Noon: Obama: “More Flexibility”--use less, pay more

President Obama made headlines during his visit to Seoul, South Korea—though not for his public policy statements, rather for his private comments, unintentionally broadcast, in conversation with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev. Believing he will be reelected, President Obama addressed dealing with “controversial issues”: “This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.”
The comment was made specifically about missile defense. But there are many other “controversial issues” plaguing his presidency about which he is likely to feel that he has “more flexibility” when he no longer has a pending campaign keeping the lid on his actions.

One controversial issue facing President Obama today is energy. Since gas prices have been climbing dramatically, his rhetoric has changed. He is now bragging about increased oil production—though fact-checking shows that his statements are about as valid as “a rooster taking credit for the sunrise.” This apparent “change” is really just electoral posturing, not a new energy policy.
With the election behind him, four more years in the White House would allow President Obama to finish off the American dream—making all of us subjects of the state.
Some might think my claim is too harsh. Yet, looking strictly at energy issues, a third world is where we are headed. It is widely accepted that energy use, wealth and health are connected. The countries with the highest energy consumption are also the countries with the longest life expectancy and wealth: human well-being and material well-being.

When we study the words and actions of both President Obama and his administration, we see that given “more flexibility” our available energy will be greatly curtailed and what we do have will be far more expensive during an Obama second term. “Energy” refers to both liquid fuels for transportation and electricity for residential and industrial use. In both cases, the Administration’s policies favor reduced use and increased cost. Use less, pay more. Because gasoline prices, transportation fuels, are the headline issues, we’ll start there.

During his 2008 campaign, gas prices spiked—similar to the current increase. At that time, candidate Obama was asked about high gas prices. His response: “I think that I would have preferred a gradual adjustment. The fact that this is such a shock to American pocketbooks is not a good thing.” And then, Energy Secretary Steven Chu wants to “figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe.” Under the pressure of a campaign, Secretary Chu has recanted, saying that he no longer “shares that view.” Yet, when asked about attempts to lower gas prices, he acknowledged that was not his goal.
President Obama continues his rant about penalizing the oil companies while promising to “double down on investment in clean energy technologies” such as “wind power, solar power and biofuels.” The biofuel he currently favors is algae: “Believe it or not, we could replace up to 17% of the oil we import for transportation with this fuel that we can grow right here in America.” The study his quote is based on also notes that it would “take acreage equivalent to the area of South Carolina to generate that much oil. It takes 350 gallons of water for every one gallon of oil you produce” and “meeting that water requirement would take 25% of our irrigation capacity.” Read rest of the column here: News New Mexico

Noon: Obama: “More Flexibility”--use less, pay more

New Mexico venture investors put more money into fewer deals in 2011

New Mexico Business Weekly - Venture capitalists invested $60.3 million in 22 companies in New Mexico in 2011, according to the latest survey by the New Mexico Venture Capital Association. That represents a 10 percent increase from the $54.8 million investors pumped into local startups in 2010, and it’s nearly three times higher than the $22.2 million reported in 2009, when the recession virtually froze funding. But last year’s totals are still 50 percent less than in 2008, when venture capitalists committed $119.5 million to New Mexico companies. In addition, deal flow remains sluggish. Although 22 companies received investments last year, that was a 37 percent drop from 2010, and it’s still 24 percent lower than in 2008. Read More News New Mexico

New Mexico venture investors put more money into fewer deals in 2011

At least four lawmakers’ candidacies challenged

From NMPolitics.net - by Heath Haussamen - At least four sitting lawmakers are among candidates who will have their candidacies challenged in court because they incorrectly filled out nominating petitions. In addition, NMPolitics.net has learned, Republicans will file a challenge today to the candidacy of Senate President Pro Tem Tim Jennings, D-Roswell. As the Journal reported, it won’t come from one of two Republicans seeking to unseat Jennings this year, but it will come. Any qualified voter in the district can file such a challenge. As NMPolitics has reported, at least 12 candidates who filed to run in the June 5 primary failed to comply with a new law that requires that district or division numbers be listed on their nominating petitions. Secretary of State Dianna Duran still certified their candidacies after Assistant Attorney General Tania Maestas advised her to do so. Maestas sent Duran a letter advising that, “In the absence of any evidence of fraud or bad faith, it is unlikely that a court would require strict adherence to the statutory requirements at the cost of denying a significant number of voters their constitutional right to participate in the election process.” That left it to individuals to challenge their candidacies in court. Read more

At least four lawmakers’ candidacies challenged

Media Atrocity: NBC's Today Show Producers Doctored 911 Call, Investigation Underway

Washington Post - NBC told this blog today that it would investigate its handling of a piece on the “Today” show that ham-handedly abridged the conversation between George Zimmerman and a dispatcher in the moments before the death of Trayvon Martin. A statement from NBC: “We have launched an internal investigation into the editorial process surrounding this particular story.” Great news right there. As exposed by Fox News and media watchdog site NewsBusters, the “Today” segment took this approach to a key part of the dispatcher call:

Chet Huntley and David Brinkley

Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black. Here’s how the actual conversation went down:

Zimmerman: This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.
Dispatcher: OK, and this guy — is he black, white or Hispanic?
Zimmerman: He looks black.
The difference between what “Today” put on its air and the actual tape? Complete: In the “Today” version, Zimmerman volunteered that this person “looks black,” a sequence of events that would more readily paint Zimmerman as a racial profiler. In reality’s version, Zimmerman simply answered a question about the race of the person whom he was reporting to the police. Nothing prejudicial at all in responding to such an inquiry. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Media Atrocity: NBC's Today Show Producers Doctored 911 Call, Investigation Underway

Courtesy of Conservative Daily News

     

janice2012.us

Probe Reveals New Black Panther Ties to Hezbollah

From examiner.com - Two separate investigations into the New Black Panthers have been conducted this month, one in response to charges of homegrown terrorism and the other in response to the group's placing a bounty on the head of George Zimmerman, the alleged shooter of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. The results of the twofold probe, one of which was released yesterday, reveals New Black Panther ties to the Middle East terrorist group Hezbollah.  Congressman Peter King, R-NY, has been investigating Hezbollah's activities within the United States as part of a Congressional probe into homegrown terrorism. King is Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Part of the results of his investigation can be read here.  On the heels of King's report came another significant development yesterday as a researcher who works with retired General Paul Vallely, a former Fox News analyst, issued a separate report, published here, which exposes significant collaboration between Hezbollah and the New Black Panthers.

Probe Reveals New Black Panther Ties to Hezbollah

NM Ranked First In Solar Power Per Capita

From bizjournals.com - The national Solar Energy Industries Association has ranked New Mexico No. 1 in the nation for installed solar power per state resident in 2011. The association’s annual Solar Market Insight report, released in mid-March, said New Mexico installed 116 megawatts of solar photovoltaic capacity last year, the fourth highest amount among all U.S. states.  The report says New Mexico has reached a total of 166.9 megawatts of cumulative installed solar generation, equal to 77.3 watts of solar power per capita. That makes New Mexico No. 1 in the U.S. for solar per person, and No. 1 in per capita additions in 2011, said SEIA President and CEO Rhone Resch.  More News New Mexico

NM Ranked First In Solar Power Per Capita

Marathon Runner Micah True Found Dead

From nytimes.com -The ultra-marathon runner Micah True, missing for four days in the rugged wilderness of New Mexico, was found dead on Saturday, the police said.  True, 58, was found in the early evening in the mountainous Gila National Forest in southwest New Mexico, near the Arizona border, said Tom Bemis, incident commander with the New Mexico State Police. Nicknamed Caballo Blanco, or White Horse, True became a celebrity after he was featured in the best-selling book “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall.   More News New Mexcio

Marathon Runner Micah True Found Dead

The "Luevano Incident"

Life for active duty military servants is complicated. The words “permanent” and “residency” can never be used with any certainty.
Consider N.M. House District # 16 candidate Johnny Luevano who just finished a twenty year career in the U.S. Marine Corps. In doing so, he, like all others who serve in the military, essentially surrendered his freedom of movement. It was up to his commanding officers in the Marines to decide where his temporary residences would be. Whenever and wherever the Marines wanted Luevano to go, it was his sworn duty to go there.
Several years ago Luevano could see the end of his military career approaching. Accordingly, he purchased a building lot in House District # 16 in Albuquerque. In recent years, while paying taxes on his permanent residential lot, he made plans to build his post military career residence there. Construction of the new home began in 2011.
Luevano voted his entire active duty career as a New Mexico resident. Recently he was stationed in Tucson, Arizona. On January 1, 2012, Luevano’s retirement from active duty became official. And also early in 2012, the Luevano family began the joyful process of packing their belongings in anticipation of a move to a long awaited and well-deseved permanent residence. As luck would have it, construction and permitting delays at the city of Albuquerque kept the family move to the permanent residence in limbo until March. And then suddenly, all hell broke loose.

Progress Now New Mexico, a partisan radical fringe group made a huge media splash when it falsely accused Luevano of casting his final active duty vote illegally. Preposterously, the progressives demanded a "criminal" investigation.

Johnny Luevano

Since then the smear of this 20 year Marine veteran has been on. And so far there has been little or no recognition of the implications of Luevano’s active duty status in the media. Why would anyone want to smear Luevano and suggest he committed fraud? It is all very simple. He had the gall to run for elected office against one of Progress Now New Mexico’s favorite darlings, Representative Antonio “Moe” Maestas.

For his part Maestas, an attorney, has filed a lawsuit to try to have Luevano removed from the ballot. The hearing is set for April 9th. It is simply amazing to contrast this situation with the recent technical flaws in filing documents submitted by elected officials. If that contrast is not enough, consider the circumstances surrounding the candidates in the recent Sunland Park municipal elections.
With the unemployment rate for returning veterans at somewhere between 20 and 30%, and all of the seemingly heartfelt “Support the Troops” efforts made in our society, the “Luevano Incident” seems to have finally put all sense of shame and decency to rest. What people will do now days to hold on to political power is simply remarkable. American citizens who claim to “Support our Troops” should come from all over the nation and defend the rights of Johnny Luevano to serve his country and when he finishes, run for elected office.

The "Luevano Incident"

Only One Blasting Cap Away From Tyranny

Americans fought itself free from England based on a fundamental rejection of the heavy hand of big government. In defining our rights as free human beings, the Bill of Rights was an unambiguous message for all ambitious future government officials. We wanted there to be strict limits on the power of government. And those ten basic principles, written in the clearest possible language, spelled out precisely what sort of RESTRICTIONS we wanted to always be imposed on our government.

More than anything else, the language used in the Bill of Rights provides protection against the worst elements of human nature. In breaking away from King George III, Americans were unwilling to give government an inch, because instinctively our founders knew it would try to take a mile. They knew why they fought and they knew what was won.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

The Bill of Rights is supposed to protect us from all human beings who would dare to use government as a tool to deny freedoms. Specifically we are promised free: speech, press, religion, and assembly. We are also guaranteed the right keep and bear arms. Unreasonable searches and seizures by people in the government are prohibited. Our freedom is guaranteed by a due process guarantee in a court of law.

Elena Kagan

And we are also protected from our government through the requirement of speedy hearings, and trials by jury. Excessive bail, fines, or punishments are also prohibited. Most important of all we are provided with the specific guarantee that any authority not explicitly granted to the government, is reserved to us, as individuals. Make no mistake, the Bill of Rights is an irrevocable CAN’T DO list for ambitious elected officials. It is based on the assumption that one of the great failing of all human beings is the tendency to use the machinery of government to dominate life and usurp individual choices.

Sonia Sotomayor

Let’s turn our attention to the legal community. For most of the 225 years since the U.S. Constitution was adopted, a parade of crafty lawyers, acting as wordsmiths, illusionists, and legal magicians, have tried to convince the courts to countermand the fundamental protections of the Constitution. The latest effort came earlier this week when the Obama administrations lawyers tried to convince a majority of Supreme Court justices that the federal government has the authority to require all citizens to enter into private commercial contracts or face fines for not doing so.

John Paul Stevens

The questions offered by some of those lawyer-judges sitting on the Supreme Court shed light on just how precarious our constitutional protections have become. We can assume that as many as four of the nine Supreme Court justices are now ready to provide blasting caps to those who argued that the "mandate" provision contained in the Affordable Health Care Act is constitutional. The Obama administration has already placed legal explosives underneath the constitutional foundation of our country. All this president needs is one more lawyer-judge to give him a perverse "opinion." George III must be smirking somewhere.

Only One Blasting Cap Away From Tyranny