Them Saudis Got Chutzpah

This one really takes the cake- the AP reports Saudi Arabia plans to insist on UN aid money if a significant portion of the world reaches a climate pact that potentially cuts dependence on oil consumption. This comes despite studies showing that OPEC revenues will soar +$33 trillion by 2030 -as much as 4x current income- regardless.

The Houston Chonicle:

There are plenty of needy countries at the U.N. climate talks in Bangkok that make the case they need financial assistance to adapt to the impacts of global warming. Then there are the Saudis.

Saudi Arabia has led a quiet campaign during these and other negotiations — demanding behind closed doors that oil-producing nations get special financial assistance if a new climate pact calls for substantial reductions in the use of fossil fuels...

Read more -here-

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Czech President calls Climate Meeting at UN "Undignified Propaganda"

Czech President Vaclav Klaus sharply criticized a U.N. meeting on climate change on Tuesday at which Barack Obama was the star speaker. According to Reuters, Klaus described the proceedings as propagandistic and undignified.

"It was sad and it was frustrating," said Klaus, one of the world's most vocal skeptics on the topic of global warming.

"It's a propagandistic exercise where 13-year-old girls from some far-away country perform a pre-rehearsed poem," he said. "It's simply not dignified."

Klaus said there were increasing doubts in the scientific community regarding the causes of global temperature trends, but that politicians seem to be unstoppable in their quest for radical, expensive, and freedom-reducing climate change legislation.

"The train can't be stopped and I consider that a huge mistake..."

He has also authored a book on the global campaign to stop climate change entitled "Blue Planet in Green Chains: What Is Under Threat- Climate or Freedom?" In it he claims global warming has turned into a "new religion", an ideology that threatens to undermine freedom and the world's socio-economic order.

Klaus is of-course the one who famously confronted Al Gore with "I don't think there's any global warming, I don't see any statistical data for that"- at Davos, Switzerland last year.

The Czech and former EU President went on to say "I'm very sorry that some people like Al Gore are not ready to listen to competing theories- I do listen to them."

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-Reuters

-Breitbart

Hump-Day Humor

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http://hopenchangecartoons.blogspot.com

-Stilton Jarlsberg, MD-

Sunday LOL Funnies

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A hat-tip to our friends and allies at:

http://www.therightreasons.net

Barack Obama Facing His Waterloo?

Military defeat at Waterloo put an end to Napoleon's rule as the French emperor for good in 1815... and lent us all a useful metaphor in the process.

It's now beginning to appear that Obamacare might turn out to be a crushing defeat for our emperor, too... as observed by Jim DeMint (R-SC) on the Senate floor yesterday. Bonaparte had his political ups-and-downs to be sure, even returning from exile... but at least he got 17 years out of it. Obama's polls are tanking after just five months, an incredible waste of political capital and public goodwill... and he now looks to be facing potentially humiliating defeats on two pillars of his far-left agenda.

Team Obama and congressional Democrats might as-well be operating under the banner "Hope and Change...and do it Yesterday!" as they keep the pedal-to-the-metal, attempting to ram-through both Cap-n-Trade climate change and Obamacare semi-nationalized health-care legislation in rapid succession. They are now employing the same anti-democratic M.O. as with the previous $800B "stimulus" and subsequent $400B omnibus spending bill... voting largely along party lines with no real debate, various shenanigans like 300-page "amendments" dropped in the hopper at 3am, always an extra helping of pork served-up for all at the (think Roman banquet) table... and of course lawmakers have not read much of these 1000+ page bills. Perhaps the reason there's been no plans for debate from the Democratic leadership is that these big-government programs are disingenuous at the core- and have a lot more to do with monstrous tax-and-power grabs than the supposed public-good they exploit as a facade.

Now, with Barack feeling the pressure as poll numbers slip, he brings-on one of his familiar strawmen: "There are those in Washington who say that we should do nothing"- this time on health care. According to Obama, the only viable alternative anyone's considered to his proposal -a radical trillion-dollar-program, including the basis for fully-socialized medicine- is to do nothing. The GOP -nor really anyone else- has ever said anything like that, of course.

And Barack Obama will never say to your face what he actually plans to do -or achieve- with these huge new government programs. The truth is that this administration is out to completely nationalize healthcare... they'll be no private health insurance industry left after five years of Obamacare... but as has become standard practice, the President is lying about it. We are all expected to admire and praise the beauty of the socialist Trojan horses Obama keeps rolling-out, but you're forbidden to look inside or ask any questions that he doesn't feel like answering.

Rather than admit that this is was the goal from the get-go, you get some specious oratory with styrofoam props to wow the plebes and keep them in the ether, like with the tacky greek columns in Denver. To him, the revolutionary ends justify the Alinskyite means- so the Dear Leader tells you whatever he needs to... he knows what's best for you anyway.

In White House and DNC propaganda, it's "Oh yeah, you can keep your old health insurance if you like it". What they don't tell you is that's only until Obama bankrupts the private-sector providers with his Federal soon-to-be monopoly... one with access to almost-free capital and everything stacked in it's favor. As with Cap-n-Tax, this is just another Obamas power-grab with a healthy dose of soak-the-evil-rich. It's all done under the cover of public benefit, of course... just like he used to do it with Rezko and his housing projects back in Chi-town. And as with most scams, most of us don't quite figure it out until it's too late.

As for the American public, the reality that he's both habitually dishonest and not up to the job seems to finally be setting-in; Obama's poll numbers are now headed steadily south. At six months in office, Obama’s 55% approval rating puts him just 10th among the 12 post-World War II presidents at this point in their tenure. When #44 first took office... he ranked seventh.

As noted at Scared Monkeys the USA/Gallup poll finds that more and more Americans have great concerns with Obama's handling of the economy, health care and the federal deficit. For all of the free passes Obama has been provided and MSM support touting him as the savior of the economy and the most liked President ever... just 6 mos later his poll numbers hardly reflect that:

•By 49%-47%, those surveyed disapprove of how he is handling the economy, a turnaround from his 55%-42% approval in May. The steepest drop came from conservative and moderate Democrats.

•By 50%-44%, they disapprove of how he is handling health care policy.

•A 59% majority say his proposals call for too much government spending and 52% say they call for too much expansion of government power.

Instead of the moderation and bipartisanship we should expect from such otherwise humbling poll results -and which was promised during the campaign last year- we still get the Dear Leader's diktats shoved down our throats as fast as we can swallow. Obama's actions betray almost no concern whatsoever for the (lack of) popularity of his outlandish programs... why is that? His reaction when asked why the polls are turning against him is often that he needs to do a "better job" educating us lesser beings... that should show you just what this arrogant Bolshevik thinks of your opinion.

In another poll, only 49% surveyed by WaPo/ABC said they approve of the way Obama is handling healthcare- down from 53% last month... and 57% in April. Clearly, three months of stumping for his health care reform plan have accomplished precious little; his net approval on the issue has actually tanked during this period.

There was also evidence Obama is losing the image war. In March, just 32% said Obama was "an old-style, tax-and-spend Democrat" while 62% said he was "a new-style Democrat who will be careful with the public's money." But the public is starting to catch on to him, and 43% say he's a tax-and-spend Democrat, and now 52% see him as a "new brand" of Dem.

Yesterday, after Senator DeMint had stated that defeat on Obamacare could prove to be the president's Waterloo, Obama -visibly troubled- even mentioned DeMint by name, going-on to to state that "this isn't about me". While Obama is technically correct on that, DeMint's comment was just an off-the-cuff remark... what's worth listening to is his comprehensive rebuke of the Obamacare proposal, where the man made a whole lot of sense:

On Wednesday night, Obama is to employ a prime-time televised news conference (8 pm EDT) to regain lost momentum on this vital element of his planned big-goverment makeover of the United States. But didn't he already try just this on his day-long ABC News infomercial? Perhaps the President has some reason to expect this one will find a more receptive audience... his bit on ABC trailed sitcom re-runs in the Nielsens, rating dead-last amongst network shows that night.

An increasing number of Americans have simply become immune to Obama's soaring rhetoric as the failures mount and broken promises accumulate. Trouble for Obama is, sweet-talking an uncritical electorate is his only real talent, he's a one-trick pony... and in desperation, he'll have to play to strength.

Time for The One to get on TV yet again and lay it on thick, then...

And as Napoleon's Foreign Minister Tallyrand once said:

"Speech was given to man to disguise this thoughts"

Chairman O's Rubber-Stamp Legislature Happy To Step in It

As we all know by now, the Democrats rammed-through a radical tax increase and big government power-grab under the guise of a "climate change" bill in the House of Representatives this week in a very close vote, 219-212... with little debate, without legislators even reading it... and while quarantining the GOP from any meaningful input whatsoever. Any foolhardy individuals who still believe Obama's threadbare "bipartisanship" spiel ought to have their head examined.

The complex bill, which totaled about 1,200 pages, would require the U.S. to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions by 17% from 2005 levels by 2020, and by 83% by 2050. To add insult to injury, sponsor Henry Waxman (D-Cal) snuck-in a 300-page "ammendment" at 3am the night before the vote.

As reported by The Hill, GOP Congressional Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) had a few choice words about Pelosi and Obama's climate-change bill after its passage. Boehner truly rose to the occasion on Friday, doing his level best to bring some legislators to their senses... whilst shedding some sorely-needed light upon just what Obama and Pelosi are foisting on us. Later, when asked why he read portions of the cap-and-trade bill on the floor Friday night in an innovative mini-filibuster, Boehner told The Hill, "Hey, people deserve to know what's in this pile of shit."

When fish-faced sponsor Waxman attempted to put a stop to the exposure of this mystery legislation -then on the verge of being voted upon- he got smacked-down hard by Boehner, to much Republican applause:

And while the margin was indeed narrow, the Democrats likely could have passed it without the eight RINO votes they garnered in the event. The problem is that for every GOP sellout, Pelosi was able to free one 2010-vulnerable Democrat to vote against the bill. These Republicans should have at least forced her to get it passed on her own- it will be interesting to see what earmarks they received in return.

Michelle Malkin has an excellent summary today on those who broke Republican ranks and hurt the nation, GOP, and themselves with this shameful act of political opportunism. And Stacy McCain's Not One Red Cent is focused laser-like on ensuring that none of these traitors receive any RNC help in getting re-elected... they made their bed, and now they can lie in it.

But as-far as the Republican Party is concerned, the war is far from over: GOP Conference Chairman Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) said "we have only just begun to fight” as he left the Capitol Friday night.

Surely success for the Democrats will be far more difficult in the Senate. Majority Leader Harry Reid says he wants to take up the legislation by the fall, but 60 votes will be needed to overcome any Republican filibuster. The "razor-thin vote in the House spells doom in the Senate," proclaimed Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla).

Obama subsequently addressed the nation (and especially the Senate) in his weekly radio address on Saturday with his typical specious strawman arguments and blatantly false assumptions; instead of stating "in my opinion", or "evidence points to"... Obama tells us that those with well-founded concerns regarding the economic impact of this monstrous tax increase in the midst of a recession are spreading "misinformation":

“My call to every senator, as well as to every American, is this,” he said. “We cannot be afraid of the future. And we must not be prisoners of the past. Don’t believe the misinformation out there that suggests there is somehow a contradiction between investing in clean energy and economic growth.”

Just when you think that Obama couldn't insult your intelligence any more, he added -while sounding like a Sham-Wow commercial- that the measure would cost the average American about the "price of a postage stamp per day". Many experts and business leaders, naturally, disagree with Obama's proclamations, including already-regretful Obama supporter Warren Buffet- who called the tax hikes "massive" and "regressive".

The habitually dishonest Obama also claimed that the average American would not bear the brunt of this historic tax-increase: he claimed instead "It is paid for by the polluters who currently emit dangerous carbon emissions."

Just compare this patent falsehood to Ronald Reagan's timeless quote:

The most dangerous myth is the demagoguery that business can be made to pay a larger share, thus relieving the individual. Politicians preaching this are either deliberately dishonest, or economically illiterate, and either one should scare us.

... Only people pay taxes, and people pay as consumers every tax that is assessed against a business.

Like Obama's outdated embrace of socialist statism -as it's traditional practicioners in Europe quietly walk away from it- the behind-the-curve assumptions of his global-warming argument have now come under heavy scrutiny in Australia and New Zealand, as well as in numerous other countries worldwide- where doubts regarding the scientific evidence and the stifling effect of cap-and-trade legislation have them applying the brakes to their own climate-change legislation.

As reported in the Wall Street Journal:

The collapse of the "consensus" has been driven by reality. The inconvenient truth is that the earth's temperatures have flat-lined since 2001, despite growing concentrations of C02. Peer-reviewed research has debunked doomsday scenarios about the polar ice caps, hurricanes, malaria, extinctions, rising oceans.

But Obama team won't even discuss the science with critics, at home or abroad... what does that tell you? Clearly the true agenda is the massive incremental tax base and centralized industrial control that Team Obama longs for, while being unhelpful to the economy, unwise... and unfair.

Now there is yet another scandalous development attached to this story, in that the Obama Administration has now even gone so far as to suppress our own EPA's latest report... one that casts significant doubt on the assumptions behind the global-warming argument. As reported in Investors' Business Daily:

On Friday, the day of the vote, the Competitive Enterprise Institute said it was releasing "an internal study on climate science which was suppressed by the Environmental Protection Agency."

In the release, the institute's Richard Morrison said "internal EPA e-mail messages, released by CEI earlier in the week, indicate that the report was kept under wraps and its author silenced because of pressure to support the administration's agenda of regulating carbon dioxide."

If there was any trace of doubt as to Obama's true intentions, this looming Carbongate scandal ought to erase that for good... and they'll be plenty of time to explore what went on there before the Senate debates this misguided legislation in the fall. It's clearly the tax revenue that interests Obama, in addition to his own political security- not saving the earth, creating green jobs, or whatever other jive he's frantically laying on us to get this passed. This “amounts to the largest tax increase in American history under the guise of climate change,” declared Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind).

Is global climate-change truly a reason for concern... or a comprehensive scam promoted by the left? I sure have no way of knowing, and the theory of it is entirely possible... no doubt. But the promotion of man-made global warming as a Gore-esque forgone conclusion is certainly a complete hoax; it simply has not been proven in the sort of conclusive manner that would necessitate such sweeping changes and unparalleled tax increases in the midst of a major recession. But many conservatives are willing to talk about it... a lot more than can be said for the president. And of course, our industrial rivals the Chinese and Indians couldn't be less interested.

"Never let a good crisis go to waste" said the ever-calculating serial-opportunist Rahm Emanuel... and even a false one will do, apparently, if well orchestrated.

Obama and Pelosi have not made a convincing argument, to say the least- apparently didn't see it as necessary, and never even tried... exactly the same as with their profligate "stimulus" legislation that seems to have done nothing but spike the unemployment rate. Small wonder then that the Democrats have chosen to employ identical underhanded, bad-faith legislative tactics with this bill: present a large portion on it in the middle of the night, steamroll right-over GOP concerns, attack critics aggressively, suppress all conflicting evidence... and above all don't let anyone read it until it is already chiseled in stone.

If they somehow scrape-up the votes for this bill -or anything resembling it- in the Senate later this year, I look for brave GOP legislators -those who want to lead us into 2010 and beyond- to filibuster this pig right into the ground.