Nouvelles en Langue Anglaise

Rappel du premier message :

U.S. clamps down on banking transactions; terror group finds new funding

By Robert Windrem and Garrett Haake
NBC News
updated 7:56 a.m. ET Nov. 14, 2008
Seven years after the Sept. 11 attacks, U.S. intelligence officials believe they've won many small victories against al-Qaida's ability to finance its operations, but they remain unable to put a concrete dollar figure on their impact.

That's because they have no reliable estimate of al-Qaida's overall budget, according to current and former U.S. counterterrorism officials, which means the only measures of the organization's economic health are sporadic, anecdotal and fragmentary.

"When you see a cell complaining that it hasn't received its monthly or biannual stipend and it's unable to pay the salaries of the people in the cell, unable to make the support payments to the families of terrorists living or dead, that's a tremendous indicator we have pressured the financial channel," said Adam Szubin, the director of the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control and the man in charge of tracking terrorist finance.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27644191

Obama: The CliffsNotes

Decoding the president

Any high-school kid with a set of CliffsNotes knows Moby Dick is so much more than just a whale. Any American watching the new administration might wish for a similar study guide.
Martin Kozlowski

Thirty-nine days, one press conference, one congressional address, and one budget into this presidency, Barack Obama is finding his groove. Out of the early chaos has emerged an administration with a set of talking points. The president is now honing these explanations of what went wrong, and how he will make it right.
Yet, as with any complex character, what Mr. Obama says isn't always what he means. (Even Melville would've found Washington a bit deep.) So here's a handy guide to the larger meaning beneath Mr. Obama's more frequent lines. Hang it on the fridge for easy reference.

- "We are not going to get relief by turning back to the very same policies that for the last eight years doubled the national debt and threw our economy into a tailspin."

Translation: Blame Republicans, and tax cuts.

Mr. Obama inherited a deficit, though it wasn't caused by letting Americans keep more of their paychecks. It was caused by a need to rebuild the military to fight two wars (at least one of which he supported), and by that worn-out old idea known as spending, which lost the GOP its majority, and which Mr. Obama is now touting as economic elixir.
He also inherited a recession, though no economist with an IQ above 60 would suggest tax cuts caused the housing bubble. That came courtesy of easy money and loose lending standards, the latter of which Congress encouraged. Presumably, if tax cuts were responsible for the deficit and the recession, Mr. Obama wouldn't be constantly boasting that he wants tax cuts for 95% of Americans.

The wider goal is to vaguely link everything conservative with everything gone wrong, the better to present liberal ideas as a cure. Besides, it's useful to have a GOP to keep blaming, if the cure doesn't work.

Tiens, tiens

- It's time to "make hard choices to bring our deficit down."

Translation: Hello, higher taxes.

The thing about cutting deficits is that there are only two choices, one hard for politicians, the other hard for Americans. Government can reduce spending, or government can raise taxes. Mr. Obama made clear with yesterday's budget he has no intention of cutting back. So the hard part now falls to Americans, who are being told they have a patriotic duty to their children to pay more, and cover Washington's costs.

- "The only way to fully restore America's economic strength is to make the long-term investments that will lead to new jobs, new industries, and a renewed ability to compete with the rest of the world."

Translation: Big government. President Obama loves the word "invest." (He used a form of it 11 times in his congressional address on Tuesday.) It sounds so modern and free market, and, most important, not like what it really is -- "spending." The administration is aware that the deficit is now the story. Thus Mr. Obama's suggestion that blowing out hundreds of billions for health care, energy and education somehow isn't Washington as usual -- but will instead yield American riches down the road.

Of course, no country has ever made good on such a promise. Washington, D.C.'s return on investment for investing $14,000 a year per student is a 40% high-school dropout rate. Government can create industries, though only those, like corn ethanol, that can't cut it without perpetual government aid. We're still waiting for Medicare to turn a profit. Nevertheless, investment is a catchy term. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently described her giant $410 billion 2009 omnibus spending bill as a similar "investment." Never mind that it contains 8,500 earmarks and the largest increase in discretionary spending since Jimmy Carter.

- "We need to make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy."

Translation: Your utility bills are going up.

Electricity from solar power costs, about, 15 cents per kilowatt hour. Electricity from natural gas costs, about, four cents. The only way to make solar power "profitable" is to further subsidize it down to the price of natural gas, or to make natural gas as expensive as solar. Mr. Obama's cap-and-trade plan does the latter, placing a tax on fossil fuels, which companies pass along to consumers. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R., Okla.) reminded Congress on Wednesday that its most recent climate bill, Lieberman-Warner, would have cost Americans $6.7 trillion. Fortunately for the president, he will not have to include that sum in his new, more transparent, budget.

- "If your family earns less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increased a single dime."

Translation: For now.

The president's budget proves he intends to tax the top 2% of earners at effective rates much higher than under Bill Clinton. Still, even if he taxed 100% of this group's income, it wouldn't come close to covering his budget costs. Nor will winding down Iraq. If Mr. Obama is committed to his agenda, much less his deficit reduction, the middle class will have to give it up.

At least he didn't say "read my lips."

(reference a Bush 41 qui avait promis de ne pas augmenter les impots et l'avait fait)

...j'ai honte...

Sylvette, je suis encore moins doué pour les jeux de chiffres que pour les jeux de lettres.
Alors, qui signifie Bush 41, Bush 43, Bush 69 ( si je ne me trompe) ?

(Peut-être j'aide ainsi pas mal de mes petits camarades tout aussi perdus que moi ? )

Bush 41 (41eme president) George Herbert Walker Bush

Bush 43 (43eme president) George Walker Bush

Obama est le 44eme president

L'utilisation des 41 et 43 est faite pour differencier le pere du fils.

Merci Sylvette, je suis impardonable de ne pas y avoir pensé !

(Je suis encore loin d'avoir l'esprit pratique - pragmatique ? - de vos compatriotes... )

vous aurez certainement remarque que pour le 3eme Bush que vous evoquez, il n'y a pas d'explication.

You are therefore... on your own!

Oui, en effet...

Mais bon, l'ignorance ne saurait persister...

506-

Cher Biloulou,

Cela t'en bouche un coin !!!!!

Toujours une chenille de retard.......

amusé:

Sylvette a écrit:

Bush 41 (41eme president) George Herbert Walker Bush

Bush 43 (43eme president) George Walker Bush

Obama est le 44eme president

L'utilisation des 41 et 43 est faite pour differencier le pere du fils.

AP
Obama tells Marines at Camp Lejeune, N.C., that a 'sovereign, stable and self-reliant' Iraq is achievable in the near future.

Quand NNP le dit ce n'est pas comme quand Bush 43 l'a dit, il y a un peu plus d'un mois.

J'entends comme un écho !

Vous aussi, Sylvette ?

(Lawrence, tu ne voulais pas dire un train d'avance, vu qu'on entend avant les autres ? )

C'est meme de toute beaute!

Rasmussen

Obama Approcal Index History

Date Presidential Approval Index Strongly Approve Strongly Disapprove Total Approve Total Disapprove

02/28/2009	+10	39%	29%	59%	39%
02/27/2009	+15	41%	26%	60%	40%
02/26/2009	+16	41%	25%	60%	40%
02/25/2009	+14	39%	25%	59%	40%
02/24/2009	+14	39%	25%	60%	39%
02/23/2009	+11	38%	27%	58%	40%
02/22/2009	+11	38%	27%	58%	41%
02/21/2009	+10	38%	28%	57%	41%

...

01/22/2009

30

44%

14%

64%

29%

Saturday, February 28, 2009

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Saturday shows that 39% of the nation’s voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Twenty-nine percent (29%) Strongly Disapprove to give Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of +10 (see trends).

That’s a new high for the number who Strongly Disapprove. Since release of the President’s budget, the number of Republicans who Strongly Disapprove has grown to 52%; up nine percentage points since Thursday morning. Only 8% of Democrats share such a negative assessment.

...

Of the four major goals outlined by the President in his speech last Tuesday, the public sees deficit reduction as the most important. That’s also the goal seen as least likely to be achieved. Forty-six percent (46%) are at least somewhat confident that taxpayer money will be spent carefully and wisely in the Obama budget plan. Sixty-seven percent (67%) say the economy is getting worse.

Larry Kudlow says that the President is “declaring war on investors, entrepreneurs, small businesses, large corporations, and private-equity and venture-capital funds.”

The Presidential Approval Index is calculated by subtracting the number who Strongly Disapprove from the number who Strongly Approve. It is updated daily at 9:30 a.m. Eastern (sign up for free daily e-mail update). Updates also available on Twitter. Overall, 59% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President’s performance so far while 39% disapprove. For more measures, see Obama By the Numbers.

On important national issues, 73% trust the judgment of the American people more than America’s political leaders.

Alors quand on vient me dire que tout ce qui preoccupe les Americains est une couverture sociale, le rechauffement climatique et l'education et que je vois:

(page suivante)

Americans say cutting the deficit in half is the more important of those goals and also the least likely to be achieved, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Forty-two percent (42%) say cutting the deficit is the top priority while 24% name health care. For 17%, developing new sources of energy is the priority, with the president’s educational initiative the top choice for 10%.

Je me dis que decidement, NNP qui se dit a l'ecoute des Americains, n'ecoute qu'une infime partie. (les tres liberaux)

... on voyait posee sur tous les ecrans de television ou presque, sur tous les sites internet ou presque la question suivante:

George W. Bush ou carrement Bush (pourquoi faire dans la dentelle) est-il le pire president que les Americains aient jamais eu?

Evidemment le pourcentage des responses etait majoritairement OUI. Surprenant, ben oui tout de meme un peu puisqu'on nous explique en long et en large que les Americains ne connaissent, entre autres, rien ni a la geographie ni.... a l'histoire!

Qu'a cela ne tienne. Que pouvait-on repondre d'autre a une telle question? je vous l'demande...

Ci-apres: Une "opinion" d'un.... historien, qui fait quelques mises au point.

FEBRUARY 28, 2009
The Wall Street Journal

Was George W. Bush the Worst President?

By THOMAS FLEMING
Several polls of historians have named George W. Bush the worst president in American history. This baffles me. I've been writing about presidents for a long time. What I know, and what I presume these gentleman know, doesn't connect.

A historian urges us to take a deep breath before we answer.

Is Mr. Bush worse than John Adams? When a shooting war at sea started between the United States and revolutionary France in 1798, Honest John wrote a letter to George Washington, offering to resign so that George could resume the job. How's that for presidential leadership? Meanwhile, Adams had kept Washington's cabinet officers on the job, although he loathed them. He finally fired them in a fit of hysteria, which made them wonder if he had lost his mind.

Is Mr. Bush worse than Thomas Jefferson in his second term? Rather than build a decent navy to deal with the British -- who had a habit of boarding American ships on the high seas and forcing kidnapped sailors into semislavery -- Jefferson declared an embargo on all trade with England and the rest of Europe. The American economy came to a horrific standstill; smuggling became New England's chief industry. Someone described the embargo as "cutting a man's throat to cure a nosebleed." Nonplussed, Jefferson quit, telling only James Madison, his secretary of state, who was de facto acting president for the last year of Tom's term.

James Madison, who officially succeeded Jefferson in 1808, made presidential passivity into an art form. "Little Jemmy," as they called him in New England, watched while 4,500 British troops disembarked from their ships, marched to Washington, D.C., and burned the White House, the Capitol and almost everything else worth torching. You can't do much worse as a war leader than that performance.

Woodrow Wilson? When World War I exploded, Irish-Americans objected to his pro-British tilt. Wilson responded that ethnics like these loudmouthed micks were "pouring poison into the veins of our national life," alienating the largest voting bloc in the Democratic Party. Meanwhile, as a Southern-born pol to his wingtips, he segregated almost all employees of the federal government.

Next, Wilson talked Congress into declaring war on Germany on the assumption that we would not have to send a single soldier to France. Before the war ended, we had 2,000,000 troops overseas, and in three months of fighting lost 144,000 men.

Elected by seven million votes thanks to the electorate's loathing for Wilson, Warren G. Harding confessed to reporters that he was not up to the job. He told one newsman that he wanted to make the U.S. tariff higher than the Rocky Mountains to help Europe's industries recover from World War I. The appalled reporter realized the president had one of the biggest issues of the era exactly backward.

Harding had a concealed box at the Gayety Burlesque Theater where he spent many afternoons and nights. In the leftover hours he concentrated on poker and trysts with a blonde named Nan Britton -- reputedly in a closet off the Oval Office -- while his appointees looted the federal government.

Is Mr. Bush worse than Roosevelt in his second term? Re-elected by a massive majority, FDR wanted to pack the Supreme Court with Democrats. Congress, dominated by members of his own party, wasted a year wrangling over the bill and ultimately rejected it. Meanwhile, FDR's intemperate remarks about greedy businessmen wrecked confidence and triggered a semireplay of the Great Depression in 1937. The Republicans made massive gains in the 1938 midterm elections. FDR was rescued from an exit even more humiliating than Jefferson's by World War II, which he used as an excuse to run for a third term.

Worse than Jimmy Carter, the self- proclaimed Washington "outsider" who presided over the most horrendous stagflation in our history? As his poll numbers sank, Mr. Carter had the temerity to lecture citizens on their "crisis of spirit." His approval rating had plummeted to 22% when Ronald Reagan defeated him. Let us skip Bill Clinton. He and Bush are too contiguous; proximity makes comparisons inevitably rancorous.

My purpose is not to denigrate these men. John Adams had great political courage. He often espoused unpopular views, warning us, among other things, that a majority can be as tyrannical as a king or dictator -- something that we may need to remember in the next few years.

Thomas Jefferson displayed good judgment in his first term when he put aside his ideological scruples and purchased the Louisiana Territory. James Madison deserves admiration for the way he gave his remarkable wife, Dolley, a chance to create the role of First Lady and establish women as important political players. Woodrow Wilson's idealism was flawed, but his vision of America's role as a world power was profound. FDR's masterful confrontation with the fear created by the Great Depression made his first term an unforgettable achievement.

In this light, however wavering, maybe it's time to suspend the rush to judgment on George W. Bush for 10 or 20 years. I suspect we will decide Mr. Bush's first term, with his decisive response to 9/11, deserves some praise, and that his second term succumbed to an awesome amount of bad luck, from his generals' disagreements on how to fight the war in Iraq to the Wall Street collapse of 2008.

Many presidents have run out of luck in their second terms, but Mr. Bush's record in this department will be hard to match. Beyond the popularity polls there may be a dimension we should remember in judging every president: sympathy.

Mr. Fleming is a former president of the Society of American Historians. His most recent book, "The Perils of Peace, America's Struggle to Survive After Yorktown," (Smithsonian) has just been issued in paperback.

(Je crois que, entre autres, si l'Irak parvient a adopter la democratie avec succes (hypothese a laquelle meme NNP semble croire maintenant), ce ne sera pas non plus quelque chose qui sera mis dans la colonne des echecs.)

Alors, qui sait, dans 200 ans, un jeune president Democrate fraichement elu insistera-t-il pour preter serment sur la bible de George Bush (43).

(Tiens, je vais laisser une "time capsule" pour mes descendants. Ils souriront si j'ai raison! )

FEBRUARY 28, 2009, 11:37 P.M. ET

Chavez Seizes Venezuelan Rice Plant

Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela -- President Hugo Chavez on Saturday ordered troops to temporarily seize control of all Venezuelan rice processing plants to ensure they produce at full capacity amid soaring inflation and persisting reports of food shortages.

Mr. Chavez told the National Guard to "take control of and intervene in all of these businesses that process rice in Venezuela," including at least a half-dozen local and foreign private companies.

"This government is here to protect the people, not the bourgeoisie or the rich," Mr. Chavez said, accusing some companies of slowing production to evade price caps that have slashed their profit margins. He did not say what the takeover would involve or how long it would last.

Mr. Chavez imposed price caps on scores of basic foodstuffs including chicken, rice and sugar in 2003 to combat rising inflation, which at 31% is now Latin America's highest. He last raised rice prices a year ago to just over $1 per kilogram ($0.46 a pound).

Agriculture Minister Elias Jaua said troops would occupy company installations as "the first measure" in an unspecified takeover process, beginning with a rice plant owned by Empresas Polar, the country's largest food producer.
Polar's Primor-brand rice plant, located in the western state of Guarico, has been operating at less than 50% capacity in violation of federal regulations, according to Vice Minister of Agriculture Richard Canan. He said the government would guarantee maximum output at the plant.

...

Somali president bends to rebel demand for sharia law

(CNN) -- Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said Saturday he will give in to a rebel demand that he impose Islamic law, or sharia, in an effort to halt fighting between Somali forces and Islamic insurgents.

President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed says sharia law in Somalia will not be strict.

However, Ahmed told a news conference he won't agree to a strict interpretation of the law, which forbids girls from attending school, requires veils for women and beards for men, and bans music and television.

The president, speaking at his palace in the capital, Mogadishu, said local elders and religious leaders, acting as liaisons with the militants, brought him a message saying the rebels wanted a truce in the two-year-old fighting. He also asked African peacekeepers to stand down.

Ahmed, who was elected January 31, said he would ask the AU contingent to leave once there is a solid political solution to the conflict.

More than 40,000 Somalis have returned to abandoned neighborhoods in Mogadishu over the past six weeks, despite some of the heaviest fighting in months, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said Friday.

...

CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) - Selon beaucoup d'organisations liberales (gauche aux Etats Unis), Rush Limbaugh serait le nouveau leader des Republicains. La question est de savoir si les Republicains le pensent. Peu le connaissent en dehors des Etats Unis. Alors, pour ceux que ca interesse:

1ere partie

2eme partie

3eme partie
4eme partie
5eme partie

6eme partie



7eme partie


8eme partie


9eme partie

10eme partie

"Porc"; en politique americaine, cela englobe tous les projets inclus dans les budgets et promis par les elus a leurs supporters. En haut de la liste des promesses electorales est la promesse de bien les representer a Washington (comprenez: en apportant de l'argent frais a leur district). Certains de ces projets sont importants d'autres ne sont ni plus ni moins qu'une excuse pour soutirer de l'argent aux contribuables pour le donner a des supporters. C'est un probleme qui existe que le Congres soit Republicain ou Democrate. Bien evidemment, NNP ne veut pas risquer de perdre la majorite au Congres, donc.. vous avez tout compris, il faut que ceux qui votent "back home" soient contents.

Ce qui est plus que decevant pour certains mais pas du tout surprenant pour d'autres, c'est que NNP avait PROMIS de CHANGEr Washington et qu'il n'en fait non seulement rien, mais qu'il est en train de multiplier le probleme.

=======

Obama Will Sign Spending Bill Despite Earmarks

President will break a campaign pledge on Monday and sign a budget bill laden with millions* in lawmakers' pet projects, administration officials said.
AP

Sunday, March 01, 2009

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama will break a campaign pledge and sign a budget bill laden with millions in lawmakers' pet projects, administration officials said.

Administration budget chief Peter Orszag and White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel both downplayed the $410 billion spending bill and signaled Obama would hold his nose and sign it. Orszag said: "We want to just move on. Let's get this bill done, get it into law and move forward.

Said Emanuel: "That's last year's business."

The House last week passed the measure that would keep the government running through Sept. 30, when the federal budget year ends. Taxpayers for Common Sense, a watchdog group, identified almost 8,600 specially sponsored projects totaling $7.7 billion; Democrats say the number is $3.8 billion.

Either way, it is far more than Obama promised as a candidate. He refused "earmarks" for the economic stimulus package he championed and a children's health bill.
He similiarly pledged to reject tailored budget requests that let lawmakers send money to their home states. Orszag said Obama would move ahead and overlook the time-tested tradition that lets officials divert millions at a time to pet projects.

"We want to make sure that earmarks are reduced and they're also transparent. We're going to work with the Congress on a set of reforms to achieve those," said Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Obama's top hands assigned responsibility to their predecessors and President George W. Bush.
Blaming Bush-era proposals for deficits, Obama wanted to set up his own budget that would start Oct. 1, which he proposed last week with a bold goal of cutting the deficit by half within his four-year term.
"First, this is a $1.7 trillion deficit he inherited. Let's be clear about that. We inherited this deficit and we inherited $4 trillion of new debt," Emanuel said. "That is the facts."

Facts, aides said, would be the cornerstone of the administration's public relations push. Officials faced a tough haul, even as Orszag and others said the proposal would raise taxes on wealthy Americans and increase energy costs.
Emanuel said energy costs are too low, anyway. U.S. car companies relied too long on gas-guzzling autos and failed to invest in alternative energy vehicles, he said. The time for new auto fuels is now, he contended.

"They never invested in both alternative energy cars. They got dependent on big gas guzzlers. ...They have a health care cost structure that's outdated," Emanuel said, repeating the administration's premise that health costs must come under control or else risk breaking all other pieces of the budget.

Republicans were not persuaded. Rep. Eric Cantor, their No. 2 in the House, said Obama was failing on his promises.
"Listen, I mean, the president was elected by the people of this country to institute change in Washington and to finally demand a federal government that is accountable to the people," he said. "The fact that there are 9,000 earmarks in this bill and the fact that the vetting process just doesn't take place the way it should, we ought to stand up and draw the line right now and stop the waste."

Orszag and Cantor appeared on ABC's "This Week." Emanuel spoke on CBS' "Face the Nation."

...

* 7 milliards en fait selon le site: Taxpayers for Common Sense!

....

Je ne vais meme pas jusqu'a juger la valeur des projets, mais en periode de GRise, tout de meme et surtout alors que 1) la promesse avait ete faite de combattre le "porc" et 2) que la promesse d'une action bipartisane serait fortement recherchee

(Evidemment, comme dit Rush mais il n'est pas le seul. Le partisanship vu pour les Democrates en general et de toute evidence, NNP en particulier, c'est: les Democrates decident et les Republicains acceptent!)

Examples of Earmarks in the Omnibus

$713,625 Woody Biomass at SUNY-ESF. Walsh and Schumer sponsors
$951,500 Sustainable Las Vegas. Berkeley and Reid sponsors.
$24,000 A+ for Abstinence. Specter is sponsor.
$300,000 Montana World Trade Center. Rehberg sponsor.
$950,000 Myrtle Beach International Trade and Convention Center. Graham sponsor.
$200,000 Oil Region Alliance. Peterson sponsor.
$190,000 Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, WY for digitizing and editing the Cody collection. Barbara Cubin is the sponsor
$143,000 Las Vegas Natural History Museum, Las Vegas, NV, to expand natural history education programs. Sponsored by Harry Reid
$238,000 for the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Honolulu, HI, for educational programs. Sen. Daniel Inouye is the sponsor.
$381,000 for Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York, NY for music education programs. Jerrold Nadler is the sponsor.

....

TAXPAYERS FOR COMMON SENSE

AWARDS

About the "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" Award
Since 1999, Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS) has honored lawmakers and and citizen activists whose leadership and dedication have made a difference to taxpayers across America with the "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" Award. Capturing the passion in the spirt of the classic film of the same name, these modern-day Davids took on the Goliaths of out-of-control federal spending and scored a victory for the American taxpayer.

2005
Senator John Sununu (R-NH) is the 2005 recipient of the "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" Award to recognize his efforts to promote fiscal responsibility and eliminate wasteful governmental spending, particularly on energy issues.

2004
Representatives Steve Chabot (R-OH) and Robert Andrews (D-NJ) were honored for their combined leadership on behalf of taxpayers in fighting to eliminate wasteful timber subsides in Alaska's Tongass National Forest.

2003
Senator Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL) was honored for his leadership in fighting cronyism in state government. His struggle against waste in the federal government has earned him praise across party divides.

2001
Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) were honored for leading the battle in Congress for a new round of military base closures.

Four dedicated Eastern Maryland residents, known as the Cecil County Quartet, were honored as grassroots recipients for leading the effort to stop a $90 million Army Corps of Engineers plan to deepen by five feet the C&D Canal that connects the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays.

2000
Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), Rep. Thomas Petri (R-WI), and Rep. Peter Defazio were honored for leading the battle in Congress to stop the $450 million Animas La-Plata (ALP) water project in southwestern Colorado.

Arkansas rice farmer Jerry Lee Bogard of Stuttgart and Attorney David Carruth of Clarendon, AR were honored as citzen activist awardees for helping stop a $319 million Army Corps of Engineers irrigation project in Eastern Arkansas.

1999
Rep. Ellen Tauscher and Friends of the River were honored for together opposing and defeating a last-minute $300 million in unneeded and ill-conceived water projects that had been slipped into the water authorization bill.

Rush Limbaugh calls on conservatives to take back nation

(CNN) -- Rush Limbaugh brought a cheering crowd to its feet several times Saturday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington as he called on fellow conservatives to take back the country.

Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh energizes crowd of supporters in CPAC keynote speech.

"We conservatives have not done a good enough job of just laying out basically who we are, because we make the mistake of assuming that people know. What they know is largely incorrect, based on the way we're portrayed in pop culture, in the drive-by media, by the Democrat party," the conservative talk show host told a mostly young crowd of energized supporters.

"We want every American to be the best he or she chooses to be. We recognize that we are all individuals. We love and revere our founding documents, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. We believe that the preamble of the Constitution contains an inarguable truth, that we are all endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, among them life, liberty, freedom -- and the pursuit of happiness," he said, pausing several times for enthusiastic applause.

Looking ahead to the 2012 election, Limbaugh said conservatives will have to choose the right candidate to take the country back.

Limbaugh's impassioned keynote speech, punctuated by chest-thumping, fist-pumping and chants of "USA" from the crowd, capped off three days of talk at CPAC focusing on rebuilding the Republican Party.

"He played to his crowd here," CNN political editor Mark Preston said. "And this crowd is now energized, something we haven't seen from Republicans, certainly not conservatives, since the November election."

Limbaugh used his self-described "first national address," which ran more than an hour longer than his allotted 20 minutes, to accuse President Obama of inspiring fear in Americans in order to push a liberal agenda of "big government."

"He wants people in fear, angst and crisis, fearing the worst each and every day, because that clears the decks for President Obama and his pals to come in with the answers, which are abject failures, historically shown and demonstrated. Doesn't matter. They'll have control of it when it's all over. And that's what they want," Limbaugh said.

"They see these inequalities, these inequities that capitalism produces. How do they try to fix it? Do they try to elevate those at the bottom? No, they try to tear down the people at the top."

Limbaugh praised Obama as one of the most gifted politicians he has seen, but said, "It just breaks my heart that he does not use these extraordinary talents and gifts to motivate and inspire the American people to be the best they can be. He's doing just the opposite."

Limbaugh also dismissed the notion of bipartisanship as a "false premise" given the diverging views of the Democratic and Republican Parties on a variety of issues, including the recent $787 stimulus package signed by Obama.

"Bipartisanship occurs only after one other result. And that is victory," he said.

"What [Democrats] mean is we check our core principles at the door, come in, let them run the show, and then agree with them," he said.

Limbaugh's rollicking speech came the day after Obama supporters put out a political ad implying that the conservative radio host has become the de facto head of the Republican Party in the absence of a clear GOP leader.

The ad argues that the Republican leadership in Congress is following Limbaugh's lead in opposing the Obama administration's stimulus package.

"So who are Republican leaders listening to?" the announcer asks, before the 30-second ad cuts abruptly to footage of Limbaugh saying, "I want him [Obama] to fail."

It was paid for by Americans United for Change and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, two groups that supported Obama during the election and are advocating for his agenda.

Limbaugh doesn't speak for all Republicans or conservatives. Copies of the American Conservative magazine with the headline "How radio wrecks the right" were distributed to CPAC attendees, Preston said.

"There is some criticism of Rush Limbaugh. Some people think he is a reactionary," Preston said.

Limbaugh defended his remark about wanting Obama to fail, comparing it to his desire to see the Arizona Cardinals "fail" in this year's Super Bowl game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"This notion that I want the president to fail, folks, this shows you a sign of the problem we've got," he said.

"What is so strange about being honest and saying, I want Barack Obama to fail if his mission is to restructure and reform this country so that capitalism and individual liberty are not its foundation? Why would I want that to succeed?" he said, bringing the crowd once again to its feet.

Absolutely!

"Did the Democrats want the war in Iraq to fail? Well, they certainly did. And they not only wanted the war in Iraq to fail, they proclaimed it a failure."

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Limbaugh a dit quelque chose de TRES importante que CNN aura oublie de noter :

Now, this is not prosperity. It is not going to engender prosperity. It's not going to create prosperity and it's also not going to advance or promote freedom. It's going to be just the opposite. There are going to be more controls over what you can and can't do, how you can and can't do it, what you can and can't drive, what you can and can't say, where you can and can't say it. All of these things are coming down the pike, because it's not about revenue generation to them, it's about control. They do believe that they have compassion. They do believe they care. But, see, we never are allowed to look at the results of their plans, we are told we must only look at their good intentions, their big hearts. The fact that they have destroyed poor families by breaking up those families by offering welfare checks to women to keep having babies no more father needed, he's out doing something, the government's the father, they destroy the family. We're not supposed to analyze that. We're not supposed to talk about that. We're supposed to talk about their good intentions. They destroy people's futures. The future is not Big Government. Self-serving politicians. Powerful bureaucrats. This has been tried, tested throughout history. The result has always been disaster. President Obama, your agenda is not new. It's not change, and it's not hope. [Applause] Spending a nation into generational debt is not an act of compassion..b]All politicians, including President Obama, are temporary stewards of this nation. It is not their task to remake the founding of this country. It is not their task to tear it apart and rebuild it in their image.b]

MARCH 2, 2009

Republicans Concede Budget Is Hard to Block

By BRODY MULLINS and GREG HITT

WASHINGTON -- Republican congressional leaders ramped up criticism of President Barack Obama's budget proposal, even as they conceded that they likely won't be able to block it.

Congressional Republicans on Sunday morning talk shows described Mr. Obama's $3.6 trillion budget proposal for fiscal year 2010 as a return to an era of big government, with huge increases in taxes and spending.

"It's almost as if we are relocating the headquarters of the economy [from Main Street] to Washington, D.C.," said Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, the top Republican on the House Budget Committee, on "Fox News Sunday." But, he added, "You can't stop this in the House, and it's going to be very difficult to stop in the Senate."

Radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh said at a weekend conference for conservatives that Mr. Obama stands for "rampant government growth."

Mr. Obama's budget blueprint, unveiled Thursday, calls for tax increases for wealthy Americans, increased taxes on Wall Street and oil companies and an expansion of health care and other social services.

The criticism of the budget is part of broader debate in Washington over fiscal policy, which began with Mr. Obama's recently approved $787 billion economic-stimulus package. Mr. Obama and his Democratic allies see the budget as an opportunity to make good on campaign promises, including widening access to health care and investing in green technologies and jobs.
Republicans want to use the debate over the budget and wider fiscal policy to reclaim the party's role as protector of taxpayer dollars.

The Democrats are expected to begin moving the budget through Congress this month with hopes of winning approval by early April. Congressional Republicans say it's unlikely that they would be able to block the budget because they don't have enough votes.

Congress follows special rules for approving the annual budget that make it hard for the minority party to block it. Senate rules requiring 60 votes to end debate are suspended.* That requirement had made three Republican senators' support for the stimulus bill crucial, even though Democrats enjoy large majorities in the House and Senate.

Mr. Obama in his weekly radio address Saturday framed the budget debate as a fight against special interests. "I know they're gearing up for a fight as we speak," he said. "My message to them is this: So am I."

--------

* Grace a Nancy qui a change les regles pour justement pouvoir passer a peu pres tout ce qu'elle veut. Imaginez une seconde qu'elle soit Republicaine (une seconde c'est tout, The Wicked Witch of the West ne resisterait pas a plus et se mettrait a se dissoudre , nous sommes humains tout de meme), les media n'en auraient pas fini!

"Prime Minister John Howard Australia: Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off... Prime Minister John Howard Australia:

Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks.

Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques.

Quote: 'IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians'.

This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom'. 'We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society . Learn the language!'

'Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.'

'We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.'

'This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom,

'If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.'

=========

Nous en sommes a changer les Etats Unis pour plaire a ceux qui ne les aiment pas.

Ca s'pourrrait ben

Lawmakers Worry Whether U.S. can keep Gaza Aid Away from Hamas

The U.S. is pledging $900 million in assistance for the Gaza Strip, but money not sent directly to the Palestinian Authority will have to be distributed by other agencies.

FOXNews.com

Monday, March 02, 2009

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill say they are concerned that some of the billions of dollars pledged to rebuild the Gaza Strip, including money from the United States, may end up in the hands of Hamas.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit announced at an international donors conference on Monday that $4.48 billion in new funds has been pledged for rebuilding the Gaza Strip, which was devastated in Israel's recent offensive against its Hamas rulers. He said other nations recommitted themselves to funds they promised in the past but never delivered, bringing the total to $5.2 billion. That includes $900 million from the United States, two-thirds of which would be directed to the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.

But the State Department said any money not going directly to the Palestinian Authority would be funneled to Gaza through international organizations and agencies, raising questions about whether those channels can keep the money out of Hamas' hands.

"To route $900 million to this area, and let's say Hamas was only able to steal 10 percent of that, we would still become Hamas' second-largest funder after Iran," U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., told FOXNews.com. Kirk called the overall package an apparent "waste of money," given the U.S. recession. Hamas, which the United States considers a terrorist organization, rules the Gaza Strip.

State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid said Monday that the Gaza support would be provided through USAID, in coordination with United Nations agencies and other international organizations. And it's likely that among them would be the United Nations Relief and Works Agency -- which has been accused of allowing terrorist propaganda in classrooms it funds and has suffered several high-profile examples of terrorist leaders who were on the agency's payroll.

.....


Nous sommes tout-de-meme the "last of the big spenders". Bof! apres le plan de relance, l'"omnibus charge de porc" (ca deviendrait presque poetique... ), le budget de 2010, qu'est-ce-que c'est que 900 millions de plus ou de moins. Hein? J'vous l'demande!

Pardonnez-moi, Sylvette, de penser aussi aux autres généreux pays donateurs - ou aux généreux donateurs des autres pays...

Presque 4,5 milliars d'euros au total ! Et personne n'élève la voix ! Où ira cet argent ? À quoi et à qui va-t-il servir ?

Gageons que des nouveaux comptes numérotés vont bientôt fleurir en Suisse...

loin de moi l'idee d'oublier qui que ce soit dans cette debauche de generosite; c'est que, au moins, l'Europe n'est pas detestee "la-bas" mais que nous, si; meme si nos nouveaux dirigeants essayent de se convaincre autrement.