The pot calling the electric kettle Afro-American

For anyone from that a cesspit of bias and misinformation which is the NYT to call blogs biased is really rich

On Meet the Press this past Sunday, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman railed against internet news sources, referring to them as an "open sewer of untreated, unfiltered information." He continued to mock new media, suggesting that the American public is incapable of deciphering between facts, fiction and opinion, when he said that modems should have a warning label from the surgeon general that reads "judgment not included." What Mr. Friedman cannot understand is that web-based information sources like blogs, wikis and vlogs (video blogs) are the new beat reporters and investigative journalists of our time.

Their importance was revealed, just this past weekend, before which, very few Americans recognized the name Van Jones. The White House environmental adviser was one of thirty-two "Czars" appointed by the president who is accountable only to the president, immune to government oversight and senate confirmation. The major networks and newspapers including Mr. Friedman's employer, the New York Times, failed to acknowledge his existence until after new media watchdog's revealed information that the mainstream press failed to uncover.

In an on online story posted last April 6, New Zealand blogger Trevor Jones exposed the world to the Van Jones the Obama administration did not want you to know about. Three days later, the American website World Net Daily exposed Jones' research to a wider audience. The article revealed Jones's ties to radical leftist groups, being a self-proclaimed communist and racially incendiary remarks. These revelations did not trigger any journalistic instincts at the major networks, cable news channels or major newspapers. It did, however, reach a core with citizen watchdogs.

During the six months after Jones and then WND published their first Van Jones stories, new media sources uncovered his signature on a petition suggesting the Bush administration was involved in the September 11 attacks. Citizen investigators produced a recording of Van Jones exposing his disdain for the existence of Israel. On a lighter note, a video surfaced showing the president's "green jobs" Czar calling Republicans an expletive. The discovery that Mr. Jones was a supporter of Philadelphia cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal, served as icing on the cake. These revelations were met with silence from the Washington Post, New York Times and major news networks.

At the eleventh hour, approximately twenty-four hours before Van Jones resigned, the "big three" and the so-called newspaper of record, the New York Times, acknowledged the Jones fiasco. It is a shame that Thomas Friedman and company will never admit that new media did the job the American people previously entrusted in traditional media.

Not anymore. In a June 18, 2009, article in Forbes magazine, pollster John Zogby noted that over twice as many Americans trust internet news sources more than television, newspapers and radio. That poll came just eighteen months after a Sam Adams Alliance, a Chicago-based nonprofit that utilizes new media to promote government accountability and transparency. Opinions expressed are not endorsed by any organization and are strictly those of the author.

Mr. Friedman is right that information should be filtered, but that process should be left to the individual to decide what is credible and what matters. Journalists have an obligation to their profession and the public to disseminate the facts, especially when they involve government officials whose actions greatly impact the country. The mainstream media didn't just drop the ball regarding Van Jones - they never showed up to the game. Thankfully, new media players were able to step up to the plate and bring home a victory for the people and the journalism profession.

SOURCE

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Anti-abortion activist shot

This is a tragic story but perhaps the most interesting thing is how the media headlined it. They did not headline it as I have above. The paper I got the story from headed it "Michigan trucker shoots 2 on hit list" which tells you just about nothing. I am told that the Detroit Free Press actually changed its headline from “Pro-life activist shot dead near Owosso High” to “Owosso police look into two murders” to play down the anti-abortion angle. Funny, I don’t recall anything like that happening when abortionist George Tiller was shot

A Michigan trucker with an apparent hit list fatally shot two men - a well-known pro-life activist and a gravel-pit owner - and likely planned to gun down a third victim Friday before he was arrested by police.

Harlan James Drake, 33, of Owosso, Mich., was arrested at his apartment about 8:30 a.m. and charged with two counts of first-degree murder after shooting two of the three men on his grudge list, said Shiawassee County District Attorney Randy Cobry.

"The information is that he had ill will toward these three individuals, not for the same reason, necessarily, but he had a grudge, if you will, against this trio of individuals," Mr. Cobry said.

Still unclear is the victims' connection, if any, to each other and to Mr. Drake. The first victim, 63-year-old Jim Pouillon, was a pro-life activist who spent hours on Owosso street corners and at local events with his chair, oxygen tank and anti-abortion signs, earning him the nickname "the sign guy."

Mr. Pouillon was gunned down about 7:20 a.m. as he sat across the street from Owosso High School, holding a sign showing a picture of a 4-week-old baby and a caption saying "Life."

Many students and parents witnessed the shooting and were able to identify the vehicle and license plate, leading police to Mr. Drake's apartment. During his arrest, authorities said, Mr. Drake reportedly told police that he had been involved that morning in another shooting. Authorities received a call at 8:17 a.m. from Fuoss Gravel, where owner Mike Fuoss, 61, was found dead in his office by an employee. Mr. Fuoss had been shot multiple times, according to the Shiawassee County Sheriff's Department.

More here

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A Protectionist Wave

Obama invites a rush of similar claims with his tariffs on Chinese tires

The White House leaked word late Friday evening that the U.S. will impose heavy tariffs on imported Chinese tires used by millions of low-income Americans. We wonder if President Obama understands the political forces he's unleashing with this blatant protectionism.

Mr. Obama is setting a precedent in the tire case because he is applying a previously unused part of the trade law known as Section 421. This allows U.S. industries or unions to seek protection from "surges" of Chinese imports, with a lower burden of proof than normal antidumping or countervailing duty cases. President Bush nixed the four Section 421 petitions that reached his desk, citing the national economic interest. Domestic lobbies had lobbied Mr. Obama hard to reverse that pattern and set a new protectionist precedent.

Eleven Senators, including Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio) and Debbie Stabenow (D., Mich.), sent a letter to President Obama in July advocating the 55% tariff on Chinese tires. "We firmly believe that providing this specific measure of relief would send a powerful message to the American people that you intend to keep your promise to enforce trade laws fully," they wrote.

Then there are companies that face competition from lower-cost Chinese imports and want to push their antitrade agenda forward. Take the Committee to Support U.S. Trade Laws, which lobbed a pro-tariff letter into the White House this month. The umbrella group includes the American Furniture Manufacturers Committee for Legal Trade; the California Fresh Garlic Producers Association; the U.S. Beekeepers; the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association; and the Flower Growers of Puget Sound. "This case is being watched closely to see whether Section 421 is an effective law or a dead issue,"committee executive director David A. Hartquist wrote to Mr. Obama.

This threat will now be realized as other industries pursue the 421 solution to reducing competition. Some of the product categories that have seen import surges include shoes, lawn mowers, television monitors, hearing aids, musical instruments like keyboards and guitars, women's underwear, blouses and t-shirts, according to Greg Rushford, editor of a newsletter on trade policy. Oh, and trousers, women's knit shirts and bras, according to Cass Johnson, president of the National Council of Textile Organizations—another lobby that must be gleeful that Mr. Obama has unleashed Section 421.

As a candidate, Mr. Obama courted union support, and the United Steelworkers filed the tire case anticipating he would pay them back. Some in the business and policy communities thought Mr. Obama didn't really mean it, and that like Bill Clinton he would stand for the national economic interest in open trade once he became President. Mark that down as another misjudgment. In his first big trade test in the White House, Mr. Obama has allied himself with the protectionists, and the world will see his political surrender and rush to exploit it.

SOURCE

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This won't stop ACORN but it will slow them down

Getting them kicked out of the census is a big bonus. Can you imagine the flood of false data that would have resulted if they had been allowed to take part?

Two more ACORN officials were fired Friday after a second video surfaced showing staffers in the community organizers' Washington office offering to help a man and woman posing as a pimp and prostitute acquire illegal home loans that would help them set up a brothel. The firings came less than 24 hours after another pair of ACORN officials from the group's Baltimore office were canned for instructing the "pimp" and "prostitute" how to falsify tax forms and seek illegal benefits for 13 "very young" girls from El Salvador that pair said they wanted to import to work as child prostitutes.

Both of the encounters were videotaped on a hidden camera wielded by 25-year-old independent filmmaker James O'Keefe, posing as the pimp — tapes that have ignited calls for investigations of ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.

The United States Census Director has sent a letter to the National Headquarters of ACORN notifying the group that it will no longer help work on the 2010 census.

The group's leaders said Friday they were "appalled and angry" at what their staffers had done, but insisted the videos were part of a political "smear" campaign and not representative of the institution as a whole. "But that does not excuse the behavior of the employees," wrote ACORN's president Alton Bennet and executive director Mike Shea. "We have fired them and are initiating an internal review of practices and reminding all staff of their obligation to uphold the highest legal and ethical standards."

Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La., called for a hearing to investigate ACORN's tax filing assistance programs following the release of the videos he said suggested multiple incidents of tax fraud. "In light of the apparent flagrant and willful attempts to suborn tax fraud, I ... (am seeking) a hearing of the Oversight Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee as soon as practicable to investigate ACORN’s activities," he said Friday.

O'Keefe, the filmmaker, was accompanied by 20-year-old Hannah Giles, who posed as a prostitute. On a videotape of their visit to ACORN's Washington's office, they are seen receiving guidance to establish the woman as the sole proprietor of a bogus company to mask the nature of her business....

One day before the Washington video was shot, O'Keefe and Giles sought help from ACORN workers in Baltimore, who told the pair how to falsify tax forms and seek illegal benefits for 13 "very young" girls from El Salvador that they said they said they wanted to import as prostitutes...

The organization has been accused by conservatives and Republicans of committing fraud in voter registration drives around the country, and reaction to the videotape came swiftly after its release on Thursday. "Taxpayers should be outraged that their money has gone to an organization that, in addition to facing charges of voter fraud and tax violations, is willing to facilitate prostitution," said Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. "As this video confirms, ACORN continues to operate as a criminal enterprise."

More HERE

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The Leftist destruction of Britain goes on apace

Now Britain's government is trying to destroy Britain's tourism industry -- which is a huge source of income for the country. We heard recently of planned new taxes on airline tickets but the email below from Pat Wadley [mjw0@sysascend.com] points out that the British government is already doing a lot to chase away tourists. Be warned!

Last year my best friend and I stopped in England on our way home from Italy. We were so looking forward to it as we have been to England twice before and we both, especially as we are Historians, enjoy each and every “adventure.” It will be, alas, our last time. I had already made all the arrangements and when I went to book the England leg of the trip I was told that there would be a $585 +/- charge for coming into the country and staying. That charge was for both of us, but we were horrified that we were being charged to spend money in England, as that was what we were doing. And it was too late to change our hotels and airline tickets. Thus we were trapped.

It greatly limited our chances at exploring new areas as our funds were limited. Thus we spent two days in London and two days in York. The shopping we had planned to do was taken off our list, as were the bookstores and the restaurants. We purchased items from a deli and ate in our room. We walked everywhere and we were so disappointed that we would no longer be coming to England.

Yes, government control is a wonderful thing, it is the first, and truly indiscriminate, destructive power. Kind of like a hurricane or a tidal wave. It gets its way and destroys everything in its way.

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My Twitter.com identity: jonjayray. My Facebook page is also accessible as jonjayray (In full: http://www.facebook.com/jonjayray). For more blog postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, IMMIGRATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, EYE ON BRITAIN and Paralipomena

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The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist" (Nationalsozialist) and the full name of Hitler's political party (translated) was "The National Socialist German Workers' Party" (In German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei)

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