Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Scandal Rattles Politics in South Carolina, Again

House GOP Asks Public To Weigh In Via Website

This is a cheap Republican stunt.

in reference to:

"House Republican leaders launched a new website, AmericaSpeakingOut.com, on Tuesday, saying it will offer Americans an opportunity to participate in government. "This is an open community and a debate of ideas; you submit the idea, you debate the idea, you put it into your network and you'll continue to have that dialogue," said project chairman and Chief Deputy Minority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif."
- House GOP Asks Public To Weigh In Via Website - Yahoo! News (view on Google Sidewiki)

Video: Planet-eating Star Discovered

Video: Somali boys Become al Qaida's new Recruits

While we fight in Afghanistan al Qaeda has taken control of Somalia.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy


And our worthless government is too inept to do anything about it. Remember "Black Hawk Down"?:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Video: Republican Congressional Candidate Plagiarizes Barack Obama

This is too funny. A Republican candidate, endorsed by Sarah Palin, who plagiarizes Barack Obama:

Idaho Republican Vaughn Ward has already come under fire for mimicking other candidates’ policy language on his website, but now the congressional candidate is facing accusations of plagiarizing from another source: President Barack Obama.

In a kickoff speech for his campaign in January, Ward used language that closely followed Obama’s 2004 speech to the Democratic National Convention, and a conservative Idaho blog spliced together the two sets of remarks to show their similarities, accusing Ward of cribbing from Obama’s remarks.

Here’s what Obama said in 2004: “As we stand at the crossroads of history, we can make the right choices and meet the challenges that face us. If you feel the same urgency that I do, if you feel the same passion that I do, then I have no doubt the people will rise up in November and this country will reclaim its promise and out of this long political darkness, a brighter day will come.”

And here’s what Ward said in January: “As we stand on the crossroads of history, I know we can make the right choice and meet the challenges that lay before us. If you feel the same urgency and the same passion that I do, then I have no doubt that our voices will be heard in November. And our country will reclaim its promise and out of this darkness, a better day is on the horizon.”

CBS Poll: 70% Say BP Handling Oil Spill Badly

CBS Poll: 70% Say BP Handling Oil Spill Badly

Gunmen rob gold shops in Iraqi capital, kill 15

Gunmen rob gold shops in Iraqi capital, kill 15

- Sounds like chaos has taken over in Iraq. Will Obama decide to send the troops back again?

Exclusive: FBI details surge in death threats against lawmakers

Exclusive: FBI details surge in death threats against lawmakers - Erika Lovley - POLITICO.com

Beijing tries to push beyond 'Made in China' status to find name-brand innovation

Beijing tries to push beyond 'Made in China' status to find name-brand innovation

Mortgage Rates at New Lows, Thanks to Europe's Debt Crisis

Mortgage Rates at New Lows, Thanks to Europe's Debt Crisis - Yahoo! Finance

U.S. Is Said to Expand Secret Military Acts in Mideast Region

This sounds like an attempt to look for trouble. Maybe an attempt to start another war when are already in a mess in Afghanistan and Iraq. No good will come of it. It's just another foolish step leading eventually to another World War in the Middle East. If you think that's an exaggeration let me ask this: Did you predict a near economic collapse in 2008?

The top American commander in the Middle East has ordered a broad expansion of clandestine military activity in an effort to disrupt militant groups or counter threats in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and other countries in the region, according to defense officials and military documents.

The secret directive, signed in September by Gen. David H. Petraeus, authorizes the sending of American Special Operations troops to both friendly and hostile nations in the Middle East, Central Asia and the Horn of Africa to gather intelligence and build ties with local forces. Officials said the order also permits reconnaissance that could pave the way for possible military strikes in Iran if tensions over its nuclear ambitions escalate.

While the Bush administration had approved some clandestine military activities far from designated war zones, the new order is intended to make such efforts more systematic and long term, officials said. Its goals are to build networks that could “penetrate, disrupt, defeat or destroy” Al Qaeda and other militant groups, as well as to “prepare the environment” for future attacks by American or local military forces, the document said. The order, however, does not appear to authorize offensive strikes in any specific countries.

In broadening its secret activities, the United States military has also sought in recent years to break its dependence on the Central Intelligence Agency and other spy agencies for information in countries without a significant American troop presence.

General Petraeus’s order is meant for small teams of American troops to fill intelligence gaps about terror organizations and other threats in the Middle East and beyond, especially emerging groups plotting attacks against the United States.

But some Pentagon officials worry that the expanded role carries risks. The authorized activities could strain relationships with friendly governments like Saudi Arabia or Yemen — which might allow the operations but be loath to acknowledge their cooperation — or incite the anger of hostile nations like Iran and Syria. Many in the military are also concerned that as American troops assume roles far from traditional combat, they would be at risk of being treated as spies if captured and denied the Geneva Convention protections afforded military detainees.