April 16, 2010 10:56 pm
My Way News (AP), “Clinton alludes to 1995 bombing, says words matter”
Former President Bill Clinton warned of a slippery slope from angry anti-government rhetoric to violence like the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, saying “the words we use really do matter.”
The two-term Democratic president insisted he wasn’t trying to restrict free speech, but in remarks Friday he said incendiary language can be taken the wrong way by some Americans. He drew parallels to words demonizing the government before Oklahoma City.
On April 19, 1995, an anti-government conspiracy led by Army veteran Timothy McVeigh exploded a truck bomb outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 people.
“What we learned from Oklahoma City is not that we should gag each other or that we should reduce our passion for the positions we hold – but that the words we use really do matter, because there’s this vast echo chamber, and they go across space and they fall on the serious and the delirious alike. They fall on the connected and the unhinged alike,” he said.
My Way News (AP) article continues here.
April 16, 2010 9:57 am
CNN, “Experts: Angry rhetoric protected, but can be disturbing”
by Eliott C. McLaughlin
Letting disgruntled citizens vent is important to national security, experts say, but some messages emanating from angry Americans in recent weeks have pressed the boundaries of free speech.
Politicians have reported slurs as well as threatening letters and phone calls. Congressmen have reported vandalism to their offices. One said he was spit on. Another said his brother’s gas line was cut after a Tea Party member posted his address online.
Tea Party leaders denounce the threats and deny involvement, pointing to fringe elements — not Tea Party members, per se, but groups with degrees of overlapping ideologies.
CNN article continues here.
April 15, 2010 11:31 pm
Read about the ongoing investigation at The Hayride.
April 15, 2010 11:31 pm
Fox News, “Obama Renews Call for Bipartisanship, Takes Jab at Tea Partiers”
“I’ve been a little amused over the last couple of days where people have been having these rallies about taxes,” the president said, noting the numerous tax cuts pushed by his administration. “You would think they’d be saying thank you.”
Fox News article continues here.
April 15, 2010 11:30 pm
Reuters, “US Senate climate bill to be unveiled April 26”
by Richard Cowan
A long-awaited compromise bill to reduce U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases blamed for global warming will be unveiled by a group of senators on April 26, sources said on Thursday.
The legislative language to be sketched out in 11 days, according to government and environmental sources, is being drafted by Democratic Senator John Kerry, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and independent Senator Joseph Lieberman.
Backers of the environmental bill hope the unveiling will pave the way for the full Senate to debate and pass a measure in June or July if the compromise attracts enough support from a group of moderate Republicans and Democrats.
Republican Senator Judd Gregg told Reuters he was “committed to getting something that addresses our energy needs in a constructive and comprehensive way.” He added he did not know yet whether he would support the bill being developed.
Reuters article continues here.
April 14, 2010 9:33 pm
Gateway Pundit, “Police Release Description of Allee Bautsch Attacker”
by Jim Hoft
Superintendent Warren J. Riley and members of the New Orleans Police are asking the public’s assistance in locating and identifying several suspects wanted in connection with an incident that occurred in the 600 block of Saint Louis Street . The incident occurred Friday April 9, 2010, at approximately 10:45 P.M.
According to investigators, the victims were walking from a function at a restaurant in the 400 block of Royal Street . When they entered the 600 block of Saint Louis Street , three to five Caucasian males made derogatory comments to the 25-year-old female and her 28-year-old male friend. When the male victim turned towards the group of men, one or more of the suspects struck the victim several times. At some point the female victim fell to the ground and screamed. The suspects then fled on foot. Officers in the area heard the female screaming and responded to the scene and broadcasted a description of the suspects and requested Emergency Medical Paramedics. As the female was waiting for EMS , she used her purse as a pillow. When the victim was in the ambulance, she discovered her purse was missing.
Gateway Pundit article continues here.
April 14, 2010 9:30 pm
Fox News, “White House Grants Journalists Unprecedented Access for ‘Insider’ Books”
by James Rosen
The number of writers presently trampling through New York publishing houses and the West Wing, peddling dramatic accounts of Obama’s rise to power and his exercise of it in the Oval Office, appears to be greater than during previous presidencies.
There may be no better credential for membership in the Washington establishment — or at least the journalistic equivalent of it — than to be one of the 10 journalists said to be writing books about President Obama and receiving special access to the White House to do it.
The list of authors, first published in Politico and much discussed across the blogosphere, includes such bold-face names as David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker magazine; Bob Woodward, the famed Washington Post reporter and chronicler of presidential administrations; Jonathan Alter of Newsweek magazine; Jodi Kantor of the New York Times, and Chuck Todd, NBC News White House correspondent.
Fox News article continues here.
April 14, 2010 9:29 pm
Politico Click, “Armstrong: Obama hurting space effort”
by Patrick Gavin
“The United States entered into the challenge of space exploration under President Eisenhower’s first term, however, it was the Soviet Union who excelled in those early years,” the letter begins.”Under the bold vision of Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, and with the overwhelming approval of the American people, we rapidly closed the gap in the final third of the 20th century, and became the world leader in space exploration. …
“When President Obama recently released his budget for NASA, he proposed a slight increase in total funding, substantial research and technology development, an extension of the International Space Station operation until 2020, long range planning for a new but undefined heavy lift rocket and significant funding for the development of commercial access to low earth orbit.
“Although some of these proposals have merit, the accompanying decision to cancel the Constellation program, its Ares 1 and Ares V rockets, and the Orion spacecraft, is devastating.
Politico Click article continues here.
April 13, 2010 6:09 pm
The Washington Times, “Income falls 3.2% during Obama’s term”
by Joseph Curl
Real personal income for Americans – excluding government payouts such as Social Security – has fallen by 3.2 percent since President Obama took office in January 2009, according to the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis.
For comparison, real personal income during the first 15 months in office for President George W. Bush, who inherited a milder recession from his predecessor, dropped 0.4 percent. Income excluding government payouts increased 12.7 percent during Mr. Bush’s eight years in office.
“This is hardly surprising,” said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, an economist and former director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. “Under President Obama, only federal spending is going up; jobs, business startups, and incomes are all down. It is proof that the government can’t spend its way to prosperity.”
The Washington Times article continues here.
April 12, 2010 10:34 pm
Working to destroy it, maybe?
The Cable, “Obama: We’re still working on our democracy”
by Josh Rogin
President Obama said Sunday that the United States is still “working on” democracy and a top aide said he has taken “historic steps” to improve democracy in the United States during his time in office.
The remarks came as Obama met with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev — one of the U.S. president’s many meetings with world leaders ahead of this week’s nuclear summit.
Kazakhstan, which has been touting its record on combating nuclear proliferation, is a key player in the NATO supply network to Afghanistan and currently heads the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
The Cable article continues here.
