Prof. Watson calls Morano an ‘asshole’ on Newsnight !

Marc Morano
Climate Depot
Sunday, Dec 6th, 2009

A professor who is accusing global warming skeptics of engaging in “tabloid-style character assassination” of scientists, called an American climate skeptic “an assh*le” on the December 4, 2009 live broadcast of BBC’s Newsnight program.

“What an assh*le!” declared Professor Watson at the end of the contentious debate with Climate Depot’s executive editor Marc Morano. A clearly agitated Watson had earlier shouted to Morano “will you shut up.”

SNL: Party Crashing Couple- 12/5/09 (VIDEO)

SNL Salahi Skit Spoofs Party Crashing Couple, Secret Service (VIDEO)

Huffington Post

First Posted: 12- 5-09 06:47 PM   |   Updated: 12- 6-09 03:32 AM

UPDATE:
The Salahis did not appear on SNL’s opening scene. But the show did begin with a clip lampooning the party crashers and a Secret Service of enablers.

WATCH VIDEO HERE

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The party-crashing couple that embarrassed the Secret Service and brought scrutiny to protocol at White House social events by getting into a state dinner may be in on the joke.

According to The Washington Post blog The TV Column, Tareq and Michaele Salahi are slated to appear in tonight’s opening skit of Saturday Night Live:

As of Thursday, the NBC late-night show was planning to open with a skit in which, with cast members playing all the parts, President Obama would give a speech with his cabinet behind him. Suddenly, he’s interrupted by the Salahis, who have crashed the speech — Michaele Salahi in a red,red sari, just like the one she wore when she and her husband allegedly crashed that White House state dinner last month.

The Salahis were asked about a possible SNL appearance on Friday, when the couple arrived in court. They were there over a dispute on a $925 landscaping bill. Tareq Slahi smiled, when he was asked about the appearance, but said nothing, according to The Warren County Report Newspaper.

Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively is set to host Saturday’s show.

Hans Blix: Bush and Blair misled the public and both could end up on trial

‘Bush and Blair misled the public… yes, it’s conceivable both could end up on trial’
So why hasn’t UN weapons expert Hans Blix been called to give evidence at the Chilcot Inquiry?

By Tim Shipman and David Jones
Daily Mail on 5th December 2009

Devastating critique: Former UN weapons expert Hans Blix says Bush and Blair showed 'very bad judgement'

Tony Blair and George Bush were orchestrating a witch-hunt against Saddam Hussein that ended with the Iraq War, according to a former UN weapons inspector.

Hans Blix said the two leaders behaved like 17th century witchfinders in their willingness to oust the dictator.

In an interview with the Mail, he revealed that Mr Blair tried to force him to change his mind about the absence of WMDs in Iraq to placate the Americans.

The former Swedish diplomat, who headed the UN weapons inspection team in the run-up to war, concluded that Mr Blair and Mr Bush ‘misled themselves and then they misled the public’.

He said: ‘They were convinced they had their witch in front of them, and they searched for the evidence and believed it without critical examination.

‘I’m not saying they acted in bad faith [but] they exercised very bad judgment. A modicum of critical thinking would have made them sceptical. When you start a war which cost thousands of lives you should be more certain than they were.’

Source

Dr Kelly WAS murdered and there has to be a new inquest, say six top doctors

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1233330/Dr-David-Kelly-Six-doctors-demand-inquest-death-weapons-expert-prove-murdered.html

By Tim Shipman, Deputy Political Editor
Daily Mail 0n 5th December 2009

Six doctors who believe government scientist David Kelly was murdered have launched a ground-breaking legal action to demand the inquest into his death is reopened.

They are to publish a hard-hitting report which they claim proves the weapons expert did not commit suicide as the Hutton Report decided.

They have also engaged lawyers to write to Attorney General Baroness Scotland and the coroner Nicholas Gardiner calling for a full re-examination of the circumstances of his death.

The doctors are asking for permission to go to the High Court to reopen the inquest on the grounds that it was improperly suspended. If Baroness Scotland rejects that demand, or the court turns them down, their lawyers say they will have grounds to seek judicial review of the decision.

Dr Kelly was found dead at a beauty spot near his Oxfordshire home in 2003, days after he was exposed as the source of a story that Tony Blair’s government ’sexed-up’ its dossier on Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction to justify invading Iraq.

In one final phone conversation, he told a caller he wouldn’t be surprised ‘if my body was found in the woods’.

The inquest into Dr Kelly’s death was suspended before it could begin by order of the then Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer. He used the Coroners Act to designate the Hutton Inquiry as ‘fulfilling the function of an inquest’.

Lord Falconer, a former flatmate of Tony Blair, was also responsible for picking Lord Hutton to run the inquiry.

[Source]

Law Enforcement Tapped Sprint Wireless Customers 8 Million Times In A Year

Police Tapped Sprint Customer GPS Data 8 Million Times In A Year

TPM Muckraker

Justin Elliott | December 4, 2009, 6:03PM

Under a new system set up by Sprint, law enforcement agencies have gotten GPS data from the company about its wireless customers 8 million times in about a year, raising a host of questions about consumer privacy, transparency, and oversight of how police obtain location data.

What this means — and what many wireless customers no doubt do not realize — is that with a few keystrokes, police can determine in real time the location of a cell phone user through automated systems set up by the phone companies.

And while a Sprint spokesman told us customers can shield themselves from surveillance by simply switching off the GPS function of their phones, one expert told TPM that the company and other carriers almost certainly have the power to remotely switch the function back on.

To be clear, you can think of there being two types of GPS (global positioning system). One is the handy software on your mobile device that tells you where you are and helps give driving directions. But there’s also GPS capability in all cell phones sold today, required by a federal regulation so if you dial 911 from an unknown location, authorities can find you.

Sprint says the 8 million requests represent “thousands” of individual customers — it won’t say how many exactly — and that the company follows the law. It’s not clear, however, if warrants are always needed, or whether they have been obtained by police for all the cases.

We know the 8 million number thanks to an Indiana University graduate student named Christopher Soghoian, who has made headlines before for investigations of privacy and tech issues.

MORE HERE

The Unbearable Lightness of Being Tony Blair

by Matthew Carr, Dissident Voice,  December 3, 2009

At some point in the New Year Tony Blair will appear before the Chilcot Inquiry established by the British government to assess the historical ‘lessons’ of the Iraq war. Few individuals bear more responsibility for the invasion and its calamitous aftermath than Blair. Not only was his single-minded determination crucial in bringing his own country into the war, but his close political relationship with the Bush administration, also helped US hawks present the case for war to a sceptical American public.

The consequences of this intervention are well-known; hundreds of thousands of Iraqi deaths and four million refugees and internally displaced persons; thousands of British and American soldiers killed or wounded; an Iraqi society devastated by war and counterinsurgency, by criminal and terrorist violence, ethnic cleansing and death squads; a neo-colonial occupation marked by torture and brutality and barely-credible levels of financial corruption and incompetence.

Continues >>

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Pilger: Aborigines betrayed

Morning Star Online,  December 3, 2009

By John Pilger

I remember the boys dressed in army surplus, the girls in hessian, silhouettes framed in beach shanties, staring across an abyss. You were not meant to talk about them. They were not counted in the census, unlike the sheep, and anyway were dirty and feckless and dying off.

You were not meant to disturb the surface of our great southern idyll, sun-kissed and God-blessed, in circumstances that might raise questions of race.

Continues >>

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Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

• Pilger: Breaking The Great Australian Silence
• Australia
• RACISM
• Assumptions over facts

Obama Talks About Jobs & Economy- (12/4/09)

Obama In Allentown, Pa. To Discuss Jobs, Economy

AP/Huffington Post
First Posted: 12- 4-09 10:46 AM   |   Updated: 12- 4-09 12:00 PM

President Obama travels to Allentown, Pennsylvania on Friday to discuss jobs and the economy, one day after his jobs summit in Washington, D.C. and in the wake of news that unemployment decreased slightly last month. He is speaking at Lehigh Carbon Community College.

“This is good news, just in time for the season of hope,” Obama said. “But I want to keep this in perspective. We’ve still got a long way to go. I consider one job lost one job too many.”

The full remarks as prepared for delivery:

It is good to be back in the Lehigh Valley. It’s been about a year and a half since I last visited Allentown and Bethlehem when I was running for this office. And while it was a pleasure to be here as a candidate, it is an honor to be here as your President.

Pennsylvania, you helped put me in office. But even on the most trying days, I want you to know that I’m grateful – grateful for the opportunity to serve you in these challenging times for America; and grateful for this chance to get out of Washington and spend the day in the Lehigh Valley, talking with folks about this very tough economy.

I’ve just come from Allentown Metal Works, where I had a chance to visit with workers there. They were working hard – and not just to forge the heavy machinery that makes this country run. Like so many others across America, they’ve been doing the best they can to stay afloat in a brutal recession that has hit folks like them hardest of all.

In the two years since this recession began, too many members of our American family have felt the gut punch of a pink slip. Eight million Americans have lost their jobs. Every one of us knows someone who has been swept up by this storm: neighbors who have lost their homes or their health care; friends who have used up their savings and put off their retirement; relatives who have downscaled their dreams – or dropped them entirely.

I’ve heard these stories in every corner of America, and I see them in the letters I read each night.

So as we come to the end of this very tough year, I want to do something I haven’t had a chance to do often during my first year in office; and that is to share some encouraging news on our economy.

MORE HERE

Afternoon Jukebox- Ave Maria

Beyonce- Ave Maria (Live 2008!)

Glenn Beck’s ‘Christmas Sweater’ A Flop- 17 Tickets Sold In New York

Beck’s ‘Christmas Sweater’ flops in major cities, just 17 tickets sold in New York and Boston.

Think Progress- By Alex Seitz-Wald at 12:08 pm

Last night, Fox News host Glenn Beck premiered his new live show based on his book The Christmas Sweater, which was simulcast to hundreds of movie theaters across the country. Sponsor Fathom Events called it a “once in a lifetime event,” during which “Glenn will tell you about the real life events that inspired him to write” the book, play clips from his 2008 national tour, and “share stories of the overwhelming response he received.” Despite heavy promotion on Beck’s radio and TV shows, and in-theater trailers, ticket sales were weak in major cities: Beck sold only 17 tickets in Boston, another 17 in New York, and just 30 in Washington, DC. Raw Story reports that, while sales were better in more conservative areas, even Seattle — which is near Beck’s hometown — couldn’t muster a strong crowd:

While it performed better in the south and in rural, more conservative areas, his ability to draw viewers in major US markets was a bust.

“The theater’s almost empty,” a representative at Regal Cinemas in Manhattan told Raw Story moments before it began.

The viewing in Lynnwood, WA — the closest one to Beck’s Mount Vernon hometown — sold out several hours before the show began. Ten miles south, 70 out of 415 seats had been snagged in Seattle, a better turnout than other cities.

Despite purporting to be a champion of the “little guy,” Beck set tickets prices at $20 — more than double the average ticket price. Blogger Joseph Childers reports that the production value looked “cheap,” and “the bulk of the evening consists solely of Glenn Beck acting out every role in his hokey story, with only his limited repertoire of accents and pantomime filling out the ‘cast’.”

HERE

West Point Cadet: Chris Matthews We Are Not The Enemy

West Point Cadet To Chris Matthews: We Are Not The Enemy

First Posted: 12- 3-09 01:48 PM   |   Updated: 12- 3-09 02:47 PM

A West Point cadet has responded to MSNBC host Chris Matthews’s description of the military academy as “enemy camp” for President Obama.

“I watched the cadets, they were young kids, men and women who were committed to serving their country professionally, it must be said, as officers. And I didn’t see much excitement. But among the older people there, I saw, if not resentment, skepticism,” Matthews said Tuesday night. “I didn’t see a lot of warmth in that crowd out there the president chose to address tonight. And I thought it was interesting. He went to maybe the enemy camp tonight to make his case.”

Matthews suggested later in the broadcast that he had used the wrong words, and he gave a full apology the next day.

Ben Salvito, a member of the class of 2010, wrote a response on The New Ledger Web site Wednesday saying that the cadets’ lack of excitement had nothing to do with their opinions:

To applaud or to boo at the announcements made last night would have both been equally inappropriate for the Corps of Cadets. In fact, the stoic reaction by all ought to leave the world confident in the Corps’ and the military’s ability to be apolitical and execute the policies of the President and Congress with fervor and duty. [...]
Cadets are trained in acceptance of orders, and the Commander-in-Chief was effectively issuing an order to all who were present. No cadet will be spared from the effects of President Obama’s remarks — his message has been received and internalized by all who were present in Eisenhower Hall. I am humbled by the President’s decision to announce his new strategy at my school and completely reject the notion of any who suggest that West Point is in any way “the enemy camp.” The enemy camps are in Helmand province, where soldiers are currently engaged in the President’s mission.

VIDEO AND MORE HERE

Afternoon Jukebox- All I Want For Christmas Is You

Mariah Carey- All I Want For Christmas Is You

Erik Prince Quitting Blackwater To Teach High School

Erik Prince quitting Blackwater to teach high school history and economics.

Think Progress- By Alex Seitz-Wald at 5:05 pm

Xe (formerly Blackwater) founder and CEO Erik Prince is cutting ties with the company. A spokeswoman for the company said today that Prince will relinquish involvement in its day-to-day operations and give up some of his ownership rights. The company has been shelling out $2 million a month in legal fees to cope with a slew of federal investigations and civil lawsuits stemming from, among other incidents, the “unprovoked and unjustified” killing of 17 Iraqi civilians. Prince told Vanity Fair that after years of serving his country, “someone threw me under the bus”:

Prince has become a scapegoat for some of the Bush administration’s misadventures in Iraq. … Congressmen and lawyers, human-rights groups and pundits, have described Prince as a war profiteer, one who has assembled a rogue fighting force capable of toppling governments. … “I put myself and my company at the C.I.A.’s disposal for some very risky missions. … But when it became politically expedient to do so, someone threw me under the bus. … I’m an easy target.”

Prince said he is instead “going to teach high school.” “History and economics,” he said. “I may even coach wrestling. Hey, Indiana Jones taught school, too.”

Pastor J. Grant Swank: Palin’s God Can Kick Obama’s God’s Ass

Wingnuttery deluxe: Palin’s God Can Kick Obama’s God’s Ass

Crooks and Liars- By David Neiwert Wednesday Dec 02, 2009 3:00pm

Over in the Alan Keyes quadrant of Planet Wingnuttia, Pastor J. Grant Swank foresees the forces of the apocalypse, good and evil, lining up respectively behind Sarah Palin and President Obama in some looming global showdown.

According to the good pastor, Obama’s real religion is Islam:

Obama’s so-called holy writ is the abominable Koran. His hope for eternity is unknown; but if he becomes a suicide bomber for Allah, he will be guaranteed pronto a score of virgins for everlasting. His hope for the present seems to be his reliance upon Islam’s Koran furthered by his clandestine support of Islam World Rule via czars and a shadow government given to overthrowing our Republic.

Of course, out comes the eliminationist rhetoric — followed by the balm that is Sarah Palin:

This cancer sore Obama is the most dangerous occurrence ever in all the Republic’s history for it promises us our doom.

Then comes along Sarah Palin. What does she hold out for the populace?

She speaks of common sense politics, a Christian heritage history continuance, reliance upon the God of Scripture, actual hope in prayer and the Holy Spirit’s guidance in one’s personal faith life.

She comes from a biblical base regarding worship gatherings. It is not theological liberalism as touted in the United Church of Christ, Episcopal Church, Anglican Church, United Church of Canada, Unitarianism, Evangelical (a misnomer) Lutheran Church of America and other anti-Christ labels.

She worships with Christians who seek to live out the Bible, confess to following Christ as personal Redeemer, pray daily, conduct family devotions, believe in miracles, repent of their sins and then yearn to go forth in holiness.

Palin is the antithesis to Obama. Palin represents a biblical way of life. Obama represents a satanic cult.

America is now faced with the choice of Palin or Obama. Of course, in weeks and months to come, someone else may log in to sideline Palin. But at the moment, it is Palin versus Obama.

Wonder if Sarah will give this a shout-out on her Facebook page.

Pastor Swank has a, um, thing about Islam. Check out Jesus’ General’s recent post about some evil Muslims the pastor found sacrificing goats on Black Friday.

Evening Jukebox- Baby It’s Cold Outside

Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey- Baby It’s Cold Outside