A Pastor at Center Stage

By George Will
Real Clear Politics

WASHINGTON - Because John McCain and other legislators worry that they are easily corrupted, there are legal limits to the monetary contributions that anyone can make to political candidates. There are, however, no limits to the rhetorical contributions that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright can make to McCain's campaign.

Because Wright is a gift determined to keep on giving, this question arises: Can persons opposed to Barack Obama's candidacy justly make use of Wright's invariably interesting interventions in the campaign? The answer is: Certainly, because Wright's paranoias tell us something -- exactly what remains to be explored -- about his 20-year parishioner.

Wednesday Funnies :-)

David Letterman: From the “Top Ten Signs President Bush Has Too Much Time On His Hands”: Spends most of the day looking for friends on Facebook; Stops by Cheney’s office every five minutes to see if he’s still alive; Calls leaders of foreign countries yelling, “Baba Booey Baba Booey”; Sits on the White House lawn and waves at cars; Gives the 3 p.m. White House tour; Earlier today, he washed and waxed Air Force One; “President is on the Trampoline” isn’t Secret Service code, he’s actually on the trampoline.

Jay Leno: John McCain has spent this week campaigning in what he calls the “forgotten areas” of the country. He is visiting places that are being ignored by our leaders, places like Pennsylvania now, now that the primary is over. See, unfortunately, at McCain’s age, as soon as he leaves these forgotten areas, he forgets he was there. ... And Barack Obama also on a tour, of places he’d like to forget, like his church. It’s never your enemies that kill you. It’s always your friends, isn’t it? ... Barack Obama is suffering from a bad headache today. His former pastor, Reverend Wright, is back out there. Reverend Wright gave an interview on PBS with Bill Moyers, and he said he’s gotten over a million emails and phone calls telling him to keep on speaking out, and every one of them came from Hillary Clinton. It was amazing. ... Hillary Clinton said she is a stronger candidate than Barack Obama. And to prove it, she counts the votes she got in Michigan, even though Obama’s name wasn’t even on the ballot. It’s a pretty strong argument. I mean, whenever Barack Obama’s name is not on the ballot, she beats him every single time.

Justice Scalia On The Record

(CBS) - Not many Supreme Court justices become famous, but Antonin Scalia is one of the few. Known as "Nino" to his friends and colleagues, he is one of the most brilliant and combative justices ever to sit on the court and one of the most prominent legal thinkers of his generation.

He first agreed to talk to 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl about a new book he's written on how lawyers should address the court. But over the course of several conversations, our story grew into a full-fledged profile - his first major television interview - including discussions about abortion and Bush v. Gore.

At 72, Justice Scalia is still a maverick, championing a philosophy known as "orginalism," which means interpreting the Constitution based on what it originally meant to the people who ratified it over 200 years ago.

Scalia has no patience with so-called activist judges, who create rights not in the Constitution - like a right to abortion - by interpreting the Constitution as a "living document" that adapts to changing values.

Albert Hofmann, Father Of LSD, Dies At 102

NEW YORK (Fox 8 News) - Albert Hofmann, the father of the mind-altering drug LSD whose medical discovery grew into a notorious "problem child," died Tuesday. He was 102.

McCain will give talk at Wake Forest

(Winston-Salem Journal) - Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the presumptive Republican nominee for president, will speak at Wake Forest University on Tuesday, the day of the North Carolina primary.

Organizers say that McCain will speak about 10 a.m. at Wait Chapel. The doors will open at 8 a.m. for the talk, which is free and open to the public.

With McCain will be Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee. U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson will also be present.

Wake Forest President Nathan O. Hatch extended an invitation in 2007 to all presidential candidates. On April 18, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., spoke at Wait Chapel.

McCain will also campaign in Charlotte on Monday.

People of Lesbos take gay group to court over term 'Lesbian'

(Yahoo News) - A Greek court has been asked to draw the line between the natives of the Aegean Sea island of Lesbos and the world's gay women.

Three islanders from Lesbos — home of the ancient poet Sappho, who praised love between women — have taken a gay rights group to court for using the word lesbian in its name.

One of the plaintiffs said Wednesday that the name of the association, Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece, "insults the identity" of the people of Lesbos, who are also known as Lesbians.

Obama can transform America's image, says Jimmy Carter

(telegraph.co.uk) - Former President Jimmy Carter has given Barack Obama a major boost by calling for the bitter Democratic nomination battle to end on June 3rd and speaking glowingly of his ability to “transform the image” of America.

Jones wants to see industry grow, aesthetics stay in the county

(The Stokes News) - Finding the right kind of industries and businesses that will enhance the economics in the county, but also maintain and preserve the aesthetics that so many people enjoy about Stokes is what Ronda Jones hopes to do if she is elected to fill one of two available seats on the board of commissioners.

But to be a party candidate for a seat on the Stokes County Board of Commissioners, Jones has to first win a nomination in the primary elections taking place over the next week or so.

Running for office is not a spur of the moment decision, Jones explained recently. She has been educating herself and planning for this opportunity for several years, including making a concerted effort to get to know the county she has chosen to make her home.

Walker wants to focus on economic development, other issues

(The Stokes News) - County government is not the first experience in an elected office for Jimmy Walker, and he hopes that his background and the work he has done in the last four years will provide another opportunity to serve the citizens in the county.

Walker is running for re-election to the Stokes County Board of Commissioners, but, to make it on the November ballot as one of two Republican candidates being challenged by two Democratic candidates, he must successfully make it through the primary election May 6.

Inman wants to see completion of several ongoing projects

(The Stokes News) - With six years as a county commissioner, Leon Inman is hoping his record and experience as an elected official and Stokes County businessman will allow him the opportunity to serve another term in county service as he runs for one of two seats on the board.

Before Inman takes on the two Democratic candidates for a seat on the Stokes County Board of Commissioners, he has to first be one of two Republicans chosen by his party to move on to the November election.

Town needs revenues from ABC, liquor to keep taxes low, official says

PILOT MOUNTAIN (The Pilot) — Registered voters in the town of Pilot Mountain have a decision to make this week during one-stop voting in Dobson and next Tuesday on primary election day, but the decision isn’t about any candidates.

In February, the Pilot Mountain Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to allow voters in the town to decide whether the town should have an ABC store to sell liquor and if the town should allow restaurants to sell liquor by the drink.

Mayor Earl Sheppard said the decision to allow the referendum came from the realization that the town is in need of all the revenue it can get.

Start Drilling

By Robert J. Samuelson
Washington Post

What to do about oil? First it went from $60 to $80 a barrel, then from $80 to $100 and now to $120. Perhaps we can persuade OPEC to raise production, as some senators suggest; but this seems unlikely. The truth is that we're almost powerless to influence today's prices. We are because we didn't take sensible actions 10 or 20 years ago. If we persist, we will be even worse off in a decade or two. The first thing to do: Start drilling.

Rush Limbaugh's Morning Update: More Money

With rising prices, food riots, and uncertainty over food supplies worldwide, Democrats want more money. "This is the worst global food crisis in more than 30 years," says Democrat senator Dick Durbin. He seeks a $200 million increase for international food relief programs.

Meanwhile, Tyson Foods -- one of the world's largest food producers -- issued a warning of their own. They may have to spend a billion dollars more than last year just to keep up with skyrocketing chicken feed. Tyson CEO Richard Bond is calling on the US government to change its ethanol policy to bring down the cost of corn. "Higher food costs is only one of the many unintended consequences" of price supports for ethanol, he says. He also warns that it's going to get worse: Current prices haven't yet caught up with the added costs of producing food, so you can look forward to even higher prices.

Let me give you all a prediction: The real fallout from the "global food crisis" will never be laid at the doorstep of those responsible. When tens of millions needlessly died from malaria after DDT was banned -- due to flawed research from environmentalists wackos and stupid "activists" -- nobody was ever held to account. Likewise, those responsible for liberal junk-science environmental policies behind this food crisis will never be held to account. (Well, they will by us, but not by the Drive-Bys.) Instead, while ignoring the deaths, the turmoil, and the worldwide calamities they cause (like Dick Durbin and Algore), they'll simply demand more money... to "fix" the problem they created.

Read the Background Material on the Morning Update...
• Reuters: Senators Call for More Global Food Aid
• AP: Tyson Foods Reports $5M Loss for 2Q

Hard lemonade, hard price - Dad's oversight at Tigers game lands son in foster care

If you watch much television, you've probably heard of a product called Mike's Hard Lemonade.

And if you ask Christopher Ratte and his wife how they lost custody of their 7-year-old son, the short version is that nobody in the Ratte family watches much television.

The way police and child protection workers figure it, Ratte should have known that what a Comerica Park vendor handed over when Ratte ordered a lemonade for his boy three Saturdays ago contained alcohol, and Ratte's ignorance justified placing young Leo in foster care until his dad got up to speed on the commercial beverage industry.

Even if, in hindsight, that decision seems a bit, um, idiotic.

Brian Dickerson

Next time one of you huffs and puffs about the government doing something to "protect the children," you might want to keep this little tidbit in mind. Add this to the outrageous kidnapping of over 400 kids by Texas CPS and you have a couple of fine examples of people getting what they ask for.

This guy lost his kid and was exiled from his own home for two days because he doesn't watch TV. So what social norms do you violate? Better keep the kids close by.

Obama says he's outraged by former pastor's comments

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) - Democrat Barack Obama said Tuesday he was outraged by the latest assertion by his former pastor that criticism of his fiery sermons is an attack on the black church.

The presidential candidate is seeking to tamp down the growing fury over Rev. Jeremiah Wright and his incendiary remarks that threaten to undermine his campaign.

"I am outraged by the comments that were made and saddened by the spectacle that we saw yesterday," Obama told reporters at a news conference.

Chaos over Ron Paul cuts short Republican gathering...

(Reno Gazette-Journal) - After a super-majority of Ron Paul supporters captured control of the Republican state convention Saturday, state party officials abruptly canceled the event without electing delegates to the national convention.

N.C. Governor: Hillary's No "Pansy"

Citing Clinton's toughness, Mike Easley uses word seen as gay slur

(The Smoking Gun) - With Hillary Clinton standing at his side, North Carolina Governor Mike Easley today described the Democratic presidential candidate as so tough that she "makes Rocky Balboa look like a pansy." Easley's compliment, as it were, may offend some voters since the word "pansy" is often used in a derogative fashion to describe a male homosexual.

Political Theories Abound in North Carolina, but Don’t Ask John Edwards for His

WILMINGTON, N.C. (The New York Times) — What will the Edwardses do?

As the Democratic presidential candidates and their surrogates traipse through North Carolina in the final days before the state’s primary, some people here are wondering, why so quiet in Chapel Hill?

That is where John and Elizabeth Edwards retreated after he dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination on Jan. 30. Neither Mr. Edwards, a former North Carolina senator, nor Mrs. Edwards, a political activist herself, has endorsed a candidate, despite the growing intensity of the race between Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama and the fact that the contest has now landed in the Edwardses’ backyard.

NC Gov. Mike Easley endorses Hillary Clinton

RALEIGH, N.C. (Rocky Mount Telegram) — Exactly one week before the North Carolina primary, Gov. Mike Easley has endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination.

An excited Easley called Clinton the next president of the United States while they met on stage at North Carolina State University. He focused on what he said was Clinton's commitment to improving the nation's educational system.

The endorsement is a surprise boost to Clinton's campaign, as Barack Obama is heavily favored to win the state's Democratic primary on May 6, when 115 delegate votes will be at stake.

Clinton is campaigning hard in the state. She has spent the past four days in the state, and former President Bill Clinton will make 11 stops in North Carolina during a two-day campaign tour that begins Tuesday.

Rush Limbaugh's Morning Update: Liberation Reality

Yesterday Barack Obama's pastor, Jeremiah Wright, took his routine to the National Press Club. As demonstrated by his speech and the Q&A session afterwards, here's how Reverend Wright's so-called liberation theology sees America:

We are a nation forever damned by a history of slavery, deserving of terrorist attacks because we have "done terrorism" the world over. We are a nation that continues to oppress minorities, and neglect the health and welfare of the poor and the weak -- while fighting unjust wars sparked by lies. This view of America -- from which millions need to be "liberated," politically and morally -- extends beyond Reverend Wright; this resonates with liberals everywhere.

Now, that view of America misses a central point: Liberation was at the core of America's birth war. Our Founders revolted to establish a form of government which recognizes that man's rights and liberty are not a birthright of monarchs, but rather bestowed by God. And less than a century later, another American war abolished the centuries-old practice of slavery. Those two wars sparked the liberation of millions beyond our borders, as democratic governments overturned monarchies around the world.

Since then, we have shed blood to liberate millions more from Nazism, Communism, and now Islamofascism. No other nation has created and spent as much wealth -- both governmentally and privately -- on the welfare of citizens and people of the world.

The liberated, liberating others -- that's America's history. We are an exceptional nation. We're not damned; we are blessed by God. The United States of America is the solution for the world.

Read the Background Material on the Morning Update...
• CNN: Obama's Ex-Pastor Speaks Out About Church, Sermons

Obama's Revealing 'Distractions'

By Charles Krauthammer
Real Clear Politics

Real change has never been easy. ... The status quo in Washington will fight. They will fight harder than ever to divide us and distract us with ads and attacks from now until November. - Barack Obama, Pennsylvania primary night speech

WASHINGTON - With that, Obama identified the new public enemy: the "distractions" foisted upon a pliable electorate by the malevolent forces of the status quo, i.e., those who might wish to see someone else become president next January. "It's easy to get caught up in the distractions and the silliness and the tit for tat that consumes our politics" and "trivializes the profound issues" that face our country, he warned sternly. These must be resisted.

Why? Because Obama understands that the real threat to his candidacy is less Hillary Clinton and John McCain than his own character and cultural attitudes. He came out of nowhere with his autobiography already written, then saw it embellished daily by the hagiographic coverage and kid-gloves questioning of a supine press. (Which is why those "Saturday Night Live" parodies were so devastatingly effective.)

Remembering the Gipper...

“[W]hen we talk about federalism here in Washington, we’re really talking about putting the States more and more in charge. And that means that if what we conservatives believe in, if the principles that we stand for, are to succeed and prevail, we will need more conservatives... in our State legislatures... I can’t help wondering about that old argument for federalism. It used to be said that if we gave the States more power they’d show that they had the maturity to handle as well as Congress handles its power. Talk about faint praise.”

Ronald Reagan

Citizen McCain :-)

Rush Limbaugh's Morning Update: Inflammatory

When the effort to reform campaign financing was underway, I warned everybody it would weaken Republicans' ability to freely speak to voters. I also predicted it would not take the money out of politics, it would merely redirect it -- and all that has happened.

Now there's another effort underway aimed at restricting campaign speech. It's the ad produced by the North Carolina Republican Party questioning the judgment of two Democrats running for governor who support Obama. The ad uses clips of Obama pastor Jeremiah Wright to illustrate the extreme liberalism of Democrats. This has been deemed too "inflammatory" by two North Carolina Drive-By TV stations in Raleigh and Charlotte.

Senator McCain, of course, has denounced the ad -- and a few weak-kneed Republicans, apparently trying to curry favor, have joined the condemnation.

Now, for over 40 years, conservatives have been accused of horrible things: starving kids, hurting the elderly, racism, sexism -- you name it. These liberal themes are part of the Drive-By narrative. Liberal groups run ads all season long, always on the attack.

Yet whenever Republicans raise a sharp, truthful issue about Democrats and liberals, there is an uproar -- especially if Democrats can haul out the race card. Voters have a right to know who their candidates are, and with whom they associate; it leads to knowing their character. What should be regarded as "inflammatory" is the effort to suppress the political speech of those who merely point out the truth.

Read the Background Material on the Morning Update...
• AP: North Carolina GOP Leadership Divided Over Obama Ad

Obama attributes gas prices to Washington establishment

INDIANAPOLIS (Winston-Salem Journal) - Democrat Barack Obama yesterday attributed high gasoline prices to Washington and the political establishment, including his rivals for the presidency. Hillary Clinton highlighted his vote for an energy bill she opposed and his campaign contributions from oil-company executives.

NAACP criticizes N.C. GOP for 'race-baiting ad' It includes film of fiery remarks being made by Obama's former pastor

RALEIGH (Winston-Salem Journal) - The North Carolina chapter of the NAACP said yesterday that a Republican ad that includes a clip of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's former pastor is racially divisive.

Leaders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People blasted the N.C. Republican Party for producing an ad that shows footage of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's fiery comments about the U.S. The group said the ad takes Wright's words out of context in an effort to smear the black community and "prophetic ministers."

"It's a fundamentally race-baiting ad," said the Rev. William Barber, the state NAACP president. "And it inserts racist sentiments."

McCain says N.C. Republicans out of touch over ad

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. presidential candidate John McCain accused North Carolina's Republican Party of being "out of touch with reality" over its refusal to pull an advertisement criticizing Democrat Barack Obama.

In an NBC interview aired on Friday, the Arizona senator said he has done all he can to persuade the state party to cancel the television ad that criticizes Obama as "too extreme" because of controversial remarks made by his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

"They're not listening to me because they're out of touch with reality and the Republican Party. We are the party of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan and this kind of campaigning is unacceptable," McCain told NBC's "Today" Show.

New Definition Of Political Power

By John Hood
Carolina Journal Online

Lt. Governor Beverly Perdue’s (D) proposals are, to put it bluntly, extreme, impractical, and draconian.

Load Up the Pantry

(The Wall Street Journal) - I don't want to alarm anybody, but maybe it's time for Americans to start stockpiling food.

No, this is not a drill.

You've seen the TV footage of food riots in parts of the developing world. Yes, they're a long way away from the U.S. But most foodstuffs operate in a global market. When the cost of wheat soars in Asia, it will do the same here.

Justice Scalia: Abortion Not Prohibited in Constitution

WASHINGTON (Fox News) — The Constitution doesn't prohibit abortion any more than it allows it, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia says in a television news interview to be broadcast Sunday.

Scalia told CBS News' "60 Minutes" that he may be conservative, but he is not biased on issues that come before the court. "I mean, I confess to being a social conservative, but it does not affect my views on cases," Scalia said in excerpts released Thursday.

"On the abortion thing, for example, if indeed I were ... trying to impose my own views, I would not only be opposed to Roe versus Wade, I would be in favor of the opposite view, which the anti-abortion people would like to see adopted, which is to interpret the Constitution to mean that a state must prohibit abortion," Scalia told correspondent Lesley Stahl.

"And you're against that?" Stahl asked.

Scalia replied, "Of course. There's nothing" (in the Constitution to support that view).

Born to Renovate

Springsteen's Drummer, Max Weinberg, Has a Real-Estate Obsession

(The Wall Street Journal) - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band had just finished playing a sold-out show at Earls Court in London, and Max Weinberg, the band's longtime drummer, was thinking about countertops.

Specifically, Kirkstone countertops. Mr. Weinberg wanted the pale green stone for the kitchen in the house he was building back in New Jersey. He knew the stone came from England, and he noted a kitchen-supply store they passed on the way back from the concert. The next day, the store's manager told him that it didn't stock the material but suggested he try the Kirkstone showroom nearby. Mr. Weinberg paid a visit and had the stone shipped across the Atlantic.

Mr. Weinberg's Middletown, N.J., house is full of such stories: light fixtures picked up on tour in Milwaukee; heart-of-pine floors snagged at $8 a foot from a supplier in New Hampshire; William Morris-patterned wallpaper from the original producers in London. Some have a connection to where he found them; others are just good buys he finagled on the road. "I'd do great deals because I'd help [the suppliers] get tickets to the shows," says Mr. Weinberg, who turns 57 on Sunday.

Brazil Oil Finds May End Reliance on Middle East, Zeihan Says

(Bloomberg) - Brazil's discoveries of what may be two of the world's three biggest oil finds in the past 30 years could help end the Western Hemisphere's reliance on Middle East crude, Strategic Forecasting Inc. said.

Saudi Arabia's influence as the biggest oil exporter would wane if the fields are as big as advertised, and China and India would become dominant buyers of Persian Gulf oil, said Peter Zeihan, vice president of analysis at Strategic Forecasting in Austin, Texas. Zeihan's firm, which consults for companies and governments around the world, was described in a 2001 Barron's article as ``the shadow CIA.''

N.C. GOP won't pull TV spot

Highly charged ad will air over McCain's objection, leader says

RALEIGH (The Charlotte Observer) - The N.C. Republican Party says it will not back away from a planned TV ad that uses footage of Barack Obama's controversial former minister, despite objections from the expected GOP presidential nominee, John McCain.

The ad, released Wednesday on the Internet, tries to link the minister to two Democratic candidates for governor, both of whom have endorsed Obama.

Republican chairwoman Linda Daves said she would not bow to pressure from the Republican National Committee and others to pull the ad.

Report Outlines Harmful Impact of Climate Policies

Economic analysis shows job losses, $4.5 billion hit to N.C. economy

RALEIGH (John Locke Foundation) – North Carolina would lose more than 33,000 jobs and face a $4.5 billion hit to its Gross State Product by 2011, if lawmakers adopt just a fraction of the policies under consideration now to address climate change. A Boston-based economist who has analyzed the policy proposals delivered that message this week to a legislative study group.

The policies studied also would cost the state more than $502 million in investment, lower real disposable income by $2.2 billion, and reduce state and local revenue by more than $184 million, said David Tuerck, chairman of the Suffolk University Department of Economics and executive director of the department’s research arm, the Beacon Hill Institute. Tuerck testified to the N.C. Legislative Commission on Global Climate Change Tuesday in Raleigh.

Andy Griffith endorses Perdue

(The News & Observer) - In the race for governor, a fictional sheriff could be a political heavyweight.

Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue on Wednesday introduced a television ad featuring Andy Griffith endorsing Perdue's bid for the Democratic nomination for governor.

Griffith, who played the sheriff of the fictional North Carolina town of Mayberry in "The Andy Griffith Show," touts Perdue's vision, strength and honesty. He mentions her endorsements from various groups, including, "of course, sheriffs."

N.C. GOP runs Rev. Wright Ad against Democrats

North Carolina excited to choose between Clinton and Obama

(Yahoo News) - Not since 1988 has North Carolina had much of a voice in choosing a presidential nominee. Back then, it joined several Southern states to help pick Al Gore, a neighbor from Tennessee.

But the longer-than-expected race between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination will thrust the state into the national spotlight when it has its say on May 6. Indiana also votes that day.

The primary, offering 115 national convention delegates, comes two weeks after Pennsylvania gave the former first lady the win she needed to stay in the race. But Obama is favored to win North Carolina, the largest prize among the contests remaining.

Directive: Don't Donate to Hillary :-)

From Rush Limbaugh:

I must upbraid some of you volunteers in Operation Chaos for disobeying orders. At least you admitted it to me. I received e-mails last night from people after listening to Mrs. Clinton's acceptance speech, who informed me that they had proceeded to donate money to Mrs. Clinton's campaign! This has never been part of the plan. Fundraising is Mrs. Clinton's job. It is her responsibility. I have never issued such fundraising orders or donation orders to anybody. Therefore, since no order was issued, some of you have disobeyed orders. The headquarters never issued that order. We would never, ever, tell you to use your money to prop up the campaign of any Democrat running for the presidency of the United States. I realize your intentions were honorable and you were putting yourself in my shoes, C-in-C USOC: Commander-in-Chief US, Operation Chaos, and you were imagining what I would do, what I would tell you to do after Hillary's speech. I would never tell you to part with your hard-earned funds, donating to a Democrat presidential campaign. That has never been part of Operation Chaos, and it will not be.

Read the Background Material...
• Radio Equalizer: It Worked! Operation Chaos Affects PA Vote

Rush Limbaugh's Morning Update: Plans and Dreams

Now, this news item concerns the Northeast, but it has implications for all of us. New Jersey Democrats are considering new taxes via new tolls on Interstate highways that, up to this point, have always been toll-free (they already have a turnpike).

The plan, which hasn't yet made it to the legislature, has -- of course -- attracted the interest of the Democrat governor, Jon Corzine, who has raised taxes repeatedly. Imposing new tolls is a "legitimate alternative that needs to be studied," he says. ("[S]tudied" my rear end with a rubber stamp on it!) Some Democrats are urging that new tollbooths target drivers from blue-state neighbor, Pennsylvania. All this talk of additional new tolls has alarmed business owners and motorists, but the legislators say that they're out of money, and this will provide them with new money to spend.

Here's the point. Usually in an election year, liberal Democrats hide their true intentions from voters -- but not this year! On the federal level, both the Democrats running for president have already promised massive tax increases to pay for massive government expansions. Democrats in Congress are promising massive domestic spending increases, and on the state and local level -- as in New Jersey -- Democrats are openly planning tax increases with brazen confidence.

So when the Democrats run on "hope" and "change" or their "experience", remember this: Liberals are experienced tax raisers who hope that you'll just bend over, grab the ankles, and take whatever they dish out. The only change you can expect is to pay more for their plans and dreams -- not yours. (And that's not even a surprise anymore.)

Read the Background Material on the Morning Update...
• AP: More States Consider Tolls on Freeways Amid Budget Deficits

Commission recommends Badgett’s censure

(The Pilot) - A Surry County District Court judge already under suspension has been recommended for censure stemming from a separate incident involving a Hispanic defendant.

The N.C. Judicial Standards Commission recently issued the recommendation for Judge Mark Badgett of Pinnacle, who hears cases in both Surry and Stokes counties. Badgett is completing his first four-year term as judge and is seeking re-election this fall.

That recommendation has been sent to the state Supreme Court, which in early March suspended Badgett and censured him for misconduct that included failing to disclose a business relationship with a Winston-Salem attorney whose cases were heard in Badgett’s court.

Gen. Petraeus named as next commander of Mideast command

(Yahoo News) - Gen. David Petraeus, the four-star general whose led troops in Iraq for the past year, has been tapped to become the next commander of U.S. Central Command, according to an official familiar with the decision.

If confirmed by the Senate, he would replace Navy Adm. William Fallon, who abruptly stepped down in March after a magazine reported that he was at odds with President Bush over Iran policy. Fallon said the report had become a distraction.

Taking Petraeus' position as the senior commander in Iraq would be Army Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, who had until recently been serving as Petraeus' deputy.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision had not been announced.

Petraeus, 55, is widely hailed by the Bush administration and members of Congress for developing and implementing a new strategy in Iraq, including the deployment of some 30,000 additional troops, that dramatically improved security.

Clinton frames win as sign of strength

PHILADELPHIA (Yahoo News) - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton celebrated another must-win victory Tuesday night in Pennsylvania, with a convincing win over Sen. Barack Obama that she sought to frame not just as a sign of her strength but of Obama's abiding weakness.

"Maybe the question ought to be, 'Why can't he close the deal?'" Clinton said Tuesday morning outside a polling place in Conshohocken, Pa.

In her victory speech, Clinton cast her 10-point margin -- larger than late polls suggested -- as a pivot.

"You made your voices heard, and because of you, the tide is turning," she said Tuesday night.

Video: “Hillary Clinton” wrestles “Barack Obama” :-)

OpChaos Directive: Reregister with the GOP After Your Primary :-)

Rush Limbaugh's Morning Update: Propaganda!

Some of you go to the movies to get away from it all, to escape your daily routine, but you will not be able to escape the global warming hoax while at the movies. A $300-million propaganda effort -- spearheaded by Algore -- has been launched in 7,000 theaters.

This campaign features ads critical of the way you live. You're urged to switch to compact fluorescent bulbs, to get rid of your gas lawn mowers and go back to push mowers. You're told to use less air conditioning. They even tell you how to do laundry (you should only do "full" loads)! And they say "it would be great if everyone had a hybrid car[.]"

The campaign also showcases a short animated film; it's called "Sky is Falling", and it's nothing more than a blame-America production. It claims that the volume of CO2 that this country produced in 2006 is equivalent to 1.2 million elephants. So animated elephants then fall out of the sky, creating terror in the city below while an announcer intones: "It's time to stop ignoring the 1.2 million elephants in the room."

Now, in an apparently coordinated effort, another "No. 2 guy" -- Ayman al-Zawahri, from the Al-Qaeda wing of wackos -- said that global warming shows "how criminal, brutal, and greedy the Western Crusader world is, with America at the top." He predicted global warming will "make the world more sympathetic" to understand the "jihad against the aggressor America."

...Which is precisely what Algore and his leftist global-warming-hoax minions trust will be the case: that you will hate the country like Islamofascists do.

Read the Background Material on the Morning Update...
• CNSNews.com: Al Gore's Climate Advocacy Now Playing in Movie Theaters
• AP: Al-Qaeda No. 2 Says 9/11 Theory Propagated by Iran

Gore Used Fictional Video to Illustrate ‘Inconvenient Truth’

(Newsbusters) - It goes without saying that climate realists around the world believe Nobel Laureate Al Gore used false information throughout his schlockumentary "An Inconvenient Truth" in order to generate global warming hysteria.

On Friday, it was revealed by ABC News that one of the famous shots of supposed Antarctic ice shelves in the film was actually a computer-generated image from the 2004 science fiction blockbuster "The Day After Tomorrow."

Adding delicious insult to injury, this was presented by one of ABC's foremost global warming alarmists Sam Champion during Friday's "20/20".

Obama Signs Up Unlikely Supporter: a Nixon

WASHINGTON (Fox News) — One of President Nixon’s daughters, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, apparently supports a Democrat in this year’s presidential contest — Barack Obama.

Eisenhower has contributed the maximum amount allowed during the primary season to Obama’s campaign: $2,300. Federal Election Commission records show she gave Obama’s campaign $1,000 on Feb. 4, another $1,000 on Feb. 18 and $300 on March 5.

One of her father’s staunchest defenders during the Watergate scandal, she married the grandson of another Republican president, David Eisenhower, just before her father took office.

Since her father’s resignation, she has written several books and is now co-chair of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Birthplace Foundation.

Want to Save on Fuel? Slow Down!

(Fox 8 News) - Could driving slower save you on gas? Some say yes, as much as 55 cents a gallon. A fuel injection technician advises that for every 10 mph you drive over 60, it's like spending an additional 55 cents per gallon of gas.

Bill Clinton Blisters Over Racism Portrayal in Radio Interview

(Fox News) - Bill Clinton got caught in an open-mic moment Monday when he used some choice language to describe his feelings over the Barack Obama campaign’s portrayal of the former president’s race relations.

Rice says Carter was warned against meeting with Hamas

(Yahoo News) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday the Bush administration explicitly warned former President Jimmy Carter against meeting with members of Hamas, the Palestinian faction that controls the Gaza Strip and which is regarded by the U.S. as a terror group.

Rice, attending a regional meeting on Iraq's security and future, contradicted Carter's assertions that he never got a clear signal from the State Department. Rice told reporters that the U.S. thought the visit could confuse the message that the U.S. will not deal with Hamas.

Rush Limbaugh's Morning Update: Address to Troops!

From the EIB Southern Command, I address you -- the brave soldiers of Operation Chaos. Today at 0700 our forces will engage in the most decisive action to date in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The task before you is not easy. We must ensure the Clinton campaign is not routed. The outcome will rest squarely on you: the troops of Operation Chaos.

Despite the obstacles -- from Democrat officials threatening unconstitutional legal challenges, to Drive-By Media attacks from assailants -- you have performed brilliantly.

Let's pause to remember our humble beginnings. Obama was marching unscathed to the Democrat nomination. Calls were mounting for Mrs. Clinton to unconditionally surrender. Our objective was difficult: to get behind her with sufficient strength to keep her competitive and wound Obama -- politically.

Thanks to you, the Democrat Party is today in chaos. The Clinton campaign is in striking distance of stealing the Democratic nomination. Senator Obama has been bloodied -- politically. His radicalism, his inexperience, have been exposed. Democrats are at war with themselves.

Yet there is more to do. You in North Carolina, you in Indiana must gird yourselves for battle. We must spread more Democrat chaos. Soon I, El Rushbo, commander of Operation Chaos, will proclaim "Mission Accomplished." So on to battle, my brave troops; Godspeed to our victory in Pennsylvania!

Read the Background Material on the Morning Update...
• AP: Clinton, Obama Trade Negative Attacks Days Before Pa. Vote

Remembering the Gipper...

“Wouldn’t it be better for the human spirit and for the soul of this Nation to encourage people to accept more responsibility to care for one another, rather than leaving those tasks to paid bureaucrats?”

Ronald Reagan

Generations of Valor

Liagra :-)

CHELSEA STOPS TRAFFIC ON GAY BAR CRAWL

PHILADELPHIA (MSNBC) - Chelsea Clinton stopped traffic Friday night as she wandered the streets of Philadelphia on a gay bar crawl, winning rave reviews for both her politics and her appearance.

Led around the neighborhood by Gov. Ed Rendell, Chelsea was mobbed by local gays and lesbians, as she walked from one club to the next. They ran up to hug her, posed for pictures and certainly invaded her personal space.

“I grabbed her ass,” one young woman exclaimed to her friends after snapping a picture with her arm around the former first daughter.

The Israel that must defend itself

The neoconservative commentator, Charles Krauthammer of the Washington Post, recently proposed what he described as a "Holocaust Doctrine," in which an Iranian nuclear attack on Israel would be regarded as an attack on the United States. This is a bizarre and profoundly anti-conservative idea, as it should be readily apparent to every American and Israeli alike that Israel is not the 51st state of the Union. While it is to be regretted that anyone should wish to attack Israel, with nuclear weapons or anything else, this doesn't change the fact that Israel is not America and never will be.

The doctrine is also pure propaganda. What does a non-martial mass murder by National Socialists have to do with a potential military attack by Iran? Jews who revere the memory of their murdered ancestors should be offended by Krauthammer's shameless attempt to make use of them this way.

Vox Day

Krauthammer's doctrine is a bald attempt at banking political backing for the continuation of the neocons' Jacobin foreign policy positions. As Vox points out, Israel would be singularly foolish to welcome such a doctrine.

This is worth noting. One of the reasons Vox gives for such an alliance being a bad idea is the following:

The next administration. It is possible that if he is elected president, B. Hussein Obama will be inclined to continue the positive relations that Israel has enjoyed with previous presidents of both parties. But given his obvious ties to African supremacists and third-world recrimination ideology, to say nothing of outright anti-Jewish supporters such as the Rev. Eric Lee, this is far from given. His middle name is not "Sadat," after all.

Carter-Hamas Meeting Comes on 25th Anniversary of Deadly Terror Attack

(Fox News) - Former President Jimmy Carter met Friday with the exiled leader of Hamas and the militant group's deputy chief — on the 25th anniversary of the deadly bombing of the U.S. embassy in Beirut.

YouTube Video Of Surgery Could Put Philippines' Doctor's Future At Risk

Manila, Philippines (AHN) - Surgeons at a hospital in a central Philippine province are being probed for allegedly taking a video of an operation to remove a can of body spray from a male patient's bottom.

The video, which was posted for several weeks on the popular video-sharing website YouTube, showed dozens of people inside the operating room laughing and jeering as the surgeons removed the canister from the man's rectum, Deutsche-Presse Agentur reported.

Vandals and careless visitors threaten ruins of Rock House

Society considering fence; cameras and security not options

(Winston-Salem Journal) - Vandals and careless visitors are threatening the Rock House ruins, one of the oldest structures in Stokes County.

The Rock House was built more than 220 years ago for John "Jack" Martin, a colonel in the Revolutionary War.

The Stokes County Historical Society is considering putting a fence around the ruins, said Charles Farlow, the president of the historical society.

Obama declines to commit to debate in North Carolina

He says he has had 21 debates already with Clinton

RALEIGH (Winston-Salem Journal) - Sen. Barack Obama, after accusing Sen. Hillary Clinton of "playing gotcha games," declined yesterday to commit to a debate in North Carolina before the state's May 6 primary.

"We're trying to figure out what our schedule looks like, but I'll be honest with you, we've now had 21" debates, Obama said in response to an audience member's question at a rally at the state fairgrounds.

Clinton has agreed to a debate proposed for April 27 in Raleigh. Over the past three days, Gov. Mike Easley, former Gov. Jim Hunt and Democratic leaders of the state legislature have sent letters to Obama urging him to agree to the debate.

A Man What? Call it what you want - shapewear, bodywear or support boxers - guys are going for girdles

(Winston-Salem Journal) - When Jeff Lewis had trouble buttoning his trousers recently, he didn't go on a diet or hit the gym. He reached for a new device: "bodyshaping" underwear. Basically, a girdle.

"It took an inch-and-a-half off my waist," said Lewis, a 26-year-old events coordinator in Phoenix. "It gave me an instant ego boost."

While men's underwear makers go out of their way to avoid the "G-word," a growing number of labels are launching elasticized "shapewear," "bodywear," "support boxers" and other beer-belly-constricting undergarments for men. Men are starting to ease into the idea.

Springsteen Keyboard Player Danny Federici Dies at 58

NEW YORK (Fox News) — Danny Federici, the longtime keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen whose stylish work helped define the E Street Band's sound on hits from "Hungry Heart" through "The Rising," died Thursday. He was 58.

Federici, who had battled melanoma for three years, died at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. News of his death was posted late Thursday on Springsteen's official Web site.

He last performed with Springsteen and the band last month, appearing during portions of a March 20 show in Indianapolis.

"Danny and I worked together for 40 years — he was the most wonderfully fluid keyboard player and a pure natural musician. I loved him very much ... we grew up together," Springsteen said in a statement posted on his Web site.

Springsteen concerts scheduled for Friday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Saturday in Orlando were postponed.

Operation Chaos Order: Don't Vote Early in NC :-)

From Rush Limbaugh:

There's a directive from headquarters for those of you in North Carolina. Early voting in North Carolina for the primary there on May 6th starts today. Early voting, North Carolina, starts today. I am asking, I am commanding all Operation Chaos operatives in North Carolina, do not vote early. This primary is too volatile. There's too much effervescence going on here. This campaign could change on a dime. You vote now instead of on Election Day on the 6th, your vote might not count. Hold your fire. You got plenty of time to vote on the actual Election Day, which is the 6th of May. So Operation Chaos orders from headquarters, for those of you operatives -- and I would suggest, by the way, for you in North Carolina who are Democrats and not even part of Operation Chaos, I would not vote early. Your vote may not count. As volatile as this is, as unsettled as it is, it's a long time between now and May 6th. You can change your mind three or four times between now and then. Be cool. Plenty of time to vote on Election Day.

Rush Limbaugh's Morning Update: International Notes

Today, my friends, a brief review of international matters.

First, Mrs. Clinton. Apparently, she does have influence with her foreign allies. The government of socialist thug Hugo Chavez has implemented "the Hillary Tax." Starting this week in Venezuela, foreign oil companies will have to pay between 50 and 60 percent higher taxes on earnings -- which should pretty much wipe out profits. This is exactly what Senator Clinton promised to do to our oil companies, but Hugo got to the finish line first!

Next, as part of his outreach program to convince Jewish voters that he can be trusted on the Middle East, Senator Obama criticized former President Carter for meeting with Hamas. Senator Obama, Jimmy Carter is doing what you said you would do: talk with our terrorist enemies! He is you! And you are him! (And you "are the ones we've been waiting for"?)

Incidently, Hamas leadership says Carter's visit has boosted their legitimacy. Another terrorist group aided and abetted by American Democrats and liberals.

Finally, despite offering apologies, kissing up, and prostrating on hands and knees, CNN's still in the ChiCom doghouse. The ChiComs remain upset over remarks by CNN commentator Jack Cafferty, who called ChiCom products "junk" and disparaged ChiCom leadership as "goons" and "thugs."

An editorial in the People's Daily, the Commie paper, accused Cafferty of inciting "verbal violence," and called CNN's work "information terrorism." CNN: The Information Terrorists! Why, the ChiComs have got it right! Give them credit!

Read the Background Material on the Morning Update...
• AP: Venezuela Starts Collecting New Oil Tax
• AP: Obama Reassures Jewish Leaders on Hamas, Wright
• AP: China Snubs CNN Apology Over Cafferty Remarks

Fact Check: Obama’s Relationship with William Ayers

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Democratic Sen. Barack Obama is defending his relationship with William Ayers, a college professor who was once part of the radical Weather Underground and spent years as a fugitive after a 1970 explosion that killed three members.

Obama suggests he barely knows Ayers and shouldn’t be held accountable for anything Ayers said or did. But others, including Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton, say the relationship gives Republicans an issue to exploit against Obama.

Carter Meets With Hamas Leader Who Likens Israel to Nazi Germany

(Fox News) - Former President Jimmy Carter met another top Hamas official Thursday in a Cairo hotel, FOX News has confirmed.

In advance of Carter's planned meeting Friday with Hamas chief Khaled Meshal, 30 congressmen introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning Hamas for terrorist activities, including the murder of 26 Americans. Both the United States and Israel have designated Hamas a terror organization and refuse to negotiate with it.

Need exists to support satellite campus in Stokes County

(The Stokes News) - The need is present for a satellite campus of Forsyth Technical Community College in Stokes County, according to a feasibility study presented to the county commissioners Monday afternoon.

The community college must prove to the state that a need exists that the school can meet before it will approve the expansion onto a stand-alone campus, which has been proposed on the campus of the former prison camp at the intersection of N.C. 8 and Dodgetown Road in the Meadows community of Danbury. To provide proof, Forsyth Tech conducted a feasibility study to highlight the number of potential students, potential programs for the satellite campus, that enrollment requirements can be supported and that it won’t negatively affected surrounding community colleges.

In the feasibility study, Ann Watts, Stokes County coordinator for Forsyth Tech, explained that the areas of Tobaccoville, King and Rural Hall, which will potentially be served by the Northwest Forsyth Center being built between Tobaccoville and King, were excluded from the potential service area of the Meadows campus to show that even with the highest concentration of Stokes’ population excluded a new campus is warranted.

Rush Limbaugh's Morning Update: Tribute

While in the Middle East this week, former president Jimmy Carter has generated some press for his efforts to befriend the Islamic terrorist group Hamas.

Despite rebuffs from Israel -- and our own government -- Carter is playing the role of a "communicator," as he calls it, supposedly gathering information from Hamas and Syrian leaders to then relay to "the leaders of the United States." In essence, he's a one-man State Department that nobody asked for, that nobody wants, and nobody is going to listen to -- besides these terrorist leaders.

The fact is, the entire world already knows what Hamas wants; they've said it! They want the destruction of Israel. Hamas hasn't changed that view, which is why they are outcasts in the civilized world.

Adding insult to stupidity, Carter did something that no American head of state has ever done. While in Ramallah, our former president paid a visit to the grave of Yasser Arafat -- and laid a wreath of red roses.

Now, Jimmy Carter was -- without doubt -- the most inept American president of the 20th century. A man whose failures in the Middle East led to his political downfall -- and haunts all of us to this day. (He was elected 32 years ago, folks! This stuff matters -- who we elect.) So his tribute to Arafat, whose name will forever be associated with terrorism, is a fitting reminder of Carter's misguided and irresponsible liberal leadership. It's also timely, as two equally inept liberals -- Hillary and Obama -- are now fighting it out to step into Jimmy Carter's shoes.

Read the Background Material on the Morning Update...
• Reuters: Carter, Defying Israel, Meets Hamas Ex-Minister

Wednesday Funnies... :-)

Jay Leno: Barack Obama got himself into a little hot water in Pennsylvania, when he said small town people become bitter, and cling to guns or religion because of economic problems. Well, sure, you pray your house doesn’t get repossessed, and when they take it, you pull out your gun. Makes perfect sense. ... Hillary Clinton attacked Barack Obama, called him “elitist,” and said he was out of touch with poor people. Later, Bill Clinton gave a speech on the subject, and charged a million bucks for it. ... In an effort to try and connect with some of the rural voters in Pennsylvania, Hillary said she has gone hunting, and once shot a duck. Don’t confuse that with Barack. He shot himself in the foot. That’s a totally different thing. Personally, I like Cheney. He shot a lawyer. ... Hillary Clinton was shown at a bar in Indiana drinking a beer, and doing a shot of whiskey. Hey, and it worked. Today, Ted Kennedy switched back. “I’m for Hillary now!” ... Did you all see that? She took the shot with the beer chaser. Did it like an old pro. To give you an idea how much she drank, when the phone rang at 3 a.m., slept right through it. ... The State Department has officially disapproved of former President Jimmy Carter’s trip to visit Syria, where he’s meeting with the terrorist group Hamas. The State Department disapproves of the trip, but they couldn’t stop him from going. And I thought this was kind of petty. For his return trip, they switched his flight to American. Good luck! Hope it all works out.

Specter has recurrence of lymph-system cancer

WASHINGTON (Winston-Salem Journal) - Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter’s cancer has returned.

Specter, a five-term Republican, said in a statement yesterday that he has been found to have an early recurrence of Hodgkin’s disease, which is a cancer of the lymph system.

Specter, 78, underwent treatment for the same type of cancer in 2005 and was later given a clean bill of health. The statement said that the cancer was found by a medical scan but that he has no symptoms.

Specter said he would continue his normal duties, just as he did three years ago. He has already announced he will run for re-election in 2010, and he said the cancer will not stop him from doing that.

Hamas Leaders to Meet With Former President Jimmy Carter in Egypt

JERUSALEM (Fox News) — Former President Jimmy Carter is set to meet Thursday with Mahmoud Zahar, a top Hamas leader with control over militants in the Gaza Strip.

The meeting expands the list of top officials of the terror group with whom Carter is meeting this week against the wishes of the Bush administration, U.S. lawmakers and Israeli officials.

Dad Falls to Death From Shea Stadium Escalator

NEW YORK (Fox News) — A man attending a New York Mets game with his family lost his balance on an escalator and fell two stories to his death, police said.

Antonio Nararainsami, 36, and several relatives, including his two young daughters, were leaving the stadium at the end of the Tuesday night game against the Washington Nationals when he fell in a section below the left field stands and landed on a concrete floor. Nararainsami, a Guyanese native who lived in Brooklyn, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead half an hour later.

‘The Boss’ Says He’ll Rock Vote for Obama

WASHINGTON (Fox News) — Rock star Bruce Springsteen endorsed Democratic Sen. Barack Obama for president Wednesday, saying “he speaks to the America I’ve envisioned in my music for the past 35 years.”

In a letter addressed to friends and fans posted his Web site, Springsteen said he believes Obama is the best candidate to undo “the terrible damage done over the past eight years.”

Clinton’s Last Stand? Debate Performance, Pennsylvania Victory May Not Be Enough

(Fox News) - Hillary Clinton could be facing her campaign’s last gasp Wednesday night as she faces off against her Democratic rival in a marquee televised debate, as new polls and endorsements show more momentum swinging Barack Obama’s way.

Murtha says McCain too old to be president

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic Rep. John Murtha said Wednesday that Republican Sen. John McCain is too old to be president.

Murtha is 75, four years older than McCain. He says they are nearly the same age, and the rigors and stress of running the country is too much for guys their age.

Lieberman willing to star at Republican convention

(The Hill) - Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), the Democratic Party’s 2000 vice presidential nominee, is leaving open the possibility of giving a keynote address on behalf of Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) at the Republican National Convention in September.

Rush Limbaugh's Morning Update: Thin

France -- long considered the fashion leader of the world -- is also on the cutting edge of liberalism. This week both worlds collided when the French Assembly approved a bill to make it illegal for anyone to "incite" extreme thinness.

"Anyone" includes fashion magazines, advertisers, websites -- anyone and everyone could be a criminal for "inciting" people to become thin. The death of an anorexic model two years ago spurred this legislative effort, which is supported by doctors and shrinks who treat anorexics. The French Senate is expected to tackle the legislation within weeks.

Now, the penalties for inciting the thin are stiff. Judges would be able to impose on the "inciters" two-year jail terms and fines nearing $50,000. And if somebody is found guilty of incitement resulting in the death of a skinny person, the fines go up to 70,000 bucks and three years in jail. Fat fines and fat time, folks, in France.

But France isn't the only Euro-nation concerned with the skinny; last year Spain also banned ultra-thin models from catwalks. And we know that American liberals look to Europe for legislative inspiration. We already have laws on the books for the fat, here; New York and other liberal bastions have banned cooking oil that they think harm the fat. So it's perhaps only a matter of time before thin is no longer in, and that the skinny will be up for grabs, too -- so to speak.

But there's a bright side, here (we always try to find the bright side at the EIB Network). Once the fat and the skinny are dealt with... can the ugly be far behind? We need to target them, too!

Read the Background Material on the Morning Update...
• AP: France May Make It Illegal to Promote Extreme Thinness

Remembering the Gipper...

"Republicans treat everyday like it's July 4th; Democrats treat everyday like it's April 15th."

Ronald Reagan

Candidate on a High Horse

By George Will
Real Clear Politics

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama may be exactly what his supporters suppose him to be. Not, however, for reasons most Americans will celebrate.

Obama may be the fulfillment of modern liberalism. Explaining why many working class voters are "bitter," he said they "cling" to guns, religion and "antipathy to people who aren't like them" because of "frustrations." His implication was that their primitivism, superstition and bigotry are balm for resentments they feel because of America's grinding injustice.

By so speaking, Obama does fulfill liberalism's transformation since Franklin Roosevelt. What had been under FDR a celebration of America and the values of its working people has become a doctrine of condescension toward those people and the supposedly coarse and vulgar country that pleases them.

Report: Rolling Stone Keith Richards Admits Snorting Father's Ashes

(Fox News) - Rolling Stone Keith Richards has changed his tune about inhaling his father, according to a report.

Richards told Blender magazine for its May issue that he did indeed snort a bit of his late father.

"I opened my dad's ashes and some of them blew out over the table, just because of the suction of the lid, you know what I mean?" Richards told the magazine.

"I looked at my dad's ashes down there and — what am I gonna do? Do I desecrate them with a dustbin and broom? So I wet me [sic] finger and I shoved a little bit of Dad up me [sic] hooter," he said. "The rest of them I put round an oak tree, which is coming up a treat. And I'm sure he's still blessing me."

McCain proposes suspending US gasoline taxes this summer

(Yahoo News) - John McCain called Tuesday for the federal government to free people from paying gasoline taxes this summer and ensure that college students can secure loans this fall, proposals aimed at stemming the public's pain now from the troubled economy.

In the longer-term, the certain Republican presidential nominee said he would double the tax exemption for dependent children and offer people the option of choosing a simpler tax system.

"We know from experience that no serious reform of the current tax code will come out of Congress, so now it is time to turn the decision over to the people," McCain said in a sweeping economic speech at Carnegie Mellon University a week before Pennsylvania's primaries.

Jimmy Carter Embraces Hamas Official

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - Former President Jimmy Carter embraced a leading Hamas figure Tuesday, according to participants in a meeting that infuriated Israeli officials already upset by Carter's freelance Mideast peace mission.

Carter also laid a wreath at the grave of Yasser Arafat, whom the Bush administration and many Israelis blame for the breakdown of peace talks seven years ago and the violence that followed.

Stokes hires mental-health coordinator to help residents find services, providers

DANBURY (Winston-Salem Journal) - Stokes County officials have hired a mental-health coordinator to help mentally ill residents find service providers.

Stokes officials created the position last year after mental-health advocates urged commissioners to consider the position as a solution to what they called a failing mental-health system in North Carolina.

Angela S. Grubb will start work as a mental-health coordinator on Monday, officials said.

Rush Limbaugh's Morning Update: Blowing Smoke!

You remember years ago -- liberals sued Big Tobacco and then hit consumers with massive tax increases, and I predicted that the settlement money would fund government operations -- not health care, as promised. And I said a thriving black market for cigarettes would emerge.

Well, since then, states have indeed spent their settlement money on non-health care initiatives and have become totally dependent on tobacco tax revenue. And now they're worried about the thriving black market of cigarettes; there may have been a tipping point reached in cigarette taxation, here.

Criminal gangs are smuggling cigarettes from lower-tax states to higher-tax states. It's gotten so bad that the ATF has developed a national strategy to combat the trafficking. It's a lucrative business, especially in states like New York. That's where yet another tax increase will push the price of a pack of legally purchased cigarettes to almost nine dollars. An Indian reservation 60 miles from New York City sells over ten million cartons a year to people trying to avoid these high prices.

But it isn't just Native Americans and domestic criminal gangs: smokers are turning to Internet sales operations, too. Tons of counterfeit cigarettes are now showing up from the ChiComs.

Now, all of this unfolded precisely as I predicted. See, the one thing the liberals can't get through their thick skulls is that people respond to confiscatory taxes by changing their behavior. This was the lesson of the American Revolution -- a war fueled by high taxes and lost liberties -- and it's going to be true forever. Trust me, folks. I mean, I'm not blowing smoke up your skirt: it actually happens the way I tell you!

Read the Background Material on the Morning Update...
• AP: Higher Cig Taxes Could Promote Smuggling

Remembering the Gipper...

“[April 15] is the last day for filing income tax returns—a day that reminds us that taxpayers pay too much of their earnings to the Federal Government. And Americans will continue to pay too much money to the Federal Government until the Congress acts on our proposals to reduce tax rates across the board... While April 15 serves as a reminder, the people of the United States truly do not need to be reminded. They are victims of inflation, which pushes them into higher tax brackets. They are robbed daily of a better standard of living. They are discouraged from work and investment... Taxes are much too high to deal in half measures... The choice before us is clear. I strongly feel that the great majority of Americans believe that nothing would better encourage economic growth than leaving more money in the hands of the people who earn it. It’s time to stop stripping bare the productive citizens of America and funneling their hard-earned income into the Federal bureaucracy. Today is a day when the people reaffirm their commitment to our system by contributing a portion of their income to the Government. Americans have always been prepared to pay their fair share, but today they should make it clear to all elected officials that government has gone beyond its bounds and that the people will not tolerate the ever-increasing tax burden they have experienced in recent years.”

Ronald Reagan

A Libertarian Surge?

Bob Barr will be dry-eyed if his candidacy is to John McCain what Ralph Nader's was to Al Gore in 2000.

By George Will
Newsweek

Compact and Feisty Bob Barr, 59, probably will seek and get the presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party, which convenes in Denver on Memorial Day weekend. Given the recent fund-raising prowess of a kindred spirit—Ron Paul's campaign for the Republican nomination siphoned up $35 million, mostly off the Internet—libertarians are feeling their oats. Come November, Barr conceivably could be to John McCain what Ralph Nader was to Al Gore in 2000—ruinous. Nader was a weak third-party candidate but was the most consequential in American history. He won only 2,882,955 popular votes nationwide (2.7 percent), but 97,488 of them were in Florida, where, because of Nader, George W. Bush won by 537 votes.

WORDS THAT DON'T GO TOGETHER WELL

(The American Spectator) - Michelle Obama believes she is her husband's best advocate, but some of Sen. Barack Obama's inner circle believe that should he win the Democrat nomination, they will have "repackage and redirect" Mrs. Obama for the general election, according to one Obama donor, who has voiced her concerns about the missus.

"You look at what she says about America and some of the policies she thinks Obama would put in place and you just cringe," says the donor and fundraiser. "Much of what she says wouldn't fly in most of the country, and even sound like some of the things Hillary was saying 16 years ago or on the campaign trail today."

The latest example was Mrs. Obama's appearance in Harrisburg, Pa., where she told a group of mothers: "If we don't wake up as a nation with a new kind of leadership, for how we want this country to work, then we won't get universal health care. The truth is, in order to get things like universal health care and a revamped education system, then someone is going to have to give up a piece of their pie so that someone else can have more."

The comment reminded some of the infamous remarks Sen. Hillary Clinton delivered back in 2004 at a private San Francisco fundraiser for Sen. Barbara Boxer, where she warned the gathered wealthy, "We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good."

Mrs. Obama , who has refused much advice on the campaign trail about her speaking style and comments, often departs from scripted talking points and believes her style is in line with her husband's.

"That's probably right," says one Democrat consultant who has worked with Obama's campaign. "But we've had them thinking about what happens next, during the Denver convention and after. The scrutiny will be heightened and a lot of her stuff isn't going to play in Peoria."

WHAT'S THE IDEA?

(The American Spectator) - Much in the same way that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney attempted to buy the Republican nomination for President, Romney is laying out plans that would allow himself to buy into the conservative movement.

According to former Romney advisers, the former candidate has budgeted more than a million dollars of his own money, and would tap a number of his financial supporters for more, to set up a new foundation -- perhaps in Michigan -- that would promote conservative policy ideas.

"Governor Romney believes in a competitive marketplace for ideas, so he's more than willing to invest in conservative ideas that compete against Newt Gingrich or the American Enterprise Institute or anyone else's policy ideas. Anything that will help the movement," says a longtime conservative based in Washington, who backed Romney.

But Romney's conservative policy ideas largely paled in comparison to most of the other candidates in the race, including some of John McCain's, Fred Thompson's, and even Mike Huckabee's. Romney's tax plan was not as aggressive as Thompson's or Huckabee's, and his immigration reform plan was closer to the moderate plan put forward by McCain.

Part of Romney's strategy is to keep a core group of close campaign associates employed for the long term for another run at the Presidency should McCain lose in 2008.

Romney is also looking to parrot some of the other candidates. For example, two months ago, Romney advisers approached Citadel Broadcasting, which syndicates the radio's Paul Harvey commentaries. "Governor Romney saw that that was how Fred Thompson got his jumpstart in the campaign. He's not above borrowing a good idea if it will help him," says a former adviser. "We saw that on the campaign trail. He'd see what another candidate was doing and say to one of us, 'You know, we can do that better, or we can do that a bit differently and really make it work.' I think that's what he's doing with following in Thompson's footsteps."

Jimmy Carter Defends Meeting With Hamas

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former President Carter said he feels "quite at ease" about meeting Hamas militants over the objections of Washington because the Palestinian group is essential to a future peace with Israel.

MCCAIN: 'HILLARY CAN STILL PULL IT OFF'; SENATOR PREFERS CLINTON CONTEST

(Drudge Report) - Republican presidential hopeful John McCain has confided to his inner circle that Hillary Clinton may yet be the Democratic nominee, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned, a development the senator from Arizona would personally welcome!

"Look, I know something about long odds, they had me written off last summer," McCain explained over the weekend, according to a top source.

McCain would prefer to go up against Clinton in the general election, insiders reveal.

He has instructed his campaign staff to "chill out" on countering Hillary Clinton's torrent of claims and promises as primary voting comes to end over the next 6 weeks.

McCain made the tactical decision to downplay Clinton's tale of Bosnia sniper fire, leaving some McCain staffers frustrated and perplexed.

Instead, the critical focus has been on Barack Obama. McCain's official website features 14 press releases taking on Obama since the first of the year, only 3 for the former first lady.

Jeremiah Wright Sounds Off At Eulogy for Chicago Judge

(Fox News) - Rev. Jeremiah Wright told a congregation in Norfolk, Va., on Sunday that reporters sneaked into a private funeral service a day before, in which he blasted America’s founding fathers for slavery and white supremacy and received standing ovations for attacking FOX News for covering his anti-American sermons.

Israel snubs Carter and declines security help

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's secret service has declined to assist U.S. agents guarding former U.S. President Jimmy Carter during a visit in which Israeli leaders have shunned him, U.S. sources close to the matter said on Monday.

Carter angered the Israeli government with plans to meet Hamas's top leader, Khaled Meshaal, in Syria, and for describing Israeli policy in the occupied Palestinian territories as "a system of apartheid" in a 2006 book.

Clinton Misstates Wife's Bosnia Tale

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former President Clinton has added to the falsehoods surrounding his wife's tale of her trip to Bosnia 12 years ago. In Indiana on Thursday, Bill Clinton defended his wife's mistake in claiming that she landed under sniper fire in Bosnia, accusing the media of treating her like "she'd robbed a bank" for confusing the facts.

The New York senator had repeatedly described a harrowing scene in Tuzla, Bosnia, in which she and her daughter, Chelsea, had to run for cover as soon as they landed for a visit in 1996. Video footage of the day instead showed a peaceful reception in which an 8-year-old girl greeted the first lady.

Hillary Clinton has acknowledged that she got the facts wrong in retelling the tale. Bill Clinton's inaccuracies don't involve long-ago memories, but misstatements about how his wife has handled the story.

Rice criticizes Carter over Hamas plans

(Yahoo News) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice criticized former President Carter on Friday for his reported plans to meet the exiled leader of the militant Palestinian group Hamas during a visit to Syria.

Carter has not confirmed the plans to meet Khaled Mashaal, but Hamas has said the former Democratic president sent an envoy to Damascus requesting a meeting with the militant group's officials.

"I find it hard to understand what is going to be gained by having discussions with Hamas about peace when Hamas is, in fact, the impediment to peace," Rice said at a press event with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Obama denounces big corporate pay packages

INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama denounced huge pay packages for U.S. corporate chiefs on Friday in a drive to convert middle-class anger about the U.S. economy into votes.

"Some CEOs make more in one day than their workers make in one year," Obama said, jockeying for position against rival Democrat Hillary Clinton in Indiana, which votes on May 6.

Obama under fire after fundraiser remarks

TERRE HAUTE, Indiana (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama came under fire on Friday for saying small-town Pennsylvania residents were "bitter" and "cling to guns or religion," in comments his rivals said showed an elitist view of the middle class.

Taxpayers fund Bill Clinton spending

(The Politico) - The Clintons have made a $100-million fortune since leaving the White House, but a Politico analysis found that hasn’t kept Bill Clinton from taking full advantage of the publicly funded perks offered to ex-presidents.

In fact, his presidential retirement benefits cost taxpayers almost as much as those of the other two living ex-presidents combined.

Huge Oil Reservoir May Lie Under Northern Plains

BISMARCK, N.D. (Fox News) — The government estimates up to 4.3 billion barrels of oil can be recovered from the Bakken shale formation in North Dakota and Montana, using current technology.

The U.S. Geological Survey calls it the largest continuous oil accumulation it has ever assessed.

An assessment by USGS in 1999 found the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge had 10.3 billion barrels of recoverable oil, said Brenda Pierce, a geologist for the agency.

Locking Up Historical Rock House

STOKES COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) – The Rock House is one of the last surviving Revolutionary War structures in the Piedmont. It still stands, despite more than 220 years of weather, time and lately, vandals. Chad Tucker reports for the house to survive, caretakers are considering locking up the historical site.

BREAKING NEWS: Stokes teacher charged with indecent liberties with a student

(The Stokes News) - The Stokes County Sheriff’s Office has arrested and charged South Stokes High School agriscience teacher John Calvin Brasfield with one count of felony taking indecent liberties with a student today.

According to a release from Capt. Craig Carico, the incident involving Brasfield, 54, of 201 Goff Road, King, and a juvenile student allegedly occurred in March. He said the alleged incident occurred at South Stokes High School and was reported by the parents of the victim on Saturday.

West Virginia Woman Finds Decomposing Body in Dead Mother's Closet

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. (Fox News) — The daughter and son-in-law of a Charles Town woman who died made a gruesome discovery while going through her bedroom closet — the decomposing body of another woman wrapped in plastic, blankets and a sleeping bag.

Hamas Confirms: Carter To Meet Terrorist Leader

NEW YORK (Fox News) — A senior Hamas official has confirmed that former President Jimmy Carter will meet with Khaled Meshal, the exiled head of the Palestinian terror group Hamas, during a visit to Syria next week, according to the Associated Press.

The official, Mohammed Nazzal, told the AP that Carter sent an envoy to Damascus requesting a meeting with Hamas leadership, including Meshal, and that Hamas "welcomed the request." The meeting will take place on April 18, he said.

Bagman and Rob'em :-)

Rush Limbaugh's Morning Update: Spending Spree

The laughably named Government Accountability Office has released a review of over a dozen federal agencies over the last 15 months. They found that close to 41 percent of all of the charges on government credit cards did not follow procedure and were improperly authorized. We're talking about 300,000 credit card holders here, folks, and they spent over $14 billion.

The feds could not account for hundreds of laptops, iPods, and digital cameras. Somehow, 16 computer server arrays costing $100,000 each cannot be found.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. The government-employee credit-card-spending-spree analysis shows millions spent on internet dating services -- your tax dollars are buying this stuff, folks! -- lingerie, and custom-made suits. There are gambling charges, mortgage charges -- you name it, it's there. One woman spent over $100,000 a year for six years on her live-in boyfriend! (No guy is worth that, gals.) Of course, this only elicits yawns from liberals, who are ever-clamoring for even more government spending on their growing list of entitlements.

But let me run this past you private-sector types out there who are held accountable for your company's budget. If auditors discovered that almost half the charges on your company credit cards violated policy, and that millions of dollars of your company's assets were misappropriated, heads would roll, right? And liberals would be first in line to rage about corporate greed, and to demand that corporate officers -- like Enron types -- go to jail. But with taxpayer money -- your money, your government -- it's just business as usual... and it still isn't enough for them!

Read the Background Material on the Morning Update...
• AP: GAO -- Millions Wasted on Gov't Cards

Wednesday Funnies :-)

Conan O’Brien: “The Clintons just released their tax returns to the public... It turns out that over the past eight years, they’ve donated over $10 million to charity. When they asked Bill Clinton why he gave so much money to charity, he said, ‘She’s a really good dancer’.”

Jay Leno: This week is Explore Your Career Options week. Especially if you work for the Hillary Clinton campaign. ... Hillary’s senior campaign adviser, Mark Penn, has left the campaign. Apparently he was coming under some heavy sniper fire. ... Penn was credited for catapulting her from a veritable shoo-in to second place. ... Good news for Hillary Clinton. You know Hillary’s ad where she says she’s ready to answer the phone at 3 AM? This is interesting. Today, she got a call from India and they said if this presidential thing doesn’t work out, they have a job for her in tech support. ... It looks like Barack Obama has taken a ten-point lead over Hillary Clinton. You know they say, behind every successful man there’s a woman. Unfortunately for Hillary, it’s her. ... Today, Barack Obama said that as president, when it comes to solving the problem of global warming, he wants to have Al Gore at the table... Al Gore at the table. Have you seen Al Gore lately? I think he needs to push a little away from the table. ... Former presidential candidate John Edwards announced he will not—will not—accept the nomination for vice president. Which is really important, considering no one has asked him.

Abortion Rate Among Black Women Far Exceeds Rate for Other Groups

(Fox News) - The revelation a few weeks ago that Planned Parenthood employees had encouraged telephone donations from callers hoping to facilitate abortions of black babies — money that was "offered" from members of an anti-abortion group at UCLA — led to a quick apology from the family planning organization. Planned Parenthood said its employees made a "serious mistake" in encouraging the donations.

Report: Jimmy Carter to Meet With Hamas Leader in Syria

NEW YORK CITY (Fox News) — Former President Jimmy Carter is reportedly preparing an unprecedented meeting with the leader of Hamas, an organization that the U.S. government considers one of the leading terrorist threats in the world.

The Arabic-language newspaper Al-Hayat reported Tuesday that Carter was planning a trip to Syria for mid-April, during which he would meet with Khaled Meshal, the exiled head of the Palestinian terror group Hamas, on April 18.

Deanna Congileo, Carter’s press secretary, confirmed in an e-mail to FOXNews.com that Carter will be in the Mideast in April. Pressed for comment, Congileo did not deny that the former president is considering visiting Meshal.

Baby born with 2 faces in India

Mother Sushma holds her daughter Lali at their residence in Saini Sunpura, 50 kilometers (31 miles) east of New Delhi, India, Tuesday, April 8, 2008. The baby with two faces, two noses, two pairs of lips and two pairs of eyes was born on March 11 in a northern Indian village, where she is doing well and is being worshipped as the reincarnation of a Hindu goddess, her father said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Gurinder Osan)

Rep. McHenry Opens Mouth, Inserts Foot, Loses Leg To Stand On

McHenry under fire over Iraq visit

HICKORY — U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry enraged his opponents with his actions during a trip to Iraq last month and comments after his return. The first issue erupted last week when video of McHenry’s speech to a Republican gathering in Lincoln County showed the congressman speaking of an early morning trip to the gym while in the area known as the Green Zone. A military guard stopped him because the congressman lacked sufficient credentials. During his light-hearted speech, McHenry referred to the guard as a “two-bit security guard,” by not allowing him to enter the gym without proper credentials.
The military guard was not a United States soldier, but an employee of a foreign contractor providing security at the site. That didn’t lessen the reaction from his opponents. — Andrew Mackie, Hickory Daily Record, Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Meanwhile, from the Charlotte Observer:

Pentagon: Lawmaker can't re-air Iraq video; Rep. Patrick McHenry faces accusations his video breached security

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon told an N.C. lawmaker Tuesday that he couldn't re-air a video he shot in Baghdad after accusations surfaced that he breached operational security in detailing enemy rocket attacks. Rep. Patrick McHenry, a Republican from Cherryville, traveled to Iraq with other lawmakers for the first time on March 22. On Friday, his Web site featured a video shot in the fortified section of Baghdad known as the Green Zone. McHenry could be seen gesturing to a building behind him and saying that one of 11 rockets "hit just over my head." Then he named two other places struck by the rockets ...
A Pentagon spokesman said he didn't know what McHenry was told in Iraq, "but we routinely brief our operational rules to our visitors in Iraq and Afghanistan." "We do not as a matter of policy discuss attacks in a way that would provide the enemy any better understanding of the effectiveness of their attacks," said Lt. Col. Todd Vician.
A spokesman for the Multi-National Forces in Iraq said that he didn't know what the rules were for congressmen, but the military is not allowed to talk about battle damage. — Lisa Zagaroli

YouTube = preserving the words and actions of fast-talking, self-absorbed politicians everywhere.