Obama to Address Muslims in Egypt
Obama, you are trying to brush off the differences between Muslims and Christians by stating that Muslims are “just like us”; they “simply have a different religion”.

Who are you trying to kid, Mr President? Whose eyes are you trying to pull the wool over?

It just so happens, Mr President, that the ‘religion’ of Islam is not only a proselytizing religion, but it is an expansive, belligerent religion, too – a 'religion' on a mission to take over the world! Because of weak politicians like you, Mr President, they are doing a pretty good job of it, too. And, Mr President, if you have forgotten, it happens to be the ‘religion’ which attacked the United States on 9/11! Have you forgotten that, Mr President? Or are you just conveniently forgetting it, perhaps because you don’t have the balls to deal with reality?

Instead of prancing and dancing and walzing and poncing around the world making excuses for your country, you’d be better off, and far more respected by the Muslim world, if you grew a backbone. – ©Mark

BBC: US President Barack Obama will give a long-awaited speech on US relations with the Muslim world on a visit to Egypt, the White House has announced.

He will travel to Egypt on 4 June and a day later arrive in Germany for a visit to Dresden and the site of the Nazi concentration camp at Buchenwald.

During his election campaign, Mr Obama promised to make a major speech on ties with Muslims early in his presidency.

Egypt arguably represented "the heart of the Arab world", a spokesman said.

In Turkey last month, the president declared that the US was not at war with Islam and he called for a greater partnership with the Muslim world.

Right from the start, Barack Obama has made clear he wants to rebuild relations with the Muslim and Arab world, the BBC's Jonathan Beale reports from Washington.

With so many events in so short a space of time, it is going to be a carefully choreographed trip, our correspondent says.

'Extending the hand'

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked if Egypt was an appropriate venue for the speech, given its poor record on human rights.

"The scope of the speech, the desire for the president to speak, is bigger than where the speech was going to be given or who's the leadership of the country where the speech is going to be given," he replied.

"This is a continuing effort of the president to engage the Muslim world," he added.

"All of this gives the president the opportunity hopefully to extend the hand to those that in many ways are like us but simply have a different religion." >>> Friday, May 8, 2009

Obama "sehr besorgt" über Lage in Pakistan
DIE PRESSE: Die Regierung in Islamabad könne die Sicherheit und Rechtstaatlichkeit im Land derzeit nicht garantieren, so der US-Präsident. Die US-Bürger bittet Obama um Geduld. Er werde alle Anstrengungen unternehmen, "Wohlstand und Sicherheit zu stärken".

Bild dank der Presse
US-Präsident Barack Obama hat sich "sehr besorgt" über die Lage in Pakistan geäußert. Die Regierung in Islamabad sei "sehr zerbrechlich" und könne die Sicherheit und Rechtstaatlichkeit im Land derzeit nicht garantieren, sagte Obama auf einer Pressekonferenz zu seinen ersten 100 Tagen im Amt am Mittwochabend (Ortszeit) in Washington.

Die USA sorgten sich derzeit aber nicht um die Sicherheit der Nuklearwaffen in Pakistan, sagte Obama. Allerdings brauche das Land in vieler Hinsicht amerikanische Unterstützung. Derzeit könnten die grundlegenden Bedürfnisse der Bürger Pakistans nicht befriedigt werden. Vor allem sei es wichtig, dass die Regierung in Islamabad erkenne, dass nicht Indien die große Gefahr für Pakistan darstelle, sondern vor allem die Extremisten im eigenen Land. >>> Ag | Donnerstag, 30. April 2009

Obama: America Not Christian - But Islam Shaped It For The Better
RIGHT SIDE NEWS: The we-do-not-consider-ourselves-a-Christian-nation line in Obama's speech to the Turkish parliament reminds me of an old joke: The Lone Ranger and Tonto are surrounded by hostile Indians. The masked man turns to his faithful companion and asks: "What are we going to do now, Tonto?" His sidekick replies: "What you mean we, pale face?"

Like others on the left, Obama has an unfortunate habit of projecting his delusions onto the American people.

He was in Turkey as part of his recently concluded America-sucks tour, during which he pandered shamelessly to Euro Anti-Americanism. ("We've been arrogant and we promise not to torture terrorists ever again and to always listen to the ‘allies' who almost lost two World Wars the Cold War. And, have I said how sorry I am for Wounded Knee in the last 15 seconds?")

In the overwhelmingly Muslim country, Barack Hussein Obama, as he was introduced (now that the election's over, it's okay to use his middle name), declared the concept of "Christian America" a myth. >>> By Don Feder | Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Gay Rights Groups Celebrate Victories in Marriage Push
THE NEW YORK TIMES: MONTPELIER, Vt. — Gay-rights groups say that momentum from back-to-back victories on same-sex marriage in Vermont and Iowa could spill into other states, particularly since at least nine other legislatures are considering measures this year to allow marriage between gay couples.

The Vermont Legislature on Tuesday overrode Gov. Jim Douglas’s veto of a bill allowing gay couples to marry, mustering one more vote than needed to preserve the measure.

The step makes Vermont the first state to allow same-sex marriage through legislative action instead of a court ruling, and comes less than a week after the Iowa Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriages in that state. >>> By Abby Goodnough | Tuesday, April 7, 2009

THE INDEPENDENT: White House Invites Gay Families to Easter Egg Roll

The White House is allocating tickets for the upcoming Easter Egg Roll to gay and lesbian parents as part of the Obama administration's outreach to diverse communities.

Families say the gesture shows that the new Democratic administration values them as equal to other families. And for many, being included in the annual tradition — dating to 1878 — renews hope that they will have more support in their quest for equal rights in matters such as marriage and adoption than under the previous administration. >>> AP | Wednesday, April 8, 2009

THE NEW YORK TIMES: New Dark Age Alert! Iraq’s Newly Open Gays Face Scorn and Murder

“The people [gay men and lesbians] should be killed in the worst, most severe way of killing.” – most influential Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani
BAGHDAD — The relative freedom of a newly democratic Iraq and the recent improvement in security have allowed a gay subculture to flourish here. The response has been swift and deadly.

In the past two months, the bodies of as many as 25 boys and men suspected of being gay have turned up in the huge Shiite enclave of Sadr City, the police and friends of the dead say. Most have been shot, some multiple times. Several have been found with the word “pervert” in Arabic on notes attached to their bodies, the police said.

“Three of my closest friends have been killed during the past two weeks alone,” said Basim, 23, a hairdresser. “They had been planning to go to a cafe away from Sadr City because we don’t feel safe here, but they killed them on the way. I had planned to go with them, but fortunately I didn’t.”

Basim, who preferred to be called “Basima” — the feminine version of his name — wears his hair long for Iraq. It falls to just below the ear. His ears are pierced, uncommon for Iraqi males. White makeup covers his face, a popular look for gay men in Sadr City who say they prefer light skin.

Though risky, his look is one result of the overall calm here that has allowed Iraqis to enjoy freedoms unthinkable two years ago: A growing number of women walk the streets unveiled, a few even daring to wear dresses above the knee. Families gather in parks for cookouts, and more people have begun to venture out at night.

But that has not changed the reality that Iraq remains religious, conservative — and still violent. The killers, the police say, are not just Shiite death squads, but also tribal and family members shamed by their gay relatives. (And the recent spate of violence has seemed aimed at more openly gay men, rather than homosexuality generally.)

Clerics in Sadr City have urged followers to help root out homosexuality in Iraqi society, and the police have begun their own crackdown on gay men. >>> By Timothy Williams and Tareq Maher | Reporting was contributed by Sam Dagher, Rod Nordland, Steven Lee Myers, Anwar J. Ali, Riyadh Mohammed and Campbell Robertson | Tuesday, April 7, 2009

No Kiss for Obama from Sexy Carla!
We've all been there: Carla Bruni leans in to greet Barack Obama with a kiss today - but quickly backpedals. Photo courtesy of the MailOnline
MAIL ONLINE: Over the last few days Barack Obama has charmed the entire world.

And today it appeared his charisma overwhelmed the French First Lady.

It is usual in France to greet one another with a kiss - but the best Mr Obama could get out of a suddenly flustered Carla Bruni was a handshake. >>> By Mail Foreign Service | Friday, April 3, 2009

Crise : Obama défend son «pote» Geithner
lePARISIEN.fr: Le président américain Barack Obama réitère son soutien à son secrétaire au Trésor Timothy Geithner, affirmant qu'il n'accepterait pas sa démission si elle lui était proposée, dans une interview à CBS qui doit être diffusée dimanche soir. Ces déclarations interviennent alors que le gouvernement américain devrait présenter, lundi, le plan Geithner destiné à débarrasser les banques de leurs actifs toxiques. L'annonce de ce plan pourrait être l'épreuve du feu pour Tim Geithner.L'opposition républicaine réclame régulièrement sa démission.



Dans cette interview à CBS, Barack Obama assure que ni lui, ni M. Geithner n'ont jamais parlé de la démission du secrétaire au Trésor, mais que «la critique est naturelle» dans ce contexte de crise économique, indique un communiqué de la chaîne de télévision américaine, citant des propos du président américain dont une longue interview doit être diffusée dimanche dans l'émission «60 minutes». Et si jamais Tim Geithner proposait sa démission ? «Je répondrais : Désolé, mon pote, tu gardes ton boulot», rétorque le président des Etats-Unis.



Son secrétaire au Trésor est sous le feu des critiques pour sa gestion de la crise économique actuelle et en raison du scandale politique né du versement d'importants bonus par le géant américain de l'assurance AIG, récemment sauvé de la faillite par l'injection de fonds publics. >>> leparisien.fr | Dimanche 22 Mars 2009

YOU TUBE: Obama Defends Geithner


THE TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama Will Refuse to Let Tim Geithner Quit

President Barack Obama has insisted he would refuse to accept the resignation of Tim Geithner, the embattled Treasury Secretary, and instead tell him: "Sorry buddy, you've still got the job".

In an interview with the CBS "60 Minutes" programme, Mr Obama pleaded for more patience over dealing with the economic crisis.

He said: "It's going to take a little bit more time than we would like to make sure that we get this plan just right. Of course, then we'd still be subject to criticism.

"What's taken so long? You've been in office a whole 40 days and you haven't solved the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression."

Seeking to channel public outrage over lavish bonuses for financiers from the failed insurance giant AIG, he urged corporate executives to visit Middle America.

"If you go to North Dakota, or you go to Iowa, or you go to Arkansas, where folks would be thrilled to be making $75,000 a year – without a bonus – then I think they'd get a sense of why people are frustrated," he said.

His unstinting support for Mr Geithner came as he prepared to unveil a plan for a long-term overhaul of the crisis-hit American financial system.

Officials said that the plan would include using $100 billion in taxpayer money to ease the credit crisis by leveraging as much as $1 trillion in so-called toxic assets so they could be taken off the books of struggling banks. >>> By Toby Harnden in Washington | Sunday, March 22, 2009

Irans Religionsführer weist Obama zurück
BASLER ZEITUNG: Das geistliche Oberhaupt des Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, bleibt trotz der Redes des amerikanischen Präsidenten an sein Land skeptisch – er wolle ihn zuerst «beobachten».

Bild vom skeptischen Khameini dank der Basler Zeitung
«Wir haben keine Erfahrung mit der neuen amerikanischen Regierung und dem neuen amerikanischen Präsidenten», sagte Khamenei. «Wir werden sie beobachten und urteilen.» Er sagte das vor tausenden Iranern in der heiligen Stadt Maschhad. Seine Rede wurde am Samstag vom staatlichen Fernsehen übertragen. «Wenn Sie Ihre Haltung ändern, werden wir unsere Haltung ändern», sagte er an die USA gewandt. >>> oku/sda | Samstag, 21. März 2009

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Change Your Attitude, Say the Iranians to the Americans
TIMESONLINE: Aides to President Ahmadinejad welcomed the appeal for a ‘new beginning’ but urged the US to change its attitude

Iran cautiously welcomed Barack Obama’s videotaped message for a “new beginning” between the US and Tehran yesterday, but said that the new Administration needed a change in attitude for relations between them to improve.

Aliakbar Javanfekr, an aide to President Ahmadinejad of Iran, reacted to the appeal by saying: “The Iranian nation has shown that it can forget hasty behaviour.” Iran, he said, would “not show its back” to Mr Obama if the US put its words into practice, but the new Administration needed “a fundamental change in attitude”.

Mr Javanfekr added that “minor changes will not end the differences” existing between Tehran and Washington. “Obama has talked of change but has taken no practical measures to address America’s past mistakes in Iran,” he said. Barack Obama Tells Iran to Choose between Terror and Peace >>> Tim Reid in Washington | Saturday, March 21, 2009

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Obama Signs $500,000 Book Deal
THE TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama signed a $500,000 (£343,000) book deal five days before he entered the White House, his Senate financial disclosure report has revealed.

Crown Publishing will carry out the abridging for the president's approval. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
The deal was part of an arrangement negotiated by the lawyer Robert Barnett with Crown Publishing, a division of Random House, involving an abridged version of his book "Dreams From My Father" for children.

According to the Washington Times, half will go to Mr Obama and half to the publisher, who will carry out the abridging for the president's approval.

The deal is on top of nearly $2.5 million in book royalties paid to Mr Obama last year for "Dreams From My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope" memoirs. >>> By Toby Harnden in Washington | Thursday, March 19, 2009

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Obama the Showman Demeans His Office by Appearing on the Jay Leno Tonight Show
Obama 'goes Hollywood' and is to appear on the Jay Leno Tonight Show. Photo courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMESONLINE: He's in the midst of the worst economic crisis in 80 years, his Treasury Secretary is facing calls to resign and questions are being asked of his Administration, yet President Obama today prepares to fight back by treading a path usually reserved for Hollywood actors.

In an unprecedented step for a sitting president, Mr Obama will appear on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, on which he will attempt to explain to an increasingly angry public how $165million in bonuses were paid to employees of the failed insurance company AIG after it was bailed out with public money.

National anger over the case stems from the fact that the bonuses, awarded to 418 employees and including $1 million each to 73 people, were paid after the company had to be rescued by $170 billion of state cash. The bailout represented the biggest injection of public money into a single company since the financial crisis began last year, and another $30bn will be paid soon.

The controversy has already taken its toll on Timothy Geithner, Mr Obama's new Treasury Secretary, whose position has become increasingly fragile. He has faced repeated Republican criticism - and at least one call to resign - for not stopping the bonus payments, along with questions over when he became aware of them. President Obama Uses Jay Leno Show to Wriggle Out of Economic Crisis >>> David Byers and Tim Reid in Washington | Thursday, March 19, 2009

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Obama to Visit Turkey on April 6-7: Turkish PM
AFP: ANKARA — US President Barack Obama will visit Turkey on April 6-7, following an invitation from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to attend a forum aimed at fostering dialogue between the West and the Muslim world.

Erdogan said late Wednesday he had invited Obama to attend a meeting of the Alliance of Civilizations initiative in Istanbul on April 7 and expressed surprise that the US president responded with a proposal also for an official visit to Ankara the day before.

"I didn't expect (an official visit) that soon," Erdogan said in an interview with TGRT television, adding that Obama was expected to attend the Istanbul forum as well.

"The official visit will be probably combined with the Alliance of Civilizations meeting... That is very meaningful for us," he said.

Predominantly Muslim, secular Turkey is a NATO member and a close ally of the United States in a troubled region.

The UN-backed Alliance of Civilizations initiative was launched in 2005 in a bid to help overcome prejudices and misunderstandings between different cultures and religions. It is co-chaired by Turkey and Spain. >>> Copyright © 2009 AFP | Thursday, March 19, 2009

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USA – Kuba: Washington stößt die Tür zu Castro-Regime auf
DIE PRESSE: Die USA lockern Embargo gegen die Karibikinsel – ein Signal der Öffnung. In Kuba hofft das Regime auf weitere Signale der Öffnung aus Washington.

WASHINGTON. Seit der „Schweinebucht-Aktion“, dem von John F. Kennedy initiierten und grandios gescheiterten Putschversuch gegen Kubas Staatschef Fidel Castro 1960, hat niemand an der Doktrin der US-Außenpolitik gegen die Karibikinsel gerüttelt. Ob Republikaner wie Richard Nixon oder Ronald Reagan oder Demokraten wie Jimmy Carter oder Bill Clinton: Alle US-Präsidenten hielten an dem 1962 beschlossenen Handelsembargo fest, um so den Kommunismus in ihrem Hinterhof auszuhungern. Und die exilkubanische Gemeinde in Florida, meist hartgesottene Republikaner, sorgte dafür, dass das Lüftchen aus Washington nicht zu lau wurde.

Seit 45 Jahren ist John F. Kennedy nun tot, und der so oft totgesagte Fidel Castro erlebt in seinem krankheitsbedingten Ausgedinge als Politrentner bereits den zehnten US-Präsidenten. Im Gegensatz zu Kennedy jedoch, der sich in den ersten Monaten seiner Amtszeit zu dem abenteuerlichen Staatsstreich hinreißen ließ, setzt Barack Obama auf eine sanfte, schleichende Veränderung. Washington stößt die Tür zum Castro-Regime auf. >>> Thomas Vieregge | Mittwoch, 11. März 2009

LE MONDE: Obama allège les restrictions sur les voyages à Cuba

Des dissidents cubains ont qualifié, mercredi 11 mars, de "positif" l'allègement des restrictions sur les voyages à Cuba pour les Cubains américains, disant espérer que ce geste de Washington sera suivi d'une réponse similaire de la part de La Havane. "C'est une bonne nouvelle pour le peuple cubain, cela va contribuer à son unité", a déclaré l'économiste modéré Oscar Espinosa Chepe.

Le Sénat américain a voté mardi soir un vaste projet de loi qui comprend l'allègement de restrictions sur les voyages et l'envoi d'argent de Cubains américains vers l'île communiste des frères Castro, sous embargo américain depuis 1962. Les Cubains vivant aux Etats-Unis pourront notamment désormais visiter leurs proches restés à Cuba une fois par an plutôt que tous les trois ans et dépenser jusqu'à 179 dollars par jour sur l'île au lieu de 50. >>> LEMONDE.FR avec BBC News et AFP | Jeudi 12 Mars 2009

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Gordon Brown Cheers Up the United States

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Krieg im Gazastreifen: Teheran fordert Kriegsverbrechertribunal für Israel
WELT ONLINE: Iran wirft Israel Kriegsverbrechen im Gazastreifen vor. Deshalb solle ein Tribunal eingerichtet werden, um die Militäraktion Israels zu untersuchen. Das forderte der oberste iranische Führer Ajatollah Ali Chamenei auf einer internationalen "Palästina-Konferenz". Auch Obamas Verhalten sorgt in Teheran für Unmut.

Foto vom Ajatollah Ali Chamenei dank der Welt
Der oberste iranische Führer, Ajatollah Ali Chamenei, hat die Einrichtung eines "internationalen Kriegsverbrechertribunals“ gefordert, vor dem die israelische Führung wegen der Militäroffensive im Gazastreifen angeklagt werden solle.

Zum Auftakt einer internationalen “Palästina-Konferenz“ sagte Chamenei in Teheran, „die Immunität des kriminellen Regimes in Israel“ müsse gebrochen werden. Auch Präsident Mahmud Ahmadinedschad sprach sich für ein solches Tribunal aus. „Wir brauchen eine vereinte Front gegen das zionistische Regime“, sagte er. >>> AP/dpa/lk | Mittwoch, 4. März 2009

AFP: Iran Calls for World Muslim 'Resistance' against Israel

TEHRAN — Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a rallying call to world Muslims on Wednesday to join the Palestinian "resistance" against Israel as he kicked off a summit in aid of war-torn Gaza.

His latest statement comes as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets Palestinian leaders during her first visit to the region since taking office.

Clinton was to meet Western-backed president Mahmud Abbas and prime minister Salam Fayyad in the occupied West Bank's political capital of Ramallah a day after huddling with Israeli leaders in Jerusalem.

"The only way to save Palestine is resistance," Khamenei said in his keynote address as he kicked off a two-day international summit organised by Tehran in aid of Gaza and the Palestinians.

"Support and help to Palestinians is a mandatory duty of all Muslims. I now tell all Muslim brothers and sisters to join forces and break the immunity of the Zionist criminals," Khamenei said.

He also called for putting Israeli leaders on trial for the recent assault on Gaza in which 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were slain.

"The political and military leaders of the occupying regime that played the role in the disaster of Gaza must be put on trial. This is the first step that should be taken," Khamenei said.

Iran does not recognise Israel and Khamenei has repeatedly refused a two-state solution to solve the Israel-Palestinian issue, a strategy reiterated by Clinton this week. >>> Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved | Wednesday, March 4, 2009

HAARETZ: Iran Leader: Obama Taking Wrong Path over 'Cancerous' Israel

Iran's top authority said on Wednesday U.S. President Barack Obama was pursuing the same "wrong path" as George W. Bush in supporting Israel, which it called a "cancerous tumor."

The comments by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on policy in the Islamic Republic, are likely to disappoint the new U.S. administration which wants to engage Iran but has called on Tehran to "unclench its fist."

"Even the new president of America, who has come to power with slogans about changing Bush's policies, is defending state terrorism by talking about unconditional commitment to Israel's security," Khamenei said.

Khamenei, speaking at a conference on the Palestinian issue in Tehran, said Obama was following the same "wrong path" of his predecessor in the White House. >>> Reuters | Wednesday, March 4, 2009

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Brown Goes a-Brown-nosing!
THE TELEGRAPH: US president Barack Obama has reaffirmed his belief in the special relationship between Britain and America following talks with Prime Minister Gordon Brown at the White House.

Photo of Obama and Brown together in the White House courtesy of The Telegraph
Sitting alongside Mr Brown in the Oval Office, Mr Obama said Britain's friendship to the US in Iraq and Afghanistan would not be forgotten.

He added: "Great Britain is one of our closest and strongest allies and there is a link and bond there that will not break."

The president was speaking after around an hour of talks which were dominated by the economy, with both men agreeing that improvements were needed to the regulation of the global banking system.

Mr Obama said: "The relationship is not only special and strong but will only get stronger as time goes on."

Mr Brown became the first European leader to hold talks with Mr Obama since his inauguration in January. Barack Obama Reaffirms Belief in 'Special Relationship' with Britain >>> | Tuesday, March 3, 2009

MAIL Online: Downing St Left Embarrassed after President Obama Scales Down First Meeting with Brown

Downing Street was left scrambling to avoid a diplomatic embarrassment today after the White House ruled out a formal press conference to mark Gordon Brown's first formal meeting with Barack Obama.

Officials denied the Prime Minister was being snubbed after it emerged that the new president would not make himself available for the traditional joint appearance before the White House media.

Mr Brown's aides are trying to make the best of what is a distinctly low key visit compared to the family hospitality lavished on Tony Blair by George Bush when they met for the first time. >>> By Benedict Brogan | Tuesday, March 3, 2009

DAILY EXPRESS: Not So Big After All? Brown Snubbed by Obama

GORDON Brown was left red-faced today after he was snubbed by new American president Barack Obama – at their first formal meeting.

The prime minister arrived in the US today expecting a full press conference in front of the world’s media to mark the event. 



But he touched down on America soil to be told by the White House that it would be a much more scaled down affair - in the Oval Office. 



The embarrassment for Downing Street comes after Obama sent a bust of Sir Winston Churchill back to Britain - despite it enjoying pride of place in the Oval Office for nearly 10 years. 



Today White House authorities defended the schedule change for the two leaders, claiming the new arrangement was 'more intimate'. >>> By Julia White | Tuesday, March 3, 2009

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Right Side News: Obama and His God
Read about it here
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The Road to Serfdom
TOWNHALL.COM: It's exciting that the world is so excited about Barack Obama. I'm excited, too. That he achieved the presidency says something good about America.

But the excitement also frightens me. It reinforces the worst impulse of the media and political class: the assumption that all progress comes from Washington. In a free society, with constitutionally limited government, the president would be a mere executive who sees to it that predictable and understandable laws are enforced. But sadly, the prestige and power of the presidency have grown, and liberty has contracted. That is not something to celebrate.

The infatuated chattering classes now demand "action" on the economy. They use positive words like "bold steps." The insufferable New York Times suggests the choice is "between a big-bang strategy of pressing aggressively on multiple fronts versus a more pragmatic, step-by-step approach .... " There is endless talk about how FDR ended the Great Depression and how Obama will apply similar "stimulus."

Please. FDR's "bold" moves didn't end the Depression. They prolonged it by discouraging capital investment. Hoover and Roosevelt turned what might have been a brief downturn into 10 years of double-digit unemployment.

Now Obama says, "we don't have a moment to lose," and he and the Democrats insist that government must unionize most of America by passing "card check" and taxpayers must throw even more money at American automakers.

This is the conceit of what Thomas Sowell calls "the anointed" (http://tinyurl.com/6me8d4). The politicians know best how our money should be spent. The "road to serfdom" is paved with such good intentions. >>> By John Stossel | November 12, 2008

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Rahm Emanuel: A Profile of Barack Obama's Enforcer
Rahm Emanual, known as “Rahmbo”, to be Obama’s Chief of Staff. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
THE TELEGRAPH: Rahm Emanuel, who has been chosen by Barack Obama to be the White House chief of staff, is known by colleagues as "Rahmbo" - a nickname reflecting his reputation as one of the most ferociously combative figures in Washington.

Mr Emanuel, who received training in ballet as a boy, has shown no lightness of step in his political career: would-be enemies are advised to heed the story of a pollster who wronged him and promptly received a large, decomposing fish in the post.

Reflecting on his own foul-mouthed, attack-dog style, Mr Emanuel has said: "I wake up some mornings hating me too." Commentators have suggested that Mr Obama, who ran a lofty campaign based on national unity and bipartisanship, has recognised the need to employ a tough enforcer to push through his policy programme.

Born in Chicago, Illinois on November 29, 1959, to a doctor and a hospital technician, Mr Emanuel was brought up in a household that combined black civil rights activism with devout Judaism. His religious devotion has endured: he recently secured a special waiver from his rabbi to work through Rosh Hashanah during negotiations over the $800 billion banking bail-out.

Mr Emanuel grew up with a sister and two brothers - one of whom, Ari, grew up to be a talent agent in Los Angeles and provided the inspiration for the character Ari Gold in the television series Entourage. He himself was the real-life spark for the character of Josh Lyman, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff in the West Wing.

As a teenager, while working part-time in a fast-food restaurant, Mr Emanuel severed the middle finger on his right hand in a meat-slicing machine. After he chose to go swimming in Lake Michigan rather than go to hospital for stitches, Mr Emanuel's wound became severely infected and, after he came close to death, the top of his finger was amputated.

While studying at a Jewish day school, Mr Emanuel trained in ballet, and was talented enough to be offered a scholarship to the world-renowned Joffrey Ballet company. However, he turned it down in favour of studying the dance style at Sarah Lawrence College, a liberal arts institution, from where he graduated in 1981.

While at Sarah Lawrence, Mr Emanuel joined the team for the congressional campaign of fellow Chicagoan David Robertson. Via a master's degree in speech and communication at Northwestern University in 1985, he went on to work for several other Democratic campaigns, culminating in a role as chief fundraiser in Richard Daley's successful campaign for Mayor of Chicago in 1989.

He took a break from politics during the 1991 Gulf War, volunteering as a mechanic on an army base in Israel. It was on his return that he joined the presidential primary campaign of Bill Clinton, then the Governor of Arkansas. It was to prove the move that launched his national political career. >>> By Jon Swaine | November 6, 2008

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Barack Obama: ‘Marriage Is Between a Man and a Woman’
Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, has spelled out his views on gay marriage on the eve of the election.

The White House front-runner said in an interview with MTV he did not support same-sex weddings and believed "marriage is between a man and a woman".

But the Illinois senator reaffirmed his opposition to a proposition on the ballot in California that would change the state constitution to overturn a ruling that recently gave gay couples the right to marry.

"When you start playing around with constitutions just to prohibit somebody who cares about another person, it just seems to me that's not what America is about," the senator said.

"Usually, our constitutions expand liberties, they don't contract them," he added.

The Democratic presidential nominee voiced strong support for civil unions between same-sex couples "that provide legal rights to same-sex couples (so) that they can visit each other in the hospital if they get sick, (so) they can transfer property to each other. If they've got benefits, they can make sure those benefits apply to their partners."

He added: "I think that's the direction we need to go in. I think young people are ahead of the curve on this for the most part. Their attitude, generally, is that we should be respectful of all people, and that's the kind of politics I want to practice."

In the interview, Mr Obama described California's Proposition 8, which residents will vote on on Tuesday, as "unnecessary". Opponents of the measure hope Mr Obama's position will encourage voters in the Democratic state to defeat it.

The senator also opposes the federal Defence of Marriage Act that prevents states from having to recognise same-sex marriages performed in other states and voted against a federal constitutional amendment to define marriage as between a man and a woman. >>> By Catherine Elsworth in Los Angeles | November 4, 2008

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Judeo-Christian Clergy Blast Obama
CHICAGO TRIBUNE: Dozens of pastors and rabbis across the country are urging their peers to pray for Barack Obama’s repentance and telling their congregations to do the same on Sunday before Election Day. They contend that Obama’s liberal policies on marriage and abortion will fuel tensions with the Muslim world.

Packaged with the inaugural edition of The Judeo-Christian View, a new "multimedia journal" mailed to more than 325,000 clergy this week, is a "video sermon" mixing Bible verses with the positions of the Democratic candidate and his Republican opponent Sen. John McCain. It also includes a copy of "Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West" and a letter signed by dozens of clergy.

Among the signatories is Rev. Erwin Lutzer, senior pastor of Chicago’s Moody Bible Church. He said moral questions should trump the economy as a priority.

"The economy will straighten itself out somehow. Neither candidate has some silver bullet that will work," Lutzer said. "We need to hold our view [on abortion and gay marriage] with compassion. These moral issues are very important."

The 7-minute DVD sermon—available in mild and graphic versions (the mild version omits the pictures of men smooching)—questions Obama’s policies on same-sex unions, integration of openly gay men and women into the U.S. military, and partial-birth abortion. The graphic version is shown below.


"Full embrace of homosexual unions by our nation and the next administration would tell violent Islamists that the infidel USA has expressly rejected once-shared Abrahamic, Mosaic and Christian teaching regarding ‘sodomy,'" said the letter. "So too would flagrant ‘gay integration’ of our overseas military forces. We advocate ‘love the sinner, hate the sin’; militant Islamists would murder our fellow Americans for sexual error, as well as us for offering them hope and forgiveness!" >>> By Manya Brachear | October 27, 2008

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