Fwd: New START: Let’s Not Make a Deal

The New START Treaty:        Let's Not Make a Deal   At the height of the debate over Obamacare, when the White House's leftist allies were in full panic mode, The Washington Post's Ezra Klein accused Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) of being "willing to cause the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people." Lieberman's crime? He opposed including an expansion of Medicare in the health regulation bill. Now that the President's signature foreign policy achievement, the New START nuclear agreement with Russia, is on the ropes, the left is again back to their hyperbolic ways. Ploughshares Fund president Joseph Cirincione told The Associated Press last week: "A delayed ratification with a close vote would be a blow to U.S. leadership around the world. People would doubt the President's ability to negotiate other agreements."    VIDEO: Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) on Missile Defense   START Critic Recommends START I Verification Regime   Heritage Analyst James Carafano on Disarming New START   The histrionics are the result of a sudden surge of concerns over the treaty that started with a blast from Mitt Romney who declared the treaty "Obama's worst foreign policy mistake." Sens. John Kerry (D-MA) and Carl Levin (D-MI) attempted to shoot down Romney's concerns, but their responses raised more questions than they answered. Romney has responded to his critics by identifying eight problems with New START that must be resolved before the Senate can vote on the treaty. We'll focus on three today... >> Click Here To Continue This Story. BREAKING NEWS: State Department: Russia Not Complying with Pacts Today's Washington Post cites a State Department report that contends Russia is indeed violating international chemical and biological weapons pacts. The U.S. Senate will decide whether to ratify START, and seven Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee request the report. An excerpt: "The new compliance report, obtained by the Washington Post, says that several issues raised in the 2005 version have been resolved, on subjects such as the movement of Russian road-mobile missiles and inspection of reentry vehicles. But the report may nonetheless fuel the debate over the new treaty, because it says a number of other compliance issues remained unresolved when the treaty expired last December. The unclassified version of the report does not identify them. To pass, the treaty will need at least eight Republican votes plus those of all 57 Democrats and the two independents. Most Republicans haven't yet indicated which way they will go. In recent weeks, the battle over the treaty has intensified, with the Heritage Foundation launching a nationwide campaign against it, and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney branding it Obama's 'worst foreign policy mistake."  >>For the latest information on the New START Treaty, visit heritage.org. forward message visit 33minutes.com   The safety and security of our country has and will always be a top priority for all Americans. The Heritage Foundation's NationalSecurity.org provides accurate and timely information. Sign up for email updates.   Facebook Twitter YouTube The Heritage Foundation - 214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC Call us at 202-546-4400

Fwd: MyHeritage.org: Another Dangerous Leak

FEATURED VIDEO Heritage's Rory Cooper discusses the economics of the response to the oil spill on Fox News. More videos » July 28, 2010 | By Amanda J. Reinecker Another Dangerous Leak There's another leak in our midst, but this time it's not oil. Over the weekend, roughly 92,000 secret military reports about the war in Afghanistan, dating from January 2004 to December 2009, were leaked by Julian Assange, founder of the website Wikileaks.org and a vocal opponent of the coalition-led war. A leak of classified information -- especially of this magnitude -- could potentially pose a grave threat to American national security interests. But as Heritage Foundation expert Lisa Curtis explains, "the Wikileaks exposé should not be used to argue that the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan is doomed to failure. The U.S. strategy in Afghanistan has been refined over the last year and new U.S. troops and civilian resources are pouring into the country. The new counterinsurgency strategy is sound and should be given time to succeed." She also noted that much of the information contained in the exposed documents has long been public and many of the challenges highlighted have already been addressed by the new war strategy. President Obama echoed these sentiments in a press conference on Tuesday when he insisted that "these documents don't reveal any issues that haven't already informed our public debate on Afghanistan." Whether new information is unveiled or not, the release of any classified military information raises important questions and concerns about national security and the rule of law. Heritage legal scholar Hans von Spakovsky explains why this matters: Besides being dangerous to the lives, safety, and national security of Americans, this type of disclosure of classified military information is a federal crime…18 U.S.C. § 798 which prohibits the disclosure of classified information. Earlier this month, an Army private, Bradley Manning, was charged with passing classified information to Wikileaks. According to the law, von Spakovsky argues, "he should be prosecuted and if convicted, sentenced to a long term in prison, not just to punish him for violating this law and putting his own personal interests ahead of the safety and national security concerns of his country, but as a deterrent to others within the military and the government who are tempted to do the same." There are serious lessons to be drawn from the Wikileaks case, especially as U.S. efforts in Afghanistan enters a critical phase. First, it underscores how, in the age of the Internet, it is easy to disseminate sensitive classified information to the wrong people. On National Review Online, Heritage's James Carafano outlines how the government should think about combating this challenge. Second, the leaked documents reveal a level of American frustration with Pakistan's dual policy of combating some terrorists while at the same time harboring others. The Obama administration should reassure the public of its intent to obtain full Pakistani cooperation in the Afghan war. Lastly, America's leaders should seize this opportunity to refocus the debate on victory in Afghanistan. When Heritage Ideas Go Mainstream In a long article last week, The Economist magazine discusses how America's criminal laws are out of control. The Economist explains one case this way: In 2000 four Americans were charged with importing lobster tails in plastic bags rather than cardboard boxes, in violation of a Honduran regulation that Honduras no longer enforces. They had fallen foul of the Lacey Act, which bars Americans from breaking foreign rules when hunting or fishing. The original intent was to prevent Americans from, say, poaching elephants in Kenya. But it has been interpreted to mean that they must abide by every footling wildlife regulation on Earth. The lobstermen had no idea they were breaking the law. Yet three of them got eight years apiece. Two are still in jail. This is just one of the many cases highlighted in Heritage Foundation legal expert Brian Walsh's new book, One Nation Under Arrest: How Crazy Laws, Rogue Prosecutors, and Activist Judges Threaten Your Liberty. The bottom line: there are far too many criminal laws for any one American to keep up with. As Heritage's Conn Carroll writes on The Foundry, The Heritage Foundation does not agree with everything in The Economist's reporting, but this conclusion definitely rings true: America needs fewer and clearer laws, so that citizens do not need a law degree to stay out of jail. Acts that can be regulated should not be criminalised. Prosecutors' powers should be clipped: most white-collar suspects are not Al Capone, and should not be treated as if they were. When a widely read and well-respected publication such as The Economist starts carrying our message, we know our ideas are taking hold. And we want our members to know about it. We're engaged day and night in the war of ideas to ensure that conservative ideas are considered in important policy debates. Thanks to the support of our members, we're able to do just that. Thank you! > Other Heritage Work of Note "If New START is ratified, we will be saddled with a bad treaty that locks in all the wrong things. There is a better path to arms control, one that is fundamentally defensive," argues Heritage Vice President Kim Holmes. The latest nuclear threats don't come from Russia, but North Korea and Iran, both of which are left out of the New START treaty. Holmes offers an alternative to the treaty, citing a "protect and defend" treaty that, according to Homes, would "enable both the U.S. and Russia to reduce their operationally deployed strategic nuclear warheads below Moscow Treaty levels, yet leave missile defenses unconstrained." A program that limits nuclear arms and supports nuclear defense is the best strategic option for both the U.S. and Russia. The federal government already controls banking, the automobile industry, and health care. Next on the agenda is the National Education Standards, and the federal government is now aiming to boost its influence in the area of education. Heritage's Rachel Sheffield writes, "There is nothing conservative about national standards, which will further tie schools to the demands of Washington bureaucrats but do little to improve student achievement." She argues that while it's important to keep schools accountable, this is better achieved on a statewide level. If parents were given the opportunity to send their child to a school of their own choosing, schools would have further incentive to maintain a curriculum that parents are comfortable with and uphold higher standards in order to retain students.  "The death tax is a drag on the economy that destroys jobs and lowers wages," writes Heritage's tax policy analyst Curtis Dubay. Unless something is done to repeal it, the death tax will be reinstated January 1st, 2011 at a rate of 55%. In his latest paper, Dubay argues against the death tax, and and is instead in favor of Sen. Jim DeMint's (R - S.C.) plan to repeal before it's too late. While some Senators are working for full repeal, others are working on a compromise plan to lessen the blow. Dubay reports, "Full repeal of the death tax would be the best stimulus for the economy to date. Allowing it to come back to life next year would be a huge blow to the still-staggering economy." What must Congress do to "restore the will of the people"? Heritage President Ed Feulner suggests three steps: Congress needs to repeal Obamacare, control long-term spending, and roll back the massive tax hikes that are going to take effect on January 1st, 2011. The 2010 midterms will give Americans a chance to express their will. Our leaders should promise to enact conservative policies, and "'we, the people' should hold them accountable." Join Heritage at the Family Research Council Action's Values Voter Summit 2010 in Washington, D.C., from September 17-19. The event will feature prominent conservatives including Phyllis Schlafly, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR), Bill Bennett, Star Parker, and many more. Heritage will hold a screening of Let Me Rise, our powerful documentary on education reform, and host a panel discussion about the connections between social and economic conservatism. Register at ValuesVoterSummit.org. » Watch the new video about the event > In Other News During an interview aired on a state-run television station, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that he suspects the United States will launch a military strike against "at least two countries" in the Middle East within the next few months. "The United States believes Russia is not fully complying with international pacts involving chemical and biological weapons," reports the Washington Post. This news could hinder passage of the New START treaty. According to a recent study, $8.7 billion of the $9.1 billion designated for reconstruction in Iraq are unaccounted for by the Defense Department. Most DOD organizations did not establish the required accounts for managing the funds, rendering them vulnerable to waste. New accounting and reporting procedures have been proposed. BP's newly hired chief executive, Robert Dudley, announced the company is setting aside $32.2 billion to manage the aftermath of the Gulf oil spill. As a result, the company will incur a record second-quarter loss of $17 billion. In response to a liberal critic of his new book on the welfare state, Never Enough, author William Voegeli writes on National Review Online about the dangers of liberalism. He argues that "liberalism promotes 'policy without law' by having Congress delegate real governance, and vast discretion, to administrative agencies that go on to regulate with 'a vigor that is matched only by its unpredictability.' The consent of the governed, expressed through elections that let the people turn unsatisfactory officials out of office, is trivialized." Amanda Reinecker is a writer for MyHeritage.org, a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation. Bethany Murphy, Nathaniel Ward and Stephen Congdon, a Heritage intern, contributed to this report.  Donate    |   Heritage on Facebook View as HTML  |   Update Your Profile   |   Unsubscribe

Fwd: Biden Claims $600 Billion in Stimulus Funds Spent -- ?We?re Building a Government That Delivers More Bang for the Buck Than Ever Before?

Today's Headlines Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Biden Claims $600 Billion in Stimulus Funds Spent -- 'We're Building a Government That Delivers More Bang for the Buck Than Ever Before' (CNSNews.com) – Vice President Joe Biden says "Americans deserve a government that actually works," and he also assured liberals that the Obama administration is "trying to build a government that delivers much more bang for the buck than it ever has before." In remarks on Tuesday, Biden said the government has spent $600 billion in economic stimulus funds -- "and we're seeing waste, fraud, and abuse claims at just about two-tenths of 1 percent of the entire amount of money spent." Hoyer Refuses to Rule Out Raising the Retirement Age to Address Social Security (CNSNews.com) – House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on Tuesday would not rule out raising the retirement age in attempt to save Social Security. "What I have said, in a speech that was pretty specific, was that I think everything needs to be on the table," Hoyer said. EPA Puts 'Environmental Justice' Front and Center in Its Rulemaking Process (CNSNews.com) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a 55-page "guidance" to help its employees "advance environmental justice" for low-income and minority communities. "Achieving environmental justice is an Agency priority and should be factored into every decision," the document says. Progress Towards July 2011 Troop Drawdown in Afghanistan Mixed, U.S. Envoy Says (CNSNews.com) - Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, when questioned during a Senate panel hearing, indicated that the progress towards Obama's July 2011 drawdown date is mixed, and he added that "there is no single answer yet to this extraordinarily complicated situation." Rep. Pence: Medicare Chief Berwick 'Not Entitled to That Job,' Must Explain Praise for UK 'Socialist Health Care System' Washington (CNSNews.com) – Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) says he is concerned about the prospect of health care rationing following the recess appointment of Dr. Donald Berwick to serve as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services. "I think it was wrong for the president to bypass the confirmation process at a time when the American people are so focused on legislation where the ink is barely dry," Pence told CNSNews.com. Democrat Postpones Senate Hearing on Lockerbie Controversy, After Key Witnesses Rebuff His Request to 'Clear the Air' (CNSNews.com) – Accusing Scottish and British officials and BP executives of "stonewalling," the Democratic senator who was to have chaired a hearing this week on the Lockerbie controversy announced Tuesday that it would be postponed. "We are at a place where no witnesses of consequence has the courage to step forward and clear the air," Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey told reporters. With the key witnesses declining to attend, Tuesday's postponement announcement was not unexpected. Afghanistan Presses U.S. to Take Firmer Line With Pakistan Over Terror Links (CNSNews.com) – Afghan President Hamid Karzai's national security council chided the U.S. government Tuesday for not taking a tougher line with Pakistan over its alleged collusion with terrorists operating in Afghanistan. The unauthorized leak of U.S. military documents revealing collaboration between members of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) and the Taliban and other jihadist groups may slow down Karzai's recent policy of seeking warmer relations with Islamabad. CNSNEWS.COM VIDEO Jermaine Jackson: Internet Is Helping Children 'Communicate and Adapt to Different Cultures' (CNSNews.com) - Jermaine Jackson, former member of the "Jackson 5" and the late singer Michael Jackson's brother, told CNSNews.com that the Internet is helping children "communicate and adapt to different cultures," adding that the "world doesn't start or end here in the U.S." HHS: Abortions and HIV Status Don't Have to Go in Electronic Health Records (CNSNews.com) - Dr. David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, says that abortions and HIV status do not need to go in the electronic health records all Americans are supposed to have by 2014 under the terms of the economic stimulus. OTHER CNSNEWS.COM HEADLINES Ariz. Sheriff: I'll Jail Immigration Protesters War-Funding Bill Clears Congress, With Republican Support and Democratic Defections Arizona Has Helped to Deport Thousands of Illegal Aliens, Even Before New Law Takes Effect Bus Hits Roadside Bomb, Killing 25 in Afghanistan; U.S. Death Toll Also Rises Ahead of Elections, Obama Ramps Up His Fundraising Competitive Lockpicking, Called 'Locksport,' Growing More Popular in U.S. Hundreds of FBI Agents Investigated for Cheating on Test of Surveillance Rules FBI Defends Guidelines for Domestic Surveillance Donate Today! Please help CNSNews.com keep bringing you 'The Right News - Right Now!' Make a contribution to CNSNews.com today. It's fast, simple and secure. Help CNSNews.com and Donate Today!  NEWSPAPER ROUNDUP New financial regulations say feds can compel diversity on Wall Street Nursing mothers get a break at work, thanks to health reform law Mass. House passes bill making insurers pay for autism services Sen. John Kerry will pay Mass. tax on R.I. yacht Voters say take action against sanctuary cities; Survey finds majority opposed Arlington Cemetery problems were documented in 2005 but never fixed Qualms build over consumer agency's power House Dems may break with Obama on his middle-class tax pledge Russia violated '91 START (treaty) till the end, U.S. report finds Health bill for 9/11 responders to get House vote Wednesday Voters can't shake deficit worries Democrats table campaign finance reform Anti-immigrant group calls for 'safe passage' of illegals out of U.S. Gov. Christie vetoes bill to restore $7.5 million for women's health services Aquarium to replace neon wave light with LED facsimile to save money COMMENTARY Hide-and-Seek Hypocrites on the Hill By Michelle Malkin You know when a politician starts a sentence with "frankly," he's about to lie to your face. The same principle applies to campaign finance legislation dubbed the "DISCLOSE Act." The voter's instinctive reaction should be: What are they trying to hide now? Drafted out of public view with left-wing lobbyists and rammed through Congress after bypassing committee hearings, this bum bill would have been better named the CLOSEDDOOR Act. Out of Touch or Out of Mind By Rich Galen The Senate on Tuesday took a test vote on the misnamed DISCLOSE Act, and to the surprise of absolutely no one outside of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, it didn't get the 60 votes needed to proceed. The Senate vote on the DISCLOSE Act was a defining moment. It helped define a White House that has demonstrated it is out of touch, and may be out of its political mind. JournoList Erodes Media Prestige By L. Brent Bozell III Tucker Carlson's website The Daily Caller has unearthed a treasure trove of liberal journalists talking (nastily) to themselves in a private e-mail list about how they should use their media power to remake the world in their image. The saddest thing about all this is the confirmation (as if it were necessary) that liberal journalists really aren't journalists first. They're political strategists. Liberal journalists in this crowd favor only discourse that "serves the people" – meaning, a "debate" that advances the ball for socialism. Any other uncooperative or unhelpful line of journalism or questioning or discussion or balance or objectivity is "idiocy" that should be "killed."

Fwd: Morning Bell: Surviving the Obama Assault on the Rule of Law

07/29/2010 Surviving the Obama Assault on the Rule of Law Hours after yesterday's decision by President Bill Clinton judicial appointee Susan Bolton to preemptively stop enforcement of Arizona's immigration enforcement law, Thomas A. Saenz, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), told The New York Times: "This is a warning to any other jurisdiction." Just in case the message from the Obama administration and its leftist allies was not clear, Obama appointee U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke told The Associated Press: "Surely it's going to make states pause and consider how they're drafting legislation and how it fits in a constitutional framework." But no amount of pause by states and localities could ever possibly satisfy the Obama administration, its amnesty allies, and activist judges like Bolton. In a textbook case of judicial activism, Judge Bolton rewrote the Arizona law to her own needs, invented her own facts and ignored clear federal law. President Jimmy Carter appointee and immigration law professor at Yale Law School Peter Schuck told The New York Times: "She rushed to judgment in a way I can only assume reflects a lot of pressure from the federal government to get this case resolved quickly." The Obama administration's case against Arizona sought to preemptively stop enforcement of Arizona's new immigration law. The legal term for this is a "facial challenge," and federal precedent is clear that facial challenges "must be careful not to go beyond the statute's facial requirements and speculate about 'hypothetical' or imaginary cases." But that is exactly what Judge Bolton did. First, she ignored Section 2(B) of the law as written and completely ignored the section's first sentence that required an officer to have "reasonable suspicion" that a person was in the country illegally before their immigration status should be checked. Then, she invented a completely hypothetical case about a Chilean dog walker detained by a completely fictional Sheriff Smith. Finally, despite the fact that 8 U.S.C. §1373 clearly requires the federal government to "respond to an inquiry by a…State, or local government agency, seeking to verify or ascertain the citizenship or immigration status of any individual," Judge Bolton concluded that the Obama administration's decision not to enforce this provision was as good as rewriting the law itself.