I thought I'd resurrect his one.

Obama to Cede US Sovereignty

This is a must-see video!

Lord Monckton is a leading debunker of the whole anthropogenic global warming scam. Among his actions in this regard, he successfully sued to prevent the showing of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth as part of the scientific curriculum of British schools, due to its clear flaws and exaggerations. A British court agreed with him, citing nine specific instances where the information presented as hard science was clearly wrong. He also has a long-standing challenge for Mr. Gore to meet him in an open debate on the topic of global warming, a challenge that has so far been ignored.

Hat tip to Jim Myers and, of course, to Lord Monckton... thank you for your efforts.

Obama's peace overtures warrant laughter, not a Nobel Prize

About the only thing more comical than Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize was the reaction of those who deemed the award "premature," as if the brilliance of Mr. Obama's foreign policy is so self- evident and its success so assured that if only the Norway Five had waited a few years, his Nobel worthiness would have been universally acknowledged.

I'm thinking they gave it to him now b/c in a few years when American ideals are all but gone and we'll be learning to speak Russian, Chinese or whatever dialect Iranians speak, it will be too late.
More from Krauthammer here

This Week's Images

A new feature. Look here every Friday... you just might get lucky.


A great cartoon that pretty much says it all!


I have one hanging in every room!!! Even the bathroom... i just put duck tape over his eyes so he can't see me pee.

Top Twenty Things Obama Doesn't Say

By Jill S. Sprik on The American Thinker

Despite countless speeches and news conferences, did you ever hear President Obama express the following ideas?

1. Not everything is a federal issue; some things are for the states to decide.

2. I hear what you're saying and you have a good point.

3. One of the beautiful things about our constitution is the liberty given to individuals to pursue their dreams. There is great opportunity in our country to succeed.

4. In an effort to stimulate job growth and despite the objections from my party, I am working with Congress to reduce taxes for small businesses.

5. I am saddened by the cycle of poverty that exists in our major cities, and here is a way we can empower the next generation to break the cycle and fulfill their God-given potential....

6. The folks at the town hall meetings and those who came to Washington on 9/12 were exercising one of the greatest rights we have as Americans, freedom of speech.

7. Stop already with all forms of ‘cult of personality' behavior. I am a public servant, just like all those who have served before and all who will come after my term is complete. It's not about me, it's about the country.

8. I heard a great message Sunday morning at church.

9. History teaches us that evil exists in the world; for this reason the United States must remain strong, ready to defend itself and its allies.

10. I didn't realize a communist was part of my administration. It won't happen again.

11. The billions siphoned out of health care into lawyers' pockets never healed a single person.

12. No other country on earth offers its citizens the opportunity to pursue life, liberty, and happiness as does the United States of America.

13. The experts have looked at the proposed (fill-in-the-blank) program, and when it is extrapolated out beyond just the initial offering there is clear evidence it will cost too much money and will eventually fail.

14. I disagree 100% with the Cloward-Piven strategy of increasing the welfare rolls and overwhelming the financial system, and I am not affiliated in any way with the implementation of such an idea.

15. I don't know the answer to your question but I will give it some thought.

16. The goal of my presidency is not to implement a political ideology, but to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.

17. Every person has value regardless of age, gender, color, physical characteristics, or any other factor.

18. Any healthcare bill I sign must include a provision to exclude the rationing of care, keep the door open for competition among insurers, and promote the opportunity for our young people to pursue an education in the medical fields to ensure future supply meets future demand.

19. It is important for legislators to remember that what helps someone in the short-term may actually hurt them in the long-term, and we must avoid this kind of scenario.

20. It has become clear to me after meeting with military experts that their recommendations should be implemented in our current situation; this is not an area in which politics can be allowed to interfere.

The list could continue, but you get the point: by not saying the kinds of things that show recognition of individual and state rights, by not listening to what a variety of voices can contribute to the discussion, by an unwillingness to be taught, and by a lack of humility, there is little evidence our President wants our individual, local, state, and national success. Instead, he seems intent on implementing an agenda.

It's sad, really. This is someone who has the power and authority to do great things that could open the floodgates of opportunity for our country. The right path in economic and foreign affairs could be more readily determined if his agenda was set aside.

Pity the Americans who can't find jobs, can't feed their families, whose dreams have been destroyed by an economic crisis that could be remedied if someone who truly wanted to make things better would choose to do so.

Mr. Obama has thrown a lot of people under the bus. I wonder if someone would do the same to him if he dared to deviate from his current role as Messiah of the Progressive movement and instead became the President of the United States.

I particularly liked #16... as a matter of fact, if he only said #16, a lot of the other ones would disappear.

The Nobel Hope Prize

An award for the end of American exceptionalism.

The Nobel Peace Prize awarded to President Obama yesterday was greeted with astonishment as much as any other emotion, even among many of his admirers. Our own reaction is bemusement at the Norwegian decision to offer what amounts to the world's first futures prize in diplomacy, with the Nobel Committee anticipating the heroic concessions that it believes Mr. Obama will make to secure treaties that will produce a new era of global serenity.

Maybe he really is The One.

Mr. Obama seemed more than a little amazed himself, after only nine months on the job and having been inaugurated only 12 days before Nobel nominations were due in February. The prize isn't "a recognition of my own accomplishment," the President said yesterday, adding that "I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize." Humility grace note accepted.

Yet something more than the power of charisma induced the Norwegians to honor Mr. Obama, so this is also a teachable moment. The committee's citation provides a crib sheet. The Norwegians hailed "Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons," noting "a new climate" in which "multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position."

The statement extols the American's support for the U.N. and notes that "dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts." Praise comes as well for Mr. Obama's commitment to fight climate change by capping greenhouse gas emissions. George W. Bush may have retired from American public life, but the Europeans want the Yanks to know they never want to see his likes again. Counting Jimmy Carter in 2002 and Al Gore in 2007, this is the third Nobel Non-Bush Peace Prize.

On one level, all of this represents the parochial European foreign policy agenda. But somehow we doubt Mr. Obama would have received the Nobel merely for believing in climate change. The Norwegians rightly detect something larger in Mr. Obama's vision. As Thorbjørn Jagland, who chairs the Nobel Committee, told CNN: "He has done a lot already" and this award will "enhance the ideals Barack Obama is promoting."

What ideals are those? Well, the Nobel citation declares that Mr. Obama's "diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population." Now, the world is a big place, much of it run by despots and crooks, each of whom gets the same vote in the U.N. General Assembly as America. The Europeans are applauding that at long last there is an American President willing to let himself and his country mingle as equals with this amorphous global "majority."

The Norwegians are on to something. In a mere nine months, the President has promulgated a vision for the U.S. role in the world that breaks with both Republican and Democratic predecessors. Madeleine Albright, Bill Clinton's Secretary of State, called America the "indispensable nation" a decade ago. Ronald Reagan called it a "city on the Hill," an example to the world.

Mr. Obama sees the U.S. differently, as weaker than it was and the rest of the planet as stronger, and so he calls for a humbler America, at best a first among equals, working primarily through the U.N. The world's challenges, he emphasized yesterday, "can't be met by any one leader or any one nation." What this suggests to us—and to the Norwegians—is the end of what has been called "American exceptionalism." This is the view that U.S. values have universal application and should be promoted without apology, and defended with military force when necessary.

From the WSJ

Obama...The Beta Male

We're all somewhat familiar with the body language dogs display when they greet each other. The dominant alpha male approaches directly, asserting his authority, while the beta male genuflects, crouches, tucks his tail, and may even end up on his back, exposing his neck in acquiescence, making sure the alpha male knows he has no intention of challenging him. With his "we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist" opening to the world's dictators, the President is exhibiting classic beta male behavior, in essence rolling over on his back and exposing his throat to them to make sure they know he has no intention of challenging their authority.

There's not a strong bone in the man's body. His eyes should've opened when he was shunned by Russia's leaders on a recent trip but it's a lesson we're all going to have to learn with him. It's only a matter of time before the world's bullies stop testing the waters and start really picking on us as a whole. For more from The American Thinker, click here.

Subsidized Health Care: a view from the exam room

By Linda Halderman, MD --- Published on American Thinker

I learned a lot about the cost of health care when I had a hybrid general surgery practice in California 's rural San Joaquin Valley. My practice consisted of uninsured women with breast cancer combined with a smaller percentage of cosmetic patients whose cash payments for "vanity care" subsidized the treatment of women unable to pay for needed medical treatment.

Although patients seeking cosmetic services tend to be healthy, I evaluated them like any other patient. I asked about medical history, allergies, medications and genetic disorders.

Upon questioning Sherry S., a pretty 46-year-old seeking wrinkle relief, I learned that four of her immediate family members had been diagnosed with breast or colon cancer before the age of 50. Alarmed, I asked why she had not had the recommended screening mammogram for more than four years.

She said that she knew already that her risk for developing breast cancer was likely higher than that of most women.

"But I don't have insurance," she replied.

A screening mammogram could be obtained for about $90 and was discounted or free at local facilities every October for "Breast Cancer Awareness Month."

She smiled when I proposed a deal: if she were to get a screening mammogram within sixty days of her treatment, I would offer a discount on what she paid me for cosmetic services.

"I'll think about it," she said, then shelled out over $400 for BotoxTM injections that took me ten minutes to administer.

Five months later, when she returned for her next wrinkle treatment, she reported that she still had not obtained a mammogram.

I encountered patients who gladly paid upwards of $1000 in cash for laser hair removal treatments. The paperwork filled out during their initial consultation asked them to indicate whether or not they had health insurance.

Several hair removal patients reported being covered by Medi-Cal, the government funded health coverage for California 's low-income population.

A friend of mine sells private health insurance plans. He told me of the 39-year-old father of two whose family was quoted a monthly insurance premium of $250.

"Are you kidding?" he said, refusing the coverage. "That's almost as much as my boat payment!"

When serving in the Rural Health Center in my community, my colleagues and I offered free or discounted care for a large number of patients. Many were covered by Medi-Cal or one of dozens of state programs paid for by the taxpayers of California.

The following items were commonly seen on patients or carried by their dependent children, who were also covered by subsidized programs:

--Cell phones and "BlackBerry" PDAs, including just-released models with a price tag of $400, plus an ongoing monthly service fee of $65-$150

--iPods and portable DVD players

--GameBoys and handheld electronic games

--Artificial fingernails requiring maintenance every two weeks at a cost of $40-$60 per salon visit

--Elaborate braided hair weaves, $300 per session plus frequent maintenance

--Custom-designed body art, including tattoos covering the entire torso, neck and arms, as well as body jewelry piercing every skin surface imaginable-and a few unimaginable ones. Custom tattoo work, particularly the "portrait-type" and "half sleeve" art popular in this area, runs from $100-$300 per hour and can require up to 20 hours of work, depending on the complexity of the design.

[Author's note: in three years, I performed over a dozen operations as the result of complications related to infected or abnormally healed body piercings. Breast abscesses were the most common pathology, followed by cauliflower-shaped keloid scars that interfered with function. Blood-borne diseases can be contracted during amateur and prison tattoos and piercings, and patients self-reported Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV infections. Treatment of the complications of body art among my patients was largely covered by Medi-Cal or left unpaid.]

From the office I shared with another doctor at the clinic, I had a clear view of the patient parking lot. It was not unusual for me to see clinic patients drive away in late model SUVs or cars customized in the style popular in my area. I was given an education about the after-market accessories I saw daily, including "mag" wheels, chrome trim, spinning hubcaps and fancy custom paint jobs. Gasoline prices were particularly high in central California at that time.

I overheard patients and their children chatting as I wrote in their charts. Many had an excellent command of the plotlines of cable television shows aired only on premium channels. Basic cable in my area cost over $50 per month, with premium channels extra.

I also overheard the front desk clinic staff members explain politely to angry patients that they did, in fact, have to make $5 co-pays for an office visit or meet their $20 "Share of Cost" on a $600 bill as required by Medi-Cal.

Like many of my colleagues in rural communities with few resources, I did care for patients who actually lived in poverty. For them, luxury meant keeping the utilities on and having clean clothes for a rare visit to the doctor. In California 's Central Valley , "dirt poor" is not just a phrase. But these patients, who rewarded me in ways that don't fit in the lines on any tax return, were outnumbered by others who considered health care a lower budget priority than decorated skin and expensive toys.

Individuals in this country have a right to decide how -- and how not -- to spend their money.

But that right does not include accepting entitlements without sharing responsibility. Doing so contributes to the high cost of care that burdens every unsubsidized patient.

If individuals prefer to buy luxury items rather than pay for their healthcare needs, that preference should not be rewarded while taxpayers struggle to foot their own bills.

Dr. Linda Halderman was a Breast Cancer Surgeon in rural central California until unsustainable Medicaid payment practices contributed to her practice's closure. She now serves as the healthcare policy advisor for California's Senator Sam Aanestad while continuing to provide trauma and emergency services in rural communities.

The word is spreading...

Here's the news video.

Small Government

For all of you who wish for smaller government, this site is for you.

A Few (Better) Ideas Of Their Own

From Investors Business Daily

Reform: Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., made headlines this week with two claims, both wild and neither true: Republicans' health care plan consists of urging the sick to "die quickly," and the GOP has no proposals of its own.

The first charge is so juvenile that it doesn't even deserve a response. But the second — "the Republicans' health care plan was a blank piece of paper" — requires a response.

Republicans do have alternatives to the legislative mess that Democrats are pushing, and they've been offering them for years. The left, however, has bitterly resisted these ideas — not because the policies won't work, but because they would, and Democrats apparently have no interest in improvement.

They prefer a system in decline so that their push for government health care can look to many like a practical solution. The Republican ideas that have been either hobbled or outright blocked by the Democrats include:

• Health savings accounts/medical savings accounts: Americans who hold these tax-free accounts, up to $5,950 for a family, use them to pay for basic medical services.In 1996, the Republican Congress passed a medical savings account demonstration program that, in deference to Sen. Ted Kennedy's opposition to MSAs, severely restricted the number of participants. Kennedy tried to kill the MSA provision, but settled on a compromise — a limit of 750,000 accounts.

He was willing to allow a few Americans to have the accounts because he needed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which the MSAs were a part of, to pass. In the end, Kennedy won. He got the framework of health care rules that were part of the law, and, due to the bill's heavy regulations, only about 75,000 MSAs were ever sold.

In 2003, the MSA program was replaced by health savings accounts legislation, and roughly 7 million Americans now have them. But Democrats including Rep. Pete Stark of California, who called the accounts "weapons of mass destruction," tried to destroy HSAs through excessive mandates in last year's Taxpayer Assistance and Simplification Act. Fortunately, that bill never became law.

In recent years, Republicans have tried to advance policies that would increase the number of Americans who have HSAs. But Democrats have sat on the proposals. They don't like HSAs because they put patients in charge of their own medical care and push government further away from the process.

• Insurance competition: Republicans have also been trying for years to change the law that lets state governments bar insurance companies from selling individual health plans across state lines. If the practice were ever allowed, consumers would have more providers and plans to choose from. The competition would, as competition always does, drive down prices as well.

In 2007, GOP Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina offered an amendment that would have permitted Americans to shop for individual plans across state lines. But the Democratic majority in the Senate rejected it.

• Tort reform: The Pacific Research Institute estimates that the practice of defensive medicine wastes more than $200 billion a year. With trial lawyers and plaintiffs seeking fortunes through medical malpractice suits, doctors routinely overtreat patients to cover themselves in the event they are sued. They also pay higher malpractice insurance premiums because insurers often have to pay dearly in malpractice cases. These conditions increase costs.

For years Republicans have tried to bring down health care expenses though legislation that would place reasonable limits on the amount of damages a jury can award. But they have had little success at the federal level going against the party that's inextricably linked to the trial bar and its generous campaign contributions.

• Current legislation: Just this year, the GOP has proposed more than 30 health care bills in just the House. But those bills, which cover issues from costs to portability, have gone nowhere in Democratically controlled Washington. "The White House, in spite of saying they look forward to meeting with anybody who wants to solve these challenges, has rebuffed us at every turn," GOP Rep. Tom Price of Georgia told the Examiner newspapers.

In response to calls that he apologize for his inflammatory comments, Rep. Grayson sarcastically said he would "apologize to the dead and their families that we haven't voted sooner to end this holocaust in America."

Give the first-term congressman credit. Having distracted the media with his sideshow, they don't have time to report on the Republicans' efforts to improve health care in America through consumer-driven policies.