Obama says U.S. troops in S. Korea will be sent to Afghanistan

This should have been done for Iraq years ago. In principle having American troops defending a sovereign that is not at war makes no sense. South Korea should be able to defend itself. But this won't do much to change things in Afghanistan. What it would do is provide relief for our troops that have 5 or 6 tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

in reference to:

"U.S. President Barack Obama said during his recent trip to South Korea that some American troops stationed here will be re-deployed to Afghanistan, according to a transcript of his speech.   "The story of your service goes beyond this peninsula," Obama told a group of U.S. Forces Korea troops on Thursday in the last portion of his four-nation Asian trip."
- YONHAP NEWS (view on Google Sidewiki)

Economy Is Going to Get Much Worse

The only people recovering are on Wall St. The rest of America is dying.

in reference to:

"I think the economy is pretty darn awful, but with record profits on Wall Street and all the happy talk about a recovery from the recession (albeit a jobless recovery) it's confusing for many people as to what our economic future really holds. Well, here's relevant statistic that sums it up nicely, one that shows the so-called recovery is mostly a smoke and mirrors vaudeville magician's routine by the same people who either got us into this fine mess in the first place, or enabled the ones who did. Take a peek at this excerpt from Inner Workings David Goldman's blog at Asia Times: This morning’s news that housing starts “unexpectedly” dropped by 11 percent month on month is consistent with my grim view of the American economy. The crystal-meth monetary policy at the Fed makes everyone feel better, until they don’t. The nonstop rise in the price of dollar hedges tells us that it can’t last forever. Large balance sheets attached to the Fed’s money pump can show profits, and the price of spread assets (as PIMCO’s Bill Gross keeps emphasizing) is stupid rich. But at the capillary level, through, the economy is dying and gangrene is setting in. Here’s year on year growth in commercial and industrial loans from weekly reporting banks in the US:"
- Economy Is Going to Get Much Worse | PEEK | AlterNet (view on Google Sidewiki)

Increasing Number Of Web Sites Spread Al-Qaida's Message In English

This is the greatest threat to the West. Even greater than al Qaeda itself. New generations of Jihadists are being brought up in European countries inspired by the message of Bin Laden but following their own path. The Internet is a major tool for training Jihadists. It is a powerful propaganda source.

in reference to:

"Saudi Arabia — Increasing numbers of English-language Web sites are spreading al-Qaida's message to Muslims in the West. They translate writings and sermons once largely out of reach of English readers and often feature charismatic clerics like Anwar al-Awlaki, who exchanged dozens of e-mails with the Army psychiatrist accused of the Fort Hood shootings. The U.S.-born al-Awlaki has been an inspiration to several militants arrested in the United States and Canada in recent years, with his Web-based sermons often turning up on their computers. "The point is you don't have to be an official part of al-Qaida to spread hatred and sectarian views," said Evan Kohlmann, a senior investigator for the New York-based NEFA Foundation, which researches Islamic militants. "If you look at the most influential documents in terms of homegrown terrorism cases, it's not training manuals on building bombs," Kohlmann said. "The most influential documents are the ones that are written by theological advisers, some of whom are not even official al-Qaida members.""
- Increasing Number Of Web Sites Spread Al-Qaida's Message In English (view on Google Sidewiki)

Video: Rupert Murdoch denies he said Obama made a racist comment

Mr.Murdoch might want to stick to running his racist network instead of accusing others of making racist statements. He sounds a lot like a Republican politician nowadays.

in reference to:

"Earlier this month, News Corp. president Rupert Murdoch said that President Obama made “a very racist comment” when Obama inserted himself into the July spat between Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Officer Jim Crowley. Murdoch also said Fox News host Glenn Beck “was right” to say Obama is a “racist” with a “deep-seated hatred for white people.” Today on Capitol Hill, Media Matters’ staffers asked Murdoch to be more specific about what “racist” comments Obama allegedly made, but Murdoch denied he had made the charge: MMFA: Mr. Murdoch, can you be more specific about what racist comments the President allegedly made? MURDOCH: I denied that absolutely. I don’t believe he’s a racist."
- Think Progress » Rupert Murdoch denies he said Obama made a racist comment. (view on Google Sidewiki)

Fred Thompson: Afghan war 'has been lost'

If it's lost blame it on Bush. It was George W. who started the war and fought it with minimal resources. It was lost when Mr.Bush decided to invade Iraq. He decided he wanted to fight 2 wars without enough troops. Afghanistan was neglected for years until it became clear that the Taliban were regaining their strength. Mr.Thompson apparently has a short memory or just doesn't care about the facts.Didn't Senator Reid get denounced as a defeatist when said that the Iraq War was lost.

in reference to:

"Former Sen. Fred Thompson today intensified his party's criticism of President Obama's long deliberation over policy in Afghanistan, announcing that Obama's delay signals that "the war has been lost" and that nothing the president now does will "make any difference." "It really doesn't matter how President Obama divides the Afghan baby, how he splits the difference between McChrystal and Biden. Because the war has been lost," Thompson said on his radio show today.  "I say this because of one sad and simple fact. The president does not have the will and determination to do what's necessary to win it. His heart's not in it, and never has been. The Taliban knows it. Al Qaeda knows it. Our allies know it. And the American people know it."
- Fred Thompson: Afghan war 'has been lost' - Ben Smith - POLITICO.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

Police seize more vids in Mo. sex abuse case

More attention has to be paid to role of pornography in sex crimes and abuse. The federal government has declare war on the monsters who produce pornography. Creating pornography is not free speech.

in reference to:

"Missouri investigators say several family members who say they were sexually abused as children by adult relatives remember being taken to various locations and photographed with naked men. Columbia police investigators also say in a Nov. 12 search warrant released Thursday that they seized more than 60 videos from the Columbia home of Jared Mohler. Mohler, his father, four brothers and an uncle are accused of raping and molesting several young relatives over roughly a decade beginning in the mid-1980s. They have not entered pleas."
- Police seize more vids in Mo. sex abuse case (view on Google Sidewiki)

Sessions, Giuliani Backed Trying Moussaoui In Fed Court, Other GOPers Praised Outcome

Typical Republican hypocrisy. I think the GOP will attack how the President wears his tie. I now agree that the trial being held in New York is a non issue. The Republicans show their frivolousness by pursuing this issue.

in reference to:

"Sessions, Giuliani Backed Trying Moussaoui In Fed Court, Other GOPers Praised Outcome"
- Sessions, Giuliani Backed Trying Moussaoui In Fed Court, Other GOPers Praised Outcome (view on Google Sidewiki)

Transcript: FOXNews Interviews President Obama (11-18-09) with Major Garrett

Read the transcript of Major Garrett's (FOXNews) interview of President Obama:

GARRETT: Very good. Ah, we have a lot of ground to cover, kind of a lightening round nature to this, I’ll have short questions, indulge yourself if you will in short answers. A couple on health care.

Dick Durbin said the new deadline for signing legislation is now State of the Union. Why is that delay acceptable to you? And how upset are you about it?

OBAMA: You know, I want this done as soon as possible; and, I think the American people do. We've had a long debate, but, you know, there's a reason why Health Care hasn't been reformed in forty, fifty, seventy years. It is a big, complicated piece of business. And frankly, Congress is not accustomed lately to doing big complicated pieces of business like this.

We are pushing and prodding as hard as we can. I do think that a lot of the delay has been that the Congressional Budget Office, which scores or determines how much things cost, how much they might save- they’ve been overloaded. And it's taken a lot longer for us to get that, and I think it's entirely appropriate for legislators to say we want to make sure we get final numbers on any piece of legislation before we actually vote on it

GARRETT: So the end of the year? That's going?

OBAMA: Well, no I haven’t given up on it. We're going to keep on pushing as hard as we can to make that happen.

GARRETT: Will you sign legislation on Health Care that includes the Stupak language?

OBAMA: You know, I think that there is a balance to be achieved that is consistent with the Hyde amendment - what existed before we reformed Health Care.

I believe in the basic idea that federal dollars shouldn't pay for abortions. But I also think we shouldn't restrict women's choices, so, I think there's some negotiations going on, not just on the Democratic side, but I think among people of good will on both sides, to see if we can arrive at something that meets that criteria and I'm confident we can do that.

GARRETT: Yes or no, does the Stupak language strike that balance?

OBAMA: Not yet

Video: Barbara Walters to Sarah Palin: "You have a way with Words"

Along with "you betcha," add another phrase to the growing list of Sarah Palinisms: "back assward."

Barack Obama rewards big donors with plum jobs overseas

Business as usual. Obama is indebted for all that money he raised. Running for office has become a pact with the devil. They are owned before ever entering office. All that talk about "change" was typical empty rhetoric.

in reference to:

"He may have promised to change Washington, but President Barack Obama is continuing one of its most renowned patronage traditions: bestowing prized ambassadorships on big donors. Of the nearly 80 ambassadorship nominations or confirmations since Obama’s Inauguration, 56 percent were given to political appointees and 44 percent have gone to career diplomats, according to records kept by the American Foreign Service Association. The latest nomination came this week, when Beatrice Wilkinson Welters was nominated to serve as ambassador to the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. Welters, a longtime advocate for underprivileged children, and her husband, Anthony, an executive with UnitedHealth Group, generated between $200,000 and $500,000 in donations to Obama’s presidential campaign and an additional $100,000 for his Inauguration, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group that tracks political giving."
- Barack Obama rewards big donors with plum jobs overseas - Jeanne Cummings - POLITICO.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

Computer Glitch Plagues East Coast Planes

This is scary. And don't trust the government to figure out what's going on. You have to wonder whether it's cyberterror related.

in reference to:

"According to the FAA and air traffic controllers, a flight system developed a problem at around 6 a.m. which is affecting the computer system which processes flight plans electronically, reports CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes. This system is located in Atlanta and generates the flight plans for all flights on the East Coast. The backup system is in Salt Lake City. Controllers in the congested New York area are putting about 20 miles between planes in the air instead of the typical 8 miles, to create extra safety buffers, Cordes reports."
- Computer Glitch Plagues East Coast Planes - CBS News (view on Google Sidewiki)