Happy New Year: A Prediction on the 2010 Alaska Gubernatorial Race

For many Alaskans, the election of Barack Obama in 2008, was a sign of bad times for Alaska.

The Obama administration's decisions to end retirement benefits going to Alaskan Natives who served in World War II, was just a hint at policies that the administration was going to implement that would have a negative impact on Alaska.

Under the Obama administration and a Democrat majority in the House and Senate, the federal government's grip on the personal lives of people in Alaska, will be tightened through environmental policies that will hinder resource development on federal lands and will reduce Medicare/Medicaid payments and care through the eventual passage of Obamacare.

Unfortunately, until 2014, we Alaskans will be left to the will of Alaska's U.S. Senator Mark Begich, when it comes to siding with the current majority of Democratic Senators.

Read more at Red County

What's This? No Rise of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Fraction in Past 160 Years

No Rise of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Fraction in Past 160 Years, New Research Finds

Most of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activity does not remain in the atmosphere, but is instead absorbed by the oceans and terrestrial ecosystems. In fact, only about 45 percent of emitted carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere.

Obama Shines Palin Shoes

I couldn't understand why all of the sudden interest in the search on a photoshopped picture of Obama shining Palin's shoe.

For the past few days, the traffic on this site was picking up because of the Yahoo search Obama shining Palins shoes..

Someone had a story and it was going to get published.

It did, the Huffington Post blog.

Obama's War: CIA get hit

Suicide bomber attacks CIA base in Afghanistan, killing at least 8 Americans

How did it happen?

A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack in a message to the Associated Press, and said the bomber was "an Afghan National Army officer wearing a suicide vest," the wire service reported. The description could not be confirmed with U.S. or Afghan military officials.

My bet is that is exactly how it happened...

There is no way we can win this war with Iran still in play.....

Parnell Wins 2010 Gubernatorial Election

That is my prediction.....

Why?

Here is why.

Hays poll: Parnell 72 percent positive; Palin 55 percent

Ralph Samuels is going to have a tough time knocking Parnell down...

Moreover, if the issues with ACES and AGIA are resolved, then this race becomes a no-brainer.

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle Is the Hand that Rules a Fetus’ Personhood

There is a tragic irony in a poem written by William Ross Wallace that praises motherhood while not recognizing the dark-side of mothers who choose to drink or use illicit drugs while they are pregnant.

And because of the pro-choice movement and court interpretations with regard to the right to privacy, this dark-side of a mother’s behavior is enabled.

What sense is there in a law or opinion that makes it legal for a mother to drink while pregnant, while we have created laws that protect the public from those who drink and drive?

The end results in both cases can be tragic.


Read more at Red County..

The Circus has Come to Alaska: Two Judges Rule in the Johnston/Palin Custody Case

First to the posting of the custody files on the Anchorage Daily News (ADN).....

The ADN has become nothing more than a hack journalist website that is one step above the fringe bloggers here in Alaska.

They are going to cover the circus that will take place in the custody battle between Levi Johnston and Bristol Palin.

And there are two judges that have had their hand in this circus that is about to take place.

First to Judge Gleason. I know about this Judge

Read more at Red County.

Sarah Palin 50th Statehood Ak Av Autographed Jersey

Link

This Game worn Jersey by Goalie Andrew Tatham who was the Goalie for the 50th Anniversary Alaska Statehood game against Kenai River Brown Bears, was signed by Sarah Palin at her book signing at the Curtis Menard Sports Center in Wasilla, Alaska on 12/22/2009. The proceeds raised from the sale of this unique 50th Anniversay of Alaska's Statehood Jersey will go to the support of the Alaska Avalanche Jr. A Hockey team, which resides in Wasilla, Alasks and is a memeber of the North American Hockey League (NAHL). A Certificate of Authenticity will be provided with the sale.

Iran Security Forces Run Down Protestor

According to the video footage at the end, security forces with the Iranian government ran down a protestor with a vehicle.

Alaska’s Man of the Year for 2009: Todd Palin

That is correct; I am saying Todd Palin is Alaska’s man of the year for 2009.

What first brought me to this idea that Mr. Palin should be considered Alaska’ s man of the year was when it was first found out that Governor Palin and Todd Palin were going to have a child with Down syndrome, Todd made the comment “Well, why not us”.

Because we continually see men trashed by the feminist movement for being lousy fathers, I found Todd’s comments telling of who he was when it comes to fathering.


Read more at Red County

Predictions For Palin in 2010

By Christian Milord

Although we should never expect a politician to solve our problems, or save us from life's challenges, it can't hurt to respect a politician whose values are quite similar to the Founders' principles.

From what we know about Sarah Palin, it looks like her values resonate with conservatives and independents, which make up about 70% to 80% of Americans. She has a faith in God which sustains her in her personal and professional life.

Read more at Red County

Wishing You a Merry Christmas

Enya - We Wish You A Merry Christmas
by eumesmapoisclaro

Sarah Palin Ends Book Tour in Hometown, Wasilla Alaska: Let the 2010 Campaigning Begin

The timing and the place for Sarah Palin to end her book tour was perfect.

And as someone who felt Sarah Palin took the right course in resigning from the position of Alaska Governor and now the book tour is over; let the SarahPAC campaign begin in 2010.

But before commenting about the 2010 campaign and SarahPAC, it must be pointed out a little hometown house cleaning was in order at the Wasilla book-signing event.


Read more at Red County

Scientists Find the Cause for Global Warming in the Arctic and Alaska: Breaking Wind Lakes

I have come to the conclusion that after reading the story on methane burping lakes in Alaska, (video accompanies the article) which was posted on the Anchorage Daily News, there is a little bit of a mischievous, natural scientist in all of us.

For those of us who as adolescents, conducted an experiment using a match or lighter on a close friend who had chili or beans for dinner, we know the outcome of the mischievous scientific experiment on a willing friend.

Singed pants.

Read more at Red County.

The Centers for Disease Control Lied (CDC): As Alaskan Natives Died

In an article published on-line yesterday, the following was stated:

Last week, CDC officials reported that A/H1N1 flu has sickened nearly 50 million Americans, sent more than 200,000 people to the hospital and killed nearly 10,000 -- more than 8,000 of them children and young adults.

"We estimate there have been nearly 50 million cases, mostly in younger adults and children, and more than 200,000 hospitalizations which is about the same number that there is in a usual flu season for the entire year," Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the CDC director, said at a press conference, adding that means 15 percent of the entire U.S. population have been infected with A/H1N1 influenza.

“The estimates are actually much more accurate than the confirmed numbers," Dr. Frieden said. "The number of confirmed deaths is really just a small proportion of the number of total deaths."

So far the hardest-hit have been two groups -- children and young adults as well as the Native American and Alaskan Native populations.

Among those who have died since the new virus first surfaced in April, an estimated 1,100 were children and 7,500 were young adults, according to the statistics released by the CDC.

A/H1N1 flu has also been particularly virulent among the Native American and Alaskan Native populations.

“The death rate is about four times higher for this group. This is most likely largely a reflection of environmental factors and underlying conditions -- like diabetes and asthma -- that are more common, and access to health care, rather than a genetic or racial/ethnic difference," said the CDC director.

On the whole, the CDC said on Friday that the A/H1N1 flu infections continue to be on the wane nationally.

(emphasis added)

Read more at Red County

Obama's Waterloo: Iran

link

Just over half of Americans support a military attack on Iran by the United States and its allies if Teheran doesn't halt its nuclear program, according to a new poll by The Israel Project.

In such a scenario, 51% of Americans would support targeted military strikes and 44% would oppose them.

The percentages of Americans supporting strikes will go up and the Iranian issue will become a crisis.

The Iran issue will separate Hillary Clinton from Obama and this issue will catapult Clinton into a 2012 Democratic primary.

The Pink Slip: Anchorage School District Superintendent Carol Comeau needs a New Job

If there ever was a reason needed for firing Carol Comeau, it could be based alone on her attitude towards the voters of Anchorage.

This woman, with the help of an enabling Anchorage School Board, has driven the Anchorage School District over an economic cliff. And by driving the district over the economic cliff, Carol Comeau and the school board have left parents and taxpayers with a school district that produces failing results when it comes to student achievement.

But when it comes to the failings within the Anchorage School District, you know who the fault really falls on when it comes to the Anchorage School District failings?

You, the voter….

Read more at Red County

Former Ambassador Bolton on Iran

Bolton: Thinking We Can Contain an Iran with Nuclear Weapons Is a Mistake

BOLTON: Well, I think they want dominance in the region. They want dominance inside Islam. And they want to be a global player. And I don't think an Iran with nuclear weapons is anything we want with any of those capabilities.

I think the question of an Israeli use of force is now the only thing that stands between Iran and nuclear weapons, and I think we're going to know the answer to whether Israel's going to use force within a fairly short period of time because if they don't act soon, and the Russians deliver these sophisticated air defenses that Iran has already bought and paid for, then the possibility, even the possibility of an Israeli attack is gone.

Paging Dr. Howard Dean Stat: Your Alaskan Patient "Brian the Moose" is Here

For those of you who have never seen the picture of Howard Dean holding Alaska's very own left leaning moose, "Brian the Moose", here is a nice photo of Dr. Public-Option-Only holding a toy representation of "Brian the Moose".

And for those of you who don't know who "Brian the Moose" is, he is the Alaska Democratic Party fringe's mascot that can be seen in the most unusual places.....





Read more at Red County

The China Syndrome: China unlikely to support anti-nuclear sanctions against oil ally Iran

China unlikely to support anti-nuclear sanctions against oil ally Iran

Hua Liming, Beijing's former ambassador to Tehran, said: "Although they have different political systems and ideologies, China and Iran carry out independent foreign policy and are not willing to be manipulated by the big nations in the worldChina is the world's second-largest consumer of crude oil, and is determined to safeguard energy supplies. Iran has the second-largest reserves. This year they announced a $3.2bn (£2bn) gas deal. Trade volume has reportedly soared from $400m in 1994 to $29bn last year, and Iran's ambitious development plans are welcome to a country skilled in building infrastructure.

And as China expands its global influence, Iran could become increasingly useful.

"China recognises Iran as a very major power in the Gulf… It is positioning itself to develop friendly cooperation akin to its relationship with Pakistan," said John Garver, of the Georgia Institute of Technology. "There are situations which could emerge in which Iranian co-operation could be very important to China – such as some kind of western blockade of oil supplies. Having a major oil producer in the Gulf willing to thumb its nose at the US would be very, very useful."

Sanctions will not Work Against Iran

link

Iran official: U.S. fuel sanctions won't harm us

Meanwhile Wednesday, a senior Iranian oil official said that a move by U.S. lawmakers to target the Islamic Republic with fuel sanctions would not cause any problems because Tehran had many suppliers.

On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation to impose sanctions on foreign companies that help to supply fuel to Iran, a measure lawmakers hope will deter the country from pursuing its nuclear program.

(...)

Iran has successfully test-fired a long-range, improved Sejil 2 missile, Iranian state television reported on Wednesday, an announcement likely to add to tension with the West.

The Sejil-2 missile is Iran's most advanced two-stage surface-to-surface missile and is powered entirely by solid-fuel while the older Shahab-3 uses a combination of solid and liquid fuel in its most advanced form, which is also known as the Qadr-F1.

Will Governor Parnell’s Budget be Sarah Palin’s Poison Pill?

With the recent announcement of Governor Sean Parnell’s 10.5 billion dollar budget; will the budget become Sarah Palin’s poison pill?

In the world of politics, a poison pill usually refers to a bad amendment (the poison pill) being attached to a bill, so that supporters to the original bill will kill it based on the bad amendment.

In the case with Governor Parnell's budget, you have Sarah Palin who has labeled herself a fiscal conservative who has endorsed Governor Parnell for governor, who is crafting a budget that raises general spending next year by 8.5 percent.

Read more at Red County

Inside Afghanistan: The Afghanistan National Army

And we expect the ANA to take control when we leave?

Growing Green: Is Syngas in Alaska’s Future

A few months back, I was invited to be part of a focus group conducted by a company here in Anchorage.

When the invitation was presented to attend the focus group, all participants prior to the presentation, had no idea what the topic of discussion would be.

Once seated and told the rules on not to make public any detailed information that was discussed between participants, the presentation took place and it focused on the development of syngas in Alaska.


Read more at Red County

A Trigger Away From a Nuclear Armed Iran

I am going to keep saying it; sanctions are not working and anything done further with sanctions won't work against Iran... We need to take out their nuclear facilities now.....

Why?

The newest revelation....

Secret document exposes Iran’s nuclear trigger

Confidential intelligence documents obtained by The Times show that Iran is working on testing a key final component of a nuclear bomb.

The notes, from Iran’s most sensitive military nuclear project, describe a four-year plan to test a neutron initiator, the component of a nuclear bomb that triggers an explosion. Foreign intelligence agencies date them to early 2007, four years after Iran was thought to have suspended its weapons programme.

An Asian intelligence source last week confirmed to The Times that his country also believed that weapons work was being carried out as recently as 2007 — specifically, work on a neutron initiator.

The technical document describes the use of a neutron source, uranium deuteride, which independent experts confirm has no possible civilian or military use other than in a nuclear weapon. Uranium deuteride is the material used in Pakistan’s bomb, from where Iran obtained its blueprint.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

President Obama: STOP LYING

Meanwhile Russia buys 30 tonnes of gold....

Russia's state repository will sell 30 tonnes of gold worth $1 billion to the central bank next week, a source at the body said on Friday, keeping the metal inside Russia after rethinking a plan to sell it on the market.

And get's the oil too.

So much for America getting all the oil it spent billions of dollars, and thousands of lives to "liberate."

Iran clerics rally to support supreme leader

Iran clerics rally to support supreme leader

TEHRAN, Iran — Tens of thousands of hardline clerics took part in state-sponsored rallies across Iran on Saturday in support of the country's supreme leader, after opposition students earlier burned photos of him.

Revolution halted in Iran

Revolution halted in Iran

Lacking leadership and intimidated by the government, the opposition movement has had its back broken

Russia, China disagree with West over Iran sanctions

Russia, China disagree with West over Iran sanctions

A Western drive to impose a new set of tougher sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program may prove to lose momentum due to strong opposition from Russia and China.

The tense UN Security Council meeting began on Thursday with a salvo of warnings from UN representatives of France, Britain, and the US -- all of whom stood united in their demands that Iran should comply with their demands over its nuclear activities.

Kernell's lawyers: The spyware made him do it

Lawyers for David Kernell, who is charged with hacking into Sarah Palin's webmail and posting her messages on the internet, are now claiming that their client's computer was infected with spyware. According to The Register:

The contention may be used at trial to support arguments that the 21-year-old student son of a Tennessee Democrat politician was not personally responsible for the hack on a Yahoo! account maintained by the former Alaskan governor, which was traced back to an IP address used by Kernell.

[...]

Palin described the incident as hugely disruptive to the Republican presidential campaign in her recently published book.

Lawyers acting for Kernell claim his Acer laptop was infected with unspecified malware in a motion filed on 30 November. However, the malware involved has been isolated and subjected to scrutiny, Security Blanket reports.

Ah, yes, the old "Trojan Horse" defense... Don't laugh. The tactic was successfully employed by lawyers for accused hacker Aaron Caffrey against an indictment that he hacked into the Port of Houston's systems in a denial-of-service attack which crashed the servers that provide navigational data for the Texas port, one of the world's busiest. Incredibly, Caffery was found not guilty by a British jury in 2003. 

We say "incredibly" because expert witnesses found no evidence of Trojan infection on his PC. Even more incredibly, Caffrey served as an expert witness in his own defense. As an "expert" he would have likely known if his computer was infected and would have taken steps to "disinfect" it. Even more incriminating was the fact that Caffrey was a member of a group which called itself "Allied Haxor Elite" and acknowledged that members had a history of hacking into computers in the past.

Caffrey's lawyers somehow managed to convince the jury that their client and his Allied Haxor Elite colleagues had only done their hacking with the permission of computer owners who wanted to "test" their security systems. The missing virus was explained away by "expert witness" Caffrey, who testified that the program "might" have been designed to self-destruct and leave behind no trace of its mischief.

The Register says that in other cases, suspected pedophiles have been cleared by computer forensics after Trojans capable of downloading illicit images were found on their PCs. So apparently in the UK, hackers are judged innocent when malware is found on their computers and also when it is not found on their machines. The British Isles sounds like a hacker's paradise to us.

It remains to be seen whether an American jury will be as lenient in Kernell's case or to what extent, if any, his legal team will use the Trojan Horse defense when his trial begins in late April of 2010. But the alleged Palin hacker's attorneys have laid the groundwork to blame the invasion of Sarah Palin's e-mail account on some "other" anonymous hackers. Poor little David, son of a Democrat politician, you see, was just an innocent proxy.

Riiiight... and we're the Smith Brothers. Try one of our cough drops.

- JP

Follow Up: War hero wins flagpole battle

This is a follow up story, to this story.

Retired Army Col. Van Barfoot was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for attacking three German machine gun nests and then three German tanks. He now will be allowed to continue raising Old Glory without having to face a lawsuit from thye Sussex Square homeowners' association near Richmond, Va.

The flagpole should have never been a problem. That shows you where some people in America stand when it comes to issues like this.

CDC Lies Under Obama Administration: Utah woman died of mutated H1N1 strain

As I have been stating all along on this website, the CDC was lying about there being no mutation of the H1N1 virus.

Utah woman died of mutated H1N1 strain

"...A 28-year-old Utah woman who died this summer of H1N1 swine flu had a mutated form of the novel virus."

(...)

"...It was so minor, she said, that the CDC didn't notify the state of the mutation. The health department instead asked about the case after learning of it from a blog."

The headlines in the summer:

August 21, 2009 H1N1 flu virus hasn't mutated, CDC officials report

September 25, 2009 Swine Flu Virus Not Mutating, Making Vaccine a Good Match

The worst thing of all is; the national news media were enablers in the lie...

Snark Bites From the Anchorage Press: Sometimes Palin Pimp and Red County Contributor Eddie Burke, Get’s Snark Bitten

Somewhere or somehow there must be a liberal journalist in Alaska, who is snarkless in attitude or they can be snark free in their professional writings.

In response to an Anchorage Public Office Commission (APOC) complaint that was submitted by Republican candidate Jason Cline, snark journalist, Brendan Joel Kelley from the more or sometimes less liberal rag, the Anchorage Press, goes on the snark attack against Red County contributor and Palin Pimp (it is a term the left uses to call Eddie and Eddie has adopted it) Eddie Burke with this factual-but-not-representative-of-the-rest-of-the-story opening paragraph.

Read more at Red County

The Palin Haters Take Their Aim at Republican Party Candidate Jason Cline

“...If you're not catching schrapnel (sic), you aren't above target” Jason Cline Face book entry from I Phone

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to interview Jason Cline on his State House Race in District 22. The district seat is currently occupied by Democrat Sharon Cissna and Jason Cline will be the Republican Party candidate in the General Election which is not until November, 2010.

Prior to the interview, Jason had issued a press release on his filing a complaint with the Alaska Public Office Commission (APOC) asking APOC to investigate the Alaska Democratic Party for possible APOC violations that dealt with a partisan Facebook page launched with the purpose of attacking Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan.

Read more at Red County

Connecting the Dots on the H1N1 Virus

Link

H1N1 influenza adopted novel strategy to move from birds to humans

In a report in this week's early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, researchers show that the H1N1, or swine flu, virus adopted a new mutation in one of its genes distinct from the mutations found in previous flu viruses, including those responsible for the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918, the "Asian" flu pandemic in 1957 and the "Hong Kong" pandemic of 1968.

(emphasis added)

In New York it was found:

ScienceDaily (Dec. 8, 2009) — In fatal cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza, the virus can damage cells throughout the respiratory airway, much like the viruses that caused the 1918 and 1957 influenza pandemics, report researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner.

(emphasis added)

And the CDC for sometime has been lying about the mutation....

Who Needs a Death Panel When you Have the H1N1 Virus

New York Autopsies Show 2009 H1N1 Influenza Virus Damages Entire Airway

ScienceDaily (Dec. 8, 2009) — In fatal cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza, the virus can damage cells throughout the respiratory airway, much like the viruses that caused the 1918 and 1957 influenza pandemics, report researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner.

Enough of the rhetoric on this H1N1 bug is nothing to worry about. Why?

The new report also underscores the impact 2009 H1N1 influenza is having on younger people. While most deaths from seasonal influenza occur in adults over 65 years old, deaths from 2009 H1N1 influenza occur predominately among younger people. The majority of deaths (62 percent) in the 34 cases studied were among those 25 to 49 years old; two infants were also among the fatal cases.

Ninety-one percent of those autopsied had underlying medical conditions, such as heart disease or respiratory disease, including asthma, before becoming ill with 2009H1N1 influenza. Seventy-two percent of the adults and adolescents who died were obese. This finding agrees with earlier reports, based on hospital records, linking obesity with an increased risk of death from 2009 H1N1 influenza.

You have a virulent virus out there that is the cause in the deaths of people that would fall under those having a pre-exsiting health condition.

A Lesson in Blogging: Don't Blog While in a NyQuil Stupor

For the past week I have been fighting the bug and taking NyQuil was the remedy of choice.

However, after going back and checking what was written in blog entries and looking at the mistakes made in spelling and sentence structure, it is a safe bet:

Don't Drink (NyQuil) and Blog...

One Step Closer to a Nuclear Iran: 'Clock is Ticking' on Iran

I am going to keep pushing this issue because the point needs to be continually made.

The talking heads that support the surge in the war in Afghanistan will point to the instability in Pakistan as reason for being in Afghanistan.

The fear is the Taliban would overthrow the Pakistan government and control Pakistan's nukes.

It was General Patreaus who in May of this year that said "the Pakistanis have run out of excuses."

This being said in response to the Taliban increasing terrorist acts in Pakistan.

The question should be asked; by the Taliban moving into Afghanistan, did we create a perception the Taliban were/are going to overthrow the Pakistan government?

It was also in May when the question was raised on what would be the impact on the movements of the Taliban into Afghanistan with a military surge.

The buildup of US troops in Afghanistan could force more Taliban fighters into neighbouring Pakistan, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff conceded last night.

Admiral Mike Mullen told the US Senate's foreign relations committee: "We can't deny that our success may only push them [the Taliban] deeper into Pakistan."

Mullen said military planning was under way to overcome that risk. He said the increase of 21,000 US forces in Afghanistan was "about right" for the new strategy of trying to quell the insurgency and speed up training of Afghan security forces.

"Can I [be] 100% certain that won't destabilise Pakistan? I don't know the answer to that," Mullen told the committee.

As I pointed out previously, who will stop Iran from destabilizing the area once they have nuclear armed weapons?

Moreover, history points to Iran having sympathy to the Hitler regime when Hitler Germany was in power and quite frankly, Iran is a nation that would like to see Israel no longer Israel...

And Iran has over a million Afghan refuges in their country and historically had strong ties with the Afghans...

With the dynamics between Iran and Afghanistan, some have pointed to Iran's history of fighting against the Taliban.

But that is not the case right now.

Iran is working the Taliban/Al Qaeda and have been working with them for sometime.

So once we are out of Afghanistan, who will establish ties with Afghanistan and the Taliban/Al Qaeda?

Will it be Pakistan or Iran?

What is to keep Iran from using or supporting the Taliban/Al Qaeda in their quest in terrorism?

Moreover, it was McChrystal who said in testimony before congress, we should allow the Taliban to be part of the new political process in Afghanistan.

This is a point of appeasement coming from McChrystal borne from the realization that the Taliban are not going away.

They will just keep moving away with hit and run bombings to weaken support and kill troops.

The Clock is Ticking

So why is the clock ticking on Iran.

The U.S. national security adviser says Washington is still open to nuclear negotiations with Iran, but the picture is not a "good one."

Jim Jones said Sunday the "clock is ticking" toward the end of the year, when President Barack Obama plans to review U.S. diplomatic efforts with Iran.

What will the U.S. do to stop Iran?

Senior U.S. officials have proposed pursuing new sanctions at the U.N. Security Council if Iran does not cooperate with the international community on its nuclear program.

Think sanctions will work with China through Sinopec helping Iran with building refineries in Iran?

What does General Petreaus think about Iran?

Iran recently announced plans to build 10 new uranium enrichment plants.

General David Petraeus, the head of the U.S. Central Command, said Sunday a lot of experts have questioned Iran's ability to do that.

But, he said, Iran's recent activity has caused enormous worry and concern.

Sound like a general who is confident in his assessment on Iran? Does it sound like a general who has a military plan to handle Iran?

No.

And how many experts have been wrong on Iran's nuclear program in the recent past?

Many.

Waiting to Exhale: EPA Set to Declare Carbon Dioxide a Public Danger

Fox News has has a news article titled EPA Set to Declare Carbon Dioxide a Public Danger

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will early next week, possibly as soon as Monday, officially declare carbon dioxide a public danger, a trigger that could mean regulation for emitters across the economy, according to several people close to the matter.

Such an "endangerment" decision is necessary for the EPA to move ahead early next year with new emission standards for cars. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has said it could also mean large emitters such as power stations, cement kilns, crude-oil refineries and chemical plants would have to curb their greenhouse gas output.

In answer to exhaling, the government in their great wisdom had this to say.

Q. Should we be concerned with human breathing as a source of CO2?

A. No. While people do exhale carbon dioxide (the rate is approximately 1 kg per day, and it depends strongly on the person's activity level), this carbon dioxide includes carbon that was originally taken out of the carbon dioxide in the air by plants through photosynthesis - whether you eat the plants directly or animals that eat the plants. Thus, there is a closed loop, with no net addition to the atmosphere. Of course, the agriculture, food processing, and marketing industries use energy (in many cases based on the combustion of fossil fuels), but their emissions of carbon dioxide are captured in our estimates as emissions from solid, liquid, or gaseous fuels. [RMC]

How many of you eat pine trees?

I know, there are dangers from "tree huggers" attacking you while you try to do a Euell Gibbons and eat a pine cone.

You see, high amounts of carbon dioxide breed more pine trees.

Pine trees grown for 12 years in air one-and-a-half times richer in carbon dioxide than today's levels produced twice as many seeds of at least as good a quality as those growing under normal conditions, a Duke University-led research team reported Aug. 3 at a national ecology conference.

You would think that was good since carbon dixode is used in photosynthesis in trees and plants.

As the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere – largely resulting from the burning of fossil fuels – continues to increase, forests are seen as an effective way of capturing and locking up some of the carbon and reducing atmospheric levels.

Moreover, if plants use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, shouldn't we be eating less plant life? And how is it you can have a closed loop by adding CO2 to the air by breathing and eating plants that take CO2 out of the atmosphere?

Is the government trying to say that there is no net gain in the CO2 because you consumed a plant that has CO2 in it? So there is no net gain of CO2 in the atmosphere?

Still confused on the whole topic of carbon dioxide? Don't hold your breath to get a logical answer to the question about CO2 and exhaling CO2 from the government in the near future.

A Drama Mini-Series in the Making: Will ACES and AGIA Come Back to Haunt Sarah Palin?

From a political standpoint, Alaska's politicians will live or die by their own actions when signing onto Alaska laws; it becomes their trademark and since Sarah Palin signed onto Alaska’s Clear and Equitable Share (ACES) and the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA), the effect of the laws may come back to haunt Sarah Palin.

On the issues of ACES, and AGIA, there are those of us who argued that if you tax the oil companies too high, future investment in oil and gas exploration will be hurt.

It’s common sense.

Excerpt, read more at Red County

One Step Closer to a Nuclear Armed Iran

You think Afghanistan is important? Think again.... The latest headlines speak for themselves...

Der Spiegel: Iran One Year Away from Nuclear Bomb

It's 1938 and Iran is Germany

Will Iran Help or Hinder Obama in Afghanistan?


I am going to remind the conservatives who think McChrystal's plan on "Nation Building" is a good plan.

The focus is misplaced on Afghanistan when it should be placed on stopping Iran.

When you look at the rhetoric and how nations are dealing with Iran, a similar pattern is setting up on how Germany was handled.

If we adopt McChrystal's plan in Afghanistan, Iran will grow in power to where they have full nuclear capabilities.

The U.S. needs to take out the Iranian sites now. And in retaliation, troops in Afghanistan would be a target from short range missile attacks...

Moreover, has anyone given any thought to the effect Iran would have on Afghanistan if it had a nuclear weapon?

Who would stop Iran from saying "Afghanistan, you are ours" or "we want this type of government installed in Afghanistan". Pakistan? India? Russia?

What would the U.S. say to Iran once out of Afghanistan? This war in Afghanistan is not winnable until Iran's nuclear capabilities are taken out.

This is why, in part, I said we need to pull out of Afghanistan now and put troops in the Baltics.

The Indians, NATO, the Sri Lankans (who are trying to establish ties with the Baltics, figure that one out), along with drones and covert-ops can keep the war effort going in Afghanistan until Iran is taken care of.

There is no time for sanctions or embargoes.

Once we bomb Iran, it will send a clear message to the Jihadists, Russia and China. And it will break the support going into Afghanistan from Iran and Russia.

Moreover, if Medvedev thinks his ruse with the Vatican on diplomatic ties will bring redemption to Russia, the Muslims won't care for now.

Obama will try to continue to play along with Iran and China..... Until they (Iran and China) get tired of playing with Obama.

Then things get serious... And North Korea will not want to be left out...

I've Got News for Stacy McCain: Tiger Woods has Phase 2 Locked Up

Stacy McCain from The Other McCain has some advice on how-to-get a million vistors to your blog.

He lays it out in three phases.......

Phase 1: Get a Blogspot account.
Phase 2: ?
Phase 3: One million visitors!

Obviously, the key here is Phase 2, which has been exceptionally disorganized. Some guys work smart. Some guys work hard. Some guys are just incredibly lucky.

Well I've got news for Mr. McCain on how-to-get a million visitors.

You can be dumb, not work hard at being dumb and just be incredibly dumb at trying to be smart and you can still can get a million visitors and do it in just about the time it takes to crash your SUV.

Case in point: Tiger Woods @ tigerwoods.com (a photoshop genius could have fun with his site)

Rusty Humphries Interview of Sarah Palin: Obama's Birth Certificate Issue (Update)

Ben Smith from Politico has picked it up....

Palin: Obama birth certificate 'a fair question'

Speaking to the conservative talker Rusty Humphries today, Sarah Palin left the door open to speculation about President Obama's birth certificate.

"Would you make the birth certificate an issue if you ran?" she was asked (around 9 minutes into the video above).

"I think the public rightfully is still making it an issue. I don't have a problem with that. I don't know if I would have to bother to make it an issue, because I think that members of the electorate still want answers," she replied.

"Do you think it's a fair question to be looking at?" Humphries persisted.

"I think it's a fair question, just like I think past association and past voting records -- all of that is fair game," Palin said. "The McCain-Palin campaign didn't do a good enough job in that area."

McCain's campaign counsel has said the campaign did look into the birth certificate question and, like every other serious examination, dismissed it.

Palin suggested that the questions were fair play because of "the weird conspiracy theory freaky thing that people talk about that Trig isn't my real son -- 'You need to produce his birth certificate, you need to prove that he's your kid,' which we have done."

"Maybe we can reverse that," she said, returning to Obama's birth certificate, describing the type of thinking involved with a word that isn't clear in the audio.

A little payback to the Trig Truthers.... Doing a countdown to when Olbermann picks it up......

It will be interesting how MSNBC picks this up. I'm betting the too much caffeine in the morning show on MSNBC will surely pick it up.

Politico will pimp it there.

Update: I know Palin has come out with her own explanation on the issue in a Facebook entry, but I found this entry on FreeRepublic that does a damn good job of analyzing her first comments with exception of the last line on Obama stonewalling.

" This is a mistake on her part. She should have left what she said stand and let the chips fall where thy may. Now she comes across like she thinks it's conspiratorial to ask for prof that the POTUS is eligible to be POTUS. "

Read it a few times again.... this is not how I saw it..
She made the title : Stupid Conspiracies , because,
She comparing it to how they went after her and her son, and how she complied to their demands because it was the good will thing to do.
She make it a point that it's the right of the people to ask questions of their leaders and ask questions of their eligibility, and how Obama has not shown anything even when asked to do so.
She is making the point of Obama's stonewalling and how absurd and a double standard it is.

This reminds me of an incident that happened a long time ago when she had made a comment on how she would look at Wasilla and how she carried the city in her heart.

She did this on Fagan's show, and I had sent an e-mail to Fagan pointing out he should have listened to his better half Sharon Leighow on the topic, who went on to quit the Fagan show to work for Palin.

Fagan for some time jumped on Palin and called her a liar on this. It was a non-issue in that Palin had shown herself to be protective of Wasilla when it came to things like Evergreen and drilling for methane.

The point made by Palin was understood and you could make the argument that she made it worse with trying to explain it away.

And Palin didn't at any time show favoritism to Wasilla while she was in office. She just made sure that Wasilla got their fair share along with every other part of the state.

Medal of Honor recipient draws support in fight for flagpole

The man deserves to be left alone on this...Let him display his patriotism.

WHO do you Believe on the H1N1 Headlines?

You know the media is just plain nuts when it comes to reporting on the H1N1.

Two headlines .... You decide.

Both include the the World Health Organization (WHO)

WHO says it's too soon to start discussions about whether H1N1 pandemic is over

It's too soon to think about consigning the H1N1 pandemic to the history books, the World Health Organization's top flu expert said Thursday.

The WHO says swine flu pandemic is milder than expected, may be nearing peak

The outbreak of pandemic H1N1 influenza appears to be waning in the United States and Canada and may be nearing a peak in the rest of the world, but it is impossible to predict what will happen with influenza viruses, the World Health Organization said today.

Meeting "The Rogue"

By Katie McGuire

Being a die hard Republican, of course I campaigned for McCain/Palin 2008. I had a yard sign, phone banked, worked the Republican booth at the Puyallup Fair, covered the back of my car in stickers, and never went anywhere with out a campaign button on. So when Sarah’s new book came out, I was so excited to read it. I never thought about what happened next!

My boyfriend informed me that Sarah was in the Tri-Cities for the Thanksgiving Holidays. She was also going to be signing copies of her book at Hastings in Richland. I was totally stoked. I bought my hardcover at Hastings the night before I headed out.

Excerpt, read more at Red County

The Days of Being Palinized are Certainly Gone: Governor Parnell Picks a Supreme Court Justice

In case you haven’t heard, Governor Parnell has chosen a Supreme Court Justice and his name is Judge Craig Stowers. When I read this yesterday in the Anchorage Daily News (ADN), I was curious to see the response by people who frequent the ADN and leave comments.

First, I checked the ADN’s Alaska Political blog. And then I looked at the article published on the ADN.

My findings:

Excerpt, read the rest here.

Update on Russian Train Bomb Blast

Here is an update on the Russian train bomb blast. Orginally I posted the thread here with the enclosed statement.

Chechen terrorists to blame for Russian train crash

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm....No mention of it on Kavkazcenter.com....

There are conflicting reports on this. Some passengers said they heard no explosion and some say they heard a "loud slap."

If the Chechens did this, they will proudly state they did and post it... This is a wait and see story..

Never fear.... Chechen terrorists come through by posting their proud acts of terrorism on Kavkazcenter. Below is the cached screen shot on the Caucasian Mujahideen taking claim for the bombing.

A.P. Throws Bogus Headline on Palin to see if it Sticks (update)

Palin book tour host to foreign press: stay away

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — She's no longer the chief executive of Alaska, but Sarah Palin should still be called "governor." And in English only, please.

That was the message sent out by officials at the Mall of America this week, who told reporters planning to cover the Minneapolis-area stop on Palin's "Going Rogue" book tour they must address the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate by her former title. The guidelines also banned foreign reporters, allowing "only English speaking press."

Mall officials said the guidelines were a mistake, and apologized Wednesday to Palin for the mix up, which they called "an internal miscommunication" that was "inadvertently distributed."

"That should never have been in any kind of press release," said Tina Andreadis, a publicist for publisher HarperCollins in New York, who added foreign reporters would be welcome at Palin's Mall of America stop.

"That's not the message the governor wants to send out," she said.

Drum roll please.....................................................................

A.P throws their spit-ball in the story.......

The guidelines were likely to be mostly irrelevant either way. Palin hasn't been speaking to most reporters — either local or from abroad — during her tightly controlled, stay-on-message book tour.

So why and who would put out such a press release when Palin while on the tour hasn't been speaking to reporters.....

Who in the hell is putting this type of information out? That's not Palin's style to do that.

A.P. continues to throw spit-balls and miss.

Update:

The Star-Tribune has a story on this A.P. story.

MOA apologizes to Palin

Jasper said the internal notes were sent to one AP reporter who had contacted the mall about the guidelines for Palin's visit from noon to 4 p.m. Monday for her memoir, "Going Rogue: An American Life."

Using "Governor" in reference to Palin was a note to mall staffers "as a sign of respect," Jasper said.

(...)

Jasper didn't have a copy Wednesday night of what was sent out and didn't say what else was included.

Maybe the A.P. has a copy of the "internal notes"? That would make sense wouldn't it?

Mall staff were instructed by the MOA to call Palin "Governor" - a lot different situation than what was reported by an A.P. reporter..

Mo. — She's no longer the chief executive of Alaska, but Sarah Palin should still be called "governor." And in English only, please.

That was the message sent out by officials at the Mall of America this week, who told reporters planning to cover the Minneapolis-area stop on Palin's "Going Rogue" book tour they must address the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate by her former title. The guidelines also banned foreign reporters, allowing "only English speaking press."

(emphasis added)

Big difference between telling reporters what to say, than instructing how your own staff should address Palin...

The A.P. continues on their roll.

No Laughing Matter for Huckabee: Clemency for Maurice Clemmons

Two documents that end Huckabee's chance for the presidency..

China Reports Steep Rise in H1N1 Deaths

link

Ten days after China’s Ministry of Health called for more accurate reporting on the spread of H1N1, results are being seen.

Liang Wannian, the head of the ministry’s health emergency response department, said at a briefing in Beijing that the number of reported deaths from H1N1 now stands at 178, more than triple the number two weeks ago. (Transcript of briefing, posted on the MoH Web site late Tuesday, in Chinese here.).Overall, China has confirmed more than 91,000 cases of the virus, Liang said.

(...)

At the time of Dr. Zhong’s statements, there had been only 53 deaths reported out of nearly 70,000 confirmed cases. World-wide, the mortality rate for H1N1 has been 4 deaths per 1,000 cases of illness, according to the WHO.

Meanwhile, in this article, it is stated:

Virologists and influenza authorities are becoming increasingly concerned that the 2009 A-H1N1 flu virus could “reassort” with the highly virulent H5N1 avian flu that’s still prevalent in parts of the world like China, and that a mutation could occur resulting in a new strain that has the lethality of H5N1 and the human transmissibility of A-H1N1.

(...)

Zhong Nanshan, director of the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases in China's southern Guangdong province, warned that China has to be on high alert to any mutation and changes in the virulence of A-H1N1.

"This is something we need to monitor, the change, the mutation of the virus. This is why reporting of the death rate must be really transparent,” he told Reuters Television, adding, China, as you know, is different from other countries. Inside China, H5N1 has been existing for some time, so if there is really a reassortment between H1N1 and H5N1, it will be a disaster.”

WHO reported more than half-a-million laboratory confirmed cases of H1N1 worldwide in mid-November and close to 7,000 deaths, but stressed that in reality that figure is likely much, much higher.

As pointed out here on this website, the CDC was trying to develop a reassortment of the H1N1/H5N1 virus. And an avian type mutation of the H1N1 was found in Ireland.

In September of this year, the Wall Street Journal reported the CDC had conducted tests on ferrets to see the effect of combining the H1N1/H5N1 strains.

What is it About Palin and Turkeys?

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The Turkeys being Olbermann and Moore...

There they go again talking about Alaska Natives and co-opting the Alaska Native cause when Obama their loved one, stripped benefits funding from Alaska Natives that fought in WWII.

Misquoting someone has less impact than cutting their benefits....

As we say in Alaska, "Go Sarah Go!"

By Eddie Burke

Some people in the Lower 48 might be saying," what is with you people up in Alaska?"

You might be wondering why people in our State would kick Sarah Palin around like she's the enemy? Also, you must think some of us are crazy to file 20 Ethics complaints on our former Governor that were all dismissed? If you ask me, these people who filed the complaints are crazy!

Prior to Sarah running with McCain, her popularity in Alaska had peaked at about 92%. Sarah had bi-partisan support on Oil and Gas legislation; she signed into law new ethics laws. She actually had Democrats that were praising her. She was a "Rock-Star" in Alaska. Sarah was the most liked Governor in the Nation.

Excerpt, read the rest here.

China Laying the Gaunlet Down on Iran: More Talk

China: More talk, not sanctions, needed on Iran

BEIJING — China said Tuesday that more dialogue, not sanctions, is needed to resolve the issue of Iran's nuclear program.

Iran announced Sunday that it plans to build 10 more uranium enrichment facilities. That brought quick condemnation from officials in Europe and the U.S., which has been pressing China to take a stronger stand on the issue.

Time continues to run out...

Law of the Sea 'should deal with climate change'

link

The international community should come together to revise the Law of the Sea treaty to take climate change into account as this phenomenon becomes a growing global concern, international maritime law expert David Attard said.

The 1982 treaty, that defined nations' rights and responsibilities in their use of the world's oceans, did not address the legal repercussions of climate change.

Regulating shipping emissions and allocating liability to countries for inaction that had repercussions elsewhere were examples of how the law could tackle climate change, he explained.

Prof. Attard, who also specialises in human rights, had foreseen the climate change challenge in 1988 when his advice spurred the Maltese government to request the United Nations to take action to protect the climate.

This proposal led to the 1992 UN Convention on the Protection of Global Climate and the subsequent 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

"Today, climate change is becoming an important issue in maritime law as oceans are considered to be carbon dioxide sinks and ships are a source of environmental degradation.

"The subject is prevailing in all sectors of the global economy as research shows we're heading for an ecological disaster," he said.

Next month, delegations from over 190 countries will be attending the Copenhagen climate summit, which will attempt to draw up a global climate treaty to replace Kyoto. There is concern that no legally binding treaty will emerge from talks in Copenhagen.

It will be interesting to see if the LOS treaty is raised in Copenhagen..