The Notorious movie crime roundup.

Entertainment: Oh, don't go crying about racist this or that, you never seen stabbings or shootings connected to a Tyler Perry movie. But this is why I am waiting to Redbox it.

Man Shot Twice Inside Theater At Greensboro Mall

According to the Greensboro Police Department, a man was shot two times inside the Four Seasons Mall movie theater during a sold out opening of the rap movie "Notorious" on Friday night. People at the scene said the whole theater was evacuated after the shooting. The Greensboro Police Department said the shooting took place at around 9:06pm at the Four Seasons movie theater at 2700 Vanstory Street in Greensboro. The multiplex is next to Four Seasons Mall, which is the largest shopping center in Greensboro. ...Lt. James Hinson of the Greensboro Police Department told the (Greensboro) News & Record newspaper in an article by Ryan Seals that he could not say if the shooting was related to the movie. However, evidently the Four Seasons theater management saw a connection, as the theater has told the media that it has taken the unusual step of deciding to drop the film entirely from its lineup and that it will not be showing it in the future.

AP: 4 stabbed during club's party for 'Notorious' film

German Police remove Israeli Flag during Islamist Protest March

Germany: Whose your Daddy?

Police in the western German city of Duisburg have admitted they removed flags a student had hung in his apartment in support of Israel during a pro-Palestinian protest march in the city. Officers broke down his door and removed the flags. The city's police chief has issued an apology, but outrage is spreading. It's certainly not a new phenomenon in Germany for feathers to be ruffled every time bombs fall or rockets fly in the Middle East. It is unusual, though, for German police officials to use force to enter into an apartment and remove an Israeli flag from a bedroom because people protesting the Gaza Strip invasion on the street below are bothered by it.

UAW doesn't like workers booting them out.

Politics: Okay, the workers here are choosing not to be in the UAW and they will respect this card check vote right? Nope.

The United Auto Workers this week challenged an employee's effort to decertify the union at her Kentwood automotive parts plant The UAW argued the multiplant local would have to be decertified not just at the Talon Court SE factory but all 12 plants operated by the Johnson Controls Inc. arm, JCIM. Those plants formerly were owned by the bankrupt Plastech of Dearborn. That was the argument union attorney Betsey Engel presented during a two-hour hearing at the National Labor Relations Board office. Hearing Officer Tom Good said he expected a decision by the end of the month. The union pact is being challenged by Dawn Lambert, a first-shift machine operator at the Kentwood plant. She gathered signatures of more than half the 150 production workers. "The issue is that they make it very easy to get into the union, but they make it very difficult to get out," said Glenn Taubman, the attorney representing Lambert.

Tom Hanks: Mormons(and Most Americans) are Un-American.

Politics: This is so cute as liberals are now throwing around the un-American charge towards anyone who don't subscribe to their specific politics. Especially cute when Hollywood liberals do it.

Tom Hanks, an Executive Producer for HBO’s controversial polygamist series “Big Love,” made his feelings toward the Mormon Church’s involvement in California's Prop 8 (which prohibits gay marriage) very clear at the show’s premiere party on Wednesday night. “The truth is this takes place in Utah, the truth is these people are some bizarre offshoot of the Mormon Church, and the truth is a lot of Mormons gave a lot of money to the church to make Prop-8 happen,” he told Tarts. “There are a lot of people who feel that is un-American, and I am one of them. I do not like to see any discrimination codified on any piece of paper, any of the 50 states in America, but here's what happens now. A little bit of light can be shed, and people can see who's responsible, and that can motivate the next go around of our self correcting Constitution, and hopefully we can move forward instead of backwards. So let's have faith in not only the American, but Californian, constitutional process.”

But the the Californian and even the Floridian constitutional process worked unless the majority in both states are now un-American as is the majority of Americans.

In short, Tom Hanks thinks you are un-American for not thinking like Tom Hanks towards gay marriage.

Americans are now loved overseas! Part 338272

World: Another one of these pathetic Americans are now loved stories where low self-esteem ex pats cheer the fact everyone loves them now because Black Jesus is in office. But to show how stupid these feelings are is this bit about Russia.

David St. Onge, 57, a John McCain supporter who works in the pharmaceutical industry and was in Moscow this week, said he has noticed a change in how his Russian clients treat him. "They seemed to think better of Americans because we elected a black man as president," he said as he walked through Red Square. "They think we're more enlightened now."

Europeans are saying the same thing and I ask again do you think any black man would be elected/appointed leader of the EU? Do you think Russia would elect a black leader considering less than 3 years ago there was an outcry about racist attacks?

America is the hot guy with the butterface friends who gets praised by them for dating the hot black woman even though they would never think of it.

Bank of America to get $20 billion more of bailout money.

Business: Who is the fool here? BoA buying up Merrill Lynch then is surprised by the new losses or the government who just keep shoveling money at BoA after urging them to buy up Lynch?

Kenneth D. Lewis gambled on bold acquisitions to build Bank of America into the nation’s largest bank. But the need for fresh government support to grapple with the newly revealed losses at Merrill Lynch, the brokerage firm he snapped up in a rapid-fire arrangement at the height of the financial crisis in September, raises questions about whether the bank has gone a deal too far. Two weeks after closing its purchase of Merrill Lynch at the urging of federal regulators, the government cemented a deal at midnight Thursday to supply Bank of America with a fresh $20 billion capital injection and absorb as much as $98.2 billion in losses on toxic assets, according to people involved in the transaction. The bank had been pressing the government for help after it was surprised to learn that Merrill would be taking a fourth-quarter write-down of $15 billion to $20 billion, according to two people who have been briefed on the situation, in addition to Bank of America’s rising consumer loan losses. The second lifeline brings the government’s total stake in Bank of America to $45 billion and makes it the bank’s largest shareholder, with a stake of about 6 percent. The program is modeled after one engineered to stabilize Citigroup as its stock price plummeted in late November, but it appears to have had limited success. Under the terms, Bank of America will be responsible for the first $10 billion in losses on a pool of $118 billion in illiquid assets, including residential and commercial real estate loans, and that will remain on its balance sheet. The Treasury Department and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation will take on the next $10 billion in losses. The government will absorb 90 percent of any additional losses, with Bank of America responsible for the rest. The Federal Reserve will guarantee any residual risk.

Hollywood stars pledge service to Obama.

Nation: Boy look at the sacrifices.

"Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria Parker swore off plastic water bottles and "Charlie's Angels" actress Lucy Liu also vowed to help the environment by riding the subway when she's in New York. In a show of support for President-elect Barack Obama's call for community service, more than 50 Hollywood celebrities have pledged to take positive action, in a video from husband-and-wife acting duo Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. The video will premiere on social networking website MySpace.com by next Monday, the day before Obama's inauguration. "There's an assumption that this one man is going to take on his new job full-time and somehow wave a magic wand of change, and I don't believe that to be true," Kutcher, 30, told Reuters. "I think that we have to be the leaders, and that's not celebrities -- I think that we as citizens have to be leaders of the movement that we want to create," said the actor, best known for playing a dim-witted stoner in the teen sitcom "That '70s Show."

Black Jesus has put out the call and the followers are lining up. Some will have worthwhile causes that have been going being supported by us regular folks, others like Eva and Lucy are just laughable in the grand scheme of things.

Jena 6's Mychal Bell's CNN pity party.

Nation: The sad fact is a bunch of morons will fall for this nonsense.

Mychal Bell says he felt pressure to be perfect after his part of 2006's "Jena 6" assault case was over. When police alleged last month that he wasn't, the Louisiana teen took his Christmas money and sought a gun to kill himself. "I just wanted to show everybody that I really wasn't the type of kid that everybody was making me out to be," said Bell, who worked out with his school's team even though he couldn't play in games. "Nobody will ever be perfect, but it's like that's where my mind was. You need to be perfect." Bell said he felt people were constantly watching him, hoping he'd fail: " 'Just mess up, just mess up.' There was a lot of pressure on me." So he was devastated, he said, when he was accused of shoplifting at a Monroe mall on December 24. Police say surveillance video appears to show Bell stuffing merchandise into a bag in a Dillard's store while another male seems to serve as a lookout. Bell walked out with the bag without paying, officials said, and a security guard approached and took it from him. Police said Bell and the other male fled, and guards chased Bell because he'd had the bag. Authorities say it contained $370 worth of clothes. Bell hid under a car in the parking lot, and as a store security officer tried to pull Bell out, he hit the guard in the face with his elbow, police said. Bell, who was charged with shoplifting, simple battery and resisting arrest, was released on bail, according to authorities. Investigators don't know who the other male was, and Bell "admitted to everything" to a detective, Lt. Jeff Harris said. In his CNN interview in Monroe, Bell -- who is back in school despite being in pain from his wound and subsequent surgery -- didn't comment on the shoplifting allegations because the case is pending.

This has nothing to do with being perfect, it has to do with you screwing up. Being caught on video tape shoplifting is no one's fault but your own. You need help but don't confuse your own stupidity in causing your own problems. You made the decision to commit a crime and got caught.

Bailout requests by US mayors is a fun read.

Politics: Hot Air pointed out the snow making machine request by Duluth, MN for $6 million, but going by the Mayor requests on the USMayors.org site, the entire nation has turned themselves into hookers and now we are just haggling over the price.

Miami and Miami-Dade is full of airport requests. Just take 20% that will be lost due to corruption and incompetence, the rest will be wasted on the actual construction which will mysteriously keep going up in price.

Dems unveil $825 billion pork bomb.

Politics: They are Dems, all they know is tax and spend.

WASHINGTON -- House Democrats are circulating an $825 billion economic stimulus measure that emphasizes health care, education and highway construction as well as tax cuts for individuals and businesses. A summary of the measure shows spending totaling roughly $550 billion and tax cuts of $275 billion, although the totals are expected to shift considerably as Congress works on the bill. Democratic leaders plan to unveil the legislation later today. The Associated Press obtained a copy in advance. Democratic leaders have pledged to have a bill ready for President-elect Barack Obama to sign by mid-February.

Townhall breaks it down and it is very depressing.

Awesome! Star Tribune files for bankruptcy.

Media: Oh I havetremendous joy at seeing these media outlets fall on their ass especially after their cheerleading from last year. I hope more in the future.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Thursday night. The filing came less than two years after Avista Capital Partners, a private equity group, purchased the newspaper for $530 million. The move was widely expected after the paper missed multiple payments to its lenders. Management of the paper said recently that it would resort to such action if it didn't win a series of labor concessions. The news was reported on the Star Tribune's Web site and confirmed by publisher Chris Harte. In a statement, Mr. Harte said: "We intend to use the Chapter 11 process to make this great Twin Cities institution stronger, leaner and more efficient so that it is better positioned for the future."

CAIR bus ads drive Jewish group to protest

Nation: CAIR has purchased some ads on public buses that are worded just off enough to piss people off.

Fifty of the county's 290-bus fleet have been chugging around area streets for the past several weeks with a message that might seem more oblique than inflammatory. Black letters on a white backdrop proclaim, "ISLAM: The Way of Life of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad." The $60,000 ad was paid for by the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "We owe it to our fellow Americans to let them know that Islam stands for peace," said Altaf Ali, director of CAIR's South Florida chapter. "Muslims are here and Muslims are part and parcel of the United States." But the words have inspired opposition from a group called Americans Against Hate, led by Jewish activist Joe Kaufman. The group says the ad is misleading because it implies that Abraham, Moses and Jesus were Muslim. "That's offensive to both Jews and Christians," said Kaufman, a resident of Coral Springs. ....Ali said the ad accurately describes Abraham, Moses and Jesus. "A Muslim is anyone who submits their will to God," he said. "By that definition Abraham and all the prophets are Muslim because they submitted their will to God."

The problem is the wording basically puts Judaism and Christianity as false religion while Islam claims Abraham, Moses and Jesus as their own. Even the local bleeding heart liberal columnist Mayo sees the problem.

Now I’m not one to get bent out of shape by anyone’s beliefs, but I had a feeling this would cause trouble. I mean, it’s one thing to try to educate people about a religion’s true meaning or intentions, but it’s another to distort things to the point that some are bound to get upset. Since Islam wasn’t founded until after Abraham, Moses and Jesus allegedly walked this earth, it’s kind of hard to claim that Islam was their way of life. And since Abraham and Moses are icons of Judaism and Jesus is considered the Messiah by Christians, the implication that they lived as Muslims could only rile those flocks.

This was done by CAIR to get a hostile reaction which they would in turn claim victime status.

SCHIP bill passes, think of the children people.

Nation: So a program that was for the poor and their children is now expanded to basically anyone with a pulse. I see no problems arising in the future from this spending spree that has begun.

Making a down payment on President-elect Barack Obama's promise of universal health coverage, the House voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to expand government-sponsored insurance to 4 million more children in working families with income too high to qualify for Medicaid. Between 300,000 and 600,000 of the new enrollees could be non-citizen children of legal immigrants who have been in the country less than five years, a sticking point for some Senate Republicans who also will consider a similar bill. Obama said he hoped the Senate acts with the "same sense of urgency so that it can be one of the first measures I sign into law when I am president." "In this moment of crisis, ensuring that every child in America has access to affordable health care is not just good economic policy, but a moral obligation we hold as parents and citizens," he said. .....The Congressional Budget Office projected that nearly 83 percent of the 4.1 million uninsured children who would gain coverage are in families with incomes below current eligibility limits. About 700,000 children would gain coverage because their states broadened eligibility. Most of the children who gain coverage live in families with incomes of less than twice the federal poverty level — $42,400 for a family of four, analysts said. However, some states have expanded their programs to cover families with more moderate incomes, as much as three times the federal poverty level — or $63,600 for a family of four. Republicans pointed to budget office estimates that the bill would shift 2.4 million children currently with private coverage to government-provided care. "The priority of SCHIP should always be to serve those children most in need of assistance, not subsidize those who already have access to private insurance," said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.

Chavez wants oil companies to come back

World: The socialist revolution will be funded by capitalism!

President Hugo Chávez, buffeted by falling oil prices that threaten to unravel his efforts to establish a Socialist-inspired state, is quietly courting Western oil companies once again. Until recently, Mr. Chávez had pushed foreign oil companies here into a corner by nationalizing their oil fields, raiding their offices with tax authorities and imposing a series of royalties increases. But faced with the plunge in prices and a decline in domestic production, senior officials here have begun soliciting bids from some of the largest Western oil companies in recent weeks — including Chevron, Royal Dutch/Shell and Total of France — promising them access to some of the world’s largest petroleum reserves, according to energy executives and industry consultants here. Their willingness to even consider investing in Venezuela reflects the scarcity of projects open to foreign companies in other top oil nations, particularly in the Middle East. But the shift also shows how the global financial crisis is hampering Mr. Chávez’s ideological agenda and demanding his pragmatic side. At stake are no less than Venezuela’s economic stability and the sustainability of his rule. With oil prices so low, the longstanding problems plaguing Petróleos de Venezuela, the national oil company that helps keep the country afloat, have become much harder to ignore. Embracing the Western companies may be the only way to shore up Petróleos de Venezuela and the raft of social welfare programs, like health care and higher education for the poor, that have been made possible by oil proceeds and have helped bolster his popular support.

Obama meh about Osama now. Didn't Bush say the same damn thing?

Politics: Hmm.. as pointed out on Legal Insurrection.

Remember Barack Obama's famous attack on John McCain, that McCain wasn't willing to go to the cave where Osama bin Laden was hiding: "John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell - but he won't even go to the cave where he lives." Or during the October 7, 2008 debate: "We will kill bin Laden. We will crush al-Qaeda. That has to be our biggest national security priority. "No more. Now, all we have to do is contain bin Laden to his cave, you know, the one McCain wouldn't go to: Barack Obama last night suggested that removing Osama bin Laden from the battlefield was no longer essential and that America's security goals could be achieved by merely keeping al-Qaeda "on the run". "My preference obviously would be to capture or kill him," he said. "But if we have so tightened the noose that he's in a cave somewhere and can't even communicate with his operatives then we will meet our goal of protecting America."

President Bush in 2002:

Q Mr. President, in your speeches now you rarely talk or mention Osama bin Laden. Why is that? Also, can you tell the American people if you have any more information, if you know if he is dead or alive? Final part -- deep in your heart, don't you truly believe that until you find out if he is dead or alive, you won't really eliminate the threat of -- THE PRESIDENT: Deep in my heart I know the man is on the run, if he's alive at all. Who knows if he's hiding in some cave or not; we haven't heard from him in a long time. And the idea of focusing on one person is -- really indicates to me people don't understand the scope of the mission. Terror is bigger than one person. And he's just -- he's a person who's now been marginalized. His network, his host government has been destroyed. He's the ultimate parasite who found weakness, exploited it, and met his match. He is -- as I mentioned in my speech, I do mention the fact that this is a fellow who is willing to commit youngsters to their death and he, himself, tries to hide -- if, in fact, he's hiding at all. So I don't know where he is. You know, I just don't spend that much time on him, Kelly, to be honest with you. I'm more worried about making sure that our soldiers are well-supplied; that the strategy is clear; that the coalition is strong; that when we find enemy bunched up like we did in Shahikot Mountains, that the military has all the support it needs to go in and do the job, which they did. And there will be other battles in Afghanistan. There's going to be other struggles like Shahikot, and I'm just as confident about the outcome of those future battles as I was about Shahikot, where our soldiers are performing brilliantly. We're tough, we're strong, they're well-equipped. We have a good strategy. We are showing the world we know how to fight a guerrilla war with conventional means. Q But don't you believe that the threat that bin Laden posed won't truly be eliminated until he is found either dead or alive? THE PRESIDENT: Well, as I say, we haven't heard much from him. And I wouldn't necessarily say he's at the center of any command structure. And, again, I don't know where he is. I -- I'll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him. I know he is on the run. I was concerned about him, when he had taken over a country. I was concerned about the fact that he was basically running Afghanistan and calling the shots for the Taliban. But once we set out the policy and started executing the plan, he became -- we shoved him out more and more on the margins. He has no place to train his al Qaeda killers anymore. And if we -- excuse me for a minute -- and if we find a training camp, we'll take care of it. Either we will or our friends will. That's one of the things -- part of the new phase that's becoming apparent to the American people is that we're working closely with other governments to deny sanctuary, or training, or a place to hide, or a place to raise money. And we've got more work to do. See, that's the thing the American people have got to understand, that we've only been at this six months. This is going to be a long struggle. I keep saying that; I don't know whether you all believe me or not. But time will show you that it's going to take a long time to achieve this objective. And I can assure you, I am not going to blink. And I'm not going to get tired. Because I know what is at stake. And history has called us to action, and I am going to seize this moment for the good of the world, for peace in the world and for freedom.

and Bush got bitched at by the MSM for downplaying Osama.

Hot Air.

Update: Lest there be ambiguity, let me add that Obama’s totally right here. None of these turds will be safely neutralized until they’re dead or locked up, but if that’s impossible, he’s done his job by making sure they can’t operate. Oddly, though, the left never saw it that way vis-a-vis Bush. I wonder if they’ll see it now.

Michael Tomasky likes the state to take your kids.

Nation: Unless there was some immediate danger to take the kids away from the idiot parents that named him Hitler, some lawyers are going to get the state to pay up big time.

Bold action taken by the state of New Jersey: HOLLAND TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — Police say three New Jersey siblings whose names have Nazi connotations have been placed in the custody of the state. Holland Township Police Sgt. John Harris says workers from the state Division of Youth and Family Services on Tuesday 3-year-old Adolf Hitler Campbell and his younger sisters, JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell from their home Tuesday. Harris says family services did not tell police the reason the children were removed. Agency spokeswoman Kate Bernyk says it does not comment on specific cases. The children and their parents, Heath and Deborah Campbell, received attention last month when a supermarket bakery refused to put Adolf Hitler Campbell's name on a birthday cake. If we looked at this closely, it would probably raise certain issues. Obviously, if the Campbells were denying the children food that's one thing. But is the state within its rights to remove children from a home because of the parents' political beliefs? If indeed that's the reason (the state isn't saying so). That's a tough question, but I think in this particular case most of us can agree that removing children from an atmosphere of obvious poison is probably a good thing.

I put communist thinking in the same quadrant as Nazi beliefs though not that high up the scale, but I am not about to be pleased if someone's kid is take away where their political beliefs is part of the reason.

Obama to give tax breaks to newspaper publishers?

Media: Via Fishbowl DC.

From a FishbowlDC reader and reporter: A source of mine called to say that Obama's reached out to some newspaper publishers about giving papers a tax break in the stimulus package. Broadcasters are ticked that they're being left out.

It would be giving back to one part of his political base and it won't be soon enough.

The Gannett Company, the nation’s largest newspaper publisher, said on Wednesday that it would force thousands of its employees to take a week off without pay in an effort to avoid layoffs. Gannett, which owns 85 daily newspapers across the United States including its flagship USA Today, said it could not say exactly how many people would be required to take time off, or how much money the company would save. But it said it would require unpaid leave for most of its 31,000 employees in this country. Also on Wednesday, USA Today notified its staff of a one-year pay freeze for all employees. “Most of our U.S. employees — including myself and all other top executives — will be furloughed for the equivalent of one week in the first quarter,” Craig A. Dubow, the chairman, president and chief executive, wrote in a memorandum to employees. “We sincerely hope this minimizes the need for any layoffs going forward,” he added. The company cannot impose the measure unilaterally on employees covered by a union contract, but Mr. Dubow said Gannett was asking unions to participate voluntarily. Tara Connell, a company spokeswoman, said about 12 percent of Gannett’s domestic employees were unionized.

Gay Episcopal bishop stunned by Christian inaugural prayers.

Religion: At what point did the Episcopal church just become a weak mess spouting out terms that have as much meaning as a fortune cookie saying? Leaders like Robinson just keep pushing the notion this is not a serious religion to follow anymore. Just a buffett where people who want as little as possible from religious teachings can pick and choose.

Bishop Robinson said he had been reading inaugural prayers through history and was “horrified” at how “specifically and aggressively Christian they were.” “I am very clear,” he said, “that this will not be a Christian prayer, and I won’t be quoting Scripture or anything like that. The texts that I hold as sacred are not sacred texts for all Americans, and I want all people to feel that this is their prayer.” Bishop Robinson said he might address the prayer to “the God of our many understandings,” language that he said he learned from the 12-step program he attended for his alcohol addiction.

Then they wonder why they are losing members.

CBS's $35 "shoestring" budget recession meal.

Nation: If you need to know how out of touch the MSM is with regular people, this would be a nice example.

Amanda Freitag is all about feeding the family. She's executive chef at The Harrison, in Manhattan's trendy Tribeca neighborhood. Freitag treats guests to an inspired New-American menu that tourists and New Yorkers alike can't seem to get enough of. As The Early Show Saturday Edition's "Chef on a Shoestring," Freitag sought to take a traditional, three-course spaghetti dinner and give it a little twist any family would love - on our new, lower, recession-busting budget of $35. And, we introduced another challenge to our "Shoestring" chefs. We're calling it "How Low Can You Go?" The chef who prepares the least-costly meal will be back at the end of the year to create our big, blowout holiday feast!

If people could afford 35 dollar home cooked meals, we wouldn't be in a recession.
In the real world a $35 meal on a budget means it lasts at least 3 days and extensive use of the microwave reheating setting.

Detroit rebound? Don't bet on it.

Business: As Chrysler odds of surviving gets worse.

Automakers received more bad news at the world's largest auto show on Tuesday as forecasts for a 27-year low in sales this year and auto bailout politics threw cold water on hopes for a speedy industry recovery. Top analyst J.D. Power forecast U.S. auto sales in 2009 to fall 13 percent to about 11.4 million vehicles, a fourth straight year of declines that will further pressure the U.S. economy and could push some automakers closer to collapse. ..."If the economy doesn't start to show signs of life, I don't think Chrysler can keep the whole thing afloat," said Peter DeLorenzo, analyst at autoextremist.com. "The suppliers are starting to make contingency plans for a world that doesn't have Chrysler in it," he said. "I just don't see them surviving the year."

Archbishop of York slams uncontrolled immigration

UK: Dr John Sentamu again pulls no punches on multiculturalism and wayward immigration policies.

Immigrants to Britain in the past five decades have been treated like hotel guests who 'do not belong', the Archbishop of York said yesterday. Dr John Sentamu said the failure of migrants to integrate had contributed to the collapse of a common British culture and the lack of a national sense of direction. He called for recognition of the Christian heritage which used to bind the nation together and for a revival of the civic values once represented by myriad local clubs, churches and trade unions. The Archbishop's powerful attack on uncontrolled immigration and on the Left-wing interpretation of multiculturalism that encourages migrants to ignore traditional British values, was made in a speech to Gordon Brown's think tank, the Smith Institute. Dr Sentamu, a trustee of the Institute, has previously criticised multiculturalism and official neglect of the importance of Christian thinking and history. But yesterday's speech was the first admission from a senior Church of England figure that large-scale immigration has brought serious problems as well as benefits.

Clyburn pulls out the race card to justify his pork.

Politics: Consider this the template which all race baiting liberals will run with to get pork spending in their area.

"...President-elect Obama has said he wants a stimulus that is free of earmarks. Clyburn, in comments made to Roll Call, called for allowing federal money included in the stimulus to be sent back home to lawmakers’ districts. Sanford and others say that’s an end-around that would allow earmarks in the legislation without calling them such. The money would bypass governors’ offices and instead go straight to communities. Clyburn disagrees with Sanford, who opposes accepting that federal money. Sanford has said he does not want additional federal funding despite the Palmetto State’s high unemployment rate and poor budget situation. This year, Sanford’s $5.8 billion proposed budget is about $1 billion less than the fiscal 2008 budget. “[H]e happens to be a millionaire,” Clyburn said of Sanford. “He may not need help for the plantation his family owns, but the people whose grandparents and great-grandparents worked those plantations need the help” in the form of federal money."

Nothing more than a pork fat eating leech. Not that anyone will put up a fight with him in congress.

UK's Labour war on middle classes begins again.

UK: In the liberal mind, how do you close the income gap and raise more people out of being poor? Just punish those who have made it.

Labour ended its decade-long ceasefire in the class war yesterday with plans to make public bodies discriminate against Middle Britain. Ministers want every authority, from Whitehall to parish councils, legally bound to bridge the gap between rich and poor. Existing laws where policies must consider race, age, gender, disability and sexuality are to be extended to include social background. Children could be assigned to schools by lottery rather than catchment area and police patrols targeted at deprived estates instead of the suburbs. 'Harman's Law' could include more university places for teenagers from deprived backgrounds and more council tax spent on poorer families. Health campaigns could also focus on deprived areas. .....TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said last night: 'The Government is right to identify that social disadvantage holds people back in this country. 'But evidence shows that social mobility is greatest in societies with low levels of income inequality. 'For everyone to have an equal chance of success there needs to be a much smaller gap between rich and poor in the first place.' The Equality and Human Rights Commission said: 'Where you were born, what your parents do and how much money they make far too often determine your prospects in life. 'In some parts of the country it is clear that what defines disadvantage won't be black or brown, it will be white. 'We will have to take action to help some white groups, what we might call the white underclass.' A source close to Miss Harman insisted: 'This isn't about taking from one group of people and giving to another, more deprived set. 'It is about levelling up, improving life for everybody. If those from deprived areas have better chances to improve themselves that should have a positive knock-on effect for the rest of society.'

Critics point out the obvious.

The British Chambers of Commerce said: 'It would be wrong if the Government was to think that social mobility could be achieved through simply manipulating the terms and conditions of public sector contracts to businesses. Social mobility will be achieved through better education, stronger families and better opportunities.' Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'This sort of complicated political posturing helps no one. Everyone should be provided with well-functioning public services, regardless of their social background.'

The answer is not to lower standards and bring everyone down to make it seem that those at the bottom are moving up. You have to tackle the problems head-on instead of punishing those in the middle class and above for being successful.

Socialist won't attend Auschwitz ceremony

EU: Marching with Pro-Hamas groups, calling for an intifada against Israel while horrendous chants are going on around you will cause people to stay away.

Socialist Party MP Harry van Bommel says that in the wake of consultations with the Dutch Auschwitz Committee, he has decided not to attend the Auschwitz Remembrance ceremony on 25 January. According to a press release on the Dutch Auschwitz Committee's website, the organisation convinced the Socialist MP not to attend. Mr Van Bommel was severely criticised by fellow MPs and numerous organisations in the Netherlands last week after he called for a new intifada against Israel during a demonstration. He was also criticised for doing nothing while marching in the midst of a group shouting "Hamas, Hamas, all the Jews to the gas" and other anti-Semitic chants.

Dutch official wants Muslim majority Amsterdam-West

EU: Late night red meat for Euros.

Labour's (PvdA) integration icon Ahmed Marcouch is at the centre of controversy once again. This time, he has made a plea for making Amsterdam-West a "town in itself" where "a blooming Muslim community" should arise. Marcouch, Moroccan and a Muslim, is the leader of Slotervaart, one of the 14 district councils in Amsterdam. These districts, which also exist in Rotterdam, were introduced years ago following the example of the five New York boroughs. A debate has been raging for some time over the future of the district councils. In an internal letter to other district council leaders in Amsterdam-West, Marcouch has now described his ideas for a "town in itself," which could be created by merging their district councils to form 'New West'. "A blooming Muslim community could arise with sufficient social capital. The Muslim minority would then become a positive point" and "New West could focus on the integration of immigrants", Marcouch writes. ...Clyde Moerlie, one of the three Slotervaart district council members who resigned last year, said Marcouch's letter "fits into his thinking. I see little good in the one-sided Walhalla that Marcouch wants to set up. Perhaps a district council where public servants do not have to shake hands with women, with Islam lessons in public schools. We thought that we were members of a secular party at PvdA, but Marcouch sees it primarily as his duty as a good Muslim to propagate Islam."

NJ Legislators seek lower tuition for illegals

Edumacation: I am against illegals getting lower tuition that are not given to citizens or even legal residents from another state. They are by definition international students and until they get their legal papers they should pay international rates.

A bill introduced by Assemblyman Gordon H. Johnson and Assembly- woman Valerie Vainieri Huttle, both D-Bergen, aims to establish that middle ground by allowing some undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at state colleges under very specific circumstances. The bill would require the students to attend high school in the state for at least three years and have a New Jersey-endorsed diploma. The students also would have to have filed or be ready to file an application to become a legal resident.

Radio show cancelled, may have offended Muslims.

UK: So I am guessing debate is now outlawed in Glascow for fear of offending Muslims?

A minister is taking legal action against a radio station which allegedly cancelled his show because his defence of Christianity was offensive to Muslims. The Rev Mahboob Masih, a Pakistani-born minister who now preaches in East Kilbride, will take Glasgow station Awaz FM to an employment tribunal later this month after it cut his long-running show. After six years' unpaid work hosting a religious talk show on the station, Mr Masih says he was the victim of discrimination when Muslim station managers sided against his minority community of Asian Christians.

Italian minister blasts Muslim protesters' prayers

EU: This was all done as a show of force by certain factions and now it has the Italians irritated.

Italy's defence minister warned the country's Muslims to stop further "provocations" after thousands held prayers in public squares in Milan during pro-Palestinian demonstrations over the past week. Ignazio La Russa, from the right-wing National Alliance, said he did not oppose protests or want to deny anyone the right to pray, but called the public prayers a challenge to peace. "I say enough of the provocations of Islamists in Milan," he told Il Giornale newspaper on Sunday. "In Milan, a legitimate demonstration ended in a deliberately provocative mosque under the open sky." Thousands of Muslims knelt with their heads bowed to the ground in prayer before Milan's central train station in one of several pro-Palestinian protests on Saturday. A week ago, Muslims held prayers in front of Milan's central cathedral, angering right-wing politicians in the overwhelming Catholic country who called it an affront to Christianity. Muslim leaders later apologised, saying no offence was intended. There are about 1 million Muslims in Italy, making up almost two percent of the population. "What would have happened if a group of Christians gathered together to pray with a rosary before Mecca? They probably would have been stoned," said La Russa, who described himself as a practicising Catholic who attends Mass almost every Sunday. Milan's deputy mayor issued a similar warning to Muslims, saying four protests in seven days was too much. "Enough with pro-Hamas marches now," said Riccardo De Corato. "Milan is not a province of Gaza and has no intention of reluctantly instituting this type of 'Gaza Saturdays.'"

Ricky Henderson elected to the Hall of Fame.

Sports: You know damn well this could be the greatest funniest HoF induction speech in the history of all sports. The potential car crash factor is off the charts.

James Clyburn is the king of earmark pigs.

Politics: They can't call it earmarks so lets try and find another way to suck taxpayers dry for pet projects.

RELABELING EARMARKS to get around Obama’s no-earmarks rule. “They may not be called earmarks, but lawmakers are looking to write legislative formulas into the package to ensure that their districts share in the wealth and won’t simply be at the mercy of Washington’s bureaucracy or the nation’s governors. House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) is leading the effort, personally lobbying Obama, top Obama adviser David Axelrod and committee chairmen on the issue last week. Clyburn said numerous Members, particularly freshmen, are concerned that they could sign on to a massive package with nothing to show for their districts. . . . The Majority Whip said he doesn’t fault Obama for trying to eliminate earmarks from the bill. “I know the politics of all this. I just think they’re wrong about it,” he said, adding later, ‘I love earmarks.’” So will Obama let them get away with this — making it plain that his no-earmark promise was bogus — or will he try to impose some discipline?

Obama going against Clyburn on earmarks? Highly doubtful.

Obama to order Guantanamo Bay prison closed

Terrorism: Transparent sop to the leftists who are mad he won't shut down Gitmo on inauguration day. Ordering something and actually doing it are two different deals.

President-elect Barack Obama plans to order the closing of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay as early as his first week in office to show a break from the Bush administration's approach to the war on terror, according to two officials close to the transition. One of the officials said it would be in keeping with Obama's campaign promise to shut down the prison through executive order, a move which was also pushed by last year's Republican presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona. "The president-elect has repeatedly said the legal framework at Gitmo has failed to successfully and swiftly prosecute terrorists," said one of the officials close to the transition, who was not authorized to speak publicly about private deliberations. Such a move would reassure those concerned after Obama's recent public comments suggested he may not immediately shut the prison down. "It is more difficult than I think a lot of people realize and we are going to get it done, but part of the challenge that you have is that you have a bunch of folks that have been detained, many of whom who may be very dangerous who have not been put on trial or have not gone through some adjudication," Obama said on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday when asked whether he would close the prison in his first 100 days.

Senate Republicans brace for ominous 2010

Politics: This is not a surprise. The GOP has done zero planning for future elections since forever and refuse to listen to their own party members in how to fix it. At this point the only thing that is possible is to hit rock bottom, get rid of the dead weight that has infected the leadership roles then start over.

Californians leaving the state...Damn it.

Nation: Stay in California, the results of these people leaving the state is they settle in and screw up other states.

Weiner Attacks Bloomberg

Politics: Nothing to add but sometimes last names can be a hindrance to your political ambitions.

Mayor to be..Weiner.

Deer Hunters Find Welcome in Suburban Md

Nation: Liberal Montgomery County once again in the news as their hatred of hunters and hunting softens because of too many Deer getting into their personal space.

"Behind Montgomery's new openness to hunting, officials said, is public frustration with the whitetail population boom. Crumpled fenders, ruined gardens and the risk of Lyme disease have made residents much more receptive to hunters. "They've gone from 'How dare you propose shooting the deer' to 'When are you coming to my neighborhood?' " said Rob Gibbs, head of Montgomery's Deer Management Working Group. John Yakaitis, 62, has watched increasing numbers of deer destroy his shrubs and the surrounding forest understory. His wife hit a deer two years ago, doing more than $1,000 in damage to their car. "There are just so many of them, they're eating everything in sight and they're still starving," Yakaitis said. "A lot of folks who were opposed to it are signing up" to allow hunters, he said."

First instance of a newspaper getting taxpayer money help?

Media: I believe so in an indirect way.

Hallandale Beach - City officials spent tax funds last month for a mailing urging merchants to advertise in the South Florida Sun-Times, a privately owned weekly newspaper. The mass mailing was part of an ongoing effort to help the paper survive the recession, in exchange for stories that "promote the city," Mayor Joy Cooper said. "If they go out of business, we would have to run our own paper," said Cooper, who has a weekly column in the paper that covers Hallandale Beach and Hollywood. But one commissioner said that government should not be in the business of bailing out a private newspaper, and that the Sun-Times has become a city propaganda tool and mayoral bully pulpit. "There is no opportunity for anyone in the public to ask questions or challenge what the city purports as facts," Commissioner Keith London said.

Being this is South Florida, take stock in who knows who in both offices and you will find friends helping each other out..

Broward County gives Obama their bailout wishlist.

South Florida: Just like to point out that anything done in South Florida comes under budget, on time or worth the money in the long run. Here is a nice list of the pork projects.

In a letter to the state's congressional delegation, Mayor Stacy Ritter laid out $931.2 million in projects she said were ready to be built immediately and would "generate jobs, stimulate the economy and, where possible, promote green infrastructure." $300 million to build the proposed 1,000-room luxury hotel at the convention center. $70 million to improve wastewater treatment in light of new state regulations on dumping waste into the ocean. $64.7 million for new parking garages at Port Everglades. $30 million for a 10-courtroom addition to the aging state courthouse. $26 million for greenways along the C-14 Canal and Hiatus and Flamingo roads. $23 million for a bypass road through the port to relieve traffic from Fort Lauderdale streets. (There is a helluva more problem with the traffic that just the port. $22.8 million to build new offices for Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes. (Federal taxpayer money for the county election board?) $19.7 million to expand cruise terminals at the port. $17.9 million to expand container yards at the port. $14 million to construct the proposed sand-bypassing system at the port entrance, thus stopping sand from accumulating to the north and replenishing beaches to the south. $13 million to expand the taxiway system at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. (So far this is the only I could say meh to being vital for the region.) $13 million to buy 20 hybrid or hydrogen-fueled buses. $6.9 million to expand Vista View Park in Davie. $4 million to expand the Miramar Pinelands Natural Area. $3.2 million to replace elevators and escalators in county buildings with more energy-efficient models.

Now multiply this by how many counties in America pulling the same crap and you got yourself the mother of all pork fests.

UAW concessions to be stripped, law or no law.

Business: Didn't I say all this talk about UAW giving up anything while helping themselves to taxpayer money was crap? Dems lead by Barney Frank is ready to give the UAW a get out of jail card.

Concessions forced on the UAW could be stripped from a $17.4-billion auto industry rescue plan, even as companies and the union would have to answer to a stronger car czar, under a bill unveiled Friday that House Democrats plan to vote on next week. The proposed changes, revealed by U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., come as part of an effort to toughen the $700-billion financial industry bailout and release the second half of its money into a struggling U.S. economy. Frank's bill would force more help for homeowners facing foreclosure and stricter reporting rules on banks and financial firms that receive federal aid. While the bill has the backing of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and therefore a strong chance of passing the House, its prospects in the Senate are unknown. Frank said that if it passed the House with a large majority, but failed in the Senate, he'd be willing to accept the word of the Obama team "that they will act as if it were law." The bill also would require the Obama administration to decide by Feb. 1 what terms the automakers, unions and creditors must meet to keep whatever loans they have and get any additional aid. The companies would then have until March 31 to show the new administration's car czar that they are making sufficient progress. It makes no mention of a Feb. 17 deadline that the Bush administration set in the loans for commitments from the UAW and the automakers toward restructuring goals. Frank's bill also avoids any of the terms that angered the UAW last month, namely pushing the union to accept pay, benefits and work rules that match those of workers at foreign-owned plants in the United States. The union was also tasked to take half of the money owed by the companies for a retiree health care trust in stock, and calling on the automakers to cut their total debt by two-thirds.

So Obama is saying if it fails we will still act like you passed it. UAW is mocking and laughing at everyone who thought they would act in even good faith. Taxpayers are going to be the UAW's bitch for a long long time.

GM looking for more bailout money.

Business: They are of course too big to fail so how could you say no?

General Motors Corp (GM.N) Chief Executive Rick Wagoner said the struggling automaker had enough funding to last through March but could still seek additional U.S. government loans beyond the $13.4 billion it has already been pledged. Wagoner, speaking to reporters at the Detroit auto show, also said GM was still seeking a potential buyer for its Saab brand. "We're still looking," he said. GM had warned that it was at risk of running out of cash before the Bush Administration cleared its request for emergency funding just before the end of the year. In recent weeks, some reports have said GM executives believed the $13.4-billion in U.S. government loans would allow the automaker to survive even under its most dire forecasts for the U.S. market in 2009. But Wagoner indicated GM could still opt to seek additional funding after a March review with U.S. officials intended to assess its progress in restructuring. "The $13.4 billion is consistent with what we asked for through the first quarter under our downside market scenario, which is the way the market is running," Wagoner said.

Obama: Closing Gitmo kinda tough.

Politics: Ya think? Either he was lying on the campaign trail which Black Jesus would ever do that or he just found that out from various briefings which would make him naive. None of these choices make me feel good about him.

President-elect Barack Obama said this weekend that he does not expect to close Guantanamo Bay in his first 100 days in office. “I think it’s going to take some time and our legal teams are working in consultation with our national security apparatus as we speak to help design exactly what we need to do,” Obama said in an exclusive “This Week” interview with George Stephanopoulos, his first since arriving in Washington. “It is more difficult than I think a lot of people realize,” the president-elect explained. “Part of the challenge that you have is that you have a bunch of folks that have been detained, many of whom may be very dangerous who have not been put on trial or have not gone through some adjudication. And some of the evidence against them may be tainted even though it’s true. And so how to balance creating a process that adheres to rule of law, habeas corpus, basic principles of Anglo-American legal system, by doing it in a way that doesn’t result in releasing people who are intent on blowing us up.”

Liberal Attitudes Shift on Illegal Residents

Politics: It only took two murders and a string of break-ins for liberals to ask for background checks.

For years, mainstream Montgomery County has been generally accepting of illegal immigrants, and county leaders followed suit, pledging not to enforce immigration laws even as police agencies elsewhere in the region began to do so.

You see the subtle jab by the pro illegal Washington Post? Mainstream didn't mind illegal aliens, only the hateful fringe.

But public sentiment appears to be shifting in Montgomery, driven less by ideology than by alarm over rising crime and the recent slayings of a 14-year-old honor student on a county transit bus and a 63-year-old woman in her Bethesda home. "People who are very, very tolerant want to see some changes," said County Council member Marc Elrich (D-At Large), one of five council members who said in interviews that public opinion has shifted in recent months. Elrich said crime has "really hit home" even in his neighborhood of Takoma Park, a city that since 1985 has officially refused to identify or report undocumented immigrants.

Tolerance is great as long as there is a chance it won't affect them personally. If it does all of a sudden they become big fans of background checks to see if they are illegals about.

"I wouldn't have gone for it a year ago," Bethesda resident Judy Campbell said recently, leaving a natural food co-op in Takoma Park with soy milk and a slice of vegan double-chocolate fudge cake. "Until this series of violent crimes, it wasn't on my radar screen." Campbell, a 50-year-old nurse, is an avowed liberal. She thinks illegal immigrants deserve publicly funded health care. She once voted for Dennis Kucinich. And for the upcoming inauguration, she plans to participate in Chant4Change, an event that bills itself as a gathering for "conscious revolutionaries." But she supports the chief's efforts, in part because the emerging proposal is not as far-reaching as policies that have been enacted in Prince William and Frederick counties. ...Stan Wolk, a lawyer whose office is nearby, called Lam's death senseless and tragic. Wolk said his liberal instincts compel him to support amnesty and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who work hard to provide for their families. But when it comes to suspects arrested for violent crimes and weapons offenses, Wolk said he supports checking immigration status, as do many of his acquaintances. "A lot my friends would say if they're illegal, put them away," he said.

Governing Party, Facing Challenge, Moves Left in South Africa

Africa: Thankfully Obama is not pushing a plan that looks like something the ANC would do...oh look they are pushing a similar plan.

Facing a determined challenge from a breakaway faction, the governing African National Congress presented a campaign manifesto on Saturday that advocates a greater government role in generating jobs and major new spending on education, health and antipoverty programs. With the economy weakening and elections only a few months away, party officials depicted the new agenda as a pronounced shift to the left, but some political analysts said the change was far more modest and questioned the party’s ability to deliver. The party’s president, Jacob Zuma, told tens of thousands of people gathered for a rally in East London that the party would “put in place a comprehensive, state-led industrial policy that will direct public and private investment to support employment creation and broader economic transformation.” Citing the need to revive the economy in the face of a global economic downturn, the party also promised to make South Africa’s social programs even more expansive. It said it would extend welfare grants to older children, provide free education to more students, introduce a national health insurance system and reach more of the more than five million South Africans infected with H.I.V. with care and drug treatment. It was not clear from the manifesto what mix of taxes and deficit spending would be used to pay for the new programs.

In polite company we call this throwing promises of crumbs to the gullible.

Obama got a plan! But they can't tell you it!

Politics: Let a Republican pull crap like this and see how easy going the press would be about it.

President-elect Barack Obama countered critics with an analysis Saturday by his economic team showing that a program of tax cuts and spending like he's proposed would create up to 4.1 million jobs, far more than the 3 million he has insisted are needed to lift the country from recession.

Now they are just pulling numbers out of their collective derriere.

Even the president-elect's own economists acknowledged their two-year estimates could be wrong. The 14-page analysis, which was posted online, says estimates are "subject to significant margins of error" — because of the assumptions that went into the economic models and because it is not known what might pass Congress. Obama has provided few details of his $775 billion plan so far. This fresh report does not include the specific construction of his tax cuts, the amounts dedicated to state aid or public works — key questions that Obama aides have closely held. On Saturday, economic aides and advisers declined to lay out even rough estimates for the plan's components. They said they worked with broad instructions from Obama but didn't want to limit negotiations with congressional leaders by outlining their limits in public.

So they have a plan that is subject to major errors, but at least it sounds good which is what they are going for along with massive spending to artificially boost numbers.