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Politics : Liberalism: Do You Agree We've Had Enough of It? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (74311)	10/28/2009 7:27:06 PM
From: mph	4 Recommendations Respond to of 224750

Truthout's Mission We are devoted to the principles of equality, democracy, human rights, accountability and social justice. We believe ardently in the power of free speech, and understand that democratic journalism can make the world a better place for all of us. As an organization, Truthout works to broaden and diversify the political discussion by introducing independent voices and focusing on undercovered issues and unconventional thinking. Harnessing the ever-expanding power of the Internet, we work to spread reliable information, peaceful thought and progressive ideas throughout the world. Where's their article about the assault on free speech on the part of Obama and his minions?

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (74311)	10/28/2009 7:57:06 PM
From: tonto	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224750

There is too much lying coming out of Washington. Hopefully more people will call out liars everywhere.

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (74311)	10/28/2009 9:54:48 PM
From: lorne	1 Recommendation Respond to of 224750

Mars Melt Hints at Solar, Not Human, Cause for Warming, Scientist SaysKate Ravilious for National Geographic News February 28, 2007 news.nationalgeographic.com Simultaneous warming on Earth and Mars suggests that our planet's recent climate changes have a natural—and not a human-induced—cause, according to one scientist's controversial theory. Earth is currently experiencing rapid warming, which the vast majority of climate scientists says is due to humans pumping huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. (Get an overview: "Global Warming Fast Facts".) Mars, too, appears to be enjoying more mild and balmy temperatures. In 2005 data from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor and Odyssey missions revealed that the carbon dioxide "ice caps" near Mars's south pole had been diminishing for three summers in a row. Habibullo Abdussamatov, head of space research at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory in Russia, says the Mars data is evidence that the current global warming on Earth is being caused by changes in the sun. "The long-term increase in solar irradiance is heating both Earth and Mars," he said. Solar Cycles Abdussamatov believes that changes in the sun's heat output can account for almost all the climate changes we see on both planets. Mars and Earth, for instance, have experienced periodic ice ages throughout their histories. "Man-made greenhouse warming has made a small contribution to the warming seen on Earth in recent years, but it cannot compete with the increase in solar irradiance," Abdussamatov said. By studying fluctuations in the warmth of the sun, Abdussamatov believes he can see a pattern that fits with the ups and downs in climate we see on Earth and Mars. Abdussamatov's work, however, has not been well received by other climate scientists. "His views are completely at odds with the mainstream scientific opinion," said Colin Wilson, a planetary physicist at England's Oxford University. "And they contradict the extensive evidence presented in the most recent IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] report." (Related: "Global Warming 'Very Likely' Caused by Humans, World Climate Experts Say" [February 2, 2007].) Amato Evan, a climate scientist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, added that "the idea just isn't supported by the theory or by the observations." Planets' Wobbles The conventional theory is that climate changes on Mars can be explained primarily by small alterations in the planet's orbit and tilt, not by changes in the sun. "Wobbles in the orbit of Mars are the main cause of its climate change in the current era," Oxford's Wilson explained. (Related: "Don't Blame Sun for Global Warming, Study Says" [September 13, 2006].) All planets experience a few wobbles as they make their journey around the sun. Earth's wobbles are known as Milankovitch cycles and occur on time scales of between 20,000 and 100,000 years. These fluctuations change the tilt of Earth's axis and its distance from the sun and are thought to be responsible for the waxing and waning of ice ages on Earth. Mars and Earth wobble in different ways, and most scientists think it is pure coincidence that both planets are between ice ages right now. "Mars has no [large] moon, which makes its wobbles much larger, and hence the swings in climate are greater too," Wilson said. No Greenhouse Perhaps the biggest stumbling block in Abdussamatov's theory is his dismissal of the greenhouse effect, in which atmospheric gases such as carbon dioxide help keep heat trapped near the planet's surface. He claims that carbon dioxide has only a small influence on Earth's climate and virtually no influence on Mars. But "without the greenhouse effect there would be very little, if any, life on Earth, since our planet would pretty much be a big ball of ice," said Evan, of the University of Wisconsin. Most scientists now fear that the massive amount of carbon dioxide humans are pumping into the air will lead to a catastrophic rise in Earth's temperatures, dramatically raising sea levels as glaciers melt and leading to extreme weather worldwide. Abdussamatov remains contrarian, however, suggesting that the sun holds something quite different in store. "The solar irradiance began to drop in the 1990s, and a minimum will be reached by approximately 2040," Abdussamatov said. "It will cause a steep cooling of the climate on Earth in 15 to 20 years."

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (74311)	10/28/2009 11:06:03 PM
From: Little Joe	Respond to of 224750

Ken you must be nuts. You use a Democrat from Illinois as your authority. I assume anything she says is a lie. lj

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (74311)	10/29/2009 12:38:24 PM
From: JakeStraw	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224750

Total Public Debt Outstanding 10/27/2009 $11,901,429,311,747.91

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (74311)	10/29/2009 3:53:33 PM
From: MJ	2 Recommendations Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224750

For the CIA, State Department, FBI to tell Congress about every step they take it would be like informing a whole small town and informing the whole world. When that happens security of our nation and other nations can be compromised. Perhaps Pelosi would rather have the Terrorist walking into her office in Washington or into the House Chamber. Or planting a suitcase bomb on Capitol Hill. That's why we have our security agencies----to prevent those happenings while not spreading the facts of how they do it to the whole world. Of course you know that or should know that.

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (74311)	10/29/2009 10:22:10 PM
From: Hope Praytochange	3 Recommendations Respond to of 224750

In the case of Ms. Waters, the ethics committee announced Thursday that it was impaneling a subcommittee tolook at her involvement in setting up a meeting last year between minority bankers and federal regulators. One of the banks that was most vocal at the Treasury Department meeting, OneUnited Bank, asked for $50 million in federal assistance. Ms. Waters and her husband, Sidney Williams, owned stock in the bank, and Mr. Williams had served on the board. The ethics committee said it would look at “the benefit, if any, Representative Waters or her husband received as a result” of her involvement with the bank. Ms. Waters said she was confident she would be exonerated and pointed to her long support for minority-owned business that “have been historically denied access to government regulators. The committee said it would investigate allegations that Ms. Richardson might have received improper perks on a home in Sacramento that she owned, which was foreclosed on, or that she might have failed to note her ownership interest on Congressional disclosure forms. Ms. Richardson said in a statement that she had been “subjected to premature judgments, speculation and baseless distractions that will finally be addressed in a fair, unbiased, bipartisan evaluation of the facts.” The committee on Thursday also announced that had declined to pursue an investigation against Representative Sam Graves, Republican of Missouri, saying he had not violated any House rules. In reaching that conclusion, the ethics panel disagreed with the Office of Congressional Ethics, an independent agency created by Congress in 2007 to bring greater accountability in investigations. That office had recommended an investigation after Mr. Graves invited his wife’s business associate to testify at a hearing on renewable energy without disclosing his relationship to the witness. The ethics office had concluded that there was “substantial reason to believe that an appearance of conflict of interest was created” by the invitation. But the ethics committee disagreed, saying that “the creation of an appearance of a conflict of interest” in selecting witnesses for congressional hearing was not banned by House rules. Eric Lipton contributed reporting.

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (74311)	10/30/2009 10:53:05 AM
From: longnshort	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224750

Ethics panel starts probes of 2 Dems; gets hacked Oct 30 12:27 AM US/Eastern By LARRY MARGASAK WASHINGTON (AP) - The House ethics committee announced Thursday it is investigating two California Democratic lawmakers, but its embarrassed leaders then had to explain that other members—named in a confidential memo that a hacker posted online—may have committed no wrongdoing. The committee said it is investigating whether Rep. Maxine Waters used her influence to help a bank in which her husband owned stock, and whether the couple benefited as a result. Separately, the panel is investigating whether Rep. Laura Richardson failed to disclose required information on her financial disclosure forms and received special treatment from a lender. As the House was conducting scheduled votes Thursday, ethics chairwoman Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., went to the microphone to announce that a confidential weekly report of the committee from July had leaked out in a case of "cyber-hacking." A committee statement said its security was breached through "peer to peer file sharing software" by a junior employee who was working from home. The staff member was fired. The July report contains a summary of the committee's work at the time, but Lofgren said no inferences should be made about anyone whose name is mentioned. The committee makes a public announcement when it begins an investigation of potential rule-breaking, which is conducted by an investigative subcommittee whose members also are made public. However, the weekly reports include a summary of the committee's work at an earlier stage, when its members and staff scrutinize lawmakers to see whether an investigation is warranted. The Washington Post reported in its online edition Thursday that the document was disclosed on a publicly accessible computer network and made available to the newspaper by a source familiar with such networks. The Post reported that nearly half the members of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee were under scrutiny. The previously disclosed inquiry involves lawmakers who steered appropriations to clients of a now-defunct lobbying firm and received campaign contributions from the firm and its clients. The names included three lawmakers previously identified in the inquiry: the chairman of the defense subcommittee, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa.; and Reps. Peter Visclosky, D-Ind., and James Moran, D-Va. The Post said others whose names were in the report included Reps. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, C.W. Bill Young, R-Fla., and Todd Tiahrt, R-Kan. The committee, however, has not announced an investigation of any of these lawmakers. Waters is the No. 3 Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee and chairwoman of its subcommittee on housing. She has been an influential voice in the committee's work to overhaul financial regulations. Waters came under scrutiny after former Treasury Department officials said she helped arrange a meeting between regulators and executives at OneUnited Bank last year without mentioning her husband's financial ties to the institution. Her husband, Sidney Williams, holds at least $250,000 in the bank's stock and previously had served on its board. Waters' spokesman, Michael Levin, said Williams was no longer on the board when the meeting was arranged. Waters has said the National Bankers Association, a trade group, requested the meeting. She defended her role in assisting minority-owned banks in the midst of the nation's financial meltdown and dismissed suggestions she used her influence to steer government aid to the bank. "I am confident that as the investigation moves forward the panel will discover that there are no facts to support allegations that I have acted improperly," Waters said in a statement. The committee unanimously voted to establish an investigative subcommittee to gather evidence and determine whether Waters violated standards of conduct. The committee said it would investigate "alleged communications and activities with, or on behalf of, the National Bankers Association or OneUnited Bank" and "the benefit, if any, Rep. Waters or her husband received as a result." The committee also voted unanimously to investigate whether Richardson violated House rules, its Code of Conduct or the Ethics in Government Act by failing to disclose property, income and liabilities on her financial disclosure forms. The investigation also will determine whether Richardson received an impermissible gift or preferential treatment from a lender, "relating to the foreclosure, recission of the foreclosure sale or loan modification agreement" for her Sacramento, Calif., property. Richardson said she has been subjected to "premature judgments, speculation and baseless distractions that will finally be addressed in a fair, unbiased, bipartisan evaluation of the facts." "Like 4.3 million Americans in the last year who faced financial problems because of a personal crisis like a divorce, death in the family, unexpected job and living changes and an erroneous property sale, all of which I have experienced in the span of slightly over a year, I have worked to resolve a personal financial situation," she said in a statement. The committee ended an investigation of Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., and released a report finding no ethical violations. It investigated whether Graves used his position on the House Small Business Committee to invite a longtime friend and business partner of his wife to testify at a committee hearing on the federal regulation of biodiesel and ethanol production.