As long as the USA is engaged in war, the Debt Ceiling will increase and taxes will increase.

Merry Christmas al Qaeda !

Like I say, we have some great jets, ya know?

Yemeni air strike kills 30, targets home of cleric linked to Ft. Hood attack (click title to entry - thank you)

The U.S. Embassy in Sanaa was targeted in a bomb and rocket attack that killed more than a dozen people in September 2008.

December 24, 2009 (click here)

SANAA (Reuters) -- A Yemeni air strike has killed 30 Al-Qaeda militants planning an attack on Yemeni and foreign oil targets, a security official said today.

The air strikes were in the eastern province of Shabwa, said the official, who asked not to be identified. The attacks took place as the militants were gathered for a meeting, he said.

The official said initial reports that two top Al-Qaeda members in the Arabian peninsula had been killed could not be verified.

"We are still unsure if two of the top leaders have been killed or not. One of them is the Saudi Al-Qaeda member Nasser al Weheshi," he added, declining to say whether more strikes would take place today.

Yemen's Supreme Security Committee issued a warning to citizens in the province of Shabwa not to aid the militants.

On December 21, Yemen said its security forces and warplanes last week foiled a planned series of suicide bombings. About 30 Al-Qaeda militants were killed in those air strikes with 17 arrested in Abyan and in Arhab, northeast of the capital, Sanaa.

Yemen, which has intensified its campaign against Al-Qaeda militants over recent weeks, is also facing a Shi'ite rebellion in the north and a secessionist violence in the south.

The children born in 2010 will never know the fear of facing illness without care.

I congratulate the Senate for passing necessary health care legislation.

We look forward to the President's signature.

Assassination attempt by al Qaeda revealed.

...The assassination was foiled when the Secret Service (click title to entry - thank you) picked up coded radio messages using the words ''bridge'' and ''wedding'' - a terrorist's code word for assassination - just as Mr Clinton was on his way to a meeting.

Mr Clinton's route was diverted away from a bridge, which was later found to have been planted with explosives.

An investigation into the plot ''revealed that it had been masterminded by a Saudi terrorist living in Afghanistan - a man named Osama bin Laden''....

India confesses it helped derail Copenhagen deal

...On his return from Copenhagen, the Indian Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh, told Parliament his mandate had been to protect India's right to fast economic growth, and listed killing off binding targets to reducing emissions as a key victory for his country.

''We can be satisfied that we were able to get our way on this issue [targets],'' Mr Ramesh said. Later he told a news conference that a bloc of key emerging economies - Brazil, South Africa, India and China - had worked to protect the rights of the developing world.

India is one of the world's top five greenhouse gas polluters, but one of the smallest emitters per person. The Climate Change Minister, Penny Wong, was reluctant to be drawn by the Indian Minister's comments, but admitted Australia had wanted more from the Copenhagen summit....

The Achievements of Copenhagen. Transparency to a Safer World.

Tropical Cyclone Laurence - Australia gets drenched on Christmas Day. Flooding expected, people to move to higher ground.

Wet, wet, wet: Sydney due for a drenching (click here)

GEORGINA ROBINSON

December 24, 2009 - 1:34PM

The big wet is on its way but Sydneysiders should have time for the Christmas lunch al fresco, with rain not predicted to hit the city until tomorrow afternoon.

The Bureau of Meteorology has put much of central and north western NSW on flood watch as the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Laurence, by now a low pressure system, track east across the continent.

The system is expected to dump more than 200 millimetres on those parts, with the Castlereagh, Bogan, Lower Namoi, Lower Macquarie, Barwon, Paroo and Warrego Rivers all expected to flood between Boxing Day and Monday.

But the rain is not expected to hit the Sydney area until tomorrow afternoon, leaving time for a morning swim, lunch outside and an afternoon nap before the clouds open up.

"[Sydney] can expect extensive rainfall from Christmas Day afternoon to at least the 29th," Weatherzone forecaster Alex Krisman said...

Cyclone Laurence leaves a trail of damage in the Pilbara (click here)

December 23, 2009

TREES were torn from the ground and buildings were badly damaged as tropical cyclone Laurence roared through parts of Western Australia's Pilbara coast.

Karina Turner, whose father owns the Sandfire Roadhouse, 30 kilometres south of Eighty Mile Beach, said on Tuesday the ferocity and noise of the cyclone was frightening as its 250km/h winds lashed the roadhouse and surrounding buildings.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the category-five storm had crossed the coast about 5pm (WA time) on Monday about 1800 kilometres north-east of Perth, with wind gusts of up to 285km/h and almost 250 millimetres of rain.

The WA Fire and Emergency Services Authority said no one appeared to have been injured but several buildings were damaged in small communities.

Phone connections to most of the stricken centres were down yesterday and power has been disrupted in the Pilbara.

Ms Turner said she and her family were forced to take shelter about three hours before they felt the full brunt of Laurence shortly after 6pm.

She said the noise was deafening as rain battered the house and trees and bits of roofing iron were blown around.

''The first part of the cyclone was definitely the worst when it was coming from the east about 6.30,'' Ms Turner said.

''Water was coming in and you could hear tin rattling in the wind and see trees falling down and stuff going everywhere.''...

The Anti-Constitutionalist Republicans have successfully postponed the vote on the much needed Health Care Reform Bill.

The vote on the Senate Health Care Reform Bill is scheduled for 7AM on December 24, 2009.

It can be viewed on C-Span. Watch history being made, I watched the House Vote, it was a moment I longed for.

The Senate Republicans have no shame. They know more tricks than a Wall Street prostitute.

The Senate Republicans are cowards and virtually have been jumping up and down in anger this morning before the passage of the bill.

First it was Conrad. He stated the bill had to be stopped in its tracks because it has an unfunded mandate.

If that was the case, he should have made his objection months and months ago. That is not the case. The Governors of any state have the right to petition their federal government no different than they did when the Stimulus was passed if they have extenuating circumstances of any federal law.

Then after Conrad states, the bill has unfunded mandates, Grassley puts this poster up about Trillion (The T Word) dollar spending. I thought Conrad just said there were unfunded mandates.

So, poor Senator Baucus has to object to all these 'points of order' to move things forward. I guess.

Then after Grassley makes a complete fool of himself by never qualifying any of his statements, Gregg from New Hampshire literally has a hissy fit on the Senate floor. The only thing he didn't say was, "...but, but, but you can't do this because I say so!"

I don't know where these men get the 'gall' to even face their constituencies after such a mess.

But, I want to discuss briefly what is the basis of all this ranting today.

There is a certain premise that is TRUE about the Republican Regime. They have 'ideas' about entitlements. They believe they are toxic to the nation.

We have witnessed in the Bush/Cheney Regime the attempt over eights years to shrink the national budget by displacing the military budget under emergency funding. We have witnessed under the Bush/Cheney Regime the attempt over eight years to shrink the national budget without regard to the well being of Americans or the 'intact' status of their economy. We have witnessed the Bush/Cheney Regime's attempt to increase the spending of Medicare to 'cause' the laws of the nation to come to bear to eradicate it from the laws of the country, which state at any point in time if Medicare is increased beyond 50% of the national budget it can be dismantled.

Just because Medicare survived these attempts doesn't mean the attempts didn't happen. They did.

The reason this issue was never approached by Republicans is because in order to legislate it the Medicare laws would have to be adjusted. Did they want to adjust them? No. So, the question is 'what reason' did they assign to this Republican agenda of attempts to destroy Medicare?

Many, many moons ago, the CBO stated, to use Medicare savings for other purposes is to weaken Medicare. Seems right. So why is this an issue today? Because the Republicans have USED that aged old assessment as THEIR EXCUSE to do NOTHING. It is an excuse that has worked for them for decades and today, because the Democrats are NOT AFRAID to go where no Republican will ever go they are livid.

How people ever vote for these people is beyond my understand. But, that is me and not anyone else.

What President Obama and the House and Senate Democrats were faced with when taking office is a 'condition' of the USA caused by Republican neglect for decades. Why take on the issue today? Because it has reached critical mass. The Democrats are acting 'in time' to prevent any further damage to the people of this country.

Just that simple. We have children at the forefront of this initiative that will be covered immediately up on the President signature. Young adults that can find funding for education can stay on their parent's health care policies until the age of 26 and on and on and on.

Now is the time and the Democrats are the party. I would think, the Republicans would realize the error of their ways all these many years and seek some dignity to bring this historic measure to the people, but, if Grassley and the others are willing to be Murdoch puppets and state, "...they will pull the plug on Grandma..." they have no shame.

The Republicans are a very sad bunch. It has been an honor to witness it. I only hope history captures its true meaning, its sincerely vindictive spirit and records forever the rhetoric 'fashioned' to serve 'the bonuses' of CEOs before any 'bonus' to the American people to achieve good health care insurance.

They could not be more obvious in what they regard as important. It is written loudly on every word and action they take.

The Kennedy Care Bill

Victoria Reggie Kennedy (R) widow of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) smiles while Sen. John Kerry (D-MA)(L), gets a hug from Sen.Christopher Dodd (D-CT)(C), after the Senate passed a procedural vote on health are reform on December 21, 2009 in Washington, DC. The Senate passed the first of three crucial procedural votes on health care by a 60 to 40 margin. Getty Images

...Mr. Obama's oft-stated goal of a bipartisan health bill was not met (click title to entry - thank you), despite the president's extensive courtship of moderate Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, the only Republican to support the bill in committee. Mr. Obama called Ms. Snowe to the White House for lengthy in-person meetings both before he left for climate talks in Copenhagen and after his return on Saturday. In the end Ms. Snowe said she was “extremely disappointed” in what she called a rushed process that left scant time for her to review, much less amend, the bill....

The nation is going to have heath care reform. President Obama is not a dictator. It is what sets the USA apart from some nations that simply have one man making decisions. It would seem as though Lieberman is a dictator, though. He is protecting his cronies and driving up the cost of regular health care.

This is reform the country needs. To stop now would be simply stupid. There are people dying every year in the 10s of thousands. That will increase from here on and we cannot allow that to happen. If the cost of health care skyrockets without sufficient programs to control costs and KEEP it within REASON, the amount of people dying each year or getting 'sicker' might turn into a higher incident rate. We just can't turn back and ignore the reality of our Broken Health Care System.

This is no joke. It isn't a matter of politics. This is the reality of the American people and the way legilators invested in Wall Street rather than the people simply 'dispose' of people to uphold some 'idea' of extreme capitalism. When making money is more important than 'reasonable' cost to consumers to maintain their health, it is time to do something about it.

The legislators have taken this issue as seriously as they needed to and came to the side of the people. They may have done so at their own political peril, but, the facts are the facts and they can't walk away from that just because the electorate was 'poisoned' by a media mogal. No, no, it doesn't work that way.

Lieberman comes from a state with dense interest in insurance. He is standing in the way of 'reasonable' competition among the 'entities' that can come to bear to bring about better competition with the private sector. He is opposing the Public Option at the expense of average citizens. That is corruption. Lieberman is responsible for it and NO ONE ELSE.

The House came through for the people and included a Public Option for competition with the private sector. The Public Option is a 'sufficient' insurance, but, it doesn't supply as much as most private insurance policies provide, so there is no reason to oppose such a measure, UNLESS, one is heavily invested in the Wall Street Insurance Sector for their political populism.

So, at the end of the day, if costs to consumers go up, when it didn't have to, everyone will know who to blame.

I believe the Democrats are great people and do all the hard work. I am grateful for them.

We are one step closer.

Go, Democrats, Go !

The Climate Meeting in Copenhagen was very successful. The world doesn't have to agree, it has to cooperate.

There is $100 billion in aid to poorer nations from industrial nations.

All nations will report to an emission verification system, including China.

The accord that was reached will reduce Greenhouse Gases and provides for protections of very valuable rainforests through protections from deforestation.

There won't be allowances for Plantation Forests. They are SINGLE species forests and cut biodiversity to nearly nothing.

To be honest, I think there are many in the community breathing a sigh of relief that a comprehensive understanding wasn't completely reached. The language to the main agreement was toxic, left over from the Neocons in the White House and their State Department that muddied the waters globally.

The EPA decision was the best of the annoucements, quite frankly. The USA stopped denying it was the largest polluter on the planet and did something about it.

The United Nations needs to work closely, if not in conference with, the Clinton State Department to bring deeper understating to the needed language of the 'pact' in a year from now. The language really needs to reflect the 'best' interest of Earth as needed for sustainable life. And that was life, not economies.

I believe the USA State Department can incorporate environmental protections AGAIN to their relations with other nations, such as Ethiopia and Indonesia.

In a year, after the language is better, there will be more cohesive agreement. The funds are necessary to continue protections of valuable carbon sinks, so they aren't abandoned to poor management principles, as Bush no doubt advocated.

Everyone did a great job and there should not be ill will between any of the participants including the demonstrators. It is an important issue. It was better this year and will improve next year.

I don't know how many times I have stated on this Blog,...

...what are all these exploitive websites, Islamic and Health Care Prescriptions Agencies doing on the web?

Where is Joe Lieberman on that? "Let it ride."

Those websites should have been shut down years ago and he claims to be a competent leader.

Where?

When the nation realizes ANY cost increase the Republicans are predicting is CAUSED by Joe Lieberman, he won't be in office long.

Lieberman is about Lieberman and no one else.

Kick him out !

He is not a competent legislator and in Homeland Security, he called the massacre at Fort Hood a terrorist attack. That is straight out of Murdoch's playbook, NOT, the USA military. Lieberman has more clout than the military?

Lieberman: Fort Hood Shooting Could Be 'Most Destructive Terrorist Act' Committed on U.S. Soil Since 9/11 (click here)

He had the nerve to use inflammatory language about the military? Worst since 911? Where does he 'get off' being confrontational to military investigations and exploiting violence for political propaganda? That is all that is, by the way. When one is pulling stunts out of the Murdoch playbook, it is propaganda and political grandstanding. No, Chairman of Homeland Security should be defaming the investigations our military, especially not in this case.

I don't think so.

Maybe he should have waited for the CID report, at the very least. (click here)

There was no real indication the violence that would result. Nidal Hasan had everyone fooled. He just did.

...But Allen stopped short of criticizing the FBI (click here), saying that it is "extraordinarily stretched in working counterterrorism cases."...

Joe Liberman is NOT competent. The only way I can see my way clear of criticizing the USA military is if Lieberman and Homeland Security had reported suspicious activity BEFORE it occurred. That didn't happen. So, Lieberman has no grounds to state otherwise. He is simply, CYAing for his electorate. A sincere leader doesn't oppose the findings of career military that were doing the level best they could.

...“It is not the cup half empty, but rather the cup half full,” (click title to entry - thank you) said Francis Padilla, vice president for program policy and administration at the Universal Healthcare Foundation....

Good job, Connecticut, real good.

http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2009/12/22/news/a1-nehealthreact.txt

"...he wasn't the only Senator opposed to a public option, even though he got the lion's share of the attention. "There's a lot of venom out there in our political system. I can't let that stop me from doing what I think is right....''

The citizens of Connecticut have ONE person to thank for raising their Health Care Insurance, AND, no one else.

President Obama stated, the nation needs a Public Option to compete with private industry. What is so difficult to understand now? Hm?

Under a thick blanket of CO2, snowfall never lasts long in the USA.

Flooding is occurring. Some families may have to take shelter by Christmas.


...At 8 pm Monday the Savannah River (click title to entry - thank you) at Burtons Ferry had a stage of 17.0 feet. Flood stage is 15 feet. Minor flooding is occurring. The river is forecast to fall to 16.9 feet by Wednesday morning. At 15.0 feet, flooding of some adjacent agricultural lands occurs. Most boat ramps along the river are unusable.

At 7 pm Monday the Savannah River near Clyo had a stage of 16.2 feet. Flood stage is 11 feet. Moderate flooding is occurring. The river is forecast to remain at 16.2 feet through Wednesday morning. At 14.5 feet, the bottom floor of several riverfront homes along Tom Goethe Road begin to flood....

The Unemployment Rates in the USA are improving in Non-Farm Areas.

Noted in the Unemployment Statistics at the US Labor Department, the rate is ONLY 3.2% above the rate last year before President Obama came into office.

The goal of this administration is marred everywhere with heritage issues from the Bush Administration.

Their goals are also to return 'GOOD PAYING' jobs to Americans. That isn't easy considering how many of the the American work force has endured paycuts and outsourcing. I think President Obama is doing an admirable job when one realizes where we were a year ago.

Regional and state unemployment rates were generally lower in November. (click title to entry - Thank you)
Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia recorded over-the-month 
unemployment rate decreases, 8 states registered rate increases, and 6 
states had no rate change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 
today. Over the year, jobless rates increased in all 50 states and the 
District of Columbia. The national unemployment rate edged down in No-
vember to 10.0 percent, 0.2 percentage point lower than October, but 
3.2 points higher than November 2008....

Some of the failure of a rebound is what I described earlier in regard to States convening their legislatures to create jobs and extend training.

The weather promises to be colder as the nation just experienced a major snow storm. It is the time to weatherize. The Stimulus funds need more oversight as some of the projects appear to be no better quality than those in Iraq by Halliburton.


WEATHERIZATION PROJECT: Nevada behind schedule in spending stimulus funds (click here)

State must use or lose federal monies

By ALAN MAIMON
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Nevada has some catching up to do if it hopes to make full use of millions in federal stimulus dollars aimed at making homes more energy efficient and creating green jobs.

Of the $18.6 million in Recovery Act funds available to Nevada for residential weatherization projects, only $607,000 had been spent retrofitting about a hundred homes by the end of last month....

Michael Cooper is used to reporting on shoddy construction, he covered Iraq for a long time.

Inadequate Oversight Cited in Weatherization Program (click here)

By MICHAEL COOPER

When federal inspectors visited Illinois recently to see how the state was using $242 million in stimulus money for weatherizing homes, they were troubled by what they found.

A weatherization contractor had done slipshod work, installing a furnace that leaked gas in one home, they said, and the local agency overseeing the work had failed to detect the leak. The state was not inspecting the work of all the agencies administering the work, and the federal government was not making required site visits. In short, both the state and federal oversight of the program fell short, they found....

The Public needs education to their best outcomes when weatherizing their residence and businesses. They have become accustomed to the 'LACK' of help from systematic abuse by Republicans and need a refresher course on what to expect and checking the costs.

Montana Weatherization Training Center

Montana State University Extension & Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services

Providing Training and Certification to the Weatherization Professional since 1991

The goal of weatherization is to reduce energy costs for low-income families, particularly for the elderly, people with disabilities, and children, by improving the energy efficiency of their homes while ensuring their health and safety....