Washington Post Editorial
Iran’s Failed ‘Litmus Test’
Will there be consequences for Tehran’s stonewalling of U.N. nuclear inspectors?
On Monday, some six months after the expiration of the deadline, the IAEA issued a report saying, in essence, that Iran had not acted in good faith and was engaging in delaying tactics. “Substantial explanations” were still lacking, the agency said, for documents showing that Iran had worked on bomb-related explosives and a missile warhead design. Moreover, while the IAEA has been cooling its heels, the government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been installing two new and more advanced sets of centrifuges at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, without providing required notification. International inspectors were denied access to sites where the centrifuge components were manufactured. “Iran has not provided the Agency with all the information, access to documents and access to individuals necessary,” the IAEA report says.
From Obama’s campaign website…
Obama is the only major candidate who supports tough, direct presidential diplomacy with Iran without preconditions. Now is the time to pressure Iran directly to change their troubling behavior. Obama would offer the Iranian regime a choice. If Iran abandons its nuclear program and support for terrorism, we will offer incentives like membership in the World Trade Organization. ”
Amir Taheri, writing in today’s WSJ, sees more than a few problems with Obama’s foreign policy,
Mr. Ahmadinejad is talking about changing the destiny of mankind, while Mr. Obama and his foreign policy experts offer spare parts for Boeings or membership in the World Trade Organization. Perhaps Mr. Obama is unaware that one of Mr. Ahmadinejad’s first acts was to freeze Tehran’s efforts for securing WTO membership because he regards the outfit as “a nest of conspiracies by Zionists and Americans.”
Hat Tip: Gateway Pundit
And in other foreign policy news….
ABC News: Al Qaeda Tape to Call for Use of WMDs
Authorities: New Tape to Urge Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction on Civilians
Intelligence and law enforcement sources tell ABC News they are expecting al Qaeda operatives will post a new video on the Internet in the next 24 hours, calling for what one source said is “jihadists to use biological, chemical and nuclear weapons to attack the West.”
“There have been several reports that al Qaeda will release a new message calling for the use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) against civilians,” FBI spokesman Richard Kolko told ABC News in an e-mail.
Surely, these people can be reasoned with. All they need is a little tough love, a good stern talking to and they’ll see the error of their ways.
From the Pundit Review Archives, honoring our veterans…
Someone You Should Know : amazing stories of bravery, courage and heroism from the war on terror. The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden’s series at Blackfive. Thanks to Matt, Bruce McQuain, a Vietnam veteran who spent 28 years serving this country in the Army, is now on board and we are honored to have him as part of the show.
Soldiers Angels: an amazing group of volunteers who support the troops and the families they leave behind. If you are looking for ways to support the troops, pay them a visit.
The Walter Reed Interviews: what an honor to be able to go there and talk to our wounded warriors, their families and caregivers.
Navigating the VA: A Journey Without Maps: this is the unfortunate reality for too many military families.
Dylan Desilva and Cape Cod Cares for the Troops: a tireless, amazing young man who has inspired us to do more to support the troops.
Actor Bradley Whitford is best known as deputy chief of staff Josh Lyman on West Wing. While on the show, Whitford had to get by on something between $80,000 and $150,000 PER EPISODE.
When Whitford is not playing a liberal on TV, he plays one in real life on the Huffington Post.
One thing about liberals that is so admirable is their concern for the working class, those struggling to get by.
New York Post
May 25, 2008
Page Six Magazine Interview
Q. What was your first apartment in New York like?
Whitford: It’s funny you should ask, because I recently got evicted from my $328 a month apartment on 88th and Columbus, which I started renting when I came to Julliard about 25 years ago. Apparently, rent control does not apply to people who are on TV. The landlord actually used the phrase “liberal hypocrite” to describe me, which was correct.
For a quarter century this jerk has been hording a rent control apartment in the heart of Manhattan. Incredible. I’m sure there are no single mothers working three jobs trying to provide for their kids who couldn’t use a NYC apartment for $328/month. One episode salary on West Wing paid for fifteen months worth of Whitford’s NYC rent.
This is disgusting, what an A-Hole.
UPDATE: It didn’t take long for John to let me know my math is way off. It is more like 38 years, not 15 months.
As cities and towns across Massachusetts struggle with budget problems and overrides, the political class on Beacon Hill is sending a message to the citizens loud and clear,
IT SUCKS TO BE YOU
You see, on Beacon Hill, there is no such thing as difficult choices. There is not even a hint of concern about waste and spending at a time of alleged fiscal crisis. With a ballot initiative to completely repeal the state’s 5.3% income tax on the ballot this fall, Beacon Hill seems to be playing a game of chicken with the citizens of this state, daring them to pass it and repeal the tax.
EXHIBIT 1: The Arrogance of Governor Patrick
’What is this guy doing?’
Deval Patrick’s 80% office budget hike blasted
Despite a slumping economy and looming budget crunch, Gov. Deval Patrick has hiked his office budget by an astonishing 80 percent, adding questionable new staff positions like “director of grassroots governance†and pumping millions into an extravagant “civic engagement†program.
“We know the governor had a goal of creating 100,000 new jobs in his first term, we just didn’t know he was going to create them all in the Corner Office,†said Sen. Michael Knapik (R-Westfield).
EXHIBIT 2: The arrogance of a one-party legislature
MA’s leading liberal blog, Blue Mass Group, declared: It’s official: Life sciences bill now a pork-fest
House lawmakers earmarked $49.5 million to build a science center at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, though the school currently has no science graduate programs. The college is, however, the alma mater of Representative Daniel E. Bosley, a North Adams Democrat who wrote the House legislation and has frequently joked at press conferences and legislative hearings that “spending $1 billion doesn’t go quite as far as it used to.”
He who laughs last, laughs best. We’ll see who’s making jokes when the citizens of this state pass the repeal of the income tax and Beacon Hill has say goodbye to $11 BILLION in what they consider play money. For the rest of us, it’s our money!
With this possibility on the horizon, it puts into sharp focus the obscene level of disregard for the voters AND the unvelievable arrogance of the entrenched politicians on Beacon Hill.
Proving that actors will do almost anything to promote a movie, Harrison Ford got his chest waxed as a metaphor for deforestation.
This is a serious environmental issue, but I have to question their choice of spokesperson. Ford is known as an avid private plane/jet/helpcioter pilot. Thanks to his success as an actor, he has quite an array of flying options, including, at one time or another,
De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver (N28S)
Aviat Husky A-1B
Cessna Citation CJ3
Beech Bonanza B36T3
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
1929 Waco Taperwing
Bell 407
Gulfstream II
Gulfstream IVSP
Pilatus PC-12
Feeling a wee bit guilty Indy? How about hypocritical?
For more on Hollywood’s enviro hypocrites, click here.
Hat Tip: Crossing Wall Street
Look at how much the price of oil has risen versus the price of gasoline. Oil’s gain is far outpacing the gain in gasoline. Doesn’t this raise a few questions for Barack Obama, who loves to vilify “Big Oil” and has been talking about a windfall profit tax.
Obama proposes oil companies be taxed on windfall profits from oil sold at or above 80 dollars a barrel, and the revenue be used to help relieve the burden of rising prices on working people, according to his campaign.
The price of the commodity that “Big Oil” relies on has risen nearly 7X since 2002, yet the price of the product they deliver to the consumer is only up 3X. Seems to me they must be very well run businesses to pull that off. After all, it is not as though “Big Oil” is making consumers pay so they can have massive profit margins,
CNNMoney.com’s editor Paul Lamonica,
The average net profit margin for the S&P Energy sector, according to figures from Thomson Baseline, is 9.7%. The average for the S&P 500 is 8.5%. So yes, energy companies are more profitable than many others…but not by an inordinate amount.
Google, for example, reported a net profit margin of 25% in its most recent quarter. Should we have an online advertising windfall profit tax?
As it is, without Obama’s windfall profit tax, “Big Oil” profits and taxes are already in a photo finish.
This notion that “Big Oil” is gauging consumers unfairly is ignorance at best. Deceitful and shameless pandering is more like it.
What is obscene is not Big Oil profits, it’s that they are forced by environmentalists and liberal politicians to do business in places like Nigeria instead of places like Alaska, North Dakota and the Gulf coast. Next time you hear Obama talking about Big Oil, remember who is truly making an obscene amount of money every time you fill up your tank,
Michael Moore, who has used and abused the American soldier for his propaganda movies, is now stealing images from Michael Yon, who has done more to support them through his work than anyone.
Michael Moore should be more careful or he should just ask the others who have tried to steal his work, like the Pentagon and publishing giant Hachette .
Michael Moore’s Crime
By Michael Yon
Many readers have complained that Michael Moore, in the conduct of his latest crusade against whatever he is against this month, has illegally used one of my photos on the banner of his website. Mr. Moore is not the first to have done so, and my readers can get pretty upset when it happens.
My lawyer has demanded that Mr. Moore take it down.
I usually freely grant use of my work to truthful, peaceful, non-commercial, non-political outlets. For instance, a church group wanted to use one of my photos for their congregation. I was honored and gave it to them freely. On another occasion, a peaceful, non-profit Islamic organization wanted to use the same photo that Michael Moore has infringed upon (Major Mark Bieger cradling a little girl named Farah), and I was honored to contribute to their peaceful cause. I’ve seen grandmothers use my work in technically illegal ways, but since they’re not a big company, they probably have no idea about copyright, and usually use the work in tasteful, appropriate ways, I just smile and say “Go ahead, Ma’am.â€
But frequently, big companies and individuals who are knowledgeable of copyright laws filch my work and use it in ways that many readers consider partisan, highly political or incendiary. When this happens, I usually go after the infringer, and so do my readers.