controversial public issue."

Really? So when ABC essentially gave an entire day to discuss the plan with Preisdent Obama back in June, when did ABC plan on giving the same amount of time to the loyal opposition to provide their views on this complex legislation. This is an example of where the "Fairness Doctrine" could certainly be applied to broadcast TV as opposed to just AM talk radio. 33 seconds vs. most of primetime for a day. To me, it still seems that ABC is in President Obama's hip pocket.

ITEM 2
I read on Breitbart.com that Representative Pete Stark (D-CA), head of the Health subcommittee on the House Ways and Means committee has declared that the "Blue Dogs" (a fiscally conservative faction of roughly 50 Democratic representatives) are "brain dead" and "just want to make trouble" with their opposition to President Obama's health care reform plan. He went on to essentially accuse the Blue Dogs of siding with big-money insurance companies and health care providers in order to "raise money". The political discourse in this country has absolutely gone to the dogs (pun intended). Why can't either side of this debate admit that the other side believes what they want is the best without slandering their character or intentions? Sure... the constituency for the Blue Dogs has nothing better to do than send representatives to Congress who just want to make trouble. I find it interesting that the Blue Dogs are fiscal conservatives. Maybe they have not yet been convinced that ObamaCare won't actually cause our federal budget deficit to skyrocket to the point where we might actually owe more money in debt than our gross national domestic product. And this at a time when foreign countries are actively considering dumping U.S. dollars in favor of a new "world currency" or a fund made up of several currencies, not just U.S. dollars.

ITEM 3
TimesOnline.co.uk: Apparently the Democrats, realizing that the August recess has only shown a weakening of public support for Pres. Obama's health care reforms, are trying to capitalize on the recent passing of Senator Edward "Ted" M. Kennedy (D-MA). Senator Robert Byrd suggested the health care reform plan (currently the United States Nationalized Health Care Act) should "bear his name", while Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) opined "Ted Kennedy’s dream of quality healthcare for all Americans will be made real this year because of his leadership and his inspiration.” While there is no question that the Chappaquiddick... er ... Massachusetts senator made public health care a major policy priority during his tenure as a elected servant, isn't this getting just a bit operatic?

ITEM 4
This is from CBSnews.com. ObamaCare would require that the IRS (yes, THOSE guys) would be required to divulge taxpayer identity information to include filing status, modified adjusted gross income, number of dependents and "other information as is prescribed by" regulation. This information will then be used by the Health Choices Commissioner (a new position mandated by USNHC (ObamaCare)) to determine if someone qualifies for "affordability credits". Don't believe, go to Section 431(a) of the bill. I'd give you the page number, but this thing keeps getting rewritten so the section keeps moving. This is also restated in Section 245(b)(2)(A). Uh, wait a minute... I think I remember reading that the Privacy Act requires that agencies get their information directly from individual, not from other agencies. This would mean that thousands upon thousands of government employees would suddenly have very easy access to some of your most important information, namely, your income. What's to prevent those agencies from using this information in other ways?

Well, that's enough for today... oh yeah, and still no addition of Tort reform in USNHC. Which absurdly brings me to DNC Chairman Howard Dean's opinion on that subject.

ITEM 5
From SFExaminer.com: SFExaminer reporter Mark Tapscott accurately described this slip as "incredibly candid" when he reported on the following. At a townhall meeting hosted by Jim Moran (D-VA), an audience member asked why the legislation does nothing to cap medical malpractice class-action lawsuits against doctors and medical institutions (Tort reform). DNC Chairman Howard Dean, himself a former physician, responded by saying "The reason tort reform is not in the bill is because the people who wrote it did not want to take on the trial lawyers in addition to everybody else they were taking on. And that's the plain and simple truth." Well, great. So it's ok to take on doctors, hospitals, clinics, pharamceutical companies, but those trial lawyers just FIGHT TOO HARD so we'll not take them on, and incidentally, cut U.S. national spending on healthcare by possibly as much as two-hundred million dollars as the result of smaller malpractice insurance premiums and outrageous settlement amounts. Incidentally, you WERE aware that the most common prior occupation for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives is "lawyer", right?