Alan Carlin is a lifer at EPA who realizes that the EPA and the rest of the global warming bandwagon are heading straight over a cliff - science be damned. Read his report on his web site or just watch the movie (but the report is much more fun):

These inconsistencies between the TSD analysis and scientific observations are so important and sufficiently abstruse that in my view EPA needs to make an independent analysis of the science of global warming rather than adopting the conclusions of the IPCC and CCSP without much more careful and independent EPA staff review than is evidenced by the Draft TSP. Adopting the scientific conclusions of an outside group such as the IPCC or CCSP without thorough review by EPA is not in the EPA tradition anyway, and there seems to be little reason to change the tradition in this case. If their conclusions should be incorrect and EPA acts on them, it is EPA that will be blamed for inadequate research and understanding and reaching a possibly inaccurate determination of endangerment. Given the downward trend in temperatures since 1998 (which some think will continue until about 2030 given the 60 year cycle described in Section 2) there is no particular reason to rush into decisions based on a scientific hypothesis that does not appear to explain much of the available data.

It takes a scientist at the end of his career to be so blunt.

All in all the father of lies is having a field day passing off fantasy for science. Reminds me of the distortion of science in That Hideous Strength, C.S. Lewis’ final volume in his Space Trilogy.

See my prior posts for other critics of the global warming madness

Popularity: 2% [?]

We’ve been sponsoring a child from CCF for more than 10 years. We received a letter a few days ago that they are changing their name to “Childfund International.” as part of a new branding strategy. I guess Christianity isn’t such a cool or global brand anymore. The letter doesn’t specifically address the obvious fact they are deleting Christian from the name. It just talks about how the name change is being part of an overall revamp on their strategic vision:

“The name ChildFund International reflects the true breadth and international scope of our work and recognizes our affiliation with a network of 11 other international child development organizations. We are a founding member of ChildFund Alliance and maintain a central role in the group’s work. Participation in the ChildFund Alliance extends our global reach to 55 countries.”

It’s fairly insultiing to say that the word “Christian” is not universal or international (or bigoted for that matter because I think that’s what they are really saying).

Anyway it’s probably the honest thing to do because apparently they dropped the “Christian thing” 30 years ago.

After our child gets too old for the program I’m dropping it - maybe we’re sponsor a child through Catholic World Mission if that’s any good, or similar group.

Read these comments - like “Maybe they need a new logo. A light hidden under a bushel basket would work”.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Excellent article on the disclosure of the memos analyzing the legality of the interrogation techniques from Bush’s former Atty General and former director of CIA: The President Ties His Own Hands on Terror

It points out the obvious that interrogation is not used for confession it is used for intelligence. And further:

The techniques themselves were used selectively against only a small number of hard-core prisoners who successfully resisted other forms of interrogation, and then only with the explicit authorization of the director of the CIA. Of the thousands of unlawful combatants captured by the U.S., fewer than 100 were detained and questioned in the CIA program. Of those, fewer than one-third were subjected to any of the techniques discussed in these opinions. As already disclosed by Director Hayden, as late as 2006, even with the growing success of other intelligence tools, fully half of the government’s knowledge about the structure and activities of al Qaeda came from those interrogations.fully half of the government’s knowledge about the structure and activities of al Qaeda came from those interrogations.

Obama’s a fool and has ensured we have forever lost effective techniques against terrorist. We are all a LOT less safe.

Popularity: 15% [?]

From NRLC alert to oppose Dawn Johnsen to head the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel :

Dear pro-life friends,

President Obama has nominated a longtime pro-abortion strategist, Dawn Johnsen, to one of the most important legal jobs in the federal Executive Branch. Johnsen, a former legal director of NARAL, has written strongly worded articles and legal briefs in opposition to virtually every form of limitation on abortion, including partial-birth abortion. The U.S. Senate will vote on this nomination later this month, or in May.

Please click here to go to the NRLC Legislative Action Center, where you will find a tool that makes it easy to send an appropriate message to your two U.S. Senators in opposition to confirmation of this pro-abortion radical. This will just take a few minutes — please do it today!

Here’s a link to a good article on her at PowerLine: Dawn Johnsen, radically disingenuous

Popularity: 14% [?]

Great editorial on Obama’s foolish goal of disarming while the world’s rogue nations arm up. How in the world can anybody believe that North Korea and Iran are going to be impressed by us disarming? They will be shouting for joy at our stupidity:

“And I had an excellent meeting with President Medvedev of Russia to get started that process of reducing our nuclear stockpiles, which will then give us a greater moral authority to say to Iran, don’t develop a nuclear weapon; to say to North Korea, don’t proliferate nuclear weapons,” Mr. Obama said, implying that previous American Presidents had lacked such “authority.

..Mr. Obama is offering pleasant illusions, while mullahs and other rogues plot explosive reality.

And Obama proves once again he’s dangrously naive in thinking Russia is going to disarm.

Popularity: 17% [?]

As everyone with a mind predicted, the violence is ramping up in Iraq in the radical Islamists’ eager anticipation of the US troop deadline of June 1 for withdrawl from the cities:

Six bombs rocked Shiite neighborhoods of Baghdad on Monday, killing 36 people and wounding more than 110 in an escalation of violence as the U.S. military is thinning out its presence before a June 30 deadline to pull combat troops out of the cities.

…U.S. officials insist that violence has fallen by 90% since the high point in 2007, but a recent uptick in attacks has raised concern that extremists may be regrouping.
“The nature of the attacks and targets are consistent with past al Qaeda in Iraq attacks,” said a U.S. spokesman, Maj. David Shoupe. “We see this as a coordinated attack by terrorists against predominantly Shia targets that they gauge as vulnerable to instigate sectarian violence.”

Obama has a great way of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Hopefully this won’t escalate out of control but I’m a pessimist.

Popularity: 14% [?]

After observing it for a while, Mrs. Clinton asked “who painted it?” to which Msgr. Monroy responded “God!”

Ok - I know this is old news but I just saw it and it’s funny.

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Bret Arends has a good article in today’s Journal, Home Prices: Low, But Still No Bargain:

Over the long term, average home prices have tended to track average earnings. And by this measure the market may have much further to fall.

I looked at Case-Shiller’s index back to 1987 and compared it to federal data on average earnings. The result, rebased to 100 in January 1987, can be seen here. And it’s alarming. By this (admittedly very simple) measure, today’s home prices are actually more expensive, in relation to average earnings, than at the peak of the 1989 property bubble.

Equally noteworthy is that when the last property bubble burst, it took about eight years before the market showed really strong signs of revival. This bubble was far, far bigger.

He did a similar article last year and it rightly predicted the current downswings in the housing market.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Good article on Catholicvote.org’s Obama ad and other pro-lifers’ “taking it online” :

Facing Tough Washington Climate, Abortion Foes Move Debate Online

Popularity: 15% [?]

I recently came across a talk (mp3) given for the Long Now foundation by Philip Longman. The thesis can be described as a summation of his book which is described in his bio as follows:

His other books include The Empty Cradle: How Falling Birthrates Threaten World Prosperity And What to Do About It, published by Basic Books in 2004 and reissued in paperback in 2006. It examines how the rapid yet uneven fall in birth rates around the globe is affecting the balance of power between nations and influencing the global economy and culture.

He points out that large portions of the world suffer from a non-replacement rate population growth, with the United States being one of the few countries that are reproducing at a 2.1 child per couple rate (replacement being 2.1, the .1 being the extra 1/10 needed to make up for early death). He says that even in Muslim Iran, the reproduction rate is less than replacement As the population ages, there will be fewer workers, and a larger older non-producing population. In short, a disaster for the whole human race, maybe a fatal one. He does an excellent job laying out the problem and there’s an interesting question and answer period with one questioner asking the obvious that doesn’t this inevitably lead to euthanasia as a solution? He decries the fact that the “fundamentalists” are the only ones bucking the trend (by which he means Mormons - he apparently (and rightly so given the widespread disregard for the teaching on contraception) doesn’t consider Catholics a group that poses a threat to the trend)

I’ve heard this argument before but this guy is no conservative - he’s a liberal who’s not afraid of saying the emporer has no clothes. Once again the truth and wisdom of Humanae Vitae is shown. Give Mr. Longman a listen.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Great Article from Mark Steyn on Arnold Schwarzenegger called Governor Gravid in the March 9 issue of National Review. He shows how one can’t be fiscally conservative and socially liberal (I myself never understood how these two worked together given the fiscal pulls of one on the other):

The problem with being socially liberal, fiscally conservative is that most of the social liberalism comes with quite a price tag just have a ten-minute riffle through the non-stimulus bill. We all want to move beyond the standard left/right paradigm, as Arianna liked to say in that gubernatorial
race. If I had a pair o dime for every time a politician has said we need to move beyond the old paradigm, I could afford to live in Arnolds California. But the reality is that almost every socially liberal, fiscally conservative politician turns out to be fiscally liberal in the same way that, if you mix half a pint of vanilla ice cream with half a pint of horse manure, its not hard to figure which taste will predominate.

To be fair to Ahnuld, a lot of voters want it both ways, too. Which is why fiscal is not a useful word in this context. Big Government is not primarily a fiscal issue: These programs are not wrong because they’re unaffordable; they’re unaffordable because they’re wrong they’re not the proper role of government, and if you pretend they are, then, as in California, you unbalance the relationship between the citizen and the state. But its not a green-eyeshade thing: They would be just as wrong, as I said a month or two back, if Bill Gates wrote a check to cover them every month. So when a politician tells you hes fiscally conservative, its like Conan the Barbarian announcing hell bring his abacus to a sword fight.

Popularity: 16% [?]

Dear CatholicVote.org Member,

Like many of you, we received the news last Friday that President Barack Obama will deliver the commencement address at the University of Notre Dame this May.

In addition to delivering the address, the President will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree. In short, one of our nation’s premier Catholic institutions will honor the President, and hold out him as an example to its students as someone worthy of emulation!

Given President Obama’s utterly shameful record on life, how could a Catholic university honor him?

The University could have politely and quietly told the White House that their standing invitation to the President of the United States was not available this year. Better yet, they could have said that while they would welcome his contributions to the public debate over how to solve our economic crisis, his regrettable policies in favor of a culture of death make it impossible for them to welcome him.

Notre Dame has regrettably hosted pro-abortion speakers in the past, but President Obama is a champion of the abortion cause.

Sadly, it is now indisputable that our President has become the world’s leading promoter of abortion, embryo-killing cloning and research, taxpayer-funded abortion, and a vigorous opponent of conscience protections for medical professionals. His campaign promises to find ‘common ground’ have sadly been ignored, or perhaps were simply lies. And this Administration has only just begun.

Is there anything a president could do that would disqualify him or her from delivering such a prestigious address?

If there is such a threshold, Barack Obama has not disqualified himself with Notre Dame officials.

And so we must act.

We have spoken with professors, students, and leaders at Notre Dame over the past 48 hours and have concluded that a massive protest will be practically difficult, and even counterproductive. The University has a right as a private school to prevent all protestors from entering campus, and could legally arrest those who violate this rule. Secondly, a protest could create exactly the wrong impression.

Therefore, we are recommending four courses of action.

1) CatholicVote.org has partnered with the Cardinal Newman Society, a dynamic organization dedicated to the renewal of Catholic higher education in establishing www.NotreDameScandal.com. Together our aim is to collect thousands of signatures and present them to University officials. Sign the petition now.

2) Contact Notre Dame and charitably express your outrage. CatholicVote.org is large enough to have a major impact, and we urge you to contact Notre Dame President Father Jenkins at (574) 631-5000.

3) Join your fellow CatholicVote.org members in a prayer of reparation on May 17 from 2-4 PM. We encourage you to organize local groups to pray for mercy for the decision by Notre Dame, but also for our nation for continuing to permit the tragedy of abortion.

***If you live in the Midwest, or near Notre Dame University, we invite you to personally join us in prayer at the Grotto on the campus of Notre Dame from 2-4 PM on May 17, where we will be joined by several Notre Dame professors, alumni, and current students. The gathering will be a peaceful and prayerful.

4) Please forward this message to your family and friends. Let them know about Notre Dame’s decision to honor the most pro-abortion President in American history. We must not remain silent over this scandal!

Sincerely,

Brian Burch, President
CatholicVote.org

Popularity: 16% [?]

Obama is beyond the pale - preaching financial restraint while racking up 9.3 trillion dollar debt. Here are the Banks begging to give back the billions the Fed gave them but Obama won’t allow them because he knows it’ll reduce his grip over Wall Street:

That was one topic of discussion Friday at a meeting all sides described as cordial. According to participants, some of the chiefs told the president they want to return their bailout money later this year, but Mr. Obama told them that regulators would permit such a move only if the banks were truly healthy. This account of the meeting is based on interviews with participants, White House aides and others familiar with the gathering.

For his part, Mr. Obama told the group that bankers should be more modest in their compensation and spending practices, participants said. The bankers responded that the administration should try to cool its anti-Wall Street rhetoric.

Who is Obama to “permit” them to pay back the loan?

On Obama’s modesty in his spending practices see this article from Karl Rove - Obama Points Back to the GOP’s Future:

Obama said Tuesday night his budget moves America “from an era of borrow and spend” to “save and invest.” But people are realizing he would add $9.3 trillion to the national debt, doubling it in six years and nearly tripling it in 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). How can that be “save and invest”?
..
The CBO says deficits will fall for three years to $658 billion, still nearly 50% larger than any past deficit. After that, deficits go back up every year, reaching the trillion-dollar a year mark again in nine years. By 2019, the debt would reach 82.4% of GDP, a level not seen since 1947.

With astonishing candor, even Peter Orszag, the president’s budget director conceded these levels of deficits and debt are “unsustainable.”

:

Did you read that? Debt going up to 82.4% of the Gross Domestic Product in only 10 years!!!

And it doesn’t stop there. Keep in mind this takes into account guesses on the expansion of the economy and the growth of the debt. My view is the economy will at first speed up because of the bailouts and huge increase in money supply, then significantly slow with huge inflation staying like that for years to come. It will surely and quickly rise to 100% of GDP and beyond. That’s called insolvency folks.

This guy is completely hopeless and way over his head (well actually, we are in it way over our head). But no one in Congress is stopping him. This Country is on the fast track to economic madness.

Popularity: 15% [?]

From the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment Web Site

Grassroots Action Center

WEB ALERT

Protect Conscience Rights in Health Care: Retain Conscience Regulation

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is inviting public comment on a proposal to rescind an important December 2008 federal regulation. The 2008 regulation implements and enforces three federal laws protecting the conscience rights of health care providers, especially those at risk of being discriminated against because of their moral or religious objection to abortion. For background, see: www.usccb.org/conscienceprotection. The rescission proposal was published in the Federal Register on March 10. See: nchla.org/docdisplay.asp?ID=233. The public has until April 9 to submit comments.

As they did when the conscience regulation was first proposed, pro-abortion groups are again trying to flood HHS with comments attacking conscience rights. Their chief message: Rescind the regulation because conscience clauses (which they call “refusal” or “denial” clauses) interfere with women’s “access” to health care. These groups want to force doctors, nurses and hospitals to violate their consciences or leave the profession. The Catholic community and others must speak out so this will not happen. Talking points:

- Religious liberty and freedom of conscience have been building blocks of our society since its founding. We respect conscientious objection for those opposed to war, physicians opposed to taking part in capital punishment, and others who object to involvement in the taking of life. We can do no less in the context of abortion.

- Conscience protection does not threaten access to health care. Allowing health care providers to serve the public without violating their consciences protects and enhances access to health care, by ensuring continued participation by some of our most dedicated health professionals. Catholic and other faith-based providers are specially called to serve the poorest and most vulnerable, from the inner city to remote rural areas - if they are driven away, who will replace them?

- Abortion, in particular, cannot be seen as “standard” health care. Most physicians, nurses and hospitals choose not to provide abortion, and the Hippocratic Oath that established medicine as a profession has rejected abortion for many centuries. Forcing health professionals to be involved in abortion against their will shows a distorted sense of priorities-one that will irreparably damage the healing professions and undermine efforts to work together for health care reform.

All persons are encouraged to submit comments. Health care professionals-hospital administrators, physicians, pharmacists, nurses, technicians, and the like-should submit examples or personal experiences where discrimination was or is a concern. Please write now urging the Administration to retain the regulation protecting conscience rights! For excellent comments by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office of General Counsel, see: www.usccb.org/conscienceprotection/hhs_comments_conscience_09final.pdf.

Action: An e-mail message can be sent through the NCHLA Action Center. Please click below. Comments can also be submitted electronically by e-mail to proposedrescission@hhs.gov or online through www.Regulations.gov (check “Select to find documents” and then enter “Rescission Proposal”). Comments also can be mailed. See instructions in the March 10 Federal Register cited above. In all comments, refer to “Rescission Proposal.”

Suggested Message: “Please retain the conscience regulation, and enforce the laws protecting the right of health care providers to serve patients without violating their moral and religious convictions. The government has a special responsibility to ensure that the conscience rights of health care providers are fully protected.”

When: Please submit your comments by close of business April 9, 2009. Thanks!

3/16/09; updated 3/25/09

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Let’s pray he will convert:

Some of you may have seen the major news story of the private plane that crashed into a Montana cemetery, killing 7 children and 7 adults.

But what the news sources fail to mention is that the Catholic Holy Cross Cemetery owned by Resurrection Cemetery Association in Butte - contains a memorial for local residents to pray the rosary, at the ‘Tomb of the Unborn’. This memorial, located a short distance west of the church, was erected as a dedication to all babies who have died because of abortion.

What else is the mainstream news not telling you? The family who died in the crash near the location of the abortion victim’s memorial, is the family of Irving ‘Bud’ Feldkamp, owner of the largest for-profit abortion chain in the nation.

Family Planning Associates was purchased four years ago by Irving Moore “Bud” Feldkamp III, owner of Allcare and Hospitality Dental Associates and CEO of Glen Helen Raceway Park in San Bernardino. The 17 California Family Planning clinics perform more abortions in the state than any other abortion provider - Planned Parenthood included - and they perform abortions through the first five months of pregnancy.

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