House narrowly passes climate energy bill

An article at the link below reports:

Sadly, the House passed the 1,200-page climate bill that congress was not allowed to read.


Despite heated objections by some Republicans, the unread 1,200-page Waxman-Markey climate bill ( pictured) was passed 219-212 in the House on Friday.

300 pages were added to the bill at 3 a.m. making it impossible for congressmen to read the entire bill before the vote.

Minority leader John Boehner (upper photo) was criticized for beginning a short filibuster to give time for his colleagues and aides to scan the unread extra passages and present certain excerpts on the floor.

That’s the Obama way - present a bill containing over 1,000 pages with several hundred pages added just a few hours before the vote.

Shockingly, co-sponsor Henry Waxman (lower photo) objected to Boehner’s reading the bill on the House floor, and tried to prevent it on procedural grounds so that is contents would remain unknown and no one would shift support or delay the bill’s passage.

Ed Markey, one of the bill’s co-sponsors, rose to report that a copy was only available at the speaker’s desk or online, which would require members "to leave the floor to access."

It is possible that the Democrats can see the tides turning in the last couple of weeks and they're rushing things through.

Conservatives and most moderates are hoping the Senate will stop the insanity by defeating this bill.

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Obama promotes climate change bill in face of conflicting data

Obama promotes climate change bill in face of conflicting data
Barack Obama (pictured) defends his assertion that a climate-change measure making its way through Congress would greatly reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil even though government figures raised questions about whether he was overstating its effect.

Washington liberals do not want us seek new oil production here at home. In fact they want us to shut down our domestic production while they whine about our dependence on foreign oil. We can’t have it both ways.


Nancy Pelosi is expressing the basic liberal view

Mr. Obama is intent on forcing this bill through congress even though the governments’ own figures show the data behind the bill is flawed.

Why does Obama and the left-wing liberals want this flawed bill pushed through? It’s mostly about power and control over people and businesses.

Mr. Obama warned that it would take a long time for us to see results from this bill.

He even said that ten years from now it won’t even look like much change has taken place. He said it would take twenty to thirty years so see the change he promised.

It will take twenty or thirty years to force U.S. automakers and foreign auto importers to supply electric and/or diesel-electric cars as the only autos available to the general public.


This model could be ordered with teleprompters instead of the solar panels shown above

It is interesting to note that Al Gore has been asked to stay away from Washington during the voting on this bill. He is, however, making telephone calls today from his home in Tennessee to help sway undecided congressmen.

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Siberian tiger and cubs

Siberian tiger looks after her six newborn cubs in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China

Rahm it through with Emanuel’s help

Not your average port-a-potty

A woman examines a decorated toilet during an art show in Kiev, Ukraine.

The event marked the 100th anniversary of the lavatory.

The Ukrainian-Russian art union that organized the show asked pedestrians to sit on the toilets and think about problems produced by the economic crisis.

No, really - that’s what they said - sit on the toilets and think about problems produced by the economic crisis.

You just can’t make up stuff like this!

Massachusetts housing homeless in motels

The state of Massachusetts is renting motel rooms for a record number of families at a cost to taxpayers of $2 million per month.

The state gives high unemployment and the rising number of home foreclosures as the reason the state is taking this action.

It costs an average of $85 per night to have families, including nearly 1000 children, stay in motels.

That’s not good enough for homeless advocates because they say families are not getting the support of shelters with living rooms, kitchens, and play areas.

How long before the homeless will be better off than families living in their own homes?

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The Obama media love affair upstaged by Gov. Mark Sanford

Always room for one more

(click on picture to enlarge)
This Time Magazine photo was taken on the outskirts of Abeche in western Chad.

The New York Times and CBS conduct another “push poll”

A New York Times/CBS News poll released over the weekend showed broad bipartisan support for President Obama’s health care reform.

Only problem is, the New York Times/CBS poll over-sampled Obama voters compared to McCain voters. It was another “push poll” designed to get the pro-Obama results they wanted.

The poll showed 72% support for Obama's Health Care Plan but only because it was stacked with Obama supporters.

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Rain check? Who needs a rain check?

A girl runs into water pouring down from a stadium's upper balcony during a rain delay before the start of a Major League baseball game between the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays in Arlington, Texas, on June 10.

Even Obama supporters say the honeymoon is over

There is a report at the link below titled: “The presidency at five months.”

The Congressional Budget Office's preliminary cost and deficit calculations of the president's overall budget and specific health proposals have sent tremors through the Democratic Party establishment - and the White House is feeling the vibrations.

Last week, both David Broder, The Washington Post's venerable and authoritative political voice, and Chuck Todd, NBC's new important political voice, declared President Obama's honeymoon over.

The previous paragraph is revealing barometer of the political climate in Washington because both Broder and Todd have been “in the tank” for Mr. Obama from the start of the presidential campaign.

The report says it is a commonplace of Washington politics that it is not news when the other party attacks, but it is noteworthy when there is opposition within a president's own party.

Last week, on two of his three major domestic legislative initiatives - health policy and financial re-regulation - strong Democratic Party congressional doubts (and, on some important details, opposition) emerged.

Obama’s early predictions of unemployment rates have turned out to be well under the actual numbers.

Interest rates on Treasury notes needed to finance Obama’s proposed deficits are steadily climbing which is driving up mortgage rates and driving down housing recovery.

His foreign policy hasn’t been any better.

How many foreign leaders has Barack Obama scraped and bowed to on his apology tours?

The media may soon begin to tire of making excuses for him. In that event, the honeymoon will definitely be over.

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Cliff hangers

Death defying South Korean climbers look diminutive as they go rock-climbing on Buckhan mountain near Seoul, South Korea.

Obama says he is an almost cured smoker

The question of his smoking came one day after Mr. Obama signed a sweeping new law that regulates tobacco companies and their marketing to children. By the way, Obama said he doesn’t smoke in front of his children.

After plenty of huffing about puffing, Obama admitted Tuesday that he still sometimes smokes cigarettes, declaring his habit "95 percent cured."

Mr. Obama acknowledged before taking office that he knew smoking is not allowed on White House grounds, telling NBC, "You will not see any violations of these rules in the White House."

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Signing anti-smoking bill with a cigarette

Cross-country bus travel may be on the rise

An article at the link below reports the following story:

Boarding a Greyhound bus in Washington, D.C., on a recent evening, luggage in hand and collar undone, David Martinez grabs a seat and pops open his laptop. "This is definitely a step up," says the 26-year-old Harvard graduate, who was headed for New York after interviewing for a job with the U.S. State Department.

It's the new face of bus travel. After years as the ugly stepchild of intercity transportation -- thanks to its long-held reputation as unfriendly, uncomfortable and tawdry -- bus travel is bouncing back.

I rode cross-country busses several years ago when I was in the military.


Above is a new luxury bus. Below is an old Greyhound Silversides much like the busses I rode many years ago.


Unfriendly, uncomfortable and tawdry was a good description of the bus travel I experienced.

The amenities consisted of heavily worn seat cushions and that’s about it. No lavatories. No air-conditioning. It’s a good thing they supplied ashtrays because the vast majority of passengers smoked. The blue tobacco haze made it nearly impossible to see passengers boarding the bus unless you were in the first three or four seats.

From Chicago on down to Fort Bragg, North Carolina required a transfer to Trailways, which made me wish I was back on the grubby Greyhound bus I boarded in Omaha.

To make matters worse, this was prior to the end of segregation in the South. If there were no seats in the “whites only” section in the front of the bus, I had to stand even if there were vacant seats in the “colored only” section in the back.

JFK and MLK took care of the “whites only” and “colored only” situation but not until after my bus riding days were over.

I’m not sure about bus riding today. No matter how cushy the buses are with amenities like wireless internet service, most of them will still stop at slummy bus depots. Even if some of the depots have been renovated, they will still be located in undesirable areas.

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Before rushing out to buy that hybrid car...

Unlike conventional vehicles, the highest-mileage hybrids tend to be a bit sluggish when it comes to acceleration.

If you think the hybrid will drive like any other car - think again! Some hybrids exhibit peculiar driving behaviors.

The brakes on some hybrids feel unusual because when the brake pedal is pressed, traditional brakes aren't actually slowing the car, a regenerative motor is recapturing the vehicle's kinetic energy, turning it into electricity to store in on-board batteries.

Hybrids also use electrically-driven power steering. These steering systems often have a less direct feeling that's closer to a video game than a sports car.

These dynamic differences mean that hybrids can feel odd to drive compared to a more traditional vehicle, plus they highlight the complexity that is systemic with hybrid vehicles. The special sub-systems, components, integration, and programming necessary to make hybrids run are nothing short of rocket science.

This complexity is not without cost.

Compare a hybrid vehicle to an otherwise comparable non-hybrid car and the hybrid will cost anywhere from $1750-$5,000 more for small vehicles and up to $15,000 more for larger hybrid vehicles.

There are two negative attributes often associated with hybrids in the minds of potential hybrid buyers:

1. With over inflated fuel-economy claims when the Prius was introduced, how accurate are the new lower mileage estimates? Are the new mileage claims still over inflated?

2. Will fire rescue or police department EMT’s be afraid to use the jaws of live on a hybrid car for fear of electrocution?

Anyone considering the purchase of a hybrid should also know that there are added registration fees in some states.

Buying a hybrid for the savings may not make sense. However, if being environmentally responsible is worth the extra cost, then rush right out and buy that hybrid.

Anti NATO clown

An anti-NATO activist dressed as a clown faces riot police blocking the access to a bridge in downtown Strasbourg, France, during NATO's 60th-anniversary summit last April.

Carson sidekick Ed McMahon dies at 86

Ed McMahon (pictured), the affable sidekick on "The Tonight Show" who bolstered boss Johnny Carson with guffaws and a booming "H-e-e-e-e-ere’s Johnny!" for 30 years, died Tuesday morning at age 86.

McMahon (shown below with Johnny Carson) had been battling pneumonia and other illnesses.

Outgoing, affable and possessing a robust, baritone voice, McMahon began his career with stints as a bingo caller, carnival barker and boardwalk pitchman before becoming a broadcast announcer and TV host.

Trained as a U.S. Marine fighter pilot during World War II, he flew missions in Korea in the 1950s.

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