Weekly Updated RRStar Stats -- May 20, 2008

The content of the RRStar (online Rockford Register Star) blogs have an overwhelmingly liberal slant in both content, links, and quantity.

I established this blog in an attempt to provide Rockford with political balance and to demonstrate the type and quality of content the RRStar could offer to its readers.

Checking the stats of their political blogs it is clear that they need more of a balanced portfolio of political blogs.

Again, here are the political blogs available at the RRStar:

Applesauce is a prolific far left blog that addresses national issues. The content is mainly composed of links to the left wing of the blogosphere along with a short quips, photo, and video content. Occasionally there are longer posts that include opinions on the items linked. Comments are quickly answered, often with another quip.

In Chambers is a blog that covers Illinois state politics. It appears to be right of center but that could be the result of its adversarial nature to the current state administration. There is no real interaction in the comments.

Sweeny Report is a blog written by the Political Editor of the Register Star. Postings are sporadic, concentrating on local, state and national issues and are mainly short thoughts on events with few links.

Why We Vote is a group blog consisting of the thoughts of the members of the Register Star's voters opinion panel. The posts are mostly left of center (including those from the independents to date). The conservative member who was posting, sadly, passed away recently.

The Stats for May 12, 2008 through May 18, 2008:

* Applesauce 21 posts with 77 out links 7 YouTube.
* In Chambers 2 posts with 13 out links 0 YouTube.
* Sweeny Report 6 posts with 1 out links 0 YouTube.
* Why We Blog 2 posts (2 left, 0 right) 0 out links 0 YouTube.

Totals since I started counting March 27, 2008 through May 18, 2008:

* Applesauce 188 posts with 261 out links 38 YouTube.
* In Chambers 33 posts with 254 out links 1 YouTube.
* Sweeny Report 45 posts with 20 out links 0 YouTube.
* Why We Blog 28 posts (25 left 1 right 2 unknown) 1 out links 0 YouTube.



Posts of note this week:

Applesauce -- It was John McCain, not Barack Obama, who wanted to play patty-cake with Hamas --Pat repeated the selective editing lie of James Rubin.


Sweeny Report --Waging a new military campaign to elect McCain -- Chuck makes the claim that any attack on Iran, and he asserts there will be one, will be just like all the other wars that were false flag operations.


If your interested in balance in the RRStar blogs keep coming back and let the RRStar know.
DKK

Clinton Wins Kentucky BIG

Hillary Clinton won Kentucky, with 100% reporting, 65% to 30%.

This is now a battle for the ideological soul of the Democrat party. The elite and the nutroots, which includes Howard Dean, are completely behind Obama. The more moderate, I would say political realist part of the party is behind Hillary.

There has been an accelerating increase in the power of the nutroots over the past 8 years that is culminating in this primary. They lost most elections up until the primary in Connecticut when they defeated Joe Lieberman. He then proceeded to trounce them running as an independent.

Now they want, as they said in 2006, their party that they have paid for.

Is this a winning strategy? Hillary doesn't think so and she wants to let them know that they are not as powerful as they think, and that they can't win with Obama.

The elites choose Obama and the regular voters didn't.

As Hillary said earlier today, Obama started strong then lost strength. She keeps getting stronger.

As an aside, one of the Democrat talking heads was asked by Sean Hannity about the polls indicating Reverend Wright had a negative impact on Kentucky voters and her reply was, "I don't think race matters to...."

Is anyone else disturbed that the Democrats default position is that Wright is a racial issue? He isn't with me, he is an American hating fool -- black or white!
DKK

Kennedy Cancer

Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor:

Malignant gliomas are a type of brain cancer diagnosed in about 9,000 Americans a year — and the most common type among adults. It's an initial diagnosis: How well patients fare depends on what specific tumor type is determined by further testing.

Average survival can range from less than a year for very advanced and aggressive types — such as glioblastomas — or to about five years for different types that are slower growing.

Associated Press

Myprayers are with the Senator and the Kennedy family. I hope this proves to be treatable and that the Senator can return to the Senate and continue in what has been a long and eventful life.
DKK

Who Wants Oil -- Everybody But Wealthy Leftists

In the past year, a network of nongovernment organizations, on the ground and afar, has taken up the antioilsands cause, aiming at least to slow down development, at most to shut down altogether what has become the backbone of Canada's economy.

Many rely on funding from such well-heeled U. S. foundations as Pew, one of the top charities in the United States with nearly US$6-billion in assets, or the Menlo-Park, Calif.-based William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, a legacy of the co-founder of computer giant Hewlett Packard with assets of more than US$7-billion.

Greenpeace, Ecojustice, Water Matters and the Sierra Club are among those that have opened or increased operations in the province or will do so shortly. Pew, the Natural Resources Defence Council and Earth Justice are among those bolstering the campaign from abroad.

DKK

Financial Post -- An Environmental Quagmire

Does This Violate The Smoking Ban?

A woman dancing on a bar accidentally set a man on fire early Sunday after noticing her foot was in flames, Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue said.

The woman, described as in her 20s, was at Drake's Bar in Kendall when she agreed to help out with a display involving liquor and fire, authorities said. According to Fire Rescue, she hopped on the bar, started dancing, then realized her foot was engulfed in flames.

She reacted by accidentally kicking the flaming mixture into a passer-by, Fire-Rescue said.

Paramedics arrived at the bar, 13758 SW 88th St., about 2 a.m. The man suffered burns to about 20 percent of his upper body, authorities said. Paramedics took him to Ryder Trauma Center's burn unit. The woman was taken to a hospital.

DKK

Via Wizbang Blog -- Bad Customer Service

What The Court Said?

It was a busy Monday in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Click the "Continue reading" bar if you're interested in the latest rulings: (1) a case dealing with that terrorist plot to attack the L.A. Airport during the millennial celebration in 1999-2000, (2) a case dealing with child pornography laws, (3) a case dealing with municipal bonds, interstate commerce and taxation exemptions, (4) a case dealing with federal criminal laws, recidivist offenders and sentencing decisions.

DKK

Wizbang Blog -- Supreme Court Update

NBC Called Out -- Finally

The White House on Monday sent a scathing letter to NBC News, accusing the news network of “deceptively” editing an interview with President Bush on the issue of appeasement and Iran.
(...)

Gillespie used the opportunity to also inquire whether NBC News still believes that Iraq is in the midst of a civil war. In November 2006, the network decided to label the infighting in the country a “civil war.”

“I noticed that around September of 2007, your network quietly stopped referring to conditions in Iraq as a ‘civil war,’ ” Gillespie wrote. “Is it still NBC News’s carefully deliberated opinion that Iraq is in the midst of a civil war? If not, will the network publicly declare that the civil war has ended, or that it was wrong to declare it in the first place?”

The letter also hit NBC for their coverage of the economy.
DKK
The Hill -- White House takes swipe at NBC

Fear Mongering -- The Democrats First Option

Yeah .. Barack Obama did over the weekend what ever single Democrat presidential candidate in our lifetimes has done. He went to talk to a group of wizened citizens and told them that if John McCain became president their precious Social Security benefits would be threatened.

DKK
Neal Boortz -- WELL .. IT'S ABOUT TIME

Where Did Adam Gadahn Go?

American terrorist and the only American indicted for treason since the early days of the Cold War seems to have gone missing. He didn't even translate Osama's new tapes.

Rumor is he may have died in a US attack earlier this year.

Take it for what it is worth.
DKK

Manzullo Release -- Export Modernization

U.S. House Approves Sherman-Manzullo Bill to Modernize Export Controls, Strengthen National Security, Create Jobs

Washington, May 15 -

The U.S. House of Representatives today approved legislation co-authored by Congressman Don Manzullo (R-IL) that would modernize the federal government’s inefficient export control policy by strengthening national security and helping American companies sell more defense-related goods and services overseas to our allies.

Sponsored by Manzullo and Reps. Brad Sherman (D-CA), Joe Crowley (D-NY) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), the Defense Trade Controls Performance Improvement Act of 2007 (H.R. 4246), as amended, became Subtitle A of Title I of the Security Assistance and Arms Export Control Reform Act of 2008 (H.R. 5916), a broader international security assistance bill approved by the Foreign Affairs Committee last month. Manzullo is also an original co sponsor of H.R. 5916.

Title I of H.R. 5916 directs the State Department to hire more staff, reducing the massive backlog of license applications that impedes legitimate trade with our allies and bolstering national security. Today, the State Department has only 42 licensing officers. By 2010, this legislation requires adequate staff and resources at the State Department to review and process defense trade licenses in a timely manner.

“This legislation streamlines the process, reduces the application backlog, and allows greater scrutiny on sensitive exports that could harm our country,” Manzullo said. “I strongly encourage the Senate to pass this bill as soon as possible so the President can sign it into law quickly. It would better protect our nation while helping U.S. companies sell more goods and services to our allies, creating more jobs for Americans.”

The Defense Trade Controls Performance Improvement Act of 2008 (Title I of H.R. 5916) remedies many of the deficiencies in the licensing of defense trade by:

Directing the Secretary of State to review the U.S. export control system within 18 months and offer recommendations to strengthen controls, improve efficiency, and reduce redundancies across federal agencies;

Requiring the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) to have at least 1 licensing officer for every 1,250 applications by Fiscal Year 2010 to prevent future backlogs;

Requiring the DDTC to assign no less than 3 individuals by Fiscal Year 2009 to review applications for commodity jurisdiction determinations;

Creating a performance goal of no longer than 60 days to process a defense trade license;

Creating a performance goal of no longer than 30 days to process a defense trade license for close allies;

Establishing a 7 day processing time for defense trade licenses from our close allies in support of combat operations or peacekeeping or humanitarian operations with U.S. Armed Forces;

Increasing the transparency of commodity jurisdiction determinations with publication of those decisions on the Internet;

Creating a special licensing authorization for U.S. manufactured spare and replacement parts or components in connection with defense items previously lawfully exported to our close allies;

Requiring a report within 90 days on possible means for DDTC to achieve 100 percent self-financing;

Increasing the representation and augmenting the input of the Defense Trade Advisory Group (DTAG) into the State Department’s defense trade agenda;

Adding South Korea and Israel to the list of NATO+3 countries receiving expedited consideration for the export of U.S. defense items.

DKK
Representative Don Manzullo

Bush Rebukes Arabs, MSM Crickets Chirp About Appeasement

President Bush gave a stunning speech at the World Economic Forum meeting in Sharm el Sheikh today in which he said, among other things:

Too often in the Middle East, politics has consisted of one leader in power and the opposition in jail.

In our democracy, we would never punish a person for owning a Koran. We would never issue a death sentence to someone for converting to Islam. Democracy does not threaten Islam or any religion. Democracy is the only system of government that guarantees their protection.

I can’t recall a more serious rebuke issued on Arab soil by any President. Any chance that paragon of bipartisanship, Barack Obama, will quit carping about Bush’s Knesset speech long enough to acknowledge these remarks?

DKK

Linda Chavez -- Commentary Magazine

Red Light Cameras -- 80% Drive Revenue For Less Severe Violation

In Los Angeles, officials estimate that 80% of red light camera tickets go not to those running through intersections but to drivers making rolling right turns, a Times review has found. As London realized that day in court, her turn was illegal because she did not completely stop before turning.

One of the most powerful selling points for photo enforcement systems, which now monitor 175 intersections in Los Angeles County and hundreds more across the United States, has been the promise of reducing collisions caused by drivers barreling through red lights.

But it is the right-turn infraction -- a frequently misunderstood and less pressing safety concern -- that drives tickets and revenue in the nation's second-biggest city and at least half a dozen others across the county.

Now, why is Rockford pushing for these cameras, that don't actually improve safety, rather then the proven safety measure of extending the yellow by one second?
DKK
LA Times -- Red light cameras clicking for safety or revenue?

Why Isn't Obama a Laughingstock

Barack Obama, last night in Portland, on Iran: "They don't pose a serious threat to us."

Barack Obama, today, in Billings, Montana, on Iran: "I've made it clear for years that the threat from Iran is grave."

DKK
Powerline -- Obama Gets Whiplash

My Note To Popular Mechanics

You are the last hard copy magazine I subscribe to, but recently your magazine is filling up with crap (multiple fold outs, thick advertising) and it is beginning to look more like the Better Homes and Gardens my sisters gets.

While these heavier pages are fine on occasion, when it is more then one or two in a month, as it is this month, it gets hard to turn the pages while doing anything like using the treadmill, working on the car, rolling over in bed, and goodness don't even try finding your page on the toilet! (Seriously, have you ever tried reading a Better Homes -- the pages don't even turn it just goes from insert to insert).

Can you please try to keep it to a minimum?

Anyone think Glen Reynolds (Instapundit), what with him being a Contributing Editor and all, can do anything about that?
DKK

An Obama Nation -- Mealtime

A feature, based on Obama's declaration that Americans will have to do with less, I present to you,

An Obama Nation!

This is what I want:

But this is what I will have to settle for, for the sake of world leadership!
Don't we all feel better now?

Previous Obama Nations:
Alpha/Cube
DKK

Was This A Preemptive Strike?

“If they think that they’re going to try to make Michelle an issue in this campaign, they should be careful, because that I find unacceptable — the notion that you start attacking my wife or my family,” he said.

“For them to try to distort or to play snippets of her remarks in ways that are unflattering to her I think is just low class and I think they — most of the American people would think that as well,” he said. “I would never think of going after somebody’s spouse in a campaign.” (Hot Air)

In my post How Obama Neutered The Clintons I proposed that Obama beat Hillary (so far) by preemptively eliminating legitimate avenues of attack by redefining what was acceptable in a campaign. Well, in light of the internet rumor that there is a video of Michelle Obama speaking at church using the phrase, "whitey," I was wondering if this was an attempt to remove that tape from the game as well. It appeared to be based on an advertisement in Tennessee that called Michelle out on her claim to have not been proud of America before now, but was there more to it then that?

Remember, Michelle's comments about being proud as well as her calling America a mean country were all done on the campaign trail!

The American Thinker Blog gives a list of things that are no longer acceptable as political arguments against Obama, The Rule Book for Criticizing Obama.

DKK

Economic Rebound Already?

A forecast of US economic growth climbed for the second month this year in April, another sign that the economy may be in better shape than some had feared, according to figures released Monday.

The US leading index climbed 0.1 per cent, and six of the 10 economic indicators that form the index were up in April, the private New York-based Conference Board said.

Don't worry, Bush won't get any credit!

DKK

Ace of Spades HQ --Long-Awaited Recession Canceled Until Time TBD; Liberals, Media Hardest Hit

More From The Road To Malaise -- What Does The World Get For It's Investment?

But keep in mind, you're right, we can't tell them don't grow. We can't drive our SUVs and, you know, eat as much as we want and keep our homes on, you know, 72 degrees at all times, whether we're living in the desert or we're living in the tundra and then just expect every other country is going to say OK, you know, you guys go ahead keep on using 25 percent of the world's energy, even though you only account for 3 percent of the population, and we'll be fine. Don't worry about us. That's not leadership. (CNN Transcripts)

Can I just make a couple of points here?

I saw the uncut version of Obama's Sunday Oregon statement and (other then again pointing out that we are all gonna be hungry and cold) provide a little context on Mr. Obama, his world view, and the Democrats.

First aren't we closer to 5% of the worlds population? 6.5 billion divided by 330 million is about 5.1%.

Second the left loves to make the point that the US uses about 25% of the worlds natural resources it is rarely mentioned that the US produces 21% of the worlds food (http://www.fas.usda.gov/wap/current/toc.asp) and (if you include The Green Revolution) are arguably responsible for up to 60% of the worlds total food production.

In addition the US creates 27% of the worlds annual wealth (2006 world GDP figures). That is money spent worldwide that people earn to feed and clothe their families that they wouldn’t have if it wasn’t created here (and don’t even start the argument between the haves and the have-nots. Wealth is not a zero sum game where one has to loose just because another wins.)

So, it would appear to be an overall effective use of the extra natural resources. Drop the amount we use and risk reducing the food produced that helps feed the world, something we have already seen with the ethanol debacle.

When you realize that we produce so much of the worlds food and wealth it puts that little canard of using 25% of the worlds resources or produce 21% of the greenhouse gases for only 5% of the worlds population in a VERY different light.
DKK

Oil Imports Drop - First Time Since 1977

The US is starting to break its “addiction” to foreign oil as high prices, more efficient cars, and the use of ethanol significantly cut the share of its oil imports for the first time since 1977.

The country’s foreign oil dependency is expected to fall from 60 per cent to 50 per cent in 2015, before rising again slightly to 54 per cent in 2030, according to the head of the Department of Energy’s statistical arm.

(...)

The US decline in foreign oil dependency is already becoming more visible, with imports making up 57.9 per cent in the first three months of this year, down from 58.2 last year.

Guy Caruso, head of the US Energy Information Administration, said that that trend was set to continue as people adjusted to high oil prices and the impact of the Energy Independence and Security Act, which became law in December 2007, was felt.

“The 1970s is the last time we saw any significant decline in net import dependency in the US. It shows that markets do work, policy changes do work, technology does work” Mr Caruso said.

Fixed that quote for Mr. Caruso, by the way, he never mentions that 1977 was the year the Trans-Alaska Pipeline came online, gee, perhaps that had something to do with, "the last time we saw a significant decline in net import dependency in the US?" Maybe?

DKK

Financial Times -- In Depth - US begins to break foreign oil 'addiction'

It's Like Black and White -- Carter, Obama -- Malaise Part Deux

This remarkable bit of footage from Barack Obama's appearance in Oregon last night is now floating around on YouTube. It might be useful as an undergraduate course exam: how many errors can you spot? Obama apparently believes that Iran and other rogues states (he lists Iran, Cuba and Venezuela) "don't pose a serious threat to the U.S." Iran, specifically, he tells us spends so little on defense relative to us that if Iran "tried to pose a serious threat to us they wouldn't . . . they wouldn't stand a chance."

So, taken literally, he seems not much concerned about Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons, its sponsorship of terrorist organizations, its commitment to eradicate Israel, its current actions in supplying weapons that have killed hundreds of Americans in Iraq, and its role in eroding Lebanon's sovereignty through its client Hezbollah.

This sealed the deal for me. In the closing years of the 1970's our enemies understood Jimmy Carter's knee jerk reaction was to talk. They understood that anything short of a nuclear strike would merely set the telephone ringing. As a result the Soviets invaded Afghanistan and dramatically increased their political and social influence in Central America, right here in our own hemisphere.

More closely related to today, the Terrorist Regime in Iran at the learned quickly that a weak reaction from the US to an overt act of war would was a winning proposition for them. As a result they held the hostages far longer then originally intended.

This led to humiliation as photo's of the hostages reached a worldwide audiance.

Is this really the change we want for America? Back to the Future?
DKK

American Thinker Blog -- Obama Tells 75,000 Oregonians Iran is "not a threat" to US