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Politics : American Presidential Politics and foreign affairs -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: sandintoes who wrote (39861)	12/23/2009 8:33:17 PM
From: Peter Dierks	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 71588

Congress back to finding ways to fund ACORN by Kyle Olson ACORN’s friends, with a fresh court ruling backing the organization, are finding new ways to send taxpayer dollars to it. The Weekly Standard exposed an amendment offered by Sen. Rolland Burris (D-IL), President Obama’s replacement in the Senate, to the main piece of legislation enacting ObamaCare. Specifically, Burris’ amendment would require an “Office of Minority Health” be established in several different agencies. On page 241 of the amendment (yes, the amendment is over 241 pages): In carrying out this subsection, the Secretary … shall award grants, contracts … with public and nonprofit private entities, agencies, as well as Departmental and Cabinet agencies and organizations, and with organizations that are indigenous human resource providers in communities of color. … Such measures shall evaluate community outreach activities, language services, workforce cultural competence, and other areas as determined by the Secretary. Can you say ‘ACORN?’ Additionally, according to the Weekly Standard, the original bill itself contains language creating funding opportunities for “community and consumer-focused nonprofit groups” to “conduct public education activities to raise awareness of the availability of qualified health plans.” And what if another judge overturned Judge Nina Gershon’s ruling declaring the congressional action to ‘defund’ ACORN? They needn’t worry: funding provided by the health care legislation would go through exchanges, which aren’t covered by the ‘Defund ACORN’ bill. Whew! That was close, wasn’t it ACORN?!? This all underscores the fact that like the stimulus bill, socialized medicine is just another giveaway to liberal groups. That’s change we can believe in! biggovernment.com

To: sandintoes who wrote (39861)	12/24/2009 11:49:21 AM
From: Peter Dierks	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 71588

China Steals Christmas The trial of democracy advocate Liu Xiaobo. DECEMBER 24, 2009. Chinese leader Hu Jintao is putting Christmas to the most cynical use imaginable: jailing a prominent dissident on a holiday when most of the world's media and government workers will be preoccupied with family and friends. While millions of Christians are commemorating the day "grace and truth" became incarnate in Bethlehem, Liu Xiaobo will be sentenced for speaking truth to communist power. This callous exploitation of Christmas should inspire freedom-loving people, whether Christian or not, to keep Mr. Liu and his family in their thoughts over the holiday. Mr. Liu, a drafter of the Charter 08 manifesto a year ago calling for political reform, is so far the only one of more than 8,000 signatories to be arrested and tried for subversion. His trial comes in the midst of an intensifying crackdown on all forms of dissent. Mr. Liu was subjected to a two-hour "trial" yesterday—his wife, chosen lawyer and outside observers were excluded—and the verdict is due to be announced on Friday morning. Why cite Mr. Hu, the secretary general of the Chinese Communist Party, as the ultimate culprit? For one thing, we know the decision on the sentencing of a dissident of Mr. Liu's importance is made at the Politburo level. Mr. Liu has already been in detention for a year, and his indictment was rushed through in early December to make a Christmas trial possible, as has been done with other dissidents. A U.S. State Department spokesman rightly denounced the trial yesterday, saying that "As far as we can tell, this man's crime was simply signing a piece of paper that aspires to a more open and participatory form of government." He added that such "a political trial" is "uncharacteristic of a great country." Alas, it's far too characteristic of this Chinese government that still fears its own people. online.wsj.com